If you didn’t know, Terrence Jenkins, the now actor, author, and former host of 106&Park and E! News, attended the great university of North Carolina A&T. In fact, he’s also the reason I decided to attend this very school as well! I figured that if this university could give him the tools necessary to get him on my television screen every evening at 6pm, then they would be able to give me those same tools to make me just as successful.
Let’s get to the main point of this article: he came back to his old stomping grounds to promote his new movie “The Perfect Match” and he also had a few words of encouragement that I wanted to share with those who didn’t have the opportunity to hear him speak themselves.
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“You can get there from here.” According to Terrence, this is a quote one of his favorite professors used to share with him all the time and I found it to be quite encouraging myself. It doesn’t matter where you are in your life, it’s always possible to reach your destiny. At times life can seem tough and your destination can become a bit blurred, but if you just keep your eye on the prize and ignore all negative distractions, you will get there. Not only that, but just because things seems rough right now does not mean that it is impossible for things to get better and for you to accomplish your dreams.
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Success does not happen overnight. Terrence entered college with a not so stellar GPA and by time he graduated he’d maintained a 3.6 GPA. The way you start the race is not always how you will end the race. Success takes time. Reaching your dreams takes time. Realizing your dreams may even take time. Just because things aren’t going how you want them to, or how you think they should, does not mean it is impossible for you to obtain success. Becoming successful takes time, money, and energy. Don’t be discouraged if you applied for the job and you didn’t get the call back. Don’t be discouraged if you’ve been chasing the same dream for the last five years and still you have nothing to show for it. You will make it. The worst thing you could do is give up on something you were just about to accomplish.
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Surround yourself with people that will support your dreams and your wild asperations. Terrence shared with us that one of his line brothers, who is also one of his best friends, is the reason why he was able to land the hosting position on 106&Park. His friend told him about the auditions in New York. They went, he auditioned, and… he got cut. So, they drove to Atlanta for another audition, but for the same position. While they were driving down, Terrence’s ex-girlfriend at the time actually stood in line for him so that they could keep up with what was going on until he got there. When he got there, he’d kept his name badge on from the New York auditions and was able to make it past security. If it weren’t for those two very supportive friends of his, who knows what his story might have been. But because they were willing to go through hell and high water with him, he was able to bring his dreams into fruition.
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The power of finesse. Remember when I said he’d kept his nametag from the New York auditions and used it in Atlanta? Well when he made it to Atlanta, the security started to not even let him into the auditions. However, because he had a nametag and he’d told the guard that “he left his phone inside” they let him in and the rest is history. This tip isn’t for you to take and just go lying to get into all the hotspots in town, but rather to remind you that sometimes being in the right place at the right time is not enough. It’s what you do while you’re in that place at that time! Think fast and make your dreams a reality! What good is it to be where you need to be, but you’re not doing what you need to do, to get to what you need?
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Accepting the absence of 106&Park. This one is for those who are still a little wee bit bitter about the ending of such a childhood classic. 106&Park played a crucial role in a lot of us millennials’ childhoods and turning on BET everyday at 6pm was a must for us! However, we all know that after Terrence and Rocsi left, it just wasn’t the same. Since the music and mass media industry are so different nowadays, and as Terrence said, “the show had a great run but it just didn’t fit the times anymore.” We have people like Beyonce and Rihanna just dropping albums and videos whenever they feel like it, which would take away form the purpose of 106&Park. Artists have their own promotional agendas now, and as sad as it is, 106&Park no longer plays a role in that. It’s pretty bittersweet, but we just gotta get with the times folks.
I hope you guys find these tips to be just as helpful for you as they were for me. In college, a lot of things become so unclear and we find ourselves freaking out because time is ticking and we still don’t know where exactly we’re going. We have none of the answers. Absolutely none. But it’s okay. We will still reach our goals. We will still become successful. We just have to stay focused and forget about all the nay-sayers. The top is waiting for us.
Oh and one last thing Terrence made sure to remind us of this…follow your dreams! No matter who tells you, “no” or “it’s impossible,” prove them wrong and do what your heart tells you.