A Valuable Technique You Can Master

Today I am going to share with you a very powerful technique that you can use when interacting with other people. I would say it’s a form of a superpower, an unfair advantage if you will, that you can master very quickly to win the charm of anyone, whether it be at an interview, a social event, a night at the bar, a business meeting, a date, a wedding… basically anywhere!

It’s the ability to make someone feel special – like they are the only person in the room. In this busy world of ours, very few people take the time to do this. Become good at this technique and I PROMISE you your world will change for the better!

I actually learned this from a friend of mine. It’s called the LASER technique and here are the steps you use whenever interacting with someone:

1. Look at the person. And only them. At no point do you look away, especially beyond or around them to someone else. People can tell instantly when your eyes are focused on something besides them. You may notice that they sometimes turn to see what you are looking at instead of them.

2. Actively listen. Focus completely on being interested in what they are saying, and only that. If you are thinking about what you want to say next, they can tell.

3. Stay focused on them. Don’t let your attention wander. Stay completely focused on them to the end of the interaction.

4. End well. When you do finally decide to break away, don’t look away first and then say some equivalent of, “Well, I’ve got to be going now.” Look straight at them and say something like, “It was great to meet you. I’m going to remember what you said about global warming, Stan. I’ve got a few other people to meet.” Shake hands, squeeze their shoulder, or hug them if you’re a hugger. Then look away as you move away, not before.

5. Remember them. The next time you see them, remember their name and some detail about them. You’ll blow their mind.

To give you more detail, let’s break that final communication down: “It was great to meet you.” That communicated that you were at the wrap-up.

“. . . global warming.” You showed them you were listening.

“Stan.” You remembered their name.

“I’ve got a few other people to meet.” That’s your gracious exit line.

If you can maintain total focus on the person, you will be astounded at how people will respond. You will not have to do it for long. It works within minutes.

The LASER Technique is a master move in Superboldness. Become good at it.

I learned this technique from my friend Fred Joyal who happens to be a very successful businessman, author, public speaker and more. I have been practicing it every day and the results are… well… unbelievable so far!

Fred has a brand new book out called SUPERBOLD which outlines not only the LASER technique, but SO MUCH MORE!

SUPERBOLD is one of the best books I have read in the last few years. I have already recommended it to many people who I care about. And since I care about you, I would highly recommend grabbing a copy today on Amazon at THIS LINK! You will thank me later!

I’m at My Wit’s End and Want to Try THIS Idea

Dear David, 

I saw Joseph’s question to you last week and it prompted me to write this. I feel as though I am down to my wits end. My relationship with my wife has not been great for about the last five years or so, but it worsened horribly during Covid. There was nowhere to go and we found ourselves fighting daily. To add insult to injury, I lost my job and we have burned through our savings at a very rapid rate. David, I am scared that pretty soon I will not even be able to pay our mortgage and we will get foreclosed on. I have nightmares about being homeless.

I have one saving grace that I keep coming back to. I had a life experience in the 80’s that was so insanely crazy that I want to write a book about it. I have shared this idea with several people that I am close with and they have all said that I should go for it. If the book works out, I am pretty sure someone will pick this up and would want to do a screenplay. Then my life could actually be back in order.    

David, what do you think? This truly is my last shot at making money and getting back on my feet. Thanks for any help you could give me. ~Matt

Dear Matt, first of all I want to say that I am so sorry about your life situation. To use the old cliche, life has certainly thrown you a bunch of lemons. But having said that, let me give you my feeling about you writing a book to get out of this funk. 

My answer – NO!!! Do NOT do it. Please DO NOT!!!!

OK, now that I hope I have made myself clear, let me explain. 

Matt, you are in a very serious situation. Trying to write a best seller book with no experience is similar to putting all of your money on a lottery ticket hoping to get rich. The odds are stacked so far against you that let’s just say it’s almost impossible. 

But that does not mean I would give up on turning your life around. To the contary, you need to get started NOW! 

I see two immediate things that you need to do starting TODAY!!!

Number one is go get a job. I don’t care what it is, just get a job so that you can have some money coming in. Same with your wife. She needs to be making money too. I know for sure that you could BOTH get jobs at a restaurant tomorrow. They are really hurting for help and unless there’s something I don’t know about you, you would be hired. 

If you can no longer afford your house, there is no shame in that. Selling it and renting an inexpensive apartment for now may have to do. And you will need to adjust your spending so that you are spending less than you guys make every month. You’ll have to suck it up but you can do this. 

Secondly, you need to figure out the situation with your relationship with your wife. If your lives are totally miserable together and you have tried EVERYTHING to fix this, then you’ll both have to admit this and move on. I have a sneaking suspicion that your fighting is the thing that is holding you both back from living your lives. When two people live together and the relationship is horrible, you just can’t keep going on like this. So please work on both of these things and you will get your life back. 

I’ll send you a copy of my new book “How to Become The Neighborhood Millionaire.” It’s actually full of strategies on how to earn more money, budget and manage your money, as well as how to turn what you have into more money for your future. I am quite sure there will be many strategies in the book that will help you. 

Then one day when you are back on your feet and you can write your own book out of love and passion and not solely because you need money desperately, go for it! Write back to me any time if you need more help. 

~DMM

Years of Emotional and Psychological Abuse

Her’s a great question I received a short time ago.

QUESTION:

I have been married for over twenty years. In the last ten years my wife has turned into a different person from the one I married. She feels the need to control me more than ever. When I confront her, she tells me to get therapy. She does not want any part in admitting that she may be the problem or at least part of it. She has alienated me from my family as well as my friends. She incessantly tells me what to do. We can only get together with people who she approves of. I have tried to sweep much of this under the rug to keep peace and harmony in the family, but lately I feel as though I am bursting inside. I recently had a friend say he thinks I’m a victim of emotional abuse from my wife. Do many men get emotionally abused? At what point do I just need to say this is not working.

