This interview has been the most pleasant surprise so far. I only knew him as the “Baby Got Back” guy, but he is so much more.
I
have taken his interview on 30 Days of Genius with Chase Jarvis,
extracted the information, and used it to answer common questions by
readers just like you, who are looking to take their lives to the next
level, or at least a different level than the one they are on.
Please enjoy.
How Can I Be Great At Something?
The first step is you have to WANT something.
This
takes some serious self-reflection, because you want to make sure YOU
want it. Too many people “like” what they think they are supposed to,
and end up unhappy. I started out messing with gadgets and electronics,
and it opened doors to everything else. You run in to danger when the
foundation is not set on something solid, on something that is truly
you, tied to who you are.
Once
you figure out what that something is that you want, you can start
honing in on your identity. When you are growing up, you don’t really
have a sense of who you are. You try on different hats. Some fit, some
don’t. Some are good, some get you in trouble. As you have these
experiences you start cutting out the things you know are not you so you
can focus on the things that are you.
Everyone
has a calling. There is something out there that you are supposed to
do. You fight it, because different is uncomfortable, especially when
you are younger. You are looking for a cookie cutter, easy approach to
life. Fight this. There is something out there, you just need to find
it. The more you do, the more you explore, the more you create, you
start finding things you are good at, things you really enjoy, and
that’s where greatness lies.
After I Find That “Something,” What Do I Do?
1. Talk to all the successful people you know.
It
doesn’t matter what field they are in, success is success is success.
There are bits and pieces that you can take from everyone around you and
apply it.
One
thing that I found in my discussions is work was work, but it was also
leisure. Work is what they loved to do. From the outside it looked like
they worked too much. From the inside, they were having a blast. All of
that comes from my answer to question one. When you find that something,
it changes everything.
2. Work hard.
Our
life is our habits, and our habits are our life. Get in to the habit of
busting your butt. Chances are you won’t have much money at the
beginning, and that’s ok. One thing that I found, but didn’t realize
until I got there, was that necessity breeds creativity. When I didn’t
have much, I had to work with what I had available to me. Working with
different sounds and equipment, taking on tasks because I didn’t have
money to hire someone (like MCing my songs, not what I was looking to
do. But look what happened!). Once I “made it” and had all the gear I
could ever want, I got lazy. I wasn’t as creative. And my work suffered.
Appreciate the creativity you will have to develop when you are
starting out, when you are striving to make something from nothing.
Remember that feeling for later.
Don’t
let the amount of work deter you from your dream. If it was easy to be
successful, everyone would be successful. Hard work is preparation for a
lucky day. Get yourself ready!
Expose
your work to as many people as possible, and expose yourself to as much
work as possible. It is hard to get a true scope of your ability level
until it is compared to other peoples’ work. I am not saying compare
your work to others, but compare it (if you know what I mean). I thought
we were killing it until I did shows with NWA. It took my vision for
what I could be and wanted to be to a whole new level. Without it I
would still be thinking small. Exposure forces you to think outside
yourself, to something you didn’t even know you could be. You HAVE to
give yourself that opportunity.
3. Be you.
No
matter what level you get to, stay connected to the real you, the old
you. Success can be the nail in your coffin. There is a lot of work that
comes after that, but you need to be grounded in who you are.
Knowing
who you are will help you pass on things that don’t fit you and focus
on the things that are you. Success comes with new opportunities. Low
hanging fruit and big paychecks will be tempting.
You need to make sure
you are focusing on the long game. What is your brand? How are you going
to grow that brand? Expand your name? Be thinking of that from day one.
Chasing the dollar will only lead to heartbreak (and bank
account-break).
Success
Once
you gain success, you need to figure out how you did it. When you are
coming up you are trying anything. Once you reach a certain point, you
need to look back and evaluate how you got there, so you can recreate
it.
Connecting
with the real you will also keep you hungry. Success can breed
laziness. Once you are there, success will be much harder to come by.
Laziness is a success killer. You have to keep in the chase. You have to
keep wanting. Keep striving. You need the journey. That’s the truly
satisfying part of it.
Never
forget that no matter what your level of success, you didn’t do it
alone. Some people will have bigger parts than others, but it is a
collective. Never forget those people. Forgetting them is forgetting
yourself.
Quotes
“If you are comfortable with your success you won’t have it very long. Remain hungry.”
Sir Mix-A-Lot Links
Chase Jarvis Links
Joey Links
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