Learning Through…UNLEARNING…

Posted on August 22, 2019 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

“A true test of our ability to learn is our willingness to unlearn what it is we thought we already knew…”

As soon as I came across Rich Roll’s latest podcast interview with Humble The Poet entitled, “How to Unlearn”, I thought about the quote above which from my memory traces all the way back to my 2010 spring semester at Rutgers University when I took a Black Experience and Film class with Alrick Brown.

When I checked out @richroll's podcast w/@humblethepoet, I thought:

When we are willing to unlearn what we thought we already knew, we are opening ourselves up to a new realm of existence and being which will then enable us to evolve to new levels.

👉🏾 https://t.co/aiAjoglg0v 👈🏾 pic.twitter.com/ZcHXW8TLNH

— aquaus. (@aquaus) August 20, 2019

⁣When we are willing to unlearn whatever it is that we thought we already knew, we are opening ourselves up to a new realm of existence and being which will then enable us to evolve to new levels.⁣

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(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking brand strategist, curator, and educator. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development and social impact. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Behind The Hustle, Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about bridging the gap and building value between brands, communities, and culture. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Pay ATTENTION to the NOUNS!!! (Ep. 145; 8/1/19)

Posted on August 22, 2019 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Screen Shot 2019-08-22 at 12.26.23 PM

While listening to the 3 year anniversary of the Side Hustle Pro podcast hosted by Nicaila Matthews Okome earlier this month, she mentioned speaking at conferences such as #Summit21 presented by 21Ninety founded by Morgan DeBaun and Woman Evolve founded by Sarah Jakes Roberts. As soon as she dropped the names of these conferences I thought that I would record a video entitled, “Pay ATTENTION to the NOUNS!!! (people, places, things, and ideas)…”⁣

Through expanding our intellectual palate, we are then able to create the connections and build the relationships that enable us to make a difference in the lives of others while also having our lives impacted by those around us.⁣
⁣⁣⁣#7DaysOfWisdom 🌍 pic.twitter.com/x3UXkWFRIL

— aquaus. (@aquaus) August 22, 2019

When we pay SUPER CLOSE ATTENTION to the people, places, things, and ideas that we encounter in our daily interactions, we expand our intellectual palate (knowledge, insight, relationships, resources, etc). Through expanding our intellectual palate, we are then able to create the connections and build the relationships that enable us to make a difference in the lives of others while also having our lives impacted by those around us.

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How Might We Identify and Focus on Our Natural Talents? (Ep. 142; 5/24/19)

Posted on August 13, 2019 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

After coming back from a short trip to Buffalo, NY on May 24, 2019, I thought about a chapter I read in a book entitled, “The Power of Focus.” In this chapter, “It’s Not Hocus-Pocus, It’s All About Focus”, legendary entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn states, “Learn how to separate the majors and the minors. A lot of people don’t do well simply because they major in minor things.”

When we major in minor things, we often tend to lose focus when it comes to cultivating and developing our own natural talents. On the contrary, when we are able to eliminate distractions and hone in on what makes us tick, we are then able to identify and focus on our natural talents. For example, after a call I had with Tracy Francis and Kaustubh Ghadge of Indica Digital, I realized that one of my natural talents is helping people to identify and articulate their mission and vision with the world around them. Due to my desire to help further the work of Tracy and Kaustubh, I was able to gain insight about my natural talents and strengths. In essence, it’s important to keep in mind that helping others also enables us to help ourselves along our journey of finding what it is we do best!

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Keep Building…

Posted on August 13, 2019 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Success leaves clues and one of my favorite guys on the internet as of late is certainly John Henry. When we make time to analyze and study the career trajectory of anyone whose work we admire and respect, we will eventually realize that most of the value and insight which we can apply to our lives can be found within the context and storytelling of our own journey.

When I look back on the past two years of my life, every opportunity afforded to me has come from me deciding to take the first step in regards to building a connection and establishing a relationship. Whether putting out content online or initiating a conversation in person, we play a major role in determining our next move and ultimately our own destiny.

Let’s get real micro and break things down:

| May 2017 |

I remember my good friend Israel Wilson being the first person to tell me about the work of Anthony Frasier of ABF Creative several years ago. After making some time to do some research and follow his work, I reached out to initiate contact as a means of staying in touch. I also made sure to purchase his book, “Don’t Dumb Down Your Greatness” to better understand his career and life path. Since then, I remember meeting and speaking with Anthony Frasier at Propelify in May of 2017 along with Gerard Adams in support of John Henry’s keynote that afternoon…KEEP BUILDING!!!

| May 2017 |

After Propelify, I attended a Mimconnect event where I had the opportunity to connect with Julian Mitchell. I’ve been a fan of Julian since I came across his work when I was a writer for Behind The Hustle from 2013 ~ 2016. After the event, I remember going out with Juels Pierrot, Wadnes Castelly, Ryan Staley, and Julian for dinner at a spot close by. We all had a conversation about culture, media, music, and sports. Since then, we have all been in touch while creating a name for ourselves within our respective career paths…KEEP BUILDING!!!

| August 2017 |

I met Franz Bowen of Driven Society after taking the liberty of doing a recap of their interview with Imani Ellis of The Creative Collective NYC and posting it on my feed on July 24, 2017. Through this, I was invited out to an event where I met Natalia Saavedra and Travis Weekes of Driven Society, Lindsey Day of CRWN Magazine, and reconnected with Julian Mitchell…KEEP BUILDING!!!

| June 2018 |

Thanks to Monique Marshall of Black To Business, I was given the great opportunity of moderating their “Men Who Lead” panel at Alley which was sponsored by Verizon…

…HERE’S WHERE THINGS COME AROUND FULL CIRCLE…

Three out of the five guys scheduled to be on the panel just happened to be Anthony Frasier, Julian Mitchell, and Ofo Ezeugwu. I started working with Ofo and Kelley Green on their WYL Podcast for Whose Your Landlord a few months after this event thanks to Franz of Driven Society. I also connected with the good brothers, Mark Clennon and Lloyd Cambridge…KEEP BUILDING!!!

Similar to guys such as Gary Vaynerchuk and John Henry, the CLIMB EXCITES ME!!! When we utilize our skills and talents while adding value to the lives of those around us, everything usually tends to pay off. The best thing is, even if it doesn’t “pay off,” hopefully we enjoyed the ride getting to wherever we end up. Most importantly, we will end up in a better place than we started as long as we continue to live a mission and purpose driven life.

Thanks Samuel Coleman-Dancer for inspiring me to do this post…KEEP BUILDING!!!

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How Might We Build a Positive Reputation? (Ep. 140; 5/4/19)

Posted on August 13, 2019 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

In my experience as one of the leaders during my time at Seed Burger, I’ve learned a lot from interacting and working with our team. Through this, I also reflected on some of my personal habits from when I first entered the workplace as an associate at The Home Depot to becoming a corps member at City Year and working my way up from a substitute teacher to a 5th grade teacher at New Brunswick Public Schools.

I believe that it is important to understand that how people feel and what people think about us when we are not around is often contingent upon what we do when we are around.

So…what are we doing when we are around?

Here are a few quick tips I would offer to anyone who is looking to make a difference in the workplace:

1. Show up EARLY and PREPARED – When we show up early and prepared, it relaxes our mind and reduces stress and anxiety because we are ready for what is to come. Showing up early and prepared also helps to boost our confidence in our ability to perform over time.

2. Stay LATE and put in the WORK – When we are committed, dedicated, and purpose driven, we usually do not mind staying later to finish the job. I know personally that whenever I do what I have to do to make sure that the job is finished, I always come away with a sense of completion knowing that I earned my sleep for the night.

Lastly, always keep in mind that our reputation is our resume. People often come to us based on what they know about us. What we want to do tomorrow is often based on what we do today, and what we do today determines the opportunities that we are often afforded tomorrow.

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Kiah Victoria – Remedy

Posted on August 31, 2018 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Kiah Victoria

I’ve been a huge fan of Kiah Victoria’s work for a few years now. She initially caught my attention when I saw her appearance in Jay’s “Picasso Baby” performance and she further solidified my attention when I listened to her track entitled, “Home” which was off of her “Look Up” EP released in 2012.

Today, I continue to remain confident in her ability to positively impact society through her message and her music. In regards to talent, she has it. In regards to stage presence, she has it. In regards to AMBITION, she has it. I honestly believe that it’s only a matter of time before she’ll be selling out arenas and stadiums across the world.

