Planting the Golden Seed with Evelyn Glennie

These bitesize episodes focus on the greatest lessons we’ve learnt from the guests we've had on the podcast.

Today, Jake takes us back to episode 45 with Dame Evelyn Glennie. Evelyn is a Scottish percussionist, who has been profoundly deaf since the age of 12. In this clip, she discusses how important it is to open the world of children to new things that will inspire and ignite them. 

This bitesize clip explores following passion and how giving children responsibility positively impacts them.

You can listen to the full conversation here: https://pod.fo/e/bdfb7

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In this episode, Jake reflects on a previous conversation with Dame Evelyn Glennie, a Scottish percussionist who has been profoundly deaf since the age of 12, exploring the importance of inspiration and responsibility in shaping one's life.

Glennie emphasizes the significance of exposing children to diverse experiences, allowing them to discover their passions and interests. She recalls her own experience of being captivated by percussion instruments during a school orchestra performance, leading her to pursue a career in music despite her hearing impairment.

Glennie highlights the role of parents and educators in providing children with opportunities to explore and interact with the world around them. She believes that fostering a sense of responsibility in children, such as entrusting them with tasks and allowing them to take on challenges, helps build their confidence and resilience.

Drawing from her own experiences growing up on a farm, Glennie reflects on the value of practical tasks and responsibilities in developing a strong work ethic and sense of accomplishment. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing and nurturing a child's potential, regardless of their age or perceived limitations.

Glennie stresses the impact that seemingly small actions and interactions can have on an individual's life, referring to the concept of the "golden seed" in psychology. She encourages listeners to strive to be positive influences in the lives of others, as even a brief conversation or gesture can have a lasting impact.

Jake concludes the episode by reflecting on advice he received from legendary sports commentator John Motson, emphasizing the importance of hard work, preparation, and prioritizing family. He encourages listeners to live their lives with intention, recognizing the impact of their actions on others and striving to leave the world a better place.

