Seek Fame Rather than Celebrity, Notoriety or Infamy

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so.

Fame is my subject for today.

Fame is one of those positive words that seems just right. It's short, it has one syllable and it feels good when you say it.

The imagery is fine too. In my mind I see an athletic young woman standing tall with her eyes focused upward . . . a modern version of Joan of Arc. I suspect that this image comes from watching so many gymnastics events where truly talented athletes showed amazing talent and courage.

One such event occurred in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The women's team thought that they needed one more vault that scored at 9.6 or higher in order to take the gold medal from the Russian team. On her first vault, tiny Kerri Strug had landed on her heals and felt something snap in her leg as her ankle rolled over. Her ankle began to swell like a balloon. The American team was down to just one last vault from Ms. Strug. Gathering her courage, she raced down the runway on her gimpy leg, stuck her vault . . . and landed decisively on both feet. Immediately, she lifted up the injured foot and continued to stand on the injured leg. She was obviously in agony. But she had scored what was needed. Her coach had to carry her to the reviewing stand to receive her gold medal. Because of her injury, she could not continue in the competition. That beautiful, courageous moment will always be with me. If you would like to read more about Ms. Strug's accomplishment go to http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/events/1996/olympics/commemorative/day5.html

When I think of billionaires, by comparison, I don't usually think of fame. I think of wealth, power and celebrity. In a few cases, I think of notoriety. In no cases do I think of infamy.

Let's look at a few examples. Warren Buffett is usually described as one of the five richest people on Earth. Most people know his name because he buys and holds stocks for a long time . . . like Coca-Cola, The Washington Post Company and Gillette. He also writes a folksy annual report each year (aided by Fortune editor Carol Loomis) that takes an "aw shucks" approach to self deprecation. A lot of people have heard of him, but he doesn't have fame.

Bill Gates helped launch Microsoft and the company brings you the buggy computer operating system you are probably using today. If you are like me, you probably swear at Bill Gates more often than you swear by Bill Gates. Almost everyone knows who he is. Does he have fame? Peter Drucker, the father of management studies, once volunteered to me that Bill Gates is irrelevant to our modern computer society . . . offering that Gates is just another rich guy who can help others most by losing his money quickly. Peter Drucker said that Gates is a celebrity . . . and I think he's right. A celebrity is someone who we recognize and know something about . . . but they aren't really important.

What about The Donald? He builds glitzy towers that only the richest can afford, changes wives and gets into financial trouble from time to time. He craves attention and we see him everywhere. He's the Paris Hilton of the billionaire set. But he doesn't have fame. His lasting contribution to history will probably be as a symbol of the excesses of the 90s.

There's one possible exception among the billionaires who comes to mind . . . Steve Jobs. Here is a man who helped pioneer the personal computer, played a leading role in advancing computer graphics for animated films and championed the iPod. His drive has helped reshape our lives. It may be too soon to tell, but Steve Jobs is someone who could have fame . . . if he doesn't already.

What does all that have to do with you? Since you're not burdened with billions to grow and protect, you have more time to think about what contribution you want your life to make.

Fame seems to be most easily accomplished by those who contribute something positive to all of us that transforms our lives . . . as an inspiration (Mother Teresa), as a role model (Nelson Mandela), as a moral force (Gandhi), as an innovator (Thomas Edison), or as a guide (Socrates).

Notice that being brilliant, having a great education or being rich don't dominate the examples.

What happens if you shoot for fame and miss? What's the downside of fame? It's living a life of contribution.

I thought of that last night as I listened to another Jack Canfield teleseminar drawn from his new book, The Success Principles. Jack was interviewing Marcia Martin. I had no idea who Marcia Martin was, but if Jack thought I could learn from her . . . I was ready to listen.

Then Jack introduced her, and I thought . . . this woman should be famous! Among her many accomplishments have been to help found Est, founding the Hunger Project, producing the first Great American Smoke Out, and training over 150,000 people in good leadership and communications. As I listened to her, I realized that this woman gently glows like a beautiful ruby that's spot lit in a dark room. She has your attention and you are glad to listen to her.

But she doesn't have fame. What she does have is finer though than celebrity. She makes a large difference in lives every day through her wisdom and her desire to give. To me, someone would do better to emulate Marcia Martin than to model themselves on the latest virtually undressed celebrity, over hyped singer, or mate-swapping movie star.

I also thought that her genuine contributions will also amount to more than what most billionaires will ever contribute . . . even if they give all their money to charity. To be fair to Bill Gates, I should point out that he and his wife are generously supporting vaccination programs all around the world that will prevent disease for youngsters who would otherwise live short, unpleasant lives. He's fulfilling his purpose as a rich celebrity, much as Andrew Carnegie and Alfred Nobel did before him through charitable good works.

I brought up this subject because I want to encourage you to seek fame. I do so not only because it's better than the alternatives . . . but also because it will help you live better than a billionaire on little money.

As you contribute to others, you will have all the attention you could ever want, the ability to meet anyone you want, and a sense of satisfaction that never ends.

You need only begin by figuring out how you want to pursue the contributions that lead to fame. My suggestion is to think about those times when you have been happiest and most satisfied by something you did. How could you achieve those results more often? How could you help more people? How could you develop more skill? Then, each day simply take at least five actions that will help you progress in that direction. While I cannot promise that you will have fame . . . I can promise that you will have a more beautiful life.

Tomorrow, you'll learn how to launch your own university and become the source of inspiration for top students around the world on less than five dollars a day

On Thursday, I'll share with you the secrets of visiting New York City's finest mansions.

Next Friday, I'll tell you how to become a sought-after book reviewer who regularly receives gifts from celebrities.

On Saturday, you'll hear about the opening of training camp for the New England Patriots. If you are going to be in Massachusetts, check out the schedule for attending training camp beginning on July 29 at www.patriots.com. Attendance and parking are free, and there are many wonderful activities for the whole family. I'll be sharing tips on how to get many wonderful autographs from the World Champions.

Sunday, I'll share with you the value of having a special spiritual place where you can find solace and peace.

Next Monday, I'll recommend some more wonderful homes, mansions and estates for your visiting pleasure. Hopefully, by then I'll be able to tell you about my plans to visit other properties for the first time through your suggestions as a result of reading today's blog entry.

Next Tuesday, I will describe some of the key lessons in The Success Principles and share my review with you of that wonderful book.

Please feel free to let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell