Viewing Yourself as a Corporation: Structuring Your Personal Development

My mother is a woman of many creative thoughts and expressions. She gives great advice, and she's constantly offering me unique ideas to gain perspective on things. Recently, she introduced me to the idea of viewing yourself as a corporation. This perspective encourages you to analyze the many roles that you play in your personal development. Essentially, you're aligning these roles with the different parts of a business. This allows you to manage different areas of your life, and see which areas you can improve upon to optimize your potential. If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to improve as an individual. I've found this corporation perspective to be valuable, and I hope that you'll be able to learn from this organizational approach.

Sales- The sales team is the division responsible for selling a product or service. These are the people interacting with customers, and most directly related to generating revenue. Efficient sales teams set high, but realistic goals which they chase ambitiously. The business is only as good as its sales team, because it produces the results that drive the business forward. To manage your personal sales team, ensure that you're setting goals, and pursuing them aggressively. Assess whether you're doing the best you can to move your business in a positive direction.

Data Analysis/Accounting- Data analysts gather and investigate data, which they interpret to suggest the best direction for the company to go. Trends and statistics play a huge role in the decision-making process for businesses. The information yielded by data analysts can be vital in determining the formula for success. These analysts allow companies to measure their efficiency, and see what areas they can improve upon. These are people who "crunch the numbers." In similar fashion, we see numbers which represent very important aspects of our lives. Think about how you use numbers to measure your weight, income, age, etc. Just as businesses have a department to deal with managing numbers, you also have the capacity to manage numbers concerning your life. Such practices include time-management, budgeting, and weight management. Numbers are very impactful to our lives, and it is important that we organize them to better ourselves.

Marketing- The marketing department deals with the company's presentation. They are responsible for promotion, and introducing consumers to the company. Those in marketing are concerned with the company's appearance and managing its reputation. A successful marketing department requires excellent communication and plenty of research. To manage your marketing department, analyze how you are being presented. How are you, as a person, being marketed to the world? This includes your physical appearance, your resume, your social media, and your relationships. Do the necessary research to ensure that your are being marketed in a positive light. In our lives, reputations mean a great deal. A negative reputation can hinder your development, just as a positive reputation can propel your development.

Investor- Investors provide the capital to get the business running. They invest only into things of which they believe will provide a return on investment. Most businesses must seek investors through extreme effort and persuasion. Luckily for you, the investor of whom you seek is in the mirror. You can invest in your personal business in a variety of ways. This includes exercise, reading, meditation, healthy eating, and more. The basis of investment in this sense, is to place positive input in your life to receive positive output. Of course we are not perfect, and we make the occasional negative investment. However, it is important to manage your investment portfolio, to ensure that your overall investments have provided your company with the resources it needs to succeed.

CEO/Board of Directors/Owner- Each corporation has its executive personnel. The head of the company is tasked with the great responsibility of making crucial choices, which affect the company as a whole. Such decisions are made with careful consideration of possible outcomes, and require both wisdom and intuition. These people are well-compensated, and rightfully so. It takes character to be the face of a company, and to be responsible for its successes and failures. Just as the head of a company is tasked with decision-making and being held accountable for the company's condition, so are you responsible for making the major decisions that shape your life. Fortunately, you are the only person qualified for this position, and as long as you have your freedom, nothing can be done to remove your title. As the head of your corporation, ensure that you are making wise decisions and managing the various parts of your company effectively.

My aim in writing this is to inspire you to take a holistic approach towards improving as an individual. Our well-being consists of many dimensions, and it helps to take a step back to view the bigger picture. Through applying this principle, you will structure your life in a way that allows you to make specific modifications as necessary. If you see a department of your life that is lacking in efficiency, do a thorough investigation to make proper adjustments. Sure your business will experience wins and losses, but this is common of all corporations. Unlike most businesses, continual losses won't result in closure. As long as you are breathing, your business continues to operate with the potential to experience growth and prosperity.

Hip-Hop as a Human

Here's a piece I wrote when I was 16, around the time when Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly released.

