Eliminate The Fake

In our everyday interaction with other human beings, we must eliminate the fake persona that most of us are comfortable displaying. Being fake is the lazy way to express yourself. It’s a very cheap version of who you really are. You will never have an electrical connection with others because your words are dull and listless. They carry no weight that would make a person ponder over what you have said. Here's a thought on how to eliminate the fake: 1. Be willing to take a hit being yourself. When you speak, you are the mouthpiece of yourself. 2. Be willing to be rejected for being the real you. 3. Know that you were not meant to get along with everyone. It's impossible. Stop trying. 4. The constant pressure of putting on a front is exhausting. 5. When you speak, own everything you say. Own every word and speak with clarity so no one has to ask you, "What do you mean?" The majority of the people on our planet like being fake. I heard someone say that the day you are liked by everyone is the day you are the most fake person alive.

Ambitious Goals Require More time

The bigger the ambition, the more time that is required to achieve your goal. You have to learn how to master time. If you have 3 or 4 projects going on at the same time, you may have to wake up earlier to get those trains moving. I have coined the phrase of using unused hours

when I speak on the 3am rule. People are normally sleep at this time. The people in your industry are asleep, but not you. Waking up at 3am is a challenge to beging working on your tasks for the day, but sometimes it is necessary to take things off your plate to free up time to be more creative and imagine the possibilities of what you are seeking. If you have a bad habit of completing projects at the last minute why don't you tryy the 3am rule to see if it can fit your lifestyle. Create more output. Use every ounce of time available to you. Create a new habit by waking up earlier. All it takes is a mindshift. If you know you need a change, don't run from it, run to it.

Use the 3am Rule to Eliminate Constant Interruptions

Constant interruptions don't allow us to think deeply for long periods of time. That's why I reccomend using the 3am Rule as a time for deep reflection on what you want.You must have time for your imagination to breath. Get back intouch with your instincts and create the flow for your day. Begin planning for the next decade of your life and how you want it to be. I wish more people would stop thinking of 3am or 4am as off limits to being fully awake starting your work for the day. You and I know that this is true. This morning I woke up at 3:15am. Let's go.

"Why Finding Your True Fans Matters More in Podcasting Than High Downloads"

Don't worry about how many people are going to listen to your podcast. If you want to start one, just do it and say to yourself, "If no one listens to it, it's okay with me." That way, you can go on without any expectations. Just press record and begin your talk. People are too worried about how many people are going to listen to what they have to say. Remember, what you are going to talk about is not ever going to appeal to everybody. You should learn to be fine with that. It is your fear of rejection that is stopping you from recording. Even if you have started a podcast and over the first 10 episodes only 23 people total have listened to you, guess what? Join the club. In 2019, I started a podcast called "The 20 Minute Morning Show" (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/20-minute-morning-show/id1450014531) that got minimal listens for a long time, and even to this day, it is sporadic. One thing is that I have not been consistent in promoting my podcast, but people are aware of it. So how can I say it is not working if I have not given it my maximum effort to promote it enough for people to discover? If you go through my catalog, I have managed to interview some heavyweight industry people, and it has given me credibility even though I currently do not have a large following. My most listened-to podcast came when we talked about a local issue in Charlotte, NC. Barbershop entrepreneurs Damian and Jermaine Johnson opened one of their signature barbershops in SouthPark Mall, which is the most upscale mall in the city. The management wanted to terminate the lease and kick them out. We did an interview with them, and it made it into the Charlotte Observer (https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/whats-in-store/article249628383.html). That podcast helped them stay in the mall and stop that injustice that was about to take place. It garnered 1,100 listens in one day! I was like, "Whoa! I'm on my way," but the numbers leveled after that. I should have created some momentum to capitalize on it, but it was a learning lesson. It got me on the map, but nobody knew I did not have high numbers. I have made money with my podcast by creating content for people to share. Quality interviews they can use to market and promote themselves on my platform. When I get really focused on making this podcast more impactful, it will become a major revenue stream for me without a doubt. This is the new radio for sure. It is such an exciting medium to create what you want. No limits, just be interesting to listen to. Speak from the heart on your podcast. It's your real estate. So don't worry about how many listeners you will have. Kevin Kelly wrote an article back in 2008 called "1,000 True Fans Is All You Need." Go find them. Start with 100 true fans for your podcast and grow it over the years until you get to your 1,000 people who really get you. Now that alone is worth doing your podcast idea. Just start. If you need coaching on this, I can help you. Just reach out. Visit my website at www.blackradiotalent.com.

