Episode 12 from The Grit Theory. 

In honor of Memorial weekend, we remember a true American War hero. We take a look at the iron will of Olympic athlete, turned soldier, turned ocean survivor, turned prisoner of war, turned over comer Louis Zamperini. What this man has endured will truly inspire you to dig deep when it comes to overwhelming circumstances. Discussion points include:

• Bigger vision
• Challenges that change you
• Invitation to be great
• Forced/inconvenient difficulty
• “Survivalism”
• Don’t freak out… prepare your mind
• Intentional difficulty
• Brokenness and choice

“Self esteem can’t win you a race if your not in shape.” – Louis Zamperini

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The Book: Be Relentless: If the obstacle is the way, then we must be WayMakers.

The Podcast: “Be Relentless Podcast”

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Linktree: Here.

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Episode Transcript

08;06;40;10 – 08;06;34;00

Jon

Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us on another episode of The Grit Theory. I am Jon Mayo joined with Aaron Robinson.

08;06;33;29 – 08;06;33;03

Aaron

Good morning, everybody.

08;06;32;20 – 08;06;31;23

Jon

So how are you doing today?

08;06;31;09 – 08;06;07;25

Aaron

I am doing a good job. Yeah, I’ve been loving this rhythm of the start of these conversations. I know we have a great topic this morning which we’ll get into, but it’s fun actually chatting with you this morning because we’re we’re thinking about, OK, the ways we’re making ways to make the podcast better, ways to be thinking

08;06;07;25 – 08;05;48;14

Aaron

from different angles. For instance, I’m listening to the comments, but one of the questions we had that kind of came up was, you know, we have kind of our own little world. I know if if you are trying to push anything in your life, you know that the limitation is only the vacuum of your life like you

08;05;48;06 – 08;05;26;24

Aaron

. That’s why we start reading books like We Need New Voices and New Teachers, new mentors. But also but if I were to be more selfish, I want to meet more of the the mentors of my friends and their friends and even the people I’ve never even met because they’re people that I know have something to lend to

08;05;26;24 – 08;05;10;01

Aaron

discussion. So you never talk about how you make that happen because we are in our sphere. When we go to our work, we go to our places. We shop, we go. We’re just limited. Yeah. You know, I don’t know if you’re just doing random trips to India or Australia, you know, just to meet people.

08;05;09;27 – 08;04;49;00

Aaron

I’m not I’m not here, but our friends are our friends are all over the place or their friends are all over the place. So I guess the question I had this morning for our listeners is, as you as you’ve been listening to us and we’re we’re a show that is really is focusing on finding the voices of

08;04;49;00 – 08;04;35;06

Aaron

resilience that have earned that voice through experience and that they demand more for their lives. They take ownership of their circumstances. Those are the voices we all want to hear. To to kick the can down the road, you know?

08;04;33;28 – 08;04;23;10

Aaron

But you know, people like that, that’s who we’re looking to talk to and we have our own lists. But we also understand that list is limited to our own little lives. So.

08;04;22;24 – 08;04;05;08

Jon

Yeah, so specifically in Colorado, right? Yeah, that would be helpful. We’re very intentionally working to not record remotely. Right. We want to do it in person. And so if you are someone or know someone that you think makes the bill, please reach out to.

08;04;05;08 – 08;03;59;11

Aaron

Us or through visiting Colorado from other places so we can catch them. We’d love to talk to that person.

08;03;59;10 – 08;03;49;09

Jon

So do you let us know if it’s a small wonder, though, because they’re all fat? You know, if we decide that, yeah, that’s a good idea, how much we’re going to certainly reallocate resources to meet that window.

08;03;49;07 – 08;03;45;17

Aaron

We’ll give you a shout out, though. Yes, the guy or gal. So please.

08;03;45;12 – 08;03;42;23

Jon

So keep this in mind and thank you.

08;03;42;11 – 08;03;37;17

Aaron

Yeah. So, Jon, yeah, our topic today.

08;03;36;25 – 08;03;17;11

Jon

Yes. So today we’re talking about Louis Zamperini. He’s pretty popular because of that broken teamwork rule. We’re taking a different angle on him than I think most of what he’s popular for. And it’s more gritty. It’s more line was kind of the stuff we talk about.

08;03;16;02 – 08;02;54;27

Jon

But but for everyone kind of the really ultra high view of like, who’s this guy, you know, kind of rebellious youth, juvenile delinquent type when he’s young. So that just means his full spirit becomes an Olympic athlete, almost breaks the four minute mile World War two gets in the way, as it did for the entire world, and

08;02;54;21 – 08;02;49;00

Jon

he joined service. His plane went down, survived, I think 47 days at sea.

08;02;48;18 – 08;02;47;26

Aaron

33 days.

08;02;47;25 – 08;02;22;18

Jon

33 days. Thank you for correction to be quote unquote rescued by the Japanese, which is really they just didn’t. He didn’t die because they picked him up. But he then was subject as a prisoner of war for two years or two years, elapsed before he was liberated and during which time he underwent all sorts of experiences you

08;02;22;18 – 08;02;01;18

Jon

don’t want to experience. And that’s typically he gets liberated. And, you know, that’s typically where the story ends. That’s where we want to begin the conversation and looking at the example of his life after liberation to have a discussion this morning and and in short, but that looks like if he comes back, PTSD wasn’t a thing yet

08;02;01;06 – 08;01;56;01

Jon

, but he suffered from anger, night terrors, things like that.

08;01;55;15 – 08;01;32;13

Aaron

Just, yeah, just like obsessing over this guy, the bird who was his captor, who tortured him for that two years and he was in a P.O.W. camp and made his life absolute hell like you couldn’t imagine. But you can imagine dealing with that kind of oppression and coming back and having to wrap your mind around it.

08;01;32;11 – 08;01;17;26

Jon

So when you’re unequipped to deal with the repercussions, when the when things, when the dust settles. Right? He did what so many of us will do when we’re struck with things and don’t know how to deal with them, clung to a bottle, got angry.

08;01;17;15 – 08;01;03;11

Jon

And the only thing that made logical sense at the time was to plan his revenge and how he’d go back and kill these guys who tortured him and his comrades and, you know, his brothers in arms. And that drove his life.

08;01;03;11 – 08;00;39;10

Jon

It almost ended his marriage. It really was destroying him. And ultimately, he found an ideal that lifted him out of the muck and was worth investing his life and pursuing and led him to put down the rage, raging place of forgiveness and really begin to piece back his life by taking ownership of where he was there and

08;00;39;10 – 08;00;19;23

Jon

that kind of story of redemption and climbing out of his own hell. Right? It is what we want to talk about today because it’s interesting and just incredible to hear his story up until when he’s liberated. Yeah, but it’s cheapens his life to then miss.

08;00;19;17 – 08;00;07;08

Jon

Yeah. OK, you went through hell that was inflicted upon you. Then he was just out. But then when you returned in? You know, ultimately you realize that the enemies within you. How do you how do you then look in the mirror?

08;00;06;19 – 09;59;55;06

Jon

And how do you take ownership of your life in such a way that you’re not subject to destruction by your own hand? And you can actually build something beautiful? That’s the story. That’s the aspect that I understand we can jump in.

09;59;54;17 – 09;59;53;11

Jon

How likely is that exactly?

09;59;52;26 – 09;59;37;20

Aaron

Excellent job. Yeah. I think that movie does a disservice to Louis in that it ends with this kind of a crescendo of him being reunited with his wife. But that was just, I mean, I don’t know whether you would say that was just the beginning.

09;59;37;20 – 09;59;15;27

Aaron

Maybe, you know, or half the halfway point, I don’t know. But the next steps were what were so key? And he ultimately the culmination of what you do and this is what I would aspire to, is the greatest thing about living a life of grit in purchasing the voice, but to give to others.

09;59;15;25 – 09;58;56;17

Aaron

I mean, you can’t. No one’s going to listen to you. If you didn’t walk on some level your own battle or you’re walking it through if you’re listening, like if you’re the person that chooses to do the hard thing because it’s the best thing like awesome ads, aren’t we the ear, our people?

09;58;56;17 – 09;58;55;04

Aaron

You know, we’re walking out with you.

09;58;54;23 – 09;58;38;02

Jon

And sometimes that’s just not quitting, right? And what’s interesting is listening to you just now. I realize there’s actually an inaccuracy because he wasn’t married when he was liberated. He he got married so soon after. That’s right. But I think the movie does depict it’s a reunion.

09;58;37;26 – 09;58;33;19

Jon

Is this where you just can never trust Hollywood? It’s all started from.

09;58;32;06 – 09;58;14;12

Aaron

And he brought all that pain into his marriage. Right? But the ultimate ultimate culmination when you purchase that voice is that he gave it to others. He ended his life being a speaker and in passing that on. So the movie came away late and the movie came out.

09;58;14;12 – 09;57;52;03

Aaron

I don’t know what it was 78 years ago about the time he passed. I mean, it wasn’t, you know, it’s a kind reminds me of like. Of William Wilberforce, you know who who is kind of the pioneer of ending slavery in England, and he was on his deathbed when he found out from parliament that in the past

09;57;52;02 – 09;57;42;07

Aaron

slavery is going to be abolished in England, which which paved the way for the Commonwealth, the end for Abraham Lincoln to do the same thing in the rest of the world, right?

09;57;41;27 – 09;57;23;11

Jon

Asia is one of. If you don’t mind, your quick understands, it’s so cool that here and it’s easy to miss, this is. That was the first. Politically driven like Nation State drive to end slavery in human history. Yeah.

09;57;22;14 – 09;57;11;22

Jon

Yeah, that was the first challenge of like, Hey, I don’t think slavery should be part of life, you know, because it’s common, it’s so common in the Middle East. That’s one of the things that’s so painful. You know, it’s like it’s still happening.

09;57;11;00 – 09;56;59;28

Aaron

We challenge that we literally have the luxury of books to like, inspire us. But if you’re the first one ever to do that thing, right? It’s amazing on it.

09;56;59;26 – 09;56;49;21

Jon

And there’s pockets of small stuff. I’d like to drive a nation to say, No, we’re not going to do this. Yeah. To my understanding, that was the first time in human history that happened. Right? And then look at the effects of it, too.

09;56;49;21 – 09;56;48;23

Jon

Today, pretty cool.

09;56;48;03 – 09;56;25;28

Aaron

In a light inside of a lifetime. You know, and oftentimes and it’s so rare to even get that, and this may be you may be who’s listening? That, you know, whatever you’re walking out very may well be a catalyst or something that is going to is going to change how they can walk the journey.

09;56;25;28 – 09;56;22;25

Aaron

They’ll stand on your shoulders, so to speak. It’s bigger than you.

09;56;22;01 – 09;56;07;12

Jon

Well, absolutely. And you know what? You just said, what can be accomplished in a lifetime? And like even just look at Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos or like any of these guys who are Amazon as a bookstore, not that long ago, you know, and now it’s everything.

09;56;07;00 – 09;55;51;02

Jon

And Elon is doing what Ellen is doing with his Tesla and his other like 80 things. We have all these great examples to glean from, you know, and everything that is not perfect. But man, we have some wonderful things to really help and motivate ourselves.

09;55;50;18 – 09;55;35;21

Jon

I just can’t help but remember. And I think this comes when you choose to accept it, right? Whenever that may be is you want to jump on the 30 day challenge. And obviously, I’m a huge fan of challenges and I think you should if they are not a one and done right.

09;55;35;13 – 09;55;22;24

Jon

But you want to jump on a 30 day challenge or a short term gain and expected to yield long term results. Yes. And it’s like that’s that’s where it’s broken. Like, Yes, do the challenges, but don’t expect long term results for them.

09;55;22;23 – 09;55;21;06

Jon

Expect 30 days of results.

09;55;21;06 – 09;55;20;21

Aaron

Yes.

09;55;20;12 – 09;55;07;01

Jon

And that kind of culminates to this point of like. Adjust your vision to not what can I accomplish in a year? How about a decade? Because there’s this popular sentiment that you overestimate what you can accomplish in a year?

09;55;06;24 – 09;54;45;25

Jon

Severely underestimate what you can accomplish in a decade. And that’s true. It’s like, Hey, let’s let’s set the most ambitious fiscal possible ten year goal, right? And then let’s see how much we can crush in a year and each year from now till then, because you know, everything changes as the years culminate right.

09;54;45;21 – 09;54;34;18

Jon

You break through pushing the flywheel. You have to break through the initial resistance and extra push up front and then you’ll start to gain momentum and pitfalls. And what happens in decades? Really different? Right?

09;54;34;07 – 09;54;19;14

Aaron

That’s good. That’s that’s better because the I had I’ve had conversations about resolutions and not to get to long. He doesn’t think about this when people have a have a goal or something they really want to focus on.

09;54;19;12 – 09;54;03;21

Aaron

And Louie Louie talks about this too, because of course, people are asking, how do you have a mind focus enough to get through such major depression? And he’s quoted as saying, Whatever you’re going to do, you have to commit your mind fully to it.

