It’s late Monday and I’m currently in Tulsa, Oklahoma sitting in a coffee shop.
I came here to work on The Wellness Bucket; to write, read, and brainstorm ideas.
Instead of working though, all I’ve done for the last hour is stare at a wall.
Thinking about life, my life, the lives of others, The Wellness Bucket, and what it all means to me.
Questioning All I’m Creating With The Wellness Bucket
I’m not questioning whether I want to be doing it or not but rather, why?
I just finished reading Chris Guillbeau’s recent blog post.
It’s a letter he wrote to his brother who he recently lost.
A letter his brother will never see.
His brother was young, successful, and more importantly, one of the good guys.
It sucks losing anyone, especially the good ones.
I Know It’s Cliche To Say, But Life Is Short
I know this.
I’m 39 years old – just yesterday I was 19.
I lost my dad when he was 57 years old to lung cancer.
I didn’t see that one coming. He was healthy and strong as an ox.
People die, I get it, but I’m still here.
So what am I doing?
I’m creating The Wellness Bucket.
What The Hell Is A Wellness Bucket Anyways?
Good question – I have no idea.
It’s a name I thought was cool, catchy, and the .com domain name for it was available.
It’s a health and fitness site? It helps people create sustainable health habits so that they can feel and look their best and therefore live their best – live the life they want.
That’s The Wellness Bucket in a nutshell right?
That’s what I’ve been telling people it is, including myself.
I mean I have to define it, explain it, tell people what it means, who it’s for, what it can do for them, and why they should care, right?
I also need to be specific and niche down as much as possible so that I reach the right audience.
Really?
Holy shit, no wonder I’m staring at the fucking wall – this isn’t at all what I had in mind when I created The Wellness Bucket or why I created it.
Que The Marketing Experts & Entrepreneurial Gurus
“But if you’re not making any money then it’s just a hobby.”
“You have to niche down – who’s you’ve avatar?”
“What’s your unique angle, why and how are you different?”
“What’s your social media presence?”
Blah, blah, blah…
I know these are all important details to think about and many people do care about each and every one of them – unfortunately (or fortunately), I don’t.
And I’m OK with that – in fact, I’m more than OK with that.
I created The Wellness Bucket for two reasons…
1. To serve others
2. Make a difference
To create and write for others, to speak and connect with others, to believe in others, truly believe in people – in the good of all people, their abilities, their uniqueness and unlimited potential.
Health & Fitness
The way in which I’ve chosen to do this and deliver is through health & fitness, because it’s what I know.
It’s what I love and what’s helped me get through some of the worst times and experiences in my life.
Being called a loser by my middle school teachers and told I’d go no where with my life, having my college applications denied over and over again, several failed business, financial struggles, heart breaking relationships including divorce, and worst of all, losing my dad to cancer.
If what I’m creating is too vague, so be it.
I’ve never liked rules anyways.
And if I’m shooting myself in the foot by not doing things correctly, oh well.
Why I Do What I Do
The Wellness Bucket, my “hobby” apparently, has made me (some) money – I think that’s pretty cool.
What’s really cool is getting messages from family, friends, clients, and readers from different parts of the world thanking me for what I’m doing, creating, and sharing with them.
The heartfelt emails I get from people telling me how happy they are.
The big hugs and tears I’ve shared with dozens of clients and friends over the years who’ve come to me to help get them back on track. To help them feel good again, to smile and believe in themselves when no one else did.
I know the feeling well – the tears shared were often as much for them as they were for me.
I like my hobby – it makes me happy to see the joy and happiness in someone else’s eyes.
I love giving, helping, and serving others – I don’t know who “others” are or what that means so don’t ask me to define it or who my “avatar” is.
It’s people, all people – that’s who I serve, that’s who I will always serve.
The Road Ahead
I don’t know exactly what The Wellness Bucket is yet, and I may never know.
What I do know is that I believe in first and foremost, helping and serving others.
And that’s what I will continue to do.
I’m confident that if I do that well, to the best of my ability, opportunities to grow and advance, to serve and help more people on a larger scale will come my way.
In the meantime, I’m going to continue to work, write, and create as many resources as I possibly can to help people be healthy, live healthy, feel good, and do more of what makes them happy.
