The Power in Passion

Benjamin Zander, in his TED talk "On Music and Passion," was fun to watch as listen to. He made some incredible points in the little talk he gave, and the underlying message I received was that if you love something, if you have passion for it, and if you can give others a glimpse into that passion, you will give people more meaning in their lives and introduce them to a passion that may well become their own. Your passion, or lack of it, will infect other people. They can't help it. I don't think everyone in Zander's audience came to LOVE classical music that night, but they had a very positive experience with it for certain, and they are much more likely to listen to it again and be open to having a similar experience, even without Zander's guidance. And that means that someday it could become a passion of theirs, simply because their understanding was opened and they were shown that classical music can be fun, it can be humorous, and it can be touching.

Thinking about this in a leadership aspect, especially related to council, I'll quote Zander by saying, "It's one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he's leading to realize whatever he's dreaming."
The ideas we have are important. More important is that we are not doing things just to be doing them, but that we are doing things we are passionate about in order to create passion in those we desire to lead, those we desire to follow us. The why of what we do is incredibly important. Is it to help students? Is it to bring them joy, efficient means of completing their education, or the resources to discover what they love and desire to to as a career?

In our rolls on council we are not the ones "creating the music" of living. As students, we are. But as leaders, we are conductors, just like Zander. We do not make sound--we listen for where there is no harmony and strengthen that area. We direct the orchestra, we bring it all together, and sometimes we "appear on CD covers." We contribute to the whole, we are not the whole.

Speaking of a conductor, Zander said, "He depends...on his ability to make other people powerful." This is our calling; to empower the students of the Humanities to make their own music. We can't be there in each one of their lives playing the notes, but we can direct them in this small aspect, for this time, creating together the beautiful music that living with passion makes in this world. 


Here's to my father, for encouraging me always to discover what I'm passionate about and, once I found it, for supporting me in my pursuit of happiness so I can join in the symphony of those around me.

"Fallor Ergo Sum"

I have never heard anyone speak so positively about being wrong. And when I think about the points Kathryn Shulz said in her Ted talk (see here: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong.html), I marvel that this simple idea has never struck me. I have been brainwashed into thinking that being wrong is the worst possible thing that could happen to me, that making mistakes is taboo and a huge social faux pas, no-no. 

I still haven't quite wrapped my head around the idea that I will be happier and more successful if I step outside of myself and see that I don't know everything, and instead of fearing my lack of knowledge, embrace it and doing my best to understand what previously I avoided. That concept hasn't sunk in yet. I agree with everything she said; we are all "self-absorbed," in a sense. We all see through rose-colored glasses, we all have our "belief windows" we see the world through. What we don't realize is that if we move away from the window and open a door, we can experience the world instead of watching it from behind glass. Out there we're more vulnerable, it's true; out there we might realize that we are wrong and with that comes all of those yucky feelings we try to avoid by convincing ourselves that we are right. But if we can move past that, if I can move past those feelings, then maybe I can focus more on how to change. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be more able to see mistakes coming and have time to stop before my feet lose ground like Shulz's example of Wiley Coyote.

It was unsettling for me to hear what she said about feelings. To paraphrase, she said, "Trusting too much in feeling can be very dangerous...our internal sense of rightness is not a reliable guide," I'm still not sure I understood what she meant exactly, but in my LDS-oriented mind my faith was somewhat shaken. My faith in my own faith, so to speak. Because if I can't rely on myself, what can I rely on? My first thought is God. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are perfect, and through the Holy Ghost I can hear and understand what they speak to me. And perhaps I am so caught up in what I think and "know" and believe that I can't hear what they, perfect, omnipotent beings are saying to me. And many would argue that, even if I do receive some kind of "inspiration" that I consider coming from a deity in heaven, it is still my own belief, my own idea of this God that is guiding me, not the actual God. I don't believe that. I do believe in God, and while my interpretation of God's will for me is not perfect, it is enough, I think, to help me accomplish all I am meant to do in this life.

And mistakes are part of that life. An important, invaluable part. I won't say my father taught me this, exactly, although I have vague memories of him guiding me to the realization that I'm going to make mistakes, so I might as well get back on my feet and do my best to fix it.

Shulz mentioned the possibility of preventing the mistake, of catching it before it is committed, but I am still not convinced that this is desirable. Mistakes make me, and not making them is good (obviously, since God is perfect), but I don't think I'm capable of not making mistakes. I guess by embracing mistakes I can recognize them and gain deeper understanding of myself and the way the world works. I guess I'm rambling and I'm not sure what to say next. One thing that I will do after listening to this Ted talk is "entertain the possibility that I might be wrong" a little more often, and at least see where it leads me.

