SFR147: The REASON Im Here Today...
b'
This is quite an emotional post for me.
\\xa0
I\\u2019m sitting in a hotel room in San Diego. It\\u2019s the hotel where we\'ve been doing an event for the ClickFunnels \\u2018Two Comma Club\\u2019 Coaching Program. It\\u2019s been an intense few days - loads of fun, but extremely busy.
\\xa0
On Thursday and Friday, I had my own event. \\xa0On Sunday, I took a flight to San Diego and finished some big projects. Then on Monday night, I stayed up until 2am to complete the slides for my \\u2018Two Comma Club\\u2019 presentation on Tuesday. \\xa0It\\u2019s been event after event after event. Kinda crazy, but I really enjoy it.
\\xa0
Today, I\\u2019m sitting in my hotel room feeling tired. Tired, but incredibly grateful. I\\u2019m looking out over San Diego Bay and thinking about how much my life has changed. If you\'ve been to San Diego you\\u2019ll know that the bay is beautiful - it\\u2019s absolutely amazing. \\xa0When I walked into my hotel room, I saw it had these windows all over the place and a fantastic view of the whole bay. I actually started crying - because only two years ago, I\'d bootstrapped my way to San Diego to attend Funnel Hacking Live. And\\u2026 it was THAT event that changed my life.
\\xa0
In the grand scheme of my lifetime - two years is no time at all. Seriously, I can hardly believe that two years ago my family struggled to afford anything more than the basics of life. Financially, things couldn\'t be more different now. However, more than the financial changes, I can\'t believe how much I\'ve changed as a person. I can\'t believe all the things that have happened to me- and the lessons that I\'ve learned.
\\xa0
From my room, with the amazing windows, I can see the hotel where the 2016 Funnel Hacking Live Event was held. It\'s right there between two of the buildings in front of me - that\'s why I cried. So many memories came flooding back.
\\xa0
\\xa0
You probably know the story of how I broke I was in 2016; I had a young family to support and seventeen failed businesses to my name. All of which doesn\\u2019t make you feel great. I had people depending on me, but I just couldn\'t get things to work out the way I wanted them to. I think most entrepreneurs have a similar story. It\'s not like you get taught this stuff in school. Most of us just kinda \'try it\\u2019 until we find out what works and what doesn\'t work. What sells and what doesn\'t sell. We go through a process of elimination. Man, but sometimes, it\\u2019s tough.
\\xa0
In March 2016, I was determined to get to Funnel Hacking Live. I didn\'t have enough money, so I\\u2019d decided that I\\u2019d adopt the entrepreneur\'s attitude that Robert Kiyosaki talks about. I decided to get resourceful, and get myself to Funnel Hacking Live anyway I could.\'
\\xa0
\\u201cNever say you cannot afford something. That is a poor man\\u2019s attitude. Ask HOW to afford it.\\u201d -Robert Kiyosaki
I knew that if I could just find a way to get to FHL, that my life would change. Looking back, I had no idea how much - but somehow, I knew that it was imperative for me to go. So I got resourceful and bartered funnel builds for a ticket, followed by flights and hotel rooms.
\\xa0
I was so pumped when I made it to FHL. \\xa0But even when I got there, things weren\\u2019t exactly easy. I didn\'t eat much - because I couldn\'t afford to. I cycled to the event on one of those city bikes. You know, those little street bikes. I literally took my luggage, put it over my shoulder, and while I was balancing it over my shoulder, I pedaled all the way around the bay to the event. \\xa0I didn\'t have much cash, and what little I did have, I wasn\'t gonna spend on a freakin\' taxi.
\\xa0
Imagine how I feel today-
\\xa0
From my gorgeous hotel room with all the windows and the view of the bay, I can even see the hotel where I stayed in 2016.
\\xa0
The hotel that I didn\\u2019t barter enough for a bed in for my final night. The hotel where I spent a night sat in the lobby going over my FLH notes like they were gold dust because I didn\\u2019t have a room. Those notes meant everything to me- I didn\\u2019t want to forget anything I learned. I didn\\u2019t have a bed, but I felt rich and excited in so many other ways.
