“I believe that life is there for the taking. So many times situations present themselves and we dismiss it as a coincidence as opposed to realizing this could change our entire life trajectory forever. I was told to reach out to a gentleman named Jack Daly. If you don’t know Jack, I highly encourage you to look him up.
This guy is a mover and a shaker. I reached out to Jack via LinkedIn and convinced him to have dinner with me. He agreed to do so and as we started having some small talk conversations, Jack said, ‘Shay, shoot me straight. Why are we here tonight? What is your end goal?’ If you know Jack, you can appreciate his tenacity.
His intensity just pierces right through you, it’s almost like he can just see your inner soul. I said, ‘Jack honestly, my CEO was hoping that you would talk me out of what I’ve already done. I’ve quit my sales job to pursue a leadership one.’ As I started sharing with Jack what I’ve done, what I want to do in life, he said, ‘Shay, I get it.
You’ve mastered sales and you’re ready for the next big challenge. You and I are no different. I’m the same way, but the bigger question I have for you is, when are you writing your book?’ I said, ‘What? Jack, are you kidding me? Did you not hear me? I’m a father of five under 13, I travel every week for work, I train 15 hours a week to compete in Iron Man.
I can’t possibly fathom how I can squeeze in writing a book amongst all that, nor am I willing to give up anything right now to make that happen.’ He said, ‘Shay, all those things you’re telling yourself, those are excuses. I’ve written three bestsellers, I travel every week for work, I also compete in Iron Mans, oh and by the way, I’ve done 95 marathons on all seven continents.
He said, ‘Listen, I’m going to introduce you to the CEO of Advantage|ForbesBooks when I leave this dinner. Here’s how much it’s going to cost you and in eight months, not only are you going to have a book but you are going to have a bestseller.
I’m convinced that your story is going to change people’s lives. The key is, are you willing to step up to the plate, quit making excuses and do something about it?’ It really hit home. I’m always priding myself on making no excuses and I realized Jack was right. I needed to pursue this and see where this led.
Fast forward eight months, the book is done.
Shortly after, it’s a bestseller and my life has never been the same. My speaking fee has quadrupled, my demand has gone through the roof. I have had ten times the amount of speaking requests that I did prior to having the book out.
Honestly, the biggest satisfaction from all this was just knowing the amount of lives I’ve touched by sharing my journey. I believe we all have a story, but too many of us never share this story. We take the story to our grave. I took 38 years of suffering and put it into one book and shared with everyone what I went through because I believe all of us can not only survive we can thrive.
It’s been a game changer. Besides my kids being super excited, they’ve passed out the book to all their teachers. At Christmas this year, one of our friends’, 12-year-old daughters asked for the book for a Christmas gift.
It’s moments like that when you know you’ve done the right thing. I’m so thankful that I didn’t sit here and debate and talk myself out of doing this. I’m thankful that Jack pushed me to do what needed to be done.
I’m equally thankful that the team at Advantage has the experience and the knowledge to give me a professional product so I can share my story. I highly encourage you to take this step. I promise you, you will never look back. Partner up with Advantage today! “
