Good Eatin’
This speaking business continues to be feast or famine. As of late, I’ve been well fed. Last Thursday I spoke in Wichita, on Friday in Washington, DC and today, Monday, in Indianapolis. Duly, an expensive gift for my wife shall materialize. She wants solar panels for the house; she’ll get solar panels for the house…
Something tangibly notable always comes from time spent on stage. In Wichita it was the 16 year old boy who accompanied his mother. He was suspended from school for some minor infraction she withheld, and, hence, “Take Your Son to Work for Three Days” suddenly fell upon each of them. She was headed out of town to a conference and I suspect he was less than happy to receive the invitation.
The woman approached me afterward and said “he was meant to hear you today.” Which, in turn, confirms that I, too, was meant to be in Wichita that day…
In the nation’s capitol, I was honored to speak at Anytime Fitness’s annual conference. The event was held at the Omni Shoreham, the same place Julia Robert’s filmed The Pelican Brief, where Frank Sinatra serenaded Nancy Reagan and where numerous presidential inaugural balls have been held. I took the stage feeling on top of my game and the 800 attendees in the audience bounced the energy back at me and left me feeling oh-so-good about my job. It’s always a thrill to have folks from the crowd introduced themselves afterward and tell me their own stories of attitude over adversity.
Mr. Ego was happy when a couple of business owners approached looking to fill keynote slots at their respective upcoming conferences. “Consider yourself booked!” never gets old!
In Indianapolis a couple days later the highlight would have to be meeting Amir from Pakistan. He told me how he’d emigrated to the United States in his early twenties, unable to speak English, yet earned an engineering degree. After 30 years with General Motors he felt he needed a change a deeper purpose. He then went back to school for a degree in social work so that he might be able to help others who wish to make it in America. He’s having trouble making ends meet these days since, somewhat obviously, there’s little money to be made in his new profession. After telling me his story, he said I inspired him to “find a way to make my challenges work for me instead of against me, like you did.”
Whether you’re born on American soil, a naturalized citizen or an immigrant looking to make a difference, may the blessings follow wherever your heart leads you and may your famines be followed by feasts.
