How To CREATE Your Life With Your MINDSET - Shape Your Reality With Your Thoughts & Feelings | Eric Thomas

I never even realized I was where I was because of who I was. And I was actually getting the physical manifestations of my thoughts, of my feelings, my emotions. I was creating this. Somebody asked me the other day, like, what's one of the hardest things you ever done? The hardest thing I've ever done was look in the mirror, tell myself I was sorry.

From living off the streets to becoming.

One of the world's most in demand.

Motivational speakers, the voice that ignites a fire in millions. Eric Thomas, you need to tell you that you owe you something. You need to be more disciplined about your minds. And all the stuff that you said was absolutely right. My daddy wasn't there. My mama did this, this person did to me. Why would you let them destroy your life?

Let's go.

Why would you allow that thing they did to hurt you? Now define the rest of your life. At the end of the day, you have to be the first thing that you invest in before you check anything, check you and go. Look yourself in the mirror and go, yo, I'm my lottery ticket. We have worshiped careers more than we worship create. And so the first thing I was headed at group is what would life look like if you did it on your terms? I want you to think about your life instead of the life.

What would the next couple steps be to set up the mindset for success?

I would say.

The Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid has a bold design, a spacious interior with 232 horsepower and a 12.3-inch panoramic display to keep the adventure going and fit with the way you live. And with SiriusXM, every drive comes alive, bringing you closer to the music, the sports talk and podcasts that you love.

Right in your vehicle or on the SiriusXM app.

Every SiriusXM equipped Kia Sportage Turbo Hybrid includes a three month trial, so the experience begins the moment you drive. Learn more@kia.com sportage-hybrid Kia movement that inspires this message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card members can earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes, subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more@applecard.com the School of Greatness is sponsored by Capital One. Nowadays, most people subscribe to everything. Music, tv, even dog food. And it Rocks. Until you have to manage it all, which is where Capital One comes in. Capital One credit cardholders can easily track, block, or cancel reoccurring charges right from the Capital One mobile app at no additional cost. With one sign in, you can manage all your subscriptions all in one place. Learn more@Capital1.com Subscriptions Terms and Conditions apply.

Welcome back, everyone, to the school of Greatness. Very excited about our guest. If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful. We've got ET the hip hop preacher in the house. My man. Welcome back. It's been a while.

It's been a minute. I got to say this. Congratulations, man. You know, I was saying when I was talking to you, it's like 10 years ago, you know, and I. I remember cause you were like, e, I want you on the show. And I hadn't really started doing podcasts then, so that was like one of the first podcasts. And I was like, but my mother, my godmother was dying of cancer. And so I was like, man, I can't leave and go, but I definitely wanna. And you were gracious enough, like, where you at? Eat? I was like, embassy Suites.

I, like, drove out there all day. I was like, let's do this.

Get it. And, man, just to see your evolution, you know, over the years. And like I said, it was a lot of us that started during that time frame and to see kind of where you are today and you survived the resilience.

Yeah, man.

Bouncing back, getting bigger, stronger, and better. Like, you ready to go back to sports?

Let's go, baby. Let's go.

Yeah. So congrats, bro. I've seen that. I mean, I can't name all the people, but Kobe, I seen my girl tab on the show, you know, just to see all the people you had. Of course I watch the show and learn from it. So, man, congratulations.

Thanks, bro. Appreciate it.

Congratulations.

Appreciate it. I'm excited about this because I feel like you haven't been out there a lot. You've been doing a lot of your own stuff for a while. So I'm excited because there's probably a lot of people who don't know your full story because you used to tell it a lot. Ten, five years ago, from the beginning. So I kind of want to reintroduce you to the world.

Yeah.

And I feel like the world is at a such a unique place right now as we go into 2025, and it almost feels like there needs to be a massive mindset shift for everyone to take back ownership of their life.

Absolutely.

To take the full responsibility of their life, to not rely on other people to give them opportunities, but to go own their own opportunities by creating and having a clear vision. And there's a few things that I want to talk about that you would have that I've seen you share some incredible strategies around mindset I'm going to dive into in a second. But for those who don't know, you were at one point living homeless, you know, a long time ago, people probably don't even know this about you because you used to talk about it, but it's like you had a season of life where you didn't have any money, you had no education, you had no opportunities. Essentially living homeless.

Yeah.

Struggling, trying to figure out what you're gonna do with your life. And I don't think people remember this about you because they see the success. They see the coaching, the speaking, the. The massive following, the New York Times bestseller. They see all these things now, but 20 years ago, you weren't in this space.

Nah, definitely wasn't. And what was.

What was the space you were in back in the day when you were living, you know, without the opportunities you have now? And what was the moment you switched your mindset that allowed you to take different actions to start creating your own opportunities?

Yeah. So I'd say it's the mindset, like, I had a victim mindset. You know, it was my mom got pregnant at 17. You know, my biological father wasn't in my life. You know, I didn't go to the best schools in Detroit. You know, I wasn't in this environment. I didn't have, like, everything was about somebody else. You know, it was like the outside, inside theory, you know what I'm saying? Which is terrible. It's like everything that's supposed to blow me up and take me to the next level is somebody else's responsibility. Like, it's something that is going to happen or somebody and it's going to. And it was like, yo, E. Like, why are you in this abandoned building? Like, your mom's not here. Your biological father. No, he's not in your life, but he didn't get pulled over by the police officer. And the police officer doesn't know the counselor or the principal that kicked you out. It's like. But there's a common denominator here. It's you. There's a common denominator. And you homeless. Your mom's not homeless. Your biological father's probably married with a family somewhere. Like, yo, is that right or wrong? Who cares? You are living in this abandoned building, high school dropout, you're on your way to. And so when I look back, all the anger and the frustration and the hurt, it was all blaming. Everything was about this person or that person or this person. Nothing had anything. I never even realized I was where I was because of who I was. And I was actually getting the physical manifestations of my thoughts, of my feelings, my emotions. Like, I was creating this and didn't even realize. I thought my mind created. I thought my father created it. It was like, no, E, you created this. And I'm going to tell you the moment I realized. You are the greatest common denominator. You probably the least greatest. Like you the common denominator. Once that realization hit me, it was like, oh, okay, you got some confessing to do, bro. And I'm going to tell you the hardest thing that I've ever done. Somebody asked me the other day, like, what's one of the hardest things you ever done? The hardest thing I've ever done was look in the mirror and tell myself I was sorry. That was a hardest thing. Sorry for what I was sorry for what I got myself into, the choices that I made, you know. Okay, yeah, you 12 years old when you find out that the person that's raising you is not your biological father and your mother lied. Absolutely, bro. That's not necessarily best circumstances for a child to be born in. Like, your mom lied about who your father is and you know your father and don't even know you know your father.

Wow.

Like, you've been around your father, but.

You didn't know he was your father.

He didn't even know he was my father. I'm with his mother, my grandma and me like this. I'm with his sisters, I'm with his brothers, my aunts and uncles. I'm hanging out with them every day. And so the realization of, like, yo, not only did you get lied to, like, it's been manipulative, it's been deceitful, but what do I do?

House.

I run away from home at 12 and I'm living in garages and living in my friends homes. And this vicious cycle of every time something goes wrong or every time, you know, I'm confronted by this reality that's not your father. It's run away from home. It's run away from home. And at 16, it's like, okay, ma, you just flat out lied to me. Everybody told me you lied. You keep telling me you didn't Lie. You go, tell me. When I got older, I'm like, I'm out. But it's like, e, when I looked in the mirror, it's like, why did you have to take. Why'd you have to leave your mom? You had counselors. Why? When you sat down with a counselor and they tried to walk you through the tools and the strategies to get on the other side of this, why were you in. Don't talk to me. You ain't my mom. Don't talk to me. You ain't my daddy. Don't talk to me. I don't want to talk to y'. All. These are professional counselors who are saying, yo, we get it. You're going through a lot, but we're here to help. I don't want counselors at school. Principals, teachers. I'm just now insubordinate. I'm evil, rude, mean man. And I looked at myself in the mirror, was like, why was that the choice? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You got to talk to me. I know why you made the choice, but why did you make that choice? We know what the choice was. You run away from home, you always were from conflict. You always blame somebody. But why? And the reason why is because it was easier to put it on my mom and my dad than for me to have to do the work. And so the Eric Thomas that you've seen the NFL, NBA commercials, whatever that dude is, the dude that looked himself in the mirror was like, yo, you owe yourself an apology. And not only that, you owe yourself correction, you owe yourself change. Wow. You need to be taught. You need to be trained. You need to become a better human. And that was one of the most difficult days of my life, was looking at myself, correcting myself, telling myself I was sorry, and then moving forward, saying, now, what are we going to do from this point? So the growth, you said, is the response to, are you repentful, meaning you're about to change, or are you sorry? And I'm like, no, I'm not sorry. I want to repent. And I want a better version of me, because I should. What 16 year old should be living in abandoned buildings, eating out of trash cans? Like, that's not. It's not healthy. One, it's not safe in Detroit to be in abandoned buildings, walking. It's not safe. And I put myself in so many situations where guns were pulled out on me. You know, people would break into the abandoned building and take my belongings from me. It's like, e, what are you doing? Like, come on, bro. This version of me had gone all the way and was like, if you don't. If you don't stop. Wow. And so, yeah, that's. I'm glad you did, because, like I said, I don't talk about that anymore.

