Welcome to the Join Up Dots business coaching podcast with Michael Dash
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Introducing Michael Dash
Today’s guest joining us on the show is Michael Dash, a man with a desire to throw himself into work and life to such a degree it almost brought an early end to his journey.
He is an entrepreneur, business owner, author, speaker, coach, and philanthropist. #
He has had a collection of unique experiences from “chasing the high” with his prior gambling addiction to overcoming adversity when his business partner conspired against him.
He now has put this roller-coaster of a life into a new book interesting enough called “Chasing the High“.
Covering adversity through the entrepreneurial journey, he talks about his never ending pursuit of “chasing the high”, how he overcame his battle with addiction as well as legal battles with business partners who have literally tried to destroy him and his reputation and business.
How The Dots Joined Up For Michael
Throughout the book, he focuses on sharing his tips for battling adversity, how the smallest action can create the biggest result, and how uncovering a different way to think and approach life’s challenges can turn your entire attitude into a much healthier, grateful way to live.
If you want to feel inspired to live your best life professionally and personally, “Chasing the High” is the book for you.
As he say “My story resonates with entrepreneurs and professionals in the figurative ‘trenches.’
My mission is to use my difficulties and eventual rise to inspire them to find balance while building for success.”
So was he always on this path to self destruction and ultimate redemption or was their a defining moment that changed his life forever?
And now with hindsight being a marvellous thing, can he see others following a similar path long before they can themselves?
Well let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr Michael Dash
Show Highlights
During the show we talked about such weighty subjects with Michael Dash such as:
Why Michael sees a huge challenge in the way that the world operates at such a high speed nowadays. People are always looking for the next stimulation.
We discuss the thrill that Michael felt placing a bet, never dependent on the result of the bet in any shape or form.
When Michael was in the legal battle he was hooked on Adril, a powerful drug that causes lots of issues across America.
and lastly……………
Why people really don’t care anymore in life, no matter how close they are to you. You are more likely to gain support from complete strangers
Books By Michael Dash
How To Connect With Michael Dash
Return To The Top Of Michael Dash
You can also check our extensive podcast archive by clicking here – enjoy
Audio Transcription Of Michael Dash Interview
Intro [0:00]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling. Join Up Dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK, David Ralph.
David Ralph [0:25]
Yes, good afternoon. Well, good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in to Join Up Dots. I know you’ve got a lot of other podcasts out there that you can listen to. So the fact that you keep them coming back to ours in such high numbers, I really, really appreciate it. Well, today’s guest on the show is a man with a desire to prove himself into work and live to such a degree. It almost bought an early into his journey. He’s an entrepreneur, a business owner and author, speaker coach and a philanthropist. He has had a collection of unique experiences from as he calls it, chasing the high with his prior gambling addiction to over coming adversity when his business partner conspired against him. He’s now put this roller coaster of a life into a new book. Interestingly enough called chasing the high covering adversity through the entrepreneurial journey, he talks about his never ending pursuit of guests while chasing the high how we overcome his battle with addiction as well as legal battles with business partners, who have literally tried to destroy him and his reputation and business. And throughout the book, he focuses on sharing these tips for battling adversity, how the smallest action can create the biggest result, and how uncovering a different way to think and approach life’s challenges can turn your entire attitude into a much healthier, grateful way to live. Now, if you want to feel inspired to live your best life professionally and personally, personally, he is the man for you. As he says my storey resonates with entrepreneurs and professionals in the figurative trenches. My mission now is to use my difficulties and eventually rise to inspire them to find balance was building the success. So it was the only on the path to self destruction and ultimate redemption, or was there a defining moment that changed his life forever? And now with hindsight being a marvellous thing, can he see others following a similar path long before they can see it themselves? Well, let’s find out as we bring on to the show to start Join Up Dots with the one and only Mr. Michael Dash. Good morning, Michael, how are you?
Michael Dash [2:24]
Wow, David, that was an amazing introduction. And after a year in the making, I am super, super excited to be with you. It
David Ralph [2:33]
has been a long time I’ll be honest with your name has been floating around my world. And even to about five minutes ago, I was thinking that adversity was going to stop it in its tracks. But we’re going to get through this Michael, when we overcome adversity
Michael Dash [2:48]
and two heads are better than one. So let’s do it. Let’s do
David Ralph [2:51]
it. So chasing the high, you’ve got a storey of roller coaster? Are you bored with telling it now? Is it somebody that’s become such your keynote storey but you think Oh, here we go again? Are you still finding the enjoyment in expressing the journey you’ve been on?
Michael Dash [3:09]
Now I find enjoyment out of expressing the journey. But more importantly, it’s about really impact and giving people a different way to think about approaching the challenges that they that come their way, both in entrepreneurship and just in our own mindset and battling. You know, the negative voices in our heads, we all have them, you know, and it’s always a challenge for us in different times throughout our lives.
David Ralph [3:35]
Now, you are a young man, we were all young men at one stage. You’re not so young. Now, as I’m not we’re moving into, into whatever age you’d like to class yourself by? And did you need the experience to get to who you are? Was it the bad doctor that became the white dots in your journey?
Michael Dash [3:54]
I’m a slow learner. So yes, I needed the experience I needed make the mistakes I needed to make the emotional decisions that I only learned later impacted me so negatively, because at the end of the day, when your emotions are high, and you’re making important decisions in your life, it’s probably one of the worst point. So worst times to make decisions of any magnitude. So you know, learning lessons just like that, and how to how to, you know, bring my heart rate down, and how to take deep breaths, how to compose myself meditate for 10 minutes. So I can get my mindset back to a normal way of thinking before I make important decisions. That’s just one of the many lessons that I learned but one that I take with me forever. Is it
David Ralph [4:47]
because I was talking to my kids the other day, and I was saying, I think life is too fast. And I said I don’t know, Dad, you’re just you’re just out of touch. And I said no, you can’t tell me for the same reasons as you just said. But you’re going to be making good decisions, solid decisions. When your brain is half interacting with stuff online. on phones, you kind of talk to me, but you’re not really listening. I think life is too fast. What do you think with a name like dash? Do you feel the same?
Michael Dash [5:17]
Haha, I don’t know if it has anything to do with my name. You know, it is challenging to get people to focus. I mean, even myself, you know, I’ve had a DD throughout my life. But now there’s so many distractions out there, that if you do not continually train your brain, then it’s going to be challenging to make these important imperative decisions at your peak. So no, I completely agree with that. And, you know, I that’s why I feel like it’s important to have strong habits in your life, so that when those important times do come up, you have a core set of beliefs and routine to simply partaking in so that you can make decisions at your optimal best.
David Ralph [6:07]
Now let’s take you back because obviously your journeys fascinating in so many ways. Now, I am not a gambler, I would much rather not lose what I’ve got being gain. And through that journey that you was on? Did you start on it? Because you needed the money and it was a quick way to get the money? Or did you look for the buzz,
Michael Dash [6:29]
it actually had nothing to do with the money I was in it for the rush. It really pumped my adrenaline up. And I was always a risk taker. So for me, it was completely the thrill of the bat. And I really got my high from that in placing the wager not in winning or losing, which is interesting. So just being able to call a bookie up and place, good say $1,000 or $500 on a football game. That was the exhilaration of it, then I would watch the game for three hours or three and a half hours or whatever. But I really got the exhilaration in placing that bet and going to the casino in moving the chips up in front of my cards, like in going to the horse track and placing that back with the attendee there for what horses I wanted to bet on. That was really the fix for me. It was less about winning and losing and more about placing the bets.
David Ralph [7:36]
So it was a decision, it was the decision you liked more than anything.
Michael Dash [7:40]
It was just that thrill. It was really the thrill. It’s hard to explain. But if you take a drug, it’s similar to that. It’s, you know, the excitement of doing that drug. And then you do the drug. And at least for me, it wasn’t really the doing of the drug. It was like almost the anticipation, the build up, and then the first maybe hit of the drug. But then after that I didn’t really enjoy it that much. It was the same with gambling for me.
