my best life 07.03.17.245A

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my best life
the discovery of a success equation in one
of the darkest places on earth
A N D R E W
T H O M P S O N
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2017 Andrew Thompson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or
stored in any form or by any means whatsoever without the expressed written
permission in advance from the author, except in the case of brief quotations
in critical articles and reviews.
For more information on bulk orders, contact:
info@discoverpeakperformance.com
DiscoverPeakPerformance.com
Published by PEAK Performance Publishing
Printed in the USA
Book Identification Number: 06292017.1119A
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For my mother, Dolores.
You were always my biggest fan
and my best supporter.
I love you.
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contents
PART ONE: A LIFE LESSON
11 the fall
18 failure in america
23 a frozen exile
29 the storm
PART TWO: THE PENDULUM SWING
33 the discovery
42 the breakthrough
50 the lost equation
61 discharged
PART THREE: PERFECTING A WEAPON
66 the formula
72 is there a normal
77 epigenetics
79 case study #1
81 case study #2
85 a tragic family link
85 intelligence times three
PART FOUR: A FORMULA FOR GREATNESS
92 going beyond normal
00 pareto’s principle
00 building a company
00 courses
00 programs
00 bibliography
00 acknowledgements
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introduction
I had a profound experience in my life that changed it
forever. An experience I wanted to share with the world
in hopes my story would inspire others and teach that
when all seems lost, there’s a way to fight back.
Much of what I went through was unpleasant, painful and
tragic for me personally. However, while on this journey,
others were affected as well.
As much as it is important to retell this story for the
benefit of others, it’s just as important to protect the
privacy of those who were involved.
For this reason, there are some elements of this narrative
that have been modified or altered. These changes are
very minor and do not affect the core principles of the
book’s teachings and in no way discount from the true
facts of what actually happened.
Andrew Thompson
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the fall
The day I had been dreading was here, I was leaving
southern California. I’ll always remember the sunrise that
morning, it was warm and comforting as though it was an
old friend who was sharing my sadness. Time, on the
other hand, moved very slowly and it seemed to taunt me
with recent memories. My eight-year relationship and
marriage was ending and my marketing business, which
had never gotten a solid footing since our move from
Cleveland, failed. The result was a financial collapse that
took nearly everything I owned.
How the hell did I get here?
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Fifteen months earlier my wife, Cheryl, and I had made
the decision to move to California in the hopes of a better
life for our family. My wife was a Cleveland native and it
was her lifelong dream to move to sunny, southern
California. We also liked the idea of better educational
opportunities through the state’s top-rated schools for her
two young sons.
Our closest friends, who had recently moved to California
from Cleveland, invited us to come out for a visit the year
before. It was a chilly fall day when we left for a weeklong
family vacation.
The cool greys of suburban south Cleveland were quickly
forgotten when I stepped off the plane and into the bright
sunshine, green grass, palm trees and the stunning blues
of the Pacific.
We rented a Mercedes during our stay, no longer driving
around in our older model SUV. Our friends were living
in a gorgeous home with a pool in a gated, up-scale
community. They were experiencing great success and
encouraged us to make the big move. It would be great to
be neighbors again and rekindle that friendship we all
enjoyed back in Cleveland.
The more we talked about it, the more it just felt right.
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I had created a successful marketing business in
Cleveland and felt that I could duplicate that same success
anywhere we moved to.
That was my first mistake.
It took about a year to get all the details worked out and
bring closure to our life in Cleveland while laying all the
groundwork for our new life waiting for all of us on the
west coast.
Almost a year to the day from when we took our vacation
we finally arrived in California leaving our old lives
behind us. Moving into our new home felt surreal, it was
so beautiful and was three times the size of what we were
used to. We were decorating it in our minds as we walked
through it. There were so many rooms, some remained
empty because we didn’t have enough furniture to fill
them all. I can remember fantasizing about all the antique
pieces mixed with modern ones to create the eclectic
theme we both wanted. The plan was to begin filling the
house room by room over the course of the next year.
Three months later my business began to struggle and all
the emotionally based reasons to move to California
began to sour. My business suffered one set-back after
another and without the financial capital to wade through
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the small storms time was becoming my enemy. The
money was flying out the window faster than I could make
those critical business connections to grow the company
in this new environment.
I began to realize that I had bitten off more than I could
possibly chew.
As the final months played out, I made poor choices out
of panic, trying almost anything to keep my head above
water. I resorted to creative deal making for the sake of
just getting some cash flow coming in.
At one point, I would offer my services for a third of my
customary rate and in doing so two things happened.
First, not all the bills were getting paid. In addition to that,
my customer’s expectations remained high, but based on
time/effort and quality I became resentful working three
times as hard for the money I was making. I felt as if they
were taking advantage of me, not waking up to the fact
that I had brought this upon myself by lowering my fees
and not my standards. I thought if I could hang on long
enough, the tide would turn… but, it never did and as a
result my reputation suffered, my integrity was gone and
friendships were lost.
Our dream had turned into a nightmare.
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The wolf was at the door. The banks, utility companies
and multiple creditors wanted their money and clients
whose jobs were unfinished were screaming for refunds.
There was no way I was going to be able to give them all
what they wanted with the time that I had left.
On the verge of losing our home, one of my wife’s real
estate friends offered a safe haven for the family to
recover. They knew of an unused bed and breakfast just
outside of town. It was in the middle of bankruptcy which
left it available for occupancy the next 6 months. Cheryl
immediately accepted the offer and told me about it when
I got home later that evening. She told me that the offer
was conditional. Her friend insisted that my wife and the
boys move in alone. I was not invited.
“…and you accepted?” I asked.
“Yes.” She replied.
Right then I knew that our personal struggles had made
me a social outcast in the community, a man who couldn’t
take care of his family and I had even lost the trust of
Cheryl and the boys. Everything that I had cared about,
everything that I had worked so hard for was slipping
through my fingers. I knew I had made some mistakes,
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everybody does, but I felt as if my crimes did not fit the
punishments I suffered and I was becoming very angry.
I reached out to my friend, Michael in Ohio, who had been
following this story as it unfolded. He realized how
desperate my situation had become and offered a
storeroom he had in the back of his condominium as a
place to stay and recover. The decision was clear and I
accepted. My refuge was two thousand miles away and I
just needed some cash to get there. With time running
out, I began to sell my personal possessions.
Left in the house was some furniture, clothes and my
office equipment. A moment that sticks out in my mind
most is when I only had one day left and the last item was
my 27 inch iMac desktop computer.
I had originally purchased it and the business software for
nearly $5,000 only a few years before. It was in excellent
condition and I was hoping to make a good deal. With
Cheryl and the boys secured in their new home and time
running out, this forty-year Hispanic man walks in and
offers me $350 for the computer filled and all its software.
At that moment, I was knocked off my pedestal of power
and was at the mercy of this stranger. I took his cash and
watched him leave with the computer. The house was
now empty with only a few extension cords on the floor,
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half empty boxes and sand blowing in through the open
patio door.
I slowly walked among the empty ruins of what was once
a dream come true and a promising life. Except for the
cash I had in my pocket, all my money was gone, my credit
was ruined and having lived five decades, I was able to
pack my entire life’s possessions into only two suitcases.
It was time to leave.
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failure in America
As unique as I thought my situation was, I had become
part of a growing trend of failure in America.
Take my failed marriage as an example. According to the
Office for National Statistics, divorce rates saw a slight
increase in 2016. As of this writing 42% of marriages end
in divorce. Almost half of those divorces happen in the
first 10 years of marriage, and the rate is especially high
between the fourth and eighth anniversary. The average
age at divorce is 45 for men and 42 for women.
If you compare that to the divorce rate in 1960, which was
22%, it has more than doubled in the last 55 years.
Divorce rates reached their peak in America in 1985 at
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50% partly due to changes in the law that allowed a spouse
to use irreconcilable differences as a reason to divorce and
making it much easier to get. Prior to that, anyone
wanting to end their marriage had to prove the presence
of adultery or cruelty in the marriage.
Though I didn’t realize it at the time and what my research
later revealed, was that some people who survive divorce
go through what is sometimes called starter marriages.
They often learn things that they could not have learned
in any other way – not even by just living with someone.
These types of marriages might help them to go on to
make a far stronger union in the future than they might
have otherwise made.
Despite all of the statistics, my divorce still seemed very
personal to me and my emotions concentrated on the
pain. I may have become the latest member of a growing
trend in America, but on this day I still felt very much
alone.
One thing I couldn’t get out of my mind was the question
of whether my troubled marriage contributed to my
business failure OR did my business failure contribute to
my troubled marriage?
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It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that it was probably a
little bit of both. But, is that really the answer?
In the past when my marketing business was slow, I
would often provide an excuse that my clients and
prospects were going through an economic downturn.
Once the economy picks up for them, business will pick
up for me and that was a philosophy I lived by.
The truth is, I had no idea if that was true or not.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ here’s what
small business survival rates looks like in America.
About 80% of small businesses in America
will survive their first year in business. This is largely
against the myth that 95% of all small businesses fail
in the first year.
About 66% of small businesses in America
will survive their second year in business.
About 50% of small businesses in America
will survive their fifth year in business.
About 30% of small businesses in America
will survive their 10th year in business.
Notice that the success rate begins to drop as the years
progress… this is to be expected.
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However, here is the most important part. These
rates are consistent over time, suggesting that yearover-year
nationwide economic factors—surprisingly—
don’t have much of an impact on how U.S. small business
have survived over the last 75 years.
The takeaway here is the odds are stacked against a small
business surviving over a 10 year period, regardless of the
economy.
Wait a minute.
The number one conflict in marriage that eventually leads
to divorce among small business owners is the lack of
money. Yet, if money comes from your business and your
business outcome is not directly tied to the economy then
lack of money is not really the issue when it comes to
divorce. Lack of money is a symptom masking the real
conflict that inevitably causes divorce. It’s not money, it
never has been.
As much as I wanted to believe that the lack of money and
my failed business had caused to my downfall, that wasn’t
the truth.
The real answer was months away.
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In the meantime, I swallowed the false notions of what
caused my failures and I incubated a manifestation of
what was to become my ultimate downfall.
Severe depression.
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a frozen exile
Arriving in Ohio was a sharp contrast to my arrival in
California. It was the second week of December and while
much of southern California was basking in 70 degree
temperatures, my destination had icy roads, 20–25 mph
crosswinds and wind chills of 7–10 degrees.
Michael was gracious upon my arrival, but much went
unsaid. This was a new situation for both of us and we
communicated mostly in a very manly manner of tough
exteriors hiding uncertainty. He took me to the back of
his condo and showed me the storeroom.
It was about 125 sq. ft. with one-third of the room filled
with boxes. He handed me a spare key and said
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‘goodnight’ because it was getting late. Closing the door
to this small room pierced my ear with a strange silence.
I spread a towel from my suitcase onto the floor and used
it as a thin matt and I tried to get some rest.
I began crying as the reality of what felt like an exile began
to sink in. I was cold, alone and terrified.
My mother had died just 11 months before and for the
first time I was looking up at the ceiling and calling out to
her. In what I thought was an ironic twist, I was unable
to be at her side when she passed away spending her final
months in a nursing home in upstate New York drugged,
catatonic and alone. For months I carried the guilt that I
wasn’t by her side when she died and now when I needed
her most she wasn’t there for me.
It was a very long night.
Over the course of the next several weeks, the goal was to
rebuild. I didn’t have much cash and it wouldn’t last long
so my focus was to find work. I found myself in a small
rural Ohio town and employment opportunities were
scarce. Still, I traveled around and applied where I could.
I quickly found a stigma attached to my efforts.
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I had not been employed for years, mostly because I ran
my own marketing business and made a living on my own.
Over the course of the last 10 years my work was
published in the Harvard Business Review, I was
featured in an article published by the San Francisco
Examiner and my resume had an impressive list of
accomplishments that I felt any employer would love to
integrate into their business.
I soon learned the opposite and for the first time in my life
I felt the taste of discrimination.
With virtually no executive jobs available in the area I
began applying for the local blue collar work. Ready to
roll up my sleeves and begin a new life, I sat for about a
dozen job interviews.
Almost every employer who looked at my resume asked
me the same question… what are you doing here?
I remember wearing a suit at one of my interviews across
from a manager of a local auto supply company who wore
torn jeans, a wrinkled shirt and had blood-shot eyes from
the previous night’s drinking binge. He was 22 years old.
I could tell he felt intimidated by me and excused himself
to look for the owner of the store.
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After about three minutes the owner came with my
resume in his hand and gave it back to me. “You have no
work history and to be honest I have no idea what you’d
be like if you were managed.” said the owner. “This job
pays $9 an hour and the minute an executive opportunity
opens up you’ll be gone, so I’m not wasting my time,
money or energy investing in you.” Pinning his sobering
manager up with his elbow to keep him from falling, the
owner stepped aside, I took my resume and left.
Other job interviews were similar and included additional
comments such as
“over-qualified…”
“poor credit…”
“too old….”
The last comment was a landmark moment in my life, I
had never been too old for anything before. Now, I knew
about the federal Age Discrimination in Employment
Act (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age
or older from employment discrimination based on age.
As much as I felt the sting of such discrimination I didn’t
have the fighting spirit or the resources to pursue it
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legally. I was running out of time, my money was almost
gone and I was getting desperate.
Meanwhile, back in California, Cheryl was settling into
her new life. Her father had wired nearly $30,000 to help
her get back on her feet, her friends and the local
community church were excellent resources and she soon
began to flourish. Finding a new job and house within 8
months.
We were still legally married and our relationship was
ambiguous at best. But, she then took to social media and
began to boast of her newly found independence to all of
our network of friends. Some of her posts included
comments that said:
“If a man expects a woman to be an angel in his life, he
must first create heaven for her, angles don’t live in hell.
“A real man never hurts a woman. Be careful when you
make a woman cry because God Counts her tears.
Though my name was never attached to any of these
posts, everyone knew who she was referring to. Her
passive aggressive behavior made it clear that she wanted
the world to know how I fell short of her expectations.
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Desperate, and wanting to hang on to any connection of
familiarity, I endured her posts, and repeatedly
apologized and expressed my regret. I was trying to
reconcile despite the fact that California and our ideal
lifestyle didn’t work out. But the posts continued for
months I felt emasculated.
Eventually, I simply let go.
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the storm
It was late one night and I could hear the rumbling of
thunder in the distance as I sat on the floor of my room
back in Ohio. Spring was coming. The sign of a new
season and new opportunities. However, what filled my
room was an atmosphere of weakness, shame, instability
and desperation.
It had become overwhelming.
It was 3:30 in the morning as I sat in the dark. My chest
had become very tight and the months of sadness seemed
to manifest into physical pain. I felt as though I had
reached the end, that my life had no more significance or
influence. The world I knew continued on with the daily
tasks of life… working, paying bills, social interactions
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were now foreign to me. I felt as though I had lost the
ability to function in society, to hold a job or to make any
contribution… I no longer knew what normal felt like.
My money had been gone for weeks. I was unable to find
work and I had lost all direction and hope. With my back
against the wall and hugging my knees my thoughts
turned to the seminars I attended, the programs I bought
and the tapes I had listened to decades before on the glory
of becoming an entrepreneur. Set your own hours, make
lots of money doing what you love to do.
Now, what I really needed was a guide on how to recover
because I’ve lost my way. Someone tell me how to free
myself from this self-imposed tangle of loss, pain and
financial ruin. The darkness of the room seemed to be a
reflection of how I felt inside and I began to feel an
impulsiveness as my mind became numb.
My mother had always been my biggest fan eagerly
waiting to hear about my victories and was always there
as a comfort for my defeats. Now, she was gone and in my
mind she had moved on to a place of peace and
forgiveness. A place where I could find comfort, a place
where I could ask for forgiveness, a place where I wouldn’t
be a ruin, burden or a failure.
I was ready to die.
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I reached into one of my unpacked suitcases next to me
on the floor and found my pocket knife. I held it in my
hand as the blade gleamed with light from a street lamp
outside my window.
My instinct for self-preservation began to choke my
breathe as I held the knife in front of me. I could hear the
rumbling of thunder getting louder as the storm outside
was approaching.
I felt as though I was on a threshold and with one swift
action my emotional pain would be gone. My hands were
shaking as I thought about God, my mother, my life… I
just wanted the pain to stop.
Suddenly there was a white flash that shook the condo.
I fell to my side dropping the knife, my body shaking
violently as though I had just avoided falling off a cliff.
Lightning from the storm had struck less than a quarter
mile away and had filled my room with a blinding light.
Time suddenly seemed to slow and as strange as it may
sound, for a few seconds I couldn’t hear anything.
Then I felt it, someone else was in the room with me. My
senses became intensely sharp as I could feel that I was no
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longer alone. I lay frozen, afraid and trying to
comprehend what my senses were telling me. There was
a smell I picked up that was familiar to me and in a
weakened whisper I called out, “Mom…?” I waited, and
after a few seconds the feeling was gone.
I began to hear faint sounds around me, again. Raindrops
pelting my window, the low humming noise of a ceiling
fan and the faint bark of a dog in the distance.
I had the urge to get up and run. I opened the door and
stumbled down the hallway pressing the palms of my
hands along the walls to keep my balance. When I
reached the sink in the kitchen I threw-up. I slowly turned
and sat down on the floor. I could still taste the stomach
acid in my mouth as I was trying to catch my breathe. For
the first time a got a real sense of my own mortality and
felt it was time to handle my problem a different way.
Michael returned home later that morning after spending
the weekend with his family. I met him at the door……
“I need help.”
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the discovery
When I arrived in the emergency room my intent was to
find a someone talk to. I felt that if I could speak with
someone even just for a few minutes, I could get some
direction and feel better.
Michael asked “Do you want me to stay with you?” I told
him that I was fine. “Well, call me when you’re finished
and I’ll pick you up.” As he drove away, I was thankful to
have him in my life.
As I entered the building, the sliding doors opened and
the reception desk was just a few feet away. I timidly
walked up to the desk and asked the receptionist if there
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was anyone that I could speak with. I told her I was
feeling depressed.
She gave me a clipboard and asked me to fill out the
attached questionnaire. I took a pen from a jar filled with
coffee beans and sat in the waiting room.
The form was a standard registration document
requesting my contact information and listing a variety of
potential medical conditions. I marked the box that said
depression and answered the follow up question, Have
you had thoughts of suicide?… by marking yes.
I returned the completed form at the registration desk and
headed back to the waiting room. I was very tired and
found an empty chair in the corner. I figured this would
be a good time to catch a short nap, I’m sure I’ll be waiting
here for a while.
Wrong again.
After about 5 minutes with my hands clasped on my
stomach in a resting position and my eyes closed, I
suddenly heard a soft voice call my name right in front of
me. “Mr. Thompson?” I opened my eyes and there was a
middle-aged woman holding a clipboard with a laminated
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ID hanging from her shirt pocket. Behind her were two
large men with bad haircuts all dressed in white.
“Come with me, please.” she said.
Nervously, I stood up and was escorted down the hall into
an office and was told to wait. After about 10 minutes, a
man entered the room wearing a medical lanyard, a
pocket protector and a pair of thick glasses.
He introduced himself as a social worker and asked, “How
can I help you Mr. Thompson?”
What a relief. Someone to talk to. For the next hour, I
told him the story of how my wife and I left Cleveland, the
struggles with my business, the loss of our home, Cheryl’s
social media rants and my suicide attempt with what
appeared to be a spiritual experience.
He took meticulous notes and barely spoke. It felt good
to have someone to just listen as I bared my soul. I
became emotional at times, but overall felt much better
and was anxious to hear feedback and get some direction.
What I didn’t realize, and would later find out, was the
social worker was writing observation phrases about me
like “paranoia…” referring to my wife’s social media rants
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and “hallucinations…” when I spoke about the presence
of my mother after dropping the pocket knife.
Finishing his notes, he put the pen back in his pocket
protector, leaned forward and asked me if I would like to
speak with the head psychiatrist.
I smiled and replied, “Yes… very much so.”
Smiling back, he informed me that the doctor’s office was
on the 7 th floor in a secured area of the hospital and would
require my signature to enter. He passed me a pen and
clipboard with a form attached.
I signed the document not realizing at the time that it was
a voluntary commitment form.
“Wait right here Mr. Thompson while I arrange for an
escort to take you up.”
Sitting there in his office I felt a sense of relief, the heavy
weight I had been carrying was lifting and I knew the
psychiatrist was going to help me get my life back on
track.
Things were not as they appeared.
36

