“Im inspired by people who keep on rolling, no matter their age“
Jimmy Buffett
I heard something on Sirius/XM yesterday while running errands that literally stopped me in my tracks. Luckily, I was at a stop light so no one was hurt.
Did you know that The Rolling Stones have been together since 1962? For the last 61 years, these rockers from the suburbs of London have been delivering music that has been the soundtrack for multiple generations of people. The world of music that we enjoy today has been heavily influenced by The Stones more than people might admit.
And they aren’t resting on their 60+ years’ worth of laurels. They have a new album and tour coming this summer.
The moral of the story? Quit bitching about how busy you are, what needs to happen for you to succeed, or why everyone else has an advantage over you.
Think of all the great bands that have started since Mick, Keith, Brian Jones, Bill, and Charlie first played and yet, faded off into obscurity. Many of the bands they influenced have started, succeeded, and stopped, yet the Stones still roll on…pun intended.
Brian Jones was fired by the band a few weeks before his death and they added Mick Taylor, Ron Wood, and Darryl Jones but if you ask most people, they will tell you that “The Rolling Stones” are Mick and Keith.
When you picture The Rolling Stones, what do you see? The unforgettable logo? The LPs and CDs from your music collection? The swagger?
How’s Your Swagger?
Think back to when you first started your current career. Where will you be when your “band” starts its 62nd year in the business? Will you have earned a loyal fan base? Will you still be delivering relevant material? Will others be learning from your example? Will people still know your name?
You can make all the Grandpa jokes that you want. We can wonder how Keith Richards has survived all these years. You can speculate whether Justin Beiber, Maroon 5, or Beyonce will still be stars when our grandkids are graduating high school.
Or we could just “Get Your Ya Ya’s Out” and give the old boys a round of applause.
Even though they sang that “(you) Can’t Always Get What You Want,” I’m guessing that The Rolling Stones have a little “Satisfaction” for the way things have worked out.
