Media Training Question #80 – What Is The Reclamation Project?

March 4, 2011 - PRLog -- I was recently thinking about a past client some months back and the reason for this reflection was actually an errant e-mail I received from one of the many opt-in e-mailings I get on a daily basis.  This one is more motivational in nature and one of their recommended books was one from this former client.  That in itself was cool, but I know the back story and therefore my teaching moment of the day for you.

As I tell this story I ask you to be mindful that what lessons you cull from this can of course be applied to you or any area of your life, but be mindful, as I always am, that sometimes he answers are so close we don’t see them for that simple reason: because they were so close.

OK, so the process of a new client goes something like this.  You call, we talk.  We agree to work together and then I ask you to send me a package of everything you have in your possession that relates to the goal we have just defined.  My classic line is that I am only as smart as you make me, so I implore my clients to send me EVERYTHING they have that will give me insight into who they are and what they do and what they want to accomplish.  I really, really, really emphasize that point because many times I find in their collection of life work things that allow me a window into their world that empowers me to assist them in ways I could not otherwise have done.

This story follows that exact path and in the course of my research and discovery of this client I discovered something obvious and glaring that the client themselves only included because of my profuse emphasis on sending me everything.

This “thing” was one of their books. It was the oldest of their four books and by any account not only the oldest, but by far their least successful book.  Written in the early 1990’s, it was a wonderful message and as timeless as a message as exists anywhere.  It was brilliantly written and one of its many charms was the simplicity of its approach and its lack of complexity.  Sometimes we need our messages to be simple.  Sometimes, like really good coffee, the only way to appreciate it is to drink it black.  

I was enthralled by the book and its comforting tone and remarkable honesty.  I read and reread the book because I was feeling great excitement for this message and this lovely tome, which was really written as an ode to risk and the lessons risk holds.  

As I began my work with this client on their latest project and setting the framework for how we would proceed and setting our schedule for the upcoming training sessions we talked about goals, as is critical, and then we proceeded to the first session which is always a conversation, just a conversation.  We talk about their lives and their work and their hopes.  We talk about their journey and how they see their future and all kinds of things that allow me to learn about these people.  It also allows me to get familiar with their speaking patterns and how often they pause, etc.  It’s a multi-faceted approach which allows for many things to happen at once.  And then I asked a simple question that changed not only the conversation but the future for both of us.
The question was: Can we talk about your first book?

Before I continue let me share with you that their current project is 180 degrees away from the first book.  Not even allowed in the same conversation in any way, making this story that much more remarkable.

When I asked that question what greeted me was silence.  Pure, dead silence.  I finally broke that divide by asking if they were still there thinking that maybe we broke the phone connection.  Slowly I got a “yes, I’m still here.”  I was both curious and confused and said that if I hit on something that they would rather not discuss I would understand.  What followed was a confession of sorts.  

This client had been holding on to a past hurt that in spite of their work and effort and the transformative shift just writing the book did for them they were dismayed that the book was a colossal failure, costing them early career cache and thousands of dollars as the contract they had to write the book, which included an advance, also included a performance guarantee which was never met and they ended up having to return a great deal of money to the publisher, almost half of what they were earning at the time for an entire year.  But in spite of that financial setback this client still held great love for this book and always felt cheated and abandoned by the publisher and their unfulfilled promises.  As they recounted in detail the entire lifecycle of this project and the stratospheric highs and lows, it was clear to me that the wounds of this experience and the healing that never took place were a prominent part of this person’s life.

We talked for a very long time and we explored many emotional paths and open wounds that had not begun to heal, but it was during this time that I had an idea which I would put aside for a time because I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed with it, but I knew with some thought I would figure it out…and I did.

Honoring the project we were tasked to do, and a worthy project at that, when we were comfortably close to ending our time together I sprang the plan into action.

I knew this first book was this person’s true passion and purpose.  It was clear in they way they talked and how their voice changed when they spoke of it.  It was obvious in the way their energy shifted when we talked about its lessons, and like a proud parent, when I would quote from their book to make a point I was making to them, this person would beam with purpose and their entire dialog would change.  It was magical.

So I asked if they ever thought about publishing the book again, maybe finding a new publisher of self publishing and selling it independently.  Print On Demand publishing has become very mainstream and has given many people an opportunity to fulfill a dream to be an author without huge financial risk.  I just planted a small seed and let it germinate.

By now you know where this is heading so I will spare you the story, but in the end this book is currently selling about 3000 copies a month, the client is now working part time and traveling and speaking part time for that long dead book which is once again alive with possibility and hope.  

Many of you who read me know that I am a very passionate person and when I believe in something I am all in.  My interests and activist mind rarely allows for down time and even when faced with the most daunting of situations I always know that I am just one issue away from awakening from whatever funk I am in, and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that no matter how daunting a journey may be, the tools to succeed at whatever it is you more than likely already possess but just aren’t looking at it from the proper perspective.

Belief and faith are critical components in making something work and it’s clear to me that no matter what the odds are that are seemingly against you there is something to be said for perseverance and persistence.  

Maybe part of what I’m suggesting here is that those things that hurt us or cause of setbacks can also be the same things that can lift us and carry us to the next level, but it just takes time and perspective to extract what we need in order to find the new path.  It’s certainly worthy of some thought.

Not every profession has a Snap-On driver who comes to our “shop” to sell us the tools that make our work better and easier, but life is its own Snap-On driver, we just have to be open to the tools we are being handed and be open enough to realize these experiences are the tools we need to solve our life challenges and to collect them and grab for them when needed

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As the host of his own nationally syndicated radio programs for 15 years, Tony has interviewed over 25,000 guests and appeared as a guest on over 800 radio and national television shows. He founded of his own public relations firm and he went on to author two books and became a “go to” authority on a myriad of issues from weight loss to self empowerment; from politics to pop culture. His list of media training clients number over 2000, many of them well known celebrities and authors. He and enjoys of the challenge of helping people discover their voice.Tony is respected and well known for his honesty and willingness to do what it takes to get to a core message. He works tirelessly with his clients and advocates for his clients in finding the most passionate and profound tenets of their message and then giving them the tools to deliver that message. http://www.mediatraining.me