Join us as we speak with Al Cook—former drill sergeant, business and community leader, and motivational speaker—to unpack how confidence is built under pressure, why leadership is an art, and how attention to detail can shape your life. Al takes us behind the scenes of basic training: the controlled chaos of arrival, the initial shock that flips a mental switch, and the quiet satisfaction of watching a scared 18-year-old become a soldier who trusts themselves when it counts.
From there, we chart Al’s path into retail management and entrepreneurship, where he sharpened his philosophy: thoughts drive emotions, emotions drive actions, actions become habits, habits form character, and character sets destiny. He shares practical tools for business owners feeling stuck, including writing clear goals, expecting struggle before victory, building mental toughness, and gathering a coterie of people who are smarter than they are. We dive into the power of visualization and why most people unintentionally imagine failure more vividly than success. Al shows how to redirect that imagination toward outcomes you actually want.
Al blends tough love with compassionate coaching. You’ll hear how to turn “I can’t” into “Here’s my next step,” how to reduce negative inputs and increase positive ones, and why small, consistent wins beat frantic busyness. We wrap with a gratitude practice that resets your day in minutes and a reminder that your greatest resource is people: align them around a vision and watch momentum build. If you’re ready to swap excuses for execution and turn thought into action, press play, subscribe, and share this with someone who needs the spark.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Peter (00:01):
Welcome to There's a Lesson in Here Somewhere.
Conversations with interestingpeople with fascinating stories
to tell, and from which we candraw important lessons.
Here are your hosts, JamieSereno and Peter Carrucci.
Jamie (00:17):
Hello and welcome to There's a Lesson in Here
Somewhere.
I'm Jamie Sereno.
Peter (00:22):
And I'm Peter Carrucci.
Jamie (00:24):
And we're here today with Al Cook, a former drill
sergeant, business church, andcommunity leader, and
motivational speaker.
Al, welcome.
Thank you, Jamie.
Thank you, Peter.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you.
Yeah, thanks for joining us.
We always have such greatconversations with you, and
we're looking forward to ourdiscussion today.
(00:45):
So I'm going to jump right intothe drill sergeant thing, okay?
I I have to say, I always thinkof full metal jacket.
Right.
And I hear jokes.
I think of stripes, but Ireally think of full metal
jacket.
And I'm really curious if youwant to just tell us a little
bit about what that experiencewas like of being a drill
(01:06):
sergeant.
Al (01:07):
Well, um, first of all, Jamie, uh, Pete, I did I did 10
years overall in the military.
And out of that 10 years, Imust say that the most
challenging part, but the mostrewarding part was when I was a
drill sergeant.
Um, because you it's not likesay you you watched all the
movies for metal jacket andofficer and gentleman, and the
(01:31):
concept that you get is thisdrill sergeant, this tough guy,
you know, that's you know, it'sthe concept that you get.
But you come to learn that it'sit's really not about that at
all, only to a certain level ofrespect.
But what it's really about isabout teaching and training and
molding individuals, and and andand that's where the the the
(01:53):
real the real um beauty of itis.
And to be able to look at ayoung man that's 17, 18, and his
goal is to become a soldier.
And my goal is to make surethat he achieves that.
And it's it's it's just sobeautiful when you teach someone
and and they and they finallyget it.
(02:15):
Because the key that I found,Jamie, was uh being a drill
sergeant, the key is to instillin someone the confidence in
themselves that they canaccomplish whatever they desire.
And uh being in part of themilitary with the some of the
things that you go through, youyou you do develop that
confidence.
You know, for example, when Iwhen I first got there, one of
(02:37):
the things they told me was umthat you have to go into the gas
chamber.
And they told me you have toput this gas mask.
When gas pops, you have to putthis gas mask on in nine
seconds.
I was like, no way, I'm dead.
No way.
You know, I'm visualizing this.
But what happens is when youlearn how to do it, and you say,
(02:58):
Yeah, I really can do that.
So now that individual, youknow, so now he he's he's
confident in you as his drillsergeant now.
