This is the story of how I overcame my fear of success and embraced the abundance I wanted and deserved. It’s also how I began to understand the importance of mentors who take us under their wing and guide us towards our goals.
“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” ~ Sir Isaac Newton
It was early June in Chicago and even deep inside of the Delta lounge at O’Hare the humidity had managed to slither inside and make the leather chairs sticky with sweat. Sitting across from me was Dr. Jeanette Cates, a legend in the world of online marketing and someone I had admired for two full years before meeting her in person.
She and I had first connected the day after the Big Seminar in Atlanta. This was a semi-annual event hosted by Armand Morin, a brilliant man who had been an influencer on the internet since he came of age back in the early 1990s. After three months as a door to door vacuum cleaner salesman he had taken a lateral arabesque into the online world and made his mark very quickly.
I knew of the Big Seminar for several years before I attended. It was almost folk lore to those of us who had heard about people making money online and wanted to see for ourselves if this tale was the truth. I had read about it on the blogs of those already anointed with the internet marketing Midas touch.
Then I attended a personal development “Warrior Camp” for three days in the middle of the desert in California and came across a man wearing a navy blue shirt with white block letters across the front that read I’ve Been to Big Seminar. I stopped him on the path leading up the hill to our Swiss tree house event and said “I know what that is. I’m going to the Big Seminar next time. Without looking up he answered “Big Seminar.” Later I came to find out their was no the associated with Big Seminar.
It took lots of effort in terms of being able to purchase the ticket for two thousand dollars and book a flight (I had zero frequent flier miles at that time) and a roommate (it was a woman I knew from the internet) but I made it to Big Seminar on the evening of April x, 2008 and knew it was both an accomplishment and a turning point in my life.
The three days passed quickly and my life would never be the same. After lunch on the third day Armand came out on stage and told us about his AM2 mentoring program. Right then and there I vowed to call my own program mentoring instead of coaching because I now understood the difference. I was one of the first to run-walk to the back of the room to sign up for AM2. It was $499 a month or five thousand a year. I told the lady wearing the “I’m AM2, are You?” shirt I wanted monthly and vowed to change that to annual before the end of the year.
For some reason I do not remember, my flight from Atlanta back to Los Angeles would not leave until Monday afternoon. This allowed me to join my new group in a special conference room until two o’clock before leaving for the airport. I carefully added my scuffed up luggage, borrowed from a friend, to the area in the back of the room. Then I was escorted to an empty seat by a woman I later found out was Armand’s wife, Marianna. Waiting for me was a new journal and a pen. I sat down to get my bearings before getting up again to mingle and introduce myself.
Even though I’m an introvert and my confidence was at an all time low back then it was comfortable for me to talk to a few people. I know now that the energy in that room was vibrating at a frequency that worked for me. I spoke with three or four people, moving closer to the front of the room with each handshake. Then I spotted her…
Sitting at a small table at the very front of the conference room was a woman I recognized from the internet. Her reputation preceded her and there she was in the flesh. I approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt her. When I got within striking distance I realized she was going to be a presenter for our meeting. I almost stumbled as I took the last step and caught myself before I fell on my face.
“Are you Jeanette Cates, I mean Dr. Jeanette Cates, the ‘Technology Tamer’?”
I couldn’t believe it was her but I knew that it was. Even without her trademark safari hat and glasses it still had to be her. I was starstruck as she looked up at me and smiled.
“Yes, I am. What’s your name?”
Dr. Jeanette Cates, the “Technology Tamer” was talking to me! Luckily, I remembered my name and got it out without skipping a beat. Just then the meeting began and she whispered, “We’ll catch up later.”
That first Monday in April of 2008 was the first day of the rest of my life and I was fully aware of that by the time I had to leave for the airport. I fell asleep on the flight and dreamed about a glorious future as an online entrepreneur.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Two Months Passed and Now it Was On to Chicago…
The AM2 group met quarterly in a different city each time so that it was always convenient for some people in our group. My first meeting was in Chicago at the beginning of June and I had no idea what to expect. We had to sign a disclosure statement before we went inside so I’m unable to share any details with you here, but I will say that these five days with Armand and my Mastermind group exceeded my expectations in a major way. And on one of the days Armand ordered a “party bus” to take us to a White Sox baseball game!
Now here we were at the airport. Jeanette flew regularly and invited me to join her in the Delta lounge. I followed close behind her and waited for her to lead the way. There was food and various types of entertainment available and I felt like I was in a movie or a dream because it was all so foreign to me. I just knew I liked it and could easily get used to this lifestyle.
When Jeanette asked me about our week together I led with complaints about the cost of the hotel room and the flight. She stopped me at some point and said, “Then just earn more money.” I didn’t have a comeback for that and changed the subject. As we talked some more about what I had experienced in this first Mastermind I thought about what she had said about earning more money and asked her to elaborate.
This led to a discussion of multiple streams of income and how I could begin adding products, courses, a membership site, and affiliate offerings to what I was doing online. Within a few minutes I could see it all in my mind. I just had to take action and put everything into place.
Then she asked me if I would be attending two events in Austin the following month. I knew better than to say it would be too expensive for me so instead I told her the truth, that I didn’t own enough underwear to be gone from home for almost two weeks. Her reply shocked me, yet it made complete sense.
“Then buy more underwear!”
On that day Jeanette became a mentor to me, even though we never discussed it and it was an informal arrangement. Before that summer was through she invited me to become a joint venture partner with her to teach a new course that would be called “Dotcom Jump Start” and I agreed before she could come to her senses and change her mind.
I finally figured out that Jeanette, with her doctorate in instructional design and years of experience as a corporate trainer and information product creator loved the process of coming up with and creating new courses and programs, but did not enjoy and had little interest in marketing them. I was a “marketing madwoman” in training and welcomed the opportunity to stretch those muscles in real time. Together we were a force to be reckoned with and began to make a name for ourselves with everything we did. We also had the Midas touch when it came to making money with what he had to offer to new online entrepreneurs.
Okay, so I was finally starting to get it. By staying in the “lack” mindset I had become so accustomed to I was leaving myself wide open for a life unfulfilled. My confidence was at stake here and I was ready to step into my power. We talked a little longer and watch the end of an old movie on one of the big screen televisions while wearing wireless headsets and sipping fresh squeezed lemonade at our table.
Jeanette’s flight left soon after and while I was still in the lounge mine was cancelled. I started to get upset and then decided to shift my focus to more positive things. Jeanette’s words rang in my ears and I could almost hear her telling me to think positive and look on the bright side.
When I went to the Delta counter to see what arrangements could be made for my return to Los Angeles the lady at the counter greeted me with a huge smile.
“It looks like this is your lucky day, Ms. Green,” she gushed as I wearily placed my suitcase on the floor. What was she talking about?
My flight had been cancelled and three of us needed to be booked on the next available flight to Los Angeles. The plane had arrived and there happened to be three empty seats…all in the first class cabin. In addition, I would receive a voucher for two hundred dollars on a subsequent flight for my inconvenience.
As I flew home that evening, resting my head on the little pillow they had given me and choosing the dinner I would be served, I thought about Jeanette and the impact her words had made on me that afternoon. Yes, I would earn more money and I couldn’t wait to go shopping to buy more underwear.
I’m Connie Ragen Green, learning more about myself and my life every day and realizing that having an abundance mindset makes a difference. Please join me and allow me to guide you on your journey to creating the life you want and deserve.
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