Ideas in the Wild: How D. John Jackson is Encouraging Underrepresented Voices to Courageously Persevere
In What About Me: Walking the Tightrope as a Black Man in America, D. John Jackson, a Fortune 50 corporate leader with over thirty years of engineering and business leadership, shares a simple, powerful message: Your life matters. Your dreams matter. And you can achieve them, no matter who you are or where you’re starting out.
Through the stories and lessons of his own personal journey, Jackson proves time and again that what you say and do can change the trajectory of your life. Written specifically for young Black men and boys in America today, What About Me speaks to, and for, all marginalized or underrepresented voices with a call of courage and perseverance.
I recently caught up with Jackson to learn more about his journey writing the book.
What happened that made you decide to write the book? What was the exact moment when you realized these ideas needed to get out there?
I have had the desire to tell my story to a broader audience for many years. Although I made notes, curated them with care, and wrote various elements for my book, life always got in the way. However, the burning desire would always come back as I made speeches in different places across the country and world. People would always ask when I was going to write about the things I talked about on stage. Or they would ask where they could read more and I’d have to say I hadn’t published anything yet in the form of a book. Then my father passed away and I became more serious about framing the manuscript.
But the seminal moment came several years ago. I had finished completing a speech on giving people respect and dignity and how important that was in life. My schedule was very tight and I needed to leave quickly after I had returned the lapel microphone. I asked the stage crew if I could use a back elevator to get to my car to save some time. When I stepped off this isolated elevator, there was a lady standing there waiting on me with tears in her eyes. She told me she had originally decided not to attend but changed her mind at the last moment. She told me I changed her life. That’s when I decided I had to write my thoughts down in the form of a book.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned going through the journey you share in the book?
The biggest lesson I have learned is to not let self-doubt deter you or slow you down. You have to stay inspired and internally motivated. It is extremely important to keep pressing forward and writing and siphoning through ideas and testing concepts. You have to keep the creative juices flowing in your mind and extracting situations from real life to ensure your material is relatable. Be genuine. Continue to take notes and capture ideas while you are going through the day. Keep a notepad in every part of your house (i.e. bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, gym, office) and any other place where you spend time. Use your phone to record ideas as you drive.
The goal is to keep the ideas flowing and generate a wealth of material to make your case or get your points across. Think about examples as you read, watch television, eat, etc. Let the creativity and innovative ideas consume you, but don’t let the process consume you. Step away and recharge when necessary. Everything won’t be perfect and some days things will be hard and you will doubt yourself and become consumed with what others might think.
You have to shake those thoughts out of your head and persevere. Press forward and never give up. Take a run, take a swim, take a walk, listen to music, exercise or whatever it takes to get your momentum back in gear.
How will you apply this lesson in your life moving forward?
I apply this lesson every day. There are so many things/people we face that consume us and attempt to dampen our dreams and spirit. My goal is to tell myself and others to break the bonds of negative thinking and surround yourself with positive ideas and people. Seek those who will encourage you and lift you up when you hit a rough patch.
But most importantly, stay positive and never give up! Feed your innovative spirit and creative ideas by exposing yourself to new things and new people. Break your old habits and explore things from a different vantage point. Seek to understand things from the perspective of others and blend that thinking with your thinking to establish a fresh reference point for ideas to develop and thrive. I also apply this daily by talking to people of every demographic and socioeconomic level. In this COVID environment, Zoom meetings have facilitated broad and far reaching discussions with a much larger audience which has been quite refreshing.
The world is changing in so many fascinating ways and it is imperative to hear the voices of as many people as you can to gain a full understanding of the impact on lives. Technological and social transformations are fostering never before seen capabilities and awareness in the world and no one or any group is immune to the changes. Therefore, perseverance to tell my stories and staying focused is essential.
Ideas in the Wild: How D John Jackson is Encouraging Underrepresented Voices to Courageously Persev was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.