Do What You Can't

Casey Neistat is pretty damn amazing. If you know him, it is probably from YouTube. Part of what makes him amazing is he is thought-provoking. He lets you see things, and think of things you may never have before with his use of video, music, and words.

Full disclaimer: I want to be Casey’s ghost writer. I don’t have the connections to ask him directly so I use the mediums I have available to me. I run a small media/marketing company called MediaMedia in The SF Bay Area and part of what we/I do is ghost write.

If you enjoy this, please let him know @CaseyNeistat. Tell him @JustOneJoey1 sent you.

One of my business philosophies is: when you do something amazing, put it EVERYWHERE. Casey does amazing videos, but it is also his insights that are priceless. I want him to expand what he does in to the written word, to tap in to a new audience, and give his old audience a chance to dig even deeper in to this genius creative’s mind (and I want to be the one who does it).

Once again, if you enjoy this, please let him know @CaseyNeistat. Tell him @JustOneJoey1 sent you.

Here is, verbatim, today’s video posted by @CaseyNeistat & @MaxJoseph. The video is absolutely amazing. I watched it, then I had my daughter watch it, then we had my wife watch it. It is that good. I want you to read the words because I think the power of these words is just as intense as the visual.

I think his ideas, his thoughts, along with his new CNN partnership, would make an amazing addition to everything he already does well. Think of it in the same manner as Anthony Bourdain. He posts a beautifully scripted article before his next episode airs, and it makes it that much more spectacular.

Enjoy.

Do What You Can’t

To the haters, the doubters, my 7th grade vice principal, to everyone who’s ever told anyone with a dream they can’t, this video (article) is for you.

Keep your head down.

Follow the rules.

Do as you’re told.

Play it safe.

Wait your turn.

Ask permission.

Learn to compromise.

This is TERRIBLE advice!

If I were to write an autobiography, a book about my life, one title that would work would be, Do What You Can’t, because that idea encapsulates everything I have ever done.

Like, when I wanted to move to New York City, and my dad was like, “you can’t, you don’t have any money.”

Or when I first said I wanted to make movies, and it was, “you can’t, you didn’t go to film school.”

I want to have a TV show, “you can’t Casey, you’re not pretty enough.”

And to go even further, if I were to characterize what this new generation of content creators and film makers, what we all do on YouTube and everywhere else is: we do what we can’t.

YOU CAN’T be an action movie filmmaker.

But, you get your parkour friends to dress up like video game characters, jump off some buildings, and YOU CAN.

YOU CAN’T have a talk show, but, you have a webcam and YOU CAN. The next thing you know you are interviewing the president.

YOU CAN’T fly around New York City on a magic carpet, but you get your electric skateboard, some PVC pipe, a great outfit, give Jesse a call, and YOU CAN.

You don’t need gear.

You don’t need trucks, or a crane.

You don’t need some big expensive camera rig that never works.

When you are a creator, you don’t need someone in your ear telling you what you can and can’t do, what you can and can’t say.

They call us gamers, influencers, internet famous, but we know something they don’t.

You can start a vlog, a make-up channel, or travel around the world with a gigantic piano playing at beautiful places for interested people.

When you’re a creator, all you need is your phone, an internet connection, and a good idea.

A story you want to share.

Something you need to say.

And then the rest is history.

If you do it right, you get to quit the day job, make friends from places you’ve never been. Meetups, collaborations, a life moving so fast, and so full, you won’t even have time to process it.

So to my fellow creators, I say, keep creating, keep doing the work, and never forget, you don’t have to listen to anyone, because in this new world, no one knows anything.

The haters, the doubters, are all drinking champagne in the top deck of the Titanic and we’re the fucking iceberg.

Do what you can’t.

by

Casey Neistat (@CaseyNeistat)

Be A F***ing Weirdo

“Tetris taught me that trying to fit in will make you disappear.” — A Smart Person

I am weird.

That is not something I have ever admitted to anyone.

I don’t fit in.

I never have.

But I tried.

I’m glad I wasn’t able to.

