REAL AF with Andy Frisella - REDEFINE IMPOSSIBLE ft. James Lawrence, with Andy Frisella

00:00:00.420 I can stack them hundreds to the roof. I ain't stopping till they stack to the moon.

00:00:04.900 Without me, my family wouldn't have food. Anybody go against me got to lose.

00:00:11.900 What is up, guys? You're listening to the MFCEO Project. I'm Andy. I'm your host, and I am the motherfucking CEO.

00:00:20.160 Guys, today we have an awesome show for you, but before we get into that, you're probably wondering,

00:00:24.840 if this is your first time listening, what the fuck is a motherfucking CEO?

00:00:28.760 Why can't I just be a regular CEO? Let's be real. Regular CEOs suck.

00:00:32.740 They're boring. They're nerdy. They're dorks, and nobody really gives a fuck about them.

00:00:37.560 We want you. You're ruining my intro, Vaughn. You're laughing in the fucking mic.

00:00:41.740 Well, you mentioned nerdy and boring, and so I had to come in.

00:00:44.340 Okay. All right. Tyler, you totally fucked up my flow now.

00:00:51.440 All right. Let's just skip to the part. We have a fee. It's not money. The fee is this.

00:00:57.020 If you enjoy the show, if you get information from the show, which I guarantee you you will,

00:01:03.860 especially on this show, I ask that you tell a friend. You don't have to post about it. I'm not

00:01:12.060 asking you to make a post or do any of this other shit. What I am asking, though, is if the

00:01:16.140 conversation comes up of where you're learning cool shit, give your Uncle Andy a shout out, man.

00:01:21.760 I don't know if I'm old enough to be an uncle yet, but I'm getting pretty close.

00:01:25.720 So, as always, I am joined by my co-host. And you know what? That's not even true,

00:01:32.360 because you're not always here. But I always say that.

00:01:35.840 That's true. I'm not here for the thunder.

00:01:37.140 Yeah, you're not.

00:01:38.040 No.

00:01:39.180 Can you bring the thunder, though?

00:01:40.520 I could try.

00:01:41.640 I think we should get the missus on the phone and ask her.

00:01:44.680 What would that be like? Oh, well, yeah. Three girls, I can bring the thunder.

00:01:49.000 Oh, yeah. All right.

00:01:50.260 Yeah, yeah. By the way, I know you say that you're not supposed to give yourself nicknames.

00:01:54.300 I know that you sit at home all day, dude, and think about nicknames. Tyler, does he do that?

00:01:58.540 He definitely does that. He'll come in every fucking week and we're like five more.

00:02:01.940 I walk in the room. I walk in the office here. I'm like, Vaughn, what are you working on?

00:02:05.260 And he closes down the screen real quick. And normally, that's when dudes are looking at porn and shit.

00:02:10.380 Vaughn's working on his list of nicknames.

00:02:11.820 I get thesaurus.com on.

00:02:14.140 I know. So, let's hear it.

00:02:16.160 Well, there's a reason behind it. I mean, you've done a good job of giving me some great enduring nicknames.

00:02:20.920 The best one is the Pasture Disaster.

00:02:22.460 Pasture Disaster is a good one. That brings together sort of the faith and the excellence element.

00:02:27.880 But because inspired by you and your whole culture and your business, I decided that I—

00:02:35.900 At this point, it's ours.

00:02:37.140 It is ours. That's true. I appreciate that.

00:02:39.280 Yeah. So, I would like to step up my game in terms of how I contribute to the overall first form thing.

00:02:46.620 Well, I noticed—I have noticed that you're actually putting on a little bit of muscle.

00:02:51.500 I appreciate it. Well, Alex and Grant have been helping me a lot and Stu, and it's been great.

00:02:56.300 All the Arate guys.

00:02:57.360 Yeah. So, I have to trust them, though, because they told me that I was going to lose a bunch of weight before I gained a bunch of weight.

00:03:03.100 Yeah.

00:03:03.240 You look better, bro.

00:03:05.580 I appreciate it.

00:03:06.300 Yeah, I mean it. You look a lot better.

00:03:07.800 No, I appreciate it. I'm very grateful for that.

00:03:11.020 So, what kind of—

00:03:11.600 So, you ready?

00:03:12.120 What kind of sexy nickname have you come up with yourself? I guarantee you it's something like this.

00:03:16.040 What is it?

00:03:16.880 The Holy Father of Fitness.

00:03:18.760 Oh, dude, I called it. I called it. I knew it was coming.

00:03:22.900 You know, and this is a weird show for you to bring that up on because we have somebody here who really is the Holy Father of Fitness.

00:03:34.560 Right. Especially from Utah, you know, so they're very religious in Utah.

00:03:38.280 So, guys, we have one of the guests.

00:03:42.640 This is going to be a cool show because I don't know much more about this guy other than he's totally badass.

00:03:49.460 He did 50 Ironmans in 50 days.

00:03:52.940 You heard that correctly.

00:03:53.960 50 Ironmans in 50 days. I want you to think about that because most of you can't get through a day without eating bullshit.

00:03:59.300 All right?

00:04:00.480 James Lawrence, the Iron Cowboy.

00:04:02.900 What's up, brother?

00:04:03.680 What's up, man?

00:04:04.420 Dude, I'm excited to have you here, man.

00:04:05.940 You are excited.

00:04:06.920 Yeah.

00:04:07.320 Next year, we need to do 50 for the kids instead of 30 for the kids.

00:04:10.200 Dude, you know what? I got up this morning, no bullshit.

00:04:13.140 And so, I got this bet.

00:04:15.500 So, I have this business group called the Arte Syndicate, all right?

00:04:18.120 It's all high-level entrepreneurs.

00:04:20.500 It's $500,000 plus year earners that we work with personally.

00:04:25.720 We do these little bets throughout the year.

00:04:27.640 One of the bets I have with the group for charity is I have to be 10% body fat or less by May 17th,

00:04:34.560 or I've got to pay $250,000 of charity.

00:04:37.400 All right?

00:04:38.920 I know how you can do it in 50 days.

00:04:40.700 I know.

00:04:41.320 So, look.

00:04:42.800 I got down to 4%.

00:04:44.240 I know.

00:04:44.560 So, listen.

00:04:45.200 Let's go.

00:04:45.840 Dude, so, listen.

00:04:47.000 So, a couple years ago, I saw – and this – dude, we haven't even talked, and you're already inspiring me.

00:04:52.600 I just want to share this with you.

00:04:53.480 It's pretty cool.

00:04:55.000 A couple years ago, I went 100 straight days with no cheating on my diet and no cheating on my workout.

00:05:00.640 And that was a big deal for me.

00:05:01.900 Like, that wasn't – it's not 50 in 50 days, you know, or anything like that.

00:05:05.100 But it was – it helped me, you know?

00:05:07.700 Yeah.

00:05:08.420 And I'm having trouble getting back in the rut, and I've got to fucking bust ass, otherwise I won't make it,

00:05:13.520 because I'm sitting at, like, 18% right now.

00:05:15.360 And I got 11 weeks to go after today.

00:05:19.340 Even though it's for charity, you don't really want to point that check.

00:05:22.360 I'm probably going to still pay it either way, because it is for our charity, but it's a pride thing for me.

00:05:27.780 For sure.

00:05:28.100 But I got up this morning, and I'm like, dude – and I was just thinking about doing the show,

00:05:34.080 and I'm like, how the fuck does someone do 50 fucking Ironmans in 50 days?

00:05:39.500 And I'm like –

00:05:40.440 There's a part you're missing.

00:05:41.760 What's that?

00:05:42.620 50 different states.

00:05:44.000 50 different states?

00:05:46.680 It wasn't done in a single location.

00:05:48.280 Damn, dude.

00:05:49.000 And tell the listeners real quick, for those that don't know, what an Ironman is.

00:05:52.260 Yeah, so an Ironman is a distance of a triathlon, and it is a 2.4-mile swim.

00:05:58.220 112-mile bike ride, followed by a full marathon, which is 26.2 miles.

00:06:02.460 So the total distance of an Ironman is 140.6 miles.

00:06:06.120 And so logistically, we had to figure out how to get – how to complete one,

00:06:09.920 and then how to get to the next state and do it.

00:06:13.440 Dude, I'm sitting here with my mouth hanging open.

00:06:15.520 Seriously.

00:06:16.500 So my thing is, like, all right, I'm going to get back in the routine on this program

00:06:20.660 by doing 50 straight days of my program with no cheese just to lock in my routine.

00:06:26.320 But, you know, that was my little motivation.

00:06:28.920 I'm like, fuck, dude, if someone can do 50 Ironmans, I can do this for 50 fucking days.

00:06:32.740 But – so, dude, let's – before we get into that, because I have to understand –

00:06:37.420 I have to understand a mentality like yours, because I'll be honest.

00:06:40.540 I have mental toughness in other areas that is unshakable, okay?

00:06:47.580 But creating the mental toughness on a physical level is a different thing for me, man.

00:06:54.460 You know, I have to work really hard at it.

00:06:55.720 So I'm curious – I'm curious how this all developed.

00:06:59.420 So, like, you know, where the fuck did you come from, outer space?

00:07:03.100 Like, you know what I'm saying?

00:07:04.280 Canada.

00:07:05.040 Yeah, all right.

00:07:05.660 This dude comes – it's almost the same.

00:07:07.440 All right?

00:07:07.740 So he comes from Canada.

00:07:08.940 I'm a skinny white Canadian.

00:07:10.300 Yeah, but I'm just – I'm just curious, man.

00:07:12.260 So, like, tell us – just, you know, give us the five-minute about where you came from,

00:07:17.220 and then we'll get into how you got into this.

00:07:19.420 Yeah.

00:07:19.840 So, I mean – so I grew up in a great home.

00:07:22.440 My dad was a blue-collar firefighter, worked really, really hard and set that great example for me.

00:07:28.520 And then I had a mom that just dreamed and was an entrepreneur and just maybe couldn't get it together.

00:07:34.040 Yeah.

00:07:34.260 And I kind of looked at both of that, and I was like, well, I don't want to be an entrepreneur that can't figure it out,

00:07:39.120 and I don't want to be a blue-collar worker.

00:07:42.080 We need them.

00:07:42.760 We love them, but that's not who I am.

00:07:44.220 I get it.

00:07:44.680 Yeah.

00:07:44.840 And I was like, okay, so if I can take that hard work ethic and that entrepreneur spirit and combine the two,

00:07:52.920 that should be a recipe for success.

00:07:55.080 Right.

00:07:55.540 And then athletically, I grew up playing all sports, just kind of figuring out what I liked, what I didn't like.

00:08:02.660 What did you like?

00:08:03.400 Wrestling.

00:08:03.960 Yeah.

00:08:04.440 I wrestled as well.

00:08:05.480 Yeah.

00:08:05.740 So I did all sports through, you know, junior high and whatnot, and then 10th grade, I was like, okay, I'm going to go all in.

00:08:11.280 Yeah.

00:08:11.480 And just got worked in wrestling.

00:08:15.300 Yeah.

00:08:15.880 But just kept showing up.

00:08:17.440 Yeah.

00:08:17.740 And ended up going undefeated my senior year in one state.

00:08:21.780 That's badass.

00:08:22.500 And went on to represent Canada.

00:08:23.920 Yeah.

00:08:24.220 So that was super cool.

00:08:24.980 Learned a lot about mental toughness and what it means to show up every single day.

00:08:29.260 Dude, I don't think there's a sport out there that kids can get involved in that will teach you more than wrestling.

00:08:33.580 Yeah.

00:08:33.740 You know, I had this conversation last night with your boys, and I think the last or the two main sports to me would be gymnastics.

00:08:41.900 Yeah.

00:08:42.400 And wrestling.

00:08:43.160 I have zero experience with gymnastics.

00:08:45.060 Neither do I, but I look at those guys, and they're, in my opinion, they're some of the most underrated athletes in the world.

00:08:51.060 The core strength, the power, the explosiveness, the body control that those guys have, and just the mental toughness that those guys have to do to get to that level is very, very impressive to me.

00:09:03.320 Yeah, the detail and all that.

00:09:05.040 So there's no, like, me against you in terms of, like, the wrestling is.

00:09:10.340 But I think as far as, well, that's why GSP, George St. Pierre, was such an unbelievable fighter, and in my opinion, the best pound for pound ever.

00:09:18.680 Yeah, I agree.

00:09:19.360 Is because GSP did a ton of detailed gymnastic work inside of his training and all that stuff, and so I have a ton of respect for kind of the fighting disciplines, and I think gymnastic needs to be thrown in there somewhere.

00:09:32.320 Well, it never is either.

00:09:33.480 It never is.

00:09:34.340 Underrated, those guys are just unbelievable athletes.

00:09:36.500 I think there's a number of starting quarterbacks in the NFL and Hall of Fame quarterbacks who actually took gymnastics or ballet, even.

00:09:46.380 Yeah, well, that got made famous by Walter Payton.

00:09:48.740 Which is body awareness.

00:09:49.840 Yeah, it's body awareness.

00:09:51.340 Arnold Schwarzenegger used to do it.

00:09:53.160 What, ballet?

00:09:54.020 Yeah.

00:09:54.340 Yeah.

00:09:55.760 Crazy.

00:09:56.220 Help him with his posing and learning his body.

00:09:58.080 I imagine so.

00:09:59.280 Dude, this sounds funny, too, though.

00:10:00.860 Like, I think if you're going to be – I think indoor soccer is underrated, honestly, because indoor soccer teaches you super fast – it teaches your body as a kid super fast, explosive movements that helps the kids with, you know, like if they're going to play football or they're going to run to first base, stuff like that, and agility, you know?

00:10:19.500 You know who the best 800-meter, 1500-meter, and 5K runners were in high school and college?

00:10:24.780 Soccer players.

00:10:25.340 Soccer players.

00:10:25.900 Yeah.

00:10:26.180 It's all interval work.

00:10:27.060 Yeah, right.

00:10:27.500 It's explosive, fast interval work.

00:10:29.400 So they've got intervals combined with endurance, and they just – we couldn't run with them.

00:10:34.380 Yeah.

00:10:34.460 I mean, they were just unbelievable runners, and it was just – it wasn't intentional.

00:10:37.800 They didn't know why, and I didn't even know why back then.

00:10:39.880 But now, knowing what I know, looking back, I'm like, huh, that makes a lot of sense.

00:10:43.200 Did you always find yourself enjoying the running and the conditioning aspect of, like, sports?

00:10:52.140 No, I hate running.

00:10:53.060 Even today, it's stupid.

00:10:54.760 My journey started with my wife saying, hey, let's go do a four-mile fun run.

00:10:59.040 And I'm like, something's wrong with you.

00:11:00.500 You just said fun and run.

00:11:01.580 Okay, dude.

00:11:02.000 You're saying it's ridiculous.

00:11:02.880 I hate running today.

00:11:03.740 You're speaking my language now.

00:11:04.340 I hold world records in running, and I hate running.

00:11:06.940 It's stupid.

00:11:07.660 So thank you.

00:11:08.480 You're speaking my language now.

00:11:10.120 Now I'm interested in this shit because –

00:11:12.360 But here's the thing.

00:11:14.240 To be successful at the highest level, you have to do stuff you don't like.

00:11:16.960 Okay.

00:11:17.800 Right?

00:11:18.220 Thank you.

00:11:19.180 You just said –

00:11:19.860 That's part of the formula.

00:11:20.700 This is the fucking thing that I keep telling people.

00:11:23.660 This is – the opposite is what's being thrown around social right now.

00:11:27.200 If you don't love it, you should quit and do something you love.

00:11:30.980 Look, dude.

00:11:31.560 Dude, how many times do you feel like getting up in the morning and fucking running?

00:11:36.680 Exactly.

00:11:37.260 Zero times.

00:11:38.060 People assume, oh, you must love to get up and run.

00:11:40.600 No, dude.

00:11:40.960 I hate it.

00:11:41.660 Yeah.

00:11:41.880 I try to figure out how to work out in the afternoon.

00:11:44.720 Like, and I don't want – like, I love sleeping.

00:11:48.360 I love being comfortable.

00:11:49.260 That's what human nature is, comfort.

00:11:51.500 Right?

00:11:52.140 But we're never just standing still.

00:11:55.000 We're moving forward or we're moving backwards.

00:11:56.800 And if you're not uncomfortable, you're moving backwards.

00:11:59.820 Yeah, you're getting passed.

00:12:00.940 You're getting passed.

00:12:01.560 The environment that we're in is not static.

00:12:03.680 Yeah.

00:12:03.940 It's a fluid environment.

00:12:06.100 People have such a hard time grasping.

00:12:08.660 And you know what's cool is that that applies to your fitness.

00:12:12.280 It applies to your mental toughness.

00:12:13.960 It applies to – because mental toughness is a perishable skill.

00:12:18.580 You know, it is something that if you develop and then you let go and then it will go backwards.

00:12:24.780 You know what I mean?

00:12:25.800 Yeah.

00:12:26.380 Oh, for sure.

00:12:26.880 It's like when you work out and you get fit, it takes forever and ever to get to a level.

00:12:31.420 And then you, like, dial it back for a minute and you're like, how the hell did I get way back here again?

00:12:35.720 Same thing with mental toughness.

00:12:37.180 Like, I'm four years removed from the 50, which is arguably the greatest endurance feat that nobody knows about.

00:12:45.900 Yeah.

00:12:46.720 Well, they're going to know about it now.

00:12:48.120 Yeah.

00:12:48.480 Well, good.

00:12:49.140 At least 1.2 mil, right?

00:12:50.540 Yeah.

00:12:51.200 Well, more than that.

00:12:52.300 Yeah.

00:12:52.400 I love it.

00:12:53.360 And here's the thing is when I finished the 50, I got just, like, thrown into the speaking circuit.

00:12:59.220 Right.

00:12:59.300 The last two years I've been in 48 countries.

00:13:01.840 That's awesome.

00:13:02.320 It's just crazy.

00:13:03.220 And this is something I never, ever thought I'd be doing.

00:13:05.820 Well, I've slipped in the physical element of my life and mental and doing these difficult, hard challenges.

00:13:12.840 And so I've backpedaled.

00:13:15.700 And so I've got a few big challenges coming up and I'm like, oh, I'm like, this is real.

00:13:20.900 Right.

00:13:21.220 This is real for me.

00:13:22.220 Right.

00:13:22.380 And it's not like everyone's like, oh, because I show up anywhere and they're like, oh, you're the Iron Cowboy, you can do anything.

00:13:26.740 Right.

00:13:27.140 You just go do it right now.

00:13:28.020 You just go do it like that.

00:13:28.740 They're like, hey, just go do an Iron Man on the moon right now.

00:13:30.840 Yeah.

00:13:30.920 And I'm like, what the hell are you talking about?

00:13:32.240 Like, it takes a minute.

00:13:34.160 Because here's the biggest problem with anybody, and you're going to be an advocate of this, is people see a headline.

00:13:39.860 They see you today, what you make, what your company is.

00:13:43.140 That's right.

00:13:43.680 They don't see you sleeping in the back of your shop.

00:13:45.640 No.

00:13:46.040 Fuck no.

00:13:46.480 They don't see you.

00:13:46.960 They don't see the headline.

00:13:48.660 They don't even believe that.

00:13:50.520 They don't even believe it.

00:13:51.560 Like, I have to, like, literally, like, show people pictures and shit.

00:13:57.560 Yeah.

00:13:57.860 You know, because if you say that, it just sounds like every other bullshit story.

00:14:01.760 And, like, it's the same for you, you know?

00:14:04.040 My first race, I have a picture of me hanging on the side of the pool, gasping for air with a nose plug on.

00:14:08.800 Oh, I love that, dude.

00:14:09.120 Because I can't breathe.

00:14:09.680 Like, I didn't know how to swim.

00:14:10.760 And then I went on to do what we did, which was stupid.

00:14:14.420 So, we should send him, like, Trump should go with him, or he should go with Trump for everything.

00:14:19.740 So, when, like, when you're going over.

00:14:20.980 Like, make America great again?

00:14:21.700 Yeah.

00:14:22.080 No, no.

00:14:23.200 I'm talking about, like, you go overseas.

00:14:24.580 He meets with Kim Il-sung or whatever his name is.

00:14:27.060 And Trump just says, Iron Cowboy.

00:14:30.100 Dude.

00:14:31.420 They know we're serious.

00:14:32.200 America.

00:14:32.900 America.

00:14:33.300 America.

00:14:33.640 Iron Cowboy.

00:14:34.740 But he's Canadian.

00:14:35.840 That's right.

00:14:36.200 Ooh, yeah, that's a problem.

00:14:37.460 We'll naturalize you.

00:14:38.440 So, after wrestling and everything, I was sitting there in Canada going, you know, kind of not

00:14:44.940 accomplishing much and trying to figure out what I'm doing.

00:14:47.900 And Calgary's actually famous for the Calgary Stampede, one of the largest rodeo stops in

00:14:52.340 the world.

00:14:52.900 Yeah.

00:14:53.360 And I was sitting there, and the radio announced a contest to see who could ride the Ferris

00:14:58.200 wheel, the giant Ferris wheel, for the duration of the Stampede.

00:15:01.740 Well, the Stampede's 10 days long.

00:15:03.360 And so, I was like, yeah, I should do that.

00:15:06.060 Right?

00:15:06.800 And so, I call the radio station.

00:15:10.760 I get on the ride, and I just, like, plead my case that I need to be on this ride.

00:15:15.180 And I sit on the Ferris wheel and endure just boredom.

00:15:19.120 Just mind-numbing boredom for 10 days.

00:15:21.960 And I ended up winning the contest, which totally transitioned my whole life.

00:15:27.780 Wait, wait, wait.

00:15:28.320 Let me stop you here.

00:15:30.660 What the fuck, dude?

00:15:32.920 Wait, I'm lost already.

00:15:36.700 What makes somebody want to sit on a Ferris wheel for 10 days?

00:15:40.380 Money.

00:15:42.500 Money.

00:15:43.120 I was a 22-year-old in a dead-end job.

00:15:45.500 There we go.

00:15:46.040 And so, I was sitting on the Ferris wheel.

00:15:47.800 And it's funny, because I got fired from my job while I was sitting on the Ferris wheel.

00:15:51.520 So, my motivation instantly, like, doubled or tripled.

00:15:54.560 And I'm like, now I have to sit here, because now what's my option?

00:15:58.180 Zero options.

00:15:58.760 Ended up winning, winning the money.

00:16:00.120 And I did.

00:16:00.920 I had one friend in Utah, and I hitchhiked a ride from Calgary to Utah.

00:16:04.580 I met my wife.

00:16:05.500 We actually just celebrated 19 years of marriage, and we have five kids.

00:16:09.400 Oh, man.

00:16:09.840 That's cool.

00:16:10.340 Congratulations.

00:16:11.120 We've got four girls and a little boy, which is super cool.

00:16:13.980 Yeah, that's super cool.

00:16:14.680 I have to pull this out, though, because 10 days on a Ferris wheel, something that Andy

00:16:19.840 has said a lot is that the key to endurance and the key to success is mastering the monotonous.

00:16:24.660 So, what's going through your mind on those 10 days?

00:16:26.680 Were you, like, somehow getting into some sort of mental zone to just double down?

00:16:31.720 Like, you know what I'm saying?

00:16:32.940 I mean, that was monotonous.

00:16:33.920 You had to have been on the borderline of going insane.

00:16:37.380 Well, no.

00:16:38.280 I think, you know, in your early 20s, you've got an active mind, or hopefully you should.

00:16:43.940 And you've gone through some stuff, and you've got a lot yet to experience.

00:16:49.460 And so, it was actually a beautiful 10 days for me to where I just got to sit and reflect.

00:16:55.220 You had no distractions.

00:16:56.240 You couldn't do anything.

00:16:57.520 No phones, no books, no nothing.

00:16:59.320 You didn't want to talk to the other people that are competing, because who the hell are they?

00:17:03.480 And so, it was just a great opportunity to sit there and go, okay, who am I?

00:17:08.500 What do I want to do?

00:17:09.300 Where have I been?

00:17:10.020 Where do I want to go?

00:17:11.220 You kept your mind occupied.

00:17:12.200 Just kept my mind occupied, and I really started to plan and dream, really.

00:17:15.860 I think with technology, unfortunately, these kids have lost the art of dreaming.

00:17:21.180 Dude, yes.

00:17:21.760 I mean, it's just like they're just so distracted, and minute to minute, and instant gratification, this and that.

00:17:25.980 And they've lost that creativity and that dreaming element of it.

00:17:29.120 And they've got to try to be fulfilled through something else.

00:17:33.800 God, dude, that's such a good point that I'm not even considered, honestly.

00:17:36.560 So, I think for me, even now, those 50 bike rides that I did, those were six to seven hours long, and it's just me time, right?

00:17:47.100 And when I escape in training and doing these big, long rides up in the mountains, that's me time.

00:17:51.680 That's think time.

00:17:52.340 That's deep tank time.

00:17:53.500 That's dissecting things and creating and dreaming and all that.

00:17:56.540 And kids and even teens and –

00:17:59.500 They're too distracted.

00:18:00.360 They're too distracted.

00:18:01.220 Yeah.

00:18:01.480 I mean, one of the biggest areas that I want to get to – like, I've spoken to corporations and executives and all this stuff,

00:18:07.380 and I want to get into the universities because I think that's a demographic right there that I think –

00:18:13.540 they're just stuck.

00:18:14.400 They have no clue.

00:18:15.120 They haven't done anything tough yet.

00:18:17.360 They're soft, really.

00:18:19.380 Oh, yeah.

00:18:19.880 And they're just entitled and soft, and I try not to offend anybody, but it's true.

00:18:24.520 And I think my message and story with what we've been through would really resonate and help a lot of those kids get some direction in what they're going.

00:18:32.940 Absolutely, dude.

00:18:33.280 I think our environment – our environment right now is – and I mean, we totally agree on this.

00:18:39.320 I can just tell from what you're saying.

00:18:41.540 It's conditioned for softness.

00:18:43.520 I mean, dude, when you and I – I don't know how old you are.

00:18:45.620 How old are you?

00:18:45.780 42.

00:18:46.280 Okay, so we're close to the same age.

00:18:47.940 Yeah.

00:18:48.380 Like, we probably sort of grew up in the same way of – we definitely grew up in the same way technology was.

00:18:55.220 I mean, fuck, dude.

00:18:56.400 These kids got everything instant.

00:18:58.000 Instant food, instant feedback, instant contact, instant email.

00:19:02.000 Like, dude –

00:19:02.620 Instant entertainment.

00:19:03.420 Fuck, dude.

00:19:03.840 They don't even know what a fucking pen pal is.

00:19:05.480 What the fuck a pen pal?

00:19:06.740 You know, like, dude –

00:19:08.860 They don't know what a bike is.

00:19:09.800 It's a completely different thing.

00:19:11.620 And, like, I remember, like, when you were saying that about just dreaming,

00:19:14.380 I'm a huge car guy.

00:19:16.980 And so I can remember, like, after school when I was a kid –

00:19:23.020 and I'm not talking 20 years old.

00:19:24.660 I'm talking 8, 9, 10 years old.

00:19:27.860 Like, sitting there playing with my Hot Wheels and, like, looking at my Hot Wheels.

00:19:31.540 And I didn't have nothing else to do.

00:19:33.700 And I'm like, man, you know, one day I'm going to be this guy who does this and this with cars.

00:19:38.700 And people don't understand that, like, that car obsession started when I was a kid.

00:19:43.020 Yeah.

00:19:43.340 But it started because I had time to actually –

00:19:46.020 Think.

00:19:46.460 Think about things.

00:19:47.520 Yeah.

00:19:47.900 You know?

00:19:48.360 And that's led to all these other amazing things that I take pride in now.

00:19:52.540 You know what I mean?

00:19:53.120 Yeah, for sure.

00:19:53.440 Like, providing guys with careers and people with an opportunity.

00:19:56.980 And, you know, it's going to be interesting to see how this lack of imagination changes.

00:20:04.600 There's so much science to support what you're saying.

00:20:06.680 There's literally a brand-new study that just came out and said one of the negative effects of technology

00:20:11.300 is that literally kids are entertained so much that they don't get bored

00:20:15.100 and that they've actually proven that it's prolonged periods of boredom

00:20:19.320 that actually stimulate the greatest creativity in kids.

00:20:22.740 It's kind of what you're saying.

00:20:23.600 Yeah, for sure.

00:20:23.720 Like, you just sat there, so you had time to think.

00:20:25.600 But they're literally saying that it's actually boredom itself that provokes that.

00:20:29.760 And the problem is that when you have kids who are constantly, like, looking on their iPads

00:20:33.120 or looking on their iPhones, they're never bored.

00:20:35.460 So their imaginations don't develop, and they don't develop this capacity to think big

00:20:40.340 because they're never forced to.

00:20:41.620 They're never sitting in a corner going, well, I don't have any toys,

00:20:44.900 so I'll just go find a shoebox and make something really amazing out of it,

00:20:48.500 or I'll go out into the woods and whittle a gun out of a tree.

00:20:52.160 You know?

00:20:52.460 They just don't do that.

00:20:53.480 Yeah, my assistant, she sent me a text the other day, and she was like,

00:20:55.980 hey, there's an event, and they want to book you,

00:20:59.400 and then there's a second event that's, there's no plane that'll get you there fast enough.

00:21:04.000 It's a five-hour drive.

00:21:05.860 Are you okay to do that?

00:21:07.140 And I actually really like driving, and I'll turn things off,

00:21:10.260 and I just, like, sit there and think.

00:21:12.220 And I was like, oh, yeah, man, I'd love to do that five-hour drive

00:21:15.120 and just kind of get inside my head.

00:21:16.740 I like it alone, though.

00:21:17.720 Oh, yeah, me too.

00:21:18.440 Oh, yeah, for sure.

00:21:19.160 Don't bug me.

00:21:19.800 Yeah.

00:21:20.020 You know?

00:21:20.500 Yeah.

00:21:20.680 And just that little bit of alone time.

00:21:22.620 And so I could drive across the country.

00:21:25.160 Yeah.

00:21:25.400 And be totally stoked to do it.

00:21:27.220 Like, I don't know if I could be a truck driver and do it all the time,

00:21:29.260 but, like, to say, hey.

00:21:30.400 As a, like, most people would look at it and think, dude, fuck that.

00:21:34.020 Yeah.

00:21:34.280 And I agree.

00:21:35.200 I'm with you.

00:21:35.520 But if someone's like, hey, let's, let's, you know,

00:21:37.260 you've got a six-hour drive, I'm like, oh, sweet.

00:21:39.180 This is some time that I can get inside my head

00:21:40.900 and really sort some things out.

00:21:42.880 You know what I mean?

00:21:43.380 Yeah.

00:21:43.980 Yeah, dude.

00:21:44.520 I, I, I told, I have never thought about that before, honestly,

00:21:49.380 about the distractions from imagination.

00:21:53.100 That's a really good point to consider.

00:21:55.300 It's got me thinking about a whole lot of things now.

00:21:57.440 Dude, I don't, I don't listen on the radio.

00:21:59.120 So, dude, here, well, here.

00:22:00.160 On the way to and from work.

00:22:01.480 Here's the question I'm interested in.

00:22:04.160 How, how did you go to the bathroom?

00:22:06.260 Yeah, on the Ferris wheel?

00:22:07.160 Yeah.

00:22:07.660 We had two, two 10-minute breaks a day.

00:22:09.880 Okay.

00:22:10.340 Yeah.

00:22:10.780 And in that 10 minutes, you had to eat and go to the bathroom.

00:22:13.140 Wow.

00:22:13.560 But you did have to sleep on it, right?

00:22:15.280 You couldn't sleep during the day.

00:22:16.300 From, from midnight to 8 a.m., you could, you could go to sleep.

00:22:19.740 Wow.

00:22:21.360 So, dude, so that was your first test of, like, mental, mental endurance.

00:22:25.980 Yeah, wrestling and then the Ferris wheel.

00:22:27.660 Yeah.

00:22:28.280 And then my wife and I started running together and she, like I said,

00:22:33.800 she'd said, let's do that four-mile fun run.

00:22:35.760 And did that four-mile fun run and after that, I was just a mess.

00:22:41.320 And she, she came up to me and she was like, you're pathetic.

00:22:45.980 And, and she said, I just signed you up for the Salt Lake City Marathon and figure it out.

00:22:51.480 Yeah.

00:22:51.940 And I was like, that's mean.

00:22:53.780 You know?

00:22:54.680 And did the marathon, hated it, absolutely hated it.

00:22:58.400 Swollen knees, couldn't walk for a week.

00:23:00.060 How long, how long did you have to prep for that?

00:23:02.020 Five months.

00:23:02.580 Yeah.

00:23:03.120 Yeah.

00:23:03.540 Did you prep?

00:23:04.700 Yeah.

00:23:04.980 I mean, I had no idea how to run, nothing, downloaded Couch to Marathon off the internet

00:23:09.640 and just started to try to dive into it.

00:23:11.700 And what year was this?

00:23:12.980 2004.

00:23:13.700 Okay.

00:23:13.900 And then really confirmed my dislike for running.

00:23:18.680 Right.

00:23:19.160 And, but then I found triathlon and I loved the diversity.

00:23:22.200 I loved that, that I had to learn a new skill set of swimming.

00:23:24.860 I ended up loving biking, had no idea, but loved it.

00:23:28.480 And then just started to kind of take down the disciplines.

00:23:31.580 And I think what's, what still attracts me today to triathlon is mastering so many different

00:23:37.120 elements, swimming, biking, running, right?

00:23:39.080 That's the obvious ones.

00:23:40.360 But then you've got nutrition, you've got mindset, you know?

00:23:43.400 So you're, you're talking right there, five different disciplines that you've got to try

00:23:47.500 to figure out a master in order to do something at the highest level.

00:23:51.020 And so I think that's what really gravitated me towards it.

00:23:54.340 And then, uh, so after that, that, that marathon got into, to racing, um, did my first Ironman

00:24:00.560 in 2008.

00:24:01.740 And I was like, okay, this is cool.

00:24:04.540 Cause I learned some things, I struggled, I stumbled, but had some decent success with

00:24:08.620 it.

00:24:09.200 And then, um, right when all that was happening, I used to own a mortgage company and in the,

00:24:15.700 in the thick of it, when we were getting into racing and starting to figure that out, the

00:24:20.440 economy crashes.

00:24:21.280 Right.

00:24:21.500 And, uh, we, we were in the heart of that crash and, uh, we got stripped of everything.

00:24:28.080 Got punched right in the fucking mouth.

00:24:29.560 Just, yeah.

00:24:30.200 Yeah.

00:24:30.560 More than once.

00:24:31.440 Yeah.

00:24:31.680 And, uh, I mean, we lost our house, we lost all of our possessions.

00:24:34.880 I remember sitting there and got the knock on the door and it was the bank and I've got

00:24:38.640 five kids, six and a half and under and just, you know, reality just comes knocking hard.

00:24:45.700 And I had less than 10 bucks in my bank account because we'd fought, tried to save everything.

00:24:51.440 And I've got these five kids and I'm like, what am I going to do?

00:24:54.080 Right.

00:24:54.620 I'd already committed to the racing and this and that.

00:24:57.120 And so I was like, okay, we're, this is an opportunity for me to reset and do what I

00:25:01.820 do what I want to do.

00:25:03.220 Right.

00:25:03.740 And so I started working for a charity.

00:25:05.160 We started working to raise money to build dams in Africa.

00:25:08.660 That's cool.

00:25:09.280 And so we called it to try and give a damn project.

00:25:11.700 Oh, I like that.

00:25:12.520 And I went out and I broke the world record for the most half Ironmans done in a single

00:25:15.660 year and donated all the money to the charity.

00:25:17.600 How many was that?

00:25:18.840 We did, we did 22 Ironmans and 30, uh, half Ironmans in 30 weeks.

00:25:22.000 Okay.

00:25:22.700 And then I was just fucking incredible.

00:25:24.640 I was just sitting there going, man, I don't, I don't want to be the half Ironman world record

00:25:28.620 holder.

00:25:28.920 Who, who wants to be that guy?

00:25:30.140 Yeah.

00:25:30.460 And so then I did some research, looked up at the full Ironman world record.

00:25:33.940 And then two years later, it was 20 fulls.

00:25:37.020 And I was like, well, I'm, I don't want to break the record.

00:25:39.520 I want to set a new bar.

00:25:40.580 Yeah.

00:25:40.860 And then, uh, so we set out to do 30 Ironmans through 11 countries and just had to shoestring

00:25:46.920 budget the whole thing.

00:25:47.880 Cause we had, we had no money.

00:25:49.300 And so I was just creative and trading and bartering and, and getting people to donate

00:25:53.560 air miles so I could get to these countries and race.

00:25:56.400 And I remember getting to Switzerland, I had no money.

00:25:59.260 I, uh, I would go to the race expo and, and, and get the bar samples and the drink samples

00:26:05.520 to, to fuel me, to eat, to eat food.

00:26:08.520 And cause I would say anything I would get or send from our coach and everything I would

00:26:11.840 send home cause we had the kids and we had to put, we had to put food on the table and

00:26:15.700 figure that out.

00:26:16.820 And so it was just a real scrappy gritty time.

00:26:20.140 Um, and then I, I finished the, the, the 30 Ironman world record and I knew I was going

00:26:26.720 to get sponsored and they were going to throw money at us and the whole thing.

00:26:29.600 And so I was like, we're going to do, we're going to do 50 Ironmans.

00:26:31.760 Cause I, during the 30, I didn't feel like I'd pushed myself physically and mentally.

00:26:35.500 Yeah.

00:26:35.780 And I was like, okay.

00:26:36.640 So you, so wait, so, so no, no, for real, like you guys are laughing, but I'm, I'm totally

00:26:41.960 picking this up, dude.

00:26:42.900 Like you're, you're, you realize you left some shit on the table.

00:26:48.540 Yeah.

00:26:49.300 Well, when, and when you're doing something, it's hard, but then by doing those hard things,

00:26:53.060 you gain knowledge and experience.

00:26:54.900 Right.

00:26:55.440 Right.

00:26:55.760 And that's the whole point of being on a journey is gaining that knowledge and experience,

00:26:58.760 facing some fears, overcoming those obstacles.

00:27:00.600 So I finished that year.

00:27:01.840 I look back and I was like, yeah, when I started that year, that was the hardest thing I could

00:27:05.420 think of, but now I could do an Ironman every weekend.

00:27:08.740 Yeah.

00:27:08.980 Right.

00:27:09.200 That's the, that's where we've evolved.

00:27:11.140 Yeah.

00:27:11.680 And so I looked back and I said, okay, I'm a man.

00:27:14.420 I want to know what I do when I'm really backed into a corner, broken mentally, broken physically,

00:27:19.380 nothing in the tank.

00:27:20.960 What do I do?

00:27:21.760 It's dark.

00:27:22.480 Right.

00:27:22.820 Now, what do I do?

00:27:23.680 So I was like, what's the hardest thing?

00:27:24.840 What's going to put me in that position?

00:27:26.580 50 Ironmans, 50 days, 50 States.

00:27:28.280 Yeah.

00:27:28.540 Right.

00:27:28.700 So we started to put it together.

00:27:29.860 I knew we were going to get sponsored.

00:27:31.500 I contacted all the big companies, this and that.

00:27:34.140 No, no, no, no, no.

00:27:36.140 Nothing.

00:27:37.380 What year was this?

00:27:38.520 2015.

00:27:39.200 Okay.

00:27:39.520 And they said, we can't afford to associate ourselves with a failure.

00:27:44.460 Dude, I wish I would have known about it.

00:27:46.040 I said, oh, you did.

00:27:49.120 No, I didn't.

00:27:49.920 You didn't.

00:27:50.700 Yeah.

00:27:51.200 But you guys did.

00:27:52.120 Well, I didn't.

00:27:53.440 I have an email from 2014.

00:27:55.240 Yeah.

00:27:56.160 What, I said no?

00:27:56.940 Uh-huh.

00:27:57.180 No way.

00:27:57.940 Yeah.

00:27:58.460 Damn, dude.

00:27:59.220 Well, that wasn't me.

00:28:00.720 I could tell you it didn't come from me.

00:28:02.740 I brought the email up at dinner last night to the boys.

00:28:06.100 Good.

00:28:06.420 It was really, really cool.

00:28:07.520 It was just a cool experience.

00:28:09.460 But-

00:28:09.940 I hope you rubbed it in, too.

00:28:11.280 No, not yet.

00:28:11.820 Yeah.

00:28:12.600 I'm going to.

00:28:13.700 I'm going to tell you that right now.

00:28:16.940 So they said, we can't afford to associate ourselves with a failure.

00:28:20.660 And I said, what are you talking about?

00:28:22.360 I haven't failed yet.

00:28:22.980 I just came off two world records.

00:28:24.680 I'm in the best physical shape I've ever been in.

00:28:26.620 My mental state is off the charts.

00:28:28.600 I know we can do this.

00:28:30.480 And they just said, well, you're going to fail.

00:28:31.840 It's impossible.

00:28:32.380 It can't be done.

00:28:33.500 And so I was like, okay, let's go.

00:28:35.140 Yeah.

00:28:36.040 And I already know that that was all you needed.

00:28:39.040 It can't be done.

00:28:40.000 Yeah.

00:28:40.380 Wasn't it?

00:28:41.240 Right?

00:28:41.520 Yeah.

00:28:42.100 For sure.

00:28:42.640 We're talking about the darkness.

00:28:43.400 Oh, fuck yeah, dude.

00:28:44.260 The dark side's-

00:28:45.620 You know, I can always tell the kind of person I'm dealing with when I ask them, what motivates

00:28:51.620 you more, winning or fucking losing?

00:28:54.140 And you know what I'm saying?

00:28:55.720 Or what encourages you more?

00:28:57.360 People cheering you or people telling you you can't?

00:29:00.040 You know?

00:29:00.540 And I can always tell.

00:29:02.020 Like, dude, there's kinds of people who- there's just different kinds of people.

00:29:08.200 And that's what it comes down to.

00:29:09.840 You know?

00:29:10.980 So that was a crazy moment for us when we had no support and nobody believed in us.

00:29:16.700 Everybody said it was impossible.

00:29:18.500 And we were actually laughed at and mocked for having the goal.

00:29:22.080 Yeah.

00:29:22.300 Because they were like, you're just going to set yourself up for embarrassment.

00:29:25.460 I would like that email because I'm going to fucking frame the motherfucker and put it

00:29:28.780 on my wall.

00:29:29.380 Honestly, dude.

00:29:30.320 Honestly.

00:29:31.100 Like, I'm serious.

00:29:32.900 Okay.

00:29:33.120 Because like that, to me, that's what this shit's about.

00:29:36.460 You know what I mean?

00:29:37.180 For sure.

00:29:37.360 It's about fucking being told no, and then it's about proving everybody wrong.

00:29:41.980 I live for that shit.

00:29:43.680 Well, and here's one thing that I've realized on the journey, too, is you had no idea.

00:29:49.520 No.

00:29:49.980 Right?

00:29:50.220 That it was going on.

00:29:50.940 Yeah.

00:29:51.240 And so it would have been an ego battle for me in my head to say, I'm going to prove you

00:29:57.820 wrong.

00:29:58.780 Because you didn't know that that was happening, right?

00:30:01.800 Right.

00:30:02.280 And so for me, I had to go to a place where I was going to prove myself right and not

00:30:08.960 prove you wrong.

00:30:09.900 Yeah.

00:30:10.340 Same outcome, different energy.

00:30:12.200 Yeah.

00:30:12.500 Right?

00:30:12.960 Yeah.

00:30:13.440 Because it turns from an F you mentality to the world to turning that into a positive

00:30:18.920 and say, I'm going to put together the best possible team.

00:30:21.580 And together, we are going to prove ourselves right.

00:30:24.540 Yeah.

00:30:24.680 And it doesn't matter if I prove you right or wrong, because I believe in me.

00:30:29.400 And it starts here.

00:30:30.620 Yeah.

00:30:31.040 For sure.

00:30:31.720 Yeah.

00:30:31.860 For sure.

00:30:32.840 For sure.

00:30:33.440 I think that there's power.

00:30:35.260 I think.

00:30:36.640 So.

00:30:39.380 In business, this is what I try to explain to people, because I think they take this motivation

00:30:44.540 the wrong way.

00:30:45.960 Like, a lot of people are in business and they look at their competitors.

00:30:49.000 They're like, dude, I'm going to fucking bury them.

00:30:50.420 I'm going to bury them.

00:30:51.120 And then they get so.

00:30:52.340 So I talk about the dark side motivation, right?

00:30:54.780 Like, it's real.

00:30:55.400 It's real shit.

00:30:56.040 And I'm driven by that.

00:30:57.260 But so many people, what you're talking about is crossing over to productive action.

00:31:04.940 And so many people will just get consumed with the dark that it buries them because they

00:31:13.000 can't be productive.

00:31:14.000 And the key is to be able to take that because, dude, to do something like you've done, I

00:31:19.220 believe that's a record that will never be broken.

00:31:22.280 I think it's one of the greatest records in sports, in athletics, in mental toughness.

00:31:28.480 Like, you could fucking go away today, and that's a tremendous legacy, in my opinion.

00:31:38.540 But to do things that are on that level, you have to do what you just said.

00:31:43.100 And you have to be able to cross over and use all the energy available.

00:31:47.340 And so what I try to explain to people who are in business is that what you just explained

00:31:54.620 is that, dude, yes, the dark shit is real shit, but you have to be smart enough and disciplined

00:32:01.180 enough to understand that just wanting to prove people wrong and being mad and being angry

00:32:06.960 is not enough.

00:32:08.180 You have to be able to take that energy, go to your team, like you said, create a plan

00:32:14.560 and take it and pour it into that plan that benefits not only yourself, but your entire

00:32:20.260 team and everybody else.

00:32:22.100 And so a lot of people misconstrue the dark energy.

00:32:25.360 It's like, I got to live there.

00:32:26.740 Dude, if you live there, it will burn you up.

00:32:28.660 It will end you.

00:32:29.800 We live in Utah, and it's starting to become Silicon Valley.

00:32:35.020 They're calling it Silicon Slopes.

00:32:37.120 And what's interesting is I've noticed that all of the tech companies are moving in right

00:32:41.520 beside each other.

00:32:42.280 And it's not because they want to keep an eye on them and bury them and distance themselves

00:32:47.560 and keep the secrets.

00:32:48.300 It's because that strength in numbers.

00:32:51.760 They're all working together.

00:32:52.420 They're all working together.

00:32:53.340 Even though they're competitors, they're working together to grow and get themselves to another

00:32:57.000 level.

00:32:57.560 And if one of those companies was to isolate themselves and go, we're going to bury you

00:33:01.680 guys into this, they would get swallowed up.

00:33:03.580 Yeah, they would lose.

00:33:04.620 They're missing out on an opportunity to collaborate with these other companies and realize that

00:33:09.560 they can benefit each other and all see tremendous growth.

00:33:13.200 They can still go prove each other wrong, but it's because they're putting the efforts into

00:33:16.740 what they're doing.

00:33:17.620 I've been trying to do that in our fitness industry a lot.

00:33:20.680 You know, like I'm very passionate about the message that we stand for at First Form.

00:33:27.240 And when we first started, I was definitely more like, dude, fuck everybody else.

00:33:31.940 This is what we're doing.

00:33:32.660 But now I'm like, dude, all of you guys need to step up to this message and deliver this.

00:33:38.320 You know what I mean?

00:33:38.840 It's for the better of the culture for everybody.

00:33:41.280 Well, and looking at you guys now, I mean, you guys have so much impact in so many other

00:33:45.100 really cool areas with charities and work inside the community here in St. Louis.

00:33:49.700 I mean, just what I learned about you guys last night was remarkable.

00:33:53.100 Thank you.

00:33:53.380 And the work that you guys are doing was just like, holy cow, these guys have taken it to

00:33:56.620 another level.

00:33:57.680 And had you stayed in that dark place, I don't think that stuff would have been possible.

00:34:01.600 No.

00:34:02.000 Because you'd have been so shut off from all that other stuff.

00:34:04.860 But I think that comes with experience and maturity, too.

00:34:06.980 You know, when I was younger, dude, I was definitely totally fueled by fire.

00:34:11.280 And now it's...

00:34:12.660 I still think you've got some fire in your head.

00:34:14.340 Oh, yeah.

00:34:14.980 Oh, dude.

00:34:15.920 That'll never go away.

00:34:17.020 You're intense.

00:34:17.980 Yeah.

00:34:18.300 But it's just...

00:34:19.280 I like that, though.

00:34:20.320 You know what I mean?

00:34:20.820 I like feeling that.

00:34:21.640 No, dude, it's infectious.

00:34:23.100 Thank you.

00:34:23.720 Thanks for good stories, too.

00:34:24.800 I'm pumped up in the room right now.

00:34:25.880 Yeah.

00:34:26.260 Well, I mean, dude, it's just who I am, man.

00:34:30.100 It's authentically who I am.

00:34:31.480 Yeah, I love it.

00:34:32.520 You can't force that.

00:34:33.660 No.

00:34:33.920 And you can't fake it.

00:34:35.760 People can tell.

00:34:37.040 I know.

00:34:37.600 People can tell.

00:34:38.320 We talk about that a lot with speakers.

00:34:40.100 And you're speaking now, too.

00:34:41.760 You know, I see...

00:34:43.120 We were just talking about this five minutes before I walked in here with Jason in the

00:34:46.700 other room about how many people that go out and speak and suck at speaking.

00:34:52.740 Like, my brother, Sal, is probably the second best speaker I know.

00:34:57.400 Maybe the third best behind Ed Milet.

00:35:00.860 Okay?

00:35:01.840 And, like, we're all on that same level.

00:35:04.860 He doesn't go out and speak.

00:35:06.340 You know what I'm saying?

00:35:06.900 Man, he puts his energy towards this.

00:35:09.620 But what I'm trying to say is, like, the reason that a lot of these dudes that we see,

00:35:15.280 and I'm sure you see, too, actually suck at speaking is because they're doing it for

00:35:19.040 the fucking money instead of doing it for the impact.

00:35:21.740 They don't actually believe it.

00:35:23.320 So when you're sitting at these events and you're like, God, I wonder why this guy sucks.

00:35:26.460 Well, it's probably because he's about to sell you something.

00:35:28.320 Yeah.

00:35:28.580 That's the truth.

00:35:29.440 And they've chosen the topic that they're speaking about based on what they think is

00:35:33.240 going to make them money, not based on something that they're genuinely and naturally enthusiastic

00:35:37.480 about.

00:35:37.900 That's right.

00:35:38.240 Yeah.

00:35:38.520 So I've got two quick stories.

00:35:41.800 One is I was invited out to speak to the Minnesota Vikings.

00:35:45.280 And I was wicked intimidated, right?

00:35:47.900 These are, like, the highest level athletes, explosive.

00:35:50.680 I think they'd be scared of you, dude.

00:35:52.320 Well, this is a crazy experience.

00:35:53.800 So I go in there, and it's mandatory.

00:35:55.940 All of the athletes have to be there.

00:35:57.320 They're bringing speakers all the time, and, you know, you get in there, and the attitude

00:36:02.420 is like, yeah, we have to be there.

00:36:03.780 We're going to get fined.

00:36:05.780 And over the course, I presented to the Vikings for an hour, and I'm like, holy crap, this

00:36:09.740 is going to be a scary hour for me.

00:36:11.980 And I go in there, and I literally just shared my story and poured my heart out.

00:36:15.860 Yeah.

00:36:16.280 And the coach came up to me afterwards, and he goes, I have never seen this group of athletes

00:36:21.260 pay attention, not move, and be alert for the entire presentation.

00:36:26.420 And every single one of those athletes got something out of it.

00:36:29.700 And this is what he said.

00:36:30.780 He goes, the reason is you weren't trying to tell them or teach them anything.

00:36:36.900 You were sharing your story, and they appreciated it because you were on the battlefield doing

00:36:44.020 it.

00:36:44.440 They respected it.

00:36:45.140 And they respected that.

00:36:45.980 Right.

00:36:46.120 Yeah.

00:36:46.940 And then one of my mentors who's been speaking for 20 years is Peter Vidmar.

00:36:51.740 He's a 1984 Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics, was the first athlete to get a perfect 10

00:36:56.300 on the Palma horse.

00:36:57.620 And he said, what you have as a speaker, because I never thought I'd be a speaker, right?

00:37:01.460 I didn't either, bro.

00:37:03.180 I'm an introvert.

00:37:03.820 Like, I've built a home right now with the desire to never leave it.

00:37:08.040 Yeah.

00:37:08.460 You know?

00:37:09.620 We got something in common then.

00:37:11.020 Yeah.

00:37:11.060 And Peter was like, you have something that most speakers don't have, and it's the fact

00:37:16.100 that you're telling your own story.

00:37:18.320 And you're passionate about it, and you experienced it.

00:37:21.440 Right.

00:37:21.840 And then he said, and you're good on stage.

00:37:23.440 Yeah.

00:37:23.600 And so he said those two, and so that was one of the couple of really great compliments

00:37:27.260 that I received, one from a Hall of Fame speaker and Olympian, and then one from the coach

00:37:31.560 of the Minnesota Vikings, who was like, did we bring in speakers all the time?

00:37:34.900 And that was the best we've ever had.

00:37:36.240 Well, dude, I mean, let's, I mean, you're a very humble dude.

00:37:39.340 I can already tell that.

00:37:40.540 I mean, just to, I hope you appreciate the gravity and the impact of what you've been

00:37:47.960 able to accomplish, because even to someone, to anybody who's accomplished, like the

00:37:53.480 Vikings, they're all super accomplished dudes.

00:37:56.020 All these entrepreneurs, super accomplished dudes.

00:37:59.600 That's just a different thing.

00:38:01.620 I just hope you, I just hope that, you know, because I know I already, I can get a feel

00:38:06.700 for your vibe and what you're, you know, you're always looking for a test and you're always

00:38:10.600 looking to, to, you know, it's not about proving it to other people.

00:38:14.100 It's about to yourself.

00:38:15.420 I just hope that, you know, there comes a time where you can really appreciate what you've

00:38:19.460 done because dude, that's, I don't think that'll ever be broken.

00:38:22.400 And I truly do believe that is one of the greatest records in human history.

00:38:28.880 Ever since last week, when Aaron mentioned to us about you being in town and talking about

00:38:33.320 being on the show, I've actually mentioned to a handful of people, I said, oh, you have

00:38:36.600 you heard of this Iron Cowboy?

00:38:38.080 No.

00:38:38.860 What did he do?

00:38:39.600 Well, he did 50 Ironmans in 50, 50 days.

00:38:42.680 I get two.

00:38:43.040 That's intimidating, dude.

00:38:44.040 I get two responses.

00:38:45.140 Either one, they're like, baloney.

00:38:47.660 There's no way.

00:38:48.220 You're lying to me.

00:38:48.840 Like, I'm like, no, I'm not lying to you.

00:38:50.460 Or what is the more frequent one is just jaw drop.

00:38:53.900 Well, dude.

00:38:54.340 Just jaw drop.

00:38:55.120 Vaughn, think about this for real.

00:38:56.740 And I, and I think to you, it's probably not a big deal because you fucking did it like

00:39:00.060 a lot.

00:39:00.400 Cause you know, you know how we always like, kind of like if you're humble in nature, you

00:39:05.140 just kind of suppress your, you know, greatness, so to speak, or your accomplishments.

00:39:09.300 And I think that, I think anybody who understands what the fuck an Ironman is and what it means,

00:39:18.780 like most of these people, they couldn't, like me, I couldn't go run a mile without really

00:39:23.140 hurting.

00:39:24.040 You know what I mean?

00:39:25.280 Um, it's, it's just a different level.

00:39:29.220 It's a different level, man.

00:39:30.640 And it's awesome.

00:39:31.820 I ran a 5k in 2012 and I'm still bragging about it.

00:39:34.700 You're probably still sore, motherfucker.

00:39:36.100 I can't believe that you did not get injured at all.

00:39:40.780 Yeah.

00:39:40.940 Let's, let's talk about that.

00:39:42.520 Let's like, dude, when you say 50, yeah, I bet you were beat the fuck up.

00:39:46.940 Yeah.

00:39:47.180 I mean, define injured.

00:39:48.560 Yeah.

00:39:48.860 I mean, what were you like?

00:39:51.280 So let's, let's talk about this.

00:39:53.080 Okay.

00:39:53.300 Just, just so people can grasp what we're talking about.

00:39:56.660 We're talking about literally how many hours you do, how many hours a day, how many hours

00:40:02.440 to take you to Ironman during that time?

00:40:04.060 So my fastest was an 1132.

00:40:06.280 Okay.

00:40:06.740 So we floated up to 16 hours.

00:40:08.560 Okay.

00:40:08.700 We're talking 11 to 16 hours a day.

00:40:11.380 Most of you motherfuckers ain't even awake that long in a day.

00:40:14.480 Okay.

00:40:15.200 And we're talking 50 days straight, not in the same spot, but we're talking about, yeah,

00:40:21.800 dude, he just flipped me over a picture of his feet.

00:40:24.000 Is this after the event after 50 days?

00:40:26.200 That's about 15 days in 15, probably not sleeping in a hotel.

00:40:29.440 So he sends me a picture of his, of his toes here.

00:40:33.100 Every fucking toenail is fucking gone.

00:40:36.360 Okay.

00:40:37.440 Those, the red dots you see are nerve endings.

00:40:40.120 Yeah.

00:40:40.660 I mean, dude, he, it's, it's just, all right, before we get into this, cause I'm just like,

00:40:50.520 what the fuck?

00:40:50.880 There are no superlatives to describe Thomas.

00:40:53.060 This, this was on day 48.

00:40:58.160 Yeah, dude, I would have just quit there and gone to the beach.

00:41:01.600 I'm just saying like, dude, so he, let's talk logistics.

00:41:07.620 All right.

00:41:08.080 So we're talking six, 11 to 16 hours a day.

00:41:12.320 All right.

00:41:13.160 Then we're talking moving a location to a different state.

00:41:19.040 We're talking a team of people like the, the, the, the scope of this project.

00:41:25.400 Let's talk about that.

00:41:26.760 And then we'll get into actual mental toughness part of it.

00:41:29.660 Yeah.

00:41:30.220 Uh, so how, how, cause like, dude, I'm a pretty fucking smart dude and I'm pretty good with

00:41:34.060 logistics, but this would be a tough thing to really, for me to draw out.

00:41:39.260 Yeah.

00:41:39.580 So I had to reverse engineer it.

00:41:41.200 And so I was like, where's, where's going to be our biggest obstacles?

00:41:44.440 Hawaii, Alaska.

00:41:46.080 Yeah.

00:41:46.420 Right.

00:41:46.660 Let's get, let's get those taken care of first.

00:41:48.860 Okay.

00:41:49.620 You don't want to get 40 days, eight days into it and have those two left.

00:41:52.480 Right.

00:41:52.920 So Hawaii, Alaska to, to get from Hawaii to Alaska, you have to catch the last plane out in order

00:41:59.380 to do the Ironman in time.

00:42:00.380 In order to do the Ironman in time, you had to start at midnight.

00:42:02.360 So no sleep.

00:42:03.620 Do the first Ironman fly to Alaska, get there with just enough time to get in the water.

00:42:08.140 Do Ironman number two, finish that Ironman fly to Washington.

00:42:11.720 Just enough time to get in the water.

00:42:13.140 Start Ironman number three.

00:42:14.300 So the first three or three days, three Ironmans.

00:42:17.100 Zero sleep.

00:42:17.780 Five and a half hours of sleep on a commercial airline and coach with your five kids.

00:42:21.600 Yeah.

00:42:21.900 Because the kids came with me all 50 days.

00:42:23.680 Okay.

00:42:24.160 The whole family did.

00:42:25.040 And then the team and the motor home met me in Washington.

00:42:28.800 And then we started to caravan the last, the remaining 48.

00:42:32.140 Okay.

00:42:32.620 So let's talk about your mental state after the first three days, because I think this

00:42:38.720 is where most people quit in their journey to anything.

00:42:41.760 For sure.

00:42:42.280 Okay.

00:42:42.660 Yeah.

00:42:43.000 So you get three or four really hard tests, right?

00:42:47.980 And you're like, fuck this, dude.

00:42:49.300 I got so much more to go.

00:42:51.240 I've got 80%, 90% left of what I've got to do.

00:42:55.100 Where were you there mentally?

00:42:57.280 Yeah.

00:42:57.660 Fried.

00:42:58.320 Yeah.

00:42:58.540 Absolutely fried already.

00:42:59.660 We're four days into it.

00:43:01.180 And one of the things we did is we raised $100,000 for the Jamie Oliver Foundation by putting

00:43:08.160 on a 5K event inside of our Ironman every single day that people could come and participate.

00:43:13.480 Oh, that's cool.

00:43:14.060 So logistically, we put on an Ironman.

00:43:15.900 Holy shit.

00:43:16.120 And then inside that Ironman, we put on a 5K that we did every day at 7 o'clock.

00:43:20.980 Well, four days into it, we're in Oregon, and I am hammered, like exhausted, falling

00:43:27.360 asleep on the bike already.

00:43:28.760 Are you thinking like, what the fuck did I do?

00:43:30.440 Yeah.

00:43:30.640 I'm like, how am I going to do 47 more Ironmans?

00:43:33.320 Right.

00:43:33.480 Like, I'm already breaking.

00:43:35.300 So my 12-year-old daughter, Lucy, she comes up to me, and she's like, Dad, I don't think

00:43:39.200 you believe in yourself.

00:43:41.320 Oh, shit.

00:43:41.400 And I was like, what?

00:43:42.920 What?

00:43:43.480 Yeah.

00:43:43.940 She's like, I don't think you think you can do this.

00:43:45.980 This is a 12-year-old girl.

00:43:46.800 Yeah.

00:43:46.980 And she's like, I'll tell you what, Dad.

00:43:48.900 She goes, together.

00:43:51.240 Together, Dad, we can do this.

00:43:53.260 And I'm like, sweetheart, our definition of together is different.

00:43:56.160 Yeah.

00:43:56.620 Yeah?

00:43:57.040 Right.

00:43:57.360 And she's like, no, Dad, stop.

00:43:59.340 You're not listening to me.

00:44:01.440 She said, together, we can do this.

00:44:02.980 And Dad, I'm going to be here every single day waiting for you, and I'm going to do all

00:44:08.840 55Ks through 50 states with you.

00:44:11.380 At 12 years old.

00:44:12.080 12 years old.

00:44:12.680 Never run, never prepped, realized in this moment who she is.

00:44:17.220 Her role on our team and what she's going to do to help us get to the finish line.

00:44:22.080 Dude.

00:44:22.480 She showed up every single day and was there at 7 o'clock waiting for me to do that 5K.

00:44:27.120 That's amazing.

00:44:28.720 In a day and age where kids have no idea what it means to do what you say you're going to

00:44:33.060 do, she made a commitment, showed up, and held me accountable to do what we were going

00:44:39.060 to do.

00:44:39.500 And together, we did it.

00:44:40.940 That's crazy, dude.

00:44:42.460 So that conversation, which was probably five minutes.

00:44:47.620 Changed the scope of everything.

00:44:48.220 Changed the perspective.

00:44:49.240 Yeah.

00:44:49.720 And now, what's your thought process?

00:44:51.700 Now I have to do it.

00:44:52.960 Yeah.

00:44:53.460 Right?

00:44:53.940 Well, day...

00:44:54.680 So let's fast forward.

00:44:56.200 Day 18.

00:44:57.620 Chattanooga, Tennessee, 106 degrees outside.

00:45:00.240 I lose concentration for three seconds, fall asleep on my bike, crash.

00:45:04.780 I look over at my bike, my hips swollen up, I've got road rash everywhere, and I'm like,

00:45:08.900 18's got to be good enough.

00:45:10.680 Nobody thought we'd make it 5, 10, 15.

00:45:13.320 Right.

00:45:13.480 18's got to be good enough.

00:45:14.860 Right?

00:45:16.500 He who has their why can bear almost any how.

00:45:19.020 I didn't know how I was going to get back on my bike, but I knew why.

00:45:23.880 Yeah?

00:45:24.500 Lucy's waiting for me, right?

00:45:25.880 Yeah.

00:45:26.080 So I get back on my bike, and we fight and figure out how to take another step.

00:45:30.520 Dude, I love this man.

00:45:31.340 Figure out how to turn the pedals over.

00:45:32.840 Yeah.

00:45:33.280 Because guess what?

00:45:33.960 She was going to be waiting for me, and sure as shit, she was.

00:45:36.240 Yeah.

00:45:37.420 That's...

00:45:38.780 It's starting to make a little sense.

00:45:41.560 Yeah.

00:45:41.840 You know what I'm saying?

00:45:44.460 Say that again.

00:45:45.380 He who has their why...

00:45:46.800 He who has their why to live for can bear almost any how.

00:45:49.980 That's the quote of the show right there, man.

00:45:52.080 There's no question.

00:45:53.080 Crazy.

00:45:53.560 That's amazing.

00:45:54.880 So, 18 days in, you wreck.

00:45:57.480 Your feet are totally screwed up.

00:46:00.520 We're chasing a hurricane.

00:46:02.500 So you're trying to get around a hurricane.

00:46:04.060 Yeah.

00:46:04.340 Okay.

00:46:04.800 So let's talk about that.

00:46:07.220 One of the things we were heavily criticized for was we had to go inside for a day.

00:46:10.900 Yeah.

00:46:12.000 And people lost their lids.

00:46:14.040 Like, they just instantly had to go inside.

00:46:18.700 It was torrential downpours.

00:46:20.860 Right.

00:46:21.200 High advisory weather warnings, torrential winds, super wet.

00:46:24.460 So we swam inside.

00:46:26.300 Yeah.

00:46:26.660 Still covered the 2.4.

00:46:28.620 Had power Watt bikes, got on bikes, biked 112.

00:46:31.660 Yeah.

00:46:32.000 And then ran the marathon on a treadmill.

00:46:33.180 People were pissed about this.

00:46:34.280 Oh, man.

00:46:34.740 The internet attacked us.

00:46:37.600 And it's actually harder because...

00:46:39.360 It's a bunch of motherfuckers in their mom's basement.

00:46:41.220 Sitting.

00:46:41.540 Typing on their fucking keyboard.

00:46:42.840 Yeah.

00:46:43.160 They can't run a fucking mile.

00:46:44.500 The Hot Pocket Mafia.

00:46:45.440 Pizza and Porn Crew.

00:46:46.660 No shit.

00:46:47.340 Yeah.

00:46:47.600 They're all out there criticizing you.

00:46:49.580 And, you know, that was one of the things, too, is we just started to get attacked on

00:46:52.920 social media and the criticism.

00:46:54.340 For that?

00:46:55.060 Every little decision that we made was criticized.

00:46:57.560 Dude, you know what?

00:46:58.520 This is what happens when people start to think you're going to fucking do it.

00:47:01.340 Yeah.

00:47:01.660 This is what happens.

00:47:02.840 The people at the beginning of the beginning and they're like, this is how it goes, man.

00:47:07.120 Dude, any entrepreneur that sees any success deals with this.

00:47:10.960 All right?

00:47:11.880 In the beginning, everybody's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:47:15.360 But they don't really think you can do it.

00:47:17.320 Yeah.

00:47:18.000 They say, oh, hey, good luck with that, man.

00:47:20.760 Good luck.

00:47:21.760 And then they go to their buddies and they say, ah, don't worry.

00:47:24.800 He's going to make it three days.

00:47:27.240 He's going to make it four days.

00:47:28.200 Then you're making it 10 days.

00:47:29.380 Then you're making it 20 days.

00:47:30.520 And then they get scared and they're like, fuck, he might actually do it.

00:47:35.560 And this is the entrepreneurial journey.

00:47:37.860 You know, when we first started our business, everybody was like, yeah, dude, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:47:42.700 When we were struggling the first 10 years, everybody's like, oh, you know, that's cool.

00:47:49.040 You guys did that.

00:47:49.600 But when are you going to get realistic and like grow up and get a real job, you know?

00:47:53.280 And then when you start making a little money, they start saying shit like, dude, I remember

00:47:57.920 when I got my first nice car and one of my friends who actually had worked for me, she

00:48:03.460 said on social media publicly, yeah, you know, I used to work there.

00:48:08.860 Dude's going to, dude, success has gone to his head.

00:48:12.220 He's going to lose all, he's going to spend all his money on cars.

00:48:15.220 The car was $67,000, by the way.

00:48:18.140 Okay.

00:48:18.820 Like it was, it was, it was a nice car, but no Lambo.

00:48:22.400 Fuck, yeah, it was nice.

00:48:23.680 Not like a quarter mil.

00:48:24.720 Right, exactly.

00:48:26.940 And then, and then what happens is after you fucking for sure make it, I already know what's

00:48:32.700 going to happen.

00:48:33.320 I already know.

00:48:34.300 It's happening now.

00:48:35.460 You're fucking, you're the man now, right?

00:48:38.040 But dude, it's just, these lessons are so, so congruent, you know?

00:48:44.000 It's, it's so common, but it still boggles the mind that it's just, it just reminds everybody

00:48:50.880 that there are, there's a certain segment of society that no matter what you accomplish,

00:48:56.660 they ain't going to be good enough.

00:48:57.600 They will find something.

00:48:58.700 And really it's ultimately because it's not about, it's not about attacking your perfection.

00:49:02.420 It's about defending their mediocrity.

00:49:04.380 It's about rationalizing so that they feel better about themselves.

00:49:07.400 I've absolutely learned that it stems from jealousy.

00:49:09.280 It's their issue.

00:49:10.580 Yeah.

00:49:10.780 I, I've, I mean, I, I'm entertained by it now just because of what I've learned in the

00:49:17.840 experience.

00:49:18.220 But when you're in it, it's really hurtful.

00:49:19.120 It's so hard.

00:49:19.540 Yeah.

00:49:19.700 The, the, the crew had to almost shelter me from what was going on because I, it took

00:49:25.880 so much energy.

00:49:27.380 People don't understand the compounding.

00:49:29.240 Like, yeah, you say an Ironman a day, but the compounding effect of an Ironman a day,

00:49:34.400 you just cannot wrap your mind around that.

00:49:36.300 Dude, I couldn't even compliment it.

00:49:37.420 So, so I laugh because if somebody says anything, I'm like, you have, go do 10, go do one, go

00:49:43.720 do one.

00:49:43.980 Like you just have, you just have no clue what it takes to go beyond five, 10, 15, 50.

00:49:48.940 It's just, and I'm not pounding my chest.

00:49:51.380 It's reality.

00:49:52.320 I've lived it.

00:49:53.120 I fought it.

00:49:53.740 I've been in those trenches.

00:49:55.160 Like it's trying to tell someone that doesn't have the experience.

00:49:58.160 Yeah.

00:49:58.400 Yeah.

00:49:58.980 You've earned it.

00:49:59.520 I'm not a chest pounding.

00:50:00.440 I get it.

00:50:00.940 But I'm just saying if you did, I'd be right behind you being like fucking right.

00:50:05.520 I appreciate that, man.

00:50:07.080 So dude, so you're, you're, uh, you, you do the end day.

00:50:10.900 You've got everybody on social, not everybody, but you've got a big section of social against

00:50:15.240 you.

00:50:16.240 Um, that was the coolest thing was to watch that paradigm shift, right?

00:50:20.320 Yeah.

00:50:20.580 At the final day, we had 3,500 people there running with us.

00:50:23.820 Yeah.

00:50:24.360 It was just, it was just incredible.

00:50:26.460 And, and just the messages that, that came in and, uh, it was fun to watch from being

00:50:32.620 a, going from the villain.

00:50:35.360 It's impossible villain.

00:50:36.980 You're an idiot.

00:50:38.000 Ridicule.

00:50:38.240 How many, yeah.

00:50:38.900 So how many of those people, how many, how many people came up to you at the end?

00:50:42.900 Cause this happens to me all the time.

00:50:44.500 And dude, I am nowhere near where the fuck I'm going to be.

00:50:46.660 I can tell you that.

00:50:48.400 But I hit, I get this all the time, bro.

00:50:50.560 I never thought you'd be really be able to do it.

00:50:52.240 I'm really proud of you.

00:50:53.340 Like, like, and they'll call themselves out.

00:50:54.940 Like, I never really thought you could do it.

00:50:56.560 How many of that did you get?

00:50:57.520 A lot.

00:50:57.980 Yeah.

00:50:58.480 Yeah.

00:50:58.800 One of the, one of the really cool things that happened to me was a sponsor that came

00:51:02.860 on board early on.

00:51:04.080 Yeah.

00:51:04.460 They, they, no money.

00:51:06.220 And we're talking a billion dollar company.

00:51:07.880 Yeah.

00:51:08.140 Didn't give me any money, but they were like, Hey, we'll give you some product, help you

00:51:10.680 along.

00:51:11.000 Yeah.

00:51:11.200 And I was like, okay, well we need, I need that.

00:51:13.000 Yeah.

00:51:13.200 Right.

00:51:13.360 We had nothing.

00:51:14.360 And the billion dollar company, the board, the executives of the team sat down in the boardroom, discussed

00:51:19.880 the project and they said, how many, um, Ironmans will, will James make it?

00:51:24.680 And they, they did a ballot.

00:51:26.280 They put it on a ballot, right?

00:51:28.000 Not one of them said 50.

00:51:29.660 Yeah.

00:51:29.960 But they were like, he'll make it far enough that we'll get our, you know, benefit out of

00:51:33.440 it.

00:51:33.660 I finished and they now have above their boardroom door, it just says the word Iron Cowboy.

00:51:38.880 Yeah.

00:51:39.140 Because it means to them grit and resilience and perseverance and, and anything is truly

00:51:45.600 possible.

00:51:46.020 So for a billion dollar company to have that mindset was, was really, really cool.

00:51:50.880 What company was it?

00:51:51.920 I won't say.

00:51:53.180 Are you, are you done with them now?

00:51:54.860 No.

00:51:55.420 It won't hurt my feelings.

00:51:56.400 No, I don't want to offend.

00:51:57.620 I don't want to, I don't want to throw them under the bus.

00:52:00.320 You're like Rocky though, man.

00:52:01.680 Oh, I get what you're saying.

00:52:03.320 Oh, I get what you're saying.

00:52:04.220 Okay.

00:52:04.780 He's like, you're like Rocky and Rocky four where the Russians are all against you and then

00:52:07.840 they're all like cheering you.

00:52:09.280 Oh, well I was just wanting to get them, give you a, give them a free plug.

00:52:12.040 That's all.

00:52:13.060 Uh, but I get it.

00:52:14.200 I get it.

00:52:14.780 You know, but that's, that's, you know what?

00:52:16.920 That's the truth though.

00:52:17.880 When you're setting out to do great shit, even the fucking people who quote unquote,

00:52:22.280 believe in you, still fucking doubt you.

00:52:24.660 Don't believe in you.

00:52:25.480 Yeah.

00:52:25.500 Like, and they were like, oh, well you'll get far enough that we'll get what we want

00:52:28.580 out of it.

00:52:29.300 Right.

00:52:29.680 And I'm like, well, what I really need is the support.

00:52:32.140 Yeah.

00:52:32.460 Right.

00:52:32.920 I need someone else to believe in me too.

00:52:34.860 But there's a beautiful lesson right there, right?

00:52:36.920 It doesn't matter who believes in you, you have to believe in you first.

00:52:40.100 Like it starts with you and that, that's what's missing in today in the age is self

00:52:44.460 belief.

00:52:45.160 Dude, we just taught, I was just talking to a group, I was talking to the group about

00:52:48.640 this and my let was talking to Arte about this the other night.

00:52:52.040 Cause dude, so many people hide behind that excuse.

00:52:55.760 I don't have anybody that believes in me.

00:52:58.060 Not even my wife believes in me.

00:53:00.120 Well, look, let me tell you something.

00:53:01.560 When you're going to set out to do something that is just astronomically great.

00:53:06.300 It is hard for people that have never touched that or been around that or seen that or witnessed

00:53:12.540 it with their own fucking eyes to believe in it.

00:53:15.580 It's nothing against them.

00:53:17.200 It doesn't mean they don't love you or care about you.

00:53:19.520 It's just a hard thing to understand.

00:53:21.960 You know, I have now come to the grips and understanding that I'm, it'll be doubtful that

00:53:27.240 I ever get the support because every time we do something, we're pushing an envelope.

00:53:32.640 We're pushing what the mind and the body can do.

00:53:34.900 And so people are like, well, yeah, well, that's impressive.

00:53:38.660 You're, you're, you're, you're even now.

00:53:40.840 Yeah.

00:53:41.020 You're serious, dude.

00:53:42.400 I don't fucking support anything.

00:53:43.680 I think you could do anything.

00:53:44.980 Well, here's what's next.

00:53:45.880 You want to hear it?

00:53:46.380 Yeah.

00:53:47.000 Seven Ironman, seven days on seven continents.

00:53:49.280 Let's go.

00:53:50.060 You won't do it.

00:53:50.760 I, yeah, I'm not doubting it.

00:53:53.860 Antarctica, Brazil, USA, Madrid, Spain, Cairo, Egypt, Dubai, and Australia, January, 2020.

00:54:01.700 Are you saying let's go like me go with you?

00:54:03.620 Cause I can't fucking do that.

00:54:07.040 But dude, I don't have any doubts that you'll be able to do it.

00:54:09.580 It's happening.

00:54:10.200 Yeah.

00:54:10.760 I have zero doubt.

00:54:12.340 Zero doubt.

00:54:12.900 In Antarctica?

00:54:14.140 Antarctica.

00:54:14.680 Yeah.

00:54:15.340 Let's go.

00:54:15.980 By the way, I love what Ed said about when he said, if you do, if you really don't have

00:54:19.840 a spouse who supports you, there's really only one thing you can do, win.

00:54:23.840 What are you looking for?

00:54:24.980 Sponsorships for that?

00:54:26.340 For the seven?

00:54:26.960 Yeah.

00:54:27.360 Always.

00:54:28.320 Well, fuck dude.

00:54:28.820 We'll talk about that later.

00:54:29.860 Cause I'm going to tell you right now, I don't have any doubts that you'll be able to do it.

00:54:33.720 There's nothing.

00:54:34.380 Dude, if you could do what you've already done there, you could tell me I'm going to fucking

00:54:39.900 reverse gravity.

00:54:41.400 Like, dude, I'm going to be like, all right, James is going to figure it out.

00:54:44.820 We're going to sponsor it.

00:54:45.760 Yeah.

00:54:46.280 Okay.

00:54:46.640 But James.

00:54:47.560 But dude, it's nice.

00:54:48.640 That would not be a business thing.

00:54:50.120 That's a personal.

00:54:51.120 Oh, for sure.

00:54:51.760 I believe in him.

00:54:52.620 It's not about first form.

00:54:54.180 It's about my belief in him.

00:54:55.900 My real question is, can you do nine Ironman on nine planets?

00:55:00.780 When's that going to happen?

00:55:01.840 It was funny.

00:55:02.420 My brother-in-law, he's a creative marketer and he created a logo where it was the moon.

00:55:08.600 Yeah.

00:55:08.980 And I'm busting the finish line tape on the moon and my cowboy hat's floating in the air.

00:55:14.180 That's great.

00:55:14.580 And I just thought it was great symbolism to where you can take their mind in the body.

00:55:18.360 Yeah.

00:55:18.840 The limits.

00:55:19.580 And obviously that's not, I'll never use the word not possible, but it's not possible,

00:55:25.820 right?

00:55:26.480 Yeah.

00:55:27.000 Yeah.

00:55:27.420 Right.

00:55:27.820 But I just thought the symbolism of that was so cool.

00:55:30.760 Like breaking the tape on the moon.

00:55:33.640 Yeah.

00:55:33.880 That's what this culture is missing, that dreaming, that real stretch, that it's just the culture

00:55:42.740 of today is missing that, that dream, that stretch, that impossible limits.

00:55:48.780 Because here's the biggest thing that I've learned going through 48 countries is we're

00:55:52.420 all human and we're stuck.

00:55:54.660 And it's because it's in our heads and we're getting in our own ways, in our own way, and

00:55:59.640 nobody's believing in us and ourselves.

00:56:02.140 Right.

00:56:02.460 And so that's, that's why it goes all the way back to starting and believing in you.

00:56:06.320 And it's that energy that you put out, like nobody believes me and blah, blah.

00:56:09.280 You're right.

00:56:09.760 Nobody is going to believe in you because you don't believe in yourself first.

00:56:12.400 You've got to emit that energy and put that out there.

00:56:14.880 Right.

00:56:15.160 So it, it, it starts, it starts with you.

00:56:17.060 And once you start that belief process, then you can, it opens it up to shoot for massive

00:56:23.800 goals that nobody else thinks of, but it also attracts that team to be around you that

00:56:28.220 you can have success.

00:56:29.220 Right.

00:56:29.740 Dude.

00:56:30.240 So, so you finish, you finish the 50, 50, right?

00:56:38.660 How long did it take you to physically recover from that?

00:56:42.100 Over a year.

00:56:43.460 Seriously.

00:56:44.440 Yeah.

00:56:45.200 And that's the whole thing, right?

00:56:46.520 People see the headline.

00:56:47.320 People see where you're at now.

00:56:48.380 People see where I was.

00:56:49.060 Well, see, that's what I'm thinking.

00:56:49.920 I'm thinking like.

00:56:50.580 But they don't see, they don't see the decade before it and they don't see the recovery and

00:56:54.520 what it takes after it.

00:56:55.400 Like phase two, phase three, whatever the journey entails.

00:56:58.980 Right.

00:56:59.300 Right.

00:57:00.160 Just mentally, we were fried.

00:57:01.620 I never wanted to see a bike again.

00:57:03.380 I was definitely never running again.

00:57:06.140 How long did it take for you to run, really?

00:57:08.520 A year?

00:57:09.080 Yeah, over a year.

00:57:09.680 I mean, I tore my shoulder on day five of the 50 and had to figure.

00:57:13.080 Doing what?

00:57:13.480 Swimming.

00:57:13.920 Okay.

00:57:14.240 Yeah.

00:57:14.540 And had to, just because of the intense volume that we put in leading up to it.

00:57:18.540 And so my body got a breaking point on day five.

00:57:21.660 So I'm sitting there day five going, okay, I've got to figure out how to do 45 Ironmans

00:57:25.080 with one arm.

00:57:25.720 Yeah.

00:57:26.100 Right.

00:57:26.760 And fucked up toes.

00:57:28.140 Yeah.

00:57:28.500 Well, your whole body.

00:57:29.280 I mean, I got to a point where.

00:57:30.580 How did you do that with your toes like that?

00:57:32.440 Like, honestly, because I've had toenails ripped off and it fucking, it ain't no joke.

00:57:35.980 Yeah.

00:57:36.340 But this is the thing that people don't understand is, is they quit in those moments

00:57:41.240 of pain and adversity.

00:57:42.320 They quit.

00:57:42.800 And here's the beauty.

00:57:44.320 When you don't quit, you adapt and you evolve.

00:57:47.880 It became routine for me to do an Ironman a day.

00:57:51.200 Yeah.

00:57:51.660 And my body healed.

00:57:53.220 My foot didn't look like that in the end.

00:57:54.500 It got better because my body said, he's going to get up tomorrow and do an Ironman.

00:57:59.060 I have to figure out how to adapt.

00:58:01.260 So it takes all its resources you're giving it and puts it where the most critical spot.

00:58:05.240 Body's smart, man.

00:58:06.260 Body's smart.

00:58:06.840 Yeah.

00:58:07.300 And so that's what happened during the 50.

00:58:09.280 My hands and feet started to go numb.

00:58:11.160 I was experiencing nerve damage and circulation problems because I got so fit and efficient

00:58:16.620 that my, it just said, I have to pump blood to his organs and his brains.

00:58:20.760 Yeah.

00:58:21.020 And I'm willing to sacrifice his hands and his feet.

00:58:23.860 And so we had nerve, I had numbness in my, in my ring finger and pinky fingers for a

00:58:28.000 year afterwards.

00:58:28.840 Yeah.

00:58:29.040 That's crazy.

00:58:29.560 Because my, yeah, because my body was, was adapting in order to keep me functioning to

00:58:34.420 do that.

00:58:34.820 Right.

00:58:35.260 So it's, it's amazing what the mind and the body do.

00:58:37.520 And here's the thing.

00:58:38.620 People quit before the mind and body come into sync with each other.

00:58:42.040 And that's when perfection happens.

00:58:43.880 My last 20 Ironmans were the fastest of all 50.

00:58:46.560 The final 50th one was the fastest one.

00:58:48.760 That's amazing.

00:58:49.500 And it's because I adapted and evolved and, and the mind came into unison with, with the

00:58:54.400 body.

00:58:54.820 Let's be real.

00:58:55.320 You were just ready to be done.

00:58:56.680 Well, on that note, with the mind and body coming into unison, I know that, you know,

00:59:01.280 runners sometimes talk about getting the runners high.

00:59:03.720 I mean, obviously.

00:59:04.180 That's a lie.

00:59:04.720 Well, I was going to say.

00:59:05.900 Isn't it?

00:59:06.780 Like for real, dude.

00:59:07.520 So you never, you never had any moments where you felt like, I don't know, you just kind of

00:59:12.500 transcended it a little bit.

00:59:14.100 Day 50, it was an out of body experience.

00:59:15.640 Okay.

00:59:15.900 What was it like mentally on day 50, like going into the race?

00:59:21.620 The most, going into the race?

00:59:23.560 Wait, wait, wait.

00:59:24.260 Let me ask this.

00:59:25.380 Cause I think this is, I think this is an interesting question.

00:59:28.480 This is something.

00:59:31.080 Was there a time that you maybe thought you couldn't do it?

00:59:37.060 Or what, like, when did the transition happen to where like, you knew, like you knew for

00:59:42.520 fucking sure you could do it.

00:59:44.340 Like, cause look, everybody's going to say, dude, I could do it.

00:59:46.980 I could do it.

00:59:47.340 I could do it.

00:59:48.440 Like, I've been guilty of that.

00:59:49.640 Right.

00:59:49.860 Like I'll come in and say, dude, we're going to fucking do this.

00:59:52.220 And everybody believes it.

00:59:53.660 But when I walk out of the room, I'm like, all right.

00:59:56.160 Like I kind of, I don't even know if that's possible.

00:59:59.420 Like, but, but, uh, but it's important to get everybody else on board with that.

01:00:04.060 So I know there was, I don't care what you say.

01:00:07.220 I know there was a time where you were like, all right, I don't know if I can actually do

01:00:12.880 this and talk about that time.

01:00:14.520 And then the transition to where you knew you could do it.

01:00:18.180 Yeah.

01:00:18.360 You're not going to believe me, but we were in such a space that I never once thought

01:00:26.060 I couldn't do it.

01:00:28.220 But here's the truth.

01:00:29.340 I had no idea how we were going to do it.

01:00:32.360 Right.

01:00:32.480 Uh, we were in a position where I had two guys with me full time.

01:00:37.140 We called them the wingman and it was me, the two wingman and my, and my wife, Sunny.

01:00:40.780 And the four of us never wavered.

01:00:42.940 We were all in.

01:00:43.980 Now, with that said, we had moments of, I just need to cry.

01:00:48.860 I just need to let it out.

01:00:50.320 I just need to sit here and not think about problem solving or the pain and all that.

01:00:56.240 And then let's go.

01:00:57.340 Right.

01:00:57.580 And those were very small moments, but with this type of thing and how big it was, we

01:01:03.100 were 300% all in, all committed, no doubt, because when it's, when it's this level, you

01:01:11.260 can't even let those thoughts creep in.

01:01:12.940 Right.

01:01:13.160 And so I know, you know, you're like, I'm not going to believe you.

01:01:17.460 No, I actually do believe you.

01:01:18.800 I was just trying to dig you out the real shit.

01:01:21.540 Yeah.

01:01:21.920 I actually do believe you.

01:01:23.380 It's the, we, we had moments, but it wasn't moments of disbelief.

01:01:26.600 It was, it was, it was moments of regathering.

01:01:29.860 Right.

01:01:30.240 And, and releasing for a moment and then go, okay, let's, let's go.

01:01:33.540 So all of us, not a moment of not happening.

01:01:36.940 That's amazing.

01:01:37.580 Absolutely happening.

01:01:38.440 Yeah.

01:01:38.660 I love, I love that you said like you had crying, you had emotion because I think people,

01:01:46.220 when they experience those times, they ought to automatically assume like they're, they

01:01:50.500 get down on themselves because they must, they think, well, this must be a sign and I'm

01:01:54.360 giving up, but it's not.

01:01:56.320 You're just, you're just authentically expressing like struggle and heartache.

01:02:00.100 And I think that's part of being a human.

01:02:01.760 Yeah.

01:02:01.980 And going through the process.

01:02:03.120 What are you doing April 6th?

01:02:06.520 I'm serious.

01:02:07.500 I'm dead serious.

01:02:08.180 No, I'm, I know.

01:02:08.980 It's a really good question.

01:02:09.640 Are you, are you busy April 6th?

01:02:11.260 I am.

01:02:11.620 Okay.

01:02:12.040 Yeah.

01:02:12.180 I'm in Disney world.

01:02:12.960 Okay.

01:02:13.640 Cause like, dude, I have a group that I want to, I want to, I want to, I want to get you

01:02:16.740 in front of.

01:02:18.140 Next week.

01:02:18.840 In two weeks I leave for South Africa and I'm doing a, an eight day mountain bike stage

01:02:23.360 race with 65,000 feet of climbing.

01:02:25.400 Okay.

01:02:25.720 And I get that and I'm going to take my family to Disney world for a week.

01:02:28.140 Well, I want, I want over the next year, I want to, I want.

01:02:32.080 We're working on an event with you guys for June.

01:02:34.220 Okay.

01:02:34.900 Yeah.

01:02:35.240 Oh, cool.

01:02:35.940 Awesome.

01:02:36.420 We're going to come out.

01:02:37.260 Were you talking to Emily?

01:02:38.740 No, Aaron.

01:02:39.580 Oh, Oh, for summer smash.

01:02:41.000 Yeah.

01:02:41.240 Okay.

01:02:41.600 Yeah, dude.

01:02:42.140 Listen, like I looked at your Instagram, you should have 10 million fucking followers,

01:02:47.160 like not a hundred and something thousand, like 202, whatever it is.

01:02:52.580 I'm, I'm a, I am, I am fully committed.

01:02:56.720 And I think everybody that knows me knows that when I find, I come across someone who

01:03:01.000 is the real deal, I am fully committed to making sure everybody knows about it.

01:03:05.140 Absolutely.

01:03:05.800 So I, I, I appreciate that.

01:03:08.100 Yeah.

01:03:08.420 Um, yeah, I'm just, I'm just trying to be me, you know, dude, I, you're, you're a fucking

01:03:14.880 amazing dude, man.

01:03:16.080 Like, and I don't even barely know you, but I'm just telling you like, it's, it's crazy

01:03:19.660 because we get, I get, I've done no marketing, advertising, spoken 48 countries.

01:03:24.000 And every time we get an inbound request, I'm like, man, how can I, how can I get out

01:03:28.120 of this?

01:03:28.360 And the only reason I respond and then get on stage is because of the impact that we have.

01:03:34.420 My, my, no, I know it's your obligation.

01:03:36.560 I don't want to, right.

01:03:37.980 I have a social responsibility to do this.

01:03:40.060 I don't want to be known for the guy that did the 50.

01:03:42.420 I want to be known as the guy that helped people get unstuck mentally to be able to

01:03:46.680 achieve their best self.

01:03:48.280 Dude, that's my, that's my, that's my mission.

01:03:51.340 Dude, we're on the same mission, bro.

01:03:53.320 It's just in a different way.

01:03:54.600 Sure.

01:03:55.620 What, give me your 10 minutes on that for real right now.

01:04:00.740 Like, let's talk about that.

01:04:01.740 The people right now who are stuck, who don't know how to get out of that rut, who don't

01:04:05.820 know how to push themselves, who don't know how they're going to push through because everybody

01:04:10.940 goes through that version.

01:04:11.980 And, you know, people like to compare their versions of that.

01:04:15.520 Like, Oh, my version of that is this.

01:04:17.980 The reality is to, to the individual, it's all the same.

01:04:21.360 The sky is falling.

01:04:22.540 I can't push on.

01:04:23.880 I can't push through.

01:04:25.480 And, you know, it's not about comparison.

01:04:27.980 It's about the individual situation.

01:04:30.380 So let's talk to these guys right now because we only have a few minutes left in the show,

01:04:35.640 unfortunately, but I, I want people to hear from you what your message is.

01:04:42.580 Yeah.

01:04:42.980 People are like, well, what's your secret to success?

01:04:45.060 Yeah.

01:04:45.760 And, uh, I'm a huge fan of the fight game.

01:04:49.020 I love, I love Conor McGregor.

01:04:50.660 I love GSP.

01:04:52.320 You either love him or you hate him.

01:04:54.020 I love Conor because I am a shit talk specialist.

01:04:57.240 Yeah.

01:04:57.540 And he's the best.

01:04:58.800 He is, he is the best.

01:05:00.020 But I, and I, I think it's, it's who he is.

01:05:02.880 I actually don't think it's who he is authentically.

01:05:05.180 No, I think he's very humble.

01:05:06.720 He is very humble, but he doesn't come across.

01:05:08.920 You have to be humble to get that good.

01:05:10.320 Yes.

01:05:10.940 Thank you.

01:05:12.100 Uh, he's brilliant at what he does.

01:05:14.380 It's a marketing thing.

01:05:14.700 It's marketing.

01:05:15.340 He's a genius.

01:05:16.280 He understands the game that he's playing.

01:05:18.040 And I think that's a huge piece that people need to understand is they need to understand

01:05:21.580 the game that they're playing and they, they need to get out of their own way.

01:05:25.880 Now, Conor, we talked about it early in the show that people don't dream.

01:05:31.520 They don't have visions.

01:05:32.680 Five years ago, nobody knew who Conor was, but he had a goal to become the number one recognized

01:05:37.080 fighter in the world.

01:05:37.800 I'm going to win two titles in two different weight classes.

01:05:40.040 Dude was laughed at.

01:05:40.980 He was on state assisted welfare.

01:05:42.680 Couldn't afford food.

01:05:43.660 His documentary is amazing.

01:05:44.840 It's amazing.

01:05:45.460 And I loved it.

01:05:46.520 I love his tweet.

01:05:48.460 Doubt me now.

01:05:49.980 Yeah.

01:05:50.320 That's the biggest thing.

01:05:51.220 It goes all the way back to self-belief, right?

01:05:53.080 That's the problem is people don't believe in themselves.

01:05:55.620 Conor had no idea how he was going to achieve the goal, but he showed up every single day.

01:06:01.440 Dude made 250 million in a fight.

01:06:03.700 He lost.

01:06:04.540 Yeah.

01:06:05.020 Who cares?

01:06:06.000 Yeah.

01:06:06.500 Like he wasn't crying about it.

01:06:07.960 He wasn't crying about it.

01:06:09.020 Dude, he laughed all the way to the bank.

01:06:10.480 That's a man who has experienced the fucking, almost the lowest levels of poverty who just

01:06:18.820 secured himself and his family for the rest of his life.

01:06:22.520 I don't think people are saying, oh, you look like an idiot because you fucking lost and

01:06:26.560 you talk all this shit.

01:06:27.940 Motherfucker, you do what the fuck you got to do.

01:06:29.700 I don't think we'll see another fighter in my lifetime like Conor.

01:06:32.880 No.

01:06:34.560 There's athletes that transcend sport.

01:06:36.720 Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Conor McGregor.

01:06:39.960 Yes.

01:06:40.120 Like he's in that category as far as changing in the entire landscape of a sport.

01:06:44.620 Right.

01:06:44.820 Back to your original question.

01:06:45.980 It comes to belief in yourself.

01:06:47.200 The secret to success is do a lot of little things consistently over a long period of time.

01:06:53.700 What people don't do is focus on the next step.

01:07:00.580 When I was laying on the side of the road on day 30 broken, I said to myself, be perfect

01:07:06.640 for one second.

01:07:08.800 Fuck yeah.

01:07:09.340 It's as dark as it can possibly be.

01:07:11.680 Be perfect for one second.

01:07:13.640 That's all I could conceptualize.

01:07:16.260 Take one fucking step.

01:07:17.600 One step.

01:07:18.540 I had 20 Ironmans to go and I am broken mentally and physically.

01:07:22.620 But I said to myself, be perfect.

01:07:25.280 One second.

01:07:26.760 Yeah.

01:07:27.200 That one second turns into a minute.

01:07:29.120 Life is about wins and losses.

01:07:31.600 Life is about those conversations you're having inside your head.

01:07:36.180 I've already said we get in our own way.

01:07:38.820 As humans, we're our toughest critic.

01:07:41.060 Right.

01:07:42.900 The voices are never going to go away.

01:07:44.620 But through experience and becoming uncomfortable intentionally, we gain and can master those conversations that we're having.

01:07:53.280 Well, you said something powerful there that I want to point out.

01:07:56.600 Getting uncomfortable intentionally.

01:07:59.540 Yeah.

01:07:59.700 I have a concept that I talk about all the time calling test days.

01:08:03.920 Okay.

01:08:04.560 And test days are those days.

01:08:06.660 They could be test second.

01:08:07.900 It could be a test minute.

01:08:08.940 But I talk about it as a test day.

01:08:12.740 All right.

01:08:13.240 That's the day where everything seems to be going wrong.

01:08:15.960 You're broken.

01:08:16.900 You're unmotivated.

01:08:17.960 You don't have any discipline.

01:08:19.460 You know you're fucking lost.

01:08:21.160 You know you're off track.

01:08:22.560 You know it's going to be fucking hard.

01:08:24.800 And, dude, people who change the world and people who accomplish true greatness start to love those days.

01:08:31.880 Because that's the day where it's like you laying on the side of the road and you're saying, dude, I got more.

01:08:37.140 I got another step.

01:08:38.120 I got another.

01:08:39.240 I've got another two steps.

01:08:41.600 Oh, wait.

01:08:42.480 I thought I only had one step.

01:08:44.220 Now I'm 10 steps.

01:08:45.800 Now I'm a quarter mile.

01:08:46.960 Now I'm a mile.

01:08:48.220 Holy fuck.

01:08:48.900 Now I'm 26 miles.

01:08:50.280 And, dude, as every single high-level person I know, it's not because they're not high-level because they have it easy.

01:08:59.900 They're high-level because they start to love those days when they get tested.

01:09:04.180 And that's something that I think you probably resonate with completely.

01:09:07.740 Yeah, the biggest mistake people make is running away from their fears.

01:09:10.500 Yeah.

01:09:10.880 You should wake up every day and the first thing you do is isolate your fear and break it down to the easiest and simplest task and get a win.

01:09:18.380 Yeah.

01:09:19.020 And then before you know it, that's no longer a fear.

01:09:21.080 It's a strength.

01:09:21.760 Make your fucking bed.

01:09:22.840 Yeah.

01:09:23.320 Yeah.

01:09:23.640 You know what I'm saying?

01:09:24.320 That's one of the best speeches I've ever heard.

01:09:26.340 Did you read a little book?

01:09:27.480 I haven't.

01:09:27.960 It's such a great book.

01:09:28.980 You will love it.

01:09:29.680 Yeah, just that speech.

01:09:30.340 You'll feel like you wrote the motherfucker.

01:09:31.880 Yeah.

01:09:32.360 I actually brought a book for you today.

01:09:33.980 Good.

01:09:34.340 You got a book?

01:09:35.240 Yeah, it's Redefine Impossible.

01:09:37.300 Awesome.

01:09:37.860 Where can people find that?

01:09:38.980 It's on Amazon.

01:09:39.760 All right.

01:09:40.100 Or my website, ironcowboy.com.

01:09:41.760 Awesome.

01:09:42.160 We'll put a link on the page.

01:09:43.300 Yes, absolutely.

01:09:44.200 I'm excited to read that, dude.

01:09:45.380 Cool.

01:09:45.660 Yeah.

01:09:46.000 Yeah, because I love books like that.

01:09:48.680 Like Goggins' book, like David Goggins.

01:09:50.000 I'm sure you've read it.

01:09:50.840 Yeah, can't hurt me.

01:09:51.820 I just love dudes like Jocko.

01:09:54.500 Dude, I just love gritty motherfuckers.

01:09:56.380 Stream ownership.

01:09:56.760 Yes.

01:09:57.740 Dude, the dichotomy of leadership is the fucking best leadership book ever written.

01:10:01.000 Yeah, it's great.

01:10:01.460 But dude, have you hooked up with those guys yet?

01:10:03.340 I'm sure you have.

01:10:04.300 All right, I'm going to make that happen.

01:10:06.120 Because they'll bring you in to speak at Echelon Front.

01:10:08.280 Jocko's a tremendous human, dude.

01:10:10.120 Yeah.

01:10:10.460 Yeah.

01:10:10.620 Like, I wish him and I were less busy so we could connect more.

01:10:16.480 Hang on a little bit.

01:10:16.840 Because he's a just, not, I mean, dude, he's Jocko, like online.

01:10:23.520 You know what I'm saying?

01:10:23.980 That's who he is.

01:10:24.760 Yeah.

01:10:24.900 But he's a really good dude.

01:10:26.220 You know what I'm saying?

01:10:26.940 Like, I think it's really hard to reach the level of success that he has in the areas that

01:10:31.960 he has without being a really good dude.

01:10:34.440 No, he fucking loves people, man.

01:10:35.860 Yeah, he does.

01:10:36.860 And he understands that loving people is, he understands, and this is where him and

01:10:41.620 I, I think, have a lot in common.

01:10:43.600 Dude, you don't write kids books and shit like he does and like I do unless you truly fucking

01:10:48.080 care.

01:10:48.720 Because there ain't no money in it.

01:10:50.000 Well, no, there's not.

01:10:51.040 And the only way to get to the top of anything is helping other people get there.

01:10:53.900 That's right.

01:10:54.580 And next thing you know, you wake up and you're like, holy shit, I'm on the top of the mountain.

01:10:57.180 You can't be.

01:10:57.700 You can't be an amazing leader, dude, unless you truly love people.

01:11:01.240 For sure.

01:11:01.560 And like, dude, that's what I, that's what I like about him the most is like, dude, it

01:11:05.560 doesn't matter.

01:11:06.700 It doesn't matter where you are, who you are, what you are, where you are at in terms of

01:11:12.540 your journey.

01:11:13.480 That guy fucking cares.

01:11:15.060 Yeah.

01:11:15.220 And, and dude, that's why I'm such a fan of him.

01:11:17.420 And people are like, why do you post this book?

01:11:19.280 Why do you do this?

01:11:20.060 He kind of competes with you.

01:11:21.140 I'm like, motherfucker, we don't compete.

01:11:24.220 We're, he pushes me to be better.

01:11:26.220 That, that, I hate that.

01:11:27.100 I hate that mindset.

01:11:28.180 There's so much abundance out there.

01:11:30.120 There is no competition.

01:11:31.500 It's, there is no competition.

01:11:33.360 It's, there is and there isn't.

01:11:36.560 Like, it's like, but I'm just saying you're, you're on a surface level.

01:11:40.380 There is, there is, but over the ground, what you find, you limit yourself.

01:11:43.980 If you don't believe in the abundance and that's just a self punishing.

01:11:47.700 So what's the point?

01:11:48.300 But I think that's something that you learn with perspective because life is perspective.

01:11:53.340 Absolutely.

01:11:54.040 And like we talked earlier, it's fluid.

01:11:56.040 So it's always changing.

01:11:57.940 You know what I mean?

01:11:58.600 It's like who I was five years ago or 10 years ago or 12 years ago or even a year ago.

01:12:05.000 Perspective changes based off of experiences.

01:12:07.000 It's different because the environment fluid.

01:12:07.940 Yeah.

01:12:08.540 You have to have experiences in order for your perspective to be changed.

01:12:11.460 Exactly.

01:12:12.380 And like, dude, you know, the, I think the reason people, a lot of people are so miserable

01:12:16.460 and so stuck is because they identify with, they make these strong statements about who

01:12:22.740 they are and they're like just stuck in those statements and then the environment's changing

01:12:27.280 and they don't change with it.

01:12:28.980 You get what I'm saying?

01:12:29.560 Man, I've seen so many people fail because they're too rigid.

01:12:32.540 Yeah.

01:12:32.940 They're, they're unwilling to adapt.

01:12:35.060 They're not willing to say to themselves like, Hey, that was a mistake.

01:12:40.040 Yeah.

01:12:40.240 Or Hey, I need to adjust the way I'm thinking or Hey, I was wrong in thinking that because

01:12:44.800 it's like a pride thing.

01:12:45.940 But like, dude, and that's what we're talking about.

01:12:47.700 Like McGregor, like when you say, when the average person, if you say McGregor's a humble

01:12:54.000 dude, they'll fucking argue with you.

01:12:56.080 They don't even get it.

01:12:57.100 They say no way.

01:12:57.560 But like the point is, and you and I said, we were, when I said you have to be humble

01:13:02.100 to get that good, you got it right away when I said that, but people don't get that because

01:13:06.600 to, to learn the skills, to be great, you have to be open to learning and adjustment.

01:13:11.760 And that means you have to be humble.

01:13:13.400 And so for even like, it doesn't matter how cocky someone seems to be on the surface.

01:13:21.460 Michael Jordan, one of the famously cockiest motherfuckers on earth is still a humble dude

01:13:27.600 when it comes to preparation, you know, and being coachable, not just with a coach, but

01:13:33.420 to yourself is a huge deal that people miss.

01:13:36.660 You know what I'm saying?

01:13:37.200 Because they're locked in.

01:13:38.260 And I see this a lot with like, like average level people, right?

01:13:42.740 They're, they're got a regular job and they're trying to get out of it.

01:13:46.220 But when I talk to them, it's like, well, I believe this.

01:13:49.400 And I believe that.

01:13:50.420 And I believe this.

01:13:51.360 And I'm like, well, bro, your beliefs are wrong.

01:13:53.440 And they're like, the fuck do you mean they're wrong?

01:13:55.700 Like you have to like, you have to be open to adjusting your beliefs if you're going to

01:14:01.340 progress.

01:14:02.000 And that's a hard thing for people to understand.

01:14:04.560 You know what I'm saying?

01:14:05.620 Absolutely.

01:14:05.980 I just, uh, dude, we could go on for hours and hours and hours, bro.

01:14:11.700 Like I, I don't meet, I don't meet very many people that I look at their accomplishments

01:14:19.260 and I think I'm not, it's not impressed by much anymore.

01:14:22.080 You know what I mean?

01:14:22.620 I get to be around a lot of success and a lot of high performers.

01:14:25.440 I've fucking heard it all, but what you've done and what you're, what you're doing is

01:14:30.360 a different fucking level, dude.

01:14:31.940 And it deserves to be recognized.

01:14:33.460 Well, that means, that means a lot, uh, so thank you.

01:14:36.540 Well, absolutely.

01:14:37.500 You know, so guys, if, if you have, uh, any, you know, way to support James, uh, definitely

01:14:45.120 give him a follow on Instagram.

01:14:46.320 What's your Instagram?

01:14:47.620 Iron Cowboy James.

01:14:48.740 Okay.

01:14:49.180 And you know, check out his book.

01:14:51.460 I haven't read it, so I can't say if it's good or bad, but I'm pretty fucking sure it's

01:14:54.920 awesome.

01:14:55.720 Um, they can get an Amazon, Amazon and on our website, Iron Cowboy.

01:15:00.540 And what's it called again?

01:15:02.240 Redefine impossible.

01:15:03.200 Okay.

01:15:04.060 Dude, I love that title too.

01:15:05.260 That's a good one.

01:15:06.140 Yeah.

01:15:07.180 Um, dude, thank you so much for coming on the show.

01:15:11.660 I don't even know how you ended up in town.

01:15:13.480 Why are you here?

01:15:14.340 Speaking.

01:15:14.880 Okay.

01:15:15.280 Yeah.

01:15:15.500 To some entrepreneurs.

01:15:16.300 Okay.

01:15:16.600 Good.

01:15:17.000 I'm speaking to kids tonight too.

01:15:18.480 So that's great, man.

01:15:19.440 Yeah.

01:15:19.720 That's really cool.

01:15:20.420 Do you do that a lot?

01:15:21.600 Yeah.

01:15:21.860 So I'll do, I'll speak to a corporation and then try to do a, an additional one for kids

01:15:26.020 and try to impact that generation.

01:15:27.800 That is cool, man.

01:15:28.680 How'd you come?

01:15:29.180 I do that.

01:15:30.400 So I write children's books.

01:15:31.480 Yeah.

01:15:31.940 So, and people are like, why did you write children's books instead of adult books?

01:15:36.680 Well, dude, I could have made a lot more fucking money writing adult books.

01:15:39.160 I can tell you that right now.

01:15:40.100 It would have done better for my career.

01:15:41.760 But the truth is, is like our younger generation is completely fucked and I want to fix it.

01:15:46.760 And for me, I've got five kids.

01:15:48.000 And so I'm active in the school systems and I see a lot of the problems.

01:15:51.140 And so that's where you got, that's where that drive comes from.

01:15:53.340 I sense that you, you like, dude, you're, you're a purpose driven individual, man.

01:15:57.380 Yeah.

01:15:57.680 And, and that's, that's going to lead to a lot of success for you.

01:16:00.600 A lot, a lot.

01:16:02.360 Very cool.

01:16:02.700 You know, so when you, when you, uh, when you talk to these kids, like, what do you

01:16:07.020 talk to them?

01:16:07.420 I'm just curious now, like, just, just, just mindset and belief.

01:16:10.560 Yeah.

01:16:10.740 I mean, that's as, as simple as it, as it should be for these kids is believing in themselves

01:16:15.520 and that word words matter.

01:16:16.800 Yeah.

01:16:17.280 The thoughts in our head and the words that we say matter.

01:16:20.040 Yeah.

01:16:20.580 And, and really to believe in ourselves.

01:16:22.180 Cause I mean, my, my boy's nine and he's in third grade and he comes home and he says,

01:16:25.780 so-and-so and said this about me.

01:16:27.600 And I'm like, so yeah.

01:16:29.560 Like who, who cares?

01:16:30.660 Who are you?

01:16:31.120 Yeah.

01:16:31.860 And, and we've had conversations that their words don't matter to you.

01:16:35.460 Yeah.

01:16:35.820 It's your beliefs.

01:16:37.240 Not even their teacher's words.

01:16:38.420 Yeah.

01:16:38.620 Not even teacher's words.

01:16:39.420 Cause like teachers are so, I think there's so many teachers out there that are ignorant.

01:16:43.040 Why are they teachers?

01:16:44.640 My, my wife says this all the time.

01:16:46.300 Thank you.

01:16:46.560 Like why, if you're so angry at life, why the hell are you a teacher?

01:16:52.000 Because they couldn't fucking cut it somewhere else.

01:16:53.980 Yeah.

01:16:54.200 I don't understand it.

01:16:55.580 I have a huge problem with a lot of the teachers in the system today because they,

01:16:59.560 they need to ask themselves, why am I a teacher to kids when I hate kids and have zero patience

01:17:06.320 and tolerance?

01:17:07.000 Dude.

01:17:07.220 Like they need to have a, they need to talk to Jocko and have an accountability talk with

01:17:11.460 themselves.

01:17:11.780 Here's the reality.

01:17:13.060 This is the truth.

01:17:14.600 They should fucking raise the teacher's salary by like 10 times the amount.

01:17:18.660 For sure.

01:17:19.240 Okay.

01:17:19.760 And then they will attract a higher level teacher.

01:17:21.860 Yep.

01:17:22.080 That's the truth.

01:17:22.780 That is the truth.

01:17:23.520 And, and, uh, and, and do we share that frustration as well?

01:17:26.660 And listen, we might be the same person just in very different bodies.

01:17:29.560 Yeah.

01:17:30.020 Dude, I'm going to tell you this.

01:17:31.200 Because you're a beast.

01:17:31.660 There is, uh, there is, uh, well, I like Chinese food, bro.

01:17:34.780 There you go.

01:17:35.240 Hey.

01:17:35.680 I love Chinese food.

01:17:36.420 I love sushi.

01:17:37.240 Yeah.

01:17:37.440 And French fries.

01:17:38.180 That's my thing.

01:17:38.840 Yeah.

01:17:39.020 So, uh, my wife calls it the stack.

01:17:41.660 Like, what do we, what do you want?

01:17:42.780 I want the stack.

01:17:43.620 She knows what that means.

01:17:44.480 Yeah.

01:17:44.640 I like it.

01:17:44.820 So like, uh, dude, we, um, I think, you know, and I will say this too, like a little asterisk.

01:17:53.680 There's a lot of great teachers.

01:17:55.240 Absolutely.

01:17:55.600 I don't want, that was a pretty big blanket statement that I made.

01:17:59.760 And I get caught up in that too.

01:18:00.940 But then what happens is, is I get the teachers who I know are good and they're like, bro,

01:18:03.920 what the fuck?

01:18:04.560 My best friend in the wingman that was on me with the 50, guess what he is?

01:18:07.240 He's a second grade school teacher and he's an unbelievable teacher, but he's one of those

01:18:11.120 rare guys that care about his kids.

01:18:13.420 He's been teaching second grade for 20 years.

01:18:15.140 And those people, those people are changing the world that he is changing the world.

01:18:18.860 And I have so much respect for Casey and for what he does.

01:18:21.780 I've got a, my college roommate is a, has been a public school teacher for about 25 years

01:18:26.100 or 20 years, somewhere around there.

01:18:27.780 And he gets awards and I was his roommate.

01:18:31.140 So I know academics do not come easy for him.

01:18:33.520 He is not Mr. Charismatic.

01:18:35.060 He has to work for everything.

01:18:36.380 And when he comes into contact with a, with a teacher who's just like bitter and angry

01:18:41.600 and all the kids don't respect me, he'll just straight out tell him, you know why?

01:18:45.140 Cause kids have a really high BS meter and they know you don't care about them.

01:18:49.500 Absolutely.

01:18:50.080 And if they know you don't care about them, they do not care what you have to teach them.

01:18:53.580 Hey, that ain't just kids.

01:18:54.920 Right.

01:18:55.100 By the way.

01:18:55.840 Yeah.

01:18:56.180 That's everybody.

01:18:56.860 That's a, it's humans.

01:18:58.260 Yeah.

01:18:58.480 Well, it's crazy.

01:18:58.860 My son will come home and he's like, I don't understand why my teacher yells all day.

01:19:02.340 Cause that's not his environment at home.

01:19:03.980 Right.

01:19:04.160 And he, he, he, he comes from an environment where we communicate, we, we love, we teach and all

01:19:08.820 these things.

01:19:09.140 And he's like, I don't understand why my teacher just yells all day.

01:19:11.360 Yeah.

01:19:11.700 But that's a whole nother.

01:19:13.340 That's a whole nother episode, bro.

01:19:14.700 It is.

01:19:15.000 Yeah.

01:19:15.140 We could go, we could go off for a while.

01:19:17.060 Hey man.

01:19:17.800 But thank you for having me.

01:19:18.800 If you ever come back through St. Louis, I'd love to have you on again.

01:19:21.480 Cool.

01:19:21.800 Yeah, for sure.

01:19:22.820 I want people to know about you and I want people to support you.

01:19:26.860 And I just want to come back in June to your event.

01:19:28.820 Yeah.

01:19:29.080 Let's do a podcast too.

01:19:30.160 Okay.

01:19:30.460 Yeah.

01:19:30.640 Let's do it.

01:19:31.160 I, uh, dude, I really appreciate you sitting down.

01:19:34.000 Uh, I know you're busy dude and you got a lot of shit going on.

01:19:36.040 So thank you so much.

01:19:37.140 I got to go train for three hours right now.

01:19:38.980 Dude, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll catch you after.

01:19:41.120 There you go.

01:19:41.660 For that stack, right?

01:19:43.480 That's right.

01:19:44.020 There you go.

01:19:44.920 So, uh, James dude, thank you, man.

01:19:47.340 It's been a true pleasure, a true honor.

01:19:49.380 And guys, uh, you know, we talk about the fee all the time in, instead of my fee for

01:19:54.720 the show, I would appreciate it if you would support James is by his book.

01:19:57.820 So, uh, awesome.

01:19:58.920 Absolutely.

01:19:59.400 So let's do that.

01:20:00.620 Redefining impossible on Amazon.

01:20:02.800 Thank you.

01:20:03.300 All right, guys.

01:20:04.300 Thank you so much for tuning in.

01:20:05.720 Thank you for spreading the word.

01:20:06.960 Let's kick some ass and I'll see you guys next time.

REAL AF with Andy Frisella - March 05, 2019

REDEFINE IMPOSSIBLE ft. James Lawrence, with Andy Frisella - MFCEO289

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