October 29, 2025 • 46 mins
What if the thing you’re missing is the very thing that could make you unstoppable? We dig into the uncomfortable truth that scarcity can be a strategic advantage and explore how to turn setbacks into a springboard for action, growth, and grit-fueled wins.
Pulling from 50 Cent’s The 50th Law, we break down why “every negative situation contains the possibility for something positive,” and then put it to work in real life: using a presale to validate demand and fund production, doubling down on what resonates, and showing up at crucial events even when the “Loud Proud American Express” is parked. We also face the heavy lift of legacy and loss, choosing to release the clutter of a father’s lifetime of “might-need-it” gear to buy back mental space, cash flow, and momentum. Negative energy is still energy—if you move it.
We get personal about the myths of readiness—building a modest home, becoming a parent later than planned, and the hard truth that the “right time” never arrives. Scarcity beats analysis paralysis because it forces decisions. Commitment sharpens focus because stakes create attention. Your energy rises to the level the moment demands. Along the way, a friend’s business closure becomes both a gut check and a gratitude check: survival is progress, even when the numbers hurt.
You’ll leave with practical ways to act under pressure: pre-sell to test and finance, create constraints to spark creativity, trade perfection for momentum, and flip fear into fuel. If you’re stuck waiting for the green light, take this as permission to go. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a push, and tell us: what leap will you take before you feel ready?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Can a lack of resources be an advantage?
Curtis James Jackson thinks so.
Today we put fear in the backseat, go to work with what we
got, because waiting for theright moment will leave you on
the sidelines.
All that and more on today'sepisode of Share the Struggle
(00:21):
Podcast.
Let me tell you something.
Everybody struggles.
The difference is some peoplechoose to go through it and some
choose to grow through it.
The choice is completely yours.
Which one you choose will have avery profound effect on the way
you live your life.
(01:10):
You are right where you need tobe.
(01:36):
Am I so excited to be back withyou?
Oh, it's true.
It is damn true.
I missed you, baby boo.
Welcome to episode 277 of thatpodcast.
Properly named, precisely named,perfectly, beautifully named.
Share the struggle.
(01:58):
Because everybody struggles.
And the truth is, boys andgirls, chipmunks and squirrels,
we all have a struggle.
We all have a story.
But when we are transparent andtough enough to share it, then
there is strength in that story.
277, that means for 277consecutive weeks.
(02:19):
It has been you and me, unlessyou're new here.
And if you are new, then wewelcome you to this positive
tribe with a positive vibe thatwe are building.
You can find all things podcastrelated over to WWW Share the
Struggle Podcast.
Don't forget to thank and shoutout our proud sponsors and
(02:39):
creators of the show, Loud ProudAmerican, aka myself and my wife
and my baby and my mama and mybaby mama.
You know what I mean?
We be a family, okay?
Representing Americanmanufacturing, bringing you
American goods.
Find all things American atloudproudamerican.shop.
(03:00):
Get ready for the gift givenseason.
I have been in the office goingstrong on fulfilling the
pre-sales for our Charlie Kirktribute shirts, and I must give
you the first confessional ofthe day.
Go ahead.
Cabela's catalog.
Left hand on the Cabela catalog.
Beady little eyes to the sky.
And truth from this guy.
(03:23):
Chef's kiss.
I am so stoked about the CharlieKirk tribute shirts that we have
put together.
They look tremendous.
I love them.
I'm a huge fan of them.
They will be in stock on thewebsite by the end of this week.
So make sure you get on overthere.
If you didn't jump in on thepre-sale, spoiler alert, I'm
(03:44):
gonna stock them.
I'm gonna keep them and we'regonna continue to sell them
because I absolutely love them.
They look fantastic, and themessage is uh more important
than the design.
So you will find those things onour website,
loudproudamerican.shop.
Get yours for the gift givingseason.
I will also throw out to youthat we uh decided to take the
(04:06):
plunge on a couple more eventsthis year.
Our business and our family andour bottom line need us to
continue.
We are so close to having thegreatest year we've ever had,
even though this is arguably thebrokest year we've ever had.
So I'm gonna push forward.
We're gonna do the best we canto make this happen.
(04:28):
So uh, with that said, there's alot of challenges that are gonna
go into this, mainly being thatwe do not have the Lower Pot
American Express.
The school bus is off the roadfor the uh foreseeable future
here.
We're suffering from somethingcalled a lack of funza.
So um, yeah, lack of funza andum lack of parts uh.
(04:51):
Okay?
Not to be confused with make apizza.
I don't that was a really dumbjoke, but they all sounded the
same.
So no loud Proud AmericanExpress.
So we're gonna have to getcreative.
I have uh a few options, a fewtricks up the sleeve.
But um we're gonna do it, man.
We're we have submittedourselves, or shall I say, we
(05:13):
submitted applications, wereapproved, and committed
ourselves to two events for themonth of November.
So Lao Proud American willhappily be returning to the
great city of Bangor, and wewill be in the Bangor Mall.
We have rented a spot and astorefront uh for two weekends
in Bangor.
(05:34):
Um, so check us out at theBangor Mall.
Off the top of my head, I thinkit's like the 7th and 8th, and
then like 15th, 16th, somethinglike that.
It's two days, uh, two Saturdaysand Sundays coming up in the
next couple of weeks.
So look for us there.
And really, I'm saying thesethings and I'm telling you this
(05:56):
about our business and ourschedule and the fact that we're
overcoming obstacles because wehave our eyes set on bigger and
better.
We have our eyes set on our bestyear yet.
We also have our eyes set onreality, which says if you don't
commit, if you don't take onthese events, you won't make it.
You have put yourself in afinancial situation where you
(06:18):
need to make more money than youever have over the winter to try
to live the way you like tolive.
And I'm not living outside mymeans when I say I'm just trying
to pay my bills and to feed myfamily and to have holidays with
our family to enjoy Christmas.
With all that said, there's alot that has to be done, there's
(06:40):
a lot that has to be paid.
We've had a difficult season, soI've set myself up to have to do
these things.
And I'm saying all of thisbecause I'm positive, because
I'm optimistic, because I'mconfident, and I realize that my
outlook when it comes to lifeand circumstances and situations
(07:02):
has gotten stronger and it hasgotten better.
And I want to share some ofthose things with you.
I also think it's funny in lifethat um like learning lessons
and things come to you when umwhen you need them.
And it can be random things,right?
It can be um spiritual, it canbe motivational, it can be by
(07:25):
happenstance, it can be by fate.
Things kind of happen.
And we can get into all thedifferent ways, but what I want
to tell you is oftentimes I'llpick a book and I'll start
getting into this book and youknow, and listening or reading
or whatever, and there's gonnabe sections and chapters that
really just relate to what it isthat you're going through and
that you're growing through.
(07:46):
And uh right now I'm actuallyinto a book by Curtis James
Jackson.
Now, for all of you that heardthe intro and are hip hop fans,
you should know that there,folks, is 50 cent.
So far, I'm really digging thisbook.
The name of the book is The 50thLaw, and it basically goes hand
(08:10):
in hand with um like all theselaws of power and different laws
that you know powerful,motivational, successful people
tend to live by, and this bookreally adds to it.
So it is the 50th law by 50Cent.
And if you know of 50 Cent andyou see him and the Empire that
(08:32):
he has uh built for himself,without digging too deep into
it, 50 Cent um came from youknow being on the streets as a
drug dealer, uh trying to makeends meet, to you know,
releasing a rap album rightbefore trying to get that album
released.
Um basically is um has assassinstry to take him out.
(08:55):
He gets he gets shot in theface, like um basically this
near-death experience where hecertainly should have died.
And in that time, 50 decides,I'm not gonna live in fear, I'm
not gonna run from fear, I'mgonna embrace it and I'm gonna
use it to my advantage.
And he takes this negativesituation, this near-death
(09:17):
experience, this time when youshould be you know fearful for
your life and and hiding, and hesays, you know what?
All these record labels andthese these uh these music, you
know, artists and and you knowum producers and such, none of
them want to work with me, noneof them want to showcase me
because they feel like I'mtroubled, because you know, I
(09:38):
have these people that are outto get me.
So he records his own music andhe just starts putting it out
and he starts giving things awayfor free and just creating a
name for himself and one thatforces people to um have to
listen, to have to payattention.
And because he's not out therein the public eye, because he
could be shot at again, thecuriosity grows, right?
(10:02):
And and the things that he'ssaying, I think the first song
he came out and said was was FU, basically.
And um people just wanted toscoop all this stuff up because
they didn't know how much longerbefore this guy gets shot at
again, how much longer will hebe here?
Um, is this guy going to bemurdered?
We need to get all of this umthis music and and know as much
(10:25):
about him as we possibly can.
And that not knowing, thatscarcity created um a lot of
desire, and it created a afollowing.
And and and because of that, allthese people that you couldn't
go see 50 on a concert, but asmusic was being played in the
streets of New York, everywhere,it really just started to build
(10:46):
this this tribe of people thatwere were just longing to hear
from 50 Cent.
Eminem saw this, capitalized it,and uh signed him to the label
and the you know the rest ishistory.
