How to Conquer Your Fears, Live Inspired, and Achieve Your Greatness NOW

To achieve our greatest success in life, we often times need to put ourselves in a position of failure. We need to take risks. Heck, whether you’re a sales professional, a business owner, or just someone looking to better yourself, you are taking a risk, aren’t you?

Inspired Thought

I’ve been thinking a lot about this important subject of ‘risk’ vs ‘inspiration’ lately and just how much it can have an impact on our lives. And the thought that has been with me the most in my many contemplations is this:

If you feel prompted and inspired to take an action, then run with your gut and don’t look back.

The importance this paradigm has had on my life cannot be put into proper context, but suffices me to say that we all get inspiration. We all get impressions. We all have visions and dreams. But do we go after them? Do we listen to that small voice and those gut impressions? Do we give heed to such inspiration or do we shirk away? Do we allow our fear of failure to impede our ultimate happiness?

I want to share an experience I had not too long ago that taught me about this critical truth. It was an experience that has absolutely changed my life and I strongly believe that its teachings can impact yours if you read the following with real intent and apply it to your current situation. So here goes.

An Experience that Changed My Life

I was talking with a nice gal recently who is in the swimming pool industry just like me and she asked  a question.  

“Marcus, how did you become a speaker at the National Pool Spa Show at such a young age? I have some great ideas that I feel could really help some of these businesses, but I don’t know where to begin.”

This question, surprisingly, is one I’ve heard quite a few times since becoming one of the top speakers/ presenters at the National Pool/Spa show in Las Vegas. Simply put, there are many people out there with many great ideas and a desire to help others. But they simply don’t know how, or are possibly too hesitant, to take action. In other words, they ain’t following their gut.

Now to many of you reading this, you are likely thinking, “Speaker at a National Show, big deal”, to which I would just ask that you look at it as if it was the main trade show/conference in your industry and try to consider how you might make it to such a podium….Would this be the ultimate pinnacle? No, but it’s quite a start up the great mountain of extreme success, and that’s what this blog is all about- practical ways to make it up that great climb.

When I was 29 years old (about 3 years ago), I felt a strong desire to teach a class on sales at the National Pool/Spa convention. It was a prompting I kept feeling and I knew I didn’t want to put it off. But I also knew the cards were a stacked against me. Why? Because I would be the youngest speaker in the show and I really had very little connections in the industry. Notwithstanding, I decided to put it out there and take that leap of faith that so many of sadly never take.

The Plan

My plan to get accepted as a speaker was simple. The first thing I did was find out the name of the head of the show. This wasn’t too hard and for the sake of privacy, we’ll call her Jennifer Wilson. Around this time, I was about to go to the national show as a participant and so I decided I’d simply approach Jennifer at the show. When the day came and I arrived there, I asked some staffers where Jennifer’s office was and was told she was in the ‘speakers lounge’. I immediately headed to the lounge with my heart pounding, not exactly sure what I’d say. But then I saw her, and I’ll now repeat the conversation as it unfolded.

Me: Hello, are you Jennifer Wilson?

Jennifer: Yes, I am, and how may I help you?

Me (with a big smile): My name is Marcus Sheridan and I am the best speaker you’ve never had.

Jennifer (caught off guard a little but smiling with suspicion): You are, are you? Well tell me, what can you speak about?

Me: I’ll speak about any topic you need covered.

Jennifer: Could you give a hot tub sales class?

Me: I’ll give the best hot tub sales class you’ve ever had here at this show.

Jennifer: What’s your price?

Me: No charge. Just give me a chance this one time and then if I’m good enough, hopefully you’ll have me back.

Jennifer: That sounds very fair. But how do I know you can present?

Me: (I pull out our company DVD) Here is my company marketing DVD, consisting of me speaking into the camera. Everything you see here was done on one take. If you review this and feel I have something to offer, I’d like to teach your hot tub sales class at next year’s show.

Jennifer: Ok, that sounds good Marcus. I will get back with you shortly.

And away I went, heart beating 100 miles per hour, but invigorated by the conversation. Needless to say, I got a call from Jennifer about a week later asking me to speak at the National Show the following year.

Lessons Learned

So what’s my point? When I look back at this experience, a few tried and tested truths stand out:

• Confidence and enthusiasm have boundless positive influence, and can be contagious to all.
• Sales, marketing, and whatever else you want to call it have to do with being prepared. Because I had a company DVD handy that demonstrated my speaking ability, I was able to add reinforcement to my request of becoming a speaker at the national show.
• In order to gain, we must often first give. I could have asked for a speaker’s fee up front. But I was doing this because I felt inspired to teach at this convention. I felt there were people who needed to hear what I had to say, and money was not my primary objective. I saw the big picture and knew that if I only performed well, the financial reward would eventually come.
• Did I know Jennifer needed a hot tub sales class? Of course not. I only knew that I was going to get into the show somehow, which is why I told her I’d teach about anything she needed. (And this is what sales, marketing, and personal success is all about right? Focusing on other’s needs and not ours). But the fact that Jennifer did say she needed a hot tub sales class really came as no surprise, despite the fact that over 30 unique seminar topics are taught at this show every year. In my mind, I wanted to teach a hot tub sales class. It was all in my head before she even asked. And once she spit out the topic, I knew that inspiration had put me in front of her for a very clear reason.

What are Your Inspirations?

So I ask you this question: Have you felt inspired lately to achieve a goal that currently seems out of your reach? Have you been prompted with thoughts of something ‘You’d just love to be a part of’? If you have, then I strongly urge you not to put off these thoughts, but rather that you run with them. Allow yourself to be inspired without limitations. Know that if the thought came to you, it can absolutely be achieved and YOU are the person the universe has designed to perform this task.

The Fruits of Following Inspiration

To close, I should probably mention how the whole speaking thing ended up going. Well, 2 years ago I taught at the national show. Out of 45 in attendance in my seminar, 43 gave me a top score. In fact, I scored the highest marks of any speaker at the conference, and I was likely the only one that wasn’t getting paid for their services. Because it went well, I was invited to come back this past year and give the same class. Again, it went incredibly well and the amount of hot tub companies I’ve been able to assist during this difficult economic time has been rather rewarding. After this past show, Jennifer again approached me but this time things were very different than our first meeting. By this point, she saw clearly my value to the Show and essentially gave me flexibility to teach any other class I wanted. I chose a ‘Blogging for Pool/Spa Dummies’ topic and am thrilled with what type of difference this class will make to hundreds of businesses across North America. And as you might imagine, the financial rewards have now fallen into place. I’m being paid well to give 2 classes this coming year but now I’m also doing part time consulting for pool and spa companies. And this is just the beginning…..

But all this would not have been possible had I not put myself in the position to fail. Nor would it have come to pass had I given heed to the occasional doubts and negative thoughts that entered my cranium just before my meeting with Jennifer.

Your Challenge

So I challenge you to put yourself out there in 2010. Follow your gut. Listen to your promptings. Don’t just accept ‘No’ for an answer. Make no excuses and live an inspired personal and professional life as you climb the mountain of greatness this coming year.

Thoughts? Comments? I’d love to know how you’ve overcome your fears and learned to follow your inspirations.

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