Have I ever told you the story about Earl? It all started when
I put myself up for auction on eBay. I wanted to be the first
speaker to do so, since it's "always good" to be the first to do
anything. Last summer, eBay was the hottest thing around so I
thought to myself, Why not?
Spring Air Mattress Corporation was the highest bidder, and all
proceeds went to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. It
was a true win-win right from the beginning. Spring Air is
headquartered in a beautiful part of the country in the heart of
Utah. My trip there and the meeting that followed were fantastic;
however, it was the person I met on the journey who really made
a difference in my life and how I viewed success from that day
forward.
Let me start from the beginning and set the scene.
While staying at the Grand America hotel, I couldn't help but
notice the incredible decorating and workmanship that had
gone into this classic masterpiece. I felt like I was in a
castle—walking on imported wood floors, surrounded by marble
walls, and passing under the finest glass chandeliers I've ever
laid eyes on. The only word I can use to describe it is majestic.
While enjoying a warm cup of refreshment during "high tea," I
noticed an elderly gentleman in the corner of the lobby. People
were walking up to him, kneeling down to touch his hand and
whisper words into his ear. I thought to myself, Who is this guy,
the pope?
After querying a few staff members, I learned that his name was
Earl Holding and he was the owner and operator of this great
palace, along with the entire Little America hotel chain, which
stretched from state to state. Now, anyone who knows me knows
what happened next—of course I went over to talk with him.
An hour or so into our meeting, Earl looked at me and said, "You
now know more about me than my own children do."
"That's probably because most people want to talk about all the
success you have in your life and all the things you possess," I
replied, "while I want to learn how you created your success so
I can duplicate it for myself and teach others to do the same."
"Want to know how I made a fortune?" my new mentor asked.
"Please," I answered.
"Luck and ACTION," he bellowed. "When I was younger," he
continued, "I wanted to get into the oil business, so I bought a
used oil rig. Funny thing—I struck oil on the first try, nearly
800 barrels a day, and if you know the oil business, you know
that's nearly impossible. I truly was very lucky. The point is
that I took action to have that luck. If I'd never bought that
rig, taken the chance, and popped it into the dirt, I would not
have succeeded the way I did, there would have never been a
chance to have that Luck."
"Wow," was the most provocative response I could come up with.
"That's nothing!" he shouted back with a hint of laughter. "It's
what I did next that made me the man I am today. You see, I took
the profits from that first strike and did it again and again,
becoming so called Luckier and Luckier, buying more and more rigs
until I finally fulfilled my dream and bought one of the largest
oil refineries in the nation. Ever hear of Sinclair Oil
Corporation?" he asked.
"Of course," I replied. "That's the one with the dinosaur logo,
right?"
"That's the one," he responded in an assuring tone as he took
another sip of his tea. "Now we're producing more oil than I ever
dreamed possible."
Our meeting continued and the information flourished from his
soul as he recounted his greatest achievements, along with the
Path he took to attain them. I sat there in amazement, listening
to story after story as he shared his deepest thoughts. I felt a
sense of real appreciation, as if at that very moment in time,
he was passing a baton to an eager student who wanted to do more
with his life than he already had.
So, what did I do with this information? Something crazy in
today's world, something you don't hear about very often—I
applied his suggestions, and took action toward some long lived
dreams of my own.
Returning home from this journey, I rolled up my sleeves and
silenced all those fearful stinkin' thinkin' voices that we have
within us that hold us back from pursuing our desires, and what
do you know? Not only did I make the most money, it was the first
time feeling as though I was doing what we all seek most out of
life, (Living in Purpose). Please understand, there was a lot of
hard work involved, but it is simply amazing how true that old
statement is – "The more action you take, the luckier you get."
Isn't it time you took action, and Got Lucky too?
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