Don't chicken out...

Years ago when I first got into the industry, I was afraid to call certain people on my list. I looked at them as in a higher place in life than myself. I thought they wouldn't take me seriously. I thought they were too successful already. The bottom line is, I was afraid they would ridicule me for what I was doing. I was full of fear, so I simply made excuses for not calling them.

This of course meant I was thinking about me, and not about them. If I was thinking only about them I might have thought "maybe they are looking for an additional source of income?" or "maybe they don't love what they do and would welcome a possibility to eventually do something else?" I was too immature at the time to understand that my fear was holding me back and that I was being selfish in thinking only about myself and protecting myself.

Do you know that a high percentage of people don't really love what they do for a living? I don't know what the up to date statistic is for this, but it historically is about 70%! Yes, 7 out of 10 people would rather do something else...but most people feel stuck. They have developed a lifestyle that is dependent on the income they generate and a change to a new career, one that is in line with what they really would like to do, would represent too much risk or too much of an initial drop in income. Often people don't reflect enough on why they are dissatisfied with their work until they are well into their career because they are simply too busy in life to step off the ladder to see that it is leaning against the wrong building!

My fear of calling them didn't affect them...if they had come to a place where they were looking, they would simply look elsewhere because they didn't know about my solution because I didn't call them. This was an expensive lesson for me because there were several people I know who got invlolved in opportunities and became very successful...but NOT with me! This taught me the lesson that I absolutely will miss 100% of the shots I don't take. I even have a picture in my home of a basketball court with the saying about this.

When I became clear about this I learned to go ahead and ask the question and let the chips fall where they will. I learned I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by simply making the call and letting them decide. So I began making those calls. Guess what I found? The people who are the most successful in life, tend to be the most open to learning about opportunities and also are the most willing, generally, to to try to help you meet the right people if it isn't for them, provided the approach is pleasant and reaspectful. I began sponsoring several people I was previously afraid to call.

I know a man in the industry who is wildly successful financially. I personally do not like the way he works because he does no support for his organization and does not invest in helping people succeed which is where the joy is to me. He simply calls and calls and calls people to sponsor. He sponsors so many people that he finds the people who figure out how to do it or who have done it before. His attitude is, "I don't care what they will say...some will and some won't."

While this is not my style, there is a lesson here for all of us. Make the call and ask the question. Be nice and honest and respectful and you will be well recieved and you will sponsor the people who are looking. It is this simple.

Remember, if you are afraid to call someone, you are thinking about yourself. Our business is about helping others. It's about giving people a chance to help themselves. You are just the messenger. Ask the question "This might not be for you, and it's okay with me if it's not, but are you open to a way...?"