Thursday, September 13, 2012

Stop Putting Shame On Your Failures! You're Making Success

Check out this quote: If you aren't willing to be wrong you're unable to be right. When I'm wrong my first reaction is to become severely angry. Not with another person but with myself. How dare I invest trust in a project only for the end result to be a lack of proper judgment? The chapters that will one day describe what it was like to live, work and play with me will barely cover the written paragraphs of how he endlessly accomplished. I believe we judge incredibly too much on someone's wrong methods of approach during life while giving too much honor to the small victories. Let me give you an example: I love my rescued dogs so much! I honestly believe people think I find them to be more unforgettably beautiful than a vibrant red rose. No hour is passed that somewhere along the path I don't stop to thank the Great Creator for making them a major part of my days and nights. I love my dogs so much I stopped taking trip to Hollywood, Montana and Chicago. I couldn't stand the idea of leaving them in kennel. But unless you've been associated with dogs and cats that are rescues; you'll never understand what it's like to truly rehabilitate an animal that sees you as another human stick figure. Trust and faith aren't tools given to pets that have been abused by people you will never meet. The learning curve of reintroduction means calm conversations during midnight dumpings, middle of the afternoon spills, howls that serve as signals of a soul in trouble. The process of bringing light to MJ's book of love meant teaching him how to walk, to build a relationship with a person not connected to a puppy mill and your meal tonight won't be bird seed. To most...accepting this fuzzy child into my life could easily be looked upon as being a wrong decision. How can you find time to re-blend the music in a dogs heart after its collection of 45's and albums have been shattered by decisions of puppy mill owners that society has labeled unfit yet but ultimately forgive? If you aren't willing to be wrong you're unable to be right The day after Apple announced the world wide release of their new IPhone V... I found myself stepping in a pile of Steve Jobs. The man is looked upon as being a genius. I laugh when people say Steve changed the world! When I know for a fact that Apple employs thousands of people. Now that Steve Jobs is gone, even his critics see only good. And yet he was wrong about the Apple III, The Next Computer and the Newton. I'm not knocking the man! I'm heavily inspired by his openness of accepting the wrongs with his rights. In his book Tribes, author Seth Godin believes the desire to fail on the way toward reaching a goal is the untold secret of success. No shortcuts or error free zones. Just guts to wrap risk and fear into a brown paper bag and calling it magical. I didn't get into radio in 1979 to build commercial campaigns. I don't come to work every day to put focus on the amount of money others make off what falls from my imagination. I will forever call my greatest mistake the end result of a horrible error in judgment. 1992 at 95QQ from the lips of a Montana man wearing Carolina style and fashion came two "F" bombs inside the same sentence. Onto the air it flew and into the bosses off I landed. Terry V the GM didn't scream, shout or use vulgar gestures when showcasing his dislike for my bad decision "I have to suspend you. You're to leave the radio station and not return for a week." I accepted the punishment while asking, "While out...who'll be doing my commercial production?" To which he promptly replied, "Oh crap...if you ever cuss on the air again. I will triple the punishment." That's when I realized the importance of commercial production at a radio station. It wasn't when Gary Brobts closed the door to his office and said the only reason why he brought me down from Montana was for my production. It wasn't during my first paid voice over artist job at Charles Holloman's at Dragon Fly Video. I've worked with the very best of the best Fred Story and I still didn't see the long term impact of the very reason why listeners quickly tune out. Not until I realized being wrong on the air forced me into a situation where being suspended without pay was quickly silenced when the thought of me not doing commercial production was brought into play. That's when I began the journey toward understanding what connects business owners to their success by way of radio advertising. If you're school or university hasn't invited your students to intern with me or if I haven't shared my five hour lecture within the four walls that make up the history of your building...then you aren't teaching radio reality. I live and breathe no matter how late the night and little the sleep Seth Godin's secret of leadership: Do what you believe. Paint a picture of the future and go there. Why do I spend so much time allowing students of Broadcasting's future to steal my art? Because barely anybody in the present shape of today thinks commercial production changes a radio listeners life more than being funny over the intro of a great song. Tell that to the 54 year old graduate that returned to school. The family that bought a brand new car. The church whose message is compelling and new butts are planted in their seats. Burger King, Dish with their Hopper and the grocery store chains fearing the arrival of Publix coming closer to Charlotte. If you aren't willing to be wrong you're unable to be right. Bank of America's main driving force Hugh McColl masterminded a creative piece of financial art. I want to read the book about what he did wrong so that I can better understand his methods of being right. I will always believe in you first... arroe@arroe.net

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