ADHD: Harnessing Your Creative Superpower | Nick Bravo

We can't just pick and choose who we bring the truth to. We have to bring the truth and let it do its work, and then we have to be humble enough to understand that when we are the bringers of truth, we will be loved and hated at the same time, depending on the people that actually want the truth. Oh, my intensity is why I'm so successful. It's kind of a superpower in business that you can be on, that you have energy, that you kind of are driven, all those things for sure. But if you, if you struggle to turn it off, which I absolutely do, um, you know, there's a lot of downsides to it too.

It impacts your personal life, it impacts relationships, it impacts friendships. There's all kinds of stuff like that. And so I started talking about that a little bit in 2022, and dude, people came out of the woodworks, and they were like, "One, I can't believe you're saying this stuff publicly." They're like, "You know, aren't you..." You know, some people were like, "Oh, thank you," like, "I've been dealing with this," or, "My kid's been dealing with this," or, "My spouse," whatever, and you know, it's nice to know there are other people out there who are, you know, who, who kind of experience these things as well.

Um, but there was another side where people were like, uh, "Aren't you worried that someone who could potentially do business with you or hire you to speak or whatever isn't gonna bring you in or isn't gonna wanna work with you because of what you shared?" And I was like, "If someone doesn't wanna do business with me because I have a severe form of ADHD that I, like, have to deal with every day, they're not-- I don't wanna work with them." You know what I mean? Like, it's not like it makes me a bad person or I do bad things. I just tend to be dialed a lot and, you know, sometimes get out over my skis.

Like, that's not... You know, like I believe that by being-- You know, I- we, we shouldn't share, nor do we need to share every freaking detail of our lives. Like, I don't think... You know, that stuff is gratuitous, I think, and a little masturbatory. But, um, I do think being open about some of the challenges, particularly as they relate to our interpersonal relationships, our own development, or business, these are real things.

Like, our personal lives impact our business lives, and if we pretend like they don't and we compartmentalize them, you're missing a huge part of the equation. So I'm, I'm very pro transparency and authen- authenticity, as, as long as it's coming from a good place and it's not being used to manipulate or... someone. Manipulate. Yeah, I mean, most of my kids are ADHD. I'm ADHD.

I don't think it's a problem in the sense that my mind thinks in images, my mind thinks in double entendres when I write music. I had a good buddy who's pretty successful in business who's kind of like old school, and he just looked at me and he said, "You've been given a gift from God. Your brain, your brain processes very quick." So it's-- If anybody who knows anything, um, there's a lot of information out there, would know that you'd probably want someone with an hyper ADHD in your circle because their creativity is gonna be off the charts. Um, and then not only that related to you, because not only do you and I have ADHD, but we're-- Everybody's done the disc assessment or done other personalities, but I'm a controller promoter, which is one of the leadership development courses I went through.

That's what they called it. But I got like high executable, uh, skill sets, and then I'm very passionate, and I can sell, and I can perform. And, and so it is very much a superpower because, um, when you have, uh, a brain, a com- um, a computing chip at the level that it is, plus the ability to execute, plus the personality to put yourself out there, I mean, you could really conquer the world. Um, the flip side of that is I do have three daughters in the home and my wife, all women, most teenage girls, and that intensity is not fruitful in the home, like you said. It's not-- They don't feel safe with that intensity.

They feel safe when I have calm energy, when I'm present, when I can listen to them, right? And so, you know, it's-- to me, it, it is the good comes with the bad, and those people that you're supposed to roll with will respect you. I just had an incident with a, a client that I never expected. Typically, I'll have stuff that happens, you know, in business where like a client sells their company and it's disappointing because you lose a client and it had nothing to do with you. And I do a lot of Google ads and I had this client and we had just gotten started.

They paid a lot of money and the CEO was really cool with me and then he got busy. He handed me off to his right-hand man. And then his right-hand man basically told me I can't call him, I can only email him. Email first, call second, text third. Which is cool, but part of the agreement is that we need to be able to communicate and get feedback and...

Long of the short is I took a passive approach, which is not typically my personality because it's a new relationship, uh, and their inner communications with their own team fell apart. And not only were we doing our job, we were getting them results, but they didn't think they were getting results because they weren't reading their emails. So the way you are and the way I am, um, I don't, I don't do that very well. I'm not really gracious. I'm, I'm like, "Are you k-- Like, your internal team emailed you, CC'd everybody in on it.

Three weeks later you ask me and tell me you didn't get any leads and you have literally an email from your internal team?" Like it's so hard for me not to basically light you up because it's just like, dude, there's receipts, there's evidence, you're not doing your due diligence, and then you're calling our services into question while I, while your pants are down. And so I had to make a decision. It got so bad, uh, and I could tell that two of the employees had dropped the ball so much that human nature is that typically, you know, when the boss comes in they're gonna try to sweep it under the rug and blame it on the vendor. And so as an owner myself and a top salesman in my career and a coach and I did what I would want someone to do for me.

I reached out to the CEO, text him, "Here's what's going on. I'm at a loss." The irony is I second-guessed that decision for a long time because he reacted adversely. He was pissed because he was on vacation. He calls his right-hand man, lights him up.

His right-hand man calls me, lights me up. And his right-hand man is basically like, "You shouldn't want around me." In my mind I'm thinking, "Well, you're not my employee and you're, you're incompetent. And your, your owner's spending a lot of money, and you're not really admitting where your problems are." So I look at that situation and the question is, should I have text the owner?

Well, I couldn't call him. But in my mind, the way I'm wired, it is my responsibility to communicate with that CEO because he's made a substantial investment and I can see the gaps. And he's trusting his right-hand man to see the gaps, and the man, right-hand man is hiding the gaps. And so for me it's like if he's the right type of client, he's gonna text me and say, "Dude, thank you for this information. I'll get it corrected.

I'm on vacation. Give me a couple weeks." Instead, it was, "This guy's calling me. I'm on vacation. It's unprofessional."

So here's a situation where one person says it's unprofessional, whereas another high octane person like me or you, if I was doing something for you and I text you that, and you were like, you wouldn't wanna wait two weeks. And even if you're on vacation, you'd be like, "Dude, I'm available. That's why I'm a boss. Like, I need to know this stuff. I'm not gonna...

I don't wanna wait two weeks and come back and find out later or never find out because a vendor was too scared to tell me." It pissed me off. So those are hard moments because it's like even though my wife can tell me, "You didn't do anything wrong," like, "You're operating in a high level of excellence," I second-guess it. It's like, "Well, maybe I shouldn't have texted him. Maybe I should've waited a couple weeks.

Maybe I should've confronted the right-hand man." But if I confronted the right-hand man, uh, he's not my employee. What I'm gonna tell him? "You're not reading your emails. You're not doing your due diligence."

Like, this guy's the VP of a company. Like, how's that gonna go over, right? So but, like, even though I run a marketing agency, I'm still a type A, hyper ADHD, go-getter, motivation speaker. Like, I can't take that accountability away. I can't just sit there and watch, you know, bullshit go on and not say anything.

