I signed up for a big package Russell Brunson offered. I went through every bit of material and content available. I took notes about every book that he had written. I signed up in one of his coaching programs. Yeah, the rest is history. Brilliant information from the legend, Russell Brunson.
Finally, and most recently, I paid to travel to New York City, the Big Apple. I took time out of building my automotive dealership to meet and train with Gary Vaynerchuk and his brilliant team. They have a program called the Four D’s out at Vayner Media. It basically is, the Four D’s is a daily digital deep dive that lets you as an entrepreneur come and sit at the table with Gary and his team. The Vaynerchuck team basically reads you their entire playbook of how they’re marketing in today’s digital landscape. Most everybody who’s reading this book will know who Gary Vaynerchuk is. If you don’t, what rock have you been living under? Here’s his information. Go check him out. This guy’s an absolute powerhouse.
Here’s the crazy part. The first time that I paid a mentor, I paid $100 a session. The last mentor program that I trained with cost me $15,000 for an eight hour session. You are probably thinking to yourself, Why would he do that? I would ask you, Why aren’t you already doing that? The reason I’m doing it, the reason I’ll continue to do it, is because these guys cause me to level up. Mentors have the ability to grab you by the wrist and rip you from the crab trap if you’ll ask them. If you’ll sacrifice to pay them, and if you’ll do what the fuck they tell you to do. Period. Dot. The end.
Most books that I’ve picked up are written about self-help. Many are written about business. Others are written to accelerate wealth. Frequently these author write about revolutionary concepts that claim to accelerate a company while helping to progress to the next level, are full of a bunch of fluff. Typically, there’s one or two very good concepts inside of a book. These nuggets give the illusion that possibly there’s a revelation inside that I need to open my mind and investigate. These books might even present a scenario that I hadn’t considered. When I read I am looking for a different view or perspective of something I’ve already known or that I’ve heard but I’ve never been able to apply. I read to see if I am missing a concept that I’ve never been able to take to heart and effectively use across all areas of my life. Savvy?
Readers Are Leaders
This brings me to the last category of mentors. This category may be the greatest and the most vast. I reference Ty Lopez in this chapter several times. Ty has built the foundation of his social influencing career around one concept. That concept is books allow you to be mentored by the greatest minds in history. I truly believe that’s so extremely true. You’ve heard this saying, readers are leaders, for a reason. It sounds cliché and it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. However, that’s an easy thing to say when you’re sitting on the sideline judging why your life hasn’t excelled or accelerated at the pace at which you expect. If your life is not at the pace that you see others gaining by leaps and bounds, it might be time to pick up a book written by a terrific mentor that will change your path.
You see, I mentioned earlier I barely graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA. In high school I understood C’s and D’s got degrees. The only degree I was interested in getting was my high school diploma. I desperately wanted to break free of that institution. I recognized that no one would hire me without a diploma. Although I never had long-term intentions of working for the other man, I recognized that I would, at some point, need a job. So I stuck it out in high school. My father had dropped out of high school and my mother had dropped out of middle school. My father got his GED and my mother eventually did too when she was about 30 years old. She went on to get her CNA and helped a lot of people. It was one of the greatest praises that I ever got about my mother, actually. Someone mentioned to me that my mother had been a blessing to this man’s mother in her final days. That his mother had looked forward to the days that my mother would walk into the room and make her life a little bit better. I say this because sometimes being rich can be a measure of the impact you have in the world. Impacting others was as rich as she would ever be.
For me, high school was just an institution, a crab trap, a cage, something that I didn't find interesting. I felt like they had taught us the gross portion of the principles in school by the time we were in 8th grade and 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th were regurgitation of the lessons they had taught us earlier. I recognize now, as an adult, my thinking wasn’t true. My mentality set the pace for my ability to uptake in that environment but it wasn’t for me. When I got out of school, I began to read. I read because my peers in business were sharper than me. My peers in business knew concepts I didn’t. They had theories and they had things that they could apply to different scenarios that I had never heard of. I wanted to learn everything from branding, marketing, advertising, all the way to distribution. I felt like I was not as equipped as others in my field. I sat in a meeting once, and I felt like the dumbest man at the table. I left that meeting and thought I will never feel that way again. So I began to read.
I read absolutely anything on any subject regarding business and money. I’ve read books about accounting. I’ve read books about strategy. I’ve read books about marketing. I’ve read books about sales, closing, distribution, and organizational structure. I’ve read books about human resources. I’ve read books about getting rich, investing in real estate, investing in stocks, and the Forex market. If I wanted to know something about a subject, if I wanted to be able to speak clearly and be respected amongst my peers in a conversation, I realized that I had to increase my human bandwidth. The only way to do that is through mentorship and reading.
