Dear New York,

I am writing this letter to apologize for my half-hearted attempt to get to know you. I didn't even give you a fair chance. Like the sankofa bird, I flew from California, still looking backwards as I moved forward in life. The two songs accompanying me on my iPod Shuffle on repeat since landing here in August 2007 were:

"New York, New York, city of dreams, everything in New York ain't always what it seems..." by the Dogg Pound and "I'm going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali" (the BIG version, not the LL version). But funny enough, Hello Brooklyn by Jay-Z and Lil Wayne and New York by Ja-Rule, Fat Joe, and Jadakiss, have made me reconsider calling Brooklyn home for a while.

Despite all of the beautiful people I've Met, I've been Yanked across the country on a Jet so that I could be a Giant and not just a Knick.

I've come to realize that you can't immerse yourself in a new space when your heart is still in another. I've had one foot is California and one foot in New York and now I'm torn. Today, I am having my heart packaged and sent from California to reunite with its body, mind, and soul so that I can be whole right here. I am committing to being fully present in Brooklyn, NY (Oakland Cali's long lost sister city) for as long as the Universe wants me here. I know that I have the power to create love, family, miracles, and a home wherever I go. Through potlucks, MLT, The Gathering, and Landmark Forum, my extended family is extending.

Family has never just been biological for me. Though my little brothers are in SoCal and my mom and dad are in NorCal, since being here I've gotten to know my aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of my family better. For the first time since junior high school, I spent Christmas with my uncle and cousins outside of the Bay. Last weekend I went on a 10 hour road trip with my family to another cousin's wedding in Canada. It was beautiful. And for the first time, I will be celebrating my birthday without breaking bread with my closest friends or mother as I turn 26 on July 11th.

To my California family, being away from you has taught me to love and appreciate you even more. Know that I'm growing here though the soil is made of concrete. New York is a city of buildings and I'm going to use this space to do just that...keep building. I'm going to build with MLT, the So Live Arts Movement, Parallel MVMT, RE: Construction Period, the Stoop, and most importantly the people behind these movements.

When I return, I will be a changed man. If I were to come back now, you would still recognize me. That means it is probably too soon. New York has taught me how to be alone without feeling lonely. The drum circles and public art(ists) have taught me to in-true-sively share what I believe publicly. The subways have taught me patience. The cultural diversity has expanded my world view and deepened my compassion.

The one element about New York that I felt was still missing was a spiritual center, but every day I am reminded that my body is a temple, therefore, I am my own spiritual center. Of course fellowship and wise counsel are a must and I still have to actively seek out those elements. Potlucks have served as one space for my spiritual growth and development, but my spirit is hungry for more. In John 4:34, Jesus said "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and complete his(-her) work." With Mylinia.com launching in July, the You Can't Google Purpose book, and potlucks , I feel like I am do God's work wherever I am.

I've been wrestling with notions of what I have control over versus what I don't. I'm not sure how much I should let life come to me versus how much I should go out and get it. How much should I plan versus how much should I just be. "A people without a vision perish" right? Since I don't know the answers any more, I'm done trying to steer my life down a particular path. There are too many potholes, flat tires, and malfunctions when I try to do things my way. I'm releasing the wheel, my will, to God's will and trusting Spirit to guide me from here.

New York is a city of dreams. On the journey of life, it is the busiest intersection in the world. I have seen more old friends from California in New York than I did when I was in California! May God grant me the patience to sit through the traffic jams in my life until they clear up and I'm given the green light to move forward.

I love you all.

Sincerely,

Below is a self-addressed letter I wrote to myself exactly one year ago as an assignment in Debra Meyerson's Leading Social Change class at Stanford.

It couldn't have returned to me at a more perfect time as I prepare for this major life change to commit more time to Mylinia and the You Can't Google Purpose book!
_____________________________________
My Mountain
by Jullien Gordon
05.20.2007

“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work.”
John 4:34

Hey Jullien,

My name is Nia. I am your purpose and I’m writing to remind you of who you are and why you are here. Your purpose is to help as many people as possible reach their full potential and in the process of doing so reach your own.

I have strategically placed certain people in your life to remind you of your light. In high school, I placed in you in Father Malo’s Living and Dying class where you read Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. Victor Frankl said “A man who knows his why can bear almost any how.” I did because I want you to help people find their why, their reason, their purpose.

In college, I introduced you to Chip Anderson. Good old Chip took you under his wing and was available for you at 6am every day he taught. Chip’s purpose was to initiate the strengths-based revolution with Don Clifton of the Gallup Organization. His research showed that people were happier and more fulfilled when their life was centered around their strengths. Through their online assessment, StrengthsFinder, Chip and Don have impacted the lives of over a quarter-million people. I want you to go one step further and take what you learned from Chip and create the PurposeFinder. It’s one thing to know your strengths for yourself, but it is another thing to apply your strengths in a way that helps improve the world.

Father Malo and Chip were your academic teachers, but your best teacher has been the life of your mom. Your mom was a successful anesthesiologist. Her career afforded her the luxury of buying a 3-story house and a nice Mercedes Benz. Despite all that, she was missing the most important ingredient to life…purpose. Your mom wanted to be an abstract artists all of her life. I gave her the talent to be the best, but she let fear, her parent’s perceptions, and money take her off that path. She said “I was afraid that I would starve.” She didn’t’ trust me. As a result of suppressing her passion, a canyon was created with her profession (what she did to make money) on one side and her purpose (what she was created to do) on the other. She tried to fill that emptiness with alcohol until she became an alcoholic and her whole world crumbled.

Since that 5-year period, she has made a remarkable recovery. It’s never too late. Now she uses her passion for medicine to fight alcoholism (the banana peel that made her slip) as an addictionologist. She is great at what she does because she knows her patients better than anyone. She has lived through her patients’ problems, whereas most doctors only know in theory. This is her new purpose. Always remember that you can’t run from purpose; either you seek it or it will seek you.

The millennial generation has been born into a critical time. Your brother and sisters have a huge responsibility to positively change the course of the world. Franz Fanon said "Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it, in relative opacity." You have been given an simple insight to help them discover and fulfill their mission. The Passions + Problems = Purpose equation has been embraced by many that have come before you, but now everyone should be aware of it. The world is suffering from wasted potential, unhappiness, and lack of meaning. Help people reach their full potential, find meaning, and be happy by achieving the following goals:

1. Mass customize education
2. Align people’s passions, purpose, and professions
3. Integrate social change into people’s daily lives

As a young man, you will face some challenges on your journey. The post-academic world is at your doorstep, marriage is on the horizon, and your mother is aging. Upon graduating from Stanford, you will be highly valued by many. Remember that your true value can never be measured in dollars; it is measured by how much love you give. This should be your measure of success. You will have the desire to get married and start a family. For many, this new responsibility leads them to become more selfish and protective. But remember that family is not just biological; all life is part of your family and you must extend yourself to embrace it. Lastly, you mother is aging and will likely become financially dependent on you. Love her, spend time with her, and support her, but grow the unconditional love that she modeled for you by sharing it with the world.

Most people wait for the elusive perfect time to pursue their calling. The time is now. You are who you’ve been waiting for. You have all of the gifts and talents that you need to accomplish your mission. You are a renaissance man; you are a thinker, strategist, writer, poet, artists, teacher, coach, consultant, counselor, and entrepreneur. Multiply these talents any way you can. Create. Build businesses. Organize information. Write books. Lecture. Design curriculum. Empower people. Teach. Manifest all of the ideas that have been give to you. In case you forget, they include: Mylinia.com, the Ghetto Gospel, Youth Ministry, the Purposefinder Book, The Life I Want To Live movie, Black Male Retreat Center, popular spiritual songs, Jesus’ Purpose book, Video affirmations, Churchlink.com, Sermons for the Millennia, Collective Call Prayer Group, African-American Microfinance, and Membership & Employee Development Services. These are the various avenues by which you can and will fulfill your purpose. All of your life experiences have prepared you for your path.

May this letter serve as a beacon of light in your life. I hope that when you receive it and read it, you find yourself accomplishing many of the things mentioned.

Have faith. I believe in you!

Sincerely,

Nia (means purpose in Ki-Swahili)

Cufflinks Don't Mean I'm Cuffed

Dear Corporations,

On my flight to the west coast, I sat between two employees of the same health care company. If I was CEO, after the 5 hour flight, I would have known who to fire, who to promote, what divisions to grow, and which ones to eliminate. If I was CEO of one of your competitors, I would have known how to strategically bury your company within the next 3 years and who on your staff to hire to help me do it.

Your employees know everything!
1. They know who’s creating value and who’s not
2. They know why you’re hot and why you’re not
3. They know your customers and your customers know them

Why don’t you listen to them? The suggestion box in the janitor’s closet doesn’t count.

Where do you create space for employees to be entrepreneurial? Just because you’re in the black this year doesn’t mean that you exploited every opportunity available.

Why can’t you retain your best talent? There are cells of employees getting ready to leave because they feel as if you’re not open to their ideas.

Do you have the courage to facilitate the open honest conversations internally that only take place in the bathroom, at the water cooler, or at happy hour?

Do you want to own your employees or do you want them to own you?

You think the US divorce rates are high? Well...you haven't signed a contract with us. Just because we wear cuff links doesn't mean you've got us cuffed. It's not that we're noncommittal, we just value freedom and the ability to create, whether we're an entrepreneur or intrapreneur. We're nothing like our grandparents and our parents who sought the security of working for one company for their entire life.

It's time to explore new organizational models and accept the fact that the concept of life-time employment no longer exists and see corporations as talent development centers, kind of like colleges...but better. Corporations (and colleges) will no longer be valued for their financial packages. Instead, they will be valued for what their alumni achieve upon leaving. Look at PayPal's former employees that went on to found YouTube, Linked-In, and Yelp.

The answers to your success are within (your own company).

Sincerely,

Millennials

Inspired by Dee Hock, founder of VISA and author of One From Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaoridc Organizations