the major and indie record companies pitch their new artist projects for the
current year. Heads of companies came out,
played parts of songs and introduced sizzle reel after sizzle real in hopes
that the room would fall in love with a project and look for me, and others
like me. to support that artist on the radio.
Lives are often changed in meetings like this and fans are created. An artist can go from Starbucks Barista to
chart topping pop star in just one catchy song hook. It’s an amazing event and it’s a blessing to
be able to experience it.
jeans, boots, a heavy winter jacket and carrying a laptop. Yes, that Kanye West. The “George Bush hates black people” Kanye West. In case you were wondering, yes Kanye West is
crazy. There was a rumor he was given 10
minutes to talk. Kanye West went for
almost an hour and what an amazing hour it was.
household name. Even old people know who
he is! Maybe from his music? Maybe from his polarizing statements on
politics and pop culture? Or like my
father who knows him as the guy married to the girl with the big ass that did
that porno movie. Kanye West, care for
him or not, is an interesting person and if Kanye is going to speak for an
hour, I’m going to listen to every crazy thing he has to say!
handed. He wanted to address the room in
a very informal manner and felt that talking into a microphone, something he
does for a living and people pay tons of money to see him do, wasn’t the proper
way to address the audience. Again,
Kanye West is crazy. He started with his
background and how he become who he is today.
As he explained, he weaved in and out of different stories, jumping
timelines while sometimes staying on point and often taking a trip to left
field in an effort to share something random, but to him, very
interesting. If anyone else delivered
this message, you would look for security to grab them or at least a huge Gong
Show hook to pull them backstage, but you have to remember this is Kanye West
and before he opened his mouth or entered the room, you knew he was crazy. Have a seat security and grab some popcorn.
are also crazy. The two basically go
hand in hand and we all pretty much accept it.
When you create for a living, it’s understandable. The point he was making and the basis of his
speech was that he wanted us to understand that he is an innovator. He has a responsibility to his fans and to
his industry to innovate and lead change.
To start a movement. With one
song, Kanye West feels he can alter the musical landscape and force producers
and artists to change their sound to match his.
Like every professional athlete that thinks they can make a game
changing play, Kanye West believes he can change the entire sound of today’s
music. Why shouldn’t he feel that way?
Steve Jobs. That he and Steve are
innovators and responsible for shouldering the weight of the industry. We all know you don't give yourself a
nickname and you should wait for someone else to compare you to someone before
you attempt to make that comparison yourself. It's like me calling myself a “young
Brad Pitt”. We look nothing alike, but why the hell not? Well, Kanye can say whatever he wants and
even though it's an odd comparison, at the end of the day, Kanye is right. Does saying that make me crazy or did he
rightfully convert me into a believer?
Regardless of his approach, Kanye believes in Kanye and you need that in
order to be successful. In order to get
fans and followers, you have to start with being a fan of yourself. With taking ownership of leading a cause or
banging the drum of change, there is a healthy bit of ego and self-love
involved. Kanye certainly has that. Because Kanye is a crazy genius.
or movement, you need to be at least a little crazy. You need to be committed. You need to believe and not be pulled away
from that conviction. Crazy people are
the most followed and believed in people.
Most leaders have some level of crazy.
Cult leaders are crazy, but masses follow them. Presidential candidates
may not be crazy, but they are so committed to their platform (and they need to
be in order to be taken seriously) that it comes across as crazy to anyone that
doesn’t agree with their stance.
Musicians are crazy and they have tons of fans. In order for me or anyone to be taken
seriously, we need to risk being considered crazy.
conceived, people thought I was crazy or at least a little obsessed, with
pictures of failed parking attempts.
Starting anything with the intention of it becoming a movement or
suggestion starts with a bunch of conviction and hope that others feel the same
as you do about something. The needs
that fuel the planting of seeds of consideration are passion and belief. There
is a hope that others share my same ideas and feelings. There is also a hope that they don’t discount
me because they don’t feel the same way or if they are totally apathetic to the
whole idea. You can’t and won’t get belief or buy-in from others if you don’t
believe it yourself.
attempts, but as you’ve read, my belief and message is deeper than backing up
and trying it again. #Tryharder is a
cause and it is important I treat it as such.
