The GOOD LIFE: How To Get There, How To Stay There

What is a GRUB?

2009-11-23T18:16:00.001-08:00

Ever been called a "grub" before, and not known how to react? Well, hopefully not. But if so, it is a word that is definitely not a compliment. Made famous by the legendary Geoffrey Leonard in his Australia TV YouTube interview, many Americans were left scratching their heads as to what it actually meant.

After doing research through numerous dictionaries, my favorite definitions for grub were:

1) A thick bodied, sluggish larvae of several insect
2) A dull, unkempt plodding person; drudge
3) A person that tries to get things by freeloading

Though none of these describe Geoffrey Leonard very well, (what ONE word can??) definition number two is the one that is most commonly used in Europe, and is the one I have recently been using to describe a surprisingly high number of people.

There are many GRUBS out there, so be on the look out! And feel free to post a picture of your favorite grub in the comment section!

Lastly, NEVER find yourself being a GRUB!

Playing Your Part (Role) In Life

2009-11-19T14:09:00.001-08:00

After deep thought and careful consideration, I have realized that there are roles for everyone in the game that we call "Life." The truth is, it all boils down to ROLES or PARTS of the whole (Act, or Play). I realized this when I decided I would get my brother, who is an accomplished actor, to act differently in the mall. I encouraged him to speak with a foreign accent.

It was interesting in that he was able to free himself from his normal role, and act totally different. I have found that this is especially great when you are caught in a pattern of behavior that is not serving you and you want to change. When you play a character who you do not associate with yourself, you in essence give yourself permission to do what you want to do freely.

Now, in playing your part or role in life, you must decide who you want to be. The more specific you are about props, mannerisms, and surroundings the better. You must take these all in consideration as you are the director & actor, and must set the scene for your play. Once you have decided these, you must then write down specific statements that remind you of the specific details about your character and surroundings, as well as interactions with other characters, etc. Once you have done this, you must visualize how the play will look when you are performing it flawlessly. You must continue to do this until your visualization becomes reality.

Play your part in life. Simple as that.

Escaping Scarcity Mentality

2009-11-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

I have noticed in my college years especially, and somewhat after wards, that at times it is easy to slip into a scarcity mentality. A scarcity mentality is basically a mentality in which you believe there is not enough, and you cannot have whatever it is that you want because of this. It also, as a negative side effect, causes you to become a selfish person and hold on to everything you have. The reason behind this is that you believe there is not enough for everyone, so you must keep yours, and as an effect not help anyone else.

For a large part of my life, I held a scarcity mentality in my beliefs for many aspects and areas in my life. It was only in watching the movie, "The Secret", that I realized how ignorant and non-serving this belief was to me.

Since then, I have compared scarcity and abundance to the RAIN. When it rains, it rains on everyone (in a specific geographical area, of course). However, though it rains more in some climates than others, it always takes care of EVERYONE. There is always enough rain to keep everyone and everything healthy in most climates. If you were really thirsty, and the rain was pure enough to drink, you could leave your empty cup out, wait till it was filled up, then drink it when it is hot and sunny, and then pray for more rain. This helped me understand that the talk of the doomed economy and the lack of money out there were ridiculous.

So the question is: How can you put yourself in a climate to get rained on, to fill your cup? The best way is to bless the lives of others by pouring out of yourself your abilities and talents. This is the fastest and most effective way. What are you good at? What is it that you enjoy doing, that you would do for FREE anyway? These are the things you should focus on.

This will help you escape from the desert of scarcity mentality, and into the rainforest jungle of Wealth Attraction.

Is the United States headed from Capitalistic to Socialism?

2009-11-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping up with the news lately regarding United States health care reform, that, in my opinion, must happen in some way.

However, the way that Barack Obama is looking to reform it, is not the correct way. From my understanding, he is lobbying to pass the bill that will allow many people that cannot afford health insurance and health care assistance from the government. He is also lobbying to not allow insurance companies to deny anyone insurance that applies.

Both of these ideas are ridiculous. From my viewpoint, and it has been this way before Obama was even elected, I believe he is looking to turn the United States of America from a Capitalistic society to a Socialist society and government. This is a HUGE mistake that will, if successful, mark the end of the United States as the world's leading power.

Why? Because, the fact is, this country was started by strong willed men that came from Europe to start their own society that was more free, and that would offer the opportunity to anyone that wanted to be anything. This is commonly labeled "The American Dream." This idea and the constitution and government worked for several years, because everyone DID THEIR PART! Simple enough, right?

Fast forward to today, and you see that virtually all of the problems facing our once great nation are caused by the WEAK, HANGERS-ON of society that don't do their part. That means all of the able bodied men and women out there that do not work by choice and collect welfare and unemployment checks. Also, all of the people out there that irresponsibly have a bunch of kids that they can't take care of, and require government assistance to do so. Also, giving unfair racial treatment by means of Affirmative Action in a so-called "Post-Racial Society."

All of these problems began before Obama was elected, granted. But when he spoke of CHANGE, I'm not sure that Americans knew what he was speaking of. Surely the heralded, well-spoken Illinois senator was speaking of ELIMINATING these types of problems, not coming in and passing the Health Care Reform to further perpetuate them!

The idea of taking from the rich and giving to the poor sounds great in "Robin Hood," where the nobility of England is thriving, while the average peasant and citizen are barely surviving. However, this is a fictional FAIRYTALE, and it is not based in reality, especially when relating to a Capitalistic Government and Society like the United States, where many of the millionaires and billionaires of our society were not born into wealth. Rather, they were SELF-MADE! By taking more from these people to give to people that are not contributing in some way to society is totally backward. These are the people that are making the United States the great nation that it is in the first place! Socialism is the biggest mistake we could ever make, in that we are now punishing success and achievement, versus rewarding those that contribute in a large way to society with "The American Dream."

If our nation continues on this path much longer, I will began looking to other nations to apply for citizenship. Any other smart and hard working individual out there should take this to heart.

Is It Possible For A True Post-Racial Society To Exist?

2009-11-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article in the New York Times earlier today regarding Meb Keflezighi's New York City Marathon win Sunday. Here is a link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33603511/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/

Meb is the first American to win the race since 1982. His win has sparked some controversy in that he is a naturalized American citizen, and was actually born in Eritrea, where he lived until he was 12 years old. Many Americans do not consider Meb a "real" American because of this fact, as well as his name (in my opinion).

The article mentions that many people believe we now live in a Post-Racial society now that we have an African-American president in Barack Obama. This statement piqued my interest. My question is: Is it even POSSIBLE for a true post-racial society to even exist?

In my opinion, with the current evolution of human beings' minds, this is not possible. The reason being, people are always judged by appearance. Although the popular saying "Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover" has been embraced by religious groups, the truth is, this is literally impossible, unless you are BLIND.

