Is locating success truly the calling? Are we born to do nothing more than put a thumb print on the avenues that shape the inside lining of someone’s pocket? What’s wrong with being the white stitching that generates interest in the physical fashion?
How do you become the selected one?
Author John Mason tells the tale of a spiritual guru that chose to point followers to their intended destinations rather than verbally communicate. One by one they’d shoot toward the horizon only to return badly bruised, cut up, splattered and without confidence.
Demanding to be treated differently one follower shouted, “No more pointing! Where will I find success?”
Softly, peacefully and without fear the spiritual guru turned to his student and gently shared, “Success is that way. Just a little after the splat.”
Over-achiever versus non-achiever:
You don’t have to sell your soul in 2011…in the name of having insurance, cell phones and HBO it’s given away every morning at eight. The preacher man won’t talk about that will he or she? The religious term saving someone needs to grow a new pair of wings strong enough to fly over this new depth of a sink or swim performance. The higher power is the image of success.
What keeps travelers from maintaining the garden?
Since 1994 my personal endeavor has been to easily pick from a crowd of faceless wanderers the perfectionist from the student that grows by way of synchronicity. If all you have to offer is dissatisfaction in the level of art you invite to the chapters we write; you aren’t someone worth investing in.
A perfectionist is never happy. Eventually they settle for third to fifth best when more success could’ve been attained by trusting the core of the original source.
Legendary Indy racer Rick Mears believes that to finish first, first you must finish.
If having a fat bank account connected to an unforgettably beautiful house is the highest of your peaks met then conquered; congratulations! If days that become night are spent cuddled up to a wishful thought to one day walk into Belks to buy a $290 bottle of cologne or a sweet smelling cream that guarantees to rejuvenate the wrinkles from your face; congratulations!
Success has no shape. Like a chameleon its colors serve only one purpose…survival.
I spent the latter part of the 1970’s believing life after high school would be angelic if what I loved most took me to every city the Pro-Bowler’s tour traveled. While some went the way of football, basketball or track…my strength was rolling a ball down a single lane of traffic. Kicked out of the AJBC for tackling the men's league by 15 the mission was to score like my hero Earl Anthony. Only to learn, the successful people I surrounded myself with forgot my age. The golden rule of league bowling; do not bring your wife or girlfriend to the center of your attention. Toss in a budding radio career at Country 910 KOYN and I carried with me two major distractions.
The harder I tried to keep my bowling average over 200 the angrier I became. Every ball thrown had to hit the pocket. I had developed a perfectionist’s way of life which infected everything. I became the kid that kicked the ball return. I developed a winning attitude fed by a need to win all the time or the beast would bare its teeth. I was asked to leave.
Over-achiever versus non-achiever:
John Mason introduces us to a diamond cutter; a master of the rock. Through patience the hard chunk of earth is given new air to breathe whereas if you or I chopped at it…two hits and poof the rock is split in two bringing no value to a bride to be.
I love Joel Hause’s quote, “Determine to be something in the world and you will be something.”
He didn’t say, “Locate success.” He didn’t say, “Sell out what you passion for most.” He didn’t say, “Become the very best and nothing less.”
It took me 32 years of Broadcasting to realize why I love radio: Every time I pop open the microphone it’s a blank canvas that’s fully capable of being displayed in places you least expect. Combine that with our new found connection to Social Media and being a Broadcaster carries with it a new purpose…except this time I’m not going to give away my soul or vow until I die to make it perfectly perfect. This is who I am. This is who I’ve always been. Love me, hate me, disconnect me from Face Book or Twitter; burp, cough, trip, stumble, blow my snotty nose all over your shirt…it’s not the success I’m looking for.
I just want to write…that’s it nothing more nothing less. Some days it might touch, influence or suck so bad that stink has a new meaning…but it doesn’t matter…I wrote and writing is how I breathe. From it comes everything else.
There is success after the splat.
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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