William Wood on Finding a Mentor to Shortcut Freedom
Dave Wood here, and for this episode I’m handing the mic to my brother, William Wood, creator of the Max Performance Master Course. William built his work on some of his hardest moments, and today he’s telling two of them. One is about a stranger he stopped for on a street corner in Chile. The other is about a night he expected a friend to walk away from him and got forgiveness instead. Both stories point at the same idea: you don’t have to find your way to freedom by yourself. Here’s William Wood’s episode.
I want to tell you about a day I saved a life without realizing it. It was 1995, winter was just starting in Santiago, Chile, and a friend and I were walking briskly down a dusty concrete street near Estación Central, heading to an appointment. We had our eyes locked forward like racers. Then I noticed a man in his thirties sullenly smoking a cigarette on the corner, and a thought hit me like lightning: go talk to that man. I stopped, put out my hand, and introduced myself to someone who would quickly become a dear friend.
It turned out that moment was a crucial one for him. He was at a low point. That same morning, his wife had left him and taken their only son, and he had no idea where she’d gone or whether he’d ever see his boy again. We spent several hours talking. I listened, and I told him hope was real, that he could make it through that day. He told me later that my stopping to talk to him saved his life. It wasn’t so much what I said, he told me. It was the heart he felt behind it, from someone who’d been a stranger an hour earlier.
A Friend’s Forgiveness
I screwed up big time once. I was nineteen, everything in my life was going wrong, and I sat down with a mentor while my head hung low, eyes burning a hole in the floor with shame. He listened while I poured out my soul. “You probably hate me now,” I said. He looked at me in silence for what felt like an eternity, and then he said something that changed me: “I forgive you. I already made up my mind about you. Your whole life could be hanging together by a single thread, and everyone else might abandon you, but I will stay with you because I love you. If you found yourself in the very depths of hell, I would break down the doors to find you.”
A peace came over me in that moment that I still can’t fully explain. My heart swelled, my eyes filled with tears. My friend had seen past everything I’d done and loved me anyway. That kind of love still echoes through my work today, and it’s part of what put me on the path of helping people heal from their own past.
Healing Old Wounds
A few years ago I was having a deep conversation with a close friend, and an old wound I thought I’d already healed came back up out of nowhere. I was surprised to find myself shaking, trembling, completely exposed, with no mask left to hide behind. In that moment of trust, my friend spoke a few words that pulled the darkness out of me and let something lighter take its place. I’m more convinced now than ever that love is the great healer, and that it can flow through any one of us into the darkest places in someone else’s life. No wound is too deep for it. No sorrow is too low. No tragedy is too profound.
Freedom Has a Shortcut: Find a Mentor
There are different kinds of freedom, time freedom, financial freedom, emotional freedom, spiritual freedom, and every one of them can be cultivated, the same way a farmer plants a field in spring and harvests it in the fall. You don’t have to figure the method out alone. Sometimes all it takes is a friend opening a door for you to walk through.
When you decide you’re ready for that kind of change, you really have three choices in front of you.
- Do nothing. Not everybody wants to make the change, or pay the price a change requires.
- Try to figure it out entirely on your own.
- Find a skilled mentor, someone who has already navigated their way to the kind of freedom you’re after, and let them guide you.
That third option is the real shortcut. It’s the one that saved me countless hours of struggle and pain, and it’s the one I’d point you toward if you’re serious about the kind of freedom you say you want.
Full episode transcript
Lightly edited from the original recording — fillers removed, nothing added. Income disclaimer.
To truly give you the gift of freedom as you walk along the path of each Daily Shortcut episode, you'll discover that it's the people who you mastermind with that give you the power to transform your business. You'll take off in your business when you decide to slow down time and connect with other great mentors. When you decide, today decide to embrace fully the transformational information from one of my mentors. As we open a new door to a vehicle, you can step inside and smile, taking one step and then the other. As we open a new door to a vehicle, as you walk on a stage so we can celebrate you, pay attention to William Wood in this special episode as he shines a light on the power you have inside so you can immerse yourself in the power of God.
The principles of success lift your hands in the air and be free. Hi, my name is William Wood, creator of the Max Performance Master Course. I help entrepreneurs take their personal and professional performance to the next level so that they can reach their goals and live their dream lifestyle. And if you like what you hear today, make sure that you spend a moment to leave a meaningful comment below this post. That will automatically enter you.
And if you want to win a free copy of the book, you can go into a contest to win a copy of a book that I believe has the power to change your life. The book is called Why Is This Happening To Me Again? by Michael Rice. All you have to do to win a free copy of the book is to post a meaningful comment below immediately when you see this post. Me and my team will select two people who leave the best comments below and we will ship you a free copy of the book.
Thank you. Thank you. If you're chosen, the book will be shipped directly to your home or business, all at no cost to you. Now I want to tell you about a day that I saved a life without realizing it. One critical moment of inspiration many years ago transformed my life forever.
To a greater degree, it really transformed me and started me on a path, the path that I'm on today, even though I didn't know it at the time. Join me. As I take a trip back in time to 1995, winter was just starting in Santiago, Chile. Winter meant sweaters and smog that day. Me and a friend were walking briskly down a dusty, concrete street near Estación Central, heading towards an appointment.
While we were walking purposefully, large strides and eyes focused like a racer, I saw a 30-year-old man sullenly smoking a cigarette on a street corner. Suddenly, a thought hit me like lightning in a thunderstorm. Go and talk to that man. Head full of electricity, I came to a screeching halt, put out my hand, and boldly introduced myself to a man who would quickly become my dear friend. It turns out that moment in time was a crucial time for him.
