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Posted: 6/06/03

FATHER KNOWS BEST:
Philanthropist Paul Meyer

By Lacy Elwood

Special to the Standard

WACO–Instead of receiving gifts this Father's Day, Waco multi-millionaire Paul Meyer wants to give a few to his five children and 15 grandchildren–in the way of 294 pages of inspiration.

Meyer, founder of Success Motivation, a Christian-based motivational company, spent three and a half years writing his book “Unlocking Your Legacy: 25 Keys for Success.” The book chronicles the Christian attitudes Meyer wishes to pass on to his children, a series of chapters he considers to be his legacy.

“Remember,” Meyer tells his children, “you're a Christian, and you're a Meyer. Act that way.”

For the Meyer family, acting like their 75-year-old father means living the values of integrity, honesty, discipline, love and faith in God. Meyer said he wrote the book to encourage his family to incorporate those values in their lives and also to encourage others to leave a legacy of their own.

Meyer bases the book around 25 keys to success, beginning with the “most imperative,” love. “Everything of value must start somewhere,” he wrote, and love is where every good legacy begins.

Other chapters cover “The Rise and Fall of Discipline,” “Laughing at Life,” and “Living Life with an Attitude of Gratitude.”

Meyer, a member of First Baptist Church of Woodway, writes at length about the importance of prayer. He became a Christian at 16, and he begins each day in prayer, sometimes for a few minutes and sometimes for hours.

Meyer also discusses the principle of trust in great detail in key 10, “My Word is My Bond.”

There, Meyer hits upon an aspect of trust unfamiliar to many Americans. When he makes promises, deals or even just simple agreements, he relies solely on a handshake and another person's word.

“I just shake hands with people and trust them,” he explained. “I'm suspecting of somebody that wants a contract. If he's going to cheat me later, he'll cheat me now.”

And any promises he makes are almost immediately written down, told to his wife Jane and put in a safe deposit box. At the end of each year, Meyer sorts through his promises, and those that have not been fulfilled are added to his will.

People trust him, he said, because he actually follows through with his promises and does what he says he will do.

Although his lawyers call him crazy, Meyer continues to sign deals with a simple handshake. He buys antique cars over the phone without ever seeing what he's buying and even bought an apartment complex for $1 million in a deal signed on the back of a restaurant place mat.

Even though he has run across people whose word could not be trusted, he still insists on believing in his fellow man's handshake.

“I ask God to protect me from people who want to take advantage of me, but I have been taken advantage of,” Meyer said. “But I had a pair of pants shrink up on me once, and I didn't quit wearing pants.”

His positive attitude, which he considers part of his inheritance from his parents, has carried him from a 19-year-old life insurance salesman to the owner of one of the largest companies in the world. After selling $1 million in insurance in 60 days, he set the goal to eventually sell the same amount in just one day. Others quickly picked up on his motivating attitude and suggested he teach courses in positive selling.

The courses turned into Success Motivation. Meyer claims he retired at age 70 but also admits he works just as hard at age 75 as he did when he was 45. Since his retirement, Meyer has written three books and numerous booklets and serves as the president of the Paul Meyer Family Foundation, an organization that supports his love of giving to others.

“There is no joy in the world like the joy of giving,” Meyer said.

He told the Dallas Morning News that it disturbs him that more people don't use their wealth to help others, especially Christians. Meyer began tithing in his 20s, but after hearing Christian businessman R.G. LeTourneau speak about donating 90 percent of his income to the church, he realized his endeavors weren't quite enough.

Since its inception in 1984, Meyer's foundation has donated more than $43 million, mostly to Central Texas charities and residents. Frequent recipients include Waco's Boys and Girls Club, Baylor University and the Passport to Success Foundation.

Through Passport to Success, the Meyer family has enabled thousands of disadvantaged youth and young adults to attend college. Meyer's program since has influenced several other Waco families to start college programs of their own.

“I've got a heart for kids and education because I didn't get to go to school,” Meyer explained.

Regardless of education, status, beliefs and background, everyone has a legacy to leave behind, Meyer said.

“Write down the attributes you want to pass on to your family, not just what you're going to do with your life, but the things inside of you that you want to pass on,” he advised. “Think about how you want to be remembered, and start living your life that way now.”