I Don't Believe You

If I could eliminate just one word from the dictionary, it would be "can't." I absolutely despise it. The very premise of the word. The very idea of no negotiating, no arguing, no wiggle room. You simply "can't" do that. Wear that. Think that.

Why does this word even exist? Isn't a major part of life's appeal the fact that anything is possible and that any thought, idea, or dream can be achieved? If not then what is the point? Why are we even here?

Can you imagine what the world would be like if every single person throughout history bought into this "can't" myth? If little Albert Einstein listened to the many people who undoubtedly told him, "You can't do that. You can't even tie your shoes!" Or if a young Mozart heeded the advice of, "You can't do that, you're just a child!"

On a much less dramatic note, what if all of the doctors, firefighters, authors, business leaders and other professionals prescribed to this "can't" attitude. There would be no progress and the world would never advance and prosper. Some might argue that progress is not always a good thing, but I'm sure you would agree that our lives today are much better than our great, great ancestors fighting for survival each and every waking moment.

We each have our own rituals to combat this "can't" trend. If we didn't we wouldn't ever leave the couch. We all have our ways of casting out negativity and steering a course toward the lives we desire.

Allow me an opportunity to share mine:

My way of casting out the "can't," involves turning on my CD player, slipping on the headphones, closing my eyes and drifting back to a crowded concert hall in Manchester, England, during the spring of 1966. Standing on stage that evening was a certain floppy-haired folksinger known as Bob Dylan. After entertaining the crowd for nearly an hour with nothing but an acoustic guitar, a harmonica and a microphone, Mr. Dylan left the stage for a short intermission to the sound of thunderous applause.

What happened next has become the subject of rock legend (and yes, I am a geek when it comes to music history). Dylan, arguably the most famous folksinger of all time, walked back on the stage holding an electric guitar. An entire band followed him, and within a matter of seconds, you can distinctly hear a voice counting off "One .... two .... three ... four!" and a wave of music blasts through the hall.

What follows is a 30-minute rock and roll show that changed the way people saw Bob Dylan forever. From that point on he was no longer the folksinging voice of a generation. He was a rocker, a poet and a true artist. You would imagine the crowd would have loved this transition, right? You can just see them rocking along to timeless classics such as "Like a Rolling Stone," and "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down," as the band poured them out. Well, actually, no. The crowd HATED it. There were a few polite applause from a stunned crowd after the opening song. The polite applause soon deteriorated into booing, heckling and finally silence.

Dylan and his band played through it all. You can hear one enlightened soul shout "Judas!" at Dylan, who simply replied "I don't believe you!" and kept on playing.

Here's the thing -- Dylan and his band were unbelievable that night! The music on this CD is simply jaw dropping. You've got one of the most inspirational artists of all time at his absolute apex, jamming along with a take-no-prisoners band and the result is simply magic. The problem is, no one in attendance was listening! The entire audience was so caught up with a, "You can't do that!" attitude that they missed it entirely.

My favorite part of the concert happens right before the final song. As the audience is absolutely beside itself with boos and jeers, Dylan turns to his band and yells, "Play f@#$% loud!" What follows is the most inspired version of "Like a Rolling Stone" you will ever hear. It gives me chills every time.

Faced with thousands of people booing, hissing and basically calling for his head, Dylan brushes it all aside, sticks to his artistic vision and yells "Play f#$%& loud!" If that's not inspiration, then I don't know what inspiration is.

There are times when I get stuck in "can't" mode. I feel like I "can't" do this or that. Think this or that. Wear this or that. When that happens all I have to do is picture ole' Bob standing on a stage in England living out his dreams. Audience be damned!

I say we all take a cue from ole' Bob and cast "can't" out of our vocabulary. Find the courage to live out our dreams regardless of the consequences. What's the worst that can happen? Even if an entire concert hall decides to boo and heckle us, we know at least one person who's already been through it, and things turned out pretty good for him.

Play loud kiddies!

- Dave