Jimmy Winters: Everybody Thinks They Have a Good Idea

I do really believe 100% from every part of me that everyone has the capacity to be able to do the things that they want and not to be held back by the mental baggage that's in our head that we want to push through.

Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. In each episode, we get down and personal with people who go after the things they want to make all their wildest dreams come true. Join us as we unveil and dissect a formula for what it takes to do the thing. Here is your host, Stacy Lauren.

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacy Lauren. Well, you guys, I don't even know how this stuff happens, but it's amazing how I met my next guest, because in case you haven't been following along, I basically have become a charity auctioneer and also raising money for these films that we're creating in the world that are showing these really impactful stories of people. And so now I'm combining charity fundraising with movie creation. And so with that, I'm actually not only raising money for the movies, but I'm also helping other charities raise money as well. And that was how I met my next guest because my sister actually has me being a charity auctioneer for a nonprofit that she's working with. And I got connected to Jimmy Winters, who. Oh, my gosh, you guys, you're gonna. I don't even know what you're gonna do when you're list to his story, but it is amazing. And we talked for a little bit just to talk about the item that he's actually going to be donating for this auction and the work that he's doing, the people that he's helping, how he's helping his local community really find new purpose through the stuff that he's creating is something that is extraordinary. And I really want each of you to take this interview and learn from it and really think about what you can do starting today that gets you in this direction of being able to make an impact in the world. So I am so excited to welcome Jimmy to the show. Hey, Jimmy. Hey.

Thank you so much. I appreciate that. I'm looking forward to talking with you and sharing a little bit more about our story.

I can't wait. It's so cool, right? When you. You're living this life now and I'm imagining that you never would have even thought it was possible, the level of impact that you're having now, like when you started, right?

Well, so, yeah. Cause I was in the corporate world for 30 years and so, as I've told you before, I'm the youngest of four. And so my dad. My parents always worked, and my dad worked until he. Until he left the earth, so to speak. And so I always thought, oh, I'll just be a. I'll just be an employee for my whole life, and I'll do what my dad did. And what I realized was, is when I got into my 50s, I'm 56 now, but when I got into my 50s, I realized I didn't want to be defined by my job. And it didn't mean I didn't like. It didn't mean I didn't have fun at it didn't mean I didn't love the people there. I did, but I just wanted a bigger purpose. And so I kind of. I retired, and I was looking for my wife was like, well, you've got to get out of the house. You got to go do something. And my wife and I had taken our kids to Africa because we wanted everybody to see that everything wasn't Katy, Texas. And we wanted our kids to know that we were blessed. And, you know, for whatever reason, we were just blessed. And so when Covid hit, we weren't able to go back over there. And we were building a school over there and really trying to bless some kids over there. And, I mean, there was true poverty there. And so as we couldn't do that, and I was kind of looking, hey, what do I do now? I realized that there's a community that's probably 10 minutes from my house that was going through some very similar things. It's called Brookshire, Texas. And what I realized is I didn't have to drive or fly 8,000 miles away. I could just go eight miles away. And it didn't make the impact any less. And so I just realized that I had to own my community in my area. And that's not to say that things doing in Africa weren't great, because they were. They were awesome. But what God was really sharing with me was that, hey, you don't have to go that far to make the same impact.

It's amazing that you're sharing that with me, because I just was having this conversation with someone yesterday. She was talking about she does these travel retreats for women, and they're paying like four or five thousand doll to go on these retreats. And she actually just started a new business because she wanted to show people that you don't need to travel. You can travel the world. That's a great way to kind of expand the culture and meet new people and things like that. But what she noticed was at the bottom and the core of it was the relationships that people were building and the friendships. And it is good to take those trips, and it is good to do those things. But we also don't have to wait to do that to be able to create this impact and this deepening of relationship. We could do it now, and we could do it with the people that are right around us.

Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's probably one of the things that's made the most impact on me is, again, my idea of helping people wasn't in my community. I thought, oh, I've got to go around the world where they don't have anything, where they don't have. But what was crazy about the people in Africa, and we were in the middle of nowhere. But what was great is they didn't know that they weren't in the middle of nowhere. They just. They was home to them. And so we would. They call it bola, which is soccer in their language. And we would melt these water bottles together, and we would kick it around. And that was bola. That was soccer to them. And they could do that all day. And that's just how it was. And so it really made me realize that, again, it's awesome to go over there, and it's great to be a blessing to all these people. And we have great relationships with a lot of kids still and are still funding some kids to go to school. But again, as I said before, I look at 10 miles away from me or 10 minutes away from me, and we've got a community called Brookshire that has one high school. It's a school district of one that has a 32% graduation rate. And I would argue that the poverty rate is as low or almost as low as what we saw in Africa. And it broke my heart to think, gosh, this is so close, and it's right here. But most people didn't even know it was there. Most people just kind of pass it on the highway and don't ever look at it. And it's just. I just didn't think that was acceptable. And I just thought, gosh, I can only own myself. And so I've got to do my part, and I got to do my part in this whole process. And again, where God wants to use me is where he wants to use me. And I'll just. But I've just got to be willing to. It's awesome to fly to Africa, and it's really Cool. But it's not always necessary.

Wow. Well, tell us. So what did you do? What was the next.

Yeah, yeah, it's a great question. So, again, my wife was like, hey, you got to get out of the house and go do something. I'm basically. I'm tired of you. We've been married 30 years. And so I kind of got what she was saying. I was almost tired of myself at that point. But. No, I'm kidding. But so there was this. She's like, hey, you should go over to Brookshire. I just went to this thing at this thing called the Hangar in Brookshire. And I was like, I don't know what that is. And she's like, it's this old school, and they're trying to rebuild it for the community. And I'm like, man, I've driven past Brookshire a thousand times. I have no clue what she's talking about. So there was a nonprofit called Eyes on Me. And Eyes On Me was. They were mentoring and discipling at risk youth. And so they had a footprint there. And they had taken the old segregated elementary school, and they kind of turned it. Were trying to turn it into something that kids could come to after school in a place where there's safety, because it's a place where there's roughly 80% fatherless rate in Brookshire. So what that means is there's 80% of people don't have a father, and that also means that for a mother, because those mothers are working one or two jobs, and so they're not at home either. So these kids are going to school where the education's not all that great. They're not graduating from high school, and they have nowhere to go after school or during school. And so we wanted to. The Hangar is what we call it from Eyes On Me. What we wanted that place to be their safety net. And so I went over there and said, hey, what are y' all doing? And they kind of said, hey, this is what we're trying to do. And I said, let's go. And so we built some basketball courts because we know that these kids. We wanted to do things where it's kind of like when you. If you have kids, you always kind of want your house to be the place where kids come so you can kind of know what they're doing dribbly. And that's kind of what we wanted the Hangar to be, is be a place where these kids came so we could invest in them. A food desert also, so we would feed them. And we just started Doing things one by one. And we started with one thing and we said, oh, that's successful, let's try this. And then we tried something else. And it just literally became a place where I could spend 24 hours a day because the community was in such need. But it was so fulfilling because you never went home and thought to yourself, oh, that wasn't great or oh, that wasn't fun. Your thought is, man, what a blessing, what a blessing a I'm getting to be to people. But it was also fulfilling to me because they were feeding me just as much as I was feeding them.

Isn't that amazing when you get to see how as you're helping people, all of a sudden your internal fulfillment turns on and you're tapping more into your calling because now you're seeing the impact that just you alone, your voice, you're like, do part of do the thing. Like I now have.

Right, that's exactly. You're part of the do part of the do the thing is. That's exactly right. And what's crazy is I didn't really have a lot in common with them. So I mean Again, I'm a 56 year old white dude and the community is 75 plus percent Hispanic and of that 75%, the other 25% is African American. And so I didn't have a lot in common with them. But when I went in there and developed relationship because they're skeptical of you, because they think to themselves, who are you and what do you want from me? And when we went in there and said, hey, we just want to love on you and we just want to be where you're at and really invest in you, all of a sudden their walls came down. And when their walls came down, so did mine. And we were able to invest in each other and it wasn't me just pouring into them, they were also pouring into me. And that's what makes the relationship so great, is because it's reciprocal. And everybody when you leave there at the end of the day, you think to yourself, man, that was good, that was real good. Again, because it's not always perfect and it wasn't broken overnight, so you're not going to fix it overnight. And so you just got to be realistic about what you're really trying to get out of it and what you're trying to put into it.

Yeah, it's almost like you're making me realize because a lot of people wonder, like for me too, how I'm doing so much stuff and how I move fast and all this stuff, right? And it sounds like you're kind of in that or you are in that place. And it's like, once you see the word, like your voice and, like, your due matters and you're seeing the impact that you're able to help people, it's no longer about you, it's about them.

Exactly.

And so it's this ripple effect, a tsunami, actually, of just impact, because now it's like you can't stop yourself anymore because you see it's for a bigger purpose. Right.

Well, that's. Yeah, it becomes a lot less about you, and that's what's crazy about it. The guy that started all this is a guy named Trey9. He's a rapper, this white rapper in Houston, and he's partnered with this guy named Dennis Turnipseed. And then I got to know Dennis and Trey, and that's how all this kind of got started. And they were the ones that really started the whole thing. But what's crazy is you don't ever go to the hangar and think to yourself, oh, that wasn't awesome. And you don't ever leave the hangar and think, oh, I don't want to do that again. You're like, man, I want to give to these kids. Because so many of these kids want better and they want more, but they've never had somebody say, hold them accountable. Hey, how'd you do on your Spanish test? Or, hey, what was your score in your soccer game? Or, you know, they just. Because of where they are in life, they've never had that. And so it's nothing like they've ever seen. And so once you start pouring into them, you get as much fulfillment out of it as they do, because you realize that they're also pouring into you. And that's awesome because I'm not doing it for myself, but I'm getting so much out of it because, again, it's just becoming. It's just two people of different ages, but two people just loving on each other. And again, it breaks my heart when I see people that don't have money or don't have the ability to buy things, but it's like, that's not what it's all about. They would much rather spend time with me and let's go invest in each other than they would me buy them a coat or something that they don't have. They're really looking for a relationship.

It's so huge when you're seeing, like, at the core of what we want and what we need as humans is this, we're building relationships with the people that are wanting the same thing as us.

Right. Well, and that's the crazy thing, is because a lot of, as I told you before, 75% or so of our population is Hispanic, and a lot of them are undocumented, and a lot of them don't speak English. And so what did we do? Well, we hired some people that speak Spanish and that are on staff now so we can communicate. On Monday nights. We have this thing called Wings, and it's women in God's service. It's basically just a Bible study for moms, because these moms, they're working one or two jobs, they come home, and then they have to take care of the kids, and nobody's pouring into them as individual ladies. And so we started this Bible study where we said, hey, we'll take care of the kids. You come in as women, and we have ladies come in and talk about women issues. Well, woman issues like, how do you take care of yourself? How do you personally or how do you take care of yourself financially? How do you open a checking account? Just basic things. But really, women talking about women things. And what's crazy about it is it started like that. We started with two ladies, and then all of a sudden, we had 50 ladies. And because again, these women were really wanting community. And then what we realized is, man, now we've got all these ladies that don't even speak English. And so we started as Spanish Wings. And again, that's what we've tried to do. We can't be all things to all people, but we're just trying to stay in our lane and be really good at what we're good at. And the things that we're not good at, we either don't do, or we say, hey, there's plenty of nonprofits out there, and there's plenty of people out there that want to do well. So let's push these people to the things that they do well, and let's just stay in our lane and do what we do well. And that's the one thing coming from the corporate world to the nonprofit world that I've noticed is one of the biggest things is. And why there's so many failures in the nonprofit world is because too many people are trying to do too many things. They have great intent, but they fail because they don't realize that you have to stay laser focused and be good at what you're good at, and that just can't be everything.

It's such good advice because what you're showing people is how you just have this. It's almost like you got a wake up call right when you're traveling and you're trying to look for what can I do that can make a difference? And then you saw that it was in your backyard and you're starting to see how gathering people can actually ignite a movement in people and get them to be around a common cause which then helps everyone. And now you're like, okay, where else can I gather people? You're talking about the womb community, You've got the Spanish community. You're like, where else can it be? And then being able to thrive on that. That's the thing, right?

