I recently attended a business workshop called Birthing of Giants. At the conference, I had the opportunity to hear from and meet Jay Jay French, the lead guitarist and business manager for Twisted Sister. He shared a summary of his new book (which is on my to-read list) and many fascinating insights from his years of experience. Here were the greatest lessons I learned from Jay Jay’s remarks:

To get good at anything, you’ve got to put forth a lot of effort.

Twisted Sister played hundreds of shows in the band’s first two years. Jay Jay says that practicing and performing so many times enabled them to become such a musical phenomenon.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about meditation after I hit my 10,000+ minute of meditation. I truly have improved in that skill as I have put forth the effort.

Journaling will save your life.

Jay Jay shared about some of the struggles he has faced personally and professionally. He said that journaling literally saved his life. He has benefited from the ability to reflect and work through different thought processes.

I’m a big journaler and have found so much power in clarity breaks and thinking time. Getting all your thoughts on paper can help organize them and provide direction.

If you are prepared, you will always be ready for the opportunities that arise.

This idea is another nugget of wisdom from Jay Jay. Preparation is key to take advantage for opportunities that come your way. In other words, live every day in preparation for those opportunities.

Commit to delivering a high level of service.

Whether you are an athlete or an attorney, you are providing a professional service. As a team, the band members in Twisted Sister committed to deliver a “10” at every concert, no matter the venue. They wanted to ensure their paying fans received the best show possible. By constantly delivering at a high level, you will get people talking and coming back for more.

I enjoyed meeting Jay Jay and shared more about the experience in the following video. I encourage you to check out his book Twisted Business to learn more from him.