JUMP

Yes Jump.  A huge hit that grabbed most of America back in 1984 by a little band named Van Halen.  That is 30 years ago people.  Lot has happened for us in 30 years hasn't it.  Perhaps for some of us less or more than that depending on the amount of time we have spent on this Earth.

One thing I remember 30 years ago was in fact that video along with a few others.  My love for music was discovered through the art of the music video as every Friday night when Johnny Carson was over, Friday Night Videos would come on.  I would happily take in the craziness of songs on TV.  My father went as far as to hook up his stereo so he could record shows on his 8 track player.  It was the coolest show ever.  It was new.  It was exciting.  Sure MTV made its debut in 1981, but how many of us had cable at the time?  Eventually we all got cable, MTV was the bomb, and the rest as they say was history.


Here is a great question.  Has anything wowed us that much since, or have we come to expect changes as we grow?  Well sure, there have been changes in music, television, movies, communications, computers, but how about lately?  What has been the most innovative thing you can think of?

Social networking definitely has to be up there.

Social networking has given people abilities they did not have before.  We find our long lost friends from high school, we can communicate with total strangers about things we share interests in, we can broadcast anything on the internet and anyone can view it.  It has definitely become the norm of how America does things.

So what's next?  What is the next big idea?

I have always been one to push people to act on their ideas.  When I developed my "character" if you will back at the beginning of the new millennium, I was never afraid of what the end result would be.  I would push the limits.  Ignore the consequences.  Then I guess I grew up so they tell me.

However, with little money and a big mouth, I got people talking.  Some people would just adore my show or hate my guts.  However, people were missing the point of what I was trying to accomplish.  I wanted to show people anyone could do it.  If you have a dream, go after it.

So the big question, why did I stop?

Well, I listened to too many people.  I wanted to make it in radio traditionally speaking and people told me my act was too controversial or too obnoxious.  So I tried to tone it down, and for one season of television I did.  I was proud of what I accomplished, but it wasn't me.  So instead of being this show full of journalistic integrity, I turned it into a freak show.  I had a lot of fun with it.  However, it wasn't the same as my first creation which everyone knows as SRTV.

Then I became a father and that became the most important.  Sure, I hung on to my radio dream with my last breath, but eventually it would run its course.  Vic was left alone all day long with the baby and I would miss seeing her grow, so I chose what I thought was more important.

At the end of the day, I made the right choice.  You only get once chance to be a great father.  I was given what I believed at the time to be a great opportunity.  However, things do happen for a reason and this opportunity made me see what really was important.  My family > my dream.  As long as you live and you dream, you're still alive.  This is why I chose the new job and gave up radio.  I still had a weekend gig which was cool, and was able to broadcast a family show with Vic and Jersey too.  However, my passion became the business I was involved in which looking back was sort of a mistake.  I will explain sort of one day.

What is the point of telling you all of this?

When I made these decisions in my life, I just did it.  Sure some thought went into it, but I wouldn't let fear stop me from attempting to win.  I'd like you to think about my situations how they relate to you and tell me which path did you take?  What road did you choose?  Did it bring you back to where you started or did you go a totally different direction?  What I would like for you to take note in is how long did it take for you to come to your decision?  What was the main motivation?

Once you have done that, I would like you to remember all of this for your next fork in the road.  Remember, our road only stops when we die.  We are the dreamers.  We are the doers.  We are the ones who make magic happen.  Magic by definition is a special power influence or skill.  It does not have to be sorcery.  Magic happens everyday. Sometimes, you need to make your own.

Find your Copperfield friends.  Find it fast.

Mike C