Discipline, Freedom & Financial Mastery: Edgar Zavala on Breaking the Matrix

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Welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show podcast, the podcast show where we unlock potential one dream at a time. Today we have another guest whose journey is truly worth hearing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Moneyway experience.

Hey, what's up my good people? Welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show in association with Believe Network, the Podcast that brings you stories behind the success. Today I got my man Edgar on the line. I didn't ask him how to pronounce his last name, so I'm not gonna chop it up and do my man any disservice, but he's a 3-time award-winning business coach, USMC veteran, and high-impact wealth strategist. Welcome my man Edgar to the show, man. What's up, Ed? How you doing, man?

I'm doing great. I'm doing great. And, uh, I got you with my last name, Zavala. You got it now. And I'm doing great, CJ. Thank you for having me on this, you know, time goes by on this blessed Tuesday, Tuesday morning for me.

Thank you, man. I appreciate you taking the time out today to coming out. Hey, me and Eric, we was laughing behind stage because before I brought him on, if y'all looking on video, see the clips or whatever, you see my man sharper than a tick out here, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, he magazine ready. So I was messing with him about that. I got to get down there where he at, man, and grab me a couple of them suits. Like my man so I can go on some podcast shows and be just as sharp as a tick as he is. Because in this life, man, we gotta learn, especially brothers, we gotta learn not to be hating on one another, man. Give a man credit when his credit is due. So, hey man, let me ask you, man, from the Cops to coaching, your journey is powerful. Raised in Brooklyn, served in the Marines, now building a 7-figure business. What was your rock bottom moment and how did you flip the script?

Yeah, that's a great question. I've had a, you know, it's hard to describe when you say rock bottom, right? Because we all go through different trials and tribulations. And like I say all the time, right? New level, new devil. I guess rock bottom for me was getting out of the military and having everything set for me and going into the unknown, right? Into the civilian sector is what we call it. And just having to survive and thrive. And I guess rock bottom for me is being on the road in my early 20s as a blue collar guy.. And most of my coworkers were in their 50s, 60s, even older 40s. And, you know, I had no one to really resonate with. And I would be in random motels and hotels as a travel technician making great money. But what happens when you give a young man a good amount of money, but no wisdom, no discipline, no guidance? And let's just say that I would be at the bar more than I had to, more than I need to. And I was giving a couple people more rounds than what they should get, right? And rock bottom for me was You know, I left the military into the civilian sector, and I somewhat became an alcoholic, borderline alcoholic, being on the road. I would drink half a bottle of whiskey almost every night just to go to bed. And I became stagnant. They say a man with no purpose seeks pleasure. And I was looking for things in different places where it wasn't benefiting me. So rock bottom for me was borderline alcoholic in a stagnant place, no one to relate to, on the road by myself in random weird hotels and motels. Trust me, I know, CJ. You hear motels, you hear motels.

Yeah, I know motels. Like you say, Motel Hotel Holiday Inn. That was also in New York too. So I know what you mean too, man, about, you know, I don't know if it was rock bottom, but just a change and transformational moment in your life, you know. Like mine was in Detroit. I went to Detroit, man. God had moved me away from my friends. Like you said, I was just sitting around, I was drinking, smoking, You know what I'm saying? Messing around with the women. I was everything in all the wrong places, like you said, man. It just dawned on me, man. I just needed a change in my life. You know what I'm saying? Because I was going down the wrong path fast, bruh. Like real fast. And man, I just thank God that not only you, but myself too, you know what I'm saying? That he had brought us through some situations. Now we sitting here chopping it up today, man. Like I said, I got Dapper Ed online today, man. You couldn't tell that he said he was a borderline alcoholic, can you? Not today. So let me ask you, man, how did military discipline shape your mindset around money, leadership, and freedom?

Yeah, so I would say when it comes to money, the military, you know, there's a big hole in the ball right now in the military with a lot of service members where, you know, what they do for us at least is kind of like we get a job, you know, you get a 401k and you don't see it, right? They take it every month and they put it towards a retirement plan. So with the military, you know, you get your debit card, your credit cards, your bank, you get your retirement plan all set up. So you're taken care of, but you have no financial literacy. So the cool thing about it is that at least they're helping you put money aside, but you don't understand finances. So for me, I got a good habit of understanding money was going somewhere else that wasn't for things that were like to buy or for dumb stuff, if that makes sense, right? I didn't know where it was going to, I knew it was some type of retirement plan. That's what they told us. It was going to help you retire. And isn't that everybody's goal is to retire? So I said, you know what? I'm going to be selfless, or selfish in a way, and put this aside, not touch it. And I was putting about 10% of my paycheck into my retirement at the time. And most people, that's pretty aggressive.

Yeah.

So I would say it allowed me to be able to gain discipline and delay gratification. But I was lacking financial literacy, which is what I'm doing right now with a lot of service members. I'm going back and I'm reaching to the military community. And I'm teaching them how to retire properly. Grow their money tax-free, create pension plans and whatnot, and estate planning and events planning. And I would say when it came to leadership, growing up in Brooklyn, I was into sports. So I was, you know, captain of my baseball team. I was just doing multiple things. So I was always in leadership positions. But the military just accelerated that because now in the military, you have to take care of military equipment that costs hundreds, if not billions of dollars. And, you know, I'd be in charge of not only personnel, me, like, in my early 20s, taking care of like 30, 40, 50 Marines, but also making sure that this 7 to 8 figure equipment doesn't break and doesn't get destroyed or vandalized. So leadership was an evolution. And guess what? You know how it is, CJ. Where leadership comes respect. And in the military, there's a lot of people that we call the collar, right? They have the collar, they have a rank, but they don't have the respect. I learned how to get both, how to get the collar and how to get their respect. And then what was the third thing you said, CJ, when it comes to the military?

Freedom.

Freedom. Yeah, absolutely. I love this country. This country is amazing. It's the best country in the entire world. And when I was growing up, I would see the commercials, you know, the few, the proud, the Marines. And I knew that growing up in Brooklyn, there's not a lot of opportunities, right? It's either you become a statistic, meaning you end up in violence, you end up in drugs, you end up losing your life, or you end up in the prison system. And I didn't really want to go to college. It wasn't for me. I'm an active kind of guy. I need to do something. I can't sit down and hear a professor on a monotone talk about quadratic formulas and Pythagorean theorem. That's not for me. And I said, what can I do to do something different? So I knew right away I wanted to serve my country. I wanted to do something bigger. I wanted adventure. I wanted action.. I wanted growth and I wanted to escape Brooklyn. And I went to the military and they shipped me out to a whole different country. And so being around a bunch of people, CJ, growing up in Brooklyn, New York, New Yorkers, we think we're the center of the world. I'm not gonna lie. I meet people who are like, they're like, you're from New York? Yeah, I'm from New York. Where you from? They're like, oh, I'm from Albany. I'm like, that's Canada, man. I'm from Buffalo. That's Canada, bro. I think the boroughs is New York. And growing up, I was like, no matter how much history, world history, I'm like, nah, New York is the center of the world. Florida's Cubans, Texas is cowboys, California's the surfers. The middle is blank, even though I would get education, you know. So being in the military, I came across multiple people, different races, ethnicities, cultures, communities. And I started growing and I said, man, this is what America is about. It's a big melting pot. And in the military, we all have one mission, one goal. It's not about race. It's not about gender.. It's not about politics. It's about, can we get this mission done safely and bring everybody back in one piece? Can we get this mission done as a team and make the mission as smooth as possible? And in the military, man, when you have your face in the mud, when you have your face in sand, it doesn't matter. You're not thinking about color. You're not thinking about politics. You're thinking about, hey, man, look, can we stop getting our face in the mud? Can we get out of here and get this mission done? Freedom is America is the best, man. America's wonderful.

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So let me ask you, Angry Man, in the military, was you able to retire?

No. So I did 4 years. I did 4 years. I served from July of 2016 to July of 2020. I actually wanted to do 20 years. But like you said, God has plans for us. God is playing 5D chess, 10D chess. He's 100 steps ahead. I wanted to do 20 years, but that wasn't in God's plans. You know, sometimes we get upset at what things happen for ourselves, but instead of asking why me, ask what is the purpose of this, God? What's happening? Leading me? So if it was up to me, I would still be in uniform right now, CJ, but things happen in the military. And there was signs for me that I say, you know what, let me take my leadership, my skill set, my talent, let me take it elsewhere because it's a whole world to conquer and the military is not the only place where you can make it. And I've said it before, I had a lot of certain leadership in the military when I was getting out in my early 20s. They're already like 16 years in, 18 years in, 20 years in, right? 20 years is when you can retire. And a lot of them, I remember I was going to retire and they were like, don't do it. Like, you're going to fail. The grass is not greener on the other side. Like, you know, trust me. Like, you're going to miss out on the benefits. They were trying to sell me on staying in. And that's when I knew I said, real leadership wants to see you become successful no matter where you go. And that's when I said, it's not about me, it's about them. And misery loves company. And then I said respectfully, and I'm not gonna say their names or their ranks, but I said respectfully, how do you know? You've been doing this for 16, 18 years. How do you know? That's when I said, let me go elsewhere and do something different with my life.

Mm. You know, I'm sitting here listening to you. And I was just talking to a young lady pastor And she said she had an accident, ran into an apartment building, ran into the house, and it changed her life. You know what I'm saying? It changed her direction. She had to find some things within her. And listening to you talking about the leadership, like you say, baseball, we play sports, so you know what I'm saying? So that do become leadership when you get out there on the court. Then where we come from, like you from Brooklyn, I'm from Gary, a lot of time we back there, you got to be a little rough. You know what I'm saying? A lot of times you might have to knuckle up before you leave off the basketball court I thought this, CJ.

In the military, especially in the Marines, it's eat or be eaten. It's a dogfight. And I already had that dogfight in me. And in boot camp, the drill instructors knew that. So they broke me down.

They came after me. They knew right away.

They knew this was tense. I had ego. And they got me. And in the military, when I first got to the fleet, you know, there are some people who, when they gain power and they get a managerial or leadership position, and they were never a leader before, and they never earned respect, they force respect.. And for me, Brooklyn, and you know how it is, CJ, you gotta earn respect. That's how it works. So I went to the military and I was seeing people telling me what to do, but it was not out of respect, right? Leadership is respect. I don't care if you're older than me, younger than me, if you have a bigger rank, it's respect, right? And they were trying to force things. And I, uh, there were a couple of times, CJ, where, like you said, I didn't care about this.

Yeah, that was a way of life, you know what I'm saying? But you know, I'm gonna be honest. I was doing something at one point. So it tell me I had to write a thesis, you know what I'm saying, or whatnot, on, you know, your why, what, and this and that. And so, like, I grew up a fighter. I grew up just fighting all the time. You know, I used to take up for my cousins and things of that nature. And so now that I got older, start writing books, start doing a podcast, things of that nature. So you sit back and you start evaluating things. It's like, I've always been a fighter my whole life from a kid, you know what I'm saying? And he was preparing me, just like he did with you in the service, you know what I'm saying? I say that, preparing me for another fight. I didn't know what type of fight because now it's a spiritual fight, you know what I'm saying? But because you already have that, like you say, that dog in you, so now when the enemy coming, now like, look here, man, I already know how to fight, but I needed to learn the weapons to fight with, you know what I'm saying? I couldn't— you can't fight the enemy with these, you gotta fight him with that word, you know what I'm saying? So I was able to pivot and transition into that, and I hope a lot of y'all take this for what it is, man. If you came up a fighter and you came up with that, you know what I'm saying, it ain't because you gonna grow up and be Mike Tyson or Mayweather or whatnot. Now sometimes, man, giving you skills as you move on in life, that's gonna prepare you for your purpose. And so yeah, I get exactly what you said, Edgar. Let me ask you, bro, wealth mindset and breaking the cycle. You say traditional financial advice keep people stuck. What's one money myth that holds people back?

I would say saving. I say that unfortunately in this generation, today's economy, you can't save your way to wealth.

Mm-hmm.

In today's economy, unfortunately, because we have a thing called inflation, right? So no matter how much you save, you're losing purchasing power when you just save. So putting every penny in the bank and just letting it sit there earning 0 to 1%, even if you have a high-yield savings of 5%, You're not outpacing inflation. That's one myth because that's called scarcity mindset. Scarcity, it's just as bad as putting your money under a mattress, right? That scarcity mindset, right? And then the second myth is, you know, get a 401k and you'll be all right. That's it. Everybody thinks, oh, I got a good job. I have a 401k. They're matching me. Ah, and they put their, kick their feet up and they work for the company for 20, 30, 40 years.. And then when it's time to retire, all of a sudden Uncle Sam's like, yeah. And then you realize, wow, I can't retire, but I still got bills. And today, unfortunately, in America, the average lifespan in America is about 70 to 80 years, but most people get to 65 thinking they're going to retire and they can't. So then guess what happens? You got to go back to work, you got to fix up your resume, and you got to get a low-paying job or a job that can somewhat hire you because now you're a little bit older.. And then when you keep working, you keep earning an income, you keep paying taxes. And then you technically don't retire till 72. But guess what? The average lifespan is 72 to 80 years old. So what is your retirement? So those are two big myths. There's a couple more, but those are two main ones. Saving, scarcity, 401, I'm good, you release power. Those are two myths.

