Steve Jobs was truly one of the greatest American innovators of the last thirty years. He was a master at creating technology that you didn’t even know you needed until he showed you how it would revolutionize your life. Every time you enter an Apple store and open a box with the Apple logo on it, you know that you will get a little bit of that Steve Jobs magic in your hands.
Steve Jobs had a gift for seeing technology in ways that actually changed the way we live our lives. Some of you are even addicted to your iPhones and iPads.
The ability to innovate and transform technology was both Steve Jobs’s gift and the mark that he left on the world. This combination of using your gift and infusing it with your personal skills and talents is what I call your gift mark.
Similar to a trademark, your gift mark is the stamp that you leave on the world every time you use your God-given talents and skills at your highest capacity. You know without a doubt what to expect every time you purchase a box with an Apple logo or sit behind the wheel of a car with that BMW insignia. Your gift mark should be what people come to expect every time they hire you or ask you to be part of their team. Your gift mark is the flavor you add to your gift, showing the world that it has your DNA in it. When you sit down at the table, people know that they will receive your gift in just the way that only you can deliver it.
If you are an event planner, someone should be able to come into one of your get-togethers and immediately see your gift mark expressed in the manner in which your table settings are displayed, or reflected in the warm lighting in the room. If you are a life coach, someone should be able to see a unique transformation in the business and personal lives of your clients that reflects your special energy. Your gift mark is what will separate you from the pack.
You can have two barbers who know how to do a mean shape-up. But the difference between the one who has clients lining up to get into his chair and the one who can’t keep a chair is the gift mark. The good barber’s gift mark could be as simple as knowing how to connect with one customer or remembering that another customer’s son has a sensitive scalp.
Once you uncover your gift, find that distinctive touch that will make your gift stand out and shine. What you do with your gift is completely up to you. I recommend that you harness it to share with the world in a variety of ways.
It is never too late to embrace your gift. I recognize that most people, even you, are just a few steps away from the start of turning what could have been into what can be.
After you have identified your gift, you need to look around you to discover the right vehicle for your gift. The right vehicle will give you the transportation you need to navigate your journey and advance you into your future. As you begin to search for the right outlets for your gift, you will realize that they are everywhere around you. The people who are truly successful use the vehicle that is right for today to work toward the next upgrade that will lead to an even higher rung of success.
What I loved most about Beyoncé’s self-titled surprise digital release was not the music. It wasn’t that she shocked the world and just decided to forgo all the typical marketing and promotions and just drop it like . . . Pow! I loved that it was full of images of Beyoncé the child singer, and the road she took to become Beyoncé the stadium filler. There is a clip of her in a group called Girls Tyme. In a competition, they lost to a boys’ band no one ever heard of again. In this day and age, when stars, business moguls, and even athletes pretend that they became hits overnight, it deceives people into believing they have to connect their gift to a million-dollar vehicle immediately. Most people never heard of Girls Tyme, but that was just one of the vehicles Beyoncé used before Destiny’s Child, before Sasha Fierce, and before Mrs. Carter. Beyoncé used the vehicle that was available to her at the moment to work toward the next opportunity of her lifetime.
You do not have to bog down your journey by trying to find a vehicle that will get you all the way to your final destination. The first vehicle that you initially attach yourself to may not be the one that finishes your journey. Simply attach yourself to a vehicle that gets your gift into motion. Think about this in terms of traveling on a city bus from one location to the next. Often you have to get a transfer in order to complete the journey. You will then be led to another transfer, which will take you to your second vehicle.
I didn’t attach my gift to a vehicle called being a comedian until I was nearly thirty years old. My first endeavor was a free amateur night. My next trip was a paying gig for twenty-five dollars. Now, a twenty-five-dollar vehicle certainly could not get me to the level I am at today. But it was a start. The transfer came when I became a featuring act, which took me from $350 per week to $750 per week.
The next transfer I caught led me to be a national headliner earning anywhere from $1,500 a week in small comedy clubs to upwards of $60,000 in larger venues. My next transfer led me to a lifestyle of earning $25,000 per night.
