A Friend's Wise Words ...

The following was written by my good friend and colleague, Jim Hernandez. I could not have said it better myself.

"I am NOT a SPECIALIST, I am NOT a GURU, I am NOT a PSYCHOLOGIST and nor by any means do I think that I KNOW it all. I simply ask for your time to allow me to SHARE my thoughts, opinions and experiences with you and allow me to demonstrate how MY TRUTH has worked for me.  This comes from consistently working on becoming a better person, learning HOW to live a better life and sharing this knowledge and wisdom to whomever would take the time out to listen with an open mind.  I want you to understand that NO ONE, including myself, is qualified to tell you how to live YOUR life.  I am NOT asking you to ACCEPT but neither would I want you to reject what I am sharing with you.  Simply TRY IT OUT and seek the truth within it. What works for me, might not necessarily work for you but I share because … it worked."

So ... You have a "New" Business "Opportunity?"

For the past 5-6 years, ever since I began my career as a professional speaker, I became a target for people in the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) industry. Now before I go further, I'm not going to bash this industry, but I am going to share why I won't get down with it.

First of all, whereas this industry appears to be the newest or next big thing, I first became involved with the industry back when I was 18 years old. The company was named A.L. Williams (now known as Primerica). I was somewhat the prodigy. After attending a few meetings I was able to do the intro meetings myself. I went through the training and even took & passed the necessary licensing classes. The only problem ... No one was trying to make life decisions like which kind of insurance or mutual funds to buy from an 18 year old. So I walked away from the business, but I stayed in touch with my colleagues.

A while later, the office I was affiliated with began to decline. I don't know if it was because people just decided to leave the business, go off to other businesses or if - as my father said would happen - after everyone in the area signing up everyone they know and getting them to do the same, the area gets saturated and dies out. It could have been a combination of all of the above. Of the crew I worked with, two are dead, two are on the streets, one has had numerous run-ins with the law (I even saw his mugshot in the processing room in MY department), and one is doing well with her life in her (non-MLM) career. Some of them made some money early on, but none of them "caked out" as was promised in the beginning.

What amazes me is how true the saying is that, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Whenever someone comes to me and says they have a "business opportunity," I So ... You have a "new" business "opportunity?" I KNOW they're coming at me with an MLM business. Whenever someone tells me that another person can or has to better explain this "opportunity," I KNOW they're coming at me with an MLM business. The only thing that has changed is the fact that there are legitimate products that these businesses are offering, but at the end of the day, you don't make money from "direct sales." You make your money from how large and long a "downline" you can create. A downline is the people you bring in; the people they bring in, and the people brought in by the people you brought in and so on. When you come in you're a part of someone's downline, which is known as your "upline." Your upline basically shows who is making money off of you and the people in your downline.

When you joined the business, you gave someone else bonus points. You might be personally responsible for someone driving off in a shiny new luxury car as these are shown to be the symbol of success in these businesses. There was a time when I could say that I never knew anyone that reached that level, but earlier this year someone I know jumped into the business and in two years was awarded a BMW for his work. Quite a few close friends have entered the industry, so I have opted to tone down how opposed I am to this business. However, I can't get past the fact that this not about selling product. This is basically shifting money and getting paid by increasing membership in the program. The more people you bring in and the more people you get those people to bring in (and so on), the more money you make.

I simply cannot get down with getting paid for signing people up and teaching them how to get paid for signing people up ... "Oh by the way, there are some products we have over here, but the REAL money is over here in building a strong downline. Let me show you how to make this kind of money."

Tell you what ... If once you gets past all of the smoke & mirrors about how great this "opportunity" is, the one thing you either aren't telling me directly or telling me in some fancy sparkly way is that after I get YOU paid by signing up, you show me how to get paid by signing other people up and getting them to sign other people up ... I'll pass.

Keep Stretching ...

I remember the first time I saw Jean Claude Van Damme. It was his (real) first movie, "No Retreat, No Surrender." Dude's flexibility was crazy! Not only were his kicks really high, but he also performed what's called a "Russian Split," which is when both legs are stretched straight to either side. I told myself, "I'm going to do that!"

So I began stretching every day. I stretched so much that it hurt at times, but in time I was able to do it. It was definitely a girl-magnet move at parties when I was an Undergrad and at parties when I was in the Air Force. At 43, it ain't going down like that but my mind still holds the same discipline to manifest what I want by stretching thoughts.

If your dreams seem out of reach, it's because THEY ARE!

The question is how long are you going to let them stay out of reach? You're going to have to stretch. You're going to have to stretch until it hurts and then you're going to have to stretch some more because the pain you're feeling is the door creaking open.

You're going to have to keep stretching because that persistent stretching is your mind lubricating the hinges of that door. You're going to have to keep stretching because in time, you'll find that door will swing open smoothly and freely and when it does, you will find what you were reaching for; what you were stretching for, on the other side and well within your grasp.