And the problem is, is when you speak up, there is a group of people that will love you to death because they want that truth. And for every time you speak up, there's another group of people that look at you and attack you or call you unprofessional or slander you or treat you. And it's a hard place to live because sometimes I don't have the confidence. Like I, I, in the moment I did what I thought was right, but the response causes me to question, causes me to question even though I know it was right. Does that make sense?

Yeah. No, it does. And so it's funny, man. I, uh, I just started the bottom half of, uh, of my forearm for, for tattoo. Um, I've, I've, I've told people on the show before I have a American flag and cross on my upper arm, and I just started the lower arm.

And, uh, the lower arm is Promet- it's gonna be Prometheus. And for those of you who are unfamiliar, Prometheus, uh, was a Titan who gave mankind fire. And because he gave mankind, uh, the secret to fire, uh, he was punished. And the lesson that I've always taken from the story of Prometheus, and there's, there's different ways to read it, but the lesson that I've always taken is, um, the cost, there, there is a cost to truth. There is a cost to being, to, to living by your values.

There's a cost to living authentically, and you have to make that choice. Uh, I've had it happen to me many times in my career. Uh, I, I... You know, it's funny, um, I'm single and, uh, and I went out on a date the other day, right? And, um, you know, first date, you know, whatever, it's all good.

And, um, you know, we're talking about stuff and, uh, you know, dude, I, I, I, I don't know how long it's been since you've dated. It, it's, uh, it, it... You know, I've been- I've been married, uh, I dude, I don't wanna know, but I've been married 17 years and I knew my wife since seventh grade. But if I had to go date, I don't know if I would be able to do it. Yeah.

It's, it's, it's tough, man. It's tough. And, and it's, and it's not like, this isn't like a man, woman thing or whatever. It's, it's tough because, um, you know, we, we, we have these... Our worlds aren't, we don't commune as much as we used to, right?

It used to be everything you did in your life, or most things you did in your life, you were communing in some way, right? You're, you know, it could be, uh, you know, going to get a coffee in the morning, going to a community group, going to a church group, going to, you know, a country club function, f- you know, whatever, right? And we still do those things in part, but certainly not as much as we do. So you meet people online, you meet people in d- in, in more impersonal ways, and you have these conversations. Um, my point wa- my point to this was, like, uh, somehow, like, you know, people lying came up in the conversation, right?

And I, I think this happens a lot. Like, a lot of people use different dating apps. Mostly it's just, like, hookup things, whatever. Long story short, I said to the woman, I was like, "You know, I, I, I don't really lie, mostly 'cause I'm really shitty at it, um- ... because my brain..." You know what I mean?

Like, not necessarily that, you know, I don't wanna be, like, so holier than thou. Like, it's not, it's not that I'm, that, you know, that I can't say that I wouldn't. I mean, I'm a sinner like anyone else. But, um, but it's mostly I'm just really bad at it because my brain, like the way my brain works, it moves so fast that, like, I've learned I don't have the ability to keep the lie narrative, like- Remember the lie ... in tact. Yeah.

Like, it's just like, so it's just so, I've just found it's so much easier to just be honest about the way I'm feeling. Okay. Well, when you live this way and you, like what you did, right? You were being honest. You were saying, "Hey, you paid me a ton of money," right?

"I wanna do a good job for you, and there is a, there is a very clear block as to you getting the value that I believe you can get from my service." You were living your truth, right? You were being honest about what you saw. And, and that, you know, just from our, our brief time knowing each other, um, you know, I can tell is, is a core value of yours. And any, when you do that- There, there is always a cost to it, and I believe most people are unwilling to pay that cost, which is why there's so much dishonesty and misinform- I mean, just go on X and I don't care what side you're on or what topic it is, right?

There's, there's people making shit up and literally, you know, Elon created an entire tool to try to validate some of these statements people are making. And, and I think it comes back to this idea that there is absolutely a cost to your truth. And you, I think we all have to just do the calculation in our brain of am I willing to accept the consequences that I may or may not know what they are- Yeah ... in exchange for, for, for living what, what I, the way I see the world and being willing to, to speak up or at least, um, represent those values when it's appropriate. And, um, I've made that cal- I made that calculation a long time ago. I think it was, um, unconscious.

It's now a very conscious decision. But dude, every truth comes with a cost, and it's just absolutely, positively the way the world works. Well, you know, I think for me, I've kind of h- I've been through enough in life that, um, I'm not afraid to speak the truth. Uh, and I try to keep myself detached from the financial side of it because that is the one way to get yourself to buckle under pressure, right? And so even if I, let's say, need the money, or even if...

Like, I don't ever need the money. Does that make sense? Um, I don't ever need the opportunity so much that I'm not gonna be honest. And part of it is the, um, I can't respect myself if I'm not honest with you because I've been a coach for so long, and I've gotten paid to tell people the truth. Like, I'm literally paid to tell them what their team won't tell them, and it's mo- it's a very natural element for me because I, I typically tell the truth.

Um, I'm not saying that I'm always right in what I'm telling, but you're gonna get my perspective and you're paying me for my perspective. Um, it was one of those situations, I think, that I thought this guy was on the same frequency, 'cause the guy who referred him to me, and when we first met, um, I thought he was gonna be the one that's like, "Wow, um, this guy's must be in a really hard spot. My guy didn't do his job, that he would text me on vacation." Because, and he must really care. Because my, even my analyst on my team was like, "Dude, most people, most companies I work for, they wouldn't even address it.

They would sweep it under the rug, just take their money." And he's like, "You care, and because you care, you cannot sit back and watch the house burn down." Even if I'm gonna make money off of somebody house, somebody's house burning down, it's just not... Innately, I ca- I won't respect myself if I, in exchange for money, watch you crash and burn. Uh, God has given me the ability to see things with the, with the gift, to say things with the boldness.

And, um, I've always said that it's... There's never an easy way to give a hard truth. There's never a perfect way to tell somebody that, "Dude, um, I see the way you're talking to your wife," or, you know, "You laid your hands on your wife in this situation." There's no easy way for me to deliver that to a buddy to, to lo- to try to help him. Uh, it's all ugly.

He's gonna take it a certain way. But I've learned that it's more about the willingness of the man's ca- man to actually tell the truth, like you said, but it has to do with motive, not arrogance, not judgment. But saying, "I know that this is for this person's benefit." It's just, I think, where I struggle is when I am expecting a... 'Cause it's 50/50 for me. Some people, you know, it's what, it's what gives me a good reputation or why people respect me.

But for f- then, then you get, you get situations where people don't respect you, and it hurts your reputation. And so, um, so that cause, I think I hate the amount of second-guessing after something because I'm so relational. I don't want to hurt a relationship. And the only reason I'm telling this person the truth is because I value the relationship, and I value them as a human enough to tell them the truth. So in pursuit of valuing somebody enough, I could actually lose the relationship, and that's painful for me 'cause I'm just such a relational human.

Um, if that makes sense. You know, yeah, no. And there's something, there was a, there's a... I'm gonna paraphrase a little, but, um, your most recent song that you put out, Dark Road, and, and I want to get into your backstory in a second and stuff, but, um, I loved it. I thought it was phenomenal.

