Pharrell Williams... 10 Quotes on Music, Inspiration, Life...

"I'm a student. There's no real way [we do anything]. I'll never say I do it this way or I do it that way because I'm always learning new ways of doing it."

“If you are not curious, that's when your brain is starting to die. And discovering, I think, that's what separates us from the rest of the other species. It's that we discover and pioneer.”

"I would advise them that the world is yours, go out there and get it.  once you get it, watch what you do with it.  everyday is a hurdle.  the fact that God gives me motivation to jump and keep jumping is key.  i believe that education and exposure are important.  you have these kids who aren't exposed to anything.  they set limits.  i say the world does not revolve around you, but it does revolve around the sun.  do you want to be part of the revolution?"

"I'm a nice dude, with some nice dreams."

"In and out of dimensions I walk through walls, just saying you can't put me in a box that's all."

"You treat the air as a canvas and the paint is the chords that come through your fingers, out of the keyboard. So when I'm playing, I'm sort of painting a feeling in the air. I know that might sound corny, but--And when you know it's done, you know it's done. It's like painting or sculpting. When you let it go it's because you know that it's finished. It's completed. And vice versa-it tells you, "Hey, I'm not done."

"So my brain is bursting inside me. Ideas are leaking all over the place. You come on the bus I'm on now, and you might slip on one. "I'm dying right now. Dying, dying, dying."

"I'm kicking ass, shaking ass, breaking ass. I'm watching as they take my ideas and manifest them into something beyond my wildest dreams."

"I love what I do, I love my job. There's no better feeling than just going in and just working with someone and what comes out is something that the world knows about. I can't believe it, still to this day. You never get used to that. You get used to it when you feel like you're an artist. I don't know, the artist thing is not me. I love making music, though. I love playing. The keyboard is my journal."

"I think all music is a gift from God."

An idea lives on...

“A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” - John F. Kennedy

                                                  (Young JFK Studying at Harvard 1939)

As a warrior amongst the battle of creativity, one must constantly battle against the archenemy known as, "Writers (Creativity) Block".... as ideas and ingenuity become stagnate.  That is why one must know when to pull back, regroup, and start again.   Sometimes we tend to think ourselves to death, as we over analyze and rationalize ourselves out of the execution of great ideas. That is why we have to continually keep passing on the "Creativity" virus.  As the great Albert Einstein once quoted, " Creativity is contagious, pass it on!"   

Life is a battle...

Whether it is in business, love, or even life. There is no failure except in no longer trying.  As great works are accomplished, not by strength, but by perseverance.  History tells us that almost all great leaders have been pushed to some point of insanity.  This insanity accompanies the ideology that death, and the anxiety we call fear, is no longer an option.  It is at this brink that man realizes the simple fact that it is all or nothing.   In military strategy, while cornered and under heavy attack, there is only one option…..TO FIGHT!

"You might as well stand and fight because if you run,  you will only die tired" - Vern Jocque - Sei Shin Kan.

In a book written in 1960, by Eleanor Roosevelt, titled “You Learn By Living” , she states the following on courage;

The encouraging thing is that every time you meet a situation, though you may think at the time it is an impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it you find that forever after you are freer than you ever were before. If you can live through that you can live through anything. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, `I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' The anger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it. If you fail anywhere along the line, it will take away your confidence. You must make yourself succeed every time. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

In conclusion, through the days I have the pleasure to speak to several friends, family members, clients, and colleagues whom all face the constant dogma we call stress.  As this anxiety compounds into all of our daily agendas, we must learn to harness its energy and reflect it towards a more productive state.  Furthermore, “In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins-not trough strength but by perseverance.”-Jackson Brown   

      

Jay Z talks business... (CNN DECODED INTERVIEW)

CNNMoney's full interview with the hip-hop mogul...   No Copyright infringement intended; all material belongs to CNNMoney..

Strength in numbers...

"When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when you team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing."- Bo Schembechler

 

The best business training I ever got...

"The best business training I ever got was as the president of my fraternity.  Leadership skills come from doing, not reading.... 

I had to deal with everything from litigation, to fundraising, to collecting dues, to accepting and kicking out members, to planning social events....

Doing that at age 19 was the best training I ever had." - VC Mark Suster

Kevin Garnett on work ethic... [Video]

“We have to do the impossible, but it is possible.”- Kevin Garnett

The creative person...

“The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He wants to know about all kinds of things-ancient history, nineteenth century mathematics, current manufacturing techniques, hog futures. Because he never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea. It may happen six minutes later, or six months, or six years. But he has faith that it will happen.” — Carl Ally

(Street Knowledge) *Jadakiss* Lil Bruh Feat. Big Lynx, Pharrell...

