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INSPYRE - Trista's PL8STORY Podcast Plate 43 with guest Steve Gamlin of Motivational Firewood

Oct 31, 2020

 This week we meet Steve Gamlin of New Hampshire. Now in his 16th year as The Motivational Firewood™ Guy, Steve shares his back-to-basics blend of positivity and humor with corporate and conference audiences around the country. Drawing from a decade in the radio industry, 7 years of stand-up comedy and his lifelong personal development journey, Steve shares 'real' messages for 'real' people. He recently launched his “Engaging Your Why/Vision Board Mastery” learning program to assist individuals and work teams as they ‘SEE’ their goals, understand their ‘WHY’ behind each one and build an ‘Action Plan’ to track results and achieve them. MotivationalFirewood.com

 

Connect with Steve:

Vision Board Mastery Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VBMastery/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegamlin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevegamlin/
YouTube Channel: https://www.SteveGamlin.video

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Episode Transcript:

INSPYRE

[00:00:00] Trista, Host: [00:00:00] Welcome to this week's episode of Trista's PL8STORY   (Plate Story)   Podcast. I'm Trista Polo from iwokeupawesome.com and I am your host. Each week, we learn the story behind that vanity plate. You know, the one you saw driving down the road... what did it say? What did it mean? Why did they choose it?  

I'm super excited to have Steve Gamlin from Weare, New Hampshire. He's The Motivational Firewood™ Guy from   radio. His license plate is INSPYRE, so that's exciting. I love this plate. Welcome, Steve.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:00:32] Thank you so much happy to be here.  

Trista, Host: [00:00:34] I'm so excited to have you, so your plate INSPYRE.

I don't know if you know my origin story, but the whole license plate thing started because in a parking lot, I saw LOVE one day and then I saw PEACE. I love the inspirational plate's the best. So I love yours. Tell us the story behind it.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:00:54] Yeah. When I became a speaker about 16 years ago, at the time I had a license plate that said RAMBLIN, which [00:01:00] was the name of my DJ company.

And I said, well, Being a speaker, being a writer, being an author and a program creator, what do I want to do? I just want to inspire people. So at the time I was living in a tiny town next to the tiny town that I live in now. So I went down and there was a bit of a traffic jam at the plate registry. there was one person in front of me at the town clerk's office.

And then I got to go in there and said, what do you want? And I spelled it out. She looked it up. She goes, Oh, the real spelling of inspire is not available. I said, well, I N S P Y R E. She looked it up and she goes, you're in luck. It's available. Great. Paid her the money. Two weeks later, I get my plates in the mail.

And it was spelled incorrectly.  

Trista, Host: [00:01:44] Oh, now  

Steve Gamlin: [00:01:47] I N S P R Y E in spry.  

Trista, Host: [00:01:52] I mean, that'll get people guessing  

Steve Gamlin: [00:01:55] I'm not really here as a speaker to in spry anybody don't even know what that [00:02:00] means. If I say this on the radio, but  

Trista, Host: [00:02:02] yeah, we can make up, what would it be? what would insprye? I mean, if we were to create a definition, let's pretend we're playing Balderdash.

Steve Gamlin: [00:02:09] Well sprites aren't they like the little fairy creatures of the, of the forest? Well, we're surrounded by woods. So maybe if Iin Sprite, spryed someone, I get them to want to dance around in the woods at night and make shoes or cookies in a tree. I have no idea.  

Trista, Host: [00:02:25] Or maybe you're a magician and you curse people and turn them into sprites and you imprison them in the woods.

So that's like the opposite of inspire.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:02:35] Yeah. And I let them out once a week to take care of my lawn.  

Trista, Host: [00:02:39] There you go. I love it. Okay. So now we know what in spry is... not you at all, not you at all. So how did, how was it going back and getting that fixed?

Steve Gamlin: [00:02:49] she just kind of rolled her eyes at herself. She said, I'm so, so sorry.

She mistyped it in her computer and it just carried through. So. I said, please look it up again, [00:03:00] just to make sure that the right spelling is available. And it was with I N S P Y R E, and two weeks later, got the plate, put it on, read it 20 times to make sure it was right. Yeah. And ask someone else. What does that say?

They said inspire. Say it again. They said inspire.

Cause you know, my brain's racing around like 90 miles an hour in the backseat are on an Etch-a-Sketch driving over rumblestrip sometimes. Right, right,  

right.  

As soon as I started driving people loved it and they loved that I spelled it a little differently cause it was interesting.  

Trista, Host: [00:03:33] Yeah, absolutely. Your process to get a license plate vanity plate in New Hampshire is very different.

  In New York you have to go to the DMV, but it's like a two hour wait after you take a ticket and wait for your number to show up. You never get the same person. It's six to eight weeks before the plate comes in the mail. I mean the one good thing about it is there is a database. You can look it up from home. So you can check it before you go in, [00:04:00] but, but you know, that's just a completely night and day difference of experience getting a vanity plate in New York versus New Hampshire.

Steve Gamlin: [00:04:06] Yeah. And the beauty of our town halls is, you know, really honestly, a traffic jam is if there's two people in front of you in line, everybody knows everybody. You just talk to each other while you're waiting.  

Trista, Host: [00:04:18] Wow. Yeah. Small town living.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:04:21] I'll take it any day.  

Trista, Host: [00:04:23] I love it.   So tell me what you're up to these days.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:04:26] I've been speaking now for about 16 years. I published so far four books. There's there's always, I always say I have four and a half books because there's always one in process. So I've got four and a half books and I've been at both ends of the country speaking. I do a lot of keynotes for big conferences and associations and events. What I do most often is working with people with individuals and also work teams on visualizing their goals, not to just set goals every year, but to help people to understand what they look like. Very big on visualization.

It's not [00:05:00] something that gets taught I don't feel effectively out there. There are some programs. The secret was great for what it did. It broad-brushed the law of attraction. There was a tiny part of The Secret- two thirds of the way through for maybe three minutes - John Assaraf was the gentlemen on screen at the time talking about visualization.

And I grabbed that three minutes and I made a career out of it.  

Trista, Host: [00:05:22] Wow.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:05:23] I've been working with people for the last 15-16 years on seeing their goals, knowing why they want them and then developing the action plan to get there. And please stop with the, I went to a vision board party and it didn't work excuse. I have a tee shirt line that says "Friends don't let friends attend vision board parties."  

Trista, Host: [00:05:43] Well, we're going to talk a little more about that. So when you talk about visualizing your goals and then making a plan... I do that a lot. I agree with you that I think that's a skipped step a lot of times. So, give us a little taste of [00:06:00] the process.

So I come to you. I say, I want to be a millionaire by the time I'm 60 years old and I have a business and I want to have my business be my vehicle. What do you like, tell me just a taste of the process to work with you.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:06:15] Yeah, the in its most basic form and it came out of the conversation one day, somebody said, Steve, give me a quick version of what you do.

I said, ah, see it, be it, do it. And they said, that's cool. So that's now on a coffee mug cause and I sent it to that person. I'm like look what you inspired. Know exactly what it looks like for you. Do you want to have a million dollars in the bank? Do you want to have real estate? You want to have a vacation home. You want to have a yacht?

Do you want to have a whatever? what does that physically look like for you. And detail it as much as possible. If you want a million dollars sitting in a bank vault, great. Go find a picture that does that. But what I found over the years is people want different things with that million. So I say, find what that looks like to you get as [00:07:00] emotionally connected to it as possible, you know, stop being like these motivational speakers who pose in front of a mansion, a Ferrari and a yacht saying, Hey, I'm super successful. You can be too.  

Most of those guys rent those things for those video shoots, by the way, just peel the curtain back. So figure out exactly what it looks like. And then comes the BE IT part. Start to learn what you're gonna need to learn, to be able to set yourself up, to do that, be in touch with the people who can either provide the advice or the support or the coaching or the guidance to get there.

You have to be the person who is capable of achieving that thing. And if you're not sure where to start, find people in your life or online, whom you trust and observe them. Watch what they say and how they say it, watch what they say and do on social media. Watch what they don't do on social media, find the experts.

And if you're not sure, ask around for referrals, but you've got to become the person who's capable of doing that. Not just wishing for it. And then the [00:08:00] DO IT part is obviously the action. Figure out your basic steps and what I equate a lot of this to is people heading towards their goals. It's like an old wooden rollercoaster, not like the ones now they push a button and you, you know, you takeoff, like your hair's on fire I'm talking about the ones that go like click, click, click. It's that methodical little, a thousand little clicks to get to the top. So the top of that Hill is whatever your goal is to have a million dollars by the time you're 60 years old. Great. Think of every little step you're going to have to do to get there, because once you do the last one and you've seen it, you've become the person you need to and surrounded yourself in all those cars with the right people, that last click that gets you to that million puts you over the top and you get to enjoy a ride that you couldn't stop if you tried.  

Trista, Host: [00:08:48] Yes.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:08:49] And if you liked it at the end, if you've screamed your brains out and you get tears coming down and you're laughing and you feel great, what's the first thing you want to do. You want to set another?  

Trista, Host: [00:08:57] I was going to say, do it again, get on that. [00:09:00] Go around again. Yeah, exactly.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:09:01] But how many people go click, click, click.... this is boring. I'm not there yet. It happens to so many people  

Trista, Host: [00:09:10] where you have false starts and you have challenges and roadblocks and speed bumps. And it's like, Oh, I guess I'm not ever going to get that goal. I give up.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:09:20] Yeah. Sometimes you accidentally get on the merry-go-round by mistake with the same old people.

