Your Life Is a Jagged Line

 

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location in linking the success lessons of Elvis Presley back to your own life. Today, we’ll be talking about those ups and downs, the jagged lines, which tend to surface in all our lives and how best to deal with them.

If you look at your productivity in the short term, you’re looking at a jagged line. Some days you do well, others poorly. Sometimes you’re inspired, others you don’t know where to start. But, that doesn’t really matter. We all lose a little loss once in a while. All that matters is the long term.

 

At my blog, Graceland Ontario (yep, that’s right − here), the day to day views are scattered − I’ve seen 49 views a day and as few as zero, even now it’s more established. But, the long term is all that matters, and it shows a very different picture. As long as you produce as much as you can everyday, you can look at a steady increase. Despite all those jagged lines Graceland Ontario in the long term has been growing exponentially. And this type of growth is everywhere, it’s a pattern, and therefore it’s useful to watch out for.

Look at friends − you gain one here, you lose one there. You meet somebody at the bus stop, someone’s killed in a car accident. It’s another jagged line. But as long as you continue to meet people, you’re going to see it steady out in the long term and you’ll eventually have more friends than you’ll lose − you’ll create a steady gain over time.

Now, let’s move back to Elvis Presley, particularly his early chart successes.

 

Elvis started from nothing in the early mid-50’s at Sun. But by 1955, he’d become one of their biggest names. In late 1955, he was sold to RCA for more than anyone else in the business, including Sinatra, was worth. Then, in ’56 he’d flunked in Las Vegas and brought out Heartbreak Hotel, which’s different sound made RCA think they’d bought an expensive flop. More jagged lines. But overall, his RCA LP, Elvis Presley, was a major success. Soon enough he wasn’t only a big music star, he was also topping in the movies. And that’s not mentioning all the times he ended up on television in that 1956, alone! Whether you look at his Hollywood career or his passage into Las Vegas, you can still see those jagged lines. But even when he lost something, he gained something else − his marriage broke up, but he played the first International concert. He had his last top 10 hit, but he broke records in Vegas. All those jagged lines, those ups and downs, built up overall, like my blog, Graceland Ontario, like your friend count. So, when Elvis passed away in 1977, many people looked back at a successful career despite the criticism he received over more jagged lines (his increased weight).

 

As in the stock market, it's very hard to only gain. You tend to lose a little over time. The key is not to worry about it but enjoy those descents. You know everything that goes down will come up again when you’re doing a half decent job (notice I say when you’re doing a half decent job − can’t always speak for the stock market, though). What ever anybody else says, those jagged lines aren’t down to stay. They’ll work their way up again, and you’ll make all the people who said they wouldn’t and freaked out at the first sign of a downturn look like idiots. And then, in years to come, when you’ve put in the best work you can and consistently attempted to make those jagged lines change, you’ll look only at a gradual climb. Those jagged lines add up to a mountain with persistence. And, as David Deangelo says, Persistence is the price of success.

 

Elvis’s Lessons:

Your life is full of jagged lines. It’s not your fault, they’re just there. But, it’s ok − they’re in my blog, too, and most people’s friend counts, and Elvis’s career. They tell you despite what you gain, you’ll probably lose along the way, too. Again, relax. As long as you continue to work, moving forward, those jagged lines will work their way up again, too. Even when others freak out and say they won’t, they will. They do for me, they did for Elvis, they will for you. Persistence will get you over the bumps those jagged lines make. And then, in the future, when you look back, all you’ll see is a steady incline. That’s a successful life, my friend, not a fairy tale.

P.S. If you’d like to see Elvis singing, here’s a Youtube video of him with “ Datin’ ” from the movie, Paradise, Hawaiian Style. I’d never heard this one before…

P.P.S. If you liked this post (or if you *gasp* didn’t), remember to leave a comment below or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com. I’d be glad to reply to whatever you have to say (unless you start spouting Nazi propaganda on me… but then again, you probably won’t).

If you liked this post, you might also like these other FR.EE Graceland Ontario updates:

• The Time Trap
• Strange And Wonderful Things 
• Accept it How It Is
• Traits of the Superhero 
• Doing All You Can

The Only Guarantee

Hey guys,

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario where, once again, we'll be exploring the success principles demonstrated by Elvis Presley and see how they can be used in your life. Today, we'll be talking about the effects of acting and the effects of not... something I call The Only Guarantee.

