WEBVTT 00:00:16.519 --> 00:00:20.460 Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable 00:00:20.460 --> 00:00:23.879 Connections, the podcast where we explore the 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.339 art and science of building powerful relationships 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:31.559 that drive real business results. I'm your host, 00:00:31.739 --> 00:00:35.039 Michael, and today we're diving deep into the 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:39.159 intersection of networking, motivation, and communication, 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:43.280 especially as we relate to immigrant experience. 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:48.039 Our guest is a dynamic expert whose journey spans 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:52.200 overcoming barriers, motivating others and mastering 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:55.560 the nuances of cross -cultural communication. 00:00:56.219 --> 00:00:59.560 Whether you're new to networking or a seasoned 00:00:59.560 --> 00:01:03.780 pro, you'll discover actionable insights to foster 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:07.420 authentic connections and unlock new opportunities. 00:01:07.900 --> 00:01:12.140 So get ready to be inspired. as we uncover practical 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:15.659 strategies for building networks that are not 00:01:15.659 --> 00:01:19.780 just expansive, but truly profitable and meaningful. 00:01:20.099 --> 00:01:24.299 So let's get started. I'd like to introduce Andy 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:31.000 Semichuk. Semichuk, okay. I'm almost there, almost 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:33.859 there. No problem. He does have this vast background, 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:37.180 but Andy, I would like to introduce you and tell 00:01:37.180 --> 00:01:39.379 us a little bit about your background. Sure. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:42.319 Well, I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.939 and raised half in Canada and half in the United 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:50.920 States. For example, school -wise, I was going 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:54.019 initially in Canada, but later in high school, 00:01:54.060 --> 00:01:57.620 I went to school in Los Angeles. And that's because 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:00.939 My mother had a sister who lived in Los Angeles, 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:03.859 and they bicycled me back and forth. So, for 00:02:03.859 --> 00:02:06.799 example, summers I spent in Los Angeles, but 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:09.060 during the school year, I spent up in Edmonton 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:13.000 in the cold. And then as time went on, as it 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:15.560 turned out, my whole life was like that. Half 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:18.599 of my time was in Canada and half of my time 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:22.099 in the United States. So, for example, although 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:26.539 I studied in Canada at UBC in Vancouver, got 00:02:26.539 --> 00:02:29.490 my law degree and so on, I actually practiced 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:33.210 for 10 years in Los Angeles. I practiced for 00:02:33.210 --> 00:02:36.990 five years in New York. And I am now practicing 00:02:36.990 --> 00:02:41.449 in Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Wow, that's great. 00:02:41.569 --> 00:02:43.990 That's quite an expansive background you have 00:02:43.990 --> 00:02:46.490 there. So that's good. All right. So I'm going 00:02:46.490 --> 00:02:49.750 to jump right into the questions that I've developed 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:53.050 for you. And hopefully we've made the mark. We've 00:02:53.050 --> 00:02:56.770 hit the mark. What role has networking played? 00:02:57.550 --> 00:03:00.729 in your own journey as an immigrant, and how 00:03:00.729 --> 00:03:04.990 did it shape your success? That's a great question, 00:03:05.169 --> 00:03:08.110 and you don't even realize how good a question 00:03:08.110 --> 00:03:11.330 that is, I think, and I'll tell you why. For 00:03:11.330 --> 00:03:15.330 three years, when I was in Los Angeles, I was 00:03:15.330 --> 00:03:18.569 chairperson of the Beverly Hills Bar Association 00:03:18.569 --> 00:03:22.659 Networking Committee. And during those three 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:27.379 years, we had monthly meetings where I had to 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:31.460 get things going and get people networking. And 00:03:31.460 --> 00:03:34.719 I had a philosophy that I espoused during those 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.599 meetings. And the meetings went like this. After 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:40.780 everybody got settled, they picked up some drinks 00:03:40.780 --> 00:03:43.680 or whatever and spoke to some people. I would 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:46.460 call the meeting to order. And we're all standing 00:03:46.460 --> 00:03:50.030 around. And I would say I'm Andy Semichuk, and 00:03:50.030 --> 00:03:52.509 I'm chairman of the Beverly Hills Bar Association 00:03:52.509 --> 00:03:54.990 Networking Committee, and I want to welcome you. 00:03:56.310 --> 00:03:59.789 And I'd like to express a philosophy of networking 00:03:59.789 --> 00:04:03.469 that I'm hoping you will like and perhaps adapt 00:04:03.469 --> 00:04:07.009 in your networking efforts. And that philosophy 00:04:07.009 --> 00:04:10.949 comes from one of the great speakers in the United 00:04:10.949 --> 00:04:16.509 States, a guy named Zig Ziglar. Absolutely. You 00:04:16.509 --> 00:04:18.949 probably know him, yeah? Yes, I do. I follow 00:04:18.949 --> 00:04:22.670 him extensively. Okay. So he used to say, you 00:04:22.670 --> 00:04:25.529 can get anything in life that you want so long 00:04:25.529 --> 00:04:27.550 as you help enough other people get what they 00:04:27.550 --> 00:04:31.750 want. And I believe that's a great philosophical 00:04:31.750 --> 00:04:35.670 approach to networking. And I would say to the 00:04:35.670 --> 00:04:38.569 people there, focus on the people you're dealing 00:04:38.569 --> 00:04:41.170 with. See if there's anything you can do to help 00:04:41.170 --> 00:04:44.850 them and see how that in turn comes around to 00:04:44.850 --> 00:04:48.779 help you. And I'd often share a story or a joke 00:04:48.779 --> 00:04:53.500 just to liven things up and then set them loose 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:57.060 to doing the networking. But there were a few 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:00.319 things about networking that I sort of picked 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:04.439 up. And I was an immigrant there because I was 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:07.339 born in Canada. That's why it's special that 00:05:07.339 --> 00:05:10.620 you asked that question. So as an quote unquote 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:14.480 immigrant to the United States, I myself had 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:18.420 to employ my networking skills to make a go of 00:05:18.420 --> 00:05:22.459 me as a U .S. immigration attorney in Los Angeles. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:27.319 And here are some of the tactics that I employed 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:33.360 to advance my cause. I learned that All of this 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:35.860 stuff, it's hard to come up with a unique idea 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:38.680 or original idea. A lot of our ideas are borrowed 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:41.240 from other people or developed from other people's 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:44.199 ideas. Certainly that's the case with me. I can't 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:47.000 claim originality to everything I'm talking about. 00:05:47.100 --> 00:05:51.240 That's mission impossible for me. But one of 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.829 the thoughts that did me well. in my networking 00:05:54.829 --> 00:05:58.689 efforts. And I'm so glad that your program is 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:01.829 about networking. It's a real treat for me to 00:06:01.829 --> 00:06:03.910 be on your program and talk about networking 00:06:03.910 --> 00:06:07.470 and also about motivation that we'll talk about, 00:06:07.550 --> 00:06:12.470 I'm sure. A few little tips. Number one, I learned 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:17.149 long ago that in terms of networking, it's very 00:06:17.149 --> 00:06:22.670 handy if you're a newcomer to come early to meetings. 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:26.959 Vince Lombardi, the great coach of the Green 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:30.000 Bay Packers, used to say, if you're 10 minutes 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:33.379 early, that means you're 15 minutes late to his 00:06:33.379 --> 00:06:36.560 players. What he was saying was, of course, come 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:39.639 early. Don't come just on time. Come early. It's 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:42.360 always helpful to come early. And in networking, 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:46.279 that's especially true because if you're early 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:50.759 as people come into the room, They have nobody 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:53.420 to really deal with except you. If you're standing 00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:57.300 there smiling and looking to say something. That's 00:06:57.300 --> 00:07:01.439 true. I'm a military guy, Air Force. And we had 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:05.519 one saying that if you're on time, you're late. 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:08.560 If you're early, you're on time. Yeah, that's 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:12.259 great. Love it. I live my life that way. My poor 00:07:12.259 --> 00:07:15.860 children who had to grow up with that, now they're 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:18.970 doing it. So I know exactly what you're talking 00:07:18.970 --> 00:07:23.449 about. Zig Ziglar was the best. And that's what's 00:07:23.449 --> 00:07:26.930 called a servant's heart. Now, I follow more 00:07:26.930 --> 00:07:30.129 of Zig Ziglar's son because Zig isn't around 00:07:30.129 --> 00:07:35.509 anymore. But it's a giver's game. It's what BNI 00:07:35.509 --> 00:07:39.610 has structured their whole thing about. But it's 00:07:39.610 --> 00:07:43.290 true because when you go to a networking event, 00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:47.300 it's... what you can do for somebody else, not 00:07:47.300 --> 00:07:49.519 what they can do for you. I didn't mean to interrupt. 00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:52.019 No, I'm happy you threw that in. That's exactly 00:07:52.019 --> 00:07:56.379 right. That's gold level thinking in my world. 00:07:56.519 --> 00:08:00.600 But that was one key because they'd show up and 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:02.560 they don't have anybody to talk to. So they wander 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.800 over to talk to you and you then start on a journey 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:09.959 with them. And my approach was like this, and 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:13.620 I teach my young people here in my law practice 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:18.339 this approach. If you're talking to someone in 00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:21.699 networking or just talking to someone in a cocktail 00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:27.100 type situation, your job is to focus on that 00:08:27.100 --> 00:08:31.620 person and never mind what else is going on in 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:35.000 the room. Never mind if President Trump just 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.860 is walking by behind the person you're talking 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:41.679 to or any football star or baseball star or whatever. 00:08:42.299 --> 00:08:45.919 It's important to train yourself on the person 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:49.639 you're talking to. Everything else is irrelevant. 00:08:49.899 --> 00:08:53.700 That's the whole idea here. It's inconsiderate 00:08:53.700 --> 00:08:59.220 to use another person you're dealing with. You 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:01.539 see these guys, they're talking to you, but they 00:09:01.539 --> 00:09:04.480 watch as someone goes by. You know how you feel 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:07.379 when that happens. Absolutely. It's called active 00:09:07.379 --> 00:09:11.000 listening. So you listen to the person who you're 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.659 with. You give them 100 % of your attention. 00:09:15.320 --> 00:09:18.840 And here's the funny part about active listening. 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:23.970 It's after they finish speaking, you pause. And 00:09:23.970 --> 00:09:26.909 that's such an important pause because it gives 00:09:26.909 --> 00:09:30.389 you time to digest what they said. It gives them 00:09:30.389 --> 00:09:34.129 time to say he was listening to me. And then 00:09:34.129 --> 00:09:37.049 you respond to him with something that he spoke 00:09:37.049 --> 00:09:40.970 about. So you don't want to talk about something 00:09:40.970 --> 00:09:43.830 that you have on your agenda because that really 00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:46.230 doesn't matter. You want to respond to something 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:49.850 that. he was talking about because it shows that 00:09:49.850 --> 00:09:55.730 you were paying 100 % attention. So active listening. 00:09:56.029 --> 00:09:58.669 Yes. Very insightful. I have a lot of these. 00:09:58.850 --> 00:10:01.870 Okay. Let me go with the second question. Sure. 00:10:02.009 --> 00:10:06.250 What unique challenges do immigrants face when 00:10:06.250 --> 00:10:09.370 building professional connections and how can 00:10:09.370 --> 00:10:14.830 they overcome it? A big challenge is cultural. 