The time has arrived. The first day of the event, and I am signed up for what is called Think Tank. And believe me, buddy, it is a THINK. TANK.! My little mind is truly expanded!
See all those flags? They represent the countries which are represented in the John Maxwell team. I think we are up to 117 or so? If Brian is reading this, he'll know the exact number and will soon be racking his brain on how to set up an account so that he can comment and correct me! Torture! hahaha I know that at this particular event, there were over 60 countries represented. That, in itself, is a very cool factoid!
Sooooo... you may wonder why it is that Jessi was with me on this trip. well..... I was asked this go round to paint! Yep! I was hired as the artist of the event. I am slotted to paint on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, so as the blog posts progress, be ready to see some pics from that occurrence. I knew that the plan which was in my head and that I tried my best to relay to Paul Martinelli, the president of the John Maxwell team, would require an assistant. I would need a helper in many facets of the operation, but mainly to keep up with the immense amount of wise quotes pouring out of the mouths of the speakers so that I could go back and paint them as my backgrounds dry. He agreed, and asked me to also include an assistant for the entire weekend. I KNEW it had to be Jessi. That girl can read my mind!! From the row 11 seats on the plane to making a binder with every single detail of the weekend in it, (of course with a cute font on the front!), she was queen of the CYA! Know what that is? Well.... she covers your a**. Or at least, mine. Always!
I was so excited that she got to experience some of the grandiose that I come home every year bragging about. This was her introduction to the John Maxwell Team, and it was a staggering number of people. It was only later, that we were told that they'd be taking down a partition in the room, and another 1100 would be pouring in the next day for our audience as we took our spot at the front of the room and painted our little hearts out.
This is somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-500.
And it is a neat special time where John comes in and gives a special lesson to the alumni of the mentorship program.
That man oozes with wisdom! But can I tell you what I am "getting" more and more?! It is this.... it is really all so simple! Leadership. Success. Financial security. Happy marriages. Not "easy" as in it doesn't require work. Cause... it DOES!
But know this... leadership is servanthood. So is my role in marriage. And so much of what I read and learn about regarding leadership has to do with a strong value system. I preach our values to my employees. When I go to coach a new business, that is the number one thing I make sure that they are clear on... that, and knowing each employee's unique strengths so they can collectively learn how to create teams where everyone is operating in his/ her strength zone, so they are efficient, effective and mostly energized!! Who doesn't want to work in an enlivened, HAPPY environment?! If you want to learn more about personal growth, leadership, or how to become a more influential person in general, holler!! I can hook you up on resources!
I have been hosting mastermind groups at MoJoy for about a year now. Maybe a little longer. I also have a leadership meeting with the MMPT leader, and have done that for over three years! It has completely transformed my business. I will be starting a new Mastermind group in September. If you are interested in attending, email me for details at mojoy@att.net. Or watch the website (melaniemasseygroves.com) for more info. I am also considering hosting a conference call style mastermind group... where people from all over the country could call in and we could discuss one of John's phenomenal books. Also email me if that is of interest to you.
Boy. I got off course. Back to the fantasy that is Orlando Marriott. See that tall water slide in the back left corner? Yeah... well that was ONE of them!! There were long, curvy ones on the other side. And a splash park with huge sprinkler type thingies in a wade pool too. Next year... the girls ARE coming!
I tried to get a panoramic pic. Ummmm... so so!
Meanwhile, back at the bar! haha
Jessi and I were reflecting on the things that we'd learned earlier in the day. Over a martini.
And lo and behold... look who arrived. It is Brian. I mean, this is a DREAM for me. To have THREE members of the MMPT team all at the John Maxwell event. That is crazy cool!! Having THREE of my core work group all receiving leadership training from the foremost teacher, author, and overall authority on leadership in the world! That is very, very cool!
These two have been integral in my being able to peel away from the PT clinic on a daily basis. That's not to say that I am not there every day. I am. I just don't treat patients daily anymore. I am learning to work ON my business and not IN it. I DO miss patient care, but I find that I can multiply my influence this way, where before my impact was more of an addition situation... only adding value to those I could touch immediately. Teaching leadership principles to key employees, then backing away and letting them have not only the responsibility, but also the authority, to make decisions and lead based on what they've learned, is integral to the growth of my business. Now I work with other businesses to learn to do that too!
This was a huge collage of photos from past events. Would you believe I found myself with John in two places? And this collage was easily 6' tall and 7' wide.
What the what?! I ran into my dear friend, Miss Dorothy!! She is the beauty who met me when I was in Tucson this past February. She is one of the most encouraging women I have ever met. She, Miss Pat from my art retreat, and I are tentatively planning a women's retreat called How to keep the fun rolling across the generations. Each of us are 20 years apart in age, and we all still feel that we are growing and learning. It would be a HUGE learning opportunity for me to get to brainstorm with these beautiful women and glean wisdom through our planning. Stay tuned for that one. We're thinking maybe in Arizona. And probably in 2016!
