A motivational speaker who has not encountered challenges in life is nothing more than a clanging cymbal.
Such an orator cannot touch his target audience or inspire people to make positive changes in their lives.
'Stop taking drugs.
Stay faithful to your spouse.
Take responsibility for yourself and your family.
' This is empty rhetoric unless the speaker has himself faced and fought through these life-struggles.
Fortunately for his listeners, Coach Michael Taylor knows what it means to be 'down and out,' and, more importantly, what it takes to turn defeat into victory.
In his book entitled Black Men Rock he recounts his personal trials and tribulations.
Then he encourages readers to follow his example of perseverance, as he shines a light on the path leading black men to extraordinary success in life.
Michael was not born with the advantages afforded many children.
The son of a single mother with little economic means, forced to live with an abusive grandmother for most of his childhood, and subject to racial prejudice, the young man did not begin life with a lot 'going for him.
' Despite early success in business - due to his innate desire to succeed and achieve the American dream - Michael's world crumbled for the second time when divorce, bankruptcy, and foreclosure threatened to turn him into another statistic (testifying to the difficulty of overcoming demographic obstacles).
Finally, falling into a deep depression, and at one point even considering committing suicide, Michael realized that he needed help.
At this time he consulted a therapist and began the healing process.
Facing his personal demons, including the trauma of being abused as a boy, Michael emerged from this difficult experience with newfound confidence and a desire to share his insights with others.
"In my opinion, there is no excuse for you not to live your dreams.
There is no excuse for you not to live an extraordinary life! You have everything you need within you right now to do so.
" With this statement Michael proceeds to preach a message of hope, revealing the powerful truths that helped him rise from the ashes of a failed life.
More importantly, Michael's profound spiritual lessons, delineated in a ten point empowerment plan, teach black men, who are often barraged with negative stereotypes in the media (and ready-made excuses in themselves), to move forward with their life and achieve personal and professional success.
Mr.
Taylor's book is both inspirational and informative.
He demonstrates his points through thoughtful analysis and relevant anecdotes; and also provides his readers with specific examples of how they can apply these lessons in their own life.
In addition, he lets the reader know that they are not alone.
Rather, he reveals a host of resources--including his own body of work--that will help them actualize their personal potential and put their past failures behind them.
Despite the eloquence with which Coach Taylor expresses his points and motivates his audience, the work is still in the rough draft stage.
After the author amends the work, removing the typos and punctuation problems that disrupt the fluency of his presentation, this self-help book will be ready for the shelves of Barnes and Noble.
Black Men Rock is an important work that addresses problems besetting black males (and for the most part, every man) in our society.
It has the potential of transforming countless lives and a large segment of American culture.