The message is clear and encouraging. Yes, I believe that I can change
the world, one bad parking job at a time.
he is responsible for the sound today's music.
Right or wrong, he feels that he carries that responsibility and
sometimes burden on his shoulders. So if
you are unsuccessful in getting others to follow and believe you, you might
have to get crazier. You are going to have to show your potential audience,
followers and future fans just how committed you are to your cause. Nothing is
truly accomplished in life by being wishy-washy in your convictions. Nobody
follows anyone that "kind of wants to do some stuff". People want to
be moved. They want to be motivated.
They want to be inspired. They want some crazy validation. If they are
going to be crazy enough to follow the cause then they at least need someone to
show them the appropriate level of crazy it's going to take. Again, crazy isn't
a bad thing. It just means you want it more than others.
almost always grabs a player that made a noteworthy play during the game, for
some sort of postgame interview. When
it’s a Quarterback, you usually get the routine answers, accompanied with a big
“aww shucks” smile, talking about how great the team played and how he,
personally, needs to work on a few things and his team helped him out and blah
blah blah. It’s pretty much the same
formula each time and you aren’t going to get a great or memorable quote from
the leader of the team.
time; that’s a whole different interview!
I love it when the defensive players get an opportunity to say something
after the game. Why? Because they have a
tendency to break out some emotional speech, fueled with random elements and
occasionally a cameo from another player who may or may not realize (or care)
that their teammate has a microphone in front of them. It’s comical, but it’s more “real” than
anything you are going to get from a coach or Quarterback.
phrase into the spirited speech…”Everyone doubted us”. Everyone doubted the team. Everyone doubted the defense. Everyone doubted that player. Sure, you have the best record in the league,
but everyone doubted you. You made it to
the Super Bowl, but everyone doubted you.
You are a millionaire and have started every game you have ever played
in since you were 6 years old, but everyone doubted you.
Right…
have to create something to keep you going.
You have to invent a fake Goliath to throw stones at. A group of people that doubt you in order to
keep fighting, or a chip on your shoulder in an effort to stay motivated and
evoke motivation from others. When you
don’t have anything real or concrete holding you back, you have to feed on the
energy of something. Even if that
catalyst isn’t even real.
to what results negative motivation can often produce. It’s one thing to live the best life you can
and do it motivated by a pure drive to be great, but to be able to use a chip
or crutch to keep your motor going is a far stronger force of mental
energy. To beat the team that once beat
you. To prove others wrong. To shove your accomplishment into someone
else’s face. I’m not saying it’s
healthiest, but the results come faster and can help push you to dig deeper if
they have an element of adversity or competition.
self-created. The creation of the fake “haters” comes from a history of failure
and a desire to blame that failure on something or someone else. Imagination
has more uses than Willie Wonka sang about, doesn’t it?
It’s not a bunch of people doubting you.
It’s you doubting you. Strip it
down and look at your motivator. What is
driving you to #Tryharder? Is it really
animosity or is it your insecurities? Is
it really a group of people doubting you or is it self-doubt? Do you find yourself creating false scenarios
or backstories that never happened? OK,
what if they did happen? Do you still
think that high school teacher that was a dick to you in 10th grade
is still thinking about you and hoping that all the things he said about you
would come true? Highly unlikely right? If that’s the case, then that dude has some
serious issues and probably lives in a van, down by the river.
acknowledge what is real and what is a made up backstory from some fake chapter
of your life. It’s good to have a
healthy amount of “chip” on your shoulder and a competitive drive to overcome
hurdles, but don’t be delusional. Your
ego can trick you into thinking that everyone is talking about you. After you
come to terms with that, you’ll understand that deep down, you are the one with
the foot in your ass. You are the one
motivating and you are the one doubting.