I’ve got a question for you: Why do people do exceptional acts? Because it’s monumentous and it boosts their feeling of self-worth. Now, I’ve got another question for you: Why do people not do exceptional acts? Because it’s monumentous and they’re scared it will decrease their feelings of self-worth.

Do you notice the difference between the two questions? The first one, the one about doing monumentous things, talks about action: doing the act makes you feel awesome. The second question talks about an imagined possibility; they’re scared (read: they think) failure will lower their feelings of self-worth.

We’ve talked about Elvis making a fool of himself in the past: he couldn’t finish his first tour in Las Vegas in ’56 because he was going over so badly with the audience. Then, in later life, he put on a lot of weight. Some people would have been so embarrassed about their physical condition they would never want another picture taken.

But not Elvis. You see, he realized that this perceived fear of failing and lowering of self-worth is not a guarantee. He lived through it and we’ve seen the results years after his death. Failing in Las Vegas was not the end of his career. Not only did he continue doing well in the 50’s, later on he became one of Vegas’s great symbols. And people still buy the tracks and posters and memorabilia from his ‘fat’ period. He might have looked upon it as a low period, but to us he’s still Elvis, putting out those tracks the same as usual.

There’s no guarantee that failing will ruin you. You can only take it as you will, as a crippling loss or a lesson to be learnt.

On the other hand, doing something momentous produces guaranteed results. I mean, once you’ve done something incredible , no one can change that. They can show their jealousy through criticism and slanted reviews but the act remains the same. The act is certain, it is a guarantee, and that guarantee not only boosts your feelings of self-worth but others’s feelings of admiration for you.

Now, using some commonsense, the guaranteed result will help you, the perceived loss will not. The guaranteed result is certain and unchangeable, the perceived loss is flawed and easily changed. The guaranteed result shows others you’re awesome, the perceived loss is only seen at its worst by you.

As Elvis is remembered for his great successes, the acts he accomplished, and not the perceived (and often overlooked) downfalls, we too can learn. We can learn that doing, or at least aiming, to do great things will take you much farther than any perceived loss. We can learn that most people only care about those who attempt at success, even if they don’t achieve it, rather than those who never try out of fear. But, most importantly, we can learn that when we have a dream and it is our choice to go for something momentous or ditch it out of perceived fear, we can go for the momentous act and attempt victory over our dreams.

Elvis’s Lessons:

The act of doing something momentous is the only guarantee; it will increase your feelings of self-worth and the respect others hold for you. The perceived threat of failure brings no guarantee; it can help you learn or destroy your soul. Ultimately, as Elvis showed, going for something monumentous is the only way to achieve a dream and, at the very least, attempt success − it’s the only way to live a fulfilling life where both you and others believe in yourself.

P.S. If you're interesting in seeing Elvis singing some momentous soul music, here he is with "Trying to Get to You" from the 1977 CBS TV special, Elvis in Concert.

P.P.S. Remember to leave a comment either below this post or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com to discuss any of my work. I'd love to hear from you!

Getting Into It

Hey Ladies and Gentleman,

Thanks for joining me for another week at Graceland Ontario where we talk about the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and learn the lessons he presented during his life that can help you in yours. Today, we’re making note of ‘getting into it’.

“Getting into what?” you may say… Good question.

‘Getting into it’ is when you put all the passion you can muster behind what you’re doing, when you savoir the very action of your job − when you find the joy in your work.

Really, you can get into anything whether that be a book, a project, or chemistry homework. But whatever it is, there can’t be any half measures − when you ‘get into it’, there’s no turning back.

That’s still a little confusing… To illustrate, let’s turn to my idol, Elvis Presley. Elvis sang a lot of fast songs when he was young. The crowds that flocked to him in the 50’s wanted to hear the fast rockabilly beats he and the Blue Moon Boys were pumping out of Sun Studios and RCA. Elvis would put all his energy into performances. Looking at clips from the Milton Berle Show are evidence of this. He would dance, and twist and jive to the music. He would ‘get in to it’. And people loved the music even more because of that.

