I finally saw (500) Days of Summer this past week. The film is absolutely incredible and the soundtrack is phenomenal also. I downloaded from iTunes on Wednesday and listened to it twice on my drive from Duluth to the airport yesterday. The soundtrack features two songs from The Smiths: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out and Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want. I really enjoy the sound of both especially Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want.
As I was listening, I felt a bit bad that I really hadn’t listened to much of The Smiths before. I’m loving their music. Sure some could say that is fine as they were really prominent in the 1980s, but I’m a huge U2 fan and own all the U2 albums from the 80’s.
I think it is because I’m not that cool.
I’m not saying I’m lame or anything like that, but I’ve never been one of those cutting edge music people. It wasn’t until Natalie Portman told Zach Braff that The Shins would change his life that I ever heard of that group. I tend to be more mainstream or big budget store. I don’t hate any of these groups, but I’ve never really been in the first wave of a group.
I read about and study pop culture for work. I can talk about most major television shows and I have a general understanding of most films. I can hold my own in a conversation about the latest songs on the radio, but don’t expect me to be the guy who shows you new media for the first time. Someone else tends to discover it first.
It’s because to a certain degree, I like the comfort and safety of the familiar or the vetted. Restaurants are the biggest example of this. I eat out more than most Americans simply because I’m on the road well over 100 days of the year. In the past, I’d eat in a chain 90% of the time. I’d be tired after a long day of speaking and/or traveling and I know what type of food I can get at that chain.
One of my good friends from college also regularly travels for work now, but he takes an entirely different approach. He searches out the local restaurants 90% of the time. He’s told me, “If you eat at a chain, you’re basically guaranteed a 6 or a 7, but it won’t ever get higher than that. With the local stuff, I tend to always get an 8, and handful of 9’s & 10’s. Sure you might get a 4 or 5 once here and there, but the 10 totally makes it worth it.”
He’s found some good food this way, and in the process experienced a better snapshot of American life.
I think our organizations can fall into my same bad habit. We stick to what is familiar, what is already vetted. We worry about being cutting edge. We consistently show up and perform at a “7” and that’s good, but we never hit that “9” or a “10.”
But what if we searched out something new? Sure we might stumble a few times, but when we succeed, could we create something “that will change your life”?
I’m working to make myself more open to the unfamiliar. I first heard about (500) Days of Summer when I was at the Sundance Film Festival this past January. I couldn’t get a ticket for it then, but I saw several other films months before they were released to the general public. I just applied to volunteer at the festival in 2010, and will hopefully head back and experience a new batch. It was cool to see something before there was even a review. In Duluth, I ate at local restaurants, asking the waiters for their recommendations on signature dishes. So far, I have to agree with my friend–it’s definitely more in the 8 or 9 range. Life is quite a bit more exciting when you make the unfamiliar familiar.
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