We've been taught that discomfort is actually
a sign that it shouldn't be. But as we look at
just nature and anything, a seed literally has
to break through soil. A caterpillar has to struggle
through its cocoon in order to have the strength
to fly. A freaking eagle kicks their baby eagles
out the nest, and they say, fly. So if you don't
hit that ground, you learn how to fly. I found
nearly 88 % report a mental health struggle with
nearly 12 % citing no purpose or direction. I
don't know, what does that tell you about the
landscape of entrepreneurs with social media
and clarity and things like that? Yeah, Michael
first, can you send that article to me like this?
And I get to come in their world and say, what
do you need to remove from your life? to get
you unstuck. And oftentimes, we're so nurtured
to accumulate, I need more, I need more, I need
more. A story for people. Be as intelligent as
they are, but still be stuck or just living in
this mental prison. That's a really good question.
And like the first common response would be fear.
But as we look deeper, going back to where I
was sharing earlier, look deeply into it, I think
about the stories we tell ourselves. As I coach
many clients, the stories that they're telling
Is it empowering or disempowering? Is it showing
the story of resolve, resilience, the hero in
the story, or are they showing the victim of
the story? What's up, fam? Before we get into
this conversation, let me say this. Look, I know
it's a thing, right? But if what we do here on
this channel speaks to you, if it lifts you,
centers you, or helps you see your life a little
clearer, I invite you to like the video and subscribe
so you stay connected. If you want these conversations
with you beyond YouTube, download the Throttle
Journey podcast on your favorite RSS platform.
It is a small ass that goes a long way and it
really truly helps us create the kind of content
that doesn't just entertain but actually supports
your journey of growth and alignment. So hit
the like, subscribe, let's breathe in, get present,
step into the conversation. Well, we just met
and I just want to say Brother David Prosper,
which is a great last name. Welcome to the Thriveville
Journey podcast. How you doing? I'm doing well,
Michael. Thank you for having me. And I'm like,
when we first got on, like, I want to say, I
love your energy. So I'm excited for how this
this just uncover itself. Yeah. You know, we,
we here at the Thriveville Journey. We here meaning
me and my producer, we, we look, we, we know
who we want to have on the podcast based on the
research. And it never fails to have great people
on the podcast. And I can tell that you're one
of them. And we're really going to be talking
about your specialty, which is really finding
clarity in your life and breaking free from the
past. And before we get going, though, we'd always
say we'd have this thing that you know we have
this reflection reflective moment for our guests
um and I'm just read this question to you and
you can answer it how you will and uh the question
is what's one truth about yourself that took
you years to fully accept and how did embracing
it change everything this is why that's a really
good question I would say the biggest thing that
I've had to accept and and welcome is, and I
learned about myself, is that I see things differently
and I see past what is and what it could be.
And how I came to realize it was when I was a
sophomore in college at St. Norbert College in
Green Bay, Wisconsin, and my professor, it was
intro through humanities. He would often give
us pictures and give us poems and say, tell me
the deeper meaning. And that class frustrated
me because he would always say, you're looking
at it, but I need you to look at it deeper. And
I'm looking at this painting. He's like, what
does it convey? So him pushing and nurturing
and cultivating that in me, like it was already
there. But now I've learned to accept, like I
see deeper than things. And then oftentimes I'm
looking at my people around me. I was like, did
you not notice that? And they're like, I had
no clue what's going on. So I've come to just
accept that. see deeply into things and I Break
it down and I find the pros and cons like in
nanosecond. So that's a really good question
No, then I want to know how do you how do you
do that? I mean That's probably why you're good
and clarity and helping people with that. But
like how do you do that? It's like when asking
like a a magician or somebody like, how do you
do it? Like, it's some people comes naturally.
So for me, I break down in my mind what is effective,
what's ineffective. So if I'm listening to a
speech or if I'm looking at a presidential debate,
I'm like, what's effective? What's not effective?
That's what my brain is constantly doing. I'm
like, oh, he said this. It drew in the crowd.
Oh, that's effective. Well, he said this. This
was emotionally charging. That's ineffective.
So it's constantly And then once it does this
assessment, what's really being said, not what's
being showed, then I can make an assessment of,
OK, based on that, how do I navigate forward?
So it's constantly like, what's effective, what's
not effective? And then looking at the human
behavior, I'm like, OK, how's this gesture? What's
going on? Understanding the context, what's happening
around it. So it's being present wherever you're
at. and like fully engaged, like what's happening
and then making a decision from there. So that's
how I get to do it. If that made sense at all.
No, it made total sense. I was really, I was
like, man, that's really being totally in the
moment at the moment, like completely present,
not letting the past get into your future. That
kind of thing, just really being there with the
other persons or person, which is really cool.
Man, I find that interesting. I find that really
interesting. You have an extraordinary story
too. Can you share like a little overview of
your story kind of like from where you came from
to where you are now? That's a good question.
I would say I'm a son of two Haitian immigrants
who came into this country where my mother wanted
to give us the American dream where we had an
opportunity because growing up in Haiti, it's
like this is a third world country. So opportunity
is very scarce. So seeing how my mother came
out of the slums in the third world country of
Haiti, and now we're living in the projects of
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And, you know, like
that she made it in America, but I grew up poor.
So. I saw a lot of skill sets that my mom embodied,
and it was resiliency, resourcefulness, and resolve.
