10 year impossible goal comes true
What goal or dream do you have that you keep carrying forward, year after year?
And each year it becomes even more intimidating and insurmountable!
I had one for 10 LONG years, a goal that was REALLY important to me, but I conjured up grand illusions of why it was not possible.
Can you relate !?
This January, as I set my 2009 year plan, I decided to do something different.
The result…
I achieved that goal with one 15 minute phone call!!
And it ended up even better than I imagined.
After that call, I was overwhelmed with an immense amount of gratitude, fulfillment, and a core shattering realization of "success with ease".
Here's the story… and a VERY powerful "lessons learned" you can use right now today for your own goals. I call it the 3-Step "Success With Ease"
Formula.
It was 1991… the last week of my freshman year in high school.
We were sitting in the tiny high Webster City High School auditorium as they announced the seniors who won college scholarships.
Then they came to the "big poppa" scholarship, the AJ Julian. It was for $4,000. A small fortune to a kid going to college.
As they announced the winner and he walked up on stage, my friend since the 1st grade sitting next to me, Tony Neuroth, elbowed me and said, "Kevin, in 4 years that will be you."
If you knew me back then, you would know how crazy that sounded! I was a quiet, incredibly shy, awkward kid. Not the type that won awards.
However in that moment that I call an "Everyday Influencer" moment, Tony gave me a belief of "what if it was possible???"
| Side Note: An "Everyday Influencer" is how any of us, in our everyday lives, can have a significant, life-long positive influence on others through small but impactful moments of seeing the best in others.
Within the next 60 days, I'll be starting a grass roots movement called "Everyday Influencers" and I invite you to take part in the fun and heart warming experience it will create. |
If you know my story (you can hear it at the beginning of our most recent "Go Full Time Online" webcast), my family did not have the money to pay for college. And I knew the only way I would make it to college was earn my way through scholarships like the AJ Julian and financial aid.
And throughout high school I worked hard to receive straight A's with my eye on making it to college.
However as my senior year progressed, it became apparent I would need to spend my first 2 years going to the local community college because we just couldn't afford the college I really wanted to attend, Buena Vista University.
Then magic happened.
At the awards ceremony, they not only called my name for the "big poppa" AJ Julian, but also a half dozen other scholarships. I ended up earning over $8,000 in scholarships in 2 short hours.
Those scholarships, along with my financial aid package from Buena Vista, made it possible for me to go straight to my #1 college my first year.
Which also meant I was able to take part in a brand new freshman honors program the college started and I was accepted into for high achieving students. That included having the Dean of School of Business as my personal advisor, as well as spending 1 month out of the semester traveling for school.
I spent my freshman year in Florida, including the opportunity to learn from executives at John Templeton Investments, not to mention spending a weekend of leisure at the Florida Keys were we all caught giant Barracudas (mine is now hanging above the bar in my house!)
Then a month traveling Europe, meeting the people behind the upcoming launch of the European Union (this was in 1997). And doing a January internship in California (a dream come true when it was 10 degrees below zero back on campus!) and an internship in Dallas, TX with the local Development Office for Subway (I even got to meet Jarrod!) which is how I ended up in Dallas.
That's when the 10 year goal started.
When I graduated in 1999, I knew 2 things.
1) I was going to do whatever it took to be a successful entrepreneur, both financially and also in the contribution I gave back in this world.
2) I wanted to give back to my high school, and future kids just like me, by starting up a scholarship fund. (And of course it was going to be bigger than any of the current scholarships!)
And that goal sat on my goal list and was always posted up on my vision board, year after year after year.
In my mind, I thought it would take a 6-figure endowment, a big fancy trust, an overwhelming amount of paperwork, a crushing amount of hassle, did I mention the thought of a quarter million dollar endowment, and quite possibly I would have to also walk over broken glass while being punched in the nose by Mike Tyson to make it happen.
Do we make the journey so difficult we never set off on the journey? … Or do we make the journey so difficult we are an even greater hero in reaching the destination?
The SHIFT
This January, as I was sitting at my vacation lakehouse, reviewing the past year and setting my goals and plans for the new year. I realized something that REALLY bothered me.
This goal, of setting up a scholarship fund at my high school, had been on my goal/dream list for 10 freakin years. It had slipped into the realm of a "wish" rather than a "goal".
And I shifted my mindset…
First I realized after 10 years I had NEVER even taken the first step to make it happen.
A goal without action really is just an empty wish.
Second, I realized I had taken this goal and devised in my mind an extremely complicated plan to achieve it rather than looking for the simple solution.
Simple = Boring But Doable, while…
Complicated = Fascinating But Impossible
I first wrote down the first step to make it happen… call the high school and talk to somebody to find out the process to set up a new scholarship. I could do that!
LESSON #1: If you have a goal, or a project you want to complete, but find yourself stuck or not moving forward. Write down next to the goal the first step for you to take.
I've been using that one technique the past 3 months with AMAZING results, especially when I find myself stuck.
Then, I asked myself what's the simplest way to achieve this goal.
The answer — I don't have to set up a quarter million dollar endowment. I can instead just write a check for that year's scholarship and accomplish the same goal. And I could write that check that same day, there was no reason for it not to happen.
LESSON #2: Start using the "Success With Ease" approach. For every goal or dream you have. There are 2 routes you can take. The long, hard, complicated, almost impossible route. And the short, simple, easy and virtually guaranteed route.
From now on, borrow this saying we use here at Nitro "simple instead of complicated". Find the simple route instead of creating the fascinating complicated route. (You can always make it more complicated later.)
Next, I set a deadline and wrote it on my 2009 personal goal list. "Call the high school and start the process to set up a scholarship."
Then, as my friend Yanik Silver taught me, to make a goal come true make a public commitment so others hold you accountable. (Otherwise known as public peer pressure!)
At my January Vistage meeting, as we were reviewing our business and personal goals, I told them I would talk with the high school and find out the process before the end of the first quarter of the year.
So, obviously, on March 30th, one day before the end of the first quarter, I HAD to get into action! I got online, looked up the phone number and made the call.
LESSON #3: Assign a date to complete that first step… and then make a public commitment to employ the POWERFUL form of accountability - peer pressure!
The Rest Of The Story
I made that call on Monday, March 30th.
And in 15 minutes Kathy and Joyce quickly and ruthlessly CRUSHED my dreams of a long, hard, complicated, virtually impossible route to achieve my goal.
Instead, here's all I need to do.
Write a check, mail it to the school in April, and one deserving high school student will receive help going to college this year.
And what about that virtually impossible endowment?
All I have to do is write a check and the school, along with a scholarship committee of local bankers, handles the rest.
That's Success With Ease!
When I hung up the phone, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
In the big picture, I've given back much greater amounts of money to people and causes over the years. From giving my car to a single mother who did not have one, to large sums of money to the charities and causes that are important to me.
However the check I wrote this week was the most fulfilling giving I've done to date.
First, immense gratitude for all I have achieved in my life and the ability to give back and help others.
Second, and even bigger, the fulfillment of achieving a goal that I've had for 10 LONG years… a goal, just a couple months ago, that I probably didn't even really
believe would ever come true.
Third, and this is probably what's causing me to get teared up as I type this, the realization - through experiencing it first hand - of creating Success With Ease. And what that will mean for me over the coming months and years as I create greater and greater success, with ease, in all areas of my life and for others.
Your "homework" for today!
Apply these lessons to YOUR life, right now, while you are still thinking about it.
And share them by posting a comment below.
1) What is one goal or dream, that's been staring at you for TOO long?
And what is the first and *easy* step you can take action and it moves you forward?
2) What's the easier/simpler solution instead of the complicated solution that's been holding you back?
Just asking that question may reveal the easy/simple solution. Or you may need to give yourself time to let it come to you. Or you may need to ask other's for advice.
Whatever you do, trust that there IS an easier solution… and most likely just taking that first step will help you realize what the simple solution is.
3) Set a timeframe to take action and complete that first step (or more) and make a public commitment to others who will hold you accountable.
Posting it publicly as a comment below is the first way you can do that. I also encourage you to tell people you know as well.
Bonus 4th Question!!
I want to pass some of the wisdom I've gained over the years to the winner of the Wilke Family Scholarship For Empowered Youths.
What advice do you wish you heard as a High School graduate?
I'll be sure to make a future blog post that shares the letter I write for this future world changer.
