ME-TO-YOU 19: Reinvent the Wheel
I’ll never forget the day that I first stumbled upon Leonardo Da Vinci. His notebooks are crammed with research on human anatomy, ideas for war-machines, and interesting observations that vary from human anatomy to the way cloth wraps around objects. While there were many great artists of the Renaissance who deserve respect and recognition, none came as close as Leonardo to creating amazing inventions that were way ahead of his time. One of which, was the Helicopter. Yes, you read that correctly. Apart from amazing artwork, sculptures, and experimental drawings, over 420 years before the first helicopter was built, Leonardo Da Vinci sketched out what he called the Aerial Screw which was a man-powered device (engine) that required four people to spin cranks fast enough, thereby generating enough wind resistance to lift this machine off the ground. It took centuries before his invention came to fruition, but the fact is that great minds took the knowledge gained over time and ‘reinvented’ the original design. In 1989, a group of students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo got their human powered helicopter 8 inches off the ground for all of 7.1 seconds.
Subsequent progress on the man-powered machine had been made since then, however today we rely on those noisy helicopters perfected after the first practical helicopter, the VS-300, designed by Igor Sikorsky took flight On September 14, 1939.
https://connecticuthistory.org/worlds-first-helicopter-today-in-history/
This article is not focusing on machines or modes of transport but rather on how taking information that is already out there and providing our own opinion or view of it can help improve the message or make it more suitable and relatable, thereby enhancing the lives of other people, and ultimately the world.
‘Behold here O reader! A thing concerning… those things, which can at any time be clearly known by experience, remained for many ages unknown or falsely understood. The eye, whose function we so certainly know by experience, has, down to my own time, been defined by an infinite number of authors as one thing; but I find, by experience, that is quite another.’
- Leonardo Da Vinci
In the book titled Leonardo Da Vinci: In his own words, Author William Wray comments how the great artist and inventor wrote about our five senses being connected to something greater, which Leonardo called the ‘organ of perception’, senses communis, as being a place in the mind directly behind the eyes where all five senses meet and ultimately become the ‘seat of the soul’. I believe that it is this space where anything we hear, see, taste, feel, or smell creates an emotion within us that is either inspiring, interesting, or conducive for the birth of personal passion. This interest or passion is what often leads us, as artists, to create something to share with the world based on our experiences yet just as we are about to get cracking, doubt starts creeping in. . .
“I need to be original - or do I?”
‘Never be afraid to write about a place that you think has every last word written about it. It is not your place until you write about it.’
- William Zinsser
I remember when I wrote my first article on ‘Mindsets’, I tried really hard to add my personal view so that it did not appear as though I had just copied someone else’s work and made it my own. I felt stuck because I didn’t feel as though I could add anything of value to the topic and I started asking myself limiting questions such as:
- What hasn’t been said about mindsets over the last few decades?
- What could I possible say that would be of any importance to people who will read the article?
While doing the research needed, I paid homage to the great inspiring people that I did gain some knowledge from regarding Fixed and Growth Mindsets, I had also formulated my own concepts that I arranged under the topic of ‘The Evolving Mindset’ - my take on the topic. If I had chosen to write about something else that day then I would have fallen victim to the trap that we often all find ourselves caught up in: The belief that you need to be original.
While there are amazing attributes to being original and coming up with information that could serve us all well, often many successful people will ‘reinvent the wheel’ based on either personal experience, or on how they perceive (see) the information that they have. I have read many books by exceptional authors and mentors who inspire me to keep working until I reach their level - or higher. These books are packed with guides for having more productivity, being a better leader, identifying people who are terrible leaders, preventing procrastination, being healthier, being more fit, having more successful relationships - the list goes on.
This is the point where I can guarantee that you, the reader, are associating the topics that I have just mentioned to famous people that I did not think of while writing them - and that’s the point: Someone inspired you by whatever content they chose to create, while someone completely different inspired me in the very same area of development by the content they chose to create.
The wheel was reinvented, and instead of the chrome finish to the edges that I chose, you opted for a brushed metal look with a black over-wash to define the textures - both are wheels, both serve their purpose, but both are unique because the relate to us in a certain way - just as an artist, blogger, or motivational speaker relates to me differently than he/she would to you, and vice versa.
Be Relatable and you will Connect
One of the compliments I often receive about my content is that it is very relatable - and I keep ensuring that I maintain this personal attribute so that my identity as a coach and speaker remains the same: Good old Marc Lemaire. There is something profound about how people relate to a story that you tell in that they can often determine whether it is purely being recycled, or whether it comes from the heart - the ‘seat of the soul’ as Leonardo puts it. If I were to take information that I uncovered on a particular topic and just reword a few sentences to avoid plagiarism, or maybe insert a random joke to lighten the tone of the article or video then it would not generate the same impact as if I were to write from my heart, or speak about a topic from personal experience or perception. Being relatable immediately makes you more interesting as a person and more authentic, which automatically captures the right people. Speaking the truth (your truth) about a topic is always interesting because when it is true for you, it seldom carries wit or ego. I have been in situations where I was talking about a topic and I would crack a joke or be a little witty - which is something I naturally do, however it has sometimes been a defence mechanism because I was afraid of how my message may be misinterpreted or whether I would offend someone. Once I accepted the beauty of being vulnerable and started believing that people had to let me know whether I did or said something wrong (unless blatantly obvious), it freed me and I believe it increases the opportunities for me to connect with people.
Practice Transference
Matthew Hussey, a relationship coach and video creator, gave a small talk on YouTube about certain traits that make people more interesting - some of which I have already put into this article, but I have reinvented the wheel and portrayed those ideas in a way that relates to me. Matthew talks about a how we all need to share our energy with other people via a transference of energy. Particular points that he focuses on are our passions and interests, and how the connection between something we are interested in automatically generates a passion that is contagious. People will hear us talk about a topic with such enthusiasm and energy that they too become interested in that topic.
Ultimately we all aim to persuade people to some degree when we talk about practically anything: The Marvel Movies, the wood-fired oven pizza from Vera-Vita, or the absolutely amazing story and graphics delivered by the video game Control. When I talk about these topics, they are interesting to me and I loved every aspect of them so much that when I did speak about the video game, one of my friends said I sounded like an employee of Remedy Studios (game developer for Control). The point is that I was able to infect the people I spoke to because it was something that I could personally speak about with interest and passion - and that has led to compliments about great pizza and agreements on certain movies.
Reflection moment
- What topics have you spoken about that have captured people?
- Maybe you felt a certain emotion about something and managed to convince other people to share your viewpoint?
Remember that feeling of freedom you had while speaking about it and approach your next interesting video or article with that same energy and passion. Don’t be afraid or nervous to share your story or your content because it is worth something to you, and will be worth something to someone else. You have a strength and a gift to share yourself with the world: You have your own angle, viewpoint, opinion, or truth about a topic and until you deliver your content or what you feel about it topic then it will not be your story. To close off, I would like to cite Mr. Da Vinci once more to remind you all that we are artists in our own rights and what we see - no matter how much of it we see, we can still form our own opinions, and then create our own beautiful masterpieces.
‘The painter who draws by practice and judgement of the eye without the use of reason is like a mirror which copies everything placed in front of it without knowledge of the same.’
-Leonardo Da Vinci
As alway, stay inspired, stay strong, and stay awesome.
With Love,
ML | LD