Every great inventor, architect, scientist, and mathematician began as a child holding nothing more then a pencil. That single stick of wood and graphite could enable him to explore worlds within that he would never otherwise access.
Your twenties are the time to both accept and fight your way into the person you’re destined to become.
You never realize how much you value something until you are faced with the prospect of losing it.
That’s when the magic happens- when everyone else is asleep and you’re awake thinking about the world as it is, and the world as it could be. Make the most of those moments.
I’m not a non-profit person. I think of myself as an entrepreneur who wants to work on global education.
The most abundant resources that we possess amongst the 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States are passion and knowledge, yet our most scarce resource is collaboration.
A major celebrity is a major brand, and major brands pick very critically what other brands they’re going to associate with. So an A-list celebrity usually picks an A-list brand.
It’s the presence of others who are smarter, kinder, wiser, and different from you that enables you to evolve. Those are the people to surround yourself with at all times.
How many times have I missed an incredible connection that could have been made because I had my face in my phone instead of paying attention to those around me?
The biggest difference between the person who lives his or her dreams and the person who aspires is the decision to convert that first spark of motivation into immediate action.
So many of the people I admired – the musicians, the artists, the writers – created their greatest works not during a period of happiness and contentment, but during a period of struggle.
This realization led me to institute a personal policy of going off email from Friday night until Sunday morning. I would use my weekends to rest, rejuvenate, and reconnect with those I cherished most. For one day a week, it’s important to allow yourself to be a human being, rather than a human doing.
Weak speakers look down at the floor, good speakers look up but scan the room, great speakers make eye contact selectively, and exceptional speakers deliver every complete thought directly to one person in the audience, making that person feel like the center of the room – and then they move on and do it again.
Sometimes you know something in your head, and other times you know it in your heart. The mind delivers logic and reason, but the heart is where faith resides. In moments of uncertainty, when you must choose between two paths, allowing yourself to be overcome by either the fear of failure or the dimly lit light of possibility, immerse yourself in the life you would be most proud to live.
Non is defined as “of little or no consequence: unimportant: worthless.” Worthless? Clearly, something needed to change. Why were we the only industry that introduced itself with a negative when we existed not to reduce profits, but to foster a profusion of purpose? Instead of introducing ourselves by touting what we didn’t do, shouldn’t we share what we did do?
In truth we re-create our reputation every day.
But deep down inside, I was no longer enamored with the life I’d created. The only purpose I was serving was self-interest. While I rarely showed it to outsiders, my happiness waned day after day. A restless voice kept me up at night, telling me that until I found meaning, the money wouldn’t matter.
Creating a company means you’re going to go through hell and high water along the way. You need to know the character of the people at your side. Trust is everything.
They served as a constant reminder that to achieve exceptional things, you must hold yourself to exceptional standards, regardless of what others may think.
Sometimes you have to show someone that you’re willing to run through a wall before they’ll open the front door.