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:18.649 You're coming into a new society, obviously a 00:10:18.649 --> 00:10:21.070 society different than the one you're used to. 00:10:21.830 --> 00:10:26.250 And a big deal about that is language, learning 00:10:26.250 --> 00:10:30.429 the language of the new society. Now, in my life, 00:10:30.509 --> 00:10:34.429 like I speak a few languages, I'm Ukrainian in 00:10:34.429 --> 00:10:36.809 background, so I learned Ukrainian growing up 00:10:36.809 --> 00:10:39.090 and stuff like that. And I've been able to pick 00:10:39.090 --> 00:10:44.169 up a little bit on the Slavic element. I've also 00:10:44.169 --> 00:10:49.429 studied Spanish and French, and it's been hard, 00:10:49.529 --> 00:10:52.870 a hard goal. And so I'm thinking from the point 00:10:52.870 --> 00:10:55.190 of view of someone new who's trying to learn 00:10:55.190 --> 00:11:00.049 English, what can I do to offer them some help 00:11:00.049 --> 00:11:04.049 in picking up the language? And one of the big 00:11:04.049 --> 00:11:07.570 things that I learned in studying other languages 00:11:07.570 --> 00:11:11.590 was about cognates. I don't know if you know 00:11:11.590 --> 00:11:14.110 the word cognated. I didn't know the word when 00:11:14.110 --> 00:11:19.289 I first heard it. And it's words that are the 00:11:19.289 --> 00:11:24.110 same in other languages. So, for example, transportation, 00:11:24.570 --> 00:11:29.809 the word transportation or communication in French 00:11:29.809 --> 00:11:34.970 or in Spanish, transportation in Ukrainian, they're 00:11:34.970 --> 00:11:38.559 all the same. It's a cognate. Because languages 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:41.700 are a mixture of various languages. Over time, 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:44.899 they're influenced by each other. Communication, 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:49.200 transportation, pretty much all words ending 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:54.019 in T -I -O -N are such cognates. And other words, 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:55.940 and I can't give you examples because I wasn't 00:11:55.940 --> 00:11:59.919 expecting to talk on this exact topic right now, 00:11:59.960 --> 00:12:04.820 but I looked it up. And as much as perhaps 30 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:09.500 or 40 % of a new language for you may consist 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:13.059 of words you already know because they're cognates. 00:12:13.220 --> 00:12:16.720 And if you go through a dictionary, you can pick 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:20.559 up those cognates. And it's astounding that you 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:23.919 may know 30 or 40 % of a language even before 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:26.899 you started. What a gift, what a boost that is. 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:32.840 A great thing. For you, just because I know two 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:37.320 languages, English and English. My two languages. 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:40.799 I took Spanish in school and I can understand 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:45.379 somewhat. But that's very interesting that those... 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:48.600 Cognates, you're talking? Cognates. That's the 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:52.919 word for it. Very interesting. Yeah. Now, in 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.080 picking up languages, other things, and why am 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:58.519 I focused on language? Because I would say language. 00:12:59.419 --> 00:13:03.440 is the critical element to integrate into a new 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:07.279 community. And if you don't focus on it and get 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:12.039 it down hard, you're going to be behind in terms 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:16.000 of getting ahead in that community. A lot of 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:21.720 my clients, English is a second language. And 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:25.639 the first thing that I go over with them is that 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:30.070 they have to enunciate. their words because they're 00:13:30.070 --> 00:13:33.529 either saying them too fast or they're putting 00:13:33.529 --> 00:13:36.669 the words together. So when I help them with 00:13:36.669 --> 00:13:39.649 their diction, when they're enunciating, it slows 00:13:39.649 --> 00:13:43.070 them down and people can actually understand 00:13:43.070 --> 00:13:47.690 them that much better. So it all has to do with 00:13:47.690 --> 00:13:50.230 the language. Good tip. Now, there's a lot we 00:13:50.230 --> 00:13:52.769 could talk about language. For example, I just 00:13:52.769 --> 00:13:56.190 share a little insight from my uncle who's passed 00:13:56.190 --> 00:13:58.529 away. But during World War II, he was a translator. 00:13:58.669 --> 00:14:02.610 He knew 13 languages. But he didn't know English. 00:14:03.309 --> 00:14:08.250 And when the war ended, he was in Vienna. And 00:14:08.250 --> 00:14:11.809 he thought, gee, the American zone, I got to 00:14:11.809 --> 00:14:14.889 learn English. And what he did is he bought a 00:14:14.889 --> 00:14:20.309 German -English dictionary. He knew German. And 00:14:20.309 --> 00:14:24.559 he... He had a photographic memory, so he read 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:27.019 the whole dictionary. And then what he did is 00:14:27.019 --> 00:14:33.080 he listened to Allied Radio Army broadcasts on 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:37.500 the hour of the news. And they repeated the news 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:42.100 every hour on the hour. And he read newspapers 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:45.159 and underlined words he didn't understand, looked 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:47.559 them up in the dictionary, and kept just word 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:51.429 by word, sentence by sentence, Sound by sound, 00:14:51.529 --> 00:14:53.850 he picked up English within, he said something 00:14:53.850 --> 00:14:57.190 like six months. And he reported to the general, 00:14:57.269 --> 00:15:00.850 to the chief general, American general. He comes 00:15:00.850 --> 00:15:03.330 up to him, somehow he got in there, and he says, 00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:05.269 I'm reporting for duty. And the general says, 00:15:05.409 --> 00:15:08.850 duty? What kind of duty? He says, translator. 00:15:09.129 --> 00:15:11.929 I don't need a translator. What languages do 00:15:11.929 --> 00:15:13.850 you speak? He said, what language do you want? 00:15:14.230 --> 00:15:17.129 He spoke 13 of them. The American general goes, 00:15:17.289 --> 00:15:20.210 Russian. French or whatever it was through 13. 00:15:20.470 --> 00:15:24.169 Because, okay, report over to so -and -so. You're 00:15:24.169 --> 00:15:27.629 hired. That's great. That's great. Yeah. Okay. 00:15:27.730 --> 00:15:30.330 So let's go on to another question. Sure. Can 00:15:30.330 --> 00:15:33.950 you share a story where networking directly impacted 00:15:33.950 --> 00:15:37.389 an opportunity or breakthrough in your career? 