Now I don’t have to worry about disappearing. I can embrace what makes me unique, be comfortable in my own skin, and just be a happy fucking weirdo.

Finally!

The Roller Coaster Ride

Man, I have been all over the place.

I’ve been loud, quiet, funny, a drunk, a rock star, an introvert, and extrovert, a loser, and a party animal.

I tried all the hats on, have done everything, and in the end, I just needed to be me.

Who Is Me?

A nerd. A boring, homebody. A dad that works every day of the week, who loves his job, and loves spending time with his family. Everything is scheduled. Everything has a place. Everything has a purpose. It is family TV night on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. I get up at 5am every day of the week. I have the same routine every single morning: water, meditate, journal, coffee, read, poop, run. 

Then I work. I write, film, create, build, win, lose, learn, and repeat. All day. Every day.

I am boring.

In fact, I am the most boring person I know, and I am totally cool with it.

I don’t like going out. I am usually falling asleep on the couch at 830pm.

I have friends that I would do absolutely anything for, that I talk to once a month, if that, and see a couple times a year. Why? Because I don’t like hanging out. It feels unproductive to me. I get restless. I need action. I need productivity.

Instead of fighting it because it is something I am “supposed” to do, I just don’t.

Fuck it. I will just be me thank you very much.

I have two drinks a night, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and that’s it. Usually Guinness, or the discontinued Firestone Wookey Jack (R.I.P.) or a nice Cab (Ste. Michelle — WA).

That’s it.

See? I told you I was boring.

Be You. Be Happy.

Who are you?

Do you even know?

Not who you think you should be. Not who you think others think you should be.

You.

What do you hide?

What do you like that others don’t?

What makes you different?

Just for the record, I don’t really want to know if it’s some weird ass shit. This isn’t a sexual thing we are talking about. I mean, like, “A Bad Case of The Stripes” kind of weird. You know, lima beans. 

Don’t go overboard my friend.

There are so many things that are not “The Norm.” Everyone should be x,y,z. The heroes have as much of a checklist as the antiheroes. If you a cool, there is a checklist. If you are a geek, there is a checklist. What if you are cool in some areas and a nerd in others? We’ve all seen Rudolf, right? 

What if you are trapped in an elf’s outfit and you are really a dentist?

You have to be you.

Your happiness depends on it.

Brian Koppelman has a beautiful theory that when you suppress who you really are it turns in to a cancer. If you ignore who you are you (subconsciously or not) get mad at yourself and it starts manifesting itself in horrible ways. Anger, sadness, acting out, doing crazy things, all pulling yourself even further away from yourself.

What are you suppressing?

And why?

Are you giving people too much power? Or are you not giving yourself enough?

Find some heroes. Find people that are different and embraced it.

I wrote the blog for a Chase Jarvis series called 30 Days Of Genius. If you are looking to chart your own path, there are some amazing people he interviewed that would be a perfect starting point. Or just look people up. People like: Caterina Fake, Austin Kleon, Neil Strauss, James Altucher, Stephan Sagmeister, Ramit Sethi, and Brian Solis.

There are people out there that did it their own way, on their own path.

Connect with these people. If you take someone else’s path, you are only walking away from yourself.

There are weirdos out there, just like you, just like me. They embrace what makes them different. 

They understand that fitting in is blending in is disappearing.

Do you want to disappear?

Be someone else?

Or would you rather be a beautiful, wonderful, happy, fucking weirdo?

Joey

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30 Days Of Genius Blog: Caterina Fake

If you are looking for motivation for following your dreams, or finding your path, Caterina Fake may be the last place you will ever need to look. What did following her path accomplish? Oh, I don’t know, how does founding Flickr, running Etsy, and being named one of Time Magazines 100 most influential people on the planet sound? Exactly. Wow is right.

I have taken her 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 there are on.

Please enjoy.

How Can I Step Out And Be Bold?

It takes conviction of what you are, who you are, what you care about, and what you are going to pursue.

It’s about being ignored for months or years and still pushing.

It’s about knowing who you are, what you want, and not caring about external rewards.

If you can handle all of those things, then you are ready to go for it. These are the markers of passion. 

