How To Touch The Hands Of Greatness

by Wayne M. Davies

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.

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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