Posted by: Max Simon
A few months ago, I heard Stewart Emery speak at a private event and he declared something that I’ll never forget.
He said: “Environment always wins.”
Meaning, the closest people in your life and the places where you spend your time will always have the great influence over you and impact your reality in the deepest and most profound way…
What does this have to do with you?
I don’t think most people realize how powerful their environments are on their success and wealth.
To throw out another great quote (that I live by), Jim Rohn said:
“You are the AVERAGE of the 5 people you spend the most time with.”
That should either scare the living day lights out of you or make you smile.
But here’s the thing… take it a step further. What if you were the average INCOME of the 5 people you spend the most time with?
Meaning, let’s say that the amount of money you are destined to earn was the average of 5 of your closest relationships.
Would you be satisfied with that?
The answer is probably NO!
But is it really true?
Do the people around you and the environments you spend time in really influence you that much?
Well… let’s take a look.
Have you ever wanted to go try something new that you’ve never done before? Maybe it’s going to take dance classes. Maybe it’s starting your own business. Maybe it’s getting a tattoo.
And when you shared this new-found desire with your closest kin, they didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm as excitement as you did.
Maybe the called the idea silly. Maybe they thought it wasn’t the right thing to do. Or maybe they just didn’t respond at all…
So what did you do?
Did you let their opinions change your desire or did you go ahead and do it anyways?
If you’re like just about everyone on the planet (myself included), you probably had the first experience. You started to doubt, change, or adjust the desire based upon the response of your inner-circle.
Now that doesn’t make you or them bad people. It’s just proof that our environment impacts the way we operate in the world.
This is important…
So if there is one thing I’ve learned over the last few years of generating over $1.7 million dollars in my business, it’s that the people and environments you surround yourself with are MEGA-IMPORTANT.
You need to be conscious of of where you spend your time and who you spend your time with. Period.
And if you don’t feel like these people and places are substantially ELEVATING your game and INSPIRING you to be bigger, better, and more bold…
Then you need to find new people and places to be.
Why I’m writing this post…
Because last night, I spent time with a really good friend Jonathan Budd (his blog is killer!)
And we talked business, new projects, what’s most important, and everything in between. And I left feeling so ALIVE, so INSPIRED, and so GRATEFUL for having someone like JB in my inner circle.
Which is what inspired me to take the time and write this little story for you. Which again, is solid proof that being around great people inspires you to do great things.
It’s a natural law…
Here’s a great exercise
Write down the 5 people you spend the most time with and the 3 environments you spend the most time in.
In regards to people, rate each of them on a scale of 1-10 in these categories (and don’t worry… they won’t see this):
- Wealth consciousness (1-10)
- Up to BIG things (1-10)
- Encouraging & positive (1-10)
- Health conscious (1-10)
In regards to your environment, rate each place on a scale of 1-10 in these categories:
- Feels abundant (1-10)
- Clean (1-10)
- Good energy (1-10)
- Positive & uplifting(1-10)
Then average your scores together in each category for each environment and person.
You CANNOT settle
An 8 (for each) should be your bottom line. No less…
YES… it will be difficult to change.
YES… it will be worth it.
YES… the types of people and environments you’ve always dreamed about are out there.
You simply need to be conscious, courageous, and caring enough realize what isn’t working and make a commitment to find the type of people and places that will lift you up.
So tell me…
What will you commit to doing after reading this post?
Be bold. Be courageous. And know that you deserve to be with people and in environments that support you playing at your highest.
Please share your thoughts below!
And if you want to know where you can find an entire room full of the most amazing and positive entrepreneurs in the world, click here.
Posted by: Max Simon
I’m often asked: “How did you build such a successful business so quickly at a young age?”
Well… I decided to record a raw, real, and honest video about my story to now. It’s pretty funny! And I share some stories I haven’t talked about in a long time…
At the end of the video, you’ll hear about my “5 Golden Rules” that will really support you in finding your own “sweet spot” and making the kind of impact you desire.
What did you think?
Posted by: Max Simon
Oh man do I have a powerful and controversial lesson to share with you today.
It’s about your fear of “the opt out”… and the cold hard truth about it.
Just in case you don’t know what an opt-out is…
An opt-out is an action someone takes who has subscribed to your newsletter in the past but they decided that they don’t want to hear from you anymore and thus they “opt-out” or un-subscribe.
Basically… they’re saying that you’re wasting their time and they don’t want YOU taking up any more space in their life because what you’re contributing isn’t adding value any more.
Ouch.
Now if you think I’m being harsh… it’s because I am.
But I’m doing it to prove a point…. Because this is what people think is happening when someone opt’s out from their list.
They take it very personal. They get upset. They feel worried that they said something wrong. They go into a tailspin of negative self-talk and remorse…
Essentially… people get genuinely freaked out by an opt-out.
… and it’s totally UN-NECESSARY!
