Month: September 2019

Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin as Star Athletes Have Been Able to Drop Some Things to Achieve Their Dreams While Holding on to Something Special

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Who’s ready for some Cookie? For those not sure, we’re talking about the lead character on Empire. The show is making its last season run and fans will be watching for a host of reasons. If that’s not your TV ‘cookie’ of choice, then maybe you’re waiting for This is Us or the new smash show The Masked Singer.

While you’re thinking about your TV downtime, others might have seen the feature story on CBS’ 60 Minutes about Shaquem & Shaquill Griffin. They’re identical twin brothers playing in the NFL. It’s hard to separate them not just based on looks but also on the pact they made with each other as eight year-olds.

Shaq & Shaq (sounds like a law firm) grew up playing football in the usual youth leagues before making it to college. The problem was that initially one was accepted on scholarship and the other was left out to dry. Eventually they’d both get scholarships and play at the Division I level.

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They made their way through the rigors of the sport and were ready to go to the next level. The problem was that Shaquem didn’t get an invite to the NFL Combines. His brother put in a word with the Seattle Seahawks who later invited him to tryout. Dude then ran the faster 40-yard dash for a Linebacker.

The story focuses on Shaquem because he’s the first one-handed player in the NFL. But that’s not how he’d like to be remembered. He wants his stats to do the talking. He works at his game in areas and ways that others might take for granted. When it seems like things might hold us back, he shows us to drop the:

  1. Mask

So, about that show where stars perform behind a mask. Folks guess on who they think it is and then one is revealed. Interestingly, last season’s winner saw a jump in his cred. Well Shaquem didn’t hide behind his assumed limits and treat it like a mask. Nothing was gonna prevent him from achieving his dream.

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  1. Fear

It’s said we show up in life with two fears: of heights and loud noises. All others are learned over time. What Shaquem seemed to have done was work hard not only at the skill of the game, but also at dropping his fears. He might have realized that f.e.a.r. is really ‘fools error acting ready’ to distract or disable our goals.

  1. Scab

Remember when you’d get a bruise. It would hurt in the moment and for a day or so longer. Then a ‘scab’ would appear to protect the injured spot. Shaquem’s twin brother has been his protector through the long haul. But Shaquem has also dropped the ‘scab’ of not having both hands, where it doesn’t even matter.

  1. Excuses

When Shaquem didn’t get invited to the Combines that was some hurt. It might have even formed a ‘scab.’ But he decided he wasn’t gonna make excuses. He’d just keep plugging away. When he later got a chance at showing what he could do, he was able to run, tackle and catch like any player on the field.

No matter the career track or season, they’re some similar things we get to work on. Yes, there’s skill of the game, networking in the industry and challenges yet to overcome. When we make a pact or set a goal, we drop the mask, fear, scab and excuses for the passion we’ll make with an empire state of mind.

Tip: When folks make a pact or set goals, they’ll drop the mask, fear, scab and excuses for the passion they’ll make with an empire state of mind.

Talkback: So what’s Cookie up to these days and will fans see an appearance of Jussie?

Tracks: Jay-Z ft Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind – https://youtu.be/QsZlY0Vz4-o

Chronixx – I Can – https://youtu.be/fUREgj4i684

Lilly Singh Gets a New Show, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Gets a New Season as They Go Bigger and Shine Brighter for Work & Play Projects

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There’s lots of sports & showbiz milestones being celebrated these days. The NFL is in its 100th season and Monday Night Football celebrates 50. Then there’re those celebrities hitting their marks of career longevity and breakout opportunity. That’s where Lilly Singh and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson fit in.

Singh just launched her talk show on a major TV network. She’s best known as a Youtuber whose Indian heritage makes her the only ‘person of color’ host in the late-night space. Johnson just announced that his show The Titans was renewed for a second season. They’re on the map with years apart in experience.

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Things have been quite busy for Johnson with his recent nuptials. Of note, he and his longtime girlfriend were on their honeymoon when he left early to be a fill-in guest on the debut of Kelly Clarkson’s new show. Johnson says his lady loves Kelly and so he had permission to leave early to help-out a situation.

Singh who’s probably not yet a household name, gives props to Johnson and to Trevor Noah. Both have offered their support as she comes into her own game in the new Hollywood space. In a sense, they’ve been using ‘house money’ budgets from Broadcast/Cable Networks for their work & play projects.

They’re in their own lanes working to improve on personal/professional gains. There’s prob a lot for Singh to learn in Hollywood where Johnson can be helpful. And there’ll likely come a time when he’s a guest on her show. Johnson’s got so many projects on his plate, so his career advice might be how he manages:

  1. Focus

A circus juggler manages multiple balls going in circles in the air. They say the trick is as you focus on one ball at a time, it’s to focus on being centered. When you’re centered you maintain good posture, timing and purpose. Centering is what makes juggling acts work and multi-project acts in business soar.

