I’m starting to think that, although people shout from the rooftop about how they’re entrepreneurs and how they’re going to achieve this and that, they’re really just fooling us and themselves.
When Kevin Hart made his announcement on social media that he was going to be interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for her show Oprah Prime, I made sure to lock it in my calendar so that I wouldn’t miss it. I wanted to live tweet the show because Kevin is extremely active on social media. After just a few minutes in, I became in awe of Kevin’s drive and ambition. We simply cannot knock this man’s hustle. Every where you go, you will see “Kevin Hart”.
Kevin dropped knowledge and wisdom throughout the entire show that left me clapping and shouting with sore fingers from trying to capture all that he shared so that I could post on Facebook and Twitter. What shocked me the most was not what he was sharing, but the lack of social media noise I saw, specifically on Facebook. This prompted me to share the following status update on Facebook:
We make time to watch #Scandal & #BeingMaryJane, we should make time to watch live shows that inspire us. ESPECIALLY for #entrepreneurs. Even more so for the #entrepreneurs who don’t have an employer to fall back on.
#OprahPrime w/ Kevin Hart
This really disturbed me because there is absolutely nothing inspiring or motivational about Scandal or Being Mary Jane. Yes, they are great shows for entertainment purposes, but there isn’t anything from these shows that inspired me or motivated me to increase my performance throughout my entrepreneurial endeavors. And let’s not forget that these are fictitious characters. Yet we flock to them, and fail to watch the shows that drives us to be better.
We can’t complain how there’s not enough inspiring shows on television when the one’s that are on-air are not being watched or shared by those who need it the most. Some could argue that they dislike Kevin Hart, or that he is not funny. But you know what, he’s a lot further and more successful than a lot of us, so why not listen?
We need to take the personal opinions and emotions out of the decisions and choices we make when it comes to our business and being an entrepreneur. I understand the concept of people wanting to do business with those they like, but I strongly believe that we are doing ourselves a complete disservice with this type of thinking. Those who are most successful are those who are open and willing to learn from everyone.
There is always some kind of comment about someone fitting in with their culture, instead of creating a culture that welcomes everyone. I didn’t see the value in my diverse upbringing growing up, but I see it now, and it has helped me in being open and willing to listen to anyone who has found extreme success at pursuing their passion despite any obstacles that were thrown at them.
As Kevin stated in the clip below, everyone who’s successful has laid out a blueprint. It is up to us to listen, pay attention, and surround ourselves with constant reminders of those who are great, because you desire to be great as well.