Here comes the truth engine to rear it’s POSITIVE head…
First, let me tell you that on EVERY single email I send to my list, I get between .2-.5% opt-out.
Meaning… about 1 person out of every 200 or so on my list is going to opt-out no matter what I send to them.
And just to prove a point, let me tell you a story.
When my dad was going in for brain surgery and I sent out a super quick note asking for everyone to just keep him in their prayers so that we had “collective support”… 35 people opted-out.
And 7 people didn’t just opt-out… they COMPLAINED!!
So you might be thinking…
That’s understandable. Max’s note about his dad had nothing to do with business so people might feel like it’s just cluttering up their inbox.
But here’s the thing…
I’ve sent out notes giving away FREE hour long videos jam packed with money making guidance and wisdom. Stuff people invested thousands of dollars to purchase.
… and I had the exact same experience. People still opted-out!
So now the important question is…
Why do people opt-out?
And the answer to that is simple…
1) Most people are overwhelmed.
2) Most people get too much email.
3) Most people are over-stimulated.
4) Most people just don’t need any “more” stuff.
And does that make YOU a bad person for sending them an email? Does that make you wrong for sharing your message? Does that mean your business is going to crash and burn when people opt-out?
The answer to all of those questions is no.
Stop Worrying…
That is my advice to you around feeling worried and concerned around people unsubscribing.
The “bigger” you get… the more it’s going to happen. Just accept it and be ok with it.
Some people will decide you are not right for them at this time… and that’s cool. You’ll live.
Some people will leave, come back, leave again, and come back again. It’s happened to me many times in my business.
And some people will become your loyal die-hard fans, love your controversial messages, buy everything you offer, and tell all their friends about you.
Speak to those people. Focus on your tribe. Lead them…
It’s much easier to stay excited, engaged, and creative when you’ve got YOUR people in mind.
But whatever you do… keep speaking your truth. Keep sharing your message. Keep confronting people. And keep doing the work you love.
Because if you stop speaking up just because you’re afraid of a few people leaving your email list… you’re destined to stay small.
… And that doesn’t serve you, your tribe, or the world.
What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Let’s start a conversation here. Please Share Your Thoughts Below!
Posted by: Max Simon
Yesterday, my dad had his SECOND brain surgery to attempt to remove as much of his Glioblastoma tumor as possible.
There was a surprisingly calm energy amongst my family and the doctors… almost as if to communicate: “We’ve done this once before so we’re good to go.”
It’s strange how life-experience can quickly give you the impression that you know how to handle a situation…. isn’t it?
The Surgery Went Well
It only took 2 hours instead of the expected 4… and the doctor came out of the room with a positive energy. He said:
“We took a lot out. I’d say about 90%. And doing this surgery again was definitely the right thing to do.”
We felt a wave of relief… followed by an out pour of tears. The tension and pressure inside just needed a release…
My Dad Was Hilarious
About an hour later, we were allowed to see him… and he was surprisingly aware and conscious for someone who just had a big chunk of his brain taken out.
The nurse came up to say: “He’s a feisty one this guy. He already tried to get out of bed to go the bathroom and yelled at me when I tried to stop him.”
Haha… I took it as another good sign that my dad hadn’t lost his fire yet.
And from that point forward, he was in good spirits. He even had a moment when he opened his eyes and said with a smile on his face:
“Ok… well that was fun… Can we go dancing now?”
Haha… what a sweet man. Here’s a little picture that should make you smile.
Dad and my little sisters right after brain surgery
Something else happened in the ICU
The ICU stands for “Intensive Care Unit” and is where they take people right after a very serious surgery or when they are very sick and need constant attention and care.
So here we were in a small room in this crazy section of the hospital where people all around us were one breath away from leaving this planet… or at least that’s what it seemed like.
And I had this interesting thought (that is relevant to you).
“The deepest and most scary fear any of us have is dying. Whether we are willing to embrace it or not… that is our greatest fear.”
And yet here we are. Dealing with it. Head on. And it’s ok.
I mean… this is a totally f*cked up situation. But we can handle it. Because that’s what we do when something, or anything for that matter, shows up in our lives.
We just handle it the best we can.
And I don’t mean “we” as in my family. I mean “we” as in our collective. I mean you, us, this tribe, everyone…
We just handle it. Because that’s what you do in life when crazy stuff shows up without warning… You learn, grow, evolve, and keep going.
So there really shouldn’t be anything to fear…
Yesterday, my little sister asked me what I did for a living.
And I was explaining to her that day in and day out, I help entrepreneurs to overcome their fears about getting their message out into the world so they can become world-changing leaders and make a big difference.
Because when it really comes down to it… that’s all anyone really needs. To get over their fears so they can take the actions necessary to be successful.
Right?
Because fear is the only thing that stops you in your life and in your business.
Your fears that something will go wrong. Your fears that someone will not like you or respond well. Your fears that you don’t deserve it. Your fear that you will look stupid.