But 50 Cent goes on to be a verysuccessful businessman.
And um if you just think aboutthat, right?
You just think about him comingfrom the worst of situations,
(11:08):
the the you know, difficultupbringing that he had, to being
on the cusp of the greatestbreak in his life, to then being
at the brink of death, and thentaking the time to say, I'm not
giving up on my dreams, I'mgoing headfirst into this.
A person that can do that andthen become one of the most
successful rappers of all timeand an extremely successful
(11:30):
businessman.
I'm gonna listen to what he hasto say.
So the 50th law by 50 Cent, thechapter that I'm stuck on, that
I'm focused on, that I want toshare with you, is called Turn
Shit into Sugar.
I think that uh a lot of us havegrown up with the old analogy
and the wise tale, the sayingthat says, I'm just gonna turn
(11:53):
sugar into shit, right?
But um I was listening to thischapter while I was in the
office making some of my CharlieCraig tribute shirts, and when
he just said turn shit intosugar, for some reason it just
hit me at the right time.
Uh granted it was um maybe 5 45in the morning, and um I guess I
(12:16):
was receptive to it because myears perked up and my uh my
spidey fences started tinglingbecause I realized, wait a
minute, man, right now with yourcircumstances, with your
situation, you sir, are turningshit into sugar.
I shall listen to this.
And I will say I didn't get asmany shirts done as I wanted
(12:36):
because I found myself inbetween pressing stuff, just
diving for the notepad and theand the pen to jaw jot down some
notes and to really try to givemyself some food for thought and
some things to just kind ofilluminate on to chew on.
And um, let's dive into some ofthose.
Here's a quote from 50 Cent intothe book.
Every negative situationcontains the possibility for
(13:01):
something positive.
So if we think about 50 Cent andjust that little story that I
just gave to you, he gets shotat, almost dies, right when his
you know record is about to bereleased, when this big
opportunity is about to happen,and then everything, everything
drops, right?
The record label, everybodydrops him.
(13:21):
He's um at near death at thispoint.
And if you listen to his words,every negative situation
contains the possibility forsomething positive.
This is about as negative as itgets.
Your big opportunity, your bigbreak is taken from you, and uh
your life has been tried to betaken from you.
You're on the brink of death.
But he says there's somethingpositive.
(13:41):
And as we just kind of outlined,think about some of the
positives there.
That the the mystery, thewonder, the just the lack of
knowing this whole situation,the details, it really piques on
people's curiosity.
When people start hearing, waita minute, this guy was someone
they tried to assassinate thisguy?
Like, why would they want himdead?
What's going on here?
(14:02):
And you start hearing thesethings, and then just when he
says, you know what, I'm gonnaface it, I'm gonna embrace it,
I'm gonna go after it, I'm gonnacontinue to rap, and I'm gonna
put out an FU track to thepeople that tried to kill me.
And the new uniqueness in hisvoice after being shot in the
face, everything about thisramps up curiosity, and with
(14:22):
curiosity comes attention, andwith attention becomes a
following, and with a following,there comes needs.
And when there's needs, there'speople that are willing to
respond to the needs and fulfillthe needs.
And when I say that, I meanthere's people willing to pay
for that.
So that's how he gets noticed.
That's how he takes a near-deathnegative situation and he finds
(14:43):
a positive opportunity becauseevery negative situation
contains the possibility forsomething positive.
It is an opportunity.
In the words of 50 Cent, it'show you look at it that matters.
It's not the circumstance, it'snot the negative that you're
going through, it's not thestruggle that you're growing
through, it's how you look at itthat matters.
(15:05):
If you look at a situation andyou perceive in your mind that
this is it, this is the end,this is final, then this shall
be it.
We've been talking about thisfor weeks.
This too shall pass.
If you put into your mind thatthis shall pass, it will pass.
Remember, we've been sayingsince day one, whatever you
perceive to be shall be.
(15:26):
Whatever you decide in your mindis right, is right.
That's the truth, folks.
You get to be right.
Whatever decision you make inyour mind, you get to be right.
So when a negative comes along,you get to be right based off of
how you look at it.
If you're gonna be positive andsay, this too shall pass, let me
find the opportunity, let mefind the possibility for
(15:49):
something positive, then you'regonna have one result.
If you deem this as a situation,an obstacle, a failure, a
letdown that you can't overcome,then you're right.
You won't overcome it.
Circumstances that you can'tcontrol, you can't let them
(16:09):
control you.
50 says circumstances you can'tcontrol, you just gotta make the
best of them.
If you spend your time worryingabout the things that you can't
control, then that time spentworrying will control you.
Eventually, those circumstancesare going to control you.
With all that said, I want tointerject here and bring back
(16:31):
some of my business and thatconversation.
We're going to really start toconnect the dots, pave the road,
paint the picture, the story tobe told.
When we talk about me trying toget back on the road, those
circumstances, not having avehicle, all those things,
realizing the responsibility andthe commitments that I've made.
When I take all those things,when I take those circumstances,
(16:53):
my real life situation, and Iapply them to this book, as we
turn shit into sugar, we takethe circumstances and we realize
and frame our mind on the factthat it's not the circumstance,
it's not the situation, it's howwe look at it that matters.
Here I am in a very tightsituation, but mentally I've
(17:17):
decided that in here somewherethere is the possibility of
something positive.
I just need to sort through thenonsense and start to identify
the possibility.
If we think about some of thebusiness stuff, and I'm just
gonna kind of jumble a lot ofthings here, and we're gonna
throw a bunch of stuff at thismodge podge hodgepodge puzzle,
(17:39):
and we're gonna identify somepossible positives in my
situation right now.
So with the business and thesituation that we're in, I've
done a couple things.
Number one, I've done somethingfor the first time in my
business.
I went ahead and did a pre-sale.
And by doing a pre-sale, acouple things happen.
Number one, it gauged theinterest of the audience.
(18:02):
It pulled the audience, it askedyou guys, hey, do you like this
product?
Are you interested in seeingthese Charlie Crook tribute
items?
If I do that and it fails, if Ido that and not a lot of people
respond to it, a couple thingshappen.
Number one, I'm disappointedbecause I want to carry these
items, but I'm not out thefinancial commitment on these
(18:23):
items because I put them outthere and y'all didn't want
them.
If I put them out there and someof you want them, it gives me
enough money to bring in a smallamount of them to fulfill the
orders and maybe put a few onthe shelf and see what happens.
If I do a pre-sale and a lot ofyou want them, I can also do a
couple things.
Number one, it shows me thesedesigns are right, the message
(18:47):
is perfect.
Y'all want these.
Okay, great, all right, we'regonna get them.
Here's the other side of thecoin.
You heard I'm tight financially.
It's tough to make ends meetright now.
I'm in a a certain justdifficult situation.
I have these circumstances, butby doing a pre-sale that I've
(19:07):
never but done before, if ittakes off and enough people love
the designs and the message, andthey jump on the pre-sale and
spend the money, what happens?
I get the money before I have toinvest my own money.
So I can take the money from thepresale and buy the designs and
the products and put them on theshelf to number one, fulfill the
(19:30):
orders, and number two, try tolive off some of that stock and
help move us forward.
So this is something new thatwe've never done before, but my
circumstances, my situation, myfinancial uh constraint that I
have forced me to analyze thisstuff and come up with something
new and a different way of doingthings.
(19:51):
So, with that said, how did itgo?
Pretty damn good.
The pre-sale went well enoughand went strong enough that I
made enough money to buy all mydesigns for my shirts.
I made an investment on theshirts on my end.
And if I went into this with aum an entry-level small order on
(20:12):
this, my cost would be higher,but my pre-sale would have
absorbed all of that cost.
But what I decided was theseseem to be going really well
based off of the initial sales.
That tells me these are gonnacontinue to be well.
Now, when I make the nextcommitment that I want to be in
Bangor, it's important for me togo to the mall with these new
designs because this test wejust ran proved to me that these
(20:35):
designs are gonna work.
So, with that said, I doubled myanticipated order.
I took the the proceeds from thepre-sale and I bought all my
graphics, and then I just had tomake the investment in the
textile and the actual shirtsthemselves.
Does that make sense to youguys?
So this was something different.
I identified a um a possibilityto do something positive, and we
(20:57):
tried it and it workedtremendously.
I'm hopeful to do more of these,but I also have to be creative
and restock some things, so Ican't do um a lot of these right
now, but I will you will see mesprinkle some more in there.
But this is just an example ofme looking at our circumstances
and our situations.
Now, another thing that's umgoing on here, and this becomes
(21:18):
a twofold scenario.
If you guys have been listeningfor a long time, you know a
couple years ago I lost my dad.
And if you've been listening fora long time, you would
understand that this is allfamily land, and where I live,
this is what my dad built.
And the house that I grew up inis right next door to me.
And my mother lives there, andwe built me and my wife built
right next door, and it's almostattached.
(21:39):
And my business office is in mymom's basement, so we're all
connected here, and I love itthis way.
My mom is here to help, andwe're here to help her.
It's a tremendous scenario.
Some of the difficult thingshere is all of my dad's
belongings, everything that he'sever um acquired in life is
here, right?