My next transfer led me to become the host of Showtime at the Apollo. From there, that venture gave me national TV exposure, which then led to a TV show called Me and the Boys. That show then led me to The Steve Harvey Show. After that, I became one of the original Kings of Comedy. That platform propelled me into the stratosphere of what I set out to be in the first place—one of the premier stand-up comedians in the country.
Are you so busy looking for the luxury vehicle now that your new budget gift can’t afford it? I need you to be open to connecting to a vehicle that complements the current level of your gift and can move you to the next level. That means begin now, where you are. Where can you start today to begin the journey? What simple steps or vehicle can you attach yourself to?
Let’s say you are a hairdresser. Can you start by doing hair in your kitchen? Can you move up to get a booth or a chair at a local salon? Are you willing to do the work to get your cosmetology license? Are you willing to learn under somebody who knows more than you do? Don’t ever be afraid to put yourself in a lesser position so that you can learn something from someone who knows more. No one can teach you more than someone who has already been there.
You’re not Vidal Sassoon at this point, but you are well on your way. Keep working and catch another transfer. Get a better chair at a better salon. Get another transfer and get into partnership with another girl or guy. Catch another transfer. Start a small storefront salon. Catch another transfer. Get more chairs in your salon. Catch another transfer. Start renting out booth space in your salon. As my father used to say, “Inch by inch everything is a cinch.”
If you are a truck driver and your dream is to own a fleet of trucks, you can’t wait until someone gives you the money to purchase your first fleet. Initially, you have to get your commercial driver’s license. After you get your chauffeur’s license, then you can begin driving on a local level. Then you can begin driving on an interstate level.
Once your start building up your cash, you can save to purchase your first truck. After you get that first truck and become known for being a driver who delivers on time, you have to think about buying another truck and hiring another driver. Your dream is right on track. You just keep purchasing transfers from one vehicle to the next. Before you know it, you’ve got ten trucks on the road and your dream of owning your own interstate transportation company becomes a reality.
If your dream is to be a chef, start cooking for your family. Talk to people who are looking to do special family events but who can’t yet afford an expensive caterer. Volunteer to cook at an assisted-living center in the area, or create a program at the local middle school to teach kids to cook. Who knows, you may get on the local news for what you are doing with the kids. Your appearance could be an opportunity for you to share your vision with the world. Those local vehicles are the perfect places to get started.
I personally know the gentleman who creates the floral arrangements for the Four Seasons hotels throughout the world. He didn’t start his career flying from New York to Paris to Dubai to share his gift for arranging flowers. That gift started by working in a much smaller hotel that didn’t really appreciate the talent that he brought to their staff. But he didn’t let their lack of appreciation stop him from doing what he was called to do. Before he knew it, someone saw one of his creations and gave him the opportunity to design the arrangements for the Four Seasons, and now he also prepares floral arrangements for the Grammys and The Queen Latifah Show.
Just because you sing well doesn’t mean that you have to use your gift to become the next Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. Having the ability to make people laugh doesn’t mean you need to be a stand-up comic. If you’ve seen the Academy Award–winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, you know that the greatest voices of our generation tore up the stage as background singers for some of the biggest performers in the world. And the best comics aren’t always the ones in front of the mike; they are often the ones behind the scenes writing the jokes.
Your gift might be to teach, and you’ve avoided going down the path because most classroom teachers aren’t paid what they’re worth. But who said you have to teach in a classroom? Motivational speaker Lisa Nichols is also a teacher, and she empowers sold-out crowds all over the country. Tony Robbins is a teacher, and I know most of you wouldn’t mind having a piece of his educator paycheck. Finding the right vehicle for your gift will be the key to moving your gift from a dream to a reality. Both Lisa and Tony realized that they have to create their own paths, not let someone else create them, and not fall back on what the generation before them did.
Your vehicle doesn’t just connect to your gift and transport you to the next level of your success. Your vehicle should accentuate your gift. It should help you to perfect your gift. This means that you have to be aggressive about learning how to drive and be patient enough to master the vehicle you are in before you trade up to the next. Master that gift where you are. Make every mistake you can in the lemon before you get the coupe.
