This is sick! Yet another way the internet creates an entirely new metric of success.
Musicians and fans will now be privy to a whole new metric of success, thanks to Billboard, who is today launching the Social 50, a chart that measures an artist’s popularity based on social networking activity.
An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor’s orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked our to the pier to clear his head.
A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish. “How long did it take you to catch them?” the American asked. “Only a little while,” the Mexican replied in surprisingly good English. “Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American then asked. “I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends, the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket. “But … What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican looked up and smiled. “I sleep late, fish a little. play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.”
The American laughed and stood tall. “Sir, I’m a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats.” He continued, “Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles, and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, senor, how long will all this take?” To which the American replied, “15-20 years. 25 tops.” “But what then, senor?” The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”
“Millions, senor? Then what?”
“Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”
This is right from Tim Ferris’ 4 hour work week, which I recommend all of you hustlers out there go grab asap!
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Just wanted to swing through and share this story with everyone on VibeThat … It’s taken me too long to get on here and support my man, Brett, but hope you all like this little post. Makes you stop and think, what do we do it for? If you’re out there grindin without a vision, you are #WastingTime!
Can’t get there if you don’t know where you’re going!
Learn what you love, love what you learn – Wealthy Knowledge
Art is a liberating process. Apart from influence of the exterior world, you connect with the task at hand, engage and everything else fades to black. Artist and pen, the mic and the spotlight, paintbrush and canvas, teacher and class, athlete and opponent, actor and character, board and wave, body and mind. Passion drives all of this. When we’re driven, we realize everything connects. Thoughts are lost without action so find yourself empowered through progress. Prepare yourself, our reactions are a clear indication of where we’re at mentally.
As a writer there always comes a time when you feel there’s nothing to write about; you’ve run out of topics. You don’t know where to begin and that’s really where the problem began all along. If you find yourself searching for a topic then you’re not reflecting what you’re actually thinking about. Shouldn’t have to look for what’s on your mind because it already is. Truly great writings and real expression come on their own terms, at their own time. They show up when you least expect them. You’ll find harmony in your art once you avoid letting your mind get in the way of what your heart really has to say.
When I find myself at this place its often not that I don’t know what to write about, but what I’m capable of writing won’t properly explain what really needs to be said. Sometimes I’m just not ready to write about certain things. The key here is to not let excuses perpetually serve as a solution.
“Excuses are a list of self imposed obstacles that prevent you from having a better life.” – Tony Horton
This is one of the great beauties of life, art, poetry and music. Sometimes we need to speak about things indirectly, allowing conclusions to be determined by the observer. Through messages, color, delivery, metaphor, tone of voice, vibe, body language and emotion we can portray what we feel aside from words or picture; the harmony of it all does the talking for you.
I’ve always enjoyed writing as it allows time for preparation. I can work ideas out in my head then present them once I’m ready. What I’ve learned is when applying your art to the present, live in-person and on the spot is when real talent has the opportunity to shine. You could write hundreds of rough drafts, plan hundreds of routines, rewrite songs or speeches, rebuild things and “correct” your work countless times over; but being thrust into the moment shows us three very important things. One; we’re more prepared and talented than we lead ourselves to believe. Two; even if you were to make a mistake, its not a big deal so long as you refuse to give up when you stumble. Three; pressure can trap you, don’t doubt yourself. Remember, you’re doing what comes naturally.
I tend to perk up whenever I hear any mention of life lessons, the big picture or more specifically a perspective on success and its attainment. Especially from someone who appears to have it. This isn’t the guy with the biggest house on the block, but rather somebody who is happy, enjoys life and shares good stories of their times. Someone who surrounds themselves in laughter and positivity, friendship, kindness, family and sunshine of their own. Nobody can tell you how to be rich if you determine what your valuables are.
What is the key to life? Passion for everything you do. You don’t need money to be a millionaire.
“Existence is a sport.” – Tim Napoli
You’ll find harmony in your art once you avoid letting your mind get in the way of what your heart really has to say.
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” - Chuck Drury
Follow Mac Miller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/macmiller
18 Year old Pittsburgh & Newly Signed Rostrum Records MC drops his newest and most anticipated mixtape “K.I.D.S” This mixtape features mostly ALL original music and only one guest appearance from fellow label mate Chevy Woods. Salute to Mac Miller, Rostrum Records & Most Dope!
Na Palm is an aspiring rapper representing the Chicago club scene. “Time To Rise” is my personal favorite of his tracks and comes from his mixtape “Dirty Girls Like Dirty Beats.” In his music and interviews Na Palm consistently credits his brother for pushing him to persevere and succeed when his future was nothing more than a vision. This track reminds me of my brother, who assisted and inspired me to continue pursuing my highest aspirations.
It started as a vision,
Just me and my brother,
We’re sitting in the kitchen,
Lookin at one another
Chasing dreams out this one bedroom apartment,
Grab my paper, got my pen, that’s how it got startedWriting lyrics from my spirit hope these people hear it,
It’s us against the world, and I’m gonna never fear it,
Say what I say cause I’m speaking what I’m feeling,
I spit it for the dreamers, I spit it for the children,
I spit 1,000 bars until I spit a million,
It’s coming from the heart, that’s why it’s so appealing
Exploding onto Chicago’s rap/hip-hop music scene is Napalm – born Craig Steven Palm. Napalm delivers unique flows while staying true to his background and lifestyle. This underground, grassroots rapper emerged from solely basement-freestyling at after-hour parties to mesmerizing mass crowds at the largest clubs in the city. Smashing the mold of a stereotypical, sheltered suburbanite, Napalm uses his lyrical talent and cleverly applied one-liners to create and captivate audiences of all ages and musical appetites. Initially enthralling the party scene in Chicago, Napalm is now seeking to broaden his horizons and lash out to the widespread public.
