The Positive Persuasion

If any of you have received an email from me, you’ve probably noticed the Latin in my signature.  “Audentes fortuna iuvat” – Fortune favors the bold.  This is so paramount for me, and those in business.  There is so much uncertainty in business – especially in the current economy.  We must not forget that the whole reason we started our own companies it the thrill of venturing out there and ‘doing it ourselves.’  While there are risks in everything you do, it is the thrill of emerging victorious that compels you to press on.

Let’s step away from business for a second – not everyone has a business.  This phrase applies to everything in life.  Think about it.  As a single guy, I know there are times when I’m out someplace and I see a woman I would love to talk to, but I chicken out or convince myself that I have too much going on to worry about meeting someone.  Have you ever been in a situation in which you knew it was going to take some moxie, but if you did it, you had the chance to emerge victorious?  Think about a time you chose to stay back and not risk it.  What do you think you might have missed out on?  What would it have been like if you had just gone for it?

Spend a minute or two and imagine being ‘that guy (or girl)’ for a day.  You know, the super-confident, attractive, intelligent, capable, commanding, yet down to Earth person that has no fear – that’s who I want you to imagine being for a moment.  It’s not about trying to be someone else – it’s about removing that FEAR of uncertainty / rejection from the person you already are.

See yourself walking up to that guy at Starbucks and introducing yourself to him. See yourself having all the right things to say.  See yourself feeling fearless. Now see him smiling at you, and you know the risk was all worth it.

Take a moment and imagine yourself, after eating lunch at the same place for months, finally going over and talking to that woman from the office across the street.  Imagine having all the right things to say.  Imagine seeing her smile and laughing with you.  Imagine how incredible it feels to be rewarded for being fearless.

Good fortune comes at a cost, my friends.  You have to have faith in yourself.  You have to look fear in the eye and press forward.  Faith is the only known antidote to failure, and is truly the golden secret to living without fear.  So today I want you to imagine what it would be like to live without fear, and then go forth and BE BOLD.

AUDENTES FORTUNA IUVAT!

Source – English translation from Virgil’s Epic, Aeneid . (70 B.C.E – 19 B.C.E.)

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As I sit here listening to Kings of Leon (which I advise everyone to go out and pick-up), I reflect a little on today.  I am between checks from my clients, so I’m pretty damn broke.  I have big dreams and big plans, but I often feel like money issues take the wind from my sails.  If you’re like me, even the great days can change with a looming debt over your head.  However, if you’re truly like me, you also realize that the bad days can change as well. The smallest gestures can often be the most influential.

Every Tuesday and Friday afternoon I head up to the same gas station around the corner from my place, and purchase a couple Lotto tickets – Mega Millions to be specific.  Tonight’s drawing is for $128 Million. I keep an open mind about it and figure, “somebody’s gonna Lotto…might as well be me!”  I always make my purchases from the same young guy. He’s always in a good mood, and we joke about the Lotto all the time.  Last week I gave him a fresh $5 roll of dimes.  Yes I really did.  I had them on me, so why not?

Today I gave him $3 in change as well. One drawing with my personal numbers, and two quick-picks. We laughed about scrounging around for change for Lotto like it was our last resort.  As I said earlier, I’m on a tight budget today because I’m between checks, so I wasn’t feeling very abundant.  My ‘what the hell have I got to lose – I’m poor’ attitude wasn’t received well this time around.

“You’re not poor, my friend,” he said.  “Look at your coat, your shoes, your car. You are not poor at all. You have many things to be thankful for.”

He is absolutely right. I looked at that ticket in my hand, and I just felt better.  It wasn’t about possibly winning Lotto – we ALL feel good about that.  It was about his act of reminding me of my current wealth. I’m not wealthy by any monetary standards, but I have things I enjoy, and people in my life that never cease to amaze me. I have the most incredible family of friends on Earth. I make my friends part of my family, and I treat them as if they have always been there.  I am grateful every day for the wonders in my life.

The moral of this story is that I felt pretty poor up until that point tonight.  Simply reminding me of the often overlooked luxuries in my everyday, the kid at the gas station made my day.  The smallest suggestions, my friends, can make a world of difference.

Your assignment now is to be that person for someone else. YOU be the one to make the smallest suggestion and make someone’s day. Write me an email or post a comment and tell me what you did.

Peace, Love, and a million successes to you!

Blake

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Well, I am proud to say that this year’s Movember (month formally known as November) has come to a close, and my donations have landed me a ticket to the Gala Party this weekend.

Movember is a fund raising event that spans the entire month of November in which participating men grow mustaches and raise money for Men’s health issues.  These issues focus primarily on raising awareness for Prostate Cancer, but other ailments are also included.  I’ll be very glad to get rid of this mustache, but I am proud of myself and my teammates for making it happen for the last 30 days!

If you’re going, I look forward to seeing you there!

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