So who is G “MAKO” Chan….
My name is Greg (but you can call me MAKO). And yes I hijacked the name from another famous MAKO, but I will take it now. I am just an ordinary guy with a passion to help others. Especially those in the 2nd half of life.
This is my story of how I turned it all around and started to live the best I had ever lived. All in the 2nd half of my life. So I have dedicated my talents to helping others over the age of 45 have amazing transformations. But it did not start out that way…
Why? Because I was…
overweight (I was actually considered obese).
fighting severe anxiety.
a butt sitter – almost the whole day.
a relationship wrecker.
I really wanted the next 50 years to be better. A lot better! I already lived almost 50 years in bad health. Even worse, in adulthood I squandered my potential, wasted precious time, and ate myself into obesity.
This left me holding emotional baggage, hiding unresolved issues, and a shell of a man with more protective walls built up, that if real, could enclose even the largest of prisons.
There I am, a poster child for not living well. I thought I was doing OK, I felt like my life was on cruise control, rolling down the highway of contentment. And then the “reality” fairy flew in, sprinkled reality dust over my brain and then it clicked.
The light switch of self realization flicked on. And I realized I was fat, addicted to laziness, underachieving, and over anxious. What I thought was normal was abnormal. I just had come to accept it as such.
So there I was with a choice to make, either grow up and move on from that unhealthy shell of a man or face living a mediocre life of; wasted potential, declining health, and alone.
So What did you decide to do?
So I made a decision to not only make a quick change, but to overhaul my entire life and commit to a new lifestyle. One of total wellness. Thus started my journey in finding the connection between the body, mind, and spirit. And I want to share it with you.
I reside in the great state of FL, have two great kids. During their childhood I was able to spend a huge amount of time with them. And was lucky enough to be around as they grew up. But I am most thankful to have attended all their games, recitals, plays, and life’s big moments.
My personal passions include the love of Sharks (especially Mako sharks, hence the name), canine friends (we have two mini dachshunds), training through physical fitness, science fiction and fantasy books, and stylized martial art movies (after all I am half Chinese).
There is not a scoop of ice cream I would pass up and I love artichokes and crab legs with drawn butter. But now I eat a different way, healthy and nutritious, and those things are occasional treats for me.
Whats your transformation story about?
In the beginning of my adult life I worked for others. It was hard to have great (and some not so great) ideas that went either ignored or used for others gain with no credit given. After leaving the corporate world I was sitting at home, unemployed, wondering how to make ends meet.
And nothing came to me.
I wasn’t desperate, I had severance and my wife was working, but I was unproductive and unfulfilled.
So I got a hobby. I bought a Jeep Cherokee and started to fix it up. Then I thought to myself that I can sell parts for these. It was taking me hours of searching to find good quality parts and I thought people might benefit from a person who could find parts for them and sell them at a fair price.
So I found the secret…turn something you love into something you can DO! And make money at it. Choose to work for YOU and market yourself. So from these humble beginnings I have built several automotive companies, focusing mainly on replacement parts. I learned a little to late in life that nothing ventured is nothing gained.
Now in the latter part of my life I just want to pursue my lifelong dream of helping others. So I started the GchanMako blog to talk about dealing with life over 45.
So how can your blog help me?
I have lived most of my life wrapped in anxiety. It’s like wearing an itchy sweater over your whole naked body. Everything I did felt like it was motivated by my anxiousness. And I was always on edge. Little things were always bugging me and I spent most of my time dwelling in the past. And if not the past I was fixated about an unrealistic future. In short I was angry all the time.
I was not a great husband, my relationships suffered. I could not communicate my feelings. All I could do was lash out in anger or fear. Soon I was facing the dire prospect of being alone.
Then I got fat, I mean obese according to BMI standards. I was sitting a lot, just getting by, like a bump on a log. Coasting through life with the cruise control stuck at 55. The brake pedal was not working for me. In the end all three of these things came to a crashing epiphany. I was over 45 and I needed to make a change or I would go into a deep funk, have a heart attack, or be divorced. Maybe all three.
This is about my struggle and how I slowly began to dig myself out of it. I did it by focusing on three areas in my life.
MIND
Over the age of 45 our opinions may change, our minds start to slow down. Time seems to pass more quickly. And we have lived half a life time with notions, and ideas we have grown accustomed to.
I needed to focus on continual learning (mind improvement), brain training (mind power), and learning how to be mentally tough. If I was to get over my anxiety I needed to learn to be self confident, motivated, and live life with a purpose.
Having a strong, healthy mind is important to your overall wellness. And for me I needed to decide to make a change, empower myself, and set goals.
BODY
You are given one body at the beginning of life. Think about it this way. What if someone told you at 8 years old that they would give you a brand new Ferrari. It is yours to drive when you reach 18 all you have to do is take care of it until then.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO TAKE CARE OF IT.
I started resistance and aerobic training and combined it with a healthy eating lifestyle. Along the way I continued to use the mind I was given and learned all I could about training, nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle. Then I applied what I learned, used what worked, and got rid of the rest.
Exercise, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle is critical to living a longer life. Continual learning and applying sound techniques can help in creating a new healthy lifestyle.
SPIRIT
The spirit is something that should be nourished and constantly in tune with the body. One should exercise faith, find hope in all things, and give with a charitable heart. These things make the spirit shine forth with a light. This light will radiate to others and they too, will want to be around you.
A charitable heart that freely gives, a positive mental outlook, faith in good things, and life fulfillment are important to your emotional health.
Anything else…
LIFE
I have a few passions in life, including writing, photography, MAKO sharks, and a few others. There is joy in sharing these passions with others and imparting my knowledge is fun. If you want to have a fulfilling life then have some passions. Live them, and share them with others.
Be a lifelong learner! Learning is the reason we are on Earth. We start out as a blank slate, eager to learn, then for some reason we stop. Why? Do we think we have learned all we can? Part of improving your life is learning and you should never stop.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope I can help in any way I can, so you can become an enormous success…. GChanMako