A new saying in our home is, "Let's be the type of family that says the things that need to be said and does the things that need to be done." This is a goal of mine, because there are times that I left things unsaid or undone, and it caused harm. This way of thinking supports our kingdom mindset (Kingdom of God worldview) based on the verse "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:2 ESV.

Say The Things That Need To Be Said

1. Speak the truth in love. 
2. Let words be used to build people up.
3. Encouragement and correction are both reflections of love.

Do The Things That Need To Be Done

1. If you're able to give now, why wait?
2. There is a time to play, and a time to work. Know the difference.
3. Everything you do, give it the best you can, for the glory of God.

What matters most? Pleasing God.  More to come on that in future posts.

Christopher Nolan’s Inception has widely been hailed as a masterpiece, a magnus opus that explores themes of the human mind, imagination, “leaps of faith,” and most importantly, the concept of reality. It’s an interesting reputation, seeing as the majority of the film’s proponents have admitted that they have no idea what the conclusion of the movie means in context of the whole concept, and they’re ultimately left happily confused. It proves something that the movie itself wants to illustrate for the viewers: our understanding or certainty of a thing doesn’t really dictate our enjoyment, or even our participation. After all, we willingly become parts of things and institutions that we don’t understand: do most of us really understand how our own bank accounts, investments, and retirement plans work? They’re often the things that we count on to sustain us and our families into the largely uncertain future, yet we often don’t look deeper than what we’re told by so-called advisors and experts.

The question, in the movie and our lives, is whether or not we actually need to. If you’ve seen the movie, you know how the ambiguous end features a dreidel spinning but appearing to falter as the screen goes black suddenly. If the dreidel continues spinning, it means that the world that the protagonist Dom has successfully made it to is actually a dream, and if it stops it signifies that Dom is in fact, still dreaming. And the interesting thing about this end is that earlier in the movie he watches the dreidel intensely waiting with gun in hand to quite frankly (blow his brains out) if the dreidel stops spinning, he now spins the dreidel with quite some force and walks away from it; after all he’s been through, he honestly doesn’t care what’s reality or not. He’s been reunited with his children after two years, back in his home country after being kept out as an international dream-thief. And there’s a delicate balance in this. The lesson in the movie isn’t to blindly stroll through life believing everything  you’re told and accepting everything as concrete. After all, with this mindset nothing would ever be innovated because no one would ever question the status quo. However, there is merit in knowing when to be patiently content, to take what is as what should be without rocking the boat in every matter. Living life like this, we’d probably all be quite tired and insane.

That balance has to come with learning to “accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference." The balance isn’t clear-cut, and like with most things, there is no manual to figure it out on the go. Our manual is knowledge by way of experience, and sometimes failure. So there’s wisdom in both of the ways we can see the end of the movie, whether that be accepting a reality or continuing to question the world around you. It all depends on if you’re a Dom or a Mal when you wake up.

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​Children’s movies are almost never “just for kids” these days. And that’s a good thing, because if you’re a parent, you know that your kids not only want you to go see movies with them, they want you to love it! And with movies like Lion King, you truly can.

Lion King is an incredible, moving story of a son who lost his beloved father and is uprooted from his home in a political coup, only to return later on to face his past, his personal demons, and the new illegitimate king and become the leader he was always meant to become. Still sound like a silly kids’ movie? There’s lots to learn here, and we can start from the beginning, with an eager Simba who “just can’t wait to be king,” even though he has no idea what being king means. In other words, he wants power, respect, and responsibilities even though he has no idea what they really entail. When his father, Mufasa, is killed by his scheming uncle, Scar, he quickly learns that the life of a king is not one he wants. His uncle tricks him into running away from home for fear of being blamed for his father’s death and he seems to abandon his destiny. Fast forward some time, he’s made new friends far from home and has even fallen in love with Nala, a childhood friend. When he finally gathers the courage to come home, he struggles initially to have the strength to defeat Scar, but he finally overcomes and there is, of course, a happy ending.

So what can we learn from the movie, underneath the cute animation and catchy songs? Often, we’re unprepared for the destiny that we want, and we have to go through tough learning processes in order to get us ready for the greatness that’s in store. Our trials and tribulations can seem unfair or rushed, like we’re having our innocence taken away from us, but we easily forget how we ask for certain things and want them right away. Sometimes,God is makes us wait and puts us through these things so that He can give us what we ask for. And it’s not out of a cruel sense of humor, it’s because we really do all have destinies that require our best selves to fill the role. So don’t be discouraged if you feel like you’re far away from your destiny! There’s a process and tests you have to go through before you can enjoy the fruits of your labor, so keep your head down and learn your lessons now so you can have what you want later on.

