Don't take it personal, take action!

I delivered a eulogy one time and my brother in law said to me "You should get paid for those speeches". I said you think so? Really? Nah, I couldn't!  Nah, not me!  Nooo! You really think so? It was a seed he planted in my head and it took root over night. He gave me just the mental push I needed. So I wake up the next morning and I'm thinking he's right. Lets do this! I'm going to be a motivational/inspirational speaker. I'm hyped, I'm excited, I'm gassed up. I have all kinds of wind in my sails. So I've learned that if you want to learn how to do something, get with people who are already doing it. So I get a list of the top motivational speakers in the country. I pick about 100 of them. I draft up these emails, telling them that i admired there work and tell them my story and how much I respect them as speakers. I tell them I want to be the best so I chose to write to them because I wanted to learn from the best. I just asked if they could give me any advice or tips or pointers or a course of action i should take. I mean, of course they would get back to me. I mean these guys are the ones who tell everyone to "chase your dreams" "never give up" "you can do it" Etc. So I'm thinking I know they will get back to me and I'll be on my way. I'll take there advice, I'll focus and dedicate myself,  i'll work hard, I will be the best motivational speaker the world has ever seen. 

So, I draft up my emails, (all 100 of them) I personalize every single one of them and I explain the impact that they have had on me, and I tell them my story. I click send, I'm done! Now, I wait for the flood of tips and advice and words of wisdom and encouragement and guidance and motivation that I think is coming my way. And I wait, and I wait and I wait and wait. That flood turned out to be 2 little droplets. I got 2 stinking responses.  And One of them was a generic auto-response that said that the person will get back to me. (Even after this he still never got back to me). The other was a guy trying to sell me his new speaker training package. That's it, no motivational messages, no words of wisdom or encouragement, no tips, no advice no nothing. All of that wind that was in my sails just yesterday was suddenly gone. Technically,  I had all of the information I needed to give up. I mean hell, I tried right? I did everything I could right? It's their fault! They never got back to me! I hate them! if I don't succeed in life it's their fault! I could have said all of these things and I could've really tricked myself into believing it.

But, I didn't blame them or get mad at them or anything. They are busy with careers and lives and families and businesses of their own. Plus, I'm sure my email wasn't the only one in their inboxes. I wasn't mad at them at all. Besides what good what being mad at them do. It wouldn't help me or further my dream at all, and it wouldn't hurt them at all. Because they obviously didn't even know I existed.

Instead of being mad, or taking it personally, I internalized it and learned a lesson. My success, motivation, drive, determination PEACE of mind or happiness should never ever ever ever DEPEND ON ANYONE OTHER THAN ME! Instead of taking it personally, I took action. I managed to land my first speaking engagement at a local college to encourage the freshman class to never give up! 

If you are looking to succeed, if you are looking for motivation, if you are looking for happiness, PEACE of mind etc. like it or not YOU are going to have to be the source! What if the person you are depending on to help you succeed or to motivate you or to make you happy calls in sick that day or doesn't show up! YOU are the one left unsuccessful, unmotivated and unhappy! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR ABILITIES! 

The world is ours!

But, it's up to us to go get it! 

It's our time!  

PEACE!