Speaker provides motivation at women’s luncheon

By Megan Carradine/south news editor

Like Martin Luther King Jr., everyone needs to have a dream, a local businesswoman told a South Campus audience last week.

Carolyn Brooks, president of Simply Divine Communications, spoke at the Woman’s History Month luncheon March 4 on 7 Habits of Highly Effective Women — The Power of Pink. 

“How many of you know we live in a stressful world?” Brooks began.

Few audience members raised their hands.

“Well, I’m going to show you how to become a highly effective woman in the midst of this stress,” she said.

Brooks began to list her seven habits to become more effective. The first habit, she said, is the power to have a dream. People need something in their hearts they want to pursue.

“Your dream is your invisible companion, birthed in you,” she said.

Brooks second habit — the power of passion — brought her to tears.

“Dreams cannot begin unless you have passion,” she said.

She jokingly told the audience, passion will make up for a lack of IQ.

The power of thinking like a champion, her third habit, got the audience going.

“If you change your thinking, you will change your life,” she said.

When she turned on Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” audience members started clapping and smiling. 

Habit number four was the power of restoring the lost ingredients of honesty and integrity. She urged the audience to have both honesty and integrity because it will take them places they never imagined they would go.

“Your word is your bond,” she said.

The power of expecting problems and learning to rise above them was habit number five.

Brooks told her personal story of being the third generation in her family to suffer from abuse. But instead of giving up, she overcame the situation.

“Problems are going to come,” she said, “but you have to learn how to rise above your problems.”

She told the audience to embrace all of their problems because, at the end, they will have become stronger.

Brooks said the sixth habit, the power of establishing mentors, is important. She said people should always have a mentor they can look up to.

“Mentorship is my gain with no pain,” she said.

The last habit is the power to never give up. No matter how hard the road may seem, Brooks said one should never stop.

“Winners never quit, and quitters never win,” she said.

As Brooks turned on Gloria Estefan’s “Get on Your Feet,” students and teachers danced and celebrated.

Brooks, in closing, reminded the audience that the road to success is neither straight nor smooth, but if people stay determined and steadfast until the end, they will make it to a place called success.

Both students and teachers said they enjoyed Brooks’ presentation.

“I think Brooks’ speech was amazing,” sophomore Renee Evans said. “I feel empowered.”

Janet Floore, administrative secretary, agreed with Evans.

“I too enjoyed the speech,” she said. “It refreshed a lot of my own personal beliefs and thoughts.”