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This
morning I had the pleasure of waking up to Jimmy Valvano's speech on Mike and
Mike (Jimmy V Espy Speech).
Couldn't be a better way to start the day. His speech that night was by far one
of the most inspirational speeches of all time. He Delivered it at the Espy's after receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award about
2 months before his passing. There have been some amazing people that have been
given that award since, including my friend George Karl (who by the way
couldn't embody that award any more). They remind us every day about the power
of the mind and the fortitude of the soul. The part in his speech that
resonates the most to me is when he explains how he gets through each day
fighting his battle with Cancer. He says there are 3 things you should do
every day; Laugh, think (spend some time in thought) and have your emotions bring
you to tears, tears of joy.... if you can do those things, that's a full day.
These things he suggest we should do are the mark of passion. You should wake
up every day and be passionate about your life, your family, your friends and
your craft. If you don't love it, don't do it. You are wasting time my
friend and time is valuable.
I walked into our new Native
Rank Chicago office this morning, took a deep breath and glanced over our
4000 square feet of new opportunity. It was so quiet I could hear my own
heartbeat. I saw brand new empty desks that will soon be filled. I
saw empty walls that will soon have art. Fifteen computers that will soon
be producing. I realized what needed to be done and the excitement over
took me. I have the power and support of so many people. I have
people that believe in me and know what I can and will accomplish. People
that know I fully understand the task at hand and will succeed at any cost
with hard work perseverance. I know that the great advice that Winston
gave me to move systematically, slowly and with purpose means so much right
now. It was this moment I found myself going through the three emotions
Coach suggested. I didn't mean to, it all just happened as it was supposed
to.
I found myself laughing out loud. I laughed because I realized
the ridiculousness of what I have been through with the 6 other guys that
helped build Native Rank over the last two and half years. Somehow I blinked
and by the end of our third year we will have over 100 employees, 4 locations
and millions in revenue. Wow, we did what? I guess it's like
watching your own kid grow, it just happens. The yelling, the laughing,
the crying, the passion you see every day in our office can be
overwhelming for some, but for us it's perfect. Picture an Italian family of 20
at dinner after 5 bottles of wine... that's our office every day. Like or not,
it's how we roll. It's passion, love, hard work and dedication at its best.
Any one of those 6 people would take a bullet for me at any moment, as I
would for them.
I took a deep breath at that point and took a
moment to think. I thought about what we are doing, what we have done, what
we are going to accomplish, the process to get us there and the mental
toughness it takes every day to be great. Turns out starting a business
from scratch is hard work, it's not glamorous, but the payoff is. They don't
teach you this in school. It's deep within you and you have to want it
every day. Fortunately I have a Father and a Grandfather who were
entrepreneurs, damn good ones, so it's in my blood. I have always loved
this quote from Mark Cuban, "What does it
take to be a successful entrepreneur? It takes willingness to learn, to be able
to focus, to absorb information, and to always realize that business is a 24/7
job where someone is always out there to kick your ass". Well, we have learned, we are focused, we are constantly
absorbing more information and we are kicking everybody else's asses 24/7.
This group won't lose focus and we won't fail.
I cried. Awkward, I know. Being
alone in an office going through these three emotions was probably one for the
ages on our security cameras. Perhaps like an old Charlie Chaplin silent
movie but not as fast. I cried because of how proud I am of every person I work
with, everyone in my life I miss so much right now, all the experiences I have
been so lucky to have and the vast unknown of what is in my future. It is so
exciting to know that I am going to knock something so big out of the park.
This is what drives me to get up and do my best to be great every day.
Today, you can call me Jeter.
Like Derek Jeter, I always preach Consistency.
I teach it to all the sales people I work with. I try my best to
practice it in life. I just believe so much that if you are consistent,
if you just show up, if you never take a break from your goal, you will achieve
whatever you can imagine. The top sales people and leaders in our office
are the ones that show up every day, don't complain and just grind it out.
No matter what, they fucking grind it out. That's what winners do.
If I could possibly add anything to what Jimmy V has said, I would say
Laugh, Think, Cry and be Consistent. For God's sake, just show up every day and
work with passion, work like someone is going to take it from you.
What are you going to do today? I can
tell you with 100% certainty I am going to do what I try to do every day and
just show up, work my ass off and make my friends and family proud.
Ben Metzker
Vice President Business Development, Strategic Partnerships
Skype: ben.metzker
Denver Office Direct: (303) 524-3796
Chicago Office Direct: (312) 229-0069
Cell: (720)635-8026
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