If I Could Have A Conversation With Anyone...

A very good question.

I like to pick people's brains, if they let me. More specifically, successful people's brains. Not to be nosey, just to gain knowledge to better yourself. It's also not always about the money necessarily. It is just about striving for personal and professional growth. When you are passionate about an area and really want to succeed in that field, I believe in finding someone that is already successful in it and trying to replicate their success. At school we are told not to copy, but in life "modelling" the success of someone else can only help you to achieve greater things.

If I could have a conversation with anyone, this hub mentions a few of the people that I would like to sit down with over coffee.

...and have him answer back. Orally. We could talk about the meaning of life stuff. The chance to revel in the light of divine reality and in God's presence is something I look forward to in the next life.

I am a Christian but my mind struggles to grasp with concepts like "but who created God?" and things like that. It is just beyond my comprehension here on Earth.

Anyways, failing that, I would like to have a conversation with:

About 20 years ago, my family & I were living in Indonesia due to dad's work. As a kid it was horrible - hot humid weather, strange language, no friends, limited English television. An American Top 30 music video show (and MacGyver) saved me. It was then that Michael Jackson's "Black or White" hit the top spot for what seemed like forever.

The music. The imagery. The dancing. The morphing. The controversy. I loved it. Instant fan. I started paying attention to music in general from that point on.

Michael Jackson was an innovator in his field. I regret not being able to see him in concert, but I'm not overly upset about that because you can get a front row seat watching the DVD releases of his concerts. I would have loved the chance though to talk to him in an unrestricted interview though.

What would I ask?

I'm not sure really. I guess it's probably more about seeing him at work and seeing what makes him tick. Who wouldn't want to sing and dance like that? I often find myself standing in front of the mirror trying to achieve the magical illusion of those dance moves.

I was playing the keyboards and guitar and writing songs as a personal vice towards the end of high school. I dreamed of writing just one Number One song and living off the royalties! Then I wouldn't have to work in a job I didn't like, I could spend it writing more music which I love. If I could only be 1/12th as successful as Michael Jackson was, that would have been enough.

Unfortunately, I haven't done much writing for over a year now. There have been a few events in my life that have had an enormous impact on me recently. It's almost as if it has blocked my creativity instead of allowing me to use the wealth of material it has generated.

Well, I probably wouldn't understand much of what Albert Einstein would tell me but it would be great just the same. E=mc² is simple enough to understand as a formula, but I mean how the hell did he come to that conclusion and have the whole scientific community, firstly, understand it and secondly, go bananas over this fantastic new theory.

I imagine our conversation would go something like this:

Me: Mr Einstein, thank you for the opportunity to sit down with me for a cup of coffee.

Einstein: keine Sorgen

Me: Sir, I am really keen to be an expert at something. I'm not sure what though.

Einstein: An expert is a man that has made all mistakes possible in a narrow field of expertise

Me: Oh, well that makes me feel relativity better. But how can I become creative like yourself and many others who have gone down in the history books as extraordinary?

Einstein: The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.

Me: Right. Any other advice you're willing to share?

Einstein: Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.

Me: Hmm. *grapples with the concept and sips coffee*

Another great brain. Actually, in addition to Leonardo Da Vinci we should include Thomas Edison and Isaac Newton to the list, among others. When I think of Leonardo and his peers, I think:

How does one person invent so many things?

What does it take to see things that other people cannot see?

How do you "stand on the shoulder of giants" to build upon the success of others?

How does one get so many talents covering a broad range of the arts and sciences?

These guys must have thought the rest of the world were idiots!

1. To be considered a "guru" at something, especially at work, you only need to be able to do that something a tiny bit better than the rest. This is something my divisional manager actually admitted.
   
2. Things may seem impossible, but once one person proves it can be achieved, within a short span of time after that more people achieve the same feat. It is that mental barrier that something cannot be done that is ensuring it cannot be done!
3. Do not lose faith and belief in yourself or your abilities because other people are telling you cannot achieve your dreams. If you give in to their "theory of negativity" you will never get to where you want to go. Surround yourself with people of a similar mindset.
4. Learn to recognize the smaller successes. You might not have achieved your big dreams, but may have gotten 75% of the way there without realizing. That's still an achievement.
   
5. Gratitude is important, but don't use it as an excuse to give up on aiming higher.
   

"Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." - Thomas Edison

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." - Michael Jackson