What do I want my daughter to think of me? | Ep. 7

I want my, I want my daughter to marry a man that's living like a very noteworthy life, you know, like that, that puts God first, that's taking care of family, that's working hard, and you know, preferably not playing video games 30 hours a week and stuff like that.

So welcome to the Rising Tribe.

I'm Jared and I'm Austin.

And our goal is to inspire young men to build strong families and discover their potential as men, husbands, and fathers.

And we'll do this by having authentic conversations about faith, family, health, and business as we strive to level up our lives and the lives around us. Welcome everybody. And, uh, we're excited to have you guys here on our July podcast. And we're just stoked that Jared and I just talked about this. We've been very consistent this year. And I think Jared, something cool is a lot of podcasts just like don't make it. But Jared and I, we said, hey, let's do something that we can, that we can for sure do. And we're like, yeah, once a month we can do that. And so it's just exciting. We're— I'm starting to see like we're consistent with this and I look forward to it every single month, man. Excited for this episode.

Yeah. And it's, it's kind of crazy when you think about wanting to do, wanting to do something consistently over time. So for example, right, I work in aircraft maintenance and One of the things that's been on my mind lately is how the jets that we fly out in Italy, they were built back in the '80s, like all of them. And like that's a hot minute ago, you know? And thinking about those jets, like we often joke and complain about, you know, like, dude, these things are ancient. They're basically held up with duct tape and like we fix them with hammers and, you know, Flex Tape and stuff. I mean, not really, but like those are the jokes, you know, these things have been around forever. Been thinking about, like, well, yeah, yeah, they're old, and yeah, that means that causes lots of issues with getting, you know, getting the right parts because people don't manufacture them anymore and blah, blah, blah. But how crazy is it that we're flying these planes that have been around since the '80s? Like, how many people are driving cars that have been around since the '80s? Like, none of them. And, and the reason that our jets are still flying today and still, like, performing incredibly is the fact that they have been well maintained day in and day out. And what that means is that, like, like, imagine you, you could have the, the fanciest, shiniest, you know, fastest, most dangerous plane on the planet, and it could fly, drop some bombs, or do whatever it's supposed to do today. But then if it comes back broke and you can't fix it, like, you only got one day out of that awesome jet. But if you take a, a good plane and you fly it today and it comes back and you can fix it, then you can fly it tomorrow and it can come back and you can fix it, and then you can fly it the next day and the next day and the next day. And over time, that's the plane that's going to get the job done. That's the plane that you're going to want because it's reliable and dependable and consistent across time. And that is when it comes down to the mission, when it comes down to like to warfighting, that's— that is more important is that you can fight today and tomorrow and the next day. Not just that you can go out and, you know, be a bull in a china shop today and then that's it. Like, it's got to be consistent over time.

That's huge, man. I— and makes me think a lot about— so before me and you started this phone call, one of the things that I've been thinking about a lot recently is how I'm executing my goals. And I have had periods in my life where I've been the bull in the china shop. And that's actually really cool. It's really sexy, you know, like, like, it looks super BA, like, yeah, like going out and going crazy. But there's something to be said for longevity, for consistency over time. And I had this, and this goes straight into like this, I'm in the heat of the summer, right? Like, hottest month, which, by the way, Summers in Georgia are nothing compared to summers in Houston. Bless their heart. It is so freaking hot out there in Houston. But, but I feel like it's— people are saying it's hot out here. I'm like, this ain't bad at all. But anyways, so I'm in the heat of the summer right now and we just hit 540 accounts and dude, I was really struggling mentally. For quite a while because I was comparing myself to last year, but I was doing it in a really bad light up into the point where I was like, man, do I need to like switch out my coach? Do I need to switch out my routine? Like, what am I doing wrong? And I had like, I had to really have, I really had to have like a come to, come to Jesus with myself. And, um, what happened was I, I, this is just something interesting. I messaged my coach and like, dude, I, I, I think I think I may need to look into different coaching. It was really cool. Like, first of all, I'm still with him and I'll explain why. But he was like, dude, this is probably the coolest thing in the world that you're talking to me about this. Why are you talking? Why are you bringing this up? He's like, this is awesome. You're having a breakthrough. You're realizing that you need to make some changes. And what we actually came to was I have lived this summer in such a good, like, And I have done this summer in a way that I designed it to be. Like, I've done everything intentionally. I've taken trips with my family. We went out to Colorado a couple weeks ago, climbed a 14er. I came back to work. I took 4th of July off. I took Memorial Day off, made memories with family. And I'm still producing a ton. I'm still making a I want to make a ton of money for my family. But what we were realizing was like, my ego was really getting in the way of that. Like, this is what I, what I'm doing right now is what I truly want. And because my numbers, the number of accounts were not bigger than where I was last year, I was really struggling. And I'm like, well, you know, I must not, I must not be as good as I used to be. And I don't know, I'm hard, you know, I think, I think all like high performers are hard on their, they're hard on themselves. But, um, really there's a, there's a reason why, where I'm at right now, it's because I chose to be here. And I think that's true of any decision or like anywhere you are in your life. It's like where you are, you're there because you chose to be there. Um, but on another note, like if you look at things like, oh, I'm, if you compare yourself to last year in a bad light, you're always going to feel down on yourself.. And what my coach helped me realize, he's like, dude, you're evolving. Like, you don't always have to be the bull in the china shop. There's more than one way to skin a cat. And so there's more than one way to get a golden door in my industry. Like, I don't need to get it done in 4 months. I don't. Like, technically I have until December 31st to get this thing knocked out. And I'll hit 4— oh, so it's like $650K to hit the golden door mark. I'll hit $400K. Within the next week. Point is, I am doing this in a way where like, it's, I have a ton of longevity. I don't hate what I'm doing right now. And I'm doing exceptionally well. I think I mentioned to you last week, my account volume is lower. But the price at which I sell each account is way higher. Like last year it was $520,000. This year it actually got up to $700,000. Last year, I think last we talked, it was like $620,000. So I actually got it pumped all the way up to $700,000.

So the average account you're selling is $700,000.