00:15:37.889 --> 00:15:40.889 That's a tough one for me, but I've already mentioned 00:15:40.889 --> 00:15:44.549 it. I became chairman of the Beverly Hills Bar 00:15:44.549 --> 00:15:48.690 Association. networking committee because I used 00:15:48.690 --> 00:15:52.549 the skills we talked about earlier to rise to 00:15:52.549 --> 00:15:57.549 that level. And that opened the door to me to 00:15:57.549 --> 00:16:03.450 a whole community of lawyers, at least, who wanted 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:08.029 to get to know me because of my position. And 00:16:08.029 --> 00:16:11.350 so it made it easy for me to, as an immigrant, 00:16:11.529 --> 00:16:14.590 as we were talking earlier, integrate into that 00:16:14.590 --> 00:16:18.509 community. And through that community, I was 00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:22.110 able to reach out to other communities and become 00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:25.789 involved, entrenched in other. I was in the Century 00:16:25.789 --> 00:16:30.350 City area of Hollywood, which is where they used 00:16:30.350 --> 00:16:33.669 to meet. And I got to know a lot of people in 00:16:33.669 --> 00:16:36.129 that area. I used to go, there's nothing like 00:16:36.129 --> 00:16:39.730 attending meetings to get to know people. And 00:16:39.730 --> 00:16:42.029 if you have networking skills, you're automatically 00:16:42.029 --> 00:16:46.629 like, they had a thing called speed dating, networking, 00:16:46.629 --> 00:16:51.370 networking stuff. Sure. I know. Sure. Absolutely. 00:16:51.789 --> 00:16:55.250 I know it all too well. Okay. We had those sessions 00:16:55.250 --> 00:16:57.309 where you had whatever, three or five minutes 00:16:57.309 --> 00:17:00.769 with someone and then each. telling each other 00:17:00.769 --> 00:17:03.649 what you do, and then go on to the next chair 00:17:03.649 --> 00:17:06.490 and talk to another person and so on. And over 00:17:06.490 --> 00:17:09.029 time, you develop a nice string of people that 00:17:09.029 --> 00:17:12.829 are friendly and start socializing and so on. 00:17:12.930 --> 00:17:16.190 So it helped me break into American society. 00:17:16.630 --> 00:17:20.269 And what society? The Beverly Hills Bar Association 00:17:20.269 --> 00:17:24.269 and Hollywood and Century City, which was really 00:17:24.269 --> 00:17:29.109 valuable to me. Which was, I'm sure, which was... 00:17:29.450 --> 00:17:32.809 And the fact that you were trying to integrate 00:17:32.809 --> 00:17:37.470 yourself with everybody else, it was just an 00:17:37.470 --> 00:17:40.930 easier way. And by you knowing all of what you 00:17:40.930 --> 00:17:44.069 know, networking wise and communication wise, 00:17:44.269 --> 00:17:47.690 made it that much easier. Okay. So how do you 00:17:47.690 --> 00:17:50.589 stay motivated to keep building and nurturing 00:17:50.589 --> 00:17:53.990 your network, especially through tough transactions 00:17:53.990 --> 00:17:58.660 or setbacks? Okay. Here we're touching on a key 00:17:58.660 --> 00:18:03.339 area of focus, and it's what I call your unique 00:18:03.339 --> 00:18:06.779 ability. And I'll share it with you in this way. 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:10.380 There's a good story that kind of focuses on 00:18:10.380 --> 00:18:14.240 the area. It's the story of Carl Wallenda, who 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:18.140 was one of the world's leading tightrope walkers. 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:22.640 I know him well. Ah, okay. So you may probably 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:27.279 know that he tried to walk a tightrope between 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:31.720 two high -rises in San Juan, Puerto Rico, I think 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:36.920 in the 1980s, and fell to his death. Fell to 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:40.619 his death. But before he died, he was interviewed 00:18:40.619 --> 00:18:46.599 by reporters, and they asked him, why do you 00:18:46.599 --> 00:18:50.730 walk the tightrope? Why do you take such risks 00:18:50.730 --> 00:18:53.910 with your life? And he answered this in this 00:18:53.910 --> 00:18:59.910 way. He said, I live my life on the tightrope. 00:18:59.970 --> 00:19:04.730 That's when I really live. And everything before 00:19:04.730 --> 00:19:09.230 is a mere prelude to, and everything after is 00:19:09.230 --> 00:19:13.849 a postscript following my life on the tightrope. 00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:20.299 And that's now. What he was saying is, it's so 00:19:20.299 --> 00:19:23.960 important to me. I'm willing to even risk death 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:29.539 to do this. And from reading about other people, 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:34.119 for example, Elvis Presley, he felt really alive 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:37.660 only on the stage when he performed in front 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:42.299 of audiences. There's a tennis player, I think 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:45.539 his name was Roger Ash. who used to talk about 00:19:45.539 --> 00:19:49.039 flow, that there was a state that he would get 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:51.599 into, and all these sports personalities, they 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:57.240 all talk about flow, where they're just in a 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:00.460 moment when everything else doesn't matter. They're 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:05.079 just in their unique abilities, what I call unique 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:10.579 ability. So the key is, what is your unique ability? 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.970 And if you can find it, can you find activity 00:20:14.970 --> 00:20:19.690 and work in that area and the reason why that's 00:20:19.690 --> 00:20:24.609 so significant is because if you're working in 00:20:24.609 --> 00:20:29.849 your area of unique ability you're at your best 00:20:29.849 --> 00:20:34.869 it's where your passion is you're giving the 00:20:34.869 --> 00:20:39.029 world the best you have and the world senses 00:20:39.029 --> 00:20:43.380 that And it responds to you. Now, a good story 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:45.660 about that is, if you look over my shoulder, 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:48.680 you'll see a tab up there. It's from Toastmasters, 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:51.339 some organization you probably know a lot about. 00:20:51.619 --> 00:20:55.680 Sure do. So I was in Toastmasters for 35 years. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:00.240 And I attended club meetings for 35 years, weekly 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:04.359 club meetings, where we practiced public speaking 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:09.980 and leadership skills for 35 years. And I thought, 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:12.640 this is my unique ability. This is where I am 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:16.480 the best. But the world didn't want me there. 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:18.839 No, they said, Andy, you don't belong there. 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:22.940 The world said, we want you to write articles, 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:29.380 journal, books. And so the world guided me to 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:33.569 where I needed to be. It helped me find my unique 00:21:33.569 --> 00:21:36.170 ability. Now, my unique ability, I believe, is 00:21:36.170 --> 00:21:39.509 in the area of communication, so verbal and written. 