TITANS HEAD COACH MIKE MULARKEY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT - July 28, 2017

(opening statement)

Welcome back. Id like to say that I missed you all. But no, its been a good break for the team and for the coaches. I think everybody is glad to be back with the season getting ready to get underway and the start of training camp. Kind of an anxious time for everybody. Just had the assessment run and it was outstanding. I dont know if I could say it was any better, our guys came back in very, very, very good shape which they have to, to play at the level that we want to play at. So with that, Ill take some questions.

(on if defensive tackle Jurrell Caseys extension is an example of what working hard can do)

Yeah, I think so. I think so, I think it Id be shocked if it wasnt a great example for other players to watch how Casey goes about his business, both here and off the field. Hes done a lot for the community. Obviously, hes done a lot for this team and hes been very successful with his play based on a lot of how he works when he comes in here.

(on the uniqueness of extending Casey with two years remaining on his contract)

This is a unique case. Its definitely a unique case, but a lot of things played into the factor of that happening. But, it is unique. But again, like I said, theres a lot of just on and off the field things that warranted it.

(on if rookie wide receiver Corey Davis is in the facility today)

He is not, but were talking to him.

(on if any other players did not show up today)

Nope, everybody is here.

(on how much it would hurt Davis to miss the first day of camp)

Im not going to address that until he misses the first day or two, which Im hoping he doesnt obviously. Ill address it if it gets into a period that hes missing time. But, thats not the case right now.

(on the importance of Davis getting training camp reps)

Id be mistaken not to say every rep is important. Every single rep is important for everybody.

(on if quarterback Marcus Mariota will be a full participant in tomorrows practice)

He is cleared to go. We are still going to were not going to just send him out there and have at it. Hes still going to have some limited reps, not as much as he had obviously in the offseason camps. Its not going to be like hes been healthy the whole time. Were going to watch him.

(on if outside linebacker Kevin Dodd will be a full participant in tomorrows practice)

Hes full go, hes full go as well.

(on the importance of this training camp for Dodd)

I think he has he hasnt had a lot of time. That foot has been an issue with him. We need him, I think he knows that. I think he wants to play, he wants to practice, he wants to be out there with his teammates. He wants to be good. Thats important to him, and we want him to be. We need as much help as an edge rusher as we can get. Cant have enough, in my opinion. Its important that he comes up and shows that he can do it.

(on if outside linebacker Eric Walden is insurance at the linebacker position)

Sure, we have some depth there now. That is always an issue and concern about depth, especially at that position. We feel better about that position now.

(on what he likes about Walden and the unusualness of a player his age posting a double-digit sack season)

Again, thats why then, not earlier? I cant speak for the schemeor his opportunities, but he's been a thorn in any place that I've been that we've had to play againsthim. He is a good football player, he's a nasty player. He's not 30, he's just a physical player. Has given us problems again and again. Hopefully is building off what he did last year and that continues and gives us a force from the outside.

(on offensive lineman Sebastian Tretolas release from the team)

First of all, he couldn't practice with the injury he had. Second, he made some poor decisions. It wasn't strictly the two offseason incidents that made that decision.

(on if poor decisions by Tretola by extending beyond two off-season incidents)

Yes.

(on the reasoning behind holding quarterback Marcus Mariota back to start training camp)

Because we have time. Again, I'm not talking about an extensive hold back. There's going to be certain things I'm going to ease him into.

(on wide receiver TajaSharpe and quarterback Matt Cassel's health)

They're better. Tajawas in here, he's been in here every week. He's better. Matt is going to probably be limited. Tajaprobably won't practice tomorrow or I'm not even sure when, he'll be a PUP discussion later. Then we'll just have to limit Matt with the throws.

(on defensive lineman Karl Klug's health)

He could probably go full speed too, but we're going to again, like Marcus, we're going to limit him with his reps. He has made a tremendous effort to come back, and he could go, if I let him. I know he wants to.

(on Klug wanting to play immediately)

That doesn't surprise me. Not at all.

(on the possibility of Klug being on PUP to begin camp)

No, I don't think so. Again, we're talking about it, but he just did the conditioningtest with the d-line and looked great running.