And you you have to be able tobring him through the mental
part, the physical part, thingsare different for him.
But the main thing I tell him,I say, Listen, what my whole
desire is that on graduationday, I want to be able to look
(03:21):
into the stands and see yourparents looking at you.
I want to be able to look intothe stands and look at them
personally, they say, Wow,that's my son right there.
He left, he was just an18-year-old brat, but look at
him now, he's a soldier.
And that's the only thing as adrill sign that we look for is
at the end, they came as just atraining, but now they're a
(03:44):
soldier.
And that's the beauty of it.
Peter (03:48):
When when they well, what happens when they first get
there compared to when theyleave?
Al (03:55):
Well, this is what happened when they first get there.
Initially, um, we go to what'scalled the reception station,
and uh, you have several drillsergeants then, you have the
first sergeant there.
And uh we we don't say anythingat all to them.
The first sergeant doeseverything, gets the troops
together and calls out thenames, take roll calling.
(04:17):
We don't say anything, we'rejust there.
And once everything getssituated, then we load them up
and we're going off to theindividual companies, and we put
them on these cars, we callthem cattle cars.
So these cattle cars, they holdabout 40, 50 guys.
And we don't, and we get thereonly on the cattle cars with
them, and and we don't seeanything.
(04:37):
And then we ride off, we rideoff.
And then eventually the cattlecar sort of ventures off, and
then you start going off intothe woods, and that's all you
see is just woods, everythingdisappears.
And then you come to thebarracks.
And once they pull up into thebarracks, all hell breaks loose.
All hell breaks loose at thatpoint.
(05:02):
I mean, we are moving in, we'rehollering, we're screaming,
hurry up, let's go grab yourstuff.
And they call this initial,what it's an initial shock
treatment.
It's not nothing that'sdetrimental or anything like
that.
But basically, what it is isit's we're establishing
ourselves right from thebeginning, establishing them,
getting their mind set in acertain way, getting them ready
(05:27):
to go through what they're aboutto go through for the next 13
weeks.
And so uh when they initiallyget there, things are moving,
there's confusion, they'rescared, they're afraid, you see.
So uh it's it's it's quite anexperience.
It's quite an experience.
But you're always nothing toit's nothing, there's nothing
(05:51):
that that's done detrimental tohurt or anything like that.
Every everything is just uhpreparing them because you're
gonna go into a total phase oflife now, you know.
Jamie (06:03):
And it's unpredictable.
Al (06:04):
Yeah.
Jamie (06:05):
Um, so you're always really good about putting
yourself into other people'sshoes, and you were doing it as
you were talking about um, youknow, the the new recruits,
because you had, of course, gonethrough basic training.
Yes.
So you knew you knew what itfelt like.
And you also knew what it feltlike to achieve it.
Right.
You know, about them seeingtheir parents and stuff.
(06:26):
Um so can you tell us aboutwhen you felt like someone
wasn't quite keeping up or theywere starting to falter or they
weren't believing in themselves,and then what did you do to get
them like back on track?
Al (06:38):
This is uh the this is where the the beauty of it comes in,
uh like I said earlier, uh thekeys to it to instill that that
confidence in them.
And so what happens is is whenyou're when you're a drill
instructor, you learn differentmethods of teaching.
Because you'll get some guys,you'll teach them, and they'll
get it right away.
(06:59):
Some guys you don't, and so youmight have to take them what
you call the step-by-stepmethod.
Okay, there's situations towhere you're gonna have a
certain um certain group of guysthat get it, and you can say,
okay, you guys, you go helpthese guys over here and help
them out.
Yeah, peers, peers working, yousee.
But the main thing is is toyou're always encouraging them
(07:23):
to the point to let them knowyou don't have it now, but
you're gonna get it.
Okay?
You might not have it, but I'mgonna work with you until you
get it.
Okay?
I'm your drill sergeant.
That's my goal, that's my job.
You did not come here to failbecause I let them know failure,
we don't know what that wordmeans.
