Thoughts Of The Day [Day 10]

I just returned from Boise, Idaho where I attended Russell Brunson’s Inner Circle Mastermind. And my mind is spinning. You see, I was never a big networker. In fact, a little over a year ago, I was more like a hermit. That all changed when I had a big dispute with my ex-business partner and things came crashing down all around me. That was heart-wrenching to have the business that I created and built essentially torn away from me.

When he took all the contacts and properties and everything else customer-facing, that’s when I knew and realized I had to get out there and connect with others. It wasn’t a choice anymore. It was a necessity. But looking back on it now, I think it all happened for a very particular reason. You see, I know where he’s headed. It’s a dark place. A place that could only lead to a cataclysmic spiral. Maybe not today or tomorrow. Maybe not even months from now. But eventually. Eventually it will.

I also think that God was rescuing me from that situation. It’s apparent that I wasn’t supposed to be involved with him. And thankfully so. This last year has been the biggest blessing in my life. And I’ve created bonds with some of the most incredible human beings on this planet because of it. I am forever grateful to God and even my ex-business partner for that. For had we never had our falling out, none of this would have manifested into my life.

Today, I have the good fortune to call some of the most successful people in the world my friends. You see, back in the day I surrounded myself with the wrong people. When you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re always in the wrong room. I never realized that. They also say that you are the average of the 5 people that you spend your time with. I was definitely hanging out with the wrong people. But that’s because I’m a total and complete introvert.

For me to even get up in front of people and speak is a big deal. The first time I did that, at Dean Graziosi and Joe Polish’s 100k Group Mastermind, I choked. That might have been because I didn’t have a presentation prepared. But since then, I’ve gotten good. I’ve been speaking on stages all over the country, and I’ve improved. However, my point is that you really can’t progress in life if you try to go it alone.

 

Why You Should Give To Others

There’s a big lesson in all of this that I want you to learn from me. It will help change the trajectory of your life. I guarantee it. You see, for me, I had two choices when things collapsed. The first choice was to go the evil route. I could have literally destroyed my ex-business partner and any chance he would have had for success. With my SEO skills, that would have been a walk in the park. The second option that I had was to focus on the good and the positive and to add value to the world.

And I went with the latter. I suppose that’s good for him. But it was also good for me. You see, by choosing to go the negative route, I would have vibrated negative energy. That attracts all sorts of bad things. Even when you’re mad at someone and you’re seeking revenge, don’t. It won’t help you. Confucius once said that “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” It only leads into darkness for both parties. Not just for one.

Instead, I didn’t do that. That’s not to say that I didn’t consider it. I did. I considered it. For a minute. Then, I took the other path. I can’t tell you how much I prayed about it at the time. I can’t tell you how much I got on my knees and literally begged God to show me the right path to take. And he did. This peace just came over me. It blanketed me in solace. I knew what I had to do. The path was clearly illuminated for me.

And here’s what I learned. I learned that when you go out into the world and you help others… when you literally do this without any consideration for what you would get in return, some of the most extraordinary things begin to transpire into your life. It doesn’t happen right away. But it eventually happens. And that’s the power of adding value to the world and having a deep-rooted belief that things will move in the right direction.

We’re all just a culmination of our beliefs. Our lives and everything in it are a result of those beliefs. Beliefs, which are born from our thoughts and our experiences, take root into our minds. They impact and affect everything. Truly they do. For that reason, it’s difficult to change your beliefs when you believe so strongly in something. But never allow a closed mind to cut you off from the love and abundance you know that you deserve in life.

When you’re closed off, you can’t receive all that God is meant for you to receive. Whether you believe in God, Allah, Buddha, or just the spiritual energy and oneness that binds us all, that’s the truth. You can’t receive if you’re closed off. And by only focusing on yourself, you’re cutting off an enormous portion of your potential. You can only do so much on your own. When you flip the script, incredible things happen.

 

It’s All Part Of The Journey

Why are we here? What’s the purpose of our existence? Ever ask yourself that question? I know I have. Repeatedly. So why are we really here? What’s the rhyme or the reason? I bring this up for a very specific reason. It’s a time in my life when I’ve become so reflective for a very real and specific purpose. I am so grateful to God and everyone that He’s brought into my life that I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’m just in awe of Him and the journey He’s put me on.