(on his message to the team)

It's not going to change much from when they came here in April about us getting better. Every day that we're here, like we did in the offseason, I thought we got better. As a team, as individuals, as units, I think that's not going to change. If we can improve over what we did last year, I think we all know what the reward is. It's about getting better, coming in here and don't worry about what is being said outside this building. Worry about what we need to do inside the building.

(on disregarding the negative narrative that surrounded the team entering last year's training camp)

I do that all the time, regardless of what it is. I try to ignore things that are outside sources that can easily influence football teams. It's a matter of what we believe in here and expectations that we set amongst ourselves in here, and that won't change.

(on national pre-season predictions favoring the Titans)

That's nice. I think it's nice because it recognizes what they did last year, the talk is aboutwhat we did last year. Again, that was last year. This is a totally different year. Not totally different, but a lot of changes on this team, so you've got to just be careful about paying attention to that.

(on if nose tackle SylvesterWilliams will be a full participation training camp)

He's full go, he did the assessmentrun as well. He's in great shape, he should have no restrictions.

(on wide receiver Eric Decker's health and his role as a mentor to younger players)

He is full go. His role, he may have a little bit more of a role of being a utility guy that can play at multiple positions. We're going to start him out at the slot and as a Z receiverwith Rishard Matthews. He'll play all over the place. The value of having him in that room with some young guys, again even Eric Walden, another veteran that's had some success, is invaluable to me. You see how guys have done things over their career and the success that's come from it. We just added another guy in that receiverroom that will help that room.

(on how the organization has progressed since his arrival)

There's been a lot of change, we talked about it last year. We first got together, Jon Robinson and I, the facility has really changed since I got here. We've gone through two phases of renovation. Thisyear it included the weight room and training room, and we expanded and basically updated it to be one of the top facilities in the NFL. I'll be shocked to see if there's anythingbetter than this. Amy Adams Strunk has been very instrumental, very instrumental, in making sure it's gotten done. She has seen the vision that Jon and I have put in front of her and she's on board with it. I think the players respect that we are trying to do it right for them and make it one of the best facilities that they come to work in every day, and Amy has been very supportive of that.

(on the importance of bringing in veterans that have experiencedsuccess)

Add that on to personal success, and they've had some team success, I think that just gives them more credibility when they walk in that room.

(on being in pads throughout camp)

We'll be in pads every chance we have a chance to be in pads. By rule, we can't be in pads the first four practices, that's tomorrow andSunday. Monday will be the first time, and a lotof them are scheduled for the mornings. But if you look at the schedule for the practices, it's a variation of differenttimes and a lot of that is thought out. The Monday night practices, allows the players to geta littlemorerecovery from a Saturday game. Also gets them out of the heat, also gives fans the ability to come out and watch us. People that work all day have the ability tocome outandwatch us under the lights. And I think our players enjoypracticing at nightand then obviously we have the Friday Night Lights which is new and that's at Centennial High School. It'll give fans again a chance to come out and watch us there and thefamily night scrimmage at the stadium. There's just a variety of times so if you feel like you can't make it out to a practice because of work, look at the schedule. At some point you'll be able to make it out here and we're inviting everybody to come out and watchthis team. Especially with what, again, Amy is responsible for, putting all the stands out there on the fields. It's going to be a comfortableenvironment, you'recovered to get out of the heat. Thats a changein itself of what we're doing for the fans for training camp.

(on how Sharpe has responded to his off-field situations)

Very positive. He understands he's made a mistake and trying to handle it the best he can. He's been very positive but apologetic.

(on if hell determine in late Augustwho can be expected to have return duties)

Probably will do that. But again we've had more options than we've had since I've been here, with Adoree' (Jackson) back there with punts, Eric Weems back there, Harry (Douglas)has always got returnability. Kickoff return, Khalfani Muhammad's got a chance back there, Eric Weems. I've been with Eric as a returner, kick returner. May again put Tre McBride back there in the mix. Got some options for both punt and kickoff return.

(on what he wants to see from safety Kevin Byard)

Take another step. I thought he took one last year, coming in here really not intimidated by the level of the game. Really confident in his ability, he looks great again to me the second year. When guys come back in here, and they've had a year inan NFL system and NFL weight room, their whole body type is different and you can just see he's been working at it. So, just take another step. See if he can be more of a force, make more plays for us.