All those things that he'sattached to is here.
(21:59):
And I don't know how many of youout there are in my age bracket,
but I think my parents come froma generation of um um where many
of them were hoarders or packrats.
And I think like my dad, hepassed away uh on the cusp of
his 80th birthday.
And um I just think that therewas a time in my dad's life
(22:20):
where he just had to be creativeand make ends meet with whatever
he had.
So he held on to whatever heacquired because he knew
somehow, some way, someday, hecould flip that into money, he
could fix something, he couldovercome something.
So with my dad's upbringing inthat way, he's held on to so
much stuff.
It's overwhelming, it'ssuffocating.
(22:41):
But also, as a son that wasconsidered like a best friend
relationship with his dad, it'shard for me to give up any of my
dad's stuff.
It's been hard for me to let goof any of his stuff.
But this creates a viciouscycle, it's a suffocating cycle
because they have all thesethings that are that are
(23:02):
cluttered and overtaking um ourspaces and our freedoms, but
it's also overtaking my mindbecause I'm seeing them and I'm
thinking about them.
I'm also not okay with partingwith them, getting rid of them.
There's all this stuff that goeson in my mind, and there's so
many things that, hey, I knowthis is worth something, but I
don't really know what it is orwhat it does.
(23:23):
I don't know how much this isworth.
If I just give it away fornothing, am I being taken
advantage of?
If I try to put it out there forwhat I think it's worth, is am I
just going to continue to holdon to it?
So all this has been a viciouscycle in my mind.
And with my circumstances, withthe situation, with what I've
backed myself into, I forcedmyself to let go of some things.
(23:47):
I forced myself to start haulingsome things to the dump.
I'm forcing myself to haul somethings to the junkyard, and I'm
forcing myself to sell somethings, and with those, those
finances, it results in a coupleof things.
Half that money is going to mymother for her to um pay bills
and do house repairs, and halfof that is going to me and my
(24:08):
family to um come above water,to come out of the red, to get
things figured out.
So we're trying to do thosethings, we're trying to make
those choices.
And um, this week was a bigaccomplishment for me because I
sold a tractor that me and myfather bought together.
We bought this tractor together,and um it was the first tractor
(24:31):
that the two of us have ever hadtogether, and um, it was
tremendous, but it died on us inthe middle of a job, and we've
spent years trying to figure itout.
We've had Mechanic beyondmechanic try to figure it out,
family and friends try to figureit out, and it's always resulted
in it not being fixed.
But I couldn't get over the factthat me and my dad bought this
(24:53):
together and it's just sat hereand it's become an eyesore, and
it's just begun to um becomeeven more of a project and even
more difficult to repair.
So I said, you know what?
I'm gonna see if I can sellthis.
And I did.
I sold the tractor, I sold aloader, I sold some forks with
it, I sold a counterweight, Idid all these things that was me
(25:17):
shedding some of what's beenholding me back.
A couple things came from thissome some a little financial
gain and a little mental gain, alittle mental freedom.
And it also, I've always saidthis when you find yourself in a
rut, if you just start moving,just start putting one foot in
front of the other, just startcreating positive movement.
(25:38):
Because when you do that,oftentimes just other things
start to happen, other positivesstart to happen.
So by selling that and relievingthat stress and just kind of
getting that wow, I thought Iwould sit here and be emotional
that I said goodbye to somethingof my dad's, but in turn, I'm
actually surprised to say I'mfeeling relieved.
(25:59):
And in doing those things, it'sreally created some healing, and
um, it's also really just kindof helped us with some um some
financial support.
Now there's a long road to go,but that first step, that first
positive step, has given mesomething um to um really be
encouraged by.
(26:19):
There was something else that 50Cent said in his book, and he
said negative energy is stillenergy.
And oftentimes we think thatwhen we run into these
situations where we're we'regoing through something
negative, we're we're stressingabout something, it can weigh us
down.
But if you look at it from 50sframe of mind, negative energy
(26:40):
is still energy.
Again, go back to the fact thatit's all on how you look at it
that matters.
So if I had this negative energyabout not wanting to get rid of
my dad's stuff, but I didsomething about it and I started
moving, it resulted in somepositives for me and for the
business.
So when you're feeling negativeand you're stressed and you're
doing things because you have todo them, not because you want to
(27:00):
do them, be thankful for theenergy.
Negative energy, you stoleenergy.
And if you use that negativeenergy to create energy and
sprinkle in the positive, whenyou start feeling positive,
you're gonna get that positivesnowball effect that's gonna be
rolling downhill and picking upmomentum.
It's all on how you look atthese situations, these
circumstances that matter.
(27:21):
Circumstances you can't control,you just have to make the best
of them.
And you have to work with whatyou've got.
And when I heard 50 say thattoday, I just started to really
sit back and go, wow, man,that's what you've been doing.
You've been working with whatyou've got.
You said, you know what?
I need these designs, I needthis money, I'm gonna pre-sale,
I'm gonna figure it out.
I want to go to this event, I'mgonna pre-sale, it's gonna get
(27:44):
me to that event.
I need to create some money, Ineed to pay some bills.
I'm gonna move this piece ofequipment that I've had a hard
time saying go to.
And when I let that go, it givesme some money that I need, but I
also got this positive effectand positive energy that I did
not expect.
So you just have to go to workwith what you have.
This all becomes part of the lawof power.
(28:07):
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
So when you back yourself into acorner, you put yourself in a
situation like I have, you haveto realize when you stay focused
on it, when you decide thesecircumstances are not going to
control me, and when I start tolook at these things in a
positive light and say everynegative situation contains the
(28:29):
possibility for somethingpositive, it is an opportunity.
When I start using thatopportunity, I am creating a law
of power.
My energy will rise to theappropriate level.
When I need to bust my ass toget out of a situation, I will
get out of it.
If you guys have been listeningto me, when there's deadlines
for a fair or an event, I find away to rise to the occasion.
(28:52):
I'm in a situation right nowwhere I need to rise to that
level.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
This is a law of power that allpowerful, motivational,
successful people live by.
When I get back on track hereand we start talking about 50
Cent in his book, and we startrelating some of these things to
you and giving you someinformation and some food for
(29:14):
you to get out there and reallycook.
Let's focus on this law of poweragain.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
In turn, what that means for youis move before you are ready.
So, for so many of you out thereright now thinking about
something, whether it's the newjob, whether it's a career
(29:36):
change, whether it's startingyour own business, whether it's
starting a side hustle orcommitting full time to your
business, whether it's havingyour first child, whether it's
buying a house, move before youare ready.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
This little nugget right here,again, I'm gonna spread.
(30:00):
A couple of things on my ownside for y'all to relate to and
hear something from.
I stressed for the longest timeabout building a house, and we
have a very small, modest housesituation.
We have an in-law apartmentabove a garage, and I wish that
I would have made this atwo-bedroom scenario so it would
have been more sufficient for mymy daughter, but uh the town
(30:22):
wouldn't let me do that.
So, um, in the words of 50cents, go to work with what you
got.
So that's what I'm doing.
But I I deliberated on this fora long time.
I stressed about this for a longtime, and I realized I really
can't afford what I was doing.
And the price to do this was farmore than I ever imagined.
But I had a conversation with myfather before um I did this, and
(30:43):
and before I built the house andmade the commitment, and my dad
said, You know what?
Just do it.
You just gotta do it, you justgotta jump, just do it.
And I was like, What do you whatdo you mean?
I can't I can't afford it.
And he said, Right now you can'tafford it, but when you commit
to it, you will afford it.
You'll find a way.
It was his way of saying thesame thing that 50 Cent is
(31:05):
saying in this book.
Move before you're ready.
Because if we wait for themoment to be ready, I could
always be living in my oldbedroom with my parents.
You understand?
You need to move before you'reready.
When I thought about having achild, we didn't have a kid
until I was damn near 41.
(31:26):
It was almost she was born likea couple weeks before my 41st
birthday.
That's pretty damn late, right?
If I continued to wait, I maynever be blessed with the
greatest blessing of my life,and that's my little precious
baby girl, Paisley Rain.
Because I spent my whole lifewaiting for the right moment.
(31:48):
It starts with finding the rightperson, and then when you find
the right person, you gotta findthe right time.
And when you start thinkingabout the right time, you think
about a few things.
You think about time and youthink about um financial time,
right?
When can I afford it and whenwill I have the time for it?
And for me, there was a time inmy life when I could financially
afford it.
(32:08):
I felt great.
We were in a financial, uh, Iwon't say a financial like
freedom state of mind, butpretty damn close.
And I knew we could affordhaving a child, but I also felt
I didn't have the time for achild.
I was working, you know, crazyhours, and even when I wasn't at
work, I was still at work, ifthat makes sense to y'all.
(32:28):
And I felt like my wife would bea stay-at-home single um mother
because I'd be gone all thetime.
So for me, the timing wasn'tright.
Then when I gave up on thatcareer, or when it gave up on me
and I committed to this newdream and this loud, proud
American dream, I created a lotof time, but I lost all the
(32:50):
financial comfort and stabilityand ability to have a child.
So I continue to wait and waitand wait and continue to tell
myself, hey, just another yearand the business is gonna break.
It's another year and thebusiness is gonna break.
It's all gonna happen and it'sall gonna be right.
And I just kept waiting for thatright time to come.
But guess what, folks?
That right time never came.
And if I was waiting for theright time to come, I'd still be
(33:13):
waiting.
If I was waiting for the righttime to come, I wouldn't be a
father.
If I was waiting for the righttime to come, I wouldn't have
the greatest blessing in mylife.
My beautiful, amazing daughter.
You need to move before you areready.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
I am blessed in my life becauseI stopped waiting for the
(33:37):
perfect time to jump.
When we continue on this law,this law of power, 50 Cent also
said he would often deliberatelycreate obstacles.
So if he started a new venture,if he took a new chance, he bet
on himself, he woulddeliberately create obstacles.
(34:00):
Because when you have theseobstacles, these things you have
to overcome in your life, whenyou feel you must work harder,
either because you have theseobstacles or because you jumped
too early and you just weren'tready, then guess what?
You're a lot more alert, you'rea lot more inventive, you're a
lot more creative.
So jump, move, take the chance.
(34:21):
Ask her to the dance.
You understand what I'm saying?
Bet on yourself.
Life is about taking chances,life is about fulfilling your
purpose, life is about livingthe life you were meant to live.
It's not about living in yourparents' basement, it's not
about waiting for the righttime.
The time is now.
Move before you are ready.
When you jump in too soon, whenyou feel like you must work even
(34:44):
harder to overcome the fact thatyou weren't ready, then you will
be alert, you will be intentive,you will be creative, you will
find ways to make it work.
Just damn, do it.
There's an amazing discussion inthis chapter about the fact that
your lack of resources can be anadvantage.
(35:05):
Oftentimes, if you think aboutit, if you've been in a
situation where like you knowyou can handle this task, like
let's just say there's a greatchallenge in front of you, but
you have everything at yourdisposal to handle it.
Oftentimes we will just spend somuch time, we will waste endless
time.
It becomes analysis paralysis.
(35:25):
We have all these resources, wehave all these advantages to
doing this task that we spendall this time thinking about
what's the best way to do it?
How should I overcome it?
What should be the mostefficient?
What's the most cost effective?
What tool can I use?
What resource should be the one?
When you spend all this timeanalyzing this, your competitor
that lacks all those resources,he said, you know what?
(35:48):
Screw it.
I'm just gonna jump in and doit.
And if that person takes theleap and he jumps in and does
it, then by the time you're donewith your analysis paralysis,
you lost the job.
You lost the bid.
The project's done is done,right?
The project's completed, thehouse is built, the expansion on
that building that you weregonna build, build, and bid on
(36:09):
is completed.
She got a new date.
She's going to the dance, she'salready at the prom.
You understand what I'm saying?
You sit around and you use yourresources and you think about
how I can overcome these thingswhen oftentimes just having a
straight-up lack of resourcescan be the advantage because you
can say, you know what, I ain'tgot time to think about it.
(36:29):
I just gotta do, baby.
I just gotta jump in and getthis done.
Don't let the fear make you waitfor a better time.
Don't let the fear of failuremake you wait.
Fear is paralyzing.
Fear is paralyzing, guys.
And I'm gonna just be as humbleand transparent and honest as
(36:51):
possible and tell you, straightup tell you, I've never been in
a more difficult financial spotin my life, and I've never had
more responsibility of me in mylife.
No greater responsibility everbeing asked of me than right now
in this time.
My circumstances have never beenthis difficult.
(37:14):
But I'm okay.
I'm okay.
I feel positive about where I'mheaded.
I feel that my situation, mycircumstances, contains the
possibility of somethingpositive.
I just need to identify it andact on it.
(37:34):
What's crazy about this is howoptimistic I remain in the face
of fear.
I'm gonna take this time to givemyself some praise, to give
myself some glory, and say, I'mproud of my outlook.
I'm proud of my mental stateright now, given the
(37:59):
circumstances.
Me of a few months ago might nothave felt the same way that I
feel right now.
Me several years ago would beterrified of where I am right
now.
No, I must also confess thatthat I am human.
And if my choices and and mydecisions don't produce the
(38:24):
fruit that I need in a fewmonths, I might not have have
the same strength and composure.
But right now I do, so I'm gonnagive myself grace for having
that.
And I realized that I shouldgive myself some grace and be
thankful for that today, becausethis morning I was in my office
(38:44):
while my family was asleep, andI was making my shirts, and I
was listening to this book, andmy phone also went off.
And when my phone went off, itwas a notification, and I don't
know why I looked at it.
Maybe I was just like, why am Igetting a notification this
early in the morning?
And I opened it, and uh, it wasa friend that I made on the fair
circuit posting a notificationto their business page that said
(39:08):
sad news.
And I clicked on it, and Iwatched a video of this friend
that I made, him and his wife,shooting a video in the woods
saying we really hoped we werewe never had to make this video
or to say these words, but atthe end of this year, we are we
(39:31):
are we're going out of business,we are closing our doors.
And um, this is a supersupportive, great guy that I met
on the fair circuit, and he hasbuilt a successful business, one
that I would be extremely proudto own if I was him.
They've been in business forseven years, which is a
tremendous accomplishment.
(39:52):
And um, you know, I had I hadwrote to him, and man, I'm
extremely saddened to hear thisnews, but I also want you to be
proud of what you'veaccomplished and you know, in
the relationships that you'vemade and how far you've come.
And um I just thought about thatand and it sat with me because
it hurt for me to see somefriends have to give up on their
(40:15):
dream based on a lack of salesand increased prices and all the
things that goes with it.
And it sat with me and it'sresonated with me, and and I've
I've pondered it all day, and Irealized give yourself some
grace, be positive and be happyfor the fact that you are still
in business.
(40:35):
You're you're approaching sixyears in business now.
Be thankful, be positive.
It's been a struggle, it hasn'tbeen the results you've hoped
for.
If I knew, you know, six yearsago what my numbers would be in
six years, and I and I saw them,if I could just get in the time
(40:56):
capsule and swim ahead and flyahead and zoom ahead and look
into my financial statement andmy books and say, this is what
you're gonna be looking at, thisis how you're gonna be living,
this is gonna be yourcircumstances, your situation.
Would I started this business?
Probably not.
But here I am, and we're makingit.
And I know on the other side ofthis, it only gets better.
(41:17):
I know all the stories of thepeople that had to give up
before the goodness reallyshowed up.
I'm excited, I'm encouraged, I'mpositive about where we're
going.
We're having the best year we'veever had.
We just are also having expensesthat are out of our control.
But all things considered, I'mgonna give myself grace for the
fact that we've made it thisfar.
When I see a friend having tosay goodbye to his dream, I need
(41:41):
to do some soul searching andsome reflecting and say, be
grateful, be thankful, but bedetermined and continue to move.
Keep on moving because the devilis at the door, the wolves are
at your feet.
You must continue to moveforward.
So whatever's on your mind,whatever is in your heart,
(42:01):
whatever you believe you canachieve, I implore you to go.
I beg of you to move before youare ready.
Don't sit this one out, don'tsit this life out.
There is no guarantee on you andme.
I beg of you, I implore you tomove.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
(42:25):
You just have to work with whatyou get.
I talk to a lot of people thatwhether it's after a podcast
episode or it's just a friend oracquaintance that I I meet and
see at an event or catch up withat a store that that will spell
out all the difficulties inlife, that'll spell out all the
negatives in all thesesituations, they're they're
(42:50):
true, they're right, they'regranted, right?
Sometimes people are going tocome to you with horrific
struggles in life, and you hearall these things, and everybody
can outline all the reasons whythey can't do what they've
always wanted to do, all thereasons why they feel it's not
responsible to do what it isthat they want to do.
(43:11):
I hear it from so many of you.
We all have these circumstancesthat prevent us from doing the
things that we want to do, fromliving the lives that we want to
live.
Some people have more difficultcircumstances than others.
I say all this to wrap up thisepisode and to end the show with
(43:32):
a quote that came from this bookfrom a James Baldwin, and that
quote is as follows If one iscontinually surviving the worst
that life can bring, oneeventually ceases to be
controlled by a fear of whatlife can bring.
Whatever it brings must be born.
(43:57):
You guys understand that?
I hope that hits home.
I hope it raises the hairs onyour arms a little bit.
If one continually is survivingthe worst that life can bring,
one eventually ceases to becontrolled by a fear of what
life can bring.
Whatever it brings must be done.
(44:17):
This too shall pass.
If we survive all that lifethrows at us, eventually the
fear subsides.
Eventually the fear goes awaybecause you know and you realize
I've been there before.
I've been through this before.
I am tried by fire, I amhardened steel.
(44:39):
The fear will come at me nomore.
This too shall pass.
Every negative situationcontains the possibility for
something positive.
This week I challenge each andevery one of you to take a
circumstance, an opportunity inyour life, a situation as
(44:59):
negative as can be and turn thatshit into sugar.
Thank you for supporting myAmerican dream.
Now go wash your hands.
You filthy savage.
That's it and that's all, BiggieSmalls.