And you're just going in the same pattern and getting absolutely nowhere. There's nothing wrong with the merry-go-round. It's got pretty horses, cool fun music, but it doesn't get anywhere. And I just want something more exciting. So I liked the roller coaster.  

Trista, Host: [00:09:39] And it sounds like the difference between somebody who gives up at the false starts and the roadblocks and someone who keeps going is the visualization. So tell us a little about that process. Is it just going through magazines, like a vision board party? What's different with what your process is?  

Steve Gamlin: [00:09:58] What I did was I spent about three [00:10:00] years and you know, I've got it documented. It was over 200 hours in my recording studio to create 75 minutes of really good audio.

So it walks people through. It's a 10 module audio program. The longest module is 11 minutes. Cause I'm a hit them fast, hit them hard, leave them wanting more type of learner. That's how I am. Yeah. So even the 10 steps in the way I do it, you don't even gather a picture until step seven. Everything else is assessing where you are right now saying what's great about that.

What could be better about this? What do I not want in my life anymore? And then you start to think, okay, where would I like to be? Even say a year from now? Because too many people say they go from age 30 to 60, but when I'm 60, you'd give yourself some milestones along the way. Go small and grease the wheels, a little. Prime the pump.

So do that and then figure out where you want to be in nine [00:11:00] major areas of your life, not just stuff, cause that's like a letter to Santa Claus. But your relationships, your physical health, your career, your finances, your spirituality if, if your faith is important to you. Your ethics, your morals, your integrity, your connection to the real world, which so many people are struggling with right now.

So it's all these areas because they all work together. And then you ask yourself why you want each thing and the why is the gas in the tank? Because the why is the one that's going to keep you going? Even when people were throwing roadblocks, like 2020 is basically a clump of trees that fell across the path. If you know your why, you're going to figure out a way to get on the other side.  

Trista, Host: [00:11:39] Yes. Oh my gosh. I  

Steve Gamlin: [00:11:41] lost the chain, saw it and you'd cut through over under whatever. Or you wind up walking in the woods where you've never been before and you're scared. Going through something you've never experienced before to get back to that path and just keep going.

Or many people quit and they put their head down, they walked back down the mountain, overlooking the parking lot, the port-a-potties, which is not a [00:12:00] cool view on a hot day. But you, you start to get all of that. And then there's this massive brainstorming session where you create the ultimate version of everything.   Pen to paper.  

You just go wild. Like, remember when, when we were kids and I got a few years on you, the, the Sears catalog would come like around Labor day and we would drive our parents nuts. Cause every day we're like, Oh, I want this too. And I want this and I want this. It's kind of like that. I just tell people go wild.

Like you're in a candy store.  

Trista, Host: [00:12:30] I love that.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:12:32] Then you pick the ones that matter most and you start with even just one per category, then you get the pictures. Then you assemble them in such a way what's most important goes in the center. Everything else works off of that. And then the last couple of steps are creating your action plans.

Who are you going to need to talk to what you're gonna need to learn? What steps you have to take to get there. And that's why I tell people, look, vision board parties. It's something. But it's [00:13:00] it doesn't do all this. And plus the combination of wine and scissors, come on  

Trista, Host: [00:13:05] now.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:13:07] I always say, you know, they say, well, it's wine, cheese, crackers, glue sticks, and scissors.

I'm like, you know, if you do enough wine and use them scissors, you're gonna need the glue stick to put your eyebrows back on. Exactly.  

Trista, Host: [00:13:17] That's right. Yeah, it sounds amazing. I've been to vision board parties. I've hosted vision board parties. This is the first time I've seen something where there's actually a process that can take you through the whole thing.

I'll also say you clearly are an expert in visualization because just the, the specific examples that you've used, like the tree fallen in the woods, the rollercoaster click, click, click, you are able to create such powerful pictures with words.

So, You're   a keynote speaker as well you said. That's got to come in handy when you're sharing. What kinds of topics do you speak on? Is it all the visualization stuff or do you cover a myriad of [00:14:00] topics?  

Steve Gamlin: [00:14:01] that's a part of it. I have really I'm down to one keynote. The most in demand. One is called "Attitude Action Traction". And it talks about waking up every day and choosing the right mindset, taking action every day towards your goals. And somewhere in between the two, we talk about visualization and about knowing where you want to go and what your goals look like. So it's a smaller part of that.  

But what it's turned into is an appetizer because people say Steve, people are talking about that part. What else do you have?  

