Kahn Morbee is lead singer of The Parlotones. Kahn’s prolific songwriting has made them the most loved and successful South African band achieving multiplatinum-selling status whilst also gaining major international acclaim and fans.
My Definition Of Success | It is NOT accolades, adoration, fame or fortune, it is NOT praise, attention, envy or desire….IT IS the fearless pursuit of that which you love, and the unconditional love for those you love and those that love you, and love for even those that may not love you!!
How This Has Changed Over The Years | My definition has changed with age, experience and the lessons of life. in our formative years we’re taught to embrace fear, and so our definition of success becomes fear of failure, fear of money, fear of criticism, fear of rejection, fear of loneliness, fear of sadness, fear of government, fear of the future, fear of a God, fear of crimeetc. etc…. and so the young, naive, imaginative and brave soon become old, dull, monotone and afraid because we subscribe to a model of subservience, we subscribe to the system we’re born into because we fear being rejected from that very system and all it’s prescribed agendas passed down from generation to generation. Of course I also feared many things and still do because the system taught me that, BUT I try to unlearn all of that and aspire to a fearless existence. I guess in essence success is the pursuit of a fearless existence…. I guess I want to look back on my life and feel that I achieved something of substance, even if I may not be the best, most successful, I’m driven by wanting to live a life fulfilled.
My Highlights | Our first album launch. It was very exciting and I felt a sense of accomplishment for something I’d dreamt of. Our first award was a proud moment because it meant approval and kind of eradicated a lot ofself doubt and gave me a belief and confidence in myself. Being the first SA band to headline and fill the dome and being a part of the World Cup kick off concert in 2010 were amazing moments that I’ll cherish forever.
The Difference Between good And Great | People who are good acquire external information to be the product they desire. People who are great look within, and express outwardly as naturally as breathing. Good people can become great when they take that external information to find the greatness that already lies within. Some are just born great because they realise early on how to extract their internal brilliance. Too often we’re looking at the traits of greatness and trying to replicate that and in doing so suppressing what true greatness may reside within.
What True Greatness Really Is | We’ve become obsessed with a society that attaches fame, wealth or sporting skill to greatness. BUT true greatness exists amongst the unsung heroes who selflessly give their lives to the fearless pursuit of what they love NOT because they sought after adoration. I can’t truly say what greatness is because it is all relative, I believe my gran is great because she raised me but she is not admired by millions. Is greatness quantifiable by the size of your bank balance, followers or skill. NO!! Rather find something you truley LOVE and try become GREAT at it, make it your reason for waking up and pursue that everyday. DO NOT find something GREAT and attempt to fall in love with it because you could potentially achieve societies version of greatness but you may just feel a little hollow.
A Step-by-step guide to Success |1. Find a passion
2. Be passionate about mastering it
3. Have fun
4. Don’t take yourself too seriously
5. Be good to people, because other people will then WANT to help you achieve success. You can have abundent talent but if you’re a dickhead you’ll soon lose support
Critical Skills I Focus On Developing | Being more focused and disciplined in the practice department. I’m more of a creative, that’s my ultimate bliss so I feel very restrained when I have to rehash and repetitively focus on a practice skill.
Dealing With Doubt | I remind myself that 95% of things we fear never actually materialise. The cliche’s on FEAR are abundant but they resonate. such as ‘Its better to have tried than failed than to never have tried at all’. I also sometimes imagine that I’m just part of some Computer game and why not give it a shot. There’s also so many good feel success stories out there that remind me to stay focused on what my heart desires and not to subscribe to soceities’ fears which will have me plugging back into the matrix hamster wheel, where I’d live a safe comfortable life but probably not be fulfilled. I’m more afraid of living the predictable life than failing at living my own version. Those things help me to sweep out self doubt.
Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | I love biographies because real life stories of people help me relate that to my life and inspire me. I love books on science, arts, philosophies, religion, belief systems, economics, politics because they all try explain our existence from a different perspective and I find it fascinating. I believe the arts, whether it be literature, art, music, film, poetry tries to do the same as the above but in a condensed form. It suggests a line of thought but allows its ‘audience’ to subscribe it’s own interpretation. The former (Ideologies etc.) is clear cut, black and white and more direct, the latter is suggestive and more subtle.I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
I do sometimes struggle to stick to the path because the other path seems less complicated and treacherous but then I remind myself that fear is a curse.
On Building Wealth | We live in a money focused world so DO NOT be naive to how it works, don’t make it your focus but understand how it works so that you can detect bullshit and ensure you use it wisely. I do believe that wealth is love, friends, family and knowledge but if the money thing happens, make it work properly and the only way you’ll truley do this is to understand it. It will be a huge part of everyones life so why not spend time understanding it instead of spending that 4th hour watching TV or playing games. Money is only EVIL when you don’t have it or if it’s acquired through greed and at the expense of others. Unfortunately the greed factor is the worlds biggest problem so only you will ever truley care about how your money is managed.
