The Importance Of Personal Growth As Your Success Increases - Interview w/ Lex Borrero Former V.P. of Roc Nation Records

Stay tuned as in this episode, I interview big dreamer and huge achiever, former vice president of Roc Nation Records and now the creator and founder of Neon16, Lex Borrero.

Lex talks about things ranging from the lessons he drew from his mother, who was a pastor, to the obstacles he encountered while growing up. He says being a youth pastor taught him a lot about engaging youth and being impactful in their lives.

He talks about his first check as a producer in the music business leading him to other opportunities where he got to manage some big artists and started creating a name for himself while still “hustling”.

He reflects on the importance of treating all people right. He confesses that he’s had many ups and downs in his personal life. “Life is a roller-coaster for everybody,” he maintains, adding: “It's just whether you choose for it to be enjoyable… or you're the person in the roller-coaster and throwing up and dying because you're on the roller coaster.”

He also lets us in on the challenges that being successful brings. “Successful people have a hard time balancing… success takes a lot of your time. And so part of that process, in that process, I've gone through failed relationships that have shifted my career and shifted my decisions,” says Lex.

You don’t wanna miss out on access to Lex’s nuggets of wisdom in this installment of The Dream Life.

Key Points of Discussion:

Lex’s childhood influences and interests (4:18)

His mom used to tell him: “You're going to be somebody great.” (5:25)

Figuring out how to connect the dots in one’s life (7:08)

“A huge part of being successful is you can't think you know it all.” (7:47)

Maturing to figure out how to connect with all kinds of people (8:35)

An experience back in high school that taught him how to handle failure (9:23)

It led him to ultimately figuring out that he wanted to do music (10:32)

“Wear the pain on your back, not on your heart.” (11:46)

Lex ended up signing an artist at 16. That artist got a deal with Universal (14:31)

At 18, he got his first check as a producer in the music business (14:53)

Treating all people right (18:22)

He didn't learn early on to focus on himself at some point (21:41)

Going through failed relationships that shifted his career and decisions (21:55)

Appreciating where you're at and what you need in that space (22:29)

Health took a hit. That led him to understand he couldn't work every day (23:27)

95% conversations when we hang out link to our human aspect, not work (26:16)

“The biggest key of motivation is perseverance.” (27:06)

After his divorce, he moved to Toronto to get a new perspective in life (28:30)

He moved to Miami again for another personal reason (29:14)

“You have to know where you're standing to know where you're going.” (30:44)

It all comes to quality of life at this point (32:32)

“It's about us being in a position where we can impact culture.” (35:11)

The hallmark of a great songwriter (38:58)

What does it take to be an artist? (41:35)

Come in and approach a relationship with “What can I do for you?” (45:30)

Even if you want to impact people, focus on yourself too (47:54)

Additional Resources:

Drake playlist - Best songs on YouTube

Selena Gomez - 'Lose You To Love Me' on YouTube

Jon Bellion - The Human Condition (Full Album with Lyrics on YouTube)

Valeria on Instagram