Hey, I’m Michael, and I want to welcome you to my corner of the Internet.
My story started in Copenhagen, Denmark. I grew up in a commune in the ’70s, raised as a true hippie child, with all that entails. A creative and loving spirit surrounded me, but there was also a certain lack of boundaries that may have set the stage for issues I ended up battling later.
I am a father of two girls, a nurse working in mental health, an entrepreneur, a part-time musician, and a hobby artist. I am also a 51-year-old man in peak physical and mental condition (no medicines, ailments, or conditions 😉 and I attribute this to the knowledge I have picked up along the way since I hit a low point 16 years ago, which forced me to take a serious look at my life and make some radical changes.
These changes started me on a journey that has taught me a lot about life, which I believe would be valuable for anyone, and it is this knowledge I want to pass along in these pages.
My Journey – My Message
My journey wasn’t scripted or idyllic; it was real, rugged, and raw, and this is the authenticity I want to mirror on this page. The drive behind my brand is my genuine dedication to the art of self-discovery and self-mastery—a commitment forged through my own life’s trials and triumphs.
Why self-mastery? Well, what started as an interest evolved into something beyond my choice. Learning to navigate both the serenity and the storms that life presented wasn’t just philosophy—it was survival. Today, I share these lessons with the hope that they might ignite a similar spark within you.
The overall journey that brought me to this point can be summed up as going from the archetypal angry young man taking no responsibility for my life, to embracing my life completely and taking full responsibility for everything that has happened and where that has led me, as well as everything that is happening and where that will lead me.
The lessons I learned along the way are what I will share with you on these pages. I believe that if you dive into the things I will share here and apply them to your own situation, I can almost guarantee you will experience a radical change for the better in your own life.
My Work-Life
My professional background is in nursing, specifically in mental health, but three years ago I ventured into the entrepreneurial world and started my first business. I have always had an interest in languages, which has been amplified by traveling the world, so naturally, my first entrepreneurial journey was in linguistics.
This field has been my main source of income for around three years now, and it has taught me a lot about business. The main thing I will bring with me is the switch from employee mentality to entrepreneurial mentality. Going from having the pressure of a boss or a job description driving me forward daily to having it now be completely up to myself was a major shift in mindset, and again, one that completely ties into the topic of self-mastery.
I embrace the dual role of being a devoted parent with day-to-day responsibilities while also delving into the depths of what it means to be truly human—the light and the dark.
The Journey of Self-Mastery: Embracing Life’s Highs and Lows
But that’s just part of my story. I’m a musician, a hobby artist, and a lover of stories. Each chapter of my life has contributed to the philosophy I now carry with me: embracing the full spectrum of experiences to grow and improve.
My path in life hasn’t been typical. From the age of 4, it was just me and my dad since my mother—battling depression and alcoholism—couldn’t cope anymore and took her own life. My dad, now a single parent studying medicine and raising a child alone, moved us into the commune I mentioned earlier.
I went to several different schools growing up—from private school to public school to boarding school. I spent a year in West Africa, working with my father, who unfortunately never made it home. An accident cost him and his wife their lives, and at 18, I was alone in the world.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the next many years were somewhat tumultuous for me. I managed to finish school, but other than that, the only thing I was really able to focus on and stay somewhat serious about was playing music and training in Kung Fu. Other than that, my life was a whirlwind of odd jobs, short-term relationships, and a slow descent on the infamous downward spiral, fueled by the self-righteous anger and victim mentality that only a self-absorbed 19-year-old with pretty much no guidance or direction in life can muster. Yup, it wasn’t pretty.
I was also equipped with a somewhat restless personality which caused me to travel a lot. Among other places, I went traveling in India and South America and eventually took the trip to Los Angeles to pursue the dream of playing music for a living. The music scene in LA was a wild ride. I met lots of great people and played lots of great gigs, and in most aspects, I thrived during my five years in the city. There was a definite downside as well, and I was absolutely not immune to it. I was no stranger to drinking and other substances when I arrived in LA, but I definitely took it to another level in those years.
Getting Clean and Sober
Long story short, in 2008—now back in Denmark—I had to take a long hard look at myself and realised that my substance abuse had become a serious problem and needed to stop. I checked myself into rehab (quite a story in itself, but that’s gonna have to wait for another day), and today I have been clean and sober for 15 years.
Along the way, I found that mastering myself was not just an aspiration but a necessity. In many ways, the first actual program in self-development I went through was the 12 steps of AA. Many others have followed, and the path I started back then has been rewarding, to say the least.
Simply put, this path is the reason behind this website. In the 15 years since that fateful night in 2009, I have learned a lot about life, primarily revolving around the art of self-discovery and self-mastery. I feel like I have discovered so much in those years about what makes life not just worth living, but also really, really enjoyable and fulfilling.
The tools have been practices like meditation, yoga, breath work, cold exposure, journaling, and hours upon hours of self-reflection.
Incidentally, one of the cornerstones of AA is passing on the message. “We carry this message,” as it says in some of the literature. And that is exactly what I want to do with this website. I want to carry a message of inspiration and show you what’s possible, even as someone like me who spent SO many years lost and confused, who didn’t really get a grip on life until the tender age of 35 (!), who became a parent for the first time at 40, and who is now—at the age of 51—just getting to a place of peace and fulfillment in life.
I hope that if you’re a young person, you will take some lessons from an old dude and hopefully be smarter about certain things than I was. And if you’re a little more of age, perhaps you can take comfort in the fact that it really never is too late!
16 Years of Self-Discovery
My sobriety anniversary isn’t just a date on the calendar; it marks the birth of my enduring engagement with self-mastery. Fifteen years ago, with clarity and sobriety, I realized the chaos that once overwhelmed my existence needed to be harnessed through self-discipline and introspection.
The concept of self-mastery resonates with me not only as a personal triumph but as a mission I am compelled to share. Through the pages of this blog, I extend my journey of self-improvement to you, offering guidance on navigating life’s complexities with resilience and purpose.
Drawing from my life’s experiences, I use self-mastery as a road to self-discovery, emotional intelligence, and ultimately, a more satisfying life. It’s about taking control, not just of one’s actions, but also of emotions, desires, and thought processes.
So, yes, I hope you will feel inspired by these pages and perhaps find use in some of the methods I describe here.
With much love and sincerity,
Michael