The Stuff That Really Matters

The closing act of our Annual Dawson Alumni Retreat dinner saw us entertained by the magic, musings, and heartfelt messages of Mr. Andy Hickman. This was the second time Andy has performed for our alumni (the last time being 10 years ago at our 25th Alumni Reunion) so we felt it was time to bring him back to share his timeless message with a new group of Dawson Academy students.

The name for his act was The Magic of the Future is You, and he accomplished his objectives through poignant stories and mind blowing magic tricks (we’re still wondering about how he managed that ‘dream house’ trick). The title of his act alludes to Andy’s belief that our personal futures are shaped by two elements; the choices we make, and the commitments we honor. He was quick to point out that everyone in attendance had made a wise choice to further their knowledge by attending The Dawson Academy, but it was just as important to honor that commitment by becoming heroes to others in our lives with these new skills that have been learned.

In addition, we also received a new acronym for our personal growth?DIMTY, which stands for Do I Matter To You?. The message is to focus on other people in our lives, and by doing so, we can make ourselves stand out.

Andy repeatedly demonstrated this fact throughout his entire act as he called just about every one of the 150 people in attendance by their first names. This was probably the best trick of the night considering he had only met 90% of the audience the previous day and a half by circulating around our gatherings. Now if you are like me (and chances are good that many of you are) I ask you?how often have you been in a gathering of less than 10 people and not been able to recall more than a single person’s name afterwards…much less everyone’s name?

Andy would point out the reason we can’t remember people’s names is because they don’t matter to us on a personal level. However the good new is, that this power is within all of us, and all we need to do is to start putting others first. This magic trick is accomplished by loving others more than we love ourselves, because in doing so, we make them matter to us. DIMTY? Know it. Learn it. Love it!

At the end of the night of laughs and tears, Andy left us with a closing thought to ponder about how we can become a hero in our daily lives. Addressing all of his new found friends he remarked, We can live our lives by being a hero for each other. As you pursue excellence you don’t have to make a choice between being an excellent dentist AND being an excellent husband, wife, grandparent, etc. The truth is, YOU can be both!

All we have to do is make our choices, and honor our commitments. After all, that magic is in each of us, we just need to spend more time performing it.

Suggested reading:

To learn the secrets about creating your future, we suggest Andy’s book: Stuff That Really Matters. This eye-opening book is written in an easy-to-read style that will not only entertain, but also educate, challenge, and inspire you.

Learn the magic tricks of:

• Experiencing more successful relationships
• Valuable parenting skills
• How to remember the names of your customers
• How to create a personal mission statement
• Discover what truly matters most to YOU and how to measure it
• Establish clear priorities for your business and personal life
• Learn how to deliver TRUE customer service

Visit Andy Hickman’s store or www.andyhickman.com for more information.