Success Through Stillness Quotes

“To separate yourself from your weakness and look at it objectively is a very powerful thing.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“when you embrace the process of your work, instead of focusing on the results, you’ll always be happier, plus do a much better job.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“The beautiful thing about meditation is that it allows you to access that cool guy or girl inside of you that's waiting to come out. You'll be able to access the part of you that people like to be around. The part of you that feels upbeat about things. That feels like you're moving toward your goals without frustration and anxiety. That feels ecstatic to be alive! The more I meditate, the more I have these moments.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“In meditation we experience the silence from which all creativity springs. The act of creation—whether from a blank page to a poem, an empty space to a building, a thought to a song or film—starts with a void. The more intimate a relationship we can build with that silent void, the more clearly the art can shine through and spring forth. Meditation is the vehicle to connect to that silence.” —Rick Rubin, Malibu 2013”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“You can decide that no matter what is happening around you, the sun will always be shining in your world. Or you can decide that your world is always going to be a cold, dark place.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“True happiness lies in being compassionate and appreciating the world and our circumstances, rather than being coldhearted and greedy. We often realize too late that our favorite moments are those spent simply with the people we love. In seeing the miracles that unfold around us every day. Eventually we all come to understand that our happiness is derived from being present in the moment. Why wait until the end of your life to discover this Truth?”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“The key is, when I do break down and “cheat” with a piece of fish, it doesn’t rob me of my focus or dedication. I don’t start telling myself, “I’m too weak to do this,” or that now I’m no longer a vegan. While my intention is to live a vegan lifestyle, I’m not perfect. And I accept my imperfection. Which is why when I slip up, I don’t start worrying about what other vegans would “think” if they knew I’d eaten some meat. Because if I allow myself to get caught up in those distractions, then I’ll feel like I’ve “failed” at being a vegan and will find myself back eating meat all the time again. Which of course in my eyes would be the real failure. Instead, I consider what just happened—basically that I became distracted by an urge—and rather than beat myself up over it, I just return to my vegan practice the next time I sit down to a meal. I”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“The great ones, however, never get lost in those distractions. Biggie in particular was legendary for his ability to stay focused. There could be all sorts of things going on—drinks being passed, blunts being rolled, people trying to holler at him about various projects—but he’d just sit in a chair with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to all the chaos around him. That was his way of connecting to the stillness inside of him, so that when it was time to get behind the microphone, he wasn’t caught up in worrying about how his last record did or how this one might be received once it was released. No, when it was time to make a song, he was always able to connect with both the music he was hearing in his headphones and the poetry that was filling up his heart. The same way today artists like Jay Z or Lil Wayne are able to create entire songs without ever putting a word down on paper. Through being able to connect completely with the music, they are able to operate from that “zone” that the great ones are able to access. That might not sound like a big deal, but I’ve seen so many artists get sidetracked by those distractions. And when it’s time for them to get in the recording booth and execute their craft, their mind is somewhere else. Sure, they’re rapping along to the beat, but they’re not connected to it.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“After my first experience via yoga, I became incredibly focused on experiencing that sense of stillness again. The stillness that reminded me that I could be a better person, a better friend, a better citizen of the world, as well as a better businessman.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“I understand that for beginners it isn't that easy to sit down, close your eyes, and settle into stillness. Your thoughts have gotten used to making SO MUCH NOISE! They have enjoyed too much influence over you to simply fade the first time you try.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. And finally,”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“An award-winning reporter for The New York Times named Michael Moss recently wrote an excellent—and disturbing—book on this called Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. In the book, Moss talks about how scientists have perfected the “bliss point” in many of these products. The “bliss point” is the perfect amount of sugar that will give you a high and get you hooked on a type of cookie or cereal. Moss also writes about how those scientists have perfected what the industry calls “mouth feel.” You might not know the term, but you definitely know the “feel”—that warm, satisfying sensation you experience when you bite into melted cheese or some crispy fried chicken. Unfortunately, “mouth feel” comes from super-high levels of fat, which create the same high that sugar does but come with even more calories.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“I’ll give you an example. In my many years in the entertainment industry, I’ve been around some amazing artists, in particular some of the greatest rappers of all time. Now, rapping might not be an art form that people associate with calmness and stillness, but I can tell you that from LL Cool J to Chuck D to Biggie Smalls to Jay Z, one trait that all those great artists share is an ability to operate out of stillness. There are a lot of rappers who worked as hard as those guys, but very few were able to dip into that well of creativity like they were.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“What I’ve always tried to explain to those artists is that the reason they’re feeling out of whack is because they got too caught up in the celebrating. If you’re an artist, what truly makes you happy isn’t buying new cars or popping bottles. It’s making beautiful music for other people to enjoy. That’s it. You’re going to be your happiest when you’re in the studio writing a song, not when you’re out celebrating how many records that song eventually sold.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“mindful eating is one of the most powerful stress relievers that we have at our disposal. “If I can look deeply into my food and take this time as a meditation—just as important as my sitting or walking meditation time—I receive the many gifts of the cosmos that I would not otherwise profit from if my mind were elsewhere.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“Remember, these addictive qualities aren’t a coincidence. These foods have been developed and marketed by the food giants to get you hooked. As Moss told Time magazine, “In some ways getting unhooked on [processed] foods is harder than getting unhooked on narcotics, because you can’t go cold turkey. You can’t just stop eating. The head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Washington says that it’s more difficult for people to control their eating habits than narcotics. She is hugely empathic with overeaters.” Not to be too dramatic, but every time you walk into a supermarket, especially the center aisles where the popular salty and sugary items are always stocked, you’re basically under attack. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent so that you will not only buy an item that’s unhealthy for you but also keep coming back for it time and time again.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“slowly, meditation gives our amygdala a chance to make more calm and measured assessments of situations.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple

“When it was time to get on the mic and spit a verse, those guys were able to shut out all the distractions and delve inside. If you’ve never been inside a recording studio, trust me, there can be a ton of distractions. As a rule, rappers (and rock stars) like to be around a lot of people when they work, so it’s not uncommon to have producers, engineers, managers, friends, groupies, journalists, maybe even a few drug dealers all packed into the studio. It’s a scene where it’s easy for a rapper to become focused on everything but the music.”
― Russell Simmons, Success Through Stillness: Meditation Made Simple