You have permission to publish this article electronically

or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are

included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be

appreciated - send to: GregReid@AlwaysGood.com

Get Lucky!

Have I ever told you the story about Earl? It all started when I

put myself up for auction on eBay. I wanted to be the first

speaker to do so, since it’s “always good” to be the first to do

anything. Last summer, eBay was the hottest thing around so I

thought to myself, Why not?

Spring Air Mattress Corporation was the highest bidder, and all

proceeds went to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. It

was a true win-win right from the beginning. Spring Air is

headquartered in a beautiful part of the country in the heart of

Utah. My trip there and the meeting that followed were

fantastic; however, it was the person I met on the journey who

really made a difference in my life and how I viewed success

from that day forward.

Let me start from the beginning and set the scene.

While staying at the Grand America hotel, I couldn’t help but

notice the incredible decorating and workmanship that had gone

into this classic masterpiece. I felt like I was in a

castle—walking on imported wood floors, surrounded by marble

walls, and passing under the finest glass chandeliers I’ve ever

laid eyes on. The only word I can use to describe it is

majestic. While enjoying a warm cup of refreshment during “high

tea,” I noticed an elderly gentleman in the corner of the lobby.

People were walking up to him, kneeling down to touch his hand

and whisper words into his ear. I thought to myself, Who is this

guy, the pope?

After querying a few staff members, I learned that his name was

Earl Holding and he was the owner and operator of this great

palace, along with the entire Little America hotel chain, which

stretched from state to state. Now, anyone who knows me knows

what happened next—of course I went over to talk with him.

An hour or so into our meeting, Earl looked at me and said, “You

now know more about me than my own children do.”

“That’s probably because most people want to talk about all the

success you have in your life and all the things you possess,” I

replied, “while I want to learn how you created your success so

I can duplicate it for myself and teach others to do the same.”

“Want to know how I made a fortune?” my new mentor asked.

“Please,” I answered.

“Luck and ACTION,” he bellowed. “When I was younger,” he

continued, “I wanted to get into the oil business, so I bought a

used oil rig. Funny thing—I struck oil on the first try, nearly

800 barrels a day, and if you know the oil business, you know

that’s nearly impossible. I truly was very lucky. The point is

that I took action to have that luck. If I’d never bought that

rig, taken the chance, and popped it into the dirt, I would not

have succeeded the way I did, there would have never been a

chance to have that Luck.”

“Wow,” was the most provocative response I could come up with.

“That’s nothing!” he shouted back with a hint of laughter. “It’s

what I did next that made me the man I am today. You see, I took

the profits from that first strike and did it again and again,

becoming so called Luckier and Luckier, buying more and more

rigs until I finally fulfilled my dream and bought one of the

largest oil refineries in the nation. Ever hear of Sinclair Oil

Corporation?” he asked.

“Of course,” I replied. “That’s the one with the dinosaur logo,

right?”

“That’s the one,” he responded in an assuring tone as he took

another sip of his tea. “Now we’re producing more oil than I

ever dreamed possible.”

Our meeting continued and the information flourished from his

soul as he recounted his greatest achievements, along with the

Path he took to attain them. I sat there in amazement, listening

to story after story as he shared his deepest thoughts. I felt a

sense of real appreciation, as if at that very moment in time,

he was passing a baton to an eager student who wanted to do more

with his life than he already had.

So, what did I do with this information? Something crazy in

today’s world, something you don’t hear about very often—I

applied his suggestions, and took action toward some long lived

dreams of my own.

Returning home from this journey, I rolled up my sleeves and

silenced all those fearful stinkin’ thinkin’ voices that we have

within us that hold us back from pursuing our desires, and what

do you know? Not only did I make the most money, it was the

first time feeling as though I was doing what we all seek most

out of life, (Living in Purpose). Please understand, there was a

lot of hard work involved, but it is simply amazing how true

that old statement is – “The more action you take, the luckier

you get.”

Isn’t it time you took action, and Got Lucky too?

-30-

Gregory Scott Reid, #1 best selling author The Millionaire

Mentor, Positive Impact, and co-author Wake up…Live the life you

Love http://www.motivational-speaker-gregory-scott-reid.com