Each day is filled with decisions, some more important than
others. Sometimes we don't realize that choices we make may cause our situation
to head in an entirely different direction. A tiny shift can totally change the
trajectory of our lives. These pivotal decisions may be part of our daily
routine, which can alter our lives and what we contribute to the world.
The musical performer Sting had one of these simple, yet
life-changing experiences. As a young boy, he lived near a small port in
England, in the “shadow of a shipyard.” It was a town that had built some of
the largest sea going vessels in the world. For generations, the people living
there did the same thing: they worked in the shipyards and struggled to make
ends meet. Once an important ship was completed it was christened, and usually
members of the royal family attended the celebration. On one such occasion, Sting’s
small town hosted the official gathering. He had attended these events before.
As usual, his mother made him wear his Sunday best and stand on the sidewalk
waving the British flag in his hand. As a young boy, Sting sensed the
excitement in the air and watched as the motorcade steadily approached,
carrying the Queen Mother. As her vehicle drove by, Sting waved with enthusiasm
and smiled. Just as he did, the Queen made eye contact with him and smiled and
waved back. He said at that moment he was infected with the idea that he wanted
a bigger life. One that was out of the ordinary and different from what his
family had known for generations. Because he attended that one event as a young
boy, Sting was introduced to an idea that altered the rest of his life. He
began to think outside of the box on what he could do with his life and his
trajectory changed from that day forward.
Neil deGrasse Tyson also had an experience that adjusted the
direction of his life. Today Tyson is a well-known astrophysicist and the
director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York. When he was first getting
started as a young man from the Bronx, Tyson was interested in astronomy and
applied to attend Ithaca at Cornell for his first year of study. Carl Sagan,
then a successful astrophysicist, noticed Tyson’s application and invited him
to spend the day with him. What an opportunity for Tyson! The two of them spent
the day touring astronomy faculties, and that evening, Sagan gave Tyson the
book, “The Cosmic Connection” and signed it, “to a future astronomer.” It was a
cold, snowy December evening in New York when Sagan drove Tyson back to the bus
station to go home. Sagan wrote his phone number on a scrap of paper and gave
it to Tyson telling him to call if the bus couldn’t get through the storm.
Tyson already knew that he wanted to study astronomy, but something changed
during the day he spent with Carl Sagan. The kindness and interest Sagan showed
Tyson, changed his idea of what kind of scientist he would be and he recognized
the importance of including people in science and not just facts.
Russell Shorto is a journalist, best-selling author, and
historian who had a question that changed his life. He lived in New York and
routinely took his daughter to an old churchyard at St. Mark’s-in-the Bowery.
It had a lawn filled with large sycamore trees, a perfect place for a young
child to run and get some fresh air. Each day as his daughter played there,
Shorto looked at the tombstones that filled the old churchyard. One stood out
more than the others; it belonged to Peter Stuyvesant one of the leaders of the
early settlement in New Netherland in the 1600s. Shorto’s mind began to
question what the original settlement was like. He followed this idea, which
led him to a man named Charles Gehring. Shorto learned from Gehring that where
his daughter played each day was once the Dutch Colony of New Netherland and Peter
Stuyvesant had been one of the directors there. This meeting with Gehring led
Shorto to an obsession to learn all he could about the colony and he eventually
wrote, “The Island at the Center of the World” about this location.
Shorto also became actively involved in the New Netherland Institute
(whose director is Charles Gehring), and has taught the public about New
Netherland ever since. Shorto’s solitary question led him to an area of history
he knew little about and now he successfully shares that knowledge with the
world.
I could go on with examples of people who have made a
drastic change in their lives because of one small decision. In many of these instances
the people ended up being successful in their individual lives, and then
sharing their newfound knowledge with all who would pay attention. Their change
in trajectory ended up being a chain reaction, which led others to alter their
paths also. As you go about your normal day be aware of questions that come to
your mind or ideas that you have. Keep them bouncing around in your head and
see if they eventually become one of those pivotal decisions which will send
you in an entirely different direction.
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http://www.ted.com/talks/sting_how_i_started_writing_songs_again#t-834662
