Below is a transcript of a phone interview I did with William Lee. William Lee is an author, speaker, youth leader and entrepreneur based in North Carolina. He not too long ago published a book titled: Breaking The Mold: “WHY WASTE TALENT?“. The book is available on Amazon. William can be contacted through his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/williameleejr
How would you introduce yourself to someone who has never heard of you and you have never heard of? Who is William Lee?
First and foremost I am distinctly different, I am unique, I am a bonafide business man. William Lee is a person who has come a long way in life. Right now I am 27 and there are so many things the Lord brought me from and right now he is taking me to the next level.
What are the three most memorable events that have altered your life to lead you on the path you are walking today?
One of them is being saved. The second thing is seeing my mom cry. After I saw her cry, that changed my life and I just wanted things to be different. The third thing would be to have have mentors who could see the potential that I have. They loved me so much to allow me not the remain the person I used to be. Those are the three things that changed my life.
When did you decide to write the book “Breaking the Mold” and how did it all start? Tell us about that journey.
I have been thinking about writing a book for years and then I told myself I was going to get it done and decided to eliminate all distractions. And that is something important I did. It took me four months to get it done. That was my goal and I am very very proud. The book writing process was a bit stressing, but I was willing to through the struggle.
Wow, that’s very impressive. Did you have any help in the process? Who are some of the people who helped you put the book together?
It was mostly just me and my editor. I did my research, my due diligence, what I needed to do. Then I submitted it to my editor and that’s how we got it accomplished. But before starting that process I made sure that I removed all distractions. It took a whole lot of focus.
You did a very good job marketing yourself and generating anticipated expectations of your book on social media before its release date. Who did you learn from? Who influenced you to produced such good results?
That’s a good question, I have been learning from others who have a strong following. I have been learning from how they motivate people, how they inspire to change lives and that’s basically how I did it. I learned from what they were doing and did it a little different.
Giving a clue to young adults on how to spend their time, how does a youth leader like yourself spend his weekends?
My weekends I can honestly say I never get distracted. I still work and I do the same things that I do during the week. I might take a little break here and there but mostly the things I do during the weekend are the same things I do during the week.
How do you entertain yourself, if you do?
Sometimes I might go take a long ride on the highway. I might visit my mother, my family members, I might go to the gym. I just enjoy working, that’s how I entertain myself.
What are you expanding into, what are some of the projects you are currently working on, and why?
Right now I am working on another book and we are working on a YouTube channel. Everything I do is geared toward helping other who would hear about me.
Last, but not least, if you would make a recommendation to the American youth on how NOT to waste their talent, what would you tell them?
Eliminate all distractions. Talent can get you where you want to go, however you need to have personal development. You need to have the skills, knowledge and abilities, and also have mentors. Mentors are very important.
The interview was conducted via a recorded phone call on July 11, 2013.