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Posted by Uncle Sha
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First enjoy this true story, then understand the giant hidden message …
The Story Of a Man In a Metro Station Playing a Violin
A man in a metro station in Washington DC started to play his violin. It was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the cup and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
Why is this an important story?
Because the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written for a violin, which, by the way, is worth $3.5 million.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
Conclusions
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Entrepreneurially, just look around you and notice what others do not see. There are gems everywhere. Find a gem and make your fortune. So many people so little, it is easy to find those gems.
What is your biggest take-away? Record it in the comments.
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Raymond Aaron,
New York Times Top Ten Bestselling Author, “Double Your Income Doing What You Love”
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25th Apr 2009
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Category: Entrepreneur
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