S5 E03 - Grinding on the Keyboard

I got a question that you need to know the answer to. What does it actually take to be number one? And does side hustle karma actually exist? Both of those are talked about in this episode of Broke to Woke.

We just talked about a moment ago. Episode one, how we're in the peace Teepee, one of your favorite places. Last few episodes we did on the island.

I know.

And I have heard some cool rumors on magazines and some really big websites. You've won a bunch of awards. How's it feel after all that struggle.

Getting through to the other side?

That's Bear's favorite noise right now.

He loves it.

Yeah, it's good.

Oh, he's so cute. I can't even handle him. I had to FaceTime him in our break. Yeah, I have to. I missed him. It's been an hour. It feels really good because my favorite new quote currently from Billy Alsbrooks is beautiful is the day the genius finds out they ain't crazy.

And it feels really good to not be crazy because this vision of creating a space that helps people heal, elevate and transform an immersive environment that allows the people who have the potential to change the world to find themselves, to find their purpose, to wake up and then go full blown into their calling. And to do that through a resort, that sounds really weird. And especially on a private island because people used to tell me all the time, people don't do that kind of thing on private islands. But God knows what he's doing. He knows. And so even when you look crazy, even when you feel crazy, even when it takes longer than you plan to work, you've got to still find a way.

How long did you think this was going to take?

I believed that I would start the project in January of 2017 and that we would be on the market, moving, you know, slow walking it. September, October 2017.

You are brave.

Yeah.

Yeah. I ran my numbers accordingly. Yeah, I. I full blown hit it hard. Jumped in, did that renovation. And then.

I didn't mean to laugh at you, by the way. It was just.

It was.

It was just fun.

It's okay. It's a funny. It's funny to think that that was gonn happened, but. Yeah. No, September 6th, September 6th, 2017 is when the strongest hurricane in the history of the Atlantic whooped up on bvi. And now looking at it, it's the greatest blessing because it allowed me to learn what disasters can do to a nation. And it has since led to the growth, you know, really the founding and the growth of aerial recovery which has turned into so many amazing things. The most. I mean, it's so freaking awesome, honestly, like, I can pick anything apart. And this is such an effective organization. The concept of healing veterans to then go save people in the most austere environments and the toughest missions ever. It's genius. And I didn't know it would work, but it's working. Same thing like the island. So yes, it is 2024 and that island is working. It is doing its mission. It is healing people. We turned it into a resort last year on fourth of July. So it used to be buyout only, where people would have to rent the whole thing to then host their trans. Their own transformative events. Or they could come to a summit that you and I or me and your wife or other incredible leaders would host the elevate summits. And now people can go rent a room and stay for four days or seven days or 10 days. And the amenities, the programming, the available activities, the food, everything is so curated for healing, elevation and transformation that lives are being rocked. Just going to a resort, which is so cool. So right now I'm getting a lot of offers from people asking, how did you do that? Can you come help me with my resort? Can you put the Ariel name on it? And it's been, again, really nice to be right in the end because you feel really stupid when things are so painful. Our grand opening date after I renovated it after the hurricane was March 1st or April 1st, 2020.

You're so smart.

And we all remembered what happened in 2020 that was really fun for the travel industry. So it felt stupid. It felt like I must be doing something wrong. I kept hitting it wrong. But I want to encourage people who are starting something that seems like really bad timing. The best thing about bad timing is you are forced to be excellent and excellence will always rise to the top. We just won Forbes number one wellness resort in the entire Caribbean. The entire Caribbean.

That's a huge.

I've never done a resort before.

Yeah.

And we are. We've created so many systems, practices. I feel like there's a lot of.

Resorts in the Caribbean, though.

There's a ton of resorts.

That's where people go to vacation.

Yes.

At resorts.

