My Father Ron Butts Passes Away

My dad, Ronald F. "Ron" Butts, passed away in his sleep last night at his farm home near Eldorado Springs, Missouri.

Dad found out he had lung cancer in September and underwent radiation treatment. His condition worsened so rapidly that by January when I went to visit along with my 3 brothers, he could no longer walk. His mid January testing revealed the cancer was too advanced to even attempt chemotherapy.

Dad was sent home to die, and given a maximum of 6 months to live. Within a week he let go and died.

My father was a tough guy, a man's man, who smoked Lucky Strike unfiltered cigarettes since he was 12. When he was diagnosed with throat cancer, he underwent radiation, chemotherapy, and lost his larynx, and thus, his voice.

Still he persisted in smoking not only cigarettes, but 3-4 cigars a day! That he got lung cancer was inevitable, and did not come as a shock to anyone.

Everyone in my family smokes. I am not sure how I managed to not become a smoker. I huffed away about 2 aircraft carriers of pot during my musician days - but never got interested in cigarettes - thank God.

I believe that when my Dad fully understood what lay ahead for him as cancer took him, he determined to not put us through it - and simply, somewhere in his soul, just let go. This gives me a great deal of peace. And I am glad to know he would not go through the bitter march to an inexorable ending.

This brings me to the connection between this blog and you (Internet marketers.)

I've taken a very different mix here, combining motivation, success, and entertainment along with interviews and insights from people in the know - and in the front lines of the action in the online marketing industry.

Why motivation and Internet marketing?

Easy … because someone like you, sitting in front of a computer working hard to make money online - are also - people. The needs and challenges of Internet marketers are unique in many ways - and yet common to all people.

As Morgan Freeman's character says in the movie The Bucket List,

"You think you are not like everybody else, but, in the end, everybody is everybody."

We all suffer loss, stress, and challenges. Yet, as Internet marketers we often face these difficult times alone, because we don't work in a peopled environment, but all alone in front of a computer.

I invested 11 years of my life immersed in personal development, success, and motivational books, tapes, speakers and consultants as a working member of the National Speakers Association.

Turning my own life around by changing my thinking through exposure to success and motivation became my profession - and I wrote 3 books on the topic and spoke around the world.

When I became an Internet marketer I soon was able to quit speaking professionally and stop living on airplanes, to stay here in Denver and do my work online.

This is a wonderful way to make money - but can also be a lonely profession where we become Internet marketing fanatics - at the expense of life balance and personal growth.

So when I sought to produce a show I decided not to just focus on marketing - but also on motivation and the human side of marketing. I truly hope you'll give this concept a chance - and comment with your feedback on what I'm trying to do here - with your help.

I will fly to Kansas City on Friday and travel down to the farm for the funeral and then spend some time with The Brothers Butts and then back home on Monday night - to launch this site which, has been put on hold by - life - and death.

I hope you don't take the blending of such a deep emotional issue as some excuse to get an optin - because that's not what is on my mind tonight. But, that you can connect the dots between the human experience, and my heart to be of value to you in your business and your life.

Thank you for reading this post, and please leave your feedback via comments. I'll read them all and respond as best as I can.

Rick Butts

Tags: Blogroll, cancer, personal development, Rick Butts, Ron Butts, show, Strangely Motivating, success