Finding Inspiration in Unlikely Places
Hard Work, Good Learning and Love
Brad Paisley Models the Way
I've been reading a number of biographies and autobiographies this month. A fun one was by country superstar entertainer - Brad Paisley.
Now, I am not a big country music fan, although I do like a number of the new "cross-over-artists" in that genre . . . and one of the biggest is guitar slinging, Telecaster wielding Brad Paisley. He is simply outstanding, creative and fun on his paisley Telecaster.
Here is the inspiration I took away from the book.
Wow did Brad ever work hard to get where he is.
Wow is he an example of the passionate pursuit of excellence.
Wow is he a life long learner.
Here are a few "lessons" that were my "take-aways" from Brad's story.
ONE:
Brad is the first to say he WAS NOT a natural when it came to playing guitar. He became a GREAT guitar player by hard work... and more hard work... and the more hard work.
Brad is a firm believer in the 10,000 Rule.
If you read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, you know what the 10,000 Rule is.
Invest 10,000 hours of learning and practice in ANYTHING YOU CHOOSE and you move to the highest levels of competency and expertise.
That's a big number.
Let's break it down.
1000 hours of practice a year for TEN years
That is three hours of practice (or time invested) in that "thing" every DAY of the year.
Three hours of practice every day for ten years!
Why in the world would you ever do that?
What would possibly sustain you in doing that?
That leads to a second lesson from Brad.
TWO: Love what you do and grow to love it the longer you do it.
Some people invest hard work sustained over time, for their own sake, their own ego, for their own glory . . .
But that isn't the best motivation to pursue excellence. Love is.
Love what you do. Love what you do for its own sake. Love what you do because Christ has created you to do it.
And do it because you love others who will be blessed by what you do with excellence.
Brad started to love the guitar... love playing it... love the sounds it made... loved the joy it brought people...
Do you love what you are doing?
If not - then why are you doing it?
How well are you doing it?
How long do you think you'll keep doing it?
THREE:
Be patient with not being very good.
Because you won't be very good. That's why you need the practice. And that's why you need to love what you do.
Brad Paisley was not very good . . .
and then he became passable, average, okay . . .
and then he became better than average . . .
and he kept working hard, learning every day . . .
and eventually he became pretty good . . .
and then really good . . .
and today he is GREAT . . .
and tomorrow he will be even better . . .
Because he is still practicing and improving . . . because he loves even more today then yesterday - what he is doing.
He loves playing the guitar and making music.
What do you love?
Back on Monday with a few more thoughts from Brad on how he had more than a little help from his friends.
Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com
