Have you ever had a chance encounter turn into a life-long friendship? Did you know that it would the minute you met? Do you thank God for it everyday? I did. I have. I do. I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Michael Hoffman almost 2 years ago. He was introduced to me by a mutual friend, and we decided to meet up for coffee. I had planned on 30 minutes for coffee... 1 hour max. Two and a half hours later, we both needed to refresh our coffees, and we both missed our other meetings. It was mentor/mentee at first hello. I was sold. Since then, Michael has been such and incredible influence in my life-- professionally, personally, spiritually, emotionally-- you name it. I'm sure I don't say it enough, and if he's reading this, he's probably blushing. But you know what, it needs to be said. Sometimes people come into our lives by chance. Sometimes they come into our lives on purpose. This relationship of ours has definitely been the latter. I'm so excited to be sharing this podcast with you today, because Michael has such a gift. Not only for speaking, but for speaking with honesty and fervor. When he makes a point, he makes a point. When he laughs, he laughs. And when he holds your face and tells you that you are awesome and you are awesomely made... well... you pretty much want to adopt him as your Bonus-Dad. Don't tell me I didn't warn you. This episode is great for you if you're in a place in your life where you feel a little stuck and a lot unsure of what to do next. Maybe you're paralyzed by the fear of making "the wrong" choice or you've already made a choice and you feel convince it was the wrong one. If you've ever wondered if there's something to be learned, even when you hate where you are, then this episode is for you. Michael and I talk about how to get rid of our "victim of life" mentality, how to reshape our mindset around job and career, how to learn something no matter what you choose to do, and most of all how to have fun despite all the ups and downs that life will inevitably hand to you. I really hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed giving it.    Play by Play: 6:10 Michael’s introduction 7:30 Why Michael was almost cooler than the Pet Rock 9:30 How Michael got the inspiration for this first business… at the age of 7 11:15 How important is positive feedback in your youth? 12:30 Michael’s favorite way to start letting go of fear of failure 14:15 Two inspirational stories for modern day do-ers 15:45 The power of “masterminds” and how they lead to success via accountability 16:55 Should we compete or should we work together? 18:00 Why Michael doesn’t necessarily believe in the whole “millennial thing” 19:00 Our best case for masterminds among young people 20:30 What happens when your peers are your competition rather than your compliments 21:30 The next time you go to say “I wish they would” try this mindset shift 22:00 Getting rid of the zero sum game of success 24:00 How Michael turned around an entire sales training department 26:00 Michael’s theory of “doing things on purpose” 27:30 Michael’s biggest Ah-ha moment in making career choices 29:00 The best definition for a “professional” that I’ve ever heard 31:45 The #1 thing Michael would like to pass on to his 4 children (and you!) 33:15 Why leadership is a fundamentally unnatural act 35:00 What drives Michael Hoffman to do better everyday 36:45 Why life is better when you live it through and with others 38:15 How to build more of what you love into your current environment 40:00 What two things you can learn in every single situation you ever encounter 40:15 How do you get out of the “I’m stuck” mentality 41:00 Teeny tiny ways you can build more variety into your life 44:30 What to do when every one of your possible choices feels “final” 46:20 How to look for more peace in your decisions 48:00 Dealing with the everyday pressures of today’s society 50:00 How to embrace worthiness based on your intrinsic value rather than your work output 51:30 How to “live the journey” once and for all 53:15 How to let go of the mindset that you need to “have it all figured out” 54:20 The crazy story that taught Michael the value of living the depth and breadth of life (good AND bad) 56:30 A newer (and better) definition of success 57:45 Michael’s path of discernment to finding his calling and what you can learn from it 59:30 How Michael sold 24 hot dogs to one guy at a movie theatre 1:00:30 Gaining insight into yourself by listening to the feedback of others 1:03:00 How someone helped me realize that being a good conversationalist was a marketable skill 1:06:15 How Michael’s son found a way to use his natural gifts during his job search 1:09:45 Why life should be fun and exciting but how make it sad and difficult 1:11:30 Why Michael doesn’t want you to be afraid to feel or suffer 1:12:45 The one question you should ask yourself this year to have your best year yet 1:13:15 Michael, as your dad… enjoy 1:13:30 Michael’s #1 piece of advice for you 1:15:30 Hope you didn’t pee your pants, ‘cuz that was funny 1:15:50 Connect with me @thetracytimm 1:16:00 Connect with Michael at www.ignitingperformance.com 1:16:30 Shameless plug for the podcast and the website (rate, review, subscribe, and leave a comment!)