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No longer able to pay his bills, he took a night job
delivering newspapers, and eventually worked as a janitor.
For two years, he lived on the borrowed floor space of
friends and family. Depression seemed to grab the best of
Sam, until he made an amazing discovery-- a discovery that
he now travels
America
sharing.
But
one day, a friend invited Sam to have a cup of coffee and
said these words which he never forgot: “Sam, you
don’t have a hard knock life problem, you have an
attitude problem.”
At
first, Sam was offended by this statement. People are very
protective of their attitudes; Sam’s was miserable
and he was recruiting. He wasn’t open to change.
“But,
as I thought about it,” Sam says, “I realized he was
right. My attitude was off the charts and it was defeating
me. In order for my life to get better, I needed to get
better, and the starting point to getting better was with
my attitude.”
With
almost no money or dignity, Sam had little more to lose.
So he thought about where he was, and where he wanted to
be. He learned the value of being grateful for the small
things. He wanted his life to be filled with meaning and
purpose.
“Being
a janitor and working nights was tough. But it was work
and it helped,” said Sam. “I learned to appreciate my
job, but I also knew there was a different calling in my
heart. And you cannot succeed where there is no passion or
heart. What happened next helped me to discover the gift
in my failure. There are hidden opportunities in our
adversities if we are open to embracing them.”
Sam
began to volunteer working with teens, and was asked to
teach Sunday school. He agreed only reluctantly, because
of his huge fear of public speaking. The fear of
speaking was so intense that he almost canceled the first
day he was to teach – three times! He kept calling the
church and hanging up on the secretary.
It
was a rough start, but the message of encouragement came
through strongly. Soon, teens were asking Sam to speak at
their clubs and schools, and his calling was revealed.
About a year and half later, he was speaking for the Billy
Graham Evangelical Association, and eventually to
audiences as large as 75,000.
“And
to think I would have missed the opportunity had I not
been open to changing my attitude, acting on new choices
and believing I was born with purpose,” said Sam. “And
the truth to this story is, we all are born with purpose.
We all face adversities daily that knock the kick out of
us, but our attitude is always a choice. And in my
personal and professional opinion, it the most important
choice. You can’t achieve true greatness with a mediocre
attitude. You can’t lead others with an average
attitude. You can’t have a successful relationship with
a defeatist attitude. You have to get this right, and your
perception will change, thereby affecting your results and
outcome.”
Adding
a chalk art presentation created a unique connection to
Sam’s audience. “The combination of music and watching
nothing become something before their eyes is amazing,”
states Sam. “To top it off, when I do the lightshow, the
picture comes to life. It’s one of those things we
don’t put in my demos, but when you see it live –
WOW! You’d think the group was watching a forth of
July show!”
Around
the office, Sam often refers to his program as being A.D.D.
friendly. People want to be captivated, challenged
and inspired. He puts a lot of effort into preparing
for each speech he gives, handwriting them before every
talk. “It’s my way of mentally preparing to give my
all,” states Sam. “I am well over 1,300
hand-written speeches – no joke!”
Today,
Sam gives close to 100 speeches a year and loves it! He
has a passion and purpose to drive him. He has
authored 16 books, all of which have a strong emphasis on
attitude.
“To
be regarded as an Authority on Attitude is a
privilege because I see so much power in our attitude,”
states Sam. “If someone asks me to describe what I
do, I tell them that I work with organizations that want
to rekindle enthusiasm and improve the quality of
performance, and I do it by creating an experience of
inspiration through art, humor and attitude!
It’s a mouthful, but it packs a lot of impact.”
“One
great aspect of my speaking career thus far is my
audiences know that I am not all show or high on
myself. I don’t claim to be a know it all, but by
the time the program is over, they recognize that I am a
credible expert on Attitude – as it applies to life,
business and relationships. The experience I try to
create is one of sincerity and authenticity, and that’s
important to me. I think a huge plus is that my program is
not boring. Ask anyone! I say that confidently,
because I am A.D.D. and it’s hard for me to listen to a
lot of speakers. I have to have some sparkle behind the
information. So that’s what I try to create. I keep
everyone on the edge of their seats with humor, art,
stories and material that they can relate to.”
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