WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.439 Hey everybody, welcome to Vision Pros. So glad 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:04.139 you're here. So glad you're in this conversation. 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:07.400 And I am delighted to have on the show today 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.980 a gentleman named Matt Kutz. He is an author. 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:15.660 He is a doctor. He is an outdoor enthusiast, 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:19.579 just to name a few of the things. But today we're 00:00:19.579 --> 00:00:23.519 talking about becoming epic. Matt Kutz, welcome 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:26.039 to the show. Thanks, Fletcher. Glad to be here. 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.079 Yeah, right on. Hey, I like to start off the 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:32.259 shows with a win because, you know, we got a 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:34.259 lot of stuff going on in the world that doesn't 00:00:34.259 --> 00:00:36.219 feel good. And a lot of people are practiced 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:38.820 at focusing on what's not working well. But I 00:00:38.820 --> 00:00:40.920 want to hear from you professionally or personally. 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:44.500 What's a win for you? Yeah. So a big win I had 00:00:44.500 --> 00:00:47.799 recently is actually grandkids. I mean, that's 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:51.740 a big win. That's fun. My son recently had a 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:54.500 daughter. My other son is going to have a son 00:00:54.500 --> 00:00:58.390 here in a couple of weeks. So a big win for me 00:00:58.390 --> 00:01:00.890 and my wife as we're moving into the grandparent 00:01:00.890 --> 00:01:05.170 season of life, and that's a huge win for us. 00:01:05.189 --> 00:01:08.290 We absolutely love it. So far, everything they 00:01:08.290 --> 00:01:11.329 say about being a grandparent is absolutely true. 00:01:12.370 --> 00:01:15.370 My little granddaughter gets everything she wants, 00:01:15.430 --> 00:01:20.430 and I don't care what her dad says. I love that, 00:01:20.469 --> 00:01:24.519 and I can totally appreciate it. We have our 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.739 first grandbaby. She's 10 months old. So I'm 00:01:27.739 --> 00:01:31.159 new to the grandparenting scene as well. And 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:33.900 I got to concur. I am loving it. So much fun. 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:37.500 Yeah. Big, big win for us. Yeah. Right on. Right 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:41.560 on. That's great. Hey, so the next question I'm 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:44.260 going to ask you is about your vision. But I'm 00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:48.739 a big fan of defining words. And sometimes I'll 00:01:48.739 --> 00:01:50.120 take it right out of the dictionary, but sometimes 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:53.939 I pull them out of my head. So I want to talk 00:01:53.939 --> 00:01:57.060 about vision and what a vision is because this 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:59.480 is called vision pros, right? And so I define 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:04.719 vision as a clarified and detailed story, which 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:10.680 exists as possibility and is intended to be brought 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:14.819 forth from nothingness into the physical realm. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:21.800 Yeah. Okay. Now, having said that. What I'm curious 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:27.120 to know from you, Matt, is what is that clarified, 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:32.419 detailed vision that has existed as a possibility 00:02:32.419 --> 00:02:36.740 up here that you want and intend to bring forth 00:02:36.740 --> 00:02:39.539 into the physical realm? Yeah, that's a great 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:44.400 question. So to be concise, my vision is to help 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:47.800 people actualize and realize their hidden potential 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:52.180 or unrealized potential. And that, you know, 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:54.259 I love the idea of taking it from the hidden 00:02:54.259 --> 00:02:57.900 to the scene, because I am convinced that people 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:02.900 have capacities within them that many times are 00:03:02.900 --> 00:03:07.020 dormant or unknown. And so what I take great 00:03:07.020 --> 00:03:10.860 joy in doing, another win that just makes my 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:14.060 life worth living, is helping people find what 00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:17.719 that is and then giving them any tools or resources 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:22.069 that I can actualize. their dream in their life 00:03:22.069 --> 00:03:26.210 and helping them what I call move from fantasy 00:03:26.210 --> 00:03:29.949 to foresight in their life. Yeah. I love that. 00:03:29.990 --> 00:03:33.370 Moving from fantasy to foresight. That's cool. 00:03:33.530 --> 00:03:37.110 Yeah. You know, and that in order to do that, 00:03:37.189 --> 00:03:40.610 that's going to require some level of wisdom, 00:03:40.710 --> 00:03:45.150 right? A lot. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's and 00:03:45.150 --> 00:03:47.469 that's a whole another topic. But I love that. 00:03:47.490 --> 00:03:49.229 I love that you brought that into that. Yeah. 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:54.620 Moving from fantasy to foresight. To me, that 00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:57.780 smacks of like a lot of intentional planning 00:03:57.780 --> 00:04:04.219 and forecasting. Yeah, it really does. I couch 00:04:04.219 --> 00:04:07.240 that in a term that I like to use. I've written 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:09.460 about it as well called contextual intelligence. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:15.180 And so often there are. Three particular areas 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:18.000 to what I call 3D thinking, a big part of 3D 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.500 thinking. The 3Ds are the three dimensions of 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:23.620 time, hindsight, insight, and foresight. And 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:26.680 when we talk about foresight and actualizing 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:29.399 foresight, what I have found in my own career 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:32.420 for my own self, and then talking to the people 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:34.540 I work with and even some of the clients I work 00:04:34.540 --> 00:04:38.480 with, there have a lot of confusion between fantasy 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:42.800 and foresight. it seems is really good at fantasizing 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:46.680 i i have this dream of this future and being 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:49.779 out of debt finishing my novel you know being 00:04:49.779 --> 00:04:53.160 retired living the high life whatever it is they 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:55.980 have this this fantasy that's out there and then 00:04:55.980 --> 00:04:58.480 when i ask okay well How are you going to get 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:01.579 there? What strategies do you have to make that 00:05:01.579 --> 00:05:03.839 a reality? And they're just like, well, I'm just 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:06.420 hoping it happens really. And they're not real. 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:08.279 And that's what I mean by moving from fantasy 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:11.639 to foresight. We have to include intentional 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:14.420 aspects of living. Now, part of that intentionality 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:17.459 requires the proper integration of hindsight, 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:20.720 because I am convinced and the evidence in the 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:23.860 scholarly research is very clear that human beings 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:29.560 are horrible at. understanding hindsight. And 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:33.160 we actually suffer from a condition known as 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:38.120 hindsight bias. which is basically misremembering 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:40.680 the past, right? We don't actually remember what 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:43.540 actually happened. So we can't really know where 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:45.939 we're going until we know where we've come from. 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:49.160 So one of the big steps in moving from fantasy 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:52.060 to foresight is going back and looking at what 00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:53.899 are the memories and experiences that you've 00:05:53.899 --> 00:05:56.399 had and how have they actually impacted your 00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:59.800 life, not what you think happened, but what actually 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:02.000 happened. And that's the intentionality part 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:04.639 you're talking about. Yes. And teaching them 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:06.600 the cues to pay attention to what's going on 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:09.459 in real time. That's the insight. What's actually 00:06:09.459 --> 00:06:11.540 happening right now. Stop living in the past. 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:14.399 Stop living in the future. Recognize this and 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:17.519 let's make that future happen now. So you bring 00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:21.939 that future, that vision into the present, which 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:26.589 I believe we can do. I love. So much of what 00:06:26.589 --> 00:06:30.110 you just said. And I love that. Give me that. 00:06:30.129 --> 00:06:31.790 I'm taking some notes. So if you see me right 00:06:31.790 --> 00:06:34.029 looking down, I'm taking some notes. Give me 00:06:34.029 --> 00:06:37.290 the 3D again. Yeah, 3D is hindsight, insight 00:06:37.290 --> 00:06:41.269 and foresight. Hindsight, insight and foresight. 