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CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD SOUNDS OFF ON MAXIMIZING YOUR PRIVILEGE
SOCIAL MEDIA IS GREAT , BUT … “ I think it hurts the way millennials hustle because a lot of hustle is actual face-toface interaction . A lot of hustle is actually going out there and shaking hands , looking people in the eye and having conversations with people . I don ’ t necessarily believe I could prosper the way I have without actually meeting people . A lot of times reputation precedes you . For me , when I filled out job applications , I used to have to put everything I had been arrested for , crimes I had been convicted for . I think if a lot of those people hadn ’ t sat down with me and talked with me , I think they would have had their reservations .
I ’ ve been fired four times . I think if these radio people only knew me from social media or what they read , they probably weren ’ t going to hire me . The fact that I ’ m able to go out there and kick it with them , shake their hands and have dinner with them , I think that ’ s the reason I ’ ve constantly got put in the positions I ’ m in . Social media is a gift and a curse because you ’ re open to a much larger audience , and it ’ s easier to get into the ears of people , but it ’ s also a curse because I think it ’ s really taking away people ’ s natural interaction with each other .”
STAY HUMBLE . DON ’ T MAKE THESE MISTAKES … “ The biggest mistakes millennials make is not being able to recognize an opportunity if there ’ s no paycheck attached to it . I truly believe that . It ’ s two things — attitude and not being able to recognize an opportunity unless there ’ s a paycheck attached to it . Attitude is probably the biggest thing because there ’ s so many kids who are getting in their own way because they think they know every goddamn thing . Not only do they think they know everything , they think they ’ re better than you at what you do . A lot of times , it ’ s simply because of an age thing . When I was a young kid in radio , I thought I was better than everybody . And I might have been talent wise , but that talent means nothing if you don ’ t have the experience to go with it . I think these kids don ’ t realize there ’ s something to be said about experience . I don ’ t think they respect experience like they used to . But you know , everybody ’ s got a birthday . If you ’ re lucky enough to get to your late thirties or early forties and still have a career , congratulations .”
YOU CAN ’ T ESCAPE THE PROCESS . “ You don ’ t have a choice . I have a whole chapter in my book about that ’ s called , “ Put The Weed In The Bag .” You can ’ t escape the process . You can ’ t escape those steps . You can ’ t go from 0 to 50 — that ’ s not how any of this works ! That ’ s just unrealistic thinking . If you want to be a lawyer , you ’ ve got to go to law school . If you want to be a doctor , you ’ ve got to go to medical school . If you want to get in radio , you ’ re going to have to do an internship . That ’ s just the way the game goes . You cannot escape the process . You have no choice but to learn to enjoy it . And trust me , when you look back , it is fun . When I look back at everything I went through in radio , it is absolutely , positively just fun . Period . Every firing — just everything . It was fun . The best way I can explain it is you get on a plane and you ’ re going to California . Leaving New York , it ’ s six hours and there ’ s nothing you can do about it . You ’ ve got to figure out something to do on that plane to occupy your time and make it productive because it ’ s going to take six hours regardless .” made-magazine . com | 18