FACING MY CRITICS

We all hate criticism, and for the most part avoid it at all costs. I just batter it till it rolls over dead. If you want to achieve something, it is essential to go your own way, but if a 1000 people are telling you not to do something it's probably best not to do it, but for me I just can't help it I have to do what I'm being told not to, even by the little voice in my head that I sometimes listen to, but love to rebel over.

Out of the 17, there were 9 who failed to respond. We wrote to them to ask their comments and what influenced them to do nothing at all, and again got nothing at all. Not a word. Maybe there was something going on behind the scenes, as long experience usually tells me that when things don't add up there is a reason. Maybe they were upset with my methods, to find what I wanted, but that after all was the purpose of the exercise and I had hoped they had enjoyed the motivational chat, and they would have participated to give me the valuable material for the documentary even if it just meant some feedback or the Mozart option as a barometer to the others.

Two people had written within hours of the meeting thanking me for my time and saying how motivational it was and they felt it had been really uplifting, but those people had also responded later and wanted to do option 4.

So on one side I'd managed to inspire almost 50% of the group to want great things and on the other side I'd inspired them to do a resounding absolute nothing.

Negative thought is just as powerful as positive, airing always on scepticism and infecting others with it's inactivity. Many times in business the under performing sales teams I have been brought in to evaluate, usually require me to find the negative person who is influence the behaviour of the group in a non productive way. Sometimes it's the manager, but not when you get two diametrically opposite factions.

In my Power of Influence Training I'm always alerting my students to not what's being said, but what's not being said, the sub text of a conversation or a communication. 93% of communication is non verbal, even in an email.

So coming back to our positive young gentleman from the seminar, who took the time to thank me, I asked Brett to remind him that we would like a little more insight into his decision making process. Here are the emails:

Yes, I am still very much interested and the one thing which makes it very compelling for me, is the fact that I would be working together with other people. However, I would like to have a bit more clarity on two things, if thats ok?

1) The 100 pounds we are giving is that going towards a sort of "fee" for the course or material provided etc or is it for investment in the business itself?

2) Secondly, I remember reading something about 75% of the profit goes to us and the rest for yourselves.....can you elaborate on that ?


Thanks


Ok as I said, some people are straight, but it's always what they are not saying that's important to look for. The aspects of this that come to mind are the way he begins with enthusiasm, but the 'that's oK' smacks of distrust.

With regard to the other questions, he knows that the next stage is to sit with me to discuss the project on a one to one, so he could ask them then as the others would undoubtedly do, but he is asking from afar which means he has other motives, and potentially no interest in meeting me head on. I wonder if there is more behind this, in fact I know there is and I need to draw out the information, because negative publicity I can handle, not everybody will like what i do or how i choose to do it, but people with a grudge or agenda are destructive especially with the internet where you can say what you want about people with little knowledge of your subject but a damaging result. In fact it's more and more common to find competitors posting anonymous critique on sites and google local business, suddenly you're doing well and then your name is mud for no reason other than somebody doesn't like you, understand you, or wants what you have.

I get Brett to send an email to put get the birds out of the brush so to speak:

Hi Jorge,

Thanks for your questions.

The title of the project is One Hundred, One Million, One Year, hence why the specific amount. It's not an investment into a business, I'm not actually sure what kind of business you can get into for the price of a tank of petrol or a trip to the theatre, but it's not a bad idea. No the 100 is an investment into you,  and for us, shows individuals are prepared to take on a challenge with some degree of commitment to the project, you see saying something is one thing, but actually doing is a completely different thing, hence why most people will bow out for a whole load of reasons before this point. The 100 does have the tendency to separate the final group dramatically, so what we are left with are people who a 100% committed to success. Even then Nick will attempt to dissuade them from participating. It might sound strange, but remember we are not interested in distilling the essence of success, that is well known,  it's the essence of the negative behaviour of scepticism that we are looking to take out of the equation, what holds people back not what takes them forward. That is definitely a hard job with no guarantee of results, an adventure if you like, and like all adventures you don't know exactly where your going till you get there, it's all about faith. 

