My friend Mark Victor Hansen has a big mission with Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Mark and I go way back. I hired him back in 1989 to give a motivational talk to my real estate firm just after I started it.
Mark was a struggling speaker at the time, virtually unknown. He needed work, so he offered to do the presentation for nothing. I figured I couldn’t lose, so I hired him.
To make money from his presentation, he asked if he could set up a booth in the back of the room and try to sell my agents his motivational tapes (remember cassettes?). I said okay.
He wowed them and sold out.
What is the big mission with Chicken Soup for the Soul?
Last week, Mark Victor Hansen gave a riveting presentation to my 65 agents and employees at Hague Partners.
In case you don’t remember, Mark co-authored the mega-hit book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul. He is an international celebrity, and one of the most requested, respected speakers in the world. He is paid big money to address Fortune 500 companies, but he spoke to my team at no charge out of friendship to me.
Thank you, Mark.
Mark on a mission
While you know Mark’s books, you may not know Mark’s mission. It hasn’t changed in the 40 years we’ve known each other.
Mark believes the best way to help people achieve their dreams is to share inspirational (and educational) stories about how others achieved their dreams. That’s what the Chicken Soup book series is about.
That is precisely what Mark spoke to my team about in 1989, and then again last week, 40 years later. Mark was a great speaker back then and even better now.
Mark’s early rejection
Ever been rejected 144 times? That’s how many publishers said “no” to Mark’s first Chicken Soup book manuscript. But he stayed with it.
The 145th publisher was a small shop, took a big financial risk, and prospered doing it. Mark could have retired long ago. But at 71, he’s still traveling, speaking, changing lives by telling stories of how others changed their life. Why?
Mark is on a BIG mission.
Missing my big mission
In my early entrepreneurial years, I wasn’t as smart as Mark. I didn’t have any mission, much less a big one. I just wanted to be rich (embarrassing to admit). I later learned that money is no substitute for mission.
After I started making a lot of money, I started buying a lot of stuff. Big house. Designer clothes. Fancy car. Airplane. While it was fun, it wasn’t rewarding. I felt hollow inside, but didn’t know why.
My epiphany
My epiphany came after having coffee with a friend, Bruce. When Bruce congratulated me on my success, I thanked him but said I was bored.
I explained that I’d buy a new car, love it for a while, then start looking for another. Same with clothes, watches, cameras and homes. Bruce said he knew my problem.
He told me that if I wanted to wake up excited about the day, I needed a mission. The bigger my mission, the bigger my excitement about the day ahead.
How BIG is your mission?
I know a lot of Arizona residents who have big missions. They wake up excited and work every day to change the world in a positive way. Mark Victor Hansen saw the light years before me.
What about you? How BIG is your mission?
