Archive for February, 2010
On Greatest Hits
Feb 26th
Yesterday was my birthday, and my friends and family hooked me up with a bunch of my favorite things (Chipotle gift card, Jeni’s Ice Cream, books, etc.).
One of my presents was The Foo Fighters’ Greatest Hits
It’s unreal.
Every single song is incredibly well-written, perfectly mastered and authentically “Foo” – which got me thinking, ”How can a single band produce that many amazing songs?” Simple:
- Consistency
- Their willingness to “ship”
Consistency
The Foo Fighters was formed by Dave Grohl (of Nirvana fame) back in 1995. Now while it may not seem that long ago, 1995 was fifteen (15!) years ago. Since then, The Foo Fighters have recorded and released six studio albums with a total of 81 different tracks. That means that for the past fifteen years, they have (on average) written, arranged, edited, and recorded a new song every month – on top of touring, appearances, promotions, etc.
Obviously, some songs are better than others, which is why only 13 of the original 81 made the Greatest Hits album. But here’s the key – each of the six albums is represented on the Greatest Hits CD. Even though The Foo Fighters have gotten better (in my opinion) over the years, they still had highlights along the way.
Willingness to Ship
Yesterday I listened to a great podcast interview of one of my favorite authors, Seth Godin
The fear that most bands/authors/investors/artists/(insert profession here) face is that their album or book or investment or painting won’t be a “hit” – an overnight success.
Most people set out to create a chart-topper the first time out. But they fail to realize it takes bands decades to come up with enough hit songs to create a greatest hits album. Becoming an expert in any field takes time, persistence, and a willingness to put your neck out there and learn from your mistakes. But if you aren’t willing to “ship” your product and take a chance in the first place, you will never know what works.
Write Your Own Ending
Not everything you do today (or this year, or this decade) will be a “greatest hit.” Not everything you touch will turn to gold. But if you consistently put out high-quality content in your field, maybe (just maybe) you’ll look back 15 years from now and be pleased with the body of work you have contributed to the world.
The Roads We Travel
Feb 18th
The roads near my house have been especially miserable the past month or so. Living in a traditional neighborhood has its perks, but a complete lack of plowing is not one of them. As a result, I have been forced to modify my daily drive and look for more efficient, safer ways of getting home.
In doing so, I have learned a lot about the way other people think (and why my logic is quite different).
Most people prefer to stay on the “main” streets. Interstate highways and major roads are typically the first to be plowed and salted, so it is understandable why people feel “safer” on them. As a result, these roads quickly turn into parking lots when the weather turns bad. The volume of cars on these roads doesn’t necessarily increase, but delays are quickly compounded when they aren’t operating at their intended efficiency (speed limit).
The result? One hour commutes that usually take 15 minutes. Or 40-car pile ups that cause roads to completely shut down (not an exaggeration).
On the other hand, I hate sitting in traffic. I would much rather take a “round-about” way and be on the move the entire time than sit among a sea of steel in stop-and-go for two minutes. I love finding new ways to get from Point A to Point B. If it’s going to take me an hour to get home, I might as well have fun doing it and see some places I’ve never seen before.
And that’s why it’s hard for me to understand why so many people afraid of trying new things. What is the worst that could happen?
And that’s when I realized that it pays to be part of the minority – both in driving and in business. While most people are content playing it “safe”, driving on major highways, a select few are off on the side streets – having fun, seeing new things, and meeting new people. It might take you a little longer to get where you want to go, but chances are even better that…
You’ll get to your destination sooner and have more fun doing it.
What roads do you frequent? Is there an alternate route you should be considering?