Neil Diamond Life Lessons
October 13, 2008 
21 Comments
The other night I saw Neil Diamond in concert. I don’t know how many of you may be Neil Diamond fans, but I grew up listening to him. Neil Diamond, to me, was and will always represent my childhood.
When I was growing up, my parents always had these Saturday night dinner parties with their friends at which they would drink, smoke some pot (yes I did grow up in the 70′s) and listen to Neil Diamond. I’d always come down and sit in the living room with my parents and their friends as they listened to Neil Diamond.
By the age of twenty, when I’d be listening to Neil Diamond with them my parents’ friends would ask me what I wanted to do when I got older. I’d look around the room and, being a pretty intuitive kid, I’d say “Not this” (because I knew that nobody in that room was really super-connected with their spouse).
I knew that they were eyeing other people in the room. I sensed it. I felt it. I also knew that I never wanted to live in a relationship where I desired other people because I so unsatisfied with the connection I had with my partner.
To me, finding my other half has always been about finding someone who is both my best lover and my best friend. The best lover is the person whose touch and whose taste is everything you’ve ever wanted. The best friend is the person to whom you feel like you can say anything without being judged.
Every time I was in my parents’ living room with their friends, I felt like each and every person was judging every other person in the room (and were even judging themselves). It’s amazing what we remember about our childhood and what triggers childhood memories in us. To me, Neil Diamond triggers those childhood memories.
So the other day when I found out Neil Diamond was playing at the Staples Center, I really wanted to go. I wanted to go and experience Neil Diamond again, but this time as an adult.
The last time I saw Neil Diamond in concert, I was with my college girlfriend Ellen Weinberger. It was a night I wanted to bond with my Father. My Father was someone who divorced my Mom and had a new girlfriend, and I wanted to feel like I was “Dad’s son” (because my Father and I never had that bond).
So Ellen and I went to see Neil Diamond. As a typical 21 year-old, I thought I was the guy who was about to get his first hotel room with his girlfriend and was about to have hot hotel sex. I thought “Neil, you’re cool. Dad, we’ll never really bond together. But Ellen, you and I are going to go and have crazy sex all night long in a roadside motel.”
So, I wanted to go back and experience Neil now as an adult to see what he is all about, because we appreciate something different at every stage of our lives. Not only do we appreciate different things, but we also learn different things.
So this time I went to see Neil Diamond with someone who captivates my mind. What I experienced, learned and felt this time was something totally different. I saw a 67 year-old man on stage with passion in his eyes. During the course of the concert, he told the audience about how often he gets asked when he’s going to quit performing. He said his answer is always “never!” because he gets to touch people’s souls every single day (and was in fact touching 18,123 souls at that very moment).
I connected with Neil in that way because every single day I have an opportunity to connect with all my readers. Every day I look with passion at how I’ve touched the souls of all my clients and all of those who have purchased my products.
Everything I do, I do with passion. I put all of myself into every product I create. When you purchase one of my products, you’re getting all of me . . . but you’re getting me in different stages of my life too.
I am constantly updating my products and adding new volumes to my products. I do this because life changes and evolves, and when I grow and become more powerful as a person I want to share those lessons with you.
I want to share every lesson I learn with you, because life is all about learning and growing. I want you to continue to learn. You should never stop growing.
Sitting with this wonderful person listening to Neil Diamond, I realized how much I’ve grown, evolved and how deep my connection is with everything in life. I also realized that the man standing in front of us on stage is someone who loves his life.
Then I looked at the person sitting next to me and realized I also love my life. I wouldn’t trade my life, my experiences or what was happening in my life at that very moment for any amount of money, fame or for anything else.
Life is something you need to love and to embrace. That is what I learned and how I connected this time around when I saw Neil Diamond.
So let me ask all of you this: What are you all about and how did you connect with life today?
Hi David this story shows to me how passionate you are in your work, and helps me understand your techiques more.
You yourself have changed my life, and made everyday more passioanate everytme I wake up. As i am only still young (16), i can take your teachings and use these to change my life and the way i live. You are a huge inspiration to me. I have connected with life so much and find everyday more exciting then the last
Thanks so much david!!!!
