By Mitch Meyerson

In 1990, after the release of my first book, I was called to be the featured expert on the Oprah Winfrey show. Yes for the whole hour.

It was really exciting and a real plus for any author but here's the scary part...

I was asked to counsel three conflictual families that I met literally 20 minutes before show time. And the kicker was I had never been on a national TV show, had no media training and I had been a therapist for only 3 years (and you know the size of the audience).

Let me say this... the night before I was freeeeking out. What had I gotten myself into?

Long story short... I was picked up at my home in a stretch limo with co-author Laurie and arrived at Harpo studios about 20 minutes later.

What happened when I got there is a bit of a blur, but I know this - I did help the families, I answered lots of questions from the audience and the show was a success.

Since that day I have thought about how it could have gone so well when I had so little TV experience.

Part of the answer you will find in the first article below, but I believe the main reason is this--- for nearly 20 years I had been on stages performing as a musician in a band.

So when the show started it was much the same -- it was show time. You see I learned as a jazz musician that when you don't really know the tune, improvise. Of course I did know the subject matter, but the smooth delivery was based on my experience playing music gigs.

How might this apply to you?

If you are starting a new job or career or are in a new challenging situation remember you really are drawing on a lifetime of related experience--much as I did. You have more strengths than you might imagine.

Mitch Meyerson is a visionary, speaker, consultant and founder of The Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Program,Traffic School and Product Factory. He has mentored thousands of business owners to create a life of financial success and freedom. He can be reached at: www.MitchMeyerson.com