good morning believe nation today’s
message is take your shot over to you
Henry Rollins the last straight job I
had was 1981 head manager of a
haagen-dazs in Georgetown in Washington
DC on Wisconsin Avenue at the
intersection of Wisconsin at O Street
making 375 an hour four dollars an hour
or something like that working 40 to 60
hours a week I had a small apartment
which I shared with an old pal of mine
I had a small record collection in
ailing VW automobile and a little tiny
life with my minimum wage job which I
rear I liked and I looked at my life and
realized this is probably about as good
as it’s gonna get for me I might quit
this place and go work at my friends
record store cuz I like to being around
records that I could probably run his
store very well knowing what I knew
about retail at that point and then I
got a very lucky break because at that
same time I was very frustrated I said
well this is gonna be a very tough life
it’s gonna be a life of a lot of
standing on my feet a lot of work taking
it from other people and having very
little to show for it by Friday you know
Friday evening and then Black Flag the
famous band whose friends of mine they
played in New York I was in Washington I
took a ride up to go see him because
they weren’t coming down to my town I
jumped on stage and sang with him that
night a song because I had to go back
down to DC and go work like some awful
shift they called me a few days later at
the ice-cream store and said you know
we’re looking for a singer because the
rhythm guitar player wants to I’m sorry
the vocalist wants to move down to
rhythm guitar until I’ve told the story
before and we’re holding auditions you
want to crack at this because we saw you
on stage the other night you’re pretty
wild I looked at the ice cream scoop in
my hand my chocolate bespattered apron
and my future in the world of
minimum-wage work or I could go up to
New York and audition for this crazy
band who is my favorite what’s the worst
is going to happen
miss a day of work ooh there goes 21
bucks and I get humiliated in front of
my favorite band yeah humiliation and
young people kind of go together I was
used to it and so I I took a train up
there I walked into this practice place
in the East Village I’m standing there
with the band with a microphone in my
hand they said pick the tune and I sang
every song they had you know improvising
most of it two times through we did the
set they said okay you have a seat we’re
gonna go have a band meeting whatever
that means and they came back like 10
minutes later said okay your end I said
what do you mean they said you’re the
singer and black flag I said so what do
I do they go he’ll quit your job you
pack your gear you meet us on the road
here’s here’s the tour itinerary here’s
the lyrics we’ll see you soon so fairly
numb I went back down to Washington with
this passel of lyrics in my hand went to
my boss and said I’m not exactly
quitting but here’s this thing that
happened and he said it’s your shot I
said yeah he said take it when I was 20
years old I missed my shot because I was
scared and I vowed never to do it again
I was in Paris I was on vacation I was
in University and I’m sitting here with
my map outside your notre-dame Cathedral
in Paris and a girl comes up and asked
me for directions but she was a French
girl and it didn’t twig until later that
why would a French girl be asking me for
directions in English didn’t really make
sense right and then I thought you know
what I should ask her out if just see
what she’s doing tonight I should take
her to you know astro for coffee or
dinner or something see what she’s up to
but I was afraid I was afraid to do it I
was afraid to do it and I let her walk
away because really it was I was afraid
of rejection and as she’s walking away
the nut Radames on a river and I’m on
one side of the river as she crosses
over to you other side of the river and
I was so upset at myself I was so upset
that I didn’t take my shot I was so
upset that I didn’t try at least try and
what I did was end up taking a picture
and has I took the picture she actually
walked behind one of the market stalls
and I didn’t actually get her picture
it’s fine so I had this beautiful
picture of this French you know
Riverside and when I did when I got home
I was still upset about it so I blew the
picture up and I put it on my wall and I
was actually trying to find the picture
to show you guys but I couldn’t find
anywhere in my files I blew it up there
when I put in my wall so I’m in
university I blow it up and put on my
wall everybody who walks in asked me
about the picture and it just looks like
a nice beautiful French scene but I
didn’t tell anybody what they’ve really
represented to me
why I was really so important and I
looked at that picture every day because
the next time that I had to take my shot
I wanted to go out and do it I didn’t
want to be afraid I wanted to conquer my
fear and say yes and this served me
really well a year or so later when I
had to make the really tough decision do
I take this job that I always wanted I
had these high-paying job opportunities
and $100,000 started shower with a
company that I really wanted to go out
or continue with my startup that was
failing that was making $300 a month the
logical practical safe easy thing to do
would have been to take the job it’s
what I thought I always wore it’s what
my friends want it’s what you’re
supposed to do coming out of university
I didn’t want to live with the regret of
not knowing what happened with my
business and looking at that picture
