Determination

One thing I have always admired about Duran Duran is their determination.  They have always demonstrated a focus on being successful no matter what they are focused on, whether it is an overall career goal or a specific project.  One of my favorite stories of all time in Duran Duran history is the game plan that they had back when they started.  This game plan included the venues they hoped to play and when.  I believe it was Hammersmith in ’82, Wembly in ’83 and Madison Square Garden in ’84.  I believe that they met this goal.  Now, of course, they didn’t stop there.  They seem to be willing to put in the hours to make a quality product.  Sometimes, this time and effort frustrates us fans as we can and often do wait for years for an album to come out!  Somehow, this length of time is acceptable to me when the album comes out and is fabulous.  It is not as tolerable when the album isn’t what I hoped to be.  Nonetheless, the point here is that I admire their ability to be focused and determined.

One thing is certain.  Duran Duran wouldn’t have gotten where they are today if they weren’t determined.  I keep thinking about how Simon joined the band in the spring of 1980 and their first album was released in 1981!  Think about how much work they had to do in such a short window of time!  They also had to do this with minimal money.  Yes, they were lucky in finding their managers at the time, the Berrow brothers.  Yes, they were fortunate to have been signed to a major record label.  Nonetheless, they still didn’t have a ton of time or money to make what is for many of us a fantastic album!  Clearly, this task required determination and intensity!  It also needed teamwork.  They all had to be focused on the goal.  I’m sure that they didn’t always agree but they stayed on course.  To me, this is impressive, particularly when noting their young age, at the time.  Strangely enough, Duran’s early days have been particularly motivating to me right now.  

Today marks the last day before the Get Out the Vote effort here in Wisconsin.  For those of you who are not involved in campaign politics, Get Out the Vote (GOTV) is the last 4 days of any campaign.  These days are filled with tons of volunteers reaching out to the voters through phone calls and going door-to-door.  As a team leader, I have been involved with organizing and getting ready for these essential days on the campaign trail.  I will also be leading the effort at a temporary field office.  If you are still reading, you are probably wondering what the heck the point of me telling you this or how it relates to Duran Duran.  It has to do with little time and money combined with sheer determination.  On my side of the election, we have only had a candidate for governor since May 8^th.  This is an extremely short amount of time with which to make the case that this person would be the better choice.  On top of it, GOTV is a relatively short amount of time to get voters out to the polls.  Like the short amount of time and like Duran, our side has very little money with which to accomplish this task.  Many people already have donated resources like clipboards and many have made treats for us to have during the effort.  All of these people are coming together to work together to accomplish something.  Like the band, we definitely don’t agree on everything but we do agree on the goal.  Lastly, the intensity level for an activity like this is VERY high.  I feel like I have been living and breathing campaign.  I bet the band felt the exact same way about that first album.  

The campaign I’m involved with has many parallels to the early days of Duran.  Both have a short time to get the job done.  Both have few resources and both are intensely focused on the goal.  I hope that on Tuesday, I will feel like this determination results in victory.  I want to feel a little like what Duran probably felt like when they got that first album out or when they made those venue goals.  I want Tuesday night to be like Duran Duran’s first night at Madison Square Garden as both are moments of triumph despite the odds against success.

-A