And then I I've worked with a number of company teams in their leadership teams, even doing visualization, work directly with them. And now with the whole pandemic, we've created a way to license my audio program and also to do virtual work with them. So, you know, if nothing else, thank you 2020 for this new leg under the table, which is great.

and, and doing   some coaching work, ongoing coaching work. I've got a weekly group coaching program that we just celebrated a year. Every Monday night, we spent half an hour together and I've got people that dial [00:15:00] in just to hear me give a tip of the week, share a story. They send me challenges in advance for me to talk about and we celebrate each other and cheer each other on. So now we even have this weekly check-in. So companies are now tapping into that saying, you know, the one and done thing isn't always working and not all our people are in the building now they're at home too. So. What have you got and I'll have that.

Trista, Host: [00:15:23] So I love that you've taken, the whole 2020 quarantine situation and used it to your advantage to pivot. I know that a lot of people are figuring out how to do that. So that's great. You've done that. Now you're also a standup comedian as well. Do you actually go out to gigs and do comedy or do you just work it into your speaking ?

Steve Gamlin: [00:15:43] I used to, I actually, becoming a speaker at a standup comedian actually happened on the same day in the same moment. August, 2003, I was hitting golf balls in a thunderstorm under power lines, on a hot August day, daring God to hit me. Right. My life was kind of at a low point. Oh my [00:16:00] goodness. The very next day I was talking with my then brand new life coach.

And he said, so how was your week? And I told him the story of hitting golf balls into thunderstorm, under power lines and everybody, but me ran away and I hit my golf balls and their golf balls. And when it got to my car, the sun came out and I looked up and thought well-played. So I told him that and I made it as funny as possible.

And he said, have you ever thought of being a standup comedian or a motivational speaker, I said, yes, but I have no idea how to do either. So they were both born the same day. Three weeks later, I was in my first comedy class two months later, my first Toastmasters meeting. So I did both for seven years and then I just took the clean comedy material style and brought it into speaking.

And somebody said, look, man, we love you at the comedy clubs, but if one of your corporate clients comes in and hears you singing the Viagra song, it might not do well for your speaking career. So I got it. I got it. So I just brought that style [00:17:00] into my speaking and in storytelling. And thank you for your comment earlier on being able to create pictures.

it's something I worked very, very hard to do, so I, I appreciate what you said.  

Trista, Host: [00:17:13] Absolutely. I was just very much present to what you were creating.

So if you were talking to somebody who's at the beginning of the journey of. Holy cow. I want to be a motivational speaker, a standup comedian, some version of the two. How would you recommend somebody gets started with that?

Steve Gamlin: [00:17:33] Yeah. Well, you know, in my industry as a speaker, 20 years is an overnight success. So I've only got four more years to go to be an overnight success. But the biggest thing I tell people or say to people is when they say, well, I want to do what you do.

Why? Because I want to help people. Why? Because I've gone through stuff and learned some lessons. Okay. Now we're... cause some people say, I just want to get on stage and get a big check at the end. [00:18:00] Good luck with that.   but I'll say, look, what has life taught you and how do you share it?

What did you learn from it? And are you vulnerable enough to share your own experiences   and be brave enough to get up in front of a group of strangers and share your pain, but then also what you learn from it and to deliver it to them. And the more you dig and find out why they want to be, sometimes it comes from a real point of pain.

But they want to help other people. earlier in my speaking career, I had a dear dear friend who, you know, I love him for this. He asked me, Why do you want to be a speaker? Cause I want to help people. Why? Well, because I had some, you know, I went through this. And on the 17th Why, the tear came down.  

And I said, when I was 24 years old, broken, depressed living on my grandfather's couch, one of my friends said, why didn't you ever follow your dream of being on the radio? I don't know. Well you should still go do it. Okay. [00:19:00] Went. Wound up on the radio. And three weeks later, he died. He was 23 years old and I was on the radio for 10 years, worked 15 years worth of hours. And I just remember one of the very last big events, sitting there at the edge of a stage with a band playing in front of 15,000 people that I just introduced the band and there was fireworks after and I'm looking up and I just had tears coming down and I'm like, man, can you believe this?

You know, you believed in me all those years ago. Thank you. What a gift. And that's why I became a speaker because someone else believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. That's why I'm a speaker and I've never forgotten it since that moment.  

Trista, Host: [00:19:42] That's a great story. Thank you for sharing that. I'm glad I asked.   And I agree with you that the more vulnerable, real, authentic you can be the better the message lands. Yeah.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:19:55] Yeah. Yeah. There have been events where I hear somebody up there [00:20:00] just spouting off all the stuff that everyone else says, and there's nothing about them in it. They're just reading off a script and yelling things that rhyme and   there are times I'm backstage or in the back of the audience going,"Dear God, please let me go on next to show this audience how it's really done, please." I know I'm not on the schedule next, let somebody have to go to the bathroom and get me up there. Cause I just want to, I'm not going to trash the person, but I just want to get up there and be real and authentic.

And one of my favorite moments ever was prior to getting on stage. I'm sitting in the front row with my chair, turned around, talking to the second row, having a great conversation. I never wear a name tag. And somebody goes, okay, we're going to start in five minutes. I said, Oh geez. I should go get my seat.

