Larry Holmes is Writing a Book

INTRODUCTION

Just a mile from the Jersey shore, our small, African American community was on the other side of the tracks.  Nonetheless we could smell the ocean air. Growing up in the 1950’s and 1960s, life’s apparent limitations followed me like my shadow – “You’re not good enough. You won’t amount to anything. Why even try? ” There was a more inexplicable and undeniable voice too. It spoke a more ancient and authentic kind of truth, ‘I am already something and somebody. I can seek a broader set of possibilities.’ This simple and genuine impulse called to me. Perhaps you have heard it too?

I was a shy kid. When not busy exploring the ‘hood’ with friends, doing schoolwork, or playing basketball, I retreated to the solitude of my room. Here a private world of fantasy and heroics was on offer, full of exciting adventures, righting wrongs, and making the world a better place. In those solitary hours my whole and true self enjoyed a safe place. No matter the outside world, with its “whites only” signs, bent on keeping me small and contracted. Black kids like me were not welcome in all-white schools in those days, and I wondered, ‘Is there even a place for someone like me in this world?’ The stirring words of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy sang to me of possibilities. ‘Why not?’ I thought. ‘I have dreams too. Dreams of bringing people together, despite our differences.’ I sensed such intentions lay deep inside each of us, and imagined summoning the courage to bring such hopes to the light of day. That road would be long and circuitous. It began at home.

Through my five decades of work as a leadership development consultant, mental skills sports trainer, life purpose coach, and meditation teacher I’ve had the privilege to collaborate with and help individuals find greater clarity and sense of purpose in their lives and careers. My uniquely structured approach to learning, personal growth, and leadership development and knack for asking good questions often leads to life-transforming insights, clarity of purpose, and the focus and meaning necessary to re-energize people’s lives and careers.

As youngsters, if we looked out of sorts or confused, Mom would ask with a grin, “What’s your story, morning glory?” The wisdom in her words was a gentle nudge to consider the internal narrative shaping our momentary perception of life. This collection of stories reflects some of my most challenging and transformative life experiences, the lessons they offered, and how they have shaped my approach to intentional, purposeful living and leadership. Sketched from memories, filtered by time, and informed by the social and political circumstances that awoke my generation, these stories explore how personal tendencies and external circumstances can dampen resolve and inhibit our best intentions. They also highlight the immense value of receiving help from others. At each critical juncture, especially the low points, someone has brought light to my path and encouraged me to move through or around seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This book brings me full circle then, as an expression of my gratitude to the many wise and generous people who have come to my aid along the way.

Beginning in the early 1990s, there have been numerous iterations of this book. This version started in 2014 as a set of notes from regular conversations in a Melbourne cafe with my Australian friend and writer, Meme McDonald. We ordered our coffees, she asked me questions, and began typing my responses into her computer at lightning speed. I asked her once, ‘Where do you think all this is taking us?’ She responded with a question of her own, ‘Is the approach you take in your work based on your experiences growing up?’ ‘Well, yes,’ I said. ‘Well then,’ she added, ‘Your approach is a result and reflection of what you have been taught, lived through, and learned along the way. That’s the starting point. To truly understand why you do what you do, and how you do it, people need to understand you and what your life story has exposed you to and taught you. Everything else you’ve done comes later.’ I just sat there with my mouth open.