I was in my French class, 2nd period, at West Bloomfield High School. I think we were going over a quiz that we had just received back. I wasn’t the best at French, so the teacher was probably going over a lot of my mistakes.

And in one moment, nothing else mattered for the rest of the school day and school week. The principal came over the loud speaker, saying something similar to, “There’s been a plane crash at the World Trade Center.” To be honest, I didn’t readily identify the World Trade Center so I didn’t really realize the extent of these happenings. The principal then said she would keep us updated on the situation, but soon, the lunch bell sounded and the halls and cafeteria filled up quickly.

They set up about 3 TV’s in the cafeteria, and as more and more information/pictures were broadcasted, a blanket of shock and sadness struck the cafeteria. I can remember the feeling that came over me because the next few hours were so powerful that I can recapture today how I exactly felt. I wanted to go home. I wanted to go home and hug my parents. I wanted to go home to find out if the people we knew in NY were okay. In a nutshell, that moment changed and opened my perspective.

It’s human nature to forget things. We move on. We adjust. We sometimes go on in life taking it for granted, thinking we will be here forever, thinking we’ll always be around loved ones, thinking we’ll always be able to see our friends. And it’s days like 9/11/01 which put life into perspective. These days create perfect pictures. The fact is, we won’t be here forever. So, it’s important that we don’t forget days like this, because it’s days like this that remind us not to forget. Not to forget to tell your Mom you love her when you get off the phone. Things like that. It’s a reminder to never say, “I’ll do it next time.”

Here’s a poem I wrote in the 10th grade after 9/11: My prayers go out to the families of the victims that died that tragic day.

I began the day in my normal way,
the exact way I started every day.
But when I woke up I didn’t know,
our Nation would suffer a vast low blow.
Unlike anything anyone has ever seen,
thousands dead before the clock hit 11:15.
Well planned, well executed, well trained.
How do you hijack 4 planes is insane.
We have been through tragedy before,
to the families hurting, we can’t ignore.
We must continue to pray for those inside,
without much warning, there was no where to hide.
We must pull together with great unity,
now, stories of rubble is all you see.
For we will never forget this sad day,
where few have survived, and thousands still lay.
Now it is time for us to pass the test,
and prove again, that America is still best.

On August 1st, I moved back home and in with my parents after spending eight awesome years in the City of Ann Arbor (alone-on my own). Tomorrow, check back here for the first installment of #HomeAintSoBad, as I chronicle my experiences thus far living back in the cocoon.

Yesterday was so awesome! I was 12 when my father, Bishop Andrew Merritt, founded Hope Academy back in 1998. Hope Academy is a public charter school that began with grades K-3. Yesterday, Hope Academy dedicated their new school building, which will not only house grades K-8, but will also offer high school grade levels this upcoming school year! Hope Academy recently received a multi-million dollar grant to renovate what was previously Winterhalter Elementary School at Broadstreet and Elmhurst in Detroit, MI. And the renovation is amazing!

The reason yesterday was so awesome was because it really was the first time that I comprehended my Dad opening up a school. Like literally, yesterday was the first time. Like he opened a school! And the school is growing! And the school has a new building! Like what???? That’s amazingly crazy. I’m just honored to be this guy’s son. I’m so proud of my father and I’m proud that Hope Academy will continue to nurture young people throughout Detroit!

I had a convo the other day and it went like this:

“What’s going on Mike?” – Me

“Dave what’s up man?” – Mike

“Nothing much – What’s good your way?” – Me

Typical intro conversation. Happens all the time right? But this time was different. I immediately thought about what I had just said, “Nothing much.”

NOTHING MUCH? That’s what I’m speaking into existence? Someone asks me what’s going on with me… they ask what I’m up to? And I say, “NOTHING MUCH?” I immediately was disappointed in myself.

I love New York. No doubt about it. Late in May, I made another trip to NY that not only included meeting Seth Godin, but all the wonderful things that are portrayed below:

Melba Johnson
June 29, 1925 – May 28, 2012

My grandmother was an extraordinary woman. I thank God for the life she lived and the tremendous impact she had on those around her. I’ll never forget our “erasing” sessions (Nana was a master eraser and refused to leave any remnants of lead on the paper). I’ll never forget your amazing stories (Nana was a master storyteller). I’ll never forget you. And I’ll miss you. Indeed. Here’s a closer look at Melba Johnson’s life:

I attended Seth Godin’s, Pick Yourself – Live in Tribeca, event in New York on May 16th as referenced in my previous Pick Yourself post. People from all over the world came together this day to hear Seth Godin speak, in addition to asking whatever question they wanted to ask him (He was exceptional at finding the root of every question that someone asked that was personal to their business, lives, or circumstance). Over the past two years, I’ve become a fan of Seth’s blog, as well as, several of his books like Purple Cow and Tribes. So it was quite the experience to hear him in person and get to take in some of his knowledge as he answered countless questions from the audience.

I attended Seth Godin’s, Pick Yourself – Live in Tribeca, event last week. I’ll be blogging more about it hopefully over the weekend. Seth gave all of the attendees a gift to go home with. I’m now sharing that gift with you.

Pick Yourself

Authority?

You want the authority to create, to be noticed and to make a difference? You’re waiting for permission to stand up and speak up and ship?

Sorry. There’s no authority left.

Oprah has left the building. She can’t choose you to be on her show because her show is gone. YouTube wants you to have your own show now, but they’re not going to call you.

I’m back from San Francisco! You can check out my collection of photographs from the trip (San Fran Visuals). My main reason for flying out to SF was to attend the “Ahead of the Fashion”(AF) event that took place downtown. “Ahead of the Fashion” (AF) is a growth accelerating program for early stage technology start-ups in the consumer, fashion, and retail industries. AF recently launched a monthly event, where they select a group of fashion/tech founders, along with fashion designers, to pitch their companies in front of a notable panel and audience. As I mentioned in my San Fran post last week, it’s hard to find incubators and resources that are directly aligned with Merit. As a result, I was really excited to experience this event because it’s focused on combining fashion and tech.

It has been about three weeks since I posted “The Best Offense is Not Always a Good Defense – The Get Ready Pt. 4.” That post talked about some of my current experiences as an entrepreneur, in that, it’s okay to be transparent. There’s a benefit to being open and honest. Getting out of the building and just talking to people. What I didn’t mention was that, sometimes, it’s not always the fear of someone stealing your idea/product that prevents you from freely discussing your vision. Sometimes it’s that nervousness that people may not like what you’ve created. The fear that someone may tell you, “This is not good.” And not only is that fear real, it may be an even bigger reason why we’ve been reluctant to Jump. Why we put it off until the right time.