A while back I got a call from my friend Sue and heard the news about Penny, one of Sue’s best friends and someone that I used to hang out with a lot when I lived in Chicago. She’s beautiful, sweet, totally real, and is very happily married with two loving children. Life was good.

The News

When the phone rang, and I heard Sue’s voice, I knew there was something really wrong. I’ve known her since I was 14, and she’s like my Spiritual Sister; we’ve been through everything together, so I could definitely tell something was up.

“What’s going on?” I said as I picked up on her energy.

“It’s Penny…something REALLY bad happened.”

“What is it?”

“She was on vacation with her family in California, and she felt sick, really sick, with a fever, so they took her to the emergency room; they told her she would be OK, and they sent her home. She was getting on the plane to go back to Chicago, but she felt worse, a lot worse, so bad that she had to be rushed back to the hospital. She ended up having a 104 fever…now she’s in a coma, and it doesn’t look good.”

“Oh my God…she’s only 45, well what’s wrong with her?”

“She has Toxic Shock Syndrome, and her organs are shutting down.”

My first thought was:

“Well how the hell could they have not known that, they could have caught it earlier and helped her, instead of just blindly sending her home.”

I remember at that moment that I was instantly blaming the doctors and the hospital, thinking how could they overlook something like that and “send her home”, she could have died, and now she’s in a frickin’ coma. But we just started praying and visualizing her being OK, and every time we talked, we would just see her coming out of this, because she’s such a positive, spiritual woman, and we knew something good could come out of it.

Time dragged on and on, still laying there in that hospital room in a coma, a step away from deaths door.

She was in the coma for 3 months, her body and life force slowly fading away, it didn’t look like she was going to make it, and she was starting to have complications with her fingers, legs, and feet.

So, like anyone that’s done the work, we were prepared for the worse, BUT we kept focused on her coming out of this, because deep down we KNEW that she was the type of woman, that would do something with this, and use it for good. That’s just who she is. And after you do as much work as we’ve all done, that’s how you live your life, there’s always going to be stuff, challenges, tragedies, and obstacles that come up, and it’s how we handle them that effects our lives, even the possibility of death, is just another part of the Human Condition that we have to embrace and learn to accept.

Which Brings Up The Idea Of “Perspective”

I just finished a great book called “The Noticer” by one of my favorite writers, storytellers, and former comedian, Andy Andrews, the subtitle of the book is, “Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.” A big lesson for us, especially in smaller, every day stuff that we rub up against in our lives or complain about, (and most of us have NOTHING to really complain about), it’s ALL how you perceive it, and my view is, if you’re still breathing, you have SOMETHING to be thankful for. If you get quiet and just notice and observe things, you can usually find a real good solution or a different way to look at what’s going on.

So What Happened To Penny?

After 3 months, she woke up, she finally came out of the coma, weighing somewhere around 90 pounds, she lost some part of all her fingers, all of her hair, several toes, and one of her legs had to be amputated from the knee down.

She went through hell, but she’s alive… she fought to live. She could have easily made the choice to crawl in a hole and die, or feel totally horrible and sorry for herself, rightly so, life thew her a serious curve ball, but she didn’t. She could have chosen to be embarrassed having lost her beautiful appearance, but she didn’t. She could have turned around and been incredibly angry, asking why me, and maybe even file a lawsuit against the hospital for malpractice, but she didn’t.

She chose a different perspective, she chose to embrace “what is” and to DO something with it. She chose to see it as something beautiful, however painful, to do something important with. She’s now writing a book to share her story, and to go out and give talks, to empower people, help people, and share her incredible spirit and gratitude for life which will have a major impact on people, I’m sure of it…(and intuitively I knew she was going to do this, Sue and I talked about it, and we just knew that she was going to wake up and do something incredible with her circumstances, it’s just flat out who she is.)

I created a slogan for this Blog that means something to me that puts it all in proper perspective:

“Living in a Human Suit…is for Spirits Living in Human Suits, who KNOW that we’re NOT really the Suits”

So anyone that REALLY gets the Spiritual path knows that the body is just a Human Suit, and nothing has really happened to the “real” Penny, or can happen to the “real” us. Yes, it’s still a big challenge, yes, it can be very painful and emotional, and yes, life can throw some wicked curves at you, but at some level, I believe that there’s always a higher reason, something Divine at work, bigger than us that may just have a reason for all the so called tragedies and pains that we go through, but she chose to live in total gratitude for her life, to be grateful for being here, grateful to be able to still love her beautiful children and husband, and grateful for her very breath of life…all despite her big challenge, AND she’s using it for good.

