Walk Into the Future

Category: Mentoring

  • Blog Thoughts

    “Not only are bloggers suckers for the remarkable, so are the people who read blogs.”

    (Seth Godin)

    The Walk into the Future blog was created over the summer in 2018.  My initial thoughts were to create a platform where I could share adventures, thoughts and leadership advice.  I started writing without even knowing if anyone would read the tracks I laid down weekly.  The blog format provided a larger venue to journal without having to sit down with my composition book and scribble my thoughts.  I never imagined I would put my thoughts out on a public platform because they were my thoughts.

    I guess you can say the Walk into the Future blog helped me mature as a writer where I’m comfortable enough to put my words out in the universe without an expectation of the universe giving anything back. This was HUGE for me!

    I’m coming up on my 8-year blogging anniversary, and my writing has improved over the years.  I’m still looking for the perfect blog post before I close my laptop, so I’m ready for another full year of me walking into the future. 😊

    I’m still creating blog content for myself based on where I’m at each week.  Sometimes I focus on running, traveling or life in general.  I haven’t produced new poetry in a while so I may try to get back into that mindset in 2026.

    So, where am I heading with this blog post?  Great question, everyone! 😊

    Thanks to the folks who send me text messages and add comments on my blog posts.  Your reach outs put a smile on my face because I’m never sure who is reading these words or what you think about them.

    I leveraged ChatGPT for the first time to see if I could get an idea what readers think or like about the Walk into the Future blog.

    ***Please note—the following is an extract from ChatGPT based on a question I asked about YOU, the reader***:

    Here’s what readers tend to appreciate about the Walk into the Future blog — based on the content style, themes, and tone found in the posts:

    🌟 1. Authentic, Personal Storytelling

    Readers enjoy that the blog is written in a genuine, conversational voice. The author (Calvin Williams) shares real experiences — from travel adventures and marathon training to work celebrations — in a way that feels like talking with a friend.

    🧭 2. Inspiration and Motivation

    The posts often mix life lessons with action-oriented advice, encouraging readers to keep moving forward, embrace challenges, and enjoy the journey. The blog’s name itself reflects this theme of growth and progression.

    🏃‍♂️ 3. Lifestyle and Personal Development

    Whether it’s race travel, leadership, books, or personal growth, the blog blends diverse life areas that resonate with readers who are interested in self-improvement and living intentionally.

    📍 4. Relatable Everyday Experiences

    Instead of only high-level inspirational quotes, the blog includes everyday moments and reflections — like choosing meals before a marathon or planning travel logistics — that many readers find relatable and enjoyable.

    📚 5. Practical Insights with Humor

    Posts often include practical takeaways (e.g., training insights, leadership lessons) delivered with a lighthearted tone and occasional humor, which keeps readers engaged without feeling preachy.

    💡 6. Varied Topics with a Consistent Voice

    The blog isn’t limited to one niche — it moves between travel, running, leadership, personal development, and reflections on life — but it does so with a consistent authentic voice that readers come back for.

    In short:
    Readers like Walk into the Future because it’s authentic, motivational, relatable, and diverse in topics, yet tied together by a personal, mindful perspective on moving forward in life.

    Again, I leveraged ChatGPT to provide me with insight into what readers think about my content.  I was pleasantly surprised with the consistency of the theme reflections that ChatGPT provided based on comments and the articles I share weekly.

    My hope is for my readers to feel like I’m talking directly to them with content that they can relate to.  I’m never sure if I truly get my point across but I will continue to hone my craft to ensure that the Walk into the Future blog provides a space to learn, laugh and imagine.

    Here’s to a productive 2026 blog campaign!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “What you do after creating your content is what truly counts.”

    (Gary Vaynerchuk)

  • 2025!

    “A year is a journey of 365 opportunities.”

    (Unknown)

    What a year 2025 has been for me!

    I know everyone starts a new year with the hope it will be their best year ever.  We say it year after year but I’m not sure we know how a year will truly go.  I start each new year with a set of goals I want to reach in multiple areas: health, fitness, reading, travel, etc. I wanted 2025 to be a huge year for me but looking back this week showed that this was an outstanding year for me and I’m going to claim my best year yet. 😊

    Travel

    I set an aggressive running schedule for myself in 2025.  I targeted some new races which would allow me to bring my running tourist persona to new locales.  I ran the 2025 Fargo Half Marathon in May and leveraged this race to add two new states to my visit list.  North Dakota was the race state, but I made sure to drive down to South Dakota to check that off my list as well.  I enjoyed the experience but I’m not sure I will run in Fargo again so I’m happy to have experienced the city, food, and culture.