And I went to the back of the room and I get introduced and I heard the person go, Holy crap. That guy was the speaker.  

Yes. That's amazing.  

Just be real. Oh my gosh. There's nothing. I never talk down to anybody. The only reason I talk down at you is because you're sitting and I'm six foot two and standing on [00:21:00] the stage.

Trista, Host: [00:21:01] Yeah. Now you really do find it important that the audience connect with you and get a lot from you. who are you directing your speaking to   when you're speaking to an audience?  

Steve Gamlin: [00:21:16] Yeah. Every time I'm on stage and it's wonderful when people are brave enough to sit in the front and if they seen me before they clap, they cheer.

They know the stories. They're familiar. Every single time I'm on stage, I will watch for people who come in late. And not to pick on them because there are people - and I know this because somebody actually flat out told me this - there are people who will sit in their cars, deciding if they're brave enough to even come in the building and then maybe lying in the car with anxiety or just uncertainty or down on themselves.

And they'll walk in late. They'll sit way in the back. Their arms will be crossed. They won't even put pen to paper. They won't even look me in the eye. They'll never raise their hand and they won't say a word.  

Trista, Host: [00:21:58] Yeah.  

[00:22:00] Steve Gamlin: [00:22:00] That's the person I have to work the hardest to reach and I'll make eye contact. You know, I'll look in their direction and point and gesture, but I won't dwell on them because I don't want them to feel bad.

That's the most important person I need to reach because I used to be that person back in the day. cause I got embarrassed in a seventh grade spelling bee, spelled the word wrong and I got made fun of for it. And that was when I stopped raising my hand in class. And that was when I stopped wanting to be the center of any attention or spotlight or anything.

And that's where I shrunk back to the shadows. Yeah. Took me a long time   to even remember that was why and then to overcome it. So now I, I try to help those people.  

Trista, Host: [00:22:41] That's amazing because you know, I do speaking and I'm an emcee and I host events and things. And when people walk in your initial responses, I can't believe you missed the beginning. That was so important. That's when the speaker did their bio. Now you have no idea who they are and, you know, I, [00:23:00] I definitely react to it. And it never occurred to me that there could be something that they're dealing with that had them. Maybe they're anxious about being in crowds. Maybe they're afraid to come in, they're resisting whatever the lesson is.

I remember I was taking a course with someone. I won't say who it is. And, they said before the course started, it was like a three day, you know, course you've traveled to go. They said the one thing I want to get out of this weekend is: and they said whatever it was and. It's kind of like halfway through the day, but it's still a while till lunch.

And they said, you know what, I need a break. And I said, Oh my gosh, don't go. Don't go. Don't go. You know, we don't know what's coming next. Don't go. Don't go. Nope, I'm going. I need a break. I can't keep my eyes open. I need a break. And do you know, like four minutes after they left the room was when the thing they wanted was covered.

[00:24:00] And I really, yeah. And I believe it was because they were resistant to the lesson. They wanted the lesson but they were resistant to it because it would mean having to look at some stuff, be real about some stuff, transform some things. And I think that we do, we take ourselves out. So I always say to people, listen, if you got to pee, that's when you got to hold it because that's probably your body helping you ski daddle right before the main thing, that's going to be a breakthrough for you. What happens in the room? So don't go, unless it's a medical emergency, but you know, I never translated that to the person who walks in late. So I'm so appreciative that you changed my paradigm about it because now I can have a whole new sense of, compassion for those people.

Steve Gamlin: [00:24:52] Yeah, there was, I remember one event years ago, I was, actually I was doing comedy at this event. It was, it was a corporate event and they just wanted a funny message [00:25:00] and they had the room set up where everybody's chairs were facing that side of the room, but yet unknown to the audience, the comedy was coming from the back of the room.

So the person got up and said, I'm going to introduce our next person tonight. He's going to share some funny, positive messages with you. And, so everybody stand up and turn your chair around. Here's Steve in the back. And the, of course the back row is now the front row. When I looked over, I just looked across the whole front and I said, So much for hiding in the back, huh? Then I immediately said, don't worry. I'm not one of those comedians who will attack you. I said, I want this to be an amazing trade of energy. I'm not one of those people who's going to come at you.

You're you're not weak because you're here. You're actually strong because you're here. So, and we had, it was just, it was an amazing experience about 15 minutes and here we are 12 years later still talking about it. So it meant a lot to me.

Trista, Host: [00:25:51] Yeah. Well, and it sounds like your audience really probably appreciates who you are. How do they typically respond to you?  

[00:26:00] Steve Gamlin: [00:26:00] Oh, I have people all the time, come up and go, you're just normal. Thanks. I guess. yeah. and that's, that's the, the comment I hear most often and I tell people the first conversation we ever have as look, I don't know what your experiences are with my industry, but I promise you I will be the easiest human being not just speaker you ever worked with.