You can't help but to see the color of someone's skin when you meet them. You can't help but tell things about them like how they dress, how they speak, their body language, etc. It is an evolved trait human beings have learned in order to quickly read other people and assess any and every situation accordingly. Now what you do with this information that you pick up is up to you. But most use it in a judgmental way about the other person, and respond accordingly, even if it is completely inaccurate.

For instance, you could do a social experiment of the same person dressing two different ways, and judging how they are treated. A person that is dressed high class, generally is treated high class, and a person that is dressed low class, is generally treated this way. Unfortunately, stereotypes about races go along these lines as well.

Another reason I believe a post-racial society is not possible at our mind's current evolution is that people generally hire and are friends with people that are like them, and share multiple commonalities with. People also trust people that share commonalities with them as well. The point of this reasoning for people is that they are able to relax and be in their comfort zones more when they have this level of trust based on commonalities and similarities with other people.

In closing, it is my opinion that as long as separate "races" of people exist, as we know them now, it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to live in a post-racial society because each race is thinking in its own self-interest. The first step in changing this thinking is to take away all of the rules that exist that give certain races preferential treatment, such as affirmative action, and put everyone on a equal playing ground.. More on this issue to come.

Why You Should Dress Like It's Halloween All The Time

2009-10-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

So today is one of my absolute FAVORITE days of the entire year.. Halloween! With Halloween comes some exciting things, parades, people dressed up in all kinds of weird costumes, cool pumpkins carving, trick or treating, and my own personal favorite, girls dressed in skimpy outfits!

I recently had the realization, after cutting my hair into a mullet last week, that you can dress and do damn near ANYTHING in our society today and it is really NO BIG DEAL to other people.

I figured, with my outrageous hairstyle (in my opinion), that I would have had some type of reactions from people. Not that I did it for attention, but for my own personal amusement. I just figured it was inevitable. Well, the fact is, I have gotten a couple of looks from strangers, but beyond that, the people I already knew and interact with on a daily basis acted like they didn't even notice!

Which brings me to the point: You should dress outrageous yet interesting (in your own way and personal style) all the time! Why? The biggest reason is it will help you stand out from the crowd. Who wants to look like everybody else?? The second reason is, by standing out more and being CONFIDENT and COOL about it, people put you on a pedestal as having high value to be able to do this. Now mind you, this isn't about being over the top and wearing a Superman costume all the time (but that would be kinda cool), it is more wearing interesting, yet unusual things all the time.

Can't think of any good ideas? Look no further than your modern day Rapper. These guys are most of the time poor guys coming from nothing to something that want EVERYBODY to know how rich they are. They drive cool cars with GIGANTIC rims, have enormous chains and bling, even grills! It seems like the more outrageous they are, the better they are at rapping and getting attention.

Now I am not saying you should try to become a rapper, but one thing you could do, that I successfully did myself, is wear interesting yet somewhat unusual pieces of jewelry. It is an easy conversation starter for other people to talk to you. An example of what I did was get a necklace of my favorite animal, the Tiger. On any day, I will usually have about 3-5 people, mostly women, approach me about this! Another thing I would suggest is a large, interesting ring. I have my track and field conference championship ring from college that looks like a superbowl ring. I have had several people ask me about it, especially after I shake hands with them.

The last suggestion here to to add interesting pieces to your wardrobe, especially for your work. Most people will have something cool to wear for a night out on the town, but for work dress generic like everyone else. You can't get promoted and be the boss if you are like everyone else! Wear clothes that help you stand out, but still are professional. Interesting colors or threads are a start.

Have a fun Halloween! And never stop giving yourself permission to dress for success EVERYDAY.

How To Build A Strong "Party"

2009-10-30T09:48:00.001-07:00

Do you ever find yourself wondering how you ending up with friends like the ones you have, or girlfriend or wife? Relationships are hard to understand for most people at times.

This morning, as I was doing my usual morning walk at 6 AM, I begin thinking about my current relationships and came to the realization that your relationships are a reflection of your inner qualities that you admire, or those that you want to have and admire. To help this sink in, let's view an example. Say you are a funny guy most of the time that also has a serious side. Chances are, you have a friend that is funnier or equally as funny as you (your personal opinion, of course), and a friend that is more serious than you are. These people in your life reinforce those traits to make your personality stronger. Whenever you need to get in touch with one side of your personality more, you pay more attention to the friend that provides that.

About the traits that you want to have that you admire, say you want to become really muscular. So you go to the gym and meet the most muscular guy in the gym and also hang out with him in order to get in touch with that. You will probably not be as good of a friend with this guy, simply because what he provides to you is not that large or valuable, unless you are wanting to be a pro bodybuilder.

As far as relationships with the opposite sex, there are usually two circumstances. Either A) a person mates with a person that looks like them, and is very similar to them in most ways, and maybe at best has a few qualities they admire and want. This, in my opinion, is the weakest form of a relationship, because the charges between the two are too similar. B) The two are complete opposites in most ways, but they complete each other. Many people seem to think that means that one person is a positive person and the other a negative. That is not at all what this means. A good example would be a person that is a really hard worker, and is serious all the time. This is a positive trait. A good mate for them would be someone that is more laid back, but is able to have a fun, great time at will. These two would be so-called opposite charges, but would make sense because they would enter each other's sphere of influence, and would therefore bring them both more towards the center of polarity. The hard worker would still work hard, but would be able to now have a good time, and therefore get more done when they work. The laid back person would still be able to have a good time, but would now also work harder and be more goal oriented. This is a great balance of energy, magnetism, and polarity.

So in short, it is best to make friends, or a "party" so to speak, of friends, that you can help become the best they can be, and they can return the favor. A video game example would be getting a party on Final Fantasy of Warriors, and Black and White Wizards/Mages. Although all of these guys are very different from one another, together they complete each other and are able to accomplish missions and their ultimate quest.

Overriding Your Emotions

2009-10-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

I was reading the great book Psycho-Cybernetics yesterday when I stumbled upon a passage that inspired me very much. It talks about a man named Bertrand Russell that was a very unhappy child because of the thoughts, feelings, and emotions he focused on all of the time.

He eventually came across Psycho-Cybernetics as a grown man, and had the sudden realization that if he challenged his emotions, which were an effect of his irrational beliefs that he held, he could then change his results and uproot the beliefs and emotions permanently. He stated that every time he felt an emotion from doing something he knew was right, but his emotions told him was wrong, he confronted these emotions head on and rejected them. According to him, this changed his life DRAMATICALLY!

I can see this exercise as being useful to all of us, as we all operate within some form of limiting beliefs all the time. Override the emotions and confront the emotion/belief head on. Doing this will get you the results you want in life!

Positive Feeling (Constructive) VS Negative Feeling (Destructive)

2009-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Your life is always going one of two ways, either up or down. This is a figure of speech, of course, but by up or down, I mean up is an upward spiral of positivity which breeds creativity and positive construction. The opposite of this is down, which is a downward spiral of negativity which breeds lack and scarcity and destruction of the life you have.

