Five years and 2000 posts later. . .

It took years before I joined this forum. . . don't make the same mistake.

I was one of the lurkers who ducked in and out to glean advice and study the content the early masters of IM shared here in the old days.

If you are a lurker don't waste a second more and be sure to sign up and become part of Warrior Forum.

Shortly, I'll share some of my thoughts but before I do I'd like to thank all the members both active and retired who have helped me.

Sometimes it has just been a negative comment that has pulled me into line and it isn't always the positive replies that give you the most powerful advice so read each reply you get and appreciate the feedback you receive because the respondents don't owe you anything and when they give you sound advice it can help you make breakthroughs you never knew were possible.

I've made many friends who invited me into their circles and several who dedicated personal time to talk and meet on a regular basis.

These encounters have always enriched my life even if sometimes the descent into US politics or superhero movies or the dates we went on as young adults etc had little relevance to the marketing discussions we were meant to be having. . .

. . .but those other topics always drove home the importance of relationships and the passion that people have.

Passion is important.

I'm sure Claude will tell you he isn't passionate about vacuums but his passion shines through when you listen and read his material and realise if you have passion for something it becomes easier to get closer to the prospect you are trying to convert.

Relationships are important.

This is why if you are reading this and you haven't started a relationship with the group of members here you are missing out on something.

Ryan Deiss at last year's T&C talked about the importance of P2P selling or person to person. That is about relationship building.

This year he transitioned that into "conversations are the new lead"

Becoming an active contributor to this forum and others allow you to have those conversations.

You may not sell directly from these conversations but the reality is you are building your skills and building a relationship with your prospects because you are becoming a sharing individual through your interactions with others.

It takes time to mature.

Just like growing up you are always going to put your foot in your mouth from time to time and if you are really giving it a go you will be making mistakes (often)

As you grow and mature it becomes easier to acknowledge the "grown-ups" who influenced you when you were younger.

The same is true in within this forum.

It might take a while to appreciate the advice you receive from people who are further along the path than you.

Remember to respect the people who are helping you.

Remember to respect everyone.

Something that sticks in my mind and I'm not sure where I heard it or picked it up is:

"If you can't be good, be nice and if you can't be nice, be good."

When you show respect to others you build a reputation.

Pay attention to building the reputation you want.

The other thing that sticks in my mind that I first heard from my table tennis coach some 40 years ago was. . .

"It takes years to build a reputation and only one word to break it"

Build your reputation and guard your reputation closely because it is one of the few investments you really own and can capitalise on.

When I was 14 I set my first world record and was a cocky young kid who felt invincible.

I broke that record again at 15 and 17 but then I encountered an event that changed my life.

I failed at one event I was so confident of winning and I was within a whisker of achieving another record.

The organiser of that event was disappointed with me.

They told me quite harshly "You will never get a world record again"

Their comments have stuck with me my whole life.

It took another 14 years for me to set another world record and another 7 years after that to set my last world record " Furthest object thrown by a human" 427.2m That record has stood since 15th March 2005.

So 13 years ago tomorrow.

I think I'm due another record.

The lesson for you here is it doesn't matter what you do or what skills you have.

It takes time to have success.

I find it a little amazing I'm posting my 2K post on an anniversary of an outstanding achievement for me.

Each day is precious and make the most of each of them because time passes quickly yet success always follows efforts you make over a long period before the result happens.

Hopefully you can take something from this post and change your situation for the better.

Regardless of what you get remember to respect everyone you encounter and cherish the times you succeed and don't forget to celebrate with the people who matter to you.

Thanks Warriors

Best regards,

Ozi