I know it’s odd to see me gearing up to cast a whole lotta blame so close to Christmas, but I can’t stand it anymore. I have to get the word out about what these people are doing.
You see, thanks to my husband, Michael, and his daring move of signing us up to do a mega-course with Tony Robbins called Date With Destiny (which we attended two weeks ago), I had a realization…or two or three.
It happened when Tony was teaching us about reframing our blaming. He had us look at the people in our lives and from our past that we were blaming for different things, and then he had us acknowledge how we wouldn’t be the person we are today, with the life we have today, without those things having happened. For example, if I hadn’t grown up with a Mom who had to work a lot to support our family, I wouldn’t be the driven, independent, competent person I am today. So…thanks, Mom! I blame you for my great life!
You get the idea, right?
That got me thinking about some of the amazing friends I’ve made this year, who started out as clients and quickly became mentors. One of those friends is John Assaraf from the movie
The Secret. John started as a student of my work, and what I noticed quickly about John is that he didn’t hold back at all about screaming from the mountain tops about how much my work helped him, and he didn’t hesitate to introduce and strongly recommend me to some of his top clients and influential contacts.
In fact, one of the people he introduced me to was Mr. Brian Tracy, the person I consider to be the father of my category when it comes to sales training. Brian took John’s recommendation, devoured my work, and proceeded to bless me with his huge endorsement as generously as John had.
In fact, he was as bold as to say…
“I want to tell you about one of the greatest discoveries in America today, and that’s Lisa Sasevich. She’s got some of the greatest ideas on marketing and sales of your own personal services. I’ve been in this business for 30 years. I’ve read thousands of books and articles, and I’ve written dozens of books myself, and I have NEVER seen such wonderful ideas that she has. I’ve spent hours and hours studying her and looking at her materials and incorporating her ideas into my own work, and it’s like a whole new breath of Spring.”
I have to admit, this shook me to my core. How could a person, who clearly operates in a similar market space, be so generous with no fear that clients will choose my work over his?
You see, at Date with Destiny I saw that I have been afraid to publicly acknowledge my mentors too much. For fear that you will want to learn from them instead of me. I saw that I was not modeling the generosity that I saw and admired so much in Brian and John, and that I was really thinking and being small, stingy and limited in this area.
This is embarrassing to admit, but there you have it.
So I’d like to take a minute to “blame” a few people for the amazing success I’ve enjoyed over the past few years. Each of these people touched my life with the expertise and blessing that they were uniquely put here to provide.
First is Alison Armstrong of PAX Programs, Inc. I had the privilege of working closely with Alison for almost 6 years, forwarding the mission of creating peace between men and women with the Celebrating Men, Satisfying Women Workshop. Alison is a master of distinguishing what’s really going in situations that seem complex, and then breaking it down into a simple, empowering form that anyone willing to transform can master quickly. She taught me how to love men and have empowering relationships with all the men in my life, and gave me the opportunity and huge privilege to touch thousands of lives with her incredible work.
Although I didn’t know it at the time, her stages were the training ground for me to develop the majority of my work around The Invisible Close and selling from the stage without being salesy while delivering powerful content at the same time. Alison is an amazing woman and I blame her most for knowing when it was time for us to let go and expand…because I would have held on forever.
The next person I blame for our abundant life is Ali Brown. I’ll never forget the moment she sang a duet with Lynn Rose at her last-ever Online Success Blueprint Workshop. I thought, “That woman is living her dream and I want to do that!” Hours later she offered her Diamond Level Mastermind program and, much to my surprise, I couldn’t not do it. My year with Ali was the most powerful business year of my life. I blame her for giving me the courage to stand up myself and say, “I’ll be the one to give you a place to invest in yourself so that you can create the life of your dreams.”
I blame her for going first and giving so many of us ladies, who have now joined her in the ranks of female-owned multimillion-dollar businesses, the courage to go for it. I blame her for taking a chance on me and giving me a huge leg up by partnering with me, promoting me and championing me when I was new on the scene. And I blame her for having it be okay to be powerful and smart and beautiful, and still kind and loving and sensitive.
I also want to cast some blame on Mr. Kevin Nations. I remember when my friend Mari Smith told me that he and I had to meet because we were very like-minded and she thought I’d love his work. Little did she know we would become great friends and spend an entire year together, teaching people how to own their value and increase their sales conversion and their price point on and off the stage. I have a lot to blame Kevin for. He told me when I signed up for his Big Ticket course that he would make sure I got the value that I came for. I blame him for not only keeping that promise, but for taking it much further and making sure I got my own value at a deeper level than I’d ever seen it before.
I blame him for showing me how to take the work I was mostly delivering one-on-one and turn it into a high-value offering that served more than one person and at a higher investment level than I ever imagined. I blame him for so much street-smart business savvy that only could have come from his brilliant mind. I will never recover from the impact Kevin had on my life, and I’m grateful.
I also need to cast just a moment of blame on my Sassies, the members of my Sales, Authenticity and Success Mastermind. I blame them for stretching me to be my best self every day, for giving me more inspiration than they’ll ever know, and for many late nights that, at the end of the day, have sprung forward some of my best work. I get to be my biggest self because of the way they bring their biggest selves to the party over and over again. And I blame them, all hundred of them, for giving me the opportunity to keep stretching!
And last but not least, I blame my husband, Michael. There are so many things I would never have the guts to reach for and go for if it weren’t for him. When it comes to big things in our personal life, Michael drags me forward kicking and screaming, only to be met by huge smiles, thank you’s and happiness once I finally come around. So I blame him for sticking it out, standing for us and the contribution we were put here to make together, and for loving himself and me through all of our growth…and there’s been a lot this year!
I also blame Tony Robbins for standing on his dime, doing the work he was literally made to do, and for helping me see the power of acknowledging my mentors. I feel free. I feel grateful. I feel big. I feel blessed.
Is there anyone you need to blame this year? Join me for a blame-fest – leave your comments below.
This is the kind of “blame” I can get into Lisa. Such a well written and well inspired post! Thank you!
I’ll start by blaming my wife Sandy for allowing me the space and the freedom to keep searching for my dime, and for lovingly correcting me when the shiny object I mistake for a dime turns out to be something else.
I’ll blame all of the “mentors” I’ve been learning from and gaining inspiration from- including Brian Tracy, Darren Hardy, Jim Rohn, Napolian Hill, Tony Robbins, Tim Kelley, and a host of others whose materials I devour and incorporate into my being.
I blame my new brothers and sisters in the Sassy Diamond Mastermind, who are now part of the fabric of each of my days, and whose inspired ideas and actions are changing the world.
Lastly, I blame you-Lisa and Michael- for living your dreams and sharing your vision, talents, and love with the world. 2011 is going to be a truly amazing year in so many ways!
Thanks for letting me spread the blame around some!! That felt good.
Hi Lisa,
I love this.
It’s so powerful to take yourself out of being the victim.
As a parent of very cool grown kids, I realize that they pushed
me in the same ways I pushed my parents and when I got it, they
quit needing to be different or rebellious and stopped pushing.
I once blamed my dad for being so mean that I couldn’t go to a big
“at the lake” sleepover. I never asked him. I instinctively knew
it was trouble but I wasn’t ready to stand my ground at 14 yrs. old
and blamed dad instead.
This is totally healing and so hot. It makes the world a better
place by people realizing they had something to do with their life.
Thank you for posting this,
MaryAine
I blame you Lisa…..for seeing in me what I was not able to see in myself. For opening your heart, living your dream and being an agent of change. I blame you for living your purpose so that I am able to live mine. I blame you for teaching me that mentors are also peers and that living my purpose allows me to also help those that I look up to. I blame Tony Robbins for entering my life when I desperately needed direction and I blame him for placing me on a path that I am grateful for every day. I blame my mother and father for being the most perfectly chosen parents to teach me the valuable life lessons that I have needed to go through, on this journey of life, so that I in turn am able to live my true purpose and help the women I know I am meant to serve. I blame my sister for teaching me how to treat others with love and compassion. Most of all I blame myself for having the courage to step into my light, into my truth.
Hey Lisa – talk about a powerful post! We, as human beings, are often busy and involved in the ‘blame game’ – I love this approach however. I have been doing similar, by posting on my Facebook page, photos and thanks to the powerful women I have met this past year – who have taught me, inspired me, encouraged me, supported me – amazing women! The women I blame include Fabienne Fredrickson, Mari Smith, Crystal Andrus, Barbara D’Angelis, Marsh Engle, Suzanne Evans and…….you, Lisa Sasevich.
I particularly enjoyed this post because it is so open, so honest and so genuine. I, too, have had those feelings of keeping good resources to myself in the even that prospects chose ‘them’ over me……..love to know that I am in good company (with you) with those feelings.
