"Get Motivated" - anyone going?

[chris00nj]

I had mixed feelings about it. The headlines speakers were really good. I thought Lou Holtz was the best. We were only 50 feet away so we got a pretty good view. I'm not going to review the other headline speakers because it'll start another political firestorm.

In between, there were some no-name speakers. They were great speakers, but they were always hawking another product: a book or a seminar for a low-low price. One gave a high level, generic personal finance advice, but then really tell you how to make money at another seminar. Another guy was hawking seminars to teach you how to day trade and he made it appear as if it was incredibily easy. People were flocking to sign up! It rubbed me the wrong way, like it was promising get rich quick.

Sometimes it was a bit rah rah: "Isn't American great?" (Yeah!) "Isn't God wonderful?!" (Yeah!) "Aren't the troops, the best?!" (Yeah!) "Buy my book!" (Yeah!)

The whole event was more pedestrian than I thought it was. I envisioned people wearing nothing more casual than a pair of trousers and a button down shirt (or its female attire equivalent), but there were people in jeans and casual wear. (Of course, they were the people flocking to sign up for the get rich quick seminars)

In between some speakers, a guy would get up and sing about motivation and want you to get up and clap (I didn't). It felt it was a strange combination of Lakewood Church and a high school pep rally.

On the photography aspect, I only brought the Leica III and 50/3.5 elmar, because it can fit easily in my coat pocket. Again, I was expecting a different atmosphere. In hindsight I could have easily brought another longer lens. I probably could have brought any camera I wanted to. Security restrictions were light (except for bottled water!) Even a 100 or 135mm lens would have been quite good from where I was sitting. I took a roll of black & white and will have to develop it.

The event got crowded and went over fire code capacity. So that meant, that at lunchtime, if you left, you wouldn't be able to get back in. As a result, the lines for food were extremely long and ridiculuously slow. The message of motivated apparently ended at the top of the stairs out of the arena, because the food workers moved at a dead snails pace. (I never got lunch.)

[Coogie]

I remember while I was in HS in Indiana (more than 15 years ago) one of our teachers put on a Lou Holtz motivational speaker video for us to watch. He was pretty good going on about how he used to sell grave plots etc...Unfortunately, around the same time, the SNL character, Matt Foley (Chris Farley) was popular on the show so all I could think of was the whole "You're going to end up living in a van down by the river" routine.

[chris00nj]

I thought of Chris Farley multiple times yesterday.

[dixonduke]

I set up myself and my entire Houston and select staff from other areas to go, (per their request). I was unable to make it, but they all did.

Reported back to me this morning that they enjoyed it. The speakers were live and in person.

I will say that those of my team that I have spoken to this morning are very pleased. Lou Holtz was the hands down favorite, followed by a speaker in the middle of the day, that they can't remember his name, but was described to me as the "Andrew Dice Clay" of motivational speaking. (no curse words though).

I am disappointed that I was unable to attend, but I am happy that my team enjoyed it. And yes, I paid them to attend this.

[chris00nj]

Originally Posted by dixonduke

I set up myself and my entire Houston and select staff from other areas to go, (per their request). I was unable to make it, but they all did.

Reported back to me this morning that they enjoyed it. The speakers were live and in person.

I will say that those of my team that I have spoken to this morning are very pleased. Lou Holtz was the hands down favorite, followed by a speaker in the middle of the day, that they can't remember his name, but was described to me as the "Andrew Dice Clay" of motivational speaking. (no curse words though).

I am disappointed that I was unable to attend, but I am happy that my team enjoyed it. And yes, I paid them to attend this.

The "Andrew Dice Clay" (without curse words) of motivational speaking is a great description of him. I, too, forget his name. He kinda turned me off in the beginning: He said not to just drink the koolaid that people tell you but then he repeated the flawed statistic that a woman only make 72% of what a man makes.