What background or upbringing is more likely to cultivate greatness:
Adversity or support?
The Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner episode 112, guesting Alan Lazaros
Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2302168/support
After losing his father in a car accident, Alan Lazaros re-engineered his life with 11 years of relentless discipline and gratitude. In this episode of The Grateful Podcast with Jack Wagoner, Alan shares how adversity became his competitive advantage and why comfort kills growth.
We talk about how grit beats privilege, how to turn trauma into self-belief, and why gratitude isn’t weakness — it’s power.
By the end, you’ll understand why your hardest moments create your edge.
If you’ve ever felt behind but refused to stay there, this one’s for you.
Key Takeaways
1.Adversity builds skills that comfort never teaches.
Struggle forces focus, resilience, and self-belief that become unfair advantages later.
2.Gratitude multiplies ambition.
Without gratitude, drive turns into desperation; with it, ambition feels alive again.
3.Proof before belief.
Alan’s “State, Prove, Self-Assign” process shows that confidence is earned by repetition, not affirmation.
4.Awareness is the real data advantage.
Success depends on how accurately you see yourself, others, and the world.
5.Your past doesn’t define you — your response does.
If the future you envision is brighter than the past you remember, you create hope and momentum.
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⏱ Timestamps
00:00 The car accident that changed everything — Alan Lazaros origin story
01:30 Why gratitude became his daily discipline after tragedy
03:45 Jack on using pain as fuel instead of excuses
04:40 The Victim → Villain → Hero → Guide framework explained for self-belief
08:15 Why most people stay stuck in comfort and coast mode
10:45 How adversity creates grit and competitive advantage
12:40 “State, Prove, Self-Assign” — the formula for confidence
17:00 How to focus when you want to do everything
20:10 The Tesla metaphor for self-awareness and blind spots
25:00 Why accurate self-image determines success
27:40 Thinking as a survival tool — the neuroscience of resilience
32:00 Balancing theory and practice for long-term growth
34:15 Why ambition without gratitude leads to burnout
36:30 Hope math: Future greater than Past equals Fulfillment
38:20 Closing lesson — Being poor made me rich
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Find Alan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alazaros88/?hl=en-gb
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/
Website: https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/about/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBo--QvPHbGOrO13C0Xyybg
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL7rwtc5s_KcTZMHSJng-FQ
Subscribe for more deep conversations with thinkers, seekers, and soulful creators. 🙏
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🧠 More from Jack:
Newsletter (Magic, Meaning & Momentum): https://magic.beehiiv.com/v1/aa6b0945-43aa-43c8-b320-0fde6998f852?email=%7B%7Bemail%7D%7D
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jack_wagoner_/
1:1 Coaching & Dream-Chasing Guidance: jackcwagoner@gmail.com
💬 If you found this conversation meaningful, send it to a friend and leave a review. It really helps more people find this kind of soul-nourishing content.
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🎙️ About Jack:
I’m an 18-year-old high school student with a big dream: to show the world that you can be grateful and ambitious at the same time. Through The Grateful Podcast, I explore what it means to live a meaningful life—one deep conversation at a time.
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