"THE VIKING"_______"THAT DAD"
I’m also known as SHAUN, rarely known as all three or anything close to the real me. All of us are rarely seen and known for all that we are despite how genuine & authentic we may show ourselves to be. In the eyes of others, within the perception of their reality, you are a character of their making. How often does that character match all that you are? The good, bad and ugly?
One thing we all know is you will never please everybody. What is good to one person, is ugly to another. So be yourself, always strive to become your best self, but be yourself. That’s what I’m all about, 100% authentic. So let me share a little of exactly what that is; who the man behind the beard is.
I’m proud to say I’m a righteous man, a selfless man, an honest man, a man of God and a man of good; that most definitely was not always the case, and that does not mean I still don’t make mistakes.
I grew up in a small country town 30 minutes outside Ottawa, the capital of Canada. My book will take you through all the wild stories and lessons within that led me to where I am today; in summary, I’ll say that I faced many hard choices, made many bad ones, finally made a few good ones, I fell down more than most, tossed everything away more times than I care to admit, chased all the wrong things, and somehow still made it to where I am today.
After spending some time behind bars as a young adult, I made the choice to change my life around; now if I only had the knowledge I do now, I could have successfully made that change within a year instead of 10.
We all have our own path to take, life happens for us, not to us. I wouldn’t be here where I am today, changing lives the way I do had I not learned the hard way. This shows in the way I lead, resilience is forged here. The obstacle is the way as I walk with people into the fires of self-discovery and self-mastery; our mindset and response is what matters most.
At the age of 18 I set out to build my first company, a landscape construction company. I had $500 to my name, a bicycle, a printer, and a girlfriend willing to help. I purchased a trailer for $200, put a hitch on the girlfriends car for $150, and I spent the remaining amount on paint and paper.
Nearly everybody at some point told me I was crazy and should do something else. Don’t ever forget, it doesn’t matter who says you can’t, as long as you aren’t one of them. There I went from handing out those first thousand flyers on my bicycle to now over a decade later winning multiple awards for being the best landscape contractor in the entire province; employing multiple families, and enjoying what comes with believing in yourself and persevering.
Among those years I picked up my fathers passion for weight lifting and coaching other people to get in shape. I was personal training around my landscaping business and loved every bit of it, until I got online and that game changed. How I got online in the first place is ironic, I use to be a real old fashion grump and looked down upon social media, refusing to tag along until one day the charm of a woman I had interest in persuaded me to join in.
Shortly after this, “That Dad in Those Memes” was born. Good chance one of these memes has wound up in front of your eyes at some point. Days after my introduction to Instagram my daughter and I were heading out for a hunt when we came across a flat tire on our truck. Munchkin was excited to change the tire so I set up my phone on video to record the experience. I put up a screenshot from that video and boom! Next thing you know I was getting messages from all over about this meme of my daughter and I that’s gone viral. Still to this day I don’t know who made that first meme, but it started me on a path to creating more and publicly sharing what I’m all about which has made a positive impact on thousands of people all over the world.
In the midst of the online popularity, in the midst of my on going thirst for wisdom, all the people coming to me for advice and all those I sought for advice; my fitness company transformed into life coaching and I’ve never looked back. I’ve never felt more at home, more purposeful, more in line with God’s mission for me within His symphony.
So who is The Viking? How did that come about? Well I’ve always stood out from the crowd between the way I present myself and the way I get things done.
The 9 Noble Viking Virtues have suited me well: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Self-Reliance, Industriousness, and Perseverance. The Viking stands for something, he is the man who stands in front and the man who stands behind; the alpha and the omega; protector and provider; hated or praised. The Viking is a symbol of strength, of sheer brute force, resilience, perseverance, a symbol of what man and woman can be.
I am here as a man, as a voice, as a symbol, as a guiding light shining bright towards all that we were meant to be.