1078 Finding Spiritual Truth, Understanding Identity & Managing Your Inner Mess w/Tim Storey

This is episode number 1078 with Tim Storey.

Welcome to the School of Greatness.

My name is Lewis Howes, former pro.

Athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur, and each week.

We bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to.

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Now let the class begin. Carl Sagan once said, science is not only compatible with spirituality, it is a profound source of spirituality. And Anais Neen said, the possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery.

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My guest today is my friend Tim Story, who's an acclaimed author, speaker and life coach, helping people create the future they desire. He's spoken all over the world, works with celebrities and influential individuals, and he has inspired people from all walks of life and traveled to 75 countries, speaking to millions of people. Tim has been a featured guest on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday, Steve Harvey TV, and many other amazing places. And in this episode we discuss Tim's unbelievable story about growing up with a false sense of identity and how it woke him up just recently actually, with his own family. How to find your true identity in life and how to rely on or not rely on identity. The blessing of telling your own story. Tim's advice for people that have a bad relationship with religion but want to be connected to their spirituality and source the biggest mistakes Tim has made as a parent and his advice for teaching their kids the mundane, messy and mad and so much more. This is going to be a fun one, inspiring one. He's got so much wisdom, so many nuggets. So make sure to share this with someone that you think would be inspired. And also, if this is your first time here, click the subscribe button right now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you can stay up to date from the latest and greatest on the School of Greatness. Okay, in just a moment, the one and only Tim Story.

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Welcome back, everyone at the School of Greatness. Very excited about our guest. My friend Tim Story is in the house. Brother, good to see you, man.

Excited about this. Walking through the hallway and then it says that sign there.

The greatest media. Yeah. Trying to step it up, you know, always trying to level it up.

Yes.

Excited about this. I think we had you on, I don't know, years ago, five, six years ago. And both of us have evolved a lot and learned a lot and been humiliated and overcome challenges and tapped into our own miracles. You've got a new book out called the Miracle Mentality. How to tap into the source of magical transformation in your life. And I want to ask you, my first question is, do you think there's a way that in life we could ever have things easy, or is there always going to be some type of suffering, traumatic experience, pain that we must endure as that's just part of life? Is there a place where suffering does not occur in this world?

No. As long as we are on this planet, you're going through two things. You're going through recovery and discovery. Recovery of our past, recovery of what we're dealing with right now, and then discovery, which is the magical moments that I talk about in this book. But no, as long as we're on.

The planet, we will experience pain.

We will experience pain. Like, for instance, I mean, you see what a good mood I'm in today. Yesterday, I did a great friend of mine's funeral, and he's. He's young, he's an actor, and he died, you know, in the midst of COVID and that you've had people that, you know pass me too. But so, no. So in the midst of, like, all the vibrant things we get to be a part of, you're going through recovery and discovery at all times.

What's the biggest recovery you've had to face in the last few years.

I think one of the biggest recoveries is disappointment, when you think something's going to work and then it doesn't, and then you think it's going to work again, and it doesn't. And so, Louis, to me, it could be like a relationship that you thought was. There's no doubt this is going to work.

Yeah.

And then that's one area of disappointment. And then maybe like, a show that I got, like, I remember I got signed by a group you know of called Telepictures, and they. They had even put my set together. The set was together. They were talking about the billboards. And so I went from a breakup that just happened to. To them saying, we decided not to go with your show. So, yeah, I mean, that's.

That was the last couple years.

Yeah. That's disappointment that can happen.

Yeah. What is the discovery you learned in the last couple years from these disappointments?

Yes, I think the discovery is that truly that some things in life you decide and some things you. In life you discover. So I think that I've always been more the decision guy, because both of us are athletes. So you start to think that way of, how am I going to do this? So I am the decision guy. Even coming into your studios today, I had it, like, it all figured out. Okay. I knew exactly what I'm going to do and how I'm going to get there. Okay. So. But through those challenges, it's like, Tim, your decisions, they did not work. So now I have to be open to, like, God or the universe, and maybe some divine door would open.

Right. It's not your way. It's another way, Right?

Yes. And that's what I found a lot of times, man, that, like, I wanted it this way for sure. And then some weird divine door would open if we can just call it that for a minute and take me into another arena that was better for me. Like, I was talking to your buddy, my buddy, Les Brown, and he goes, you're not the daytime talk show guy, Tim. That it looks glamorous because you see that Oprah did it, and, you know, your buddy Ellen did it. But, you know, he goes, tim, I tried it.

It's hard.

It's hard work. Yeah. So, yeah.

Interesting. I'm curious about a positive mindset and embracing a positive mindset when we are going through disappointment breakdown, the ups and downs of. Should we have a positive mindset and embrace that when we're going through pain, or is that some, you know, spiritual growth Woo woo. Type of mentality that is not supporting us.

Yeah.

Should we. Should we reframe the disappointments into okay, this is happening for us and something good will come from this, or should we be in a negative mindset and say, why is this happening to me? And this sucks and this is always happening?

Yes.

What is the process we should have through this? Suffering, pain, disappointment, ups and downs, life.

So, as you know, because you've had some of the best teachers on mindset here, because I watch, I think I've watched probably everything you put out. So as you know, the mindset is truly that where you set your mind, so it becomes your point of view. So let's say me and you decide to meet at the Soho House. Okay. And it's a little gathering and me and you are going to meet. It's like somebody's having a party.

Sure.

And there's 70 people there. You may have a different experience than me based on where you were standing at this party and who you talked to.

Same party, but different perspective.

Yes. Okay. So that's how I see mindset. So I feel that in the midst of pandemic, that a lot of people have chosen this almost living mindset. And almost means not quite, nearly, barely. So they're thinking, when the election comes, then maybe I can lift my mindset. Or when we get the vaccine, then I can lift my mindset. To me, that's an almost. Living almost is not quite. You're almost always there.

You're always waiting for something.

Yes.

To then be free, to then feel happy, to then go after what you want.

Yeah. So I don't believe in that. I believe in renewing my mind. And a lot of renewing my mind is I have to unlearn a lot of what I've learned. See, so like when I was a kid, people would say bad things come in threes. And so, you know, like people would have two things bad happen then, like.

Waiting for the next. Yeah, yeah. You're like, I went to the breakup, I lost my show. What's next?

Yeah. So I don't buy into that. Okay, so a lot of things that maybe you learn from little league coaches or relatives. Right. We have to unlearn those things and then we have to relearn other things to change our mindset. Because again, wherever I set my mind, my mindset creates my moodset. See, a lot of people say this to me all the time because even at the funeral yesterday, this guy came up to me and goes, tim, you still walk like you float on Clouds, he goes, but yet you are doing the funeral. I was, you know, as a minister doing the funeral, and still I was being Tim Story, because this. I can't help it. This is who I am. This is my mindset. So no matter what I'm going through, my mind is set.

Mm.

Yeah.

I've been watching those video clips. I can't remember if they're from Ghana, but the guys who are doing funerals where they're dancing with the coffins, have you seen this? I can't remember what the name of it, the name of this group is in this organization, but they bring a level of mood, a positive mood to a sad moment. A lot of people, and they change their mindset, and it creates a new mood set, hopefully for the environment 100%.

Because the way I look at a funeral is that you are honoring somebody. You are paying tribute and you are celebrating.

Right.

So when I was talking about the individual who passed and we did the funeral yesterday, that's what I did. I got into the things that he did and the legacy that he left, even though he died young. And so there was like a mood of celebration to where another family member said, I felt like I was like at a Tony Robbins.

Sure, sure.

But I can't help myself because, you know, of course, I'm always compassionate and you got to understand the climate of something. But also my mindset is one of overcoming that no matter what I face, I know somehow, some way, I feel like I'm going to get through it.

What's the thing you've had to unlearn recently? You've been at this life and game and world and teaching for a long time, but are there things you still need to unlearn 100 or relearn again and again because you fall back into an old mindset?

I would say this, that because I was raised in church since I was four years of age, and in my life, I got this relationship with Jesus Christ, and I was this guy that, you know, walked with God and then went to, like, a Christian college seminary and became Tim Storey. I feel like there's a lot of things the last few years that I decided to unlearn, and that. That is that this way is the way, and that way is this way, and that way is that way and this way. Is that because I've met too many people that me and you know that are living amazing lives and they didn't go to the same churches as us?

Yeah.

Does that make sense?

Sure.

And so people may say, well, does that mean, you've abandoned your faith? No, I've just embraced more and more people over the years. Because this journey of embracing more people started maybe 30 years ago. But I find, like, the last few years, I've really decided to unlearn a lot of stuff that I was taught.

Like what, specifically?

I would say the way people look at what they would call sin. I don't see it that way. I see it as we're learning, we're growing, we're evolving. So why are you going to label something and tag it and mark it? Like, it's like when you're a kid and you had new white Converse tennis shoes, and if you got a scuff on them, Louis, that was the worst.

Right? Right.

You kept looking at the scuff. Right. I feel like a lot of churches, they made people feel like, dude, you scuffed that. Miss, you scuffed that. And, you know. But don't worry. If you're good enough, you can get rid of that. So I don't see it that way at all anymore. I believe what the Bible says, Psalms 103, that God does not treat you as your mistakes deserve. So God's not a tit for tat guy. I don't see that at all.

Interesting. Did you feel like that was the way your belief was around that for many years?

Yeah, it was like that most of my life, but I didn't act that way. I didn't act that way, but that was so ingrained in me that, you know, all my buddies thought that way. And so if I would go out with a bunch of religious leaders, they would talk that way. And I started to find maybe you saw this in your own life as you begin to grow, that I begin to grow out of some of those associations. I really don't associate with people that think that way too much anymore.

Yeah.

I'm still cool with them if I see him at the airport.

Sure.

But it's a different way of living now.

How do you frame identity? Because you grew up in la. Yeah. In a challenging part of town. You had two parents that you thought you were parents.

Yes.

I don't know. You haven't talked about this publicly on Think yet, but you thought that you were potentially one race and then realize you're a different race. You go into religious speaking and then transform into other stuff. There's been multiple identities that you've had or shed throughout your life. I'm curious if you can talk about what identity does for us in a positive way.

Yes.

And also how it holds us back.

Okay. Identity is a key, because if we. If we don't know who we are, we're going to be chasing our identity for our whole life. And so I believe that when you find out where you came from, who you are, and what your purpose is, you cannot be stopped. And it's this whole idea of you've been born in original, don't die a copy. But. But my challenge was, is that what my true identity was, was not true. And I'll tell you how this.

Yes.

How this came out. Watch. This is so funny. So I was going to do Super Soul Sunday with our friend Oprah Winfrey. And so one of the producers called me up and said, you know, we've been trying to get some pictures from your staff from your childhood or your parents, about your childhood and your parents, and they won't give us any pictures of your father. And so when I went to my mom's house, who's now 90, and I said, you know, mom? And she says, no, no, no. Your dad didn't like to take pictures. Well, being that she's a little older, I decided to snoop around because I knew where the photo album was, and I saw all these other photos with him and, you know, my siblings, because I had three sisters and one brother, and I never saw one picture with me and him.

Solo.

Solo.

Yeah.

So. So Oprah's people said, you know, you know, you talk about your dad died when you were 10. Do you. Do you have pictures we want to talk about? And my mother refused to come with pictures because there was not a picture. So I'm like, holy shmoly. Like, something is. You know, this is a true story of what my aunt told me. So here's what happens. So my mother is Spanish. The family comes from Spain. Okay? My mother's first language is Spanish. So she marries a Spanish guy with green eyes, very handsome guy, who I think is my biological father.

Because you're a handsome guy.

That's nice. Okay, so we have three sisters, all older than me, a brother almost five years older than me, and then out comes little Timmy story, looking like, boom. Okay, probably with a big afro. Like, with a Michael Jackson Afro. So my aunt says to me when I'm only 12, she goes, Timmy, have you ever noticed that when the other four kids go do things that your dad did not use to take you? And I go, yes. Did you ever notice that you didn't spend time with your dad? And I go, yes, Louis. I always knew something was missing. But my aunt came and told me the truth, that that was not my biological father, that my mother had felt that he had had an affair on her, and so she decided at some point to have an affair on him. And so could you imagine the shock when I'm born in the Compton hospital when I come out looking like this? Okay, so what happened? There was an identity problem. Because you got four kids looking Spanish with green eyes, and you got little Timmy over here who's biracial.

Sure.

Wow.

Interesting.

Yeah.

So you had an identity that you thought you were.

Yes.

But then at 12, you realize maybe this is not a true identity.

Yes.

And then you have to constantly figure out, well, where did I come from?

Yes.

So what happened? And you still don't fully know, you know, who your father is, or at least your aunt knew him, your mom knew him, obviously.

Yes.

But you never met him. Never met him, you never seen a photo of him?

Never.

So you don't know your identity of the past?

No, I just know he's black.

Right.

And so the. The thing. The thing where, to quote my friend Kanye west, when he was talking about something to me, he says, I've been bamboozled.

Yeah, sure.

So. So to me, I. I thought I was one thing. Even though everybody at school was saying, like, you know, you're black, or, you know, I bet you're a good dancer. And I would then at that point just say, you know, we're all mixed with something, because I. Sure, sure, I knew something was up.

Yeah.

But no one would tell me.

Yeah.

Okay. And so when you get into this identity thing, is that whatever was said to me about my identity, it was not real.

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So if I'm talking to one of our friends who comes from a black family and they say, man, remember when grandma used to make.

You're like, ah, that happened to me.

Yeah. No, because I was raised in paella.

Exactly.

