I’m told by my Blogging Consultant(s)/Coaches that my posts should have a lot of text in them.

I’m told by my Web Developer I need to make sure I search engine optimize my posts so they show up in Google better.

For most posts, OK, I’ll try and focus on that.  For this post I’ll just share this Very Accurate (sadly) videos and leave you with this:

If you ever wonder why I am almost Always looking at the positive and saying stuff like, “I’m Living The Dream” or “I’m Amazing”… well, watch these videos.  I’m blessed to be clean and sober for over 23 years… and yeah… I AM F***ing Living the Dream and stoked to be alive for just One More Day.  I *get* another 24 to go LiveMyAssOff.  It’s a gift I am NOT returning.  Love you guys!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGiAxwgrF_k?rel=0]

Let me know if there is Anything I can do for you!
Hugs,
~mikes

Ok, so, you’ve just read the title of this blog.  What the hell does “Lottery” mean to you.

I  know when I made less than $30,000 per year I thought, MAN, if I could only make $50,000 one day, that would be sweet.  It would be soooo much money I’d be set!

When I  graduated in 1995 with my bachelors I was only making $8/hour as a part-time over-night & fill-in DJ on a local San Diego radio station, 92.5 The Flash at the time… Magic 92.5 now.  And I had an internship as the radio station’s second engineer, read as: I worked for the chief engineer for FREE so I could learn what radio engineers do; short answer: you do everything from toilets to transmitters.

But, since I was about 13 years old, it was my dream… My Fantasy… to be a DJ at a top-25-market radio station AND be a Radio Engineer.  Well in 1996: Mission Accomplished!!!
At that same time, I landed a full-time gig as a radio engineer making $24,000/year!

I Had “Won the Lottery”… well maybe not financially but certainly emotionally.

Was I lucky?  Was it what I deserved because I worked my ASS off to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering?  Or was it simply because I was a member of the Lucky Sperm Club (i.e. I was lucky enough to be born in the USA, to wonderful parents)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX9QNE3ZzLM?rel=0]

I believe in working HARD.  I really like the feeling of accomplishment I get after a “job well done”.  I also Never look a gift-horse in the month so anything that I am simply lucky enough to have, I rarely take for granted and if possible, I like to share.

Some things I can share:  My knowledge, my smile, my experience(s), my time, my talent, my treasure… etc… my videos… my perspective…

Some things I CANNOT share:  My liver. my passport, my sobriety… etc…

I was walking down the beach the other day and it really hit me that *I* am THE LUCKIEST guy in the world.  I hope you feel the same about yourself.  I hope you are able to focus on the positive and see all the blessings your are lucky enough to have.

If the only kind of luck you feel like you have is Bad Luck then I invite you to CHANGE THAT! Start Now!  Do something about it…

What ONE THING could you do today to improve your situation??  Just one thing.  If all you can do is think about some poor guy or gal that his it worse off than you… well… fine.  Let that be the one thing.  Maybe you need to see a girl in a wheelchair with no legs to be grateful for your legs.  Fine. Start there!  Next, think about the other things you are grateful for without having to compare yourself or your life situation with someone else who *doesn’t* get to have something they probably should.  Dig?

Go Look In The Mirror.

YOU ARE FREAKING AMAZEBALLS!!!!   ACCEPT IT!

The “lottery” you just won is that you are reading this blog.  At a minimum, that means you GOT to wake up and somehow get to the Internet.  I bet you can do ANYTHING you want… *IF* you want it bad enough.

once again, I *do* hope you’re Living the Dream.  If you’re not, you’re doing it wrong!  DO Something About it!

Now, go Live YOUR Ass Off!
Please check out my YouTube Channel. Like, Subscribe, Share.  BLAM!

~mikes

I absolutely just HAD to share this YouTube link.  it is a series of heart-wrenching Thai Ads.
I’ve posted this several places with a description:

“its not If or When you’ll cry, its how many times!”

I invite you to take a few minutes and watch it to possibly add to your perspective of “helping others”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6jcJD50X0k?rel=0]

Now, I also fully acknowledge that these are Ads that are designed to manipulate you by appealing to your human side… the Ad company’s fantasy is that  you walk away thinking:

“OH MY GAWD, that was soooooo touching… I should totally buy some MetLife insurance and get TrUE for my cell carrier!!! Now!!!”

yeh, I get that.  I was in radio and TV for over 20 years so trust me I KNOW that you use TWO things to sell:  Sex and Emotional manipulation (e.g. tears or humor).  It sells.  Try and ignore that part and just view it with an open mind.

I dig a good cry.  Hope you do too.

Live the Dream!

~mikes

I’m sure you’ve heard someone reply to the ever popular greeting,
“How u doin?” with,
“tired.. but it’s a Good Tired”

I was thinking about what makes me respond this way AND why or how the hell that relates to Live My Ass Off.  For me I think I get to that point after I feel like I’ve Worked (a.k.a. Lived) My Ass Off.  I have been judged with,
“you work too much”… while at the same time
“Dude!, you are freakin awesome” — based upon very favorable results or outcome.  My goal is to exceed expectations.  I like to Live my life at 110% @ 80 mph.  A mentor of mine refers to his version as “9 grand, hair on fire!”
F*%@# YEAH!

