Some people are optimistic, assertive, confident and self-assured. They go after what they want and life gives them whatever they seek. Other people are pessimistic. They feel stuck or discouraged. Too often, they give up or start to believe that success is a matter of luck or fate. Nothing could be further from the truth! Success in life - in any area that is important to you! - is

largely a matter of skill + attitude + persistence. Having a great marriage is not luck! Being a fantastic parent is not "luck"! Building a successful business depends less on the economy or the government than on the owner/manager knowing what to do, and doing it in the right way, at the right time, over and over again! All of these things are skills and attitudes that can be learned!

Fortunately, there are books and tapes and schools and mentors who will teach you! Highly effective people have always longed to teach others. Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect, was known for the many interns and students he worked with every year. Successful people write books, teach seminars - they "leave a trail" - and if you are willing to learn, you can achieve almost any success they have achieved!

Now, a word about why "self-help" rarely works. Most often, you'll find the answer in the mirror. My friend, Pat Williams, uses the term "shelf-help" to describe the fact that most people who buy books and audio programs never actually use them! I once heard Tony Robbins say his research showed that over half the people who bought his audio programs never even opened the box! (Can you imagine!?) And, over 93% never finished the entire set. They bought a program that has helped thousands of people, but never found the time to listen to the information, not even one time! Do NOT let that be you!

Buy and READ books! Read on your lunch break, or for a few minutes before breakfast, or before bed. Read to relax. Read while you wait for an appointment. Listen to audio programs in your car or while you exercise. Listen while you wash the dishes. I have a friend who listens (yes, he claims this is true) in the shower!

You CAN experience a life of peace, passion, power, purpose and unusual prosperity! For over 30 years I have had the privilege of helping people do it. I know that people with only average skills and talent (and you certainly are far above average! <g>) can achieve extraordinary results if they will:

Learn the skills - read, listen, get a mentor/coach
Maintain an attitude of optimism, hope and good cheer
Practice, practice, practice - persistence counts!

A sponsor has made it possible for me to do keynote addresses, break-out or motivational seminars for a greatly reduced fee.  In some cases, the price could be FREE, with your group paying only for transportation and expenses. Obviously, I've been receiving lots of inquiries!  Most requests are for speeches, workshops or break-out sessions on inspiration and motivation, leadership,

management skills, marketing, and more and more often, on life balance.  There seem to be a core group of questions that always come up, and I've tried to answer them, below. 

When I speak, my intention is always to (1) create excitement and passion in the audience and (2) to provide immediately-useful tools and ideas that make a real difference.  I enjoy creating presentations that are vibrant and effective!  Let's do something special, and create something that is profitable - in every sense of the word!

To be more specific about some common questions:

1) What will you talk about and do in your presentation? 
My passion is talking about human potential.  I understand how and why we choose the limits we place in our lives, and how to help audiences over-come or transform those limitations.  It's not motivational cheer-leading.  I prefer a more common-sense approach to how we design our lives, and how we can make the changes we want to make.  I often talk about "baby steps" - the smallest, safest and easiest steps we can take to actually begin moving in the direction we want to go.  Better to start small and start NOW, than to wait until the "perfect moment" that never arrives!

Another broad set of topics is designing, marketing and building a profitable business and creating what I call the "JoyFULL Practice".  The business side of things has always come easy for me and I love talking about the "how-to-do-it" aspects of attraction, goals, business plans, marketing strategies, and so forth.  Specifically, I enjoy talking about business and leadership, management, marketing and public relations.  These are the things that make or break the organization.  Let's talk about them!

With larger groups - several dozen or more - I usually end up making a "speech", although my style is intentionally informal and open to questions.  I am always well prepared and thoroughly ready, but also casual and warm in my presentation style. In smaller groups, I prefer a dialogue with discussion and examples.  It works better, and I think more learning occurs by working on real problems and finding real solutions.

2) How do we promote it?  What is our role in this?  What is yours?
The promotion is largely up to you, and is your responsibility.  As for the "how" - that depends on the outcome you want.   To round up a large public audience, you'll want to work with the local newspaper and radio stations.  I enjoy doing talk-show interviews both on the phone before I arrive, and in the studio while I'm in town.  In addition, remember that you (and your team) can make announcements at the Rotary or Chamber of Commerce, and invite their own clients, friends, and colleagues.  Most professionals belong to a variety of organizations, and have many resources for advertising the event. With a bit of training (and good promotional materials)

professionals can easily bring 10 or 20 people to an event they are truly excited about.  And, to gather a group of professional colleagues for a wonderful day of personal training, sometimes all you have to do is get on the phone, invite a handful of people and ask them to invite a few of their friends.  Groups as small as 10 or 15 can do this quite inexpensively, and it can be surprisingly easy if you design it well and market it correctly.

5) How large are your usual events?
My audiences vary greatly, so I'm not sure I have a "usual" size, but I'm comfortable around a conference table with 8 people, and in front of large groups.  The largest audience I've spoken to was about 15,000 people in Los Angeles .  When I do my own productions, my audiences are typically about 250 people, in a hotel conference room.

6) What are your fees and the costs involved?
I have a generous sponsor who is determined to get me in front of as many audiences as possible.  But, it's not a "free ride".  My sponsor wants to be flexible, and understands that being "flexible" can also be vague, but we do the best we can.  Here's the deal:

You must create the event and round up the audience.  You must pay my direct expenses - airline tickets, hotel room, meals, taxi, and so forth.  Here on the west coast, that could be as little as $500, while my last trip to Brazil ran almost $10,000.  The key is that my fees can be very low, so the variable is strictly transportation and housing.

You must also pay me whatever professional speaking fee your group normally pays other speakers, whether that's $50, or several thousand dollars.  Once you and I arrive at an arrangement, I bill my sponsor for the balance of my professional speaking fee, but this is not intended to relieve your organization of its normal obligations to your speakers.

This is getting way too long, so I'll wrap it up by saying I want to work with you, and I can be the "featured speaker" in YOUR production.  My suggestion is to use my visit to design the results that will create excitement and meet the most important goals of your audience.  Think about what you really want, then build around that.  I have a reputation for making meeting planners "look GOOD!"  Let's make it happen!

If you have specific questions, or are ready to choose a time, date and place, please contact me.  Let's do this!  I look forward to hearing from you!

Phil Humbert

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