Jonathan Mills Patrick

Okay. I'm ready to talk about this. It was the worst month of my life. Also ironically the greatest blessing god has ever given me. Last month I was held in the Cayman Islands facing 15 years in prison. The charge: illegal firearm importation. Here's what happened. More importantly what I learned. Short answer: no. I haven't been smuggling guns. In the States I legally carry a gun on me at almost all times for self defense. Part of this is ensuring I am trained. Hence why I routinely go to the range to shoot. When I do I pack the firearm I intend to use in in a backpack. Last month I was in a giant rush to make a private flight and didn't fully check my backpack before leaving. In it was a small firearm I missed. It was discovered when I went through immigration. At first I assumed I'd just be sent home. Then my wife did some quick research. She pointed out the minimum sentence for importing a gun is 15 years. The police who showed up confirmed it. To say I nearly pissed my pants is an understatement. This was completely my fault. I'm an idiot. The point of this post isn't to blame or complain about anything. The laws there are fair. I'm a grown man capable of checking his bag before flying. The point is: for three weeks on the island (on bail), I got to take a long hard look at my life. I've built a high net worth and a company I love, with people I love working with. I have a beautiful wife who is my best friend. I do whatever I want all day every day. My parents are alive and I get to see them almost every week. Still, despite all this, I often wake up annoyed I haven't done enough with my life. Asking myself "is this it?" In fact I'm pissed half the time, feeling I can do better. Which is ironic. I made $20,000 a year in the military. If you'd told me then I'd achieve a 9 figure net worth and all the above, I would've assumed I'd consider my life a dream. The twist truly hit me on the island as I watched everything I worked hard for in my life held at "gunpoint". Pun intended. Everything I worked so hard to get — poof. Didn't matter for shit. The way the law works there are simple : if you can't prove it was an accident, the minimum is 15 years. It became glaringly obvious. Not only was I an absolute idiot who couldn't pack his own bag. I'd also become a fool who couldn't enjoy the blessings I already had. I'd taken all the people in my life and the success totally for granted. Blind. Blind. Blind. Nothing like a 20-year potential sentence to make you realize: waking up with fun stuff to work on, then chilling on the couch reading with your wife at the end of the day — that's about as good as it gets. I should be euphoric 24/7. To go from having it all, to potentially not even having the option to piss and shit when you want — that's a wake up call if there ever was one. Luckily, the Caymans is a fair place. I was found under exceptional circumstances during my trial. AKA the judge and the courts reviewed the case and agreed it was an accident. I still love the island. It's probably my favorite place to vacation. Just check your luggage before you go. Ha. My point is this: be present. Enjoy your life. One day something could happen — even by complete accident — and yoink it all away. I have so many friends who'll read this and by all definition live a "dream life" — and yet are dissatisfied just like I was. If anything this is the default for most successful men. Not the exception. I'm writing this to help you stop. It took god slapping me across the face with my own ignorance to see it. It was painful and scary. Dark. But honestly, it was the greatest blessing I've ever received. I'm writing this from my office at home, giddy as absolute fuck about my life and everything I have the option to do today. If anything, I'm sad about how much time I wasted feeling otherwise. Don't be ignorant and stupid like me. You might not get the blessing of a 15-year prison threat in a foreign country to wake you up. Wake up. Appreciate what you have now.