(45:31):
If you're a Loud Proud American,and you find yourself just
wanting more, find me on YouTubeand Facebook and Loud Proud
American Facebook.
If you're fan of the Ram Crack,you wanna find me on Instagram,
all the kids, tickety pocket onthe tickety talk.
(45:51):
You can find me on all of thoseclouds underscore crowd
underscore America.
Big old thing is the voice ofthe gun truckers for the
background being podcasts.
(46:14):
If you are enjoying what you'rehearing, track down the gun
truckers on Facebook adjusters,but I truly thank you for
(46:44):
supporting my American dream.
Now go wash your fucking hands,you filthy savage.
Can a lack of resources be an advantage?
Curtis James Jackson thinks so.
Today we put fear in the backseat, go to work with what we
got, because waiting for theright moment will leave you on
the sidelines.
All that and more on today'sepisode of Share the Struggle
(00:21):
Podcast.
Let me tell you something.
Everybody struggles.
The difference is some peoplechoose to go through it and some
choose to grow through it.
The choice is completely yours.
Which one you choose will have avery profound effect on the way
you live your life.
(01:10):
You are right where you need tobe.
(01:36):
Am I so excited to be back withyou?
Oh, it's true.
It is damn true.
I missed you, baby boo.
Welcome to episode 277 of thatpodcast.
Properly named, precisely named,perfectly, beautifully named.
Share the struggle.
(01:58):
Because everybody struggles.
And the truth is, boys andgirls, chipmunks and squirrels,
we all have a struggle.
We all have a story.
But when we are transparent andtough enough to share it, then
there is strength in that story.
277, that means for 277consecutive weeks.
(02:19):
It has been you and me, unlessyou're new here.
And if you are new, then wewelcome you to this positive
tribe with a positive vibe thatwe are building.
You can find all things podcastrelated over to WWW Share the
Struggle Podcast.
Don't forget to thank and shoutout our proud sponsors and
(02:39):
creators of the show, Loud ProudAmerican, aka myself and my wife
and my baby and my mama and mybaby mama.
You know what I mean?
We be a family, okay?
Representing Americanmanufacturing, bringing you
American goods.
Find all things American atloudproudamerican.shop.
(03:00):
Get ready for the gift givenseason.
I have been in the office goingstrong on fulfilling the
pre-sales for our Charlie Kirktribute shirts, and I must give
you the first confessional ofthe day.
Go ahead.
Cabela's catalog.
Left hand on the Cabela catalog.
Beady little eyes to the sky.
And truth from this guy.
(03:23):
Chef's kiss.
I am so stoked about the CharlieKirk tribute shirts that we have
put together.
They look tremendous.
I love them.
I'm a huge fan of them.
They will be in stock on thewebsite by the end of this week.
So make sure you get on overthere.
If you didn't jump in on thepre-sale, spoiler alert, I'm
(03:44):
gonna stock them.
I'm gonna keep them and we'regonna continue to sell them
because I absolutely love them.
They look fantastic, and themessage is uh more important
than the design.
So you will find those things onour website,
loudproudamerican.shop.
Get yours for the gift givingseason.
I will also throw out to youthat we uh decided to take the
(04:06):
plunge on a couple more eventsthis year.
Our business and our family andour bottom line need us to
continue.
We are so close to having thegreatest year we've ever had,
even though this is arguably thebrokest year we've ever had.
So I'm gonna push forward.
We're gonna do the best we canto make this happen.
(04:28):
So uh, with that said, there's alot of challenges that are gonna
go into this, mainly being thatwe do not have the Lower Pot
American Express.
The school bus is off the roadfor the uh foreseeable future
here.
We're suffering from somethingcalled a lack of funza.
So um, yeah, lack of funza andum lack of parts uh.
(04:51):
Okay?
Not to be confused with make apizza.
I don't that was a really dumbjoke, but they all sounded the
same.
So no loud Proud AmericanExpress.
So we're gonna have to getcreative.
I have uh a few options, a fewtricks up the sleeve.
But um we're gonna do it, man.
We're we have submittedourselves, or shall I say, we
(05:13):
submitted applications, wereapproved, and committed
ourselves to two events for themonth of November.
So Lao Proud American willhappily be returning to the
great city of Bangor, and wewill be in the Bangor Mall.
We have rented a spot and astorefront uh for two weekends
in Bangor.
(05:34):
Um, so check us out at theBangor Mall.
Off the top of my head, I thinkit's like the 7th and 8th, and
then like 15th, 16th, somethinglike that.
It's two days, uh, two Saturdaysand Sundays coming up in the
next couple of weeks.
So look for us there.
And really, I'm saying thesethings and I'm telling you this
(05:56):
about our business and ourschedule and the fact that we're
overcoming obstacles because wehave our eyes set on bigger and
better.
We have our eyes set on our bestyear yet.
We also have our eyes set onreality, which says if you don't
commit, if you don't take onthese events, you won't make it.
You have put yourself in afinancial situation where you
(06:18):
need to make more money than youever have over the winter to try
to live the way you like tolive.
And I'm not living outside mymeans when I say I'm just trying
to pay my bills and to feed myfamily and to have holidays with
our family to enjoy Christmas.
With all that said, there's alot that has to be done, there's
(06:40):
a lot that has to be paid.
We've had a difficult season, soI've set myself up to have to do
these things.
And I'm saying all of thisbecause I'm positive, because
I'm optimistic, because I'mconfident, and I realize that my
outlook when it comes to lifeand circumstances and situations
(07:02):
has gotten stronger and it hasgotten better.
And I want to share some ofthose things with you.
I also think it's funny in lifethat um like learning lessons
and things come to you when umwhen you need them.
And it can be random things,right?
It can be um spiritual, it canbe motivational, it can be by
(07:25):
happenstance, it can be by fate.
Things kind of happen.
And we can get into all thedifferent ways, but what I want
to tell you is oftentimes I'llpick a book and I'll start
getting into this book and youknow, and listening or reading
or whatever, and there's gonnabe sections and chapters that
really just relate to what it isthat you're going through and
that you're growing through.
(07:46):
And uh right now I'm actuallyinto a book by Curtis James
Jackson.
Now, for all of you that heardthe intro and are hip hop fans,
you should know that there,folks, is 50 cent.
So far, I'm really digging thisbook.
The name of the book is The 50thLaw, and it basically goes hand
(08:10):
in hand with um like all theselaws of power and different laws
that you know powerful,motivational, successful people
tend to live by, and this bookreally adds to it.
So it is the 50th law by 50Cent.
And if you know of 50 Cent andyou see him and the Empire that
(08:32):
he has uh built for himself,without digging too deep into
it, 50 Cent um came from youknow being on the streets as a
drug dealer, uh trying to makeends meet, to you know,
releasing a rap album rightbefore trying to get that album
released.
Um basically is um has assassinstry to take him out.
(08:55):
He gets he gets shot in theface, like um basically this
near-death experience where hecertainly should have died.
And in that time, 50 decides,I'm not gonna live in fear, I'm
not gonna run from fear, I'mgonna embrace it and I'm gonna
use it to my advantage.
And he takes this negativesituation, this near-death
(09:17):
experience, this time when youshould be you know fearful for
your life and and hiding, and hesays, you know what?
All these record labels andthese these uh these music, you
know, artists and and you knowum producers and such, none of
them want to work with me, noneof them want to showcase me
because they feel like I'mtroubled, because you know, I
(09:38):
have these people that are outto get me.
So he records his own music andhe just starts putting it out
and he starts giving things awayfor free and just creating a
name for himself and one thatforces people to um have to
listen, to have to payattention.
And because he's not out therein the public eye, because he
could be shot at again, thecuriosity grows, right?
(10:02):
And and the things that he'ssaying, I think the first song
he came out and said was was FU, basically.
And um people just wanted toscoop all this stuff up because
they didn't know how much longerbefore this guy gets shot at
again, how much longer will hebe here?
Um, is this guy going to bemurdered?
We need to get all of this umthis music and and know as much
(10:25):
about him as we possibly can.
And that not knowing, thatscarcity created um a lot of
desire, and it created a afollowing.
And and and because of that, allthese people that you couldn't
go see 50 on a concert, but asmusic was being played in the
streets of New York, everywhere,it really just started to build
(10:46):
this this tribe of people thatwere were just longing to hear
from 50 Cent.
Eminem saw this, capitalized it,and uh signed him to the label
and the you know the rest ishistory.
But 50 Cent goes on to be a verysuccessful businessman.
And um if you just think aboutthat, right?
You just think about him comingfrom the worst of situations,
(11:08):
the the you know, difficultupbringing that he had, to being
on the cusp of the greatestbreak in his life, to then being
at the brink of death, and thentaking the time to say, I'm not
giving up on my dreams, I'mgoing headfirst into this.
A person that can do that andthen become one of the most
successful rappers of all timeand an extremely successful
(11:30):
businessman.
I'm gonna listen to what he hasto say.
So the 50th law by 50 Cent, thechapter that I'm stuck on, that
I'm focused on, that I want toshare with you, is called Turn
Shit into Sugar.
