Millionaire School

Transcription

Millionaire School

M Motivators
ation
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al
B
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How to Find What
You Love to Do and
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✶ No
l
Inte
Millionaire
st Sel
get Paid to Do It!
“We can change our lives. We can do, have,
and be exactly what we wish.”
Tony Robbins
Fiona Jones and Michael R. Dean with Todd Hutchison
Foreword by Chris Howard, Founder & CEO Academy of Wealth & Achievement ™
More ‘Millionaire’ Books Available Now
or Coming Soon to Good Bookstores
Order Online at www.TheMillionaireBooks.com.au
M Motivators
Millionaire
‘The gift of a Millionaire book is more than paper and
words. It is the possibility of a whole new beginning
and a whole new life.’
Fiona Jones
M Motivators
Millionaire
How to Find What
You Love to Do and
get Paid to Do It!
“We can change our lives. We can do, have,
and be exactly what we wish.”
Tony Robbins
Fiona Jones and Michael R. Dean with Todd Hutchison
Foreword by Chris Howard, Founder & CEO Academy of Wealth & Achievement ™
Disclaimer
All the information, techniques, skills and concepts contained within this publication are
of the nature of general comment only and are not in any way recommended as individual
advice. The intent is to offer a variety of information to provide a wider range of choices
now and in the future, recognising that we all have widely diverse circumstances and
viewpoints. Should any reader choose to make use of the information contained herein,
this is their decision, and the contributors (and their companies), authors and publishers
do not assume any responsibilities whatsoever under any condition or circumstances. It is
recommended that the reader obtain their own independent advice.
First Edition 2012
Copyright © 2012 by The Global Millionaire Group Pty Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Jones, Fiona 1970
Millionaire Motivators:
How to find what you love to do and get paid to do it / Fiona Jones, Michael R. Dean,
and Todd Hutchison.
1st ed.
ISBN: 978-0-9808340-6-2 (pbk.)
Jones, Fiona. The Millionaire Books series.
Motivational speakers – Australia.
Motivation (Psychology) – Australia.
Personal coaching – Australia.
Success – Australia.
Other Authors:
McLean, Rowdy 1962
Pearson, Sharon 1964
Bradbury, Steven 1973
Xavier, Jet 1965
Taylor-Smith, Shelley 1961
Hollingworth, Patrick 1977
Bell, Travis 1973
McKay, Pip 1965
Harvey, Ben 1976
Simmons, Luanne 1970
Alssema, David 1979
Travanner, Toby 1963
153.802394
Published by Source Publishing and Production Group
PO Box 119 Mt Macedon, Victoria 3441 Australia
For Further information:
Email: publish@SourcePublishingGroup.com
Phone: +613 5426 3246
Morello, Andrew 1986
Lee, Ron 1952
Rosing, Helen 1973
Hutchison, Todd 1970
Testimonials
‘I’ve read Fiona’s book and it is wonderful. It’s just what we needed
and has inspired us to take positive action towards wealth creation.
Jamie McIntyre said you need to keep company with successful
wealthy people to enhance and strengthen your mindset and to learn
by example; Fiona’s book is providing that good company at present,
for which I’m very grateful. The list of current books is very exciting
and the hint of more under construction even better.’
Sarah Mane
www.SarahManeCoaching.com.au
‘I just love the Millionaire Books. There is so much motivation and
inspiration in one place. As an event co-ordinator I am always looking
for people who inspire others with their unique message. This is
like a seminar in a book that you can keep going back to and being
reinspired all over again.’
Sue Murphy, Director Red Hot Events and Seminars
www.redhoteventsandseminars.com
‘I am a huge believer in daily motivation. This book is the best
investment you can make to get your daily dose of motivation. The
book is so easy to read and I can pick it up and start at any chapter
and become inspired.’
Miroslav Mitrovic, IT Developer
‘Reading this book is like having a private conversation with each
of the Millionaire Motivators interviewed. All your questions are
answered and you walk away with a wealth of information, tips and
strategies that you can apply immediately. Thanks to the wise authors
for compiling such a mastermind group of motivators to inform and
entertain us.’
Lisa Handley, Writer
Author’s Note
The subtitle of this book has changed many times. I decided on ‘How
to Find what you LOVE to DO and get PAID to DO it’ because I strongly
believe we have all been put on this universe with OUR own unique
skills and talents. Once we find our purpose and passion, BE who
we are truly meant to be, and we learn to trust, follow our hearts,
intuition and dreams and give ourselves to the thing we LOVE, then
the universe will reward us for that- we will be PAID.
I believe we all need motivation at some point in our lives. It is my
dream that the people in this book will motivate you to find your
purpose and live your best life beyond what you ever thought was
possible.
www.MillionaireMotivatorsBook.com.au
Dedication
We dedicate this book to those who
have inspired us on our incredible
journey and all of those who had the
courage to follow their dreams and
not look back. From those authors
when we read their words of wisdom,
to the speakers whose words fuel our
motivation, to family and friends who
share our best and darkest moments,
and to those who have personally
touched our lives over time or through
single moments shared – you all leave
imprints beyond our acknowledgment.
Together we grow, through our
combined support we prosper.
We aim to inspire millions to make
millions.
Fiona Jones, Michael R. Dean
and Todd Hutchison
Acknowledgements
Although our names appear on the cover, this book has many authors.
To the Millionaire Motivators contributors, you are truly inspiring.
This book would not have been possible if you had not followed your
dreams and shared your unique message. Thank you for sharing your
secrets, experience and personal journey. For this we are forever
grateful. Your contribution is beyond words. We appreciate the trust
you have given to us in sharing your unique success story so that
together we can inspire others. Working with each of you has been an
absolute privilege and so much fun!
To the brilliant team at Source Publishing and Production Group,
thank you for your support of The Millionaire Book Series.
Fiona, Michael and Todd
To my children Riley and Abbie who were sent to teach me, of that I
am sure. I write to leave this legacy to you, my angels. You motivate
me each and every day to be the best I can be in this world.
To my husband and best friend who has been by my side every step
of the way for half our lives, thank you for your continued support
and unconditional love.
To my sister and best friend Rebecca, I love and admire you. This
series is possible because of you. You are the brightest star.
To my project manager Toni, I am so grateful for your support and
have thoroughly enjoyed working with you, you are a diamond.
To Todd and Michael, I have enjoyed every bit of co-authoring this
book with you. Thank you for sharing the author’s journey.
To my fabulous DREAM team at The Millionaire Group, you are all
incredible.
Fiona
I thank my wife Susan for sharing my entrepreneurial journey with
me. As my partner not only in life but in business, she has been the
most amazing, supportive, patient and inspirational person in my life;
it is such a blessing to have found you over 26 years ago and I am
honoured every day that you are in my life. I thank my two daughters
Chloe and Monique for their continuous unconditional love and
support and for making me so proud, you inspire me every day.
To my closest friends who are there for me no matter what venture
and journey I am on, I am truly grateful for your friendship and
continue to enjoy your honest and loving friendship.
To my family and to my wife's family, for loving and supporting us
unconditionally.
I thank my mentors along the way who have inspired and motivated me
to achieve such great results that make such a difference in people’s
lives. My mentors have kept me focused also through challenging
times to achieve extraordinary outcomes here in Australia and
internationally; I honour and respect the mentoring I have received
across the globe to allow me to pay forward on such a large scale.
To the amazing women who support me – as they say behind every
good man is a great woman and I have a team of them – thank you
Fiona, Rebecca, Susan, Mauraid, Toni, Narelle and Helen; I am blessed
with such support that pulls all these projects together with ease and
to allow us to make such a difference on an international scale.
Michael
To my daughter Lara who each day reminds me how deep we can
love and who has brought great joy into our world.
To my wife Gina who is the foundation of our family, my love, my
confidant, my best friend and whose support is unyielding.
To my mother Dalveen who has motivated me beyond any single
living person – I am forever grateful.
To my fabulous co-author, Fiona, whose passion and positiveness
empowers dreams, thank you for your mentorship.
To the team at the Millionaire Group who are relentless in their
pursuit of touching lives and sharing inspirational words – it has
been a great journey.
Todd
Millionaire Motivators BONUSES
Simply by purchasing a copy of this Millionaire Motivators
book you have access to a range of incredible gifts
that if you implement could potentially bring you millions! The free gifts
are located throughout the book at the end of the chapters and can be
accessed all in one place on our dedicated website.
We aim to motivate you and take you beyond what you thought possible
by putting together 16 chapters by the BEST Motivators in Australia. We
cannot possibly give you all the incredible knowledge in one book so we
have created a special website that has loads of extra goodies just for
you- to keep you motivated on your journey to success.
*We at the Millionaire Headquarters like to keep up to date with
technology to make things quicker and easier for you on your path to
success.
A QR Code stands for ‘Quick Response Code.’
It is a mobile phone readable barcode. To allow
you to quickly access the gifts you will find
throughout the book which are yours FREE
simply scan the code below with your phone.
Some phones come equipped with QR code,
while others require you to download a QR
reader APP. To check if your phone is equipped simply hold your phone
over the code below – place the phone’s camera over the QR code. If it
is equipped with software it will fire up the browser and go straight to
the website to collect your gifts. If you require a scanner for your device
simply go to your APP Store and search for any QR Code Reader that is
compatible with your device.
If you don’t have a QR code compatible mobile phone then you can still
access all of the bonus gifts by simply visiting:
www.MillionaireMotivatorsBook.com.au/moneymakers
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Rowdy McLean
1
Play a Bigger Game
Chapter 2
Sharon Pearson
23
Take Control of Your Life
Chapter 3
Steven Bradbury
43
Last Man Standing
Chapter 4
Jet Xavier
65
From the Streets to the Boardrooms
Chapter 5
Shelley Taylor-Smith
83
Get Up, Get Over It & Get On With It
Chapter 6
Patrick Hollingworth
107
Follow Your Dreams
Chapter 7
Travis Bell
123
The Bucket List Guy
Chapter 8
Pip McKay
143
The Spirit of Money
Chapter 9
Benjamin J Harvey
165
Shadow Values
Chapter 10
Luanne Simmons
191
Goddess on Purpose
Chapter 11
David Alssema
211
The Difference is Paramount
Chapter 12
Toby Travanner
225
Audience Motivator
Chapter 13 Andrew Morello
245
Living the Dream
Chapter 14
261
Ron Lee
The Corporate Ninja
Chapter 15
Helen Rosing
281
emPOWER
Chapter 16
Todd Hutchison
301
the Corporate Mechanic
Foreword
By Chris Howard
It is hard to believe that not that long ago I
was living in the very worst part of town. The
police were there every night to stop fights
or to chase away the criminals who hung out
on doorsteps. I was rationing myself to only
$2 a day for food and I was eating only every
third day because I had no money at all. I was
$70,000 in debt, with no real money coming
in. My bills were piled up, I was living in a house that was being torn
down while I lived in it. The gas had been shut off because I hadn’t
paid the bills in months. I was microwaving water one glass at a time
to fill up a bucket so I could wash my hair.
Today, I travel the world and motivate hundreds of thousands of
individuals to create the wealth and engineer the lifestyle they truly
desire, and in return I am making more than $22,000,000 in global
sales in a single year.
Most people are taught to get a job, exchange their time for money,
and spend 70 per cent of their life in work they are by no means
passionate about. They are taught to sell out on their dreams, to live
in scarcity, and one day they will ‘win the lottery’ of retirement.
Dreams really can become realities. But true inspiration and deep
commitment have to come into the mix—and that’s up to you. With
an inspiring dream and an extraordinary level of commitment, you
can create even those things that most people would consider
impossible.
Personal and professional growth starts to happen when you extend
yourself to your personal edge every single day—and then go beyond
that edge. You must lean just over your edge every day to live your
dreams, and you also must lean just beyond your edge every day to
really live your life full out.
So, if you want to change your life, you must find the courage to
change your thinking. Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s the
realization that something is more important than fear: your dreams,
your power, your life, and the lives of the people you care about. If
Foreword
you are at a place in your life where you are feeling pressure, that’s
great! Remember, pressure is how a diamond is formed. And once the
pressure has taken place, a diamond will never revert to its original
form.
That’s exactly what the people in this book have done-turned their
skills and passion into successful businesses and made millions while
motivating others to do the same. You will learn how to think like the
most successful entrepreneurs in the world. In doing so, you will be
empowered to make your unique entrepreneurial dreams come true.
Your life will become truly rich in every sense of the word.
You have the potential to choose the extraordinary. Become the
person you were meant to be and bring magic into your life and those
of others.
Chris Howard
Internationally acclaimed lifestyle and wealth strategist,
philanthropist, Christopher Howard is a best-selling author, a
prominent speaker, and the owner of Christopher Howard Training.
www.chrishoward.com
‘All that we are is the result of what we
have thought. The mind is everything.
What we think, we become.’
Buddha
Chapter 1
Rowdy McLean
Play a Bigger Game
‘If you start, stay committed, be
determined and disciplined you will be
surprised at what happens.’
