DAY 43 - I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU!

PICTURED ABOVE: brburns.com at The Sheraton Hotel for The 95th Anniversary Conclave of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. 2009

I'M JUST A LITTLE CLOSER TO MY GOAL of selling ONE MILLION BOOKS ACROSS AMERICA - Because of EACH OF YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! - I would like to send a very Special Thank You to all of my Fraternity Brothers, The Wives of Sigma, Sorority Sisters, Friends of Sigma and the other Greeks who purchased a copy of my Novel - EASIER SAID THAN DONE! and my Poetry CDs at The Phi Beta Sigma Conclave in New Orleans. Your kindness and generousity will never be forgotten. I would like to Thank Bro. Theo Woodard, The Host Chapter and The Other memebers of the Planning Committee for allowing me to be a part of the Conclave programs. And last but certainly not least, I would like to Thank my AMAZING "DREAM TEAM" for all of their hardwork and sacrifices this week and every week. "A kind word is better than a handout!"...AND THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT... But Who knows - Maybe it's just me!

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DAY 37 - OPENING CEREMONY - BRO. brburns.com IS IN THE BUILDING!

PICTURED ABOVE: OPENING CEREMONY - The Grand Ballroom at The Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, LA

On my second day of our 95th Anniversary Conclave, I decided not to set up in the Sigma Market Place(Vendor's Area) until after my Opening Ceremony performance, opting instead to set up a table outside of the ballroom where the Opening Ceremony was being held. The Ballroom where the Opening Ceremony was held, was decorated in grand Blue and White style. A Mardi Gras mask and huge pictures of our 3 Founders hung behind the stage, along with our greek letters and a Crescent moon. Two tiers of dignitaries sat prominently on the stage. I sat on the bottom right tier next to a talented classical songstress, who was also performing(Ms. BriAnna Dewar, WOW - could she sing!). The night was filled with great speeches, well wishes and gifts for outgoing President Hon. Bro. Paul L. Griffin, Jr. from the other Presidents of the Divine 9 Organizations.

And then it was my time to hit the podium. I was introduced by Bro. Jerry Green(To most of those in attendance for the first time.) and me and my butterflies made our way to the microphone. All nervousness, quickly disappeared the minute the first word left my mouth. I issued a heartfelt challenge to everyone to "LIVE THEIR DREAM! - Some people dream in technicolor - others add sound effects." The applause and acknowledgement from the audience indicated that they understood and accepted the challenge. Setting-up outside the Ballroom paid off, because the pictures started and product began to move as soon as the closing prayer was concluded. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW! ...AND THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT... But Who knows - Maybe it's just me!

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DAY 36 - I GOT THE BLUES - AND I COULDN'T BE ANY HAPPIER!

I arrived at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans(The host hotel for our Conclave) around 10:00 a.m. and it was Blue and White EVERYWHERE! I quickly made my way to the first registration post - A - something... (I don't remember, but that's where the "B"''s where located.) I showed my ID and registration letter and received all of my "sigma stuff". With two members of my DREAM TEAM in tow, I mingled and mixed, always finding a way to talk about ONE MILLION BOOKS ACROSS AMERICA (Hey, a Brotha is on a mission!). I started promoting my mission and my book - EASIER SAID THAN DONE! within 2 minutes of my arrival(And it only took me that long, because I had to get out of the car and go inside - I'M ON IT! ) I located my vendors table, unloaded the boxes of books and CDs, did a quick walk through of the ballroom in which I would be performing on Tuesday night(I had to put my energy in the room early), grabbed me some Arby's, networked a little more and hit the sack early(Who new having the Blues could be so exhausting.) ...AND THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT... But Who knows - Maybe it's just me!

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DAY 35 - ON MY WAY TO SIGMALAND - BY WAY OF NEW ORLEANS!

As I cross the "burning sands" - sorry wrong flashback... lol. As I make the trek from Houston to New Orleans for the 95th Anniversary Conclave of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., I am excited about meeting and networking with my fraternity Brothers from all over the country and world. I am filled with the hope and promise that this will be a productive/prosperous trip. The week will be filled with information, fun and reflections. I have loaded up the hoopty with tons of books and cds and I intend to sell everyone(I know, I know that's EASIER SAID THAN DONE!) but PRAY FOR ME - I'M READY! ...AND THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT... But Who knows - Maybe it's just me!

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DAY 32 - A DEFINING PROCESS!

Planning my work and working my plan! According to Edison Montgomery: "Clear definitions of goals is the key to success!" ...AND THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT... But Who knows - Maybe it's just me!

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DAY 31 - SIXTY MORE DAYS TO GO!

PICTURED ABOVE: Boxes of the Novel / Poetry Book - EASIER SAID THAN DONE!

It has been 30 days since I started on my quest to sell ONE MILLION BOOKS ACROSS AMERICA. At this point I thought for sure that I would be well beyond the half-way point. I've sold 190 Books as of today and I have 60 more days to go until my August 31st deadline. I know what you're thinking - "He's never gonna make it". Henry David Thoreau said - "In the long run you hit only what you aim at. Therefore, though you should fail immediately, you had better aim at something high!" So the next 60 days will be busy, busy, busy! I'm going to reach out to everyone I can to join the movement(Yes, get ready for the ultimate email campaign - lol). I'm going to reach out and touch at least a million people, the more the merrier. I'm like the little engine that could - I KNOW I CAN! I KNOW I CAN! ...AND THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT... But Who knows - Maybe it's just me!

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