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So… Are You Rich, Happy and Successful Yet?

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Every now and again, life has a funny way of making you believe you are bigger than life itself. I mean, after all, it’s your life so why shouldn’t you feel like it belongs to you? Plus you’ve been given all these liberties, freedoms and tools to pursue and achieve your wildest dreams. If all this is the case, then how come you have yet to achieve the happiness you’ve been seeking for so long? Perhaps you’re too focused on yourself and not enough on other people.

Russell Simmons once said to me “In order to get everything you want, you need to give everything you have. Give. Give. Give.” There were three thousand other people in the Hammerstein Ballroom auditorium in New York, but for the sake of exclusivity, let just say he was talking directly to me. That message always struck a cord with me because, quite frankly, it’s true. It’s been my experience that the more you genuinely give, the more you genuinely get.

It’s been my experience that the more you genuinely give, the more you genuinely get.

There are too many people afraid to implement this practice for fear of being taken advantage of, and rightfully so. There are scumbags out there who will stick their hand out looking to take advantage of you and they are very skilled at the art of living off another’s generosity. But when you find those that are honestly appreciative of your efforts toward their efforts, you’ve just enlisted an irreplaceable soldier in your own mission. The person looking to take advantage of your kindness is a mall security guard. The person who appreciates you is a Navy Seal and they can do far more good for you than the mall security guard can do harm. You will only find out whose a Seal and whose a sap if you take that leap of faith.

navy-seals

You are not building up a favor cache to be tapped into at a later date.

I am also not speaking of giving with the intent of receiving. You are not building up a favor cache to be tapped into at a later date. That approach will surely lead to resentment towards others and yourself when you realize less than half the people you were willing to help are willing to help you back, or are even in a position to do so. You are also not giving because Jesus told you to. There are a lot of things Jesus said that you don’t listen to so don’t pretend to start now. You are doing this simply because it works.

A reasonable person reading this may ask “if you truly believe in this ideal and you believe it to be true then why am I not rich and famous?” Honestly, I never wanted to be famous and I’ve never pursued any endeavor with the sole intent of wealth acquisition. I have gotten everything I’ve ever gone after, however, and I really do believe it has to do with extending myself to others. As an example, I gave a friend a hip hop track (I produce music btw) for one of his artists at no cost and not expecting anything in return. His artist took a demo CD with that track to Def Jam looking for a recording contract. Def Jam eventually decided not to sign the artist but they liked the track and wanted to purchase it for their newly signed artist, Nas. They cut the check and now I get to tell pretty women I produced a track for Nas if I want to impress them (I really don’t say that but maybe I should start). None of that happens if I don’t give that track away and let others use it to further their agenda.

So if success, wealth and happiness is truly your cup of tea, maybe it’s time you invest in someone elses.

For those who still Misunderstand Kanye West,Listen, just listen ?

Posted by MONTREALITY on Saturday, December 12, 2015

 

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Rest Easy Eric Curran a.k.a M.C Krispy E

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Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, I’ve posted the same pic of me in the hospital  during my temporary and untimely demise  in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to “normal”, I asked Eric “Why’d you take the pics?” And he said, “I knew you would want to write about it if you lived.” Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.

You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6’4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her “Yo, is that dude bothering you?” She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.

Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like “Why are the other consultants making more money than you?” I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that “You need to hire Alfred!”, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, “What if you didn’t have health insurance when this happened?” I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.

My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor “Well I’m not going anywhere.” She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says “Well I’m not going anywhere either!” That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.

Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.

It’s been a bit difficult to deal with it to be quite honest and I’ve been writing this in my head for years but never had the bravery or grace to accept that my friend wouldn’t be here soon. I also can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your entire family nucleus unexpectedly. In true Eric fashion however, I would like this to not be about me but whomever has lost someone and has been coping. I’ve always intimated that my life would not be as enriched as it was were it not for the people in it. The problem with that is there is also no way to deny that it feels empty without those who helped craft your path. Rather than focus on the negative, I would rather focus on the examples of duty, family and emotional intelligence. All concepts reinforced by Eric that have led me to have successful relationships since I’ve put them into practice.

From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a “Enrique Pollazo!” And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!

Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.

Rest in Peace Eric. “Be Good.”

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Writing Your First Book / Should I Self Publish?

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I had the distinct pleasure of  participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.  Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century.  We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!

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What the NFT is a BEEPLE?

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On March 11 this year, the digital artist Beeple sold a collage of digital images from his “Everydays” series for nearly 70 million dollars as an NFT, or non-fungible token. And if that sentence confuses you, you’re not alone.

A non-fungible token is a unit of data on a digital ledger called a blockchain, where each NFT can represent a unique digital item, and thus they are not interchangeable. NFTs can represent digital files such as art, audio, video, and other forms of creative work. While the digital files themselves are infinitely reproducible, the NFTs representing them are tracked on their underlying blockchains and provide buyers with proof of ownership.” – Wikipedia

Still confused? Let the artist himself explain it, and learn how he went from NFT newbie to making the third most expensive artwork by a living artist in three months. Not to suggest Beeple is an overnight success. The “Everydays” series alone involved creating a piece of art every day since May 1, 2007 – and he hasn’t missed a day.

Check out some of Beeple’s amazing and controversial work below.

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