Rowdy McLean
2
Like you, Rowdy McLean has always wanted better outcomes and
better results. He has seen great ideas, visions, dreams and strategies
get swallowed up by the busy world we live in. Do we take on too
much? Are our goals too big? Or, is there a different story?
‘Playing a Bigger Game’ is Rowdy McLean’s life story, overcoming
adversity and challenges to achieve remarkable results.
He has played professional sport. At 24 he started his own company,
and retired 10 years later. As a CEO he has engineered company
turnarounds and now runs five companies of his own. He works with
organisations across the globe to get them from where they are, to
where they want to be. Thousands of people attend his seminars
each year.
He is the master of making things happen and getting things done,
challenging the average and interrupting the status quo. Rowdy loves
the game of business and life. Possessing a steely determination to
succeed, he has spent years researching the key drivers of success,
achievement and outstanding results, and knows what works.
Unlike many presenters, he makes the complex simple. He tells you
what you need to hear, not what you want to hear – that’s what gets
real results. Rowdy shows individuals, teams and organisations how
to change the game, how to achieve more, be more, do more and
have more than you ever thought possible.
3
Chapter 1: Play a Bigger Game
What beliefs about money did you grow up with?
I believed money was elusive and difficult to come by, because my
Mum and Dad didn’t have much of it.
Money was a real issue in our family; we never seemed to own
anything, our furniture was on hire purchase, people would turn up
to repossess the car, and there were times when Mum and Dad didn’t
know if they could make the house payments. I was acutely aware
that it was a struggle to make ends meet and my parents often fought
about money.
One of four children, I grew up in the country town of Guyra in New
South Wales; it wasn’t a particularly prosperous town. My father
was a linesman for Telecom and my mother had casual jobs such as
working at the bistro at the bowling club. Some of the farmers in the
area were well off, but a lot of my friends were in a similar situation
to me.
My parents lived week to week; they scraped together just enough
to get by. I sometimes missed out on school excursions because my
parents didn’t have the money to pay for them and I wore hand-medowns from my older brother.
I believed that not having enough money or not managing it properly
created problems. It wasn’t that my parents didn’t love or care about
me; they clearly did, but I could see the difficulties not having enough
money created.
Were you entrepreneurial as a child?
I was always looking for ways to make some money, because I simply
had no choice. That was the only way I would ever have any.
My family’s financial circumstances affected me in a way that I
became very driven to change my path in life from about the age of
six. I can’t remember a specific event, but there must have been a
moment where the struggle for money was so tough that I’d made a
decision, ‘That’s it. This is never going to happen to me. I am never
going to live like this.’ I was driven to succeed from then on.
I was entrepreneurial from a very young age. My first business was
collecting golf balls from the lagoon that ran along the edge of the golf
course and selling them back to the players. All my mates did this, but
Rowdy McLean
4
for some reason, I decided to do it differently; while my mates would
climb out of the dam covered in mud and sell the muddy balls to
passing players for 20c each, I hung on to mine and took them home
and washed them; I then came back to the club on Saturday morning
and sold my shiny used golf balls for $1 each. That was the first sign
of my entrepreneurial spirit. This ability to create moneymaking
opportunities has existed all my life; not just the ability to see the
opportunity but the strength and courage to be bold enough to
pursue them.
I was clever at school, but didn’t really apply myself. I was also the
head lout and got into a lot of mischief around town. My life could
have continued that way except for a defining moment when I was 11
years old. My mates and I were getting up to no good this particular
day when the local Police Sergeant caught me; after a good kick up
the backside, he sat me down and gave me a lecture – not about being
a bad kid, but about potential.
He said, ‘I see you around town and I talk to your teachers. I know
you’re smart and you’re a really good footballer, but your biggest
problem is you want to be the hero, and that’s not going to serve you
well.’ Then he said something in such a genuine way, ‘You’re clever,
you’re good at footy and a natural leader to the other kids. You could
achieve anything you want to achieve if you just set your mind to it.’
It was the first mentoring I ever had and from that point I started
making different choices. I knuckled down at school and at footy
and as a result, won a scholarship with Telstra and ended up playing
rugby league in the national competition, which was exciting for
someone from a small country town.
After this I began to ask myself, ‘I want to be better, but how do I
get better?’ I didn’t have a role model in my own family because no
one was particularly successful and my father was an alcoholic, so
I looked to the people around me. I found people who were doing
better than me, whether it was at footy, at school or even in their
home lives, and I tried to replicate what they did.
The kid who was the best footballer came to training before everyone
else and trained longer, so that’s what I did; the best kids in school
did extra homework, so I did too. The real key for me was that the
changes I aimed for weren’t massive, they were achievable and that’s
5
how I started getting better. Throughout my life I’ve continued to
spend time with people who are achieving more than me.
I also had heroes, such as Rupert Murdoch; I couldn’t believe that
an Australian could head up the largest media empire on the planet,
which made me believe that a little guy from Guyra could do okay in
a big city like Sydney.
I really enjoyed reading Richie Rich comics, these stories about a
really rich kid who used his money to do good things. It amazed me
that somebody could have so much money and, rather than hoard it
or protect it, use it to do wonderful stuff.
I moved to Sydney when I was 16 to take up my scholarship with
Telstra and play rugby league for the North Sydney Bears.
I got my first bank passbook at this time – this was when tellers
still handwrote the amount of your deposit and manually totalled
it. Before I made my first deposit, I wrote the first figure in that
bankbook, ‘$1million’. I think the teller must have laughed at that,
a young pimply-faced kid writing $1,000,000 as the balance in his
passbook, especially when the actual balance was $17.40. I had a very
clear desire to be a millionaire, and I still have that tattered and torn
passbook today; I wonder what the teller would think if they knew
that I achieved that dream at just 34.
Were there lessons in football that helped you in your career and
life?
Absolutely. Football helped me see that in order to get ahead you
needed to understand where your strengths lie, then put them to use
to your greatest advantage. I wasn’t a good footballer – I couldn’t
pass, kick, or side step – but I could tackle, so I made that into an
art. The key was knowing my role in the team and being excellent at
the one thing I could do. I learnt that you don’t have to be good at
everything; to get on the team you just need to be excellent at your
role on the team, any team.
How did you start your first business?
After I finished college in Sydney, I worked for Telstra in their
Telegraphs and Data section, which was the fledgling computer
network. In time I was transferred to Tweed Heads.
Rowdy McLean
6
When I was 24, a section of Telstra was privatised and I saw an
opportunity; like all entrepreneurs, I seized it. With nothing more
than a few dollars in the bank and an entrepreneurial flair, I started
my own communications company in competition with Telstra.
Telstra had terrible customer service so we made great customer
service our focus. In 10 years of business, we never spent a cent on
advertising; it was all referrals.
When I began the company I was married, with a new son and a
mortgage. I didn’t have a lot of financial backing, but I was confident
enough to back myself. I decided that if I wanted to be a millionaire,
it was time to make the jump.
It might have seemed difficult and overwhelming going into
competition with Telstra, but something I’ve discovered is that when
you do the research on something you imagine to be difficult and
create a plan and execute on the plan, it is not as difficult as you
imagined.
The company wasn’t huge, but it was such a great business model
that I managed to retire 10 years later at the age of 34.
Why did you become a motivational speaker?
After I retired at 34, I was headhunted to be the CEO of a big leagues
club that had just lost $1 million, sacked 150 staff and was on the
brink of bankruptcy. We managed to turn the business around and
made a small profit after 12 months. We increased that profit every
year for the six years I was there from 1998 to 2004.
As a result of the club’s success, I was invited to conferences as
an (unpaid) industry expert to speak about the club’s turnaround.
While on the circuit, I met professional speakers who were actually
being paid and I thought, ‘How cool that you can get paid to speak to
people about your ideas and change the world’. I sought their advice
and that’s how I started.
I found that I had the ability to make the complex simple and that
people appreciated my authenticity and practical advice. This has
been the cornerstone of what has become an international speaking
career.
7
What makes people so different?
I don’t think people are that different – it’s just that some people
are more determined and disciplined about getting what they want
and chasing their dreams. People are capable of far more than they
imagine; some are so stuck in a rut that they just don’t know how
to get out and get going. That’s the work that I do now, speaking at
conferences and events, inspiring and motivating people, teams and
organisations to play a bigger game.
What is the first step someone can take to change their situation?
Identify where you really are; you cannot change what you don’t
acknowledge; you can’t lose weight if you don’t get on the scales. We
need to make an assessment of how things really are in life and then
change the things we don’t like.
I think we like to pretend things aren’t so bad and therefore create
an excuse for not changing; we cover up what’s wrong and ignore the
real problems.
Once you identify what you want, how do you get the motivation
to do it?
I describe this in my program, The 90-Day Challenge: three clear steps
to (1) Acknowledge exactly how your life or your business is right
now; (2) Know exactly how you want it to be; and (3) Make it happen.
The process works like this.
Choose just one change that you want to focus on; otherwise you’re
focusing on too many things and not doing any of them well. Make
one significant change every 90 days, four per year, 20 over five years.
Creating incremental steps on the path to success.
I choose a timeframe of 90 days because it’s long enough to get
traction and see some results, yet not too long that the goal gets lost
in the daily grind.
Once you’re clear about what you want to achieve, describe it to
yourself in detail to create an image in your mind of you living that
now. If you want to lose weight, what will you look like? How will you
feel? What clothes will you wear? What will people say to you when
they see the new you?
Rowdy McLean
8
Some people create a vision board, others write it down in detail.
I visualise it in my mind; when you make it absolutely real in your
mind, your mind starts to work for you.
Most people stop at this point, but it’s not enough; you then need to
ask, ‘Why is this important to me, and what is the urgency that it was
to happen in 90 days?’ This is so, when you meet obstacles, you will
have the emotional drivers to propel you to keep going. If you want to
lose weight, your emotional driver might be, ‘I want to look like I did
when I was first married, so I look great for my partner.’
Then create a plan with one key action or milestone every month.
For each milestone, detail the timeframe, the support mechanisms
and most importantly your strategies for overcoming obstacles you
are likely to come up against. This is very important, because most
people give in when they meet obstacles.
Continuing with the example of losing weight, action one might be to
join the gym, and by ‘x’ date be going to the gym three days a week.
Your support mechanisms might be to get a personal trainer or a
buddy. An obstacle might be that winter is coming and you won’t
want to get out of bed at 6am because it’s cold. A strategy for this
could be to exercise during your lunch hour or after work.
What have you found motivates people?
People are motivated to change when the pain of staying the same is
greater than the pain of making a change.
My job as a motivator is to convince people to take a good look at
how their lives are unfolding and get ahead of the game; look for the
pain points that are on the horizon and fix them before they become
a massive problem.
Seeing that the pain of working out or going to the gym or mending
their diet is much better than having a massive heart attack.
You shouldn’t wait for the threat of divorce to fix your relationships;
or don’t wait until you’re bankrupt to realise your finances need
attention; and don’t wait to get a redundancy notice to know you’re
not applying yourself at work. They are the biggest pain points in life;
most people only react to the problems that show up.
9
I like to get people into the habit of being proactive; knowing what
you really want and then going out and getting it, no matter what.
Why are some people not naturally motivated?
We live in a cotton-wool society; we think that life should be easy; go
out and get a job, pay the mortgage and just be comfortable. That’s
such rubbish. I’m sure all the people interviewed in this book didn’t
accept the status quo and knew things could be different. I think you
should consider that it’s your world and your life and you can create
in it pretty much whatever you want. I look back at the young naive
kid that I was growing up and sometimes think, ‘How on earth did I
get here, how did I achieve this?’ The answer is simple: I chose to
make small incremental changes for the better on a continuous basis
and these added up to some massive successes.
Why do people lose interest in their great ideas?
We live in an age where everything is fast, where everything happens
in an instant. When we don’t get quick results we give up, quite often
when success is just around the corner. That’s why I like to work
in 90-day cycles; you can start to see some results in 90 days. Most
successful people are the ones who stick at it longer than anyone
else; they believe in themselves and stick with the plan until what
they are chasing becomes a reality. Give me someone who makes
continual incremental changes for the better, someone that sticks at
it, and I’ll show you someone who can’t help but be successful.
How can you keep going if you’re constantly coming up against
obstacles?
Obstacles are a fact of life; nothing ever goes perfectly to plan; get
used to it and learn to deal with it; you might have setbacks but
so does everyone else. Deal with it and move on. It’s great to have
massive dreams, goals and ideas, but I suggest you break them down
into something achievable that you can relate to right now. When I
was a kid I wanted to be a millionaire so I asked, ‘What would be a
successful amount of money for me now? What would be a realistic
achievement?’ A couple of hundred dollars meant I could buy a
pushbike. So while I had the overall aim to be a millionaire, I also had
a realistic, immediate goal of a couple of hundred dollars.
Rowdy McLean
10
I hate it when people say, ‘I’m doing my best,’ because you never
know what your best is until you get out there and give it a red hot
go. As a young guy in Guyra, going to college could have been my
best because nobody in my family had been to college, and I could
have settled for that. But life’s a game, right? If you stop playing when
you think you’ve reached your best, you lose energy and motivation.
