Eric Thomas | Life | Career | Books | Biography | Motivational Quotes
Eric D. Thomas, Ph.D. (born September 3, 1970) is an American motivational speaker, author and minister. Speeches by Thomas are popular on YouTube.
Early life:-
Thomas was born in Chicago, IL and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Born to a single, teenage mother and after various arguments with his parents and aunts, he dropped out of high school and lived homeless on the streets of Detroit for two years.
While he was homeless, he met a preacher who inspired him to go back to school and eventually change lives. He also took a job at an Olive Garden on the westside of Detroit. Around this time, Thomas met his wife, De-De Mosley, at the Detroit Center Seventh-day Adventist Church. They then moved to Huntsville, Alabama, attended Oakwood University, and they were married as college students.
Thomas spent twelve years working toward an undergraduate degree at Oakwood and graduated in 2001. While in Huntsville, Thomas preached and set up a program to help underprivileged youth.
Career:-
Michigan State University
In 2003, Thomas took a job with Michigan State University (MSU) along with a fellowship to attend MSU to complete his master's degree in K-12 Administration with an emphasis in Educational Leadership. He worked as an academic adviser to disadvantaged students at MSU. At MSU, he developed an undergraduate retention program called Advantage, targeting academically high-risk minority students. He also served as senior pastor at A Place of Change Ministries (APOC Ministries) in Lansing, Michigan. Thomas attained a master's degree from MSU in 2005, and a PhD in Education Administration in 2015.
Motivational speaker:-
After becoming known as a preacher and motivational speaker, Thomas founded a company to offer education consulting, executive coaching and athletic development. Thomas has given motivational talks to collegiate and professional athletes. Thomas has appeared on Fox News to discuss his work, and portions of his sermons can be heard on the track "Intro" of deep house producers Disclosure's 2013 debut album, Settle, Hip-hop/R&B artist Foster's track "Hard Times" in 2016, and on the intro track "Wins and Losses" to rapper Meek Mill's 2017 album of the same name. in 2020, he reunited with Disclosure to speak on the song "Energy", which was released as the lead cut from their third album Energy.
Books:-
The Secret to Success (12)
Greatness Is Upon You: Laying the Foundation (Kindle Edition, 2014) ASIN B00NTGO41S
Average Skill Phenomenal Will (2016)
You Ain't the Boss of Me (2019)
Best Motivation quotes on success:-
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful.
If you can look up, you can get up.
Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, or an hour or a day, or even a year. But eventually, it will subside. And something else take its place. If I quit, however, it will last forever.
Don’t think about what can happen in a month. Don’t think about what can happen in a year. Just focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to get closer to where you want to be.
Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen” - Michael Jordan
i use pain to push me to greatness
It's not easy, but it's simple.
The only way to get out of mediocrity is to keep shooting for excellence.
You can get through this. you are bigger than your pain, don't give up don't give in
Your relationships will either make you or break you and there is no such thing as a neutral relationship. People either inspire you to greatness or pull you down in the gutter, it’s that simple. No one fails alone, and no one succeeds alone.
Don't make a habit out of choosing what feels good over what's actually good for you.
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful
I have learned over the years that the higher the level of emotion, the lower the level of reasoning. For example, if your emotions are at the highest level of 10, your ability to reason is at a 0. If it’s a 9 then your reasoning is a 1. I am not suggesting that emotions don’t have their place, but taking actions based purely on emotions is dangerous and could cost you everything.
Done is better than perfect if perfect ain't done.
I learned that a real friendship is not about what you can get, but what you can give. Real friendship is about making sacrifices and investing in people to help them improve their lives.
Can you honestly say the environment(s) you are in will yield the kind of harvest you are expecting?
I do not take constructive criticism from people who have never constructed anything.
Success, meaningful success, begins when we take ownership and actively take responsibility for our part in the shortcomings of our life.
Only when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, will you be successful.
Be phenomenal or be forgotten.
Maybe, just maybe, I was pointing the finger because it was easier to make excuses than it was to make adjustments.
Be more intentional about the direction we allow our minds to go. Meaning, when you catch yourself thinking negatively, STOP. REDIRECT to something positive.
IDENTIFY your CHALLENGE area. Describe the thoughts that you commonly have in that area. Describe the things that you commonly say concerning that area in your life. (This can be things that you say to other people or things that you say to yourself.) Describe your behavior in that area (use action words). Challenge Area
I when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe then you will be successful
Information changes situations.
Desire and imagination have the potential to position a person for greatness
As long as you're being a copycat, you will never be the best copycat.
There was a young man who, you know,
He wanted to make a lot of money
And so he went to this Guru, right.
And he told the Guru,
“You know I wanna be on the same level you’re on.”
And so The Guru said,
“If you wanna be on the same level I’m on,
I’ll meet tomorrow,
At the beach, at 4 AM.”
He’s like,
“The beach?
I said I wanna make money. I don’t wanna swim.”
Guru said,
“If you wanna make money,
I’ll meet you tomorrow. 4 AM.”
So the young man got there 4 AM.
He all ready to rock n’ roll.
Got on a suit.
Should have worn shorts.
The old man grabs his hand and said,
“How bad do you wanna be successful?”
He said, “Real bad”.
[The Guru] He said, “Walk on out in the water.”
So he walks out into the water.
Watch this.
When he walks out into the water it goes waist deep.
So he’s like,
“This guy crazy.
I wanna make money and he got me out here swimming.
I didn’t ask to be a lifeguard.
I wanna make money.”
So he [The Guru] said, “Come out a little further.”
[He] walked out a little further.
Then he had it right around this area,
The shoulder area.
“So this old man crazy.
He making money,
But he crazy.”
So he [The Guru] said,
“Come on out a little further.”
He came out a little further,
It was right at his mouth,
My man like,
“I’m not about to go back in.
This guy out of his mind.”
So the old man said,
“I thought you said you wanted to be successful?”
He said, “I do.”
He [The Guru] said, “Walk a little further.”
He came,
Dropped his head in,
Held him down,
Hold him down,
My man getting scratchy,
Holding him down,
He [The Guru] had him held down,
Just before my man was about to pass out,
He [The Guru] raised him up.
He [The Guru] said, “I got a question for you.”
He [The Guru] said, “When you were underwater, what did you want to do?”
He said, “I wanted to breathe.”
He [The Guru] told the guy; He [The Guru] said,
“When you want to succeed,
As bad as you want to breathe,
Then you’ll be successful.
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