Thanks for all you do, Joseph

Joseph – thanks for your question as well as your honesty. That must have been difficult for you to write this. I can identify with so much of what you have asked. Yes, men can absolutely be abused in a relationship. Unfortunately I have spoken to many people lately, both male and female, who find themselves in similar situations.

How do you or anyone know if you are being abused? Here is a little checklist. Take a look at it and see how many of these apply to your life. It’s not a scientific list but obviously the more you can check off, the more likely it is that you are being abused. I am wondering which ones apply to your situation:

  • Calling you insulting names
  • Yelling and screaming
  • Repeatedly putting you down
  • Comparing you with others
  • Intentionally hurting your feelings
  • Socially isolating you
  • Belittling you on a regular basis
  • Ignoring you
  • Disapproving and contemptuous looks
  • Blaming you for their problems
  • Controlling you or punishing you for small things (not getting dishes washed or something cleaned well enough)
  • Threatening to leave you
  • Lying to you
  • Intimidating you
  • Breaking things
  • Correcting everything you say
  • Always taking the opposite view from yours
  • Cutting you off from your family and friends
  • Giving you the silent treatment for hours or days
  • Forcing you to own responsibility for every problem
  • Checking up on you and being overly suspicious
  • Nitpicking and lengthy interrogations or lectures
  • Refusing to honor your requests for time and space
  • Withholding affection
  • Demanding sex
  • Temper tantrums to get what they want
  • Discounting your perceptions and feelings
  • Constantly denying anything is wrong
  • Verbal abuse that attacks your nature and abilities, so you begin to believe there is something wrong with you.
  • Out of control or irrational behavior and physical violence of any kind whatsoever — these should not be tolerated.

If you find yourself checking off even a few of these, it’s probably time to run… not walk to the nearest EXIT!!! From my life experience, there is usually NO FIXING a person who demonstrates this type of behavior. If you stick with him or her, you are enabling the abuser. I know this sounds very cold and cruel, but the people I know who have moved on from an abusive relationship have learned to become whole and happy again. Those who simply stay in the situation hoping it will get better end up sick or worse.

I hope this helps you and anyone else reading this who may be in a similar situation. Sending you strength.

-DMM

Here is What to Do When You Experience Sad Days

So how is your year going so far? I will wager a bet that it is likely much better than 2020. 

I wanted to bring up a very common question I receive from my readers. There are many versions but it goes something like “Some days I feel a bit sad or depressed and it’s just hard to get motivated. What can I do?”

I will answer this question but before I do so, I want to make it clear that I am not a licensed therapist and this information is not meant to take the place of professional therapy. 

So having said that, here is my response. It’s perfectly normal as human beings that we have sad days, even if we do not necessarily know why we are experiencing sadness. Every day does not have to be a glorious productive day. We all have up days and down days and as long as the down days are not truly interfering with your life, it’s OK to have them. I would be more worried if you did NOT have some down days! If you feel you are not getting anything done once in a while, it’s fine. If you need to stay in bed a little longer or take a nap in the middle of the day, that’s OK too. 

And please keep something in mind. As living breathing human beings, we ALL have issues. But you may wonder about the people who you see on social media whose lives seem perfect every day. Just trust me when I tell you that they are not showing you everything. They are only showing you what they want you to see. Anyway, you only need to worry about you. What someone is trying to show you on Instagram does not affect your life! 

~David

Why Hide It?

Please excuse today’s title. I had a totally different article in mind for today’s blog. But then I realized there is something extremely important that I need to share with you.

My new book is FINALLY on Amazon! This is super exciting. Not because I just published a book. It’s because I can now help people all across the globe lose all of their stress about money issues and become financially independent!

It’s called “How to Become The Neighborhood Millionaire” and I would say it could be the most prolific book written on personal finance in the last 100 years! I am going to be helping people who are stressed about money, in debt, questioning retirement, not sure how to invest, arguing with spouses, don’t have nearly enough in savings, and so much more!

Every book written on this subject to date is too complex, too esoteric, and beyond the comprehension of regular people like you and me. That’s why so many people are still broke and confused.

Until now! My book will change EVERYTHING.

Now as good as this may sound, I am going to ask for your help today. You see, the only way I can get the word out about this book in the beginning is to ask people like you to go to Amazon, purchase the book (either Kindle or paperback) and then give it a good honest review. I want to help thousands of people and this is really my only shot right now.

And the way Amazon’s algorithm works is that if many people are buying a book in a very short period of time (the same day), it detects that there is a lot of interest in that particular book. So Amazon then suggests it to others and word grows and grows.

This is precisely why I am asking you to do this right now! Yes, it would be a great favor to me. Please go to Amazon at this link: https://amzn.to/3wQe1nC. Then purchase the book for yourself and perhaps even more for friends, loved ones, co-workers, family members and more! One is good, more is even better!

Then once you see how good it is and how it can help so many people who are in need, go ahead and give it a good honest review. I would LOVE to get 100% compliance today and tomorrow! That would be so awesome! But that means you need to click through right now! I am giving you a million THANK YOUS in advance. Now please go to https://amzn.to/3wQe1nC.

Thanks!

-DMM

A Fight at the Car Wash?

It was a nice day so I decided to stop at the car wash on my way home from an appointment to get rid of the salt and grime from my 2005 Volvo. It’s a car wash I have been to many times. One of those self service places. You’ve seen them. You put the credit card in and the timer starts. I spray it myself, use the foaming brush, rinse it off and then I’m good to go. 

As I arrived, the bays (there must be six of them) were all full. So I stopped my car in a “staging area” where I’d be able to pull into the next available bay (kind of like that line at the bank). 

As a guy was finishing up, a black car came out of nowhere, pulled directly up to that bay to grab the spot, totally ignoring the fact that I had been waiting 5-10 minutes. 

