In my recent post “Eric On The Set”, I mentioned a set of very important reminders. Great Reminder #4 was “SUPER SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE MUCH EASIER TO REACH AND BE WITH THAN WE TEND TO THINK”, and I’ve been thinking about other times where I have used this tip. One of the first times, perhaps even THE first time, I used this tip was quite a few years ago in The Bahamas when I came across the Lyford Cay phone book. This was a phone book with the private numbers of all the residents of Lyford Cay, New Providence Island. Some very interesting people lived there, like the Bacardi family, Sean Connery, Alex Hailey and Sir John Templeton to name just a few.
A little over a year ago, I attended an Anthony Robbin seminar called Financial Mastery. Sir John Templeton was scheduled to speak at the seminar. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be there in-person, so him and Tony made a tape that was presented at the seminar. Live or tape, it didn’t matter. We were all mesmerized by information Sir John shared with us that day. In fact, my entire financial life has changed dramatically since that seminar and I attribute a large part of that to this influential man.
So here I was, in Nassau with his phone number. I had mentioned to my partner (in a moment of temporary insanity) that I would invite Sir John to my wedding. My partner reminded me of this tip, that super successful people are much easier to reach than we think, so I called. Initially, I was nervous as I spoke to him. I thanked him for the wonderful talk he gave and invited him to the wedding. He was touched by my thanks, but had to decline my invitation. As we were ending our conversation, he asked where I was staying, as he had a gift for the wedding. I was surprised and embarrassed, but I gave him the address. That same day, he sent over an autographed copy of his latest book, Discovering the Laws of Life.
The moral of the story (for me) is twofold:
1) I had nothing to lose, and I had value (genuine thanks) to offer. This means I had every right to call. I think that we often fall into trap of believing that the speakers, teachers, authors, parents and other people that influence us the most, know that they have this impact on us. We must not assume that they are aware of the impact they have, because they are human and have needs just like you and I. By making a point to pass on your thanks to give something back, it encourages these people to continue influencing others.
2) Ideas without action are not only useless; they are sad. I am very glad that I took action. I am also sure that I put a smile on Sir John’s face and a warm feeling in his heart.
So… seize the moment, and seize the day!!