00:06:41.490 --> 00:06:43.569 Yeah. And I love what you're saying about getting 00:06:43.569 --> 00:06:47.089 curious about the hindsight, because that really 00:06:47.089 --> 00:06:50.009 does inform a lot of the actions that we take 00:06:50.009 --> 00:06:54.720 right in our immediate life. And if we. misunderstand 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:58.660 the story about what actually happened like you 00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:00.519 said right so we want to get curious about what 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:03.160 actually happened not the story about what happened 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:06.720 but what what actually happened like you really 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:11.480 get curious because as as you likely know our 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:14.399 memories are only as accurate as the last time 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:16.899 we remembered it that's right and they change 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:21.100 every time you recall it exactly exactly so we 00:07:21.100 --> 00:07:22.839 really got to get curious about what are the 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:26.769 facts And what was the story I created and wrapped 00:07:26.769 --> 00:07:29.839 those facts in? Right. See, what humans are really 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:33.040 good at is remembering the emotions of a memory, 00:07:33.220 --> 00:07:36.120 but we're horrible at remembering the details 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:39.279 and facts of a memory. So most of the time when 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:42.000 people are recalling something, they're actually 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:45.180 remembering how they felt, not what actually 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:48.019 happened. And then, like you just said, they 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:50.980 construct a story and a narrative that's been 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:53.540 biased through all the things that have happened 00:07:53.540 --> 00:07:57.170 to them since that. original memory, and they 00:07:57.170 --> 00:07:59.209 end up pulling out something that's completely 00:07:59.209 --> 00:08:02.990 different, even though the feeling or the emotion 00:08:02.990 --> 00:08:06.370 that they had might have been the same. How they 00:08:06.370 --> 00:08:09.610 remember it is usually completely different. 00:08:10.149 --> 00:08:13.329 Exactly. And what you just touched on there reminds 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:16.389 me of that quote by Maya Angelou, you know, people 00:08:16.389 --> 00:08:20.290 will frequently forget what you said, but what 00:08:20.290 --> 00:08:23.449 they remember is how they felt. Right. Right. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:26.339 Like if we have if we have a good time on this 00:08:26.339 --> 00:08:29.620 podcast, you know, in a year or two or three, 00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:31.779 you may not even remember what we talked about. 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:33.399 You're like, oh, yeah, but I had a good time 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:35.620 with Fletcher or or I had a terrible time with 00:08:35.620 --> 00:08:37.919 that host. Right. Whatever it is. Yeah. Yeah. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:40.919 We remember how we feel. Love that. So cool. 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:43.220 And by the way, this is such great information 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:47.179 for the public to some of our listeners. Maybe 00:08:47.179 --> 00:08:49.580 this sounds maybe they're very familiar with 00:08:49.580 --> 00:08:53.539 these concepts, but I love. this specific content 00:08:53.539 --> 00:09:00.279 because I believe it is at the root of much of 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:04.240 our suffering and or much of our inspiration. 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:09.399 100%. Right? Yeah. So thanks for being up for 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:13.200 this conversation. All right. Let me read just 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.740 a brief word from your website so we can set 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.419 the stage here for what I really want to talk 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:24.899 to you about. On Matt's website, he writes, becoming 00:09:24.899 --> 00:09:31.220 epic is not the job of giants. It is in the details 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:33.899 and decisions each of us must face every day. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:37.480 In a complex world where challenges seem to multiply 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:42.600 every day, how do you rise above and thrive rather 00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:47.399 than stay mired in mediocrity? I love this so 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:51.840 much. For much of my life, I was mired in mediocrity. 00:09:52.299 --> 00:09:56.080 And I absolutely thought that I was mediocre 00:09:56.080 --> 00:10:02.539 and I loathed myself for that. Now, before I 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:07.340 ask you questions, I want to say that it's so 00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:11.740 easy to find ourselves as mediocre or less than 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:14.320 when we're playing the comparison game online. 