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We ALL Need a Paul
Paul and I worked together in the early 2000s. I was Paul's manager. At one point his mother became very sick. My boss came to me, because Paul was investing time with his mom, and told me to terminate his employment.
I would not do it. The same boss told me that, if I did terminate Paul's employment, I would receive several thousand dollars that would have gone to Paul if he would have continued to be employed. I, still, would not terminate Paul. It was not the right thing to do.
Fast forward several years. Paul and I stayed in touch and remain good friends. We have lunch a few times a year.
In 2015 I was having lunch with Paul brain storming, with him, how I can help and inspire more people.
Over the years I've had several people who have invested their knowledge into me and I just want to keep paying it forward. By 2015, my weekly emails were reaching more than 5,500 people, my newspaper articles were being delivered to more than 10,000 homes a couple times a month and more than 60,000 people had downloaded our podcasts. This in addition to giving more than 800 speeches and writing four books since 1994.
Paul suggested, for the second time, that I try Cable Television in order to help inspire more people. I was TERRIFIED. To be in front of a camera was WAY out of my comfort zone. I grew up with a horrible stutter so to even consider being on Television was out of the question.
My fear kept me from seeing the possibilities
.
Paul persisted to nudge me to look into Cable Television
. He made me uncomfortable with my, continued, excuse-making.
Paul was and is a linchpin in my life
. Paul saw in me what I did not see in myself. Thank you, Paul, for believing in me. Again, Paul was and is my linchpin.
In Seth Godin's book :Linchpin" he writes, "The secret to being wrong isn't to avoid being wrong! The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secret is realizing that wrong isn't fatal. A squirrel runs around looking for nuts, hiding from foxes, listening for predators, and watching for other squirrels. The squirrel does this because that's all it can do. All the squirrel has is a lizard brain.
The only correct answer to 'Why did the chicken cross the road?' is 'Because it's lizard brain told it to.' Wild animals are wild because the only brain they posses is a lizard brain.
The lizard brain is not merely a concept. It's real, and it's living on the top of your spine, fighting for your survival. But, of course, survival and success are not the same thing.
The lizard brain is the reason you're afraid, the reason you don't do all the art you can, the reason you don't ship when you can. The lizard brain is the source of the resistance."
The day came, in early 2015, when I make a trip to a local cable TV studio. The staff taught me SO MUCH about how I could reach a lot more people through Cable TV.
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"Do It!" by Art Wiliams
(Click Arrow to watch Video)
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Thanks to the kindness of several people, and
Paul's nudging me
, our Cable TV episodes and many more, are broadcasting in 1.7 million homes each week in Washington State, Arizona, Colorado, Washington DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland.
Who have you surrounded yourself with who believes in you and nudges you out of your comfort zone?
I hope I am one of those people.
Author Skip Prichard said, "Make it your mission to encourage everyone who crosses your path."
We ALL need a Paul in our lives.
I Believe in you!
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