THE self-help guru and motivational gangster talks to Samiat Pedro as his brand-new book, Don’t Be Needy Be Succeedy, hits the shelves. As the man himself says, his advice is not talk-talk, it’s all do-do. Prepare to be seriously motivated.
When it comes to good advice, more is definitely more – especially as regards landing the perfect career. L. Vaughan Spencer, a.k.a. L.VO to those in the know, is a man who knows all too well about the achieving success and staying motivated. Here he shares his pearls of wisdom on life and success exclusively with Arts Hub. As the man himself says, his advice is not talk-talk, it’s all do-do. Prepare to be seriously motivated.
If any readers are in desperate need of motivation, you promise that the SAS (Succeeder Action Squad) can help. What exactly do you do to motivate others? And how can Arts Hub members get in touch with the SAS?
We have a crack squad of trained Motivitalisers. They encourage folk to look at the basics – food, clothes, hair and skincare…
Are your readers eating the right things? You must eat only food that is harmonious for you. You’ve heard about all the different diets on offer – low-carb, no-carb, bi-carb, whatever. They’re all rubbish. You must eat only food that begins with the same letter as your name. This is the Alphabet Diet. So, for example, my first initial is L. Hence, I eat Lamb, Leeks, Liver, Lettuce (Lamb’s Lettuce is doubly good), Lozenges, Luxury mince pies from Marks & Spencer, and anything from Lebanon. But that may not work for you (unless your name begins with an L). One man’s meat is another man’s mackerel. I allow my assistant Nikki to eat only nuts, noodles and Nestlé products.
Next up, clothes. Here are things to avoid: novelty tie, grass skirt, beret (unless you are French), jumpsuit, hoops (unless you are French), anything edible, boob tube (unless you are French).
Check out my new motivitalising podcast, Dress 4 Success – Are Your Pants Holding You Back?
How about hair? Is your Tong Shui (the Feng Shui of hair) in balance? Hair can make or break your career. If you are the picture, it’s your frame. Would you put a Picasso in a clip-frame from Poundstretchers? Just ask yourself these questions …
Gents – Could those sideburns be given a little more encouragement? What about a ponytail? (it can enhance the prowess of many a forty-plus executive$$s$$ look at me!)
Ladies – Is a Bob Just the Job? Does that urchin cut work in daylight? One of my clients got rid of his “comb-over” and the next day he won a new contract for supplying filing cabinets to a major road haulage company. And met a lady. Coincidence? I don’t think so!
Skincare – remember: Prioritise to Moisturise to Motivitalise!
If you want to get in touch with our “SAS” visit our website thesucceeder.com. At the moment we are having some staffing issues, so it’ll be just me.
Your book promises to provide the ‘A to Zee of Motivitality’ – well done, by the way. It must have been a struggle to channel your knowledge into every letter of the alphabet. Like Z and Q?
Z wasn’t difficult, because life is like a Zoo, isn’t it? Every day we all have to face such questions as …
Have I marked my territory?
When’s feeding time?
Is it the mating season?
What’s that funny smell?
Following pioneering work by Professor Krench of our research arm, SucceederLab, we have developed Animal Analysis©. Do you recognise yourself or any of your colleagues or friends from this list?
Chameleon – changes colours according to the situation.
Anteater – eats ants
Rat – quick to leave a sinking ship.
Spider – good on the web.
Bull – not good in a china shop.
Skunk – smelly
Tortoise – slow but gets there in the end. Eats only lettuce. Carries house on back.
Zebra – Unlikely to be seen against black and white backgrounds.
For Q I only came up with one but it’s a bigge: Quiet Time. There is great power here. Certain truths can only be truly appreciated in silence. I use Succeeder silence whenever possible – in coaching sessions, keynote speeches and that court case. I have found that silence is a great weapon in negotiation, coaching and a failing marriage. Have you and your associates practised being silent together lately?
How many days of the week do you work?
I work every day, though not always on “chargeable” stuff. Why, are you looking for an intensive one-on-one Succeeder coaching session? I might be able to find a gap for you on a Tuesday morning, Thursday afternoon or Friday. Perhaps you could send a photo?
Moving swiftly on, what are you currently working on?
We are working on a range of Succeeder skincare products with Aveda. We think Aveda Succeeder has a certain ring to it. We’ve developed a moisturiser for writers (“Moistu-writer”) who spend too long at their computers.
What has been the most poignant response you have received from your readers?
A young guy who asked me to sign a copy for a colleague. Apparently, it was one of those Secret Santa things, and he had to buy something for someone he doesn’t like. I was touched that he was trying to reach out in this way.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
I haven’t always been this successful. I was like you once, struggling to find what to do with my life. Then I realised I had to help people with their lives and this could make me a lot of money. But I always remember what a man said to me: “only when you’re in the gutter can you really see where the pavement ends”. Then he ran off with my wallet.
What is the one, greatest piece of advice, you can give to anyone trying to make it in creative arts industries?
Have you thought about getting a proper job?
What is next for L-VO? What is the next level, the next test of your motivational expertise?
We are working on plans for 24-hour Motivitality TV, with shows, for example, about how to improve your life, your garden, your friends, your friend’s garden, your friends’ friends, your loft, your brother’s loft, your parenting skills or your samba technique.
For those who have not yet read the book – crazy I know, they are obviously either
a. Members of the Irritati, or b. Live under a rock – why should they run out now, to buy a copy?
Ah yes, the Irritati. Like the glitterati but they irritate rather than glitter. Why just one copy? I suggest they buy two or more and their lives will never be the same again. The more copies of my book you buy, the more successful you will become. Look at this graph which proves it!
Don’t Be Needy Be Succeedy: The A to Zee of Motivitality© by L. VAUGHAN SPENCER aka L-VO as told to Neil Mullarkey is available now in all good bookshops worth their salt!
Published by Profile Books, £8.99 paperback.