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:18.539 Right. And what I as I read about becoming epic 00:10:18.539 --> 00:10:20.000 and some of the stuff you had on your website, 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:27.019 it wasn't becoming epic as a as a competition 00:10:27.019 --> 00:10:31.019 to the next person. Right. It was like, how do 00:10:31.019 --> 00:10:35.019 you rise above your own self -perceived mediocrity 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:38.159 and become that epic version of yourself? Am 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:40.240 I getting that correct? Yeah, 100 percent, because 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:45.539 one of the major. diseases that humans have is 00:10:45.539 --> 00:10:47.659 what you just alluded to. And that's comparing 00:10:47.659 --> 00:10:50.480 ourselves to every other person around us. And 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:54.179 we actually many times don't even know how to 00:10:54.179 --> 00:10:57.840 determine what success is or failure is unless 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:01.340 we see someone else either failing what we perceive 00:11:01.340 --> 00:11:03.899 as failing or succeeding. And we have to stop 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:06.899 that. We're not internally aware enough of our 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:09.360 own capacity, our own vulnerability, our own 00:11:09.360 --> 00:11:12.639 abilities, our own purpose and destiny. need 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:15.200 to even know that I'm living a great life right 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:18.679 now regardless of what someone else is or isn't 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:22.620 doing and you know I recently read this just 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:25.200 actually on my plane ride yesterday I read you 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:27.240 know with when given the choice this was an actual 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:30.240 study done I believe was at Stanford when given 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:33.830 the choice between making fifty thousand dollars 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:36.830 a year and everybody around you and your community 00:11:36.830 --> 00:11:39.090 is making twenty five thousand dollars a year 00:11:39.090 --> 00:11:42.950 that's choice one or you can make a hundred thousand 00:11:42.950 --> 00:11:45.370 dollars a year and everybody in your community 00:11:45.370 --> 00:11:49.669 around you is making 250 000 a year which choice 00:11:49.669 --> 00:11:53.889 would you make 76%, a majority of people pick, 00:11:53.990 --> 00:11:57.250 I'd rather have 50 ,000 because they're measuring 00:11:57.250 --> 00:12:01.129 their success not on actually what they can achieve, 00:12:01.230 --> 00:12:04.190 but by what everybody around them is doing. So 00:12:04.190 --> 00:12:07.070 I want to feel like I'm doing way better than 00:12:07.070 --> 00:12:09.370 everybody else, and then I'll be happy. Whether 00:12:09.370 --> 00:12:11.210 or not I can actually double what I'm making 00:12:11.210 --> 00:12:13.509 isn't even the point. I just don't want to be 00:12:13.509 --> 00:12:16.690 the person who's not as good as everybody else. 00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:21.059 And when we live that way, we are conceding to 00:12:21.059 --> 00:12:24.000 a mediocre life. And that's, to me, a crime. 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:29.740 That is such a fascinating study. And I feel 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:36.240 a bit sad about it. Yeah. Right? Because it paints 00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:42.080 very clearly the act of constantly comparing 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:45.860 ourselves to others. coming up short so that 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:48.299 that yeah that comparison game is a lose -lose 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:52.259 situation we lose and then we and those and those 00:12:52.259 --> 00:12:54.600 who we think are doing better that we resent 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.399 or we have jealous so we put something between 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:00.259 in that relationship that doesn't feel good right 00:13:00.259 --> 00:13:03.320 yeah and we also lose our capacity to add value 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:06.600 to other people And that to me is a big part 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:09.740 of becoming epic, a big part of what I referred 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:12.259 to a little while ago of being contextually intelligent 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:16.059 is one of the things that someone who lives an 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:18.940 epic life does is they add value to the people 00:13:18.940 --> 00:13:21.840 around them. And that value can come in different 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.679 things, different ways. It doesn't just mean 00:13:24.679 --> 00:13:29.259 making someone, giving someone skills, tricks 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:31.960 and trades, you know, how to make more money 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:34.159 or generate more revenue or get more clients. 