Retiring at 34 was such an important lesson for me because I thought
my best was to retire at 40. I didn’t know what my best could be until
I did it.
One of the best things I can share with people is that life is a game.
When you make a mistake in a game you might receive a setback, you
look at what went wrong and learn from it, but you continue to play
because it’s fun and you know that if everything goes okay, you’ll get
another chance to move forward. You don’t give up, you learn how to
play better, bend the rules or make up your own. Life is no different;
when you get knocked down, get up again and continue to play, but
refine your strategies so you get better at the game and get better
results.
It’s amazing what people will take on when they adopt the attitude,
‘It’s just a game, and it’s not that serious’; it allows them to act
differently and get different results.
The real lesson is to look continually for opportunities to play better
or be better and to refine who you are and what you do so that
whatever you want to achieve becomes a reality.
How important is visualisation?
I think it’s probably one of the most important elements to success.
You must be able to create a picture of your hopes, dreams, targets or
goals in your own mind as if they are real. When the dream is a reality
in your mind, it can become a reality in your life. Your subconscious
starts to work overtime trying to make it a reality.
I told everyone I would retire by the time I was 40. It was an embedded
dream and I was able to visualise it clearly. Everything I have ever
achieved I have been able to picture in my mind as if I was living and
breathing it and invariably it became a reality. The goals I couldn’t
picture, never became real.
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If people are struggling with visualisation, what strategies can
they use?
Look at people who are already in the scenario that you want to
be in and create a picture of yourself in that scenario. If I wanted a
particular car, I would go to the dealership and take one for a drive
even though I couldn’t afford it, but it helped me create the picture
of what it would be like when I could. When I became a professional
speaker I hung out with the best people in the business, I could see
their success and was able to create my own version of that.
When I wanted to run my own seminars, I watched the best in the
world do it. I watched and believed that I could do the same thing
and these days I run my own public motivational seminars across the
globe. You can’t picture what your mind doesn’t know or understand.
What does success mean to you?
Success is different for everybody: for someone who doesn’t have
any money, it’s finding a job; for someone with $1million, it’s turning
that into $10million.
Success for me is constantly having a new challenge on the horizon
that lights me up, challenges and stretches me, something that gets
me excited to get out of bed. My definition of success changes when
I complete each challenge. It is a moving target.
Success for me was to play professional football; then it became
being successful in my job; then in my own business; then become
a millionaire; then retire at 40. Along the way there were personal
achievements such as running a marathon, climbing a mountain.
Now it’s to make my book, Play a Bigger Game, a best seller and then
to write others; to have more people attend my seminars. When you
get better, the game keeps getting bigger.
Every January I ask myself, ‘What would success be for me this
year?’ I have very clear goals and I will do every one of them. That’s
the game of life for me – redefining success for the year ahead and
executing on it.
Do you set goals, if so how?
I don’t believe in goal-setting; writing a dream on a piece of paper and
putting it in a drawer is useless. I prefer the term ‘goal kicking’ – once
Rowdy McLean
12
you set a goal, the key is to create an action plan to make the goal
real and execute on it, go out and make sure you absolutely smash it.
Otherwise there is a gap between intent (what we say we are going
to do) and execution (what we actually do), which is the difference
between success and failure.
Your goal this year might be to save $10,000 for a deposit on a house;
your plan might be to create a discipline of putting money in the
bank and looking for areas where you can cut back your spending
to accrue $1000 each month. Once you have a plan and you know
where the money is coming from, the only thing that stands between
you and the goal is discipline. It’s the same principle whether you’re
making $10,000 or $1million – create a plan, then execute on the plan
in a disciplined manner.
Someone might set a goal and create a plan, but they still don’t
execute it fully. What stops them from getting there?
People are lazy and they give up way too easily. Ninety three per
cent of people give up before they reach their goals, they don’t fully
execute on their plans; their biggest obstacle is belief in themselves,
and that’s where I come in. My job is to help people believe in
themselves. In my seminar, Play a Bigger Game, I draw on three key
things – inspiration, motivation and agitation; can do, how to and
follow through.
Inspiration is stretching somebody’s mindset to help them think
differently and introduce them to new ideas. I expand their horizons
until they can see what is possible; help them truly believe that
$1million or a sports car or new job is possible for them.
Motivation is giving them the fire in their belly to follow through on
their plan; agitation is the kick up the backside to make them create
the discipline to do the things they need to do. The 90-day goalsetting program helps them create that discipline.
I think the only real way to create self-belief is to have small wins. If
your goal is to lose 30 kilos and you lose one kilo, stop long enough
to acknowledge that. Your self-belief will grow, ‘If I can lose one kilo,
surely I can lose two.’ Once you lose two, you will believe, ‘Surely I
can lose five.’
13
Don’t celebrate weight loss wins by eating donuts, or money saving
wins with a spending spree, because that will diminish the goal you
achieved and erode your self-belief.
If people aren’t executing on their plan and achieving their goals,
they either lack discipline and determination or their ‘Why?’ is not
big enough and clear enough.
‘If you don’t believe in you,
how can anyone else believe in you?’
The people you spend time with are so important. How do you
manage this?
One of the key things for me (that I mentioned earlier) is to associate
with people who are a step better than me.
A young guy saw me speak at a conference years ago; he said it really
struck him when I said, ‘Hang out with people who are already where
you want to go’. The next day he created a list of successful CEOs and
then he rang every CEO on the list to ask if they would have coffee
with him; 50 per cent of them said, ‘Yes.’ He went on to create a huge
restaurant franchise, and is now a multi-millionaire. If you’re genuine,
people are surprisingly generous with their time and advice.
When I first started speaking someone told me my style was similar
to Larry Winget’s, the highest paid motivational speaker in America. I
bought his books and DVDs, never thinking for a minute I would meet
him, yet in December last year I had dinner at his house, he’s written
the foreword for my book and become a good mate. Things show up
when you start this process.
Identify which friends and colleagues in your sphere of influence
align with your current goals and associate more with them; also find
Rowdy McLean
14
the ones who hold you back and disconnect from them. Next year it
might be a different group of friends you want to spend time with as
your focus changes. The true friends stick no matter what; the others
were never really true friends anyway.
‘Surround yourself with people who are
playing a bigger game.’
What is the main message in your speaking business?
Getting ahead is uncomfortable, achieving success is uncomfortable,
creating change is uncomfortable – I make the uncomfortable,
comfortable. I give people, teams and organisations a clear recipe for
getting ahead that works and can be repeated again and again.
People are inundated with ideas about how to be successful. It’s hard
work trying to control everything they think they need to in order
to succeed. Instead, my view is to only focus on things you have
100 per cent control over. Control the ‘controllables,’ stack the deck
in your favour, which are ‘Rowdy’s Four Aces for Getting Ahead’ –
you control your ATTITUDE (no one else will take responsibility for
how you show up), your CHOICES (don’t blame anyone else for the
decisions you make, everything is a choice, own your choices) your
EXECUTION (do what you say you’re going to do in the way you say
you’re going to it, every single time without fail) and STICK (stay at
it longer than you think you need to, longer than your friends, family
and colleagues think you need to, we give up way too often when
success is just around the corner).
I guarantee that if you take 100 per cent control over these four
things, your world will change; it’s all about mindset.
15
What are the attributes that make a great motivator?
I don’t think there is any one attribute that makes someone a
great motivator: Tony Robbins is larger than life, Larry Winget is
confronting, Brian Tracy is a statesman. They’re all different and yet
they all work.
What works for me is that I’m very down to earth, practical, real and
forward thinking. I’ve achieved a lot of goals other people aspire to,
so I’ve walked the talk and am able to deliver clear messages in an
authentic manner that people can relate to; no hype, no hugs just
good, honest ‘fair dinkum’ practical tools and ideas that work. People
leave my workshops and seminars believing that they can achieve
more than they ever thought possible. I open that door to success
for them.
How does one keep motivated and inspired on a daily basis?
It’s about what you take in, and creating an environment that
constantly reminds you to play the game. Read the right books,
subscribe to the best newsletters and blogs, and attend the right
events. And fill your space with what inspires you, such as photos,
posters and quotations. Fill your world with the stuff that lights you
up and get rid of the stuff that drags you down. I make a heap of great
motivational tools (videos, quotes, ebooks, etc.) available through
‘the hub’ on my website at www.rowdy.com.au When you have the
freedom and fulfilment that I have, it’s easy to step back and stop
challenging yourself, so I continue to connect with people and be
involved with projects such as this book, that stretch me and keep
me in the game.
Do you have a coach or mentor or someone to motivate you?
I tend to have ‘frientors’ rather than mentors; many of them are in the
speaking industry; Larry Winget would be the main one.
Darren Hill, of Pragmatic Thinking, is in the office next door; he has a
really similar background to me, having grown up in the country and
we mentor each other.
Nils Vesk is a really clever, cool guy; he has a way of upgrading your
thinking without you even knowing he’s done it; when we’re together
he does that for me naturally.
Rowdy McLean
16
Matt Church, the founder of Thought Leaders Global, is a genius
regarding how to earn a living from intellectual property, and a
fantastic mentor.
Keith Harris, who I played football with, and Ian Ahrens, my
accountant, are both very close personal friends who have given me
some great advice and sometimes the tough advice that you don’t
want to hear, but they know you need to.
My former business manager, Emma Boschetti, who has worked
with me for seven years, is a mentor as well, even though she’s an
employee; she’s a reality check for me when I get too excited about
an idea. Her replacement, Renae Mathews, has stepped into that
same employee mentor relationship, keeping me headed in the right
direction. Mentors don’t necessarily have to be better off than you or
more successful, they just need to be able to help you find the next
best step for you.
Do you think everyone should have a mentor or coach?
Yes, because it’s like having a personal trainer for your life. You need
someone who will ask, ‘What are you going to do? When are you going
to do it?’, and either tells you how to do it or gets you to commit to
doing it. Having someone hold you accountable is invaluable.
I like to distinguish between coaches and mentors: a mentor asks
how you would do things better, whereas a coach tells you how to do
things and what you need to do to get to where you want to go.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned around money?
Money is just a number, and a number is just a game.
Once you have a plan of how you will save $10,000 for a home deposit,
sometimes you need a mentor or coach to find out how, but once you
put your plan in place, the only thing stopping you from getting the
money is executing on the plan.
It’s the same principle whether it’s $100,000, $1million or $10million;
it’s just a game.
The other thing I’ve learnt is the power of the mind to justify anything.
Someone saving $10,000 for a home deposit may meet too many
obstacles and give up; then their conversation becomes about
17
excuses, ‘I didn’t really want to buy a house anyway.’ They justify
giving up.
If we can justify not doing something, we can equally justify doing
it. This should make people believe that they can achieve a goal,
because we can definitely make ourselves believe that we can’t.
Twist your mindset: say, ‘Why not make $1million dollars?’ instead
of, ‘$1million is too much for me.’ Understanding this is probably the
most powerful tool you have.
Can you share with us something you’re proud of that money has
given you?
Money and success have brought me the opportunity to work when
I want, with whom I want and doing what I want. I work on my own
terms and only on projects I really want to do. You can’t put a figure
on what that freedom is worth.
Money also gives me the fulfilment to have what I want. I’m really not
a material possessions type of guy, I have a nice house and a nice
car, but I don’t need anything too extravagant to make me happy,
probably because I grew up with so little. My real enjoyment comes
from adventures and experiences like climbing Mt Kilimanjaro with
my son or snowboarding or scuba diving with my daughters; or
exploring different countries and cultures, getting to know the people
in the towns and villages.
What makes for a good goal?
A great goal requires two things: it must be defined in crystal clear
terms and it must stretch and challenge you. I think a goal has to
make you, your life or somebody else’s life better. It’s also important
to have just one goal at a time, and focus solely on kicking it out of
the park.
Rowdy McLean
18
‘You cannot go back and create a new
beginning, but you can start today and
create a new ending.’
What is your book, Play a Bigger Game: Achieve More, Be More,
Do More, Have More, about?
The book is essentially a game, a game about life and how to get far
more out of it than you are right now. Playing the game of life is the
most important game you will ever play. The book gives you the tools
to play it bigger, brighter and better than you ever thought possible.
It’s a book that everyone should read because it makes sense.
It is built around my belief that life is a game and adopting that
strategy allows you to play differently. In the book, you identify a goal
in four different areas of life and design a 90-day plan to achieve each
goal; well, not just achieve it, but absolutely smash it; a process that
can be repeated again and again to ensure you continue to improve
and get the results you really want.
The tag line, ‘How to achieve more, be more and do more’, focuses on
the four critical ways we can be better.
‘Achieve more’ is about attaining something measurable that reflects
success; it could be making employee of the month, making $1 million,
or coming first in a tennis competition.
‘Be more’ is about looking at how you show up in each role you play
in life – parent, partner, friend, family member, colleague, employee.
Which one could you be better at, and what’s your strategy for
improvement? It’s not unusual for someone to think they want to be
the best financial planner in their organisation, but after doing this
exercise they realise that being a better parent is more important to
them. It makes you be very honest with yourself.
