010: Being A Caregiver And Successful Entrepreneur With Michael Bloom

00:00 Beau Henderson: You’re listening to the richest conversation on the radio. This is the one place committed to helping you live your definition of a healthy, wealthy fulfilled life on purpose. I’m your host, Beau Henderson, and my promise on this journey is I’m in it for the long haul, helping you with tools, resources, experts, and the things you need to move towards that definition of a RichLife. And I’m excited today that we have a guest, Michael Bloom. It’s a fascinating story, and a lot of the work I’ve done in the past in financial planning. I just have a lot of conversations with a lot of families, and I’ve seen this scenario time and again, and it’s a scenario of the things that come with being a caregiver. And Michael has lived this journey. He’s gonna share with us about this, but he’s taking something else he has done that I think is fascinating, because I’m always looking for entrepreneurs on a mission. And that mission is not just what lights them up, but what lights them up is helping others. They’re doing what they do in service to others.

01:03 Beau Henderson: So, Michael has created a business that has allowed him to successfully navigate and care give, and help others in the same situation, looking to do the same thing. So Michael, I’m not gonna say it as well as you can. So in a RichLife minute right here, in about 60 second, give us the mission of what you do and why you do it?

01:23 Michael Bloom: Absolutely. Well, first of all, Beau, it’s a great pleasure to have the honor to be on this show with you. Really, my mission is to help fellow family caregivers stop putting their own lives on the back burner. As a family caregiver, and I know this well because I jumped in as an adult only child to care for both of my parents during their final years, we are so dedicated to our loved ones that it’s easy to put your own personal and professional aspirations aside. With the great care giving support plans and having a team in place, it is really possible to still provide high quality dedicated support to your loved one that you could be proud of, but still pursue professional and personal goals that will give ultimate meaning to your life. Because, I know this well, if you continue to go week after week, month after month, and some care giving journeys for some illnesses and diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia or Parkinson’s disease, could go on for 10 years or more.

02:27 Michael Bloom: And when I step into work with caregivers, the question is, “Are you really prepared to sacrifice a decade of your life and miss out on the opportunities that are there?” The key is don’t do it alone. And I look forward to exploring this topic with you so that caregivers that may be listening to this realize that they really can lead a full life. Not only that they can, but they really deserve it. And the loved ones that you care for want you to live as full life as possible as well.

02:54 Beau Henderson: You’re right, Michael. I know there’s a lot of RichLifers out there that either have been in the role, or are in the role, or will be in the role of a caregiver. Statistically, it’s gonna happen for a lot of people. But one of the things I’ve seen that really people need to be aware of, is a lot of times, I think the way things work is there’s so much focus on the person that’s getting the care that might be sick, they might be need the things that you’re providing, that I think sometimes the feedback I’ve seen from people is the caregiver gets lost in the shuffle.

03:29 Michael Bloom: Absolutely. And when a crisis happens in your family, so a close family member gets a serious diagnosis of cancer, or Alzheimer’s disease, or, God forbid, has a tragic injury, a brain injury that can happen as simple as… I was working with somebody recently whose husband had a tragic brain injury accident from just doing a bike ride to work one day.

03:57 Beau Henderson: Wow.

03:57 Michael Bloom: A young guy. And you never know when these things could happen. One of our treasured service members… We have a million American families supporting a loved one who has returned from Iraq and Afghanistan who needs care-giving support.

04:09 Michael Bloom: So there’s so many out there, but when that injury or illness happens, there’s really no preparation. I don’t know about you, Beau, but when I approach a swimming pool or the beach, I wait to test the water to see how comfortable it is before I jump in.

04:25 Beau Henderson: Right.

04:26 Michael Bloom: When your loved one’s in a crisis, there’s no time to do that. A caregiver will just jump into the deep end, and their life is never the same. So it’s really vital since there’s no road map. Clearly, I decided that I wanted to give people a clear map that they can customize to their own needs to really focus on what their loved one needs, but also to know how to ask for support and get the support they desire when they want it. A lot of caregivers are so overwhelmed with the day-to-day support needs that their loved ones has, plus managing a household. And many caregivers are actually managing more than one household. They may be managing their own home and the elder parent’s home, as the elder parent’s in decline.

