Live from the IMC event :)
Aug 17, 2016Sorry I didn’t get to you yesterday with a story, it was a pretty hectic day here in Orlando! 3,500 life-giving-people, all in the biggest room I’ve ever seen, provided a constant supply of selfie opportunities I just couldn’t tear myself away from!
At the beginning of day 1, before the doors opened for all the new people to come in, the mentorship alumni were in the room for Paul’s behind the scenes session. At the end of the session, John asked everyone to circle the room for a prayer.
It was a pretty special sight to see just under 500 helpers holding hands, circling the entire room – over 100 metres wide and 100 metres long. I looked up at the 6 giant jumbo-tron screens, stepped back through the room, and then tried to make out the faces of the people on the opposite side of the room. It was pretty amazing to think about how far this team has come in just 5 short years.
Then the doors opened to the sound of pounding music and 3,000 more people poured into the room and sat down at 500 different tables. I realised that there are more tables at this event, than there were people just a few years ago!
I was up on stage for the morning session and as soon as I was done, I headed straight to the bathroom – 4 hours is a long time on stage! When I came back in, everyone was standing up in the room chatting.
‘Where have all these people come from?’ I said to Geoffrey, my assistant.
“They’ve been here all the time!’ he said.
Seeing them all standing up in this huge room, as far as the eye could see in every direction was suddenly very overwhelming. When everyone was sitting neatly at their tables the room didn’t seem anywhere near as full!
I sat down at a staff table at the back of the room and thought back to a conversation I had with Paul in 2010 in my office in the UK. He told me how big the John Maxwell Team was going to be and what role he wanted me to play in it. ‘Yeah right!’ I thought to myself. (Luckily I just smiled and nodded I didn’t say it out loud!)
Well, just a few years later, Paul’s vision for the John Maxwell Team has turned up in real life – bigger and brighter than most of us could EVER have imagined. And it is expanding now faster than at any time.
About 3 years ago, listening to a recording of one of Paul’s Mentorship calls, I heard him describe one of the most practical and powerful goal achieving techniques I’ve ever heard. He talked about his plant – 2.2 – which represented a key goal that he wanted to achieve.
He said ‘Every time I look at 2.2, I know that he will grow into a bigger plant. It is just a matter of time before he does. Even though I can’t see the growth that is to come, I know it will come, because he’s a plant, and that’s what plants do. Just because I can’t see it now is not proof that it’s not coming. It’s coming! And my goal is exactly the same. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.’
As I heard him say this, I couldn’t wait any longer. I pressed pause and went straight to the garden centre and bought an orange tree and I called it 10!
10 was small when I bought him, and now he’s much bigger. The goal he represents was a long way off when I bought him, and now it’s much closer.
Isn’t it funny how we all need to see PROOF that it’s working, that our dreams are growing, otherwise we’re not prepared to water and feed them .. yet we constantly watering and feeding our fears without any proof whatsoever? It’s CRAZY! Acting on our dreams or acting on our fears are both acts of faith if you think about it – so why are we often more trusting with our fears?
Over the last 5 years, there’s been plenty of things to scare the life out of Paul! But he’s continued to act on his dream for the John Maxwell Team, rather than those fears. That act of faith, repeated consistently has built what I saw in the room yesterday. What will the same attitude do for your dreams?
At the beginning of day 1, before the doors opened for all the new people to come in, the mentorship alumni were in the room for Paul’s behind the scenes session. At the end of the session, John asked everyone to circle the room for a prayer.
It was a pretty special sight to see just under 500 helpers holding hands, circling the entire room – over 100 metres wide and 100 metres long. I looked up at the 6 giant jumbo-tron screens, stepped back through the room, and then tried to make out the faces of the people on the opposite side of the room. It was pretty amazing to think about how far this team has come in just 5 short years.
Then the doors opened to the sound of pounding music and 3,000 more people poured into the room and sat down at 500 different tables. I realised that there are more tables at this event, than there were people just a few years ago!
I was up on stage for the morning session and as soon as I was done, I headed straight to the bathroom – 4 hours is a long time on stage! When I came back in, everyone was standing up in the room chatting.
‘Where have all these people come from?’ I said to Geoffrey, my assistant.
“They’ve been here all the time!’ he said.
Seeing them all standing up in this huge room, as far as the eye could see in every direction was suddenly very overwhelming. When everyone was sitting neatly at their tables the room didn’t seem anywhere near as full!
I sat down at a staff table at the back of the room and thought back to a conversation I had with Paul in 2010 in my office in the UK. He told me how big the John Maxwell Team was going to be and what role he wanted me to play in it. ‘Yeah right!’ I thought to myself. (Luckily I just smiled and nodded I didn’t say it out loud!)
Well, just a few years later, Paul’s vision for the John Maxwell Team has turned up in real life – bigger and brighter than most of us could EVER have imagined. And it is expanding now faster than at any time.
About 3 years ago, listening to a recording of one of Paul’s Mentorship calls, I heard him describe one of the most practical and powerful goal achieving techniques I’ve ever heard. He talked about his plant – 2.2 – which represented a key goal that he wanted to achieve.
He said ‘Every time I look at 2.2, I know that he will grow into a bigger plant. It is just a matter of time before he does. Even though I can’t see the growth that is to come, I know it will come, because he’s a plant, and that’s what plants do. Just because I can’t see it now is not proof that it’s not coming. It’s coming! And my goal is exactly the same. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.’
As I heard him say this, I couldn’t wait any longer. I pressed pause and went straight to the garden centre and bought an orange tree and I called it 10!
10 was small when I bought him, and now he’s much bigger. The goal he represents was a long way off when I bought him, and now it’s much closer.
Isn’t it funny how we all need to see PROOF that it’s working, that our dreams are growing, otherwise we’re not prepared to water and feed them .. yet we constantly watering and feeding our fears without any proof whatsoever? It’s CRAZY! Acting on our dreams or acting on our fears are both acts of faith if you think about it – so why are we often more trusting with our fears?
Over the last 5 years, there’s been plenty of things to scare the life out of Paul! But he’s continued to act on his dream for the John Maxwell Team, rather than those fears. That act of faith, repeated consistently has built what I saw in the room yesterday. What will the same attitude do for your dreams?
Until next time ..
Don't miss my new Speaking360º weekly newsletter!
Communicating is not just about words. We need to think about our body language, tone, and pacing. How we feel impacts the way we speak. Struggling to find the right content makes us ineffective. Great speakers know that becoming an exceptional speaker isn't just an art - it's a process with many essential elements.
Every Sunday evening Roddy sends out his Speaking360º newsletter, an action packed and inspirational article filled with tip + tricks you can start to use right away!
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
Author + Owner of SpeakerPro.com