I drove my car over to the bay, rolled my window down and (very politely I believe) said to the guy “Hey man. I’ve been waiting here for ten minutes for the next bay to open up.” His response was “I didn’t see you.”

I (again, politely) said “Well that’s not cool, I have been waiting.” 

His response? “I don’t give a shit!” 

Now there were three ways I could have handled this and of course I had to think fast. 

I could have started screaming at him and the situation could have easily escalated to something bad. This was not even a choice in my mind.

The second possibility was to just ignore him and wait for the next bay.

Or the third possibility was to just be kind because we really never know what’s going on with someone. 

I chose number three. I responded with “Peace brother, have a great day.” Don’t ask me why, those were just the first words that came to my mind. 

Within thirty seconds, the guy got back into his car and just drove away. Kindness prevailed. One minute later I was washing my car. 

DMM

Is This Person In YOUR Neighborhood?

Another two weeks have passed. How are you making out? I still have not studied Japanese as much as I would like nor have I written that song (although I have an idea). I did however promise in the last issue to share one cool thing that I have been spending my time on during this pandemic.

I wrote a book! 

That’s right, I am actually putting the finishing touches on one of the most exciting projects of my life – a book that will be called “How to Become The Neighborhood Millionaire.”

Now those of you who know me realize that I am not a financial planner by any means. I don’t have a CPA or an accountant degree. I have never worked on Wall Street or in a bank. Heck, I never took an economics class in college. So you could fairly say that I do not have the “credentials” to write a book on personal finance!

And you would be right. Well… maybe only half right!

You see, for the last several decades I have been a “student” of my own personal finances. I have done many things right and I have also made all of the mistakes that you could imagine! Some of them are so embarrassing, you wouldn’t believe it. And yes I will share them all in the book!

But when the dust settled, even with the mistakes, I came out alright! 

I actually believe that having no “formal” training in being a financial advisor is in my favor. You see, I am just a regular person, probably no different than you. I realized a while back that just about everyone does personal finances wrong and that’s why so many people are stressed about money, paying bills, their nest egg, retirement, etc.

I am happy to say that I have figured this all out and it’s actually not all that difficult. The problem is that most people MAKE it difficult! My goal in writing this book is to teach regular people just like you and me how to become “Neighborhood Millionaires.” I have done it and so can you. You just need to follow some principles which I explain very clearly.

What exactly is a “Neighborhood Millionaire?” Now you’re a bit curious, aren’t you? That’s fine. I’ll tell you EVERYTHING in the book. Although there is not an official release date yet, I am trying my best to have it available by March or April of this year! If you are interested and would like to be among the first to find out more as soon as the book becomes available, please CLICK HERE. No obligation whatsoever. This book is for you if you are truly interested in never again having personal financial stress.

-DMM

What Have You Been Doing the Last Ten Months?

That’s right, we have been “social distancing” along with on and off lockdowns for close to a year now. If you have been sick or have loved ones who got sick or were lost, I am truly sorry and I am with you and sending love.

And if you’ve been fortunate enough to escape the virus up until now, I would love to know what you have done, if anything, to enhance your life, even if just a little bit in 2020. 

Personally I have done some things but maybe not as much as would have liked. I have definitely read a lot of good books, some of which I have shared here with you. Probably my favorite has been “Breath” by James Nestor. If you have not read this one, I HIGHLY recommend it!

I wanted to study more Japanese but that has not worked out so well for me. I chalk it up to laziness. After all, I had plenty of time but I just put it off.

Yoko and I wanted to write a song to sing and play together but that has also been put on the back burner.

It kind of bums me out because there has been just SO MUCH time to do things in our lives that perhaps in the past we have not had time for or maybe procrastinated on. Now we have the time and we still don’t get it done? Why not? Do you feel the same way or are you happy with how you have been spending your time mostly isolated from friends and family?

It’s not over. I STILL plan to study some Japanese and write that song with Yoko. Maybe sharing these words with you will actually get me going. Because it’s so easy to be lazy, right? And days turn into weeks and the weeks into months.

There IS one thing that I have spent quite a bit of time writing and I will likely share it with you in the next issue.

Finally, this has nothing to do with the above, but I started a little video series on my YouTube Channel called “A Friend to Lean On.” It is for you if you are frustrated with not being able to visit friends and family members as you always have. It’s for you if you simply want a comforting voice to listen to while you are awake or when you’re trying to fall asleep. Sometimes it makes sense, other times it does not! As of this writing I have three episodes up. Check it out here! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8l2YoJXkA…

-DMM

The Final Blog

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fears
~John Lennon


This is a special day. Whether or not you celebrate, it’s a cool time of the year. I do not happen to be Christian, but even so, I totally get into it and enjoy all of the lights, the decorations, the spirit, and perhaps most of all, the kindness.

I sometimes close my eyes and imagine what the world could be like if everyone would be kind every single day like they are around Christmas time. I think it would be a beautiful place. Let’s all try.

Look, I know 2020 has been a very tough year for everyone. It’s been tough on me, trust me. Besides the virus, we had raging wildfires, a lot of political and social unrest, and all kinds of rough weather all over. We even had an earthquake here in Salt Lake City.

I am never one to wish for time to go by quickly because we have only a limited time to spend on this planet and we should make the most of every day. But probably like you, I am looking forward to closing out this crazy year and hoping only for the best for all of us in 2021.

This will be the final blog entry for the year. Please enjoy it, take care of yourself, be kind, and I will see you with the first article in 2021. With lots of love… David

Yoko’s Salt Lake Soap – The Best Soap Ever!

Close your eyes and picture yourself relaxing in a beautiful natural hot spring somewhere in the Japan countryside. Hot springs in Japan are called “onsen” and they are a very important part of the Japanese culture.

Go ahead, really do this! Close your eyes and just imagine!

After soaking in the onsen, you feel healthy and invigorated – it’s a feeling that is impossible to describe unless you are actually able to experience it. Maybe you are more relaxed than you’ve ever been in your life. You want to do this every day!

I am so fortunate to be married to a Japanese woman who has introduced me to such an amazing culture. I have traveled to Japan many times with my wife Yoko. When I am there we spend a lot of time with her friends and family so I experience Japan more as a local and not as a tourist. An onsen experience is as much a ritual as it is a soak in a hot spring.

But let’s face it. A trip to Japan right now is not easy and likely not in the cards for you or for us! But not to worry, as we could possibly have the very next best thing for you right here!

What could that next best thing be? It’s taking a hot bath in the privacy of your home using a special soap. Yoko and I absolutely love taking daily hot baths with a good quality soap that leaves us refreshed and our skin tingly! You may say I am addicted! And it’s what you put in the water and what you clean your skin with that makes all the difference in the world.

Even after searching for years it was always difficult to find that perfect soap. We experimented with perhaps dozens of different types. Some were good and some were not so good. But we were unable to find exactly what we were looking for.

So what we decided to do was to take the matter into our own hands! One Saturday afternoon, while walking around a farmer’s market here in Salt Lake City, we met a local soap artisan. We shared our idea with him. He loved it! We then worked together to develop a soap that will refresh your body more than you would ever believe.


Introducing Yoko’s Salt Lake Soap – made with activated charcoal and peppermint! Whether you love soaking in a bath or you are more of a shower person… this is the soap for you. It’s a soap that will make you feel good all over. We have literally waited for years to find the perfect soap, and now it’s finally here!

Let’s face it. We are going through crazy times. Many of us are stressed and anxious not knowing what tomorrow will bring. That’s the main reason we are now offering Yoko’s Salt Lake Soap. To make every single day special for you.

My recommendation is to take a daily bath or shower using Yoko’s Salt Lake Soap. This soap may not be able to change the world, but it will make YOU feel much better every day. And little steps are good ones, right?

Order your supply today by going to YOKO’S STORE. The soap now comes in convenient packs of four or six bars. Each bar lasts a long time! Once you experience Yoko’s Salt Lake Soap, your life just may change!

Note: because of the nature of this product, we are not able to accept returns. Thanks for understanding. Also, if you are even remotely interested in getting some of this special soap I suggest that you order NOW as Yoko’s stock is limited at this point!

PEAK FIVE VENTURES will be the merchant’s name on your credit card statement.
No international orders accepted at this point. USA delivery only!

To enter the store, go to: yokosoap.square.site

This is Why I Had to Pause Being Vegan

First of all, I want to make sure you know that Episode #2 of “My Crazy Health Scare” is now up and ready for viewing. As you may have guessed from my hints, it has to do with my vegan diet coming to an end after seven years of working so hard at it.

As you will discover in the video, it was heartbreaking, but the time came where I had to choose between my body totally falling apart or re-introducing some animal products back into my diet. You will see that nowhere in the video will I say that vegans need to quit being vegans. I am simply relating the story of what actually happened to MY body after seven years. The link to the playlist (more videos coming very soon) is right here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8l2YoJXkAP2GY8Qk8DyuBPP5zv54JP6

This is a VERY important video for everyone. If you are vegan, you need to realize what could possibly be going on in your body “behind the scenes” without you even knowing it for years. Remember, I was a hard core vegan and advocate. I spoke at many conferences promoting the lifestyle. But I owe it to you and others to be honest. If I see a problem, no matter what my beliefs are or were, I will share it with you. And if you are not vegan, it may give you some information should you ever weigh the possibility of going vegan.

Now I know there are some people that do not want to hear any information if it goes against what they believe or what they are doing. It’s sad but I know that to be true. In the upcoming weeks I am actually going to be sharing MUCH more and a lot of it will include what I discovered “behind the scenes” at many meetings and conferences. I kept my mouth shut for years but I will be revealing things that some would never believe but may want to hear about. So stay tuned.

OK, time to move on. Many of you here as well as on my YouTube channel have asked if I could do a Zoom meeting to share more as well as answer any of your questions in real time. I am seriously considering doing this once I complete episodes #3 and #4 of “My Crazy Health Scare.” So hang in. I will plan this and it will be open to all of my subscribers.

Opening Day at Park City was last week! Yoko and I love it as it’s our “celebration” of winter beginning. I made a little video: https://youtu.be/0UtV7qkkuVQ

Lastly, I have been working on something now for several years and I truly hope I will be able to share it with you by the time the next issue comes out. I can’t say too much more other than I am pretty sure you are going to absolutely LOVE this! Let’s just say it will be something that you will be able to really enjoy as we endure such difficult times. So hang in there! Stay safe.

My Crazy Health Scare

So many of you have been messaging me asking if I am OK and what has been going on with my health, etc. I want to tell you please not to worry. I have been going through a multi-month crazy health scare but I have been working very hard at figuring this all out and I am in the process of returning to normal. Or at least as close to normal as possible. 

It would basically be impossible to describe my crazy health scare in words so I have decided to share EVERYTHING via video. I will share the good, the bad, the ugly, and the TRUTH in a series I am calling “My Crazy Health Scare.” Some people may be upset with what I will be revealing but I need to share what I have experienced and learned. I have no sponsors, advertisers or any agenda other than to tell the truth. 

I will not only describe what I went through, but I will share the FOUR things I changed in my life to get my life back on track. Please bear with me, there is a lot to share and I believe this will help many others prevent similar things from happening to them. 

I will be posting this series in a playlist called “My Crazy Health Scare.” At this point the intro video as well as episode one are up! You can follow along here: 

Please check the playlist often for updates and more videos being added to it. To our health! David

 

I Can’t Breathe

Hello there… lots of great stuff for you today so let’s dive right in!

First of all I want to thank Emma Cooksey for having me as a guest on her podcast “Sleep Apnea Stories.” Emma is a fantastic host and I think this was a great episode. I was able to tell a decent amount of my really crazy story, including some really bad health scares that you would not believe!

