384. Rebounding, He's Making Wiser Choices

Dan felt truly at his best when he was playing baseball, basketball and football. He was high on the baseball draft list, but injuries knocked him out of the running. Nevertheless, he played baseball through his college years and coached a college summer All-Star team at Wayne State University.

Then, direct marketing came along. “My sister got me a job in a direct marketing company when I was 16 or 17. I went into this company just to make some extra money to help with college expenses. But I fell in love with how you could print something on a piece of paper, put it in the mail and people would respond to it–like right now! And they would even pay you for it.”

Two weeks after Dan’s son was born in the late 2000s, he recalls, “I woke up with chest pains and ended up in the hospital for four days.” He suddenly saw everything in a different light. “At that time, I was building five companies at once, with more than 175 employees. We were bringing in quite a bit of revenue, and I really thought we were transforming the industries we were in.” But he was getting by on two to four hours of sleep each night. “Instead of feeling like the victim, I decided, when I come out of this I’m going to make some changes. And, for me, those changes were not easy!”

Today, Dan filters all his decisions through three questions: 1) What do I want? 2) Who am I, as a human being, not as a job title? and 3) What do I stand for?

And instead of only having a To-Do list, he now also has a Not-To-Do list. Before his chest pain wake-up call, Dan says, “I was able to choose what I wanted to work on, but what I truly needed was a way to decide what I really wanted to work on, and not just go after it for money.”

1. Find a community of like-minded peers who will stretch, challenge and coach you.

2. Develop a willingness to face the things that frighten you and hold you back. (See Step 1.)

3. Practice the skill of being truly present to the people you love. Do more than just show up.

4. Always look for ways to contribute to life, to add value and have a positive impact.