There’s a really great quote that I quite enjoy. It goes something like this, the only difference between a man today and a man one year from now is who he knows and what he’s read. I find that quote so incredibly true for my life. You have an opportunity to be mentored by the greatest minds in the world. It’s probably the single largest driver for me to write this book. I am hoping that it reaches people and mentors the people that I can’t physically get to. I want this book to give somebody the courage to step out. I want to equip people to do the thing that I was blessed with the opportunity to do, to have the things that I’ve been blessed with in this lifetime. It is my responsibility to help others to excel to a point that right now they can only dream about. So, if you truly want to be mentored by the very best in all of the world, pick up a book and read. Savvy?
I Might Be Your Sensei
It could seem like a lead up to, “Hi, I’m Michael and you should pay me to help you!”. And you are thinking something like, “Here is the ask! I knew he was going to try to sell me something! Ha, I am so right!” The truth is you just have a skewed thought process when it comes to money. I’m not trying to sell you on blowing money. I am simply trying to get you to realize this game is no different from anything else in this world. There are people who have amassed decades of knowledge in the world of business. Many people expect successful entrepreneurs to share their knowledge, most of us are willing to coach and guide others. However, it is a time commitment on your part, and it shouldn’t be free! One mentor can shave twenty years off of your learning curve. This allows you to have an edge that will save you not only time but also money. I might be the perfect person to help you bridge the gap when it comes to your next career or business move. The chances are that I am probably not the right guy for most of the people reading this book. However, for a small percentage of you I might be the perfect person to help you 10X your life!
I found myself as a little kid living vicariously through television and movies. I thought that if I could find a group of friends to run down the tracks with me, we would defiantly find a dead body! I was certain that there really was a never ending story and someday I would ride the back of a 40 ft long talking dog that could fly. I was willing to look behind my clothes seeking that secret door that would let me find Narnia. Recently I was scrolling through Instagram and a tra
iler for a new YouTube movie sent me shooting back to some of my funnest childhood memories. The trailer is for a show called Cobra Kai. The other side of the Karate kid story. I remember always wanting to learn karate. I knew that I could be good at it, and I also new that it would take lessons. Lessons cost money, and when it came to my parents investing in their children that wasn’t a possibility. So I not only watched every Karate Kid movie there was, I mastered every scene of ever one of the movies. I believed that if I could master wax on, wax off, that I could be a blackbelt in karate! One day in the backyard I “crane kicked” about a dozen boards out of our privacy fence! Enter the next TV learned lesson ‘Ninja Vanish!”
The lesson is simple, I could have watched every karate movie ever made. I could have practiced out in my yard, I could have believed that I was capable. I even could have suckered the kids in my neighborhood into believing that I was a karate expert. However, without a sensei I was just a poser. I needed someone who was experienced at karate to not only teach me but to guide my movements, encourage me through my struggles, and reenforce my God given strengths.
In the art of business, you need to find your sensei. You should pay them whatever they ask. Finally, you should trust their processes. You may find yourself thinking why the hell am I waxing this car? How does this help me? Then one day you realize that your ability to wax on, wax off can save you from being punched in the face! Savvy?
Prime the Machine
The next few chapters are longer than most. I want you to associate very closely with the combined lesson inside of the next few chapters. I feel as though there is a balance of me sharing with you what has worked for me as well as what lessons are to be found that we can all benefit. It would be easy to think, I know how to work out so I think I will skip this chapter. Don’t do it. You will find so much power through understanding how to use physicality as a wealth building tool. Let’s get after it!
Your body is a temple. In order to be successful in all areas of life, you must start with yourself. There are three main keys to our physicality that will increase your likelihood of success in all areas of your life: 1. Fuel 2. Resistance 3. Rest
If you want to operate in the greatest place of power possible, then you need to be mentally and physically prepared. I think I can sum up this concept in one brief explanation:
Your ability to mentally and physically tackle any task placed in front of you will be directly tied to your capacity. Your capacity is to not only deal with the immediate pressure of the situation, but also your clarity to see the situation for what it is. That clarity gives you the fortitude to fight, however long is necessary without giving up before the task is complete.
This sounds simple, right? Well sort of, let me explain. In other words, you need to be clear minded (rested), you need to be able to mentally push through your own internal desires (resistance), and finally you need to be able to perform at a high level for extensive periods of time (fueled).
At the end of the day it’s about personal goals. When you look at me, you might notice that I am not going to get a call any time soon to be shirtless on the cover of Muscle Mag or anywhere else for that matter. I simply eat and work out in a way that keeps me feeling good about myself. Working out and eating clean allows my daily energy to outpace my mental burn rate. Think of it like a battery in a remote control car. When the battery is powered above 50%, there is a noticeable difference in the way the car operates. It operates at its peak performance. In the simplest most basic way, you should train your body to run like a machine. It is one little thing you can absolutely control regardless of the storms you are facing with your business, family, relationships or your other interests. This is the one thing in your life that you have 100% control over. So, in short take control of it today. Make a personal commitment to step into the lowest hanging fruit when it comes to obtaining sustainable power in all areas of your life, your personal temple. It’s time to clean up your house. Savvy?