This is the spot. And we had a Travel Leisure article, like the top travel journalist, come stay there just as a resort guest. And her life changed so much. She wrote the most amazing article. It went viral. My. My family's screenshotting it on Apple News and talking about, there's this small private island, 45 acres in the British Virgin Islands, that is changing and saving lives. And we're doing that not as a rehab, but people who want to find themselves are coming there, beginning their healing journey, they're beginning their wellness journey, and they're finding out why their life matters and how they truly can make a difference in this world. And so I believe in my heart that people are really hungry for this. I think that Covid did teach us a lot about what matters in life. I think people want more and the whole concept of traveling to escape and to just get away is going quickly out of style. I think that this generation wants something real. They want to know their purpose. They want to know what really matters in life. And they're finding it at the aerial. And so I feel called, I feel commissioned to share this concept, to take it more places, because there's only so many people we can help in one location. And if this is life giving and life saving, why would you not do it? It's. It's almost a responsibility to do it. And so that's what's new and exciting for us, is it's working, it's happening, and it is just something I'm really proud of. So that felt really good. My favorite thing is over the last two years too, we are taking 10% of our revenue, not our profit. 10% of our revenue from the island. And we're supporting different initiatives within aerial recovery, everything from animal rescue to child rescue to healing heroes. And so every single guest that comes through there gets to know that 10% of their stay made a huge life saving difference across the planet. And so we talk a lot about why create businesses, why start force for good businesses, why own assets? And mine has always been to save kids. Yeah, and it sounds like a save babies. No, it legit is to save kids. And so you want to do. We've got to always put in place different metrics on as you grow in your success, how can you always be funding the things that you care about most in this world and also buying enough time for your time to be spent? You're spending money and you're spending time on the thing that makes you wake up in the morning. And so this resort is doing that for me. And it's hopefully letting a lot of other people know what we're doing with this nonprofit, because that work has to be scaled. It's. We rescued over 8,000 people in the last 24 months. It's insane. It's absolutely amazing. And so the ripple effect of people not committing suicide and being able to Save all these people. It's just the most beautiful thing I've ever been part of. And that is also an attribute of finding a purpose partner, not just a husband or not just a wife. You know, who else has an aligned calling that you synergistically can be a blessing with that you're both inspired to go deeper helping each other with. And so I've really enjoyed watching it play out because it's been like this.

Sure as most things are, hurricanes, pandemics.

Yeah. And even relationships. It's not been an easy road to.

Put lives together. You're both very different people. And so how do you find ways to build a world that is synergistic and still passionate and in love? And we're going to talk about that more in later episodes.

Yeah, I want to bring up something that one of my mentors talked about. His name is Jesse Itzler. Jesse, big shout out to you, my dude. And he mentioned that one of his portfolio managers at his family office was like, why don't you start another neck jets? Like, why don't you start another jet company because you can make so much money with it. And he's like, you know, it's very hard to scale coaching, but go to my phone really quick, go to my Instagram, open up my dms. And so she's like, why? He's like, you'll see. And so she opens up his DMs and starts scrolling through and read, reading all the messages of how his coaching got people better, helped save marriages and or helped a son or daughter reconnect with her grandmother who passed away eventually, but they able to re establish their relationship. He's like, that's the return that I want. That's what I made a bunch of money so that now I can focus on that. Now I can spend. Because it's really, really hard initially to just focus on this without any other background, without any other resources, any other foundation. It's like that's what makes me really happy though.

Good.

And same point to you. You spent time focusing on how can I make money with still your exact focus of I'm gonna save babies. And his is always I want to help people experience things.

You're after that return, the return on.

Someone'S heart shifting their body changing return on shift. Yeah, seriously. Not return on investment, but it's not bad to make money. For me, I'm just not interested in just making money. Right. I have to have the double prizes of the investment and the shift. Now, obviously the nonprofit doesn't need money back. But if I'm going to do a business, because business and money is not my driver, it's the vehicle to fund the driver. And so if I'm going to even be in business at all, I can't just be over here making money to then do this. I have to have the double prices and I'm wildly impatient. I also know every day that I'm going to die eventually. So I might as well do stuff that matters, do stuff that makes my life fulfilling and makes me want to be here. Because it can be a tough road. So if it's not worth it, don't sell your one non renewable asset for something that isn't part of your big purpose. Now there's going to be good days and there's going to be hard days and that is part of life. Just like a heartbeat, you see the ups and downs, it means you're alive. But everything at least can be in alignment with where you want to go, opening those doors for what you really want to impact in your life. So that's been really fun.

Yeah. And I would love to encourage anyone who's watching this on YouTube or listening on Spotify or our massively popular itunes section, there are ways to accomplish that. No matter what it is that you're doing, you can get it aligned. You can find that alignment with any job it is available. It is possible. But you're going to have to think on it for a little bit. It might not just fall into your lap. You might have to spend weeks or months. I work at a government agency doing health care. How is that going to help me save cats? Well, spend a week or a month and stop at stoplights a little bit longer and go to the park and sit down with a notepad and a pen without your cell phone for four hours and just think, that's why people were so smart hundreds of years ago. That's why they wrote these books. Napoleon Hill, right. Thinking he thought and then grow and then grew rich.

Right.

You think it's all about just spending time on yourself. So for everyone who's listening, that opportunity, those double prizes, those double prizes exist in every single business that you're creating, every employment that you're undertaking. I would love to talk about that at some point because a lot of people think double prizes. Is Britney having a job that's, oh, wow, this is really cool job. And then taking all the extra time to create that side hustle, right? Like, oh, that's my double prize. Would you call that a double prize?

Well, if they're using work time to build their side side hustle. That's some pretty bad karma.

