When we moved to Toronto a few months ago, one of the things I was excited about was being in the country where the band RUSH was from. Having been a drummer since the age of 7 or so, I’ve subscribed to countless Modern Drummer magazines where Rush’s drummer, Neil Peart was featured on the cover or in an article of some sort. Widely acknowledged as one of the world’s top drummers, Neil Peart and his bandmates are all from Canada.
While browsing a local Indigo bookstore in Toronto, I purposely looked for something non-fiction (the only format I read) from the local Canada section. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to stumble upon “Ghost Rider”, Peart’s book he wrote after losing both his wife and his only child.
This blog is about leadership, so I’ll cut to the chase (spoiler alert). After losing his daughter to car accident and his wife to cancer, Neil was almost suicidal. Instead, he decided to hit the road on his BMW motorcycle and heal by riding almost 31,000 miles in 4 months time.
Sometimes leadership means doing something exceptionally difficult, even though other (easier/simple) solutions are an option. After losing everything he cared about, Neal Peart could have driven off a cliff or taken pills to overdose. Instead, he “faced the music” and decided to ride until the pain became bearable. He healed. He wrote to friends & family while experiencing a tremendous adventure few will ever experience.
The lesson… Don’t stop living… Keep moving forward, no matter how difficult it gets. People matter. Experience matters. Life matters.
Enjoy one of Neil’s solos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw6aWbXL5Mc
Some of our hero’s take their own like, us as Chester Bennington of Linkin Park or Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.
Others have their life taken from them, such as Neil Peart from RUSH. (brain cancer)
…but thanks to their music, their leadership remains with us indefinitely.
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