Ten Little Words...

that have kept me on track over the last 34 years

by Gregg Gregory

It was September 1973 and I was a junior in high school. From 1954-1994, my high school only had two principals and Frank Tracy took over in the fall of 1973. He wanted to leave his mark early on. It was a hot September afternoon when we had his first assembly in the gym.

My high school graduating class had 751 students and the classes before us and after us had about the same. This meant that in this assembly we had over 2,300 people including teachers, administrators and staff in the gym this hot September afternoon.

As Mr. Tracy began to speak, I noticed he was speaking to the students and not at the students. Somewhere into his speech he paused and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to share with you the secret to success. The secret to success is really quite simple and it comes in just 10 little words. Like the Gettysburg address delivered by President Lincoln in 1863, these are all simple words. In fact, each word has just one syllable and two letters. It is when you string these 10 little words in this particular order that they become the secret to your success. I don’t mean just your success at High Point High School; I mean your success throughout life.”

Now let’s be clear, I am a junior boy in high school, so am I really listening to what he’s saying? What is more important? Girls, Cars, Sports, and Food are way more important and, depending on the day of the week and time of day, will actually determine what is more important at any given time.

The fact is I am not sure whether I remember this from the fall of 1973 or if it was at the graduation for the class of 1974. Or maybe in the fall of 1974 (my Senior year) when he had the same assembly. Maybe it was at my graduation or at the graduation for the class of 1976. In fact, even after I graduated, many of my friends' younger siblings heard the same words. Several years later, as I became director of youth activities at my church, many of those kids were graduating from High Point and subsequently heard the words. I then heard them again at their graduations.

I did not realize I was actually living the words until almost 20 years after I graduated from high school. Somewhere along the line I realized I had never had a job where I relied on a salary to pay my bills. Every job in my adult life has either been 100% commission or my own company. As a manager, I received a small salary with the bulk of my income coming from the production of others on the team.

After I came to this realization, I began to practice living the words on a regular basis. I even purchased a card with 10 little words on the card and sent it to Mr. Tracy.

High Point high school is located in the metropolitan area of Washington DC and I have had the pleasure of speaking on a regular basis. In a few of my workshops, I have had High Point graduates in the class and as I begin this story they look at their neighbor in the class and say “I know the words”. That is the impact that Mr. Tracy had on everyone he met.

At the opening day for the 1999 Baltimore Orioles baseball season, I was walking and noticed a man coming towards me. As I looked closer, I realized it was Mr. Tracy. I stopped him and said “Good morning Mr. Tracy. How are you?” He responded, “Good morning Mr. Gregory. I am wonderful and how are you?” It was almost 24 years since I had graduated and he still remembered my name.

I can truly say that these 10 little words have been my personal focus on my life, both personal as well as professional. I guess you could say they have been the track I have been running on for years and I would like to continue the Frank Tracy tradition and share them with you now. Please write them down and read them everyday in the morning before you begin your day. Remember there are just two letters for each word.

IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME.

It is not up to your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your aunt or uncle, your cousin, your friends, your company, your boss or even your co-worker. It is up to you and only you.

Gregg Gregory is an award-winning speaker, sales trainer, and executive coach who delights audiences, electrifies managers and leaders, and transforms teams. Gregg Gregory is the recipient of the coveted CSP designation from the National Speakers Association, in recognition of his accomplishments in speaking and training.

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