The Wingman’s Path

We had to put Monte to sleep today.

The Vet came out on Monday and said, “It’s a hard decision but it’s what’s best for him”.

It wasn’t a hard decision at all.
Monte led a long and wonderful life.
He was 17. It was time.

His love helped bring two families together when we got him from the pound 16 years ago this week. He brought a level of love and connectedness that I’m not sure we would have had without him. He helped me find my way to Crow’s Woods, where I found a community of fellow dog lovers and friends, and connected me to the daily ebb and flow of nature in a way I never experienced before. All because of Monte.

My walks will no longer be the same.

I’m having a hard time writing this right now.  Instead of focusing on all the wonderful memories, I’m typing through tears.

Maybe because I just wrote one of these 2 weeks ago for my buddy Coop.

I’m feeling a lot of loss and don’t want to invite any more in right now.

“What am I to learn from this”, is what my dog walking buddy, and mentor, Dr. Bernie Siegel would tell me to ask myself.

What am I to learn from this?

Hmmm… Maybe that it’s time for my “second” life to begin and this cloud of death that surrounds me is more like a snake shedding his skin.
I like that. I always like a positive spin.

“The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come,” says Joseph Campbell, the famous teacher of mythology, referring to the ancient symbol of snakes shedding their skin as a metaphor for inner growth. We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

Maybe that’s it. Maybe Monte is just freeing Jan and I up to embark on the life that’s waiting for us, with no worries or feelings of guilt.

Doesn’t surprise me.
His love, and ours, was unconditional.

Thank you, Monte, dearest companion.
Thank you for showing me how to be a true wingman.

With Love,
Michael

My Buddy Coop died on Tuesday.

He was a longtime friend who would always introduce me as,
“Grossy, from the card game”.

It was a name I wore with love and pride.

In a lifetime of memories, the card game is one I’d like to share.
It started back when we were kids, maybe 13 or 14.
Jeff Cooper, “Coop”, had just made it through an illness, not many had survived.

He once told me he realized the depth of his challenge when, as a kid, he was watching the 1960’s TV show ‘Ben Casey’. Dr. Ben Casey was a brilliant doctor who cured everyone, but when faced with Coop’s particular brand of cancer said,
“No one’s ever survived this.”

Imagine that.

But Coop pulled through.

A Rabbi told me recently,
“We all get two lives, the second one begins when you realize you only get one”.

I said, “Rabbi, my buddy Coop has been teaching me that for a long time, only he calls it, “Playing with house money”.  You know, after winning a bet, you pocket your original stake and only play with your winnings.

And with all the casinos, poker rooms and home poker games I’ve been in with Coop, no one, no one, was ever better at playing with house money, than Jeff Cooper.

But that’s the thing…

The card game was never about the money.

This was Coop’s “second” life, and he was doing what he did best.
Connect with people.
He did it better than anyone.
He was the glue.

In a time when most of us don’t have the same friends we had 2 years ago, Jeff Cooper kept a group of guys together for 45 years.

The Card Game Boyz, a ‘few’ years back.

Yes, the card game and Jeff Cooper are intertwined in my mind, and in my heart. Without him, there was no possibility of all of us staying friends, and adding new friends to “the game”.

The card game has seen us through some wonderful times… weddings, business successes, children and most recently, the wedding of a daughter of the card game.
Most of us were there.
We had our “card game” table right by the dance floor at the wedding.

Only Coop wasn’t there.
That’s when we all knew Jeff s time was short.
Because there was nothing Jeff liked more than a celebration.

But celebrations are easy.
The card game also saw us through business failures, divorces, illness and deaths.

That’s when you learn about true friendship.
And that’s what Jeff Cooper brought to everyone he knew.
True friendship.

There were about 250-300 people at Jeff’s funeral.
He was loved.
And in accordance with his wishes we did it “Quaker” style.

A Quaker style service is a non-denominational service, where people sit in reflective and meditative thought about the deceased, and when so moved, stand up and share a memory.
The idea is that the stories will help everyone begin the healing process.

