I recently discovered Jacob Collier. He has a really good cover of a song I hum and sing in the shower named “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”.
The original version of the song is still my favorite, which is written by Stevie Wonder. But I won’t lie, Jacob Collier’s version had me moving and humming too, which is impressive.
The legendary Quincy Jones agrees with me. He signed Collier about a year after he released the cover of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing” on YouTube.
Something Jacob said in a live performance made me reflect deeply.
Remaining Childlike
When he was asked what it means to remain childlike, he talked about how many of us are in pursuit of the next thing. We go on our entire life trying to climb a ladder of achievements.
In his opinion, after we spend a lifetime climbing, there’s nothing at the top of the ladder except death.
To remain childlike is to be alive and present. You don’t need to be at a certain level to be alive properly. You can live life fully no matter your achievements.
He encourages people to reach, strive, and inspire but to never think they’re not enough.
That’s a key difference between children and adults. When we move into adulthood, we feel the need to pursue a lifetime of achievements.
Here’s the link to his live performance. It’ll start at the part where he talks about remaining childlike.
I resisted the idea of undermining the pursuit of achievements. After all, I believe in setting clearly defined, intentional goals. Jacob Collier isn’t opposed to excellence. His mastery of music tells me that.
After pondering throughout the week, I realized Jacob is right.
Distracted by What’s Next
There are plenty of precious things we miss out on because we’re living in the past or future instead of the present. When we’re too busy pursuing the next thing, we miss out on the zest of life.
How many meaningful relationships have passed you by because you were too distracted by your next achievement? How many special moments have you sacrificed because of a temporary goal?
We all must find a way to live in the present without sacrificing our future.
The Illusion of Excellence
I don’t know about you, but I struggle with that a lot. My lack of faith stands in my way more than I like to admit. Trying to micromanage my destiny is what I do when I feel inadequate.
Insecurity can sometimes mask itself as excellence.
That surely was the case for Michael Jordan. In the Last Dance documentary, he admitted to continually seeking the approval of his father. It wasn’t bestowed upon him easily. Jordan’s drive to be the best stemmed from his feeling of inadequacy.
Ryan Holiday talked about the exact same thing in a podcast about the conviction of excellence with Greg McKeown.
If you find yourself feeling inadequate, then stop, take a deep breath and ask yourself, do you really need the thing you’re after to validate yourself? Do you need the next achievement to be alive properly?
Nah, you really don’t.
Look out your window. Take a leaf out of mother nature’s book. Doesn’t everything bloom in its own time? Doesn’t everything eventually live up to its purpose?
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
— Lao Tzu
Tap into your inner child and know you’re absolutely enough. Trust your effort and growth. You’ll bloom into your fullness in due season.
Don’t you worry ’bout a thing.
–Luis