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!