I Can DO Anything I Set My MIND TO! | Sean Combs | Top 10 Rules

I'm a savage, whatever I want I'm going to get. Whatever I want I have to get.

We could be at $43 million. If I want $45 million and I'm just deserving of that and that is the rate, you're going to give me $45 million. Really take some time and really look at who you're surrounding yourself with.

Need motivation? Watch a top 10 with Believe Nation. What's up, it's Evan. My one word is believe and I believe in you. I believe you have an amazing gift inside you that I want to see explode out into the world. So let's get your motivation to a 10 and get you believing in you. Grab a snack and chew on today's lessons from a man who went from having his father shot and killed when he was only 2 years old and being nicknamed Puff because he would huff and puff when he got angry, to becoming a 3-time Grammy Award-winning artist and with a net worth of over $800 million, being the richest hip-hop artist in America. He's Sean Combs, and here's my take on his top 10 rules of success, volume 2. Enjoy. All right, let's kick things off with rule number 1: have a champion's mindset.

I could book that for like the, the weekend of the 14th when the soundtrack comes out. If so, bump somebody.

All right, thanks.

All right, love you, man.

Bye.

I got my MTV out.

Savage! I'm a savage! Oh! I'm a savage! Whatever I want, I'm going to get! Whatever I want, I have to get! Yes!

What's next? What's next? I got to get it. I'm not going to stay down. I'm not going to stay lying down.

I'm not.

I can't do it, man. I can't do that.

What's next?

Give me something else. What can't you do? I can do it. I can do anything.

Rule number 2: Be competitive.

I speak to my kids like, you really going to do that? Is that great? Is that going to make a difference? Are you sure that's what you want to spend your time doing? So that competitive thing just opened up a big door because that's one of the things I want to instill in you guys. I look in and I shape my career sometimes, I use the muse of LeBron James. LeBron, he motivates me every day. I see him, he's up at 6 in the morning, he's playing his music, he's loving what he's doing, he's conscious, he's He's working out at 6 in the morning. He don't have to really work out at 6 in the morning. He's working out at 6 in the morning harder than everybody else. That's one of the keys. That's why you'll say I'm number one a lot. This is a fact. I wanted more than almost everybody in here. I wanted more than almost everybody in here. That's what I'm talking about. You got to stand up for yourself and be able to compete. That's right. And you got to put the work that it's going to take to do it. I don't know if you're going to do the same work as I'm going to do. I'm going to read up on it. I'm going to say— they're going to be like, yo, let's go to Live tonight. I'll be like, I'm not going to Live tonight. I got to get to the bag. Hey, yo, let's smoke some. I can't. No, I'm not smoking nothing with y'all right now. I gotta get to the bag. There's a time and a place for everything. There's a time and a place for everything. But you have to be ready. We got the same 24 hours. You gotta use your time wisely and you have to be ready to really, really do the things other people aren't trying to do.

Rule number 3: Know your self-worth.

Within business, I mean, especially being Black can be, you know, a barrier to entry, you know, barrier to moving forward. And you said, I wasn't allowing them to treat me like a Black man. And how do you do that?

You have to be able to walk away. You know, it's a lot of cats out here that get a taste of the money. And when it comes time to doing that deal and really being in that ruthless negotiation, They really can't stomach walking away. I'm really, really crazy. I will walk away. We could be at $43 million. If I want $45 and I'm just deserving of that, and that is the rate, you're going to give me $45 million.

If we could hear the voice inside you, is the voice yelling at you like, you know, like, Like, you can do it in positive, or is it like, you ain't shit, you ain't done enough, and pushing you to go further higher? Like, what is the voice saying to you?

You the baddest motherfucker that he ever built. You a king, king. Put it on him, king. Get him, Puff. Get him. Fuck him up. Yeah, yeah. Win for the people. It's for the kids. Let's do it. Black excellence. Let's go.

Rule number 4 is do what you love.

