Trust Yourself – Success is Waiting! Noah St John Feat. Jeff Lerner

We all think we're gonna live forever. We're not. The clock is ticking on all of us. When are you gonna believe in yourself? When are you gonna stop listening to this head trash that says, I can't do it? When are you gonna take that action, whatever it is? Because if you're waiting for yourself to be not afraid, it'll never happen. There's always fear. Every step is fear, but everything you want is on the other side of that fear. So take that step that you're afraid of and miraculous things can happen. The way that I've been teaching this for 20 years Is that head trash is the voice in your head that says, I can't do it because... right? And then you just fill in the blank, right? Well, Noah, you don't understand because I can't— oh, but I want to do it. So let's just talk to the people who, let's just say, want to start their business, right? Maybe they're in a job right now and they're, you know, kind of looking over the precipice and going, ah, it's scary. Yes, of course it's scary, right? So they say, well, Noah, I want to start my business, but I can't do it because... right? And then of course, you fill in the blank, right? With whatever your Excuse or your reason is well, it's not the right time. I don't have the money. I don't have the connections. I don't have enough. You know, the timing isn't right. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Now all of those have you will always be right, right? In other words, the timing's never right, and you never have enough money, and you you know you never have enough connections or enough anything, right? And so you can always make yourself right, and that's what we do. We humans, I mean, we humans. have an infinite capacity to make ourselves right. So if you're telling— and so now let's talk to the entrepreneurs who are in business, but they want to, you know, they want to grow or scale their business. Oh, well, yeah, but it's not really the right time because, you know, we just got through the pandemic and, you know, we got to shut things down. We got to close down a little bit or we got to look at our budget and it's not the right time. Notice the excuses are all the same. They're always the same excuses, right? My wife won't let me do it. That's another famous one. Yeah.

I mean, I can tell you from having worked with you know, some of the best live event consultants in the world, the people who do like Tony Robbins events and Dean Graziosi events and Russell Brunson's events. And they always say there are only 4 objections you're ever trying to overcome in the room. It's time, money, fear of failure, and the spouse.

Bingo.

Right?

Bingo. Exactly. And so yeah, that's pretty much it. And then it's just little sub-objections under those. Okay? But notice that, you know, and to your point, Jeff, you know, they're talking about overcoming objections to make a sale, right? Which, you know, when you're on stage—

It's always a sale. Of an opportunity to grow or make progress.

Exactly. Well, of course. But think about the objections that we have to ourselves.

Yeah.

Right? So let's say you're on my website, you're on successclinic.com, and you're looking and say, gee, maybe I should hire Noah as my coach because he's helped other people make all this money. And he's helped other people, not just the money, but have more time with their families, you know, have their dream vacations, whatever it might be, right? Oh gee, I'd like that. Right? I would like that result. But I probably can't do it because Or it won't work for me because. So notice the objection is you speaking to you. Okay? Well, who's talking?

Right.

Who's talking? My strong argument, friends, everybody listening and watching this, is it's your head trash that's talking. Right? And remember, you always make yourself right. And so you're always going to have total like proof of whatever you're saying. Oh, Noah, you don't understand. The timing isn't right because.

Yeah.

Okay? You know? And I mean, listen, nobody really, really, I mean, nobody can really go in and say, well, that's not true. Now we can say it. You know? Well, I mean, like I can give you a million stories about the fact that there's no such thing as timing and you just frigging do it. Right? I mean, I'll give you another, in fact, I'll give you an example just for the heck of it since we're here. Now, I told you that earlier that I started my company, SuccessClinic.com, in 1997 in a 300-square-foot basement apartment, right? With $800 to my name and a book on HTML. So I had no money. I had no experience. I had no, I didn't know anything about marketing. There were no funnels. There was no social media. There was nothing that we had today.

You had no tech skills.

I had a little tech skill. I mean, I was a nerd, you know, so I could figure it out. I knew I could figure it out. But there was no one there helping me. So I had no connections, no mentor, no coach, no nothing. And but what I did have was one thing that kept me going through all those dark years. And I bet you that 99% of the people watching and listening to this program have it too. In fact, I bet almost everybody because you wouldn't be listening to this program if you didn't have this one thing. And this one thing that will be the difference, if you let it be, between failure and success is a deep burning desire to help people, to make a difference. Right? Like our host here, Jeff, has done. He has made a difference for people all around the world. That's why you're listening to him. That's why you're fans of his. So kudos to you, everyone listening. I'm speaking to the listeners now. For all of you, you're smart people. To be listening to this man. All right? So the point is, why? Why do you have that? Well, that is the thing that's going to keep you going if it's strong enough. And it is the thing that will stop you if it's not strong enough. Because guess what? There's always reasons why not to, right? So our mind is an infinite weighing machine. This is something I've been teaching for 2 decades plus. Your mind is an infinite weighing machine. You're always weighing the reasons why versus the reasons why not to. And guess what? The reasons why not to are always so strong. And as you stated, Jeff, and I totally agree, there's basically There's basically only 4 real why not tos. I don't have the time. I don't have the money. I'm afraid it won't work. But what are you really saying? I'm afraid it won't work for me. That's what you're really saying. So what you're saying is, because you go to our website and you see a million case studies from everybody from Jenny McCarthy to Gary Vaynerchuk to Stephen Covey to Jack Canfield to John Assaraf to Joe Vitale to basically everybody in The Secret, you know, who loves my work. And then all the people that I've helped make millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars.