And I know, and we do, we work till we die. You know what I'm saying? Like, I work in the steel mill industry. And there's people still out there for They've been out there 48, 50 years. What? 48, 50 years, bro. I mean, you about 75, 80 years old, you know. I don't want to do that. I'm like, right now my retirement age is probably 67, I think, 67 or 68. But that's what they say, you know what I'm saying. I'm listening to my man Edgar. I'm trying to get out of here earlier and plan some stuff because, you know, you said something earlier. You said you put 10% in your 401 when you was in service. And you say to a lot of people, that scarcity, you know, that's a lot. I remember, man, I went to Detroit. I always, you know, my mother, I always knew about 401, always was in it or whatever. So I go to Detroit, right? So I'm like, you know what, man, I ain't doing 3%, I'm gonna do 6%. I might have did 6% or I went high, man. I got that first paycheck. Hey, the first paycheck, I went right to the human resources and I said, I need to change Duck the fuck out, this ain't gonna work.

I got bills to pay.

Hey, this ain't going. So when you said that earlier, it made me think about like, yeah, I did that before. That was me. Nah, this ain't gonna work though. Your boy needs some money in his pocket. Hey, so, uh, let me ask you, man. Most people feel trapped, as we just talking about, in they 9 to 5. What's the very first move they can make towards financial freedom?

Absolutely. Great, great question. I say this all the time, is budgeting, budgeting, budgeting, budgeting. That's number one. You have to see, it's kind of like a doctor, right? Like a doctor can't prescribe you medicine if he doesn't know what the actual problem is, you know? So with budgeting, first you have to find out, okay, what's my income and what's my outcome? How much am I bringing in? How much am I going out? I don't think we have an income problem in America. I think we have a spending problem in America. And a lot of people overspend what they make. So what happens is, you know, I do personal financial reviews all the time. I do financial needs analysis all the time, CJ. Sometimes I'm on back-to-back meetings with different people from all walks of life, from people who are 18, people who are 70, from coast to coast, from California to New York to Massachusetts to Florida, all walks of life, all cultures. I don't care where you from, your race, your ethnicity, your political view, money's money. Money doesn't care who you are or what you think. Money does attract us to people that understand money. And what happens is I have people who have good paying jobs, but because they have good paying jobs, they raise their lifestyle. So now they're living the same bottleneck paycheck to paycheck at a higher lifestyle and they feel stuck, they feel trapped, and now they gotta continue working to maintain that lifestyle. And I say this is very dangerous. Most people build their entire lifestyle off of one income. But what happens when you get laid off, you get fired, you get injured, you get hurt? What happens to the bills? Do they go away? They absolutely don't. So budget, budget, budget, budget. Even myself, I've moved from— I was in Texas, CJ, and I came to California. So I'm now in the San Diego area in California. Anybody wants to hang out, let me know. But I came from Texas to California. Different financial needs. In Texas, gas is $2.

Hmm.

California gas is in the high, you know, $4, low $5, just came down a little bit, was in the $6. So guess what that means? You have to rebudget. I've had to rebudget about 4 times in the last week, just getting acclimated to California taxes, to the gas, to groceries, everything. But everybody know what they do? Oh, I'm making money. My bills, I'll pay them. And then they forget to invest or they forget themselves or they forget to maybe, hey, let me not just rely on this paycheck, let me go find something else that can pay me. So to answer your question, CJ, budget, budget, budget, budget. And I do free personal financial reviews. I give free budgeting sheets. I have an actual worksheet that does all the math for you. It does your income, monthly income, net income. It does your assets. It does your investments, does your debt column, and it does your monthly expenses, and it automatically does the math for you on how much you're actually netting. Because I know guys who are making $10,000 a month, but they're netting $90 a month after bills.

Mm, that's crazy. I mean, just like I said, I work in the steel mill industry, and my wife does taxes, you know, on the side. She'll do some people's taxes or whatever, and some people get so caught up into the overtime, you know, like you said, what happens if you get laid off? You know, you based your lifestyle on this overtime, but then the companies, you know, go short, or we ain't producing as much.

I've seen it because I was a wind turbine technician. I was a travel technician working on turbines, and I was climbing 300 to 500-foot towers 6 times a day, 3 times a day, 6 days a week, climbing 300 to 500-foot towers. I'm in my early 20s. I was literally out the military, so I was still physically fit.. And I'm climbing these towers and it's still kind of like, you know, hard on the body. And I had coworkers in their 60s still climbing these 300 or 500-foot towers. And I could see the pain in their eyes. Like I would look up just to make sure they're safe and I can see them hurting. And when we get to the top of the tower, you could see the pain in there. Sometimes they would have to sit down and just, they couldn't even work. The work was climbing. That's how hard it is. And then the problem with that is, like you said, I've seen people be laid off like this, no ifs, ands, or buts, no kind of like heads up. There was one day I remember this, CJ, I'll never forget this. This was the turning point for me. One day was a Friday. It was like a normal Friday. Me and my crew, about 10 of us or 15 of us, when we're done, after we finish working, we go to a regular restaurant or go to a bar and eat and have drinks. But this Friday, all of a sudden, the site contractors, they give us like 6 towers or 8 towers which is more than normal. Usually get about 2 or 3. We're like, hold up. Why we get 8 in one day? What's going on? Okay, whatever. It is what it is. We go out there, we get the job done. We're efficient. You know, we time it right. All right, you two take this, you two take this. We come down, we're driving back to the site. We're all having a blast, laughing. We're just talking about the restaurant we're gonna go eat to, the bar we're gonna go have, like Applebee's, whatever it is, you know. And all of a sudden we get back to the site.. And then the boss says, hey, I need boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom in the office. Everybody else I didn't call, stay in your trucks. So out of the 15-man crew, 4 of us stayed in the truck. The rest went into the office.

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And these are men who have families, kids, wives, stay-at-home wives, little newborns. They depend on this. And all of a sudden they were there for like 30 minutes. And I'm like, what's going on? They come out, you see them all like a dog with their tail between their legs, grown men walking, going to their trucks. I go up to them, yo, what's happening? What's happening? We're done. I'm like, what's the next site? No next site, no word.

Wow.

And they go on the bench and just—

and if—

imagine if they didn't save. But we just talked about CJ. Yeah, for those that didn't save.

Um, that's crazy, man. 8 Towers, 8-5, man. First of all, you got me on the first one because whether I was young or not, I'm kind of afraid of heights like that. I'm not climbing.

17.

I enlisted at 17, and I went to the recruiting station, and I was doing all that. So I'm an adrenaline junkie. I said, look, if I'm gonna get out the military, I can do the whole bodyguard thing, I could do the police officer route, I can do a firefighter route, but no, I want action.

I still want action. So let me ask you, man, on that note, since you ain't scared of heights like that, although I'm getting in the friendly skies tomorrow, you know, I'm not scared to fly, but as far as climbing up stuff like at my job, I won't be a mechanic because I'm not getting You know, I'm not going all the way on top. I'm not doing it. So did you ever jump out of a plane before?

No, not yet, but it's on the bucket list. It's on the bucket list. Haven't done it yet. I've seen a lot of people do it. It's just not on the bucket list. I have a couple things I want to get done just in case, right? Just in case, you know, but I want to get a couple things done, leave a legacy just in case.

