That’s been the reaction to most of my life.
High school dropout. World-famous DJ. Got banned from the US. Went bankrupt. Built a multi-million dollar tech company. Hypnotized 5000+ people on stage. Wrote 4 books. Took on climate change because why the hell not.
Now? I’m chasing serendipity instead of goals. Waiting to be in the room when something impossible becomes inevitable.
350+ articles and 7 years of figuring this out in public are here if you want them. So is my story.
Today I was asked to reflect on what is going on. I remember driving from Toronto to Chicago for the first time in 1995 to attend the Consumer Electronics Show for work. As we drove into Chicago, from the highway I had never seen such blight before, empty buildings with no windows, and then us in the car had a realization and spoke it: “There are people living in there!” My other...
I was speaking to my accountant this week, for the first time in close to a year, as we discussed filing my taxes. We chatted a bit to catch up. Knowing I am not actively involved with Stealth Seminar any longer he asked what I’ve been doing. “Mostly taking the time, working on self-development, exploring new avenues, figuring out how I can help people. I’ve taken some courses on coaching.” “You...
I’ve been dealing with complicated feelings lately. It’s this idea that while people out there are struggling, unprecedented unemployment and uncertainty, that at the same time I’m in a good place, emotionally and financially. I actually feel like I’m thriving. As someone that’s gone through tough times in the past, I’ve always prepared myself for the worst. I’ve never shaken the fear that...
“You’re watching me make this up” – I can say this to a stranger now because there is nothing fake about me. It’s been liberating. I’m not faking till I make it. Not anymore. That was a strategy I used effectively for years but not now. I’m showing up as the whole Chris. That is who they are there for. There is no faking that. They’re either going to want more of that, or not want it, and if they...
I’ve been in a holding pattern for a lot longer than covid has been around. My life, generally, is good. Yeah I’ve been searching for “What’s Next?” and have felt something missing for a long while, but overall not much to complain about. These would be referred to as “Quality problems”. Most people right now have frozen their lives and are waiting for it to return to normal. But you, the reader...
As I write this we’re over 1 month into covid-19 quarantine. My kids were sent home for March Break last month and told they’d not be coming back for 2 more weeks. That’s been extended indefinitely. Everything has been turned on its ear since then. For the past couple of years I’ve been trying to work out “What’s Next?” for me, and that question now has entirely new meaning. As I wrestle with...
As I sat to write this week’s article that famous quote from Back to the Future popped into my head from out of nowhere. It’s the scene from the very end of the first movie. Doc has just returned from “the future” and now he’s taking Marty back to the future. Marty: Hey Doc, you better back up, we don’t have enough road to get up to 88. Doc Brown: Roads? Where we’re going, we...
I just did an exercise to “write down 5 things you’ve accomplished this week” and it was actually hard to come up with the list. Without intention, I realized I had cut my schedule way back in response to over-scheduling myself. When the Covid-19 lock-downs hit and things got serious I rallied to support people. I scheduled Zoom conferences, connected with new people, wrote a lot and worked on my...
The world is changing in ways we can’t even prepare for. A month ago seems like a year ago. What next month, or next year will look like is impossible to predict. I only control the things I have control over. For me, in the immediate short term, is that my family and I are safe and have the things we need. Then it’s the “What’s Next?” question. As an entrepreneur...
I had a really bad day recently where I broke my “news diet” rule and checked my phone first thing for Covid-19 news as I woke up from bed. I read all the latest to immediately catch myself up. I then paid the price with waves of physical anxiety, chills, that I was convinced for a few hours I HAD it. I told my kids’ to not use the bathroom on the main level, I texted my wife...
I recently did an interview for Rich Litvin’s podcast called 1 Insight (link below). He spent some time with me pulling my story out and what really drives me. One of my take-aways from it was this idea that I’ve always done things my own way, creating new things no one else sees. I thrive on hearing the words “It can’t be done”. While we’re in the middle of...
I’ve been dealing with the “What’s Next?” question for myself for some time. I’ve spent a lot of time writing about it for my blog. I’ve learned many people carry that question with them and it has resonated. Now “What’s Next?” is a bigger question than it’s ever been. With my background, I feel uniquely qualified to help people work...
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As I write this it has just been announced that my kids’ school will be closed for weeks after March Break as a precaution against the COVID-19 virus. NBA season was cancelled, NHL season cancelled, Disney has closed its parks, large companies are sending their people to work from home, concerts are cancelled, corporate events, people are cancelling their vacations and travel plans. At...
I’ve come to the sad conclusion that there are a lot of people that will sabotage your attempts at success. I think everything I’ve ever done, or attempted to do, there was a countless amount of “helpful” advice from people telling me it wasn’t going to work. They will try to talk you out of it or tell you it can’t be done. Why? Perhaps they want to validate...
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Someone asked me about how I communicate if I don’t participate in Facebook and other major social media sites. They’re having major stress about not having it because it is a major part of their life. For those people, I get it, it feels like cutting a life line. I can’t even tell you this is the solution. All I know is I can only talk about what works for me and has been...
There’s a handful of negative words that I’ve begun to reframe. Being Bored is one of them. In today’s world we do everything we can to avoid boredom. People can’t even drive their cars any longer without also engaging in dangerous distracted driving. Every day I get scared looking into my rear-view mirror and seeing the tell-tale sign of the person behind me looking down...
The doldrums is a sailor’s term for when they are at sea caught in calm, monotonous, windless weather. It’s a term that I’ve learned can also apply to times in your life, and certainly has in mine. The doldrums generally follow exciting times, times of tremendous growth and commitment to your goals. After having achieved some success, things begin to taper off. This is...
I’ve always been forced into action, usually for straight up survival reasons. If I didn’t make money, if I didn’t generate income, I’d be screwed. Often the things I did ran their course, and it was time for me to move on. There was no choice about it. For the first time in my life, I’m not in this position. I’m in a very comfortable place, yet I’m...
For the last few years that I’ve been exploring “What’s Next?” I’ve been very successful at learning what it isn’t. As I test, explore, research, and play with ideas I’ve built a very long laundry list of things I don’t want to do. This includes everything from the fact that I don’t want to go into work somewhere, it has to be done from my...
For so many people, whether or not they will voice this, when asked “What do you want?” the (secret) answer is: “More”. More money, more “stuff”, more house, more vacation, more whatever. The thing is, when you get “more”, the answer still remains “more”. I can remember 10 years ago figuring out my monthly budget. If I could generate...
There’s a scene in the 1993 Tom Cruise movie The Firm that I think about often. The lead character named Mitch, played by Tom Cruise, is having a meeting with an FBI agent at a dog race track. We see the Greyhound dogs whipping around the track chasing a mechanical bone. Mitch: Doesn`t the dog ever get the bone? FBI Agent: Yeah. When it happens they can never get that dog to run again. For...
Upon reflecting my story so far, and the distinct chapters I’ve lived, I begin to see a clear pattern. The things I’ve done all have had exciting periods of explosive growth. Of creation. Then things plateau, which is not terrible either. Often that’s the period of seeing some return on the sacrifice I made during the growth period. Eventually, however, the plateau turns into...
As the new year (and new decade) begins, I get very reflective. I’m coming off of what ended up being 2 years off. And by off, I mean off of traditional work. Just over 2 years ago the decision was made that I would step away from my responsibilities at Stealth Seminar, that a new team would come in to replace my work. I had reached the limits of my abilities, and it was time to change...