Lessons from Jay-Z and a Random Review I Read about the Book, 'Decoded'
It's been 3 years since my last post. Thanks to the combination of this article about Decoded that can be read here, an interview about the Jay-Z album called "4:44", and watching random R&B/hiphop videos on Youtube, I finally have something to say.
When did I begin to believe that I had nothing to say or what I had to say was not worth being said? It was when I realized that what I had to say, should not be said. I became "mute" over time. It was a gradual thing. It was a build up of failures and the inability to cope with my losses. I lost the love of my life, my job, my sanity, and most of my family and friends. I almost hit rock bottom, but someone from my past showed up for me and called me out on one thing that I was doing wrong ; I was running my mouth more than taking action. My first lesson comes from a reference to the article here:
#5 Don’t Run Your Mouth
How can someone who wants to be a writer not run their mouth? I was living a paradox. I've heard many people tell me that I speak without thinking and that I have no filter. So I finally took a step back and decided not to speak. I decided to finally listen. It was the most difficult thing I could do. I finally decided to not run my mouth and I was unable to write for 3 years. It's a challenge even as of today. My words have brought me more harm than good and every day I work hard to think before I speak. I try to remind myself of these two affirmations:
When did I begin to believe that I had nothing to say or what I had to say was not worth being said? It was when I realized that what I had to say, should not be said. I became "mute" over time. It was a gradual thing. It was a build up of failures and the inability to cope with my losses. I lost the love of my life, my job, my sanity, and most of my family and friends. I almost hit rock bottom, but someone from my past showed up for me and called me out on one thing that I was doing wrong ; I was running my mouth more than taking action. My first lesson comes from a reference to the article here:
#5 Don’t Run Your Mouth
How can someone who wants to be a writer not run their mouth? I was living a paradox. I've heard many people tell me that I speak without thinking and that I have no filter. So I finally took a step back and decided not to speak. I decided to finally listen. It was the most difficult thing I could do. I finally decided to not run my mouth and I was unable to write for 3 years. It's a challenge even as of today. My words have brought me more harm than good and every day I work hard to think before I speak. I try to remind myself of these two affirmations:
- "Actions Speak Louder than Words"
- "Think Before You Speak"
In my 3 years of silence I must say that it did more good than harm. I could have really shot myself in the foot if I wrote during these past 3 years. I was in a very negative place and was very angry at many institutions, bureaucracies, and fake people, including myself.
#15 Start a Blog
The truth is that most people don't care what you have to say. So instead of going around running your mouth in public, create a platform for yourself so your audience can choose to listen in. You will "run"(pun not intended) into less trouble with this approach. Buy a domain on godaddy.com or name.com and start a free blog on blogger or build a website with wix.com and link it to your domain. There are many ways to do this, but the point is that you have everything you need to do it today.
#2 Don’t Wait Until You Have Everything You Need
Remember that you do have everything you need, but only for what you want to do right now. If you wait until you have "everything you need" to start doing what you want in 5 years, 10 years, or even tomorrow, then you are going to let life pass you by. In my case, I've let 3 years pass me by without speaking from my platform. I was waiting until I got better at SEO, data analytics, grammar, etc. I was playing the waiting game. Today I finally realized that I have something to say and I remembered that I have everything I need to say it, at least to say it right now.
#13 Accept Help from Mentors
In conclusion, the album by Jay-Z, 4:44 has really struck a chord with me. I think it's because he's a family man and he's started a family with his woman of over 12 years. I vibe with that - I'm living that. This album has led me to research deeper into the advice that Jay-z has been spitting out to the world all these years. He may or may not be speaking directly to me. Nonetheless, I'm listening in.
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