But in the meantime……back to more important matters……….

Amer Abdallah is a Professional Kickboxer. And I’m driving his car.

Big deal? So what, you may be thinking? Well I think Amer’s story is pretty cool and it says volumes about what it takes to be successful and get things done.

At the end of last year I turned to Lease Trader for my next car. I needed a short term solution to a vehicle and had success in the past with picking up a lease from someone trying to get out of theirs. (You basically just pick up the payments – no gazillions down.)

I found a car and ended up in touch with Amer. Asked the usual questions about the vehicle and why he was trying to get out of the lease.

Amer was a professional Kickboxer. He was ranked #10 in the World. He wanted to be #1. Okay, I’ve heard that story before from so many people – yours truly included. I want to be the best, at the top, #1, the CEO, the President. 

Not knowing this guy at all I still really sensed in his tone he was serious. He wanted to be #1. 

He and his wife made a huge decision. He was going to be #1. 

They sold their athletic club and committed to spending 6 – 7 months working towards Amer’s dream. They were going to go to Dubai and Jordan for a few months to visit family and train for the championship. Then they would head to Las Vegas to train, train and train some more.

They put everything else in their life on hold, or in the case of my car, got rid of things that they didn’t need.

I admire people who take risks. I admire people who have the drive to do drop everything and get things done. I know I struggle with it at times. Heck, it was hard enough for me to make a decision not to send this newsletter last week because I needed to get some things done for two clients. 

I see projects get tossed by the side all the time. I see dreams cast away all the time. I come across people regularly who tell me they’re going to accomplish something yet they never do. They’re not ready or willing to make the ultimate sacrifice of letting some things go so other things can happen.

Is it fear? Is it uncertainty? Is it really just a dream and nothing more?

How many projects, dreams, goals, work ideas, initiatives, strategies, etc have you let go by because you really have not been willing to make the tough decisions? Be honest. No excuses.

When I went to pick up the car I got to spend about 20 minutes with Amer. We talked. He was trying to learn about me and I was trying to learn about him. It really was a showdown of who was going to make the conversation about the other – and not themselves. But it was clear, this humble guy wanted to be #1.

On the day California Chrome lost his bid for the triple crown, Amer Abdallah became the World Kickboxing Association International Champion.

I texted Amer and posted a congratulatory comment on my Facebook page asking him if my car now had more value. His response to me was the car increased in value when I stepped into it. That’s a 1st class champ in my book any day. It’s no wonder he’s now #1! 

But what about you……do you REALLY want to do something big – personally or professionally? Do you REALLY have it in you to make the tough decisions?

I hope so.

See ya in two weeks (hopefully)!

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