Larry David feels just like me and you when it comes to criticism.
You’d think he wouldn’t. He co-created Seinfeld, the most successful sitcom of all time. His current show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is a smash success. He’s on the cover of this month’s Rolling Stone Magazine. And yet, he still does the same math you and I do when it comes to critics.
What’s critic’s math?
The Mumford & Sons have sold 1 million albums this year. They’ve played sold out shows across the country. Bob Dylan played with them at the Grammy’s, in what was easily the best moment of the night. From seemingly out of nowhere, they’ve stormed America and had a run 99.9% of all bands will never experience.
So what’s the secret of their success? They shared it the other day in an interview and it’s actually not that surprising.
A few weeks ago, I heard someone yelling at work.
I stood up in my office, opened the door and was surprised to see the source of all the commotion.
Let’s you and I agree, right now that we won’t call our dreams “revolutionary.”
Why?
It’s fun to write your first book, but do you know which one I’m thinking about right now?
A few weekends ago, I was on the show Fox & Friends. I did it “on the wire,” which means I sat in the Dave Ramsey studio and appeared live from Nashville.
It’s a nationally broadcast show with a weekly audience of millions and millions of people. I was nervous, but since this was my fourth time being on the show, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I was the first time.
When I texted my team leader that I was doing the show again, he wrote me back something that I thought was brilliant. Here is what he said:
When you see someone who has acquired some degree of success, it’s easy to assume that their passion found them like a pure white unicorn unexpectedly showing up in their backyard. They were having coffee in the kitchen and just looked up from the window over the sink to see a dazzling white horse with a horn standing by the bird bath. In wonder, they followed it outside. As they approached, it gently moved away, turning back to make sure they were following. Then, like a surreal Lassie, it led them deep into the forest. After following this magical creature, they were eventually led to a beautiful treasure chest. And that’s how Stephen King became an author.
But that’s not really how it happens. I wish it did. But nobody stumbles on their dream like that. I used to constantly try to have “touchdown moments.” Have you ever seen a movie where a football falls at a fan’s feet? The fan picks it up and then inexplicably throws a 50-yard touchdown. The coach sees it, they immediately put a uniform on him, and he wins the game. Hooray!
Finding out what you’re meant to do is rarely like that. A lot of times, finding out what you’re supposed to do comes at the end of a lot of failure. In fact, sometimes you have to draw monsters.
“How do you get your spouse to support your dream?”
“How do you keep your family a priority when you get really busy?”
“How do you stay focused on being a husband or a wife when a dream takes off?”
I’ve been hearing these questions a lot lately. And they’re great questions to ask because you wouldn’t believe the number of marriages that are wrecked when someone chases a dream the wrong way. I’ve written about them a few times, but I can only speak from one side.
To fully answer those questions, I’ve asked a special guest to come speak at the Quitter Conference.
