Commentary: Are you "Too good" for Motivational Tapes?

Are you too good to listen to motivational tapes? Too cool? Too smart? Too successful? Immune to that kind of sincerity and challenge? That first question occurred to me for two reasons. First: I have a bookshelf full of motivational tapes (my favorite is Brian Tracy), but I had not been listening to them much lately. Around New Years, I put on some of Brian’s tapes again, and really enjoyed them, and, of course, focused on them with a whole new set of reference experiences than I had possessed a few years back. Secondly, I was enjoying an excellent Harvey Mackay podcast, when he mentioned the most interesting thing: Tiger Woods, he said, had been listening to motivational tapes since age six!!! I looked it up on the Internet. It apparently is true.
I have had a reasonably successful life, although I won’t be on the cover of Time anytime soon. But, looking back, I can trace some profound differences between my life and those of others I know, right back to those motivational tapes. To those tapes I owe the concepts that financial independence is/should be a major goal in everyone’s life; that a “workaholic mentality” is fit and proper , and not to be scoffed-at and snickered-at by folks who are “too smart” for that sort of thing. Or what about the idea of taking time every morning to do visualization, affirmations, and a review of your major goals? These behaviors are not “natural”. I learned every one of them (and dozens more) from motivational tapes.

Now, as I look around me, I wonder “why isn’t ‘X’ working harder? ..doesn’t he know he won’t be able to work forever?” Or “Why is ‘Y’ getting their investment advice from a talking head on CNBC instead of delving into what makes people really rich?” You see people literally shooting themselves in the foot looking for quick bucks. Equating income with wealth (and going broke in the process), and living in quiet despair, when merely putting on a tape or a CD could begin a transformational process, both inside, and, later, outside, that would imbue their lives with prosperity, excitement, and peace of mind far beyond what can be achieved by stumbling around, dreaming, whining, and, most likely, losing.

I challenge anyone who wants to accomplish more in life, who may feel that he/she is getting “passed by” in the great parade, to spend one year listening to the likes of Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Harvey Mackay, or Dennis Waitley. You will immediately find that your daily actions have implications you never dreamed of. You’ll find you have “permission” to work harder, save more, dream bigger, move beyond the constraints of your peer group, and develop respect for individualism, determination, and excellence, instead of “getting along”, moaning about “the rich”, or looking for the next easy way out of a jam.

Some people had this kind of mentoring in their family. I , for the most part, did not. In the marathon of life, I was not first out of the gate. But my “coaches”, the above masters of personal success, really got me into some kind of shape. I am eternally grateful.





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