What I Love About…

In a recent post, I talked about gratitude and promised I would write about the specific things I’m grateful for and love about cannabis, cultivation, our community, business, etc.

I bet you feel the same about many of these things.

What I love about GROWING cannabis…

• We’re bringing something positive into the world and cultivating a plant that has been helping heal humanity for thousands of years (and is helping millions of people every day — this is something to be damn proud of IMO, especially if your buds KICK ASS)
• When we Hit the Shift — and optimize all phases of the vegetative and bloom cycles, we can help bring the plant to its true genetic potential and maximize cannabinoids, yield, and crop value.
• Gazing at a crop full of sweet, sugary buds near harvest (I find this extremely meditative, something about it brings me into the present moment like few other things in life. It fills me with awe and makes me feel the presence of something much greater than myself.)

What I love about cannabis…

• Can suppress our ego and allow awareness to shine through, opening our minds to new possibilities, and helping us see things in a new light (from a higher perspective, you might say — pun clearly intended)
• Helping to heal humanity (there are a myriad of health benefits to responsibly consuming cannabis, like reducing stress and anxiety, decreasing inflammation, relieving pain, helping to ease nausea for those going through chemotherapy, just to name a few)
• Safer alternative to dangerous drugs, including opioids, benzos, and alcohol (it’s even helping some people escape BRUTAL heroin and fentanyl addictions)
• Brings people together — nearly everyone in my life I met because of cannabis
• How it smells and tastes
• Elevates creativity
• The effects (I LOVE the “high”)
• I owe pretty much every good thing in my life to cannabis (which I’ve been growing since 1983)
• Enhances sex (:
• Mystery and wonder — even though scientists (including our own) have conducted a tremendous amount of research on the plant, there are still a plethora mysteries about cannabis left to decipher

And l love that our community of cannabis growers is populated with…

• Men and women who live life to the beat of their own drum and know what they stand for
• Free and forward thinkers, innovators and creators, whose ideas and words inspire, polarize, and spark imaginations
• Rebels, outcasts, Davids in a world of Goliaths
• Courageous souls who embrace freedom, tread where others fear to go, refuse the norm, and don’t care much for the man or his machine
• Warriors who live by their own moral code and are fiercely aware of right and wrong
• Those who can’t be pigeonholed by society, who see things others do not
• The open minded, whose ideas are sometimes on the fringe, yet have the power to change the world
• People who are sometimes seen as fish out of water, troublemakers, or oddballs but are actually gifted, profound, and uniquely brilliant
• Growers who are part of the solution by producing a very special plant that is helping to heal others

What I love about business…

• We receive in direct proportion to the value we provide. (Want to generate a lot of money? Provide a ton of value to the market.)
• Building a business we’re passionate about is one of the most exhilarating endeavors in the world
• Enables you to help your team members earn a living (this is definitely something to feel good about, though it can be a massive amount of responsibility and isn’t for the faint of heart)
• A business can have profound impact on the community (be it a local community or one like our community of cannabis growers)
• It enables us to help our clients solve problems, alleviate frustrations or fears. and/or fulfill their desires
  And if you’re the business owner… INDEPENDENCE

What I love about life…

• We can all accomplish incredible things. It’s simply matter of setting goals, believing we can attain them, then putting one foot in front of the other, working toward the goals and evolving into the person achieving those goals requires us to become (most of success is an inside job — our success is up to us)
• Learning — I’ve benefited so much from diving deep into topics such as science, human behavior, mindset, philosophy, business, marketing, sales, money, success, and cannabis. Ever since I was young I’ve had an unquenching thirst for knowledge.
• For anything we want to accomplish, the information (strategies, tactics, principles) is available to us (and often, it’s at our fingertips) from people who’ve achieved similar goals
• We determine the quality of our thinking and, as such, the quality of our life
• There’s no such thing as failure, only feedback to help make us stronger, wiser, and better
• We are able to stand up for those unable to stand up for themselves
• Want more happiness? Lift up people in need (it’s simple, and it works)
• We are who we surround ourselves with (and, contrary to what a lot of people believe, who we surround ourselves with is up to us)
• There are certain universal laws (law of compensation, cause and effect, karma, etc) we can leverage to help us create the life we want.
• We don’t know even 1% of what’s going on in this universe or this crazy thing we call life. There’s still so much to learn, and so many discoveries to make. I mean, how awesome is THAT?
• We all have a voice and get to use it how we want
• We all have access to one of the most powerful tools in the world — words. When we learn to leverage the power of words, nearly anything is possible.
• We are ALIVE (wow, I mean… just… wow.)
• Modern science, nutrition, and medicine enables us to optimize our health and performance and extend our lives
• Delicious food and sharing it with others
• Friendship
• Those who’ve supported my journey (both personal and professional)
• Flying planes and helicopters
• And my daughter Veida

