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(Editor’s Note: The SUCCESS Interview tests the foundational principles of this 125-year-old personal and professional development magazine against modern realities. Editor-in-Chief Josh Ellis will sit down with newsmakers, opinion-shapers and undisputed achievers to find out how we can all thrive in a world changing faster than ever.



In this edition, Ellis chats with Sarah Jakes Roberts, founder of the Woman Evolve ministry and movement and New York Times best-selling author of <a href="https://amzn.to/3FF7FML" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woman Evolve: Break Up with Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life</a>. A hugely impactful motivator and spiritual influencer in her own right, with an online following north of 2 million, she is the daughter of former SUCCESS cover figure <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/td-jakes-wants-you-to-suffer/">Bishop T.D. Jakes</a> and the wife of Pastor Touré Roberts, both of The Potter’s House.



This Q&amp;A has been edited for clarity and space considerations. To view the interview in its entirety, join our social network, Achievers, at Achievers.SUCCESS.com or by downloading the app SUCCESS Achievers Community.)



Josh Ellis: &nbsp;Sarah, it’s such an honor to speak to you. In preparation for this, as one does, I spent some time on your website, SarahJakesRoberts.com. It describes you as “an author, businesswoman and media personality who balances career, ministry and family.” Balance seems like a key word there. What does it mean to you?



Sarah Jakes Roberts: &nbsp;Oh, goodness. Thanks, Josh, I’ve been looking forward to this.



I used to think balance meant doing everything well at the same time, but I no longer feel that way. What I’m learning is that it’s really about showing up to the moment that I’m in and being fully present in that moment, and as I’m able to be fully present in that moment, I recognize that I am able to fully dive into whatever needs are connected with that business meeting, or this interview or cooking dinner.



It is giving myself permission to not necessarily make sure the cups are level all at the same time. It’s being present enough to pour whatever is necessary into the cup that needs filling in the moment.



JE: &nbsp;What are the life events that allowed you to grow into realizing that definition?



SJR: &nbsp;Well, I mean, I became a mom at 14. So I learned at a very early age to balance being a mother, being in high school and also having high school activities whenever the babysitting would allow for that. Even moving into college, working and balancing those things, I can’t say that I was doing it very well then, but I recognized the need for it at a very early age.



I really had to be intentional about planning my energy and my time and the investment of those resources wisely. I think balance is ultimately the awareness that there’s something coming after this, so how do I want to gauge my present output so that I still have something left for the moment that comes next?



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JE: &nbsp;I wonder about the person that comes out of this present moment. A lot of times we tend to view people as they are, in a fixed state, whether they’re a fully-realized adult family woman with a career and a ministry, or a teenage mom. We often see permanence in people—maybe we judge them as being from a certain generation, so set in their ways. Or as addicts who can’t overcome. But we never know who that person is growing into.



Was that partially your thinking by including the theme of evolution in the name of your movement and book?



SJR: &nbsp;You know, we don’t spend a lot of time when we are raising our children or when we are children ourselves really thinking about this idea that there is no set arrival.



We ask children all the time: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” As if you become that thing and you’re stationary in that thing.



Evolving is really about giving yourself permission to change, even into adulthood. In school we’re constantly going to the next grade. That same system exists in adulthood. It may not be a new grade or curriculum, but a new job, a new city, a new way of thinking, a new way of existing.



Even SUCCESS. You’re celebrating 125 years; there have been several graduations that took place. So successful adulthood is not about arrival. It is about finding contentment with that fact that I’m going to continue to grow and evolve in every stage, and who I become is more important than what I’ve done.



JE: &nbsp;One of the most obvious and important ways we continue to evolve as adults—all the way up until the day we die—is in our understanding of spirituality and faith. I’m curious about your personal consideration of spiritual growth or your developing understanding of a higher power, or the universe. How has it affected the way you think about your capacity to change in general?



SJR: &nbsp;Especially because I grew up in church, a lot of people think that spirituality was something that was just organic to my identity, but growing up, spirituality felt very much just like a set of rules—a box that you live within and don’t venture outside of. I couldn’t get my teen pregnancy, my insecurities, my fears, my dreams, my hopes, my life and my interests to fit within that box. I just pushed the box away altogether.



Growing, and changing and just becoming more mature allowed me to realize that spirituality had so little to do with the rules and the boxes that are often represented. It’s deeply, deeply personal. It is an intimate relationship with self and the creator of everything, and a recognition that the same creator that set the ocean in motion and put the sun in the sky also created me. And if he created all of these different elements with purpose—I mean, down to the bees and the flies and the mosquitos all serving that purpose—then how could that creator not have something purposeful for my life?



I had to war with the fact that it still applies to a teen mom, to a divorcee. I came to believe that purpose exists no matter what detours we experience along the way. It really helped me to understand that life and spirituality, growth and development—as long as you’re still here, they’re possible.



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JE: &nbsp;Spirituality itself has evolved over generations. You know, 100 years ago, 200 years ago, it was fire and brimstone. And then one generation at a time, it has changed. You’re pastoring now about how we take care of our bodies, or things like financial health and just general success and happiness.



SJR: &nbsp;I believe the delivery, the culture and the language we use really makes the difference.



I’m a cook, Josh, so, you just have to go with me: The same piece of chicken could be fried, grilled or barbecued, but it is still chicken. I like to think mine is a little saucy: I’ve got fashion in the mix, I understand the culture, what’s happening on the internet, what’s moving a generation, where their passion is and where their frustrations are. My father does the same thing, too, but it’s within the context of his generation. What we really see happening is just this passing of the baton. We serve chicken, but we’ll put barbecue sauce on it if that’s what it takes to get people to eat it.



This is a show-me generation, and I think that it demands the ministry to really be vulnerable, honest and transparent about how the very words we’re preaching apply to our own lives and the transformation for ourselves.



JE: &nbsp;For my entire life I’ve been hearing that fewer people are going to church, fewer people identify as religious. Do you believe that trend is real, and if so, why?



SJR: &nbsp;I’ve heard the same statistics. I could tell you so many [faith] communities that are defying that; that their core demographics are younger people. And yet I don’t want to diminish the fact that this is very real.



But I wonder sometimes, are they leaving church the way we left the box stores and moved to Amazon? It’s not necessarily that they’re losing the idea of spirituality, of God or of having a life that has purpose as much as they’re finding different ways to feed those parts of their soul. The onus on us as pastors is to go where they are. My social media has grown exponentially over the last few years, and I think it’s a testament that people are still very much plugged into spirituality and to faith in general. If we see people leaving the church, then the church has to move.



JE: &nbsp;I think it’s clear that the same things that draw people to you are the same things that draw people to Mel Robbins, or Lewis Howes, or Trent Shelton or any number of thought leader-personal development influencer types. It’s authenticity, being yourself and expressing what works for you.



SJR: &nbsp;There’s something powerful about someone saying, “I don’t mind sharing my secrets—the secrets to how I built this business, or the secrets to how I broke loose from shame and fear and anxiety. Anytime someone is willing to vocalize the fact they have the same challenges so many people live with, and can lead me to a space of transformation, I think that’s what really makes the difference.



JE: &nbsp;As you mentioned, in 2022 we are celebrating the 125th anniversary of SUCCESS magazine being founded, and there are a lot of parallels between the genre that this magazine exists in—personal development or personal growth—and spirituality. In fact the magazine was really born out of something called the New Thought movement, which argued for free will and that our results in life, our success, grows out of our thoughts, and our positive beliefs are manifested in reality.



Big question here: How have you squared your clear belief in free will with God having a purpose for us?



SJR: &nbsp;I don’t think they have to necessarily compete. Free will is so core to how God created us. And yet I recognize that my will is often blind, because God has more knowledge and perspective on all of the different variables and moving parts and how things work and why things go the way they do. My spirituality isn’t just about getting what I want or building a life that I want. I desire to have a life that is a reflection of God’s plan for my life.



And so, I don’t think those ideas necessarily have to wrestle with one another, but they often do because so many of us want our plan and God’s plan at the same time, and sometimes they just don’t mix.



JE: &nbsp;One of the other ways I think spiritual leaders and those of us in this personal development genre have always been alike is we share an opportunity to help champion equality—equality of all kinds. It’s happened slowly but surely. It’s a key part of our mission at SUCCESS now. How does someone like yourself, as a woman of color, as someone from the faith-based perspective, hope to lead on that?



SJR: &nbsp;I hope very far. I will tell you, though, it is not just a woman’s job to make space for herself at the table. I do think there is a responsibility for men to also recognize their shortcomings and make space for those women. You know, my husband, my father, they’ve been incredibly instrumental in me being able to reach as many people as I’ve been able to reach, because they made space for me at the table.…



I’m someone who has served mostly the Black community. But I also speak in white churches, and that has allowed me the opportunity to speak to white leadership about things that hurt the Black community. I see myself very much as a bridge to explain what they are seeing and where the disconnect is, and to also make them passionate about the love that we all believe in and the hope that we all have for humanity and how we can roll up our sleeves and make it happen.



