WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.639 Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode 00:00:01.639 --> 00:00:03.480 of Vision Pros Live. I'm your host and coach, 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:05.780 Fletcher Ellingson. So glad you're here. I'm 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:08.119 so glad you're in this conversation because in 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:11.919 these conversations, we're unpacking inspiration, 00:00:12.339 --> 00:00:15.019 we're unpacking motivation, we're unpacking vision. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:20.359 And that's all the stuff we need to deliver on 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:22.760 what it is we're trying to accomplish in our 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.359 lives, right? We're up to big things. And so 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.699 today I wanna introduce you to Chuck. And Chuck 00:00:29.699 --> 00:00:35.359 is an author and a multi -time entrepreneur, 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:41.359 but he has recently published his book, Ego Strength. 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:46.159 We're talking today about what that is and how 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:49.840 it's going to enrich your life. So welcome to 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:52.340 the show, Chuck. Thank you. Thanks for having 00:00:52.340 --> 00:00:55.679 me. Yeah, you bet. And tell us again where you're 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:58.890 calling from. Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City, 00:00:59.049 --> 00:01:01.810 Missouri. All right. Excellent. Hey, before we 00:01:01.810 --> 00:01:04.010 start off and dive into what it is we're going 00:01:04.010 --> 00:01:06.129 to talk about, I always like to start off with 00:01:06.129 --> 00:01:08.750 a win, something that's going well professionally 00:01:08.750 --> 00:01:11.530 and or personally. Actually, I love the personal 00:01:11.530 --> 00:01:15.269 wins because they're very relatable. But what's 00:01:15.269 --> 00:01:17.730 going well in your life? We want to remind people 00:01:17.730 --> 00:01:20.609 that amidst all the uncertainty and suffering, 00:01:20.810 --> 00:01:23.890 that there is still good occurring in the world 00:01:23.890 --> 00:01:27.599 and that we can be cause. in the matter of that 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:29.739 good so lay it on us what's going well for you 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:33.180 yeah what's going well for me is parenting actually 00:01:33.180 --> 00:01:35.719 these four kids behind me i coach uh three little 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:37.459 league baseball teams so i get to spend a lot 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.640 of time with with my boys and uh last night i 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:42.620 had a big win with my daughter i took her we 00:01:42.620 --> 00:01:45.439 got manicures and pedicures and well she got 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:47.299 manicures and pedicures i just got the pedicure 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:50.549 and uh And we got to eat dinner together. And 00:01:50.549 --> 00:01:53.469 it's just a joy. So, you know, the kids are always 00:01:53.469 --> 00:01:55.989 a win for me in getting to spend time and being 00:01:55.989 --> 00:01:59.310 intentional about being a good father and role 00:01:59.310 --> 00:02:03.230 model for them. Right on. I really appreciate 00:02:03.230 --> 00:02:07.670 that. And the key word, intentional. You know, 00:02:07.709 --> 00:02:12.189 parenting is, it takes intention. I mean, you 00:02:12.189 --> 00:02:14.650 don't have to be. You can fly by the seat of 00:02:14.650 --> 00:02:19.110 your pants. things might go okay they may not 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:22.469 but when we get intentional about anything when 00:02:22.469 --> 00:02:25.250 we bring when we concentrate you know and that 00:02:25.250 --> 00:02:27.969 that concept of concentrating i love this concept 00:02:27.969 --> 00:02:31.169 of concentrating because we all know we've all 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:32.830 said that well hey you just need to concentrate 00:02:32.830 --> 00:02:36.550 but what does it actually mean what are you concentrating 00:02:36.550 --> 00:02:39.830 when we tell somebody to concentrate i'm asking 00:02:39.830 --> 00:02:42.210 our listeners here when someone tells you to 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:43.370 concentrate or you tell someone to concentrate 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:47.789 What are you actually telling them to do? What 00:02:47.789 --> 00:02:49.849 are you expecting them to do? What does it mean 00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:53.430 to concentrate, right? Because to concentrate 00:02:53.430 --> 00:02:56.909 means to distill down, right? What it means is 00:02:56.909 --> 00:03:00.330 we're getting rid of distraction. What we're 00:03:00.330 --> 00:03:03.550 doing is we're calling forth consciousness. We're 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:09.189 bringing all of our senses to this pinpoint like 00:03:09.189 --> 00:03:13.030 a magnifying glass in the sun. Right. We're becoming 00:03:13.030 --> 00:03:16.949 hyper aware of this. Very focused. So I love 00:03:16.949 --> 00:03:19.629 that. I love that you said this. Yeah. I brought 00:03:19.629 --> 00:03:22.909 intentionality to my to my parenting. I brought 00:03:22.909 --> 00:03:25.789 intentionality to my date with my daughter. So 00:03:25.789 --> 00:03:30.909 cool. I expect because of your level of success, 00:03:31.189 --> 00:03:33.530 you've had to concentrate and bring a lot of 00:03:33.530 --> 00:03:36.210 deliberate intentionality to your life. Is that 00:03:36.210 --> 00:03:40.789 accurate? That is accurate. Yeah. Yeah. So just 00:03:40.789 --> 00:03:44.830 before we get into it, just tell us a few of 00:03:44.830 --> 00:03:46.550 the businesses that you have going on because 00:03:46.550 --> 00:03:48.669 you've got a lot of stuff going on. Yeah, absolutely. 