I think that uh a lot of us havegrown up with the old analogy
and the wise tale, the sayingthat says, I'm just gonna turn
(11:53):
sugar into shit, right?
But um I was listening to thischapter while I was in the
office making some of my CharlieCraig tribute shirts, and when
he just said turn shit intosugar, for some reason it just
hit me at the right time.
Uh granted it was um maybe 5 45in the morning, and um I guess I
(12:16):
was receptive to it because myears perked up and my uh my
spidey fences started tinglingbecause I realized, wait a
minute, man, right now with yourcircumstances, with your
situation, you sir, are turningshit into sugar.
I shall listen to this.
And I will say I didn't get asmany shirts done as I wanted
(12:36):
because I found myself inbetween pressing stuff, just
diving for the notepad and theand the pen to jaw jot down some
notes and to really try to givemyself some food for thought and
some things to just kind ofilluminate on to chew on.
And um, let's dive into some ofthose.
Here's a quote from 50 Cent intothe book.
Every negative situationcontains the possibility for
(13:01):
something positive.
So if we think about 50 Cent andjust that little story that I
just gave to you, he gets shotat, almost dies, right when his
you know record is about to bereleased, when this big
opportunity is about to happen,and then everything, everything
drops, right?
The record label, everybodydrops him.
(13:21):
He's um at near death at thispoint.
And if you listen to his words,every negative situation
contains the possibility forsomething positive.
This is about as negative as itgets.
Your big opportunity, your bigbreak is taken from you, and uh
your life has been tried to betaken from you.
You're on the brink of death.
But he says there's somethingpositive.
(13:41):
And as we just kind of outlined,think about some of the
positives there.
That the the mystery, thewonder, the just the lack of
knowing this whole situation,the details, it really piques on
people's curiosity.
When people start hearing, waita minute, this guy was someone
they tried to assassinate thisguy?
Like, why would they want himdead?
What's going on here?
(14:02):
And you start hearing thesethings, and then just when he
says, you know what, I'm gonnaface it, I'm gonna embrace it,
I'm gonna go after it, I'm gonnacontinue to rap, and I'm gonna
put out an FU track to thepeople that tried to kill me.
And the new uniqueness in hisvoice after being shot in the
face, everything about thisramps up curiosity, and with
(14:22):
curiosity comes attention, andwith attention becomes a
following, and with a following,there comes needs.
And when there's needs, there'speople that are willing to
respond to the needs and fulfillthe needs.
And when I say that, I meanthere's people willing to pay
for that.
So that's how he gets noticed.
That's how he takes a near-deathnegative situation and he finds
(14:43):
a positive opportunity becauseevery negative situation
contains the possibility forsomething positive.
It is an opportunity.
In the words of 50 Cent, it'show you look at it that matters.
It's not the circumstance, it'snot the negative that you're
going through, it's not thestruggle that you're growing
through, it's how you look at itthat matters.
(15:05):
If you look at a situation andyou perceive in your mind that
this is it, this is the end,this is final, then this shall
be it.
We've been talking about thisfor weeks.
This too shall pass.
If you put into your mind thatthis shall pass, it will pass.
Remember, we've been sayingsince day one, whatever you
perceive to be shall be.
(15:26):
Whatever you decide in your mindis right, is right.
That's the truth, folks.
You get to be right.
Whatever decision you make inyour mind, you get to be right.
So when a negative comes along,you get to be right based off of
how you look at it.
If you're gonna be positive andsay, this too shall pass, let me
find the opportunity, let mefind the possibility for
(15:49):
something positive, then you'regonna have one result.
If you deem this as a situation,an obstacle, a failure, a
letdown that you can't overcome,then you're right.
You won't overcome it.
Circumstances that you can'tcontrol, you can't let them
(16:09):
control you.
50 says circumstances you can'tcontrol, you just gotta make the
best of them.
If you spend your time worryingabout the things that you can't
control, then that time spentworrying will control you.
Eventually, those circumstancesare going to control you.
With all that said, I want tointerject here and bring back
(16:31):
some of my business and thatconversation.
We're going to really start toconnect the dots, pave the road,
paint the picture, the story tobe told.
When we talk about me trying toget back on the road, those
circumstances, not having avehicle, all those things,
realizing the responsibility andthe commitments that I've made.
When I take all those things,when I take those circumstances,
(16:53):
my real life situation, and Iapply them to this book, as we
turn shit into sugar, we takethe circumstances and we realize
and frame our mind on the factthat it's not the circumstance,
it's not the situation, it's howwe look at it that matters.
Here I am in a very tightsituation, but mentally I've
(17:17):
decided that in here somewherethere is the possibility of
something positive.
I just need to sort through thenonsense and start to identify
the possibility.
If we think about some of thebusiness stuff, and I'm just
gonna kind of jumble a lot ofthings here, and we're gonna
throw a bunch of stuff at thismodge podge hodgepodge puzzle,
(17:39):
and we're gonna identify somepossible positives in my
situation right now.
So with the business and thesituation that we're in, I've
done a couple things.
Number one, I've done somethingfor the first time in my
business.
I went ahead and did a pre-sale.
And by doing a pre-sale, acouple things happen.
Number one, it gauged theinterest of the audience.
(18:02):
It pulled the audience, it askedyou guys, hey, do you like this
product?
Are you interested in seeingthese Charlie Crook tribute
items?
If I do that and it fails, if Ido that and not a lot of people
respond to it, a couple thingshappen.
Number one, I'm disappointedbecause I want to carry these
items, but I'm not out thefinancial commitment on these
(18:23):
items because I put them outthere and y'all didn't want
them.
If I put them out there and someof you want them, it gives me
enough money to bring in a smallamount of them to fulfill the
orders and maybe put a few onthe shelf and see what happens.
If I do a pre-sale and a lot ofyou want them, I can also do a
couple things.
Number one, it shows me thesedesigns are right, the message
(18:47):
is perfect.
Y'all want these.
Okay, great, all right, we'regonna get them.
Here's the other side of thecoin.
You heard I'm tight financially.
It's tough to make ends meetright now.
I'm in a a certain justdifficult situation.
I have these circumstances, butby doing a pre-sale that I've
(19:07):
never but done before, if ittakes off and enough people love
the designs and the message, andthey jump on the pre-sale and
spend the money, what happens?
I get the money before I have toinvest my own money.
So I can take the money from thepresale and buy the designs and
the products and put them on theshelf to number one, fulfill the
(19:30):
orders, and number two, try tolive off some of that stock and
help move us forward.
So this is something new thatwe've never done before, but my
circumstances, my situation, myfinancial uh constraint that I
have forced me to analyze thisstuff and come up with something
new and a different way of doingthings.
(19:51):
So, with that said, how did itgo?
Pretty damn good.
The pre-sale went well enoughand went strong enough that I
made enough money to buy all mydesigns for my shirts.
I made an investment on theshirts on my end.
And if I went into this with aum an entry-level small order on
(20:12):
this, my cost would be higher,but my pre-sale would have
absorbed all of that cost.
But what I decided was theseseem to be going really well
based off of the initial sales.
That tells me these are gonnacontinue to be well.
Now, when I make the nextcommitment that I want to be in
Bangor, it's important for me togo to the mall with these new
designs because this test wejust ran proved to me that these
(20:35):
designs are gonna work.
So, with that said, I doubled myanticipated order.
I took the the proceeds from thepre-sale and I bought all my
graphics, and then I just had tomake the investment in the
textile and the actual shirtsthemselves.
Does that make sense to youguys?
So this was something different.
I identified a um a possibilityto do something positive, and we
(20:57):
tried it and it workedtremendously.
I'm hopeful to do more of these,but I also have to be creative
and restock some things, so Ican't do um a lot of these right
now, but I will you will see mesprinkle some more in there.
But this is just an example ofme looking at our circumstances
and our situations.
Now, another thing that's umgoing on here, and this becomes
(21:18):
a twofold scenario.
If you guys have been listeningfor a long time, you know a
couple years ago I lost my dad.
And if you've been listening fora long time, you would
understand that this is allfamily land, and where I live,
this is what my dad built.
And the house that I grew up inis right next door to me.
And my mother lives there, andwe built me and my wife built
right next door, and it's almostattached.
(21:39):
And my business office is in mymom's basement, so we're all
connected here, and I love itthis way.
My mom is here to help, andwe're here to help her.
It's a tremendous scenario.
Some of the difficult thingshere is all of my dad's
belongings, everything that he'sever um acquired in life is
here, right?
All those things that he'sattached to is here.
(21:59):
And I don't know how many of youout there are in my age bracket,
but I think my parents come froma generation of um um where many
of them were hoarders or packrats.
And I think like my dad, hepassed away uh on the cusp of
his 80th birthday.
And um I just think that therewas a time in my dad's life
(22:20):
where he just had to be creativeand make ends meet with whatever
he had.
So he held on to whatever heacquired because he knew
somehow, some way, someday, hecould flip that into money, he
could fix something, he couldovercome something.
So with my dad's upbringing inthat way, he's held on to so
much stuff.
It's overwhelming, it'ssuffocating.
