Kwanza Jones 00:01
Step up, or shut up! Oh yeah, do you think that's funny? I'm going to say it again. Step up, or shut up. Power starts with you.
So the name of this I chose, honestly, I'll say very painstakingly. And the reason behind it is, oftentimes our voice, whether it's women's voices, whether it's people of colors voices, whether it's an individual's voice, oftentimes, we second guess our voice. And the reason might be, because we don't know how people are going to respond to it. SUPERCHARGED me, and SUPERCHARGED you, I am SUPERCHARGED, you are too. So when you're talking about your voice, and silencing your voice, because you're concerned about what other people say, or what other people do, whether it's going to be received in the right way, whether it's going to be misunderstood. You may as well be shutting yourself up.
And that's why I came up with this topic, specifically because if you do not take action, if you don't step up into what I call your superpower, then you're never ever going to be able to be the most powered up, powerful version of you. And when you don't step up into that power that is yours. In essence, you're telling yourself, shut up. What you say is not worth anything. Shut up. What you say is not valuable. Shut up. You are not strong, you are not smart. You are not bold. Shut up.
Why would you do that to you? That's my question. Why would you do it to you? If you think of you, as your own best friend, and you seek your own counsel? What would you tell a friend who always seem to doubt themselves? Would you try to boost them up? Would you say no, you're amazing. You've got this. So if it's good enough for a friend, should it not be good enough for you? Why would you not find a way to be the kindest, most positive, most powered up version of you by being kind and positive and powered up with you? That's the way you say, I'm not going to shut up. I'm not going to have my voice silent, silenced. In fact, I'm going to step up. I'm going to be counted. I'm going to be heard. But how do you do that?
I, oftentimes I wonder, how many people are their own editor, I'll say, before you even get something out your mouth, you've edited it 2, 3, 4, 10 times. And sometimes it never comes out. And when it never comes out what you truly believe and what you truly feel gets lost. That's how you're telling yourself to shut up. So let me get a sign, raise a hand. Have you ever silenced yourself, for one reason or another? There. Have you ever silence yourself, not even consciously knowing or thinking that you're silencing yourself? Have you ever silenced yourself, because you thought didn't matter? It's okay. It's not worth the time? Have you ever silenced yourself, because you didn't think what you had to say was important enough. Why? Why? Anyone? Take a mic. Tell me why. Let's get mic to her.
Unknown person: 04:15
Well, because you feel as though you don't have the like, who am I like what do I have to add to this? I know I don't have a million dollars. I didn't, you know, or build a billion dollar company like, why would my voice be important?
Kwanza Jones 04:31
Right. Who am I? My answer to that is you are SUPERCHARGED. That's who you are. And that should always be what you were thinking about. about you. Who are you? You all hear it all the time. You're unique, you're special. You're wonderful. You're this, you're beautiful. You're great. You're awesome. The fact is, you are, but oftentimes you don't see it and it's hard not to see it when you're surrounding yourself. And surrounding your thoughts, surrounding your mind, surrounding your spirit, surrounding your soul with things that are telling you, who are you? Yeah, you're nothing.
And that's one of the reasons why the summit, and the concept of the summit is about not only power, but partnerships, power partnerships. And what you'll see this afternoon is power moves, which is what a move is a what? A step. What was that? I heard somebody say a step. I said it too. That's exactly it. So just look at how all of this is connected. A power move is a step into you being you’re most powered up powerful version of you. How do you make that step? How do you have that partnership, so you know, that you are able to do and be those things.
You got to assess honestly, honestly, now this I need a show of hands on, how many people have ever had that friend, or that family member, or that acquaintance or that colleague, that no matter what, there was nothing they were going to say to you that made you feel good about you? Yeah. So what do you do? Do you continue to subject yourself? Or do you step up? Step aside, let them go right on. Or do you say I want to step right into what they're doing. Because oftentimes, what happens is, people are attracting these things. And they're accepting these things that they don't need to accept. Because someone said. Who am I? Well, I guess I am what they say. There must be something they're seeing that's not right about me. Why would they say it? Well, I am here to tell you, you are SUPERCHARGED. And if you start with that premise, of no matter what you are SUPERCHARGE, your most powered up powerful version of you, it really helps you clearly see and understand that there are instances when you need to step up. You need to step away. You need to have somebody step aside. Because if not, you are shutting yourself up. If not, you cannot change anything if you do not take the action.
So here's what we're gonna do. I need everybody to stand up. Oh, yeah. You thought you were gonna sit in these nice chairs? Oh, yeah, somebody said yes. Well, no, just for a little bit. Just for a little bit. What we're gonna do with step up, oh, look at you. I'm gonna have you look at a little clip, which to me is about stepping up. And Sheila, everybody say, hey, Sheila
Crowd 08:13
Hey Sheila.
Kwanza Jones 08:14
Okay, you know who she is? She's someone who does not shut up. She's someone who uses her voice and oh, my gosh, uses it beautifully. Shella is the one who is here providing us all of the announcements, and the sounds and giving us that wonderful energy there. So Sheila is going to help us out. And she's going to play this clip. And I want you all still standing with it, because there's something we're going to have to do afterwards. It's only about 30 seconds or so. Here we go.
All right. I told you it was short, I am su, su, SUPERCHARGED. Now I need all of you. And if you don't have space, you can go into the aisles. We purposely made this very intimate, because it's like you're in my living room. We're hanging out. We're having a good time. We're talking, we're eating, we're having snacks, but we're moving and we're doing.
So I need each of you to just lift one foot up and step out. Now, don't leave this one behind, lift this up and bring this along with you too. Let's try that again. Step out and up, step out and up. So you know what I call that. I call that action. I call that positive forward action. And whenever you are taking positive forward action, that's how you are showing how SUPERCHARGED you are. In other words, I call it stepping into your superpower. So what I need all of you to do with this instance, somebody, give me a sign, a show of hands, turn to your neighbor, turn to your friend. Think about an instance, where you thought there was something that you needed, where you weren't enough. You said, who am I? Where you need a particular skill, where you needed a particular mindset that you did not think you had. But the fact is, you did have it, you may not have realized that you had it, or at least you had the ability to go, no, you had the resources to get it and gain it even more. What's an instance for anyone?
Rona 10:36
Many years ago, in a land far, far away called New York. I was in media sales. I represented radio and television stations, and we sold their airtime to ad agencies. Now back then, there were four stations you could sell. I'm dating myself, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox. I was the youngest media rep in the country. And one of the few women. It was an all-boys network, not quite Mad Men, but pretty close. So for me at the time, it was, who am I to be a powerful salesperson? Who am I to be successful at this because they're all telling me, well, you're just a girl.
Kwanza Jones 11:25
Alright
Rona 11:26
I was 23-24 years old. I knew what I could do. But I was afraid to show it. Because of all these men who didn't think I was much of anything, but knew that they hire, had to start hiring women.
Kwanza Jones 11:39
I love that. Not the story of what they thought, but I love what you're sharing.
Rona 11:45
Right, and I proved them wrong. I started getting 100% orders. And they didn't know what to do with me. So they fired me. Yeah. And I went on to go up the corporate ladder, and I became VP of sales for another company. I showed them.
Kwanza Jones 12:06
That's what we call, what you all are about to do. It's what we call Rona stepped into her superpower. So when I say how you're going to do it, I want you to say, I'm going to step into it. Rona needed that superpower and she found it. A perseverance of dedication, quite frankly, of you know what, underestimate me, I'll show you. Because I am strong enough. How does she do it? She stepped into it, a 100%, she owned it. So if you don't have room, go find some room cuz I need you to step into it. Alrighty, and then I need you to say, Oh, yeah, I say, move the chairs, they won't mind because they can always go back. That's it. So when there is something you need, and you're assessing the situation, how you're going to do it, you're gonna step into it. How are you going to do?
Crowd 13:15
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 13:16
How are you going to do it?
Crowd 13:19
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 13:20
Okay, so now you hear those words. So when you're saying who am I? Because that's what someone else has told you and made you doubted. Who are you? You are strong enough. That video, you are SUPERCHARGED. The reason I show that, their boxes, their blocks, how do you become powered up and powerful, you step into it, and you believe it. And oftentimes you need that connection, that energy, that feeling that physical movement that you make to remind you of that, because you can say, I'm gonna step into it, yeah. But when you make it real, I'm going to step into it. When you take that step, literally, not just mentally in your mind step, but physically, how you're going to do it, you're gonna step into it. It's only three things you have to do. step into it.
Let me see that. Here we go. Oh yeah, aha see? I'm gonna even really run and jump into it. How you're gonna do, you're gonna step into it. Oh yeah, okay, look, look, look, look, look. Right now. I am so impressed from here on. Now, this side. I think you all need to help them out a little because they stepped into it, and this side and the center and over here, they stepped into it Just think about that. How did it feel when you stepped into it? And you raised your chest and you lifted your chin and your head was held high and your shoulders were back and you knew you were stepping into something powerful. You were stepping into you and the true you the most powered up powerful version of you. So what we're gonna do, all of us here, we're gonna turn you all stay, we're gonna turn around and look at our friends over here. Hey, they are waving. That's it. So you all are going to ask the question, how you're going to do it, and then they're going to show you how you do it. Here we go. The question is
Crowd 15:29
How you gonna do it?
Kwanza Jones 15:32
You're gonna
Crowd 15:33
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 15:34
Oh yeah. Alright, so here's what we need. We now need you all now to ask your friends over here, because now they see. And when you see it, and when you do it, and when you feel it, you can believe it. Oftentimes, if you don't see it, you never think you can believe it. If you don't see someone else doing it, you never think you can believe it. That's where the power comes from the partnerships. We’re a partnership here, right today, right now, because they didn't have what they fully needed, they had a little bit, they thought they had it, they didn't show that they had it, you have to show that you have it. You don't have to show it to others, you show it to you. Because the most important person should be you. Because if you are not there for you, and if you are not the most powered up powerful version of you, how you're going to do it for anyone else. Whether you have family, whether you have friends, whether you have colleagues, you have to believe it, and be it and do it. So here, you all are gonna turn to your friends and ask them. And whatever way you want, you can head roll, you can put your hands on, you can say it, how you gonna do it. And let's see if they learned the lessons that you all have showed, here we go. How you gonna do it?
Crowd 16:51
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 16:51
Oh yeah, Okay, So, I'm going to let you sit down in just a minute, but not yet. Because I will tell you right now, what happens in here, I always say, we don't have speakers, we don't have panelists, we had an amazing group that came up before with our power partnerships deconstructed. We have mentors, we have partners, we have relationships. And that's what we have now. We are mentors for each other. So what I saw, and it's a first thing I saw this time, by being positively empowered, and mentored by you. We had this side, some of them went step into it. And some of them improved upon the concept, and stepped into it and jumped into it. And I love it, because it shows that we all can grow and learn together. So one more time, not to each other. But here to me. I'm gonna ask this question, how’re you gonna do it?
Crowd 17:56
We are gonna step into it.
Kwanza Jones 17:59
How you gonna do it?
Crowd: 18:01
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 18:03
How you gonna do it?
Crowd: 18:04
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 18:07
Alright so tell me what you feel in this moment, tell me what you feel, SUPERCHARGED. Tell me what you feel in this moment, SUPERCHARGED. Tell me what you feel in this moment, SUPERCHARGED. So this has to be everyone feeling SUPERCHARGED. You can be you can be. But I really want to know, how do you feel? Because what we have here, what we're doing here. That is the power of partnerships. And that is the power of a positive partnership. That is when you know, you're in a room, you're in a place where you are supported, where you are loved. Where you matter where you count, where you make a difference. Every little thing you do matters. Never let anyone say it doesn't. Because it does. So how are you gonna do it?
Crowd 18:57
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 19:00
Hey, I did that right in time, step into it, hey, step into it. Hey, okay, you all please feel free to have a seat. Because you know what, the fact is, and I like to make anytime I have a presentation that I'm giving, whether it is a conversation one on one, whether it is in a room full of people, whether it's hundreds, thousands, does not matter. I always bring me, I always bring me, and me may not be enough for some other people. But it doesn't matter. Me is enough for me. And that's all that matters.
So when you get to a point of knowing that your me, is enough for you. That's when you will never allow yourself to be silent. That's when you know you are going to step up, not shut up, you're gonna step up and not silence yourself, not let others silence you ever. That is when you realize that power starts with you. Doesn't start with other people's opinions of you. It starts with you, your opinion of you what it is that it's important to you, what it is that you want to feel about you. So when I asked you how you felt in the room when you're all stepping into it, and some said, SUPERCHARGED, and some say, great. It's what it is for you. For some of you, you may have said, I felt, you know, all right. And that's all right, if it's for you. At the end of the day, if you take nothing else away from this moment, and this day, please know. You are SUPERCHARGED. And it's you. That is the most important thing is you. Oftentimes we forget it.
Oftentimes, we put ourselves at the back of the bus, we make ourselves less important than any other thing. But power starts with you, not with anyone else. It's the moment that you decide that you are SUPERCHARGED, you are strong enough, you are smart enough, you are bold enough. And when you need to remember that, just remember this little thing, how you're going to do it.
Crowd 21:38
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 21:38
That's it. And if you're in a place where you're thinking, Oh, if they see me stepping in and doing this, they may wonder what's going on. You can do your mental step into it, you can do your little step into it, you know, and that's all the matters is that it's for you. It's for no one else. This to me. And then an intro, someone mentioned, a song and the Billboard charts and all of those other things. This song to me, is an example of when you shut yourself up. When you tell yourself you don't want to hear it, when you silence yourself. Let's check this out.
Kwanza Jones 22:44
Now that is what I'm leaving you with when it is blaze, blaze, blaze, that blaze blah nonsense, you're talking to yourself, when you're telling you who am I? I'm not good enough. I'm not strong enough. I'm not smart enough. Now somebody else says that. That's noise, that's blaze blah. And in the song when I say I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it from you. I don't want you all to hear it from you. And I say I is not your mama. I'm not. I'm not your mama. I don't have kids, yet. Maybe one day maybe someday, who knows. I'm not your father. I'm not your friend. Okay, I am your friend. But I do say this because I don't want to hear it. And as a sample of saying, I don't. I don't want to hear any way that you put yourself down ever. Because there's enough people out there in the world who will do it. All I want to hear is that you're going to step into it. That's it. So SUPERCHARGED you can be or you can shut up when you are not being that way. How are you going to do it?
Crowd 23:51
We are gonna step into it
Kwanza Jones 23:53
How you gonna to do it?
Crowd 23:54
Step into it
Kwanza Jones23:57
How you gonna do it?
Crowd 23:58
Step into it.
Kwanza Jones 23:59
All righty. That is all I have for you right now.
