As I have often said, almost anything can motivate you if you have an open mind. Are you willing to consider things that are NOT in your wheel house? As the saying on my coffee cup states “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow.” So if you are searching for a more fulfilling position, consider things that you haven’t tried.
If you need a road map on how to do this, get going doing an internet search on matters relative to a job search. You may be turned off by some recommendations. You may not be inspired by others. But I can assure you that I was inspired by a program I watched on A & E last night. It was a lengthy show about Garth Brooks. I was blown away by it. In truth I started to watch it because my wife, Sandee, and daughter Julie are huge fans of Garth. I found it very inspirational on several different levels—his commitment to his entire family but most particularly his three daughters, his love of his music and his appreciation of his fans and his supportive friends.
For the few of you who are not familiar with Garth, let me share some facts about him. Born in 1962 in Yukon, Oklahoma; he was the youngest of seven children; raised in a modest family; he was a good athlete; his father insisted that he finish college, which he did, later supplementing it with an MBA from Oklahoma State University. Then he went on to become one of the world’s best-selling performers. He has sold more than 160 million records.
Garth has won almost more major music awards than you can count. He is reputed to have a net worth of $350 million. One might ask how Garth went from being an Oklahoma “cowboy” to a worldwide sensation.
Let me try to explain my views understanding on that. While a student at Oklahoma State, he played guitar and sang in clubs and bars in the local Stillwater area. He was very popular; so he took a friend’s advice and went to Nashville with the money given to him by friends and fans. What a disappointment, after 24 hours in Nashville, he realized he was not ready for this scene so he returned to the bars & clubs of Oklahoma.
But he returned to Nashville after some time there and his opportunity surfaced. He was scheduled to sing as #9 one night; but #2 did not show up, so the label people who had come to hear #2 heard Garth. One of the agents who turned Garth down a couple of days earlier now heard Garth performed. They invited him for a meeting and signed him with Capitol Records, then the king of the business. The “old but for” syndrome had kicked in. One needs to be prepared when the opportunity appears. He was on his way. Within a very short time, he had gone from bars and clubs to arenas. Some people might say he was just lucky, but Garth says it was more to do with being ready when the opportunity presented itself.
In my experience being available plays a real part in one’s success.
When asked what were the important things or people in his life, Garth said: my wife and children, my extended family and my music. He teared up when discussing his music; he loves the music, he loves his fans, it’s all an amazing mixture of love of the music and his appreciation of his fans. He retired and sat out of the music business for 14 years to raise his three daughters. When they were substantially grown, he return to his life of his music. Very few performers could come out of such a lengthy retirement and expect the adulation that he received.
Do we all have the same opportunities available to us? Maybe not at Garth’s level but could you be doing another job with more excitement than your current job. Rest assured there are no guarantees. One of the lessons that Garth learned from his father was every opportunity has blessings but every opportunity has risks. Most all of us probably heard the old saying, careful what you wish for, and you might get it.
As he told his post retirement band, we are not just coming back to our fans we must be new and improved. This tour is going to be grueling and demanding. We have to be the best we can be.
Some of us need a change of our attitude. We need to find something to do that we love. As they say, if you love what you do for a living, you will never work another day in your life. I would recommend that you watch the A&E presentation on Garth. CARPE DIEM
OTHER THOUGHTS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
Much of the social history of the western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.
Dr. Thomas Sowell, scholar and author
James F. Fitzgerald is president of James F. Fitzgerald & Associates, Inc., a Naperville-based senior executive coaching & career transition firm. Jamesffitzgerald.com jamesffitz37@hotmail.com #630-420-0362
As I have often said, almost anything can motivate you if you have an open mind. Are you willing to consider things that are NOT in your wheel house? As the saying on my coffee cup states “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow.” So if you are searching for a more fulfilling position, consider things that you haven’t tried.
If you need a road map on how to do this, get going doing an internet search on matters relative to a job search. You may be turned off by some recommendations. You may not be inspired by others. But I can assure you that I was inspired by a program I watched on A & E last night. It was a lengthy show about Garth Brooks. I was blown away by it. In truth I started to watch it because my wife, Sandee, and daughter Julie are huge fans of Garth. I found it very inspirational on several different levels—his commitment to his entire family but most particularly his three daughters, his love of his music and his appreciation of his fans and his supportive friends.
For the few of you who are not familiar with Garth, let me share some facts about him. Born in 1962 in Yukon, Oklahoma; he was the youngest of seven children; raised in a modest family; he was a good athlete; his father insisted that he finish college, which he did, later supplementing it with an MBA from Oklahoma State University. Then he went on to become one of the world’s best-selling performers. He has sold more than 160 million records.
Garth has won almost more major music awards than you can count. He is reputed to have a net worth of $350 million. One might ask how Garth went from being an Oklahoma “cowboy” to a worldwide sensation.
Let me try to explain my views understanding on that. While a student at Oklahoma State, he played guitar and sang in clubs and bars in the local Stillwater area. He was very popular; so he took a friend’s advice and went to Nashville with the money given to him by friends and fans. What a disappointment, after 24 hours in Nashville, he realized he was not ready for this scene so he returned to the bars & clubs of Oklahoma.
But he returned to Nashville after some time there and his opportunity surfaced. He was scheduled to sing as #9 one night; but #2 did not show up, so the label people who had come to hear #2 heard Garth. One of the agents who turned Garth down a couple of days earlier now heard Garth performed. They invited him for a meeting and signed him with Capitol Records, then the king of the business. The “old but for” syndrome had kicked in. One needs to be prepared when the opportunity appears. He was on his way. Within a very short time, he had gone from bars and clubs to arenas. Some people might say he was just lucky, but Garth says it was more to do with being ready when the opportunity presented itself.
In my experience being available plays a real part in one’s success.
When asked what were the important things or people in his life, Garth said: my wife and children, my extended family and my music. He teared up when discussing his music; he loves the music, he loves his fans, it’s all an amazing mixture of love of the music and his appreciation of his fans. He retired and sat out of the music business for 14 years to raise his three daughters. When they were substantially grown, he return to his life of his music. Very few performers could come out of such a lengthy retirement and expect the adulation that he received.
Do we all have the same opportunities available to us? Maybe not at Garth’s level but could you be doing another job with more excitement than your current job. Rest assured there are no guarantees. One of the lessons that Garth learned from his father was every opportunity has blessings but every opportunity has risks. Most all of us probably heard the old saying, careful what you wish for, and you might get it.
As he told his post retirement band, we are not just coming back to our fans we must be new and improved. This tour is going to be grueling and demanding. We have to be the best we can be.
Some of us need a change of our attitude. We need to find something to do that we love. As they say, if you love what you do for a living, you will never work another day in your life. I would recommend that you watch the A&E presentation on Garth. CARPE DIEM
OTHER THOUGHTS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
Much of the social history of the western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.
Dr. Thomas Sowell, scholar and author
James F. Fitzgerald is president of James F. Fitzgerald & Associates, Inc., a Naperville-based senior executive coaching & career transition firm. Jamesffitzgerald.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. #630-420-0362
