Lessons learned from MJ
Like many, I was shocked to hear the news of Michael Jackson passing away yesterday. It’s interesting to see what is remembered when people pass away. How did the careers of Michael Jackson, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, and Beethoven (to name a few) change once they had passed? And what did they do so that when they did pass, their legacy became even stronger? It’s clear that their presence and mark on the world became even more poignant after their death – what can we learn from this phenomenon?
1. Be the best. OK, so he had his issues, but undoubtedly Michael Jackson worked hard, and was the best at what he did. He will be remembered for what he was really, really, really good at. When you pass away, your best skills are remembered.
2. Have a signature move. When marketing your self, your skills or anything else, it’s important to have a signature move that identifies you and clearly is part of what you do and who you are. Did anybody else do the moonwalk? After you’re gone, people remember the catchy things that you always did.
3. Leave a legacy. We all can’t be Michael Jackson or Bill Gates. But we can in some small, or large or medium way leave an impact on the world, and leave it a better place. When we go, will others be able to say we changed them in some way?
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
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Speaking of talent, I love the mural in that pic. It’s interesting how struck we are when a celebrity dies. I remember being really, really sad when Elliott Smith, the singer, died. I remember where I was, what I was doing, all that…and I didn’t know him. I think we’ll see a lot of homages to Michael Jackson over the next few years – he expired a generation of pop artists, too. He was a weird and talented guy – but a great artist nonetheless.
inspired, not expired.