What I love about money…

(BTW, I don’t love money itself, but I do love many of the things it can do for us).

• Enables us to contribute more, help many more people than we could without it, and make a greater impact
• Can open a heck of a lot of doors
• Can give us freedom (provided we don’t let our money and possessions own US)
• Enables us to enjoy infinite experiences — that simply aren’t possible without money
• Gives us the power to pursue dreams that, without money, would be off limits to us
• Gets things done
• Solves the problem of not having any money (and that’s a damn good problem to have solved). Financial security makes a world of difference in our lives and well-being.
• Enables us to buy awesome stuff
• We can put it to work FOR us (even when we’re asleep!)
• Enables us to optimize our health
• How much of it we make is all up to us

What I love about Advanced Nutrients…

• It’s the first and only complete growing system for cannabis that Hits the Shift and optimizes all phases of the vegetative and bloom cycles to help you bring your crops to their true genetic potential. And as such, it enables you — regardless of your level of cultivation experience — to get the absolute most from you crops.
• The difference it’s making in the crops and lives of growers like Ryan Zuccaro. (Like many commercial growers, Ryan was on the brink of going under. He made one single change — he tried Advanced Nutrients — and it turned everything around. See Ryan’s story HERE.)
• Growers in over 110 countries rely on Advanced Nutrients to maximize their crop results.
• We’ve never once hidden behind a tomato. From day one, we’ve advertised loud and proud that Advanced Nutrients is for growing the largest, most potent cannabis buds possible.
• We’re helping make cannabis an acceptable and everyday part of healing humanity.
• We’ve made 53 breakthroughs in cannabis research and have driven the science further than any other company. (In fact, Advanced Nutrients is the ONLY fertilizer company with a serious research program.)
• Because of our research and innovation, cannabis across the globe is better. There isn’t a cannabis grower or consumer in the modern world who hasn’t benefited from our innovations.
• Advanced Nutrients is behind more cup wins than any other brand.
• We have an incredible, passionate team of hardworking individuals.
• With hundreds of team members, the company helps put food on a lot of tables.
• We contribute — A LOT. Advanced Nutrients and our non-profit arm Humanity Heroes have donated millions of dollars to help growers in need as well as the homeless and impoverished.
• All the authorized retailers who support our brand and enable their clientele to cultivate the best possible cannabis by recommending our products to them. I am grateful for every one of you.

Sometimes I’m like the father of the star quarterback of a small town Texas high school football team crowing about the winning touchdowns his boy threw.

And that’s because, just like that father, I’m damn proud of what Advanced Nutrients has been able to accomplish. It’s as if my son is now throwing winning touchdowns in NFL Super Bowls. Season after season.

I’m also damn proud of our community. We’re putting a lot of fantastic cannabis into the hands (and bowls) of people who benefit from it (many who benefit from it tremendously).

We’ve also had a significant impact on legalization and decriminalization (now we just need to make sure that more grower-friendly laws and regulations are put in place).

Writing the above lists has me brimming with gratitude.

I think about these things quite often and when I do, I’m always grateful.

And grateful is, well, it’s a damn good place to be.

By the way, there’s also a bunch of “bad” shit that happened in my life that I’m grateful for. I’ll write another post about it.

If you’re not yet on my email list, subscribe and I’ll send you the post when it’s ready.

And I am grateful for YOU.

Talk soon,
BigMike

P.S. If you received this blog post from me in an email, hit REPLY in that email with at least ONE thing you love or are grateful for. I look forward to reading your reply.