(on if it can be expected that Byard will play more center field at safety than last year)

I think that it's all based on the way we're going to attack the opponent. What is their plan, and how we are going to counter it? I can't say it's going to be more. There'sbeen no conversationto get him back there more, it just depends on how we want to play our defenses for those games.

(on running back DeMarco Murray saying he'd like more work this year)

I love it. I mean, I hope everyone wants to get more work and play more and be more involved. We'll see howthat allunfolds. Again, a lot of that has to do with how we're game planning. But he'll have enough to keep his hands full. I promise.

(on the comfort running back Derrick Henrys skill provides if Murray needs an in-game break)

I think we havean option now and you saw it last year. What the numbers are this year, I'm not going to predict that because I'llback myself into a cornerwith that one. They'll both be involved, they'll both be effective for us. How that will be, we'll seewhen we line up on Sundays.

(on how the offense will evolve with the newly added players)

Again, we have more options to attack people and that's what we're always looking for. How many different ways can we come from all angles to attack the defense, and we have more now.

(on if the offensive game plan will change on a weekly basis)

Sure it does. I see it however we've got to win the game, that's what we're going to do. Again, no predictions. Wehave some more options of how we can keep some teams off-balance and try to hit them again from as many angles as we can to try to gain an advantage.

(on how the change in the roster reduction rules will change the amount of playing time during preseason)

It may, we haven't gotten to that point yet. It may, but I like the rule. We were in favor of it and I think it gives players another opportunity to show other teams - obviously, it's a big cut from90 to 53. It justgives other teamsmore opportunities tosee you one more time. And I like that, it's about opportunity for someguyswho may never play again.

(on replacing the physicality at tight end that departed in free agency)

I think everybody's going to kind of takeover. Obviously we're hoping our tight ends understand what's expected from them, I think they know that. I know Jonnu (Smith) knows what's expected from him. (Phillip) Supernaw'sbeen here long enough to know that he'll have a larger role and how important it is, but we'll find other ways. Again, based on our personnel is how we're going to do things. Again, we're not going to force feed anything down that we can't do. If we are struggling insomething we'll get away from it. We're going todo what we're good at.

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Coach Mularkey's Friday Training Camp Transcript - Tennessee Titans - Titansonline.com

Columbia, S.C. -- Local Midlands professionals hit the runway at the Richland County Public Library Saturday afternoon.

It was the "Finding Your Voice" Fashion Show and Midlands residents got the opportunity to see up close and personal how to dress for success.

From USC professors to local businessmen/women, professionals dunned their most professional, yet stylish attire in various styles and patterns as the audience looked on and took note. The event was free of charge and open to the public.

Following the event, every participant in the audience got to put together and take home their own professional outfit for free out of available clothes, shoes, purses and accessories provided by the library.

Two lucky raffle winners also took home $100 in prize money.

Organizers of the event say it was a fun but informative way to give tools to the public that they could utilize in their respective careers.

"We wanted to develop a concept that would teach people how to dress appropriately for the workforce," said Randy Heath, project manager for the event. "And so, instead of doing a PowerPoint presentation where...you know, with visuals on how you should dress or how you shouldn't dress, we decided to teach that through the format of a fashion show. And so, we've gotten people from the community, sponsors and a great team of folk who brought this project to life."

The fashion show lasted from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.

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Local fashion show highlights how to dress for success - WACH.com

'Meet the Real You, a two-day live event championing the concept of Life Transformation through a highly interactive, educational and entertaining agenda, helped participants unleash their full potentials.

During the event held recently at the Viceroy Hotel, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, renowned entrepreneur Moataz Mashal revealed strategies for personal transformation, the creation of deeper relationships, and even financial freedom.

The opening day was held under the theme Know You and centered on what controls people, what holds them back, and how they can break through their personal barriers. Attendees gained valuable insights on their moods, their passions, what they value most in life, and how they can make their challenges work in their favor to achieve true happiness. Interactive exercises were held to spread positive vibes among the diverse 250-plus participants comprising individuals aged 16 to 70 years who came from different cultural, social and educational backgrounds.

