Hello My “Aspiring” Partner:
Welcome to ASPIRE TO GREATNESS! I am honored and excited that you have decided to join me on this life changing journey. Through the blog you will have an opportunity to find out who I am post by post. However, I would like to share just a little about who Rosalynd “really” is. It is important to note that I am not a writer and have never taken a writing course. As a woman of purpose and vision, I am compelled to share my life experiences, views, opinions and lessons learned with the hope that it will empower, inspire and energize you to (1) aspire to greatness; (2) discover and walk in your divine purpose (3) create and live the awesome life you envision for yourself; and (4) to begin to LIVE…DO…BE on a higher level!
Along my journey, like many of you, I have experienced some extreme challenges, which I have affectionately termed my “Tsunamis.”–can you relate? Although the road has been rough, because of the grace of God I have emerged with my mind intact; and with a passion and desire to help individuals become all they are destined to be.
One of the most important things I want you to know about me is I am a woman of faith. If it were not for my unshakable faith in God, and the vision he has given me, I don’t believe I would be here today. I love God and he is the center of my life. As a Christian, I aspire to live and love like Christ and pattern my life by the principles outlined in the Bible. Whenever I connect with someone, I want them to feel as if they have been in the presence of God; whether it be on a small or great level.
Secondly, I am a woman of purpose and vision. Consequently, every decision I make is measured against my vision statement–which is my compass. Every morning I awake, I recognize that it is a privilege and a blessing to be among the living. Everyday I arise is an opportunity to impact the lives of others and make the world a better place. Hence, I believe in being focused, intentional and proactive so as to not waste my time or the precious time of others. Finally, I am passionate about helping people to discover and walk in their divine purpose. I believe that God is the creator of the universe and everything that exist within it…including us, was created to do something specific. I believe Jesus when he said “greater works shall we do.” It’s time for the greater!
As I stated earlier, I believe that every individual was created by God for a specific purpose. More specifically, I believe each of us was created to a solve a problem and to assist mankind in discovering and fulfilling their purpose. As we seek to fulfill purpose; we release and inspire others to seek and fulfill theirs. Do you know your divine purpose? Do you have a vision for your life? If not, I pray that you will discover both along your journey as we ASPIRE TO GREATNESS together! My divine purpose is to motivate and inspire people to aspire to greatness in every area of their life–this is my purpose; my reason for being.
As I write this post, I am reminded that as early as 8 years old I wanted to be a teacher. I remember tutoring my brother and sisters and loving it. However, in my late teens while attending a “Career Day” seminar I learned the salary of teachers and realized that I couldn’t possibly afford the lifestyle I dreamed of living; so, my pursuit changed. I sit here chuckling, because guess what…I am a teacher…just not in the way I thought I would be. Whatever you were created to do in this life you will do–you can’t escape purpose!
So now, a little more about me:
Personal
I am the mother of two beautiful girls…a 30 and 7 year old. Yes, you read right! When my daughter was 23 years old, I learned that I was having a baby…talk about a twilight zone moment that lasted for a couple of years. Years before her conception, I made the decision that I was not having anymore children. In fact, during that time I made plans to take my speaking and training business to the next level. Consequently, accepting my pregnancy was extremely challenging–for many reasons, which I will discuss periodically throughout the blog. However, my little Gabriella is truly a gift from God. In this season of my life, she has been and continues to be my greatest teacher. Within weeks of learning about my pregnancy, I learned that my daughter was pregnant with my second grandchild. She and Gabriella are exactly 30 days apart…can you imagine…I couldn’t! My beautiful daughter and son-in-law have blessed me with three beautiful smart and healthy grand daughters. Their names and ages are Skye(9), Starr(7) and Reyna(5). There are many things in this life that I aspire to learn, have, do and be. You can read more about this on my list of Random/InterestingThings about Rosalynd.
Professional
Over the past 30
years I have done so much, where do I begin. Well, let’s start at the beginning and give you an abbreviated version of my professional life. At 17 years old I worked for Monaghan Realty Corporation in lower Manhattan in New York City as a Secretary. I remember the interview like it was yesterday. Toward the end of the interview, the woman looked at me and said, “Rosalynd, you are the youngest applicant by far, but there’s something about you. I am going to give you a chance.” At that time, I could type 65WPM and I knew shorthand and possessed great communication skills. Unfortunately, the job was short lived–about 4 months. No, not because I was fired; (in fact, I am happy to say that I’ve never been fired, laid off or down sized) I had a fire in my apartment. My personal items suffered extreme smoke damage and I had to throw away all of my clothing. Additionally, there were some other issues that made going to work challenging. Because they were a new company they had to let me go. Our parting was emotional, because I didn’t want to leave and they were very pleased with my performance; but the show must go on. However; when one door closes another one opens.