Um, and I'll have it linked up and everything for everybody in the, in the show notes so you can listen as well. Um, maybe I'll even splice in just a, a, a couple sections just so you can kind of hear it, but- You can use, uh, some of it on this if you want. Um, I also, I... It should be coming out soon on digital outlets or I don't know how long, how long it takes you to get the podcast out, but, uh, it's in the r- release process. They just gotta approve it, so it should be out there soon on all the streaming platforms.

Yeah. Well, what I loved about the song Dark Road, um, was this idea of kinda entering the darkness and, and, and living in reality, right? Like, this is a big, this is a big construct or filtering system that I've been using in my, in my own life, uh, the last few years, is like I can want something to be true, but if it's not true, it's not true. Right? Like, I can want, um, you know, someone to like me.

I can want the world to work in a certain way. I can want someone to react to something in X way or Y way, but if that's not actually what happens, I have to live in that reality, and I have to operate and, and, and as- assess myself through the what's really happening in front of my eyes. And I, I thought that, you know, I don't think that's the only message in the song. The song's phenomenal. You know, I really like that I listened to it like three or four times.

But this idea of like, and, and, and tell me where I'm wrong on this in, uh, a little bit too if it, if it's not the intention, but like what I took from it was, like in order to, to walk that path, there is a, there, there is darkness on the road. Like, you can't avoid it And we have to be aware of it. And maybe just talk a little bit through maybe that song and, and behind it and, and the concept in general. Um, because dude, I, I love the way you approach these things and the messages- Yeah ... in your songs are absolutely phenomenal. Yeah.

And, uh, and, and just hit me with that. So m- music's therapy for me too. Um, I don't like not being in control. Um, and it's never changed, no matter what the opportunity is. Um, and if I'm not careful, I freak out when I don't have control.

Right? I get very anxious. I have to be busy, and I don't like dark roads 'cause I cannot see what's on the other side. And yet, yet in order to get anywhere worth getting, you know, uh, you know, well, the, it's the windy roads that are dark, right? The things that you wanna go after.

And the idea was, um, so much of us, which is me too, in different seasons of my life, and, and it changes because you could go after something that's even bigger than you've ever wanted, and it, the road is dark and you don't know what's gonna be the outcome, and the risk could be so high. You know, you just, it's are you willing to enter the darkness to get to the light? You know? And that most people aren't. And, um, I, at times, like, I have to remind myself that that is literally the fundamental of life.

Like, people are not willing to change their jobs to go do something different because they want what's safe. They want what they can see, and they want what they know. And I'm not a, I don't blame people for that. That's human nature. But when they don't feel alive, when they feel complacent, when they feel discouraged, when they feel depressed, when they feel like they don't have anything in their life that's worth pursuing, it's because they've chosen what's safe.

And so the idea of the dark road is that, um, like, you know Edison, how many, how many times did it take for him to actually create the light bulb? What was, what was the amount of tries he took? The, the, the myth is 1,000. Okay. So I, I can imagine there was probably some dark thoughts there.

I mean, he, he didn't know he was gonna get it at 1,000. Yeah. What, at 100? At 200? At what part did he hit a part and saying, "What the F am I doing?"

Right? So much of the things I go through, and I don't know if you go through this too, but like, so I just got confirmation that I'm performing at the MGM Grand at the PHP conference, which is crazy, 'cause that's like the biggest event I've ever done. But when I was told about the opportunity two months ago, the unknown made me very anxious because I didn't want to be rejected. So the bigger the opportunity, the more anxiety I had because I didn't wanna be rejected. I didn't wanna get my hopes up.

And, and a lot of people won't go after things that are incredible because they don't wanna go through that process. It's not been fun the last two months, and I'm, I'm hoping that I can learn to manage these situations better and my expectations, 'cause it's not a fun way to live when you have an opportunity that could be life-changing, and then you're just, you're just strung up about it, right? When it should be something you should be excited about, be grateful for. So it's not the way I like to live, but it's, you know, i- in the, in the gaps, I tend to be really, really anxious. And, uh, and I just look at the situation and it's working itself out, but...

And it's even a good thing, but it was still what? It was still an unknown. It's unknown if I'm gonna feel rejected. It's unknown if I'm gonna spiral into depression or it's unknown if it's gonna lead to the PBD Valuetainment conference. It's unknown if...

And it's just sometimes because of my brain and how fast it runs, it comes up with all of these sequences and, um, s- sometimes it would be easier just not to pursue anything worth pursuing because at least, um, at least I don't have to deal with my brain. I don't have to deal with the, um, unknowns. I don't have to deal with the emotions. But on the flip side, I get to rap at the MGM. Ray Lewis is gonna be there, Coach K, and I'm gonna be rapping in front of 15,000 people.

So that's the other side of the dark road. So it's just kinda like, um, I don't know if that makes sense. I mean, it's not saying that that's all the song's about, but really most of my life is about I have no idea what's coming. I've had a chronic illness with long COVID for four years. I never planned on being in the motivational spe-ba-speaking space.

I never planned on acquiring a marketing agency. My life has been very much the unknown for the last few years, and it's very uncomfortable. It's incredibly uncomfortable. But you don't know what you don't know. Nah.

You won't know if you don't go. You won't know if you don't grow. So embrace the dark road, see how things unfold. I love that. That's, that's entrepreneurship.

That's life. So I don't know what I don't know on the other side of this. I, I won't know if I don't ever go, and I definitely won't know if I don't keep growing. So embrace it because, um, right there, that's my TEDx talk, my shadow box. Uh, you know, I, you got a TEDx talk.

Uh, you know, I, it was only a year ago I started rapping at insurance conferences. I never would have expected that I'd be at this event a year later. Um, so for me, my life is literally unknown. Some of the chronic illnesses and things I've dealt with, I've had to trust in God and, um, I, I, sometimes I ask him for, like, it to be less unknown. Uh, s- I'd like to know the future a little bit more, but it's just not where he has me.

So I have to constantly enter a dark road and it's, it's like, uh, it, it can be draining, but it's so riveting when you get to the other side. I don't know if that makes sense. No, it completely does. You know, I think y- you know, we talk about, I talk about this on the show quite a bit, right? I, I talk about my life.

I talk, we obviously interview a ton of tremendous, high-achieving, interesting, dynamic, smart people like yourself and, and you know, I think, I say this all the time to people, like, I know I talk about entrepreneurship a lot. I talk about pushing, growing, you know, constantly getting better, becoming the best version of yourself and, and I have people push back and they're like, "I'm happy with my life." And I'm like, "That's fucking amazing." That's amazing. Like, you don't need to have my life.

I don't, you know what I mean? Yeah. For sure. Yeah Like, you work a government job, and you push paper across a desk for eight hours a day, but you do it so that you can be at every one of your kids' soccer games or baseball games- Yeah ... or whatever the thing is that you wanna do. Yeah.