The second day focused on the theme Create You and helped participants create the story of the life they desire, where they currently are in relation to their dream, set their goals, and take practical steps towards achieving them. The sessions provided advise on how to raise spiritual, financial and interpersonal standards and help participants know the reasons behind all their actions. Practical strategies and tools for living the dream were shared, while practical and achievable goals were set through a goal setting workshop.

Mashal said: Attaining personal success requires fully knowing ones self and taking decisive action to translate weaknesses and strengths into a viable road map for living an inspired and productive life. Participants of Meet the Real You went home invigorated and equipped with clear strategies and thoughts for consistently pursuing a happy and fulfilling life. The event taught participants how to effectively unleash personal potential and sustain positivity under all circumstances and experiences.

Event moderator Mashal is popular for his Meet The Real You series of training programmes that have caught the social networking scene by storm. He studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Motivation, Positive Thinking, and various human sciences related to the development of personal abilities after earning a Business Administration degree at the American University of Sharjah. His YouTube program Minute with Moataz,was one of the first Arabic online programmes dedicated to the motivation of young people and the resolution of major problems hindering their personal and professional development.

Mashals A Jalsa with Moataz, Meet The Real You programme was launched in 2016 and continues to educate, train and entertain people in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and other Arab countries. More than 100,000 followers from various Arab countries support his engagements on popular platforms Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.

The audience of Meet the Real You appreciated Mashals unique perspectives on self-improvement and growth and his ideas on how to achieve genuine happiness while making a difference in the lives of others. - TradeArabia News Service

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Participants seek life transformation at 'The Real You' event - Trade Arabia

Since the news broke last week that singer R. Kelly is allegedly holding young women against their will in an abusive sex cult, recriminations against Kelly have piled up thick and fast. The allegations that Kelly has a habit of abusing young women and girls have been public knowledge for decades, so why, many people have demanded, is he still able to sell music and record and perform and live the life of a beloved superstar? But answering the question thoroughly requires delving into the manifold ways race, gender, class, and celebrity are playing out in the R. Kelly story, which is a Herculean task for anyone.

Its the task culture critic Jamilah Lemieux set for herself with her Colorlines article Why Are Some of Us Still Defending R. Kelly? Lemieux, a former Ebony editor and contributor to publications like the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Guardian, has been arguing against Kelly for more than 15 years.

For Lemieux, its personal. She and Kelly share a hometown of Chicago, where Kelly was first accused of statutory rape, and where the news first broke, in 2002, that a video tape existed of Kelly engaging in sex acts with and urinating on a girl who was allegedly 14 years old. And as Lemieux has noted, Kelly has consistently targeted young black girls and women, in a pattern that fundamentally affects the discourse surrounding the latest allegations against him.

Lemieux argues that black women and girls have been forced to bear the burden of white supremacy by protecting the black men who hurt them. Is the system so corrupt, so terrible, so biased against Our Men that we won't allow them to be punished for consuming the flesh of young girls? she writes. Are the odds so stacked against Our Men that we cant allow one who made it out of the ghetto to lose it all for defiling our daughters?

I spoke with Lemieux over the phone about why R. Kelly has been able to survive so many scandals, and how to respond when an artist who makes art that you like is accused of doing monstrous things.

Our conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

R. Kellys tendency to go after teenagers and very young women has been public knowledge for years and years. Why do you think its been so often ignored?

Honestly, I think the R. Kelly situation sits perfectly at the intersection of class, insane privilege, sexism, and specifically sexism toward black women and girls. If the majority of his alleged victims had been young white women, its just hard for me to believe he would have been able to go on so long virtually unchecked.

And why is that?

Its hard to believe that there would not have been a more concerted effort by members of the law enforcement and the judicial system in the state of Illinois [where Kelly was sued by multiple women alleging that he initiated sexual relationships with them when they were minors], or in the state of Florida, where R. Kelly was tried on charges related to some of these allegations, and members of the music industry, and fans. I dont see people standing for the sheer number of accusations against this person had these been young white girls.

Now, had this been a white male artist of R. Kellys level of celebrity and white female alleged victims, I cant definitively say that he would not have escaped any sort of punishment for what hes doing, but I dont believe that anyone would have allowed R. Kelly, a black man, to allegedly abuse white girls in that way.

I hate to even make the comparison, because an abused girl is an abused girl and nobody deserves that sort of treatment. I think all girls should have the relative level of protection that is often not always, but often extended to white girls, specifically class-mobile ones.