daily reminded me to take my shot the
next time it comes around and so I gave
myself a year to say I’m gonna push off
those jobs they’ll still be there in a
year even if it’s not those jobs that
some other job I’m gonna give this a
shot I can deal with the failure I could
deal with the rejection I can deal with
that not working out even though that’s
a really kind of short term intense pain
what I can’t deal with is the regret of
not knowing because that’s not some
short-term minimal pain that’s forever
if I chose not to focus on my business
and I took that job I would forever look
back on that moment and think what if
what if I just tried a little bit harder
what if I gave it a little bit more yeah
you know but I wasn’t working I wasn’t
results but what if I gave it a little
bit more I did not want to live with
that regret and I’m sure you’ve had
moments during your life – what you
didn’t take the shot when you had an
opportunity right in front of you and
you didn’t go for it like Eminem says if
you had one shot one opportunity to
seize everything you ever wanted would
you take it and that picture on the wall
help me take my shot and I hope
sincerely that the next time you get
your chance at something that you don’t
shrink down that you don’t say no out of
fear that you don’t say no because you
find some practical reason why you can’t
do it that you take your shot and if
you’ve had those moments that you regret
where you wanted to take your shot and
you didn’t give yourself a visual
reminder like I did in my room to say
this is not happening again next time
I’m going to take my shot I hope you
take yours so the question is a today is
I’m curious what is the shot that you
didn’t take what’s your biggest regret
in life or business for you right now
write it down make it painful go back
into that terrible memory because I
never want that to happen to you again
so write it down leave in the comments
I’m looking forward to seeing what you
guys put down finally you want to give a
quick shout out to Ingrid Prescott
Ingrid thank you so much for picking up
a copy of my book your one word I really
really really appreciate your support
thank you guys so much for watching I
believe in you I hope you continue to
believe in yourself and whatever your
one word is and I’ll see you again
tomorrow morning for another shot of an
espresso
I believe nation thank you so much for
watching if you want to learn more about
this subject get a little bit deeper on
it I’m gonna share some extra bonus
clips that I hope you’ll enjoy after you
moved to LA from Hawaii you got there
and what was the reason to leave Hawaii
in the first place I think I needed to
take a shot at the big time I wanted to
make my album and start writing my own
music and performing my whole life in
Hawaii and Waikiki and parties and
weddings and shows and anything you
could think of restaurants bars and
clubs and you know I feel like I did a
lot in my way and I wanted to as soon as
I graduated high school I wanted to take
the next step and hopefully do it even
bigger so you’ve got that to LA apart
with the trust your suitcase probably
any money what was the plan then I mean
how do you how did you feel at this
special moment getting there and having
no clues about what’s going to happen
next
it was exciting I was I was young my
sister helped me out you know she let me
stay with her for a year and I got
signed to Motown Records that didn’t
really work out but I had to learn you
know it’s such a it’s such a learning
process and a lot of rejection
I think me left understand that that’s
just a part of the you know what it
takes to to kind of finally come up with
your own album is it you need to be
rejected over and over and everyone
telling you
not good enough to kind of break through
that that’s what it takes
you send unfinished work – Stephen
Sondheim for him to critique Steve just
tell me what you think how does that
work and are you really really yeah it’s
Ableton’s a crazy idea it’s a crazy idea
but in my head it was a really good idea
and sometimes what you need are people
to just not say that’s a terrible idea
and get to be very careful about who you
let in when you had a good idea because
people can crush it for you even though
I think for this other thing and if you
trust that person and you love that
person it can really affect your own
view of your work I’ve learned that the
hard way I’ve had ideas die in front of
me because people I respect go maybe not
so much by when I was on vacation and I
picked up chair nose book and I started
reading it reading it to my wife and
being like there’s something here right
this is like I’m not a crazy person and
my wife know that’s a really cool idea
like that’s as responsible for this as
anything and I remember when I first met
some time it was to do translations for
the last revival across Side Story and
we talked we talked shop when we talked
about what I should translate what I
shouldn’t and we kind of talked about
that for about a half an hour then he
asked me like what are you thinking
about next because Heights was running
at the time was its first year and I
said I think I have this idea
Alexander Hamilton and he threw up his
head and made this and she’s a really
reserved guy and he went I instantly got
it and I like
and that’s also is responsible for us
being here as to anything that early
encouragement cuz I’m just you know his
whole thing and he’s proved it with his
career is continued to vary and like you
need into what scares you and lean into
what people don’t think makes a good
musical and make that
