For now, check out the welcome letter to the individuals who attended the event:

ADDO Gathering Attendees,

It happens in a moment.

It always does.

In ancient times it was referred to as “ADDO”. Today we simply call it, inspiration.

Where does inspiration come from? A friend – a photo – a scene from a movie? Words from a song – an unexpected act – a courageous moment? It happens all around us, every day.  We may be too busy to notice, too jaded to care, or too overwhelmed to observe.   It can come from anywhere and it happens in an instant.  It’s a moment that stirs the soul.

When inspiration happens it can set the human soul on fire. The question is – how?

The ADDO Institute (Latin for “inspire”) is a leadership organization for the 21^st century – inspiring today to impact tomorrow.  Latin may be dead, but we’re not.  We believe in the power of inspiration as a force for good – and not just a good feeling.  We train leaders. From the power of a moment to the execution of an idea, we use an empowerment pyramid that will engage, expose, and equip next-generation leaders.

Today is the beginning of that journey.

For the rest of the day throw aside your perception of what is possible.  Perhaps one moment, one message, one speaker or one activity today will stir that still small voice inside of you to act.  When it does, you owe it yourself and everyone else to act in no uncertain terms. The world is waiting for you.

Welcome to the ADDO Gathering.

Kevin & Garrett

Founders of ADDO Institute

That’s what Garrett Gravesen told our team the night after our first fundraiser when we missed our goal by more than $70,000. Disappointed doesn’t even begin to cover it. Depressed and devastated would be more accurate descriptors of the emotions we felt.

As a seasoned entrepreneur, however, Garrett had been down this road before. He had helped to build the first organization he started to over $1 million in annual revenues and he was not about to let this team quit on this venture. Garrett was willing to beg, borrow or steal to make sure this dream became a reality. (Borrowing is, in fact, what we ended up doing thanks to a gracious donor and friend of Garrett’s, Jesse Peel)

The point is, we kept going when most people would have given up. Actually, most people wouldn’t have even tried to start something in the first place. Most people are not cut out for entrepreneurship.

However, if you dare to do something different, if you are bold enough, brave enough, and brash enough to start something from scratch…keep these things in mind-

1) You Gotta Believe. If you don’t, you will never make it!
“Create a cause, not a business.” – Gary Hamel
2) You Gotta Stand Out. If you aren’t going to be different, don’t waste your time.
“I don’t think there’s anything worse than being ordinary” – American Beauty
3) You Gotta Keep Going..and Going…and Going. The most successful people aren’t necessarily smarter, they simply stay with it longer.
“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.” –Ross Perot

If you are an entrepreneur looking for more resources, be sure to check out these sites for more information. And finally, what piece of advice would you share with start up entrepreneurs?

New York Entrepreneur Week- www.NYEW.org

Gary Whitehill- www.GaryWhitehill.com

Pushing Beyond- www.PushingBeyond.com

Meeting of the Big Minds- www.MeetingoftheBigMinds.com

Guy Kawasaki- http://www.guykawasaki.com/downloads/index.shtml

In 2009 I met the Stallenberg family. Nicholas and Hannie, along with their children, graciously opened their home and I had the opportunity to spend a night with them.  My friend Garrett Gravesen challenged us to step outside of our comfort zones and live for 24 hours the way that more than 1 billion people around the world do– off of one dollar a day. And so I did.

This summer I had the opportunity to return to Cape Town just before the World Cup and reunite with the Stallenbergs. While I was catching up with Nicholas, a pastor in the community, he shared with me how his life and ministry were progressing. He told me his car was broken down and how every Sunday it is necessary for him to hitchhike 20 miles each way to church.  All of this effort, every single week, just to be able to do the work he believes in.

Listening to his story, I realized that everyone has a story if you are only willing to listen. I walked away that day wondering about all of the stories you and I miss out on every single day of our lives because we don’t pause and pay attention to other people.

WHY?

Very simply, we don’t take the time to listen.

Why is it so easy for me, halfway across the world in Africa, to enter the home of a stranger and listen to their story, while I am often unwilling and uninterested to stop, even briefly, in my hometown of Atlanta to hear what people have to say?

My mentor, Ike Reighard, shares that the greatest communication lesson he ever learned was while he was still in elementary school. Ike, as a school safety patrol person, had the job of helping fellow students safely cross the street. Ike’s responsibilities were summed up with a simple slogan: STOP, LOOK, LISTEN.

STOP: Learning to stop our agendas in order to discover what is taking place in the lives of others. In our multi-tasking, emailing, Tweeting, texting and calling world, we rarely stop to focus on someone else. Stopping is all about giving someone your minds attention.

