Think Like Quincy Jones

As a long time admirer of Quincy Jones, I thought it might be nice to share some of his wisdom. I want to look at his thoughts related to success in the music business in particular. Having said that, not many people know that his musical success represent only a fraction of what he's achieved over the last six decades. 

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Quincy Jones has succeeded in almost every area of the media and entertainment industry. He's won 27 Grammys which is a world record. Produced the best-selling album of all-time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller & the best-selling single of all-time, We Are the World. Quincy Jones has produced successful films such as The Color Purple, discovering Oprah Winfrey in the process as well as producing Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Fox’s In the House, and MadTV.  He also founded Vibe Magazine which was the #1 urban magazine  ... we we could go on so you can choose to learn more about Quincy Jones achievements here

I am a pretty level headed guy, but it makes you wonder if some people inherit something "extra" at birth because his achievements seem utterly unachievable to the rest of us!

But, as we know our thoughts shape our decisions and in tern our actions. So, lets study his thoughts and see if we can modify our actions and outcomes. I will number the quotes so you can comment on individual quotes.

#1. Cherish your mistakes and you won't keep making them over and over again. It's the same with heartbreaks and girls and everything else. Cherish them and they'll put some wealth in you.

#2. You have to know that your real home is within.

#3. When you chase music for money, God walks out of the room.

#4. They doubted me on Michael for Thriller. I found the power in being underestimated. It's the greatest place to be.

#5. I'm proud of everything I ever made.

#6. Not one ounce of my self worth comes from an external source [in other words, be yourself]

#7. Do everything to your absolute best ability. Even stirring a cup of coffee, do it your best.

#8. Soon as it rains, get wet.

#9. The tragedy of Tupac is that his untimely passing is representative of too many young black men in this country....If we had lost Oprah Winfrey at 25, we would have lost a relatively unknown, local market TV anchorwoman. If we had lost Malcolm X at 25, we would have lost a hustler named Detroit Red. And if I had left the world at 25, we would have lost a big-band trumpet player and aspiring composer, just a sliver of my eventual life potential