The Why

The daunting question: why? This question rears its ugly head on a daily basis. It's one of the hardest questions to answer. It is the one question that most infants pick up on first to drive us crazy. There are the things that we want, the things we desire to have or believe that we deserve etc. but do we ever consider, why? On the journey to becoming who and what you want to be, we must first ask ourselves, why, then we can take the necessary steps in pursuing what we desire.

By asking 'why', it leads you into thought and action of pursuit. Dreams without actions are only mere dreams. You never get to the experience the joy of failure which leads to your ultimate successes. We believe that it is much safer to not pursue, rather than to pursue and fail. Fear is the biggest deterrent in following our dreams. If you ask yourself 'why' and you can give a legitimate reason(s) then you know that this is something worth pursuing.

Why? I contemplate this question on a daily basis. Being ambitious is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you're actively pursuing a goal while on the other hand, this habit continues into which you may end up with 'goals' rather than accomplishments.

I have a belief that all people should leave the world better than the way they found it. How this is accomplished is totally up to the individual. How do I personally make a change? This is where you begin to pursue the why.

Merriam-Webster defines why as: for what reason or purpose. I have been on my journey of soul-searching over the last few years. My journey has not been smooth by any means. One of the hardest concepts in life is to face the man in the mirror. The truth scares the hell out of us. It is much easier to look beyond ourselves and see things wrong with others but not be able to do the same with ourselves.  As I began to think about changing the world, my thought process went into: why not start with my own. When I speak of my own, I mean my own people, where I'm from. Help those who look like me and come from where I do.

*Flashback to 2012. There was an article that was shared with me about a high school on the Southside of Chicago. If you know anything about the Southside then you know most times it is spoken about it is usually less flattering. Chicago is the murder capital for black males with one of the highest homicide rates in the US. There is a bright spot in a community with not much to believe in. Urban Prep Academy is an all-male school that had not only a 100% graduation rate but also a 100% college acceptance rate for their senior class.  I thought to myself 'how amazing is this!' And my next thought was 'how do I replicate this?' I was blown away that the success of the of the school went unnoticed.

*Flash forward: I wanted to create my own Urban Prep Academy but I wanted to create this in my vision and in my backyard. The city of Las Vegas can benefit greatly from such a school. I began thinking about my nephews, students, friends, and former athletes I know off the top of my head, this is where I got my 'why'. Why not create an environment that minority males can relate to and grow as people from who look like them? This is an opportunity to show them that to be successful in life does not mean that you have to dribble a ball, catch a football, or rap a lyric. Why not Vegas? Why not me?

In the fall of 2016, I began thinking about going to school to pursue a degree in leadership. When the time and opportunity came for me to run a school, I wanted to make sure I had the credentials, knowledge, and experiences to man it. After having conversations with some of the closest people to me, it was clear that pursuing my Ph.D. was the right decision. Here goes nothing...

*Flashback 2002: I'm at freshman orientation in McCall, Idaho. I was introduced to Rob Stacy who would be my first-year academic advisor As part of orientation, we were broken up into groups based upon our advisor. My group as assigned to take a ski lift to the top of the ski hill and meet with Rob. First off, I had never been on a ski lift and all I could think of on the ride up was: DO NOT FALL! After reaching the top, of course as being new students we had to go through the introducing ourselves routine. My advisor Rob, introduced himself as Dr. Rob Stacy. After everyone introduced themselves, it was finally my turn. Unknowingly predicting my future, I referred to my as Dr. Derek Brown. Of course, we all laughed but I'm finding truth in that statement fourteen years later.

*Flash Forward 2016: My supervisor tells me that I needed to join him in the pursuit of a doctoral degree. He told me how he waited twenty years too long to pursue his degree. How flattering for him to consider me doing this program but also I get to back up the name I gave myself in McCall, Idaho.

This is how it all began. My 'why' has given me the motivation needed to help somebody else's life. Let the journey begin!


*This blog was created in the fall of 2016*