What I Learned From Earl Nightingale, Joel Weldon, Walt Disney and Tony Brigmon

A couple of weeks ago, Cheryl and I moved our home and office to another town. All of our kids are grown and out of the house now, and while they still live somewhat “locally”, for some it’s a 30 minute drive to visit us. So we made the decision to sell our home and move closer to them so we could spend more time with our 22 grandkids.

In the process of moving, I ran across an audio tape that my friend, Tony Brigmon, wrote and recorded for me over 20 years ago, and that I had completely forgotten about. It was based on conversations I had with a couple of friends who were also very important mentors to me. Here’s what he put together. I’ll explain what it’s about below.

(If player is not visible, click here to listen)

One of my early mentors as I was getting started as a professional speaker was Joel Weldon. Joel is an outstanding speaker and presenter, who at the time focused on the corporate market. The guy was incredible back then, and he’s even better now, some 20 years later. A member of the Speakers Hall of Fame, Joel has earned nearly every award and honor in the speaking industry, including Toastmasters Golden Gavel, and Legend of the Speaking Profession.

Today, Joel – even though he commands very high fees for his corporate talks, seminars, and workshops –  is not only as busy as any other lesser-paid speaker, he spends a considerable amount of his time mentoring and training corporate executives and up and coming speakers on how to make effective presentations. To get more information on Joel and what he does, visit his website at www.SuccessComesInCans.com. To learn about his speaker training, call his office directly at 1-800-852-8572. Okay, so why did I tell you about this Weldon guy, and what does this have to do with you? Because Joel had a TREMENDOUS impact on me when I first started in this business, and he continues to do so on a regular basis. Over the years, we’ve spent hours and hours together on one of his boats, either fishing, water skiing, or discussing the speaking business, and the insights and instruction I’ve gotten from him have been priceless. Specifically, one of the things I learned from Joel (and I’ve never forgotten it to this day) is that “Preparation compensates for a lack of talent.”

In other words, you don’t have to be especially talented or be born with a “silver tongue” to be a speaker. It’s a matter of preparation… understanding your market (or audience), what their needs, wants and desires are, specifically how you can help them solve, satisfy, minimize, or eliminate their problems, challenges, or frustrations, and how you can most effectively present your solutions to them so they will not only “get it”, but that they will actually take action on what you gave them. Powerful stuff, huh? When you “get” Joel’s point, it completely removes any excuses you might have for not succeeding in ANY thing that you do… speaking, consulting, or any other kind of job or profession… and places the responsibility for your success (or lack thereof) entirely where it belongs… on your shoulders.

But that’s not all I learned from Joel. There are tons of lessons that I don’t have the time or space to go into in this article. Maybe I’ll talk about some of them in future articles, because I know the profound impact they had on me, I know that the tweaks and adjustments I’ve made to personalize them for me and my unique situation have made them even more meaningful for me, and I know that if I share them with you and show you how to “customize” or personalize them for you that they will have an equally profound effect on you. One of the most memorable experiences I had with Joel was being introduced to Earl Nightingale.

Joel and his wife Judy, and Cheryl and I, spent considerable time with Earl and Diana, and exchanged stories, experiences, and insights. As you may know, Earl had the very first non-musical recording to sell a million copies. It was a record titled, “The Strangest Secret.” And to this day, it is considered a classic and many people (including Joel) credit the message for a big part of their success. Simply, the “Strangest Secret” is that we become what we think about. The message is scripturally based, and had been promoted by some of the wisest philosophers for centuries, and recently, it has resurfaced as what is today referred to as “The Secret”, otherwise known as “The Law of Attraction.”

People everywhere, including Oprah and other public figures, have jumped on The Secret’s bandwagon and have promoted it as the cure or solution for all kinds of life’s challenges, including financial, health, relationships, and just about anything else you can name. But personally, I think there are problems with “The Secret’ being a cure-all. I think there’s more. I thought it some 25 years ago, and I still think that way today. Thinking can only take you so far. At some point, there has to be some action.

And that leads me back to my opening story about the tape that Tony Brigmon wrote and recorded for me, and my relationship with Joel Weldon and Earl Nightingale. I had discussions with Earl about his “Strangest Secret.” They were good discussions and we came to some common ground and understanding in them. And I certainly wouldn’t take exception with the Scriptures. That’s not my style, nor my intent. But I do have issues with the promoters of “The Secret” as it’s been presented.

Now before you shoot the messenger, you may want to check out what Larry Winget has to say about the subject. I can assure you he is a considerably more direct, opinionated and outspoken than I’ve been.

In our discussions, Tony and I talked a lot about “Unique Factor”… what it is that separates one person from another; the thing that makes them stand out; the one thing that makes them unique compared to anything or anyone else who does what they do. And the one reason that anyone wanting what that person knows, has, or can provide, would be a fool to consider any other option.

Today, in more current times, it’s referred to as a USP – Unique Selling Proposition, UPS – Unique Positioning Statement, UPB – Unique Perceived Benefit, UCA – Unique Competitive Advantage, and a variety of other names. Tony, a very accomplished speaker and song writer, and the Ambassador of Fun for Southwest Airlines, saw some uniqueness in me and asked if he could interview me and create a song about some of the things I taught that were considered controversial at the time (and in light of the current popularity of The Secret, are still controversial). I agreed. Here’s the song again along with the words below if you want to follow along.
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(If player is not visible, click here to listen)

Magic Martin

The magic is you, the power is there,
With good old preparation you can go anywhere.
Anything is possible, so what would you like to do?
Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else like you.

It’s magic; Magic Martin. How he does it, come and see.
What appears to be magic can be done by you and me.
You become what you act upon; thinking only goes so far.
Action is the key if you want to be a star.

