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| Vol.3.79 | |
Use That Feelingby Vince PoscenteAuthor of The Ant and the Elephant, Invinceable Principles and The Age of Speed Last summer, our 11-year-old son Max got that feeling and he wanted more. That feeling - and you know what it is - inspires all sorts of ambition. That feeling followed his first performance with his band Silver Dynasty. It was a backyard party and three other of his preteen buddies performed cover tunes by Jet and Led Zeppelin for a backyard party. The boys' smiles couldn't be held back any longer after the cheers washed over them. The stone-faced "cool-look" melted as they raised their instruments in rock and roll victory. A telling moment happened when the boys walked off the makeshift stage through a sliding glass door. You could see them saunter through and close it, in the only way cool rockers would. Then they all turned to each other, forgetting glass was still transparent, started pumping their fists and high fiving with unbridled enthusiasm. It was an explosion of pure joy. It was indeed, that feeling. You likely won't get that feeling when you watch the news today. You can't get it when you worry about what the future holds. And it definitely won't happen when you pay your taxes. That feeling is a crescendo. It is the delicious feeling of letting go. It is the product of Campbell's sage advice - following your bliss. As addictive as that feeling is, it needs to be measured with day-to-day responsibility and simple basics of getting things done.
The bottom line is that feeling is powerful yet a potentially blinding motivator. Now my wife and I are attempting to clarify the healthy way to seek that feeling. To simplify and speed up the process, for you dear reader, dust off your Psych 101 books and revisit B.F. Skinner. First identify what activity elicits that feeling then earn it after paying your dues as a right of passage. Maybe Max will learn from a nurturing environment or he will learn by praxis. (We're proud of him no matter what.) The choice is his to make. The same goes for you and I. Use that feeling to get what you want then do what it takes. Until you get that feeling again, it's full speed ahead,
PS Max wanted me to tell you he made his own website, sells Silver Dynasty T-shirts (to groupies) and is available for gigs in the Dallas area. After the boys do their homework of course.
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© 2010 Vince Poscente. All Rights Reserved. |
Over the balance of the summer we supported Max's musical ambitions. A mere three months prior he wanted to be the world's greatest soccer player. This was replaced with his desire to be the next Jimmy Page. By the time school rolled around the band defined him and he struggled with any desire to be a good student. Soon he was saying he didn't need school and most recently he asked be moved to a school where "they had lower expectations." God help any kid that says that and is born to an Olympian. Worse yet, the other day he gave me, "Oh great, now more of that motivational speaker advice." What's a dad to do? 