G’day Mates,

Without further adieu…

• Billy Bob Thornton, known as Coach Gary Gaines in my world (Friday Night Lights), with a really raw anecdote about his life before he was rich and famous. I don’t know much about Billy or pass any judgment on his personal life. Moral of the story, this clip really resonated with me. More specifically, Billy saying “don’t ever let your dreams die. That’s what keeps an artist alive and keeps people in general going. Sometimes sitting on the floor on Motor Avenue with a powdered doughnut and a cup of rum seems like paradise.”Is this specific situation sitting on the floor what Billy or other people aspire to? No, probably not. But for Billy, he was living his dream and inching his way closer to becoming a successful actor; thus, the journey felt like paradise. For many, myself included, “paradise” does not equate to sunny beaches and suntanning on yachts. It is driving towards a set out goal and having an innate sense of purpose for living. That’s what I’m chasing…

  The road to success, whatever that looks like for you, is not paved with comfort and requires sacrifice. It forces you to “cut the slack” in your life. To dial back to the basics of what your mission requires and ridding yourself of a few comfortable amenities you may have been used to in a past life. The beauty is, in exchange for doing so, an invigorating wave of conviction, clarity, and purpose rush through your soul. An innate feeling that money cannot buy. A feeling that wakes you up in the morning; without an alarm clock.

  “If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice.” – Jay Samit.

• As many of you know, I’m a terrible reader of paperback books. I absorb and sift through a lot of content; yet, much of it is not through printed press. But this book is different. “The Daily Stoic” by Ryan Holiday is a one-page read every morning that translates timeless stoic philosophy into modern day prose. I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking to shore up some bad reading habits like myself!
• This is an amazing 3-minute clip of drone footage of Nova Scotia… Definitely worth checking out if you’ve always wondered why people love the Maritimes!
• Very positive, thought provoking advertisement by Heineken…
• With the prime summer months on the horizon and the potential for a few long days on the patios, weddings and late nights around the campfire, the next day isn’t always something we look forward to.However, I was given the heads up on a product called RecoverORS by some golfers from Chicago a few weeks ago who had late nights at the pub and early morning tee-times the next day. It is a oral rehydration packet that you stir into water and voila! Order on Amazon, shows up a few days later. For those of you, who like myself may have a few “I ain’t as good as I once was but I’m good once as I ever was” – Toby Keith-esque nights, on the horizon this summer, I’d welcome you to give RecoverORS a try!

Quote of the Week: “No one ever injured their eyesight by looking on the bright side.” – Jay Samit

Song(s) of the Week: The tuneage is high on vibes right now so I thought I’d share a couple mainstays:

• “All I Can Think About Is You” – Coldplay
• “I Was Wrong” – Chris Stapleton
• “Kansas City” – The New Basement Tapes
• “Wait For Me Virginia” – Hollis Brown
• “Something I’m Good At” – Brett Eldredge

Carpe Diem Amigos,

Mike