Hello everyone,
I’m sitting here on a bench under a tree staring out at the east river in the center of the universe better known as New York City. The reason I feel that the world just got a bit smaller is because when you see a place like New York City on tv or in a movie it seems so impenetrable…so grand that there would be no way to get inside and make your mark on the world. I’ve spent a few days here as a very peceptive 27 year old adult and I don’t feel like the world, the city is as grand as it seems.
I watch peoples movements, peoples mannerisms as they move about the city and there is no question that we all share the exact same flaws. Were all unbalanced and imperfect. Were all really on a very similar playing field. The major difference is how much work were willing to put into our craft that separates us from everyone else in the world.
Here is an example…take Johnny Cupcakes, a tshirt designer from Boston,MA. He started his business out I his parents garage I believe 3 years ago. He just recently opened his 3rd storefront in LA in one of the busiest fashion districts there. His business grossed 3.3 million dollars last year. That number got them a spot on the Forbes top 100 fastest growing companies list. I really don’t think the “stars had to align” for him to carve his success story. I think that because he branded his product extremely well and focused on creating a personal connection with his customers. Johnny isn’t any different from any of us. He suffers from the same flaws we do but he worked hard and was able to “penetrate” a tough market.
Another reason I feel everything I smaller now is because of my overall experience of being on this Pepsi/Rock Band trip. Many of the other people who won haven’t ever played rock band. Kaia told me one of the winners simply put their name in a box at kmart and was called by their radio station and told they were winners. My story is a little different. I actually put in some work and was able to take this phenominal rollercoaster of an experience for a ride. Out of I’d say an endless amount of people at the Kid Cudi concert I was picked to do an interview with MTV news regarding the new Beatles Rock Band game that’s out now. The point I’m trying to make is that I could have been sitting on the couch watching the vmas a home , but because I reached just a little in front of my face I was there this year. It’s all attainable…success,money,fame,accomplishment. It just takes some work and not being afraid to take the step off that cliff. Sometimes that’s the hardest part to do. The resources are there. The question is how bad do we want it? How much sacrifice are we willing to take to make our dreams come true?
The thing that makes the world feel so big is our fear of how big it is. It’s intimidating; the feeling of being another ant in a colony. Everyone has it in them to rise above and become something more. My experiences the last few weeks have really inspired me to take time over the winter and create a good, well branded product and take the risk of putting it out there. Then there’s the whole “Selling yourself” factor, but that’s another blog entry. Just the fact that I see how close success is makes me realize how small the world really is.
When I get back in town I’ll post videos and pictures of my amazing trip. See you all soon.
Sent from jayarrs iPhone.