David Ralph [8:14]
Yeah, but but as I say with the decision, that the fact that you were mentally looking at your options, you was deliberating which is the best way to do you’ve then got to a point where you decided and being you was firming your conviction enough to go thousand dollars bang on there. Now that is that is strong conviction to be able to do that that is a firm, definitive decision that you’re making, whether the result result come your way or not. That seems to me to be the real drug, the actual decision making process.
Michael Dash [8:50]
Yeah, I suppose that that’s part of it. I think I was in such a daze mentally, even though what you just described this accurate. And there was thought and decisive action that took place, I was still in a fog of the the whole disease because it wasn’t like just one bad I would make, I would be making multiple bets, like all day long. So there’s multiple decision after decision after decision all day long. And it was really the making of those bets that really exhilarated me. So I
David Ralph [9:28]
said, Well, what was the biggest you put down? And what was the biggest that you ended up chasing? Because in my view of gambling and betting, there always comes a time when you’re going to be chasing your losses?
Michael Dash [9:41]
Yeah, I completely agree that the you know, gambling is set up not not for not for us, it’s set up. So the casinos make more money. So they build bigger casinos. So they have bigger Shan the leaders. So the air conditioning is pumped even lower. So the lights are even flashier. And so we don’t leave. And that’s why casinos continue to pop up everywhere, especially here in the States, where gambling is now completely legalised basically, in almost all the states, and you could do it anywhere, you could just pop open your computer, and you can legally gamble. So I completely agree with you there in terms of, you know, wins losses, dollar amounts, it was really less about the dollar amount, and more about the actual gambling and wanting to just do it all the time. You know, I don’t recall specifically, the largest amount I ever gambled on something, but I’ve lost I mean, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars gambling, that’s without a doubt,
David Ralph [10:52]
I find that fascinating. I think I would know every penny and certainly, maybe it’s just the way I’m wired. You know, I like losing five pounds, let alone 500 pounds, I would know to the penny, what was the figure that I was losing?
Michael Dash [11:07]
Yeah, and there are gamblers like that. But you know, we’re all built differently. And for me, it wasn’t really about it so much. For me, it was my poor relationship with money, and my adversarial relationship with money over the years, that led me to be careless with it and not really keep track of what you’re precisely talking about. So I never kept track of it, because I just had a careless relationship with money. I mean, I always I was very good in sales. Growing up, you know, I was selling since I’ve been 10 years old. And I was always able to kind of be in the top 5% of any group of people who were selling whatever we were selling. So I was always making good money. So it was good money coming in, good money going out. And I really didn’t keep track of it the way I should have. And I didn’t care about money the way I do now.
David Ralph [12:03]
Right? So with an addictive personality is often seen, but it’s not just one addiction, you could be addicted to food, you could be addicted to sex, you could be addicted to shopping. You know, there’s five or six major food groups of addictions. Did you ever go into the others? Did you start dabbling on drugs while you was on the gambling? Or will you just focus on that one,
Michael Dash [12:27]
unfortunately, I was cross addicted
all the way through my teens. And but what I would really say is it really got bad in college, when I started discovering a lot of drugs. So the gambling at some point wasn’t getting me high enough, it wasn’t enough for me. And that’s really where I got into cocaine. And cocaine gave me that extra high that I needed. So I would mix gambling and cocaine a lot, especially like actually see knows and there’d be alcohol involved. Although I’ve never really been that big of a drinker, it would you know, since you’re at the casino, they’re shoving drinks right in front of you, I would have a few. But I would really be doing cocaine, I would be staying up all night sitting at the blackjack table gambling. And, you know, I could tell you a terrible storey that I remember vividly of how bad it got for me, it was in Atlantic City sitting at the blackjack table. And I was doing cocaine, obviously without them knowing. And I was drinking and it was I don’t know, four or five in the morning. And I felt sick. And I didn’t want to go back up to my room. Because I was in the middle of gambling on two hands on blackjack and all this stuff. So I excuse myself, and I went to the bathroom there. And before I could even get to the bathroom, I threw up in my shirt. And I went into the bathroom, clean the shirt off, turned it inside out, put the shirt back on and went back out to the blackjack table and continued gambling. And that’s how sick I was
David Ralph [14:04]
now that that that really is horrendous to me. I couldn’t imagine being in that state of wanting to do that. That’s just, you know, most people, if not all people would generally go and get a new shirt.
