“The goal so far as human beings are concerned… is ultimately the ‘self-actualization’ of a person:
The development of the fullest height that the human species can stand up to or that the particular individual can come to.”
- Abraham Maslow
It’s February 2014, and my young business, Elite Guard Training, is celebrating it’s biggest month ever.
We’re closing in on $200,000 per month, on route to our second 7-figure year in a row, and I should be happy.
But I’m not.
Instead of celebrating, I’m alone in my kitchen, looking around at the life I’ve built:
The house I bought at 20 years old, the shiny new Audi in the driveway, the beautiful girlfriend, the freedom to do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it.
And, in a moment, what I’m truly feeling…
…The feeling that has been building, just below the surface, for months now…
…Will finally boil over, and burn down my life as I know it.
It begins as a thought in my mind:
”Is this really all there is?”
Which is immediately followed by another thought:
“How spoiled. How could you not be grateful for all of this? Shame on you for wanting more.”
“I understand,” I hear myself reply.
“I get it. I’m lucky, and I am grateful… I know I should be happy.”
But while the words are true, the voice behind them sounds hollow. Empty.
Empty of certainty, empty of conviction.
Empty of… meaning.
Deep in my gut, the feeling reaches a boiling point.
And I hear myself ask again, louder this time:
”Is this really all there is?”
Make money. Become successful. Get married. Have kids. Make more money. Become more successful.
All fine, all good, allright.
But… then what?
More success? More money? Adopt a Nigerian baby? Donate a kidney? What?
I search my mind for answers, and again I come up…
Empty.
Spoiled or not, the truth is true and I can’t avoid it any longer.
The dam bursts, my legs give out, and I’m on the floor.
Tears stream down.
This doesn’t feel like sadness, it feels like hopelessness:
I’m not wishing for something I don’t have, I’m wishing for something that doesn’t seem to exist.
Is this just childish ignorance?
Immaturity? Inexperience? Arrogance?
Maybe, but as far as I can tell, this is the final level, and I beat it too early, and there are no more games to play because the game is my life and this is the only one I have, so what am I supposed to do with it now?
Emotion pours out of me, bleeding onto the floor of the house that no longer feels like home.
But as the feeling drains out, a new feeling emerges.
A familiar feeling:
The feeling I had before I started my business, as I stood at the base of the entrepreneurial mountain and began to climb.
The feeling crystallizes in my mind, shining through the darkness to reveal a flash of insight:
Not a thought, but a direct inner knowing that says…
”What you’re looking for exists.”
Realization crashes in waves:
Money, status and success are not the end game, they are only level one.
Entrepreneurship is not about accumulation, it is about self-actualization:
Where what you create in the world is a direct reflection of who you are.
Where money is not the goal but the fuel for a deeper mission.
Where status and showmanship mean nothing and skill and mastery mean everything.
Two weeks later, I packed my bags, locked my house, kissed my girlfriend goodbye, and boarded a one-way flight with no return plan.
I spent the next five years traveling the world, seeking and ultimately finding exactly what I was looking for…
A higher vision for human potential, and:
A higher vision for entrepreneurship.
Today, I am finally in the early stages of teaching that vision.
And, before I scale it to the public, my first step will be to privately coach a select group of entrepreneurs, one on one:
Entrepreneurs who are committed to building businesses that free them from financial pressure forever so they can pursue their own higher vision.
Entrepreneurs who are as serious about self-mastery as they are about making money.
And, who will grow into a living example of what entrepreneurship can really be.
I only have one spot left, before I stop accepting applications.
So if you’re interested, reply today to let me know:
Who you are
What business you run (include a link to your site)
Your current monthly revenue
Your primary goal for the business
Why you are a good fit for coaching
As I said yesterday, no essays:
Be clear, efficient, and to the point.
But also, be complete.
I look forward to hearing from you.
- T
P.S. In case you missed it, here’s the full story on our one on one coaching program:
An invitation for entrepreneurs
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