Hey, man, I'm gonna come to San Diego. I'ma kick it with you. I'ma call you when I get there, whenever I touch down. But one thing I'm not doing, man, I'm not doing no climbing, I'm not doing no bungee jumping, and I'm not jumping out of no planes. We can find something else to do, man, but I can't do that with you, man. You got me on that. So let me ask you, bro, I mean, you coach people from paycheck to prosperity, which what, you know, what you're talking about, these guys is what they needed at that time. What's the key mindset shift they need to make first?

To go from paycheck to paycheck to prosperity? I would say self-development, self-development in the sense of start understanding how the world works. Start understanding money, start understanding economics, start understanding the government. Think about this. When you get a CD, yeah, they say, hey, we're going to give you a 3%, 4% CD here, but you can't touch it for X amount of time frame. Remember, we have a thing called fractional reserve banking. Banks got to make money. So banks take your money and they loan it out to other people. So they love the fact that you can't touch your money for X amount of time frame. They're going to give you 3% to 4%, but they're going to make untold millions in interest, right? For every $1, the bank loan out 24 times. So if you have $1,000 in the bank, the bank loan out $24,000 to other people. But CJ, you think they're loaning out one big $24,000 loan or they're chopping it up into smaller pieces?

Chopping it up, eh?

And then every loan comes with anywhere from 7% to 20% interest. So understand, it's either— you know, one of my good buddies that I served with in the military, he's in business with me, he says, either you get or you get got. So you gotta understand, it's either are you getting or are you getting got? And the biggest thing is 3 things if you want to be successful in life, you want to be prosperous, Invest and learn about sales. Invest and learn about people skills. And invest and learn about leadership. Because leadership allows you to delegate. People skills allows you to connect and shake hands and network with the right individuals. And then sales, persuasion, negotiation. What can you get what you're looking for out of a situation? Because again, either you get or you get got. Two options. You buy or you sell. Either you produce or you consume. And I said, wait, what side of the pendulum? I put it in a T-chart. What side of the pendulum am I on? I'm saving. I'm working a 9 to 5. And I'm paying bills and I'm paying taxes. I'm got.

Yeah, I'm losing. Yeah, I'm losing.

Hey, coach, over here. And then get a coach, get a coach, get a mentor. I was fortunate enough to find a mentor who was my same age. I was in my mid-20s, CJ, and I was making about $8,000 to $10,000 a month working 9 to 5, 60+ hours a week. I was the big fish in a little pond. No one in my age group, no one in my community, in the military, or back at home in Brooklyn especially, no one was doing that. So I was good. And then I came across somebody my same age, and he was in financial services, and he was an entrepreneur, and he was making over a quarter million dollars plus. Working from home with a family. And I said, man, this guy broke the matrix. Hold up. And I had ego, CJ. I was like, nah, this is not real. This got to be fake. This has got to be a scam. And then I sat there. And one time I told my coaches, I was up tower one time. And this tower had a bunch of grease and oil because the seals busted everything. And I'm on my knees with a rag cleaning all the oil, all the grease, like a normal Tuesday.. And I look at my coworkers and they're in their 50s and 60s on their knees, cleaning oil and grease. And it's hot. We're sweating because there's no ventilation up there. And I'm like, I just told this guy, my same age, who's making double, triple what I'm making from home, working less in the AC, he's a scam. I said, nah, I gotta go back. I gotta go back. And then I talked to him and he taught me the right thing. So That's what I would say, CJ, man.

I get it too, because you say I'm losing but he winning, but I can't believe that he winning like that. And my man said I had an epiphany. He said I'm sitting out there cleaning this dirt oil. I say, look at him, man, this can't be life, you know what I'm saying? It got to be better than this.

You know what I say all the time? I say all the time, the problem— like, there's a difference between being poor and being broke. Broke is a financial situation. Being poor is a mindset. Poor stands for passing over opportunities repeatedly. That's why you stay poor. And then scam, when people call something a scam, you know what that means? Still confused about money. So when you're confused about money, you call things a scam. And the reason why you stay poor is because you pass over opportunities all the time.

Wow. Well, I don't want to be poor, man. So I ain't passing up no opportunities except for climbing up some 500-foot turbine.

Crazy things to do for money, right, CJ?

Hey man, I don't know, man. I'm gonna have to be poor though, because I can't do it. My anxiety will kick in, man. I, I can't do it, man. Uh, so let me ask you, bro, let me ask you, man, leadership and legacy, as we was talking about, as you've been talking about, You talk about not just building income, but building leaders. What separates a successful entrepreneur from a real legacy builder?

Very simple. A real successful entrepreneur knows that it's not about them. It's about everybody else. And if you want to get into entrepreneurship, you want to get into business, you want to make good money or make great income, It can't be about you. There's a difference between being a salesman. Salesman, just, it's a, what do you call it, transaction. I scratch your back, you scratch my back, and what kind of money we can make from here. Leadership is, hey, even if maybe you can't provide value to me right now, what can we build together so we can provide value in the future? That's the difference. So for me here, CJ, I don't look at people as a dollar sign. I don't look at people as a transactional. I look at people as how can we build together? Because if I can transfer education to you, if I can transfer skill set into you, if I can transfer conviction into you, guess what you can do? You can turn around, you can go do it to somebody else. You know, what we do is very biblical, CJ, if you think about it, right? I know you're a man in your faith and so am I. And guess what? Jesus went 12 wide. Jesus himself chose not to change the world by himself. He went 12 wide and then those 12 went 12 wide and those 12 went 12 wide. And guess what? Now everybody talks about Jesus because of that, right? Not to get too into that stuff, you know, for some listeners, but hey, in my opinion, what I know is Jesus Christ is King. Jesus Christ is Lord. He's the King of Kings and he's my Lord and my Savior. But what we do is biblical, right, CJ? Each one teach one. Because if I know now, I can teach 3 people, then those 3 people can teach 9 people, those 9 can teach 27,, and it multiplies and multiplies. And you know what's crazy, CJ? Being in this organization, I have people that I'm coaching and mentoring all across the US from all 50 states, and those people are helping people in communities, in cities, in towns, in, you know, suburbs, in areas where I could never reach, and they're changing lives financially. It's amazing. It's so great. So I would say, to answer your question, CJ, Think about the long term. How can you pass on and help someone else become successful? And it's not about you. Delay gratification.

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I like that, man. You know, and I tell people this all the time, like yourself, what I appreciate about you guys is that you can take all this yourself and, you know, be successful and be wealthy and, you know, all the things that you want to do.. But for you guys to come back, man, and come on these podcast shows and, you know, go out into the community and do what you do to help other people get to that level, man, that's humility right there. You know what I'm saying? Like, I can take it for myself, but I want to help others amass generational wealth as well. And so, man, I commend you all for that, man, especially you yourself right now, man, that, you know, that you had the fortitude to not only look at you, but to say, hey, man, CJ may need some of this financial planning, although he ain't gonna climb up on the 500-foot thing, but he me and gets, uh, my T-board, you know what I'm saying, and my list that's gonna generate everything about budgeting and everything. Because like I just told the guy today, I'm like, as me, as I'm a host, but I'm also here learning, you know what I'm saying. I'm listening, I'm learning from you guys, things of that nature, because these things that you talk about that I don't know, you know. I'm not trying to be the smartest person in the room or whatnot. There's certain things I don't know. So I love you guys coming on, man, and sharing your expertise, man. I really do.

