I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again…
One Less. One More. is not my first book; just the first book I’ve seen to publication.
Over the years, I’ve had countless ideas for books. Funny books, business books, inspirational books, fictional books, photography books, and non-fiction books alike; none though ever seeing the light of day.
One book idea called, Truth is the Ultimate Spin, demonstrated how leaders who tell the truth are more successful, mentally healthy, have better relationships with their colleagues and family, while, ultimately, building stronger legacies. I wrote a book proposal, had a wonderful agent, and even got a major publishing house to say they were interested. Yet it wasn’t to be. The female editor who championed my book went into premature labor, and all her current projects were brought before an editorial board, and mine got cut. My agent felt the book idea was “no longer hot,” and dropped the book and me. Within just a few days I went from about to sign a book deal, to having no representation or book deal at all.
Something similar happened with a movie idea I pitched several years earlier. I had just spent one year working with a group of elite undercover New York City Transit Police officers, and now, back at CBS TV, I was inspired to write a fictional account of my experience in the hole, the subway, as the cops call it. After hundreds of phone calls (before email and the internet), I was able to find a development person at a major movie company willing to listen to my idea. I flew to Los Angles and after several meetings, was encouraged to write a film treatment (more than an outline, less than a script), resulting in further negotiations for the project to go forward. The swiftness and enthusiasm for the film project was dizzying, and the following week we were to get the “green-light” to officially move out of development and into production.
Everything was set for me to ceremoniously call the studio head at noon LA-time the following Monday, October 19, 1987. Unfortunately, that was also Black Monday, when world financial markets crashed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing an astounding 22% in just one day.
Trying to stay positive, I kept my appointment and called the movie executive. His assistant put me through, although warning, “He’s not having a good day.” I never had a chance to say one word.
“We’re not green-lighting anything now!” the movie chief screamed into the phone. “Are you watching the TV? Can you see what’s happening! The world is coming to an end!” and with that, he hung up the phone. My movie deal died on the vine.
Over the course of my career, I’ve been hired and then rejected for several high profile jobs because I didn’t have a college degree.
Another example of disappointment is when I was up for a staff position at a network comedy show and during the interview, for no apparent reason, the famous talk show host started screaming at me and then stormed out of his office. The embarrassed executive producer came in to apologize, explaining that just prior to our meeting, the comedian and his girl friend had a terrible fight.
“I’m sorry for his behavior,” the producer said, “and I guess you realize, you didn’t get the job.”
I could go on about the countless pieces of business my company lost to competition, friends who hurt and deceived me, bad storms that damaged our home, or the deer that decimated my vegetable garden.
Very often in our home when someone suffers a disappointment, we’ll put on the song Tubthumper, by the British band, Chumbawamba, and sing, “I get knocked down | But I get up again | You’re never gonna to keep me down.”
And that’s all you have to do: get up again. That’s the only difference between a winner and a loser; the winner gets up one more time.
My book, One Less. One More. took seven years of hard work to finally bring it to publication. Yet, for all the years and tears of struggle, frustration, and disappointments, I never gave up, nor should you.
What’s your dream? What is the calling of your heart? What’s your passion? What makes you happy? What makes you feel good just thinking about it? In what direction do you feel pulled? If failure weren’t an option, what would you do? And even if you don’t know the answer to any of these questions, just consciously choose to be happy and move daily in the direction of discovering your own personal truth and purpose.
Every day, choose less of what’s not working in your life, and remove something not aligned with your goals, dreams and desires. And conversely, every day consciously choose just one more thing that feels good and aligned with your heart’s calling.
There is no secret solution or magic sauce to doing what you love. You just have to decide to get on the path, and just like me, when you fall off, get back on. One day at a time.
One Less, One More.
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