09;54;02;21 – 09;53;47;07

Aaron

I mean, who better than him to say you can’t give yourself any kind of al or any kind of you can’t you can’t entertain doubts for more than a few seconds when you’re in such a desperate situation. It will take everything you have to get through it.

09;53;46;25 – 09;53;35;21

Aaron

It’s only do things like resolutions that we do, and we’re just so we just cheapen it with, Oh, I want to do whatever. I want to read more. I want to die to the big ones that are there.

09;53;35;21 – 09;53;20;28

Aaron

But its people are focusing so much on like this single event and they don’t think about what I want my mind to become. So you go, I want it. I don’t want it. Set a resolution. I want to change how I think about everything and the.

09;53;19;18 – 09;53;07;00

Jon

A way that I think we’re walking through this here, right, because this is like the sixth challenge that we’re doing. You know? Yeah, well, we started with one that we just keep doing it. It’s how do you make an event of changing the mundane?

09;53;06;19 – 09;52;55;16

Jon

Yeah. You know, because the events are sexy, they’re fun. Yeah. Of course, I want to win the trophy. Sure. That’s motivating. Like, how do you say no? I want to wake up daily at this time or I want to work out like, how do you make that fun?

09;52;54;20 – 09;52;39;03

Jon

Well, we’ve done it in our continuing to do it through making these entertaining challenges that force consistency and they’re evolving. And we’re. And that’s that’s kind of fun because to your point, so yeah, once you get it now, what?

09;52;38;25 – 09;52;24;12

Jon

Right? And what’s nice is we already know, hey, this is just another milestone. It’s another assurances and it’s another challenge. I’m brainstorming through this for what the next level? So it’s like when it starts at OK, catch my breath reengage, you know.

09;52;24;06 – 09;52;08;06

Aaron

It kind of ruins you for what you were before. Mm hmm. And it’s it’s it’s like, it’s not. I’m like, Why you put more weight on a bar or you or you lengthen your run. It’s because you need it to be more difficult in order for it to be challenging.

09;52;07;26 – 09;51;58;23

Aaron

But if you look back to your point, the ten years and years ago, five years ago. And I’m hoping you go, Wow, there’s a massive difference.

09;51;58;17 – 09;51;43;13

Jon

And you’ll even see it from the year to year end. And it’s interesting because when you look at that? Specifically of that like, think progress in turning the mundane into something to pursue and get excited about, it changes.

09;51;42;20 – 09;51;26;03

Jon

There’s a mindset about our feast or famine, frankly, the scarcity mindset, it’s like, Well, maybe that’s not so true. Maybe it’s not these pursuits. Maybe it’s just this lifestyle shift, right? And it doesn’t make you ceaselessly hungry to the point that you don’t have contentment.

09;51;25;22 – 09;51;06;26

Jon

I think it actually instills contentment because it better prepares you to live and therefore live in the moment and enjoy them. And and one of the reasons I’m thinking about this is because last last night, when I was doing some final reading for a conversation this morning, I came across some quotes from him and one of them

09;51;06;26 – 09;50;57;00

Jon

was Self-esteem can’t win you a race if you’re not in shape. I think it fits into what we’re talking about.

09;50;56;19 – 09;50;54;29

Aaron

You know, they get to hold soldier a lot.

09;50;54;29 – 09;50;51;26

Jon

It just because you believe you’re special.

09;50;49;03 – 09;50;33;15

Aaron

I love this guy. I mean, he lives great. I mean, you know, back to Louis, it’s like he had so many, like even his grit, made him super evil or super, super great or whatever he did think it was.

09;50;33;12 – 09;50;18;11

Aaron

He just like you went full throttle. It just had to be chill. Like, I read about his use, like he’s throwing like tomatoes at cops. He’s like deflating teacher’s tires. If they disciplined it like the guy was just a hell.

09;50;18;11 – 09;50;04;05

Aaron

Yeah, yeah. You know, you had this little kid gang beating up kids, you know? And. And then and then, like a group of girls says, Hey, look, you should run for the team. I like all young guys who are very impressionable by growing.

09;50;04;05 – 09;49;47;28

Aaron

Sure. Yeah. So he did. But you know, whatever the motivator was with this is what ultimately went into getting national records and running. Nike put it into that. Yeah. And he just needed someone to invite him into something else.

09;49;47;19 – 09;49;38;26

Aaron

I feel it’s not unlike what you and I do. It’s like, I know there’s people have insane potential who are listening. They’re just putting in their energy in the wrong place.

09;49;38;25 – 09;49;17;16

Jon

What’s so interesting because there does appear to be his life, serious invitations that change the chapter for him? Right. He’s invited into writing is quote unquote invited into the war. Yeah, he’s. You know, invited home, liberated and then he’s invited into the pursuit of an ideal that changes his life and it helps him, you know, there’s just

09;49;17;15 – 09;49;13;01

Jon

these keystone moments that he responds to by pressing it.

09;49;12;09 – 09;48;57;13

Aaron

Now that’s now, that’s scary. If you think about how you pass, how many invitations have you had? I’m thinking about my own life, you know, and it’s normally embodied in a friend, right, who says, you could go this way or you can go this way where you want to do.

09;48;57;13 – 09;48;48;22

Jon

Jon Hope you are enjoying your morning. I’m going to put I’m going to force a decision, but you know how you got you’re on a trajectory now. You’re at a fork in Georgia.

09;48;47;14 – 09;48;37;12

Aaron

Think it’s always inconvenient? Yeah, right? It’s like, Yeah, I was kind of living my life here. I thought I had some kind of a rhythm. Now, you know, you need this chapter.

09;48;36;16 – 09;48;28;24

Jon

I didn’t even ask you about this. When you have this friends. I didn’t ask you about this. Why are you? Why are you doing this? I don’t know. I was on the line. That’s right.

09;48;28;03 – 09;48;10;15

Aaron

We are. We are a series of saying yes or no to things, right? But but those invitations, right? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I read those history like, you get you get into running in the Olympics 1936. There he met Hitler at 19, like you shook his hand.

09;48;10;07 – 09;48;07;14

Aaron

I read this story like, how insane is that?

09;48;07;01 – 09;47;53;27

Jon

And for context there, because he wrote, Oh, he must be like, he must’ve liked Hitler. It’s like, All right, just just remember this is before. Yeah, yeah. Like, so it’s like just you get the opportunity to shake the hands of the president of another country.

09;47;53;27 – 09;47;51;04

Jon

It’s like, Oh, that’s an honor. Yeah. No one knows yet what’s going.