To YOUR Success With Ease!
-Kevin
P.S. Did you notice I used the "Success With Ease" process in this very blog post?
I told you, and the 10's of thousands of people who are reading this blog post, within 60 days I'll be starting the "Everyday Influencer" movement. (public commitment)
My first step… posting online the simple 3-step process of instantly being an Everyday Influencer and inviting you to experience that immense personal satisfaction and fulfillment it will bring you.
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Comments
April 2, 2009
Lon W. Sandborn said:
Thank you for your ideas.
If a great idea touches only a few minds,
or if it touches many minds
but is never truly understood,
it is of little utility.
Christy said:
Thank you for making it clear how I have achieved what I have in life. I may not yet have millions of dollars but I have achieved everything that I have with that same step by step process.You have just made it clear at how to keep the other larger goals coming.
To the seniors keep dreaming step by step you have everything you need to reach your dreams.
Linda Hoyle said:
Hi Kevin,
I live in South Africa, and you know the credit crunch has hit everybody,not only in this country but world-wide, and we all go around with self-pity, because we have not been in this situation before, and we are finding it hard.
But at the end of the day, all we need is faith and determination to make a success of our lives and go forward, if we sit in the past and in self pity, we are doomed to failure, and listening to what you have said makes total sense, and we often need this kind of "imput" from positive thinking people, to put us back on the right tract to do something worthwhile in our lives.
I often feel low, sometimes thinking what am I going to do, how do I feed my family, etc etc, instead of being positive and doing something constructive with my energy and time.
So thank you for what you have said, I am going to put into practice your actions, and definately go the"simple" and not the complicated route in future.
Regards
Linda
Tim said:
So many times I've looked at a goal and let my thoughts around it have me believe it would be complicated and difficult. I'm letting this remind me that I have the power to shift my thoughts toward finding a simple way of accomplishing it.
Thanks for the inspiration. Tim, phkey.com
i said:
none
tom said:
This is a remarkable post in the world of internet marketing. I admire your dedication to personal philanthropy. Clearly the scholarships and other assistance you received along the way were well-invested. Not only did you receive a quality education, but you received much more in the bargain: empathy and compassion for others, and the persistence to bring them to bear in the world.
Thanks for the honest, revealing, inspirational message!
Tom
PS. I only hope you are not beseiged by others seeking similar gifts..
valentina said:
Kevin,
This is perhaps the most powerful message I have ever read on your blog. In simplicity lies courage, strength, honor and power.
Congratulations to you.
I will now examine my goal(s) - actually there are several - that keep being forwarded year after year. I will pick one, and work on that one first.
best……………valentina
Jope Wainiqolo said:
Hi,
I could not agree more,thinking is powerful indeed,but to take the first step one is on one's way to the final finished product.
Larry said:
I like this Kevin. Very real, practical and possible.
Cletus said:
Thanks for the inspirational post Kevin, have been dithering with stepping in to online marketing for far too long……for precisely the reasons you mention……..believing it's all far too complicated and cumbersome….
How can i make it easier for myself?………trusting that i can speak my mind, take disciplined action and provide valuable content……ie i can write cogently and generate the consistent output necessary to communicate with my target market.
I will have this beast tamed within 60 days……ie by 31 may……or my name can be spread wide in all corners of the world as the guy who made it far too difficult for himself.
thank you
Cletus
Rahul Majumdar said:
Thanks Kevin,
No need to hit the home run when a single, stolen base, bunt, and sacrifice fly will do. I agree that keeping things simple leads to the best solution.
As you said, once the foundation is laid down, then we can improvise and add the bells and whistles later.
Keep up the good work!
Rahul
Ignacio Otegui said:
Great Post! It's amazing how the biggest barrier between us and the things we want, is often nothing but OURSELVES, our own self-limiting beliefs.
My long-desired goal is acquiring the necessary laser focus and discipline to actually tap into my personal and external resources to succeed in business and develop myself as a whole. Kind of broad, I know !
Hope to keep learning from other's experiences,
Ignacio, 22
Montevideo, Uruguay
Paul Wakefield said:
Kevin,
Isn't it amazing when we cut through the noise, (long complicated way) to simplicity an what one person can accomplish. I like the sound of the new program because it is similar to "pay it forward" which is something that we all should be doing every day. In my opinion, if you can leave it a better place then you probably shouldn't have been here taking up space to begin with.