Everyone had a story to share and it made for a beautiful and emotional day. I loved them all, especially those from Julianna, Jeff’s daughter, and her friends. Hearing about Coop as an amazing Dad had me smiling ear to ear.

One of Julianna’s friends asked me why. Why Jeff? Why now?

I had no answer.

But one thing I know with certainty…
Somewhere in heaven, a great card game just got started.

Today’s practice… Be the glue, reach out and connect with a friend.

To Living Your Second Life,
Michael

Reminder…  Build Your Inner Team Workshop Thursday, 10/20 @ 6:30-8:00pm.

Build Your Inner TEAM
Thoughts, Emotions, Actions & Manifestations

Agenda: The Wingman formula for manifesting any goal is simple.

1. Raise Your Energy.
2. Set Your Intention.
3. Achieve a vibrational match with your desire.

What goal would you like to accomplish? Just follow the simple formula.

1. Raise your energy: We will do different wingman mental exercises to increase our positive energy. When you feel better, you set better ambitions for yourself.

2. Set Your Intentions: We will do specific practices to help you define your desire.

3. Achieve a vibrational match. Stop sabotaging yourself by eliminating the resistance coming from your subconscious. We will work with different brain trainings from Neuroscience and Applied Behavioral Analysis.

“With a Great Team Anything is Possible”. Michael Gross

When: Tuesday, 10/20/2015, 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Where: The Center, Life in Balance, 43 South
Main Street, Medford, NJ 08055

Cost: $20

Register: Phone: 609-975-8379
Email:
Please include your name & phone #.

Once upon a time there was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.

One year a newspaper sent a reporter to interview him and learned something fascinating about how he grew such award winning corn.
The farmer shared his prized seed corn with his neighbors.

“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So I ask once again, how is your corn?
And as importantly… How is your neighbor’s corn?

My seeds are not of corn. They are of positive energy.
The results are the same though.

Haven’t you noticed?
Don’t you find it’s much easier to feel good when things are going well?

It’s much easier for me to feel good when my neighbors, friends, clients, and loved one’s are feeling good.

If the vibration those around me are releasing out to the universe is all-positive, it’s far simpler for me to emit my own positive vibration.

So please, take these simple practices, my “seeds of positive energy” and share them with your neighbors.

And let’s grow something stronger than corn. Let’s grow community.

Today’s practice… Do something nice for your neighbor.

To Building Strong Communities,

Michael

This Monday night, improve your power to manifest.

Do you have a goal? Then be there Monday night and let’s get you started on the path to achieving it.

I’m still amazed how easy it is when I get myself, and all my years of built up resistance, out of the way. You will be too.

To Your Success,
Michael

Build Your Inner TEAM
Thoughts, Emotions, Actions & Manifestations

Agenda: The Wingman formula for manifesting any goal is simple.

1. Raise Your Energy.
2. Set Your Intention.
3. Achieve a vibrational match with your desire.

What goal would you like to accomplish? Just follow the simple formula.

1. Raise your energy: We will do different wingman mental exercises to increase our positive energy. When you feel better, you set better ambitions for yourself.

2. Set Your Intentions: We will do specific practices to help you define your desire.

3. Achieve a vibrational match. Stop sabotaging yourself by eliminating the resistance coming from your subconscious. We will work with different brain trainings from Neuroscience and Applied Behavioral Analysis.

“With a Great Team Anything is Possible”. Michael Gross

When: Monday, September 21, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Where: The Center, Life in Balance, 43 South
Main Street, Medford, NJ 08055

Cost: $20

Register: Phone: 609-975-8379
Email:
Please include your name & phone #.

It all started with a practice.

When we decided to sell our house, it was more about downsizing. Downsizing the mortgage, downsizing the space, and downsizing the upkeep that comes with a big old house.

