The only thing you can change about the situation is your attitude.
On today’s episode Russell talks about his crazy busy week and taking a moment between storms to get a haircut. He also shares a story from his wrestling days that taught him to have a positive attitude.
Here are some interesting things you’ll hear in this episode:
So listen below to find out why even if you can’t change your circumstances, changing your attitude will make it better.
---Transcript---
Hey everyone, this is Russell Brunson again. I hope you guys are doing awesome. I’m driving to go get my hair cut and this is kind of like the climax, well it’s the end when you slide down. Almost the end, I guess it’s not even though. Anyway, the end of a very crazy week. It’s now Friday. In about an hour we have Boise State does a really cool thing once a year called the Beauty and the Beast tournament. Where they have the wrestlers and the gymnasts all competing on the same floor. And it’s the one time of the year that people actually show up to wrestling matches, which is cool.
I convinced my wife and kids to come and some of my friends and all that kind of stuff, so we’re heading to that tonight. I competed in it for four years and it’s just a super fun thing to do. So I’m going to that tonight which is exciting. I’m getting my hair cut because this is the little calm, that’s what it is, it’s not the climax or apex, it’s the calm before the storm. Because for the second storm. There was a big storm first. This last week has been insane.
Let me explain to you, lest you think you had a busy week. Maybe it was busier than mine, but I’m game for comparing and seeing because this week was crazy. Monday we moved into a new office and then Tuesday I had to submit my book to the publishers, which sounds like you just email your book to the publisher. But no, you have to freaking write a book first and then edit it and edit it, change things, tweak things, and then you submit it and its final, can never change it’s the end. So you can never tweak it, ever. So that was stressful.
And then Steven Larsen, who is working with this even starting Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday called the FHAT Event. Funnel Hack A Thon, FHAT Event. We needed a manual for that, which the manual is based on the book. So he was home sick, puking in bed while he’s helping me create this whole manual. Bless him for doing that while he’s puking his guts out. Making the manual and puking and making the manual because we had these printing deadlines to get it done. So we’re racing on that, got that all figured out as good as we possibly could.
Now I’m going through getting my power point slides and then I walked into the conference room that we’re doing the conference, and the echo is so loud, it’s going to destroy all the films, it won’t even be good. So I’m freaking out there, so we have to go and I’m searching all night until 2 or 3 in the morning trying to find sound things you can put up to make echoes disappear. The only place I can find, the fastest I can get them here is 2 to 4 weeks. I’m not going to have them for Monday and I’m stressing out. Then Brandon Fisher on our team, he’s like, “I got a buddy who does events and stuff and he’s got these sound dampering curtains, we should use those.” So I’m like, “Alright.” So he comes and shows up and wraps our entire room in these huge curtains, throws these lights on them, brings a stage and a pulpit, and it becomes the coolest event center on planet earth.
And then they’re trying to rent us stuff, it will look so cool. I’m begging them to let me buy it all. I never want this to change ever because it’s so cool now. It turned into a good thing. I was stressing out about that. This whole week they’ve been working on that and getting the lighting and the systems and things, and I’m just trying to get my power points done. Then on top of that, there’s other business things, it’s been nuts.
So today I got my power points probably half way done for the event that starts on Monday. I’m just out today, going to get my haircut and then Beauty and the Beast and then tonight keep working on power points, I’m guessing if I’m going to get done in time, which is crazy. Steven had drill so he’s out driving to go do Army drill stuff, and he’s got to work on stuff for the presentation as well. So he’s going to be working on those tonight form the hotel and sending those to me.
And then, I didn’t realize, stupid me, that the Funnel Hack A Thon was the day after the Superbowl, so everyone that’s coming, we have 48 people that are coming. Everyone’s like, “Do you know it’s the Superbowl? Why did you book it on Superbowl Sunday?” I’m like, “I don’t watch the Superbowl.” And they’re like, “We need a party.” And I’m like, “Okay fine, we’ll throw a party.” So now I’m throwing a party at the office Sunday for the Superbowl, which means to get TV in the office, I say yes and then I’m like, “Okay we’re going to watch the Superbowl on this screen and they’re like, “that’s not easy, you have to have cable.” So now they’re scrambling to get cable in our office to be able to show the game.
