For some, hitting rock bottom marks the end of their dreams. For others, it is the springboard they need to mark a new beginning.
“I just woke up and realized that I actually love life. I still get the onset of depression wanting to be a part of my life. I still get imposter syndrome. I still ask myself sometimes, is this all nonsense? Am I making it all up? But the cool thing is, no, it’s not. Here’s the evidence. Look at what you’ve achieved. Look at the change that you make in people’s lives. And that just reinforces me staying on track. So there was no magic moment. It kind of just folded into becoming what I do now with confidence.” – Dan Mangena
We all face obstacles and setbacks in life. Some of them are easily shaken, while others shake us straight to our core. But even when all seems lost, we have a choice to make: either own up to our mistakes and learn the lessons life has in store for us, or ignore all the signs, refuse to evolve, and wade deeper into trouble until we reach rock bottom.
Today’s guest on The I Heart My Life Show, Daniel Mangena, is one of those rare people who always manages to bounce back stronger and more aligned with their mission than ever before. He is a coach, speaker, best-selling author, serial entrepreneur, and all-round problem-solver who uses both his life experience and his signature Beyond Intention Paradigm to help others live an abundant, joyful, and purpose-driven life.
Growing up, Dan knew with absolute certainty that he would become a millionaire. His unshakeable self-belief led him to making his first million dollars when he was just 19 years old—but his first business ended up crumbling just as quickly as it was built. He shook it off and pressed on, but when the same thing happened again for the second time, he knew it was time to pause and reflect. There’s no denying it was a painful process. But rather than knocking him down, hitting rock bottom ended up being exactly the wake-up call he needed to transform his life—and what led him to help thousands of other people do the same.
Having recently gone through my own process of realignment with my life and my vision, I know firsthand how debilitating those low points can feel. But just like Dan, I know that when we listen to what the Universe is telling us, and decide to persevere despite all the setbacks in our way, the difficult moments end up serving not only our personal growth, but also our communities.
I have so much respect and admiration for the way Dan held his head high in the face of tremendous setbacks, and how openly and vulnerably he speaks about his experiences with depression and suicidal thoughts in this episode. I was deeply moved hearing his backstory, and I know that it will inspire you to believe in yourself unconditionally, forget what others think or say and focus on paving your own path, and push past even the most fatal-seeming obstacles in your way.
TW: This episode contains conversations about depression and suicide.
In This Episode:
- Dan shares the story behind his success, from rock bottom to self-made millionaire
- Lessons he learned by building and losing a million-dollar business
- Why you need both limitless self-belief AND practical knowledge and experience to run a successful business
- What Dan wishes he knew before he started his first business
- Dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts as an entrepreneur
- How he bounced back from rock bottom after losing his second business
- The steps he took to rebuild both his life and his business
- Why growing and utilizing your network matters
- How to stop caring what others think and say, and focus on living your best life
- Why abundance is really our birthright
Quotes:
“A lot of what I practice and share with people is life experiences. I didn’t pull any of it out of my hat. I didn’t become a thought leader because I wanted to make more money or be famous. I was pulled to doing this because the universe showed me that one of the reasons why I’d gone through this steep learning curve was so that other people don’t have to.” – Dan Mangena
“I just woke up and realized that I actually love life. I still get the onset of depression wanting to be a part of my life. I still get imposter syndrome. I still ask myself sometimes, is this all nonsense? Am I making it all up? But the cool thing is, no, it’s not. Here’s the evidence. Look at what you’ve achieved. Look at the change that you make in people’s lives. And that just reinforces me staying on track. So there was no magic moment. It kind of just folded into becoming what I do now with confidence.” – Dan Mangena
“People are running away from their own problems or, having given up on their own dreams, are wanting to keep you paying small because they didn’t play big. Are you going to let that hold you back from living your best life?” – Dan Mangena
“When nature is left to its own devices, it’s always abundant. Everything moves in harmony and takes care of everything else. And it has everything that it needs. When we step into true flow, when we’re living out our purpose, when we are adding, instead of trying to take away, we enter into that harmony. All of our needs are always taken care of, opportunities and resources come, and that connection shows up. Everything always clicks into place. As long as we are open to being in alignment with the flow of that naturally occurring abundance, it is ours for the taking.” – Dan Mangena
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