We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mitch Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mitch below.
Mitch, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
I became a risk taker after going through some hard times. I realized I needed to be completely honest with myself and the decisions I was making. I did a lot of self-discovery through therapy and personal development that helped me overcome some issues and learn to be honest with myself. When you are 100% completely honest with yourself, which is not always easy to do, you can fully assess the risk associated with decisions in front of you. Taking the right risk is hard to teach and recognize. You have to get curious and listen to your intuition. You have to set aside the emotional part and think about everything from a logistical point-of-view.
A simple question I ask myself when assessing risk is “What’s the worst case scenario?” Then I ask myself “Am I ok with that outcome?” For example: I love investing as a hobby (Series 65 License Holder – 2016). When I am looking to invest in a company and when my due diligence is done, I ask myself what’s the worst case scenario. Usually, the answer is “I could lose money” and I have to ask myself “Am I ok with that outcome?” If I can’t answer that or the answer is “No, I’m not ok with it,” then I don’t take the risk. Simple.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have extensive knowledge and experience with cannabis and CBD, plus a background in cultivating, cooking with and obviously, consuming cannabis. I am a US Army Veteran, who became interested in emergency medicine after completing the Combat Lifesaver Training Program. From there, I became a paramedic for 22 years, with the last 17 years being a Professional Firefighter in one of the busiest departments in the nation.
In 2008, I was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, where I was put on multiple heavy doses of anti-viral medications for the better part of a year. Unfortunately, these pharmaceuticals are known to cause drug-induced liver injuries (severe liver damage) and can make some people sick with side effects including nausea, body pain, loss of appetite and insomnia; I was one of those people. It was at this time I turned to medical cannabis for help. I was able to use the benefits of cannabis combined with my medical experience to significantly improve my quality of life.
A few years ago, I found out I have permanent liver damage (about 50% remaining) due to taking those anti-viral medications over a decade ago. I am now choosing to focus on my health and wellness including using cannabis and CBD as medicine while forgoing the use of all pharmaceuticals including Tylenol (because some medications can be very harmful to the liver.) Over the past few years of using cannabis as medicine, I have witnessed improvement in every area of my life. I believe cannabis and hemp has so many medicinal benefits, but the stigma around this plant is keeping people from learning about its true therapeutic results, which is why earlier this year I completed my Master of Cannabis Certification from Cannabis Training University. Now I want to take my knowledge and share my story with the world, while helping anyone I can with this wonderful plant. That’s why my team and I created Millennial420! Millennial420 is a curated health and wellness digital website that is dedicated to providing up-to-date educational information about hemp, CBD and cannabis. I work directly with clients to help them take that first step to learn everything there is to know about using cannabis as medicine through our cannabis coaching sessions. (For a limited time, these sessions are FREE. Please visit our website for more information.) We also offer specialized merchandise and souvenirs as well as EXCLUSIVE discounts for CBD and cannabis-related products.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Throughout my journey there have been three very important skills that have helped me – curiosity, creativeness and the willingness to fail.
Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been naturally curious. I remember there were times I would get into trouble for being curious. People always thought I was questioning their authority or acting like a know-it-all, but in reality, I was curious. I wanted to know how things work or why things were done a certain way. When you are curious about something, you start to explore new things, which lead to taking risks. Your mind expects and anticipates new ideas related to that subject, which leads to my second skill – creativeness.
Creativeness is something we all have, but it has to be developed. Creativity allows us to view and solve problems with an open mind and innovation. It helps us communicate better, adapt to change and broaden our perspective. I am a very creative person and use this skill in every area of my life. I am a business entrepreneur which allows me to use the full extent of creativity. I am an avid reader. I also dabble in writing and music as well as use creativity in investing, gardening and cooking new recipes. I like being creative because I get to be in control. No one else is telling me what to do or how to do it; I get to figure that out on my own.
I think the biggest skill I’ve learned to master is my willingness to fail. We all fail at things, but most people don’t get back up again after they fail. Whether they are scared of what people think or they don’t want to go through the pain of failing, the fear of failing keeps people stuck where they are. Failure is actually one of the greatest teachers. When we fail, we learn things about ourselves that we would have never known otherwise. We learn what we are good at and what we need to work on. This kind of self-knowledge helps us become better people if we are willing to learn from those failures.
If you want to be successful in life, you have to be willing to get curious, to create and to be ok with failing!
How would you describe your ideal client?
In this day and age, people are stressed out, overworked, unhealthy and our endocannabinoid system can feel it. The stigma around cannabis and it’s ‘reefer madness’ has created a void of information surrounding this plant. People don’t know who to turn to or whom to ask when they’ve got questions. This is where we come in. We guide people in the right direction through our recommendations.
Our ideal client is someone who is curious and open-minded about cannabis; someone who is willing to try different cannabis products. It may be someone who is recently retired or is no longer is threatened by drug testing at work. Or it may be someone who has a doctor, but that doctor isn’t willing to discuss cannabis as a medical option. It could even be someone who has never been into a legal, licensed dispensary and has no idea where to start. Our mission is to help people achieve a positive experience using cannabis and CBD. We want to provide support for those responsible consumers looking for alternative, holistic healthcare.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.millennial420.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millennial420team
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/millennial420
Image Credits
Christina Smith
