The Time I Delivered My First Child

On May 21st, 2009 my wife called me at 6:30 AM while I was at the Hyatt hotel in the Intercontinental airport in Houston, and says, “We're having a baby today”. Now we knew the baby was coming but I thought it was going to be in June, so I planned a seminar. Understand that I’m the delivery guy—I’m the doula at my house.

Be laser focused when life challenges you.

We did natural childbirth because I didn’t want doctors cutting on my wife, drugging her, and I didn’t want her to be in a place where a bunch of people are sick, broken, and hung over—I didn’t want any of that. So we had our baby at home. So my wife calls me and says, “You need to come home.” I said, “I have 257 people at a seminar.” She replied, “You need to come home.”

She was laser focused.

“You need to come home because you made a commitment to deliver this baby with me.” I said, “You’re right. I’ll be home.” So what do I do? I grabbed my bags, I bought a ticket online, and I went to the tram in Houston. The tram was shut down.

What do I do? I had 11 minutes to make an 8:30 AM flight so I could be home in time to deliver my first baby girl. What do I do? I stay positive. No negativity allowed here. I say to myself, “Stay positive Grant,” and I start hauling ass, pulling my bags, and I go all the way across the Intercontinental airport.

I came up to TSA and I start reaching in my pockets pulling out my documents, busting through the security line saying “give me some help, I’m late, I’m late, help me, help me, help me!” I’m begging people for help, yet staying focused. I know I can make the flight. Oh! Where’s my driver’s license, where’s my passport? I had neither of them.

You know what you do in that situation? You quit! At least, that’s what most people do. Because quitters quit, that’s what they know how to do. What did I do? I shout, “Special attention! I need some special attention! I've got a special situation!” Those are two key words you want to use in an airport whenever you need help: special situation.

Now you think I’m going to drop the pregnancy card, that I’m having a baby. No way. Don’t do that. Save that.

You don’t blow your whole wad at one time—you’ve been doing that your whole life. I say, “special situation” and he says “what is it?” I reply, “Look I don’t have a driver’s license, don’t have a passport, but look check it out,” as I pull out a copy of The 10X Rule. “I just wrote this book, it’s sick—you need to get one. Look, here’s my photo right here.”

Then I pull out my phone, “Here’s my Facebook account and my Twitter account, check me out that’s who I am, Grant Cardone.” The guy says, “Come on through” and takes me to his supervisor. The guy tells me, “You’re never going to make it, it’s impossible, you’ll never make this flight. You’re down to 7 minutes." I said, “please, have one of these," and gave him a no negativity wristband. "Be positive, because if I give up now I can’t make it. If I’m going to fail, I’m going to fail at the last moment.”

Why is this story important to you? DON’T STOP! Whatever the obstacles, problems, and challenges—keep moving forward. I got on the plane that day and 8 hours later I delivered my first baby girl. I would never want to miss that day. Could I have just taken the next flight? I would have missed 3 hours of my wife in labor.

I got to watch my wife in massive pain for 3 hours and I got to be there to support her, comfort her, to take showers and be in the jacuzzi with her, and to love my wife through those moments that were so difficult. The natural child birth was the most incredible thing I’ve ever done in my life. Supporting my wife was incredible, and making that flight was incredible. It was miraculous. And it was because of one thing.

I kept taking action.

Do the same thing in your life. And stay positive.

GC