With regard to up to 75% of the profit, this means in some aspects of what you do during this program, there will be a financial reward that indeed will provide you with a varying return for your effort and the application of the skills you will learn. Remember, the design of this is to provide you with a method to go from one hundred to one million, but you may reject that method, it's up to YOU. The most important aspect of that statement is YOU, you will have responsibility for your choices as you do now, one way is out and one way is to continue. No choice we will give you will ever be easy, and the ramifications will be potentially immense for you, although you can't really miss what you didn't have in the first place.

Let me know if you want to continue, as this will require some self questioning on your part and a deep resolve to go for it, whatever.

Kind regards


Brett.


And the bird from the brush:

Hi Brett,

Thanks for your long email.

To be honest, it is not the lack of resolve or being ramdomly skeptical that is holding me back. Mind you i am already a very successful music exec. And over the last two weeks that i have been trying to become an Actor already got a part in a feature film and 3 calls for appearances on channel 4 and BB3......

So i have the motivation and resolve.....but life has also taught me to look out for people who could be wasting my time or have motives not aligned with mine.

This is to say that i am a natural winner in this life but for some reason, there is something that makes me not trust this project of yours. If i did...trust me i would be 100% in. I spoke to a few others from the meetings and this was also their feeling!

The long narratives, the emphasis on greed, and the very little specific information about the project, is making people bored and afraid this could be yet another clever scheme or con!

I really dont mean to offend you, and i am the first to apologise in advance. But given that you were so quick to draw conclusions about why people did not continue...i thought it was important to pass on the actual reasons i heard from 4 different people.

I love the idea, i love the challenge, i love the potential but my gut feeling is telling me that there is sth off.....

Sorry...

I wish you all the best!

Jorge

Now if we are going to analyse this and you want to find the subtext of every line take a course with me and I will explain. You see the first email he sent was a tip of the iceberg, there's something damaging beneath the surface email. Some thing's you want to keep under the surface and don't go exploring, but both my success and undermining behavioural patterns are the tendency to over analyse(one reason people contracted me to solve problems) but not so good in some instances as sleeping dogs and all that.

So here was my problem 5 people had managed to neg each other out and usually that stems from a source, bering apologies, fairness and good tidings.

Our response:

Hi Jorge,

No need to apologise, this is exactly the kind of feedback we want to hear, the main problem is so many people are afraid to say what they really think, for fear of offending. Most of what you expressed is about feelings, especially fear, and how others regarded the subject. It's amazing how exactly the same series of experiences can evoke diametrically opposed reactions. 50% completely positive and 50% completely negative of the final group. You were the only one who was potentially in that no mans land of a middle ground, although I'm not so sure you were in the middle, it would be interesting to ask if you had communicated with any of the positive ones, or had any influence with the negative ones.

This is a research annylsis for us to asertain the information we require, therefor please appreciate the process we undertake is orchestrated by us, and those who wish to respond are fully aware from the outset as you were that this is for us an explorative journey of our making and direction, (not the applicants), however boring that may be, as with all such projects. 

I wish you luck and success with your future as it does indeed seem exiting, and for your own benefit look deeper, annalyse further, you will reap more rewards I assure you.

All the best and thanks for participating.

Brett.


Now please take note, the ultimate goal of this exercise is to achieve a million. Time is ticking and I need to keep moving. Many people will air on the side of caution and be rightly careful, but I would suggest for those of you who have the temptation to side with the gentleman and sympathise with his thinking, ask yourself what cost is a price worth paying. A number of people were influence though someone trying to find something bad. I've had this many times, so I'm no stranger to this, but the fall out for a negative approach is always expensive in time and money. Before you act always ask yourself is this going to hurt me or someone else, then live with the responsibility for your actions without blaming someone else. You see to take charge of YOUR world and influence YOUR world you have to accept responsibility for what happens in it. You can't have it both ways and that's way the law of attraction can be difficult to master.