At least 25% of the US population has some type of sleep apnea which could lead to very serious health issues if it goes untreated. The scary part is that 80% of the cases go undiagnosed. What this means is that many of you reading this today have sleep apnea and simply do not know it. Here is the link to the show: https://lnns.co/m-c4fXoJ_UN

Secondly, as many of you know, I have been an athlete for most of my life. A 40 year plus runner, skier, backpacker, hiker, and more. I always thought by doing all of these things and “eating right” (that’s a whole ‘nother story I will get into soon), I’d be in great shape forever. Or almost forever!

I could not have been more wrong. There is a crucial thing I really never knew much about and as a matter of fact, most of us do not know much about this. It’s about how to breathe properly. I was basically doing it all wrong. Not just during exercise but ALWAYS!!! I came across a book that I can honestly say is one of the most important books that I have EVER read in my life. It has become my bible!

It’s called “Breath” by James Nestor and I cannot emphasize enough that each and every one of you pick up a copy TODAY. I really mean this. This book will change your life forever and I guarantee it. I am just about finished mine and I have highlighted so much, I plan to go back and re-read it again and again. Here is a link to Amazon where you can get a copy. https://amzn.to/3oyTwbP. I recommend getting a hard copy as opposed to Kindle just because you will want to highlight so much. I know you can highlight on a Kindle but let’s face it, it’s not as easy and not nearly as much fun!

Again, this book will change your life – that is a guarantee from Dr. Dave!

Onward.


The above is actually a pic I took from my morning hike yesterday, which was day 73 of #75HARD. It’s not that I am vain and love taking selfies! One of the things I must do for 75 days is take a progress pic so I can see how I am changing. Back on day one I was in a terrible funk. I had some crazy weird health problems basically all summer long. I made it a point to figure out what’s going on with my body and work on my health every single day. I have a lot to share. I will share a little bit at a time because some of it is mind blowing. I actually found that a diet that I was preaching for so long was slowly killing me. So instead of doing the same thing every single day expecting a different result, I had to change something. And I totally changed my diet. Some people are going to be very surprised, other people are going to be very upset with me. Others may threaten me. But that’s just the way it is.

Also I changed the way I breathe from what I learned in the book I mentioned above. That is making an incredible difference in my life. Again, I will share more as I can. I believe so many people have health issues that stem from some of the things that I had but have no idea. Once I complete day 75 I’m going to start over with a modified program that I am developing. Stay tuned, we can all do the next phase together. Love you all and thank you so much for your support.

“The Turntable” Final Thoughts – Letters From YOU!

I did not plan to make this article three parts. But out of anything I have ever written, it seems as though the turntable has resonated with more of you than anything else. I want to share some great comments I have received from YOU from the first two parts of “The Turntable.” Thanks so much. We can really all re-live our pasts!

David – Great article on The Turntable. Your words really resonated with me. I think you can relate to what I am about to say. When I was younger, my life seemed to be going at a full 78 rpm. Fast. Everything was good… smooth… easy. As I approached my 40’s and was deep into marriage, kids, earning an income, it slowed down to 45 rpm. Now 60, divorced, kind of lonely and getting older. Looking for the right soulmate and due to all of this, my life seems to be spinning at 33 rpm. My goal is to get it back on track. Maybe I will buy a new turntable. Do you think that will help?

Steve A.

Dave:

It may interest you to know that, when you are back in MD, I have a pretty big collection that I will be seriously downsizing… hopefully this year! Right now, they’re mostly in record boxes (I used to work at Record & Tape Collector’s on Coldspring, back in the late 70’s/early 80’s) and some moving boxes. Bottom line, they are packed well and tight, so, despite not having seen the light of day since the first Clinton Administration (not too much of an exaggeration for most of them), they should still be in good shape. At some point I may have a comprehensive catalog, which could come in handy, as I live in the boonies of Southern MD, now (Calvert County, about 20 miles south of Annapolis, on the Western shore of The Bay).

So let me know if you’re interested. Meanwhile, keep the vinyl spinning!

– Bob Landau

Hi Dave

I grew up off Patterson Ave. I’m digging your groove man!
Lenny

David,

Did this really happen? Because I know you pretty well, I was cracking up imagining you stalking this poor woman in the record store. I’m surprised she did not call the cops.

Sylvia Carlin

Dave, I love that Tommy was your first purchase with your new turntable! One of the greatest albums of all time! Europe ’72 by the Grateful Dead was one of my favorites. Must have gone through about 3 copies!
Josh Bernstein, DDS

David, I have four copies of Frampton Comes Alive if you are interested. Maybe you don’t want all four, but can you take just one off my hands? No charge for you. Just pay shipping from UK.

Steven S

David –

Could you please tell me exactly what turntable model you bought? I am itching to get one now and I totally trust you.

Jim Parrish

Dear David,

You understand life. I love what you are doing. What a great attitude. I would pay (almost) anything for you to be my personal coach or mentor. Are you taking clients? Please contact me at (left blank intentionally).

Amy (last name withheld for confidentiality)

Dave,

You brought back so many memories of my childhood with your turntable articles. I hope you are not done. Those were the days, weren’t they?

T.Z.

Dave, I read both articles. My equipment has always been high-end, a trait I passed down to my son, whose own system is in the $250k- plus range. We both still cherish vinyl.

Stan Sirody

Great stuff Dave! My son has my turntable as well as all of my vinyl. Luckily I have visitation rights!

Barry Z

The Turntable – Part 2

Thanks so much for all of your great comments from “The Turntable, part 1!” I never realized how much interest a turntable story would stir up. Or how much a turntable can shape one’s life.

I was facing a dilemma almost as soon as I bought my new turntable! You see, I wanted more vinyl and I wanted it immediately. As I said, I have a bunch of records (probably several hundred) back in Maryland in a dusty old back office. I will get back there as soon as I can to uncover them and bring them to Utah. But for now, I want more albums to play here!

