It was late morning when I overheard the hardworking Black Enterprise Events staff say that Robin Roberts (Source ABC)‘ flight was delayed. The original plan was for the Good Morning America co-anchor to tape her show Thursday, hop on a plane,lo land in Orlando, zip over to the Women of Power Summit, receive the first annual Champion Award (for her excellence in journalism as well as perseverance in beating breast cancer), give a talk on Fear Fighting: Are We Afraid of Success and fly immediately back to New York without missing a beat. Well, things never quite happen as we’d like. So lunch began as scheduled, the afternoon workshops were pushed back to accommodate the delay, and the Black Enterprise events staff kept their fingers crossed that Roberts would make it eventually. She did.
When Roberts walked into the beautifully decorated ballroom, an abundance of energy was added to the already powerful presence that all of had contributed since descending on the Ritz-Carlton-Grand Lakes in Orlando. A tall, lean Roberts sporting a gorgeous short haircut looked neither rushed or stressed, but rather ready and eager to share in our moment. “Proximity is Power,†she couldn’t wait to say to us once she took the stage.
So with no script, index cards, or teleprompter (but with a lot of love and humor), Roberts not only shared in our moment but allowed us to be a part of the ones that helped her get to not only where she is but also who she is today.
She started by sharing the three D’s her parents instilled in her which she attributes to everything that she is today include: Discipline; Determination and Da Lord. She poignantly added, “God’s delays are not his denials.†Such a spiritually grounded mantra goes hand-in-hand with not allowing situations or other to stifle your growth. And when there are roadblocks, it doesn’t mean you’ll never get there, it just means you may have to find an alternate route or wait until the path is clear in order to continue your journey forward.
Many of us are guilty of questioning with resentment (and sometimes anger) when things go wrong (or just not to how we envisioned they would); however it’s during those moments that we discover a little bit more about who we really are. “It’s so important to know yourself and know what’s going to make you happy,†says Roberts, who — in spite of criticism — followed her passion and began her career in television with a part time job as a sports reporter over a full time one in news. Later on she would flip-flop her passion with her interests, placing news journalism at the forefront of her career, a transition Roberts admits could be awkward for anyone of us who thinks they were done in figuring it all out. But guess again. Things change, interests change, we change.
Roberts shared many pearls of wisdom, including:
“Dream big but focus small.†The day-to-day things you do in order to achieve your dream do matter (whoever says it doesn’t can continue to daydream). You have to put in the work. You have to take action. Roberts did and we all can too.“Get your plans together, get yourself together,†Roberts encouraged. “You’re going to get the break, but when you do are you going to be ready?†A relevant question and concern that some don’t consider. You see, we all want the dream but do we know just how much work it takes to actualize it? I honestly don’t think we do. Roberts is a testament to the fact that it will seem a bit uncomfortable but that’s okay.
“I wasn’t 100% sure of myself,†she admits to feeling during her transition. But interestingly, though the most difficult thing was not feeling confident, she says most surprising was “just how much I enjoyed it.†And we all want to be able to enjoy the process and watch ourselves evolve for the better.
Having faith, support, and an eager spirit are just some of the tools needed to do it. And what about the four-letter word that keeps most from getting there? “Fear is limiting,†Roberts reminded us all adding that it’s not that you don’t have fear; it’s how you face it. And she continues to face it head on in both behind and in front of the camera adding, “One thing I wasn’t afraid to do was try; in order to get ahead, you’ve got to get started.â€
Roberts left the attendees with a challenge. It is something seemingly so very simple, but too often, it is hard to achieve daily. “Be happy,” she said before leaving the stage to thunderous applause.
The Women of Power Summit runs Feb. 11-14 at the Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida.
Tennille M. Robinson is the small business editor at Black Enterprise magazine.