[00:00.000 -> 00:03.360] So Dame Evelyn is a Scottish percussionist.
[00:03.360 -> 00:08.320] She tours all over the world, performing as a soloist with a wide variety of orchestras
[00:08.320 -> 00:13.120] and amazing musicians. She conducts masterclasses, she consults with people,
[00:13.120 -> 00:18.000] she's a motivational speaker. She's one of the most incredible musicians on the planet.
[00:18.560 -> 00:22.640] But here's the thing, she's been profoundly deaf since the age of 12.
[00:22.640 -> 00:25.840] She started to lose her hearing at eight years old,
[00:25.840 -> 00:28.760] but not only does that not stop her performing,
[00:28.760 -> 00:32.640] the crucial thing is it also doesn't stop her believing.
[00:32.640 -> 00:35.240] She joined us to talk about how you can be deaf
[00:35.240 -> 00:39.420] and still be a musician who changes the game.
[00:39.420 -> 00:42.760] And this is what she told us about inspiration.
[00:42.760 -> 00:44.140] It's an amazing lesson.
[00:44.140 -> 00:44.980] Here it comes.
[00:45.000 -> 00:50.980] told us about inspiration. It's an amazing listen. Here it comes. Again, when I went to the secondary school and all new pupils popped into the school
[00:50.980 -> 00:57.740] hall and the school orchestra played for us all. That was incredible, I have to say, because
[00:57.740 -> 01:03.960] it gave us a chance to look at the orchestra. And I looked at them thinking, strings, I
[01:03.960 -> 01:05.880] don't really want to play strings. I don't really want strings. Hmm. I don't really want to play strings.
[01:06.080 -> 01:07.520] I don't really want to play brass.
[01:07.720 -> 01:11.360] I don't really want to play wind instruments because I've already tried that.
[01:11.560 -> 01:13.200] But percussion, that seems interesting.
[01:13.400 -> 01:17.120] But absolutely, I had no idea that that would be the thing for me.
[01:17.320 -> 01:23.160] And I think that it's really, truly opening up as many opportunities for our
[01:23.360 -> 01:26.040] families to experience, whether it's going to a zoo,
[01:26.040 -> 01:30.960] whether it's going to just the local park, whether it's going to see a concert, whether
[01:30.960 -> 01:35.040] it's going to go to an event that you think, oh, heavens, that's not for a five-year-old
[01:35.040 -> 01:39.680] or something, but then you go and suddenly something, just something, it could be something
[01:39.680 -> 01:46.440] that somebody says or a comment that a child makes, a word that they utter, something, something
[01:46.440 -> 01:52.720] that they might draw, you know, it's really paying attention, but basically opening the
[01:52.720 -> 01:57.760] world up to them and just seeing how they interact with it.
[01:57.760 -> 02:00.240] I love that answer, Damian.
[02:00.240 -> 02:06.400] It's phenomenal. I've often heard it described by child psychologists as that open mouth moment
[02:06.400 -> 02:11.040] and for parents to look for that moment when a child just looks in awe and wonder
[02:11.040 -> 02:16.240] at something and to pursue that passion. Yeah and I think what's interesting, you know, I mean,
[02:16.240 -> 02:26.160] for example, I remember during the lambing season on the farm, springtime, and it was my task to look after the sick lambs.
[02:26.360 -> 02:28.040] And we called them the sickies.
[02:28.240 -> 02:32.720] And basically I had to milk them and all of that.
[02:32.920 -> 02:37.000] And I was allowed to take them in, can you believe, into the kitchen and put them
[02:37.200 -> 02:41.640] on a rug by the radiator and and feed them by a milk bottle.
[02:41.840 -> 02:49.040] And and I used to sleep with them overnight, can you believe, in the kitchen and then once they become strong enough and they were
[02:49.040 -> 02:53.560] then, you know, taken to the mart and sold and I would be given the money for that.
[02:53.560 -> 02:58.560] And so it was kind of a sense of responsibility but all of these things
[02:58.560 -> 03:04.040] built together, being around machinery, being around livestock, given tasks to do
[03:04.040 -> 03:05.680] on the farm and so on,
[03:05.680 -> 03:10.200] was a massive, massive, massive lesson in a way, in various ways.
[03:10.200 -> 03:16.360] So I suppose for my parents, they could see responsibility, they could see that they could
[03:16.360 -> 03:21.280] trust an eight-year-old or a ten-year-old, you know, by a great big combine harvester
[03:21.280 -> 03:23.000] or something like that.
[03:23.000 -> 03:27.000] They could give that child a task and they would know it would be done.
[03:27.200 -> 03:29.680] Those sort of things are all building blocks.
[03:29.880 -> 03:31.400] And that's what it's about.
[03:31.600 -> 03:34.320] It's building blocks just as you build a career.
[03:34.520 -> 03:36.760] It's building blocks all of the time.
[03:36.960 -> 03:39.440] So when I'm asked, well, what has been the most extraordinary
[03:39.640 -> 03:42.920] performance or what has been the turnaround point or whatever?
[03:43.120 -> 03:48.600] I actually couldn't just pick one thing because all of them are just that.
[03:48.800 -> 03:53.320] You know, when you hold your first solo CD in your hand, that's important.
[03:53.520 -> 03:55.240] When you graduate, that's important.
[03:55.440 -> 03:59.000] When you hold your autobiography in your hand, that's important.
[03:59.200 -> 04:01.320] When you play to a group of five year olds
[04:01.320 -> 04:04.880] and they're seeing a marimba that looks like a great big tank for the first time.
[04:07.020 -> 04:13.020] That's important. So it's all about planting seeds and I think for my parents when they could recognize my
[04:13.020 -> 04:19.820] actions around the farm, they knew that I would be perfectly okay going to London
[04:19.820 -> 04:25.720] as a 16 year old by myself and just getting on, you know, whereas if they saw somebody
[04:25.720 -> 04:29.600] who was, you know, collapsing every time they were given a task or something or
[04:29.600 -> 04:33.480] frightened of livestock or couldn't complete something, they might think,
[04:33.480 -> 04:39.520] right, well, we might need to, you know, rethink the journey and perhaps not have
[04:39.520 -> 04:43.040] a, you know, storm down to London because, you know, this might be a
[04:43.040 -> 04:46.560] different scenario. So I think observation is really important.
[04:46.560 -> 04:53.600] Now, if you'd like to listen to the full conversation with Evelyn Glennie, then it's episode 47
[04:53.600 -> 04:58.200] of the High Performance Podcast. I'd love you to track it down and find it. I love that
[04:58.200 -> 05:02.400] conversation. I think it's a reminder for all of us. Wherever you are in the world listening
[05:02.400 -> 05:05.640] to this right now, you can be the person that
[05:05.640 -> 05:11.100] changes the journey for somebody else. They call it in psychology, the golden seed. What
[05:11.100 -> 05:15.400] was that moment? When was the golden seed planted in someone? It can be when they're
[05:15.400 -> 05:22.020] seven, it can be when they're 67. But you just don't know the impact that you will make
[05:22.020 -> 05:28.080] on other people. We recently lost John Motsen, who's a legendary sports commentator here in the UK.
[05:28.080 -> 05:30.560] And one of my very first sports presenting jobs
[05:30.560 -> 05:31.400] involved him.
[05:31.400 -> 05:33.120] And we sat down, had a drink in a bar,
[05:33.120 -> 05:34.960] it lasted about an hour.
[05:34.960 -> 05:36.980] And he gave me some really amazing advice.
[05:36.980 -> 05:38.560] He told me to always work harder
[05:38.560 -> 05:40.400] than I ever think I need to.
[05:40.400 -> 05:42.640] He told me to prepare for every single job
[05:42.640 -> 05:45.300] like it's the first time and the last time I will ever do it
[05:45.640 -> 05:50.820] And he told me to put family first and I've tried to live with those three bits of advice from John Watson
[05:50.980 -> 05:52.980] That he gave me over 15 years ago
[05:53.540 -> 05:55.540] For him that was a one-hour conversation
[05:55.820 -> 05:57.960] For me it changed my life
[05:58.540 -> 06:05.920] And I think that's the magic about being a mentor or about being an inspiration for someone, or about providing that golden seed.
[06:05.920 -> 06:08.680] The person that's done it often doesn't even know they have.
[06:08.680 -> 06:11.480] The person that's received it never forgets it.
[06:11.480 -> 06:16.080] So live a life remembering that no action you take is inert.
[06:16.080 -> 06:17.920] Whether you're positive, whether you're negative,
[06:17.920 -> 06:19.260] whether you say nothing at all to someone,
[06:19.260 -> 06:22.520] it all has an impact on them, and you have a responsibility
[06:22.520 -> 06:25.760] to leave this world better than when you arrived.
[06:25.760 -> 06:27.000] So go and make it so.
[06:27.000 -> 06:31.480] And thanks for listening to this bite-sized episode of the High Performance Podcast.