Life lessons from Bono
It feels like the music of U2 has always been around me. I’m a huge fan. There’s something epic and exciting about this band. Bono is always out there at the front, making an impact on stage and on the wider world when he needs to.
There’s a lot we can learn from Bono. Things you probably haven’t considered before.
Last year, I listened to the audiobook of his autobiography, Surrender. It really inspired me. It was a fascinating glimpse into someone I’d always admired as a singer, songwriter and performer. I came away admiring him as a person a little more though.
You’d think that being the frontman of what has to be the biggest band in the world would give us enough to talk about. This isn’t the case with Bono, as he’s worked hard to bring attention to things that matter. Things that make a difference.
In these ‘Life Lessons’ posts, I really want to deliver something new. To sidestep the obvious and explore things you probably haven’t thought of before. I’m pretty confident I’ve done that here.
Here are three easy things we can learn from Bono:
Do good right
It can be difficult when some celebrities take it on themselves to tell us how we should think and feel. It’s also frustrating when it becomes clear they may not be as informed as we’d expect, or appear to be virtue signalling.
These days, there are clear benefits to putting your name to something. To influence others. It’s also easy for celebrities to be influenced themselves, and by the wrong people.
I have a lot of confidence in what Bono puts his voice to, and that has a lot to do with his wife. The more I hear about Ali Hewson, the more I’m impressed. She’s devoted her time to good causes. She’s also been out there, on the ground doing the work that matters. Going beyond words, in challenging places like Chernobyl.
I honestly believe that doing good right goes beyond good intentions. No matter who you are, hard work will be required.
While there’s a lot to explore in terms of his philanthropy, Bono’s work drawing attention to the situation in Africa stands out. The way he has worked with governments, billionaires and big tech giants is inspiring. He’s been instrumental in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty.
To do this, he has had to learn how to be diplomatic, to make the right compromises and find the right message. To do good right. I think it’s safe to say that being someone like Bono only get you through the door, and that’s just where it starts.
His work with the Bush administration is significant for me. Although he initially started addressing the African situation with President Clinton (who he was already aligned with) American politics changed, and new people were in charge. More importantly, the son of the man he’d publicly opposed when he encouraged people to vote for Bill Clinton was now President.
Finding ways forward with people who were at the opposite end of the political spectrum often put him into conflict with those around him and came at a cost. It made sense to me though and I learned a lot from this.
There are some important things to think about here. We should consider what we stand for and what we could do to make our world a better place. I think it’s important to go beyond words and listen to the right people.
Doing good requires hard work if you’re doing it right. You often don’t get to choose who you’re doing it with as well and you’ll have to make compromises. As long as you don’t stray from your values or cross a moral line, the outcome and the impact of what you’re doing should be your focus.
Two questions should come to mind. What matters and how can you make what you do matter?
We can then look at how we can connect with people.
Be someone else
The fact I haven’t referred to him as Paul Hewson says a lot. That’s his real name, but apparently it was only really his Dad that used it. It seems obvious that this would lead to some sort of duality, but that’s not the transformation I’d like to explore.
In the early 90s, it seems the world had grown weary of U2. The worst thing is, it also appears that this is how the band felt about themselves. In many ways, they were tired of being so serious.
Something needed to be done and it was time for reinvention. This is also the point where I discovered them.
Their 1991 album, Achtung Baby was different. From the opening track, raw and distorted guitar tones replaced the clean and precise sound people associated with them. It didn’t stop there. The ambitious and groundbreaking ZOO TV Tour transformed their live shows. It was multimedia, it was huge and they looked a lot different.
It started with the video for The Fly. Bono introduced us to his now familiar outsized sunglasses and he was dressed in black leather. Like a wrestler who gives us an overblown and exaggerated version of themselves, this was his version of a rockstar.
It gave him the freedom to be someone else and really let rip. It changed the way he connected with his audience and they loved it. It was the solution he was looking for and it clearly energised him. With this ‘persona’, he could go a step further. This included nightly attempts to call the White House while on stage.
It was a far cry from the serious and sincere singer we’d seen before. That was the whole point. I think it’s safe to say that this version of Bono is still with us when he performs. While the act is watered down now, those flashy elements are still there and it really helps him connect.
I actually have a Funko Pop figure of Bono in this outfit on may desk. It reminds me that when we need to communicate and really reach people, we may need to be someone else.
If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know how much I believe in the As If Principle. Devised by the pioneering psychologist William James in the late 19th century, it proposes that how we act can influence the way we feel.
In this case, if we act ‘as if’ we have the qualities we need, like confidence and the right kind of extroversion, we are likely to feel more confident and outgoing. It’s something I’ve done in the past and I can assure you that it works.
Now I know we’re not all fronting rock bands selling out stadiums, but a lot of us need to perform. Talks, presentations and interviews are just some of the places where the As If Principle can make a difference. Where being an exaggerated version of yourself and acting ‘as if’ you have the qualities you want will help.
Think about what qualities you would like to have. Think about what you need to achieve and they go out and act ‘as if’ you have them.
Now we’ve given ourselves a boost, let’s look at how we can inspire other people.
Evangelise through your actions
There was one part of his book that really made an impact on me. He speaks about how important it is to evangelise through your actions. That was the key life lesson here for me. Although he was referring to religion when he said this, I think there’s a lot more to it.
These days, with all our technology and expanded reach, it’s easy to tell people how great you think something is. To tell them what they should try or what they should do.
Of course, it’s also easy to be hypocritical and fail to live up to the standards you appear to expect in others. It’s also easy to mislead people. People can be judgemental and critical as well. At times it’s like they are making you feel at fault for not seeing things their way.
This could take many forms. Someone could be encouraging you to join their religious practices, make a change like going vegetarian or take the same position on a cause that matters to them. It could even be a thing they think you should get or something they want you to do, like donate to a charity.
I think the lesson here is that if you’re ever in a position where you’re trying to persuade people to make a meaningful change or support a cause, it has to be real. They have to know just looking at you that you’re ‘on the level’. That they can believe you.
It’s important to set an example. To lead the way. In the case of Bono, I was particularly impressed at one point in the book, where he casually mentions how he was visiting his sons in Jordan who were working at a refugee camp.
Our work to set the right example can also take us on an interesting journey. We’ll need to be disciplined and focussed on the things that matter. We’ll need to work to make the right impression. To be someone people want to deal with.
We need to show the world why the things we believe in are so special. This also connects with that first part, doing good right.
When you’re doing things that matter, you need to make sure people can believe in you, They should then be closer to believing in what you do.
I hope this helps and that you’re starting to understand why I focussed on these three areas. I honestly think they come together when we do work that matters. Whether it’s politics, working or volunteering for a charity or promoting our own causes, doing these three things will help you.
Doing good right is essential. We need to work out what matters and be prepared to work hard to make things better. Listening to the right people and keeping ourselves in check and open minded will also be important.
In many respects, we will then need to work on being someone else to spread our message, or at least an exaggerated version of ourselves. We should then gain confidence and feel better.
Finally, we need to let our actions speak for us and set the right example. When we have a message we want to share, we have to show people it’s real. Words are important, words are effective and they shape the way we think and feel. They can also be deceptive though and are often easy to find. Have a think about this.