19
‘Do more’ relates to choosing a life experience or adventure you want
to have, such as running a marathon, going to New York or learning
Spanish; it’s about the sort of wishes we make on New Years Eve and
making them a reality.
And ‘have more’ is about ownership, both of material things such
as money, your house, a car or clothes, and intangible things such
as your reputation, integrity, honesty or standing in the community.
These are assets too and you can choose to manage these more
wisely.
Tell us about your business?
In my Play a Bigger Game business I show people, teams and
organisations how to play a bigger game.
I speak at conferences and events about success and achievement,
how to get from where they are to where they want to be, providing
participants with the no-nonsense ideas, tools and inspiration to play
their biggest game. I have had the privilege of working with some of
the biggest and smallest companies right across the globe (see www.
rowdy.com.au).
I run public motivation seminars and in house workshops for leaders
teams and individuals (see www.playabiggergame.com.au).
I also run 12-month Play a Bigger Game accountability and execution
programs for organisations and work teams that help them create
and execute on strategies for growth and success.
What do you love about what you do now?
I love being the catalyst for change, planting the seed that changes
results. There’s nothing better than getting an email or phone call
from someone who has smashed their goals, or seeing a team achieve
things they never thought possible, or watching an organisation rise
to another level. It’s really exciting and challenging work but highly
rewarding.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I’d like to take my Play a Bigger Game seminar to the United States
and Europe; I want to write more books and develop a suite of
motivational products that makes it easier for people to play a bigger
Rowdy McLean
20
game; I have started my own foundation that can help people without
resources get what they need to play a bigger game and I would like
to extend that to many different projects in many different countries.
These are goals that will stretch me, but I have no doubt they will
become a reality as long as I follow my own principles. I can already
see myself doing it, and I know what I have to do to make it happen; I
just need to execute on the plan.
‘Playing a bigger game is
choosing to stretch yourself.’
What does a typical day look like for you?
I probably don’t have a ‘typical day’ because every day is different;
but most days, I’m up before sunrise and walk down to the beach
with my beagle, Oscar, to watch the sunrise. Then I’ll have breakfast
and do whatever the day holds - take my daughter for driving lessons,
go to the gym, go into the office, or not. I like that flexibility.
I am on and off planes four or five times a week, speaking in different
cities, and that’s often where I get my best work done, buckled in with
no interruptions from phones or email.
When I’m ‘on,’ I’m ‘on’; wherever I am, I’m ‘in’ it. I can be at the office
at 6am and leave at 8pm without even knowing it. I’d much rather be
‘in’ and ‘on’ one day in five, than in the office a little bit for four or five
days; similarly when I’m home, I’m home.
I don’t sleep much; I average about four hours a night for three weeks,
then one Saturday afternoon I’ll fall asleep on the lounge at 2pm and
sleep till 2pm the next day. I love what I do and believe there is only
one good time to execute on a good idea and that’s now; I will often
get up at 1am and work on an idea that just came into my head.
21
How can people achieve work/life balance?
I don’t believe in a work/life balance because I think for most people,
there is a real disparity between these two things.
On a scale of 1 to 10, most people would rate their work life differently
from their personal lives; at work they will accept less than a 10 but in
their personal lives they all want a 10. We want the best holidays, the
best family, the best car and the best life experience possible.
So why do they accept any less at work? Why are they putting up with
a job they hate, or merely tolerate? They’re being incongruent and
are either not committed to, or don’t care about satisfaction in their
work life. No wonder we have split personalities.
If you are unhappy in a job, either work out what aspect of it you
don’t like and change it, or else leave as soon as possible; that’s the
way to get balance.
I worked with an accountant who hated his job. When we broke it
down, he realised he hated the invoicing and the administration that
his work entailed, but loved working with numbers and doing people’s
accounts. He employed someone to take care of the administration
and now his day consists only of doing what he loves. Identifying
what he didn’t like and changing it, took him from a seven to a 10 in
his work life, and he’s never been happier.
Rowdy McLean has offered our readers his
‘Real Success’ training program ’90 Days to your
Best Year Ever – How to achieve more, be more,
do more and have more than you ever thought
possible’.
To access this gift scan the QR code at the front of the book or visit
Rowdy McLean
22
Books authored by Rowdy McLean
Play a Bigger Game! How to Achieve more, be
more, do more, have more
Secrets of Inspiring Leaders
Secrets of top Business Builders
Ideas 2, original perspectives on life and
business by leading thinkers
Chapter 2
Sharon Pearson
Take Control of Your Life
‘The only barrier to success is ourselves.’
Sharon Pearson
24
Sharon Pearson established The Coaching Institute as a way to
assist future coaches to receive the level of training they need to
be successful in a competitive market place. Since a first student
intake of just nine students, The Coaching Institute has gone on to
train more than 2100 students, as well as delivering NLP training
throughout Australia.
In just eight years The Coaching Institute has become the first choice
for coach-training in Australia, offering the only Diploma of Life
Coaching to include ‘NLP Practitioner Certification’ and ‘How to Run
a Successful Workshop’. The majority of Australia’s most successful
coaches are graduates of this highly regarded program.
The Coaching Institute has won the Telstra Business Awards – the
Victorian Micro-business category in 2006 and Victorian Business
Woman of the Year in 2010. Sharon appeared regularly on the national
9am with David & Kim show on Channel 10 as resident life coach
throughout 2006, offering insights and tips for its viewers. In 2010
Sharon released her first best seller Simple Strategies for Business
Success – How to win the game of business and live life on your terms!
A specialist speaker in the area of small-business marketing success,
Sharon has a reputation for delivering with passion, fun and energy
and is a successful entrepreneur, author and speaker who designs
her presentation with the client and message in mind.
As well as challenging participants to rethink their approach
to marketing their business, Sharon has the ability to move her
listeners to challenge what they believe is possible, regardless of
the circumstances. Everyone leaves with clear and simple ‘how-to’
messages they can apply immediately to their businesses.
She includes leading-edge ideas for improving small-business
performance and has assisted thousands of people to establish their
own successful small businesses through the successful Mastermind
Club – Business and Marketing acceleration program.
25
Chapter 2: Take Control of Your Life
What beliefs around money did you grow up with?
My sister and I were born in England and when we were very young
our parents moved us all to Perth, Western Australia. They didn’t
know anyone, and Dad trained to be a teacher while Mum worked
as a waitress. Times were pretty tough, although I didn’t realise it at
the time. I can remember searching behind the couch cushions for
money for dinner.
When I was 12 we moved to the country in WA and I remember having
no running water during summers. My sister and I missed a year of
school so we could travel to England; we picked apples to help pay
for the trip.
During all this my parents owned a fish and chip shop and a garden
supply shop, neither of which were very successful, but I definitely
learned to ‘have a go’.
My parents seemed to have the belief that rich people must have done
something bad to have obtained their wealth; they were suspicious
of wealth. ‘Rich people’ intimidated me well into my 20s, but despite
that, I clearly remember making the decision at the age of 12 that I
would be ‘a millionaire when I grow up’. That was my answer when
people asked me what I wanted to be.
My parents wanted me to be ‘happy’ in the conventional sense – a
steady, reliable career as a teacher so I would always have a job. I had
no interest in being in a classroom all day. I went to university to buy
myself some time, because I had no idea what I was going to do with
my life. I did Commerce, which pleased Dad, got accepted into law
and turned down the offer, which didn’t please him.
I was offered a job at Shell as a trainee manager and was bored within
six months. I joined a stockbroking firm as a trader and was probably
the worst trader any stockbroker had ever hired. There was immense
relief on both sides when I left.
I travelled; I worked as a waitress; I worked as a cleaner; I taught
English in Japan; I back-packed around Europe and England; I went
back to Japan. Eventually, I came back to WA and worked in my
parents’ business for board as well as selling books and stationery
door-to-door, which I was really good at.
Sharon Pearson
26
I had a door-to-door sales business employing dozens of people and
had no bookkeeper or system for recording anything. It turned over
$1million when I was 23 and I have no idea what happened to the
money.
My belief, I came to realise, was that money is scary and should be
ignored. I still believed I would be a millionaire; I just hadn’t connected
any of the dots about taking responsibility for it.
We sold products such as calculators and books that I had sourced
from overseas and I paid my staff on commission. Surprisingly given
I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, my businesses were quite
successful.
I had lots of illness during my 20s and 30s, which really limited my
ability to do a lot of things, and I was in danger of acting like a victim. I
was sorry for myself, and figured I had pretty good excuses as to why
I didn’t have things together.
How have those beliefs changed?
I slowly began to face my responsibilities around money. I began to
organise my bills, leased a car that wouldn’t break down every other
week, and moved in as a flatmate with a stable guy who had a regular
job and a life that made sense (this was novel for me).
I’d always read Tony Robbins and books on mindset; I didn’t
understand 97 per cent of what I read, but I persisted. It was like they
were talking a completely foreign language and nothing was sinking
in; I agreed with everything I read, but would put the book down and
have no clue what it meant for me in terms of new choices.
I did affirmations and nothing changed. I wrote goals and nothing
happened. It felt like I was living in quicksand and everything was
coming to me as if from a distance.
The one good thing that happened then was marrying that flat mate
– John (JP) is my rock and best friend and takes it all in his stride.
It wasn’t until I was 37, and reading Awaken the Giant Within for
probably the fifth time, that something began to shift in me. I was very
sick, and I was sick and tired of being sick. I was trying to get another
crime novel published after five failures over 10 years. I desperately
27
wanted things to be different, and it finally sunk in that for things to
be different, I had to be different.
What was really terrifying about that realisation was what I realised
next – that if I am now responsible for my life and my conditions, then
I have always been responsible, and for the past 37 years I’d acted as
if I wasn’t; I was devastated at the waste and by how little I had done
to shape my life.
Everything changed from that moment. I promised myself I would
never again act as if I was anything but 100 per cent responsible for
my life and for my response to what happened.
My health improved. So did my relationships. My beliefs about what
was possible expanded and I began to take responsibility for my
finances.
I trained to become a life coach and grew up, finally. You can’t serve
a client if you’re thinking about your own stuff, so I had to get over
myself once and for all.
From then on, I cultivated new, empowering beliefs about wealth. I
began to see opportunities that must have always been there, but I
hadn’t noticed. I now build relationships with amazing people who I
would never have befriended when I was younger for fear they would
judge me.
My fears of the world, of people, of life, began to fade the more I
helped others and learned about how to cultivate a healthy and
successful mindset.
Studying NLP was crucial to this; to me it’s the Owner’s Manual to
your brain and has given me countless tools for creating the results I
want in each area of my life.
Now I find making money and building wealth relatively easy; I think
in millions of dollars often and have very high standards about our
wealth-creation strategies. Better late than never.
Sharon Pearson
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‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Always remember, you have within you the
strength, the patience, and the passion to reach
for the stars to change the world.’
Harriet Tubman
What makes people so different?
We all have different upbringings; even siblings growing up with the
same parents have different upbringings because of our individual
perceptions of the world. One child will see an event and interpret
it based on who they are; another will see it completely differently
based on who they are. Carl Jung said, ‘We don’t see the world the
way it is, we see it the way we are.’
And this shapes who we are, how we see the world and how we think
the world sees us. We will be trusting, suspicious, angry, resentful,
loving, open, hostile, enthusiastic, rebellious – whatever our response
is – based on this.
And the thing is we carry this into our adulthood, often without
questioning if our interpretation of our world is even accurate.
I call this our ‘blueprint of the world’ and we carry it around with us,
unconsciously behaving in certain ways based on this code.
You can predict someone’s income and wealth by this blueprint. If
someone sees the world as unsafe and hostile, as I did, and thinks
people are out to get them, they will behave in a way designed to
protect them from hurt, and will hoard and guard what they have.
Someone who embraces life, serves people, has a go and likes
adventure is going to behave in a very different way and have a very
different attitude towards money.
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None of this is set if you want to change it. Any of this can be changed.
I see it all the time. The key is to get educated by people who have a
functional and successful blueprint towards wealth.
When you grow up you receive input from your parents and those
significant people around you about wealth; that shapes who you
are. As you get older, unless you have developed a blueprint that is
going to work for you, you need to take responsibility and change
your blueprint.
If the only advice you’re getting is bad advice, it has to affect you;
similarly, if the only advice you receive is great advice, it too will
shape you.
How did you get started in the motivation industry?
I was very sick, depressed and pretty convinced that life was all
too hard. I had spent years writing crime novels, none of which was
published. I was tired of the rejection and the setbacks – 12 years of
rejection slips was perhaps a clue about my career choice.
I wanted to feel good about myself; I was going to get a coach, and
then decided that if I became a coach I might help myself, which
would be great, but I might actually do some good for someone else
as well. I was starved of any feelings of contribution and wanted to
change that.
I enrolled in coaching training and started coaching for free to
practice my new skills.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t awful at it. People kept coming back for more.
Clients got real results that were important to them. I had started out
with the intention of helping a couple of people, and somehow my
coaching business just started to really take off.