\\xa0
Last night, I stood at my hotel window watching the ships going out on the bay, and I got a bit introspective. I stood there for a long time thinking. Then suddenly, the thought came into my head, \'Man, how did this all happen? How did I go from a broke college student struggling to support his family to the Lead Funnel Builder at Clickfunnels, then to running a successful business with so many opportunities around me all the time?\'
\\xa0
I felt a bit shell shocked- so I went for a walk around the pier, right out there, eating Haagen-Daz and talking to my wife about how it all happened. It\'s just fascinating for me to think through all the pieces that brought us here. And the more I started to think about it, the more I realized that:
\\xa0
\'I don\'t think I\'d actually be here if I\'d had money to get to Funnel Hacking Live 2016. \\xa0I don\'t know that I would have treated everything that Russell said with so much conviction at that event - if I\'d had the cash to get a taxi.\'
\\xa0
Interesting, isn\'t it? That the pursuit of my dream to get to FHL is what actually opened the gateway for all these other cool things to happen. \\xa0That the pursuit of hard stuff is what got me to where I am now. It\\u2019s why it\'s all worked out. Let me explain...
THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY
\\xa0
In my office, I have a wall full of quotes that I use to inspire me and keep me on track. One of then is from Ryan Holiday (I totally recommend his books btw). Anyway, this particular quote has come to mean a lot to me. It kinda symbolizes my journey in so many ways. And when I talk to other successful entrepreneurs, they always have the same story.
\\xa0
\'The obstacle is the way\' - Ryan Holiday.
\\xa0
This is such a useful mantra to have in your life. For instance, every time I don\'t know what to do, I make an effort to think about where the blockage is- and it\'s always in the pursuit of solving the problem that I move forward. Everything else that I try to do is just an easy distraction. Each time I overcome an obstacles, not only does my business grow, but it also adds to my attractive character- which helps people to relate to me even more. In short, the path of the obstacle ALWAYS ends up being \\u2018the thing\\u2019 that I needed all along.
\\xa0
I don\'t know that I\'d have been hired at ClickFunnels if I\\u2019d had the money to get to FHL. I wouldn\'t have ferociously built funnels for other companies in exchange for tickets, flights and hotel rooms. I learned ClickFunnels so freakin\' well by not having the cash. I had no other option. Before I got my fourteen-day free Clickfunnels trial, I planned out an entire funnel to make sure that I could start building straight away. Then I kissed my wife goodbye and hid in a room for two weeks. I worked solidly because I needed paying customers before my trial was up. I learned at a ferocious, desperate pace because of this limitation.
\\xa0
When I saw an advert for Funnel Hacking Live, I knew that we didn\'t have the cash to get me there. I could have got all despondent, but instead, I decide to lean into the obstacle and get resourceful. I remember thinking: \'How can I make this work? I\'m gonna do it. I\'m gonna make it work.\' It was this resourcefulness that gave me all the background, all the experience and all the stories that sold Russell on why I should be his guy.
\\xa0
So if you have some limitation right now, \\xa0if you have something that\'s standing in your way - whether it comes in the form of self-doubt or financial constraints - I want you to lean into it, get resourceful and find a way. Give yourself that gift.
\\xa0
\\xa0
PICKING YOUR OBSTACLE
Obviously, you need to be careful that you don\\u2019t just select obstacles randomly. You need to consider the following points:
\\xa0
- First of all figure out where you\'re trying to get to, and even if you don\'t have like a clear picture, just kind of a general idea what it is you\'re trying to go for is enough.
\\xa0
- Secondly, make sure any obstacle you pick is \\u2018on purpose\\u2019 and will help you to achieve your goal - don\\u2019t get distracted by things that only give you an excuse to avoid the actual thing that you don\\u2019t want to do, i.e, \\u2018I think I\\u2019ll design a logo\\u2019- when what you really need to do is get visible and publish.
\\xa0
- Thirdly, ask: Will overcoming this obstacle add to your attractive character/ story/ or hook?
\\xa0
- Fourth, remember that attractive characters compete on differences. You\'re competing on you evolving your own self.
LIVING YOUR HOOK
\\xa0
I remember biking to the first day of FHL with this distinct thought in my head:
\\xa0
\'I\\u2019ve given so much to be here that\\u2019ll do whatever Russell tells me to do- except I will never publish.\\u2019
\\xa0
And funny enough, lo and behold, I go, I go to that very first day bright eyed, bushy tailed. I get to the event, and I\'m like, \'Hey I\'m here to learn, I\'m here to execute and take action.\\u2019 Then literally, on the very first day, Russell stands up and tells everyone, \\u2018You\\u2019ve gotta start publishing like crazy!\\u2019 And I was like \'Crap! I don\'t wanna do that. Are you kidding me? That\'s the exact thing I said I didn\'t wanna do. I don\'t wanna do that. There\'s no way I\'m gonna do this.\'
\\xa0
I was so freakin\' shy. Seriously, I got the \'nicest guy\' in school award purely based on the fact that I hardly said anything. Inside I was a teenage rage machine, but nobody knew that because I didn\'t tell them. I just stayed quiet in my own little world. Not exactly premium podcasting material, you might be thinking? \\xa0Now with my podcasts combined, they\'re crossing 160 thousand downloads. It blows my mind. It\'s only been a year and a half. \\xa0Eighteen months of me practicing becoming the attractive character in front of you- rather than waiting to be perfect. I\'d never have learned half the lessons I have if I\'d waited until I was READY (ahem- maybe never) to start publishing. And that\'s one of the reasons I love and appreciate every one of you guys- because you\'ve been with me on the journey. I have such a huge following, and it\'s because I didn\'t wait to be the expert or the guru to start publishing and you can relate to me with all my challenges and limitations. Even though I didn\\u2019t want to Idid it exactly as Russell said. Even though it didn\'t come naturally to me and it was the LAST THING I wanted to do at the time. It took me until around episode 85 to finally find my flow. Just imagine what would have happened if I\'d given up before then!
