The Power to Become Extraordinary

When I was 16 years old, I screwed up.

There’s no way to sugar coat it…

I crashed a stolen car into a house while trying to escape the police. High on drugs. No driver’s license. Stolen handgun in my backpack.

And I woke up the next morning… in a jail cell… wondering what my life was going to look like.

I was sentenced to 6 months in an adult jail, then got released to complete an 11 month program in a rehabilitation center. I had to rebuild myself. I wasn’t allowed to leave or I’d be arrested.

I owe my life to that place.

I walked in there as a broken teenager with nothing to live for and walked out of there determined to make something of myself.

Now 22 years later, I continue to visit the same rehab center 2–3 times a year to talk with the troubled teens that now sit in the same seats I once did.

I asked permission from Luc Desjardin, the man responsible for turning my life around, if I could bring my camera guy and share that experience with my community.

That’s my video for you today.

This video isn’t about your SaaS.

No business talk. No software chats. No fussing over financing and investors. For the next 12 minutes, I want you to forget about everything stressing you out today…

…and just watch this video.

Because there was one thing I wanted those kids to know, and I want you to understand it too:

You Have the Power to Become Extraordinary.

This was the hardest lesson I ever learned but it’s foundational to every success I’ve had since. I took responsibility for my own life and stopped blaming anyone else.

Whatever feels impossible to change right now? Yea, you can change it. You can.

But you’ve got to take responsibility for it. Face your demons.

I’m with you on this.

Can you do me a favour?

This video means a lot to me. So, if it means anything to you, I’d love it if you left a comment to let me know.

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Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. (Get the free 3 videos to grow your business here.) He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

Originally published at https://www.danmartell.com on October 21, 2019.