If you don’t like to read about people who brag, skip this
blog. I don’t like to brag, but today I feel like telling the story that I haven’t
told in public. Here it goes. A few years ago I accepted an invitation to
attend the Clinton Global Initiative in NYC. (How I got that is an entirely
different story) On the first day in the morning I passed Angelina Jolie and
Brad Pitt in the hallway. I selected a conference track in the morning that
focused on world hunger. When I attend a conference, I always like to sit up
front to enjoy a closer view of the speakers. I estimated the room capacity at
about 450 people with a round-table setup. As I walked down the aisle I spotted
an empty seat at the left front table and asked the people if it was ok to join
them. They were kind enough to offer me the last empty seat at their table. As I introduce myself, I
realize that I was sitting next to the President of the Rockefeller Foundation,
opposite Maya Angelo and right across from Oprah who next to her friend Gayle.
We spent the next two hours discussing ways we can help address world hunger and combat
poverty. Everyone at the table shared their views and Maya Angelo in her
booming voice summed up the crux of the problem saying “poverty begins with
poverty of the spirit.”
During our discussion we got interrupted a number of
times by visitors who wanted to shake hands with Oprah. Like, “Hi, my name is
Jean Chretien, I am the former Prime Minister of Canada, I always wanted to
meet you.” By the end of the two-hour meeting Oprah has a small stack of
business cards in front of her. She is so down-to earth, charming, disarming,
authentic, loveable and thrilling to hang out with. I asked Oprah during the
break if it would be ok to get a picture with her and she asked Gayle to take
my camera while she snuggled up as close as it gets. There is gaggle of people
waiting to speak to Oprah. One of them is Wangari Muta Maathai.
Oprah was kind enough to introduce me to Mrs. Maathai. She is one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever met in my
life. Mrs. Maathai was the first women in East Africa to earn a PhD in
1971.She is the founder of the
Greenbelt Movement and she is the first African women to be awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2004.
During the lunch break I had a chance to visit with chance to visit with Shimon Peres, who is now the President of Israel.
He was escorted by two young ladies
and willing to speak to everybody. I made a comment like “It must be great to
be over 80 and get the attention of beautiful women less than half your age.” He smiled and joked, “You’re just jealous, admit it.”
It was an honor and privilege to meet these extraordinary people.
I’ve shared this story with only a few people, and one of them was Rick
Frishman who exclaimed, “Oprah! I’ve been on her show.” If you are an author,
trying to get on the Oprah show, look no further than my video interview with
Rick. He shares the secret of how he got on the show. Best of all, the video
lists all of Oprah’s producers. Hot tip for authors: Send a copy of your book
to EVERY one of Oprah's producers – not just one.
Lessons learned: It's fun and motivating to meet celebrities. If they decide to spend time with you, be yourself, be authentic, spontaneous, open minded, curious, caring, collaborative, creative and kind. After this high-octane event I researched these extraordinary people and studied their lives. I read about their struggles and triumphs, travels and difficulties, victories and disappointments. And the biggest lessons I learned are these: 1. I still have a LOT to learn, 2. If we study successful people from all walks of life, we'll have a far greater chance of becoming a success. 3. Most success comes from overcoming great difficulties. 4. Sometimes not getting what we want can be a wonderful stroke of luck. It is often the beginning of a magnificent struggle that can lead to extraordinary success.
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