If you have passion, then you will be willing to work hard, teach yourself, learn on your own, and adjust. Why? Because passion is a powerful force to have behind what you do.

When I was first starting out, I offered to work for free just for information. 3 days a week for 2 months. What was my pay? I was able to attend all meetings and spend one hour a week asking questions of my boss. That’s it, and it was totally worth it. If I was not passionate about what I was doing, there is no way I would put in that kind of work.

Would you be willing to do that for your passion?

If yes, then go for it.

If no, then it is probably not your passion.

Is Your Passion Obvious?

If you are able to listen to your inner voice. If you can reflect over your life, remember your childhood and what you wanted to be when you were older, then yes it is. People are the same throughout their lives. Just because you stopped believing in your dreams doesn’t mean they disappeared, it just means you buried them under the responsibilities you took on as you got older.

Reconnect with your inner voice, your childhood.

Give it room.

It not only deserves it, it needs it.

What If I Don’t Have Time?

There are things you need to do, responsibilities you have to take care of, but then there are other things that you can eliminate in order to make time for your passion. Maybe it’s an hour a week at first, maybe its 30 minutes a day, but you have to start somewhere. Once it has space it will grow. How do I know? Because it’s your passion. It is a seed you have been carrying around that just needs a little water to start growing.

Create small, easily managed goals. Write one page a day. Paint 30 minutes a day. Squeeze it in. It doesn’t have to be a huge commitment, but it needs to be committed to. You need to put yourself and your day in a position to be creative. That could look like many different things depending on what your life is like. Some advice that I have received in the past was to move away from big cities. That may be counter-intuitive, but the less expensive it is to live, the more time you can afford to your creativity.

Clean up your time. Don’t check email all day. Productivity is easier without distractions, so you have to remove them. Have specific times during the day that you allocate to emails and phone surfing, and then have specific time for your creativity. Don’t mix the two. Give them their respective times.

Everyone has their own path. It is about finding what works well for you. There is no formula. People tend to focus on what they like, what they are drawn to, and their inner voice. Be sensitive to each of those things. Take advantage of what you are feeling, and always be moving forward.

Don’t Get Lost

The paths to success are clear. Starting as young as elementary school, the rewards are given to those that follow the rules. Conformity is the name of the game. The drive for success kills people. Just because there are paths laid out for you doesn’t mean that they can’t lead you astray.

Stop chasing prizes.

Chase what makes you happy.

And don’t worry, no matter where you are in life, you can always turn around.

Start where you are, with what you’ve got, and the time that you have.

Quotes

No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road turn back.

Stop chasing prizes

Start where you are, with what you’ve got, and the time that you have.

Caterina Fake Links

Website

The Creative Hours (blog)

Findery

Chase Jarvis Links

Website

Creative Live

iTunes Podcast Page

Joey Links

Company

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30 Days Of Genius Blog: Elle Luna

Living your own life, following a path you’re not sure where it leads, and making your dreams a reality (literally). This is Elle Luna. No matter where you are in life, she has exactly what you need to hear.

I have taken her 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 there are on.

Please enjoy.

I Don’t Know What To Do

Then you are at a crossroads, and that is a beautiful place to be. You have the chance to possibly make the biggest decision of your life, so you must choose wisely. I know that sounds like a lot of pressure, and it is, but I have a way of navigating through all of the uncertainty. You need to take all of your options, all of your choices, and put them in to one of two categories, either should or must.

Should. These are all of the expectations that others put on us. Your friends, parents, community, and possibly even the culture as a whole. When you choose a “should” it feels awful. It’s heavy, it’s constricting, and it haunts us. Yet we choose it anyways. We are choosing our lives for someone or something else.

Must. These decisions are who we are, what we believe, and what we know is true. They are our convictions, knowings, longings, and dreams. By choosing a must, we are honoring who we are and why we are here.

It sounds easy, but it isn’t. Even if you choose must, you have to deal with should. You have to understand the difference between the two, where they come from, and why they are pulling you in. If you don’t deal with should, it will stick around. By bringing awareness to it you are catapulting in to must. If you know where all of the conscious and subconscious “shoulds” come from, you can gain an understanding of them and avoid them. Just like any problem, if it is not dealt with it will linger.

