Called to Illuminate - The Called Conference
Since I was a child, I have always felt special, like I was meant to do amazing things when I grew up. This was mainly due to the fact that I survived various life threatening events in my early years. For example, I had a complicated, premature birth, and when I was maybe six, I almost fell out of a rollercoaster! (Yea dude, a freaking rollercoaster!) I had a feeling I was meant to be here, and that I was meant to do something important since the enemy was trying so hard to take me out!
Believing you are special, and meant to do great things is one thing, but putting in the work to realize your vision is another. That’s why I decided to attend this year’s The Called. The Called is a 2-day intensive conference founded and hosted by Touré Roberts. He is the founding pastor of my church, ONE LA, a bestselling author, entrepreneur, investor, and an Instagram influencer. The Called is all about bridging the gap between business and faith. It helps business owners and entrepreneurs gain the resources and tools they need to achieve their vision.
Because of the strikes in Hollywood, I have been feeling more led to pursue my creative endeavors through my own, independent means. I want to be like Issa Rae and Quinta Brunson, make my own content and videos, then have HBO and Hollywood come to me. However, my specialty is creativity, not business, so I wanted to learn about the business side of starting my own production company, or just how to monetize my talents.
The conference was amazing! I learned a lot, and felt so inspired by all the speakers and panels, as well as hearing from the other entrepreneurs who attended. The thing that stood out to me the most, though, was our conference badges describing us as “luminaries”. I’ll be honest, I had to look up what that meant.
Luminary- noun 1) a person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere. 2) a natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon
This is exactly who I want to be, a luminary! I want to be the light in the darkness. I want to use my creative gifts and talents to inspire others. But how? This conference gave me a lot of insight on how to become a luminary. I received so much information over those two days that I couldn’t possibly try to summarize everything. However, these 5 steps to become a luminary stood out the most to me.
Embrace your originality
Have imagination and vision
Choose your friends and network wisely
Have determination, patience, and resilience
Practice self-care and self-discovery
Originality
Stacyann P. Russell, a startup catalyst with a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as, my personal friend, was the speaker for the “Advantage of Originality” panel. (Side Note: You know when your friends talk about what they do, but it kinda goes over your head? Haha yea I had no idea her job was this fancy! lol) She talked a lot about the cost of being original and how important authenticity is in business. This quote stood out the most to me:
“As an original, expect to be misunderstood, but don’t be offended easily.”
I often think about all the pros to being original, but not the cons which are quite frustrating. Everyone might not understand your vision, and if your idea has never been done before, it can be challenging being a trailblazer with no examples to look to for guidance. However, if you had the vision, there’s a reason why. You’re meant to see it through, and make it happen, even if the process or non-believers offend you. Luminaries embrace their originality.
Imagination & Vision
Pastor Touré opened the conference by speaking about the traits one needs to possess to be a luminary. The first traits he mentioned were imagination and vision. You have to use your imagination to wonder, “What if…” Use limitless thinking to imagine all that you could accomplish, then use vision to see it through. PT said, “Imagination is what could be, and vision is when it forms into a plan.” To be a luminary you need to be able to dream big, but also have the ability to turn that dream into a strategic plan.
Your Network of Friends
I believe every speaker at the conference touched on this idea– the importance of whom you choose to surround yourself. Dr. David Edwards, a scientist, inventor, and author, spoke on having business partners/friends who can pick up your slack, and vice versa. He said, “Have trustworthy friends around you that can be diligent when you are not.” He explained that we are all human, and will fail from time to time, but friends who can step up when you’re having a “human moment”, are good friends to have.
Stacyann also touched on the importance of hanging around curious people, those who ask questions and want to understand more deeply. Luminaries need friends, or a supportive network of people who are as passionate and driven as they are. They need friends who challenge them and bring their own unique perspective to the equation.
Determination, Patience & Resilience
I feel like this one is a given, because you need all three just to make it through life, so of course you’d also need them to be a luminary. PT used the history of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built to illustrate the importance of determination, patience, and resilience. Mini history lesson– the Brooklyn Bridge started as John A. Roebling's vision, but during the process of building the bridge, he became ill, and died. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, and son, Washington Augustus Roebling, continued pursuing his vision until the bridge was complete. I believe it took 14 years, and 600 workers.
As you can imagine, building a bridge of that scale in the 1800s came with its challenges, some life threatening! However, the Roebling family had determination. They had patience, and were resilient as they poured their lives into this project. As a luminary, you will have to do the same. You can’t achieve all your goals overnight. You will have to be determined to see it through. You will need patience to weather the long journey, and resilience, so you don’t give up when it gets hard.
Self-Care & Self-Discovery
Y’all already knew this would be one of the steps, because it always is! Sarah Jakes Roberts, a pastor, bestselling author, women empowerment warrior, fashionista, and Pastor Touré’s wife, co-led the “Winning in Business Without Losing in Life” panel with her husband. This discussion was basically about how to not lose yourself while making life-changing business decisions. She spoke about finding a sense of home within yourself, the importance of self-discovery and healing from the past, and how you need to take care of yourself first, before you can show-up as a powerhouse in your business.
It always comes back to self-care. You can’t be great or a luminary, if you don’t love yourself enough to trust your vision, or even believe in yourself that you can do it. She also spoke on having to reject big opportunities that would negatively affect her personal life. Luminaries have to make tough decisions, and if an opportunity will disrupt your well-being, it isn’t worth it. Losing yourself in the pursuit of your vision is too high a cost.
Keep these steps in mind as you continue to pursue your own dreams and path to becoming a luminary. We all have special talents and gifts that the world needs.That’s why we’re still on this Earth! We still have work to do to make our impact, and hopefully, change the world for the better. So keep being authentically you, dare to dream, and don’t give up!
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