I have always loved the metaphor of the phoenix. Out of the ashes of brokenness arises a renewed bird. One that bring the lessons from the past. Is wiser, brighter… magical.
This is the like the story of Michael Lauria. A young, enthusiastic man that married early and with his wife brought two wonderful kids into the world. A man that was in his own words was on autopilot…a product of his world…without awareness, ownership or brotherhood.
And when a man is totally unprepared for real challenges in life a critical blow can floor him. We all know this. Many of us have been through it.
Michael’s marriage fell apart and he spiralled. Without the inner strength or knowledge to deal with it he followed a well trodden path to anxiety, depression, alcohol and utter financial ruin.
Eventually he bottomed out and found the end of a dark and sad road. Drunk and burnt to the ground he sat on the edge of his bed in a hazy self-induced coma. Finally, on the point of no return and 100% ready to overdose on pills he received a text out of the blue from his young son who had not seen in 18 gut-wrenching months. “Daddy, we love you and we miss you. We can’t to see you again.“
As he stared into the abyss, broken and ruined this gift from his son brought him back. The question that burned in his mind was…”Is this how I want my kids to see me?”
Just like the phoenix…Michael saved himself by complete renewal and the burning of old ways. And he slowly rose out of the ashes by taking the hard path to become what we would call a true Universal Man.
Brick by brick he rebuilt his life. Re-educated himself. Mended his relationships. Saved his money. Took responsibility. And this my friends is one impressive man.
He is a kindred spirit for us at Universal Man. His mission is to help other men through their journey of life by showing a path to personal ownership, strength and self-knowledge. He helps men ponder quotes like “the cave you fear hold the treasure you seek.” This life is not about short-cuts. This is about being a real man and standing tall and proud as you walk this world.
We are the kinds of men that ask the hard questions of ourselves. As Michael would say, one of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves is, “How did I helped to co-create this experience that I’m having?” – Ponder that for a minute.
This is the inner work of great men and vital for all of us to master and ponder. To become beacons of hope we must first deal with our inner chaos. Michael’s work at Forging Exalibur helps men with that. Through his work he has created the 7 Standards of Men:
Michael advocates that the place for all of us to start is Responsibility. We must start to look at our life and roles and internalise the ownership. And just like us here at Universal Man he ensures that this journey is not taken alone.
To learn more about Michael and his programs and myriad of resources go to Forging Excalibur.
“My greatest strengths lie, not so much in my education, but in the fact that I have “walked the path”. I have experienced the lack of awareness and all the struggle, adversity and heartache associated with this and now am on a quest to share the wisdom gained to lead Men towards a purposeful and meaningful future and for them to inspire their sons to follow in their footsteps so together, we create a society of well balanced, self aware people who are connected partners, engaged fathers and amazing Men of Purpose…” – Michael Lauria.
