MILLION DOLLAR STORIES, LLC presents
DEANTE YOUNG
DIGITAL STORY EXHIBIT
Sharing your story is the ultimate act of philanthropy
LEGACY SHADOWS
YOUR ORIGIN CONTEXT AND BELIEFS
As a young child, my mom told me I had to wear husky size pants because I was heavyset. It was a "tag" that meant to me that I was undesirable and worthless. Ironically, the children's book, "The Little Red Caboose" was my favorite book back then. It tells the story of a caboose who feels unimportant until it heroically saves a train from rolling down a mountain. It took me many years, but I soon discovered that we must learn to have a great relationship with ourselves. You are valuable and your self worth is always there, but your awareness of it is not. Let's remind each other of that.
INTERNAL
INTERSECTIONS
FAMILY SAYINGS AND FORMATIVE ADVICE
As a teenager, I was in love with my aunt's spaghetti. I believed that NO ONE made it like she did. One day, she cooked a huge pot and I loved it so much that I ate most of it. When she found out, she yelled at me and made me feel humiliated. I told my grandmother, who was probably my biggest fan, and she was furious and told me, "Honey, I'm going to have your mother buy the ingredients so you can have your own pot of spaghetti and nobody can have any because it's yours. Who does she think she is (speaking of my aunt) before finishing with the indelible line, 'One monkey don't stop no show!'" In the years to come, I learned that my uncle, best friend, one of my cousins and a couple others were excelent at making spaghetti. The encouraging words from my grandmother became my operating system: "Do not ever allow one person, one opportunity, one rejection to ever stop you. There's ALWAYS another opportunity." Let us live that way every day.
VIRTUAL
INTERSECTIONS
INSPIRATION FROM HEROES NEVER MET
Watching Eddie Murphy as a youngin during the early years of his career taught me two key things: how to be blunt and funny. As much as my mom and grandma objected to Murphy's profanity laden comedy shows and films, I connected with him because his charisma and humor allowed him to endear himself to millions of people. The secret was his plainspoken bluntness, which was far better than sugarcoating his truth or pretending to be someone he wasn't. I was obsessed with my VHS of his 1987 concert film, "Raw," and I mimicked his stage act at my elementary school lunch table and anywhere else I chose. It laid the groundwork for building my social skills and made my husky appearance matter less because I was finally making people laugh on MY terms.
EXTERNAL
INTERSECTIONS
VALUABLE STRANGERS THAT CHANGE YOUR THINKING
I met James Surace in 2014 and I was instantly impressed with his multimillionaire status and lifestyle. Seven years later, I interviewed him for a chapter in one of my books and he revealed something more profound than any level of wealth: "You always learn more in the valley than on top of the mountain." He later explained that decades earlier, his initial taste of wealth evaporated and he found himself with nothing. It was then that ideas formed in his head to get out of it. I can attest to this: I have never learned anything when I prospered, but when I am struggling, I learn lot about me. I met my wife, Billie Jo in 2020, and she gifted me a plaque that asks me to remember how brave, strong and loved I am. The incredible person she is has taught me that her best qualities don't exist in 99% of people. That has taught me to emphasize rare values such as trustworthiness, self awareness, generosity and faithfulness, while ignoring money, good looks and status. If we sought out those qualities in ourselves and others, life would be much better.
SIGNATURE SELF
QUIRKS AND BELIEFS THAT SET YOU APART
I learned to embrace my uniqueness by embracing the lesson of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’s life. The key moment of the song about the reindeer is the mockery that came as a result of his very different nose: ‘all of the other reindeers used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games…’ Because Rudolph’s bright nose eventually allowed Santa to deliver toys to the world’s children despite horrible weather conditions, the value of his uniqueness was confirmed. I felt connected to the reindeer’s story, and began understanding his own value. Michael Jackson also gave me the green light to thrive in my "strangeness" when I saw him wearing dark shades indoors and one sparkly glove on his hand. Many young folks get mocked for being different, but your quirks are your ultimate advantage. Once you learn how to use them, you start understanding your true power.
EDGE BATTLES
HARD THINGS FACED AND HOW YOU MANAGE IT
Because my insecurities began at a very early age, I never believed I was good enough, especially to the ladies. It caused me to feel that every guy was better than me and every gal was too good for me. I began putting everyone who was not hefty like me on a pedestal. When a girl finally gave me a chance, I felt so privileged because she gave me the time of day. But that initial excitement of having my first girlfriend led me to decades of unknowingly seeking validation and acceptance from one woman after another. I never committed to one women because the lure of being "accepted" by a new one controlled my mind and actions in ways I did not realize. I later realized that I needed to learn that no one was better than me, or too good for me. In 2024, I put all that clarity into my 8th book called, "I'm Done Kissing Your Ass!" As I reflected on my many experiences, it became obvious (and shocking) that people I had been putting on a pedestal were insecure, very flawed and even self destructive. It is still a battle at times to understand my worth, but now I shout to the world that YOU are more than enough!
TRADECRAFT
THE STORY OF HOW YOU EARNED YOUR SKILL
From age 5, I was addicted to creative self expression. By 6, I was writing articles about Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy. My mom bought me a dictionary for Christmas the year I turned 7 because I was always asking her the definition of words I didn't understand. By then, I was making cardboard renderings of the dashboard from the car on "Knight Rider." I was deeply inspired by Barbara Walters because of her probing interview style. I even mimicked her by interviewing my cousin when I was 11. I won a book award in 6th grade, just months before my mom bought me an electronic typewriter to replace her old one she had given me. In 7th grade, I began making miniature Air Jordan sneakers using paper, markers and cardboard. In high school, the O.J. Simpson murders happened and even though I was getting D's and F's in journalism, I eagerly focused on writing articles for over a year about the Simpson case. I even wrote them in the style of the Associated Press. By giving my full attention to those articles, I failed 12th grade. Twice. I finally got a GED a decade after high school and enrolled in college for one year. I eventually dropped out three different times. In the past two decades, I have written and published hundreds of articles, essays, social media posts, and blog posts. I have also produced and hosted seven podcasts, and to date, written and self published 9 books, including ghostwritten a few for high profile people. I believe the story of how I acquired my skills should inspire deep belief in anyone. My GPA was 1.7, but I am not a master of fundamental writing rules. I simply spent 40 years mastering the art of expressing myself through telling my story and yours.