00:21:39.829 --> 00:21:42.690 But it's just an indication of how you get to 00:21:42.690 --> 00:21:46.589 your unique ability. Absolutely. Very good. Very 00:21:46.589 --> 00:21:49.250 well said, by the way. Thank you. Okay. What 00:21:49.250 --> 00:21:52.869 communication strategies have proven most effective 00:21:52.869 --> 00:21:55.930 for you when connecting with people from diverse 00:21:55.930 --> 00:22:01.559 backgrounds? Okay. I'm a big believer in stories, 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:07.140 sharing stories, especially, for example, with 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:10.019 people who are disadvantaged or young people, 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:14.460 especially childhood memories, for example. We 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:20.380 are all vulnerable to strong stories. I'm just 00:22:20.380 --> 00:22:23.279 reminded of an event that just took place last 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:27.599 night where I was at a funeral celebration. And 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:31.759 I talked about... I shared this story. There's 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:36.200 this group of people called Lemkos who live in 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:40.440 the mountains in western Ukraine, in the Carpathian 00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:45.119 Mountains. And they had a belief. And the belief 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:50.460 was that when a person is born, a star appears 00:22:50.460 --> 00:22:54.940 in the sky. And when they pass on, when they 00:22:54.940 --> 00:23:01.400 cross, the footstep into eternity, the star disappears 00:23:01.400 --> 00:23:06.299 from the sky. And that's just a little example 00:23:06.299 --> 00:23:10.660 of a story that's captivating. It goes deep. 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:16.519 There's a symbolic part to it, and there's something 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:20.619 about the human experience in that story that 00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:25.779 makes it compelling. You know, where I'm concerned, 00:23:26.019 --> 00:23:29.339 at least for public speaking, corporate speaking, 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:35.579 workshops, stories, people tend to remember stories. 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:38.220 If I told them what to do out of a textbook, 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:41.960 one through 10, and I told them a story with 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:45.319 the same information, they'll remember 80 % of 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:48.420 it more through the story than if I just gave 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:52.099 them the text. So stories sell. Not only that, 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:55.809 there's one other. aspect of this. I'm a big 00:23:55.809 --> 00:24:00.049 believer in humor. I think comedy goes a long 00:24:00.049 --> 00:24:03.750 way. That's me. Okay. Especially when you're 00:24:03.750 --> 00:24:07.390 trying to connect with an audience, the connection, 00:24:07.589 --> 00:24:11.009 an emotional connection through humor. If you 00:24:11.009 --> 00:24:14.930 can pass on some humor, maybe I can give you 00:24:14.930 --> 00:24:19.289 an example. Say, for example, this lady buys 00:24:19.289 --> 00:24:24.299 a parrot. And she brings him home. And she thinks, 00:24:24.339 --> 00:24:26.640 I'm going to teach this parrot how to talk. I 00:24:26.640 --> 00:24:29.579 wonder, what could I teach him? And she's got 00:24:29.579 --> 00:24:31.799 people coming in and out of her house. So she 00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:34.059 figures, when they knock on the door, I'll have 00:24:34.059 --> 00:24:36.920 the parrot say, who is it? So she taught the 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:40.700 parrot to say, who is it? So now the parrot knows 00:24:40.700 --> 00:24:43.059 how to say, who is it? And she goes shopping 00:24:43.059 --> 00:24:46.220 one day and leaves the parrot back home. And 00:24:46.220 --> 00:24:48.700 someone comes to the door. A guy knocks on the 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:51.299 door. Parrot says, who is it? The guy answers, 00:24:51.500 --> 00:24:54.660 it's the plumber. And the parrot says, who is 00:24:54.660 --> 00:24:57.539 it? The guy says, it's the plumber. Parrot says, 00:24:57.660 --> 00:24:59.920 who is it? And the guy says, it's the plumber. 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:04.140 And the guy gets so exasperated, he faints and 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:07.859 falls down on the steps. Meanwhile, the woman 00:25:07.859 --> 00:25:09.900 comes home and she opens the door and she sees 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:13.640 this plumber, this guy lying on the ground. And 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:16.519 she says, oh my goodness, I wonder who is it? 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:19.579 And the parrot says. It's the blommer. Blommer. 00:25:20.140 --> 00:25:24.400 There's a joke like that can break the ice when 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:31.319 you're trying to. Yeah, I always inject humor 00:25:31.319 --> 00:25:35.779 into every presentation that I give. And it usually 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:39.859 just I use it more to have them pay attention 00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:44.119 to what I'm saying, as opposed to breaking up, 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:46.220 because usually I have a good connection with 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:49.660 the audience. But. When I throw humor in there, 00:25:49.799 --> 00:25:52.599 it's always just that much more. They connect 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:58.240 with you that much more. Okay, so how can professionals 00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:01.920 ensure their networking is mutually beneficial 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:07.819 rather than transactional? I guess the key answer 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:11.779 there from my point of view is what's in your 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:16.049 head? Why are you connecting with someone? And 00:26:16.049 --> 00:26:18.569 I'll tell a little story about that that will 00:26:18.569 --> 00:26:22.049 make the point. I had a close friend. His name 00:26:22.049 --> 00:26:26.490 was John Kolaski in Canada. And he was a unique 00:26:26.490 --> 00:26:32.049 individual because for 30 years, he was a member 00:26:32.049 --> 00:26:36.269 of the Communist Party of Canada. And it was 00:26:36.269 --> 00:26:40.450 a devout communist. And then one day in the 1970s, 00:26:40.450 --> 00:26:43.150 he was invited to the Soviet Union, to the upper 00:26:43.150 --> 00:26:47.809 higher. party school, and he went there for two 00:26:47.809 --> 00:26:51.470 years. And when he was there, he realized, oh, 00:26:51.690 --> 00:26:56.029 this is all garbage. I've been living a life 00:26:56.029 --> 00:27:00.029 of garbage for 30 years. And he came back. It 00:27:00.029 --> 00:27:03.269 was a traumatic experience for him. But he came 00:27:03.269 --> 00:27:06.930 back, and he reconciled himself with democracy 00:27:06.930 --> 00:27:11.589 and a more liberal kind of a point of view. One 00:27:11.589 --> 00:27:15.970 day, I'm in the library studying at UBC in Vancouver, 00:27:16.150 --> 00:27:18.470 and he was in Vancouver also. He was an author. 