Michael Dash [14:19]
Yeah, unless you’re sick. And I was and there are several. And when you’re in the disease as as you know, deep as I was, then things like that are almost normal.
David Ralph [14:33]
Well, okay, so let’s put it on a positive spin, because that’s what we like to do in Join Up Dots. So you obviously have got better and has this been something that you’ve gone into rehab and you’ve had sort of official help or have you been able to do this by your own strong will.
Michael Dash [14:52]
So I didn’t never went to rehab. However, I did go to gamblers anonymous, and that programme helps save my life. I’ve been 14 from gambling as of a month ago, and I released my book chasing the high the same week I celebrated my 14 with gambling so that that was the anonymous programme really resonated and worked with me when it came to that to drugs. However, I tried to go to Narcotics Anonymous and it did not resonate with me. It’s a similar programme, but different in the same sense. And the drugs themselves I actually with cocaine, I was in New York City and a friend of mine, I was out with at a club, he got into a discussion with some stranger, I went to break it up, and I got hit from the side and it ended up breaking my nose. So I needed to have my nose redone. When they handed me the bill, it was like $10,000 for the reconstructive surgery. And from that day on, I promised I would never put anything up this hour knows again. And that’s how I quit Okay, just cold turkey.
David Ralph [16:04]
Yeah, cuz I I don’t like that bit when you’re in a swimming pool. And the water goes up your nose and it all stings. So I I would like to put anything up my nose.
Michael Dash [16:14]
Yeah, well, it took an incident like that. And for me to, for me to stop with the cocaine, and which, which I’m grateful for it. So, you know, later in life, once I started my business once I was in New York City for a lot of this. And once I started my business in Salt Lake City, Utah, that’s when I discovered at a role in that kind of took me on a an entirely different journey, where I was popping Adderall every single day. And I said it was for my a DD but it really couldn’t, it really took control of my emotional state when I was managing my employees, my company and everything involved,
David Ralph [16:57]
I find the astonishing with you that you can keep it together to such a degree that you can still operate. And I suppose so many addictive personalities out there today. Do that they go in, they do the work, and the employees haven’t got a clue.
Michael Dash [17:15]
And and most friends don’t have a clue. And a lot of family don’t have a clue either, you know, we are as sick as our secrets. And that that was me, I hid all of this from everybody. And a lot of people go, you look
David Ralph [17:29]
very, very happy. Now, I’ve seen pictures of you, you look delighted you just look cheerful. You just look like you’re having the best time of your life. Does it feel that way? Now, Michael?
Michael Dash [17:40]
I would say for the majority of the part, absolutely. But there are certainly you know, there’s certainly challenges. I mean, I sold my business over 11 years in June. So I am reinventing myself so to speak in terms of like a trying to be a che influence of change a positive have influence on other entrepreneurs and business leaders who might be going through addictive times in their life or compulsive behaviour problems that’s really holding them back from being the leader and family member they want to be. So you know, my whole goal in writing this book in starting my programme is to positively affect you know, these other business leaders, entrepreneurs, solo printers, whatever it may be, because I can relate to them most. And there, you know, everybody should have someone to work with, to mentor to a, you know, kind of be comrades in battle, because at the end of the day, that’s what it always out there. We’re in a, we’re in a battle to be healthy for ourselves and keep the negative voices outside of our realm.
David Ralph [18:54]
So you’ve had a sort of that that was personal addiction that sort of bought you you nice and allowed you to fight back. But of course, on the professional sense, I know that you had a six year lawsuit and spent over a million pound in legal fees due to a difficult situation occurred with a business partner. did one stop and the other one join up? Or was it old at the same time?
