Mark Frazier, co-founder of PositiveOne
A positive mindset has always been a part of Mark Frazier’s life. From when he was very young, his mother instilled in him these morals: be a good person, treat people how you want to be treated and patience is a virtue. Mark, 41, says of his mom, “She created a big part of who I am today.”
Mark grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey where he lived with his parents and older sister. Mark was active in church, choir and Boy Scouts. Everyday before he left for school, his mom asked if he had his GA or BA: Do you have your Good Attitude or your Bad Attitude? Mark explains, “My Mom wanted to make sure that when I walked out the door that my mindset was positive. She knew that it was the best way for me to be successful in life.”
Mark graduated from Centenary University with a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in political science. While in college, Mark met his wife, Mary. They have two children together: DaShaun, 13, and DeAnna, 8. Mark teaches his children the lessons his mom taught to him. He tells them, “You can’t accomplish things when you are angry. You can’t accomplish things when you are upset. You don’t see clearly.”
After college, Mark worked for a major corporation in the car rental industry where he worked his way up the ladder starting as a management trainee. He stayed there for 17-years, where he held numerous management positions. Mark met Lee Williams during this time. They realized that they wanted the same thing – to change lives through a mindset of love and positive thinking. PositiveOne was born.
Mark answers a few questions about himself, PositiveOne and his philosophy about life:
How would you describe yourself?
Independent, loving and determined to make a change in the world.
What does PositiveOne mean to you?
It means love, it is a mindset. PositiveOne epitomizes the change that is needed in this world. It is a way for people to reevaluate the way they think. It also means community.
Why do you get up in the morning?
My kids, for sure. I want to have an impact on the world and to learn something new.
Where do you find your sense of calm and your balance?
I learned from my mom that you have to be patient and fully understand what is going on before you react. I really try to do that. I fully understand that if I allow my emotions to go really really high before I fully understand, it could create a problem or misunderstanding.
I find that when I am calm, it allows me to understand better. I am one of those people who has to understand. I struggle when I don’t understand. I am the type of person who puts his foot in the water before jumping in.
What are the hardest issues children face today?
Children are overloaded with information. Our children know too much. When we were younger, there were certain things we did not have access to. When kids have a question about something now, they can type it into the internet and all the information and images are right there. This puts a kid in the position to no longer ask questions. They learn these things on their own and then have to internalize it. Creates confusion in the mind of a child while limiting their human connections from information sharing.
Children can cancel their parents out in the quest for information and get it all on their own from the stroke of a button. This type of disconnect in the family leads to many of the problems young people face.
How do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as somebody who was good to people. I want them to say, “Mark was somebody I could talk to, Mark was somebody who had a positive impact on my life.” The size of that impact and how many people I impact is irrelevant. If two people can say it, I lived a great life.
What message do you share every day?
Be yourself. Live your life for you and no one else. Focus on self. That is why we say, PostiveOne – the “One” represents you, as an individual. The philosophy is that if I am good and I am right, then I can change the world.
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
-Martin Luther King
Our Mission
To empower and encourage people to think positively by building their self-awareness, self-confidence & self-worth.