Are People More Afraid to be Wealthy or Broke?

I have always said that people fail not because they're afraid of trying, but because they're afraid of succeeding. You see, it's going to take some work to get to a higher level than where you are, and once you reach that level you're going to have to maintain that same level of work to maintain your level of success or work even harder to get to the next level.

Many people get comfortable (complacent) right where they are. It takes no effort whatsoever to get comfortable. You may have to shift an inch or two here or there, but there's no sweat equity required to be comfortable (complacent).

Contrary to popular belief, wealth exists in abundance in this world. It's like a buffet ... You can walk up to the counter and take as many different items as you like. The person in front of you might only want one piece of shrimp (or a $30K/yr paying job), but you might want FIVE pieces of shrimp (6-7 figures).

It all boils down to what you're willing to work for, how many battles you're willing to fight, how many betrayals and setbacks you're willing to endure. These are the things to fear in becoming wealthy ... In comparison, what's there to fear about being broke? When you have the answer to that you'll realize why there are so many more broke people than wealthy people.

HRJR's Business `n Life Lesson (The Hip Hop Version)

     According to Forbes Magazine's 2013 Hip Hop "CASH KINGS," Sean "Diddy" Combs, Shawn "Jay Z" Carter & Andre "Dr. Dre" Young are the top 3 highest paid Hip Hop artists. The next 3 top earners are Nicki Minaj, Birdman & Kanye West. The top 3 earners 2012-2013 earnings surpass the next set of top earners by 50% or more.

 

Let's examine this ...

     The one common denominator the top three share is that even though they're all Hip Hop artists, the bulk of their income came from investments and ventures not directly related to hip hop or performing. It's been several years since Diddy put out an album/CD, Jay Z practically rebuilt Brooklyn's image single-handedly, and Dre hasn't dropped an album/CD in nearly 15 years.

So what does this mean? ...

     It's really simple ... These gentlemen realized long ago that what gets you to where you are may not be enough to take you where you want to go. If you want to have more and be more, you're going to have to DO more. If you want to gain something different and new, you're going to have to DO something different and new.

     Another thing these top 3 earners have in common is that they are not in business with many or any of the people they started out with. Regardless of the varied circumstances surrounding these separations, the overall prevailing message here is that, everyone who starts out with you and goes with you to a certain point might not be able or worthy to go with you the rest of the way.

As Jay Z said a few years back …
“Men lie, women lie … NUMBERS DON’T.”

HRJR's Lesson in Preparation ...

Something my elders used to say was, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Former Harvard President, Derek Bok said "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

It was Whitney M. Young who said, "It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."

And another age old adage of wisdom asks "Is it not better to measure ten times and cut once than to measure once and cut ten times?"

I truly believe that one of the main reasons people fail in life is because they often mistake an idea for a plan and their enthusiasm for preparation. There's nothing wrong with having a good idea, this is where all of our advances, both great and small come from. However, in order for that good idea to be of benefit, it must be converted into a great plan! And it is during the planning stages that you discover how you can go about making that good idea a reality.

There's a saying that goes, "Sometimes you have to take the jump and build your wings on the way down." Now, I can respect that in terms of having faith and all, but from a practical standpoint, I cannot help but continue to think, "If you don't anything about HOW to build wings before you jumped, where is that knowledge going to come from while you're falling?"

People want what they want and they want it now. You're probably no different. The next time you're struck by what you believe to be serendipity, take a moment of pause to reflect and then another to prepare.

You'll be glad you did.

Burger King Workers Striking for $30K Salaries ... REALLY?!

Whose fault is it that many of these people used the prime earning years of his life working at Burger King. It's really tripping me out how people go through high school bullsh@tting, don't go to college or learn a trade, then have the NERVE to make babies, get the only job they're qualified to do and then expect to be making the same kind of money that college graduates make?

I'm all for people making a living wage, and I understand that times have been and are hard for many Americans, but let's be real ... What we're really looking at are a great many decent people who didn't do what they were supposed to do when they had the opportunity to do it and now they're stuck. Is it sad, yes ... But this is real life and people often don't think about the future, then when the future they never imagined or dreamed about in their worst nightmares becomes their present - their reality, then it's the economy's fault ... or the government's fault, or the greedy corporations' fault.

HOGWASH

Forgive me (or don't), but this is what happens when parents "let kids be kids" and don't prepare them for the real world. I have a niece who's 15 years old and every time we're spending quality time together I ask her about her plans for college and what kind of work she wants to do when she's on her own. Sure she's a sophomore in high school, but at least her wheels stay turning. Many parents don't have these kinds of conversations with their kids.

If you have teenagers now, you had better be preparing the, for what's out there. I refuse to have my boys fighting for a so-called livable wage. I want my boys to be living in excess, and the earlier I prepare them to do that the sooner they will be able to eat at Burger King, but never have to worry about a paycheck from there ...

Unless it's their summer job while in high school ... or a profit statement if they someday OWN a Burger King.

