Set Goals, Achieve & Succeed!

As my husband Roland and I congratulate our son Clinton on successfully "quarterbacking" his education at Hampton University, we take tremendous pride in our son’s achievement. And, we give thanks that we’ve been able to provide our son with the basic educational tools to succeed (read: tuition payments) as an African American man in today’s competitive global economy.

Many friends and family are highly complimentary of Clinton’s ability to maintain his focus and get the job done. I am not surprised. Thought of by family and friends as “hard core” (a compliment, in my book), I have a very direct approach to life; and, our family has very high standards.

My advice to my son over the years: handle your business; work hard and take risks; treat people right; be someone folks can count on; create your own “dream life”—no one will do this for you; everyone won’t like your choices (so what?); and finally, folks are dying in Iraq for you to have the RIGHT to attend college … so make the most of this exquisite opportunity to make the most of yourself and give back to your community, your country and the world!

Clinton has a bachelor of arts in broadcast journalism from Hampton’s Scripps Howard School of Communications, with Honors, 3.0 GPA. He shares the following words of advice for students who wish to “ace” their undergraduate game in four years or less:

> Set goals

> Don’t make things harder than they really are

> If you glance at a book you should come out of a class with a "C"

> Have faith and confidence that that the best will happen

> Surround yourself with people who want to succeed and are succeeding

“Why stress when nothing in my life is really wrong,” advises Clinton. “Look for positives and fine tune those things in order to cancel out negatives.”

When I asked Clinton for a few bullets as I developed this blog post, he said,

“Don't forget to include yourself. If I’m not mistaken, you did graduate from Howard University in the same amount of time.” Ah, from the mouths of babes!

As parents, it’s important to set good examples. I’ve had the good fortune to have a husband that has shown my son how to be a man and kept him in check over the years. One of Roland’s favorite quotes: “Everyone needs supervision—including adults.” Roland and I have loving parents and grandparents who continue to set fine examples—and, by the way, worked very hard to pay for our college educations. That said, we were inspired to do the same for our son; it’s our responsibility! We know everyone isn’t as fortunate and understand we are part of W.E.B. DuBois’ “Talented Tenth.”

Periodically, you’ll hear more from Clinton and Roland as we continue to coach each other throughout the game of life! And, it’s very cool to share important info with an international community via Millynneum Insight!

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