Home» Adrian Anthony

Learning is FUNdamental

admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:59:09 +0000

by Adrian Anthony

Since 1925, Jabberwock has been presented nationally by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, to raise scholarship funds for youth across the globe. The idea of the Jabberwock comes from the poem told by Lewis Carroll in his famous book, Alice in Wonderland. The Jabberwock, a mythical character, called together the members of his kingdom at least once a year to put on a show. In a like manner, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority calls its members and friends together to enjoy an evening of pageantry and entertainment.

I had the privilege of being the Master of Ceremony for the momentous 2011 Jabberwock hosted by the Tampa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The theme was “Learning is FUNdamental.” One of my favorite topics is EDUCATION. I presented several awards to historic educators who have personally inspired me and transformed children’s lives for over eighty years.

We honored the gracious Dorothea Edgecomb from the Hillsborough County School Board, Area Director Henry “Shake” Washington, Doris Scott and representatives for the late Dr. Sam Horton, Howard W. Blake and Mary Bryant. These educators are directly and indirectly responsible for motivating millions of lives and influencing my personal and professional dreams.

Let’s pause… I want you to think about who has influenced your life, including your parents. What did they say to you? How did they help you? How can you honor them? How can you help someone else?

“Shoot for the moon – and if you don’t make it, at least you’ll be among the stars…” – Anonymous

Today’s Rockstar Leadership Success Tip: Leaders Are Relentless

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:31:21 +0000

A well respected mentor was once asked by his young mentee, “If you could describe in one word the quality that it takes to be a successful leader, what would that one word be?” The mentor, a man who had experienced many heartbreaks and triumphs over the years, knew that this earnest question was asked sincerely. He allowed the question to weigh on his heart for a while, because he knew how much his young mentee valued his words and opinions. As the mentor thought back over his life, one word stood out. A word that summed up the essence of what it takes to walk the road less traveled and successfully reach your destination. He carefully considered its truths and then answered his mentee. “Relentlessness,” he replied. “The one word that has shaped the successes that I’ve been allowed to experience as a leader is relentlessness.”

To be relentless means more than just not giving up. It means not giving up in the face of your greatest fear or your greatest challenge!

To develop the relentless advantage, you will be tested on increasing levels of challenge until your endurance has stretched beyond its limits. More and more goals are reached, and more successes are attained when you have a relentless attitude, because you know that if you can just keep doing what you know you are supposed to do, the waves will stop crashing, the tide will calm, and you can enjoy the beauty of the experience.

Be RELENTLESS…Be a Rockstar Leader!

Enjoy this video from one of our favorite movies, Facing The Giants – it’s a perfect picture of what it means to be relentless!

anthonyGroup Creates a Following on Twitter!

admin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:58:23 +0000

Follow us as we follow you! anthonyGroup recently launched a customized Twitter page, and invite you to follow us on Twitter — @erinsanthony!

For all of you who are new to Twitter, it’s a “micro-blogging” platform, which really means, in 140 characters, you can

Describe what’s going on in your life or business
Give tips on how to do what you do
Inspire others by sharing your journey

We love Twitter because it allows us to eliminate the distance between people, share ideas and collectively move our businesses forward! Follow anthonyGroup on Twitter for:

Tips on improving and marketing your speaking business
Updates on where we’re going and what’s happening in our business
Inspirational and creative thoughts and ideas for success

Our goal is to inspire you to keep moving forward in all areas of life, especially in leadership! Your stories inspire us as well, so make sure you connect with us on Twitter!

Ancient Wisdom – Today’s Revelation

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:04:33 +0000

Have you ever felt as though there was more to your experience? Like everything that has happened to you had more meaning than you could see on the surface? That’s what the process of the SuccessQuest feels like, as termed by our mentor Master Teacher Chike Akua. I just finished reading Akua’s book, SuccessQuest! The Journey From Ordinary to Extraordinary, and I must say, after reading The Alchemist, watching The Secret and being a student of “success” for many years, Chike Akua put a “definition” on what I have experienced in life. You ARE extraordinary, the problem is that you just may not consciously know the extent of the impact that you can make. You may not consciously wield your power. Akua describes this power in his book – “…understand that there is an unseen world in and around you whirling and swirling with possibility. Part of your responsibility is to harness these forces and use them for good to manifest your vision.” You must know and exercise your mission and purpose, otherwise you will be consumed by someone else’s. Good food for thought, huh? I thought so too. Continue the journey of success, and once you get to the end, you’ll realize that it’s only the beginning. Every round goes higher and higher!