JE: &nbsp;Last thing: I notice that your words and your approach come with an openness. You’re not only speaking to true believers. Is that the future of the church?



SJR: &nbsp;We have to meet people where they are and say, “Right here, right now, you can be skeptical. You don’t have to know whether you fully want to be a Christian, or what the Jews believe, or what the Muslims believe. All you have to do is allow for God to meet you right here, right now to understand what spirituality means for you.”



That is the beginning of transformation that leads you to ultimate truth, and if we can create as many opportunities for people to be authentic about where they are so they don’t have to pretend, then we can see real change that attracts other people to go on their own journey as well. 



This article originally appeared in the January/February 2022 Issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photos © BRIAN K FREEMAN JR B.FREE and Courtesy of Sarah Jakes Roberts

Balance is really about showing up to the moment that I’m in and being fully present in that moment, and as I’m able to be fully present in that moment

Balance is really about showing up to the moment that I’m in and being fully present in that moment, and as I’m able to be fully present in that moment | SUCCESS

The SUCCESS Interview: Sarah Jakes Roberts on Life Balance, Equality and Finding Spirituality on Your Own Terms

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Sarah Jakes Roberts: Balance, Equality & Spirituality

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Josh Ellis is the former editor in chief for SUCCESS magazine. Before joining SUCCESS in 2012, he was an accomplished digital and print sportswriter, working for the Dallas Cowboys Star magazine, the team’s gameday program, and DallasCowboys.com. Originally from Longview, Texas, he began writing for his hometown newspaper at 16.

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Josh Ellis

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Editor’s Note: The SUCCESS Interview tests the foundational principles of this 124-year-old personal and professional development magazine against modern realities. Editor-in-Chief Josh Ellis will sit down with newsmakers, opinion-shapers and undisputed achievers to find out how we can all get ahead in a world changing faster than ever.&nbsp;



In this edition, Ellis chats with Donny Deutsch, the former CEO and Chairman of Deutsch Inc., marketing mogul, innovative political analyst, and veteran TV personality. A media mainstay for many years, he now hosts the podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-brand-with-donny-deutsch/id1565200309">On Brand with Donny Deutsch</a>, where he shares his views on current events through a marketing lens and interviews public figures at the intersection of politics, pop culture and the news.



This Q&amp;A has been edited for clarity and space considerations. To view the interview in its entirety, join our social network, Achievers, at <a href="https://achievers.success.com/">Achievers.SUCCESS.com</a> or by downloading the app SUCCESS Achievers Community.



Josh Ellis:&nbsp; Donny, thanks for joining me. I wanted to talk to you because I think that the idea of a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-building-your-personal-brand-can-take-your-startup-to-the-next-level-and-where-to-start/">personal brand</a> is becoming more and more important for our readers. The number of solopreneurs continues to grow, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, and given the connected culture we live in today, an online persona means everything to so many of these businesses. Let’s start big picture: What constitutes a personal brand these days as compared to what we used to simply call our reputation?



Donny Deutsch:&nbsp; Well, first of all, let me establish what I think of as a brand. A brand is a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/do-your-actions-match-your-values/">set of values</a>—what a company stands for, what a person stands for, what a religion stands for.



The difference today is the platforms that you share on. It used to be your brand was just, as you said, your reputation. Now it’s the architecture of what you put out there. It’s how you’re seen on various social media platforms, what your Facebook page looks like, your Instagram, your Twitter. Any way that you are projecting out to people beyond who’s in front of you is your brand.&nbsp;



JE:&nbsp; It used to be something that I don’t think many people devised consciously. It was just sort of the sum of who you were and how you treated people, and now a personal brand seems to be something more people construct with intention.&nbsp;



DD:&nbsp; Yeah. I think back to my early days in advertising; I created a brand for myself. I was known as kind of this brash disruptor in the agency business, and that was done through traditional media, through the advertising press, the general business press and TV appearances, making news that way.&nbsp;



Now when you look at some of the bigger names in advertising—take a guy like <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/new-thought-leader-gary-vaynerchuk/">Gary Vaynerchuk</a>; he’s doing it through social media and having a million followers. The game is the same, it’s just the stadiums that have changed. The same rules apply: Have consistency and authenticity in whatever you stand for on each platform or each piece of content.



Obviously, depending on the platform, you have different execution. But it’s kind of like, what is your essence?



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JE:&nbsp; Who are some people in the public eye doing it well?



DD:&nbsp; You know, a guy that’s done a great job with his personal brand is [Barstool Sports founder] Dave Portnoy. Whether you like him or not, you know what you’re going to get. He’s across all kinds of platforms but still is kind of in your face, bucking convention. It doesn’t matter whether he’s doing a pizza review or whether he’s doing a podcast with an 18-year-old <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/becoming-a-digital-entrepreneur-5-lessons-from-viral-tiktok-star-london-lazerson/">TikTok star</a>. What you see is what you get.



JE:&nbsp; He’s someone who isn’t trying to appeal to everyone or be liked by everyone. He’s very much aware that he has an audience, and he’s only playing to them. Is that something everyone should aim toward—to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-that-breaks-through-the-digital-noise/">find your audience</a>, no matter how niche, and serve only them?



DD: The biggest mistake is to try to be all things to all people. Then you’ll just have a middling response. Part of what makes a brand is having a passionate constituency, even if it’s small.



JE:&nbsp; You are an example of one way that the landscape has shifted over the years. You were obviously a TV mainstay for many years, but now you have your own podcast—podcasts being just another way that content and branding has been democratized.



DD:&nbsp; The whole premise is exactly what we’re talking about; today everybody, every institution, every politician, every celebrity, every product, every athlete, every political party and everything is a brand. Every week, the first 15 to 20 minutes of the podcast I do what I call my “Brands of the Week,” like the brands that are shaping the zeitgeist. Who’s up and who’s down? I do everything from politicians, to traditional products, to movements, and everything in between. And then I interview someone about their personal brand—everybody from Michael J. Fox, to Al Franken, Sunny Hostin, Hunter Biden and Kara Swisher—people from all walks of life. It’s been really well received and I have a lot of fun with it.



JE:&nbsp; One thing that stands out to me there is that not all of those folks’ personal brands are squeaky clean, exactly. Some of them have made mistakes, and they’ve been questioned, doubted and attacked. What do you learn from them?



DD:&nbsp; The interesting thing is to reference some of the brands and how they’ve evolved. Take Michael J. Fox. Twenty or 30 years ago he was this actor guy—he’s Back to the Future, he’s Family Ties. And now the essence of his brand is that he is the face of Parkinson’s disease and finding a cure. But the consistency in his brand is he’s always been the likeable guy next door.&nbsp;



So I go back to what I said what <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-build-a-personal-brand-9-tips-for-making-a-mark-that-lasts/">makes great brands</a>. Even though Michael J. Fox’s brand has evolved and his mission has changed, the essence is the guy next door that you relate to. That made him powerful as an actor and that makes him powerful as an advocate.&nbsp;



JE:&nbsp; One thing I know about personal branding is that it isn’t all that valuable if nobody notices you. So on social media we see people pushing the envelope quite a bit—stirring things up, taking sides of the argument of the day, attracting attention. To the extent that it has to be done, how do you suggest people walk that line?



DD:&nbsp; It depends what your brand is. I did an interview with the actor Michael Rappaport, who’s very outspoken, a social media disruptor. I describe his brand as an underdog trash-talking the big dogs. He was really going after Donald Trump. He got into these spats with Kevin Durant and Ariana Grande. He’s been taken off Instagram.



It’s OK to be pissing people off if that’s part of the essence of your brand. When you take a guy like Dave Portnoy or like Michael Rappaport, it’s built into their brands: a pugilistic attitude. Their audiences almost want it. It really depends on who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish.&nbsp;



JE:&nbsp; So much of the division on social media right now is politics. Everything has become political. Even when someone doesn’t want to talk politics, that act of omission and not taking a side is treated as political speech.



DD:&nbsp; What has happened, particularly since Donald Trump became president, is that politics became a stay-at-home, play-along game. It got very grotesquely simplified to kind of red team and blue team, and you’re on one side of the moral argument or the other. In the Trump era, much more of our own personal brands got defined by our politics. As part of our individual brand wardrobes, our politics became much more front and center.&nbsp;



How much you want to make politics a part of your brand has to do with a lot of what your economic mission is. If you’re a company, for instance, and you want to have mass appeal, you don’t want to alienate any of your constituents. If you’re Walmart, you want to appeal to everybody.



A little caveat to that: What marketers are learning is that now, particularly among young people—the age 18-to-24 or 18-to-49 demographics—a very big part of their purchasing requirement is they want to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/5-tips-for-connecting-with-your-audience-from-the-woman-whos-worked-with-the-biggest-names-in-entertainment/">know where that company stands on social issues</a>…. So now a company’s views have become a real part of their DNA.



