Church Bells of Change
“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We Shall Never Surrender!”
Winston Churchill’s iconic speech on June 4, 1940, served as a critical psychological inflection point of World War II. By mobilizing the English language, Churchill transformed military disaster into a rallying cry for national defiance. Delivered after the “Miracle of Dunkirk” evacuation, his oratory shifted the British narrative from gloom, doom and despair to an unwavering, unbending commitment to defeat Nazi tyranny – whatever the cost may be.
Inflection Points describe a major event that alters the direction of a nation, a business, industry, career or life.
Inflection Points mark specific moments in time when the course of history is forever changed. For example, the invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers in 1903 was an inflection point for aviation and the entire transportation industry. For you, an inflection point could be triggered by external events like a health crisis, job loss or death of a loved one. It could also be driven by internal forces such as a break-up of a business or life partnership, discovering a new marketable skill or a change in mindset that sparks desire for a fresh start.
For Eric, his inflection point occurred when he insisted on releasing a certain song his record company wasn’t crazy about. The suits in charge wanted safer, more predictable hits. Eric responded by digging in his cowboy boots and drawing a line in the sand. Either the label releases the song, or he would never cut another record with them again. That unyielding moment of rebelliousness propelled the career of Eric Church into orbit and illustrates how anyone can make their own breaks simply by having the courage of their convictions. Award-winning director Peter Zavadil was behind the lens for the “Smoke A Little Smoke” music video and in this conversation, he illustrates what really went on behind the scenes. Similar to Winston Churchill or Eric Church one act of defiance might be all it takes for you to ring the Church Bells of Change on this segment of Leaders & Legends.
“Many people have come to think they can just wake up and have things handed to them. I’m not a trust-fund type. The most important thing for me as an artist is having an identity”
“Turn the quiet up, turn the noise down. Let this ol' world just spin around. I wanna feel it swing, wanna feel it sway. And put some feel good in my soul. Drink a little drink, smoke a little smoke”
Real music grabs you by the throat.
Sends shivers through your entire body.
Kicks you where the sun don’t shine and leaves you with a big ass smile.
Music like this has been known to solve many of the world’s problems.
p.s… Only you know the critical Inflection Points of your life or career when trajectory shifted dramatically upwards and kicked open the doors of prosperity. Sometimes in ways that presented both extreme risk and unprecedented opportunity. Real-life crossroads when significant change happened gradually, then suddenly. Recently had a chance to reflect on my own Top Ten Career Inflection Points and can highly recommend doing this exercise on yourself. A middle-of-the-night excursion to a 24-hour coffee shop to write a horseshit essay is one such example of a moment in time in January of 2006 that forever tilted my world on so many levels.
If someone asked you to compose your own Top Ten List of Inflection Points, how would you respond? Would you be able to detect any overarching patterns from your own experiences when your world changed forever?
Would you be kind enough to share those responses and what you learned?
Curious to know what you come up with. Feel free to e-mail your responses to gair@gairmaxwell.com
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