Ben Zander: Inspiration in Motion

If you’ve never heard of Ben Zander, you’re missing out on a big treasure. Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and an inspiring speaker. His keynote The Art of Possibility is one of the most engaging speeches I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Just thinking about it warms my heart and reminds me to think about what I can do and not so much about what I can. What was so inspiring is his ability to get off the stage and get involved with the audience. He was scheduled to go 40 minutes and went almost 75, all action and energy packed. After he inspired us for 75 minutes, he signed autographs for 3 more hours. Amazing!

I’ve been meaning to share him with you for a while, so without further ado, what follows is Zander’s talk at TED. For those reading via RSS or via e-mail, here’s a link to Ben Zander’s TED Talk.  It’s not the 75 minutes I got, but it’s enough to give you a shot of inspiration to start your week off well.

Questions to ask yourself?

What can you learn from Ben Zander?

How can you implement some of his ideas into your daily life?

How can Ben Zander help you create a greater, more vibrant life?

Comments

[Harold Shinsato]

Thanks for a fantastic entry, Phil. I've been sharing Ben Zander's wisdom on my blog and in person. There were so many jewels in the 20 minute version, I can't help but wonder what jewels I missed in the 75 minutes you got. But the music and beauty that Ben could portray by looking at the "longer line" of the intent in the music, rather than the individual points, made it easier to understand how to inspire greatness in myself and in others. It's not about the bumps along the way. It's not about what I'm going to have for dinner. It's about the long line. It's how Jesus could do his ministry knowing all the while that everyone would abandon him in the short term, but seeing the long line - that his mission would succeed and save the world. Or how any great leader gets through the ups and downs of the moment. Thanks!

[Kirstine]

What I've learned from Ben Zander...

To see yourself as a contribution instead fo a competitor. I've written about it here: http://www.learnerbyheart.com/i-am-a-contribution/

And to stop the voice in the head saying "you can't do it". It's not getting you anywhere to listen to that voice. Zander advices you to say "Well, thanks for your input, but I'm busy!"