Mike Koenigs's video: The Big Leap EP 55 - Our Biggest Leaps of 2021

Check out The Big Leap Podcast homepage where you can sign up and get on our waitlist for The Big Leap Year https://bigleappodcast.com/ 00:00 For Gay and me the last 2 years have been the most profound times of growth and learning in our lives. In this episode of the Big Leap, we’re going to time travel through our own personal Big Leaps from 2021, and some of the Big Leaps we expect for 2022. More importantly, we invite YOU to reflect on what your Biggest Leaps were in 2021 and what you're up for in the next year. I’d love for you to reply to this email to share what YOUR Biggest Leaps in 2021 were and what Big Leaps you’re planning for 2022. This is a SUPER fun episode, so get comfy, grab your favorite beverage and Listen now. I guarantee you’ll be inspired. 01:55 Let’s start with some of Gay’s Biggest Leaps from 2021: Gay celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary last year with his wife, Katie, by taking trips to both New York City and Maui. He also had an unexpected Big Leap in the form of what the investing world calls “a liquidity event,” which is when a big investment you’ve made gets bought or sold by a major firm, resulting in a cash windfall. 03:29 Gay and his wife, Katie, live in Ojai, California and about 15 years ago they heard about a company called Ojai Energy Systems that was building an environmentally friendly battery. They loved the idea so they invested. A few months ago, a big conglomerate made a bid on Ojai Energy Systems. Next thing you know they get an email asking to buy ALL of their stock at a great price. Unexpected liquidity event = a big financial windfall. As a rule, Gay and Katie try to invest in anything promising that's local. One of their missions is to help local entrepreneurs get a foothold in the world. Some have been flops but some have gone on to be super successful. For instance, they invested in the Ojai company, KeVita (the popular Kombucha drink) years ago when they were just starting out. KeVita recently sold to Pepsi and Gay was able to reap the benefits of another liquidity event. 05:40 Gay and Katie are now in their 70’s. They made their fortune a long time ago and now they’re having fun giving their money away. They created a grant, helping 380 needy families in their area, and made a donation to the local toy shop so kids get gift certificates for awesome toys. Gay says this was one of the most satisfying things they did all year long. Gay has been writing his memoir and a few mystery novels with are his greatest CREATIVE leap of 2021 that are continuing into 2022. Both are flowing super easily but you’ll have to tune into the whole episode to hear about these in more detail… 10:00 As for me… I did things a little differently in 2021… My wife, Vivian, and I, celebrated our 20th-anniversary last year. We decided to focus on as much “happily ever after” as possible. It’s a question I ask myself all the time… “What does happily ever after look like?” 11:16 For me, an aggravation-free life = a happily ever afterlife. That means I say NO to anything that will cause me any aggravation whatsoever. I had a VERY big opportunity (that could have been very profitable) come to me last year that I decided NOT to do because I absolutely knew it would’ve caused me NOTHING but aggravation. In the end it just wasn’t worth it. Wrong people. Wrong place. Wrong thing. 12:39 I also had my first significant liquidity event last year with a couple more in motion. It’s exciting because there are things we invested in over 15 years ago that are now paying off. 12:54 One of the things I’m most excited about is the property we bought in Mexico on a giant strawberry field. I’m building a recording studio there and we’re calling it “Strawberry Fields Studios.” (I’ve always loved the Beatles.) We’re also building a regenerative farm so we can be both food and land independent. This was a huge leap for us. In the past, I've avoided real estate like the plague because it's always felt overwhelming and scary. Another Big Leap is with our only child, Zak. He is now in college at CU Boulder. Vivian and I are empty-nesters and it’s been a pretty big change. So what were your Big Leaps in 2021 and what do you expect your Big Leaps to be in 2022? Go ahead and leave your answer in the comments. I will personally see EVERY response and I really want to know! “Mike is an extraordinary man. He’s brought me insights on how to reach people on the Internet that are so valuable. This is a man you should deal with. Take advantage of what he has to offer.” -- Tony Robbins "Meet" Mike Koenigs by watching his sizzle reel, narrated by Tony Robbins: http://www.MrBz.com/Sizzle YouTube: https://www.YouTube.com/KoenigsMike LinkedIn: https://www.Linkedin.com/in/MikeKoenigs Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/Koenigs Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/MikeKoenigs Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/MikeKoenigsReal