MAC Week 3 - Post 1 Reading

As I read this week’s reading assignment, chapters 5-8 of “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander, I was slow in getting started. I admittedly was a bit distracted with mind chatter from an argument my wife and I had earlier in the morning. As I progressed further into the chapter on leading from any chair, I found I was getting back into the book. I loved the part where Ben talked about his trip to Cuba, where a local conductor working with a mixed group of Cuba and American musicians got frustrated and was ready to throw in the towel, Ben jumped in and had the Cuban musicians teach their American counterparts how to play the piece. Instantly, the two groups were playing it perfectly. Then they went to play a piece Ben had sent ahead for the Cubans to learn which had gotten hung up in the mail system and never arrived. The American musicians were then able to turn around and teach the piece to their Cuban counterparts and again the day was saved. To me this was a tremendous example of the lesson of leading from any chair.

I then started in on Rule # 6. This chapter could not have come at a more perfect time, as it was completely relevant to the argument that my wife and I had just hours before. This served to completely change my perspective of the argument; it also led me to look at my wife and our relationship in a new light. I just wish I knew how to follow Rosamund’s lead and she did in the section on the inventor and the money man. The chapter as a whole spoke to me in a profound way; I now need to get a sign to hang over my front door that reads, “Remember rule # 6.” This way every time I would see it as I walked out of the house and it would be a daily reminder to not take myself of life so seriously.

This also serves as a great lead in into “The way things are”. Learning to just accept things for being as they are can definitely have a profound impact on ones perspective and approach to life. You may never be able to change things in life, but learning not to dwell on the things in life that you cannot change and to just accept them for being what they are is huge. Why dwell on the fact that you are stuck in a 2 hour traffic jam that is going to make you late for an appointment? You can only get there when you get there. The over drive button on your shift level is not going to allow you to drive over the traffic that’s ahead. Why stress over the things that are out of you control? Instead would you not be better served to tell your self, this is what it is, I will get there when traffic will allow. Take advantage of the time to de-stress, instead of getting stressed. Go over what it is that you might want to say in your meeting, or to make some important phone calls that you weren’t going to be able to get to otherwise. Take advantage of that which is out of your control and find a way to make it work for you instead of against you. This chapter has tremendous possibilities in life.

Lastly was the chapter on “Giving way to passion”. To me this chapter makes sense but was the least meaningful by far of this weeks reading. It certainly makes sense to follow the advice of the chapter title, but at the same time, it doesn’t have impact to me that any of the preceding chapters do. Perhaps this is due to the way that the chapter is presented. It is a much shorter and less example filled chapter than the first seven in the book.  To me this approach didn’t give it the same impact that any of the others thus far have had.