Would there still be rock’n’roll?
Of course there would. There were dozens… a few dozen… probably a hundred dozen bands trying to achieve what they were trying to at that time. Some might even have had more talent. If The Beatles hadn’t been there to catch the public’s imagination first, someone else would have. It would have been different, but we wouldn’t still be swaying to Bing Crosby and Tommy Dorsey. We’d be rockin’ in some way.
If Kennedy hadn’t gotten behind the space program, would man have walked on the moon?
Of course. Maybe not “our” men. (Maybe “your” men, wherever you are.) But somebody would have gotten there. They probably still would have said something corny, too.
If Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem weren’t such vocal and persuasive leaders of the women’s movement, would women have still have moved? Of course!
If Phil Knight’s wife didn’t own a waffle iron would we still have high-performance sneakers? You bet. Might not look the same, though…
If Steve Jobs didn’t think beautiful and usable went together, would you be sitting at a micro-computer right now? Yep. But it might be a little less beautiful.
Atari 520ST and TRS-80. If you remember these like I do… sorry for the flashback!
If Darren Rowse didn’t get out in front, would professional blogging still have existed (for those who really do make money at it)? Sure. Someone else would have led the charge.
I could go on…
Why are you sitting around, bemoaning the leaders you can’t be, the trends you should have been at the front of? Did Phil Knight wonder why he couldn’t invent rock’n’roll? No way.
Find the place where you can be the first champion. Don’t look behind you. You don’t have to be the best. Stand up, create a movement, and lead the charge.
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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18 June 2010, 8:14 am
Hmmm, “2nd Annual Amiga Developers Conference”? Looks suspiciously like a personal photo too… Have you been holding out on us?
Ironic, since Amiga was in many ways considered to be the leader in its field at the time. It was hands-down the best machine for music (from what I heard), great — perhaps the best — graphic control. AND it had the power of Commodore behind it.
Still, it fell by the wayside.
Which proves your point, I think: if the leaders weren’t there to blaze the trail, someone else would have — and in this case, did.
Interesting (I think) and related (I think) story about the Beatles: My brother-in-law once told me that a reporter asked John Lennon if Ringo Starr was the “greatest drummer in the world”. Lennon looked at the reporter with incredulity and said: “He’s not even the best drummer in the band!”
~Graham
18 June 2010, 2:09 pm
Graham,
It’s not mine, it’s from flickr, but believe me, the flashbacks I had were plenty personal. That TRS-80 was what I learned BASIC and… ack, what was that other early language… on in high school. Ick. But I bet I can still code a nice loop to count to 100 or display a smiley face made of ****s, haha.
At home, my Dad was a computer scientist charged with keeping his company abreast of developments, so we were Apple folks right from minute #1. Those were the days…
Who but Lennon would say something like that? That’s precious! And absolutely the point. Being the best isn’t necessary to being willing to stand up and lead, just being the one who’ll go for it.
Regards,
Kelly
18 June 2010, 7:39 pm
Kelly, I like this post. I think if it were a photo the caption would be, “When opportunity knocks, get off your frickin’ butt and answer the door!” Or better, “Don’t just sit there, lead somebody!”
Recently I blogged about my cousin’s wife who started a new career after she and her husband stumbled upon some old machinery laying in the weeds on their farm. Read about it here: http://bit.ly/d4Gi1n They saw an opportunity and made the most of it.
There’s no reason why we can’t all do that.
Glenn
Glenn´s latest blog… There’s More Than One Type Of Customer