Back in 1992 there was a big vote taking place.
No, I'm not talking about Bill Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush ...
That year the US Postal Service decided to release an Elvis Presley stamp, and gave citizens a choice between "Young Elvis" from the 1950's, and "Old Elvis" from the 1970's - in his Vegas days and sporting his famous white jumpsuit.
(For the record, I'm now a year older than Elvis was when he died, so I object to the use of the word "old" there ...)
The Young Elvis people said it showcased his energy and height of his popularity, while attacking Old Elvis as being fat, drugged out, and on the decline.
The two camps fiercely argued for their preferred Elvis stamp on radio shows, in letters to the editor, and at diners across the country. The New York Times summed up the debate:
"It is more than a war of images. To some, it is a perfect metaphor for the battle between youth and middle age, between perfection and lack of it ..."
1.2 million votes later, Young Elvis was determined the winner, 75% to 25%.
To get to my point:
I think that the Elvis of the 70's gets a bad rap.
He had some great songs from that decade, including two of my favourites (Burning Love and Promised Land) and if you watch his live performances from the era you'll still see the magic is there.
Besides that, there's a lot that can be learned from struggles ... sometimes even more than from successes.
When I was pulling together the May issue of Secret Coach Club, which shares some lessons Elvis' life, I noticed that about half of those lessons came from his later years.
Nobody is perfect, and my breakdown is a "warts and all" overview with actionable lessons you can put into your business right away.
It heads to the printer tonight, so the deadline to get in is midnight (Eastern):
www.SecretCoachClub.com
Marc Mawhinney