Inspiration is a two-way street

Today’s post is from Gulliver. Gulliver works with me as our Results Catalyst.

Please note: Only edits for style have been made.

I realised today reading your Personal Mastery blog, that even though you play at a higher level, you face challenges just like me, you aren’t invincible, you aren’t superhuman.

I never thought of you before as someone who could “not win”.

Seeing that vulnerability inspired me, because in business, even though there might be no one who can compete with you, the people who let you down are your vulnerability.

Having to depend on people who don’t believe in themselves as much as you believe in them…

I have been one of them, maybe not as much as others but nevertheless I have impeded your progress with my failure to meet the standards I need to meet to succeed.

I used to have a freak out before every[(Tae Kwon Do] belt grading, but Graham [martial arts master] would say “if I am asking you to grade, you’ve already passed”.

I remember one day thinking to myself, “s_ _ _, Gulliver, he’s a freaking 5th Dan Black Belt who are you to argue?”

I still got nervous but I threw myself at every grading like I had no fear.

I need to adapt that to what I do here, if you are asking me to do it, it isn’t just possible, if YOU think it can be done, it already HAS been done.

Raising the bar to the required standard sometimes seems an almost insurmountable obstacle, especially if you “want it” but don’t believe you are capable.

Then when someone like Marc or Graham says, “you can do it” you stand in the shadow of the mountain of their achievements at the clouds above and think, REALLY?

It was like that in my relationship with Graham too, but he’s been doing it for 20 years, it’s easy for HIM.

Sometimes, OFTEN I have thought “but that’s easy for Marc to say, he’s a sales machine, a millionaire, a genius, there’s no one like him, how can I aspire to that level?”.

His expectations are just… TOO HIGH.

But today I realize something about business success, that I knew already about martial arts, luck, genius, natural talent has nothing to do with success.

You got where you are the same way I am getting where I want to be, by taking it on the chin sometimes, by failing and trying again.

I sorta forgot about logic, that everyone starts as a white belt, even guys like Marc.

That means I really can be more like you, one day. It isn’t impossible… unless I give up on myself

As a martial artist and in my life I want to be a true warrior, a great salesperson, and from what I can tell so far they are very similar…

And to excel I need your leadership, which means I needed to be able to be led, I am coachable, but like all people I sometimes lose belief in myself.

But when self belief runs out I discovered I can push myself to do things, out of the loyalty I feel toward you for the time you spend on me, that makes me able to do things I perhaps was not able do for myself.

Here is a Martial Arts Analogy

You are the Martial Arts Master, I am the student, what would I do to make sure I honored your mentoring?

What wouldn’t I do to meet the grade if this was Tae Kwon Do?

Once in the sparring ring at a grading at the parent club, I once shrank inside, quivered when I had to spar Graham, my master.

As you get more experienced you begin to realise your opponents capacity to destroy, you feel your vulnerability more keenly.

In a split second I rallied and executed a jumping turning spinning heel technique (which was far ahead of my grading material) which whizzed past his nose surprising everyone in the room most of all me…

[Click here to see the technique on YouTube].

As you can imagine that takes some doing, but never having done it before, having fallen in class trying to pull it out, what a stretch it was!

I realized later that Graham is waiting for the day I can beat him, that he LOOKS FORWARD TO IT and that to be worthy of him I needed to give like this all the time.

And on that day, I committed that I would never back down, that I would give 100% in everything I did in his class because I wanted to honor him.

I pulled a move I had never successfully executed in class and made it FLAWLESS because I didn’t want to let Graham down in front of HIS master. Every time Graham brings a student to grade, HE is being graded.

Like I said, I can use this distinction when I feel low to rally.

Would I fail to step into the ring and spar if Graham asked me?

No.

Will I fail to step into the ring when you ask me?

No.

Thank you for being my teacher.

Gulliver.