message is take your shot over to you
Henry Rollins the last straight job I
had was 1981 head manager of a
haagen-dazs in Georgetown in Washington
DC on Wisconsin Avenue at the
intersection of Wisconsin at O Street
making 375 an hour four dollars an hour
or something like that working 40 to 60
hours a week I had a small apartment
which I shared with an old pal of mine
I had a small record collection in
ailing VW automobile and a little tiny
life with my minimum wage job which I
rear I liked and I looked at my life and
realized this is probably about as good
as it’s gonna get for me I might quit
this place and go work at my friends
record store cuz I like to being around
records that I could probably run his
store very well knowing what I knew
about retail at that point and then I
got a very lucky break because at that
same time I was very frustrated I said
well this is gonna be a very tough life
it’s gonna be a life of a lot of
standing on my feet a lot of work taking
it from other people and having very
little to show for it by Friday you know
Friday evening and then Black Flag the
famous band whose friends of mine they
played in New York I was in Washington I
took a ride up to go see him because
they weren’t coming down to my town I
jumped on stage and sang with him that
night a song because I had to go back
down to DC and go work like some awful
shift they called me a few days later at
the ice-cream store and said you know
we’re looking for a singer because the
rhythm guitar player wants to I’m sorry
the vocalist wants to move down to
rhythm guitar until I’ve told the story
before and we’re holding auditions you
want to crack at this because we saw you
on stage the other night you’re pretty
wild I looked at the ice cream scoop in
my hand my chocolate bespattered apron
and my future in the world of
minimum-wage work or I could go up to
New York and audition for this crazy
band who is my favorite what’s the worst
is going to happen
miss a day of work ooh there goes 21
bucks and I get humiliated in front of
my favorite band yeah humiliation and
young people kind of go together I was
used to it and so I I took a train up
there I walked into this practice place
in the East Village I’m standing there
with the band with a microphone in my
hand they said pick the tune and I sang
every song they had you know improvising
most of it two times through we did the
set they said okay you have a seat we’re
gonna go have a band meeting whatever
that means and they came back like 10
minutes later said okay your end I said
what do you mean they said you’re the
singer and black flag I said so what do
I do they go he’ll quit your job you
pack your gear you meet us on the road
here’s here’s the tour itinerary here’s
the lyrics we’ll see you soon so fairly
numb I went back down to Washington with
this passel of lyrics in my hand went to
my boss and said I’m not exactly
quitting but here’s this thing that
happened and he said it’s your shot I
said yeah he said take it when I was 20
years old I missed my shot because I was
scared and I vowed never to do it again
I was in Paris I was on vacation I was
in University and I’m sitting here with
my map outside your notre-dame Cathedral
in Paris and a girl comes up and asked
me for directions but she was a French
girl and it didn’t twig until later that
why would a French girl be asking me for
directions in English didn’t really make
sense right and then I thought you know
what I should ask her out if just see
what she’s doing tonight I should take
her to you know astro for coffee or
dinner or something see what she’s up to
but I was afraid I was afraid to do it I
was afraid to do it and I let her walk
away because really it was I was afraid
of rejection and as she’s walking away
the nut Radames on a river and I’m on
one side of the river as she crosses
over to you other side of the river and
I was so upset at myself I was so upset
that I didn’t take my shot I was so
upset that I didn’t try at least try and
what I did was end up taking a picture
and has I took the picture she actually
walked behind one of the market stalls
and I didn’t actually get her picture
it’s fine so I had this beautiful
picture of this French you know
Riverside and when I did when I got home
I was still upset about it so I blew the
picture up and I put it on my wall and I
was actually trying to find the picture
to show you guys but I couldn’t find
anywhere in my files I blew it up there
when I put in my wall so I’m in
university I blow it up and put on my
wall everybody who walks in asked me
about the picture and it just looks like
a nice beautiful French scene but I
didn’t tell anybody what they’ve really
represented to me
why I was really so important and I
looked at that picture every day because
the next time that I had to take my shot
I wanted to go out and do it I didn’t
want to be afraid I wanted to conquer my
fear and say yes and this served me
really well a year or so later when I
had to make the really tough decision do
I take this job that I always wanted I
had these high-paying job opportunities
and $100,000 started shower with a
company that I really wanted to go out
or continue with my startup that was
failing that was making $300 a month the
logical practical safe easy thing to do
would have been to take the job it’s
what I thought I always wore it’s what
my friends want it’s what you’re
supposed to do coming out of university
I didn’t want to live with the regret of
not knowing what happened with my
business and looking at that picture
daily reminded me to take my shot the