He had returned with an armed security guard, two
orderlies and a wheelchair. He told me to remove
everything from my pockets and handed me a hospital
gown to change into.
Reality sat in very quickly. I suddenly felt a rush and
realized that my signature on that form had erased any
power I may have had to change the situation that was
unfolding.
I looked at the counselor and said, “I think there’s been a
mistake…” The orderlies, sensing some resistance, moved
closer with the counselor replying, “Mr. Thompson, put
on this gown and remove your personal items.”
I put my personal belongings into the clear plastic bag,
changed into the gown and sat down in the wheelchair.
The security guard then pulled out these large, wide zipties
and restrained my forearms tightly to the arms of the
wheelchair.
“Is all this really necessary?”
No one responded to my question. The dynamics had
changed drastically in those few moments.
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The gang of us made our way down to the elevator at the
end of the hallway. Once inside, the orderly turned me
around to face the doors as they closed. There, staring
back at me from the chrome plated reflection, was a man
I no longer recognized. It was ugly to look at.
Panic set in.
Ding…the elevator doors opened and I was wheeled down
another hallway to a set of double doors.
Figure 1-38
The counselor waved his badge in front of an electronic
locking mechanism on the wall and the double doors
slowly began to open. We crossed over the threshold and
into the inpatient psychiatry unit. I could hear the
hydraulics of the automatic doors slowly closing behind
me. A creeping shadow towered over all of us as the doors
slowly blocked the light from the outside hall. The sound
of the automatic lock engaging was sobering.
Michael was not going to be getting that call to come pick
me up anytime soon.
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Like stepping in hidden quicksand, I was almost
effortlessly admitted into a mental institution.
Historically, millions of Americans have fallen through
institutional cracks much easier for benign reasons, by
today’s standards.
In her 2001 book Parental Kidnapping in America: A
Historical and Cultural Analysis, author Maureen
Dabbagh compiled a list of how easy it was for anyone in
the latter half of the 19th century to be admitted to an
insane asylum.
imaginary female trouble
jealousy and religion
laziness
masturbation for 30 years
medicine to prevent conception
novel reading
parents were cousins
political excitement
asthma
death of sons in war
superstition
egotism
false confinement
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Of course, we’ve come a long way in the last 150 years.
However, mental illness is still a very serious problem and
has not gotten the attention it deserves. It has a direct
negative impact on millions of lives, education, the
economy and how we’re projected as a nation on a
worldwide stage.
According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
in 2015 the statistics on mental illness in America are
staggering:
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million,
or 18.5% - experiences mental illness in a given year
Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8 million,
or 4.0%—experiences a serious mental illness in a
given year that substantially interferes with or limits
one or more major life activities
1.1% of adults in the U.S. live with schizophrenia
2.6% of adults in the U.S. live with bipolar disorder
CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF TREATMENT:
Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in
lost earnings per year
Mood disorders, including major depression,
dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder, are the third
most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for
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oth youth and adults aged 18–44 costing billions of
dollars every year
According to a study done by Emory University in
2015, the two most common reasons adults ages 18 –
55 in the U.S. do not receive mental health treatment
were ignorance and lack of money. This
demonstrates a lack of understanding and
seriousness of the problem both from the patient’s
and insurance company’s perspective.
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a breakthrough
The armed security guard returned to his station and the
orderlies put me in a small in-take room, removed the zipties
and left.
Across the desk was a middle-aged, stereotypical nurse.
White shoes, uniform and hat. Her clothes made the
nylon swooshing sound when she walked around the
room.
She took my vitals and then handed me a medicine cup
containing five little pills of various shapes and colors
without saying a word.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry…,” I said, “I think there’s been a big
mistake.”
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“Mr. Thompson, you need to take these. It will help you
relax.” she replied. I was quickly realizing that I had no
rights. It would be useless to resist or refuse. I knew that
if I did, it would sound like any other patient refusing to
cooperate and I could make things worse for myself.
I found out later that the pills were designed to counteract
any ill effects from any recent alcohol or drug
consumption. A large portion of the patients who are
admitted to the psych ward are under the influence of
some reality altering substance. It was standard
procedure.
She began to enter my medical history into the computer.
The questions were routine and my answers were brief.
Finally, she left the room and returned with a hospital
issue of four hand towels, a pair of yellow pajamas, rubber
flip-flops and a robe… with no belt.
The nurse then escorted me to my room accompanied by
an orderly. As we walked down the hallway I had my first
opportunity to observe other patients.
In one of the hallways, a man resembling a thin Italian
was pacing up and down. Facing the wall, his hands flat
against it, he was rubbing and searching for an opening in
43

the wall that was not there.
another dimension.
He was trying to step into
Coming from some of patient’s rooms were voices. I
couldn’t quite make out what they were saying and
wondered if they were actually talking to someone or just
to themselves?
I knew the answer.
Some men were sitting in chairs, others were wandering
aimlessly. They all shared that look on their face as if they
were someplace else. I had never been in a place like this
before.
When we got to my room the nurse suggested that I take
a shower and change out of my gown. Dinner would be
served in about an hour. She closed the door behind her
and I was alone.
As I placed my belongings on the end of the bed I noticed
that it was bolted to the floor including the nightstand.
Looking around it was virtually impossible for you to hurt
yourself with any instrument. Everything was attached to
something else.
44

