We Went to Summer Camp ... Except it was Meditation Camp

The more I think about it, the more I think we had a strange upbringing.

When our friends went to Florida to hunt for pictures with Mickey Mouse...

... we went to Croatia and hunted for wild boar.

When our friends played video games during March Break...

... we hauled drywall up 15 flights of stairs on construction sites.

When our friends went to summer camp...

... we went to meditation camp.

Yeah, seriously, meditation camp.

One summer our Mom signed us up for a 5-day meditation camp.

It was run by the founders of the "Silva Method."

The scarier title of it was "Silva Mind Control."

It was basically a self-help type program started in the 1960's by Jose Silva that taught relaxation and visualization techniques.

If you didn't think we were crazy when you started reading this post ... have you changed your mind yet? 🙂

Anyway, turns out it was a great program.

I think the most exciting thing I learned to do was to teach myself to wake up in the morning at any time without using an alarm clock.

For a kid, that trick had a huge impact.

And I'm not sure exactly how ... but it left both of us with the impression that we could accomplish anything we wanted in our lives if we set our minds to it.

That we were solely responsible for our lives.

And we had the power to live the life we wanted.

It erased any idea of a victim mentality.

Any thought that we weren't in control of things.

And learning, early on, that you are solely responsible for the quality of your life has had a very powerful impact on our lives.

It's given us the confidence to go outside accepted norms and do things that please us.

Somehow that camp played a role in giving us the confidence to question generally accepted career decisions.

Maybe that's why we starting buying properties while everyone around us was buying stocks.

Or why Nick flipped his first property at 21 years old while his friends were sleeping 'till noon.

Or why I took a week of my 3-week vacation allotment at my sales job and drove to London, ON each day to complete my Real Estate license.

Or why I quit that same job with a wife, a mortgage, a 5-year-old and a new born daughter at home - with everyone around me telling me it was crazy ... except for my wife, god bless her!

Or why Nick turned down a high paying software sales job to learn face-to-face sales skills in an entrepreneurial start-up that included selling stuff by day and packing boxes to ship by night.

Here's what we've learned...

Most people who accomplish stuff typically do the opposite of "the masses."

And they get ridiculed for it.

You should have heard the comments thrown my way about quitting my job, taking a week vacation and using it to get my real estate license or investing my sales commission into rental properties in Hamilton, ON.

The first real estate broker we worked for told people, behind our backs, that we would obviously fail.

And we're fairly certain that you're similar to us.

You're the type of person who thinks differently, does differently and wants different things that the masses.

And we're here to tell you that's great.

That there are other people like you.

And that it's worth the struggle.

It's worth the effort.

Do NOT let anyone stomp on your dreams.  Not even your family ... especially not your family!

It's normal that people doubt you, snicker at your ideas and talk behind your back.

Your expectations of success and wealth are intimidating to the majority around you.

A mentor once told us...

"Criticism is cheap and easy; achievement is not."

To achieve what you desire you're going to need to work on a few things, namely...

Confidence in yourself, your abilities and the value you bring to the table.

If you aren't sold on both of those it'll be difficult to succeed.

Next, you need confidence in the arena you're playing in.  You need confidence in your niche/market, whether it's investing, starting a business or selling your product.

And, we believe you need confidence in "the money game."  In how the world works.  We're realists.  You can hope and dream all you want but without understanding how and why money changes hands you're chances of prosperity are slim.

If you need to work on any of this, look for the closest meditation camp in your neighbourhood ... and maybe we'll see ya there! 🙂

Until next time ... Your Life. Your Terms.