How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life(22)
Once I flew through all the seasons, like most of the population, I had major Game of Thrones withdrawal. That’s when I decided to fill the void with The Walking Dead. I thought, “There’s no way a show about zombies could inspire me the way Game of Thrones did. I’ve seen a million zombie movies.” To my surprise, I was completely wrong. The Walking Dead inspired me in a completely different way, with unique character development, plot twists, and tension that provoked extreme anxiety in me. Watching this show not only got the wheels spinning in my creative mind but created brand-new wheels that hadn’t been there before.
“INSPIRATION IS THE FUEL FOR YOUR HUSTLE.
After The Walking Dead came Stranger Things and, well, I watched that in two days. In my defense, as of the time I’m writing this, there’s only one season! Don’t judge me too harshly. As expected, Stranger Things inspired me to start thinking about sci-fi themes and supernatural abilities. I immediately wanted to feature more children in my videos because apparently they’re all more talented than me. And if these shows didn’t directly inspire me to think about content differently, they definitely inspired my jokes. While I was watching these shows, I’d reference them constantly in my videos, and my audience LOVED it. They enjoyed knowing that I was as invested in the characters as they were and, more than anything, they loved knowing that we both watched the same shows. It’s made my content that much more relatable.
In addition to watching shows, I also schedule inspiration by taking breaks from my work and using that time to watch interviews of people I admire. If I’m struggling to write a comedy script, I’ll watch an interview with Rebel Wilson or Amy Schumer. If I’m struggling to write lyrics, I’ll watch an interview with Nicki Minaj or Drake. I think there’s something so inspirational about hearing about other people’s experiences and what drives them. It’s almost like they’re lending you some of their fuel or giving you a boost with spiritual jumper cables. Hearing someone so accomplished talk about their struggles and successes has definitely become crucial inspirational fuel for me. Therefore, I make time to watch a decent number of interviews every week. It’s my version of taking a break in a meaningful way—a productive break, if you will.
Sometimes we go too long with our gas light on and our car stops in the middle of the road. Everyone is honking at you and you’re just staring straight ahead in complete frustration, pretending not to hear them. HELLO, I AM NOT HERE BY CHOICE. It’s not impossible to get your car going again, but it’ll definitely take some more work. You’ll have to call a tow truck or walk to the nearest gas station, buy an overpriced gas container, fill it up, and walk back to your car.
You can expect the same to happen when you’ve been hustling for a long time without refueling. While I was planning my first tour, I spent every waking moment working on the creative for a good few weeks. One evening I caught myself feeling dead inside and I knew my hustle had halted on the side of the road. People were honking at me. And by people, I mean my production team, who were waiting for my final show script. I got up and walked away from my work. I headed straight to my room and zoned out for a bit. That night I was supposed to go out with a few friends and my brain was dreading it, since I was already so completely drained of energy. I couldn’t bear the thought of having to be social. Instead, I canceled my plans and spent the night watching the Beyoncé documentary. As I sat there alone, it was like Beyoncé was speaking to me, because so much of what she was saying was what I was feeling at the time (and also because I wish she was my BFF). In tears, I watched as Queen Bey gave me all the wisdom and knowledge I needed. Through her story, I could feel my needle moving from empty to full. The next morning, I woke up with new purpose and a reignited desire to work on my tour. Lemonade was flowing through my veins.
When you’re sick, you get into bed and allow yourself to heal. When your hustle is not feeling well, you should prescribe it some inspiration and do the same. I canceled my plans that night because my hustle needed healing. Here are a few suggestions for what to watch to jump-start your inspiration:
??The documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
??The documentary Katy Perry: Part of Me
??The documentary Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream
??A Trip to Unicorn Island, by yours truly innocent smile
Having said all of this, I now drive an electric car, so I don’t deal with the nuisance of getting gas. I don’t need to refuel my car, just my hustle, and I take that task very seriously. All I have to do now is remember to plug in my car and … crap.
HOOOOOOOOONNNNKKKKKK.
WHAT IF EVERY DAY were Christmas and you could ask Santa for whatever you wanted in life? Sometimes you’d get what you asked for because you were nice, but other times you wouldn’t because you were a naughty brat. Well, life is kind of like that except that every day isn’t Christmas; it’s an opportunity to hustle. And Santa doesn’t exist (I was paid off to say this! Keep believing, kids!), but you can still get what you ask for if you work hard enough. Every day you can close your eyes and imagine all the things you want. A Bawse doesn’t just know what they want for Christmas; they know what they want from life. They have visions.
Don’t get weirded out. I’m not going to get all sci-fi on you. And I won’t tell you to have visions about the future and predict horrific tragedies because the last thing we need is another Final Destination movie. We get it. You can’t escape death. Just like we can’t escape that story line. However, I am going to explain the importance of two types of visions: vision boards and visualization.