I took off my gown and threw it on the bed, picked up one
of the hand towels and walked into the bathroom. It was
not a private bathroom but shared with the adjacent
room. There were no doors so any patient could walk in
from either room, it was all open.
I got into the shower, lukewarm at best and little more
than a trickle. No shampoo or soap, toiletries would be
issued later. I was standing there with my eyes closed
letting the stream of water run down my face when I heard
a disturbing mumble. It was the patient from the next
room. Looking through his doorway I could tell there
were no lights, so whatever he was doing it was in the
dark.
I didn’t know who he was or his condition so turned the
water off and looked around for a bath towel to dry off
with.
There were no other towels, only the hand towel.
Frustrated, I dried off as best I could and walked into my
room to get dressed. Looking at the bed I noticed my
pajamas, robe, towels and shoes, were gone. The only
possessions I had left in this world were gone.
Everything was gone. I became enraged.
45

I stormed out of the room holding the only possession I
had left to cover the most private part of my body. With
determination I stomped down the hallway leaving wet
footprints on the tile. Some patients looked up and others
seemed unfazed that a naked man would briskly walk the
halls. This was an uncommon act in a place where
uncommon acts were common.
I was leaving a trail of onlookers behind me. John, an
African American patient who would later become my
friend, was standing just inside his room finishing a
nutrition bar when I passed his doorway. He would later
confess to me that all he saw was “some naked white guy
walking down the hall who looked like he was on a
mission.”
I made my way to the nurse’s station located at the center
of the ward. I stood in front of the window holding my
hand towel with both hands in front of me, with water
droplets still clinging to my hair I was mad as hell. I no
longer concerned myself with procedures, protocol or the
basic manners my mother taught me. A large African
American nurse, named Loretta, was in the nursing
station typing on a computer and she suddenly stopped.
She rolled her eyes up and saw me standing there through
the glass partition window in distress. The hint of a smirk
46

curved the corner of her mouth. She took her long
fingernail and slid the glass window open slowly.
“Did you lose something, Mr. Thompson?” she asked.
“Yes!” I said in a very loud and stern voice with tears
streaming down my red face.
“I’ve lost my house,
my family,
all my possessions,
a pair of cotton pajamas,
a matching bathrobe
and….three of my embroidered hand towels!!!”
My commanding voice echoed through the corridors.
Nurses, patients and staff stood in silence and watched
how this twenty-seven year veteran nurse was going to
respond to my outburst.
She spoke softly, “Did you lose anything else?’
“Yes I have!” I shouted.
“My sanity!! What the fuck am I doing here!!!”
47

Removing her fingers from the keyboard slowly and
clasping her hands together, she responded…
“Well, Mr. Thompson, we’re waiting for you to tell us.”
Her response hit me and shook me to my core. I stood
there as my eyes welled up with tears delivering a blank
stare back at her as my mind began to process a reality.
If they were waiting for me to tell them why I was there…
that must mean I have the answers. And if I had the
answers, I must have control.
All this time when I thought I became a victim of
circumstances beyond my control, a recipient of a bad
karma and unfortunate events feeling powerless, I
actually had the power to change everything at anytime.
My business did not fail because of the economy. My
marriage did not end because my business failed. I did
not lose everything because of chance, circumstance,
destiny, consequence, divine will or intent.
I lost everything because that’s what I chose to do.
48

Let me say that again…
it’s because of what I chose to do.
I chose to move to California.
I chose to take that risk without enough financial capital.
I chose to reduce my fees.
I chose to be resentful.
I chose to try and take my own life.
I finally realized that I was here in this place because of
the choices and decisions I made.
I had the power of choice all along,….. the only problem
was I just didn’t know how to use that power.
49

an equation
Feeling completely numb, I slowly turned and saw the hall
filled with onlookers. I cautiously and very slowly began
to take steps back to my room. Retracing my wet
footprints, I walked past other patients feeling unable to
look at them. Most stared at me with an understanding of
my pain… they too, had been there.
An orderly shadowed my steps to make sure there
wouldn’t be any more trouble, but kept his distance.
I slowly walked past John’s room as he stood in his
doorway, finishing what was left of his nutrition bar. We
made eye contact, but said nothing.
50

When I arrived at my room, a nurse was there holding a
brand new pair of folded pajamas and robe. They were
colored light blue and she said, “Here you are Mr.
Thompson, a fresh pair. I’ve even laid out a new set of
towels on your bed.”
“Thank you.” I replied. I felt her tenderness was genuine
as I walked in my room and closed the door behind me.
Once dressed in my clean pajamas I sat on the bed and
began thinking about my entire life and the decisions I’ve
made. I remembered when things were going well in my
life I was making good choices, and when things went bad
I was making bad choices. It seemed so simple and
obvious and though I understood I couldn’t control
destiny or fate… I could control how I reacted to it.
I thought to myself… I just had a major breakthrough
moment in understanding who I am and how I got here,
but I still didn’t understand why I made the bad decisions
in my life.
I wasn’t aware of it, but that answer was coming very
soon.
Then, I received a knock at my door, it was John.
“Come in.” I responded.
51

He entered my room in his yellow pajamas with a giggle
under his breathe. “You made quite an entrance today…”
he said sticking his hand out as he introduced himself.
“My name is John, I just wanted to make sure you were
alright.”
Standing up, I shook his hand and said “Thank you.”
He proceeded to tell me he was a three year veteran of the
institution and had seen it all. Laughingly, he said my
performance today was entertaining and told me that he
had never seen a white boy move so fast.
That made me laugh. I had a small tear, but John helped
me transition my anger and it was suddenly in the past.
He put his hand on my shoulder and walked me to dinner.
When we arrived in the dining area, we found a table in
the corner and sat together. I learned that John suffered
from seizures and had a history of emotional outbursts
that kept him unemployed and alienated from his family.
John was taking lots of medication and it helped, most of
the time. He seemed to calmly accept the fact that this
institution was likely going to be his home for the rest of
his life.
52

The dining area was a collection of tables and was used for
multiple purposes. It was a place to come for your meals,
but also a recreation area that had a large flat screen TV
on the wall, reading books, magazines and board games.
It also served as a classroom for group sessions.
The food cart had arrived and the patients got in line to
receive their trays. Each tray was assigned to an
individual patient based on their diet requirements.
My name was called, and I received my tray. Salisbury
steak, green beans, mashed potatoes with a pool of butter,
a Jello cup and a small carton of milk. I felt like I was in
high school all over again.
While using my plastic fork to cut into the steak, there was
a sudden disturbance at the far end of the dining area. A
patient had gotten up yelling, tossed his tray across the
room and walked over to the large screen TV, pulled it off
the wall and threw it against the metal mesh that
protected the windows.
Other patients stood up and began yelling at the top of
their voices at the staff demanding Angela Lansbury’s
phone number. Apparently, now that the TV was
destroyed, they wanted to know who the killer was on
53

Murder She Wrote. Milk cartons and food were being
thrown as the orderlies charged in to restore order.
My body was pumped full of adrenaline, I stood up not
knowing whether to run or find cover. John, continued to
eat, oblivious to the chaos in the room, he had seen this
many times before.
Then, his hand started shaking and he clutched his fist
tight around his plastic fork. The stress of the situation
had triggered one of his seizures. His whole body had
become stiff and was falling out of the chair. I caught him
as he fell to the floor, his cheek slightly smeared with
mash potatoes he began making a choking sound.
“Orderly!!” I shouted.
“Orderly!! Come quick!!” the chaos in the room
overshadowed John’s plight. “Hang on buddy……”
I whispered to him as I held him tight, his eyes rolling
back into his head. I had no idea if he could hear me.
“Order---uhh….!!!” Just as I shouted for help again, an
orderly grabbed me from behind mistakenly thinking I
was assaulting John as I knelt over him.
54

Pinning me to the floor, I tried to tell him that John was
sick, but the weight of the orderly compressed my chest
and it was difficult for me to catch my breathe.
The room began to fade and turn dark as I felt a pain in
my arm. I don’t remember anything after that.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in bed in my
room. I had a terrible headache, and my cheekbone was
sore and slightly bruised from the commotion. I got up
and slowly walked out into the hall, order had been
restored. Patients again, were wandering the halls
aimlessly and there was peaceful music playing on the
intercom system.
I walked to the dining area and the table and chairs were
back in place and the TV was back on the wall. It had a
massive shattering crack across the screen and there was
no sound, but it still worked as a small cluster of patients
were watching Judge Judy. The sun was shining through
the window, it was the next morning.
I then heard a voice, “Mr. Thompson…”
I turned, and walking up to me was the head psychiatrist,
Dr. Montgomery. He introduced himself and said,
55

“Let’s walk to my office and have a chat.” I followed him
reluctantly.
As we walked into his office, he said “Have a seat, I’m
sorry about the disturbance last night, things can get
stimulating around here from time to time.”
His demeanor was pleasant. He looked like the typical
Freudian doctor wearing a white beard, wool vest and
jacket with a dangling chain from his pocket watch.
He had been a doctor for nearly 40 years and was a
collector of psychiatric antiquities. He showed me his
collection in his office of pieces he obtained throughout
his travels from around the world. Old photographs of
patients, instruments, surgical tools and books. His wall
was crowded with certificates, awards, plaques and
framed letters of recognition. His most treasured
possession was a signed antique baseball from Tommy
Tucker, first baseman of the Cleveland Spiders from the
1890s. He said his grandfather, who attended a Spiders’
game as a young man, gave it to him.
He seemed very approachable and trusting.
56

“Please, Mr. Thompson,” he said. “Tell me your story…”
Sitting back in his leather bound chair he was eager to
hear what I had to say, so I indulged him.
For the next hour I told him the story of how my wife and
I left Cleveland, the struggles with my business, the loss
of our home, Cheryl’s social media rants and my suicide
attempt with what appeared to be a spiritual experience.
Unlike the social worker from before, he seemed
genuinely interested.
I also told him about a breakthrough moment I had with
Loretta at the nurse’s station the day before. I had
mentioned to him my realization of life’s choices and
though I chose to be here… I didn’t understand the power
of choice.
He was impressed.
“Most of my patients don’t fully understand why they’re
here and it usually takes several sessions before they
learn about effects of choices and consequences. What is
your academic background?” he asked.
I told him that I didn’t have a formal degree but became a
student of human psychology to gain a better
understanding of my field in marketing and advertising.
57

I felt comfortable enough at this point to tell him that I
felt it was a mistake I was admitted to the ward. Expecting
further resistance, I was shocked by his response.
“I agree…” he said. “I don’t think there is anything
wrong with you. You’re articulate, intelligent and you
made a mistake. You slipped under an intense set of
circumstances and voluntarily sought professional help.
You don’t belong here.”
I began to get emotional and was relieved that someone
understood what I had been through.
“I do have one question, Doc.” I said. “Why do people
make the wrong choices? Where does that come from?”
He smiled, and leaned over to unlocked a drawer in his
desk and opened it. He pulled out a very old leather
notebook. It was the personal notes of an unknown
doctor, written in Latin over 200 years ago.
While most notable doctors during that time, including
Benjamin Rush, John Conolly and Phillip Pinel, focused
on the diseases of the mind and philosophy, this unknown
doctor made an extraordinary claim in his notes.
58

He wrote a group of words in what appeared to be an
equation: vitae // corporis animo sensum
It seemed as if the author theorized that vitae (life) is
comprised of or equal to corporis, animo and sensum
(body, mind and feeling) and seemed to implicate they
were all connected.
Dr. Montgomery explained to me the POWER OF
CHOICE, to choose that which results in good
consequences OR to choose that which results in bad
consequences, comes from your mind AND body AND
emotions. The doctor thought this was one of the first
times the word sensum (or feeling) was used to describe
a person’s emotions; which was another term that would
be more commonly used to describe a person’s feelings by
the early 19 th century.
This equation fascinated me. It was so simple, yet it was
a guide that seemed to explain much about our complex
world. I didn’t understand it completely yet but my
interest was piqued to learn more and perhaps I could use
this to turn my life around.
The doctor noticed I seemed to, now, have a purpose, a
direction, a goal… a task. What he didn’t realize at the
time was the value of the gift he had just given me.
59

After copying the equation on his legal pad, he tore the
paper from the pad, stood up and handed it to me. I
shook his hand and thanked him.
ORIGINAL EQUATION
“Good luck, Mr. Thompson.”
Figure 1-60
After closing the door behind me, he immediately
contacted social services and made arrangements for my
discharge the next morning.
Later that evening Michael finally got that phone call.
60

discharged
Folding my pajamas, I laid them on my bed. My clothes
and personal possessions had been brought to my room
early that morning and I was fully dressed. Last night was
the first time I slept well in months.
I was going to be discharged that morning at 9:00 o’clock
and anxious to get on with my life.
A nurse stuck her head in my room and told me that
breakfast was ready and to come to the dining room. I
checked around the room one last time to make sure I
didn’t leave anything behind. ‘Wallet, keys, watch,’ I
thought to myself… and there lying on the bed was the
folded piece of paper from Dr. Montgomery.
61

I picked it up and stuck it in my back pocket.
Standing in line in the dining room, I waited for my tray.
I was looking around for John. I hadn’t seen him for a
couple of days and wanted to make sure we had a chance
to say goodbye. I also was anxious to tell him what I had
learned yesterday in hopes that it might inspire him in
some way.
“Thompson…” my name was called.
I walked forward to collect my tray and asked the orderly,
“Have you seen John?” He handed me my tray and
looked at me with a silent stare and said nothing. Our
eyes remained connected for a few seconds as I slowly
turned and walked away with my breakfast.
I think he knew, but either he couldn’t tell me OR he
wouldn’t tell me. I sat down at the table and pulled
another chair close to me hoping that John would walk in
at any moment and sit with me.
Other patients walked slowly by, some staring at me as if
they had something to say, but never did.
It was clear to everyone that I was going home.
62

I waited about an hour, slowly sipping my juice cup and
finishing the soggy bran left from the raisin cereal in my
Styrofoam bowl. I looked at the clock, and it said 8:50.
10 more minutes.
I cleaned off my tray and headed to the nurse’s station to
pick up my discharge papers. When I arrived, I saw
Loretta sitting at the computer through the glass
partition.
Glancing up, she saw me standing there wearing a
crooked smile knowing our last encounter left me
speechless. Tight lipped, she got up from her chair,
picked up a yellow envelope and walked into the hall
through a side door.
Walking up to me slowly with an intense look on her face,
my smile quickly faded as I flattened my lips and tucked
in my chin, preparing for what I thought was going to be
a good tongue lashing for my rudeness the first day.
Standing right in front of me she whispered, “Do you have
everything, Mr. Thompson?” her lips began to slowly
bend upward as if she was holding back her laughter. I
immediately picked up her vibe of forgiveness and we
simultaneously laughed and hugged each other.
63

“I’m so sorry…” I told her with a smile. “I didn’t mean to
yell at you… I hope you can understand.”
“Honey,” she responded, “I have been a nurse for twentyseven
years and have heard and seen a lot worse. You’re
a good man, I could tell that the first time we met.”
“Thank you.” I told her.
She handed me the envelope with my discharge papers
inside. “Good lucky, honey.” she said, “…you’ll do fine.” I
began to walk towards the ward entrance and then
stopped. I turned, and walked back to Loretta and asked,
“What happened to John?”
Her face suddenly turned serious. Pausing for a moment,
she said “I don’t know Mr. Thompson.” Listening to
heard words did not give me an answer, but looking into
her eyes she was trying to tell me something.
Her experience and professionalism would not allow her
to speak but she sensed my genuine concern for him and
did her best to relay a feeling with her tone and look of
sadness in hopes that I would understand.
I asked her for a pen, and she handed me one from her
pocket. I reached into my back pocket and got the folded
64

paper. I scribbled a quick note on it and put the pen and
paper in back in her hand. “If you see John,” I said, “…can
you please be sure that he gets this and tell him it’s from
me.”
“I certainly will, Mr. Thompson.” she replied.
I turned and headed for the double doors. An orderly
passed his fob key over the electronic locking mechanism
on the wall and the doors slowly opened.
With the equation securely etched in my brain, I left,
hoping John would get my note as a momentum of our
time together and a small piece of inspiration hoping that
someday it may have a positive effect on his life.
To this day, I’ve never heard from him.
Standing out in front of the emergency entrance I waiting
for Michael. I felt anxious to get back to my room and
begin to further research the equation. After about 15
minutes, Michael pulled up in his truck. He smiled and
said, “It’s good to see you again.” “Thanks.” I replied. As
we drove off together and I felt like I was leaving my
private hell with a weapon.
I would spend the next 6 months learning how to use it.
65

Investigative Query:
Where did this equation really come from and what
does it mean?
66

the formula
Once we arrived home, I headed to the storage room and
quickly set up a makeshift work area. Michael had set up
a card table for me and using some boxes with an old
footboard from a bed frame I was able to make an
extended desk and cardboard drawers.
I reached into my one of my suitcases and pulled out a
$300 laptop that that I had brought from California.
Michael had upgraded his cable TV package to give me
access to high-speed internet. Once I plugged in, I had
access to a world of knowledge and I was ready to begin.
67

First, I took the original equation and created a visual
code much like an equation that would be easy to
understand.
Vitae DEDUCTIS Corporis + Animo + Sensum
Figure 1-67
Next, I translated the equation into modern English using
directly translated words.
Life EQUALS Body + Mind + Feeling
Figure 2-67
The transformation process was beginning. This equation
was so simple yet, I could feel that there was much more
meaning behind the words. If I wanted to apply this
equation to my own life and succeed, I would have to have
68

a deeper understanding of the equation’s origin and its
intent.
With little to work with, I started at the beginning of the
equation and took a closer look at the word LIFE.
Since the original equation was written in a notebook by
an unknown man of medicine or science, it’s not
immediately clear which context was intended.
Did LIFE mean the biological state of life? That would
make sense if you included BODY and MIND, but the
third element of FEELING doesn’t easily fit.
Even by today’s standards, the most accepted definition
of this form of LIFE throughout the scientific community
is organisms which are composed of cells, will
successfully grow, adapt, thrive and reproduce in their
own environment. The term FEELING doesn’t have an
obvious place in that context.
Or, did LIFE mean the experiential state of life? That
which we experience from the time of our birth. This
made more sense and all three elements - BODY, MIND
and FEELING participate in one’s experiences
throughout LIFE.
69

However, I realized that the original equation, which was
written before 1817, likely used a term more closely
related to a context relevant at the time in which it was
written. So my research took me back in time.
The notebook’s geographical origin was unclear and
written in Latin. The language was originally developed in
the Italian peninsula, giving me one location. Using the
term Vitae (Life), which has Old English origins, the
original location of the author may have been somewhere
between Italy and Britain during the late 18 th or early 19 th
centuries.
Figure 1-69
During that timeframe, Latin eventually developed into
other languages including Italian, Portuguese, Spanish,
70

French and Romanian which seemed to narrow the list
geographically.
According to literary etymology, a common use for the
term LIFE spoken in that part of the world between 1750
and 1820 was “…a clear and visible active part of human
existence, pleasures or pursuits of the world or society.”
It became clear that the unknown doctor, likely began the
equation with a description of human experience from the
time of birth and the duration of your existence.
The author also seemed to write this equation as a
statement of fact, not a solution. I wanted this equation
to be less of a definition or explanation and more of a
useful process that could give guidance to anyone that
may have become misguided.
In order to do this, I had to change the format of the
equation from an equivalency to a formula. That
involved changing LIFE, the beginning side of the original
equation to BIRTH, the beginning of a process.
Then, replacing the symbol of equivalency, EQUAL SIGN,
with a directional symbol of progress, or an ARROW.
Keeping the three main elements that make up one’s life,
BODY, MIND and FEELING, the formula must include a
71

esult. From a psychiatric perspective, most of us who
successfully function within society are regarded in the
eyes of science as NORMAL.
Figure 1-71
Conclusion: The original equation, possibly
written during the late eighteenth century
seemed to be intended as a statement of fact.
Your life is equal to the some of your
experiences in the areas of health, feeling
and knowledge.
The level of standards you achieve in those
experiences would give you a fair indication
of the quality of your life.
To be of any use as a tool to improve one’s
life, the equation must be transformed into
a working formula.
72

Conclusion:
The original equation, possibly written during
the late eighteenth century seemed to be
intended as a statement of fact. Your life is
equal to the some of your experiences in the
areas of health, feeling and knowledge.
The level of standards you achieve in those
experiences would give you a fair indication
of the quality of your life.
To be of any use as a tool to improve one’s life,
the equation must be transformed into a
working formula.
73

Investigative Query:
If the objective of a formula is to produce an outcome
of “normal”, then what is normal as we define it in
society today?
74

is there a normal
I spent the next two weeks talking on the phone, writing
several emails and became active within a dozen
psychiatric based blogs speaking with professionals and
experts on the topic of what is NORMAL.
I needed I clear and precise definition of how we define
NORMAL in our society today. I found that the matter of
what is NORMAL, can't be defined in singular terms or
that which we see in our society as common.
Specifically, NORMAL can't mean what we see all the
time or what we see the most of the time.
75

To be NORMAL isn’t Christian just because 95% of
your community is Christian.
To be NORMAL isn’t to be attracted to someone of
the opposite sex just because 90% of the general
population is heterosexual.
Even during the time of the notebook’s unknown
author, to be NORMAL isn’t to own slaves just
because all the landowners in your state are slave
owners.
Nor can it mean free of discomfort, as if NORMAL were
the equivalent of a life free of emotional pain and you were
somehow abnormal when you made a mistake or slipped
as I did… it just made me, human.
This, however, is exactly the game played by the mental
health industry. In the eyes of the social worker who
evaluated my story of loss, misdirection and a spiritual
experience, I expressed my feelings of discomfort and I
was labeled abnormal in his mind as he observed me. He
equated abnormal with unwanted, and turning "I don't
want to feel sad" into "I have the mental disorder of
depression, paranoia and hallucinations."
76

Hospital procedure then dictated a formal request by the
social worker to be made in writing for involuntary
commitment and that a follow-up examination by a
certified clinician or doctor be performed to verify the
probability or likelihood of a mental disorder.
The social worker instead chose to falsely represent the
use of the voluntary commitment form and telling the
enforcement division to assist him because I was acting
unstable and may have to be restrained.
It was later found out that the zealous behavior on the part
of the social worker was motivated by a tragic incident at
the hospital only months before. A patient entered the
emergency room looking for someone to speak with about
her depression and after hours of waiting finally
committed suicide in the public bathroom.
Yet, only days later when my exact storyline was repeated
to a veteran psychiatrist, Dr. Albert Montgomery, the
observations were changed back to NORMAL and I was
discharged. An investigation into the conduct of the social
worker and a legal review of the hospital’s intake and
commitment procedures is ongoing.
According to a new study published in the journal BMJ
Quality & Safety in 2014, 12 million Americans on
77

average are misdiagnosed every year in the health
industry. The malpractice documented in that study
helps create the social stigma of mental health that effects
our society and dims the light of awareness.
Why is it such a big problem?
Most psychotherapists and psychologists are not doctors,
and most general practitioners aren’t qualified
to diagnose a mental illness. Plus, there is no definitive
medical test for any mental illness, and most mental
health professionals don’t have the time or resources to
dig as deep as they wish.
Figure 1-75
With all that being said, the formula must include varying
degrees of NORMAL because we are progressing as a
78

society and have become more accepting to change in the
last 50 years. However, there is an obvious question…
Why are there varying degrees of NORMAL?
In other words, why are there varying degrees of an
outcome in the formula from birth?
We’re all different, of course.
But why?
Well, we all start the same by entering the world through
our mother’s womb and our differences begin moments
after birth as our bodies begin to adapt to our surrounding
environment.
Sights, sounds, parental nurture, food, shelter all begin to
shape who we will eventually become and it’s a belief that
has been accepted by science and the medical profession
for more than 500 years.
Until 1996.
The science of genetics made a breakthrough.
79

