Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
In March 2019 I flew to Orlando to get certified as a coach, speaker and trainer by the John Maxwell Team. On the third day of the program, I realized it was about purpose: What is the reason we are doing what we are doing? And what is something greater than ourselves that will fill the gas tank on the low-energy days and go full-speed on our high-energy days? I was racking my brain the whole day to figure out what drives me more than being able to spend more time with my loved ones, and money.
I remember it vividly. At 3:30 p.m., I had a thought of being a teenager, and how I wish I had known even 5% of what I learned over the years regarding personal development. It could have radically changed my life and helped me make better decisions as a teenager, and also given me a plan of action, instead of figuring it out day by day and chilling with my friends.
It was then that I decided I would do something with young people—something with teenagers and young adults to help them become successful in life and in business.
Fast-forward to August 2020. I called up a friend, Joe Apfelbaum, who is a great entrepreneur and speaker. Since we both wrote a few books, I asked him if he would be interested in writing a book to give back to the world, a book for teenagers, a book teaching them the basics of what they need to have a better quality of life. He agreed, and after a year we finally published our book, “Confidence for Teens.” It took off, and in the first two months we sold hundreds of copies, and gave out even more to teens around the U.S.
This past November I was feeling a bit empty. Yes, the work I do is very rewarding. Being a business consultant, speaker and author allows me to really change and impact people’s lives and livelihood, but I wanted more.
I decided it was time for another seminar, but not something business-related, something about self love, something about compassion, something about relationships, something with fulfillment. And I kid you not, the same day one of my mentors posted on Facebook that he would be teaming up with Tony Robbins for a private event in Tybee Island, Georgia, limited to 15 people. We would be attending Tony Robbins’ “Date With Destiny,” a six-day program that covers all of what I was looking for, and more.
At first I was very skeptical about being in a house with a bunch of people, strangers I didn’t know, and going deep into stuff we had stored away for years and years. And then came the part of being away from my home for a week. I discussed it with my wife and rabbi, and they both pushed me to go. This was leaving my comfort zone, big time.
On the third night of the event at around 2 a.m., I was going through my old notes and I clicked on my notes from a program in 2018 and saw that I wrote about wanting to be able to impact teenagers on a larger scale. I decided right then and there that I would be starting an organization to help all teenagers who don’t want to settle for average and want more out of life. And that was the birth of Moogdal.
Moogdal in Hebrew means “magnifying,” and that’s our goal. We want to bring out the very best in every teenager, so we developed an interactive program that consists of 12 classes that are live on Zoom. Some of the topics include:
Developing the growth mindset
Having a vision
Effective goal setting
How to break and create habits
Time management
How to communicate and connect effectively
How to write a compelling resume
How to write a life/business plan
Confidence and self esteem
Presentation skills and more
And at the end of the certificate program, participants will get to present their life or business plan to three investors, and the winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Having started the first program a few weeks ago and seeing the success teens are having with it, we decided to start the next program in the next few weeks. After the program, there is also a mentorship option where they can have the guidance they need.
Our mission is developing teens to become the best version of themselves by equipping them with the right educational resources and mentorship to succeed in life and in business.
Our goal for 2022 is to be able to have 500 teenagers go through the certificate program, and we need all the help we can get to make this happen. The program will help teens develop mental fitness, and give them a roadmap of where they are headed, backed with a sense of purpose and confidence.
We are developing the next generation of leaders who will empower others to lead.
Check out our website and reach out to us if you or someone you know can benefit from the program or if you’d like to get involved. Visit www.moogdal.org for more info, or call us at 845-828-1743, or email [email protected]. Also visit my website at www.Jacobbusani.com. And check out the book “Confidence for Teens,” on sale at Amazon.
By Jacob Busani
