Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Williams.
Hi Joshua, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 1994, my mother was awakened by a voice in a dream that told her, “Your son, Joshua, will be Great, but the devil will try to take him.” It startled her so much she woke up and wrote down what she heard. She still tells me to this day how clear and distinct the voice was. Two years later, my mother went into labor at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. The doctors told my family that my mother and I had a 50% chance of survival. For about three weeks, we both laid in NICU and ICU fighting for our lives. As the years passed, I’d meet countless people who would tell me this miraculous story of “The Boy Who Lived”. I later found out that my name, Joshua, means “God is salvation.” From that day forward, I’ve searched to find the purpose in “God’s Salvation” of my life. Maybe one day I will understand, but until then, this is the story of the boy who lived.
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?
I’ve been doubted my whole life. From the doctors who doubted my survival to the professors who doubted that I would amount to anything in the architecture and construction industry. I’ve faced a lot of challenges and personal failures along this journey. However, I feel that failure has taught me more than success ever could. My freshman year of college I was kicked out of the architecture program and I had no idea where life was going to take me. I ended up working four separate jobs in order to pay for tuition and establish residency in the state of Alabama. I had all these plans as to what my life was going to look like only to have none of them go the way I intended. As the saying goes, “we make plans and God laughs at them”. I’ve learned to laugh with Him and not lean on my own understanding. Everything that I thought I wanted, I am thankful today that it did not go my way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work full-time as a Program Manager for Meadows & Ohly and part-time as a Camera Operator for ESPN. Meadows & Ohly is a healthcare real estate development company and our service lines include building management, real estate services, development, and program management to name a few. I specialize in managing the design, construction, and activation of hospitals and medical office buildings. I recently finished building out the 5th and 14th floors of Marcus Tower at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital and helped design the new 12th floor. I’ve worked on countless hospital projects within the past year and a half, but I think Marcus Tower is my most proud achievement to date. I was born at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, so coming back home to help build the new Tower is a full-circle moment for me. I think what sets me apart is my ability to be limitless. I do not allow anyone to place any limitations to what I can do. During the week, I build hospitals and medical office buildings, and then on the weekends, I see my camera shots on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. There is no limit to who or what I can be and as long as I keep God first, nothing will stop me.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a book I read every couple of years when I begin a new journey. It’s a book about understanding your own “Personal Legend” and the journey to get there. There are a lot of obstacles that we all will face in the journey of finding oneself and this book helped me out a lot in doing just that. My biggest inspiration in understanding my own journey was Kobe Bryant. His work ethic and dedication to his craft is second to none. I learned so much from his “Mamba Mentality” philosophy and how often times Failure is necessary to achieve your goals. It allowed me to separate the idea of “winning” and “losing” into the idea of “Blessings” and “Lessons”. Either God will bless me in the moment with what I desire, or there is a lesson He needs me to learn in order to gain what I desire. After I discovered that, I realized that everything that I have gone through and will go through in life is all a part of the process to be great.
Image Credits
New Lens on Life, LLC. Meadows & Ohly, LLC. Piedmont Healthcare, Inc.