  It's gotta be in my wheelhouse. Otherwise I will not. I learned that early on a very expensive and humbling lesson that almost ended my career.  

Trista, Host: [00:26:31] We got to talk about that. Tell me that story.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:26:34] Yeah. got hired by a big company in the defense industry. They're having some of their big team leaders and I was real early in my career and I was extremely arrogant, not to the point of being ,you know, like a raging egomaniac, but they said, can you speak to these people? And I said, Oh, I can speak to anybody. Wrong. The first one went, okay, now looking back, it was terrible. But at the time it was [00:27:00] okay. And they said, Hey, we got this other group of aeronautical engineers at the end of the day. How'd you like to come in while you're already here? And speak to them. And I said, sure, no problem. I can speak to anybody engineers. Okay. I have no handout. I have no data. I have no numbers. I have no stats, no information. And I'm out in the hallway and I hear the their leader. He has my intro because I hear him unfold it. He goes, Oh, he goes well, we've got this guy, Steve is going to come in. He crumbles it up, throws it over his shoulder. He goes, I Googled him. He seems okay. Hey Steve, come on in. Now, the end of the intro set up the first thing I said, so that's already out the window. I opened the door and the late afternoon sun blindingly comes through the window right in my face.

So I'm seeing blue dots like this, a police car in my head. I was bumped into the table and I do part of my opening [00:28:00] bit routine where I run around and high five, everybody around the circle. Now these are engineers. They don't want you in their space. They're uncomfortable with that. So within three minutes and I, and I used to equate it to an old world war II movie, where the planes would get shot.

Now they just explode, but they'd get a bunch of holes and oil would leak and then smoke and then fire. And they would trail smoke till they crashed. I've always described it as   I got shot three minutes into a 90 minute presentation and trailed through the rest of the way.  

Trista, Host: [00:28:28] Oh my gosh.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:28:29] The manager was so furious with me.

I gave back all the money for that part of the presentation. And she said, if, if you put our logo on your website, I will tell the world how much, how bad you are.  

Trista, Host: [00:28:44] Oh my gosh.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:28:45] And I crawled into a hole for about three weeks. And, boy, you want to talk about wanting to take the word inspire off your car, off your license plate?

luckily somebody came along and rescued me with a conversation about [00:29:00] how I had helped them.  

I'm glad, I'm glad I survived it. And turned it around because there are people who have something like that happened in their life and it ends a career.  

Trista, Host: [00:29:11] Yeah. You live your life, it appears, very intentionally on purpose.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:29:19] Yeah, most definitely. you know, I've, I've been the, let life take you down the river route before I   knew what I wanted to do with my life. Just kind of drifting along and yeah. I'd rather be paddling  

I'm less of a victim this way. I think we all are. When we, when we have intention, you know, we, why do bad things just happen to me or even worse? What could go wrong next?

Oh my gosh. Do not tempt the universe like that. Yeah. Cause it'll show you.  

Trista, Host: [00:29:48] What else could go wrong?

Right.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:29:50] It'll show you.  

Trista, Host: [00:29:51] It reminds me of the phrase. Life is a self-generated program.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:29:58] And  

Trista, Host: [00:29:58] I think that [00:30:00] generating yourself day after day after day, it can get exhausting. If you're not doing something you love, which I think is where the phrase, when you do something you love, you never work a day in your life because if your love is inspiring others and making people's lives better and leaving situations better than you find them.

And you are really lit up by that. It's not work for you to generate and be intentional with your life. Not that it's not work, but it's not hard work.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:30:31] It's still hard work, but it's worthwhile work, which is, which is a phrase I actually got from a great audio book.

It's called Gung Ho. it's by Sheldon Bowles and Ken Blanchard. And part one of the lessons is, is, is creating worthwhile work. And that's where the joy and the passion of a company in the, in the excitement. It comes from that the work is worthwhile. It can still be really hard. That's why, when, when I hear younger speakers, spit that phrase out.

Yeah. [00:31:00] If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. And I'm like, okay.   let's sit down for a second. I'be been here in the recording studio at two in the morning, cross-eyed barely able to keep my head from slamming on the desk, editing a video or writing a book, or, you know, having a panic moment before going on stage.

Sure. You know, I forgot my laptop one time for a speaking event. Driving home and shaving seven minutes off my GPA estimated time. That felt like  

Trista, Host: [00:31:29] work. Wow.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:31:30] I'm amazed. I didn't rack up a speeding ticket that was worth more money than I was making that day. Right. it's it is work, but it's worthwhile work.  

Trista, Host: [00:31:39] Worthwhile work.

Steve Gamlin: [00:31:40] Yeah. And I work really, really, really hard at not only for my stuff, but also coaching people that are in my tribe. I'm part of this amazing group of people who are all. We're we're all just killing it in our own way. In our own little cocoon of cool people, handshakes hugs and high fives are [00:32:00] happen always.

