the secret to being brilliant
I recently watched The Beatles: Get Back documentary by Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings. Whether you are a Beatles fan or not, the series is well worth watching. With a run time of almost eight hours, you feel as if you’re in the studio watching John, Paul, George and Ringo as they move from blank canvas to completed album.
The documentary draws on over 60 hours of footage from 1969. The cameras roll for three weeks, capturing the conversations, musical tinkerings, and creation of new material for what would ultimately be the Beatles' last live performance.
Everyone Struggles with Insecurities, Even the Beatles
It was captivating to watch the group dynamics in action. After days together, George leaves the studio and the band. He's tired of feeling like the third wheel to John and Paul as they pair up writing new material. George was one of four members of the biggest group in the world, and he still struggled with doubt and insecurity.
No matter how good you are, how rich or talented, we all have our moments of doubt and insecurity. We want people to value and respect us. We want to be included in the action. All of us. You, me, and even George, the quiet Beatle.
Working Through the Restlessness, Monotony, and Frustration
I most appreciated the time Jackson took to allow the audience to simply watch. There were hours and days of restless monotony. The band was directionless, playing favorite songs from other musicians, looking for inspiration. Then we'd catch a glimpse of foreshadowing as the beginnings of a familiar riff or lyric would appear for a moment, only to be lost for hours or days before it resurfaced.
Throughout the docuseries, we see the song Get Back slowly develop from nothing to completion. Bit by bit, we see the song piece together to become the familiar tune that would reach #1 on the charts and sell millions of records. What became crystal clear watching the birth of the song was that the most important ingredient was space and time for the song to form.
Brilliance takes time. It needs to ruminate and stew for a while. Sadly, time and space are in short supply in our over-scheduled, busy lives. Between work and kids’ soccer and school events, and a plethora of other commitments , it feels like every moment of time is spoken for, scheduled, or double-booked.
If we have any hope of living fully and beautifully and brilliantly, we have to find a way to put time and space back into our days. We want to live inspired lives, be great parents, succeed at work, etc. And in our pursuit of excellence we omit the very ingredients we need most to succeed, space and time. Without them, we leave no room for brilliance.
We settle for a frantic existence without realizing that less may be the road to more, or at least better.
Would you like a little more inspiration and brilliance in your life? Get back to the basics. Put some time and space into your schedule and see what brilliance emerges in your life.