Take a Personal Inventory: Wisdom From Lorton's Motivational Speaker T. Augurson

These are rough days for many, but what are you going to do - take it lying down? Lorton's own motivational speaker T. Augurson wants to help by asking you to take a personal inventory of your emotions and responsibilities and then move forward with a clear head to accomplish your goals. 

"Ever since I can remember I always wanted to help people. My life hasn't always been easy," said Augurson to Patch at Lorton's Caribou Coffee. "But I practice what I'm preaching. I came up from a low income family to be what I consider a success. There should be no limits as to what you can do."

By day, Augurson, 35, is a service manager for Dell, and irons out problems that clients in the Department of Defense and intelligence community may have with their computers. He was born in Monroe, Louisiana, was raised in Georgia and spent 16 years in the Air Force (enlisted and retired as a first lieutenant). He received his degree in information technology from the University of Phoenix and moved to Lorton in 2005. He recently began motivational speaking, mostly to out-of-town groups and colleges, and is now considering changing professions. 

Patch: What led to motivational speaking and when did that start? 

Augurson: I've been through some things in my life, and I just started talking to people about a year ago, like I'm talking to you right now in a coffee shop. I realized that I had a story to tell - to offer people, and they would gain inspiration from that. Just like any business I started small, and it's word of mouth. I started at my former high school in my home town, Augusta Georgia. I come home and they saw how well I've been doing, and they ask me to speak. 

Patch: Did you come from a nurturing family? 

Augurson: I was always pushed forward by my family and was told that I could accomplish anything that I wanted to achieve. I tell people, 'Hey, I've been in your situation, and on top of that, I'm not just going to leave you there with that inspirational message, I'm going to show you how to get there, give you the tools you need and sit down with you and we will work on the deficiencies that you have.'

You may have poor organizational skills, poor time management skills or you may just not know how to write a resume. 

Patch: So, you're a life coach. 

Augurson: Some people have called me that.  

Patch: Many people are held back by fear. Tell me about what fear does to people. 

Augurson: Fear is going to keep you from taking advantage of the playing field. Fear is going to remove that half-second advantage that you may have over a situation. It's like soccer, and I coach my daughter's soccer team. The ball is there and your job is to run up to it and kick it. There is no room for fear, because while they're thinking about kicking it, you've already done it. You have to remove that, because things aren't built under the guise of fear. 

Patch: What advice do you have for people during these tough times? 

Augurson: The first thing I tell people to do is that regardless of the situation you're in you have to realize that you're alive and you're here. But you need to understand where you are or else you won't be able to get anywhere. It's quite simple. You need to take emotional and personal inventories of yourself, then formulate a plan and move forward. 

So, get a pen and paper out. Write down who your friends are and what they do. Write down how much money you have, your debts. In two days I've been able to help people change their lives because I've sat down with them and we removed all outside influences.

Patch: Do you believe in destiny? 

Augurson: I believe that you can do great things in your life, but you have to make them happen. 

Patch: What future do you envision for yourself? 

Augurson: Right now I'm at a crossroads in my life. I'm trying to figure out what path to go on - the motivational speaking, or on the IT side of the house and run a large organization or IT firm. Either choice will take total devotion of my time. But at the end of the day I want to help people. People need help, and I have a lot of faith in them. 

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