“In the 90’s there was a famous TV talk show host who developed the reputation of going to stand-up comedian shows around the country and stealing their jokes for his monologue. He was widely despised for doing this. The problem many people have is they think the little people steal from the big. The little people don’t get the credit they deserve and get blamed.

They think the poor take from the rich when it’s the other way around often. The rich take from the poor keeping them poor. This happens in the self-improvement field quite often. The big shiny objects often take their ideas from the lesser-known authors and speakers. They promote other people’s work and ideas as their own.

NOTE: Yes it can and it does happen the other way around. That is NOT the point today.

Thus, the big wigs or big fish circumvent the ability of the lesser known to use and market their own original ideas. Because the big fish has the money and marketing machinery to preempt others from using it. They farm the field of others’ work and claim it as their own. They often take ideas and put them in books and programs and popularize them far and wide.

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That means when the lesser known presents their original material, they appear to be a copycat. I’ve had some of these big fish send people into my own seminars and copiously take notes. After a few days they disappear. Thereafter, I’ve seen my work show up online, in programs and in their books. I am not the only person this has happened too.

Why is this important? Because it matters who you listen to! It matters who you align with. If you get wrong information from one who got it wrong originally, you perpetuate the errors instead of more easily moving ahead. If they’re willing to deceive or don’t know the ‘truth,’ where does that leave you? Seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness… Get it?

Lack of accuracy happens a lot. That said, no ideas are completely original, and no one really owns anything. Things come through us. We build on the ideas of those who came before us. No one in any business is truly self-made. Every one of us owes our success to someone else. Sometimes we owe it to people in foreign lands who are picking coffee beans.

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We owe those planting plants or manufacturing products for someone who ships them elsewhere. We owe those who made the implements used to plant or manufacture. We owe the shipping magnates who get us the products on boats, and planes and vehicles built from those who manufactured all the tools and materials to build those boats.

We owe all the people who work those boats and the people on the docks and those who made the docks, cut the trees, those who transported the trees, to those who truck the goods and all those who made the trucks and the components and mined the metals and formed the plastics, to get to stores built by more people we never will know.

Operated by people who stock the shelves and sell the goods that we can buy and take home to our homes built by people in our neighborhood from all around the world. Those who marketed and sold the homes. The industries have risen that all serve us. They insure us. Those who protect us. We live because of so many unseen and un-thanked others.

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From the very first stone carved into a wheel. It takes a village to raise a child, said Hilary Clinton. The whole world operates together in concert, in cooperation, in competition to make what we now experience as our present world. Heroes and sung and unsung. Known and unknown. But most people only care about the result.

Most people only know about and care about shiny objects and popular people who became popular because of their efforts and the efforts of so many others. People don’t realize all those who work hard to make things happen. Frequently, those hard workers are robbed of their moment by the big wigs. It is what it is. That’s where we are at. All of us matter.

I’m in the movie business. Whenever I see a scene in a show with lots of holes dug, or parades, or lots of garbage, I think of the people who dug the holes and had to fill them back up. I know there are those who had to clean up after the parade just for a few moments of movie going entertainment. So many little people make so many things happen.

They do it without fanfare. All our highways and byways are made by so many nameless people, who had they not done the work we’d not have the highways and byways. In some cases, people are well compensated. In other cases, they are not. Sweatshop laborers are a reality. Child workers are a reality.

In the quest for fame, sometimes the big fish are the worst offenders. They take from others to lead the field, to stay on top, just as corporations exploit workers for massive profits for their CEOs, officers and shareholders. Sometimes the thievery is subtle, sometimes it’s blatant. Sometimes it is stealing a quote, sometimes it’s stealing someone’s life work.

Sometimes they take it and rename it or make it dissimilar in some ways. Sometimes they don’t change a thing. Still, renaming, or saying ‘I call it’…  is one of the ways of taking credit for something for which one may or may not deserve credit. Integrity is lacking not only in show business but in the personal development field.

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This’ s why it’s important who you listen to and learn from. Not all lesser knowns should remain lesser known. They’ve great offerings but difficulty getting the word out. Not all big fish are telling the truth, showing the way or even know what the correct approach is. Some are just ‘show people’ who got known for a message, but don’t walk their talk.

In the same way some celebrities who play nice people in their shows are nasty a-holes in real life. Same with some speakers and authors. Everyone may have skeletons. All have feet of clay. Still, some are ethical and walk their talk and talk their walk with honesty, transparency, and integrity. Others do not.

Some are in it to help others get ahead. Others use those people to help themselves get ahead. Understand all that glitters is not gold. Keep in mind there is something called fool’s gold and fake gold and gold plating. Some things, some people are not as they appear and that is true in every field in life. Be discerning. Be skeptical but not cynical.

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Don’t parrot because all that means is without knowing much you repeat what someone else said but with the experience. It’s without the knowledge. It’s without the background or history. It becomes a platitude you adapt from someone who may not have made the original quote because you don’t know any better. Bother to look deeper. Bother to get experience.

You may not care whether it is original, borrowed or stolen. You may not care about the unknowns who contribute to your development or ease of life. It may or may not matter in the grand scheme but do your best to live with integrity. Do your best to help others and appreciate your place in the process and theirs. You may not be able to thank everyone.

But be thankful. Be grateful so many do for you and for me what we couldn’t. We are all in it together. Leaders are people too. Not all leaders are worthy leaders. Some are. But leadership is a concept. If you want to lead, do what others are not willing to do. Be an example. Be true to your word and true to those who listen. Be authentic. Give first. Help show the way by example. Make a positive difference by serving others honestly and legitimately and you will make a real difference. You will have your needs met by meeting the needs of others. Get it? Celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes