Just got back from Casino Tour 2008. I was a winner!
Over the past few weeks, my world of public speaking has taken me from a Connecticut casino to Las Vegas to Atlantic City and then back to a Connecticut casino. While talking about personal development, leadership, and one of my favorite times of the year, the day off at work, I did my part to keep America out of a recession by making withdrawals from my personal bank account and depositing that money into the lands of short-skirted cocktail waitresses. I now realize that some of you think I am in denial and that we are already in a recession; Go ahead, continue with those negative thoughts. That will help!
So I went into my favorite Las Vegas casino and saw the BMW Convertible. I decided that I was going to win that car. I put it there. After all, I did see “The Secret.” I’m going to win that car. I’m going to win that car. I’m going to win that car. I can see myself driving that car home from Las Vegas to CT; from top to bottom, wind blowing through my hair, uh, I mean hat; propeller spinning in the wind. I’m going to win that car.
Well you won’t believe this…..
Not in a million years……………
I had my last 2 credits left; $150 after; I said it one more time that I was going to win that car. In the background I hear Frank Sinatra singing “Luck Be A Lady Tonight”. Frank was my father’s hero. Dad must be looking down on me. The stars and planets are all aligned………And I pressed the maximum credit and the three symbols appear.
A cherry, a Bar and a Win the Car.
I did not win.
I turned to the woman next to me and wished her good luck. Her response: “I already won a Mini Cooper last year. I’m just here to have fun.”
I got up from the seat and walked back to my hotel.
Gambling is one of those interesting phenomena. There are those, like me, who enter a casino for entertainment purposes; and those, like my friend Anita, who walk into the casino thinking that there are billions of dollars in that building and which part has her name on it. (Then he goes and is dealt a Royal Flush right in front of my eyes. Yup, DEAL!) There are those who cuss and cuss at slot machines and get dealt the bad cards while they lose, lose, lose. There are people hitting and hitting machines that are not paying. It makes you wonder. Are these people always looking for the big payoff? the easy way out; a cash windfall that just falls into your lap? It makes you wonder about the rest of his life.
There are also people carrying oxygen tanks and smoking. I don’t even go there. They are having a good time; I guess that’s all that matters.
So back to the banging and banging. I’m still from the School of Hard Work. I still believe that hard work pays off. I still believe that working hard is anything but when you enjoy what you’re doing and have a little fun doing it. I still believe that within any job, no matter how serious, you can have a rewarding experience once you discover what excites you. But it’s up to you to figure out how to make your job fun, interesting, and exciting while doing the job you were hired to do. It’s up to you to find the right mix or work and play.
A while back, a National Coffee chain closed all stores for three hours on the same day to train their staff. I have certainly seen a difference in the attitudes of your employees since that evening training session was held company-wide. They laugh, play and work harder. Some of the complacency that I had noticed is gone. The customers seem to be happy too. And happy customers mean a stronger company that could make more money, better profits, or more opportunities. Working harder provides rewards.
I recently spoke with an organization that had changed their compensation structure; to one that is based on income. Yes, employees are now paid based on revenue collected and many of these people receive 10% annual raises. Not many companies can say that they are giving raises at the 10% level; and in a time of rec_____ (I refuse to say the word). Once again, another example of working harder pays off.
Two people very close to me are about to declare bankruptcy. I have watched them fall apart for several years; always looking for that windfall; always looking for the easy way out; they are going to win the lottery; make that big trade in the financial markets, or sell that million dollar house. They seem to attend the School of Brochures.
And you? Are you attending the School of Hard Work or the School of Brochures?
I bet many of those people in the casino didn’t get a 10% cashback. Hell, I bet most of them didn’t. I know I didn’t. I bet many of those people in the casino leave without being able to buy a cup of coffee. So I didn’t win the car and had to settle for a cup of coffee before heading out. At least I had some fun, obviously at the expense of others.
So what does this mean to you?… Stop reading this article right now and get back to working hard and creating the extraordinary life you deserve. Or at least do it to help with the alms we need to subsidize.