Yeah. And that's what's been so crazy. A little bit crazy is, you know, we get all the churches around the area and all the businesses, and one of my primary roles is to educate them. Hey, we got this thing called the Hangar in Brookshire, and this is what we do. And they're like, I didn't even know it existed. And we're like, hey, come out and just see what it's about. And just. We do a food drive twice a month. And we're like, hey, come out to the food drive and just volunteer. And again, when people come out and they see what we're doing, they're like, man, I want to be a part of this. And we get businesses. That's true with businesses and churches because that's the one thing that a lot of the businesses and churches have. They have people, they just don't know where to deploy their people. They want to do things out in the community and they want to be good stewards of the community. They just don't know where to go and what to do. And so I'm raising my hand and saying, hey, we got plenty to do. And we got plenty of places you can volunteer. Come plug in. And that resonates because that's one of their biggest issues. They can give you a dollar if you. If you need money, they're happy to cut you a check. But more than anything, to build their culture, say, at a business, they want to do things outside of their walls. And you can do that at the hangar because you can volunteer and really build up a community that's just totally broken. And everybody rallies around that.

Wow. Oh, my God. I don't even know if you know how Macy that was. You just said, there's so many people out there that are like, where do I find my people? Especially like, if they have a mission and they want to have people get ignited around something. And sometimes people are just staying in the box online and they're just kind of looking for things online. But like, what you just said was like, just go to the church or go to a local company that actually is looking for something to help ignite their own thing that they're not able to do inside their walls. They need to. Now you're helping them expand even more.

That's right. That's right. Because, you know, everybody in business wants to build a great culture. Because if you build a great culture, then your employees don't leave because they love working there. And part of building that culture is what you do internally. And part of building that cultural is you as an employee feeling like your company is doing things other. They're making a widget and making a dollar, but they're also doing positive things throughout the community. And so we're saying, hey, we got plenty of things to do to in a community. And again, you can go to Africa or you can go to Timbuktu, or you can just come out here to brookshire, which is 10 miles away from Katy, which is a major suburb in Houston. And so more than anything, it's about education and just saying, hey, come out. Because you can say it all you want, but once they see it, that's when they realize, man, this is different. This is not what I thought it was. A, I didn't know it existed. And baby, I didn't realize it was in my backyard. And then C, I didn't realize there was such a need. And it tugs at everybody's heartstring. Everybody again, whether you're with a business or with your. With a church or whomever, there's so much to do in a little town like this, like Brookshire, there's so much to do. It wasn't broken overnight, so we're not going to fix it overnight. So we're just doing our part one step at a time. So come help us do that. Lay that one brick, and then tomorrow we'll lay another brick. And it's just that easy. And that's what people gotta do, is they gotta realize that there's no quick fix. There's just not. I wish there was, and I wish you could put a bunch of money into it and say, oh, let's do and have a magic wand, and it's just fixed. And that's kind of what the government does with a lot of stuff. And it's just not true. You need people out there being intentional and really developing relationships and that's where we think we're gonna make the change is when we kind of, it's kind of the high tide lifts all boats kind of thing. And we're trying to change the kids because the junior high kids as an example, I mean, they've only seen one thing, but if we can change them, then they can change their little sisters and brothers and then they can change a generation and then we kind of just do it all that way. And that's kind of our method.

Yeah, there's so many different ways I could take this right now I have to stay here for a minute because I think your story's so inspiring on so many levels. But one of the things I do is I like helping people build their own kind of movement, which is what you've done with what you're doing and what you just showed people was that there's so much out there that you could do when you're tapped into your message and what you want. So maybe just give some advice for that person that has the idea they want to now get people around the idea and maybe go to a company or go to a church. And how do they even do that? What's their approach? What would be something you, you could suggest to them?