Now people might not know this, but the love of your life is performing, isn't it? Yeah, that right there is just as a ringmaster, as a showman, you know, I always have kind of, kind of like built my persona using the the muse of P.T. Barnum. And P.T. Barnum, you know, he wasn't like the most talented person that was out there, but he was presenting the lions and tigers and bears and all the midgets in the cars and, you know, the lady with the sword and the trapeze. And that was his forte. And that's my forte is a platform, as a collaborator, as a producer, a curator. And so that performing in that aspect of being like the— like the conductor, the conductor, the Wizard of Oz for all this talent that I've nurtured to come out and to entertain you is something that I love. I love seeing people entertained.

Rule number 5: Be serious about your dreams.

So I would say the mindset that you have to have, you definitely have to be a little crazy. Your faith and your belief has to be crazy. You have to see what's not there and manifest it to be in there. But the mindset is that I was a dreamer. I was a dreamer. I started this whole thing as a dream. And then the day that I turned into the combination of a dreamer and a realist, that's when I started to really go, you know? And that's saying, like, don't be afraid to close your eyes and dream, but then open your eyes and see the reality of what it's going to take for you guys to be successful. That mindset, that relentlessness, that craziness, and really facing reality of what it's going to take to achieve your dream is something that, that I think we all have to have if we really, really, really trying to get it, not trying to play around.

Rule number 6: Create with authenticity.

You are an incredible marketer. What is the key to getting to— when you create a product, be it a vodka, jeans, or an album, whatever, what is the key to then making a lot of people want that thing?

Shout out to all my entrepreneurs in the house. Any entrepreneurs in the house? Yeah. When I create that thing, it has to be uncut, you know? That's really when I've had my best marketing wins is when it had a story behind it, when it has some heart behind it, and it was authentic. It was really, really true. It wasn't anything that was, like, inspired by, like, you know, just a regular Madison Avenue type of ad agency. It's, you know, very, very, very disruptive. Yeah.

Has to be matter— is it something that matters to people?

It has to be something that evokes some emotion. You know, it has to be something that people care about. Has to be something that they want.

Rule number 7: Hustle.

I was from Harlem and I had moved to Mount Vernon when I was like 12. I didn't really know anybody. I knew that I wanted to start thinking about what I was going what I was going to do with my life. And, um, at 12 years old? Yeah, 12. Yeah. So, you know, I started delivering papers, and I had a paper route and, um, started delivering multiple papers. I wasn't supposed to have a paper route, but I made a deal with the, you know, some of the paper boys in the neighborhood that were going to college. Let me deliver your papers and I'll send y'all half the money. So they was with that, and that's really how I started to get my hustle on. And just like I ran to get the tape, I would make sure that I put the paper inside the door so the older ladies wouldn't have to come out their house in the cold. So it was always about doing like the best and the greatest job I could do. Living in Mount Vernon, there was just one king of Mount Vernon. There was one guy that made it out of Mount Vernon and it was Heavy D. So I had all my heroes and stuff from Harlem when I moved to Mount Vernon. And then, you know, I saw my first rap star and I could, you know, he lived in the area. I was so consumed with rap and I was just so in love with it. And then Heavy D was just so fly, like, and he was a big guy, he was dancing, and he was like, he was like almost like the flyest that came outta hip hop. Original, individual, smooth criminal, dance a lot, dance a little, shuffle to the middle. Don't clock anybody, let 'em all clock you.

Don't be down with anybody, let 'em all be down with you.

Not just because he was a big guy and fly, he was just straight fly.

You know what I'm saying?

From his haircuts to the suits to—

True that.

