Recently, I had the chance to speak in front of a large group of highly intellectual students at Georgia Military College. The students weren’t normal students. They all had different paths. Different lives. Different stories. And they all had paths that led them to community college. And you know what? They achieved some pretty high success while they were there too. The group I was speaking to was about to be inducted in to the International Honor Society known as Phi Theta Kappa.
Going to community college does not mean that you are that different from everyone else. Everyone is similar in at least one way… a way that I like to describe as The Bambi Theory.
When I was preparing my speech, I was trying to figure out what I could say that would help let these students know that no matter who they were, they too could go places if they just horse-blinded themselves forward to success. Success is something everyone wants – whether they are aimed at becoming an actor, a teacher, or the world’s greatest dad. It’s something that we all see ourselves reaching, yet we don’t know how to exactly get there. I think I have something that can help you, along with anyone, else achieve success. The Bambi Theory is something I have been working on and I feel could help.
Basically, The Bambi Theory is based on, you guessed it, Bambi. Remember the baby deer that could barely walk and function? Yet, we all knew that Bambi would eventually become The Great Prince of the Forest. What did Bambi need to do to become prepared, successful, and worthy? That can be a different story, but what can be taken out of the plot is that everyone is a Bambi at some point in their life. When someone wants to run a triathlon, they have to train themselves to get in shape and prepare. When someone wants to write a book, they are going to have to go through phases of really bad writing. When someone wants to learn how to drive a car, they will have to be the world’s worst driver for a period of time. No matter what you do or where you want to be in the future, you will have to be a “Bambi” at the beginning; a time when you have little knowledge of what you are doing. It’s a time period where you have to figure how to walk, figuratively.
Now that you have a little back story on Bambi and how it relates to you, let’s break it down even further. If you can remember Bambi, then you will remember this acronym I created. Each letter in Bambi stands for something that can help you grow and learn how to progress towards success. B-A-M-B-I. If you can remember that then you can remember these:
B: Branding yourself – Branding is one of the most important points in this acronym. You are your own brand. Everything you do or have ever done will be a part of your brand. All of your social media, the way you dress, the way you carry yourself, the way you act in public, and everything else you could possibly do is your personal brand. Imagine walking into a shopping store that is labeled with your name and the only product they sell is everything about you. They sell the clothes you wear, the pictures you post, the things you have created, your shoes, your social media posts, the stuff that has been in your car for weeks, and even audio of you speaking in public. Everyone is a customer, but will anyone buy you? That’s the image you must see and edit in order to have a better brand. Would someone come in and offer you a job, a new position in a play, a record label, or a million dollars for something you created? YOU are your own brand. YOU must sell yourself as a top selling brand. If you don’t, then you’ll be like all of the other generic brands. Be your own top selling brand.
A: Ambition – People always ask me why I’m so ambitious. The answer is always, “Why aren’t you?” The truth is, I know what I want and will do anything and everything I can in order to get it. Ambition is one of the greatest factors in achieving success. If you have no ambition, you have no path. What is it that you truly want to do with your life? Do you want to be an astronaut? Then go do it. Do you want to be a teacher? DO IT. What is stopping you? How can you get around it? What can you do to obtain that? What can you do to afford that? What can you do to get yourself on track to what you want to do? I’ve always wanted a Catamaran sailboat with a net up front where I can write about my travels. I will legitimately do everything I can in order to achieve that real life experience. What is it that you really want to be doing? Do you always want to be in your hometown, or do you want to be traveling the world? Create some goals, write them down, and do everything you can that is humanly possible to achieve them. The definition of ambition is, “a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.” Be determined. And be hungry. You’ll get there. That’s ambition.
M: Motivation – When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do? Do you roll over and check social media or do you get up and lace up your shoes for a nice morning run? When you go to class or work, what is your attitude? Is it just to get through the day? Being motivated is an engine that drives the Bambi Theory. If you aren’t motivated to do something, then you will never do it. Think, every broadcaster, professional athlete, teacher, president, actor, singer, dancer, professor, Olympian, artist, CEO, governor…. Every person who has ever wanted to be something has been motivated to get there. You must be motivated too if you want to do anything. Stay driven each and every day.
B: Believing in Yourself – My mom and dad had kids early and struggled financially, but they got through it. They were motivated and ambitious. They had a strong drive that eventually got them out of the slow start. They believed in themselves, even with multiple jobs and three kids. They worked hard and stayed ambitious. They were motivated through everything they did and believed in themselves together. They achieved their success through that deep down belief inside that they could do it. As another example, look at the entire US Men’s National Team that went to the World Cup in Brazil. Despite being placed in the “Group of Death” and going against some of the world’s best players, they, and millions of American fans, believed. They believed and achieved heights that many thought we’re impossible. It’s all possible if you believe in yourself.
I: Inspiration – The first four letters of this acronym can be tough, but this one is easy. Just sit down and think, “Who inspires me?” Who is it that you look up to? What is it that pushes you to be better? What image or thing makes you work a little harder every day? You have to be inspired. If you’re not inspired at the school you’re at, change schools. If you’re not inspired by your friends, don’t hang out with them. Being inspired can take you to unfathomable heights. Inspiration fuels everything. There is so much you can do to be inspired - you just have to find it. I promise you that it’s out there. And once you find that inspiration, hold on to it and don’t give up on it.. Be inspired.
No matter what you do, you will start with little to nothing. Always remember the Bambi Theory and that at first you will be a Bambi, barely able to walk and talk. Over time, you will grow and learn. First you should figure out your brand and embrace it, whatever it may be. Then, be ambitious and motivated. Believe in yourself and find inspiration. Once you have those things nailed down, you can be anything you want to be, even if it’s the Prince of the Forest.