[Jadakiss]
At times I know life can seem miserable
But lil' bruh you gotta lotta more living to do (live)
You gotta go get, cause they ain't gon' give it to you (nah)
Just watch what you say and watch who you deliver it to (watch)
Put somethin away, cause you'll never know when it rains
And you can never feel the love without knowin the pain (hey)
The bracelet and the pinky ring go with the chain (uh-huh)
These the different kind of jewels though that go in your brain (jewels)
Pray for your downfall, when you doin your thang
If somethin happen while you in charge, then you was to blame (you)
The less co-D's the better, stay fly get cheddar
Don't expect the V.I. off letter (uh-uh)
When you get 'em never let up, when you fall get up (get up)
Wipe the tears off, get the blood and the sweat up (SWEAT!)
If you don't say nuttin you can't be set up (nah)
Always stand tall make sure you hold your head up (hold your head)

(Street Knowledge) *Jadakiss* Lil Bruh Feat. Big Lynx, Pharrell

To be nobody but yourself...

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."  ~e.e. cummings

Every human being has...

"Every human being has a work to carry on within, duties to perform abroad, influence to exert, which are peculiarly his, and which no conscience but his own can teach." ~ William Ellery Channing

F@*# self-doubt...

“F@*# self-doubt. I despise it. I hold it in contempt, along with the hell-spawned ooze-pit of Resistance from which it crawled. I will NEVER back off. I will NEVER give the work anything less than 100%. If I go down in flames, so be it. I’ll be back.” -Steven Pressfield

We all operate in two contrasting modes...

“We all operate in two contrasting modes, which might be called open and closed. The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more democratic, more playful and more humorous. The closed mode is the tighter, more rigid, more hierarchical, more tunnel-visioned. Most people, unfortunately spend most of their time in the closed mode. Not that the closed mode cannot be helpful. If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time for considering alternative strategies. When you charge the enemy machine-gun post, don’t waste energy trying to see the funny side of it. Do it in the “closed” mode. But the moment the action is over, try to return to the “open” mode—to open your mind again to all the feedback from our action that enables us to tell whether the action has been successful, or whether further action is need to improve on what we have done. In other words, we must return to the open mode, because in that mode we are the most aware, most receptive, most creative, and therefore at our most intelligent.” -John Cleese

Cant knock the hustle...

"Remind yourself. Nobody built like you, you design yourself." From "A Dream," the "Blueprint 2" album. 

"..your worst fear confirmed,
me and my fam roll tight like the firm
getting down for life, that's right, you better learn."- Sean Carter...

5 Reasons You Need to Meet in Person...

An excerpt from Inc.com (Source).


What can you learn from an in-person meeting that you can’t from a virtual one?

1. You're off the record.  In Silicon Valley and many other places, there are few private offices. Many of my clients work in cubes and can’t have private telephone conversations with me or anyone else. This means that when I talk to them on the phone, I might not get to hear the most important information they can share: the unique team dynamics or executive’s personality quirks that would make or break our ability to match an expert consultant. Over sushi or a latte or a walk around the block, my clients can let me know more -- with more color -- than they can over the telephone or in an email.

2. Make use of not-so-small talk.  Most business conversations are focused on solving a problem quickly and efficiently, while business relationships are built when people take the time to share and learn more about each other. That happens more naturally in person than over the phone or in an email. What cements a bond between people? Small talk about a favorite team, passion for pecan pie, parenting challenges, and the other bits and pieces that make us unique and interesting.

3. Make an impression. I bought a new handbag. It’s faux ostrich and it’s pink. Really pink. I’ve received compliments on it from every woman (and one man) I’ve met with in the past two weeks. I had worried it was perhaps not professional enough for business. But the style and color were bold, “spring-y” and made me smile. Who knew my $60 knock-off handbag would be such a great conversation starter and deliver such a strong personal statement? How do you do that over Skype?

4. Read the body language. Facial expressions often communicate so much more than words. We host consultant coffees and invite a handful of independent consultants to our office in order to better understand the nuances of each professional in a relaxed setting. We need to know what isn’t on the resume that makes each person unique. In their eyes and in their body language, we can see confidence, empathy, fear, friendliness or sincerity. That ability to “read” a candidate beyond their keywords is a huge competitive advantage for us.

5. Learn where the action is. I find out so much when I visit one of my clients in their office. Is the lobby bright and inviting with recent accolades proudly displayed? Do employees seem happy? Is there free juice and healthy snacks in the cafeteria? Brand new Herman Miller chairs in the conference room? Is everyone moving in slow motion or is there a palpable buzz? The environment speaks volumes and may factor into your business proposal or plan. By understanding company dynamics, we can communicate more effectively to meet their needs.

The mind is the gatekeeper to the spirit...

The mind is definitely the gatekeeper to the realms of the spirit and in order to control it, one must control themselves first.  We all have certain weaknesses that we are ashamed of.  From certain physical features and unconditional past secrets that we keep hidden, to the future anxieties that we face from them.  These weaknesses, and the many others, are what our enemies use as weapons against us.  It is only when we are comfortable with ourselves that we can become comfortable with the outside world.

“I firmly believe that all human beings have access to extraordinary energies and powers. Judging from accounts of mystical experience, heightened creativity, or exceptional performance by athletes and artists, we harbor a greater life than we know. There we go beyond those limited and limiting patterns of body, emotions, volition, and understanding that have been keeping us in dry-dock. Instead we become available to our capacity for a larger life in body, mind, and spirit. In this state we know great torrents of delight.”-Jean Houston