COMPETITION FOR THE SOUL
COMPETITION FOR THE SOUL
Today I will attempt to dispel the negative connotation of competition. When people think of competing they usually associate it with people comparing themselves to others ,which in turn leads to trying out shine them every waking moment. Although the previous statement is true for certain people, true competition is really about YOURSELF!
Check out "CAL CAST" featuring DRAKE, by clicking here https://soundcloud.com/user-974863256/drake-talks-about-his-past-current-projects-and-future-plans
This awakening was sparked by a conversation Drake had w/ Coach John Calipari on coach's podcast "CAL CAST". Drake spoke about how he can't truly take a break because he fear someone is not taking a break and they would stumble upon something he would've stumbled upon had it not been for the brakes. This may seem to be fueled by the desire to stay ahead of everyone else but I believe it is a testament to the bar Drake set for himself. He also revealed to Coach Cal that his reason for continuing to do music is for his legacy and having music that he can appreciate from himself 20 years down the line.
How can he focus on such a daunting task by constantly comparing himself to other artists and always worrying about ways to 1-up himself? The answer is he couldn't , this is why competition is about self when you out perform someone it is only a by-product of outperforming yourself. Say you set out to beat a previous sales record made by yourself and when you beat the record you also end up outselling your opposition. The only way you could outsell your opposition is if you worked on records that were strong enough to beat your previous endeavor, see what I mean?
On an ending note, Coach Jim Harbaugh also spoke w/ Coach Cal on another episode. They both said they have a quote in their office that reads "JUST COACH YOUR TEAM". If they Coach their teams to the best of their ability that isn't a testament to out doing their opponents(though it plays a role) , it is a more of testament of due diligence to focusing on self.
Hopefully that debunks this negative notion of competition. Competition is great because if it doesn't do anything else it gets you to look at yourself!
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HOW THE BAD THINGS IN LIFE CAN MAKE FOR A GOOD STORY
HOW THE BAD THINGS IN LIFE CAN MAKE FOR A GOOD STORY
Vito Corleone's death scene in The Godfather
Barry gets dismantled in his first encounter with Zoom
Today on my morning commute, I was thinking about a great win we took last night and all the hardships we had to overcome in the past several years. I thought to myself "man if somebody was watching this on tv they would be going crazy after seeing all these rollercoaster rides" and that's when it hit me, as cliche as it sounds it really is about a journey. Think about how uninteresting it would be if The Flash beat every major villain in a single episode or The Godfather just showed Marlon Brando reigning supreme all day. No story is complete without drama. Even though, people strive to live without petty drama it is the dilemmas/problems that give our life story depth.
Michael Jordan didn't come out the gate being the greatest basketball player of all time, he didn't even make varsity squad in high school on his first attempt. Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime...ONE! A major lesson I've learned is not to be outcome dependent, meaning being hyper focused on the results of an outcome instead of just taking it as it comes. That's equivalent to rushing ahead to the season finale without watching any of the core episodes.
The Red Vineyard was the only painting Van Gogh sold in his lifetime
If you are wanting to rush to the "good parts" of life chances are you're already in it, enjoy the show baby you're going to be here for a while!
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WLCM SERIES 002 FEB 2017
THE POWER OF COLLABORATION
THE POWER OF COLLABORATION
Today the internet may have shattered in pieces all because two of the most recognizable names in fashion which is; SUPREME and LOUIS VUITTON just debuted their collaboration at PARIS FASHION WEEK. Here are a few things that make a collaboration work out in the favor of all parties.
I. OPPOSITES ATTRACT
Maybe someone with photoshop saw this coming but anyone that actually works in fashion see the distinct separation between Louis Vuitton and Supreme. LV is a luxury goldmine and Supreme is originally catered towards skaters and more recently people who love streetwear in general. Two brands on the opposite end of the spectrum is bound to make a noteworthy collaboration.
II. REPUTATION DOES HALF THE WORK
LOUIS VUITTON "JASPER" by KANYE WEST
SUPREME x THE NORTH FACE
SUPREME has always collaborated with brands in the past (i.e. NORTH FACE, JUMPMAN, LEVI's, etc..) and LOUIS VUITTON isn't shy of high profile collaborations either (I.e. KANYE WEST, TAKASHI MURAKAMI, etc), so when it was rumored that this collaboration would happen, the collab already had positive expections because of their great work in the past.
III. IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT
The SUPREME x LV collection sticks to each brand's signature items while adding an inverse spin on it from each brand's perspective. Everything that customers love such as the LUGGAGE TRUNK, SKATE DECK, FIVE PANEL CAP, and more are all present which doesn't make the collaboration feel forced but more so as if it was overdue for release.
Sometimes big brands make moves strictly off hype and a quick flip. Though this collection is generating extreme hype it isn't negative but it only shows the power of collaboration when it is done correctly.
