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#146: Mike Burton: How to Turn Pain Into Purpose and Live with Power
489 Plays15 days ago
In this powerful conversation on the Kate Hamilton Health Podcast, I sit down with positivity advocate and content creator Mike Burton to explore what it truly means to transform pain into purpose. Mike opens up about his journey through childhood trauma, fear of failure, and anxiety and how he used those experiences as fuel to build a meaningful, joy-filled life.
We chat about the mindset shifts that helped him rise above adversity, why embracing fear is key to growth, and the daily habits that keep him grounded. From personal trainer to educator to inspiring voice online, Mike’s evolution is a reminder that your past doesn’t define your future - your perspective does.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
[2:18] - Meet Mike and discover his mission behind the ‘positive messages’
[5:43] - From trauma to transformation: how Mike built resilience early on
[10:58] - The role of mindset and motivation in long-term change
[21:15] - Mike’s story of reinvention through purpose and fear
[33:22] - Designing a new way to educate and empower others
[38:46] - Walking away from success to rediscover self-worth
[45:54] - The power of community, connection, and daily positivity
[51:50] - Small daily habits that shift your outlook and change your life
Links & Resources:
- Connect with me on Instagram here
- Connect with Mike on Instagram here
- Learn more about KHH coaching here
- Subscribe to my Patreon for exclusive episodes here
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit. For more health and fitness tips, follow me on Instagram and TikTok @katehamiltonhealth.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:09
Speaker
everyone and Welcome back to another episode of the Kate Hamilton Health Podcast. today's episode and i don't say this lightly is probably one of the most enjoyable conversations that i've ever had on this podcast definitely one of the most inspirational conversations that i have ever had on this podcast and i really really mean it when i don't don't say that lightly because i feel like every guest has been amazing and has brought their own level of value to this podcast and to you.
00:00:38
Speaker
And i love that everyone is so different. Mike Burton, who you're about to hear from now in a minute, is just amazing. You know, when you meet someone and they're just, you know that they're a special soul, like he is absolutely incredible.
00:00:56
Speaker
You'll find him on Instagram, Mike Burton's positive messages. His goal in life is just to make everyone's life a little bit happier.
Mike Burton's Journey of Resilience
00:01:06
Speaker
And it's so simple.
00:01:08
Speaker
He shares a message every single day to focus your attention on something positive in your life. And this comes from, ah you might be thinking, oh, another positive person. Great.
00:01:22
Speaker
You know, that doesn't help me in my situation. But if ever there was a person to speak on overcoming adversity and building resilience, Mike is the guy. His story is absolutely incredible.
00:01:38
Speaker
We don't start with his story. We talk a little bit. He wanted to get straight into talking about how other people can feel better and improve their lives. We do, as the conversation goes on, dive a little bit into his past and all of the adversity that he went through.
00:01:54
Speaker
It's an incredible story. Absolutely incredible. i'm not I'm actually not going to give any spoilers. I'm going to leave it to the storyteller himself. But I know that after listening to this podcast episode, that each and every one of you that listen to this is going to take something from it that will stay with you forever.
00:02:12
Speaker
It's, you know, I just, I'll say no more. Enjoy. Mike, welcome to the podcast.
The Power of Positivity and Community
00:02:20
Speaker
Yes, I can't believe it. And I know we didn't hit record, but yeah, let's shoot the shit.
00:02:25
Speaker
Yes, we're here today to shoot the shit. Mike, the reason why I asked you to come onto this podcast, as you know, I heard you speak at a Social Circle event probably nearly this time last year. Yes, yes. A couple of months away.
00:02:38
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. and you spoke about your own... personal story and then you know the work that you do now and I was it was captivating if I'm quite honest and I'm not over exaggerating to listen to you talk and I just find that your energy is just so infectious in a good way and I was like we we have got we have got to chat and um yeah talk yeah I managed to I managed to channel the ADHD the right way I think now you know, purely into positivity. That's it. Well, as Kieran O'Neill always says, i don't know if you know Kieran, but he always says ADHD is his superpower. So it is my, genuinely is my superpower.
00:03:16
Speaker
Do you know when I say that? It's often, even when I go speak at events, I always, not for the glory, I love to be the keynote speaker. And I love to, like, I don't, I pride myself on one of my speakers. I'm not a turnkey speaker. every The talk's never about me. It's about us. And I think that's where people go wrong in anything, whether you're a content creator, you're an inspirational speaker, you're a coach, or you're just somebody works in an office.
Operating Outside Comfort Zones
00:03:40
Speaker
Everything you do shouldn't be about you. It should it be about us. And that's even this podcast today. I will apologize because I'm going to end up interviewing you as well because so invested in. I genuinely want this is my goal in life.
00:03:53
Speaker
I genuinely want everyone to live happier and more positive life know and to feel comfortable in their own skin for at least one day. I love that. Because I was literally, my next question was going to be, tell everybody what you do.
00:04:06
Speaker
So that is your mission, is it? To make everyone feel... Well, it is now. it is now, yeah. But obviously my life's been absolutely crazy. Do you know, um I only, ah be honest, I don't think ah found myself until...
00:04:19
Speaker
Most probably started that journey of knowing myself two years ago. And I think I'm nearly there now. I'm nearly there now, but I don't ever, if anybody's listened to this, I'll try and get as many golden nuggets in as possible. I could talk in depth about things, but I want people to be able to get takeaways from it.
00:04:38
Speaker
Do you know when I say this is if you're listening to this right now and you feel comfortable and you're not moving forward, that's the most dangerous place to be.
00:04:49
Speaker
You should always be operating 10% outside your comfort zone. Because if you're not moving forward, you're standing still. And an idle mind is where you start to have all those negative thoughts. You overthink.
00:04:59
Speaker
You start to doubt yourself.
Enjoying the Self-Improvement Journey
00:05:01
Speaker
And ultimately, that's where mental poor mental health creeps in. Because I'll be honest with you, you cannot be happy and sad at the same time. And you know if you're focused on something positive, working towards something,
00:05:12
Speaker
All of that negative noise and all of those problems will be suppressed. But when you are not moving forward and you're not challenging yourself and you haven't got a goal or any aspirations, that is when all of that self-doubt overthinking will come in.
00:05:27
Speaker
Yeah. For someone who feels really stuck though, and they're like, a Mike, that sounds easy in theory, but like I don't even know what I want to do. I don't even know what to do. I just feel stuck and I have all these great plans and then nothing happens.
00:05:43
Speaker
Yeah, I think one of the biggest things I'd say to you is if you're in that position, because I've been there, you're most probably suffering from social anxiety. And all of those ideas that you have in your own mind are usually what you think everyone else thinks you should do.
00:05:58
Speaker
You actually haven't looked inside and said, who am i What do I want to do? What is my biggest fears? And I genuinely say this, I posted a reel the other day about it, a clip from when I was speaking on stage at a fitness event, a bit like a community group like yours.
00:06:14
Speaker
And it was just incredible, you know, 100 people in the room. And Until you can, the let's let's be honest. If anybody's watching this, they're looking at this for motivation.