00:03:48.949 --> 00:03:51.370 So, you know, I've got a commercial real estate 00:03:51.370 --> 00:03:53.490 brokerage and development company. And that was 00:03:53.490 --> 00:03:55.909 what I started doing right out of college. I've 00:03:55.909 --> 00:03:59.629 been doing that since 2004. I didn't always have 00:03:59.629 --> 00:04:01.889 my own firm, but I started that in about 2016. 00:04:03.129 --> 00:04:07.289 I've got a hospice company, a home health company. 00:04:07.899 --> 00:04:12.539 Family Social Club. I run a vertically integrated 00:04:12.539 --> 00:04:14.599 cannabis company. That's my day -to -day operation 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:17.519 now. So I'm the CEO of Elevate and Key Cannabis. 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:19.759 And we're in three states. We're in Arizona, 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:22.920 Illinois, and Missouri. Vertical operators. We've 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:25.060 got the cultivation, the manufacturing, and retail. 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:29.240 And we currently operate 17 retail in the three 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:31.060 states. And we've got five cultivation facilities 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:34.519 in three states. And then due to our expansion, 00:04:35.069 --> 00:04:37.589 into these other various businesses uh managing 00:04:37.589 --> 00:04:41.769 the employees hr uh you know onboarding off boarding 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:45.050 benefits etc became quite a pain point and was 00:04:45.050 --> 00:04:46.850 was taking quite a bit of time so then we started 00:04:46.850 --> 00:04:48.750 a professional employers organization so we've 00:04:48.750 --> 00:04:51.810 got opus company as well as a company that i 00:04:51.810 --> 00:04:54.209 own and operate well i don't operate it but i 00:04:54.209 --> 00:04:58.009 i own and and manage from afar so those are the 00:04:58.009 --> 00:05:01.250 companies that i'm currently looking after right 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:05.209 now Okay, so you got a little bit on your plate, 00:05:05.370 --> 00:05:09.129 right? Yeah. To say the least. And this is great. 00:05:09.250 --> 00:05:11.790 I'm glad you shared all that because a lot of 00:05:11.790 --> 00:05:15.930 us are practiced at saying, I don't have enough 00:05:15.930 --> 00:05:18.810 time. So somebody listening to you rattle off 00:05:18.810 --> 00:05:21.490 all these businesses that you're involved with, 00:05:21.709 --> 00:05:24.310 they might be wondering, how does a guy have 00:05:24.310 --> 00:05:27.170 enough time? Yeah. Because I don't have enough 00:05:27.170 --> 00:05:32.110 time. How does Chuck have enough time? Right. 00:05:32.110 --> 00:05:34.790 We have this many of us have this limiting belief 00:05:34.790 --> 00:05:37.810 about we don't have enough time. But that's not 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:42.689 actually accurate. Chuck, give us give us give 00:05:42.689 --> 00:05:49.290 us the what is it that's allowed you to find 00:05:49.290 --> 00:05:52.970 and create the time needed to run multiple businesses? 00:05:53.850 --> 00:05:55.829 Yes, you said something right there, that word 00:05:55.829 --> 00:05:58.129 limiting. So that could be the mindset. That 00:05:58.129 --> 00:05:59.670 could be that belief, that limiting mindset. 00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:02.870 I've always had that growth mindset where it's 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:04.649 the abundance. You know, that's actually Opus 00:06:04.649 --> 00:06:07.610 Commercial Real Estate, Opus Company. That is 00:06:07.610 --> 00:06:11.769 the short Latin plural form of opulence. So you 00:06:11.769 --> 00:06:14.769 come in abundance, use your resources, gain wealth. 00:06:14.930 --> 00:06:16.709 So I've always tried to come from a position 00:06:16.709 --> 00:06:22.680 of abundance. And I don't waste time doing. non 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:24.220 -productive activities. You know, I don't have 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:27.980 social media. I don't really watch TV. I don't 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:32.319 do these things that people, that a lot of people 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:35.519 do that take time away from things that could 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:38.420 be producing positive benefits, whether it be, 00:06:38.540 --> 00:06:40.279 you know, to the kids with the sports, whether 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:42.019 it be to the companies with the growth, whether 00:06:42.019 --> 00:06:46.899 it be to, you know, philanthropic benefits, you 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:49.399 know, with a charitable foundation. So I always 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.389 try to come from a position of value and utilize 00:06:52.389 --> 00:06:55.750 the same 24 hours that we all