The list goes on and on and on…
But seriously… go spend a day in the ICU. Surround yourself with those who are one breath away from dying.
You’ll probably have the same thought I did which was: “What the hell are we really afraid of?”
I mean… let’s say your worst possible fear came true in your business.
Could you handle it?
I’ll bet you could. I’ll bet that you would muster up the strength, courage, love, compassion, and faith to just keep on keepin’ on.
Because that’s what we do in life. We just handle it. Period.
… and life continues to unfold… and everything is OK.
Right?
So again… let’s all collectively stop waiting for everything to be right. Let’s stop getting in our own way. Let’s stop saying: “I can’t”. And let’s just get moving…
Because time is precious, we don’t know how long we have, and now is here.
OK, I’m off to go back to the hospital now. I hope this little update made you smile. I like writing these sometimes just because it helps me clear my mind… and I hope you get something out of it too. So I hope I didn’t babble on too much for ya today.
Let me know your thoughts below.
Much love,
Max
Posted by: Max Simon
I’d like to tell you a raw, real, and personal story about FAILURE today.
… Because I’ve discovered this can be people’s biggest concern and what stops them from taking big BOLD actions in their biz.
So here’s the undercover tale of utter disaster.
I decided to try something new and really out of the box this month.
… Which was to create a new on-line training platform that could run multiple times each week for FREE…
And we could train people LIVE from all over the world (every week) using this super cool new technology we developed.
It Started Off Great!
We had a few close promotional partners spread the word to over 340,000 people.
Everyone was REALLY EXCITED about it.
We had thousands of people register for these on-line trainings.
… And I was PUMPED!!
Here’s where the story of FAILURE begins.
Over the course of the next two weeks, here’s just a few of the DISASTERS that ensued:
- An entire training with 400 people CRASHED and wouldn’t let anyone on
- When it did work, it would cut out every 60 seconds or so
- Certain web browsers did not see any of the video training
- It DID NOT work on the iPhone (even though it was supposed to)
- Some people did not even get the link to join us (email glitch)
- Others got the wrong link all together
- Some were even sent directly to an order form (yikes!) and that’s all they saw.
It was a painful period with many late night conversations that went something like this: “How the hell do we fix this by tomorrow morning?”
Haha… just writing that makes me see how insane it really was!
But here’s the thing (and where the story gets juicy)
Even with disaster after disaster happening…
My team never gave up.
They never stopped looking for creative solutions.
They never stopped coming up with new ideas.
They never stopped working together.
Because in our business, we have learned to cultivate an attitude of constant improvement and change.
Knowing that this is the ONLY WAY to thrive in a business environment that moves so fast and contains so many moving pieces.
Which is what allows us to STILL experience regular $$50,000 – $100,000 months in midst of all these challenges and difficulties.
What This Means To You…
First, we all have a tendency to put “big names” on a pedestal and believe that “everything works perfectly for them but just sucks for me.”
Well… look at my story above.
Clearly that is NOT the case. This was a true disaster where pretty much everything went wrong.
In fact, sometimes the bigger you are the harder you fall. Could you imagine having 400 people try to get on a training and have EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM get locked out?
Ouch…
I feel it’s important to share these stories authentically, so that you don’t get so down on yourself when sh*t hits the fan in your business.
Ok?
The Second Great Lesson In This…
The fear that things ARE NOT going to work out should NEVER stop you from moving forward and taking big bold actions in your business.
In fact, after so many things going gone wrong over and over again, I’ve even developed a COMPLETELY different philosophy around failure.
Ready for this? It’s weird…
I EXPECT things to go wrong.
So when they do, it’s not such a big deal. And when they don’t, I’m thrilled!
Now this isn’t to say that I walk around with a bad attitude waiting for everything to break down (that’s not smart either)…
I just mean that I anticipate lots of stuff going “off plan” so when these obstacles show up (like they inevitably do)…
I can treat them like speed bumps rather than road blocks.
Because that truly is what they are… just a bump in the road meant to test your commitment and faith in yourself.
Maybe You Can Apply This To You?
It’s likely that there is SOMETHING you want to do in your business that’s scary for you.
… And because of that, you’re probably putting it off, and putting it off, and putting it off (right?).
So what do you say you embrace this post as TRUE and get into action with that thing you’ve been wanting to do?
As in… just go do it. Because you have that choice…
You game?
If so…
POST A COMMENT BELOW
Let me know what you’re taking away from this little story and more importantly, what you’re going to do NOW because of it.
I’m excited to read your comments!
Much love,
Max
P.S. Because of the massive technology breakdowns, we’ve decided to post the new training online for just TWO DAYS this Thursday & Friday (June 23 & 24).
Though we prefer the LIVE environment, this felt like a nice way to make up for our mistakes.
… So as long as you are on our newsletter tribe, you’ll get a link to it on Thursday.
And please don’t ask for it early. We’re going to test everything to make sure it all works (geez)….haha.
So, I have just made a video- that is just for you!...