00:06:26
Speaker
That's where you're going wrong. Yeah. Motivation is your job. Yeah. Kate's job, my job is inspiration. Motivation, you need to figure out inside.
00:06:38
Speaker
yeah What are my biggest, darkest secrets I'm not telling anybody? And then you need to make sure you start fixing those and face up to them. You know, acceptance and personal accountability is the first thing that you need to do.
00:06:52
Speaker
Once you figure out what your problems are and what your biggest doubts and fears are, then you can start to fix them. And you still should be looking internally now. What do I know about myself? What can I fix?
00:07:05
Speaker
So a prime
Confronting Personal Fears and Challenges
00:07:06
Speaker
example, if you was looking at, if you've got, You've exercised your whole life. So you know about exercise. You go to the gym. Many people watching this will know this. So you know if I move a bit more, I can burn a bit more energy, burn some more calories. I can potentially lose his weight and get fitter.
00:07:23
Speaker
They don't need a coach for that. Yeah, they can get moving straight away. ye But then on flip side, somebody looks inside and says to myself, actually, like I have, I've suffered everything in my life but sexual abuse, domestic violence, I've been beaten up by my stepfather.
00:07:38
Speaker
There's some severe things, you know, that we've spoken about, you know, physical, emotional abuse. I've had racist abuse. My biological dad left before I was born. My stepdad abused me. I went to multiple different primary schools. Couldn't read him right at 16.
00:07:52
Speaker
When I looked inside, i can't fix that problem myself. So I need to go to somebody else to help me to support that. yeah So what I'm saying to people is look inside, figure out what your biggest problems are, know what you want to change, know where you want to go.
00:08:09
Speaker
And then when you know what you can't fix, then go get a coach or a therapist to help you fix that. Because I'm going to ask you a question, Kate. If one of your clients came in on ah you know an onboarding call and they could tell you all of that, how fast would their progression be with you?
00:08:26
Speaker
If they could tell me, What? If they come in and tell you all of their true secrets, like you don't, you know, somebody has done all of that internal work and they come to you and they put it all there for you rather than you're spending six months where you have to almost, let's be honest, you're going to be an amazing coach, but you also find yourself being a therapist a lot of the time because you're trying to work with people on an emotional level because there's one thing for sure.
00:08:52
Speaker
If you haven't fixed your mind and mindset, trying to eat well, track calories, exercise, move forward in any type of area of your life is just not going to happen because it's like you're swimming upstream. Yeah. That is where it all starts. So I know from meeting you,
00:09:09
Speaker
All of your amazing, and I say this, and I know the comments will come is all of your amazing clients and community will love you because you're a people's person. and You're smiling, you're bubbly, you'll make them feel safe, but that can take time. yeah And everybody wants a quick fix. So if you want to speed your progress up,
00:09:27
Speaker
Take personal accountability day one. Don't put the accountability in your hands to try and work through it. Because if you know everything you want to improve, you've got all of the data you need. But I bet you spend months capturing it. Yeah. And I think a lot of people, when they first like join coaching, let's say, a lot of the goals or a lot of the struggles can be kind of surface level, which is but nothing wrong with that. Like, you know, when I first got into fitness, it was because I wanted to lose weight and look better.
00:09:55
Speaker
but Like what you said, it's it is about confronting the barriers. So like when I'm talking to someone and they're like, i've been I've been on a diet for the past 10 years and nothing works and you know and it's the same vicious cycle.
00:10:07
Speaker
And
Redefining Fitness for Mental Health
00:10:08
Speaker
the one thing that changes when they come on board with me is like, the mindset work, having to face that head on. And some people aren't ready to, and some people probably need, you know, and another level of professional help that is out of my scope scope of practice. Well, for a lot of people, if they're willing to put pen to paper, if they're willing to give themselves that little bit of space to just even just think and reflect on, on, Yeah, a little bit discomfort. Or what I find is the worst, the worst form of self-sabotage is perfectionism.
00:10:40
Speaker
So they sign up and they're like, they can't stick to the plan and then they just disappear and they they're beating themselves they're guilty and I can't do this. Rather than being like, curious, just have a curious mindset. why why can't you do this?
00:10:51
Speaker
Because we're we all face things that we can't do initially. And if you can be curious about it rather than critical. but Yeah, I've got a really... I don't class myself as being intelligent, but I've got a way of taking really complex things and give people things they can connect to.
00:11:06
Speaker
So ask yourself this question for anyone, and you might even use this with clients. Do you know, if you ask them, do you exercise because you want to feel better genuinely, do you know ah about yourself or do you want to look better?
00:11:23
Speaker
And if they ask them, if you ask yourself the question, that can be very similar, but you want to feel better. So the biggest wake up call I ever had was, After training most my life on and off, when I realized I exercised for my mental health, not my physical health, you know, the priority was for my mental health.
00:11:43
Speaker
Do you know how easy it is to put your gym gear on? Because I say this, there's never a social thing as a bad workout. So when I walk through the door, if I feel good, I train a bit harder. If I don't, I just take it easier. But guess what I'd never do?
00:11:57
Speaker
I don't not turn up because when I walk through the door, it it you people get people perfection, as you said, if I don't hit that certain speed of a mile, if I don't lift that PB, if I don't increase my reps this week, if my strength doesn't go up, then you've lost.
00:12:15
Speaker
So what I'm saying to you there, so many people... rob themselves of happiness because they're only happy when they get to that goal. And I'm going to ask everybody a question on this. If I could see you face to face, everybody listening to this or watching it.
00:12:31
Speaker
If you've achieved a 5K time, if you've bench pressed 100 kg, you've got to a size 10 dress, whatever it may be, that moment of fulfillment, how long did it really last?
00:12:44
Speaker
Not very long before you're thinking about what's next. So if you don't learn to enjoy the journey of every single day, turning up, trying to be the best version of yourself, not perfection,
00:12:57
Speaker
The amount of happiness, because if you as a, like for me, I've just lost four stone, right?
Mike Burton's Personal Story and Growth
00:13:02
Speaker
If my only happiness came when I went from 20 stone to 16 stone, that's taken me over a year.
00:13:10
Speaker
That means I'm not happy for over a year because I'm only happy when I get here. Imagine if I celebrated every time I turned up to the gym, which I do. Every time that, you know, I've done a workout when I didn't want to, but also every time I did a workout when I felt great and I smashed it.
00:13:26
Speaker
And every time I lost half a pound, it was a celebration. Every time I ate a kebab as a treat, I loved it. So, you know, the amount of happiness that i've had in this one year, two month journey has been amazing.
00:13:38
Speaker
But how many people are lost? Because all it is about the beginning and the end when actually the magic's in the middle. Yeah, I know. I couldn't agree more. Mike, have you read the book, The Gap and the Gain? Right. Can I just, I have to tell you this.
00:13:52
Speaker
I get asked all the time. People go to me. I post videos every day, as you know. I've posted now 773 videos in 773 days. Yeah. ye And not to blow up, not to do anything because I haven't, to make a positive difference to the world.
00:14:06
Speaker
I get people all the time going, Mike, And this is this is going to be really controversial. But, oh, you must have read this book, Atomic Habits. Oh, you must have ah David Goggins. Oh, The Gap in the Game, The Secret.
