I am always on the lookout for “out of the box” ideas and inspiration, and TEDx, locally organized events on the theme of “Ideas Worth Spreading!”  (www.tedx.com),  are a fertile field for both.

At the recent TEDx Atlanta I was inspired by Chuck Leavell, one of the most respected and sought after piano and keyboard players in modern music history.  He joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1972 at the age of 20, and for the past three decades has played keyboards with the Rolling Stones.  Other gigs include Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Black Crowes and many others.  Chuck is an inductee in both the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He loves his profession, and is obviously very good at it.

Many celebrities “endorse” good causes.  What was unusual about Chuck’s story was that he has gone far beyond  ”celebrity endorsement” of something he believes in.  Chuck used his time on tour buses to study forestry via correspondence courses.  He and his wife Rose Lana White then turned her family’s plantation near Macon, GA into what has become a textbook tree farm.  Leavell writes frequent articles about sustainability, drawing on his own experience and research he does in between gigs, and has authored three books on environmental issues.

All of this was pretty amazing.  Then he started talking about corporate governance!  There are probably few players in the Rolling Stones or any band who are articulate about corporate governance — but nothing stopped Chuck and nothing is stopping others from finding ways to pursue their passions.

There are two parts of this story that are very special.  One is that Chuck had no need to actually “get his hands dirty” with tree farming.  He just wanted to — because he believed in the importance.  To him, even with all of his professional accomplishments, this individual contribution to the planet represented satisfaction and significance.  Instead of giving up his primary career he augmented it to “have it all”.  The other special part is a story he told about his youth.

His mother played the piano, and as a tyke he was fascinated by watching her hands fly over the keyboards making those marvelous sounds.  One day when he was about 10 or 11 he said “Mama, I have made a big decision”.  His mother could tell he was excited, and asked him to explain.  His answer: “I want to be a musician when I grow up”.  Her response was so typical, and the kind of impediment that has limited or shaped so many career choices.  She responded by saying “Honey, you can’t do both!”

Today Chuck Leavell is as comfortable on a tractor as a piano bench.  He beautifully balances three real passions in his life: family, trees and music.  Would you like to augment your life — and achieve this kind of delightful balance?

– Jim Deupree

For more information on Chuck Leavell’s work with Mother Nature Network go to: www.mnn.com