I was raised on Latin for sure. And there was Latin music playing in my house. It's deep. Right? So when the aunt tells me one thing that I am happy about myself is that I did not get angry. I didn't want to get even. I didn't immediately go to my mother. I never said anything to my mother from age 12 all the way to age 18 when I came to her as a young gentleman. I said, mom, I just need to know. Because in college, more and more people are seeing me as a black leader. They see me as a black leader. And, boy, she just came at me. How dare you? How dare you say I've been with another man. I've been with one man in my life, and that is your father. How dare you? So she kept the lie, the lie my entire life, right into this point of this interview.

It's crazy.

She still will not tell the truth.

So how do we. How do we embrace identity? When our identity has been a lie or we've been told something is not. When we've had a belief for a long time about anything in life that we realize isn't a true belief anymore.

Yes.

When someone in our life isn't who they say they are anymore in a relationship.

Yes.

When we have this expectation hangover over and over again. When we have this letdown or disappointment over and over again from a past identity, how do we come to terms with identity and embrace who we are?

Yes.

Even when everything in the past might seem like a lie.

I'm give you something I think you're going to love because you love to learn three words. Education, conversation, observation. So the more I was educated about black leaders in school, I'd find myself gravitating to what they would say about these black leaders. So when they would talk about famous black leaders, okay, And I'm supposed to be from the Spanish family, I was like this.

You're like, oh, okay. Yeah.

So that's interesting because. So I think that my identity as a black man who is a leader who would someday go to 75 countries of the world and speak to 85,000 people at one time, that. That was someday going to manifest. But right now, somebody had lied to me, so I better find out who I am at some point. So the education of. When I would hear about black leaders, okay, I would. I would lean in. So that's education, conversation. When I would hear black guys speak, like in college, and they would dialogue with me about, man, you don't know about. Boom. You don't know about, huh? You don't know about, huh? You never heard of the Apollo Theater? They were telling me things I had no clue of. I did know about Spanish culture, Spanish myths, Spanish scary stories.

Yeah.

But Lewis I didn't let on, like. Like, dudes, I don't know about all that. I just kind of, like, you know, acted like I was paying attention. And I remember one brother in. In college, he goes, you are the most Charlie Brown acting black I. I've ever met. Even Eric Dickerson, who's so cool. Eric used to say to me, like, tim, like, man, we're gonna take away your black card if you don't, like, start showing up or show up. Show up what? Show up how? I didn't know. So education and also the observation and the conversation, Louis, it started to really bring out my identity of who I am. And like you, I believe in the right therapist. And there was a lady, and I'm going to give her a shout out. She's in heaven now. Dr. Helen Mendez. She taught at USC. This lady helped change my life.

Really? What did she share with you, man?

She cried because she said, like, this story is deep, Tim. She literally started crying. She's African American. And she said, it's so unfair, but your mother must have connected this to some type of shame. And she said, why aren't you mad at her? I said, I don't know why, but I'm just not. You know, she's been through her own pain. That's why I've never brought it up again. Listen, again, I brought it up at 18:30 and never brought it up again.

Yeah, it kind of goes back to perspective in any experience. You know, we're at the same party called life.

Yes.

You know, we're at different seats of the. The room. Oh, yeah. Having different conversations with people at the same party. And we could both be upset of our situations, or we could both say, oh, if my mom didn't do this with this man that I never met, I wouldn't be able to be at the party.

Yeah.

I wouldn't have a seat at the party, at the table. And so we get to all this.

I like the way you see that.

You know, it's like, okay, if she didn't. If she didn't want to get back at her husband.

Yes.

And have this affair. If she didn't, you know, I want to be here.

Yes, I agree. And, Louis, I like this way of thinking by you. I see it as a gift that God gave me. A gift that the color I am, the way my lips are, the way I move, the way when I watched Soul Train, I could actually dance like them. And all those things that. That I am. You know, what seems so awkward for so many years. And I Felt like I didn't fit in in that house. I felt like a person without a country. Have you ever been, like, in a cold garage? It doesn't feel like a warm house. A lot of my childhood felt like a cold garage. I don't know where I fit in, but I think because of that, it made me have to battle and find the right mindset. I had to find the right mindset. And I love my brother just like he was 100% my brother, not half brother. I love my sisters today because to me, they're my full sisters, even though, you know, biologically they would be considered half sisters. And I love my mother to this day, and I'm very close to her. And we'll never bring it up. And I'll never go chase this man down. I don't know where he is. Right.

Or if he's alive.

I know nothing. Yeah.

So how do we come to terms with our identity when it's probably we're never going to have the full truth about everything from our past, Even myself, who I knew my parents are. I don't know what they all went through and their past went through. How do we. What is our true identity?

Okay.

Even stripping down all the labels.

Yes.

What is our true identity?

Okay. So I think the identity is found when you do what you do. I watch you do this. You are a professional at stopping, looking and listening. Most people, they move so fast through life that, as you've heard it said, they are human doings rather than human beings. You are in the moment. Okay, sure, you're doing a ton of things, but you'll take the time to go freeze your butt off in ice. What's Lewis doing, man?

He's in ice in some countries.

So I think that when you stop and you look within and you just listen, the real you starts to speak to you. Because your dream and your identity has a voice. So I believe that little Timmy story. Knew I was going to be a freaking world leader. Even when I felt like in that house, it's like a garage. The guy that's supposed to be my dad just took all four kids and left my butt at home inside of me. In that quiet, I did what I just said. I was stopping. I was looking within and I was listening. And there would be a time that I would unfold. As we see now, should we be.

Wishing for an easier life and less unfairness and less pain? Or should we be saying, you know what? These are the things that made you who you are today?

Yes.

If you had a Warm, cozy identity, family. Maybe you wouldn't have been so interested in seeking wisdom and seeking answers to help other people going through that.

Yeah, I don't blame people for wishing for an easier life. But the reality is a song by the birds, and it's called Turn, Turn, Turn. It was big in England and then got big in America. And it's based on the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter three, which you've heard as you were a kid. And that is there's a time and a season for everything. A time to tear, a time to mend, a time to be silent, a time to speak, a time to laugh, and a time that you'll mourn. So there's just seasons in life. So as long as I know there's a winter, there's a spring, there's a summer, there's a fall. Okay, so as a person who studies spirituality, as a doctor in world religion, I will say this to you, COVID 19 has been a winter season, but of a heck of a long winter. Right? Still masked. Okay. Quarantine. Guys like us who love to travel, we talked earlier. We're not moving around as much as we used to. So that's a long winter. But there's lessons to learn in the winter. There's lessons to learn in that pain. So I need. I need to have that pain because that pain when I am in that winter season. Okay, I can use that pain as a library, man. Pain has been my library. Watching people go through pain, seeing guys do stupid stuff, and it gets them in a lot of trouble. I'm like, don't do that stupid thing, right? So it's not just my pain. It's the pain I've witnessed.

You mentioned about spirituality and your path of studying this for a long time. How important is our spiritual health in supporting our mental health? Or can we be mentally and emotionally fit without spiritual fitness as well?

Yeah, Excellent question. I think that from my perspective and even studying a lot of your friends and my friends, I think it starts in the spirit. I think that it starts in the spirit. And that's why when I see you in various countries and you take great photos and you really look like you're in a nice place, like you're in the moment. And as your buddy, I'm like, good going, because I know how busy you are. But I think that what's happening at that time is that something's happening to your soul. Your soul is being fed, and your soul is the center of your being, because out of your soul comes the Goodness of your heart. Out of your soul comes forgiveness. Out of your soul comes gratitude. It comes from the soul. So if we're not fed in the soul. Okay. Then no matter how strong your mind is, there's going to be conflict.

Interesting.

And the Bible talks about that. It says a double minded person is unstable in all its ways. So your, your mind could be like, okay, I'm like, I believe it all, but your soul could just be broke down. So I know people that have a broke down soul because of conflict and trauma, but yet their mind is kind of strong, but they are unstable. There has to be an alignment here and here. And then you're pretty much unstoppable.

For those who might have challenges with religious context or maybe doesn't believe in every element of the religion they're in, but they want to be spiritual. They want to have a connection to something greater than themselves. They want to have a connection to God or the source of the universe.

Yes.

What suggestions would you have for them whether they're not in a religion?

Yeah.

But they want to be connected to their soul.

Yeah. I would say like 75% of my followers are not religious people. They're just like people that want to live a better life. So I think that one of the things that helps you is to go to beautiful parts of creation where we have not put concrete on it.

Go to nature.

Go to nature. Doesn't that do it for you? Okay. So whether you go to the desert or you go to the mountains, or you go to the ocean, it's strange, man. Your soul just starts to be fed. So I would say to somebody, go to somewhere where there's not a lot of concrete and where the earth is breathing and watch how soulful you feel and how fed you start to feel. Yes.

I want to shift the conversation to relationships between parents and their kids.

Yes.

I don't have kids. I have amazing parents that weren't perfect. That had a lot of challenges for me when I was growing up that I needed to overcome and took many years to overcome that. And still I'm overcoming things. What do you think is the biggest mistake that parents make, make in general with raising kids and what was the biggest mistake you think you made in your journey of being a, an unperfect parent like all parents.

Yeah. Okay, so here's what I think. I think number one, this idea of putting pressure on our kids that they have to become something by a certain age. Okay.

Like truly, once you, once you leave college, you need to be this. And then by 25. You need to be this 100%.

It's the worst thing a person can do. Because at 18, really, do I have to say for sure I want to be a pharmacist?

Right. Right. I have no idea what I want. To have my friends and play video games.

Exactly. Like, can I show up at Ohio State with an undeclared major? And so, again, I think as parents, they always think they have to decide. Decide, decide, decide. Come on, you're 17. You're about to go to college. You need to decide. No. Some things you discover.

Ooh. Yeah.

So some things is not the decision. It's the discovery. Like, some of those brilliant guys that we get to talk to. I'm telling you, it was not in a decision. It was in the discovery. Like, I'll give you a cool one like Vidal Sassoon. So he was a really good friend of mine and Eden, his daughter, I talk to all the time. So we're sitting on Cannon Drive in Beverly Hills just talking about life. He's Videl Sassoon. You, like, see his name everywhere. That was not his plan, like, to be Vidal Sassoon.

Sure.

And so he told me how he saw this guy and this guy inspired him, and he decided to try it. So one of the biggest mistakes parents make is that they don't let their kids try something because they think, well, what if they fail? What if they fail? What if they fail? Well, then they learn something. And so, again, I think the pressure to decide now instead of the discovery is one. And the another thing is this. I see a lot of parents try to make up for their life that they missed and they lived an almost life. But that's not going to happen to little Johnny, little Kylie. She's. She's not going to have to go through what I went through. So they overdo it.

Yeah. A lot of pressure on the kids.

So much pressure. I was on the elevator in Miami, and this lady looked at me and she goes, hey, I recognize you. I go, well, good to see you. And we started chatting about life. And she had this little kid, and she goes, do you know my daughter knows all 50 states?

Wow.

It was just a little tiny kid. I never even asked. And I went, whoa, that's amazing. Guess what? The kid just started just spitting out the states. Because that was the connection between the mother and the child is perform, do right, be advanced. So I think a lot of parents, another mistake is, like I said, they try to make up for what did not happen in their life, and they overcompensate Not a great idea.

What do you feel like was the thing that you did, the mistake?

Exactly what I just said.

Is that it for your kids?

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I think that, you know, number one, I'm glad I didn't name my son like Tim Story Jr. Because that would have been not so great. So my, my son is the type that he's. He's an artist. He's an artist. So I would say, like, okay, so do me a favor, go over there and do those three things because I'm about to do an interview and I need you to help me.

Sure.

Okay. So then I look at him. He's still playing video games. Okay. He's 14.

Sure, sure.

Right. So I think that I didn't understand what his strengths were at that time. And what I should have looked for is his strengths were more in the creativity and let him soar with his strengths and not like, be tough on him because he didn't move at the pace that you move at or, Or I move at.

How do we let go of these expectations as parents? I'm trying to learn. I'm trying to learn.

Yes.

You know, for my five year ahead self.

Yes. Okay. So an expectation, as you know, is, is something that we've kind of ordered and now we want it to arrive the way it arrives. Okay. So this is like very much your culture, even more than mine, because I'm older.

Sure.

Where you just.

I want it now. Yeah, give it to me.

You got used to just being in your nice locations that you live in. And, and I want to.

Here it comes to me.

Here it comes. Oh, whoa. This is wild. I can't believe it's just semi warm.

Yeah, yeah.

Dude. They had to bring it from, from there into a car. Right. So I think that, that in your, your culture and where you are in life, that you guys are so used to like, everything, like, so instant, instant. And the, and the immediate. And so really what I see life as now. Oh, this is so, so good. I see, I see life as it unfolds, man. It unfolds like my son's in a beautiful place in his creativity. My daughter's in a beautiful place in her creativity. But they, they did challenge me as they got older and they would say to me, dad, could you not life coach us at least for just a couple.

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Sure, because I didn't realize that that's what I was doing. Like I was making everything about a.

Life coaching you should be doing this or you why don't you try this thing or why don't you do this as opposed to allowing them to discover it.

1 100% and in the discovery and in the slow rollout, they have found a better rhythm for themselves. You're going to love this in the game of cards as you Know, if you don't like your hand, you can fold. So I see my cards. I don't like it, so I decide to fold. I feel like a lot of people that are watching right now, they have folded their dreams before they really unfolded. So they folded thinking, like, this is me. I'm married. I got this many kids. This is my life. It didn't work out. I fold. This is my existence. I disagree. You're still unfolding. But I'm 42. You're still unfolding. I'm 58. I'm still unfolding. So don't fold while you're still unfolding.

Yeah, some people don't even pick up the cards and look. And look at them. You know, they get delta cards and they say, I'm too scared to even pick it up because, you know. And so they just don't even play the hand.

Yes. But again, I don't blame the parents for wanting the children to do well. Mostly if they see other children not doing well, but. But kind of back off a little bit. And if you feel like you've trained your children in a good way with character and. And morals and. And really to be strong children, they'll find their way. They. They will find.

They'll figure it out.

They'll figure it out.

So how do we, as parents. I say we. Like I am a parent. But how do parents learn to allow their kids to discover themselves more while also giving structure and organization, but not too much pressure, communication?

So one of the things that I started doing with my kids, and it was kind of painful to me, is I would then say to them, like, when they were teenagers, okay, let's talk about, like, what would you like me to do different? And it shocked me that they had feedback. Yes. Dad, I just feel like you're boom and bam and boom too hard on.

Us here and this.

Yes. And my daughter, she's very, very smart, and she said to me one time, she goes, dad, I just feel like you think you have to be on. You don't have to be on. I know that when you go somewhere outside this house, there's expectations. You don't need to be on for us in here. Like, that blew me away. But she was right.

Just be here. Don't be on here.

Yes. Because I was so used to being on a stage so often that even when I come into the house, I'm like, it's gonna be a big night. Let's watch this movie. Then we're gonna.

Yeah, sure. Now you went into a spiritual, religious Path after school, Right. You went on to study religion. Spirituality.

Yeah.

And essentially be a preacher for many years.

Yeah, I became a very famous preacher. So. And I know you. You have friends that are famous ministers, and you. You roll with the guys from a lot of different religions, just like I do. But I didn't try to become a famous minister. That was. That was wild, to be honest. So I was like. I was. Let's see how we put it. I was just out there minding my own business, and I was doing something for inner city kids. And I look in the back, there's a tall guy. It was Reggie White. Reggie White, the football player. Right. You love football.

Sure, sure.

Okay. So Reggie White was. Was there. And Reggie White had heard from a friend of his about this guy, Tim Story, that was speaking at these inner city schools and, like, just, like, amping people up. Okay. So he started getting me in NFL chapels in my early 20s. So I'm in my early 20s, like, speaking at all these chapels. And then that, like, exploded for me in the NFL. I was in all these teams. So that gave me, like, a little bit of leverage.

Yeah. Credibility.

Credibility. Like, look at. He rolls with all these guys. Right?

Sure.

And then it went from that to more and more churches started to invite me, and then the bigger guys in the space. It's almost like the space of what we have as speakers today in our world that we walk in. The big guys of the. Of the ministry world saw Tim Story.

Sure.

And they started taking me with them. I was like the opening act.

Sure, sure. It's great. It's awesome.

So I was the opening act. So I was speaking to, like, you know, 3,000. That's super young. 5,000. I had a conference of 8,000 people when I was 29 years of age. That was my conference. So I was like a. I was a boy wonder, but I was still very vacant. I was vacant because, remember the. It went back to identity.

Sure.

Still didn't really know who I was, really. Okay. I was trying to find myself. Did I believe in the message? Yes. Did I believe in what I was speaking? Yes. But there was a real void in my life that I do not feel today.

How do we chase our dreams when we have that void? We don't know who we truly are still or we're still seeking answers. How can we fully be confident in that.

Yes.

Message? That work, whatever it is that we're. That. That work, that we're in that field.

I honestly think that when you feel like you're chasing, chasing, chasing and the void is there too long that you have to call it a necessary timeout. And because we both love sports, Phil Jackson was the master of the timeout.

And.

And here's what he said about it. He said, you don't see me calling too many timeouts, because I believe that what I taught the players in practice that they'll figure out during the game. Pretty cool, right? He said, so if you see me call a timeout, it is totally necessary.

So I think they're in breakdown mode. They're not figuring it out.

Yeah, exactly. So I think that there's times in your life and my life where we're playing hurt, but you still have to be Lewis, and I still gotta be Tim. You still got to do your conference. I got to show up at a conference. Right?

You got to show up even if you're 70, 80%, 100%.

So we both know how to play Herd. But there are times where there needs to be a timeout. Needs to be a timeout. We need to come to the sideline, and we need to regroup. And that's what the pandemic has done for Tim Story. That's when I decided with my editor to talk about the situation with who is my dad for the first time, because I thought that I would just, you know, not tell anybody my whole life for real. And that's where I've got so much peace in my life, so much joy. I. I think I'm more funny than ever. It's like. Yeah, so the. So the pandemic to me has been like a. A big Phil Jackson timeout. It's been a reset for me.

What is the blessing that comes from you finally talking about this or accepting it or acknowledging it fully and being open to sharing it publicly? What happens inside for you and what happens for other people when they finally do whatever that is for them?

I think the blessing of talking it out with Dr. Helen Mendez, the lady from USC, was that I could say it, and she knew I was not judging my mother. I was not judging my sisters for not telling and my brother that I was not judging anybody. But I had a safe place to tell the story. And I think the one reason that I'm being more open about my life nowadays is because all of us feel undone. We all feel undone. I mean, here I write a book on the miracle mentality. You know, miracle is extraordinary, uncommon, not normal. But at the same time, I feel undone, and that's okay. I think we all have something that's slightly hanging out. There's some kind of injury in us. Right. And so in telling the story, it is liberating me even more. And I think it's going to liberate a lot of people.

That's cool. I'm curious about. Yeah. Because I think a lot of us hold on to shames, whether they're little shames or big shames.

Yeah, no doubt.

You know, maybe this was a big shame for you or a little shame that you were holding on to for many years.

This is a gigantic shame.

Exactly.

Yeah.

I think a lot of us, you know, I held on to shames for many years on the sexual trauma that I went through as a kid, but then other just like little shames, you know, throughout the years. I shouldn't have said that.

Or.

Yeah, maybe that was a white lie. Or was I in integrity in this moment, holding onto these little shames when we. What I've realized is that when we fully own the shame. Big T. Little T trauma.

Oh, yeah.

Big S. Little S. Shame. And we embrace it, and we do talk about it, whether it doesn't have to be publicly in this format, but just with someone trusted, and we own it, and we embrace it, and we learn to let it go. Then we can be fully ourselves. We don't have to hold on to some identity that isn't supporting us anymore.

Yeah. I think you even have a deeper revelation on that than I do. And I will tell you that I've learned from you in this by reading your book about this whole idea of taking off the mask. And then let me just tell you an observation I have of my friend Louis. When I went to your conference, and I see you running this big conference, which I think, and I'm not joking, is the best conference, because it's boutique, it's packed. There's so many creatives in it. Okay. And I see you have to go from organizer. You're the organizer. And when you're organizing, there's always something going on, Right.

It's always some breakdown, but then you.

Can turn around to a famous guest and then be the nice person. Then your attention to detail with your team, of course, of, hey, let's buy presents for these people.

Right?

And you, like, bought really cool presents for all of the speakers then. I'm not done yet. Then you got to go up and perform and speak like you're Lewis Howes. So you. You. So look at all the hats you're wearing. Okay. Then you know, you have friends and close friends and family you got to be nice to and all that. But I love that. You can go from that. This. This is a really cool moment. So then you have a party with your DJ buddy. Okay. So then I see Lewis from, like, college days just like. Yeah, so you're, like, dancing in that. And I'm older than you, and I'm like, come from this ministry background in which, you know, I was at the biggest churches in the world, you know, 80, you know, thousand people, you know, 20,000 people. I'm like, you know, I'd walk in there like, oh, here he is. Right? And Lewis, you grabbed me. You're like, story, get up here. So I get on the stage and I started dancing with you guys. I never got a chance to tell you this. Freedom came to me, like, such freedom. Because if the religious people were watching that move, they'd be like, what's he up to? Because the song had a lot of F words in it.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay. All right. So then. Then you at your size and your svelte body, then you stage dive, and then you come out, and then you're like, come on, you're hyping me. Like you hype me. And then I go, man, you talk. What did I free?

What did I feel like?

You talk about freedom. So I'm telling you as a little brother that you are to me, thank you for having the damn guts to dig deeper than I did at your age. Because, to be honest with you, I was afraid to unpeel the onions because I didn't know what I was going to find down there.

Scary, man. The skeletons in the basement are scary. And that's why it took me 25 years of pain and suffering internally, of chasing something to feel good about myself, to feel worthy, loved enough that I got to a place where it was breakdown after breakdown after breakdown, where it was my timeout. It was like my emotional pandemic, if you will, at that time where it was like, so many things were in breakdown mode that I had to. Either I was going to continue to break down with more and cause some real harm to myself and others, or I need to take a time out.

Yeah.

And that timeout was the best decision I ever made, probably at this stage of my life, because it allowed me to start to heal and reflect and look back at the skeletons that I did not want to face.

Yes.

Because those things are not fun, super powerful stuff. The scariest thing in the world for me was facing it, talking about it, dealing with it.

Yeah.

But when I did it set me free. It felt like I could sleep for the first time.

Yeah.

Without being up all night stressing about something that I didn't know I was stressing about. Felt like I could be honest for the first time with other people and not be worried about how they would respond or look at me.

Yeah.

And it felt like I could finally accept who I was.

Yeah. And that's what I see in you is. Is. Is a freedom. And we run into each other in different places. I remember one time we were at LAX and we ran into each other. And when I. After we were dialoguing and I left, you got to remember, I meet a lot of people and I walked away. And I thought, man, I love Lewis. Cause you were like. You were in the moment. And another thing I love about you is that you're open to if you get something wrong, you're like, okay, how do I get it right? Where a lot of people, they want to paralyze you in your past mistake or paralyze a person in their pain. But that's not how this life is. Remember, we're still unfolding. And I just want to say that publicly. I really love this about you. That you're always willing to learn. Like, okay, so what did I maybe do wrong? So how do I work on that? Okay, now I've worked on that. I'm not going to sit there and nurse it, curse it, and rehearse it. I'm going to move on. And that's something that most men can't do. I think that many times when they're labeled, they just kind of, like, live with that tag. And you and I, we refuse to live with those labels. We just take them off.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I appreciate that. Thanks for sharing that. I think one of the reasons why I continue to do this show and I get so excited is because it forces me to reflect. It forces me to learn from people, to hear stories and say, oh, what can I do better? How can I be better moving forward? And what have I not let go of? Still?

Yes.

That's holding me back from the next season of my life. And, yeah, it took some time. I mean, I don't think I would have been here without the desire to learn and be curious about how to grow and finally reveal things. But it's.

I agree. And I don't think that you would have had the same placement as you have, because in our world of the people that we hang out with and we all do these big conferences with, you are one of the youngest of the group. And yet you're up here in people's eyes, and I Think that if you had just been the young guy that I have it all together, and someday, if you guys do all this, we may pull your butt up there, too.

Yeah, sure, sure.

And I think that even though you're so gifted and you have all these gifts that you have, that you're willing to be honest, that it made people from all different mindsets and perspectives identify with you. And you see that. I mean, that's one reason that your following is worldwide. I mean, you even have a big following in India.

Right.

I mean, it's like, worldwide because people from all over the world, they get this.

Sure.

They get heart.

Of course.

They feel heart.

You can't fake the heart.

Can't fake it.

People can feel when you're faking, for sure. And why do you think we strive, we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect in our careers or our relationships or our health. Why is this desire to be perfect embedded in our DNA, do you think? And how do we let go of the perfectionism pressure that I think just holds us back so much?

Yeah. According to psychologists, it's learned behavior. And I believe that because I think that if you play a certain beat of music to any kid from all over the world, he could be a white kid from Iowa. You play the same beat to a black kid in Ghana, and they move. There's a movement. There's a freedom. And I think that somebody in their family or a teacher or tutor began to confine them and say, that's not okay. I'll tell you a cool story. There's an artist by the name of Christian Lassen, and his mother was a big Tim Story fan. He's from Hawaii. And she told me a story that when he was a little kid, they were living in Hawaii, and he was looking out the window, and he would see these trees blowing. But he was drawing whales and fish as a little kid, but yet he was looking at trees. And the teacher came and said, I'm very concerned about your son because he's looking at trees, but drawing fish is this great. And she said, well, you have the wrong perspective on my son. My son is an artist. My son is a creative. So he may see a tree, but he also sees something else beyond. I mean, that's just so freaking brilliant.

Sure, yeah, sure. We got to see beyond that. I think. I think when we hold on to perfectionism, that's what hurts us the most.

Yes.

One of the things that hurts us the most.

No doubt about it. And so again, the instructor was saying, don't Draw a whale. When you see a tree, that's a tree, right? Think tree, draw tree. No, the most creative guys that we hang out with, male and female, man.

They see it differently.

Yeah, they're constantly drawing outside the lines. Like, you know, there's a chain where the whole idea is it's limited. And, you know, I think so many people, they've allowed the limitations to come into their minds and they've stayed stuck on that.

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But again, as I said earlier, through education, conversation, observation, you can change that fast. See, that's one thing that's so powerful about your podcast, which you've done about.

How many now were a thousand episodes?

So over a thousand. Think of all the conversations that have come out. I mean, your conversation with Ray Lewis, your conversation with Mike Tyson, your conversation with Kobe Bryant, which I still believe is the best talk that Kobe's ever put out. All these to the Joe Dispenza, all the different people that you talk to, those conversations now are alive online. That someone could be in a funk. Right. And find that conversation and find life. That's beautiful.

Turn your funk into freedom.

Yes.

I'm curious. I want to go back to your ministry days and spirituality and religious world that you really were kind of your phase one of your adult life.

Yes.

A lot of people that I've been aware of have a belief and a mindset around money that is limited, especially in the spirituality and religious context. Did you have a limited belief around money when you're out there helping people with prayer and spiritual practices?

