Many years ago I realized, “Passion does not lead to commitment. Commitment leads to passion.”
Then I encountered this from David Steindl-Rast, “Happiness does not lead to gratitude. Gratitude leads to happiness.”
Keep those thoughts in mind.
Last week, I was with a couple of important clients in my little upstairs conference room when my friend and business partner Brian Brushwood told us about a street magician who was sitting behind a card table on which was a bunny rabbit waiting patiently on a top hat.
A young woman approached and asked, “Can I pet the bunny?”
Brian watched as that magician attracted a huge crowd who filled his top hat with money, but he did none of the things you are thinking he did.
After Brian revealed to us the dazzling genius of that street magician, he drew a little diagram that blew our minds.
It was a circle.
At 12 o’clock Brian wrote STORY.
At 4 o’clock he wrote ATTENTION.
At 8 o’clock he wrote SALES.
“And then you are back at STORY,” he said.
Reading those nouns clockwise, it says “Story, Attention, Sales, Story, Attention, Sales.”
“But most advertisers go counterclockwise,” Brian said, “They expect Story to be followed by Sales. They don’t understand the importance of letting the young woman pet the bunny.“
Ten minutes later my two important clients were clapping with wide eyes and asking Brian if he would be willing to speak at an event they were hosting for more than a thousand people.
None of this was planned, but I’m glad it happened.
It was one more example of how the right way to go is often backwards from what we were thinking.
