You are here: Home / Archives for David Simon

Update on my dad after brain surgery #2

June 30, 2011 By 135 Comments

Yesterday, my dad had his SECOND brain surgery to attempt to remove as much of his Glioblastoma tumor as possible.

There was a surprisingly calm energy amongst my family and the doctors… almost as if to communicate: “We’ve  done this once before so we’re good to go.”

It’s strange how life-experience can quickly give you the impression that you know how to handle a situation…. isn’t it?

The Surgery Went Well

It only took 2 hours instead of the expected 4… and the doctor came out of the room with a positive energy. He said:

“We took a lot out. I’d say about 90%. And doing this surgery again was definitely the right thing to do.”

We felt a wave of relief… followed by an out pour of tears. The tension and pressure inside just needed a release…

My Dad Was Hilarious

About an hour later, we were allowed to see him… and he was surprisingly aware and conscious for someone who just had a big chunk of his brain taken out.

The nurse came up to say: “He’s a feisty one this guy. He already tried to get out of bed to go the bathroom and yelled at me when I tried to stop him.”

Haha… I took it as another good sign that my dad hadn’t lost his fire yet.

And from that point forward, he was in good spirits. He even had a moment when he opened his eyes and said with a smile on his face:

“Ok… well that was fun… Can we go dancing now?”

Haha… what a sweet man. Here’s a little picture that should make you smile.

photo2 300x224 Update on my dad after brain surgery #2

Dad and my little sisters right after brain surgery

Something else happened in the ICU

The ICU stands for “Intensive Care Unit” and is where they take people right after a very serious surgery or when they are very sick and need constant attention and care.

So here we were in a small room in this crazy section of the hospital where people all around us were one breath away from leaving this planet… or at least that’s what it seemed like.

And I had this interesting thought (that is relevant to you).

“The deepest and most scary fear any of us have is dying. Whether we are willing to embrace it or not… that is our greatest fear.”

And yet here we are. Dealing with it. Head on. And it’s ok.

I mean… this is a totally f*cked up situation. But we can handle it. Because that’s what we do when something, or anything for that matter, shows up in our lives.

We just handle it the best we can.

And I don’t mean “we” as in my family. I mean “we” as in our collective. I mean you, us, this tribe, everyone…

We just handle it. Because that’s what you do in life when crazy stuff shows up without warning… You learn, grow, evolve, and keep going.

So there really shouldn’t be anything to fear…

Yesterday, my little sister asked me what I did for a living.

And I was explaining to her that day in and day out, I help entrepreneurs to overcome their fears about getting their message out into the world so they can become world-changing leaders and make a big difference.

Because when it really comes down to it… that’s all anyone really needs. To get over their fears so they can take the actions necessary to be successful.

Right?

Because fear is the only thing that stops you in your life and in your business.

Your fears that something will go wrong. Your fears that someone will not like you or respond well. Your fears that you don’t deserve it. Your fear that you will look stupid.

The list goes on and on and on…

But seriously… go spend a day in the ICU. Surround yourself with those who are one breath away from dying.

You’ll probably have the same thought I did which was: “What the hell are we really afraid of?”

I mean… let’s say your worst possible fear came true in your business.

Could you handle it?

I’ll bet you could. I’ll bet that you would muster up the strength, courage, love, compassion, and faith to just keep on keepin’ on.

Because that’s what we do in life. We just handle it. Period.

… and life continues to unfold… and everything is OK.

Right?

So again… let’s all collectively stop waiting for everything to be right. Let’s stop getting in our own way. Let’s stop saying: “I can’t”. And let’s just get moving…

Because time is precious, we don’t know how long we have, and now is here.

OK, I’m off to go back to the hospital now. I hope this little update made you smile. I like writing these sometimes just because it helps me clear my mind… and I hope you get something out of it too. So I hope I didn’t babble on too much for ya today.

Let me know your thoughts below.

Much love,

Max

 

Filed Under: Great stories, Personalized Letters Tagged With: , ,

Lessons from my dad’s brain tumor (part 2)

March 30, 2011 By 57 Comments

It’s about 9 pm on Tuesday night and it feels very important to write this personal note to you.

You see, I just returned home from the hospital after my father got his 8th MRI brain scan to look at the progress of his tumor.

To all of our great satisfaction

There is still no growth from the original scan….

Which in the world of brain cancer is great news, because no growth means no additional reason to worry.

Kind of ironic in the realm of business… right?

