What Are You an Example Of?

Late one night (yes, after a couple drinks) I got into a discussion with some friends about rock music. The question of the hour was, “if you met someone that had never heard ‘rock music’ and had no idea what it was, what one song would you have them listen to as if to say, ‘this is what rock is?'”

The discussion went back and forth, and many great songs were mentioned. I eventually settled on “Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes (Eric Clapton). It’s one of my favorite songs, and when you combine the amazing guitar riff, raw vocals and overall musical power, you get rock greatness. To me, if you don’t like Layla, you don’t like rock.

Then a friend pointed out, “well the piano at the end isn’t really rock.”

Fair enough. I don’t generally think of the ending piano when I think of Layla. (Did you know the first and second halves of the song were composed separately by different people?) I amended my statement to, “If you don’t like the first half of Layla, before the piano ending, you don’t like rock.”

You may agree with that statement. You may disagree. And you probably have your own answer to “if you met someone that had never heard ‘rock music’ and had no idea what it was, what one song would you have them listen to as if to say, ‘this is what rock is?'” (I’m sure I’ll hear about it).

The point here is not to talk about what is the quintessential rock song. To each their own.

The point, simply, is that to me “Layla” is an example of what rock is. To you it may be “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” by the Who, or “Rock and Roll,” by Led Zeppelin, or “Sgt Peppers” by the Beatles, or even a more modern selections like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” or Guns ‘N Rose, “Welcome to the Jungle.”

As long as your answer is not a song by The Cure, the Cranberries, or Starship, you could probably make a case. (ironic, since Starship is the musical fall from grace that composed, “We Built this City on Rock and Roll,” which may be the least “rock” song in the history of music – surpassed only by “Nothing’s Going to Stop Us Now,” also by Starship.)

This post is not about music. It is about the concept of “being an example” of something. So my question to you is: What are you an example of?

If people were having a discussion about it and the question came up, “if you met someone who knew nothing about this topic, who would tell them to observe?” what topic would it be for your name to come up?

What are you an example of?

If nothing comes to mind, then what do you want to be an example of?

In business, this is critical. I feel confident saying that when I ran my improv comedy group (Polywumpus) that I was an example of what short form very funny quick thinking improv comedy was. May seem specific to you, but I was happy with it. Now, my goal is to be a shining example of what a high energy motivational humorist with a slight edge is.

How about you? Are you a good web designer, or are you an example of what a web designer should be? Are you just another accountant, or are you the accountant people must go to for your particular expertise? Does your business offer good service, or are you an exemplar of great service? This distinction is what separates people who middle along, struggling to find business from others who seem to draw business to them effortlessly.

Personally, are you an example of what a parent, friend, or community member should be? Do you want to be?

You don’t have to be the best at everything. You don’t have to be a shining example of awesomeness in every area of your life. But for the most important areas of your personal and professional life, you may want to take a moment and simply ask yourself, “what am I an example of?”

P.S. Now for those of you who do not appreciate Layla, take a listen and be astounded at an example of what rock is: