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1st in line to get motivated

TONY MECIA

Staff Writer
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/busi.../8536782.htm?1c

Of the 15,000 people seeking motivation in the Charlotte Coliseum on Tuesday, none are more eager to show up than David Byrum and Dave Rosen.

It's 6:15 a.m., nearly two hours before the Get Motivated! seminar started with its fireworks and roving searchlights and up-tempo music, and the friends -- two 30-something former military guys -- are the first to claim seats.

They're here this early to get a good view of the big names -- former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Carolinas Panthers coach John Fox and quarterback Jake Delhomme. And they wanted to save prime seats for a dozen of their co-workers at the Charlotte office of Premier Mortgage, where they're senior loan officers.

Though the day's not scheduled to end until 5 p.m., neither seems worried about losing steam.

"You've got to be motivated in this business," explains Byrum, 32, as he shoos away people looking to poach the seats he's claimed. "You've got to be high-energy, high-intensity and have a good attitude. If you don't have those qualities, people won't send business your way."

While Byrum talks motivation, Rosen shows it. He pumps his fist over his head, shouts "Yeah!" as emcee Tamara Lowe takes the stage at 8 a.m., her high-energy image projected onto giant color screens above her and all around her.

Says Lowe: "You don't want to be here because you want to be successful. You already are successful!" The scoreboard above her reads: "Get Motivated! Get Motivated! Get Motivated!"

Tuesday's seminar, also held simultaneously as the speakers shuttled to an expected 5,000 at Cricket Arena, drew all kinds. Major corporations, including Wachovia Corp., Duke Energy and Bell South, sent employees. The Hendersonville High School baseball team was there. So were owners of small businesses and at-home enterprises.

Rosen and Byrum met at a Bible college in Florida. They became friends after Rosen, who is of Jewish descent, argued in a theology class with Byrum, who's Italian, over who killed Jesus. Both committed their lives to Christ and later moved to Rock Hill with their wives and children, and found jobs together at Premier Mortgage.

As the emcee began an introduction of one of the first speakers, the two looked at each other and nodded knowingly.

"It's Zig Ziglar," Rosen said, eyes open wide.

Then, Patti LaBelle's 1984 hit "New Attitude" blared from speakers, white fireworks shot from the stage and Ziglar walked up the stairs to a loud ovation.

Ziglar, 77, is well known in sales circles for his motivational tapes and books. With an announcer's voice, his delivery alternated between fast-paced rat-a-tat and slow, low bits of wisdom. Among them: Work every day as though it's your last day before vacation.

Throughout the day, speakers shared many such pearls: "Act like you've already won, and victory will be yours" and "You don't drown by falling in water. You only drown if you stay there," and "A winner's approach is, `I can do that for you.' A loser will say, `That ain't my job.' "

To be sure, the seminar is a money-making opportunity for Get Motivated Seminars Inc. of Tampa, Fla., which runs similar events around the country every few weeks with a roster of big-name speakers. Companies paid $49 to send an officeful of employees; tickets at the door were $225. The constantly referenced programs were $22 apiece, and tapes and CD sets were available on the concourse for between $219 and $649.

The only complaint from those interviewed at the Coliseum was the traffic jams.

Alex McCrary, 35, a plastics salesman in Harrisburg, said the event made him realize that "even when things are down and out, you can see positives out of what's going on."

The big names doled out plenty of advice.

Delhomme talked about keeping a level head under pressure and believing in teamwork.

Fox described the traits he tries to instill in Panthers players, such as poise, confidence, self-control and cooperation.

Lynch, the Army private evacuated from an Iraqi hospital by U.S. commandos a year ago, walked slowly up to the stage with a cane in her right hand and answered questions from a moderator about her dramatic rescue in Iraq. She offered this advice: "Never give up. Giving up wasn't an option for me at the time of my need. If I could survive the ordeal I went through, most people can survive in their daily lives."
The two early risers, Rosen and Byrum, missed Fox, Lynch and the rest of the afternoon program. They left after lunch, too tired from a long day of being motivated.

But they said even a half-day taught valuable lessons. Byrum said he's mindful of one observation by Ziglar that the word "stressed" spelled backward is "desserts," which he took to mean think big-picture, relax and enjoy the rewards.

"Sometimes I forget to slow down and think clearly and get a good plan together," Byrum said Tuesday afternoon from his cell phone, on his way home to take a nap. "I'm going to be more relaxed, maybe just slow down, plan out my day a little more efficiently and maybe use my time a little more wisely."