Yeah, I think that's a really good idea. And this is the thing is true in business too is everybody thinks that they have a good idea or that they have a message or that they have a widget that they make that everybody's going to use, or that you're everybody's cup of tea. And what you got to real, what we realize is you just can't be all things to all people. Figure out whatever your message is. Ours is mentoring and disciple at risk youth. And so we're, you know, we could go work in sex trafficking, we could go do all these different things that really there's a lot of people that need help. But figure out what you're trying to do and develop a message around that and go do it a couple of times. I think the other thing that people don't realize is people rally around stories or people rally around experiences. So when we go to a business and say, hey, we just had a food drive and we fed 450 families and come out and do this and meet some of these families, you know, it's tangible, it's something they can touch. And so I think so many people are so busy trying to tell you how great their idea is or what they're trying to do and there's value in that. But it's really kind of where the rubber meets the road. And I think that's where people make a big mistake, is they're so busy selling their idea that they're not applying it. And they've got to also realize and put their ego aside that there's going to be some companies and some churches that just have no interest in supporting you. And that's okay. That doesn't make them wrong and you right. That just means you have something different. So as the person, you've just got to move on. And that's what we've done. We don't hold it against somebody, hey, you go do what you think you have to do for whatever you're trying to accomplish. We're not going to be partners here. And that's all right. And so many people want to just keep pushing and pushing and pushing. It's like, no, move on. Because there's too many people out there that are going to be attracted to what you're doing. And so it's just about hustling and getting out there and sharing your message. And then the idea itself and God are just going to bring the right people in. That's the way we look at it.

Wow. What you're basically saying is, stop talking about the thing, stop trying to tell people about your idea and actually do something and show them what you want to do.

That's it. That's it. Because again, it's the old talk is cheap, and a lot of people just like to hear themselves talk and they use these big buzzwords in these big business words and all this stuff. And at the end of the day, what people really, really want is they want to see action. And I think that they want to see tangible evidence. Because what everybody tells us without saying, this is my time is valuable, just like my dollar is valuable. So why are you different? And why should I give you my time or why should I give you my dollar? And we're like, hey, this is what we do. And then all of a sudden, then they get to decide, hey, it's either yes, it's worth it or no, it's not. And if it is, and if it's not, doesn't mean I don't like you. I love you to death. I got to move on to somebody that's going to give me a yes. And that's where I think a lot of people miss it, because they're so worried about being liked or so busy about being the smartest guy in the room that they put all their focus on themselves rather than putting their focus on what they're trying to accomplish. Because it's really not about me and it's really not about eyes on me. It's really about those people, kids in Brookshire, who we're trying to build up. That's what it's really about.

Totally. So when you're approaching a company or a church, what are you doing? Are you talking about. Is it the food drive or is there some other approach that you're.

Yeah, the other thing we kind of sell, quote unquote is so again, we had a 32% graduation rate. So what does that tell us? Hey, we've got a lot of kids that are dropping out of high school. Well, what are they going to go do? Well, they don't have any experience, they don't have any transportation, so they're gonna go join a gang or they're gonna go sling dope or they're gonna go do something easy and then they're gonna end up in the prison system. And so we said, well, wait a second. So we started a trade school and I couldn't tell you the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver, literally, probably. But I realized, we realized that, hey, if we give them an employable skill, then they can go be a really good person and give back to the community. And so we started a trade school and we do H Vac plumbing and contracting and it worked. And we all of a sudden we had 20 kids and they graduated and all of a sudden we're going to employers and saying, hey, we can get you people. Because one of the things we have here in Texas is we need people with skills to build homes and build all these things. And all of a sudden we've got kids, we've got young adults, maybe 17, 18, 19 year old kids that can go work tomorrow. And we have people that are begging for them to be employed. And so that resonates with people also. But running a trade school is expensive because all the tools wear out. We have people that donate their time to teach these kind of things. And so we're looking for different ways to fund all these things. And so again, that's the kind of things that we're doing really good with the food drive and the trade school and doing a couple of other things that are really good. And we're just really trying to focus on those four or five things and saying, let's go be good at those things, whatever that is. And so it's just, it's awesome. And we'll see where it changes every day. Tomorrow it'll be different than today. But because a lot of these communities, I call it the poverty mindset, they're so used to getting free this or getting free that from the government that it eliminates their drive. As a rule of thumb, I'm not saying everybody, but as a rule of thumb. And so what we're doing is we're trying to say, no, no, no, no, no, come work for what you need. We're not going to just give it to you. So if you need us to help you, we'll help you. We'll absolutely help you. But we also want you to earn what you have. So when you put your head on the pillow, you have a sense of pride, of, hey, I did something good today. And I think a lot of these, at least for our communities, have lost that a little bit. And so we're really trying to reinstill that.