Exactly. And I'd like to get it up to $750,000 before this is all said and done. But the point is, like, I'm working smarter, and I'm getting time to go to the temple on Saturdays. I'm going, I'm still able to go to gymnastics with Georgia on Fridays. I love it. Like, I am having a ton of fun. And I just, and what we realized was I really, the reason why I was struggling with it, because I cared about what other people, I cared about what other people thought about me. That quite frankly, it doesn't matter about their opinion. What does matter, and this is what my coach, this is what we work through together. And this is like the big breakthrough I've had recently. Is he had me write like what people will say at my funeral. He had me pick 4 or 5 people. And those 4 or 5 people that I, you know, I wrote their speech at my funeral. They were my wife, my daughter. So I'll just pull it up. So they're my wife, my daughter, my uncle, and my mom. And all of those people are like the people I've been taking trips to go and see, or like, you know what I mean? Like, that's all I care about. So when I die, I'd rather, I'd rather have those moments with them. And so like, and I'll wrap this up here just to kind of, you know, this big breakthrough I've been having recently is like, yeah, I have evolved. This time last year I was eating Chick-fil-A every day. I was fat. I was not working out every day. I was missing the gym every day because I would wake up and go straight to selling. Well, dude, this year, like, I wake up every day. My Kaya's been going to the gym with me. Um, we have a really— we— our relationship has been better this year because we've actually been together, as opposed to like this weird time where I'm in the house but I'm— we don't really see each other ever. Yeah. Um, yeah.

Well, can I make a comment on that real quick?

Yeah, yeah, please, please.

I noticed, I noticed that, um, no, it's all, it's all good stuff. And, and I noticed was it yesterday? Um, I saw on your, on your Instagram that you had posted just like a story of the two of you watching. Um, freak, I don't remember what it was.

Well, it's about Jack Ryan, by the way. I lost— oh, season 6, and I was out. But, but yeah, we tried. Yeah, no, but go ahead.

Well, great show, great show. And I, I was actually really happy because yeah, I saw that and I was like, oh dude, that means that the new season's out, so I gotta go watch it. Oh wait, um, show's awesome, dude. So I— but yeah, I saw that you posted that in it and I was thinking about all the posts that I've seen you make over the last month, 2 months, just kind of this whole summer. And a few of them, like, if only a few of them are actually you on the doors. Yeah, only a handful of them. The rest of them, are you traveling? Are you with your wife? Are you with Georgia at gymnastics? And I was just thinking like, This is a very different Austin than last year. This is— yeah, this is an Austin, by all appearances. I don't even know if he's knocking doors anymore, you know? And but it was like, obviously I knew you weren't. I know you're performing, but I like— that's what I was thinking is like, he is living a different life now than he was last year. And I loved it. I absolutely loved it.

Yeah, dude, I just like So with that being said, like, I just don't— I do, I care a lot about how I perform because I really want to be good at my job. I really want to set an example for the guys that I work with. But the example that I want to set isn't just, okay, go sell a ton of accounts every day. It's also, and this is where I'm kind of leaning into that training role a little bit more. It's also like, how you are as a man. And so I wrote this, you know, like 300-page manual, the first for Anthem and the first chapter, like the first thing is all about like developing routines, developing healthy habits. And like the vision that I did for, the vision that I wrote for the Anthem sales was, we'll educate, equip, and encourage sales reps, uh, to eliminate their potential and reach their highest levels of success. And not only their sales and team building, but their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial situations. And the way we'll do that is by working mission, right? Working alongside reps of all skill levels and backgrounds to work hand in hand and becoming 1% every day, 1% better in every day in each of the core 5 categories. So for me, here's Georgia. For me, it's been more about setting a good example of just being a good dad, being a good husband, and like being in shape and like trying to diversify my life. If you listen to Ed Mylett's podcast recently, yeah, talks about diversifying like what you're doing and who you hang out with. So, yeah, like last year I was eating Chick-fil-A every day. I— it wasn't healthy. This year I've meal planned.

I—

yeah, we've meal planned. I worked out with my wife. Like, I would not be where I am right now if I didn't spend the last, those 4 months, like, being the bull in the china shop. Yeah. Um, but, like, I'm about sustainability. I'm about creating an impact for my family, and there's more things that matter than that. I'll still get my Golden Door this year. Um, but it's, it'll be way smarter, and I'll be way happier in the process. So it makes me wonder, like, could I have done that in the first place? I don't know. But I'm not, I have zero regrets on how I've done the things I've done. And I think every year I have a lesson that I've learned. Yeah. So it's kind of what I'm learning now. Go ahead.

Yeah. And, and I don't know.

I appreciate what you said, by the way.

Oh, of course. Um, and yeah, I don't, I don't know. It's possible you could have, but part of me thinks, I don't, maybe you couldn't have, um, maybe you couldn't have performed the way you're performing this year if you hadn't performed last year, because Now you've got a confidence about you that says, okay, I can still reach my goals. They're very possible, but I can actually make some changes to the way that I'm living today and still hit those goals. Whereas last year it was, it was like, you know, we got to do more. We got to do more. Got to do more. Like just hope. I mean, hoping not in a, not in a naive sort of way, but like just striving, striving and hoping that you'll get there. Kind of at all costs. And then once you get there and you know that you can do it, well then, okay, maybe I actually didn't need to do it in that way and I still could have gotten there.

Well, dude, last year, and I'll share this, I kind of like cap off kind of like my what I'm learning about me right now and how I'm evolving. Last year I shared that experience about how I didn't really relax until I hit 1,000 accounts. Like I didn't actually take time to live and to love life until I hit my thousandth account. And then, then quite frankly, I crapped the bed. I couldn't go out and sell because I was like, cool, I reached the destination. And something I've been working on with Alex Cornwall, he's like my mindset coach that I've been working with throughout this time, is you have to enjoy the journey, like trust in the process, enjoy the journey. It's not about a destination because there is no destination. Like you never make it. And that's one of the things like one of the things I appreciate about my coaching is that Alex will call me out. And there was a while back ago where I was in a sales slump, and I didn't want to admit it. I said, I hate it when people say they're in sales slumps. And he goes, well, hey, Austin, you know, we got— we have some expletives in our calls. I'll spare him for this call. But he goes, well, hey, like, I've got a newsflash for you. You're, you're in an effing slump. And I'm like, well, crap. Like, dang it. Like, I'm in a slump, I guess. And he goes, yeah, you need to start admitting it and just be human and like realize where you're at. Um, but what he said was like, you're in this spot because you keep comparing yourself to last year and you think that you made it last year, but there is no destination. It's just, you know, it's, it's, it's about learning to enjoy this process. And I, and I will say like, I have loved my job way more because I've just been enjoying the process. I've been enjoying connecting with people and I'm selling at a higher level. My accounts are way cleaner and I'm selling in neighborhoods that are like way rich too. Like, and I freaking love it because they pay more. They're like, they're going to stick, their accounts are clean and it's just a very professional way of selling. Whereas last year I just went into like, quite frankly, I just went into new construction and like I hit up all the new construction and this year I have not been able to do that because the housing market slowed down and I've had to find a way to hit my goal. So, um, it's been, it's been really cool, man. And I think I'm more at peace with like with where I'm at and where I'm headed than I was before. It was, it was my ego that was just pulling at me and comparing myself to last year in a bad light, whereas I could. And now what I do now is I compare myself to last year and I'm like, man, I am doing so much better. I am in a way better spot mentally, spiritually, um, financially, like I've made the same amount of money as I have last year with less work. Cool. So yeah, I've gone to conferences that have been complete game changers. Hell on the Hill, Hell on the Hill, and that sales conference I went to, Closer School Live, some of the two biggest needle movers I've had in the last couple of years. So, but that's, dude, that's a little bit about what I wanted to talk about. And I'll dive into some other things too. I think you wanted to talk about kind of like you as a dad and how you are as an example to your daughter. And I was really curious about that, man. Yeah.

Well, something that just, just one more, one more comment on what you were saying. It reminds me back when a few years ago I ran an ultramarathon and I straight up just like got up and ran it. I hadn't run. I hadn't run more than a mile and a half. Well, the last, the last time I had run before that, the day that the race was, the last time I had run more than half a mile was like 3 months prior. And I would run a mile and a half and that was it. And this ultra was for 50 miles. And so I was like, well, I can do hard things. Like I go to the gym, I can do this. And made it through the race, you know, with the help of my, of my partner Julia, who was like, she was like, we are going to— I will drag you to the finish line, so help me. Like, we are finishing this race.

You said an ultra, right?

Yeah, it was an ultra. So it was 50 miles. It took us just under 12 hours.. And we got to, it was, it was insane. And, but there, and there's, there's, there's maybe other lessons to be learned there. But afterwards, that next week, like walking around the, the school, like I ended up, I ended up going to the doctor just to make sure I didn't break anything. Cause I was like, I am, it was beat up as all get out. I don't know if I've ever been that busted in my life. And I go to the doctor's like, hey, I did something that was probably kind of stupid and I ran this race. And she was like, of course you did because this is the time of year everyone comes in super broken cuz they they all thought, hey, I'm strong as everyone and I can go run 50 miles without any training, blah, blah, blah. They all come here and they're all broken. So the doctor made fun of me, and then they took some— they took some blood tests, dude, and they saw that I had, um, rhabdomyolysis. Yeah, rhabdo.

Yeah, and dude, that's bad. Yeah.

What I did— I, one, I didn't know what rhabdo was, and two, she was like, if you hadn't come in here, for the rest of this week you would have been dead by the weekend. And completely dead. Like, that is insane. And so, so for anyone listening who doesn't know what rhabdo is, it's, uh, it's basically where your muscles stop absorbing creatine kinase— is how it's pronounced. Um, and so that creatine kinase goes back into your blood, um, and so you start like peeing really dark brown, and no matter how much fluids you're taking, and then it'll kill you for kidney failure.. And yep. So like, and, and in the Air Force, if you get rhabdo twice, you'll get kicked out. So like, luckily I went in, the race was on a Saturday. I went in on Monday. Um, I was on crutches for the rest of the week. So, cuz they didn't want me to strain that. It was, it was in my right leg. Um, like right on the, the front of the shins. That was that muscle. Cuz we were running on like next to a road almost the whole race. So it was like uneven. And so I had to lift up one foot higher than the other the whole time. Didn't think Yeah, anyway, I was on crutches the rest of the week and I was just super busted. Well, there were other kids that Monday walking around like nothing happened to them. You, because you could walk around the school and you knew who ran the race because you looked at everybody and the kids that were walking like, you know, half a mile an hour, super slow, every time they sat down in class were like, like, you know, those are all the kids that ran. There were several kids who were walking around just fine in the gym the next day, like blew my mind. And so what got me thinking related to what you're saying is like, yeah, I went out and did this, like this crazy hard thing that most people aren't going to do in their lives. And it actually almost killed me. And yeah, it's got me like for a long, long time. What I learned from that was like, dude, I can go out and do hard things. Like you can go and do hard things. And I still firmly believe that.

Yeah.

But now what I'm thinking more about is But what would have happened if I had trained? What would happen if I was better prepared and went about the goal completely differently? Because back then my thought was, dude, I don't want to start running. I don't want to do a training regimen where I have to start running 10 miles every other day and then 20 miles on the weekend. Like, I don't want to have to run 200 miles to prepare for a 50-mile race. I would rather just run the 50 miles and that's it. Then I only have to run 50 miles. I don't have to run 250 miles, right? That's what I was thinking. But now I'm like, dude, if I want to, if I wanted to hit a certain goal, run at a certain pace, speed, or whatever, or if I wanted to just make it out of there alive and not like, not with rhabdo on crutches, you know, whatever, like I should have been prepared. So now what am I capable of? If I was capable of that without any training, what would I be capable of with preparation, with training? And that's got me like super fired up about what could happen if I went back and now prepped and trained for such an event. But, and I, I don't have any plans right now to run another 50-mile race, but you know, that concept is what's just like going on in my head right now.

Yeah, that's super cool. I think I, it makes me like, you kind of scare me a little bit cuz I've got a 30-miler coming up in September.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And I, I run 6 miles on the weekends. And I'll run like some 5Ks a couple times a week. Uh, so that's, that's to prep for it. But I'm, I'm also the same dude that decided to run 2 marathons without any training. And I, yeah, yeah.

You just said, well, I'm gonna order a burrito and I'm gonna go pick it up.

Yeah.

Yeah. We, we've talked about that.

Order a burrito and then run to the burrito. And it's like, that's my why is I want to eat a burrito. So, um, that's, that's, Yeah. So any— I do, I think that's really cool. And I think the training and stuff like what you're— and this, this is what I'm more like hyper-aware about this summer is I'm learning lessons and I'm living life like kind of like the training, like you do the training because that's what's actually cool about marathons and training towards something is like the training and what you're learning and who you're becoming. And it's weird that like I can actually talk about that right now, midsummer., and it doesn't take my edge away. I still go out and I, like yesterday, finished number 1 in the company. Like it's not uncommon for me to finish at the top of the leaderboard at our company. But I am doing this in a way that fits my vision for my life. My daughter knows who I am. Like my wife and I have done date nights where I've sent my tech home early. We hire a babysitter. Like we went to an escape room with some couples. Like it is so much more fun. I have so much more longevity and my numbers, quite frankly, they're probably better than they would be if I have— if I hadn't been doing that stuff. So just looking at things in a positive light. So like, I guess wherever you are at in your life, just instead of looking at it as, oh, I was here last year, or I used to be in shape back in the day, just look at it as a positive light. Like, how much further have you come? How much more empathy have you gained? What perspective have you gained? If, if, if the last couple years have been rough, like how much more have you learned? How, how, how much more have you proven to yourself that you can get through hard things? So when you compare yourself to yourself, look for the good that's come outta you. And I think that'd be the, the biggest thing that I would share from how I feel like I'm evolving as a, as a man.

Yeah.

It's been really, really fun. And I, if I've had to put my ego aside, cuz I don't always have to be the guy that everybody, you know, I don't always have to be number one. And I— but the thing is, when that pressure is— when you, when you relieve that pressure, you perform at your highest level. And the funny thing is, you oftentimes end up being the best, because you're just worried about you. And that's, you know, stay in your own lane kind of mentality. So that's kind of where I'm at right now. I've made some adjustments in my urgency this summer, like getting on the doors faster. And obviously, that always produces a better result. You know, I've made 30-cent PB&J sandwiches that are in the freezer right now so that I can just pack my lunch and leave. Like, I've done some things to really streamline my routines. Yeah, but, but life's good, man. I really am grateful. Today's gymnastics. Favorite day of the week, baby. So with Georgia, I love it.

I love it. Well, speaking of Georgia, let's maybe move on a little bit because I know we got— we both have some thoughts on this. So something I've been thinking about a lot this week is what kind of, what kind of example I want to set for my daughter.

Uh, yep.

And you know, we, Marisha and I want to have a bunch more kids, and I was thinking about, well, like, you know, that, that's one of the things that, that you and I don't have anymore, and that is, uh, a dad who is, um, setting an example for us, right? Your dad passed away a few years ago, um, and my dad is Well, not in the picture. And I think he's homeless somewhere in Central California. I don't know. I don't know. I haven't heard from him in a long time. So, you know, we don't have dads in our lives. And so what I'm thinking about is, well, what kind of similar— I hadn't thought about it, you know, in terms of if I was dead, what would I want people to say at my funeral? But what do I want my daughter to think when she thinks about her dad. Right now, Talitha is 18 months old. She is like, every time she sees a picture of me or a video of me, um, dada. Yeah, she will. Once she's not talking right now, which is, you know, we're trying to get her to talk still. She's wildly intelligent, but she isn't saying any words yet. But she, when she sees a picture of me on Marisha's phone, she like grabs the phone and like hugs it and goes like, oh dude. And it like, it like breaks my heart inside. And for the listeners, I'm, I'm in Kansas right now. My family's back in Italy. I'm out here for some training. So, but yeah, it's wonderful, but it's got me thinking, you know, when she looks at me when she's older, 10 years from now, 15 years from now, when she's a teenager struggling with some things in high school and when she's like just gone off to college or just started a job or if she's, you know, let's say I'm running a big company and she's, you know, taken on a job inside that company, when she looks up at me What is she thinking? What kind of a— what kind of a role model does she want to— does she want to look at someone who, like, you know, is really nice and kind and but afraid to chase his dreams? Does she look at me and think, like, my dad did not care how embarrassing something might be or how much fear he had. He went out and tackled it anyway. He went out and overcame his fears? Like, what, what kinds of things does she look at me, or will she look at me and think? And, and so I, I kind of want to pose that question to you, um, in that, have, have you thought about this? And what, what thoughts do you have around it?

Yeah, like, I thought about it this week. Like, it was— it's funny that you bring it up. So, like, I literally wrote, like, a, like, if Georgia could talk, right? Like, I went through and it's kind of short. And I just— it says, Dad always took the time— and I'll literally write what you— what I'll write— what I'll read what I wrote. But it says, Dad always took the time to be with me and Mom. He always supported me in everything I did. Dad worked hard to pursue an amazing— to provide amazing life for our family, and we traveled the world together and made memories together. I'll never forget, Dad showed me by how he treated Mom how a man should be, and I'll always be grateful for him. I love him. Well, and I'm grateful he taught me about the plan that God has, and I'll know I'll see him again. And so like, yeah, like this is like my vision for how I want like my daughter to look at me. And I want her to see, you know, she doesn't know— we teach her about Jesus, right? Like every time there's a— man, she freaking broke my statue I got from Brazil of the Christ the Redeemer statue. She broke the arm off of it. And so every time she sees it, I'm like, you broke Jesus. And she goes, Jesus. She knows who Jesus is if you show her a picture. And I'm really proud of that. Like every morning before we go to work, we sit in my car. It's just been a routine that I've implemented now. Because that's something that one of the things my coach worked with me on is like, get your daughter implemented into your routine. She's not a distraction, she should be part of it. Because quite frankly, that's all I care about is my family. I care about making an impact on these guys I work with too, but like when it comes to it, like I'm not going to let my job get in the way of what I really care about. And so in fact, I'll let my daughter be part of that job. I let my daughter carry my lunchbox out to the car. I'll let her sit in the Bug Killer, which if you know me, like I have my car, which is like my alter ego, like Bug Killer, Bug Mobile. Like I have fun with my job. But anyways, Like, I really want my daughter to know, like, I taught her about Jesus. I was a good example to Kaya. Like, I was a good example of how a husband should be to his wife. I'm not always perfect, dude. Like, Kaya and I've had some gnarly fights, you know, and stuff like that, but we always resolve it. We always move on. But like, there is a high level of respect in our home for, you know, Kaya to me and me to Kaya. And that's how it should be. Um, and we're working on that. Kaya and I probably start working with like, like a marriage coach down the road, not because we have some huge issues, but just because we want to be better. I got Kaya on board with that like last month, which was, it's different. Like it's not always something that people do, but I don't want to do what everybody else does. So the point is here, like talking about, talking about like how my daughter looks at me, like that's what I want my daughter to think, that I took time to be with her. I made memories with her. And that I also worked really, really hard to give her an amazing life. One of my worries is that when my daughter gets older— well, no, I'm not worried about this. I know that she'll find— I know that she'll know what to look for in a man just because of how I treated Kaya. But one of my worries is, and one of the reasons we do this podcast, is there's not enough dudes that are actually living that life that I want my daughter— I want my daughter to marry a man that's living like a very noteworthy life, you know, like, yeah, that puts God first, that's taking care of family, that's working hard. Um, and, you know, preferably not playing video games 30 hours a week and stuff like that.

Yeah.

If you know what I'm saying, right?

Yeah.

So, yeah, that's, that's my answer. Yeah. So how about you?

I want my daughter to look at me and think, Dad was never— well, it's actually, shoot. I go by, I go by pai at home. It's a Portuguese word for dad. My pai wasn't afraid to have big dreams and to chase them. And the reason that is, that is what I want my daughter to think about me is like Ed Mylett talks about all the time. At some point in the family tree, there's one. Who radically changes the way that the family thinks. So if you look at any, any wealthy family, I mean, wildly successful family, they weren't always that way. And at some point in time, there was one who came along and said, how about we do things differently? What if X, Y, and Z? And I am grateful for everything that my parents have sacrificed for us to be where we are. And it's because of that sacrifice that they made. It is because where I am now that I want to be that change, that catalyst for so much more and so much greater. And it's part of it is, um, is that I'm, I'm not content with where I am now. And, and I, and I say that not in the, not in the sense that I'm not grateful for the things that I have now, because I'm wildly grateful. Marsha and I talk about all the time, you know, like, you know, we've seen these successes, we've hit these goals, like, life is so, so good and we are so blessed. But there's so much more out there that I want to explore and discover. And interesting. So we've been talking about in French, because I'm doing a French training out here, and one of our classes we were discussing what we like to do in our free time and what we do to escape. And the French word means literally to evade. And I, you know, said they're like, okay, so discuss with a partner. And so I turned to my buddy and I was like, all right, like, what do you, what do you do to escape? And I was thinking the exact same thing that he said in my mind. When we read the question, I asked him and he was like, it's like, I don't, I don't do anything to escape. I really like my life. And that is exactly what I was thinking is I don't want to live a life that I want to escape from. I want to live a life that I want to be in, to be present in 24/7 until I die. I want to be pursuing goals and dreams and moving and changing and creating and building and growing. Every day until I die. I don't ever want to retire. I don't ever want, like we were talking about what would, what would you do if you weren't in the military right now? Like, well, there's a couple different things. One thing I'd probably do is probably get my Salesforce certification and probably start working, um, like get a job at a company with Salesforce until I figure out exactly what it is that we want to pursue full-time. We've got enough savings behind us that, you know, got like a, a couple years of runway. That we'd be able to make it work. But then I was thinking about that because I've thought a lot about Salesforce certifications and stuff, and I was thinking, you know, the thing is, I don't want to just go work a job, you know, even if, even if it's just, just a job for some company and it pays really well. Like, I just— it's, it's not the money. Like, no, we don't have tons and tons of money, but, uh, like, we're about to hit a huge goal, a huge milestone for us, um, this next month, and I'm You know, I'm really excited about it. And well, I don't just want the money. And 'cause one of the girls in our class actually said, she's like, I just want a job. 'Cause they were like, what would your ideal job be? And she was like, anything that pays really well. And I was like, that's it? You just want something that pays really well? Like that sounds, well, yeah, I mean, more money would be great and all, but I wanna be building and creating and striving towards something that, like you said, seems almost impossible, if not seems impossible. And I want to be running full steam ahead towards that. And I want to be doing it with my wife. And I want to bring our children along with it, along with us, because like, what else are you going to do with this life, right? The last thing I want to do is to go to a job. Yeah, sit on my computer, do stuff 8 hours a day, go home and then just hang out with my family for a few hours, go to bed, wake up, go back to work, same thing. You know, maybe get 2, 3 weeks of vacation time every year, um, and then retire at some age and then just sit around. Like, that sounds awful. I want to be doing something, pursuing something for the rest of my life because I don't want to be wasting all my time here sitting at some job doing something that doesn't, that doesn't just like light me up inside, you know?

Yeah, it's I think that I guarantee you'll be the one that, that'll, that'll change your family tree forever, dude. It's, it's really, really cool to see what you're striving to do, um, the, the vision that you have for your life. I think you don't make a huge difference, and, and that's what's so cool about this is that everything I think we're working towards right now isn't necessarily about us. It really sets up our our kids and their kids, they can look at grandpa. Even like we're talking about how we want our daughters to look at us. Shoot. Like, what about how our grandkids look at us? And that's kind of things that I'm thinking about right now is like, I want to be that. I want to be that difference for my family too. And I think we're doing what we need to do to make that happen. Something that came to my head when you were talking about that was, and I've struggled with it too, is figuring out the difference between contentment and complacency. And complacency is totally different than being content, because I do believe you can be content and still want more, not because you lack, but because, just because you still want to know what's in the tank. That's it. But I think when we're content, we just put, take our, take our foot off the gas. Um, and we just decide that we've create, hit the destination. And that's— there is no destination. It is, it is about living life throughout your life. Like, it— and I'll never do another summer like I did last summer where I did a Golden Door and then I finally decided to go to the temple and worship. That was the stupidest thing in the world. But I was like, I did not need to wait and to hit my Golden Door to go to the temple. And we've talked about this in the past before, but the temple is where we can go and do certain religious ordinances. And it's a very peaceful place, beautiful place, and very, very recommended that in our church that you go there frequently. And I waited 5 months to go until I accomplished my Golden Door. But to go back with this, like, I think there's different levels, like, of what could happen with a human is they can be, they can feel like they have nothing and they, they, they, they have the I'll be happy when syndrome. And they, then that's what I kind of had last summer where I was like, I'll be happy once I get a Golden Door. I'll be happy once I get a six-figure salary or like a six-figure income. I'll be happy when I do this. And that's just not a fun way to live life. And then there's the side where like, if you, what's crazy is when you think that, let's say your goal is to, you know, make $100,000 in a year. When you hit that $100,000, you're not going to be happy. Instantly. It's like, it's not like you have this happiness that comes in your life. But I think the best thing is to be grateful for now, to be grateful for what you have, and to be content, but also want more out of life, just because you want to, you want to see what's there. You want to explore, you want to have diversity in your life. And that's kind of where I am right now. If there's opportunities, I just take them like, cool, I'll go to it. I want to, I want to try it out. And if it means that I make less income, so be it. Who cares? Like, that's where I am right now. It's weird. Yeah, like, like, that is kind of where I'm at right now. And in my life too, man, like, yeah, you've got to keep— you want to strive for more and, and more experiences. Like, those are— that's what creates the richness, richness in life. And, um, I think your daughter will look at you and say that. But like, as far as— so I guess how else you want your daughter to look at you like, yes, you're going to achieve your dreams, but I want to like play devil's advocate here. What if you don't? What if like, what if you don't hit your goals? Because I've thought about this too, because I come home, my daughter doesn't know what 5 accounts mean. If I sell 5 accounts or if I sell 10 accounts, I don't think she cares. And so though she doesn't, nor will she care when she's 10 years old. No, but I guess I guess, where do you want it to be? Mainly like a vision thing, like where your daughter looks at you and says, no, Dad can hit his goals, therefore I can. What, what other things do you want her to say about you?

I think I want her to say, Pi might have been afraid of the unknown, but it didn't stop him.

Cool.

Because I want her to be able to embody the same thing. When I think about like, if I could, if I could make her be something, right? I want to make her look at fear, be afraid, to feel, feel that fear and still go out and do, and still go and confront that fear and overcome it. Because on the other side of that discomfort, on the other side of that fear is everything that we don't currently have. And it is a world of possibility and opportunity that's out there. And we can't even fathom how much there is, right? When you talk to anyone who's, you know, super old, maybe already retired or whatnot, and you ask them, when you were 20 years old, when you were 15 years old, could you have imagined that this is where you'd be? And they all say no. Everyone says no. There's like, there's no way because the job that I took was because X happened. And then they created an opening. They created a separate job specifically for me. There's no way I could have imagined that that was the direction that my life was gonna head. Um, and so I, I just, I want her to be able to, to, to embody that same, um, confidence that she doesn't know everything and she can be afraid, but it's not going to stop her. Because yeah, you're right, you're totally right. I hadn't thought about this, but what if I, what if, what if I'm trying to embody this example and I don't hit my goals? I don't achieve my dreams or I'm, you know, working on it and I decide actually this isn't what I want, this isn't what I thought it was going to be. I'm going to stop and I'm going to go in a different direction. And I, you know, I would bet that I'm— if that— if or when that happens, I'm— it's going to— it's going to be tough, like dealing with that and overcoming those— all those negative thoughts that might come in of like, well, maybe you're a failure, maybe you should have just tried harder, maybe you should have stuck it out longer.

It's okay to pivot, I think. Yeah, it's okay to pivot with your goals because I think so you just have to ask like, does this goal serve me? Does this goal serve my vision anymore? And like, it's okay to pivot and readjust things if it's not serving you anymore. I guess that's why we have career changes in life because we do evolve. Yeah, we do evolve. And You know, uh, there's something to— there is something to, to like sticking it out. Like, you know, like in my— in our family, we aren't quitters. We stick, we stick in it, you know. And that's— but there's also things too, like there's very well you could even— you, you will evolve. Like, if you don't evolve, if you're not a different person in 5 years, you're not better, I think. Yeah. Uh, so I've got a—

I've got a— I've got a good example here. I think that might, might better kind of, um make sense of this. So, um, a year ago I was doing another, uh, language school thing, and I had— I interviewed 3 of the old language teachers that I had back at, um, back at the academy. Uh, one of them, or 2 of them, were Portuguese teachers, and one of them was a French teacher. And they were all professors that I really looked up to. And, and so I interviewed them on a phone call and had asked them a bunch of questions. And one of the questions that I asked them was, okay, you've had hundreds of students in, you know, all different levels of language. How many of them truly couldn't learn a second language? Lots of people say, well, I'm, I'm not good at language. I can't learn a second language. I just, you know, I have to take these, I have to take my Spanish class, take my French class or whatever so I can graduate. But like, I, I can't learn language, you know? Um, and I, and I asked them all that question, like, how many of these students do you truly believe could not learn a second language. And all 3 of them said the exact same answer, and that was maybe 2 or 3 of all of them. Not 2 or 3 every year, maybe 2 or 3 total. Everybody else that struggled learning a language did it to themselves. And the reason that they did it to themselves was because of fear and embarrassment. No one wants to be wrong. No one wants to be made fun of. No one wants to say the wrong thing, sound funny, use the wrong word. And that's exactly what keeps us from using language. So when it comes to, when, when it comes to learning another language, the most important thing that you can do is try it, is just go for it. Guess, say the word, try to find the right word, ask the right word, look it up in a dictionary and try it again and try it again. Try it again. Ask questions, try it again. That is how you're going to learn because This is what happens when we're wrong. We all hate being wrong, but when you're wrong and someone corrects you, now you know the answer. Now you know how to be less wrong than you were before. And the more repetitions of that you get, the more correct you're going to be because you're knocking off all the— okay, well, this was wrong, so I don't have to do that ever again. This was wrong, so I don't have to say that ever again. And you're just— you're getting rid of all the wrongs so that you start honing in on what is right, what correct. But so many of us are so afraid to use the wrong word, to go out there and try to look like a fool. To, you know, okay, you got to get up and you got to recite some poem or whatever. Everyone shoots for like the smallest, shortest, easiest to say poem, get up there, they recite it, they sit down, they, you know, they pick the most generic La Vie en Rose on French or something. Like they just, they want to just get by with what, like the bare minimum. So that they can avoid the embarrassment, they can avoid the fear and whatnot. And now, you know, I have a lot of language experience. And so like, I am, I'm the kind of person that's like, okay, you got to get up and you got to perform a poem for the class. What if I brought my ukulele in? What if I learned how to sing Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid in French and I played it and just see what happens? You know, like, yeah, it's probably not going to be great. I'm probably going to say a bunch of things wrong, but it's going to be way more entertaining. And now, like, that story was filmed and recorded. And like, now the teacher there, that is the one I interviewed who was the teacher of that class, like, he still tells all of his students every year about that story because he said, that is the kind of language learners you guys need to be. We want to build that, that, that curiosity, that desire to learn and to try and to go and do. That's what we're trying to build. And so I want my daughter to look at me in that light. In the future, that he was not afraid, he was not embarrassed. Or maybe he was afraid and maybe he did get embarrassed, but it didn't matter because he knew that that was the only path to success.

Dude, way cool. And I think about the guys that I saw struggle when we were in Chile. They were the ones that were always scared. Like, they were scared to speak Spanish because they were worried about, like, messing up. Dude, I called so many— I, on accident, there were multiple times where I called people, like, really strong words, and I didn't know that I said it. I just was talking to them just because pronounced the word wrong and it came out a different way, right? Um, but like, I, I think it's just, yeah, I think one of the reasons I'm good at my job right now is just because I just don't give a lick about what people think about me. And it, like, I, I do, like, in that sense we were talking about earlier about like that pressure and my ego, but just with goofy stuff, don't care. Like the other day we had to go shopping at Walmart real quick, and I, I always preface if I'm going to do something really crazy to Kaya. I said, hey Kaya, um, I'm about to do something that might embarrass you. Just don't worry about it. So, so I, I left Kaya in the car and I went shopping at Walmart on my Segway just because I was like, I just want to see what kind of reactions I can get out of people. So I always thought it might be fun to start like a YouTube channel with one of my buddies from high school, Trent, Trent Reinicke. You actually got to meet him, I think, briefly. But him and I are just, just goofballs. But, um, We just got so many reactions. People are looking at me like, what the heck? But, um, I just think it is— I just don't care about what people think. And, uh, and on those little like tiny things with like, how are people looking at me? Um, I think everybody cares to an extent, but I just don't care if people think I'm goofy. I don't care if people tell me no at the doors. And hi, hi, Georgia. Um, So I think that's why I've been successful in the door-knocking stuff, because I don't really— I'm not, I'm not scared of rejection. But that's really cool that you bring that up, man. And I think, I think, I think your daughter will look at you and say, hey, you know, Dad really went for his goals. And I'm excited to see where you go because you're, you're 27 or 26. Yeah, 27. We're both 27. And so we have like, we have a good, like, 50 years left in our life if we're, you know, average, right? Like, yeah, live to like 77, 80 years old. I want to live to be over 100.

Yeah, same here. Marisha and I, we're both playing on being over 100. I want to be— I want to be alive in the year 2100. I want to see what that kind of party looks like.

It's kind of— it's kind of— it's kind of a funny thing to talk about because like, yeah, my goal is to live to be 100, and then I, you know, we leave today and get hit by a bus. You never know what could happen. So, um, but like, legit, it sounds morbid, but like But like, I think in the sense of taking care of your health, working out, like there's a lot of things you can control. Um, but it, speaking of that, like I, I, like I wanted to bring this up cuz this is just like a fun little thing that I, that, that I've experienced this just like talking life now. Yeah. But, uh, so Kaya and I, one of the things I like about my job right now is it's given me a little bit of extra capital to like invest in some other things or, you know, it's given this ability to buy a house, but like. Or like get a car for Kaya. Like, it's been really cool. Like, the door-to-door sales world has been really good for me. But I think one of the coolest things was last year I worked with like Kaya's old chiropractor out in Utah, reached out to me, and we kind of teamed up with him and invested into his US hyperbarics company. And so now we're, you know, we kind of, kind of have a part in that. You know, I'm not running it at all, but we invested in it. And part of that was we bought a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and it is literally in our bedroom right now. And I'm just gonna sum it up, like, without getting too big into the science, but basically it pressurizes, it pumps a ton of extra oxygen into the chamber. We have an oxygen mask on and it helps out with recovery for athletes. Uh, they use 'em in hospitals for like burn injuries and, um, there's a lot of cool studies on them, but that was just one of those things that they're used in wellness clinics a lot of times. Um, 1 hour of sleep in that is equivalent to 3 hours of REM sleep. It's really cool. So I can— we could probably do a whole nother spiel on this, but like, that's one of the things that I've been excited about recently because we get to like go and do that stuff. So you talk about taking risks and doing stuff. It's like, cool. Like, I want to diversify my career too. Like, I don't only want to know how to do bug spray. Like, I really want to know how to do other things and be involved in other businesses. And I'm not spreading myself too thin because I'm still hustling on the doors. But it's really cool to be a part of. And I really like— we call him Dr. Ryan. I'm the only one that calls him Dr. Ryan. His first name is Ryan. I don't know why I call him that, but his name is Ryan Myers. So I love working with Dr. Myers. He's just one of those guys that I look up to. He's striving to be better in other areas of his life. And, and quite frankly, I wanted to work with him because of him, not necessarily because of the technology at first. So yeah, that's been something cool that, uh, we didn't been able to do. We're complete weirdos, man. We have this big freaking pod. It looks like came out of Captain America.

I saw it, dude. It looks like a little, like a little one-man tent connected to a big old machine.

Yeah, it's sick. I, I took a nap in there after my CrossFit workout yesterday. Kaya was in there the day before, and then, uh, The joke was for today, since we've had so many like problems with like kids running around during podcasts, I was like, I'm just going to lock you up in the H-bot while I do my podcast. But, um, didn't work out today, but we'll do it next time.

But that's all.

Yeah, that's a little, little, little fun update in life. Um, hit 500 counts, got a Garmin watch to track all my runs. So yeah, like I said, more, more into health.

Which watch did you get?

Fenix 7. Fenix 7 Pro, like solar.

Yeah.

So it's a fun watch, man. I'm just— I'm still trying to figure it out, man. Like, it was just one of those things. Like, I feel like in my— like, I've always wanted to have a watch that does elevation for the hikes that I've been doing. Yeah. Because I went out to— this is, this is more on a serious note, but I went out to, to Colorado with my uncle and we hiked a 14er. We did Quandary.

Okay.

And I've been wanting to do that for the longest time, like, go out and see my uncle. And I, and I've talked about this in the past, but having like when my dad passed away, like I got way closer to my uncle just because like, and my aunt passed away about 2 years ago. So like really I only have my 2 uncles left. These are your dad's brothers?

Yeah.

Yeah, my dad's brothers. And one of them's out in Jersey and, you know, he's, he's from New Jersey. He's He's awesome. I love him to death. But like, like the phone calls with him are a little bit more like just brief, right? Like there's not a whole lot of dialect that happens there just because he's from New Jersey. And, uh, if he listens to this, I'd be curious to see what he says. But, um, but my other uncle, like him and I are like brothers now. Like, and that's really cool. That's awesome, dude. It's so freaking cool. And, uh, we're doing races together. Like that we talked about last time, we just plan races and we're like, show up. Don't know how we're going to get there. Just buy the ticket, show up. And, um, we hiked a 14er and that's one of the things, like I just said, we were out there in Colorado. We were going to go out to Colorado and I'm like, why, why the hell would I come back home early if I'm just, if I can spend another day with my aunt and uncle. And so I just extended our trip another day and we took the 4th of July off. Like we took the Monday before the 4th of July off, whereas Originally, I'm like, oh, I'm going to come home, work on the 3rd of July, take the 4th of July off, and then work on the 5th. Like, no, I'm just going to take another day off, hang out with family. And so, um, that was really cool to hang out with him. But in that Colorado trip, we did this 14er, very metaphorical to like how I'm approaching my goals right now. It sucked. I couldn't breathe. It literally sucked. Like I could not breathe on the 14er. Um, but while we were out there, we got to take, and this is kind of that where I think my, my headspace has kind of been thinking about. Like how I want to be as a dad. Because while we were out there, I took my daughter and my wife to go see where my dad's buried at the Air Force Academy. Yeah. And dude, like, I think there's like two really hard things for me was when, was when I took my wife there for the first time and we were, we were married. It was— George is right here. So we were married when I took— Hi. We were married when I took Georgia there. I'm sorry, when Kaya there. And then the second time I've been there with them is when we went with Georgia. It was really cool. Like, we got a meatball sub and I cried and we cried and like, got to hang out with her and she was just sitting on top of me like, and she's saying, Scott, Scott, Scott. So like, just a cool, like, that's awesome. And it was good. It was healing for me to like, be there with my daughter. So yeah, like just health, like got a watch, like did age spot stuff, like just a couple other things. I'm like, I really want to mention that. But yeah, it's, uh, but really, I mean, just things. I mean, I'm really happy where life's at right now, man.

And yeah, I love that.

And I think, well, well, shoot, let's announce it. So Jared and I want to plan, uh, we don't know exactly the date, but we want to plan a conference where we talk about some of the things that we're talking about. And ballpark, we're thinking 2024 fall. Yeah. Is that okay to announce now?

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And, and the intent behind this is, you know, this is, this is something Austin and I really want to do. And having this podcast has been a really great opportunity for us to, to have these conversations on a regular basis and to kind of get to explore together what, like, what it means to be a man, a husband, a father, how to level up in, in all areas of our life, whether it's our families, our friends, our health, um, business ventures, work. Like, that, that's what we want to do. And we want to get people together to have these conversations. And so, you know, the intent is that we'd have, um, you know, we'll have some— bring in some guest speakers, um, you know, kind of some like quote-unquote main stage speakers, uh, have some breakout events, um, some small group events, some, some fitness activities as well. Um, and yeah, and run it for a day or two, probably in Utah, probably like the most kind of central place for us to do it. But yeah, with things get a little bit complicated when you've signed your life away to the United States federal government. So I've got— yeah, so we're not exactly sure yet on when we can do it next year, but there's definitely going to be room next year for us to do it.

It's on the horizon. It's coming up. Yeah, I've always, I've always envisioned myself doing something like that, man. I think it's cool that no, but no better person to do it with, man. Like, we're going to do some cool stuff together and this is just so exciting, dude. Yeah, this is exciting, man.

So, and because something—

sorry, go ahead. You go ahead. No, I was going to say go ahead.

Because something that Austin, Austin and I have talked about is that we— it's funny because we both had these conversations with our wives separately before we talked to each other about it. And that is that we want to be the kind of people that other people would want to spend lots of money to go listen to. And, and so, so to clarify, we don't want to just be worth a lot of money. That's not that— like, that— what does that do for you? Not a lot. We want to be the kind of person that would— that you would want to go out of your way to go listen to because you thought there was something valuable there to be learned. And that, like, that's— we want to be that caliber of men. Like, we— that, that's what we want to be. And I have always loved public speaking. I love getting up, getting out there, um, and, and, you know, firing off on, on all of the things that we can do to improve, because I just— I know how important it is for us, and I know how few voices there are out there saying these messages. And so that is something that Austin and I are super passionate about, is getting a bunch of people together, um, and working together to improve, right? Because iron sharpens iron.. And we like, that's what we want to be able to do so that we can improve because we are by no means perfect role models, uh, in every aspect of life whatsoever. But there is no point in waiting to try and improve. Like we, we just gotta start today. So, um, stay tuned for more updates on that. Um, in, in the next few months, we'll probably have a better idea of the, the timeline of events for that. Um, but we're super excited. All right, Austin, I know you gotta go.

I was gonna say in invitation, so I'll give you, I'll give it, we'll give everybody invite for this week. Well, this month is just, we've talked a lot about like what, how we want to be viewed by the people that actually matter the most to us. Like you will die one day, accept it, like, and live your life knowing that you will die one day and live your life knowing that like today could be the last one. How do you want those that you really care about to look at you? And, uh, pick 4 or 5 people and write down what you think they would say in your journaling. It was a really cool journal prompt that I did, and it's really put a lot of things into perspective. So that's the invite we have for you guys today. Um, really just focus on what matters. Still execute where in your job, still execute in your career, but don't wait to live. If there's an opportunity, take it. If it's going to cost you a day off of work and you're going to lose a part of your paycheck, who cares? Unless of course you've signed your life away to the federal government, then you need to show up. So, so there you go.

All right. Well, hey brother, I really appreciate hopping on this call with you, man.

Okay.

And we'll catch up soon. Okay.

Love you, brother.

Bye.

See ya.