You are the one accountable for your goals and accomplishments and you
are the one that needs to believe in you.
"good stuff". Smoking-meaning the good cigars. Anything else is
classless.
Life is too short to...
Never actually cash in the rainy day fund. I don't know anybody that didn't cry
during the first 15 minutes of the Disney/Pixar movie UP. Learn from Mr. Fredricksen.
Life is too short to...
Not make goals, but don't make those goals your master. Set them. Own them. Just
know that they are marks in life and not something that should blind you from
other wonderful things.
Life is too short to...
To be petty. Yet, it's important that you age better than your classmates or exes.
You can't let them win.
Life is too short to...
Not learn. Make it part of your focus to learn something new every day. Not all of
it has to be huge, like learning a new language. Make a new dish, drink or
actually take the time to read all the crap your phone does. Spend some more
time with that thing you hate doing at work. Read something.
Life is too short to...
Assume the worst. You might as well remain as optimistic as possible in your endeavors and
relationships. Not everyone can be you, so take pride in that.
Life is too short to...
Convince yourself you are good at things you are not good at. Boosting your confidence
is great, but cut ties with lying to yourself. Keep singing because you
enjoy it. I assure you, you sound nothing like Adel.
Life is too short to...
Not love stupid things. You should have a list of things
to love that you shouldn't care if others love them as well. I only drink
unsweet tea. I love Disney.
Life is too short to...
Not walk fast. Yes, it's wise to stop and smell the roses,
but I have always felt that you can smell more roses if you walk faster.
Life is too short to...
Not hug. It's easy. Deep down inside all of us want one. A 3 count is good. Unless it's from
the creepy guy in accounting, then hugs are bad.
Life is too short to...
Not allow yourself to be influenced by the world. Take
it in. Just make sure your influences are healthy and not counterproductive in your
efforts to be "you".
Life is too short to...
Hang onto baggage that comes with no positive lesson. Baggage helps teach us things, but
once it becomes a crutch, it has to go. Know when to let go.
Life is too short to...
Keep staring at your phone looking for something more
interesting to do. I assure you, there is not an app out there that is
more interesting than life. Go force yourself to live life and crush some real
candy.
Life is too short to...
Engage in arguments with idiots. I've never felt the
need to win an argument with an idiot. Idiots are idiots. You will never teach
them anything, so you might as well cut your loses early in the conversation.
Resist the urge to comment on their posts because no good will ever come of it.
Life is too short to...
Keep score in your relationships. Nothing in life is
ever 50/50, so suck it up and come to terms with that. Healthy relationships
are not based on scores or percentages. You have enough competition in your
day, keep it out of your relationship.
Life is too short to...
Leave things in bubble wrap. What good is it to have
something that nobody has and you yourself have never touched, read, listened
to or played with? Nothing is what it is perceived to be worth anymore.
Just look at all the junk you were one day going to make millions off of
on eBay and didn't. When I was a kid, I had planned to retire on my comic book and baseball card collection...yeah...
Life is too short to...
Be mad at stupid shit. Sometimes you hold on to anger so
long that you forget why it pissed you off in the first place. You have to let
it go or it becomes poison.
Life is too short to...
Not buy her a drink. To not dance with the stranger that
is asking. To not smile back at the random person that smiled at you. In the
end, what does it really hurt? There are no good stories about the time
you almost danced or almost had a drink with someone.
Life is too short to...
Not be cordial or tolerant of people. Sure,
voice your opinion and argue when you need to, but don't continue to be a dick
or hold a grudge against them. Trust me, you think more about them than they do
of you.
Life is too short to...
not tell people you love them. I stopped taking myself
serious years ago and have no problem telling people I care about them. Trust
me, nobody ever lays on their death bed saying "shit, I think I loved too
much". That regret never happens. Unless you are a prostitute.
Life is too short to...
not #Tryharder. You've gone this far, you might as well
finish what you started.