Rod E. Smith personally called me on the telephone to congratulate me on my one year of blogging. Not an email or a comment. He called me at home.
I don’t know where he called from as he is a world traveler and helps conflicted families who fly him around the world to assist them in resolving seemingly insurmountable domestic or family-business dilemmas.
He is a family therapist, a writer and a professor.
He is also one of the top personal growth bloggers on the planet. He has 55,485 readers on his blog, Difficult Relationships.
But he made the time to call ME! To say I was thrilled is an understatement.
I was a blogger for only about two weeks when he sent me an email. He liked one of my articles on marriage and asked if it was OK to put it on his blog. I don’t even know how he found me. Of course I said yes even before I knew what a famous person he was.
It was the first time Google knew about me. I was too new to list.
I have to tell you I have run into this phenomenon before with the famous people. When I had a TV show -
Deepak Chopra arranged an interview for me with Wayne Dyer -
Wayne Dyer referred many authors to me -
Marianne Williamson promoted my new book by inviting me to speak at her huge church -
Andrew Weil came to his interview early and just hung out with my crew on the set -
Judith Viorst wrote to say it was the best interview on her tour -
All famous and busy people like Rod.
On the other hand, some new authors would hold up our production trying to renegotiate a standard release form. The big authors just signed it.
Maybe – that is how some of the big people got so big. They started helping people from the beginning and never stopped.
Rod gave me some advice when he called.
He said, “Forget about the stats on how many people come to read your blog.”
Then, he added, “Personal Growth bloggers are there to help people. The numbers will take care of themselves!”
Thanks, Rod, for the call.
More thanks for the good advice.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of our original intention.
Take a look at his blog. But be prepared. This was the first “Straight Talk Express!”
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
{ 1 trackback }
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Corinne:
What a thrill that must have been for you!! I know I would have been just as excited as you were if I had been the recipient of that call.
Up until know I hadn’t know about Rod but now I’m going to check his site out and find out why so many people subscribe to his blog. I’m surprised his name hadn’t bounced across my mind so I’m going to see what he’s all about. Thanks for telling us about this famous man. It’s great that he gets paid to fly around the world to counsel families in crises.
When did Marianne Williamson invite you to “her huge church”? I used to be a member of that church (originally called Renaissance Unity, originally called Church of Today). I must have missed you when that happened – but then I hadn’t known you at that point either.
Very interesting point about famous people. There are some who fight tooth and nail over the littlest things while others, those you mentioned above, are willing to bend over backwards to try and help.
It’s interesting you wrote this because a very famous author just agreed to review my book and possibly give me a testimony yesterday. I was surprised to receive an email from that office b/c I had grappled with whether or not to send an email asking for a testimony. My ego was under the impression that he gets way to many endorsement requests and that he wouldn’t want to be bothered with mine. Well, I shoved my ego aside and sent that man an email. And they responded! I was very surprised.
Thanks! Sorry to have written such a long comment but I loved this one!
Hi Stephen -
I was at Marianne’s church when she was the minister. Did a book talk there in fall of 2001 and then she invited me back to do a three hour seminar – not related especially to my book. About a year later.
Maybe you were gone from Detroit by then. If I had met you I would definitely remember you!
Good for you asking for testimonials. You will get them!
I have found a lot of people will give you a comment if you ask.
Enjoy Rod – his answers to his reader’s questions are quite unique. He definitely gives his opinion – no holds barred!
I was definitely there the year you were there giving a presentation. Hmmmmmm – I wonder what I was doing. Interesting.
Thanks for the all around support.
Keep up the good work.
Stephen Hopsons last blog post..Stephen Hopson Interview with Lorelle on WordPress Part II of IV
Hi Stephen -
The talks were about single women. If you saw it listed, you probably were not interested.
Which was foolish of you – there were some cute gals there! Lots of them!
