Yesterday I had a Great chat with the Persuasion Fox, better known as Matt Fox of FailToLearn.com.
We recorded some of our conversation as a podcast episode, so stay tuned for that later this fall on the Fail To Learn show.
One story that won’t make the recording:
In 2015 I reached out to Ramit Sethi and Ryan Johnson of I Will Teach You To Be Rich. At the time I’d gone through many of his courses and thought IWT was everything I wanted to be a part of. (My world view of marketing was very limited back then.)
I pitched to work as a copywriter for them for FREE. As a way to learn the craft and offer my ideas to grow the business.
Never got a response from Ramit.
Ryan Johnson (marketing mastermind behind Mixergy, Discovery Channel, IWT) instead talked with me and it was clear, they didn’t want to hire me, even for free.
They didn’t say it, but I was pitching IWT what I wanted instead of what they wanted (and needed).
I always play to win, and thought if this is as good as it gets, then I want something from them to help me go further with the goals I have.
So I asked a question next… instead of propose another idea.
The answer led me to an incredible discovery within 10 minutes, and introduced me to my best mentor and Great friend, Kevin Rogers.
It’s a discovery that helped me teach my best insights to a receptive audience of A-class copywriters that same week. Men and women that helped teach Ramit Sethi what he knows and practices.
It’s also how I helped said people with their crowdfunding, viral marketing, email scripts, and target marketing.
It blew my mind.
This was the start of where I am today and how I’m helping thousands more.
The point of this story is that I made this one man Ramit Sethi, and his company, IWT, my everything.
So much so I blinded myself to all of the opportunities around me.
Blind to all the direct ways to achieve my personal and professional goals beyond a single job.
Blind to how much more I could teach instead of learn, if I only went to people who actually cared about what I knew without judging its merit since I was new to the industry.
And I’m not alone.
How many people are you idolizing and making BIGGER THAN YOU… and thus diminishing your own role in how much more they need you instead of the other way around?
How much have you closed off opportunities that can propel you further in 7 days than you can do for yourself in 7 years?
How many times do you push through the pain of work, and grind for another hour, week, or month rather than ask for help from a friend, colleague, coach or mentor?
I did that a lot.
For all of 10 or so years.
It wasn’t until this wake up call with Ramit Sethi that I finally had the answer.
The problem wasn’t that I didn’t know enough, it was that I reached out to the wrong people about what I did know.
I gave myself to the wrong person like a character in a chick flick who doesn’t realize their main crush is a dud.
Now all I do is share what I learned then, and have lived every single day since.
I wish I said this during our recording so his listeners could learn from it too. Thankfully, i can share that now. With you.
And lead you to what can actually do when you put yourself first. You first, so others you deem beyond you start taking notice of you. (not the other way around).
Every day via email.
And with more advanced steps inside TOP OF MIND:
Be well,
Max!