Alignment: Connecting the dots like Steve said.
Hi,
I'm Brandon.
So uhmm, Steve Jobs was right. The man who gave the world the iPhone (I haven't received my copy yet though) was correct about so many things. But one gem doesn't get talked about enough. His commencement speech at Stanford has one thing that stuck to me - and inspired today's writing. The dots always connect when you look at things backward even though they seem too messy.
So here is my story. I was in an intro call with a few mentees from Uncommon.org. As I was presenting on optimism and a proactive approach to building the future you desire something just hit the back of my mind. A small voice saying "Wait, you yourself would not believe this stuff". And that's your gotcha there. But trust me - you will want to stick around for this. I also had a problem with motivational speakers and that's why I avoid sounding like one.
Delusions
Back to the article. Alignment. Things coming into place. Working out. Expectedly or unexpectedly. Looking at everything from now onwards feels like every action was a piece of the puzzle. When I look at it all, part of the journey was being delusional. That crazy idea that we could be more than what the crowd saw. I also believe that years of listening to braggadocious hip hop and the song High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco helped. One day, I accepted my fate to be another John Doe, the next I felt like I could be Superman. I haven't gotten my powers to fly past the atmosphere though, but I have managed to crash past the ceiling though. It is those crazy delusions that made a kid with no public speaking experience step up for TEDx Borrowdale in 2023, that crazy delusion that made me accept the opportunity to give my first international talk even though I was ill-prepared and severely underfunded. And crazy thing about it all, those delusions started forming into shape and shaping into something even more beautiful than I could fathom.
Decisions
Beyond the delusion, the other thing that helped everything take shape was the decisions made. Tough calls at times. Crazy choices more than once.
When my self esteem was shaking, I chose to volunteer and cheat. Not the exam room kind of cheating. The cheat code kind. I compromised my status to humble myself so that I could learn more, and volunteering walked me into rooms my CV could never open. On paper, none of those calls made sense. Risks with no clear benefitting steps. No pay. No title. No guarantee that any of it would amount to anything. But each one felt like a small step to improve myself, so I took it.
More often than not, I made bad ones. I own up to them. Every single one. But not a single bad call left me empty-handed, because each one came back as a lesson.
Destiny
Now, destiny. Funny word, that one. For most people it is a hiding place. A polite way of saying the cards were dealt, the script was written and there is nothing to be done about it. Destiny becomes the excuse for not changing a single thing. If it is already written, why bother, right?
I don't buy it. Not even a little. I am the master of my fate, captain of my soul and all that. Destiny is not a script you are handed, it is one you write. Mine is in my hands, and nobody else is holding the pen.
Destiny is not a script you are handed. It is one you write.
And since it is mine to write, let me tell you exactly what I am making of it. Brandon T. Unforgettable. Boyish charm. Daring.
As I wrap this up, I hope you get to understand that the direction was intentional though the breakthroughs were coincidental. A moving man meets his luck, eh? I am living testament to that. They say life meets you at your level of preparedness, it met me in motion. Barely prepared but ready to ride on the wave. Into the unknown. At my worst. With only a dream, some delusion and a few decisions to be made.
Let's connect via the following platforms: LinkedIn, on X as @Rogue0015, or check the Sessionize speaker profile if you want this signal live on your stage. And if you're new here, start with the talks — this blog is their echo.