It’s the most powerful conversation I’ve ever had with myself and a good reminder for all of us…

———

J,

After our talk about helping more people have a breakthrough yesterday, and the ENORMOUS amount of stuff people need to filter through, I started thinking about what caused my change.

What caused the shift in my life that really set me on a new path that lead to creating more of the things in life I wanted like getting married, building a family, getting in good shape so I could feel good and vibrant and not like the fu###ng grim reaper every day…

And MONEY (cuz we know that’s what the majority of people we communicate with are focused on)

This is one of the most powerful conversations I’ve ever had with myself and oddly enough, I’ve never really shared it with anyone. It’s pretty simple really but maybe it can spark some ideas or inspiration that we can use to help our subscribers and customers and add some value to their lives…

So after the bullet in that .357 magnum misfired and I was left sitting there with the cold steel of the barrel of that gun in my mouth, I FREAKED OUT (obviously).

And with a heavy heart and tears streaming from my eyes, I knew I was at a crossroads. I knew it was time to dig as deep as I could to find answers, no matter how obscure or weird or unusual they seemed. It was time to let go of any judgment about the world, my life, myself, or other people.

And then I asked myself this question:

“If I’ve created everything I’ve done and created everything I am and I’ve actively been participating in the creation of every aspect of my life, why am I not happy with what the sum of what my life has become?

If I created this, everything in my life, by my choices and the actions I took based on those choices, and those choices were driven by my desires for what I want and don’t want, how in the holy living hell can it be that I’m not getting what I want out of life!?

Because I know that I DO want happiness, I DO want money, I DO want to feel at peace with who I am, I DO want to feel fulfilled and like I have some sort of purpose on this rock, I DO want love, I DO want control, I DO want freedom, I DO want a lot of stuff that I DON’T have.

Those are my desires. Those are things I want and I know I want them. And anyone that tries to feed me this line of bullshit about how “I don’t want them bad enough” or “they are not burning or core desires” or I don’t have a big enough “why” can kiss my ass!

I DO WANT THAT STUFF G@# DAM&^% IT and I’ve wanted it my entire life!!

So If I have those desires, and my desires direct me in making decisions and choices, and I’m taking action to get those things, WHY THE F%^$ DON’T I HAVE THEM!.

The only thing I have left to focus on is my beliefs I guess…

So what the hell are your beliefs Mike? How do you figure out what your own beliefs are when they are the thing that paints the canvas of your life? That’s like asking a fish to explain water!!!

OK… Settle down killer! Just look at your life. Look at it objectively through the eyes of a complete stranger that just had a mind meld with you and was there to do a non-judgmental assessment of the sum of your life. That would probably work…

My beliefs are that the things I want from life aren’t possible for me. The life I want to live seems too outrageous for me to step into it. I’m not that person who can or even should get that kind of stuff.

I’m just a scared and confused idiot who just put a loaded gun in my mouth and pulled the trigger for hells sake! Why would ANYONE waste any resources on a piece of shit like that?

Not only that, I don’t believe I am capable of living in that world.

I see myself a certain way and I’ll only grow to the point my life fits that self image.

I mean how would I feel going to a party in a Hollywood mansion surrounded by people who were rich, confident, and wearing clothes that cost more than I make in a year?

I’d feel out of place and insecure. And when I see myself at that party, I’m NOT at the same level those people are. I don’t belong. I don’t fit in.

How would I feel if I suddenly got a windfall of money dropped in my lap?

I’d feel guilty, like I didn’t deserve it and that everyone was looking at me with resentment in their eyes so intense it could split the heavens because they worked their asses off to move ahead in life and I’m just some lucky loser. Everyday would be filled with rejection and bitterness.

How would I feel if I had kids? If I got married? If I needed to be the protector and provider for a family I built?

I can’t even imagine that being real. I can’t even take care of myself let alone a little kid. I don’t even know how to love myself, how am I supposed to love my wife? I don’t even have a bank account and I have no money to my name. I live bouncing around from room to room and have no stability, how could I raise a family?

My beliefs are that I am destined to fail so no matter how bad I want success, no matter how hard I work for it, no matter how much blood sweat and tears I put into creating it, it will never be. (Very eye opening for me at the time)

Unless….