Yeah.

And you sit there and you go, yeah, but it won't work for me. And I sit there and I go, who are you? What?

What is that all about? Like what makes you so special?

What makes you so special? You think that, I mean, I've never seen your, and this is what I love. Well, Noah, my situation's different. Really? In 24 years, I'm sure I've never heard your situation. I've only heard it a million kajillion times. All right? But you see what we do, Jeff? This is what I'm trying to get across to everybody listening. I'm trying, I'm using kind of strong language here because I'm very passionate, as you can tell. About helping people live their dreams. Notice, for those of you, if you're watching this, I'm wearing a t-shirt that says Live Your Dream. This is one of our brands, Living Your Dream, right? And what does that mean? Well, guess what? It means different things for every person, right? But for most people, it means having the time, having the energy, having the relationships, and having the money that you really want. But what's the thing that's stopping you from getting that? Based on my 20 years of experience, it is in fact your head trash. Hence, that's why we give this book away. At sendmeabooknoah.com because I want everybody to, well, get rid of their head trash because guess what? It's holding you back. And that means it's holding the world back.

Can you just kind of set up like a little bit of your story? Like how did you get, I'm always interested how people get into the peak performance coaching business. And I've interviewed a number of coaches and it's always a different and always very interesting story.

Yes, absolutely. Well, you know, Jeff, I grew up poor in a rich neighborhood. And I know that's a total cliché. But it's totally true. I grew up in a little town called Kennebunkport, Maine, which just happens to be one of the wealthiest communities in New England. But my family was dirt poor. And I mean that literally because we lived at the bottom of a dirt road in a drafty, unfinished house that my parents ended up losing to foreclosure. So from a very young age, I was painfully exposed to the gap, the chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Now the haves was everyone else in the community. The have-nots was my family. So, you know, you hear these speakers, they get on stage and they say things like, well, we were poor, but we were happy. We didn't know we were poor. Well, my family, we freaking knew we were poor because my mother, bless her heart, reminded us every day that we were poor and miserable. So no, it wasn't happy. It sucked. And so I was like, I got to get out of this. I hated that life of poverty and lack and not enoughness and fear. That's what I grew up in, right? In my family. But right down the street, I saw that there was great wealth and abundance. So I said, how do I get from here to there? Right? Now, for those of you who don't know me, and probably most of you don't, this is the first time hearing from me or about me, people call me, or my clients actually call me, the nerdiest nerd in the self-help industry. They basically call me the Sheldon Cooper of self-help, meaning that I just, I, as like the nerd, I have to go in there and like get down to the molecular level, you know, and just like pick it apart until I figure it out. So as a nerd, I did the only thing that we nerds love to do, or one of the things we love to do, which is go to the library. And I started reading books. I read every book that I could on self-help, personal growth. I mean, you know, I'm talking when I was a kid. You know? So the classics like Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, Stephen Covey, Wayne Dyer, you know, all the classics, I read them and I just really, really tried to apply them. But what happened was, as hard as I tried, as hard as I worked, I just couldn't seem to get it together. I couldn't seem to become what most people would call successful. And so at the age of 25, I was living in Los Angeles and I, you know, I didn't have a girlfriend. I had, you know, a really lousy job. And, you know, I was very unhappy and frustrated from all this hard work and sacrifice that wasn't showing any results. So at the age of 25, I decided to commit suicide. I just said, I'm done. You know? And at the very last moment, my life was spared. Now I do share that story in my books like Afformations and Power Habits. I share that full story. But long story short, my life was spared at the last moment. And I said, okay, I don't know why I'm still here, but I've got to figure out why I'm still here on the earth. And I decided to devote the rest of my life to serving God and serving humanity as best as I could while I was still here on the earth. But I didn't know why I was here. So I went on another long journey. This one more of a spiritual journey, right? An inner journey. And so I started reading more books. I went back to the library, read more books by like spiritual leaders like Deepak Chopra, Neale Donald Walsch, Ernest Holmes, Marianne Williamson, you know, Barbara DeAngelis, people like that, the spiritual thinkers of our time. And so at the age of then, I went back to school. And again, long, long story short, I went back to school at the age of 28. And then at the age of 30, I had these 2 epiphanies that really changed my life and made me realize why I'm here on the earth. And that's why I started my company, successclinic.com, in 1997 in a 300-square-foot basement apartment in Hadley, Massachusetts with $800 and a book on HTML. So 1997, that's over 2 decades ago. And, you know, there was no social media. There was no Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. There was no such thing as funnels. I mean, a funnel was something you put in your, you know, in your kitchen. So, I mean, it was long before all this stuff we have today. But unbeknownst to me, I accidentally started one of the very first business and personal growth websites on the internet, successclinic.com, which is, you know, still here over 2 decades later. Anyway—

It's a great domain, by the way, now.

Thank you. Well, when you got it, I mean, it was just me and Al Gore back then pretty much. So I mean, that was it. But anyway, so, you know, I started, I self-published this book called Permission to Succeed and started just selling things on the internet. Didn't know what I was doing. And just, you know, people started buying my book and I ship it all over the world. And then you get these incredible case studies and stories after stories after stories of people that said, Noah, you changed my life. And, you know, I made more money. I lost weight. I found love. I mean, I used your methods and it just changed my life. So we got these over and over and over again. And then, you know, that's how we just eventually started to transition into doing what we're doing now, which is the peak performance coaching, working with executives, you know, 7 and 8-figure business owners, CEOs, celebrities, athletes, You know, entrepreneurs from all around the world, over 120 countries. And as you mentioned, you know, we've helped our clients add over $2.7 billion, meaning we've helped people add 6, 7, 8, and even 9 figures, you know, to their business. And that's, it's just been an incredible journey.

