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“The issue is you, it ain’t the world. The person that has to change is you.” These powerful words were spoken by Robert Fiacco, an inspirational speaker and author, during a Thursday morning TSI Talks at Townsquare Interactive. 50+ young professionals had the honor of listening to Mr. Fiacco coach them on success and how to choose it to help them win.
Fiacco opened his presentation by addressing life choices and how one of those life choices should be to choose success. “Success is a choice,” he lamented to the group. He further explained that what they need to be successful is inspiration, not motivation. The difference between motivation and inspiration being that the first is what makes you plan, but the latter is what makes you move. Finding inspiration or being inspired is how people achieve and pursue their dreams. However, with only 8% of people writing down their goals it’s no wonder many people stop short of their dreams or give up on greatness before they have the chance to experience it. Mr. Fiacco equipped the group with four keys to move Townsquare Interactive’s employees into success every day.
- Plan – You will get nowhere without a roadmap to your destination.
- Action – Nothing will happen unless you ACT on your plan.
- Adjust – If something isn’t working adjust! Staying the same will get you nowhere.
- Persistence – Keep going even when it gets hard and you don’t like it. Don’t quit.
Although simple principles and tools, Mr. Fiacco understands what many don’t: Simplicity confounds us all. Society takes the simple and mundane for granted because how can simple actions lead to great success? He knows because he’s living it and shared his experience through each relatable short story and comedic anecdote. There’s nothing like trying to inspire an assumed homeless kid with a saying on a bottle of water only to find out his mom drives a Mercedes – one of the many anecdotes of comic relief during an otherwise profound message.
Just like the four keys to success, Fiacco shared that there are also the ‘Lies of Success,’ a chapter used from Tony Robbins’ book Unlimited Power that helped him get through tough times on his road to success. Robert believes these lies, as do many others, and because of that their lives have been forever changed. The Seven Lies of Success are as follows with commentary by Robert Fiacco and how he interprets them.
- Everything happens for a reason and a purpose and it serves us – Faced with a severe limp due to a congenital hip, Robert could’ve allowed this to bring him down or stop him, but he chose to handle his situation with a light heart and some humor.
- There is no such thing as failure – You only fail when you quit trying and you are never a failure until you stop trying to win. Fiacco quoted Star Wars’ Yoda to drive home his point, “There is no try, only do or do not.”
- Whatever happens, take responsibility – Great leaders are those who own their mistakes and emotions. Moving on and letting go is another aspect of this that Robert believes helps more leaders hone success.
- It’s not necessary to understand everything to be able to use everything – Robert stressed that fear holds more people back in this world than anything. Don’t stop yourself from succeeding thinking you need to know it all. You’ll never be an expert in it all so don’t try.
- People are your greatest resource – Fiacco explained an interesting test of character to the employees while addressing this point. He told them that how they treat the everyday person is who they are in actuality, and reminded them that in a people business you have to care about everyone. Doing anything for someone else in service of yourself will not yield greatness or results.
- Work is play – with the following quote from Mark Twain, Fiacco was able to remind Townsquare Interactive’s employees to love what they do and focus on the positive rather than focusing on the negative. “To make your vocation your vacation is success”.– Mark Twain.
- There’s no abiding success without commitment – Commit to something or nothing! Absolute commitment will give you the passion to not quit.
Mr. Fiacco rounded out his presentation by reciting Calvin Cooley’s poem, Persistence from memory and reminded his listeners that they have a choice, and they can choose success. Following his presentation Townsquare Interactive employees asked about the types of books he reads and recommends to help them create a winning environment, and also asked him about his daily habits to ensure a positive start and finish to their day.
Many Townsquare Interactive employees departed the presentation with insightful takeaways, and a repertoire full of tools to arm them with what they need to succeed and win, not just in work, but in life. Aerin Spruill, Content Manager, shared her thoughts, “I’m a strong believer in synchronicity. I woke up in a bad mood and had the choice to let the rest of the day’s events follow that attitude. After hearing Robert’s amazing presentation, I felt inspired to face the day head on and with a positive attitude. I am so thankful I was present and prepared to receive a good word this morning.”
Reid Karle, Quality Assurance Manager had the following to say regarding his experience of the presentation, “Don’t ever give up, life is a series of choices – you have the choice to be successful, and look within yourself for change if things are not working…”
Meghan Shewchuk loved Robert’s presentation and summed it up perfectly “… [I] thought his presentation was perfect for our company. He was not only inspiring but made everything he was talking about relatable to us and what we’re currently doing at Townsquare Interactive. His story was inspiring and he was able to keep us engaged (or at least I was) the entire time. It was really a pleasure to have him come in and share his story with us and give us inspiration for our day and future!”
Inspiration can come in many forms, but there’s nothing like experiencing the success of others in your own front yard to inspire you to, not just win today, but make the choice to win every day.