05:11 Michael Bloom: These are really tough situations. They’re scary. They’re frightening. We’re walking hand-in-hand with our loved ones through some of the toughest journeys you can possibly imagine. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle and put your own needs on the back burner. But it really doesn’t have to be that way if you’re willing to explore and seek support that can help you design the best pathway to provide that high quality service to your loved one, but still get a life yourself.

05:35 Beau Henderson: Let’s go into some tips in just a second, but before we do that, I think there’s a good point that you brought up. So I was thinking in the context of what I’ve seen in my world, a lot of clients who are kind of sandwiched. They are taking care of their aging parents.

05:50 Michael Bloom: Yep.

05:51 Beau Henderson: And so, that was kind of the model I think, okay, yeah, I’ve seen a lot examples of caregivers, but as you were talking, it’s not necessarily always the case. It could be a sibling, it could be a kid, it could be… It’s anybody. That caregiver role could be many different scenarios.

06:05 Michael Bloom: Oh it absolutely can. And many caregivers, as you mentioned the sandwich generation, are caring oftentimes for maybe an ill spouse and an aging parent, or an aging parent and a child with special needs.

06:17 Beau Henderson: Right.

06:18 Michael Bloom: The care-giving statistics, as you said, are really daunting. Right now in this year, in 2015, there are seven younger people, potentially, to care for every elder over the age of 80. By 2030, that ratio will be four to one, and by 2050, that ratio will be three to one, due to population demographics and the fact that we’re living longer.

06:41 Beau Henderson: Right.

06:41 Michael Bloom: So I’m not so concerned about that because many caregivers are taking care of more than one person. But here’s what happens when I go even to meet with young people in colleges now. You know how the medical school or the law school dean will say, “Look to your right and look to your left, most likely, one out of the three of you won’t be here for graduation ’cause you won’t cut it”?

07:00 Beau Henderson: Right.

07:00 Michael Bloom: I say, look to your right and look to your left, because at least one out of three of you is gonna care for a loved one, so you may as well start to get the tips now, so to be prepared. And I think it’s important that we involve the whole family, in ways that they choose to be, based on their talents and skills, involved in the care-giving situation. Start educating people young and get prepared. So I’m happy to explore how we can do that.

07:23 Beau Henderson: So RichLifers, pay attention. That is one third of us are gonna be put in this position, at least probably. Probably at least one third of us at some point in our life. So, Michael, somebody in that position, or just wants to be better educated about, if they’re… There’s potential… Sometimes people know there’s potential to be in that caregiver role in the near future. What are some things you can do, or just where to start, maybe some tips to navigate the situation?

07:50 Michael Bloom: Absolutely. The first thing you do is to sort of fore-arm yourself. So have honest conversations in your family while people are healthy, even if you’re not involved in care-giving situations right now. Everybody’s who’s over the age of 18, in my mind, would benefit from having a discussion as to what they would want for support if they were not able to speak for themselves. One of the reasons that elders don’t complete healthcare proxies, or other estate planning documents, is that they feel targeted. They feel it’s all about that. If everybody takes that on, and we’re in a great time to even do this, is around the holidays when families are getting together, have a discussion. I was very lucky because my father… My mother did not like to talk about end-of-life issues. My father was very open. He made sure all of the documents were in place. So when he ended up with dementia, I was able to step in seamlessly from a legal perspective to take care of all of that stuff. Because the last thing you want is for people who are under stress and concerned about your health to have to go into the legal system to get remedies. So that’s the first thing.

08:54 Michael Bloom: The second thing is, if you’re in the mix of the care-giving role now, and you’re not getting help that you want… I’ve seen many family members be dissatisfied. I’m an only child; it was a blessing and a curse.

09:06 Beau Henderson: Right.

09:07 Michael Bloom: The blessing was I had no siblings to argue with, the curse was I really felt alone at the beginning of the journey. Many siblings, usually one sibling will step up as a primary caregiver, and that person tends to not be satisfied with how their other siblings are performing. So the big key with this is, if you’re involved in care-giving, make a list of everything that’s involved in taking care of your loved one, and managing the household or other responsibilities. Make that list on a daily, weekly, monthly, and as needed basis. Keep adding to it. Instead of directing other people with what to do to support you, one of the biggest things that I found for families that have conflict, make the list, share the list, and let people self-select what they can do based on their own skills, talents, and comfort level. Because, quite frankly, not every person… I did in-depth hygiene routines with both of my parents. Now, for some people who are listening to this, that might make you cringe, okay. Because, can you imagine doing that? But in families, not everybody feels comfortable doing that, so instead of judging people for not getting involved in things that they’re not comfortable with, let them do things that they can be. And for some, that might be taking the family car for car repair. It doesn’t have to be direct service.

10:22 Beau Henderson: Michael, and I don’t mean to interrupt there, but I think that’s a good point to bring up. Unless that list is made, those more passive, maybe siblings, they really have no idea of everything that’s involved with it, they just think of delivering the meds and bringing meals or something, they don’t consider all those ancillary things involved in care-giving, so I think that’s a great idea.

10:49 Michael Bloom: Thank you. And the other thing I was gonna say, too, is please do not ignore your younger generation. A lot of people will shield people with children, or even adults with developmental disabilities from care-giving because they are afraid of overwhelming them, or scaring them. Young people can really get involved, and take pride in getting involved. If a grandson comes over to watch a football game with grandpa and play some cards, it can give you an opportunity to do other things. Grandpa is occupied and happy. That child is participating in the care-giving partnership just by doing that. You can involve them.

11:34 Michael Bloom: The other thing I was gonna say, too, distance. A lot of families in the past were very close together geographically. Now families are broken up and can live in different parts of the world. There are technological tools out there that can make things easy. Would it be okay if I share one free online service that can help you organize these things…

11:52 Beau Henderson: Absolutely.

11:52 Michael Bloom: To share with family members? One of my favorite sites that I suggest to my coaching clients is called Lotsahelpinghands.com. L-O-T-S-A, so Lotsa and then helpinghands.com. It’s a free online portal for caregivers so that you can organize a calendar, have people join your community. So, people just sign up with an email. If you need help with appointments, or you need to give an update about somebody’s condition, or put in medical updates, you could actually coordinate all of that very easily from this online portal. And a lot of younger family members like to use something like that ’cause they’re more technologically savvy. And if you’re somebody who doesn’t feel so technologically savvy, that’s a great way to get a younger family member involved…

12:39 Beau Henderson: There you go.

12:40 Michael Bloom: So, just even taking that on, it’s just a really great tool because then people can see exactly what you’re doing and they can volunteer to help. And I’ll tell you, people who were involved in their local church or synagogue or spiritual community, another great place. People are always off asking people when they come to church, how things are going, how they can help. A lot of people are too embarrassed to share that they need support. Put it out there. Be open, gracious, and be willing to accept support and develop a community so you don’t feel so alone. And it’ll give you the opportunity to do other things. Share the burden so it doesn’t really feel like so much of a burden anymore.

13:15 Beau Henderson: Michael, you wrote a book called ‘The Accidental Caregiver Survival Guide.’

13:20 Michael Bloom: I did in 2013, yes. And it provides the road map to care-giving without regret. And the impetus for the book, my mom… My dad passed in 2009, and my mom passed, Mother’s Day 2012. I had a great bereavement counselor I used in home hospice for both of them. And my bereavement counselor, after my mom passed, suggested that I start writing as a way to kinda deal with the loss. And that writing led to an essay which got published in the Gratitude Book Project in 2013, which was called “Parent Care-Giving Without Regret.” And from there, I went on to write the book. The book isn’t about my story. The book is really about how caregivers, even that I’ve worked with, can use a bit of a road map so that they could avoid the two main regrets that they face when they’re going through the care-giving journey.

