Neil Diamond and the 3-D consultant

Music legend Neil Diamond gained fame for songs like "Solitary Man", "Cherry Cherry", "Kentucky Man" and "Sweet Caroline". But did you know he originally attended New York University’s pre-med program on a fencing scholarship?

Fencing made me feel for the first time like a winner.

Fencing took Neil Diamond from Brooklyn to NYU. Although he dropped out after running into organic chemistry, Neil Diamond obviously had several influences on the way to his music career. That’s why, in my Discover Your Inner Consultant guide, I encourage readers to examine all their life experience, not just work. Sometimes, getting in touch with parts of your life that served as inspiration can give you the courage to pursue something different, like consulting.

If you read my blog and say, "Gee, that sounds cool, but could I be a consultant? I don’t know anything special!", then you might want to think about Neil Diamond. Would you have thought an 18-year-old fencing star with an interest in medicine would eventually become one of the most influential musicians of the past 40 years?

Incidentally, apparently actor Jerry O’Connell and Neil Diamond are NYU’s most famous fencing alumni. Jerry didn’t let Stand By Me pigeon-hole his career, either. Perhaps there’s something to this en garde stuff.