Wow, it's amazing. And we'll talk to the listener for a minute because this is what I see. A lot of people struggle with this whole thing. And so. Okay, you guys, we're gonna tap into you for a moment. So you have an idea in your head. Right. And you wanna get it out there. Stop talking about the thing.

Yep.

Stop thinking about the thing. Stop planning about the thing for now. You don't need to plan. There's a time for planning. It is not now.

Absolutely.

Just, like, see what the gap is, where people are struggling and what's the easiest way to get people around it and then just move. Right, Right.

Because you can't do it. That's the other big mistake is not everybody buys into your vision. So you can't expect, oh, I'm just going to have all these volunteers. You may, but you may not. So if you don't, what do you do? So you got to understand that not everybody's going to buy into your vision. And then the second thing is, if you will just go and try it and do some test cases or whatever, you'll know pretty quickly. And then again, then you go and you find one person. Because the biggest thing, if you have something like we're doing, we can't all do it ourselves. Everybody has a ceiling and you'll get burned out. And so you've got to have other people behind you or coming alongside of you that share your vision. And you had mentioned about some of the things that people need to think through. That's another big one, is, hey, I can't do it all on my own. And so I've got to have people come alongside me because it's just impossible to do it on your own. You will 100% get burned out. Because our community as an example, they never stop asking. They never stop asking. And so we've got to be there to be there. Yes. And that doesn't mean we're going to do everything that they ask, but we're going to do everything we can in our power to try to do as many things as we can possible to help develop that relationship.

Yeah. So my whole kind of mission in life is I help. It's like I did a TEDx talk about this a few months ago, which is the power of community to achieve your goals and about connecting to the common goal. It sounds like you're just a master at being able to do that, see that, feel that and live that.

Yeah. And you know, we're a faith based organization, so everything revolves around our faith. And so that's what's cool about it, is my wife would totally argue that I'm the master of anything. But that's a totally different subject for a totally different time. But again, I think it comes back to. We come back to the basics of. I think everybody wants to help people in general and they want to help people better their lives. And so our mission, I mean, who doesn't want to help mentor and disciple at risk youth? Because most of the times those kids, it's not their fault they've been dealt a crummy hand in life. I don't know why, I don't know why God did that. It's not for me to understand, but I know I can do something about it. And so that's why I would encourage people when they're looking to do something, find something that helps people up. Because that's always going to be something that's attractive to people. Because as humans and as Americans and as just generally good people, we don't know why we have it better than somebody else. But I know that most people want to extend a hand to really help somebody.

And let's talk about pin oak, because that's how we met is through my sister. And I am excited. She's so great. Nikki, if you're listening. Yeah, yeah. So it's amazing watching to see what she's doing. And for that organization, I'd love to maybe talk about kind of how you got involved with them and then, and then what we're gonna be doing with the auction item too.

And it's such a funny, funny way God works a lot of times because I'd known your sister. She was at Dick's Sporting Goods Store. And she's like, hey, we're this new store out in Katy. We're trying to get some traction out here and I understand you have a lot of at risk youth and I'd love for them to. To get some exposure. And a lot of our kids had never been out of Brookshire. They've never been out of Brookshire. And so she's like, why don't you know, we're going to get some. Some of the Texans. The Houston Texans are forced professional organization here. We're going to get them to come out. Why don't you bring some of your kids out? And we're like, that might be good and that might be bad. We were just praying they wouldn't steal anything or something terrible wouldn't happen. But it turned out to be this awesome event. And Will Anderson, the defensive end for the Texans, was there and it was just awesome. He made such impact for these kids. And that's how I originally met your sister. And then she's like, hey, we're going to do the thing with Pin Oak at the equestrian center. I said, oh, that's awesome. How can we support you? And what's ironic is the family that owns the equestrian center and is doing all this Pin Oak thing is also the people that own the building, they donated to us in Brookshire.

Oh, my gosh.