JE:&nbsp; For all of this discussion about authenticity, so much of what we know about social media is that people tend to share their highlights. I don’t know that anybody is really as interesting, or lives the perfectly curated lifestyle that they portray on Instagram. At the same time, a lot of people are intimidated by social media. Either they think that nobody’s going to care what they post or they think that they’re going to get themselves in trouble. So what do you say to somebody who’s a little hesitant to jump in and market their business or themselves personally?



DD:&nbsp; No risk, no reward. By the way, if you’re in door-to-door sales and you knock on a door, you might offend somebody. It might be the wrong person. But if you don’t knock on enough doors, you’re not going to do any business.&nbsp;



So I say get out there. One of my big tenets, I’ve always said, is <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-failure-is-good-for-success/">you have to embrace failure</a>. If you’re running afraid of failure in any of your endeavors, you’re not going to succeed.



That’s in every endeavor in life—the same in dealing with social media and your personal brand. If you’re afraid to put yourself out there, nothing’s going to happen. You can put yourself out there, and sometimes you get your nose pushed back in. But I always say—when it’s a question of do I, or do I not? Do.



JE:&nbsp; So if people are going to put themselves out there, be authentic and risk their true selves turning off the people who aren’t in their intended audience, what’s the remedy when that eventually happens? For better or worse, everyone is aware of cancel culture. What would the modern public relations textbook approach be if the mob does come for one of us?



DD:&nbsp; It is an absolute… you just immediately say, “I’m sorry, I made a terrible mistake, and if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you”—not if I offended you or I didn’t mean to. No, “I offended you, and shame on me for doing that, and I will be better in the future.” The playbook is you walk right into it.



JE:&nbsp; Let me end here. As we’re all becoming, now and in the future, our own personal brands, you seem like someone good to ask this question. You’ve lived in the public eye for a long time, which seems to put a lot of pressure on people. What has the effect on you been over the years? Has it changed you?



DD:&nbsp; No. I always knew that with the good comes the bad. You can’t be out there and get all the attention that you’re getting without some of the bad things that come with it.&nbsp;



That’s why I so just malign actors who complain. They will use the press and do interview after interview, and go to their movie premieres and then be upset when the press wants more. No, you don’t get it both ways. If you want the trappings of fame, then what comes with it is the negative, which is the lack of certain privacies and intrusions into your personal life, and that’s it.



Years and years ago, there was something written about my personal life in the paper, and I remember calling my mother, the beautiful Fran Deutsch, and I say, “Mom, you’re going to read something on Page Six of The Post tomorrow. It’s not going to be flattering about me. It’s a little embarrassing.” And she says, “Donny, we’ve learned to take the good with the bad with you.” She got it. All these years she’d been reading these wonderful things, and saw how the press helped our agency and I became a very well-known businessman, and that translated into success. She got it: With that comes, if you [mess] up in your personal life, they’re going to write about it.



That’s why I say to people to be authentic and understand that if you put yourself out there, some [stuff] is going to come with it. But you can’t have it both ways. 



This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 Issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo Courtesy of Donny Deutsch

What marketers are learning is that now, particularly among young people—a very big part of their purchasing requirement is they want to know where that company stands on social issues.

What marketers are learning is that now, particularly among young people—a very big part of their purchasing requirement is they want to know where that company stands on social issues. | SUCCESS

The SUCCESS Interview: Donny Deutsch on the Inherent Risks of Building a Personal Brand (and Why It's Worth It Anyway)

The SUCCESS Interview: Donny Deutsch on the Inherent Risks of Building a Personal Brand (and Why It&#8217;s Worth It Anyway)

SUCCESS Interview: Donny Deutsch on Personal Branding Risks

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Personal Development

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Personal Development | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

As we sat down to plan the magazine this article originally appeared in, it quickly stood out to me that the official on-sale date—Oct. 5, the day this issue becomes widely available on newsstands—is exactly the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/10-years-after-his-death-steve-jobs-still-inspires-our-imaginations/">10-year anniversary of the death of Steve Jobs</a>. In honor of the visionary Apple and Pixar co-founder, who inspired countless entrepreneurs, we decided that Imagination was the only fitting theme for the November/December issue of SUCCESS.



Jobs imagined that by breaking down barriers to technology, people young and old could <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/6-ways-to-tap-into-your-creative-self/">unleash their creativity</a> without limitations. He helped create a connected culture that gave a voice to a 13-year-old <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/becoming-bethany-mota-from-youtube-star-to-purpose-driven-entrepreneur/">Bethany Mota</a>, then a playful YouTube creator who has since blossomed into a serious businesswoman. Mota has provided an entrepreneurial model for still another generation to live their dreams and build empires that only they can yet see. Maybe that’s you. Maybe that’s one of your children or grandchildren.



What I imagine is a shared future that becomes brighter every day because of people who work to turn their visions into reality. My hope is The Imagination Issue of SUCCESS will lead you to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-and-why-to-reconnect-with-your-inner-dreamer/">dream about the better life</a> you can create for yourself, and maybe generations to come.



 This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 Issue of SUCCESS magazine.

As we sat down to plan the magazine this article originally appeared in, it quickly stood out to me that the official on-sale date—Oct. 5, the day this

As we sat down to plan the magazine this article originally appeared in, it quickly stood out to me that the official on-sale date—Oct. 5, the day this | SUCCESS

Never Stop Dreaming of Your Best Future

Never Stop Dreaming of Your Best Future | SUCCESS

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Future of Work

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Editor’s Note: The SUCCESS Interview tests the foundational principles of this 124-year-old personal and professional development magazine against modern realities. Editor-in-Chief <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/author/josh-ellis/">Josh Ellis</a> will sit down with newsmakers, opinion-shapers and undisputed achievers to find out how we can all get ahead in a world changing faster than ever.



In this edition, we chat with three-time Olympic gold medalist and future basketball hall of fame member <a href="https://www.nba.com/player/2546/carmelo_anthony" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carmelo Anthony</a>. A respected 18-year veteran within the game, Anthony is an elected member of the NBA’s Social Justice Coalition Board. At the same time he is an experienced entrepreneur, as the founder of venture capital firm Melo7 Tech, production company Creative 7, as well as a fashion label, <a href="https://stayme7o.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">STAYME7O</a>. His memoir, <a href="https://amzn.to/37AZIZM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised</a>, will be released Sept. 14.



This Q&amp;A has been edited for clarity and space considerations. To view the interview in its entirety, join our social network, Achievers, at <a href="https://achievers.success.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Achievers.SUCCESS.com</a> or by downloading the app SUCCESS Achievers Community.



Josh Ellis: Thanks for joining me Carmelo, and congratulations on the upcoming book. You really open up in it about some of the challenges you faced as a kid in Baltimore—poverty, racism, violence, mental illness, a broken education system. Can you share some of the context of what life was really like for you growing up?



Carmelo Anthony: Thanks for having me, Josh. Well, yeah, life was challenging. It was a constant looking-over-your-shoulder. Just like any other city, any inner city, any ghetto, any hood, it was poverty. It was fights. It was murder. It was prostitution. It was drug addicts. These are all things that I saw and just got immune to that. It was like, I know her. I know him. He’s getting high over there. Oh, so-and-so just got shot yesterday. Oh, cool. You become immune to that environment, and you almost start to become a product of your environment.



It feels like another lifetime, but I am so connected to that world, that I feel like it was just yesterday.



JE: You had some unique talents that helped you make it out of that, but there are a lot of talented people—a lot of talented people of color, unfortunately—who cannot overcome those realities. How did you beat the odds?



CA: It was survival; every day it was a new way of trying to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/12-productivity-tools-and-strategies-to-help-you-seize-the-day/">attack that day</a>. You know, of course, I had friends, I had family, but when you’re all going through it at the same time and dealing with the same issues, everybody has each other’s back. You don’t really know what you’re going through until you step out of it, and now, I’m able to really analyze that environment, and that’s what sparked me to actually write the book. All of these years having the opportunity to now look back into those worlds and being able to analyze that, and be like, Damn. I really survived this. I really made this. Made it out of this.



JE: A lot of the work that you do now, through your companies and philanthropically through the <a href="https://thecarmeloanthonyfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carmelo Anthony Foundation</a>, is meant to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/4-truths-of-creating-your-own-opportunities/">create opportunities</a> for the next generation or to further social justice and hopefully begin to address some of the issues that created such a difficult upbringing for you. Would you explain, for example, how your work now, say with the fashion label, can have the power to create change?



CA: Yeah, my fashion label is built for that. It’s to propel the actual next designer, or the designers that don’t get the recognition they deserve, or don’t have the resources that they really need to be successful. The fashion line helps me give back to those different communities that need it, to underprivileged designers who are struggling out there, trying to make ends meet, to make a T-shirt, or a hat or a pair of socks.



JE: Why was it important for you to direct the fashion label toward the Black experience?