Man, you're like a success, like a peak performance OG.

I am an OG. Yes. And I have the gray hairs to prove it. So yes.

Yeah. I mean, you're like You're like pre-Brendan Burchard.

Like— Way pre-Brendan Burchard.

Yes. I mean you're, that's crazy. 1997, you started that website. That was when I was supposed to graduate from high school. But I had already dropped out by then. But still, no, I mean that's impressive. Kennebunkport. Kennebunkport, Maine. That's where the Bush family liked to hang out. I'm from Houston. So we were all kind of pseudo-friends with the Bush family.

Exactly.

We always knew when they jetted off to Kennebunkport.

That's right. Exactly.

Yes.

And I mean, I grew up, you know, 10 minutes from their house. And we would go by their house every day in the school bus on the way to and from school. And we didn't think anything of it. It's like, oh yeah, the Bushes. And then of course, later on when they're president and president and president, it's like, oh, that's who they are. It's pretty funny.

Man, what a journey. So, okay. So first of all, 1997. And by the way, I love that you specifically referenced that you had a book on HTML because I didn't get started online until 2008. But even in 2008, which was 11 years after you, I still had to go buy a book on HTML. First of all, there wasn't funnel builder software. And I don't know, I mean I'm interested to hear what you were coding in. I actually had Adobe Dreamweaver which was—

Yep. I tried that for about—

Dreamweaver would help but not much. But what were you doing in 1997? Like FrontPage or what?

I think it was FrontPage. I think I tried Dreamweaver. I hated Dreamweaver. I couldn't get it. Of course, there was no WordPress back then. I think it was probably the majority was FrontPage. And there was another one that I can't even remember right now. But as you just mentioned, you know, that's what's nice about today and for all the entrepreneurs and want-to-be entrepreneurs and, you know, people who are thinking about, you know, diving in and people who are wanting to grow and scale. I mean, that's exactly who we work with, who we help to grow and scale, as we mentioned, you know, to add 6 and 7 and 8 figures. But I mean, for those of you looking at it now, again, whether you're looking to start or grow or scale, The tools that you have nowadays are a billion times easier and better than what I had to deal with. And the sad thing or the interesting thing is that's the good news and the bad news. So the good news is that any idiot can put up a website. The bad news is every idiot is. Yeah. Right. So that's the problem, right? Is that how the heck do you stand out from all the idiots out there, all the noise? And of course, that's a very long conversation, but you see what I mean. So again, back then, it was harder and easier Today, it's easier and harder.

So well said. So well said. And by the way, like I would not be the entrepreneur and the marketer that I claim to be in this world if I did not take this opportunity to mention that I just released a funnel builder software called EntreSoft. And you can go to www.getentresoft.com to check it out. And it is the bomb. Okay. That's enough self-promotion. So let's talk about it. You said, how do you stand out? From all the noise? Good question. What's the, I mean, first, before I steer the answer, I want to give you a completely wide open field to tell me what's the answer.

Okay. Well, this goes back, so this goes back to something that you and I were talking about before we got on the air here, which is really where my specialty is and what I've written all these books on. Okay? And these are my books here in the English language. And then here are some of my books in other languages. I've been published in 18 languages so far. But really what I've written these books about and the the main reason that we've helped our clients make so much money is what I call the intersection between money and habits. Okay? Or you could say habits and success. All right? And so what I teach and the reason that so many of my clients have made so much money is we talk about inner game and outer game. Okay? So if you think about, in fact, like I have my new book here is called Get Rid of Your Head Trash About Money. All right? And we want your everybody watching this know that you can get this book for free at sendmeabooknoah.com. Sendmeabooknoah.com. Very easy to remember. Sendmeabooknoah.com. Anyway, so the book is free. I've covered the cost of the book. We just ask you to cover this.

And by the way, by the time this publishes, that link should be in the description wherever this appears.

Exactly. And thank you. And so right here on page number 48, I show you exactly what I'm talking about here. If you can see this, I like to put a lot of pictures in my books because, you know, hey, pictures are fun. And And the human mind responds to images and pictures or remembers them much easier. So here I show these 2 intersecting circles that we call inner game and outer game. So very simply, inner game is everything that happens between your ears, right? But that you can't see directly, but it affects everything that you do, right? So includes things like your beliefs, your thoughts, your decisions, your priorities, your desires. Now you can't see any of those things directly. You can't see a thought. You can't see a decision, but you see the results of it, right? You see the effects of it everywhere. So whether I'm speaking at, you know, virtual events for, you know, for my small groups, my mastermind groups, or whether I'm speaking for clients, you know, at a live event or a virtual event all around the world for corporate and, you know, doing group workshops or private workshops, one of the things I like to ask my audience members, Jeff, is I like to say to them, okay, what is one area of your life where your beliefs don't affect you? And people go, And I go, exactly. There's no place your beliefs don't affect you, right? Your beliefs affect your health, right? Your choices that you're going to make about your health, what you eat, what you don't eat, right? Smoke, don't smoke, etc., etc., right? Your lifestyle choices, right? It affects your wealth. Your beliefs affect your money, whether you're repelling money, whether you're attracting money unconsciously or consciously or what have you. So that's a very long discussion. And then of course, your relationships, right? How it affects your intimate relationships, your social life, your family life, your marriage, you know, your partnership, whatever it might be. So there's no place your beliefs don't affect you. However, and this is a very important point, you can't see a belief, right? You can only see the effects of it, right? So not only that, but you can be doing really well in one area of your life, but you could be stuck or struggling in another area. For example, maybe, you know, you're doing well in your health, but your business is struggling. Or maybe your business is going great, but your relationships are suffering, right? So it's not cookie cutter, one size fits all. That's why with our Inner Circle clients, you know, we look at it in a very specific, customized, personalized way for each individual, right? And each team and each organization that we work with, right? So that's inner game. So, but then you also have the outer game, right? The outer game is everything you can see directly, right? That's the systems, habits, strategies, tactics, all of the blocking and tackling that we entrepreneurs have to do every day, right? So that's where it relates to, for example, your funnels, right? Your marketing, your branding, your logos, what you say, how you say it, how you dress, etc., etc. That's all the outer game. That's what everybody sees, but it is affected immensely by your out— excuse me, by your inner game. So let me give you an example, a concrete example of what I'm talking about. So I was speaking at a seminar in Los Angeles. This was a few years ago. And when, you know, live events were still happening. Of course, now we're getting back into live events. But anyway, so this was for about 1,000 entrepreneurs in the audience, right? So very entrepreneurial audience, very high-level achievers, you know, 7 and 8-figure earners. So I just finished speaking. I was walking off the stage. Literally just finished speaking. A man came up to me out of the audience, ran up to me. He says, Noah, I want to hire you as my coach. You are the coach that I've been looking for, he said. And now I didn't know this man from Adam. Ironically, his name was Adam. And I said, okay. I said, well, okay, what's going on? You want to hire me as your coach? What's the story? He said, Noah, I'm totally stuck. I'm only making $4 million a year. Now, of course, I had to laugh, right? I mean— Gee, I'm only making $4 million a year. It sounds pretty tough, doesn't it? Right? I mean, most people would say that doesn't sound too bad to me, right? It's like, where can I sign up? He said, no, you don't understand, Noah. I am the CEO. I'm an entrepreneur of this company. And we grew into $4 million in revenues really fast. He said, but we have been stuck at $4 million for the last 4 years. 4 years after growing really fast, stuck, plateaued. And he says, I've hired every guru. And he named every marketing guy, you know, that there is out there. Right? And of course, names we all know. He said, I paid them all this money and we're still stuck. And he said, as soon as I heard you speak, as soon as I heard you talk about, you know, your foot on the brake and head trash and outformations and everything you just said, he said, I knew that you were the coach I've been looking for. So he hired me on the spot. Anyway, so I worked with his company for about 18 months. And in that 18 months, Jeff, his company went from being stuck at $4 million for the previous 4 years to over $20 million in sales.

Wow.

In less than a year really. Now you would say, well, Noah, how the heck did you do that? Well, the answer is what I just said. We worked on inner game and outer game. Now most people would guess, if I were to put it out to your audience right now, Jeff, I would say, you know, I'd say, well, which do you think we worked on, inner game or outer game? I bet probably 90% of people would say, oh, it was outer game. It was all marketing and sales. No, that's what he did. That's the point. He threw all the money at outer game. And that's not wrong. It's not that it's wrong or you shouldn't do it. But what he didn't know, because these gurus didn't point it out to him, was what everything that I teach and, you know, that I've been teaching for 20 years, which is, hello, it's your inner game that affects everything that you do, but you can't see it. It's hard to point to, right? And so you can only point to the effects of it. One of the effects is I'm stuck. Now I've literally had people come up to me at events or write to me on social media and they say, Noah, I'm totally stuck. I'm only making $40,000 a year. I've had other people write to me or talk to me and say, no, I'm totally stuck. I'm only making $400,000 a year. Other people, no, I'm totally stuck. I'm only making $4 million a year. So the amount of money you're making doesn't make any difference. Everybody to me, and this is what I've seen over 20 years of doing this and helping people, is you know when you're stuck or not. And you know what that feels like. Sometimes it's hard to point to, but I think you know what that feeling is. And so if you're feeling that way, that's who we work with. That's who we help to get unstuck.

So it's crazy. You know, it's funny because you said, oh, 90% of people probably assume that it's outer game. And I'm sitting here going like, well, duh, it's inner game. Like so self-evident.

Right.

But it's because I've spent the last, I don't know, 2008 is kind of when I got into personal development stuff. So what, I've spent 13 years and probably somewhere between a quarter and half a million dollars on personal development. So like I know it's up here. But you're right.

That's not That is not the norm. No.

And in fact, it's interesting. And so I'll say this because I know that a lot of the listeners may, you know, I think most of my listeners know I have this company called ENTRE Institute and we teach entrepreneurship, business building, income, you know, alternative strategies for generating income than just, you know, plugging into a job or whatever. I'm going to tell you guys straight up, if you've been like, well, maybe I should try ENTRE, if you want to come in and have an outer game conversation right out of the gate, don't join ENTRE. Because one of the things that people are shocked when they come in is you'll go through hours and hours of content and nobody's actually told you like how to make money because we're telling you who to be to make money.

