Every once in a while the pages I keep are gifted with the opportunity to sit in the same room with a group of top name communicators that affect and drive a million lives not only daily but by the hour.
After thirty one years of the biz you’d think I’d stop being a radio geek. Yep, this is my Glee club! I’m a card carrying pocket protector wearing nerd who turned his constant need to talk in science and math class into a journey toward meeting and becoming part of those who turn everyday thoughts into motion.
Insiders constantly describe speaker talkers as being one-of-a-kind’s who live in a world of their own and during that process through the magic of Disney, Lucas and a massive amount of broadcasting pioneers several years and chapters before us…you’re given a key that opens the door to a morning, noon or night filled with great music and fun.
Broadcasters aren’t a different breed, peel away the screen that separates a listener from that voice or laugh and sitting in front of you is Johnny Joe Average—he or she lives in the same city, drinks the same water, stops at the same traffic lights and chances are is the person you pointed your finger at while walking away from the Chinese buffet with a serious amount fresh crab legs.
Outside these four well padded walls radio people might come across as poorly developed actors but aren’t we all? It’s always been my dream to visit 100 different office environments to study the workday pattern of employees doing nothing more than trying to make it through another day before being bombarded by hordes of wants and demands from what used to be the most important job—family.
Businesses won’t let me in…or is it people?
We’ve become the tortured generation…there’s so much life to be lived and barely ten of us are willing to trust the moment. I need to take out the word “us” because I totally fail in the department of being part of that collection of writers and performers.
Trusting the moment is “living it” without inviting judgment.
No radio break is delivered without asking, “How did that sound?” No canvas is painted then hung in a gallery without me asking, “How does that look? How did people react?” I don’t go anywhere without fearing first and it has nothing to do with being accepted. I don’t trust in the moment.
Completely fascinated by big city skylines and the lights they shoot toward the heavens…no twist and turn in the highway is driven without me wondering if the designers of modern day pyramids pushed themselves away from high-tech and asked, “Do you think someone will like it?”
I’ve always believed “not believing” is the breading ground of a perfectionist.
Perfectionists are never happy. They try and try and try only to settle.
Micro-management is nothing more than a perfectionist who couldn’t do the job so through the rules of delegation they hire people to do it for them only to learn they can’t live up to the bosses question, “How does that sound, look or smell?”
Multi-tasking is the common connection perfectionists share…what you aren’t happy with is easily forgotten with the presence of something different to do. Somewhere during the 8 to 18 hour day it’s inevitable that you’ll locate something you’ll like about yourself. If not…tomorrow is a new day.
There’s nothing sweeter than an addiction to success and like a gambler, achievement can’t be reached with a palm filled with chips…required are pockets and plastic bags. It’s never about what you lose during your workday because it can’t be compared to everything you’ve gained.
Every once in a while the pages I keep are gifted with the opportunity to sit in the same room with a group of top name communicators that affect and drive a million plus lives not only daily but by the hour. Big names, big dreams, biggest bucket of luck until someone says, “Heard your radio show.”
I’ve yet to meet the Broadcaster who takes “trusting in the moment” to the level of performance required in the halls of self acceptance. Which makes talk starters that much more real to listeners; what we see we share, what we feel was probably already felt by you, what you take in or throw out was witnessed by a radio person doing nothing more than trying to stop that deadening silence delivered when they can’t find an answer to, “What can I do to become better?”
See…we’re no different than your place of employment. We just didn’t get to hear about it, until the creation of Face Book, Twitter and texting.
We’ve been gifted with every reason to live in the moment then broadcast it. Some days we find others who can relate while other 24 hour periods go about their way like a lonely little puff of a cloud searches for a storm to become part of before it disappears in the land of the forgotten.
Trust in the moment. Do one thing today that feels good and make sure no one steals from it. It’s going to be the toughest thing you’ve done in years. We’re completely addicted to the idea that those who make up the circles we keep care as much we do…
In radio, when a jock spits sputters and stumbles through a live break, it totally kills the performer. How could I? I suck! Go back to Billings, Montana you loser! Interestingly enough, on the opposite side of those radio speakers is a listener thinking, “Thank god I’m not the only one who has a tough time talking.”
So today…I’m not wearing socks. There’s got to be others who have stinky feet! You aren’t alone! Be proud of what your nose is doing for you. Thanks for helping me love my moment.
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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