I am not typically a reader of Money* magazine (who still reads hard copy magazines these days??). But I received a promotional copy in the mail recently and before throwing it out I figured it couldn’t hurt to breeze through a couple of pages. By the way, have you ever realized that lots of magazines save a truly “of-interest” article for the last few pages?
The article that caught my attention was short, and one where someone famous answers 5-6 intriguing questions. Being that I am pretty out-of-the-know when it comes to famous people, I almost always gain a new fun fact.
This particular article was about Terry Crews, the former (underachieving) NFL player turned Actor, and several of his views on having money… then not having money… and then working your butt off to re-invent yourself in order that you can have… enough money for the lifestyle you seek.
As I read the article, I could not help but see a positive Millennial spirit in the guy, even though he is 49 years old.
- He was open to early versions of social media – which were TV commercials and YouTube – in order to create a brand for himself. He created a memorable brand alright, one that has continued to develop successfully since then.
- He says that at one point he “[had] to settle with the fact that [he] may be broke” and that “every big investment is like that”. It reminded me of a business-owner or future business-owner. Often success requires the “go for broke” mentality. Think: Business Start-Up.
- He talked about how he determined, “I’m just gonna create.” Although the world is a great deal about competing, he determined that creating – whether it was himself or a thing – was most dependable.
- In answering the question, “What makes someone rich?” he said, “If your product or business or service serves people, then you are rich.”
Fast forward to today, he said he does now get to experience luxury due to his recent TV success (currently on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and formerly on Everybody Hates Chris). And one notable thing that found him honor in the national spotlight was his speaking out as part of the #MeToo movement.
My point is that he has made a financial success of himself in a way perhaps unconventional and certainly not in a straight line. He even now put his name on a line of furniture! He is an optimist about the future and has a big imagination for his future endeavors.
Maybe the Millennial spirit is something that we can all learn from.
*Reference: Money.com