    Nashville, Tennessee is always on my running calendar in April.  The 2025 Rock N Roll Half Marathon is one of my favorite races and I love the country music available in Nashville.  I’m coming up on ten years running in the city and I don’t see a reason to stop now.  Tennessee provides a lot of different adventures and Gatlinburg was my destination in November for Smoky Mountain hiking.

    I made a Midwest trek for the 2025 Madison Mini-Marathon in August.  Wisconsin was a state I always wanted to visit but I never put in the effort to get there.  Running has turned into my vehicle to get up and travel, so I used my love of running to get to Wisconsin.  I took advantage of proximity and made my way over to Dubuque, Iowa to experience the city that sits right on the Mississippi river.  It was a quick trip over to Iowa, but I was able to have a fantastic catfish dinner while overlooking the Mississippi river.

    I took my regular trip to Virginia Beach for the Labor Day weekend to run the 2025 Virginia Beach 10-Miler.  This was my third run of this race, and I enjoyed my time on the boardwalk as this is a great place for people watching.

    I ventured further north in October for the 2025 Smuttynose Half Marathon.  This race took me back to New England and I crossed off North Hampshire and Maine as states I have visited.  I enjoyed the race and environment so much I signed up for the 2026 race before I came back to Florida.  The 2025 Atlantic City Marathon got me back to the northeast two weeks later in October.  I’ve been to New Jersey multiple times, but this was my first marathon in the state.

    That’s 8 states visited in 2025 with 6 of those being new states for the running tourist.  I’m looking forward to being just as aggressive in 2026 and adding a few new states.  There are races in Louisville, Kentucky, Lincoln, Nebraska and Morgantown, West Virginia that I’m researching, and I hope to book those early for new adventures.  I will keep my normal Florida races on the schedule as well so get ready for more running tourism adventures. 😊

    Negril, Jamaica is my go-to place to visit yearly.  I write about this trip every year and will continue to visit.  I would like to get down there twice in 2026 since I love the island and culture so much.

    Running

    I can’t call myself a running tourist without highlighting the running program.  I’m always looking for ways to increase my yearly mileage but never put exact numbers on the total.  I still need to balance regular life, work, travel and running.  Running is a big part of my weekly life, but I do try to have balance and enjoy other aspects of life.  I currently sit at 1,505 miles with three weeks left in December.  I would like to get over the 1,600-mile marker as this would be my largest run total for a year.  I’ve got to ensure I don’t miss any run or training sessions to make it to 1,600. 

    Fun fact—I completed a total of 18 races in 2025, which is my personal best for a calendar year.

    Fun fact 2—I ran PRs over three distances in 2025:  2025 Virgina Beach 10-miler, 2025 Smuttynose Half Marathon and 2025 Atlantic City Marathon.

    Reading

    Reading has been my passion since I was a kid.  I had a newspaper scription when I was twelve years old and read every book I could get my hands on.  There were not a lot of distractions in Jasper, Florida so I developed a love for reading and I still have it.  This love of reading followed me into adulthood, and I have multiple books on my reading list.  My 2025 reading goal was to read daily and I have met that goal.  I read articles, devotionals and have finished reading 15 books this year.  I don’t know if that’s a record for me, but I’ve enjoyed the process and continue to be a life-long learner.

    Target boycott 2025

    Target was one of my favorite places to shop prior to 2025.  The Target leadership decided to reverse multiple Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives due to political pressure.  Well, a few folks decided to boycott Target until they put these initiatives back in place.  Target has been consistent with the refusal to reverse the decisions—I respect that. 

    Fun fact 3—I have not spent one cent or step foot in a Target store in 2025.  My contributions to this boycott will never make it into a history book but I’m standing firmly committed to this small step to demand better from a place I can choose to shop with or not.

