Michael’s Gratitude Story: Coming Back to Self
Stepping away from the noise of the world to find the treasure within
Looking back at his life, Michael finally understands how the complex pieces of his past fit together. For the first three decades, he was disconnected from himself, searching for meaning but treating life like a business transaction. He defined himself through his career, his money, and the applause he received from acting on stage. He thought giving meant receiving payment or recognition, and this deeply misled his view of life. His inner self always wanted to speak to him, but he didn't listen. His lost soul craved external validation, and he constantly tried to behave exactly how the outside world told him to in order to reach his goals.
About six years ago, everything began to change. Right around the start of the Covid pandemic, Michael truly started to question his existence, dependencies, future, and past. His old life felt wrong, as if he were wearing clothes that were itching his entire body, and he knew he simply had to get rid of them. He entered therapy for about four years and made major decisions to change his entire being. He quit smoking, became vegan, stopped drinking alcohol, and severely limited his television consumption.
Around 2022, Michael began exploring spiritual practices, consuming every book, guide, and YouTube channel he could find. This is when he discovered the Gratitude app, which has remained an important part of his daily routine ever since. He developed strict habits, spending one or two hours every morning practicing meditation, yoga, and inner work. Through the app, he journaled daily, eventually logging over 1,500 entries. He also created 22 personal affirmations that he played over 1,000 times, alongside a vision board he viewed constantly. This consistency stabilized the new man he had created.
"At first, gratitude felt like a foreign language, but the more I practiced it, the more it changed my subconscious and my view of the world."
~ Michael
During this period, Michael became increasingly aware of the different inner voices, fears, and emotional patterns that shaped his decisions. He confronted them through writing, which became an intuitive way to process his journey. He found that through this reflection, he could finally decide whether to respond to fear, anger, or his inner child, rather than letting them dictate his actions. He wrote his first book in February 2023, a second in December 2023, and a third in August 2024.
In 2024, Michael reached a breaking point that led to a major personal reset. Recognizing that his current path was disconnected from his true self, he made the incredibly difficult decision to step away from his established life, relationship, and career. This became a deeply personal way to navigate his thoughts. It is not a path he romanticizes, and he certainly doesn't present it as a universal answer for others. He sold everything he had, kept only his van, and went on a journey of deep introspection for 15 months. He dove into studying hermetics, astrology, numerology, human design, tantra, and Jungian psychology. He realized his past life wasn't truly his, feeling it had been heavily influenced by the expectations of society and his surroundings.
"I faced my dragons, confronted my inner demons, and realized the only treasure I have has always been with me."
~ Michael
He channeled this personal journey into a series of books he wrote. His writing helped him understand that the massive treasure people often seek in the outside world is actually hidden within themselves.
The journey was incredibly hard, and after facing his fears, Michael went through a phase of severe physical and mental exhaustion as his body integrated this massive change. Now, he has done the inner work, but he is currently figuring things out to build a foundation in the real world. He lives at his mother's home and is navigating how to build the coaching business he started in May of the previous year.
If measured by common worldly standards, one might say Michael has nothing in his bare hands. But he is not disillusioned. He feels like the happiest and richest person in the world. He is an artist and a teacher with a vision. He dreams of creating a peaceful sanctuary in Italy with a restaurant and a farm, a place where people and animals can live in peace, and where he can coach and help others voluntarily.
Through practicing gratitude, Michael learned to accept the duality of life, recognizing that there is always something good in a bad thing, and something bad in a good thing. It was a heavy, intense, and painful journey, but Michael would do it all again.
"My life has never felt so true, authentic, real, and full. Peace is not something you can fight for or buy. If you want peace, you have to be peaceful. Everything you want to learn from life is already inside you if you just sit in silence, trust yourself fundamentally, and wait."
~ Michael
This is Michael’s story, told beautifully by him and curated in its truest form by me to share with you.
I would love to hear your story. Write to me at [email protected] ✨
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