Michael Dash [19:21]
Yes. So the legal matter was after my gambling and cocaine days, but it was right in the middle of my Adderall days and the Adderall? You know, I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Adderall or what the you know. Okay. So, Adderall is a huge problem in the US. And it’s basically assigned to people who have attention deficit disorder, or ADHD. Are you familiar with these terms? Yes, I am. Absolutely. Okay, great. So another drug would be Ritalin. You know, again, I’m not sure how drugs transfer between the US and the UK. But Ritalin and Adderall are similar, they’re uppers, but they are supposed to focus. So they’re assigned, as you know, they’re prescribed I should say, to kids to little kids are prescribed this at 10 years old, all the way up through, you know, whatever, your 60s 70s. And it can be a very lethal, lethal drug, it’s basically Adderall is basically cocaine in the pill. That’s how I equated to. And, you know, you would feel amazing when you took it. And it’s legal, and it’s prescribed, but it’s over prescribed, and it’s very easy to get a prescription to it. And it really hits your emotional state. So when you’re really high, when things are going great, you feel like you can take over the world, when you are low, you feel like the smallest human being on the planet. So when I was in this legal matter, the Adderall was pumping through my veins, and it was definitely affecting my emotional state. So I would make a lot of emotional decisions in the set. And I was getting advice from my father at the time, who was an entrepreneur himself. But another lesson I learned is probably not the best person to get advice from, because they’re your father or your parent. And they’re, they’re coming from a place of protection, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best thing for you from a business standpoint. So I was getting caught up a little bit in my father’s emotion, which then led to my emotion, which was like, you don’t let somebody screw with you like this. And so that was a lot of my reaction throughout the legal matter. And I take responsibility for my part in it. You know, it could have gone differently. I wish it did, but it didn’t. So I take the lessons from that, that I learned and there were valuable ones.
David Ralph [22:07]
So I said, what were the lessons that you’ve learned along the way here,
Michael Dash [22:10]
to look at things from a macro perspective to take a couple steps back and not be so focused on the emotional state of the one on one issue, but take a step back? And how it would affect the business? For instance? How will it affect you personally? Does anybody really care, including yourself when you’re dead and buried if you won or lost this lawsuit, or No, nobody cared. But it took me like five and a half years to get to that point of even asking myself these questions
David Ralph [22:45]
is interesting what you save it, because I have discovered many times over the last few years, but ultimately, people don’t care. They save a care, they will say they care after the event, they will say many different things actually, can LinkedIn action, the ability to actually support you when you need it, it doesn’t come very often does it?
Michael Dash [23:09]
I completely agree with that. I will say throughout my trial, however, I was very fortunate. I had several friends going to Utah, where I was living at the time, and came to court to show support. That was very meaningful to me. In general, though, people don’t care. I mean, they have a lot going on in their own lives. And they’re distracted very easily as we talked to before, as I’m distracted easily. With everything going on with social media, with technology, with just every all the options that there are out there these days, human connexion is seem to dwindle down a lot. And even though they say they care at the end of the day, there’s very few people who are there when you need them. Yeah,
David Ralph [23:58]
I agree. I went through a situation that there was a guy I used to work with. And he had a white roller coaster. And I was always there for him supporting him. And I’d go and meet him and you know, try to help him out. And then I went through a similar situation. And a little bit later, he said to me, oh, yeah, I heard about that. I was worried. And I thought you were worried. And that’s all you did. You know, I and I know, it’s not a like a quid pro quo thing. But it really hit me in the stomach, where I had spent so much time supporting him on these ups and downs. And the one time it was just, I’m worried. But I suppose that’s how life is more often than not. And then you find the complete strangers that you don’t expect, turn up to be like guardian angels.