CA: I mean, we see enough of the other world experiences, right? We see enough of that. And it’s no knock to that, but now we’ve got to start going back to—I like to call them the understudies—the understudies of these big fashion houses or these big designers. What about the people that are on the ground that actually have all of the creativity that no one would ever recognize, or show them or put them in a position where they can take that next step and better themselves. So that’s really what it’s about. We’re here to propel people forward.



JE: I’m interested in your take on the responsibility that business owners or founders have to make their global, social or political values foundational to their companies and how they run them. When you started your production company, <a href="https://variety.com/2021/film/news/carmelo-anthony-asani-swann-creative-7-content-company-1234944548/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Creative 7</a>, did that come naturally, or were you really deliberate about instituting that from the very start?



CA: It was both. It was definitely a natural thing for me to do, being that I know those types of stories we are telling and those environments. I can relate to those environments and to those stories, whether it’s a time frame piece about a moment in our history, or the underprivileged and the real heroes and people that we should be acknowledging that don’t get the acknowledgment.



We’re telling a part of the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-its-like-to-be-a-black-leader/">Black experience</a>, as well, you know, and we’re also talking about the human experience, at the same time. So yes, that came naturally to me, but I was also very intentional in building the pillars of our company off of authenticity—real, true, factual stories. Some stories are going to be uplifting. Some stories are going to make you laugh. Some stories are going to make you cry. I want people to go through that journey with me as I’m telling these stories.



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JE: How do you keep the value to the world or your community first in your businesses so that those things never take a backseat to profit or simple business realities?



CA: There is a time where you have to sit back, as a businessman, as an owner, and think, OK, value versus profit? Those are things that you really have to take into consideration when you’re doing business. Fortunately enough we’re in startups [with <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/melo7-tech-partners-llc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Melo7 Tech</a>]. We’re in seed rounds, so we're able to get with the founders when there are only three people in the office, and it’s the idea stage.



I actually love those things. I get a chance to build with the owner and with the company, and five years later see where the company is, see the growth. I love that feeling, and I invest in companies where I believe in the founder. You know sometimes it could be a great idea, the world’s best idea. But if the founder is not for me, if I don’t feel like I vibe with the founder, or if I don’t feel like he meets what I stand for, then I’ll pass. And I’ve passed on multiple companies before, when it came to that.



JE: There are, of course, entrepreneurs who have different social or political viewpoints, and sometimes they make those viewpoints integral to their businesses, as well. How do we avoid fracturing as a society, or as an economy, along those faults, and instead bridge our gaps to push progress forward?



CA: We’ve got to talk. We’ve got to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/my-key-to-success-forming-deep-connections/">communicate with one another</a>. Times are changing.



The old way of working things and living things, and not talking to people and not communicating, and letting politics, you know, kind of split people, I think those days are finally coming to an end, and I’m happy about that. I think that’s the way we can bridge those gaps—to keep the conversation going. We have to. We can’t get too comfortable.



JE: During the course of your career in the NBA, it seems that the players have really taken control of the league from the team owners or governors. As a veteran who understands the business, what are the implications of that?



CA: It’s similar to what I was just describing. We have to come together and say, look, even though you guys are owners and we are players, and you guys write our checks, at the end of the day, this is a business and we are partners in this. I think it took a while for the players to recognize that and understand that we are partners with the NBA, as opposed to just being employees.



You know, the decisions that are being made about the NBA, when it comes to the players, we have a say now, whereas before, we didn’t really have a say, or we were afraid to talk about it. Or we were just—I don’t want to say afraid—we weren’t business savvy enough. We weren’t aware of the things going on. We weren’t educating ourselves. We didn’t have that camaraderie that you see that we have now between the 450 players.



We have meetings. We have <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/zoom-etiquette-101-8-tips-to-put-your-best-face-forward-during-virtual-meetings/">Zoom calls</a>. We get together and throw ideas out there, collectively. I think that’s why you see our league propelling the way that it is, because we came to an agreement that we’re going to work with you guys. We don’t want to work against you guys.



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This is the greatest league in the world, in my opinion, and growing. So, we want to make this right, and it goes back to destroying the old way of thinking and rebuilding the way we want to move forward, and that’s where we are at with the NBA, and the players association, and also the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver. I’ve got to take my hat off to him, too, because he does a great job of allowing us, as players, to use our voices and our platforms to speak on whatever you feel near and dear to, that you need to speak on. Whatever touches you, then go ahead. He supports that and the NBA supports that. I think that’s the difference between the NBA and all the other leagues.



JE: Shoe on the other foot, then, as an entrepreneur yourself, you have your goals. The people who work for you have their own views on how things should be run, I’m sure, and their own goals. It’s just like the relationship in the NBA between the governors and the players. So how do you distribute power in what feels like the most just way for everybody?



CA: I always used to say, man, it’s got to feel weird and awkward for Michael Jordan to sit across the table from the players, as an owner. It has to be weird. It has to feel crazy when you do that, and now it’s like, man, I get it.



When you have people that work for you, you want to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/18-leadership-traits-that-should-define-your-legacy/">empower them to give you knowledge</a>, and to give you insight and advise you. Anybody that works for me, I always try to give them the opportunity to say their opinion, or give input on a project. What’s the best way that we can make this work, as a collective? 



This article originally appeared in the September/October 2021 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photos by Doug Segars and © Tom Pennington / Getty Images

All of these years having the opportunity to now look back into those worlds and being able to analyze that, and be like, Damn. I really survived this. I really made this. Made it out of this.

All of these years having the opportunity to now look back into those worlds and being able to analyze that, and be like, Damn. I really survived this. I really made this. Made it out of this. | SUCCESS

The SUCCESS Interview: Carmelo Anthony on Business and Social Action

SUCCESS Interview: Carmelo Anthony on Business & Social Action

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Relationships

Relationships Archives

Relationships | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

Of all the feedback I’ve received about our social network, Achievers, the greatest compliment has been about how authentic the members are, myself included. (If you haven’t joined us yet, download the app SUCCESS Achievers Community or visit <a href="https://achievers.success.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Achievers.SUCCESS.com</a> to become part of the positive, mentorship-focused group.)



One post that was particularly well-received was when I explained how my <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-complete-guide-to-money-how-to-create-wealth/">relationship with money</a> has changed over the course of my life. When I was younger, money represented freedom to me. These days I’m making more, but since I have a family, I actually have less freedom to go and do whatever I please. And I’m loving the tradeoff.



The money I make now represents security for my loved ones and the experiences we can share together. It’s meaningful to me that this issue of SUCCESS is devoted to the people around us who make us stronger, and whom we serve to create our lives and legacies. They are family, friends, those we lead in business, as well as our clients or customers.



It’s a fitting edition to unveil a new feature for the magazine: SUCCESS Luxury. This <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/category/the-good-life/">guide to the good life</a>, which you’ll now find in every issue, is meant as a vision board for all achievers who know that hard work and sacrifice deserve to be rewarded and celebrated. As I ogle the breathtaking destinations and finer goods we’ve highlighted, I can’t help but imagine enjoying them with, or gifting them to, the people I care about most.



The greatest luxury of all is to have people close to you who lift you up. Make sure they share in your success, because without them, it might not be possible.



This article originally appeared in the September/October 2021 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo by

This issue of SUCCESS is devoted to the people around us who make us stronger, and whom we serve to create our lives and legacies

This issue of SUCCESS is devoted to the people around us who make us stronger, and whom we serve to create our lives and legacies | SUCCESS

Together We Win

Together We Win | SUCCESS

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In the early days of IT Cosmetics, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-jamie-kern-lima-became-unstoppable/">Jamie Kern Lima</a> conducted business from her living room and hustled to create attention. She read SUCCESS and connected with our social media pages in an effort to raise her business’s profile. Over time, all of the striving and struggling paid off. IT Cosmetics grew and was eventually purchased by L’Oréal, which installed Kern Lima as the first female CEO of a brand in the company’s history.



Our cover figure is the perfect example of entrepreneurial determination, and The Perseverance Issue of SUCCESS is devoted to all of you out there, like her, who are powering through challenges to reach your goals. Each story is meant to provide a lift to keep you going, or some insight that might provide the breakthrough you seek.



It should come as no surprise that a magazine with a 124-year history like SUCCESS has exemplified traits of perseverance. The media landscape is much different than it was in 1897, and we continue to reshape our efforts to best serve your modern lifestyle and needs. The print product you hold in your hands is the foundation of a brand that is in the process of expanding to serve you with a networking platform, private and group coaching, talent services, podcasting solutions, and even physical co-working spaces—and that’s not to mention the existing properties like SUCCESS.com, our social media channels and podcasts.



The growth and evolution of SUCCESS continues, the same as for you, our reader. It is only when we become stagnant that we risk failure. Thanks for letting us be your companion on this never-ending journey.







