Five thousand people show up to the venue to hear five people.
And then the next night a different group of five thousand show up to hear a few other people.
There are more people who want to see a good show than people who are good at putting on a show.
It’s been that way for a long time. And it’s not changing anytime soon.
Keep playing.
It’s fun to be talented. It’s that extra head start someone has (for whatever reason) that makes it easy when they first get into something.
The 6 year old piano wizard.
The 12 year old who plays varsity.
The 18 year old who invents a helpful widget.
And then at some point in the near future a decision is made, consciously or unconsciously, about what to do with the talent.
Because if nothing changes, the playing field is going to level out.
Getting serious about the talent will help breed maturity…which will help to sustain both high level performance and resilience.
Leaning solely on talent will be a thrill ride of ever decreasing thrills.
»» The companion to serious in this equation is enjoyment.
It’s hard to be hungry when you have a buffet.
But the hunger is what made you great enough to achieve the buffet status.
And it’s hard to simulate that hunger. You have to really go through the pain that goes along with hunger.
The pain is the unknown. The wilderness. The abyss. The scary part. The challenging risky thing. Fully committing to stepping off a new ledge.
You spent so much time there before and it was hard. Now the thought of going back is disheartening…perfect.
It’s easier to run into someone from NSYNC than it is to run into Justin Timberlake.
More people have stories of running into someone from The Killers than they do to Brandon Flowers.
And security can keep track of a solo artist. But in a band there’s at least someone who doesn’t want to be kept track of…and that person gets run into more.
Another interesting thing is that there’s a usually a hierarchy of who you run into. The lead singer is almost always the ultimate…but some people like the more understated drummer, or the more available bass player. But they each count as an impression on behalf of the band.
And one more…when you run into all the band members at once, you feel the weight of the soul of the band. A truly unique experience.
A band has more interactions. Therefore more people walking around with stories. A wider net of influence. More excitement.