09;47;51;04 – 09;47;47;15

Aaron

On, right? Right? Yeah, yeah. It’s it’s more like.

09;47;47;00 – 09;47;44;27

Jon

His conviction was tested and proven later.

09;47;44;18 – 09;47;26;15

Aaron

Right? I’m sure he was really mad about that later, and that guy turned on it. But he was set to break the four minute mile, which had never been done for the 1940 Olympics. And of course, that was interrupted at work to enlist in the Army Air Corps in that time.

09;47;26;03 – 09;47;08;18

Aaron

And then he his plan, the whole the whole entrance into his P.O.W. is his plane the engine gives out while they’re on. The search and rescue mission is very noble thing. I mean, how many how many times does life interrupt us?

09;47;08;18 – 09;46;58;22

Aaron

And the chapter opens, it’s like, Hey, I wasn’t doing anything wrong when the invitation kind of came like, what he’s about to go through is absolute hell, and he didn’t even ask for it.

09;46;58;06 – 09;46;47;18

Jon

Yeah, and it’s not even that. I mean, these guys don’t see you in this line of work. You know, a firefighter doesn’t see what he’s doing is noble when he goes to far right. So these guys are just doing business normal.

09;46;47;18 – 09;46;37;13

Jon

Hey, find out what’s going on here. Let’s go find a brothers out there and get them out to see the bankers down. eight guys who survive. Mm hmm. And then I know one dies at sea. I don’t know.

09;46;37;12 – 09;46;34;00

Jon

I know they get separated. You get separate from the second one. I don’t know if you’re right.

09;46;33;26 – 09;46;22;15

Aaron

I didn’t know that either. But I know like, there’s sharks. They’re trying to. Planes are shooting out of the streets. I mean, they’re they’re they’re fishing off this or ask or they’re doing whatever it takes in that 30 days.

09;46;22;00 – 09;46;11;20

Aaron

This is crazy. Yeah. Only to be rescued. Quote They are probably a worse situation, really, because it’s it’s mental certain to break them down.

09;46;11;18 – 09;45;53;25

Jon

Some would say it would be a mercy had they died at sea, but in hindsight they needed. The Japanese were not known at that time for being kind to the prisoners of war. Right? You know, there’s a lot that goes into that, and it’s interesting as you can see how these different factors really shaped some of the

09;45;53;25 – 09;45;38;25

Jon

mentality that he would share. You know, going back to their self self-esteem can’t win a race. You’re not. If you’re not right, there’s a functionality to that. But I think it further embodied the other. The other quote I found from him that really stood out.

09;45;37;19 – 09;45;23;23

Jon

And for some context, some people may call me an optimist. Some people may call me a pessimist. Optimist says a glass is half full. Pessimists have plenty of realist says it’s how it has half the liquid it contained.

09;45;23;23 – 09;45;06;00

Jon

He’s like, I’m a survivalist. Just fill the glass, right? And I love that because it’s like, OK, we juxtapose these thoughts, right? It doesn’t matter. Your thoughts matter, but only for the amount of preparation you put in instead of sitting and looking at the glass and determining how close it happened if you just filled it in.

09;45;05;20 – 09;45;02;27

Jon

Yeah, there’s a functional realism to that.

09;45;02;26 – 09;45;02;18

Aaron

Yeah.

09;45;02;09 – 09;44;59;23

Jon

It’s caught it. Just do it. Just get after it.

09;44;59;12 – 09;44;42;03

Aaron

And so even he’s been doing Enzo life, right? And so this why should any challenge? It’s the challenge does not matter. It’s the mentality going into which he had like, this guy is no nothing. But OK, this is this is a challenge.

09;44;42;02 – 09;44;35;24

Aaron

Like, OK, I’m going to be the best at it. Yeah, if there’s a war, I’m going to get where you are. But what do you want me to do? I’m going to do that.

09;44;35;14 – 09;44;28;01

Jon

What’s I thinking back to the Walkers? It’s it’s that brevity of realism. Long like we’re sitting at the traffic light and it’s not changing.

09;44;27;19 – 09;44;27;05

Aaron

It’s a long.

09;44;27;05 – 09;44;11;14

Jon

Line. You know, and he goes out, you have a repair. Let’s fix it. It’s that type of thing. It’s like the glass is half full, half empty, whatever that’s filling. It’s just this mindset of like, OK, but let’s fix it, and let’s make sure we’re prepared.

09;44;11;07 – 09;43;55;20

Jon

You’re going to engage in the challenges that we anticipate facing right now because you’re going to race. You know, the context? I mean, he’s running, so he’s thinking about this race. Who’s an Olympic athlete? If he knows that he’s going to train, you know, he’s not just going to sit, not train for the race.

09;43;55;06 – 09;43;38;17

Jon

He’s going to prepare for the Olympics. And I think there’s a metaphor. I keep going back to this because I think that in the simplicity, it’s something everyone wants to avoid the ever like myself included, everyone wants the sexy fixes, right?

09;43;38;13 – 09;43;24;25

Jon

That’s why the 30 day plans are so effective they were sold, you know, 30 days to actually, it’s everyone wants that. They want the easy button, they want the things. And no one wants to hear that the keys to success are discipline.

09;43;24;24 – 09;43;06;20

Jon

Consistency. You know, this one consistency put the work in, right? And that’s what I hear. Here’s the problem. Put the work in to solve it because you have an event put to work and you prepare for it. Don’t get wrapped up in the metaphysics and philosophy behind it.

09;43;06;08 – 09;43;03;13

Jon

Execute and keep moving forward.

09;43;03;04 – 09;42;42;26

Aaron

You know, the challenge the reactive mindset is the same to me. No matter what the challenge you talk, it’s finance. If it’s relational, it is different. I would say different levels of extremity to it, but I would say it feels the same way.

09;42;42;25 – 09;42;18;11

Aaron

Discomfort feels. The same on some level, it’s just do you react the same? Are you kind of prepared for that? Kind of feeling because that if your automatic response, sometimes disappointing consistency, you’re going to be prepared for a whole lot if you find it, whatever the challenge is, which is how free is, how do you think I

09;42;18;11 – 09;42;03;26

Aaron

don’t have to worry about the unknown because I know how I react when the unknown happens that that’s this is the training now. Like, it’s what what are you doing right now when things are uncomfortable? That’s how you’re going to react in the future.

09;42;03;18 – 09;41;58;24

Jon

The time to freak out over a situation is when it’s resolved.

09;41;58;07 – 09;41;54;02

Aaron

Yeah, right? Yeah. Yeah, because you ’cause you let your guard down.

