Charlie Tremendous Jones has a  mantra: “The only difference  between where you are now and  where you’ll be next year are the  books you read and the people you  meet.” He has said it for more than 50  years and has influenced hundreds of  thousands of people with that single  sentence. Me included.

Charlie Jones has dedicated his life  to learning new things, meeting new  people, inspiring new people with  his words and giving away thousands  of books … so he could sell millions  of books.

But Charlie’s charisma is the most  compelling aspect of his character. It’s  instant. He doesn’t just shake your  hand; he hugs you with a capital H.  No one who ever meets him forgets  him. Everyone who meets him is  touched by him – mentally and physically.  If you’ve ever been hugged by  Charlie Tremendous Jones, you know  exactly what I’m talking about.

Here are the 12.5 characteristics  of Charlie:

1. He’s so likable, he’s lovable.

2. He makes you laugh and think at  the same time.

3. His presentation skills are so excellent,  you’re compelled to listen.

4. His ideas are simple, not simplistic.

5. His concepts are transferable, so  you can use them the minute you  hear them.

6. He reads to you and talks  to you kind of like your mom  or dad did – only better.

7. His spirit is ever present.  His spirit comes from his  spirituality.

8. His honesty and integrity  are silent but evident.

9. He always has a song in  his heart and on his lips.

10. He’s not just smart, he’s  not just knowledgeable – he’s  wise. And his wisdom has  come from the books he has  read and the people he has met.

11. He has learned that by giving one  he receives 10. He looks at it as returning  some of what you owe for the blessings  you have received.

12. His loyalty to others – including  Gloria, his wife of more than 50 years –  is as genuine as his loyalty to himself.

12.5. He doesn’t just teach it. He  lives it.

How do you measure up against  those characteristics?

Every day is Christmas at the Joneses’  residence in Mechanicsville, Pa. He  invites underprivileged children to his  perennial Christmas room  where he performs for them,  and gives them gifts as though  he were Santa. (Maybe he is.)  He’s the most non-offensive  religious person I have ever  met. He doesn’t tell you what  you should do or how to  believe. He tells you what he  does, and how he believes. He  has set an example of living,  and it makes his teachings  more powerful as a result.

And even though I may not  walk the same path, I can walk  a better path of my own,having learned  from the examples he sets.

As he nears the end of his time on  earth and prepares to meet his maker,  his mission has intensified. Defying all  health issues and physical requirements  that a person half his age would have  trouble keeping pace with, Charlie still  presents himself and his enthusiastic  persona as though he were 21.

When your middle name is “Tremendous,”  you’d better be able to back it up.  In my opinion, his middle name is an  understatement. It’s not just a name; it’s  a lifestyle, personality and philosophy.

His middle name could mean  tremendous attitude, tremendous person,  tremendous giver, tremendous  reader, tremendous collector, tremendous  speaker, tremendous humor,  tremendous fighter, tremendous husband  or tremendous father. But by far  the best middle name I could give him  is Tremendous Influence.

When you HAVE the time of your  life, it IS the time of your life! Charlie  Tremendous Jones has had the time of  his life, helping others better their lives.

And for the small portion of my life that  we have spent together, I am better, and  I am grateful.

Want more info about Charlie Jones?  Go to www.gitomer.com, register if  you’re a first-time user, and enter the  word CHARLIE in the GitBit box.