![]() |
Attraction Information |
|
|
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
The Power of Desire - Part 1 What is Desire? Let us see! Webster tells us that it is: "The natural longing to possess any seeming good; eager wish to obtain or enjoy," or in its abnormal or degenerate sense:"excessive or morbid longing; lust; appetite. "Desire" is a much-abused term - the public mind has largely identified it with its abnormal or degenerate phase, just mentioned, ignoring its original and true sense. Who Are You Really? 'Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have.'--Doris Mortman. Correcting a Gap Between the Teeth As we age and our teeth shift, a gap between the teeth may suddenly appear. If you have a tooth extracted which is not immediately replaced with an implant or bridge, your entire bite may shift dramatically. Are You Attracting Prosperity, Happiness, & Your Hearts Desire OR Just the Opposite? If you are not manifesting success and prosperity or whatever else you truly desire, then I ask you seriously to examine the messages you tell yourself about living successfully.Consider this: Success is a state of being and a state of mind. You Can't Seek for Change and Control at the Same Time I saw a coaching client recently who wanted to get right down to business and plan out her new, bold life. She wasn't sure what that life was, but she wanted to map it out, pin it down, and make it happen. What Is Your Legacy? During a recent speech, I told the audience that my mission was to empower the self-employed to succeed. Instantly a hand shot up in the audience. Great Communication Skills Having good communication skills in the workplace is important. This article will provide tips to take into account a rapidly changing workplace. Dreams When I was a kid sitting in school I can remember looking out the window daydreaming of mountains, and skiing. These were just a few things I dreamed of doing. Success Through Authenticity: Harness Your "Innie" Natural Edge For any inner-directed individual, much of life feels like you are a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. By forcing them to fit together, the natural edge of the square-peg is shaved off. Reminding Yourself of Prosperity Have you ever heard the phrase, "Thoughts are things and words have wings?" This phrase is the perfect expression of the principle of prosperity. How you think about and talk about your level of prosperity is what actually manifests in your life. A Magnificent Obsession Is The Best Medicine! The idea I'm about to share with you can bring you the greatest hope. It can bring you happiness beyond anything you've ever dreamed. Change Your Association Do you know any people who seem to attract bad luck?I had a friend years ago that just could not seem to get it together. He was in and out of jobs, had poor relationships, had no money, and had a bad attitude. Be Not Afraid, Ye of Midlife Millions of people face huge changes in their lives during the midlife years and most seem to be glad they made the changes, but only if they've faced their own longings for meaning with integrity. Midlife can be defined as anywhere from 35 to 60, but usually comes on around the mid-forties or later. I Believe In Man I have a deep and abiding belief that there lies within every person the capacity for greatness. I don't mean the old adage that you can become anything you want to be -- I'm more receptive to Peter F. Stopping Time Six hundred feet straight down! Nothing to break the fall. I've got to switch channels. Perception Is Reality "We think, therefore we are."God always gives us what we expect. Top 5 Areas to Create A Super-Reserve! Last week, I had the privilege of leading a 4-day teleclass about creating reserves that will meet our needs and support our lives, forever! The goal was to create systems that automatically respond to everything that distracts, worries or confuses us, for the rest of our lives! (How's that for thinking big?) When we are secure and our needs are met once and for all, we are free to live large, pursue our dreams and challenge life on our own terms.While most of us worry about our shortage of time, money, or energy, and too often focus on working harder to get "enough", these 20 people wanted to go beyond enough, and cruise right past "plenty" to create "Super-Reserves" - a lifetime supply - of all the things that are important to them!In 4 days, we didn't find all the answers, but we made extraordinary progress and I'd like to share some of my notes with you. Introduction to the Law of Attraction and Unlimited Wealth This article was written for one purpose:To explain to you as effectively as possible, exactly what you can do to have everything in your life that you can possibly imagine. And since that is such a tall order, I need to be able to explain how to do that in a way that does not seem "hocus-pocus" or require you to adopt some kind of "new-age" belief system, because I would lose a great many of those I am trying to reach if I went that route. Intuition: Your Best Moving Guide Recently someone asked me, "What coaching tools do you use?""Tools?" I asked, bewildered. "I avoid tests and assessments. Buying the Myth So much life conditioning inhibits the brilliance that is in you. Are you accessing all that is available to you? As a brilliant coach, as a brilliant human-being, as a brilliant spiritual being, as a bright light in the world, you have access to so much abundance. |
| home | site map |
| Web Site Development - Search Engine Marketing: Dream Team Media |