When I was younger I used to be good with yo-yos.  I only wish I was as good as this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq3rn8g15po.  I love yo-yos because they epitomize simplicity.  This simplicity combined with gravity allows people to do some amazing things if they will put in the time to master the art.

Think about how a yo-yo connects back to what this blog has recently discussed.  At its core a yo-yo is basically a wheel and axle attached to a string.  It has been sculpted to its elegant essence and not overly engineered (last week’s message).  You have something simple (a yo-yo), but that doesn’t mean it’s easy (“simple does not equal easy” from two weeks ago).  How much time do you think that person had to put in before these tricks became second nature?

 There is still one thing left though.  Once we have that essence and communicated it in a simple way, how do we pull it through?  That’s the third thing a yo-yo can teach us.  Once you have uncovered the simple essence of something: you keep going back to that essence, just like a yo-yo is meant to always come back to your hand.

Think of the video.  If the yo-yo doesn’t return to his hand, then those tricks are not impressive.  Instead, they are just a bunch of twirls and loops that end up looking like a convoluted mess.  Does this sound like any presentations, communications, or movements you have witnessed?  They might start with a great essence, but the essence is never revisited so it gets lost.  When the essence gets lost, the power is lost.  Now think about things that have resonated with you over a long period of time.  What was different?  I would bet the farm that it’s because that person found a simple essence that resonated with you and whenever there was an opportunity they connected everything back to that essence, reinvigorating it with renewed passion and energy.  Everything kept coming back to that essence just like a yo-yo going back to the person’s hand.  How did you feel when someone was able to keep that essence alive and strong?

If we want to do amazing things, if we want to spark and support change in ourselves and others, then we need to embrace this yo-yo mentality.  We need to put in the time and effort to sculpt a simple essence and then we need to keep going back to it again and again, just like a yo-yo doing tricks before snapping back to our hands.  It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.

Have a jolly good day and a wonderful holiday,

Andrew Embry