next time it comes around and so I gave
myself a year to say I’m gonna push off
those jobs they’ll still be there in a
year even if it’s not those jobs that
some other job I’m gonna give this a
shot I can deal with the failure I could
deal with the rejection I can deal with
that not working out even though that’s
a really kind of short term intense pain
what I can’t deal with is the regret of
not knowing because that’s not some
short-term minimal pain that’s forever
if I chose not to focus on my business
and I took that job I would forever look
back on that moment and think what if
what if I just tried a little bit harder
what if I gave it a little bit more yeah
you know but I wasn’t working I wasn’t
results but what if I gave it a little
bit more I did not want to live with
that regret and I’m sure you’ve had
moments during your life – what you
didn’t take the shot when you had an
opportunity right in front of you and
you didn’t go for it like Eminem says if
you had one shot one opportunity to
seize everything you ever wanted would
you take it and that picture on the wall
help me take my shot and I hope
sincerely that the next time you get
your chance at something that you don’t
shrink down that you don’t say no out of
fear that you don’t say no because you
find some practical reason why you can’t
do it that you take your shot and if
you’ve had those moments that you regret
where you wanted to take your shot and
you didn’t give yourself a visual
reminder like I did in my room to say
this is not happening again next time
I’m going to take my shot I hope you
take yours so the question is a today is
I’m curious what is the shot that you
didn’t take what’s your biggest regret
in life or business for you right now
write it down make it painful go back
into that terrible memory because I
never want that to happen to you again
so write it down leave in the comments
I’m looking forward to seeing what you
guys put down finally you want to give a
quick shout out to Ingrid Prescott
Ingrid thank you so much for picking up
a copy of my book your one word I really
really really appreciate your support
thank you guys so much for watching I
believe in you I hope you continue to
believe in yourself and whatever your
one word is and I’ll see you again
tomorrow morning for another shot of an
espresso
I believe nation thank you so much for
watching if you want to learn more about
this subject get a little bit deeper on
it I’m gonna share some extra bonus
clips that I hope you’ll enjoy after you
moved to LA from Hawaii you got there
and what was the reason to leave Hawaii
in the first place I think I needed to
take a shot at the big time I wanted to
make my album and start writing my own
music and performing my whole life in
Hawaii and Waikiki and parties and
weddings and shows and anything you
could think of restaurants bars and
clubs and you know I feel like I did a
lot in my way and I wanted to as soon as
I graduated high school I wanted to take
the next step and hopefully do it even
bigger so you’ve got that to LA apart
with the trust your suitcase probably
any money what was the plan then I mean
how do you how did you feel at this
special moment getting there and having
no clues about what’s going to happen
next
it was exciting I was I was young my
sister helped me out you know she let me
stay with her for a year and I got
signed to Motown Records that didn’t
really work out but I had to learn you
know it’s such a it’s such a learning
process and a lot of rejection
I think me left understand that that’s
just a part of the you know what it
takes to to kind of finally come up with
your own album is it you need to be
rejected over and over and everyone
telling you
not good enough to kind of break through
that that’s what it takes
you send unfinished work – Stephen
Sondheim for him to critique Steve just
tell me what you think how does that
work and are you really really yeah it’s
Ableton’s a crazy idea it’s a crazy idea
but in my head it was a really good idea
and sometimes what you need are people
to just not say that’s a terrible idea
and get to be very careful about who you
let in when you had a good idea because
people can crush it for you even though
I think for this other thing and if you
trust that person and you love that
person it can really affect your own
view of your work I’ve learned that the
hard way I’ve had ideas die in front of
me because people I respect go maybe not
so much by when I was on vacation and I
picked up chair nose book and I started
reading it reading it to my wife and
being like there’s something here right
this is like I’m not a crazy person and
my wife know that’s a really cool idea
like that’s as responsible for this as
anything and I remember when I first met
some time it was to do translations for
the last revival across Side Story and
we talked we talked shop when we talked
about what I should translate what I
shouldn’t and we kind of talked about
that for about a half an hour then he
asked me like what are you thinking
about next because Heights was running
at the time was its first year and I
said I think I have this idea
Alexander Hamilton and he threw up his
head and made this and she’s a really
reserved guy and he went I instantly got
it and I like
and that’s also is responsible for us
being here as to anything that early
encouragement cuz I’m just you know his
whole thing and he’s proved it with his
career is continued to vary and like you
need into what scares you and lean into
what people don’t think makes a good
musical and make that
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