Rennette M. Dimmott has a secret about success. And frankly she’s had her share of success as a nurse, educator, writer and now as a forensic psychologist.
But Rennette will candidly tell you that along the way she’s faced her share of obstacles, particularly from people who tried to hinder her on that path.
“If you throw big rocks at me, I have boulders to hit you back with,” Rennette said.
While Rennette acknowledges her cast-iron and steely determination, she admits that there are many people, especially younger people, whose spirits can be crushed or broken under a barrage of negativity and whose futures can be sidelined as a result.
That’s what persuaded Rennette to write the book The Psychology Of Creating Success From Within.
“I find that most people believe success is achieved by material things,” she said.
“Based on my experience and what I’ve observed through people’s behaviour, true success is something that’s internal and must be achieved from within. Once you’ve achieved the success from within, the material things are added to you.
“Internal success constitutes love for self, acceptance of self, self-responsibilty, believing in yourself and high self-esteem, and a positive attitude for seeing things that you want to happen in life.
“I find that most of the time people are held back by what they tell themselves or what other people say to them.”
Rennette knows first-hand how damaging negative comments can erode your drive and desire for growth, especially when they come from those around you whom you look to for support.
“I find that older people in our society do not encourage young people and while young people strive for success, older people tend to try to do everything in their power to pull them back.”
Rennette isn’t just spouting empty rhetoric. Unfortunately she lived that experience in her former job before she launched out on her own.
“I know what I went through trying to achieve success at an early age,” she said.
“I went to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and from the time I wanted to uproot myself, it became a problem for so many people. But I’m the type of person that once I put my mind to something, it will be done – and I don’t bend under pressure.
“But some people can be knocked down by what others say.”
Many of Rennette’s observations came through her years of counselling and listening to the issues that many people grapple with. The book, which took her a few years to write, contains snippets of life experiences and detailed interviews with Ralph “Bizzy” Williams and Ann Riley-Fox on their approach to success.
“Through my counselling I find that young people are filled with a lot of resentment and feel they can’t achieve success because of some of the things that have been said to them,” she said.
She feels it’s important that older people offer a supportive stance to younger people, especially those who have an ambitious bent and are striving towards a goal.
“If a parent tells a child; ‘You’re not going to be anything’, that child can internalize those comments, which can hinder his or her progress in life,” she said.
“Parents have to understand the power and effect their words have on children. If a parent tells a child something negative, it can be devastating to a child because she/he might value that parent and might see what they’re saying as gospel.
“But if a parent is uneducated, she/he might only see things to a certain degree.”
When Rennette came back to Barbados after completing her degree and returned to her job, she faced some incredible opposition.
“When I came back, every door was shut in my face as I tried to make strides in my job,” she said.
“I made a decision to leave the civil service. When I left, I was disappointed but I felt it was important for me to step out. I worked at Cave Hill lecturing and then I went on to the Barbados Community College.”
Rennette shares a passion for young people, whom she has targeted in this book, and hopes they will use it as a means to fulfil their dreams.
“I want people to believe that anything is achievable,” she said.
“True success is success achieved internally. There’s no true success without internal success.”
