Nicholas Darvas, escaping his war-torn homeland, Hungary, sought refuge in Turkey in June 1943. In Istanbul, however, he faced a new crisis. Now, he had no friends, no money, no knowledge of Turkish, and no citizenship. He risked starvation. He also risked losing his sense of being special. He didn't want to be poor and hungry for the rest of his life. No, he had fonder hopes for himself. He wanted to thrive. He wanted to be an outrageous success.
After the penniless 23-year-old exile fought off immediate peril, he turned his mind back to dreams of glory. He analyzed his situation by listing his talents. He dismissed numerous options. Only one talent really appealed to him. Only one sang to his soul. He loved to dance.
Yes, he finally decided, he would be a dancer.
Dancing fit his personality. In dancing, he had only to display the grace of his body in motion. He did not have to be witty or eloquent. He was basically a shy person.
He would be different, special, unusual. He would dance amazingly well. He would be the best. No, better still, he would be the best of the best. He would dance in the finest theaters in the world. He would dance to packed audiences. He would flit, like a butterfly, across the stages of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. He would be a firefly of the night- life. People would talk about him long after he had left the stage. Newspapers would rave about his performances. Agents would compete for his attention. Yes, people the world over would be willing to pay a high price for the joy of seeing him dance. Just by watching him, people would be enthralled. They would be inspired by his power, speed, grace, agility. He would be famous. No, world-famous. His life, he decided, would be one of splendid, dancing, uplifting motion.
Slowly the images took shape in the theater of his mind. He eagerly outlined how he would achieve his lofty ambition.
He considered a powerful twofold plan.
One, he would learn the latest dance steps. He would practice until he could perform them smoothly, effortlessly, flawlessly.
Two, he would market his talent to the world. Talent alone might land him numerous engagements in Turkey, but it would not open up the rest of the world. He had to let the top people, the wheelers-and-dealers of the entertainment industry, the influential managers, producers, and agents know that he existed. They would learn that he was someone to watch out for, someone who would make them popular and very, very rich.
He rehearsed daily. He practiced, as he had promised himself, the latest dance steps. His clumsy feet moved gracefully after hours; his heavy legs rose off the ground, as if levitating, after months. He read voraciously...devouring the the international dance magazines. He learned avidly...about the styles of the the best dancers. He investigated their favorite locations, where only the elite performed.
Gradually, after years, as he exposed himself to the world of dance, a map emerged in his mind. He saw a royal road. It led to the glittering, night-lit cities, where the top dancers mesmerized audiences. The royal road he envisioned in his mind took him from here to there. Archimedes talked about wanting to move the world with a lever ? but he, Nicholas Darvas, would spin it around on the balls of his feet.
On the route to success, Turkey would be the first milestone. He would make himself well-known in his new homeland. Then, he would spread his wings, like a butterfly blossoming in the light. He would dance in the Middle East. He would dance in Europe.
Eventually, he would dance in Paris. From Paris, he would leap across the ocean and dance in New York. New York, he decided, would be his ultimate destination. In New York, he would establish his presence, and from there on he would be invited to dance in all the big cities of the world. He would dance around the world. He was Nicholas Darvas. He was invincible. His fate was inevitable. It had all been decided. It was as good as done.
With his plan in his mind as clear as a vivid dream, he prepared for New York. Now he spent three afternoons a week watching American movies. He wanted to understand the culture. He wanted to capture the American heart.
In these movies, he saw the dance routines that Americans loved. But, he looked deeper, beyond dance, into trends, fashions in drama. He saw a wide variety of movies. He discerned trends. Vague patterns floated in his mind. Ideas came to him and he wrote them down. There was something elusive he was tracking down. It was subtle, a question of nuances. Elusive, half-remembered dreams floated before him when he awoke in the mornings. There were patterns before him, but he could not put them together into one synergistic whole. Then after months of accumulative musing, the ideas began to fall into place. He saw dance trends in non-dance movies. For example, in gangster movies, gun-shot victims reeled a number of times before dying. Americans, he discerned, loved exaggeration, larger-than-life stuff, heroic proportions to their drama.
Since the audience loved drama, he would give it to them in his dance routines. Another trend also emerged. Suspense, intrigue. Movie plots were full of mystery, confusion, surprise. He would create a choreography full of these elements. The audience would find him unpredictable, surprising, sensational.
A time came when he did indeed dominate the dance stage of Turkey. He found occasional work in the Middle East. He now moved to the second part of his plan: marketing.
