If you think back on the story of Moses from your Sunday School days (or maybe you just heard about it), Moses turns out to be a pretty important guy in Jewish and Christian history. He's right up there at the top!



If we were talking about successful entrepreneurs, he's hanging out with Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Warren Buffet (investor wise), Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, or whoever else your favorite tycoon might be. I mean, he parted the Red Sea for crying out loud. Let's give him some credit!

So realizing that Moses was a super-star in history, we can also apply the same to the lead player in our Christmas story; Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, no matter which way your thoughts run, was probably the most influential icon in this history that we humans know.

I mean, if you think about it, the entire western civilization's dating system is based on the life of him as a historic icon. We are in the year 2007. When you get official certificates and the rest of that phrase is read to you, it's "...in the year of our lord, 2007." (i.e. 2007 Anno Domini, or within this epoch, or this era of time marked by an event; marked by the life of Jesus as recorded in the Christian New Testament.)

So, let me ask you something:

If Moses, the man who freed his people from an empire, much larger than him, that dominated the Red Sea region, and Jesus, the person of which it is recorded that the ground shook upon his death, were rejected by their "warm markets", how on earth do you think the odds are stacked in your favor?!

Wow! Are you kidding me?

Moses left his hometown after screwing up when his calling was revealed. As recorded in the texts, from the beginning, he didn't even want to go! He had the same impression of himself (and this is an important notion!) that his "warm market," his friends and family, had of him. (read that again.)

He called himself ineloquent and asked to have someone else sent to do the mission that was given to him. He was working for his father in law, tending his flock, when the mission was presented to him. You think his friends and family saw a man that was going to lead the greatest exodus recorded in history?

Jesus started his career at 37. At least, that's when people cared to start recording it. Let me tell you, it picked up quick! Here's the abbreviated version: Jesus runs into a man named John who was dunking people in the water to purify them. John sees Jesus approaching and goes burzurk! "This here is the Son of God!" he yells (in one way or another....and what a wake up call for a 37 year old). John baptizes Jesus and Jesus, with this tremendous newsflash, wanders off to the desert, or wilderness, for 40 days for some "me-time." I think I would too. That's some big news to be told, and then dunked in a cold river.

For 40 days he did soul searching in his wilderness and, through whatever happened in there (you're welcome to do your own reading), he comes out stoked! He's ready to roll; a man with a mission! On top of that, he's had a 40 day PR campaign running about him; a fur-covered, burley guy named John who's been running around dunking people in water and telling everyone that the savior had come and he was right there! Jesus was pumped and John was pumped.

Sounds like the perfect equation, right?

You have a PR campaign that is preparing the masses, they're excited and curious, and you, yourself, just went through 40 days of motivational, soul searching, boot-camp! You can't be any more prepared than that!

Jesus rolls into Galilee and the crowd loves him! His career is off to an explosive start! Let's take this to the warm market, right? That's what your sponsors tell you to do. Why not? You're excited. That's what you sister who picked up the great Avon product did when she knocked on your door with a weird smile.

Not so good.

Jesus walked into Nazareth, his home town, pumped up and fully aware of his mission. He gives the same message that Galilee just ate up with fork and knife, and he rolls in with the same confidence!

There might as well been 47 record players around that synagogue that all scratched and stopped at the same time.

Sure the people might have recognized that he was saying something mildly profound, but all they could wonder was, "Hey, isn't that the son of Joseph?" Isn't that the carpenter's son? (i.e. that cute boy we all knew, that should be learning how to be a carpenter.) They couldn't get over their own mind-warps.

Right there, Jesus recognized the phenomenon and even put it to words, "I tell you the truth," He said, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown." It's a tangible truth. Just try to sell your brother the "greatest" opportunity of all time.

Am I trying to be a heretic?

No. Am I trying to make light of the lives of two really important icons? Certainly not. I love history of all kinds and embrace their lessons! Am I saying that we're all prophets? Not so much. But you know what?