S- you know, you're home every day to cook dinner with your wife or your, you know, whatever. God bless you. Like, that's, that's amazing. I'm talking and specifically speaking to the individuals who are unhappy with the life that they're living, and, and, and this idea that you're going to achieve something without darkness, without pain, without frustration, without confusion, without anxiety is, is again, going back to my original comment, is not living in reality. Unfortunately, the thing that is gonna light you up more than anything else in your life, it is mandatory that that thing comes with darkness.

It would-- The juice would not be worth the squeeze, right? It, it's, the, the easy shit, the easy wins, the $27 PDF that you buy off Instagram that teaches you how to create a Facebook TikTok channel that goes viral and makes you all this money on the side while you do nothing, there's zero pain, therefore there's actually zero upside to that, right? So it's, it's, it's the willingness to step into that, that darkness, as you put it, and say, "Look, like, I may get thrashed. I may have days where I'm sitting on the couch at the end of the day and I'm so stressed and so anxious that I cannot close my eyes." That, that, that might happen.

But if you believe and are committed to the path that you're on, there is always light on the other side. Always. It's just how long are you willing, willing to endure it? And, and as you stated, dude, everything you've said, I, I mirror all those feelings, and I'm sure thousands of people listening to this podcast mirror those feelings who are on paths to do amazing things. I mean, this opportunity, I remember, you know, so, so for the audience listening, uh, Nick and I met at Agents Brokers United in Las Vegas, uh, a few months ago, whatever, six months ago, whatever it was.

I can't even remember. Um, maybe like four months ago. Uh, and, and- I think it was April. Maybe a couple months ago. April, May, June.

Yeah, April. Whatever. April. Yeah. And, um, and Nick did a, did a rap at the, you know, kind of two, two speakers, or one speaker before me.

Kind of lights the crowd up, motivational. Loved it. And then, and, and that was great, and, and I, and I loved what you did, and I immediately went and looked up more of your stuff and... But that wasn't what captured me by Nick, because you can tell something about somebody, like in what they do when no one's looking. So for my, for my talk, I went up and all the tech just decided not, not to work for whatever reason.

The plug wasn't working, and nothing's coming up on the screen, and, uh, I didn't really have any AV to help. And here's this guy that I don't know from Adam outside that I'd, uh, outside of seeing you do your thing 20 minutes before me, right? Comes up out of the audience, jumps on stage behind the, behind the scenes, and starts working the freaking computer and gets my deck up so that I could get, I could focus on getting ready and getting the talk off the ground and get the audience going and start delivering value, and he did that to a complete stranger. And my point in saying that is like, when we, when we have a purpose and we, we live by values, like, you know, really good things. I mean, now we have this friendship, and we're ch- chatting with each other and sharing shit, and, like, it's only developing, and, like, that could've gone nowhere.

You could've done that, and I could have not even had said thank you to you, right? I could've just been like, "Rah, whatever," and gone and done my thing, and, you know, you walk away feeling shitty. But by putting yourself out there, right, now, now we have a connection and, and, you know, now you're on the show and we're going even deeper, and it's like, there, these, these moments are so important in our lives, but they, there's always the chance for a downside, and w- I think we just have to be willing to accept it. And if we can accept it and surround ourselves with people who are willing to support us in the moments that we need them, sky's the frigging limit for our lives. I think, too, for me, it's, you know, I used to be super arrogant.

Um, I think it just came in my early age with the gifts God gave me and my insecurities. But now I just have a lot of empathy. I know-- I mean, I remember that event. It was a cool event, but they, they weren't set up for music, bro. Like, I've been to a lot of events, and a lot of them screw up the music 'cause, 'cause what I'm doing is pretty new, bringing hip hop into the, the, the business space, so I'm okay with it.

But my, my sound system was screwed up right before I went before you, and we had talked about our TEDx talks and how the sound got screwed up. And so when I saw that, I just felt, felt terrible for you because I know what it's like. Like, I'm not a perfectionist, but I like to execute. And I remember the first day when we, when I performed there. I left, Mo said, "You did a great job," I'm like, "But the sound was screwed up," and I, it just bugged me all night, dude.

And it was just because I was just like, you know, I know what it feels like when I did the PHP conference, the Greatness Conference in January, and they had an amazing system in Vegas, and we killed it. I know what that feels like. And so I hate when things are out of my control. So when I saw that, I just wanted to help you just from, like, a fellow person who knows that you're gonna be up there scrambling, and the reason because I'm a speaker is why I would help you is because I know what that feels like. But on the outside, people would say, "Well, you're a speaker.

Why would you go do that? Like, you're booked there. That's for the AV team." It's like, because I know exactly what it feels like to try to give my best and watch the technology fall apart. I, I like, um, some of the greatest connections God's given me in my life, though, have been through acts of service, especially ones that are not manufactured.

So I wasn't... I don't, dude, I don't mean this the wrong way. You know, I'm not from the insurance space. I just started rapping in the insurance space this year. Last year.

So it's not like I know you or a lot of people. I just, I don't know all the millionaires in the space, all the dudes with the Lambos and the freaking McLarens. I don't, I don't, I'm not like hyped on anyone. I don't know anybody, and I don't sell insurance. Um, I don't know who you are.

I just thought you're, you're a good dude and, uh, y- you know, you're driven, and I liked you, and my wife liked your talk. But, um, I just wanted to help you. And so I, I think that's another lesson too, is as a high octane person, I think it's easy for me to sometimes get into the manipulative tactic of positioning myself with people of influence. And especially if you get into bigger places of influence, you-- even though it's like, well, I wanna bring them value. Yeah, part of it's that, but some of... sometimes it's like I just wanna transact for my personal gain.

Um, but having moments where there's just genuine, like, I'm just trying to help you, dude, because you're like me, and I, and that I didn't expect anything out of it. But because you emailed your s- slide deck to my laptop so we could run it off my laptop, we communicated, then you emailed me the next day, and we're like, "Dude, thank you so much." And now this is-- So I, I just think, like, this is cool because, um, the best relationships I've seen are the ones that come out from organic service of one another, as opposed to a manufactured kind of, uh, what do you call it? Working an angle to get that person into your network. Does that make sense?

Yeah. Um- And, and not that you can't, and, you know, in all fairness, it's, you know, the-- it's not if you're coming from a genuine place, it's not like being tactical or strategic in building relationships doesn't work too. But I completely agree with you that there is something special about the serendipitous nature of, uh, being of s- being of service to another individual in a moment where they need it and don't expect it, that I think-- So I, so I, I am a-- I live in abundance, right? I absolutely live in abundance. And, and all the dark, dark moments, going back to that concept, that I've had in my life, uh, the way I've gotten through them is through I just cannot and do not operate.

I-- my brain can't even hold the idea of scarcity, right? And it's, it's just to me, there's so much opportunity in the world, and I feel like the universe -- You know, some people, you know, a lot of people say you get one, you know, there's the Eminem song, you get one shot, you know all this. I don't believe that. I, I love the song, right? I, I like the song.

I think it's a great song. But I completely disagree with the, with the idea. To me, the universe, God, whatever, uh, it-- God for me, but like, you know, sometimes I just like to frame it as the universe, like, is constantly, constantly presenting us with opportunities. And if we live from a place of me, mine, my feelings, my status, what am I getting, right? The universe skips over you.