Check out Kiah’s new EP entitled, “Memo” which was released worldwide today and enjoy one of my favorite tunes from the project entitled, “Remedy”.

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How Might Nostalgic Brands Thrive…Again?

Posted on May 20, 2018 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Photo via We Are Basket.

…If you’re a nostalgic brand, now is your time to thrive! Two days ago, I came across my homegirl Wa‘s post on Twitter about Fila making a comeback. Earlier today, while I was on IG, I came across Kayci‘s post where she was fashionably sporting a pair of Jelly sandals. As I was looking at the photo, I was instantly reminded of what all of the girls use to wear in the summer when I was growing up as a child on Staten Island, NY.

Screenshot via @Wa_Boogie

Photo via @kebolade

A few years ago, I remember Gary Vaynerchuk talking about the rise of nostalgic brands. Hence, look at what he’s doing with Barney Waters and K-Swiss Global Brands. In addition, look at the rise of brands such as Champion, Calvin Klein, GUESS, and Tommy Hilfiger. Lastly, look at what Kanye and Pharrell did with Adidas.

If you’re a heritage or legacy brand, you may want to consider bringing in a dope team of creatives to reinvigorate your brand identity and story. Who knows, you may be the next big thing…AGAIN!!!

P.S. – Here’s the original post via LinkedIn.

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My Creative Process…

Posted on May 13, 2018 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Photo via becomingbrilliance.com.

So, what is my process for creating, curating, and developing content? It starts with listening and watching. I’m always looking for ways to learn as much about someone or something as I possibly can. Therefore, I’m always on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube, etc to immerse myself in the stories that allow me to gain a deeper understanding of the driving factors behind people who are doing amazing work.

As I came across Diamonde Williamson‘s interview with the founders of The Startup Van, Mark McDonagh and Graham Hussey, Diamonde touched on a few topics which inspired me to publish this quick post.

Here are some points she mentioned in the video while discussing her work with Blossom:

+ “How do you scale your team but also manage your team to scale with you?” – DW

+ “Start with the community and get them involved.” – DW

+ “In terms of media, we want to dominate and disrupt that space in terms of how we are represented.” – DW

+ “As long as we keep going and surrounding ourselves with people that remind us that it’s okay, we are going to make it!” – DW

Enjoy the video!!!

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Where’s The R+D for Better Schools?

Posted on April 18, 2018 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

As I’m going through the process of taking an assessment as a means of gaining a greater sense of the potential challenges my students may face, I thought of how we might go about applying research and development within our schools and classrooms. As a result, I decided to search the phrase, “Research and development in schools” on YouTube. After doing so, I came across Jim Shelton‘s TEDx talk entitled, “Where’s the R&D for better schools?”

In this video, Jim mentions, “We have more capabilities than ever before. Imagine networks and centers across the world inside and outside of our schools that are cross-functional between designers, educators, entrepreneurs, and researchers coming up with solutions to some of educations most persistent challenges?”

I’ve personally been dreaming and imagining of how our institutions should reflect what was mentioned by Jim for quite some time now. In a world where we have the opportunity to be so connected, why do we continue to operate in silos? As David Leser once said in an interview with Rakhal Ebeli of Newsmodo, “We need more bridge builders!” I couldn’t agree more. In fact, we all play a pertinent role as the bridge builders of society at large!

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What Do We Value?

Posted on April 3, 2018 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

What do we value? On Saturday November 5, 2016 I attended Ayana Iman’s, #AuthenticConvos event at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. While I was there, I revisited some of my thoughts from earlier that day inspired by Joel Brown‘s #Addicted2Success podcast interview with Dr. John Demartini:

In this interview, Dr. Demartini mentioned the importance of values and how they predict the trajectory of where we go in life. In turn, this made me ask the following questions:

1. What do we value?

2. What do we give the most energy to?

3. Who do we give the most energy to?

4. Where do we spend the most time?

5. Who do we spend the most time with?

6. What do we spend the most time doing?

7. Who do we associate with?

8. Where do we want to see ourselves in life?

Ultimately, all of these questions allow us to reflect upon our true values. Now, let’s ask ourselves…”What do we really value?”

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