With Teddy Riley combining R&B and hip hop. So he was just like, a guy that I was like, I got to meet this guy. I would wait around the pizza shop that he would come to. I would just sit outside the pizza shop. And one day he came in the pizza shop and I said to him, I want to talk to you about being your manager. I went all the way with it. How old were you when you said that? This is when I was 17. And so I'm like, I want to be your manager. I'm not really knowing the game. I'm not really caring if he had a manager. I'm like, ain't nothing but air and opportunity. I might as well go for the gusto. And then he like kind of like laughed at me. He was like, you crazy, you know what I'm saying? He bought me a slice of pizza and I was telling him, you know, I really want to be in the music industry, you know, and you know, I'm interning now with WBLS. That was the radio station. But I really, really, really want to get down with you in Uptown. And then I said, you know, you know, maybe you could get me a meeting with Andre Harrell. And he was just like, yeah, yeah, that sounds good.

That sounds good.

He was just like, you know, you're a different type of guy. Like, I like your hustle and the way you coming at me. And, um, he said, let me see what I could do. How many months did it take to do that? It took like maybe 8 months of like persistence.

I used to—

I remember I went from stalking him at the pizza shop to like, there was like a fork in the road to like where like he would have to veer off to the left to go to his house, but then it was like in a kind of a main street. So I used to to just walk up and down that block to hope to see his car, to be like, "Hey, hey, what's up, Hef?" Like, I was on the block, you know what I'm saying? I had no problem with playing myself. You know what I'm saying? I had no problem with any of that. I just had my eyes on the prize. And I was excited to see him. I was excited to be chasing my dream, to be walking up and down the sidewalk, you know, just making sure I didn't get embarrassed a little bit, and to time it just perfectly. And he drove past me like 3 times. I never caught him there. But I got enough heart one day. I said, I'm just gonna walk up to his house. Like, I need this. How bad I need this. I'm gonna walk up to his house. And then I was like, now you can't ring the doorbell. And then I would just, I just made sure that I would walk by his house. And one day he was outside. And I said, I really need you to make this call for me. And then, you know, he, you know, he had the cell phone. And I guess, you know, it was kind of big and everything. And he pulled it out, he made the call. And he set up, he set up a meeting for me to meet with you.

Rule number 8: Surround yourself with greatness.

The road to the bag is definitely tied to your team and the company that you keep. If you are surrounding yourself with different energies that's not on the same wavelength as you, if they not praying for you, inspiring you, supporting you, or showing you a better way, hello, remove them immediately. Or you could take them to church. Pray for them, take them to church, but you can't help them get there though. You gots to take care of yourself. You know what it's called? It's like we was talking about the other day, it's like being on an airplane. And the thing come down, you got to take care of yourself first.

You know what I'm saying?

Put the mask on. Put the mask on. Really take some time and really look at who you're surrounding yourself with. Look who's to the left and to the right of you. Are they like-minded? Are they disciplined? Are they pushing you forward? It's so simple for us to solve this. A lot of the hardest problems are so easy to solve. We just have to take those steps which are hard. And be mindful of that, because trust me, that energy is going to affect you. If you're around thugs and gangsters, you're going to be in jail. If you're around cats talking negative, you're going to be negative. If you're around some broke bitches, you're going to be broke. Preach, Puff Daddy. If you're around some money— if you're around God and some money, you on your way. You on your way. You on your way. I want to make some money. I can't make— I can't really be successful by myself. I need other people around me. So you are as great as your team.

Rule number 9 is be super fearless.

Talk about how to be super fearless, especially, you know, in a context where you're not in physical danger, you're not in economic danger. So what does super fearless mean at your level?

Super fearless is really wanting true change. I feel like I'm fearless because I have a fear, and that fear is that things are not going to change and, you know, we're going to continue to go backwards. You know, as a black man, I can't get to this point, have 6 kids, and not care about my race, my people. And so when I look at, you know, I was watching the movie, I'm Not Your Negro. Anybody here saw that? Oh yeah.

Okay.

James Baldwin.

Yes.

Raoul Peck.

Yes.

And nothing has really changed. And nothing has really changed. And, you know, That's what I fear. So I have to be fearless because I have to be a part of the change. And what that comes with is really taking some responsibility to, you know, to think outside of yourself. I feel I've evolved in going from me to we. And when you have that type of responsibility, then you don't have no time for fear. Because you can really make a change. But if you're scared, you're not going to change nothing. And so that's where my fearlessness comes from.