Michael Dash [24:44]
100%, I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s like I equated to when I do fundraising. You know, I do a lot of philanthropy work. And when I’m fundraising, originally, when I’m starting out in my mind, I’m like, Oh, I can count on AB and C, because they’re close friends of mine. But then all the sudden, when it really comes down to it, A, B and C usually aren’t there. And it’s these strangers that you talked about people you come in contact with you meet along the way. They’re the ones who end up coming through for you more than anything.
David Ralph [25:19]
It is it a case because I know that’s almost religious, that concept, this guardian angel, but but do you kind of believe that there is a not a sort of life force. But there is something that we can’t quite grasp, but is creating your storey as you go along?
Michael Dash [25:36]
I do. I believe there’s a, I believe in God, I believe there’s a higher power and it’s God beyond that. I don’t put too much into it. That’s just me personally. But I do believe in following your intuitive guide and that place and surround you with the right people. And if you’re doing positive things, then that law of attraction will kick in, and positive things will happen to you. Yeah, I agree. I agree with that. Totally. I’m not religious at all. I don’t know if I’m agnostic or atheist. It’s just not my my game at all. But I do believe that the more you put value out in the world, in a real positive, high vibration, you may not get your rewards straight off. But ultimately, the rewards will come to you. I think that’s an absolute given. couldn’t agree with you more.
David Ralph [26:30]
So let’s take it back to the chasing the higher, not the actual stuff that led into the book. But the process of writing the book, was it quite cathartic going back and digging it all up and putting it on the page? It was I basically, it was a year plus journey in doing this. And I really, the way I went about writing the book, I partnered with a self publishing a company called scribe media.
Michael Dash [27:01]
And basically, they interview they do a series of interviews for like two hours. And so you’re speaking your storey. So it’s a lot easier just for me, in general, for anybody out there who’s thinking about writing a book, you know, they could do the same approach. For me, in general, it’s easier for me to speak about something and then write it versus just trying to write it from memory. So it was very cathartic, going through some of the storeys and going back in time and speaking about some of the events and what led me to make some of the decisions I did, and then being able to transcribe and kind of rewrite it a little bit and put the formatting together. So that was very cathartic to me. But at the same time, it was a little painful in the sense of, wow, I can see clearly now, why couldn’t I see back then? And
David Ralph [27:54]
because I’m jumping in there, you can’t you can’t see anything. It’s like your own business this, somebody will walk into your business and go, Michael, why aren’t you doing this? Why aren’t you doing that? You’ll be able to walk into their business, and you’ll be able to see it, you just can’t see your own stuff, can you?
Michael Dash [28:09]
Yeah, it’s a very good point. And what I noticed through that is, you know, if you’re not surrounding yourself with the right people, if you’re not, you know, hanging out at the right places and doing the right things, then you’re never going to be able to see from, you know, a Mac, I keep using that term. But from a macro standpoint, you’re never going to be able to look down on yourself, look down into your business, look at your behaviour traits, if you’re not surrounding yourself in that type of environment, where you have that type of thought process, and I just didn’t have that type of thought process back then. I was so consumed with finding the next high and the next adrenaline rush, and the next thrill, and the next business deal. And the next legal briefing. And the next, you know, invoice paid that when I get out of my own way for majority of it.
David Ralph [29:03]
Now, one of the things that I am always interested in is and I’ve never taken any drugs at all, not even I’ve never even taken a puff of a cigarette, it’s just not my thing at all.
Michael Dash [29:13]
And for you.
David Ralph [29:14]
Well, I’m quite proud of that. But I’ve been in a peer group that is not part of my game, you know, he’s just not around me. But I hear storeys now where people are taking cocaine, which is like half rat poison and half cement and and just terrible stuff. What why would people just do that? Why would people take that chance that this is the thing I can’t understand, but you don’t know actually what you’re putting in your body?
Michael Dash [29:43]
A lot of people are looking for, number one are risk takers, right? So there’s an element of that they’re looking for a high, they’re looking for an escape, they’re overwhelmed with the trouble in their life, they’re overwhelmed with the amount of responsibility they have. They just want a few hours to forget about all of it.
