Simple, effective advice from a great song.
Many of you know I love music. Not one genre, per se, but all music. When I tell you my tastes run from Mozart to Metallica, Waylon and Willie to Pink Floyd, and Bossa Nova to The Boss, I’m dead serious. Recently, one of my favorite acts came out with a new album, and, as usual, I supported original, independent music by purchasing the physical album directly from the artist. The record is called The Fear of Standing Still by the greatness that is American Aquarium.
This record has some tremendous tracks, but rest assured, this isn’t an album review. While I truly love every song, the closing track is a good, old-fashioned rock banger that leaves the listener wanting more. Titled “Head Down, Feet Moving,” the lyrics really grabbed me as a great lesson about hard work, making sacrifices, and doing the absolute best in everything:
Keep your head down and your feet moving
The view up top is always worth the climb
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy
But nothing that came easy ever stood the test of time
For most of us, the final two months of the year are a non-stop sprint before getting right back on the merry-go-round come January 2, 2025. This is when seemingly endless personal and professional roles need to be executed and an insurmountable mountain of “things” that need to be done. At times, it’s easy to feel that there are simply too many priorities and not enough time, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and wondering if all the effort is truly worth it.
My attitude is simple: head down, feet moving. I first heard a variation of that phrase when I was a middling player on the middle school football team. After one particularly pedestrian effort by yours truly that ended up with me flat on my back, my coach came up to me and said, “Keep your feet moving, Petrie! When you stop moving your feet, that’s when you end up on your ass!”
Solid, if not slightly off-color, advice that instantly came back to me when I heard the American Aquarium song. When there’s a job to be done, put your head down and keep your feet moving. I can tell you from experience that nothing good happens if you look up too soon or plant your feet in the ground.
In today’s society, where everyone wants to find an easy button to success, this isn’t the most glamorous piece of advice. However, I can tell you from experience that it works.
Remember, nothing that came easy ever stood the test of time.
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