David said:
I agree with you. My advice would be: Be able, willing and committed to providing for your own future wellbeing rather than relying on anything or anyone else.
The only person that has your own best interests at heart
is YOU.
Shaun Ellsworth said:
Kevin,
I think that is a great thing you have done. I could feel your emotion while reading it. It doesn't take a lot. It just takes doing it. We can all do so much if we just take a moment and figure out what we want and then just take that first step and follow through.
Way to go, Shaun
Byron said:
Great thoughts Kevin and even better actions, keep it going there isn't much better than giving and inspiring another. If only a lot more gave a little more, there could be much more and great changes in a world that desperately needs it NOW.
Vero said:
My goal is to find the right partner for me.
I do not know what is the easiest step! My friends keep telling me to do online dating - I've tried (without success) i guess because i do not like it - I also have an active social life and good friends, what else can i do?
Evan said:
The advice I wish I'd heard: Here's how to collaborate with others to make the world a better place . . .
Gregor said:
Hi Kevin,
Do you mean to say that it took you 10 years to make a $ 1.000 donation? Maybe you meant $ 10.000 or $ 100.000 given your success and wealth.
Thanks for the inspiring thoughts! I'll keep that in mind when I overcomplicate my goals or the path to them.
Gregor
mohamed fouad said:
do a feaver and gave me the way to make some more money.
thank you
roger said:
I would like to be part of your "Everyday Influencer" movement
Thanks for the article, we all need to be accountable.
David Main said:
Kevin I loved your post and can't wait to see your ideas on the Everyday Influencer. It is amazing when we put action to our goals they usually work out better than we expected.
At present I am finally putting action to a 8 year dream. I hope it works out better than I ever expected.
Your post is definitely an inspiration to us action people.
Carol said:
A very enlighting set of thoughts.
peter said:
dear mohamed,
That's a good question,
Buy a few of the cheaper ebooks, courses, whatever. Read/watch them. Then DO them. (This is the BIG barrier)
Best
Pete
Bob L Lytle said:
According to the Jews, at the feast of Shavuos(Pentecost-N.T.equivalent)a wand is made by binding up together 4 plants native to Israel.Then it is waved over the fruits of the harvest.1 has smell and taste,the 2nd has taste & no smell,the 3rd has smell & no taste,and the 4th has neither.This symbolizes the 4 types of people:those with both deeds and thoughts;those with deeds but no thoughts;those with thoughts but no deeds;and those with neither thoughts nor deeds.Yet, ALL are ESSENTIAL to the Community if it is to be whole.God bless you all this Easter. Bob L
peter said:
I enjoyed and was helped by your blog post. Could you answer a question for me? When I put in my website address while leaving a comment, what does that do? Is there some linking advantage in that? Your answer would help me in my research into marketing.
Larry Bush said:
Setting and acting on goals work. Your goal was an inspiring and worthwhile action. I have a similar goal for a scholarship in my daughter's name since she died in 1994, but I have waited even longer to act. You have given me the impetus to reach this goal.
Thanks,
Larry Bush
kerri-raluna said:
Hi Kevin and thankyou for sharing.
In the audience of students watching as your scholarship is given out will be another student just like you were, who will be given the encouragement to study hard and make something of their life.
You should be proud of what you have accomplished, not only for your scholarship but also for repaying the faith that was placed in you by those who awarded you the 'Big Poppa' in addition to those other scholarships you received.
The hardest time in a persons life is finding yourself during those teenage to early adult years. Your gift will help more students than just the one who receives the scholarship.
Looks like a full circle to me.
kerri-raluna
Jon Yoder said:
Kevin,
Thank you for sharing your important story and your powerful success philosophy. I am also from Iowa, just west of Webster City (Fort Dodge). I graduated in 1980 and now live in Houston. I listened to your 82 minute seminar the other day and learned a lot. Thank you for passing on your wisdom and ideas for free. Hopefully we will meet up soon. My Mom is also a BV Beaver. Have a great weekend and thanks again!