In closing, two quotes that intrigued me:

"The miracle of your mind is not that you can see the world as it is; it's that you can see the world as it isn't."
Fallor ergo sum "I err, therefore I am."

A feast for thought, that's for certain. Sorry for the long response; I'm a novelist like that. ;)

Scattered Thoughts

The following stems from inspirational thoughts received while listening to an address given by JK Rowling. (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jk_rowling_the_fringe_benefits_of_failure.html)

Her concept that "rock bottom can become a solid foundation" to build up from struck me as I listened to her speech. Hearing that someone as incredibly famous as JK Rowling (she is a goddess of modern fantasy in my eyes; one of my greatest heroes) struggled so much, even after doing everything that was supposed to bring her great success taught me something very valuable: If you don't enjoy something, if you aren't passionate about it or at least like it, you will not be successful at it, and you won't be happy. She went to school, compromising with herself and her parents to study something they wanted her to study. She did well at it, and graduated in it, and then failed fantastically. She admitted to having dark days, that it wasn't easy to get back on her feet, and as she said "Responsibility lies with you." Which to me means, no matter the circumstances in your life, it is your job to fix them if you so desire. "Talent and intelligence aren't enough to prevent hardship." It's inevitable. Everyone experiences it. Businesses, families, schools, all the way down to individuals. As part of Humanities council I have already run into a few hardships, and not because I am unmotivated, unintelligent, or not fit for my position; trials are meant to teach and perfect. I am still learning how to learn from them and keep going, striving to climb up out of the magnetic force of darkness and despair and keep heading towards the light, but I'm getting there.

"Failure can teach you things you can learn no other way." Rowling stated. I agree. Even if it just teaches you what doesn't work, that will eventually lead you to what can. My thoughts are scattered and I know I'm rambling, so I apologize. I'm just letting my thoughts spill out all over the page. Forgive the mess.

My father was the first one to introduce to me the concept of something else J.K. Rowling quoted in her 2008 address to graduating Harvard students; she said, "What we achieve inwardly will change an outward reality."

I think I was somewhere around seventeen when my dad handed me a book entitled "Attractor Factor" by Dr. Joe Vitale. I don't remember much of what the book said, but I do remember discussions with my father that have followed referencing lessons that I learned from the words inside its pages. The concept is that your thoughts are so powerful, they attract your life to you. On a very generic level, for example, when you think negatively, life is miserable, and when you think positively, things aren't as bad as they could be. This is a simple lesson in attitude, but the concept goes deeper than that. What you think attracts certain things into your life. If you're thinking, for instance "I need to get a good job." You are going to spend a lot of time "needing" a job instead of having a job. So you have to change the way you're thinking from "I need to get a good job" to "I have a good job."

It isn't a lie, and it isn't just wishful thinking. It's the power of positive reinforcement being allowed to have a place in our lives. It's kind of along the lines of the phrase "Fake it 'till you make it." I didn't truly understand what my father, and this book, was saying until I was brave enough to try it in my own life. I was a sophomore in college and struggling for many reasons. Through a series of personal decisions I decided to defer a semester of school so I could work on my novel. This happened to be one of the best choices I have ever made, and I have yet to regret it, but there were consequences. One consequence was that I could not keep my on-campus job at BYU because I wasn't a full-time student, so I found myself jobless, with rent and groceries to take care of at my own cost.

So I called my dad and probably cried and he, in his fatherly wisdom, reminded me of the power of thought. He challenged me to write down, in first person, as if it were a reality already, what my "dream day" would be like, job, writing, and other things included. He encouraged me to be as specific as possible, including the time of day I wanted to work and how much I wanted to make and what I wanted to be doing at the job I got. So I did, and I read it to myself at least every other day. I didn't think it would really work, but I was amazed when it did. I got the job I still have today, and when I look at that document I wrote out (which I still have) I can see that, down to the letter, I attracted the job into my life that I needed and wanted. I literally changed my situation with the power of my thoughts.

"You can have, do or be anything you want." -Dr. Joe Vitale

I think we can do the same thing with any leadership position in our lives. If something is not going the way we feel it "should" or the way we want it to, we have the power to change it, starting with the way we think about it.

Don't just DREAM it--DO it!

I loved the quote "what you do proves what you believe." You can talk all you want, you can plan until your brain turns blue with thinking, but if you do not DO anything you cannot convince anyone that what you are doing is worthwhile. Something I noticed is that followers come when there is ACTION. Action they can see, feel, touch, or in some way notice. Action in your own mind--i.e. brainstorming, dreaming, etc.--is wonderful, but it will not yield fruit unless you act on it. Like this quote from Frank Tibolt:

"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing.  Action always generates inspiration.  Inspiration seldom generates action."