00:27:18.509 --> 00:27:22.450 He wrote books, and I saw him coming. And I look 00:27:22.450 --> 00:27:24.670 up, and I see him coming, and I think, I'm in 00:27:24.670 --> 00:27:27.470 for a workout here, because he'd always lecture 00:27:27.470 --> 00:27:31.970 me. And he says to me, Andy, and I think, how 00:27:31.970 --> 00:27:33.849 am I going to answer this question? He says, 00:27:34.009 --> 00:27:38.849 does the end justify the means? And I'm thinking, 00:27:38.930 --> 00:27:43.849 I don't know the answer. Yes? He says, no. No, 00:27:43.990 --> 00:27:47.950 Andy. Because every means, especially with people, 00:27:48.210 --> 00:27:55.549 is an end to itself. Never use people for another 00:27:55.549 --> 00:28:01.009 end. You can work with people, and if they consent 00:28:01.009 --> 00:28:04.869 to work with you, work with them to achieve another 00:28:04.869 --> 00:28:10.170 end. But never consider people a means to an 00:28:10.170 --> 00:28:14.109 end you have. And I think that's the key to when 00:28:14.109 --> 00:28:16.250 you're talking, communicating with people, the 00:28:16.250 --> 00:28:19.630 way to deal with it. Absolutely. Absolutely. 00:28:19.950 --> 00:28:25.470 I also feel that when you're beginning that communication, 00:28:26.970 --> 00:28:31.410 you're looking to bring value to the conversation. 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:35.680 You're looking to bring value because if I, instead 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:38.839 of it being transactional, before the pandemic, 00:28:39.079 --> 00:28:42.339 everything was transactional. After the pandemic, 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:46.339 we've become more relationship oriented. And 00:28:46.339 --> 00:28:49.259 if I'm reaching out to you, I'm not going to 00:28:49.259 --> 00:28:51.440 reach out to you and say, oh, by the way, I have 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:53.920 three widgets for a dollar. Would you like to 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:56.759 buy them? I'm reaching out to you and I may cut 00:28:56.759 --> 00:29:00.309 an article out and say. I saw this article, would 00:29:00.309 --> 00:29:03.130 you be interested? So on and so forth. So I try 00:29:03.130 --> 00:29:06.349 to bring value to the conversation three, four, 00:29:06.349 --> 00:29:09.309 five times, and then I'll slowly hit you with 00:29:09.309 --> 00:29:13.230 my services. So that's a different way. How can 00:29:13.230 --> 00:29:17.049 professionals ensure their networking is mute? 00:29:17.829 --> 00:29:21.369 Wait a second. I just asked you that. Okay. Are 00:29:21.369 --> 00:29:24.609 there specific tools or platforms that immigrants 00:29:24.609 --> 00:29:28.170 or newcomers should leverage to accelerate their 00:29:28.170 --> 00:29:31.690 integration into new professional communities? 00:29:32.509 --> 00:29:37.269 Wow. I mentioned Toastmasters. I think that's 00:29:37.269 --> 00:29:40.829 an excellent organization to join to practice 00:29:40.829 --> 00:29:43.710 your speaking skills and learn leadership skills. 00:29:44.049 --> 00:29:47.000 I wasn't a member for a while. Yeah, there you 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:50.380 go. And if you get good enough, you could join 00:29:50.380 --> 00:29:52.960 the National Speakers Association. So, for example, 00:29:53.059 --> 00:29:57.250 I see your speaker. Oh, you are. Okay, so that's 00:29:57.250 --> 00:29:59.529 definitely a place to hang out from your point 00:29:59.529 --> 00:30:02.690 of view if you're working in your area. Professional 00:30:02.690 --> 00:30:06.650 associations are also very handy. In my area, 00:30:06.789 --> 00:30:08.690 the American Immigration Lawyers Association, 00:30:09.009 --> 00:30:12.069 for example, is an organization I belong to. 00:30:12.349 --> 00:30:15.049 I think you've got to do things like that. All 00:30:15.049 --> 00:30:20.710 the service clubs, like Rotary. Kiwanis, optimists, 00:30:20.710 --> 00:30:24.069 and so on. I think they're great places to belong 00:30:24.069 --> 00:30:28.430 and to find meaningful activities, share experiences 00:30:28.430 --> 00:30:33.069 with the members. I've attended many Rotary meetings 00:30:33.069 --> 00:30:36.549 and so on, and I got a lot of value from Rotary. 00:30:37.170 --> 00:30:39.450 So those would be some of the areas that I would 00:30:39.450 --> 00:30:42.089 recommend. Of course, going to school and college 00:30:42.089 --> 00:30:45.049 and so on never hurts. And the more skills you 00:30:45.049 --> 00:30:49.480 can learn, the better. Yeah, I've... spoken to 00:30:49.480 --> 00:30:53.220 a great many rotaries, Lions Clubs, things like 00:30:53.220 --> 00:30:56.819 that, business associations, because I feel that 00:30:56.819 --> 00:31:00.319 they get the most out of what I have to say about 00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:03.259 networking, communication, everything else. Everything 00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:08.799 for me, networking is the baseline for every 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:13.190 business. And you work up from there. Okay, so 00:31:13.190 --> 00:31:16.549 what advice would you give to someone who feels 00:31:16.549 --> 00:31:20.990 intimidated or unsure about reaching out to established 00:31:20.990 --> 00:31:26.569 professionals? I know in my case, I welcome if 00:31:26.569 --> 00:31:29.130 someone reaches out and asks, say, listen, I'm 00:31:29.130 --> 00:31:31.890 having a hardship. Would you be willing to spend 00:31:31.890 --> 00:31:34.849 a little time with me to see how I can get over 00:31:34.849 --> 00:31:38.250 this hardship or how can I become a lawyer or 00:31:38.250 --> 00:31:41.109 what am I missing or whatever as an immigrant? 00:31:42.269 --> 00:31:45.049 I think most people, especially accomplished 00:31:45.049 --> 00:31:51.950 people who are not egocentric, and I think most 00:31:51.950 --> 00:31:55.349 people, a lot of people, see the world as something 00:31:55.349 --> 00:31:58.390 bigger than just themselves. And such people 00:31:58.390 --> 00:32:01.650 are more than willing if you just reach out and 00:32:01.650 --> 00:32:06.349 ask for guidance or to consult with them. So 00:32:06.349 --> 00:32:09.650 I would recommend that, no matter how high up. 00:32:09.980 --> 00:32:12.859 you think they are in the world and how low you 00:32:12.859 --> 00:32:16.259 feel. But here's a little tip that I got from 00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:18.319 a friend of mine, Wally Patrician, who was a 00:32:18.319 --> 00:32:21.259 lawyer. He's passed on now, but he shared this 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:24.900 tip with me, which is when he was practicing 00:32:24.900 --> 00:32:27.700 law and he didn't know what to do and got into 00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:31.660 an area, had no idea what to do about. He looked 00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:34.460 up in the directory, who are some of the top 00:32:34.460 --> 00:32:38.799 lawyers, attorneys in the field? He would call 00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:40.940 up the office and he'd book an appointment for 00:32:40.940 --> 00:32:46.039 a consultation and pay $400 or $500 more, $1 00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:51.740 ,000 for an hour. And he'd go and see them and 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:54.000 say, look, I'm a young lawyer. I'm just starting. 