If you have not heard of it, The Alexander Technique is basically: when we stop doing the wrong thing, the right thing does itself. The more you stop doing “should,” “must” has no other option but to happen.

Don’t be afraid of where you are right now. Discontent is a wonderful catalyst for change. You are most guaranteed to get light when you are most in the darkness. I learned to lean in to my problems. If you are falling, dive. Find out how to take your situation and flip it on its head. You have to step in to your shame, anger and fear, because the other side is freedom. There is no way around it, only through it. The sooner you accept that the sooner you will get past it and on to something bigger and better.

Can You Really Make Your Dreams A Reality?

Absolutely.

I did. Literally.

I had a recurring dream of a space, and I found it, ironically on Craigslist. How crazy is that?

That never would have happened if I didn’t listen, and pay attention to myself.

We are living in a time where we are addicted to being busy. With all of the running around, when do we listen? When do we hear what our mind and body are saying to us?

I was listening, but it actually took a friend asking me, “Have you ever thought about looking for this dream in real life?” for me to act on it. That one question changed everything.

From that point I went out and literally made my dream a reality. I found the space I was looking for, then I freaked out. Now that I had everything I was dreaming of, I had to create. It wasn’t the end of my dream, it was just the beginning. It sounds a little strange, but it is difficult when you are in the midst of everything you have asked for, and you are just sitting there.

It was time to work.

In the same way you need to know yourself, to distinguish between should and must, to know your dreams, you have to know how you work. What is going to allow you to continue living your dreams?

I focus on structure, accountability, and intuition.

I love the saying, when we have more fun we get more done. Part of having fun for me is feeling good. That means eating well, meditating, moving my body, going to sleep early, and having accountability. It feels good to HAVE to do something because someone I care about is depending on me to get it done. That is the beautiful part about doing what you love, you will be busier than you have ever been in your life and you won’t feel it. It isn’t really work. You want to do it better and better so you fine tune how you work constantly. I have myself on timers, I study signs of boredom, and I know how to center myself to stay in this positive and creative space. When I feel far away, when I am not having vivid dreams, I know I need solitude, to be able to come back to myself. The empty space invites everything in. That time and space allows me to come back to love, joy and happiness.

“The more we treat ourselves like a precious object, the stronger we become.” — Julia Cameron

“Follow your bliss, and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t even know they were going to be.” — Joseph Campbell

Quotes

Discontent is the most amazing catalyst for something new.

When you are falling, dive.

You are most guaranteed to get light when you are most in the darkness.

“The more we treat ourselves like a precious object, the stronger we become.” — Julia Cameron

“The cracks let the light in.” — Leonard Cohen

“You can have jobs, you can have careers, and you can have callings.” — Stefan Sagmeister

Elle Luna Links

Website

The Crossroads Of Should And Must

Chase Jarvis Links

Website

Creative Live

iTunes Podcast Page

Joey Links

Company

LinkedIn

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iTunes

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30 Days Of Genius Blog: Gretchen Rubin

Our greatness is predicated on many things, but getting out of your own way may be the biggest. Gretchen Rubin offers insights and exercises to help you do just that, and create a life for yourself that is meaningful, exciting, and made just for you. An expert in happiness and habits, she will give everyone who reads this something to take with them to improve themselves. She is incredible.

I have taken her 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 there are on.

Please enjoy.

How Can I Be The Best Version Of Me?

I know what you want to hear, “just do what feels natural,” or “go with the flow,” and “let loose.”

Those sound great, but those will most likely cause you to drift. That may be good or bad, but I would bet that it ends up bad more than good.

So, what the heck is drifting?

Exactly what it sounds like, you drift. The path of least resistance. Swept away with the tide. You don’t want to ask yourself hard questions, or you don’t want to risk conflict with someone you care about. Drifting means you are not making choices. You really are just going with the flow. When you do that, you are taking the chance that you end up somewhere you do not want to be.

