Today's Lesson - Stop Overthinking and Just Do It (Michelle Phan)

Book Info

This video that I just watched about Michelle Phan (video below) really hit home for me. My takeaway from this video is that you don't have to have everything in place and all your ducks in a row before you just start. I have been wanting to start a podcast, but have been stressing too much on what direction it should go in, what the name should be, is it going to be an extension of this blog....etc, etc, etc.

 I need to take a page out of Michelle's book. She started doing makeup tutorials on her webcam! Proving that you don't have to have the most up to date equipment or a well thought out idea to just get started. I can also take a page out of Marshawn Lynch's book for his show 'No Script'. This kind of describes me. I like to discuss things as they come to me, and I can be kind of random. Here I go thinking too much again. Lol! Anyways watch the video below and let me know what you think :)

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So Excited About Black Panther Movie

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Today I sold the book Super Boys in my eBay store and also today a friend of mine posted the trailer for the new Black Panther movie. If you haven't seen it check it out below. It looks like it's going to be an awesome movie. I'm really excited about it.

There are many reasons for my excitement. First and foremost it looks like a great flick but I am also excited about the diversities of movies right now with black actors and actresses. I noticed this week as I saw a clip for the movie Girls Trip (that I am definitely going to have to buy), then a clip came on for Marshall and I logged on to Facebook and saw the Black Panthers clip. Have we finally reached an era where Hollywood is not going to start producing not just 'black' movies but good movies that have black casts? I sure hope so.

Here's the awesome trailer that I saw.

I admittedly didn't know much about the character and set off to learn more. Of course one of the first things that came up was Wikapedia lol. Had a lot of good info on there though. I didn't know that the Black Panther was the first major black superhero who had super powers. There was also more info in there about other black comic figures that I had never heard of before. Check out the article, it's interesting stuff.


                             

Start Something that Matters

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This book caught my eye because I have really started thinking in the past few months that I need to find causes that I belive in to donate my time to and not just donate money. I even came across a title that I put on my vision board that says 'The beauty of giving'. I beieve that this book, Start Something That Matters, focuses on just that principle. 

Here is an open letter that the author wrote about the book.

A Letter from Author Blake Mycoskie 

People often ask me what I consider my goal to be at TOMS. The truth is that it’s changed over the years. When we first began, the goal was to create a for-profit company to help the children that I met in a small village in Argentina. And that objective to give new shoes to children in need continues to be a powerful driver for me and everyone else at TOMS.

But recently my personal mission has changed. Today, I would say that my goal is to influence other people to go out into the world and have a positive impact, to inspire others to start something that matters, whether it’s a for-profit business or a nonprofit organization. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to share everything that we’ve learned from TOMS, so that others can learn from both our mistakes and the counterintuitive principles that have guided our success.

I would also like to share the stories of other social entrepreneurs, from all walks of life, who are taking that wonderful and courageous step forward, who are moving from thinking about doing something to actually doing it. Among many others, the leaders profiled in my book include Tony Hsieh (founder of Zappos), Scott Harrison (founder of charity: water), Lauren Bush (founder of FEED Projects), Eric Ryan & Adam Lowry (co-founders of method) and Tim Ferriss (author of The 4-Hour Workweek).

Like me, all of the people featured in the book faced insecurities and fear when first starting out. All of us bootstrapped with limited resources, and made countless mistakes along the way. After reading these stories of success, I hope that you’ll realize that you already have everything you need to get started. You don’t need a lot of money, a complicated business plan, or a great deal of experience to get your idea off the ground. What you absolutely must have, however, is the courage to take that first bold step forward….

For me, the ultimate success of this book will be measured not by how many copies it sells but by the number of people whom it inspires. Are you ready to start something that matters?

Carpe Diem,
Blake

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This book is definitely on that I would read. This book and more inspirational reads are available in my eBay store.