Latino Graduates: Get Enthusiastic & Courageous

You are the first graduates of the Decade of Transformation, and I encourage you to fulfill your destiny, become your best person, and advance the change that will bring success to you, your family, and our Earth  

I send saludos and love to all students who graduated this year, 2020!  Thank you for your dedication, persistence, and accomplishments!  Now comes the real opportunities!

I wish you all could have had the wonderful party you deserved– full of family celebration, honoring words, and family love.  I’m sorry you’re the celebration didn’t happen as you probably envisioned, yet don’t let this diminish the significance of who you are and what you will achieve.  On the contrary, be proud, bask in the glory of your achievements, and don’t let the current challenges affect your enthusiasm and spirit.  You have completed a powerful chapter in your development and you will continue to draw on your courage, intelligence, and spirit to make good happen for you and those you love. 

This Message is for You.

I am a community organizer, organizational psychologist, leadership coach, and indigenous ceremony leader, and I have message for all of you.  Get enthusiastic and courageous, and prepare yourself and family to survive, transform, be joyful, and thrive! 

Again, I extend my gratitude to you for all you did to earn your degree.  Only you know the amount of struggle and hard work you dedicated to achieve this graduation goal.  The outcome should have been numerous opportunities for jobs or internships to advance you career, earn your desired income, pay your bills and enjoy the fun of living.  The virus realities denied you these rewards, yet, you can still make your dreams happen!   Start by connecting with your inner spirit and purpose.  Here you will you will find the energy, intelligence and wisdom to achieve and succeed now and in your future.

I say first accept the truth of our human existence.  We are born not just to complete our education, and work; we are here to mature our ability to become more caring, loving, and resourceful human beings and advance a world that respects and supports all people.  The challenges of COVID-19 are providing us the opportunities to side-step the seduction of self-centered success.  For us, success is not how much money “I make” or how much I can consume.  Instead, it is about living values that are about, compassion, courage and most of all, love.  It calls upon us to find ways to create a livelihood while taking care of self, family, and community, and enjoying life.

This is your time to develop your leadership potential and clarify your life mission, and also develop your ability to serve your family and friends as a family facilitator.

To lead, you begin by leading yourself with purpose.  I suggest you choose to accept your porvida purpose.  Our core spiritual nature is porvida, to be for life, love and positive change.  So accept that you are inherently brilliant, caring, and resourceful, and seek to become your best – and know that you will find the way. 

Get creative and find ways to develop your talents, skills, and relationships.  Jump on to the internet and find webinars that can teach about self-confidence, survival skills, business opportunities, spiritual development, and more. Learn and learn more, without preconceptions or limitations on your dreams. Seek out and meet new people who can become collaborators or contacts for your next excellent job or opportunity.

Be the Family Facilitator

Then, be a family facilitator and bring your family and friends together to talk about how you can support each other to survive, thrive, and succeed.  Just because you are a family doesn’t mean you are united and able to support each other.  You need to talk truth to each other to deepen your trust and commitment to support each other.  Family facilitators pay attention to family needs, they look ahead at what’s coming, and they bring family and friends together to talk and develop plans to support each other, and at other times, to celebrate together.  So be the family facilitator that brings your people together to elevate the trust and collaborate. 

Also, bring your family of good friends together and explore projects for mutual support.  Maybe you can barter skills and talents to start your own cooperative or business.  Or, perhaps you might decide to volunteer for different agencies doing community organizing and public service so that you develop more skills and contacts that you can share with each other.  Proactive leaders focus on what they ideally want and then take action to make it happen!

Closing

My message to you is threefold.  1) Be hopeful, courageous, and more untied. By being more together, we can increase the well-being of our families and communities.  2) Recognize that with your ganas (drive) and commitment, we will make this the Decade of Great Healing and Transformation.  We can move ourselves, families, and society from individualistic and consumer living to leading family-oriented lives of respect, radical love, and sustainability.  3) Step up to become the family facilitator to aid your familia to have the meaningful conversations necessary to be connected and to support each other to enjoy health, happiness, and success!

I call this porvida living, living for life, love, and positive change.  I am here to support you!  Let’s join together and make it happen for all ourselves and families.

May the positive energies of our universe bless you and your families.

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