But the years went by… Now Elvis is in the International Hotel in Las Vegas. He’s singing a country song called “Just Pretend”. It’s a slow ballad and there isn’t much opportunity for Elvis to swivel his hips. But he ‘gets into it’ all the same. He doesn’t walk around, but he sways to the music, heaving with emphasis at the dramatic parts. And guess what, the Casino audience is silent. Even with the slow song, the energy is still there. Elvis is still ‘getting into it’ and, by doing so, people love the slow song as much as the faster ones.

So, what does this mean for you?

Imagine you do a project for work. You go up and the rest of your company’s looking at you like you have three heads. You feel a little weak at the knees but you know you’re not getting out of this. So, you’ve got a choice: do you slide through it as quickly as possibly without enjoying it, not making the subject dance with your audience, or do you ‘get into it’ and give the presentation your all?

Well, given the Elvis pattern, ‘get into it’. Because as soon as you ‘get into it’ and start enjoying what you’re doing, others will notice it. And even if your presentation is a slow song, like “Just Pretend”, and there isn’t much room for you to swivel your hips, you can still give it your all. And like Elvis, people will see the excitement of what you’re saying and agree with you, probably subconsciously, the presentation will go like a dream and you’ll sell your idea with ease.

Elvis’s Lessons:

When you have a job to do, ‘get into it’; that is, do it with all the passion you can muster. By ‘getting into it’ people will enjoy what you’re doing more because you enjoy it. This may even happen subconsciously to your audience. And when your audience enjoys what you’re saying or doing, they’re more likely to support you, buy from you, over-all be awesome to you… Getting into it’s worth it for so many reasons.

P.S. If you’re interested in seeing Elvis ‘getting into it’ with “Just Pretend” at the International from Elvis: That’s the Way it Is, here’s a Youtube clip of the performance I talked about.

P.P.S. Remember to comment below or send me an email at alexghilson@gmail.com to add your input to this article.

Elvis and the Photographer: A Story of Gratitude

I was just listening to George Klein on Sirius XM’s Elvis radio station (channel 19). Today, as usual, he had an interesting story that demonstrates not only one of Elvis’s many positive aspects, reasons for the King’s continual success, but one that can also be harnessed by you.

The story goes that for Elvis to get back to his room after a show at the International (later the Las Vegas Hilton) he couldn’t get back through the casino without being stopped. So, he would go backstage through the maintenance passages and take the service elevator. With him would typically be about six members of Elvis’s gang of friends, the Memphis Mafia, and about four bodyguards.

On this particular occasion, when Elvis and his entourage got out of the elevator, a man with a camera greeted them by asking Elvis if he could take his picture. Suddenly, Elvis’s bodyguards were on the man, pushing him to the wall and taking his camera.

But Elvis told his bodyguards to lay their hands off the man. When the man was released, Elvis asked the fellow how many pictures were on his camera. The man replied thirty-two whereupon Elvis asked him how he would like him to pose. Long story short, the man didn’t leave until Elvis had posed for all thirty-two shots.

Afterwards, Elvis asked his bodyguards to be easy with his fans because if it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t be where he was.

First off, I’ve gotta thank George Klein for a great story which I only wish I could tell as well as he can. It’s touching to hear a tale of such humanity when many celebrities are pulled into the bustle of their own importance. But more so, humanity is what makes Elvis fans still get the warm fuzzies for him thirty five years after his passing (and yes, I am no exception).

Elvis cared so much for the man that not only did he save him being roughed up and give him a picture, but he gave him as many pictures as possible could. Why? Because Elvis recognised that people like that fan were responsible for his success. And even if that man had never bought an Elvis record in his life, the man’s spreading of Elvis’s neighbourliness might encourage others who would.

Elvis realized that no one gets anywhere without something to get them there. Moreover, nobody becomes successful without someone helping them, whether that be a friend, a relative, or, yes, a fan.

Elvis’s Lessons:

• Remember (and be grateful to) those who helped you get somewhere. They can be your parents, relatives, friends or strangers. It doesn’t matter. What does is that you give them the respect they deserve because they helped you become something and even if they individually can’t take that away, a multitude of them can (and your common decency should hurt long before that ever happens). They helped you, so it’s only fair if you help them, too, even if it only be through gratitude. The best bit: your continual support of them will encourage them to continue supporting you. Result − both you and them are happy in the long run.

P.S. If your interested in seeing Elvis perform in one of the shows that could have preceded the story in this article, here's a clip from Elvis: That's the Way it Is of the King singing Patch it Up.