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.
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.
Just in case you didn’t catch this on my Facebook or my delicious links, if you have ANY interest to have a career in the arts GO READ Music Think Tank’s 10 Mistakes Bands and Musicians Make. It’s dead on, full of truth and honesty, and covers it all. I especially like reason #4 ’cause it’s what I’ve been saying since 2005:
4. Thinking The Key to Success is Musical Talent, Money, or Looks
Yes, if we’re talking about pop music, MTV, or the major label
system, a certain amount of a contrived “image” probably helps sell
records.
Obviously, money helps things. And it’s always good if you can sing.
But it’s not “image” that gets somebody on MTV, it’s marketing.
It’s not good songs that get people on the radio, it’s marketing. And
it’s not money, although it helps. It’s marketing.
You can play well, have money, and look like a model, but if you don’t have the marketing to back you up, none of it matters.
You know what? If you do have a good, solid marketing plan in place
(and you’re using it), everything else doesn’t matter so much.
Um. Well said.
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.
Audrew Rondeau’s thorough and powerful thoughts on success. My favorite, mistakes are part of being successful.
Hmmm, sounds like failure can teach you something…
This is how I learn.
I heard it once said that you can tell where a person will be in five years by two things: the books they read and the people they hang with. I’ve found it’s true.
I took full advantage of our team’s suggestions and read “How To Win Friends and Influence People”, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, “The Magic of Thinking Big”, “Wild At Heart” and dozens of others. These are the reasons I was able to move from music to the business world. In fact, the most influential transition book I read “What Color Is Your Parachute”, was recommended to me by a team leader.
Become a reader, it will change your life like it has mine.
We are living in an age of discouragement. A discouragement born of both activity and inactivity.
The activity behind this discouragement is the critical spirit that is rampant in our world. It seems you can’t read or hear anything that’s not from the perspective of pointing out what’s wrong – often through hate and anger. Spend some time over at Digg and you’ll see what I mean. Or just read the news. Most articles contain adjectives and/or adverbs that contain a veiled – or not – cut at the subject. And don’t even get me started on most of what’s on TV.
On the other hand is the inactivity behind this discouragement – the absence of encouragement. Oh sure we say “great job”, but what’s missing in our society is hope. Hope that we – each and every one of us – can and should be working towards. We should be working towards what we know we’re called to be. People will not do that without encouragement.
Put these together, a vile, hate-filled critical spirit and the lack of an empowered hope and you get what we all know well. People content to take up space by simply getting to the end of life with a minimum of trouble. But they’re not content. They are sad, bored, longing, questioning and frustrated. And sadly, our churches aren’t helping much either. We may not cut each other to shreds (um…yeah), but we don’t provide meaningful encouragement.
We do an excellent job of teaching about prayer, worship, service, tithing, faith, healing and scripture, but we’re missing the part about life. The part that talks about how/why to have healthy marriages, how to be successful at work, how to deal with the difficulties of employees and employers, bills, juggling all our priorities and still enjoying a laugh or two. We’re missing the part where most people WON’T become missionaries and Pastors, and that’s okay.
In fact, it’s MORE than okay, it’s supposed to be that way.
Be encouraged. Be encouraged to learn and protect your calling – whether called to have a job, be a singer, start a company, invent the next life changing widget, whatever. Next, work your guts out to succeed (as in the opposite of fail). Your success matters. Not only in the sense that we need what you’re going to do, but we need to be inspired.
Which brings me to my last point. You can succeed. You have everything you need to do what you’re called to do. You have yourself, those around you, access to education, mentors, etc. Know that what you experience everyday matters. That God is passionately interested in your success and that success is critically important to His success.
Know that you matter. Live fully alive.
“..everything
can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms — to
choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose
one’s own way.” Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning
In 1993 my wife and I almost divorced. We were under a tremendous amount of stress – dying parents, exploding careers, a toddler – and we didn’t have the mechanisms and communication we needed to survive. There were, and there always are, outside temptations that took their toll too.
I’m writing this because of a new song by Toby Keith, She Never Cried In Front Of Me:
It’s 7:35
She’s someone else’s wife
And I can get on with my life
And that thrills me
She married him today
Her daddy gave the bride away
I heard a tear rolled down her face
And that kills me
‘cuz now I, can see why
She’s finally crying
How was I supposed to know
She was slowly lettin’ go
If I was puttin’ her through hell
Hell – I couldn’t tell
She could’ve given me a sign
And opened up my eyes
How was I supposed to see
She never cried in front of me
Yeah maybe I might’ve changed
It’s hard for me to say
But the story’s still the same
And it’s a sad one
And I’ll always believe
If she ever did cry for me
They were tears that you can’t see
You know the bad ones
And now I, can see why
She’s finally crying
How was I supposed to know
She was slowly lettin’ go
If I was puttin’ her through hell
Hell – I couldn’t tell
She could’ve given me a sign
And opened up my eyes
How was I supposed to see
She never cried in front of me
Without a doubt, I know now
How it oughta be
Cuz she’s gone and it’s wrong
And it bothers me
Tomorrow I’ll still be asking myself
How was I supposed to know
She was slowly lettin’ go
If I was puttin’ her through hell
Hell – I couldn’t tell
She could’ve given me a sign
And opened up my eyes
How was I supposed to see
How was I supposed to see
She never cried in front of me
well – I couldn’t tell
My wife and I would have divorced were it not for our devotion to marriage itself and the underlying friendship we had. She did cry in front of me and it made all the difference. The simple act of opening up made the difference between success and failure.
It always does.
Am I suggesting that talking and working will guarantee success? No, I can’t and I won’t. But not talking will surely lead to failure and that’s why I’m sharing these thoughts. The difference between success and failure in anything is always communication.
Whether this speaks to you about a relationship in your family, at work or anywhere else, please don’t hide what’s in your heart. We are proof that things can be worked out and brought back to where they were – and even better.
My wife and I have been married for over 22 years and have the wounds, wisdom and love to show for it – I wouldn’t trade the years for anything. We fought our guts out to have what we have and you can do the same. Sure it’s tough, ugly, painful and at times discouraging, but that’s the point.
Life requires something from you. It requires you. And when you give your all and lay it on the line for what matters, growth happens. Not only in the relationship, but in yourself.
You become better. And better people have better relationships.
