Matt Aichison joins the show to talk about his superpower of taking action, not allowing obstacles to stop him, and embracing majestic failure. “I’ve done a lot of failing in my life…I like to think of it and say that it’s “failing majestically,” instead of just failing. I try and make it look as good as possible, but that’s also been one of my Super Powers…I’ve had many marked failures, I’ve had many enlightening failures. All of them ultimately, have led me being more aware and intentional person in particular areas of my life that are important to me. And so, I am a Majestic Failure.”

Hello this is Tonya Dawn Recla, your Super Power Expert. And I have a unique guest with us today. This guy is going to talk to us today about all kinds of things having to do with wealth, which comes up repeatedly and all the dialoguing around personal development how you move into your space and all of that good stuff. And he has quite impressive resume behind him. He is a millennial entrepreneur and 7-figure real estate investor. So, he knows a thing or two about that real estate market. But what I love about it him is he’s got a really interesting story, which I’m going to get into when we get into the interview. I hope that you all help me welcome Matt Aitchison to the show. Thank you so much for joining us.

It is my pleasure. I’m excited to be connecting with you and your community today. And after doing a little more research, your amazing community! So, it’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me on.

Thanks. Yeah, we’re pretty cool. You, yourself are pretty cool so let’s dive right into that and say What are your Super Powers?

I would say I’m two really come to mind. It’s connection in regards to the ability to connect with people on any level, whether that is a janitor in a school or a bum on the street or it’s a high-level executive and CEO. I have the ability to see the gifts in all people and connect with them on their level in order to make them feel cared and heard. And so, that’s one that comes to mind. The other one, I would say is to be able to take an action. I’ve done a lot of failing in my life, I’ll just say that. So, the ability to take action. I like to think of it and say that it’s “failing majestically,” instead of just failing. I try and make it look as good as possible, but that’s also been one of my Super Powers that has allowed me to have an experienced growth that I’ve had. I’ve had many marked failures, I’ve had many enlightening failures. All of them ultimately, have led me being more aware and intentional person in particular areas of my life that are important to me. And so, I am a Majestic Failure.

Oh, my gosh that is so refreshing to hear. In my other world. One of the other businesses my husband I created was a due-diligence business, based on our experiences in the spy in the world and other fun stuff from the government. So, we teach about transparency and trust in business and those relationships, and being transparent about our majestic fail. And I will continue, all day long, I would much rather go into business with someone who has fallen on their face and has a dark past, has a little bit of a record and has done something with that information. I’ll work with those people all day long than either the ones who claim to never fail because that scares me, or the ones that try to hide it, which scares me even more. So, it’s really refreshing to hear you say that and there’s so much power in that.

Ultimately, all of us connect with people who have been down similar paths as us, that are willing to be vulnerable and share because it’s a courageous thing to talk about your failures. And there’s so much enlightenment that can be gained through those failures, as well. I’ve really embraced the idea of failing and failing forward. And I see failure as feedback on what I can do differently moving forward, if I choose to not do that again. And so, when it comes to anywhere in life, whether it’s in my relationships or my business, or all my wealth building journey, whatever it may be, I try and be as transparent as possible. Sometimes, that can bite you in the butt. At the same time, it’s more relatable and people can connect and really learn more from the failures than the façade, the veneer, or the curtain that a lot of people put up.

I agree completely. And I contend my bias has been for a while, those veneers are coming down, and I love to tell people, especially coming from the spy based place, Super Powers and all the intuitions on top of it. People just automatically assume that I know everything. And to stand in a room and say, you are no longer the smartest person or the most intuitive person in the space. And when you go into knowing that and being with that. And realizing that there are a number of people who have some really cool Super Powers. You’ll see that a lot of people can read your energy signature, they know that you’re broadcasting all your biggest fears and everything else, as soon as you take the stage or shake a hand. So why to pretend otherwise? You might as well get very comfortable in a very transparent world because it’s coming fast and furiously, despite how many people are in resistance to that.

It was funny, I was in a mastermind, and I had a private dinner with Robert Herjavec from Shark Tank. And he was so transparent about all things, and he’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And I asked him, “What has been one of your biggest lessons as you have continued on this journey of self-discovery and growth? How do you continue to stay as the humble leader, but constantly growing and not really reading your own press clippings and putting off this image like it all and you’ve done it all?”

And he said, “One of the greatest lessons my father ever taught me was that it is everybody in life. Everybody that I come into contact with has something to teach me. They have something interesting. Everybody is a guru in their own way shape and form. And for me to come strutting in like I know everything when I’m doing a disservice to them. And secondly, I’m doing a disservice to myself and ultimately, it’s up to me to find out what it is that I can learn from that person. And I’ve found that the people that I’ve learned the most from I haven’t learned from their successes I’ve learned from the things that they’ve failed on. And it’s allowed me to shorten the learning curve or find a different path and really figure out that no matter how successful or unsuccessful you are everybody can teach you something.”

I love that and in and it’s so powerful when you come from that space. You’re untouchable. When you’re willing to walk through the world in an experiential way versus just for the moment, judgment-value laden way, it really truly is freedom. And ultimately, that’s what we seek.

I had a laugh when you’re talking about learning from people’s failures. Here lately, a lot of people have been contacting us asking about the model. They’re in a collaborative model and wanting to know how we did it, how we put it together and all this stuff. And I’m like, “Hey, listen you’re welcome to all of my lessons learned.” Go for it because we feel this real urgency in our society to move into those more collective, collaborative spaces. And I’m always willing to be like, this is where I screwed up on this, this is where I screwed up at it. But I wasn’t always. It was so eye opening to me when I realized how much I had limited my experiences and how much I enjoyed life because I was so busy trying to perpetrate a persona. And when I was really able to set that down it was like, “Oh gosh! Wow that was heavy.”

It’s such a liberating feeling. So really the other enlightening experience for me was when I read Bernee Brown’s book The Gift of Imperfections. And ultimately, that helped me understand about myself was that I, over time, had laid track on top a track on top a track of what society told me to be, what other people made me feel like I had to be, maybe how my boss wanted me to show up, or how my parents wanted me to be, or maybe a particular relationship that curated or cultivated me into this particular person. I have not discovered and been in alignment with my true self. And so, when I was reading this book that was the first path to enlightenment, where I basically realized that I’m judging myself based on the way other people are judging me and perceiving me and how I feel they want me to show up in this world. And it’s like when I flip that and said Well how do I want to show up in this world? I was really able to get intimate with what that looked like and I’d never done that before. And I had almost unlocked this door of like new self-love that it empowered me to say what I’m going to show up as me today. I’m going to show up as the most organic Matt that I can possibly be. And by doing that every conversation that I have every opportunity that comes my way every door that opened every experience that I have is going to be as organic as I am because it’s just mirroring and becoming a reflection of the person that I am showing up in that particular situation. So, that book right there just led me down a whole new path of enlightenment. And I’m obviously still on it that will never stop. I have this unquenchable curiosity and I never want to lose that. That was the first sign of like whoa am I truly being my authentic self and if I were to do that more often what would my world look like? How would that change? And so, it was it was a really powerful moment for me.

Well I and I so appreciate talking about that. Most people have no idea that we broadcast everything energetically for us. And so, and we have our causes and our effects all screwed up. And when we are looking outside of ourselves first for validation or assuredness or whatever, then we create exact situation that we are thinking that we’re attempting not to create. And so, I tell people all the time, if you imagine that you’ve got this projector coming out of your torso, and that’s when you’re really literally projecting the world that that you want to see ahead of you. And it’s not projecting what you your desires are, it’s truly what you want. So, what you’re asking to receive and to see, so that you can work through all of this stuff that you want to work through. And when you get clear about that and you can no longer blame people or blame situations or anything else for everything that you’re seeing and experiencing now you have power, and you can change whatever it is you want to change.

So, that was such a great example that you shared about realizing like. We really think that people think about us all the time, like they care. All people can do is reflect back to us what we’re asking them to reflect for us. I mean, we’re very self-serving individuals, like all of us are really only focused on ourselves.

It’s so true.

People are broadcasting the energy signature that says “judge me, judge me, judge me.” Like, Ok, Fine, I’ll judges you. It’s just how it works.

I was in a conversation the other day I was actually taking one of my mentors is a public speaker. He travels all around the country and gets paid pretty significant money to go out and deliver motivational messages. And one of the limiting beliefs or fears that I had earlier on in my speaking career in walking in that direction was, “I’m scared of what everybody’s going to think or they’re going to judge me based on what I say.” And it was funny. It completely ties in to the comment that you just said. He goes, “I hate to tell you buddy, but nobody cares as much as you think. If you think they do, they don’t.” And I was like oh man that was such a good point of OK. I need to and going back to this alignment thing getting out of your head, and getting into your heart and finding out what that alignment looks like then this abundant life just begins to unfold. And it was I look at it like a car. I was really out of alignment for a lot of ways for a lot of years that I had maybe one or two tires out of alignment. And we all know if four wheels are in alignment you’re going to go a lot faster a lot farther it’s going to be a smoother ride and you’re going to know exactly what you need to do in order to go where you’re going. But if you have a couple of tires going the completely opposite direction then some of the other ones that’s going to be more turbulent and more difficult journey. So, I always go back to alignment and when I got more in alignment and I’m constantly tweaking what that alignment looks like based on my goals and my vision and the ever-changing aspects of my life. When I am able to remain in alignment it just flows so much better.

