People that have great ambitions should realize that the world today is referred to as a global village as everyone is connected in a way, and it is easy to find out whether a person has failed, why they failed, whether they are prepared to work hard to achieve their goals, if they have the right attitude to pursue their dream (or whether they will remain dreamers) and if they treated others well in the process (how many people can vouch for them). Entrepreneur has become such a buzzword that most people no longer separate wannapreneurs and freelancers from actual entrepreneurs.
Dejoria’s grit and attitude shows like many famous entrepreneurs the basic ingredients required for eventual success, his real humanity is obvious, he puts his money where his mouth is. He has learned the hard way that a poor mind and attitude are destructive to any dream and that the biggest challenge to becoming a great and storied entrepreneur is overcoming the limiting beliefs and changing negative attitudes and views, often ingrained during childhood. The latter also referred to as “Life Traps” in psychology and psychiatry will prevent either creating success and abundance or if achieved will dissipate within a relatively short period of time.
We live in a culture where the success and wealth of the 1% of entrepreneurs is praised and also envied, but many people do not understand the uniqueness of these individuals in terms of their ability to fight their ego. The majority of people are not open to hear what it would actually take to be even part of the 10% of successful entrepreneurs, partly because people do not want to know what could be wrong with what they are thinking or doing, they just want the results without taking the required journey. That sometimes happens when a person wins the lottery and often doesn’t work out that well…
This is why stories like that of John Paul DeJoria are exceptional as it is rare to see a wealthy individual who prefers to engage in more charitable works than fast cars and designer clothing. John Paul DeJoria, of Mexican heritage, was born and brought up in East Los Angeles. He did not have the most enviable upbringing as he was mostly homeless and part of the Hell’s Angels for a while to avoid living on the streets. This upbringing got him used to a hyperactive lifestyle that stayed with him very well into his adult years. When his brother died young, DeJoria turned his lifestyle around, and it was at this point of his life that he partnered with Paul Mitchell to establish a successful hair-care product line after which he delved into the tequila business and birthed Patrón, one of the biggest tequila labels in the world.
DeJoria had a personal mantra which was “Success unshared is failure,” and this has guided him over the years to get involved in a large number of charities. He has been a part of works that provided shelter for the homeless, and he has promised to donate not less than half of his wealth to charity in his lifetime or his will. A pet cause of his is his fight against poachers in the Arctic, and the documentary starts with a scene of where DeJoria was on a ship headed for the Arctic.
No matter how much anyone agrees with how DeJoria lived his life, the 85-minute documentary may look like the man is being portrayed in good light. But thankfully, the directors of the documentary, Joshua and Rebecca Tickell tried to infuse some aspects of his life that show how much of an imperfect human he is, he is the first to admit to any of his failures and shortcomings. DeJoria had multiple marriages with different women, and this showed that he is no saint, but still, the film did just enough to portray him as the generous and selfless man that he actually has shown to be, there is no pretense!