What if you put all of that blood sweat and tears into re-shaping your beliefs about yourself? Who says that’s not something you can do? What if you put your desires on hold for a minute and just 100% focused on finding ways to redefine who you are?

You got sober right? You beat that part of your life so you know that change is possible right? Maybe not always easy but it IS possible!

Why not focus ALL of your anger, love, hate, fear, frustration and all of the other powerful emotions you’re having on creating change in your beliefs about who you are?!?!

Stop waiting for a second chance and just give yourself one man! A second chance to become who ever the hell you want or decide. Like witness protection for Mafia rats only without someone trying to find you to “whack your ass”.

I could make this fun actually. OK Mike, let’s do it. Let’s give it a shot. Hell what do you have to lose anyway?”

So J…

That was it for me dude. That’s when I set out to find the answers and you know what man?

That’s when things quickly started to change in my life, I mean very quickly!

I’ve always had strong desires, and I’ve always had beliefs about myself but…

Shit bro, we ALL do! Everyone one of us deals with this stuff on a daily basis. We just don’t slow the f$#@ down enough to stop and take a close look at.

I HAD to because I was 100% out of other options so I might have had an unfair advantage from that perspective but I had a STEEP mountain to climb as well.

Beliefs win EVERY TIME! It’s only when I started to kick my old beliefs asses and nurture some new ones that I started to build the amazing life I’m so grateful for and have today…

And maybe if we can find a way to get this idea into our subscribers minds, it can help them…

Peace hommie! :-)

——-

If you take a second to objectively examine your beliefs about yourself and your life I bet you discover there are some things in there that could use a bit of an overhaul!

Mike

March 27th, 1989 I walked out of rehab after spending 21 days learning some new skills about how to live my life in a way that helped me progress towards a better life than the life I had when I entered rehab.

Part of that for me was to replace drugs and alcohol with other more serving habits that empowered me to deal with powerful emotional and mental toxicity.

When I walked into that rehab center I was scared out of my mind.

My t-shirt was literally soaked with sweat and I was 100% uncertain about what was in store for my life.

I had no self confidence, no belief in myself, no self worth, and could see absolutely ZERO value my life had in any way.

The only thing I knew is that after I had that very profound and powerful experience that led me to calling the rehab center, I needed to find a way, ANY way, to stop drinking and doing drugs every day.

I tried to stop 100 times before but I just didn’t have the confidence, wisdom, or ability to learn how to believe in myself enough to find even a shred of value in myself that was worth fighting for.

And even after I was sober for 2 years, I still was a giant mess! I still saw no hope of living a life I could be proud of that was full of all the things I wanted but never had growing up.

Love…
Happiness…
Support…
Fulfillment…
Adding value to others…
A place where it was safe to smile and laugh…
A strong, caring, and loving family…

And oddly enough, an environment where I could be myself without fear of judgment.

So here’s the point and the lesson in all of this.

Today I have ALL of those things and much much more at levels I didn’t know were possible back then.

But…

It wasn’t JUST because of rehab, or JUST because of my own nuclear intense journey to find answers and tools and wisdom, or JUST because of anything..

It was a progression.

Rehab got me 2 years further in my life but I stopped getting value from it. I needed more if I was to continue to pursue and hope to ever find the answers I was looking for to undo the toxic corruption I had in my head, heart and soul.

Each action I took lead me to a destination I could never have imagined but it was the destination where my next journey began.

They weren’t always happy places and sometimes it appeared that going backwards was a FAR better option.

I was scared throughout the entire process… And through dealing with that fear I learned how to forge courage.

I felt alone through much of the journey… And through that I learned how to trust and allow love and support into my life.

I battled with self confidence in a huge way… And through that I developed certainty and trust in myself.

I experienced almost unbearable frustration… And through that I added resilience to my tool box.

I cried many tears of deep dark sadness… And through that I learned love.

I was betrayed by literally every person I trusted… And through that I learned forgiveness.

I took an emotional and mental journey through more adversity, uncertainty, self doubt, fear, feelings of being unworthy of happiness and success that had so many twists and turns that half the time I wasn’t sure if I was coming or going.

