The RANT

How To Create Your Own Damn Turning Point

Sunday, 1:01pm
Tampa, FL
“Won’t you get hip to this timely tip, and take that California trip…” (“Route 66”, Bobby Troup)

Howdy…

I asked our old pal Kevin Rogers to guest post here, while I’m off galavanting around the west coast on biz trips.  (First stop: San Francisco, for the quarterly meeting of our super-awesome Platinum Mastermind group.)

I laughed reading this post.  There are excellent lessons for everyone below (especially if you’re struggling to find your footing in this current economic turmoil)…

… and I just want to be clear, up front, about one crucial detail:  There is a HUGE difference between making yourself useful (after doing the necessary preparations)…

… and just being a lazy-ass stalker looking for a handout.  I met my own primary mentor, Gary Halbert, by slowly proving myself through actions.  I never asked for anything, and never pretended to be anything I wasn’t.

Most of the time, the difference between a life frozen in place… and a life that roars along in the fast lane… turns on a single moment where you realize “Hey, I can DO this”.

And that moment usually comes from discovering information, or advice, that you couldn’t quite piece together on your own.

This is where teachers come in.

This is where taking that critical action-step of reaching out and grasping opportunity is the order of the day.

Okay, enough preamble.  Here’s Kevin:

Hi.  Kevin Rogers here.

Since the head honcho is away this week and asked me to fill in (always a humbling honor), I thought I’d share the story of how I was able to “weasel my way” into John’s world…

… all the way from being a guy he’d barely noticed writing about him on marketing forums… to eventually becoming a trusted insider (and even working alongside him as his go-to-writer).

There’s a huge lesson in here anyone can use to skip several rungs up the ladder of marketing hierarchy and claim your seat at the royal feast of the clued-in and well-connected.

This lesson is based on an old philosophy that says: In order to achieve your goals, choose someone who has already achieved those goals and model their thinking.

This story backs up that theory, with two small addendums:

1. Modeling your subject’s thinking isn’t as simple as reading a biography or daydreaming about how they might react in a certain situation… but rather, getting into a room with them to find out what truly makes them tick.  And…

2. When it comes to scoring a meeting with your subject… it’s probably going to require you to swallow your fears to make it happen.

Here’s the story: A couple of years into my budding freelance copywriting career (while I juggled a 9-5 day job with writing for clients), I was suffering from serious input overload.

You know, that nagging feeling that even though you’re doing okay… you’re still constantly aware of how much better you could be doing…. and you really want to be doing better RIGHT NOW.

It was messing up my mojo pretty bad, too…

… because every time I’d read a great blog post or forum thread about some killer sales writing tactic, I felt like I HAD to incorporate it into the project I was working on at the time.

Even if I had finished the writing and was ready to send it off to the client, I’d stay up all night rewriting to infuse the copy with new magic potion I’d just discovered.

Not sure if that qualifies as passion, dedication or OCD (or maybe all three), but looking back I’m sure it hurt some letters as much as it helped others.

(It for sure wasn’t making life any easier for my wife, who had her hands full with our two preschoolers while I worked 8 hours at my “real” job and spent another 8-10 in the back room typing out an escape route, one sales letter at a time.)

Regardless, I had no choice. I was officially obsessed with mastering this craft. The same way every successful freelancer copywriter I’ve met since became obsessed with it.

So, to tame my habit of chasing down and applying new tactics, I decided I’d pick just ONE master copywriter and obsess exclusively on him.

My philosophy was:  If I truly could model the patterns of just one master copywriter so intensely that ultimately I’d gain the ability to call on them at will — as if the guru were sitting next to me, eager to assist — then I’d be able to minimize my learning curve and fast-track my career.

I chose to focus exclusively on Carlton because his style resonated with me best… and we seemed to have a lot of similar personal interests (blues guitar, beat culture, Travis McGee novels)…

Plus, it goes without saying that if I could become half the copywriter John is, I could manage a very long and prosperous career.

So, along with pouring over his exceedingly rich blog archives, I began seeking out and snatching up everything the man ever produced.

Which was not an easy task because, back then, there was no Simple Writing System (which would later hand me his formula on a silver platter)… and much of John’s best stuff was long off the market (so finding it was tough).

And — key point here, folks — I cut myself off from every other resource.

