On Friday, Tiger Woods gave his long-awaited public apology about his numerous affairs and the harm he caused his family, his fans and others.

Was he sincere?

I really don’t know. I usually have a pretty good sense of when someone is being genuine and sincere. But in watching Tiger make his statements, I wasn’t sure. It was certainly well written. He seemed to say all the right things. I think he wanted to be sincere. And maybe he was—and is.

But Bill Clinton looked sincere when he denied having sex with Monica Lewinsky. And John Edwards looked convincing when he claimed his love child really WASN’T his child. And we wanted to believe Richard Nixon when he said, “I’m not a crook.”

But as we found out later, they were lies.

We’ve all been lied to at one time or another. And no matter how good our “bull detector” is, sometimes we believe someone because we are convinced that what they’re saying is the truth, and it’s not.

In the world of so-called success gurus and business leaders, there are many who claim to have all the answers. But I see far more hype than substance. When someone works so hard to get me to believe them, I wonder why and I begin to doubt them. And it certainly muddies the water for those who are committed to honesty and integrity in business.

Ultimately, Tiger Woods will be judged by how congruent his actions are with the words he spoke at his press conference. But right now we have only his words.

Don’t get me wrong, I think words are important. What someone says or writes has weight, for sure. But if there’s incongruity, if they don’t walk their talk, if they can’t stand and deliver, their words not only ring hollow, they betray and deceive.

I think Edgar Guest summed it up quite well in his poem, “Sermons We See”.

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day,
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done.
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true;
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

I think most people will forgive Tiger for his dalliances. But if he isn’t sincere in his apology and his future actions betray his words, I think people will be far less forgiving.

For most of us, Tiger Woods’ confession and apology has little effect upon us. But our own words and whether or not those words are congruent with our actions has everything to do with us. Our reputations are built—and stand or fall—on what we say and what we do.

The most memorable thing I ever heard Ross Perot say when he was running for president was, “Talk is cheap. Words are plentiful. Deeds are precious.”

In just the past few days, 3 different people asked me to to offer a personal mastermind program.

This is in addition to our Diamond Club MasterMind.

They told me they wanted more of me—specifically to master mind with me and have me personally mentor them to create breakthroughs—in their lives and in their businesses.

That’s all very flattering.

But . . . I’ve facilitated a year-long master mind before, and frankly, it was pretty demanding. When I work with people this closely, I put a LOT into it.

However I stand in the service of others. And if that’s what people want, I will make it happen.

So starting next month, I will personally lead, facilitate and manage a master mind of no more than 5 business owners.

If you think this might be for you, then I urge you to take a look right now . . .
See for yourself here . . .

If it’s a fit, you can make your application with no obligation.

And don’t delay. The last time I did something like this, it filled up in less than 48 hours.

PS: This year we’re going to build a social network for Authentic Entrepreneurs. I also plan to write a book and launch several other exciting projects. As part of my Inner Circle Master Mind, I will let you behind the curtain as we create these programs. I will share what works and what doesn’t—and you will learn a lot.Be part of the journey, maybe even partner with me as we MasterMind our way to the next level in our respective businesses. It’ll be fun.

Fun, growth, wealth and prosperity—what a concept!
See for yourself here . . .

As I hope you heard, we’re inviting four people to our new home in Florida for a world class business retreat.

The just updated invitation page at www.SuccessNet.org/retreat explains a lot about the many reasons you should consider attending and what a difference it will make in your life and business.

And there’s over $30,000 worth of bonuses included with the program.

But Dawn and I thought it might be fun to share what WON’T happen next month here at Firethorn.

1. There will be no sweat lodge. There might be some benefit to that, but I can guarantee that is not part of the program.
2. We will not walk on fire. I did that in 1984 when Tony Robbins was only 24 years old. It was very cool (no pun intended) but again, not here, not this time.
3. No channeling. At least not from Dawn and me—and I doubt from anyone else.
4. We will not allow whining. No whiners invited and no whining will be allowed.
5. No small thinking. Part of our retreat is to get you to think bigger.
6. Levitation? Nope. But you can float in the pool.
7. No hype. We don’t believe in it. We don’t like it and we don’t do it.
8. No cold, nasty weather. We have ordered the best temperature and sunshine for late February. It will be gorgeous.
9. We will not be practicing therapy. We WILL ask tough questions and we will help you to think more clearly, but we are not shrinks and don’t try to be.
10. No fasting. Unless you REALLY want to. Our plan is to have you eat well, eat often and enjoy the benefits of our personal chef.

I’m sure there are more things that won’t happen on February 19 & 20. But there will be a LOT happening for YOU. See for yourself the promises we’ve made and will keep.
www.SuccessNet.org/retreat

PS: Most people can point to only a handful of defining experiences in their life. This could very well be one of the positive ones for you. We hope to see you there, but you will need to act fast. There are only four slots and one is already taken.
www.SuccessNet.org/retreat