But everything about this story reminds me of how much it takes for a black girl to be believed or to be taken seriously. Im not only pointing the finger at law enforcement or the music industry or the media here. There are fans, many of them black women. There are supporters, even in our shared hometown of Chicago, who have willfully ignored the things we have said and heard and known about this man for years, because hes popular, because he makes music that people like.

What do you think is a good way of addressing this dilemma that we see with R. Kelly and with other very powerful men who are accused of hurting women, where the fan base will say, Yeah, he probably did that, but I really like the art he makes? How do you respond to that?

I think that the relationship of a consumer or a fan to art is a personal one, and its really hard to, for lack of a better word, police something like that, to tell people how and when or why they should consume art.

The thing is, this person is still alive. This person is allegedly still harming girls. This person has been flippant and dismissive when met with these accusations. This person seems at the very least like he could be a possible danger to young girls and women in his company.

And again, theres also the video. The video at the heart of the 2008 trial is something that was seen by a whole lot of people. If you go looking for it on the internet, its still there. So with some of the other allegations that have been leveled against powerful or influential or well-known men, theres this absence of that sort of evidence. People have decided to take Kellys acquittal in that 2008 case as a sign that hes just not guilty, but it has everything to do with the fact that the young lady who was in that video would not participate [in testifying against him].

Absent a victim, the state of Illinois could not prove a crime. But if youve seen even a screenshot of that video, theres no question about the youth of that girl.

This is a person who makes music that is incredibly sexual in nature. This is someone who has written lyrics that play with the idea of age and consent, right? Age Aint Nothing But a Number for Aaliyah, and Show me some ID for Bump N Grind.

I am not somebody who is comfortable listening to somebody like that singing about sex. I would not want to send the message to him or to anyone else that I am complicit in things that it seems that he has done to young girls and women. Obviously other people feel differently.

Its hard for me to tell someone that they have to divorce themselves from memories they may have created to that music, or the enjoyment they get from it. But I think its irresponsible to continue to make space for this person to continue to create, to continue to perform.

If theres something that he recorded in 1992 or 2000 or 2005 before you knew these things about him, and thats something that you still want to engage with, I suppose I can understand that a bit more, but this isnt the sort of thing that makes you sit down? This isnt a reason to lose a record deal or a sports sponsorship or the opportunity to collaborate with others in your field? I just find that to be inherently wrong.

Do you think anything will change after this latest round of accusations?

I hope so, but Ive hoped that in the past. There have been some reports that his ticket sales are up, and that perhaps this spate of attention has increased that. I dont know if people are going in hopes of seeing some sort of I dont know what theyre looking to see, if theyre looking for evidence, if they forgot R. Kelly existed and now that hes making headlines again they want to go and see him. Im saddened by that, but I hope were able to put some pressure on certain stakeholders to loosen their hold on him or their need to support him.

I think the most likely positive outcome from all of this is that young women will be reminded, or perhaps even taught for the first time, that these sorts of relationships are not acceptable, and theyre not okay, and theyre also not their fault. And we can have a conversation about that part of rape, which is something that a lot of people dont seem to think actually exists at that point, where you can offer a verbal consent and youre thus a consenting adult [and can still be raped], which is true.

Im hoping that artists are turned off and decide they dont want to be associated with somebody like this, and that the systems of deception and dishonesty and manipulation that allow a person like R. Kelly to behave as he allegedly has for so many years start to break, that somebody who starts to behave in the way he has allegedly behaved wont get tied to a major label.

That instead of saying, Okay, this artist is really talented, but hes got this thing with little girls. Its weird, but maybe we could just send somebody on the road, make sure the only girls who come back to his room are 18, like, dont take that chance! Dont empower and embolden somebody like that. Say, You know what, theres some weird shit with this guy, and its not right. He has absolutely no room on any record label or any song that Im producing.

I think we have unfortunately almost run out of time to truly punish or hold R. Kelly accountable. And the fight to get people of the mind that he needs to be held accountable at all, Ive found, is not nearly as easy it should be. We have gone through this in 2001 [when the first stories that Kelly was being sued for statutory rape broke], and in 2008 [when Kelly was tried for charges of producing child pornography], and then again in 2013 [when Kelly headlined Pitchfork], and then again now. There are so many people that are willing to say theyre standing by this guy.