Sure, you can, you can be, you can have some success, but it's, it's usually short-lived. It usually comes with more strain, more friction than necessary. And, and you can force that function. We've all met people who are very successful and are complete douchebags. Um, but when I-- w- when you really dig in, and, and I, and I'm sure you've seen this in, in your work as well, and you, and you really get around the truly successful people, the people who've been successful for, for time, right?

Who've, who've had decades of success, the-- that is not those people, right? They are, they are thoughtful. They're k- kind. It doesn't mean they're not driven. It doesn't mean that they won't Excuse me.

They will not attack their competitors and, you know, try to, try to win, win business and win-- It doesn't, doesn't mean those things. But at their heart, those are people living in abundance and are constantly have their periscope up searching for opportunities and, and listening and watching and, and they're available to opportunities when they present themselves. And I think this idea of, of scarcity versus abundance is something that is often just kinda, it's kinda mowed down with trite, you know, slogans or quotes and you're kinda, you know. But to truly live in abundance means every day you wake up and you're excited about the possibilities that you might be presented with that day, and you have the mindset or, or mental models in place to actually take advantage of them when it's appropriate. Yeah, no, it's, it reminded me of, you know, I was trained in this.

It didn't come naturally. Uh, me and my wife in our 20s, late 20s or mid-20s, I can't remember, we paid for a program called Clement Associates. It's kinda like a landmark training. I don't know if you've heard of that. Um- Have not.

But it's heavy personal development. And we went to this program called Heart, and, uh, it's just, it's a lot of full immersion experiences where you see how you show up and have breakthroughs. I, it's, I, it's hard to really explain. It's, it was worth the 40,000 I probably spent at that time in the la- in the couple years. Uh, 'cause every m- every dime I've made, every pers- thing I've been through, like me and my wife wonder like, you know, will we still be married if we didn't go to that training in regards to our mindset and the way we see things and abundance?

I remember at that time I had spent everything to go to the training, dude. And I was coaching a law firm, and my buddy was-- oversaw the law firm, so he paid me early, and, uh, he was like cash flowing me early, and I just trying to get to that program. And they were talking about abundance and giving to others. And I remember I was in line, and there was a guy behind me. I didn't know who he was, and I just bought his coffee.

And, um, coming to find out later, he was the right-hand man for a billionaire, Mike Goguen, um, in Montana, and he had started a helicopter program called Two Bear Air. Um, and he was the, you know, what, head of security for him and ran all his assets. I had no idea, dude. I just bought him a coffee. We became friends at that event, and he tells me later that I...

He's like, I... He tells me later that he's like, "I should be buying this guy coffee, not him. The guy doesn't have any money." Well, when I decided to, like, launch, this was like 10 years ago, uh, when I, when I launched my company the first time, and I just wanted to do coaching and motivational speaking. This is before I do it like I do now.

Uh, I was being mentored by a millionaire, and he was just like, you need... You know, he was giving me all the, "You're gonna need to write a book, you need to do this." And I was like, "Dude, that... If everyone's doing that, I don't wanna do that, and I don't got time for that." So then, and that was the first time I wrote, like, a rap song, a motivational rap song, and I called my friend up who I'd bought the coffee, we'd become friends, and I just called him and I had the balls to ask him, a place of abundance.

I said, "Hey, I have this idea," and I, I, I talk about going up high in an airplane, "Could we use your airplane or maybe your helicopter?" And that's, it's real uncomfortable to ask him. And he was like, "Yeah, come on down." So I got a helicopter pilot and a helicopter for two full days, and then he put me up in his freaking billionaire boss' penthouse, uh, who wasn't in town, and all I had to do was pay for my buddy and the film crew. It cost me, like, 1,500 bucks to go to Montana, and we shot on a helicopter for two days.

Two was it started with generosity. I didn't do... I didn't know who he was, I just gave. And then second, because I was coming from a place of abundance in the training I had, I thought the worst, the worst that he could say is no, and the best was that he actually said yes. And we've become, we actually become just close family friends, and I got him a TEDx.

Uh, I mean, he earned it, you know what I mean? But I got him, you know, introduced, and he just did his TEDx last year. Um, but I'm just reminded of, like, um, I'm just re- uh, reminded of a place of abundance like you're talking about, and generosity, I do believe in God. I do believe we serve a generous God, and I believe we're made in the image of God, and God doesn't want a bunch of little selfish, narcissistic little versions of him that are not versions of him. It's a simpler version.

But he blesses generosity, uh, because it is just an attribute of him. And I, I do believe generosity brings incredible amounts of joy, too. Um, but so I was just helping you as a dude because I know what you're in, what you're in, and it's cool. I got a podcast out of it. That's cool.

Maybe we'll work together on something together. I just trying to hook a dude up with a cup of coffee so I could implement while I only had $2 in my account to the process of generosity even when I didn't have money. Sure, I got a helicopter out of it. That wasn't the plan, and we did, we got a friendship out of it, right? Um, I think that shouldn't be the motive, but it's kinda cool when you're playing m- playing, uh, casino with God because, uh, his returns are so much better and the risk is so much lower when you invest or when you bet, right?

Does that make sense? Um- Yeah. I, I think, and, and I think the, the lesson here for, for people who are listening is, like, give yourself permission to be generous. I think a lot of people have very generous natures, but I think it, it's, being generous is uncomfortable, right? You're, you're exposing yourself.

The person may reject your generosity. Yeah. They may look at you funny. Yeah. Other people may, "Why, why would you do that?"

They may look at you skeptically, like you're just trying to, uh, you know, they may perceive it in a way that's nefarious. And I think it, it exposes you in a way that a lot of people, I think while they may have very generous natures, and with people they feel safe they may be very generous, I think we hold back a lot of times. And I think the lesson that, that you've shared, and I think it's wonderful, is give yourself permission to be generous. Like, uh, with, with zero expectation of reciprocation, right? I mean, that's something, uh, uh, I used to talk a lot about, uh, content marketing and marketing in general like 10, 15 years ago, and one of the, like, slogans that I always had, whether I was coaching someone or I was up on stage, was the, the point of content, yeah, you're trying to grow your business, you're trying to share a message, you're trying to build a brand, whatever.

But what you're actually doing is giving without expectation of reciprocation, which means max value without any desire to, to receive anything in return. Now, it doesn't mean you don't want it, and it doesn't mean it's not good for your business, and it doesn't mean you're not producing the content with a purpose. However, if you approach a situation with an expectation of reciprocation, right? That, that creates the anxiety. It creates the success.

And if you can just detach from the expectation and just say, "I'm gonna buy this guy, this gal a coffee because you know what? I'm in a freaking good mood today. They got a coffee. What the hell? I'm just gonna do it," right?

You never know what's gonna happen. That person could say thank you and you never see him again. But here's the other thing you don't realize. Maybe they were in a shitty mood. Maybe, maybe it's the, the coffee shop, right?

