Order of Man - OoM 026： Becoming a Self Made Man with Mike Dillard

00:00:00.000 A real man is a strong man, one who has identified his core values and has mastered himself.

00:00:04.620 However, with the environment changing so fast around us, it's hard to keep up,

00:00:08.120 let alone remain a beacon of stability and strength in the lives of those you love.

00:00:11.940 This week I talk with Mike Dillard from Self-Made Man about the most powerful point of leverage a man can use,

00:00:16.840 how to increase the value you provide to the world, and how you can finally become a self-made man.

00:00:21.720 You're a man of action. You live life to the fullest.

00:00:24.640 Embrace your fears and boldly chart your own path.

00:00:27.320 When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time, every time.

00:00:32.040 You are not easily deterred or defeated, rugged, resilient, strong.

00:00:37.100 This is your life. This is who you are.

00:00:39.600 This is who you will become at the end of the day, and after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.

00:00:47.620 Welcome, welcome. This is Ryan Mickler, the founder of Order Man.

00:00:50.320 As always, thanks for tuning in from wherever you are.

00:00:53.320 Whether you're listening to this on a drive or on a run or at home or at work,

00:00:56.940 I am so glad that you're tuning in today. We've got a great one lined up.

00:01:01.180 I'm having a conversation with somebody that I consider a mentor,

00:01:04.160 and he has been a tremendous help as we've launched the Order of Man blog and podcast.

00:01:08.540 We talk all about entrepreneurship, planning your day, technology and how it'll change the world,

00:01:13.640 skill sets that all successful men have, and so much more.

00:01:17.500 But first, I want to give a big thanks to those of you who left reviews this week.

00:01:20.680 It means a ton to me when you take time out of your day to write those reviews.

00:01:24.880 I know that you don't have to. I know that you've got other things to do, but I do appreciate you.

00:01:30.120 Now, I do ask, if you haven't already, leave us a rating or interview.

00:01:33.720 It means a ton to me. I read each and every one of those,

00:01:35.920 and sometimes it is just the fuel that I need to keep on going with this mission.

00:01:39.980 Now, you know this already, but you need to join our Facebook group if you haven't done so already.

00:01:45.660 And that's not to be confused with our Facebook page.

00:01:47.600 So you can go to facebook.com slash groups slash Order of Man.

00:01:52.000 We're about 320 strong right now.

00:01:54.200 Last week when I told you about this, we were at 150.

00:01:57.280 So you can see that we're growing.

00:01:58.820 Again, just head to facebook.com slash groups slash Order of Man.

00:02:02.680 Or better yet, you can type in Order of Man in the Facebook search bar

00:02:06.140 and request to join access to the group.

00:02:08.200 And we would love to have you there.

00:02:10.020 We're having great conversations.

00:02:12.060 It's one of the most active groups that I've ever participated in.

00:02:15.280 So I'd love to see you there.

00:02:16.520 All right.

00:02:16.780 And as always, show notes for this show can be found at OrderofMan.com slash 026.

00:02:22.580 Now, let me introduce you to my guest, Mike Dillard.

00:02:25.860 Mike is an entrepreneur.

00:02:27.160 He built his first million dollar business when he was just 27 years old,

00:02:31.480 teaching small business owners how to market their products and market their services online

00:02:35.280 using what he calls attraction marketing strategies.

00:02:38.360 In 2010, he founded a financial education company which focused on teaching others how to achieve financial freedom.

00:02:45.100 He did this through investment strategies commonly reserved for the wealthy.

00:02:48.780 Combined, his businesses have produced more than $50 million in revenue without any outside funding.

00:02:56.220 Today, Mike dedicates his time to mentoring other entrepreneurs

00:02:59.120 and developing technologies in the aeroponics industry that will give people around the world access

00:03:05.040 to clean, healthy, organic food at a fraction of today's current prices.

00:03:09.800 You can find him blogging and podcasting at MikeDillard.com.

00:03:14.760 Mike Dillard, thanks for joining us on the show today.

00:03:16.640 Oh, thanks, Ryan.

00:03:17.660 I'm looking forward to it.

00:03:19.640 We're going to have a good conversation.

00:03:21.380 You and I are on similar wavelengths as far as what we believe about manhood and masculinity

00:03:25.700 and some of the same projects that we're doing.

00:03:28.560 In fact, we started our podcast around the same time,

00:03:31.300 and I'd like to hear and let everybody know, I've heard it, of course,

00:03:33.920 but let everybody know a little bit about your reasoning for starting Self-Made Man

00:03:38.340 because I really, really enjoy what you have to say about it.

00:03:41.320 Yeah, it's interesting how people tend to come to the same conclusion

00:03:44.900 and start to produce the same solutions to problems out there in the world

00:03:48.860 as you have done with Order of Man and what I seemingly have done here with Self-Made Man,

00:03:52.420 and we even have similar logos, which is pretty cool.

00:03:54.340 And, you know, this was an idea that I had a year or two ago

00:03:58.420 in looking out at the world today and specifically over the last 10 to 20 years

00:04:04.000 how the world has changed in America specifically.

00:04:07.100 It became quite concerning, you know, seeing where the world is headed,

00:04:11.680 which for me really equates to a lack of values.