Lady Gaga recorded a record with him after the trial, and gave a performance at an award show that almost gave a little wink and a nod to some of the things hes been accused of. Its really disheartening, but Id like to believe if she had to do it all over again, and if people who collaborated with him in recent years had to do it all over again, they wouldnt.

We may not be able to punish this R. Kelly, but Im very hopeful that well be able to stop the next one.

Originally posted here:
Why R. Kelly's continued success is inherently wrong - Vox

San Francisco Examiner

Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba can't relax San Francisco Examiner In Jamaica I was also reading this book on music theory, he says. But after realizing that it wasn't the right thing to do because it didn't count as vacation, he switched to the vampire novel The Passage, which was much more fun. The Connecticut ...

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Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba can't relax - San Francisco Examiner

It is also the first Jay-Z album in a decade that doesnt pretend to be competing in the present moment. It is the sound of a 47-year-old aesthete working at his own pace, dismantling his facade and reminding himself of all the natural poignancy that the bluster has been obscuring.

I fall short of what I say Im all about, he says on the title track, his apology to his wife, Beyonc, for the indiscretions that led her to publicly shame him. The album begins with Kill Jay Z, an extended tsk-tsk to himself. You cant heal what you never reveal, he raps. You know you owe the truth/ To all the youth that fell in love with Jay-Z.

And so the confessions, or certainly what appear to be confessions, pour out.

Yes, he cheated on Beyonc (the title track, among others); yes, hes tried therapy (Smile); yes, he stabbed the executive Lance Rivera back in 1999 (Kill Jay Z); yes, his fathers side of the family was darkened by abuse (Legacy); yes, his mother is gay, and was in the closet for decades (Smile); yes, hes fed up with Kanye Wests scattershot antics (Kill Jay Z, among others).

That is, assuming everything here is true, and not just the second installment of a multi-album musicanovela in which he and his wife portray bitter lovers bound together by fate, fame and farce.

Jay-Z has been this candid before, but never quite this naked. These arent stories told to fortify a magisterial image but rather the exhale of a long-held breath.

In some plain narrative ways, 4:44 is a companion piece to Beyoncs Lemonade. On the title track, Jay-Z is vividly self-critical: Ive seen the innocence leave your eyes/ I still mourn this death, he tells his wife.

But the two albums also share an emphasis on black self-sufficiency on Lemonade, the argument was sociopolitical; here, its largely financial. On The Story of O. J., Jay-Z raps about cross-generational wealth passing his art collection down to his children with the same fervor and lyrical gambit he once used to rap about amassing personal wealth (on U Dont Know, in 2001). The kingpin is now just a vessel for tomorrows dreams.

The whole of 4:44 was produced by No I.D., who produced much of Commons essential work, and who prepared a sample-driven, skin-and-bones, slightly greasy palette for Jay-Z to rap over. Most of the album hovers between 80-90 beats per minute, but feels slower, thanks to the way No I.D. foregoes crispness in favor of beats that slur, drag and bleed. Theres also patina on the vocals. Nothing gleams not the beats, not the words, not the feelings.

The relative sparseness acts as suction: There are barely any distractions. Its almost like an unplugged album, a kind of platonic raw course of rapper, producer, sample and beat. In places, it suggests a bare-bones counterpoint to one of Jay-Zs masterworks, The Blueprint, from 2001, which relied on the steroidal soul-informed production of Mr. West and Just Blaze to echo Jay-Z at his most conceited.

Ornamentation has long served Jay-Z well, so the lack of glamour here is striking. Part of the thrill of listening to him has been how lustrously he paints the unattainable. That underneath it all is a man full of regret is both obvious and, at times, a bit deflating. When he laments not investing in the now-redeveloped Brooklyn neighborhood Dumbo on The Story of O. J., its not clever, just a gripe. And one delivered without much flair.

The qualities that made Jay-Z one of raps true savants were his sly wit and the way he threaded himself into the production few rappers have found more creative ways to disperse their syllables, and sounded tougher and less fatigued while doing it. The Jay-Z of 4:44 isnt quite there. Hes evolved from dazzling taunts to ruminations that are sometimes snappy and sometimes lumpy. When snappy, though, theyre exhilarating, like the opening of Caught Their Eyes, which has the snarl Jay-Z arrived with fully formed on his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt: I survived reading guys like you/ Im surprised yall think yall can disguise yall truths.

At this stage of his career, though, keeping up with the Migos would be a fools task. Hes a veteran, and it shows: On three songs, hes baffled about how the younger generation uses Instagram as a tool of exaggerated street theater. And while the Jay-Z of 10 years ago would have been improvising his way through Young Thug and Playboi Carti anti-flows both as an exercise in hubris and also competitive vim, theres none of that here.

Rather, he makes a strong case for artistically aging by drilling down to core principles. As albums of late-career reckoning go, 4:44 isnt quite Gaye or Sinatra or Cash, but its on the path. Uncomfortable truths unearthed, demons shouted down, process refined even when everything melts away, you can still be ice-cold.

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Jay-Z Revels in the Catharsis of Confession on '4:44' - New York Times

Success is one of those concepts that we all understand, and yet, in reality it means something different to each individual. What might represent financial abundance to you might represent poverty to someone like Donald Trump.

Your concept of being physically fit is probably not the same as that of an elite Olympic athlete. While swimming a quarter of a mile might represent your new personal best, to someone about to swim the English Channel it doesnt mean much.On the other hand, personal success adds a lot of clarity to theconcept of being successful.

To be successful in any endeavor the first thing we need to do is to identify our own definition of of what personal success in that area would mean. Your pattern of achievement will follow your definition. Many people focus on being successful in just one area of their life such as relationships or business. Thats probably why it is so common to see those who are very successful in one area, but struggling in others.

Another thing that can happen when pursuing success is that we choose to make a conscious trade off by neglecting one or more aspects of life in order to succeed in another. For example, workaholics dont generally have the most meaningful family lives. Everyone at work may see them as extremely successful, but is that how their families are likely to feel?

On the other side of the spectrum we might find a very devoted family man who excels at being a husband and father, but struggles to make ends meet. While he has succeeded in an area that a workaholic has not, his attainment probably doesntbring him much recognition from the business community.

While any level of accomplishment, in any area of life, can be gratifying, I prefer a much broader and more balanced version of being successful. I would rather raise the level of my whole life experience than pursue billionaire status while everything else falls by the wayside. Life should be viewed as a synergistic adventure where goals in one area contribute to the whole. My concept of personal success is actually much more synergistic in nature.

So when we think of living a truly successful life, we are really talking about having a reasonable measure of success in many different areas. For that to be a reality, its absolutely vital that we establish a definition for what it means to succeed in each of those areas and then analyze how succeeding in that area can contribute to the other areas. This is the only way that we can gauge our personal success progress without throwing everything else out of balance.

If you were to list the various important areas of your life that you would like to keep in balance, what would you include? The reason I am writing this article is not to give you my definition of personal success, but to encourage you to think about what synergistic, whole life success means to you personally.

What areas of life matter most to your broader version of being successful? For you to feel like a totally successful person, what elements would need to be included? If you are willing to take the time to actually define your vision of personal success, then you can design a plan that contributes to that vision. If you ignore this step, you may end up neglecting the most important areas of your life in pursuit of a mirage.

People tend to measure success by the results that they can see. Sadly, many people consider material wealth as the most accurate indicator of a successful person. When you look for signs of success, what do you see? Do you consider the wonderful husband and father of modest means who is well liked and appreciated by everyone he knows as successful? How about the very wealthy person who makes everyone around him miserable, but drives a Rolls Royce Phantom and lives in a 27 room mansion?

It is important to realize that successful is not so much something that we do, its something we become. First we succeed on the inside, in our minds, and then we can become successful on the outside. So before you go chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, why not take the time to figure out exactly what personal success means to you?

How much money would it take for you to feel successful? How do you value relationships compared to income? The lines are open!

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What Does Personal Success Mean to You? - Life Skills for ...

The Renzulli Learning Personal Success Plan (PSP) is a research-based*, goal-oriented assessment and treatment tool designed to encourage students to think, dream, and succeed. It provides proven instructional strategies that raise achievement values in test scores, grades, and attendance.