Conclusion:
Normal cannot be defined into a singular
term. What may seem abnormal, unwanted or
unpopular in one culture, society or group
may be completely accepted by another.
Normal cannot be defined as popular,
favorable, attractive or trendy.
Collectively as a society, normal must have
varying degrees of what is accepted AND
purposeful.
80

Investigative Query:
If normal is defined as having varying degrees that
are accepted and purposeful within multiple societies,
cultures and groups, then what causes so much
diversity among its members?
81

epigenetics
To develop a formula for a successful LIFE that applies to
all, you must take into account all the reactionary factors
in any given environment. As stated in the previous
chapter - sights, sounds, parental nurture, food, shelter
will have an effect on our BODY, MIND and FEELING.
But even if you were to segregate groups by race, religion,
gender or even geographical location most of its members
who eat the same foods, attend similar schools, practice
similar worship rituals and travel within common social
circles still are vastly diverse.
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How it’s members look, food and fashion preferences,
senses of humor and phobias can all be different. For
those factors that were not environmentally molded, you
have to take into account the genetic make-up of each
individual at the time of BIRTH as an added factor of
diversity.
All of us are a genetic consequence of our parents. At the
moment of conception, we each receive a set of twentythree
chromosomes from our mother and father as seen
in Figure 1 - 78. Within these chromosomes are genes,
and within the genes are strips of coded DNA.
Until recently, science assumed that once you received
your DNA, it was locked inside every cell in your body and
would remain unaltered, unaffected by your life choices
and experiences. The food you ate or the stress you
endure during your life would have no direct effect on
your genes and DNA which make you unique.
These same rules applied to your parents, your grandparents
and your great-grand-parents and as far back as
you can imagine. Their genes were simply passed on to
the next generation and the experiences they accumulated
in their lifetimes (food they ate, stresses they endured,
toxins they may have been exposed to) were never
83

inherited. Those experiences were lost forever as the
genes pass unaltered, generation after generation.
Figure 1-78
CASE STUDY #1
In 1996, Dr. Marcus Pembrey, a British clinical geneticist
made an incredible discovery when studying two very
different genetic diseases.
He noticed that children who suffered from Angelman
Syndrome, a genetic disorder that retards the child’s
84

intellect and strangely promotes excessive happiness with
the child’s emotions, was a result of a sequence of genes
in chromosome 15 that were switched off.
Then, while studying Prader Willi Syndrome in children,
which is a genetic disorder that causes a child to have an
insatiable appetite, he noticed that the genetic cause was
exactly the same gene deletion in chromosome 15.
See Figure 1-79.
Figure 1-79
How could this be?
This was impossible as he understood science.
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How could the exact same gene sequence in chromosomes
15 be switched off resulting in two completely different
kinds of genetic disorders?
The breakthrough came when Dr. Pembrey discovered
that if the gene carrying the deletion came from the father,
the child would inherit Prada Willi Syndrome. If the
deletion of the gene came from the mother, the child
would have Angelman Syndrome.
This breakthrough is significant because science had
discovered that our genes can be “tagged” with the
memory of where they came from, the mother or father.
Dr. Pembrey continued his research and also discovered,
that other sequence deletions and other genetic disorders
could be passed down through generations.
How are these genetic disorders and gene deletions
created?
By the experiences your ancestors had during their
lifetime. What this means is an environmental exposure
that your great-grand-mother had in her lifetime could
cause a disease in you, generations later, even though you
never were exposed to that same toxin.
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These sequences were also found to be linked as a transgeneration
adaptation for survival. He found that
mothers from generations past who lived through periods
of brief hunger which resulted in smaller pelvises and a
narrower birth canals do to poverty, were somehow
genetically sending a messages to future generations of
children not to grow so large in utero so they could fit
through smaller, genetically altered, birth canals to
maintain a higher survival rate at the time of birth.
This resulted in a trans-generational coordination of
information effecting both generations.
This same form a genetic communication has been found
to create mental disorders in the areas of depression,
anxiety and suicide.
CASE STUDY #2
Psychologist, Dr. Rachel Yehuda heads up the Mt. Sinai
Health System in New York City and has been studying
for years the emotional effects of descendants from the
holocaust survivors.
Here studies show that when a person is exposed to a
stressful event, the body produces cortisol, a steroid
hormone in the adrenal gland, that helps regulate the
body’s response to that stress.
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If Cortisol levels are too low, a person finds it very difficult
to cope with that stressful event and is very susceptible to
PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Such an experience can create a genetic mutation
resulting in a sequence of genes being turned on or off to
create a stress related disorder sequence in the genes.
Dr. Yehuda, is studying the links between potential gene
sequencing related disorders from WWII holocaust
survivors and their decedents.
Incredibly, the Nazi atrocities still are effecting modern
generations because the gene mutations from ancestors
living during the 1940s have been passed down and
remain in the biology of young descendants today more
than 70 years removed from the actual events that took
place.
As a result, descendants today are living with mental
disorders that include depression, anxiety and suicide.
So, how does all this effect the formula?
88

Figure 1-83
It means that at BIRTH, you’ve already been “tagged” by
the experiences your ancestors had in their lifetimes which
resulted in the sequence of your genes and will, in turn,
affect how you live your life.
The reality is that BIRTH is not a beginning, but a mere
link within a continuum of life that began thousands of
generations ago and could continue for thousands of
generations into the future.
It’s important to remember, using a poker vernacular,
that you still must play the hand you are dealt. Almost
any predetermined sequence of genes DOES NOT
condemn you to a less substantiated existence or a life
plagued with disadvantages. You still have the POWER
OF CHOICE and it’s that power which will determine how
meaningful your life can be for yourself and others you
influence.
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When you examine the formula, as it has been built to this
point, by adding your genetic history you’ll begin to see
the potential of how your NORMAL can be affected by
several factors including your genetic history, your
environmental upbringing and how your BODY, MIND
and FEELING play a role as well.
I never became more convinced of this than when I began
doing my own family research. I found out something
about my parents that stunned me.
I’ve never felt the same since.
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Conclusion:
At the time of BIRTH you are the sum of previous
generations and their genetic contributions that date
back thousands of years.
Your genetic sequence carries within it, not only the
building blocks that make up your physical biology,
but through genomic imprinting and epigenetics you
inherit a history of recorded reactionary events that
affected your ancestors throughout time transferring
genetic sequences to future generations for the
innate purpose of perpetuating your line of species.
This factor must be taken into consideration when
evaluating the components and how they affect the
search of a successful LIFE.
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a tragic family link
My mother, Dolores, with whom this book is dedicated
too died in 2014. She meant the world to me and was
always hopeful for my success. We were very close
throughout my childhood because we shared a common
enemy, my father’s alcoholism.
Robert Thompson and my mother were married in June
of 1955. He was a veteran soldier of Korea and my mother
was a stylist at a local beauty shop.
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They lived in Buffalo, NY during a time when Frank
Sinatra, Dean Martin and Joey Bishop were icons.
The year they were married, Rosa Parks refused to give up
her bus seat to a white man, Albert Einstein and James
Dean died unexpectedly and the Brooklyn Dodgers were
World Series Champions.
They were living in a time of history.
Before she died, my mother was very candid about her
relationship with my father and said after being married
to him for a month, she knew she had made a mistake, but
was hopeful that the marriage would work.
A decision she would later regret.
A few years after their marriage, in 1958, my mother gave
birth to their only son, Mark. Unfortunately, Mark died
after three days suffering from a brain hemorrhage. She
told me that the doctor had come to her room at the
hospital with my father, Robert, and told her that young
Mark had died on a table just a few minutes before in the
exam room down the hall.
She asked to see him, and wanted to hold him one last
time. For some reason my father and the doctor refused
93

and insisted that the boy’s body be transferred to the
morgue immediately.
My father went with the doctor to assist with the transfer
and left my mother alone lying in her hospital room bed.
A few minutes later another family came in with a new
baby. Though a curtained partition had separated my
mother from the celebration just a few feet away, the pain
of hearing joy and the sound of that baby was almost too
much to bear. She fell into a depression that lasted several
months.
By 1966, my parents had moved to Las Vegas, NV and my
mother was ready to have another child. She was 38, and
not wanting to risk another tragic loss, they both decided
to apply for adoption.
The year before, I was born in May of 1965 to a single
mother with a child in Boulder City, NV. My biological
mother’s name was Diana. She had met my biological
father, James, while she was working as a keno writer in
one of the local casinos.
James was abusive, and when Diana was eight months
pregnant with me, James beat my mother almost aborting
the pregnancy. He wanted to marry her, but she refused
causing their relationship to end after only a year.
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When the time came for the delivery, my mother, Diana
was rushed to the hospital under an agreement with social
services that she would give me up for adoption. She
already had a son, Thomas, and could not afford to feed
another child.
During the birth, she reluctantly was put under anesthesia
with the condition that when I was born I would
immediately be taken by a social worker and would be
enrolled into foster care.
When Diana awoke from the anesthesia, I was gone. She
too, was alone in her hospital room sobbing after the loss
of her child.
She regretted her decision and tried to rescind the
agreement with social services, but it was too late. I was
already enrolled in foster care and they wouldn’t reveal
my location.
The next month, my mother, Diana, tried to take her own
life by swallowing a bottle of pills.
She was unsuccessful.
By October of 1966, I had been in foster care for a little
more than a year.
Robert and Dolores had applied for
95

adoption months before and were notified of the news
that I was available.
While finalizing the paperwork at the courthouse, a file sat
on the desk of the clerk and hidden inside the file was my
biological mother’s adoption request form. It had stated
that she wanted me to be adopted into a catholic family
that was stable with no social issues like drugs or alcohol.
My adoptive father, Robert, who signed the final
paperwork, was an atheist, abusive and an alcoholic. My
mother, Dolores, was an Episcopalian.
Meanwhile, my biological father, James had disappeared
for years. No one really knew what ever happened to him
after his relationship with my mother ended in 1965.
Years later, while at the grocery store, my biological
mother, Diana, ran into an old girlfriend from high school
she hadn’t seen in years and they began talking about the
good old days.
The topic of my father, James, came up and my mother
learned while standing in line at the checkout, that James
took his own life back in 1983.
He shot himself in the chest… he was only 41 years old.
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Overwhelmed by the news of James’ death, Diana
dropped her items and left the store rekindling the
memory of James for the next few days.
After extensive research and petitions I submitted to the
courts in Nevada, I finally received my original birth
records in 2002 and a year later my mother, Diana and I
were reunited for the first time since we were separated at
birth 37 years before.
The reunion was very emotional and we still stay in touch
to this day. She now lives in Indiana.
My Adoptive father, Robert spent his last days in the
Veteran’s hospital in Buffalo, NY alone, paranoid and
suffering from hallucinations claiming that there were
people after him.
He would shout at my mother making hurtful remarks
during her visits and would even verbally attack the
nursing staff. His abusive behavior continued until his
last moments when he finally laid still and motionless as
if someone had grabbed his soul and a lifetime of pain and
anger remained carved in his face.
His cause of death was gastrointestinal bleeding from
years of alcohol abuse.
97

He died on January 6, 2011.
He was 83.
During my research, when I learned about my biological
father’s suicide and my biological mother’s unsuccessful
attempt at suicide, it took me back to the night of the
storm in Ohio.
I first thought about the spiritual experience I had after I
dropped the knife. My thoughts, at that moment, was that
my mother, Dolores, was with me in spirit after dying the
year before.
But then, I began to wonder if that presence I felt may
have been my father, James. Had he regretted taking his
own life and was somehow reaching out to stop me from
taking mine?
I may never know the answer to that question.
But, I do know this.
The incredible coincidence that my father, James AND
my mother, Diana both attempted suicide (one of them
successfully) scared me that thoughts of ending my life
may have been a genetic sequence I was carrying.
98

