Wingman Day: Juggling life the right way? Published Nov. 20, 2008 By Micah Garbarino Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- What's easier, juggling balls or juggling the different roles we play in our lives? It's a question that was asked of several hundred Team Tinker members during two Wingman Day briefings by inspirational speaker Curtis Zimmerman, who came aiming to get Airmen to "live life at a performance level." He has been a headlining performer at some of the nation's biggest attractions, appeared in more than 50 television shows, as a juggler and fire eater, but he says it is his work as an inspirational speaker, particularly in front of the military, that truly makes him feel like he is accomplishing something. "Think about this. I spent the last nine years of my life scripting how you will spend this hour of your life," he said. "You are the star of your own show," Mr. Zimmerman said. "You may say, 'well, I'm a giver.' Guess what? You have to possess (your life) before you can give it away." People follow a script. They repeat learned responses. They fall into the same traps. They lack confidence. They believe in "natural ability." Since everyone follows a script, it is important for people to write their own, to have the right people on stage. It is important to understand who to "write in or write out" of their lives. Successful people are surrounded by others they can look up to, or those who look up to them, who they should mentor. He shared the story of his childhood, growing up with an addicted mother, six different fathers, and little direction. At age 12, inspired by a gifted mime at a Southern California mall who forfeited some of his own pay so young Curtis could learn to perform, Mr. Zimmerman began his own road to success. Things like natural ability and talent, believing that someone has to be gifted to be successful, can be misleading. They keep people from even trying to be something better than they are. Passion supersedes natural ability "100 percent of the time," Mr. Zimmerman said. "People who are successful have failed more than failures do, but they tried," Mr. Zimmerman said. Being successful isn't about knowledge either, Mr. Zimmerman said. "Knowledge for knowledge sake is called trivia. But, knowledge applied is real power," Mr. Zimmerman said. As an example, he took 20 minutes teaching the whole auditorium, how to juggle, something few believed he could do. By the end of the time, they all had the knowledge of how to juggle, but no one became a master juggler. In order for that to happen, people would have to "fail successfully," practice, believe and, most importantly, have the support of those around them. Hundreds of "scripts had been re-written." The process of re-writing a script can take work, but never let people tell you it can't be done and don't give up on others, Mr. Zimmerman said. "Never give up on somebody, even when they are dropping the ball. You all call that being a Wingman. Personally, I could (care less) about Wingman Day," Mr. Zimmerman said. "I'm talking about Wingman Life. You need a wingman next Tuesday night when you've been in a fight and you're (angry) ... Because when you go home and you have a husband or wife that won't sleep with you and kids who hate your guts, then you're a failure."