The PSP helps students to identify their interests, understand how to develop these interests into talents, associate themselves with role models, and ultimately create meaningful, attainable goals and plans.

By supporting students individual social and academic goals, The Personal Success Plan gives them the incentive and ambition to succeed. Students are introduced to a variety of careers and project ideas both traditional and unique that match their own interests and expression styles

Each students interests, heroes and helpers, and career ideas help guide the establishment of plans and goals, which he or she starts to attain by developing appropriate projects. This plan provides students with a roadmap of achievable tasks that head the way to proven results and personal success.

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PERSONAL SUCCESS PLAN - RenzulliLearning

You spend each day chasing your professional goals and working hard to enrich your career, seldom pondering on whether youre achieving your personal successes. What are personal successes? Its not as straight forward as you may think. Its that feel-good achievement thats beyond corporate success you may even say its a transcended state of personal satisfaction.

And why shouldnt you be thinking about your personal successes, after all dont you love the job that you do? Shouldnt it be rewarding, even fulfilling, on a personal level? Like I said, its not always easy. You need to look beyond the obvious and examine ways that will help you gauge your personal successes.

Sure profitability, market share and shareholder value are all great ways to measure your accomplishments. But you want to look beyond that, and consider the impact youre making on:

Irrespective of what line of business youre in or what role youre playing everything you do should target having a bigger impact. This impact is what will help you feel personal achievement in an intangible way.

This could be something as simple as reading a blog or article which provides you a new perspective. While we spend plenty of time staying updated about the industry we work in, its important to look at other things going on in the world. Such learning could be useful in conversations with other leaders who may take an interest in you and in turn could possibly impact your business.

Another way to learn something new is to look within your organization. As a leader you should be spending time with your team to learn something about them. This shouldnt necessarily be focused about the duties they perform, instead it could be learning about what motivates and drives them. And what it spells out to is one of my favorite topics engagement.

Theres no greater reward than the feeling of being there for someone in their time of need. While you chase your own goals its important to stop and look around you at who is falling short. Leaders are guides and counselors who are a source of knowledge and problem solving. Here, I believe that a good leader plays the role of a mentor a guidance provider who your team can turn to for help, support and wisdom. Learn more about modern mentoring in this excellent TEDx talk from Karen Russell:

Honestly, how good is it when you leave work feeling accomplished when you just want to step out and say Yes! I did it!

It may not happen often, as there will be days when youre wrapping up and listing all the things you have to do the next day. And hence, when you do leave feeling satisfied with your days achievements, make sure you list it off as a personal success. Its something you should be happy and fiercely proud of.

Its easy to get caught in the rat race where day in and day out youre slowly going down a downward spiral of monotony. Believe me, it will catch up with you. And thats around the time when you start to question what youre doing and why youre doing it. This is why your personal successes are important to list out and strive to achieve. These will keep you motivated and content with the career you have embarked upon.

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What is Your Personal Success Gauged By? | Paul Keijzer ...

Though people are very different, each with their own passions, talents, interests, and abilities, in traditional school settings, most students are all given the same path and grouped with others by date of manufacture. At the age where youth are entering college or the workforce, many have never been given the opportunity to find what they love. This is because for many students, school fosters dependency learning and a false sense that if you just keep doing as youre told, it will eventually pay off...even though there may never be time to figure out where it is you actually want to go. This holds true not only for students dissatisfied with school, but also for students with high achievement like Amy, Carlie, Jessica, Maria and this insightful Valedictorian who felt high school robbed her of this opportunity. Upon graduation, she took her diploma and hit the road literally and went on an adventure to make up for lost time and explore who she really is and what she loves. You can follow her adventures on her blog America Via Erica. Youll notice that once she left school behind, Erica had the opportunity to set her own personal goals which she can change and update as she learns and as she pleases.

Currently her goals are:

School is torture because I am required to spend all my time doing menial tasks, worksheets, and rote memorization.

This takes too much time away from being able to discover my hobbies, interests, or passions. Im in 10th grade and I dont foresee having the ability to do that before I graduate high school."

Once students come up with their plan. Theyll need a place to capture all the great things they are doing. My next post on ePortfolios will outline how to do just that.

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Creating a Personal Success Plan - A Sensible Alternative ...