If you're being paid to do a job and you're doing something else instead and you're stealing, it's time theft. And so if you don't want to be in that job and you want to be doing the other thing full time, you've got to just know in your heart you're being loyal to what people are hiring you to do, and you're doing an excellent job, and you can use your personal time to do the other thing. Obviously, it's very hard to do both because you're gonna get phone calls during one and you know it's gonna bleed into the other one. So I'm a big fan of not just basically using somebody to build your own thing. And I feel like it's gonna come back on you eventually. You will get screwed over by your employees, and you're gonna feel how bad it hurts when somebody does that to you. And so just use your time, use your free time, use your days off to build your own thing if you're going to do it. But even more valuable.

Oh, tell me what's more valuable.

You had an idea, and I want you to share it. Even more valuable than trying to build your own thing sometimes could be make.

More impact or money or revenue or success in the current role that you're in.

Yeah.

Become more efficient at it. Become better at it. Let's. Let's go all the way back to Nationwide Insurance. Your boy is crushing the insurance role, Brittany. You cannot imagine a better insurance agent than me.

I can see that.

I was so nice. Everyone that talked to me on the phone loved me.

I can see that.

And what I can say for sure is this. I figured out a way because everyone knew I was trading. But hard on dad's grave. Never traded at work. When I was at work, I worked. That's huge for Nationwide. I got after. And I tried to figure out. Granted, I didn't want to be an issue y long. So I tried to figure out how can I do everything that I needed to do and quick as possible. I didn't drink water. I didn't eat, so I didn't have to go to the bathroom.

Probably not the best, but, yeah, don't take this advice.

Don't work this way. But I sat down for four hours and got after it without pause.

Wow.

And it was four hours, and then I was done. And I asked my boss, like, it doesn't matter, like, how long I'm Here. Is this a.

Were you scrolling on Instagram?

Not one time.

What?

No YouTube? Nothing?

No TikTok? What about all your dancers that people liking your dances?

Grinding on the keyboard is what I did for four hours, three to four days a week, and I was able to get my work done.

Grinding on the keyboard, Right?

That sounds like a dance move. It's not a dance move, by the way, but what I want to make sure that people listen to is this. If you're at work and you're like, I don't like my job. You're not spending enough time on it. Right? If you really, really, really want to be rewarded, go as hard as you absolutely can. Be unimaginably dedicated to this business and to this role and figure out, can you make more for your business or make more for your company or make more in that position, can you impact more?

Can you learn more?

Can you learn more? Can you become more time efficient? Can you become better? And if so, fantastic, because then you'll leave that company on a good high note. Right? When I left Nationwide, I was like, pieces. And everyone's like, bro, you were amazing. I had five people tell me, anytime you want to come back, come back.

Oh.

Because I got after it.

And that's the way it needs to be. It doesn't need to be this breakup where you hate each other.

No, it shouldn't be like that.

You should be able to leave and move on to the next chapter of your life without being an immature loser.

If you leave a business and talk crap about the person behind your back, you're. You're a worm.

Oh, that's the first thing I ask when I'm interviewing somebody. Garden, why did you leave where you were just working. If they talk smack whatsoever, I don't give them another minute. I'm like, oh, wonderful. Next.

Yeah.

Crap talkers are crap talkers. Negative people are negative people. Even if you had a really bad experience, find the good, find the good. Find the good. Be someone that things are happening for not to. You are creating your future with your words. And if you bring in a negative spirit and attitude to your current place, guess what's going to follow?

You. Not me.

Same thing with your relationships, people.

How many times have I talked about Nationwide? Have I ever mentioned anything bad at all?

No.

Not one time?

Never.

Right? And I worked there six years. It was forever ago as an attorney, but when I left positive notes, high fives, hugs, and I got cake, I'm.

Sure every day was perfect and everyone was wonderful to you, right? No. Employee drama.

Not a single day of employee drama.

Yes.

What we're talking about right now at this exact moment is how you can always add immense value. No matter what you're doing, it is available to you. If you want it to be available, you have to want it. You have to really put in the time, energy and effort to be the absolute best, because that energy, dedication, skill will carry over into anything that you do. And just like anyone that Burton and myself interact with, we're always going to be positive. We're always going to say nice things about, and that's because we really, really care. There's so many ways to tweak the system and to hack and to create and to expand. And one of the things I would love to talk about in the very next episode is what we're doing right now to tweak, to expand and to hack the system for even more accelerated growth.

If you like reading, it comes up so often in our podcast about how how much reading will change and shape your life. I have had the opportunity and privilege to create three recent best selling books, Money Grows on Trees, your Story Sells with Les Brown, and of course, Master Yourself, Master the markets. Feel free to get those anywhere books are sold. And of course, please pop over to broke12.com to check out all of our amazing free resources, sources, links and tabs. All designed to give you the best mental experience possible.