Within 13 months I had 30 clients and 20 more on a waiting list. I
did my first $30,000 month in month 13 of my coaching, something I
would never have conceived possible when I first started.
With my husband’s encouragement, I bought a building to coach
from; that was a big step. Business kept growing and I couldn’t keep
up. The natural next step was to work with groups so I could use my
limited time more effectively; that’s when I realised the importance of
scalability and replicability – as long as it was me selling my time for
Sharon Pearson
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money I was going to limit what I could accomplish, limit who I could
help, limit my income and have no business to sell.
That’s when I made the decision to start The Coaching Institute. I had
the vision then that I would only make decisions that would support
replacing me in the business. A school would mean I could develop a
team who could deliver the training content, rather than my clients
relying on the coaching with me, which could never be replicated.
I did some projections for what we might do in business and all
projections were blitzed in the first 12 months.
Why did you become a motivational speaker?
I started out as a coach to help myself; then I did it because it felt
good helping others; then I began teaching others how to help others
by using coaching. Each step has been a natural extension of the
previous.
I don’t know if I would call myself a ‘motivational’ speaker; I think I’m
more a ‘say it the way it is’ speaker; I am blunt, forthright, and to the
point. People who are ready to improve their results appreciate the
directness of my message.
What is the foundation of what you do?
I don’t know if what I do is ‘motivate’; I think what I do is point
out what’s working and what’s not working; I’m good at seeing the
strategies that will work and the strategies that will f... you up.
What I do is help people work out how to improve their lives and
their businesses through making better decisions. I think there are
three things that influence the success of any business owner:
1.
The ability to organise thoughts – whenever I work with
a business owner who is struggling, I see disorganised
thoughts, chaos in how to prioritise, and stress and focus on
the wrong stuff. If a business-owner can organise thoughts
so they know how to make functional, factual and successful
decisions, business gets easier. This includes the ability
to strategise, predict trends and respond early and proactively, and the ability to know how to prioritise actions
and delegations.
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2.
Knowing the criteria for success – too many business-owners
make decisions based on feelings and not facts. Mood and
feelings have no place in business decisions or it would mean
that the business- owner could change their mind every time
they change their mood. That works maybe when it’s only
you, but it’s a disaster when you have a team and a large
client base and a system is needed. Having a criteria for
success for how to make good decisions takes the guess
work and the personalities out of it – it’s not who wants to
be right, it’s what’s right for the business, taking into account
the long-term goals, the present environment, the obstacles
to overcome and the opportunities on which to capitalise.
3.
Knowing when to be involved and when to step away – a
business grows if there is more than one leader capable of
moving things forward. If you have to do everything in terms
of decision-making and making sure things get done, you will
stall at a very low turnover. You have to develop the skill to
be able to develop others to demonstrate good organisation
of thoughts so they can move things forward on lots of
fronts.
What I bring is a structure for organising thoughts so better decisions
are made, a system for determining the criteria for success and a
leadership methodology for knowing when and where to be involved
or to step back and leave it to your team. These are vital ingredients
for any success in business.
What have you found motivates people?
The first motivator for nearly everyone is, ‘What’s in it for me?’
There is no interest, the saying goes, like self-interest. We seem to be
raised in a culture of self first, which is shutting people off from each
other. Unfortunately, if someone is looking at the situation from this
perspective, there is little ‘magic’ that can be created, because the
focus is on what they will get, rather than what they can give.
I find that when I talk with people about the alternative – helping
others get their dreams – it really lights them up. It’s as if they always
knew it should be different, they just hadn’t been shown how. So
when they see it’s possible, they love it and find a real passion for
what they do.
Sharon Pearson
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The second motivator is to avoid pain and discomfort; most people
have a low threshold for withstanding the pain of uncertainty and the
unknown; they will do a lot to stay safe within their comfort zones
and not much to get outside it, because that’s where the uncertainty
lies. I see so many people whose primary criteria for whether they
will do something is whether or not they might make a mistake or get
it wrong – it’s as if this is a form of death for them and they will go to
great lengths to avoid it.
When I speak, I spend plenty of time showing the audience how to
embrace the uncertainty and focus on helping them realise that
making mistakes is actually a part of the pathway to success. In fact,
I don’t know a successful person who hasn’t built their results on a
pile of mistakes and setbacks.
People get excited when they start to realise that overcoming the
setbacks and dealing with their mistakes is the only way to grow as
a person, as a leader and as a business owner. We are more attracted
to people who have crossed the fire than we are to people who sit by
the sidelines and watch.
The third motivator is the desire to be significant. People want to
count, to be valued, and to be seen as special. People want to know
that their life has meaning and purpose.
So it makes sense to provide great value to others and to have a
go at something that stretches you – you will get a huge amount of
significance from what you accomplish.
‘There is no failure except in no longer trying.’
Elbert Hubbard
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Why are people not naturally motivated?
I don’t know if it’s lack of motivation; I think it is fear of not being
enough, of being ‘found out’ for not being good enough; so people
shy away from moments that could really fulfill them, which is
unfortunate.
People are taught to avoid mistakes, to get it right and play it safe. We
are conditioned to fit in, conform, avoid confrontation, avoid being
judged, go along and not make waves.
Unfortunately, all of these things are the exact opposite of what we
need to make a go of life.
The antidote is to get around people who have broken through and
who are actually getting on with life, to get educated on how to do
this and to keep doing it. There are no shortcuts, but there is no
excuse for being bored or for being stuck in a rut – not these days;
there are too many people who can help, and there’s so many ways
to change it.
What challenges have you experienced in life or business and
how did you overcome them?
I had some business experience, but the experience I had was pretty
bad. I didn’t see myself as a businessperson, I didn’t know how to
make decisions and any decision I did make was based on my feelings
at the time, so I was constantly changing my mind, feeling uncertain
and wondering what to do next.
I was persistent, which is great – persistence is needed in business,
but it’s not enough, especially if you’re persisting at the wrong stuff.
I think the biggest contributor to my overcoming my limits was
getting educated on how to run a business. I have spent more than
$250,000 in the past eight years on my education and every cent has
been worth it – I figure if I don’t know how to do something then I
should find someone who does, and learn from them until I can get
their results.
I believe that obstacles are clues to two things – what matters to you
and who you need to become.
You only experience obstacles if you have a goal you want to achieve.
Sharon Pearson
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If it’s not that important to you, you’ll come across the obstacle and
give up, so it couldn’t have mattered that much.
Obstacles are the vehicle for you learning what you’re made of. How
you overcome the obstacle, how you handle the challenge, how you
grow through dealing with it – all of this shapes who you’re becoming.
And the better we get at handling challenges, the more valuable we
become to others. If we’re caught up in worrying about our own stuff
all the time, we don’t have much to give. If we are cool with challenges
happening and realise they are part of life, we’ll have space for others
and be able to assist them with their challenges. The best businessowners understand this and spend more time assisting other people
to solve their problems.
What is a Millionaire Mindset? How can it be achieved?
Everyone who has become a millionaire has done it their own way,
but every millionaire I’ve met has some common traits. I’m sure there
are exceptions, but this is what I have observed.
1.
Millionaires aren’t figuring out who they are, or what the
purpose of their life is, they’re getting on with it and creating
it as they go.
2.
Millionaires are committed, dedicated and persistent even
in the face of, and particularly in the face of, obstacles and
setbacks.
3.
Millionaires don’t complain about problems, because they’re
too busy seeking and applying solutions.
4.
Millionaires don’t let feelings get in the way of the facts and
make their decisions on what serves their company, not
what serves their ego.
5.
Millionaires add value to others, which far exceeds the
rewards they expect or receive.
6.
Millionaires have a wealth creation method, not just an
income creation vehicle.
7.
Millionaires invest in themselves, because they know they
are their most valuable asset.
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8.
Millionaires know how to leverage people, systems, and
money.
9.
Millionaires never settle and ‘good enough’ is never good
enough.
10.
Millionaires notice, create or invent opportunities every
single day.
What are the common barriers for people in their success?
Given the amount of information available on success, the mentors
available, the freedom we have to be, do and have what we want, I
think the only barrier to success is ourselves.
We are responsible for our results and our lack of results. It may feel
better to blame something or someone, and I speak from experience
here; but you can only change your situation if you take 100 per cent
responsibility for how you got here, and for where you’re going.
A great way to do this is to turn every obstacle or problem into a goal.
For example:
Barrier: I don’t know how to run a business
Goal: I will learn how to run a business
Barrier: I don’t know how to get out of debt
Goal: I will learn how to get out of debt
Barrier: I can’t market
Goal: I will learn how to market.
What mindset do you believe you need to create success in your
business?
I have a number of ideas that I keep ‘front of mind’ when I face a
challenge or want to push forward to a new level in our businesses:
1.
Business exists to provide value, if it doesn’t, do something
else
2.
There is always a way;
there is always a better way;
I can find a better way right now.
Sharon Pearson
36
3.
All I need I have within me right now
4.
I have to give more value than I get paid for
5.
Business is not a democracy, it’s a dictatorship
6.
All decisions should be based on the facts, not on someone’s
mood
7.
Always know the criteria for making decisions – if you don’t
know the desired outcome and how to achieve it, learn more
8.
Know your outcome, take action, adjust your actions as you
need to, and persist
9.
Say you’ll do it. Plan how to do it. Do it. Complete it. Systemise
it. Communicate what it is and how it adds value. Delegate.
10.
Don’t make decisions based on convenience, make them
because they serve the business and provide more value.
How do you start your day?
During the week I start my day with an hour-long walk with my dogs,
lift some weights, and then have a fruit salad for breakfast. I usually
walk with my iPod, so I get about an hour of education a day. I read
my goals – five-year goals, one-year goals – and what’s on for the
day; weekends I’m more relaxed, although I still exercise and learn
something new.
Do you have a coach or mentor, or someone to motivate you?
I’m always involved in at least one Master Mind group, but I don’t
rely on others for my motivation. The reason I’m in those groups is
to exchange ideas, brainstorm and to learn from other successful
business owners.
My belief is that if we are reliant on a source outside of ourselves
for motivation, and that source disappears, we can stop. Motivation
must come from within ourselves, because we are doing what has
meaning for us.
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‘Motivation is the fuel necessary to
keep the human engine running.’
Zig Ziglar.
How do they make a difference to your success?
If I rely on my thinking for everything I do, and every decision I make;
I am limiting my choices. Every person I meet contributes something
that I haven’t thought of, or gives me a fresh perspective. I seek
out the Master Mind groups to give me these new perspectives, to
challenge my thinking and to get me to look outside of my own point
of view.
They have also meant I have built some great relationships; some of
these relationships have led to some business being done, but I value
the relationships ahead of the business.
Do you think everyone should seek a mentor or coach?
Every great sportsperson has a coach every successful
businessperson seeks the counsel of others; by seeking and taking
objective feedback, we can become aware of our own limits and
failings faster, capitalise on our strengths and accelerate our results.
I always want input from experts on how we can improve. We have
never had a day in our businesses where things just stay the same
– there is no status quo – because there is so much we’re learning
about how we can improve and innovate.
Was it hard to build your wealth from when you first began?
When someone first starts in business the focus is on cash flow – as
it should be. Where are the clients I need? How do I get more clients?
How do I get more cash? In the beginning the focus isn’t on wealth,
it’s on survival.
Sharon Pearson
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I have been pretty disciplined for a while now on saving money and
investing; it wasn’t hard; it’s more about making the decision to build
for the future, instead of just spending what I make now.
I really appreciate the effort in getting to that position; so many people
spend right up to and a little beyond their income. When you’re in
your business a lot of bills have to get paid before you pay yourself.
My best advice is that, from as early in your business as you can, save
some of the money and start learning where you can invest it away
from the business. Multiple wealth creation strategies are important
– we are in businesses, property, shares, cash and art.
What are the biggest lessons you have learnt around money?
Lessons on money:
1.
Don’t borrow beyond your means or you’ll be in a constant
trap of trying to fund it and won’t be able to get ahead
2.
Don’t expand unless you can finance fully what you are
doing now – no matter how good the opportunity, if it strains
everything else, be prepared to lose everything else, or don’t
do it
3.
Delay buying cool stuff until you have some wealth created
– delayed gratification is the key to wealth creation
4.
Use your business to create cash for wealth and invest in
property, cash and shares – your business should fund your
wealth strategies, not just your lifestyle
5.
Money has no feelings, only people do – leave ego out of
it when it comes to your money and own wealth-building
assets rather than the cars and the clothes
6.
Don’t live beyond your means – if you get paid more, maintain
your same lifestyle and invest the difference.
Apart from material possessions, money brings significant
opportunity. Can you share with us the opportunity you are most
fond or proud of that money has given you?
Money has given us the opportunity to be able to make a difference
for others; we support a couple of charities which mean a lot to us;
39
without that money, people who don’t have the same freedoms we
have would really be struggling.
We bought a school bus for some Nigerian orphans; that was a happy
day. We just gave some money to a leadership program in a school.
We finance the rescue of abused animals in China quite frequently.
I also got to buy my Mum and Dad a $1million home a few years ago
and their cars, which was fantastic and makes me feel great; they
don’t have to worry about their future.
What are your favourite ways to relax and enjoy the wealth you
have created?
We have built a beach house that we visit as often as we can, usually
every two weeks; I spent six weeks there at Christmas and loved every
minute; this chapter is being written looking out over the ocean from
my beach house. I love going for walks in the bush and along the
beach, four-wheel-driving and horse-riding. I have a study set up here
with many of the same books and resources I have at home so I can
continue my work from here.
We travel, just not enough; we’re going to Africa this year and I went
to Las Vegas last year; we’ve been to Europe a couple of times and up
to Queensland to the islands.
And of course we have the fun cars – I have an R8, which is just lots
of fun, a Jeep and a few other fun cars.
What do you say to yourself to get you to do the things that you
don’t want to do?
If success was achieved by only doing what you loved and what you
felt like doing when you felt like it, everyone would be successful at
anything they wanted, without much effort.
The reality is that success in business comes from doing what needs
to be done, and sometimes what needs to be done is hard to do.
My rules for doing the ‘hard’ stuff:
1.
I seek the ‘hard’ stuff because that’s the extra mile – and the
extra mile is a reasonably deserted stretch of road
2.
Do what needs to be done first and move on
Sharon Pearson
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3.
Don’t make excuses or justify avoiding the hard stuff – that
makes you mediocre
4.
Plan and diarise what’s necessary and stick to it
5.
See it all as adding to your vision of where you’re heading
6.
Mistakes need to be made quickly so you can get on with
getting some results
7.
Don’t get moody about it, it makes you boring
8.
I’m doing what most people wouldn’t do, so I’m going to get
results most won’t get.
Do you set goals, if so how?
I have a very thorough goal-setting system that I stick to and have
stuck to now for eight years.
Firstly, I have my Five Year Vision of what I wish to be experiencing
which includes statements about my health, my wealth, my
relationships, my adventure and my innovations; I have that in
my wallet, sealed in plastic so it stays neat. I redo it each year at
Christmas.
Next I have my calendar-year goals – from Christmas to Christmas –
and they are short statements of how I want each area of my life to be
for the year; it includes my health, our relationship, my friends and
family, my business, personal successes like getting another book
published, adventure and contribution to others. That goes in the
front of an exercise book for me to read each day.
After that I write our business values, which I live by; then I write
over two pages all the outcomes we want to achieve in our business
for the next quarter.
On the pages after that I write the tasks that need to be done to
achieve the desired quarterly outcomes; this is written in detail and
can take pages.
As I, or someone on our team, complete a task, it’s crossed off; If
enough tasks are completed and a quarterly outcome is achieved, the
quarterly outcome is crossed off; If enough quarterly outcomes are
achieved, a yearly goal may be achieved, so that’s big tick.
41
I buy a new exercise book each month and rewrite the yearly and
quarterly outcomes at the front of it; I then rewrite what’s left of the
tasks and by the third month of a quarter there shouldn’t be too
much there; I then start again for the second quarter and repeat.
We drive all performance reviews, bonuses, promotions and decisions
around these 90-day achievements. Everyone in our business is
accountable for their own 90-day goals.
I believe that what we focus on we get, to the exclusion of anything
else; and I think if we’re at work, we’re there to get it done. We’re going
to be there regardless, so why not give it everything and just get on
with it? I don’t see people satisfied with themselves who are without
goals and without a sense of contribution to something bigger than
themselves.
‘To be successful, you have to have your heart in
your business, and your business in your heart.’
Thomas Watson, Sr.
What are your business values and how does this play a role in
your success?
I want our goals always to be linked to a higher purpose that fills what
we do with meaning; we strive for our goals because our vision is to
‘Create Extraordinary Lives’.
We believe that people with passion really can change the world and
we make all decisions in our business based on our values.
The Coaching Institute:
1.
Let outstanding results do the talking
2.
Be passionate and determined
Sharon Pearson
42
3.
Deliver WOW
4.
Take responsibility
5.
Create fun with a little bit of quirk
6.
Bring out of the box thinking with a sense of adventure
7.
Embrace and drive innovations and improvements
8.
Bring an insatiable hunger to learn and grow
9.
Model excellence
10.
Build a positive team spirit.
Because people with passion CAN change the world…
Sharon Pearson has offered readers of
Millionaire Motivators a gift to experience our
world! Because you have taken action and
bought this book Sharon wants to give you two
complimentary tickets valued at $2497 each to
attend one of her Create Your Extraordinary Life events held in
Sydney or Melbourne throughout the year.
Sharon is also offering readers a copy of her book Your Success
valued at $21.
To access these gifts scan the QR code or visit
Books authored by Sharon Pearson
Your Success: 10 Steps to an
Extraordinary Life
Chapter 3
Steven Bradbury OAM
Last Man Standing
‘If you’ve got that passion and you’ve still got
something deep down inside that’s driving
you to do it, then you pass the test, you get
the million dollars, you get the gold medal.’
Steven Bradbury OAM
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When Steven Bradbury stepped up to the start line for the 1000
metres speed skating final at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic
Games he was a happy man.
Twelve years of gut-busting training and buckets of sweat, blood and
tears had brought him to that point. He was 28. It would be his last race.
Bradbury did not care that he was the rank outsider. He did not care
that he was expected to finish last. He stood there, his left foot tipped
forward on the point of the blade and his right skate anchored as he
had done a thousand times before. He felt at peace, comfortable in
the knowledge he had already achieved his Olympic dream.
For as long as he had competed on the international stage, all he
ever wanted was to extract the best from himself when the world was
watching. In his sport the world only watches once every four years
at the Olympic Games. He clung doggedly to the desire to be able to
look himself in the eye when his career concluded and say: ‘Yep, I did
everything humanly possible I could to be the best that I could be.’
At his fourth Olympic Games, that finally came to pass. In Salt Lake it
all came together. He had raced brilliantly to confound the experts,
even his most fervent supporters, to make it to the final. In Bradbury’s
mind it was mission accomplished before the final began.
The starter’s gun sounded and just one minute and 29.563 seconds
later Steven Bradbury’s arms were raised in triumph. Somehow,
inexplicably, he won gold. He was Australia’s first Winter Olympic
gold medallist; the first Winter Olympic gold medallist from the
southern hemisphere; he was the last man standing, the accidental
hero suddenly famous around the world courtesy of possibly the
craziest final in Olympic history.
In the maelstrom of confusion immediately following the race where
four of his rivals crashed on the final bend handing him victory,
Bradbury did not know what to feel. Elated? Embarrassed? A
deserving gold medallist, or a false one?
Ultimately he decided to accept the accolade; ‘I wasn’t the fastest
skater,’ he said after the race. ‘I won’t take the medal for the one-and-
45
Chapter 3: Last Man Standing
a-half minutes of the race I actually won; I’ll take it for the last decade
of hard slog.’
Steven Bradbury had given everything he had to achieve Olympic
glory that night. In Canada eight years before, he had almost given
his life, suffering a horrific crash resulting in a rival’s skate spearing
completely through his right thigh leaving a gash so severe it required
111 stitches and left four litres or two thirds of his blood on the ice.
In 2000 Steven had recovered from another ordeal; just 20 months
before claiming gold, he broke his neck, confining him to a halo brace
for two months.
In an international career that kicked off when he was just 16, there
were many disappointments and despair, but his perseverance,
commitment, and courage, also delivered many highlights along
the way. In 1991, at just 17, he was a member of the Australian team
that shocked the world by becoming World Champions in the relay
event. At age 18, in Albertville 1992, he became Queensland’s first
Winter Olympian. At 20, he was again a member of the short-track
relay team that won Australia’s first Winter Olympics medal, a
bronze, at Lillehammer in 1994. He competed and won World Cups,
World Championships and four Winter Olympic Games - Albertville,
Lillehammer, Nagano and Salt Lake City.
Bradbury retired after Salt Lake, but still made it to the 2006 and 2010
Winter Olympics in Turin and Vancouver as a television commentator.
He now travels the world telling his Last Man Standing story to
motivate and entertain corporate, school and community audiences,
fellow athletes and Olympians.
In 2007 Bradbury was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia
(OAM) for his Olympic gold medal success and services to Australian
sport. He is a director of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia. He
and his wife Amanda have three children, Ryen (four) and twins Flyn
and Eryn (two).
(www.stevenbradbury.com).
Steven Bradbury OAM
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How did your Dad and Mum have an effect on your success in
life? Was it their influence that got you into skating and made
you a champion in the sport?
I was born in 1973 when Dad and Mum were living at Campbelltown,
then in the far western suburbs of Sydney. The family moved to
Queensland when I was 13. Mum says I was a mischievous kid and
Dad says I was very determined. They were ice-skaters who actually
met at a rink, so I was probably born to skate. They often skated
at Homebush, not far from where the Olympic Stadium for the 2000
Games was to be built. Dad was national speed skating champion in
1963 and 64 and also represented New South Wales in ice hockey. I
idolised my father and thought he was the best skater, so I wanted
to be like him. I was introduced to the ice at the age of five, but I
didn’t like it at first because I kept falling over. I cried – a lot – but I
persevered and once I got the knack I was away; and loved it. I just
wanted to go faster and faster; that’s what it was all about, the speed;
I have always loved anything that goes fast.
Dad used to push me as a kid. He could see that I was a pretty talented
speed skater, he could see a future for me in the sport and would
force me to go running and cycling with him; he wanted me fitter so
I could skate faster, for longer. I had no issue with the skating, I was
getting faster all the time, but I couldn’t see the point in doing all
those kilometres on the road on a bike or out running. I despised my
Dad for what he did to me when I was 13 and 14, but I thank him for
it now. At 15 I snuck my way onto the national team (Dad was one
of the national team selectors so that might have helped) and went
to my first world championship event in Amsterdam. In the 1000m
final I watched a Japanese skater named Tatsumi Kawasaki pass three
skaters on the outside, win the race and smash the world record.
Sitting in the grandstand watching that race, something clicked. Right
then and there I knew what I wanted; I would go to the Olympics,
no question about that; I wanted to be the best in the world. Dad
never needed to push me again. Mum was a great support in the early
years, taking my young brother, Warren, and me all over the place for
training and racing. She even used to take lap times on her stopwatch
during training and write them all down. Like a lot of kids I disagreed
with my parents often and with much of what Dad told me as a coach
and mentor, but I have always reserved my biggest thanks for my
Mum and Dad.
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At the peak of my career physically, I should have won a lot more
races than I did. I was arguably the fittest and strongest skater in the
world; mentally, it was a different story. I could have – should have
– won a lot of races, but didn’t because I did not take advantage of
the knowledge of those around me. I was young and cocky and would
think to myself, ‘Well I broke the world record for 1500m in training
two weeks ago, I know all I need to know’. In our teens and early 20s
many of us are like that, rebelling against the world and thinking we
know everything. If only we could go back in time and take some
knowledge with us, if only.
What mindset do you believe you need to be able to create
success in your life?
As an athlete, I trained my guts out. I was one of the hardest working
athletes in the world. After most training sessions, I always knew
that I’d put everything into it that I possibly could, but I wasn’t the
smartest athlete. I didn’t get every miniscule thing out of my body
that I could have; my nutrition wasn’t great; mentally I didn’t do
everything I could have done; and I should have been better at setting
up my equipment, but I hated it, so I let someone else do it and then
when something went wrong, I didn’t know how to fix it. If I could go
back in time, there are so many things I would do better, but, even
being a little pig-headed, at the time, I felt that I’d done everything
I possibly could to succeed. Still, when I think back on my skating
career now, when I put my head on the pillow at night, I’ve got the
satisfaction knowing I gave it my all; it’s a good feeling.
When it comes down to it, motivations like doing it for your country,
your family, your wife, your sick child or whatever – as important as
they are – just don’t stack up for long enough; they don’t get you out
of bed every single day, twice a day, to back up for training. What
does drive you to get up again and again is the fire burning in your
gut to succeed, achieve your goals. You have to want it for yourself.
Once you are happy ‘in your own skin’ then you can begin to help
those around you.
Success is not about making a million dollars (not to me at least), or a
gold medal at the Olympics; it’s about assessing where you are in your
life. One person might think, ‘I went to university, I got this degree, I
got this job,’ and deem that successful. The scenario for each person
Steven Bradbury OAM
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is different, but the thing for me is this: if you know that you’ve put in
everything that you could at the time – even though you might have
subsequently figured out you could have done better – if you know
you put in 100 per cent, then that’s the definition of success.
What is your main message when you speak? Is there something
you want people to walk away with?
That idea of success I just described is a big part of it. The main
theme is that passion and persistence lead to success, although it is
probably a little more than that: passion, persistence and teamwork.
Teamwork is crucial. Surround yourself with people who are experts
in their chosen field. During my racing career, I wasn’t as good at
putting my team together as some others, but I still had my team. I
had my coach, my teammates, my physio, my equipment manager
and I had my parents; without any of those people, I wouldn’t have
won the gold medal.
While I was very much an individual and did not listen to others as
much as I should have, I still appreciated those people for what they
did to help me. My equipment guy spent so many hours of his own
time bending my blades for me; in exchange I would mow his lawn
every weekend. Sometimes the people around me provided those
extra little one percenters that I wasn’t smart enough to go out and
hunt for myself – sometimes.
I learned from that. In business these days, I am able to hunt and find
solutions to problems rather than wait for somebody to do it for me.
It’s rewarding – finding solutions, getting answers and building my
team. I love it.
As for my message, I find people are able to use my experiences and
story from my motivational presentations and relate them to their
own situations. Some of the feedback I get is very rewarding; a guy
said to me recently, ‘Steve, it’s really inspired me to push on. I’ve
been working my guts out and not getting the results. You’ve made
me think that giving up now is not an option. I’ve come too far on
my journey to give up at what just might be “the final hurdle”. Who
knows, maybe my version of an Olympic Gold Medal is just around
the corner?’
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‘Perseverance is not a long race;
it is many short races one after another.’
Walter Elliott.
What did you have to sacrifice to get to that gold medal?
Nothing! Sure, there were heaps of times when I would have preferred
to be doing what my mates were doing on Friday or Saturday nights:
being boys, going out on the drink, surfing more; but that word
sacrifice, I’m not a fan. You hear it on TV a lot when somebody does
something good; in an interview they will say, ‘I sacrificed a lot to get
to this.’ Not true, they didn’t sacrifice; they made an investment in
themselves – that’s not a sacrifice. How is getting to the Olympics,
succeeding in your chosen field, doing something fantastic a sacrifice.
It’s hard, no argument there, but it’s not a sacrifice. Growing up, it
was my parents who made the sacrifices.
What beliefs around money did you grow up with?
We grew up in a typical Sydney western suburbs environment where
there was not a lot of money to go around. Friday night out was the
family dinner box at KFC, which I really looked forward to; I still love
fried chicken. We always used to get a nine-piece pack – Mum, my
brother Warren and I would get two pieces each and my Dad would
get three. On the inside I was fuming. I always wanted that third piece,
but knew I would not get it.
Our family was not one step away from the sidewalk. We had
enough money for holidays in a caravan park near the beach, but,
like everybody else, Mum and Dad were paying off the mortgage on
their house. Money was always tight. Occasionally though, when Dad
wasn’t around, Mum would buy me my own box of fried chicken – Oh
yeah!
Steven Bradbury OAM
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As a skater, money wasn’t something that motivated me. I’ve never
been a person who wasted money; I’ve always been a pretty good
saver. If I got a scholarship grant from the Queensland Academy of
Sport or the Olympic Winter Institute, I made it stretch a long way.
I was generally able to secure somewhere between $5000 and $10,000
a year in scholarship grants; the $10,000 was only in the year leading
up to an Olympic Games. By living under my parent’s roof and not
paying rent, I could make that money go a long way. To top that up,
for about four years running, I also worked two or three days a week
as an electricity meter reader.
Apart from material possessions, money brings significant
opportunity. Can you share with us the opportunity you are most
fond or proud of that money has given you?
In 1997 my friend Clint Jensen and I started the Revolutionary Boot
Company (RBC) making speed skating boots. Clint, who was also
a speed skater, had gained some experience working with another
company that made speed skates. Through a variety of circumstances,
we ended up putting our heads together and decided to start making
our own boots. Once we did that and began skating on our own gear,
other skaters liked the look of them and wanted to buy boots from us.
Five years later at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, skaters wearing
our boots won three gold, three silver and two bronze medals – one of
those Golds belongs to me. Today, the number of skaters wearing our
boots to have won Olympic medals totals about 14 and the business
has grown to a point where we export to about 20 countries. Until the
last couple of years we had only been producing speed skates, but
more recently we’ve moved into custom-made cycling shoes, which
now represents about 90-95 per cent of our market.
We have been able to utilise the technology we use in making skates
into cycling, creating custom-moulded shoes; this involves building
a shoe around an individual cyclist’s foot. The expertise we have is
in knowing where to shave the fat from the mould — and the foot —
to get a perfect fit; if you shave too much, the shoe will be too small
and painful to wear. The skill is in knowing where the fat is on the
feet and how much to shave off. The custom carbon-fibre shoes we
produce are lighter and a big step up compared to what most cyclists
purchase off the shelf. A custom-form fitted shoe is always going to
give a performance advantage, even if only a small one.
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One day Clint and I can hopefully move into the standard speed
skate and standard cycling shoe market, from a production line in
a variety of sizes; that’s where the money is. We’ve got what I think
is an amazing business plan in place; we just don’t have a million
dollars behind us to pull it off at the moment. If you would like to see
the plan go to www.rbcsport.com and send an inquiry.
As well as RBC, I am part owner of a ski-resort hotel, Aqua Alpine (www.
aquaalpine.com), and an online travel agency (www.japanpowder.
com) in Hakuba, Nagano, Japan. We opened our doors pretty much
the day the financial crisis hit; not sure how we managed to keep our
heads above water for the first season, but we’ve hung in and we’re
just about to finish season four; we made a tiny profit in season three,
so it’s looking good for the future. The travel agency complements
the hotel; both are awesome businesses with lots of potential. If you
decide to stay with us, say Steven Bradbury sent you and you’ll get a
10 per cent discount on your accommodation; also try the ‘Bradbury
Burger’ at Bradbury’s Bar and Restaurant inside the Aqua Alpine
Hotel.
The devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan during the
2010-11 season obviously did not help, but still we’re number one on
Trip Advisor.com. The travel agency side of the business has got a
lot of potential; we’ve got about 20 hotels in a local area that are on
board with Japanpowder.com, so once our place is full we farm out
bookings to the other hotels and we get a small kickback for each
room. That’s got the potential to grow into thousands of rooms.
And then of course there is the speaking world. I recently hired a
development officer to help expand and grow that part of my life
(www.stevenbradbury.com). Over the past 10 years I have spoken
to groups as diverse as accountants, plumbers, schoolkids, the
Wallabies, CEOs, council workers, bankers, Olympians, fashion
designers and politicians.
When I first tried my hand at public speaking it was a challenge. No
doubt about that, but I have fine-tuned my presentation skills through
working with professional speechwriters and a comedian. These days
on stage I’m confident, adaptable, part-comedian, part-entertainer,
part-motivator and one of the busiest speakers in Australia.
Steven Bradbury OAM
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I have hundreds of client testimonials on my website from
organisations such as AMP, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Aussie Home
Loans, BHP Billiton, BT Financial, Ernst & Young, Fosters Group,
Insurance Brokers Association NZ, King’s School, NAB, Telstra,
Tourism Queensland and Westpac.
Since the gold medal win, has there been a moment when you
have wondered about where you have come from and what is
next?
On the exact day of the 10-year anniversary of winning Olympic gold
(February 17, 2012) I landed at Avalon airport outside of Melbourne
and went to collect my rental car. When I got to the counter I realised
I had left both my driver’s licence (without physically handing them
your licence it is impossible to get a rental car) and my credit card at
home on the kitchen bench. I had hardly any cash, it was 11 o’clock
at night and the airport was closing down around me; after panicking
for a minute or two, I took a deep breath, sat down and decided
to take stock of the situation. It was an odd time and place to do
it, but I started thinking about the 10 years since the medal. In the
aftermath of the gold medal, I did more than my fair share of partying
and drinking as I continually questioned what my future held; then I
began to find my feet as a motivational speaker and realised I could
turn it into a career. Before I knew it I was married to my lovely wife
Amanda and we had three kids.
Then my mind turned to the years before 2002 and the Gold Medal. I
had actually trained very hard for 12 years.
Those 12 years seemed to have lasted a lifetime, yet the past 10 years
had just flown by. So much had happened, so quickly. It made me
realise how life really is too short, you can’t let too much time slip by;
you need to be focused – on your business, your family, yourself and
whatever is important to you.
My mind then slipped back to the present; I was more relaxed, but I
was in a tricky spot; I jumped into the last remaining taxi at Avalon
Airport and asked to go to the nearest hotel. Avalon airport is in the
middle of nowhere, it was a $58 fare to Geelong and I only had $26 on
me; I explained my situation to the taxi driver just before arriving at
the hotel, gave him the $26 and a signed copy of my book Last Man
Standing; he was not happy. The girl behind the desk at the hotel
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recognised me from the Olympics and let me have a room for the
night without swiping my credit card; from there I phoned my buddies
from Mitsubishi, Wayne Oates and Wally Patsutch. They hooked me
up with a car from the local Mitsubishi dealer in Geelong and I was on
my way to speak at an event that afternoon in Warrnambool.
For me, I know I need to be focused on the things that make me happy.
Family aside it’s things like surfing, poker and trying to get myself
sponsored so I can do some more car-racing again, which I haven’t
done for the past couple of years. Doing the things I’m passionate
about will always put a smile on my face. If I surf in the morning,
there’s nothing that’ll happen for the rest of that day that can ruffle
my feathers; normally if I’m driving in traffic I’m frustrated, weaving
in and out of cars; but if I’ve been for a surf, I’ll just cruise at 30 km/h
behind everybody else, not even realising I’m going so slow.
Since the gold medal win, with the fame that came with it,
have you still kept the ability to focus and overcome fear of the
unknown, particularly when you started the speaking circuit?
After the win I loved it, every moment of it; for me after the Salt Lake
City Olympics – win, lose or draw – I was done and no one could have
imagined a better way to finish. There had been a little bit of media
attention after the relay bronze medal we won at the 1994 Olympics,
but that gold medal took it to a whole different place.
I had trained my guts out for 12 years in anonymity, in the back blocks
of Brisbane – not exactly the centre of the speed skating universe.
Suddenly, the whole world wanted to know my story; I never even
dreamt that would happen.
Being a highly recognisable person and someone whose dial appeared
regularly on television wasn’t something I had ever wanted, but when
Salt Lake happened, I thought, ‘I’ve got more than a decade of builtup history or whatever inside of me that nobody’s been interested
in; now everyone wants to know; so if you want to know, I’m going to
tell you.’ Although I didn’t think about it immediately, it delights me
now to know that my success really helped throw the spotlight on
the sport of speed skating and probably all winter sports in Australia.
Then came the speaking circuit; I still clearly remember the first
speaking engagement I was asked to do. My agent rang me, I couldn’t
Steven Bradbury OAM
54
believe I even had an agent; I’m a speed skater from Brisbane, why
on earth would I need an agent? Anyway, Rob Woodhouse calls and
says, ‘Steve, you have been asked to speak at the annual Retravision
conference in Adelaide; they are offering $5000; I said, ‘5K are you
serious, that’s what I make in a year’; Rob says, ‘Yep, and they want
you to speak for 40 minutes’; I said, ‘40 minutes, what in a row?’
I had three weeks to prepare so Rob immediately hooked me up with
speechwriter Peter Hempanstall.
When the night came around I was crapping myself. There were
600 people in the audience for my first-ever gig; I didn’t know the
presentation word for word, but I was well prepared, and I knew I
could go back to the lectern to read my notes if I needed to. It was
nerve-wracking but once I got into it and heard some positive reaction
and a few laughs, I started to feel comfortable; I definitely enjoyed
elements of it. I’ve still got the testimonial from that gig:
‘Steven Bradbury’s attendance at our 41st annual conference
was indeed the highlight of the three days. Steve captivated our
delegates and left them with a clear message that if you worked
hard and kept trying, anything is possible.’
Bob Scullin - RETRAVISION AUSTRALIA P/L
After that first gig I didn’t focus on speaking; never imagined it could
be a career. I was just doing a gig every couple of months and didn’t
know how to promote myself; I thought my agent would have had it
all sorted; then I started to hear about speakers’ bureaus, companies
who book speakers and entertainers for conferences and events.
Once I started approaching the bureaus myself, the momentum began
and not long after I had a ‘light-bulb moment’ when I realised I could
turn speaking into a career; and I did. Nowadays I’m still improving
and do more than 100 gigs a year, some even internationally:
‘Mega Partnering is the world’s No. 1 wealth networking conference
with people like Steve Wozniak, former New York mayor Rudy
Giuliani, Gene Simmons, Donald Trump, Bret Michaels and
many more of the world’s top speakers and entrepreneurs having
attended and spoken. Steven spoke at Mega Partnering V in
Dallas, Texas and was rated one of the top presenters of all time.
He was powerful, riveting, entertaining and when he took his
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gold medal out... the crowd went wild. There was a two-hour wait
just to get a photo with Steven. If you want to add WOW to your
event, impress your clients or motivate your team, there is only
one name I can think of... STEVE BRADBURY.’ JT Foxx - Founder of Mega Partnering
– Syndicated Radio Personality – Serial Entrepreneur
‘Steven Bradbury was guest speaker at our Global Sales
Conference Dinner in Los Angeles. The feedback was very good
from everyone. Steve’s presentation was highly entertaining, he
has a great story to tell. My team left the evening motivated and
ready to achieve our company goals for the coming year.’
Andrew Gee – Managing Director
– Macquarie Equipment Finance
What I love about speaking on stage is the adrenaline rush; it’s the
same kind of rush I got from skating. On a good day, I get it from
surfing and car racing when I get the opportunity to do that. Car
racing is like adrenaline on steroids, but I get it on stage as well. I enjoy
that feeling, that anticipation when you’re about to start; I enjoy the
interaction with the audience and the rapport you build with them
over the course of an hour. There is a point in my presentation when
I get people out of the audience on stage and do a skating imitation
/ squatting competition – after that I’ve got them, no matter how
stubborn they have been; that is about 10 minutes into the talk and,
from that moment, it’s easy; sort of an ice-breaker, you could say.
The speaking commitments have also made me go back to basics, 10
years after the Gold; I’m a few kilos heavier and no longer a super-fit
Olympic athlete. Personally I’m pretty relaxed with how I look but I
think it’s important how I look on stage to an audience. A fat, retired
Olympian is hardly going to motivate people; and just as importantly
I want to stay fit so I can keep up with my kids as well as keep surfing
a shortboard for another 10 years or so.
To keep in shape I go running at least twice a week. Though I am pretty
slow and I shuffle along like average Joe, sometimes my mind slips
back into Olympic mode. I get in the zone and think about making
a comeback and races I contested in the past; I think about things
I could have done better if I had had my time over as an Olympian.
Steven Bradbury OAM
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My mind goes into overdrive, though it depends on how much
my legs are hurting. Some days I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve just got
to make it home before I need to call the ambulance’; other times I
might be out running for 40 minutes and get completely lost in my
thoughts. I might be thinking about how to improve my motivational
presentation; about a new idea for my website; how to be a better
husband and father; where will I buy my next property; or fried
chicken! I’ll be three minutes away from home and I’ll think, ‘Where
did that last 37 minutes go?’ It is the opposite when I’m surfing; in the
surf all you’re doing is looking for the next wave, you’re not thinking
about anything else; in a sense your mind is switched off; we all need
that sometimes, especially those of us with young children.
‘Only through focus can you do world-class
things, no matter how capable you are.’
Bill Gates.
You had difficult times in your sporting career – how did you get
through the tough times and keep motivated and inspired?
In the lead up to the 2002 Games I was in a dark place, what my family
called ‘The Slump’, honestly I don’t know how I got out of that one.
The qualification process for the Olympics starts about a year before
the Games actually takes place, so it was a long, tough haul to get
there. Basically I had to get myself into the top 16 in the world to
guarantee a place in Salt Lake City, which is a difficult task in itself.
I skated pretty well in the Olympic qualifiers to get myself qualified
and we skated the house down to get the relay team a starting berth;
we beat teams that we had been half a lap behind only two weeks
earlier. Teaming up with Alex McEwan, Andrew McNee and Mark
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McNee for that relay was an amazing performance by all four skaters;
tactically and physically we turned it on when it really counted. The
skating world was dumbfounded that Australia had come from the
clouds and beaten Great Britain and France; I will never forget that
race.
However, after a short break my body inexplicably went into shutdown
mode; I was showing up at training every day and getting on the ice,
but I just simply could not skate; I didn’t have energy.
It could have been medical, maybe glandular fever or chronic fatigue
or something – I don’t know; but it was really an incredibly depressing
period in my life. I didn’t speak to anyone, just holed myself up in my
room, downstairs at Mum and Dad’s place. We had the Australian
team trials coming up to see who was going to be selected to go to
the Olympics and I remember about two days before I wasn’t even
sure if I was going to show up.
I can’t even describe how poorly I was skating; my legs were jelly;
mentally I was in a bad way; I thought what’s the point in going to the
trials and getting selected for the Olympic team, if it meant I’d go to
the Games and embarrass myself. I’d been to three previous Games;
I didn’t need another Olympic team tracksuit. I had put so much of
my life into skating and going to that fourth and final Olympics, but
I figured there was no way in hell that I was going to skate well. I
thought to myself, ‘I’m wasting my time; I’ve wasted four years of my
life; why waste anymore; I may as well pull the pin, go surfing and get
a carton of beer’.
The harder you work at something, the harder it is to quit, so I pulled
myself together and dragged myself onto the ice for the Olympic
trials; as down as I was, I couldn’t throw the towel in; I’d never forgive
myself; In my mind, I had no choice. In some ways I was my own
worst enemy, in others my own best friend.
Every race I contested at the Olympic trials produced an ordinary
performance at best. The rest of the Australian team were good
skaters, but they weren’t world-beaters. I had to pull out everything
to beat those guys. I won, but not by much.
After the trials, we headed off for altitude training in Colorado
Springs and every day, little by little, the legs started to return; the
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ice conditions were good, training was good. Once we got used to
the thinner air I started to believe I could produce my best at my
final Olympics. I started telling myself, ‘No way I’m going to be just
a numbers-filler at this Olympics, if I can do what I know I can do,
who knows? Maybe I can win medals. On my best day I can beat the
best guys in the world.’ The truth be known though, in the previous
four years, I’d only had only one maybe two of those ‘best days’. I
had doubted myself for months, the confidence, however, was slowly
coming back.
One training session I went really fast. A sprint lap I did in Colorado
Springs I will never forget; it was the fastest I’d ever skated, so fast
that I got myself on such an angle that I booted out (my boot hit the
ice) going into a corner and I hit the boards the hardest I’d ever hit. I
didn’t get hurt, but the whole rink just shook; I hit so hard the rest of
the guys in the team wondered how I managed to get up. Fortunately
I hit the padding side on and was winded, but okay. Seeing the barrier
approaching at over 50 kmph knowing you are about to hit it is not a
good feeling; it’s like being in a car crash, where everything goes in
slow motion – then thud. I do not miss that feeling! You might think
I’m crazy, but after that crash I got up grinning from ear to ear; it was
the day I realised just how much speed I still had under me; if I could
reproduce that at the Olympics, I would be a force.
That earlier period back in Australia was the toughest in my life –
even more so than when I almost died after my leg was gashed in
a race in Canada in 1994, and the serious neck injury I suffered in
2000. From a broader perspective, I think the really tough periods are
often the final hurdles. People in business or sport, or life go through
difficult stages; when you’ve been doing something for a lot of years
and you get to a point where it seems too hard, time to quit; if you
give up, that’s where you really do yourself an injustice; you have
invested too much to quit.
For all the woes of my slump, there was no turning back. Deep down,
I knew I had to compete in one more Olympics. If I didn’t, I’d kick
myself for the rest of my life.
Mentally I have always been strong; I could go through rough periods
and come out the other side; I’d done it with my leg, I’d done it with
my neck; I’d had people say, ‘You should finish here.’ When I broke
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my neck, I am sure my Mum wanted to say that; she didn’t think I
should skate any more, but she knew that wasn’t an option for me
and she couldn’t say it. That slump was the final test; it was rock
bottom and the only way I could go was up. The other choice was
quit, not an option. When I look back, I feel like the slump was a test
that shouldn’t have been there, I’d paid my dues, I’d earned my place
at the Olympics, my final chance to show the world what I can do;
somebody, somehow, somewhy didn’t agree and was testing my
resolve one last time.
I think that’s what happens to a lot of us in life – we just get thrown
that one extra obstacle that we don’t expect and, if we’re not ready to
go over it, that’s the end; but the good news is, if you’ve got passion
and you’ve still got something deep down in there that’s driving you,
you pass the test; you get the million dollars, you get the gold medal.
I passed my test are you ready to pass yours?
‘Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions
are made from something they have deep inside
them, a dream, a vision. They have to have last
minute stamina, they have to be a little faster,
they have to have the skills and the will. But the
will must be stronger than the skill.’
Muhammad Ali.
What do you think limits people’s success?
Often people are held back by the people around them - by negativity.
There are different mindsets. For example, there is an American-style
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mindset that is so focused on the possibility of being the best in the
world – which is something I admire about American people – but the
Australian mindset sometimes isn’t like that.
In Australia, we sometimes see a mindset where people around kids
say things like: ‘Don’t worry about doing that’ … ‘You know that’s too
hard’ … ‘You know you’ll never be able to afford it’ … ‘You’ll never be
able to make it’.
If that attitude is bred into you for too long, eventually you’ll believe
it.
From my gold medal perspective, I’m the first person to admit I was
incredibly lucky to win; but I had to be in the position to give myself a
chance to win and that was due to a lot more than dumb luck. People
with a negative mindset don’t realise that. Occasionally people have
said to me, ‘Geez you’re lucky mate’; but they’re the same people who
are sitting on their couch doing nothing. All they’re doing is knocking
everybody else; it’s that unfortunate tall poppy syndrome all too
prevalent in Australia.
I remember back in the ’90s when Kieren Perkins was winning every
big 1500m swimming event around the world; for six or seven years
he was unbeatable and I remember thinking, ‘Would somebody just
get up and beat this bloke?’ I wanted him to fail, someone to beat him
and it’s not the right attitude, not the right way to think.
Are there are any particular quotes you use for inspiration?
‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ – I pulled it from the lyrics
of one of my favourite bands, 1980s heavy metal outfit Anthrax.
‘The only thing you have to fear is fear itself’. – Franklin D. Roosevelt.
‘You have the ability to feel the fear and do it anyway’. – Susan Jeffers.
A lot of people allow fear to stop them. If I get hit by a bus – I’m dead;
I don’t want to get hit by a bus, but it won’t stop me from crossing
the street. My wife doesn’t always like that attitude and thinks I’m
too blasé about things sometimes. I let the kids do things a bit out
of their comfort zone at the park; sometimes they fall on their head;
sometimes they get hurt; they’re trying new things because that’s
just growing up. I guess fear is something that’s in your own mind – I
get scared sometimes like most people, but I don’t fear.
61
Do you think motivation alone can create success?
Yes, motivation is enough to create success because, if you’ve got
enough motivation, you’ll find ways to get the other things over the
line as well – the money to do it, the people to do it. Conversely, a lot
of people in this world aren’t cut out to have their own business; a
lot of people are built solely to work for somebody else and they are
happy to do that for their whole life.
Sometimes I wish I was one of those people; life would be simpler,
that’s for sure; there’d be more time to switch off the brain and go
surfing after work. I need to be my own boss, I need to learn my lessons
the hard way when I make mistakes and reap the rewards when I do
well. In part it comes back to the adrenaline thing and wanting that
next high. With highs however there are always lows; you’ve got to
have that level of confidence; you’ve got to have that level of selfdrive, have the ability to work with your team, to do things on your
own and to work through the difficult times. There is a saying that is
now in the Australian slang dictionary – ‘Doing a Bradbury’; this one
is my own quote:
‘When your moment to shine presents itself, will you be in position
and prepared to be the next to ‘Do a Bradbury’.
From a business perspective, when you’ve got all this motivation and
you’re trying to start something, there’s no timeline, if you choose
you can always ‘do it tomorrow’.
For an athlete, if you miss a training session you don’t get it back,
but in business you can always do it tomorrow, or can you? I’m the
kind of person who has always needed that measuring stick, so to
speak, to be put in a pressure situation where I have to do it; I know
I can perform under pressure. I think that’s the case with a lot of
people and to be a successful business person, or write a book, if
there is no deadline I think it can be more difficult. So my advice is to
make yourself accountable. In my business I did that by employing
a business development officer; to make the position viable the
responsibility fell on my shoulders; I had to educate, motivate and
create tasks for him to execute. I put pressure on myself and it
has been going great guns. Once I had another person in the office
alongside me I wasn’t going to let him sit and do nothing; I’d be
wasting his time and my money.
Steven Bradbury OAM
62
Even in a sporting environment as a speed skater I’ve seen so many
skaters, even in Australia, that were more talented than me – juniors,
sub-elite or even Olympic-level skaters – but they just didn’t want it
enough; they were not motivated enough.
Goal setting is an important part of life. A lot of people have plans in
their head, but plans in your head get forgotten pretty quickly; you
need plans that are on paper and visible for you to see every day. You
need to know what you are aiming for – I used to have a sign up my
ceiling that said, ‘This is the Olympics, get up’. When my alarm went
off at the crack of dawn every morning it was first thing I saw; I knew
my competitors would be getting up and if I didn’t and got beaten by
them I’d have to live with regret; nobody wants that.
Goals that are too easy or too hard are no good. Your goals need to be
challenging, but achievable. I made myself accountable by employing
my business development officer and I’m now headed towards my
business goals more quickly, that’s for sure. Through writing this
chapter, I just realised that the next step is to figure out a way to
make myself accountable for my goals too. I’m pretty confident I’ll
figure that out soon.
‘You can do anything if you have enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your
hopes rise to the stars.’
Henry Ford.
Apart from winning your gold medal, is there something else
that stands out as a real highlight for you in your career?
The birth of my first child, definitely; changes your whole outlook on
the world once you’ve brought another human into it.
63
* Thanks to Gary Smart for his assistance in helping me bring my
chapter to life!
Steven Bradbury is offering readers of
Millionaire Motivators the opportunity to have
him speak or MC at your event for 30 per cent
discount on his speaker fees.
To claim Steven’s gift scan the QR code or visit
Books authored by Steven Bradbury
Last Man Standing

Millionaire School

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