And yeah, it's a total coincidence and a total God thing. And so she's like, hey, I'm at Pin Oak and this is what I'm doing. And I knew the family owned that, so I was just like, oh, my gosh, this is crazy. What a coincidence. Thank you, God. And he was so the matriarch of it all is doing this Pin Oak thing. And again, I don't know anything about horses. It's this huge equestrian event. I knew nothing about it. Nicole, your sister is like, hey, this is what we do. And I'm like, hey, we want to be involved. And she's like, hey, would you consider making. Because we have a trade school. Would your kids be willing to make something that we could auction off? And I'm like, yeah, because again, it doesn't matter if you're in the equestrian business or you're in, you know, you work at a grocery store. Again, people rally around at risk youth. And so she was so kind to us and just said, hey, if you'll do this, we. I'll get you in front of these people. Well, the irony of it all, they already know Us because they know the hangar because it's truthfully, at the end of the day, it's their building. We gutted it, we turned it all into a really great place. But it's truthfully, at the end of the day, their building. And so.

The reason you exist, I mean, at least as you are right now, is because they donated. That's it, that building. And now you get to donate an item. Yeah. At their auction.

Yeah, we get to donate an auction with item, which is awesome. And then all these people that come up from all over the country who don't know us from Adam and they're saying, hey, we're here to ride and we're here to do all these equestrian events at this really awesome equestrian place that they own. And that's one of their things they're really into. And we're saying, hey, you're a blessing to us for allowing us to do this. And we realize that. But at the same time, we're going to get to bless some people. Some of these kids and the family that owns it didn't even. Doesn't even really know it, but they're allowing us this incredible venue to come do this at. And it's just, it's been mind boggling to us. And again, God just works in mysterious ways. But we've just been so thankful to your sister and for just the opportunity. And whatever's going to happen is going to happen, but we're going to get to get in front of all these people and our hope is that God just uses this obviously to bless other people and maybe they'll think to themselves, hey, maybe I should go do this in my community. Hey, maybe I can do something like this in our community, wherever we live. And so the exposure, the money's great and it's going to do some really great things, but the exposure that we're going to be able to have and to tell our story briefly, however briefly it is, is going to be 10 times more than the money we would be making otherwise. So that's why I think it's just awesome. It's just funny how it all works for Full Circle like that. Yeah.

So for the listeners, what will the auction item actually be that I'll be able to auction off there?

Yeah. So there's two items. And so again, so what we've done in our trade program is we've taught these kids these basic skills. And then what we started doing is we've been going out into the community because Brookshire's a very old community and These homes are very old and we've been doing general construction projects and so this is the second kind of specific project. So they're doing a big. It's a what I would call a. And I don't know much about horses, so don't hold me to this, but it's basically what you put a saddle on. It's a saddle holder and it's made from wood and it's made from scratch. And it's. What they're doing is incredible and it's so beautiful. And again, if I owned a horse or if I had a saddle, obviously these saddles are very expensive and this is just a good way to hold it. And then they're also making some rocking horses that say pin oak on them and. And then it says the hangar. And again it's just. They're more decorative than anything. But again it's just, it's these kids. And what's going to be awesome is these kids are going to be there. Again, most of these kids have never been out of Brookshire. So going to Katy, which from a. So for your listeners, you know, again, it's about five miles and you've driven through it both of them a thousand times. But most of these kids that are doing these projects have never been out of Brookshire. And so we're going to take them to the equestrian center and they're going to be freaking out. So it has a dual purpose. And so these kids then get to show their product and they have such pride because again, these are kids that come from, you know, where school doesn't matter and where they don't get a lot of affirmation or reaffirmation from their parents. So people that come up to them and say, oh, we're so proud of you, it takes their confidence to the next level. And I don't know that we'll ever know the true value that this has to a kid. But Pinocchio and what they're doing is going to make a difference in these kids lives. And I don't know that we'll be able to measure it in our lifetime, but it's going to make a difference in 10 or 12 kids lives. And you know, we just couldn't be more thankful for that.

Wow. And then the other item we might sell will be potentially people coming to the hangar and maybe having some kind of special experience there where they're right.

