In 2007 I sold my first business for millions. But I wouldn’t have hired my 34 year old self as a coach. 😮

That version of me had figured out how to make money, but not much else. I had no life experience, no self-awareness, and certainly no wisdom.

At that point in my life, I had only been financially successful at doing one thing. I still had a lot of self-doubt, and wondered if I had just gotten lucky.

I was stuck in the constant loop of making sacrifices to earn more money. Trading my time for bigger salaries, pursuing executive roles in corporate to satisfy ego “because I know I can do it.”

These sacrifices included spending time away from family. I missed a decade of birthdays, holidays, and other social events. I was always traveling, and sometimes gone for entire months at a time.

But hey, that’s what men do, right? Men have to “work hard” and prove their worthiness to the world. Men have to sacrifice their time, their physical bodies, and even their mental health to be “manly” in this world.

I was still living for the weekends and time off. I was eating unhealthy food, drinking too much alcohol, and I stopped going to the gym. By age 39 I had a complete soft dadbod, man-boobs and a gut. I hated tucking in any shirt, because it would reveal my shape. I couldn’t even bench press my own weight.

How “manly” I had become. Rich, comfortable, and soft.

While I had the 10 cars in the driveway, the big custom home, and the beautiful wife, I still didn’t know shit about life. Truth be told, that level of awareness didn’t begin to arrive until age 40+ for me.

My 34 year old self didn’t have the courage or confidence to do what I do, today at age 50. My self-doubt kept me from standing on any stages or being in any spotlights. Those things are uncomfortable. Those things open us up to potential criticism.

Keep this message in mind, for one of two reasons;

1. Just because someone made money, it doesn’t make them a great mentor. If that’s the level of their attraction, it’s missing severe depth. Money doesn’t buy wisdom. Only time and experience does that.

2. If you’ve demonstrated success in multiple arenas over a period of decades, quit being a bitch and hiding your important message from the world. You aren’t getting any younger, and you can do this. It’s not easy, but it’s worth doing.

-Tony