And when you can get to that in worthwhile work and the people remember "see it, be it, do it" in the BE phase, getting those people around you, it's going to make the DO IT parts so much easier. Absolutely. Yeah,  

Trista, Host: [00:32:15] absolutely. now, did you tell me that you met Jack Canfield?  

Steve Gamlin: [00:32:21] I did  

Trista, Host: [00:32:22] tell me that story.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:32:23] Yeah. Jack has been on my vision board for many, many years because as in the speaking world, Jack is my hero.

He just is. I love his style. I love how he does what he does. And I love the joy he brings to it.  

Trista, Host: [00:32:36] And just remind everybody who may not know who he is, what he's best known for.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:32:41] Yeah. Jack Canfield was the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. He's also the author of a number of books.

The favorite of mine is the Success Principles. And I love Jack. Jack was in The Secret. He's one of those people that, that out of all the people there, he and John Assaraf were the two that had the biggest [00:33:00] impact on me. So for years I had, are the Chicken Soup for the Soul was on my vision. One of my early vision boards were, all I wanted to do was submit a story.

And I'd said, I wanted to, for a couple of years, I poured it on that year. I submitted a story. It didn't get accepted, but I submitted the story. I did my part and I always said I wanted to meet him so I could thank him for inspiring me. And about six years ago, he was going to be the keynote speaker at a women's conference here in New Hampshire Women Inspiring Women.

So I, I got a table to be a vendor. My vision board program, actually the first version came out that day. The same day Jack Canfield was the speaker was the first day people anywhere in the world could even buy this. And I was, it was a women's conference. There were 500 people there. I was one of five gentlemen. And I was sitting way in the back and I knew most of the audience, they know me cause this is my hometown crowd. So they, they, if they [00:34:00] haven't seen me speak, they've heard of me or just know me through networking. And the hostess, Leslie Sturgeon, who's the founder of Women Inspiring Women who, by the way, has the license plate INSPIRE. Now the correct spelling.  

  She said, okay, before we get going, I want everyone to please stand up. And I'm thinking, Oh God jumping jacks, yoga, downward facing dog, what are we doing here? She says, I want you to go introduce yourself to somebody whom you've never met and say hello.

And somebody tapped me on the shoulder and said, Hey, look, there's Jack Canfield. And the little voice in my head said, We've never met Jack Canfield. I was the first one to reach him. I was one of the farthest people away. I was the only one that went to him. I said Mr. Canfield, my name is Steve Gamlin. I'm a speaker and an author.

And I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring who I am and how I am. I said, because when I listened to you in the car, you're riding shotgun. We're sitting on a front porch, having a conversation. That's who I am as a [00:35:00] speaker. And I want to thank you for inspiring that.

He said, Oh my gosh, you're very welcome. And what else do you do? I said, I know you love vision boards. I said, I've created, matter of fact, today's the first day it's available. What I believe is the most in-depth vision board learning program ever created. And he pulls out a card and he goes, Oh, would you send me a copy? Jaw - Floor.  

Trista, Host: [00:35:22] Yeah.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:35:24] Giggle giggle.

Sure. And after I sent him a copy. Now, I've never heard back, but it doesn't matter. Yeah, no, he's got a storage yet. Cause I've talked to other people. They go, Oh yeah. Jack said that to me about my stuff too. I'm like he must have a huge pod in his backyard. Three hours later in the after lunch portion of his presentation, he hits his clicker the words vision board comes up on the screen and he goes, Oh gosh, by the way, there's a young man here who just said he he's created the best vision board program in the world. You all should go talk to him and about 150 heads turn and look at me in the back [00:36:00] and I'm going.   (nods head)  

Trista, Host: [00:36:02] Probably a nice launch you had of that program.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:36:05] One of my dearest friends points at me and goes, did he just say your name?   Oh my God, how did you get Jack Canfield to say your name from the stage? I said I had a conversation with him and I shared my appreciation and I let him know the value he has brought into my life. I don't know what kind of day Jack was having. I don't know.  

We never know, but if you can bring some joy or value or a comment or positive energy to somebody, you never know the impact it could have on somebody. Absolutely. And it's, it's just, it was an amazing moment that I will never, ever forget. And every time I get on a stage, we say, look, I need to deliver that to my audience because I don't know what they're dealing with.

Trista, Host: [00:36:50] Yeah. Well, you know, there's two things I love about this story. The first one is nobody went to Jack Canfield cause he's a famous guy and he wouldn't want to talk to me. [00:37:00] Right. That's what we think. When we're in a crowd, we do the safe thing. So I love that you didn't do the safe thing. And it reminds me of, the, the definition of luck, which is preparation and perseverance meeting, at the crossroads.  

