At 61, after having accomplished more than most people could imagine, Peter Legge continues to work hard at the “basics” – the fundamentals that have guided him in life and business.

It is those practices that Legge will address next month (October 20), when he is the keynote speaker at a fund-raiser for the Edmonton chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.

As a Vancouver publisher of 22 magazines, a tireless community leader, author of several motivational books and acclaimed public speaker – Toastmasters International has named him one of North America’s top speakers – Legge promises to be an engaging and enlightening presenter.

Legge: ‘Life isn’t fair and life isn’t easy . . . get used to it.’

His speech in Edmonton is titled How to Lead in Tough Times by Getting Back to Basics.

It’s a subject about which he’s both passionate and knowledgeable. (Legge explains that part of his success as a speaker is that he only delivers speeches on issues that he cares deeply about.)

His personal journey toward understanding the basics began when he was fired from a job in radio. That was 35 years ago. Legge says he’s still learning.

“Life is pretty simple,” he says. “But people generally want to complicate their lives and their business lives.”

Before people can thrive, they must be accountable to themselves, he says.

“Conduct yourself as though you are the president of the most important company in the world. Understand that the company is you. Be the absolute boss of yourself.”

Legge explains that if people think of themselves as the president of their own company, they acknowledge that they are in charge of their own revenue, planning, goals, developing a strategy how to reach those goals, expenses, communications, and so on.

“The trouble is, most people generally point the finger saying: ‘It’s your fault, world,’ or ‘it’s the boss’s fault.’ ”

But once a person develops a positive attitude, they can set and reach their goals and dreams.

A key is to write down your goals, something only three per cent of the population practises, says Legge.

“I find it amazing how few people set goals – business people, incidentally – never mind having them write them down.”

It’s a habit that Legge has long employed and recently built upon. Two months ago, based on Brian Tracey’s book, The Ultimate Goals Program, Legge began writing down his Top 10 goals every morning.

“I write them down, and review them, because I do believe you become what you think about most of the time. It’s remarkable how it focuses you.”

When you write down a goal and state it in a positive manner, a person is already half way to accomplishing the goal. The subconscious begins playing “amazing games,” he says.

You begin to associate with the people, the literature, the resources that cause you to achieve the goal, Legge says.

“When I was fired, I took a good look at what other successful people do. If you look at those people and you ask yourself if they are any smarter than you are, they probably aren’t. They’ve just applied themselves.”

Legge is a shining example of what can be accomplished.

In 1976, a year after he was fired, he co-founded a publishing company. Today, Canada Wide Magazines & Communications Ltd. is Western Canada’s largest independently owned publishing company and does $25 million worth of business annually.

Yet Legge may be better known for his community work, notably with the Variety Club where he’s co-hosted an annual telethon for 25 years. The telethon has raised about $100 million. He’s generous with his time as a speaker for numerous groups, and was the chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade last year.

In addition, he’s authored several motivational books and has been inducted into the Speakers’ Hall of Fame by both the National Speakers Association and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.

Legge says that his Edmonton speech on getting back to the basics in tough times is something to which the general public will relate.

It’s been a difficult year. Mad-cow disease, the B.C. forest fires, West Nile virus and SARS, to name just a few problems, have kept a steady grip on daily headlines.

His response?

“Life isn’t fair, and life isn’t easy, so you’d better get used to it. We will have things that happen, like the fires in the Okanagan, that are traumatic.

“The fires, that was horrendous, but if you haven’t lost your life, you can rebuild. People lose fortunes and do rebuild those fortunes.”

Legge has experienced his own tough times. He’s beaten cancer. He had malignant melanoma on his cheek (surgeons had to cut away the cancer from nearly half his face). He suffered a stroke two years ago, and had botched eye surgery that was later corrected.

On each occasion, he stuck to the basics. He formed a goal to beat the problem and wrote it down.

It seems he didn’t miss a beat.

* For more information on the fund-raiser, contact Kim Duke at kim@salesdivas.com or call 780.432.3903.