Major Inspo From BTC Founder Mary Rector-Gable
“Everything You Want in Life Is on the Other Side of Fear”
Each year at the #thebtcshow, BTC Founder Mary Rector-Gable opens the second day of the program with an inspirational message; sharing her insights, observations and lessons learned. This year, she offered several important messages.
Don’t Let the Past Hold You Back
“Many times, the hardships in our lives prepare us for what we need to learn to be able to achieve our dreams,” she shared. “My mother suffered from depression, and sometimes she didn’t get out of bed to get us off to school. So at the ages of seven and eight, my sister and I had to take care of ourselves. I could look back at that and say, ‘Poor me.’ But I choose to look at what happened as my opportunity to learn independence. Instead of talking about what you didn’t have, celebrate and find gratitude for what you did have. And if you think your life was tough—look to your left and your right. I promise you, there would be a line of people all around you who would love to have your life.”
Be a Victor, Not a Victim
“Every day we make the decision to be a victim or a victor,” she declared. “A victim can figure out how to take obstacles and make them a problem. A victor figures out how to take challenges and turn them into opportunity. When I was a kid my dad would say, ‘It’s a man’s world and you’re already behind. You can make excuses because you’re a woman or you can get to work. You won’t work as hard as a man, you’ll work harder.’
Mary brought her dad onstage to share a heartfelt message.
Life isn’t fair, so get over it. Greatness isn’t reserved for a chosen few—it’s reserved for the few who choose it. The few who are willing to do the hard work. To be better. It’s like the handicap in golf. I don’t want a handicap. I’m not a woman, I’m a competitor. And I’m going to beat everyone else by being better and by never copying anyone else.”
Good is the Enemy of Great
“At BTC, we are proud to be the B-team. We don’t want to be the A-team because the A-team thinks they’ve made it. The B-team is always striving to be better. Our goal is to be great. Like all of you in this room, we’re all like-minded people who want to do great. Great always does what good is unwilling to do. Show up early. Say yes to that last, extra client. Smile when you’re exhausted and when everyone around you is wondering why you’re working so hard. There’s always another goal.”
Never Underestimate Your Impact on Others
“Do we ever fully realize the impact we can have on someone else’s life? We never know what someone else is really going through. People tell me I’m so nice and so humble. Why wouldn’t I be? Power brings a responsibility to set an example. I was bullied, I was painfully shy as a kid, but the hardships in my life have given me the ability to empathize with that person sitting alone in the back of the room. We’re like a boat’s wake that sends ripples across the entire bay. Every decision we make to be kind, generous and helpful can impact so many other people.”
Don’t Let Anyone Stop You from Listening to the Voice Inside
“I always knew, when I was growing up poor in a small town, that I was destined for something important. After I started behindthechair, I lost all my money and all my investor’s money. I nearly gave up. It was so hard. At my lowest point, at a family reunion, I jumped out of an airplane and the next day, I tried to swim across a lake and had to be rescued. Looking back, I wonder if part of me didn’t want to be rescued, didn’t want my chute to open. But ultimately I kept going. I kept remembering that I always believed I had a destiny. And today we have more than two million BTC members from more than 90 countries. The lesson is, you must listen to the voice inside you, asking if you are willing to walk into the fog. Are you willing to walk into the unknown, or will you turn around and go back to the safety you know? Everything you want in life is on the other side of fear. You know what you see in your dreams. Do you have the courage to keep taking the steps required to make that dream a reality?”
