Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Standifer.
Hi Derrick, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have climbed a steep mountain to get to this point in life. It has been a beautiful journey filled with many twists and turns and a lot of wins and lessons. I have never taken a loss. What may be perceived as a loss turned out to be a beautiful blessing in disguise filled with much-needed lessons.
Most recently, I planted the flag at the top of this mountain when I graduated from Florida A & M University with my PhD. I attribute this milestone to surrounding myself with quality people. In 2016, I had a friend made me sign a contract that I would enroll into a PhD program by 2018. She sent me this contract a few days before the application deadline. I applied and by the grace of God and Goddess, I was accepted. From this, I learned a valuable lesson, you are an average of the people that you surround yourself with. So, if you want to be a quality person, you need quality people in your life. I made it a mission to join Mastermind groups, I have accountability partners, all who motivate me to be better versions of myself.
Now that I have climbed the PhD Mountain and planted my flag, it is now time to climb a new mountain and plant a new flag. Next. I want to teach one million people how to solve the twist and turns of life through my curriculum, Life is Like A Rubik’s Cube.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is a quote that I love. The harder the battle, The sweeter the victory. On the Journey to earn this PhD, I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I appreciate both the mountain peaks and the valleys because it’s in the valleys where we grow. As a result of this mindset, I have learned to turn my pain into power.
When I first enrolled at FAMU for my doctoral studies, I had just gone through an ugly divorced that made a full-time single father of two beautifully trouble making babies. The next year the man that raised me passed away from cancer, and the following year, COVID caused the world to lockdown. The past four years were truly character-building times. I was in a PHD program, both my parents were deceased, and I was raising my seeds by myself. Hard is an understatement.
While the burdens were heavy, I overstand that God gives the heaviest burdens to the strongest soldiers. Carrying that weight showed me my strength. It made me realize how capable I am of accomplishing my goals. If I can earn a PhD under those conditions then nothing is impossible. I was able to maintain and accomplish my goals because I had learned to turn my pain into power. When I felt like quitting, I thought about the investments my parents made in me. When it got hard, I saw my kids looking up to me; they were following in my path, and I knew that if I quit, then they would have full permission to quit, and I did not want that to happen.
We’ve been impressed with Life is Like A Rubik’s Cube, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Dr. Derrick Standifer is one of the most energetic youth motivational speakers in the United States. His speech Life is Like a Rubik’s Cube is inspiring, entertaining, and simply breathtaking.
His story of triumph, persistence, and overcoming tragedies has motivated more than 20,000 students, parents, and educators to solve the Twists and Turns of their Life.
Derrick has written a book entitled Life is Like A Rubik’s Cube that details how he went from a college dropout to earning his Ph.D. His book has been translated into a personal development curriculum for high schools, mentoring organizations, colleges, and universities.
Now he hosts workshops, seminars, and mastermind sessions to provide strategies that help people avoid the same mistakes that he has made and maximize their full potential.
Derrick lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his two beautifully trouble-making babies, Ayana and Derrick Jr. He recently graduated with his doctoral degree from Florida A&M University on Friday, July 29, 2022!
How do you think about luck?
We appreciate the good that happens in our life, but we also need to learn how to find fortune in the bad or the character-building moments. I’ve had good fortune in the high quality of friends that I am blessed to have in my life who have pushed me and motivated me to better versions of myself. My children are academic rockstars and are a joy to raise. I thank God and Goddess often for blessing me with high honor of being their daddy. I just earned my PhD from the greatest university on the face of the planet. All of these
I had bad fortune on this journey. Before getting on this journey, I flunked out of two universities before enrolling to earn my doctorate degree. I went through an ugly divorce that made me a full-time single father of my two babies. My mother died a week before my 26th birthday and my dad died three years later. These moments still bring me to tears at random times, but they made me stronger. I know that God and Goddess give the heavy burdens to the strong soldiers, and we must take these tests and turn them into testimonies for others to be inspired by our trials and tribulations.
Pricing:
- Parent Mastermind Sessions- $99
- Academic Coaching Services starting at $299
- Life is Like A Rubik’s Cube Book $19.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lilarc.com
- Instagram: lilarc_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derrick.standifer/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/ncMNPmtPf70