But I’m writing you this note, not because it has anything to do with your business, but rather because it has everything to do with your life and your relationships.

Because I’ll be honest…

I never expected this situation to arise.

I never thought my father, one of the world’s leading experts in mind-body medicine, and my greatest teacher, would get a brain tumor.

And I certainly had no clue that my life would change so dramatically in such a short period of time.

Which leads me to my point…

You might have a vision

In your mind about what your life, your business, your health, your relationships, or anything else is supposed to look like.

Which in some ways, is very healthy… To mentally create a picture of your ideal scene.

And on the other hand, it’s possible that your vision of what you “really want” is also preventing you from embracing, acknowledging, or simply enjoying what you already have right now.

How do I know?

Because for most of my life, I am starting to see that I have been that person.

The one who is always seeing that the grass is greener when I get to “the big show.”

I mean look, I’ll be the first to tell you…

I have strong desires.

Ever since I was a little kid, my mom used to look at my Astrological chart (she’s a world-renowned Vedic Astrologer) and tell me that it was one of my blessings and my curses.

I was just hungry to accomplish things in this world… and that desire still burns strongly inside of me to this day (for better or worse).

Yet being with my father as we go through this process together is slowly causing me to shift something in a deep way.

I mean, I still have the somewhat un-controllable passion to “create, create, create!”

But on another side, I’m understanding that this pattern never ends and you can always keep chasing “the next big thing”.

So we might as well begin to appreciate and enjoy what’s happening now rather than postponing to an anticipated future date.

And when I say this shift is happening slowly…

I mean it.

Because here’s the thing.

Each day, we are simultaneously “waiting” to see what’s going to happen next and ALSO doing our best to focus on enjoying what’s happening right now.

We do the best we can. Sometimes it’s incredibly emotional and painful…

… And other times it’s pure bliss.

And there’s not doubt in my mind… when I allow that to truly happen, to embrace and appreciate the good, the bad, and the ugly around what’s happening RIGHT NOW…

I see how divinely perfect it really is.

I’m probably saying this as much for me as I am for you…

No matter what you’re life looks right now; there is perfection in it.

… And see if you can be grateful for whatever it is.

Because we just don’t know how long we’re going to be here for or why any of this is truly happening in the big picture.

None of us know why were are experiencing what we’re experiencing or where it’s ultimately going to lead us…

But we do know that we have a choice, right in this moment, to pause and say: “I’m glad I’m still here.” And everything that’s happening is for my greater good and the greater good of others.

I just don’t understand it yet…

I mean look…

You or someone you love could wake up tomorrow with a brain tumor.

… And everything in your life would change in an instant.

Right?

So rather than waiting for such a radical transformation to occur in such a shocking manner, let’s all do our best to appreciate the good old-fashioned now.

No matter how beautiful or ugly, painful or blissful, abundant or scarce it is…

Because it’s all perfect. It’s all leading to our expansion. And it’s all good.

What do you say… I’ll keep reminding you if this eternal truth if you’ll do me a big favor and return the love in exchange.

Deal?

Please share your thoughts below…

Much love,

Max

P.S. If you want to see the first post and video I created from this whole crazy situation, click here.

Filed Under: Personalized Letters Tagged With: , , ,

A video about my father (and his brain tumor)

December 8, 2010 By 112 Comments

Today’s video is different.

You see, it’s a special day for my family. Not just because my dad has made it another year around the sun…but because he’s still here.

And there’s so much to be gained from a paradoxical situation like this: Beauty and pain. Intimacy and surrender. Love and forgiveness. Life and death.

Watch this video and really hear this message. It’s important. It’s real. In fact, it might be the only thing that really matters right now.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts. And thank you.


Filed Under: Personalized Letters Tagged With: , ,

Here’s my fancy headline to inspire you to read this post

October 6, 2010 By 11 Comments

There’s so much happening in this post that I couldn’t think of a better headline to inspire you to read this letter than that….so there ya go.

3 important things to share with you in this very personal post (plus a great story at the bottom):

…ONE: what I learned from our last Sold-Out Seminar that’s cool and helpful for you (this is six-figure support).

…TWO: what you’ll get from me over the next few months (you’re gonna dig it).

…THREE: get to your big WHY and you’ll get gold (you’ll see what I mean below).

Sold-Out Seminar Secrets Live Event…The Recap

Ok.

So we just finished our biggest, most powerful, most profitable (way beyond six figures), and most enjoyable event of our existence…Sold-Out Seminar Secrets.