Well, and what’s interesting is that that’s quite the opposite of what we’re trained to do. We’re trained to control and plan and Do all these things outside of ourselves first, and then respond. Do it and be it. We talk all the time about I create my life, I create my life. What most people mean when they say that is they mean, I get to choose my responses to it. Very few people really play with what it means to create your life because when you get to that stage you have to accept responsibility for everything. You don’t get to blame anything, you don’t get to point fingers. You get all of it. And only when you’re willing to own all of that do you truly create your existence.

Couldn’t said it any better.

I’m going to date myself a little bit here because one of the things that’s so essential, and I’m so glad that you consider yourself a millennial because you all are doing it differently. It’s super essential that you continue to do everything very differently. I was speaking to a group of young people one time and the words just came out of me, “Don’t try to fit into this world. We need to change this world. We’re in the process of changing this world.” Perhaps it wasn’t quite ready for a lot of you, but we’re getting there. The power behind you all stepping up and saying, “We are not interested in those old paradigms.

We’re not interested in fitting into any boxes. First and foremost, we are going to know who we are, and we’re going to develop from that space.” Is crucial.

In a lot of ways, you are leading the conversation for so many people. I love this juxtaposition. And you’ve got that entrepreneur stuff going on. You all are the focal point the axis upon which your world sits. In the end, if you’re not attending to you, then nothing’s going to work. Like your Alignment Analogy. If you’re not adjusting the inner workings, it doesn’t matter what road you put your car on, it’s not going to drive well.

I was going to say it’s just interesting how millennials. It’s funny if you think about all of the generations that are out there. We have the Builders, we got the Boomers, the Busters, the Millennials, and even the younger generations that are coming up. As one has transitioned from as the authority in that particular time frame, they all thought each generation was crazy because they were doing it differently. It was different than what they were accustomed to. And so, ultimately, Millennials are no different than any other generation. We’re all a generation of firsts. We’re all introducing a bunch of realities to society, it’s just different. And so, that’s where because it’s different than the norm and the paradigm has shifted, a lot of people, “oh millennials or this or that.” Qell the Boomers were saying that about the Gen X, and the Builders were saying that about the Boomers. So, it’s just funny how all of us ultimately are the same yet so different. And then as we continue to see things change in the global landscape change and the economy change and all that life continues to change, which ultimately impacts how things are done. But like you said, there is an underlying foundation for all of this discovery and how you can internally process and engage with what your external world looks like and go out and create.

I love that analogy that you made. I hadn’t looked at it like that. And as you say it, I see the vision. You’re talking about every generation before standing on the shoulders of the one that came before it. And the change that can be made because of that.

For us, shortly after our daughter was born, we heard very clearly that she cannot do what she’s here to do unless we do what we’re her to do. And that motivated us and started to see the connection there. And that’s when I really started playing with this stuff. It’s easy to get comfortable in the space that you’re sitting in, but so what! What comes next? Ant that really does change everything.

That’s a great point.

How did you get involved in all of this? I don’t know what your world view is. I’m assuming that at some level you have to realize that you are going to do things a little bit differently, not just from generations before, but even maybe from your peer group. What was that experience for you? How did you get into this space?

Well, for me I grew up in a family, where my parents were divorced, but two parents that were in corporate America. They gave their life, their blood, sweat, and tears to a company that didn’t care about their future, their development, or anything that was going on except for the bottom dollar. And so, for me, I wanted something different than that seeing what my parents had gone through. So, a lot of people that you know they either follow that path and go to school and you know get a great education and go into fortune 500 company and work your way up the corporate ladder. And while that was an option because that’s what both my parents did, I also saw the other end of it. Yes, it provided but ultimately it equaled no fulfillment. And so, that was one thing for me where I sought fulfillment over validation or security. When I realized that the path of entrepreneurship would enable me to not only, if I did the right things right, there’s a formula for success and making sure that you go into it the right way and execute on it the right way. But ultimately, it checks all of the boxes that were important to me which were really freedom, no ceiling on my achievement, no ceiling on my income that I could design who I got to work with. I had the ability to make an impact on other people and other communities in other passion places that I was you know excited to engage with. So, those were all the things that really led me down this path.