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:36.899 It's actually adding value to the quality and 00:13:36.899 --> 00:13:39.600 meaning and purpose of their life. I believe 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:44.220 that's where joy really comes from. And when 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:47.320 we're talking about becoming epic, I mean, another 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:51.549 easy. way to look at this is living a life with 00:13:51.549 --> 00:13:55.929 joy or full of joy and i thought oh man oh man 00:13:55.929 --> 00:13:59.870 yeah yeah you nailed it uh a life without joy 00:13:59.870 --> 00:14:05.309 yikes uh don't want that um yeah joy is one of 00:14:05.309 --> 00:14:08.370 the number one ways of being that i that i go 00:14:08.370 --> 00:14:12.629 after in life because it feels so good um love 00:14:12.629 --> 00:14:19.090 that so next question On your website, it says 00:14:19.090 --> 00:14:21.950 becoming epic, how excellence, perception, inspiration, 00:14:22.570 --> 00:14:26.769 compassion can be a remedy for mediocrity. So 00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:30.490 excellence, perception, inspiration, compassion, 00:14:30.809 --> 00:14:34.070 right? They all make up the word epic, right? 00:14:34.289 --> 00:14:38.610 That's right. Tell me, before you dive into this, 00:14:38.710 --> 00:14:41.750 I just want to know, give me a little bit about 00:14:41.750 --> 00:14:44.909 what's your why? I want to hear, like, why is 00:14:44.909 --> 00:14:47.610 all of this important to you? Yeah, well, it's 00:14:47.610 --> 00:14:49.429 important. I mean, you know, it's funny because 00:14:49.429 --> 00:14:51.370 two years ago, I would have answered the question 00:14:51.370 --> 00:14:54.230 completely differently. But a big part of this 00:14:54.230 --> 00:14:58.830 idea of becoming epic actually happened because 00:14:58.830 --> 00:15:02.429 of a recent tragedy in my own life. And, you 00:15:02.429 --> 00:15:05.210 know, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And 00:15:05.210 --> 00:15:07.990 then we found out that it metastasized and it 00:15:07.990 --> 00:15:09.950 sprained some of my bones, lymph nodes, things 00:15:09.950 --> 00:15:14.679 like that. And that was two years ago. This journey 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:17.480 that I've been on of becoming epic and understanding 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:22.019 this is really about, it came as a result of 00:15:22.019 --> 00:15:24.299 that. One of the things that I also believe epic 00:15:24.299 --> 00:15:27.120 people do, and I've said this before in other 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:30.440 venues and contexts, is we have to view chaos 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:34.039 as a package that your potential arrives in. 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:39.019 And we have to understand that. The things that 00:15:39.019 --> 00:15:41.379 happen to you, the disruption, the uncertainty, 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:44.259 the pain, the grief, the chaos, all of those 00:15:44.259 --> 00:15:48.179 things, I believe my whole life have not been 00:15:48.179 --> 00:15:51.240 meant or aren't meant to destroy you. They're 00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:54.059 meant to refine you and to bring out things in 00:15:54.059 --> 00:15:57.559 your life that were hidden, that you didn't know 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:01.700 were there or were dormant. My why has become 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:05.570 helping people understand. You know, what is 00:16:05.570 --> 00:16:08.429 their hidden potential? What is what is their 00:16:08.429 --> 00:16:12.029 future self and where is it hiding within them? 00:16:12.169 --> 00:16:14.730 And that really motivates me. And that's even 00:16:14.730 --> 00:16:17.289 where the whole concept and idea of becoming 00:16:17.289 --> 00:16:21.289 epic came from. And those four, what I call maxims 00:16:21.289 --> 00:16:25.070 or the epic maxims came from. And somebody who 00:16:25.070 --> 00:16:28.850 discovers that, I think, strives to at least 00:16:28.850 --> 00:16:32.509 practice those four things. Yeah. Yeah. So you 00:16:32.509 --> 00:16:36.610 had. You had a kind of a wake up call in your 00:16:36.610 --> 00:16:40.870 own life, right? Yeah. Right. And and I'm curious, 00:16:40.929 --> 00:16:42.789 I want to just go a little deeper on this. Why? 00:16:45.250 --> 00:16:51.690 Why did it become important to you to like. Begin 00:16:51.690 --> 00:16:54.929 to help other people step into this, like, why 00:16:54.929 --> 00:16:57.590 is that important to you? I understand you had 00:16:57.590 --> 00:17:01.429 the cancer and everything. I think it was the 00:17:01.429 --> 00:17:05.720 wrestling with. the finiteness of your life and 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:11.200 mortality. I've been very active my whole life, 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:14.200 involved in sport and things like that. Triathlons, 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:18.339 half marathons, 5Ks, 10Ks, hiking, Appalachian 00:17:18.339 --> 00:17:21.000 Trail, other places, volcanoes in Rwanda and 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:24.940 all kinds of stuff. So I've always been... active 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:28.559 and when my cancer was diagnosed i was one of 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:31.720 those guys who just it was a total surprise because 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:33.900 i had no real symptoms you know i was as far 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:37.180 as i knew i was healthy i was active had no side 00:17:37.180 --> 00:17:39.880 effect no symptoms like that so when you get 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:43.279 hit like that and all of a sudden you're like 00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:46.299 Wait a second. Not because everybody kind of 00:17:46.299 --> 00:17:48.339 feels invincible. It's not going to happen to 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:50.259 me. And it's not just about me getting older. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:52.460 No, I was really in this place where we were 00:17:52.460 --> 00:17:57.519 completely blindsided. Yeah. Excuse me. And so 00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:00.420 that really forces you to reframe your why, because 00:18:00.420 --> 00:18:02.900 all of a sudden I went from I'm going to live 00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:07.480 forever to like, oh, my God, I could only have 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:11.380 a few years left. And so and then you realize 00:18:11.380 --> 00:18:14.420 that, you know. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:16.960 So you have to go through. And I wondered how 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:21.660 many other people are out there thinking they're 00:18:21.660 --> 00:18:26.000 fine, you know, and really what they were, excuse 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.640 me again, thinking they're fine. And if they 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:33.460 were surprised by something, how disappointed 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:36.579 would they have been in the life they lived or 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:40.000 the mediocrity they settled for? And fortunately, 00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:42.660 I've been blessed and in a position when that 00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:46.500 happened to me, I was like, you know, if I die 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:49.319 now, I die a happy man. I lived a good life, 00:18:49.380 --> 00:18:51.140 did a lot of fun things. Of course, I'm not ready 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:53.900 to. And I've got, you know, 30 more years of 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:57.480 great stuff that I plan on doing. But a lot of 00:18:57.480 --> 00:18:59.920 people get to that place, I believe, and have 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:04.240 regrets. And I don't want, you know, the people 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:06.440 who are in my circle and people who cross my 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:10.519 path. to find something, anything out that's 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:12.539 an adversity that comes to them and have regrets 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:15.420 about the life they've lived so far. So I began 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:18.619 to do this work and frame this concept and idea 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:20.319 and hopefully get it out there in front of as 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:25.039 many people as I can. Yeah. So did you, as a 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:27.160 result of going through this, did you kind of 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:32.279 have like a sense of urgency of like, or are 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:36.410 you seeing like suffering? Needless suffering 00:19:36.410 --> 00:19:39.170 for people and you think and is there like some 00:19:39.170 --> 00:19:42.710 vision of like I can help these people reduce 00:19:42.710 --> 00:19:44.769 their suffering and help them step into something 00:19:44.769 --> 00:19:48.109 that feels better in their life? You know, that's 00:19:48.109 --> 00:19:50.690 a great question. And to be honest, my first 00:19:50.690 --> 00:19:52.869 my first reaction is, no, I don't know that I've 00:19:52.869 --> 00:19:56.710 noticed needless suffering. But what I've come 00:19:56.710 --> 00:20:00.910 to realize and know is that many people are silently 00:20:00.910 --> 00:20:04.490 suffering. And they don't really say it. They 00:20:04.490 --> 00:20:08.549 don't really talk about it. And they lack or 00:20:08.549 --> 00:20:11.009 I don't want to say they lack the bravery because 00:20:11.009 --> 00:20:15.289 that's not fair or right. But they somehow don't 00:20:15.289 --> 00:20:19.750 believe that they deserve better or can do better. 00:20:19.910 --> 00:20:21.890 And they never talk about that because that's 00:20:21.890 --> 00:20:27.130 being vulnerable. So I found that most people. 00:20:27.859 --> 00:20:31.240 feel that way and it's just like a rule of averages 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:33.980 you know you can you can assume everybody does 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:36.319 and every once in a while somebody will say I'll 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.279 meet somebody like you and say no I'm I'm doing 00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:40.119 fine I'm doing great I'm doing what I want to 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:43.000 do being who I want to be and all that but that's 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:45.059 much more rare than the person who's like yeah 00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:47.579 I think I could be doing better and doing more 00:20:47.579 --> 00:20:51.119 and so I think I came to terms with that during 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:54.660 this as I went through my own struggles talk 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:56.359 to people around me and realize there's a lot 00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:59.460 of people silently suffering out there who who 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:02.660 don't believe they can do better than who they 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:04.640 are and that