Barry Smith and I had a chance to sit down with best-selling author Jason Turbow recently for the Breaking Average Podcast. We talked about baseball and what it was like to help Kenny Loggins share his incredible story in the recently published book, Still Alright.

Check out the podcast on your favorite podcast platform of choice, or watch the two part interview on our YouTube channel below. 

Part 1

Part 2

Twitter Follows:

• Jason Turbow = @JasonTurbow
• Kenny Loggins = @KennyLogins
• Barry Smith =  @BLDWhatMatters 
• Paul Gustavson =  @PaulGustavson 

Also be sure to buy Kenny Loggins book on Amazon or wherever fine books are sold.  (You'll love this book!)

Words matter. Words can either breath life, or tear us down. One of the more powerful words ever spoken was an excerpt from a Teddy Roosevelt speech titled Citizenship in a Republic that he gave in Paris, France in April 1910.

Perhaps you are familiar with it. Even if it is, I encourage you to read it again as if it’s the first time.

"It is not the critic who counts;
it’s not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs, who comes short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows great enthusiasms,
the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring...

Hi friends,

I recently shared the story that I have been so hesitant to share. It's my story. A story of challenge and pursuit as it relates to an unexpected medical diagnosis a few years back. If nothing else, I hope my story encourages you in some small way. Here it is.

I want to encourage you, don't let the obstacles and the set backs keep you from living forward. Continue to imagine. create. explore and discover :-). Continue to break average no matter what life throws your way. 

Background

I was honored to share this story from the John Maxwell IMC event stage with other speech finalists on Sept 1, 2021 - who I now call friends. They inspired and motivated me with their amazing stories. From them, I was reminded that we all have challenges that come our way. Life is not easy. But it is so worth it, if we just keep moving. Inside each of us we have a story like that to share. It's often a story of perseverance, which is the center point of all leadership.

I’ll never forget the day. I was in Orlando leading a Simulation forum with just over fifty people in the room. The conference chair unexpectedly poked her head in the middle of my session, quietly made her way to me with a clear look of concern.  

“Paul. So sorry to interrupt, but the news is horrible. The World Trade Center  was just hit by a plane, and so was the Pentagon.." She swallowed  hard for air, and continued.  "They believe it was terrorist attack. And they think there are terrorists still in the air.”  

 I couldn’t believe my ears. “Terrorist attack - still in the air.” I pondered. 

Then she added, “We fear that there might still registered attendees flying to this workshop - on their way who may be on some of those planes.” 

When...

We just finished an amazing mastermind discussion on the book W1NNING, by Tim Grover. Grover was the personal coach for Michael Jordon, Kobe Bryant, and other notables -- not just in sports but in life.

Grover shares 13 principles for Winning based on the stories of MJ, Kobe, his own journey and many others. But before you dive into the book try this little exercise.

Grover suggests early-on answering this one question.

What does winning mean to you?

Seriously. What does winning mean? You won't be able to fully value this book (or any discussions) until you do. Take time to answer that question -- consider it a prerequisite. But, there's one caveat. 

You can only pick only one word for your definition.  

That's right - just one word. 

It makes it a little harder, doesn't it? But go ahead, give it a try. 

Sure the dictionary will tell you winning is "gaining, resulting in, or relating to victory in a...

According to my math, our country is only 8 generations old.  We're still pretty young. As such, we should never forget the importance of the 4th. It was a significant moment, a bold step of our past that will continually shape our future.  We are still the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

But July 4th isn't just a day of independence -- it is also a day of declared dependence too.   

• We need each other.
• We need family. 
• We need connections.
• We need a sense of belonging.
• We need God and country.

Let today be a day of declared dependence.  Let's come together connected by our common values: 

• Diversity
• Duty
• Encouragement
• Honesty
• Life / Liberty
• Pursuit of Happiness
• Trust

These values  bring us together. They unite us and shape our vision. 

Diversity

It's often a misunderstood word today. But "diversity" is something that has always been us. It's why the USA is called...

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

– Romans 8:28

Here’s what I’ve learned. The disappointments, the failures, the struggles, the challenges. They are all God needs to make an impact.  The irony is that God works best with broken things. The best stories in life come through trials and tribulations.  Perseverance is intended for the underdog. Don’t give up!

In life, the challenge is often the opportunity. When it seems that things are messed up, or have not gone right, don’t dismiss what God can do. Like lemon turned to lemonade. He turns messes into messages.  All that He asks is for you to be open to the potential and for Him to use your story.

Here's are three questions to get you back on your feet: 

What's My Story?

Take time to think of how God has redeemed a situation in your life.  What are the trials and tribulations that He can...

Greatest of All Time

That's an accolade that doesn't suffer from humility, does it?   How can one be humble and a GOAT?  Is it even possible?

If you look back at the GOATs of life, there are a few who you could lay claim as both GOAT and humble:  Think Mother Theresa, Jesus ,Chadwick Boseman, and Fred Rogers to name a few.  The question is, how did they pull it off?

It seems it can only pulled off if we are willing to go through the full progression -- all the phases - of leadership.

As I started thinking about those phases, and an interesting analogy came to life:

Mountain Top Experiences

If you hadn't noticed, mountain top experiences never start on top of the mountain. It starts in the valley -- from a state of humility. There is a whole progression of phases that happen that makes those experiences the Great of All Time.  If those phases are what create GOAT experiences, then maybe there are some parallel aspects to what...

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go”
— T. S. Eliot

We just launched  a new three part series on Resilience on the Breaking Average Podcast.  Have you seen it? The first episode aired recently centers on the concept of Acknowledging the Threats.  The next episodes take it even further.  This is such a powerful principle.  Resilience is a secret untapped strength each of us have, we often just don't know it.

There's an old line from the legendary Japanese Military Strategist that sets the table.

Know thyself, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

What he's saying is spot on.  You can't be yourself and face your challenges until you know yourself.  That's where it starts.  But that's not enough.  He's also saying you can't face the enemy and defeat the enemy without knowing the enemy.  Both are vital.

There are some battles...

“If you were going to do it again, rebuild from scratch, what would you do different?”

That question was asked of me a few years ago -- and then resurfaced again in the midst of COVID-19. The original questions was centered on the business that I had a part in launching over a decade earlier. The follow on question asked recently was centered on how to recover after dumpster fire year.  Often, when someone asks a business building question, my mind races back to the beginning.  But COVID adds a whole knew wrinkle. 

The first few years we passionately set up shop with great expectations, only to be frequently disappointed. The big contracts that we were fishing for, just weren’t biting. Still, we ventured out, explored, tried to turn over each stone of opportunity we could, but – on the big ones – we failed again and again. For three years it seemed we were perpetually rebuilding ourselves.

Rather than giving up, which...