00:04:16.040 You see a lot more crime.

00:04:18.700 You see a lot less leadership specifically in Washington.

00:04:22.400 In the political realm, you see a lot more corruption in the business world,

00:04:25.960 specifically the financial sector.

00:04:28.400 And America, to me, appears to have gone from a nation that was built on values of integrity

00:04:34.660 and honesty and hard work and, you know, these values that lead to long-term success

00:04:40.380 down into a pit of each, you know, each person for themselves at any cost.

00:04:45.720 Lie, cheat, steal, do whatever you want to do.

00:04:48.720 And that's really concerning for me, especially since I have a four-year-old son.

00:04:54.140 And so we started to think about, well, what can little old me do to have an impact on that

00:05:00.620 and to potentially change that?

00:05:02.680 And when you ask yourself the question,

00:05:04.200 how do you change the fabric of an entire society in a nation of 350 million people,

00:05:09.020 it's an interesting question, and you come to an answer which has two options.

00:05:14.680 You can either do it with the barrel of a gun,

00:05:17.360 which is typically used throughout history in other countries specifically.

00:05:22.060 And it's extremely effective, but not the ideal option, if you can imagine.

00:05:27.120 And so if you can't use force and you don't want to use force,

00:05:30.520 then what is the other option?

00:05:31.740 And for me, the conclusion that I came to is that you have to change the values held by men specifically in that society

00:05:40.220 because usually that is the man's job, whether it's in business, politics, or family,

00:05:46.560 is to take the leadership role.

00:05:47.820 And I don't say that to belittle women at all.

00:05:50.780 They have their responsibilities and roles that we as men can never live up to or do as well.

00:05:56.740 But throughout society and history, that's been the male duty is to be the provider, the hunter, and the leader.

00:06:03.080 If you want to have a long-term effect on a large society,

00:06:06.560 you have to go back and you have to change the values held dear by the people in that society,

00:06:10.640 the men specifically.

00:06:11.840 And you have to do it at an age where they're susceptible to that,

00:06:15.900 which for me is typically in your 20s, your teens, 18 to 30, basically,

00:06:21.280 where young men are making their own destiny, if you will,

00:06:25.720 forging their own destiny, they're acquiring values and mentors

00:06:29.440 that are going to lead them down the path that will affect the rest of their life

00:06:32.860 and the decisions they're going to make.

00:06:35.020 And so that really prompted Self-Made Man as the one thing that I can do

00:06:39.740 with the amount of time and impact that I have,

00:06:42.340 which was to really provide a platform that will give young men access to mentors

00:06:48.660 and leaders that I specifically and personally look up to and learn from

00:06:52.380 that I believe demonstrate values that will enable men to become the best that they can be

00:07:00.280 and therefore have an impact on the future and the country that we have here.

00:07:04.780 Right, yeah, and you've got some incredible guests.

00:07:06.940 I've really enjoyed each and every one of the, I think you're up to 14 or 15 episodes.

00:07:10.840 It seems like for me that this has been an enjoyable process,

00:07:14.680 but it also looking at it from a wide-angle perspective is such a daunting task.

00:07:18.700 I know the feedback that I've received, but what's been the feedback and the reception

00:07:24.340 as you started this project?

00:07:26.820 You know, it's interesting.

00:07:27.400 The feedback has been probably the most positive feedback

00:07:30.640 over any other project or business or book that I've ever put out there in the world.

00:07:35.980 It's been unbelievably positive, and that's been awesome to watch.

00:07:41.240 At the same time, you know, starting a podcast and building an audience from scratch

00:07:46.240 can be an extremely daunting task.

00:07:48.720 Fortunately, you know, you and I have acquired somewhat of an audience

00:07:52.620 from our previous business ventures, which makes that a little bit easier.

00:07:56.220 It's a bit of a springboard.

00:07:59.000 And, you know, starting a podcast is something that I've never done,

00:08:01.180 so I'm learning as I go.

00:08:03.260 And really the most important things that I keep in mind

00:08:06.240 are produce the highest quality of content that I can,

00:08:10.020 do it on a consistent basis,

00:08:12.200 have people on the show that represent the values that I want the show to promote.

00:08:16.860 And, you know, for me, over the long period of time,

00:08:20.140 if you'll stick with it for two to three years minimum,

00:08:23.760 that's going to be what's required to really build that core audience and momentum.

00:08:28.540 So that's really what I've committed to do with this process.

00:08:31.200 Listen, I don't know if anybody out there has seen or if you've seen the movie Holland's Opus.

00:08:37.040 You know, this was, they actually showed this at a Tony Robbins event that I was at last year,

00:08:41.680 his Day with Destiny event,

00:08:43.200 and how the music teacher had spent the previous 30 years teaching music classes,

00:08:49.200 which on a year-to-year basis doesn't really mean much.

00:08:52.220 It wasn't very rewarding.

00:08:53.300 But at the end of a 30-year career,

00:08:55.280 the end of the movie was all about the impact he'd made

00:08:57.580 on generations of students in his community.

00:09:00.460 And how his actions had really created a ripple

00:09:03.600 that had gone on to change the world over that time period.

00:09:05.960 And it all finally came into focus when he retired.

