I remember sitting in the back of the room at my first event broke, frustrated, and clueless…
I was so amazed by the people on stage and wanted to be just like them when I grew up.
When I first heard someone on stage mention that they made $40,000 in a single month I remember saying to myself at 21 years old, “I don’t know what I gotta do to get there, but no matter what it takes, I’m going to figure it out.
The ironic thing about me making that statement to myself, was that just by me saying it, I had already stumbled on and “figured out” the hardest part of the success equation.
I didn’t just make a statement that day, I made a commitment. I made a commitment to myself to be a student of the game, to figure out how to be successful, and to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to get there.
Making a commitment to figure it out what needs to be done and then doing whatever it takes to do it, is the part that most people never do. Most people “take a swing” see what happens and quit if nothing happens fast enough.
I didn’t say “Boy, I sure wish I could have that” or “Man, they sure must be lucky”. I didn’t assume that the successful people on stage had any advantages over me or there was any reason I couldn’t do whatever they did.
My elementary thinking was they knew stuff that I didn’t know, but if was willing to do some investigation, I could probably “figure out” what that stuff was.
Then I figured, they probably didn’t just know stuff, they probably also did some stuff too, so I just need to be a copycat and do whatever they did and if I do it long enough I’ll eventually get results like theirs.
I don’t know how, but somehow deep down I knew it wasn’t just learning and it wasn’t just doing. It was both learning and doing that would get me there.
Because I approached achieving success as something that must be “figured out” I never had a lottery mentality and was never afraid to invest money into figuring out what those successful people knew. Achievers invest in themselves.
Because I knew that it took work, I never let my fears paralyze me from doing the activities that needed to get done and I never let my impatience get the best of me and cause me to quit before I made it. Quitters never win.
So I read every book, listened to every audio, bought every course, and went to every event, seminar, and conference I could… and worked my face off.
The more I figured out what my successful predecessors knew the more valuable I became and the more enjoyable my work became.
Then of course, success caught up to me. And when people heard about it they wanted me to share what I knew and what I had done… on platforms and stages.
This is a picture of me on the No Excuses Summit stage pouring out my heart and soul, sharing many of the things that I’ve spent the past 12 years figuring out and doing.
I’m doing this in hopes that a few people in that audience will come to the same realization I did and commit to learning what I’ve learned and doing what I’ve done, so they too can live their dreams and one day share their story which will undoubtedly change the lives of a few people in their future audiences.
This is the cycle of life and is what it’s all about. Get there, give back, and help the next group of leaders do the same.
If you’re committed to the journey and figuring out whatever needs to be figured out and doing whatever needs to get done, click “like” and drop a comment below making and/or reaffirming your commitment.
Feel free to share this with anyone who could use some inspiration.