Have you ever drove down the road and see someone dancing in their car?
It looks quite silly when you can’t hear the music.
Artists are similar. They are dancing but no one else can hear the music.
Oliver Wendell Holmes said “The biggest tragedy in America is not the great waste of natural resources – though this is tragic; the biggest tragedy is the waste of human resources.” He continues, “the average person goes to the grave with the music still in him.”
Listen to the music.
You can reach down and pull others up.
Or eventually others will begin to pull you down.
Losing your keys (inconvenience) is damaging when a thief finds them. Contrary to what the media wants you to believe, thieves make up a very small percentage of the neighborhood.
When someone from the community finds your keys and goes out of their way to get them back to you, your faith in humanity is instantly restored. There are more community members (contributors) than there are thieves.
However, there are more bystanders than thieves and community members combined. The most damaging part of inconvenience is that bystanders sit back and say, “This isn’t my job, that is someone else’s responsibility to take care of this.” To justify this, bystanders will quickly point out, “Maybe they shouldn’t have lost their keys in the first place.”
The problem with mediocre leadership is that those making the decisions don’t feel like they are in control and those who are in control don’t particularly care to know about the details. However, those making a ruckus know that in key moments of decision, none of it matters.
When you have to keep something, such as a promise or a commitment, it is easier to do so when you can remember why you are doing it in the first place.
If want someone to remember, it’s better to tell a story that is universal rather than something specific.
Because not all of us were there when the U.S. invaded Normandy, or when JFK was assassinated, or when the Berlin Wall fell (specific).
However, we can all relate to “I have a dream” (universal).
Universal messages help us relate to one another and cross the boundaries of geography and time. The more universal the message, the faster your ideas spread and the easier they stick – we remember to keep.
And none of us are getting out of this alive.
If you can read this you are more powerful than you think.
Act accordingly.
At first, the new path we take is overgrown with lots of weeds, thistles, and thorns. It is one obstacle after another. You’re not even sure how long it is going to take you to get to where you are going.
But you are paving the way for others to follow.
Once the path becomes clear and defined people will wonder why you went this way or that way; it is the nature of following someone else’s footsteps.
Johnny Carson had ten times the audience of Jay Leno. Now Jimmy Fallon has even a smaller audience.
Carson wasn’t necessary better; he just had more attention when there were only four stations to choose from.
Tribes are smaller now. Back then you had a bigger audience but with only a few microphones. Now everyone has a microphone (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs). Now we can communicate, assemble the tribe, and share a connection. Now we have choices which puts pressure on those that produce the work to level up.
Don’t find work you’re passionate about.
That is self-centered.
Instead, do the work you should do and learn how to be extremely passionate about it.