That's right.

And I will never apologize for that. And I would rather refund your money than listen to you tell me that it's the wrong approach because unless you've made more than me, I promise I'm right, you're wrong. Like no offense. And And by the way, anybody that's made more than me thinks the same. They know it's all inner game. Like that's just how it is. So like fireworks and exploding unicorns, actually, I don't think you'd want to explode unicorns.

No, I mean exploding fireworks over unicorns. How's that?

Yes. Yeah. Fireworks over unicorns. Any, whatever superlative visual I can give to echo what Noah just said. Yes, I agree. I love it. But the reality is it's hard. Like we're fighting the fight out there. And here's a commonality I've noticed between, you know, I think, I don't know what episode this is going to end up being, like 175, 180, somewhere around there for this show. And I could count on one hand the people that this isn't their story.

Right.

Which is there's always a rock bottom. There's always some kind of Cathartic, deeply painful crucible moment where we emerge like a phoenix in our conviction and our belief. And it propels us to take chances and make big bets on ourselves that seem crazy to the rest of the world. And we're the ones who have to deal with the gratitude for the suffering. And, you know, for me, I had my own rock bottom story that was pretty grotesque and kind of laughable in some ways. It definitely involved thinking about suicide, but it didn't actually involve trying it. Yours did. And I'm curious when you look back and is it, first of all, is it okay if I kind of dig on that experience?

It is. And let me just say very quickly that I used to not share that story, Jeff, because I didn't want to be seen as like trying to get sympathy or something. And I really didn't know how to tell that story. I didn't know if I should tell that story. And now I just honestly, I was on stage one time and I just said, well, let's just tell it and see what happens. And oh my gosh, the response was unbelievable. So I said, I guess I got to share that story. So the answer is yes, we can go.

Thankfully, we've got Brené. Brené Brown came along and told us all to be more vulnerable. So now we're a little awkward about it. And by the way, I've had the same experience. The deeper I go into my own hardships and experience, not in a pity I mean, like, let's face it. You and I are not guys that people should pity.

I didn't want to try to be or come across as like, oh, he's just trying to get sympathy or something.

I don't think it comes off that way.

See, that was my head trash. That was my head trash.

Yeah, it probably is. And the reality is, man, every time I talk about hard things and pain, I get 10 times the engagement, 10 times the response, 10 times the gratitude. And I think it actually impacts 10 times I totally agree. So if you're comfortable, you know, kind of sharing about that experience, I'm curious, how do you look back on that experience? Like what are the emotions that you feel now when you look back on it? And I would assume that is what you would call your rock bottom for your life.

Well, I've had a lot of rock bottoms. I would probably say that would be the rockest of the rock bottoms. But I've had a lot of them.

Yeah. The hardest rock, right? How do you feel when you look back on it now?

I mean, so the answer is I feel sad for that person that I was. I feel like, damn, I wish I would have had this available to me back then. Meaning I wish I would have had my own teaching. I wrote all these books for me, you know, because I couldn't find what I wrote in anybody else. And I told you earlier that I read every book out there and I'm like, holy shit, why is this still not working? Right? So that's why when I realized what was missing, and many, many people have called me over the years, the missing link in personal growth, the missing piece to my business working. And that's, you know, of course, what a lot of people are looking for, the missing piece. What's missing? I've spent all this money. Like Adam, that story I shared with you, I spent all this money on all these other clowns. What's missing? Hello? You know, inner game, outer game, or whatever, you know, whatever link it is that I give them, you know, in our coaching. Anyway. So the point is that when I look back on that, I feel sad for that person that I was because There. And please keep in mind, for everyone listening to this, this was definitely pre-internet. This was 1992 when it happened. So right, right before the internet. So the great, great, great news for all of you and everyone here is that the resources that you have available to you now are, well, infinite, really. So, you know, for anybody, and to use this example, and I mean, we'll just Talk, since we're talking about it, you know, if you're contemplating suicide, you know, when you go to Google and you type in something about suicide, what's awesome is it brings up the suicide hotline right away, you know, and call this number and there's help available. And, you know, again, I didn't have any of that. There was no Google, there was no internet. So it's like I just felt very alone. And so I, and, you know, that's one of the things that so many entrepreneurs go through is the feeling of isolation. And one of the messages that I do get out and of course, want to get out to the world and certainly the world of entrepreneurs is you're not alone. There is help available. Now, the problem though, and this is a huge problem, is we also have, you know, the gurus out there that are staggeringly good at self-promotion, but they suck at teaching.

Yeah.

