A post on Instagram said, “As you get older, you’ll realize that a $300 and $30 watch both tell the same time. A Michael Kors wallet and a Forever 21 wallet hold the same amount of money.
A $100,000 house and a $300,000 home hold the same loneliness. A Bentley will also drive you as far as a Ford.
True happiness is not found in materialistic things, it comes from the love and laughter found with each other. Stay humble, the holes dug for us in the ground are all the same size.”
What garbage! If money doesn’t buy happiness then poverty does? Does poverty bring you happiness?
It’s exactly this kind of trash that’s been spreading around on social media. This is how broke people rationalize their failures. It’s also how people look at wealth. If you’re rich, you can’t be happy!
They say things like, “I would rather be healthy than rich, I would rather be happy than rich.” This ridiculous thinking is like saying, “Which is more important, my right hand or my right foot?”
How about both? Both are important.
Why can’t you be both wealthy and happy? Why can’t you be both wealthy and loving? What’s the problem with that?
You probably have those beliefs because at a young age, you’ve been brainwashed by your parents, by the media, by the government, by the school system, and your perception of people who have money.
I’ve met people who are successful financially and people who struggle financially. When I was in debt, I was sleeping in a sleeping bag, and my mom and I had to go to Superstore and eat expired fruit and vegetables. I know I wasn’t very happy.
The people that you know who are in debt, who are stuck in a dead end job, are they happy?
Why does the media want you to believe that rich people are not happy? Here’s why. If rich people are wealthy and happy, where does that leave you? You can’t deposit excuses at the bank.
When my father had his first stroke, I was so broke at the time I couldn’t even afford to purchase a plane ticket to fly back to Hong Kong and see him at the hospital. I was miserable. I cannot call up the airline and say, “I got no money, but I have love. Can I use some love to buy the tickets to go see my dad? He just had a stroke.”
The True Purpose of Money
So, money doesn’t buy you happiness. It’s not supposed to buy you happiness! Money does three things only.
Money gives you comfort, to make life a little bit easier, to make things just a little bit smoother.
It can help you extend the good that you do beyond your physical presence. You can donate to a charity or a foundation. If you want to help the people that you love and you care about, it takes money to do that.
Money can make problems that make you unhappy go away.
That’s the purpose of money. Not to make you happy.
And if you’re worried that money will make you into a bad person, consider this. Money is an amplifier. If you’re a jerk, more money will make you a bigger jerk. If you’re kind and caring, money will make you kinder and more caring. It’s that simple.
So, don’t buy into the nonsense you read on social media. You read those posts, and you wonder why people are struggling. It’s actually their belief system. Money doesn’t buy happiness, it’s not supposed to buy you happiness, but neither does poverty.
Spectacular Smith is known as one of the “Top Marketing Gurus To Watch” by HuffPost, ranks among the “Top 5 Most Influential Entrepreneurs in Tech & Music” and is honored as the “Innovator Of The Year” by Black Enterprise.
It’s no surprise that he is named the “Greatest and Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs” by Inc.
He reached worldwide success with the rap group Pretty Ricky which he formed with his brothers.
Intrigued by the business possibilities of social media, he turned Pretty Ricky’s Facebook page into his personal experiment to learn how to build a following.
He then turned his social media expertise to become the founder and CEO of Adwizar, the dominant social media brand in the urban music space. The company now deals with major brands and corporations, athletes, merchandising deals, and more.
In this podcast, Spectacular shares his journey as he transitioned from rockstar musician to running a flourishing business.
He also shares his expertise on creating viral content and growing a social media following. His knowledge about selling to people and helping clients to achieve their vision demonstrates how well he has mastered his people skills.
Adwizar was named #262 of Inc 5000’s List of Fastest Growing Companies in America with 1,600% growth in 3 years. It was featured in Forbes for its innovative methods, and has no ceiling on its growth.
After conquering the worlds of music, social media, and publishing, the world is waiting to see what Spectacular does next.
Is it possible to make millions by writing in your second language?
My first mentor, Alan Jacques, showed me that it was possible when he taught me copywriting. But it wasn’t easy. I had actually flunked English in high school. But if you want to start your copywriting career, and you’re not afraid of challenges, I’ll show you how.
Alan taught me how to write copy when I was in my early 20s. It was a difficult process because English is not my first language. So going from flunking English to selling in my second language is extremely difficult.
Business owners would tell me, “Hey man, on the phone, you cannot even speak proper English. How the hell can you write my stuff? It doesn’t make sense!”
So, it was very, very difficult. But I’m glad I was persistent throughout that period and over time it got easier. I was actually fascinated by this experience I had while I was advertising to get clients.
How I Learned My Skills
I remember the first time I sent out a direct mail piece and I got a check in the mail from someone I’d never met, never seen, and never talked with. It was purely through my written words that I had closed them. The power of that was fascinating!
Now, as an entrepreneur, what goes through your mind?
We’ve got to do more of this! And that’s what went through my mind. How could I do more of the same thing and get another check?
This is what I did to launch my copywriting career. I started as a freelance copywriter after I’d learned from Alan by working for him for next to nothing for one year. I always refer to that year as the million dollar year of my life because I got a million dollars worth of education.
He taught me how to write copy, how to write headlines, how to come up with offers. Then I started my own one man advertising agency.