This can come in the form of school, majors, minors, dating, marriage, minor purchases, major purchases, etc.

You need to ask yourself, why are you doing it?

You HAVE to know yourself. You HAVE to constantly ask questions, figure out how you are different from other people. What do YOU want? What makes YOU happy? Not what someone else wants, not what you THINK someone else wants. You, you, you.

Where Do I Start?

I think these three questions will get you on the right track.

1. Whom do you envy? When you make your list, realize that envy is wanting something someone else has. What do they have that you want?

2. What do you try to hide? If you are hiding something, then your life is not reflecting your values, or the values of those around you. It could be a good or bad, but things are not lining up. You need to figure out why.

3. Are you a marathoner or a sprinter? This is exactly what it sounds like. Do you function better with slow and steady, or are you better with adrenaline and deadlines? This question will allow you to set up your work/creative life to fit YOU, not those around you, not what you think you should be. It’s all about you.

After that, you can start digging deeper in to yourself. Asking yourself questions like: when have I succeeded in the past? When do I feel my best? Then you can distinguish your strengths and weaknesses and harness both. Build up your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses. This will allow you to make better choices, and put yourself in a position to win.

People are in denial. They don’t look at who they are. They don’t look at why they are doing things. 

They just drift.

How Do I Keep From Drifting?

Habits.

Not someone else’s habits, your own habits. As in, you have goals, what things can you do every day that will help you reach those goals? Actually, let’s use milestones instead. Goals are great for reaching goals, but not so good for creating habits. Want to lose 20 lbs? Great. What happens once you have lost the 20 lbs? Exactly.

How do you get habits? Well, work. There is no magic list. Everyone is different. Can you try someone else’s to get started? Of course, but remember to ask yourself the tough questions. Is this me? Does this work for me? When you create your habits you need to know what is true about you and what kind of a person you are. You can’t prescribe a solution until you know who you are. When do you do your best work? What attracts you? When have you been successful in the past? It is about setting yourself up for action, not reaction. Success and productivity shouldn’t be hit and miss. It should at least be a lot more hit than miss.

No matter what your goals are, you need to remember that there is nothing keeping you from doing what you want. There are eyes and ears everywhere. You can build an audience anywhere. You can figure out what you want to do and how you want to do it with very low stakes investments.

Find your perfect day, then figure out how to have that day every day, and you will have habits that allow you to live the life you say you want. Habits are freeing and energizing because they make the decisions for you. You are free. Your days are frictionless.

As you get going, start looking for your loopholes. What keeps you from accomplishing your habits? 

Once you figure those out, you avoid them so they don’t sabotage your habits. Before you know it you will be a machine!

Knowing yourself is the key to everything: your interests, values, tastes, temperament. You can expand but you can’t move the center of yourself. “People do best what comes naturally” — JFK. 

Your best work should come form that central place.

What is your center?

What do you do in your spare time?

When are you at your best?

When are you at your worst?

When are you happiest?

When are you sad?

What are your goals? Your milestones?

Answer those, then focus on the next step, not the last. Take it a day at a time, piece by piece.

Quotes

Goals are a good way to reach a goal, not a way to create a habit.

“People do best what comes naturally” — JFK

Knowing yourself is the key to everything.

Gretchen Rubin Links

Website

Happiness

Books

Book Club

Chase Jarvis Links

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Creative Live

iTunes Podcast Page

Joey Links

Company

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My Life Is A Christmas Movie

I am George Bailey.

I can at least relate to every phase of his wonderful life.

The ups, the downs. The ins and outs. Hope, fear, depression, prayer, loss, confusion, and immense 

happiness.

When I watch It’s A Wonderful Life I am able to dig through my own story.

I feel like I am watching myself in black and white.

I am sad with him. I am scared with him. I tear up when his friends and family come together to help him in the end. His realization that life really is wonderful. It is such a beautiful moment. They love him, and he finally knows it.

The Opportunity Of A Lifetime

He was given something that is so powerful in life: a chance to see it all go away.

