Creepy Communication

The creepy TV show Toddlers & Tiaras would most probably be banned in DK.

Exploiting small kids and their celebrity hungy parents ought to be illigal anyway.
It's chilling to see children - as young as a couple of months old - being tought to
believe their biggest dream is to grow up and look like a prostitute.

Granted, there's a world of difference in culture, education and history between a
priviliged Danish childhood and today's American one.

Mothers of my time
Still, this kind of parenting is a long way from the way my generation of girls was
brought up. The mothers of my time would've fought tooth and nail to give us
different values, choices and ways of expressing our personality.

The worth of an education, of learning to reflect and ajust yourself in your world,
of role models showing you how to dig deeper and understand yourself, is as
fundamental to a young girl's self image as any stories of strong and brave heroines.

Luckily I remember how "me and my girlfriends" made loud protests and walked
out of the cinema when we went to see "Pretty Woman" back in the '90's!

You're So Vain

So not only a diabolic and despotic egomaniac, Muammar Gaddafi is said to have a disgustingly vain personality as well.

For years a private Ukrainian nurse used to travel with him everywhere. Packing daily shots of Botox
for the dictator, who apparently thought he'd look younger, fresher and more in vigor from injecting the poison.

Seen it all before
Sadly Gaddafi is not alone in this quest to look like something he's not.

The art of pretending, taking on a look, persona or image is quite common among
political and corporate leaders too. As if they're uncomfortable being themselves.
And more importantly as if they've never taken the time or had the courage to get
to know themselves.

Quite unlike Keith's defining charm of looking at things directly and to answer everyone honestly:The only thing I can say is, you gotta know yourself.

Keith is certainly not hiding his past, what he's done, who he is behind plastic & Botox.
It's all there, baby.

Knighthood Not Really

There are knights and then there are dark knights.

And you wouldn't want your man, comrade or colleague to hang around with the
posing kinds.

Praising the establishment of whatever business you're in is as a rule counter-
productive, or in today's words "not exactely innovative".

Way more sane and creative to do it the Keith way:

The music business, in any given year, is ninety-eight percent crap. If you know that, 
and can avoid the posing...you might fail totally 'making it'...but it's not going to 
hurt you to go for that two percent. But go for the other ninety-eight and you're lost.

La Différence Culturelle

Any 7-year-old Flemish schoolchild knows 100 times more about cycling 
than all Americans combined.

So says American former pro cyclist turned author and television sports
commentator; Bob Roll.

Hats off to Bob! A bit cheeky, then again completely true. And nowhere are the cultural differences more visible than during Le Tour de France. Here we see and hear more of American riders than during all season.

I'm sure "they" are as surprised about "Europeans" when they're asked to let us in on how they deal with a beautiful failure or a tragic time loss, out to puncture their team.

We expect to cry with them, cheer them on and show our deepest respect for their strength & courage. And certainly so if they're beaten up by the road, the race and
the loss.

But then we hear them talk in what sounds like PR terms: "we can do it", "we might be down but we'll get back up", "we'll show them". Huh? Sounds like pretending, like showmen reading from a script.

And not like the heroes we admire for crying, yelling, laughing and fighting on the bike
- for showing us their pain and pride, their suffering and their fighting, bloody and all.

As Keith says:
To me, the biggest thing America had done this century - apart from throwing its weight around - was its music.

The King Is The Man Who Can

You can't airbrush personality
As one of the young bloggers write at HeySugarMagazine

And she has a valid point, since today it seems like posers rule the world. If you're not famous for whatever, forget it.

Go get seen, is the message. Let others tell you who they think you are and avoid showing any doubts or insecurities. Become glitter or vanish. These are indeed mad times!

Personal depth and integrity always shines through though. You can't airbrush personality - and pretending is as vital as death. Don't want it around!

If you just fancy yourself as being a big star, don't bother.
As always Keith sets it straight.

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!