00:32:54.140 --> 00:32:57.640 I need to learn how to do mergers and acquisitions. 00:32:57.799 --> 00:33:01.099 You're the star in the area. Can you share with 00:33:01.099 --> 00:33:03.839 me what I need to know so that I can learn this 00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:07.059 field? And they would open up to him and help 00:33:07.059 --> 00:33:10.359 him. enormously, way over the whatever amount 00:33:10.359 --> 00:33:14.119 he paid. But it was a very clever way to do networking. 00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:18.579 Money's hard. People don't want to give money 00:33:18.579 --> 00:33:21.359 up. That's always the most difficult thing. I 00:33:21.359 --> 00:33:25.299 know about when I first started speaking, I reached 00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:30.619 out to a very well -known, highly respected speaker 00:33:30.619 --> 00:33:34.160 within the country. Everybody's always trying 00:33:34.160 --> 00:33:36.720 to get him and everything else. I reached out 00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:39.680 to him through LinkedIn, through an email. And 00:33:39.680 --> 00:33:41.940 I just, look, I'm going to give it a shot. If 00:33:41.940 --> 00:33:44.740 he answers me, that's wonderful. If not, I understand. 00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:49.099 And I reached out to him. I asked him two questions. 00:33:49.579 --> 00:33:53.519 And I think within an hour, he responded through 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:57.720 his cell phone. But he responded. And I was like, 00:33:57.799 --> 00:34:02.259 little old me? He reached out to me? But yeah, 00:34:02.359 --> 00:34:06.079 because every time they're at it. It's not a 00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:10.320 big ask. They're willing to help you and extend 00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:13.679 their, I'll say their greatness, but it's amazing. 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:17.539 All you have to do is ask. Never be afraid to 00:34:17.539 --> 00:34:21.619 ask. Yeah. Okay. So how do you measure the profitability 00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:25.780 of a connection? What makes a networking relationship 00:34:25.780 --> 00:34:32.260 truly valuable? I'll tell you from my practice, 00:34:32.280 --> 00:34:35.679 and I've been practicing for many decades. I 00:34:35.679 --> 00:34:41.380 learned that when I focus on the money, nothing 00:34:41.380 --> 00:34:45.920 seems to go right. When I focus on the person 00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:49.460 and the problem, the money takes care of itself. 00:34:50.300 --> 00:34:54.719 In fact, it's even better if I do that than if 00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:57.920 I focus on the money. I'll make more money focusing 00:34:57.920 --> 00:35:03.099 on the person and the problem. now i know there's 00:35:03.099 --> 00:35:05.179 a school of thought how much should i earn this 00:35:05.179 --> 00:35:10.460 year set a target and work towards it i don't 00:35:10.460 --> 00:35:13.960 know i'm not saying you shouldn't do that it's 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:18.599 probably helpful but in my own experience the 00:35:18.599 --> 00:35:22.889 way i got ahead in life and the friendships and 00:35:22.889 --> 00:35:26.329 the colleagues that I made in my life, I made 00:35:26.329 --> 00:35:30.730 most of my advances and what I am thankful for 00:35:30.730 --> 00:35:34.849 because of the focus on the idea, the ideals, 00:35:35.150 --> 00:35:40.630 the person, the connection to the person, and 00:35:40.630 --> 00:35:44.150 like you said earlier, providing value in relationships. 00:35:44.909 --> 00:35:49.030 That's where I found the most reward came from. 00:35:49.360 --> 00:35:53.059 And not every reward is economic. Look, I had 00:35:53.059 --> 00:35:55.380 clients who'd come in and they couldn't afford 00:35:55.380 --> 00:35:58.139 to pay me. They're immigrants. So they'd bring 00:35:58.139 --> 00:36:03.880 me a jar of pickles or a dead chicken for dinner. 00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:06.400 I'd bring it home to my wife. She'd say, what 00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:10.519 are we going to do with this? Eat it. Go get 00:36:10.519 --> 00:36:12.840 it and eat it. There's all kinds of stuff like 00:36:12.840 --> 00:36:17.199 that. But it's memorable. It is. Yeah. I'm known 00:36:17.199 --> 00:36:22.000 in... this area as being a connector. I see two 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:24.639 people that are in need of each other's services 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:27.719 and they did not know of one another. I'm going 00:36:27.719 --> 00:36:31.619 to introduce them and then back away. I'm going 00:36:31.619 --> 00:36:33.699 to say, Andy, this is Michael. Michael, this 00:36:33.699 --> 00:36:36.019 is Andy. This is what Michael does. This is what 00:36:36.019 --> 00:36:39.659 Andy does. I think you can use one another. Have 00:36:39.659 --> 00:36:43.030 at it. I step away and I let them. Now, they 00:36:43.030 --> 00:36:45.530 usually include me on their email chains, so 00:36:45.530 --> 00:36:47.650 I know what's going on, but it's not necessary. 00:36:48.130 --> 00:36:52.829 And I try to do that once a week. So I've been 00:36:52.829 --> 00:36:56.949 doing it for two years now. So every week I put 00:36:56.949 --> 00:36:59.969 two people together and whatever comes out of 00:36:59.969 --> 00:37:03.789 it, it comes out. And that way that I feel I've 00:37:03.789 --> 00:37:08.159 done something. Yeah, yeah. Good work. Okay, 00:37:08.219 --> 00:37:11.300 now let's bring this podcast full circle. For 00:37:11.300 --> 00:37:14.579 women and minorities navigating new environments, 00:37:14.920 --> 00:37:19.099 what empowering mindset or habit has helped you 00:37:19.099 --> 00:37:22.519 overcome barriers to build an authentic relationship? 00:37:24.480 --> 00:37:27.599 Okay, I'm going to talk about motivation here. 00:37:28.820 --> 00:37:33.119 And this is a topic dear to me. and it's dear 00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:35.860 to me because i learned about it from one of 00:37:35.860 --> 00:37:39.739 the great speakers in toastmasters many years 00:37:39.739 --> 00:37:42.800 ago when i was in toastmasters i came up with 00:37:42.800 --> 00:37:46.099 an idea i learned that toastmasters each year 00:37:46.099 --> 00:37:49.719 had what they called a golden gavel speaker that 00:37:49.719 --> 00:37:52.480 would come to their convention and give them 00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:55.719 a talk about their life and they would award 00:37:55.719 --> 00:37:58.860 him the gold or her the golden gavel for the 00:37:58.860 --> 00:38:02.329 year So I wrote to Toastmasters magazine and 00:38:02.329 --> 00:38:04.889 I said to them, hey, listen, I'm a Toastmaster. 00:38:05.130 --> 00:38:08.289 I would be interested in hearing these Golden 00:38:08.289 --> 00:38:12.650 Gavel recordings and writing about them for Toastmasters 00:38:12.650 --> 00:38:15.889 magazines. And they sent me a whole bunch, a 00:38:15.889 --> 00:38:20.110 collection of these speeches. And among the speeches, 00:38:20.190 --> 00:38:25.690 there was a guy who won the Golden Gavel way 00:38:25.690 --> 00:38:28.590 back, probably about 40 years ago, maybe 30 years 00:38:28.590 --> 00:38:32.380 ago, whatever. And he talked about motivation. 