So yes. Yeah, thank you for saying that. So again, we would love for you to come. Do the food drive you as a person, get involved in the food drive, it's a four hour deal. And you come and the Houston Food bank and some other people drop off the food, we box it up and then we take it outside. And that takes about an hour and a half. And then it's about two and a half hours. And we do it until we run out of food. But we'll serve about 450 families and we get to put the boxes in their car and talk to them and see how they're doing and invest in those people and really get to just love on people. Because again, your thought is, oh, I go to my local grocery store all the time. Well, they don't have a local grocery store and they don't have food and they don't have the money to go do it. So what we're giving them might be the only food that they get for that month. But just getting to see us putting a smile on their face and telling how much we care about them and love them and be the hands of feet of Jesus, they just love that. And so that's one of the projects. And then the other one is coming and working in our trade program and spending half a day with these kids. Because again, you may know nothing about carpentry, which I don't, or all this, but you can spend time with this kid and you can invest in a kid for a couple of hours and you may go have lunch with them or her, and sometimes you just get to invest in a kid. And that is so much value because again, most of these kids don't have that. And so we're just selling the opportunity to come out there. And again, you may say, hey, I've already do this and this is not for me, and that's okay. But I think there are people that are saying, hey, we want to be involved in this. And however we can get you involved, we want to get you involved. And that's the thing, because it's not about you getting involved in the hangar or eyes on me. It's about you and getting involved with C.J. who's 12 years old, who has never met his father and his mom has four jobs. And so if you go spend four hours with him, you could be the difference between him making it and not making it. And that sounds. I'm not trying to be dramatic. That's true. We've seen that many times. And so there's a reality to it. So we encourage people to come do this because you have the potential, God could use you to just totally change somebody's life.

Wow. Well, Jimmy, the time is here. What is your number one piece of advice for people on doing the thing?

My number one is do it. Do the thing. Whatever your do, your thing is, go do it. Don't sit around, don't overthink, don't underthink, just go do it. I think it's the biggest problem our society has is they don't just get up off their couch and go do it. And again, you're going to fail. And that's okay. Failing is okay. What's not okay is not doing it. And again, whatever your thing is, Nike got it right so long ago. Just do it right. And I think about that a lot because it's a really simple slogan, but it's so true on so many things. And I love your podcast because you're really just giving people just fodder and reason to go do whatever their thing is. And you're just saying, hey, you're subtly pushing them to go do this and you're having people like myself and others to say, hey, this is where we've been successful. And so you don't have to go create it. Just steal our ideas, take what we're doing and go do it. But just go do it because there's so many people in need that need whatever your idea is. I can guarantee you there are. And so just push and do it. And always seek if you seek God's will, he's just always going to open the doors he wants opened.

Wow. Well, please share with everyone how they can learn about you and get involved and be a part of your world.

Yeah. So, man, again, I'm a retired dude that somehow got into this full time nonprofit job and my name is Jimmy Winters. You can call me 713-823-7010. That's the easiest way to get a hold of me. Just text me or call me. And man, there's no question. It's a dumb question. And again, I certainly don't know everything. My wife will tell you that for sure. But if you've got an idea or question or just wondering about things, call me and I'll try to help you any way I can. And again, this is. We're gonna all do this together. This is not gonna be a Jimmy Winter show or anybody's show. We're gonna all do this together. But don't hesitate to reach out to either yourself or to me to really push an idea. And let's get going. And trying to bring these communities that are underserved, lifting them up and getting them in a better position to succeed.

Thank you so much. This has been amazing. And thanks for having the courage to do what you're doing and for helping the people you're helping.

Well, it takes a village and there's a lot of people in this and I'm just one of many. And so again, like I said, it's a team effort and we all do it together. And so any way that we can do it together, I'm all in. So if you ever need me, holler at me.

Thanks so much and thanks you guys for joining do the Thing. Don't wait for opportunity created. And hey guys, if you watch out my Facebook group yet, go to do the thing collaboration.com thanks for listening to.

The do the Thing podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. But even more, we hope you'll be inspired to do the Thing. Do you have a burning question on Doing the Thing that you'd like answered? How about an inspiring do the Thing story of your own that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear all about it. Just leave us a voice message at dothing callcast co or email us. Hello, do the Thing podcast. Com.