Rising Above the Noise: How I Turned Opinions into Opportunities

Opinions don’t pay the bills.

Success? It is on us to define what that means for ourselves, no one else is able to tell us what it will look like or feel like once we achieve it. We are all on our own paths, filled with different challenges and victories. What success looks like for you might be miles apart from what it means to me, and that's perfectly fine. That’s the beautiful part of life. Our focus should be about aiming for our own goals, hitting our personal milestones, and recognizing the effort it takes to overcome our own unique challenges. Forget about fitting into someone else's idea of success. We create our own version of reality, sticking to our own developed beliefs, and making it happen on our terms. That's the real win.

As a Barber, we are in the business of serving others, and in serving others, there is quite a lot of opinions that circulate on many topics within our space. Whether you work inside an establishment, suite, or as a traveling barber, we are still connected by a social device where we can read and listen to the constant stories that circulate in our industry. What I would like to remind everyone is that while many of us are barbers (or started out that way),  success is not always the same outcome for every person. 

One thing you have to always remember is that the journey you're on is for YOU. While we can look up to others before us as windows of how we can imagine ourselves, it comes down to our daily choices that truly will position us to those goals. And you cannot let the opinions (especially the negative ones) sway you or deter you from taking your next step. 

Becoming a barber was one of the first skill sets I learned that taught me how to tune out the noise in my mind and find my first flow state. But even after finding an initial state of flow, becoming a barber was tough. I had negative opinions from my family. And it did not get easier. As I become a platform artist, I was faced with negative opinions from others that made me doubt myself. Others told me that spending time on social media was going to be a waste of my time or that I didn't care about being busy in the shop. These are stories that constantly circulate our digital world, and I can only imagine that if you are newly entering the business, it might all feel confusing as to who you should listen to.

What I will tell you is that the further I get into this industry, the quicker I can spot the negativity I need to avoid. That toxic energy and negative mindset (sometimes passively directed towards me even) can be hard to navigate at any stage. When you are a new underdog coming up, the challenges may look different and it can be less threatening for those around you, but as you get better, I have found it too often to be true what they say…

I am careful with my words and what I choose to say to people when giving my opinion, critique, or advice. I would never want to tell someone something that would hold them back from pursuing a dream they have for themselves. I believe it's important for us to allow people to explore what they need, and it might be something we don't understand because we haven't walked in their shoes or known all their struggles.

I've always been more of a free spirit in terms of my creative process. Things change so fast, and you have to adapt. It never stays the same for too long, and we all know change is inevitable. Life is to be discovered along the way, and we find out more about ourselves as time goes on. Every decision we make daily can lead us to a different outcome.

Not long ago, I was a hustling mindset barber. How many cuts can I do so I can make the most money, living paycheck to paycheck. I honestly couldn't even break six figures working my ass off. I reached a peak with what I could do with my time and had no idea how to get past this block. What I did know is that I needed change, and I knew being uncomfortable was the only area where I could find growth.

I changed my mindset and my environment as quickly as I could. I tried to have better daily conversations with people outside of my industry and, for the first time, really stayed open and willing to think differently. I started believing that I could have more. I've always worked hard; that was never the issue, but growing from where I was, was difficult. I made decisions quickly to find challenges and grow in every way that I could, and that started with all the things I was already doing and trying to be even better at it. Being in the right state of mind and listening to people who wanted better for me and cared enough to tell me the truth was what I needed in my journey.

2015 was when I made the biggest shift in my life. I left the barbershop space, pursued the personal suite route, and started down the road of education. As I embarked on this new journey, there was no clear road, just new territory to build and discover. 7 years later, my life is in a completely different place. I moved to one of the most expensive cities in LA and bought my first brand-new construction home, purchased 3 brand-new vehicles (not a single car payment). I still find this part shocking, and I am so incredibly proud of myself for the financial education I pursued. I also upgraded my workspace to a beautiful private luxury production space (where I get to create with other creatives, influencers, and celebrities) in the heart of LA and MOST IMPORTANT of all… I get to wake up and do exactly what I love to do.

And this is just me scratching the surface.

I feel like I have more clarity and direction of where I want to go next. The major sacrifices of what it is going to take, and I know that what I do doesn’t have results overnight, but in due time, being consistent and showing up will get me one step closer to my goals.

The confidence I have gained has been in the building process of all. Spending money and time researching things over and over again until I got a different result. Never losing, always learning. People love to hear about your failures over the things you take pride in, but I’m extremely proud of where I’ve ended up in comparison to where I started and what I used to believe in. I share this because that’s how quickly things can change for you when you decide and not leave it up to any opinions of people who have never done what you want to do. This wasn’t overnight, it wasn’t a quick fix, but a realistic 6-7 years feels reasonable in the grand scheme of things.

Which brings me to my next point. The opinions will always come rolling in; they have, in fact, never stopped. There are people that truly care about me and then there are people who don’t want to see me do better than them. I have worked hard to know how to differentiate between the two. Whenever I get unwanted advice these days, I analyze where it is coming from. Who is this person? Are they doing anything I want to be doing? If there’s any alignment, I’m willing to open my ear and fully learn, but sometimes it’s just people who are literally low-key nonbelievers. People who couldn’t figure it out for themselves and now they want to project that on me. It can even come from family members or close friends. Just know that people who are not in competition with you will root for you and support you without any expectation in return.

This field has taught me a lot about people. How to interact with them, how to read them, how to understand them. Before I was anyone to now having more skin in the game, I can see the shift in my level, but in terms of the opinions of others, I really don’t care. Opinions don’t pay the bills. I have had some of the worst cards dealt from birth and a lot of things I’ve had to overcome that I don't use as excuses in my life. Some things I choose not to publicly talk about, but I know in my heart, I have overcome all of the hardships because I am destined for greatness.

We all see the type of lifestyle we wish to have for ourselves. We can see them in other people online every single day and wonder, why can’t that be me? The good news is… it can be! Will it be easy? Definitely not. If it were easy, more people would be doing it. I’m not here by fate or luck. Constant sacrifice and conscious choices to live in alignment made daily have all reflected a better present and future for myself.

With that in mind, have a blessed rest of your day. May you consider where the opinions of others have impacted your life and ask yourself, are there more effective ways I can tune out the noise and focus on what my goals are, big and small? Follow your gut, my friends. With the heaviness of distraction in our daily lives, if you can get laser-focused on your goals, you will no doubt eventually see the results you are looking for. Most people get caught up stuck on a thought and never make a move even though they are capable. I’ve seen so much wasted talent over the years. So just remember, it’s not the fact that other people are that much better than you, they just go for it faster than you might be thinking about it.

Every. Single. Day. Matters.

334 days left of this year. Make it all count.

Sof!