Obviously, to be successful you want to stay POSITIVE all the time, no matter how great or terrible your circumstances may seem to be at the time. There are billionaires that commit suicide or destruct their lives from the inside out, such as Howard Hughes, one of the richest and most successful men of the early 20th century. His negative beliefs on the inside led him to destruct himself and his world on the outside. That is an example of the negativity we want to stay away from.

A great example of positivity would be Helen Keller, who was both blind and deaf from a disease at a young age! Most people discounted her for being a lost cause because of her disability. Helen could have taken this negativity and self-destructed her life. But somehow, from within, she held a gleaming light of positivity and went on to earn a college degree and become an advocate and leader for people with disabilities and many other causes!

NOTHING can stop a POSITIVE mind on a clear MISSION. Put these two together and you will accomplish whatever you want in life. Just remember to always include helping others out along the way to your success, and you will be doubly blessed for it.

Why A "Make Sure" List Is VITAL To Success & Being Effective

2009-08-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

I have always heard my whole life that you should make a list for everyday of things you need to do if you want to be successful. Otherwise, you will forget the small things, and be too lazy to complete the tough ones. It is much easier to do it all, or as much as you can, if you have a list you can cross items off of.

My mother is an expert at being effective. I have never seen another person that makes a full page or longer list EVERYDAY, and doesn't quit until every item has been checked off. Most people simply do not have the discipline or will power to do this. In her words, you have to be "Mentally Tough!"

I had not realized how much improvement you see in your effectiveness until I started doing this myself. I started with a grocery list, and that went well. Then I started making a list of things I had to make sure that I got done everyday, my "Make Sure" List, and not quitting until I checked every item off. This is an interesting experiment, and I guarantee you, if you implement this, you will be AMAZED at your results in a short amount of time.

The reason? Simply because, most people don't do this. The majority of people might have an agenda for the day, but will come up with an EXCUSE to not do the tough things on their list, if they made one in the first place. This also causes you to be much more ORGANIZED. Having a list causes you to have to keep FOCUSED all day, effectively eliminating time wasters such as TV, Social Media (Following other people on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter=Complete waste of time), so on and so forth.

By making a thorough Make Sure List every day, and checking off ALL of the items with as few exceptions as humanly possible, you can be sure that you will reach your goal while living your dream in no time!

LIFE Is A Really Easy Game!

2009-08-14T01:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight I went down 6th Street by myself for the first time in a little bit to go check out a few different venues that some of my business partners were throwing parties at. Because I recently wiped out some REALLY stupid limiting beliefs, mainly that I am not good enough for ____, and I don't know what to say to meet new people, I am now completely absolved and can do what I did tonight--> Take 6th street over!!

So I show up at several different bars, and there are girls EVERYWHERE in the street! I decide to talk to the hottest ones I see and reinforce that it doesn't matter what you say, it's how you say it and your conviction to get you results in life. So I proceed to get several multiple sets of women to follow me to clubs. This was an amazing and eye-opening social experiment to me. I decided that I would then forget about THINKING and being in my HEAD when I am out in public. THAT is my worst enemy. Just FLOW and have POSITIVE emotions, a good time!

I laughed really hard when I realized that is what life is really all about! Choosing a direction to go in, and ENJOYING the journey! I had girls I talked to tonight act like their shit didn't stink. But that is funny to me, because it shows me they are not cool enough to be WHO THEY REALLY ARE in real life! If they were, they would be cool and not worry about what's going on at night. At a random club. In Austin, Texas. That is retarded!

The game of Life is very, very, very, very SIMPLE! Fears and anxieties that people place upon themselves are LAUGHABLE at best. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Conquer the fear of death and everything else is a cakewalk! Say to yourself everyday, "What could I be doing right now to get closer to my goal?" And then do that!

The game of LIFE is ridiculously easy. I know it. You know it. NOW PLAY!

You're An Idiot If You Don't Go For What You Want In Life

2009-08-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

My younger brother, Troy, is the BEST voice actor I have ever heard. He can hear someone talk, and do an amazing impersonation of them in no time. Troy can watch a cartoon & sound exactly like any of the bad guys you can choose.

Yet, Troy is 20 years old, currently living with my parents, and is enrolling in college for who knows what this Fall. I just have one question.. WHY??

Troy is not an unusual example. There are all kinds of people out there that have AMAZING talent, but for whatever reason, do something else! What the hell!

The New Testament has a parable from the great teacher Jesus that talks about talents. One person gets 5 from their master, another 3, and another just 1. The one that got 5 returns with 5 more, the one with 3 returns with 3 in addition, and then the 1 with the one returns with ONLY his 1 that his master gave him. When asked why he didn't add any more talents using the one he had, the servant replied that he buried his talent because he was TOO SCARED he might lose it! The master then says "Go away from me wicked and evil servant"

People that bury their talents in this life and don't go for their dreams, for whatever reason or EXCUSE they may have, need to be PUNISHED. Better yet, KILLED.

What is the point of BEING ALIVE if you don't go for your dreams and complete your objectives to get there? Life is just a 3D RPG (Role Playing Game) in real life. A few years ago, Electronic Arts came out with a game called "The Sims." In this game, you have characters that create their lives as they want to live. All this is is a simulation of REAL LIFE! Decide how you want your life to be & go for it. Anyone that DOESN'T do that needs to sacrifice their life and JUMP OFF A CLIFF so that their spirit & energy can go to someone on this earth that is going for their dreams.

Mental Masturbation: The Leading Cause of Pre-Mature Death In The World

2009-08-10T16:24:00.001-07:00

Mental. Masturbation. Two words that by themselves have meaning, but put together mean something so tragic, it has literally killed millions.

"What?" You exclaim. "What is mental masturbation? No WAY it has killed that many people!"

Of course, I mean figuratively, not literally. But mental masturbation started in the new era of technology. When people starting WATCHING. The biggest culprit: TV!

Before TV, people would listen to a radio for games & shows, and be mildly entertained for a short period of time WEEKLY. Television came around, and by the 1960's was making its impact in society by providing news segments and regular television shows. This, to a point, was good for people, as they were able to temporarily take time out of their lives to see what was going on the world, and when they would be able to see the occasional sports game. BUT, the problem began when people began to watch TV all day, sitting on their ass in a daze, flipping from channel to channel. More recently, REALITY TV has shown that people's lives are so pointless that they would rather stop what they are doing and watch T.O. (Terrell Owens) live his daily life.

The widespread use of the INTERNET hasn't helped mental masturbation much either. People literally surf the web, and FOLLOWING people on Twitter, Facebook, or Myspace, seeing what other people are up to while doing nothing valuable with their own lives. Some take it a step further, particularly men, who not only MENTALLY but PHYSICALLY masturbate while viewing pornographic material online. Unfortunately, neither of these things will get you anywhere in life.

