Doing The Impossible

by Patrick Bet-David

  PATRICK BET-DAVID

  Copyright © 2011 by Patrick Bet-David.

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978-1-62467-278-1

  Published by Financial Format Solutions Inc. DBA Tico Publishing

  Copyright catalog registration numbers: TXu001780453 / 2011-11-22

  ___ Acknowledgements ___

  Let me start off by acknowledging how fortunate I am to have met my wife Jennifer, who is the best thing that ever happened to me. It takes a very special woman to marry a man like me, and God hand-selected her to be right next to me as we go on this journey called Life. I thank God every day for giving me a wife like her.

  I want to thank my parents Diana and Gabreal, who had the courage to escape our war-stricken environment in Iran and bring us to the land of all opportunities. It was an interesting journey getting to the United States, and it was all worth it. It’s a responsibility of mine to represent my bloodline in a way that makes both of them proud.

  If there’s a man I can call my hero it would be Gabreal Bet-David. It’s a rare thing nowadays to have a father who isn’t concerned about pleasing you all the time because he knows that he’s responsible for raising a man who can stand on his own. My father has done exactly that. Anyone who has ever met my dad will tell you that spending an hour with him isn’t enough. You want him around all the time. His wisdom is priceless.

  I have to thank two of the greatest listeners in the world who are willing to sit there and listen to me as I bounce ideas off of them for hours. I rarely get any response from them, but just the fact that they listen makes a world of difference. The names of those two individuals are Jimbo and Kucci, my two little Shih Tzu dogs. I’m sure they will be thrilled as they read this acknowledgment of their efforts over the years.

  I would like to thank Jamie Rudolph for her tireless effort in helping to put this book together, from the many discussions we shared to her research and invaluable time with the editing, all while being patient with my desire for perfection. A special thanks to Annie Freshwater for employing her strongly trained editor’s eye. I also want to thank Chris Perez for keeping things organized and moving this project along. A special thanks to Tom Ellsworth, who gives me the peace of knowing that if every single dictionary, encyclopedia, and the internet were to cease to exist, I would still have a source to go to who has all the answers. Your mind is faster than a Mac computer, Tom.

  To Raffi Petrosian, who has been an amazing student while I’ve taught him all the secrets of graphic design. He will probably laugh while reading this because there isn’t anything I can teach him when it comes to designing, and he has done amazing work. I look forward to working on many more projects together.

  I’d like to thank many of my friends all over the country who took the time to read the manuscript while it was going through its different stages of development. Your honest feedback was invaluable.

  Last but not least I’d like to thank all of those who have challenged and inspired me over the years in all areas of my life: Kim Sinclair, my health and guidance teacher in high school, who inspired me to join the Army. Drill Sergeant Green, who pushed me to a limit I had never been pushed to before in boot camp. All of my Army buddies from the 326ENG Battalion in Fort Campbell; I would need a whole book to share the stories we experienced together. Bradford, Guttierez, Aghakianest, and McLroy, who were all crazy in their own way and helped make the experience extremely entertaining. Francisco Davis, who was the best sales manager in the world and who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Dave Kirby, gave me the opportunity to start my career in the financial industry at twenty-one years old at Morgan Stanley without having the required college degree. Here, I was introduced to a division of Aegon where I had the opportunity to travel all over the world and work along-side many gifted and talented individuals as well as meet my wonderful wife. Bill Vogel, who invited me to a special event in March 2009 where George Will was the key note speaker and inspired the Saving America Crusade. My sister Polet Bet-David, whom I love dearly; I learn every day from the example she sets of what an incredible mother she is to my two little best friends, Grace and Sean. My brother-in-law, Siamak Sabetimani, who I believe is a saint. To all the PHP leaders who decided to embark on the great awakening of Saving America at a time when all the odds were against us. I admire your excellence in building, your unity, your courage, and your touch of madness with a spoonful of competition and a sprinkle of craziness. You inspire me more than words can describe. Bob Hastings, Richard Kennedy, and Lance Wilson, who inspired me to start a radio show on KKLA called “Saving America.” Pastor Dudley Rutherford, who constantly was in my ear while I was making some of the most important decisions of my life.

  I especially want to thank our competitors and critics who remind me on a daily basis that I’m still alive; the day they stop, life stops. Thank you for your efforts.

  Let’s go make history.

  ___ Contents ___

  Acknowledgements

  What does Doing the Impossible really mean?

