"No Guts, No Glory"

I'm convinced the gods are trying to tell me something.

Last spring, I watched a documentary on VH1 about Joseph Francis. The name may be unfamiliar, but what he created certainly is not.

Francis is the owner and producer of the "Girls Gone Wild" franchise. At the time of the documentary he was under 30 years old and worth over $100 million.

After I saw Francis mingle with the Hollywood jet set, and then get set to travel in his own jet, I was, for the first time in years, dumbstruck.

Most people toil every day just to squeak by in life. Francis did something that half the guys I know have wanted to do, and turned himself into one of the great success stories of the new millennium.

Ironic doesn't even begin to describe it.

When you break it down, all the fellow did was film breasts. His movies didn't have a set, lighting, dialogue or professional "talent." Francis would walk into a club, ask women to flash the camera, and then sell it on video.

Why didn't I think of that?

Francis can't be that much smarter than I am because he's currently being sued for paying underage girls to be on his videos. So what is the fundamental difference between us? The answer is guts.

Anyone who ever made a difference in this world had them and if you don't believe me, look in the history books. I dare you to find one person in there without guts.

Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Christopher Columbus and the Pilgrims all have two things in common - guts and holidays. Be courageous and you might get a special day for Americans to shop on.

Guts come in many different forms.

It can be taking a financial risk ?Ae la Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.

Welch took control of the company when its fiscal situation was dire and major spending cuts needed to be made. Instead of cutting the work force, he spent $100 million on employee training. The bold move worked. He made GE one of the most profitable companies ever.

It can be a political risk like the one Nelson Mandela took.

He was imprisoned for 27 years for his involvement in the South African anti-apartheid movement. When he was released in 1990, he immediately resumed his activity with the cause. Four years later, he had won the Nobel Peace Prize and become president of South Africa.

A risk you might take in college might be closer to a story I heard.

In high school, my friend Rob had to write a paper about the riskiest thing he had ever done. It had to be at least eight pages in length. On the due date he turned in an eight-page paper with one letter on each page in humongous font. When all the pages were put together, it spelled out the phrase "THIS IS IT." He got an A.

Welch, Mandela and Rob had guts. All their risks could have ended in failure. But the great thing about guts is the power it possesses.

When you have guts it shows everyone the confidence you have. People flock to confidence like sharks to a spilled bucket of chum. I hope you don't think Arnold Schwarzenegger is Governor Schwarzenegger because of his political skills. He showed he had guts, and people responded.

It's the same thing with love. There's a reason actors, musicians and comedians get all the women. Yes, the money helps, but they exude a confidence that works like Elmer's Glue.

So in the future, throw down the gauntlet, face the odds, strut your stuff, risk life and limb, and trust your gut. I'll say "you're welcome" in advance.