Another Millionaire In My Phone

Today, I added another millionaire's phone number to my phone's address book. Why is this important or worth blogging about? I really don't know yet. Honestly, I'm stepping out on a term I learned earlier today called "The Tipping Point," that point that transitions an apiring artist to the point of achieving and living the dream.

I learned this term from someone who works at So So Def Records and the context of why I'm writing was not only motivated by him, but also by my mom who is often entertained by the people that I meet and the places I've been. My words are also inspired by the seemlingly perfect alignment of the stars that has facilitated chance "meetings" of famous and successful singers, song writers, producers, record label executives and more- those who are living the life that I want to live for myself. As explained to me, this is a part of how you achieve the dream, by associating yourself with those who are already living it.

For example, six months ago, I missed a flight from Atlanta to D.C. not because I wasn't already at the airport way early (chillin' and reading a book waiting) but because I looked at my boarding pass incorrectly transposing numbers which caused me to be at the wrong gate. By the time I realized that I transposed the numbers (something that never happens to me), I rushed to the correct gate and missed the flight. I asked myself "why did this happen?" as I was being switched to the next flight out an hour later.

Within minutes of sitting down at my new gate, Jermaine Dupri sits down less than 20 feet away from me. Huh? Now Jermaine Dupri sitting down next to someone who doesn't love music as much as I do OR MORE IMPORTANT - someone who isn't hustling independent music in hopes to end up in a position like a Jermaine Dupri, this means absolutely nothing. But to me, this is another chance, another break that I had to work. As I'm typing this, I realized that this wasn't the first time that I've met Jermaine Dupri. The first time that I met Jermaine Dupri was April 29, 2004 at approximately 5:00pm driving down Ponce de Leon Ave. on my way to Xtreme Entertainment's first Woman of Soul concert. See, this is what I mean. How many of you are simply driving down the street and Jermain Dupri pulls up next to you with his window down, boppin' his head to music. These are the kinds of chance meetings that happen to me on the regular. Naturally, on both occassions, I got to pass some of my music and have a quick conversation. Yes, even on Ponce.

Same thing happened today. I did expect to meet a few music business folks being that I am attending the Atlantis Music Conference. Most people attending the conference are meeting the esteemed panelist from all aspects of the music business. But let's just say that not only did I meet this millionaire, I was cruised by this millionaire, not knowing who it was. The end result once I made the connection was to have a conversation about my new CD Closets on Fire and how he could help to make it a success. We've since exchanged numbers and now talk on the phone.

This was truly confirmation to what I heard earlier about "The Tipping Point" and how you'll know it's the tipping point for you when "without effort (notwithstanding preparation), the people you'll need to know will begin to show up and not just show up, but they will be people in your cell phone, people you have access to, people that will eventually be a circle that you'll run in and be very familiar in." Exact words, "if you want to be a millionaire, surround yourself with millionaires. If you want to be a successful recording artist, surround yourself with successful recording artist. And don't just be around them, these are the people that should be in your cell phone." These exact words (with elaboration) were just said to me earlier today.

When it was said, I went to my phone's address book and counted seven. Seven people that I know and have access to that are living the life that I want to live, successful in the fields that I aspire to be successful in, seven millionaires in my phone that are on the other side of the tipping point. What a blessing!

How many millionaires are in your phone? Which is truly a metaphor for how many people do you know, that you keep in touch with, that you spend time with and associate with that are living the life, the dreams that you have for yourself? If it's not many, then as explained to me, it's a piece of why you're not living your dream.