What's Your Lucky Number?

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen!

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for success advice based on the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Today we’re going to take a break from our Olympic series to focus on the number of this post − 34 − and of the symbolic importance it can impart to you.

So, let's start by saying Elvis is my favourite singer. Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Nat King Cole all come close but Elvis rocks #1.

But Why?

Well, for me, Elvis became my idol. He looked the way I wanted to, he acted the way I wanted to. But I knew I couldn’t be him. So, instead, he became my guide − ideally, I’d enact his positive habits and dodge his negative aspects (which, to me, seemed few).

Elvis became a friend of sorts, the favourite person to look at when I needed advice. Being dead only meant that he was closer to me in spirit than if he’d been a real person, living his own life across the world instead of ‘some other place’.

In turn, 34 became my ‘friend’ number. Over time it became a symbol of me − it’d keep showing up time and again around the things I wanted and liked. And when it showed up, subconsciously I’d want those things more because fate had linked that item, event, person, etc. to a symbol of me.

So, I’m a bit crazy, but what else’s new? Ok, before you turn me off, let’s have a think: I’m not so different from everyone else −they have their favourites, too. And they want to get as close to those favourites as I do. Wouldn’t it be nice to be that person’s favourite number? The one people felt brought them luck? Was somehow part of them?

When you’re the favourite, people are already looking for you. They trust you and want your stuff. Meanwhile, you keep the quality high and monopolize the market.

Not bad, eh?

But how do you become favourite?

Not an easy question, my friend. It’s not clear cut and changes from person to person. But, looking at the information above, there are a couple ways that might help.

1) Be Around: Remember number 34 − it kept on showing up until I felt it was fate putting us together. Was it? Who knows. But when you’re about, it’s easy to get put into someone’s subconscious mind, easy to be made favourite. You see, when you see a brand all the time, you’re more likely to belief it’s legitimate than if it suddenly appeared on the shelves and said “I'm best.” With the later, you’re liable to say, “if you’re best, why did I never hear of you before?” When you’ve been around all along, people feel like you’ve always been about, and when you’ve always been about, you must be safe and trustworthy. Otherwise you’d have been pulled years ago. In a way, by being around, you build trust. And when people trust you, they’ll buy you and you stand a chance at becoming their favourite.

2) Act as Best as You Can: Elvis became my idol. Why? He was simply who I wanted to be. Why? Because he seemed better than everyone else. That’s the lesson − when you act better than everyone else you, logically, must be best. People want to have the best to help them, be the best, act the best. Making your product best will slowly but surely change the dynamic so that people realize your goods, or act, are consistently better than the other guy. Therefore, they’ll go for you rather than settle for less than they deserve. As I wanted to be Elvis, they’ll want to have your stuff because they’ll think it’s the best they can do or get. And, if you play honest, they’ll be right. Again, this builds trust; trust in you, trust in the brand. And with trust, you’ll eventually become favourite.

Elvis’s Lessons:

Elvis and 34 are two examples of favourites in my life. Everyone has favourites and, when you become favourite, it becomes a very profitable situation to be in. When you or your product is around and you act, or build, it as best as you can, you stand a good chance of being someone’s new favourite. This in turn builds trust. With trust, it’s easy to become a favourite. And once you’re in that situation, that person’s going to be attracted to you or your product, returning for your product or service time and again. Not bad, my friend, not bad…

P.S. Remember to leave a comment; I’d love to hear what you have to say about today’s post.

P.P.S. If you’re interested in seeing Elvis being favourite, here’s a Youtube clip of him arriving in Hawaii for his Aloha from Hawaii Concert. Notice how people react to him, trying to attract his attention, be near him. They’ve grown up with him, they trust him, and he’s their favourite. And that’s where you want to be. It's a private video by a fella who was present at the event which makes it even more awesome, and rare.

P.P.P.S In case you're wondering, up here in good ol' Canada, we spell 'favourite', not 'favorite' like in the U.S. (even though we're geographically close). So, if you happen to be reading this from the U.S., I can spell, but differently to how you do.

"Image Scrimmage"

Hey Guys,

Have you ever been told that you have great hair? That your eyes are bright and beautiful? That you’re so tall or so small? Well, all these things contribute to one thing about you, and no, I’m not talking about self-esteem. I’m talking about image.

“Image scrimmage… why should I care about that?”

Because it’s what makes you unique. And people remember others who are unique or original. People who look normal will be treated like normal people − they’ll be ignored. Someone who’s different, on the other hand, stands a good chance of being remembered. Being remembered by new acquaintances, being remembered by new business opportunities, being remembered when they get read about in the press.

So, let’s go back to our pal Elvis Presley. He really had an image, and knew who to swing it. Let’s examine parts of this image, shall we…

Sideburns

Sideburns were not very popular in the 50’s. Take a look at ninety percent of the movies coming out Hollywood at the time (minus the Elvis ones) and you’ll notice the leading men, including Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, James Dean and Frank Sinatra, did not sport sideburns. Hollywood’s portrayal of most attractive, modern men did not wear them, as they hadn’t in the 30’s or 40’s, as well. Elvis took a piece of facial hair that was out of fashion and by wearing it made himself unique while taking sideburns to a whole new level of interest. I mean, how many men inspired by Elvis grew sideburns in his example. I did…

Voice

Nobody talks like Elvis, but a lot of people attempt to. Elvis had such a versatile voice, which is probably why he was such a good singer. He could hit those low notes with such power while at the same time belting out the high ones. He could be mumble out an old 50’s ballad or yelp out “Burning Love” and still sound good, still sound like Elvis. And when he talked, he had that unique southern accent; fun loving but conservative − soft but full of expression. With the advent of the Elvis Impersonator (now, commonly, the Elvis Tribute Artist (ETA)), that voice has been heard more times than ever before. But we know one thing; every time we hear that sweet southern accent, it represents one man − Elvis Presley.

Clothes

Elvis had pretty typical suits in his youth. There was the time when he wore a ‘suit with tails’ on the Steve Allen show, or the time he wore the Tupelo Gold suit, but on the whole it was those popular 50’s sack suits. But wait until 1968, and in his comeback special came the birth of the Elvis jumpsuit. It was tight and black and leather, well fitted to the king’s curves and giving him full range of motion while he sang. It was such a hit that the white cloth one replaced it in the early 70’s in films like Elvis: That’s the Way it Is. Later on, they got fancier with more gold and jewels like the jumpsuits seen in Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii and all the way to the end of the King’s career. These outfits were so unique. Nobody used them but Elvis and when people did start taking to them, it was obvious who they copying. The jumpsuit became such a symbol of Elvis that it is still uniquely Elvis’s, even all these years after his death. People still associate it with him. That’s how strong an image can be.

Elvis’s Lessons:

• Get yourself an image! It’s not as hard as it might seem as in many cases it’s only emphasizing what you already have. For me, people notice my brown curly hair, my height, my eyes and my English accent. You can use anything essentially: hat, clothes (as Elvis did), hair, eyes, facial hair (as Elvis also did), a habit (such as running or reading), ANYTHING! But once you have a couple, people will remember you for what you are associated with (the image) as well as what you are, perhaps more so. You’ll become more distinctive than ever before, people will bear you mind and since people tend to be friendlier (or meaner, given the reputation) to people they now of, your success will be influenced by your new, distinctive image.

P.S. If you want to see Elvis sporting his sideburns, voice and jumpsuit, here's a Youtube link to Elvis singing "I'll Remember You" from Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your ideas and memories as well as any feedback you have to my posts. Please make full use of the comment section!