5 Lessons my Heart Attack at 32 Taught Me

1 in 4 people die from heart-related issues in the US. It is a widespread epidemic. Find out 5 Lessons my Heart Attack at age 32 Taught Me.

Are you worried about your heart?

Even if you are not like I wasn’t, the unexpected can happen.

I am not going to bore you with dry research, but what I am going to tell you will shock you.

Here Are the 5 Lessons my Heart Attack at 32 Taught Me:

1. Near Death Experience #1

Why did I title it #1?

Because when I had my heart-attack, which was caused from a 60% blockage in my left anterior artery, I thought it was a fluke.

I was only 32, even the doctors were baffled.

They asked a few questions and I was guilty of answering yes to some of their questions, but it had been a long time ago when I practiced what I was “guilty” for.

My heart attack happened while I was training at yet another dead-end job.

In a way, this was symbolic because my body was simply rejecting the fact that I had to work for someone else for a living, even worse, a stressful hot and greasy kitchen in a restaurant.

Why had I sunk so low?

I don’t know, maybe it was the small town with limited possibilities, or maybe it was just my low self-esteem that negated any chance at success.

Man, I was still dreaming about success when at 4:45 each Friday after I got paid from this dead-end job I would cash my check from the local bank and go straight into Edward Jones and deposit half my money into some great blue chip stocks.

Unfortunately, my biggest stock was Citigroup and this was in 2008. You can guess what happened to that stock!

Lesson #1 Sometimes what is an apparent sign to stop doing something bad is actually not the sign that is required to change.

2. Near Death Experience #2

Since I thought this heart-attack was a fluke and my life just wasn’t going where I wanted it to, I drank twice as much alcohol as before.

Apparently, heart attack victims can experience Depression after their heart-attack.

Well, I already was depressed. I had been trying to get out of dead-end jobs most of my life and had no clue on how to escape.

My job and the small town was my little fish bowl and I had growing pains like a big fish, but was still mingling with the little fish.

Some of those little fish were demons from my past and some of those fish were friends stuck in the same losing streak.

I finally stopped drinking, but it wasn’t because of the heart-attack. It is funny when people finally “hit bottom” and how it can be unrelated to the main issue.

My bottom was feeling completely powerless. It wasn’t cool to be killing myself anymore and it turned me off finally.

Lesson #2 Hitting a “breaking point” in your life might not happen when you expect it.

Sometimes, we have to suffer longer until a new direction is revealed.

As the quote from Buddha states, “The teacher will appear when the student is ready.”

I was destroying myself literally and knew it, but didn’t stop until someone said something that threatened my Pride. Years of destruction abruptly ended by one sentence.

These “aha” moments can change your life for better or for worse in a split second. Find the “ahas” needed to catapult your life and business.

3. The Seemingly Insignificant Light at the End of the Tunnel

I was sober, but still in the little fish bowl trying to be a big fish. I knew I needed to rebuild my entire life, but didn’t know what to do.

Miraculously, a little book popped up into my awareness on the Internet and it was called “Think and Grow Rich.”

I read this book on the very first iPod in the dark RV that I lived in and clutched at its teachings and mysterious powers that seemed to come through the “Ether” as Napoleon Hill mentioned.

I couldn’t believe that my thoughts were dictating my future, but I slowly started to craft my thoughts and lo and behold my life got better.

I finally moved out of that town and created this Blog. I climbed up the Leaderboard in my primary company.

Lesson #3 One little book or video or sentence from someone can change your life.

We just need to always be “open” to new ideas and always question our motives and truly ask, “Am what I’m doing actually benefitting me or harming me?”

The Ego is a tricky thing and will try to keep you “safe” even though “safe” in your Ego’s eyes is sloth, gluttony, and deceiving oneself.

Always challenge your “inner voice” and do what feels uncomfortable when it’s moving you towards a better you and a more successful business.

4. I Found I was not Immortal

Yes, most of us believe we are the shit in our Twenties, sometimes also the Thirties and Forties.

The heart-attack did not make me think of my mortality until 11 years later when my blood pressure rose and I felt irritable.

It reminded me of my heart-attack, but this time I was viewing my heart-attack as a 43 year old, not a 32 year old, and life just seems to be more fragile now.

Life is short and it seems that as you get older the time goes by quicker. I remember being a teenager and dying with impatience at how slow life moved. Now, I want to savor every moment.

Lesson #4 Your life is not one big party.

How you treat your body and feed your mind will haunt you later on in life if you’re ignoring the signs of your physical and mental health.

I acquired Anxiety and Social Phobia in my Forties because I ran from situations and never looked inward. People that never look inward and hide behind their distractions, like watching TV, being overly materialistic, indulging in sex, etc will hit a wall in their later years.

Look at Robin Williams. He seemed to have it all, the beautiful wife and kids and the mansion, but he truly wasn’t happy because he never really looked inward and sought help.

Be good to yourself. If you feel like you are on the fast lane to nowhere, stop the parade and regroup. Seek help. Meditate.

5. I Found I wasn’t All Alone

When I had my heart attack, I was met by the best doctors and nurses who cared.

In fact, most people hate hospitals but I never wanted to leave. I guess my life truly did suck if a hospital seemed better.

The people who cared came out of nowhere. I was shocked to find that everyone who loved me were in my room within a few hours, even though the hospital was 2 hours away from my hometown.

I realized I truly needed people in my life. The more I ran from people, the more I hated myself and had anxiety.