All feedback is a gift. I learned that from Dr. Gerry Bell in god’s garden, Chapel Hill, North Carolina in the fall of 1994. Through the Covid lens, Marty McFly could do worse than to set the DeLorean time machine to the soft blue sky of that time and place.
Dr. Bell didn’t mean you should ACCEPT all feedback as “Truth.” He taught us to be hungry for all feedback AND then to sift it through a filter. The idea was to sort out the “noise” of dubious motivations and to tune into the “signal” of the honest insight of others. It’s not easy, but with a little courage, this is an essential component of upgrading our human software.
Recently, in a professional context unrelated to my facilitator day job, I got some feedback. I was told, “You can be a bit of a dreamer, a bit idealistic.” REALLY!?
Well, what the hell does he mean by that? It didn’t FEEL like a gift at the time. I came to terms with the feedback maturely and quickly, well… at least maturely…three weeks later.
To cut to the quick, yes, he’s right and I need to have a greater awareness of these traits AND I don’t think it keeps me from keeping my feet planted firmly on the ground. Thank you, again, Dr. Gerry Bell!
Fast forward to today. The sun is in, the sun is out. A huge greyish cloud rolls over, the atmosphere is thick and expectant. I was researching a topic on YouTube (seriously!) and a 2017 Coldplay video caught my eye. Now I know, dear readers, you may want to join a class action suit against Two Things for too many Coldplay references but please, roll with me here and watch the video.
The world is still in the middle of an unrelenting storm out there so as we head into the holiday weekend, let Emmanuel Kelly fill your cup. A couple of time stamps for you. At 1:54, Emmanuel’s world-class humanitarian mom, Moira Kelly, discovers that her son is in the stadium and is going to sing with Coldplay in front of 70,000 fans.
Second time stamp – After what most people would think was a once in a lifetime performance, at 8:33 Emmanuel says, “It’s going to happen again. I feel it and I know it.” Wow. I’ll have what he’s having!
The arc is long. It bends toward justice. It bends toward therapeutics and school openings, restaurants, bartenders, concerts, and football. It bends toward a vaccine. It bends toward more economic mobility and more understanding. It bends toward love. I know, I know, I KNOW! Such a dreamer. But aren’t you inspired by Emmanuel Kelly? It’s going to happen. I feel it and I know it.
