Have you seen the Nike video ad about courage? It is awesome.
It gives me chills of joy and excitement to watch it.
It inspires me.
It also teaches me a little something about effective marketing. If I can connect emotionally to my potential clients, I don’t have to sell them.
They’re already sold.
Just Do It.
I get a lot of forwards in my email inbox from friends and family. I’m sure you do, too. To tell the truth, I generally skim over them pretty quickly and then hit the delete key.
This morning, something moved me to give more than cursory treatment to a YouTube video — sent to me by my sister, Tahirah — that I also want to share with you here.
Far more articulate than me, recently-naturalized US citizen, Derrick Ashlong, offers an answer to would-be critics of Obama who assert that he is heavy on emotional appeal, but lacking in substance. Derrick illustrates with incredible reasoning that nothing can be further from the truth, and shows with equal power the depth of engagement young people have in this politcal process at this historic time.
This spontaneous, impromptu interview (where it is clear the interviewer intended to catch Derrick unprepared and uninformed) is just shy of 6 minutes long.
Awesome, don’t you think?
Those who know me know that I have been won over by Senator Obama. I am inspired by the message and politics and consistency of Senator Obama, particularly his broad appeal and commitment to collaboration and unity — as opposed to a hardline, go-it-alone attitude — as the vehicle through which positive change can occur.
This has been my impression of the man already. Derrick’s interview only served to further seal the deal.
In fact, the response was so great, Derrick was moved to record a follow-up response to this interview to explain his deeply personal and emotional reasons for supporting Obama.
I hope you’ll take a moment (about 7 1/2 minutes) to also view the following video by Derrick Ashlong. I think you’ll find it inspiring and moving, regardless of whether you agree with his choice of candidate to be the next President of the United States or not.
I would love to hear from you about your thoughts and your impressions.
For now, I leave you with Derrick Ashlong:
The world mourns a great man today.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It’s a somber and sobering day, as I remember Dr. King and the legacy he created in life and in death. Forty years after the death of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., there is still much work to do.
That’s why it is also a day of rejoicing that you and I have the honor and privilege of embracing the spirit of Dr. King and taking up his torch of freedom, racial equality, and economic justice for everyone.
Will you take up the challenge?
I am also reminded today of my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Dov Baron (who was just a 10-year-old boy when Dr. King died), whose mission is to raise consciousness and impact the world with the same magnitude that Dr. King impacted his.
I don’t know about the rest of the world, but Dr. Baron has surely impacted me in immeasurably powerful ways.
The Inspiration Nation 