How To Deal With Disappointment

JP, so today you had the first day of your boot camp. You've been thinking about this event for how long?

6 months actively working on it for about 2 and a half to 3.

And it's been a long ride to get here, correct?

3 years.

Now, the first day, or the boot camp, the first boot camp itself, how many people did end up, like, coming?

4.

And would you say you were disappointed with the outcome?

Extremely.

Now, what would you say to people who are dealing with disappointment?

I spoke to one of the guys on the team today and said like, this sucks. It's been 3, what feels like 3 massive failures in a row, like consecutively. It's hard, it's humbling, and it hurts. He just said, do you remember where we were a year ago? I go, yeah. We'd set such high expectations for this bootcamp event. We had 30, and I truly believed in all my being it was achievable. And despite whatever we did, and one could say we could have done more, and I'll die thinking I could have done more, we're here. We had 4. I'm disappointed, disheartened, and extremely dismayed by the fact that it's less than 10% of what I expected. But if I look at it from a different point of view, I had 4. I have 4. I'm pulling it off in real time. A year ago, it was only an idea. And I would have been really joyous a year ago if you said I was going to have 4 and bring in $20K over 2 days from something that has become normal to me. But it's not the money that got me. It's just like I'd set a goal. I'd had a vision. I really thought I was better. And it's a hard balance to keep telling yourself that you are better and you can be better. But to keep pushing even when it gets tough, it's easy to say it, it's hard to do it. But all I could think about was, I'm not gonna let the people down, 'cause I was in two minds, I was ready to can the whole thing and say just fuck it, like it's too hard. But I didn't, and I'm proud that I didn't, though I'm annoyed that there's not more. But it's a rep, and it's a score on the board, and it's gonna make for an epic story. Right now it hurts me, like I'm doing the class in pain. I really feel it. Actually, I feel emotional pain about it. It's the most bizarre thing. It's like somebody told me they don't love me anymore. It's the same feeling. It's very weird. It's deeply emotional because it was my thought and it was my expectation and I did what I could have. And to say that I could have done more or better, well, I'm not sure I could. And then to admit defeat because I did my best and I only got 4, well then I suck. I don't know that I have a way around this right now, but I know for sure that I'm here. I haven't given up. I'm sitting in the room, not allowing myself to wallow in self-pity, in the room that should have had 12 people in it and like 24 online, or, you know, 12 and 18 online. It's humbling to sit here on a table where there should have been others and there's no one. It's weird to say that and be like, I could have done that from home. But I'm proud that we booked the space, we took the step out of faith, we still got the students, and it was still a success. The only one that saw it as a failure and feels it's a failure is me. I would say to anybody who's watching this, and really I think I'm saying this to myself, is you have a long way to go and you've got all of life to get there. Your sense of urgency is admirable, but sometimes it might make you short-sighted, and sometimes you think you're better than you are. Not that you mean it, but you're human. It's okay. Some days you'll win, some days you'll lose, but a day like this is still a win to somebody else. And now, JP, you're not comparing yourself to somebody else? Well, great, JP. A year ago, a day like this would have been an epic fucking win, and here you are sitting in front of the camera saying you feel brokenhearted and dismayed. And so I think it's a balance of always wanting to be my best. It's not a comparison to anybody else. It's what I thought I could have done, what I should have done. And then having the faith to say, well, okay, we've got more to go. And having the resilience and the grit and the determination to say, you know what, you're not going to beat me because I've been here before. Yeah, it sucks, but I've got this. And really, it's not how many times you get hit, but it's how many times you can get hit, keep standing and keep fighting. And so I'll live with this memory forever. And I think it will forever shape my humility. Not that I needed another humbling experience, but You know, people make plans and God laughs. It'll be the thing that I'll one day get on a stage in front of 400 and say, "One day I asked for 30 and I got 4. Now I was hoping for 200 and I got 400." So I cling to the story of my belief that one day I'll be the best at what I'm doing, and I have that as a faith and a guiding light. I also believe that if I look on reflection, I'm able to appreciate the small wins. And if I look back on the speech that I did the other week that I also count as a failure, that wasn't because people caught up saying, "That was awesome, thank you, you've helped me shape how I see business." I'm going to take my own advice, and I'm going to go out with my team in the smallest way, but I'm going to celebrate the small win because it's a win. And I'm not going to lose sight of what's ahead. All I'm going to see is that I've got more work to do, there's so much more to go. I've come, we have come. If you're watching this, you've come a long way. It's not the end, it's just a new beginning. Take a day off, a rest day. That's weird for someone like me. It's like, we don't stop. Maybe that's what it is. Just like, slow down for a freaking day. But in any case, we're not stopping. This is just added fuel to the fire to keep going. And I think this video is for me, for anybody watching. Roy Buey shot this for me without me knowing. Maybe I'll be the one to look back and reflect on this when I get to the audience of 400 and be like, huh, cool. When I felt upset and Dismayed that there was only 4 and not 30. Did I ever think there'd be 400 and then 4,000? Who knows? So keep watching, and JP, keep believing, and more importantly, keep praying, knowing that God is always taking care of the rest, and that this was supposed to be a part of the journey and is a part of not only your growth but your team's growth. And I hope anybody who's watching this, that you'd also find that if you're sharing a similar experience, you're not alone. It's very, very normal. I'm rooting for you even if I don't know you. And I'll cheer you on in the rain, under the lamppost, on the sidelines, because I know that's what I would have wanted. I'm here for you. If you like this, let me know. If you want someone to talk to, want some support, reach out below, and I'd love to hear your story. I'd love to connect with you and share. And it's really cool once you talk about these things out in the open, they lose their— fear loses its grip on you once you've exposed it to the light. And so don't be shy, don't be nervous, don't be anxious, just reach out below. Say something, anything. Let's have the conversation started. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this. If you've got a story where you've overcome something and you lived to tell the tale and you truly thought, like, it broke your heart, no matter what it was, but you overcame it, I'd love to hear from you. As always, yeah, think your hardest. And that's definitely what I'm doing. I'm working my best, so I'll take solace in that fact. And I guess I always carry my cross and I'm always praying knowing that God has and always will take care of the rest. And if I cling to that belief, Well then, this was the way it was meant to be. Thank you.