THERE IS A COUNTER-MELODY IN ALL THINGS
“A Man Feeding Swans in the Snow” photo © Marcin Ryczek.
There is a counter-melody in all things
A lot of people think my advice and opinions sound strange.
When I was first starting to write seriously, and experiment with finding my “voice” on an issue (let’s say…business) where (let’s say…I had a LOT of opinions) and was righting in extreme black and white scenarios, my partner said to me, “Do you actually mean the stuff you write?”
So, a little explanation:
Do you know what musical counterpoint is?
Underneath the main melody, you have a counter-melody that goes against it, and together they make harmony.
This is different than just harmonizing, where someone sings along with the melody at an interval. This is a separate melody that could stand on its own but is really there to complement the main melody.
Well, if my advice and opinions sound strange, it’s because I’m just the counter-melody.
I’m not the only voice you hear. There’s a message I know that most of my clients, readers or listeners are hearing because it’s a common message we all hear these days. So let’s call that the melody.
I may love that melody too, but I don’t want to just duplicate it. So I try to think of a good counter-melody.
I do it to compensate (or over-compensate) for something I think is missing in the common message.
So my public posts are a counterpoint meant to complement the popular point.
For example:
There’s a glorification of leadership and those who start companies. I think that it’s more effective to be an early follower.
The popular “law of attraction” says you should tell everyone your goals. But there is an interesting study showing that telling your plans makes them less likely to happen.
To people who are too focused on money, I suggest that generosity is a more effective path to success.
To people who are too focused on passion and purpose, I suggest that money can lead you towards your purpose because it shows how you’re valuable to others.
It’s not about taking the opposite position just to take it. It’s about managing the middle.
Now if you ask me if I think the stuff I say is the only way to go, of course not! I’m just offering the counter-melody.
My best advice is to listen to the combination. To both seek and manage the tension. Eventually, you’ll find yourself singing along with the melody you like best. Or making up your own.