Tom Rath‘s book, Vital Friends, was published in 2006. It was a profound book for me. I have re-read it a number of times because it’s about the importance of relationships and friendships.
I think about it more and more as I grow older. I consider the impact it has on our children. As parents. And teachers. It’s rather important, if not urgent.
It’s not a new or novel concept. It’s an ancient truth that likely started whenever the aspirin was first invented back in 1897.
The Internet deceives us into thinking it’s easy to create, market and build a business. It’s not easy. It hard work. It takes longer than you think. And it can often put such stress on you that you question whether it’s even worth it. Or, if it will ever pay off.
The opportunities are enormous. Vast opportunities trump the deceptive ease of it all. The world is your oyster. But oysters have never jumped in the boat by themselves. Ask any oysterman and they’ll tell you it’s hard work. It doesn’t matter that oysters are in shallow water. Prepare to work.
The process is easier to explain than to perform. Set aside the hours, days or weeks you need. Do not expect immediate response or results. Prepare to put in the time. Above all, get started and stay with it. Don’t give up.
Yes, I said, “delusioned.” LOL The minute I said it I knew it wasn’t quite right. Deluded is right. But did I acknowledge it? No. Go with it. It’s the control I managed to exercise during the recording. See, everything has a purpose.
Thanks for watching.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:48 — 40.4MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS | More
Most people are followers. You enjoy going with the pack. You want to fit in. Be like everybody else.
The paradox is, you don’t want to be like everybody else. You want to be like the best. The famous. The rich. The well-known.
You don’t want to be –
Average. By definition “average” is common, ordinary and typical.
You want success. You want a better life. Where do you look? Well, the experts of course!
You opt-in to list after list. You read all the right blogs. And books.
You purchase all the Internet Marketing products. Still, no success.
What’s wrong?
You don’t know, but you’re convinced the successful people know something you don’t yet know.
Mat Kearney knows it’s not true. He knows the fight – the quest – is very personal. He described it as a knife fight. He had nothing left to lose as he embarked on a quest to break through to success in music. Five years of knife fighting, as he describes it.
Barry Sanders knew it wasn’t true. I suspect he still knows it.
Mitch Rossell knows it’s not true. He knows it requires the grind of playing all over Nashville every chance he gets. All the while he’s filling his notebooks with song after song – songs he’s writing. I talked with him last summer. He’s still playing as often as he can while he works a day job. Mitch is in his Hamburg. He’s in a knife fight. Time will tell whether he’ll emerge victorious or not, but I admire him for making the journey.
Stop listening. Stop reading. Stop watching. For “the secret.” There isn’t one. It’s just easier to think there is because that helps explain why others are more successful. It’s a delusion though.
Seth Godin knows there’s no secret. He knows everybody has to find their own way. Figure it out. Endure the process. Engage in their own knife fight.
Others can teach us things. They can provoke us. Yes, they can even help us. But YOU alone must do the heaviest lifting. People like me can only spot for you. The best anybody can do when you’re lifting is spot you, not lift for you.
Set out to be remarkable. Know this – remarkable isn’t a destination with a definite, quantifiable place. It’s a sliding scale that is best measured only by your capacity and capabilities. How remarkable can YOU be?
It has nothing to do with me. Or those folks who you deem to be rock stars.
While I firmly believe in the value of great information, great entertainment and great coaching – the fact is, YOU have to do the hard work of figuring it out. People can help you figure things out, but they can’t figure it out for you. It’s not going to be as much fun as consuming books, blogs, podcasts, videos and tweets. It just may be far more valuable.
Are you willing to get in a quiet place and spend some time alone with your thoughts? Until you reach that point, your remarkability will have to wait.
I’ve been doing a lot of that lately in my own life. In the coming weeks I’ll share my own insights in hopes that my work on my life can help you consider your own. No, I’m not going to be providing you with the 10 tips of this or that. Nor am I going to be telling you I’ve found “the secret.” This is MY life. You have your own. We’ve all got to find our own way.
The way to remarkable demands we stop following – and that we take leadership of our own lives! It’s not easy, but it’s worthwhile.
Give these a watch or listen:
• The Word “Quit”
• The Road To Your Success Goes Through Hamburg, Germany
Chase. Climb. Fight. Figure it out. Own it.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:52 — 49.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS | More
Here it is, kids! It’s the technical show that some of you have been clamoring for – this is the engine behind what goes on inside The Yellow Studio.
The studio is a 2-mic studio that can be expanded to three if necessary. It never is.
The studio desk seats three people. The pictures don’t depict that very well because I pushed the chairs under the desk.
Sound deadening is all handled by books, books and more books. I’ve had acoustical foam treatment in the past, but The Yellow Studio doesn’t need it. Books, art work and no open corners handle things nicely.
I prefer dimly lit rooms with cool lamps, but the studio does have overhead florescent lighting – although I never use it. The yellow walls brighten up the joint, hence the name – The Yellow Studio.