The majority of it was all housed in my mind and my beliefs I formed through the evidence I experienced and decided to label as the “truth” about life as I was growing up.

But looking back on it today…

I actually had a couple tears roll down my cheek. Because back then, all of these things would take a miracle for me.

Today I’ve been married to my best friend for 14 years.
I’ve formed unbreakable friendships with some of the most amazing people you could ever meet.
I’ve got 2 incredible daughters that add more value to the world than I could ever hope to add.
I’ve made tons of money (which means I got to have fun and SPEND tons of money)
I’ve given back to thousands of peoples lives and made at least a speck of an impact in the world in a positive way.

And my favorite piece of all of this is I actually have built a little family of my own who is very close, loving, supportive, light hearted, fun, happy, almost to the point that it’s ridiculous (like one of those after school specials TV families!)

In short… I made to a place I didn’t believe was possible for me to make it to, from a place that was as far away from where I’m at now as could be.

NONE of this is perfect. NONE of it is without its own set of challenges. And my life is not perfect. I’m just a regular guy like all the rest of us.

It’s been a bumpy ass ride to put it lightly but I wouldn’t change a single minute of it.

Whatever you are reaching for in your life, even if it seems so far out of the realm of possibility for you today, maybe you can find hope and inspiration in this humble attempt to show you that MIRACLES are possible and they aren’t always delivered on a silver platter by Angels.

Humbly,

Mike

P.S. If you took the man I am today and dropped me into my world from 20 years ago I’d kick so much ass they’d classify me as a lethal weapon! But when I was there 20 years ago, it was very scary.

Don’t sell yourself short. You have more ability than you know. Just keep stomping your way forward to where you want to go.. I can’t say you’ll get there but I can say this…

You’ll get there OR to a better place and you’ll develop into a person who is driven by your desires and controlled by your vision and passion.

Where most people go through life driven by and controlled by their fears…

What would put a big fat ear-to-ear perma-smile on your face if it became the newest addition to your life?

A deep loving stare of admiration from your soul mate?

A big sigh of relief when all of your money worries are gone?

Maybe it’s looking down and seeing something you haven’t seen in a loooong time… your FEET!

And my guess is you’ve tried to achieve these things before (at least if you’re anything like the rest of us you have).

That means that you have the knowledge and techniques to get that thing you desire into your life.

In fact 10’s of millions of people have all the knowledge they can ever use and that they will ever need but still don’t have the prize!

Would it change you if you jumped over to the other side where people actually get the results they set out to achieve?

Could you accept it with open hands?

You might automatically say yes but think about that question real hard for a minute.

In order to accept new things in our lives, sometimes we have to make room for them by letting old things exit our lives.

Unhealthy relationships, unhealthy nutritional habits, actions that lead to mediocre finances, self destructive behaviors, etc..

And as weird as it sounds, letting go of stuff, even stuff we don’t like, can be very difficult.

Mainly because it’s letting go of part of our identity. It’s stuff that, over the years, have shaped us into who we are today and we rely on those things to guide our day to day lives.

Think about it…

Even cancer patients who have lived with cancer for some time have a hard time letting it go.

Everything in our lives sort of emulsify into our being and become “part of us” over time.

I know it sounds crazy but living with open hands can be a very hard thing to do for many people.

Addictions, un-serving habits, embarrassing character traits…

All the things we DON’T want are very often the things we cling onto making it impossible for us to have room for the new stuff.

It’s hard to put things into a clenched fist!

The fact of the matter is that it’s really not that hard to make the jump from doing things that move us further away from where we want to be AFTER we learn to live with open hands and let the old stuff crumble to dust and fall through the gaps in our fingers.

Try it this week. I promise it will be scary.

I promise it will feel awkward…

I promise it will bring up some anxiety…

But I also promise if you relax your grip on who you are and what defines you, some pretty amazing things can show up in your life…

To open hands,

Mike

She said she really wants success in her life but not just financial success, TOTAL success!

She said she wants it all. Money, health, love, happiness, freedom, peace of mind, etc..