And so I know this because I gave them half a million dollars of my hard-earned money only to get basically nothing. And I was like, I was really looking for answers. You know, again, I shared this earlier. I was 1997, my 300-square-foot basement apartment. I don't know what to do. You know, so that was right when the internet was starting. So there were no like sort of gurus back then. I mean sort of, but not really. But, you know, as money would start to come into my business, I would just reinvest it in my own education. You know, as Ben Franklin said, the best investment is to pour your purse into your head. That way you use your head to fill your purse. And, you know, you could say wallet, bank account, however you want to say it. You know, back in those days, they used a purse. But anyway, so you get my point. You know, to basically take Whatever money comes in and you reinvest it in yourself. And I still believe that's true. You know? So I still do that. The problem is because you get all these guys out there that are so good at promoting themselves and marketing, and they can't teach you how to paper bag. There's nothing there. There's no there there. So I got sucked into that because, you know, you see the pictures of the cars and the houses and the jets and the helicopters and like, and see that they do this. They're great marketers, right? They do that because, you know, the brain goes, ooh, I want that, right? Ooh, ah, ooh. And I mean, I fell victim to it just like, you know, a lot of people, sadly. And, you know, that's how I know. And the reason that I share this, Jeff, is because, you know, I know with like great people like you, you also stand against that, you know, the people who are taking advantage of people. And that really makes me very angry. So I'm kind of like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, right? You know, like I you know, that person who started that, of course, you know, their child was killed by a drunk driver. Now, of course, you know, I feel like I was not killed, but, you know, financially killed by these guys. And so like, it's like, shit, I really want to, you know, say, hey, there's real help available, not just from great self-promoters, self-marketers, but from real coaches, teachers, mentors, people who actually care. actually give a damn, actually want to help you. And so, you know, whether it's me, whether it's Jeff, whether it's somebody, just get the help because you don't have to do it alone anymore. And that's what I would say to that person, you know, me back then, that you're not alone and you don't have to try to do everything by yourself.

Hey, sorry for the interruption. I just wanted to let you know you can get a free copy of my book, The Millionaire Shortcut, which will show you the fastest way to become a millionaire in the new economy. And there's a special link just for this episode in the description. So thanks for tuning in, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the episode. In my world, we call them the Lambros.

I love that. I love that.

With Lambos.

I totally got it.

The Lambros.

I love that.

It's so painful. I am. And yeah, I am virulently opposed to those people. Yeah. But here's the thing. I just bought myself a really nice car. I'm not saying you can't have a really nice car. But like it's about what's inside the person inside the car is just, that's what's gotta be the attraction. That's right.

And that's hard to get across in a Facebook ad.

It is. Yeah. And you got 3 seconds. We have such an ADD culture. Like how do you hook people? You know? Well, am I going to have like a pretty girl? Or a flashy car or a big mansion or a boat or the Amalfi Coast in the background. There you go.

That's a good one.

You know? And it's hard. It's actually my biggest frustration as an evangelist of, you know, I don't consider myself an evangelist of success, but I consider myself an evangelist of entrepreneurialism, which is a vehicle for success. And if I could get people's attention by like literally just by I mean it's the reason I have these awards behind me.

That's right.

It's not like— Well, I got books.

So I mean we're all trying to get attention.

This isn't my first choice. But you know, the favorite thing I have behind me is actually over here where it says, get your shit done. Because my daughter, my at the time 11-year-old daughter made that for me for Father's Day.

I love that.

Because she's like, Dad, go to work, get your shit done, and then come home and we'll hang out. Right? I mean it's like that means more to me. And then below that, I have my 2008 tax return, which was for negative $40,000. That was my rock bottom. But here's, anyway, here's where I'm going. So this rock bottom thing, right? You know, I look at my rock bottom when around the time of that tax return and just deeply humbled and grateful and living in the truth that everything I'm doing, same as you, everything I'm doing now is what I wish somebody had done for that guy.

Hmm.

And I heard somebody actually say this recently, that every great entrepreneur essentially does what they do in service to who they used to be.

I think that makes a lot of sense.

And I think it does because the reality is being an entrepreneur at a high level is so damn hard. It's got to be personal.

I understand the philosophy of not doing it that way, but I don't get it. So in other words, I know there's people out there that teach You know, if you're really passionate about something, do something else. And I go, what? I mean, because as you just stated, it's freaking hard. I mean, I don't know how I could have possibly gone through all the shit that I've gone through if I wasn't passionate about what I do. I don't get it. So again, I get the point, but I'm like, man, I can't do that. I got to be passionate.

I think there's a difference between entrepreneurs and operators. I think there's great business operators.

Interesting point. Yeah.

You can plug into a business that's Someone else's vision and they will carry the operational burden and they will build the systems and the infrastructure. And they'll do an amazing job. And frankly, the world, you know, business, I need those people. I have an incredible business partner who's actually, I would say, he's 100 out of 100 as an operator and he's probably an 80 out of 100 as a visionary, which makes him pretty rare. Whereas I would say I'm probably like almost 100 on a visionary and I'm probably about a 70 as an operator. So we complement each other really well.

Nice.

Because we're both reasonably good at what each other is great at. But I think you're talking about operator. They're like, which here's the thing. If you're not a passionate visionary entrepreneur, but you still don't want to go have to have a 9-to-5 day job, there's a lot of opportunity in this world for great operators.

Absolutely.

But true entrepreneurs, people that will, and I have a whole riff I do about the origin of the word entrepreneur, which it is synonymous with risk. It is synonymous with vision. It is synonymous with faith and creating things based on what you see in the world that no one else actually sees yet. You know, it exists for you, but it doesn't exist yet for anyone else. And you're trying to close that gap. Like it's a different breed. But the reason I'm kind of going this way is it always, almost always seems to be born of trauma or spiritual crisis. I've heard a few times of spirit. And frankly, I would suggest that maybe a a failed suicide attempt is a combination of the two, kind of a spiritual crisis and a trauma.

It certainly was for me. It was for me. But I just want to point out that I didn't get my entrepreneurial aha moment, my epiphany until 5 years after that happened.

But did the seeking start when that happened?