Mental masturbation is when you think about things in your mind with no real intention of bringing those thoughts to REALITY. It has killed the wonderful brains of so many people who could be changing the world, the figure is ridiculously high. People living in a WALKING DAZE, pleased with watching others live their dreams and fantasies. President Barack Obama preaches that America needs CHANGE. The Change we need is for people to stop MENTALLY MASTURBATING about others lives and LIVE YOUR DREAM! That will take care of the deficit this country is facing. Who cares what TO or the Celebrity Fit Club, or The Real World, or Paris Hilton is up to today?? Who cares about Ashton Kutcher's latest twitter update?

I am leading the army of people that are too busy living their dream, getting success or die trying, to give a damn about anything else! Join US or die a long, slow death.

I am now off my soapbox. Comment away.

Why I Deleted My Facebook & Myspace

2009-08-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

"Social Media's a waste of time for you
You've got much better things with your life to do
You can go outside & change the world
And be the HERO that gets the girl" Lyrics by Trey Thomason

So I have deleted my Myspace & Facebook for about a week now.. What a relief!

I have had a lot of people ask me about why I did it, what was my purpose.
Facebook & Myspace for me were wastes of time. I joined at first as a way to keep up with old friends back in 2005. Then, I found myself adding people I didn't know, people I didn't know adding me, and me wasting time looking at people's pages & pictures all the time.

The low point for me came whenever I would invite people to events on Facebook. A lot of my friends on there would write on the Event wall their excuses for why they couldn't go. WHO CARES THAT YOU CAN'T GO! The whole point of putting the event on facebook is to PROMOTE it for people that CAN go, and that is who should be writing on the event wall!

The other part of the low point was that I would have literally HUNDREDS of people confirmed for parties, events, etc, then I would only get a FRACTION of that number actually there. LAME.

The final part of the low point is two fold: First, people would add me on Facebook that I didn't know in real life, or at least didn't know very well. Then these people would meet me in real life, or talk to me if they had previously known me, and not act very friendly! I don't get it. If you're not my friend in real life, don't be my friend on facebook. DUH. The other part of that is people from my past or others adding me actively following my pictures and posts, and making judgements about me, but never actually talking to me or interacting with me about any of it. Just didn't make any sense to me.

I was going to my brother Trent's facebook one day when I realized it no longer existed. He deleted his page. When I asked him about it, he mentioned many of the same reasons I did previously. He also said he was "cutting away all the fat" from his life. Getting rid of all the excuses for not being successful and living his dream. This inspired me, and about a week later, mine was gone as well.

Maybe your social media pages (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter) are not major time wasters or do not cause you the issues they caused me. If that's the case, great. But I know for some people that is a big one. If it is not helping you, stop today. GET RID OF IT! Everyone has areas they can work on to improve their lives. Cut out the fat out of your life and live your dream!

212 Degrees

2008-11-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

The McMurry Football team this year decided to put "212" on the front of their football helmets. When I asked one of the players what it meant, he told me about the difference between 211 and 212 degrees.

211 degree water is really hot, and will burn your hand when you touch it. Otherwise, it is really not anything except hot water.

212 degree water, however, is so hot that it BOILS, and can power steam engine boats.

The only difference between these two is ONE DEGREE!

I thought about this, and came to the conclusion that many people are just one degree from taking their lives to a totally new level of improvement. Their level of intensity only needs to improve just that little bit to get where they want in life.

While many people spend most of their day wasting time, especially when their 9-5 shift is over, what can you be doing to take it to that next level? How can you minimize wasted time during your shift in the day and raise the intensity just one more degree to get so much more done?

There is not much difference between highly successful people and people that aren't. It is usually that extra little bit that the highly successful person does that makes the difference.

I encourage you for the next week to consciously watch yourself when working and put that extra little bit of intensity into what you do.

Until Next Time,

T-JACK

Take Action To GET IT DONE!

2008-10-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Long Time No See.. It has been a few weeks since I have blogged because I have been too busy living! (It's a good problem to have). In the meantime, if you haven't checked out my brother's blog (leaderofthepack.wordpress.com), you are missing out!

Before I get to today's topic of Gettin It Done, I will catch you up on what's been going on in my crazy life.

First, I went to the Tyga and Shwayze concert on September 24th and had a blast. Since T-Jack-T Entertainment sponsored the show, I had All-Access VIP passes. Here is a pic of me and Tyga.

We ended up spending the night in San Angelo and partying it up! The next day was my 23rd birthday, and the party was nothing short of amazing. Here is a pic from before we left to go to the club..

Since then, I have been busy selling pumpkins with my roommate and business partner, Ross, for our company "FLO-TOWN PUMP CO." Our motto is "GET PUMPED!" We have had quite a bit of success, and I am excited to see just how many pumpkins and how much money we can make out of this whole business.

Back to the topic of gettin it done. Yesterday, I was inspired because normally Tuesday is my day to have the pumpkin trailer. Being that tons of people came in my room late last night and kept me up, I didn't get much sleep and slept til around 10 AM. Once I got up and going, there was no stopping me. The reason was because most of the time I spend alot of time thinking about what I'm doing, and taking very little action on it. I compare my thinking to action ratio something like a iceberg. What is above the water is my action, and below the water the amount that I think.

When I finally took off yesterday, I decided that I was about to flip that ratio, and start taking action. Instead of sitting out in a vacant lot and waiting for people to come to me while I thought about my future moves, I decided to keep driving around to places and making more moves than I ever had before. I began to take MASSIVE ACTION.

The results were incredible. Instead of cold calling people and sitting in a vacant spot, I drove to places, unannounced, and started selling pumpkins like CRAZY! The best place, though, was a bit of an accident. I was turning around to go drop some pumpkins off at my bank, when I saw a store called "Garden Place". I decide to roll in there, and before I can even make it inside, the entire store staff is out there with carts, picking out pumpkins left and right. The store owner, without talking to me for more than a minute, tells me that he would like us to start bringing them TRAILER LOADS of pumpkins for the rest of the season! Incredible.

So at the end of the day, because I flipped my thinking to action ratio, I made over three times my daily average!

Did I get some no's along the way.. Absolutely. But they were easy to brush off with the HUGE amount of benefit that came with the yes's that I got!

BOTTOM LINE: Most people are lazy, and don't think or take action. Some people think alot, but don't take much action. Some people take lots of action but don't think. The KEY is to be between the last two. Think, process data, and take action with what information you have at the time. It is much better to get a NO and know you went for it than to get NOTHING by being in your head and not taking action!

Try this out for one week and you will be surprised with your yes's and results!

T-JACK

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

2008-09-24T04:29:00.000-07:00

I was in my educational psychology class the other day when a very interesting topic came up. The topic was self-fulfilling prophecies.