No more hours spent trolling forums, no more subscribing to marketing blogs. I became a hermit in the “religion” of Planet Carlton.

(John gets spooked when I talk about this obsession, by the way, which makes it all the more fun to write about here.)

And it paid off.  I learned, and I put what I learned to excellent use.  However, by the time I’d finally drained all the knowledge I could from all the resources I could find on Carlton… I still wasn’t satisfied.

The next logical step was to reach out to the man himself.

I joined his Insider’s Club and quickly messaged him to ask if he offered private coaching.

He didn’t at the time. “Freelancers need a lot of coddling, I just don’t have the bandwidth,” John explained in his reply.

Turns out the last time he offered coaching to freelancers, Harlan Kilstein had ruined a good thing for all of us by nagging John almost daily with questions.

(Probably no coincidence, though, that Kilstein became the first of John’s students to earn a fortune as a freelancer.)

John also hadn’t hosted a workshop or seminar in a while, and showed no signs of hosting an event anytime soon. So there was no direct access.

Undaunted, I hung around and soaked up what I could from John’s blog, and especially the forum in the Insider’s Club.

Soon I found myself helping other members as much as I was seeking help. All that dedicated study had made me a pretty useful savant, and before long John was requesting that I chime in on threads.  He recognized me, by name.

Finally, I saw an opening… when he finally decided to host another event.

“I see you’re going to be in Chicago doing a Hot Seat Seminar the same time I’ll be in town, “ I emailed him. “I might have a day to kill, any chance I could hide and watch from the back of the room?”

I had absolutely no plans to be in Chicago, but I had lived there for years and was eager for a trip back. Other than that I had only one purpose there: To meet John.

Shockingly, John accepted my offer — he often brings in outside experts and writers to his events, in order to give clients the most bang for their buck. He even invited me to join everyone for a dinner they were hosting that night.  It was clear that my hard work learning the craft, and helping out in the forums, had given me a foothold.  I was, suddenly, an invited “veteran writer”.  (The other expert he’d invited, you should know, was the amazing Dean Jackson — a deeply respected insider among marketing wizards.)

I couldn’t believe that in two weeks I’d be in the room with the man I’d been studying relentlessly (John likes to call it “stalking”) for months.  Literally singing for my supper.

Part of me worried that I’d made a huge mistake. It’s seldom the smartest idea to get in a room with people you deify.

That’s why I’m never up for meeting my favorite musicians… what if they turn out to be a major asshole in person? The songs will never sound the same after that. (Thank you very much, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes.)

Oh well. Too late now.

I told my wife the news. She’d heard every Carlton story ten times by then and was excited about the meeting, but she had a different concern: “What are you going to say when he asks what you’re doing in Chicago?”

I laughed, “He’ll never remember me saying that! Why would he give a shit what I’m doing there?”

I arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel about 15 minutes before the first Hot Seat was scheduled. The small “Gretsch” boardroom was filling up with attendees. Stan Dahl, John’s longtime biz partner, was in the front making notes. I introduced myself. He shook my hand and quickly returned to his notebook.

“Anything I can do to make myself useful?” I asked.

“Nope. All under control. John’s dealing with an issue at the front desk, should back in a minute,” Stan said, with a hint of tension.

Christ, maybe this was a bad idea.

The room was tight. I took the chair in back with a blank name card in front of it. It was the ninth place at an eight-seat conference table. No hiding in here. I scribbled “KEVIN” onto my placard and pulled out a notebook.

At 8:57 John walked in. He grabbed a pen and tried to write something. No ink. He chucked it across the room into a trashcan. Stan rolled his eyes.

Yep, definite tension.  This was a session filled with clients who had paid thousands of dollars for advice and consultation that might change the rest of their lives.  It was not a casual meeting.

John surveyed the room, “Okay… we’re ready to get started. I guess Kevin never made it.”

“He’s right there in front of the tag that says ‘KEVIN’,” Stan quipped.

“Oh… Kevin. There you are. You look different than I pictured,” John said, taking on an easy tone.

I stood up to shake his hand, “Thanks for having me John, it’s a real honor.”

“Yeah, it worked out well I guess…” he replied. “So… what is it you said you were doing here in Chicago?”

Time froze. Everyone waited for my answer. All I could picture was my wife whooping with laughter at her victory.

“Oh… well, uhhh,” there was no use. “Just visiting old friends and ya know… this.”

“Uh… okay,” he said. “Well, let’s get started then…”

Fortunately, the rest of the morning went more smoothly. I laid low for the most part, but John called on me a few times and I was able to provide some coherent content.

“Great input,” he said before lunch. “Don’t be afraid to speak up.”

I felt like a made man.

Later that night we had steaks and — having done my homework, and knowing that John loved blues — I drug John and Stan to Buddy Guy’s “Legends” Blues club on Wabash where Buddy himself sat perched near the front door. A steady procession of awestruck fans lined up for a chance to shake that supernatural right hand.

Turned out to be Buddy’s 51st anniversary in Chicago. After some rally from the crowd and prodding from the band, Buddy Guy made his way to the mic and sang an impromptu medley of “Hoodoo Man Blues” and “Love Her With A Feeling.” The room was electric.

For me it was the perfect capper to an amazing journey… and the beginning of a brand new one. That moment of truth, taking action while smothering the nagging fears in my head, was a major turning point in my life.

I’ve been absurdly privileged in developing a friendship and business relationship with John over the last 3 years. I’ve learned more about running a business and, of course, copywriting than any Ivy-covered university could teach in that span.

Plus, I’ve been paid well by clients while learning all this, instead of going deep into student loan debt.

And all it took was some blind ambition, a gut check against my fears, and one plane ride to Chicago.

I still scroll around the marketing forums occasionally. Every time I do there’s at least one new thread from someone asking for help “getting started” as a freelance copywriter.

They always receive heaps of parrot-like advice about the long list of “must read” books to buy and courses to take, how they should write sales letters by hand a hundred times each, get a job selling door to door or try promoting affiliate links on ClickBank…

… and, hey, it’s all valid stuff, more or less.

But for me and the other copywriters I know who are living the ultimate freelance lifestyle (commanding high fees, working with Big Dog clients, making their own rules)…

… the faster, more successful path came down to 3 simple steps:

1. Turn off the noise and focus on learning from one source at a time.

2. Write every day with the goal of beating your own best results.

3. And… most important of all… get out and meet the people who’ve figured out the secrets to achieving the same things you want.

If you have any designs on accelerating your own career this year…

… whether that means taking your existing skills or your existing business to the next level…

… or simply making this the year that you stop “working on” becoming an entrepreneur and finally make it happen…

… then you seriously MUST attend the “Action Seminar” John is hosting this February in San Diego.

I won’t belabor the benefits of attending… because they should be obvious by now.  It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to share space with the people who have achieved the same goals that you’re now after.  John has front-loaded the joint with experts and go-to-guys like you cannot believe until you experience it yourself.

And instead of doing the obsessive, year-long mind-stalker thing I did with John….

… you can simply ASK the experts at this incredible event how they do what they do so well… what it takes to make and meet goals quickly…and what they would do if they were you, starting from where you are right now.

And guess what?

They’re happy to tell you! Because we all remember the struggle and we all had people help us out along the way.

You might be amazed at how much a small effort on your part (like, getting on a plane to a super-nice Southern Californian locale and attending a well-structured, interactive 2-day seminar) will do to bolster support for your career.

Doers love to help doers.

It’s the dreamers and the whiners who get left behind.

Of course, what I’ve shared with you here is just my story. What happens to you depends on what you do after the handshake.

But I can promise that none of it would be possible if I hadn’t gotten into that room in Chicago.

You don’t have to spend a year in reclusive study and then weasel your way into a meeting. Or listen to the blues… or even care who Travis McGee is. All you have to do is be in San Diego Feb 25th and 26th and be yourself.

Get all the details on the Action Seminar here.

If this really is your year to create your own damn turning point, I can’t wait to see you there.

All the best,

Kevin

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57 comments
Scott Murdaugh says January 10, 2011

Hey Kevin,

Loved the post!

And I can tell you from experience, whether it’s being a freelance copywriter or anything else…

… It really comes down to who you know.

That short-list of contacts and clients who make your career.

And just one contact, it doesn’t even have to be a “John Carlton”, can change everything.

The Action Seminar will be a no-brainer for any copywriter, struggling or not… Just one contact or one idea and the thing will pay for itself, most likely exponentially.

Very cool story about how you became involved with John.

See you in San Diego man!

-Scott

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    Thanks, Scott. And you’re right on the money, dude. There’s always more to the story. If I hadn’t spent time learning from Vin, I’d have never had the confidence to approach John.

    That’s a pretty rich heritage. I’ve been fortunate.

    The key is to start on your path with whomever you can. But start.

    You’ll be learning as much about yourself as you will be learning from your mentor.

    See you there!

    Kevin

    Reply
David Raybould says January 10, 2011

Great post Kev.

I’d forgotten the whole “stalking JC” story. Cracked me up.

Oh, and killer line: “typing out an escape route, one sales letter at a time.”

Well played sir.

-Dave

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    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    Ya man. I always equate that time to Clint Eastwood digging the tunnel through rock with a spoon in “Escape From Alcatraz.”

    Thanks for commenting…

    Kev

    Reply
Nathan Stockwell says January 10, 2011

Great story and post.

Put a smile on my face. (I felt nervous for you too.)

Thanks…

-Nathan

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    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    Ha! Thanks, Nathan. It was tense going for a minute that morning, but oddly like seeing an old friend at the same time.

    Those are the moments.

    Reply
Rezbi says January 10, 2011

Great story, Kevin.

I like the part about sticking with one source. Lately I’ve been doing just that.

Unfortunately, I won’t get to meet my ‘mentor’ – Gary Halbert.

I like his writing as it resonates with the way I think.

Thanks for a great article.

Best,
Rezbi

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    Thank you, Rezbi.

    Next best thing though… Gary’s sons will be very present at the Action Seminar. We’re even talking about setting up some sort of round table after the event. Could be historic.

    Hope you can make it out.

    Kevin

    Reply
      Rezbi says January 10, 2011

      Kevin,

      That round table sounds good.

      I’ve got my hands full at the moment: I’m setting up a couple of new offline businesses so will have to wait for the next one.

      Best,
      Rezbi

      Reply
Susie says January 10, 2011

Hey Kevin,
Great advice – thanks!
Having spent some “virtual” time around John and Stan in the past year – I always felt the best description of their biz partnership was “opposites attract” (whether in love or in business!). Two seriously smart dudes…
Hope to see you in San Diego,
Susie

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    Hey Susie… kinda like Oscar and Felix in a tough love sorta way with J&S.

    Good example of how relationships can look like a disaster on paper, but work like magic in real life.

    See you in San Diego.

    Reply
Virginia Drew says January 10, 2011

Hi, Kevin

As one who is trying to “write my own story” I appreciate your sharing your own experience.

It can be a challenge to cut through all the noise and focus on one path.

There are a lot of excellent copywriters out there. They all do things a bit differently (of course), so it can get a bit confusing.

It is a matter of finding one with whom you can relate…like you did.

Thanks again for a great post.

Virginia

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 12, 2011

    My pleasure always, Virginia. Thanks for your comment.

    Kevin

    Reply
Ben Johnson says January 10, 2011

Great story well-told — and a timely reminder that even in Internet marketing, where so much business and learning takes place virtually, there comes a point where you need to get out of your comfort zone, hop on a plane and go where the action is.

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    Here, here! Worked like a charm for you last year! (And me too, come to think of it 🙂 )

    Show how, thanks to the magic of Skype, you don’t need to upend your life to have a full working partnership with somebody these days.

    We’ve done pretty damn well over the airwaves this year. It’ll be great to see you in person again this Feb.

    Reply
Christopher Tomasulo says January 10, 2011

Very inspirational story Kevin.

I’m glad you put in there that you worked an 8 hour job (well paying I might add) while grinding it out after hours to jump-start your new career.

While that fact might be a trivial detail in the larger and more exciting story of meeting Carlton… I think it’s just one small illustration of what has made you exceptionally good at whatever you put your mind to…

…a laser-focused determination to succeed at your chosen profession and a willingness to pay the price to make that determination a reality.

I can’t wait to see the dozens (or more) guys that become super stars as a result of your influence.

-C

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    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    You’re too kind, Chris.

    True, the fact that I had to replace a $65K salary with copywriting made the climb all the more steep.

    But from the minute you showed me that first Carlton ad, I knew what I needed to do. That clarity is an incredible gift in itself.