This article originally appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo by @viktorass/Twenty20

In the early days of IT Cosmetics, Jamie Kern Lima conducted business from her living room and hustled to create attention. She read SUCCESS and connected

In the early days of IT Cosmetics, Jamie Kern Lima conducted business from her living room and hustled to create attention. She read SUCCESS and connected | SUCCESS

Never Stop Growing

Never Stop Growing | SUCCESS

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Have you ever passed by a restaurant, shop or hotel that proudly advertised “UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT” in big letters out front? For the longest time, I didn’t understand why a customer would care&nbsp;who owned the place.



Now I do. That’s because this magazine—along with SUCCESS.com, SUCCESS+ and all of the other arms of this brand—is under new management.



I am pleased to share, here for the first time in our own pages, news of the recent announcement that SUCCESS Enterprises has been acquired by eXp World Holdings. This is the holding company for eXp Realty (one of the fastest-growing residential and commercial real estate companies in&nbsp;the world) as well as Virbela, an immersive virtual platform for remote work.



I’ve come to realize that those “UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT” signs are so ubiquitous because they are an expression of the new ownership’s genuine excitement. Our new owners are taking pride in recommitting to the founding mission of&nbsp;SUCCESS&nbsp;magazine from way back in 1897, and pushing the brand to its greatest heights in the future. The team is hard at work imagining and building new ways to help you, our audience, create life-changing results. For you and us alike, the best really is yet to come.



In the next issue, you will be introduced to the founder of eXp and <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/meet-the-new-ceo-of-success/">our new CEO, Glenn Sanford,</a> an entrepreneurial visionary of the highest order. You’ll also meet <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/meet-the-new-president-of-success/">the new President of SUCCESS Enterprises, Don Hobbs,</a> a dynamic voice who traces his roots in personal development back to a personal mentorship under Jim Rohn himself. You’ll see more new faces sharing new ideas and new methods to help you grow holistically—in your business and personal life. Be on the lookout for major, impactful changes in the magazine and across our brand’s digital channels.



I hope&nbsp;this&nbsp;issue will spur eager anticipation for the changes ahead: It’s an ode to the people who inspire us. The Inspiration Issue is meant to enhance our ability to lead others and to celebrate the rewards of creativity. Daymond John headlines our latest listing of the SUCCESS 25: the most impactful voices in entrepreneurial thought and personal development. In this group, there is an inspirational figure for everyone. I have no doubt you will identify with several of these people and the lessons they can teach.



Speaking for myself and on behalf of our team and the new ownership, it’s no secret that&nbsp;you&nbsp;are our inspiration. Thank you for being a part of the SUCCESS community.



 This article originally appeared in the March/April 2021 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo by GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com

I hope this issue will spur eager anticipation for the changes ahead: It’s an ode to the people who inspire us.

I hope this issue will spur eager anticipation for the changes ahead: It’s an ode to the people who inspire us. | SUCCESS

The Inspiration Issue: The Best Is Yet to Come

The Inspiration Issue: The Best Is Yet to Come | SUCCESS

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It’s not like me to spoil the ending of a great story, so I won’t tell you Mark Cuban’s exact words on the question of what he’ll take from 2020—you can <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/author/michael-mooney/">Michael Mooney’s</a> fantastic cover story, to find out.



But I will tell you that I agree with him.



Thank goodness it’s 2021. The flipping of the calendar to a new year always feels a bit like a rebirth, but this time especially. When you believe that your future is in your hands, as we at SUCCESS believe is the case for all of our readers, a marking in the passage of time is an occasion to celebrate. It’s a symbol of the instantaneous decision you can make to pursue a new goal. It represents a potential pivot point in your journey and the chance to reshape your destiny.



With all that has happened to disrupt our lives over the last year, I can’t help but imagine that, for at least someone reading this, 2020 has been the most difficult year of your life. Perhaps a loved one got sick. Maybe you lost a job. You might have lost faith in your neighbors for one reason or another. To varying degrees, 2020 was hard on us all.



And yet there’s this: No matter what you’ve been through in the past 12 months, you can make next year your best year. That’s the message behind this issue of SUCCESS.



As you read about Cuban’s focus on the future, I hope you’ll shift your thinking as well. Look forward, not backward. This edition is packed with advice and resources to help you in your new year’s goal setting for better health, greater wealth and deeper feelings of joy, connection and meaning. We also have thoughtful profiles and introspective essays that I hope will bring you to the serious self-reflection that is so necessary at this time of year.



Your attitude, as always, will be reflected in your outcome. Just as no one could have predicted what 2020 would bring, the events of 2021 are unknowable. We don’t have control over many of them. And yet each of us still has power. Each of us still has freedom. Each of us can choose how we will react to the setbacks and take advantage of the opportunities.



There is nothing in the world more valuable than a wide-open future. And look now. Here it is.



<a href="http://success.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Get your copy of SUCCESS magazine here!</a>



 This article originally appeared in the&nbsp;January/February 2021 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo by Emile Guillemot&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash.com

No matter what you’ve been through in the past 12 months, you can make next year your best year.

No matter what you’ve been through in the past 12 months, you can make next year your best year. | SUCCESS

Make Next Year Your Best Year

Make Next Year Your Best Year | SUCCESS

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The week before this issue went to press, my wife and I took Eleanor, our 6-month-old daughter, to the pediatrician for her checkup and a round of shots. (She wasn’t a fan!)



While we chatted, the doctor explained that we would next return when our little girl is 9 months old. By then, the pediatrician said, she’ll likely be babbling “mama” and “dada,” crawling and even pulling herself up to stand. That’s when I looked at the doctor, who went to prestigious medical school where she learned about early childhood development and who has no doubt treated hundreds or thousands of babies, and I shook my head.



“No,” I told her.



I wasn’t able to picture it: There’s no way our little girl—the one who only just started to roll over from her back to her stomach—will grow up so fast. I couldn’t fathom that such major changes would happen so quickly. And then I thought about how much has already changed for our baby, her mother and I, and the world in general during her six short months.



Eleanor was born just before the pandemic started to spread throughout the U.S., just before the strangest way-of-life disruption most of us have ever experienced. So much is so different now.



And yet I can honestly say, amid all the unknowns and all the worry, those were the most fulfilling six months of my life. Fatherhood transformed me as dramatically as the revolution we experienced in the world itself, and all for the better. So I’m thrilled about this issue’s theme: Change. It’s unavoidable, but if you have the right attitude, it can bring overwhelming rewards.



Our cover figure, Payal Kadakia, can surely identify with that statement. In the midst of the pandemic, which caused great disruption in her billion-dollar business, ClassPass, she also became a first-time parent. Our cover piece, written by SUCCESS Chief Storytelling Officer Kindra Hall, explains how Kadakia’s personal history of managing difficult change gives ClassPass and its partners reason for optimism.



If you really think about it, we all have that in us deep down. Going back to our first months of life, we’ve grown and changed so much. We’ve overcome new obstacles and hit milestones we never thought possible. And as uncertainty swirled, we always kept going.



I hope that this issue will encourage you to stay on the path. No matter the difficulties we face, we can pull ourselves up to stand together.



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This article originally appeared in the November/December 2020 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo by @masharotari/Twenty20.com

The November/December issue’s theme is change. It’s unavoidable, but if you have the right attitude, it can bring overwhelming rewards.

The November/December issue’s theme is change. It’s unavoidable, but if you have the right attitude, it can bring overwhelming rewards. | SUCCESS

The Change Issue: Hitting a Growth Spurt

The Change Issue: Hitting a Growth Spurt | SUCCESS

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In the spring of 2019, SUCCESS debuted its first ever women-focused issue, featuring author and entrepreneur <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/rachel-hollis-made-for-more/">Rachel Hollis</a> on the cover. The rest of the magazine, in its entirety, was written by, for or about women, and it proved to be one of the best-received issues we’ve ever done.



Naturally, we started to work on creating a follow-up edition, the first of many, hopefully. The intention is to make this an annual or semiannual franchise: SUCCESS:W—88 pages plus online coverage devoted to empowered, dynamic women from many diverse backgrounds who all of our readers, men and women alike, should be following for ideas and inspiration. You’ll find their stories and perspectives throughout this edition, on SUCCESS.com and across all of our social channels.



To help identify the best of the best stories we could tell in this issue and each one to follow, I’m proud to welcome our fantastic columnist <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/author/kindra-hall/">Kindra Hall</a> into the expanded role of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/introducing-kindra-hall-as-the-chief-storytelling-officer-for-success-magazine/">Chief Storytelling Officer</a>. Her increased involvement means more great content for you, and our team is thrilled to be working closer than ever before with Kindra.



In the spirit of inclusivity, I’m also proud to have the beautiful and talented Misty Copeland gracing our cover this issue. Like so many media brands, SUCCESS is learning more and more about the need for proper representation in the individuals we profile, as well as the writers who contribute to our platforms. While this has always been our intention, I will be the first to say we can do more. We will.



Thanks, as always, for reading. I hope this issue speaks to you personally and inspires you to continue working to do, be and achieve more.