There's, uh, in Albany, in the Hudson Valley, there are these Stewart's Shops, right? They're everywhere. It's a local regional gas station chain, and that's where most people go, Stewart's. And, and in the past, I've bought coffees for people, different things, different times. Never seen anyone again, no problem.

Right? But I always think in my head, like, what if that person was having a really shitty day, and all of a sudden I buy him a coffee? 'Cause I've had this happen to me. I've had people buy my coffees for me every, every once in a while. You know, hey, you talk to someone in line- Yeah ... they go, "I'll pick up his coffee." "Okay, great."

And you're like, there's like a part of your soul that just, like, it's like it unclenches for a minute, and maybe you changed their day. Maybe, maybe they show up at work or they show up at home and they got a smile on their face, or they're a little less frustrated or a little less anxious because they're like, "Geez, there are good people out there. There is someone who..." You know, whatever. And you don't need to see the result to be generous, and it, it's, it's the beauty and serendipity of the world that I just, I appreciate so much.

And, and as a believer in God, I, I also believe it's a, it's a big part of his process and his method. But, um, it, I think we need to give ourselves permission to be generous if, if that is our nature and, and, and is our truth. You know, it's crazy- I never thought about the risk of generosity of, 'cause I've never seen it as a risk. But I was working for a tech company making six figures, and the girl was in contracts, and there was starting to have tension with the contracts department and the salespeople because the contracts department makes hourly, but yet they're seeing our money, right? But this girl, we had...

The, the owner had bought this company where it's a $40 million- it was $40 million company bought this other company. She was integrated. She wasn't, she didn't choose that. I was trying to be very gracious. I was a top salesman in this branch in Montana, and I was supporting, you know, her, and she was working so hard.

I could see that, you know, companies do mergers and then they all pretend like it's clean, and they're not paying attention to anybody, uh, you know, in the merger that's literally freaking drowning. But I'm up boots on the ground watching her drown, and I feel her stress, I feel her struggle, I see her burnout. And I remember I just put, like, 400 bucks in a freaking, you know, card and handed it, like, told her, "Thank you," and just told her to go out with her husband for the weekend. Now, I never perceived that anything negative could be seen from that. Because for me, I was making, you know, I would make sometimes $30,000 in a payout, right?

So 300 bucks is like, whatever, dude. But I really cared. And it turns out her dad was a type A like me. Her dad was a narcissist. Her dad always gave her money.

And then, so there's all these trauma issues that I have no idea about. I'm just trying to be generous, and she treats me as suspect. She treats me... And I can't, I c- I can tell you it's a pretty, it's a pretty un- uncomfortable feeling to be like, wait, I'm coming from such a pure place to, like, such a gracious thing, and you're looking at me as if I'm violating some moral code, when really I'm actually, like, being... This is probably the most freaking generous I've been to some random employee in a, in a company.

Um, so I never thought about the fact that there are even dark roads in generosity. If, if you're gonna do anything worth doing ever, whether it be like what I did for this lady, and I... It didn't feel good, dude. I was just like, "Whoa, what's going on?" I s- I knew she had trauma.

I'm like, this is crazy. Later, later in six months later, I realized all the trauma she had with her dad. But I was like, man, she's living, she's living in a trap. If she can't receive a gift, what else can't she receive? But the point is, is everything we do, good or bad, has a level of risk to it.

And if we're not willing to take any risks, I don't know how you really love people, I don't know how you really care for people, I don't know how you really speak f- stand for anything. And I'm not saying massive risks. Everybody's wired different. But life is full of some risk, and if your goal is to avoid risk, I think you're gonna be very unsatisfied with your life. Um, and it's okay to avoid risk in business, but if you're avoiding risk in relationships, you know, or, or your marriage, uh, the best way to get a divorce is to be passive-aggressive for 10 years, you know?

To stuff. Yeah. To have a sexless marriage because you're, you're bitter or she's bitter because you won't ever confront anything because it's too risky, right? So it's interesting that generosity can actually have a dark road attached to it, which means that there's risk attached to it. I nev- I've never thought about that until I remembered that incident with that employee that I thought was...

I, I, I couldn't in the moment conceive how that could possibly be taken as a bad thing. Yeah. Yeah. Y- you know, I think, you know, and I think a big part of this, too, and, y- you know, I know there's a lot of people who own companies and run companies who listen to the show, and, you know, dealing with people is very difficult, right? Incentivizing people is very difficult.

Everyone has these demons. Everyone has these, um, like you said, trauma from their past that they're... And viewing things from different places. And again, it's why I come all the way back to kinda where we started around authenticity and, and, and truth. And, uh, I think you get a lot more benefit of the doubt despite the internal trauma of whoever you're dealing with if they trust, whether they believe, whether they agree with you or not, if they trust where you're coming from.

And the only way for them to believe that is if you are acting from that place all the time, right? Like, we can't, we can't be greedy one minute- Yeah ... and generous- Yeah ... the next and expect people to appreciate the generosity, right? It's, it's the consistency of the values. And it's very difficult. It, I, I, I understand that, like, today the world moves so fast and there's so much information thrown at us, and we have so many more, um, requirements on our time and on our lives than we've ever had before.

I mean, simple contemplation, uh, you know, just is, is almost unheard of, right? People go on meditative retreats just to get space from their, from their lives so they can think for a few minutes. These are, these are very difficult times for us to, for us to be in. I, I, I, you know, I turn to God as much as I can. I turn to my own core value structure as much as I can.

Very imperfect, but I'd like to believe, and, and I think this is a, a, a qual- and I know this is a quality that you, uh, uh, embody as well, is just the consistency of the values and our implementation of those values, understanding that at any given time someone could view them from the wrong, uh, reasons. They could use them against us if they can see somewhere to leverage us, and that's just the cost of being true. And, but I don't know very many people or very many stories where over a long enough time horizon, someone who was true to their values and consistent through them didn't end up finding fulfillment and happiness and purpose and meaning- 100%. 100% ... which, which are the things that we're all shooting for. When, you know what I mean?

I, I look out over the political landscape and you hear all these narratives and Uh, you know, I, I just come back to this idea that, like, like, the reason so many people, in my opinion, are unhappy and unsatisfied and unfulfilled and, you know, living through scarcity and negativity and, you know, um, it, it is just they, they, they're living lives that they didn't choose. They, they're not... It's not a life that they, that they chose. They fell into a life and just accepted it, and I don't f- we're not meant to live that way. Uh, it's very, very difficult, but we're not meant to live that way Well, and part of the problem is, um, the system is built in such a way...

I mean, the school system is the way it is because, you know, the billionaires back in the day, I'm just being honest, they wanted factory workers. We knew that. And they set up the system, and, uh, a- and not to get into politics, but, um, we've dumbed down a society so that they can be worker bees, and there are some people who break away from the matrix. It's not easy. I have a very strong will personality.

I, I can't ever go back to a $100,000 job, which is what they basically offer. Like, I trip out on people their entire careers, and the carrot is like this guy's working a tech company his entire career, and he might max out at 250 if he's the VP, and he's got no quality of life. And you're like, "Uh, I could run a decent-sized marketing agency and work 20 hours, 30 hours a week and make 250." You know? Yeah, sure, I still need team members, but my, my goal with my team members was to pay them really well.