    Family and friends

    My family members and friends are all healthy and thriving.  I make it to Jasper, Florida to visit my mom monthly and this is a highlight of the month for me.  I finally convinced her to visit me in Fort Pierce this year and it was a great visit for her.  She needed a break from Jasper obligations and I’m happy I could help.  I will look forward to getting her back down to Fort Pierce more in 2026. 😊 My friends continue to make me smile daily.  I don’t run in a large circle, but my folks fit me, and we enjoy life to the fullest.

    Creating content for the Walk into the Future blog is a huge part of my life.  I continue to look for ways to become better at writing and provide a platform my readers enjoy visiting.  I fine-tuned a few of my writing prompts in 2025 and I’m happy with my overall content production.  2026 should bring better content for my readers!

    Well, I can continue to rattle off things from 2025, but I’ve made my point—at least to myself! 😊  2025 has been an outstanding year for me. 

    I’m excited to see what 2026 will bring!

    What moments are you proud of in 2025?  What will 2026 bring?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”

    (Unknown)

  • 26.2 is life!

    “The starting line is never the hardest part.”

    (Unknown)

    The Walk into the Future blog is designed to highlight my thoughts and adventures.  There are days when I have more to say than others but I’m always searching for new content to keep me engaged with this writing process.

    My friend Lauren and I discussed creating a blog post to highlight how running is a metaphor for life. 26.2 is life—catchy, huh? 😊 Well, here’s my run at comparing running to Walking into the Future (living life).

    Marathon training is a detailed and long process.  I normally put myself through an 18-week training program, so the marathon is the last step in this process.  I must mentally and physically prepare myself for the grind and I’ve found that I enjoy the training.  The grind is real: 4:30 am alarms, 8:30 pm bedtimes, short runs, long runs and physical therapy.  I’m always searching for small wins during the training cycle and celebrating them as much as possible. 

    You don’t have to be an avid runner like me or Lauren to understand marathon training.  We all run some type of marathon daily, but you may call it by another name: Life.  Marathon training is a perfect metaphor for life as the lessons overlap and there’s growth throughout the process. Let’s explore!

    Most folks think of the starting line when discussing a marathon.  The starting line is never the hardest part, it’s getting there.  I find the starting line to be the most enjoyable part of the marathon.  The work put in just to make it to the starting line is something that most runners are proud of.  The excitement for the event is high, and you’re surrounded by fresh possibilities for the race outcome.  Daily life works in a similar way.  New jobs, new goals, and new relationships always feel motivating at first.  The ultimate tests come later when the excitement fades, and the work starts to become routine.  This is when you must dig deep to ensure you are moving forward with daily activities.  Discipline is extremely important in marathon training and life. Discipline carries you further than motivation will.

    Marathon training plans come in many different formats.  I picked the 18-week version because it provides enough flexibility to fit into my schedule.  There are weeks when I feel strong and unstoppable and then there are weeks when my legs are concrete.  This is a normal part of the ebb and flow of marathon training.  Daily life can resemble this same cycle.  We all have good and bad weeks, but progress is never measured in a straight line.  You just need to keep showing up daily to make the most out of life.

    Dr. Henry Cloud’s book 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life has a chapter titled Work Like an Ant.  This chapter highlights how small things can lead to large things.  The ants move one grain of sand at a time to build their home.  Marathon runners find race day success because of consistent choices throughout the training cycle.  Drinking water, getting consistent sleep, easy runs, tempo runs, long runs and recovery are all things needed for running success.  Mile after mile is leveraged to build an effective base that leads to marathon success.  Daily life can resemble this process.  Small things lead to big things—planning, managing your time and setting goals can help you win in life.

    I make it a point to never compare my training program to others.  My goal is to run my own race, so I never get caught up in how other runners prepare.  I toe the marathon starting line looking to run my best race and not trying to beat someone else’s time.  This helps me enjoy the training and marathon process.  Life can mirror this process.  Comparing yourself to others is a fast way to lose joy in things.  Everyone has something they are trying to overcome so don’t get caught up in worrying about others—we all have a race (life) to run.

    The marathon is a test of will, mental toughness and physical ability.  Each component is critical to preparing and completing a marathon.  Mile 23 is always the toughest for me as I battle mentally to keep pressing forward.  Training for a marathon is one thing but the work during a marathon makes you question life choices. 😊  This is where I need to dig deep and keep putting one foot in front of the other.  There are Mile 23 moments in life too.  We all face challenges that stretch us and force us to choose what we want to get out of life.  These moments help us grow, teach resilience and prove what we are truly capable of. 