And rule number 10, the last one before some special bonus clips for you, is have fun.

Some of these are Ciroc. Some of these are water. And you're just going to— depending on if Mark gets the question right, every time he gets it wrong, you have to take a shot. OK. All right. All right, Mark, on the periodic table—

Kentucky.

What is the—

Now, you know.

What's the symbol for water?

Albuquerque.

H2O.

H2O.

I was late on the buzzer.

He came after the buzzer.

So—

OK, so I pick one?

Ah.

Which one was that?

Aquahydrate, baby. The greatest taste of water in the world. H2O. All right.

Come on.

Yeah. That's what we want. No. I want you.

Mark, the Atlantic Ocean Pacific Oceans, and Pacific Oceans are 2 of the 5 oceans. What are the other 3?

Don't play, for real.

Lake Tahoe, Lake Winnipesaukee, Lake Michigan.

No, he's off. You got to go. Take a shot.

And the Panama Canal.

That was so close. Arctic Indian Ocean, Antarctic Ocean, and—

Sadrashu.

Get it, man. Get it, man.

Get it, get it, get it, man.

Yeah.

That's right.

That was good.

All right. Syrup! Hold on. Oh, God.

All right.

What is it?

I got this one.

I'll get this one. I don't know what—

All right.

Don't you know I have a parrot? And what my parrot says when you come into my house?

What? Syrup!

Syrup!

Now I've got 3 very special bonus clips for you from Sean Combs around meditating, being a role model, and a really inspirational rant that I think you guys are going to enjoy. But before that, my question today is around rule number 8, which was being around greatness. I want to know who the person in your life is that's had the biggest positive impact on you, either somebody that you've met face-to-face or somebody that you listen to online or an author. Who's had the biggest positive impact in your life that is part of your greatness team? I would love to hear from you. Please leave it down in the comments below. Thank you guys so much for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love. I'll see you soon. And enjoy the bonus clips.

What is your strategy for dealing with distractions? That's a great question. Yes, something that is, that you've heard about. You've heard about this, but it's that thing like, are you willing to go to where you need to go and get out your comfort zone? The number one thing that has been able to help me with distractions is two things. One of them is prayer. Just taking two minutes to quiet everything out and talk to God. And then the second thing, which I was like, I can't do this, I can't even believe I said that, is meditation. Meditation. If that's one thing y'all take away from today, is just go on YouTube and say 10-minute meditation, smooth music, something, type in anything, 10-minute meditation, I got to go see my girl, she mad at me. You know what I'm saying? Whatever it is, type it in and just really kind of clear your mind. I'm really trying to inspire, you know. I'm trying to be a platform of inspiration during a time where I feel inspiration is needed. But I started out, you know, I just wanted to make some money, you know. I woke up one day and there was like 7 roaches on my face. And I was like, I gotta do something about this. I don't like this feeling right here. And, you know, it started out as me wanting to take care of my family, and then, you know, then I wanted to make people dance. Then I wanted to show the world that, you know, we could be, you know, not just rappers or athletes, that there's, you know, other jobs for us in the on the executive side of things. And, you know, as time has gone on, what motivates me now is to really, really inspire people to be a part of the change that is coming and that we're all gonna be a part of.

Who wants to be the billionaire? All right! If you work hard and you keep down teeth and you stay away from the bullshit, you can be a billionaire, you can be a billionaire, you can be a billionaire, we can be billionaires. Who wants to be Raise your standard.

Apple, at the core, its core value is that we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better.

Not one drop of my self-worth depends on your acceptance of me. I don't ever give up. I'd have to be dead or completely incapacitated.

Hey, Believe Nation! If you want to see my all-time favorite top 10 rules of success, I have a very special secret video for you. These are the individual clips that I have personally learned the most from and applied to my life and my business. Check the link in the description for details.