Jon
Riki said:
Congratulate on your success. Success like your is what drive others to work harder to achieve their.
steven said:
Hello Kevin,
thanks for sharing your insights. Yes! Sometimes, no, all of the times, simple solutions sometimes look too simple to be true, too easy. We sometimes make it to hard for ourselves.
10 years ago, I had the desire to learn Spanish. I was studying at the university, Communication Sciences. And I set all things in motion to learn Spanish. After my normal university classes, I went to the Spanish University class. I bought one of the biggest courses I ever bought, so much paper! That itself was already discouraging.
I believe I only went twice to that class. So boring! They approached Spanish as a difficult language, with many rules, lots of grammar… . I got discourage right away, and left class.
I would have never thought I was able, 10 years later, to learn Spanish in two months! Yes!! Last year I went to a two week dance workshop in Spain. I saw this is my opportunity to learn Spanish. I surfed the net, with the intention of finding an alternative course for learning Spanish. Of course, I found one!
I immersed myself for 2 months in the Spanish audio and writing lessons, daily… with as the result I could talk Spanish to any stranger. I had a wonderful holiday in Spain, simply great. I could travel on my own, and could visit places with only-Spanish-talking-people. Wonderful.
My Spanish was not perfect, and I could not talk in all the possible ways about the future, present and past. But I could express myself in clear Spanish, expressing what I wanted, thought, felt, and I could understand others clearly. Fabulous!
Sometimes, things are not what they seem: problems do not exist, only solutions. And the simpler the solution, the better. Thanks for reminding me that.
Thanks for sharing your Inspiration Kevin!
I`ll set up a new goal today
And achieve it very soon.
Warm regards,
Steven Vrancken
- Artist, Performer
David said:
Thanks for this Kevin…simple easy to follow and powerful.
I agree tht achieving our goals is as easy as taking one small step in the direction and then another…i hae discovered that it is as simple as make one decision at a time. Ask ourselves, "will this help me achieve my goals?" it is a simple choice one choice at a time. Thanks and i look forward to hearing about your everyday influencer. Regards, David
E said:
MY Everyday Influencer and public commitment is to take on 200 IM-REI students and 4500 affiliate partners in 1 year ending in 2010 March 31.
The platform will be the "NRSWORKS-GSTkit National Affiliate Partner Program" powered by NRSWORKSicom.
http://www.nrsworks-gst.com/tts1/index.html
Thank you for your great advice!! Very powerful and simple.
You Rock!!!!!!
EJ
NRSWORKSicom
Tim McMahon said:
The advice I would have liked to have received is that it is difficult to steer a boat that isn't moving… you have to move forward , before you choose a direction.
1) Don't wait for the perfect job… it is easier get a better job once you have a job (any job). So take a job and then look for a better one.
2) You have to improve yourself to the next level before someone will give you a job at that level.
3) Always give more than you get and you will be promoted.
April 3, 2009
Amparo said:
I need any technique that will make me move towards my goals and I will certainly use and apply your ideas. I'll keep you posted as miracles started coming in. Thanks.
Amparo
Mike Brockman said:
Thanks for sharing your message so openly and generously.
The future can never be clearly predicted and life will always throw up new challenges that we need to face.
The only thing we can focus on with any real power is taking the next logical step in the process.
Karolos Tsiligirian said:
This is so freaking simple it's amazing! Thinking too much can get really bad. Doing a small first step is the smartest thing most of the times. Plan a bit-> do -> check progress -> adjust if necessary -> keep doing until the goal is achieved -> proceed to the next goal
george kungu said:
good stuff,this is what i needed to get out the misery of postponing
tyler said:
man.. your blog posts are getting better and better.
I started reading all your posts ever since you started the one with success stories of people who have used your nitro blueprint.
i have tons of respect for you.
to your success. (and mine too! =) )
Wendy Stenberg-Tendys said:
We are an elderly couple giving away a valuable property to raise funds for kids who will never go to high school without outside assistance. Do you know how difficult this project has been to get off the ground (http://winaresort.com)? Kevin, really relate to your ten year dream. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and above all else continue to believe in that dream. The majority of people give up because of the knockers out there-people who never really do anything for anyone else. If we don't hang onto our dreams we become nothing.
Phil Callaghan said:
Great blog Kevin - I've just tweeted it.