And then, it’s just thing after thing. We had this nice fridge and we’ve stacked it full of waters and Redbulls and drinks and all sorts of stuff, and then the whole thing collapsed this fridge because the bolts weren’t strong enough and we had to buy new bolts and string them in to get the water to stay. It’s seriously been insane. I just wanted to thank, if anyone on my team is listening, everyone with everything that’s gone into this, because it’s been nuts. But somehow, not only are we surviving, it’s been fun and everyone’s happy. We’re excited and energy levels are really high.
It’s one of those things where maybe it’s me and I know people have ADD like me, the more things that are happening, the better we function. A lot of times if you have one thing going on, you stress out like crazy. So maybe it’s that and that’s why I’m enjoying it and thriving in this. Because there’s so much chaos I can’t not do it. But maybe it’s just a fact that just smiling, keep moving forward, maybe that’s the message for today is, if you keep moving forward, you can’t change anything. I can’t change the fact that the event is happening in two days. I made that decision and it was probably a dumb decision. Especially since we have Funnel Hacking Live two weeks later and I haven’t started on my presentations for that yet.
But besides the point of stupidly planning like I often do, things can’t change. You’re going to do it anyway. I think I’ve shared this story with you before. I had a wrestling coach named Mark James when I was growing up. I remember this one practice, it was tough. At the time I was cutting about 30 pounds a week, it was painful, horrible and hard. We’re all cutting weight and I remember one day after practice, I was dead. Imagine wrestling in plastics and sweats and not eating for three or four days and not drinking for three or four and just being to the point where you felt like you wished you could die.
And I remember we finished practice and he pulls us all into this, our wrestling room, we called it the rubber room. It was underneath the basketball court. It was dark and damp and stinky and it was kind of nasty. So he pulled us out of the rubber room into this hallway, that was again underneath the building. It was dark. And he sat on the stairs and we all sat around and talked. And I remember him saying, “You know what, we have a match and you have to lose weight.” And he’s telling everyone this, and he’s like, “You can’t change that, the only thing you can change is your attitude about it. You’re going to miserable going through this experience or you can be happy going through this experience, but you can’t change it. The experience is happening.”
“The only thing we can effect is the attitude we have going through it. So you might as well have a good attitude, because you’re going to do it anyway.” And it really, I was like, “Dang.” So I remember the next day I came down and I put on my plastics and sweats on and came out and started jumping ropes. And I started smiling.
And one of the other guys on my team came down and was like, “Why are you smiling?” And I was like, “Have you ever seen someone lose with a smile on their face?” and he was like, “No.” And I’m like, “Neither have I.” and I kept smiling. And then I smiled the whole practice while I was cutting weight, I smiled while I was doing it. And it was weird because this process that legitimately painful. If you’ve ever tried to not drink for three days while sucking water weight out in plastic suits. Where you’re losing, on average, 25 to 30 pounds a week in water weight. That’s painful. That’s probably some of the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. But I did it with a smile on my face and it became a thing, and it became fun and it became a part of the experience I actually enjoyed.
In fact, tonight going to the wrestling match, I can feel myself right now, feeling guilty. I always feel guilty sitting there drinking something. I shouldn’t be watching wrestling with liquid. This is a really awkward feeling, you know what I mean? But that’s the reality. I’m not wrestling, I’m not competing so I can. Take that wrestlers that are cutting weight. But going through the experience, it became fun.
So I think for you guys, there’s a lot of stress out there, I get it. But as you approach it, do it with a smile on your face. Because you can’t lose with a smile on your face. No one can, it’s impossible. So you might as well smile as you go through it. Remember, you’re going to go through it anyway, so the only thing you can change is your attitude, so have a good attitude and make it more fun and pleasant for you and for everyone.
So that’s what I got today you guys. I’m here, getting my haircut, my head will shrink by about half, which is a good sign. Because I got a huge fat head, if you’ve ever noticed. I can’t wear hats, because my head is so…….if you guys remember the movie so I married an Axe Murderer. And that kid’s sitting in front of the TV with his dad, Michael Meyers. He’s like, “Hey, get out of the way. Man, did you see that kid’s head? It’s like an orange on a toothpick.” That’s totally how I am right now. So if you’re envisioning what I look like, I got an orange on a toothpick, so they’re going to shave this thing down to be normal size, which I’m really looking forward to.
Alright guys, before I tell you anymore random weird things about me, I’m going to leave. I appreciate you all, have an amazing day. Keep a smile on, and remember you can only change your attitude. Thanks everybody, talk to you soon.
Ps…Don’t forget, you’re just one funnel away, thanks everybody.