A dear friend and colleague sent me the following story which I think is brilliant. I don't know the original source although there is a source listed within the piece for at least some of the information. Enjoy the read and the questions that follow.
"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was a rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell wold out at a theatre in Boston and the seats averaged $100.00 each.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organised by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognise the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?"
Coaching Exercises
1. What are your thoughts in response to this story?
2. Think about your experience of the last 24 hours. See what you can remember. Can you notice anything that happened that you discounted or ignored at some level at the time, but now realise it may have been something to pay more attention to?
3. What could you do to be more aware of what's happening around you all the time, including when you're feeling "busy" and "in a rush"?
4. As a result of these questions and your personal exploration and answers, what are you committing to?
As always, if you need any further personal support in response to any of these coaching exercises, please consider using the askacoach.com service.
All the best,
Noel
Noel Posus - Master Coach
www.askacoach.com
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Noel Posus (MECI) is a former member of the Board of Directors and former Head of Marketing - Asia Pacific for The-ECI - www.europeancoachinginstitute.org http://www.internationalcoachinginstitute.org
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