09;41;53;17 – 09;41;53;04

Jon

Yeah. Like.

09;41;52;14 – 09;41;51;12

Aaron

Is that what you’re getting at or?

09;41;51;10 – 09;41;33;29

Jon

Yeah. And if you’re in a problem, don’t freak out there. But if you can teach yourself to respond with action when you run into these things, if you have that resilience that we’re talking about, right, it’s like, Oh, this financial injury just happened to this life.

09;41;33;29 – 09;41;10;14

Jon

This you just happen. Oh. This conflict has happened, right? If you’re conditioning yourself to stay true to what you’re pursuing. When that happens, say, Oh, this isn’t fun pressing in now, right then, when it’s done right, when the threat is gone and the problem is resolved, or when there’s an opportunity for you to safely process or recover

09;41;10;07 – 09;40;56;08

Jon

, that’s when you can say, Oh my gosh, what just happened? You know, that’s when you go through that. Whoa, we almost just got blitzed. You know, there’s no point. There’s no point productively claiming the problem and allowing it to continue up front.

09;40;55;04 – 09;40;45;15

Jon

And it’s good because no matter what, it’s going to continue, you can’t control that. We can’t control how it consumes you. Is it going to consume your attention and take your focus on how you’re going to overcome it?

09;40;45;04 – 09;40;40;15

Jon

Or is it going to consume your attention and overwhelm you so that it overcomes you?

09;40;39;23 – 09;40;17;06

Aaron

I did a. For many years, I used to rock climb and. You get up on that rock and you’re the lead climbing in, so it’s so important you have got to focus. You cannot. There’s no there’s no question of like, Oh, is this am I in a dangerous situation, that kind of thing?

09;40;17;03 – 09;39;59;23

Aaron

So if you’re if you’re in, if you’ve chosen to do it, you’ve got 100 200 feet, you have to complete it. That’s there’s no there’s no decision to there’s no ladder is the ladder. Yes, there’s no slide. It’s only up in your your mind.

09;39;59;13 – 09;39;49;06

Aaron

What I love about this, this is crazy that I loved it, but I love the fact that your mind will try to tell you to stop. And there’s fear in that and you have to control it and then your physiological responses.

09;39;49;06 – 09;39;29;17

Aaron

Readers away will start shaking, even though it’s not tired and scared. You know your body’s scared. You have to gain control. And it’s it’s not helpful to think about everything that’s wrong in this situation. It is helpful to be to look only right in front of you at the moment.

09;39;29;09 – 09;39;15;28

Aaron

Not down, not even up, because it’s sort of like, what am I going to do a decision to have to make right now in the next few seconds, few minutes and then get. And then once you make that decision is amazing because so many other choices open up.

09;39;15;16 – 09;39;00;21

Aaron

Once you get a few inches more, it’s like, Okay. And then when you get down on the climb, just as you said. Well, man, if I let. All of the reality of the situation comes ahead during it. Mm-Hmm.

09;39;00;16 – 09;38;57;13

Aaron

I would have quit, I would have stuck to call somebody for help.

09;38;57;09 – 09;38;44;26

Jon

You have to focus on the task at hand. Yeah, it’s like I’m a cheap date when it comes to rock climbing. I’m experiencing that fight certainty that I’m engaged in. My body’s going. It’s like you’re not off the ground often.

09;38;44;26 – 09;38;42;10

Aaron

But you don’t need the big reveal. You’re just like, Yeah.

09;38;41;26 – 09;38;29;29

Jon

Yeah, and it’s fun. I’ve done it. Yeah, my friend who took me, I think, gleefully looks forward to taking me again because he saw the effects on me. But it’s like Alpha can do it. Why would I not do it like?

09;38;29;23 – 09;38;17;05

Jon

And that’s the interesting thing here, too. When you when you talk about preparing for the unforeseen. Put yourself into the difficulties that you don’t like. Like, I don’t like rock climbing. Frankly, I don’t like the heights. I’m not a fan.

09;38;17;05 – 09;37;59;21

Jon

So people love it. I realize I’m not an adrenaline junkie in that context. But guess what? Given the opportunity, I will do it because it’s forcing me very dynamically to push through discomfort and not like, Oh, just pain, right?

09;37;59;19 – 09;37;41;27

Jon

I’m pretty good with pain. It’s it’s it’s more fear, right? And I love it because it’s like it’s hard to stimulate fear. Heights does it for me, but I will push and do it every time, given the opportunity because that and if you develop, that’s a mindset to develop is because it’s much more comfortable to say, Oh

09;37;41;27 – 09;37;28;05

Jon

man, I’m busy. I can’t go, no, like if I can figure it out, if I’m able to make it happen, I’m going to do that because I want to be in the opportunities that are strengthening me mentally and physically.

09;37;27;22 – 09;37;15;12

Jon

Because if I can press through that fear when something scary in business or something scary at home, it’s much less like, Oh, I’m not going to fall to my desk. Yeah, yeah. You know, oh, the way it’s not going to crush me and break my back.

09;37;14;09 – 09;36;53;20

Aaron

Yeah. When you’ve lifted, when you’ve intentionally lifted heavier weight, yeah. So that the one the lower weight stuff comes up, you just breeze right through it. Yeah, that’s really the difference between. What? What the people that we’ve read about who’ve been successful at, whatever their craft is, that’s the difference between them and me.

09;36;53;16 – 09;36;51;00

Aaron

Mm-Hmm. They pushed through barriers that I have not.

09;36;50;19 – 09;36;39;29

Jon

And then they start, Yeah, they start, right? And on the fitness thing I just remembered, I have a couple of friends who were asking me about the shirt. I’ve been wearing a lot of the posts I’ve been in recently.

09;36;39;29 – 09;36;37;27

Aaron

The iron sharpens.

09;36;37;27 – 09;36;24;25

Jon

Iron, sharpens iron sprinkling shirts. But I learned it’s a better known company here in Colorado Springs, and it’s been fun actually been talking with them a little bit. The company’s called Iron Apparel. I said that word right now.

09;36;24;22 – 09;36;11;29

Jon

Apparel? Yeah, thank you. Apparel so steep. But we’ve been talking about it for some. They seem to be pretty cool, dudes. Awesome company. Great shirts. So for the guys who are asking me, that’s that’s their.

09;36;10;21 – 09;36;08;02

Aaron

Ideas on how guys that have those mentalities.

09;36;07;24 – 09;35;50;13

Jon

And it’s cool because you get it. And this is the second reason why you get what you put out there right now. It’s not instant gratification, but if you’re pursuing right, these like if you’re pursuing better and you’re pursuing better circles, you’re pursuing all these things given time you beat.

