SFR 234: Eustress, And The Wall...
E-U-S-T-R-E-S-S... is a massively important concept in my life!
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Eustress comes from the word euphoria... and the dictionary definition is beneficial stress.
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I googled it\u2026
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Eustress means beneficial stress, either psychological, physical, biochemical, radiological.\u201d
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It literally means \u201cgood stress.\u201d
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So\u2026
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There's Distress and there's Eustress
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What does it have to do with Sales Funnel Radio? A LOT, lemme tell ya!
EUSTRESS... NOT, YOU STRESS!
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When I coaching people, there\u2019s often a certain amount of stress that gets caused in that person's life as they take action or do something for the first time.
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If they're NOT normally an action taker this stress can feel overwhelming.
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However, know the difference between distress and eustress can be a game changer.
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Eustress is positive growth stress; the kind you would get from pushing yourself at the gym.
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BIG MOVES BY MY LITTLE SIS\u2026
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My sister Marie, is awesome.
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She's getting married soon, so by the time this episode goes out, she will probably be married. (Congratulations, Marie)
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However, about two years ago, she was a poor college student who wanted to go to \xa0Funnel Hacking Live. She didn\u2019t have a business or any real savings\u2026
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She reached out to me and asked:
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"Stephen, I have enough money to either buy a Funnel Hacking Live ticket with a plane ticket and a hotel room... or my groceries and bills for the next month\u2026 What should I do?"
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Talk about a Big Brother Moment...
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I decided to I ask a question to help her weigh up her options and make a decision.
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I said: Marie, if you were to go and pay for your groceries and your bills for the next month, what is the likelihood that you will put yourself in a place of eustress and come up with the money to go to Funnel Hacking Live?
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She said: "I probably won't."
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I said: "I agree with you, you probably won't\u2026 most human beings wouldn't.\u201d
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Next, \xa0I asked: "If you were to go buy a Funnel Hacking Live ticket, plane ride, and all that stuff... what's the likelihood that you are NOT going to figure out how to eat and then die?"
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\u2026 and she goes: "I'm gonna figure out how to live and eat."
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There you go: "In my opinion, that\u2019s your answer!"
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- If you know that it\u2019s good for you\u2026
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- If you know that it\u2019s the thing that's cause more success\u2026
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\u2026 then put your back against the wall voluntarily, and do it that way.
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And that's exactly what she did.
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She bought a ticket to Funnel Hacking Live, a plane ticket, and all that stuff\u2026
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Shortly after, (like the next week), she started getting her first real clients and started doing work that paid her bills.
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There's a principle behind this\u2026
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THE LAW OF ACTION
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Things will begin to conspire for your sake when you get clear on what you want, honest about where you are, and willing to put yourself in situations that cause good stress.
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Eustress = Growth
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So here\u2019s what happened to Marie next\u2026 (I tell these stories with her permission)
Marie went to Funnel Hacking Live, and they sold the 2 Comma Club X for the first time.
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Russell did his pitch and it was amazing and there was a CRAZY table rush.
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For 30 minutes after Russell's speech, \xa0people can purchase and ask questions\u2026
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There\u2019s a countdown clock showing the time left before the next speech, and after it ends, the program will be closed.
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People were running to the back to sign up\u2026
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There were only 10 minutes left on the timer when I sat down next to my sister who was talking to a friend in earnest.
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Marie turned to me and said:
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"Stephen, what should we do? We're thinking of putting our money together under one account\u2026 then \xa0we\u2019ll just share all the 2 Comma Club X events "
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I said: "You could do that, but do you mind if I give my two cents on this?"
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(I\u2019ve talked about how questions invite revelation in the blog before\u2026 I learned this from a mentor/ leader that I had 10 years ago.)
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I very much believe that questions invite revelation.
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Here\u2019s how it goes...
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When you ask the question:
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- How can I get a discount?
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- How can I do this, but not as a full participating member?
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- How can I do this and not pay the full price?\u2019
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\u2026 you get an answer to that question.
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So I said to Marie, \u201c I dare you to ask a different question."
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ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?