00:09:10.740 And so for me, that's kind of how I envision Self-Made Man,

00:09:12.920 where it's an outlet for me to give, you know,

00:09:16.220 value and leadership and mentorship to a new generation out there.

00:09:20.600 Right. And we've heard the quote, you know,

00:09:22.060 I'm going to butcher it, but it says something along the lines of,

00:09:25.140 it's amazing how long it takes to become an overnight success, right?

00:09:27.920 Right, exactly.

00:09:28.340 Well, I agree with you as far as the response and the feedback that I've received.

00:09:33.120 It's been overwhelmingly positive.

00:09:34.760 And I think that the world is just ready for the messages that we're sharing.

00:09:39.780 So it's been exciting.

00:09:42.140 Yeah.

00:09:42.860 Go ahead.

00:09:43.480 Yeah, absolutely.

00:09:44.680 I totally agree.

00:09:45.640 So from your perspective,

00:09:46.800 what are some of the things that you think men should be doing?

00:09:50.280 I know it's difficult in such a short format in this podcast,

00:09:53.000 but generally speaking, what are some of the things men need to be doing to overcome some of the challenges?

00:09:58.920 And then, of course, pass the same values that we, both you and I adhere to, to our children.

00:10:03.940 I'm in the same boat.

00:10:04.700 I've got three kids and I look at my kids and think there's not many examples of what I'd like their lives to be like.

00:10:10.460 So what are some things that men can be doing to better themselves and then passing on those values?

00:10:14.840 You know, it's interesting.

00:10:17.720 Obviously, becoming an entrepreneur, starting a business,

00:10:21.260 and really taking control of your financial destiny is one of the biggest points of leverage that you can ever pursue as a man

00:10:28.700 because it will allow you to impact your customer base and whatever form of product or service you decide to develop

00:10:35.220 and produce value for the world.

00:10:36.940 But from a financial perspective,

00:10:38.480 it allows you to put yourself in a position to have an enormous impact, you know, on society,

00:10:44.660 whether it's by starting other businesses, investing, you know, participating in politics,

00:10:49.640 if that's something that you want to do, setting up your own private school system, you know,

00:10:52.960 which is something that Elon Musk is doing.

00:10:54.480 We've got a couple of entrepreneurs doing that here in Austin.

00:10:58.080 So having the financial ability to really shape the world around you and your mind's eye

00:11:04.740 is one of the most powerful things that you or I could ever do.

00:11:08.900 But in order to get to that point, I think you have to step back.

00:11:13.180 And that really starts at a much more primal level, if you will,

00:11:19.180 which is taking care of your body and your physical self first and foremost.

00:11:24.480 And whenever I've found that I've fallen into, you know, some kind of pit of despair, if you will,

00:11:29.740 which, you know, happens from time to time in the entrepreneurial realm.

00:11:33.160 And if I get in a funk, I really have to start by resetting everything,

00:11:38.580 by going back and working on my physical fitness and my physical health.

00:11:43.120 And it's amazing how much of an impact that will have on your ability to execute

00:11:47.580 from a business perspective or career perspective.

00:11:50.480 And so unbelievably important to have an optimistic mindset, have energy, have determination,

00:11:55.760 have a competitive spirit.

00:11:56.880 And all of those things from a physiological level happen when you get out and really exercise,

00:12:04.080 produce testosterone, get the right kind of hormones pumping through your blood

00:12:08.460 and producing the kind of self-confidence that comes from getting in shape, you know,

00:12:13.920 and getting physical and active.

00:12:15.760 And so that to me is really it's the starting point.

00:12:18.120 It's your body and it's your physical health.

00:12:20.520 And that's going to allow you to produce the kind of focus, energy and really determination

00:12:25.920 and competitive spirit that you need to go out and conquer whatever your goals are in the business world.

00:12:30.140 So for me, that really is step one for guys out there is if you're not, you know,

00:12:34.060 going to the gym and participating in some kind of fitness program at least three days a week,

00:12:39.240 if you're not happy or confident with how you look, you know, right now,

00:12:42.860 well, that's going to come through in everything else that you do.

00:12:45.140 So that's really the foundation is physical fitness.

00:12:49.640 And then that's the springboard for everything else that needs to happen.

00:12:52.900 So what are some things that you're doing specifically to stay on top of your physical game

00:12:56.840 and make sure that you're getting those things that your body needs?

00:13:01.420 That's the big thing for me is a huge part of that is being inspired on a daily basis

00:13:07.600 from other guys specifically who make that their business.

00:13:12.240 So I'm a huge fan of Aubrey Marcus and Onnit.

00:13:15.400 Here in Austin, they were one of my he was one of the guests on my podcast recently.

00:13:19.780 And I go down to their headquarters and pick up their products and go to their gym membership.

00:13:23.840 They have their academy, which is great.

00:13:25.900 But, you know, I'm in the gym at least three days a week.

00:13:28.200 And I am doing a green juice at least once a day, whether it's fresh or it's from a powdered, you know, powdered form.

00:13:36.360 I'm a huge fan of Drew Canole and his Organifi supplement, which is great.

00:13:42.100 And always eating organic, clean foods as well.

00:13:46.700 You know, we went out and had a big steak dinner last night, but it was all grass fed, you know, organic steak.

00:13:52.340 And so I have no problems eating protein and fat.

00:13:56.180 It really is how clean are the ingredients, how unprocessed are they for me is focus number one.

00:14:01.100 And then two, just getting into the gym at least three times a week, participating in some kind of competitive sport.

00:14:08.480 You know, for me, that typically these days is race car driving.

00:14:11.740 Last year was paintball.

00:14:13.540 Believe it or not, one of my best friends here in Austin, Grayson Golf, is a world championship paintball player for San Antonio's team.

00:14:22.140 Really?

00:14:22.580 And awesome, awesome dude.

00:14:24.400 He's been playing his entire life.

00:14:25.800 They won the World Cup two years ago.

00:14:28.280 And so we'll go out on the weekends and go to the field, outdoor field here in Austin and play for six, seven, eight hours straight a day.

00:14:35.620 Get a ton of exercise and get that competitive, you know, aspect of the sport into play and come home with a bunch of bruises and, you know, just feel awesome at the end of the day.

00:14:46.260 So whatever you have fun doing is going to work.

00:14:50.040 Yeah, I don't think as men we get enough of that.

00:14:52.620 And then for you to be able to, for lack of a better term, and this works for me, is sometimes disguising my physical fitness and just being around the guys.

00:15:00.700 We play basketball quite a bit.

00:15:02.340 We like to hike, my wife and I.

00:15:03.640 And so we're getting our exercise, but we're doing it in a way that's enjoyable for us.

00:15:07.540 You know, what's interesting is I ask a lot of people that question.

00:15:10.400 And the interesting thing is, is I never learn anything that's, you know, this huge aha moment that I've never heard before.

00:15:17.860 The challenge, I think, that we have as guys is taking the information that we already know.

00:15:23.220 I mean, we know to be physically fit.

00:15:24.640 We know to eat clean, but we don't do it.

00:15:26.840 How do you keep discipline to make sure that you're doing the things necessary for your success?

00:15:32.020 Man, that's hard.

00:15:34.740 Yeah, definitely.

00:15:35.800 You know, discipline in and of itself is a result of habit, which is the chicken or the egg kind of a situation.

00:15:42.320 And I go through my ups and my downs, and it really is a factor of how driven am I at that moment?

00:15:47.160 How bad do I want it?

00:15:48.160 And it starts with the tiniest little daily habit of setting that alarm in the morning, which we don't have to do as self-employed entrepreneurs.

00:15:57.640 But if you want the result, it's something that you've got to do and you've got to create that habit.

00:16:01.940 So for me, you know, first things first, if staying in shape or getting in peak physical condition is my number one priority, then that's the very first thing on my daily agenda.

00:16:11.460 So, you know, 6.30 a.m., 7 o'clock alarm, off to do my physical fitness stuff, check that off before I can do anything else because that's what my focus is and that's my mission that I'm going to accomplish.

00:16:22.480 So it gets done first.

00:16:24.540 There's an interesting technology that I'm beta testing right now for the company called Pavlok.

00:16:30.320 I don't know if you've heard of that or not.

00:16:32.300 I don't think I have, no.

00:16:33.220 So Pavlok, P-A-V-L-O-K, and it is an interesting device. 1.00

00:16:39.200 It's a wristband that you wear that is based on Pavlovian psychology and, you know, basically reward or pain.

00:16:49.200 Oh, I have heard about this.

00:16:50.540 Keep going, Bill.

00:16:51.020 Right.

00:16:51.380 And so what it does is it shocks you and you really shock yourself.

00:16:56.300 And it's one of the single most effective behavior modification devices that you can use as a tool to change your behavior and change your habits.

00:17:05.060 And so essentially what you want to do is wear this wristband and whenever you start to fall into a behavior that you're trying to break, let's just take smoking cigarettes as an extreme example.

00:17:15.900 So if you're a smoker and you want to quit, as soon as you light up a cigarette, you're just going to tap on the top of the wristband and it's going to hit you with a mild shock.

00:17:21.720 It's nothing like – it's nothing super painful.

00:17:24.440 It just feels like someone pinched you.

00:17:26.160 Every time you put that cigarette in your mouth and light up another one, you're going to shock yourself.

00:17:30.340 And their success rate has been phenomenal.

00:17:33.340 The average smoker, even if they've been smoking for a lifetime, completely quits within five days with, you know, with other types of behavior, whatever it may be.

00:17:42.280 Let's say you are watching a lot of television where you're having negative thoughts.

00:17:46.000 You know, you're getting down on yourself every time you start to say something that is, you know, really beating yourself down personally.

00:17:53.420 You just shock yourself and it's going to interrupt these behavior patterns and rewire your brain to associate that behavior with pain.

00:18:01.120 And before you know it, within three to five days, you're just going to stop doing it.

00:18:05.140 And so I just got my piece in a couple of days ago.

00:18:07.920 I'm going to be testing that out.

00:18:09.780 And I think it's a huge biohack, basically, that people can use to modify their behavior.

00:18:16.120 Interesting.

00:18:16.520 I'm going to have to try that out, too.

00:18:17.580 That sounds really intriguing.

00:18:18.860 I've heard about that before now that you describe it.

00:18:20.900 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:18:21.840 So I want to jump back because you talk about physical fitness as being one of the things that every man needs to really focus on.

00:18:28.760 But you also talk about self-reliance and finance and career.

00:18:32.500 My question is, why does the world seem to, even more so lately, rebel against financially independent or wealthy or even capitalism in general?

00:18:42.760 Because I agree with you.

00:18:43.760 Those things are so important to self-reliance.

00:18:46.260 But why does the world fight against that so much in general?

00:18:49.700 That's a really good question.

00:18:50.760 And it's interesting.

00:18:51.420 I've seen American society specifically split where entrepreneurship has become actually much, much more popular with a certain segment of young people.

00:19:02.980 You know, Elon Musk is one of the biggest icons in society now.

00:19:07.120 Richard Branson.

00:19:08.600 You know, Donald Trump is now in the spotlight as well.

00:19:11.040 And there's a whole group of people, specifically here in Austin.

00:19:15.220 This is a town that's becoming a mini Silicon Valley hotbed for startups and entrepreneurship.

00:19:20.820 So here it's something that is aspired to be in other cities.

00:19:25.880 You know, we could take Chicago or Detroit, for example.

00:19:28.780 It's definitely something that is looked down upon.

00:19:32.200 And I really just think that is social conditioning over the previous two generations of people getting on food stamps, getting on welfare, training themselves and training their kids to become, you know, dependents, you know, from a social society perspective on the government.

00:19:48.120 And they're being rewarded by the government for doing so because the government wants their votes.

00:19:52.880 Right.

00:19:53.060 So it's a...

00:19:53.920 That's how they're paying for those votes. 0.98

00:19:55.320 It's a downward spiral.

00:19:57.180 And we're seeing, unfortunately, the decay that that is having in the long run in order for the politicians' short-term gain.

00:20:05.220 And so that's really what we have to fight against here.

00:20:07.520 And I don't know if it's going to be possible if you're a fan or if you've read Atlas Shrugged and you look at that as really a prelude to what's going to happen in a prehistory lesson, if you will.

00:20:21.380 So, you know, society and history works like any other, anything else, meaning it's a wave.

00:20:27.780 You have your ups and your peaks.

00:20:29.200 Things get out of balance and they crash down to the bottom.

00:20:31.380 They hit the bottom.

00:20:32.040 They're out of balance again.

00:20:32.900 They come up to the top.

00:20:34.740 And I don't know if you can interrupt that pattern.

00:20:37.020 I really think that's a part of nature.

00:20:38.340 And, unfortunately, I think we're going to be hitting the bottom here probably within the next five to ten years, you know, from an economic perspective with the markets, from a value perspective,

00:20:50.700 where people are going to figure out that it's reached a point of pain now to where, okay, well, this free stuff doesn't work.

00:20:56.740 It's become too painful.

00:20:58.060 We've lost too much.

00:20:59.280 And now they're going to go back.

00:21:00.680 And if you think of it almost from what took place right after the Great Depression, it spawned an entirely new generation of people who were strong, tough.

00:21:10.440 You know, survival was enough.

00:21:11.680 They weren't about material things.

00:21:13.000 They were just about doing the right things, putting food on their family's plates, working hard, building that, you know, having that work ethic.

00:21:18.140 I think that's going to happen here again in the next generation.

00:21:21.520 And so from a personal standpoint, concerned about really more about the changes that technology is going to bring about, you know, to our world over the next 10 to 15 years and what that's going to have on a society level, on an economic level.

00:21:36.740 And I think about, you know, we both have kids.

00:21:38.840 I don't know how old yours are.

00:21:40.520 I've got a seven-year-old, a four-year-old, and a two-year-old.

00:21:43.820 Wow, so, you know, one of the things that I think about is, you know, my son's Chase, what is he going to be doing in 15 to 20 years to earn his living?

00:21:54.460 And society is going to look so completely different just from the technologies that are coming out during that period.

00:22:01.000 Basically, any menial task is going to be taken care of by AI and robots, and that includes customer service.

00:22:07.320 That includes driving cars, any kind of transportation, trucking, whatever you can think of 15 years from now, it's all going to be AI.

00:22:16.700 And so what in the world is going to happen, and I don't think anyone has that answer, but, you know, from his perspective, the safest areas that you can be in, in my mind, are as an entrepreneur, because that basically means you're a creator, you pursue ideas that you have, unique solutions, you're a problem solver.

00:22:38.560 And so there's a lot of flexibility that comes from that field, if you will, procuring some kind of incredible talent.

00:22:45.420 There's always going to be a market for people who have incredible talents, whether you're a musician, an artist, whatever it may be.

00:22:50.940 Something, obviously, in computers would be as well.

00:22:54.340 And, you know, whatever that ends up being for him will be determined by his personality type and his interests as he grows up, obviously.

00:23:00.440 And then making sure that you and I are in a financial position from a family perspective to where we've acquired and built up a level of net worth and wealth and diversification over the next 15, you know, 10 to 15 years to where if things are looking crazy and extremely different and unknown,

00:23:19.220 we've at least built up something from a family perspective to where we're not going to have to worry, you know, as much as other people will about what they're going to do to earn a living.

00:23:27.820 And so that's something that I think about a lot and that motivates me as well right now.

