Most of you say you want to be successful, but you don’t want it bad, you just kind of want it. When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful. I like everything about world-renowned speaker Eric Thomas, but his Michigan State loyalty. Bleeding green, Eric Thomas first released his Secrets to Success Pt.1 in 2008, introducing himself to an MSU class as an academic advisor. That speech he did at MSU was posted on YouTube shortly after and has over 2 million views.
Years earlier, Thomas was a high school dropout and homeless looking for something to clinch on to for survival. After a pastor convinced him to make something of his life, he worked multiple jobs while going to school part time, taking 12 years to complete his bachelor’s degree at Oakwood University in 2001. He then earned a master’s at Michigan State University in 2005, and eventually a PhD from MSU in education in 2015. His life story was his most compelling tale.
With more than ten years of motivational speaking, Thomas tells his more than 1.6M Instagram followers exactly how it really is. Those followers include some of today’s brightest stars including Josh Okogie, Stephen Curry, Kylian Mbappe and Patrick Mahomes, just to name a few. As part of the NBA’s annual rookie symposium, Thomas was introduced to Zion Williamson who connected with Thomas through his humble beginnings and his raw messages, using them as a source of inspiration.
Thomas has become the unofficial outlet of support for players around the world. He’s someone they know they can lean on when they’re going through hard times. Whether through a personal connection or just through the inspirational content he posts on his social media, Thomas is impacting the everyday person who is trying to deal with it all. When you get to the point where all you want to do is be successful as bad as you want to breath, then you will be successful.
“Always know where you’re going, but never forget… Where you come from.”
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