have in a day to 00:06:55.750 --> 00:06:58.189 be intentional about it and to put it forth to 00:06:58.189 --> 00:07:00.709 income producing activities or relationship producing 00:07:00.709 --> 00:07:03.509 activities whether it be personally or professionally 00:07:03.509 --> 00:07:09.329 yeah really really cool um so my takeaway from 00:07:09.329 --> 00:07:11.750 that and i always like to kind of highlight what 00:07:11.750 --> 00:07:14.410 our guests say because i really want our viewers 00:07:14.410 --> 00:07:18.870 to to to get these nuggets look There's nothing 00:07:18.870 --> 00:07:23.129 wrong with watching TV. Chuck's not saying don't 00:07:23.129 --> 00:07:26.810 watch TV. What he's saying is that he doesn't 00:07:26.810 --> 00:07:30.769 watch a lot of TV. What he's saying is that he 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:35.050 is very deliberate with his time. And this is 00:07:35.050 --> 00:07:39.410 a practice. You didn't accidentally create all 00:07:39.410 --> 00:07:43.790 these businesses. We don't accidentally do anything. 00:07:43.889 --> 00:07:47.699 We're practiced at how we manage our time. Right. 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:51.339 So if you and so I invite our listeners to really 00:07:51.339 --> 00:07:54.819 hear this. Chuck didn't this. Chuck's success 00:07:54.819 --> 00:07:58.199 and his his ability to run multiple companies 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:02.379 isn't accidental. He's practiced at it. It took 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:05.100 practice and he probably made a lot of mistakes 00:08:05.100 --> 00:08:06.699 along the way. Did you make some mistakes along 00:08:06.699 --> 00:08:09.759 the way? Absolutely. Still make them today. All 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:13.000 right. Yeah. Right. But you're practiced at managing 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:15.920 your time. You're practiced at. identifying the 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:19.800 mistake and making a quick turnabout on it and 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:23.160 not getting stuck in it. So the other thing you 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:27.019 said is you lead from a position of value. I 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:28.740 really want to take a moment on this because 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:33.740 I want our people to listen to hear this. When 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:37.860 we lead with value, there are several things 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:41.759 that always follow value. When we offer value, 00:08:43.370 --> 00:08:50.169 The return is opportunity, compensation and or 00:08:50.169 --> 00:08:54.250 relationships. So this is why leading with value 00:08:54.250 --> 00:08:57.230 is so incredibly important, because the three 00:08:57.230 --> 00:08:59.529 things that always follow value are opportunities, 00:08:59.769 --> 00:09:04.070 relationships and compensation. OK, so I love 00:09:04.070 --> 00:09:06.289 that you just said this, Chuck. You lead with 00:09:06.289 --> 00:09:09.649 a position of from a position of value. And it's 00:09:09.649 --> 00:09:12.340 no surprise. that you've been able to accomplish 00:09:12.340 --> 00:09:15.240 all this because those three things always follow 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:18.840 when we deliver value is that is that in alignment 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:22.980 with some of your thinking oh absolutely cool 00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:30.539 cool so you have a wealth of experience and you 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:35.639 got the bug to write a book not a small undertaking 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:39.600 right no it's very very time consuming Yeah, 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:41.419 there we go again. That's the whole thing about 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:43.779 time. It's like, I don't have time to write a 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:48.419 book. How do you manage your time? You're right. 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:51.679 Right. So, yeah, I've written a book, too. And 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:54.639 for me, it was one of the more humbling experiences 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:57.759 in my life. I don't know about you, but, you 00:09:57.759 --> 00:09:59.620 know, we can talk all day long on this podcast. 00:09:59.700 --> 00:10:03.679 We can talk and and talk about business and shoot 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:08.320 the breeze. But to but to get articulate. in 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:11.320 a way that other people can understand you, you 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:14.399 know, in the written form, that's a different 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:17.139 challenge, isn't it? It sure is. It sure is. 00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:19.759 And then having the humility and like you said, 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:21.460 it's a very humbling experience. I mean, because 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:24.620 my life wasn't always rainbows and butterflies, 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:27.340 you know, and I did have, I've had to overcome 00:10:27.340 --> 00:10:30.580 obstacles, adversity, challenges that many people 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:33.960 who see me today don't understand. Like, so to 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:36.559 put that out there and to be that vulnerable. 