Write! Jon Tells Us Why.

To give a little context, I have been a great fan of rock music since primary school as I was heavily influenced by my sister’s and my uncles’ choice of music back in the 80s.

Among my favourite bands were Bon Jovi. They were one of those bands that had a clean image and made good uplifting rock numbers about the average characters overcoming life’s many challenges. During my youth studying abroad in a foreign land, I had my fair share of times when I felt down and almost gave up, and among other things, their songs became part of my life’s soundtrack.

Fast forward to today, I was casually scrolling through YouTube – not looking for anything in particular, when I came across this video recommendation. It was an interview session from The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Kelly, a reputable artist in her own right, asked Jon Bon Jovi a very simple question, “Was your first song bad?” to which Jon replied with something that I thought was worth sharing.

The mindset Jon had about song writing is not about coming up with something great – it is about getting it out there and making it yours. Once it is out there, it is yours forever.

What is a song?

A song is a creation made up by melodies arranged in a particular way that was envisioned by the producer of the idea – the songwriter. This simple definition actually translates beyond just song writing.

In fact, any idea that you have, be it a philosophy, a mission, a vision, a story, a product, a business concept, a training programme, anything, should be “written”. Once you translate it “out of your head” and into another form, it becomes a “creation” that you can pass on and leave for others beyond your own lifetime.

The problem that we usually have is “doubt”.

We fear that our “creation” is not good enough. We worry, “what if people are not going to like it?” We stop ourselves even before trying to even get it “our of our heads”.

Imagine if Jon stopped writing because his first few songs were “bad”. We would not have gotten to know Tommy and Gina who taught us how important it is to hold on and not give up.

So, the next time you have an idea, just get it “out of your head”, it may not be great at first but someday, after a few rounds of working on it, it may turn out to be that one important “hit” that gets you there – wherever that destination may be for you.

All the best!

Ahmad Fauzan Othman

#theIdeaSensei #TrainTheTrainer