Tough Question

Desperate times call for desperate measures. For some people, perhaps even you, this harsh, but true, message is the only one that will inspire you to change. It starts with asking you a tough question, and ends, I hope, with you realizing why the time to change is now. Let's get started...

Craig Ballantyne

"Working for someone else gives you little chance to make a fortune. By owning your own business, you only have to be good to become wealthy." - Kekich Credo

---

Why So Selfish?

By Craig Ballantyne

Late on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, at the end of the (awesome) second Turbulence Training Summit in San Diego, I hung around for an hour to chat and take photos with the attendees.

One young woman that had moved to California from Japan about five years ago came up to me and admitted that fear was holding her back from going "bigger" in her business and from trying to help more people.

This is a common problem, although few people have the courage - as she did - to admit it and to ask for help.

My response to her was a new perspective, one that you might have heard me talk about before. It goes like this...

The next time you let fear stop you from releasing a product, or writing an email, or filming a video, or doing a small seminar (or large one like the TT Summit), think of this...

Every time you let fear get the best of you, dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands of people, continue to sit at home hurting because you are holding back the solution to their problem.

When you act selfishly to save yourself from fear, they are the ones who get hurt.

Those good people - with a big problem you could solve with your knowledge - continue to struggle.

They cry themselves to sleep...

...but at least you're safe, right?

You're safe from the cowardly critics that would anonymously comment "u suk!" on your Youtube video...or that would post a nasty blog comment with a fake email address.

Whew...at least YOU are safe from that stress and discomfort.

You can sleep easy because there are no immature, adolescent hecklers criticizing you (anonymously) on the Internet.

Are you beginning to see how pointless it is to let fear hold you back?

Listen, it doesn't matter what business you're in. You have the knowledge to help people.

If you know how to make a great pie, someone wants to know that. They want your recipe so that they can be the hero in their family...so that they can finally get their mother-in- law to stop complaining about how they can't do anything right. Sure, that's a simple example, but it's true.

Look at all of the success stories in the world, they lay it on the line every day while the Internet critics hate.

Here's another example...go on YouTube, watch a big rock band's video (i.e. U2), and you'll find a bunch of anonymous critics posting, "U2 sucks!"

Really? The biggest rock band in the world sucks?

Well thank you, anonymous Internet critic, I really value your opinion. *sarcasm*

That goes on all day...but you know what? I'm sure U2 got over that a long time ago...because they focus on making things better for their fans, not the hecklers.

As my conversation with the young female trainer continued, I asked her if she knew who Mother Theresa was.

"Of course," the trainer replied.

Well, if you Google Mother Theresa (that sounds so sinful, doesn't it?), you'll find "hate websites" devoted to calling Mother Theresa a fraud.

Really? Really?

So if a saint gets criticism, you will too.

We'll never be perfect. Our products will never be perfect. Our seminars, training sessions, and even our apple pies will never, ever, ever, ever be perfect.

Big deal.

But they'll be more than good enough to change someone's life.

To stop the tears from falling down their cheeks.

To give them hope.

To make them a hero.

As I tried to strengthen my argument to the fearful young trainer, I pointed out the other speakers who shared their stories over the weekend at my TT seminar...

My friend Bedros and his family came to America without a dollar when he was six and unable to speak English. He's gone on to build multiple 7-figure businesses and help over 50,000 personal trainers around the world...(even after going broke again from his first business that left him living out of his pick-up truck).

Another inspiring speaker, Alwyn Cosgrove, beat stage IV cancer twice. Through years of hard work and imperfect action, he has built the life of his dreams and a gym that serves hundreds of members every month (in fact, he has the most profitable gym per square foot in America).

And then there was Cara Eckerman who shared how her and her husband John struggled and fought through the dips of their first bootcamp in Texas. She talked about how they kept at it to build up, and now run, the Fit Body Bootcamp University program, one of the most successful bootcamp franchises in America.

Cara felt the fear and did it anyway.

Alwyn beat the Big C and kept on pushing.

Bedros overcame all his obstacles and never stopped when another setback came his way.

Listen, everyone messes up. Everyone struggles. Everyone gets hit by a knockdown punch in life that often comes completely out of the blue.

But the winners get back up, brush themselves off, and learn lessons from these life experiences (and don't look at them as mistakes - but rather valuable learning opportunities).

As I wrapped up my argument, I said to my friend, "Are you ready to put this fear aside and finally do something?"

To her credit, she replied, "You're right, I'm not going to be selfish anymore. I'm going to take action and start helping more people."

I can't wait to see what she's going to accomplish in the next 12 months.

But what about YOU?

What value can you add to the world...

How can you help others...

In a way that you are NOT already doing?

Don't let yourself become an untapped gold mine, hidden deep inside the earth's core, keeping your value concealed from everyone else - and most importantly, from the people that need it.

Instead, open yourself up to the world.

Look, the world is full of problems. FULL of them. Full of hurting people that need someone to lead them out of the wilderness and into a better life.

You know the way. You have the solution to their problem.

You have the answers.

Don't let anything stop you from sharing it.

Don't give in to that selfish desire to protect yourself from criticism.

Don't choose to protect ONE person from a little criticism when you can help THOUSANDS of people solve their big problem.

Get your product done.

Start delivering your message.

Add value to someone's life today.

Lay it on the line.