Joe’s secret.

As always, Joe made himself busy around the set.
He arrived with the crew and helped in any way he could, ferrying gear, holding doors open, guarding coveted parking spaces.
When catering showed up, he pitched in to arrange the breakfast buffet.

No other actors appeared before their call times.
Only Joe.
The grips, light and sound folk, assistant directors and gophers all knew Joe—the guy that would do anything.
Everybody liked Joe.

Throughout the day, Joe did more than play his role.
At lunch, he cleared the tables.
On breaks, he brought coffee.

From time to time, fellow actors talked behind Joe’s back.
“What a brown-noser” they accused, or words to that effect.
“He spends all day kissing up to the director.”

Most comments fell on deaf ears.
After all, Joe looked out for the actors as well, lending out his perfectly organized make-up box, offering to give rides or borrow his cell phone.
Joe never discriminated.

Inevitably, with little left to criticize, someone would bash Joe’s craft.
“He’s really not that good,” they said. “I mean, he prepares well, but he sure isn’t Oscar material.”
“Even so, the guy works constantly. What’s up with that?”
Joe heard the comments and let them slide by, like water off a duck’s back.

Joe didn’t pay attention to what others thought.
Joe had a secret.

He remembered the day he sat with the film producer who went to high school with his uncle, barely a month after he landed in Los Angeles.
His college drama minor didn’t count for much.
He had no agent, no connections and not enough money to hire a publicist.
Like most Hollywood wannabes, Joe claimed a heart full of desire and not much else.

“I’ve been here a long time,” the man said. “I’ve made a lot of movies. At the end of the day, this business—it’s not so complicated. I’ll give you the guaranteed formula to success.”
Joe listened intently.
“Four components will drive you to the top. I’ll share them with you, in order of importance:

First, perseverance. You have to know where you’re going and not stop until you get there.
Second, you have to build a network. Get out and meet everyone you can and keep a Rolodex.
Third—and this is the big one that most artists ignore—you can never get on anyone’s ‘life’s-too-short’ list. Show up, do your job, be kind and go the extra mile, wherever you can.

The last part, and it’s a distant fourth, is talent. This town is full of it. So what? People work with who they know and no one works with jerks.”

“Sounds like that formula applies to most anything in life,” Joe responded.
The old producer paused.
“You know, son,” he smiled. “I believe you’re right.”

Joe overheard the wardrobe person mention that she felt tired.
He hopped up and headed for the coffee machine.

Success Quotes

Don’t talk, for your actions speak so loudly I can’t hear you.
-Anonymous

The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch.
Jim Rohn

Key Points

Author and veteran businessman, Jeff Olson, recently came out with a book, The Slight Edge (yes, I highly recommend it), that contained a simple, yet immensely powerful message: Little Things Matter. The premise of the book is that the difference between victory and defeat and the gap between winning and losing is so small, that those who grasp this and apply its obvious lesson will succeed in infinitely greater numbers than those that don’t.

In an era of laziness and lack of attention to detail, I found this insight both refreshing and timely. Little things do matter. The extra few words at the end of a call that let the other party know you both listen and care, the one line in your email that greets someone in contrast to the impersonality of other correspondence, the last minute check of your appearance on the way out the door, the personal hand-written note you include on a Post-It in the otherwise stark package, the parsley sprig on the side of the dinner plate—all of these matter.

The key word for 2009 is “differentiate.” How are you going to be, if not better than, certainly different than, all the rest? Why would someone want to buy from you, be with you, trust you or hang with you, considering the myriad options available to us all?

Make a decision to pay attention to the little things and then do it in all matters big and small. Let the Law of Accumulation go to work in your favor. In today’s marketplace we all need an edge. Listen to Jeff and decide now and for always that little things matter.

And that, by the way, is also Joe’s Secret.

P.S. FYI, we are only weeks away from launching Modest To Millions online…stay tuned…