Be Different From The Lazy Radio Personalities In America

Radio shows in America are like burger chains: hamburgers with a variation in taste, but still just hamburgers. So, create a show that people can't experience anywhere else except by tuning into your show. Throw all those prank phone calls and "question of the day" bits in the garbage pail. These have been on the radio since the '70s. Have captivating conversations on your show that make your audience want to hear more of what you have to say. What can we hear from you that is new? What unique contribution will you bring to the world today in the way you speak about the top news story everyone in America is discussing? How much thought have you put into what you are going to say on a subject? Are you going to try to sound smart by repeating the words of other people, or do you have an original idea? I hear people reading straight off the prep service as is, making general comments about the story, with nothing personal to contribute to the conversation. Of course, the ending is the classic line, "Well, we'll see how this all plays out." Ugh! I tell the shows I work with that they must take their time in show development and write it out. Write, write, write! Create your show on paper. Drill down into the topics. How many angles can you come up with? How many points can be made? What personal stories do you have to share? Let's come up with an audience participation angle if warranted. Prepare for your shows like the editors for World News Tonight on ABC. Keep what is good and edit out what is bad so it does not hit the airwaves. What can we recycle from yesterday's show and remix for today's show? Write, write, write. Be different from the lazy DJs in America!

"Editing and Rehearsing: Secrets to Radio Excellence"

Anybody, no matter their level of expertise, who thinks they have reached the top of their development in their craft is fooling themselves. There is always more to learn, more to do, and many more levels to attain to become a master. I believe in practice, practice, practice. How you practice is how you play. How you prepare is how you show up on your show everyday. Many radio personalities don't even consider practicing and rehearsing what they're going to say on air. Consider this article, "Has Radio Missed Its Cues from Television?". No television show goes on the air unprepared. There is plenty of editing and deleting. Why not adopt these practices in your on-air performance? You will see that your show will turn out great every day, when you edit out what you don't need. Raise the expectation level of your listeners. Give them quality conversation by presenting the best of your ideas, vetted and edited by you before they go on air. The More prepared you are, the more creative you will be.

Break Free from the Newsroom: Create Unique Content with your own Thoughtfulness

Improve the time you spend preparing for your show. Are you thoughtful about what you're going to discuss with your radio listeners or podcast fans tomorrow? Preparing for your show is not about waiting for some editor in a newsroom to decide what is newsworthy and then regurgitating it back to your audience. Stop that. That's not a show prep. First off, I'm a human being. I don't need anyone to tell me how to think or feel about what's happening in the world. What can I bring to the world that you own as an experience and not just what somebody else said? How do you take the top news stories that some editor deemed noteworthy and present them in a unique way? Who made this person the authority on what is important? Really think about that. Why would you let someone else's thoughts guide the direction of your show? Thoughtfulness!! This is what I'm talking about. It's not about what somebody else thinks; it's totally about what I think. I get to decide. It's my show, and I'm taking full ownership of its content every day. Here's the question you may want to ask: "Well B.J. So you are saying you want me to ignore the top news story everybody is talking about?" Of course not. I'm saying that I get to decide how I'm going to talk about this news story. What angle do I want to come from? Let me sit down and be truly thoughtful about how I feel, instead of blurting out cliche statements that you think make you sound smart. I may feel totally opposite of the popular opinion. To be remarkable in this game of radio, you have to make remarks worth remarking about. This only comes from drilling down on presenting your unique, well-thought-out ideas and presenting them to your audience. See how many angles you can come up with by being alone in a room and using your brainpower, not somebody else's. For every topic see if you can come up with 10 to 12 angles or more. Have fun being yourself on the radio!