(22:41):
But also, as a son that wasconsidered like a best friend
relationship with his dad, it'shard for me to give up any of my
dad's stuff.
It's been hard for me to let goof any of his stuff.
But this creates a viciouscycle, it's a suffocating cycle
because they have all thesethings that are that are
(23:02):
cluttered and overtaking um ourspaces and our freedoms, but
it's also overtaking my mindbecause I'm seeing them and I'm
thinking about them.
I'm also not okay with partingwith them, getting rid of them.
There's all this stuff that goeson in my mind, and there's so
many things that, hey, I knowthis is worth something, but I
don't really know what it is orwhat it does.
(23:23):
I don't know how much this isworth.
If I just give it away fornothing, am I being taken
advantage of?
If I try to put it out there forwhat I think it's worth, is am I
just going to continue to holdon to it?
So all this has been a viciouscycle in my mind.
And with my circumstances, withthe situation, with what I've
backed myself into, I forcedmyself to let go of some things.
(23:47):
I forced myself to start haulingsome things to the dump.
I'm forcing myself to haul somethings to the junkyard, and I'm
forcing myself to sell somethings, and with those, those
finances, it results in a coupleof things.
Half that money is going to mymother for her to um pay bills
and do house repairs, and halfof that is going to me and my
(24:08):
family to um come above water,to come out of the red, to get
things figured out.
So we're trying to do thosethings, we're trying to make
those choices.
And um, this week was a bigaccomplishment for me because I
sold a tractor that me and myfather bought together.
We bought this tractor together,and um it was the first tractor
(24:31):
that the two of us have ever hadtogether, and um, it was
tremendous, but it died on us inthe middle of a job, and we've
spent years trying to figure itout.
We've had Mechanic beyondmechanic try to figure it out,
family and friends try to figureit out, and it's always resulted
in it not being fixed.
But I couldn't get over the factthat me and my dad bought this
(24:53):
together and it's just sat hereand it's become an eyesore, and
it's just begun to um becomeeven more of a project and even
more difficult to repair.
So I said, you know what?
I'm gonna see if I can sellthis.
And I did.
I sold the tractor, I sold aloader, I sold some forks with
it, I sold a counterweight, Idid all these things that was me
(25:17):
shedding some of what's beenholding me back.
A couple things came from thissome some a little financial
gain and a little mental gain, alittle mental freedom.
And it also, I've always saidthis when you find yourself in a
rut, if you just start moving,just start putting one foot in
front of the other, just startcreating positive movement.
(25:38):
Because when you do that,oftentimes just other things
start to happen, other positivesstart to happen.
So by selling that and relievingthat stress and just kind of
getting that wow, I thought Iwould sit here and be emotional
that I said goodbye to somethingof my dad's, but in turn, I'm
actually surprised to say I'mfeeling relieved.
(25:59):
And in doing those things, it'sreally created some healing, and
um, it's also really just kindof helped us with some um some
financial support.
Now there's a long road to go,but that first step, that first
positive step, has given mesomething um to um really be
encouraged by.
(26:19):
There was something else that 50Cent said in his book, and he
said negative energy is stillenergy.
And oftentimes we think thatwhen we run into these
situations where we're we'regoing through something
negative, we're we're stressingabout something, it can weigh us
down.
But if you look at it from 50sframe of mind, negative energy
(26:40):
is still energy.
Again, go back to the fact thatit's all on how you look at it
that matters.
So if I had this negative energyabout not wanting to get rid of
my dad's stuff, but I didsomething about it and I started
moving, it resulted in somepositives for me and for the
business.
So when you're feeling negativeand you're stressed and you're
doing things because you have todo them, not because you want to
(27:00):
do them, be thankful for theenergy.
Negative energy, you stoleenergy.
And if you use that negativeenergy to create energy and
sprinkle in the positive, whenyou start feeling positive,
you're gonna get that positivesnowball effect that's gonna be
rolling downhill and picking upmomentum.
It's all on how you look atthese situations, these
circumstances that matter.
(27:21):
Circumstances you can't control,you just have to make the best
of them.
And you have to work with whatyou've got.
And when I heard 50 say thattoday, I just started to really
sit back and go, wow, man,that's what you've been doing.
You've been working with whatyou've got.
You said, you know what?
I need these designs, I needthis money, I'm gonna pre-sale,
I'm gonna figure it out.
I want to go to this event, I'mgonna pre-sale, it's gonna get
(27:44):
me to that event.
I need to create some money, Ineed to pay some bills.
I'm gonna move this piece ofequipment that I've had a hard
time saying go to.
And when I let that go, it givesme some money that I need, but I
also got this positive effectand positive energy that I did
not expect.
So you just have to go to workwith what you have.
This all becomes part of the lawof power.
(28:07):
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
So when you back yourself into acorner, you put yourself in a
situation like I have, you haveto realize when you stay focused
on it, when you decide thesecircumstances are not going to
control me, and when I start tolook at these things in a
positive light and say everynegative situation contains the
(28:29):
possibility for somethingpositive, it is an opportunity.
When I start using thatopportunity, I am creating a law
of power.
My energy will rise to theappropriate level.
When I need to bust my ass toget out of a situation, I will
get out of it.
If you guys have been listeningto me, when there's deadlines
for a fair or an event, I find away to rise to the occasion.
(28:52):
I'm in a situation right nowwhere I need to rise to that
level.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
This is a law of power that allpowerful, motivational,
successful people live by.
When I get back on track hereand we start talking about 50
Cent in his book, and we startrelating some of these things to
you and giving you someinformation and some food for
(29:14):
you to get out there and reallycook.
Let's focus on this law of poweragain.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
In turn, what that means for youis move before you are ready.
So, for so many of you out thereright now thinking about
something, whether it's the newjob, whether it's a career
(29:36):
change, whether it's startingyour own business, whether it's
starting a side hustle orcommitting full time to your
business, whether it's havingyour first child, whether it's
buying a house, move before youare ready.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
This little nugget right here,again, I'm gonna spread.
(30:00):
A couple of things on my ownside for y'all to relate to and
hear something from.
I stressed for the longest timeabout building a house, and we
have a very small, modest housesituation.
We have an in-law apartmentabove a garage, and I wish that
I would have made this atwo-bedroom scenario so it would
have been more sufficient for mymy daughter, but uh the town
(30:22):
wouldn't let me do that.
So, um, in the words of 50cents, go to work with what you
got.
So that's what I'm doing.
But I I deliberated on this fora long time.
I stressed about this for a longtime, and I realized I really
can't afford what I was doing.
And the price to do this was farmore than I ever imagined.
But I had a conversation with myfather before um I did this, and
(30:43):
and before I built the house andmade the commitment, and my dad
said, You know what?
Just do it.
You just gotta do it, you justgotta jump, just do it.
And I was like, What do you whatdo you mean?
I can't I can't afford it.
And he said, Right now you can'tafford it, but when you commit
to it, you will afford it.
You'll find a way.
It was his way of saying thesame thing that 50 Cent is
(31:05):
saying in this book.
Move before you're ready.
Because if we wait for themoment to be ready, I could
always be living in my oldbedroom with my parents.
You understand?
You need to move before you'reready.
When I thought about having achild, we didn't have a kid
until I was damn near 41.
(31:26):
It was almost she was born likea couple weeks before my 41st
birthday.
That's pretty damn late, right?
If I continued to wait, I maynever be blessed with the
greatest blessing of my life,and that's my little precious
baby girl, Paisley Rain.
Because I spent my whole lifewaiting for the right moment.
(31:48):
It starts with finding the rightperson, and then when you find
the right person, you gotta findthe right time.
And when you start thinkingabout the right time, you think
about a few things.
You think about time and youthink about um financial time,
right?
When can I afford it and whenwill I have the time for it?
And for me, there was a time inmy life when I could financially
afford it.
(32:08):
I felt great.
We were in a financial, uh, Iwon't say a financial like
freedom state of mind, butpretty damn close.
And I knew we could affordhaving a child, but I also felt
I didn't have the time for achild.
I was working, you know, crazyhours, and even when I wasn't at
work, I was still at work, ifthat makes sense to y'all.
(32:28):
And I felt like my wife would bea stay-at-home single um mother
because I'd be gone all thetime.
So for me, the timing wasn'tright.
Then when I gave up on thatcareer, or when it gave up on me
and I committed to this newdream and this loud, proud
American dream, I created a lotof time, but I lost all the
(32:50):
financial comfort and stabilityand ability to have a child.
So I continue to wait and waitand wait and continue to tell
myself, hey, just another yearand the business is gonna break.
It's another year and thebusiness is gonna break.
It's all gonna happen and it'sall gonna be right.
And I just kept waiting for thatright time to come.
But guess what, folks?
That right time never came.
And if I was waiting for theright time to come, I'd still be
(33:13):
waiting.
If I was waiting for the righttime to come, I wouldn't be a
father.
If I was waiting for the righttime to come, I wouldn't have
the greatest blessing in mylife.
My beautiful, amazing daughter.
You need to move before you areready.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
I am blessed in my life becauseI stopped waiting for the
(33:37):
perfect time to jump.
When we continue on this law,this law of power, 50 Cent also
said he would often deliberatelycreate obstacles.
