Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Calvin Wright. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Calvin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Greetings and thank you for your having me here with you today. I think success is a very unique topic because no one really focuses on how opinionated it really is. We all measure success differently and my perspective of what success may look like is completely different than someone else’s. With that thought in mind I will tell you what I think it takes to become successful and how I view it. I think becoming successful is based on a few different factors. I think for starters hard work. My self personally I am an entrepreneur. That means everything in my business is dependent upon me working as hard as I can to make things come together. If I fail to do something, not only is it my fault, I also potentially miss out on the next thing that I may need. No one is waiting around to give me anything, so if I am not working hard to put myself in position to obtain it, I most likely will never have it. The harder I work the more potential my business and life have room to grow and when I neglect to do so I fall behind. Hard work is often associated with success, and it should be. Rarely do you see someone make it to the mountain top without a work ethic to get them there and at times when you do you those people quickly fall off because they didn’t have the tools to sustain them and keep them in place. Another major factor that contributes to becoming successful is belief. I think belief is very underrated because we often try to identify things that are tangible to the eyes of everyone. Belief is something that only you truly know you have but it may very well be the most important thing. It is incredibly hard to go places and endure hardships if you don’t believe in what you are fighting for. On the road to success, you will have a lot of hard days and lonely nights. You will second guess if this is really worth it and if this is something you truly want to do. If you don’t have that belief in you to get back up, you won’t. You will just lay there and let that dream die. When you fail more times than you would like you will have to believe in yourself enough to get back up and find a new way to preserver. It is so much easier said than done but if you are to find a way to become successful belief is something that cannot be compromised. Another thing that is required for you to become successful is good people around you. People will play a number of factors into your success. People will provide support for you whether that be emotional, or business related. People will help to get you over the hump and when are struggling to climb. There will be people who will buy into your vision and help to provide resources and open up doors for you that you simply are unable to open yourself. Remember if you could do it all by yourself you already would have. People are a gateway to opportunity that you have to recognize and appreciate. I have had so many people pour into me that have catapulted me ahead and without them I can honestly say I would have just been stuck and stagnant. It’s important to learn how to manage relationships and intentionally do good to people. That in itself will return back to you and help progress you forward in life. The last thing I think one will need to be successful is luck, some call it chance, I am a man of faith, so I call it favor but nonetheless it all in essence means the same. You are going to have somethings go your way that you simply couldn’t control you just benefit from. Some type of special events, special timing, special connections just perfectly fall into your lap, and you didn’t look for it or expect it. Just be grateful when they come. This is what I believe is my formula to becoming successful.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am former collegiate athlete, mental health professional turned entrepreneur. I am an author and the name of my book is ‘The Wright Step Forward: The Four Quarters of Success’ where I teach that Outward Success is an Inside Job.

Prior to becoming a full-time entrepreneur, I served for over a decade in the mental health field where I was the Program Supervisor for a mental health agency. It was there I first noticed people wanted help but did not have actionable steps or a plan to achieve triumph in their lives. I noticed many people are boggled with questions but rarely given a path to their individual success. It was because of that I wanted to help bring clarity to all those who are in search of a path.

I have a heart for people and love to serve and help all those I can. I am an active mentor and I own a basketball training business, where I am able to build young athletes up and help them reach their goals through hard work and character development.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think one lesson I had to unlearn was the idea of what’s right for our lives. I think we are all taught pretty much the same thing in regard to what’s the formula to a happy and healthy life should look like. We are pretty much taught go to school, find a job, start a family settle down and retire. We should only enjoy somethings at our leisure, but the biggest thing is to be bound down to the normalcy of life and to almost mimic our lives as closely as possible to our peers. I think just through life experiences I have just realized this to be a flawed method. I think we ought to take more chances in life and embrace taking smart risks. We have to learn to truly invest into ourselves and do the things that we love and are called to do. At the age of 16yrs old I was blessed with the opportunity to move to Mississippi and attend a prep school to play basketball while family remained in Virginia. The year after that my senior year in high school I did it again and moved to New Jersey. After I graduated, I moved again and played college ball in two different locations. I was able to see life from a different perspective. I was able to travel the nation doing what I love. It showed me a different a perspective of life. With that same logic why can’t we all dare to do something abnormal in life and make good things happen from it? Everything you want in life is on the other side of fear but in order to get to that other side you have to do things that scare you. Things that deviate from the norm. I encourage all to live a life that you desire and not just a life that is told to you. Step out of the box and while doing things within your comfort experiment with the things that your heart may desire as well.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am an avid reader and have been influenced by many books, videos, and other resources. One video in particular that I think had a really big effect on me was an interview with Will Smith. In it he spoke about how everything we want in life is on the other side of fear. That video has resonated with me since the day I first watched it. One being that a man as accomplished as Will Smith would speak that because he has lived the life, we all aspire too. A fulfilled and accomplished life. Also, because just being human I have noticed and felt the many times I have allowed fears to hinder my growth or seen fear hinder the growth of peers and managed to keep us all in the same place at different points in our lives. As I begin to embark on my Entreprenurial journey I begin to see more how fear had been a big hindrance as well as how if I didn’t step out of my comfort zone and remained fearful, I would never grow and succeed on the path that I am on. The more things that I do the more I realize how it all affects me and my quality of life. Also, how me now taking those steps and actions opens up doors for me that I thought were nonexistent at one point. The more you do the easier it becomes and the more you unlock on your journey through life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thewrightstepforward.com
• Instagram: cjwright32
• Facebook: @Calvin Cj Wright
• Linkedin: Calvin Wright
• Other: tiktok:
  @Cjwright32