For Sale: Used Flux Capacitor. Works Great!

If you are reading on a smartphone, use landscape / hold phone sideways. 

The Flux Capacitor is a piece of technology in the 1985 time-travel film Back to the Future and its sequels. Although it’s described as the thing that makes time travel possible, the precise mechanism it works by isn’t ever explained. It simply consists of a box with three flashing lights connected in a Y shape, installed in the film’s iconic time-traveling vehicle, the DeLorean, a short-lived sports car famed for its doors, which open up rather than out. The flux capacitor was invented by Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and allows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) to time-travel.

So, there really is no such thing as a Flux Capacitor. Not yet, anyway...

Yes, a flux capacitor is a bit of fun sci-fi technobabble made up of two pieces of genuine scientific terminology. In physics, flux is the amount of something (like electricity) that’s passing through a given object’s surface and a capacitor is a device that stores electric charge.

What about luck? And is there such a thing as a luck capacitor? What is luck - scientifically?

Luck refers to that which happens to a person beyond that person's control. This view incorporates phenomena that are chance happenings, a person's place of birth for example, but where there is no uncertainty involved, or where the uncertainty is irrelevant.

Having an open attitude and looking around for new opportunities can open you up to lucky chances. Look on the positive side: Focusing only on the negatives dampens your spirits and future expectations.

Today, I bring you the story of Cockerell Academy.

Ah, but let's go back in time, shall we? Here is the original thread, cut and pasted from LinkedIn:

Sunday. February 26, 2017 (10:48 AM EST) Me: Lee, I met you via David Burkus. YOU.......are amazing. I would LOVE to add you to the TALENT pages of the NYDLA.org You have the gift to get the point out to the millenials. Can we talk one day soon?

Ten minutes later...

Sunday. February 26, 2017 (10:58 AM EST) Lee: Hello, Tom. Nice to meet you. I am on a speaking tour right now. I will be in my car from 2-5 today and tomorrow from 1-5 if you want to call me: 407-908-XXXX. 

And so, on a Sunday afternoon, February 26, 2017 I kept Lee Cockerell company during his drive time. 

On March 7th, 2017 I flew down to Orlando to meet Lee. I just felt it in my bones. I had to go, so I bought a ticket and flew to Orlando. Just, go. Take the shot. 

And so, at a cool restaurant bar in Dr. Phillips, Florida, the idea for Cockerell Academy was born. Lee's body of work, his lessons, his lifetime of wisdom could be hosted in Cockerell Academy for the entire world to benefit. 

Sometime in April 2017, less than 30 days later, Lee asked me: "Tom, how far do you live from Mount Olive, NJ"? Turns out that Lee's grandson was going to be spending a college summer internship in Mount Olive, and the family was having trouble finding a short term rental, in a good neighborhood. 

Lee and his family were asking for advice on where they could rent for a few months for their most precious treasure - their grandson. 

Me: "Well, we are not far at all, Lee. Maybe 20 minute drive, if that. Also, the 2nd floor of our house is now empty. Both of our sons have moved out. Your grandson would be welcome to stay with my wife and I for the summer as our guest. He can have the entire 2nd floor - I never go up there as it is! Home cooked meals included!"

I have many Lee Cockerell stories. Via Lee we met his son, Dan Cockerell who drove his son (Lee's grandson) up to NJ, to our home. The video podcast interviews with Lee, with Dan, and with (Lee and Dan) have been some of the most viewed interviews of all time. The idea for Cockerell Academy which was born in March 2017 at a bar in an amazing restaurant in Dr. Phillips, Florida took off. I am no longer involved, that baton was passed. But I continue to tell the world to check out Cockerell Academy. And, via the Cockerell family, we met and interviewed Harris Rosen in Orlando, the founder of Rosen Hotels & Resorts. But that is a blog for another day... 

So, back to luck.

Luck could be defined as a chance event that occurs without any control or intention. Luck can have a significant impact on the outcomes of our lives, it can come in the form of unexpected opportunities, chance encounters, or random events that we have no control over.

Today: the video podcast interviews that we host via NYDLA | USDLA | NADLA reach millions of people, mostly thought leaders and subject matter experts from the world of business. Our global membership is growing exponentially, because of friends telling friends. Friends like Lee and Dan Cockerell. 

The Flux Capacitor might not actually exist, but Luck Capacitors do. Yes, Luck Capacitors most certainly do exist - and I highly recommend that you put a Luck Capacitor to work for you and for your business today. 

And with that... In June of this year, I (once again) fired up my trusty Luck Capacitor. It went well. Very well. Coming Soon to the Cumulus University (CumulusUniversity.org) I bring you the Cialdini Institute.