Why You Need A Little More Evel Knievel In You

I didn't write it, but I would like to have written it. I'd like to take credit for it, but it's from the Early to Rise newsletter. I just got an email from them, and the subject line—which of course is the title—is, "Why You Need a Little More Evel Knievel in You."

It's always a sales letter coming from them—they're a very professional, very well-organized publishing house. I have to say I didn't read the email or look at the website. All I needed to have and experience to share with you was the title.

By the way, that indicates how good they are, right? And you know, during these times I'm assuming what they mean is that we that we all need to be willing to take calculated risks. Evel Knievel had, as you well know, a very glorious—and you might say checkered—career.

I mean, he was in a number of lawsuits, and he got into some nasty fights, and he had more broken bones than anybody in the world. He’s in Guinness Book of World Records for it. And they also say that he died very well off—he did manage his career well. It wasn't all just stupid, senseless recklessness, although a bold sense of adventure and recklessness was in his character.

And I'm not advising you to go out and physically act like that. But as he went on, he began to take calculated risks, and he had a dream. He had a big dream to jump the Grand Canyon.

People routinely get killed jumping cars, vehicles, helicopters, you name it. It's a real threat—and of course he was one of the originals who really brought thrill-bike riding into the public eye. Did that happen by accident? He could've just been a thug in his own neighborhood. No, that didn't happen by accident.

And when he went to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, it was a massive, promotionalized, T.V. covered, profitable event, highly orchestrated. That didn't happen by accident. When he strapped into that rocket motorcycle, it had a parachute on it, so that if something didn't go right he could survive.

Which is exactly what happened. He strapped in and he was taking a real thrill. He was in the saddle. But he was playing it smart, like a sportsman does. He had his backdoor covered. No, he didn't make it successfully, but guess what? That never really mattered in Evel Knievel's career either, now did it?

Just like Roger Staubach, the great quarterback. He blew it three times when it came down to him in the Super Bowl, trying to connect with a pass. He went on to be a super-successful business man who helped a lot of people and did some good business. His failures in the Super Bowl never seemed to matter.

Taking the big risk is like that. Even if you don't always get it perfect, look, you were there! Roger Staubach led the Dallas Cowboys three different times to the Super Bowl. That has to have some value. Our buddy Evel Knievel, just like Roger Staubach, was living life to the max, doing exactly what he wanted to do. Doing it intentionally to capitalize on it.

He strapped in and at least attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon! Colossal scale. Living, as the poet says, "life writ large." Living to the max.

I encourage you to have a little more Evel Knievel in your life!