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<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/subscribe" target="_blank">Click here to get your copy of the September/October issue of SUCCESS magazine!</a>



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 This article originally appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of SUCCESS magazine.

The September/October issue of SUCCESS magazine is devoted to empowered, dynamic women from many diverse backgrounds.

The September/October issue of SUCCESS magazine is devoted to empowered, dynamic women from many diverse backgrounds. | SUCCESS

This Is SUCCESS:W

This Is SUCCESS:W | SUCCESS

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Who could’ve predicted the last few months? Not me. Not anyone on our team. So why, then, should the issue we’ve put together in the middle of this COVID-19 uncertainty be themed&nbsp;Vision?



Not many people saw this coming. Even those who observed the thunderclouds gathering overseas were divided on how to react, and in this case, the storm has been way too big for anyone to escape. Everyone’s life has been affected in one way or another.



So why&nbsp;Vision? Because it’s not so much about predicting the future—which no one can reliably do. It’s about imagining a better future and taking the steps to make that a reality, as much a hallmark of disaster preparation as it is personal development. Neither you nor I can predict the events that will change the world around us in the next few months, for example, but we can set a plan into action now that gives us the best chance to make it through just fine.



That thinking was precisely the inspiration behind the recent launch of the first&nbsp;SUCCESS&nbsp;podcast in more than two years:&nbsp;Hustle from Home. Search those words on your favorite podcast platform, and you can listen to myself as well as our columnist Amy Anderson—The SideHustler—interviewing world-class experts on how you can start a profitable business at your kitchen table to make yourself and your family “recession-proof.”



In many ways, it’s actually easier to plan for the long term, going for that kind of big goal, than it is the short term. When you plan for a long range goal, a&nbsp;truly massive&nbsp;goal, events like recessions, pandemics and unrest will ultimately seem like trivial distractions, especially if you can react correctly along the way. That’s what&nbsp;Elon&nbsp;Musk has done throughout his career, and the reason he’s a fine front man for the&nbsp;Vision&nbsp;issue.



Musk has taken on the biggest problems we will face over decades or centuries: energy, climate change, space travel, and in doing so attracted millions of people to his cause. That’s the effect of having a grand vision and a true belief that you can succeed, almost no matter the problems that arise on the course.



It’s all right if your personal sights are set somewhat lower than saving the human race from extinction. If you now find yourself at a low point because of this spring’s crisis, great vision may be required just to imagine yourself on track again a year from now. But it’ll be much tougher to get there if you can’t begin to picture your life set right, or conceive of yourself pushing through these tough times to get there. Let this issue of&nbsp;SUCCESS&nbsp;be your guide to perfecting a mindset that allows you to fight through today’s problems and achieve tomorrow’s rewards.



In the meantime, may you and your family stay healthy and keep the faith. We’re here for you.



<a href="https://store.success.com/patchworks-imported-products/success-magazine-july-aug-2020.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This article originally appeared in the July/August 2020 issue of SUCCESS magazine.</a> Photo by Gaudilab/Shutterstock.com

Let this issue of SUCCESS be your guide to perfecting a mindset that allows you to fight through today’s problems and achieve tomorrow’s rewards.

Let this issue of SUCCESS be your guide to perfecting a mindset that allows you to fight through today’s problems and achieve tomorrow’s rewards. | SUCCESS

The Vision Issue: Making a Better Future

The Vision Issue: Making a Better Future | SUCCESS

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Thankfully the apprentice programs in most companies have evolved since I was an unpaid summer intern following my sophomore year of college. I wasn’t being paid anything at all to be a writer then, so I suppose you could say that donating plasma for $55 a week was my actual day job. That was enough to afford ramen noodles and frozen pizza while I slept on a buddy’s couch and went to work for free every day trying to build what I hoped would become a&nbsp;career.



The writing, truly, was the side hustle. But I followed my passion, stuck with it and created a life around it. In time, writing became the day job. Some years later I grew into an editor, which has created opportunities to explore other passions I never even knew I had.



That’s the thing about having a side hustle you care about. It demands that you push yourself, and you never quite know how the process might improve you and in the process change your life for the better.



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<h3 class="has-text-align-center">Our side hustles promise lives of purpose for us all. This issue is dedicated to the ways they help us grow.</h3>



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Our cover subject for this issue, the dynamic Jay Shetty, offers another example that following a keen interest down the rabbit hole is sure to change your life in ways you can’t yet imagine. Jay was a listless college kid who fell into a side hustle of observing the happy habits of monks, which has transformed him into one of the world’s most passionate advocates for their timeless strategies for achieving contentment and feelings of purpose.



Our side hustles promise lives of purpose for us all. This issue is dedicated to the ways they help us grow.



In it, we unveil the new-look column by Amy Anderson, “The Side Hustler,” meant for anyone balancing a personal business on the side of a straight gig or family responsibilities—anyone looking for a complete life, in other words. The rest of the issue is filled with stories meant to help you be more productive and better understand and appreciate the opportunities at hand. The stories in the May/June issue of&nbsp;SUCCESS&nbsp;should establish the confidence that you can&nbsp;do,&nbsp;make&nbsp;and&nbsp;be&nbsp;more.



Life is much more than a job. Life is much more than any one aspect of your experience. Life is much more,&nbsp;period: It’s happiness, health, growth, purpose and your pursuit of success.



We’d better hustle.



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<h4 class="has-text-align-center"><a href="https://success.com/sidehustle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Get the newest issue of SUCCESS magazine today. 
 (opens in a new tab)">Get the newest issue of SUCCESS magazine today. </a><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://success.com/sidehustle" target="_blank">Click here! </a></h4>



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This article originally appeared in the May/June 2020 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo by @mppllc/Twenty20.com

Our side hustles promise lives of purpose for us all. This issue is dedicated to the ways they help us grow.

Our side hustles promise lives of purpose for us all. This issue is dedicated to the ways they help us grow. | SUCCESS

The Side Hustle Issue: You Can Do, Make and Be More

The Side Hustle Issue: You Can Do, Make and Be More | SUCCESS

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Whenever you read this, try to imagine what you were doing at this precise time, exactly 10 years earlier.



I’m writing this note around noon. Ten years before this issue’s Feb. 4 newsstand date, I quite likely was leaving my old job for my lunch hour, stopping for cheap tacos and retreating to my apartment to play a round of golf on my Tiger Woods video game, then dragging myself back into the office.



The goal back then was just to get through the day with as little effort, thought or hassle possible. I was a 23-year-old kid, and time was an ample resource. I wasted lots of it.



Back then I feared getting older. Now I’m glad I did. With age comes wisdom, I suppose, and an appreciation for what little time we have left, relatively. My years at SUCCESS have taught me that not all hours are the same. Just as we can spend a dollar or invest a dollar, the same is true of our time: An hour spent with no good use is gone forever, but an hour invested into oneself will yield positive returns in the future. Today I’ll be working on a passion project over lunch. Tomorrow I might decide to read or meet a friend or colleague. It’s time well invested.



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<h3 class="has-text-align-center">We call this The Future Issue of SUCCESS because the dawn of a new decade is the perfect occasion to realize all the opportunity that lies in front of you in the 2020s and beyond. </h3>



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This issue marks the magazine’s foray into its 14th decade of operation, dating back to the 1890s. It gives me chills to imagine how many hours our readers have invested in SUCCESS during that time, and the massive returns they’ve experienced. I think about the work of our original founder, Orison Swett Marden, and other personal development giants who have carried to torch over the years, such as Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone. Their work paved the way for today’s achievement influencers, who now bring such timeless lessons forward in new ways for new generations. You’ll meet a dozen of The New Thought Leaders in this issue. 



We call this The Future Issue of SUCCESS because the dawn of a new decade is the perfect occasion to realize all the opportunity that lies in front of you in the 2020s and beyond. The future, quite literally, is now, and this edition is devoted to laying out all the reasons you should be optimistic about it.



Tony Robbins once said that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year and underestimate what they can accomplish over a decade, or two or three.



So, do you remember what you were doing 10 years ago? I’ll bet you’re amazed at how much you’ve grown. Imagine where you can be 10 years from now.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/your-future-is-now/">Your Future Is Now</a></blockquote>



 This article originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Image by Svetosila/Shutterstock.com

We call this The Future Issue of SUCCESS because the dawn of a new decade is the perfect occasion to realize all the opportunity that lies in front of you.

We call this The Future Issue of SUCCESS because the dawn of a new decade is the perfect occasion to realize all the opportunity that lies in front of you. | SUCCESS

What Does Your Future Look Like?

What Does Your Future Look Like? | SUCCESS

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A friend once described adulthood as the continual process of convincing yourself that if I can just get through these next couple of weeks, things will finally settle down.

It’s especially fitting to those of us who work at magazines and are always aware of the next looming deadline. But recently, I found myself doubting if there would be any light at the end of the tunnel at all. I had been extremely busy and feeling in over my head with extra projects at work. My wife’s mother had been in and out of the hospital for months. Projects around the house were piling up. It all just felt like too much to handle at once.