More fun chicks. I have since found fresh flowers, so... POW! Into my hair it goes!
Blurry pic. Two new friends from Cali.
Amy, my South Carolina PBS phenom, me, Deb from California (I MUST get out there and visit!!), and Jessi Mae.
Up until this point, it was pretty much only people in the mentorship program (those are the only people eligible for the Think Tank and private John Maxwell lesson). But now.... the floodgates are opening! And all the newbies are pouring in!
Did I mention that if you have ANY inkling that you might want to become a certified coach, speaker, trainer, for the John Maxwell Team, that I can refer you and it benefits me!? Yep! It does. SO, if you are interested, please send me a message, and I can steer you in the right direction!! I'd be glad to.
It was about here that I informed Brain that I was not only inviting him down to Orlando to help Jessi and I with the project we had on the docket for the weekend, but I was also paying for him to be certified as a John Maxwell Team member himself. He LOVES the information as much as I do. And that is saying a LOT. We are growth info junkies!! If all goes as I hope it does, I will have ANOTHER MMPT team member trained in 2016!
This is our primary teaching team. We have a teacher for each key area.... JM philosophy, coaching, speaking, training through mastermind groups, sales, and my fave.... THINKING!
I love this man right here for how he's helped me change my thinking!! I am no longer EVER encumbered by limited beliefs. I KNOW the power of my thoughts. I do not come into agreement with other people when they are struggling with limiting beliefs either. That includes the people I am coaching, my patients, my friends... or anyone. WHY wouldn't I want the best for them too!?
Welcome Brian, and the rest of the 1100 new JMT members.
Paul is the president of the JMT, and he is also quite visionary! I LOVE how he thinks BIG! He and I sort of dreamed up this idea of my "event painting" while John spoke. He'd never seen it. And I'd never seen it. I mean, we'd both seen event painters who captured events, via large canvases and maybe to music, etc. However, this was different. This was my capturing quotes as the speakers delivered them. Which, if you can imagine, meant I had NO way to really prepare for what I'd be painting when I got in front of the group. I had to be very intuitive with what I painted. And blogworld people, that is MY FAVORITE place to be.
More on some cool intuitive moments in subsequent posts!
My mentor, John, has been getting his exercise on. He is looking slim and trim! Like, I was very inspired. I have been walking! (didn't hurt that Todd got me a FitBit for my birthday! I almost kicked him. But I know he loves me and wants the best for me!)
You've heard me talking about living in high favor... right? Well, it seemed like every time I turned around, there I was again. For instance... getting this spot at the very front of the room, only a few feet from the man himself. Nuts. And wait until you see my seat assignment tomorrow. I shake my head in amazement. Really I do!
It was a great end to a great day.
These are two of the fabulous team of photographers from Christian DelRosario's team from California. They were absolutely amazing. I can't wait to see what pis they captured of me, jessi, and Brian. They'll be uploaded within the week, and as I see them, I'll share them.
Day one comes to a close.
Because we couldn't get to the person we needed to secure another room, Brian had to room with me and Jess! Look at him over there. He was not ABOUT to turn and face us!! And he was up and at em around 4:30 am, I think, to make absolutely POSITIVE he was not in the room when we got up. He's such a gentleman!! (and both of our husbands knew this was the case, just FYI!). Never fear, Brian had his own room the next night!
Get ready. Tomorrow is a biggie!
MO
7 comments:
Such an awesome experience! I'm so thankful that I got to be a part of it!
Thanks for taking me back to such an awesome week. We are living the good life for sure :)
Awesome! Ready for day 2!
I was in St. Louis for an offsite meeting Wednesday and Thursday. At last night's dinner, we had a speaker named Chris Robinson. I didn't realize the speaker was a John Maxwell coach until last night. When I was listening to him, I wondered if you might know him so I checked Facebook when I got back to the hotel - sure enough, he was on your friend list.
As we were driving back to the KC area tonight, one of the women mentioned how she sees 11:11 all the time and how she had googled it to see the meaning. I had to tell her the story of Jake and what 11 meant to you.
Enjoying reading about your trip to Orlando!
A to the mazing! Love hearing all about it!
I'm surprised that room didn't implode with all of the wisdom and positive energy you experienced. Kudos to you for sharing with your employees. Yes it certainly benefits you and your business, but Lawd...what it does for them. You get it! I look forward to more blogs about your experiences there.
Just how funny is the sleepover.....just another one of the team...you do what you gotta do and make it fun. Go Brian!!
I'm forever thankful for the opportunity to become a member of the John Maxwell Team! That weekend was one of the inspiring experiences of my life!!! Thank you, Melanie, for your passionate leadership and for always supporting us to maximize our potential! There are now certified JMT members in 117 countries, so you were correct!
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