Be First Class

“Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” Gever Tulley.

I have been a fan of the music of Billy Joel dating back to my teenage years. I was very lucky to see Billy perform live at a concert in Birmingham in 1994. It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

Therefore, I enjoyed watching the two-part documentary on Billy’s life and career called ‘Billy Joel: And so, it goes’, on Sky Documentaries recently. It features Billy’s childhood, his parents divorce, his close relationship with his mother and challenging relationship with his father. It covers his struggles to make it as an artist, his marriages, the effect his career and challenges with alcohol had on his relationships. It features many of his hits and the story behind them. His struggles with getting comfortable with stardom.

It also details how he had to do lots of touring when it was discovered that lots of the money, he had made had gone missing. He sued his former manager Frank Weber over the lost money. I found it to be an interesting watch and I think the story of his life provide many valuable lessons.

Prior to his success, his record label Colombia were on the verge of dropping him in 1977 due to the disappointing chart performance of his albums Piano man (1973), Streetlife Serenade (1974) and Turnstiles (1976). It was felt that his music was not connecting with a wide audience and that he hadn’t yet matched the energy of his live performances.

The turning point was 1977 but there was a bit of a sliding doors moment, as I will explain later. In this year, Phil Ramone was brought in to be the producer of his next album The Stranger. One of the songs on this album is ‘Just the Way You Are’. Billy explained in the documentary that he hated the song. He thought it sounded like a wedding song and was too mushy. He didn’t want to include it on the album. The singers Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow heard it and convinced him to include it.

His manager at the time was his ex-wife, Elizabeth Weber. She said that when the album had finished being recorded, there was a listening party at the record label’s offices. It was filled with executives and staff from Columbia. The whole album was played to them and afterwards the room was completely quiet. Eventually, one executive spoke and said that he hadn’t heard any songs that could be released as singles. Elizabeth Weber told them that they’d better find a single because they weren’t changing one note of the album.

After a discussion, the label said that they had to pick the first single to be released. Elizabeth agreed to this, on the proviso that she picked the second single. The label’s pick was ‘Movin’ Out (Anthony’s song)’. This enjoyed modest success peaking at number 17 in the USA’S Billboard chart. Elizabeth’s pick was ‘Just the Way You Are’ (the song that Billy hated). Ironically, this was a song that Billy had written about Elizabeth!

The song was a huge commercial success and provided Billy with his breakthrough moment! Elizabeth said that magic struck with this single. It garnered two grammy awards for song writing and was Record of the Year. Paul McCartney said when he is asked if there is a song, he wished he had written he always says ‘Just the Way You Are’. The Stranger album became the best-selling album that Columbia records had ever released, selling over 5 million copies.

The story illustrates the value of listening to the opinion of others and the need to be strong and spirited in the face of opposition. The advocacy and support of others is shown to be valuable and vital sometimes. It’s a story about how persistence pays off eventually and how you have to be resilient in the face of life’s challenges. It reminds us all that life can change in a heartbeat and is subject to sliding doors moments.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider if you or someone you know needs encouragement to persevere with something that isn’t quite working yet or needs to adopt a change of approach to make things happen.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” Margaret Mead.

Given all the negativity, conflict and division around at the present time, it was nice to read a heart-warming story recently.

Rebecca Young, a Glasgow school pupil is someone we can be proud of. When she was aged just 12, she designed a solar-powered backpack with an electric blanket inside to help homeless people. She came up with the idea after becoming concerned about people sleeping on the streets during a freezing Scottish winter. What a thoughtful, clever, kind and inspiring idea that will make a real difference to people’s lives.

As a result of her invention, Rebecca has been named among Time magazine’s girls of the year. She is one of 10 girls from across the world selected by Time who have inspired and helped communities. In addition to the recognition, Rebecca has been turned into a Lego mini-figure, due to the awards being run in partnership with the Danish toy manufacturer.

Rebecca first came up with the idea while attending an engineering club at school. After seeing homeless people in Glasgow, she wanted to do something to help them. During the day, the heat from the sun can energise the solar panels and they go into a battery pack that can store the heat. When it’s cold at night people can use the energy stored in the battery pack to sleep on.

Rebecca’s idea came out on top in the UK Primary Engineer competition, where more than 70,000 pupils entered ideas aimed around addressing a social issue. Engineering company Thales then turned the idea into a working prototype, with 35 units given to Homeless Project Scotland to use in Glasgow.

That achievement led Rebecca to a place on Time’s list, which the magazine’s chief executive Jessica Sibley said highlights “those who are turning imagination into real-world impact.” As part of the honour, Rebecca and the other nine winners are appearing on a digital cover of the famous magazine, where they are styled as Lego mini-figures.

The rector at her school (Kelvinside Academy), Daniel Wyatt, said Rebecca was a “shining example of a caring young person”. He added: “She is also a role model for any young person who wants to follow their own path in life.”

Rebecca says she feels honoured to have been recognised and hopes that other children see it and decide to do their part in helping people.

Imagine, how different this world could be if we all adopted Rebecca’s attitude to do good in the world and make a positive difference to people’s lives.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider what action you can take to make a difference in your part of the world.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop.

It’s sad and worrying to see so much conflict and bad feeling in the world at the present time. The military battles in Ukraine and Gaza have brought untold misery for thousands of people. Sometimes you watch news bulletins with dismay and a sense of helplessness at the destruction and the many deaths that are reported.

In a world that is becoming increasingly divided, kindness is a quiet, but powerful and generous act of hope. When we offer support to a friend, listen to someone with care and empathy and without judgement or help a stranger, we make a positive difference. Our choices and actions do matter and can bring positive and uplifting energy.

Listed below are some actions and choices that will make a positive difference to the world:

• Send an uplifting and encouraging message to a loved one or friend who is low on confidence or is feeling down.
• Find a way to do a random act of kindness (pay it forward).
• Make a donation to a good cause or give away items to help those who don’t have as much as you.
• Check in with someone who is going through a tough time and may feel anxious or lonely.
• Share an encouraging or positive story to inspire and uplift others.
• Look for the good qualities in everyone you meet this week and be kind and supportive to all those you interact with.
• Thank someone that you appreciate, that you’re grateful to and tell them why.
• Share an article, quotation, book or details of a podcast that you found helpful with friends, colleagues and loved ones.
• Surprise someone with a thoughtful gift.
• Forgive anyone that has upset or hurt you in the past.

 
This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider what acts of kindness you can perform to make a positive difference to the world.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk