It's a Bird! It's a Train! No It's Pujols on a Plane!

“It’s crazy how I feel this way, I can’t explain, please don’t go away.” –Buckcherry

Say what you want about rock n’ roll but it has wisdom. We are all in sales. We all want another to buy or make a donation, to want our service, to be NEEDED. We are all seeking contribution when we should really be focused on giving it out.   

I went to the Buckcherry concert recently and jammed out in the third row. I thought for sure I would be deaf the next day so I really made a point to relish in the moment, knowing it may be the final time I hear the beauty of the spoken word, although I use “spoken” here very loosely.  

Mr. Buckcherry has a tattoo on his mid-section that says “CHAOS.”  I think it’s appropriate for him.  I made friends at the concert with two girls who said he “propositioned” them and asked to go backstage at his last concert in St. Louis.   He was “wanting” them and they declined yet they were back in the 3rd row again this night.  

In life, we have to separate fantasy from reality. After living in both myself, reality is so much better. I love Buckcherry music but I don’t love him. I can separate the two. And though it may be dangerous, it is a line I am willing to cross. What is your line? Are your standards high enough to turn down fantasy? 

Coming from contribution is a guaranteed way to never be out of work. People want, want, want and we think fulfillment is always within our grasp. For Buckcherry, it's that next pretty girl. When you just “want” for yourself you encounter chaos like Buckcherry's life. If you give, give, give then you will attract people, including your prospects. They will want to be around you and eventually want YOU to hit your goals. At our core, people are good, but we get distracted by the desire of high achievement, more of this or that until we lose the very foundation we worked so hard for.  

The World Series was awesome, but the next week people were talking like, “now we have to defend it next year to prove it wasn’t a fluke!” We are rarely content, joyful, or fulfilled and it is because we are not “coming from contribution."   

Cardinals Manager, Tony Larussa, quits even before the champagne turns warm.   Our “franchise guy” Albert Pujols took a plane out of Lambert this morning, presumably for a “job interview.” As everyone knows $200 million doesn’t go very far with our standard of living in The Lou.  

Don’t count on a World Series or some doctor to give you a body transformation to give you fulfillment. There is a huge difference between pretty and beautiful.   Pretty is outside like siding on a house. Beauty is the inside rooms filled with new furniture, a loved one-eyed teddy bear on a bed, and a warm Thanksgiving dinner on the table. There is a huge difference between what you want to have and what you need to be happy.  

It is the simple things that we truly need.  A job well done. The smile of a friend. The unconditional love of a child. The warmth and security of a place called home.  Try “coming from contribution” this week and I bet you will be happier.  People closest to you will become closer. We can be transformed. Be slow to anger.  Embrace chaos. And not quite as important, but enjoy being World Champions!!

Abundantly Yours,

Kyle Weaver