00:10:37.289 --> 00:10:40.570 uh you know just give you an idea i the book 00:10:40.570 --> 00:10:42.809 starts with me refusing to testify in a grand 00:10:42.809 --> 00:10:45.970 jury investigation and going to jail so i went 00:10:45.970 --> 00:10:50.269 to uh leavenworth cca which is a federal holding 00:10:50.269 --> 00:10:52.470 facility for five months i could have been there 00:10:52.470 --> 00:10:55.450 for 18. uh but but i got out after five they 00:10:55.450 --> 00:10:58.350 they ended up indicting the targets in the case 00:10:58.350 --> 00:11:01.309 it was a online gambling operation and i was 00:11:01.309 --> 00:11:05.159 just a better But they sentenced me to 18 months 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:07.539 for refusing to testify civil contempt of court 00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:11.159 to protect my friends and didn't want to rat 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:16.419 them out. Wow. So I had a successful career in 00:11:16.419 --> 00:11:18.059 real estate at the time. I was probably in the 00:11:18.059 --> 00:11:20.679 top 5 % of earners. And I had to evaluate, do 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:25.919 I roll on my friends for my gain or do I be loyal 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:29.039 to them and risk everything that I built to that 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:30.919 point? So I was five years into my career at 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:34.320 that point. I definitely took a step back and 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:39.360 then had to build from zero again. Wow. Dang, 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:44.620 what a story. And what a great beginning to a 00:11:44.620 --> 00:11:49.860 book, too. Oh, geez. You mentioned the word vulnerable, 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.840 and this is when I love talking about vulnerability. 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.000 And again, for those of you listening, we use 00:11:57.000 --> 00:12:01.120 this term a lot, vulnerable. uh i what i want 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:03.419 people to understand is vulnerable the definition 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:07.240 of vulnerable means to be you're open to injury 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.159 that's what vulnerable means when you're being 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:12.200 vulnerable it means you are opening yourself 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:17.700 up to injury it's why in times of war or times 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:21.179 of sporting events you look for where your opponent 00:12:21.179 --> 00:12:25.529 is vulnerable where they're open to injury where 00:12:25.529 --> 00:12:30.110 there's a a perceived weakness right or or and 00:12:30.110 --> 00:12:31.889 not that vulnerability is weakness because it's 00:12:31.889 --> 00:12:34.769 not but you're looking for where they are might 00:12:34.769 --> 00:12:39.470 be open to um injury and what i love about uh 00:12:39.470 --> 00:12:44.330 you and that story of yours is is it because 00:12:44.330 --> 00:12:47.590 you because it is vulnerable people immediately 00:12:47.590 --> 00:12:53.009 lean in when when a person is vulnerable People 00:12:53.009 --> 00:12:55.110 lean into that vulnerability. They're like, ooh, 00:12:55.129 --> 00:12:58.570 tell me more. I'm suddenly interested. And the 00:12:58.570 --> 00:13:03.110 amazing thing is we trust people that display 00:13:03.110 --> 00:13:07.549 vulnerability. Would you agree with that? I would 00:13:07.549 --> 00:13:13.590 agree 100%. Yeah. Yeah. So talk to me about ego 00:13:13.590 --> 00:13:16.370 strength. I'm curious about the name. Yeah. So 00:13:16.370 --> 00:13:19.629 ego strength, you know, for me, ego strength 00:13:19.629 --> 00:13:21.389 is taking the proverbial look in the mirror. 00:13:21.769 --> 00:13:23.970 and changing the things that you need to change 00:13:23.970 --> 00:13:26.330 to become the best version of yourself. So it's 00:13:26.330 --> 00:13:28.769 having the strength to combat the mindset of, 00:13:28.809 --> 00:13:31.909 oh, I'm great at this. I'm great at this. But 00:13:31.909 --> 00:13:34.590 it's more combating that ego and saying, I need 00:13:34.590 --> 00:13:36.789 to improve at this. I need to get better. Constant, 00:13:36.950 --> 00:13:39.929 infinite growth mindset. Constantly evolving 00:13:39.929 --> 00:13:42.149 because, you know, today you may think that you're 00:13:42.149 --> 00:13:43.509 the best version of yourself, but you're not. 00:13:43.590 --> 00:13:45.090 You need to get better today so that tomorrow 00:13:45.090 --> 00:13:47.230 you're better than you were the day before and 00:13:47.230 --> 00:13:51.580 so on and so on in perpetuity. Yeah, yeah. I 00:13:51.580 --> 00:13:53.960 love that. Yeah, you're talking about that. Can 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:55.980 I write constant and never ending improvement 00:13:55.980 --> 00:14:00.059 is so powerful. You know, again, I want to I 00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:01.799 love what you're saying. And I want our listeners 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:04.159 to identify with this. So I'm that's why I'm 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:08.019 pausing and kind of recapturing some of the stuff 00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:12.919 you've said. Look back, you know, five years. 