In June, Mike Seddon of the UK posted in our private Mastermind Club forum that he’d been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
On Wednesday he left us. Three months to say goodbye.
I met Mike in 2011 at a conference in Atlanta. We posed for a picture. Later we brought Mike on to one of our Mastermind Club monthly meetings as a presenter. As Jeff Martyka said, “Mike is one of the GOOD guys.”
We all know the level many online discussion boards degrade to, so it’s extra special when someone is a consistent frequent quality contributor, making it better and better with each passing year.
In true community member and online marketer fashion, Mike boldly chose to post a daily video update http://seddondays.com/thejourney/
I say boldly, because braving the ravages of cancer on screen every day is no bowl of cherries. You witness the progress as the disease takes its ugly course. But he posted daily, right up until a couple of days before he passed.
Most of us will never know how much this helped a specific handful of people, wh
o for their own personal reasons needed to closely walk this road with Mike. For some it was because they were close friends. For others it was a parallel journey for themselves or a loved one.
I didn’t know Mike well but when I heard his news I asked him if he’d be up for a Skype session. A couple of days later chatted.
Some of you know the story of “Vivian” that I tell in the last chapter of the 80/20 book – and her gift for “Memos from the Head Office.” I emailed Vivian about Mike’s news just before he and I talked. True to form, she responded boldly by sending me a scripture.
I told Mike the Vivian story, which he had not heard.
I read her scripture to him. Psalm 91:9-16:
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
I could hear the pause on the other end of the line as the words soaked in.
“Thank you, Perry. Thank you.”
When someone is facing death there’s no messing around. “Mike, do you have a spiritual center?”
“I used to when I was a kid. My wife still practices. I used to go to Sunday School and I heard all the stories and I really liked it. But then I got older… life happens, you know, disappointments come, you hear the Darwin story and all that… it all just seemed very far away and not so sensible.”
“Would you be OK with asking God a question and seeing if you get an answer back?”
“Sure.”
I say what we always say to people in Inner Healing sessions. “I’m just going to give you a question. Just ask God the question, and grab the FIRST thing that comes into your mind. Top of the stack. Just grab on to it and tell me what you hear. Don’t edit, don’t second guess, just listen. OK?”
“OK.”
“God, what do I do about this disease?”
He repeats after me: “God, what do I do about this disease?”
“BELIEVE.”
“I just heard the word ‘Believe’.”
We talk about that for a minute. I can hear how thirsty his soul is. I ask, “Mike, what do you want this scripture to mean for you?”
He says, “Well Perry as odd as it might sound I’ve never been happier in my life. I’m surrounded by my friends and people who love me, I have this beautiful garden outside since we moved to this nice piece of property a few years ago, Barbara is so good to me, and I’m at peace.
“I don’t want to bother anybody, I don’t want any drama, I don’t want a chemotherapy roller coaster, and I’ve accepted what’s coming. All kinds of people have all this advice for me but I just want to pass with gratitude and without pain and not be a burden to anybody.”
I ask, “Can I give you another question to ask?”
“Sure.”
“God, what do you want for me?”
He repeats: “God, what do you want for me?”
Answer comes back: “You’re going to be OK.”
He’s weeping. I assure him that I’m going to be praying for his journey every step of the way – wherever it takes him – whether his cancer goes away, or if he takes the journey beyond.
We talk a few more minutes. At the end of the call, he says, “Thank you Perry, I think you connected that last dot for me.”
That was July 3.
Next day he tells me he put Psalm 91 along with a picture of us together in a picture frame and hung it on the wall by his bed. He said, “I look at the prayer each night before settling down.”
Next day, another email from Mike: “I realise why I hadn’t heard the Vivian story. I’d only got three quarters through your book when I started to get ill and the story is at the back of your book. I read it today. Got my mom to read it too so that I could explain why I’ve put the prayer on the wall. Thank you for the team of prayers.
“Incidentally it occurred to me that our conversation covered material that others may benefit from. I just wanted to say that if you wanted to use any of it, no matter how personal it was, then you have my blessing.
“I’m going ahead with my Last Webinar tomorrow which I hope will wake up some people who are sleep walking in their business.
“I know you’ll have to much on to come along, but here’s the link anyway.
http://dovgordon.net/lastwebinar
Must dash. I have to open my Christmas presents (don’t ask!)
Best
Mike
Of course I did attend his webinar. It was fantastic. The thing went viral. LOTS of people listened in. What did Mike and Dov talk about? The fact that life is short and your life does not exist to serve your business. Your business ought to serve your life.
Life is short. We don’t know how much time we have. Sometimes the best reality check is a funeral. And since Mike’s friends and colleagues are scattered across the globe, this is our virtual funeral together for Mike, in the form of a blog post and one last webinar we’re all privileged to listen to.
Mike, thanks for blessing us, and be blessed today where you are.
Perry Marshall
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About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
25 Comments on “RIP Mike Seddon, Community Catalyst Par Excellence”
Perry, you mentioned somewhere that your dad or someone else wanted you to be a pastor, but you ended up choosing to be a marketer.
I admire how you’re reaching other marketers on a spiritual level. It could be argued that your making more of a spiritual impact by being a marketer instead of a pastor.
Keep going, brother. You’re my hero. :-)
Thank you. I’m doin’ what I ought to be doin’.
Perry, that is a marvellous tribute to my dear husband Mike. Did you know that you were his business hero and that he would mention your name practically every day to me?
When you sent him Vivian’s scripture, he was incredibly moved and sent me out to buy a frame immediately so that it could be hung on the wall in his room.
Mike bore his illness so bravely and although he wrapped up his company and discontinued work shortly after he was diagnosed and came back home, he always referred to his daily fundraising activities as “work” and threw himself 100% into that.
I have lost a wonderful man and others have lost a loyal friend and workmate but I hope that his legacy, in Seddon Days, remains.
Barb,
All of us have heroes. Every parent discovers that when you’re a hero, it simply means you’re only a few steps up the totem pole from another person who is actually just like you, and…. it’s a big responsibility. It was a real privilege to get to know Mike just a little bit, and my condolences are with you and your extended family members who miss him.
A big hug to all of you from Chicago.
Perry
Perry,
I am Mike’s Brother-in-Law, and wanted to thank you for what you did for Mike that day.
He never mentioned your Skype, but I now understand how your discussions helped inspire him in his final months to help other people improve their quality of life, whilst appreciating the great things he had himself – especially his colleagues, friends and family.
I know your friendship gave Mike great comfort and contentment in his final months, and I really hope that your post benefits many others in the same way.
Best wishes,
Alex
Hi Perry,
Thank you for this. That you’d taken the time to chat to him, meant a lot to Mike when I spoke to him later. And for sharing God’s care with him
At his funeral next week we’ll be mindful of the community across the globe that can’t be there – yet loved Mike for what he was and did.
Vernon
PS I was fortunate enough to be with Mike in Atlanta; and glad that I took that photo of the two of you that was so special to him
Thanks Perry, thanks for Portraying God not as a religion, not as a goal, neither as distant.
People need realize that God is here, now, in the present moment. With us, for us.
http://utmost.org/god%E2%80%99s-purpose-or-mine/
Goodness! I trust he has his wings now.
Thank you for sharing this Perry and connecting the “last dot” for Mike.
Life is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears. I was fortunate to be on Mike’s last webinar and to see much of this unfold in Dov’s JVMM group with Mike.
I had a talk with each of my 3 sons after Mike’s webinar (2 are in college, 1 in HS) and shared about Mike and his journey. It was an opportunity to have a very real talk with my boys and share my heart with them. I am grateful to Mike for giving me that opportunity.
Mike made an impact on many of us.
May God bless Mike and his family.
Rob
Thank you for this beautiful tribute.
Mike told us about that talk he’d had with you — thanks for filling out the details.
I’ll miss him. Already do. But I’m truly thankful for the impact he had on my life and the world at large.
Hi Perry,
Thank you for this.
Your conversation with Mike meant a lot to him. It was part of the fuel that pushed him to maximize every single day from diagnosis to the very end.
He was totally dedicated to spreading the message of Seddon Days (as he explained them in The Last Webinar) and raising money for the Shakespeare Hospice.
So many people from around the world came to look for his daily video on Facebook. We all know it would be coming to an end…
But somehow it was still a shock.
Mike most certainly was “one of the GOOD guys.”
Dov Gordon
Dov,
Thank you for YOUR friendship to Mike; for setting up the Last Webinar; for spreading the message. Life is precious. Thanks for doing all you do in our little corner of the world.
Perry
Thanks for sharing your conversation Perry, as it gave insight into a very enlightened guided conversation that was obviously very powerful for Mike.
His final webinar was solid gold.
It doesn’t get any more meaningful and transformational than that.
Thanks for posting this Perry. I was on the webinar in July and that was my first exposure to Mike. His messages are very inspiring as is your recount of your Skype visit with him. We can all learn from those who are truly able to see what is really important in life.
Mike was a good man, a caring man and his life has been a blessing to all of us.
Perry – profound, thank you for sharing.
BTW the link to the Dov Gordon last webinar goes to the “Story behind the Story” article – which is a good read, but not what I expected when I clicked on the link.
We’ll improve that link.
Perry I’ve been thinking about this post all day – the bold way you shared with Mike. I want to be more like that.
Hi Enoch,
Mike set up that page with the webinar recording lower down – below the background story of it.
I just updated it – since Mike has asked me to look after the site after he’s gone – and now the webinar is at the top of the page with the background story below.
Dov Gordon
Thank you, Perry! also for Vivian’s story, inspiration through perseverance, and most of all for Mike Seddon, whose “last seminar” I’m listening to…what a WONDERful man. Am crying. As Dov says, it’s a nod to Mike, a jewel in his legacy.
Part of your gift to us is presenting us with stories like these. i don’t mean just “story.” Don’t exactly know what I mean yet, but I’m strongly moved
As i read this my eyes filled with tears mainly because of the loss of my Mum in the same way three years ago.
Thanks for sharing the story with us all have a great weekend!
From Glyn in Manchester UK
Beautifully said, Perry.
Mike was a heck of a guy, and we developed a nice off-line friendship that grew out of your forum. Sometimes when I see a post that’s particularly helpful or insightful or kind or just something…I’ll send a private message to the author. Something which doesn’t really add value to the forum, but which seems like it needs to be acknowledged.
Mike was in that very top echelon of people who I thanked or acknowledged many times over the years.
Unsurprisingly, he did something similar on some of my posts over the years (although the balance was dramatically in his favor for helpful posts!) That’s just the kind of guy he was. There was nothing “in it for him” to reply privately to me to make me feel good and valued.
Just a small way he touched yet another life in a good way.
Rest in peace, Mike. You were absolutely one of the good guys, and I appreciate all of your contributions, both over the years as well as the recent “Seddon Day” and more.
Scott
Thank you for sharing this.. I had no idea it had progressed to this stage. Hearing this is both sad and enlightening. My deepest sympathies. Thank you so very much for sharing with him, and with us.
Thank you Perry for taking the time to write this up and share it with all of us. I pray that the conversation you quietly had with Mike had an eternal impact on him. May Mike’s work these last few months continue to impact so many – myself (and my clients) included.
That’s a very touching story Perry. You demonstrated that spiritual guidance need not be preachy. My condolences for the loss of your friend.