the mediocre life they've settled 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:07.539 for is good enough and that's how i describe 00:21:07.539 --> 00:21:10.579 it in the book is the curse of good enough you 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:14.940 know i'm not best but I'm not the worst so and 00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:18.460 they settle for not being the worst and and to 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:21.079 me not being the worst again goes back to what 00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:22.980 we were talking about before is they're having 00:21:22.980 --> 00:21:26.359 the wrong framework and approach to life in general 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:28.839 it's not about not being the worst because then 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:30.740 you're just comparing yourself to someone else 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:34.140 right and you can always find someone worse off 00:21:34.140 --> 00:21:36.019 than the last person or worse off than you so 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:38.940 then what you do instead of trying to get better 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:42.329 you try to find somebody who's worse And then 00:21:42.329 --> 00:21:44.910 you can just stay in that spot of not having 00:21:44.910 --> 00:21:48.410 to improve and not having to be better. And that 00:21:48.410 --> 00:21:51.509 to me is a real tragedy and a motivator for why 00:21:51.509 --> 00:21:54.529 we need to get people out of the mindset of just 00:21:54.529 --> 00:21:57.690 trying to find someone to be better than and 00:21:57.690 --> 00:22:01.029 trying themselves to just improve on the capacity 00:22:01.029 --> 00:22:06.730 and the ability that they have. Yeah. Okay. So 00:22:06.730 --> 00:22:11.690 good. Yeah. So again, it's. We're kind of practiced 00:22:11.690 --> 00:22:15.490 at thinking that we're mediocre, but that doesn't 00:22:15.490 --> 00:22:19.309 necessarily mean that's accurate. And your book, 00:22:19.690 --> 00:22:26.230 Becoming Epic, is a blueprint for stepping out 00:22:26.230 --> 00:22:33.710 of that rehearsed mediocrity into something that 00:22:33.710 --> 00:22:40.940 is... than what you've been settling for. Yeah, 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:46.339 it's a measurable thing and milestones that you 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:48.359 can achieve to getting better. Because the first 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.660 time someone takes a step forward and does better 00:22:51.660 --> 00:22:54.579 than they thought they could do, it becomes addictive. 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:59.640 Yes. And you get a runner's high from that. You 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:02.339 know, you get that. that X, you know, the extreme 00:23:02.339 --> 00:23:04.640 sport high from something like that. It's like, 00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:07.440 I didn't think I could do this. In fact, uh, 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:11.259 just this morning I was, um, on a, on a, uh, 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:14.299 doctoral dissertation defense and this particular 00:23:14.299 --> 00:23:18.039 student, um, first generation student, first 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:19.980 person in our family to go to college, let alone 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:21.779 get a doctoral degree, all this kind of stuff. 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:25.480 And, and, you know, when she never thought she 00:23:25.480 --> 00:23:29.359 explained even in her, I never even would allow 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:32.240 myself to imagine that I could accomplish what 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:35.259 I've accomplished. And now that she did that, 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:37.519 she goes, the sky's the limit. Now she wants 00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:39.339 to start a business and do this and do that. 00:23:39.539 --> 00:23:42.119 And it was just, and that's what I mean is as 00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:44.319 soon as someone does something that they were 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.440 told they could never do or that they shouldn't 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:50.750 try to do when they accomplish that. All of a 00:23:50.750 --> 00:23:53.829 sudden, they see that they're better than they 00:23:53.829 --> 00:23:56.890 thought they were, and they recognize, I've been 00:23:56.890 --> 00:24:00.430 settling for this mediocre life and these mediocre 00:24:00.430 --> 00:24:03.809 relationships, this mediocre standard, and all 00:24:03.809 --> 00:24:06.630 of a sudden, no, I can't do better. And then 00:24:06.630 --> 00:24:12.259 these four maxims, excellence, perspective, inspiration, 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:16.019 and compassion are four things that you can begin 00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:19.940 to focus on today that can help you move towards 00:24:19.940 --> 00:24:24.519 that epic life. Yeah. Yeah. And when people begin 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:27.819 to do that, their life becomes about impact. 00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:31.720 Right. And that's what's exciting to me. The 00:24:31.720 --> 00:24:34.000 reason I'm excited about your work is because 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:39.259 I want more people to step up. into the potential 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:42.440 impact they can make for the good of the world. 