00:14:18
Speaker
And I go to them, no, I don't read books or really listen to podcasts or anything. It just all comes to it. And they go, why not? And I went, my view on it, whether you are, you know, James Clare, whether you you know you are Chris Williamson, anybody who's wrote a book,
00:14:35
Speaker
Yeah, guess what? They've only, barring scientists, everybody's wrote a book on this beautiful game called Life Cake. yeah And all that managed to do is put it into words. So if you're self-aware enough to look inside, guess what?
00:14:48
Speaker
You're just living life writing your own book, not reading someone else's or trying to put into practice. I think you have just... taken so much pressure off so many people. I've never heard anyone say something like that before, but it's so true.
00:15:02
Speaker
And actually I listen to audio books a lot. Like I tend to listen to them while I'm training because it stops me from talking myself out of training. I kind of look forward to going train to listen. It works well for me. I know a lot of people listen to podcasts or books when they're walking. I like to be kind of present when i walk. But anyway,
00:15:16
Speaker
I was listening to a podcast actually this morning when I was training with Matthew McConaughey and he was talking about how his mother was always like, why are you watching TV? Why are you sitting there watching someone else do something? Get outside and go do it yourself. And it's so true. And I think, you know, the books, podcasts can be hugely helpful.
00:15:33
Speaker
Inspiration. sure like We're literally recording a podcast. Like you said, you can't rely on them um for for motivation. You can rely them. for inspiration. Yeah, absolutely. But then you have to get up and do. But the reason why I was asking about that book, The Gap and the Gain, because the whole mindset around that is exactly what you do, that you're doing naturally, is like a lot of people live their lives in the gap.
00:15:55
Speaker
So they're always measuring their progress towards the goal they're going towards. So if you've got you're listening and you've got like eight stone to lose and you're thinking about how long that journey is ahead of you, or you have a business goal and you're like, at the minute I'm working three jobs, I'm never going to be able to make a living off this business or whatever it is.
00:16:12
Speaker
And it just seems so unattainable. You're living in this negative narrative and you can't actually enjoy the moment because you're always stressed or whether you're stressing or worrying about money or stressing or worrying about your health or whatever it is, you're looking for the future.
00:16:24
Speaker
So you're living in the gap. But the whole message of the book is always measure backwards. So where you are, and people are always talking about goals, girls goals, goals, which are great and they have their place. yes But we need to measure our progress backwards.
00:16:37
Speaker
ah Why? Questions why? Why? We need to measure a progress rest backwards so that we can be grateful for how. Yes, that's where true gratitude is Yes, that is it. And to be able to enjoy the moment and be like, and because we're so busy and because we are goal oriented, which is great, we forget to stop. We forget to stop and just be like, how we yeah holy shit, look how far I've come.
00:17:00
Speaker
Do you know I've got a great analogy for this that I just made up one day? It just came out when I was speaking. You'll notice this because I've got all these because the thing you were just talking about, you imagine getting lost in the future and you are an overthinker and you're struggling from anxiety.
00:17:17
Speaker
Amplify that by a thousand. And that is why you end up going nowhere. Because most people who are starting a fitness journey or a personal development journey are an overthinker.
00:17:29
Speaker
You're an overthinker because you have been beating yourself up for years for not taking action or taking action and failing that you are already preempting the failure that's coming. So you're always looking forward thinking, I'm never going to achieve it.
00:17:42
Speaker
I'm going to tell Kate I am going to achieve it. But you're doubting yourself every single day that can achieve it. And when you actually go to the point of looking backwards to think the biggest thing that I've done that I'm grateful for is going back to what I said at the beginning, I'm going to admit I've never done it before.
00:17:58
Speaker
I'm going to learn from every mistake of why I haven't achieved it before. I'm going to tell Kate so she knows exactly all my failures, thoughts and feelings and self-beliefs, and then she can help me overcome it.
00:18:08
Speaker
But we won't because all it is is this is the time I'm going to change my life. This is the time, Kate. You are the person. you know And it's like, actually... What's going to be different unless you look backwards? But the analogy that I'm looking at is you on imagine you're driving a car.
00:18:23
Speaker
Yeah, you're driving a car and obviously you've passed your test because obviously before you pass your test, you have to do everything properly, you know, look in the rear view mirror signals. But this is what I say to people is when you drive your car,
00:18:35
Speaker
treat your life like this. You get in the car and you're driving along. Yeah. Every person won't have passed the test. You're driving along. You're always looking forward. Of course you are. Don't want to crash. But every now and then, yeah, you just scan in your, your wing mirrors, don't you? Just to check if anybody's there.
00:18:53
Speaker
Yeah. That's you. You make a decision. You want to change. Listen to this. When I say to everybody, yeah, Make a decision. It's not going to be perfect, but you can make it make it right along the way.
00:19:05
Speaker
Make a decision and make it right along the way. Don't expect it to be perfect. So as we're driving, we're going along, we've made decision change your life. What we are going to do is looking at ah wing mirrors every now and then to see what we're doing on this journey to make sure we're going to correct our course and that nobody or anything is going to come and sideswipe us and knock us off track.
00:19:23
Speaker
Yeah. But every now and then it gets tough and we need some motivation and belief that actually we're a better person that our negative self-talk tells us. So guess what we have to do? Check the rear view mirror just to go, yeah, actually, I'm doing a lot better than I thought because we get lost in the future and we get lost in comparison to the person in the group who's doing better than me. Yeah, the person driving alongside you with an iPad.
00:19:46
Speaker
yeah Yeah, and the best thing is true. yeah And the other thing is you can you can look at it and you look at that same analogy and I say to people is, You can look at this. You're driving along in your golf, driving down the street.
00:20:01
Speaker
Somebody comes past you in a Lamborghini and you can sit there and go, my life's absolutely shit. I can't believe ain't got a Lamborghini. Or you can look at it and go, that'll be me one day.
00:20:13
Speaker
I'm going get grafting. Yeah. Love it. And do you know that what I like as well about that car analogy? Everything you've said. Plus, once you know where you want to go, you can always you change your mind along the way.
00:20:25
Speaker
But, you know, you but you have a general destination. If you take a detour and you go the long way around, that's also okay. Like we all take wrong turns. It's all part of it. like it yeah yeah this and you wrote that was So many simple things you can live your life by.
00:20:39
Speaker
Make a decision. Make it right along the way. Done. Just remember that. Everybody can take that away. I've made a decision. I know how it's going to go? No, but I'll make it right along the way because until you get moving forward, you'll never get any data to correct the course. yeah While you stood still, you still stood still in the same place.
00:20:57
Speaker
So if listening to this, get up, take positive action today because your absolute happiest life is waiting for you. I promise you that. I promise you. And I don't know about you, but like I found with my own life, you know, with all of the changes, like my listeners have heard me repeat myself so many times, so won't get into it. But just for a bit of context for you, I spent 15 years as a primary school teacher and then made this career change into health and fitness. And, you know, while having three kids and a mortgage and, you know, like there was a lot of financial pressure and people thought I was crazy. But I found every little decision I made that this journey started back in 2015. So it's 10 years in the making.
00:21:36
Speaker
And it started with me buying home workout guide at the time and working out i like working out of my kitchen floor. with my two small kids. That's how it started. And it led one step to another step to another step to suddenly I was a coach to suddenly I was, yeah was a bit on like working on the side.
00:21:52
Speaker
Suddenly I was handing in my notice as a teacher, obviously loads of small steps in between in this big period. But I, when I was the girl on my kitchen floor doing sit-ups and push-ups,
00:22:03
Speaker
I had no aspirations to be a coach, nor did I have any type of self-belief. You were just moving forward. Yeah, exactly. I was just moving forward. was like, it's time to maybe start drinking a little less. Stop smoking. You know what I mean?
00:22:16
Speaker
Let's get a little bit healthier. You're heading towards 30, you know, at the time. ah You know, I suppose you better be healthy for your kids. So that was kind of my my mindset. And that all that was was that small little step. um Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:27
Speaker
It's i'd like you no like, again, the driving analogy, all you actually need to see is that if if you're driving along in your car at night, it's a little bit of road in front of you because the next bit the next step will reveal you. But what stops us is fear.
00:22:40
Speaker
It's the fear of failure. But it's made amazing the mad decisions I make now because I really trust it. I'm like, OK, I really want to make this decision now. I really got like there's so many reasons why i shouldn't but it just feels right like why why do you take it why do you take the decision and take the risks now for a long time I i actually had a very limiting belief that I thought I was being really kind of wrecked mindset coaching with you here this is a problem no no no I love this because initially I had a lot of guilt around that and and shame around why tiny why have you not because I built the evidence
00:23:18
Speaker
Yes, there we go. That's the key. And I'm not being in a pain, don't want to listen to the stuff. i want to get you know what we say to people is that is that is amazing because everybody listening needs to listen to what you just said there.
00:23:32
Speaker
You can only start becoming more confident when you have the evidence to back up that it's not going to fail. And that's why the baby these steps are so important. yes Back to the beginning, what do we say?
00:23:44
Speaker
10% outside your comfort zone. Achieve it. Another 10. Don't ever go 100 because let's be honest, everybody's tried a fad diet. You've tried to read a book. You've tried to flip your whole life on its head straight away and go 120 an hour or something.
00:24:01
Speaker
Nobody lasts 21 days. And that's only when you have it start to form. Nobody's making 66 days consecutively. Like when I get up now, I can remember, I was only saying this to my partner this morning.
00:24:14
Speaker
I've gone through you know ah ah breakup. I've gone through you know all of the trauma in my life. What I've actually gone through over the last two years has been horrendous even, and I've still turned up every single day on this page that I post my messages on.
00:24:33
Speaker
And I only literally, Kate, when I say this, i class myself as being one of the most positive people in the world. I still struggle with my mental health, self-doubt, anxiety all the time.
00:24:45
Speaker
But i have the evidence to be able to support me to move forward. And every now and then this morning, i use that same analogy we're talking about. I look backwards and thought, Mike,
00:24:58
Speaker
For 700 days, you've actually been struggling through a really unhappy period of your life, but you found something that makes you happy and you've turned up every single day and be proud of yourself. And this morning was a moment of reflection for me.
00:25:13
Speaker
And I thought, yeah, and that is testament to if you ever think to yourself, you're on a fitness journey, for example, because this is what a lot of listeners will be on. If you're turning up every single day, but you haven't seen the physical changes, still give yourself an absolute massive pat on the back because you're turning up because you clearly love something.
00:25:35
Speaker
And if you fixed a true problem in your life, I was in an unhappy relationship. So I sat there drinking six to eight bottles of perony and a pizza for over 300 nights of a year, gain four stone.
00:25:48
Speaker
Still positive Mike in the morning, Charlie's dad in the afternoon on an evening, suppressed, unhappy. When I fix that problem, Kate, now I train less than I ever did.
00:26:00
Speaker
I can't get as many C-dips because I've got my son on alternate nights. I got no structure. I've got more stress from the breakup than i ever had. Never been happier and healthier in my life because the one The one true thing that was really holding me back was not being in a happy relationship where I was supported, loved and cared for. Because the one thing I know now, and I don't mind sharing, and we've all got this to some degree, there's a broken little boy in me still that needs loving because it was abused by the people who should have looked after him.
00:26:36
Speaker
So now I know that I just need love, care and attention. And if I've got that, everything else will fall into place. Your level of self-awareness is is just incredible. And there's so there's so many different branches of this that I want that i want to take this in.
00:26:49
Speaker
In relation to, I suppose, a little bit, I don't spend too long on the podcast of you like delving too far into your past. Because I know there's, there like and I know you talk about it a lot, but there's a lot of painful stories. But just for a little bit of context, and people are listening they're like, wow, oh my God, this voice is amazing. Who is this guy?
00:27:05
Speaker
but you know that And I know some people will be like, oh my God, he's amazing. And your wisdom really does come from your life experience. So to give people a little bit of ah of a background as to as to the kind of things that you have been through that have helped you build who you are today, i suppose.
00:27:22
Speaker
I genuinely believe if my first slider when I go speak is champion in the face of adversity. And I think there's many of us out there when I look at this and I never thought I'd see the word champion. But if I was going to give you a ah three to five minute, and this is going to sound strange, highlights of the worst things in my life.
00:27:41
Speaker
Do you know when I say that I had to overcome to become a champion before we talk about any of my achievements? Because when I say to people is, I've achieved a lot, but you'll never see it on my page. Do you know when I say this? book So imagine this.
00:27:54
Speaker
and Before I'm even born, mixed-raced. Yeah. Mum's English, Dad's African. Dad left before i was born. Up till seven, lived on and off with my mum, my nana, and granddad.
00:28:06
Speaker
Amazing people. Then a guy comes into my life, and my mum, I thought, it the jackpot. Yeah, I've got something that I saw kids having at school every single day. The dad picking them up, taking them to football, you know seeing that perfect family, everybody walking down the streets holding hands, all white.
00:28:25
Speaker
I was mixed race. There wasn't many people in the estates where I lived who was mixed race, just me. So I started to think I want that in my life. I got it in my life and I thought it was amazing.
00:28:36
Speaker
Two years later, I realized that this guy wasn't David Beckham like I thought he wasn't perfect. He was abusing my mom, then he
Internal Struggles and Breakthroughs
00:28:45
Speaker
abuses a family. we suffered everything but sexual abuse at the hands of him.
00:28:50
Speaker
And that's physical to some extreme measures that I don't share online, but i share face to face, the things that he did to me, mum and my sister. But let's just say entrapment, everything was there.
00:29:01
Speaker
We spent six years going through that before we broke out of it. Everything from death threats to being threatened to be killed, to you know letters, bullets through the post, everything.
00:29:12
Speaker
Absolutely horrendous. not going to multiple different primary schools and you know in secondary schools, not having education, couldn't read and write, moving around all over the country, running away, trying to settle.