09;35;50;13 – 09;35;39;07

Jon

And if you’ve learned to take advantage of opportunities as they become for any given time you get to, you get more opportunities or maybe they were there in the first place. I think you do create more opportunities by pursuing things.

09;35;39;01 – 09;35;22;23

Jon

You also create the skillset to see them and there’s something there, right? But there’s Louis had to learn when he saw a half empty glass, half full glass to say, Let’s just fill it. I just need water. You know it.

09;35;21;19 – 09;35;20;00

Jon

So it’s kind of cool concept.

09;35;19;23 – 09;35;06;14

Aaron

We we had it when you get to that place where you can like there’s more doors open to you because you’re not afraid of things that are uncomfortable to sort of like that vacancy kind of thing is is only.

09;35;05;10 – 09;34;50;13

Aaron

It is a privilege of those who are okay with being uncomfortable for a while while they figure it out at so many. Some of the books I’ve read, like these guys that have accomplished great things, it’s like, Well, I said yes or something I was completely unprepared for.

09;34;49;23 – 09;34;36;12

Aaron

But knowing I would. But but in this instance, they were prepared because mentally they already said they already made the decision that I’m going to do whatever it takes to win whatever to get to get through that barrier.

09;34;36;09 – 09;34;15;21

Jon

And that’s a perfect segue. Way back into one of the things I think is a more remarkable decision that our topic today Louis Zamperini you made, right? So when he’s he’s back and just in his own hell for me, too much listening to my wife’s filing for divorce, all these things are happening and he gets anything.

09;34;15;21 – 09;33;54;07

Jon

He gets this invitation to deal. He pursues for the rest of his life. And when he chooses, I want to pursue this. He doesn’t realize in that moment that he’s choosing to discard the hate, anger and desire for revenge in favor of a very countercultural wild.

09;33;53;27 – 09;33;32;24

Jon

I’m going to choose to let go of the damaging parts of my past and pursue to forgive these people that did this to me, which is wild and in that pursuit. He found the calling in drive to maximize that pursuit by sharing what he’s learned with others and the freedom it’s bringing him, and the health is freeing

09;33;32;24 – 09;33;28;25

Jon

him and the joy and peace in his life. You know, he.

09;33;28;25 – 09;33;21;16

Aaron

Met up with that, that burger, the colonel, the bird or they called him. They met him in person.

09;33;20;28 – 09;33;19;21

Jon

Yeah, he went back to the prison camp.

09;33;19;01 – 09;33;14;12

Aaron

Like, that’s insane to me. Yeah, to have that kind of courage.

09;33;14;01 – 09;33;02;22

Jon

And when talking about that type of forgiveness because you want to go at something, he said, what? But another thing that he shared about forgiveness is if you actually forgive someone, you never bring up the past with him.

09;33;02;06 – 09;32;53;00

Jon

You don’t get it because if you bring up past that, then you talk to them. You have to have the discipline if you choose to forgive someone to not make them relive the past that you’ve chosen to forgiveness.

09;32;52;23 – 09;32;41;28

Jon

Wow, that’s weird. Yeah. And that’s hard. Like, oh my gosh, I’m not sure I’ve ever forgiven anyone because the temptations like, I forgive you. I remember last time we screwed up this year.

09;32;41;09 – 09;32;38;10

Aaron

You always do this. Yeah, you always do. Well.

09;32;37;21 – 09;32;34;12

Jon

Am I holding on to something that’s waiting me down? Right? You know.

09;32;34;11 – 09;32;19;26

Aaron

That’s so good. I don’t think I’ve let it go. And Louis lived to be 98 years old. Hmm. So that freed him to deliver a healthy life to you. Don’t you don’t live to 98 hating everybody. You don’t.

09;32;19;23 – 09;32;18;07

Aaron

You don’t die with a smile anyway.

09;32;17;25 – 09;31;51;21

Jon

Yeah. You know, his youth was this cabalistic wild rollercoaster of peaks and despair and valleys. Yeah. And for the first third half of his life. And then because of that choice to pursue something of value. To let go of that, which you could not control and to focus on what he could control and that’s the switch in

09;31;51;21 – 09;31;39;15

Jon

my mind is like I I could go and shoot these guys. I could fulfill these fantasies. But then it’s just going to ruin my life. Right? But instead, it’s I forgive them if I choose to let them go.

09;31;38;24 – 09;31;25;06

Jon

It’ll even it’ll free me, right? I can control this. They can’t take. They can’t. They expect me to hate them. But this is something that they have no control over, and this is something I have full control over if I choose to do this.

09;31;24;22 – 09;31;09;05

Jon

I am maximizing my agency, my ownership of my life and my being. And there is like this steadiness after that perceived right that the rest of his life is a sloping upward trajectory that was steady, opposed to like just valleys and mountaintops before you.

09;31;09;05 – 09;30;44;29

Aaron

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, in a higher level. Even like even it was perceptually valley, but this valuables way higher than what he’s experienced before this journey of. Like coming to the end of himself, I guess, I I think I would define brokenness differently because, you know, we use brokenness, we can throw it out.

09;30;44;29 – 09;30;21;05

Aaron

It’s sort of like, OK, somebody who’s just lost all strength and emotion, physicality, whatever. But that to me. Yes, you’re broken for broken as a financial statement, I don’t agree with. I think you’re temporarily broken. To truly broken to me is quitting like you’re done.

09;30;20;04 – 09;30;14;21

Aaron

But brokenness to me is a teacher. It’s it’s part of the process of becoming stronger.

09;30;14;09 – 09;29;58;09

Jon

So I think broken what I’m hearing and what you’re saying or what I’m taking away from this brokenness is a choice, right? Like it is possible you can be broken, right? But to stay broken or to what extent you stay broken is a choice.

09;29;58;09 – 09;29;44;21

Jon

And I can’t help but think about amputees, for example. You know, you lose a leg. You will forever not have that life back. But how you choose to allow that to affect your life for the rest of your life is interesting.

09;29;43;28 – 09;29;37;20

Jon

So the guy who’s jumping into my mind right now, I think the frisbee from Black Rifle Coffee Company, have you seen him?

09;29;37;19 – 09;29;36;23

Aaron

No, with Chris.

09;29;36;10 – 09;29;31;16

Jon

So, you know, BlackRock, a coffee company. Love them. They’re hilarious. They have.

09;29;31;16 – 09;29;29;29

Aaron

Other videos. So.