00:23:32.180 How does a man who can see this coming or hears this and says, OK, I agree with that, preemptively address it, right, in a way, for lack of a better term?

00:23:42.460 What are some things that a man who's ready to move forward, who wants to be an entrepreneur, what can he do to remove himself from some of that negative social conditioning and then set himself up for the future that's coming?

00:23:53.480 Yeah, well, you made up a great point, which is, one, you need to remove yourself from that social conditioning.

00:23:58.080 So being very aware of the type of stimulus that you allow into your life on a daily basis, whether that's what shows up in your Facebook feed or what you listen to on the radio or television, the shows that you watch, the friends that you have, whatever it may be,

00:24:12.060 every single one of those forms of stimulus have an impact on a subconscious level, you know, about the thoughts that you're having.

00:24:17.880 And you are a sponge or a computer that is being programmed to buy that input on a daily basis.

00:24:22.780 So making sure that you get rid of all of the negative slash scarcity minded individuals and influences in your life is prerequisite, number one.

00:24:31.900 And then number two, what I've what I tell people who want to become entrepreneurs and want to become financially independent,

00:24:37.860 it's that you are essentially one skill away from that goal.

00:24:42.620 You know, it took me about five or six years to figure out that success is not going to come from an opportunity of any kind.

00:24:50.640 It's not going to come from a product of any kind or service.

00:24:52.980 It's going to come from within you.

00:24:55.280 And the reason I say that is because in order to make more money, let's just leave it at that.

00:25:02.100 You have to increase your value to the world.

00:25:04.560 And essentially, the amount of money that you're making today is a reflection of the amount of value that you provide to society.

00:25:10.060 And so if you want to make more money, you have to increase your value.

00:25:12.960 So how do you do that?

00:25:14.140 Well, for me, the only way that I've ever found is to go out and acquire more valuable skills.

00:25:19.040 And so it took me about five or six years to have that realization.

00:25:22.240 And during those five years, I've never made a dime.

00:25:24.640 And I failed over and over and over again as an entrepreneur.

00:25:27.980 And then I had that realization.

00:25:29.380 And I decided to go acquire the skill of copywriting slash salesmanship, which was something that I found I had a talent for.

00:25:37.140 It took me about 18 months to really get good at learning how to sell online, learning copywriting.

00:25:44.120 And I did that really by teaching myself and buying e-books and courses online, practicing every single day, writing out sales letters by hand every day for an hour, and just going at it to acquire that skill.

00:25:57.400 And that's that window where I went from waiting tables at a P.F. Chang's, you know, making a couple hundred dollars a week to building a seven-figure business within the next 18 months.

00:26:07.560 So that's the key to your success.

00:26:09.500 If you want to become financially free and change your life, you're one skill away from doing that.

00:26:13.240 And you have to decide, okay, what skill do I want to master and become one of the best in the world at?

00:26:18.300 It'll take you two to three years to do it if you dive in 100% and commit to that process.

00:26:24.500 And by the end of that period, you're going to find that you have the ability to create an unlimited number of opportunities for yourself based on that skill set.

00:26:33.680 And you can really determine, you know, the business model that suits you best in your financial goals at that point.

00:26:39.400 Well, and I can tell that you're somebody who's actually living their own advice because I look at you from the outside and I see that you've had a ton of success in the financial arena.

00:26:47.500 You've had a ton of success.

00:26:48.820 Even as you're launching this podcast, you're getting into hydroponics, you're racing, whatever it is, you seem to have success.

00:26:55.860 And there's no correlation between the businesses that you're running except for you.

00:27:02.020 Like you're the lowest common denominator.

00:27:03.680 So it seems like the skill thing that you're talking about is so valuable.

00:27:07.220 Well, thank you.

00:27:07.780 And I would agree.

00:27:08.780 You know, the skill that I have is salesmanship.

00:27:10.960 And I hated selling growing up.

00:27:12.840 I am, you know, extremely introverted person.

00:27:15.660 I don't like, you know, talking to people or going to meetings or parties or whatever it may be.

00:27:20.320 I like to sit at home and create, you know, on my computer or write or whatever it may be.

00:27:25.480 And the thought of selling to me scared, you know, scared me to death years ago.

00:27:29.920 And what I realized is that selling is not what people typically think it is.

00:27:35.660 Selling is providing value to folks, demonstrating value and then offering to help them acquire the result that they want.

00:27:41.880 And that's a really cool place to be able to come from.

00:27:45.140 And that's all that I do.

00:27:46.800 And, yeah, so my businesses have done quite well.

00:27:49.100 And I think that's a skill that will always be in demand.

00:27:53.340 If you have the ability to sell products, services and or ideas, you can really create any kind of future that you want.

00:28:00.280 Are there some other skills that you've identified that successful people seem to have that overlap each other?

00:28:05.760 You know, I think that the biggest common denominator that I've seen in all successful entrepreneurs is that they typically are coming from a place of pain and personal dissatisfaction because that's what's required to motivate you to go out and acquire these skills on top of your normal day job, you know, 18 hours a day.

00:28:24.960 So to come home tired at six o'clock and then hit the books or the Internet for another four or five hours, that requires a lot of motivation.

00:28:32.040 So that's one of the most common threads that I've seen.

