The Bare Bones

When I'm watchin' my T.V. 

And that man comes on to tell me 

How white my shirts can be 

But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke 

The same cigarrettes as me

This is probably my favorite part of the legendary song. I'm not into the ranting 
"I can't get no..." and leave it to the karaoke machines to do the sing-along.

Then again; it's such an incredible sound that just hit you. And such a classic 
story of Keith writing it in his sleep, recording it on his little Phillips casette
player. Or at least opening up to it, letting the antenna out and capturing 
what was there, around him, and in him.

There was just the bare bones of the song, and it didn't have that noise, 
of course, because I was on acoustic. And forty minutes of me snoring.
But the bare bones is all you need.

The Great Escape Or Career Queen I'm Not

I have to work. What else would I do? Lie in bed and go mad?
So is Keith's take on work, it's there, you're needed, go do, go get better, practise!

I struggle a bit more with my take on work.

It's important to me, it's what I do. And there are many more corporate stories out there for me to nurse into full grown identity supporting pieces.

But I've not fallen into the trap of devoting all my mind & heart to 'da biz', as I've seen many an entrepreneur do.

I did as well for a while. And my soul suffered.
It's a great escape from yourself and your feelings when you let work exhaust you. It's not living or giving and it's not loving or growing.

To me you end up with a rotten life if you're devoted to work more than you're devoted to the person(s) you love & to yourself. So I allow myself to need the man I love. I can't do all my living, exploring and loving on my own, and I don't want to!

Truth is I'm not all self-sufficient, thankfully.

And though the bills can't be paid with feeling good, I can make sure that every time I do pay them, my heart is bursting with love.

Love Wears A White Stetson

Love Wears A White Stetson!

Keith said it. I now have it tattooed on my foot.
To me it's all about acknowledging what's important to you. My own truth. And being bold & brave in love is what I dream of.

Of following my feelings to where they belong, and of risking it all on my way there.

In business it's just as scarry to go all in. And yet as with all things of importance, it's really simple. It's about figuring out what is important, to be brave enough to truly get what drives you - and leave the junk behind.

That said, you have to be into chasing meaning, not money. Getting rich is completely uninteresting to me - unlike Keith - but I do envy his carefree financial situation.

Still, as we all know: Stones is not in it for the money.

Celebrating Mistakes

On the subject of his junky teeth suddenly reappearing in excellent shape,
Keith have said: Miraculously, due to abstinence and prayer, my teeth grew back.

You can try to hide what you do or didn't do fast enough, but there's really no need for it.

First of all; any major corporate errors happening in your market is bound to be leaked,
if not addressed and digested.

Besides, why the wish to cover up and pretend no mistakes happen? When we all
know that a healthy business thrives on mistakes - if they openly deal with them as
a much needed part of any development.

Have a look at Ben&Jerry’s Flavor Cemetery for inspiration!
This is celebrating your mistakes/outdated products in the most positive way:

One of the things that makes Ben&Jerry’s special is the wide variety of flavors, 
but as new ones emerge every year, older and unpopular ones reach the end 
of the line. To honor their memory, Ben&Jerry’s built a cemetery just for them.

I'm A Lousy Plumber

I've said it before, this is all I can do. I'm a lousy plumber,
as the well-known Keith qoute goes.

It all comes down to knowing yourself, respecting your drive to do better,
not bigger or flashier - to dig a bit deeper.

Now me, I'm no guitar player. And I'm no plumber either. Oh dear, no!

But I am a passionate teller of the stories that matter, and I do try to bring out the authentic soul
of every company I'm working for.

Pretending is not an interesting route
Having said that, the naked truth - whether it be doubts, mistakes, errors, worries or fears - is not for everyone to deal with.

Some companies don't find any value in openly talking about their challenges,
and they fight tooth 'n nail to hold on to (what they percieve as) a clean-cut image.

But keep in mind that the world is full of Mick-kind-of-businesses, of chasing
profit and jumping on whatever wagon is running the show.

These are not the fair, creative & visionary leaders of tomorrows bands!

Evolution Makes You Versatile

How Writers Evolve is a wicked article on Men With Pens.
It's by Vangile Makwakwa, a writer and spoken word poet, who digs deep
into the need to grow and evolve personally.

We aren’t scared of change itself. We’re scared of the consequences that 
change brings, she states. And it does ring true to me. Change is a given,
often a welcomed on, as it might as well be, since time ruins regrets for all of us.

Or as Keith puts it: No regrets. No. What goes down, goes down, 
and it's how you deal with it that counts.

And still I sometimes struggle with the concept of the ever changing life.
I get afraid of facing the consequences of my changing, of growing in a new or
different direction, fearing that if I leave "old" truths behind, it erases the meaning
it once had to me.

Not true, but that's how change can feel to even the most easy going of us.

Ergo I'll give Vangile's words some more thought and reflect on her 3 tips:

1: Reconnect with your personal mission
2: Acquire new knowledge and techniques
3: Build a tribe of like-minded people

I Haven't Forgotten Any Of It

"There have been numerous books written about the Rolling Stones or individual members of the band, but "Life" is the biggest seller of them all them all" it says of "Life" being released as paperback.

Good thing too, since my first hard copy is all doodled up + you wanna bring the man and his words withya!

And now Keith's again been honoured for this masterpiece of a bestseller.

"Life" took home the award for Outstanding Literary Achievement at the Spike's Guy's Choice Awards - even a hit with the critics!

And literary outstanding is Keith's telling, and so is his memory. "This is the Life. Believe it or not I haven't forgotten any of it." as the quote goes on the back of the book. And I believe Keith.

Boston Globe said in their review:
"Unlike a slew of recent authors whose phonied-up "memoirs’’ belied lives that actually weren’t too eventful, Richards is the real thing; his drug binges, brushes with the law, and public feuds with Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger are all a matter of public record.".

4 Extra Hours

The saying goes that Richard Branson was once asked at an entrepreneur scholarship program 

- by the way; held at his private island - how he'd manage to run a number of big-brand companies, while still having time for himself and his family.

And the answer from yet another knighted business man was: I work out!

Branson went on to say that his steady work out routine in turn gave him 4 extra hours a day to be productive. Get out of here! Don't believe it. Don't get me started!

Even with all the known benefits of getting your blood pumpin', gaining 4 more productive hours a day sounds highly unrealistic to me. Then again; what do I know of Branson's daily efficiency?

Nevertheless I've now begun a list of what-to-do-with-4-more-hours-a-day. 

Not that my work out routine is steady. 

But maybe it would be if I got to read, laugh and relax in the sun for even 2 hours a day.

Sannyasa

The Sanskrit word sannyas means 'laying or setting aside, abandoning, 
or giving up', writes Barbara De Angelis as I'm reading about "liberation".

Not giving up, the only way to leave this band is in a casket, can probably
count as the Keith way, and I admire his strenght. Absolutely. Am in awe.

Still, me, myself and I need to take other steps to let go of looking back, getting
stuck in a sadness from what could have been instead of opening up to the present,
embracing it. The Now.