Dr. Robert L Kight, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mindpower Solutions is a certified Mindset and Life Coach and certified Personal Fitness Trainer – specializing in mindset development and personal development. He has overcome many life challenges and allowed nothing to hold him back. Since childhood, he has always had a unique way of thinking. He would always look for opportunities and expect to come out on top. Twenty years ago, he began a quest to discover what made him different and how he was able to achieve his goals no matter the obstacles before him. This journey led to the discovery of the power of positive thinking, importance of having a growth mindset, and the role of mental toughness in his ability to find success in whatever he set his mind to achieve.

He grew up in a small town in southeast Georgia with limited employment opportunities other than the paper factories. Dr. Kight never envisioned himself being stuck in Woodbine, Georgia. He was determined to find a way to attend college on some type of scholarship. Positive thinking was a part of his thought process back then, but he did not know it at the time. For example, a simple submission of an Army-ROTC post card found in Ebony Magazine turned out to be his ticket to Tuskegee (Institute) University.  He had no idea of what ROTC was but that didn’t stop him from applying and receiving a 3-year full scholarship and graduating as a distinguished military graduate 4 -years later.  This was a game changer in his life.

Dr. Kight’s approach to life is to never lose hope and always remained open to new possibilities.  At graduation time from Tuskegee Institute, he had a goal to go on to law school. He applied to several law schools, but it did not workout. He had received a delay from going on active duty to start his military career but his future now seemed uncertain. Fortunately, he had always maintained good relationships with his college professors. While walking through the academic building one afternoon, one of his professors stopped him and asked if he would be interested in going to graduate school at Auburn University to obtain a master’s degree in public administration. This conversation resulted in him receiving a two-year fellowship to attend graduate school at no cost. By the age of 25, he had obtained my master’s degree, debt free.

Dr. Kight developed an attitude that sometimes you have to take a chance on yourself although the pathway going forward is unclear. After serving 6 years on active duty in the US Army reaching the rank of Captain, he decided to resign his commission and leave the safety of a promising military career. He had no immediate employment opportunities in place, but his goals were to earn a doctoral agree and work with youth. Over the next several years, he struggled to find his way in the outside world. On top of working to build a new career, he made an untimely decision to get married and soon become a father.  Probably not a good thing to do, when looking back at the time. He never doubted himself and his ability to make things happen.

 He developed a growth mindset that served him well. After working on several jobs in managing youth programs, he decided to start the Institute for Academic and Social Development, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with youth. His struggle to provide for his family and to build a business at the same time was the toughest challenge of his life. He quickly learned to identify with Dr. Robert Shueller’s book that “Tough Time Don’t Last, But Tough People Do.” He continuously fed himself positive information and daily affirmations that he could do and get it all done.  Failure was never an option for him. Dr. Kight believes that when times are the most difficult in our lives, these are the times that we must push ourselves to be at our best. He learned from his many setbacks that we keep moving forward or give into the challenges before us. He successfully operated the non-profit organization for 8 years impacting the lives of thousands of young people along the way.

The decision to pursue a Doctoral Degree in Education, provide for his family while working to build a business all at the same time proved to be the ultimate challenge of his mental toughness.  Although he did not realize it at the time, it took personal drive and perseverance to get him through the anxiety and daily grind of this period of uncertainty. While struggling to grow the business, he also took on outside consultant work to provide additional income for the well-being of his family. He grind 24/7, nonstop, for 4 years.  There were days when he was actually functioning in a constant state of mental confusion. He did not know if he was coming or going.  Dr. Kight often functioned on fumes when he had no additional fuel to burn. It was at these times when he learned to dig deep into his mental fortitude to push beyond what he thought was possible. He fed his mind daily with words of spiritual inspiration and kept a copy of the poem Perseverance on his desk, to stay focused on his goals and to erase negative thoughts from his mind. 

In recent years, Dr. Kight has experienced a number of major transitions in his life. he lost his wife of 35 years, his father, and lifelong mentor of 50 years within a 3-year period. These changes taught him to stay in the moment. He came to the realization that he had no control over circumstances in life but he had control over his thoughts. Although these were tremendous losses, rather than wallow in sadness he chose to think about the good times and continue to live in a manner to make his loved ones proud. He readily accepts that there will be difficulties and trying times, but we all have the mental fortitude to keep moving forward. For him, It’s all about the mindset.

Mindpower Solutions was established to help others to maximize the power of their thoughts to live at their highest potential. He is committed to working with individuals and organizations to share strategies and techniques to help them become mentally strong and to achieve success. More than ever before, he believes that people must take ownership of their thoughts and maintain a positive mindset no matter the situation.