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FORCE FIELDS
FORCE FIELDS
Ever wondered why Force fields in video games exist? I bet you thought they were nothing more than annoying nuances the developers created. However most of these Force fields serves a purpose. In most cases a Force field may appear because the player has not advanced far enough in the story, the space is not meant to be explored by the player and/or a player must posses a certain item for access. These Force fields are much like the Force fields/barriers we experience in real life!
We may have a big end goal for our life in mind. Most of us if we had the option would skip straight to the point where our goal is accomplished and we can have a free-for-all unfortunately life doesn't work like that. Our story serves a purpose and we must patiently and diligently play out each chapter in order gain what we want in the long run.
There are times in life where we would like to do something that necessarily isn't meant for us. A certain person may have a love for basketball but their destiny isn't in playing professional basketball. Much like the graphics that lies beyond the Force field, just because we can see what's on the other side doesn't mean it meant for us to go there. Life is simply giving a spectrum view of things and we should be grateful of what we get to see and continue on our own adventure.
Have you ever tried applying for a position that require certain credentials (I.e. College Degree ) and was denied even though you possessed the experience. In video games you may progressed very far in the game you may have even "beaten" it but if you lack a certain item you would miss out on playing extra content within the game. We can posses a lot of things in life but for some our goals specifics may be required and without those specifics we sabotage ourself from having the one thing we truly want.
So don't be weary of road blocks you may come to find out that they're for a good reason. Keep playing your game and life will always bring you to the areas you need to explore.
PEACE IN THE PRESENT
PEACE IN THE PRESENT
It's not an ancient secret that being present or "in the moment" is the ideal state to be in yet many people still struggle with achieving this state of mind. Yesterday after I finished drawing I noticed that my mind didn't wonder anywhere else it was strictly focused on drawing.
Comic Book Artist, Paolo Rivera focused intensely on a painting.
When you zone in a 100% on any activity you eliminate worrying and over-thinking because all of your energy go towards the here and now.
Imagine Phil Mickelson trying to get a hole in one or Kyrie Irving trying to make a game winning shot with their mind cluttered with "when is the mortgage due again" or "man I wonder when game of thrones is coming back on"? It isn't possible to be in the present without being focused.
After you've finished an activity or a chore think about how you felt, if you can reminisce on feelings of serenity and calmness then congrats you've achieved peace in the present.
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THE SYMBOLISM OF GREY
THE SYMBOLISM OF GREY
"Descent on Gotham by Alex Ross"
Today I was watching videos of comic book artist ALEX ROSS and I realized how much of an important role the color grey plays. Grey serves as a neutralizer; it is neither this or that but it's a mixture of both. Think of when people say the term "grey area". Much like in a painting the word grey can carry a dark tone or a light tone. Even in the worst of people you can find something good about them and vice versa, the "grey" serves as the enhancer and/or reducer of a situation. The color grey can act as a remainder to not take things a 100% as it seems but to always examine things with a second look.
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SKIP THE TUTORIAL
SKIP THE TUTORIAL
THE KEY TO GETTING STARTED
In recent times you may have noticed a surge of people wanting to become entrepreneurs and/or expand their creative boundaries. Although many of these people just enjoy the thought of accomplishing something instead of actually pursuing it. Think of a new venture as playing a video game you just purchased. Usually when you play a game for the first time it asks you would you like a tutorial or skip straight ahead.
The tutorial doesn't seem like a bad idea but spending time on it takes away from you actually starting the game and that is what happens when people spend too much time in the research stage. To get started you don't have to learn every move of the game in the beginning it'd save you more time to just learn as you go and pick up on new skills by collaborating with more people. Its adjacent to playing your new game with someone else who already has it and they show you things that you didn't previously know how to do before.
Learning is essential but it can be crippling but the one thing that triumphs learning is applying what you learn. So skip all the lessons for now go ahead and get started now you're going to be happy that you did.
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PRESS START
PRESS START
A new year is upon us and it will be filled with much wonder and unforeseen circumstances. What a new year does for many people is give them a fresh start. It’s almost as if you’re purchasing a new game and are getting ready to play it for the first time. You don’t know what to expect but you’re excited, anxious, and passionate about what’s to come. So today you can think of life like the screen on that new video game the only thing you have to do is press start.
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CHOOSE A SIDE
CHOOSE A SIDE
CONFRONTATION IS A TWO PLAYER GAME
In most cases it is natural for us to react to anyone that may try to get us riled up. We instantly feel the need to go tit for tat when someone attempts to disrespect us. What most of us fail to realize is that we get to choose rather or not what the offender does actually offends us or not. Situations like these remind me of when you get ready to play a game of 2K with someone .
