They’re Exceptional − And YOU Can Be, Too!

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".

Elvis's Olympic Team

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario for another week of exploring the success lessons of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and seeing how YOU can use them to further your dreams. Today, we’re going to be talking about the Olympics, Elvis and Teamwork. This is an episode of a mini-series so remember to tune in next week to see the next part!

So, as most of you are aware, the London 2012 Summer Olympics’s Opening Ceremony was last Friday (I watched all three and a half hours of it… it took some nerve!). With many allusions to English art and culture, at the end I could only go “Wow! That must have involved SOOO many people”. And that’s when my Elvis bell went off…

You see, Elvis also had his big events. Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii, for example, was the first internationally broadcast concert and, again, it wouldn’t have been possible without a ton of people.

Something as huge as the Olympics or an internationally broadcast concert requires a team. In fact, it requires a BIG team − the bigger the event, the bigger the team. It’d simply be too much work for one person to do, even if that person’s the Prime Minister of the U.K. or Elvis Presley.

Looking at Elvis’s Aloha show, there was his band (which was massive to start with), the stage crew, his manager, the television people and directors telling people how to film things, the people actually filming things… the number of folks involved in a production like that (or the Olympics) is insane − but without those people, it wouldn’t be possible. Elvis, however talented he was, could never have done that show sole handed − it would’ve taken years… decades!

So, if the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll couldn’t run the show single-handedly, who can? Not the President of the United States, not Richard Branson, not Justin Bieber, certainly not me. To get things done, you need bearer people, you need your team because those people are the ones who support you to do great things and keep you there. Look at Julius Caesar; he had the support of an army which he used in civil war to take over Rome. But because he didn’t have the support of the whole Senate, who he needed to resolve the political issues he’d created with the civil war, he was assassinated.

With the help of the Senate, Caesar would’ve remained leader of Rome. Without their support, however strong a man he was, he was murdered. He needed political allies, a team, to keep him in charge. Without his team, he didn’t stand a chance. Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve got no desire to be assassinated by my enemies.

In Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, one of the greatest self-help books in history, Hill describes what he calls ‘the master mind group’. Essentially, these are the people who help you take care of business, the ones making your business possible. You’re the leader, the one calling the shots, but they’re the ones that make the shots possible. Without these people, it becomes immeasurably harder to reach your dreams… Remember Caesar? With them, anything’s achievable.

So, what’s the point? Build your master mind team. Find the people who are important for you to do things, the people who can do things better than you can, the people who can do stuff when you’re too busy; those who are good with finances and those who excel at public relations. Choose carefully: these people will compose or compost you. But when it’s complete, when you have a good team with good people and you’ve broken through your personal insecurities and taken charge of this group, anything, ANYTHING is possible − including the Olympics.

Once again, this is my Olympic mini-series… for those of you into sports and the Olympics, these next couple weeks are for you. See you next Friday!

Elvis’s Lessons:

No man can do it alone… well, that’s a lie − you can, but it’ll take you forever. Do yourself a favour and build up what Napoleon Hill called a master mind group, a bunch of people who will help you reach heights you might’ve never hit alone. You’re in charge, but they propel you further. A great team’s how great visions are achieved − the Olympics, the first internationally broadcasted concert; one man dreamed it but it took a team for them to come into reality.

P.S. If you’re interested in seeing Elvis singing “He Gave Me A Mountain” in the largest show of his career, here’s a Youtube link to that song from the Elvis: Aloha Hawaii international concert.

P.P.S. Remember to leave a comment… providing it’s not a hate rant, I’d be glad to answer it. Or, of course, email me at alexghilson@gmail.com.