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:47.859 That's my selfish desire for people, for why 00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:51.440 I want them to become epic. Because we want people 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:55.880 to step up and provide value, make a difference 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:59.920 for others. And when we do that, we all get lifted 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:03.680 up. Absolutely. And it goes in every direction 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:06.579 because I think a lot of times... There's fathers, 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:08.720 there's mothers, there's kids that don't even 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:12.319 believe they can add value to their family. And 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:14.779 so it could be something as small as that or 00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:17.339 something as great as, you know, impacting an 00:25:17.339 --> 00:25:19.940 entire community or industry or something like 00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:23.279 that. So I never want to minimize even impact 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:25.140 because people say, well, I'm only going to impact 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:27.299 these two kids in my house. Well, listen, if 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:30.039 you do that well, the exponential effect of that 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:33.579 can be incredible. So take that seriously, too. 00:25:34.539 --> 00:25:39.200 Exactly. Exactly. Hey, last question. So because 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:42.200 our time's up and we're going to definitely I 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:43.960 definitely want to bring you back if you're up 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:47.740 for it so we can dive into excellence, perception, 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:51.980 inspiration and compassion. But before we end 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:54.859 the show today, where can people check you out? 00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:57.480 Where can they get a copy of your book and get 00:25:57.480 --> 00:26:00.539 started on becoming epic? Yeah, well, thanks 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:03.039 for that. The best place to go for any of this 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:07.619 is. My website, MatthewKutz .com. And, you know, 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.980 K -U -T -Z is how you spell Kutz, so I'd love 00:26:09.980 --> 00:26:13.180 to see you there. My email is there. My contact 00:26:13.180 --> 00:26:15.700 information is there. All my books are there. 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:18.240 Some of my research is there, and you can download 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:21.380 that. So all of that's there. We have that website. 00:26:21.500 --> 00:26:23.960 We also have another website called Battle for 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:27.140 the Bulge, which is a foundation for prostate 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:31.279 cancer awareness and education. We sponsor 5K 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:34.849 races as fundraisers. for prostate cancer awareness, 00:26:35.069 --> 00:26:37.130 and there's some materials on there. I actually 00:26:37.130 --> 00:26:40.769 just wrote, I have two new books. Becoming Epic 00:26:40.769 --> 00:26:44.329 is launching now. Also, the book Diagnosed has 00:26:44.329 --> 00:26:48.130 also just come out last week. That's my memoir, 00:26:48.289 --> 00:26:50.849 so to speak, or my story about the prostate cancer 00:26:50.849 --> 00:26:53.930 approach and the battle framework that I use 00:26:53.930 --> 00:26:57.049 to get to the point of actually even talking 00:26:57.049 --> 00:27:00.799 about living an epic life. Right on. You're a 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:04.500 prolific writer, it sounds like. Radiation knocked 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:06.779 me down. So I had I had a lot of time to sit 00:27:06.779 --> 00:27:09.680 at home and write. So, yeah. Excellent. Excellent. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.539 Matt Kutz, becoming epic. Thank you for being 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:17.140 on Vision Pros. And we look forward to having 00:27:17.140 --> 00:27:19.680 you back. I'd love it. Thank you very much. Thank 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:21.680 you for being here today. I'm really happy that 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:23.720 you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. I'm looking 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:26.980 forward to seeing your reactions as these episodes 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:28.779 continue to move forward. This is going to get 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:31.359 more and more fun. We'll have more and more engagement 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:33.480 as well. We'll invite people to participate in 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:35.660 the show. And thank you for giving us your time 00:27:35.660 --> 00:27:37.920 and attention. Have an excellent time building 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:40.299 out your vision and becoming a vision pro yourself.