getouttheboxyouth: Great #Quotes from Russell Simmons' Book "Do You"

Monday, February 28, 2011

Great #Quotes from Russell Simmons' Book "Do You"

In my experience, there's only one thing that will always steer you toward success: That's to have a vision and to stick with it… Once I have a vision for a new venture, I'm going to ride that vision until the wheels come off.
I knew it was unrealistic to think I could build an institution overnight. But if I took baby steps, eventually it would happen.
If you aren't passionate about a vision, it's hard to have faith in it.
I don't believe that people create their own visions. Rather, I believe that visions are actually God's way of communicating with us.
What holds most people back isn't the quality of their ideas, but their lack of faith in themselves.
Whatever obstacles appear in your path, put your head down and get past them. Those obstacles aren't real. They're just God's way of testing you. He's asking you, "Do you want to make it or not?"
It's important to focus on what we do best and master one craft at a time.
In the end, the overriding factor in whether or not you realize your dreams is going to be you. Not the world. YOU.
Always try to be yourself.
Any kind of lasting success is rooted in honesty.
A clear and focused mind will last a lifetime. Getting your mind in shape is nothing less than the key to sustainable success in the world.
Jesus and Muhammad didn't reveal themselves to prove what they could do. They revealed themselves so you could see what *you* can do.
I'm just suggesting that when you're faced with fear and anxiety, don't medicate. Meditate instead.
The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit words man, (“to think”) and tra (“tool’). So the literal translation is “a tool of thought.” And that’s how mantras are used in Buddhist and Hindu practices, as tools that clear your mind of distractions. Because when you focus on repeating that mantra over and over again, soon the noise will die down and all you will hear is your inner voice.
You've got to tell God thank you every day.
When I start my day by reflecting on all the things I have to be grateful for, I'll have a much more rewarding day.
Your purpose is to act on the resources God gives you. If God gives you a bucket of fish, you have to distribute those fish. If you don't, they're going to rot, attract a bunch of flies, and start stinking up your soul.
The person who understands Dharma will have the opposite reaction to a "hard" job. That person will be eager to get started, no matter what kind of work is in front of her, because she understands that she's doing God's work. And when you're working for God, nothing is too hard.
Age ain't nothing but a number.
But rich or poor, black or white, none of us are entitled to anything.
The pain that's created by avoiding hard work is actually much worse than any pain created from the actual work itself. Because if you don't begin to work on those ideas that God has blessed you with, they will become stagnant inside of you and eventually begin to eat away at you. You might seem OK on the outside, but inside you will be ill from not getting those ideas out of your heart and into the world. Stalling leads to sickness. But taking steps, even baby steps, always leads to success.
You have to live your life as if you are already where you want to be.
The key ingredient to any kind of happiness or success is to never give less than your best.
Always focus on your effort, instead of the results of that effort.
I know some people say "Keep your eyes on the prize," but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you're going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you've got to keep your eyes focused on the path.
In the yogic tradition, this principle of using intense effort to burn through life’s distractions is called Tapas. It’s another Sanskrit word, roughly defined as “heat” or “essential energy.” The concept is that through a disciplined approach to work and self-sacrifice, Tapas will burn away the negativity that separates us from God. By working our hardest and happily enduring the hardships of life we are able to create a sense of peace and clarity in ourselves.