I mean, I had always been seeking. If you really, I mean, that's why I went to the library when I was a kid. I was always seeking. I hated poverty. You know, I hated That life that I knew from my family of origin because all my friends had, you know, were from wealthy families. And I'm like, what's so different about them? And why can't I have that? You know, it just doesn't, I don't. So I'm like, and it's not, I'm not blaming my parents. It's not their fault that, you know, they had, they were raised with their parents and everything like that. It's not about pointing fingers or blaming at all. I'm just saying, what do I do? I hate this. I got to, I want that. You know, what do I do? You know, so that's how I've always been. And I think, and that's who I love to work with. You know, you mentioned having that vision. And so that's what I love to work with, visionaries. You know, visionaries who are exactly like you said, you know, saying, you know, I see what should be out in the world. It's not quite there yet. So how do I close that gap? And also, I see in my mind, in my head, I see the impact that I'd like to have, and I'm not having it yet. What's missing? And that's, of course, when we get into Inner game and outer game, 80% to 90% being inner game. And that's why we see these enormous, really almost miraculous increases for people. I mean doubling, tripling, quadrupling, and more of their income. And just so everybody realizes this, you know, the money is awesome and it's great because it allows you to make choices. It allows you to have options. The person that has the resources has the option of how they want to live their life, right? But that's just something you can point to. It's a yardstick. money is not everything, but it is also freaking important. You know? And so the point about that is it's hard to point to happiness. It's hard to point to fulfillment.

Right.

It's hard to point to, I get to spend more time with my family. You know? Basically, you know, like one of the things that I was talking to one of my clients about is how many times does your spouse have to go to bed alone because you're still working in your office at night and you just say, okay, honey, well, I'll be there as soon as I can. And you're still slaving away, you know, burning the midnight oil. And that sucks. You know? So what is that worth to you to go to bed with your spouse? You know what I mean? So you're not burning, you just, you turn off the computer at 5 or 6 at night or whenever, or 4, whenever you want. You know? So that to me is real freedom. Right?

But it's interesting. You make a really good point. That which is harder to quantify is easier to be out of mind for being out of sight.

Right.

Like if it's like our bank balance, it might be out of sight, but it's never really out of mind. But our wife going to bed alone, frankly, at 8:00 AM when it's not happening, it's kind of out of mind because it's not such a quantifiable thing. And even more general than that, you know, like our Not having called our parents in 2 weeks or something. And even you go even further than that, which is sort of like a generalized feeling that I'm not living my greatest purpose.

Exactly.

And that's— And the minute that, that's never really in your face. You got to work to keep it in your face so that it can drive you.

Let me say this to that, to your point, Jeff. So, you know, I've faced death twice in my life. Once when I almost committed suicide, had decided to commit suicide and didn't at the last minute. And then then the second time was just over 2 years ago. It was November 2019, right after I had just come home from a mastermind, one of our masterminds with our inner circle members that we'd done in Las Vegas, which was just before the pandemic. You know, so just, just before.

Yeah.

We flew home, my wife and I, because she's my business partner. And we had flown home to Cleveland Airport. It was late at night. It was like 2 in the morning. It was snowing, just a light snow. And I was driving home from the airport on a 4-lane highway. And, you know, 2 in the morning, there's no one around. Ahead of me, I see these headlights and I realized the headlights are coming right at me, not over there where they should be in the other lane. You know, it's a 4-lane highway. It should be 4 and 4, right? No, they're coming at me. And I said, what the heck? And I went, boom! I mean, all it took me— it happened quicker than I can say it to you. Me saying it right now takes longer than it happened. It was, huh? What? Foom, foom. And I said to her, she looked at me. I said, "Did that just happen?" And she said, "Yeah." I said, "I'm so glad you saw that because I don't think I would have even believed it if I hadn't have just seen that." And so I have a witness that we almost were in a head-on collision at seventy miles an hour both ways, and we would be dead. I said, "Oh my God! We almost just died right there." So the point of God I'm saying, the reason that I'm saying the story is because you never know when your time is. You don't know. I mean, how many people have lost their lives because of the pandemic, because of coronavirus? How many people know someone? I mean, I had a dear friend who died, a brother-in-law who died. And so we don't know when our time is. I'm not saying this to be maudlin. I'm not saying this to be morbid. I'm saying this to go, you know, we all think we're going to live forever. We're not. You know, Gary Vee is very famous for saying this. He's a good friend of mine. I've known him for over a decade. And he says, you're going to die. And I'm like, no shit. Yes, I know that. I have personal experience of that. So You know, the clock is ticking on all of us. And again, that's not to be morbid, but it's to say, when are you going to believe in yourself? When are you going to stop listening to this head trash that says, I can't do it? When are you going to take that action, whatever it is? Because if you're waiting for yourself to be not afraid, it'll never happen. There's always fear. Every step is fear, but everything you want is on the other side of that fear. So take that step that you're afraid of and I think miraculous things can happen for you just as it has for me, for Jeff, for so many people.

I couldn't agree more. And it's so interesting. And again, I don't want to impose a certain narrative on your experience and your, you know, your event that happened in your life. But it always seems like it's the more we in our lives have survived or overcome really profoundly difficult things, the more we're kind of liberated to be like, oh, well, you know, we're all going to die anyways. And none of it, you know, let's not take it all so seriously and let's just go after our dreams. Right? Like damn it, let's just do this thing.

Right.

And that's the common thread that I've experienced through doing, you know, over almost 200 of these interviews. And so I feel like a huge part of the the code that I'm trying to hack is I don't want people to suffer. I want them to thrive.

