| |
| Submit Your Article Link! |
|
|
| Success, Opportunity, Carl, and Kenny G
A couple of weeks ago I celebrated my anniversary by taking my wife to see one of her favorite musicians - Kenny G. Now, I have to be honest, I was dreading the event. It was a surprise and I was doing this solely as a gift to my lovely wife. I was willing to suffer and endure anything to make her happy! Okay, so I'm laying it on a little thick here, but suffice it to say, I was thinking about what it would be like to listen to two and a half hours of saxophone! I mean I was seriously considering smuggling in a radio and an earpiece so I could listen to the radio (of course I would have placed the earpiece on the side away from my wife)! But I didn't. I went and decided to "make the most of it." Now there are a couple of lessons I learned. First of all, don't judge a book by its cover. Sure enough, we get in there and I'm looking the crowd over and thinking "Yep, this is going to be a tame crowd." You have to understand, this concert was being promoted by a radio station that calls itself (insert deep, breathy voice here) "Smooth Jazz." Wrong! They were whooping and hollering. It was a pretty lively crowd. The second thing I learned was that this was completely a great concert! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would highly recommend that you go if he is ever in your area. See, we never stop learning, do we? Ever the person looking for success lessons, it was easy to get the first one. Kenny G is obviously an extremely talented individual who is reaping the reward of countless hours of diligent practice. That is a lesson for all of us. But the greatest lesson I learned that night came at a moment most people probably overlooked. I call this lesson the "Success, Opportunity, Carl and Kenny G" lesson of success. About midway through the concert Kenny G began introducing his band. He started with his piano player who has been with him since high school. Next, he introduces the keyboard player, Carl. Kenny G explains that Carl is the newest member of the band. He has been with them for only two years. Before that, for nine years, he was the guy who set up the piano and keyboards for the piano player! No one even knew that Carl could play the piano. They simply thought he was an electronics and sound wizard. One day, after everything had been set up at a concert, the rest of the band left to get ready for the show but Kenny G stayed behind to work through some parts for that night. Suddenly he hears the piano and keyboards behind him and assumes it is his piano player so he keeps playing along. When he decides to ask a question, he turns around to find - Carl the sound guy! So Kenny G says, "You know how to play the piano?" "Every chord of every song you do, all the way through the concert," replies Carl. So Kenny G auditions him right there and guess what? Carl is now a part of the band! Kenny G also noted that Carl's pay increased 8000 percent! Officially now, Carl is my new hero! What did I learn from that about successful people? A few things: One, humbly perform the duties you currently have. Nine years Carl worked at a job that isn't known for its high esteem. Thankless, long hours and low pay come to mind. But with humility, Carl did his job with pride. That is a lesson for all of us. Two, constantly work hard to increase your ability, even when it isn't being rewarded. While you are going about a low level job, work hard all of the time to get better and smarter. Become more highly skilled. Work at it more than anyone else. If Carl had given up playing because he thought he was as high as he would go, he could have never stepped to the plate and hit that home run that changed his life! Three, when your door of opportunity opens, walk boldly through it! It will happen. There will be a time when the door of opportunity swings widely open for you. The only question is whether you will be prepared and bold enough to walk through it successfully. You have to be good enough to deliver, and bold enough to try. Are you? In review, here are the lessons I learned from Carl and Kenny G: 1. Don't judge a book by its cover. 2. Two and a half hours of saxophone isn't so bad. 3. People who listen to "smooth jazz" can holler too! 4. You can find success stories anywhere, even at a Kenny G concert. 5. Humbly perform the duties you currently have 6. Constantly work hard to increase your ability, even when it isn't being rewarded. 7. When your door of opportunity opens, walk boldly through it! About The Author: Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.
MORE RESOURCES:
Attraction - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Top 10 Ways to Use Attraction To Build Your Business Most business people would rather have customers seek us out based on a strong personal referral from a satisfied customer, than go to the expense of mass advertising. It's called marketing through attraction. To Be More Attractive? Zap The Tolerations! Imagine there is an event that will take place in a town many miles from where you live. Your car needs an oil change. 5 Powerful Steps To Unleashing Your Creative Self There is a thread of certainty that runs through many lives. It is sensed as a measured and anticipated rhythm of predictability built upon our notions of how things have been and how they will continue to be. Living Life to the Full: 20 Steps 1. Emotion: We are emotional creatures and as in all things avoid excess. Your Gut Instincts & Ability to Get Along Quiz How well do you understand how gut instincts - yours and others - influence likeability, decision making and even attention span? Want to find out? Here are nine questions. Some answers may surprise you. Be The Chooser "We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them." -- Khalil GibranOur life works and can be full of joy when we make effective choices. Do You Want Raspberry, Chocolate Or Vanilla? Descartes once wrote, "I think, therefore I am!" and 'hidden' in plain view amongst those five small words - for all the world to see - lays the secret to unlimited success. Do you see it? Oh all right? I'll 'fess up. Better Tame The Bull, Or, Youll Eat The Crow! A man can stand a lot? as long as he can stand himself. Success is never Final and Failure is never fatal. When Will Love Find me? Love. You may notice that I made that an entire sentence. Two Principles That Can Change Your Life Completely First principle: You and the universe is one.In order to achieve higher level of awareness, we must accept this unity consciousness. The Likeability Factor - Do You Have It? Growing up, we all had a mental picture of the perfect life partner The person we thought would be our happily-ever-after -- a person with a perfect smile, beautiful eyes, and an adorable button nose. Fast forward to reality and who did you wind up with?Chances are that if your partner of choice happens to be male, you ended up with a guy who is shorter than you expected, has less hair than you anticipated, but overall is a pretty neat fellow. Be Not Afraid of Greatness Have you noticed how the workplace seems to be a little more stressful if not downright hostile, how each day you feel a little more reluctant to get out of bed to go to a job you don't really like. Have you noticed how the workday seems a little longer and the job a little less fulfilling. Do You Have Tickets To Your Dream Theater? I'd like you to do an exercise with me.I want you to use your imagination to construct a dream theater. Part II--The Journey to a State Called Authentic Are you on the road yet? If not, pony up your?.um, pony and pretend that you are gracefully cantering down the road toward that state called Authentic. Beads-A Sign of the Times? When you hear the word "beads," do you immediately think of jewelry? Or do you think of Rosary beads or some other non-jewelry use of beads-beaded dresses, headbands, belts? Perhaps you think of a country and western outfit, a studded, head-to-toe piece of jewelry.The first thought that enters your mind when you hear the word "beads" may date you and give away your age faster than physical attributes. Your Life and Prosperity Are In Your Reputation! "Your good name and your reputation are EVERYTHING! ? Protect them at all costs!" my father used to say to me when I was a lad.Even at a young age, I knew there was something important in what my dad was trying to tell me. How Often Each Day Should I Read or Say My Desire Statement? The purpose of the Desire Statement is to support you in giving attention, energy and focus to your newly birthed desire. It teaches you how to language desires so they feel good. Your Authentic Self Our journey through life can lead us to surprising and unexpected destinations. Life as in nature has no straight lines. How to Get Rich Got your attention, didn't I? I figured that title would get you to sit up in your chair and take notice. How to get rich? Hmmmm, let's take a second and think about how nice and wonderful it would feel to "be rich. WAKE UP and Create Something It's time for the "mainstream" to WAKE UP. The alarm clock is ringing, they keep hitting snooze, and in the meantime, the life they could be living is passing them by.
|