I couldn't agree more with you here. I've found that making things simple is a master-skill. It's something I strive for constantly in my work and my life. "Keeping it simple" is a vital life skill.
Ten years is only a long time if you don't get there.
Here's to those who take action.
Phil Callaghan
Juli said:
Kevin,
You have just experienced a great aha! moment that will inspire you for the rest of your life. Always act on your intentions as soon as possible. Make something happen sooner by always believing and knowing that you can do anything you want with the right mindset. In this way, you will always serve others and yourself best. I love the "Success With Ease" name foryour program
April 4, 2009
Mary said:
Great ideas everyone & a wonderful story Kevin,
I too become overloaded as a newbie to the net & combined your boxes & a similar drawing I had to try & figure a way down the path from product, people, profit, opt-in etc.
That has been sinking in & I decided 80% of my efforts daily produced 20% of my results, so that had to stop.
So out came the drawings, created the path on them I wanted & wham, next morning, my DREAM program was first e-mail in my inbox. I read it all, twice, bought it(my pay had just gone in the bank a few hrs prior) & am in a calm place waiting for it to arrive.
Next, is to do what I'm told (I actually now know what traffic is!)& get the message out.
I'm scared of course, as I have not promoted anything yet on the net, as I had to know it all, every nook & cranny…you know the drill!
Anyway, my accountability call is to have earned $100 by the end of April 2009. I am very afraid I will fail in this goal as everything I've attempted in the past 18 yrs has not turned out how I anticipated & now I must perform.
I am aware not to think like that but to see my way through it all to the money in the bank or the notification of a sale or however it's done! …oooohhhhphwww, it's making my flesh crawl with…something!
Please, someone, encourage me!
Thank you,
Mary
April 6, 2009
Pierre Pienaar said:
Excellent blog. All I want to add, is that Your goals should be become actionised.
April 7, 2009
sido islwyn said:
A first immediate reply. To the high school students, I would want them to hear this, quietly and utterly: 1.Always always tell the truth, and look for it, it is the cleanest and truest form of Love there is. all else wastes your time, and in ways you will never know, the precious time of others. Telling the truth will always brings blessing, also in ways you may never know. There is no true movement nor life without that. Only exception,and it's still heavy on the shoulders, is if really truly you know that it is necessary to save someone's life, if you ever find yourself with a person and a gun at the door…
The second, which is just another version of the first, is to always Want to Know. knowing that there is always an answer, why the questions came up in the first place….and that you are meant to learn that answer conciously. Anyone who says otherwise is a coward to their hearts and is teaching you not to love(see trust, have real faith in, etc!), yourself or others.
The last is Gandhi's quote: Kindness is the greatest wisdom.
My respect and whoopee! to you, Kevin and your staff also, for you following your heart so.
Best.
Sido
Sussan said:
Hi Kevin,
For most of my life I have lived with the knowledge 'what you perceive, you can acheive and recieve'.
As a pentioner using the web to teach others what I have experienced, led me to belive that I have everything anyone could want, my own home, lovely family and two elegant dogs.
However there is something I don't want and that is to continue taking a pension from the government, I would much rather be earning enough money to keep myself in comfort, without receiving from the government.
I applaud your ideals and hope everything goes well for you.
Sussan
April 23, 2009
Henry said:
Do yourself a favor. Think of John F. Kennedy's statement. Think not of what others can do for you but Think of what you can do for others. Then Just Do It. Small step at a time or big step will take you wherever you want to go. However you must Take Action if you desire to ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING. Henry
August 19, 2009
Thomas Scott said:
Kevin, this is a fantastic story! It really inspires me. I think it's great that you're giving back to the school that helped you moved forward in life and chase your dreams!
This was a great reminder that I need to keep working towards my dreams, and to keep the process simple and make it happen!!
Thanks again Kevin
Cheers!
-Thomas
November 4, 2009
teevee said:
Thank you for sharing this with us Kevin. I, like yourself, want to give back.
Since I quit, that has been one of my goals. I also made totally complicated and recently started to make it happen.
I am not able to donate money just yet, but have begun to mentor in the community and also speak at the schools.
We sometimes forget that we are a success. People look up to us and thus have the ability to influence everyday.
I would love to be a part of your idea. You know how to find me.