Joseph Mcclendon iii - Ebony Power Thoughts: Inspiration Thoughts from Oustanding African Americans

ALSO BY ANTHONY ROBBINS

Unlimited Power

Awaken the Giant Within

Notes from a Friend

Giant Steps

Unlimited Power: A Black Choice (with Joseph McClendon III)

Inspirational Thoughts from Outstanding African-Americans

ANTHONY ROBBINS & JOSEPH McCLENDON III

A FIRESIDE BOOK
Published by Simon & Schuster

In keeping with our commitment to create opportunities that lead to an outstanding quality of life, I am donating 10 percent of my royalties of this book to the mentoring of young African-Americans and the Young Black College Fund.

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C OPYRIGHT 1997 BY A NTHONY R OBBINS

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Robbins, Anthony.

Ebony power thoughts : inspirational thoughts from outstanding African-Americans / Anthony Robbins & Joseph McClendon III.

p. cm.

1. SuccessPsychological aspectsQuotations, maxims, etc. 2. Afro-AmericansPsychology. I. McClendon, Joseph. II. Title. III. Title: Power Thoughts.

BF637.S8R552 1997

158.108996073DC21 97-37090

CIP

ISBN-13: 978-0-684-82437-6

ISBN-10: 0-684-82437-X
ISBN: 978-1-451-60308-8

If there is one thing that I have learned over the years, its that the most worthwhile things done in life are done with a team. I would like to express my deep-felt thanks to these special souls without whom this work would have forever remained stuck in the computers, ink pens, and notebooks that clutter my desk.

To my dear friend Ms. Kerri Pohn, for all of your hard work and brilliant insight. To Joseph Bossey, for your expert counsel. To Joe, Emily, and Tani Williams, for your true friendship. To Brooks Hale, Jayne Jewel, Sir Albert Saab, Joelle Burges, and the members blast, for all the laughs and adventure. To Ms. Lisa Nichole, for your love and support. To Sam the man Georges, for your timeless Samisms. To Ms. Sonia Satra, for your loving coaching and seeing the light in me. To Ms. Lynn Rose, for your insight and your push. To Ms. Sarah Pinckney (I hope I spelled it right tee-hee), for your patience. To Ms. Kerri Kennedy, for all of your help and trust in the system. And last but by all means not least, to my dear friends and partners, Tony and Becky Robbins.

J OSEPH M C C LENDON III

To Rude Ray and Nicholas

The real power behind whatever success I have now is something I found within myselfsomething thats in all of us. I think, a little piece of God is just waiting to be discovered.

TINA TURNER, I, Tina

Since the dawn of time people have been inspired by the magical words and actions of others. Hearing about the accomplishments of great individuals, how they beat the odds and how they interpreted their lifes experiences, offers us an irresistible flavor of possibility and ignites our passion to continue to reach for the brass ring andcreate an extraordinary quality of life. Studying the beliefs and values of these gifted souls gives us some insight as to how to duplicate their successes in our own lives.

This book was created from our personal need to have a comprehensive collection of success quotes and inspirational anecdotes from outstanding black role models. It grew into a user-friendly conditioning tool for continued growth and fulfillment.

The truth is, we can learn something from everyone. The truth also is, very often, we relate more to those whom we perceive to be more like ourselves. There is no question that the experience of being black in America is far different than that of being white, Asian, or any other race. Out of that recognition and respect we wanted to write this book. Out of our personal desire to share the power of those role models and the technology we teach, weve created what we believe is a powerful tool for inspiration and positive change.

The power within the words of our great black leaders and role models is so great that it astonishes us. By indulging in the positive accomplishments of others, we can more easily envision ourselves as potential recipients of the fruits of our own forward motion.

This book is a new dimension in inspirational literature. Ebony Power Thoughts is an outgrowth from our original work, Unlimited Power: A Black Choice, which was designed to walk you through the foundation of the most advanced tools for producing an extraordinary quality of life. And our hope for you is that Ebony Power Thoughts will inspire you to seek our first work and its full benefits.

As in every piece of literature that we produce, Ebony Power Thoughts is a deliberate call to action with a doable strategy to support it. Its a reference book, a workbook, and a measuring stick for all who seek to raise the standards in their lives and produce measurable results. It is a deliberate strategy for embedding the positive attributes of these words of wisdom into our lives so we can easily call upon them for guidance and strength.

In the pages that follow you will find some of the most beautiful, inspiring, and thought-provoking words we have read. We have gathered them from books, newspaper articles, television programs, and personal interviews.

Awareness more often than not is the first step toward change for the better, and whatever we focus our attention on is what we tend to manifest in our lives. Awareness is made up of intention and attention, so by putting our attention on thoughts that are timeless, we shift our awareness. With this shift in awareness, anything is possible.

As you read these quotations, allow yourself to hear the voices of the authors in your mind. Imagine their speech inflections and picture their faces as they speak. As your awareness changes, you can see things differently. Perhaps you are able to step outside of yourself at these times, and not be so apt to become caught up in the turbulence of disempowering thoughts and emotions.

Reading these quotations daily is like planting seeds of success and happiness in the fields of all possibilities. If we nurture these seeds with intention they will blossom into the splendor of a life that you have consciously created.

There is tremendous power in innocence. The process that follows is designed to be fun and keep the child that is inside all of us alive, playful, happy, and stimulated. Curiosity and wonder are marvelous states of mindvisit them often and you will stimulate the creative genius that lives in all of us. For young children, everything is new, so they approach things with a state of wonderment. I invite you to do the same.

Seeds will grow out of the field of all possibilityand they are being planted all of the time. Its up to us what kind of seeds will be allowed in our own personal garden. Remember, if you dont decide, someone else will decide for you. Will you plant weeds or will you plant magnificent redwoods? The choice is yours.