Ryan
Wow, that was a very touching blog today David! I don’t think I’ve ever heard Neil Diamond’s music, but now I’m inspired to go have a listen.
Great blog post today David. That’s certainly the person I want to be – someone who is still full of passion, no matter what their age. I’ve felt glimpes of that from time to time, but am still trying to get it on a consistent basis.
Last week I left Prague for 2-3 months, and am now enjoying the sunshine here in San Francisco. I have to say that its a lot easier to feel passionate about life when the sky is blue.
That said, I do miss the beautiful Czech women. 
Anyway, now I’m in the States I can more easily pick-up CDs, so I’ll make sure I get a copy of Neil’s latest this afternoon – I heard it is very good (same producer as the last few Jonny Cash CDs). Any other music you connect with?
LOVE Neil Diamond! He was amazing the other week at the Hollywood Bowl — we had a huge group that all went b/c we’re huge fans. I think we were the only non-silver haired people there actually. And just saw Super Diamond at the House of Blues Sat. night as well. Real Neil has the voice, AMAZING! and Surreal Neil has the rockin’ show. And the music is incredible… Real Neil was saying he’s a man of God, and that’s what is missing so much in today’s culture and in people in general sadly enough. It’s great to have that reconnection and reminder always through great music.
Oh man, Neil is such an inspiration, and so are you David. Your teachings are making a great impact in my life. I´ve learned in these last months that is a MUST to live life in a way that you can see it as something wonderful, beautiful and fantastic. To live the life you really wnat to live. To me that´s part of connect with life. It´s an art, don´t you think? I believe that this should be our purpose every morning we wake up.
Peter Jennings! OMG! Not only is Peter Jennings posting here, but he literally recently was “Coming to America”.
Every time I come to the US I inevitably get a few comments about my name. I sorted of expected that to die down once he …., but no!
Funnily enough my aunt (who is not a Jennings) knew him quite well, so he in fact knew that I existed. 
Not sure what the “Coming to America” bit means, but then there’s much about this country I don’t understand yet. 
PASSION! PASSION! PASSION!
Life isn’t worth shit if you don’t have the passion to live it!
There are no days off in life. Whether you do something with it or not, it’s going to go by regardless.
Love and embrace all there is about life, just like David said.
I can’t stress this enough.
David, thanks for sharing this post with us. I hope everyone here appreciates it as well.
David, what a touching blog. Music itself has always been my life, my hobby, my inspiration, my escape, my shelter, and has always been part of who I am as a person today. Everytime I feel down, I either listen to my fave music tracks or play my fave songs, and it does takes all the crap out of me, seriously. I use music as my outlet, instead of going into drugs or even doing whatever it takes to destroy myself. And true, we should all continue to learn and never stop growing. At my 23 years of age at the moment, I only realized 4 years ago that the purpose of all the lessons I have learned from my past was to pass it on to others and to help them with insights based on my own life. Life is indeed about learning and growing, and part of that would be learning from your own past, learning from someone else’s past, and growing by becoming a better person and resolving issues with yourself and with other people.
Thanks a lot David for this wonderful blog. I find your daily blogs very insightful and interesting. It’s one of the things that gets me inspired nowadays. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Peter, I didn’t figure that was your real name as people post on blogs with all kind of fake names. Sorry, I hope you weren’t offended. The “Coming to America” part was a joke, it’s from one of Neil Diamond’s most famous songs. Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fctclmU5hUc
Personally, even if you paid me, I would refuse to go to a Neil Diamond concert:-) Just not my taste.
Well, I connected with life today after the record UP in the stock markets, needed that relief after so many consecutive October days! Just helping clients make it through this bear market, holding their hands and not letting them do anything in a panic mode is very gratifying…really earning my fees now!!
Another way I connected with life is I am setting up a date with another separated foxy Asian younger lady this Saturday….this is my second one….The first one was lots of fun but then I had to cut it off since she told me she wanted my baby:-) wtf!!!!!