David Ralph [30:06]
Yeah, but if I said to you, right, okay, you’re gonna, you might have a good time. But effectively, you’re going to put rat poison in your body. I think most people, even if somebody’s looking for a high would think twice about that, surely,
Michael Dash [30:20]
well, yeah. But nobody is sitting there saying that to anybody.
David Ralph [30:24]
But we all know we see it. But
Michael Dash [30:27]
but but it’s it’s not a reality when you’re at a party, and there’s booze all around everybody’s great time. And then they put up a line of cocaine on the table. You know, nobody sitting there and saying, hey, wait, wait, there might be rat poison in this, you know, that’s not a reality of the situation of when these drugs are taken. So yes, in theory, if you and I were sitting on a table, and there was a line of cocaine there, and we had that discussion, then nobody will do the line of cocaine. Right. But that’s not the reality of when these drugs are taken. And that’s not the state of mind people are in when they’re taking it.
David Ralph [31:04]
So somebody said we’ll peer pressure kind of thing is they appear not pressure, peer pressure kind of thing.
Michael Dash [31:09]
Yeah, not peer pressure. I mean, there certainly are, there is elements of peer pressure involved. But I think it’s definitely pure pleasure, absolutely. More than anything fear of missing out, you know, that type of that type of thing, and exploration and just wanting to be rebellious. You know, when you grow up as a kid, we all like to do things that our parents tell us not to, they could be as innocent as you know, when we’re five years old, you know, going and playing in the mud. And our parents don’t want the mud in the house. Or it can be more serious when you’re, you know, 1718, and your parents don’t tell you to do drugs, and you go out and do drugs. So there’s always that rebellious factor involved as well.
David Ralph [31:52]
It’s interesting, the addiction because I am extremely addicted in the in the form of willpower, if I decide that I’m not going to do something, I’m going to do something, I do it. And my wife always says, You know, I don’t know how you managed to do that. I just decide on it. And I go for it. And but that’s sort of the negative side of it addiction, no matter how you look at it. There are positives, isn’t there? There, there are positives, you have a better person because of what you’ve been through. You’re better businessman because of what you’ve been through, you’re better everything I would have said,
Michael Dash [32:26]
Well, yeah. And to your point, my addictive personality allowed me to run for marathons and five years. Yeah, mine too. I’m running a marathon 26.2. I mean, most people don’t do that. And I put my mind to it, I said I’m doing it, and I stuck with it. And then I became addicted to it and ran through. So and it’s the same thing in 2016. When I said I want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, I put my mind to it, I said, I’m going to do it, I did some training for it, and I did it. So you can use that same chromosome song in a positive way. Or you can use it in a negative way. Or you can use it in both. And I chose to use it in both. But I learned the lessons from the negative behaviours, I came out of those negative behaviours, and I’m channelling it all now to have positive impact. I think that’s the most important thing.
David Ralph [33:20]
And on it any elements of the high that you miss?
Michael Dash [33:23]
there? Sure, surely there are elements of the high. I mean, I think the challenges in this life, it’s about living in the four fives and sixes, on a scale of one if you have a scale of one to 10, right, with one being the lowest of lows, and 10 being the highest of highs living in the four or five and six is where most of us live our lives. So it’s a matter of being able to really lean into that to find activities that allow you to appreciate those four fives and sixes to not like veer off, because it’s never as good as it seems. And it’s never as bad as it seems. That’s what I used to tell everybody in my own business in the staffing business, because there’s a lot of ups and downs. And that’s what I would tell everybody in life, you know, you’re never going to be at a 10 all the time. And you’re never going to be at a one all of the time. So it’s about working your way through those, those those high times and those low times and really be able to sink in to that those middle zones where you can really enjoy life.
David Ralph [34:35]
Yeah, well said Well said, well, let’s listen to the words now of a man who certainly did enjoy life. But unfortunately, it was taken away from him, Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs [34:44]
Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [35:19]
Now I love those words. I listened to them every single day. And sometimes they just float over me sometimes just bit like when I close my eyes and really listen to them. And what he’s really saying is, it doesn’t matter what you do, it doesn’t matter your mistakes. It doesn’t matter. Your your thought process. But what does matter is you’ve got to do something good or bad. You’ve got to do something to make the life Don’t you?
