Kay:

Hey there, Questers – welcome back! It’s Friday, October 2nd, and this is Episode 195. It’s National Custodian Day. So, you betcha, we are featuring a quote from our favorite former custodian, our one and only friend and mentor – Mr. Paul Martinelli.

Shi:

It’s three words and it’s SO good. Sisters and misters – Are you ready?…“Hold your image.”

Kay:

Ooh, okay! It might seem a little too simplistic. You might be like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” But let’s just dive in a little bit to see what this incredibly deep quote can mean for your life.

Shi:

In order to help you understand the meaning behind it, let us just quickly share with you a little more about Paul, because there’s a reason we’re sharing a quote from him here on National Custodian Day, even though he is not a custodian anymore. Paul Martinelli actually started a cleaning company with about 300 bucks and a mop. And he went around and started cleaning commercial businesses and built millions upon millions of dollars in revenue for his company, and then founded the John Maxwell Team. So – he is a nine figure entrepreneur. He’s a speaker, he’s obviously the co-founder of the John Maxwell Team, but he also is the founder of the Empowered Living Community. And, he is affectionately called The Mop Bucket Millionaire!

Kay:

Now, just for the sake of accuracy, if Paul ever gets his hands on this podcast, we have to say, Paul is technically a janitor and NOT a custodian. He did make that difference for us, but we had to make sure we at least gave the love on here on National Custodian Day because this guy took himself from mop bucket to millionaire and really did find that focus in his life to build something that’s now impacted millions of people across the globe, which is just amazing. So – What does hold your image really mean? What are these three words? Let’s unpack it and get into: What does this phrase actually mean?

Shi:

Well, for Paul, it meant when he was cleaning toilets in the middle of the night that he was thinking about doing more, about being more, about impacting more, and about saving, and investing, and growing himself. And he held that image night after night for two decades. It’s one thing to have the image, and it’s another to hold it. Because holding your image really means staying focused on that outcome, and persevering through the challenges. AKA: Don’t quit! – That’s what, “hold your image” means to me.

Kay:

Yeah. It means really grabbing onto that thing that you want and not letting it go or compromising. There are so many things in your life that will come along that will ask you to compromise on your dreams. Life often makes compromising on yourself easier than it makes going for the things that you want. So holding your image can be really difficult because sometimes it’s so BIG you don’t even believe that it can happen. Or, it’s so small that you don’t even feel like it’s worth taking action towards. So, figuring out what that image is and then holding it seems so simplistic, but it’s really so much deeper.

Shi:

I’m so glad that you talked about figuring out what that image is. Because, if we break it down into three words, you’ve got “hold,” right? Not “picture” your image.

Kay:

Or, “think of occasionally.”

Shi:

Right?! Like, HOLD it. Grab it and don’t let go. And keep it in a consistent focus for yourself. Don’t hold the image that society tells you. You hold your image, which is what’s personal and true for you. And then, the image part is that dream. What does it look like? YOU have to define what it looks like. Not, “Hold your vague generalization of a feeling you want to have in your life.” It’s like, what does it really look like? That’s what image means.

Kay:

Yeah. And, in thinking into that, “What does it look like?” part – picturing that in your life really helps you when it comes to utilizing what I’m sure you’ve heard of before, which is the Law of Attraction. And, using the Law of Attraction effectively means being very specific. Shi, I’m hoping we’ve got just a quick 40 seconds here, but do you have an awesome story about a time when you held an image and it ended up showing a year later and not in the way that you thought it would?

Shi:

Oh my gosh, well, I took a $1 bill and put five zeros behind it. So, it was a hundred thousand dollars and put it right next to my bed and just held the image of a hundred thousand dollars in March. A hundred thousand dollars in March. And, the year came around and by the next March, a hundred thousand dollars did come to us, but it was through two $50,000 investments into a new location of our restaurant. And they kind of came out of nowhere and it was really neat. But, as we put them into the bank towards the restaurant, I realized you got to be a little more specific when you specify what it is that image actually IS.

Kay:

What she meant was a hundred thousand dollars in March.

Shi:

For ME!

Kay:

For me and for an investment in the restaurant ;)…But we digress.

Kay & Shi:

*(Laughter)*

Shi:

Live and learn, people!

Kay:

Paul Martinelli tells us these three simple words that really mean so much. And, that quote is to, “Hold your image.”

Shi:

So, you’ve got a Mop Bucket Millionaire quest today! Paul tells us to, “hold your image.” And so, this weekend, we want you to literally hold your image by printing out a picture of something that signifies a goal you want and holding it in your hands physically…Might be a picture of the Rose Bowl, or a house, or a vacation spot, or a million dollar check. But whatever it is, print it out and hold your image. Are you ready?

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!