Thanks for your ongoing inspiration and good work, Lisa. You are changing the world!
Merry Christmas,
Pat Mussieux
I blame you for teaching me how to strengthen my
relationship with God even more and how to live
my Big life! Thank you. Happy holidays to you and
your family! 🙂
First I blame Ali Brown for giving women the vision and courage to live our purpose. I also blame Sheri Mcconnell for leading us to a business model to work smarter not harder and being afraid, but doing it anyway. I blame Lisa Sasevich for introducing us to the quantum leap and the finesse to close the deal, effortlessly. Thank you all for the abundant life I lead.
Hi, Lisa,
what a synchronicity! I was just contemplating the question on openness regarding my mentors when i suddenly received your mail. I touched me to the tears.
The first person to blame is YOU. I subscribe to Feminine Power and in one of their emails i came across you. I’ve checked your website and i made my choice to get your program of Get Started Speaking via Cynthia Kersey “Give a Little Get a Lot” .
The second is John Assaraf. Now i am doing his Winning the Inner Game of Money program. That is amazing program.
I am still at the beginning of my manifestation phase and sometimes feel unsure how to harmoniously handle all that amount of information, three wonderful children, husband…. But You are an excellent inspiring example! If You can do it, i can too!I know i feel that i am blessed and deeply grateful to have bumped into such an amazing mentors in my life!
Lots of blessing and thank you for your help and guidance!
Sincerely,
Kristina
Lisa, This post is great! I am so grateful for my many teachers, the ones that give generously and the ones who have made me cry and then get up do something!
Thanks for being one of my generous, and savvy mentors.
I am so thankful that our paths converged. I blame you for giving your best and helping others do the same.
Here’s to a great 2011!
This is so perfect Lisa!
This is so great and so great of you to even think of doing this.
It’s funny because I noticed a big shift in you at your last ever Big Mission 3 day event in San Diego. I couldn’t believe that you asked your Sassies if we wanted to participate and join you on Stage as an MC at your event. Hello? That really made me take another look at you and it was evident that you were deliberately going to show case those of us Sassies who would love the opportunity to be in the spotlight and shine on stage with the Ms. Lisa. It was truly generous and a gift and moment that I will never forget and cherish. So I blame you, Lisa Sasevich, for allowing me to stand on my own and feel and see the vision that God has in store for me.
I blame Andrea Lee who was in our Mastermind and asked if I would speak at her event in San Francisco. She took a leap of faith in me without even really knowing me. What an honor that was.
I blame Baeth Davis who asked me if I would partner with her in her new ” Spotlight” program that just started. I didn’t even hesitate to think about it. Imagine how wonderful this opportunity is for me and the doors that I will be kicking open because of her generosity in allowing me to share my insight and knowledge. As you know, ( because you found it on the tip of my nose) Iam the “Get Access” Queen to the top decision makers and what I love about all of this is that I started over at the Top. You’re all at the top. Thats where I began.
I have always had mentors and a few of them who made a difference in some way were Nick Williams (fabulous Brit and author, speaker) Suzanne Evans for telling me its ok to kick ass and to do it differently. To Sandy Grason who is the real deal and helped me find my voice. Brian Buffini, an Irish bloke who came to this country with nothing and now has the largest Real Estate coaching company in North America today who told me to say to myself every day “I slow down to get to where Iam going faster” (Best advice ever for any over achievers) To Ali Brown for blazing the trail for woman in this industry and taking heat for it.
Of course there is the obvious pioneers and trail blazers who have inspired me. Brian Tracy, the great philosopher Jim Rohn, John Assaraf and many others.
But my big blame goes to my family and more importantly to my Father and Mum. My father was really the first person who taught me about The Mindset. He was ahead of his time and he was a great example of how you could come from any walk of life and build and create whatever you desired. He showed and lead me by example. He lived larger than life and shared his wisdom with me and taught me to expect and to know that I could create the life I wanted and to never allow anyone to intimidate me, stop me from going after what I believed was right or step on my dreams. He believed in me and that I could do and be anything as long as I was willing to work for it.
Boy, if that doesn’t give you confidence I don’t know what does.
These post are incredible! Thank you all so much for sharing yourselves and joining me to reframe our blame! We just got big news that I wanted to share! My husband Michael passed his Cardiothoracic surgery boards! It took 42 years to get to this moment. I am SO proud of him! I blame him for never giving up and for inspiring me and so many others to do the same!
Happy Holidays!
Lisa