We had just under 100, awesome, heart-centered, hungry, passionate, and deeply committed Enlightened Entrepreneurs in attendance.

And just a few of the many highlights were:

*** My dad (Dr. David Simon) making a special guest appearance on Thursday night to talk about what he’s experiencing as he embraces his own mortality (yes, tissues were in full circulation).

*** Getting the whole room up and dancing to “Imma Be” by the Black Eyed Peas as my staff ran around in Bee Costumes (this was hilarious)…yes, pictures will be coming soon.

*** The laser hot-seat sessions where one woman, for the first time EVER, shared her very emotional story about bringing down the Berlin Wall and risking her life to take a stand for freedom (thanks Vinca…that was so powerful).

*** And of course, the content was so fun and cutting-edge as we covered things like: the only 4 ways to fill up your events, my exact scientific system for inspiring 30-50% of your room to say YES to your next-step offerings, how to create your own 1-4 hour intro events that are inexpensive to produce and make awesome money, and the 9 hidden ways to make more money from every event you produce.

There were a lot of reasons why this event was our best one yet.

Here are a few:

1) We went super narrow and deep with who this event was for: spiritually centered, purpose-driven entrepreneurs who wanted to put on their own seminars.

… As a result, we attracted those exact people and were able to create an experience that was customized to meet their needs.

This is a fundamental ingredient of a great event. Go narrow and deep.

Make sense?

2) I used my own “Invitation Selling System” to the T, and I didn’t get creative or deviate.

When you are a creative being, the tendency is to keep wanting to try new things. Sometimes that is really great. Yet when a system works, it works…and you just have to stick to it if you want to get results.

3) We didn’t hide anything from the participants.

Meaning, we told everyone that we were going to deliver a massively powerful experience AND that we were going to be selling stuff to them. Lisa Sasevich (who showed up to rock our world with an awesome talk as well) calls this “Partnership From The Start“.

You don’t have to be sneaky and slimy to make great money in business. You simply need to be honest and authentic. Well, you also need to learn how to market and sell with heart and power (but that’s another story).

Look, we were there to serve AND to invite the right people to keep learning and growing with us. And guess what….with that energy and intention, it happened.

… I’ll share more about the event, plus photos and videos, in the near future. We’ll still unwinding from the amazingness (yes, that’s a word) of it all….so more to come soon.

Where We’re Going Now

Now that this event is over, here’s the scoop…

We don’t have ANYTHING else planned for you.

No launches. No events. No nothing.

In fact, we even canceled stuff.

… Because we have two core intentions for the rest of the year:

1) Spend time with the people we love (in my case, it’s my family).

2) Figure out what we want to do next.

I’m sharing this with you for a few reasons.

… ONE: because my plan is to really get back into the creative zone and share some cool content and stories with you over the next few months. That will be fun for both of us…yes?

… TWO: because I want to know what you want us to talk about / do for you.

We’ve got a clean slate now. How can we serve you in the greatest way?

Geez, at this point. I’ve got some many things I could teach you I don’t even know where to start. haha.

So if something comes to mind, please share it below.

Do You Really Want Things To Take Off?

Let me tell you a little story.

One month before this last event, I was totally stuck and depressed.

… The situation with my dad felt too hard to deal with, I was struggling to run the business, I felt alone, tired, and utterly deflated.

I stayed in this funk for a few weeks…and it was painful.

… Yet I knew that this energy would pass, if I allowed it.

And after a few well-timed experiences, including getting powerful guidance from the amazing Jeffrey Van Dyke and also clearing my mind in the desert for a few days, something profound happened.

My “WHY” became HUGE!

I realized that the reason for me to step up and kick butt at this event was so that I could fully detach and really focus on my family.

Meaning, the very same situation that was caused me to feel depressed became the reason that I had to really step up and make sh*t happen.

And with that new insight, the fire that got lit underneath me was like nothing I had ever experienced.

… And with that energy, I filled almost 50 seats in less than 30 days.

I unlocked a magic box with a golden key

Now I realize something that will become a huge guiding force in my teachings.

That when your “WHY” becomes clear, specific, and important enough, nothing will stop you from getting to where you want to go.

Which means that the reason you’re in business, doing what you do, serving who you do, is SO IMPORTANT!!

… Yet often lost.

Because you get bogged down by tactics, strategies, deadlines, employees, set-backs, etc.

And then the reason WHY you’re doing what you’re doing fades.

So to end this very long (sorry) letter to you, ask yourself the question:

“WHY are you doing what you are doing?”

