Except for family, faith, and friends, music is probably the thing I'm most interested in. It's a perfect combination of science and art and I'm fascinated by it as much as I'm moved by it.
I've been interested lately in new releases by the Beastie Boys and the Fleet Foxes. They sound nothing alike but I consider them both equally brilliant. I have an eclectic taste in styles of music but I have an affinity for bands that have one common element: they sound only like themselves.
Who do the Police sound like? No one. Who do the Kings of Leon sound like? No one. What about Spacehog? No one.
Similarly, I have an affinity for people who live and think only like themselves. My heroes don't mimic or copy. My heroes, even if they live very ordinary lives and work in ordinary jobs, apply themwselves differently than others. My heroes are confidently unique and consistently true to what they believe.
We all learned in middle school how much easier it is to copy and emulate and fit in and it is hard to stop that even as adults. But the most productive, successful, and enjoyable people seem to have figured it out.
So what I want for my family, my business, and my friends is a confidence to live up to individual expectations of honing-in on the elements that give us our unique sound. Starbucks's unique sound isn't the coffee, it's the coffeehouse culture. Life Is Good's unique sound isn't the merchandise, it's a tribal mantra for optimists. Dove's unique sound isn't the skin care, it's the embrace of natural beauty.
And I have a strong belief that we each have a unique sound that is better played than silenced.