I think it’s incredible what can happen when you vibrate on a particular energy frequency. If that sounds strange to you, let me explain. Most of us live in these fear-based thoughts. When negative things happen, we begin thinking negatively. As a result, we attract more negative situations into our lives. That’s when the what-if scenarios begin to consume us and we lose all purpose and meaning in our lives.

When you live in fear, there’s a real physical byproduct to that fear. It’s called anxiety, stress, depression, nervousness, anger, hatred, resent, guilt, and so on. When we experience all of those emotions, it takes a physical toll on us. And when that happens, it seems like all we do is attract more negative things and people and situations into our lives. But what happens when you flip the so-called script? What happens when you completely change your mindset?

This goes back to the two choices I had when things collapsed or the two choices that any of us face at any time. We have the choice to focus on the positive or the negative. The choice is ultimately yours. As much as it might hurt in the time to focus on positive instead of the negative, I assure you that it will eventually lead to better results. But how many of us ignore that when we’re so consumed by negative emotions?

 

What’s The Dream 100?

When things collapsed for me, I went out there to help others. You see, as one of the most read and most shared contributors on Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine, I had the ability to really add value for others by writing about them. And that’s precisely what I did. Not in exchange for any money. But in exchange for information. I was like a detective. I was investigating. I was researching. And I was using them as my specimens.

That’s how I reached everyone who’s anyone in the business or marketing world. I was fed up with being the introvert sitting behind the computer. I was tired of letting someone else control my fate and be the face and the personality of the business, when I just sat in the shadows building it all to have it taken away from me. And there’s a big lesson there. Something extraordinary happens when you go out there and help others.

But there’s also another important ingredient to this recipe. Because I had passive income, I wasn’t in a situation where I had to work to make ends meet. I had spent years building up multiple streams of passive revenue. If I hadn’t done that, I believe things would have panned out far differently for me. There’s a difference between working to build your future and working to survive and avoid a fiscal collapse.

Today, I’m so glad that I have that passive income. So think about it in your life for a moment. What can you create that will allow you to generate an income on autopilot? For me it was books, audiobooks and courses. What can you teach that will help you earn some income on autopilot? You really do need that in your life so you’re not just working for the so-called man. Instead, you’re living life on your own terms.

Now, passive income is great, but what’s even better is this concept called the Dream 100. The Dream 100 is a strategy taught by Russell Brunson to reach some of the biggest people in your industry or niche. Now, I wasn’t aware of any of this when I started doing it. And I had a far different approach to this than someone like Dana Derricks had, who was also able to reach Brunson using a strategy that involved sending out unique packages.

Now, packages get attention because they’re packages. They’re not like envelopes or emails that can be easily discarded. You can’t really ignore a big, brightly-colored package that arrives at your door. There’s intrigue and curiosity there. You open it to read something that draws your attention. Even if only for a little bit. In fact, when you extend out this strategy, some extraordinary things begin to happen.

You start sending packages on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and you develop a relationship with that influencer or person over time. It doesn’t happen quickly or easily. But if you’re unique enough, you can stand out. Write great copy and include some personal stories and a unique “gift” in that box, and you’re going to get their attention. Over time, that’s going to have an impact and one of those influencers will reach back out to you.

 

Why Masterminds?

I never imagined that I would be attending all of these masterminds. But I will tell you this. They’re a way to seriously accelerate your results because it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. I know you’ve probably heard that before. And that’s the serious truth of the matter. What you know pales in comparison to who you know. It’s who you know that can accelerate your results in any situation.

That’s part of the reason why I’ve spent all of this time meeting and developing relationships with others. Do you know how hard it was for me to go out there and just give and add value for so long without having much else happen? It wasn’t until I helped Roland Frasier, who I call a super-connector, that things accelerated for me. He introduced me to people like Dean Graziosi, Frank Kern and Jason Fladlien.

The funny thing is that I had no idea who he was. But he came on the heels of Ryan Deiss, who I had written about in Forbes. When Deiss first told me about Frasier, I sincerely had no idea who he was. I just knew he was a principal of Digital Marketer, which is a pretty important company in the marketing world. That was all I needed to know. Had I said no, things would be far different for me. Frasier opened his entire rolodex to me, holding nothing back. That was just incredible.

So, here’s what I would suggest. Masterminds are expensive. I know that. They can run from $25,000 to $100,000 per mastermind for a year of enrollment. But, boy are they worth it. If you can join Brunson’s, Inner Circle Mastermind and you can afford the price tag, do it. If you can join Frasier’s War Room Mastermind, do it. These will explode your results and push you exponentially forward in life and in business.