00:29:25
Speaker
We settled back at home, 13 years old, on an estate, one of the roughest estates in the country at the time. It was on the news. I'm there, racial abuse, after being there for three hours, fighting for acceptance for the next six months.
00:29:39
Speaker
Then I get accepted into the gang and local community. Yeah, yeah. i felt accepted for the first time in my life. I wasn't a bad person. I remember what my Nana said to me, you're a kind, be kind. You can achieve anything. said So I was a sheep like many people are. You don't have to be in a gang to be in it to be a sheep. You can be in the wrong social circle, which means drinking, eating, anything that's not actually cohesive to your progression.
00:30:02
Speaker
I did everything from drink, underage underage drinking, drugs, selling drugs, running drugs, stealing cars, robbing places until the point when I nearly went to prison, but I didn't.
00:30:14
Speaker
So at 16 years old, I've got no friends, no dad, suffered all that trauma. I can't read and write, no GCSEs, and I'm walking in the enrollment hall.
00:30:24
Speaker
I can't even read the enrollment card to get myself into college. And that is when my life restarted. And I started at the lowest level course you can, which you'll know from being a primary school teacher, year three is the same as like entry level one, APACA.
00:30:40
Speaker
Yeah, most that's where I was at. So my life restarted then. And then obviously I started to and build a new life for myself. Learned to read and write, ended up becoming a trainee gym instructor, working in the college gym.
00:30:54
Speaker
Then I went to becoming a personal trainer, had my own personal training business. I've had one job interview at this point when I was 17 for a trainee gym instructor job. I've never had another one since, ever.
00:31:05
Speaker
yeah That doesn't surprise me, actually. I'm interviewing you really well. Sorry? I'd say you interview really well. I'm not surprised. And it was it was genuinely at that point when I say to people is, you know, when we talked about making the decision and making it right along the way, I didn't know I was living that.
00:31:24
Speaker
Because what I was doing is I made a decision that i was going work hard. I didn't know what I was going to do. i had no vision. I always say people don't have any positive role. If you haven't got a positive role model in your life or, you know, parents that paved the way for you, how do you know how to live life?
00:31:38
Speaker
Everything that my life told me is just abuse people. You're going to be rejected, reject to other people. Don't stick around. you know, don't aspire to be anything. That was all I saw.
00:31:51
Speaker
So when I turned up and started building this life, I'll be honest with you, I built this life through fear of failure. I didn't realize at that time at 17, 18, 19, 20, that I suffered with social anxiety, that had mental health problems, you know but I didn't know because nobody would, you're not self-aware. You just said you're so self-aware.
00:32:09
Speaker
That's been absolutely like, when we talk about how you make diamonds, that's how I feel my life's been. you know I've been the pressure to get to that point. But then I didn't realize all these jobs I was doing. So gym instructor, personal training, and I started my own personal training business, ended up with 60 odd clients because I spoke. This is what say to people. The best thing you can do in life is just be kind and be a good communicator.
00:32:31
Speaker
I, when I was working in the gym, I spoke to every single person at a four and a half hour a week contract in the gym. Don't get me wrong. I told anybody who'd listen, I want a trainee. was fully qualified gym instructor, especially women.
00:32:42
Speaker
not like it But I was at that point, I was like, and I but i spoke to everybody, young, old. I'd help people with programs, because I just, and the other side, I didn't know. I was undiagnosed ADHD. So you can imagine me in a gym, wanting to make friends because I'm used to being rejected, got loads of energy, can't sit still, and I'm dead kind because my nana told me to be kind. So I want a bad person. So I just helped everybody.
00:33:04
Speaker
When I started personal training, guess what? Everybody wanted me to train them. Not because I was the best trainer, because I was a good person. And that was it. So then I built that. I ended up becoming a teacher for the kids on my course where I started entry level one sport.
00:33:19
Speaker
So I did that. So then I ended up teaching that. I ended up redesigning the whole curriculum because these was kids on youth offending. These was kids who been kicked out of school, let down by school, no qualifications, fat, broken families.
00:33:31
Speaker
And they ended up transforming the whole of the education. And I realized words didn't connect with them. So I built a whole curriculum through digital media and pictures. I made the maths and English teachers and everybody design their lessons on pictures of the kids.
00:33:45
Speaker
And then the kids started engaging, 100% attendance, 100% achievement, everybody progressing, kids come off youth offending. I got nominated and won an award for being a positive role model, National and Quality Diversity Awards.
00:33:57
Speaker
Do you know? And then from there, I was like, I was like, wow, ah Microsoft was the head sponsor. They invited me to go speak at their head office. So went to speak just at my life to this point.
00:34:08
Speaker
And I've spoken afterwards. I got a standing ovation from their leadership and quality diversity team. They said, you should share that story to inspire kids. So at this point, now I'd started teaching personal trainers and gym instructors as well as these sport kids.
00:34:20
Speaker
So I used to teach adults on the nighttime. So I designed this personal training course because everyone had to go away to do it. So I did it in my hometown before on this online PT stuff. So then i had a Wednesday off in the day. So I thought I'd just go around schools and see if anybody wants me to help them.
00:34:36
Speaker
I got booked up for two years going into schools. And then at that point, I went into some of the hardest alternative provisions. So, you know, proves, do you know the ones that when kids are kicked out of school?
00:34:47
Speaker
So I went into those to help them and the council booked me to see if I could help them change the system. And two guys who was part of it offered me a job and said, would you come and work for us? And I was like, no way.
00:35:00
Speaker
Because I didn't know. Honestly, I won't lie to I'd achieved all this. I still felt like the house of cards was going to come down any minute I'm going to get found out. Dyslexic, Lend difficulties, everything. I just thought I couldn't do it.
00:35:11
Speaker
So at that point, they offered me something that I tried to self-sabotage it. I said to the guys at the school, I want a full-time wage for doing four days a week. And I told the college, I'm only staying if you pay me half my wage for doing two nights and one day.
00:35:26
Speaker
No one's agreeing to that. They both fucking agreed to it. put me in a spot. I was like, shit. So at that point, I either had to, my anxiety was going both ways, fear of failure to take it or fear of rejection and looking stupid for not taking it.
00:35:40
Speaker
So I went and did it. Two years later, me and the two guys opened their own um school. Ofsted came, designed their own curriculum, everything there, opened my own school. So now I'm a principal.
00:35:52
Speaker
I'm a principal in my own school, couldn't read and write at 16. you know So now then we went from there and I wanted to help more kids with severe needs. So i took it from being an independent school with the two guys to an independent special school.
00:36:04
Speaker
So then we started helping kids with social, emotional, mental health, ADHD, learning difficulties, global development delay and autism. So we did that, 20 kids, 40 kids, 50 kids, two schools, three schools.
00:36:17
Speaker
Now I'm an executive principal of three schools. Someone come along while I'm doing all this. I've started my own charity, raised £300,000 for charity, didn't take any government money because I wanted to be able to spend it on what I wanted to spend it on.
00:36:31
Speaker
So I'd help homeless schools, people who was excelling in sport in a small little seaside town. I'd give them everything that they needed to pursue their dream. And they went on to be common with a Commonwealth gold medalist in boxing. We've had Paralympians come from the town from that little bit of support that I gave them.
00:36:48
Speaker
So at this point, I'm doing all the school stuff, doing this, get an email, from the queen, been chosen to be a Commonwealth baton bearer. So I went in to do that. And I was like, what's this? Didn't celebrate it. Didn't tell anyone because I was so scared.
00:37:04
Speaker
i didn't feel like I ah deserved it because I had no self-belief. And you think you're achieving all this. And I was genuinely at this point, Kate, I still hadn't had a job interview. I had another job and interview, 17.
00:37:16
Speaker
And now all of that, Charity work, everything. One other thing I did alongside that, and I still don't believe in myself, but everybody on the outside thought would.
00:37:28
Speaker
I set up Grimsby and Cleefork's Biggest Loser. So I missed fitness. So what I did is a set health and wellbeing group up. I took 100 people every six months, transformed the life, and the top 20 came to the town hall.
00:37:41
Speaker
I gave them everything, mental, physical advice, three sessions a week fitness, people dropping seven or eight stone. I did a gala dinner, big shows and videos of the whole transformation. And I did that for three years, did six different cycles of it and changed you know over 200 people's lives, but fully.
00:37:57
Speaker
And I got nominated for Pride of Britain, and made it to the last three, but didn't win. But, you know, and so all of that came, i had no idea. And then someone wanted to come and buy my schools and they wanted to buy the schools off me and the guy, two guys, amazing guys.
00:38:14
Speaker
I didn't want to go do it because they wanted me to go with the with the business because of my concepts and ideas. And they wanted to help more kids all over the country with special needs and open more schools.
00:38:25
Speaker
I didn't want to do it, but it was part that and it was life changing for the other two as well. So I moved into this new thing under the ah parameters that when I can help a thousand children across the country who's been let down by their families, education, abuse, suffer with mental health,
00:38:41
Speaker
when we can recreate 500 jobs, help 25 local authorities, then I retire. I got 39 years old, 11 months and two weeks, school opened, sat there with the CEO and the board and said, I'm retiring.
00:38:56
Speaker
And that was my life story to the point before Mike Burton's positive message started. Wow. Like, I know I've heard this before, but it's been a year since I've heard it just a speech.
00:39:08
Speaker
I didn't have to talk last time after listening to it. I was just sitting there listening to you last time. Like, it's just absolutely an incredible story. Like what I hear through all of this is that it's that inner child and you you referred to him already, the the little boy that wanted and needed love.
00:39:29
Speaker
It was like you, and know and i by no means you know speaking on your behalf, but it sounds very much like you were giving, you're giving these children what you needed but their age.
00:39:42
Speaker
Yeah, I genuinely, Pride of Britain, when they came, they interview you full life all day. and I was teaching this fitness class.
Spreading Positivity Online
00:39:52
Speaker
I had 100 and, my class on a Tuesday used to have between 140 and 150 people in. So they'd all come and there was all these people changing life, every shape and size.
00:40:01
Speaker
I used to call it sweat fest, yeah? Everyone come, me in the middle, nobody else, 140, 150
00:40:08
Speaker
the video in it and they pull me in as I do you can imagine dramatic camera comes in and goes Mike so you do all these amazing things for your community why do you do it I was like no one's asked me to stop I'll have to come back to you it took me about five minutes to realize that I was just trying to support people and give them love care and attention because I didn't feel I got that as a child do you feel you have that now ah And that's where my Burton's positive message is like, what it's done for me personally.
00:40:40
Speaker
When I retired, I was gone through therapy at that point, you know, because I'd realized when I sold the company, i had a panic attack. I sat on the toilet, saw the money in my bank and had a panic attack because it didn't take any pain away. And I've been striving for financial security at my whole life because I haven't got it.
00:41:00
Speaker
And that wasn't what I should have been striving for. I didn't fix any problem in my life. I'd been surviving my whole life. But on the front, on the face of it, it looks like I'd been so successful.
00:41:12
Speaker
I hadn't achieved anything because I'd done it through all through fear of failure, thinking that tomorrow all the house of cards going to come down. And when I walked out of that toilet, hyperventilating, thinking I was going to die, said to my partner at the time, I'm not happy. She's like, what you mean you're not happy? I'm ringing 999, telling the woman on the call, I'm dying.
00:41:32
Speaker
I'm dying. She's like, you're not. I am dying. She goes, you're not. After about five minutes, she goes, I went, how do you know I'm not dying? She goes, you're talking to me, mate. still breathing. yeah but I can laugh about it now. I've numerous panic attacks back in my day. It is like, you know, when people are like, oh, I'm having a panic attack. It's like, no, no. Like, if you've had a real panic attack.
00:41:51
Speaker
you you You feel your windpipe's closing up. You can't breathe. Even though you are breathing, you can't. And I genuinely, I thought, this is me gone. And at that point, I went to therapy, and started peeling back the onion,
00:42:04
Speaker
You know, all that stuff of rejection, your childhood, you know, in a child, doing all of that, repaired the relationship with my mom, did all of that to this point that led to the first time in my life. I told the therapist, I'm off away to Tenerife, I'm retiring.
00:42:19
Speaker
She said to me, you can't fucking retire, you'll go mental. I was like, that was her words. Obviously, we've got a good relationship. She shouldn't use that terminology, but she did. It was amazing.
00:42:31
Speaker
And she was right. She was like, you've got ADHD, you're driven, you've got all this energy and passion to make a difference. Do you know and what you're doing? I was like, no, no, definitely can. Obviously I couldn't.
00:42:42
Speaker
And when I went away to Tenerife, I can remember sat there and the first time in my life came that I had a choice. Never had one. Everything else was survival.
00:42:55
Speaker
And I can remember by this point, my morning routine's on point. I'm getting up at four o'clock, five o'clock latest. even on holiday, going for a walk, having a coffee, reflecting, walking meditation, jumping in the sea, doing all the cold water work, everything else.
00:43:13
Speaker
But didn't know who was. And I was walking on that seafront going, what's Mike Burton going to do? What's he going to do? And I was like, I was just thinking to myself, what's next?
00:43:27
Speaker
And day one, I was like, You can do this. No, you can't. You'll fail at that. What would you do I could do this. What would they say about that? All that negative inner voice that comes.
00:43:39
Speaker
Day six, I'm walking up and down that seafront. And on day six, I'm thinking, what are you going to do? And just changed the terminology. Rather than what you're going to do, what's your purpose in this world?
00:43:52
Speaker
And I'm not religious in any way. And ah I do believe there's a power at work, whether it's God, whether it's the universe, there's something at work that's got a plan for us all. And at this point, I can just remember it come to me and it was, you've been put on this earth to make a positive difference to it and help as many people as possible.
00:44:11
Speaker
And at that point, and I never get bored of telling this story, I literally was like, yes, I know what I'm going to do. And I took my top off, took my shorts off, in my pants, got my tits out, running the sea.
00:44:25
Speaker
And you see it on my page and I get it and I jump out of the water. First video, I'm Mike Burton. I want to make a positive difference to the world. can't make a positive difference to the on Let's all share one positive message today and you can help me make a difference to the world.