00:28:34.680 And the second one that I have seen, it is that ability to sell.

00:28:37.700 I can't think of another entrepreneur that I personally know and have met over the last 10 years that did not acquire that ability.

00:28:45.800 So if, you know, that's something that's new to you or foreign to you, but you want to change your life in that regard.

00:28:51.320 Some of the best books or starting places that I recommend for folks is anything by Dan Kennedy.

00:28:56.860 You know, one of the first books I read from him was Magnetic Marketing.

00:29:00.080 Another one was The Ultimate Sales Letter, both by Dan Kennedy.

00:29:05.660 And, you know, I think those are really two good places to start.

00:29:12.060 And if those books get you excited and you're like, man, this is unbelievable and the light bulbs start to go off, you know that you're really headed down the right path.

00:29:20.480 Yeah, we'll make links to that in the show notes so that the guys listening can make sure they have access to those things.

00:29:25.260 How do you decide what gets your attention and then how do you keep focused?

00:29:29.680 Because like we talked about, you've got your hand in so many different things and different avenues that have no correlation to each other.

00:29:36.160 How do you how do you balance that?

00:29:37.900 I'd really be curious about that.

00:29:39.900 I don't know if I do it very well at this point.

00:29:41.600 But, you know, I have three three primary projects right now.

00:29:46.540 I have I have my entrepreneur training programs, which I guess I've done for the last 10 years.

00:29:52.000 And really, that's just putting what I've learned and what I've executed successfully as an entrepreneurship in my businesses into a course form for other entrepreneurs to learn from.

00:30:01.120 So that's really starting to be put into an automated fashion, if you will, this year, by the end of the year, meaning I'll still sell some of my courses, but I'm not going to actively pursue that side of my career anymore.

00:30:14.380 I have self-made man, which is really a passion project at this point.

00:30:18.020 It only requires a couple of hours a week for me.

00:30:19.920 And and then my big goal and my big vision is getting into the hydroponic space.

00:30:25.560 And so over the last six months, we've been developing a product, if you will, or a system for home use that you would have in your kitchen.

00:30:35.320 It's about the size of a refrigerator and it will allow you to grow all of your organic produce, fruits and herbs that you would like for you and your family in a completely automated form.

00:30:44.840 So it's got a lot of technology built into it and it'll produce about five thousand dollars.

00:30:49.920 of organic produce a year for you and your family for about three hundred bucks.

00:30:54.860 Wow.

00:30:55.260 And so essentially, we're going to decentralize the ag industry and we're going to put a little piece of an organic farm in your house.

00:31:02.360 We're going to automate it.

00:31:03.220 We're going to reduce food costs by 95 percent, which means we put organic, clean organic food within the financial, you know, feasibility of just about every single person in the country.

00:31:15.640 And we reduce chemicals and pesticides by 100 percent.

00:31:18.940 We reduce water usage by 90 percent.

00:31:21.400 And so for me, that's my biggest goal, my biggest passion project, because that can have an unbelievable impact on society.

00:31:28.800 And so that really is, you know, my Holland's opus, if you will.

00:31:31.960 So that's getting about 80 percent of my time and attention right now.

00:31:35.840 We're looking at launching that in the spring of 2016.

00:31:39.100 And it's been an incredibly challenging endeavor.

00:31:43.240 But again, the reward is is unlimited.

00:31:46.900 So it's extremely exciting.

00:31:49.240 Yeah, I can see that in the last 15 or so episodes that you've done on your show.

00:31:54.120 So are there some underlying, reoccurring lessons that you're learning from these mentors and these other guys that inspire you that we should also be considering as well?

00:32:05.580 Well, you know, if I have to think of one common thread, because we've discussed, you know, like you, we've discussed a lot of topics from entrepreneurship to investing to health and fitness to relationships.

00:32:15.760 It really is, you know, mastery.

00:32:18.520 It's what you put your time and attention to bears fruit.

00:32:22.680 The biggest challenge for me is how do you how do you keep focus in all areas of your life?

00:32:27.060 Because I could easily focus on my business seven days a week, 24 hours a day and do that at the expense of, you know, relationships and things like that.

00:32:34.020 Of course, of course.

00:32:35.140 Easy to do.

00:32:35.720 Yeah.

00:32:35.840 And so you can acquire massive shortcuts in every area of life by studying, you know, people like that and getting a glimpse into their world and area of mastery.

00:32:44.600 And two, that really is what's required to get an amazing result.

00:32:50.480 And so no time, no time or sleep for the weary.

00:32:53.320 But, you know, your life is what you make it.

00:32:54.960 And so it's just a matter of, you know, for me, I run my life by a very simple to do list.

00:33:00.620 I use Evernote because it syncs across my devices.

00:33:03.540 And I sit there and I make a simple list of the five things that I want to accomplish for the day.

00:33:07.880 And I do that the night before, before I go to bed.

00:33:10.640 So I wake up every day knowing exactly what I need to accomplish.

00:33:13.780 And I call these these little tasks bricks, meaning some of them might be really big.

00:33:18.820 Some of them might just be, you know, small little tasks that I need to get done for the day.

00:33:23.120 But every single day I put five bricks down into my house and, you know, those get put into the wall.

00:33:29.540 And at the end of two or three years, all of those bricks have added up to a mansion.

00:33:33.280 And that really has is the process I've used over the last 10 years to build my businesses, build my life and to make sure that all of those little areas that need attention, get the attention that I want to provide them on a daily basis.

00:33:46.060 And so it's a super simple methodology, but it's effective.

00:33:49.320 It works.

00:33:49.720 And it's amazing how quickly you can change your life and build whatever you want to build by doing a little task every single day.

00:33:58.380 You can wake up two or two or three years from now in an unbelievably different place.

00:34:02.240 And I'm so glad you said that.

00:34:03.240 That's actually one of the reoccurring threads that I hear is that a lot of the successful men that I'm talking with talk a lot about the process of success.

00:34:10.660 Not just success overnight, but what it takes in your in your case, bricks to build that mansion is the process.

00:34:17.340 So have you read the book, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy?

00:34:20.980 I've heard of it, but I have not read it yet.

00:34:23.020 That's a really, really good book.

00:34:24.680 In fact, that's one of my favorites.

00:34:25.820 And he talks about the small, simple things that you do on a daily basis, day in and day out for years to create the type of life that you want to create.

00:34:33.420 So it's very similar to what you're saying now.

00:34:35.460 Yeah, I mean, I think it's a I think it's a common truth that you cannot escape.

00:34:39.220 Right.

00:34:40.060 Absolutely.

00:34:41.160 Well, Mike, one of the questions that you've asked on some of the episodes that I've heard you and one of the questions that I ask is, what do you think it means to be a man?

00:34:50.140 You know, I'd have to say if I could sum it up into one word, it would be integrity.

00:34:54.040 Doing what you say you're going to do, I think, is what really defines a man as a leader.

00:35:01.660 You know, you don't have to have any particular level of status in life.

00:35:04.580 You could you could be, you know, a blacksmith, if you will, or whatever it may be.

00:35:09.580 But if you do your job and your task with integrity and honesty, I think that's a life well lived and something that unfortunately is very rare these days.

00:35:22.220 And so it is something to aspire to to achieve and accomplish.

00:35:25.940 And, you know, you're going to everybody's going to run into 20 opportunities a day to either have integrity or not have integrity.

00:35:31.840 And so I think if you really focus on being true in that regard in every aspect of your life, whether it's with yourself and doing what you said you were going to do today, you know, or with the other people that you interact with.

00:35:44.880 And I think that really is the defining characteristic for me, you know, when it comes to being, you know, the leader, the alpha, if you will, that you can be.

00:35:53.860 Perfect. Thank you so much for sharing that.

00:35:56.220 Mike, if people want to get a hold of you, learn more about what you're doing with Self-Made Man, any of the, you know, Mike Dillard mentoring, hydroponics, any of that stuff.

00:36:03.380 How do we connect and reach out to you?

00:36:05.520 Yeah, thanks, Ryan.

00:36:06.140 And the easiest place is just MikeDillard.com, and I've got links to all of the projects that I'm currently, you know, working on right now, and that's the best way to stay in touch is to join the email list.

00:36:16.100 And every time I release a new episode or, you know, we have new details about the hydroponics system coming out, I'll obviously be sending that out to all of my subscribers.

00:36:23.940 And that would be the number one place.

00:36:27.060 Awesome.

00:36:27.320 Well, I know you're a busy man.

00:36:28.400 We'll let you get going for the day.

00:36:29.380 But I do appreciate you taking some time, carving time out of your day to talk with us and give us some insights in what it means to be a man and some of the things that we need to focus on.

00:36:36.540 Thank you.

00:36:36.820 It was a pleasure, Ryan.

00:36:37.500 Thank you.

00:36:38.460 There you have it, man.

00:36:39.280 Mike Dillard.

00:36:40.140 Now, we talked a lot about resources and books, and if you didn't catch all of those, be sure to head to orderofman.com slash 026 where you can pick up all of that information that we went through today.

00:36:50.760 If you enjoyed the show and or learned something new, head over to orderofman.com slash iTunes.

00:36:55.980 Show us some support for the show by leaving your rating and review.

00:36:59.660 And also, a quick reminder, join our Facebook group.

00:37:01.880 Again, facebook.com slash groups slash orderofman.

00:37:05.740 Join in the conversation we're having about manliness and masculinity.

00:37:08.920 We want to have as many guys there as possible, and we'd love to have you there.

00:37:12.600 Now, next week, we'll be having a conversation with a man who helps young men transition into manhood.

00:37:17.100 So, if you're feeling stuck or you feel like you're in a holding pattern and you just can't get your life going, you will certainly want to subscribe and tune into this episode next week.

00:37:27.200 Guys, I look forward to talking with you then.

00:37:28.860 But until then, take action and become the man you were meant to be.

00:37:33.040 Thank you for listening to the Order of Man podcast.

00:37:36.020 If you're ready to take charge of your life and be more of the man you were meant to be, we invite you to join the order at orderofman.com.

00:37:43.140 To be continued...

00:37:44.480 We'll be back to you then.

00:37:49.220 We'll be right.

00:37:49.680 We'll be right back.

00:37:50.260 Thank you.

Order of Man - September 15, 2015

OoM 026： Becoming a Self Made Man with Mike Dillard

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