Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!
Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop zone for analyzing the success lessons of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and seeing how to implement them into YOUR life. Today we’ll be returning to our series on the Olympics, which will wrap up tomorrow in London England − namely on the athletes preparation.
Anybody seen Elvis: That’s the Way it Is? It’s the 1970 documentary film showing Elvis in preparation and later playing a series of shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. In it, it’s interesting to notice the songs at the beginning compared to the end. At the beginning, Elvis and his band go through a song once. They’re good, but they make mistakes. A thousand practices later (which they don’t show you − you’d get bored) you see Big E and the band at the end of the movie, polished and complete with Elvis’s signature choreography.
Essentially, they had to prepare long hours beforehand to get that good. Why bother? Because people expect their money’s worth. When something’s good, they feel they’ve spent their money well and will want to continue spending it on you, therefore getting the same value. When things are poorly done, they feel their money’s been ill spent. And people who feel they’ve been ripped off don’t give their money to the person who didn’t deliver again. In other words, you don’t give them what they pay for (and more), they don’t pay you (at least ever again), you’re business (or career) gets broiled in a crock pot. You do the opposite, they’ll want to go back to you because they trust you. They tell their friends you’re what you say you are and your business or career grows.
It’s commonsense really… in a way, we’re all rehearsing for that big casino show. We’ve got to put the hours in with our band, our team, to make sure things go smooth. We practice our choreography and lines, our pitch, and, when we practice hard enough, it’s good enough to be in a movie.
But many people want to get by the hard work. They don’t practice and don’t put time in and expect above average results. It doesn’t make sense. And they lose every time because of it.
This is when the Olympic athlete comes in; other than the singer or showman, like Elvis, no one puts in more time fine tuning their act than an Olympic athlete. They’ve got a show to put on, too, in front of millions of people, many of them fellow countrymen. And if they don’t do a good job, the backlash is huge. They’re under extreme pressure to do well. The plus side is when they do well and win gold everyone loves them. Someone like Michael Phelps, Andy Murray or, in my country of Canada, Rosie MacLennan becomes a national hero.
These Olympians work hard for years to get into peak shape so they can compete internationally. And when they’re guaranteed a spot in the Olympics, they have to keep training or risk the embarrassment we talked about. But they do it because they love their sport; the long hours aren’t always fun, but they wouldn’t want to do anything else. They’re exceptional in their preparation and dedication and because of that some of them get the greatest honour they feel possible − international recognition of their greatness.
So, what’s the point? Expecting something for nothing won’t get you anywhere. It doesn’t make sense − you have to work for what you earn. But putting in the hours or preparation will. It’s what Elvis did to run the series of highly successful shows shown in That’s the Way it Is and it’s what Olympians like Rosie MacLennan do to earn a gold medal and international respect for their abilities. You, too, need to learn to prepare whether it’s for a presentation or simply educating yourself on your products. Even if you’re naturally talented (as many Olympians are), preparation is what you need get that extra mile and grab a gold. It’s easy to say and it makes sense, but it’s hard. Make it your goal to be exceptional and prepare − the success you earn will be payment enough for it.
Elvis’s Lessons:
Both Elvis and Olympians put in lots of preparation beforehand for their respective ‘shows’ − it’s the best way they can guarantee winning in the end. But many ‘ordinary’ people don’t think they need to prepare and, as a result, lose milestones that could’ve been theirs with some work put in beforehand. When you’re exceptional and put the work in beforehand, like an Olympian, you’re boosting your chances of doing well the first time an opportunity presents itself. And the more opportunities you pull through with, the more successful you’ll be. It’s a pleasant kind of equation.
P.S. Remember to leave a comment below or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you.P.P.S. If you'd like to see Elvis singing from That's the Way it Is, here he is on Youtube with "One Night".
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