I was 21 years old and in love. I had recently met a beautiful young woman at an INROADS leadership conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan and I was a year away from graduating with a finance degree and no student loans. She asked me a question that changed my life. "What is your credit score?" I thought, what is a credit score?

Little did I know, that there were 2 unpaid bills in my name that I didn't sign up for, and 3 unpaid hospitable bills due to an insurance lapse I didn't know about. Here's what I did to fix my credit score. (Spoiler Alert: that young lady is now my wife of 12 years!)

1. Contacted All the Companies I Owed
I owed the hospital, a doctor's office, the cable company, and the electric company. Why do I say I owed them even though I didn't sign up for the services and I thought insurance covered the hospital visit? Because I was responsible for my own credit. The electric company said I needed to file a police report if there was identity theft. I did not do that because I didn't want to hurt a family member. So I asked if they would accept a lower amount if I paid it that day. They said yes! I did the same thing with the hospital and created a two-part payment plan.

2. Signed up for a Secured Credit Card
At the time U.S. Bank offered a secured credit card, where you put money in a savings account equal to the amount of the credit card limit. If you don't pay off the credit card then the money from the savings account covers it. With my credit score this was the only way I could build credit. I started with $250 and after 2 years my credit score improved 200+ points (it was pretty low). After 3 years I was able to increase the limit and receive a check for my savings balance.

3. Moved in With Family
After I graduated from BGSU, engaged and ready for life, I had to move in with my aunt and uncle to save money and focus on rebuilding my credit score. This was beneficial to me for more reasons than one. I also learned from their 30+ year marriage. While I lived there I paid rent, read several books, and began planning my financial future.

As as a result of these decisions, my wife and I were able to buy our first home at 24 and I was finally able to buy a car in my name at 28. Today my credit score is 400 points higher than it was nearly 15 years ago.

- Vontoba Terry
Author, Entrepreneur

Resources: AnnualCreditReport.com (free)

I jumped with a parachute.

I worked for a great bank and worked my way up to a Vice President role providing advice and services to some of the largest companies in the U.S. After nearly 10 years in the commercial banking business, I wanted to join my wife in growing our family business, UI Global Brands. Yes, I left a great corporate career, to sell bras, panties, and body wash! And I haven't looked back. Here's 3 lessons I learned:

1. I Didn't Know As Much As I Thought I Did

I thought that I could join my wife at the office and hit the ground running day one. After all, I had worked lunch breaks, evenings, and weekends supporting the business while I was working my full time career. I soon learned that there was so much more to running a business and because we were growing and adding customers, I had to check my pride right away. I became our HR guru (in training), and I was tasked with finding people who could support our vision. I also had one month to find a new warehouse for our products. I learned a lot from my mistakes, and being humble made the transition easier.

2. I Knew More Than I Thought I Did

When I left corporate, I had no idea we would launch 2 new apparel collections and a hair care line, and we were also in the midst of investor negotiations. All of a sudden, I was able to draw on 12 years of experience advising large and medium sized companies and analyzing their financial and operational strategies. It was exhilarating. I was on the other side of the table, and over the years I had met a lot of great people who taught me about their businesses. Armed with an M.A. in Economics and an undergraduate degree in Finance, I was able to tackle challenges in a strategic way. When I didn't know the answers, and that was often, I was able to call my friends and contacts for advice, which taught me a third lesson.

3. I Need People

When we were preparing to launch a haircare line, I called an executive at a major retail chain and asked questions about their strategy and how I should look at the numbers. I also called the CEO of a company that supplies that retailer and learned about the good and the bad in their experience.

When a shipment from overseas came in damaged, I called the CEO of a multimillion dollar corporation for advice. Within an hour he had me on the phone with his logistics manager and I understood what we could do differently in the future to avoid this problem, and if it happens again, how to insure against the risk.

When I feel like things aren't going as planned or just not moving as quickly as I would like, I am able to walk next door to my wife's office, have a healthy and uplifting conversation, get fired up, and keep going.

I learned a lot in my first year out of corporate America. I hope these lessons help you in some way.
​- Vontoba

"The Art and Science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge." - Thomas Berger

I left corporate America last year and I haven't looked back. Along with my wife of 12 years, I am running a family business that sells beauty and apparel products to the largest retailers in the world. We're also growing an e-commerce website that has reached hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

Thank you for visiting my blog. This will be my hub for sharing information about small business, entrepreneurship, financial planning, and personal growth. I am passionate about giving and growing, hence my mantra: "Give and Grow."

Also, please follow me on Facebook @vontoba and on YouTube for more tips, hints, and advice.

All the Best,

Vontoba