By Mark Matteson

June 2, 1993 was a beautiful sunny day in Seattle. That happens about as often as Haley's Comet appears in the night sky. It was rush hour. I felt like the character in the opening sequence in the movie "Office Space" (watching a 90-year old man with a Walker making better progress walking than the guy stuck in traffic!) I was commuting from Tacoma to Edmonds, 55 miles. It normally took a little over 2 hours. This was most certainly a 3-hour plus day…no worries. I had an audio tape by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones playing. I was laughing out loud. I almost drove off the road. I had just read a chapter in a book written by him on "The Price of Leadership". There was a number at the end of the chapter. I called it.

Mind you it was 6:15 PM on a Thursday night. The number I called had a (717) prefix…Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. A cheerful voice answered, "Hellooooo, Executive Books!" Keeping my eyes on the road, I said, "Listen, I am looking for a guy named Charlie Jones, I don't even know if he is alive anymore." An uncomfortable silence; Do you ever wish you take something back? The voice says in a loving tone, "Oh sure, he's still around….you're talking to him." I grimaced. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it come out quite like that. Let me take my foot out of my mouth." He laughed. THAT is how I met my friend, mentor, publisher and adopted father, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones.

This past Sunday he and I made a presentation to the Washington Chiropractors Association. It was tag team. We hit it out of the park. It was pure joy to work side by side with this great man that has helped so many people. The director of the WCA came up to me and asked my fee and availability. Once more, Charlie opens up his heart and rolodex to push my business along. He is so generous.

Here are my notes from his talk:

EXCERPTS FROM THE SEVEN LAWS OF LEADERSHIP

1. WORK: The real work is putting excitement into the work every one complains about.

2. Use or Lose: Knowledge ability and skill requires you to use it or lose it.

3. Give to Get: Giving to get is trading. Giving to give always gets you a greater capacity to give.

4. Production to Perfection: The perfectionist produces potential. The producer gets results.

5. Exposure to Experience: With ever success or failure we add another key to our success key ring.

6. Flexible Planning: Planning will help you survive; flexible planning will insure your success.

7. Motivated to Motivating: Motivation drawn out by commitment and involvement is better than motivation pumped in.As we were having lunch, celebrating, I looked into his laughing eyes. He is 78 years young. He will be presenting until the Good Lord takes him home. As I pondered the many gifts he has given me, I thought my growing readership might profit from learning more about this amazing man.He was born in 1928. He met and married Gloria 53 years ago. They have six children. According to Charlie, the reason they don't have more children? Gloria hates kids! (he's kidding of course)

Here are 10 Things about Charlie Jones I admire:

1. His PASSION - Enthusiasm comes from the Latin word "Entheo" roughly translated, means "God in Him." His zeal for life, his positive attitude, is tangible. He is truly the bright light in a dark room. I have never met anyone that makes other people feel so welcome, so important, and so special. He is that way 24/7/365!

2. His Love of BOOKS - He got me hooked on reading great books in 1993. From our first conversation, a few days after we spoke, I received eight books in the mail. Biographies, Spiritual, Self-Help Classics, the list goes on and on. "The books you don't read won't help" one of them said. "People who don't read are no better off than those that don't know how to read." He is the only guy who when he talks about a favorite book will actually kiss it and then hold it to heart. Wow! This guy loves books! He means it! His personal library has thousands upon thousands of books. It is the most impressive thing I have ever seen.

3. Reading to OTHERS - At lunch he would open up a book by Oswald Chambers or about Abraham Lincoln and say to me, "Read me that page" and I would. "Ohhh, isn't that amazing!" he says with sincerity. Then he would read a page to me and we would talk about it. He and Gloria read to each other every day. Teddy Roosevelt and his wife did the same thing. Charlie is serious student of history. His office and book store are filled with statues and paintings of great men of history, Abraham Lincoln, General Robert E. Lee, and of course Jesus.

4. His Attitude of GRATITUDE - He was always giving thanks for the blessings in his life. Someone's smile (that he would praise), the weather, the book he was reading, the food he was about to eat…He says a very specific prayer of thanksgiving every meal. With his "Abundance Mentality" is it any wonder his bounty continues to grow? It's a law like gravity. The more grateful we are, the more we are given. Charlie understands and practices this simple concept.

5. The Power of ASSOCIATIONS - People we associate with matter. As a public speaker for over forty years, he surrounded himself with men of God; with successful business people; with other speakers that were moving up and on; with readers; with kind people. He understands, "I am who my friends are!" He understands, "I speak their language." He understands, "I wear their clothes." He understands, "I share their opinions and habits." He understands. Charlie was recently inducting into the Roaring Lambs Hall of Fame.

6. The Healing Power of HUMOR - I have never known a speaker to make people laugh quite like Charlie. The momentum builds to a crescendo sweeping over and filling the room with joy. He makes seminar learning and Keynotes fun. He usually picks on two men in the front row. They love it and so does the audience. He understands when we laugh, endorphins are released. It bolsters our immune system. It lowers our blood pressure. It also stimulates both the right and left side of the brain and aids in improving memory and enhances our learning abilities.

7. DRESS for Success - Charlie always wears a suit with a bow-tie. He always looks like a million bucks. He understands the connection between how we look and how we feel.

8. Do What You LOVE - Charlie is on a mission. He wants to help as many people as he can. He wants to hook you on becoming a life long learner and lover of books. He wants you to stay married and love your wife (or husband). He wants you to lighten up and have fun, and not take life quite so seriously. He wants you to love God as much as he does. He really cares about people…everyone he meets.

9. FORGIVE the People that Hurt You - Charlie tells a heart wrenching story about his mother. How she abandoned the family numerous times only to come back and break their hearts once more. He followed the suggestion of the Carpenter from Nazareth. How many times should I forgive? 7 x 7. He forgave her. It's an inspiration to anyone holding on to the past and any wounds unforgiven.

10. HUGS for Men (a Kiss on the Hand for Women) - I don't know of anyone else that can pull that off quite like Charlie. I watch men become uncomfortable until they realize his spirit of intent. He genuinely cares and realizes most people never (if ever) get a hug from the people in their lives. He built a $100 Million/Year Insurance in the 1960's with men who stood in line on Monday Mornings patiently waiting for the weekly hugs. He never lets go first.

Charlie announced this would be his last talk the Washington State Chiropractors Association. The disease has taken the use of his left eye. He understands that it's the fourth quarter and there are two minutes left in the game. He understands.

God Bless you Charlie Jones. I am a better man for having been your friend. My life will never be the same. I love you Charlie.

"You will be the same person in five years but for two things,the people you associate with and books you read.

"Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

So that's where that came from!

"Tremendous" - fantastic, extraordinary, enormous, marvelous, wonderful, see Charlie Jones...