How to leave a legacy

Did you know that at some point Michael Jackson wasn’t going to release Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time?

At this point as Michael Jackson and his team were working on the album, his record company put a lot of pressure on rushing them to delivering it on a certain date. They kept rushing them and it was either they deliver it on this date or they forget about the whole deal. It was “do or die” as Michael put it. (see also Top time management mistakes)

Due to this time pressure a lot of compromises on the mixes were made, and when they finally listened to the final outcome it brought tears to his eyes. He told his people not to release it and to call the record company to tell them that they’re not getting the album.

It’s hard to believe that this album was one day about to be deprived from seeing the light. In just one year it became and currently remains the best selling album of all time, it won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, and broke down racial barriers in pop music!

Insistence on creating a legacy

I wasn’t personally there but I can only imagine a shocked team as they watched him leave in disbelief. What I do know though is that the record company made a huge fuss until it actually realized that he was right about the deadline. He insisted that some things shouldn’t be rushed to its failure or to mediocre.

At this point they realized that this was not the quality that was envisioned. He had a certain vision in his mind and a certain quality that he wanted to deliver to people, and this is what he was insisting on creating. To watch great work being spoiled in the end by final mixes was like “taking a great movie and ruining it in the editing” he explained.

The team took time off and came back tension-free determined to create this vision. They decided to work on two songs per week to mix them properly, and when it was done, he knew that this is what he couldn’t wait to release. The result is what everyone hears today.

How did this turn into a legacy?

When the album right before thriller had not won the best album, he became so upset and picked up his sister’s lipstick and wrote that he would sell 50 million copies of his next album on his bathroom mirror.

One would wish this kind of magical lipstick existed, but thank God it doesn’t, because we all have something much greater… which is the ability to envision a legacy. Part of his vision towards achieving this legacy was a revolution to the way music was being presented, as he believed that the music videos that others were doing seemed primitive and weak.

Since the idea from the beginning was “to give people quality” as he put it, he decided to be a pioneer in this medium and make the best short “music movies”.
His record company only paid for one of them, and he paid from his own money to create the other two and even hired a major film director for the project.

Thriller, the video, changed the way we view music videos and the fact that it is still regarded as one of the best music videos 30 years later shows you how far ahead he was at the time. It was epic; no one had seen anything like it at the time.

This skill did not belong to Michael Jackson alone

The skill of creating a legacy is not limited to a few people; it is inside each and every human being alive. The difference is that some decide to pursue what they’ve envisioned and others don’t.

Here is what you see a person do in every legacy:

1) Desire for quality… in everything: When you have a dream that you want to achieve, never settle for less due to circumstances. Instead try your best to bring out the quality you envision in everything and you are bound to strike people with awe. Don’t just focus on the big picture and leave out the details, because it is these details that could make a ‘great movie become spoiled in the editing’. (see also How to focus on your goals)
2) Revolutionize: This may seem like a big word, but actually all you need to do is see how you can develop what’s already available in a smarter way. If you want to create a legacy see how you can truly improve something and you will get ideas.
These ideas will become your vision. The more people you can impact or help with your improvement, the greater it is. Seek to see how you can be of help to the world and you will get many ideas for improvement. (see also How to find innovative ideas)
3) Learn: This is really for your own good, because the more you learn about what you want to do the more you will realize that it’s possible for you to achieve it and plan for it. When you have a vision, seek to learn as much as you ever can about it because the more you learn the more you will be creative with regards to making a real difference. Determination to make it come true: Once you envision yourself creating a legacy your determination will move mountains to get you there. Talk to any successful person and they will tell you that the road to success was not a straight road and that they had to pick themselves up many times and follow this deep tingling emotion that wanted them to succeed.

If you truly want to create a legacy… “Don’t stop ‘till you get enough”.

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