Today’s lesson from the 80’s didn’t actually come from a life experience…unless you consider watching TV a life experience.  This lesson came from watching one of my all-time favorite sitcoms, Night Court.  The show was ahead of its time with its perfectly orchestrated slapstick comedy and unforgettable characters.  It offered up Dan Fielding, the cocky womanizing prosecutor, Bull Shannon, the oversized lovable bailiff, Christine, the beautiful defense attorney, fresh off of her role on Fall Guy, and of course…Judge Harry T. Stone.

Judge Stone was a young, good-humored, amateur magician with a heart of gold and empathy for most who stepped foot in his courtroom.  He would wear a T-shirt and jeans to court and rule with the most unorthodox style possible.  He never judged ‘by the book’ and was often considered immature and out of place in this gritty New York City courtroom.

But as much as I enjoyed every episode ever aired (check out the Christmas special with Michael J. Fox…you’ll thank me later), the lesson I learned and still apply to this day came at the end of the very first episode of season one.  Dan Fielding gets frustrated with Judge Stone’s antics and he and another attorney, Lana, ask him how he ever got appointed as judge to begin with.  The following is the exact transcript of their conversation.

Dan: How did you get appointed to the bench?

Harry: You know Dan, that’s a funny story. It was the mayor’s last day in office and it was a Sunday and my name was at the bottom of the list of a 1,000 candidates. So they start calling folks starting at the top of the list. You see it’s Sunday and no one’s home. So they keep calling down the list, name by name. No one answers. Finally they get down to the bottom of the list and voila.

Lana: You mean you were appointed a judge because…

Harry: I was home.

Now to many, this may just seem like a funny dialogue (especially with the heavy 80’s laugh track in place at the time), but it really hit home with me and I didn’t necessarily know why until later in life.  A few years back, once my books started selling to more people than my parents, speaking gigs started to become steadier.  But a lot of them would amazingly become available 24 – 48 hours before the event.  At first, my pride convinced me that this was just industry standard, but it didn’t take long to realize that most of my gigs were being secured because the organization’s first choice backed out at the last minute and there was a mad scramble to find someone to fill in.

I hate to even admit this, but once I had this revelation, I actually turned down a couple of ‘last minute’ invitations simply because of my ego.  Then, one night, I put in a Night Court DVD and just happened to watch this episode.  What? You don’t have 80’s TV show DVDs that you pop in and play now and then?  Don’t worry.  I’ve got you covered.  Just give me a shout if you ever want to borrow a show.  I’ve got everything from A-Team to The Greatest American Hero to Hardcastle & McCormick to Magnum PI to Knight Rider to…well, you get the picture…and I’m getting off-topic.

I re-watched that scene from Night Court and the dialogue came right back to me.  I could almost recite the lines along with them after all these years.  And I realized something about Judge Stone’s character that I hadn’t as a child.  He was humble and he had good intentions.  It didn’t matter to him that he was on the very bottom of a list of candidates.  He was honored to just be on the list.  And he knew that if given the chance, he would not only show others how good he could be at his job, but he would help people in the process.

And that is a microcosm of what life it all about…using our God-given talents to do good things in this world, and in the process, positively influence other people’s lives.  And it doesn’t matter how we receive our opportunities to do so.  We just have to be ready to step up when our number is called.  For me, it was a matter of changing my mindset.  Today, whenever I get called to fill in as a substitute speaker, I’m not bitter that I wasn’t the first choice.  I’m grateful that I’m even on the list.  I realize that the folks in front of me are there for a reason.  And I can learn from them as I grow in the industry.  And I know that with each successful endeavor, I’ll slowly but surely move up that list.  But that will only be done by answering the call when opportunity (in any form) knocks.

Life is not about being #1 in everything we do.  That title is fleeting.  Fortune 500 CEOs are replaced.  Super Bowl MVPs are only as good as their last season.  One bad book is enough to bury an award-winning author.  Again, life is not about being #1.  It’s about striving to be #1.  If we hit the mark from time to time…fantastic!  The hard work has paid off.  But striving to be #1, by taking advantage of every opportunity that comes our way, keeps us on the list and allows us to be in a position to do good on a larger platform more often.

In whatever industry you happen to be in, continue to work hard so that when others think of your occupation, they think of you and reach out.  Even if you’re their last call.

This blog is dedicated to my parents, who told me watching too much TV would do nothing to help me get ahead in life.  I’ll await my public apology from them.