I am not sure if you have priced LPs lately, but when you walk into any store that sells them you are looking at an average of $25-$30 apiece for new. That is not a misprint. And it’s not unusual to see a $35-$50 price tag if it’s pressed on extra heavy vinyl or maybe has some special color to it. Buying four new LPs for more than a hundred dollars? That is a lot of money to me.

I decided to hit up Craigslist to see if anyone was selling used. No real luck. I just missed a guy by a couple of weeks who apparently unloaded an entire collection for $3-$5 per album. Now that would have been sweet! By the time I messaged him he said his only remaining album was Robert Palmer. Maybe good, but I passed on that! I have the one with Sneaking Sally Through the Alley back in Maryland! I can wait.

So the other day after driving back home from the self-serve car wash to clean all of the salt off of my car (I guess why they call it Salt Lake City!), I took a slight detour and headed back to Randy’s Records to see what was available.

Again… a great selection but about the same price point as the other places.I just was not in the mood to drop a hundred bucks. I did not see many used records there, and the ones I did see were either expensive or I was not interested.

I was just about to leave the store feeling a bit defeated, but as I was walking out, a woman about my age was walking in with a large crate of LPs, presumably to sell. In my peripheral vision I could see that the album on top was Ram by Paul McCartney, one of my absolute favorite post Beatles albums!

The woman went right to the counter where the guy working there asked he if she was bringing them in to sell. Kind of a weird question, right? I mean why else would a woman be walking into this store with a crate of used records? I honest can’t think of one.

Anyway the guy took a cursory look at the crate of records and then told the woman that Jim in the back is the specialist and would be the one to determine the pricing. Jim came out of the back area, and started to look at some of the records. Besides Ram, I saw there was some Cat Stevens, Beatles, Allman Brothers, Doobie Brothers, John Lennon, and a lot more great artists. Each time he picked up a record, he gave her a reason why he could only pay a quarter for it. A few he said he may be able to give a dollar.

I was cringing. Because I would have paid her MUCH more that 25 cents for each of those records!!! If only the timing had been different and I would have seen her in the parking lot ten minutes earlier.

Jim then told the woman he was going to take the entire crate into the back and do a full evaluation, which would take about fifteen minutes. This is really high-level stuff I guess.

I was desperately trying to figure out a way to get a hold of those records because I would have paid MUCH more than the record store guy was hinting he’d pay. I did not know what to do.

While she was waiting for Jim to do his stuff, the woman started browsing some of the records in the store. I could tell that she had no interest in any of the records on the shelves. She was simply wasting time while her stack of records was being appraised.

I tried to make eye contact with her but no luck. So I figured I would just approach her and try to speak with her. But every time I followed her to an area of the store where I thought I could speak to her without the guy a the front counter overhearing, she would walk away from me almost like a magnet repelling another. This went on for several minutes.

I felt like a creep. Or a drug dealer. It was weird.

Finally the opportunity came. I cornered her in the back of the store. I threw her to the floor and got her in a strong body hold. No, just kidding. I didn’t do that! But I did approach her and got kind of close. This was VERY weird for me but I figured I had one shot.

I smiled at her and just said “Wow, I wish I would have seen you in the parking lot before you brought that crate of records in. I think we have the exact same taste in music. I would have given you cash!”

She was super nice. She explained how she was moving and she has had this crate of records in her home for many decades! I told her again that I really wanted them. She suggested that we both go up to the guy who was appraising them and tell him that I wanted to buy them. I said NO WAY, don’t do that! That would not work. I’d end up paying inflated retail.

When I was pretty sure that no one was looking, I looked at the woman and said very softly, “I have cash in my pocket. I don’t want to interfere with this transaction, but here’s what we can do. If you feel that Jim does not offer you what you want, just politely decline. Then I will be waiting outside and I will buy the entire crate from you.”

She looked at me and said “Sure. My car is the grey Toyota out front.”

So I waited outside. I spotted her car. Paced up and down the street a bit. I honestly felt like the creepiest of the creeps. Maybe like Robert Kraft feels as he is scoping out his next Asian Massage Parlor.

Ten minutes later, the woman emerges from the store, full crate of records in her arms. I saw her and she saw me. She whispered in my ear something crazy. “They were only willing to pay me $27 for this entire crate of records, so I just told them I was going to give them to my brother instead.”

I told her that I wanted them, but did not want to make the transaction in front of the record store. So we decided to both drive over to a service station on the next block.

She told me her name was Marie. I assured Marie that I am a professional, actually a doc and I do not make a habit of stalking people in record stores. She smiled and said that she is an ex-police officer with Salt Lake City and had a pretty good intuition that I was safe.

Holy SHIT. A “back room” deal with a cop!!!

She opened the back of her car. The crate of records was right there and it was beautiful. I told her that I was not going to look through all of the records. I didn’t care if some were scratched. I just wanted that stack.

As I was looking through I was salivating. Besides the ones I told you about earlier, there were Rolling Stones, Three Dog Night, Jim Croce, Loggins and Messina,

I looked at Marie and point blank asked her how much she wanted for the crate of vinyl records. She said she didn’t know. Knowing that she took a chance on me, I wanted to be generous. Remember, it would cost me about $25 a pop for a new LP just inside the record store. So I opened up my wallet and handed her $70. Marie said that was way too much and kindly gave me back a twenty dollar bill.

“$50 and we have a deal, but I cannot let you have the crate. I really need it for my move,” she said.

I was kidding around with her and replied “So how am I going to carry all of these records without the crate?”

“OK, the crate is yours! Enjoy!”

We exchanged contact information and we have been in touch with each other ever since. Marie changed my life just a little bit on that special day. I will NEVER forget her. I have a new friend in Salt Lake City. And a crate full of albums!  -DMM

The Turntable – Part 1

I am a baby boomer. I grew up in tough times. The 60s were unlike any decade known to man. The Vietnam War, riots, assassinations, hippies, protests, Woodstock, The Beatles, Dylan, drugs, love-ins, and so much more. As turbulent as these times were, one thing was for sure… a lot of great music came out of this era. Fantastic music.