My dad was a car man. He owned a ’50-something Mercury, an old ’63 woodie station wagon, and a ’68 station wagon, which became my first car when he passed it on to me in 1977. I don’t want you to get stuck in one vehicle. You must recognize that it is about getting you to the next level, and not about taking you the whole way. I have seen too many smart, talented, gifted people stay in the same vehicle too long. If you notice that you are working hard and smart, connected to a vehicle and clear on your vision, but every day you seem to move less and less, it’s time to upgrade. It’s time to take another class, join a new organization, or start a new business. Look, if you are committed to your gift, and you are growing and perfecting it, you will know when your gift is becoming too much for the vehicle.
Now that you have started using the vehicles available to master your gift, it is time to start choosing the avenue that will get you to higher levels. Let’s get beyond thinking of vehicles for our gifts as just traditional nine-to-five jobs. You have to take the time to test-drive as many options as you can for your gift. And don’t be afraid to choose a plane when others are driving a car. Your vehicle can be as unique as your gift. When I started out as a comedian back in the ’80s, you couldn’t have told me that I would have several opportunities for my gift, including hosting a radio show, having my own daytime television show, taking over a popular game show, and now writing my third book.
We also can’t be afraid to test-drive a car outside our price range. Some of us won’t even think about sitting in a luxury car because we can see only where we are now. We can be too quick to shut down a vehicle because it requires working longer hours, learning a new skill set, or spending more time away from home. Even though a vehicle might require a greater investment up front, you have to consider how smooth your gift will move you through your journey if you are willing to put it in a high-quality vehicle.
Just as important as knowing what kind of vehicles will be best suited for your gift is knowing what opportunities to avoid. Just because you are a great chef, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to open a restaurant. The best vehicle for your gift could be catering private affairs. If you are a great basketball coach, the best outlet for your gift could be coaching high school students instead of setting your sights on the NBA.
I’m the last person to dampen anyone’s desire to become an entrepreneur, but I want you to think hard about entrepreneurship before you sign on the dotted line. This isn’t just any ordinary ride. Entrepreneurship requires sacrifices beyond the responsibilities of working a nine-to-five job. You’re going to need the right team to keep you on track. There are likely expenses that require resources that you do not have to invest at the moment. Or maybe you’re the kind of person who prefers quality time for yourself and your family, and less time spent working long hours. And you can’t just let anybody into your car when you are committed to being an entrepreneur. Do you know what a person on a plane is called who doesn’t want to go where it’s going? A hijacker.
There’s nothing wrong with paddling the canoe of an entry-level position while keeping your eyes on the yacht of entrepreneurship. Take the time to network with people who are in your field. Find out what it really takes to become your own boss and what kind of sacrifices of time, money, and energy it will take to be successful.
Ask yourself these questions in order to choose the perfect vehicle for you and your gift.
1. Where is your final destination? It is important that you always keep in mind where you want to end up.
2. Where is your next stop? What is your next goal? Is it a promotion at your current job? Is it going out on your own and doing a side project? Is it starting a family? See, this is the key question. Because the opportunity or vehicle for Robert—who is thirty, single, looking to be married, and wants a job that pays well but gives him plenty of family time—will not be the same vehicle for Stephanie—who is the same age, doesn’t want a family, and wants to be partner in a huge corporate law firm. What do you want? Can this get you to that place and set you up for the next trip?
3. Do you know how to operate this vehicle today just enough not to crash? That means you are not growing. Don’t go back to being a teacher in your old school when you know your next stop is principal. Is the vehicle out of your mastery, but controllable? That’s the drive you want. It’s challenging, fun, takes you out of your comfort zone, but . . . you can make it work. That’s where you need to be.
These questions will make sure you are focused on the right vehicle for you. This will also keep you from trying to buy matching Bugattis with a friend who isn’t even going to the same place that you’re going. Tailor your vehicle for your gift and your journey, and you will always be in the right ride.
List the best vehicles for your gift today.
Write down the kind of vehicles that you would like to use for your gift five to ten years from now.
Share one of your new rides with me using the hashtag #Vehicle4MyVictory@ActLikeASuccess.