Everyone seems to be looking for profound wisdom. We read books and expect the ideas they contain to transform our lives. We throw money at gurus and await their words that will surely make us enlightened. We consult oracles and canons in hopes of gleaning something that can help us overcome whatever difficulties we face.

And yet, despite our efforts, more often than not, we come up empty handed – but not often enough to prevent us from continuing our quest. We seem to learn just enough to keep us hooked. No matter how elusive our quarry, our desire only grows stronger.

Not long ago I found myself in traffic, stuck behind an old man in a pickup truck. With only one lane open and road construction all around, there was no getting around this guy. And to make things worse, it turned out he was nice. Yes. Nice.

Over the course of about 2 miles, traveling at speeds of up to 5 miles an hour, this man actually stopped at each block to allow every vehicle wanting to merge, to merge. The thankful drivers would smile and wave at this nice old man as they filled up the lane in front of him. I told you he was nice.

Years ago I did some video work for a man I was told was worth about $100 million dollars. I can’t verify that figure, but there was absolutely no doubt this man was filthy stinkin’ rich.

Ranches, banks, airplanes, you name it, he owned them. Sometimes many of them. He was always impeccably dressed, surrounded by the trappings of the super-rich, and always seemed to be having a ball sitting on top of the world. And to top it off, I was told he’d built his empire from scratch.

Recently, I attended a high school dance team competition in which my daughter was competing. Since over 50 other teams were competing that day, I nearly went into a coma waiting for her team to perform. Just as I was about to slip out of my seat, one of my favorite songs from my own high school days began to play over the loud speaker. It was Rock and Roll All Nite by KISS. And in an instant, I was wide-awake and dancing in my seat.