It’s been a tough week for our hometown.
I woke up Sunday morning in a hotel on Cocoa Beach, celebrating my wife’s birthday and a fun getaway with the kids.
It was a celebration of life and a quick breather between the 18-20 hour days where I blur the line between building a business, helping people live their ambitious life and being there as a role model and teacher to my 2 boys.
Then word of what happened reached our hotel room. I couldn’t shake a state of “what just happened” all day long.
I couldn’t get present with my boys as they ran in the sand, not knowing what just happened to their hometown.
The next morning I was up early and on a flight to New York City, a place that knows more than anyone should know about tragedy, about community and about rebuilding.
During the trip I hosted a talk show on the balcony of the Hard Rock Live. I put on a smile and tried my best to stay off Facebook and the charged rants that took over all of our feeds.
Yesterday I was inside the United Nations, hosting an event for some of the world’s most elite global entrepreneurs. Again, with a smile on my face and the cameras rolling, the show went on.
One of the speakers at the event was Jeff Hoffman. He is a global entrepreneur who has spent the past 3 years going from 3rd world country to 3rd world country and helping to teach the toolset of being an entrepreneur.
In one meeting with a Middle Eastern King, whose country was war torn, he asked a question that no one has ever given a feasible answer to.
“How can we have peace here in the Middle East?”
The king looked back at Jeff and simply said, “We teach our people to be entrepreneurs.”
Jeff started speaking candidly to our group and stated that with all the benefits of entrepreneurship, this might be the biggest.
If Jonny in Afghanistan was taught how to start a business and became successful and bought a house and started a family, when Jimmy would now ask him to resort to violence, he is likely going to say no.
Johnny would now have something to live for.
He has something to fight for other than the radical ideas that cause so many young people to turn to violence.
Entrepreneurship gives people hope.
Today as I make my way back to Orlando, I come back with hope.
I am coming back energized and recharged. I am coming back stronger for my community, my city, the victims and the aftermath to do something about this horrific mess.
I am going to continue to teach, preach and bleed the entrepreneur’s code. To teach the toolset that enables people to live better lives and gives them hope for the future.
I am going to continue to instill these values in my own kids and my family but also continue to bring our Ambitious Community the people, the resources and the hope that you too can be a positive beam of light, even in what appears to be dark days.
I am #OrlandoStrong and will fight for my city, but it would be selfish to stop there.
Let’s help people to see the power in uplifting people by making things, inventing things, making lives better and making our lives matter.
And let’s use our gifts as entrepreneurs, experts, leaders and business people to do it.
Tomorrow I have a live training scheduled ahead of the upcoming Father’s Day weekend. It is focused on being a more Ambitious Dad.
In the training I’ll be focusing on how to be that beacon of hope and inspiration and have the drive to do incredible things, while also being there to see every moment in your kids’ lives. To walk the walk as a role model in your business and at home.
To join me live tomorrow at 1pm Eastern, click here now.
It’s a free event and I won’t be selling anything. Just helping.
If you know someone in your life who needs to hear this, read this or can be inspired by the words here on this page, please share with them.
Together, as entrepreneurs we can make a dent far beyond anything any government, law, regulation or policy can.
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