The Fences We Build
I love this story...
A young woman had a dream:
She wanted to become a world-class motivational speaker.
Like anyone serious about mastering their craft, she sought out the best — and eventually found herself at a conference, listening to her idol speak.
During one of his sessions, she caught a phrase that stuck with her:
"Successful speakers can sell people 80% of the time from the stage."
Eighty percent.
That number became her goal — her North Star.
She went to work.
She practiced tirelessly. She refined her stories. She studied sales psychology, audience engagement, body language.
She put in the reps.
And she got good — really good.
But after years of grinding, she was frustrated.
Her results had improved dramatically, but her close rate hovered stubbornly around 75%.
So close to her goal, yet somehow always falling short.
Out of frustration (and maybe a little desperation), she attended another speaking event where her old idol was presenting again.
After the session, she found a moment to pull him aside.
"I have to ask," she said. "I've worked so hard. I've gotten so much better. But after all this time, I can only close 75% of the room. How on earth do you get to 80%?"
The speaker nearly choked on his water.
He looked at her, bewildered.
"Eighty percent?" he said, laughing.
"I didn't say 80%. I said 18%!
Closing 18% of a room is fantastic."
The Real Lesson
That day, the young woman learned something even more important than speaking technique:
She had been operating at an entirely different level because she believed it was possible.
She wasn’t limited by the industry’s expectations.
She wasn’t confined by "what’s normal."
She didn’t let the "average" define her potential.
And because of that, she far surpassed what most people even thought was achievable.
What About You?
Most of us live inside invisible fences — old assumptions, outdated beliefs, "standard practices" we’ve never thought to question.
But here’s the truth:
Just because something is normal doesn’t mean it’s your ceiling.
What if the standards you’ve accepted are way too low?
What if the goals you think are "hard" are actually undershooting what you're capable of?
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Don’t let the status quo define your potential.
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Don’t let old beliefs shrink your vision.
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Set your standards based on your possibility — not the industry's "norm."
You might already be closer than you think.
Ryan Giles
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