She was always determined. She was always resilient,
and then she could make anything out of anything.
So those characteristics growing up in Fort Lauderdale
then inspired me to continue to play football
in track. And those things got me off of the
streets, the projects, because a lot of my friends
that were either selling drugs, they were stealing
from things and people. And that's the trajectory
I was heading on, like growing into projects.
And sports literally saved my life and taught
me so many skills as far as teamwork, understanding
human dynamics, which then got me into college.
And as I was an athlete and a student, I was
always obsessed with why people do what they
do. And growing up in the projects and seeing
so many people who are very educated where I'm
from, if you ask them anything, they're smart,
but they live in this prison. And why do they
live in this prison? So I just became obsessed.
And it led me to figuring out what gets people
to move. And my role in sales has led me to interacting
with people. All that to say that the lessons
that I've learned, the hardships, the struggle
that I've seen throughout my world became the
catalyst to say, you know what? God, what's my
purpose? What am I here for? And he spoke those
words very audibly to me and it was clarity.
And ever since then, I've been obsessed with
helping people find clarity because clarity equals
progress, clarity equals confidence. So I'm like,
if we have more clarity, more confident people,
people who are more connected and more curious,
what kind of world could that be? So all that
to say all of that pain, struggle and trauma
led me to where I am today. That's a lot. Not
exactly your story. But a lot of people have
that background as a story. Right? They have
you mentioned that they're smart people living
in a prison. Yeah, it's a probably prison of
their own mind. Can you speak to that like what
why is that such a Just a just a story for people
to be as Ellen's intelligent as they are but
still be stuck or Just living in this mental
prison. Yeah, that's that's a really good question.
And like the first common response would be fear
But as we look deeper, going back to what I was
sharing earlier, look deeply into it, I think
about the stories we tell ourselves. And as I
coach many clients, I'm listening for, are their
story, the stories that they're telling, is it
empowering or disempowering? Is it showing a
story of... resolve, resilient, the hero in the
story or are they showing the victim of the story?
So seeing the people in where I grew up, it was
the stories that they told themselves. It's like
the white man's keeping me down. I can't make
it out. You know, it's a hard life. It's just
it is what it is. And it was just like the stories
shape our perspective. Our perspective shapes
our paradigm. Our paradigm shapes our mentality
and it ultimately becomes our beliefs and our
personality. So we get stuck in that story. And
I think the beauty of getting out of that story
is exposure and education is one vehicle. Mentors
is one vehicle. So it's just like, how do we
pause that story momentarily from going unstuck
into like living in freedom? So that's the biggest
thing. Yeah. As you were saying that I was thinking
about my background. I don't really remember
living in the projects, but it was like in Flint,
Michigan up to like three. And then we moved
to Grand Rapids, Michigan. And all I knew, though,
from, you know, three on to, I think, when I
left for college, was moving around, love my
mom, you know. She's no longer here, but I loved
her, loved her, loved her. Um, but there was
no stability for me on that side. On my dad's
side, you know, it was, but I live with my mom.
I grew up with my mom and I stayed with my dad
from time to time. And so moving around was my
story. You know, that's what happened. Um, and
I saw in that was this is, this is not how I
wanted to be. Right. And I got to college, went
to Europe for a while, came back. And then in
my twenties and on. I was living that story over
and over again. I was always moving. Moved to
California, moved from Michigan, Atlanta, Atlanta
to California, and moving, still moving. In California,
moving, moving, moving. And now I'm back in Georgia,
but I had to get out of that story. But I think
it was something I was playing pervasively in
the back of my mind. It was in our subconscious.
And I didn't realize it until I did, right? I
didn't know what I didn't know. What do you say
to people that are that are, that's them. They
may not notice it now, but it's something they
may have to face at some point. Yeah. I want
to celebrate the fact that you reflected enough
and said like, okay, that was a story. And then
I believe awareness is a first step of breakthrough.
And the fact that you noticed that, okay, moving
from California and now in Georgia. So it's like,
you're moving, moving, moving. It's, and that's
a loop. And Yes, get caught up in that and like,
continue with life because life does such a phenomenal
job at distracting us. So with pills and worries,
so going to your question, what would I say to
someone who's living in that or who's experienced
that first I want to say I see you like I've
been there. And I want to encourage you that
this isn't the way that life is. Design you get
to design it and co -design it and then the challenge
I would say is When's the last time you became
more present in the moments and reflect breathe?
Savor what you're eating and then when was the
last time you sincerely been curious Ask questions
like why does this the way is designed who what
was the intention like? Trying to understand
art like you know if we can do those two things
become more present and to ask more and more
questions as how is this design? Who designed
it? What's the context? And be truly curious
about what's around us and what's in front of
us. I believe only then can we start the journey
of living in clarity. Yeah. It took a lot of
self -reflection. It took a lot of work. It took
a lot of work to be this person right now. I
can only imagine. If you don't mind me asking.
No, go ahead. What was the question? How old
are you? Oh, how am I 48? I had to think about
it for a minute. You know why it's so funny because
maybe because we're talking about what had occurred.
Like, I may have been back there mentally because
I was, I swear to God, 30, 32, like it was in
my head. I was like, I'm not 30 anything. You
can tell me your biological age. It was like
what I identify as like my age is 38, but I'm
really 48 on my birth certificate. That's hilarious.
Right. Exactly. So it took you 48 years. And
for you, Michael, like, what would you say? Because
again, this is a conversation. What would you
say some of the points in your life that you've
been anchored? Like what, what are some things
that keep you anchored when, like we talked about
before, when the distractions, the stories, the
whirlwind of life happens? I'm curious. Um, what
gets me, I think maybe it's not that adopt a
technique, but I think, um, just getting still.
Um, so you know how sometimes what happened,
what will happen if, uh, when I'm living in a,
just kind of like, building a company and building
a business like it could be a lot, right? So
maybe in some days I'll be, you know, kind of
all over the place and and and trying to do something
but I don't or go somewhere and it feels like
I'm not going anywhere. Um I'm like just in the
same place place thinking I'm going somewhere.
Um what I'll do is like I'll catch myself. I
can do this now but I don't know. Maybe years
ago I couldn't but I'll catch myself. And I'm
like, is that, is this who I'm being right now?
Like am I being confused and am I, you know,
not being the person that's really present and
still. And so what I'll do is I'll just stop.
I'll just stop everything and just get really
present and just chill. I'll just chill and I'll
realize that all the stuff that's around me is
still where it's at. It's just it's me. I'm the
hurricane of the situation. And I'll just get
still and come back to myself, basically, and
wait for that moment to settle in. And then I'll
move on. So it takes something though. Yeah,
as I'm listening to you, like most people talk
about the pause. But as I listen to you more
like you're like, it's not a hurricane around
me and I'm the hurricane. Like, I'm hearing a
reset. And when I think of like, resetting my
phone when it's acting slow, or it's not like
pulling up the internet as fast as I want. I
grew up on dial -up. Okay, okay. I know. My internet
is fast now. But as I'm listening to you, I'm
like, I'm hearing the power of the reset. And
Michael, that could be a TED talk right there.
It's like the power of the reset. When life starts
life in like, and you took that ownership too.
You're like, I'm the hurricane. Most people with
positions like I'm the hero in the story and
all these things are happening to me. That speaks
volume to like who you are and who you're becoming.
That's beautiful. Yeah, I didn't hear that. Okay,
I'm gonna write that down. Hold on a second.
Write that down. But that's what you do. That's
what you do. That's the kind of coach you are,
right? Like you're listening for what people
are dealing with and how they can really, I guess,
side with themselves or take care of it themselves
or how does that work? Oftentimes when I meet
people, especially my coaching clients or just
people in general, it's like, this is gonna sound
like a really bad example, but it is what it
is. It's like, we're all backed up. Like think
of your toilet, like we're all backed up and
everyone needs a flush. They know they need.
love is like some stuff is stinking around the
house but they're just like but I don't know
where the flush is but the flush is literally
right in front of the button and they're just
like but there's so many other buttons so like
think of it like your toilet has all these buttons
like but which one to choose it's that long silver
one but they're like but that one's clear that
one's and I get to come in their world and say
what do you need to remove from your life to
get you unstuck And oftentimes we're so nurtured
to accumulate, I need more, I need more, I need
more. But I'm like, what needs to get removed?
And once we can start doing like the spring cleaning
of our emotions in our mind, what happens is
now we can start finding the things that we misplace,
like our values, our identity, our dreams, our
aspiration. But it doesn't happen when we start
doing subtraction. And that's subtracting Places
that we go to conversations that we have people
that we hang out with so once we start moving
things out then we can start focusing on what
is and what was buried and then we can start
planting those seeds of what Clarities next step
can I take versus trying to understand everything?
So as a coach I just I just help people clear
to cut the clutter and then I'm like, alright
Remember that thing you were missing when you
think you were thinking about it being as a kid
Hey, let's talk about that dream. Why did that
dream die? Oh, somebody told me I wasn't smart
enough. And then we unpack that and then we go
right back to that dream so people feel like
they're making progress versus just circling
the story of what's happened to them. When you
say that, I'm thinking about how people live
in the story or a superstition of themselves
or a story or whatever. And then you talked about
the clutter. And my mind went to, you know, okay,
it's a podcast, we're on YouTube, you know, I
know, you know, social media, all that stuff,
right. And do you find like a lot of people that
are that are kind of cluttered with all this
stuff, that all this new stuff, AI, social media,
whatever else is is really a source. of the lack
of clarity, because it's so much right now. Yeah,
we're inundated with information, with things.
It's vying for our attention. I remember my college
professor once told us, he said, the media doesn't
tell you what to think, but what to think about.
And it makes me think about everything that we
have with AI, with social media. There's always
something urgent. There's this one post I saw
on TikTok. The creator was like, every time I
get on social media, I make sure I post something
like a content before I start scrolling. And
we're so conditioned to consume that we stop
believing that we have the ability to create.
So the perception of social media is there's
so much stuff, there's so much stuff. So we're
in the mindset of I need to consume. But finding
clarity is like, yeah, I can consume some stuff
that resonates with me, but let me also create
and contribute because I'm a creator. So it's
moving from, we're going to live on social media.
We're going to live on a digital platforms, but
how do we still create and design a life that
isn't alignment? So for me specifically, I know
I'm a consumers. social media content. So I only
follow people that levels me up and anything
contrary to that. So I get to filter my content
and whatever I consume, I imitate. So it's like
we can be courageous and strong and entrepreneurs
and great people consume the content. Whatever
we're feeding is who we become. So I see it as
a beauty even in the noise. And it's just filtering
what needs to get subtracted. Not everything
can be the things that we consume and not everything
in that season too. So yeah, I think so. That's
a great question, by the way. Yeah, do you? Thank
you. Man, there's so much. So I was looking at
like, you know, what, I know you deal with a
lot of high achievers, entrepreneurs and things
like that. And I wanted to know a couple of things.
And so I Gather some information and this is
a recent survey. I think I know I can't find
the name of the server right now, but it was
like 227 entrepreneurs since you talked about
that found nearly 88 percent 88 found nearly
88 percent Report a mental health to struggle
with nearly 12 percent citing no purpose or direction
I don't know. What does that tell you about the
the landscape of entrepreneurs with you know
social media and clarity and things like that
yeah michael first can you send that article
to me like that it's not dope but it's cool to
hear that it confirms i would say a lot of entrepreneurs
they they again going back to social media there's
so many ways to make money so many ways So they
see the affiliate deal. They see, oh, this, if
I start doing cryptocurrency, if I start doing
trading, and it's just like, again, it's a sea
of information and noise. So I believe why a
lot of entrepreneurs and high achievers struggle
with finding clarity is because, again, it goes
back to the consume, consume from a place of
I don't know me. So it's an identity issue more
than anything else. So when we don't know when
we don't know what kind of car we're driving,
the destination that we're driving to, how our
car is wired, we're bound to make ineffective
decisions. So I drive a Tesla, my friend drive
a gas vehicle, like it drives differently. So
if I let go of the gas, it slows down. But for
a gas car, you have to continue to press it or
you gotta press the brake. So it's an identity
issue. So we don't know who we are. And we don't
start asking questions. Who are we becoming?
How are we wired? How do we want to serve the
world? What's our gifts? So we think we can find
it in activities. So what we talk about in Clarity
coaching is alignment. Alignment is who I'm not
a serve. What am I good at? What are my core
values? And who do I belong to? So once we understand
our identity and we can start working on our
beliefs, because there's people who believe if
I do a lot of action, if I'm successful on the
outside, eventually I'll be successful on the
inside. That's a broken belief in a lot of entrepreneurial
leaders. They feel that empty feeling and lack
of fulfillment. So it's shifting that beliefs
is what do I believe to be true about me? And
then it's the action. What actions that are constant
alignment, just like when you said when you feel
yourself drifting, you reset. I think a lot of
entrepreneurs don't have that reset and don't
have that anchor. And it's grounded in a lot
of competition of, oh, you're doing that. I want
to do that. Or envy. It's not coming from a place
of true creation. And I believe there's there's
so much to be created. So but you hear that statistic.
It's it's alarming. Because there's a lot of
influencers who are out there here on the travel
journey We talk a lot about not just surviving
but thriving and a big part of that for me has
been understanding my health on a deeper level
That's why I partnered with live good and brought
it under my company Oriental Not just because
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Of course, of course, always, always, always
consult your physician before starting any new
supplement or health regimen. Your body is unique
and your health care provider should always be
part of the conversation. The links are in the
show notes. Now tap in and take your next step
toward thriving. projecting the story either
somebody projected on us or a story we started
to inherit falsely. Once we break away from that
story plot line, and then we start moving into
what's truly important to me. I believe that's
where purpose and fulfillment and the aliveness
and the connection and the freedom of expression
starts living. I don't know how to frame this.
Do you? Okay, let me try to bring context first.
So with all the frame, the scrolling through
the social media, the entrepreneur trying to
find his or her identity, and they have all these
things that are speaking to them, you know, you
can make this much money doing this, and they
go into it and they find it like not working
for them, then they go to something else. And
it's like a, you know, just they own a swing
set, jumping from thing, you know, thing to thing
but never finding themselves or what they're
they're truly connected to. That is the reset
that we're talking about like so that they can
really truly identity is what I'm saying. I guess
they need to find the identity for themselves
before they keep clicking and spending money
going down the funnel. Yeah. Identity is it sums
it all up. Identity sums it up. Yeah. You are
you sent an email. I tried to find it, I couldn't
find it, but you have these archetypes. And I
did one, my producer, Yvonne, the producer, she
did one. Can you talk about archetypes? Like,
why are they important, you know, for someone
who's trying to find themselves intentionally?
Yeah, it's like a board game. Thank you for doing
that architect quiz. I appreciate that. It's
like a board game. And I envision monopolies.
Sometimes people with a shoe, they're the hat.
So with the archetype, it's the clarity archetype
helps you understand where you're at in the season
and how you identify currently. So it's the wanderer.
The wanderer is the individual who's like going
through a fog, they're driving, they're squinting,
they're tense. They know that their destination's
on the other side, but they can't quite see it.
They don't know how and it's like. there's a
lot of ambiguity and chaos and turmoil inside,
then they meet somebody on the journey of the
road and then that person asks them a clarity
catalyst question that uncovers an entire new
world for them. So they become a seeker. They're
inspired. They're like, oh, ah, like. I'm fascinated
by how the brain works and how behavior works.
So I'm going to understand neuroscience and psychology.
I'm interested about nutrition. And then the
seeker is constantly consuming information, attended
networking events and just looking for that knowledge.
They're obsessed with understanding how it works.
And then that seeker then meets another person
on the journey. And that person is like, have
you created a system that you can follow? And
then they become that architect and the architect
is like, OK, I've consumed and gathered enough
data now with this data. What is the story that
I want to create and co -create with my creator?
And they start designing their ecosystems, their
friendships group. They start redesigning their
relationship if they've been married or together
with platonic and romantic relationships so that
the life that they're living is a life that they've
created versus a life they've been given to by
default. And then once that person is practicing
designing their lives long enough, they move
into the last archetype, which is the flow master.
And the flow master is so grounded and rooted.
So it is grounded in the values and the identity
in the systems that it's built. And now it's
starting to produce fruit and seeds and give
inspiration and mentor and water and inspire
others to start taking a journey. So. the four
archetypes just shows you where you're at in
a journey. And then the quiz also breaks down
even deeper. The PDF that that comes with it
or should come with it breaks down even deeper,
like what type of career roles that you might
be in. What's your relationship dynamic? What
are your strengths and weaknesses? And we all
go through the cycles at different points of
our lives because we're all going to go in transitions.
So just to show you where you're at, we're never
fixed. Sometimes we can be two clarity types
in one day, an architect and a seeker or a wanderer
because we're doing something new in our business
or a flow master in our relationship. So like
we move interchangeably between all of them,
but it's just knowing where we're at and how
to navigate. Oh, so the question may seem weird
because we keep talking about it, right? And
it seems like it's self understandable. That's
a thing. What is what is clarity and how important
is it? Like, I know it's a basic question is
should be like very clear to people. But I don't
know if it is. It's not I'm learning on this
journey. Like a brother because I'm an amateur
boxer is like you have a book coming out. It's
called finding clarity. I'm like, yeah. It's
like, what's that? So I was like, okay, I gotta
simplify this. So clarity is putting on new glasses
of life, seeing clear past what you thought you
saw before. So it is wisdom. It is making good,
effective decision. Instead of asking what is
the best or what is the good or wrong way to
do things, asking what is the best thing to do,
given everything I've understood. Taking your
next right step and is just seeing things more
clearly and understanding things more Holistically
so you can move effectively is how I would define
it and in that clear in that world of clarity
People you could really start discovering your
purpose, right? Yeah Some people are unsure about
what that is still how does that? Find that clarity
helps somebody find their purpose when they're
just so unsure even though they're like Yeah,
I want to be a, you know, a X, whatever it is.
But that's clear to them, but they don't know
necessarily how to live that or navigate that
purpose. Yeah, I think we've been so we've been
conditioned and we've been marketed to such such
phenomenally well and I've been in that system.
We have to know our purpose. And then we we compare
ourselves to people who know their purpose and
people and they're like, well, they know their
purpose. How come I don't know my purpose? They
know their purpose because they start taking
steps and they started getting feedback. So clarity
is, okay, what is my next right step? And as
I take my next right step, it creates a compound
clarity and compound clarity becomes a movement.
And then we start understanding who's in alignment
and who's not in alignment. So I break it down
in my upcoming book, The C5 Model, which is capacity.
Do I have the ability to hold what's in the season
for me? Am I growing? Is my ability to navigate
things increasing? And then number two on the
C5 is competency. Am I developing the skill set
to understand what I'm aspiring to or what I'm
currently doing? Am I becoming a master in what
I'm doing? And then the third C is courage. Am
I taking those steps to move forward despite
feeling fear? And then number four on the C5
is connection. Who am I connected to and what
am I connected to in this season? So my grandfather
would always say, tell me who your friends are
and I'll tell you where your future goes. And
then he would go off and say, the first place
you go blind is in the eye. And I was like, where
else would you do that? But it's connecting to
the right people in the right things. And then
the last C of the C5 model is curiosity. Am I
exploring what's around me? What am I doing?
And I think if we start implementing those C5s,
then it starts giving us better feedback to align
what we're good at. How do we want to serve the
world? And how can we make money doing it? Yeah,
I like I like all that. Now you talk about also
you talk about the messy middle. And I would
you just explain a bit of you know, your your
your your five C's is that does that help somebody
that's in the middle that's finding clarity have
a purpose. And then I guess, somewhere in the
between there that just got get all confused
don't know what's going on. You know, trying
to find their navigate their life and all that
kind of good stuff. Yeah. When we're in a messy
middle, we're in a learning phase. So we're definitely
building our capacity and think about anything
we've learned. The learning phase suck. Yeah,
it does. I'm in it right now for something I'm
doing. Oh, I'm so excited for you. Cause when
you come on the other end, you're going to be
able to teach that. Yeah. The learning phase
sucks. So the messy middle is a learning. And
one, one of the phrases I learned in college,
my freshman year of college in football camp,
one of the seniors said, marry the process and
the outcomes inevitable. And at the age of 17,
I was like, what the heck does this mean? But
as I became older and more mature, I was like,
we are so hyper -focused, myself included, especially
as high achievers, on the outcome. I have this
vision. I want to see this vision done last year.
But the development is in the process. Like,
how am I making progress in the process? I got
1 % better today. I got 2 % better and the compound
effect one of my favorite book compound effect
is it it exponentially catapults us to where
we're going and Then once we start meeting people
so it's marrying the process so when someone's
in the middle the easier thing is like exercising
and I'm an amateur boxer and One of the things
that suck is like during sparring sessions like
I want to give up like my lungs are heavy and
like I'm still getting hit and I have to defend
but uh it's it's saying okay like this is uncomfortable
but I know if I endure this long enough I just
gotta finish I just got so individuals in the
middle in the messy middle just finish just keep
on walking one foot in front of the other and
I promise you on the other side it's gonna be
so effective and you're gonna look back and say
man I'm glad I did it and I don't have any regret
and then you're gonna reach out and teach someone
else because while we go through it is our chance
to learn so we can minimize people's experiences
so they can exponentially get to where they're
trying to get to. One of the powerful things
you said in that was just finish. So many people
and I'm right here too. You start something and
you just know it's for you. You get that messy
middle and you won't complete it and then you
now you start back at the beginning again. Yeah.
I mean that's such a a cycle again this is I
had to call myself out man. I had to call myself
out time and time again. I'm like dude I don't
look okay this is past your like you said capacity
this is past your capacity but you can grow your
capacity this is me talking to myself you can
grow your capacity because now you're on this
road and you ain't getting off so Keep going.
I have to tell myself that. But a lot of people,
you know, and I know a few, not me anymore. I'm
just claiming that. I'm declaring that I'm not
that person. That I is not me. They'll get on
that road and get in that messy space and then
just give up. Like, get some clarity on these
people that's listening and watching. That's
them. Getting that messy space and be like, oh,
I can't do this. And then they go back to the
beginning again. We've been taught that discomfort
is actually a sign that it shouldn't be. But
as we look at just nature and anything, a seed
literally has to break through soil. A caterpillar
has to struggle through its cocoon in order to
have the strength to fly. A freaking eagle kicks
their baby eagles out the nest, and they say,
fly. So, and if you don't hit that ground, you
learn how to fly. Right. So, so when we see any
type of resistance, we're like, that's the word,
we slow down. But if any one of us has ever exercised
in the gym before the failure is how we build
muscle. So like people, we go to the gym just
to fail. Like, all right, we failed today. Great
job. We celebrate that. What if we take that
and, oh, we failed today? That means we're getting
better. Our muscle, our capacity is increasing.
Our wisdom is increasing. Like, oh, that didn't
work this time. And it's like the middle is where
you build the muscle and the gains to support
literally everything else. But you're just like,
no, that's too much resistance. I don't want
to be strong. It's like, and I had this conversation
with one of my clients today. I was so upset
with her. She was like, I was alone today. And
I realized I don't like being lonely. And it
made me emotional. I was like, isn't that what
you prayed for? You prayed so that you're no
longer dependent emotionally on other people.
And you got what you prayed for. She was like,
I didn't even think of that. I was like, now
you have nothing but time and space to love yourself.
And she was like, oh. I was like exactly so like
when we pray for strength God says great I'm
gonna give you some weights we pray for love
we get some people you like the things that we're
manifesting like we're getting the opportunity
to develop the skill set to maintain it because
I believe like anyone can get things but most
very few people can maintain things so in the
messy middle is your ability in your opportunity
to maintain sustain and ultimately elevate whatever
you achieve So stay. Maintain, sustain, and elevate.
You were talking, and I'm trying to find it in
my notes. You talked about some emotional something.
It wasn't emotional intelligence. It was something
else. What was it? Emotional capacity, emotional
regulation. Maybe you talked about emotional
capacity. It's in some of my notes here. I apologize.
So how does one build that? Because I would just
say, I mean, is it just through trial and just
situational things or how does that show for
people? Because not everybody has a great level
of emotional understanding, especially in the
entrepreneurship world. Deals break off because
people can't deal with each other or things in
that space. And, you know, how does someone grow
that for themselves? That's a great question.
And I remember hearing a story of a gentleman
who was like the best at spotting counterfeit
money. And they asked him, how did you do that?
Or how are you able to like nanoseconds, you
know, spot a fake? He was like, because I studied
what looks right. So you ask, how can someone
build that capacity to have emotional discernment,
to have emotional regulation, to increase their
emotional intelligence? um to navigate emotionally
charged up situations it's a great question i
would encourage everyone to study what works
and for me specifically i studied the book of
proverbs which is in the bible and that's the
book of wisdom so it tells you like how how to
navigate life and there's other authors who do
a phenomenal job i just believe the bible is
the best um but it's a studying wisdom And I'm
a fan of Marcus Aurelius and great philosophers.
So how to increase it? Study the ones who have
done it right. Study the wisdom and then take
a next step because it's not just good to know,
it's to apply. So learning ways to apply. And
for me, I've learned this in therapy about tapping.
So if I feel emotionally charged up in my relationship
or my girlfriend is saying something, And I want
to respond to her and love and understand where
she's coming from without getting charged up.
I start tapping. I breathe. And I'm like, I'm
feeling a little triggered right now. So it's
like, it's one thing to know how wisdom is another
thing to apply the wisdom of navigating emotionally
charged up situation, regulating your emotions
and then understanding the emotions and the context
in which someone's coming from. And it's not
justifying their behavior, but it's choosing
the healthier approach. So I would end with that.
That's a great, like, resolve for people, I think.
But someone has to be willing to do that. Yeah.
Well, they used to say you can't push a parked
car. So like, yeah. That's funny. But it's true.
It's very true. And I know you kind of touched
on this earlier, but you're talking about your
clarity framework, right? And since we're talking
about emotional awareness, how does that feature
in your framework? Especially since we're talking
about entrepreneurs, they're just kind of stuck
in action. How does that play? Yeah. So the emotional...
regulation and intelligence, it feeds into like
the C5 model, which is the clarity framework.
And that that goes under competency. And like
you said, somebody has to be willing. There's
also courage. It's not like one through five.
It's the five. And then you use it however it
makes sense. So like you said, it takes courage
to be like, you know what? I am not competent
in this area. So how do I develop my skill set?
so I can be a better husband, spouse, partner,
business owner, leader in a way that it moves
people forward versus push people forward or
away. So it's communicating and understanding
businesses, relationships. So how, if I get better
at relationships, I ultimately get better at
business. So when people like separates like
communication, it's interchangeable because Even
AI, you have to communicate to AI effectively.
So if you have crappy prompts on chat, GBT is
because the communication is crap. So it's like
once we get better at relationships, growing
our competency there, the business side become
even easier. Marketing is saying, hey, I want
a relationship with you. Sales is saying, hey,
we're getting into a relationship with you. Operation
is saying, hey, this is how our relational rhythms
are going. HR is saying, let's do check ins in
our relationship, businesses relationship. So
like if we grow our competency, their emotional
intelligence, how to navigate it with people
in different personalities, I believe will thrive,
ha, thrive. You're right. Very nice. Very nice.
Very nice. Very nice. I want to throw this last
statistic at you real quick. It says nearly 45
% of employees now expect purpose in their work,
up from 29 % just a year ago, I guess is the
most recent. Do you think or can you speak on
how like, clarity becomes a like a competitive
advantage for people who are like, my work is
my purpose. And, and that's their they're aligned
with their jobs. Yeah, it's The advantage I see
the visual I want to create is now there's this
viral thing in Indonesia, the rowers and this
kid is dancing. It's like the Olympic rower team
and then the kindergarten class at recess. If
that painted the visual Olympic team and then
kindergarten class at recess, one is chaotic
and that's a lot of organizations. They're like,
a lot of people are doing things. A lot of hands
are in their different pots. And it was like,
we have a mission. We have values that we put
on the walls, but we really don't know where
we're going. And I've been a part of a lot of
those organizations. It was like, we're so mission
driven that we forget why we do what we do. We
know what we do. We know how we do what we do,
but we don't know why we do it. And we don't
stay in that space of how do we evolve? versus
the business who has clarity, their leader has
clarity and like your statistic that was beautiful.
The leader first has to do that C5 model themselves
and then train and develop their subordinates
and team to implement it as well. And if a business
has clarity, it's like everyone is focused. It's
like a Super Bowl team. Everyone knows the mission.
They know what's going on and they execute as
one. But when teams and organizations and leaders
and entrepreneurs don't have clarity, they're
the playground full of kindergarten kids. It's
crazy and chaotic. Dodgeball. Right. Just like,
let me just do the shoe. He was supposed to throw
the ball. So it's just like, hold on. I'm supposed
to use this tool, but I didn't use this tool
effective. And that's understanding why we do
what we do. So if our purpose like Amazon to
be the the best customer service company in the
world on the planet, like they're constantly
like, okay, even if this is gonna take away from
my business, like if you buy something from Amazon,
you don't like it, you don't, I think some policy,
you don't have to ship it back. They'll ship
you a new one. And it's just like, they minimize
the friction of like, oh man, I have to go to
the post office and ship this. because they want
to have the best customer service in the planet.
That's their purpose. So the mission changes,
the assignment changes, but the purpose always
remain the end goal. So we can change the vehicle,
but the vision has to stay the same. And that's
what gives us the ability to marry the process
and the outcome is inevitable. I was just picturing
actually this big old light that's ahead of me,
above me. I had that experience with Amazon.
So that's where my mind went. Like, it was so
it's a, I don't know, it costs some money. And
they were like, well, because it was missing
the piece, they just sent me out another one.
And they really care about I've been on they
cared, but they sent me out the new one before
I even had the chance to send the old one. And
I was just getting I was thinking about that
experience. When you were talking about that,
and There, if you, you said that the number one
best customer service. This is to be the number
one customer service on the planet. Yeah. And
so like they, that's their, that's their mission.
That was a part of their mission or whatever.
And I felt it like in my experience, you know,
and I want to put that on a person. Like what's
their mission and how do you have somebody feel
that mission that you're up to? That's a really
good one. You're moving from knowledge to embodiment.
Like we it's in our DNA and that's a overused
word, but it's it's how we do life. And if like
my my specific mission is to and purpose is to
help one billion people support and guide one
billion people to live a life by design. So when
each interaction I have with someone, I'm constantly
thinking, how do I make their world a little
bit better? How do I challenge their paradigm
so that they start creating a life from their
perspective versus the perspective that they've
inherited or been given? And if I can do that
effectively in each interaction, like how you
felt when Amazon, they sent you the package before
you even sent it to them, like you feel it. So
for us, we have to embody it and embodying it
is our values. And that's where it's just going
to alignment. So. If you're honest, if you're
authentic, people gonna feel you. But if you're
not, we can put on a show like my girlfriend's
brow girl asked her the other day, she was like,
is Prosper always this happy all the time, like
on his social media? Or is that a front? She
was like, no, that's him. Like, he's goofy. But
when he's not like that, that's when I know something's
bad. And the biggest compliment I can get as
a leader is, that my my significant other feels
that I am authentic, both on screen and off screen.
Like that's who I am versus living a double life.
And I'm appearing to be some way. And at home,
I'm controlling and abusive like that. Like I
I can't come out into the world one way and I'm
living a different way. So I believe when we
start embodying that, then people don't feel
it. And then We just are who we say we are versus
trying to project and we we attract the right
tribe to I think this the problem I want to say
probably I think that is the most Powerful thing
you can do for yourself or be for yourself is
be authentically who you are and People will
get it or they won't People will be attracted
to that or they won't and both ways are okay.
Yeah and In that space, I know we kind of talked
about it and we, I mean, throughout this conversation,
you spoke it up, but I've never actually, actually
asked you, what is the first step for someone
who wants to find clarity? What is that first
step? That's a great question. This acronym,
O -Q -P, only quality people. Go find some quality
people. That's the first step. And if you can't
find quality people around you that model clarity,
healthy confidence, find it in a book, find it
in a podcast like this. And that's the first
step because in order to move from confusion
to clarity, it takes exposure and exposure leads
us to education. And then the third step would
be embodiment. So it's meditating, it's getting
grounded. So we expose ourselves to new content,
places that can open our minds a little bit more.
And then we educate ourselves by what's this
information. And then we start practicing embodiment
of how can I get grounded? So even before finding
quality people, I would say get grounded, get
connected, move out of survival because it's
more of a physiological thing and a psychological
thing. So get grounded. And then once you are
in a grounded place and you're out of your amygdala
survivor brain, and you're in your prefrontal
cortex, then find a quality person that you can
just learn from, cultivate that relationship,
and then explore. So I had another question about
that. You can get really scientific and quantum
on what you just shared. And I was trying to
keep it real, not trying to go to some levels
where people can understand, identify, and use,
use these tools for themselves. So maybe we have
to go come back another time and talk about the
quantum, quantum physics of it all. One last
question, and you may not be able to summarize
it really quickly, but breaking free from the
past, and we kind of talked about it, but breaking
free from the past really can set somebody free,
right? What is that first step? look like or
a couple of steps. Challenge your stories. So,
whatever stories are showing up, challenge it
and then explore your stories. I would I would
say that's the first step. I love that because
we as we talked about it earlier, we sometimes
live in our stories and the stories that we live
in aren't necessarily true. Yeah. It's kind of
something that we made up in our minds, right?
And we sometimes just continue to live in that.
And think that that's the way that life is. But
then here comes the superstition of it all. You
have clients that you work with that you really
help get that clarity, break free from the past.
I think that's powerful for people when they
actually get the world of freedom, clarity, understanding
their purpose or purposes. What are the type
of clients that you work with? That's a great
question. I work with all walks of life. So I
work with a 23 year old who's trying to figure
out what's their next step and diagnose with
schizophrenia and multiple personalities and
ADHD, helping getting them clarity to a 67 year
old retiree is just like, okay, what's in my
next season of life? So work with all sorts of
types of people in different seasons, individuals
in transits, transitions. So it's very robust,
but the commonality between all these individuals
I get to work with from high influencing executive,
making six figures to a school principal that
I coach is these individuals is just like, I
know what I've been doing isn't working. What
do I need to do that does work? And how can I
be a part of the creation of that? So those are
the courageous people who are saying, you know,
I'm done living in this space. So those are the
people I get to work with. And you help them
live their life by their design, right? Yes.
Yeah. So Before we leave, what's one thing on
your mind, your heart that you want to share
as your last words on this podcast this time?
Every day make progress, every day find clarity.
And I believe if we can do those two things,
we can get through the hard days, we can get
through the great days, but we're just getting
through the day when we're just, we're moving
forward. we get that aha moment is like when
we first learn a new subject in class. Oh, that's
awesome. So every day, make progress every day,
find clarity. And I believe if we can do that,
we'll live a life by design. I love that. How
can people get in touch with you? Yes. So my
website, David B Prosper dot com. I'm on all
social media platforms, but the place I love
playing in the most is Instagram at David B Prosper
and I would love to connect with you should you
hear this message and it resonate. Hear your
story, ask more questions. This side is a little
different. I'm being interviewed, but I would
love to connect with you on those platforms.
Nice, nice. And you know, like every good podcast,
they'll have their information connected. And
I want to say thank you. But before we go, there's
a last question that we asked for our watchers
and our listeners, which is my basically heard
about David's journey here. And I want to know
what's one area of your life where you're ready
to break free from the default mode and start
living with more intention and living your life
by design. One way what I would say connect with
David as you'd be like you'd like to be called
prosper, right? Yes. Yeah, nice. This has been
a great conversation. Uh, the hour has gone by
so quick. Um, and I have so much, I had so many
more things I want to talk about, but I try to
keep it, um, uh, succinct as much as possible,
but, um, you brought such value, uh, to the podcast
and I really appreciate it. And I thank you.
Thank you for the opportunity and you'll keep
me posted on the release. Absolutely. Yeah, it's
actually all set. Yvonne, she's a master at dealing
with all of that stuff. And we'll get all the
information to you for sure. All right. Thanks
so much, Mike. You got it. Thank you for being
on the Thrive World journey, David. And as we
always say, let's make thriving our new normal.
And I'll talk to you next week.