9 Lessons from Jay-Z on Success
9 lessons on success from “Decoded” by Jay-Z
1. Money doesn’t change you
Money and power don’t change you, they just further expose your true self.
Make sure you take care of yourself and work on your character so that you do the right things when success comes.
2. Change happens through understanding
Identity isn’t a prison you can never escape, but the way to redeem your past is not to run from it, but to try to understand it, and use it as a foundation to grow.
To understand who you are and why you are the way you are, you need to confront and reflect on your past.
Never run from your past, learn about it and see where you can be better in the future.
3. You hate what you don’t understand
Hip-hop is controversial because people don’t bother trying to understand it.
It’s not about you. It’s about perceptions people had long before you even walked into the scene. The jokes on them because they’re really just fighting phantoms of their own creation.
If you ever find yourself mad or hateful towards something, it’s most likely that you don’t understand it. You haven’t taken the time to understand it.
Get curious, ask questions, and you’ll understand the reason behind the actions people take and the words they use. It has nothing to do with you.
4. Competition brings the best out of you
Competition pushes you to become your best self, and in the end it tells you where you stand.
Use competition as a way to unlock your full potential.
Don’t back down from a challenge or problem. Use it as a way to grow and be better.
5. Believe in yourself and what you bring to the table
The key to success was believing in the quality of your own product enough to make people do business with you on your terms.
Great product was the ultimate advantage in competition.
You first need to believe in yourself that you can accomplish any goal that you set. Then work hard to produce a great product.
As long as you believe in yourself and do great work, you can do anything.
6. Be yourself
The secret to any long-term success is to be yourself.
You can’t fake whatever the current trend is if it’s not you, because it might work for a second, but it’s a house of sand.
Don’t follow trends.
Learn about yourself, discover your gifts, and lean into what feels true to you. No one can duplicate you.
7. You need to negotiate
You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.
You will need to sell yourself.
You will need to demand your worth.
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
8. You will struggle between right and wrong
Having a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other is the most common thing in the world.
The real bullshit is when you act like you don’t have contradictions inside you, that you’re so dull and unimaginative that your mind never changes or wanders into strange, unexpected places.
We all have to make decisions between right and wrong and a lot of times that can be a lot harder than we first thought.
Desires can pull us in any direction. Know yourself, know what you value, and give yourself grace when you make a mistake.
9. You need to work hard for it
You can want success all you want, but to get it, you can’t falter. You can’t skip. You can’t sleep. One eye open, for real, and forever.
Put in the work. If there is something you want in life, you’ll need to work for it.
Write, remember & share w/ Twos: https://www.TwosApp.com?code=baller
Personal website: https://www.parkerklein.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twosballer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwosBaller
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twosballer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkeraklein
Medium: https://parkerklein.medium.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@twosballer
