Graham: Plot the Master Plan

Stedman Graham understands what it is like to be defined by other people.

He wrote two New York Times bestsellers, played pro basketball in Europe and is a popular lecturer. But despite all that, he admitted to a packed house Sunday that he knew many of them had come to the session “to see Oprah’s boyfriend.”

Author Stedman Graham speaks to a packed house Sunday.

Graham didn’t dwell on his relationship with the talk-show superstar. However, he did cite her as an example of someone who took what she does well-talk-and turned it into a profitable career.

The question is, said Graham, "Do you know who you are?"

Graham stated that success is not determined by the color of skin or financial background. People find happiness by discovering what they do well and build on it.

"It is not about the external," he said. "It is about the internal."

Graham said everybody has the same constraints of a 24-hour day. Those who prosper do not do the same thing over and over.

Instead, they find a way to focus on their passion and realign their lives to make the most of each day and reach their goal.

Plotting that master plan is the premise of Graham’s bestseller, You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan.

His steps revolve around an underlying energy that thrives on the kind of discipline he received in the military and while playing sports.

"If we change the way we view the world, there is nothing we cannot accomplish," Graham said.

Turning negatives into positives is key, as well as overcoming fears, learning to be flexible and creating a support team.

"Step out of your comfort zone," Graham said. "It is doing rather than saying."