Everybody Wants to Rule the World

 

"Most of freedom and of pleasure, nothing ever lasts forever. Everybody wants to rule the world." 

Everybody Wants to Rule the World.  The iconic 80's anthem from the English pop rock band Tears for Fears, hit the right chords for me lyrically during my teen years. 

I heard it recently and immediately was transported back in time when I truly felt like I could rule the world (didn't we all think that way when we were 17 or 18).  I started thinking about other song lyrics that spoke to me.  

"When I was thirty-five, it was a very good year.  It was a very good year for blue-blooded girls of independent means."  

"And when October goes, the snow begins to fly, above the smoky roofs, I watch the planes go by. The children running home beneath a twilight sky.  Oh, for the fun of them, when I was one of them."  

"But, I still believe. I still believe. Through the pain and through the grief.  Through the lives, through the storms.  Through the cries, and through the wars."  

"It's slinging mud and dirt and grass.  It's I got your number, I got your back when your back's against the wall.  You mess with one man, you got us all.  The boys of fall."  

"What goes up must come down. Spinning wheel got to go 'round. Talkin' 'bout your troubles, it's a cryin' sin.  Ride a painted pony...let the spinning wheel spin. 

What tune are you singing? 

The Final Chapter

 

My wife got me a book for Christmas.  It's the book that inspired the movie I have already seen and loved. And, I love the book. 

There is one section of the book though, where I felt the writer went off the tracks just a bit. Have you ever listened to a song that went on one too many lyrical clusters?  A movie that had a scene or two that was unnecessary?  A book that veered off path for too long? 

What's too long?  When do you come up with the final note, chapter, or verse? 

Writing anything is subjective to the author so there's no right answer. But, there's a feel.  Hemmingway once said "If I started to write elaboratively...I found I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away." 

Far from it for me to judge someone else's pacing, flow, or rhythm...or when they direct us to the final chapter. I only go here for my own growth. 

Turn the page. 

Is a Scoreboard Black & White?

Does the scoreboard tell the whole story? 

Absolutely not (Disclaimer; we aren't talking about the t-ball mentality where everyone gets a medal.  At the end of the day, wins count). 

In sports, business, or life, losing is inherent to winning.  You have to fall short so you aim higher.  The step backward is critical to the two steps forward.  

You have to dig deeper into what the scoreboard tells you. Did you learn something?  Did you make mistakes that led to the loss?  Did you grow? 

Can you make a case for moral victories?  When you are looking at the microscope, absolutely.  The telescope is a much different view. Many moral victories eventually lead to a scoreboard win.  

What you can't do is accept the losses without growth.  What you can't do is continue to do the same things without changing (Einstein said something about this). What you can't do is become complacent with the L.  You have to turn these losses into building blocks to become better.  

When the clock strikes zero, there is a winner or loser.  The scoreboard is the headline.  The byline though decides what happens next.