  1. Fuel

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Johnson points to a rigorous fitness regimen to keep him centered and fueled. With all that he’s doing from sun-up to sundown, he’s got to manage his energy, passion and nutrition to fuel his drive. He knows that as with cars, there’re different grades of fuel needed to drive our dreams on the road to success.

  1. Franchise

A franchise is usually seen as a brick & mortar store that has hundreds of locations. But Singh will experience a different kind of franchise in showbiz. It’s where she’ll have to master a ‘production formula’ that keeps new episodes coming and new viewers watching, eventually into the hundreds of thousands.

  1. Fame

There’s fresh excitement as Singh starts a new show. Her core supporters will watch because they ‘knew her before.’ Others will come on-board as word spreads and they get to know her. There may be some slip-ups or mess-ups along the way but a good role model for her is how Johnson has managed fame.

While Singh’s a new name, Johnson’s one of the biggest in the game. He’s got five People’s Choice Award nods this year. His summer blockbuster ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ was a spinoff to the Fast & Furious series. They get to go bigger, shine brighter and let their dreams fly like a bird in every direction.

Tip: The key with ‘moving & shaking’ in biz is to go bigger, fly higher and letting your dreams fly in every direction.

Talkback: What’s it gonna take for Singh to rollout with a bang on the first season of her new show?

Tracks: Beyoncé – Bigger – https://youtu.be/k6A9vtrJF5I

Imagine Dragons – Birds – https://youtu.be/vOXZkm9p_zY

Tony Gonzalez and Simone Biles are Special Because They ‘Crush It’ Which Makes Fans Give Them Their Props!

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It’s the time of year again when season openers come at you fast and furious. There’s football on every channel. This week also saw the kickoff of two new talks shows. Tamron Hall and Kelly Clarkson aren’t strangers to the public eye. They’ve gotten new gigs to bring their personality to the daytime TV scene.

Some showbiz watchers and sport fans might still be talking about what happened over the summer. There was the NFL Hall of Fame induction of Tony Gonzalez, one of the best to have played the Tight End position. There was also Simone Biles and her other-worldly performance as a gymnastic champion.

These two, while in different sports, seem to have something in common. Gonzalez went from “shy-guy status” in high school to a major player in college. Biles went from rocky beginnings as a child to rock-solid performances as a gymnast. It’s not quite rags to riches, but sure seems like “impossible to possible.”

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This helped put them on the map professionally and in people’s hearts emotionally. When Gonzalez made it into the hall of fame this summer, he had lots of pleasant memories to share. And when Biles did that first-ever ‘triple double’ routine, it sent the Internet into a full-blown pop culture “fire alert.”

They will tell you that it hasn’t all been peaches and cream. Gonzalez recently share how he dealt with being bullied in his early school days. Biles has had to deal with social media riff-raff comments after news about a family member. But they’ve showed nothing’s gonna hold them back because they go to:

  1. The huddle

Every football play starts with the huddle. It’s where the next-step gameplan is shared. But the huddle isn’t limited to sports. Folks in business and media do some kind of huddle in their office meetings. Gonzalez says he even does meditation as a kind of self-huddle with mind, body and spirit in the mix.

  1. The hurt

Both have had to deal with emotional hurts in their journeys. Gonzalez tells the story of hiding from his family when he realized that the bully showed up at his graduation. But he would gather himself and use that as a turning point. It’s a case of turning pain into gain, hurt into greater self-worth.

  1. The hustle

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Back in the day there was a song call “do the hustle” that was as popular as the electric slide is today. Biles does her own hustle in the floor routine, but not a lot of people can match it. It’s hard to wrap your head around her doing the triple-double. She did two twists and three flips in one swoop.

  1. The heartstring

The hall of fame ceremony can be a tear-jerker for inductees and fans. Maybe Gonzalez held it together, but we’ve seen times when athletes reveal their soft, human, vulnerable sides. That’s where heartstrings sometimes get pulled. It’s where fans connect with their idols in ways that make them feel like family.

Gonzalez continues to shine off the field as an NFL sports analyst. The playing days of his career might be over, but his star-status hasn’t faded. Biles is a 2019 nominee of the People’s Choice Awards in the Game Changers category. They’re special in how they crush it which makes fans give them their props.

Tip: In sports, business or in everyday life people who rock the hustle, shake the hurt and rise to the occasion are special because they crush it.

Talkback: Who’s ready for those season openers that bring new goals, roles and excitement?

Tracks: Yuna ft Usher  – Crush – https://youtu.be/9SGHPQ2FVm8

Jaheim – Struggle Love – https://youtu.be/paQc_A0oPxM