He was at a low point. Everything had been stripped away from him. His whole life ripped away, everything he once held dear. That morning early, his wife had left him, taking his only child. He had no clue where she had gone or if he would ever see his son again, his only son.
One word describes what he felt that night. We spent several hours talking that day. I listened, and I let him know that hope was real. That he could make it through that cruel day. Later, he told me that my stopping and talking to him saved his life.
That it wasn't so much what I had said, more than the words of hope. It was the heart that he felt. The simple act by someone so recently a stranger, but now a lifelong friend. I screwed up big time. I was 19 years old, and I found myself at a low point.
Everything was going wrong. Everything was messed up. I had screwed up big time. And a friend was sitting down with me. A mentor, while my head hung low, eyes burning a hole in the floor with shame.
And he listened while I poured out my soul. You probably hate me now, I said. My friend looked at me in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, I dared to look up, and I met his eyes to pause in silence. And he said something that changed me.
I said, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I forgive you. I already made up my mind about you. Your whole life could be hanging together by a single thread, and everyone else might abandon you.
But I will stay with you because I love you. If you found yourself in the very depths of hell, I would break down the doors to find you. I felt a peace. come over me in that moment something beyond words beyond explanation my heart started to swell and my eyes well up with tears my friend had seen past my mistakes past what I had done he saw me and he still loved me the power of a friend's love rocked me the echo of that love still resonates throughout my life's work today these two experiences inspired me to start on a path of helping others heal from their past and I have seen some incredible things I've seen people change in an instant as the light inside reawakens and becomes bright again shining for all to see an old festering a few years ago I was talking with a close friend having a profound conversation while we talked an old pus-filled wound an emotional thing became exposed something I had forgotten was there something I had thought I'd already healed but clearly I had not at least not all the way as I described my old past pain I was surprised to find myself shaking trembling exposed a moment of silence followed because in this moment there was no mask hiding I felt completely vulnerable and open trusting my friend in that critical moment my dear friend spoke three transforming words of power I felt a darkness siphon out of me as a light took its place and the light rekindled a flame of healing inside and I am more convinced today than ever that love is the great healer and love can flow through you and help you give the greatest freedom to another human being and we can use that love to heal Iuman to shine this warm light into the darkest places today I am grateful for friends who have helped me heal today I am grateful for the ability to change today I am grateful for the opportunity to shine No wound is too deep No sorrow so low No tragedy so profound Healing touch of life POWER out of wounds Power out of resistance Dr Contract foto POWER OUT of depression crying out those who have been amazing Power out of illness everything is improving No one has replaced gardener out to someone today. Lift someone up.
Will you let your life... Want to cultivate freedom in your life? There is a shortcut. There are different kinds of freedom. Time freedom, financial freedom, emotional freedom, spiritual freedom.
Every form of freedom can be cultivated. Like a farmer plants a field in the spring and harvests in the fall. And I spend time each week cultivating each kind of freedom in my life. There is a method that works in every area of your life and you don't have to discover it on your own. Sometimes all you have to do is let a friend open a door for you so that you can step through that door and you can be free.
And I spend time each week cultivating each kind of freedom in my life. And change your life. As a friend, I'm inviting you to step across the threshold of freedom to take your first bold step forward. And so right now, you have three basic choices about what you do next. Number one, do nothing.
Not everybody wants to make a change or pay the price that's required to create freedom. Number two, you can try and change things on your own. Some people actually want to figure things out on their own. If I am talking to you, then I challenge you to spend some time today putting your personal freedom plan together. Time freedom, financial freedom, emotional freedom, spiritual freedom, and emotional freedom.
And I want you to do that. And I want you to do that. You've got to find a way. But there's a shortcut, one that has saved me countless hours of struggle and pain. Here it is.
You can find a skilled mentor to guide you. The real shortcut is to find someone who has already successfully navigated their way to the type of freedom that you already want. Time freedom, financial freedom, emotional freedom, spiritual freedom. Someone who can guide you to live the life you want. And I want you to do that.
And I want you to do that. Because the best way to start that path of your life how to gain the support you need to be part of the next step, the life you really want, when you are ready to take the next step, all you have to do, to get the mentoring that you want, to start that path is to enter your name and best email address at the bottom of this page and click the button below. When you scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page and enter your name in your best email, to subscribe and be further engaged with me today, I want you to do that. And if you get back Subscribe and get access to our daily shortcut in motivation and inspiration and prosperity. Most days you will be hearing from one of my financial freedom mentors, David Wood.
About once a week, you'll hear from me. When you enter your name and your best email address, you're going to get a free PDF of today's message that you can print. Reading this message can be a powerful way to reinforce these success principles deep into your unconscious mind. You will also get a free audio download of today's message that you can listen to again and again to absorb these ideas into your unconscious. You'll become more powerful on your path to freedom because you're reinforcing the principles that will create the success, freedom, and lifestyle that you really want.
Enter your name and best email address. Simply fill in your name and your best email at the bottom of this page. Then click the button that says give me the total shortcut and you'll immediately be taken to download your three powerful bonuses. Bonus number one, download your free PDF transcript of today's episode. Bonus number two, grab your free MP3 of today's message so that you can transform your unconscious mind as you listen again and again.
Bonus number three, get a free MP3 download of a powerful 50-minute training that will teach you the keys to make your words powerful and double your personal and professional influence. When you learn to change your words, you will change your world. So enter your name and your best email address below and I look forward to seeing you on the inside of the real shortcut to your freedom. I'll see you on the inside of the real shortcut to your freedom.
One email opens every transcript on the site. No card. You’ll land right back here, logged in.