And right around then, an advance copy of Marie Forleo’s new book landed on my desk. I never judge them by the cover, but when you get as many books in the mail as I do, you start to read a lot into the title. Hers couldn’t have delivered a better message for me at that time: <a href="https://everythingisfigureoutable.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Everything Is Figureoutable</a>.

<hr />

<h3 style="text-align: center;">Marie Forleo’s no-nonsense, no-excuses message is just what I needed, and it makes her perfect as the cover person for the Determination Issue of SUCCESS.</h3>

<hr />

I read the book over the weekend, and still found time to sweep out the leaves that had piled up in the garage and move the daybed. I felt more confident in the support I could offer my wife. I came to work on Monday and got ahead of some of the lingering problems.

Things haven’t finally settled down. They’ve gone off the rails since—several times, in fact. But I have to thank Forleo. She put things into perspective for me. Forleo’s no-nonsense, no-excuses message is just what I needed to hear, and it makes her perfect as the cover person for The Determination Issue of SUCCESS.

What better theme could there be for an issue of this magazine? In so many ways, determination is the defining factor in our success: How bad do we want it? That is the crucial question to ask ourselves. It is my hope that the stories in this issue will help inform your answer.

In this edition we’re dishing out advice and motivation from some of today’s most inspiring thought leaders, plus stories of regular people overcoming incredible challenges. Whether you’re working on something huge, like a business that could change your fortunes and your community forever, or just trying to get through the next couple of weeks, know that we are in your corner, and we believe in you.

You’ll figure it out. You always do.
<blockquote>Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/marie-forleo/">Marie Forleo’s Guiding Life Philosophy: Everything Is Figureoutable</a></blockquote>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://store.success.com/patchworks-imported-products/success-magazine-nov-dec-2019-marie-forleo.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">November/December 2019 issue of SUCCESS magazine</a>.
Photo by Blas / Elements Envato

The Determination Issue of SUCCESS magazine is a guidebook to help you make things happen and achieve your biggest dreams.

The Determination Issue of SUCCESS is a guidebook to help you make things happen and achieve your biggest dreams. | SUCCESS

The Determining Factor

The Determining Factor | SUCCESS

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When the opportunity to land <a href="https://www.kathyireland.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathy Ireland</a> for the cover of SUCCESS came together, we were ecstatic. For one thing, I’m not sure there’s a cover person in the history of the magazine industry that has sold more copies on newsstands than the former swimsuit supermodel.

But one doesn’t have to look far beyond that to see that this woman illustrates exactly the kind of long-term personal growth, progress and pursuit of her potential that we champion for all of our readers. Ever since she was a teenager, Ireland has been consistently learning, creating and building. Slowly, quietly, she had created a business empire. Kathy Ireland is proof of the value of consistency, and her achievements inspired this, The Consistency Issue of SUCCESS, a guidebook for lifelong learning, establishing positive habits and the dogged pursuit of bold dreams.
<blockquote>Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/kathy-ireland/">How Kathy Ireland Built Her Business Empire</a></blockquote>
In life, few things are more consistent than change. So it’s apropos that this issue marks a new consistency for SUCCESS. Subscribers may have noticed that this issue came a month earlier than they were expecting. That’s because, as of this issue, we have expanded from a quarterly publication to a bimonthly.

Rather than four copies of SUCCESS per year, you can now expect six copies, all of the same size, featuring the same great writers and the same caliber of potentially life-changing content.

Not everything should have to change. I’m proud to say that the cost of a yearlong subscription to SUCCESS will remain the same price, even though subscribers will now be receiving two extra issues every 12 months.

<hr />

<h3 style="text-align: center;">Kathy Ireland is proof of the value of consistency, and her achievements inspired this, The Consistency Issue of SUCCESS, a guidebook for lifelong learning, establishing positive habits and the dogged pursuit of bold dreams.</h3>

<hr />

We are thrilled to be able to play a more regular role in your journey to success. For more than 120 years, this magazine has been a pillar of inspiration, motivation and guidance. It is among the oldest titles still in publication anywhere, and I think the reason for that durability has been our consistency. Over the years, SUCCESS has had its share of different owners, different publishers, a long list of editors-in-chief, even several generations of readers.

But the mission is consistent: We are here to make your potential possible. I hope this issue helps you take the next step forward.

&nbsp;

This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://store.success.com/shop-all/success-magazine-sept-oct-2019-kathy-ireland.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">September/October 2019 issue of SUCCESS magazine</a>.

The Consistency Issue of SUCCESS is a guidebook for lifelong learning, establishing positive habits and the dogged pursuit of bold dreams.

The Consistency Issue of SUCCESS is a guidebook for lifelong learning, establishing positive habits and the dogged pursuit of bold dreams. | SUCCESS

The Value of Consistency

The Value of Consistency | SUCCESS

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First my dad wanted me to be an anesthesiologist. Then he backed his wish down to nurse anesthetist. Eventually it was, how about just a regular nurse?

The closer I got to enrolling in journalism school, he was practically begging me to do anything else. There was no money in it, he told me. But I didn’t care. I wanted to write. And four years later, when I accepted an entry level sportswriter job, the $26,000 annual salary seemed like more money than I could ever spend.

It didn’t take long before I realized that Dad was right. A writing career isn’t especially lucrative. Especially not for most 22-year-olds.

I had to scrimp. I got by on Campbell’s Chunky for a while. I found some really professional-looking shirts at the second-hand store. I discovered that if you filled your tank at night, the cool air would contract the gas molecules and you could get more mileage for your buck. (Don’t quote me on the science behind that theory. There’s a reason I didn’t become an anesthesiologist.)

Eventually I got pretty tired of “The Soup That Eats Like a Meal.” Never mind wanting more money, I needed more. Student loan and credit card payments were eating me alive.

And then one day, miraculously, a friend at another company needed help on a project, and I discovered freelance writing—my first side hustle. It’s a wonder that they don’t teach classes about freelancing in journalism school. Without it, I would be doing something else right now—anything else. But the extra income from my side hustle allowed me to keep writing. It got me through the lean early years and allowed me to make it to this point, where I can do a job I love that serves others and pay the bills.

A side hustle can work two ways—either it helps support you financially, as in my case, or it helps feed your soul as a passion project. If self-determination is your passion, your side hustle, then you’ve picked up the right issue of SUCCESS.

<hr />

<h3 style="text-align: center;">If self-determination is your passion, your side hustle, then you’ve picked up the right issue of SUCCESS.</h3>

<hr />

Be sure to check out our <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-side-hustle-handbook/">ultimate guide to a solo-on-the-side pursuit</a>. We also profile lots of people like you, achievers who never settle, and introduce our first ever 30-under-30 list. Plus, be sure to check out our feature stories on perseverance, positivity, imagination and productivity.

I would say that you couldn’t ask for anything more. But you’re a side hustler—you always ask for more. That’s why this issue is devoted to you.
<blockquote>Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-side-hustle-handbook/">The Side Hustler’s Handbook</a></blockquote>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://store.success.com/by-media/success-magazine-fall-2019-the-side-hustlers-handbook.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fall 2019 issue of SUCCESS magazine</a>.
Photo by @criene via Twenty20

A side hustle gives you more, by supporting you financially or feeding your soul. If self-determination is your passion, this issue of SUCCESS is for you.

A side hustle either helps support you financially or feeds your soul. If self-determination is your passion, this issue of SUCCESS is devoted to you. | SUCCESS

Do You Want (Need) More?

Do You Want (Need) More? | SUCCESS

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Welcome to <a href="https://store.success.com/by-media/success-magazine-summer-2019-rachel-hollis.html">The Empowered Issue of SUCCESS</a>, inspired by the incredibly strong women who over the decades have fought for more opportunities and respect, and the ones who continue that fight today.

We are inspired by the work these women have put in to develop the extra talent, skill and patience they have historically been required to demonstrate to reach milestones in business and career life.

We are inspired by the extra effort these women give at home, where their nurturing instincts keep families together.

And we are inspired as always by the lengths that SUCCESS readers of all kinds, creeds, races, religions and genders are willing to go to make their dreams become a reality.

This, to be sure, is a special edition of the magazine, and a long time coming. SUCCESS has now been around for more than 120 years, and has given witness to the incredible, millenniums-overdue ascendance of women in society during the same span.

When this magazine began in 1897, it’s fair to say quite generally, things were different. One of the earliest SUCCESS covers I’ve seen, from around the turn of the century, regarded the professional prospects of women simply by asking “Is Marriage a Good Job?” For decades the cover was dotted almost exclusively by male business titans.

I’m thankful to have come along at a more evolved time, and proud of what our team has done to highlight the achievements and encourage the further growth of so many incredible women. We’ve made this a priority during my tenure, and it is no longer a goal, but rather a mandate in every issue that we print. Still, there is room for this special occasion, an entire edition that has been inspired by and created for women.

