“Success means doing the things you don’t want to do.”

— Rory Vaden

There are times you meet successful people. Very successful people. People who take the stairs.

Rory Vaden is one of those people. Barely 30 years old, but graduating Magma cum-laude from the University of Denver with an MBA, founder of a multi-million dollar sales consulting company, and two-time finalist on the biggest Toastmasters stage (The International World Championship of Public Speaking), Rory’s message is that success takes hard work and self-discipline. It means taking the stairs when everyone else takes the escalator.

Tonight I had the privilege to introduce Rory in my role as the evening’s MC for the District 7, Leadership ’11 Friday night event. Living up to his billing, he gave us an hour of speech coaching, filled with anecdotes and humor, details and techniques. He gave us specifics and he gave us ways to remember people’s names.

From this video, (around the 3:17 mark) I especially liked his comment,

“I’m on a mission. I’m on a crusade. I want to show kids that a disciplined life style has so much more to offer them. I want to show them that success is about sacrifice. … I got into public speaking because I saw a need. I saw (there was) a need to have someone that was young, that was popular, that had all the things that kids wanted to be, but somebody that didn’t resemble what they saw on t.v.”

Being successful requires a great deal of sacrifice. Whether it’s success in public speaking, business, or even giving everyday, there are sacrifices one has to make. It doesn’t come easy.

“Success is rented,” he says. “And the rent has to be paid, everyday.”

Rory takes the stairs.

I was happy to give my time to be the MC tonight for the Toastmasters conference event. I always meet so many interesting people, people looking to do better. People who are taking the stairs.