In 1996, the movie Jerry Maguire hit theatres. The story about love, redemption, and how to find happiness quickly became a box-office sensation. Starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renée Zellweger, it would go on to earn five Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture.
While the movie itself was a work of fiction, its premise was rooted in reality. It gave moviegoers an inside glimpse into the competitive world of the sports agency industry. A world that a real-life person, David Meltzer, knows only too well.
Meltzer is the co-founder of Sports 1 Marketing and formerly served as CEO of the renowned Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment agency, the very agency that provided the inspiration for the movie Jerry Maguire.
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And in a bizarre twist of life imitating art, Meltzer found himself on his own journey of finding true happiness. A journey that would see him gain it all, lose it all, and get it all back again. A journey that he shares in a must-see motivational speech that might just change the way you look at happiness.
Who is the REAL LIFE Jerry Maguire?
David Meltzer grew up in a "world of not enough." His dad left when he was five years old, leaving his mom to raise six kids on her own. His mother worked two jobs, barely scraping to get by. By day, she worked as a second-grade teacher. At night she would load the kids into their Country Squire station wagon, armed with dinner in paper bags, and stock greeting cards in convenience stores.
Despite not having much, Meltzer's memories of his childhood are mostly happy ones. The only times he recalls not being happy were the moments his mom was unable to hide her grief and shame over their financial situation.
"The only time I wasn't happy after my father left was when I'd catch my mom crying because the dishwasher would break, the car would break, and she had too much pride to ask for help. Or, the shame of handing food stamps to us to go to school," Meltzer shared.
It would be the catalyst that would drive his life for years to come. "I wanted to make a million dollars so I could buy my mom a house and a car because I decided I was going to raise the stakes at a young age to be happy," he said.
But instead of making a million dollars, he made $100 million.
It Turns Out Money Doesn't Buy Happiness
By the time Meltzer was 33 years old, he had it all.
His dream wife, three kids, and a bank account overflowing with zeros. He had cars, boats, and houses — including the one he bought for his mom.
By society's standards, he should have been happy. But for the first time in his life, he wasn't. "Pretty soon I started surrounding myself with the wrong people and the wrong ideas," he said.
It finally caught up to him. After a night of partying and lying to his wife, it all came crashing down. His wife had had enough. "You, you are NOT a rock star," she told him angrily. It was like a slap in the face. How dare she? They had everything money could buy.
"The first thing that came into my mind was 'look around you,'" recalled Meltzer. "Look at the cars we have, the houses we have, the nanny that lives here...that's what went through my sickened mind at the time."
And yet even with all the things, his wife wasn't happy. She gave him an ultimatum, "You better take stock of who you were and what you want to become or I'm outta here."
It changed the trajectory of his life. But not in time to stop him from losing everything he had worked so hard to gain.
In Pursuit of True Happiness
By 2008, Meltzer claimed bankruptcy, losing over $100 million. But in the process, he found himself. Because sometimes in life, we have to lose it all in order to really start living.
Once Meltzer started being honest about who he had become and who he wanted to be, he was able to find success and true happiness. With a little help from his mom.
The day he had to tell her he had lost everything, including her home, was the worst day of Meltzer's life.
Her response shocked him but it was also the revelation he needed. "She looked at me without blinking, put her hand on my shoulder, and said 'Can I give you some money?' Because my mom lives in a world of more than enough. She's of service to her community, to her children, and she set that example, not by telling me anything but she taught me by watching her through my whole life."
Today Meltzer is sharing his message on how to find happiness in the world.
"I tell people all the time if you want to change your life it's very simple. Say thank you. Say thank you before you go to bed and say thank you when you wake up, and I guarantee you if you can do that for 30 straight days your life will change."
A motivational speaker, author, and entrepreneur, Meltzer has taken his mother's lesson about serving others to heart. He is on a mission to "empower over 1 BILLION people" to discover their own happiness. One that isn't found in material things or a bank account. Rather, true happiness. The kind that can only be found in gratitude and serving others.
"Live in a world of more than enough. It's simply through gratitude, empathy, and accountability that you can have more than enough, you can live more than enough and you can give more than enough. Simply by being of service."
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