Music became my life at a young age partly because so many other things were bad. I felt lost in high school. I matured much later than most of my classmates (physically and mentally). I still looked like a little kid while the guys were growing facial hair and the girls were growing breasts. Even though I had a few close friends, I didn’t really date much nor did I have any true direction in life. A lot of music and a little bit of weed got me through.

I have vivid memories of sitting on my bed, listening to The White Album on vinyl, staring at and playing with the cover as well as all of the contents. The cracks, pops and hisses were just right. I had a little Zenith “all in one” turntable and speaker system that I had received as a gift for my Bar Mitzvah. It was cheap but I loved it.

When I got my drivers license I would take off on road trips to every record store I could possibly get to. The semi annual EJ Korvettes “all label sale” was the time I seriously added to my collection. I remember buying up so many albums during these sales – I think they were three or four bucks each! “For The Record” at The Reisterstown Road Plaza, Luskins on the big hill, The Music Machine in Pikesville, Record and Tape Traders, Chicks Legendary Records in Mt. Washington… these were my favorite record shops back in my high school days.

That Bar Mitzvah Zenith stereo actually took me through college. At least the first two years when I went to a small school (Randolph-Macon) in Ashland, Virginia. I left R-MC on bad terms after getting caught hitting a full professor with a water balloon thrown from the second floor of Moreland Hall. So I came back home to Maryland and entered UMBC. When I finally saved a little money from being home, I upgraded to a Technics turntable, a Harmon Kardon receiver and Avid speakers. Life was still not great for me but the music sounded better!

I spent decades buying albums. The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Jethro Tull, Sparks, Elvis Costello, The Clash, Stevie Wonder, The Doobie Brothers, Elton John, The Who. I probably had at least four copies of The Beatles White Album. It was my life. It would not have been unusual for me to stare at a single album cover, inside and out, for hours and hours. That showed one of two things: that I had nothing else going on in my life or that I was stoned! Maybe a combination.

Then of course came cassettes, eight track tape and reel to reel. I am not going to talk much about them because a decade or so later this incredible new thing called the CD came out. Digital format was here. Radio stations bragged when they played a song on CD. I was intrigued. We were told that the CD would take over vinyl. CDs would take over the world. I spent my time at The Record Theatre, a huge warehouse type store that opened on Liberty Road just below the Beltway. They sold all the CDs you’d ever want. Yes, it was like a gigantic theatre filled with music! I made weekly trips there as I was replacing most of my favorite albums to CD. They sounded so “perfect.” Almost too perfect. And for a couple of decades that’s what we all listened to.

Enter mp3s and the iPod. I loved it. Thousands of songs at my fingertips. I could take this thing anywhere I went and was able to listen to music on the go. If someone back in college told me this would be possible one day, to have an entire record collection in a pocket device, I would have driven them right to the mental hospital.

Things got even better once music streaming started. Apple Music and Spotify entered my life. I no longer needed to “own” any physical albums or CDs. Everything was online for about ten bucks a month. Attention spans became short when millions of songs were at my fingertips. I mean I could basically listen to ANY song on demand, whenever I wanted to from a little device called an iPhone that I carried everywhere, including the bathroom.

But over the years, even with this great quality and millions of songs available to me, I felt as if something was missing.

My last turntable bit the dust somewhere around the year 2000. I donated it to some lucky individual. Close to twenty years later I started wondering what it would be like to play my vinyl again. I missed the few Bob Dylan albums I had on vinyl. And my Beatles. And Tull. I have most of them stored in a dusty back room of my office back in Maryland. As you know, I am in Utah now.

But two weeks ago something weird happened. I was driving down 900 S in Salt Lake City on my way to The Vertical Diner for some brunch. I passed a place called Randy’s Records. Big sign out front saying “Vinyl Records Since 1976.” I have passed this place a million times. But this time something just drew me in.

Randy’s Records is a fairly small store chock full of vinyl LPs and hipsters. Guys with flannel shirts and beards who likely only know about LP record albums from their parents and grandparents. Kids who now think vinyl is different and cool. I started looking around at all of the records. Many were new and a few were used. I started browsing the shelves. I felt the albums. The smell of the vinyl and the record jackets brought back memories of my past. When I saw The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Wings, Jethro Tull albums, I knew I was onto something. Ziggy Stardust was staring back at me begging me to touch him. John Lennon was asking me to give peace a chance. I actually started reading the cover of Thick as a Brick just as if it was the newspaper from 1972.

Then I saw a sign that said that they sell turntables. Right there I was done. I placed my Southwest Visa card on the counter and asked the guy to please bring me out the Bluetooth Audio-technica turntable for $139. Oh, and please add in the double rock opera album Tommy by The Who for $35. Ziggy Stardust can wait until next time.

I ate a fast brunch. Afterwards I high tailed it back home, ripped the turntable out of the box and had it all set up without reading any directions. I put Tommy on the turntable and something happened. The music came alive. I could not stop staring at the large disc going round and round as the sound was emanating from my Bluetooth powered speakers in the kitchen.

“Tommy Can You Hear Me?”

A single tear dripped down from my left eye.

“Tommy Can You Hear Me?”

I was literally re-living my youth. As good or as bad as it was. -DMM

Going Viral

I used to dream of something of mine going viral. A video I posted to Facebook or YouTube. A clever tweet. A cool pic on Instagram. Actually, dream may not be the best word. Obsess would be more accurate.

To date, nothing of mine has even come close to going viral.

And that’s ok.

I sit back and think, what would have actually changed in my life if a video had gone viral? Probably nothing. It would have been a short, quick high and that’s it.