Everything he had worked so hard for. Everything he loved. Everything he had ever known, was gone. He could see it, feel it, and breathe it in. He felt it in his core, and it changed him.

Why did it change him? Because it shook his world so badly he could never go back to the way it was. Nothing would ever be the same. He was honest enough, brought low enough, and vulnerable enough to embrace the opportunity.

We get those glimpses like these ourselves, but do we take advantage of them the way George Bailey did? Our opportunities of dramatic, life-changing moments?

Heart attacks. Divorce. Cheating, Strokes. DUIs. ODs. Debt. Loss. Depression. Cancer. Death.

Something has to change after something like that, right?

We get slapped in the face with reality all the time. Shouldn’t it change us like it changed George?

Everything was different once he had that opportunity, and embraced it.

Man, I watch that movie and know exactly where he is mentally in every single one of those scenes. 

It hurts so much. It is so scary. So empty. So dark. Then so happy.

The anger, the fear, the bridge.

I’ve been in every one of those places.

The joy, the happiness, the love.

I’ve felt it all.

It changes you.

It has to, doesn’t it?

Washed Clean

When you receive a cold dose of reality, everything becomes clear. What’s real, what’s fake. Who’s real, who’s fake. What’s important, what’s a waste of time. It all comes in to focus.

The bigger the hurt, the deeper the cut, the clearer it is.

The pain disorienting.

The clarity is immense.

These reality checks let us know who we really are. They hurt because we know ourselves less than we care to admit (or can admit), and reality doesn’t hit softly. Things we do, people we surround ourselves with, our jobs, they all pull and prod us in to things or people we may not be, and may not want to be. We get on a path and just stay there, rarely evaluating and auditing why we are there, how we got there, and if we should stay.

George was not an unhappy man at first, but he let himself lose sight of what was important. He allowed himself to become that angry old man. The dreams of his youth were nearly gone. He had a job he didn’t really want, but he had an amazing family, a wonderful house, and a job he could be proud of. That doesn’t sound so bad. I bet if he could have had a choice of what he wanted when he was younger, he would have been very happy with where he was as an adult.

Are you happy with where you are?

Has reality been trying to tell you something?

Do you appreciate what you have?

Are you able to distinguish the good from the bad? Right and wrong?

If you can’t, your very own Clarence (the guardian angel) is coming. I guarantee it.

Believe me when I tell you it will hurt. If will feel like you are going to die. You will want to die. You will be on the bridge, staring at the freezing water, ready to jump. Then Clarence shows up, and it gets worse before it gets better. Reality is a wrecking ball (not unlike Miley Cyrus, but with more clothes on. Usually). It’s painful. It pulls apart of your life so you expose your guts. Splayed out on the table, for everyone to see. But most importantly, for you to see.

Can’t look?

Too hideous?

Too disgusting?

Look.

You need to see it in order to know what is really there.

It doesn’t have to be like that anymore.

Keep the good. Discard the bad.

You have been given the gift of clarity, but you are the one that chooses to uses it or not.

You know people that don’t. You see them all the time. It is so sad. They keep digging their hole deeper and deeper. Reality is slapping them in the face and they pretend like it never happened. Don’t be that person. Be George Bailey. Recognize where you were wrong. Where you were broken. Embrace your faults and then commit to fixing them.

Look to tomorrow and know it really is A Wonderful Life.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Change starts from within.

Joey

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The Day I Didn't Meet James Hetfield

I always think about NOT meeting James Hetfield around this time of the year.

Why?

Because I didn’t meet him at the Nutcracker in San Francisco a few years ago.

Why didn’t I meet him?

Because I am a pussy (cat).

Background

I have played guitar since I was 12. Metallica was one of the biggest reasons I even picked up a guitar in the first place. Before I had a real guitar I made a full-sized, cardboard cutout of James’ black, ESP Explorer. I would go through Metallica’s catalogue with that cardboard guitar, then a real one, imagining I was on stage, as the front man of my favorite band in the world.

25 years later, they are still my favorite band. Of course my musical tastes have changed, but they will always be my number one. My first love.