No, CJ, the smartest person in the room is often the most quiet because that's the one intaking and grabbing. The one that's the loudest in the room, they have nothing to show for. And I would say this, CJ, for me, it's almost kind of like it's an obligation to share information.

You know why?

Because CJ, if you have a cure for cancer, would you want to keep it to yourself or would you want to share it? If you had a cure for cancer?

I gotta share it.

You gotta share it, right? So for me, I've been blessed monetarily. I've been blessed in my faith. I've been blessed in my finances in so many ways that it's been able to put me in situations where when my own family needs me for emergencies, when my mom is going through something, I can, you know, for Mother's Day, you know, just not to put too much of my business out there, but for Mother's Day, I just, you know, wired her a 5-figure check. Just, hey, Mom, take this, go have fun. You deserve it. Here's a 5-figure check. I wired it to you for Mother's Day. 'Have fun.' And I'm like, I love my mother. How many people are working right now, they would love to do that for their parents or their kids? So I'm like, okay, if I was put in a situation and I could do that for my mom, why wouldn't I want to do that for somebody else right now who would do the exact same thing for their family and their friends and their loved ones? So it's actually selfish to want to keep information to yourself, and it does no one any good anyways. And closed mouths don't get fed, right? And also, I said this, CJ, all the time. You can lead a horse to water, you can't force it to drink. But horses get thirsty, and at least they know where to come if they want some water.

You know what, man, you just made me think about something too, Edgar, because, you know, my father passed away. It'll be 10 years this year in November. So, you know, my mother, she's single, you know, she's on her own now, whatever. She, you know, go through some things or whatever. And like you said, I thank God that he has put me in a position that when she calls on me she needs something. She like, you know, because you know, mother sometimes they don't want to call, they don't want to feel like they being a burden or whatever. And like I told her, I'm like, look, if you ever need something, just say that, you know what I'm saying? Just say something. Don't, don't worry about the money or whatever, you know what I'm saying? Oh, I pay you back. Don't worry about that, you know what I'm saying? Because God has been good to me that I'm able— I thank him to be able to, you know what I'm saying, do something like that and don't need you to pay me back. Because once upon a time, it wasn't like that, you know what I'm saying? If I gave $150. I need that $150 back ASAP. I give it to you, but I need it back ASAP. But now it's like, you know, go ahead, don't even worry about it.

You know what I'm saying? One thing, CJ, that I'll say is that, you know, it's our parents have given so much to us that it's almost like a monetarily dollar sign. It doesn't equate to what they've given to us. And guess what? Sometimes we got to give our parents grace because, you know, they're learning as they're growing. They're human, right? And they were doing their very best with their circumstances, with their situations to give us a better life. And all they're asking for us, and I know, and correct me if I'm wrong, TJ, but all they're asking for us is for us to be healthy, for us to be safe, for us to be fruitful, for us to be in abundance. That's all they're asking for. That's what brings them joy. And it's very biblical. In Proverbs, it talks about it when you go against your mother, you go against your father, that's the way to be a fool.

Yeah, yeah. Obey thy mother and father so that thou can have long life, you know what I'm saying? So that we— we don't see, but we don't know biblical things attached, and we don't know how to implement it in our lives, and that it really matters. My pastor, I remember, I never forget him saying this, man. My pastor say, uh, he say the Bible say obey thy mother and father. He said he knew that you was gonna be conceived in the back seat of a car, you know what I'm saying? But we get to the point, I can't stand 'cause my father, he wasn't there. God already knows, you know what I'm saying, the situation. He knew what was gonna happen then and that. It don't say, oh, I obey my father if, you know, he raised me up to be the man that I want to be. No, it just says obey thy mother and father so that thou can have long life. And so there's some principles and stuff, man, that we missing. But I'm glad you dropping these nuggets on the CJ Moneyway Show because I'm not afraid to talk about, as Edgar said earlier, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, you know what I'm saying? Because he said, he said, if you be ashamed of me in front of people, then I will be ashamed of you in front of the Father. And don't neither one of us want that.

And so, uh, TJ talks about it, you know, it says, hey, a lot of people are going to say Jesus this, Jesus is my Lord this, but guess what he's gonna say? You knew me, I did not know you. Yeah. And that's the scariest thing. And what I would say for a lot of young people is read Proverbs. Proverbs is full of wisdom, it's full of life. It says the Bible stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. I know, it's all there. I read Psalms and Proverbs every morning, and then I actually read the Gospels every night. And that's just my way to keep me grounded because guess what? This, you know how people say, oh, you only got one life, go crazy, or YOLO, like you only got one life. Sure, yeah, life is short, but eternity is forever. To make sure you're in the right place. That's what I tell people. Life is short, but eternity is forever.

And I don't think— and I say this quite a bit myself— I don't think people really realize what forever really means, you know what I'm saying? Like, forever is forever. That's eternal. So we have a choice right now that we live in. We talking about financial stuff, we talking about amassing generational wealth and things of that nature, but it's also too You know, we have to instill, as you were saying earlier, what our parents did with us— morals, integrity, things of that nature. So not only are we passing down financial wealth or information and things of that nature, you passing down things for generations, man, for eternal life. Because at the end of the day, we can't take none of this with us.

It says in the Bible, it says a good man and a good woman leaves an inheritance to their children's children. But with that being said, like you said, CJ, Money is just a measurement of the decisions or the lack of decisions you make in life. But if you're not rooted in values, if you're not rooted in faith, if you're not rooted in morals, then guess what? Money is going to be a direct reflection of your morals and values and your faith. So you have to set the foundation and then money will follow suit afterwards. And, you know, people say, oh, you know, if you like money, then it's evil, it's from the adversary. No, the love of money. Yeah.

The root of all evil.

Yeah.

You should be in abundance. God called us to be in abundance. God called us to be— first you got to seek the kingdom and then he will give you dominion of your life. That's how it works. So first, everything's going to come afterwards and be fruitful. It's like a farmer, right? I forgot which verse it is, but it's like a farmer. You have to start plowing in the right season and then enjoy the harvest. But a lot of people just want the harvest and they're not plowing.

Mm-hmm.

Or like this book, Matter of Fact, man, this is just a continuation of the conversation I was having with a lady before here. I love talking about this. This is what I do, man, you know what I'm saying? Like, we can talk about, uh, leadership change and everything, this and that, but hey, we already know who the leader is, man. And like I said, man, we could talk about this for hours, man. But this is me and my man.

San Diego, we come down to San Diego.

