MY STORY

Have you ever had one of those times when your whole life changed in a heartbeat?

I know I have, more than once.

The second time it happened was when I was staring into the darkness of a black coffee in a café inside a hospital. A strong smell of bleach reminded me of the times I was home from school and my mum cleaning the kitchen sink.

I was always injuring myself falling out of trees, having rocks dropped on my shin, cutting myself in woodworking classes at school. Damaging my fingers playing football at school leaving me with a bent right forefinger.

And my mum always patching me up. Always there for me. But now she was gone. And I had failed her yet again.

You see, she wanted to die at home, but because of me she died in a cold, sterile hospital bed. In what I now call my “first life” I’d made so many mistakes.

Bad relationship choices, Horrible financial deals. Failing in various businesses. And all the guilt that went with these stupid mistakes I carried with me for five years.

And now to top it off I couldn’t stop my mother dying in hospital having promised her I’d take care of her.

Her words torment me to this day. “Don’t let me die in a hospital Richard.”

Staring into the dark abyss of my hospital coffee I made a vow to myself. It was there and then I decided to draw a line in the sand and begin again.

While my mum was in her hospital bed I feel deeply into my past. Remembering the good and the bad.

Like the time when I leaped out of an aeroplane in tandem skydive. I gasped for breath as I heard the whoosh of air as we spiralled down towards the ground.

My instructor said not to wiggle, fidget or squirm as that would make the decent more treacherous than it already was.

Can’t believe I was doing this being scared of heights. But I soon came to enjoy it because of the good I knew I was doing it for a charity that supported children with special needs get education through play. 

Other episodes of my life that still make me wince include being badly hurt in my relationships when I was in love, I lost all confidence in myself when my first marriage broke up because my wife had a drinking problem.

As a young boy I remember feeling dejected as my father was hardly ever there for me, bereft of  fatherly love I formed a strong bond with my mother which, looking back now, turned into co-dependency.

When I finally became courageous enough to fall in love again and get married, it wasn’t long before that dejected feeling returned as my wife devoted much of her attention to our young children. Once again I was crushed because I felt unloved and neglected. The hardest thing to do was to subdue that nagging voice of my inner critic. They say that people only hurt you when they, themselves are hurting.

I shudder to reflect on the emotional and psychological damage I caused my wife and others because I felt dreary, downcast and deflated.. So the day I lost my lovely mother. The day my life changed in a heartbeat. The day I said ENOUGH.

I made it my mission to become the opposite of all those bad things and become an inspirational person. A person who got his faith in life back.

A person who would put himself at the service of others and not just stand by and watch events unfold and doing nothing about them when I know I could have. I’ve watched both of my parents die, and other friends and family, today I do everything in my power to help others. My first act since I beat my co-dependency addiction was helping others recover from their addictions and live lives of value with purpose.

Once I started my journey from selfishness to selflessness I found joy in helping others whose struggles resembled my own. I spent time contributing even more to charity. Supporting orphans in Uganda and helping at my local foodbank. But my biggest thrill is through my wellness business.

If you’re looking for the truth behind what I do today, it’s this.

I don’t want my own family to live with the kind of health problems I have seen my mum, dad, uncles, aunties, and friends suffer from. My wife has already gone through a lot. Partly through me and partly through looking after her mum. Yet there were still more gloomy days ahead.

I’ll always remember the day she came home after seeing her doctor. I saw the look of despair on her face. I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“My doctor wants me to take even more medication.”  She replied.

“Oh, no!”

“I don’t want to be on lots of drugs like my mum.” She said.

I said to her there is no way I was going to let her suffer like that. I got up and said, “Wait there, I’ll be back in a minute.”

When I came back in the room I saw the look of hope in her eyes. “Open your hand.”

Then I put four sachets of the best health product I know in her right hand. “I am not going to let that happen and you are going to take these supplements to help support your body naturally.” 

“I know you love me, so I trust in your advice to help me get better.”

Within days she was on her journey back to good health. 

So many people are chronically stressed. Their immune system suppressed like a sprinter in the blocks but with their feet strapped so they can’t move. If they only knew about Mannatech they would never have to suffer that way again.

When I discovered Mannatech, I was initially sceptical. After a lot of thinking and deliberating I decided to go to the USA at my own expense to see where they were made, to prove the validity of the products. I chose to stay overnight locally to Heathrow and fly out early morning, via Madrid and after some 12 hours travelling, arrived in Dallas. It was a 40-minute drive to the labs where I was able to validate Mannatech’s credentials.

Listen, I had to do this for my own peace of mind. And, because as I’m recommending people to put these health saving dietary supplements in their body. That weekend I met the CEO who had worked his way up from nothing to head a multi-million dollar organisation spanning twenty six countries around the world.

They are the Tesla of nutritional products because of the R&D they spend on formulation to bring them to market and the impact they have on immune health support. The third leading cause of death in U.S.A is prescription drugs, so it’s no wonder more people are turning to Mannatech and other great companies for better health.

Their chief scientific officer is a past president of the esteemed American Naturopathic Society and as a former leading practitioner, patients would come to him from around the world as their last hope. 

The difference between me is you won’t find anyone who has done as much research to discover why these products impact lives and turn around people’s health. Because I want to see people enjoy their lives once they are in there 70s, 80s and beyond. Listen, I’m in my middle sixties and I feel as vibrant as I did ten years ago thanks to the health discoveries I made along my journey of selflessness.

I believe age should not be a barrier to good health and a fulfilling life. And if I can do this for others I can create a legacy I can help people get their health back and live better lives.

Today whenever I look deep into my cup of coffee, I feel inspired. I feel an incredible sense of peace within myself knowing that I can empower others to live the healthy energy filled life I am living. I recently completed a 17km cycle ride for charity after an absence of three years in the saddle and I would never have been able to do that without this nutrition to fuel me, sustain me and help me recover. 

Now I know that I used to cycle to get fit but now I cycle to stay fit!

Recently I heard an interview with world famous TV presenter, Neil Oliver, on Talk Radio. He said, “Why would anybody contemplate starting a conventional business under the current circumstances of perpetual forever uncertainty?” And I totally agree with him. That’s what I like about Mannatech. 

They take all the risk out of starting your own business. What other business could you safely start for under £20? and with committed time and effort, could reward you financially well. And the even better news?  That comes with me as your guide and I won’t charge you even a single penny. 

Forget any concerns you may have. Tell yourself you have had enough of your life the way it is right now.