00:14:14.259 --> 00:14:17.879 Are you the same version? Is that you are today 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:22.960 or have you evolved, right? Yeah, we're constantly 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:27.200 evolving. And to bring it full circle, what you're 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:31.360 saying is have the strength to question yourself. 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:34.019 This is what I'm hearing. Have the strength to 00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:37.759 have an honest conversation with yourself and 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:40.620 ask, you're like, where can I improve, right? 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:45.460 What's missing? Where can I improve? Where were 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:47.539 some of the things that you noticed in your own 00:14:47.539 --> 00:14:50.320 life that you were like that were glaring like, 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:53.759 whoa, I need to really take that area of my life 00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:56.879 on? Yeah. And I think, you know, the most important 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.820 thing is accountability. So many times people 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:01.679 could point the finger at other people and they 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:04.000 never they never make the change that they need 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.820 to make to become that better version. Right. 00:15:05.899 --> 00:15:07.539 So they're always blaming someone else for me. 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:10.820 You know, I was pointing the finger at my friends. 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.139 I was pointing the finger at the judge. I was 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:14.899 pointing the finger at the prosecutors for bringing 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:18.620 forth an empty case, basically. And I never said, 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:20.039 wait a minute, I'm the one that made the bet 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:22.899 until, you know, I was sitting in there in jail 00:15:22.899 --> 00:15:24.320 for three months. And I was like, wait a minute, 00:15:24.379 --> 00:15:27.259 this is my fault. This isn't theirs. All the 00:15:27.259 --> 00:15:30.539 actions started with me, right? So the only thing 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:33.840 you could control is yourself. You could control 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:35.919 how you react to a situation. You could control, 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:39.700 you know. What you do to put yourself, I tell 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:41.559 my kids all the time, don't put yourself in a 00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:44.320 position to fail. The more times you put yourself 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:46.980 in positions to fail, you're going to fail. So 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:50.299 really that accountability and then making the 00:15:50.299 --> 00:15:52.340 change, you know, don't point the finger at other 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:55.820 people. Make the change yourself and become that 00:15:55.820 --> 00:15:59.019 best version. So tell me a little bit more about 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:01.519 this because this is a great topic, accountability. 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:04.159 And ultimately what you're talking about is taking 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:07.649 radical responsibility for your life. yeah um 00:16:07.649 --> 00:16:11.370 you're so you're sitting in jail and you have 00:16:11.370 --> 00:16:17.370 that epiphany moment of oh my god i have some 00:16:17.370 --> 00:16:20.750 responsibility in this like i'm the one that 00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:26.070 made the bet yeah um tell me i'd like to hear 00:16:26.070 --> 00:16:28.129 about that moment like what was the emotion what 00:16:28.129 --> 00:16:30.470 was the emotions you experienced what was the 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:34.870 thinking that that came afterward Yeah. So that 00:16:34.870 --> 00:16:36.730 moment, you know, it's one that you'll never 00:16:36.730 --> 00:16:39.629 forget. It was for me, it was it was Thanksgiving 00:16:39.629 --> 00:16:45.350 2009. So I went my first day was October 5th 00:16:45.350 --> 00:16:47.009 and I'd been there for six weeks, eight weeks, 00:16:47.049 --> 00:16:49.490 whatever it was. But coming from an Italian American 00:16:49.490 --> 00:16:52.210 family, holidays were very important to us. You 00:16:52.210 --> 00:16:53.710 know, we would always get together with the families. 00:16:53.750 --> 00:16:55.450 We would spend time together. That was the first 00:16:55.450 --> 00:16:57.250 holiday that I was that I was gone that I ever 00:16:57.250 --> 00:17:01.090 missed. And I was on 23 hour lockdown. And I'm 00:17:01.090 --> 00:17:03.210 thinking, you know, because they needed to give 00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:06.150 the correction officers a day off. So I'm sitting 00:17:06.150 --> 00:17:08.829 there with a bag brown lunch with bologna sandwiches 00:17:08.829 --> 00:17:10.769 on Thanksgiving. My family's all out enjoying 00:17:10.769 --> 00:17:13.329 the holidays. And I spent the first six or eight 00:17:13.329 --> 00:17:14.869 weeks pointing the finger at everybody else. 00:17:14.890 --> 00:17:16.710 And that's when I had kind of like the aha moment. 