When you bring up an exhibition game of 2K each player has to choose a side ,if a player fails to choose a side then the other player ends up playing by themselves. Much like if someone fails to react to someone messing with them the other person is bound to be stuck with themselves because they did not get the reaction they were hoping for.
A lot of people like to play games but they’re not much fun to play when you have to play them with yourself. Next time when faced with a situation of agitation and unwanted disturbance think twice before you give attention to a game you do not desire to play.
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DRAGONBALL 6:27–28
DRAGONBALL 6:27–28
Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Speak well of those who curse you. -Luke 6:27–28
One of the most difficult things for humans to do is to do right by those who’ve wronged us. Often times the first thought is to react in a way that will bring us vengeance or some sense of vindication. However our hero of this popular anime took a different route.
During a battle with one of the universe’s most tyrannous villains, Goku did something that was undeniably the action of a hero. The planet on which him and the villain at that time (Frieza) was fighting on was nearing its end and Goku was in the clear to escape after being the victor in their fight. However Goku did not act selfishly, he gave a wounded Frieda enough energy to escape as well. He did this after Frieza killed his best friend, destroyed his race, and murdered a planet full of innocent creatures. Goku unlike most people can always see the good in people. There’s a lesson all humans can take from that and we can all start to show sincere acts of kindness to those we despise and/or clash against.
Even though Frieza still tries to kill Goku after he lent him energy, it still doesn’t take away from the good deed that Goku commits. You cannot control how people react after you do something for them all you can do is worry about doing what you know is right.
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DRAGONBALL 22:6
DRAGONBALL 22:6
Proverbs 22:6- Train up a child in the way he should go;even when he is old he will not depart from it.
One of the most popular verses from the Bible made me think of one of the most popular characters in Anime. In Dragonball Z, the main protagonist Goku has a son named Gohan. Goku is known as a strong warrior throughout the universe and naturally his son is most likely inclined to carry that same trait. Goku always knew Gohan had hidden potential so he would always encourage him to train and so he did. When he was young he trained with Goku former nemesis now one of his best friends, Piccolo and when he reached his teenage year he trained with his father Goku.
Gohan was at peak level during his teenage years but after he defeated a major villain his skills started to decline. Mainly due to his mother pushing him into academia more so than fighting. Much like Gohan your children may veer from the path they were initially raised on. They may venture into gang violence, illegal activities, or maybe even something that may be positive but it just wasn’t apart of their initial upbringing. However just like the verse states the child will not depart from it and eventually you’d see them return to how they were once raised.
That essentially is what ends up happening to Gohan. Although he lost his footing during his adult years the current arc in Dragonball Super shows that the Gohan that started as a kid with unlimited potential is bound for a comeback. Children are much like your favorite television characters; you may see them go off track for a minute but, if you let them play their own story out you’ll eventually see them return to their former-selves and they may even end up surpassing your expectations.
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I GOT THE HOOK UP: AN INSIDE LOOK ON NEPOTISM
I GOT THE HOOK UP: AN INSIDE LOOK ON NEPOTISM
NEPOTISM —noun
- patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics: She was accused of nepotism when she made her nephew an officer of the firm.
On a recent episode of ABC’s hit series, “BLACK-ISH”, Andre Johnson contemplates on using his connections to get his daughter Zoey Johnson an internship she needs to get into college. Andre built a career in advertising off his own merit and feels his child should work as hard as he did for her own opportunities. When Andre bring this dilemma to work he finds that his white boss and co-workers have no problem giving their child an opportunity he/she may not have worked especially hard for. This strikes a question whether should nepotism be supported or thwarted ?
In my personal opinion nepotism is a key factor to getting ahead and should definitely be supported when applicable. People maintain power by not letting the power leave their families. If an oppressor or competitor is willing to do to keep why shouldn’t we do it to obtain our own power? Andre also came to this same conclusion and ultimately allowed Zoey to use his connections to get an internship. What he comes to find out that she is able to make a name of her own and she did not linger in the shadow of his hard work like he feared. Just like any other person in the world all Zoey needed was a foot in the door and that’s what nepotism ultimately is.
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LAYERS
LAYERS
I was listening to the recent episode of OTHERtone [Hosted by Pharrell Williams & Scott Vener] when Pharrell gave someone advice on the vocals of their music. He told him he should stack the tracks so that he can get more depth and a bigger sound out of the vocals. Then I watched a video of legendary artist Hajime Sorayama, who is known for his meticulous detailing and all throughout the video he keeps putting layers and layers of different grays to give the picture more depth. Which brings me to my point, layers are what make simple things complex and interesting.
Imagine if a person just had one trait about them and nothing else…that would be an extremely dull/boring person. However learning what’s underneath a person and finding out multiple things about them is what makes them seem otherworldly and uncanny. A person without layers is like baking a cake and skipping out on key ingredients, it’s definitely isn’t going to be a cake you wanna eat.