I totally respect and admire her for her strength, attitude, love, and courage to be fully alive no matter what. That’s why I wanted to tell her story, so keep an eye out for her, you go Penny!

Life is For Living…so how are you living?

The Big Question For You Is

What in your life, (small or major), is keeping you from feeling happy, something you’re struggling with?  What can you change your perspective on RIGHT NOW, and use it for something good to serve other people? Something that would shine the spotlight on the power of the Human Heart and the Human Spirit like Penny has? What can you be happy about right now, despite thoughts or circumstances to the contrary?

I would love for you to share it below in the comments, and anything else that you care to share with the community.

One of the greatest things I’ve learned to grasp is that whenever you feel sad, hurt, angry, or experience any other emotion that comes up, you can always CHOOSE to see it from a different perspective, a different angle, and look for the good in it, no matter how much it hurts; there’s always something there that’s a gift you can use to share with others.

Now go shine your light in the world, we’re waiting…

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Let’s be real, we’re all influenced by other people; myself included. And I’m totally on board with modeling and being inspired by other successful people that you want to be like or respect; I have a lot of mentors and models who have influenced me over the years, and still do.

But at the end of the day, YOU still need to “Do The Work” (and it’s not always easy, believe me), to uncover your true calling and passions, whatever it is for you that makes you happy, and step into that (and make sure you watch where you’re stepping). If you really want be fulfilled and feel fully alive, you just have to go deep, find out who you are, and start rocking with that, and a lot of people are just flat out afraid to go there…but if you don’t, you might just end up living someone Else’s dream, and that plain sucks.

Just Do You because (Everyone Else is…Well, Someone Frickin’ Else)

We Need People Who Are Passionate, Purpose Filled, AND Authentic

So many people are stuck in doing what they THINK they’re supposed to do, or what everyone else has sold them on. I see it everyday with my clients who come to me confused, irritated, overwhelmed, stuck because they’re not being true to themselves.

I did it for years myself for a couple of reasons. First, because I’m a crazy Renaissance Dude, I didn’t know if I was supposed to be a writer, a comedian, a motivational speaker, a performer, a consultant/trainer guy, a host, a musician, an entrepreneur, and the list goes on and on, and I thought I had to choose just ONE of those, because “They” said I had to. So I didn’t choose any, and stayed stuck because I was afraid that if I picked one, I would never get to do the other stuff that I love. That’s nuts, and so many people do the same thing.

What I discovered after doing all my crazy, insane, inner work AND going through “Self Help Hell”, (see the meet Scott section) is yes, I am ALL of these, and they are ALL part of my work and who I am now because I SAID they are and they make me happy. So there Guru’s! (insert sticking out tongue image here). I can be as bad as I want to be, and so can you.

Secondly, I was scared out of my wits to get out there in front of people. There I said it. Yes even the Mad Spiritual Guy has fears, imagine that. Fear is a HUGE motivator and can be a great teacher if you pay attention to it. It can and will lead you to what you have to do.

My Message?

Do NOT let anyone put you in a box, or tell you that you can only do ONE thing. You can’t put God in a box, so why put yourself in a micro niche that doesn’t allow you to express yourself fully?

The Lies

TV commercials, Celebrities, Self Help Guru’s, and Magazines are in our face 24/7 telling us what we’re “supposed to” do, be like, smell like, and look like to be successful or accepted. That is NOT OK. Why? Because it pre-supposes that if you’re not a certain height, weight, body shape, worth millions of dollars, and have perfect teeth, perfect hair, and a perfect body etc, then you’re not OK, and that’s a load of crap.

You are already perfectly awesome as you are even with your crazy so called flaws and occasional, (OK maybe more than occasional), stupid Human tricks. Yes, Humans are a little crazy, but we love that about ourselves, AND it keeps the self help industry rocking; Dr. Phil thanks you.

All this imitation, posing, pretending, and even copying other people (through no fault of our own, at least until we become conscious of it), and not paying attention to YOUR real voice, wants, desires, and needs has been the catalyst for messing more people up than anything I know (including me.) If you’re faking who you are in any way, you’re in deep doo doo.

The Best Definition of Success That I Ever Heard Was This:

“Take your biggest gifts, passions, and talents and exploit those IN SERVICE to others.”

What does that do? It gives you the best of both worlds.

First, you get to do and be what you’re passionate about, whatever it is that lights YOU up, gives you joy, happiness, and fulfillment etc. Second, it helps you step into the awesomeness of being of service to others and the amazing rewards that comes with that (a major lesson that I learned). My life has changed dramatically since I started focusing on how to add value and serve other people.