00:17:16.990 --> 00:17:18.609 It's I'm sitting here eating peanut butter and 00:17:18.609 --> 00:17:21.829 jelly, not because or I mean bologna, bologna 00:17:21.829 --> 00:17:23.930 sandwich, not because they gave the correction 00:17:23.930 --> 00:17:26.569 officers the day off. That wasn't the root of 00:17:26.569 --> 00:17:30.769 it. And then I'm like, why am I here? not because 00:17:30.769 --> 00:17:32.569 of the judge, not because of my friends. It was 00:17:32.569 --> 00:17:34.509 because of me, you know, and it was, it was that 00:17:34.509 --> 00:17:36.890 moment where I just sat in the cell for 23 hours 00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:39.869 and had plenty of time to think that, that, uh, 00:17:40.049 --> 00:17:43.049 that made me realize that, that, you know, I 00:17:43.049 --> 00:17:45.049 needed to make a change and change even for the, 00:17:45.069 --> 00:17:47.490 for the better is hard. Any kind of change is 00:17:47.490 --> 00:17:49.349 hard. People quitting smoking, that's changed 00:17:49.349 --> 00:17:51.710 for the better. It's hard for them to do. You 00:17:51.710 --> 00:17:53.569 know, they're addicted to certain things and 00:17:53.569 --> 00:17:56.150 people have become creatures of habit and they're 00:17:56.150 --> 00:17:58.589 so accustomed to doing things certain ways. But 00:17:58.589 --> 00:18:00.730 change is important. It's imperative. You have 00:18:00.730 --> 00:18:04.970 to change and evolve both as human beings, as 00:18:04.970 --> 00:18:07.730 society. If there was never change, we'd be driving 00:18:07.730 --> 00:18:09.789 horse and buggy to work, you know, instead of 00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:13.829 motor vehicles. So, you know, it was that point 00:18:13.829 --> 00:18:15.369 where I said, I've got to change. I've got to 00:18:15.369 --> 00:18:17.630 do things differently. And I really started to 00:18:17.630 --> 00:18:20.430 read books on mindset, you know, the growth versus 00:18:20.430 --> 00:18:23.549 limited mindset, positivity. You know, there's 00:18:23.549 --> 00:18:25.430 a book called The Positive Bus. I remember reading 00:18:25.430 --> 00:18:28.539 that one and really just self -help books. uh 00:18:28.539 --> 00:18:31.019 learning how to implement different strategies 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:35.039 you know and make the change necessary uh to 00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:38.900 grow and expand wow one of the books i read was 00:18:38.900 --> 00:18:41.059 dave ramsey you know and i don't believe all 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:43.539 of his beliefs by any means you know i think 00:18:43.539 --> 00:18:47.240 debt when utilized to grow is is a viable tool 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:49.279 you know when you're growing your net worth and 00:18:49.279 --> 00:18:53.259 whatnot uh but the gazelle intense portion of 00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:56.839 that that book uh man when i got out i was so 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:00.059 so fueled with with fire and desire that that 00:19:00.059 --> 00:19:03.619 i was working you know 110 115 hours a week just 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:06.180 being gazelle intense intense just to get back 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:09.279 you know and prove prove to people that that 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:12.019 that that moment that that five months that that 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:14.319 decision and those well decisions leading up 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:17.519 to that uh were not going to define who i was 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:22.190 yeah oh that's powerful Oh man, we got to bring 00:19:22.190 --> 00:19:25.490 a spotlight to that too. Because so many of us 00:19:25.490 --> 00:19:29.329 are caught up in this belief that our past does 00:19:29.329 --> 00:19:33.369 define us, right? And if that was accurate, oh 00:19:33.369 --> 00:19:36.109 my Lord, you wouldn't even want to know me, right? 00:19:37.490 --> 00:19:43.450 I mean, I was, no, I mean, I was fine, but I 00:19:43.450 --> 00:19:46.789 had no, I was breaking my word left and right. 00:19:46.990 --> 00:19:51.569 I mean, I was a liar. I was just. a scared dude 00:19:51.569 --> 00:19:56.890 trying to survive, right? No, your past does 00:19:56.890 --> 00:20:00.950 not equal your future unless you focus on it 00:20:00.950 --> 00:20:03.730 constantly and then you relive into it, right? 00:20:03.910 --> 00:20:06.849 Then you put your past into your future and you 00:20:06.849 --> 00:20:09.329 start to live into that. But yeah, what you said 00:20:09.329 --> 00:20:13.130 is the good news. Your past does not define you. 00:20:13.289 --> 00:20:18.269 It doesn't have to anyway, right? And you learned 00:20:18.269 --> 00:20:22.789 from it. You took an honest look at it. And as 00:20:22.789 --> 00:20:25.890 a result, you made some different decisions based 00:20:25.890 --> 00:20:31.569 on different thinking. Powerful, powerful. So 00:20:31.569 --> 00:20:36.829 it sounds like you dove headlong into mindset 00:20:36.829 --> 00:20:40.710 and personal evolution. Is that accurate? Yeah, 00:20:40.750 --> 00:20:43.650 yeah, absolutely. And, you know, the name of 00:20:43.650 --> 00:20:45.369 your podcast here and the word you said earlier, 00:20:45.490 --> 00:20:48.400 you