“Dream so big that you can never get an ego” – Quincy Jones
If you want a story of someone doing what they love and using it to serve the world around them, look no further than the Netflix documentary on Quincy Jones. It’s great. It shows a very real picture of Quincy Jones as a person using his talents, working hard to create great things around him.
If you aren’t familiar, Quincy is a music and production genius who did everything from play with jazz greats to make some of the biggest albums ever (including Thriller) to discover Oprah. He could have done all this and propped his feet up, quietly collecting his millions for the rest of his life. He seems hardwired to do the opposite, though.
Almost to a fault, he never stops looking for ways to use his abilities, his connections, and his personal brand to create goodness in the world. If you need an example, look no further than “We Are the World,” which raised tens of millions of dollars for charity in one swoop. Not bad for a poor kid from Chicago who happened to sit down at a piano one day.
At one point, the film’s creator, Quincy’s daughter Rashida, asks if he ever worries about getting an ego. He flatly says “No” because you should dream so big that you’ll never achieve it all. What a great reminder for people out there creating their own change.
And here’s the thing…there’s no special Quincy Jones chromosome. He didn’t take a magic potion. He’s just a normal guy who figured out what he liked to do and refused to see a ceiling for how to do it. Because before he was Quincy Jones, Quincy Jones was just Quincy Jones. The same goes for you.
Once you figure out what you’re passionate about, it’s time to figure out how you want to use that drive to create a positive impact. The path is waiting for you to carve it.
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Photo by Jordan McDonald on Unsplash