So you're. Essentially. You just said that because the. The future you.

Yeah.

Had to have wisdom and kind of speak to the younger you. This version of you at this age, you know, 2010, 20, 30, 40 years later or whatever, is speaking to the younger you and saying, wake up, wake.

Up, wake up, wake up. Greatness is in you.

Dang, man, this is fascinating, man. What was it, like an intuition that got you to wake up or was it like, just rock bottom? That was like, okay, I can't go any lower in my life now. I need to wake up.

Okay. So I always think it's a combination, right? So it is. It is a rock bottom. But. But this is. This is a blessing because rock bottom turned into, go to church with my boy, right? And go to church with my boy turned into. I started dating this girl, right? And I fall in love with this girl, you know? And this girl becomes almost like my first coach, you know? And she's saying to me, man, I'll never forget, she called me to her home. She's like, my mom's not here. I'm like, praise God. She's like, can you come to the house? I was like, well, sure. Yeah.

I'm 16, 17, real.

This church girl. And finally, you know. So it's like, yo, come to the house now. Was payphone day. I get to the house, and she comes outside, and I'm confused. Like, why are you coming outside? And she's like, I want to talk to you. I was like, okay, we could talk, but can we talk inside in the bedroom? You know? And so she's like, no, no, I'm serious. I'm like, I'm serious. She said, do you love me? And I was like, whoa. Like, we kids. I'm like 17, almost 18. Like, do I love you? Like, I don't have no other girlfriends, if that's what you asking me, but I don't. Do you love. She said, no, no, no. Do you love me? Like, is this serious? And I was like, yeah, serious. She said, well, I just got my acceptance letter, and she showed me. And she said, when I go to college, if you don't come up, come with me. I'm breaking up with you. And so it was twofold. It was. I was rock bottom. But this relationship was like, hope like, when I was with Dede, it was almost like I wasn't homeless for that timeframe that we were together.

Wow.

You know, we were in church together. You know, I got a job because she made me get a job. It was just, you know, we would do stuff together. Concerts, we would do stuff together as kids. We were downtown Detroit. It's a restaurant called Nicky's. Right. Greek Town. So we were in Greek Town on the weekends. Like, I was living life.

And I was like, whoa, she's elevating your life.

I'm like, bro, you rock bottom. And the only light you have in your life is saying, they gone and they're not. And look, look, bro, I'm just being real. I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm not. I'm not stupid. She's not going to go away and get a degree and come back looking for a homeless kid four years from now. It's not going to happen. No. You know, and so it was. It was rock.

She saw greatness in you, bro.

But you had to do the work. I had to do the work, and I did the work. I went to night school, I got the ged. I followed her to Oakwood. And we've been married over 34 years.

Crazy, man.

You feel me? And so it was like, it was a combination of rock, rock bottom and hope. And when you put those two together, it was like I had something to wake up to, something to look forward to. So I'm gonna be real. That's why it took me 12 years to get a four year degree. Cause I never went to college for college. I went to college for dd.

Wow.

That's why I went to college. And so once I got to college and we got married, I was like, yo, I got what I wanted. And she was like, okay, we're gonna have to do this again. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can't be with you if you don't finish what you start.

Wow.

So, like, I had to go ahead and do this business and get started, and I started the speaking career, you know, in the middle of that as well.

This is. There's a lot of, like, pressure for people to accomplish certain, certain things by certain ages. But it took you 12 years to graduate college. Right. So you're in your 30s or whatever.

30. Absolutely.

And then you're 44 when you got a PhD. What do you say to some of the younger generation that feels like they're a failure if they don't accomplish things by 20 or 25? That they feel like they're supposed to accomplish.

So here's where I went with that. One of the dangerous things is the outside inside theory. It's dangerous because what you're doing, whether you know it or not, you are comparing your journey and your life to somebody else's journey and somebody else's life. Like you don't even have, let's just be honest, you don't even have the right context to do that. You don't know why they're doing what they're doing. You don't know like what their strengths and weaknesses are. So you're comparing yourself to somebody that may have stress that you don't have. Like they, they're nowhere near who you are.

Yes.

And so you're comparing yourself. So this is why I believe for those of us who finally get it, it's the inside out. Like everything we do starts from the inside. And then from there we kind of say, oh, okay, I see my boy Lou, he doing X, Y and Z. But I'm not doing it because you're doing it. But I'm calling you. You're kind of saying E in the industry, this. So I'm using the information you're giving me to build my journey, not I'm trying to be you. And so what I realized was, yeah, there's some kids that can come and graduate in four years because they took K12 series. Or not to be disrespectful, there's some kids that can come and graduate for four years because they're going to get a job. You can't come and graduate in four years one because you didn't take K through 12. Serious. And you're about to be one of the greatest speakers ever. It's going to take a little longer, right? It's going to take a little bit longer to develop you. So my man on a four year plan, but he might, no disrespect, but he may settle into a traditional life. And so for the four years, that's all it takes. But if you are about to be Eric Thomas, that I didn't even know I had the capacity. Do you talk about the school of greatness? God was like, you have to be in the school of greatness a little bit longer. You have to be in the school of greatness a long. Why I always say, you know, and everybody knows it, but when you're doing a slingshot, the further you pull it back, when you let it go, boom. So for me it was like, I was like, it's going to take 12. Not because you're behind. It's going to take 12 because that's how much time it's going to take to develop you. So once I release you into the world now, you're going to be able to do phenomenal stuff.

Let's go.

So I can't compare myself to the dude that's just going to get a job somewhere who's just going to settle, and all he's caring about is his life. He's not necessarily creating content or writing books that are going to change the world. He's just trying to take care of his family. So 40 years works for him. So now I'm comparing my life to. To a person who is not even trying to accomplish what I'm trying to accomplish. That's dangerous. Dangerous.

Wow. But I mean, what about the people going back to kind of your story of the victim mindset?

Yeah.

You know, your, your mom lies to you about your dad. You don't see your dad, you know, banning warehouses, you know, all the problems. Inner city kids struggle, getting kicked out of school, struggling. You had everything against you.

Right.

And.

Ah, hold on. See? Yeah, I'm glad you said that. Okay, so I got you. So that's the outside, inside. So that's the. You had everything against you. No, the greatest problem was I was against me.

Oh.

That was the challenge.

But most people, most people have both of that. I wouldn't say most people, but a lot of people might be listening or watching who might feel like the outside has been holding them down.

No question.

Right. Their parents have been holding them down, their school, their teachers, their coach doesn't give them the opportunity. No question. Their boss is holding them down, whatever it might be. The economy is holding them down. 1000% where I live is holding me down. The president, the whole. The president, the government, it's all holding me down.

It's holding you down.

How does someone get to a place and maybe it's true that things are holding them down.

They're absolutely true. Right.

Maybe it's true.

Yeah.

But what I'm hearing, you say that living in a victim mindset or living in an outside, inside theory will not help you get to where you want to be.

All I'm saying is this. They have the potential only to hold you down because you're allowing them to hold you down. And you're seeing that they're holding down. Let me tell you the one thing I wish I can go back. All my mentors, everybody, everybody told me and they were right. Look, bro, I'm not saying that they were wrong. You need to get a degree. You need to make some money. You need to do whatever. But what they taught me was that my greatest assets were real estate. My greatest asset was a degree or a career. Nobody ever told me I was my greatest asset. I'm my greatest asset. It doesn't matter. Look, people act as if. If you grow up in a house where your parents are rich, you're automatically bro. We can look at people who grew.

Up in wealth and are messed up.

They messed up. They own drugs, too. They make bad decisions, too. Unfortunately, they take their lives as well. They check out, bruh. It does not. So people think money, environment, or you have both your parents in there and you get. So you think your story is. It doesn't matter where you come from if you don't activate you. You. The environment doesn't matter anyway. Great environment, bad environment. If you're not activated. If you. I sit here sometimes and I could whip myself. My grandma used to whip. I could whip myself. And why do I say that? Why? I'm sending the school of greatness. Like, no, we were together 10 years ago. I'm still standing. I'm mad at me, because like you said, I got a PhD at 44. I could have got one when I was 34. I just didn't. I thought, you know, and when I go into the schools, I tell all this. Everybody leave. Principals, counselors, everybody leave. Listen to me, kids. This is 2024. Y' all got the Internet. Y' all on TikTok. Y' all blew TikTok up. And I knew it. Because adults are on LinkedIn and LinkedIn, Instagram. LinkedIn made no money. TikTok, billionaire Instagram. Why? Cause these young people are there. I said, when you show up to anything, it blows up. Here's my problem. You're in the school and you're failing.

Why?

Because you're waiting for the teacher to teach you. The teacher didn't teach you TikTok. The teacher didn't teach you how to play YouTube.

Call of Duty.

They didn't teach you how to do that. You did it on your own. Why? Because you wanted to do it. And anything you activate, anything you do for you, it's going to blow out. But you're waiting for some teacher to teach you. When you can pick up a book, you can go online and learn on your own. So in this environment, you are absolutely. You're not reaching your fullest potential because you sitting back. Oh, it's the teacher's job. It's the counselor's job to tell me when I'm supposed to graduate and what classes I'm supposed to take and then.

What degree to get and then what. What job to get and put me in the right job.

But she not Call of Duty. There's no school counsel. There's no teacher, there's no principal. And you on there with people from all over the world and y' all playing and communicating and listen to me. These kids are so dope, and they don't realize how dope they are. They did something with video games that we never did. They turned it into a career. You can make money. When I was playing video games, I hate to date myself, but joysticks. I know it's back in to. But when it was joysticks, you couldn't make millions doing it. Now because of these kids, and they're taking this thing and giving it a life that it never had before. Anything you touch when you know who you are, believe who you are, could have a PhD. I don't say that like on no bragging. I say that because if I got a PhD, that means I could have finished high school. But I wasn't in school. I was just there because my mother dropped me off. Like, I wasn't immersed in it. I wasn't excited about it. I wasn't enthused about it. And so it's like, now I'm enthused about life and my life, and now I realize, yo, your mama don't got no whatever. She did that was just to get you started. It's like on the swing, when somebody push you and get out the way, they don't. The swing doesn't work if that person keeps pushing you back and forth. It only works if they push you. They get out the way, and you do your feet. And so it's like when I showed up and said, eric, the government where you come from, your dad not being your mom, like your mom being young, that has absolutely nothing to do with why you can't read. You can't read because you are lazy. You can't read because you don't take it as serious as you take playing in mental football. You shouldn't be playing football. You, he should be studying. And so when I start taking my life serious. Wow. Yeah.

The school of greatness is brought to you in partnership with Airbnb. The holidays are such a special time to travel and gather with loved ones. Think about some of your best trips. Those cozy spaces, thoughtful touches, and the feeling of being right at home wherever you are now imagine getting to provide that same experience for someone else, because when you travel, your place is just sitting empty. And while you're away, hosting on Airbnb can be a no brainer. And in a season where new experiences creating lasting memories, it's a unique way to help others make their own. And Martha and I both travel a lot, especially with her family in Mexico and mine all over the usa. So we know what it's like to be on the go during the holidays. And from our experience, hosting has always been easy and straightforward. And whether you're traveling often or just once in a while, it can be a simple way to earn a little extra while you're away. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com host the holidays are here and with them comes all the cheer and the spending. And I think we've all felt the pressure of finding the perfect gift for the perfect price. And those prices are sure giving us a run for our money.

You know how it goes.

One gift turns into 10.

You're trying to stay on budget and.

Before you know it you've spent half a day scrolling, comparing prices and wondering if you should have just gotten everyone gift cards. It can feel a little stressful trying to make it all feel special without breaking the bank, but luckily you can get the holiday savings at Metro with the most wonderful deal of the season. Get one line of 5G for only 25amonth and a five year price guarantee on talk, text and data. The best part is that you can keep the phone you love and keep your number and no activation fees. And that's what I'm talking about. A deal that actually lasts five years locked in. That's peace of mind right there at Metro. Get that more for your money feeling. Visit your local store today. $25 a month with autopay $30 your first month guarantee exclusions apply C Site for details Cold mornings holiday plans this is when you need your wardrobe to just work. Stuff that looks sharp, feels good and you'll actually reach for Quint makes gifting easy when everything's worth keeping for yourself. By partnering directly with trusted factories that maintain high standards for craftsmanship and ethical practices, Quint cuts out the middlemen and markups. That means premium quality at half the cost of other high end brands so you can give luxury pieces without the luxury price tag. And it goes beyond their clothes. Quint also has incredible home and bedding options to make your home cozy this season. Martha and I have the European linen Duvet cover set from Quince. And let me tell you, the duvet set is so soft and high quality with we highly recommend get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quint. Don't wait. Go to quint.comlewis for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q I n c e.com Le W I s free shipping and 365 day returns. Quint.com Lewis yeah, again, I mean, I'm.

I, I, I say this with all, you know, sincerity. I'm, I'm, I'm in one of the best podcasts in the world. And not only that, when people were asking about it, I was like, oh, no, I got a relationship. Like, this ain't what you think it is. This is not to your point. I don't do podcasts. I don't have that media schedule where you don't see Eric Thomas on different shows. And I remind people, don't get it twisted. I can't be on shows. That's just not my thing. So I'm not here today just on some. I'm going to hit Luke by then. I got this podcast. That's not what this is about. This is about a friendship that I'm tapping into and saying, man, it's good to see you alive. It's good to see that we made it. And it's good. I still remember the red shoes with the red shorts. And we're in there just kicking it. And now I'm like, yo, this is, this is an enterprise now. This is on a whole nother level, not saying what you did 10 years ago with me was nothing. I'm saying this and to still be alive and to still be welcome. Yeah, man, it's like, it's beautiful, man. This is, this is what happens when you realize you're your greatest asset and you tap into you. Nothing wrong with real estate.

Yeah, yeah.

Nothing wrong with investing the S&P 500. But at the end of the day, you have to be the first thing that you invest in. And if you invest in you, I just believe there's nothing that can stop.

You 100% and investing in you and being willing to stay consistent.

Absolutely.

In the long run.

Absolutely.

Because we were just talking beforehand. It's, you know, we, we met 10 years ago. We've done a lot of stuff together. You've been on the show a few times. I've been to your events, you've spoken at my events. We've helped each other with book launches, all that stuff, and just been fans of each other over 10 years. And we've seen a lot of people in this space come and go. You've seen people try to come and they get a big hit, and then they fall off and they don't stay consistent. And we've continued to stay consistent. And I think what both of us do really well is we have a vision of our. Of a future that for ourselves in the world that we live into, we speak into that, and we constantly invest in our own personal growth. You know, you're always growing, evolving, transforming, changing, whatever you want to call it. And I feel like we have to hold ourselves to that standard, otherwise it could all go away if we don't. And so it's. And. And I'm curious, you know, for those that are listening or watching, that are still thinking, you know what? It's just too hard for me. The world's against me. Like, I hear what you're saying, E.T. i know you did it. I know people like Oprah did it, like, all these kind of outliers. It's like, that's only for a few people who can really break through and create the life they want. My parents really didn't show up for me, or I was abandoned, or I got cheated on and abused and sexual abuse and physical abuse. And I know what you went through was pretty hard, and it was tough in inner city, but what I'm going through is even harder. And it's just. It's too much of a weight. It's too hard. It's too much friction to eat, healthier to get up earlier to be considered. It's just too hard. Do people need to think about motivation in order to overcome themselves and their problems and their challenges? Or do they need to think about being more disciplined to overcome the weight of the world they're feeling?

Yeah, I say both hands. But to your point, on the discipline, you need to be more disciplined about your mindset. What do people need to be thinking.

About with their minds?

So here's the deal. You already in pain, get a reward for it. It's just like, look, do me a favor. Everything you say, you write. But why go through life with whatever people did to you when you were younger or a young adult?

And.

And then you have to live with it for the next 40, 50 years. Like, why would you. Why would you sit here and all the stuff that you said was absolutely right? My daddy wasn't there. My mama did this. This person did to me. Why would you let Them destroy your life.

Let's go.

Why would they, why would you let them own you? Why would you allow that thing they did to hurt you? Now define the rest of your life. It's like, no, I was in pain. It's real, but get a reward for it. So for me walking in to, first of all, driving here in a car service, getting to la, walking in this beautiful facility, seeing the other businesses that are here, I'm like, e, I'm proud of you, bro. You made it. E. You could have stopped at the homeless boy and nobody would have tripped. Your daddy wasn't there. Your mom was 17 when she got pregnant. All the negative that happened to you, Eric. We understand, Buff. Understand. Let me tell you one of the things that just blew my mind the other day. So, you know, we were fortunate to own a home in California on the hill, right? So we got this property, we got the basketball court with the logo, all the companies that whatever. And I go outside yesterday and I see my wife and my son playing basketball. And I'm thinking to myself, in California, on the hill, looking at all these beautiful properties. Yeah, man, my, my wife and my son are outside H, hooping, dream life. My wife was like, I want to work out. My son was like, I didn't even know. She was like, I'm going to play basketball. I'm like, I can't do it right now. And I'm listening to a voice. He came home, heard the basketball, went out with his mom. I'm like, yo, my son, 29 years old, is spending time with his mom. As an adult male, he could be anywhere, doing anything. He's with his mom, her firstborn. They got this bond that I don't have. And they're out here hooping and as I look at the property, I'm like, yo, what if the 16 year old Eric Thomas would have stayed to 16 year old Eric Thomas? So I'm saying for those who are listening, get a reward for it. And then do me a favor, don't just think about you. Like, do you know that my son, in his mind, this is where you, like this where you start. Like, he got the sign of the pool, the whirlpool, he's starting somewhere. I never started the cars, the Rolls Royce, the Escalade. Like he started somewhere I didn't start. Why? Because I didn't stop. Where I started, I didn't stop. I was like, okay, this is where we started, but this not about to be my end. And so his beginnings looked, my man went to Michigan State and was a general manager for Izzo. He traveled the world. He's got a final four ring, Elite Eight ring. He's got the. He got the jack. He sat under Coach Izzo, hall of Fame coach for four years, Coach og. He sat under these guys. Like, his boys. Some of his boys went to the league. There's some of them still in the league. Like, he got that because I didn't go. I quit because my mom, my dad did. So I quit. I give up. This is worst thing ever happened. I was like, you get a reward for it. And so to see my son. I'm coming to a concert tonight with my daughter. Listen to me. Like, I didn't give up. And so I'm saying to everybody, we all go through pain. Some of us go through pain, and it becomes our tombstone. Some of us go through pain, and it's a scar, and we live a life of reward. So I'm just going to say again, 20, 25, do me a favor, check you. So you're in the ballot box and you're looking at all these options. Doctor, lawyer, teacher, whatever you see president, mayor, governor. Do me a favor. Before you check off any of that SMP 500 real estate. Before you check any of that, check you. Before you check anything, check you and go look yourself in the mirror and go, yo, I'm my lottery ticket. I'm my ticket out of the neighborhood. Or, you know, I'm the broken curse. Like, whatever you want to call yourself. But the day I stopped saying my mom, my dad, this person, the police, the. The day I stopped doing that, the day I said you.

Do you think anyone can have a beautiful, amazing life if they live in and blaming mindset?

No. No. You know why? Because what I didn't realize as a young adult is that when you say it's somebody else, whether you mean to do it or not, you give them the keys to your life. You give them power over them. They got your whole life in their head because you said it. You said it. They didn't do this. And because they didn't, they got the keys. Now, I'll be honest. The reason why we don't want to take the keys because we got to drive. We got to drive. And I told you today, I was like, I got too much to do. I normally drive. I'm like, I got too much to do. And it felt good to be in the car, driven. It felt good.

Yeah.

Like, I'm on the phone talking to my wife. We having worship, doing our thing, making a couple business Calls like, I don't have the responsibility of the traffic paying attention. I got my attention. He moved over and got. I was like, why is he stopping in the middle of. But it was a. The truck was coming, so he had to move over. I didn't know what was going on because it was the first time in my life that I wasn't really, like, responsible because I normally drive. And that's why people don't want to drive in their lives. They don't want to be responsible. It's so much easier to say, my life is messed up because you did this and you did that. Once you take the keys, now you got to go, anything. But I'm going to tell you this. This is why I like it. While it's more responsibility, it's more freedom, it's more independence, it's more control opportunities, they limit it with the limitless when you take the keys. And so I took the keys in my life. I said, ma, thanks, dad. Thanks for not being there for me. You gave me a dog. You gave me a passion. You gave me resilience. You taught me how to make it when the very thing that's supposed to be there for you isn't there for you. And I tell people what I want. Some kid asked me the other day. He's like, man, wouldn't you say your son is lucky because you're in his life and his mom is in his life? I said, yes and no. I said, yes. He's blessed to have his mom and dad, but he ain't got that dog.

He doesn't have the hunger.

He ain't got. Oh, man, my son is a great.

Kid, but he doesn't have the drive.

He ain't got the same drive I got. And that drive came without some stuff that I. That stuff came from lack. And so I say to anybody, you got to understand that it could go either way, but when you take the. You take the. It's like I walk into a school and I ask, how many of y' all 50 kids? How many kids in here, a thousand kids? How many of your dads wanted in your life was not living in a house? 90% raised their hand and guess what? I automatically can relate to them. That's the je ne sais quoi that my daddy wasn't there. That's the it factor. If my father had been there, I might not be able to go in here and relate or my videos and go viral. People like, okay, maybe if I just had Eric voice or if I just scream and I Just look at it, bro. That's not what it is. It's when I speak, you hear it. Because I've been through what you've been through. And so you recognize that voice. You recognize the pain, you recognize the struggle, but you recognize I overcame it. And that's why you, like, I want to rock with this dude. Because this one ain't some kind of way. Eric ain't the one that's making us feel like, oh, it's okay that you went through this, and it's okay that this and you. It's okay if you don't want to grow, and it's okay if you don't want. No, what you hear from me is a coach that's saying, jordan, you got six rings in you, but you got to stop playing this way, and you got to start playing this way. Kobe, you got great, but you gotta. You gotta do it this way. Serena, you gotta. Venus, you gotta D. Richard Williams is saying he not out there. Just good job. He's teaching, training, but he's also correcting. And so for me, they hear my voice. I'm not letting you get away with murder, because greatness is in you. The greatness is in you. And now it's time to go to school. It's time to go to work and bring that greatness out of me. So, yes, anybody, anybody could be successful. But as long as you're playing the blame game, you have given permission, the license, registration, the keys, you give it all over to somebody else. And the day you take it is the day that you can start deciding which direction you want to go. Wow.

So it sounds like step one, take the keys back to your life.

Take the keys back.

What would steps two and three be for setting people up for their ultimate life with that beginning process? Is it? Is it get clear on a goal. Is it? Start with motivation. Start with discipline. Like, change your habits. What would the next couple steps be to set up the mindset for success?

I would say step two. And I don't know why they don't teach this in school. Be your first best friend, get to know you. We're so busy wanting to be in a community that we don't realize we are a community. Right? And look, I'm not trying to be deep people. You believe this. You don't believe in this. But what I was taught in, you know, in school, especially Catholic school, it seemed like Adam was by himself first. It doesn't seem like it was like a somebody else. It was like Adam was first and then whatever happened after that. So the first man was by himself. And I think that's important for those of us who study that.

Why?

Because all of us think we have to have somebody, to be somebody. And this guy started on. He started his journey on his own before he connected with somebody, whatever. He knew his purpose. You know, he. He walked in his confidence, he walked. And a lot of us are going. I hear people say all the time, well, I'm not doing good. Like, why not? I don't have nobody. I'm not in a relationship. I'm saying, you're telling me no. Listen to me very closely. Do you think for one minute that getting in a relationship with somebody, it can't be the key? Because so many people have gotten in relationships and gotten out of it. So that can't be the key. Now two healthy people, not perfect, but you healthy people coming together. Oh, no, that's different.

It's expansive.

But guess what has to happen.

You got to be healthy with you.

You could be with them. So we even messing each other up when we have two dysfunctional people trying to connect with each other because we think two functional people going to come together and make each other, it's not going to work. So I just think the first step after the first step is you got to figure out who you are and love you and feel good about you and show up in the ring you and not care what nobody think about you. And that's. And that's why this relationship has worked so well for me over the years. Because when we're together, it's never been a thing of e, why you do that, or E, why you do that, or E, why you do that. It's always been like, e, you have a unique set of skills that make you great. You have a unique set. And so we've always focused on what's our unique skills and what do you know that I don't know and how can you help me get to. And so a lot of these young kids are joining things they shouldn't join and being with people because they think their happiness is going to come from being with somebody else. And I just think if you be. Eagles aren't trying to. They just are eating. They not try. Lions aren't. What do you think about me? What do you think about my roar? You think I'm too loud when I roar? They're not concerned. And so I think step two, figure out who you are. Love you. And step three, figure out your North Star and wake up every single day going after your North Star. Because when you have a North Star, you know, and the people that you love and you spend time with have a North Star, have a purpose. And look, their purpose might be we both have people whose purposes I help us with. Our purpose.

Yes.

They don't necessarily have a individual purpose. Like they felt like they were called to help us serve our mission. That's it. So we need a North Star so they can know what their North Star is. So that would be my third one. It's like, you gotta figure out what makes you happy. And again, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with first time I did a behind the scenes coming in here just because I was like, to my Patreon community, like, yo, y' all need to understand where I am and what's going on. But I don't. If you follow me on Instagram or TikTok, wherever I'm on, you don't see behind the scenes. I think that's a phenomenal tool to show other people what. But my wife is private. So for us, that does not work. She does not want to be seen in the landline. She doesn't want to be in Dubai and stop and go, let's take a. Let's document what we're doing. She doesn't like that. So for some people, it works. But I don't have to do that to still find a space, right? There's some people, they do tours, right? I don't do tours. That's not my thing. I used to do them, I don't do them now. There's some people that write books. I. Some people don't write books. Like, it doesn't matter. But what matters is you have to find a thing that wakes you up at 3 o' clock or 6 o' clock or 10 o'. Clock. Like, you got to find the thing that brings the life out of you, the joy out of you, the happiness out of you. And you can't do that following somebody else's North Star. So my last one would be, man, figure out what you was put on this earth to do. And I mean, every single chance you have to do it, do it. And when you're not doing it, enjoy your life. My son was like, damn, I'm tired. I said, you tired? You burnt out for what? Look at your mom and dad. You work for the family. What are you doing? Well, I've been up the last six days working 10, 12 hours. I said, for what? What would you be doing that for? Like, why wouldn't you take advantage of The. You said, what should I be doing? I said, you should figure out what it is you do. He's a designer, right? You should be designing clothes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, whenever, five, six hours a day. And then Saturday, Sunday, or Friday, Saturday, because of your family, you should get a trip somewhere and go spend it with a friend. You should go see the. You should go to Italy. You should go to Rome, son. You should go to South Africa, son. You should go to the Gold coast in Australia, son. What are you like, you should. What are you doing? Like, you should work. But a part of work also is, where's your play? You should play. We worked hard so you could be balanced. So don't be like us. We grew up in a working class home. We grew up in Detroit. We grew up blue collar. You're not blue collar. So go enjoy your life. Be balanced. So I'm not just saying find your North Star in terms of what you've been called to do for others, but there should be a healthy amount of time that you spend enjoying your life and enjoying a little time that you have here. Because we both know we won't be doing this podcast 100 years from now. Sure, we don't know how much longer we have, but I won't be 154 sitting down. So however much time I have left, I need to work hard and I need to enjoy that time.

Absolutely. Those are beautiful, man.

Are you ready to finally hit your target nutrient levels every day? Meet Groons. The daily snack pack of gummies isn't just a multivitamin. It's not just a green gummy, and it's not just a prebiotic. It's all of that rolled into one and then some at a fraction of the price. And they taste great. Here's what makes them stand out. While most multivitamins only cover 7 to 9 vitamins, groons bring together over 20 vitamins and minerals, plus more than 60 nutrient dense whole food ingredients. And those ingredients are known to support things like gut, health, energy, immunity, recovery, cognition, and even beauty. Because it's in gummy form, your body has an easier time absorbing it. Also, we have packs in our studio and and they've been a game changer for everyone in the studio. We've run out so quickly. No powders, no handfuls of pills, just a pack of tasty gummies. And I'm fueling my body with the nutrients it needs. Use Code greatness at Groons Co to save up to 52% off your first order. That's code greatness at Gruns Co for up to 52% off. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. You know, the holidays can feel a lot like balancing family expectations, travel, work, and trying to make everything perfect. It's easy to forget to take care of yourself in the middle of it all. I've been there and what I've learned is that when you don't make space to slow down, it's hard to actually enjoy the moments that matter Most. That's why BetterHelp is encouraging you to rewrite your traditions this season by making time for you. Incorporating therapy into your routine can help you pause, reflect, stay grounded during what can be joyful but sometimes hectic or even lonely time of the year. The holidays look different for everyone. Maybe it's baking your great aunt's sweet potato pie, or maybe it's starting something new like a quiet night with friends. Therapy can be one of those new traditions, too. Better help matches you with a licensed therapist based on your goals and preferences. And if it's not the right fit, you can switch anytime this December, start a new tradition by taking care of you. Our listeners get 10% off@betterhelp.com Louis that's better. H E L P.com Louis I've heard.

You talk about a concept I want to share in a second, but I feel like there's a group of people we've been talking to, you've been talking to that are the people that have maybe don't have the opportunities they want, they don't have the life they want. They feel like people are holding them down. That's one group. Then there's another group of people, which I feel like is a majority of people that have a good life, it's okay, it's good. But they don't. They're not living a great life for themselves. Maybe they got a good job and they're pretty healthy, got a decent relationships. But something, there's like something missing. I think if you can, if that resonates with anyone listening or watching, comment below. Or leave a like, if you feel like, yeah, my life is good, but I feel like something's off.

Off.

You have this great concept called creating a mental rock bottom to push yourself towards your goals. Can you share more about kind of some practical steps of creating your own mental rock bottom so that you can go to the next level in your life?

Okay, I want to use the term, though, that you use. And you said create. And I just think so many of us have stepped into careers that group, we have worshiped careers More than we worship creators. And so the first thing I was head of that group is, what would life look like if you did it on your terms? Because right now, you're really not doing it on your terms. What you've done is say, yo, if I want to survive, if I want to strive, this is what I have to do. And you have allowed people to tell you, okay, you need to be an engineer or you need to be a. And you need to move it. So you've done a phenomenal job. And being obedient, you've done a phenomenal job.

You.

And complying.

Yes.

Like, you've done a phenomenal job. You follow the rules.

Yes.

Congratulations. You know what I'm saying? Like, you didn't rob a bank. You know what I'm saying? Like, you haven't done anything illegal. You did exactly what a good child should do. And I have a daughter that I have to get on her sometime because she's that child that's like, yo, dad, what do you guys want me to do? And I said, do me a favor. Don't always be obedient. Like, you need to sit down and ask yourself, if you weren't thinking about the family's name, if you didn't, if Eric Thomas et the Hip Hop Preacher was not your father, what would you be doing? What would you be doing if you didn't have to worry about honoring the dynasty? And you do a phenomenal job of honoring this dynasty. I'm not taking anything. Went to school, handled your business. You've never been in trouble before. We've never had to spend money doing anything. You've been a phenomenal child. But what would you do if you lived life on your terms and you were able to go where you even want to do? And so that's the first thing I would ask them to do. I want you to think about your life instead of the life. Because that's what you've been thinking about, the life. Now think about your life. And I want you to start putting it everywhere. Now, the next thing I want you to do is I want you to know that if you have the ability, like, I'll never forget, C.J. was like, okay, E, you know what you missing? That the big boy. All the big boy speakers. You know what you're missing? I was like, no. He was like the New York Times bestseller. Now I'm not telling you gotta do it. But I'm saying that's what's missing. That's one of the things. You got it. You got it. So he was like, first of all, do you want it? Do you want it?

Don't do it.

Cause I'm saying you, but do you want it?

And he could elevate you, but do you want it? I was like, yeah, I want it. The next question becomes, what does it take to do it? And then, am I willing to do.

What it takes to get it?

Yeah, that's.

Cause it's a lot.

It's a lot. But here's the thing. I believe if you think about it, it is only because somewhere inside of you, you have what it takes. Now, capacity is there. Willingness is something totally different. Yes, that's different. But I want every human to know. You wouldn't be watching the school. You wouldn't be watching or listening to the school of greatness if you didn't believe you were great. I'm just. For real, you wouldn't be spending time with this man on a regular basis. I'm telling you, I wouldn't be going to Columbus. I drove to Columbus, bruh. It's not a. Trust me when I tell you. It's not a. You don't get off the freeway. It's not 65. You get up. Why did I go? Because this man is great. And greats want to hang with greats. I need you to understand. Look, y' all may not know. Listen to me. I've got Nomad suitcases that I still carry this day because he gave them to me. Like, I didn't buy a new one. I carry the exact same ones that he gave me. And my son bought a set because I had a set, because it reminds me of him. When I travel, it's like, greatness. Great. So you wouldn't be watching. You wouldn't be locked in. Something in your spirit has you tuned into this man. Cause you know you're great. Now you gotta say to yourself, am I willing to cooperate with the greatness that's in me? And then once you do and you start consistently operating in that, you're gonna feel good about it. Here's what you have to do. You have to understand. Andre de Shields, I think, said, the top of one mountain is the bottom of the next. Wow. So you get to the top of the mountain, but you understand the GED was just one. The 4 degree was just one. The math was just after. The PhD was the new York Times. After that, it's the assessments, it's the training, it's the coaching. But I'm in masterminds. I get coached right? And so it's this Idea of yesterday's greatness can't be enough because I'm alive today. So if I'm alive today, it must be some more greatness in me. And it's my job, like the toothpaste. It's my job not to just lose. I don't know about you, but I would just use a little bit of it and get another one. I'm squeezing and I got money and I'm squeezing, squeezing that toothpaste. Why? Because I'm trying to get everything out the tube before I go to another one and with my life before I get out of here, which is why I could murder myself. That I didn't realize at 12 that I was great. And that's why I said, you gotta check in 2025, you 2025, right. Because I didn't know I was great. And once I checked it and realized how great I was, I was like, bruh, we gonna keep doing this and to the day we die. And so I would just say to you, you are, you're watching. You're in this space. You're reading his books, you're going to his conferences. Because you know it's in you. And it's time to stop being lazy. And it's time to. It's time to activate.

I love that, man. Well, here's the thing, why I think a lot of people might stay stuck is they. They allow their feelings to keep them in a place of frustration. You have this great example that you say execution should be fact based, not feeling based. But people feel the overwhelm of the economy or the government or their parents or their partner or whatever the responsibilities of the world. They feel anxious, avoidant, overwhelmed, burnt out, like doubtful, insecure. And they allow feelings to consume their inaction.

So how.

What's an example of how someone can shift from being driven by emotions into fact based actions towards their.

It was what you teach, man, the meditation thing. People don't take it serious. This is the time to get control of your mind. And for most of us, our mind is in control of us. So when you talk about meditating, it's like, this is a habit of the grades. And one thing that happens to those individuals who are not where they want to be is, I'm not trying to be funny, but it's like lazy. To actually meditate regularly is a discipline.

It is, man. It's not easy.

It's not easy to get control of your. I'm like, where did that thought come from? Right? So guys, let's go back to the 12 year old that found the birth certificate, Right? We found the birth certificate. We found the birth certificate in the emotional state. Oh, yeah, we found it in an emotional state. Yeah. Listen to me. I'm not the first kid who has ever gone through this experience. And you know what I had to ask myself in that mirror at 16, 17, 18, I had to keep asking myself, when you saw it, why did you see it that way? Why did you not call your mom and say, mom, did we talk about this? Why didn't you go, hey, Ma, the counselor. Can we go sit down and talk to the counselor? Hey, Ma, call Dan. Can we just sit down and listen to me. I went from I can't believe that you would do me like this. I went from a ball of emotions to living in abandoned buildings. It was the stupidest decision I have probably ever made. I put myself in so much danger as a 12 year old, 13 years old, homeless, based on emotions, on emotions. So the same document, nothing changed about it. But if I could go back as this adult and look at that, I would look at it as facts and go, wow, your mother protected you. Wow. Your mom loved you so much that she didn't want you with your biological father because she thought he could be a threat, right, wrong or indifferent. Your mom didn't do this because she was trying to hurt you. Your mom did this because she was trying to protect you. Your mom brought you into a family. Your mom didn't try to hide the identity. She wanted this man to be your father. He didn't. He changed your name and gave you his last name. Wow. He treated me as if I was his own. Wow. He didn't lie. He made his family treat me as if I was. And don't ever say anything about my past because my past has nothing to do with him making a decision at the courthouse to be my dad. Wow. It's the same document. One emotional, the other one is factual. Your mother loves you. Your mother cares for you. Your mother's trying to put you in a healthy environment. Your mother has a job. Your mother married somebody who was a foreman at gm. He has a job. He has a college degree. He played basketball. He's a responsible man. He protects his family. Take care. But emotion wouldn't let me be rational. Emotional wouldn't let me think rationally. It had me irrational. So I would say, when you make emotional decisions, you get emotional consequences. Yes, but it takes meditation, it takes controlling of the mind to say, how should I behave? How should I think in this situation? And what's going to give me the best outcomes. And I'm going to be honest. I've learned we can save the emotions for when I'm looking at the Nomad badge and going, man, that's my boy. Thank you. Why would you even buy me? Like, what would make you think of. And this is a perfect gift. You know what I'm saying? Like, I didn't think to buy suitcases for myself. That's where the emotion should be. Me coming in, seeing you, hugging you. What's up, fam? But when it comes to business, when it comes to being a leader and a decision maker, we not doing emotions. We're doing empirical evidence.

Wow.

We're doing facts. What does the fact say? What does the research say? What does the evidence say? Okay. And based on the research and the evidence, this is the game plan. Let's go. It doesn't matter how you feel. Yeah, yeah. Don't matter how you feel.

Man, I love this.

Yeah.

Again, if we're. We're talking about really developing, Developing kind of a bulletproof mindset, when the last five years for a lot of people has been a lot of stress, overwhelming anxiety as we move into 2025 in order to have a more powerful, resilient mindset, how important is it for not just me and you? Because I already know the answer for me and you. How important is it for everyone to have mentors in their life?

It's everything, man. Listen to me. I never even thought about being a multimillionaire or billionaire until I was in a room with Warren Buffett. I never even. I didn't even know how much it was worth when I was in the room afterwards. And then it's all started making sense. Okay. Now that I know who I am, you 20, 25, like, check. I know who I am now. It's, oh, oh, real estate is away. Oh. So you mean to tell me that being a blue collar, okay, that's what my parents knew. But you don't make a whole bunch of money working. You make more money when you put your money to work. Oh, that's real estate. Oh. Helping kids who are talented figure out their talent, Taking a percentage. Oh, okay. Okay. I didn't even know this stuff exists. Got it. And so it is important. Bob Proctor pulling me to the side. How much do you charge? You should be charging Les Brown calling me and said, I'll meet you in Orlando. Les Brown, sit me down, talking to me. Listen to me. Coaching is everything. Why? Because I just said, think of Michael Jordan without Phil Jackson.

Right?

Think of Venus in Seren. Venus and Serena without Richard Williams. Like, yo, I just want you to picture Kobe without Phil Jackson. Think, think about Tim Brook without Mike, without, you know, Tim Groh. Come on. Not Tim. Why would he. So. So coaching is critical. Here's what's going to blow your mind. When you get to our level, you really need more coaching because we didn't exhausted all the stuff. You really need coaching.

After Jordan, after Jordan won his first championship, he didn't say, I think I've got it figured out on my own. I don't need a coach. He said, let me find Tim to train me. Let me find the mindset, coach, the recovery coach, you know, make sure we're getting to the next level.

They said, they said. I read it, but it's research. I'm almost sure it's true that LeBron, look at LeBron, what he's doing right.

Now, it's amazing, man. Bro, 40, a 40.

Duncan, whoever had the arguments, you know what I'm saying? Because there were those of us who was alive, we watched Jordan do his thing. But bro, what LeBron is doing right now. But when I do my research and not emotional about, oh, how is he doing this? No, when I do my research, he's spending 1.5 million on his body, meaning recovery coaches, meaning dietary coaches, everything, meaning mental and emotional coaches, acting coaches, like, he got on. And so you see the decision he made and you see, okay, yeah, he was great. But that investment that he made in himself. And now look at his son, as in, and then he got another son. These are decisions that he's making. He's not emotional. These decisions are based on facts of experts. And then we're seeing the outcomes of it. We're seeing the numbers that he putting up at this age versus the and nobody's ever put these kind of numbers up at this particular age. So we all coaches, you know, and so that's why I've made the decision that E. The one area that you need to step up in is speaking is good, traveling the world, talking. But you gotta the same way people open up doors for you and walk you through, you have got to do the same thing. And I've literally the last two years have had a small group of people that every morning I wake up with and I train them for an hour every single morning.

It's amazing.

And what's amazing about that is to see the difference between people I coach and people who watch me online. Wow. It's a different. You watching me online, you getting the motivation. But you're not getting the daily schedule, you're not getting the things to do list, you're not getting the mindset, you're not getting the analytics, you're not getting the blueprint. So it's like you're watching and then you interpret. And this is why I think audiobooks are good, but I think training with our books are good because people will read our books and interpret them in a way that we didn't intend for to interpret it. So when we do the training or they get to come to a conference where they get to watch the podcast, they're really investing more to. What was. What was he really saying?

Yeah.

And if they can do what you're saying, that habit, they can get the outcomes of me and you get.

Yeah.

And it's also being around other people who are in that mindset who are pushing and you're seeing them grow and it's influencing you to grow and you're.

Yeah.

So the community aspect of.

We're getting.

We're getting coached together, we're growing together, we're working our goals together, all that stuff. You've got an amazing challenge coming up.

Yeah.

It's u2025.com, where you're going to put people through a lot of what we've been talking about and more.

21 days.

21 days.

Every day.

Coaching, teaching, mentoring, giving them schedule.

What I actually do. Not just the passion and stuff, you hear it online, but the actual and for free. But you. I'm going to walk you through how many steps I take a day, what I'm drinking. Why did I decide to wake up at this time? Beautiful. Why am I doing this? So that you can start the year off. And I used to do it in like January. Ish. And I'm like, e, you from Detroit. The 2025 come out in such a rocktober.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Of 2024, they don't wait to bring.

Sure.

They don't. They don't bring 2025 out in January. They bring it out. And so I was like, e, don't do that. Let's start in November. Let's take it into December and let's give them the energy and the strategy to go into the new year.

That's right.

Knowing that they are their greatest asset and they need to tap into their greatest. There should be like, in class especially you go to college, it should be like, you, you owe you 101, you owe you 215. Like, you owe you 312. Like, literally, you get to sit down and go, what, who am I? What are my skills? What are the things that I'm challenged with? Like what industries would I be best in? We spend so much time trying to get that we. I don't think we spend a significant enough time who we are, like, who should we become?

Yeah, that's beautiful, man. So they can go to u2025.com to register for that. That's powerful, man. I feel like I could talk to you for, for a long time on this, but I wanted to ask you a couple more questions before we wrap up again. We're going back to the 12 year old you who's, who's down and out figuring about your, your dad's not your, your biological dad in your life, your mom lied, you know, challenges in life. And we're talking about where you're at now. Where do you think you'd be without a spiritual relationship with God in your life over the last 30 plus years? With all the ups and downs, where would you be in life right now? The etu with no spiritual relationship?

I'd say either. Dead. I'd say dead. Really? Yeah, because I was an extremist. You know, everything I did, I did it to the fullest, you know, so I think I would be dead. Honestly. I would say this to simplify for people because sometimes when you talk spirituality, it just, for some people, it's just too deep. I would say to you, what happened when I, you know, made a commitment to God is that I connected with the person that made me, that knew me like nobody else knew me. And he coached me from the 12 year old to now.

He.

He coached me. Wow. He's like, bro, I know you. I made you inside out. I know, I know what's the best environments for you. I know who's good for you, who's not good for you. I know your temptations, I know your, your vices, you know, I know your good habits, your bad habits. And just let me, let me teach you. Wow. You know, and so it's, it was maybe five, six years of fighting, resisting, resisting, you know, and then. Cause he introduced himself to me at 8 and I guess maybe it was too young, but homeless. I was like at 16, like, okay, I'm ready to get coached. Where's that coaching program you said you had? I'm ready for that coach. And so from 16 to maybe 25, you know, it was like, okay, I'm gonna come to coaching some days. Some days I'm not. Some days I'm going in Some days I'm not. And then my son was born. I was almost 25 years old. Jalen was born. And Jalen was born in 1995. I turned 25 in September. He was born July 20th. And when Jalen was born, it was the day coach said to me, this is why I've been trying to train you, because I wanted you to be the best father you can be. And so you miss him. You miss some classes. You missed some lessons. Your son is here now. He needs the best version of you. Wow. We can't. We can't. We can't repeat the mistakes. Let's face it. Everyone's juggling long, busy days. That's why Icebreaker's gum is made for the go getters.

With flavor crystals that deliver a bold.

Cooling effect, Icebreakers keeps you refreshed and ready to take on whatever's next. And here's a bonus.

The pack fits perfectly in your car.

Cupholder or bag, so it's within reach when you need it most. Grab Icebreakers gum online or at a store near you. The holidays are back at Starbucks, so share the season with a peppermint mocha, Starbucks signature espresso, velvety mocha, and cool.

Peppermint notes topped with whipped cream and.

Dark chocolate curls together is the best place to be at Starbucks. And so I need you to hurry up. And so when Jalen was born, from that day forward, you know, I remember when he was born, I held him. It was kind of like he looked at me like, you the person that's going to take care of me, you know? And that was the day. And this is what a lot of you are running from is the R word. And I get it, because it's tough responsibility. That was the day where it's like, oh, you got to be responsible for somebody else.

Yeah.

You cannot. You got. I've never played a video game since Jalen was born. Wow. I've read more books since Jalen was born. That first year or two that I ever read in my life, I took my career serious. And speaking, I start, you know, Zig Ziglar, you know, Nightingale, you know, Og Mendino, Bob Proctor, all these bruh. You name him. Dennis Kimbrough. Like, I went. I went deep, I went heavy. You know, Arthur Ashe, you know, Days of Great Man, I read everything. I was in the library like an addict, just studying and studying and studying. And it was because I didn't want the. I didn't want some of the consequences of the past to come in this generation, you know, and so for me it was like, yo, your son's here, you gotta handle your business. And I just heard I was more attentive. I started getting up at 6 and then I'd play this game. Daylight saving times would come, I would, okay, say, don't follow it, stay up at five is the new. And then the next year the four. And then I got started getting up at three and I started getting up at three o' clock in the morning because it was still. There was no dogs outside, nobody was driving around, the family was asleep. And I was like, okay, coach, I'm sorry, let's go back over the lessons I didn't get. And let's go over the new lessons. Coach me. Show me. Nobody knows me, man. I tell people I had a brand new Cadillac, man, It ain't at 10,000 miles and the engine blew and I immediately took it back to Cadillac. I didn't take it to BMW, I didn't take it to Honda, I took it straight to Cadillac and I went right back to the creators like, yo, you made me. And I'm tearing this car up. I'm not putting all oil in it, I'm not changing the rotating the tires, I'm not putting fluid in it. Show me how to take care of this. And he began to show me how to do it. And it's just like amazing to see when we're on one accord and I'm following the. He told me, he's like, yo, it's time. I think I called you maybe last year I was like, yo, I need to. And it was like, no, no, you just supposed to call and say what's up? You know, and then this time it was like, yep, you need to do it. You know, I was like, all right, I got it, Brandon. I think I was like, all right, you know, so just listen to him doing what he's telling me to do and let him coach me. So I would say, you know, don't spiritualize it and make it too. It's the coach and just get a relationship with the coach. Let the coach get a relationship with you and just do what he tells you to do and you're going to love the results.

You alluded a little bit about, you know, this version of you is kind of speaking to your 16 year old self and saying like, here's what you need to do, stop doing that, start doing this. Like whether that was you in the future or God speaking to you in the future, in the future, like, hey, this is what your higher self needs. You to do right now?

Yeah.

What do you feel like God is speaking to you now or your future self is saying to you now for the wisdom you need to hear to take you to the next.

This, this. This. This. This is what God is saying. You spent all of your mature life pouring into people who can't do a whole lot for you. You spent some kind of way in your soul, you feel like because of where you were and all these people to help you get to where. So it's like you, like, you feel like you owe people to not be in mutual relationships. Like, you feel like you're so blessed and you have so much, it's almost a survivor of guilt. And now you just got to be with people who you got to pull, and you got to be with people that you got to beg to. And you got to be with people who you just got to bless, and you may not get nothing back. He like, no, no, no, no. In this season, these relationships have always been there for you, but you haven't taken advantage of them. Because it's like, I gotta help and I gotta fix, and I gotta be a. I gotta savior's complex. I gotta help you, help you and help you. Because somebody helped me, and I wouldn't be here. It's like. And C.J. said to me, eric, no, the only reason it worked is because you wanted it to work. Those mentors didn't do nothing for you. They did, but you had to want it. You're helping people that don't even want to be helped. They want a handout. Yeah. They don't want to be helped. Now, the rest of your life, son, being in relationships where it's mutual, just, bro, this is. This might seem insignificant to you, but, you know, they called me and was like, yo, let us know when you get here. And I was like, all right, I'll be there. You know, whatever. And it was like, no, no, no, tell us. You know when you pull up. I'm like, tell you when I pull up, like, I can get upstairs on my own. They're like, no, no, tell us when you get there. We're gonna meet you downstairs. Oh, and you want anything from Starbucks? No, I'm like, nah, I'm good. I didn't say anything to her. I was like, no, I'm missing the car. I'm good. I get my own Starbucks. He said, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm trying to teach you something. She didn't ask you if you had money to buy Starbucks.

Do you want something?

She asked you did you want something?

Something from Starbucks?

And I said, you know what? I even text her and say, you know, I, I normally say, no, I don't say yes to this kind of stuff, but you know what? Yes, I'd like a grande medicine ball with no honey, but three agave. Wow. You know, and she was like, okay, you want to get, you need to use the recipe, you need whatever. And he was like, yo, this is the season. You pour it out so much. Receive, get something.

Receive.

Get in these mutual relationships and get something. So that's what I'm hearing him say, you know, as I come today, it's like you, these relationships have been there for you and you've done your part to make sure you stay alive, but you don't always, you don't always allow people to reciprocate, you know, so that's. The season for me is like, hey, bless the world. And hey, if you don't ever put out another video, there's enough videos and all kind of content for people to now look out for. Eric Thomas now put air, now go to the weddings, stop working all the time, not go to the events, stop just working all the time and stop just you and your wife or your little. No, no. There are other communities that are waiting to bless you in the way you've blessed others. And it's time for you to enjoy that. Wow. Yeah. So that's what you're telling me.

You deserve to receive, man. I want to acknowledge you, Eric, for being in this season of life because I've known you for 10 years, but you put so much focus on giving in a big way, which is a beautiful blessing, but I think you can also give and receive at the same time. It doesn't have to be mutually one way. Just give, give, give, give and like exhaust yourself to like, serve, serve, serve, serve, and then you can give nothing back to self. So I really acknowledge you for being in a season of like, how can I give and receive? Yeah, how can I deepen these relationships with people who. Because I know people try to pour into you.

Absolutely.

But you're always too busy or you're trying to give, give, give, or you're traveling non stop. I got to help save the kids and teenagers.

Of course, dude.

And so I acknowledge it for, you know, being, acknowledging this season of life for you and saying like, it's time to like. And I can even see it in your face and your chest even. I just energetically, when I, when I saw you today, yeah, I was like, man, you look healthy. Healthier. And I think it's because you're allowing yourself to receive it, and so it's really beautiful, man. I'm glad you're in that space.

You and me both.

You look younger, too.

You and me both.

You know what I mean?

And you know what? I've got people in my life who have, you know, my guy Chuck at church. E. What you need? I have people who've been there, and I haven't even allowed. And so it's like, no. There are a few people already in your circle who've tried. You got to let them fully understand. And then there are other people not in your circle of influence.

Yeah.

Who are. Who've been trying to.

Sure.

And you got.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Receive, receive, man. I love this, man.

Okay, so you get by email.

Yeah, exactly.

Well, if people want to learn more.

They can go to u2025.com they can also go to. I think it's Eric Thomas.com or ET, the hip hop preacher on Instagram. YouTube, obviously. Lots of great friends. Free content. If you're not able to sign up for the challenge right now, but it is free. Yeah, you2025.com make sure you guys check that out. Leave a comment of the thing that spoke to you and resonated the most with you below on YouTube as well.

And I'll.

And always make sure to share that for the friend that you think would empower them to step up in their life in a. In a powerful way. Two final questions for you, Eric. I appreciate your time, man.

Me too. I appreciate this.

I think I asked you this seven years ago last time. You're on. But I'm gonna ask it again and see where you. You're at now. You keep evolving as a human. This is a question called the three Truths. So it's a hypothetical scenario. Say you get to live to 150. You get to live as long as you want.

We got to come back and do it before then.

You get to live as long as you want, but it's the last day on the wrist for you. You know, you're as old as you want to be. You get to create and accomplish and give and receive all the things you want. But it's the last day very far in the future. And for whatever reason, on this hypothetical scenario, you've got to take all of your content with you so the world has no more access to ET's content. Books, challenges, YouTube. It's all, for whatever reason, hypothetically gone.

It's called.

Oh, I know, right? It's all hypothetical. It's not going to happen. But let's just say. Let's just say it is. But on the last day, God says, you know what? I'm going to let you leave three things behind. Three lessons from all the wisdom you've gained and all the content you've created, all your experiences. You get to say three final things, three truths, and this would stay forever for people to watch. What would those three truths be?

So the first one is unplug. Unplug from everybody. You know, unplug from everybody. I don't know if this is one, but unplug from everybody. Plug with the creator, man. Like, plug with the person that brought you into this space knows you, loves you, you know, Unplugged. Number two, man. Find love, you know, Dee Dee, man. Dee Dee, it's just been so rich being in a healthy relationship. That's beautiful, you know, because it shows you who you're not. Like, it's not what you think. It's not just this warm, fuzzy, you know, but Dee Dee has been like, hey, you're a great human, but you got to work on this, you know? And then the last one, man. Love, you know, Love. It's so easy to see our differences. It's so easy to, you know, the things that are, you know, polar opposite. You grew up here, you grew up. I believe in this. I believe in that. You vote this way, you vote this way. I believe this. I believe it. It's so easy to let one or two things separate you when it's about a hundred things that you guys have in common because you're human, you know? And so it's just like, love. And I think of a lot of my friends who've never gotten to go out of our community, never meet anybody outside of our little world, and to be in Dubai or New Zealand or, you know, wherever. Travel in love. So that's the last one. Love. But don't love in your little pocket, like, get out and meet different people who come from different spaces and places, and just see how dope the creator is by. By. By being around the people who he created. Absolutely. Because he created you and not like me. And so there's so much dopeness, you know, around you that I can get into. But I do, you know, I have a lot of. I have a lot of friends, you know, the thing I love about you is I've done podcasts with people. Like, it's dope because people are energetic, but I always know when I'm with You. It's not about energy. It's about inward. And you make me go inward in a way that I don't have to do with a lot of people. So many people are surface. They don't make you go inward. Whenever I'm with you, it's like, oh, e. Let's have a meaningful. We may only be together for an hour, but let's. Let's make it meaningful and deep. So when I walk out of here, my wife is about to get a new version of me. So I say love, but travel and meet all the different people from all the different walks of life, eat different food, see the world different, live in different spaces, and just see how good the Creator is by introducing yourself to the ones he creates.

Wow. That's beautiful. I love those. Final question, what's your definition of greatness.

Man? I'll just say this verse, well done, thou good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few. I'll make you rule over many. To me, greatness is fulfilling the purpose of the manufacturer. So if I made this cup, I. I want to put whatever I want to put in the cup. I don't want the cup telling me I don't want to do that. And so for me, it's like, what is it that you want me to do? And there was a time you wanted me to save the world. Now you want me to save myself.

Oh, my gosh.

So if that's what you want now, if that's the new thing you're asking me to do, I just want to make the manufacturer go, I created this for this use, and I am. I am utilizing it in the way that it should be used. And that's. You know, of course, you got to evolve and grow and do all the stuff you have to do. But, yeah, that's. To me, that's what greatness is. The Creator getting everything out of you, not just you. Because I feel like if you created get everything out of me, I'm going to have a great life, too. But it doesn't necessarily mean I've been married for a while, I've been happy. And my wife was like, I'm not as happy as you are. And I'm like, what? We happy? She said, no, no, you're happy, but there's some things I need you to do that you're not doing. I'm like, well, you're doing everything. It's like, that two things could be true. You. I could, but you're not. And so I don't want to just be happy. I want the creator to go, yeah, I'm grateful that I created you and I see you're doing in the world what it was that I wanted you to do and now also for yourself what I wanted you to do. Because I wanted you to be happy too. I didn't want your life to just be about work and being a blessing. I wanted you to be blessed as well. So that's it.

My man ET my brother. Appreciate it man. Yeah, thank you.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode and it inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a full rundown of today's episode with all the important links. And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me personally as well as ad free listening, then make sure to subscribe to our greatness+channel exclusive exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Share this with a friend on social media and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts as well. Let me know what you enjoyed about this episode in that review. I really love hearing feedback from you and it helps us figure out how.

We can support and serve you moving forward.

And I want to remind you of no one has told you lately that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do do something great.

Introducing Fidelity Trader plus the next generation of Advanced Trading from Fidelity. Customize your tools and charts and access them seamlessly across desktop, web and mobile for faster trades anywhere you go. Try the all new Fidelity Trader Plate. Learn more about our most powerful trading platform yet@fidelity.com TraderPlus investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC Member NYSE SIPC Streaming is changing the way we watch live sports and your Internet connection can be the difference between catching the game winning touchdown as it happens or hearing about it from your neighbor's cheers. That's why Comcast is building the network of the future. Using cutting edge AI and edge computing technology, we're bringing fans closer to the action in stunning high definition with ultra low latency. It's not just fast, it's game changing. Learn more@comcastcorporation.com sports.