From Near Death Accident to Unbreakable Mindfulness with Michael O’Brien -

Join host Adam Hill as he sits down with ultra-endurance cyclist and mindfulness expert Michael O’Brien. After surviving a horrific near-death accident, Michael battled back through grit and mindfulness practices to not only recover, but thrive – conquering multi-day bike races and rising to the C-suite of a major company.

Tune in and be inspired by Michael’s awe-inspiring journey of crushing challenges, achieving epic feats, and helping others discover their greatness. Learn how he overcame immense adversity and pain to transform struggle into strength and success. Michael also offers valuable lessons on incorporating mindfulness into daily life to rise above fear and accomplish hard things.

Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Overcome any obstacle through perseverance and an unbreakable mindset
Transform struggle into strength by shifting your perspective
Use mindfulness practices like meditation to overcome fear and anxiety
Visualization is a key tool to help you achieve big goals and complete challenges
Leading with wisdom and compassion will help you guide others to greatness

Episode Highlights:

[08:38] Michael survived the impossible

Michael was hit head-on by a car going 40 mph while cycling in New Mexico, suffering horrific injuries including shattered legs and blood loss that nearly killed him.

[18:45] When you’re in pain, sometimes you’re just not ready to hear some things.

Everything that happens is neutral until we decide to label it. Don’t be too quick to label things as good or bad – try to have a change of perspective.

[20:58] Michael calls his accident day his “last bad day”

He made a commitment to not label subsequent days as entirely bad, as long as he had loved ones in his life, since each day contained both good and bad.

[21:15] You have the power to choose your response

While we will all experience difficulties represented by “first arrows” from external sources, we have the power to choose our internal response and whether we want to increase our suffering by firing “second arrows” of negative emotions at ourselves.

[24:48] Expand your awareness within

Mindfulness practice can expand one’s emotional range and awareness, allowing one to truly be present with what the body and mind are experiencing rather than living unconsciously.

[34:01] Seek to understand others before judging them

Michael emphasizes slowing down to have conversations rather than immediately judging others based on outward appearances.

[43:12] Pause, Breathe, Reflect

Michael created the Pause, Breathe, Reflect meditation and gratitude app to help teach people how to adopt simple yet powerful mindfulness practices like pausing, connecting with one’s breath, and taking time for reflection in order to weave these skills into daily life and create meaningful change.

[46:41] The power of visualization

Michael emphasizes the power of visualization for achieving goals like completing difficult endurance events, having used it himself when cycling across America.

Resources Mentioned:

Pause, Breathe, Reflect Meditation and Gratitude App

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Transcript

[08:38] Michael survived the impossible
Michael was hit head-on by a car going 40 mph while cycling in New Mexico, suffering horrific injuries including shattered legs and blood loss that nearly killed him.
[18:45] When you’re in pain, sometimes you’re just not ready to hear some things.
Everything that happens is neutral until we decide to label it. Don’t be too quick to label things as good or bad – try to have a change of perspective.
[20:58] Michael calls his accident day his “last bad day”
He made a commitment to not label subsequent days as entirely bad, as long as he had loved ones in his life, since each day contained both good and bad.
[21:15] You have the power to choose your response
While we will all experience difficulties represented by “first arrows” from external sources, we have the power to choose our internal response and whether we want to increase our suffering by firing “second arrows” of negative emotions at ourselves.
[24:48] Expand your awareness within
Mindfulness practice can expand one’s emotional range and awareness, allowing one to truly be present with what the body and mind are experiencing rather than living unconsciously.
[34:01] Seek to understand others before judging them
Michael emphasizes slowing down to have conversations rather than immediately judging others based on outward appearances.
[43:12] Pause, Breathe, Reflect
Michael created the Pause, Breathe, Reflect meditation and gratitude app to help teach people how to adopt simple yet powerful mindfulness practices like pausing, connecting with one’s breath, and taking time for reflection in order to weave these skills into daily life and create meaningful change.
[46:41] The power of visualization
Michael emphasizes the power of visualization for achieving goals like completing difficult endurance events, having used it himself when cycling across America.