That’s not to say it’s an issue that our male readers might as well disregard; the timeless lessons in these pages will serve anyone—proof, if there are people somewhere who still need it, that we’re really not all that different.

&nbsp;
<h3 style="text-align: center;">There is room for this special occasion, an entire edition that has been inspired by and created for women.</h3>
&nbsp;

I can think of no better person to front The Empowered Issue than <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/rachel-hollis-five-to-thrive/">Rachel Hollis</a>, who, after her breakout in 2018, some might think of as the “next big thing” in personal development, although they would be missing the fact that she already is.

Hollis inspires millions of people, especially women, to reach further toward the life they want and the potential they haven’t even begun to test. Her 2018 book, Girl, Wash Your Face was the most impactful release of the year, and the follow-up, due out in March, is sure to exceed it. Our <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/rachel-hollis-made-for-more/">cover story</a> on Hollis is a profile of a person who, never mind all the social media followers and the rising fame, is real above all else. That’s something to which we should all aspire.

So let me be real. No matter the struggles in our past, no matter the challenges in our present, women and men alike, individually and collectively: The future is ours to decide and create.

Let’s get to work. Together.
<blockquote>Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/rachel-hollis-made-for-more/">Rachel Hollis: ‘You’re Allowed to Want More for Yourself’</a></blockquote>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://store.success.com/by-media/success-magazine-summer-2019-rachel-hollis.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer 2019 issue of SUCCESS magazine</a>.

Welcome to The Empowered Issue of SUCCESS, inspired by the incredibly strong women who have fought and fight for more opportunities and respect.

Welcome to The Empowered Issue of SUCCESS, an entire edition that has been inspired by and created for women. | SUCCESS

The Future Is Yours to Decide and Create

The Future Is Yours to Decide and Create | SUCCESS

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We regularly hear that first impressions are everything—that people size us up in the first few seconds after meeting us, and that meeting has a long-lasting impact on whatever <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/4-important-truths-of-lasting-relationships/">relationship</a> may develop. It puts a lot of pressure on that moment!
But there’s good news, according to research recently published in the journal Psychological Science. Although first impressions may be as important as we’ve long thought, psychologists from Harvard University and Cornell University found that they are typically more favorable than we realize.
In a series of experiments, two people met for the first time and held a conversation, and were then asked to rate their own performances in the meeting, as well as that of the other party. The results showed that people consistently rated themselves as less <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/john-addison-7-ways-to-be-likeable/">likeable</a> in the meeting than their conversational counterparts.
Gus Cooney, the Harvard social psychologist who co-authored the paper, says that we are often so caught up in our side of a conversation that we project our own self-consciousness. The result is that we downplay the funny quip we made, while remembering the time we tripped over our words. But others don’t have such a frame of reference when they meet us for the first time, and thus are more prone to offering the benefit of the doubt.
The takeaway? <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-art-of-true-confidence/">Confidence</a> is king. You’re more likeable than you realize. Like yourself, too, and don’t sweat the small stuff.

<blockquote>Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/10-best-practices-for-making-a-good-impression/">10 Best Practices for Making a Good Impression</a></blockquote>

A study shows first impressions are often better than you think.

A study shows first impressions are often better than you think. | SUCCESS

The Good News About First Impressions

The Good News About First Impressions | SUCCESS

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The catering was so good.
That’s the part I left out in my story this issue, on <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-is-success/">discovering a personal definition of success</a>. In that essay, I share more of my background than I ever have in the magazine, and how it led me to become not only the person I am today, but the person I’m working to become in the future. I give some details about my first job out of college, with the Dallas Cowboys, and the things that turned me off from what I once considered a dream job and set me on a different, more meaningful path.
But I left out the part about the catering. Here’s the thing: If you want to keep millionaire athletes happy, you have to feed them well. The Cowboys certainly did that for their players. As an added perk, we staffers got to eat the same food every day at lunch. And I’m not talking salads and wraps—I’m talking steak. Exquisite pasta bars. Pizza as good as you can get in New York City.
And the barbecue… oh the barbecue.
NFL players burn a lot of calories in practice every day, so they need to eat a lot to keep their energy. But 22-year-old desk jockeys like I was? They really don’t need that kind of indulgence. Yet when you’re right out of college, and used to eating like you don’t know when or where your next free meal will come from, you fill up. I gained 25 pounds during my first season working for the Cowboys!
And that’s the backstory to the triumphant part: When the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2009, I went into the most hardcore diet mode of my life. I lost 40 pounds that year. And I’ve kept the weight off ever since. It was the best New Year’s Resolution I’ve ever made, because it stuck not only through January, but for the rest of my life. I don’t eat the same way now. I’m better about exercising. And I’m healthier and happier as a result. I feel like a different person.
This issue of SUCCESS—with its “New Year, New You” theme—is devoted to helping you achieve lasting results all your own. Maybe they’re health related. Maybe they involve launching that business you’ve been dreaming up. Whatever the case, there’s no better person to lead the way than our cover man, Tony Robbins—the greatest motivator on the planet today. He offers <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/tony-robbins-ultimate-guide-to-your-best-year-ever/">a guide to creating your best year ever</a>. You won’t want to miss it.
But I also want to point you toward the column by a new contributing editor, the fabulous Kindra Hall. Kindra is a storyteller first and foremost. In each issue, she’ll connect the dots to help you discover the meaning and moral behind some truly powerful stories. This time around, she discusses the most important stories of all—the ones you tell yourself about yourself. Give her a read and consider the ways you can reshape your thinking to create an exciting plot twist in 2019.
This entire issue is packed with motivation, inspiration and strategy to help you reshape your life in the next year. So dive in, and get excited. It’s going to be a great one.
&nbsp;

This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://store.success.com/by-media/success-magazine-spring-2019-tony-robbins.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spring 2019 issue of SUCCESS magazine</a>.

This issue of SUCCESS—with its “New Year, New You” theme—is devoted to helping you achieve lasting results all your own.

This issue of SUCCESS—with its “New Year, New You” theme—is devoted to helping you achieve lasting results all your own. | SUCCESS

New Year, New You: Are You Ready?

New Year, New You: Are You Ready? | SUCCESS

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File this one under the category of Really Weird and Gross Science: According to research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B this summer, a mind-controlling parasite found in cat feces may give people the courage they need to become entrepreneurs.

And here I thought it was motivation and inspiration from quarterly magazines.

Per the report, a collaboration by business and biology professors at the University of Colorado, people who have been infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii are more likely to engage in risk-taking. This parasite, which is believed to affect neurotransmitters, causes rodents to be unafraid of cats (and thus become easy prey for those same felines). It is found in 30 million Americans, who generally show very minor symptoms, if any.

Of the nearly 1,500 student subjects who took a saliva test as part of the study, those infected were 1.4 times more likely to be business majors. Among adults tested while attending seminars on entrepreneurship, infected people were 1.8 times more likely to have already started their own business.
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Healthy Business Issue is geared toward people who want to start and grow successful ventures, and live well while reaping the huge rewards.</h3>
The moral of the story, I suppose, is to get a cat. But, since I am more of a dog person, I’d like to offer an alternative… how about we focus on building more resolve for ourselves rather than letting the mind-control parasites run the show?

If you’re reading this magazine, there’s a pretty good chance you want more in life. You’re an entrepreneur already, or considering an opportunity to leave your day job and pursue a passion. Do the math for yourself. Write out the pros and cons for yourself. And if you’re still feeling so bold, go for it!

We’re welcoming a few new columnists in this issue—including some very familiar faces, like Tony Robbins and Simon T. Bailey. But I want to make sure you also check out the debut piece by a former SUCCESS editor, Amy Anderson. We’ve dubbed her <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/introducing-the-youeconomy/">The YouEconomist</a>, and she will be writing in every issue for her fellow solopreneurs who have taken the plunge. The big lesson from her first column? Now is the time to make it happen for yourself. There have never been more and better opportunities to go it alone and take control of your time and economic future.

This is a special issue of SUCCESS. It’s aimed at helping you make the best decisions for your whole self—mind, body and soul. The Healthy Business Issue is geared toward people who want to start and grow successful ventures, and live well while reaping the huge rewards.

From <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/dr-oz-wants-you-to-realize-your-best-years-are-ahead-of-you/">our profile of Dr. Mehmet Oz</a>, to the graceful aging guide by fitness superstar Jillian Michaels or Matt Crossman’s essay on fostering boldness in business and beyond, this issue is full of ideas, perspectives and solutions to help you get more out of your life and career.

Don’t let anyone or anything—whether a naysaying friend or a microscopic parasite—determine your future. Choose to step into a bigger, better life for yourself. You deserve it.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2018 issue of SUCCESS magazine.

Don’t let anyone or anything determine your future. Whether you want to be an entrepreneur or a salaried employee, choose to step into that journey.

Don’t let anyone or anything determine your future. | SUCCESS

Step Into Your Best Future With the Power of Choice

Step Into Your Best Future With the Power of Choice | SUCCESS

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