And I said “GREAT! Let’s do it!”

Then she reached into her sack of armor and defense arsenal and pulled out this weapon…

“But it’s risky”.

With a confused look on my face I responded, “Of course it’s risky. LIFE is risky. You run the risk of failing, you run the risk of succeeding, and you run the risk of regret no matter what you do.”

There have been times I’ve regretted taking chances, and there have been times I regret not taking chances. It’s ALWAYS a risk no matter what you do (or don’t do). But the perspective you take on what risk means to you holds all the real power.

You have to fast forward through your life and take a good hard careful look at what you truly desire at your core to answer the one question that should give you clarity on what your actions should be at this stage of your life.

Go all the way to where you see your life ending, the very last day (hopefully many, many years from now). What do you regret more?

Working with purpose to create the things you want, the lifestyle you desire to live, even if it took you 10 years to create it and it’s hard sometimes or…

Getting to the end of your life and regret never taking the shot at all but staying in a state of existence where you feel “safe”. Wondering how much more you could have been, had, and experienced in life if you DID take the shot?

There is risk either way. There is risk of regret for taking the shot and missing, or not taking the shot at all. There’s the risk of choking to death while you eat, the risk of a parking garage collapsing on your head, the risk of a meteorite taking out the entire planet…

Life is full of risk (much of it is irrational) and the only honest advice I can give you is this:

The risk of regret is the heaviest burden to carry because it’s over, you missed the chance, and you cannot go backwards. What you do, what you did, and how lived will be the last thing on your mind at the end of your life and if you can build a vision of something that makes you peacefully smile with beaming pride, satisfaction, and fulfillment at that time, on your last day, THAT is what you should work towards no matter the risk.

The only way to avoid risk is to not live at all. But you’re alive! You can’t avoid risk nor should you. It’s really a matter of a simple perspective shift.

Re-define risk. Instead of focusing on the possibility of loss associated with risk, focus on the possibility of triumphant victory!

Make risk mean triumph. Never lose hope, give yourself permission to not get it right all the time, let yourself learn along the way, learn to laugh at your mistakes and see them as silly little street signs that say “oops! That was the wrong way”, embrace risk as your friend not your enemy.

Do not let the mistakes you make along the define you!

Let yourself be confident, even in the face of no evidence that you should be confident. Let yourself find courage in your heart because life is NEVER “safe” as long as you look at risk as the possibility of loss.

Re-define risk as the opportunity to create victory that fills your soul with pride, fills your heart with love, floods your head with confidence (let your ego swell a little, it’s ok), and cracks open the greatest magic you have in the deepest part of your core, that part when exposed, makes tears roll down your cheek from the overwhelming emotional power and clarity of what and who you REALLY are inside.

When you use the power of perspective to re-define what risk means to you, you change the way you approach things, you change the way you approach life and you find a new courage, zest, and excitement to life that most all of us crave to feel in our hearts every day.

So is creating the life you want risky?

Yes, it is.

Is trying to stay “safe” risky?

Yes, it is.

But look at the last day of your life and make your own decision about which holds more risk…

Playing to win or playing not to lose?

There is a huge difference in the 2…

Mike

Asking myself, “How? HOW MIKE! How did this happen to you?

You’re strong. You’ve beat things that eat this for lunch! How did you get so captured in this web of confusion? How have you gone blind to the simple truth!!!”

And it went on for months!

“You used to believe… You used to deeply care. Now you’re just harboring bitterness and anger! WHY!?!?!

Because someone hurt you? Because someone hurt your daughter? Because someone hurt your wife?

What is it? What has turned you so cold and angry? What hardened your heart? What’s making the river of blocked and suppressed tears build in your heart?”

Why have you let all of your success slip away from your life? You’re headed down a slippery slope my friend and don’t get cocky thinking you can easily recover from it…”

What am I talking about?

The blinding flames of my own personal hell caused by losing focus of my purpose.

From going blind to the truth that I so painfully discovered in my climb to my humble success of transforming from a scared suicidal drug addict living in poverty to creating a life so blessed it brought tears of gratitude to my eyes almost every day.

I grew tired from asking the same questions and coming up with the same weak ass answer…

So I asked a different question and began the work required to move into a different realm of my life.

I wasn’t worried about losing my financial success, because I already learned how to make money. That’s the easy part and once you know how to do it, you can do it over and over again.

But what I was worried about was the stuff that stops us, ALL of us, from actually doing it.

Taking control back over your life is one of the most liberating experiences you will ever go through.

But LIVING the stuff you KNOW is also one of the toughest things a person can do and without the right support and help, I’m not even sure if it’s possible.

I already know more than enough to live my life the way I want to, I don’t need to learn more information, but I did need help LIVING it again.

I thought back to rehab…

I made a decision to get sober (a hard thing to do for an addict), I learned the basics about recovery in a safe environment, I went back into the big bad scary world, and I was SCARED!

But then I remembered! They had this thing called “after care” and it was designed to assist us in living the new knowledge and skills we learned in rehab.

And by living I mean actively DOING stuff in a physical manner based on emotional and mental information. Physically applying the wisdom and knowledge of staying sober in our daily lives.

But no one went to after care meetings. They said it was a joke (keep in mind these were people forced into rehab by the court system, not people who made a decision to change).

But I DID go. I asked questions about alternative actions to take when I was scared and wanted to “run away” to drugs and alcohol. How to fight the intense pulling of drugs and alcohol ripping at my senses every day, etc…

I used the support and help and what do you know!

To this day, 22 years later, I’m the ONLY one who stayed sober and off drugs.

It reminded me that IS the answer… We all need help and while this isn’t quite the same in the way it shows up, the process and feelings are very similar.

I’ve partnered up with some trusted friends who fill the gaps I cannot fill to help you LIVE your success.

If you get what I’m saying, you know what I mean and you should click this link.

If it’s just another blog post that means nothing to you, you should not…

To living what you know,

Mike

P.S. I can’t believe how cool it is to go through this stuff again but this time with the experience of doing it before. It’s MUCH easier, faster, and actually FUN because I know and understand the process 100%.

Once you know something it’s in your head but when you LIVE something…

It takes things to an entirely new level of power and clarity that just floods you’re body, mind, and heart with endless confidence. You realize you NEVER EVER have to worry about anything again because you’ve LIVED it and can do it anytime you want. Like making money, losing weight, being dangerously open with people, etc…

It’s AMAZING!

I hope you “get it” and click this link and join us…

“Hey, I really want more ______ in my life! I’m tired of living  without ______ in my life and I’m willing to do  just about anything to change it. What should I do?”

Your response:

“Well Mike, you should _________…”

What would your advice be to me?

It takes a firm and solid dedication to follow through all the way along with the right support in your life.

Ask yourself what advice you’d give someone if you were coaching them to success because its probably the exact advice they’d need to hear.

People get up everyday, tell themselves they’re going to change their lives, but they never do.

Sometimes they:

seek out wisdom and advice from people…

ask for direction, and guidance…

and even seek a support system…

But even when they make an attempt, they rarely get out of their rut.

There is no doubt that they DO gain wisdom

They DO get some direction

They DO find guidance

and sometimes, if they are lucky, they DO find a positive support system…

But NONE of that changes the fact that they wake up the next day and the next and the next with the exact SAME life!

Are all of their efforts wasted?

Is all of the information and wisdom they acquired worthless?

Nothing could be further form the truth.

ALL of that stuff is a very necessary component to changing your life.

But it’s just a component and every system, every process, every machine, and every method uses more than just one component to make it work.

The missing piece is NOT learning more stuff, it’s living the stuff you’ve learned.

And it’s no mystery that is the toughest part.

Just look around…

90% of people already know what they need, but a VERY small percentage of people live it.

The evidence is staggering really.

But the point is, everything I’ve done, all my work, all my trainings, all my coaching has been based around living the knowledge since day 1.

It doesn’t take much to build massive momentum for most people. Just a tiny taste of your own power is intoxicating.

But…

Once you experience it there’s no turning back!

And it’s been my mission to help unlock that power in as many people as I can.

It’s the same mission my friends Joshua and Eric have.

