(The Philippine Star) |Updated January 25, 2014 - 12:00am
I frequently meet people who approach me and tell me that they want to do what I do. Many of these people are young, idealistic, and sincere. Sometimes they approach me after a talk. Most other times they send me a message through instagram, twitter, or facebook. They are very polite, and I thank them for their kindness.
I am used to these sentiments. Not every speaker is deserving of an audience, and I take it as a compliment when people tell me that they, too, want to be speakers. But my thought process goes this way: Most of these people want to do what I do, but are they willing to go through what I have?
Just recently, an audience member came to me after a talk and said, “Francis, I want to be like you.”
I smiled and said, “Thank you.”
But at the back of my mind I thought, “Do you know what you’re talking about? Would you still want to be like me when you have to experience the tons of work I do to improve myself; when you have to read several volumes of books; when you have to fail multiple times in order to learn; when you have to fight a number of battles in order to stand for righteousness; and when you have to withstand the amount of personal attacks and criticisms I get from those who have dissenting opinions?”
Others tell me they just want to hang out with me for a few weeks, drive my car, carry my briefcase, and accompany me to my talks and trainings. To that I say, “You would not want to do that. My life is extremely structured; hence, it is boring.
“When I wake up in the morning, I start with my quiet time: I pray and meditate on Scriptures to build my inner strength. Then I post stuff on social media, read books, listen to audio materials, and go out and do my thing. I can assure you it is not exciting. It is repetitive. It might even be boring for you.”
Most people do not understand. What they see is the excitement of giving talks, engaging the audience, inspiring them to become better, and in the end, improving lives and businesses. All these happen in the foreground. They do not see the process of putting all of these things together to make the presentation work.
Drawing a crowd, speaking to thousands, writing books, maintaining a business column, doing a Monday to Friday radio segment for the last 19 years and reaching out to still more people through social media—all these look glamorous and exciting, but they are simply the fruits of doing hard work and investing in education.
A very recent inquiry goes this way:
“I have been invited to check your page. I like it and I want to be a motivational leader and speaker like you. May I know how to be like you? Is there a way to be like you without spending money for training and seminars? Looking forward to hearing from your end.”
Here is my response:
“Thanks for asking. You first have to be excellent at something that is marketable – something that serves a need. You have to spend a fortune on books, audio materials, training, and seminars. See to it that you learn from personal experience (both success and failure) and from all kinds of people.
“Personally, I have enrolled in courses in Oxford University, Harvard Continuing Educational Program, and New York Business Leaders Forum. I have attended thousands of seminars in my lifetime. I faithfully jot down all the nuggets of wisdom I hear from sermons every Sunday. That’s how I have built myself through the years. Content is king. Delivery is queen. Experience is the heartbeat, and character is the soul. In my opinion, there is no other way. I hope this helps.”
I never heard from the person again.
There is no shortcut to success. The road to accomplishment is a long and difficult one.
If success comes easy, and it’s “chicken feed,” then all you will end up getting is itlog.
The process is always more important than the success.
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