Hip Hop is like a human.
Upon creation it started out saying random words like a crying infant that struggles to communicate with you (infant stages/rappers delight era).
 Next, it grew into a child and its only goal was to have fun. It began to build relationships with a core group of people that shared its common values (childhood/Run-DMC era).
 It then grew into a teenager. At this stage it battled through a confusing period, still about being cool and having fun but yet wanting to be understood (early teenage years/ late 80s early 90s).
 Next, it developed into an older teenager and it wanted to appear hard, be heard, and struggled to find itself. It did crazy things to express the chaos within it, so it turned to crime and often gave off a negative and dark vibe. Unfortunately, this gave off a negative impression and caused some people to stay away from it and damaged relationships (late teenage years/gangsta rap era).
 After the transition it became a young adult and experienced a rejuvenation, while it still held on to some of the baggage from it's teenage years, it started to be more about fun again and was filled with new energy (young adulthood/2000/early 2010s hip hop).
Today, it has taken its past experiences and wants to change for the better. As it knows one day it won't be so strong, and has to make the most positive impact it can while it still has this energy. It plans to combine this energy with the wisdom it has picked up along the way (adulthood/ Kendrick Lamar/ J. Cole/ current state of Hip Hop).

Old School vs New School: The Importance of Balance

It is apparent that Hip-Hop has changed dramatically since its birth. Production techniques, subject matter, mainstream influence, and more are in constant shift as the culture grows. Due to this change, we see a divide that separates fans according to time periods. Today we see "old heads" that are quick to express disdain for the current generation of Hip-Hop. Likewise, we see a new wave of artists and fans that dismiss the old school as played out. There seems to be a polarization within the culture. If there's anything I've learned in my eighteen years on this Earth, it's that strength lies in unity. We would get more out of the culture if elders supported the youth, and if the youth respected the elders. I'm here to offer a neutral perspective, and promote the importance of balancing old school and new school within Hip-Hop.

Old school. The original. The blueprint. They've paved the road traveled on today. They've planted the seed for what is harvested today. What right does the new generation have to live off this hard work without paying due respect? "The kids today aren't talking about anything." "I'll just stick to 'real' Hip-Hop." It's a common argument coming from what we call "old heads", or fans devoted to the preservation of old school Hip-Hop. I can definitely understand this. You see the culture you celebrated from your days as a youth being transformed into unrecognizable form. It's not uncommon to reminisce and yearn for the "good 'ol days." However, resisting change can turn out to yield an unproductive result. In order for Hip-Hop to last, change is necessary. Don't get me wrong, I love old school Hip-Hop, but if the culture didn't evolve it wouldn't survive. Imagine if the U.S. still used World War II weaponry today simply because it worked in the past. It wouldn't stand a chance against those that put more effort towards advancing. It's fine to prefer a certain era, but be sure to remain a part of the culture. We still need the lessons of World War II weaponry, to build off of for future success. Value lies in the wisdom of the old school that is only beneficial if the culture is unified. I encourage the old heads to balance your listening, and find some new school artists that you can support. They're out there, you may just have to go beyond mainstream radio. Grow with the music, so that the culture you once loved can live on.

New school. The wave. The future. They keep it fresh. They carry the torch. Why should we focus on the past? "Music is more fun now." "That music is for old people." "I'm not wasting my time listening to that outdated music." It's a common position held by the younger generation of Hip-Hop. This could have been me if I wasn't exposed to old school at a young age. This is some of my peers. I can understand it. What's the point of listening to music that came out decades before you were born? It's fun to stay in the moment. However, you'll gain a clearer perspective of where you're going if you know where you came from. History provides a formula for success and a record of mistakes. As philosopher George Santayana stated, "those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it." We know some negative events that have transpired within Hip-Hop's history, and by learning we lower the risk of making these events cyclical. Trust your elders. They've seen similar obstacles, and can provide guidance. Continue innovating, but make sure you're mindful of the rich history that precedes you. I encourage the new school to balance your listening, and find some old school artists that you can appreciate. They're out there if you do your research. A flower doesn't grow without roots.

Let's unify the culture, so that we may be able to move on stronger. The "fad" they once called Hip-Hop is still here forty years later. At what point do we realize that enough is done already to divide us? It's counterproductive to separate the culture based on time. Picture a relay race. Does the current runner reluctantly hand off the baton to the next runner? No, because it would only slow the team down. In order to be most efficient, the current runner has to confidently hand off the baton, knowing that the next runner will keep the team moving towards success. Likewise, the new runner wouldn't be able to run without the efforts of the previous runner. The role of smooth transition is key for the team's chances of success. In Hip-Hop, this smooth transition is done by understanding our teammates, or other generations. We have to balance our perspective, and learn to appreciate the other side. After all, we are connected.