And for the past 5 years I’ve been diligently forming alliances with the right people, with the right intentions, and the right hearts to fill the gaps I simply cannot fill for you.

And in 5 years, of the 10’s of thousands of people I’ve met and been in contact with, these 2 guys are the 2 left standing (which says A LOT).

Joshua has brilliantly built a platform (the first I’ve ever seen in 22 years) that works to take all the good stuff we have in our heads and hearts and actually use it and LIVE it!

And he’s graciously allowed me to partner with him to finally give the world, to give you, the greatest gift of all…

A taste of your true power to take control back over your life.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE CONTROL BACK WITH US

So I asked you a question…

What advice would give me?

Listen to your own advice, do what you know in your heart, get the right support, and REFUSE to waver until we get to a point you’re happy with…

My guess is your advice would be the exact same as my advice to you. Not to get caught up in the crazy push button success BS but to place yourself in the right environment, with the right people, and give yourself enough time to create results from LIVING what you KNOW.

Bottom line with no fluffy BS?

It takes dedication and the right support and platform and environment. The first one is up to you, the second 2 you will get here.

To our success,

Mike

P.S. It’s a new era and times are changing. It’s a little scary but I LOVE it because it’s a breeding ground for successful change and I’ve never been more dedicated to helping you (and myself) accelerate and increase the successful results in our lives.

JOIN US HERE

On one hand there were people who were thankful and appreciative for the authentic honesty and courage.

And on the other hand, there were people who were almost put off by the fact that I had experienced some problems in my life in 2010.

Thanks to everyone who sent me back warm and caring responses to my last email.

I truly appreciate the compassion and caring that lives in the hearts of the good people out there.

Honestly, I don’t think I would have had the courage to send an email like that while in the middle of all that chaos.

So I’m fine (better than ever actually) and my family is too.

I had to laugh at some of the responses…

People calling me a “hack”. Saying if I was such an expert on power, energy, and life improvement I wouldn’t have had a hard time.

Questioning the effectiveness of what I teach and doubting that it works.

I was talking to Kelly (my wife) about this and she said something so simple and so obvious that I had to write you.

She said, “I can’t believe anyone would say that about anything you do or ever doubt anything about you”.

“I guess if they read all the heartfelt letters you’ve received over the years, they might think differently and besides, how else do people learn without living it?

“Just by reading books? That’s pretty lame honey”.

And I thought, WOW! That was a smart thing to say and she’s 100% right.

Everyone goes through struggle and hard times in their life but NOT everyone uses those times to learn, shape, define, and extract the best of their greatness.

Learning by living is a MUCH more powerful way to learn new skills, expand on what you already know, and become a greater influence for change in the world.

Learning through just reading books and listening to others alone, isn’t nearly as effective.

At some point in our lives, every man woman and child is faced with making a decision.

You either do something (even if you’re not 100% clear on what to do) or you do nothing and let circumstance take control.

We can’t always control our circumstances but…

We ALWAYS control the choices we make on what to do with those circumstances.

And had it not been for knowing that truth at a cellular level, the circumstances I was faced with would have destroyed me, had I not made the choice to control what I did with them and had I not had the tools, experience, wisdom, and support to stir up the fire in my gut even though I was scared to death, uncertain, and was dealing with a “weaker” Mike, I would have lost everything that matters to me.

So the point here is this.

People saying I attracted the bad stuff into my life… (trust me, if you knew me on a personal level, knew my family, and knew what happened, you might start to re-think the law of attraction stuff a little)

People saying that I should have nothing but rainbows and sunshine in my life because I’m considered an “expert”…

Yes. I AM an expert by all rights.

I’ve achieved things and overcome stuff that people have literally DIED trying to conquer.

I’ve done lots of great stuff in my life, helped thousands of people, shaped the lives of thousands of youth in an empowering way, grown so far beyond what I thought I was capable of it’s scary, and I’ve actually made a tiny ripple in the whole of humanity with my work.

But guess what?

I’m a HUMAN BEING with flaws, imperfections, and character defects.

I get lazy, I adopt bad habits, I do stupid stuff, and I don’t always have the brightest smile with beaming rays of sunlight shooting from my pearly whites!

