Elton John, Billy Joel, Phil Collins and Freddie Mercury all have 
something in common, aside of a smidge of talent and the fact 
they all became pop-stars. 

Watch Elton John perform I’m Still Standing or Billy Joel play My 
Life at their pianos, or witness Freddie Mercury winding up for 
We are the Champions or Phil Collins on drums during In The Air 
Tonight, and you’ll witness something magical happening, 
something that sends a shiver down your spine. But what is it 
that they do?

That same ‘something’ caused Bob Geldoff to pull all his music 
industry pals together and raise millions for charity back in the 
eighties with the hit Do they Know its Christmas and the 
subsequent Band Aid appeal. It got Churchill to move the nation 
with powerful speeches and it is all that stands between you, me 
and our true greatness.

But what is that ‘something’? And is it simple enough to bring 
into our everyday lives?

Read the story below and you will see how easy it is to bring 
this ‘something’ into your life and as you read it you may also 
get a sense of how you may currently be stopping it flowing into 
your life. 

A year ago I suggested that my son took up music lessons with his 
grandfather. His Pappy is a professional musician, and if you’re 
child is going to become the prodigy that all parents’ hope they 
will be, you want them to learn from a pro, don’t you, especially 
if that pro is a family member. He took the suggestion up and 
here is what unfolded. 

Nine months later he’d had enough. It seemed like hard work. Sure 
he mastered the scales – nothing wrong with his fingers – could 
read the notes – nothing wrong with his memory – but he couldn’t 
sit still during the lessons and in the week in between each 
session we only ever heard him doing minimal practicing. 

(Does this sound like you when you are at work? Going through the 
motions, doing the minimal amount?) 

After school he never took himself off to his room, plugged in 
the keyboard and shocked himself with something new he’d learned 
to do. He never hit heaven, blissed out, totally astounded 
himself or got excited over a new discovery. He never came to me, 
shook me from my book and said, “Listen to this. It’ll blow your 
mind.”

We concluded it wasn’t his thing – each to his own – and he 
admitted he only took it up because he thought I’d be happy! 

Stephen King once said, “Talent renders rehearsal meaningless; 
when you find something you love you do it until your fingers 
bleed and your eyes fall out your head… every outing is a bravura 
performance because you as the creator are happy.”

My son and I chatted. We concluded if there’s no joy in it, 
there’s no point in it, and therefore he’s best off spending 
keyboard practice time searching for that ‘something’ else where 
he can hit that high in life. He’s best to look for somewhere 
else to apply his talent and reap the rewards of joy. 

Some of us pretend in life. We pretend to do what we think makes 
our parents happy. We pretend to enjoy work. We pretend to be 
happy while we sell our soul. We pretend to be artistic or 
creative but never put oomph into it and maybe… just maybe we 
drift through life with that thought that there must be something 
else out there.

But life is an experience – one big talent show for us to show 
off our skills. It is not a practice for some future event that 
we hope will just drop out of the sky. 

Great writers write everyday until their eyes fall out their head 
and their brain won’t function, great coaches coach everyday, 
great musicians play until their fingers bleed. All of them love 
every single moment of what they do. It’s about passion. It’s 
about blissing out. It’s about happiness. It’s about being at one 
with your self - being truly honest with who you really are. 

Remember you’re heroes – great comedians, interviewers, 
musicians, singers, teachers etc. They all have that bliss in 
their eyes, hearts and minds at the moment they affected you 
most.

Let’s not pretend another day. You and I came to this earth with 
a unique and special talent, yet why in God’s name don’t you use 
it to the full. Why are we doing spreadsheets and sweeping roads 
when we would sooner be an artist or a therapist?

Put up with snotty customers at the call centre or organise the 
bazaar for the WI committee if it means something to you, but 
please do not ever kid yourself about your level of passion and 
commitment when you choose what you do with your life.

My son made his stance to be blissed by life as a ten year old. 
How old are you? Have you made the same commitment to your life 
yet? 

Neil Millar is the author of Black Water, the adventure novel 
with personal growth, and the personal development books Greater 
Steps to Happiness and Be the Hero in your Own Life. He writes 
articles each month for Unstoppable Life along with the personal 
development coach, Jo Ball.  

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