September 11th happened 8 years ago this past weekend. It feels so much more recent, primarily because it was a shocking and painful moment that will be etched in all of our minds forever. I remember EXACTLY where I was and what I was doing when I first heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Centre. I then watched live on TV, as the second plane hit. I was filled with a sense of tragic sadness, but also with what I couldn’t understand at the time — a feeling of anger, like I had somehow been violated by this atrocious act of terrorism. I’ve got goosebumps right now, and my eyes are tearing from writing this as I relive the emotions and depth of sadness we all felt. Now, with 8 years of hindsight, I believe the reason I felt such anger at the time was because I felt this was an attack on the very thing that all of us treasure — FREEDOM. Someone was trying to take away our freedom and confidence, and it affected so many people, including me, at the core of who we are. The more recent economic challenges have had a similar effect on people. Confidence and optimism have been stolen away from so many, and a lot of people are facing tough times right now. A lot of people are uncertain about their future, and of their abilities. And today marks the 1 year anniversary of when Lehman Brothers announced it was going bankrupt. That was really the start of panic and fear in the economy, because it’s when most people realized that the banks that were “too big to fail” really weren’t. The amount of fear, anxiety and concern that the world has felt this past year is simply staggering. However, I believe that the way to move out of these feelings, and towards confidence and optimism, is to surround yourself with the right kinds of people to learn, to be inspired, and to engage 100%. By gaining insight and knowledge, you inevitably build CERTAINTY and CONFIDENCE .. and you begin to create change and progress. In just under 3 weeks from now, Engage Today 2009 will be fully underway, and the energy and sense of connection and confidence will be incredible. We’ll be learning from some of the world’s most respected and amazing teachers .. all coming together one time only, never to be repeated. Richard Branson, Dr. Stephen Covey .. and even a private address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As my business partner and best friend Kourosh told me yesterday, challenging times help define a person’s character. It’s not the things that happen to us that define us — it’s the response we HAVE to those things that makes us who we really are. Our mission with SimpleWealth is to help inspire and educate people on how to achieve what we call . . . Freedom Without Compromise. By the way, if you’re prepared to step up and RESPOND to what’s going on in the world right now .. to grasp the opportunities that lay ahead .. and you want to be part of an incredible community that comes together to believe, to share and to prosper .. Join us at Engage Today. This is the most important event we’ve ever done, and I believe it can also be the turning point in YOUR life if you make the decision to come. Your chance to be part of history goes away on Friday, September 18th. The doors will close on this event, and you’ll only be able to hear about it from those who attend. What is your FREEDOM worth? Freedom is a state of mind, and we’re going to show how to achieve FREEDOM at Engage Today. Coming to this event shouldn’t be a ‘want’ for you. It should be a ‘need’ … a ‘MUST’. This is the first step towards changing your future and achieving Freedom Without Compromise. Reach out and grab the opportunity, and join us in creating the change that our world so desperately needs. And please, take a couple of minutes today and be GRATEFUL for what you have, and how magical a world we live in. We owe it to those who were lost on September 11th, and we owe it to ourselves to never be willing to give up our freedoms without fighting for them. Doing WHATEVER IT TAKES to engage fully, to be free, and to reach our personal potential, which is a responsibility each of us has.]]>