Martin’s got the best advice!

Martin’s got the best advice – and there’s no other way to say it. Holy smokes, am I ever thankful that I chose Martin Perelmuter to be one of the mentors in my book Get Up.

And after reading what he wrote, you too will be blown out of your chair. Will someone please help me off the floor?

I honestly believe that once this interview is read, a few things will happen. Or at least take an effect to some degree. You just might:

  • Take more risks
  • Believe in yourself
  • Ignore the naysayers
  • Appreciate the important things in life

Introducing Martin Perelmuter. Proud father of two amazing kids and husband to Farah (@farahperelmuter_). Lawyer turned President of Speakers’ Spotlight. (@speakersdotca) Official trailblazer of his life that screams “Excuse me – out of my way as I do what’s best for me, my family, my business, and my health.

Martin’s got the best advice.

Wait until you read this.

Who is Martin Perelmuter?

First and foremost, I’m Farah’s husband and Jade & Cole’s dad. I’m the child of immigrants, who are Holocaust survivors. I’m an entrepreneur but didn’t always dream of being one. I love underdogs.

How do you define self-care?

For me, self-care is looking after my own physical, mental and emotional health, so I can be there for the people who are counting on me to be there for them.

What do you do for self-care?

I walk (a minimum of 10,000 steps) every day. This helps me tremendously with both my physical and mental health. Strength training 2-3 times a week also plays a strong role in my fitness routine.

I read about 50 or more books a year, which is mostly literary fiction, which for me is the best escape from the day-to-day pressures of running a business and everything else that life brings.

Listening to music keeps me calm even when things are extremely hectic.

I try to take time every day to stop and appreciate things I’m incredibly grateful for. This helps me keep things in perspective, and not confuse minor inconveniences for major catastrophes.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned regarding:

Your work as a lawyer that transitioned into Speakers’ Spotlight

When I was practicing law, I learned that in order to be successful at anything, you have to work incredibly hard. There are no shortcuts to success. I was surrounded by smart, high-performing people and you guessed it, they all worked incredibly hard.

I applied this work ethic as I transitioned into Speakers’ Spotlight; however, I had to “unlearn” many of the skills that are required to be a good lawyer. I learned to trust my gut more, and “bet on people”. As a lawyer, a lot of my training was focused on “risk-proofing”, and planning for every possible contingency. In business, it was more about moving quickly to find and seize upon opportunities.

Your marriage and children

You don’t have to agree on everything. As long as you have each other’s best interest in mind, share common values, and love each other the rest will sort itself out.

As for my children, you can talk all you want. At the end of the day, your children will model your behaviour more than listen to your words. It’s fine to give advice, but what kind of example am I setting for my kids? To me, that’s the most important thing I can do for them (along with unconditional love and support).

Your friendships

True friends will tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear.

The people you have done business with

I’m very fortunate as I work with the highest achievers and leaders from the worlds of business, sports, politics, academia, media arts, and culture. More than anything, the biggest lesson I’ve learned from them is that there are many setbacks you need to overcome to achieve anything worthwhile. It’s not always going to be easy, but if you have a strong sense of purpose that you deeply believe in, you will figure out a way past these obstacles.

What is a typical day in the life of Martin Perelmuter?

My typical workday is usually made up of a series of conversations (by phone, email, or meetings that are mostly on Zoom) with our clients, speakers, and team. I wear a few different hats in our business, so it may be working with a speaker who is developing new content for a presentation, helping a client who is looking for a speaker for their event, or problem-solving or brainstorming with our team on a project they’re working on.

I try to get out for a walk every day, and will sometimes do “walking meetings”. Usually, I’m just listening to a podcast or music, which helps me reset my day and come back renewed and refreshed.

I try not to work past 6 pm, and evenings are usually pretty chill. Watching basketball or Netflix during the winter. Now that things have opened up, and the weather is getting nice out, we’re trying to get out more to visit with friends, or just go for a walk in the evening.

Let’s unpack your quote!

“Put yourself out there and take more risks. Don’t be too concerned about what your peers would think, which may result in playing it ‘safe’. Setbacks are an important part of success. No one achieves anything worthwhile without trying, failing, getting back up, and trying again.”

When I was in my teenage years, I was way too concerned about what my peers might think of me. Very few risks were taken and I stayed under the radar as much as possible. I was afraid of failure. I thought “Successful” people seemed to have life figured out. My questions outweighed my answers and felt silly if I admitted to these insecurities, uncertainties, or vulnerabilities.

As I got into my twenties, I began to realize that no one really has it figured out, and asking questions was the best way to learn about yourself, and life in general. I better understood what made me tick. What was important to me. What I was passionate about and what I wanted my life to look like. Over time, I realized that following a path that works for some people may not work for me, and if I was going to create the life I wanted, I needed to take some risks and make some difficult decisions.

Once I made the decision to blaze my own trail, rather than following the well-established path that was in front of me, opportunities opened up that I didn’t even know were possible. I learned that my greatest opportunities often existed on the other side of my greatest fears. And I discovered that many of the most successful people I met (however you choose to define that term) were people who had a similar journey.

They took risks, they ignored the naysayers, they followed their curiosity, they stayed true to their values, and they achieved success on their own terms.

💫

Wise words that are so powerful, that you need to read them twice. Heck, read it three times. Even better – talk about it with your loved ones. As I take in a deep breath and say “wow” out loud, all I can say is that Martin’s got the best advice. Anyone who has the chance to read the above is one lucky human being.