Uh, uh, you know, the point, the point I'm trying to make is that, um, a lot of people don't ever get out of the matrix, and so that's all they know, and they think that the... They believe that is the best they can have. And it takes... They always talk about it. It's like someone getting out of the hood, crabs in the bucket.

They either gonna try to pull you back, or they're gonna be inspired to get out of the hood. It's the same time of thing with the matrix, and is, uh... My, my passion is, like, you know, do something that's off the wall, outside of the box. Like, I don't think I could have entered the motivational speaking market as the typical motivational speaker. I wouldn't have differentiated.

But I entered into rap, and with God's blessing on my life, it's only been a year, and I'm gonna be performing at the MGM. Well, how is that possible? Well, I think there's providence, I think there's creativity, and my willingness to be very uncomfortable and rap at a business conference, which seems very weird, but now it's becoming not weird. A lot of people, I think, have the capacity to pivot. They just think what their idea is or the way they would approach the market is weird, and then it's like that's exactly what marketing is.

It's what's different. It's not about who's the best. You wanna be good at what you do, but you... I'm not the best rapper, but I'm good enough, and I can hold my own with the best of them. But I don't need to be the best gangster rapper, 'cause I ain't a gangster.

I'm a good CEO, and I'm a good business coach, and I'm a good businessman, and I can bring lyrics, and none of them can write what I write. So I found my lane. And it's like there's a lot of people that they may know or have a sense that they're stuck, but they have no idea what they can do, or they don't believe in the possibility of their ideas. And so, and then you got the other side of people that are like, you know, they think everything they do is fart gold, and y- you know, you're sitting there watching them going, "Oh my God. Stay at your nine to five because if you go do what you say you're gonna do, it's gonna be horrible."

Right? So you got those two types of people. But I do think in, in general, I think... I do believe in God, and I do believe in the demonic, and I do believe that, you know, um, a free life is one that's abundant of possibility and, uh, very useful, uh, for, for God. And a, and a, an, a non-free life is one where I can barely take care of myself, let alone other people, and, um, and I don't care about anybody else because I can't.

And I think there's so much more, and I think you see it in the government systems with the inner cities, and they just want people to have the bare minimum mindset. "Hey, we'll just cover y- you know, we'll cover your food, and just don't get married. You know, have as many kids as you want and just abort them." And not trying to get into politics, but the point I'm trying to say is that it's a tactic. It's a tactic to bare minimum life.

It's a tactic. We'll take care of your most basic needs. And I think you and I are owners of companies, and you need people that can work hard, and you can't pay everybody the, the world. But I also think the system's built in such a way that the top of the food chain makes all the money. Now, mind you, we do take all the risk.

But that they want everybody being content with 60 grand a year- Yeah ... 70 grand a year- Yeah ... 80 grand a year. It's a control mechanism. It's a control mechanism.

We are easier to control as a population if what we believe prosperity looks like for us is $65,000 a year. If what we believe is the best thing we can ever have is $65,000 a year... And look, at different times in your career and different seasons of your life- It's great ... it, it is what it is. But again, going back to living in reality. But the point is inside of all of us is as much as we want to go.

And hey, $65,000 of life positioned against a lifestyle in which you get to live your purpose or, or, or- Yeah ... find meaning in what you're doing- Yeah ... is fantastic. Yeah, that you're born to. It's also fantastic. Yeah. Right?

But I think what you're describing is the friction point between I need and/or want more in my life than I have today, but I'm accepting less because I believe that's all I'm capable of or all the opportunity that is accessible to me. And I think the message that I hear in your work, in your story, and one of the reasons that I just immediately connected with you was that those things, that's not, that's not a true narrative. That is not reality, right? You, y- we are all capable of these incredible things, and you know, I, I, you know, I... Not to go conspiracy theory on the control stuff, but, um, you know, I do believe that, that there are power structures set up to control us because if we're all pushing in our own direction, building- Yeah ... growing, getting better- Yeah ... then mass mandates cannot be pushed down upon us because we're all free-thinking, independent individuals who are able to take care of ourselves.

So therefore, that control mechanism is completely lost, and it's what made this country so amazing for so many years. And, you know, something happened in the '70s, I, I still don't know what that is, although I research it constantly, that, that changed this in our country. But, but if, if-- My great hope for so many of the people listening to this show that-- and the reason that I do this show and bring people on like yourself and have them share their stories and try to introduce you into this audience's world is because it is only through the pursuit of what makes us unique, special, and interesting that... And it, and it doesn't have to be monetary or job. That could be I wanna be the best little l- little league soccer coach that I can possibly be for my kids during their golden years.

That's what I want, so I'm willing to work this job that maybe I don't love it, you know, maybe it's not my purpose or my meaning, but man, I get so much meaning out of being a great dad or a great mom or a great spouse that it provides me to do that. That's great, but it's-- but that's your choice. You chose that, right? And I, and I think what I, what I find... Oh, there's so much w- there's so much anxiety and lack of fulfillment associated by living a life that you didn't choose.

Yeah, you feel like... Yeah, I, I hear you on that, and I, I think it's right to clarify that I'm not just talking about income. I've always said I worked with a lot of people at Costco in 2020 when everything went-- I lost a job, and, uh, I, I got, like... That was not my lowest point 'cause my wife was proud of me because, you know, everybody was out of work, dude. And it was a scary time.

But I really in- worked with a lot of really good, loyal, humble people that work really hard, and some of them, their skillsets were this is about the best job they could get, and it's pretty sweet. You know, they're making 60, plus they get bonuses, and if they wanna work up into management, absolute grind to work up in management for a very low pay increase. So, you know, uh, if you get to store manager, though, you're making like half a million, right? I mean, so, like, it's crazy. You can, you can get, you can get up there.

But I remember just doing life with them, and I, I wasn't supposed to be there. I mean, I was supposed to be there for a season because during COVID. And I, I got into scarcity mode. I was like, "What are the places that are gonna stay open? What are the places that I can-- places where there's food?"

I just, like, real, real scarcity. And I remember, uh, when I had to move on and, uh, someone recruited me and was like, "Hey, you can make six figures at this company," and I'm in Montana, by the way. You know, there's only 100,000 people in this city. I'm like, "They're b- they're full of shit." I don't know if I'm allowed to cuss on your thing, but I apologize if I'm not.

Just bleep it out. Yeah, you're fine. But I'm like- Yeah ... I'm like, "They're full of shit." But I'm like, "You know what?

You know, I'll get a 60 base and go." And, uh, and sure enough, I remember when I hit the six figures and I broke records and I grew the market. Um, I didn't know that existed. And then I was surrounded with everybody that was making 150 to 250 as a normal way of life. And I wasn't just making 150, I was making 150 working less than 40 hours a week in Montana, which was incredible.