00:44:39
Speaker
Stop, bang, done. Captions all over my face, everything. Didn't know what i was doing. Posted it on Instagram. Said to myself, I'm going to do a message every single day for a year to try and help somebody not suffer the pain that I have.
00:44:54
Speaker
yeah I did 365 days, went back to Tenerife, recreated the video on the 365th day. and just thought, this is what I'm gonna do for the rest of my life.
00:45:05
Speaker
I'm not a business, I'm not a coach, I don't sell anything. I became a motivational speaker by accident, by people watching me online and asking me to go. What's funny enough, bearing in mind i was in trouble with the police growing up, guess where my first talk was?
00:45:20
Speaker
Humberside police. So it was really strange, like a full circle moment. And ever since that point, you know, I've run my own events, up mindset movement with some amazing people, Tom Talks, the mindset soldier, Louise Hawkins, four of us traveled around giving talks.
00:45:40
Speaker
I'm now working with, you know, fitness companies, been working like now with yourself, met me at Sean Cases, your social circle. Like Sean thinks it's crazy and the guys do. I'm the only person that pays for the social circle who doesn't make money.
00:45:54
Speaker
Do you know what it's like? But I genuinely believe this, the power of community. Being part of a community, I realized, what do I need? I need love, care, and attention. And that comes from somebody that truly loves me as a partner, my kid, my friends, and then you need to create a community and tribe where you share the same values and interests. And for me, this is a full circle moment.
00:46:18
Speaker
If I didn't pay to be part of the social circle, I'd have never met you. we wouldn't be having this amazing conversation and we could never have potentially helped one person.
00:46:30
Speaker
So e the thousands of pounds that I've invested selflessly into this is worth it because I've had seven people reach out to me, Kate, and said,
00:46:42
Speaker
I was about to just take my own life and I didn't because I was able to open your messages and watch them. And they was people who was at the point of doing it, not thinking about it. And for me, that's worth every dark morning, every difficult moment I have to come over to share with people and be vulnerable because I genuinely wish everybody could be happy or at least be happy for one day in their life.
00:47:11
Speaker
And when you get messages like that, it just makes all of it worthwhile. Yeah. Like it's literally, you know, the way people, I think people overthink their purpose sometimes when it, like, so you get a message like that and numerous messages like that. It's just so raw that you're like, this is what it's actually all about.
00:47:32
Speaker
it is. I was, um I was talking to my partner this morning And I said, I know sometimes I can mostly be a bit much because I see the world, I see messages everywhere, you know, because I just look at life, I'm not looking at a book.
00:47:48
Speaker
And I said, I know it can be, but I said, and today was the first day that I truly said it out loud, if I'm being honest. Yeah. And I said this to her, I said, Emma,
00:48:01
Speaker
I know I can be a bit intense with trying to make a positive difference to the world and it's Mike Burton's positive messages page. But I said, I fucking love it. I just love it.
00:48:12
Speaker
I said, I'm so passionate about wanting to make a difference to people's lives. And everybody says to me, you're strange. You're like, I get messages off like, people would call people like me or you more yourself because you're you know an influencer, people call it, or a content creator a business woman.
00:48:30
Speaker
And people say this also, and I classify yourself as like your high level person. And when I say this, within the social media you know industry or or space, you have an influence.
00:48:46
Speaker
And when you've seen, millions of pieces of content. You've come across thousands of people and the people, because you're on it all the time and you have been to build your business and the amount of people like yourself, Kate, who say this to me, and I get these off people that never dreamed.
00:49:04
Speaker
Do you know, like, you know, and you've got to see people with 500,000 followers, 2 million followers and the message me saying, please never stop being you. You're the most authentic person on Instagram. Yeah. Yeah.
00:49:15
Speaker
I think we live in a world that's so messed up though, like in relation to social media, that, that we class people with that. We, we class people according to their, their followings. Like it's like, there's so much shit out there. Even myself at times when I'm posting things, I've never said this on the podcast before, but will, because it's what I'm going through with is, you know, sometimes I look at what stuff I'm posting and i'm like, Hey, why did you post that? Like it, that's not really,
00:49:40
Speaker
in line with your message, which is much more what the podcast is about. And like, sometimes it can be for, you're like, you know that a video is gonna do well because you know people like to see those type of videos. yeah You do, like if if we're being quite honest.
00:49:53
Speaker
And that's what social media has become. It's become this fight for attention and then quality of the message. And I really wanna say this because I know a lot of people listening you know, will have come across me on social media and will, you know, look you up on social media now if they haven't already come across you.
00:50:08
Speaker
And, you know, so social media is where they they do find really good quality information as well. But, it's to be careful about who like, like the messages that you're taking in and just when you see something over and over and over again from different people doesn't mean that it's right as well. And it's not always right for you. Exactly. That's the other thing, just because you're seeing it all the time, it's because the algorithm wants you to see it because people's made a good catchy video.
Creating Lasting Happiness with Small Habits
00:50:36
Speaker
But i always say this to people, connection is key find somebody that you can connect with if you lock onto somebody's page that's put like i love the social circle family honestly but sometimes if i have to see one more food recipe video oh my word you know but if you want to blow up do food recipes if you want to make an impact to people be authentic and be yourself And if you drop on somebody's page, if it's doing food recipes, if it's mental health, if it's fitness, whatever it is, don't watch the video you've just watched.
00:51:17
Speaker
Please scroll through their feed to find the one when they talk about themselves and then find, is that the person who you can relate to? Yeah, that's a good point. Look through their page, look on their stories.
00:51:29
Speaker
You'll learn a lot about the person, not just one video, because that can be taken so out of context. And if someone listening, you you know, if there's someone that you've been following on on Instagram and, you know, that that their message, that their messaging is making a difference to your life or, you know, that you find it useful, it doesn't matter how many followers they have.
00:51:47
Speaker
They love to hear that. ah hundred percent. ah Just like genuinely, I say morning, morning at the beginning of every one of my videos or on my stories.
00:51:58
Speaker
And people always say, why do you say that? It's double as positive. Start the with some momentum. Being positive is about all about momentum. You have to build little daily habits, little opportunities to progress your life.
00:52:12
Speaker
One, yeah, one act of positivity will help you change maybe a few minutes, maybe 10. Compound that to two, three, four, you change your mood in your day.
00:52:27
Speaker
You make them habits that you produce every day, you change your life. And that's the difference. But please remember this. Find out what works for you.
00:52:37
Speaker
Would i say to everybody, get up at four o'clock in the morning, it'll change your life. Absolutely not. Just get up a little bit earlier than you are now and carry out one more positive action that's gonna improve your day. Because if you get up and you do 10 minutes outside walking, that will change your life if you did it every single day of the year.
00:53:00
Speaker
Just 10 minutes. Get in that natural vitamin D, get that serotonin moving in your body, boost that mood, get the endorphins going, switch your phone off, literally get outdoors for 10 minutes.
00:53:13
Speaker
If you can't get outdoors, genuinely do something that works for you. Walking, writing, painting, reading, having a cup of coffee, whatever it is, 10 minutes in your own yeah own head.
