by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Author's program note. In 1962 one of
the grandest American musicals hit the cinemas of the Great Republic.
It was Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man"... and we got up
and marched as we heard its effervescent score. No high fallutin'
Eye-talian music you had to scratch your head about, understanding
hardly a word.
No, this was Iowa music, Kansas music,
music every last citizen of Tennessee and Oklahoma could understand,
every last word. As for the star, insinuating Robert Preston; we all
knew someone like him... scamp, con man, plausible trickster redeemed
by the love of a good woman.
Oh, yes, "The Music Man" was
something we could get our teeth into... which is why, a mere lad, I
was set the onerous task of mastering its "76 Trombones" on
the piano; for the next school recital. Anyone but a doting mother
and her unctuous piano teacher, who had wife and children (and, I
always thought, a bit of a drinking problem) to support would have
looked at me on that concrete piano bench (or so it seemed) and
blurted out the first words that came to mind: "He stinks!"
But those words were not heard until...
... the day of the school recital.
Kids good got up and did their bit...
that didn't take so long, since there weren't so many of them... and
it was obvious which ones had worked hard and deserved the top
prizes.
Then kids, carefully turned out in best
bib and tucker, got up and did their mediocre bit. A large chunk of
my classmates found themselves in this category; having done some
work, but not enough to reap the blue ribbons that said "First
Prize". They got the red ribbons... just good enough to assuage
anxious parents.
Finally, there were the kids who had to
be pushed -- umbrella ferule in the small of their back -- to get up
and recite... or dance... or play an uncooperative instrument. And I
-- and my ragged rendition of "76 Trombones" -- was in this
group... stinkers all. But awarded notwithstanding an Honorable
Mention and a few seconds of rousing, possibly even sincere applause,
lead by mothers who would never admit -- much less on school recital
day -- their little Hannah, Billie and Mike were anything other than
paragons; "most likely to succeed" tattooed on their
foreheads.
Privately, however, even some of the
mothers gave vent to the truth; being Midwestern they just couldn't
help themselves.... "They stink!" I heard them say... and
then "Jeffrey stinks!"
And so truth came to River City. Truth,
embarrassment, red-faced humiliation... which could not be assuaged
by any white ribbon that said Honorable Mention. It all poured out
now; how I was horrid... tone deaf... rhythm challenged... note
oblivious... absolutely hopeless.... hot words that caused my little
brother (who had a lifetime of Jeffrey plaudits to work through) to
dance with glee... "Ol' Jeffrey stinks." On this day of
days he just couldn't say it enough and knew a profound happiness
long deferred. He talks about it to this very day.
I was 15, I was humiliated, I was
determined this would not be the end of the story... .... and that's
why I won the next recital prize fair and square... because I was
resolved, and fiercely too, that "Jeffrey stinks" would not
be the last word on this subject...
... In other words, from abashment and
humiliation came triumph and reward. So it worked for me on the grave
matter of the school piano recital and so it is about to work for you
in your business. For I am about to urge that all your business
failures, slothful habits, egregious errors, failure to achieve
significant results; that all of these, things which have placed you
well and truly amongst the stinkers... be brought out... and
publicized to the world; thereby ensuring that your humiliation be
thorough and detailed...
Why?
So that you will do everything needful,
yes move heaven and earth, to ensure you are never, ever in that
shocking place again, your dunce cap retired, your name no more
ridiculed but revered, honored and extolled, which is the only way it
should be.
Consider how you did "business"
yesterday, the day before, the day before that...
Have you done the necessary to profit?
Did you get up early to handle all aspects of your
prospect-generating machine? Did you generate prospects? Follow up
(and especially telephone) prospects? Did you make offers, improve
offers, and improve these offers again until you had a deal and the
money that accompanies it? If so, you made money... and have every
right to be happy with yourself... for you are a true and faithful
business impresario and you deserve every penny and every compliment
you got.
You did get that profit and those
compliments, didn't you? Well, didn't you? If not, it's time for an
alternative approach to the business of helping you succeed in
business. It's time for the motivating Failure Awards, a kick in the
pants like no other.
Imagine the following scenario. You
wake up tomorrow, go to your website, and see emblazoned across it
these words
"You have just been dishonored
with the
BIG-TIME LOSER OF THE DAY PRIZE.
Trustees of the foundation have
selected you because you didn't do one darn thing yesterday,
absolutely nothing, to make money, generate leads, work with leads,
make offers, close deals and build your business.
Yep, you are on the bottom of the heap,
no money in the till and none expected or possible, until you change
the way you do 'business' so that you can profit from it.
Then you see a picture of yourself
festooned with mulish ears... with a caption that says simply
LOSER OF THE DAY... (then the date)."
Your reaction?
How will you feel when you see this?
I'll tell you, you'll fly into an unparalleled rage... condemning
everyone... everyone, that is, except the one person whose lack of
constructive endeavors got you there in the first place: that would
be you!
Your lack of effort got you this
(boobie) prize. It's only your constructive efforts that can get you
out.
But will you make them?
In my humble opinion you will do so
faster, with more energy and determination if you publish the
unpalatable truth, shining full, unyielding light on the success you
didn't get, letting the world see your inadequacies. You will hate
this situation and rightly so, for being amongst such a passel of
losers is humiliating indeed.
That's why you should award yourself
this egregious and sick-making award... and spend the rest of this
day and every day doing what is necessary to expunge it and reap the
substantial benefits which you'll get when you do.
Now go to any search engine. Play "76
trombones" and get in the mood for success, joy, and many happy
returns of the day, a day where failure is just a word in the
dictionary.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is
CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services
for small and-home based businesses. Services include home business
training, affiliate marketing training, earn-at-home programs,
traffic tools, advertising, webcasting, hosting, design, WordPress
Blogs and more. Find out why Worldprofit is considered the # 1 online
Home Business Training program by getting a free Associate Membership
today. Republished with author's permission by Vaurn James http://SuccessRoute.biz.
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