“Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.”

—Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise”

As black people in this country, we are often taught that we have to be one thing or another. As a little girl in elementary school, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I was often steered in one direction.

“Be a doctor or a lawyer, Tiffany.”

“Be a teacher or a writer.”

I mean, think about it. Society teaches us that we are either “right” or “left” brainers — those people whose left side of the brain is more dominant tend to be mostly analytical in their thinking; whereas, those who are dominated by the right side of the brain tend to be more creative or artistic. Typically, we aren't told we can be “both sides of the brainers” (i.e., people who hone multiple skills and successfully pursue more than one passion at once). Rarely are we taught we can have the best of both worlds.

Let’s keep it real. A lot of black people are raised to believe we have to hustle in order to simply survive in America (and to an extent, this is true), but in all actuality, multiple streams of income can also lead to significant wealth. Recently, I read that most millionaires have 7 streams of income. Yes, I said 7. Let that sink in. Now, I am not saying that it's wrong to focus on one passion. I majored in one subject in college, Biology, at Hampton University, and my primary career field is public health. All I am saying is why not teach our children to think outside of the box, especially our little black boys? Instead of choosing a dream, nurture your God-given talents, work hard, step out on faith and chase multiple dreams! I know one black man in Atlanta who dared to do so and his audaciousness landed him a speaking role in 2018’s blackity blackest film to date, Black Panther.

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I officially met Stanley Aughtry at my children’s book signing in "Black Hollywood," aka Atlanta, in October 2016. Although we attended Hampton University at the same time, we really didn’t know each other well. Fast forward to December 2017, a few months before the release of Black Panther, a film that has grossed more than 1.3 billion. Like every other black person in the world, I was thinking about my “Wakanda Forever” outfit and anxiously awaiting the premiere of the film in February 2018 (and if you weren’t, please consider your black card revoked). Imagine my surprise when I found out that Stanley, similar to me, was living a double life — well, in his case, a triple life.

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Stanley Aughtry is a successful engineer and entrepreneur by day, holding both a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, but in the evenings and on the weekends, he somehow finds time for his third passion, acting. Because of the several hats he wears, Stanley considers himself an “actorpreneur.” Intrigued by this term, I asked him what being an "actorpreneur" really entails. According to Stanley, an "actorpreneur" is a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses while maintaining an artistic career in the area of on-screen television and film — as well as successfully contributing to a private company as an employee. My reply was, “That’s a mouthful.” Stanley went on to say there is no need to be the starving artist when you have the ability to successfully attack life from various angles, and if we really want to build generational wealth, we cannot limit ourselves.

Inspired yet? I certainly was.

It's this mindset, coupled with a strong work ethic, that helped Stanley get the part of Shombay, The Merchant Tribe Warrior, in Black Panther, — his biggest role yet (and for him, there is much more to come).

My conversation with Stanley about being an "actorpreneur" confirmed what I already knew — black people, in general, have been blessed with a multitude of talent, and it is time for us to unapologetically shine. If you don’t believe me, just look at Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, an actor/rapper/writer, or Serena Williams, an athlete/fashion designer. I can go on and on, but you get my point.

The late, great Maya Angelou said it best: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style." Stanley Aughtry is living his best life — thriving — and so can you.

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