An Interesting Read

When I was reading T Harv Eker’s “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind,” he made a point of saying he loved listening to great athletes and famous celebrities being interviewed because there were always some great nuggets you could learn from them. So I started focusing on these interviews when they presented themselves. I noticed right away that there was a common thread running through the interviews and it didn’t matter whether the person was an athlete or a leading entertainer or a visionary in the business world. These individuals were all forward focused and spoke of their goals, their gratitude at what they had achieved and they each had a strong desire to give back.


The other day I was at the local Super Market and I found myself looking at the endless magazine offerings. I was looking for some ideas for my current ad campaign on Google, so I grabbed the January edition of Esquire Magazine and tossed it into the cart along with the Starkist Tuna and Fritos corn chips. What I didn’t realize at the time was this particular edition had fifty interviews with fifty celebrities, one from each State in the US. Of course ole Clint Eastwood was on the cover, but there were an incredible array of people ranging from Chuck Yeager, Pilot Extraordinare to Alice Cooper, the Shock Rock Artist. As I plunked down in bed that bight I decided to take a look at a couple of interviews before I got real serious and read an investment magazine.


An hour and a half later I was still reading the interviews and they were fascinating, even the Paris Hilton interview. That’s right, even Paris Hilton was fascinating especially when she said, “I always knew since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a blond icon.” Of course that’s exactly what she is for the better or worse of mankind. As I read the interviews I couldn’t help but notice how many of them knew exactly what they wanted to be and how they focused on that until it became true. Too many of us, and that includes yours truly are focused on “Not Failing,” or “Becoming what others (Parents, friends, spouses) tell us we should be,” and worse yet, “Ignoring the tug and pull of our gut and refusing to follow our personal vibrational tuning fork.” Then we sit around and wonder why in the hell we’re unhappy and at times even unhealthy. Why is it, that time just flies by when we’re doing something we’re passionate about and then it drags when we’re at work or in an environment we don’t want to be in? It’s those rascally vibrations raising their “we can’t help it, this is who I am,” cellular red flags. So I’d encourage you to not only read this month’s edition of esquire but also focus on reading and listening to what the famous people have to say. There’s a message in there that’s loud and clear: BE WHO YOU ARE, and life and success will flow your way.


Here are a few quotes I found interesting.
Clint Eastwood: “Even in grammar school they taught you to go with your first impression. It’s like multiple choice questions. If you go back and start dwelling, you’ll talk yourself out of it and make the wrong pick. That’s just a theory. I’ve never seen any studies on it, but I believe it.”

Alice Cooper: “God gives you a life and says, Okay, what are you going to do with it?”

Larry Bird: “The best basketball announcer is one who allows you to close your eyes.”

Phillip Glass: “I always knew what I wanted to do and I did it.”

“What I’ve noticed is that people who love what they do, regardless of what that might be, tend to live longer.”

“Motivation will make up for a lot of failings.”

Kimberly Roberts: “When fear sets in, you’re lost, you’re beat.”

Chuck Klosterman: “When I read criticism, I never learn anything about the record or the movie or the book. I mostly learn about the writer.”

Brent Scowcroft: “History has a way of happening.”

Jesse Jackson: “Success needs no explanation. Failure does not have one that matters.”

Rulon Gardner: “You gotta live to live.”

George Johnson: “I built this house in 56. I was scared of heights, so I shingled the roof after dark.”

Charles Koch: “Adversity is a lot easier to overcome than success.”

Bob Newhart: “There’s gratification in making somebody laugh. It’s a wonderful sound. I find myself, to this day, doing it, wanting to make people laugh.