At twenty-one, Joseph says he took his first steps toward purpose. He joined the US Navy. “I didn’t go to church or anything, but I still believed in God. I knew He was real and remembered what my grandmother taught me. One night I came home late, and a Navy movie was on. I can’t remember the movie’s name, but it was about the Navy. I went to sleep and woke up the next morning, and the first thing I saw was a commercial about joining the Navy. I can’t say I heard the voice of God, but I believed he was speaking to me. This was no coincidence. So, I signed up that day.” The Navy didn’t give Joseph purpose, but it gave him the tools he needed to pursue the purpose of his life. “To this day, I am grateful for what I gained in my seven years in the US Navy. I learned fortitude, selfdiscipline, and a new understanding of respect. These were all of the things I was missing. Most importantly, as a search and rescue team member, I learned to push myself beyond my limitations.” One of the biggest obstacles/ problems for budding entrepreneurs is not a lack of opportunity or education. It is the limits they place on themselves. Joseph believes you can start the problem-solving process once you identify the problems. After serving seven years in the Navy, Joseph tried his hands in several business startups. He was gaining success but felt that he was not walking in his purpose. “You have to make sure you do things the right way. Everything you do must be built on a firm foundation. Without it, you will fail. That was the most important thing I learned, and what I hope every reader walks away with,” he shares. In 2009 Joseph decided to change his lifestyle and environment for the better and was considering moving back to Miami. His mother had recently moved to Greenville, SC, and suggested he come there. “I knew I needed a fresh start, but I didn’t want to go backward. Understanding problem-solving means that even if you are the problem, you must be willing to get out of your own way. I had to learn the difference between my voice and the voice of God. Moving to Greenville was God putting me back on the path to my purpose, and I have never looked back.” Shortly after moving to South Carolina, Joseph met a random stranger at a restaurant in Downtown Greenville. “It’s crazy what can happen when you start to follow your path. After moving to Greenville, I took some time to get settled. I met a man Downtown, and we started talking about work and my move. We exchanged information, and about three weeks later, he called out of the blue and said there was a new call center opening in Greenville, and with my experience in marketing, I should apply. That’s how I started at Samsung.”
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HuamiMagazine.com
Mississippi - July/August 2022