---
title: Have The Discipline to Take Cold Showers...and The Stairs (Rory Vaden)
description: Take The Stairs' author and entrepreneur, Rory Vaden, shares his story of leveraging discipline to overcome failure in his journey to the top.
image: https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hubfs/_Podcast_Images/The-Sales-Podcast-Rory-Vaden-Session-73-small.jpg
---
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Jun 23, 2014
# Have The Discipline to Take Cold Showers...and The Stairs (Rory Vaden)
 [Wes Schaeffer](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/author/wes-schaeffer)
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## About Today's Guest on [The Sales Podcast](https://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/podcast)
Rory Vaden is a self-discipline strategist and author of the #1 Wall St Journal, #1 USA Today, and #2 New York Times bestseller, "T[ake the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success](http://amzn.to/1vHGGr8)."
[](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLMFNC3s5B9EfeOw%2BKUkSJNT6I0Klgkyi1aeMT4xk%2BrAaQTsLUbL4CIJjQigsAHFi7t4WjY8mlQrSEDCY88JrUodFzy8MOwu7q%2BVa4mXA4ksmDrXv4y4qxZ0YhUVUoe8tEbVTOnhTuLSzkFrhVUf1hquwKwSngq9pHEwQhE1XBAZBqRCPC5d0AszFkubZm3LJ9HnGymogo%3D&webInteractiveContentId=185369604869&portalId=443614)
#### Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
Do what you need to do even when you don’t feel like doing it.
It doesn’t mean “be different or be a rebel or look at me.
It’s all about doing what you know you should be doing.”
Southwestern Consulting - coached over 2,700, 74 on the team.
### Hold yourself accountable.
Rory grew up around sales and has been around entrepreneurs his whole life.
His single mom sold Mary Kay and she took him to meetings. (He knows more about makeup than fishing.)
In college, he was an accounting major at the University of Denver—an introvert, a little shy—a girl approached him—Tracy, who was refereeing his intramural basketball game - and she mentioned she got an internship for $10,000 last year and he should, too.
Little did he know what he was getting into!
Took ice cold showers waking up at 5:59 am and made $17,000 in his first summer selling educational books door to door…more than his mom ever made.
He then made $50,000 a summer after his first summer.)
(Top student will make $30,000 their first student. Top overall will make $75,000 to $100,000! All-time record holder is his friend that made over $100k in one summer.)
### Advanced Attitude + Advanced Work Ethic = Advanced Selling Skills.
His lifelong goal was to be a professional speaker. (Speaks about 70 times a year now.)
After college he wanted to pursue a speaking career.
Entered the world championship of speaking via Toastmasters and he made it to the Top 10 his first year.
The next year he worked harder, spoke 304 times over 18 months and he came in 2nd. (The #1 loser as Jerry Seinfeld would say.)
He was approached about starting a training program for Southwestern Consulting.
Southwestern Advantage—since 1885.
Every year they take 3,000 college students and train them to be self-managed by creating a culture of self-discipline.
They create a system.
Say these positive affirmations.
Do sit-ups.
Knock on your first door by 8 am.
Show it to at least 30 families per day. And it will work.
### Finding the system is not hard. The problem is finding people that will follow the system.
“[Take The Stairs](http://amzn.to/1PC4Ut2)” book.
He set out to solve his own problems, not the problems of the world.
He was devastated after coming in 2nd in the speaking championship.
He gained 40 pounds.
He broke up with his girlfriend he thought he would marry.
His business was in shambles.
> “How did I go from this disciplined machine to overweight, lonely, broke, unsuccessful business owner?”
So Rory studied the impact of his negative habits of procrastination.
He found 7 key distinctions on how successful people think.
It’s not as hard as we think when we learn how to think about it.
Now the book takes off.
### Success is simple but not easy.
#1 is The Paradox Principle of Sacrifice.
Grew up in Colorado but lives in Nashville now.
Rocky Mountains and Kansas plains.
Has both buffalos and cows.
When a storm comes from the West, cows sense the storm is coming and runs east to run away from the storm, despite being slow beasts.
They continue to run and they end up running with the storm, which maximizes their pain and suffering.
Humans do the same thing all the time.
Debt, marriage difficulties.
### Problems procrastinated on always makes them worse.
(If you’re going through Hell, don’t stop. If you gotta eat a frog, ain’t no use staring at it…and eat the biggest one first.)
Buffalo wait for the storm to pass over the crest of the mountains and they run west into the storm.
(Attack an ambush.) This is how a “Take the Stairs” person acts.
[](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJtGLiGInxscGcS%2B1fKgNJDTH6AFbI%2Ba0Dg6ZW%2F6pFcEcrZKeQbUm9VHXpO%2FNElXL%2Bh3z8jyzhdAwJp8CGbiqI0grVdNcYilJM2GGO0MjNFRCamz3cN2pTSwSs1FqTY3yJdA5cBZLErLyxTJq1AHfg8%2FIanSP3i3hRo4hdTyhFYgnWQ0RJQJmgA7O25nJfm4A%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=190434884110&portalId=443614)
(Hard right or easy wrong.)
*“The Answer Is Behind The Next Door”*
When it’s raining go to the next door. Flat tire, no sales, lonely, arrested, scared, get yelled at.
Successful salespeople keep going.
It’s not the “theory of averages. It’s the law of averages.”
He’s all for building relationships and follow-ups and referrals.
But whoever speaks to the most people wins.
SW.SW.SW.SW. (Some will. Some won't. So what. Someone's waiting.)
National Speakers Association teaches you the business of speaking.
Toastmasters teaches you the art of speaking. It gives you the stage.
Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy,
Speakers and Authors—simple but hard—any time you sit down to write a speech, article, book or keynote…in one sentence, at the top of the page, boil it down to what you want the audience to think, feel or do when you are done.
That’s your message.
Too many say “a lot of stuff” and have a good feeling but a week later they can’t remember anything.
Do things you know you should be doing even when you don’t feel like doing it. (Take The Stairs)
The emotional side of productivity “[Procrastinate on Purpose](http://amzn.to/1VQJWyc).” (his new book due out in January)
A huge crowd of mediocrity—the mediocre majority—a lot of noise.
To rise above the noise you need to stand out with this key, one-sentence message.
Randy Gage—wild guy, awesome, prosperity speaking—you should always be the #1 investor in your own dream.
*Pay the money to invest in yourself and your growth.*
Buy people’s stuff to help you grow.
*People are twice as likely to reach their goals with an accountability partner.*
#2 - The Buy In.
“How long do I have to be disciplined, Rory?” Forever.
“The Red Axiom.” Success is never owned. It’s only rented and the rent is due every day.
#### Links Mentioned
- [Connect With Rory Vaden on X](https://x.com/rory_vaden)
- Visit Rory Vaden's Website Rory Vaden's Home On The Web
Market like you mean it.
Now go sell something.
[](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJtGLiGInxscGcS%2B1fKgNJDTH6AFbI%2Ba0Dg6ZW%2F6pFcEcrZKeQbUm9VHXpO%2FNElXL%2Bh3z8jyzhdAwJp8CGbiqI0grVdNcYilJM2GGO0MjNFRCamz3cN2pTSwSs1FqTY3yJdA5cBZLErLyxTJq1AHfg8%2FIanSP3i3hRo4hdTyhFYgnWQ0RJQJmgA7O25nJfm4A%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=190434884110&portalId=443614)
[The Sales Podcast](https://thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/topic/the-sales-podcast)
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Start by winging it then measure and adjust .
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