Really weird E-mail

Hey Michael,

   Often in life events occur that we truly can't control.

   The company we're working for "downsizes" and we get laid off. Our spouse leaves us. A family member becomes ill, or someone close to us dies. The government cuts a program we've depended on.

   In these situations, we may feel as if there is simply nothing we can do to make things better.

   Maybe you've had the experience of trying everything you knew to overcome your anxiety, to get a job, to help your family, to find your soul mate, or just to feel happier. But nothing seemed to work.

   When we try a new approach, try our best, yet we still fail to reach our goal, often we fear trying again.

   Why?

   Because we all want to avoid pain!

   And nobody wants to fail again. Nobodywants to give his all, only to be disappointed.

   Often, after many of these experiences of disappointment, we stop trying! We get to the point where we believe that NOTHING will work.

   Michael, if you find yourself at that point where you're not even willing to try, you've put yourself in a place called "learned helplessness."

   You've literally learned - or taught yourself - that you are "helpless."

   The GOOD news is that you are wrong. You CAN make things happen! You can change anything in your life today by changing your perception and changing your actions.

   As Thomas Edison said: "I'm not discouraged, 

because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."

   The first step in overcoming your anxiety and turning your life around is getting rid of this negative belief that you can't do anything about it or that you're helpless.

   How can you do that?

   Often the reason that people say they can't do something is that they've tried things in the past that haven't worked. But remember...

   YOUR PAST DOES NOT EQUAL YOUR FUTURE.

   What matters is not yesterday but what you do RIGHT NOW.

   So many people are trying to drive into the future using a rear view mirror to guide themselves. If you do that, you'll crash.

   Instead you must focus on what you can do TODAY to make things better.

   Many people tell me, "I've tried MILLIONS of ways to overcome my anxiety, and nothing works!" Or "I've tried THOUSANDS ways!" 

   Think about it.

   They probably haven't even tried hundreds of ways to change things, or even dozens. 

   Most people have tried eight, nine, ten ways to make a change, and when it hasn't worked out, they've given up.

   The key to overcome your anxiety is to decide that it's most important to you and then take massive action each day to make it better, even when it doesn't look as if it's working.

   I'll give you an example.

   Have you ever heard of a guy named Colonel Sanders?

   Of course you have. 

   How did Colonel Sanders become such an unbelievable success? Was it because he was 

born wealthy? Was his family rich? Did they send him to a top university like Harvard? Maybe he was successful because he started his business when he as really young.

   Any of these true?

   The answer is no.

   Colonel Sanders didn't begin to fulfill his dream until he was 65 years old! 

   What drove him to finally take action?

   He was broke and alone. He got his first social security check for $105, and he got mad 

but instead of blaming society or just writing congress a nasty note, he started asking himself, "What could I do that would be valuable for other people? What could I give back?" 

   He started thinking about what he had that was valuable to others.

   His first answer was, "Well, I have this chicken recipe everyone seems to love! What if I sold my chicken recipe to restaurants? Could I make money doing that?"

   Then he immediately thought, "That's ridiculous. Selling my recipe won't even pay the rent." And he got a new idea: "What if I not only sold them my recipe but also showed them how to cook the chicken properly? What if the chicken was so good that it increased their business? If more people come to see them and they make more chicken sales, maybe they will give me a percentage of those additional sales."

   Many people have great ideas. But Colonel Sanders was different.

   He was a man who didn't just think of great things to do. HE PUT THEM INTO ACTION.

   He went and started knocking on doors, telling

each restaurant owner his story: "I have a great chicken recipe, and I think if you use it, it'll increase your sales. And I'd like to get a percentage of that increase."

   Well, many people laughed in his face.

   They said, "Look, old man, get out of here. What are you wearing that stupid white suit for?"

   Did Colonel Sanders give up? 

   Absolutely not.

   He had the #1 key to success - PERSISTENCE. 

   He was persistent in taking action: Every time you do something, you learn from it, and you find a way to do it better next time. 

   Instead of feeling bad about the last restaurant that had rejected Colonel Sanders' 

idea, he immediately start focusing on how to tell his story more effectively and get better results from the next restaurant.

   How many times do you think Colonel Sanders heard "No" before getting the answer he wanted?

   He was refused 1,009 times before he heard his first yes.

   He spend TWO YEARS driving across America in 

his old, beat-up car, sleeping in the back seat in his rumpled white suit, getting up each day eager to share his idea with someone new. 

   Often, the only food he had was a quick bite of the samples he was preparing for perspective buyers. 

   How many people do you think would have gone for 1,009 noes - TWO YEARS of noes! - and kept going?

   Very few.

   That's why there is only one Colonel Sanders. 

   I think most people wouldn't get passed twenty noes, much less a hundred or a thousand! Yet this is sometimes what it takes to succeed.

   If you look at any of the most successful people in history, you will find this common thread: They would not be denied.

   They would not accept no. They would not allow anything to stop them from making their vision, their goal, a reality.

   Did you know that Walt Disney was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream of creating "The Happiest Place on Earth"?

   All the banks thought he was crazy. But he wasn't crazy; he was a visionary and, more important, he was committed to making that vision a reality.

   Today, millions of people have shared in "the joy of Disney", a world like no other, a world launched by a decision of one man.

   When I was completely broken by anxiety, crying on the floor in my crummy little dorm-room, so scared that I was even afraid to pick up the phone and talk with my own mother, scared to leave my room and face the world, which in my head thought I was completely crazy ...I had to keep reminding myself these kind of stories.

   I had to keep reminding myself that NO PROBLEM IS PERMANENT. NO PROBLEM AFFECTS MY ENTIRE LIFE. THIS TOO SHALL PASS IF I CONTINUE TO TAKE MASSIVE, POSITIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE ACTION.

   I kept thinking, "Even though my life looks terrible right now, there are many things to be thankful for, like the two friends I have, or the fact that I have all my senses, or that I can breath fresh air."

   I constantly reminded myself to focus on what I wanted, to focus on SOLUTIONS instead of problems. 

   And I remembered that no problem affects my entire life, even though it may look like it right now.

   So I decided I would no longer believe that my whole life was screwed up simply because I had anxiety problems or emotional frustrations.

   I decided that there was no wrong with me, but that I was simply in "lag time".

   In other words, I knew that if I were to continue nurturing the seeds I had planted -

continue doing the right things - I would make it out of this winter of my life and into 

spring, when I would reap the rewards of years of seemingly fruitless efforts.

   I also decided that doing exactly the same things over and over again and expecting a different result was insane.

   I had to try something new, and I had to keep on until I found the answers I needed.

   My message to you is simple, and in your heart you know is true:

   Massive, consistent action with pure persistence and a sense of flexibility in pursuing your goals will ultimately give you what you want, but you must abandon any sense that there is no solution.

   You must focus immediately on actions you can take today even if they are small ones.

   This makes sense, doesn't it?

   So why don't more people follow the advice of the Nike ad and just do it?

   The answer is that they've been shut down by fear of failure. 

   But I've discovered something wonderful about failure that I'll share with you in a couple of days.

      Until then...

      Your Friend,

      Ryan Rivera

P.S. Say Michael, how do you liked 

this letter so far? I'd love to get a letter 

from you and hear your comments. Just hit 

"Reply" button and drop me a short message. If 

you want, you can also write me your biggest 

problem and frustration, so I can do my best to 

help you overcome it.

Gem

Do what is right for you!

Gem