09;29;29;21 – 09;29;13;12

Jon

So Krispy is it that he survived? I think an IED. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but something happened. Severe burns and injuries across most of his body. He left. He lost. I think both legs is like a double leg.

09;29;13;09 – 09;29;01;17

Jon

I think he’s a double triple amputee. I’m going off memory here, so I’m not trying to be factual. I’m just trying to remember. And he got into weightlifting, you know, into the community that they’re building for vets and all this stuff.

09;29;01;08 – 09;28;46;05

Jon

And it’s like, Well, if you lose all that, have all these injuries, you can choose to just drink a life where you can choose, just sit on the couch and sit in a wheelchair. But he’s walking around with his prosthetics, crushing weight in the gym, getting after it, living a fulfilling life to the best of his ability

09;28;46;04 – 09;28;34;27

Jon

. Despite the constraints that is the choice of either accepting brokenness as part of your identity or rejecting brokenness and living inside. That’s what I heard you talking about.

09;28;34;11 – 09;28;13;17

Aaron

That’s thank you for that clarification. That’s that’s to me. Those are the stories that help us realize it’s possible because, you know, I look at Louise story, how does someone survive? I how does someone get through that? It’s a little because they refuse to let that be the narrative for the rest of their life.

09;28;13;05 – 09;27;44;12

Aaron

You know, and every challenge is a different opportunity to use the muscle of grit to get through different problems. You know, whether it be whether it be being a dumb, juvenile kid. Being not being you’ll be Olympian Olympian anymore, being shot down, being in a P.O.W., dealing with alcoholism, dealing with losing your your marriage like these are

09;27;44;12 – 09;27;35;04

Aaron

all challenges that would crush many, many people. Mm-Hmm. But he he exercised a familiar muscle.

09;27;33;20 – 09;27;10;26

Jon

Well, there’s actually something interesting to that. It’s funny because I just was reviewing my notes in that familiar muscle piece. I’m not sure how true that is because one of the things that was observed by a dude named Ivan Mesa in an article that broke his loose survival instincts, the same instincts that kept him alive at sea

09;27;10;25 – 09;26;53;11

Jon

in prison. Apparently did not offer help when she returned home, he said, offered no help to turn home, and I think that’s evident in his diving into the bottle. Yeah, and the things I fought for a while. You know, so what do you do that?

09;26;53;04 – 09;26;40;06

Jon

What do you do then? Right? And that’s where when he found that ideal? Right? And he began pursuing it. Everything changed. Well, like his training and his experience didn’t prepare him to live in abundance and to live well once freed from the conflict.

09;26;39;16 – 09;26;26;13

Jon

And that’s where it’s like, Hey, be careful. Be mindful what you’re prepared for, right? Because if you want to run a life, you’re not going to be ready for the bar to be facing back. Right? So there’s this interesting perspective there.

09;26;26;13 – 09;26;03;25

Jon

I’d love to explore it more because he’s survived all these things. And here’s this challengeable. Do you really think it helps him? I think ultimately he learned to repurpose that will set to be helpful. But I think that directly when he found himself in this new life, essentially being freed again, having access to freedom and water life

09;26;03;25 – 09;25;44;22

Jon

, living marriage, everything in he was ill prepared. Yeah. To not consolidate, to reconcile. Yeah. What he had just experience with working out was, and I think you see that in a number of ways, right? Like, if someone has been unsuccessful and they all doesn’t get success.

09;25;43;22 – 09;25;29;05

Jon

But if someone wins the lottery, for example, how many people lose that money within a decade, it’s like 90%. If you’re not prepared for the calamities of life or the outcomes of life, they will be lost upon you.

09;25;27;25 – 09;25;26;00

Aaron

That’s good on both sides, on both.

09;25;26;00 – 09;25;24;29

Jon

Sides, good and bad.

09;25;24;16 – 09;25;12;21

Aaron

Yeah, I’m oversimplifying this. It’s not a lot of muscles. Kids keep growing and it’s a new challenge, a hard challenge. I think oftentimes it’s like, I don’t I don’t know this part of me. Yeah, I know how to do this at all.

09;25;12;20 – 09;24;56;01

Jon

Or how do I fight, you know, like if you’re really good at your job, but you want to go to the next level and that job is from technician to leader to owner or whatever. Being really good at the technical aspects only means that you’re going to be a good mentor to those who are doing it.

09;24;55;11 – 09;24;52;10

Jon

The rest is a challenge. As far as what am I doing from here?

09;24;52;09 – 09;24;51;14

Aaron

Yeah, yeah.

09;24;50;29 – 09;24;35;13

Jon

Regardless, it’s like, OK, I guess it prepares me. So it gives me qualifications to do cool things. You know, he’s qualified to speak in people’s lives because of his experience of surviving these things, being Olympic athlete, all these other things.

09;24;34;27 – 09;24;27;16

Jon

But what makes it valuable is not that he just experiences things, but he learned how to adapt those experiences to relevancy for the current climate.

09;24;26;15 – 09;24;04;14

Aaron

Yeah, he’s like sort of a mascot for that generation. I appreciate so much like our grandfather’s generation who. Didn’t didn’t complain like we do now know, and it’s like, are we tired of these seats? People, I mean, it feels like everyone is so focused on what they can’t do and things that are happening to us.

09;24;04;05 – 09;23;59;27

Aaron

We can’t control and this is why we love just reading this.

09;23;59;11 – 09;23;49;12

Jon

The nausea and really interesting point. Let’s play with something for a little bit. All right. Like mentally, process this live. So that’s OK.

09;23;49;12 – 09;23;49;02

Aaron

I’m ready.

09;23;48;09 – 09;23;31;05

Jon

So we look at that generation as like the greatest generation. I’m not debating that at all. What I think that I take away from them the most is the value of duty. Despite right? I will be consistent. I will do what is required of me.

09;23;29;05 – 09;23;10;06

Jon

Whether it’s fun, whether it’s ugly does matter, right? And and I will do it boldly. You know, so there’s this kind of like that stands behind me. Those are the shoulders of giants upon which I stand. And now what I’m sensing on a positive side, I’m not going to critique anything that’s going on right now.

09;23;10;06 – 09;22;44;13

Jon

I’m going to speak. Something I see positive is there’s a movement of. That in a sense, but it’s been completely transformed into a desire to pursue limitless potential. And I think it’s a I think it’s a. I don’t know if generational is the right term, but it’s a movement that you are seeing.

09;22;44;07 – 09;22;28;16

Jon

You know, the front runners and leaders helping encourage more people to do where it’s like we’re in a time because of technology in abundance and all these other things are at stake, OK? The duty today is to pursue the limitless, the impossible.