I’m just a guy who rolled up his sleeves and went to work to climb out of a shitty life so I could try to live a good one that brought at least “some” happiness to my heart.

And in doing that I almost accidentally discovered that it’s not about the stuff outside of you nearly as much as the stuff inside.

You control the stuff outside with some very basic and simple shifts INSIDE your mind, body, and heart.

I was literally a scared, timid, suicidal drug addict. That’s not the pillar of strength and power you’d aspire to model.

So going through that extreme and dramatic transformation DID make me an expert and I paid for that title literally with blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears.

But I’m not some super freak comic book character who can shoot lightning from my finger and rides a bad ass Pegasus… (HAHAHAHA that’s actually a funny visual to me)

I’ve NEVER accepted that role of “guru” or been ok with being put on a pedestal.

I’m just an ordinary guy who’s been able to do some extraordinary things.

Come to think of it, had I NOT had all that adversity and challenge in my life in my early years, I’d never have had to do any of this!

If I had love and support and someone building me up and coaching me to tap into my unique strengths and abilities, I might have been a professional athlete or something…

So it’s really kind of ironic if you think about it.

All the crap people try to avoid in their lives is the platform that I blossomed into the man I am today from… Hmmmmmmm, interesting.

Now, I understand that we all process stuff through our own filters and would never try to take that away from anyone but…

I don’t know quite exactly how some people find the door to the “fairy tale” land of goodness where nothing “bad” happens in their life but if you could reveal it to the rest of us, actually, never mind.

I wouldn’t walk through that door anyway.

I think we all tend to forget sometimes that life is supposed to have adversity and challenge.

It’s the principle of duality, the yin/yang, the natural balance of life!

Without the challenge there can be no growth.

Without the resistance there is nothing to test your limits or inspire you to dig deeper into your heart and extract more good stuff that you have but that is hidden.

Without the villain there can be no hero!

It’s not to say that our lives should be riddled with pain, trial, and frustrations.

Not at all…

It’s just that without challenge and adversity we atrophy and lose the ability to let our brightest light shine through.

I read this somewhere, I think the author was Andy Andrews…

“As children we’re afraid of the dark, as adults we’re afraid of the light!”

Sometimes in life, stuff just happens. It’s not attracted, it’s not premeditated, it’s not an issue of being unworthy or any of that.

You will NEVER be able to control everything that happens in your life but you will ALWAYS be able to control the decisions you make moving forward and once you start doing that, it no longer matters what the circumstances are because you’ve mastered how to use them in a positive, productive way.

Just like big heavy pieces of iron…

To build strength!

The point is to not re-live it or place any kind of blame on it. Just accept it for what it is, use it in the most empowering way you can, and move forward being a better, wiser, and stronger person because of it.

The ONLY reasons I made it out breathing was because I’ve lived my life conditioning and training myself around the principles I help make others aware of and teach them to use in their lives and…

Because I had help.

Have my “expert” friends every been through hard times? Hell yes they have!

Have they been so low in life they had to look up to see an ant? Yep!

Have they been down and out and weak and in a state of complete vulnerability? You better believe it!

Does that make them “hacks” or unqualified to help me?

No way!

The fact is, just like I said, sometimes you need a little inspiration and sometimes you provide it.

The bottom line is this…

None of us can do it alone. None of us are strong 100% of the time, and none of us bring our A game every second of life.

Some of us have the courage to be open and honest about it and admit it.

Others judge and look for ways to feel better about themselves through other peoples weak moments in life.

It’s just a process that ALL of go through and all I’m saying is that if you’re the right person, with the right attitude, and the right mind set, you’ll be drawn to what we are doing.

If you’re not there yet, I still have love for you and support you on your journey, even if that means you need to attack me to feel better about you… I’m serious!

Because all you’re doing is seeing things about you that you don’t like or things about you that you do like when you judge other people…

I say find what you do like, what you admire, and what you value about people and roll with that perspective. It makes for much happier days!

Here’s a free video training to get you off to a great 2011!

All my love,

Mike

P.S. While I’ve helped 1,000’s of people see more of their light, it’s not enough.