100%.

And how did you learn to create an abundance mindset and break free of money conversations?

Yeah. So I think, again, so when people search for spirituality, you know, depending many times of where they were raised, what country is the religion they're going to follow.

Right.

Okay. But let's say even if somebody is a person that is raised in America and they decide to go to a Christian church, there's all types. You have Episcopalian, you have Catholicism, you have the Protestant church, Lutheran church, Pentecostals, Charismatics, you have all these different types. And so the type of church I went to had a lot of false humility, like, a lot of, like, don't think of yourself too highly, that you're, you're like, you're a worm. Does that make sense? And you, you really need God because you're nothing. You go, you're really nothing. Okay. And so it was weird though. That did not penetrate on me.

You're like, no, I can do it. Yeah.

Yeah, it was wild. So I didn't let that in, but I did let in this idea of that if you were going to be a spiritual person, then everything had to be like meager or slightly above. So what got scary to me is that when, you know, when I was like this well known minister and like a multi level marketing company asked me to speak for the first time and I was 24 and so they asked me to speak and I remember they gave me a $5,000 check. That's a long time ago. That's a lot of money.

Yeah.

And I remember looking at it because he told me, open it up and see if that's enough. And I literally thought it was going to be like $100. So I said, oh, sir, I can't, I can't take that. He goes, oh, of course. He goes, you're fantastic. He goes, I'm. He goes, I am, I'm investing in somebody I think is fantastic. Louis. I try to give it back to the guy because I had that mindset, that meager mindset in the area of finances. And I think a lot of people have it and it's not just because of spirituality. It's maybe how their parents were right, how their, what culture they come from. So I believe in abundance because as. As abundance comes to me, then I can give from my sacrifice and I can give from my surplus. See, because I know you, you like your humanitarian work and you go overseas and do stuff just like I do.

Yeah. So it's not all coming from sacrifice. It's not. I don't have enough and I have to sacrifice this money that I already don't have enough to pay for things. Right.

Coming from our doggone surplus. I love that feeling. I love that feeling when a kid, like one of my friends kid, says, uncle Tim, you know, I'm hoping to do this, but you know, I'm trying to save and da, da, da. And I'll feel something. But I'll ask the dad first. I'll say like, you know, I've known your son five years. Are you cool if I bottom that? No. Come on, Tim. I mean, he wants it, but. But are you cool if he does? If I buy? Yeah. Yeah. I like that feeling of walking in surplus because it, the way I look at it, you become a miracle releaser. Yeah, See, we're miracle releasers. So I watch, I watch how you are. If you go somewhere, it's not just because you're tall that they're going to notice you. They feel your spirit.

Yeah.

So they're looking for something. So we're miracle releasers in what we say and who we Are and also what we do.

But you can't come from that place if you're not attracting abundance and thinking of an abundant mindset. If you're lacking, how can you give miracles? How can you give positive energy that just hits people in the heart and wakes them up?

I love that.

You've got to be coming from abundance and thinking that way. So how did you shift that mindset from scarcity sacrifice mode to yes, give me more. Actually, pay me double. 5,000. Give me more? Yeah.

Okay. So what happened is I met a guy in my 20s who was a spiritual guy. He was not in my faith, but he was a spiritual guy. And he was super humble, like the nicest humble guy. And he had a big Mercedes Benz. And I thought, this dude's humble.

He's making money, but he's making money.

Yeah. So I began to see different people that lived in affluence, but they still had the right. It's all a matter of the heart. Don't you think so? It's a matter of the heart. It's where the heart is. Like, we enjoy nice vacations and stuff and nice hotels, but if someone put me in a crappy place, I can handle it because I've been there before.

Of course I enjoy it. So did he share with you something that woke you up to this abundant mindset, or just was it witnessing him? And how did you start to apply it? Because it's one thing to live a certain way for 25, 30 years of scarcity, and then it's another way to apply it consistently and not be stuck in the past.

I love what you're saying.

So how did you apply it and then not fall back into, well, I gotta.

So I like what this guy did to me. He liked me so much, he challenged me. He said, we've known each other for a while. Are you okay if I go in on you? I didn't know what that meant. I said, okay, go ahead. And he said, I think you almost are getting a borderline false humility. And I go, what do you mean by that? He goes, I tell you, you did good in your speech. And you go, ah, you know, Stephanie.

I could have been better.

Exactly. Oh, man, look at. You're blowing up. You know, but thank you, God. You know, it was always. Because those are the. All the answers I was raised in, okay? And he says, I think that even in this area of money, he says, tim, you got such a strong mind and you're a great businessman. How come life can't bless you so I like it. He challenged me. He challenged me. And I think that you've been challenged because you had coaches coming up. I've been challenged by coaches, but we also need to continue to be coached by people to really challenge us, to help take us from that mundane. Okay. To the miraculous. I would be like Tim, the mundane if it wasn't for the right coaches.

And your book talks about the mundane, the messy and the mad.

Yes.

Do most of us live in those three areas?

100%.

And if so, how do we break free of.

Okay. Mundane is the normal stuff we do, but we all have to do normal stuff. So if you have a house, you have to throw the trash out at a certain day, or you have to go to the dmv, which I don't like to do at all. Or we have to go get gasoline. That's mundane.

Sure.

That's regular stuff that we do. But if you're not careful, you'll get so into the mundane as being your routine that messy starts to get into your mundane. The messy is those life interruptions, the drama from a family member. Something goes wrong in your relationship. So what I find is that people go from the mundane and they add the messy. So now they have mundane and messy. Okay. You don't take care of the message, it becomes mad and madness, man. I really think most people fluctuate between the messy and the madness. The messy and the madness. The messy and the madness.

They're never out. They can never get out of it.

They don't get out of it. And then how in the heck are you going to make room for the miracle mentality if your mind is full of the messy and the madness? That's why you could see, like, friends of ours. It could be the best parties. It'd be like, so and so's here. This guy's performing. And then so and so showed up. But they. They look like they're off.

Yeah.

You know why? Because their minds just got messy and madness. It's like, it's. It's also by the ghetto boys. It says, my mind's playing tricks on me.

Sure.

You're like, dude, your mind's playing tricks on you. You're caught in the middle of the mess, in the madness. So we got to clear the clutter. Yeah.

Clear the cutter. How do we do that?

We clear the clutter by going back to the steps earlier.

Yeah.

Stop, look, and listen. You got to call a timeout on yourself, dude. Don't show up to that party. Does that make sense?

Right? Right.

Don't do that album now.

Don't go through the motions. Take a pause.

Don't. Don't take on another project just because you're hot.

This is why I think, you know, I love that you're talking about therapy at your age, you know, kind of addressing the stuff, your identity of the past and the hurts and the pains of the past. I have just been more and more a fan of therapy or therapeutic moments or experiences. Whether that's you talking to a counselor one on one or not.

Yes.

Being in a therapeutic experience so that we can take a time out and reflect.