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I've watched how wealthy people deal react to a situation where they want something that's more expensive than what they were planning on.
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instead of saying, \u201cI don't know how to afford this\u2026\u201d
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They say, \u201cYES,\u201d and then they figure out how to develop an asset that pays for what they want.
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They ask: \u201cWhat can I develop in order to pay for this expensive thing?\u2019\u201d
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So I looked at my sister and said:
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"Marie, I challenge to ask the question, \u2018How can I afford the most expensive things and experiences this life has to offer?\u2019 Answer that question and develop an asset that pays for your monthly membership of 2 Comma Club X."
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That was pretty intense, Marie only had $76 in her bank account at the time.
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But Yeah, but that was still the answer.
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She had a three week period while everyone was onboarded to the program to figure out how to pay\u2026
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(...it was a grand or something like that.)
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I asked her: "Can you figure that out if you go and put yourself in a position of eustress?"
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And she said: "I think so."
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So she got her own account!
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\u2026 and this is a big lesson for everybody.
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POSITIVE STRESS
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I know (as a reader of my blog) you\u2019re probably crushing it and TOTALLY awesome...
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But a lot of adults haven't learned how to feel a little bit of positive stress and pain.
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Not all pain's bad. The point is NOT to be comfortable all the time.
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One of the BIGGEST external based false beliefs I hear from people is:
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\u201cI would, but I'm just in a financial place to do it right now.\u201d
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I\u2019m like, \u201cMan, that's the reason that you do it!\u201d
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You do it so that you can put yourself in a place of pressure that causes you to learn and grow at rates you would not be willing to put yourself in otherwise.
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Now again, I'm not a financial advisor.
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... and you might think this is really extreme. *I don't care*
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This is literally how I've been able to progress so fast.
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I put myself in scenarios that I know I will figure out because there\u2019s no other option. I voluntarily place my back against the wall, so that these scenarios happen.
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And that's what Marie did\u2026
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Within two months, she had her own business with cash flow of $10,000 a month.
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I asked her: "Would you have gone and done all that stuff if you had a lot of money in your bank?"
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Can you guess what the answer was\u2026? ;-)
SMASH YOUR COMFORT ZONE
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I swear one of the biggest problems people run into when they're starting any kind of entrepreneurship is that things are too cushy.
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Get uncomfortable! I dare you to feel a little pain.
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Case in point\u2026
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When I left ClickFunnels, I had:
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- No product
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- No offer
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- No funnel
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- No team
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\u2026 it was really intense. I don't recommend that at all!
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However, I did it because I knew I was experienced enough to figure it out, and because I knew that it meant that I couldn\u2019t mess around.
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I had to figure it out.
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There was no mental let out at all. I couldn\u2019t afford any distractions. The cost of me NOT showing up was too high\u2026
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\u2026. within a month I had done 59 grand.
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A lot of successful entrepreneurs know this principle, but the people who are brand new, often hit against the rocks...
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They feel they need to have all the:
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- Resources
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- Time
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- Money
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- Energy
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- Support
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...before they start.
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If you\u2019re waiting for all your ducks to be in a row, then you won't do it!
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*You will back out*
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You\u2019ll find a way to stall\u2026 because it\u2019s stressful... and it\u2019s uncomfortable.
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BACK TO A WALL GROWTH
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I work far more than most of you probably realize..(actually, \xa0it's NOT as crazy anymore).
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Often, now, I only work a seven/ eight hour day because I have a team and leverage.
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But it wasn\u2019t like that when I first started out.
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When you start in this game there are few risks that you probably have to take, but they shouldn\u2019t be stupid risks.
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You need to:
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- Take a calculated risk
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- Find a mentor
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- Start moving
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You need to be able to get yourself in a place and a position where you don't care that it\u2019s uncomfortable and that it doesn't feel good.
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You need to feel a little bit of pain and discomfort to growth.
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If you are NOT able to back yourself against the wall, you're NOT gonna do it.
