My passion is to reach out to those who are searching for a more fulfilling, meaningful life and inspire them to LIVE the life they desire. My name is Michael Vukelic, and I am the life-transforming speaker and Quantum Leap Success Coach behind Outrageous Success.
Life-transforming? You bet! I have learned that when you bring your authentic self together with your talents, your personality, your heart and a sense of humor, you will THRIVE.
For the first time in thirty-plus years of adult life, I am living the life I was truly meant to lead. I absolutely love what I do, and that feels powerful and terrific to say! What’s even better is that I get to share this transformation with others.
My journey:
Raised in a small river town in the midwest, I served in the military in Germany, graduated from college in Florida and landed my first corporate job in Georgia. Being very autonomous, living “My Way” has always been a part of my life, but somehow, staying true to my heart proved much more difficult. It has taken real effort to stop analyzing and thinking my way through life and learn to follow my heart.
I grew up very lower middle class. I had lots of great childhood friends and we learned to work hard at an early age. I believed in the American Dream and I believed money was the key to being happy. I pursued that life with great focus. After graduating with the business and engineering degrees I valued and must have, I started a career with a major corporation. It didn’t take me long to realize it wasn’t a good fit. I worked long, unusual hours and I became isolated. But the corporate world was alluring. It was glamorous! It was what I had dreamed of through out my childhood years. This was freedom from the small town and small living. It was the ticket to happiness.
I bought a huge house on 3 wooded acres, complete with a beautiful in-ground swimming pool, fancy cars, and married my high school sweetheart. I had a great income and was inundated with all the financial obligations associated with the lifestyle. To all my friends, it seemed I was living an amazing “American Dream.” It was exciting, I had a great career, lots of stuff and it opened up my life to new experiences. It was all I had focused on and I had achieved the success I sought. But, I wrestled with many experiences I didn’t count on. Life was centered on work, and income and I was not able to experience important events with family or friends. I worked on their schedule, was restricted to doing it their way and I had very few choices. I was caught in the middle of being grateful and discontent all at once. My bank account grew and as the lifestyle became more isolating, unhealthy and unfulfilling I found all that money could not by my happiness. But this was my childhood dream! So I continued to show up with a fake smile. I told myself it would be ok and I did my best to hide my disappointment, my disgust and my discontent. Everyone could see it but me.
How did I get here? I followed a dream to an Ego centered life. I was chasing after possessions, temporary fulfillment and happiness outside of myself. For years, I felt my heart speak to me, giving me that nudge to change, to be free and live differently but I did not listen. I did not yet realize how important the freedom, creativity and real connection with others would be. As time progressed, I worked so much I suffered. My friends were few, my marriage ended and I had a constant feeling like I was dying inside. And in truth, I was. It was not long before I was diagnosed with cancer. UGH! The “C” word. I knew I had to change my life, but my fears stopped me dead in my tracks.
One icy winter’s night, change took me by storm. I was exhausted and cold, like so many days, months and years before, having just worked another long night without sleep. On the trip home my car was overheating. Strange, I thought, its -5 degrees outside, and I am freezing my ass off!
Something happened that day that changed me forever. I did not seem to care about the car. I pushed it hard, weezing and gasping, banging and clanging all the way home until it blew up near my impressive 400 ft. driveway. Smoke was everywhere. I stood there in disbelief. Wow. This is not “me” – not the “Michael Vukelic” I know! The perfect follow the rules, get stuff done now guy. As I watched the smoke billow from under the hood, I realized my life needed to change. I was ill, I was resentful, I was exhausted! I walked up my 400ft driveway, unlocked the door to my beautiful house and cried myself to sleep, praying to find a way back to a love for life, a love for friends and a beautiful way to serve the world.
From that day forward EVERYTHING changed. I learned to listen and trust my inner guidance. I began my journey to overcome my fear! Fear of how I would make a living, fear of what others would say, my fear of the very real question, where do I go now? What will I do? All the fears that were instilled in me through out life and I took in as truth came roaring toward me. But as I learned to listen, deep down I already knew what was calling me and I realized there was really nothing stopping me from creating the powerful, meaningful life I had always wanted – except me. So, with my Ego kicking and screaming, I surrendered. I left my job, sold my beautiful home and stepped away from the life my Ego so valued – “the life of always wanting more,” the “What’s in it for me” life I had created.
That first step changed my life forever, and the life that followed has been nothing short of amazing!
I began re-building my life with real passion, educating myself in the fields of study to which I’d always been drawn; teaching, personal development and public speaking. I trained under many world-class, internationally recognized experts and began to develop a transformative system of personal growth that inspired others to embrace their power and find their truth, just as I had.
Everything was exciting and the world was opening up for me. I became aware, for the first time, of the wonderful beauty and power that lives in each of us. Life was magical and for the first time in a long time, I absolutely loved my life!
What I learned:
Each of us is on a perfect journey. I understand that my journey was absolutely perfect for me and although it did not seem perfect while I experienced it, looking back the truth is, it was perfect for me. I had a powerful transformative life experience. In order to recognize and honor this in others and breakthrough my own rigid beliefs, fears and thinking this was my journey to shift my life. In the process I began to follow my heart and trust my inner wisdom, that powerful part of ourselves that society teaches us not to pay attention to.
Today, my Quantum Leap Success Program, Inspirational Speaking and Healing techniques support and empower individuals and groups to unlock their true potential, overcome blocks and challenges to create measurable, meaningful results! No matter what your age, where you work, or what your relationship status is, it is possible to transform your experience and live in the magic of a life filled with incredible possibilities. I have done it and you can too.
It really is that joyfully, powerfully simple!