LOOK: Buried in our BlackBerry’s and infatuated with our iPads, we often forget to look at people.  Look up and actually see them!

LISTEN: Listening is an art, and a learned one at that. A good listener gives their undivided attention. They know that listening takes more than ears. It requires your head and your heart, as well as your eyes. Most importantly, they understand that they have two ears and one mouth and choose to use them accordingly.

One of the things I always remind myself is, “You can’t help but love someone once you know their story.”

I challenge you today to STOP, LOOK, & LISTEN to the people you encounter. I promise you won’t regret it!

In 1985 Vance Havner wrote a book entitled “Playing Marbles with Diamonds”

The title of the book emanated from a story that he heard about a traveler who had gone to a region in Africa and witnessed an incredible sight. There was a large group of African boys in a township who were gathered on the dusty ground in a circle playing the very common game of marbles.

So get the picture here—a bunch of little African boys, gathered around a circle, playing marbles.

What made the game astounding to observe was that the children were not playing the game with glass marbles but instead they were playing the game with what turned out to be actual DIAMONDS.

Can you even begin to imagine?!? You have the world’s most precious gem, diamonds, being used in what is possibly the most elementary and common game that a child can play, MARBLES???

What if these young children realized what they had in their possession?  They had no idea the wealth they held in their playful little hands.

Just think for a minute—
what if they understood
the power of what they held?
How could that change their lives?

As we ended each program this summer, I told this story and challenged our students.  However, I think it is a message we should all take to heart.  Take a step back and think about the experiences you have had in your life, think about the opportunities you have been blessed with, think about the potential you hold in your hands… Don’t play marbles with diamonds!

I believe you Play Marbles with Diamonds when you do the following 3 things-

*You are playing marbles with diamonds when you think about what you can get more than what you can give.

*You play marbles with diamonds when your greed exceeds your gratitude.

* You play marbles with diamonds when you fail to turn your aspirations into achievements.

Today, pause just for a moment to think about how fortunate you are.  The story above changed my perspective and has been shared with many audiences around the world.  What story or illustration has been a game-changer in your life?

I’m Counting on You!

The value and importance of reading can’t be stated too often or too strongly.  Simply put, books change people’s lives.  The right book at the right time has the power to drastically impact an individual.

This summer, in both South Africa and Greece, I was asked what books I would recommend.   Here are the top 10 books that I think any person who desires to make a positive impact on the world should read-

“21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” -John C. Maxwell

“Louder than Words” –Andy Stanley

“A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” –Donald Miller

“The Traveler’s Gift” –Andy Andrews

“Switch” Chip and Dan Heath

“Tuesday’s with Morrie” –Mitch Albom

“Same Kind of Different as Me” –Ron Hall and Denver Moore

“In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” –Mark Batterson

“Making a Life,  Making a Living” –Mark Albion

“Oh, the Places You’ll Go” –Dr. Seuss

For what its worth, the following are the best books in certain categories that I’ve read lately-

Biography- “Quiet Strength” -Tony Dungy

Political Book- “Game Change” -John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

Devotional- “Daily Insights” –Zig Ziglar and Ike Reighard

How about you?  What books have made an impact on your life?  I’d love to know!

Landing in Cape Town makes me think back to the first time I arrived in Africa, nearly two years ago.  How could I forget?

There were five of us, with what seemed like hundreds of bags (mine was undoubtedly the largest and heaviest as I felt the need to bring food for the next 100 days).  We embarked on a journey that took us on 4 planes  from Atlanta, Georgia to Frankfurt, Germany to Rome, Italy to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and finally to Nairobi, Kenya .  Yes, you read that correctly—3 stops and 44 hours—just to get to our starting place.

The crew in Kenya

One of the first things we did in Kenya was attend, volunteer, and speak at the National Youth Leadership Convention.     In Kenya, 80% of the population is under the age of 30, and the conference brought more than 1,000 of the top young leaders together, representing each province, to discuss the pressing issues of the day.

It’s interesting to note that our journey began speaking to young people at the 2008 Kenyan National Youth Leadership Convention.  Now two years and three trips to Africa later, I am preparing to speak to young leaders again, only this time they are American students participating in a Global L.E.A.D. Program in South Africa.

LEAD Cape Town 2009

Working with young people is important.  It’s the reason that I have chosen to do what I do.  I truly believe that the world will be shaped by these young people, the decisions they make and the actions they take.

What have you done to shape the next generation?

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible– and achieve it, generation after generation. “ –Pearl S. Buck