    Thanks for stopping by…

    Kev

    Reply
Harlan Kilstein says January 10, 2011

Hey Kevin,

Congrats on your huge advance in your career – from rug rate to full fledged copy dude.

Your launch this year for the mobile project was top notch.

Good thing I’m getting out of the biz. I’d hate to go up against you.

And if you’re reading this and haven’t decided to sign up for the Action Seminar… you’re about to blow another year.

How many millions have I made since discovering John? Five? Six? More?

How many millions have I made my clients? Hundreds.

Just sign up if the damm thing is still open.

Harlan

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    Hey Harlan…what’s this about getting out of the biz? Is your yoga class that damn full?

    Namaste,

    Kevin

    Reply
Lina says January 10, 2011

Hi Kevin

Are you that guy from that pawn/porn town? 😉

Hey, it’s Lina from Sydney. Hung out with you, John and Stan last year in San Diego. I would come this year – except (and this is a real reason, not just an excuse) – I’m 8 months pregnant this time :). Airlines don’t let you fly 20 hours when you’re this far along…

I had a ball with you guys in 2010 and I know this year will be a blast. David Raybould will have to fill me in during one of our coaching sessions (Hey – I’m lucky enough to have that dude mentor/coach me).

Are you still doing stand-up comedy? I would definitely pay to watch you make me laugh… hehhee

Great post. Thanks heaps. You freaky stalker, you.

Lina

Reply
Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

Hey Lina,

Great hearing from you. We had a hoot hanging out with y ou last year.

Sorry to hear you won’t be around this time, but congrats on your new baby.

Little genius in the cooker.

Keep us updated.

All the best,
Kevin

Reply
Drama says January 10, 2011

Hey Kevin,

You hit the nail on the head.

I’ve done exactly as you did. I’ve stalked John relentlessly for the past few years. And it’s working like gangbusters.

See ya in San Diego

Drama

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    See you there, pal. This time you’ll get to personally drink your delicious whiskey with all the VIPs!

    Looking forward to seeing you again.

    Kevin

    Reply
Bond Halbert says January 10, 2011

Hey Kevin,

Your post is spot on. Over the years many people came to work with my dad. Those who learned the most, were the ones who put their lives on hold and became obsessed with learning “how” he thought.

And those who went the farthest were the most willing to leave their comfort zone.

See you at the Action Seminar.

Bond

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 10, 2011

    So true, Bond.

    You know, I have a secret recording of your bro describing what it was like to be around your dad while he was obsessing on a new ad. Fascinating stuff. I may have to ask his permission to release it.

    Can’t wait to hang with you in SD.

    Kev

    Reply
    Ronnyg says November 9, 2013

    Bond…Thank you for the link to Gary Halbert website…at this time won’t be able to buy much, but I have a feeling that I have just received some very valuable information!

    Also am new to you Kevin Rogers…caught you on a vid you did with Kelly Felix. So am subscribed to your list and am looking forward to learning how to write better copy for my website and other stuff…Thanks Guys

    Reply
Mark Andrews IMCopywriting says January 10, 2011

“And all it took was some blind ambition, a gut check against my fears, and one plane ride to Chicago.”

Your confidence inspired action on your part Kevin and in turn…

Your action gave you even more confidence to really believe in yourself and what you could do for other people.

Loved the story.

May you enjoy a wonderful and highly successful 2011!

Kindest regards,

Mark

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 11, 2011

    You, too Mark. Thanks for stopping by.

    Kevin

    Reply
Dana says January 10, 2011

Great story Kevin. I have to say, it’s amazing how much more you can learn when you find someone you relate to that’s successful at what you want to do, and follow them. Like the dog trying to chase to many rabbits. Every time he sees one he goes down another trail and ends up tired and starving because he hasn’t caught anything.

I had to unsubscribe from many lists because all I was doing was reading more information. I learned a lot,(like the dog chasing the rabbit story) but I was getting tired and hungry. I’m still hungry because I’m just coming out of the gate and working on putting my skills that I learned in the last SWS to work. But I’m also relieved because I found someone that is highly successful doing what I want to do & can teach me all I need to know to make it happen. And now I’m putting myself out there to make it happen.

Stay in motion,

Dana

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 11, 2011

    Hi Dana,

    You’re making all the right moves. Tuning out the noise is essential to survival now more than ever.

    One other important lesson we all forget is that a lesson isn’t truly learned until you see the results of it for yourself.

