Paul J Meyer – a personal tribute
The recent remembrance services held to honour all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in conflicts around the world, particularly members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces who served in the First World War, really made me reflect on loss and legacy.
My melancholy mood was already in place before November 11, with news that on October 26, LMI were to celebrate the life of its founder Paul J. Meyer, who lost his personal battle with cancer on that date in 2009, aged 81.
Clearly, I recognise the tragedy that swept across Europe for four years from 1914 was of far greater importance and requiring of greater sympathy than the loss of a single man; but what a man.
At an early age, Paul became interested in the principles of personal development and professional excellence, which he applied successfully to his own sales career, becoming a millionaire by the age of just 27.
He was keen to share his success and a new role in sales management allowed him to teach his principles of goal-orientated success to members of his team. As Paul’s expertise supported the success of large numbers of individuals, he decided it was time to develop a structured approach.
The swinging sixties
In 1960, Paul founded a business dedicated to ‘motivating people to their full potential’ and in 1966 the LMI brand was born. The plan was to take the newly developed offering to companies and help them develop the leadership skills of their people.
This company, of which I am the UK franchise director, has grown to international prominence and is now represented in more than 117 territories. It markets a comprehensive range of programmes, all designed to help individuals reach their full potential and realise their goals.
Paul J. Meyer’s expertise and lifelong commitment to helping people be all they can be, brought him worldwide renown, with a large number of awards and honours bestowed upon him.
The list of honours includes: International Man of the Year, World Lifetime Achievement Award, Who’s Who Registry of Global Business Leaders, International Directory of Distinguished Leadership and The International Order of Merit, to name but a few.
I met him on many occasions and was always impressed by his capacity to listen and show interest in everyone he met. After just a few hours in his company, you were aware how sincere was his ambition to help everyone be more successful in their business and family life.
LMI has developed in line with Paul’s original principles and at the heart of every LMI programme is the Plan of Action for goals achievement, developed by Meyer through decades of research and testing – all started using butcher’s paper on a kitchen table.
Our programmes and courses have produced sales unmatched by the works of any other living author in the fields of personal and professional excellence.
His vision of ‘motivating people to their full potential’ lives on in every programme undertaken and despite the continued success of the worldwide business, I for one sadly miss the driving force behind the LMI brand.
At a time when we remember all those who had the opportunity to fulfil their potential cruelly taken from them, it reminds us to make more of what we have and seize each day as if it were our last.
As Paul would say, “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.”