14:09 Michael Bloom: The first one, we’ve already kinda talked about it a bit; regret over things that they passed up opportunities. Many caregivers either leave corporate like I did, reduce work hours. We have careers, personal, professional aspirations, we never get those years back. So you have regret for not even keeping your own dreams and goals and trying to reach them. The second part of regret is that caregivers often can feel regret for things they may have done or said during the care-giving journey to their loved one. And a lot of times, they hold on to that as a form of regret and guilt because they wish they could take some things back. But I wanna be clear, when you’re walking hand-in-hand, against some of the scariest things that you can go through; painful treatments, uncertainty with what’s gonna happen next, and even the dying process, it’s understandable that you and your loved one may occasionally lash out at one another. I mean, you’re fearful, your afraid. We share our naked feelings with those we’re closest with. The idea is to forgive yourself and forgive your loved one, and for being human. I have this happened a few times. I had a lovely relationship with my mother. But after my father passed, and I was now living in my mother’s house and being the primary caregiver, I was not her husband. I was not her spouse. I was her son.

15:27 Beau Henderson: You’re still the son, right.

15:27 Michael Bloom: I’m still the son, right? But there’s kind of a reversal. But there would be times as any mother would do, and my mom was a lovely human being, I’m not gonna take away from her at all. But she would want me to do certain things in the way she would manage the household, and that like my dad did, and how I wanted dishes in the dishwasher was not so important when I was dealing with some pretty heavy things in my mind. And sometimes I would lash out. But the reason I bring this up, I made a point of not going to bed upset and making sure I apologized. And this only happened a handful of times. But just that every time that I would apologize for something I said, and it actually happened every time, and I could remember a few things, my mom would say, “What are you apologizing for? That didn’t even bother me, Michael. Don’t worry about that.”

16:12 Michael Bloom: So the reason I’m bringing that up, a lot of people don’t take time to make amends and really see… Maybe it didn’t affect the loved one in a way that you think it did. Now, I’m not taking away from the many cases of abuse or neglect that can happen out there. I’m talking about common anger, lashing out at one another when you’re under stress. Just don’t beat yourself up over these things. You’re going through a very, very tough journey. Be good to yourself.

16:36 Beau Henderson: No, that’s great advice. Don’t hold on to it because there’s a good chance the other party’s not anyway.

16:41 Michael Bloom: Yeah.

16:42 Beau Henderson: As you’re talking about this, Michael, an analogy that’s coming to my mind is it’s almost like you see this care-giving situation coming, or you’re thrown into it, it’s almost like you need to step back, and almost plan like you would a business and make a business plan. You need a care-giving plan. You need to kind of build out, like you say, make some checklist, create some teams, and really just step back and come in with the right plan to be successful.

17:07 Michael Bloom: Exactly. Come up with the right plan, and then like you were in leading and building a business, or… The most successful teams determine what exactly needs to be done and then position and put the best people in place to carry out those responsibilities. So what makes it a bit different in the care-giving role rather than in the care-giving success plan rather than in a corporate, let’s say, strategic plan, is that you, in this case, you want people to step up to the plate and do things that they feel skilled at doing, and comfortable at doing. When people self-select to make a choice from a menu of items, they’re more likely to complete them and then be willing to do more. And the other thing I would say, too, as part of your care-giving success plan, part of it is being willing to give up a little bit of control and being okay, your own A-plus effort at doing certain tasks that you’re comfortable with doing.

18:05 Michael Bloom: If you really want to have other people involved, and get them energized right from the start, be okay with what you might rate a C effort to start off with. People only get better from practice, encouragement, and energy. So it’s so important to do that. You really wanna be the caregiver that people are glad to support, that wanna join your team, whether it be medical personnel that you’re working with on your loved one’s team, or the other family members or friends, or even paid supporters if you have the funds that you can bring in to be helpful.

18:37 Beau Henderson: So there’s also a second part to your story, Michael. And share with us that in kind of the summary format of the… To be able to stay home and do the things and be the caregiver the way you did it. You started a business, and you’ve even taken a step further, and you’re helping others do the same. So, just kind of go into that for a minute.

19:01 Michael Bloom: Absolutely. Well, initially, I was coaching after I went through a coach training school while my mom was still alive. I was initially coaching clients in my local area, and then did local speaking engagements. And I still do many of those in the Boston area and throughout New England, and really love them. And the book has actually helped catapult that to another level. But I wanted to be able to have an impact and reach other caregivers from different parts of the world. And one of the things that I discovered was, I actually studied Google Hangouts in-depth, and started doing Hangout webinars as kind of “Care-giving Power Hours”. And it really brought in, and expanded my reach to people I won’t otherwise reach. And during this journey of learning Google Hangouts, I met my business partner for a second business we developed about a year ago, called, “Hangouts That Convert”. Jon Schumacher is my business partner. He was interviewing and working within healthcare himself. He’s a full-time physical therapist, had a digital healthcare podcast, of which I was interviewed with, that he moved to Hangout webinar format.

20:09 Michael Bloom: And we had such a mutual love for really leveraging the platform and the full power of Google and YouTube, that it transformed to really helping other mission-driven coaches, consultants, authors, many of whom I found to be caregivers who want to have the flexibility to launch their own business, in my case. Jon works with other people as well, and so do I, but many people that are… I’m magnetized to working with those that are in the care-giving situation or have just come out of it or anticipate going into it who wanna have the flexibility to… And freedom to work from home, [chuckle] and reach many with their expertise. Sure, yeah.

20:53 Beau Henderson: Let me get this straight, Michael, so if I’m listening, and I’m a caregiver, and I want your help navigating this, or I’m just a business owner, and I have another mission that I need help with… You’re there in Boston, correct?

21:07 Michael Bloom: I am, yeah.

21:07 Beau Henderson: Okay, I thought so. And, say, I’m in Atlanta, but in this example, say, I’m in LA, I can get face-to-face with you, and coach through some of these things with what you’re talking about?

21:19 Michael Bloom: Absolutely. And let me tell you this, too. Jon and I… I’m in Boston. Jon’s in the San Francisco Bay Area. And we started working together for many, many months because we met on Hangouts and did not meet in person until months later. So our business actually developed from a virtual Hangout relationship.

21:37 Beau Henderson: A virtual handshake.

21:39 Michael Bloom: Yes, a virtual handshake, or virtual hug, or virtual high-five, however you wanna put it. But I now work with people from all continents, and it’s just really a fabulous situation to be able… I can’t tell you the buzz… And I’m sure you know this, too, Beau. The buzz that you get now from being able to use technology in a way to leverage it so that you could connect, and engage, and support people from any part of the world, that can access that technology.

22:06 Beau Henderson: Just in the last couple of years, it’s been amazing, Michael, it’s expanded. I work with financial planning clients all over the country, over Skype, because it’s just like having an office meeting, we just don’t have to take them to a plane ride.

22:22 Michael Bloom: Exactly, exactly.

22:23 Beau Henderson: Well, let’s talk about that. So what… A little bit about the story, so you’re able to do the business, and that really… That freed you up to be able to do the care-giving? I just wanna tie that up a little neater.

22:35 Michael Bloom: Yeah, absolutely. So when I was launching my coaching business, I wasn’t using Google Hangouts at first. I was doing coaching mainly with local clients, and then I was actually started with doing teleseminars before I got into Hangouts. So this is back several years ago. But I was able to launch and build a fast audience from home. My mom needed full physical support with everything. So I was pretty… I was her full-time caregiver. That was my full-time role. My part-time role was then getting this business launched. But what transformed me into being able to really go faster with everything, was I stopped doing the care-giving alone.

23:14 Michael Bloom: I developed a care-giving success team. I listed the items that I needed, or I wanted support with. And then I developed… I actually used that Lotsa Helping Hands platform. And my mom’s nickname was Bunny, and I created a team called “Bunny’s helpers.” And I had dozens of people, friends, family members, members from my local synagogue who became part of that community. So if I wanted to go away for a training day, or I had an event where I was speaking, I could actually post a… Or my mom had a physical therapy appointment to do, if I wanted help, I could do it. I could post the appointment on the calendar, people would get an automatic alert, and then somebody would sign up. I didn’t have to make a dozen phone calls to seek support.

