Episode 527 – The power of people

• Welcome back QFY friends
• I just arrived home after a weekend filled with adventure
• Its only January and I already did something I have been wanting to try for a year now
• I went ice climbing
• I spent 3 nights in a family room on the East Side of Yosemite by Mono Lake – with 12 others and we climbed for 2 days together
• But let me be clear
• This episode is not about encouraging you to try ice climbing
• It is about the power of fellow human beings
• I was notorious for underestimating the impact others have on my life
  • I believed that if I wanted to accomplish something, anything major in life, I had to do it on my own
  • But yet, when I look back,
    • While I always worked hard and fought hard for my objectives
      • There was always at least one person that played a key role in helping my reach my goals
      • And sometimes I didn’t realize this until years later
      • There were a couple of critical teachers in school that were on my side when I struggled
      • There was my pastor in church that helped me get onto to the right track
      • There were many people who helped me on my journey to make this country my home
    • When it comes to our dreams and our big goals, we tend to underestimate the power of other people
    • We think we are in this alone
    • Others don’t understand us
    • Cant relate to us
    • Wont support us
    • May even be against us
  • And when I told the people in my life that I wanted to go ice climbing, many gave me a critical eye
  • But here is the thing:
  • I didn’t go ice climbing with them
  • I went ice climbing with a meetup group
  • 12 people that had the same aspirations
  • A bold and courageous dream to try themselves on some ice
  • This is not your every-day activity
  • I get that
  • But let me ask you today:
  • What is something that excites you?
    • But maybe it doesn’t excite any of your friends ?
  • What is something that you always wanted to try but everyone tells you that you are crazy?
  • There is power in other humans
    • Not the ones that laugh at you or don’t understand you
  • But there are humans out there that have the same aspirations as you
  • And those are the people that will help you reach your goals
  • But you need to keep in mind:
  • These people won’t knock on your door
  • Because they are not part of your life yet
  • In order to meet them, you need to make the bold move and put yourself out there
  • I signed up for an ice climbing meetup and I didn’t know the majority of the people there
  • I could have tried it with one of my climbing partners
    • He ice climbs
    • He didn’t understand why I signed up for a meetup
  • But I didn’t know a thing about ice climbing
  • I didn’t even know I would like it
  • I didn’t want to try this with my friend
    • Have him explain everything to me and see me struggle
    • I didn’t want to do this to him
  • I wanted to go out on my own and experiment
    • And a group where most likely others had also never tried it seemed like a good idea
  • And it was
  • It was an amazing weekend
  • I met so many great new people
  • Some of them I may even climb with again
  •  
  • If you feel lonely, unsupported, without direction, wanting more but not knowing how to start –
  • Take my advice which stems from experience
  • And go out and make the first step and meet others
  • Meetup is my recommended tool to meet people with similar aspirations
  • I met all my climbing partners while climbing
  • We are often holding ourselves back because of a lack of the right people in our life

• You want to learn how to dance?
  • You will need to make the first move and go to a class
  • I did the same thing
  • I had just enrolled in my now gym when one day I saw people salsa dancing in one of the group exercise rooms
  • I didn’t go in right away
  • I watched a little
  • And the next time I saw them, I watched again
  • These people were good
  • It took a while to work up the courage and walk into a group class where everyone knows all the moves and you know nothing
  • I took that class for years and I realized the people in there do too
  • They are still there and that’s why they are so good
  • I met a person there that is now my friend and who goes salsa dancing every weekend
  • If I ever want to go, and sometimes I do, all I need to do is text him and he will pick me up
• You have to take that courageous first step in order to meet the people that will take your further
  • Those people that will help you reach your goals because they have the same goals
  • Together you will inspire and motivate one another
  • And when times get tough, they will pull you through
  • When youre about to give up, they will call and lift you up
  • Because they are on the same journey as you
• What goals have you set for this year?
• What do you want to accomplish?
• Who do you want to become?
• There are people out there that have exactly the same goals
• Find them
• Find them by taking a step into the direction of your objective
• It takes some courage
• But that little step usually gets rewarded in big ways
• You may think you are alone with your goal
• But that is only the case because the people you currently know don’t have the same goal
• Go out and find the people that have the same goal and your chance of reaching it are now much bigger
• And remember –
• I am also here to support you

Much love my friends