2012… From The Lowest Of Lows,
To The Highest Of Highs…
I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2012, and share my thoughts with you as we head into 2013…
From the lowest of lows, to the highest of highs… Without a doubt, the past 365 days of 2012 have been the most challenging of my life. It turns out that whoever told me trying to change the world was going to be easy and without problems, was totally lying… Big time.
From divorce, to being conned, to watching a great friend almost die in surgery, to finding out my best friend has been diagnosed with leukemia… It's as if God thought it would be interesting to test my ability to endure a lifetime's worth of bad news in 12 months, just to see if I could take it.
But inside every dark cloud is silver lining. And that silver lining is the opportunity to learn from these challenges, and grow stronger.
Well I've learned MANY lessons this year, but I believe the biggest, is quite simply this…
Always get back up.
There have been many days when I've asked myself, “is it worth it?” Is any vision and goal worth the stress, or physical and financial toll that this one has required?
Maybe. Maybe not. One thing is for sure… The most pleasant option this year would have been to quit… To throw in the towel and walk away from these challenges.
But I always returned to YES, for one primary reason… With over 500,000 readers spread across three companies, I have a unique opportunity to lead by example, and to pass on these lessons learned to up-and-coming entrepreneurs so they can draw wisdom and strength from them.
And my lesson for you is this…
No matter what happens in your life… No matter how far you're beaten down…
Always, always, always get back up.
The universe has a way of testing each of us to make sure we're prepared to move to the next level, and the only way to fail this test, is to quit.
All of our Elevation Income students will experience this test in the coming months as they make the transition to entrepreneur.
Life does not hand over the gift of financial freedom to just anyone. It has to be earned, and the only way to pass your tests, will be through unwavering resilience.
If it seems like things are getting harder, you are closer to your victory. It always seems darkest just before the dawn arrives.
No matter who or what life throws my way, rest assured… I will always get back up, and I will become stronger for it.
With that being said, I'd like to say THANK YOU to all of my friends and mentors. It has been your unwavering support that gave me the strength to endure this year.
In Addition To The Challenges,
2012 Also Provided Some Truly Fantastic Memories…
Just last week I was honored to stand next to Robert and Stephanie on a beautiful beach in the South Pacific as they tied the knot…
They met a year ago through one of Robert's consulting sessions, and at one point during the first meeting, Stephanie mentioned she had modeled her life after the lead heroine in Atlas Shrugged, Dagny Taggart.
Well little did she know, but Atlas happened to be Robert's favorite book. In fact, it was the very first gift he gave me when we met for the first time, and I consider it required reading for any aspiring entrepreneur.
Their engagement a few months later inspired another moment of 2012 I'm fond of…
Knowing that Atlas was at the center of how they met, I tracked down Nick Gaetano who did the cover art for the book. Calling him out of the blue, I asked if I could commission an original piece by him as their wedding present.
He obliged, and we surprised the two of them with this a few days before the wedding…
The ceremony was incredible, and their relationship sets the standard in every way possible…
Another highlight I'm particularly proud of, is the focus on charity The Elevation Group has had over the past 12 months.
We were blessed with an incredible 2011, and wanted to pass that success forward in 2012, which we did in a very big way.
Thanks to your support, we were able to donate $120,000 to Richard Branson's Virgin Unite program. From wildlife conservation, to clean drinking water, Virgin Unite is dedicated to showing that businesses can, and must, be a force for good. An example we are excited to support, and aspire to follow…
We were also able to contribute $70,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, bringing the wishes of 14 children with life threatening illnesses and their families to life during 2012.
Last month, we were surprised and honored to find out that The Elevation Group will be named the, “Make-A-Wish Outstanding Corporation of The Year”, for 2012.
What's In Store For Myself and EVG In 2013…
Personally, my big focus during 2012 was to shed waste and pursue my passion and interest in creating a self-reliant lifestyle.
In good times, the purpose of my modest little ranch is to have fun with friends and family, and to demonstrate how we are moving back toward a model of living based on “self-reliance”, which is a core value of The Elevation Group and its Members like you…
In fact, we're going to refer to it as the “EVG Lifestyle” in the coming months and years…
I believe that the symbol of wealth in American today is no longer about the size of your house, or the price tag of your car, but rather your ability to create self-reliance in your life, as it represents the last foothold of personal freedom we have.
The reason so many people have been hurt during this economic crisis, is because they have given responsibility of every aspect of their lives to others, creating dependencies that have catastrophic results when that dependency is disrupted…
For the most part, the average American family…
Does not make their own money because they are dependent upon an employer.
Does not make their own investments because they are dependent upon a financial adviser.
Does not put their own food on the table because they are dependent upon a fragile food distribution system, which transports everything in from different cities, states, or even countries.
Does not drink clean, unpolluted water because they are dependent upon a city water system which is filled with pharmaceutical drugs, and toxic fluoride, or shipments of bottled water.
Does not educate their own children because that responsibility has been given to the government.
Does not have a say in the laws that are passed, because they have allowed the political system to be purchased by special interest groups.
Does not have the ability to maintain their health, because that responsibility has been placed into the hands of drug companies who profit from your illness, not your vitality.
Does not have the ability to heat their own homes because they are dependent upon power from the electric grid, or oil from fuel trucks.
The American people have completely lost every shred of self-reliance, which is what gives you the strength and ability to make choices, which are independent of outside influence.
When you are dependent upon others for the very necessities of life, you are nothing more than a voluntary slave to the people who control those systems.
The continuing economic crash, which began in 2008, was a wake-up call to the world… If you do not take personal responsibility for critical aspects of your life such as your money, food, freedom, or health, it will be taken from you.
Every single day, more and more people around the world are waking up to this fact and they are taking action.
Whether it's taking personal responsibility for your retirement and investments, starting a garden in your back yard, purchasing a weapon for self defense, buying an emergency food supply, or taking your home of the grid and onto solar…
People are waking up, and they taking control of their lives back one simple step at a time…
While EVG has been focused on the financial side of this movement, our primary purpose is to create and promote “Freedom”, in every aspect of our lives by removing dependencies and creating self-reliance.
Once again, my goal is to lead by example and inspire as many of you as I can to increase the amount of self-reliance and freedom in you life.
What's In Store For Elevation Group Members…
Incredible things are on the way in the coming months for EVG Members…
In fact, I have a few important announcements to share with you right now…
1: Our much anticipated lesson on investing in oil and gas wells is now LIVE and in the Member's Area under the “Growth” Tab, as of this morning!
If you've ever wanted to learn how to invest in cash-flow producing oil wells just like Robert Kiyosaki has been doing for decades, this is your opportunity… In fact, we've teamed up with the same group he uses!
2: Our “Elevation Income” program has officially begun! The first two sessions have been uploaded into your Member's Area over the past 24 hours, so login and lets get started!
3: After months of searching, we've finally located the perfect office for our next chapter of growth here in Austin, and hope to move in by the end of February. With more than 5,000 feet at our disposal, we'll finally have a place to land for our 17+ team members, and our very own video studio.
The end result will be more great content for our Members, delivered more often…
4: And finally, we recorded an incredible “2013 Year In Preview” with our entire advisor team a few weeks ago, which we'll be sharing with you shortly…
If you want to know what some of the best minds in finance are predicting for the economy in 2013… If you want to know how to make money, or increase security in your life, stay tuned because you won't want to miss this…
Once again, thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Mike Dillard
