I timed it perfectly. Surrounded by cameras, bright lights, microphones and zealous Paparazzi, Venus Williams looked a little flustered. Right then, I stepped forward, extended my hand to her and said with a smile, “May I escort you to the ballroom Madame?” With a look of relief, she smiled and took my hand. I extracted her from the fray, put my left arm around her waist and with my best gentlemanly poise, walked with her toward the ballroom. Flanked by two security guards, her younger sister, Serena Williams, followed about three steps behind.

I walked with authority next to Venus, as if I belonged there, and so, despite the throng of people wanting to get close to her, nobody bothered us. She and I chatted easily as we slowly moved ahead. I welcomed her; we talked about where she lives, and about the fact that I live very close to her in the West Palm Beach area.

I actually had my arm around the waist of the global superstar—Venus Williams, the repeated winner of world-wide tennis championships such as Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open and the Sydney Olympics; the winner of Sports Illustrated Magazine’s Sportswoman of the Year Award. Three steps behind us, flanked by two security guards, was her equally famous sister, Serena Williams. I was in the company of two great women.

This was in Kingston, Jamaica where I went to conduct a business workshop for a client. I heard about the William sisters event on the very evening it was supposed to happen. Intrigued, I dressed up in the best business outfit I had and went to the Pegasus Hotel with a plan.

A few hundred people milled around the hall, waiting for the fashionably late superstars. Arriving early, I was inside the hall, but then it occurred to me that there may have been a price for entry. So, I called the front desk and asked. They told me the price but added that it was too late, as the registration desk had already closed. As I hung up, I thought resolutely to myself: “I am here to meet Venus and Serena!” If the folks-in-charge couldn’t take my money, that still did not change my objective.

Then, I began to think how this process would play out. Certainly, a mob of people would be trying to get to the Williams sisters. What would I do differently? How would I stand out from the crowd? I didn’t just want to shake their hands or have them autograph a tennis ball. That’s too average. I wanted an experience that a normal fan wouldn’t have.

As I thought, I noticed the cluster of reporters and camera men from different countries, crowding the head of the hallway. I moved in and sat on a folding chair just behind the camera man from MS NBC. There, I began to visualize the way things should work out when Venus and Serena arrived. I chose the exact words I’d say to introduce myself.

A fearsome thought flashed through my mind. What if the organizers began to check for tickets? They would find out that I was crashing the party. Others would see me publicly ejected. I literally imagined the feeling of embarrassment. Then I snapped out of it instantly by saying to myself, audibly and resolutely, “I’m here to meet Venus and Serena!” My heartbeat went back to normal and I continued to plan the event in my mind. The same thing happened at two other times that evening and I spoke audibly to myself to regain composure.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the crowd near the elevator up the hall. I got ready. It worked perfectly, just as I visualized it. When the high-powered stars approached the passageway leading to the ballroom, they entered one at a time, through the narrow space where normal fans and guests had to stop and show their tickets. The girls’ bodyguards hesitated and allowed Venus and Serena to enter first. Venus came in. The Paparazzi descended on her. That’s when, with poise, I stepped forward and repeated the rehearsed words, “May I escort you to the ballroom Madame?”

The bodyguards actually allowed me to take this multi-million-dollar, international star of human excellence into my arms and stay with her as they walked behind us. I’m not entirely sure why they permitted this, but a few possible explanations have occurred to me:

I didn’t project the image of a crazed fan; I had stepped forward with the quiet certainty and confidence you might expect from the owner of the building; I did not want anything from her; I was there to help her; I was dressed to fit the part and looked trustworthy and authoritative. What do you think? I don’t know. All I know is, it was a thrilling moment. It was thrilling for more than one reason. Certainly, I loved the time I spent with this amazing, powerful woman and the brief conversation I had with her equally powerful sister, Serena. However, what was truly satisfying was the idea that I actually “pulled it off.”

That evening, about 90% of the eager fans, never got within ten feet of the sisters despite the rush at the end. Each person paid to attend, but each person did nothing different from the crowd. I was delighted to reconfirm that I can do just about anything I set my mind to do—IF—if I plan it well; if I deeply believe it will happen; if I carefully visualize the outcome; if I prepare myself to fit into the desired space with the confidence that I belong there; if I get up and confidently TAKE ACTION when the opportunity manifests itself.

Is this true for you too? If you take the constructive steps the ordinary person in the crowd will not take, your opportunities in life will lead you to extraordinary places difficult for normal people to imagine—places you’d already seen clearly in your vision for the future.

Take it from me, this attitude will give you altitude.

Alvin PS: Someone told me she took a great photo of Venus and me that night. I’ll get a copy and share it with you when I write the next newsletter.