But maybe a more important thing to ask myself is WHY did I work (a.k.a. play for money) to this level of possible exhaustion?  Unpacking this a bit more, I then ask myself,
“What motivated me to do this??..” furthermore – trying to be proactive –
“What will motivate me, in the future, to fully engage in some similar behavior or task with such commitment and intensity?”… especially if/when I might NOT be motivated?

Aaaand going a bit further What Motivates Me?  How do I stay motivated? For this post I’m going to focus mainly on how I stay motivated and use another post to discuss getting motivated.
Why?
Well, because, while I acknowledge that LACK of motivation is a killer and simply stops most people in their tracks, never even getting to “Step 1”, I think that I need to get clear and acknowledge the tool(s) I use to STAY MOTIVATED and on the path to AmazeBalls.

Again, Lack of Motivation for whatever reason (mainly rooted in Fear, in my belief)  is definitely a show stopper BUT I think its easier for me (maybe you too) to identify or reflect on times when I’ve  “quit”… “Quitting” involves starting, at least a little bit.

For example, I understand all too well what it means for someone to Relapse from a successful (be it long or short) period of time clean and sober from drugs and alcohol.  BUT to RE-Lapse, you had to first Lapse at some point, right!?

I’ve heard it said, that “Quitting is Easy.. it’s staying quit that is the real bitch!!”  Ok. Maybe so. This is one of those “your mileage may vary” scenarios BUT lets say we buy it… HOW do I stay the course??

I don’t want to just Live My Ass Off for a couple of hours, or a few days, or a weekend, or a holiday break… I want it ALL the time… and I want it “my way”  (more on that on my post about Only Child Syndrome (HA!).  It’s like I’ve always said about cocaine shortly after quitting. “If I could use cocaine normally, I’d use it everyday, all day long…”  yeh, there inlies the rub.  You see the irony I’m sure.

OK so, here’s the simple solution I’ve found to have wild success with sticking with it.  Have an Accountability Partner. Have a *true* friend.  My definition of Friend is a person who I love and care about who feels the same way about me.  BUT the quality that really differentiates them from an Acquaintance is the permission that a Friend has to possibly or maybe even intentionally, hurt my feelings because the agreement is that they *will*, above all else,
save my Ass before they will save my face.

I made a YouTube video on my YouTube channel *ThaiMikes” about how I’ve really embraced having an “Accountability Partner” or “Sponsor” or “Mentor” or “Friend”… or… whatever label you feel comfortable with that will be THE person that is a huge reason for your success at Staying Motivated:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNtYUBriXVk?rel=0]

I wanted to share this idea in both written (blog) as well as video (Vlog?) form as I am starting to think that one complements the other.

Naturally, I hope it adds value and makes you think and/or identify THE one (or seven..??) people in your life that you could easily enlist in your wild success. Especially if/when you feel a lack of motivation.  Its a lot like the scenario I hear people describing about working out at a gym.  “I meet [him/her] at the gym every morning at 5:00am… it gotta tell yah, if it weren’t for them an me promising them I’d show up I’d probably just sleep in…”

Now, go out and Live the Dream… if you’re not, you’re doing it Wrong!

To your Success!

~mikes

I think it’s important to share Good news, IN FACT I believe it is 10 times more important to share good news versus bad.  I’ve heard a bunch of guy’s who’s Blogs and VLogs I follow recently state that “Bad News Sells!”.   They too agree that Good News is kind of news that needs focus.  One specific version of this was “I stopped watching the news as its all negative… you know CNN?, the Constant Negative News network…”

Indeed… sigh.

SO, here’s your little hug of GOOD NEWS:
I have been coming to Katy’s Cafe in Imperial Beach, CA for over a year and on a scale of 1 to Mikes it definitely deserves a High Five, a big hug… and a LiveMyAssOff.com (chest bump).  BooYah.  Kahblamovich!  Yeh… its THAT cool.

I bet that when Howard Schultz walked into a place this cool, while at the same time warm (…you know what i’m saying), intimate, homey (homie?), community engaging, minimally iconic, welcoming, happy and respected, he thought, “I Gotta do THIS!”  I bet places like Katy’s were what he envisioned Starbucks would be like.  Spoiler alert, it’s not.  I literally drive past 3 Starbucks to come down to Katy’s.  Their Vietnamese Latte is my favorite.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Starbucks.  I’d probably like it a Hell of a LOT more if I have bought their stock 20 years ago… and held on to it. No regrets though.

When I was here last weekend, it was Katy’s birthday.  I asked her for a Katy’s Cafe Postcard letting her know I’d be sending it to Mum.  She smiled.  Today, I was able to report that I got an email from Mum thanking me for the post card and to wish Katy happy birthday.

BLAM. Good News.

So, if you are ever wanting a great cup of coffee, awesome home made sandwiches, EPIC cinnamon rolls, and an atmosphere that makes you feel like you are hanging out at your family’s summer house for a great breakfast (any time of day) then cruise over to Katy’s Cafe in IB:

Its at 704 Seacoast Drive Imperial Beach California 91932 and you just follow Palm Ave all the way West from where ever you happen to get on Palm Ave (i.e. I-5 or maybe if you are coming down the silver strand from Coronado).  Take a left when you get to the end and park right there on your right.  She’s got free WiFi which as you know, makes the couches That Much More Comfortable.

I know you will Enjoy it. Its all part of my plan for a full-scale, global  LiveMyAssOff.

Now, go Live the Dream! Cuz if you’re not Living the Dream, you’re doing it wrong.
(chest bump)

~mikes