So I went to a MeetUp last night. It was a group in Naperville, Illinois, and the group is called TEDx Naperville, an independently organized TED event. We have all seen TED videos right? The videos are thought provoking, motivating, inspiring etc…at least the ones I have seen are.
So I get there and I ask, what is the purpose of the group? I’m told that we will watch two or three TED videos, and then discuss them. Sounds good to me…I’m IN.
Video #1 was just OK, and there was very little discussion. Video #2 was heart touching, and made me cry….and apparently I was the only one touched by it, another blog post on that coming later. Video #3 wasn’t even a TED video, but Steve Job’s 2005 Commencement Address to Stanford University. Very Inspiring, if you haven’t seen it watch it here. Steve Jobs talked about three things: #1 He didn’t graduate college, #2 Being fired from Apple, and #3 Death.
After the video, people were saying nice things about it, then the moderator says something like, “Doesn’t anyone find this to be bullshit?” I asked him why he thought it was, and that conversation lead to a very interesting aha moment for me.
I thought people who liked TED videos were ALL like me. I thought they were all into personal development, and the Universal Laws of Success. But last night, I stood alone in understanding the value in what Steve Jobs told that 2005 graduating class.
Here is what every other person took from that video: Steve Jobs was rich, and while he could stand there and give advice to those graduates and tell them to follow their passion in life, that wasn’t “real world” advice. After all, Steve Jobs could “afford” to follow his passion. They all thought all of those graduates were either already wealthy or would be because they now had a Stanford diploma.
One guy said, “Regular people go to work and come home and watch TV at night.” Every single one of them saw their lives as “regular people” who work to make a living to just “get by”. One said, “It doesn’t matter how much money you make because one illness could wipe you out.” The sentiment behind this statement was, so why even try, you’re just going to lose it all anyway when you get sick. There was no light at the end of anyone’s tunnel, and if they saw a light it was only going to be attached to a large train that was going to run them over before their time. The attitude of the room seemed to be: We will work and then we will die. I felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. Seriously, it was like they were speaking a foreign language to me.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get them to understand that “regular people” do amazing things with their lives. Regular people drop out of college and change the world like Steve Jobs did. Regular people developed a vaccine to eradicate polio like Jonas Salk did. Regular people can become a journalist, get their own talk show, and become someone amazing, like Oprah did. Regular people care for the sick, the elderly and poor that no one else will, like Mother Theresa did.
And there was my “Aha Moment”. There are more people in the world like those in the group last night, than there are of me. I’m in the minority. I never saw that before because in my world, Regular people write books, Regular people write blogs, Regular people start businesses, Regular people understand how important personal development is so they can do amazing things everyday while the rest of the world goes to work, and just “gets by,” never having the life they want. Regular people do amazing things every day and some of them become wonderfully rich because of the amazing things they do. God, I LOVE America!
Warning! The next statement is going to sound very arrogant, and I just want you to know that I realize how it sounds. It’s not meant to sound arrogant, but it does…so here goes. When I left, I had decided these people need me. WOW, that is a pretty arrogant statement, right? But I know I could help each and every one of them become Amazing Regular People. But in order to do that, these people would have to believe there is more to life than going to work, doing their job, coming home and watching TV all night.
I decided to go back one more time, not because they need me, but to see if any of the seeds I planted have taken root. I am not here to force people to have, be, and do more than what they want. I am here to help those few who believe they can have more, be more and do more than they have so far.
If you are a “Regular Person”, who would like to explore how you can do Amazing things in your life and your business, then I would like to offer you a FREE Coaching Call. Click here to schedule your free – no strings attached coaching call. Act fast, because once the spots are gone, they’re gone, because I have Amazing things to do.
Tags: bloggers, Business Coach, Business Coaching, Franchise Coaching, Free Coaching, goals, Help for small business owners, Jean Kuhn, mastermind, mentoring, personal development, self-development, success
The world could always use more Amazing People! What a wonderful post! ~Michelle Colon-Johnson
Michelle,
Thank you so much. I’m pretty sure you are one of the leaders of the Amazing People Group. Thank you for the note last night on my facebook page. I went to sleep one happy girl, because of the high five AND the hip bump.
Another fantastic post, Jean! I have experienced that Twilight Zone feeling and can relate to how disturbing that feels. I think it is a sign of your awareness of the Laws AND the great people you normally associate with. Not that these Meetup people are not great, not at all. They are just operating from a different level of awareness and that level may not include an understanding of their unlimited potential. I don’t think it’s an accident that you landed there and I’m glad you’re planning to go back. They DO need you!
Hey Linda,
You are right, the Meetup people are very nice people, but they don’t understand their unlimited potential. I was kind of chuckling on the inside, when they were trying to convince me that their “perception” was how it is. I have come a very long way in the last year when it comes to prosperity, and seeing the way I use to look at wealth and how I do now. But I will say, I never ever felt like wealthy people were not entitled to all that they have. I just now see them as Regular People doing Amazing things, and I am soooo capable of doing the same.
I’m coming with you to the next one!
And you go, Jean! Go change some ordinary folks into amazing ones!
Karen, you are pretty darn Amazing yourself. Congrats on the book you just finished, and the other 2 you have in the works. Come with me, that would be great. I will let you know when it is.
Hi Jean,
Yes, beginning with paragraph five (actually, paragraph four, perhaps) I was indeed shocked. And, it’s a very good reminder of what our friend, Randy Gage calls the mind viruses or “memes” that have infected our world.
It makes sense that we would assume people who attended a meeting like that would come from a similar mindset but – as you eloquently pointed out – that is not necessarily the case.
Great reminder for me. Thank you so much for writing this article!
P.S. And, yes…they definitely need you!
Hi Bob,
Thanks for your comment, and reposting my blog. That’s is funny that you mentioned Randy Gage, because I was thinking about his “memes” while this conversation was taking place. It is so funny because once you learn from people like you, and Randy, and countless others, it is so easy to see the lack of “awareness” in others. While this may sound judgemental it is not. This experience was just an eye opener into how much I have grown.
Excellent post and it’s something that I believe we all experience at some point in our lives: the shock of realizing everyone we associate with do not see things the way we do. What I did like was the fact that the moderator actually allowed for a debate of ideas and perceptions. Too often in our world, debate or even a difference of opinions is often stifled in favor of “group think.” Imagine what may have happened if you weren’t there to challenge their way of thinking.
Great job and keep us informed as to what happens the next time you visit them. I’m very curious to hear about their reactions.
Hi Tim,
Thank you for your comment. I found your last sentence thought provoking, because, while I will go back at least one more time. I am 100% sure not one of the people that were there will have read this blog. I have been thinking about whether or not I tell them about it. I did find the moderator interesting too, because he threw out the statement about it all being “BS”, then as the discussion was really going strong, he proceeded to pack up his equipment, pay the bill, and came back at the end. I thought, “what was that all about?”