Get Ready, Get Set…

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:49:02 +0000

Recently, I heard a story where the author described the process of putting your ideas into action. The problem, he said, was that most people get stuck on “get set…” and they never “GO!” They want the best, but they don’t continue taking action. Maybe it’s because that action appears to be overwhelming, and it just seems like there’s not enough energy or time to accomplish the goal.

It reminds me of the saying “Just take one day at a time,” which is what we do daily at anthonyGroup. We always set goals larger than ourselves, goals that are more than what we can accomplish alone, because we know that if our goal is only big enough for us to accomplish, it doesn’t leave any room for others to come along and get involved! Since we’ve worked within our goal and vision for education, empowerment and inspiration, so many others have come along to help us, and the enlightenment they’ve shared with us has taken our vision to higher and higher levels.

For example, I went to a conference in April, met an Educational Consultant there who invited us to attend his event, and at that event, I reconnected with two contacts from over 10 years ago, who both have opened doors for us to speak at both their conference and university. You can see how happy we all were to reconnect in the picture above! I couldn’t have set up this kind of opportunity, it was divinely orchestrated! When you step into your vision, and actually “GO!”, stepping out even though you may not know every step, you will be so surprised at the success you will experience! Stay connected to your dreams and never let go. Just keep placing one foot in front of the other, and you’ll get there.

A great example of this is The R.E.A.L. World Institute Leadership Summit which we’ve been working diligently on – it’s purpose is to inspire student to pursue leadership opportunities throughout their lives, starting now! Through our research, we’ve found that when a student is in a leadership position, that they are better able to handle challenges and have a more positive outlook on life. This positivity leads them on a path where they are much more likely to accomplish their authentic purpose and be effective, both professionally and personally!

The R.E.A.L. World Institute Leadership Summit will be held this October and November on multiple college campuses. We’re still adding and confirming locations and are excited to spread this unique, empowering message to so many students! We’ll be announcing the locations to our mailing list subscribers next month, and if you would like to attend or volunteer, let us know!

Live life on purpose today, and remember, don’t just Get Ready or Get Set…..GO!

“If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, and endeavors to live the life they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours!” – Henry David Thoreau

Doing It Together – Part 3

admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:00:58 +0000

Welcome to Our Blog!

Why are we doing it together? That’s a question we get asked often! The answer is unity. Over the last few years, we’ve formally packaged everything we’ve done over the last ten years into useable, effective products and services that benefit the lives of people everywhere. Although you can find out more about us here, we want to use this blog to share the positive results that happen when you work together with someone and create unity. We have learned through the years that two heads is definitely better than one, and there’s a unique power that is captured when everyone is united and on the same page. We do take engagements separately, but the comfort is that there are always two people working behind the scenes to produce a valuable experience for our audiences. This is probably one of the main reasons we speak often on leadership and team building.

The message in unity is that we each have the power, every day, to choose. You can use your choice to come into agreement with others, or you can use it to tear down the walls of unity. With one choice, you “play now, and pay later” – with the other, you “pay now, and play later.” It’s better to invest the time now, so that you can enjoy the fruits of good decisions and good leadership later on. We can keep these words in mind:

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

And everyday, the unity wall we all have the opportunity to build allows us to do extraordinary things!

We would love to stay in touch with you, so make sure you join our community so that you can receive relevant updates and follow our journey!

Empower yourself with extraordinary inspiration for exceptional living…TODAY! From us both, Adrian & Erin Anthony

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What do I have to smile about?