We all have a mission.

We all have a mission! The good majority of us all really want to do good with what we're offering. We've all been pumped up at some point. And we've all gotten the same reaction from our "warm markets," our home town, our friends a family. It's just how it is. Throw that notion out of the window! It will do nothing but destroy your morale and frustrate you.

It's not their fault.

It's really just human nature. If any blame is to be placed, it really should go on you for refusing to look past the ones you love and know, on to real customers; customers looking for your product.

Your "warm market" loves you and knows you because of who you've been to them. Has anyone loved the salesman who intruded on your doorstep or been thrilled by that cold call that interrupted dinner? No! ...and now you're becoming one of those things that everybody hates. You're like the insider that turned. That's even worse!

Throw that concept out the window!

You have to realize that to them, you will always be little Johnny who threw your bike at the neighbor's dog because you fell off of it, or silly Susan who kept chasing after that guy who was too old or no good for her. You threw up in your friend's car that one night, you broke your arm when you drove your buddy's dad's four-wheeler into the tree, you cried when you were stung by a wasp, and you wanted to be a dolphin trainer all your life....and then a horse wrangler, a rodeo clown, a lawyer, a fire fighter, a CSI tech, an anthropologist, and a small business owner (all in that same order, maybe!).

The point is, to them, you will always be who they remember. And, honestly, you've got to be someone different to achieve in this industry. If Jesus changed water into wine, and then walked on it, and his friends and family still didn't quite listen to what he had to say, you better have something that turns this globe into a peach! ...and then it wouldn't matter anyway.

You want to get your warm market?

If you want to share this with your friends and family, or if you want to sell it to everyone you know, let them come to you. Stop every bit of pursuit that you're making toward them. If you pursue, they will run (this applies to anything in life!). Be successful and then just listen to your brother ask you, curious, "Hey man, what's up? Is that a new car? How the heck did you do that?"

Then, and only then, are you going to have them listen! ...and you know what? It's still going to be difficult! They will never be easier than someone that you don't know. Which is ironic because so many people are scared to talk to strangers when in reality you're at best odds with them. Plus, if they say no, you never have to see that stranger again! If your mother says no, you have to see her this coming Thanksgiving. It feels a little awkward.

Save yourself the heartache and leave your "warm-market" alone.

Make yourself a useful entity to society, increase the value of your worth in this world and people will naturally start coming to you! One of them may even be your brother emailing you without realizing that he's emailing you. Now fast-forward for a moment in your emotions and tell yourself how that feels.

So how do I do it?

Well, the best thing you can ever do is sign up and get rolling with the right team. You jump in with people who know what they're doing and before you know it, you know what you're doing!

Basketball?

I'm not a very strong asset to basket ball teams. I can play some defense, and if there's not too much heat on me, I can make 2 points. But I know, I'm confident, that if I get on a great team, we're going to win! It's that simple. And what's even crazier is that 6 months later, playing on that killer team, I'm a better basketball player! Maybe I go to another team, and they think I'm their most valuable asset!

Play with a good team. If you're ready to hit the ground running with your new business, if you're ready to learn and implement the skills you need to have people flock to you, if you're ready to really do it and not just think about it, go out and join a winning team. Find one today!

In Summary.

Learn from the icons of our past. Going to the "warm market" is often defaulted to as the easy way. It may seem a little more comfortable in the beginning but, in the long run, it's destined for awkwardness and isolating avoaidance. It's just not pretty. Don't be that guy.

Start small and learn to reach out to strangers. Start with your local coffee shop. Make your morning greeting a little more deliberate, with a bigger smile, and hold the eye contact until the entire message is delivered. Start saying "Hi, excuse me" or "Good Morning, Pardon me" to people you come within two feet of, and genuinely start listening to what people have to say. Add something of benefit to their conversation!

You start small like that and before you know it, you're that guy that everyone enjoys seeing walk through the door!

Take care all,

Chad.