But then it sold so rapidly and we hadn’t yet come up with a plan.
As a friend once told me as we sat down to a Fantasy Baseball draft back in its infancy, “Good plan, bad plan, have a plan”.

We didn’t.

It was then my inner wingman sprung forth, “Practice what you preach, do a practice”.

“Janny”, I turned and said to my wife, “let’s do a practice”.

Here’s what we did, perhaps it can help you too.

I call it, “One Amazing Year” and there are 3 steps to it.

1. Close your eyes for one minute and imagine it is one year from today, and you just had a most amazing year. Maybe your thoughts will go to being healthy or disease free, building a successful business, or having a loving relationship.

2. Write a diary entry as if it was one year from today, and all that you imagined had come true. As you write, notice your feelings about your achievements.

3. Practice those feelings. How? By thinking of what you would be doing and how would you be feeling.

If you are sick, you might imagine yourself healthy one year from today.

How would you be as a healthy person? Would you feel different? Act different? This exercise is to find the feeling of you as a healthy person and practice that feeling.

Same as if you’re currently lonely and wanting to be in a loving relationship or having some financial difficulties and desire financial security. Find the feeling of love and financial abundance and practice it.

How would you be changed?
Would you walk, talk or act in a way dissimilar from the current you?
How would you feel? Find that feeling and practice it for one minute.

“One Amazing Year” works because it helps you to decide what you want and reduces any resistance you may be holding in your subconscious. In Law of Attraction terms, it allows you to raise your vibration to match your desire.

As for Jan and I…

My vision went immediately to renting an apartment, and the feeling of being freed of the monthly maintenance and mortgage. I saw myself laughing, relaxing and building my ‘Be Your Own Wingman’ brand of positivity in new ways.

Jan imagined traveling the world.

We then conferred, and allowed our concepts to mesh.

One week later, we were plotting about possibilities on renting an apartment in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Our plan, yes, we now have one, is to explore this earth and expand my brand of positivity while we’re healthy enough to do so.

What do you want?
This “One Amazing Year’ practice will help you get it.

To making it one amazing year,
Michael
Btw… At my next ‘Build Your Inner Team’ class on Monday, 9/21, we’ll work with this practice and others to help you set exciting goals and achieve them.

Build Your Inner TEAM

Thoughts, Emotions, Actions & Manifestations

Tonight’s Agenda: The Wingman formula for manifesting any goal is simple.

1. Raise Your Energy.
2. Set Your Intention.
3. Achieve a vibrational match with your desire.

What goal would you like to accomplish? Just follow the simple formula.

1. Raise your energy: We will do different wingman mental exercises to increase our positive energy. When you feel better, you set better ambitions for yourself.

2. Set Your Intentions: We will do specific practices to help you define your desire.

3. Achieve a vibrational match. Stop sabotaging yourself by eliminating the resistance coming from your subconscious. We will work with different brain trainings from Neuroscience and Applied Behavioral Analysis.

“With a Great Team Anything is Possible”.   Michael Gross

When:      Monday, September 21, 2015, 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Where:     The Center, Life in Balance, 43 South Main Street, Medford, NJ 08055

Cost:        $20

Register: Phone: 609-975-8379

Email:

Please include your name & phone #.

Michael Gross will instruct the workout. He is a Positive Energy Practitioner who has helped municipalities, businesses, Miss New Jersey and other individuals to better realize their objectives. Michael can be heard as co-host of the ‘Talk-N-Angels’ radio show Wednesday evenings 7-8 pm at www.talknangels.com.

If you’re looking for normal household items such as glasses, snow shovels, dishes, garden hose, hammers, nails, brooms and a whole lot more, I’m your guy. Lots of women’s clothing too.

You got it… its TRASH DAY.

Stop by this weekend, wish me a happy 60th birthday and grab lots of freebies.

20 W. Euclid Avenue
Haddonfield, NJ 08033

Saturday: 9am-12 noon.
Sunday: 10am-12 noon.

To a New Chapter,
Michael