Be so good at what you do that when you do it, it makes you grin.
And when others see you do it, they want to see you do it again.
And they’ll bring their friends next time to show them what you do.
You can be the best; one of a kind. It’s all up to you.

The magic is you, the power is there,
With good old preparation you can go anywhere.
Anything is possible, so what would you like to do?
Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else like you.

The magic is knowing what you want to do, and then doing what you do best.
What is your “Unique Factor” that separates you from the rest?
If you want to be remembered, then simply go to it.
You can improve what others do, so, hey… do it!

Identify your market; who’s the competition for you?
And what are they not doing that you know would be good to do?
You can talk about what you’re gonna do; and talking can be fun.
But the real thrill is when you can say, “This is what I’ve done!”

The magic is you, the power is there,
With good old preparation you can go anywhere.
Anything is possible, so what would you like to do?
Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else like you.

Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else,
There’s no one else, there’s no one else like you.
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You heard references to “Magic Martin”. That’s because I was the president of IBM – International Brotherhood of Magicians, at the time, and was heavily involved in performing magic as entertainment and as part of my speeches, seminars, workshops, and presentations.

You heard Tony say, “How he does it.” That’s a play on my name with a tie-in to magic. People would often say, “I wonder how he does it.” In time, I was referred to as, “Howey Duzzit.”

But right of the bat – in the very first verse, and then repeated 2 more times throughout the song – it says that the magic is in you, and that with preparation you can go anywhere (reference: Joel Weldon), and the importance of being different, being yourself, and your uniqueness (reference: Joel and Tony).

I really believe that. I believe, and have proven over and over, that anyone can be successful in anything they want to do if they learn the skills, do the necessary preparation and don’t try to copy someone else. That’s the Unique Factor that I mentioned.

Tony said that, “You become what you act upon; thinking only goes so far. Action is the key if you want to be a star.” That’s what Earl and I discussed in length on more than one occasion, and where I take exception with the current promoters of “The Secret.” It’s just not enough to think about something; you have to formulate a plan and then get up and take action.

Tony went on to reference one of the things that I talked about some 20 years ago, and still do in nearly every presentation I make. It’s Walt Disney’s “Law of Unlimited Abundance.” Walt said that you could be successful in anything you do, whether you operated a retail business, a service business, or even a theme park like Disneyland or Disneyworld if you would simply, “Do what you do so well that when others see you do it they will want to see you do it again, and will bring others to see you do it.”

So let’s talk about you. What is it that YOU do? Do you know? Can you identify it exactly, preciously, and specifically? Far too many people shoot from the hip, try to be all things to all people, and don’t have a laser focus on something of a specific value for a clearly identified target market. No wonder they have limited success, if any success at all. So the first thing you need to do is identify your market or the audience you want to serve, and then what kind of value you can bring to or provide that market.

Next, Walt says that you do what you do “so well.” “So well” doesn’t mean mediocrity. And it doesn’t mean “okay.” It means that you do it (whatever “it” is) with excellence. You do it better than anyone else who can offer anything close to what you do can do it.

So, “You do what you do so well ‘that when others see you do it’…” Who are the “others” that see you do what you do? They’re your customers, your clients, your patients, your policyholders, your patrons, your whatever you call them in your business. In other words, when the people who buy from see what you do, and that you’ve done it with excellence, they “…want to see you do it again…” That’s called “repeat business.” And they “…will bring others to see you do it.” Translated, that means “referral business.”

Your objective then, is to provide such an incredible value to a very specific and targeted market with a uniqueness that no one else can match so they’ll be compelled to come back for more and so they can’t help but be evangelical in telling others about their experience with you.

Tony sings about these very points by saying that you need to identify your market and your competition, and what they’re not doing that you know would be good to do. And then taking action. Talking only goes so far.

You see, it’s not enough for you to tell others what I can do. It’s not even enough for you to tell them what I can do for them. More importantly, and the only thing that matters, is what you can tell others that I have actually done for you. It’s results, not talk. It’s “what I have done”, as Tony sings… not what I say I can do.

So how about you? What are you doing with your life, your career, your experience, your abilities and your potential? Is your job or career giving back to you what you’re giving to it? How about your education and experience? Are you being compensated fairly and adequately for your investment of time and money that you’ve spent to obtain it? How about life? Are you getting everything out of life that you want and that you deserve?

Let me just shoot real straight with you here and have a “here’s what I wish my dad told me” or a “here’s exactly what I’ve told my kids and I’m now telling my grandkids” chat.

What you’re experiencing right now… this thing we call “life”… ain’t no dress rehearsal. This is the real thing. You don’t get “do-overs”. And if you’re letting life pass you by without enjoying all it has to give you, the day will come when you will look back with sorrow, remorse and regret.

I’m nearing my 65th birthday. Retirement age for a lot of people… at least, it’s supposed to be by “standards” set by our society. Unfortunately, far too many people reach that age and can’t retire because they’re not financially able to. This is the time they should be spending enjoying the fruits of 40 or so years of effort; the time they should be spending with their grandchildren, traveling, giving back to their community, going on missions for their church, or whatever THEY choose to do with their time and not what their circumstances dictate that they have to do.

I look at my own situation. Yes, I’m still working. Why? Because I’ve tried retiring two times before and I was bored out of my mind. I absolutely love doing what I’m doing because I get to see people make quantum changes in their lives, have more free time, more income, more satisfaction from what they do, more enjoyment with their families, and fulfillment from life itself.

If you’re not experiencing these things, it’s time you take yourself aside and have a real in-depth and introspective look at yourself. As the old commercial used to say, “You only go around once, so grab for all the gusto you can get!). And if there is any way I can help you get it, let me know. I’d love to help you identify and/or create meaningful some things about you that would cause someone else to write a song about.