00:38:35.219 --> 00:38:39.579 And I was really impressed. I really took it 00:38:39.579 --> 00:38:42.579 to heart. And he talked this way. His name was 00:38:42.579 --> 00:38:48.139 Bob Richards, a Golden Gobble winner. And he 00:38:48.139 --> 00:38:51.960 said, in the course of this talk, he said, when 00:38:51.960 --> 00:38:55.360 I was a small kid, I lived in a town and we had 00:38:55.360 --> 00:38:58.500 a baseball team. And the best baseball player 00:38:58.500 --> 00:39:02.480 on the team was a guy named Lou Boudreau. And 00:39:02.480 --> 00:39:05.119 everybody, all the kids like me when I was a 00:39:05.119 --> 00:39:09.860 kid, this is Bill, Bob Richards talking, admired 00:39:09.860 --> 00:39:14.820 Lou Boudreau. The sun set, rose and set on Lou 00:39:14.820 --> 00:39:19.420 Boudreau. And one day, Richards went to the baseball 00:39:19.420 --> 00:39:24.280 field and was in the stadium. in the far end 00:39:24.280 --> 00:39:27.199 of the stadium when Lou Boudreau hit a home run. 00:39:28.019 --> 00:39:32.139 And Richards caught the home run. And he was 00:39:32.139 --> 00:39:37.400 just ecstatic. He ran to the players' change 00:39:37.400 --> 00:39:40.900 area, waiting for the players to come out, so 00:39:40.900 --> 00:39:43.820 he could get the autograph of Lou Boudreau on 00:39:43.820 --> 00:39:46.449 the baseball. And he was standing there. Lou 00:39:46.449 --> 00:39:49.210 Boudreau came out. And he was going down the 00:39:49.210 --> 00:39:52.469 line. And he came to Richards. He says to Richards, 00:39:52.590 --> 00:39:55.610 and what's your name? And Richards said, Bobby. 00:39:56.309 --> 00:40:00.610 Bobby Richards. And Lou says to Bobby, oh, and 00:40:00.610 --> 00:40:03.289 what are you going to be when you grow up? And 00:40:03.289 --> 00:40:05.570 Richards, I think he said, I'm going to be a 00:40:05.570 --> 00:40:09.429 great baseball player. And Boudreau said, oh, 00:40:09.510 --> 00:40:13.349 that's great, Bobby. I can see it. One day you're 00:40:13.349 --> 00:40:16.750 going to be great. really great. And he took 00:40:16.750 --> 00:40:21.349 the ball and he signed Luke Woodrow. And Richards 00:40:21.349 --> 00:40:27.250 in this speech said, you can't imagine how motivating 00:40:27.250 --> 00:40:31.989 it was to hear some encouragement from a person 00:40:31.989 --> 00:40:35.929 like him who was so big in my life, such an idol 00:40:35.929 --> 00:40:39.690 for me in my life. And then he went on to talk 00:40:39.690 --> 00:40:41.849 a little bit more about motivation. And this 00:40:41.849 --> 00:40:44.949 is what he said. Back then, when he was speaking, 00:40:45.110 --> 00:40:49.289 America was in the skids, you know, economically 00:40:49.289 --> 00:40:54.550 in trouble. And a newspaper decided to canvas 00:40:54.550 --> 00:40:58.289 some of the leading economists in America, asking, 00:40:58.349 --> 00:41:01.690 what does America need right at this moment to 00:41:01.690 --> 00:41:06.670 get out of the economic malaise? And three economists 00:41:06.670 --> 00:41:09.730 all answered the same thing. They said, what's 00:41:09.730 --> 00:41:15.159 needed is motivation. And then Richards said, 00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:21.840 this is how I define motivation. He says, motivation 00:41:21.840 --> 00:41:29.880 is painting a picture of the life of the person 00:41:29.880 --> 00:41:34.699 you're dealing with that's bigger than the image 00:41:34.699 --> 00:41:38.340 that he or she has for themselves at that moment. 00:41:39.400 --> 00:41:44.340 And the moment of motivation, is when that person 00:41:44.340 --> 00:41:47.820 clutches onto that bigger image for themselves 00:41:47.820 --> 00:41:52.900 and adopts it in their life. And I thought, wow, 00:41:53.099 --> 00:41:59.780 that to me explains everything. Yes, it does. 00:42:00.019 --> 00:42:03.780 Yes, it does. Andy, I got to tell you, I'm out 00:42:03.780 --> 00:42:05.699 of questions, but I can probably talk to you 00:42:05.699 --> 00:42:11.150 for another two hours. Time is limiting. If anybody 00:42:11.150 --> 00:42:14.610 wanted to get hold of you for a discussion, for 00:42:14.610 --> 00:42:17.309 some consulting, to hire you, whatever the case 00:42:17.309 --> 00:42:19.769 may be, what's the best way for them to get hold 00:42:19.769 --> 00:42:23.269 of you? Okay. I work with a group called Pace 00:42:23.269 --> 00:42:27.389 Law Firm, P -A -C -E Law Firm. And our website 00:42:27.389 --> 00:42:31.789 is pacelawfirm .com. So you can just go to the 00:42:31.789 --> 00:42:34.050 website and you'll find my name and you can get 00:42:34.050 --> 00:42:36.889 all my contact information. anything about my 00:42:36.889 --> 00:42:40.590 books or what I'm doing there. That would be 00:42:40.590 --> 00:42:44.389 the best way. Great. Andy, thank you so much. 00:42:44.550 --> 00:42:47.889 You were so insightful. And with the stories 00:42:47.889 --> 00:42:50.210 and everything else, I can't thank you enough 00:42:50.210 --> 00:42:53.210 for coming on my podcast. I enjoyed it immensely. 00:42:53.429 --> 00:43:05.389 Thank you, Michael. Well. Hold on, folks. Don't 00:43:05.389 --> 00:43:08.829 go anywhere. Let's hear from our sponsors. David 00:43:08.829 --> 00:43:12.570 Neal, co -founder Revved Up Kids. Revved Up Kids 00:43:12.570 --> 00:43:15.429 is on a mission to protect children and teens 00:43:15.429 --> 00:43:19.090 from sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. 00:43:19.389 --> 00:43:22.570 They provide prevention training programs for 00:43:22.570 --> 00:43:26.110 children, teens, and adults. To learn more, go 00:43:26.110 --> 00:43:30.489 to revvedupkids .org. Henry Kaplan, Century 21. 00:43:31.000 --> 00:43:33.219 When it comes to making the biggest financial 00:43:33.219 --> 00:43:36.159 decision of your life, leave it in the hands 00:43:36.159 --> 00:43:39.480 of a proven professional, Henry Kaplan. Henry 00:43:39.480 --> 00:43:42.679 is a global real estate agent with Century 21, 00:43:42.860 --> 00:43:46.860 celebrating his 41st year in business. No matter 00:43:46.860 --> 00:43:49.539 where you're moving, Henry has the right connections 00:43:49.539 --> 00:43:56.519 for you. You can contact Henry at 561 -427 -4888. 00:44:02.440 --> 00:44:05.000 A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such 00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:08.400 incredible insights today. And of course, a big 00:44:08.400 --> 00:44:11.639 shout out to you, our amazing listeners, for 00:44:11.639 --> 00:44:14.579 tuning in and spending your time with us. If 00:44:14.579 --> 00:44:17.360 you're interested in my digital courses, being 00:44:17.360 --> 00:44:20.099 coached, or having me come and talk to your company, 00:44:20.360 --> 00:44:23.780 just go to Michael and fill out the request form. 00:44:24.280 --> 00:44:27.599 Remember, networking isn't about being perfect. 00:44:27.800 --> 00:44:30.880 It's about being present. So take what you've 00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:33.760 learned today. get out there, and make some meaningful 00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:36.659 connections. If you've enjoyed this episode, 00:44:36.900 --> 00:44:39.820 please don't forget to subscribe, leave us a 00:44:39.820 --> 00:44:42.440 review, and share it with someone who could use 00:44:42.440 --> 00:44:45.559 a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the 00:44:45.559 --> 00:44:48.559 conversation going. You can find me on Apple, 00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:53.519 Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, foreman 00:44:53.519 --> 00:44:55.940 .com slash podcasts.