Heavy is the head

The other day I was in the kitchen making a double-decker sandwich while listening to the TV. It was America’s Got Talent, the sometimes surprising, sometimes entertaining program that commercialized the classic Talent Show we all grew up with at church camps and sleep overs. This particular night, I heard the judges asking the performer background questions. It was a little nine year old girl. Awww… It was so cute and the judges sounded so adoring of her bravery to sing in front of the “verwy scarwy” large audience. As I was putting my pickle on the side of my plate, I could hear her begin to sing. After just a few seconds, the audience roared with applause and whistles. She continued. But then something happened. I paused as I dumped my Funyuns on my plate. “Oh no!” I thought…she’s singing TOO well. I felt like facetiously yelling at the TV (as if I was warning someone “don’t go in the shed!”)  “Noooo…be cute, be adored, be Nine!” See, her performance had crossed over from the more kindly-judged, cutesy/simpler categories, into that of a experienced seasoned “real” singer. As I sat back down with my gorgeous sandwich, my fears became realized. She had finished the song, the judges were giving their comments on her performance, but she was not a cute nine-year old any more. She had sung SO WELL that the judges commented on her strained vibrato, her lack of stage presence, and her limited vocal range. She had outperformed herself and her “edge” has vaporized in the rarefied air of professional, seasoned, more experienced talents.

In our formative years, we’re told to always do our best, push ourselves and be more than who we are. My mom always told me, “do the best you can”, but my father warned me, “be careful what you’re good at, because then you’ll be expected to do it over and over.” 

Don’t be mistaken; this post is not saying to hold back or not try your best. On the contrary. Always try harder, take the jump, make the move. But know, when you’re initiating your momentum, that you’re raising your hand to volunteer for that which most of the others do not do. Why don’t they do it? Fear, pride, procrastination, complacency, or love of their comfort zone… the reasons are far and wide. But if you desire more and are willing take that stand, know that when you put on that crown, along with it comes some heavy responsibility.

Shakespeare wrote in ‘Henry the IV’ – “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” You’re also going to be judged differently; more will be expected from you, and your first hurdle will always be yourself.

It’s a sad truth that the painful act of committing to doing ‘more’ is not always met with welcome gladness and respect from others. Actually, you have now exposed yourself to those who might despise you, envy you and maybe even try to discredit you so their heads don’t rest so far below yours. Competition in this world is inevitable, of course. There will always be someone who wants what you have: A great job, a new idea, an awesome spouse. By taking your stand, you’ve volunteered for greater exposure. Of course, we hope that with exposure comes recognition and accomplishment, but there is also the flip side: you are now a very clear target. The world of business is a ruthless fight for survival, and it’s better to go ahead and assume NO ONE plays by the rules––so you aren’t floored when they don’t. Ideas are stolen, copied and adopted at every turn and it’s best to expect that to happen, because it will. When your great new idea is launched, it’s just a matter of time until it is scooped up by your competitor. You remember that whole thing about “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?” well, the guy who said that was talking about your personal traits and features, NOT business ideas. Those are fair game.

Since you have committed yourself and there is no going back, you have to push yourself even harder than you might have originally thought. It won’t always be easy, and more than likely, you’ll even question your own motives along the way. And when it gets tough, when everything in your body is saying MAKE IT STOP…you have a choice to make. No, not whether or not to give up or keep going…your choice is in what or whom you seek approval or satisfaction. Are you only going to be satisfied when you have the approval of your peers or co-workers or family? If so…that’s going to be a hard road.

I always thought it was interesting when Nehemiah 8 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” You can read it both ways: The joy of the Lord: is your strength, or flip it around  Your strength: Is the joy of the Lord. Is it being ‘strong’ that pleases God? Or is it God’s joy that makes us strong? Either way, it’s a good thing! Be willing to sing better than a nine year old and put yourself in the category of the far-more-successful. Know it’s going to be tough, and make sure you’re doing it for the best reason of all.

And take God along with you–He will get a kick out of it!