don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

As a wellness promoter, I have given a lot of talks. In addition to explaining the nature and rewards of wellness lifestyles, I have attempted to motivate, inspire, guide and support. Therefore, I suppose I would be categorized with the folks who do motivational infomercials on TV, hawk tape sets and employ tasteless hype to persuade customers to lose weight, sell more, be all you can be and, most important, buy stuff that will guarantee success. The image of the motivator leaves a lot to be desired. Naturally, though Tony Robbins, Richard Simmons, Deepak Chopra and their ilk have more fans and money than I do, I like to think my work has been more low key, sensible, dignified and responsible than these shameless pitchpersons. I could be hallucinating.

I wondered about this the other day when I read about a play now running at the Sydney Opera House entitled "Top Dog and the Underpoppy." Isn't that a great title? Those Aussies really have a way with words. "Top Dog," produced by Paul Barry and Russell Cheek, is a takeoff on motivational speakers! Based on reviews and accounts I've seen, it sounds like a lot of fun. It also raises good questions about corporate and other motivational training programs.

The motivational segment of the speaker business is booming, apparently, and not just in Australia. It is timely that "Top Dog" raises many key questions about this business, such as:

• Do the motivators succeed at motivating -- for more than a few hours?
• Are they worth their fees?
• Is there any sound, objective and credible evidence that motivational programs make a difference?
• Are they ethical -- do companies that employ these people sometimes pressure employees to do things that they should not be asked to do?
• How can we tell the good from the fakes, the real thing from the phonies?
• Are some motivators effective with certain segments (for example, Richard Simmons with obese women) even though appalling to other segments?
• Why isn't Don Ardell rich and famous, universally loved and adored by women of all ages and encouraged to rule the universe?

OK, I made up a question or two not addressed by the play "Top Dog." It is true, however, that one of the really neat outcomes of the play it that it has stimulated an assessment of Aussie motivational programs promoted by companies. The host of a recent National Radio broadcast noted that "motivation is the new currency in the workplace and it's no accident that bosses want to see their workers more motivated."

In a takeoff of the Tony Robbins style of hype, "Top Dog" begins with a fictional motivator named Tiff Longley bounding on stage and declaring: "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your presence. Thank you for your faith, and thank you for your willingness to jettison your old lives and start again. I'm Tiff Longley, and welcome to the Apollo Program Plus. APOLLO -- Awesome, Power, Over, Life, Long, Outcomes! But just listen to that for a moment, can you hear that? Of course you can't. That's the sound, ladies and gentlemen, of unrealized potential. Ooo, the air is humming with it. You're all ears? Well I'm all mouth, so we should get along just fine." When I read that, I checked to see how much it would cost to fly to Sydney from Tampa -- this sounds too good to miss. Pretty funny stuff, I think, but the show has a serious message delivered with much wit. Employee motivation is a big industry. Tiff may be a fictional character in a play at the Sydney Opera House but there are folks pretty much like him in the real world making a killing as professional motivators.

Tomorrow, I'll summarize the issues raised in "Top Dog" and the follow-up reassessments in the corporate world about the purposes of and returns from investments in motivational programming at the workplace. For now, motivate yourself to be well and look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MENTAL DOMAIN under the skill area of effective decisions. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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