  Introduction

  Dare to Do the Impossible

  Recreate Yourself

  Law 1 - Invest in Your Identity

  Law 2 - Let the Right Ones In

  Law 3 - Protect Your Credibility Score

  Law 4 - Strengthen Your Greatest Weapon

  Law 5 - Challenge Your Way of Thinking

  Law 6 - Know Your “Why”

  Law 7 - Work Like It’s 1880

  Law 8 - Elevate Imagination to a Whole New Level

  Law 9 - Be as Curious as Alice

  Law 10 - Break Away from the Old You

  Identify Your Cause

  Law 11 - Decide to Be the Chosen One

  Law 12 - Go “All In” with One Industry

  Law 13 - Push the Envelope

  Law 14 - Turn Your Cause into a Crusade

  Law 15 - Channel Your Obsession

  Law 16 - Evangelize Your Message

  Law 17 - Aim for the Moon

  Law 18 - Keep the Faith

  Go Make History

  Law 19 - Be Bold

  Law 20 - Embrace Your Frustrations

  Law 21 - Fight Adversity like Muhammad Ali

  Law 22 - Let Controversy Be Your Status Quo

  Law 23 - Silence Your Critics

  Law 24 - Charge Your Batteries with Challenges

  Law 25 - Have Heart

  Final Challenge

  About the Author

  What does Doing the Impossible really mean?

  This book is for those who have a desire to achieve greatness and are ready to take the steps to turn that desire into a reality. At one point or another in this book, you will experience several different reactions—excitement, curiosity, joy, laughter, or even tears—but the ultimate goal is to encourage and challenge you to make a decision to do the impossible. That may have a totally different meaning to you than it did to Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, or any of the other role models we will look at; but whatever Doing the Impossible means to you, the goal of this book is to help you realize that you have the capacity to do what the critics think is impossible.

  Introduction

  Growing up as a kid in Iran, I remember admiring different heroes like He-Man, Alexander the Great, Muhammad Ali, and Rocky Balboa. I clearly remember watching Rocky IV over and over again with tears in my eyes as “The Italian Stallion” did the impossible and beat the huge Russian boxer “Drago.” As I watched the movie, I envisioned myself being the hero. Even as a seven-year-old kid I wanted to feel what Rocky was feeling right in his moment of triumph.

  Do you remember those days? Do you remember dreaming about being a champion, making a difference, making history? Don’t we all dream about mak
ing our family proud? To some extent, we all want to be heroes. We have a desire to deliver for our loved ones, the ones who count on us, to earn their love and respect.

  Hollywood makes money by creating movies to make us believe for a split second that we can be Rocky, Rudy, Patton, or Alexander the Great. The downside is that we spend time and money to watch that hero instead of being that hero ourselves.

  In order to do the impossible, you have to tap into what motivates you. It all starts with the dream. If you don’t have a vision that drives you to do the impossible, the mechanics of how to get there are irrelevant. This book is meant for the person who envisions a life of greatness. That vision looks different to each person. Greatness can be seen in the athlete who always gets the ball with three seconds left to make the winning shot; his team knows that his focus, talent, and drive will put the ball in the basket. Greatness is seen in the Navy Seal team that enters an enemy compound with years of preparation and training, showing extraordinary courage in the face of extreme danger. But greatness is also found in a single mother who works all day, takes care of her children, and still finds the dedication and perseverance to start a business and change her family’s life. The principles that lead us to achieve the impossible can be applied to any goal. No matter what your dream looks like, you must first have the vision of where you want to go and what you want to achieve.

  Do you remember as a child how we believed that anything was possible? When people asked us what we wanted to be someday, we answered with things like an astronaut, the President of the United States, a football star, or a famous singer. Do you ever ask yourself how we lost that imagination that we used every day as children? The same gift of imagination that allows a child to turn pillows and blankets into a fort is the power that we as adults need to tap into to imagine ourselves as the people who we want to become. Children’s imagination and vision are limitless because they have not yet repeatedly been told that their dreams are too difficult or unrealistic. A child doesn’t worry about failure or disappointment. As adults, we too often let our doubts and fears keep us from attempting to reach our dreams.

  This book is for those who have a desire to achieve greatness and are ready to take the steps to turn that desire into a reality. At one point or another in this book, you will experience several different reactions—excitement, curiosity, joy, laughter, or even tears—but the ultimate goal is to encourage and challenge you to make a decision to do the impossible. Whatever doing the impossible means to you, the goal of this book is to help you realize that you have the capacity to become a hero in the story of your life.

  So don’t hold back your thoughts and ideas when you’re reading. Make notes in the book if you need to. I have a tendency to write notes or ideas that come to my mind all over the books that I read. There will be many opportunities for you to do so.

  You’re not in a classroom with rules to break. Here’s your shot to do things your way. My main challenge to you is to read this book in less than two weeks in order to get the most out of it.

  Dare to Do the Impossible

  Many things that we take for granted today were once considered impossible. Visionaries know that what can be imagined can be achieved. Although people cross the world today in giant jetliners, one hundred years ago the Wright brothers had to first believe that human flight was possible. On May 6, 1954, Roger Banister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. It had never been done before and was therefore considered physically impossible. But since 1954, many runners have accomplished the same feat. Roger Banister’s legacy is that he had faith that this act was possible before anyone else dared to believe.