Could that sequence, if it existed, been the POWER that
made me choose death at my weakest point?
I wondered, what in my family’s ancestral history could
have created such a tragic genetic mutation of selfdestruction?
That question is something I am still researching, even to
this day.
For now, I needed to take a closer look at the three
elements in the formula that make up my biology.
BODY, MIND and FEELING.
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INVESTIGATIVE QUERY:
In the original equation, BODY, MIND and FEELING
were thought to be experiential. With the thought
that all of us carry genetic sequences in our cells
created by our ancestors and their experiences which
in turn could affect our reactionary behavior, is
there some genetic intelligence other than our
conscious intellect?
100

intelligence times three
When the original equation was written, it stated that
LIFE, or the experiential state of our existence from the
time of BIRTH, equaled BODY, MIND and FEELING.
When I looked at the original intent of the of the equation,
which was written as a statement of fact, I determined that
LIFE was meant as an experiential state. However, if LIFE
was equivalent to the three elements that make up our
existence, BODY, MIND and FEELING, it would make
sense that those elements were meant as an experiential
state as well and not just biology.
101

Throughout our lives we are very reactive.
Our senses, sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch give us
feedback to the world around us. In addition to the five
senses that are commonly known, we also have the senses
of balance, pain, pressure and motion.
All of them work together to coordinate how we react to the
experiences we have in our lives. Not only do those
experiences get recording and stored in our memory but
they can create actual adaptive biological changes, even at
the genetic level as was discussed in the previous chapter.
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Terms, if you look
at the definition of intelligence, it states that, intelligence
is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
Knowledge is defined as facts or information acquired
through experience.
It would follow then that our intelligence is not limited to
just our MIND but our BODY and FEELING as well. Our
state of biology, who we are, through our senses has the
ability to acquire and apply intelligence in a highly reactive
environment and even become adaptive at the genetic level
to promote the survival of our species.
102

Referring back to CASE STUDY #2 in the previous
chapter, the descendants of the holocaust victims of
WWII inherited a mutated genetic sequence from their
ancestors resulting in modern day cases of depression,
anxiety and suicide.
The genetic mutation was caused generations before by an
atrocity for which, at the time, the victim’s cortisol levels
were insufficient to regulate the stress of the situation and
on a genetic level recorded the moment by creating an
adaptive change for future generations.
Unfortunately, for some of those descendants who
inherited the genetic mutated sequence caused by the
atrocity generations before, they are now susceptible to
increased cortisol levels that can create symptoms such as
depressions, higher levels of anxiety and even suicide.
In addition to the higher levels of cortisol, the studies
showed that there was reduced levels of serotonin,
effecting mood and social behavior often referred to as the
happiness chemical in our brains
Other neurotransmitters in the brain showed a reduction
in levels of dopamine, often referred to as the chemical of
reward, making you feel good after an accomplishment or
act of love.
103

Our biology has an intelligence.
The original equation divided the equivalency of LIFE
into three categories of MIND, BODY and FEELING.
My intent was to modify the original equation and create
a formula that would require a more accurate description
of the three elements. Therefore:
MIND = INTELLECTUAL INTELLIGENCE
BODY = PHYSICAL INTELLIGENCE
FEELING = EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Figure 1-88
Looking at this formula it becomes clear. From the time
of BIRTH, your biology of PHYSICAL, INTELLECTUAL
and EMOTIONAL intelligences become reactionary and
adaptive to the environment you live in.
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How does the network of intelligences work and affect the
outcome of your LIFE? Let’s take a closer look at all three
and their functionality as it relates to maximizing your
potential.
PHYSICAL INTELLIGENCE
Movement. Mastering the arts of exercise,
training, practice and play. In addition to the
benefits of keeping your body at a healthy weight,
movement also helps your body maintain a strong
immune system to fight off disease. Feeling
strong and healthy through movement effects the
biological network connection to your emotional
intelligence which can affect areas of confidence,
self-esteem and anxiety. According to a Duke
University study, exercise was shown as just an
effective cure for depression as Paxil and Zoloft
(anti-depressant medications)
Nourishment. You are what you eat. What we put
in our bodies for nourishment is actually fuel the
body requires to function. Unfortunately, we
have become a society of convenience and the
western diet which consists largely of processed
food is, in part, causing an epidemic of sickness.
Finding a healthy balance of nutrition is a key
factor in maximizing your Physical Intelligence.
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Rest & Recovery & Sleep. Resting and allowing
your body to recover plays an important role in
your physical health. For example, sleep is
involved in the healing and repair of your heart
and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is
linked too over-all physical and emotional stress
that can impair judgement and cognitive
thinking. It also can increase the risk of heart
disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure,
diabetes, and stroke.
Stress Management. Stress comes from the
demands and pressures of LIFE in the recent past
and the anticipated demands and pressures of
LIFE in the near future. Learning to manage that
stress is crucial to maximizing your potential.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us
that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior,
navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions
that achieve positive results. Emotional intelligence is
made up of four core skills that pair up under two primary
competencies.
Primary Competencies.
Personal Competence. This competence is made
up of your self-awareness and self-management
106

skills, which focus more on you individually than
on your interactions with other people. Personal
competence is your ability to stay aware of your
emotions and manage your behavior and
tendencies. This involves two factors:
o
o
Self-Awareness. This is your ability to
accurately perceive your emotions and
stay aware of them as they happen.
Self-Management. This is your ability to
use awareness of your emotions to stay
flexible and positively direct your
behavior.
Social Competence. This competence is made up
of your social awareness and relationship
management skills; social competence is your
ability to understand other people’s moods,
behavior, and motives in order to improve the
quality of your relationships.
o
o
Social Awareness. This is your ability to
accurately pick up on emotions in other
people and understand what is really
going on.
Relationship Management. This is your
ability to use awareness of your emotions
and the others’ emotions to manage
interactions successfully.
107

Mastering the art of your emotional intelligence is directly
linked to a number of skills that that can over-all effect
your performance, including:
Decision Making
Time Management
Change Tolerance
Stress Tolerance
Empathy
Teamwork
Communication
Anger Management
Social Skills
Assertiveness
Accountability
Flexibility
Trust
Figure 1-108
108

INTELLECTUAL INTELLIGENCE
Intellectual intelligence, measured often by an intellectual
quotient, or IQ test, is considered a precursor to academic
success.
When people speak of achieving high grades on tests or
acing a research project, this is the intelligence that is
automatically assumed to be used during the process.
Indeed, it is essential for adequate performance in fields
heavily based on logic and reasoning, such as the sciences
or mathematics, and even business.
After all, a certain level of capability is required to close
business deals, manage finances and engineer the best
ways to attract customers.
What is crucial about this intelligence is how well it works
in the network of your intelligences.
Clearly, all three intelligences are used regularly in
everyday life. But your Intellectual Intelligence possesses
your cognitive skills which include your ability to think,
read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention.
Working together, they take incoming information and
move it into the bank of knowledge you use every day at
work, at home and in your social circles.
109

The danger is that your ability to make decisions, take
action DOES NOT lie within your cognitive capabilities.
The power of CHOICE lies within your Emotional
Intelligence, or biologically, the Limbic System of the
brain.
Mastering the skills to properly network your
Intellectual Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence and
your Physical Intelligence to work together is what can
create an opportunity for you to go beyond NORMAL
and enter a new level of success.
110

Conclusion:
BODY, MIND and FEELING have now been more
accurately labeled as the three centers of biological
intelligence we all share.
From the time of BIRTH, throughout your childhood
your genetic sequence and environmental exposure
create a PHYSICAL, INTELLECTUAL and EMOTIONAL
intelligence network that develop your character and
establish a degree of NORMAL.
111

eyond normal
From the time when I discovered the equation and the
process to transfer it into a formula, six months of
research had passed.
I had spoken with many psychotherapists, psychologists,
psychiatrists, doctors, rehab specialists, chiropractors,
geneticists, nutritionists, teachers, trainers, instructors,
Scientologists, Christians, Muslims, read journals and
online blogs all for the purpose of understanding more
about who we are.
Though, not all professions or beliefs agree on the exact
steps to take and improve the human condition, they all
112

agree we have yet to see human achievement reach its
maximum limit throughout history and in our lifetime.
What does it really take to go beyond normal?
Our formula, at this point, has taken us from BIRTH to
NORMAL through the experiential states of the three
elements of your biology, INTELLECTUAL, PHYSICAL
and EMOTIONAL intelligences and have created the
standards you are now living.
I asked myself, what if I want to improve those standards
beyond normal? Is there another formula that could
show me how?
Actual there isn’t.
It’s much simpler than that. You stick with the original
formula, only this time you begin to prioritize and focus
on what you need to achieve to reach a particular goal that
you’ve set for yourself.
If your goal is to create greatness in your life, there are
FOUR STAGES you must go through to get you there.
Read each stage and determine which stage you are
currently in.
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STAGE I
AN ADVENTITIOUS
BASED OUTCOME
EDUCATION INPUT LINE
Figure 1-114
STAGE I of maximizing your potential is called an
Adventitious Based Outcome. Adventitious (meaning
random) means that the outcome of your life’s efforts has
a high degree of NOT achieving your maximum potential
for members who remain in this stage.
As seen in Figure 1-114, you begin at BIRTH with the
genetic sequences that have been passed down to you
from your parents. You then experience years of
stimulation, mostly fed through your Intellectual
Intelligence as indicated in Figure 1-114 by the
Educational Input Line.
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The Educational Input Line is a direct conduit of
information that is a mix of logic and reasoning along with
reactionary information that you receive throughout your
life via your senses as discussed in previous chapters.
Members of this stage are functional and productive.
Most of them have jobs, friends and family and are
accepted with a degree of NORMAL within their own
social, professional and familial groups.
STAGE I members, however, have a tendency to be less
focused in the areas of Emotional Intelligence and
Physical Intelligence. Reduction of the use of these
intelligences has a rippling effect that causes members of
this stage to stall and remain at this level.
Not stimulating you Physical Intelligence can cause a host
of problems. Lack of exercise or movement can lead to an
unhealthy weight from consumption of processed foods
and poor stress management which a large portion of
STAGE I members suffer from. Immune systems can be
compromised increasing the possibility of acute and
chronic illnesses, increased medical expenses and
untimely deaths due to heart disease, cancer and strokes.
Much of the lack of Physical Intelligence stimulation in
STAGE I creates problems for the member’s Emotional
115

Intelligence as well. Personal and social competence are
affected which interfere with a member’s ability to
manage their emotions and make proper CHOICES.
Members of this group can become chronically negative
which affects areas of confidence and self-esteem.
As indicated in Figure 1-114, potential outcome of one’s
life if they remain in STAGE I has a wide range and is
largely, as a group, unpredictable without looking at a
member’s collection of life experiences.
STAGE II
AN OPPORTUNITY
BASED OUTCOME
EXPERIENTIAL INPUT LINE
EDUCATION INPUT LINE
EXPERIENTIAL INPUT LINE
Figure 1-116
116

STAGE II of maximizing your potential is called an
Opportunity Based Outcome. This stage is mostly
transitional. Member’s from STAGE I are making
conscious CHOICES to stimulate their Physical and
Emotional Intelligences with Experiential Input Lines to
create opportunities in their lives that would normally not
be available to them if they remained in STAGE I.
The Experiential Input Lines, as seen in Figure 1-116, are
acts of stimulation to bring the Physical and Emotional
Intelligences to a higher standard.
Common efforts to stimulate Physical Intelligence for
members at this stage are eating healthier foods and
exercise which contribute to weight loss. Members get
more rest and learn to sleep for longer periods feeling
refreshed. Their bodies are more prepared for the
challenges of the day because they are receiving the
proper fuel from food, exercise is strengthening muscles,
toxins are leaving their bodies and they find themselves to
have more energy.
Emotional Intelligence is affected by these stimulations as
well. Daily activities seem to become less stressful,
members begin to make better choices and can feel the
results of a better life.
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The members of STAGE II are preparing themselves for a
new life. To move beyond normal, your intellect, your
body and your emotions must be different.
YOU must change.
At this stage, your only focus is to improve YOU… there
need not be a goal in mind, a destination, a resolution or
a finish line. This is just boot camp for you soul. When
you’re ready… the next stage is about making a plan.
When is that? That’s a great question… the answer is
different for everybody.
This is about making a commitment so that the changed
you becomes the new you. Only when you’ve fully
transform into the new you, can you move into STAGE III
and begin strategizing for your new life.
Too often, people SKIP STAGE II and just begin planning
for a new life by making goals, setting destinations and
planning their resolutions. The fact is 95% of people who
fail to achieve major goals in their life were not prepared
for the challenges waiting for them. Their minds, bodies
and emotions were not ready.
118

