There's something about a ‘master plan’ that really gets me going. Now, when I say master plan, I'm not talking about some vague idea. I mean a real vision, along with a concrete path that leads somewhere exciting.
Let me explain it this way: You know how a puzzle's just a bunch of pieces until you start putting them together? Each piece may not be that interesting, but together, they make a beautiful picture. That's what a master plan's like.
Take my parents' move to Vegas. They bought this nice one-story house in the suburbs. But it's not just about that house. It's about the entire neighborhood, the parks, the trails, the mall that's being built. All these things come together to make it more than just an isolated house—it's a home in a context designed to help my parents flourish.
And that's what I feel about the work I'm doing, be it in Africa with my work in Zanzibar or consulting startups around the world. Sure, if you look at each project on its own, it might seem like a random piece of the puzzle. But there's a bigger picture here.
“Project Wakanda”, for instance, isn't just a fun name. It's me and my collaborators’ big picture, long-term plan to unite people and create something Golden with the African diaspora in the US, Africa, and beyond. Within Project Wakanda are a lot of projects that may seem little or disparate on their own, but together they compose into something really great.
It's easy to get lost in the details or feel like what you're doing isn't that significant if you work on a project not connected to a bigger vision. But if that project is connected to a master plan, each step becomes meaningful because it's part of a journey towards something extraordinary.
Master plans give everything context and purpose. Without that overarching idea, a project can feel like a drop in the ocean. But with a master plan, random efforts weave into something cohesive, meaningful, and genuinely exciting.
I find that really beautiful and empowering.