    I don’t remember every mile in my training program, but I can tell you how I felt each time I crossed a marathon finish line.  This moment of accomplishment stays with me forever and I love telling people that I am a marathoner.  Finishing a difficult chapter in life, overcoming a challenge or reaching a long-term goal can bring the same level of accomplishment.  The finish line is something to celebrate not because of the big victory but because the journey was hard.

    Regardless of whether you run or not, we all have days filled with obstacles, discipline, growth opportunities and grit.  We tackle these challenges, fight through mental and physical fatigues, celebrate small wins and continue to move forward through hard times.  That’s the same energy that gets me through the marathon.  Call it marathon energy!  Keep moving forward and training for the life you want to live.  We’re all stronger than we think and can-do hard things.  Marathon or life—they both require you to put in the work to be successful.

    Who’s ready!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it.”

    (Oprah Winfrey)

  • 2025 Student Success Fall Celebration

    “Do not take life too seriously.  You will never get out of it alive.”

    (Elbert Hubbard)

    Work hard and play hard! 

    I’ve heard this quote multiple times and decided to look it up to see who originated it.  Well, it turns out that it is a bit more complicated than I thought.  There is a lot written about the quote and it looks like it goes back to the 19th Century and Racine College’s motto.  It was interesting to see this quote associated with the famed poet, Wiz Khalifa and his 2012 hit song, Work Hard Play Hard. 😊 Okay, that’s enough with me trying to be funny and working another Wiz Khalifa mention into a Walk into the Future blog post.

    The Indian River State College Student Success Division started hosting an annual Fall Celebration in October 2021.  It started as a joke between me and a coworker on the premise we should have a dance battle at work.  It was funny at the time but then staff kept asking us when we were dancing.  Fast forward and we hosted our 5th Annual Student Success Fall Celebration in October with a Honky Tonk theme.

    We work extremely hard on enrollment, retention and completion for our students (work hard) but I want to ensure we have a semblance of balance (play hard).  The Fall Celebrations allow us to relax, unwind and just have fun at work.  The event continues to grow each year, and we invite our campus partners to join us and have fun.

    The Honky Tonk theme was selected back in November 2024 with designs to have everyone wear their best Honky Tonk gear (think western gear with flair) and come ready to have a good time.  We added karaoke to our fall celebrations two years ago and it remains a major draw for our staff members and campus partners.  I never knew people love to sing karaoke as much as our folks do. 

    We are always looking for ways to expand our fun levels, and I reached out on a whim to a local dance organization to see if they would come in and give us some line dancing lessons.  I love to line dance when I’m in Nashville and thought this would allow more folks to get involved with the fall celebration.  I know everyone is not going to sing karaoke but wanted to see if the line dance aspect would get more folks up and having fun—it did! 😊

    My Vice President, Beth Gaskin and I are always the opening act, and this year was no different.  It took us awhile to figure out how we wanted to start the show and we went back and forth on the song we wanted to open with.  I’m not a real singer so I vetoed quite a few songs before we settled on Garth Brooks, Friends in Low Places. We wanted songs that would keep everyone engaged so we added criteria for upbeat songs or party anthems.  The singers did not have to perform a country song, but we wanted folks to enjoy a good party while at work.  We had several folks follow our grand opening and I was impressed with the singing talent our coworkers displayed.

    We stopped singing after an hour and introduced our special guest from the Wild Roses Dance Foundation.  This is a local group of dance instructors who teach line dance lessons across the Treasure Coast.  I found them through a local Fort Pierce brewery where they host line dance lessons every Thursday night.  I went by one Thursday to check them out and then asked if they would be willing to come to our event to get our folks up and dancing.  They accepted my request and were a surprise addition to the Fall Celebration. 

    The Wild Roses instructors provided step by step dance instructions to two separate dances and then turned the entire crew loose to dance to multiple songs.  I don’t think I have seen that many smiles on the faces of my teammates!  People were enjoying themselves and truly having fun at work.  The ultimate image from this portion of our celebration was our President in a full suit and tie line dancing with the team.  He normally comes by to see what we are up to during our Fall Celebrations.  I never expected him to join the line dancing, but he was spinning and kicking like the rest of us—epic scene from the event this year! 😊

    We got back to the karaoke party after line dancing and had several great performances.  Beth and I wrapped up the event with our rendition of It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere by Alan Jackson and Jimmie Buffet. It was a fitting way to end the Fall Celebration and allow the crowd to sing along with us as we ended the day.