I’m going to continue to make videos to provide messages of encouragement and support.
I want everyone who listens to these videos to know that I believe in them, care about them, and how much each one of them means to me.
I’m going to continue help everyone and anyone who needs or wants my help.
I will continue to listen, ask questions, support, encourage, and motivate to the best of my ability.
I will make suggestions, offer advice, provide exercises and guidance on what to eat to create health, feel good, and begin creating a life full of health and happiness.
I know it won’t always be easy and that’s OK.
Why I believe In People
I’ve seen with my own eyes what’s possible for someone who’s never had anyone believe in them.
They begin to smile again, they show up, they begin trying and working a little harder, they start believing more, doing more, feeling more, experiencing more, giving more, loving more, even crying more (tears of happiness).
They ultimately become who they’ve always wanted to be and knew they could be.
I’ve had the privilege of seeing this happen firsthand with many people I’ve worked with throughout the years and let me tell you – there isn’t a better feeling in the world for me.
Seeing someone experience this gives me the ulimate feeling of fulfillment I can’t begin to describe.
Some may argue that if I spent more time on marketing, a business plan, avatar creation, blah blah blah – I could create more of this, for myself and for others.
I’m not so sure I believe that.
I’ve spent the last six months working on some marketing components that I mentioned earlier and in doing so, I found myself less happy, less fulfilled, and doing less of what I love.
“But you have to do this and you have to do that”…..
Pardon the French, but I don’t have to do shit.
I will continue to do what makes me happy, what brings me joy and fulfillment.
My Commitment
I will continue to help and serve others so that they too can feel that same level of joy and fulfillment in their lives and ultimately become who they always wanted to be and knew they could be.
Helping, Serving, & Believing In Others
Who’s my avatar you ask? Anyone who needs a helping hand creating a healthy lifestyle so that they can feel their best and do more of what makes them happy.
What’s my market? Oh I don’t know – the world.
What’s my unique angle or service offering? People aren’t a business to me – people are people that I care about, love, and will continue to serve – that’s my angle.
What’s my business plan? Simple – serve others.
Perfection Is Overrated
I know this blog post may be a bit all over the place so I guess I might as well come clean now…
I’m not perfect and never intend to be.
I will however continue to work on being a better person, striving to make progress every single day.
If you’ve read this far, holy smokes – thank you!
I appreciate it – and I appreciate you.
I hope in some way I’ve helped to serve you and if I haven’t yet, I look forward to the opportunity…
Because you’re awesome, and I believe in you.
Cheers!
Mike
This is awesome Mike!!! Having seen first-hand you struggle with this, I love that you decided to DO IT YOUR WAY, the way the makes YOU happy!
Thanks Troy – I appreciate it man. It definitely has been a struggle – thanks for your constant support and words of encouragement – you’re awesome!
This is by far one of your best posts ever, Mike. I FELT every word of it and support you 100%! You have always been an inspiration to me. Not only as a blogger, but as a human being. I know we say this often, but you ARE truly awesome and don’t you EVER EVER change!
Dave – thanks for your words man – they mean a lot to me. You inspire me… amidst your own struggles, you’re forging on, doing and creating work that matters to you – work that will ultimately help others deal with what you had to deal with, but in a more helpful, positive, and productive way. You’re awesome man – cheers to you!
Well damn. Replace fitness with cars and you’ve pretty much spoken my mind.
There’s precious little time in the day these days, but I’m giving you my email address here in a moment. A 38-year old recovering smoker with a little over 2 months on a MTB (and nothing to show for it on the scale!), I’ve been staring at the same wall for a couple years.
Nothing changes if nothing changes. After 6 years thinking somehow I’d make a living writing about this sort of stuff, I finally had to pivot to a new niche. A voice in my head tells me I’ve sold out, but the voice of reason reminds me, “You can make a greater impact if you can do this full time.”
One post. I believe in you, mate. Illegitimi non caborundum.
Hey Brian – thanks so much for your comment man, I appreciate it. I absolutely love the expression you shared, “nothing changes if nothing changes” – how true. Thanks for your words, sharing your email with me, and more than anything – believing in me. Thanks man, you’re awesome!