Even the best of us who are physically fit and eat healthy
and feel emotionally balanced, will still need to make a
commitment if their goal is to raise their standards and
transform into a new person who can handle those
standards.
No transformational period should last less than 90 days
and often takes longer.
Why?
You may have heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit.
Well, it’s true. According to Dr. Maxwell Maltz, author of
Pshcho Cybernetics, it takes the human brain
approximately three weeks to conform to a new habitual
process. A change in routine which may involve
intellectual, physical or emotional contributions.
However, what most addiction experts universally
recognize is that, while your brain may be forming a new
habit in 21 days, it takes at least 90 days to reset itself and
shake off immediate habitual influences which may have
become addictions affecting your life.
If the negative habitual influence is counter-productive to
the new habit you are trying to form and you don’t give
your brain enough time to reset, you will fail.
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The following is a side-by-side comparison of negative
addictions that affect millions of Americans AND the
most common positive HABITS that people try to acquire.
NEGATIVE ADDITIONS
POSITIVE HABITS
90 DAY RESET 21 DAY TRIAL PERIOD
Drugs / Alcohol
Gambling
Porn
Internet
Shopping
Food
Video Watching
Anger
Work
Low self-esteem
Holding on to Assumptions
Losing Weight
Eating Healthier
Finishing “To Do” Lists
Meditation
Exercise
More Family Time
Social Reading
Positive Attitude
Better Communication
Learning to Let Go
Challenge Assumptions
STAGE II is about resetting your brain to prevent any
negative additions from destroying a positive habitual
infrastructure that is designed to give you a LIFE worth
living. It takes time to prepare, but the preparation and
investment is worth waiting for.
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STAGE III
A FOCUSED
BASED OUTCOME
EXPERIENTIAL INPUT LINE
EDUCATION INPUT LINE
EXPERIENTIAL INPUT LINE
Figure 1-121
Members that reach STAGE III have completed their
personal transformation and have created a habitual
infrastructure that will prepare them for the challenges
that lay ahead to achieve their new LIFE.
As you can see in Figure 1-121, the Experiential and
Educational Input Lines continue to stimulate the three
elements of Physical, Intellectual and Emotional
Intelligences. You may also notice that there are less
varying degrees of normal which has a direct effect on the
eventual outcome of this stage.
Members have become more focused on their goals,
destinations and resolutions while at the same time have
121

educed the variables of the potential outcomes, virtually
erasing any negative addictions that could destroy the
positive habitual infrastructure they have created.
This stage will create unexpected changes including a
potential reshuffling of a member’s support and social
groups.
Members who have reached this stage have made a
commitment to CHANGE on the road to success. Making
these changes doesn’t mean friends or family will.
In general, people have a natural tendency to not want to
be left behind whether they realize it or not. Some close
friends will make you feel bad for changing too much. As
an example, if a member’s finances increase as a result of
their new infrastructure it’s not uncommon for friends
and family to suddenly expect members of STAGE III to
pay for more things, because they can afford it.
This easily can cause tension in relationships.
Members in STAGE III will begin to have conflicting
values with friends and family. Once shared values such
as excessive alcohol, unhealthy food or even a negative
opinion of other groups will change and a member’s
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degree of NORMAL may not be accepted with certain
family or friends of support and social group.
If these numbers diminish, it’s important for members in
STAGE III to replenish these numbers with new support
groups related to
123

pareto’s principle
building a company
124

courses
Our courses set the tone for an event.
Specifically, it's a subject or purpose behind an event or
program in the form of a class taken by students (usually
in the morning) during an event.
Course subjects include sales, leadership, business
culture, finance. Each course is designed to be four hours
in length and can be customized to an event.
These courses can run independent of an event in the
form of lectures designed for seminars, expos,
conventions and business meetings.
The topics within these courses cover a wide range of
subjects critical to the business world including personal
development, leadership, product identity, problem
solving, motivation and fixing a broken business
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culture. Seminar Topics can range from one to four
hours. The following is a list of courses currently
available.
SALES & SELLING
COURSE: SS0100
COURSE TITLE: RAISE YOUR PRICES
SUB: Your Product Has More Value
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: How much do you believe in yourself? Your
Product? Your Service? Your company? Learn how prices effect you &
your customers.
o Stop Underselling Your Competition - No Need
o Discounts: Are Limiting Your Success
o Higher Prices: A Reason to Buy
o When Price is the Objection... It's Really NOT
o Get Prospects to Say: How Much! ...instead of How Much?
COURSE: SS0101
COURSE TITLE: SELLING TOMORROW
SUB: The Future of Successful Selling
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Selling consistently changes. Get an in-depth view of the
history of selling trends and what the future holds.
o Why Many Selling Techniques That Are Out-of-Date
o Reasons Why Customers BOUGHT Yesterday
o Reasons Why Customers BUY Today
o Why Facts, Figures, Features & Benefits Don't Matter
o Convincing Prospects Your Product / Service is the Best
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COURSE: SS0103
COURSE TITLE: PROSPECTING
SUB: Making the Sale Before You Make the Sale
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: The focus of prospecting is the prospect and NOT the
money. Learn strategies used by the best salespeople in the world..
o How to Make Prospects Look for You
o Get Their Attention NOT Their Money
o Prospecting Smart NOT Hard
o Get the Highest ROI When Prospecting
o Stop Giving it All Away to Get Their Attention
COURSE: SS0104
COURSE TITLE: POWERFUL PRESENTATIONS
SUB: Getting Them to Think Yes Before They Say It
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: The best salespeople never "sell". They've learned the
art of establishing a "impulsive relationship".
o The Art of Story Telling
o Effortless Presentations
o The Do's and Don'ts of Your Mouth
o Shorter Presentations: More Money
o It's Not the Product or Service... It's You
COURSE: SS0105
COURSE TITLE: HOW TO CLOSE MORE DEALS
SUB: Stop Sweating the Close
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Selling consistently changes. Get an in-depth view of
the history of selling trends and what the future holds.
o Objections: How to NOT Have Any
o The Dandelion Principle: The Difference in Many Closings
o ABC (Always Be Closing) ... Why it's a Bunch of Lies!
o Closing Secrets: Why Your Mouth is Keeping You Broke
o Overcome Any Objection... Really
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LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
COURSE: LM0200
COURSE TITLE: SERVANT LEADERSHIP
SUB: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEADERS & MANAGERS
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Are you a leader or a manager? Find out the answer in
this eye-opening course that asks the important questions.
o The Value of Listening
o Employee Evaluations: Of their Leaders!
o Spreading the Creativity
o Why Some Employees Engage More Than Others
o Internal Customers VS External Customers
COURSE: LM0201
COURSE TITLE: PROBLEM SOLVING
SUB: UNCERTAINTY IS THE ONLY THING TO BE SURE OF
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Learn how challenges are necessary to achieve success
and how to deal with them.
o The Problem IS NEVER the Problem
o Emotional Reactions
o Solving the Problem VS Finding the Root Cause
o Plan It Forward: Strategies for Eliminating Problems
o Problems EQUALS Progress
COURSE: LM0202
COURSE TITLE: COMMUNICATIONS
SUB: Modern Communications Less Talk More Do
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: The power to communicate means more than just
talking... take an eye opening look at what everyone really sees.
o The Power of Lunch
o The Power of an Apology
o Stories: More Powerful than Instructive Management
o Kindness if FREE
o Everybody is a Salesperson. Everybody.
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COURSE: LM0203
COURSE TITLE: WOMEN LEADERS
SUB: The Future of Leadership
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Women leaders are the future of corporate, political,
social and scientific America. It's time to take notice,
o History of Women in Leadership Roles
o Men VS Women: Leadership Styles
o Glass Ceilings
o The "B" Flight: Baby & Hubby
o Business Roles for Women Are Changing
COURSE: LM0204
COURSE TITLE: DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE
SUB: A Leader's Real Purpose
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Often a leader's purpose is misguided. Learn what really
makes a great leader and how they lead.
o Recruitment of Employees. Getting it Right.
o Recruitment of Other Leaders. Getting it Right.
o The Squint Test: Does Your Team EQUAL the Market?
o Dealing with Diversity: Race, Religion, Gender, Age
o Will Your Team Work for FREE? Surprising Statistics
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BUSINESS CULTURE
COURSE: BC0300
COURSE TITLE: THE PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
SUB: Professionalism in Today's Marketplace
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: First impressions, ethics and integrity. The foundation of
business success. Where has it gone?
o Professionalism: A Rare Commodity
o How Your Image Determines Your Salary
o Bringing Your Own Philosophy into the Workplace
o You're at Work When You're Not at Work
o Blending Your Personality into Your Company's Vision
COURSE: BC0301
COURSE TITLE: WORKING RELATIONS
SUB: Getting Along and Getting Ahead
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: No one ever succeeds alone. Whether you're a CEO or
and independent contractor, relationships are vital.
o Introducing New Team Members to the Culture
o Handling Conflict
o Creating Peer Inspiration & Loyalty
o Pride: An Antidote & Toxin
o Mars and Venus in the Workplace
COURSE: BC0302
COURSE TITLE: CULTURAL AWARENESS
SUB: Learning About Diversity
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Our world is shrinking. Learn how to operate in a global
economy and be successful.
o Mixed Cultures in the Workplace
o Culture Expectations Overseas
o Understanding is the First Step Towards Respect
o Handling Cultural Conflict
o Understanding Cultural Boundaries
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COURSE: BC0303
COURSE TITLE: PRODUCT OR SERVICE
SUB: Do You Know What Your Selling?
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Most managers & team members don't really know
what their REAL product is or how to sell it.
o You Are the Product
o Learning About Experience as a Commodity
o Believing in Product
o Believing in Price
o Learning the Art of Persuasion
COURSE: BC0304
COURSE TITLE: WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY?
SUB: How Do You Live Outside Your Work
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Who you are has a lot to do with your success
professionally. Explore the power (good and bad) of philosophy.
o What Your Philosophy Says About You
o Using Your Philosophy to Predict Your Future
o Are You Destined for Failure? Success? Mediocrity?
o Who Do You Spend Spare Time With? Why is it Important?
o Financial Philosophies
COURSE: BC0305
COURSE TITLE: THE COMPANY VISION
SUB: Why You Get Out of Bed Every Morning
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Selling your vision to your team is just as important as
selling it to your customers. Learn how.
o Establishing a Philosophical Infrastructure
o What Your Vision Means to You
o What Your Vision Means to Your Team
o What Your Vision Means to Your Customers
o Implementation Techniques
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COURSE: BC0306
COURSE TITLE: COMPANY CULTURE
SUB: Sending the Right Message to Everyone
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: It's important to send the company culture and
philosophy message early on. Learn the benefits & consequences.
o It Starts with Recruitment
o Extensive Culture Training & Reinforcement
o Would Your Team Work for Free?
o Using Training as a Filter Process
o Offering Cash Incentives to Leave After Training
COURSE: BC0307
COURSE TITLE: MIXING WORK & LIFE
SUB: Getting Them to Think Yes Before They Say It
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Imagine if where you worked was more than a
JOB. How might your team react when serving your customers?
o Giving Your Team Life Skills
o Offering Personal Motivational Training
o Social Counseling
o Money Management Training Skills
o Grooming Members for Long Term Careers
COURSE: BC0308
COURSE TITLE: HEALTH & NUTRITION
SUB: Offering Healthy Options for Your Team
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Discover the BOTTOM LINE benefits of offering health
related incentives to your team.
o Fitness Clubs
o The Benefits of Office Meditation
o Offering a Juice Bar with Health Options
o Health Training Related to Success
o Affordable Health Insurance Options
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COURSE: BC0309
COURSE TITLE: FIXING A BROKEN CULTURE
SUB: Reinventing the Vision & the Image
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Learn how companies go bad, make mistakes and take
wrong turns. Discover how to come back from the brink.
o Assessing the Damage
o Assessing Your Needs
o Filtering Out the Bad Seeds
o Changing the Rules
o Having Fun at Work. Is That Possible?
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
COURSE: PD0100
COURSE TITLE: MY BEST LIFE
SUB: Tapping Into the BEST of Your Potential
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Identify the characteristics that have given you your
current life and career. Looking for a higher standard? Discover what it
takes to achieve your dreams and start living a higher reality.
o Learn Where Your Traits & Habits Come From
o Learn to Track Your Current Life Projection
o Discover Your Most Powerful Resource
o Learn the Power of FAILURE
o Find Your Inner Commitment
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FINANCE & INVESTMENT
COURSE: FI0400
COURSE TITLE: BUSINESS TAX STRATEGIES
SUB: What Your CPA is not Telling You
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Updated for 2017, this course opens your eyes to the
new tax strategies that could save you thousands of dollars.
o Life Changing Tax Strategies
o Benefits of Tax Planning
o Money Saving Strategies
o Secrets Behind Self Directing Retirement Plans
o Implementation Techniques
COURSE: FI0401
COURSE TITLE: ACCOUNTING FUNDAMENTALS
SUB: Tracking Your Success & Growth
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Tracking your financial success is very important. Learn
about accounting basics and strategies.
o Understanding Financial Statements
o Sales Revenues & Receivables
o Long-Term Assets
o Establishing an Owner's Equity
o Employee Compensation & Taxes
COURSE: FI0402
COURSE TITLE: REAL ESTATE INVESTOR 101
SUB: A Beginner's Guide
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Many of the wealthy in America own real estate. Learn
why it can be a tremendous asset in your investment portfolio .
o How to Get Started
o Joining REI Clubs & Groups
o Building Your Investment Team
o How to Use Other People's Money
o Tips to Avoid Mistakes
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COURSE: FI0403
COURSE TITLE: FIX-N-FLIPS
SUB: The Tricks & Traps of Doing It Yourself
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: The ultimate DIY. Learn from the experts on how to find
a property and turn it over quickly.
o Potential for High Profits
o Potential for Disaster if You're Not Careful
o Hiring the Right Contractor
o Common Mistakes
o Choosing to Work with a Real Estate Professional
COURSE: FI0404
COURSE TITLE: RENTALS
SUB: Find Someone Else to Pay Your Mortgage
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Want to rent out a house? Condo? This is a MUST course
to learn the tricks and traps of rental properties.
o Multiple Streams of Income
o Understanding Leases
o Middle-of-the-Night Phone Calls
o When to Find a Property Manager
o Taxes, Insurance & Tenant Risk
COURSE: FI0405
COURSE TITLE: MULTI-UNITS & COMM
SUB: It's Not What You Think
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Want to go BIG with real estate investing? A serious
look at commercial investing & its advantages. ".
o Income Potential
o Understanding Triple Net Leases
o Establishing Business Relationships
o Risk Potential
o Time Commitments
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COURSE: FI0406
COURSE TITLE: DEVELOPING A PORTFOLIO
SUB: Developing an Income For Your Retirement
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Real estate can play an important role in your retirement
portfolio. Learn how.
o What to Invest Long-Term
o Using Your Equity
o Long-Term Property Management
o To Sell or Not To Sell
o Residential VS Commercial
COURSE: FI0407
COURSE TITLE: WALL STREET BASICS
SUB: A Beginners Guide to Investing
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Interested in stocks for your portfolio? This course is a
MUST for beginners to discover how to play in the BIG game.
o Taking Control of Your Money
o Knowing the Rules Before You Get Into the Game
o Setting Goals Long & Short Term
o What to Do When the Market is Down
o The Future is Brighter Than You Think
COURSE: FI0408
COURSE TITLE: 7 MYTHS ABOUT WALL ST
SUB: Wall Street is Not What You Think It Is
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Wall Street has developed many different perceptions
over the years. Learn to separate the truth from fiction.
o The Great Lie About Mutual Funds
o Are Brokerage Fees Affordable?
o Where Do Broker's Interests Lie?
o 401K VS IRA
o Are Huge Risks Worth It?
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COURSE: FI0409
COURSE TITLE: HOW 401Ks Really WORK
SUB: Are They Worth It?
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Selling consistently changes. Get an in-depth view of
the history of selling trends and what the future holds.
o What is Needed to Implement a 401K?
o Employees: Who Can Be Included? Excluded?
o How to Handle Loans, Vesting and Taxation
o Complying with Non-Discrimination Rules
o Annual Reporting Requirements
COURSE: FI0410
COURSE TITLE: MUTUAL FUNDS
SUB: They Are Not What You Think
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Mutual funds, one of the most common sources of stock
investments, has its secrets. Learn the truth behind them.
o How They Are Rated
o The $13 Trillion Dollar Lie
o What Fails 96% of the Time with Mutual Funds
o It's All About the Fee
o A Safer More Profitable Alternative
COURSE: FI0411
COURSE TITLE: GENERATIONAL INVESTING
SUB: Have Your Money Outlast You
DURATION: 4 hours
STUDENT MATERIALS: Included
EVENT ELIGIBILITY: ME - WQ - RUTTC
DESCRIPTION: Learn to develop a portfolio that will last for many
generations. Discover how to create a legacy.
o Die Broke? Don't Be Stupid
o Long-Term Strategies
o Make Your Money Outlast You
o Don't Put Money in Your Will
o Creating a Legacy
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experiential training
These experiential programs require self-initiative and is
a Reflective Learning Tool which shows the participant a
direct reflection of themselves and how they would react
in situations that are filled with pressure, stress and are
emotionally based.
These situations create a level of vulnerability or fear that
opens a window of growth for the participant.
This process of learning promotes changes in judgment,
feelings or skills for the participant and can provide
improved direction as a guide to choice and action when
it comes to personal and professional situations.
Most educators understand the role experience plays in
the learning process.
138