  No one ever thought that Buster Douglas would beat Mike Tyson. The odds were 42:1.

  Prior to the sixties, no one ever thought we would land on the moon.

  Back when mail was delivered via the Pony Express, who could have imagined a machine that sends mail electronically in seconds?

  What would this world be without washing machines, cars, cameras, the internet, cell phones, planes, televisions, or computers?

  Ask yourself this: What if Armageddon happened tomorrow and everything was disintegrated except for you and ten other people? There’s nothing left. How would you build a washing machine? A car? A computer? How would you create the internet? Do you ever pause to think about that? We don’t consider what that really means, to build the internet from scratch. It seemed impossible to most people until it was invented.

  “If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”

  — Muhammad Ali

  Now imagine that it is twenty years after Armageddon and you’re trying to explain to all the young people what the world was like with cars and computers and all the things that they have never seen. Would they think you’re crazy? What if they asked you to rebuild that lost technology? Rebuilding might take a long time, but at least you would get to start out knowing for sure that such technology is possible.

  These are all things that we need to think about to understand that nothing in this world is impossible. The only limits are the ones that we place on ourselves. Whether it was the first automobile, the idea of electricity, or the moon landing, the believer who first imagined the impossible made it possible for others to believe it and achieve it.

  If the impossible throughout history has become the imaginable, and then the actual, why do we think that our dreams are impossible for us to accomplish in our own lives? Are we afraid to try for fear of failure? Isn’t refusing to try the only real guarantee of failure? Remember, you miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take. The first step to achieving the impossible is having the courage to attempt it.

  “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

  — George Elliot

  To dare, according to the dictionary, is “to have the necessary courage or boldness for something; [to] be bold enough.” Achieving the impossible is not for the timid, as it is not the safe and secure road. It means taking a leap of faith, leaving your comfort zone, and risking failure for the chance of success. There will be failures on the road to greatness. Thomas Edison had thousands of failed attempts at the light bulb before inventing the one that worked. Roger Banister said his 4:03.6 mile in 1953 “made [him] realize that the four-minute mile was not out of reach.” Part of daring to achieve the impossible is letting failure motivate you rather than discourage you.

  Think about some of the greatest stories of triumph and courage. Why do we love movies like Braveheart, Rocky, Gladiator, and Miracle on Ice? Yes, they are all stories of achieving the impossible. But more importantly, we admire the courage and perseverance of heroes who have overcome tremendous challenges. We find inspiration in those who reach for the impossible, fight against overwhelming odds, and turn past failures into stepping stones on the path to success.

  So before you read the rest of this book, ask yourself: Do you dare to do the impossible? Most people let the fear of failure or fear of the unknown keep them from making the decision to pursue their dreams. Fear is the most destructive emotion for personal transformation. Fear thrives on the unknown. Our imaginations run wild with possible negative scenarios. By choosing to put yourself in situations where you have to face your fear, you learn that it is far easier to face reality than the endless loop of possible challenges your mind creates. The feeling of overcoming fear in turn gives you confidence to face the next challenge.

  “Our lives improve only when we take chances—and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.”

  — Walter Anderson

  Making the decision to pursue the impossible is scary at first. You will have to face your fears and throw away your excuses. Start out by believing two important things:

  You are capable of greatness.

  Facing your fears to realize your dreams will be the best decision you ever make.

  Law 1

  Invest in Your Identity<
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  Have you ever thought about your identity? Not just your name and vital statistics, but what and who you are? Where we are in life is based on our identity. Our beliefs are based on that identity. Our future worth and opportunities will also be based on our identity. Many people think that if they change their circumstances (e.g. get a new, higher paying job), their identity will follow suit. This approach is actually backwards: In reality, we change our identity from the inside out and the change in our circumstances follows.

  Let me give you two scenarios to illustrate how your identity becomes your reality:

  “Those who do not read are no better off than those who cannot.”

  — Chinese Proverb

  First we have John, who is used to making about $30,000 per year. In 2006 during the housing boom, John gets a job selling mortgages and does really well. John starts making $200,000 per year over night. The problem is that John still has a $30,000 identity. That is the way that he sees himself. So in order to make himself feel more like that $200,000 earner, John goes out and buys a new Porsche and Armani suites and takes an expensive vacation to Europe.

  Fast forward two years. The housing bubble has popped, and John is back to making $30,000 a year. Worse yet, he spent rather than saved the extra money he was making during his boom time. In fact, John spent more than he earned and is now in debt from his attempt to look the part of success on the outside, rather than focusing on the inside.

  Melissa, on the other hand, is a business owner who is used to making over $200,000 a year through several successful business ventures. Melissa’s business gets hit hard by the recession, and in 2008 she only makes $30,000 in income.