I get to speak about investing in arenas and theaters all over North America. The green room is the place where speakers wait to go on stage. The event organizers bring the speakers to the arena about an hour before they are scheduled to speak so there is some overlap in the green room... which means I get to hang out with some fairly big names sometimes. It is amazing to discover that these people are almost all really nice. I mean like really down to earth, hang-out-with-you and go-bowling-nice. Especially the speaker I got to share the stage with-George Foreman.
George Foreman is one of the nicest people I've ever met, period. We're about the same age so I remember something about what a bad boy he was back when he fought Muhammad Ali. The words "bad boy" don't do his attitude justice from back in those days. Foreman was quite terrifying. He really stuck fear in other boxers so much they didn't even want to fight him. Now here he is in the Green Room, this big teddy bear of a guy who sincerely is interested in whoever he's talking with.
What a huge transformation. Foreman says it started when he got humbled by boxing Ali. The fight stripped him of a kind of rigid pride. Then he got completely humbled by becoming a 300 pound street corner preacher and a failure at it. Foreman went from there to regaining the heavyweight boxing world crown in his 40's. And then he sold the Foreman Grill business for about $140 million.
Seems to me it would be hard to be humble after becoming a massive success in three different careers. But somehow he left the old attitude in Zaire, I guess, because this new transformed man is all about lifting other people up. He did it to me in the Green Room that day before I spoke.
Oh. Make that 4 careers. George Foreman is the best speaker I've ever heard in my life. He finds a way to connect with the crowd like he's your best friend. If you get a chance to hear him, don't miss it. He just might find a way to lift you up, too.
| Phil Town is an investing author and speaker. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_Town | |
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