The role of emotion and feelings in learning from
experience has been recognized as an important part of
experiential learning for participants to gain a better
understanding of the new knowledge as well as retaining
the information for a longer time.
It is this program that tests the Emotional and Physical
Intelligences of participants and opens them to a world of
possibilities and skill they may have never known they
possessed or could use
The following programs are available at our main
CAMPUS in North Carolina and all across North America.
If you choose one of our mobile events, having one of the
following programs to be featured at that event will
depend on its availability in your area.
139

ALPINE TOWER
SPECS: HEIGHT: 50' BASE: 30' x 30'
CLIMBERS: 1 - 6
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 25
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: MODERATE
Participants with pre-existing medical conditions should contact a
representative to determine their eligibility for this program.
The Alpine Tower is a 50' multi-level climbing challenge with 9
different ascent routes that test participants in the areas
of willpower, fear and trust. In competition, Participants can reach
different levels and accumulate points for themselves and their
team. Participants master the art of finding their inner tools to
manage fear when pressured by a running clock. Facilitators will
help participants realize how their fears are impacting their
personal and professional lives by analogizing how the climb on the
Alpine Tower matches actions and decisions that parallel patterns
and habits that define the lifestyle they are currently living.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their willpower, trust and fear to climb higher, while
providing emotional support and character development for those
who struggle.
140

SKYWALKER
SPECS: VARIABLE
CROSSERS: 10 - 25
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 25
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: HIGH
Mixed with intense focus, awareness of time and a struggle to
command your emotions, the Skywalker Challenge is a very intense
program.
Whether on CAMPUS or at one of our contracted facilities around
the world, this program puts your intellect, emotions and physical
stature to the test.
From balancing on a wire or rope to climbing through tires to
crossing rope bridges, your goal is to complete the course and help
other members of your team succeed as well. You will learn to
master your ability to focus, have your willpower tested and reveal
your true character when faced with difficult decisions.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their willpower, trust and fear to complete the course, while
providing emotional support and character development for those
who struggle.
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DEVIL’S TOWER
SPECS: HEIGHT 50’-75’ BASE 30X30
CLIMBERS: 10 - 25
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 25
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: HIGH
One of the more popular programs, The Devil's Tower provides an
adrenaline rush if you complete the challenge.
Your team races against the clock as you climb to the top of the tower
and line up to leap off the top descending from 50' to 75' below in
free-fall mode until a harness safely lowers you to the ground. Once
on the ground, you race back up the tower and do it again.
Sound simple?
Well, 40% of the participants struggle with their emotions when it
comes time to jump and it's the team leader that is put to the test to
provide emotional support for each team member while trying to
earn points for every participant who leaps to the
ground. Characters are tested and many participants find a new
introspection.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their willpower, trust and fear to leap from the tower, while
providing emotional support and character development for those
who struggle.
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THE DROP ZONE
SPECS: VARIABLE
JUMPERS: 10 - 25
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 50
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: VERY HIGH
The Drop Zone is the most intense program we have. Your team is
competing to jump from an airplane at 11,000 feet and hit a marker
the size of a hula-hoop.
In most cases this competition is a game of just inches!
However, it is much more than that... The Drop Zone brings your
willpower, trust and fear to a whole new level. From the moment
your team arrives at the airport you can feel the anticipation
building. Do you have the courage to get on the plane AND THEN
the courage to get off the plane? Once you've mastered your fears
your professional tandem partner puts you in control of the chute
and helps you steer it to the marker waiting for you below. This
program generates powerful emotions and for most is a once in a
lifetime opportunity to conquer the ultimate fear.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their willpower, trust and fear to jump from the plane and
land as close to the marker as possible, while providing emotional
support and character development for those who struggle.
143

ODYSSEY BRIDGE
SPECS: HEIGHT 50’ LENGTH VARIABLE
CROSSERS: 10 - 25
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 50
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: MODERATE
The Odyssey Bridge is a very challenging program. You must master
the art of coordination, balance, timing and teamwork.
You and your team must cross the bridge together TWICE... first at
the lower level enduring wire walks and platform jumps while your
suspended 30' - 50' in the air. Then if you complete the lower level
you must climb through a rope tunnel to gain access to the upper
level without getting tangled.
If you reach the upper level, the stakes go up on your emotions
because you've doubled the height from the ground and your tasks
and obstacles ahead are more difficult. Leadership for your team is
critical here because you are running against the clock and all of you
must make it through together.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their willpower, trust and fear to cross the bridge twice,
while providing emotional support and character development for
those who struggle.
144

RAGING RIVER
SPECS: VARIABLE
RAFTERS: 8 - 10
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 25
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: HIGH
Talk about a wild ride! This program is one of the most demanding
physically, emotionally and intellectually.
You and your team are assigned a raft with a professional guide. The
guide's job is to shout out the commands while you and your team
coordinate the raft's direction and speed. Your task?... To complete
the Raging River course without losing anyone overboard and to
pick up your team colored flags as you find them posted along the
river, all while racing against the clock. Depending on the time of
year the water can get cold and the coordinated rowing to pick up
your team flags can be demanding. In the end, it can be emotional
for some battling the forces of nature amidst the majestic beauty of
the mountains and finishing a champion knowing you did your best.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their willpower, trust and fear to collect your team flags and
finish the course, while providing emotional support and character
development for those who struggle.
145

CLIFFHANGER
SPECS: HEIGHT 30’-50’ BASE 5X10
CLIMBERS: 10 - 25
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 25
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: LOW
Business owners and executives like this program because of the
mobility of a rock climbing wall can place it in a parking-lot of any
company and give their team easy access.
The program can also be scheduled at any local rock climbing
institution in the area. Once on location, facing off against a wall
that towers between 30' - 50' tall can be intimidating. A typical
group is usually divided into three teams that compete against each
other. The competition runs through a series of challenges
including one where a participant climbs to a high point on the wall
where a t-shirt is wedged in the rock. The participant must retrieve
the shirt and put it on while clinging to the wall and racing against
the clock. Participants are tested in the areas of stress, time
management, fear / anxiety and commitment.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their willpower, trust and fear to climb higher, while
providing emotional support and character development for those
who struggle.
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ZIPQUEST
SPECS: VARIABLE
ZIP LINERS: 10 - 25
PARTICIPANTS: 10 - 25
EVENT ELIGIBILITY:
MOUNTAIN EVENTURE
RISE UP TO THE CHALLENGE
WILDERNESS QUEST
LOCATION ELIGIBILITY: NORTH AMERICA
ADRENALINE METER: MODERATE
ZipQuest is the most unique experiential program. It involves
taking a journey or quest through beautiful terrain along ziplines.
However, as each team reaches a zipline station, they are handed an
envelope with their team color. Inside the envelope is a challenge
that they must complete at the zipstation in order to move on to the
next station, all while racing against the clock.
The challenges are not known in advance and are kept secret until
the envelope is opened by the team. The more zip stations the team
passes through the more difficult the challenges become. This
program is available throughout most areas in North America and
the United Kingdom.
THE COMPETITIVE GOAL: Get as many members of your team to
master their intellect, willpower, trust and fear to complete the
course, while providing emotional support and character
development for those who struggle.
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acknowledgements
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