Throughout my life I’ve found myself simultaneously inspired
and impressed by individuals who have become so extremely good at what they do,
that the world can’t help but take note.
These people have figured out what they are passionate about and they’ve
made the decision to pursue it.
I’m not talking about prodigies; that would be a whole
different level of genius. No, I’m
talking about people who have put in the effort, the blood, sweat, tears, hours
and hard work to become exceptionally good at what they love. They didn’t sit back and wait for something
to fall in their lap; they didn’t become famous for being famous; and they
certainly didn’t expect anyone to do it for them.
I just know that you’re dying to hear an example…right? Here you go:
Let’s have a look at a guy named Rick Allen. He is 49 years old and he is the drummer for
Def Leppard. He has one arm. The clincher is he had to have his arm
amputated after he had already been playing with the band for a while. Now, in my opinion he would have been
completely justified if he decided to stop playing altogether and pursue a
different career path. He didn’t. He looked at his situation and took a
different approach to drumming to enable him to keep doing what he loves most.
Maybe you have encountered someone in your life that has
inspired you; someone that has beaten all odds to do what no-one else thought
they would be able to do.
Sometimes I’m motivated by other people’s success and
sometimes (I have to be brutally honest) I’m just a little bit
intimidated. If I’m not careful I could
easily become depressed when I look at what others have done with their life
compared to my own.
Look, I’m not talking about seeking fame here. Being famous is not the end goal of
life. Yes, I know I’ve chosen to call
this “Your Hall of Fame”, but that’s just the point: This is your hall of
fame. Once you’ve discovered the one
thing in life that you are willing to sacrifice for, it doesn’t matter whether
other people approve or not. Your hall
of fame is not a place where you are being worshiped as a celebrity, dishing
out autographs on the red carpet, smiling at the camera and fighting off crazed
fans.
Your hall of fame is a private place, the place where you
know that you have given it your all and the result has made you happy and the
world around you a better place.
I’m also not saying that becoming famous for a natural
talent that you have cultivated and dedicated yourself to is wrong. No, this is not about distinguishing between
“good” and “better” talents and passions.
This is about knowing what you want to achieve in life and making every
effort to do it.
Oh, here’s another thing that I used to struggle with: I
always thought that I had to have my destiny, passion and talents figured out
by the time I was 18 (at the latest), because that’s what Hollywood tells you;
that’s what the 4 year old with his little fire truck makes you believe. Let me tell you a secret: I’m 36 years old
and I only recently figured out exactly what I would love to do with the rest
of my life.
Let me leave you with one last thought, because these guys
say it better than I could:
“Don’t wait for luck, dedicate yourself and you can find
yourself standing in the hall of fame.”