Here’s a list of the cool stuff (these are not affiliate links; I do have an affiliate list for most of my resources on this page – I’d appreciate your support):
• Herman Miller Mirra chair
• Apple iMac 27″ with i7 processor (4GB RAM / 1TB Hard Drive)
• Apple MacBook Pro 15″
• Adobe Audition (requires Windows until the Mac only version is released)
• Apple Studio Logic
• Ambrosia Wiretap Studio ($69 – well worth it)
• Ambrosia Soundboard (my sound cart software of choice; this is $49 – also well worth it)
• Sound Byte by Black Cat Systems (another sound cart software that is also excellent)
• ID3 Editor (to create ID tags)
• Transmit by Panic is my ftp program of choice
• Call Recorder by ECamm (the software I use to record Skype calls – when I don’t use Wiretap Studio)
• Edirol R-09HR digital recorder
• Broadcast Tools ProMix12 broadcast console/mixer
• Yamaha MG124C mixer
• Heil Sound PR40 microphones (I love the microphones – they’re my oldest pieces of gear)
• Heil Sound SM1 Shock Mounts
• Heil Sound PL2T Booms
• Heil Sound RS1 boom 12″ extension mount (for one mic; the other mic uses the C clamp)
• Heil Sound pop filters for each PR40
• Heil Sound foam pop filter (I have one of these in case I want to take a PR40 out in the field to use; never happens, by the way)
• Electro-Voice RE50B microphones (I have two of these for field use, but they work equally well in the studio)
• Aphex 230 Voice Channel Processors (one for each PR40 mic)
• TC Electronic Finalizer Express (a final processor that handles everything going through the board)
• Telos One Phone Hybrid
• PreSonus FP10 Firewire Interface (one for each computer)
• Panamax power management
• Aphex Headpod 454 Headphone Amp
• Kensington Keyboards
• Logitech Laser mouse (for the laptop)
• Sennheiser HD25-MKII headphones
• Kodak Zi8 camera with a corded inexpensive AT lapel microphone
• Logitech 1080p Webcam Pro C910 (was added after this episode was recorded)
• ScreenFlow by Telestream (screen capture and video recording software)
• iMovie by Apple (also for some video recording)
• Apple QuickTime Pro (can record audio, video or screen capture)
• Camera Stabilizer (this is great; buy one if you don’t have one)
Check out the two prior episodes about The Yellow Studio:
– The Ladies Welcome You To The Yellow Studio
– Episode 75 – Behind The Scenes Of The Yellow Studio (Randy’s 3 Addictions)
Here are a few more pictures to satisfy your curiosity.
Rosie sometimes is the guardian of The Yellow Studio. Rocky is rarely allowed inside due to heavy snoring.
Dr. James Vincent Bonnet , MD was an orthopedic surgeon who practiced in Grapevine, Texas. Last night news of his death arrived via text message. He was my doctor of choice for the past decade plus. If Dr. Bonnet had been a general physician, I’d have gone to see him more often. As it turned out, I saw him pretty often, as evidenced by the scars he gave me.
News of his death depressed me. Greatly.
He had lots of pictures in his office. There was a dog – an Airedale Terrier – in most of them. The Wiki page on Airedales says this, “The Airedale is a dog with a great sense of humor. For those who can laugh along with their Airedale, the dog can provide a unique and entertaining company. For those who don’t appreciate being outsmarted by their dog, owning an Airedale can be a trying experience.” I know understand why Dr. Bonnet owned an Airedale. Fitting.
Dr. Bonnet’s death saddens me, but I’m thankful for the scars I bear. The scars he gave me – intentionally. They represent healing, remedy and improved quality of life. They represent the surgeon who gave them to me. They represent the personal sacrifices he had to make to become a skilled surgeon. They represent the financial and time investment he made to become a medical doctor.
But they also represent the man he was. Dr. Bonnet was likable. That was an important component of the man. It separated him from the herd. It made him unique. It made him…weird, too. But in a good way. In the best way possible. I was immediately attracted to his personality. He was engaging. Affable. Likable.
Take advantage of today. Seize the chances you have to appreciate people who are meaningful in your life.
For me and Dr. Bonnet, there are no do-overs. But if there were, I know exactly how it’d go. He’d greet me warmly, tell me exactly what my options are and in seconds my faith and confidence in him would be reaffirmed. And even though he’d hug my wife – which he did every time she was with me – this time, I’d hug him, too.
Note: Gonesh incense burns in The Yellow Studio. No, that’s got nothing to do with anything – except it explains the smoke you see in the video. I buy Gonesh. You should, too.
It’s not the best resolution in the world, but it is the only picture available on the Internet. Dr. Bonnet has one of the smallest digital footprints I’ve ever seen (or not seen). Proof that lots of web real estate does not provide meaningful proof of one’s worth or value in the world. This post and video very well may double his digital footprint. He wouldn’t likely appreciate it, but perhaps his family – and others – will. I will miss him.
Dr. James Vincent Bonnet, MD
Addition February 14, 2011 – This Facebook page was created after recording this video.