know. Vision pros, vision, you said that 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:51.640 earlier. I put together a vision board when I 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:54.180 got out of things that I wanted to accomplish, 00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:57.779 goals that I had in my life, you know, in the 00:20:57.779 --> 00:21:01.039 future. And I put that on a poster board. I hung 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:03.680 it in my office and I said, this is what I need 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:05.640 to do. So once I put that vision board together, 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:08.700 then I was laying out the plan, what I needed 00:21:08.700 --> 00:21:12.579 to do day by day to accomplish that and to get 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:15.299 to those. Those visions, you know, and then. 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:18.519 Yeah. Because, I mean, here you could you could 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:20.019 put together a vision board, but without the 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:23.339 plan, it's really just a wish anyway. Yeah. So, 00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:25.720 you know, a lot of people say, oh, come on, Chuck. 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:30.680 Vision board. How passe. That doesn't work. No, 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:33.900 no, no. The reason we do vision boards is that 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:38.180 it keeps what's important in front of us. We 00:21:38.180 --> 00:21:42.920 see it every day. It helps redirect our old stinking 00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:46.740 thinking to what we actually want to do, right? 00:21:46.819 --> 00:21:49.440 It's keeping it in front of us because what we 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:52.880 focus on, we feel. What we focus on, we move 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:56.640 toward. If you don't have that clarity, you're 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.740 not going to be able to move toward it as easily. 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:03.440 So those vision boards, while some people might 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:05.220 think they're, ah, who needs it? No, no, no. 00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:11.180 It's a visual assistant. to help you continue 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:14.500 to move toward that direction. I think vision 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:17.720 boards are powerful. The whole process of cutting 00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:21.299 things out, putting it up there, right? This 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:25.500 is all part of a neuroscience, right? We're moving 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:28.500 our body. We're getting our entire body involved 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:34.140 in the vision, preparing this vision and the 00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:37.259 story up here as we're cutting, as we're pasting, 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:40.819 as we're placing. We're getting clear about the 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:44.880 story, about the vision. And that allows us to 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:47.680 take actions to bring that story, that clarified 00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:50.700 vision into the real world, which is exactly 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:54.099 what you've done on on many accounts. Yeah, that's 00:22:54.099 --> 00:22:57.200 right. That's right. And we focus on what you 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:59.799 focus on expands and then you have that vision. 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:03.160 You start giving yourself the affirmations and 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:06.470 then you almost manifest them into belief. Yes. 00:23:06.549 --> 00:23:08.970 Okay. I love this. Yeah. Thank you for saying 00:23:08.970 --> 00:23:11.250 that. So did you hear what he said? He's like, 00:23:11.369 --> 00:23:14.250 then you have these affirmations. Oh, but Chuck, 00:23:14.329 --> 00:23:16.950 come on. Affirmations. They don't effing work. 00:23:17.130 --> 00:23:21.309 Really? No, no, no. They work so well. It's why 00:23:21.309 --> 00:23:27.750 you're stuck where you're stuck. And I'm saying 00:23:27.750 --> 00:23:30.750 this from personal experience. I don't have enough 00:23:30.750 --> 00:23:33.650 time. I don't have the education. I don't have 00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:36.710 enough experience. I don't have what it takes. 00:23:36.890 --> 00:23:39.950 Those are all affirmations that we are practiced 00:23:39.950 --> 00:23:43.009 at saying. They're a jerk. It's their fault. 00:23:43.730 --> 00:23:46.869 Those are affirmations as well. How many times 00:23:46.869 --> 00:23:48.750 have you said that? How many times have you cast 00:23:48.750 --> 00:23:55.349 blame? I can't catch a break. I never win. Those 00:23:55.349 --> 00:24:00.630 are all affirmations. The way the brain works, 00:24:00.809 --> 00:24:04.190 it's not going to argue with you. It simply looks 00:24:04.190 --> 00:24:08.569 for evidence to support the affirmations. That's 00:24:08.569 --> 00:24:11.210 the job of the brain. So what Chuck is saying 00:24:11.210 --> 00:24:15.769 is pay attention to your language. Pay attention 00:24:15.769 --> 00:24:17.950 to your language. Become, again, intentional 00:24:17.950 --> 00:24:21.450 about how you use language because it's through 00:24:21.450 --> 00:24:25.849 language that we create our visions. Are we talking 00:24:25.849 --> 00:24:28.130 the same language here, Chuck? We are, absolutely. 00:24:28.329 --> 00:24:30.329 Thoughts, too. Not just what you say, what you 00:24:30.329 --> 00:24:33.250 think. Pay attention to your thoughts. Absolutely. 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:35.450 Negative thought. I mean, negativity bias is 00:24:35.450 --> 00:24:39.009 real. Yes, it is more on negative things than 00:24:39.009 --> 00:24:42.089 you do positive things. Exactly. One of the things 00:24:42.089 --> 00:24:43.650 I always ask my clients, are you are you paying 00:24:43.650 --> 00:24:46.150 attention to are you paying more attention to 00:24:46.150 --> 00:24:49.390 the misses or the wins? Hey, Chuck, this has 00:24:49.390 --> 00:24:52.069 been such a great conversation. And I really 00:24:52.069 --> 00:24:55.890 appreciate your time and inspiration, especially 00:24:55.890 --> 00:24:58.509 because myself included, I'm an entrepreneur 00:24:58.509 --> 00:25:01.279 and. Much of our audience are entrepreneurs, 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:04.619 solopreneurs, business managers, business owners. 00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:09.000 So I love that you're sharing these stories of 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:12.539 triumph. I want people to connect with you. I 00:25:12.539 --> 00:25:15.380 want people to find out more about your book. 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:18.700 Tell us how we can get in touch with you. Yeah, 00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:20.640 so the book, you can buy the book on Amazon. 00:25:21.339 --> 00:25:23.799 Just go to Amazon Ego Strength. It's on the Amazon 00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:27.160 Marketplace. It's three different formats. I've 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:32.359 got a website. I do blogs, you know, kind of 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:35.539 outlining some of my wins, some of my losses 00:25:35.539 --> 00:25:38.539 in life, in business, where I came from. Breakdown 00:25:38.539 --> 00:25:41.039 by breakdown of the chapters is currently what 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:44.200 I'm doing. So I just did chapter two a couple 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:46.299 days ago. So I come up with a blog every couple 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:48.559 of weeks and then they can reach out via email 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:50.319 is the best way to contact me. If anybody has 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:52.680 any questions, you know, I'm always willing to 00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:54.400 give back. That's one of the things that I want 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:56.630 to do now from a leadership perspective. you 00:25:56.630 --> 00:25:59.690 know i see the next realm uh of my career maybe 00:25:59.690 --> 00:26:02.890 five years from now in kind of a coaching mentorship 00:26:02.890 --> 00:26:06.430 uh leadership perspective so you know i'm always 00:26:06.430 --> 00:26:09.289 wanting to learn more about other people uh you 00:26:09.289 --> 00:26:11.369 know forge relationships because really that's 00:26:11.369 --> 00:26:13.250 what it's all about it's all about to your point 00:26:13.250 --> 00:26:15.670 you mentioned that earlier uh if you value the 00:26:15.670 --> 00:26:17.650 relationship you're going to get something something 00:26:17.650 --> 00:26:21.650 back in return and if not you know it is what 00:26:21.650 --> 00:26:25.960 it is Right on, right on. So you can visit him 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:29.779 at ChuckCuda .com. Grab his book on Amazon, Ego 00:26:29.779 --> 00:26:33.720 Strength. And yeah, and take a good look at yourself 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:37.579 in the mirror. It's an opportunity to evolve, 00:26:37.880 --> 00:26:41.319 to advance, to create the vision that you want 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:44.259 to create. And Chuck, you're a great example 00:26:44.259 --> 00:26:47.079 of that. So again, thank you for being a source 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:50.619 of inspiration and contribution. Thank you. I 00:26:50.619 --> 00:26:53.029 appreciate it. you bet all right now you all 00:26:53.029 --> 00:26:54.490 know what it's time to do it's time to get out 00:26:54.490 --> 00:26:57.009 there be a source of kindness be a source of 00:26:57.009 --> 00:26:59.970 contribution you do have something to offer and 00:27:00.349 --> 00:27:02.309 I believe in you. Thank you for being here today. 00:27:02.490 --> 00:27:04.230 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision 00:27:04.230 --> 00:27:06.869 Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your 00:27:06.869 --> 00:27:09.670 reactions as these episodes continue to move 00:27:09.670 --> 00:27:11.609 forward. This is going to get more and more fun. 00:27:11.650 --> 00:27:13.509 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 00:27:13.529 --> 00:27:15.450 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 00:27:15.569 --> 00:27:17.609 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 00:27:17.910 --> 00:27:20.549 Have an excellent time building out your vision 00:27:20.549 --> 00:27:21.890 and becoming a vision pro yourself.