The BIGG Successs Show
A Love Story with a Lesson
How one man turned his adversity into an advantage. Read our show summary at biggsuccess.com.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today, we'll share a love story with lessons. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. This is a story we heard a long time ago. It's about a young man named John, and from the time John started talking, he had always spoken with a severe speech impediment. But he was a bright young man who went off to a small college. While going to school, a pretty young woman named Lisa caught his eye. Lisa was very popular and very well-liked it seemed. She was charismatic, outgoing. Almost every guy in the school wanted to go out with Lisa. Now, the first time John saw Lisa, he fell in love. So he always kept his eye on her. And one day, she was walking across the campus, and John was hanging out with his friends on the lawn. He said to his friends, with his heavy speech disorder, "I'm going to marry that girl." His friends laughed out loud and not in a mean-spirited way. They were just surprised that John had the gumption to think that the most popular girl on campus would be interested in him at all, let alone marry him. They thought he was aiming way too high, and they didn't want him to get hurt. So they discouraged him. They told him what they thought he needed to hear. They said, "John, she can have any guy she wants on this campus. There is no way she'll go out with you." But John didn't care what they thought. He only cared what was in his heart, what he thought, and he wanted to marry Lisa. But he also knew that he needed to start by getting a date. That was the first step. But he wasn't even ready to ask her for a date because he had this severe speech impediment, and he wanted to impress her when he asked her out. So here's what he did. John began spending hours in front of his mirror every day, rehearsing one single question over and over again. May I please have a date with you? May I please have a date with you? May I please have a date with you? The hours turned into days. The days turned into weeks, and John kept practicing that one single question that cut to the essence of what he wanted Lisa to respond to. May I please have a date with you? May I please have a date with you? May I please have a date with you? The weeks turned into months, and John still kept practicing over and over again in front of his mirror. So he could deliver that single question just the way he wanted. And coming up, the moment finally arrives, John is ready to ask Lisa for a date. - Today we're telling the story about John and Lisa, and John fell in love with Lisa the first time he saw her, but he had a problem. He had a severe speech impediment. So he practiced and practiced in front of his mirror for months, perfecting the one question he wanted to ask Lisa, and the day finally arrived when he felt he was ready. - He saw Lisa sitting and studying outdoors at the campus coffee shop. He was nervous, but he had worked too hard not to go through with this. He had to know her answer to his question. So he stepped up to Lisa's table and said, May I please have a date with you? - Lisa was stunned. She knew John because she'd had classes with him. She knew about his speech impediment. She had never heard him speak clearly before. Now he's asking her on a date, and he could say the word so perfectly. She knew how hard he must have worked to be able to utter that single question, just to ask her out. And that made such an impression on her that she said yes. - So John turned his adversity into his advantage. He got a date with the most popular girl on campus. And by the way, in case you're wondering, Lisa did say yes to another question that John asked later, they got married. - Well, George, now my eyes are all watery. - That's a great story, isn't it? - It is. And if you were touched by this story as well, share it with a friend. Just click on our share this button on our blog today at bigsuccess.com. That's also where we have a written summary of today's show, and let's get our big quote for the day. - Our quote today comes from the great Norman Vincent Peele who said, "Life's blows cannot break a person whose spirit is warmed at the fire of enthusiasm." - And remember that it only takes a spark to get a fire going. - Next time, we'll share the characteristics of the charismatic, how to be more likable. - Until then, here's to your big success. - The Big Success Show at B-I-G-G Success.com. (dramatic music) [BLANK_AUDIO]