Oh, for sure, for sure, for sure. We go, we go, we gonna do something. I'm gonna come there. My wife just went there a couple years ago for her job or whatever. I've never been myself. I've never been to California. As you said, jumping out of the plane is on your bucket list. Coming to the West Coast is my bucket. First of all, I gotta see the— I want to see the Forum. I gotta see the Staples Center. I gotta see the Magic Johnson statue outside. I want to see Disney World. I gotta see all that, man. But when I come that way, I'm gonna come check out my man Edgar. We gonna kick it a little bit, man. Hey, so I only got a couple more questions for you, Edgar, man. Like I say, man, I really appreciate you coming on today, man, sharing all this with But before I go there, man, tell us where can we find you on social media and what you got going on, man, what you got coming up next?

Yeah, so very simple for right now, just keep it very simple. You can find me on Instagram at Zavala, Z-A-V-A-L-A underscore Edgar, E-D-G-A-R-25 on Instagram. Very simple. That's where mainly I'm at right now. I'm just starting to get into TikTok because I know that's where you can capture a lot of attention. But through my Instagram, I have a Linktree and there's a link to a couple other places that you can find. You can learn more about what is it that I'm doing. You can become a business partner, right? Get in the circle. I say all the time, right? If your circle doesn't motivate you, doesn't inspire you to grow, you don't have a circle, you have a cage. So get in the right rooms, become a partner, see if, you know, do an interview with me and see if, you know, if I'm a good fit for you or a good fit for us and have a conversation. But what's in the works is Right now, I'm currently building a 6-figure brokerage right now full of hungry, entrepreneur-driven, faith-minded, faith-based, family-oriented community. And for us, we believe in the 5 F's: faith, family, fitness, finance, and fun. Because those 4 core values will bring you real fulfillment. That's the fulfillment formula. And unfortunately, a lot of people just chase money. That's not the right thing. Some people just chase finances. Some people just chase fun, and we know fun— a man or a woman with no purpose seeks pleasure. Or some people just seek fitness, and that's, you know, I put like this, CJ, before I continue, but it's like the Trinity, right? The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We're also a trippy— mind, body, and soul. And too many times, look how God, God leaves us hints— mind, body, and soul. Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. And sometimes we just focus on body. And that's vanity. Too many people are just gym vanity, but they go out the gym, they have nothing to show for it. But I'm looking for people who are hungry. I'm looking for people who are driven. I'm looking for people who are dissatisfied. They want more. If you're in a 9-to-5 right now and you want more income, if you are at a career and you feel like you're stagnant, you want more, check out my Instagram, go to my link and learn more about me and see if you can become a partner. Let's make it happen. Let's grow. It takes a community.— to truly win.

I like that. Now, with that being said, I got one more question for you, man. I know you're a busy man. You try to scale this 6-figure thing with these hungry entrepreneurs. But I do have a quickfire round. It's 5 questions. You tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. But, Angry Man, I will tell you, although, you know, you fit, been in the military, a little younger than me and everything, so I don't want no drama. I don't want none of that smoke, you know what I'm saying? You sit up there, uh, guarding $100 million equipment, man. I ain't never seen that type of stuff. But if you hesitate on the questions that I asked you, bro, I will give you that Apollo sandbag treatment and give you that— ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. Oh man, it's gonna be fun.

I love it. I don't even know.

Hey, I will give you that, bro. Hey, but I got one more question for you, man. Before we go there. Oh, before I go there, the 4 of the 5 Fs that you got, I can do, you know, faith and a few more, but there's one that stuck out that I'm really not quite there with yet, man. I need to get back in there. It's the fitness. Yeah, absolutely. And you know, the older I get, man, the harder it is for me to just, you know what I'm saying, just do simple stuff, get on treadmill, but I know I need to do it, man. I, you know, my wife and my son, you know, my son playing sports and everything. So they go to Planet Fitness and everything, got a thing. I was just telling somebody not too long ago, a couple weeks ago, I was doing an interview, and I said, you know what, man, I'm gonna start getting in the gym and start going with them. But you know, sometimes I lie to myself because I ain't been yet. Uh, yeah, but, but it's on my radar though, man. It's on my radar. But let me ask you this, you're building for your kids, you know, which I think a lot of us try to do because, as you alluded to, family, you know what I'm saying? A lot of this is for family, it's for generational wealth or whatever. But just as you were saying about your boy that was making $1.2 million a year, whatever, from home, he was able to not only be at home but spend time with his family, you know what I'm saying? When you had that type of financial freedom, you can do things with your family, you don't have to miss out on things of that nature. So my question is, man, you're building for your kids, your community, and your legacy. What do you want people to remember about your impact 50 years from now?

Wow, that's amazing. You know, I say all the time, you know, when I pass away, because we don't die, we pass away, right? When I pass away, I say this at my funeral, you know how some funerals have like immediate family and some friends and whatnot, and it's like, you know, a good handful of people. In my funeral, I want there to be 200, 300, 1,000+ people visiting. And they're all coming to one place. And they're all looking at each other like, who are you? Who are you? Whoa, how do you know Edgar? How do you know Edgar? What do you do for you? Why did he do that for you? He did that for me?

No way.

Really? Wait, you know so-and-so? You know so-and-so? And then my funeral is just a gathering for a lot of people to connect, to network, to talk about what I did for them and what they did for me and just be like, wow, Edgar was new you and knew you and knew you. Because for me, it's kind of like unfortunate how a lot of people, when they pass away, their immediate family remembers them. But then what happens when their immediate family passes away? Who remembers them? You know, most of the— a lot of the stories, the music, the the businesses, the inventions, they're all in the grave because they never went for it or they never passed on legacy. So for me, I want people to know that I want to give back tenfold, a hundredfold. I want my name to go down in history in the right years, in the right way, with the right foundation, with the right morals and values. And I want to be able to inspire. I want to be able to motivate. I want to be able to help the next generation win in a quarter, not half, in a quarter of the time it took me to win. Because in today's era, it's inevitable with the information, how fast things get passed on. So that's my goal. Let's create some strong men, some strong women. Let's bring people closer to faith. Let's bring people to Christ. And let's change some generations for the better.

I like that, man. Because he say, if you can turn one, from the errors of their ways, man, that a multitude, a multitude of sins will be covered for you. Now some of us act like, you know, I ain't no sin. They say you're a liar and the truth ain't in you. Yeah, whoever say that he hasn't sinned and, and, you know what I'm saying, did nothing wrong. I've been a sinner, you know, and sometimes I'm not saying that I'm perfect and I might fall back into some things or whatever, whatever. But he say those who put these into practice, you know what I'm saying, it's like the man who built his house And the winds came and didn't knock it over, man. So my man Edgar is building his house where when the winds come, it won't be knocked over. Not like the foolish men that when the winds come, they kind of like go away.

You know what's crazy, CJ? Because we do a lot of men's retreats in our community and our business and our culture. And the last men's retreat we were just at, it was 500+ men. And these are all different backgrounds, different, you know, some of them are doctors, some of them are lawyers, some of them are financial brokers, some of them are 20 years in the military, some of them are retired. They come here because they've joined the organization, they've joined the business, and being in the business brings morals and values and has brought them to Christ. And the last men's retreat, we had 170+ men get baptized and give their life to Christ. And because of what you said, CJ, takes one and then that one can bring multitude. That's what I love about this, this world that I'm in, this business that I'm in, organization that I'm in. That's what it's all about.

Yeah, it is. You know, and I'm glad you doing that because people ask me all the time and they say, CJ, why did you start your podcast? Although it took like, like we said earlier too, sometimes we have plans on what we want to do, but then God will shift things, you know what I'm saying, in the middle where you have to pivot. But when I initially started my podcast, my podcast was strictly for me. That's what I wanted. That was, that was my essence. Matter of fact, Sister Jefferson, the co-pastor, she just went across this scripture the other day, though, and that would have been my message since 2013. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I reasoned as a child, but when I became grown, I put childish things away. That was my motto. I wanted to go after men because I seen a lot of women empowerment podcasts and things of that nature. Yeah, you got men podcasts, you got Shaq and Kevin Hart and all these cats, whatever. But how many of these podcasts out there is really out there edifying, bringing brothers, as you say, to Christ, getting baptized? 126 people getting baptized and their lives being changed. Not just hearing about somebody else's lifestyle, gay rich and famous lifestyle, because everybody's not on that pedestal. Everybody's not there, you know what I'm saying? But one thing for This is one thing for sure: as a man liveth, he shall die. From the dust you came, from the dust you shall return. So what are we taking back to the Father? That's the question. Like you say, that's what I want at my funeral. What did he do for you? Oh, he did that for you. Oh, he did this for you. So that when the books open up, when the books open up, bro, that my name will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life because he can say, job well done. You did what I wanted you to do against all odds. So keep doing what you're doing, Egg, man. And I might need to talk to you about this community service thing, man, because, you know, me and my boy, I got a partner, and, you know, we talking about certain stuff, trying to get some stuff together, man. So I might need to hit you up, man, and get some lessons from you, bro.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Your network is your net worth. It all starts with shaking the right hands, having the right conversations, and CJ, I'm all about conversations. Come to San Diego, we hang out in person. I'll show you around because I'm still learning, but I'll show you around by the time you come here. And, and if not, even behind the scenes, we'll change some people's lives together. CJ, I appreciate it.

Oh man, I appreciate you. So you ready for this? Uh, man, you ready? I'm fine.

I don't even know what's to come. I'm excited actually.

Here we go, man. It ain't that hard, man. But you know, I get some people that get stuck.

I love to give you questions. It's so fun. Let's have it. I might get some errr errr.

I don't want to do that to you, man. But don't make me, you know what I'm saying? Don't make me, you know, like Pac say, since we talk about rap, I ain't a killer, but don't push me. Favorite Marine Corps lesson you still live by?

Favorite Marine Corps lesson I still live by.

Wow.

That's a good one. Oh, man. I guess I would say taking care of your uniform and being squared away. Being squared away and taking care of what we call Irish pennants. Irish pennants are the little strings that pop out of your shirts and your pants. And we would have uniform inspections. And I think that it's about seeing the smaller details and having pride in what you wear. You know, CJ, when I came on, you saw me kind of like, as if I was on Vogue. It's just pride. Like, have some pride in what you do because if you have pride and you can hold yourself to a higher standard, then guess what? You will encourage and you will motivate and you will inspire other people to do the exact same thing. You got to take care of yourself before you take care of everybody else. So my biggest lesson is uniform inspections, room inspections, and just being squared away no matter what. I don't care. I'm in the military. They would drag us through the dirt. They would make us jump in water and they'd be like, you have 30 minutes to be squared away. Yeah, so I would say that's, that's one lesson. It's even to this day, squared away.

I like that.

I like that.

Because when you said I was, I was like, no wonder. Okay, that's why he was on here like that. But that's one thing about me too. I still color coordinate, you know what I'm saying? I'm not walking out the house with no Mitch. I'm not walking out with no purple pants and a red shirt. Not doing that. That don't match, you know what I'm saying? And so sometimes I have to get on my son, be looking at him like, dude, what do you have on? You're not going nowhere with me looking like that. You know what I'm saying? Like, they just don't care. But we came up, we We came up different, man. I'm not doing that, you know what I'm saying? I'm not wearing mismatched stuff like that, but it's all about your appearance because if you look good, you feel good, you know what I'm saying? Whatever. Come on now, I ain't got to go get the most expensive things, but I do like nice stuff, you know what I'm saying? I ain't, you know, going to get me some $300, $400 pair of jeans. I get me 4, 5 pair of Levi's for that. Let's not get it twisted. One book every entrepreneur should read?

One book, I would say the very foundational one, very, very foundational one if you're going to get into entrepreneurship is Think and Grow Rich. Think and Grow Rich. And this is a very, very, very foundational one, Rich Dad Poor Dad. Rich Dad Poor Dad, Think and Grow Rich. Once you read Rich Dad Poor Dad, you'll understand money, you'll understand the dynamics of being rich, being poor, being wealthy, and not being wealthy, right? And how everything works. Then Think and Grow Rich. Think and Grow Rich has created so many millionaires, so many billionaires. It's foundational. It talks about how like the original wealthy of the wealthy became wealthy before this era, and their foundation has been passed on generations by Napoleon Hill. So Think and Grow Rich is all this. And it's tangibles. Once you get those two right there, the next one is 48 Laws of Power. That's a little bit higher level, but 48 Laws of Power will give you the right tools and toolset to be able to maneuver through different dynamics when it comes to people. Yeah, those three right there are the big three.

Okay, you hear that? Rich Dad Poor Dad, that's one of the number one books that will always come out. So I'm gonna have to invest and get me the Rich Dad Poor Dad book and read it myself.

I'm telling you, you haven't read it yet?

I wrote books, but I'm not an avid reader, you know what I'm saying?

And now it's no plug, right? It's Robert Kiyosaki, but Rich Dad Poor Dad, I remember when I first read that book, I was in Texas in a small little town, this little room. And I said, I'm like you, CJ. I don't really like reading. Not that I don't like reading, but I like producing. I like making up, but sometimes I don't to take time to take in some things. I said, you know what, let me open it up. Let me look into it. And I started reading and I was just like facepalm, plan or faceplant. I was like, it's like when you read the Bible, it's like, yeah, like, wow. Rich Dad Poor Dad, foundational. I would say those three right there, CJ.

Yeah, like, wow. I was just telling you, I was talking to God, told you I was trying to start this community thing with— actually, I've been getting drawn into a lot of community stuff lately, man. And I know what God doing with me, and I was telling my guy this the other day, another God subject, is that he's stretching me right now because it's some things that I wouldn't normally do. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't really have interest in that, or I don't have time. But when he begins stretching you, you have to become comfortable in uncomfortable situations because now it's elevation. It's time to move on from where you at. You can get content in certain places. I'm content sitting right here in my garage doing podcasts, talking to people like Edgar, and you know what I'm saying, and Matt Lesko and things of that nature, you know, I'm content. But now it's time to stretch, you know, it's time to stretch, stretch you out. And so, you know, people inviting me to certain things and to do certain things, man. And so I appreciate you coming on with the community stuff. And I, you know, I like everything is confirmation, you know what I'm saying? Like, you didn't know that me and this lady was talking just before me and you got on about some of the same things we just talked about today. You quoted some scriptures, she did, and, uh, some scriptures that I did. So that's just confirmation, man. I love the power of the Holy Ghost. So 3 more, bro, and I'm gonna let you go, man. I'm gonna let you out of here. Smoothie, protein shake, or black coffee?