“Imagine Leadership, imagine yourself leading, leadership is an art. Will you be the leader?”
Nitin Nohria and Amanda Pepper of Harvard Business School’s Leadership Initiative collaborated with XPLANE to create this video in order to generate a discussion of the value and importance of leadership to address some of societys most pressing problems.
“It is my desire to inspire people of all ages and social demographics to think about leadership on a broad level, contemplate what it means to them and what individual impact they can have when it comes to leading,” says Nohria.
Perhaps I am like some people, enticed by exotic foreign lands, their landscapes, language, culture and food. Those that know me know I advocate travel, learning other languages, and exploring cultures other than one’s own. I’ve been blessed with the opportunities to live in Madrid and Paris while in college and with a husband who enjoys learning and exploring the world as much as I. In our two years of marriage we have been able to immerse ourselves eight countries. I say immerse because we don’t normally approach travel as typical tourists- we try our best to experience a place at the local level. As a Spanish teacher, most of my year is dedicated to language instruction and sharing my experiences with students, in order to spark their curiosity of life and what’s outside their small Connecticut town. To some extent, I’ve been successful. Yet this aching frustration has been building over the years regarding the motivation behind my primary objective of travel, which is to go to a place where life is better enjoyed by its people. My frustration lies in the fact that for the most part, it seems like not many people, including myself, were enjoying life. Occasionally, we had a good weekend, got to escape to the glitz and glam of NYC or Boston, perhaps relax on the beaches of Rhode Island, or catch up with friends. Yet on a daily basis, I felt a sense of angst, discontent and unhappiness. My Nonni always said that she loved America, that there was no place better to live, yet I found myself gazing at the pictures in the textbooks I was teaching from, wishing I was there instead. I felt terrible that I could not see the beauty in this country that she saw. Perhaps it’s easy to imagine given the dismal economy, less than admirable morals, constant news about war, debt, weather, growing health problems- you name it and I felt old beyond my years. I have thought several times of moving to another country, to live in a place that values life, human connectedness and the land from which we live, yet I always kept her words close by- America is the best.
About six months ago my husband and I had a talk which discussed all these things, for he too was feeling some of the frustrations with life. Already in an environmental career, he decided that cleaning up messes of our corporations abusive practices, was too little too late and wanted to change his career to something more proactive. After much debate and evenings that mimicked “pin the tail on the donkey”, we finally decided that Denver, Colorado had an established solar industry that would allow him to begin his career transition, while incorporating many elements of life that worked for the two of us. He came out here in May to start his internship, while I was begrudged to complete the school year back in Connecticut.
I’ve been here for a month now and I cannot describe shift that has occurred in me. It seems like the “high stakes” lifestyle back East, surrounded by the epicenters of financial meltdown, dismal home sales, exorbitant prices and constant traffic, made me lose sight of what this country has to offer. Places I’ve seen here rival those in Europe or Central America and they are right here in the United States. So that got me wondering- why is Denver, or Colorado for that matter, so different from home? Was it just the change from the normal routine? Was it the sun? The lack of humidity? Surely I couldn’t be this peaceful just based on weather. So is it the fact that it’s so vast here and that you can physically see the beauty of this country outside your window, even if that window is from a completely modern industrial loft at the pulse of downtown? I think it is.
With the mountains normally within eye-shot, one constantly feels small compared to the massive ridges of those majestic Rocky Mountains. Take a short drive outside the city and have a 360 degree view that spans one hundred miles around. The landscapes here make it evident just how small we are. And it’s not a small of weakness, of fear, or lack of importance- it’s a small of insurmountable beauty and peace. There is utter serenity and quiet.
I find it amazing that so much of modern life has gotten away from existence at its core. We have placed so much emphasis on money and the accumulation of things, useless stuff, that we have destroyed much of the natural beauty of this country and ourselves as a result. We have forgotten what it’s like to be human, to show compassion and not just for each other but for our planet, for the awesome beauty Mother Nature has created and how much diversity this country truly has.
While I can theorize, research and argue how and why our country has gotten into the terrible mess that it is in today and the numerous ways that are possible for us to refocus our future, I will not delve into that. But what I would encourage someone to do who doubts the sincerity of my words is to truly disconnect and escape, whether that’s your backyard, a weekend trip or something of a larger scale and truly pay attention to the beauty that surrounds you. In certain areas, feelings of “this would be prettier if…” statements, due to the contamination, pollution and lack of respect modern man has for nature, are bound to happen. In those cases- do something about it! We still have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves, to restore our country, both financially and environmentally, if people start making the right decisions. Wouldn’t life be so much better if we liked where we lived and found it beautiful? If we respected our surroundings and each other? If we thought about all the true costs involved before making decisions? Before wasting? Before we ate badly? Before we came up with excuses not to exercise? Before we ignored people? Before we thought we were bigger or more important than we really are? We’re always striving for happiness and many never seem to find it. I think that speaks volumes about the way our society is living and the values it holds. Fundamentally, perhaps biologically, it’s because we know our actions, in trying to get ahead, are destroying our inner peace and the world we need to live. Once you see the beauty, the peace, the awe this country has to offer, I would hope that you would make better decisions in trying to restore and preserve it in your daily lives. I am grateful that I finally agree with the words my Nonni spoke, that America is in fact, beautiful. If we keep that beauty at the forefront of our minds, I am confident that we can not only “bounce back” from these dark times, but we can prosper- environmentally, financially and spiritually.