And don’t just answer. Really get down to it.

What’s really driving you forward?

I would love to hear your thoughts about this, or anything else in this incredibly long rambling letter, right below.

Much love,

Max

P.S. Thanks for being in this tribe. I feel grateful for you right now…

Filed Under: Personalized Letters Tagged With: , , ,

Want to become a Master Entrepreneur? Solve this riddle…

August 17, 2010 By 28 Comments

In a few days, I’m off to Joshua Tree to lead (yet another) SOLD-OUT Seminar called Your Big Launch.

… where I’ll be taking an entire room full of amazing, spiritually-driven entrepreneurs through my signature process  to launch events, programs, and classes…

… and fill them up in record time…

… while making more money in a few days than you might have made all year.

But something is WAY different this time around…

Because I’ve done this drill before…yet it doesn’t feel the same.

What is it?

Why does it seem so different?

Oh, I KNOW!

Filling up this event and preparing for it has been MUCH EASIER than ever before!

I mean, it’s really kind of weird…

I put less time into the campaign than ever before. I spent less energy getting all the details together than ever before.

… And I certainly didn’t worry even close to as much as I usually do.

But why?

And then it hit me…

There’s a perfectly good explanation for this (plus one that’s not so obvious which I’ll share later).

You see, Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called “Outliers.” Pick it up if you haven’t read it yet.

… While the entire book is chalked full of awesomeness, there was ONE line that struck a deep chord in me up until this very day. And it goes like this:

“All Masters have at least 10,000 hours of practice.”

Which means that if you want things to go smoother in your life, if you want to experience more effortless success, you simply need to commit to doing one thing:

… PRACTICE.

Again, and again, and again….until you have mastery.

You see, at this point, I have produced hundreds of events. We have systems in place for just about EVERY aspect of the process. We know EXACTLY what to expect long before we even take our first step.

So, in simple terms, this level of experience leads to our level of success.

Period.

This logic probably makes perfect sense to you. Besides, it’s nothing new (but hopefully a good refresher).

But there’s something else in this….something much deeper.

And now the NOT-SO-OBVIOUS lesson…

If you’ve been in my world for a bit, you know that something  really significant has taken place in my life recently.

My father, the one and only Dr. David Simon, co-founder of the Chopra Center and best-selling author, and my greatest teacher…self-diagnosed his own fast-moving brain cancer.

… and has been undergoing (actually just finished) icon smile Want to become a Master Entrepreneur? Solve this riddle... chemotherapy and radiation.

So as I have been spending time with him, contemplating the meaning of life, talking about what happens when we die, and how to make the most out of the time we have while we’re here…

… I have learned something profound…

How to stop pushing.

Meaning…

I have always been great at driving things forward. I work hard. I am extremely focused. I can get sh*t done super fast.

… Some people have said I get more done in a single day than most get done in an entire week.

So that’s been my identity. My ability to “always do more.”

… But recently, that drive has faded. I don’t feel like I’m in such a hurry.

I’m not always thinking about the next thing.

Worldblu 2010 logo2 Want to become a Master Entrepreneur? Solve this riddle...

We WON the World's Most Democractic Workplace Award!

… In fact, I’m more present than I’ve ever been.

And as a result of that, I have given people on my team A WHOLE LOT MORE space to do what they do best – step into their place of power!

Which means that everyone has stepped up to take on more responsibility, more focus, and more drive.

… And as a result, we are getting much better results as a team than I ever did as an individual.

Phew. And thank god.

So what does this mean to you?

There’s a funny paradox in business.

On one hand, you simply need to put the hours in. You need to remain focused. You need to keep driving things forward. You need to practice to become masterful.

And on the hand, pushing too hard is bad for you and your business. It prevents you from trusting other people. It causes you to work, all the time. And it’s draining.

So as my good friend and mentor Vishen Lakhiani says, you need to find that perfect balance between having a BIG vision for the future and feeling gratitude and joy in the now.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as just “remembering”. Sometimes, you need to step away from your world and get into a new energy (like coming to an event).

… And sometimes, something totally un-expected and life-changing happens that you didn’t plan for or expect…like having the person you care about the most embrace his own mortality…

and you get the same result.

So with that in mind, let me ask you an important question…

What’s YOUR way of finding happiness in the now and cultivating a big vision for the future?

Please share your thoughts as a comment below. It would be cool to see how you do it…

Filed Under: Personalized Letters Tagged With: ,