I must admit I am using some of David’s techniques….I am taking it slow and have a “don’t care, let’s have fun and if nothing develops we’ll still have fun and not overthink the situation!” attitude:-)
Hi Adam, no I wasn’t offended at all, but I can understand how my English/Aussie humour (or lack thereof!) may not translate so well. Thanks for pointing out the reference – long time since I heard that song.
Well David, it looks like you will have to explain your self more clearly. It seems many comments were about the music of Neil, and they missed the whole point! It should be told that connections with an artist during a formative time in your life leads to actions that are associated with you. You had reactions to your parents group and the way they acted toward each other. It wasn’t Neil’s music that they reacted to as mush as the music was what you associated with their actions. Going back to experience Neil as an adult had preconceived notions attached but the reality was much more extensive than you had thought it would be. This brought about another formative time that you took to live a different life style based on Neil’s comments rather than any song he sang then, before, or otherwise. I guess your transformation is not as appreciated as it should be. I understand it, but it appears most are trying to label it more than let it happen, as in Zen, life is. let it live.
Chuck
I think most people get the deeper meaning that i was conveying here.
Its funny but i feel in life that you really do not need to explain yourself………your words and messages will be picked up by people who really connect with them.
That is the power of life in its purest form!!
Thanks for the post!!!
Chuck, without getting into a flame war, I must say that your reply comes across as quite arrogant, at least to me. Its funny that you say that David should explain himself more clearly when you yourself are using an unnecessarily ‘wordy’ grammatical style. Whilst I agree with the essence of what you’re saying, I think you’ll find that the method of conveying it could be better.
Anyway, I don’t want to get too far away from what is really an excellent, thought provoking blog post. Thanks again David for really connecting with your audience.
Edward
That was a great post.
You put a huge smile on my face!!
Life is a gift!!
C
I am so jealous that you got to see him at the bowl!!
I was on the phone that night with the person i went to the concert with and we were talking about music and i told her that i loved neal diamond and if he ever came to to LA i would take her.
I went online the next day and pulled up a site that had a list of concerts and sure the first one that popped up was neal.
Thats how i ended up seeing him………
I’m with reva in that I have a passion for music and creative endevors. Singing allows me to fully express myself and brings me real joy. Bringing happiness and joy to others, and helping them realize all of their potential, is also something I’m pretty passionate about. I am always striving to make a difference in people’s lives and in protecting the environment.
What am I all about as far as relationships go? Well, I need a companion whose personality works well with mine. I used to say i wanted to meet my other half until i realized when looking in the mirror that i’m not half a person, I am a complete whole on my own. What I would like is another complete individual that can join in me in all of life’s adventures, where side by side we can grow and learn together. I know I need someone with integrity that will give me a heads up if they’re going to be late, be honest about their feelings, and that will be there and support me during difficult times.. basically someone who respects me as a human being.
“To me, finding my other half has always been about finding someone who is both my best lover and my best friend”
Maybe your other half comes in quarters?
“By the age of twenty [...] I’d say “Not this” (because I knew that nobody in that room was really super-connected with their spouse).”
Yes!
You so described where I’m at right now.
I don’t know Neil Diamond but I love the man’s attitude!
When you are 67, do you want to be retired to your couch or touching people’s souls everyday??
That was an awesome blog, David! You made me realize something that I have a passion for and that is helping other people learn from my lessons as well in my stage of life. That is what I am working toward doing also at this point in time. I may not ever be a dating coach, but I would like to be a counselor. I give advice to people a lot and have a passion for it. I’ve also realized that it is no coincidence that I stumbled upon you or that I attend a church called “Passion Community church” out here in my town. lol
I can definitely say that you HAVE touched my soul and you helped me get off my lazy butt and realize that I needed to start talking to make things happen around me and meet people. From you, I have made several friends in the past few months and have had the support come around me at the time when I needed it most. That all stemmed from you too! Thank you!!!!!!! You are awesome and Neil Diamond is too totally
I really hope things work out great with this person in your life!!!