Going to community college does not mean that you are that different from everyone else. Everyone is similar in at least one way… a way that I like to describe as The Bambi Theory.
When I was preparing my speech, I was trying to figure out what I could say that would help let these students know that no matter who they were, they too could go places if they just horse-blinded themselves forward to success. Success is something everyone wants – whether they are aimed at becoming an actor, a teacher, or the world’s greatest dad. It’s something that we all see ourselves reaching, yet we don’t know how to exactly get there. I think I have something that can help you, along with anyone, else achieve success. The Bambi Theory is something I have been working on and I feel could help.
Basically, The Bambi Theory is based on, you guessed it, Bambi. Remember the baby deer that could barely walk and function? Yet, we all knew that Bambi would eventually become The Great Prince of the Forest. What did Bambi need to do to become prepared, successful, and worthy? That can be a different story, but what can be taken out of the plot is that everyone is a Bambi at some point in their life. When someone wants to run a triathlon, they have to train themselves to get in shape and prepare. When someone wants to write a book, they are going to have to go through phases of really bad writing. When someone wants to learn how to drive a car, they will have to be the world’s worst driver for a period of time. No matter what you do or where you want to be in the future, you will have to be a “Bambi” at the beginning; a time when you have little knowledge of what you are doing. It’s a time period where you have to figure how to walk, figuratively.
Now that you have a little back story on Bambi and how it relates to you, let’s break it down even further. If you can remember Bambi, then you will remember this acronym I created. Each letter in Bambi stands for something that can help you grow and learn how to progress towards success. B-A-M-B-I. If you can remember that then you can remember these:
B: Branding yourself – Branding is one of the most important points in this acronym. You are your own brand. Everything you do or have ever done will be a part of your brand. All of your social media, the way you dress, the way you carry yourself, the way you act in public, and everything else you could possibly do is your personal brand. Imagine walking into a shopping store that is labeled with your name and the only product they sell is everything about you. They sell the clothes you wear, the pictures you post, the things you have created, your shoes, your social media posts, the stuff that has been in your car for weeks, and even audio of you speaking in public. Everyone is a customer, but will anyone buy you? That’s the image you must see and edit in order to have a better brand. Would someone come in and offer you a job, a new position in a play, a record label, or a million dollars for something you created? YOU are your own brand. YOU must sell yourself as a top selling brand. If you don’t, then you’ll be like all of the other generic brands. Be your own top selling brand.
A: Ambition – People always ask me why I’m so ambitious. The answer is always, “Why aren’t you?” The truth is, I know what I want and will do anything and everything I can in order to get it. Ambition is one of the greatest factors in achieving success. If you have no ambition, you have no path. What is it that you truly want to do with your life? Do you want to be an astronaut? Then go do it. Do you want to be a teacher? DO IT. What is stopping you? How can you get around it? What can you do to obtain that? What can you do to afford that? What can you do to get yourself on track to what you want to do? I’ve always wanted a Catamaran sailboat with a net up front where I can write about my travels. I will legitimately do everything I can in order to achieve that real life experience. What is it that you really want to be doing? Do you always want to be in your hometown, or do you want to be traveling the world? Create some goals, write them down, and do everything you can that is humanly possible to achieve them. The definition of ambition is, “a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.” Be determined. And be hungry. You’ll get there. That’s ambition.
M: Motivation – When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing you do? Do you roll over and check social media or do you get up and lace up your shoes for a nice morning run? When you go to class or work, what is your attitude? Is it just to get through the day? Being motivated is an engine that drives the Bambi Theory. If you aren’t motivated to do something, then you will never do it. Think, every broadcaster, professional athlete, teacher, president, actor, singer, dancer, professor, Olympian, artist, CEO, governor…. Every person who has ever wanted to be something has been motivated to get there. You must be motivated too if you want to do anything. Stay driven each and every day.
B: Believing in Yourself – My mom and dad had kids early and struggled financially, but they got through it. They were motivated and ambitious. They had a strong drive that eventually got them out of the slow start. They believed in themselves, even with multiple jobs and three kids. They worked hard and stayed ambitious. They were motivated through everything they did and believed in themselves together. They achieved their success through that deep down belief inside that they could do it. As another example, look at the entire US Men’s National Team that went to the World Cup in Brazil. Despite being placed in the “Group of Death” and going against some of the world’s best players, they, and millions of American fans, believed. They believed and achieved heights that many thought we’re impossible. It’s all possible if you believe in yourself.
I: Inspiration – The first four letters of this acronym can be tough, but this one is easy. Just sit down and think, “Who inspires me?” Who is it that you look up to? What is it that pushes you to be better? What image or thing makes you work a little harder every day? You have to be inspired. If you’re not inspired at the school you’re at, change schools. If you’re not inspired by your friends, don’t hang out with them. Being inspired can take you to unfathomable heights. Inspiration fuels everything. There is so much you can do to be inspired - you just have to find it. I promise you that it’s out there. And once you find that inspiration, hold on to it and don’t give up on it.. Be inspired.
No matter what you do, you will start with little to nothing. Always remember the Bambi Theory and that at first you will be a Bambi, barely able to walk and talk. Over time, you will grow and learn. First you should figure out your brand and embrace it, whatever it may be. Then, be ambitious and motivated. Believe in yourself and find inspiration. Once you have those things nailed down, you can be anything you want to be, even if it’s the Prince of the Forest.