    There were several folks asking what we were going to do next year.  It’s a bit early to identify the 2026 Fall Celebration theme but I’m sure we will come up with something HUGE—we always do! 😊

    How do you have fun at work?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “No man goes before his time—unless the boss leaves early.”

    (Groucho Marx)

  • My Favorite Book (Henry Cloud)

    “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

    (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

    The Walk into the Future blog allows me to cover a wide range of topics to include my travel and running pursuits.  These are two things I love and will continue to chronicle for my readers and myself.  Laying down these tracks provides me with a sense of satisfaction and completion weekly.  Stay tuned for more content in 2026! 😊

    My friend, Cathy, and I were discussing writing prompts and books last week.  We got on this discussion because I gifted her a copy of my book and we discussed some of the topics I wrote about including taking my own advice.  I need to give my book another run because I dropped some wisdom on those pages. 😊

    We got on the topic of my favorite author and book:  Henry Cloud’s, 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life.  I discovered the author and this book in a master’s level Career Development course while studying at Liberty University.  I never thought a college textbook would have such a profound impact on my educational, professional and life journey.  This book opened my eyes and set me on a life path that I still embrace daily.

    Why was this book so impactful?  Great question, Maria! 😊

    The book is a page turner from start to finish with insight that is easy to understand and put into daily life.  The author discusses the concept of DÉJÀ VU People but really explains that successful people regardless of profession display similar traits.  You may think you recognize someone who crosses your path, but you are really seeing traits that led multiple people to successful outcomes.

    The Nine Things Hidden in Plain Sight are:

    • Dig it Up
    • Pull the Tooth
    • Play the Movie
    • Do Something
    • Act Like an Ant
    • Hate Well
    • Don’t Play Fair
    • Be Humble
    • Upset the Right People

    Let’s explore Principle 3: Play the Movie.

    This principle is like every action has a reaction.  I love how the author highlights how each decision we make in life leads to new outcomes.  Your actions have future implications, and this chapter is written to remind readers of this simple fact.  Playing the movie for me comes into play each time I enter a full marathon training cycle.  Skipping a training run is a simple action when isolated but that one missed run can impact my entire training program for the week.  Skip too many training runs and my training cycle and marathon may be ruined.  Playing the movie allows me to see the consequences of my actions.

    You can add the same concept to your daily work activities.  Preparing before your big work meeting allows you to provide better feedback to your colleagues.  Ignoring the preparation process and your lackluster interactions could set you and your colleagues back.  That scene in your movie impacted the next few scenes.  Sounds simple, huh?

    I remind myself to play the movie in every decision I make daily.  What outcomes do I want from my decision?  What are the next scenes in the movie I want to play?

    Dr. Cloud introduces the Nine Principles in an easy format, and I walk around with his book daily.  It’s highly worn but it still provides me with wisdom daily.

    I plan to dig into other principles in future blog articles.  Stay tuned Melissa! 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

    (Frederick Douglas)

  • Book Club 2025

    “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.  The man that never reads lives only one.”

    (George R. R. Martin)

    My Walk into the Future in 2025 is defined by a new level of intensity in multiple phases of the walk.

    I have chronicled my race calendar and the desire to challenge myself more in that area.  My desire is to test myself and see how much improvement I can make with my running program.  I almost called it a hobby, but running is a legitimate part of my life, and I don’t know what the world would look like without my 5 am runs.  I guess I would know how to sleep in like normal people if I wasn’t a runner. 😊

    My writing has remained consistent and I’m always looking for new content to add to the blog.  I’ve tried writing prompts and suggestions from my tree branches but 99% of my content comes from just living life. There are weeks when I found unlimited inspiration to write and others where I don’t write at all.  This used to bother me, but I find it’s easier not to force content and let it come to me when it’s time.  I must remember to keep my eyes, ears and thoughts open to receive inspiration and be ready to lay down the tracks that will become a new blog post.

    My friend John Crowe and I have formed a two-person book club that focuses on leadership topics.  John lives in Oklahoma City, and we share new books via text message.  We normally critique each book via text or a Teams call.  John has a curious mind about leadership, and he keeps me inspired to find new ways to enhance my leadership program.  Authentic Leadership is my foundational leadership style, but a true leader never stops learning so my book club work helps me grow and expand my knowledge base. 

