MKE Press Release – John Harris

I’m sitting outside the pool at a beautiful house on Diamond Head. It is a gorgeous late afternoon summer day. The sun will go down soon; puffy white clouds are overhead. The wind has picked up a little, and it is probably the most excellent summer afternoon weather I have ever known. I’m sitting with John Harris, who owns this beautiful house and used to work with my dad. When I told dad I wanted to go to Hawaii, he called John to ask if he could show me around. John said he could show me around, and I could stay at his house and use his extra car.

My very tight budget was suddenly no longer a problem. When I got here and saw this beautiful house in this beautiful place, I asked John if I could interview him for my journalism class and maybe have it in the school paper. Which he gratefully agreed to. So here we go.

So, John, how did you end up moving from Chicago to Hawaii?

When Navistar had re-organization, I found myself with no job. I had purchased a home six months before. Shortly afterward, the housing market crashed, and the job market was terrible. I was struggling to make the mortgage payments. My brother flew into Chicago from Hawaii for Christmas. I told him how things were going, and he told me to sell the house and move to Hawaii. I could live with him. It took until late March of the following year to sell my home. I received no money from the house, so I headed to Hawaii with a small amount of cash.

So, when you moved to Hawaii, your finances were not too good?

Yes, it was tough. I had very little money, and the job market was terrible. It took close to six months to find a job. That job didn’t pay my bills, but I managed to get by until I got a better job a year later. That job lasted a year, and I was jobless for another six months. Then I started at Queens Medical Center, where I was for over twelve years. Financially I was not struggling as much, but my credit card debt continued to creep up.

Dad told me you had done some Ironman races. How did you end up doing those races?

During that first six months here, I spent a fair amount of time at the beach. I was bodyboarding at the Waikiki beaches. I could barely swim, so I decided to learn to swim. I looked online and found a swimming clinic with Boca Hawaii. I didn’t know when I signed up that Boca was a triathlon group. The support at the clinic by the coaches and athletes was incredible. So I started training with Boca for the Honolulu marathon and then triathlons. The following year I did my first triathlon, and two years later, I did my first Ironman. I did three more after that. One race was in Cancun, Mexico, and another in Fortaleza, Brazil. I also did nine half Ironman races. I had never thought of doing an Ironman race. I thought it was kind of a crazy thing to do. Once I started training with Boca, I decided it wasn’t so crazy. It just happened, and I am very grateful I changed my mind. The whole experience was great. The best part was the outstanding coaches and athletes I trained and raced with and the great friendships that ensued.
How did you end up buying this large, beautiful house? I’m sure not from working at the hospital.

No, it wasn’t from working in the hospital. My girlfriend bought a condo on Diamond Head. Just a couple of blocks from here. Then we broke up, and I moved back in with my brother. I loved living on Diamond Head and dreamed of moving back sometime. I still had a large amount of credit card debt. I was not happy with how my life was going. I started looking for ways to improve my situation.

I ended up getting coaching from a Brendon Bouchard coach. It was expensive and was OK, but it did not get me headed where I needed to go. I kept looking for some help but was not sure what I needed. Then I got an email from Mark Januszewski about the Master Key System. It was a course on changing your life. The initial cost was $1.00.

After four weeks, the class would decide on paying it forward to pay for the next class or having the course sold instead. I was interested but did not pull the trigger. The following year I got another email before the next session started. This time I pulled the trigger.

After four weeks, the class decided to pay it forward. The cost was minimal in comparison to the cost of the previous coaching I had. It was less than a tenth of the cost. But what a game changer. The Master Key System (MKE) is not a passive course. It is a six-month course to help you change the programming of your subconscious mind, which makes almost all your decisions. It does take some work and effort. There are readings, assignments, webinars, and many other things.

At times it seems a little overwhelming. They have a great staff whose goal is to see that every person enrolled has their life improved. To help you find your purpose in life and create the life you truly want. Knowing what I truly wanted was much more challenging to discover than I thought. It took me three courses to figure it out. I saw personal growth every year.

Then things started to happen in the third year.

I was in a network marketing company for several years and did nothing to make money. I finally found the courage and self-confidence to build the business. I started trading on Forex market trading currencies. I was making more money than ever, and it was not taking much time. I then found this house on Diamond Head. Something I never thought I would ever be able to afford.

It took a few years and some soul-searching. Lots of readings, exercises, and faith in myself and the process, but here we are. We would not be here if not for Mark, Davene, and all the staff at MKE. They will give you all the encouragement and help they can; your job is to do the work. They can’t do it for you. That’s how I ended up in this house.

Well, that is quite a story. Do you have any other plans?

I do some volunteer work with the Sierra Club here in Hawaii. I also do some traveling to other countries and go to some retreats. I also go and do MKE every year. It is a beautiful community of like-minded people, and it doesn’t hurt to keep working on personal growth.

OK, I think I have enough here for my article. Anything you would like to add?

Tell your dad to get out here and visit. All he needs to do is get here. I have plenty of room, food, and a car.