Paid off a bunch of debt. I hadn't seen, I hadn't seen paychecks at 30K, dude. I'd never seen that before, just breaking off. But that was like, that was like opened my mind, uh, to what's possible, and it wasn't about the money, but it was about the freedom. It was about the freedom, the time freedom, working within my gifts, building something, right, that helped me understand.

And then my mindset became it's not about the money, it's about what is my capacity. And so then I started working on some film, and then I got connected in the film industry, and it was like, well, if I'm capable of doing something that makes me 1.2 million, you know, in film or something, and I settle for 250,000 a year, that's actually settling. So it's not about-- If the guy in Costco, if that's his lane, uh, it's not about the money amount, it's about, it's about your capacity. If my capacity is I can make, I can make 1.2 million doing a film, I can make, you know, 300 grand or half a million speaking on stages, and I could be impacting these lives and doing this, and I choose to just settle at 250, um, for me and the skill set and the wiring and the mindset and the, like, background I have, my life is a waste because I've, I've allowed myself the comparison. Oh, VPs in corporate companies make 250, so I'm up there with them.

It hasn't-- Your life has nothing to do with anyone else and what they're doing. It has to do with what are you capable of? What is your capacity? And are you truly living? And you may be the money's right, but maybe you're a terrible father, and you're okay with that because you've convinced yourself that all executives are terrible fathers.

Bullshit. Why don't you go take an approach towards fatherhood like you do your executive job and make some adjustments and figure out how you can be an eight out of 10 as a father and take it seriously, right? Maybe it's not money. But the point is, is for me, the only thing I know how to do, and I think you're wired the same way, and honestly, I don't think this is people's natural wiring. I think it's some people's natural wiring.

So it's easy for us to tell people they should do this because I wake up and I think this way. Does that make sense? I wake up and this is my default setting. I told God the other night, I said, "I don't really care what you do with my life as long as my-- when I go to the grave, I emptied the tank in every area and I know that I fulfilled my full potential of whatever you had for me." Dude, it's just like I can't explain it.

That, that's like-- That's what I-- my biggest concern is, is that I left anything on the table. That's it. And if that's financial- Yeah ... if that's in my marriage, if that's in my family, if that's in contribution, if that's in, you know, any opportunity I have and, um I think the good thing about people that are wired like you and I, we're so intense that some people may not, they're not as intense and maybe they're at 90% of their potential and they're low key, but they're like, I got another 10% in the tank. And our extreme intensity will get them another 5% out of that tank. Even though it might be a small margin to us, it's a huge margin to them.

And so whether we're helping somebody, you know, who's low key, not super ambitious, get another 5%, 10% out of life, or whether we're helping the freaking balls to the walls guy who's just been discouraged because he's failed to get back on the horse and go freaking conquer the world, we're, you and I are essential to society just like everyone else is. But our role is to motivate, elevate, inspire. And in doing so, we're also going to piss a lot of people off because people who are comfortable, people who don't want the truth won't value it when you bring it to them. But we can't just pick and choose who we bring the truth to. We have to bring the truth and let it do its work and allow the people.

And then we have to be humble enough to understand that when we are the bringers of truth, we will be loved and hated at the same time, depending on the people that actually want the truth. But that's our role. And we're built for that. Yeah. We have big enough egos.

We have the frame for it. We have the skill set for it. And, and I have people tell me like, they're like, "Well, you're built for this." And I'm like, "I get it. Sometimes I'm tired, God.

Sometimes I don't want to be the deliverer of truth. Sometimes I don't want to confront things. Sometimes I don't want to be in conflict. Sometimes I don't want to be the guy who saw that and the only guy who's going to speak up about it. Sometimes I don't want to enter the unknown."

Like, this is true, dude. But it's just like, I can't help the fact that I'm, you know, an F-350 or a 3500. Like I'm built for a max load. I can complain about the bricks in my truck bed or I can go build something. But you and I don't get, we don't get the luxury of saying we just want to be a Prius for a day.

You're not, you're not, you can't, you won't ever be. And if people don't like, if people don't like F, you know, F-350s or 3500s, that's cool. They don't like dualies, that's cool. But that's who you are. That's who I am.

Our job is to fulfill our purpose that God's given us, do it to the best of our ability, help as many people as we can, and be okay with the people that hate, hate, hate big trucks. Dude, I am such a fan. I'm so glad you came on the show. Um, I know a lot of people who put events on listen. Uh, if, if, if they want to, to bring you in and anybody who does events, I highly recommend you reach out to Nick.

Uh, what he does with his raps are incredible. Um, I've seen you tailor them. The messages are deep. They're, they're, they're very, they're rich and you just present it in such a great way. Enormous fan.

I know that we are gonna work together in the future. Um, how do people get deeper into your world if they just wanna be around your content or if they wanna, uh, reach out and potentially bring you in for an event? Um, they can follow me at IamNickBravo on Instagram, NickBravoSpeaks at YouTube. Uh, you can hit me up on LinkedIn. I'm pretty low-key.

Um, I mean, if you know him really well and they hit you up, you can give my cell number. Um, that's one option. But, uh, also, um, it depends. As far as the booking goes and music and, and performance events, that's www.nick-bravo.com. And maybe you can put that up here when you do the podcast.

Um, in regards to like the whole marketing AGS, agency I have and all the Google ads and stuff we do for a lot of big brands, that's levelup.global. But either way, I mean, you can get to me on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok. I'm not on TikTok as much because I don't know if it's gonna get banned. Um, uh, and Facebook. Just message me or hit me up or get my number from you and- Um, for sure, dude.

So I appreciate it. I, I resonate with you, man. Absolutely, man. I resonate with you. It's not easy.

People think that we just make money and we're go-getters and that like we're just out there and we're-- I'm in my head all the time, bro, trying to survive. And that's why my music's so good because I write about what's in my head. Um, so, you know, sometimes people can look at me and you and think- And it comes through. Yeah, they look at us and they just think, you know, "Oh, Lord, they must be easy. They're strong," or, "I wish there was..."

Dude, we're all, we're all struggling. It's just don't ever give up. Keep fighting. We all have our own issues. So hang in there.

So all right, dude. Well, hey, I appreciate this. Uh, we were meant to meet, um, for a reason. Stay connected, Ryan. Let's, uh, stay in touch.

And then, you know, Ryan, if you ever need, you know, a rap song for your brand when you're, um, when you're speaking places- Oh, I've already been thinking about it, trust me ... that's something I do a lot. I, uh, I love it. I love it. Um- 'Cause I just am- All right, dude ... I'm in conversation with Ray Lewis right now about create- writing his story into a...

And it's only because he's gonna be at the PHP event. So he's interested potentially me writing his story into a rap song. But, uh, yeah, I don't know. It's always good to have a 90-second intro of your story before you walk into stuff or, I mean, I don't know, podcast for your podcast if you need some. I love it.

I love it, man. All right, bro. Hey, appreciate you. Be good. Let's go.

Yeah, make it look, make it look, make it look easy. Hey, stand up. Thank you for listening to The Ryan Hanley Show. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a comment or review wherever you listen to podcasts. Game ain't a thing for me.

I never switched up, no changing me. The only thing changing is me