Overnight Success

Poker gals in Vegas - January 2014

192 – July 11

“If you want more, pay more.”—Stella Adler

We’ve all heard stories of the “overnight success”—and the one, fabulous break that meant stardom for someone. What I didn’t recognize until recently was that there were usually many “lucky breaks” piled on top of each other, year after year, until the one breakout smash hit “suddenly” happened. In reality, it took them ten or twenty years of hard work to get to that one lucky moment. I thought it was just one lucky moment.

Here are some examples of what I mean:

From a very early age, Jon Bon Jovi wanted to be a rock star. He worked as a janitor for two years at his cousin’s radio station to earn a living. On the side, he cut upwards of fifty demo records in pursuit of his dream. Finally, his cousin agreed to play one of his songs, entitled Runaway, on the radio. It became an instant hit locally, and Jon hurriedly put together a band, then an album, and got a recording contract. But after two albums, some band members were still living in their parents’ homes, because they had no money. It wasn’t until their third album, Slippery When Wet, that national fame arrived and fortune followed.

Sharon Stone worked in films for more than ten years before Basic Instinct made her a super-star. I imagine that she thought any number of the films that she made before that one might be her “lucky break” film. King Solomon’s Mines? No. The Year of the Gun? No.

Colonel Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken Fame, began his business at age sixty-five, after he received his first Social Security check, looked at the tiny amount of money and decided, “This will never do!” The only thing he could think of to sell was the great recipe he had for fried chicken. Over one thousand restaurants turned down his approach for a partnership. Then one said yes. Then another and another. Overnight success.

Do you have a goal, a dream, a vision of the work you want to do in the world? Do you love it enough to devote this kind of energy, hope, enthusiasm, persistence, and dedication to it? If not—why not? There isn’t anything else to do. And tomorrow could be the day. Your lucky break is waiting behind the next daybreak. Or the one after that.

Today’s Affirmation:
“Today is my lucky day!”

I was on vacation for a week in June and it was terrific! Every year in June or July, my friends in my home poker game and I go to Las Vegas, play poker, have fancy dinners, and all around good fun. My sisters, Jane and Carole, and their group of 13 friends have a Vegas vacation in July, too, and they often go the same weekend we do. And then all the casinos have ladies tournaments culminating at the Rio Hotel with the World Series of Poker Ladies Event, so all my women poker friends gather from all over the world to play in that. It’s just a ball hanging out with all my buddies in one place for an entire week!

A couple of years ago, my buddy Debby and I both made Day 2 of the Ladies event and finished 66th and 72nd respectively. Last year I made a couple of what they call “deep runs” – finished 109 out of 696 in the WSOP but just missed the money (they paid 105). Made the money in the LIPS Championship – 50th out of 502 for $562.

This year, well, it was my turn to contribute to the poker community LOL. But win or lose, it’s all fun! Poker players have a saying, “The next best thing to playing poker and winning is playing poker and losing.” Hee.

One year, my buddy Rita Baumer from my home game made it all the way through day one of the Ladies event of the World Series of Poker, and we were all excited for her. Throughout the second day, we got reports from her husband, Chuck, of how she was doing: “She’s still in but short-stacked”, “she just doubled-up”, “she’s holding her own”, etc.

We got the call at dinner that they were down to 27 players out of 1055 and Rita was still in! We had to get down to the Rio Hotel and watch, but the taxi line was miles long, so Dianna suggested we get a limo – smart girl! We all piled in and raced to the Rio, joining Chuck “on the rail” to watch. We cheered for Rita for 2 1/2 hours and she finished 18th. A young man standing near us watching the play said he had never seen a more enthusiastic group of “railbirds”. Yeah!

Vacations are wonderful. I’m thinking about my next one already – it’s great to have a plan to look forward to – an “I can hardly wait!” destination. Where are you going next?

Do you have a goal, a dream, a vision of the work you want to do in the world? Do you love it enough to devote this kind of energy, hope, enthusiasm, persistence, and dedication to it?

Prosperity is a habit. You have to practice it every day.

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Chellie

Chellie

Chellie Campbell is a Financial Stress Reduction® Coach and the author of The Wealthy Spirit, Zero to Zillionaire, and From Worry to Wealthy. She is one of Marci Shimoff's “Happy 100” in her NYT bestseller Happy for No Reason and contributed stories to Jack Canfield’s books You’ve Got to Read This Book! and Life Lessons from Chicken Soup for the Soul. Past president of the LA Chapter NAWBO, she was "Most Inspirational Speaker" by Women in Management and "Speaker of the Year" by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs. She does daily inspirational videos in The Wealthy Spirit Group on Facebook.

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