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Why Everything is NOT Within R.E.A.C.H


I started my company in 2007. It was an exciting time! Our mission was simple but powerful: to equip, empower, and inspire people to Reach Excellence in their Attitudes, Character, and Health. That’s what R.E.A.C.H. stands for, and that’s the mission and vision that we continue to strive for to this day.

 

Even still, there were lessons to be learned. I remember early on, I was doing a speaking engagement with Shaun Derik, and he said something on stage that caught my attention. He was talking to the audience about pursuing your passion and he said, “The same way we want people to know that when it comes to our company, everything is within R.E.A.C.H., I want you to know that when it comes to your dreams, everything is within reach too.” When I asked him what he meant by that, he broke it down for me by saying "Whatever folks need in terms of speakers, trainers, and performers, we got it. Hence, everything is within R.E.A.C.H."

 

I thought that was genius! So I took that idea and ran a million miles with it! “Everything is within R.E.A.C.H.”  became the tagline for the company and then I had our web designer rebuild our entire website to show that we meant what we said. There were pages that featured our speakers, workshop presenters, community trainers, and event organizers. Then I went and got all my favorite Hip Hop artists, spoken word artists, visual artists, dancers, and stand-up comedians and gave them all featured pages too. I wanted R.E.A.C.H. to be a one stop shop for everything and everyone I felt could impact youth and communities in a positive way. I even wanted to go beyond youth and community serving opportunities. Whether it was a corporate event or a backyard birthday party, I wanted someone from the R.E.A.C.H. family to get booked for it! I was so excited to fully embrace the “Everything is within R.E.A.C.H.” mindset.

 

What I learned, however, is that when you try to do everything and reach everyone, you can end up doing nothing and reaching no one. I also forgot that market research has shown that when people have too many options, a lot of times they end up not choosing anything at all because so many options can be too overwhelming. Just think about a time you settled in on the couch after a long work week, ready to relax and watch some TV. You start scrolling through the thousands of channels and streaming sites and after about 45 minutes, you come to the conclusion that there’s nothing good to watch! Too much of a good thing can still be too much.

 

So after about six months of not getting the traction I expected from the “new and improved” website, I got some feedback from some people that I trust and respect and revamped the site once again. I cut out all the extra stuff and fluff that I knew was more than anything, just taking up space and I focused on why I started R.E.A.C.H. in the first place, to move youth, adults, and communities from inspiration to action to meaningful outcomes. That’s the lane I’ve worked to stay in ever since. We do it because we love it and I love it because I set out to live it every day.


Nowadays when it comes to times, spaces, and places where we feel like we want to make a difference, all of the options can be overwhelming too. Spend 5 minutes scrolling through social media and you can come across 5 to 500 different causes or issues affecting our world, our country, our communities, our schools, or our lives that we feel pressured to get involved in or try to do something about. Whether you're a young person with a passion for change or a caring adult who wants to leave this planet better than how you found it, just remember, you don't have to do everything. It's best if you try to focus on one thing. Or at least one thing at a time. The world won't be better off if one person tries to do everything. We'd be better off if every person did at least one thing.


We created a resource for individuals and organizations to use that can help identify one thing we can do to make a difference in this world. Please download, use, and share this resource with anyone wanting to see change for the better in our world, country, communities, and schools.




And here's a quick video Shaun Derik and I made years ago about the importance of choosing at least one path to peace. As always, please share with folks you know.

Thank you so much for the work you do,

but most importantly for the person you are.


Also don't forget to share this to your socials!

 
 
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