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I knocked on the door nervously and waited.
Finally a tall young man opened the door and looked at
me calmly. He was tired.
"Yes?" he asked, expressionless.
"Is D-D-D-Dave there?" I stammered.
"Sure. Just a minute."
Chris disappeared as quickly as he appeared, leaving the
door slightly open. That's a good sign, I thought.
The door opened again and there he stood,
Dave Brubeck, one of America's greatest jazz pianists.
I couldn't believe it.
There I was, face to face with my idol, in a dingy
backstage hallway in North Manchester, Indiana.
We just stood there, looking at each other.
I was so nervous and excited, I didn't know what to say.
Dave had just finished performing. I've seen him play
numerous times, and never get enough. He's come to
Indiana four times in the past 15 years, for reasons
I'll never understand, and I always manage to find out
about it and get a ticket.
As soon as the concert ended, I made a beeline backstage
and started knocking on doors.
Something inside me said "I've got to meet him."
Now the moment was here and time was standing still.
And my mouth wouldn't work. Damn those marbles.
"W-W-W-ould you s-s-s-ign this?" I finally asked.
I handed him an old book of sheet music. It contained
some of Dave's greatest songs.
"That's an old one. Where did you get this?" He was
impressed.
I started to answer but no words would come out.
Dave saw my struggle and smiled while signing
his name. He gave me back the book and pen, then looked
at me patiently.
"C-C-Can I see how l-l-l-long your fingers are?"
God only knows how I got the words out.
As I help up my right hand, Dave instinctively put up
his left hand. As expected, his fingers were several
inches longer than mine.
"Wow. S-s-s-so that's how you play all those big chords."
We stood there laughing, hands touching.
I didn't want to stay any longer, although I probably
could have. I told him how much I loved his music,
shook his hand, and left.
The whole exchange took less than five minutes. But
I remember it like it was yesterday.
My brush with greatness.
***********************************
I don't have many idols. There's my father. And
Dave Brubeck. And that's about it.
But I've had many influences. People who've touched
my life and changed the way I think.
People who've had a profound influence on me.
In business, Dan Kennedy comes to mind first.
Never met him, but hope to some day.
How about you?
Who are your idols? Who would you love to meet,
if only for 5 minutes to shake hands and say
"thank you" for the way you've helped me.
As you think about your business or career,
are you happy with your current situation?
Are you doing what you really love to do?
Are you making the kind of money you want to make?
If not, consider this:
Maybe you need a mentor. Someone who's had
success in your field and can provide guidance
on how you can succeed, too.
If you are struggling to get to the next level,
or maybe just to get a new venture off the
ground, finding a mentor can make all the
difference in the world.
As you look for a mentor, keep these 3 tips in mind:
1. Find a mentor who's actually done what you
want to do, and has done it consistently and
successfully for many years.
You don't want to hook up with a rookie. You
want a veteran.
2. Find a mentor who is accessible -- someone
you can reach out and touch.
I've never met Dan Kennedy, but he's made himself
accessible to me through his books and tapes.
One of his marketing home-study courses included
a consultation certificate that allowed me to
send him one of my sales letters for his review.
(Now you know why I include a consultation
certificate in my information products.)
So I sent Dan one of my sales letters and, true
to his word, he critiqued it.
I've still got that critique. It started out
by saying, "Overall, a solid job." Then it went
on to offer suggestions for improvement.
Man, was I excited! I knew I was on the right
track. After many unsuccessful attempts at
direct mail as a marketing strategy, I finally
had the confidence to try again.
And that sales letter that Dan critiqued enabled
me to double the size of my business in 3 years --
from one sales letter.
3. Realize that mentors don't come to you.
You've got to go to them.
To become great, sometimes you must first
touch the hands of greatness.
Whose hands are you going to reach out and touch?
It's up to you to get out of your chair
and find that person, that mentor.
It's up to you to make contact.
About the Author
Wayne M. Davies, jazz lover, is Fort Wayne's only short,
bald, stuttering tax accountant. He is also the author of
3 tax-slashing ebooks for the self-employed, available
separately or as a 3-volume set, "The Ultimate Small
Business Tax Reduction Guide."
http://www.YouSaveOnTaxes.com/ultimate-guide
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