I’m posting a link to this Untemplater video interview of Seth Godin on all my blogs today for two reasons. And since my first reason is the same for all three postings, it’s at the bottom. So reason number 2, my “Specific to Why I Failed” reason is this:
2.) The music and entertainment industry is the most visibly and powerfully affected business segment in the world. If you’re not yet convinced that it is also an area of tremendous opportunity, this video will convince you. If not? Pray for faith and watch it again. Then go out and build the career of your dreams following your passion.
1.) It’s brilliant and I’m not exaggerating. If you are wondering what’s going on the world today – financially, socially, etc., etc., – this interview covers most all of it thoroughly and insight-FULLY in ways you will not find anywhere else. Not only does Seth see the big pictures, but he puts them in dead-simple terms that will impact your life. At least I hope they will. Two quotes:
- “The future will not be like the past only shinier”
- The current economic template “was invented by people who owned factories”
I cannot oversell the importance of watching this video and paying attention to what’s said.
Enjoy
After multiple requests over on Facebook, I wrote a list of 25 things about me.
Here it is:
1. I shutter to think where I’d be were it not for my captivatingly
beautiful and righteous babe of a wife Jill. Likely dead. I’m not
kidding.
2. I’m on career number 2 and will likely have at least one more if things go as I hope. Don’t even ask how many jobs I’ve held.
3. I LOVE skiing. I’ve gone once in the last 20+ years. Hope I can change that someday. Soon if possible.
4. My kids amaze me though I wish I could engage with them more. It’s one of several goals for this year.
5. Other goals? Get around friends more – individually and as a family.
Date my wife regularly. Write consistently, finish my book and start at
least one more.
6. Yes, I’m writing a book that’s taken me way too long to finish.
Entitled “Why I Failed in the Music Business (and how to NOT follow in
my footsteps), it’s about the business things I’ve learned since
leaving the music industry. Specifically, the critical skills and
concepts that are NEVER taught to artists, musicians, dancers and
actors. Which explains why most of them will starve.
7. I became a Christian at the age of 22 through playing in a bar band
and basically living with a girl – as you can guess, it’s a rather long
story.
8. The short version is I ended up in church on Easter Sunday and my
life changed – inside. I’m still working on the outside, just like
everyone else.
9. Anyone that tells you Christianity is about perfection and not sinning is lying.
10. Same thing if they tell you it’s boring and only for weak, stupid people.
11. I’ve found following Christ to be an unending adventure full of
battles, defeats, joys and victories. It’s about war. Literally.
12. You may now think I’m nuts. Read the book Wild At Heart.
13. Wild At Heart, by John Eldredge, changed my life as a man. Better
said, it revealed my deepest, groaning desires to live as a man by
validating those desires. Up until that point, I had said they were
wrong and/or I was unable to live them. They are not wrong. I work
everyday to live them.
14. I find the more I live these desires – specifically to live as a
man full of strength, passion and faith (not just “lofty” spiritual
faith, but tangible “life is about changing things for the better”
faith) – the more I move mountains. Imagine that.
15. I also find that living this way frees my wife and kids to live fully alive too.
16. My favorite quote is: “The glory of God is man fully alive” written by St. Irenaeus nearly 2000 years ago.
17. There isn’t a finer explanation of the reason I’m here. Or you. God
requires something of us and it’s the biggest most exciting challenge
ever made. See #11 for more.
18. My second favorite quote is from Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what
the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that because
what the world needs is people who have come alive.” That’s why I
believe I’ll have yet another career.
19. Career number three? It took me about 40 years to realize that I am
an encourager and teacher. I thought I was a drummer. I thought I was
provider for my family. A number of other things. Leaving the music
business and entering the workforce put me on the fast track of
personal and professional development and in the process uncovered a
passion for seeing people succeed. Over time I’ve realized that this is
what I want to do. All I have to do now is believe I can, and believe I
can while providing for my family.
20. I realized two weeks ago that even as a drummer, my passion was
always to encourage. Anyone who’s played with me knows how I inevitably
throw something in to say “you’re not having enough fun yet!”
21. My wife and I almost divorced around the 7 year mark. For a couple
that refused to even speak that word it was a devastating blow. We’ll
celebrate 23 years together in 11 days. I never criticize those that
are divorced. Never. However, to those considering it I say in no
uncertain terms, fight your guts out to fix your marriage.