Ultimately, I was never in this space. I actually was expelled from high school. I was arrested in college for some poor decision making. And I was in a world that was all ego based and that was all me. When I was able to have some of those in my epiphany moments in my darkest times in life I was able to make some very pivotal and important shifts that led me down a completely different path, which has been something so beautiful and so majestic in so many ways. Now I am able to continue to peel back the layers of the onion and go deeper and deeper and deeper because I know it’s possible.

That’s awesome. I really appreciate what you said about the whole concept of you finding yourself first making that the focal point.  I’ve often sat back and asked why? What makes some of us do that versus the other? What is the catalyst? It’s easy to say “Oh that’s just our job, that’s just what we chose to do.” That’s a simple answer. But I’m super curious about human behavior and what determines who is going to be courageous and who isn’t. Have you explored that at all? Do you have a theory on that?

Yeah absolutely. I think it ultimately comes back to the experiences and the subconscious-unconscious analysis of what that experience creates. I look at a model called PTFAR. It starts with your Programming, which leads to your Thoughts. How you think and analyze things is how you Feel about it. Based on how you Feel about certain things that will lead to how you go out and Act on them. Based on your actions, you’re going to get a specific Result. Based on that Result, will reaffirm your Programming.

I explore that model, and lay that film over many of my breakthrough moments in life. When I was arrested and I was sitting in jail, and that’s a whole other story, but that was my breakthrough moment in my life that led me down a new path. Based on that experience, I had specific programming about what life was, and I thought, and I felt, and I acted, and I got specific results that led me into that moment. I remember looking around and seeing the people that were around me, ultimately, my tribe, my Board of Directors, who my environment or what my environment was. I realized that was somewhat of my fight or flight moment where I was going based on this actual reality I found myself in. Is this the life that I want? So, that was like my rock bottom. Looking around and being so humbled to know that I could either accept my circumstances or I could choose to do something about it and go in a completely different direction. At that point in time I decided that my goals my aspirations my dreams were not what I had found myself in. My audio of what I was telling myself I wanted, and my video were not matching up of how I was actually going out and carrying myself through life.

And so, at that point in time and I was able to really reflect on a very deep level and it was a very turbulent time, it was a very scary time, it was a very raw time. I had the time to actually sit back and reflect and go yeah this this is not me. So, what needs to happen in order for me to become the person that will obtain the life I say I want? And that was a crazy process of accumulation. A very long journey and I’m still on it. And yet that moment in time that darkest time in my life ended up being ultimately looking back the most important, brightest moment of my life due to what it unlocked in my brain for me to understand what it is that I want and what I need to go out and do.

Wow that’s awesome. Yeah, it really does. I love your acronym. Share that one more time with our guests PTFA?

Yeah PTFAR, point far. It’s basically P is for Programming. T is for Thoughts. F is for Feelings. A is for Actions. R is for results. And all of those, it’s just basically if you think about it in a circle, it’s constantly one leading into the next. And it is a re-affirming circle. So, if you have a limiting belief, if you have a specific action, if you feel like what you have in front of you is not what you desire. Knowing that you can break at some level in that chain, and it will, ultimately, lead to a new track and a new path, a new trajectory for you. Understanding that that was possible for me, was like a breakthrough in itself, going to produce being different. And that’s going to get me a different result and I will ultimately subconsciously be affirmed in a new way, which will lead me to thinking differently about it next time, which will lead me to take a different action, which will give me a different result. So, ultimately, it was OK. Now that I know this model, where can I apply it in the areas that aren’t working for me?

That is awesome. I love that. Well very cool. You’ve shared so much information with us, but I’m going to ask for another piece from you. We talk all the time about Live in Your Power Story. You’ve shared many moments. Do you have another story you like to share with our listeners about a time when you followed your own intuition or inner guidance and what transpired because of it?

