Last week in NYC,

I had breakfast with my friend Jeff Walker.

I’ve known Jeff for about 15 years,

and for 10 of those,

was in a “mastermind” group he led.

The focus of the group: Internet Marketing.

IM isn’t exactly my sweet spot,

and there was a period of time when

I regretted the angst I put myself through

for years, trying to adapt to a business model

which in the end didn’t quite suit my temperament.

But when I look back on all those years,

I’m overcome with HOW MUCH I did learn,

and all the benefits that ensued.

Without that group,

…I wouldn’t have been able to launch

Rock The Room^® or Muppet Guys Talking or Risk Forward^®…

I wouldn’t have led the many events, workshops

and communities that unfolded as a result.

I wouldn’t have been on stage at Jeff’s larger conferences,

or have a few of the life-long friendships I treasure.

In fact, without all the skills I learned,

this post likely wouldn’t even be reaching YOU now.

There are so many, many benefits to all

I experienced during those years. . . .

It’s easy to look back on a patch

in one’s life and see it as a “detour”

but it’s worth viewing it through the lens

of what it did do for you.

As I say in my book,

“A detour is only a detour

if you see it as a detour.”

Risk Forward & Rock On,

P.S. To view some very COOL footage, here’s the full slow-mo video of me arriving on stage at one of Jeff Walker’s larger conferences where I spoke about how to Rock The Room®. Video credit to the one & only Dan Walker.