24:00 Michael Bloom: So, just by doing that freed me up and got a lot of help. The great thing about it, once I opened up, is a lot of my female friends and family stepped up to the plate. So, even when I went away for training weekends or other events, my mom got to stay with people and have girl’s weekends.

24:18 Beau Henderson: Oh, nice.

24:21 Michael Bloom: Okay? So my mom was energized by it, too. So, it was a win-win. But when I first was in the journey with both of my parents, even initially with my mother, I tried to do it alone, and that was a burnout phase. And I’ll be very frank, too, a few months after my dad passed, because of all the stress I was under, I’m trying to be superman caregiver, I came down with shingles from that stress. And care-giving is a very stressful role, don’t do it alone. Seek support. There’s plenty of support to be found out there, but the best way to get it is, again, I cannot state this clear enough, list everything that you’re doing, and share a menu, and let people choose.

24:58 Michael Bloom: It could be just with pen and paper, it doesn’t have to be with the technology. Just get that out there, don’t go in alone. And then that will allow you, when you have other people that are supporting you, to have the freedom to pursue other things. Or if you’re even still working in corporate, to still pursue other corporate opportunities. Many corporate… I actually was part of a Boston, the City of Boston panel discussion with some other people, including the vice president from John Hancock [25:30] ____ insurer, who had a vice president for social corporate responsibility as part of the panel, that was talking about, I thought that was great, was talking about how many caregivers are in the workforce, and how…

25:45 Michael Bloom: People in the workforce are automatically given support when somebody’s pregnant and about to have a new baby. We understand that. There’s maternity leave, or paternity leave, and there’s [25:56] ____ baby showers, and all that stuff that happens and celebrate. When you become a caregiver, we don’t have a party, okay? So there’s no way of knowing that. So, I think it’s great that more corporations are gonna start to allow caregivers to feel comfortable, come out of the care-giving closet, share, and get support. It really can make a world of difference, and so that you can pursue whatever those goals are. And you can, and deserve to have a RichLife. And the best way to do that, in my opinion, to have that flexibility, is to have a home-based business that you can touch people, and help people with your expertise from around the world, and make a livable income.

26:32 Beau Henderson: So, somebody listening, they want help with the care-giving, or maybe are open to it, need help, and they like this idea of this boundary-less business that they can do, and do from home, and do work they love. How could they connect with you? I know you’re very open to interacting with folks. How could they connect with your, or find out more information, and even get the book?

26:54 Michael Bloom: Absolutely. Well, the book, “The Accidental Care Giver’s Survival Guide” is on Amazon, but I invite folks to come visit me at my site at Caregivingwithoutregret.com. You can feel free to… My contact information’s all there. I’d love to talk to anybody who’s listening. If they’re a caregiver, or anticipate becoming a caregiver, let’s get connected and even have a chat.

27:23 Beau Henderson: And take Michael up on this offer, ’cause remember, the key that we’ve heard over and over again as a takeaway is do not be superman or superwoman. Do not try to do this alone. Alright? So, Michael, let’s shift gears, and I get the business, love the mission. I can really tell when somebody comes in, and I can hear it from your heart that you’re on a mission, and you’re gonna do this, and you’re gonna help people for a long, long time with this, because it’s just in you. I can just hear it. But let’s shift and get to know you a little better. First question, I call this growth factor. So, people on a mission, or have a mission-based business, which we’ve talked about, they tend to be big on personal development. So what is it right now that you’re working on to grow or develop yourself? It can be in any area.

28:12 Michael Bloom: Absolutely. Well, I’m really out there to learn how to use, better use, even, live webcasting platform to really sharpen my message with clarity, so that it really can make a positive impact to transform the listener or the watcher. So, one of the things that John and I have been digging deep in is, basically the real nitty-gritty tips, to the real good structure with a live webinar broadcast. We use Google Hangouts as that platform. But there is really… And that’s why we have a business called Hangouts That Could Work, because there’s some really good conversion strategies within that. But I’m always trying to up my game. I think one of the best ways to deliver the best for your clients is to continually be learning yourself. And there is other great people out there.