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Instead, you\u2019ll wait for my next Podcast episode because you need the NEXT secret or the NEXT hack\u2026
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*DON\u2019T WAIT*
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You have so much MORE information than I ever had when I started this game\u2026
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So please, please, take action\u2026
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Life will throw unexpected scenarios at you that\u2019ll put your back against the wall, and you will behave and perform in ways that we didn't know you could.
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But the individual who's willing to put themselves against the wall, and take action from a place of eustress, is much better off.
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You don\u2019t need all your ducks in a row and the moons to be aligned.
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You don\u2019t need ALL the answers!
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WELCOME TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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I don't know how to do the majority of the things that I have planned for the rest of this year...
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...but I know I'll figure it out.
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I'm NOT waiting for someone to come give me the answer. I will figure it out, and then I\u2019ll create a system and leverage.
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I will feel uncomfortable.
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Once a month there's something where I really don't want to do something. I say to Colton: \u201cDude, I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this right now.\u201d
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...and he'll laugh and I'll laugh.
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We have these little bouncing ball chairs, I'll crank music, and I'll do something crazy\u2026
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What I'm not a fan of shunning your feelings. Feel your feelings! Take a moment to freak out.
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Take a moment to have a little poopy-pants syndrome, that's okay...
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\u2026 but understand that you are NOT your feelings; I love that from Tony Robbins.
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You just have to sit back, and be like, \u201cOh man I need to do this thing.\u201d
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There are two or three specific things right now that I\u2019m legitimately NOT looking forward to doing. I don't want to do them.
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They're the kinds of things that keep me up late because I don't want to do what I'm supposed to do tomorrow, but it's not about that...
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I'm NOT my feelings.
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I'm not about shunning emotions and becoming this stone machine. I'm a human being, and we are emotional... so let me feel the emotion, and then after I've given myself time to freak out...
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...then I put myself against the wall.
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This might sound weird and extreme, but whatever, it works.
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We've been cash flowing pretty hard for the last eight months... (but at the same rate).
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It's been like 100 to 125 grand a month every month for the last eight/ nine months.
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So this past little bit, I've been sittin' back and thinking like, \u201cCrap, I'm still working seven, eight, nine hours a day. It's about leverage now\u2026\u201d
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...and that's the eustress that I'm placing myself under.
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Part of that\u2019s about me growing, scaling, and starting to create systems.
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I've got two content teams, a funnel team, and half of an admin team.
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I am doing it... but I'm hitting the next phase, and I feel it.
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I know that I personally need to grow in order to handle it... and I feel it. I'm hitting the wall. I know it, and I'm okay with experiencing that.
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OVER TO YOU?
- What\u2019s going on in your life?
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- What excuses are you using?
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- Where are you NOT growing?
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Like... \u201cStephen, I can't because of x, y, and z.\u201d
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I go nuts in One Funnel Away Challenge when I hear that\u2026
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When someone says, \u201cWell, Stephen, I just don't have ALL the answers needed.\u201d \xa0
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Are you kidding? Every single day! Welcome to entrepreneurship.
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I don't know how to answer a lot of things that I'm supposed to be doing on tomorrow, but I know I'll figure it out. I'm willing to feel a little bit of discomfort on the way.
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But MOST human beings out there, a lot of adults especially, are NOT willing to feel discomfort...
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JUST KEEP SWIMMING\u2026
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Do you remember the movie, Finding Nemo?
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I\u2019ve got three little girls, so we watch a lot of movies like that now...
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(Pixar is awesome. Good storytelling, obviously. I like to look at it from that standpoint.)
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\u2026 but just like those clownfish that go out of their little home, look around, and then come back in again and again...
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Most adults are like that... they never do a thing.
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They start out, and then:
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- Discomfort
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- Unknown
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- Fear
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- Abyss
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... and then they pull back into safety.
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You need to feel positive stress on purpose and find a way to put your back against the wall.
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WANNA GROW YOUR WALLET?
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If you're still working a nine to five right now, and you've been wanting to quit and become an entrepreneur\u2026 \xa0if this is your dream\u2026
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The most likely reason why you haven't done it yet is that your life\u2019s too comfortable.
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Find a way to get a little bit uncomfortable, I dare you. Then come tell me if it did not change you and/or your wallet along the way.