Paired with these words by Brendan Francis, "Inspirations never go in for long engagements; they demand immediate marriage to action."

It becomes obvious to the reader (and aspiring leader) that if you do not get up and dance, no one will come. Or someone else will start the movement YOU planned and they will take over your dream and you will miss out on crucial growth and opportunities. This is why RISK is so important; even though it hurts, even though it makes you vulnerable, risk is crucial. We need to be brave and "Keep moving forward!" -Walt Disney

My father taught me what it was to take risks; throughout my life he has striven to provide for my family of six, and he has done his best to take care of us. Sometimes that meant he was doing something he didn't enjoy for months or even years at a time; sometimes ideas he had for ways to benefit our family, particularly financially, didn't work out and I know he felt some measure of despair as our situation appeared to continue declining. As a kid I didn't always understand what was going on in his life; I could tell when he was sad, though. And I was amazed time and again (and still am, all the time) that he picked right back up and continued on, focusing upward, towards God and a future he was (and is) still convinced held every possibility he could imagine.

I can't count the number of times I sat down with my dad, frustrated with school, with life, or with myself, only to walk away from our conversation feeling hope for the future. My father embodies Walt Disney's quote of "Keep moving forward," and inspires hope within me whenever I think of all the advice and love he has given me. I think being a father (or mother) is one of the greatest callings to leadership anyone could ever receive, and hope is a keystone in leadership. Paired with the willingness to take risks, hope is one of the most powerful forces in the world.

A Lone Nut

"The first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader."

This sentence from the TED talk by Derek Sivers (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html) really stuck out to me; partially because it's funny, and in part because it made a lot of sense to me. When starting a movement or getting an idea out there, followers are a must. Nothing gets off the ground by itself. As individuals we are powerful, but as a group our power is multiplied. That first follower, or first few, are crucial to a movement.

Something that stood out to me even more is the following concept:

"A movement must be public...it is important to show not just the leader, but the followers because new followers emulate the followers, not the leader."

This reminded me of my position on the council. As the Executive Director of Council Relations, it is my job to make our "movements" public. This might be the riskiest act of leadership there is; it is fine to form plans and talk about ideas within the comforts of a council meeting. It is quite another to advertise that idea to potential followers. This is where taking the right kinds of risk are crucial to a movement. These risks may relate to bringing followers in, as I've said, or finances, or other resources, or consuming time and energy; whatever they are, they must be made, and without procrastination.

"Remember the importance of nurturing the first few followers as equals."

This, along with the previous quote, is a good reminder that this is not about me. It is not even about us, as a council; rather it is about them, the people we are aiming to serve. We are not above them because we are coming up with these great ideas to help them; we are among them, simply an organized group doing our best to benefit the lives of other students.

"Have the courage to follow."

This final quote reminds me of a concept my father has introduced in my life since I was a young child. Yes, we are all leaders; in our own way, and in our own lives, we lead in different aspects. Sometimes we are the guy dancing without a shirt. Sometimes we are the first follower, and other times, we come later, joining in and thinking "Well, better late than never." When it comes to my life and the type of leader I want to be, my father has taught me that the leader I should follow first is Christ, and He is also the leader I ought to emulate.

My Title

If anyone ever reads this blog, the title of it may have you wondering. I wanted to introduce this class-inspired blog by telling you a little bit about myself. To do that, I have to start with my father.

My father is an incredible man; growing up he was my guide, and I still turn to him in times of need. I know him as strong, steadfast, immovable. He is not afraid to try different things, even if they end up failing. He is the one who taught me to take risks.

Watching him in his various jobs, I learned what passion was and why it is important to sacrifice everything for your passions.

There is much more I have learned and continue to learn from the great man that is my father, but as far as this  course is concerned, the most important thing is that everyone is a leader in their own way. I never considered myself a "take charge" kind of girl, and in class projects found myself on the edges of the group looking in, doing more observing than contributing, or so I thought for many years. I finally learned that I wasn't  just being shy or avoiding participation; I was leading in my own way. Leadership is many different things; some of those things are being responsible for your actions, the actions of your group, and getting things done. I discovered that by hanging around the outside, I was able to pick up the loose ends others seemed to miss, or gather in the people that hung back, too shy to jump right in as some of the more extroverted individuals were apt to do. I knew then I could do great things, even if they were small, and that every action and choice I made affected someone, even if I couldn't see the results.

My father taught me to look for leadership in unlikely places; he taught me more of what it is to be the kind of leader that Jesus Christ is--one that leads with love as the motivation and focus.

In my time as a member of this council I want to exemplify all of these things my father has taught me, and maybe learn something I can teach him and return the favor.

Tom Peters once said: "Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders."

I hope to show others how they can step up and be leaders, even if it is only in their own lives.