Corinne … If only your blog audience knew about your impressive and long-lived work on your eleven-year reign on the long-gone Wisdom channel. Book Tours with Corinne Edwards. You were on every day at noon in Chicago and sometime several times a day. I taped your TV show every day for years before I originally met you at one of your own book tours. “Reflections of a Woman Alone”. An astoundingly honest account of how difficult really can be to be an older woman and “looking”. Probably the most revealing book I have ever read on that subject. And now you are into blogging in a big way. I know some bloggers have 60,000 hits and more and that is commendable, however, YOUR show and your work and your guests have “hit” millions and continue to do.I myself was privileged to learn from the guests you mentioned but also Dannion Brinkley, Andrew Harvey, Cheryl Richardson, John Hagelin and so many more. I think you did over 400 shows and I watched and taped most of them. WOW, what an education in personal growth I received from your show. SO, while blogging has its place, nothing but nothing has replaced your show and its ability to reach millions. I think your readers should know about your past life and the work that you have already accomplished. You just have a new venue only I wish every day that we could have another channel like Wisdom and we could watch your brilliant interviews with the latest group of healers. No one could interview like you. Maybe some day a smart producer will figure this one out. Your show was all about your guests and not about Corinne. You should be giving classes on interviewing. If your work is counted in souls reached – you are the absolute super star.
And of course, as technology changes, so do you. Of course.
Corinne:
I loved reading Grace’s incredible comment for you. She’s exactly right – everything she said was right on the mark.
Grace is a “true fan” of yours. Just like you’re a true fan of mine (and vice versa).
Did you see the “1,000 True Fans” article? You can see it here:
http://tinyurl.com/32zzlp
Enjoy your fourth of July.
Stephen Hopsons last blog post..Stephen Hopson Interview with Lorelle on WordPress Part II of IV
HI Corinne,
Congrats on the call! I LOVED church of today the few times I went when Marianne was there – and I’m sure i saw Stephen then as well, but I haven’t been back in years – but my sister still lives in the area. I agree with Grace, we need a new TV show. My satellite TV gets VERIA (I think that is how you spell it) and a GREEN channel, both are interesting and have good shows, but each may be a bit more focused than Wisdom was. Has anyone else seen those channels?
Corinne, could you get on one of those perhaps?
I miss Wisdom. I only got it for a short time.
Dear Michelle – and Grace -
Yes, we all miss Wisdom Television but as someone once told me, “You were on longer than Seinfeld!” So, I really can’t complain. I loved doing the show however.
I understand my show is now bought by a Canadian company and is being shown there in reruns.
Has anyone seen it there? Please let me know.
Hmmmm – Veria? Will look into that. You never know.
In the meantime, I am loving blogging!
Hi Corinne,
I totally agree with you…I have met a few multi millionaires and they all are so helpful and they genuinely want to help you succeed at what you want.
They are unselfish and not afraid to teach you everything they know. I have also met people who are willing to share but were harping on asking for a price first.
Between the 2 groups, of course the generous and helpful ones are really successful.
This really changed my mindset that rich and famous folks are snobbish. In fact, after learning from T Harv Eker, I love rich and successful folks because they are the nicest people!
Rgds,
Hai Liang
Hai Liangs last blog post..Secret Wealth Files 1-2 (Week 1)
Dear Hai Liang -
As you said -
“the generous and helpful ones are really successful.”
Let us keep that in mind!
Well I am your #1 biggest fan and you’re famous to me and have always been wonderful as well. Remember all these folks get up, brush their teeth, shower, get dressed, and have all the same foibles as we “regular” people. Thanks for reminding us!
It’s nice to know I have a #1 fan like you out there.
Thanks for always making a comment and joining in the conversation!
Lots of them from you this week. I appreciate your taking so much time to support my blog, Penelope!
“Personal Growth bloggers are there to help people. The numbers will take care of themselves!”
That’s it in a nutshell. I hope everyone paid attention. I sure as hell did. That’s been the message I’ve been getting for about a week. Just blog. Help people.
I’m really glad you shared this story, Corinne.
Tom Stine | Spiritual Life Coachs last blog post..In Spiritual Life There Is No Room for Compromise – Jack Kornfield
You are right, Tom –
We are all here to help each other – not just bloggers!
And the biggest and the best really do – as I said in this article.
Got to keep my fingers off that Analytics button!