For whatever reason, I have never felt like I have learned all that I need to know. Learning is a constant in my life, and I think it has made me a happier person. I can’t think of anything more depressing than the thought of there being nothing left to achieve and nothing more to learn. Satisfaction in life comes from solving problems and reaching new milestones. I’ve done a few things in my life… I played basketball for Gregg Popovich, I co-founded a great business organization, and I’ve helped raise three amazing kids — and yet I’ve probably learned more this past year than I have in any time in my life.
Sol Trujillo has been the CEO of three companies with market caps of more than $50 Billion. Working closely with him to launch L’ATTITUDE changed my mindset permanently. I learned that the primary difference between uber-successful people and almost everyone else is not simply intelligence or any particular skill set, but their ability to think at a big league level. Grit and work ethic are the two most necessary qualities for success at any level, but there are only a small handful of people who make it all the way to the top. Those people play a bigger game, they don’t care what other people think, and they are fearless in their pursuits. My message here is not the mindset of big league thinkers, but the constant pursuit of knowledge.
Not everyone can be a Fortune 500 CEO, but all of us have the ability to do something great with our lives. “Always Be Closing” is one of those corny quotes that sales managers love to say to inspire their sales staff. That mindset might help you close more sales, but happiness comes from always learning.
We hear frequently how Latinos are not a monolithic community. In other words, we are not all the same. We come from different countries, have a variety of political views, and even eat different foods. I get all of that, but I also think focusing constantly on our differences versus our similarities undermines our political and economic power as a community...
This might be my most provocative blog in a while. Let me first state that I am happily married to a beautiful gringa. My kids are half- White and some of my best friends throughout my life have been White, so don’t let the title of this blog throw you.
A few weeks ago, Twitter was blowing up when John Leguizamo spoke out against the recent casting of James Franco as Fidel Castro in the independent film ‘Alina of Cuba’. Leguizamo took plenty of heat for his stance and was ridiculed by some including Bill Maher.