In The King’s Speech, the stammering Prince Albert, soon to become King George VI, finds himself in the cozy office of speech therapist Lionel Logue. He expects Logue to begin treating him. Instead, Logue insists on small talk.
Losing patience, the prince takes out a cigarette.
“Please don’t do that,” Lionel says.
“I’m sorry?” replies the prince.
“I believe sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you,” Lionel says.
“My physicians say it relaxes the throat,” says the prince.
“They’re idiots.”
The prince is taken aback. “They’ve all been knighted!” he says.
“Makes it official then,” says Lionel.
I love this little repartee. Just because someone is well known, highly regarded and has many who agree with him, doesn’t mean he’s worth listening to.
Is there wisdom in crowds? No. If everyone is doing it, that’s reason enough to question it.
If you’re a regular at The Alchemist Entrepreneur(TM), I’m going to make a guess about you. Tell me if I’m right.
You have a deep inner belief that you are on this earth for a reason. That you have an important contribution to make. That you are capable of much more than your record reveals.
You also look around at what others have achieved. What others say. What others do. Sometimes you wonder. It doesn’t seem to make sense. Something seems to be missing. And yet, look where they are. They must be smarter, more charismatic, more talented… They’re certainly richer and more famous. They must know something you don’t…
And you wonder to yourself, “Will I ever know, have and be what they know, have and are?”
Goodness, I hope not! They’re idiots! They’re loud today, and they’ll be gone tomorrow.
Shut out the experts. Quiet your mind. Allow your own native common sense to shine through the smoke and mirrors.
There were many speech therapists in London. But there was only one Lionel Logue. At first the prince assumed Lionel would be like the others he had already seen and dismissed. Eventually he realized that Lionel’s difference was also his genius.
You, too, my friend have your own genius. Don’t stifle it by trying to be like the others out there. The world doesn’t need more of them. They need more of you.
Dov Gordon
Your comments and stories are welcome below.
