I think Russell Simmons has always been right there at the top of my list of people to watch and learn from within the media industry. What I think I admire most about him is the fact that he almost doesn’t want to be noticed and he is rather shy about his success and what he has managed to achieve in his life and in his career. That kind of humble attitude is something that I think a lot of successful people could stand to learn because just as easily as the success has come, it can go away just as easily without the right attitude.
Russell Simmons is someone who has really built an empire to be admired. He has created a company that spreads positive messages throughout the music and media industry. He promotes empowerment within the younger generation and has produced many different types of creative programs that enriches the industry and the people within it. Through all of his accomplishments he has remained humble and eager to share what he has learned throughout his life with the rest of the people who are just as eager to get to the level that he is at. I wanted to share the lessons that I’ve learned from his journey to the top.
1.) If You Don’t Believe in You, No One Else Will Believe in You— You have to be your best cheerleader. You have to have the confidence in yourself that you want everyone else to have in you. You have to trust in yourself and your abilities to do what you have set out to do. You have to be your biggest fan.
2.) You Can’t Be So Willing to Receive Without Being Willing to Give— In Russell Simmons book, Do You! He says “instead of waking up trying to figure out what you can get, you should be waking up trying to figure out what you can give.” A lot of people gain their success doing something that can benefit others as well as themselves so we have to remember that it can’t just be about what we get out of accomplishing our goals and our dreams, but also about what we can give to the people in our communities, in our states, in this country, by fulfilling our purpose. For instance, Russell Simmons has taken his success and funded so many foundations and projects that help to further the communities and places that he reaches out to. Lady GaGa has used her success to build a foundation that helps people dealing with issues surrounding bullying and to help encourage people that it is okay to be who they are born to be. What we do has to matter in more places then just our bank accounts and our own wallets.
3.) You Have to Stay Open to Change— Everything is not going to stay the same. It can’t stay the same in order for those on their journey to success to actually reach their goals. You have to be willing to change with the situation at hand and adapt to what has become the reality of things and not reside in the circumstances of how things were. I have learned that change is simply inevitable and trying to fight it and keep change from happening is only hindering your growth and your progress. You can not succeed staying right where you are, unchanged. When I think of it like that I say “bring on the change.”
4.) Always Be Honest With Yourself— Yes of course you should try your best to be an honest person all around but when I say be honest with yourself, I mean be honest about who you are, faults and all. Other people’s criticisms will always bother you but they won’t hurt nearly as much if you are already honest about who you are and you know yourself and the areas where you can improve and areas where are satisfied with the person you have become.
5.) Don’t Give Up YOUR Vision Just to Grab a Chance at Success— Along your journey, there will be people who will get just as excited about your vision as you are, but then they will try and convince you to change it. They’ll say “maybe it will be better if you do this,” or “maybe you’ll have a better chance at it if you do it like that.” They will have you believing that their suggestions to your vision will propel it forward. That is simply you, relinquishing your vision to someone else, to do with it what they will. Your vision is yours and should never be shaped and molded to fit anyone else’s views.
Being open, not just to change within your circumstances, but the changes that take place within yourself, is an important part in succeeding. You can’t take your life and your career, your dreams and goals, to the highest heights without changing some things up along the way. More importantly, you can’t do that without staying true to yourself and true to your vision.
People will try to hold you back. People will try and change what your vision is into what they think it should be. It will sound convincing and it will sound like they know exactly what they are talking about and that maybe you should be listening to them. But it is your vision and your dreams. Don’t let anyone take your dreams and try and change them. Hold onto them and make them a reality, but do so in your own time, and in your own way. Believe in yourself and what your vision is and when you make it there, to the top, don’t forget to help someone else up along the way.
I have the Write 2 Be a Visionary…What is your Write 2 Be?
Jimmetta Carpenter
Writer/Editor
The Diary: Succession of Lies (Now Available)
Writing as “Jaycee Durant”
http://unpleasantlyplump.wordpress.com/
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Write 2 Be Magazine will be debuting on January 15th, 2013 so please go join the magazine on twitter before it debuts on https://twitter.com/write2bemag and join the email listing for the magazine at Write2bemagazine@yahoo.com. Also please feel free to go and friend me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmetta-Carpenter/1069480310 and like my Write 2 Be Magazine fan page. Please help support my endeavor and my new journey and help me spread the word about Write 2 Be and its meaning.
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This is a fabulous post! Thanks for sharing!