I’ve always had a huge vision of helping people see, extract, and experience the greatness they didn’t even know they had (because when I discovered I had, it was the most amazing thing in my entire life!).

And then teach them to shine that to the world and pass the torch to everyone they come in contact with.

I have this “crazy” belief that we can change the world, fix the problems plaguing our cultures, repair our abused planet, and tone down our arrogance a bit but…

I have a realistic view point that it can’t be done alone. It’s going to take an army of people learning, growing, extracting and passing it on.

I’m just one member of that army and through my recent adversity, that army grew. Together we are more…

P.P.S. I’ve joined forces with other “whacky nut balls” who share my belief that we can change the world. What I was missing was a training platform to build and grow from, but my friend and partner Joshua spent his entire life creating this and it just so happens it works flawlessly.

You know when you are sitting all alone, pondering your life and thinking about who you are, and you reach a special and sacred place in your heart that you don’t share with other people?

That part of you that knows 100% that there is more to you than what you are currently displaying to the world, your friends, your family, and to yourself?

It’s that deep core place in the very center of the essence of your being that very few, if any, people really know about.

It’s your gift. Your unique ability that no one else on this planet can do quite like you can.

Everyone has it, a few people know about it, and even fewer explore it, and even less than that actually live from it.

Why?

Because it’s scary as all hell! That’s why!

We worry about trivial things like what people will think about us, will we seem crazy?

ARE we crazy?

Will living from this place that sometimes seems to make no logical sense threaten our survival?

LOTS of chatter goes on in our minds when you start to live from that place.

But when the noise quiets down, and you sink into an acceptance of who you really are, you feel a sense of peace and power that you don’t feel the majority of the time.

You know that place?

That’s what I’m going to tell you about me today. I’m going to expose it although it may not seem like a big deal to you, or even that much of a mystery, but to declare it publicly is a big deal to me.

Because ever since I was 5 years old I’ve felt awkward because of this feeling in my core.

This wacky belief I’ve been carrying around my entire life.

And I’ve even started to act on it once or twice but didn’t have all the “stars aligned” just yet. (The are now though)

Some people say it’s stupid and that it’s a waste of time and a pointless fantasy that I’m delusional to think I can achieve.

Others say I’ve already done it.

But none of that matters anymore. I’m no longer concerned about acceptance and understanding, I’m only concerned about doing my job the very best I can and continuing to expand my ability to do it better every year.

So what it is? What is this crazy belief?

I’ll tell you but first I want this to be clear.

Nothing lasts forever, but if something can last just long enough to inspire a shift in a person’s heart, energy, and beliefs, it’s got power and DOES matter!

I don’t feel the same way today as I felt back when my brother in law believed in my ability to get married and have a family, but that feeling of belief from another person back then inspired me and gave me courage to believe in myself enough to make it happen, then I took over from there.

His words don’t do anything for me today, but they helped me shape the today I have.

So anyone thinking that motivational or inspirational stuff doesn’t matter and it wears off and does nothing, you’re wrong and I hope you can shift the way you think about it for the benefit of your own life.

I got to the point I doubted personal growth stuff altogether for awhile but…

I realized that if given a choice to live life with meaning, purpose, passion and a smile in our hearts or live a life trying to debunk that any of this has any power at all that leaves us feeling empty and powerful and without meaning, 99% of us will choose the life with meaning.

It DOES matter and it DOES make a difference which is why I added the most important principle of all as the final principle of what I teach.

Pass the torch.

You have no idea of the impact you have on people and you may never know in your lifetime but what you can be 100% certain of is if you never pass the torch, you’ll never light another person’s flame, and the less flames that are lit, the darker the world becomes.

So believe in yourself, believe in your purpose, just be you and share it with the world in whatever outlet you can.

You matter, your work matters, and your purpose is simple… live life, don’t do time!

To inspiration,

Mike

P.S. My crazy belief since I was a kid was I could change the world. That I could make a big enough impact to actually add more love into this world, tame some of the arrogance, and start a process of healing hearts to fill the world with the light of love to shred the darkness of all the hate, pain, anger, and abuse I lived through as a kid…

That’s it! :)