279. A Young Man’s Career Crash Helps Him Teach About Success on the Inside
Corey Gladwell
At 23, Corey Gladwell already owned a restaurant and a nightclub. For a high school drop-out, this was success. Two years into the business, standing on the balcony of his nightclub late at night, he felt empty and unfulfilled. Everything started to crumble.
Corey Gladwell became successful at the age of 23, after a tough childhood, growing up on welfare. He started out by owning a restaurant and nightclub. He says he ultimately sabotaged himself because he was unsuccessful internally. Becoming addicted to drugs, he lost everything. He was jobless, penniless and nearly homeless. Corey went into a practice of deep meditation for almost four years and wrote the insights and realizations that came to him during that time. Rebuilding his life from the inside out, he is now in the top seven percent in his industry. He got back ten times the material things he had lost, but more importantly he is enjoying deep, loving relationships in his life.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
“I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I think my first product was a toy my mom bought me. I upsold it to a neighbor for a higher price. But I had regular jobs at places like Sears and the movie theater. I started an energy drink company, a clothing line, a water bottle company, you name it. I just kind of dived into every business you could think of until one took off.
When he was 19 or 20, hanging out with friends at restaurants, he thought, “How could I get paid to do this? How could I make a living doing what I’m already doing?” So, when he turned 21, he made his foray into owning a restaurant and nightclub.
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
“I was out on our nightclub’s balcony one night, after two years of staying up until 5:00 in the morning, five nights a week, partying every night. I could feel the sense that I was empty, that my soul was not fulfilled, that I was not fulfilled. There was no meaning or purpose to what I was doing. I knew it at that moment, but I ignored it. My heart was trying to talk to me and I ignored it. After that, things began to crumble and fall apart around me.
I began to turn inward in January of 2012. I started meditating and asking myself a series of questions, and I had a Oneness experience, like Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie and others describe: the oneness and interconnectedness of all things. That lasted for about three weeks. After that, I slowly realized I was coming back to life, and that everything about my life had to change. So, I began to rebuild everything from the ground up.”
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“A lot of us get distracted by the demands of life, and the sense that, ‘I have to take care of this,’ or ‘I need money for that,’ or ‘My family needs me to take care of that.’ I’m not saying don’t be there for anyone, and I’m not saying just completely uproot your life and leave everyone. I’m just saying, let this thought sink in: If you didn’t have to do anything for anyone, what would your heart really want? What would make you feel full? If you can really answer that question, it will take you in a new direction, to live up to your own life. That, in turn, is going to free your family, friends and everyone in your life to live up to their own light as well.”
Steps to Success from Corey Gladwell
1. Commit yourself to a daily meditative practice.
2. Clear away the distractions that keep you from listening to your heart.
3. Find the beliefs that are holding you back and let go of them.
4. Leave everyone you meet a little better than they were when you met them.
On His Bookshelf
The Human Experience: A Guide to Personal Fulfillment, Meaningful Worth and Ultimate Awareness, by Corey Gladwell
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, by Dr. Joe DiSpenza
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle
I Need Your Love – Is That True?: How to Stop Seeking Love, Approval, and Appreciation and Start Finding Them Instead, by Byron Katie and Michael Katz
Any works by Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Byron Katie or Eckhart Tolle
Connecting With Corey Gladwell
Website: coreygladwell.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Thehumanexperiencebook