Marriage is the most difficult work on earth and we shouldn’t be
surprised that it is. All life and stability comes out of marriages. Is
it right of us to think their supposed to just “be” happy and secure?
And that doesn’t even take into account the fact that it involves two
people actually living together everyday.
In the same place.
Sharing stuff!
My advice? Get married. Work your guts out to make it a passionate,
deeply engaged, “we’ll work through everything and anything in this
adventure called life together” relationship. Amaze your friends and
family. Give God the glory.
22. If you haven’t guessed by now, I think men should be men and we don’t have nearly enough.
23. Conversely, I think women should be women. Which brings up the fact
that I am borderline hopelessly captivated by women. Fortunately the
leading person in this category is the aforementioned live saving,
captivatingly beautiful and righteous babe of a wife Jill. That
doesn’t, however, mean that I am immune to all the other babes. I wish
it did. Thus the borderline. I’m committed to living on the correct
side of the border.
24. I have a Grammy, an Academy of Country Music award and the Highest
Achievement Award from the Dale Carnegie course. Of the three, the
Carnegie award means the most ’cause I use what I learned every day. I
became a Carnegie Facilitator last year.
25. It deeply hurts me to see people living despondent, “it’s okay”, “I guess this is all there is”, miserable lives.
There’s more!
Easily attained? No. Requiring work? Yes. Hard, personal,
sometimes frustratingly discouraging work? Yes again. Guaranteed
success work? No, though my experiences would suggest that you’ll gain
more than you thought anyway.
So, as an encourager (see #19), I leave you with this. Live fully alive, we need you.
Please get involved in this critical issue for our nation. It is NOT about parties, our new President or other partisan theologies. Get the facts and then write your Senators and Representatives. PLEASE! Here’s what I’ve written to mine:
I oppose the economic stimulus package because it is:
a – filled with @$300 Billion worth of Pork
b- carries an additional $300+ Billion in interest charges over 10 years bringing the total to over a Trillion Dollars
c – misses the point that we are in the throes of a global shift from the industrial age to the information age. It will be painful, but we must change or die – not prop up old thinking
d – misses the point that government is for governing NOT creating jobs or economic growth
Thank you.
We are all born with abilities. Some can sing, some can talk, some can build and
some can think. We have the ability to improve these abilities too and/or discover those that we did not even know we have. Amazing.
These abilities are magnified however, when combined with one more: the ability
to respond. Songs, words, buildings and business strategies are meaningless
unless they are sung, spoken and created in response to needs. A broken heart is
encouraged by a song. Ignorance is replaced through a knowledgeable word. A
family gets a home through hard labor and a successful business provides jobs and supports a community.
This is responsibility and we all have it.
We all have the ability to respond to the world around us. To be moved to take action because of a need, opportunity, challenge, idea or plan. To do anything less is tragic.
It is tragic when no one responds to needs. People stay lonely, go hungry and remain homeless and jobless. Just exactly who is supposed to change these things if not the very people with the abilities to change them? The world does not need geniuses. It does not need “them”. It needs you – a unique combination of interests, ideas, abilities and spheres of influence. No one else has the solutions you have because no else has your exact combination.
And not responding is tragic for you too. Teddy Roosevelt can tell you why:
“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
Taking responsibility is HARD, it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to take everything you’ve got because it will change everything you are. Will you be good at it? No, but you’ll get better. Will all your ideas be great and accepted? No, but you’ll think of better ones. Will everyone be thankful for your help? Probably not. So? Keep singing, speaking, building, thinking or whatever it is you were meant to do.
Join me this Thanksgiving in considering responsibility. Be thankful for all your abilities. And be thankful for the things to which you can respond. If you have responded and have seen the fruits – to others and yourself – give thanks. If you have not yet responded, commit to change.
Commit to live.
I have my concerns, but for all the reasons eloquently written about in this piece, this is a great moment in American History. We are blessed.
America’s Bittersweet Change
So I’m watching the news tonight and seeing clips of reporters, Democratic Party officials, Joe Biden and Obama himself openly criticizing Joe The Plumber. They’re mocking him by saying “I don’t know many plumbers that make $250,000 per year (which isn’t what he said)” and several other disparaging things about him and his profession.
Excuse me?
Is this what we want from the leaders of a nation? An open attack on an average citizen simply because he asked a question they didn’t like? And by the way, please think review this issue in detail.
Review exactly what Joe asked Obama. There is NOTHING in that question that is wrong. It is a question we would all ask no matter what our income level is. And speaking of that, listen to the hatred being spewed at this man for “earning a quarter of a million bucks” a year (Obama’s words). You’d think this man was a murderer!
He’s an average hard working man who is exporing his options to better the future of his family by buying a business.
Which is exactly what our founding fathers had in mind when they declared independence from an over taxing, over governing regime. And yes, I’m hoping you’ll see the parallels.
Thousands of bloggers around the world will write about poverty today. Here’s my contribution:
Why You Should Be Wealthy
We live in a world that cannot make up it’s mind about money. And no group of people is more confused than the church. I personally believe this is a tragedy and I’d like to point out why. So here are my 25 reasons why I think you should be wealthy:
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Because you can.
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Because others can’t.
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Because others need you to be so…
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They can see your success and believe they can succeed too.
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Because righteous, rich and loyal Christians terrify the enemy.
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Because a 10% tithe of a lot is a lot.
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Because 25% or 50% of a lot is even more.
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Because there’s no way to legally become wealthy without helping a whole lot of people (and if you win the lottery, see reason #7). Wealth is gained by providing something people want and creating a company (jobs) to provide that something. Both of these activities help people. Period.
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Because the Lord gives you the power to gain wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18 – But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
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Because He hates poverty. Among others, here’s Prov. 10:15 – The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
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Because the bible says the following in Prov. 13:22 – A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.
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Because you’ll be free to spend your time how, where and when you’re truly needed instead of spending 50% of your waking life working for someone else.
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Because you’ll eat healthier and probably live longer.
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Because you’ll have extra food and…
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Extra cars and…
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Extra homes.
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Because someone you know is hungry, has a broken down car, or simply needs a place to go on vacation.
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Because you would be a Godly and kindhearted employer.
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Because you would be a Godly and kindhearted landlord.
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You’d have more peace in your life. I didn’t say happiness, I said peace (see reason #10).
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Because you could become more active in your community, town, state or country.
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Because money is a tool and…
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As a tool, it is either controlled by you, used against you, or sitting idly wasting away. Wealth is NOT about amounts, it is about control. It is about stewardship – which is really what this post is about (see reasons 1, 6-9, 11, 12, 13, 14-19 and 25)
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Because properly gained wealth is one of the tangible measures of how you’ve helped other people. This sounds controversial, but it’s not. What I mean is IF and WHEN you help people (see reason #8) you will gain wealth. For some reason, this repels people from moving forward in life. They keep their goals small so “people won’t think I’m greedy and selfish.” Sorry, but if you have the next Microsoft, Cancer treatment, Automobile Engine or local restaurant idea inside of you and you don’t let it out, THAT is being selfish and greedy. And DON’T apologize if letting them out gives you reasons 6, 11, 12, 13-16 and 18-21 in the process.
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What have you been given? This is much deeper than reason #1. That is not simply about effort but about living out the big dreams God has placed in your heart. The ones that make you excited and terrified at the same time. The ones that cause you to think “what if” and “no way” in the same breath.
My hope is that you’ll put “because you can” with “what have you been given” and become a #5. And isn’t that what you really want to be?
By William James:
“In human life, although we only see our world, yet encompassing it a
still wider world may be there; and to believe in that world may be the
most essential function that our lives in this world have to perform.
The “scientific” life itself has much to do with maybes, and human life
at large has everything to do with them. Not a victory is gained, not a
deed of faithfulness or courage is done, except upon a maybe; not a
service, not a sally of generosity, not a scientific exploration or
experiment or textbook, that may not be a mistake. It is only by
risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all. And
often enough our faith beforehand in an uncertified result is the only
thing that makes the result come true.”
We must risk if we are to live at all.
October 10th, 2008
3:18 pm
Life
From Brett Joshpe’s “Obama’s Kool-Aid”
“Therein lies much of the fundamental difference between Obama’s
supporters and his detractors. Obama believes that something, or
someone, has let Americans down, something resembling George W. Bush,
free markets, Wall Street, and our own exceptionalism. There is a
great irony in all of this too, because Obama says the economy must be
built from the bottom up. However, when it comes to building a
society, he clearly believes that it must be designed from the
government down. We might call it “trickle-down” paternalism. Rather
than empowering people to make their own decisions and to accept
responsibility for them, Obama wants government to fulfill that role,
and he wants government to be “cool again” in the process.”