00:53:28
Speaker
And that is meditation. You don't have to sit there like this. You don't have to sit there like this. You don't have to get in a cold plunge. You don't have to do breath work. They are all high level things that you can do to give yourself extra 1% in your life.
00:53:43
Speaker
Simply have 10 minutes on your own thinking about what do I want? Let me repeat that. What do I want that is going to make me a better version of myself today?
00:53:56
Speaker
And for 10 minutes a day, don't put your kids first. Don't put work first. Don't put, you know, the life problems that are in your face every single day first. Put yourself first because it is so cliche, but it's true. If you don't look after yourself, you can't look after everybody else, but it's the hardest thing to do.
00:54:15
Speaker
And when I say this, this is a massive high five to all the amazing, kind people out there. Because you're the people who will find that the hardest to do because you're a good person.
00:54:27
Speaker
Good people struggle to put themselves first. And you're you're actually going to help more people by sounding so cliche, you know, fill your own cup first. But it's so true. Just give yourself that little bit of time because that's where the magic starts to grow inside. you And you don't even like you, as you said, you were like, I didn't even know what I wanted to do after I sold the business.
00:54:47
Speaker
I'm like, I just... So you're taking, you're just kind of doing things that you enjoy, like getting in the sea and going for walks and, you know, trying to figure out what you want to do. Like, I know people can have really chaotic lives and full-time jobs and all sorts of stuff going on, but just create a little bit of space for the magic where you do a little bit of something that makes you feel good inside, which will lead to the next thing and the next thing. You can still be dealing with your life's problems. Let's say you've got huge financial problems, for example.
00:55:11
Speaker
If you've got huge financial problems, if you spend all day worrying and thinking about those huge financial problems, that's not helping the huge financial problems. Yes, they have to be dealt with at specific times, you know, and plans need to come up you need to get help from them or whatever.
00:55:25
Speaker
But you shouldn't take that away from your magic time. Like, yeah be your child, be your inner child. that's I just think, you know... Yeah, we could learn so much. Learn so much from kids,
Fearlessly Pursuing Dreams
00:55:36
Speaker
right? I say children.
00:55:37
Speaker
how much we can learn from children. Children haven't been affected by mental health yet, the vast majority of them. You ask the kid, what do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a fireman.
00:55:49
Speaker
They genuinely believe it. Why can't we learn from children? Do you know why they believe they're going to be a fireman? Because the world hasn't told them they can. They haven't been exposed to social media. They haven't had the comparison of the thief of joy, seeing everybody else who's better than them.
00:56:04
Speaker
They haven't been able to be told they can't achieve. They're not even locking on to being, I need a positive role model right now. And that's when you think to yourself, at that moment, children are fearless and we need to be the same thing in pursuit of our dreams.
00:56:19
Speaker
When you ask yourself the question, what do you want to be Say exactly what you think without any self-doubt because that's what kids do. Yeah, we need to stop rationalizing it. It's not what it is. Sure, so, yeah.
00:56:31
Speaker
but i say It's like it goes through 44 different sections of your mind before it can come out your mouth because you're trying to actually, and I go back to one of the cliche things I said that use all the time.
00:56:44
Speaker
Say it and believe it, but goes back to the one thing you can live your life by. Make a decision and make it right along the way. It's never going to be perfect. Even when you get there, it still won't be perfect.
00:56:57
Speaker
And I just i just see, the when you talk about children, you know what else I love? I love dogs, right? I ain't got a dog. I've grown up with dogs. But you know why I love dogs? They are the best communicators in the world. We could all learn so much from them.
00:57:10
Speaker
If they're unhappy, you'll know about it they're going to bark at you. If they're scared, they're going to tell you straight away. If they're happy, that tail's going to wag like fuck. And you're going to know they're happy. But for us, we can be happy.
00:57:23
Speaker
But guess what? We won't even celebrate it. Why? Because we're scared what somebody else will think. In life, be more like a dog. Let your tail wag and become your own biggest cheerleader. If you achieve something, celebrate it like you've never celebrated anything before because then the people who celebrate with you, they are your true friends.
Conclusion and Motivational Message
00:57:43
Speaker
It's the fastest way to get the negative people of your life.
00:57:46
Speaker
Become your own biggest cheerleader. Milk the fucking ass out of it. And the people that cheer with you, there's your tribe right there. Yes. Do what, Mike? That is such a great place to finish it. I was like, well, I'm actually going to just be like, like that's just mic drop moment there.
00:58:02
Speaker
Thank you so much for this conversation. This has just been so, I i feel so inspired myself now. Is there anything else that you would like to like leave people with or anywhere you'd like to direct people?
00:58:14
Speaker
Well, first of all, where to find you on Instagram or if there's anything else you'd like to say in relation to anything? For me, if... Disclaimer, if you come and follow my page, Mike Burton's Positive Messages, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, but you're not going to be able to buy anything.
00:58:34
Speaker
If you're a business or a school or something, you can book me and I can come do a talk. If I get, if i which I do charge for, yeah, but I give the money to charity and, you know, sustain what the business is to help me be able to spread more messages But you can't book a coaching session with me. I'm not going to send you a DM trying to get you on a program. I'm not selling you an e-book.
00:58:53
Speaker
The only thing I'm going to sell you is one dose of positivity every single day with this big smiley face. And sometimes I'm not that happy, but I'll share that with you as well. But when I say, if you don't follow me, I only want to leave you a one message.
00:59:09
Speaker
Is... We're not designed to be happy. We have to work at being happy every single day. And I'm sorry to tell you that life is going to be tough and it's going to throw you challenges, but you are strong enough.
00:59:27
Speaker
Please never doubt yourself. You are enough just the way you are. Yes, you can become better, but you are an amazing person and don't let anybody else tell you you're not.
00:59:38
Speaker
And good people do bad things sometimes. Don't let it hold you back from the life that you deserve. Because I say at the end of every one of my videos, smile, it's a great day to be alive.
00:59:49
Speaker
And it is. Because if you're listening to this or you're watching this, you have opened your eyes today when 147,000 haven't had that opportunity.
01:00:01
Speaker
You can right your wrongs. You can repair relationships. You can chase your dreams. You can improve your health because somebody sadly up there would give anything to sing one more time, dance one more time and hug the people they love.
01:00:17
Speaker
So if the only thing you can do when you open your eyes today is smile, because it's always a great day to be alive.
01:00:25
Speaker
I'm speechless. That was amazing. like Thank you so much. I'm actually almost. Thank you so much. That was. and i appreciate it. I know we will be having another one of these conversations again soon because it's just been amazing.
01:00:40
Speaker
Okay. No problem. Appreciate it. I just want to say thank you so much for listening to the podcast. And i would just ask for one thing from you, if at all possible,
01:00:51
Speaker
could you make sure that you subscribe to the podcast? It really does make such a difference. If there's a particular episode that you've enjoyed, please do share it in your WhatsApp groups, share it on your stories, tag myself and the guest in your stories. All of these things really do help to grow the podcast. And obviously, if there's anything you'd like to reflect on, please do leave a comment.
01:01:13
Speaker
It would mean the world to me and I will see you on the next one.