09;22;28;02 – 09;22;07;10

Jon

These other things, right, and people are answering that call. Yeah, people are doing it. You know, look how far technology’s evolving. Look at, you know, the pursuit to put people on other planets, you know, like both in that arena and then just even the efforts are being done for infrastructure and stuff.

09;22;07;09 – 09;21;50;17

Jon

I’m not talking about politically, I’m talking about the people who have a vision and they’re pursuing it and trying to bring it to reality. There’s this new calling, if you will hear it, if you pursue the limitless. And I hope that that’s the call that my sons can be raised up in so that they can further that

09;21;50;10 – 09;21;31;26

Jon

having learned both from the greatest generation and from what people are working to do today. There’s like this gap of malicious party, and now it’s like, you know, let’s let’s make this better. Yeah, how can you combine duty in resolution to an unquenchable desire to improve upon your situation.

09;21;31;10 – 09;21;30;08

Aaron

And massive.

09;21;30;08 – 09;21;25;14

Jon

Vision? Yeah, massive idea. What can you do? So that thanks for sharing with me. What do you think?

09;21;25;13 – 09;21;10;14

Aaron

No, I think it’s great. I am honestly and very positive about our generation’s coming out. I mean, certainly there’s lots of things you could say and negative, but positively, I think more than any other generation before them. They see what is not there.

09;21;09;04 – 09;20;58;17

Aaron

It feels like an old idea of like like forefathers type ideal. Like, what if, what can we accomplish? What can we do, what can we invent or whatever?

09;20;58;16 – 09;20;42;16

Jon

What if we could be a free state? You know, yeah, America’s far right. Fast forward a few hundred years. What if we could do x ray? Yeah, you’re right. Nothing’s really new. Yeah, it’s just the tools at our disposal have changed the scope of what that that question can bear.

09;20;42;06 – 09;20;20;01

Aaron

Right. And they’re temporary. I feel like the newer generations of temporary. The generation of duty with, well, yeah, you have to. They may be weakened duty, I think maybe on some level, but they also recognize that just having duty and not taking care of the other stuff, the junk, because that that’s kind of what we’re talking about

09;20;19;24 – 09;20;00;03

Aaron

. There’s a lot of there is a lot of people that didn’t have that same end of the story. They got crushed by giving all their life to duty. And a sad ending. And we’re so thankful for what what our grandparents generation did for us, but they came at a cost free cost of themselves.

09;19;59;27 – 09;19;48;23

Jon

It did. And I think what you’re highlighting is there is there is a. To be careful not to go to the critiquing site for the moment. There isn’t any responsibility in a lack of commitment that you have to guard against.

09;19;48;00 – 09;19;33;16

Jon

You know, I can observe myself and my peers in my generation and the generations coming up, but I think the positive aspect of that is questioning what should I pledge myself to do? You know, the question what should I pursue?

09;19;33;05 – 09;19;14;17

Jon

And where you see these really cool examples of pursuing the impossible and the limitless is they are putting their duty towards that pursuit right there. And my duty, I mean, they’re committing themselves fully, you know? And that’s where you kind of get this cool juxtaposition.

09;19;14;09 – 09;18;51;14

Jon

And I and I think it’s even more so borne on the examples of people like Louis, who chose to pursue something near impossible in living life, joy filled and forgiving and then sharing that he made it possible for many to for to free themselves of the change of their experiences to then come back and raise.

09;18;50;04 – 09;18;44;07

Jon

The next generation to then allow for us to continue to pursue better, you know?

09;18;44;06 – 09;18;28;28

Aaron

Yeah, exactly. I mean, we look at it, look at that story and go, Man, what am I complaining about me? Because there’s I guess they sound simple choices like simple choices like Do I survive? Or Do I get my chance?

09;18;28;23 – 09;18;17;17

Aaron

It’s like, OK, it’s a simple choice. Well, yeah, but the doing is extremely difficult. Living it out is harder than the consequences. You know.

09;18;17;01 – 09;18;02;11

Jon

It’s difficult in all these scenarios and you venture. Frankl talked about a lot that he knew immediately he could. He was because he’s a clinician, right? Yeah, he he was a psychologist. So go into this camp experience himself.

09;18;01;26 – 09;17;45;21

Jon

He was able to identify when his fellow prisoners were dying based on the comments they’re making. He knew he was. He learned to identify and someone had given up. And it basically set the stopwatch for them to die within the next one to three days.

09;17;45;08 – 09;17;24;17

Jon

And he got very accurate at that. And that’s why he chose to try and share optimism because it’s the power of choice in the mind despite your circumstances. You know, if he victor did, there’s examples of him finding beauty in a flower and middle of a death camp, like if you can find beauty there, right?

09;17;24;17 – 09;17;08;15

Jon

If you can find the means and desire to survive when you’re starved and beaten badly as a prisoner of war right on the on the brink of death with an illness due to vitamin deficiency like Louis. And you find the means to not quit you.

09;17;08;13 – 09;17;03;09

Jon

A reason to continue pushing. Yeah, right? There’s definitely something to ponder there.

09;17;03;06 – 09;16;50;05

Aaron

That’s a great spotter. In the gym, to me is when you are telling yourself and you’re saying you’re actually verbalizing, I can’t do this. I can’t. And then and then he’s like, Yes, you can just shut.

09;16;50;05 – 09;16;49;14

Jon

Up and press.

09;16;48;11 – 09;16;44;07

Aaron

OK. You can do this, don’t you stronger than, you know, don’t cheat.

09;16;43;23 – 09;16;31;19

Jon

Yeah. And I think that’s a fine note to turn on. Don’t choose failure. Yeah. Don’t you dare. You know, don’t choose failure. Don’t say I can’t do this. Scream and give it your all right. And if you fail, you fail.

09;16;31;19 – 09;16;11;15

Jon

Pick yourself up and do your best. But. I don’t choose depression. Don’t choose failure, choose to scream and give it your all. Absolutely. You know, and I think he embodied that he could have he almost died upon returning home from despair and then was given a glimpse of hope.

09;16;10;25 – 09;16;01;02

Jon

And he, you know, metaphorically screamed and pressed in. Yeah, yeah. And then the rest is history, and that’s where we had this motivational figure now that we can draw inspiration from.

09;16;00;14 – 09;15;42;28

Aaron

And it was it was teetering in the balance. Not to push through the brokenness to become unbroken. Yes. That’s our encouragement today to be broken. Walk it out. Do not quit. You can do it. You absolutely do it.