And so you did all the preparation necessary so that when you got to the moment that the luck showed up. You mentioned vision board. You knew what it came to you to say, and you did what was best for that moment without having to think, Oh, I wish I had prepared for this then I would have known what to say. You were already prepared because you were, you visualized it, you put it in place and then it was just a matter of time until it came up. So that's awesome.  

I love it.   I think people who make a difference, we assume they know they made a difference. So I'm going to invite every listener here to find someone who made a difference for you. If you know them, contact them. If they're more famous, [00:38:00] put it on their Twitter account, send them an Instagram comment, find a way to tell somebody who's made a difference for you that they have, because I promise not enough people tell them that.

Yeah.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:38:14] Can I share your real quick story about that real quick? yep. I, I'm a huge fan of the TV show mash and the character of Hawkeye Pierce played by Alan Alda has had an insane impact on my life from when I was a kid until now still does. And about eight years ago. And I, I know this because I just found it the other day, eight years ago, I found out the address for his office in New York.

And I took out a piece of my letterhead and I hand wrote a full page. Thanking him for everything he breathed into that character that still impacts my life now. And I mailed it to him and I thought, great. I'm so happy with that. Two weeks later, I got a note back, which I treasure and what he said was thank you so much for your kind words. You have no [00:39:00] idea how something like that keeps me going now. Sincerely, Alan Alda. It it's, it's one of the things I treasure most that, because I did that, I would have regretted it if I didn't.   Actually took the time to write a note back and it still means the world to me .  

Trista, Host: [00:39:21] Yeah. I love that. I love that story. Thanks for sharing that. It really underlines the point that people who contribute to the world. I think that we forget that they need to hear the impact they make. So that's great. Thank you.  

And, We didn't get to really talk about your podcasts. Tell me a little bit about that.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:39:42] I do. It's called Motivational Firewood Radio and it's available on my site and I believe you have the links for that.

And what I do is I talk to really cool people and you're going to be a guest very soon and also just share what life has been teaching me. So, yeah, it's a, it's a blast. I love it.  

Trista, Host: [00:39:58] Awesome. There are so [00:40:00] many podcasts out in the world and it's so hard to find ones that really resonate. So I'm excited to check yours out for sure.

Now, I always like to turn the tables before we wrap up and see if you have a question for me.

So do you have a question for me?  

Steve Gamlin: [00:40:14] I do. . It's a two part question. Your, your driving to just any location, your dream drive. What's in your windshield. Is it mountains? Is it ocean? Is it lakes? Is it woods? Is it whatever. And what's playing on the radio. Hmm,  

Trista, Host: [00:40:36] interesting. Okay. So let's see. I would say in my windshield is lake and woods.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:40:50] Nice.  

Trista, Host: [00:40:51] And what's playing on the radio is, I'm trying to remember the name of it. When I was in high school, I had a [00:41:00] long distance boyfriend and I would drive like four hours to see him... oh my gosh. What was the song? What was the song? born to be wild. So when I was having trouble staying awake or I was getting a little road weary, I would always put up born to be wild on the radio. And it got me flowing. It got me bouncing, it, got my juices going and it really made the ride fun. So I would definitely include that.

Steve Gamlin: [00:41:33] Nice. it was actually Steppen Wolf was the band that did that song, which was a huge hit.  

Yeah. I've got my go-tos, believe me. For any mood I'm in or any place I might be, there's this song. And even when I come downstairs in the morning, I'll say, Alexa, play Pisces Apple lady by Leon Russell.

I don't know if the neighbors appreciate the show or not, but as I'm [00:42:00] putting up all the blinds. Yeah, yeah,  

Trista, Host: [00:42:04] of course. There's a dance.  

Steve Gamlin: [00:42:07] Well, put it this way. There's some kind of movement happening. I don't know if I can call what I do dancing. But music... oh, what a way to just put yourself in a place in now, when you hear that song, you're going to see a windshield. You're going to see a Lake. You're going to see woods that's visualization  

Trista, Host: [00:42:26] Pefect. I love it. I love it. Well, I have had such a great time chatting and I really appreciate you sharing everything that you brought to this conversation. It was your plate story and so much more. And thank you for all that you're doing to inspire people to have more, be more and do more.

Thank you so much. This has been a blast. I love this. I never called them interviews. We just had an amazing conversation. So thanks for the gift of having me here as, as half the conversation.  

Thank you for [00:43:00] joining us for this week's episode of Trista's PL8STORY podcast. Please subscribe to Trista's PL8STORY podcast to get the story behind all those vanity plates, driving with you on the road. And if you would like to nominate the owner of a license plate, including you... Or visit any of our partners and sponsors come and see us www.pl8story.com. That's P L number eight story.com and give us the details.  

If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a review and give us a share. I'm Trista Polo wishing you well on the road to your next adventure.

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