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I\u2019m pretty forward with this message, but I'm just trying to use what I taught my sister as an example.
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- Yeah, yeah, it\u2019s certainly scary.
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- Yeah but this could happen! Yep, it could've.
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- But that could happen! Yep, mm-hmm.
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...I mean, seriously, what do you want?
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Be willing to behave differently in order to be a different person and live with those who live differently.
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- The rest of the masses are clinging desperately to status quo.
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- The rest of humanity's like, \u201cPlease please, accept me!\u201d
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...that's what they're doing!
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You gotta behave and operate differently to be different. So I'm gonna go do things that are unorthodox.
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\u2026 \u201cbut Stephen, it could be risky?\u201d
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Yeah, so is sitting on my butt on the couch and waiting for a slow, painful death knowing that I've done nothing in my life... and that I've NOT done anything to my full capacity.
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...AND I've NOT reached my potential.
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That is hell on earth in my opinion, and I will NOT live that way.
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I\u2019m asking you to do the same.
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Get tough with yourself and figure out what you need to do?
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I\u2019ve found that I cannot voluntarily place myself very easily in situations where my back is against the wall. I need to create an environment and a scenario that supports me\u2026.
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- So I left my job
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- I brought on employees
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- I brought on teams
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\u2026 it wasn't a risk, we had the cash flow, but then it got tight.
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Q: So what did that do?
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A: It made me learn how to get more cash flow.
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Does that make sense?
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MY BIG GOAL
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I talked about this in my goal video for this year\u2026 (I want to hit 4 million).
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I'm trying to figure out the next thing in my life that\u2019s scary. That legitimately scares the crap out of me.
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\u2026 because it will cause me to behave and level up as a human being faster than me just willing it into existence.
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Just willing it, never works. I must do it with an environment.
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NOW\u2026
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Take a moment to sit back and be introspective\u2026
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You have something in your life that you've been wanting to do. You know it's there, but you haven't done it because you're staying comfy\u2026
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We've all got something\u2026
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For me, it's my book.
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I know how in depth I'm gonna dive on it in order to make sure I've got everything set and my bases covered. It's gonna be a month long project.
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I think I'm gonna take all of June just for the book\u2026
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So please take stock\u2026
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I dare you to write down what you know that you've been wanting to do, and then start thinking through how you can orchestrate an environment where your back is voluntarily against the wall.
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I mean truly against the wall, no let out.
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... and then you\u2019ll do things differently to how you've ever done them before in your life.
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You'll look back in three years:
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\u201cWhat? What's up son, uh! You a bad Mama Jama!\u201d
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I look at myself and go: \u201cHoly crap! Look what you got done! Wow, very few people have done that. Why did that work?\u201d
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\u2026 \xa0and it\u2019s because I was willing to feel a little bit of pressure! \xa0#EUSTRESS
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P.S: Do you like Russell\u2019s face on my phone?
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I did NOT make these!
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Someone at Funnel Hacking Live handed them out.
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I don\u2019t remember who, but someone handed me a huge sheet\u2026
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I am NOT printing Russell Stickers and putting \u2019em on things\u2026 just so you know ;-)
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Hey, just real quick:
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A few months ago Russell asked me to write a chapter for a secret project he was doing. I had to write a chapter for a book, this was the letter I got from him.
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He said:
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"Hey Stephen, let me ask you a quick question...
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You suddenly lose all your money, along with your name and your reputation, and only have your marketing know-how left. \xa0
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You have bills piled high and people harassing you for money over the phone.
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You have a guaranteed roof over your head, a phone line, an internet connection, and a ClickFunnels account for only one month.
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You no longer have your big guru name, your following, your JV partners. Other than your vast marketing experience, you're an unknown newbie...
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What would you do from day #1 to day #30 to save yourself?
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Russell Brunson
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Hey, if you want to see my answer and a bunch of other marketers who also answered that in this amazing book and summit, just go to 30days.com/stephen.
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You can see the entire summit, you can see the book, you can see what we wrote in there and each of our detailed plans. Just go to 30days.com/stephen.