That's right.

But unfortunately, suffering seems to be part of the thriving equation. How do I help more people pivot harder into the choices and the habits and the beliefs that lead to more thriving without making them suffer so damn much like I did and you did and so many other people seem to? I mean, you're probably much further along on that journey than I am. Like, have you cracked it yet? Because I need your help, man.

Well, I mean, honestly, I think I would say that this is why I've written all these books. As I mentioned, I wrote the books for me, and a lot of other people love them, like have said they changed their lives. So I think it's a great place to start. Again, sendmeabooknoah.com is a great place to start. It is free. sendmeabooknoah.com. So I mean, I wrote these books. And I say for me, I mean it's almost tongue-in-cheek, but it is true because I wish someone would've helped me back then. You know, again, to your point of suffering and wanting to alleviate, that's exactly what I want to do. I'm trying to alleviate human suffering. I think that's what all entrepreneurs do. You know, I mean, and the suffering could be, you know, where to get, you know, a sandwich faster and cheaper, where to get your windows washed better and faster or whatever it might, you know, it's a better way to do something. Right? So that is all about alleviating suffering to whatever degree it is. In my case, sometimes I am saving lives. I mean, we've had a lot and a lot of stories like that. So, you know, I totally get your question. And I mean, I think that's what we're all trying to do is alleviate human suffering. But I guess what I'm also saying for everyone listening, you've got to take that step. You have to say, I'm not willing to go through this anymore. You know, I know for me, If someone would have reached out to me, I think I would have taken it. I don't know because, you know, didn't happen. I had to slog through on my own, go through the swamp, and it was awful. I hated every second of it. So if there would have been help available, I think I would have taken it. And I think that's how most people are. But, you know, I don't know for sure. But I think that, you know, again, I'll just reiterate, the fact that there are so many resources available today is a great thing, but it also can be confusing. And so just, I guess, all I want to say, you know, as a final thought on that is just make sure you vet whoever it is. That's all. Just, you know, do a little research, go to Google, take you 5 minutes, you know. You know, you can go to watchnoahtv.com. That's my YouTube channel. Watch some of my videos, listen to me on other podcasts or whatever it might be for me, for Jeff, you know, whoever it is you're going to be working with, you know, hiring as a coach, etc. Just do your homework, you know, vet them. There's plenty of information out there. And I will say again, as a final thought on that, just also say to yourself, hey, if it worked for them, why not me? Why not me? If it worked for them, why wouldn't it work for me? And the answer is there is no reason it won't work for you as long as you do the work. You know, I often use this analogy, which is, hey, I can get, if I'm a personal trainer, I can show you how to do the best sit-ups in the world, but I can't do your sit-ups for you. You've got to do the sit-ups. You know, it would be great if I could have a pill that said, here's your 6-pack abs. You know, we don't have that. So that's a great entrepreneurial thing, right? Here's the pill for 6-pack abs. So far, it hasn't happened yet.

They've come pretty close to selling that.

I know that, right?

And then they got in trouble. Nobody's actually created it, but that doesn't stop people from trying to sell it.

Exactly. So anyway, so that would just be my point is get the help. It's there. Reach out. You know, do your research, do your homework, and then just take advantage of it.

And I will say this in addition because there are, you know, I think you got to assume at any given time, there's people listening on the full spectrum of joy and pain. There are people suffering that are going to hear this. And I'll say this. I suffered. Noah suffered. Virtually every guest I've ever had on this show suffered deep, probably what would be considered beyond average suffering. I mean deep suffering.

Yeah.

I mean I've had people on this show that were addicted to drugs, that were rotting in jail, that were living in their car, that, you know, that lost children. And the question is just why? Why are you suffering? And if you can understand, and what I hope my show has accomplished is to paint, you know, a diverse enough picture of different cases where the question of why did this person suffer has been transmuted into the answer of so that they can serve and help other people and alleviate suffering. I mean I've got hundreds, nearing hundreds of these stories. Noah, yours is no different. Right?

Mm-hmm.

And that there may be one person out there who is suffering who can maybe attach to what we do or what some of my other guests have done and realize suffering tragically but also sweetly is usually the setup for your greatest opportunity to serve. And reduce it in others.

I think that's very well said.

And that's, yeah, I mean, that's, you know, I hate to say I'm grateful for my suffering, but I'd be lesser without it. You feel the same?

It's nice to be through it. Let's just put it that way. There's no sense to elongate it. Let's make it as short as possible.

I'm all about it for ourselves and others. Noah, this has been a phenomenal conversation, man. Thank you for brightening my day. This has just been tremendous.

Oh, thank you.

My pleasure. You mentioned your book, SendMeABookNoah.com. How else can people get access to you and get more of this amazingness?

Well, absolutely. You can go to our main website, which is NoahStJohn.com. That's my name, N-O-A-H-S-T-J-O-H-N.com, just like it sounds. And also, if you'd like to book me for your podcast or to speak at your program or your events, you know, for those of you who have companies or organizations, just go to that Book Noah page right there on Noah St. Noahstjohn.com. And just let me know that you heard me here on Jeff's podcast. And I'd love to have a conversation with you so I can also help you, your team, your organization, your people to really not only get rid of their head trash, but also just to be more, to live more, to achieve your vision faster, easier, with less stress and less suffering. So noahstjohn.com. And love to serve all of you.