So if he started a new venture,if he took a new chance, he bet
on himself, he woulddeliberately create obstacles.
(34:00):
Because when you have theseobstacles, these things you have
to overcome in your life, whenyou feel you must work harder,
either because you have theseobstacles or because you jumped
too early and you just weren'tready, then guess what?
You're a lot more alert, you'rea lot more inventive, you're a
lot more creative.
So jump, move, take the chance.
(34:21):
Ask her to the dance.
You understand what I'm saying?
Bet on yourself.
Life is about taking chances,life is about fulfilling your
purpose, life is about livingthe life you were meant to live.
It's not about living in yourparents' basement, it's not
about waiting for the righttime.
The time is now.
Move before you are ready.
When you jump in too soon, whenyou feel like you must work even
(34:44):
harder to overcome the fact thatyou weren't ready, then you will
be alert, you will be intentive,you will be creative, you will
find ways to make it work.
Just damn, do it.
There's an amazing discussion inthis chapter about the fact that
your lack of resources can be anadvantage.
(35:05):
Oftentimes, if you think aboutit, if you've been in a
situation where like you knowyou can handle this task, like
let's just say there's a greatchallenge in front of you, but
you have everything at yourdisposal to handle it.
Oftentimes we will just spend somuch time, we will waste endless
time.
It becomes analysis paralysis.
(35:25):
We have all these resources, wehave all these advantages to
doing this task that we spendall this time thinking about
what's the best way to do it?
How should I overcome it?
What should be the mostefficient?
What's the most cost effective?
What tool can I use?
What resource should be the one?
When you spend all this timeanalyzing this, your competitor
that lacks all those resources,he said, you know what?
(35:48):
Screw it.
I'm just gonna jump in and doit.
And if that person takes theleap and he jumps in and does
it, then by the time you're donewith your analysis paralysis,
you lost the job.
You lost the bid.
The project's done is done,right?
The project's completed, thehouse is built, the expansion on
that building that you weregonna build, build, and bid on
(36:09):
is completed.
She got a new date.
She's going to the dance, she'salready at the prom.
You understand what I'm saying?
You sit around and you use yourresources and you think about
how I can overcome these thingswhen oftentimes just having a
straight-up lack of resourcescan be the advantage because you
can say, you know what, I ain'tgot time to think about it.
(36:29):
I just gotta do, baby.
I just gotta jump in and getthis done.
Don't let the fear make you waitfor a better time.
Don't let the fear of failuremake you wait.
Fear is paralyzing.
Fear is paralyzing, guys.
And I'm gonna just be as humbleand transparent and honest as
(36:51):
possible and tell you, straightup tell you, I've never been in
a more difficult financial spotin my life, and I've never had
more responsibility of me in mylife.
No greater responsibility everbeing asked of me than right now
in this time.
My circumstances have never beenthis difficult.
(37:14):
But I'm okay.
I'm okay.
I feel positive about where I'mheaded.
I feel that my situation, mycircumstances, contains the
possibility of somethingpositive.
I just need to identify it andact on it.
(37:34):
What's crazy about this is howoptimistic I remain in the face
of fear.
I'm gonna take this time to givemyself some praise, to give
myself some glory, and say, I'mproud of my outlook.
I'm proud of my mental stateright now, given the
(37:59):
circumstances.
Me of a few months ago might nothave felt the same way that I
feel right now.
Me several years ago would beterrified of where I am right
now.
No, I must also confess thatthat I am human.
And if my choices and and mydecisions don't produce the
(38:24):
fruit that I need in a fewmonths, I might not have have
the same strength and composure.
But right now I do, so I'm gonnagive myself grace for having
that.
And I realized that I shouldgive myself some grace and be
thankful for that today, becausethis morning I was in my office
(38:44):
while my family was asleep, andI was making my shirts, and I
was listening to this book, andmy phone also went off.
And when my phone went off, itwas a notification, and I don't
know why I looked at it.
Maybe I was just like, why am Igetting a notification this
early in the morning?
And I opened it, and uh, it wasa friend that I made on the fair
circuit posting a notificationto their business page that said
(39:08):
sad news.
And I clicked on it, and Iwatched a video of this friend
that I made, him and his wife,shooting a video in the woods
saying we really hoped we werewe never had to make this video
or to say these words, but atthe end of this year, we are we
(39:31):
are we're going out of business,we are closing our doors.
And um, this is a supersupportive, great guy that I met
on the fair circuit, and he hasbuilt a successful business, one
that I would be extremely proudto own if I was him.
They've been in business forseven years, which is a
tremendous accomplishment.
(39:52):
And um, you know, I had I hadwrote to him, and man, I'm
extremely saddened to hear thisnews, but I also want you to be
proud of what you'veaccomplished and you know, in
the relationships that you'vemade and how far you've come.
And um I just thought about thatand and it sat with me because
it hurt for me to see somefriends have to give up on their
(40:15):
dream based on a lack of salesand increased prices and all the
things that goes with it.
And it sat with me and it'sresonated with me, and and I've
I've pondered it all day, and Irealized give yourself some
grace, be positive and be happyfor the fact that you are still
in business.
(40:35):
You're you're approaching sixyears in business now.
Be thankful, be positive.
It's been a struggle, it hasn'tbeen the results you've hoped
for.
If I knew, you know, six yearsago what my numbers would be in
six years, and I and I saw them,if I could just get in the time
(40:56):
capsule and swim ahead and flyahead and zoom ahead and look
into my financial statement andmy books and say, this is what
you're gonna be looking at, thisis how you're gonna be living,
this is gonna be yourcircumstances, your situation.
Would I started this business?
Probably not.
But here I am, and we're makingit.
And I know on the other side ofthis, it only gets better.
(41:17):
I know all the stories of thepeople that had to give up
before the goodness reallyshowed up.
I'm excited, I'm encouraged, I'mpositive about where we're
going.
We're having the best year we'veever had.
We just are also having expensesthat are out of our control.
But all things considered, I'mgonna give myself grace for the
fact that we've made it thisfar.
When I see a friend having tosay goodbye to his dream, I need
(41:41):
to do some soul searching andsome reflecting and say, be
grateful, be thankful, but bedetermined and continue to move.
Keep on moving because the devilis at the door, the wolves are
at your feet.
You must continue to moveforward.
So whatever's on your mind,whatever is in your heart,
(42:01):
whatever you believe you canachieve, I implore you to go.
I beg of you to move before youare ready.
Don't sit this one out, don'tsit this life out.
There is no guarantee on you andme.
I beg of you, I implore you tomove.
Your energy will rise to theappropriate level.
(42:25):
You just have to work with whatyou get.
I talk to a lot of people thatwhether it's after a podcast
episode or it's just a friend oracquaintance that I I meet and
see at an event or catch up withat a store that that will spell
out all the difficulties inlife, that'll spell out all the
negatives in all thesesituations, they're they're
(42:50):
true, they're right, they'regranted, right?
Sometimes people are going tocome to you with horrific
struggles in life, and you hearall these things, and everybody
can outline all the reasons whythey can't do what they've
always wanted to do, all thereasons why they feel it's not
responsible to do what it isthat they want to do.
(43:11):
I hear it from so many of you.
We all have these circumstancesthat prevent us from doing the
things that we want to do, fromliving the lives that we want to
live.
Some people have more difficultcircumstances than others.
I say all this to wrap up thisepisode and to end the show with
(43:32):
a quote that came from this bookfrom a James Baldwin, and that
quote is as follows If one iscontinually surviving the worst
that life can bring, oneeventually ceases to be
controlled by a fear of whatlife can bring.
Whatever it brings must be born.
(43:57):
You guys understand that?
I hope that hits home.
I hope it raises the hairs onyour arms a little bit.
If one continually is survivingthe worst that life can bring,
one eventually ceases to becontrolled by a fear of what
life can bring.
Whatever it brings must be done.
(44:17):
This too shall pass.
If we survive all that lifethrows at us, eventually the
fear subsides.
Eventually the fear goes awaybecause you know and you realize
I've been there before.
I've been through this before.
I am tried by fire, I amhardened steel.
(44:39):
The fear will come at me nomore.
This too shall pass.
Every negative situationcontains the possibility for
something positive.
This week I challenge each andevery one of you to take a
circumstance, an opportunity inyour life, a situation as
(44:59):
negative as can be and turn thatshit into sugar.
Thank you for supporting myAmerican dream.
Now go wash your hands.
You filthy savage.
That's it and that's all, BiggieSmalls.
(45:31):
If you're a Loud Proud American,and you find yourself just
wanting more, find me on YouTubeand Facebook and Loud Proud
American Facebook.
If you're fan of the Ram Crack,you wanna find me on Instagram,
all the kids, tickety pocket onthe tickety talk.
(45:51):
You can find me on all of thoseclouds underscore crowd
underscore America.
Big old thing is the voice ofthe gun truckers for the
background being podcasts.
(46:14):
If you are enjoying what you'rehearing, track down the gun
truckers on Facebook adjusters,but I truly thank you for
(46:44):
supporting my American dream.
Now go wash your fucking hands,you filthy savage.
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