-: My name is Anthony Sparks
and I do a couple of things.
First off, I'm a Project Coordinator
for a non-profit in Birmingham, Alabama
and in addition to that, I also have my own LLC,
Anthony D. Sparks LLC,
in which I write, speak and development coach.
Here for homecoming this weekend,
I'm speaking this Friday night
at the Presidential Mentors Academy
for their 20th Anniversary Gala.
I'm the keynote speaker for that
and my topic for tonight will be,
it takes a village.
And I know we've heard that quote,
it takes a village to raise a child,
but I'm kind of putting a spin on it
to kind of drive home the point to the audience
that if the village has been good to you,
it's now time for us to turn around and be good to it.
As we were all raised by a village or villages
and once you become grown, the village is no longer
required or responsible for raising you.
You're responsible for raising it
and passing it on to the next generation,
better than it was given you
and so that's just kind of an example,
just so it's really themed or event-driven
and so I base whatever I speak on on the event.
My life is built on my faith
and so I never want to, I guess,
give someone, just Anthony's opinions, so to speak.
And so I try to pray and just kind of see God
in what I need to say to this particular group
and so that's first and foremost.
And then secondly, I just wait for the inspiration,
depending on what the event is.
A lot of times for me, it'll happen in the course of me,
I'm running around my neighborhood, just exercising,
or whatever, I've always got my phone with me
and so the minute something comes in my head,
I'm stopping and typing in notes and things like that.
I've been speaking for roughly 15 years
and there's never been a time
where I've spoken to a group that I haven't gotten nervous
and I can appreciate it because
what it does for me is it keeps me humble
because the minute that I get up and think
I got this, I think that's the minute I fail
because you know me resting and relying
on my own strength, power, whatever, I'm a falter.
So it's always nerves,
it's always excitement
and once I get up and speak that first word,
I'm in the zone.