A self-fulfilling prophecy in education is when a teacher stereotypes a student as say "bad at math." Because the student realizes the teacher thinks he will be bad at math, and has low expectations of him, he fulfills these expectations by struggling to low grades in math. On the opposite end of the spectrum, had that same teacher had high expectations of the student, the student would have worked much harder to meet those standards and expectations set out for him.

If you are an entrepreneur, it is difficult to have clear set expectations for yourself because you don't have a supervisor to tell you what they expect of you. So it is VERY important to set GOALS and RULES for yourself in order to set high expectations for yourself!

If you are very successful, you probably have HATERS. The problem with not setting goals and rules is that you will eventually fall into the expectations of the haters! This is never going to help you succeed!

Bottom Line: SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR YOURSELF AND RULES TO GET THERE! Do not become a SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY of failure!

On another note, I am very excited about the concert going down tonight in San Angelo. Tyga and Shwayze are doing a tour, and although I am not the biggest fan of their music, MTV is putting the concert on with Big Sid of Playa's Choice, and I am one of the Official Sponsors. First Class is performing, as well as Fresh Out Da Block and Dreama Kid. It should be a good one, I will update you tomorrow!

Keep Hustlin,

T-JACK

Expect To WIN!

2008-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have come to the realization that in a world where performance is king, EXPECTATIONS USUALLY DETERMINE PERFORMANCE.

Of course, this is not always the case, because if you aren't CONGRUENT with the outcome you are expecting, you are not going to achieve it. An example is a 130 pound guy that has never lifted a weight in his life saying he is going to go to the weight room and bench press 300 POUNDS! This is just not going to happen.

However, if that same guy worked out hard for a few years and got up to 170 pounds of pure muscle, and progressed in maxes up to that level, it is definitely a possibility that he will be able to bench press 300 pounds.

The main point of this blog is to tell you, no matter what, to SET YOUR EXPECTATIONS HIGH and expect to WIN EVERY TIME, no matter what the circumstances tell you!

Do you think David would have defeated Goliath if he didn't BELIEVE in himself 100%? Do you think you will ever get the hottie at the club if you don't BELIEVE you will? Do you think you will ever get a major deal or go platinum if you don't BELIEVE you will?

The answer to all of these is NO!
You have to set your expectations high, and no matter how much you are the UNDERDOG, or picked to LOSE, even if you do, your opponent and everyone else will have RESPECT for you because you got out there and put it on the line!

Sure, David could have gotten CRUSHED by Goliath, but he would have earned the respect of everyone else, same thing for the other two situations. You will NEVER get it if you don't EXPECT to get it.

In my high school running career, I got DESTROYED my freshman year at Regionals, finishing 129th out of 200 runners, where the top 10 advanced to state! So I wasn't even close. At the end of the season, my Dad brought me an article about the state meet, and highlighted the first place name and time. That day was the day I decided I WOULD WIN STATE. Sure, it took three more years for that to happen, BUT I made HUGE jumps every year because I EXPECTED TO WIN! And eventually, I did!

Go for it, and don't let ANYONE tell you you can't do something!

Keep Hustlin,

T-JACK

There Is No Such Thing As LUCK!

2008-09-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Anytime someone has alot of success, you start to say things like "Man he's so lucky. If only I had his luck I would be just as successful."

What a JOKE.

There is no question that a person must have BREAKS and OPPORTUNITIES here and there that come their way in order to be successful, but the KEY is you must be PREPARED TO STRIKE AT ALL TIMES!

In sports you have guys like Tom Brady and Tony Romo that roamed the sidelines as backup quarterbacks for the first few years of their careers, coincidentally both behind Drew Bledsoe, a hot-shot veteran quarterback. They didn't whine or complain to the coach about getting an opportunity, in fact, they were almost anonymous to the general public! But in both instances, Bledsoe went down with an injury, FORCING THEM INTO ACTION. Both could have flopped and been replaced by the next guy. But Brady and Romo both took the opportunity, held on for dear life, and made the most of it! Now they are two of the top quarterbacks in the league, both Pro-Bowlers!

This is just one prime example, but I could go on and on. You have artists that grind for years in the Underground, just trying to sell a CD. They work at their production, beats, and lyrical content until it is top notch. All of a sudden, a record label executive is at a show they have and signs them on the spot. Was that just LUCK that got them that signing? Most people would probably say YES. "If it wasn't for the executive being there, it wouldn't have happened." This is TRUE. HOWEVER, if they hadn't gotten their production, beats, and lyrical content down before the show it is likely the executive would have just ignored them!

Another example that relates alot with guys is that HOT 10 that you see at the bar every weekend that MAYBE you'll get "LUCKY" with this week. The truth is, if you ask the guy that ends up bringing her home tonight (which will probably not be you if you have the above attitude), he will tell you it had NOTHING to do with LUCK, and all to do with being PREPARED (having his mind right on the inside and reflecting it on the outside with his DRESS and BEHAVIOR) to meet a HOT 10 and bring her home that night!

Do yourself a FAVOR and stop thinking of other people or your successes here and there as LUCK. Look at it as "LUCK IS WHEN PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY"- Seneca, 1st Century Roman Philosopher.

Keep On Grindin,

T-JACK

Why You Should Love HATERS

2008-09-11T00:23:00.000-07:00

Look out below! HATERS are EVERYWHERE!

If you're a successful person at any level, you know what I'm talking about. It seems like the more success you have, the more people try to bring you down.

I see it all the time. In professional sports, you have fans that love you when you're putting up amazing stats and winning; but the second you mess up one time, they're all of a sudden booing you, hoping they pull you and put your backup in.

You have highly successful organizations like the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys. Sure, they both have TONS of fans and are good year in and year out. As many fans as they have, they probably have 10 times the amount of haters that cheer against them, game in and game out.

Any time I have had success in life, I have had haters. Haters come in all shapes and sizes, and come from some of the strangest places. The same guy that is your best friend at work when you're both associates becomes your worst enemy when you get promoted to manager. Your labelmates on your record label that will do anything for u when you're underground, but make diss tracks about you when you go major. The girls you consider your friends that love you when you date girls that are like them, but turn in to monsters when you date a girl that is clearly more attractive then they are.

I could go on and on. The point is, if you have haters, you should LOVE them! It means you're doing something RIGHT! Usually haters are people that are UNCOMFORTABLE with the amount of success YOU'RE having, because it makes them feel BAD about THEMSELVES, and/or THEY wish it could be THEM having the success!

One great example is the movie Envy with Jack Black and Ben Stiller. who are best friends in the movie, where Black makes an invention and suddenly gets really rich. This creates a strain in their relationship where Stiller is trying to get Black to live their former, normal lives, while Black is living the high life. Stiller is stuck as a HATER because he is ENVIOUS of Black's success and it makes him UNCOMFORTABLE!

Another example is CRABS. If you have ever had a bucket of crabs and tried to pull one out, all of the other ones latch onto it and try to PULL IT BACK DOWN! HATERS are alot like crabs, in that they would rather keep someone down at their level than see them rise above!