Oh, you know what's kind of crazy? The fact you brought that question, I'm now getting into black coffee again. So it's actually funny you brought that up because I want to get into black coffee because it's actually pretty good for you. But I'd rather do, as of right now, if I had to choose, I'd rather do a peanut butter smoothie if it was up to me right now. But I'm getting into black coffee. It's funny you bring that up. That's crazy. I don't believe in coincidences. That's funny.

Didn't we just talk about that?

I don't believe in coincidences. Everything, CJ, we know this, everything's already written. But yes, peanut butter smoothie.

Because this lady I just did, the pastor I was telling you about, Corwin Johnson, I just I just did her right before, so she drinks black coffee. She's from Haiti. She said, I drink black coffee with no sugar, CJ. I said, uh-uh, that's that Haiti stuff right there. Y'all drinking that Haiti water. I can't do that.

What?

So go-to pump-up song before a coaching session?

If—

but you say you don't listen to music that much, so let's just change that up. Your go-to before you start a coaching session? That one thing, you know, like, you know, this is what I got to do, your routine.

Okay, like my routine to start my day?

Yeah, you know, like when you feel like going to this coaching session, what is one thing that you got to do, you know what I'm saying, before you get yourself built up for it?

For sure, very simple. And this is gonna be kind of funny now for everybody who's now gonna be on meetings with me moving forward, but even before this one, Every time before I jump into a meeting, number one is I have to do a physical action because you have to wake up your body, right? And everybody has different ways to do that. So for me is I do 3 to 5 jumping jacks, I do 25 push-ups, and then I just do like a, like a, and then I get in. So I do about 5 jumping jacks, 25 push-ups, and then And then all of a sudden my brain is like, oh, it's action. It's like lights on. And then I jump on, I'm already like, you ready?

Okay, so yeah, I like that. But now I can do the 5 jumping jacks, but right now I ain't trying to do no 25.

Well, you know, I say, hey, maybe some toe touches.

Oh, I don't know, man. I'm gonna do the jumping jacks though, you know what I'm saying? I'm gonna try to start that off too because it is— especially when you wake up, you got that early morning interview and you're like, man, like today I had one at 10 o'clock, so I had to get up at like 8:30, but I didn't get up to like 9:15. And yeah, you'd be like, man, you know what I'm saying?

Like, I got it. Is that I take a very cold shower every morning. Cold shower. Every morning cold, because it's good for your body. It shocks your immune system and it wakes you up. So the moment you get in there, hey, just suck it up. And, you know, I just stand in there and I just turn it on, the cold water, and it hits me. I don't wait for things to warm up. No, I step in there and I look at the showerhead and I just turn on. I just go. That might be the Marine in me.

Definitely the Marine Brooklyn side of you. Now we can relate on a lot of things, my brother. But there's a few things, man, I'm gonna have to eh, eh, eh, That all because I'm not taking no cold shower.

I'll tell you, it's good for your immune system and it wakes you up.

I be in there like Chilly Willy, you know what I'm saying? So my last one, man, it's been real, man. It's been fun, man. One word that defines the legacy you're building. Wow.

One word describes my legacy. Wow, that's a great question, CJ. That's a really good question. I guess I would say transcendent. Transcendent. That's the first thing that pops up. I don't know why. Why God put it in me. That's the first. That's just what just keeps staying in my head. Transcendent. In the sense of like that it's bigger than me and it's going to last way longer than me and it's going to change and it's going to impact people's lives in ways that it's going to be like so far removed from me. Transcendent. And when we're like, it's gonna get people— like we talked about CJ— as when our faith is going to bring people closer to our Lord and Savior, the First and the Last, the Alpha, the Omega. Okay, transcend it.

Transcend. Next level, you know what I'm saying? We moving on up. This ain't The Jeffersons though, baby. This CJ and my man Edgar. Edgar, man, give us a nugget, man, on the way out, man.

Okay, I would say your past does not define your future. And at the end of the day, remember, your thoughts create habits, your habits create actions, your actions create your life. So if you want to change your life, first change your thoughts, then your thoughts will create good habits, your habits create a good routine, your routine creates action, action creates lifestyle. Before you even know it, you're a different man, you're a different woman. And you're in a different environment. A year ago, I'll put it like this, CJ, a year ago, maybe not even, maybe 2 years ago, 2 years ago, I was a travel technician wearing FR gear, wearing big harnesses and all that stuff. And about less than 3 years, my net worth has shot up so greatly. My community has changed drastically. And God has put me in rooms with people that I would never been before, shaking hands that I've never shook before. And sometimes you got to be able to say, okay, This is God's doing. And there's been times, CJ, for some people who are listening or watching this, there will be times where the enemy will get in your mind and make you feel like you don't deserve certain things in life. But remember, right? God doesn't call to qualify. He qualifies the call. And I've been in situations where I'm like, little old me from Brooklyn, why am I here? Why am I having this conversation? Why am I with you right now, CJ, on this call? Little me from Brooklyn. And that's from the enemy. Thoughts, habits, actions, lifestyle. That's my nugget.

And you know what, man, I'm gonna let you go. And I totally agree with you because I minimize myself a lot too. I'd be like, how did me, you know, Lil Cory from Gary, Indiana, sitting here doing a podcast in his garage, get called up by a network to be on a podcast? You know what I'm saying? Or how am I getting TEDx speakers and entrepreneurs and this and that reaching out, want to be, you know, saying, who am I? But like you say, man, God knows all things, you know what I'm saying? Sometimes it ain't for us to know, because he who is faithful over small things, he will open it up for the more, you know what I'm saying? Because as you said earlier, because God has come to— Jesus said that he came to give us life and give us life more abundantly. Hey, this your boy CJ Moneyway with my man Edgar from the— I was gonna say the Bronx— from Brooklyn in the house, you know what I'm saying? Y'all gonna catch this in, uh, San Diego. We gonna do a live while we there and, uh, do some things, talk to you all, whatever. I don't know when it's gonna be, but we won't be jumping out no airplanes nor drinking no black coffee or taking no cold shower. Your boy ain't got no money. So we just gonna keep it 100. Hey, but I enjoy y'all coming on. If you enjoyed the CJ Moneyway Show, if you enjoyed my man Edgar, share this with your family, share it with your friends. And don't forget to subscribe to the CJ Moneyway Show and hit me at CJ Moneyway. Until the next time, we out of here. Peace.

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