About a month later; a friend informed me that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was hiring. Immediately, I traveled to the office, completed the application and within a few weeks I was sitting in the New Hires Orientation class. After 2 1/2 years, I felt it was time for a promotion. You know the story, you’re performing all the duties; yet you don’t have the title or salary. On several occasions I inquired about the Supervisor position and was told that I didn’t have enough experience. I responded by saying “How can this be? I’m doing the job. In fact, all of the Assistant District Attorney’s and Police Officer’s already believed I was a Supervisor.” Here’s my belief, they didn’t want to promote me because they felt I was too young. It’s very important for me to state that I absolutely loved working there; and I loved my managers and fellow team members. Furthermore, I established some great relationships and entered into my first “real” business partnership with a gentlemen I met there. Overall, it was a great experience.
Well, the good news is that I worked the midnight shift, which afforded me the opportunity to seek employment during the day. Well, within a few weeks, I was hired as a Secretary at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) at Rockerfeller Plaza in New York City. I LOVED WORKING AT THE AICPA. Over the 14 years I worked at the AICPA, I established relationships with some incredible individuals and maintain several of those relationships to this day. While there, I was promoted 5 times–loving each position more than the last. During those years, I was privileged to chair and serve as a member of several committees and task forces. In 2002, I held the position as the National Administrator of Beta Alpha Psi which is one of the largest honors society for accounting, finance and technology students. Although I loved my position, staff, colleagues and the perks of the job, my passion and purpose were calling. So, I resigned from the AICPA in February 2002 (one of the toughest decisions of my life) and started The Empowerment Zone, LLC. ..it was the scariest and best decision I ever made–for so many reasons.
While working at the AICPA, I also worked as an Adjunct Professor for four years at three different colleges teaching professional development training courses and Microsoft Office applications in the evening. It’s during this opportunity that I truly embraced my gifts and purpose.
In February 2014, I made one of the best business and growth decisions, I became a Certified John Maxwell Coach, Speaker and Trainer. The John Maxwell Team is one the largest and most impactful teams in the world. We teach leadership principles around the world, developed by the world renowned, #1 leadership authority in the world, John Maxwell.
Today, I am the President of ASPIRE International. ASPIRE is truly my divine purpose. The vision of ASPIRE is to inspire and motivate individuals to aspire to greatness in their personal, professional and spiritual life. ASPIRE accomplishes this by providing workshops, seminars and coaching opportunities that empowers individuals to:
- discover their gifts and purpose;
- pursue their purpose with passion;
- create and manifest the vision for their life;
- reprogram their subconscious mind for success;
- expand their leadership knowledge and ability; and
- LIVE…DO…BE…THINK on a higher level!
Entrepreneurship
The year was 1986 and I was captivated by real estate guru, Dave Delgado (I believe this was his name). Mr. Delgado captivated the attention of thousands of eager “I want to be a real estate investor” folks at Madison Square Garden. During this conference, I had what you would call a “defining moment.” I affirmed that: (1) I am going to become an entrepreneur; (2) I will become a real estate investor; and (3) I will use my speaking gift to change lives worldwide. With a thankful and grateful heart, I can say that I have/am doing all three. At this time, I am not in the real estate game, but will be returning very soon.
At a very early age, I had a strong desire to become a business owner. Since the age of 18, I have been involved in several businesses. Entrepreneurship runs through my veins.
Aspirations
- Live a life that is pleasing to God.
- Raise and develop an extraordinary child.
- Live a healthy lifestyle and transform my body.
- Reprogram my subconscious mind to live at a higher level.
- Help thousands of people ASPIRE TO GREATNESS through coaching, workshops and speaking.
I hope you will accompany me on this life changing journey. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I say, “It takes a village to birth a vision.” So, stay plugged into the community.
Well, let’s go it’s time to ASPIRE TO GREATNESS!
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