I don’t understand a single word in the video, but you can tell there is great meaning in it. I had watched the video several times before I started hearing news stories on it. Turns out this was a special birthday surprise put on by the bus company for its employee. It was part of a larger campaign to find unique ways to recognize the service of their workers.

In a day and age where most companies tend to cut back or make rewards simply monetary, it’s nice to see creativity that recognizes that special part of the human spirit.

How can you do the same this year? What creative ways can you recognize those that help you? How can we make the people around us truly feel special?

These are a few of the questions I hope you wrestle with in the coming months. Please let me know the cool answers you discover!

I’ve included the music video here:

I was a huge fan of the song when it first came out, first enjoying the similarity between the vocals in Nada Surf’s Popular, and later for the mix of instrumentals. When I purchased the album, I really started to listen to the lyrics, ultimately loving the song for them. Most people (including me) initially focus on the “ride my bike with no handlebars” chorus and enjoy humor within the song. A deeper look reveals a song with so much more. It’s one of the reasons I included the music video in this post. The song is (at least in the way I see it) about the one-up-nature that we tend to do as people. We lose sight, focusing on our ability to be better than doing what is right. We fail to celebrate those around us as we acquire more things. Of course this isn’t everyone. We, like the characters in the music video, have a choice as to which path we are going to take.

Yes, you can ride your bike with no handlebars, but which path will you walk?

(I truly would recommend the whole FIGHT WITH TOOLS album by the FLOBOTS. After hearing Handlebars on the radio, I tossed it on again and have been enjoying it for the rest of the day)

While there have been some comments on whether or not it is a true Rube Goldberg machine, there is no doubt that the video is incredibly interesting. When I finally got around to watching the video on Saturday, it was close to over a million views on YouTube. It’s quickly appearing on facebook and Twitter feeds and becoming another viral hit. OK GO easily topped its previous treadmill filled video for “Here It Goes Again” which is currently at over 50 million views on the OK GO channel. In an age where MTV has abandoned the Music portion of its station, OK GO has remade the modern music video. It’s made sure it is the band that people talk about and the video that continues to be shared.

While at a conference last week, I had at least 10 different people come up to me and ask if I had scene it.

Can we achieve the same viral impact with our organizations? There are some bands that sit around and complain about the current state of MTV and the radio, and then there are others like OK GO who rethink their approach to it. Coldplay released a full album for free or voluntary donation. They remain a popular group. OK GO is exposing their music to a much broader audience than if they just waited for MTV to do it for them.

What can we do? I continue to hear about declining spirit and enthusiasm, poor attendance, and apathy in our organizations. Could a new approach revitalize perhaps remove those stale pieces?

One of my favorite quotes is by Rob Bell in his book, Velvet Elvis, when he asks, “Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it can be.”

We can complain about our current situations and struggles, or we can take that frustration and get widely creative.

Yes, I’m frightened like many of you are about the current state of our economy and how it may impact our lives, but I’ve come to the realization that if my ship is going to sink, it’s going to sink in style. If my speaking schedule is reduced because schools have less funds, I’m going to utilize that time to post more free videos on YouTube so that my message can still get out there. I’m going to try to find more ways to share ideas with educators assist more student leaders. I’m not going to do everything perfectly. If you’ve ever listened to an interview with OK GO, they talk about the multiple takes for the treadmill video and even several setups for the Rube Goldberg machine video, but did you watch those finished products? Seriously–did you watch them? I’m so glad they got creative. I’m so glad they thought outside of the box.

I also think they’re right. “This Too Shall Pass.” The question is, when it does, will you still be serving the best way you can?