5 Awesomely Motivational Lines from the Greatest Band of All Time!

Today is National Rush Day!

No, that does not mean that today we celebrate Rush Limbaugh, or that we go out and join a sorority or fraternity.

No, what it means is that today we honor and celebrate the music of the greatest rock band ever: RUSH!! 

I don’ know who decided it, but I am glad they did. Today makes sense because the album that made Rush’s career was called “2112,” and today is February 1^st, 2012 (2-1-12. Get it?).

I could spend this entire post just talking about how awesome Rush is, but rather than do that, I will pass along some Motivational Smart Ass wisdom I have gleaned from the greatness that is Rush.

Here are 5 MORE Great Motivational Lines from Rush Songs (You can read the first five here)

1) Freewill

Album: Permanent Waves

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice

This song has quite a few lines around the idea of pre-destination and whether there are higher powers that guide our lives. Rather than open up the door (and my comments) to a huge religious debate, I want to simply focus on the most powerful line in the song: “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”

How awesome is that? And so appropriate. Many live their lives avoiding making decisions, putting things off until:

1. The decision no longer matters
2. Someone else decides
3. Time (or some other factor) makes the decision for them

It’s tempting to avoid tough decisions until they go away on their own. Just remember that you’re still making a decision when you choose to put things off.

Also, keep in mind that great leaders, entrepreneurs, and artists are the ones who make strong, tough choices (maybe not in every area of their lives, but certainly in the areas they excel in). If you want to be great at something, if you want to build your business or further your career, then get better at making real choices.

Rush Wants to Know: Are you making a real choice, or are you choosing not to decide? Even if you believe in fate, are you still taking actions, making decisions, and doing things to move you forward? Exert your freewill!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpCASVFyQoE

2) The Pass

Album: Presto

All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars

Let me get this out right now: this song is about the tragedy of teenage suicide.  I would never profess to offer advice to someone thinking about killing themselves (I’ll leave that to the professionals) but the message in the song is terrific for anyone who ever feels down, lost, or like giving up.

The difference between people who continue to work towards their goals and dreams when things get down and those who pack it in is perspective.  The dreamers, the ones who keep progressing, take on two perspectives that others don’t:

1. They look at whatever good they can find. Stars in the darkness, cars in the gutter, etc. You can focus on what’s awful, or look for the silver lining. Dreamers look at the good.
2. They realize they are not alone. When things aren’t going right, it’s easy to say, “Woe is me,” and wonder why everyone else is doing so well but you suck so hard. It helps to remember that everyone you are comparing yourself to, at some point, was down and faced the darkness sometime.  If they got out of it, you can too.

Life is full of ups and downs. Learn to ride out the downs and stay on track, and your ups will be even higher.

Rush Wants to Know: How do you respond (or how have you responded) to your down times? Do you have a tendency to give up, or do you dig in, make the best of your situation, and realize that this happens to everyone?

3) Carve Away the Stone

Album: Test for Echo

You can roll that stone
To the top of the hill
Drag your ball and chain
Behind you
You can carry that weight
With an iron will
Or let the pain remain
Behind you

Chip away the stone
Chip away the stone
Make the burden lighter
If you must roll that rock alone

This was something of a forgotten song for me, as it’s at the end of one of Rush’s less great albums (notice I said, “less great,” and not “bad.” Don’t even think it…) However, I started re-listening to it and have found it really resonating with me, in great part due to the lyrics.

The premise of the song is simple: you can either hold-on to the burden of whatever is weighing you down or you can let it go, little by little, to make your life a whole lot easier.

Too many of us carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. It could be guilt from the past, anxiety about the future, an overly developed sense of responsibility, or whatever.

While some pressure and stress can help spur you to action, too much will weight you down and prevent you from achieving all that you want and deserve.

Rush Wants to Know: What are you holding on to that is weighing you down? What do you need to let go of? What can you do to “carve away the stone” and make the burden lighter?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtsXaGUpG5w

4) Roll the Bones

Album: Roll the Bones

Well, you can stake that claim
Good work is the key to good fortune
Winners take that praise
Losers seldom take that blame
…
Why are we here?
Because we’re here
Roll the bones
Why does it happen?
Because it happens
Roll the bones

Back when Roll the Bones came out, my non-Rush fan friends (yes, I had some, though for the life of me I can’t imagine why) took great joy in making fun of me by mocking these lyrics. I suppose the chorus, “Why are we here? Because we’re here / Roll the bones” could sound a little trite.

To me, however, it’s a powerful line and a reminder that sometimes, Ding Happens!  It helps if you know that the phrase, “Roll the Bones” means “roll the dice.”

When things go wrong through no fault of our own, it’s easy to throw your hands up and scream, “why me?? Why did this happen to me??” The answer in this song is that sometimes it’s just blind luck (good or bad).

On the one hand, this may sound depressing and not motivational at all. “You mean that I could not succeed, just due to random chance?” Well, yeah.

But, the motivational part comes in when you use the “Roll the Bones” approach to dealing with the unexpected when it does occur.  Many people waste a ton of time and energy lamenting their fate, trying to assign blame, and wondering why the universe has it in for them.

A much more powerful approach is to simply accept that hey, something things go wrong. Pick up the pieces, fix it, and move on. This is not to say that you shouldn’t learn from mistakes and try to find out what went wrong. But sometimes you just have to let it go.

Remember, “Winners take the praise,” that “good work is the key to good fortune.”

Rush Wants to Know: When things go wrong, do you spend energy blaming some unseen force, or do you waste time feeling sorry for yourself? Be a winner, and take responsibility for your own success.

(You’re going to want to watch this video, because at one point there is a rapping skeleton…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VzAKpPJTqQ

5) Everyday Glory

Album: Counterparts

If the future’s looking dark
We’re the ones who have to shine
If there’s no one in control
We’re the ones who draw the line
Though we live in trying times
We’re the ones who have to try
Though we know that time has wings
We’re the ones who have to fly…

This is a simple song about the importance of everyday people taking action to make things better, regardless of how bad things may be around them.

Ultimately, you’re the one responsible for you. In fact, most major changes start with an individual saying, “I have to do something.” That could be righting a wrong, fighting an injustice, or simply taking control of your own life.

Remember, all great people started out as simple people making the decision to take action. There’s no reason that can’t be you.

Rush Wants to Know:  Are you sitting around, waiting for someone or something to come along that makes everything better?  Or are you taking action, however small, to “be the one has to shine”?

(Shockingly, I could not find a version of this song on Youtube. Go find it on Spotify and give it a listen…)

There you have it: 5 more awesomely motivational lines from awesomely great Rush songs. Go, listen to Rush, and be motivated.

And for those of you who have no idea what 2112 is, sit back, relax, and enjoy the next 20 minutes of your life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQEgZNqa8jE

Happy National Rush Day!

P.S. Why not let all the Rush-o-philes in your life (you know there are some!) know about this post? Click the Facebook “Like” button at the top of this page and share the love

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