    Reading is only the first step, next we’ve got to thrust ourselves into “do or die” scenarios that force us to unload our mental weapons cache.

    And accept that we just might screw things up royally. Knowing it’s just another stop on the journey.

    I love what Halbert said about failing fast. And those guys were learning expensive lessons through the US mail. We’ve got it easy online because we get instant feedback for dirt cheap.

    There’s never been a more opportunistic time in the history of marketing. We should all be failing at something daily.

    I’ll be doing my part 😉

    Hope to see you in SD next month.

    Kevin

    Reply
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Rob Lehrer says January 11, 2011

Your story is inspiring, Kevin. I didn’t know anything about you prior to my taking the SWS class last spring. I could tell by reading your critiques of other students’ work though, what a marvelous writer you are.

I’m looking forward to meeting you in San Diego in February.

Rob

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 11, 2011

    Very kind of you to say, Rob. Be sure to pull me aside and say hello next month. We’ll have great fun.

    Kevin

    Reply
ken ca|houn says January 11, 2011

great writing, Kevin, you’ve come a long way in your chops, gotta love that bullet-paren hook you used (John gets spooked…) that’s classic Carlton-type copy. Agree re going deep with just a very few trusted resources; that’s very important, vs running all over the place chasing noise out there… I’m sure the seminar will be well worth attending for those who make it, John’s a genuine life-changer. Rock on.

-k

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 11, 2011

    That means a lot coming from you, Ken. You’ve taught me many invaluable lessons over the years going back to Michel’s incredible forum.

    Always great to hear from you and much continued success (goes without saying for you!)

    Kevin

    Reply
Alan Clark says January 11, 2011

This blog post was absolutely amazing.

Do you know sometimes when half a dozen different topics all come together in your head, all seemingly unrelated, yet the combination of all these different topics makes you wonder where the information came from?

Well I just had one of those moments.

Thankyou

I’m from Scotland and know I won’t be able to make it.

However, the path that has presented itself to me is my equivalent of you realising you had to obsess over one person.

My mentor is doing a launch just now and I could fund a trip to see him if I do my best ever job at promoting as an affiliate.

I don’t have an optin list but I have over 5000 twitter followers in the relevant niche.

I have a url sitting there that I have had for a couple of years that hasn’t been put to good use.

Right I need to stop writing and go do this. NOW

I apologise for the brain fart but I was here and I had to write it down 😀

Great post, awesome timing!

I don’t know what is different but I feel like I know this will work.

Thankyou

Reply
    Kevin Rogers says January 11, 2011

    Hi Alan,

    Thanks for your kind words.

    It sounds like you’re on the cusp of a big breakthrough. Your mindset is in a critical stage I call “the mentee mindset”.

    I discovered it the first time I plunked down hard earned cash for a biz coach. Just that single act of commitment changed my mindset in an instant.

    I accomplished more the weekend before my first coaching session than I had the previous year. Stuff that still affects my career today (like getting my blog live)

    Incredible.

    So, keep doing what you’re doing man. Keep finding mentors worthy of impressing and keep challenging yourself to do more… you’ll be shocked at how quickly things fall into place.

    Developing the skills we need to succeed is like a sculptor starting to work a bust…

    … the face is already inside the block, the artist only needs to chip away the rock in its way.

    Keep chippin’, bro!

    Kevin

    Reply
Geoff Dodd says January 11, 2011

Kevin,

Thanks so much for sharing what you actually did and for explaining how I can create my own damn turning point. You turned like a Rolls Royce in Picadilly Square. (They turn on a damn dime.)
John did it again (to me) in the damn preamble: “the difference between a life frozen in placeâ�¦ and a life that roars along in the fast laneâ�¦ turns on a single moment where you realize â��Hey, I can DO thisâ��.

Now that turns your kangaroo around, mate!

Geoff in Perth

Reply
Business Ideas Journal » Blog Archive » Create you own turning point says January 11, 2011

[…] http://www.john-carlton.com/2011/01/how-to-create-your-own-damn-turning-point/ […]

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Brian McLeod says January 11, 2011

As always, great story, Kev.

If this post was a song, it would be “Unchained”… or maybe “Mean Streets”… definitely from Fair Warning, though.