    I view 2026 as a big year for my leadership consulting work and the exploration we are doing now will enhance how I work and partner with clients in 2026.

    Here are some of the titles we have explored in book club so far:

    • Team of Teams / General Stanley McChrystal
    • It Worked for Me, In Life and Leadership / General Colin Powell
    • Conquering Crisis, Ten Lessons to Learn Before You Need Them / Admiral William H. McRaven
    • The Positive Dog / Jon Gordon
    • The Power of Positive Leadership / Jon Gordon
    • Leaders Eat Last / Simon Sinek
    • Be The Unicorn / William Vanderbloemen
    • The 5 AM Club, Own Your Morning.  Elevate Your Life / Robin Sharma
    • The Light House Effect / Steve Pemberton
    • Proverbs (daily)

    I am still looking for new books to add to the list to finish the year out strong.  Send me a book suggestion and I will explore for book club. 😊

    What book are you reading right now?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “A book is a gift you can open again and again.”

    (Garrison Keillor)

  • Make Every Second Count (Repost)

    (Photo by Jordan Benton)

    “You may delay, but time will not”.

    (Benjamin Franklin)

    The Walk into the Future blog continues to look for new topics to develop.  Most of the content comes directly from my travels, life adventures and items of interest.  I have reached out to tree branches for thoughts on new blog content and then try to develop their concepts into something I can share with my readers. 

    I had an outstanding conversation with Melissa Forges on my drive over for the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon.  We got a chance to catch up on life and have a few laughs in the process.  Melissa shared three topics of interest and gifted them to me to see if I could develop them into a blog article. Well, here’s my run at her first topic: Make Every Second Count.

    We all understand the concept of time and how our days on earth are numbered.  There’s a finite amount of time we get to live this life, and this is our way to inspire YOU to live more.

    I decided to do a little research to put time in perspective.  What does time look like?

    • 12 months in a year
    • 365 days in that same year
    • 7 days a week
    • 1,440 minutes in a day
    • 86,400 seconds in a day

    The first three time markers are the most common and talked about in our daily interactions.  Days turn into weeks, months and then years at a faster pace as we get older.  This may be a perception thing, but it feels real to me.  I left home to join the Air Force in 1986 and just celebrated 39 years on this life journey post Jasper, Florida.  We hear time flies, and it seems to become a reality as I get older in this life.

    Let’s dive into the minutes and seconds we each have in a day.  How many of the 1,440 minutes in a day are you doing something to make the world a better place?  What about the 86,400 seconds in a day? 

    I take my role as a tree (mentor) seriously and look to enhance my interactions with my tree branches daily.  I’m not sure I maximize every second of every day, but I put a sincere effort into this process daily.  It’s easy to say I will get something done tomorrow but I don’t want to waste time or effort and ignore today.  Yes, it’s easy for me to write this from the comfort of my keyboard but I will begin to leverage the time concept into my writing as well.  I have new responsibilities at work and there are days when I don’t sit down to work on my writing craft.  I assume I have time to develop topics into blog articles but need to leverage every second available to ensure I have a large library of blog articles to select from.  I normally have seven to eight articles drafted before I publish weekly.  Maximizing every minute and second in the day will get me back to a place where I have a large library to select from again. 

    Making every second count can be leveraged in all aspects of life.  I plan to use this mindset when I start my full marathon training program in June.  The 2025 Atlantic City Marathon is scheduled for October of this year, but I must use my training time smartly. 

    How can blog readers who are parents maximize your time with your kids?  Yes, they have busy lives but are you making every second count with them? 

    Have you booked the vacation you have been talking about for the past few years?  Again, time stops for no one—are you making every second count?

    I can add more scenarios but believe you get my point on time. 😊

    One final point.  My grandmother passed away in 2012 and the pastor that delivered her eulogy used the concept of time to inspire the family to live life.  He gave us the 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds per day to highlight how my grandmother lived life to the fullest.  His exact words were: She Lived!  He challenged the family to follow in her footsteps and live life.

    I’m still a work in progress but I maximize my time daily.

    So, I challenge my Walk into the Future blog readers to make every second count!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Time moves slowly but passes quickly”.

    (Alice Walker)

  • Ellucian Live—No bad days

    “Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.

    (Elbert Hubbard)

    My Walk into the Future provides multiple opportunities for me to network and expand my knowledge base.

    I attended Ellucian Live 2025 in Orlando, Florida back in April.  My current school is in the process of implementing Banner as our new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) student support system.  We’re currently a Workday school and need to modernize the ERP for ease of use for everyone to include students, faculty, staff and administration.

    The Ellucian Live event allowed space for us to network and explore available modules for the new system.  This was an outstanding way to see how the modules interact and provide a better experience than our current ERP.

    My overarching role in the switchover is to identify the modules that will provide us with the best capability for successful implementation.  I sat in multiple sessions to hear from experts and other schools on their implementation of best practices.  There are a lot of moving parts to successful implementation, and I wanted to ensure we didn’t miss any steps.  Fun fact—it’s not my job to run the implementation but my area will be a huge consumer of the completed project.

    There were several keynote speakers during the event from diverse backgrounds.  There were university and college presidents, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, the Ellucian CEO and Coach Prime (Deion Sanders).  They all had specific messages, but Coach Prime was my favorite speaker.

    Coach Prime has a message of positivity and making the world a better place.  There are times this message gets lost because folks are not truly listening to what he is saying.  He is a true family man and has deep religious beliefs.  This is how he lives his life daily.

    The Ellucian CEO sat down with Coach Prime to ask him questions during his session.  I wish they would have given him a true keynote session and let him deliver his message.  He was adept with his responses to her questions but the biggest takeaway I got from him was he never let other people’s issues cause him to have a bad day.  He admitted he can and will have a bad moment but does not let that linger and cause a bad day.  His message is to focus on the positive in life and shrug off bad moments.

    Coach Prime shared, “Don’t drag the bad moments forward and let them mess up a good day” (Ellucian Live 2025).

    I remember Coach Prime from his Florida State University and Atlanta Falcons playing days.  He had a different nickname back then, Neon Deion.  He was flashy, loud and brash—or so we thought.  Turns out that was the image of his younger self that does not fit him now.  He leverages past experiences to set an example for his children and players.

    I love his no bad day message and work to integrate it into my daily endeavors.  Bad moments by others will not impact my day or positive outlook.

    How can you leverage this principle in your daily life?

    Thanks Coach Prime!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

  • Denver Leadership Conference

    “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”.

    (Steve Jobs)

    My Walk into the Future is designed to allow me to gain new experiences and share knowledge when needed.

    I connected with the Academic Impressions Senior Product Experience Manager during a Retention conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota last October.  I knew of her through work communications but got a better understanding of her role while attending the conference.

    She knew of my work at Indian River State College in the Advising and Career Services space but did not know I did leadership consulting on the side.  I’m happy to share this fact with anyone willing to sit with me so I can expand my portfolio of clients.  Also, I’m proud of my Authentic Leadership work and developing new partnerships is something I strive to achieve.

    The Academic Impressions mission is to develop the leaders higher education needs to thrive. My Authentic Leadership research and consulting focuses on higher education, but I expand this focus to include any organization looking to enhance leadership development.  I shared my leadership training philosophy with the Academic Impressions staff during the conference, and we spent several days discussing a potential partnership between CW Consulting, LLC. and their organization.  The organization has a branded, 5 Paths to Leadership program that is leveraged by higher education institutions to build and grow proactive leadership programs.

    I was invited out to Denver for the leadership conference to learn more about the Academic Impressions leadership programs and to see how we may be able to introduce Authentic Leadership into their leadership training portfolio. Yes, I’m always looking for ways to partner and find new ways to expand the reach of Authentic Leadership. 😊

    I was able to leverage professional development funding for this trip to enlarge my institution’s partnership with Academic Impressions.  A bonus to this partnership was the opportunity to visit Denver again and experience the city after work hours.  I’ve been to Denver multiple times and enjoy the culture, sightseeing and crisp mountain air.

