By now, you’ve probably seen the video of my friends John Reese (also my “boss” at Income.com) and Frank Kern with personal development icon, Tony Robbins… but if you haven’t, you need to STOP what you’re doing right now and watch it…
Tony Robbins, John Reese, & Frank Kern Video
I still remember back in the summer of ’95, I was a broke, single father of two little boys, and it was at that time I decided to crack open the following book…
Awaken The Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
That is the actual book that I bought over 14 years ago, and even though I now have a virtual library full of personal development books, this one will always mean more to me than any of the others, because of how it helped me to focus my life in a positive direction. It didn’t take long for this book to have an impact on me…
The page that changed my life.
That’s page 21 (the 3rd page of chapter 1), and he describes what it felt like to be rock bottom in life, but better still… he mentioned that he finally made this DECISION…
“I decided I would never again settle for less than I could be.”
So from that point forward, I made a similar commitment to myself and have never looked back.
The Day I Met John Reese
Fast forward 7 years to September ’02, and I’m walking into the “System II” seminar in Cincinnati. After registering for the event, I saw some guy about my age (unfortunately, I turn 40 four months before he does) standing alone to the side of the room, so I walk up to him…
ME: “Hi, my name’s Andy. How are you?” (we shake hands)
GUY: “Hi, my name’s John Reese. You’re Andy Hussong, right? I’ve heard all about you.”
(OK… so I made that part up..) 
JOHN: “Hi, my name’s John Reese. So what brings you here?”
ME: “I’ve been doing some affiliate stuff, promoting different products via autoresponder and such, but I’m pretty new, really. How about yourself?”
JOHN: “Well, I’ve been doing online marketing for a few years now. As a matter of fact, I sold a bunch of domain names for $X million a couple of years ago.”
I swear you could hear a loud “BOINNNNGGGGG!” when my eyes bugged.
*NOTE: I would insert a picture of John and I together, here, but would you believe that even though I’ve been to his house in Orlando, and have been at the same events as him, that I have NO pictures of the two of us together? Funny thing… I did have a pic taken of us together at an event in Atlanta when he took me for a ride (more like a LAUNCH) in his Porsche, but I can’t for the life of me find it!
From that point forward, I knew John was someone to pay attention to in regards to online marketing, and keep in mind… John wasn’t teaching Internet marketing at that time, so that explains why I didn’t know him from Adam when I walked into that room (and why he wasn’t surrounded by people).
The cool thing about this, though, is that we remained friends as he spent the next 1 1/2 years freely sharing his Internet marketing knowledge on teleseminars, in forums, at events, and so forth… and then, when he had his first training event, the “Triple Your Profit Workshop” (which provided the majority of the content for the original “Traffic Secrets” course), he asked if I’d be interested in flying to Orlando to help with the event.
Needless to say… I was excited to help him out. You can even hear/see me in some of the “Traffic Secrets” recordings (I ran the microphone around the room, among other things).
Finally, later that year, when things had financially gone south for my family and I, I got an email out of the blue from John, asking me to consider becoming his affiliate manager. Considering the fact that I was 9 days away from losing our home in a sheriff’s sale (which also was miraculously saved soon after this), I jumped at the chance, and I’ve never looked back.
John has always been a friend to me as much as he’s been a “boss”, and I could never repay him for giving me that chance, and allowing me to be a part of his team.
Frank Kern – World’s Best Marketer EVER?
As for Frank Kern… all I can say is that he is the MOST AWESOME marketer who has ever lived, he’s the best surfer that’s ever hit the waves of SoCal, and I want to be just like him!
Ok, I admit it. He paid me to say that…
Frank Kern paying me off.
Actually, what I can honestly say about this cat is that he’s had a massive effect on me over the years, even though we’ve only had limited contact with each other.
I bought one of his first Internet marketing trainings that he did with Shawn Casey, and I soon realized that he really knows his stuff. Plus, the dude is totally genuine, and would give the shirt off his back for just about anyone… accept Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, of course. 
Obviously, money goes to the heads of many successful people, but Frank is one of those guys who is totally approachable, easy going, and without a doubt the funniest sum bitch you’ll ever meet. From our brief encounter way back when he shaved and had short hair, to when I attended his Mass Control seminar in Apr ’08, the dude’s been nothing but cool.
So, again… like I mentioned at the top of this post… you owe it to yourself to watch the powerful video that these three amazing difference makers have put together, and I’d love it if you’d give me your thoughts by replying to this post.
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Outstanding post Andy! I watched the video earlier this week and have been encouraging others to do the same. There is nothing more powerful than meeting your success. What most people fail to realize is that they already possess it and just have to learn how to reset their mind to think it, own it, and live it. I’m still in my process continuing to learn and share. Thanks so much for sharing!
Andy,
Cool blog. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks,
Rob
Great Story. I also attribute the Awaken the Giant Within book with a major turnaround. I had every reason to just let things spiral downward but decided to make a change. That first major change which led to many others was stopping the use of tobacco. One of the main reasons people give for NOT quitting is weight gain. So I knew that I had to take that barrier away. I quit and at the same time got into great shape.
Another good post. Look forward to more from the inside.
OOPS… I thought all this time I wasn’t getting comments, but just realized that even though I had my blog set up to email me when someone posted a comment… that I had a funky email addy listed in my admin area. DOH!!
Thanks to each of you for the kind words.
BETHANY- Those are great tips. Unfortunately, because of upbringing, influential people in our lives, and so on, most people LEARN NOT to believe in themselves.
We’re all born with a clean slate, I believe (for those of us fortunate enough that our mom’s didn’t suck back the ole crack pipe, cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs of choice), and its a shame that our minds get poisoned over time.
My wife and I always wonder in amazement at our little boys, talking about how cool it is that all they know is confidence, having fun, and being willing to try anything without fear of what others think of them.
Just think how amazing our world would be if we all grew up with this same attitude.
JONATHAN- Thanks for sharing that story. Very inspirational, and I promise to ramp up the valuable posts.