Dr. Maxine Thompson
http://www.maxinethompson.com
http://www.maxinethompsonbooks.com
Author of Hostage of Lies

Voted a Best Book of 2009

“I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I went to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations….I have built my own factory on my own ground.”
Madam C.J. Walker,
National Negro Business League Convention,
July 1912

Do you have a dream? That’s exactly what Madam C.J. Walker had before she launched her company. She prayed and came up with the hair product, which provided a living for many African American women at the turn of the century.

To be an entrepreneur, one not only makes a living, but provides a living for others. Not only was Madame C.J. Walker the first African American female millionaire, she was an entrepreneur.
But before she could accept her greatness, she had to accept responsibility for her own life. What if she had said, I’m poor and I don’t have but a few dollars to start my business? She never said, “It can’t be done.” She never let her circumstances stop her.

Today too many professional and educated people have found themselves without a job during this recession. Many of them have given up. But what if we were to look to people like Madam C.J. Walker, and use her for inspiration?

How many of us blame others for where we are stuck in life? How many of us blame the economy and the government?

How about stop blaming the world, and looking at yourself. Take your natural abilities and gifts, then do what you can with your unique skill set to make a living. Who knows? You might wind up providing a living for many others as well.

The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the source from which self-respect springs. – Joan Didion