Business
L E S S ON
Russell Simmons
AUTHOR AND HIP-HOP/FASHION MOGUL
How do you maintain a sense of calm under pressure?
"Early in my career, I believed that the stress I was
feeling-and the worrying and the insomnia-was part
of being successful. Yet, the minute I started making
a conscious effort to let go of those things, I became more
productive. Relieving the anxiety in your life is essential
to being a good businessperson. If that's gone, the
mind is calm, and from a calm mind comes creativity.
Every morning when I wake up and every evening
before I go to bed, I sit still for 20 minutes and let my
thoughts settle. Those moments of stillness are where
my greatest ideas come from-every creative thought,
every innovative business plan. If you can eliminate the
outside noise, you'll find that the answers are inside you."
The co-founder of Def Jam Recordings and founder of Phat Fashions
recently released his fourth book, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple.
ILLUSTRATION BY MELINDA JOSIE
APRIL 2014 SPIRIT
53
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - April 2014