Since he could not afford to buy the promotion he needed, he created a sort of mail-order business. He gathered the names and addresses of all those responsible for hiring dancers in France, in Europe, and in New York. He assembled a gargantuan list of theatrical agents, managers, and night-club owners. Every week, without failing, he sent them regular mailings -- letters, pictures and newspaper clippings about his latest dance routines. He sent notices of when and where he would be performing next. He sent publicity releases whenever he could, where-ever he could. Slowly, these unknown people started to respond. They wrote back to him, they visited his acts, they invited him to their clubs. His dream was emerging, attaining an energy and mass that even surprised him.
One day, in New York, in his dressing room, he looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. A shiver ran up his spine. He was looking at the highest-paid dancer in the world.
Later on in life, Nicholas Darvas created imaginary blueprints for other fields. He thrived and enjoyed outrageous success in everything that he tried. He went on to become a multimillionaire, a successful theatrical producer, a real estate tycoon, an international businessman, and a Wall Street wizard (who made $2,000,000 in the Stock Market).
The Success Principle
A clear plan, a flexible strategy, and an invincible determination will create your dream, no matter where you start from.
Resource Box
Saleem Rana got his Masters degree in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life
Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or newsletter. It's a shareware article.
Success starts in your mind. Positive Thinking creates the advantage.Success... Read More
One of the hallmarks of all successful and high achieving... Read More
In my audio program Book Yourself Solid, The 7 Keys... Read More
Step 1: List all the business activities that you complete... Read More
Friendly competition Get together with a group of like-minded friends... Read More
My studies of the highly successful prove that they continually... Read More
Don't talk to me about how to succeed! I've read... Read More
Trying to keep up with the Jones only drags good,... Read More
"When you talk to yourself, you listen. No matter what... Read More
When Julie looks through the lens of her camera she... Read More
Circus trainers used to tie a chain around a baby... Read More
Each and every day, there are people all around the... Read More
Those of you who know me, know that I am... Read More
What does a sharp saw have to do with lifelong... Read More
The recent mission of the space shuttle Discovery is NASA's... Read More
My life is a bubble; but how much solid cash... Read More
Money will buy me a house, but not a home,... Read More
You have a choice today?You can remain in the same... Read More
Success isn't all that it's cracked up to be... I'm... Read More
(Excerpted from the 1999 Weekend Seminar audio/CD series)Parents, leaders, employers,... Read More
Success is creating what you want the way you want... Read More
Do you ever stop to consider how much we change... Read More
If you want to be rich and famous, you have... Read More
Today I feel inspired that I should speak more to... Read More
Reading lots these days? Having trouble remembering and recalling? For... Read More
What if?you could have it all? 6 Steps to Living... Read More
The ability to achieve our enormous untapped potential is directly... Read More
Get your act together Make sure that you have all... Read More
If you have a choice each day in the tasks... Read More
Most people want to be successful in life. But success... Read More
Unexpected life changes. Anticipated transitions. Long, sleepless nights. What do... Read More
We all want something to look forward to. The best... Read More
The HungryIn May of 2005 there were over 2 million... Read More
If failure is the roadway, then Perseverance is the vehicle... Read More
Recently, I have been riveted by the amazing reality show... Read More
The 2004 final of the World's Strongest Man METRx Championship... Read More
Who wants to carry on being a failure?Failure. Not a... Read More
Do you ever stop to consider how much we change... Read More
Each and every day, there are people all around the... Read More
Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance in... Read More
Reading lots these days? Having trouble remembering and recalling? For... Read More
There is a difference but what constitutes a life... Read More
Ten years ago I went into the studio and recorded... Read More
The purpose of man is in action not thought -... Read More
You must understand You are already a Success, and before... Read More
Today I am going to tell you the #1 secret... Read More
"Fighting to pay the bills is hardly worth it? fight... Read More
Becoming successful is not easy. We all get tossed around... Read More
Thoughts move faster than the speed of light.Expectations jump faster... Read More
There is no substitute for direct personal application. Information or... Read More
Is it difficult to be professional?I think from my experience... Read More
So you want to expand your horizons by securing a... Read More
We're all adults, and most of us probably like to... Read More
Do you know what the problem is with asking successful... Read More
Hey,Josh here from Investor Wealth Academy sitting 29 stories above... Read More
No one becomes successful by accident. Success requires making a... Read More
You must play by the rules. Everything has rules. You... Read More
Whenever I'm feeling stuck in a rut, I go out... Read More
Congratulations! You are the president of your own nation, and... Read More
It's not new news. It's not some ethereal theory. It's... Read More
"The mind grows by what it feeds on." J.... Read More
When I was in college, I heard someone say something... Read More
I thought this was unbelievable, but it's true.On average, security... Read More
The sun crept over the horizon and lodged itself above... Read More
I spoke recently with the owner of a large clothing... Read More
One the most important Self Improvement skills to develop to... Read More
Success |