This Secret Has Weighed Me Down For 34 Years

That's right. For 34 years, I've had a secret. Something I kept hidden from the world, from my family, even my wife.

I didn't hide it out of shame or embarrassment. I hid it because people are fast to judge. Because a slice of information about a single moment can color their whole opinion of you and create invisible barriers. That is why I've kept this secret for so many years.

The Conversation That Changed Everything

So why change anything now? Why tell my secret? Well, I can tell you that it wasn't a need to purge or to share it with the world. It came up organically (if surprisingly) during a deep conversation with a close friend, Pamela Hughes.

Pamela and I have been friends for nearly two decades. Over the years we've shared so much information that she was totally caught off guard when I opened up to her about it. So yes, I shared a deep secret with a close friend before I shared it with my wife. Why?

The context of our conversation was around choices, difficult choices, choices that impact not only today, but tomorrow, and all the tomorrows after. This particular experience felt like an important contribution to the conversation.

But once the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, the clock was ticking. I needed to share this with my wife because I also felt compelled to share it with my fans, followers, and friends.

While I wasn't ashamed of this secret, carrying it for so long on my own had weighed on me. For a long time I felt I'd be judged, and I simply didn't want to deal with that.

Telling my biggest secret…fresh out of the shower

It was the morning after my conversation with Pamela and I was getting ready for my workday. My wife, Allison was doing her hair when the conversation began. Rather than recount the conversation, I'll give you the story in a nutshell…

What I've Been Hiding All These Years

As a teen, I had the opportunity to study overseas. I had been to Israel a few times and LOVED the country, the people, and because I was a teenaged boy, thought the girls were smoking hot. So when the chance to go on an exchange program to Israel came my way, I jumped at the opportunity.

After an amazing learning and growing experience at K'far Silver, my high school in Ashkelon, Israel, I returned to the darkness of John Bowne High School in Queens, New York. I was welcomed back with a visit to the guidance counselors office where I was told that, according to the N.Y.C. Board of Education, I was credit deficient.

If I wanted to graduate, I was going to have to repeat my senior year of high school. And for what? Math? English? Science? Nope. Two physical education credits. I'd have to give up a year of my life because of two P.E. credits.

I quickly weighed my options and chose the path I knew was the right one for me. I stood up, looked at the guidance counselor and said "no". I walked out of high school that day and never looked back.

That's right. I didn't graduate from high school.

Let that sink in for a moment, I know it's shocking. I've built multiple successful businesses. I currently run a multimillion dollar company, I've written more than 100,000 ads, and I am a high school drop out.

Leaving my high school that day wasn't difficult, it was the right thing for me to do at the time. When I look back, I'm not haunted by it in the least. While it impacted me that day, I've never let that moment in time become my story. I simply refused to let it define who I am.

What Happens After You Let Go

So, has telling this secret changed my life? Yes and no. Yes, I feel a weight lifted. Yes, I feel a sense of catharsis in putting this out in to the world. But no, my daily life hasn't (and won't) change as a result of revealing this. I've spent 40-plus years in this industry, written for 9 Super Bowl ads, and helped generate over $300 billion in client revenue -- none of that came from a diploma. It came from showing up and doing the work, one headline and one client relationship at a time.

What secrets are you holding on to? What is keeping you from achieving your goals and your dreams?

Perhaps it's time to let it go.

Much love.