In this episode, we discuss the importance of turning setbacks into opportunities.
Full Transcript
Hi Everyone, welcome to the You’re Daily Cup of Joe Podcast, with your host Joe Bautista. In this podcast, my goal is to give you quick lessons on how to grow yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually so you can have better careers, better relationships, and better personal finances.
I’m also the author of the book “More You Know, More You Grow: How to Get Better Every Day”. In this book, I wrote down over 30 tips to help you grow in those four cornerstones. I’m also the founder of Grow With Joe, where I combine self-development coaching and financial planning for Latino Professionals.
In today’s episode, we’re are going to talk about the big sean lyric “Feed me to the wolves, I’ll end up leading the pack.” I love this quote because it reminds of a chapter in 50 Cent and Robert Greene’s book “The 50th Law” where they talk about how 50 cent was able to turn shit into sugar. If you’re able to turn shit into sugar or be fed to the wolves and end up leading the pack, you’re going to have a good life.
Where ever you are in life right now, it can be extremely sucky but there are opportunities to make it better. It is easy to be consumed by all the shitty things going around you. If you were 50 Cent, he was raised by his grandma who also had to look after other cousins so 50 Cent didn’t have much guidance. He also grew up in Jamaica Queens during the 80s and 90s where the crack epidemic was causing havoc in the community. He became a drug dealer as a teen, made some money but got busted and went to juvenile detention and had to start over with nothing. He was able to focus on his music and escape all that but he really was able to turn shit into sugar.
I didn’t have it as bad as 50 Cent but I feel like I have been able to maximize my opportunities in life. I’m the son of two blue-collar parents, one a cashier and one that worked in the fields. I grew up in a mobile home, I was overweight as a kid, and I was extremely shy. The one thing that I had going for me was that I was very academic. I loved math and history. So I did pretty well in those two fields and wanted to go to college, but since my parents didn’t save up for it and I didn’t get any scholarships, I went into the Marines. The Marines sucked at times but it made me into a better person.
Now that I’m on my fourth business adventure and I’m starting over. I struggled a lot with my past three business attempts but now I feel like I have a lot of confidence on what I need to do to make it with this one. I had to move back with my parents in Oregon from Washington, DC. I had to cut back on my expenses while I put a lot of time and energy into this business. It’s hard work and it can be lonely at times, but I’m going to continue with this business because I know it will give me the freedom that I desire.
When you pursue your goals, there are going to be obstacles in your way. You might not be starting on third base and most people are not, they are starting at the warm-up box and no one is really going to lay down just let you get what you want. You have to be creative, be accountable, and learn not to focus on the negative stuff if you want to reach your goals. If I was to focus on all the negative stuff in my life, I wouldn’t have tried to make my life better. Some days suck and some days are really good, but I can’t put my happiness in the outcome of the day, I have to put my happiness in just know that I am doing what I want to do in life which is financial planning and business development.
If you were thrown to the wolves right now, how would you react? Would just try to find a place to hid and hope nothing worse happens to you or would you look for a weapon to find off the wolves or would be able to find something to feed the wolves to keep them distracted. I would say when you in a situation like the best thing is to find friends where you can help each other. When 50 cents was selling drugs on the streets, instead of keeping his distance from the drug fiends like all the other drug dealers, he kept them close so he could get information from them. Then 50 cent was able to use the information to help him reach the next level for his life.
The worst thing you can do is panic in that situation. The best thing you can do is take ownership of the situation, saying this is where I want to go and this is what I have, that is all I need. Most of the time, you just need your own creativity and hustle to get out of the situation. You don’t need millions of dollars to help you get out of the situation, there are alternatives to help you get out of the situation. Don’t be too attached to things as well. I wasn’t attached to living in DC and I decided the best thing to help me become successful as fast as I can be to move in with my parents. I don’t pay rent and my expenses are pretty low. I’ve written two books and now I’m ramping up my client acquisition. It would of taken me two years doing a 9-5 job to reach the same level.
You have to decide what you can give up to be successful. You can either do it slowly and work 60-80 hours in two jobs over five years or you can do it fast by working 60-80 hours over two years. It depends on if you have a family and what other responsibilities you have, but the choice is yours.
Another positive team about being fed to the wolves, and leading the pack, is that it will give you so much confidence to do other things. I think about how I overcame being overweight, went into the Marines, recovering from an ACL tear, and three failed businesses and I feel like I can accomplish a lot. I just have to go out and get it. America loves a comeback story and you don’t have to start from the bottom, but if you do fall down, don’t let the wolves eat you alive. It really is an attitude that is going to change the tides and endurance to get past the low parts of life.
If you’re at a low point in life, I would recommend you hear other stories of famous people who overcame their low points. I love watching the movie, the pursuit of happiness to help me get past my rough moments. Or just reach out to someone else in your field that went through a similar period. If you’re in business, you want to reach out to business folks. If you’re in school, you want to reach out to someone who just finished school. Don’t reach out to someone who hasn’t been through that low moment because they won’t be able to relate.
It might take a while to get back on your feet, but keep going and keep your eye on the prize. The prize might change but you can still turn a crappy situation into a better one if you keep taking action and learn from the right people.
That’s it for today’s episode, to summarize it, you have learned how to turn a crappy situation into a better one. You have lived your life like the Big Sean lyric “Feed me to the wolves, I’ll end up leading the pack.” otherwise you’ll be living in crap and who wants that if they can’t change the situation. You want to live the sweet life and turn crap into sugar and that will come from taking action, having a growth mindset, and having the right people around. Just because you’re in a crappy situation doesn’t mean you have to stay there forever, so why do it.
To get a free copy of my book “More You Know, More You Grow: How to get better every day” just go to my website growwithjoe.me/book and just pay for shipping and handling.
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I’m also trying to do a feedback Friday episode, so if you have a question that you would like to have my answer on the air, just e-mail me at [email protected]
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Thanks for joining me today and remember if you go with Joe, you can grow with Joe, cause Joe knows Dough.
*Music outro
