I was sitting with two dear friends, and the most unbelievable conversation unfolded. One of the fellows was telling me that way back when, he went to a certain rabbi. He said to the rabbi, “You know, I want to sell my position. Someone wants to give me $60,000 to buy me out.” The rabbi said, “Buy it out. You buy him out.”
He went back to his mother and said, “I went.” His mother said, “If you ever speak like that again to me, you’re not my son. You go tell that guy”—she uses a choice word—“that you’re going to buy him and 10 more like him.” She went to the bank with the keys to her apartment. Almanah—she does not have a husband—but she tells her young son, “Here’s my house. Go buy him out. Go fund the business.” Today, that business is worth billions.
What was so odd was that the story was so eerily similar to the person standing right next to him, who had also visited the same rabbi with the same problem. His partners wanted to buy him out, and the rabbi slapped him across the face and said, “They buy you out, you buy them out.” “But where do I have the money?” he asked. The rabbi said, “Get out of my office.” The guy left his office and went to his father. His father handed him the keys to his house. He said, “Go to the bank, mortgage the house, and invest it in the business.” That business is worth billions today.
My friends, I hope it’s worth doing billions of dollars in business. The year that this happened was the same year for both of them. I think it was 2007.
My friends, what did both of those people have to be able to create an empire? You see these guys, and they’re very successful, and you think, “Wow, so different from me.” But actually, they’re not so different from you. They’re the same as you, except for one decision: they were asked to bet on themselves when they were asked to travel to a land that they know is good. That’s why you built the company. You know it’s good. You know the values there. Bet on yourself. Trust yourself. Have faith in yourself.
But both of those people had something in common: a rabbi and a parent who believed in them enough to be able to reinforce the doubt and the baggage within them. So if you are a parent or a rabbi and you’re listening to this, if you are a friend or a spouse and you’re listening to this, know ye that each and every one of us is only a step away from greatness. One choice away from greatness.
For every guy who tells you, “You know, I almost invested in Yahoo. They came to me to ask me to invest in Facebook,” every person is one decision away from greatness and wealth and family. “Could have married her. We could have been together. I could have done that. They asked me to build that synagogue. They asked me if I wanted to put my name on that school. I didn’t think it would be anything.” Understand the power that you have as a person of influence in their life. And make sure that when they ask you the question that will change their life forever, you’re handing the keys not to your house or to your apartment, but you’re handing the keys to their future.