“If you‘re not prepared to be wrong you‘ll never come up with anything original.”-Ken Robinson

Has school killed your creative spirit? What can we do to get it back? How does a grown up reclaim their own natural ability and utilize it to create a life of their own choosing?

Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come;

you have to get up and make them.

- Madame C. J. Walker

Since the onset of the internet age, the fate of the broadcast industry has been in discussion. While the internet is not yet a TV killer, media heavyweights are testing the waters of convergence, with a new web series called  The Broadroom.

“The Broadroom” is a four-part web series created in partnership with Meredith’s More magazine and Co.Op TV, sponsored by Maybelline New York’s Color Sensational lipstick. The first episode premieres today, at Maybelline.com/TheBroadroom, and features a cast including Jennie Garth (“90210″), Jennifer Esposito (“Samantha Who?”) and Talia Balsam (“Mad Men”), and veteran sitcom director Ellen Gittelsohn (“Roseanne,” “Designing Women,” “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”). (via adage.com)

While The Broadroom is just a four part series, it signals a shift in media thought. Check out the first episode at www.thebroadroomonline.com

“Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.”

-H.L. Hunt

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

-Lao Tzu

“Dedication, absolute dedication, is what keeps one ahead.  A sort of
indomitable obsessive dedication and the realization that there is
no end or limit to this because life is simply an ever-growing process,
an ever-renewing process.”

-Bruce Lee via Be. Moore (Bruce Leroy)

Celestial Seasonings is a brand that has been as ubiquitous in my life as bread and butter. My mother used to buy it from a place called Unicorn Village in Miami which was a 70’s predecessor to Whole Foods. The type of grocery store that had beads hanging from the ceiling and astrology books where the magazines would be in a regular store. As a kid, what intrigued me the most about Celestial’s colorfully designed packaging was the quotes about life that were printed somewhere on the box. It was almost like the cerebral version of the prize in the cereal box(yet not as fun!!), as it gave me something to look forward to.

It always made me think why would they care about printing inspiring words on a box of tea. However, as I look back it is clear that no matter why, they managed to make herbal tea synonymous with thought and introspection and position their brand at the center of a health food movement.

Now, herbal teas are everywhere, .where as before, in the United States, tea was just the weaker cousin to coffee. Here we are decades later and Celestial Seasonings is still here serving up inspiration [albeit sold out to Kraft in 1984]

The more I think about it, the more see how those quotes planted seeds into my subconsciousness and have become a part of my business. For example, I still find inspiration in quotes (as in Fresh Bread Daily) and tea continues to be my drink of choice. I even threaten to open a tea lounge every so often. Stay tuned on that! As I researched the beginnings of the company i realized that we even share a common theme with our businesses. In their about us section it says “Celestial Seasonings has always been about people and passion” and 21st Century Hustle is about the same thing. (more…)

A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within.

People often remark that I’m pretty lucky. Luck is only important in so far as getting the chance to sell yourself at the right moment. After that, you’ve got to have talent and know how to use it.

-Frank Sinatra

I’m a hustler. And my hustle is trying to figure out the best ways to do what I like without having to do much else.

Mos Def