A Man on a Mission

One of the philosophies I subscribe to most in my life is the one that says that a man with a true vision is powerful beyond measure. Today I saw a man with this kind of clarity...and consequentially, this kind of power.

This blog post will be short but concise. The focus of today's blog is a simple concept, yet it may very well be the most important ingredient we can find in making our visions real...in making our lives incredible for our families.

I was fortunate enough to spend the morning with a pretty interesting guy. He's one of three partners at a very successful business in our industry. He's been in the business for twenty years, he knows everybody, and is very well respected. He knows the deal, he gets it. This man has been successful for quite a long time, really, by comparison to most folks. Many people have gotten to the top, just to come crashing back down, for whatever reason. This particular guy has been consistent.

But, over the past three or four years, like everyone else in our industry, he's been hit pretty hard by these economic challenges. He was heavily invested in the new construction side of our industry, like 80% of his business came from residential new home building. That business disappeared almost overnight. His business was not only in jeapordy, his survival was at stake. He was forced to break into the remodeling side of the business. Remodeling is a different animal than new construction. Shifting gears was not going to happen with just a flick of the switch. He didn't have the luxury of time. He was forced to figure it out....now.

Long story short, he sold his team on the benefits of switching gears and that's what they did. His entire sales group and service team made the necessary adjustments, but not without some pain, of course. But, in the end, they were able to pick up enough remodel business to keep the doors open and keep just about everybody on board. I believe only three or four people were let go, out of a team of 40 or so.

He made it...a good thing. But, looking back, he was only able to pay himself about half of what he was making in the new construction hay day. Yes, he had survived. But, he was still hurting personally. This was as of last year.

Today is a different story. The guy is a man on a mission. He's not thinking survival anymore. He's got drive in his eyes, you can tell his demeanor is beyond just making ends meet. So, today I got a chance to hear his story, and ask him what the difference is between today and last year, when we were having the conversation about him staying alive. I wasn't expecting the answer I received. In fact, I never would have guessed it...what he told me was the biggest factor in his turnaround.

I'd asked him..."what gives? What's lit this fire inside?" He answered..."You really wanna know? Cuz I could tell ya, but it's gonna seem nuts, Greg". I insisted he lay it on me. He walks over to the couch in his office, picks up a blue print off the back, walks it over to me and drops it in my lap. I glanced, thinking...he's building himself his dream home. No doubt, I knew before he even said a word. Right? Wrong.

He told me it was a facility he was donating to his former high school. For the next 45 minutes, he outlined this brand new football suite/locker room he was building for his old high school. He went through every single detail of the plans with me, describing the lockers and how the kids were going to be able to watch film together, using this high-tech system, sitting in a specific type of high-end chair. He talked about the bathroom, and how the plumber had brought up this new technology for the showers and how they are going to conserve water. He showed me online what the exterior was going to be built with, using this specially coated cinder block that could be done in the brightest of orange and a crisp black, and how they were raising money by selling the blocks for people to have their names engraved.

When he spoke of this deal, he lit up like a Christmas Tree. He has so much passion and love for this project that I could actually see it in his eyes. The whole project is costing $650,000 and he's committed to getting it done. No doubts, no what ifs, no maybe's. He is doing it, no matter what it means.

This is what's driving him these days. His enthusiasm has spread within his team, and they're on pace to destroy the numbers he's projecting for 2010. In fact, they may very well get back to the sales volume they had prior to the bubble bursting in 2006/2007. He'll most likely double his income this year, and it didn't come from just setting a financial goal for himself. It's not coming from hanging a picture of an Astin Martin on his bathroom mirror. It's coming from the heart, from the feeling he's getting from contributing to someone else's life.

Inspiration comes to us when we are working towards or for something bigger than us, bigger than our own desires. Contribution is the only way to fulfillment, I'm convinced of this. I've made a ton of money this past year, and it didn't feel half as good as when I gave ISU a big donation. That feeling surpassed the money in the bank accounts.

We've got to get out of ourselves...whatever that means. I know exactly what I mean when I write that, but it may not make sense to you. But, it's critical. There are so many worthwhile causes out there, that we can contribute to. Doesn't matter what that project is. But, when we give all that we have of ourselves toward something that's going to change somebody's life, without any expectation of getting anything in return, we feel fulfilled.

Whatever it is for you, find it. Go out and explore opportunities to give. It'll change your life, forever.

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