Motivational speaker Joe Johnson shared a quote his mother always said to him on Friday, Feb. 28 in the Mountain View Room of Keene State College’s L.P. Young Student Center.
“This is not your world, but you can do anything you want in life,” Johnson stated as he repeated his mother’s words.
Johnson recalled how often his mother spoke those words to him while growing up and how this quote stuck with him throughout his life.
The quote connected with the main point of Johnson’s speech, titled, “Pursue Your Purpose, Not Your Dreams.”
According to his website, joejohnsonspeaks.com, Johnson’s initial dream was to play professional football, but that dream “faded away and Johnson was stuck graduating with his 2.4 college grade point average and no plans about his future,” until he realized his purpose.
Johnson said his goal is to help people answer the question, “Who are you and why are you here?”
According to his website, Johnson has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business, a Masters degree in Counselor Education, and is currently pursuing his phD. in Counselor Education.
KSC junior Stephen Forziati, who attended the event, noted his favorite part of Johnson’s speech.
Haley Erdbrink / Equinox Staff:
Speaker and motivator Joe Johnson talks about pursuing one’s purpose, not one’s dreams, in the Mabel Brown Room, Friday Feb. 28.
He explained part of Johnson’s talk about “fear was what I [Forziati] found most interesting. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how true it was,” he said.
“I really got a lot out of it,” Forziati continued.
Johnson focused on four main points throughout the speech, as he conveyed a message of positive self-esteem and good mental health.
Johnson’s first main point focused on higher self-esteem.
The next point Johnson conveyed concerned finding what he called “your cool.”
Johnson said every individual should find out what they hold in high regard about a person as well as themselves.
“My ‘cool’ was learning,” Johnson said, as he discussed the idea of individuality.
“Finding Excuses About Reality” was an acronym Johnson used to illustrate his third point.
As Johnson spoke on the topic of fear, he encouraged the audience not to run from problems.
The final point made in the presentation was what Johnson called, “The Four P’s,” or the phrase, “You are a product of the people you place in your presence.”
Johnson illustrated this lesson by sharing the story of how his cousin was murdered after spending time with the wrong crowd.
“All of these points are interrelated,” Johnson said.
“He [Johnson] really had a way with the crowd. He was really relatable,” KSC sophomore Julie Flynn stated.
“It made me think more about my purpose and what I can do to get there,” Flynn added.
Sandra Garcia, coordinator of multicultural student support at KSC, said she was hoping students would gain reactions, similarly to Flynn’s, from the event.
Garcia said she invited Johnson to speak in hopes of helping struggling students, particularly ones that she works with in position at KSC.
Garcia continued, “I think it is important to have speakers like Joe Johnson come to campus for two reasons,” she said.
She continued, “First, as a man of color, he is able to show a positive image of color, someone who’s educated, successful and pursuing what he loves.”
Garcia’s second reason pertained to Johnson’s knowledge of mental health.
“It is something we all need to talk more about,” Garcia said.
“We need to remove the stigma from there because then we will all be healthier in so many ways,” she added.
Garcia said she was thrilled to witness the success of Johnson’s speech.
Kaitlyn Kelly can be contacted at kkelly@keene-equinox.com