We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jordan Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jordan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
I think it takes a paradigm shift to find success – at least for me it did. For the majority of my life I had such a negative view on the term failure. I never wanted to not succeed at something, especially at something I was going to be doing in front of people. I was afraid of the ridicule. I was afraid of the negativity. I was afraid that I wouldn’t belong.
That’s because my motive to be successful was so that I could receive some type of value from others. I was tying the societal aspects of what failure looks like on the outside directly to my internal value. I was giving the power of my success to everyone else except myself. I was defining success by what “they” say is successful. But really, who is they?
A few things to note:
1. Success should be defined by the individual
2. The actual results of an endeavor only dictates our value when we allow it
3. Failing is critical to our success (however we define it)
We start to find success when we are able to block the outside noise. When we begin to embrace our failures, because we know that they will only continue to form the path to the success we envision. I think failure only truly becomes negative when we stop moving forward altogether because of the failure.
So lean into the fails. Lean into the learning. It is all learning. Success is the never-ending commitment to get up off the matt.
JT
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am someone who thinks quite deeply – probably too deeply – about life. I believe that this existence is special and that there is a purpose behind us being here. I also truly believe that life is all about people and that any change we want to see starts with us as individuals.
The majority of my professional life has been working in the non-profit space, but I guess it really began back in 2013 when my twin brother, best friend and I started share ONE love wanting to change the world through sport. I don’t think we knew what we were doing then – honestly, still feel that way sometimes today – but taking that leap has forever changed my story.
At share ONE love, we are a team of sport-loving, justice-minded people who come alongside youth to help them play for a better tomorrow. Since 2017 we have been working with justice-involved youth placed in the care of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. Despite challenges presented by the pandemic, share ONE love continues to learn and grow in how we can be a part of the connection, healing and growth for all young people. We believe that sport is a powerful tool that can be used to help young people in many different areas such as: increased physical activity, space for healthy relationship development, and space for trauma healing.
As I said before, I believe that we are here for a purpose. For however long I have left in this life, I want to be someone who contributes to the “success” of the next generation by coming alongside them, and equipping them for the future ahead. Every young person deserves the right to have their needs met and to live a life of meaning. That is what I am about and that is what share ONE love will always be about.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Authenticity. If you truly don’t mean what you say, then your actions will never truly follow suit. I genuinely desire to have an impact on the young people in my community. And the people who I partner with can see that my work matters to me. If you consistently show up for something. If you’re putting in the time to learn and stay willing to grow. If you don’t shut up about it – people will see that you’re serious.
I am dead serious about changing the way we engage with young people in our society. But I cannot change all of that. What I can do, is be intentional with making a positive impact on the young people in my own community.
Whatever it is that you do, be authentic. Authenticity is the greatest reputation you could ever earn.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Wow this is a tough one. I am going to give two quick examples of books that have forever changed how I engage with the world around me – both professionally and personally:
1. Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat – as individuals, choosing happiness and joy in our daily journey play such a critical role in how we engage with others, how we make decisions, and even how we navigate tough circumstances.
2. Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown – courage and vulnerability continue to prove themselves to be critical components to how we are to engage with ourselves and the world around us. If we are going to see a more humanizing, and holistic society in the future, we must be willing to operate through courage and vulnerability.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shareonelove.org
- Instagram: @jt_cannon02
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shareonelovesc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtcannon/
- Twitter: @jt_cannon02
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_VjBGAFAbYgf-etn26yRg/featured
- Other: https://linktr.ee/shareonelove
Image Credits
@sarahephotographyllc