In my humble experience and what I’ve learned from all the wisdom of the really cool AND really weird (that’s why I love ‘em) master teachers that I’ve studied with, is that service to others is where REAL happiness comes from. End of story. And they were dead on (but still  a little weird, which is still why I love ‘em which is another story.)

Just do You

Once you give yourself permission to completely and authentically express yourself and be “real” in your life, your work, and everything that you do (which I encourage you to commit to right now…well…go ahead…I’m waiting) then you’ve already positioned yourself into the elite group, the top 1% of the planet. Most people are like the waking dead…they accept living their lives in quiet desperation.

Truth be told, it seems that more and more people are waking up and finally getting that this is no way to live.  Putting in 40 years at a 2×3 cubicle pushing papers, watching the clock, cursing your boss (who undoubtedly has serious issues), and doing work that drains the living life force right out of you, while waiting for retirement “some day” so you can “start living”, is what in my opinion is making people sick, and is a recipe for disaster.

I truly believe that most problems, unhappiness, and even diseases would go away if people we’re truly living authentically, with passion and had a sense of purpose.

I spent over ten years( after reading 700+ self help books and doing a bunch of crazy shenanigans attempting to “fix” myself, while hanging with the Guru’s) swimming in confusion, frustration, overwhelm, and trying to figure out what I was “supposed to do”, while watching and trying to be like everyone else so I would fit in or to “make money.”

I never had any problems making money before, I mean I’m the guy who made $1 Million as an Options Trader at the age of 28, but I couldn’t fake it anymore. I was trying to live my old life (which was no longer working, funny how the Universe slaps you upside the head), and my soul was having no part of this posing thing and was screaming at me, (OK whispering, just using a little poetic license, but it felt like screaming) to get frickin’ real already. I had spent so much of my time doing everything BUT what I was being called to do and being real in my everyday life as well.

The bottom line is, if you’re posing or faking it in any way, people are going to pick up on it. We all feel energy even if we think we don’t. And at the end of the day, you’re the one who will suffer the most because you’re not being real.

I finally just committed and started doing what I love and being as real as possible every single day in every part of my life. The minute I did that, I mean really committed to it, unbelievable things started to happen. It’s absolutely crazy. Now instead of chasing success, opportunity, joy, or money, it pretty much just chases me because I’m so darn passionate and excited and I focus on using my gifts, talents, and passions in service to others. Now there are endless possibilities of what I can do and create…”They” say (whoever “they” are), that you can’t do what you love AND make money…

I say Hoo Haa..because I’m doing it AND I get to hang out with a bunch of cool, passionate, conscious, highly evolved, and creative artists, entrepreneurs and visionaries who do the same thing. All of them in their own unique way.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

The key here, is deciding who you are and what you want, then get into action right away; and pay attention to your energy. Are you excited and maybe a little scared? Good, keep doing that, it means you’re on the right path. Or are you drained because you’re not willing to step into what your heart is telling you to do, so you’re Posing and keeping the real you at bay, or maybe you’re afraid to step into your true calling? If so, then stop that, and have the courage to be bold enough to start doing something about it, anything that starts to move you towards your dreams.

And definitely let go of perfection, trying to control everything, and having to know all the answers, it will keep you stuck and drive you crazy, been there, done that.

Seth Godin has a great way of looking at it:

“Getting your ducks in a row is not nearly as powerful as actually DOING something with your ducks.”

Despite what the Secret and a lot of the other new age fluff is saying, if you want to be successful and accomplish something in your life, make a difference, and maybe even create a real legacy and a body of work… you have to DO something about it.

As I like to say:

“If you think a topless Genie in a pair of tights is going to float out of the sky singing “you’re wish is my command”, and drop a big bucket of money in your lap, and keys to your shiny new Porsche, while you’re chanting in your underwear, (not that chanting in your underwear is a bad thing, just sayin’), then I have some news for you…how do I put it bluntly, umm…let’s see… it ain’t gonna happen.”

I promise you that when you commit to AND take action on what you love, dream of, and are passionate about, a real commitment to being authentic; EVERYTHING changes.

So, the wisdom that I have to share is to turn the noise off and tap into YOUR inner voice, and find out what you want, and what feeds you with passion, energy, excitement, and maybe even fear.

Then go do that.

You’ll be in a small percentage of the population that are being true to themselves, and the world will be a better place for it.

“Just Do You”

I have spoken.

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