Wall of Honor

In my home office, I place a special group of people on my wall. Each day I walk past and pay them homage. With a brief glance or stare I continue to my desk and nod. The nod is more of a bow of the head as if I were genuflecting to what each person of the group represents. This group does something no caffeinated or energy drink could ever do. It lights a fire in me to focus and prove each one of those motherf*ckers wrong.

Some people would call this negative motivation or even a “hit list”. Not a “hit list” as in taking a life. I’m too damn sophisticated and refined to stoop that low. This is a list of people who never gave me the time of day. When I wanted their business and worked my ass of to get it, they said “no”. There are potential partners on projects who decided in the end to bypass me and go direct. They even used the phrase “probationary period” as if were a luxury to do business with them.

These people are not on a “hit list”. Their emails and statements made my … “Wall of Honor”. The Wall of Honor motivates me more than any David Goggins pep talk or an Andy Frisella podcast. When I walk past these pieces of paper, they take me back to the day it happened. When I think back at circumstances surrounding the statement/email they were probably right in the moment. However, reflecting on those moments give me the ammo to work harder each day to not relive it in real time again.

Has anyone said “no” to you? Have you ever asked out a person of the opposite sex to dinner and only hear them say no?

Of course you have and if you said no, you’re a liar. It sucks when you hear that word. It can sting so bad that it could destroy your confidence. Not for me. This how my fire is stoked daily. One that reminds me of the things I have gone through to get where I am at. This motivates me to grow and to make the next call. To keep going and never give up.

One day, someone will come into my office and see their email on my wall. They will remember what happened and apologize. I will stop them and thank them for doing what they did in that moment. It pushed me harder than if they said yes and I failed them. These people didn’t do any wrong. They did what they needed to do in the moment for their business. I’m not angry about that. It made me better.