Sleep.
The tortoise and the hare is a lie!
I will let you in on a secret, until you have enough money to singularly focus on your desires you will need enough energy to grind from dusk until dawn. If you are serious about building wealth, then you have to be willing to grind harder than anyone you know. One of my greatest mentors was my father-in-law. It didn’t take long for him and I to realize that we were a pretty powerful team in business. He introduced me to the real-estate market and taught me how to look at properties with a new set of educated eyes. I have made hundreds and thousands of dollars in real estate because of his advice. Although it is not my primary focus, my largest real estate purchase to date was around $1.5M, and that property generates $141K a year. Granting, real estate has been good for me it is not the focus of this book. I only mention real estate to say that I am going to share with you the single greatest piece of advice my father in law ever gave me! Thats right, this information is worth way more than my real estate gains. In order for you to capitalize on this golden nugget you will need to treat your body like it is a temple. You will have to maintain it. You will have to fuel it. You will have to have it rested. Also, you will have to be willing to sacrifice copious amounts of sleep to execute it.
I had watched my grandfather get up anywhere from 4:00 AM - 5:00 AM my entire childhood. My grandfather and one of my uncles had decided to get into the hog business. His beautiful barn style home sat in the middle of the thirty acre farm, mostly fenced in and full of pigs. He would get up in the morning, read the paper, and drink his coffee. Within thirty minutes of him getting out of bed, we were headed out the door to feed the pigs and make sure nothing was out of order or broken. On a normal morning, he was loading his lunchbox along with his old green thermos full of coffee into the old farm truck to head off to work. He would work and typically not get back home until around 5:30 PM. For most people they would say to themselves, “Well, I am working two different jobs, I deserve a break.” That is not the millionaire mindset. It doesn’t fit what I watched my grandfather do my entire childhood. It doesn’t fit what I remember my dad doing to get ahead and exit the rat race.
Additionally, it doesn’t align with that advice my father in law gave me that made the light come on for me. His words were simple but profound, “Michael if you truly want to be wealthy I am going to tell you the secret.” It was what he had done his entire life. He didn’t think anything of it. Once your mind is programmed that this is how you operate, it will simply set you in the fast lane. Period. He said,”Go to work to pay your bills, just like everyone else does. Unlike the general population of workers, if you want to really make money, you have to make it in the nights and on the weekends!”
At first I thought “Forget that, I need… Scratch that, I deserve my time off! I work hard, he doesn’t get how much I work. He is just old school. That won’t work for me. My wife will get mad. I will miss my family. My kids need me to be there with them…” I had at least 509 additional stories just like those. Bullshit lies that gave me permission to be lazy.
It could easily seem like I’m digressing in this chapter. Regardless, I want to make it very clear to you, if you are over weight, if your mind is sluggish, if you are like me and have trouble focussing for long periods of time, you will have to get your body physically prepared for the additional hours it will take for you to work on your side hustles. Otherwise you will finish your 40 hour a week gig and be too physically and mentally exhausted to pursue anything else! I want to be extremely clear about this. I am not suggesting that if you are overweight you can’t be successful! Your visual physicality is not the conversation. Rather, your fitness is an exercise of the mind. You have to be able to bust through some barriers mentally if you want to make it to your first million! Savvy?
Lets take a minute to talk about a couple of the other benefits to being physically fit. I have watched at least a hundred different people that I know begin to gain a bit of success at work and inevitably they get sucked into their busin
ess. Often they find themselves grinding out 60-80 hours a week. One of the first things they let go is their body. Why is that the case? Think about when you felt the best about yourself. Think back, is it when you had the most money, is it when you got that new job, promotion, commission? Probably not, unless it is tied to when you physically felt your best. Every time I have absolutely felt like I could crush the world it was because I physically felt like a million bucks! Can you gain wealth and be in poor physical shape? Yes, of course you can, but why would you ever want to? This is your one chance. You get one at bat at this life, what do you expect from it?
I love old gangster movies. One of my favorite scenes in any movie ever is when Al Paccino (Tony Mantano) was asked, “Tony, what do you want?” His response is what I believe our goal should be. He smiled and said, “The world chico and everything in it!” I’m not saying we should pursue literally everything. However, if something is on your heart, whether it is material, relational, physical or spiritual, I believe you can obtain it and you should be able to. The only question is are you willing to do the work necessary to EARN it? This world won’t give you anything. If you want something you have to go take it. Who doesn’t want to look and feel good? Who doesn’t want to have relationships where you aren’t held back by physicality? Who doesn’t want to be able to have amazing sexual relationships with your significant other because you feel physically on fire? Why would you ever choose to slug through this life when you can live it on fire and in total power?! Savvy?
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