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Everyone knows that America is currently the strongest nation on Earth, they have the most advanced military, the biggest economy, their media influences the rest of the world directly or subtly through Hollywood movies. But none of those are it's strength....
When I went to America to go see the Professional Wrestling companies, I was the Australian Pro Wrestling Champion but I wanted to go further, much further, oh yes... and to get paid well. So the only place to go was America - the WWF, in Connecticut, and WCW in Atlanta there was one thing I noticed consistently about American people. But before I go into that let me give a little background.
Ever since I was a 16 year old schoolboy who had just started at the gym, the only other people who believed that I could get bigger were my training partners. My family did not support me, in fact my mother did her best to hinder my bodybuilding after an initial period of help.
I had few friends at school as I did not follow the herd, I did not like their superficial social acceptance, and tended to keep away with a few other very intelligent friends, which gave me others to talk to on an equal intellectual level which far outweighed the advantages of being popular.
These school friends were not overly enthusiastic about my goals, but they were not negative either, usually they would come up as a good natured joke but that was about it.
So after 14 years at the gym and making it up to 330lb (legit - which was 400lbs in the Wrestling Ring) I decided to go to the USA and try my luck in the big time.
Upon telling my friends, most were negative, some asked questions like what if you don't make it, I only remember one or two people (work mates) who were supportive (but then they had seen what I could do to troublemakers at the pub). My own best friends since childhood, my previously supportive training partners even said I could not make it.
So I went to the airport and boarded a plane to America with very little emotional support and very few people believing in me... including my girlfriend at that time.
So I arrive at New York after a 24 hour (or was it 26?) flight on which I did not sleep. 14 years of trying and I was about to make it, I was excited.
I get off the plane, get my bags and am walking through the airport when this large American in uniform stops me, he is about 6'8" and easily 260 lbs (120kg) with a naturally large frame. In Australia anytime someone in uniform wants to talk to you it means there is going to be trouble.
This fellow, so politely asks where I am going. I tell him to go see WWF wrestling, he asks where I am from - Australia. We then get into a brief but nice conversation where he spends the majority of the conversation teling me how great it is that I am trying and how easily I will make it in the wrestling - everything super positive.
Somewhat taken aback by this, though encouraged by this nice positive fellow I go on my way, find my hotel and sleep, getting the train to Connecticut 2 days later (due to the retarded Travel Agent in Australia telling me that there was some kind of shopping holiday on, so I booked anyway and arrived to find out it was Thanksgiving, the biggest holiday in America and everything was closed for days).
I find a hotel here and instantly people working are asking if I am a Professional Wrestler, I tell them my story that I am here to try to get a contract, that I have flown from Australia and am going to Cold Call. I get nothing but enthusiasm. That night I head to the hotel bar for a couple of beers and to see if I can meet some people, there I get into a conversation with another American fellow who asks what I am doing here, so I tell him. You could have knocked me down with his positive response it was so powerful and real.
This is when I realised that I was witnessing not just a few positive individuals but an entire nation of go getters with a "you can do it" attitude.
This is the power of America, the people, the positive drive that has made America a place to be envied by so many and a place to strive for where the American dream can see a poor broke immigrant make it big time.
Even today, just now as I write this, my neighbour Sam, an American, interrupted me politely to ask something. He had heard that I write some of my own material - I told him that in fact I had written the entire script for Bangkok Adrenaline and I write a lot on my computer everyday.
Instantly he shook my hand and offered me congratulations, followed by positive encouragement about my future.
Americans look up to success and reward it whereas Australians try to tear it down with the Tall Poppy syndrome.
This and this alone is why America is the greatest country on Earth - positive attitude and confidence.
I can only dream about how much easier it would be to succeed in a society where everyone believes you can versus a culture where everyone puts you down if you try.
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