Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Boost Your Resilience Quotient (RQ)

Your resilience quotient (RQ) is much like IQ or EQ–you can enhance it.

You can increase your capacity to manage stress and adversity by having more experiences at the edge of your comfort zone while maintaining the engagement of your rational and logical mind. 

The edge of your comfort zone is where stress, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, learning, progress, growth, and the magic of life all coexist. Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone. We must experience a sense of unease to live the full human experience.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

The Most Common Lie Told by Men: “I’m Fine”

Men are often encouraged to “tough it out” and conceal their emotions. Society tends to reinforce this early on—how many of us grew up hearing that “boys don’t cry”? This message is woven into playground culture, subtly teaching boys that vulnerability is a weakness.

This post provides strategies to navigate and process negativity and emotional challenges and avoid the consequences that can harm relationships, fulfillment, and achievement.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Mastering Public Speaking: Transform Fear into Confidence

Public speaking is scary. I’ve been sharing my story and strategies from the stage for over ten years in front of more than 40,000 people in audiences all over the world. Along the way, I’ve experienced my fair share of fear, stress, and anxiety, but I learned a few tactics that I'd like to share to help you feel more confident in front of the room.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

The Neuroscience Behind Gratitude and Resilience

The neuroscience supporting how gratitude helps you become more resilient might surprise you, but it should resonate if you’ve read any of my previous work.

Gratitude offers a powerful and authentic perspective shift that can help you improve your overall well-being and resilience.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Embracing Grief: Transforming Pain into Resilience

Resilience in the face of grief may seem impossible, but it is achievable. It requires cultivating the ability to persevere and move forward with grief after significant losses.

This month's blog offers a crucial perspective shift to help you continue living with love, passion, meaning, and fulfillment despite loss.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

How Can Gratitude Make You More Resilient?

This unintuitive link between gratitude and resilience is powerful. I discovered this connection during my unique recovery from a spinal cord injury. With awareness and intention, this process can consistently help you overcome challenges.

This month’s post contains a few ways that choosing gratitude can support progress even in the wake of disaster.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

One hundred years of wisdom: 12 lessons from a centenarian on his birthday

Recently, I commemorated a remarkable milestone with my grandfather, Anthony (Tony) Meyer, who turned 100 on April 7th. Gathered in his home in Kent, England, surrounded by my extended family, I embarked on a journey through a century of wisdom. Over three days, I had the honour of delving into his life story during extensive interviews. The following excerpts from our conversations will leave a lasting impression on me, which I hope you find valuable and insightful…

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Turning Stress from Adversary to Ally

Imagine a life where it was impossible to fail. What dreams would you chase? What risks would you take?

It's a tantalizing thought, but failure is an inevitable part of the human experience. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t chase the same dreams.

What if I told you that you could (and should) approach life with the same confidence as you would if it was impossible to fail?

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Becoming Fearless

Imagine a life where it was impossible to fail. What dreams would you chase? What risks would you take?

It's a tantalizing thought, but failure is an inevitable part of the human experience. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t chase the same dreams.

What if I told you that you could (and should) approach life with the same confidence as you would if it was impossible to fail?

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

A Decade of Resilience: Embracing Gratitude and Overcoming Challenges

Ten years ago, on December 16, 2013, my life took an unexpected turn when I broke my neck. The following day, medical experts delivered a grim prognosis, forecasting a future where walking and even the use of my arms seemed unlikely. The harsh reality sunk in, and it appeared as though they might be right. Movement below my neck was minimal; even shrugging my shoulders posed a challenge. Despite this, amid the despair, I made a conscious decision to crack open the door of healing, no matter how slight, clinging to hope and trust in my ability to recover. The daring vision of skiing again fueled my determination.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Living a Life of Abundance

Do you ever experience the inner conflict between embracing limitless possibilities and fixating on fears and limitations?

It’s a common struggle.

An abundance mindset involves an optimistic view of life, wealth, and opportunities. In contrast, a scarcity mindset is a fixation on the limitations that hinder personal growth. The risk of holding a scarcity mindset is significant, but our disposition is not inevitable and we can live a more abundant life…

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

How to Turn Bad Days into Good Days.

Ever had a bad day?

Considering recent extreme weather events in Canada and around the globe, it's understandable if you’ve personally had a rough couple of days, or at least felt for the people going through the turmoil. We just faced horrific forest fires in Kelowna, BC, which continue to burn. The rest of BC is in a state of emergency, the Northwest Territories evacuated their capital city—Yellowknife, Hawaii's fires, California's floods, the news is scary right now… And these events don't factor in our routine daily ups and downs. In both cases (tragic or trivial), we all experience stress, anxiety, and worry.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Why We Must Always Celebrate Our Birthdays (And Go Skydiving)!

Like most people, I'm a fan of birthday parties. Still, some of us don't appreciate birthdays as much as we should—especially when reaching significant milestones. Have you ever had a milestone birthday you weren't overly excited about? Maybe you felt like the number symbolized the loss of your youth…

This post explores how appreciating death is vital for living a meaningful life. Appreciating your mortality indeed has a profound impact on how you live your life and contributes to more fulfillment. It may initially seem morbid, but it is a vital perspective that serves as a powerful motivator for living a more meaningful and satisfying existence. I strongly recommend you try skydiving, and I strongly recommend you celebrate your birthdays, and relish appreciating the gift of growing old.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Falling Victim to Your Own Ambition

Your avid ambition positions you for growth because we simply don't grow from the easy things in life. So, let your ambition fuel your fire, and don’t be afraid to lose on your way to a win. If you falter, it’s ok—just keep going on your path.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

Three Holiday Tips to Kickstart 2023

Staying focused on your goals, staying disciplined, and keeping up your routines separate you from the pack over the holidays. It sets you up for a momentous start to the new year. However, it doesn’t have to be all pain and gain. You can keep moving towards your goals while taking a break and enjoying the festive season with these quick tips…

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

The Secret to Enduring Happiness

Happiness, rather an enduring state of happiness, is not what you might think it is. We can't expect to win or feel good all the time. However, most people inadvertently attach their personal happiness to whether they're winning or losing, or feeling good or stuck in the suck.

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Mike Shaw Mike Shaw

“Don’t Lose Heart”

The full saying goes, “In life, there will be doldrums, but don’t lose heart.” It's in the pages of my book, and for good reason.

I learned the quote a few years ago from my 98-year-old grandfather, Anthony Meyer, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Coincidentally, I just arrived home from…

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