Another example to consider, is the lyrics of JAY Z. JAY Z is known for his double(sometimes triple) entendres and saying things that you don’t understand until much later in life. When JAY adds those levels of depth and perspective to his music it makes you(the listener) gain a deeper understanding of him that makes him complex and interesting.
So that’s the power of layers, it’s always something new to discover it only depends on how deep you’re willing to go.
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IF YOU DON'T SAY IT NO ONE WILL
IF YOU DON'T SAY IT NO ONE WILL
People seem to have a skewed view over what is arrogance and what is confidence. To make it in this world surely you need confidence but no one likes an over arrogant person. Let’s start with breaking down the exact meaning of both terms.
CONFIDENCE- —noun
- full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing: We have every confidence in their ability to succeed
ARROGANCE- — noun
- 1. offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.
See the key word is BELIEF. Without believing first, there’s no way you can start achieving.
Hip Hop/Rap is my favorite genre and it is a genre that is mostly filled with braggadocio lyrics and much bravado. However that type of swagger and confidence is needed when it comes to performing and being a top tier emcee. Take for example, Lil Wayne, I’m sure you heard of him. At first he started as the youngest in his group (Hot Boys) to becoming one of the best rappers ever. People did not start crediting or even thinking about Wayne as a top artist until he made a bold claim stating he’s “the best rapper alive since the best rapper retired”. Saying that you are the best or putting yourself in the conversation of being the best forces people to take a look at your track record and if you can show up in the present they would have no choice but to accept your claim.
Please remember that when people want you to tone down your excitement you have for yourself or question you for comparing yourself to the greats. For everyone who became great only did so once they considered themselves great.
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SELF BLAME AND THE OLI EFFECT
SELF BLAME AND THE OLI EFFECT
If you haven’t seen an episode of ARROW on the CW I recommend that you check it out immediately. It’s a television adaptation of DC COMICS “GREEN ARROW”, which follows the story of a man who becomes a vigilante after surviving a shipwreck. The main character Oliver Queen aka The Green Arrow is known for a somewhat fatal character flaw, he blames himself for EVERYTHING(literally everything). From his view there’s nothing wrong with that because he considers himself a hero and holds himself accountable. Many of us suffer from the same thing in real life.
As a person who only goal is to succeed one of the things I must have is self control, the keyword there is SELF. Too many times I may try to control things that aren’t in my control and when it doesn’t goes my way I blame myself for not doing something or doing something that I should or should not have done.
Oliver has seen many tragedies during the course of the series; witnessed his mother killed by a villain, seen his father commit suicide to ensure his survival, and even just recently accidentally murdered his ex girlfriend’s current boyfriend (you’ll have to watch the show to get all that). However the common thread there is all those things were out of his control even though he felt like his actions beget those consequences.
We may consider ourselves the heroes of our families but we can’t save everything and everyone, we can only try our best and not beat ourselves up about it. Remember a true hero knows how to save him/herself from him/herself.
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ONE MORE TIME
ONE MORE TIME
Last night I was doing some reading and the writer mentioned something about “following up”. That’s when it hit me that I often let things go after one attempt(when it comes to asking for help,favors,etc). Plenty of people struggle with this as well and now I see persistence has been an underrated trait for a long time.
Ever notice that when a child constantly ask for something they usually end up getting it? As we get older we don’t want to seem like the nagging child but, the nagging child wants what it want regardless of how it make them appear and that is what allow them to consistently ask for what they want until they reach some type of resolve.
Howard Schultz of Starbucks was denied a loan 242 times, Walt Disney idea for Disneyland was denied 302 times, even still one rejection is enough to make most people give up for an entire lifetime! Today should be the day that ends, I encourage everyone to attempt their wildest dream and/or biggest desire just one more time and one more time after that!
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PRACTICE POWER
PRACTICE POWER
Lately we’ve been discussing practice and the power you gain from it. We know that the most gifted/skilled people in the world didn’t just wake up and become great but yet it still feel like we greatly underestimate how much they’ve practiced. I think we underestimate practice so much because we still haven’t learned the true distinction between talent and skill.
Talent is what you’re born with but skill is something that you develop. Skill is harnessed through the power of repetition . You may or may not know that I’m an artist and in order to be a GREAT one you have to draw EVERYDAY! I didn’t understand that until my senior year of college. I was finishing summer school and I would have so much time in the day I would start back the habit of drawing again. Fast forward to present day and there isn’t a SINGLE DAY where I DON’T draw. Of course masterpieces aren’t created everyday but the point is to do something until it become second nature.
It’s just like Stephen Curry being a great three point shooter. He shoots the ball so much that eventually the ball has to go in furthermore, the ball have to go in at much higher rates the more he shoots the ball. Apply that logic to any talent you have and watch how skilled you will become.
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