Against the Odds
Action Tip: In a world increasingly awash in drugs and addiction it is good to know that there is a way to a better life.
What are The Odds?
By Mike Lindell
Toward the end of his 325-page memoir, Mike Lindell quotes a billionaire acquaintance as saying, “You’re not like any other CEO we’ve ever seen.” For thirty years, cocaine and gambling controlled his life. My wife read the book first and told me that his addictive habits continued even after he founded his now-famous pillow company. I wondered how anyone could start such a company, have it flourish, and keep it while addicted.
Kyle with his copy of What Are The Odds?
The simple answer is this isn’t the typical book about someone who starts with nothing and eventually succeeds through hard work and determination. Lindell began with nothing built several respectable businesses, including cleaning carpets, pig farming, and running a lunch wagon, and then because of drugs, gambling, or misfortune lost them. I kept shaking my head and thinking, “Don’t do that. Don’t be so foolish.” I probably wouldn’t have finished the book if I hadn’t known how it ended. If Lindell hadn’t changed course, crack cocaine would have left him alone and homeless. It very nearly did.
The Conservative Alternative reported on the My Pillow Guy in August 2022. While that story mentions some of his background, it’s more business-orientated. This article will focus more on the man Lindell reveals through his memoir.
From an early age, Lindell fell into a pattern of self-destructive behaviors. Gambling became his first addition. At twenty-two years old, he owed a bookie $25,000, and the mob threatened his family. Lindell decided to rob a store to be arrested and so protect his family. He succeeded in part but felt crushed that his reputation had been ruined and friends no longer trusted him. This wound pushed into more bad decisions and addictions.
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Later, Lindell bought a tavern, and his marketing ingenuity began to shine. He allowed people to be themselves, dance on the bar, and literally hang upside down from the rafters. He also created sports leagues and set up pool and dart tournaments. The tavern developed a reputation for being fun. However, during this time, Lindell went from snorting cocaine to smoking crack cocaine. Through a combination of debt, drugs, and misfortune, he lost the tavern.
In 2009, he started the My Pillow Company. However, his addiction and the money he spent on it continued to grow. Eventually, his wife left him. He lost his home and family. During the course of his life, Lindell was able to talk other addicts into choosing sobriety, but not himself. Lindell often wanted to get clean, but even as he lost everything, doing drugs felt normal. Throughout his life, his sister Cindy and others had been telling Lindell that God had a plan for his life. Also, during his long addiction, Lindell experienced events and premonitions that seemed to come from God. In one premonition he met Donald Trump in his New York office. He dismissed it.
Often people describe their conversion to faith in God as happening in an instant. For Lindell, it was a slow crawl. However, with the help of family and friends, he came out of what he calls his drug induced coma and met a wonderful Christian woman, made new, sober friends and, just as he had foreseen, met presidential candidate Donald Trump in his New York office.
Mike Lindell feels that he has begun the second movie of his double-feature life. He continues to grow his company and work with addicts. His memoir begins with a dedication to “anyone looking for hope.” The book ends with, “To Be Continued…”
Do you have a My Pillow or one of his other products? What do you think of Mike Lindell, his companies, or his story? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
