He was just a young man when he found himself standing in front of a judge getting sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug charges. Life had not yet begun for this lad and already it appeared to be over. Could he survive?
By some weird twist of fate he was granted 6-8 years, which was reduced to one month community service and one of rehab. A lucky break that saved his troubled life. Fate had dealt him a good hand, but he still had a long road to recovery, and that would be left up to him.
During the month of rehab he connected with his soul on a trip to Sedona. Something rocked him emotionally; something profound happened among the red rock cannons, something he cannot even put into words. That something changed him forever and for the first time in his life, there was no going back to the addictions.
Wanting to get his life back he went to school, but not having a traditional spot to call home he lived in the outback in a make shift shelter, cooking over an open campfire and sleeping on a bed of pine needles. For two years he would bike into town in the morning and live by society’s rules, attending college and working at a glass factory. At night he would be isolated in the wild, with nothing more than his survival instincts to keep him alive.
What came out of his two years living in the wild was a deep desire to connect with Mother Nature, to hone skills that would help keep people alive who had to take on the wild. He felt a deep passion for the outdoors and began the task of creating a survival camp.
He handed out flyers, posted info on telephone poles, cold called tons of people. But no one would bite and it seemed as though his dreams might not be within reach. But he was a survivor and was not about to give up.
He dug deep and thought about his passion and his will to survive and miraculously things started to fall into place. He started his training school on the art of self-reliance and with small baby steps it started to grow, and grow.
Today he is known around the world; he has appeared on every major media outlet, has written two books, is renowned as a leader in his industry, has his own television show, does public speaking, has built a self-reliance home and is considered an icon in the art of survival.
He has survived addiction, escaped a life of hell in prison, combated living in the wild, persevered the rejection of his ideas, and he has taught the world the true meaning of survival.
He might walk this world barefoot, but he is not without soul. He is deep and courageous, he is Cody Lundin. What would be different in our world if Cody had not survived?
Survival is 90% mental, so never underestimate your minds ability to keep you alive.