If you're a successful and driven person, get used to haters, they're not going anywhere! If listening to them motivates you towards your goals, great! If not, focus in on your goals and go towards what you want, not caring at all what ANYONE says that you CAN'T DO !

I will close with two quotes, both probably overused, but they never get old to me!

"Just do it!" Nike

"If they hate then let em hate and watch the money pile up!" Kanye West

Keep Rockin,

T-JACK-T

Dealing With Failure

2008-09-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, all of us have failures and disappointments of sorts. When you expect things to be a certain way, and the circumstances don't pan out to be what you imagined. You release a new CD and expect phenomenal sales, and it flops. You ask a hot chick in class on a date and she turns you down. You plan a huge event that you expect people to flock to, and hardly anyone shows up.

I can relate to the last one very well. Last night, my partners and I in the West Texas Party Patrol had our first party. We wanted to start with the high school crowd because we felt that in Abilene, the high school crowd has the least amount of entertainment. We passed out over 4,000 flyers, made a Myspace and added all of the under 18 year olds in the surrounding Big Country, wrote a newspaper article, and even got on the #1 Radio Station in town, Power 103, and gave away tickets! I set my sights high. I wanted a SELL OUT!

The buildup looked amazing. With all of the area high schools, we were thinking we would easily hit our bottom line, break-even point of 350 students in the civic center that can easily hold 1,000!

Seven o'clock comes, we have everything set up. The stage, the dance floor, the DJ, the lights, security, VIP section.. EVERYTHING!

There are probably 20-30 kids waiting to get in. Great. So we get our start, get the music bumpin, and more kids trickle in.

8 o'clock. Kids still trickling in. 9 o'clock. Slowing down. 10 o'clock. Artists arrive ready to perform. Kids start to leave! 11 o'clock. Yungsta rocks the crowd of 20 KIDS that is remaining! 11:30 PARTY IS DEAD.

My partners and I COULD NOT BELIEVE how disappointing the turnout was. Lets just say, I lost a few dollars. Am I disappointed? Yes. Now that I am a little down, am I going tuck my tail between my legs and QUIT or GIVE UP?

HELL NO.

ANYBODY can deal with success. It's gravy when you're on top and EVERYTHING seems to be going your way. But it is the TRUE CHAMPIONS that deal with failure appropriately and end up back on top. What do these guys do?

1. REFLECT on what happened, and how to correct it. Do you think I'm going to do the same thing this time that I did last? NO! I'm going to break down each step of what I did, what I could have done better, and analyze them.

2. Put the failure BEHIND you, and MOVE FORWARD. After my analysis is done, it's time to move onto the next project, not letting my success or lack of success have any bearing on what I am doing now.

3. Work SMARTER. Correct the mistakes made last time and do things DIFFERENTLY this time! For the longest time, I used to think the answer was always to WORK HARDER. To some people that are lazy and have no work ethic, sure, an increase in workload will dramatically improve your success. But as hard as I work at what I do, the answer is work smarter.

I've seen guys that go out to meet women at the club, and every week, they think their "FORTUNE" is going to change. "This is going to be my lucky day," they say to themselves. They do the same thing week in and week out, and get the SAME RESULTS! This is the definition of INSANITY. You MUST work SMARTER and LEARN from your MISTAKES if you want to improve upon failures and disappointments.

I gotta go back to Kanye for this one.. His song, "Stronger," has a GREAT chorus. "That that don't kill me, can ONLY MAKE ME STRONGER." He calls out his HATERS and anyone doubting him, and lets them know, if they don't kill him, he will be BACK, STRONGER THAN EVER.

So that's what I'm doing. Last night was a MAJOR disappointment. But did I wake up this morning? Yes. I am still alive, and BEST BELIEVE I'm coming back with my next event BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER!

You have to have that attitude, or you will never make it!

Keep Hustlin,

T-JACK

Self-Efficacy

2008-09-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Right now I am taking a class in college called "Educational Psychology". Sounds like a great class, right? Haha. Not at ALL what I was thinking when I walked in for Day One last week. Turns out, when I actually opened the book and read it, I encountered a large amount of topics on how people learn things as children that translate to how they relate to the world and behave as adults.

So I'm in class yesterday, and halfway daydreaming when my professor was talking about how she used to come in to save low-performing schools on the state mandated tests.

She then said the #1 DIFFERENCE in successful schools and unsuccessful schools was that the low schools had teachers and students with a LOW SENSE OF SELF-EFFICACY. In other words, these schools had teachers that said it was the student's fault for low performance, and students that said it was the teacher's fault for low performance. EVERYONE WAS BLAMING EVERYONE ELSE BUT THEMSELVES!

How does this relate to you? Self-Efficacy is when a person believes they are competent enough in an area to complete a task. When the teachers believed it was the student's fault, they didn't take into effect that maybe they weren't doing a good job teaching! Vice verse for the students that blamed the teachers, when they weren't working hard enough to learn the material!

If you haven't already, it is TIME for you start believing that you can do what you want to do, learn what you want to learn, and be who you want to be. So many times I hear people with a low sense of self-efficacy play the victim role. "My life is hard because my boss doesn't pay me enough." "I can't be successful in life because I was brought up in poverty." "But T-Jack, I have ALREADY TRIED to lose weight!" (one of my favorites). "I can't get a date with a hottie. I am just not their type!" Stop playing the victim role and take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for your actions and the outcomes that arise from them.

Your boss doesn't pay you enough. Did you ask for a raise? Has your PERFORMANCE at work been DESERVING of a raise? Finally, if all of these are yes, GET A NEW JOB! Or, better yet, START YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND BE YOUR OWN BOSS!

You were raised in poverty, so now as an adult you are still living in it. What are you doing EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY TO GET OUT OF IT? Do you have any WASTEFUL time/spending habits that are keep you there? Are you SHOWCASING the TALENT that you do have? What does a WEALTHY person do DIFFERENTLY on a DAILY BASIS that you don't?

You have already tried to lose weight. Did you go to the gym 3-5 times a week for 6 months? Do you have a balanced, healthy diet? Did you have a PERSONAL TRAINER or workout partner to keep you accountable and working HARD at all times?

You can't get a date with a hot chick. Why AREN'T you their type? And honestly, WHY DOES THAT EVEN MATTER? You have to be the guy that is CHOOSING THEM. Are you actively GOING OUT to places where the so-called hotties GATHER? Are you CONFIDENTLY approaching them? HONESTLY, do you need a MAKEOVER or a serious change in your WARDROBE? Are you an INTERESTING guy, and are you showing them you're INTERESTED?

I have just solved all of these problems I see people living with on a daily basis. I know it is alot easier to type it than do it. People playing the victim role need to adopt the motto, "If it is to be, it's up to ME!"

STOP blaming others for whatever you're lacking in your life and GO GET IT!

