I had worked at my first sales job for 18 months and had nothing impressive to brag about whatsoever.

One by one, every “deal” I had worked on crashed and burned.

But this one was different. A guy at U.S. Steel had called me in and I quoted a $1.1 million optical profiler project, a technology he had great difficulty procuring elsewhere. I was deliriously excited about the prospects of a $55,000 commission check.

The whole thing evaporated right before my eyes. I spent an hour on the phone trying to save the project from death. Then Wally called me in his office and informed me:

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I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most talented people in marketing today and it’s a thrill to just be in their company. Today I’d like to tell you something about the very best ones, that most people never notice.

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Doncha just love these lyrics by the Traveling Wilburys?

I’ve been fobbed and I’ve been fooled
I’ve been robbed and ridiculed
In daycare centers and night schools
Handle me with care

Been stuck in airports, terrorized
Sent to meetings hypnotized
Overexposed, commercialized
Handle me with care…

Pretty much describes the state of most online marketers, doesn’t it?

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There’s a great book by Don Miller called “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.” At the beginning of this book, Don suddenly realizes:

“If my life were a movie, it would be so boring nobody would ever care to watch it.”

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Yesterday at TED in California, I spoke with a Radiation Oncologist – a cancer doc. (Fun job, huh?) She told the story of her patient.

An older woman found out her cancer had spread to her brain. She was terminal. Not a question of whether, just a question of when.

She and her 62 year old husband hoped that she could make it long enough to celebrate their upcoming 38th anniversary.

The doctor found out she loved a certain violinist…

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