In the Path of Greatness

I just figured out the title for this year! Introducing 2009:

In the Path of Greatness

This will also be the title of my first book. It has been said that sometimes people are successful because they are in the right place at the right time? Well, I believe you can put yourself in the right place at the right time. In my book I will talk about all the wealthy, successful people whom I have crossed paths with.

After I left Nashville on Monday, I flew to and spent the week in Orlando. The first two days were for an annual meeting with the entire company. In my opinion, most of it was a waste. There was an award ceremony on Tuesday night where they presented sales and customer service awards. I was sure I had the highest percentage in the company, but for some reason... they gave the award to someone else. This happened to me last year. What really irked me last year was that they made up a percentage number last year and I knew that it was absolutely untrue because I took one of the sessions. Anyway, it's always nice to get recognized, but my belief is that if you want to give an award to your drinking buddies, please don't invite me. I don't drink, I don't go to nude bars. And no, you will not, "break me." Can you believe it? I get people every once in a while saying, "Shamy, we're going to break you one of these days." I guess people will only feel completely comfortable with me when I am on their level. Anyway, it was very nice that they gave my dad a lifetime achievement award for his 30 years in public speaking. I know that he really appreciated the recognition.

On one of the days I did meet a man named Martin Roberts. He's an investor/tv personality from England. His fame over there is from a show he does call Under the Hammer. He was a delightsome man with a lot of energy. At times he even reminded me of my favorite comedian: Eddie Izzard. One funny thing I did notice about this man is that his pride seemed to be a little hurt when he wasn't quite the star that he is in London. It was a pleasure to meet him nonetheless.

After the annual company meeting we had the annual Rich Dad Education Conference. About 1300 people showed up for the event. There is a certain energy when you get that many people in a room who are ready to change their lives and do something different. On the first day, we had a surprise guest. Montel Williams, the talk-show host, showed up to promote his new book and to talk about future events with him. This is a very nice man with a story that many people can relate to. I really admire how he handled the crowd while he was talking to them and when he was in private. His bodyguard (who is ginormous) is like a big teddy bear. I'm glad our paths crossed for a little while. I'm looking forward to working with both of them in the future.

The second day was for Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and the reason that so many people were there. Robert is an interesting man. He's not afraid to say what he's thinking. This, to me is great trait and also a downfall. I honestly think that he offends many people with his crass and coarse language. He has a lot of very good ideas, but in my opinion, he could be much bigger and more well known if he presented himself a little better. Don't get me wrong, he's a very nice man, but I think he could use some polishing. He did do me the favor of recording a personal introduction for me which is priceless. He said some very nice things about me and my dad.

Last night, I somehow invited myself to dinner with the CEO and CFO of the company. Sometimes when I open my mouth, words don't come out how I am thinking them and I got me, my dad, and my sister all invited to have Indian food with "the boss". He even paid for dinner. It was very nice conversation and not too much business, but now, I'm deep in it. I was having thoughts of changing careers, but now, that's not going to be so easy. This is good and bad. All in all though, I'm glad to be home.