Last night I finished reading The Midnight Library. If you haven’t read it, I won’t spoil it for you. But one of the ideas that stayed with me as I closed the book was this: a meaningful life isn’t built only from the big moments. It’s built from thousands of tiny ones that quietly become part of who we are. Which is funny…because something happened this morning that made me realize exactly what that looks like. It was 6:30 a.m. and I was driving to the airport headed to another conference. I started the car. And the very first song that came on the radio (at full blast of course) was…. I Love Rock ‘n Roll. And I smiled. Not because I suddenly had the overwhelming urge to crank some Joan Jett at sunrise, but because two weeks ago, I was standing on a stage when an audience member picked that exact song during one of my karaoke moments. If you’ve seen me speak recently, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Somewhere in the middle of my keynote, we stop talking about networking for a minute, turn the music up, and the room completely loses its mind. People are singing. They’re dancing in their seats. They all hold up their cell phones for the “lighter moment”. For about ninety glorious seconds it’s like a tiny concert. A pressure release valve. Group therapy…with a much better soundtrack. That day, she picked I Love Rock ‘n Roll. And I was like YAAAAAS!!!! And this morning, as soon as those first few guitar chords came through my speakers, I wasn’t thinking about the song anymore. I was thinking about her. That audience. That room. That moment. It made me realize something, the longer we spend connecting with people, the more our lives become filled with these invisible reminders. A song becomes a memory. An airport becomes the place where you met someone who changed your thinking. A city becomes the audience that made you laugh until your stomach hurt. The corner seat at the bar becomes the night you met a lifelong friend. (IYKYK) The world slowly stops being made up of places and things…and starts becoming a collection of people and memories. I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about relationships. Most people think networking is about expanding your opportunities. And it is. But I think the greatest return on investment is something entirely different. Your world gets bigger. Not just because you travel more. Not just because you know more people. But because ordinary moments start carrying extraordinary meaning. A random song on the radio isn’t random anymore. It’s a doorway back to a room full of people who were laughing, singing, and connecting with one another. This morning I am on my way to create another one of those moments. Tomorrow, someone else will pick another song. We’ll all sing far louder than any professional conference probably should. And a month from now, I’ll hear that song in a grocery store…or an airport…or while making dinner. And for a few seconds, I’ll be transported right back to that room. That’s the thing about meaningful moments. They don’t end when the music does. They echo. Sometimes through a conversation. Sometimes through a memory. And sometimes…through a song on the radio at 6:30 in the morning that reminds you that your life is filled with people and moments worth remembering.
Cheers,
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I Love Rock and Roll 🎸
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