Influence.

When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and true maxim that 'a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.' So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the great highroad to his reason, and which, once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing him of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause is really a good one. 

via youthprofessionaltz.com

Advise of the day.

I believe that success is dreaming, setting goals and working HARD to achieve those goals consistently. If you are not sure what you want to do, just start working toward SOMETHING until you find your passion. The key to success is persistence and determination. Just do it…because YOU can! No excuses.

"I would say to our youth:

First of all: YOU ALL HAVE GREATNESS INSIDE OF YOU! There is a purpose in each and every one of you, and you must complete the greatness that you were sent on Earth to complete. And this greatness of yours, MAY or MAY NOT be with you making the NBA or becoming a rap/singing star. If it does not involve playing sports or being an entertainer, that’s cool.

Plus, get the best education that you possibly can; whether that’s setting your sights on a four-year college, two-year college or trade school. But, push yourself to do a little more than you think you can do. An example of this would be to look at a four-year college, although you really have your sight set on a two-year institution. At least be aware of what it takes to get into a four-year college. And this awareness should start as early as your eighth grade school school.

For young brothers: If you are in the “drug and guns game,” be careful. Many of our young men thought they could beat the system only to find out that they could not when they lost control. For example, they murdered someone by shooting them after losing their temper and ended up doing major time in prison. Can you imagine yourself doing 20, 25 or 35+ years in prison? The time that’s being handed out by the courts is SERIOUS. Many of the cats that accidentally murdered someone did not wake-up until it was too late. They are now spending most of their lives in prison (many times with major mental sickness).

For young sisters: Maintain your virtue and confidence. You don’t need a young man that’s not treating you right to be complete and fulfilled. You ALREADY are complete. Get busy with the vision (plan) that you have for your life."

" I would say that you need to have a vision and a thankful attitude. Where do you see yourself a year from now? Three years from now? How ’bout when you become a grown-up? Dream as big as you can! Don’t worry about what you don’t have right now but rather be thankful for this moment. Being grateful is a very powerful step to getting where you want to go. When we are thankful for where we are right now, whether that is a 1 bedroom apartment on the 27th floor in the Bronx or in a two family house in Newark, be grateful and watch what happens. Being grateful brings more good things into your life. The more thankful you are, the more great things you attract to yourself; therefore, attracting the right people, teachers and mentors to you and your well-being. I know cause it’s happening to me right now.

Every morning I get up (and before my feet touch the floor) I start giving thanks. Before I became a children’s book illustrator, I would say, ” Thank you Lord that I am a published writer and children’s book illustrator.” I would say it all the time. Now, I am doing just what I said, and I am thankful.

Finally, get around people with good energy who will support you and encourage you. Stay away from those who poo-poo your dreams. Remember, you can’t put a SUPER LARGE VISION in a small mind, or into a mind that isn’t thinking as BIG as you are. It just ain’t gonna work. Keep pressing forward to your vision"

Hope of gain

Most of us are familiar with the saying, “haters are going to hate.”  But one thing a lot of people don’t talk about is how to handle when everyone wants to see you fail.  Rumors, gossip, and hearsay can be a bitch especially when it comes from those close to you.  Over the last several months both Edson and I have posted blog posts on how the fear of loss is much greater than the hope of gain.

Through social media and other mass mediums our culture has become very materialistic.  Often times those that have succeeded in business are viewed “better than” someone who is making an “average” living. Let’s take a look at reality television for a moment.  How many shows are on the cable networks now days where individuals are made famous simply because the way they act on television.  Living in their big mansions, driving their luxury cars, with their biggest problem of the day being who said what while drinking bottles of liquor at the club.  I personally feel that some of this is getting ridiculous!  Seriously what is wrong with people?!

Working online I have had the privilege of seeing some individuals find success in a very short period of time.  It’s not that working online is easy but it’s scalable because you’re not surrounded by four walls and limited to local business.  Depending on your product or service you can have customers around the globe. Look at the powerhouses: Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.  They all have visitors around the globe clicking ads and interacting on their properties.  Mark Zuckerberg had a great idea but he was able to scale so big because his service reached a global audience and with the Internet he had no boundaries. The same goes with many online businesses.  If the product or service is useful and does not suck then it has the potential to reach great revenues sometimes even hitting a “snowball” effect.

via hope.com

Unfortunately success also brings along jealousy and envy.  Using affiliate marketing as an example, how fun is it to see the person you sat beside in college get out and scale their business to millions of dollars a year while you’re still working for “the man” making the modest Tz 600,000 a year?  This irks some people because they wonder “why not them.”  Sometimes this makes them jealous or very envious.  To your face they’re nice to you and praise you for your success but secretly they lie awake at night just waiting for the second you fail.  They may even give it a shot themselves to see if they can’t achieve your level of success but quickly get frustrated and give up when they don’t see results.

A lot of affiliates remember the “rebill days” in 2008 – 2009.  People that had never made a dollar before online quickly scaled to hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.  Profits were very large and quickly lifestyles changed.  Some took this opportunity to invest in other projects and quickly diversify creating very long term business models.  Others spent the money as quick as it came in.  Stemming from a number of changes in the industry unfortunately those that didn’t diversify their businesses and had their eggs all in one basket were found going back out and getting a 9-5 job or latching on to whatever they can to try and avoid having to go “back to work.”  How satisfied to you think many of the haters out there are when they see something like this?  They’re going to be quick to troll you anywa

y they can because they feel a sense of gratitude.

Starting your own business is very challenging.  It can take a toll on your mentally and physically because the hours are never set in stone.  You’re going to have to get up early and stay up late.  While everyone is out on the weekends you’re going to be stuck in dealing with the growing pains especially when you really start to gain leverage.  With all of this going against you it can be very challenging if you don’t have the support of everyone around you.  Rather it be your spouse, your family, or your best friend it’s important to develop a support, but if that’s not possible then you need to be able to block what others say, keep your head up, and focus on the big picture.

Those of you out there reading this that are thinking about starting your own business I want to provide you with a bit of encouragement.  You cannot control actions of those around you but you can control your actions.  Keep focused on your goal and work as hard as possible.  In my experience of working online for the last 2 years, I have never included “can’t” in my vocabulary.  I always say “how can I.”  Those that doubt me are just background noise.  I don’t let them get to me and I continue doing what I love everyday.  Those of you out there reading this that are already successful growing your business, congratulations!  Let those that doubt you continue to talk while you remain focused on growing your future and career!

Tanzanian born regarded as Britain's most influential

David Adjaye, the architect chosen to design Washington DC's $500mNational Museum of African American History and Culture, has topped a list of Britain's most influential black people, ahead of double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah and The Wire star Idris Elba.

In the sixth edition of the annual PowerList, the top 100 people regarded as role models in their fields, the Tanzanian-born founder of Adjaye Associates is hailed as an inspirational figure who saw off financial crisis during the recession to become one of the country's most high-profile architectsDescribe the first building that inspired you.

I was seven years old when I saw the pyramids at Giza for the first time. The scale of them was like nothing I had ever experienced.

What was your big breakthrough?

Winning the competition to design the Idea Store for Whitechapel, in east London. It elevated me from just doing domestic, residential projects, to engaging with the public realm.

Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?

My private life. I don't have enough play time.

What's the greatest threat to architecture?

Its lack of relevance to contemporary life. Architecture has become more about spectacle than buildings.

What work of art would you most like to own?

One of Josef Albers' Square paintings - they have a very powerful abstractionist sensibility. Or any Benin bronze. They're amazing objects, and recall a great culture.

Is there anything about your career you regret?

Having a very public rant with Janet Street-Porter about my design for her house. I don't regret the rant, so much as the fact it became public.

If someone saw one of your buildings in 1,000 years' time, what would it tell them about the year 2008?

I'm not sure any of my buildings are built well enough to last that long. But if someone did see one, it would show that this was a time of questioning and renewal.

Do you care about fame?

Not at all. I do care about professional recognition, but that's a different thing.

In the movie of your life, who plays you?

Chiwetel Ejiofor. We don't look at all similar, but he's a great actor.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I once met a company director, who said to me: "Just concentrate on what you do best, and leave the rest to others." It's been imprinted on my head ever since.

In short

Born: Tanzania, 1966

Career: Won a Riba bronze medal in 1993. Works include London's Whitechapel Idea Store, and collaborations with artists Olafur Eliasson and Chris Ofili.