\\xa0
What I\'m trying to help you understand is that whatever your limitation is right now, whatever you\'ve got to go through, just do it. Lean into it, not away from it. Don\'t pull back. These are the things that will create the crazy hooks that you can use as stories later on in your life and business.
\'Completely broke college student goes to work at Russell Brunson\\u2019s side. He then leaves his secure nine to five in the best company ever to follow his dreams and make his own million dollar funnel.\'
\\xa0
\\xa0
\\xa0
It\'s a good story, right? Or what about:
\\xa0
\'Pathologically shy person, who hardly ever spoke, overcomes his fears of speaking in public and hits 160 thousand podcast downloads in only eighteen months.\'
\\xa0
Sounds good, right?
\\xa0
I had to live both of those stories for them to actually become real hooks and mean anything.
\\xa0
When I coach, I notice that a lot of people aren\'t willing to live the crazy hook. It\'s not that they have a lack of things that could be amazing hooks, it\'s that they\'re not willing to live the path that makes the hook real. So I just want you to understand how key this concept is.
\\xa0
It\'s kinda like the \'Fit to Fat to Fit\' guy. He was super fit, and nobody believed that his methods could help them lose weight. He just wasn\\u2019t believable. They thought: \\u2018Yeah, you\\u2019ve always been slim and healthy - it\\u2019s easy for you- but it won\\u2019t work for me.\\u2019 \\xa0So to prove them wrong, he spent a lot of time overeating. He got really really overweight. He did it on purpose. Then he invested a whole bunch of time to get fit again- \\xa0just to prove that it was possible for anyone to lose weight using his methods. He was willing to live his hook.
\\xa0
Are you willing to live your hook? If you\'re selling yourself- or your expertise - and people are buying into YOU, then you\'ve got to be willing to Live Your Hook. Those places in your life where you feel stuck, use them as a challenge. Come up with some crazy ridiculous way to get around it. That\'s your hook. Live that. Then be willing to document your journey along the way. Don\\u2019t worry about being perfect or getting everything right\\u2026 Perfection doesn\\u2019t create an attractive character who people find it easy to love, follow, believe in\\u2026 AND, eventually buy from.
Leaning into my limitations meant that when I went to FHL, I was already an expert funnel builder. Two days later I\'m sitting across from Russell Brunson being interviewed. Twenty minutes after that I got the job offer. Two days after that I graduate from college. Two days after that I was sitting next to Russell as his Funnel Building Assistant. The truth is that you can\'t always see the opportunities that are just around the corner... \\xa0Or what opportunities may come your way because you\'ve faced an obstacle and pushed your limits...
\\xa0
During my interview with Russell, he asked me about my history with ClickFunnels. \\xa0I know that they checked out my ClickFunnels account hardcore to make sure that I was already a good builder. If my limitations hadn\\u2019t meant that I had to get good at building funnels fast, I wouldn\\u2019t have had an impressive portfolio to show him - and I probably wouldn\\u2019t have got the job.
\\xa0
The whole point of \\xa0writing this is that I want to challenge you to look at your limitations in a different light. Start seeing them as they way forward instead of something to be avoided. Use them as fuel to move forward, instead of a weight to hold you back. Remember: \\u2018The Obstacle is the WAY.
\\xa0
Thanks for reading. I have to go now as my wife is literally due to give birth any day soon. The event just ended and Dave was like \\u201cHey man, do you just wanna fly home tonight?" And I was like "Yes. Absolutely in case she goes into labor.\\u201d So I am heading home right now. I\'m packing up my bags, and I\'m gone in just a few minutes. I\\u2019m actually gonna miss the flight unless I leave right now! Alright guys, talk to you later. Bye. Go kill it.
Got a question you\\u2019d like me to answer live on my podcast? Head over to salesfunnelradio.com and ask your question now.