Keep Hustlin,

T-Jack

Being The UNDERDOG

2008-08-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of the phrase the "Underdog" that is heavily favored against in whatever endeavor they are undertaking. The classic example is David and Goliath in the Bible. David is not expected to have a chance against his powerful foe, yet he takes Goliath out with a stone to the forehead!

You have the Cinderella teams that make the BCS bowls like Boise State and beat the heavily favored team (Oklahoma), teams that make the NCAA Final Four that barely made the 64 team tournament in the first place, and finally, PEOPLE that are born as ZEROS, expected to be WORTHLESS, such as Helen Keller, and end up becoming HEROES because they have alot of the traits I mentioned in previous blogs. Most of all though, alot of these people have the UNDERDOG mentality that FUELS them to feats most people that were ever in a similar situation would consider IMPOSSIBLE because they had the DEFEATIST attitude!

My brother Trent (leaderofthepack.wordpress.com) inspired me in this blog to really think back on my personal successes. When I was serious about track in high school, I would always have the underdog mentality. My Dad would always help me out by saying things such as "What is ____ (my main rival or someone that had beat me) doing today? anytime that I would take the day off or not work very hard.

Realizing that you are not the VERY BEST in your particular endeavor, hustle, or whatever you do should motivate you to get out of bed every morning. I know it motivated me every Sunday to wake up at 6 AM all alone and run 12-15 hard miles. By my Senior year, I had won the State Championship, and the WEIRDEST thing happened.

All of a sudden, I was NO LONGER the UNDERDOG! It was the weirdest feeling. All of a sudden, EVERYONE it seemed, believed in me! I was EXPECTED to win every race or it was a DISAPPOINTMENT! It got to the point that I stressed myself out and got injured. It is unreal how hard it is to stay HUNGRY for success when you're ON TOP.

The reason why you sometimes see the people rise to the top, then sink back down is because they let me MONEY and SUCCESS get to their HEAD. They forgot how much hard work, blood, sweat and tears it took for them to get to that level!

When I finally got my head on straight, I realized what I needed to do to maintain that underdog mentality: In whatever endeavor you want to pursue, make sure you ALWAYS surround yourself with people that are BETTER than you are. If this is not POSSIBLE, (it usually will be but it is possible that it's not), surround yourself with others that are not on your level yet, but JUST AS HUNGRY for success and are BITING AT YOUR HEELS for the TITLE!

Do you think I would have lost the HUNGER if I would have had a teammate that was as good as I was? NO! I would have had to work harder just to maintain my position. Same goes for a younger teammate that wanted to take my crown. It may make you work harder, but it is a GOOD THING because it actually makes you BETTER.

Having an older brother definitely helped me with this. Trent would almost always beat me in everything we did. I was naturally small built, so whenever we played sports he had the advantage. Being around someone BETTER than me FORCED me to step my game up in order to COMPETE!

You see this in the wild all the time. There is a saying about every day in the Jungle, the Lion and the Antelope are having a race for SURVIVAL. Just because the antelope survives one day, he can't get too proud of himself and lose the UNDERDOG mentality or he will get EATEN by the lion. On the other side of the coin, the lion can't get too proud of himself for killing one antelope that he doesn't hunt the next day or he will STARVE to death!

BOTTOM LINE: No matter if you're an Platinum selling artist with a major deal, or an artist that has yet to sell a single album, you have to wake up everyday with the UNDERDOG mentality, and that today is YOUR DAY, THERE IS NO TOMORROW. If you wake up everyday with that mentality, there is no doubt you will eventually make it!

Keep Hustlin

Tre "T-Jack" Thomason

ps: Check out Trent's related posts "Adapt or Die" and "How To Beat The Hell Out Of Someone Bigger Than You" at http://www.leaderofthepack.wordpress.com/

Stop Caring What People Think!

2008-08-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

If you read my last blog, you know EXACTLY where I'm going with this after you read the headline. If you want to be the best at what you do, want to rise to the very top, you will FIRST have to STOP CARING WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT YOU.

"But wait T-Jack, I thought to get to the top you have to have the approval of others!" You might be thinking.

Well the truth is, you are only halfway correct. To get to the top, yes you will need the approval of others, in CD sales if you're an artist, or positive references for projects, and venture capitalists that are willing to invest in your cause. BUT before you can get these people to believe in you, you have to BELIEVE in yourself 100%! You have to APPROVE OF YOURSELF!

Take Kanye West for instance. He wears the most outrageous clothes, and comes across as overly cocky to some people. But when you watch his video "Good Life" (Link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyEoaOmcSBo ) you can tell that he could CARE LESS what ANYONE ELSE thinks about him, he is living the GOOD LIFE because he BELIEVES that HE IS THE BEST !! If you don't believe you are the best, NO ONE ELSE WILL!

Do you really think that the artists that make it to the top come to promoters and label execs and say "Hey, here is my best music, hope you like it." NO. The BEST come with the attitude that their music is the best, and everyone else should think it is as well. And the weird phenomenon that occurs most of the time (unless the music is truly GARBAGE!) is that EVERYONE STARTS TO THINK IT'S THE BEST MUSIC OUT THERE!

It is as simple as that. I get a lot of demos sent to me nowadays, and sure, some of the artists have the right attitude, but the WRONG music. Others have GREAT music but don't believe in themselves and come at me with an APOLOGETIC tone, like "Sorry to disturb you, hope you like my music."

Let's be real here.. Do you REALLY think that you're going to make it to the top if you come at people like that? RESPECT is one thing, COWARDICE is another. When I push artists, CD's, and shows, I do respect the PROFESSIONAL opinions of others. But if I truly believe 100% in the artist's work and abilities, I'm gonna have the attitude of "Here is what I got. Either you like it and buy it or SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"

BOTTOM LINE: Do all the research you can, make your music (or whatever your hustle is) the best it can be, and BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE BEST at every Performance, Interview, Recording.. Basically everything you do.

The ONLY caveat you should be wary of is coming across as OVERLY COCKY. No one likes an artist that thinks they're the best, and has no respect for anyone else. So INTERNALIZE this as much as possible, especially the BIGGER you get in the industry. Kanye West does not come out and say "I'm The BEST", but it is downright obvious in his lyrics and mannerisms that he believes this to be the case. ALWAYS have respect for others, but do not let ANYONE talk down on you. GIVE respect, and DEMAND it back.

Keep Hustlin,

T-JACK

There is NO TOMORROW!

2008-08-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

"There is no tomorrow!" This is one of my all time favorite quotes that comes from Apollo Creed in Rocky III. (Here is a You Tube video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlbKn8_p3vk) Rocky has just gotten DESTROYED by Clubber Lang and is training with Apollo Creed, but he doesn't have a sense of URGENCY in his training. As Apollo is jabbing him in the face over and over, Rocky says "Tomorrow", meaning that he will work harder then, and Apollo responds with his famous quote "There is no tomorrow!" Shortly after, Rocky is seen looking in the mirror as the quote runs through his head.