: )

Best,

Brian

Reply
    David Raybould says January 11, 2011

    I’d second that…

    Reply
      Kevin Rogers says January 11, 2011

      I was shooting for a thumping bottom end like “So This Is Love” 🙂

      Check me out on the good side here…

      Reply
        Bill Jeffels says January 11, 2011

        Or,,, You could ” Hear About It Later ” lol,

        Bill

        Reply
joe says January 11, 2011

Great post Kevin – you’re living proof to John’s prowess as a teacher.Love the line “you felt like a made man” this could be the nudge i need to write “How Gary Halbert Saved My Life” those who knew Gary i think would enjoy it.Find the right mentor and tune out the rest excellent advice,truer words never spoken — me thinks it time to sign up for the SWS if i get a fraction of the results you have Kevin it would be well worth it chow mein for now…

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    Kevin Rogers says January 11, 2011

    It’s all there for the taking, Joe.

    Love to see your Halbert post, too. Keep us in the loop.

    Kevin

    Reply
JimmyCurley says January 12, 2011

Hey Kev:

Really good stuff here.

I especially like the part about overcoming your own fears and doubts and forcing yourself to do take action…

… and move forward.

Because it’s the fear and doubt that keeps MOST people locked down in lives of “quiet desperation”, isn’t it?

I recently read an article about what “elderly” people (75-85 years old) regretted most about their lives.

The answer was pretty consistent. Looking back over their lives most old-folks wished that they had just “taken more chances”.

In the end, there’s a hand-wringing regret about “playing it safe” all the time — because of course being afraid to take action (even when it involves some simple steps) often times means missing out on the biggest opportunities in life.

Great work here Kevin.

–JimmyCurley

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    Kevin Rogers says January 12, 2011

    Well said, Jimmy. I just started reading a biography of Hugh Hefner last night and there was a moment at age 26 when he stood looking out at the Chicago River, a soon to be dad working a job he hated and thought, “Is this really all there is?”

    It’s critical that we listen to the voice inside our heads that tells us there must be more.

    It doesn’t always come with instructions, but that’s why they call it faith, right?

    Just imagine all the joy we’d be missing if Hef hadn’t answered the call.

    I, for one, feel grateful.

    See you in SD, dude.

    Kevin

    Reply
A Great Tool You Need says January 12, 2011

[…] to http://www.John-Carlton.com to get on his mailing list and I know you’ll hear when the next training is […]

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Carlen says January 14, 2011

Great story to hear yet again, Kevin… and I can hear your wife laughing all the way to the bank.
carlen

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    Kevin Rogers says January 17, 2011

    Not that day… but eventually!

    See you in San Diego. It’ll be nice to get out of this Florida cold!

    Reply
Lisa Wagner says January 24, 2011

“Doers love to help doers.” No truer words spoken.

Most people talk up all they want to do, and never take a single damn step toward it – paralyzed by fears, fear of failure and fear of success.

You can’t build something new – or clean up old messes – without getting your hands dirty.

Thanks Kevin for this post… it shows how you jump in and get dirty and make it happen. Feel the fear and act anyway.

=)
Lisa

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Kevin Rogers says January 24, 2011

Thanks, Lisa. That’s an impressive compliment coming for you.

Let’s start a band called, “The Doers”.

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Pedro says January 25, 2011

Kev… inspiring writing as always.

A little late on the uptake here, but I thought you might chuckle to hear that I (and another copy buddy we have in common) made drunken fan-boy fools of ourselves stalking Chris Robinson backstage at a Crowes gig some years back…

His advice on that tipsy occasion was also pretty inspiring (in the short-term at least):

“Go to the bar, a**hole.”

So we did… and “My Morning Song” still sounds great today.

To a great 2011 dude,

Pete

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Kevin Rogers says January 26, 2011

Great story, Pete.

Yeah, I’d say the whole of Side 2 on “Southern Harmony” is douche proof. Man, I burned up some highway to that record.

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Pro Flight Simulator says February 5, 2011

I finally started taking action! thankyou!

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How To Get your love back says February 19, 2011

The moment we decide is the moment we create our damn turning point!

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Ron - Sales Copy Writing | Content Publishing | Blogging says February 21, 2011

Excellent post! I was always a great fan of Gary Halbert sales copywriting…But recently I am getting inclined towards the works of John Carlton. Much to learn from this legend!

Reply
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