I’ve seen them live almost every time they have been in the Bay Area since 1992. I was even lucky enough to be 3rd row center at a concert in the late 90’s.

It’s been a very special relationship.

But an extremely one-sided relationship.

We have never met. Maybe they would love me too!

If only I had a chance……..

Me and James and The Nutcracker

The night before The Nutcracker I was at a Metallica concert in San Jose. Cheering, singing their songs, and feeling like a kid again.

Great show as always.

Fell in love just a little bit more, as always.

Then back to reality.

Christmas time, family, holidays, etc.

Just a normal December day.

That was until I walked down the stairs with my family, ready to head home after a wonderful, but very different performance than the night before.

I came down the stairs, and around the corner, looked up, and it was James (MF) Hetfield!

The guy I had seen last night on stage commanding 20k people. The lead singer of the band I had seen 10 times live. The singer I had plastered on my walls in high school.

He was right there.

I had the opportunity to meet my musical hero. My singular, no one else is even close, musical hero.

This is it. A thing I have thought about countless times over the last 20 years.

And……… fail.

Why?

Because what in the hell am I going to say?

With all of my memories and feelings about this band over a majority of my life, what could I possibly say? Hi? Thank you?

I couldn’t do it. There is too much to say to say so little.

On top of my lack of ability to wrap up 20 years in a few sentences and a handshake, he was on break from being the front man of Metallica and was spending time with his family. Keep in mind, this was day 1 of his vacation. I am sue the last thing he wants is some 30 year old, acting like a 12 year old chewing his ear off at The Nutcracker.

And I couldn’t get anything out. I like to use the family excuse, but let’s be real, my was stuck on stupid.

It felt like trying to drain the ocean with a garden hose. There was too much. Too much to sift through, think about, wrap my head around.

So I said nothing.

And I walked away, but with a strange sense of euphoria from having even a failed interaction with James.

Wow. Such a powerful moment.

And then it got worse.

They were leaving the same time we were.

We basically walked out together.

We were basically walking with them down the street.

Holy s***.

Holy s***.

What did I say?

You guessed it, absolutely nothing.

I kept waiting for them to go a different direction, get in a limo, or a helicopter, or whatever superstars do.

But they didn’t.

They were at the crosswalk with us.

Great.

They were walking through the park with us.

Fantastic.

Keep in mind, I am s****ing my pants every second of this “interaction.” My brain is completely locked up. I can’t say a damn thing. Like I had a Metallica stroke or something.

Now they are walking towards the same parking garage.

Awesome.

Down the stairs with us.

To the same level as us!

I held the door for him and his family!!!

Holy f***!!

We walked on to the level, and then headed our separate ways.

I am such a little b****.

Utter Disappointment

My wife still makes fun of me for this. My moment of weakness.

She knows I will talk to anyone. Money doesn’t impress me. Celebrity doesn’t matter to me. They are just people.

But that day?

On that day in December a few years ago, I was 12 again, and my idol was bigger than life, within reach, but too big to grasp.

*sigh

My Request To James

Let me write your book.

I know it sounds weird, but I have gotten past my start struck brain lock.

It will be amazing.

It will not be a typical autobiography at all.

It will be about you, the person, not the superstar. Not all the cool s** you have done. You.

We will call it The Struggle Within, and it will be about your life, your inner struggles, how you handled them poorly, and how you have grown since you started handling them properly. I think it would be epic. I also think it would help so many people out there that look up to you, struggle with you, and that can learn form you.

I was listening to your interview with Joe Rogan yesterday, and there are a lot of parallels between us. We had breaking points. We fixed them. We are better today. And most importantly, we know what it is like to go through that struggle with yourself and come out on the other end. It’s still a struggle, but we deal with it.

But what about the person that doesn’t know themselves today? The man or woman that is in the middle of the struggle, that your words could help guide through? That’s where I think this book would be on a completely different level.

Think of your reach all over the world? How many languages would this book be published in? 50? 60? It would be an incredible gift to give to your fans that are struggling within.

James, if you are reading this, Brett has my number. Call me anytime.

I promise I will talk this time.

Happy Holidays 

Joey

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