@I KNEW I COULD, I KNOW I CAN, AND I DID!
I was once allowed to be interviewed by Dr. Thomas Stanley for a book he was writing. Dr. Stanley is a well-known author and taught business at both The University of Georgia and Georgia State University. The opportunity came through his relationship with my accountant, who I was introduced to a year earlier. My accountant became interested in me as a client first because I was a substantial volume stock day trader and my experience in the carpet industry. He was particularly interested in my day trading operation. At the time, day trading was a relatively new way of playing the stock market and was considered very exciting and profitable. It also generated an exceptional amount of bookkeeping revenue. Also, I was very successful at it, and I employed two traders.
Dr. Stanley was also one of his clients and asked him if he knew any of his other clients who may be interested in being interviewed for his new book, The Millionaire Mind. He had already written a best seller named “The Millionaire Next Door.” I was contacted along with some other clients for my participation. Of course, being the ham that I am, I jumped at the opportunity. I really had no idea what the interview would entail, but I thought if my accountant endorsed it, I would be safe, and it probably would be an enjoyable experience. It turned out to be fun and allowed me to tell parts of my story.
The interview format was more like a board meeting with twelve or thirteen subjects sitting around a huge oval conference table with Dr. Stanley at one end and the accountant at the other. I was seated about number eight, going clockwise.
One by one, the interview started. One person had inherited a business, and one graduated from a very prestigious university; one was just a regular guy who developed an inventory control system for Home Depot and rescued a second-rate computer company in the process. Interestingly he was just a junior salesman at the time. Many of the others were born with silver spoons. Each subject was given about fifteen minutes to be questioned and tell their story, except the computer guy Dr. Stanley seems to be very interested in. Then came my turn, and by witnessing the previous interviews, I gathered my thoughts, and I was prepared. Question after question came to me by both Dr. Stanley and the accountant. I answered all without hesitation, and along with most, I told a little tale. It seemed like the time flew by, but when my interview was completed, my time went well over an hour. Upon completing all the interviews, Dr. Stanley cornered me and informed me that he thought my portion of the interview was the most genuine and interesting and would definitely be in his book. He said I was exactly what he was looking for to illustrate some issues involving formal education. Apparently, my idea of the necessity for a formal education not being a prerequisite for success financially or generally success life stuck a note. Evidently, my ideas were ahead of the curve.
The interviews went very well. It seemed to be an enjoyable event for all involved. I know I felt that way. I had the opportunity to meet some very nice people. Dr. Stanley presented each one of us with a one hundred dollar bill for the time spent. I had mine autographed by Dr. Stanley, and Carole had mine mounted in a beautiful frame along with a copy of the book for all to see.
The most amazing part of the story is that I considered myself somewhat of a failure most of my life, even though I made some money. So how did I ever reach the lofty level of being recognized by Dr. Stanley as a successful businessman? After some serious and intensive soul searching, I found that I was a beast of a worker almost twenty-four seven through the years, regardless of the task. Rarely was I denied, and I carry that attribute even today at the age of 78. I can think of many times I failed, but I turned that failure into success most of the time. I have done so many things in my life that were unimaginable and challenging for a guy like me.
At the time The Millionaire Mind was published, I was at the top of my game. Carole and I decided to totally retire and move to Hilton Head, SC, from Atlanta, looking for a permanent home on the beach. I owned four homes and an airplane. We really had some money. As this story goes, I will always feel the book became the kiss of death for me financially. Within five months of relocating, I nearly lost all of my wealth due to some very aggressive and bad investments. It was during Y2K, and Alan Greenspan evidently did not care for my idea of retirement. At the age of fifty-eight, I decided to reinvent myself. It had become time to dig deep and get back into the game. I reminded myself that I had done this before and I can do it again, and I did. I have made a satisfying comeback. Not to where I was, but not too bad for a guy my age. Once again, I did it.
If you pick up a copy of the book (there are still some around), the section of the book titled The Case of Mr. Warren is about me. Pages 107 to 117.