How I Started To Get Clients
I was calling business owners and saying, “You know what, I’m a new copywriter so I don’t have a whole lot of experience. But here’s what I’m willing to do. Let me rewrite your stuff, and if you’re not happy with it, don’t pay me.
But if it works, then pay me 500 bucks or 800 bucks.”
Not everyone said yes, but enough people did that I started building my own client base. I call that gun to the head copywriting. Either I work or I don’t eat. And that’s how I honed my craft.
Eventually I started writing down what I did and after a couple of years I published my first book online. It talks about some of the principles of what works and what doesn’t work in copywriting. And that’s how I started my career in my early 20s making about $10,000 a month.
The important lesson I want to share is this. Copywriting is a skill that I’ve developed over the years. It’s a skill that I value.
I had to overcome some very tough obstacles before I saw success, but if you’re determined, you can also succeed as a copywriter, even if you’re terrible at your second language. Finding the right mentor and honing your skills is key.
Have you ever wondered why you watch so many motivational videos yet your life stays the same?
Or you get all motivated, excited, psyched up, and hyped up, and you improve your life by a tiny bit… but you never get the breakthrough you were hoping for. Frustrating, isn’t it?
So why is it that motivational videos don’t work?
Before I answer that, let’s clarify one point. I am not here to motivate you. I cannot motivate you. People watch my videos, looking for me to be their motivator, but I’m just a merchant of truth.
I simply tell you the truth, what it actually takes to be successful. Only you can motivate you.
When you watch motivational videos, you get this temporary energy that gives you the illusion that you’re actually doing something. What you really need is something more permanent.
What you need is skills. If all you have is motivation and no skills, then you won’t get anywhere. For example, you could watch Bruce Lee’s movies 10 to a 100 times but you’re still not going to be Bruce Lee.
You can watch his videos, my videos a thousand times but you don’t develop your skills, your life stays the same. I can’t transfer my skills to you through my videos.
However, when you combine motivation, tenacity, and drive with skills, you get results.
So how do you develop those skills? Here’s the formula. You need to imagine a triangle and each point of the triangle represents an important point.
Point #1: Proximity
Point one, you need proximity, and proximity equals power. You need a mentor to learn from and give you feedback. That mentor has to be physically close to you, as close as possible.
This is why motivational videos don’t work – it’s a far distance between you and your mentor. But if I’m coaching you through a class, that’s closer. Even if it’s online, if it’s live, we are interacting with each other and I’m answering your questions.
If I’m coaching you one-on-one, that’s the best, but obviously, I cannot coach everyone that way. One-on-one gives me more time to mentor and motivate you, but you must also immerse yourself in what you’re learning.
Point #2: Immersion
When you immerse yourself in the skills you are learning, you will improve much faster. Watching a video here and there will give you a little energy boost but it won’t do much long term.
You need total immersion. When you dial up the intensity, you will start to see results. But to see real improvement, you will need experience.
Point #3: Experience
Now you have a mentor who is teaching you and you’re immersing yourself in what you’re learning. Finally, you have to put these new skills into practice. That’s how you develop a skill.
It’s the same when you are learning martial arts. You’re not going to learn it by watching 100 martial arts videos. You need a sifu, an instructor, to give you feedback. You will also need to immerse yourself in classes once a week or more. After class, you need to practice a few hours a day, and gain experience by sparring with a partner.
When you’ve gained some experience, you go back to your mentor, get proximity and feedback, and immerse yourself in class again. Then you build up more experience. This is how you build up a skill.
Motivation itself means very little if you don’t have the skill to back it up, so this will save you a whole lot of time.
This triangle should give you some insights about why you feel stuck after watching all these motivational videos. The videos give you the illusion that you are actually doing something with your life when you’re not.
Unless you’re committed to develop that skill set and change your life, you won’t get to that next level. You won’t move ahead and you won’t stay motivated.
Kevin Harrington, known as an original “shark” on the hit TV show Shark Tank, the creator of the infomercial, pioneer of the As Seen on TV brand, and co-founding board member of the Entrepreneur’s Organization— has pushed past all the questions and excuses to repeatedly enjoy 100X success
His legendary work behind-the-scenes of business ventures has produced well over $5 billion in global sales, the launch of more than 500 products, and the making of dozens of millionaires. Twenty of his companies have each topped $100 million in revenue.
In this podcast, Kevin shares how he started with zero sales, then skyrocketed to success and a million-dollar enterprise when he learned that closing high-priced products didn’t take more effort than selling products at lower prices. Later, he discovered the world of infomercials and the reason why “tease, please and seize” is the magic formula.
When TV viewership started to drop, Kevin adapted to new ways of marketing. With digital marketing came social media and an abundance of other ways to build publicity and establish a brand. Kevin discusses these in his latest book, Key Person of Influence.
His strong personal brand led to recognition and an invitation to join a panel of sharks on the show, Shark Tank. Investors, called sharks, evaluate pitches and decide if they want to invest or not.
Kevin’s legacy includes the “but wait, there’s more” expression that has become part of our cultural history. He’s launched massively successful products like The Food Saver, Ginsu Knives, The Great Wok of China, The Flying Lure, and many more.
Kevin’s been called The Entrepreneur’s Entrepreneur and the Entrepreneur Answer Man, because he knows the challenges unique to start-ups and has a special passion for helping entrepreneurs succeed.