Michael Dash [35:44]
Absolutely. And I think that was amazing that he recorded that for this show before he passed. That was very nice of Steve anguish. Yeah, amazing. Those words do resonate, though. And, you know, for me, looking back, it’s all about the fact that I feel like I was put here for a reason now. And my reason is to connect those dots of why I did what I did, and what I learned from it, and teach others that they don’t have to go through that same path that they don’t have to go through that same agony that they don’t have to go through those same challenges that I created on my own, I don’t want anybody to feel bad for me, because the mistakes I made in my life were my mistakes, I own them. And I think that’s a big part of it as well. And, you know, I know there are better ways to go about life and to go about the obstacles we have and the challenges we have. Versus besides excuse me running out for a few hours of never escape that might be there are better ways or healthier ways you’re strong habits in your life is a big one, surrounding yourself with the right people in the right tribes in the right community is another huge one. And really exploring your power of curiosity, trying new activities that will resonate with you that are healthy, and continuing to refine your your habits along the way can really keep you on a positive track.
David Ralph [37:23]
powerful stuff for everyone out there listening. Well, we could keep this conversation going in many different directions. But we’ve LED and seamlessly to the part that we called a sermon on the mic when we’re going to send you back in time to have a one on one with your younger self. And if you could speak to the young Michael, what age would you choose? And what advice would you love to give him? Well, we’re going to find out because I’m going to play the theme. And when it fades you up, this is the Sermon on the mic.
Unknown Speaker [37:56]
Here we go with the best beer.
Michael Dash [38:15]
Wow, that was powerful. Sorry, I was just letting that sink in a little bit. I would speak to my 25 year old self after I had gone through years of the gambling, and some years, you know in the cocaine and everything. And I would say to myself, Michael, you don’t have to be the big man on campus, you don’t always have to try to outdo the person next to you. At the end of the day, nobody really cares. So deal and speak to your ego head on. Remember what’s important in life. Remember you your health and remember what your ultimate goals are to impact others in a positive light to give back to society, but to be a good person and to be happy. And you don’t have to continue to chase these highs just to outdo the other person because your ego is driving you. Money is not the end game. Being the bigger, you know out doing the other person is not the end game. So focus on the impact you want to make and shut everything else out. And that’s the advice I would give myself
David Ralph [39:31]
and you should listen to it as well. Michael was the number one best way that our audience can connect with you, sir.
Michael Dash [39:37]
The best way is through my website. And if anybody’s interested in the book, they can find it on chasing the high book.com. And I’m on all the social media outlets as well Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
David Ralph [39:54]
We will have all the links on the show notes. Michael, thank you so much for spending time with us today. joining up those dots. Please come back when you have more dots to join up because I do believe that by joining up the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures Michael dash. Thank you so much.
Michael Dash [40:09]
Thank you, David. It was worth the wait.
David Ralph [40:13]
Mr. Michael dash. So he’s had a bit of up up and down. And I’ll be honest, that was one of those conversations I don’t get I don’t get why anybody that does those kinds of things, but I’m not that kind of person. Other people will be listening to that conversation thinking I understand totally, you know, I don’t drink at all I don’t, I don’t do anything bad. Really, I’m probably quite boring, really when I think about it, but um, he’s been through that roller coaster and now he’s using those negatives as a positive. We can all do the same. And you can all do the same by taking the message of Join Up Dots and start changing your life into a positive because believe me, there’s people out there waiting for you to start. Until next time. Thank you so much for listening to Join Up Dots. And as always, we love connecting with you drop us an email, we will send personalised messages back to you to help you get going. Until next time, we’ll see you bye bye.
Outro [41:04]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are wants to become so he’s put together an amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to Join Up dots.com to download this amazing guide for free and we’ll see you tomorrow on Join Up Dots.