29:05 Beau Henderson: And that’s a key that comes up all the time is that, I know people in the show, they’re growing, because they’re influencers. And, as we’re growing, that gives us space and room to help other people grow more and increase our influence. So, love that. So, success with money and life, I’m the guy that believes you can do both if that’s your choice. So, want a couple tips from you, just kind of a lightning round type of deal. Best money advice you’ve ever received, and from who?

29:39 Michael Bloom: Best… Well, actually, I have a financial advisor as well. And the best money advice I ever received was, be comfortable with investing for the long-term. But also, we had a really great talk, and if you believe in your expertise and the power it can bring, be comfortable investing in yourself and get out there. So that really was helpful for me. Because my dad was a child of the depression, so even though we grew up just… I grew up just fine. He lived at a time period of scarcity, so I heard that from him. And he would not necessarily, or didn’t want to take chances. So be comfortable stepping outside your comfort zone, and my financial advisor actually was very comfortable telling me to do that, too.

30:33 Beau Henderson: That sounds like great advice from a financial advisor, and that’s one of the big things I see, too, Michael is we’ve got to build that money piece one level at a time. I think where you see people get in trouble most often out there, is they’re working on level three, level four items before level one and two were set up correctly…

30:52 Michael Bloom: Correct.

30:52 Beau Henderson: And that’s where it’ll collapse. Great advice. Okay, best advice you’ve ever received in general, for success in life or any area, and who gave that to you?

31:02 Michael Bloom: Well, the best advice I’ve gotten to that is not be invested in the outcome. So when we’re so focused on what the outcome is, when we’re first setting it up, we can actually fall into a low energy state. So we want to deliver our best, and we certainly wanna produce good outcomes, but if you’re only going to be satisfied and happy when you achieve the outcome, you’re gonna be really sick, depressed along the way.

31:35 Michael Bloom: Enjoy the journey, make sure that you’re engaging in activities that are productive, but also can lead to income, but don’t be so invested in the outcome. And I actually learned that while going through my coach training program from IPEC, the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, and studying energy leadership, and trying… We all have a mix of negative and positive energy within us, and if we wanna stay, spend more of our time in those higher level energy zones, it’s really kind of abandoning our focus on the outcome all the time.

32:09 Beau Henderson: Well, there’s your tweetable quote for the day for me to pull, “Don’t be attached, or don’t be invested in the outcome.” I think that’s sage advice.

32:16 Michael Bloom: Thank you.

32:19 Beau Henderson: One last thing, and before we kind of wind this up, before we do that, again, remind people where they can get a hold of you, Michael, please.

32:28 Michael Bloom: Oh thanks so much. Caregivingwithoutregret.com. Just come to the site and you’ll find all my info, contact information on the contact page, Caregivingwithoutregret.com.

32:37 Beau Henderson: And RichLifers, Michael has delivered, and he has given us actionable tips and tools and resources and the ability to connect with him in this very important topic that I think is not talked about near enough because, the fact that it affects at least one third of us out there, is gonna affect a lot of us out there listening. So, appreciate the information. And for the tips and tools, I know we covered a lot of stuff, we’ll have this on the show page at Richlifeshow.com. And Michael, to take us out in a world with no boundary, no limitations, no constraints, what would be your definition of a rich life?

33:21 Michael Bloom: Believing there’s no limit to possibility. So be open to change. Change is constantly happening in our lives with our own well-being and health, and with that of our loved one, so be open to possibility. And, again, don’t do it alone, accept support. Get off of care-giving isolation island.

33:44 Beau Henderson: That… I love conciseness, and I’m just… That’s gonna be the clip I pull, “Be open to limitless possibility.” I like it.

33:54 Michael Bloom: Thanks.

33:54 Beau Henderson: Michael, appreciate you being a guest on the RichLife Show. As you continue your journey, and can give us more education and help us along our journey with the business and even the care-giving, we’d love to have you back in the future.

34:07 Michael Bloom: Would be my absolute pleasure, Beau. Thanks so much for having me on your great show.

34:11 Beau Henderson: RichLifers, again, go to Richlifeshow.com. You can find the show notes, the tips, the quotes, the resources that Michael has provided for us. And I will see you right here next time on the RichLife Show.