Even worse, if something went viral, I would likely be searching for that next “high,” and if it did not come, I would sink really low. That sounds more like a virus, right?

These days what I care about is the quality of my life. I am happy. I am healthy. I have enough money to pay my bills and put some food on the table.

I am on Facebook less and less every day. And my life feels better and better. It’s amazing how much time is now freed up for me to do what I want.

At 63, I play a lot more than I work. Much more. I ski several times per week in the winter. I get out and hike or run when I am not skiing. I spend time with the people who I love – those who are important to me.

When the weather warms up I’ll be driving Sarani (our little RV) around and exploring more of this country with my wife and our cat.

I think I can say my life has become “viral.” Not because I have a million followers. I don’t! It’s viral because I am doing exactly what I want as well as helping other people. If I change ONE LIFE from this article, my job is done. Two would be even better!

So here is my advice. Get out and play. Do what you love. Make some money but you don’t have to overdo it. Make only what you really need.

Life is short my friends. Give. Giving is powerful. Sometimes even do it anonymously. Help others. If you live way below your means and you save, invest and give, you will ultimately be wealthy in so many ways.

Now THAT’S viral! -DMM

Six Ways to Be Constantly Improving

A few years ago I decided to do stand-up comedy at a local comedy club. I sat down and carefully wrote a really funny five minute set.

I went on stage. I performed. I sucked.

I mean I REALLY sucked. If the audience could have thrown stuff at me, I think they would have. But I was OK. I went back and did it again. And again!

Then there was the time I remember doing pull-ups on a New York subway. Pull-ups are difficult, especially with a backpack on. I could only do three or four really good pull-ups. People watched. Some people thought it was cool. Others were calling me names. Most ignored me in the end!

Sometimes depending on my mood, I will make conversation with a perfect stranger.

I keep attempting to go a little further outside of my comfort zone. Every day I try to do what I call a “dare of the day.” Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. If they don’t work, I am fine.

How about you? Do you frequently step outside of your comfort zone? Or do you always stay “safe?”

From now on try saying the opinion that is your truth. Don’t worry or care if people will hate it. Be you.

Get scared! At least a little.

Say “yes” to a talk if you are afraid of public speaking.

Contact the person you lost touch with.

Ask out your secret crush. (Unless you are married!)

Do some pull-ups or push-ups in a public place! Or a yoga pose!

Or how about THIS: next time you buy a coffee, ask for 10% off. Don’t give a reason. Just look the clerk in the eyes, ask and wait for the response.

Think of some other small ways to push the boundaries of comfort! Tell me. Give me some “dares of the day.” Maybe I’ll publish them! If they are great, maybe I’ll try them!

This, plus what’s in the image below, is how I improve myself every day.

I feel very blessed to be who I am. It’s hard work to step out of your comfort zone. It’s painful. It’s suffering. But it’s worth it. Trust me, it’s worth it. -DMM

 

We’re All on the Same Team!

How often do you encounter a jerk in a restaurant? On a plane? On the road? They’re all over!

You know exactly what I mean. Someone who is rude, talking way too loud, being an a-hole, disrespectful, or just generally rubbing you the wrong way.

Let’s face it. It happens. Maybe it happens more to me because I am so sensitive. I suck up energy from others, whether it’s good or bad. I really believe I am an empath. Look that up if you do not know what it is. But I digress.

A powerful thought hit me a while back, which got me thinking more about this topic. I realized that in case of any emergency, whether it would be something that happened to me personally, someone else, or a general disaster that affected many people, most of us would come to the aid of our fellow human beings.

For example, if I had a stroke in a restaurant (God-forbid), that loudmouth at the next table may very well be medically trained to help me. And if he was not medically trained, at the very least he would be likely to call 911 or assist in some way until the EMTs showed up.

The guy who used to piss me off leaning his chair back into my lap on the plane would likely help his fellow passengers if there were some type of emergency that took place. He could be a great guy but maybe he just likes to lean back!

And I know for sure if there were some type of natural or unnatural disaster (flood, fire, attack, etc.) we would ALL help each other out any way we could.

Now I have learned to be much more tolerant towards other people. Sure, it’s pretty annoying when the woman at the next table in the Thai restaurant has such a loud piercing voice that I can’t even hear my own wife speaking (thus we have to resort to texting), but she would probably be there to help Yoko (my wife) if she was choking on some food. (This just happened last night but thankfully Yoko was not choking!)

So let’s keep one thing in mind. Sure, we may get distracted with annoying people, or at least people who we feel are annoying, but in the end, we are all on the same team. When we remember this, it puts a whole new perspective on how we feel about our fellow human beings. -DMM

Don’t Outsource Your Happiness

I hate thinking about stocks. I used to outsource my happiness to the moves of the stock market. When the market was up, I was on a high. When it skyrocketed, it was a tremendous high. But when it was down, I was miserable. It was like a very powerful drug. Sometimes in the same day I would be up and down and up and down.

It actually got so bad, I decided this past fall (when the market started to tumble) that enough is enough. I knew in my heart that it makes no difference what the market does on a daily, monthly, or even yearly basis if I am in it for the long haul.

And I am.

So a few months ago I made a deal with myself that I would not check anything until the year ended. And I have stuck to this pretty well. Now I will likely check my investments on a quarterly basis at most. As long as I have my regular cash flow to live on, it makes no difference what the market is doing! This will give me tremendous peace of mind. I am actually feeling a LOT better already!

Is there anything that changes YOUR mood easily? I am betting there is. Here are a few possibilities (tell me if you relate to any of them): An argument with someone, your weight, your car breaking down, the news, politics, a coworker, Facebook, Instagram, debt, the weather, a memory, your hair. I am sure there are tons more.

My suggestion is to be in control of your happiness. We cannot control many of the things above, but try your absolute BEST not to let these outside interferences affect your actual happiness. I removed the stock market from my daily routine. It has seriously helped me. What will YOU remove? -DMM