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What “Hamilton” Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda Taught Me About Valuing People · The Daily Writer

• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create Podcast.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and teacher.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: But most importantly, I'm a husband and a dad.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 20, and our topic today is what Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda taught me about valuing people.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post that accompanies this episode, as well as all the links at KentSanders.net slash Lynn.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's L I N.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Let me be up front, I am a huge fan of Hamilton, the Smash Broadway musical created by Lin Manuel Miranda.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Hamilton won eleven Tony Awards in 2016 and has been the most talked-about musical in decades, and for good reason.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's absolutely mesmerizing.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: But there's another reason I'm such a big fan of Lin Manuel Miranda.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: He took the time to send my son a handwritten card in the mail.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: As a result, I found an even deeper respect for the celebrated artist.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: I've also learned a few things about valuing people.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: I began listening to Hamilton last summer.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: I had heard about it for a few months, but I'm not really a big fan of musicals in general, so I didn't pay a lot of attention to it at the time.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: But on a whim one day, I decided to give it a listen on Spotify, and I was instantly hooked.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: For several months, in fact most of last summer and into the fall, Hamilton was literally just about the only music that I listened to.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: I listened to it in my car, I listened to it while I was riding my bike, I listened to it while I was exercising or while doing office work.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned to a number of people that I thought Hamilton was the greatest work of art that had been released in my lifetime, and honestly, I think I still believe that because it's so amazing.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: My son Ben, who is twelve, began listening to Hamilton as well.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: Pretty soon he was hooked and it gave us a common bond.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's not often that parents and their kids like the same music, but we would often go driving in the car and turn up Hamilton so we could sing along with the lyrics that we had both memorized.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now of course, we had to bleep out the bad language which occasionally happens in Hamilton.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: A few months ago, Ben decided to write a letter to Lynn.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: He had read somewhere that Lynn responds to every piece of fan mail, so he was really excited about the possibility of hearing from one of his heroes directly.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: In his letter to Lynn, Ben described how much he enjoyed Hamilton and how it had inspired him to get through the trials of middle school.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: For the last several months, Ben had been anxiously checking the mail, seeing if there was any response.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: I kept reassuring him that it would come eventually, but privately I wondered if it would happen, since Lynn is obviously very popular and probably swimming in fan mail.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, earlier this week I came home from work and my wife told me that Ben had a surprise for me.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: He came bounding down the stairs and showed me the card.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: It was an actual handwritten note from Lynn Manuel Miranda, and you can see a picture of the note on the post at KentSanders.net slash Lynn.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: The whole experience has been incredibly meaningful for my son, but I've also learned a few things as well.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Specifically, here are three lessons that Len Manuel Miranda has taught me about valuing people.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Number one is to surprise and delight your audience.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing says surprise and delight like a personalized card from one of your heroes.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're not a Broadway star, how can you put this into action?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the general idea is to give people something they don't expect.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: One of the ways I try to do this in a very simple way is by giving people a print copy of my book, The Artist's Suitcase, when it's appropriate.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I'll send a copy along with a thank you note to somebody, or I'll leave a copy for a teacher when I'm occasionally substitute teaching, or I'll just give a copy to somebody when they express an interest in the book.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: I also send handwritten notes to people and often include a small key inside.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: The key is a way to remind them of their power to unlock other people's creative potential.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: The main idea here is just to find something meaningful that expresses your personality.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't have to be fancy or cost very much money, but something that expresses your care for people in a meaningful way.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Number two is use a personal touch.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: It was clear by Lynn's comments in the note that he had actually read my son's letter.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: This wasn't a generic response.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: This was something that actually indicated he had read it and was responding specifically to his letter.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: And this small personal touch made a big impression on my son.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, a personal touch can mean the difference between a purely business transaction and a relationship that's something more.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: People do business with others whom they know, like, and trust, and showing a personal touch is an important part of working toward that.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: But this applies not only in the business world, it's important in life in general.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: For example, I dare you to not be inspired by an amazing video I saw where a fifth grade teacher uses a personalized choreograph handshake to greet every one of his students every day when they come into class.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: You can find a link to that video on the blog post.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: I've already mentioned handwritten notes, so another way to show a personal touch is by remembering details about other people.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: For example, in my college classes, we often take a couple of minutes to mention prayer needs at the beginning of class.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever students do this, I often write these down so I can ask students about those prayer needs the next class.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a really simple way to show that I care about them.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's the little things that matter in life.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's all about valuing people and showing that you care about them.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Number three is believe everyone has value.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Lin Manuel Miranda has many important things to do.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: He's very much in demand right now, and many people are competing for his attention.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: But he puts so much value on his fans that he takes the time to respond to them.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: All of us are overwhelmed with responsibilities and commitments, and it's really easy to categorize people according to what they can do for us and to give people attention based on what they can do.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: But every person has value, regardless of whether they can or can't help us directly in some way.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone is worth our best effort.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Every person has something to teach us if we're just willing to learn.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, Lynn, thanks so much for taking the time to send a note to my son.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: He will treasure it forever.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: In the process, you've not only made a twelve year old boy happy, you've taught me something as well.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, listeners, what is the way that someone has made you feel valued?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: And what is the way that you are making others feel valued?
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash Lynn.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's L I N.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out and learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to connect and you can tweet me at Kent Sanders, or you can find me on Facebook and Instagram as Kent Sanders.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that you'll also check out our Born to Create Facebook group by visiting Kent Sanders.net slash Facebook group.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?