By Kirk McCarley
It’s now been 43 years since musician and songwriter Declan Patrick McManus intentionally committed himself to a new challenge: writing a song in less than ten minutes. “Everyday I Write the Book” went on to chart in the Top 40 in both the US and UK, his first effort to accomplish that feat in both countries.
Some years later, in an interview, McManus, better known as Elvis Costello, commented.
“’Everyday I Write the Book’ was a song I wrote in ten minutes almost as a challenge to myself. I thought, maybe I could write just a simple, almost formula song and make it mean something…I invested less emotionally in it than any other songs from that time yet it’s the one that everyone warmed to.”
Other songwriters and musicians have also found success in brevity. The Guess Who’s “American Woman” came to be while Randy Bachman was tuning his guitar when he stumbled upon a new riff while replacing a broken string. Overhearing, vocalist Burton Cummings improvised some lyrics. The song peaked at the top position in both Canada and the US in 1970.
Beyond music, consider a handful of other “brief” achievements.
- Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, all of 272 words, took about two or three minutes to recite.
- Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner set a world record for the highest free fall and became the first person to break the sound barrier relative to the surface without vehicular power on his descent. Diving from more than 130,000 feet, he spent only nine minutes in the air.
- In 1967, Sweden switched from driving on the left to the right side of the road. While the planning took years, the actual, massive, one-day switch involved a 10-minute total traffic freeze at 4:50 a.m. to change sides.
- Once considered physiologically impossible, English athlete Roger Bannister clipped the threshold of running a mile in less than four minutes in 1954.
We are conditioned to believe that noteworthy achievements always require intense effort and hours and days, if not years of work and preparation. Though the milestones cited are not to be minimized as a significant amount of planning and prepping were devoted to the tasks, the actual execution required mere minutes.
Though we “mortal souls” may not possess the talents of prominent musicians, gifted athletes, or skilled leaders, do we not have it within our capacities to have a significant impact? Let me explain.
- Kids: The “parentals” have been nagging you to make your bed. How long does that take?
- Parentals: Though it’s not your assigned job, might today be an opportunity to help out and make the sack lunches?
- Is there a friend or former client you’ve not connected with for a while? What’s the harm in a brief text message? Who knows, maybe that client just needed a reminding nudge to re-engage.
- You’re stuck on a project or concerned about a potentially difficult conversation upcoming. What about a ten-minute walk to clear your head?
- Does someone need a prayer for their welfare or a difficult time?
More than 40 years ago, when an attorney first began writing part-time, he would commit a brief period each day to composition. Sometimes the words flowed almost effortlessly, other times not so much. He discovered the value in writing daily as an exercise.
“Write at least one page every day, without fail. If you’re trying to write a book, and you’re not writing at least one page a day, then the book is not going to get written.”
The novel was finally completed. Until a small publishing house picked it up, however, it was rejected at least 28 times; perhaps more. It was only after the publication of his second novel, that his first one began to gain attention.
The second novel was “The Firm.” The first one was “A Time to Kill.”
Today, more than 37 consecutive number one fiction bestsellers later, John Grisham has long since retired from his law practice.
A graduate of the University of North Texas, Kirk McCarley is a Certified Professional Coach as well as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and SHRM-CP Certified. He is also a Production Assistant for both college football and basketball for ESPN and leads group cycling classes as a Certified Spinning instructor. Contact kirk@theseedsowercoach.com, theseedsowercoach.com, or call (314) 677-8779.