Yes.

Whether that's a journaling experience of therapy, whether that's one on one conversations, a. A priest or someone to connect with. I just feel like you've got to be willing to do the process.

You have to.

You've got to. Otherwise you're always in. I just got to do more creation mode and not reflection.

So, so good.

So we've got to be thinking about this. This is why it's. I think a daily practice is powerful of, like, waking up and reflecting when you go to sleep. Reflecting, so it doesn't get messy for years.

Yes.

You're daily cleaning up the mess.

Yeah. So that's super powerful, what you're saying. Because in this thing that we talked about earlier, recovery, discovery. So. So every day. Yeah, every day. So that's why when me and you talk, we're not just talking about, have you talked to so and so lately? Or, hey, that's amazing. We get right into life. Because I want to, like, say, like, how's my friend doing?

Yes.

Because what if. What if you said, man, I can't believe this happened to my dog. Or, man, this happened to so and so. Or did you know that so and so got sick? Because that's like the recovery. I think too many people are keeping their recovery areas so bottled up.

Yeah.

That they're becoming infected on the inside. No doubt about it. And then they. But they still show up. They still show up at the event. Right. And no, I think the therapy, it's like an invisible.

It's like an invisible cancer. It's like maybe you don't see it on the outside, but like, the cancer is growing on the inside. And the longer you wait, the more it grows and the more it'll consume your body. And that's why it's important to address these things.

The power of honesty will change you.

Oh, my gosh.

It'll change you.

It's funny, I had Mr. Wonderful on Kevin O' Leary and the Entire theme of the episode, I wouldn't think it'd be from him, but the entire theme that he kept saying over and over again, he probably said this.

Yeah.

20 times. No joke. Is to always tell the truth. Power to other people and to yourself.

Yes.

And he's like, people may not like it because on the show Shark Tank, Kevin o' Leary is always saying what's on his mind.

Oh, yeah.

He comes across as this arrogant, kind of like truth teller in a non positive way.

Right.

But he's like, at least you know what you get from me? That I'm always going to tell you the truth.

Yes.

And if I don't tell the truth to myself and to others, then I always have to remember the lie and it grows inside of me and the lie has to change. And it's so much energy holding onto the lie as opposed to just always telling the truth.

So good.

I think it's a lesson that we can learn. It's just like, don't let the cancer grow. Just like let it go. Tell the truth to someone else, to yourself.

Yes.

And live with the truth.

Yeah. And I think also when you tell the truth, if. If someone's a true friend, male or female, they'll protect you. So there's a scripture in the Bible that says, pity the person who, when he falls, he has no one to help him up. And pity that same person who, when they are cold, they have no one to keep them warm. Now watch how cool this is. I think one reason so many celebrities have come to me over the years is not just because I'm a good talker. There's a lot of good talkers out there. There's a lot of clever guys with fancy stuff to say. No. I'm really good at just being there for somebody. A lot of people I work with, when I work with them in a session, I know they're really beat to hell because I just saw them on tmz. I'm not asking them a lot of questions. I'm just present.

Just be with people.

Yes.

Just can I be warm place when they're cold. Ooh, that's what you said. Yeah.

Yes.

I want people to get this book. They can go get it right now. It's called the miracle mentality. Tap into the source of magical transformation in your life. They can get it on Amazon bookstores. You're also all over social media. Tim story and Tim's Story official on Instagram and Facebook.

Yes.

And in our previous episode, I asked you the three truths question and the definition of greatness. And I'm curious if it's changed. And I'm not going to share with you what you said before. We'll link it up so people can hear that in the previous episode.

It's going to get interesting.

But I'm curious if you could share three things with the world if this was your last day on Earth, and you could only share three lessons that you've learned, and they wouldn't have access to anything else that you put out. But these three things is all we would have to remember you by. What would you say are those three truths you would share with the rest of the world?

I think this might be similar because I have this feeling still is. You've been born an original. Don't die a copy. So the key is, be yourself. Be yourself would be one.

Okay. Number two.

So. And this is on the same line of the truths I would tell somebody. Is that correct?

Yes.

So, number one, be yourself. And the second is that live your purpose. And I think that so many times people become a discount version of themselves. I like Tony Robbins, but you're not him. And I'm not him. But I applaud you. I like Denzel. You're not him. I'm not him. I applaud you. Live your purpose, otherwise you're a discount version of yourself.

Okay.

Okay.

And number three.

Number three is you may not be what you want to be, but thank God you're not what you used to be.

Ooh, that is good.

Celebrate how far you've come, man. Yeah, celebrate. I'm okay with where I am right now. I may not be what I want to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be.

That's powerful, man. I want to acknowledge you, Tim, for constantly showing up. You know, we've known each other for, I don't know, seven years. Six.

Seven years. About seven years.

And you keep showing up, you keep evolving, you keep growing and tapping into the skeletons of your past. And even at your age, I think it's inspiring that there's always more we can be humbled by. There's always more we can improve. There's always more we can learn, and there's always more we can do to serve.

Yes.

And you're a servant, leader. And I'm really grateful that you're a part of this life in this world, because we need more people like you willing to show up, authentic, willing to learn, willing to grow and help others.

And thank you for saying that.

Of course, man. I appreciate it.

Life is good.

Appreciate it, man. Final question for you again. I'm curious if this is different than five years ago when we had you on your definition of greatness.

Wow. I got to dig in because it could be could be a little different now.

Yeah.

I think that greatness is doing the plan for your life. And what I mean by that is if you're a mother of four kids and that is a plan and that's the assignment for your life, then that is great because you're raising four kids. If you're the guy building freeways on the 10 freeway, then if that's your assignment, then that is greatness. So it is doing your plan, not just knowing your plan, but doing your plan, then I think you're great.

Amen. Tim Storer thanks brother. Appreciate you.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did enjoy Tim's message, then make sure to share this with a friend. Just text someone right now. Post it on your social media. Let someone know that you care about them and you want them to hear this message. Lewishouse.com 1078 or you can just copy and paste wherever you're listening to this. And if this is your first time here, welcome to the School of Greatness, Family and Community Plan. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts right now. Just click that subscribe button over there so you can get notified of the most inspiring leaders and the greatest minds in the world on them sharing and opening up on how to achieve greatness in your own life. And if you did enjoy this, then please leave us a rating and review over on Apple that helps us get the message out to more people. When you do that, we'd love to hear your thoughts on how this inspired you. And if you want inspiring messages and some surprises prizes sent to your text from me every single week, then text the Word Podcast to join my community platform. Again, text the word podcast to 614-350-3960 and I want to leave you with this quote from author John Krakauer who said, happiness is only real when shared. Make sure to share some joy with someone today. Share a small smile. Share a listening ear. Bring some joy in someone's life. Bring some happiness to someone else. Because when you share it, that's when real happiness comes about. And I want to remind you, if no one's told you lately, you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter, I'm grateful for you. You know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something.

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