Typically a godfather is a male godparent in the Christian tradition or a man arranged to be the legal guardian of a child in case the parents die before adulthood.
As much as I love Christian traditions, today I wanted to introduce you to my business Godfather.
The man that is responsible for you receiving this email.
Without him, my business wouldn’t exist.
Get Lean In 12 wouldn’t exist.
And all my best selling products wouldn’t exist.
And I would still be living out of the trunk of my beat up old Chevy Cavalier trying to figure out how to put food on the table.
So THIS was basically my house before I met the Godfather.
This was obviously a VERY trying time in my life. And no matter how hard I worked day after day, I couldn’t understand WHY so many bad things were happening to
me.
My family and friends told me that I needed to quit chasing my pipe dream and get a “real” j-o-b.
Now don’t get me wrong here…
I know they all had great intentions.
Their advice was heart felt and came from a place of love.
But in hindsight this was the best thing that has EVER happened to me.
WHY?
Because God has a purpose behind every problem and he was preparing me and developing my character for something bigger and better.
He was preparing me for the Godfather.
So who is this mysterious man?
My amazing coach and mentor, Craig Ballantyne.
You see, EVERY time I wanted to give up and quit…
EVERY time I thought there was no hope…
EVERY time I couldn’t pay the bills…
Craig was there to give me hope, show me the light, and push me through my adversities.
So here are 7 life lessons from the Godfather than have transformed my life.
1: Gratitude and appreciation.
Believe it or not, gratitude is the closest thing to a ‘magic pill’ you can take.
In fact, a 2003 study found that a daily gratitude journal led to an increased sense of well-being, better sleep, more willingness to accept change, and even helped lower symptoms of pain.
Craig taught me to use a daily gratitude journal and to always be appreciative of the folks in my life that have been there for me.
And it’s paid me back huge dividends.
Remember, 2/3 of the world woke up today not knowing where their next meal is coming from, no running water, or a toilet to flush.
Just being able to read this email is a luxury that should make you feel grateful and blessed.
2: Add value to the world and solve problems for others.
Craig is a problem solver and a value adder, which is one of the many reasons he’s achieved massive success and earned the nickname, The Godfather.
He’s inspired me to do the same and the payoff has changed my life in ways I could never imagine.
Thanks to this advice I’m now a 3 time best-selling nutrition author and one of the most sought after copywriters in our industry.
3: Help others succeed.
Call it the Law of Giver’s Gain.
Call it whatever you want.
But the more you help others succeed, the more success you’ll have in return.
It’s just how the world is wired. What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.
If you do good…you’ll get good in return.
If you do bad…you’ll get bad in return.
Plain and simple.
4: Value your time.
Listen, I know it’s not “sexy” or fun, but time management is critical to happiness and success.
Set deadlines. Create rewards. Do whatever it takes to guard and protect your time.
If you don’t manage it — somebody else will.
And they’ll suck energy out of your life like a vampire if you let them.
Remember, compared to eternity we’re only here for a blink of an eye.
Time is your most precious commodity.
5: Hard work always, always, always pays off.
Most people aren’t prepared for what it takes to be successful because it’s dressed up in work boots, requires a sacrifice, and delayed gratification.
But if you’re willing to consistently work HARD, your breakthrough WILL arrive. I promise.
You just have to be patient enough to know, whether it’s your body, your health, your relationships, or even your finances…
Your hard work will eventually pay off.
Craig is living proof, and so am I.
6: Seek and mind a mentor or coach.
There are two different ways we grow, learn lessons, and acquire wisdom in our lives.
The mistakes we make….or the mentors and leaders we choose to follow.
I know first hand from real life experiences and regrets – following a mentor is MUCH less painful than making a bunch of unnecessary stupid mistakes.
Whether it’s your health, your career, your family, or even your spirituality we all need positive role models to follow and mimic.
Mentors make the difference between poor health vs. great health, pain vs. pleasure, loss vs. gain, deterioration vs. restoration.
But remember, your mentor will never be your buddy or one of your best friends.
-My best friends love me the way I am. They are comfortable with my past and my present.
-Craig is only concerned with brightening my future.
-My best friends tend to ignore my weaknesses.
-Craig helps me REMOVE my weaknesses.
-My best friends are many times my cheerleaders… and this is a good thing, but…
-Craig is my accountability coach. And that’s WAY more important.
-My best friends usually focus on everything I do right.
-Although Craig is very supportive of my successes, he also identifies what I’m doing wrong, then corrects and encourages me.
THIS is how we grow and learn.
THIS is how we make faster progress.
THIS is how we maximize our full potential on this earth.
Additionally, we’ll have fewer regrets in life.
Plus Craig has helped me “see” things I simply cannot
see.
And this has helped me prevent a thousand headaches, avoid dozens of mistakes and save me from a LOT of unnecessary pain and suffering.
7: Surround yourself with positive and successful people.
Last, but definitely not least, Craig has taught me how to surround myself with positive and successful people.
After all, you become who you hang out with.
If you hang out with big fat losers…you’ll eventually end up being a big fat loser.
But if you consciously surround yourself with positive and successful people…
You’ll end up being positive and successful too.
This picture below is the ultimate example.
Here I am this past weekend at Joel Marion’s Super Bowl Party
in St. Petersburg, Florida spending quality time with the Godfather
(front and center-arms crossed) and my best friends in the world:
My business partners Ryan Colby (far left), Dan “Kill Mode”
Long, and Nick “The Nutrition Nerd” Pineault.
Thanks to Craig, we are all changing the world one life at
time.
In closing, I’d like to publicly praise and thank Craig for changing my life in ways I could never imagine.
Without you coach, I’d still be struggling and still living out of the trunk of that old beat up Cavalier.
I thank God everyday for bringing you, the Godfather, into my life.
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What about YOU?
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Do you have a coach?
Do you have a mentor?
Do YOU have a Godfather in your life?
‘Till Tomorrow,
Shaun
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