You’re one of those rare gems with tons of integrity and his priorities of what matters most in life. We’re so inspired! Great role model for wellness in every sense of the word! Thank you for uplifting so many by being so present and on purpose!
Thanks so much for your comments! Speaking of rare gems – I know of two myself 🙂 Marla and Kasha… I feel so lucky to have met you both. The work you both are doing… I really don’t have any words to describe how incredibly awesome and inspiring it is. I know the sacrifices you both have made and continue to make for the betterment of others – I’m in awe of you both and am a huge, huge fan. 🙂 Love you guys and can’t wait to see you again – cheers!
This is really very awesome Mike.
Thanks so much Chirag! The constant support and encouragement you continue to provide me with is awesome, absolutely awesome. I’m humbled by your generosity and grateful for it. Fulfillment for me not only comes from those I serve and work with, but also from those who I am fortunate enough to call friends – you most certainly being one of them. Thanks for being you Chirag and for all you do for me, and for others… you’re awesome! 🙂 Cheers!
Love it Brother! Great and thought provoking post. Keep doing what you love. You are helping so many people with your passion, encouragement, knowledge and incredible focus on simply serving others. You inspire me to stay focused on what’s most important…helping the people we love! Cheers!
“It’s never too late to be who you were meant to be!”
Thanks DG – I appreciate it man. While it may be me who is doing the serving, I absolutely mean it when I say I feel like I’m the one who is benefiting though – from the joy and happiness I get to see others experience and knowing I had a small part to play in that – to me, that is beyond fulfillment – it’s and incredibly awesome feeling. And for the record, you inspire me as well with your constant strive to help, create, and serve. You’re awesome man – such a pleasure to know you.
Hell Yeah! Focus on what matters. THAT is what matters. You said exactly what I’ve been thinking for awhile, and it’s refreshing and inspiring. Keep doing EXACTLY what you’re doing. It’s working on this end. Cheers — and YOU’RE AWESOME!!
Thanks so much for your words Ellen – they mean a lot to me. I love that statement you made, “focus on what matters because THAT is what matters”. Love that and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Thanks for your continuous support Ellen – I appreciate it more than you know. 🙂
Mike,
you are absolutely right. I´ve lost my dad the same way and almost passed away several times. Be true to yourself, that´s the best change you can make. And money, well… it come and goes, but we´ll not carry it to the heavens anyway. Have a great journey, be great my friend. With my best wishes and thoughts.
Hey Marcelo – thanks so much for your comment and sharing with me your own ideas and life experiences. Seems we share a common bond with the loss of our dad’s. I couldn’t agree with you more either – be true to yourself. Never compromise who you are, what you believe and stand for. You’re awesome Marcelo – cheers to you!
Great thoughts Mike! All too often the sentiment that is needed for human interaction and emotion is lost in cookie cutter marketing and research studies in which deployment of services is dependent on doing ___________! People need help and they need it to come from the heart and personal experiences and that is where The Wellness Bucket derives its information from! I congratulate you on keeping your head on straight, doing what you know is right and thinking outside of the confines of “the box”!
Please continue on your path…everyone will greatly appreciate you more!
Wow Ben! Thanks for that awesome message 🙂 I really appreciate it man! I promise to definitely continue doing what I believe to be right for all those I’m fortunate to serve. Because it always has been and what continues to be what brings me the most happiness and fulfillment possible…. that and nice weather 🙂 Cheers!
I love this post so much. I am so tired of hearing I am not doing it right. Focus on your ideal client. Visualize them. Pick your niche. Do one thing better than everyone else. Why can’t I just be. Just write. Why can’t it be for whoever the hell lands on my blog. Thank you for saying it out loud and for making me feel so much better! Sorry for your losses!
Hi Angela! Thanks so much for your comment and words… You’re awesome and I appreciate it. 🙂 You can “just” write and just be. In fact, that’s what I encourage you to do. Do what you love, serve others, and ignore the noise. Do your thing because your thing is awesome! Cheers to you!
Love the heartfelt message, I am right there with you brother. Keep on.
Thanks Doug – I appreciate it man. Love what you’re up to and the work you’re doing as well – do your thing… Cheers!