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:52:46 +0000

Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth. ~Benjamin Disraeli

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anthonyGroup Launches a Facebook Fan Page

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:39:26 +0000

Facebook used to be a thing for kids, but around July of last year, more and more of our friends and business contacts were asking us to join them on Facebook. I have to admit, I was originally a little hesitant (and Adrian still is!) but we decided to check it out. It’s been awesome reconnecting with personal and business contacts through Facebook, to the point where we decided to start our own Facebook Fan Page for anthonyGroup! Make sure you stop by, leave a comment and check out our events and postings, and most importantly, become a FAN!

anthonyGroup Educational Consulting on Facebook

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anthonyGroup Interviews Leadership Rockstar Ross Oscar Knight

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:39:11 +0000

About two years ago, we had the opportunity to be introduced to photographer Ross Oscar Knight through his photography blog. Since then, we’ve followed along with his story, and his photos are extraordinary, to say the least! Check out one of the posts on his blog – this one is about support, and is thought-provoking and inspiring, and I often go back and re-read it – it helps to refocus on what is really important in life.

Our latest book project, Leadership Rockstars, follows the stories of some of the inspirational people we’ve met, and reveals their experiences in student leadership while in college. When choosing the participants, Ross Oscar Knight immediately came to mind. If you’re in the Atlanta area, be sure to book Ross to photograph your event!

In our book, Ross talks about how he learned perseverance through a painful process of losing his role-model and great-grandfather, and his academic scholarship for school. Despite these experiences, he still made it through successfully!

During the editing and brainstorming process, Adrian and I reviewed Ross’ words, and immediately thought of a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. – “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

We’ve had our share of adversity, and tough times do build us up, but it’s good to see what happens on the other side of challenges. I immediately inserted this quote into the story about the leadership principle Perseverance. It’s a winner, and I can’t wait for you to read it for yourself! More on this later – but for now, this is a throwback to one of my favorite set of pics from Ross’ collection – it’s a photo tribute to my good friend Shaundra, celebrating at her surprise birthday party in Atlanta! Enjoy.

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Doing It Together – Part 2

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:46:07 +0000

Now, for my story. I had an opposite, but similar experience to my husband Adrian’s experience. One of my greatest passions is for leadership and helping people determine the exact steps they need to take to achieve, and I’ve always had a special passion for female empowerment. My women’s group, Renew, began in 1999 after a vision from God of a group of women who would meet, discuss the power of the Word and enjoy giving gifts and eating delicious foods in each other’s homes. Each year, we have a calendar full of meetings, retreats and even sponsored a Renew for teenagers.

Our Renew retreats are so much fun – over the years, we’ve had city-wide scavenger hunts, pit seats at Broadway plays, themed tours and private salsa and merengue lessons…we always try to keep it creative. One particular retreat, we went to the mountains of Tennessee and rented a gorgeous, secluded cabin that overlooked a deep valley. Typically, wooded retreats wouldn’t appeal to our group of women, but this was no ordinary cabin! It was beautiful…but unfortunately, the good news about this trip stops here! Everything that could’ve gone wrong did – including (but not limited to):

Half our group got lost…for 6 hours
One member got extremely sick and had to be rushed to the hospital
Wasps plagued the area
The group that was lost was mad, angry and tired when they finally arrived
Two members were pregnant and ended up being dumped in the river on what was supposed to be a quiet canoe trip, at one point, one of them was stranded on a rock in the middle of rushing water! (note: It was all our husbands could do not to drive down to Tennessee and pick us all up when they heard that one!)

You know the saying, “when it rains…” As the leader of the group and member of the planning committee, I was DONE. Absolutely speechless at the way things were going. I couldn’t talk to anyone but God about how awful this Renew Retreat was going.

I got up extra early the last morning of our trip and went out to sit on the sprawling covered porch of our beautiful cabin. I didn’t know it, but the early morning sunrise in that area was known to be an amazing site. I sat, watching the sun rise over the foggy valley, up over the mountains.

In that still, soft moment, I heard the following words – “your purpose is to be a distribution center for wealth and information around the globe.” My first thought, like most, was “how?” The answer came: “through writing and speaking.” I suddenly had a new awareness about what I was meant to do.

Fast-forward many years, and I, like Adrian, have spoken extensively on different topics over the years. He and I, coming together to offer these specific services to the world is the ultimate love story. We are able to love other people and love God through the expression of this gift. We look forward to sharing it with you!

Now, on to why we are doing this together…but before I go, here’s one of my favorite pics of Renew, the Indianapolis Group. Leave a Comment