I'm all for people making

We Have to Take Responsibility for What is Taken From Our Culture

For anyone in the black community to deny that what is commonly known today as "twerking" has no ties to African culture is ludicrous. The fact that this form of "dance" has evolved into something undignified does not take away from where elements of it originated.

If you believe that this is untrue I urge you to do some research and view a variety of traditional African dances. Hell ... I remember the little girls I grew up with "twerking" (before there was a name for it) while doing their little drill team dances in between playing double dutch and being chased around by me and my boys. So ... Let's not act "new."

Speaking of "tradition" it is an unwritten rule that once the so-called mainstream (white) community takes something of ours it becomes uncool for us to continue to do. For example, the term "bling" which was coined by New Orleans rappers from the Cash Money Records label, became trite once white people began describing jewelry as "bling-bling."

The reality is that many white artists - past, present & future - have, do & will continue to build their careers on the blood, sweat, tears and "souls" of black folk. From the Beetles, to the Rolling Stones, to Rod Stewart, Elton John, Phil Collins, Darryl Hall, Madonna, Annie Lenox, Boy George, George Michael, Jon B., Color Me Bad, N'Sync (& Justin Timberlake as a solo artist), the Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Brittany Spears, Christina Aguillera (who only began claiming her Latino roots when Ricky Martin, J-Lo & Marc Anthony began blowing up), to Robin Thicke and now Miley Cyrus ... These "artists" all know from where their "expression" originated.

In the end, we can't deny what's "ours" because it was taken, misused and or abused. What we as a people must do is set a better example by how we carry ourselves because what is obvious is that what WE do, white folk will do and do it so as to say, "we just want to share in what you do and bridge the gaps between us."

HRJR's Life Lesson ...

As the whole Kendrick Lamar thing begins to wind down, I have just ONE question ... Why or rather, how is it that dudes who don't have any F'n chance of being the "King of New York" are the ones who have a problem with him saying that's how he wants to see himself?

You see (here's where I sneak the lesson in on ya), when you see yourself bigger than other people see themselves, they will not rise to meet you where you see yourself. Instead, they will unite against you to pull you down to their level with them, where THEY FEEL you belong. Ironically, when these people happen to be those closest to you; i.e., family & friends - they will bring you down, call it keeping you "grounded" and expect you to be grateful and see it as them doing YOU a FAVOR.

Just by SAYING he was the "King of New York," a kid from Compton became the most talked about rapper in the game for a minute. All the little jabs and opinions cannot compare or compete with how Kendrick Lamar's brand has gone up a notch or two.

SEE you where you want to BE you, then get yourself there. People can either ride with you or be left behind.

HRJR's Businessman Moment

 

People often ask me ... "Why do you always break everything down to how much it costs?"

Well, I learned to appreciate calculating the financial aspects of a project or deal when I learned how TLC sold 10 million records and went BROKE:

1. Every record is broken down into 100 points. In TLC's deal each point was worth 8 cents.

2. TLC (as a group) received 7 points, or $0.56 per record.

3. 10 million records at $0.56 = $5.6 million.

4. The record company recouped $3 million for recording, marketing & promotion expenses leaving $2.6 million.

5. From that, the IRS took 50% ($1.3M) in taxes.

6. $1.3M split three ways = $433,333.

7. Money left after buying a home, paying bills & "living the life" .... $0.00.

You see ... when you know how much something costs you in the beginning and how much it will cost you along the way, you can better project how much you'll have at the end.

In ANY deal, it's not about how much money you make ... It's all about how much money you KEEP!

Priorities ... And the Importance Thereof

It never ceases to amaze me how people like to impute their priorities on someone else's life. I just don't get it. Personally, what's important to me is important to me. I have come to learn not too very long ago that many of the things I deem important are not equally or even fractionally as important to many others, and I've learned to be cool with it. I don't go about forcing what I deem important upon someone else, nor do I particularly care if they do their own thing. 

It's one thing to be considerate of what's important to others. We all should strive to be that way, but the reality is there are few people who are that considerate. If you've got one or more people in your life who are considerate of what's important to you, cherish them because they are rare. For everyone else ... Those people who tolerate what's important to you rather than respect it; be respectful to them, but above all else stay true to what's important to you.

Most, if not many people want everyone else to see things their way. They want what's important to them to be just as - if not more important to you. In all honesty, I'm no different to the extent that I welcome agreement. But I'm not chasing down and fighting to convince anyone who disagrees with me, and I think that's something that perturbs people because I'll make a statement and someone will say "I disagree," as if at that point I was supposed to totally go 180 degrees from my position. And the wild thing is, it's not that the person can or does prove me wrong, they just want to disagree.

But hey ... To each his (or her) own. Go on and disagree. But what's important to me is important to me. What's important to you, is important to you. If the paths converge, beautiful. If they don't ... Hey ... Life still goes on.

And I'm gonna do me.

Forgive me ... Just had to vent.