    The Academic Impression leadership conference consisted of higher education professionals from around the country.  Several schools sent their entire leadership teams to this conference to build teamwork and synergy towards developing leadership protocols to enhance their daily operations.  It was interesting to hear from others in this space to understand the challenges they face in leadership development.  FYI—most schools conduct professional development training out of the Organizational Development (OD) department which is part of Human Resources.  Most conference attendees worked out of OD at their respective schools and were in the process of building or revamping their leadership training programs.  The Academic Impressions 5 Paths to Leadership program was a major draw for everyone in attendance. I was a bit of an outlier as I was trying to determine if Authentic Leadership could be embedded in this leadership principle and possibly become a leadership facilitator with Academic Impressions.

    The 5 Paths for Leadership is based on research within the higher education leadership space and has helped multiple schools get positive results in leadership training.  My time in Denver allowed me to learn how this leadership program has helped organizations implement leadership training on their respective campuses.  The attendees were able to share leadership challenges and get input from facilitators on ways to move forward with new concepts and ideas based on research.

    I enjoyed the one-on-one time with the facilitators and the group exercises to identify future challenges to leadership success (example: the political climate in America, reduction in DEI initiatives, etc.).  We spent a good amount of time identifying challenges with a Post It Note session and there were consistencies across the board—it did not matter what part of the country we came from; we all had the same thoughts on future challenges. ☹

    I made a lot of new leadership connections during this conference and stay in contact with my colleagues to learn new techniques.  I plan to follow-up with the Academic Impressions folks to see how I can incorporate Authentic Leadership into their leadership program.  This would be a great compliment to their work and would allow me to expand the Authentic Leadership style into the higher education space.  I’m always looking for ways to expand and this partnership will provide me with another platform to share with others.

    I will provide an update once the Academic Impressions folks pick me up as a facilitator. 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “The art of communication is the language of leadership”.

    (James Humes)

  • Port St. Lucie (PSL) High School Leadership Awards

    “Leadership is the capacity to translate a vision into reality”.

    (Warren Bennis)

    My Walk into the Future provides outstanding opportunities for me to make a difference in the world.

    I rarely turn down a chance to speak to groups to help others move forward in life and help them prepare for career success. A work colleague recently asked me if I would be interested in speaking at the Port St. Lucie High School awards ceremony. I was honored with the request and said yes on the spot. I viewed this as an opportunity to reach back and help a group of young leaders on their journey after high school. 

    This was also a chance for me to work on new speaking material in case I’m asked to speak at graduation ceremonies in the future.  I’m always preparing for something.  There are times I should ask more questions before accepting these speaking gigs but more on that later. 😀

    My role as explained to me was to speak for 5 – 7 minutes and provide inspirational words to the award recipients and other attendees.  I was not familiar with PSL High School or the students there so I decided to focus on how they can implement a formula for success.  My plan was to use the success formula I was gifted while in the Air Force that I leverage daily.

    — Be where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing, when you’re supposed to be doing it.

    I’ve leverage this success formula for years and it’s helped me progress in my professional and personal life. My goal was to let students know it does not matter where you come from or how you start. Success is available to everyone if they have a goal and grit to strive towards it.

    I started with a little background on myself where I shared with the students my lack of success when I first started my educational journey.  I attended Lake City Community College right after high school, but I was not successful.  I shared that I’m probably the only person they will meet with a Ph. D. who flunked out of community college.  This allowed them to see failure can be a part of a successful life and professional journey. 

    My words were well received by the students, parents, staff and school administrators. I felt good about my message and how I delivered it.

    So, why should I have asked better questions prior to the speaking engagement? Great question Lynn! 😊

    Well, it turns out the high school principal was out unexpectedly, and they needed someone to fill in handing out awards and taking pictures with over 250 award recipients. Yes, I was elected to fill in for the principal and shake hands with each student that crossed the stage. I joke that it was a chore, but it was an amazing experience to greet the young people who got positive things accomplished during their time at PSL High School.

    The highlight for me was when a student with Down Syndrome won the most popular award and he hugged me when he came on stage. He was so excited, and his fellow students were thrilled for him.  He danced off stage after receiving his award and there were smiles on the face of everyone in attendance.

    My friend, Alisa, attended the event with me for support and ended up taking pictures for me to capture the great moments with the students.  We joked that she was my publicist, and several presenters asked her to take their pictures as well since they thought she did this for a living.  She enjoyed interacting with the audience and it was a great sport taking pictures for complete strangers. 😊

    This was a great experience for me and allowed me to spread Authentic Leadership to a new generation.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”.

    (John C. Maxwell)