Yeah. Being on this path of entrepreneurship, oftentimes, especially nowadays, with how many people like to call themselves an entrepreneur. We think that you have to be so obsessed with your goals and so obsessed with your mission that oftentimes we get blinders on, and everything else of importance, the balance in life, gets pushed off to the side. And it’s because we’re told that, “Oh this is the right thing to do. If you want success bad enough, if you desire it, and crave it, you have to be so focused on this mission that that’s the only way you’re going to be able to be successful.” I had an experience when I was in Peru, and I was with my Millionaire Mastermind group of guys where we take one international trip together a year. We were hiking on our trek to Machu Picchu. It was our second day, and I remember we’re a group of competitive guys. And a couple of us set a goal we’re going to be the first to the top of Dead Woman’s Pass. This was the hardest stretch of the hike. It was about a 10-mile hike, up at over 14000-feet elevation. So, air is thin, there’s real strenuous conditions. You got a 50- pound pack, you’re sweating your butt off. I remember thinking in my head, “OK, I’m going to be the first person to the top of this mountain.” Our guides told us we’re heading out and I was marching pole, upon pole digging into the earth, step in front of step. And I’d occasionally stop for the water break. I take a short moment to look around me and go, “Wow! Man, this is beautiful. I’m in Peru, I’m in Macchu Picchu.” It’s gorgeous. And yet the goal was in front of me. So, I had those blinders on, and I was consistently, and really just dedicated to being the first person up there, that I continued on this path in this pursuit to getting to the top of the mountain. And ultimately, I was the first person to get to the top of the mountain that day. And I got up there, ahead of basically the group, there is over time we had seen some distance in between little micro groups of the entire tribe.

I got to the top and I had some time to reflect. I got up there and I looked at the scenery, and I looked around. “Oh, my gosh, this is amazing. This is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The scenery is unreal.” And I had some more time to keep reflecting in and as I was doing that a couple little groups would stroll and a couple guys would come in arm in arm. And they’d be sharing a picture that they took, “Oh isn’t that just beautiful.” And this particular story and moment that they had to connect with one another. And then the next group would come in and there was a couple of guys that were crying and talking about some breakthrough that they had, and this amazing connection they found. And other groups would slowly stroll in in my whole purpose of that was I realized by being so focused and having blinders on in this pursuit of my goal literally charging the hill and saying nothing else matters until I get to the top. I missed out on the connection. I missed out on the beauty, the scenery, the personal growth, everything along that journey. I just missed out in pursuit of my goal. And what it reminded me of was where is this showing up in other areas of my life? The journey is just as beautiful, if not more beautiful and more enlightening, and has more to offer than the summit and the end destination. And that was a huge breakthrough for me of going, “Man, I’m doing this in many areas of my life.” I’m so obsessed with getting to the other end of the line that I drew in the sand, or so obsessed to achieving this goal that I’m forgetting to pay attention and be aware and intentional about every aspect, every step along the journey because it all has something to offer me, not just the end of the destination.

I love it. I shared that share it on another show here recently about sometimes we get so lost in the journey, especially on the spiritual journey of consciousness side of the house, where people are hell bent. They’re determined to get to some goal, some place. And for what purpose? And a lot of people want to get to enlightenment, or they’re seeking the divine, and all these other things. And it’s like if you truly do believe in that part of the journey, in that experience, that’s where we came from. We’ve been there. The whole purpose was the journey. The whole purpose was the experience. And that came to me in a really unique way the other day when I was doing some journeying and landed in this space. And there was just nothing. It was just nothingness. And I heard the chuckling laughter, and it wasn’t even really nice, laughing kind of at me. Like what are you doing? Like this is where you’ll end up if you keep going in the direction that you’re going. You’ve been here. You are here. Get back to what you were here, what you came to do. It was like, OK. And it was like we talked about earlier, when you get to those really freeing liberating moments, setting down all the obligations of being what people will be or what you think people want you to be. It was the same kind of feeling of like, Ok I get it. I’ve already accomplished that. That’s not that’s not what we came here to do. And so, I really love that you shared that story. And it’s so powerful in the personal world, in the business world, and all of that. And it’s like just remembering to enjoy those moments. So, that was beautiful. Thank you.

Yeah, I really enjoyed having you on the show where I know our listeners are going to want to learn more about you and follow what you’re doing work in the sun.

So, I have my podcast The Millionaire Mindcast where basically I explore all things mindset, money, and motivation to help people increase their income, impact, and influence in whatever space it is so they can check me out on MillionaireMindcast.com, or I’m always on Facebook. I’m on Instagram, though so I’d say the two main areas that I spend most of my time in social media world. But you can definitely find me on the website or on iTunes.

Thank you so much for joining us and for sharing your experience. I’m really excited about what you’re doing out in the world in media and let us know how we can support you.

It’s been my pleasure. And love your community love what you guys are doing and what you are putting out into the world. It’s been it’s been a great experience for me to connect with you guys today. Thank you so much.

Very cool. Thank you and to all of you out there as always, we appreciate your loyalty. Thank you for listening. And until next time go out discover your Super Powers and change the world. Take care everyone.

Learn more about Matt Aichison.