All of us, at one time or another, needs to look in the mirror and have this quote running through our head. Like Tyler Durden said in the movie Fight Club, "We are all going to die."

Why then, are you not going for what you want TODAY???

THERE IS NO TOMORROW! If there is something you want in life right now, it is time to take ACTION and GO GET IT! Stop waiting until all of the circumstances are PERFECT, because the truth is THEY WILL NEVER BE!

In my own life, I have only recently starting living with a sense of urgency. I looked up and realized that I am 22 years old, and will be 23 in less than a month. I am in the PRIME of my life. What am I going to look back on when I'm 30, 40, 50 and say, "Man, I wish I would have done ____ differently!" I shortly answered my question. Live EVERY DAY like it's my last day on earth.

One way I have done this is to be slightly different than others. I began to force myself to get up early. If today is my last day, I need an early start!

Second, I began to be more friendly to others, and create bonds with people everywhere I go. If today is my last day, I want some people to remember me fondly!

Third, I started getting rid of TIME WASTING Habits, and things that are not making my life better. There is no time to waste!

Fourth, I started living with a sense of urgency! That means making decisions must faster, not putting things off. Steve Pavlina has a very good blog on decision making that helped me with this. I will post the link later! EVERY DECISION, including important ones, in 60 SECONDS!

Fifth, no more being PASSIVE. Going for what I want, when I want it! Instead of letting the cute girl at school, the club/bar, or church (those places go great together, right!) slip away, trying to make a CONNECTION with her TONIGHT! That means, no matter what, getting a phone number, going for a kiss, further if I want it to!

6th, being the LEADER of my own life! Not letting someone else tell me how to live my life unless I ask them.

Finally, and most importantly, STOP CARING WHAT ANYONE THINKS! This is the most powerful for me. More on that in my next blog post.

Doing these things has really and truly CHANGED MY LIFE! Follow these seven rules and you will have the life of your dreams! Most people live for tomorrow, and not enough today. Instead, PLAN for tomorrow, and LIVE for today. You will be much happier that way, I GUARANTEE IT!

Remember, THERE IS NO TOMORROW. Listen to Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying", and this should help bring home the point!

CARPE DIEM

Tre

Someone Has The Answer

2008-08-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

I received a phone from my brother Trent (leaderofthepack.wordpress.com) the other day that truly struck a note in my head, and caused a major epiphany. In his message he said, "No one is ever truly the "expert", most people that are successful have such a drive to exceed that, when encountered with a problem they do not have an answer for, call or find someone that does!"

That was huge for me, because I have always been a "do-it-yourself" person. I then realized that the answer is to go for things and have 100% FAITH in your ability that either you can do whatever it takes, or YOU WILL FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN!

Do you really think Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford or Thomas Edison were know all geniuses that got to the top alone? NO!

The truth is, they all were 100% CONFIDENT in their own abilities, and had 100% BELIEF and FAITH that if they couldn't do something, someone else could! Einstein himself had trouble with math. This didn't stop him from coming up with E=MC2! All these other famous men also had very large teams of SMART, HARDWORKING people that helped them achieve their goals!

I relate this alot to myself, and how I became the athlete that I did, as well as the successes I've had in the music business thus far.

When I was trying to do things on my own, it always took much longer and the work was more tedious. Once I got a coach that knew what he was doing, and had a history of success, I started making LEAPS and BOUNDS towards my goals, knocking off more than a MINUTE off my 2 mile race and 30 seconds off my mile in 1 Year!

The same thing is the case in the Music Business, except even more so. I had tried to get started with promoting for a while. It wasn't until I starting making connections that things started to happen! I then realized that it doesn't matter if you are the best promoter, or best artist or band out there. If you don't have the NETWORK and CONNECTIONS, you will NEVER MAKE IT! It is worthless in today's music scene to be a Jack-of-all-Trades. Because then you have too much to juggle, and because you are GOOD at many things, but GREAT at none, you will likely never make it to the TOP.

So you can rap, but can't dance? Hire a choreographer. Need beats? Hire a producer. Need graphics? Call a graphic designer. Don't know how to do business? Hire a manager. Want to get well known? Hire a promoter. Realize that most of the people are just as HUNGRY as you are for SUCCESS, and, working as a team, you can accomplish a whole lot more in a short amount of time, AS LONG AS YOU BELIEVE!

CASE IN POINT: Soulja Boy. Let's be real here. As far as talent wise, it is too early to tell what this guy can offer as far as flows. But what got him a #1 Single on the Billboard Charts was HYPE. He put his video on YouTube, and had 100% BELIEF and FAITH that his single and dance were the shiz. He then found someone to get him in front of record and radio execs, and the rest is history. They had the ANSWERS he was looking for. Now he's a MULTI-MILLIONAIRE.

CASE IN POINT 2: Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne was a skinny little teenage kid that had 100% belief that he was THE BEST, and made sure to call Baby every single day with flows included until he got his chance. Now Lil Wayne is celebrated as the best rapper alive! He found someone with an answer and took advantage!

Until Next Time.

Tre

Desensitization

2008-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

"Anyone can become desensitized to any stimulus, if exposed to it enough."

This thought echoed through my mind yesterday as I was working. Why is this relevant?

Growing up, believe it or not, I had an intense anxiety of social situations. Looking back, it was because, for many years, we lived way out in the country, where my only contact with other people was school and our antenna TV. As I grew older, I cherished my time alone, self-absorbed in front of the computer or in my room. I had friends, but never let them get too close. When I took up running, I realized this was also an escape from reality of social situations. I took out my frustrations on the track.

It wasn't until college that I made a conscious effort to get over this. I tried alcohol. This made me talk to more people, but not very well because I was a dumb drunk!

I finally did some research and used the process of systematic desensitization to help me get over this problem. Check out http://www.guidetopsychology.com/sysden.htm for more details about the process. Basically, I forced myself into uncomfortable situations until they weren't uncomfortable anymore! Instead of sitting at the house on the computer, I went to the bar/club. Instead of sitting at the bar/club not talking to anyone, I made myself start with ten conversations with women and men. I then upped this to 25, and made the majority of them with women because I found them harder to crack. I then forced myself to dance.. etc.

Now, only a few years later, I am a CONCERT and PARTY PROMOTER!!

My whole point is this: most people live their lives in a hypnotic state, in fear of change. I am living proof that if you have a fear, you must face it down and desensitize yourself to it as soon as possible. That is the only way you are ever going to get over it.

CASE IN POINT: The Olympics. Some of those people on the high dive and balance beam come within INCHES of a major injury every time they perform a flip or dive. However, they have become so desensitized to this fear of falling or hitting their head that they could do it with their eyes closed. Wake up people!

"You're going to die. This is as good as it gets" Tyler Durden
Carpe Diem

Tre