by Jerry Valley
(For You as an Entertainer and Your Client)
Earl Nightingale, of Nightingale-Conant Corporation in Chicago, IL, called attitude the MAGIC WORD because of the positive results that developed when the attitude is right. He named it the RMA, the Right Mental Attitude. He stated “The success or failure of any undertaking is caused more by mental attitude even than by mental capacity.” Breaking that great statement down, it simply means that if you have the right mental attitude about whatever you are going after, then you will probably achieve it even though you do not have the qualifications to accomplish that goal. Put even more simply, if you reach for something higher than you think you can reach, with the best RMA, you will probably reach it!
Grace Metalious, who wrote “Payton Place,” which became a best-seller, a TV series and a movie, once said “Be very careful about what you want in life, because if you really want it, you will probably get it!” In other words, with the right attitude, you can do just about anything if you really want it. I hesitate to state that you can do anything but I do say “just about anything,” because we sometimes have physical limitations that restrain us. For example, I cannot, no matter how great my attitude is, become a jet fighter pilot because I am simply past the age that is required to fly those babies. Other than that type of scenario, yes, you and I can do anything that we set our minds to!
Webster’s dictionary describes attitude as: 1.A bodily posture showing mood or action.
2. A manner showing one’s feelings or thoughts.
My definition is that attitude is a feeling that you have about yourself and a feeling about any venture or presentation that you have on the table. I have always felt and stated to my clients “When you feel good about yourself, then you can make wonderful changes in your life.” Conversely, when you do not feel good about yourself, then it seems like almost everything goes wrong and you might tend to make bad decisions. On stage we endeavor to keep the RMA, the Right Mental Attitude. Have you ever noticed that big stars usually have the right attitude about what they are doing? I am not speaking about their personal live but their professional performances….ATTITUDE IS THE KEY!
Have you ever noticed that the higher you go in an organization the better, usually, the attitudes seem to be? Whenever you got a bad time in a store or a restaurant, it was usually from a clerk or salesperson or waiter, not the manager. How often do you hear “That’s not my department” from a clerk? That’s a terrible attitude!
I love to shop at Home Depot and Wal-Mart stores because any clerk usually will help in any department. That is the way it should be.
So, let’s explore how attitude affects the way we deal with clients and how it affects our success ratio. The same principle apply to audiences.
You must remember, that you have a very powerful transference of feelings between you and a client. So, you need to be very careful about the feelings that you are harboring because they can pick them up! Have you ever noticed that when you really don’t feel good or something is bothering you, that you are not as effective with clients? It shouldn’t be that way, but we are human beings with feelings, emotions and we are vulnerable to our own thoughts and to environmental conditioning, i.e. things that are said to us or inferences that we pick up from others.
Conversely, you must have noticed that when you really feel good about yourself, you become very sharp; your rapport with clients improves as well as your effectiveness.
You give better and more positive suggestions, and the clients pick up on them. I know that when I really feel good about myself, I do a KNOCKOUT show, and when I am not feeing top-notch, the show is still good but I didn’t feel sharp enough. It could have been better. Yes, yes the show must go on but I tell you here and now that you will do your best shows, and get the best responses from your clients when you feel good about you!
However, there are days when we need to change how we feel and therefore elevate our presentations to clients. Just how do we do that?
Ok. Let’s suppose that you wake up and you are not in a very good mood and you need to see 8 or 10 clients today. WOW! How are you ever going to muster the energy and the Right Mental Attitude to help these clients who come to you for assistance? You don’t feel very good about yourself BUT you can change that!
The fastest way to make a change is to ACT………..that’s right. ACT AS IF you feel differently about it. You see, actions trigger feelings. So, if you ACT AS IF you feel great, you will feel great in a short period of time.
Ok. You wake up in a bad mood. So let’s fix it. Close your eyes and visualize a beautiful lake and as you look across the top of the water you notice that the water is CALM, QUIET and PEACEFUL. Let your mind be that CALM, QUIET and PEACEFUL. Look around the lake. You see beautiful trees. Tall, stately majestic trees. Up above, there is a beautiful blue sky, and off in the distance some gorgeous mountains. And there is the sun setting on the horizon. You notice that the sun, as it goes down on the horizon, glitters across the top of the water and it looks like gold petals floating there. This wonderful scene is one that will relax you quickly, keep you calm and relaxed during the day and help you to get to sleep in minutes. Keep it and use it for your clients. Let this beautiful scene send feelings of relaxation down through your scalp, your forehead, your eyelids. Let it melt down through your facial muscles; let it go in through your lips, relaxing your mouth, your mouth your neck muscles. Separate your jaws so that there are no tensions, stress or irritations there, let them go. Relax your entire body AS IF you are a rag doll. Become loose and limp. Let you muscles SAG. Let your body SAG. Good. Now, let the relaxation melt down through your shoulders, all of your back muscles, down your spinal column, right down to the small of your back. Notice right now how good you feel.
This wonderful feeling moves down through your upper arms, your forearms, your wrists, hands and fingertips. Now it goes in through your lungs, down through you stomach muscles, your abdominal muscles, down through your hips, your thighs, over your kneecaps, down through your shins and the calves of your legs, melting in through your ankles, your feet and right down to the very tips of your toes. You are relaxed.
Now, that you are in a relaxed, hypnotic mood imagine, pretend, make believe, visualize your self having a great day. See yourself, in your mind’s eye, full of energy, enthusiastic sharp as a tack, and so professional that every client you see will absolutely accept and follow your suggestions. Look at the way you walk, talk and carry yourself. Look at your posture, your expressions and listen to the sound of your voice. Is it pleasant? Convincing? Effective? Sincere? Would you accept those suggestions from you?
In other words, see yourself completely different from the person who woke up that
morning in a bad mood. Now, you are in a good mood. How did that happen?
This is the key: ACTIONS TRIGGER FEELINGS. If you want to change feelings
Then ACT that way. ACT, WALK, TALK, LOOK THINK and FEEL like the person
that you want to be that day, and watch what happens!
Then go and teach your clients just how to do that and you will enjoy greater success.
And, if you are an entertainer, act it out and watch the results!
Jerry Valley is the recipient of NGH’s Research Award, the President’s Award and the
Rexford L. North award, the highest award for outstanding achievements.
Recommended listening: “Lead The Field,” Earl Nightgale (Audio Tape Program)