Failure is not an option, andthat's what you have to instill
(07:43):
in them.
Let them know, you listen,you're gonna make it.
You didn't come here to fail,and I'm gonna make sure that you
do not fail.
And and and and and that's whatlike you're you you're gonna
you're gonna get those, youknow.
You're gonna get those, thosethat are that they're not
confident in themselves.
And so you have to build theirconfidence.
And and and what it comes downto, Jim, it's it's it's a
(08:06):
one-on-one thing sometimes.
You just gotta grab thatrecruit and talk to him and let
them know that, hey, you'regonna make it, gonna be okay.
And then when you can developit to where he looks and he's
got his other guys around him,other friends, and they say, hey
man, you're gonna make it.
We're gonna help you.
It's gonna be that's the keyright there, you know, to be
(08:27):
able to get everyone thinkingthe same thing, to get everyone
thinking teamwork.
When you got this guy there,you help him, help him out.
And that's that's the key.
I'll tell you a situation,gentlemen, I learned when I was
um before I became a drillsergeant.
I was stationed in Germany, andI was a buckser, what do you
call it?
Bucksarge, young buckssergeant, three-striper.
(08:49):
And uh go to my duty station,and um I'm a team leader, and I
got several men up under me.
So I got this one gentlemanhaving a situation with problem
with.
I said, Cook, you know,problem.
I'm gonna go to the platoonsergeant and he'll take care of
this guy.
So I go to the platoon sergeantand say, Well, I'm having this
(09:10):
plumber.
He looked at me and he said,Sergeant Cook, he said,
leadership is an art.
And he walked away.
And he walked away.
I'm going in looking for him,you know, expecting him to help
me out.
Leadership is an art.
And he walked away.
(09:31):
And so I'm like, okay, youknow, so in so many words, he
was saying, you know, I'm notgonna bail you out.
Okay, and so I'm saying, okay,so what I what do I do from
here?
So the definition of militaryleadership, Damian Peter, it
says this specifically.
It says that leadership is theart of influencing men in such a
(09:57):
manner as to obtain theirwillingness and obedientness to
accomplish the mission orwhatever they have to do.
But the key thing what it saysis that it's an art.
Because you you you you have,I'm pretty sure, Jamie and and
Peter, you've seen situationswhere you've got gentlemen there
in leadership positions andthen and you know, CEO company,
they're in leadership positions,but but they but they're not
(10:20):
leaders.
They don't know how to dealwith people.
Everything is a ego, an egothing, right?
So what I did was I startedlooking at other sergeants and
watching how they led theirtroops, what they did to
motivate, what was the key, whatthe key things that they did.
And that was the and and andthat opened up, first of all,
(10:41):
the world to me to understandthat you know, you have, in
order for you to become a goodleader, like I said, you cannot
lead until you've been led.
In order for you to be a goodleader, you have to have been
led by a good leader, you haveto have that mentor.
And so that opened up a wholeworld to me, right there.
First of all, just looking atother leaders and see how they
(11:04):
lead.
What is it that that thatmotivates men?
How do you communicate?
Because you have to communicatedifferently on different
levels.
And I found that being a drillsergeant because you've got one
kid who's from the cornfields ofIowa, and then you got one kid
that's from the Bronx, New York.
Okay, and then you've got thatone kid that's from down yonder,
(11:27):
you see, and then you've gotthe you see something, you've
got all these different, allthese different personalities
mixed in together, right?
You've got guys that they'venever slept with other guys
before, you know.
So it is it is it is definitelyan art.
But once you you you you youmaster it, and and and the key
(11:50):
what it comes down to is justreally understanding people,
understanding people the waythey think, and then knowing
knowing the right buttons topush in certain situations.
Peter (12:11):
And or a World War II movie or a big like war movie
buff, where the guy, you know,does something dumb and
knuckle-headedly, and he runsoff, and then the sergeant runs
in and makes everybody in thewhole thing when they do like a
hundred push and latrine duty,you know.
Al (12:35):
Is that real or what Peter don't tell nobody this now?
I mean, I can handle the truth.
No, no, no, no.
Here again, no, that doeshappen.
And the reason why the reasonwhy it happens is to teach them
teamwork.
Yeah, like to want them to worktogether, teaching them
(12:58):
teamwork.
Do they go after that one guywho did that thing, or do they I
mean, for example, let's say,for example, we call formation,
and everybody comes out theformation, and you got this one
guy or two guys, they're alittle bit late.
Oh, you're late for formation.
All right, so the wholeplatoon, we had to wait for you.
(13:19):
So now everybody, so now guesswhat, guys?
Because these two guys werelate, everybody gotta do 50
push-ups.
That's okay.
So now these other 48 guys,they're mad at these two two
guys.
You gotta get your handstogether here.
But it's um, I I I tell youanother situation when I was uh
(13:40):
a trainee myself, there's athing called uh you do what you
call police call, okay?
And one of the things that themilitary teaches you is they
teach you what's calledattention to detail.
Okay, attention to detail.
I tell you two situations.
Number one, we used to have athing called police call.
Police call is where they lineup all the troops.
(14:01):
This is every day, and you walkacross the entire compound
picking up trash.
Anything, picking up cigarettebus, picking up, you just
cleaning up the place, right?
And they have a thing, if itdoesn't, if it doesn't grow,
pick it up.
Okay.
So one day we didn't do a greatjob of this police call.
(14:22):
So drill starts and say, okay.
Right, huh?
Peter (14:27):
You weren't sorry, you were enlisted.
Al (14:30):
I was a trainee, right?
Peter (14:32):
Yeah.
Al (14:32):
We had to get on the ground.
A little recall.
And every little piece welisten, let me say what that did
was so now when we do policecall, everybody instead of just
(14:53):
lolly gagging a cat, they'relooking.
You see.
Attention to detail, right?
Attention to detail.
I tell you another situation.
Um say, like with the berracks,every day the bergs get
inspected, right?
And they have to be likeperfect.
They get inspected.
(15:14):
So I'll give you an example.
You know the old mops, thosestring mops, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Mop my floor, mop my floor,everything is good, it's
perfect.
They come through and inspect,and this one little string from
the mop is sticking out from theleg of the bed.
No good.
You know, so and and they wouldgo inside and they would
(15:39):
inspect the birds, and you lookin the window, you see
mattresses flying out thewindow, garbage cans flying out
the window.
They would literally mess theplace up.
You have to go back in and doit again and but and and look
for perfection.
Perfection, like I said, withthe bathroom, not clean.
(16:00):
Oh, yes, there's beensituations.
You can't clean it with thisbig brush we gave you.
Try this little brush.
You know, and and and you'rebut like I say, it's a thing to
where it teases you attention toto detail, little small, my
minor stuff.
I had a sergeant one time, heasked me, he said, Sergeant
(16:21):
Cook, he said, let me ask you aquestion.
He said, Um he said, have youever been hit by a train?
I said no.
He said, Okay, you ever beenrun over by like a buffalo or
moose, a big huge animal,anything like that, Sarge and
(16:42):
Cook?
No, he said, Have you ever beenstung by a mosquito?
Yeah, he said, Son, let metaste some it's the little stuff
that'll get you.
You know what I'm saying?
The little thing that and hewas teaching it.
So when so when we do thoselittle things that tends to the
detail.
(17:02):
When I went to um when I wentto airborne school, first of
all, it took me nine years toget enough uh gut to drop out of
a plane.
I'm telling you, I used to lookand say, no way, no way am I
doing that.
But anyway, I finally built upenough courage to go to airborne
school.
(17:22):
And uh when you go to airborneschool, you got captains,
colonels, lieutenants, drillsergeant, every everybody of all
different ranks is there.
But when you go to that school,you are nothing.
You are nothing.
They have a thing called ablack hat, just like they had
you in black hats.
They're the airborneinstructors.
So I popped on in there myfirst day, you know.
(17:46):
I looked at me, Drilson, takethat hat off, yo.
Yeah, and so and they inspectyou every morning, inspect you
every morning, looking you know,looking at your haircut.
So if my mustache, you can'thave no hairs coming over the
(18:06):
top lip in your mustache, it hasto be trimmed.
I have one little hair cameover my lip.
Get in the gig pit, sergeant.
The gig pit, there's a guystanding there on the stand, a
black hat.
You get in the gig pit.
The gig pit is all sand.
You in the gig pit, you get inthe you gotta do a push-up.
(18:29):
Roll left, roll right, get up,get down, roll left.
Here again, teaching a littleattention to detail.
So I said, okay, I'll solvethis, pal.
I cut everything off, man.
I cut all my hair off, I cut mymustache, I just I just became
an alien.
It was bad enough, you know,because I got like this small
(18:52):
peanut head and these big ears,you know.
I tell people, I'm like a crossbetween Mickey Mouse and
Planners, Mr.
Planners, you know.
Jamie (19:03):
So when when you left, um when you left the the armed
forces, then you began to workwith uh like business leaders,
right?
And you were sort of turningthat skill that you have and
like uh let's say bringing upthe best in people, right?
And you're helping peoplelaunch businesses and improve
(19:25):
their businesses and stuff likethat, right?
Could you talk a little bitabout like that phase of your
life?
Al (19:31):
Well, what happened when when when I got out of when I
got out of the military, um allI really knew was was military,
army, you know, because I wentin when I was 17 years old.
I I I I give an example.
I came out and um I tell youhow how far behind I was back
and then coming to New York,because I'm not from New York,
(19:52):
I'm I'm originally fromBaltimore.
My wife is from New York, sothat's how we ended up here, you
know.
She says, uh, because I met herwhen I was a drill sergeant in
Georgia and I was getting readyto get out.
So she says, well, let's moveto New York.
New York?
I never moved there.
What?
And she said, well, don'tworry, we live upstate.
(20:13):
Like upstate.
What the hell's that?
What's upstate?
If you never been to New York,you don't hear upstate.
You hear Bronx, Brooklyn,Manhattan, Queens.
Upstate?
Katona, Yorktown, what's that?
You know, it's like even, Iguess, even um, you live in
Jersey, right, Jamie?
Jamie (20:34):
I do.
Al (20:34):
There's some towns in Jersey.
People never heard, you know,townships, you know, Newark, you
know, you know Paterson, youknow, you don't know the this
township, you know.
Um, and so um that's thatthat's how we end I ended up
here in in New York.
And so I remember my firstthought I was doing
constructions that's a littleconstruction job, just to show
(20:55):
you how out of touch I was.
The guy says to me, he said,we're going to do um, we're
gonna do some excavating.
I said, What's that?
He said, We're gonna do thewhole.
And um, I think my first job Iwas doing some retail.
(21:27):
I said, Oh, five thousandhours, five thousand hours?
Great.
I thought I had no idea.
No, you know what I'm sayingbecause New York was it was just
such a culture shock, you know.
But anyway, I I ended up umgetting to the the retail, the
retail business, and uh being anend up being a retail manager,
(21:51):
and one of my district managersone day he gave me this tape
called um the the plus factor.
It was a motivation.
I'd never heard anything likethat before, you know, and that
and that really um opened up theworld, or opened up a whole new
(22:11):
different world to me.
And plus, I tell you what wassome was was really impactful,
because I I was uh in intoretail management.
So in retail, you're dealingwith people, you're dealing with
customers, okay?
And to to be a post person oranything, you know, you have to
be able, you have to have acertain type of personality, you
(22:33):
have to know how to deal withpeople.
And while I was doing this, umI ran into a gentleman that was,
he was a business, he was abusiness owner.
And he knew other businessowners, very successful business
owners.
And then when I got aroundthese gentlemen, then that
opened up a whole new differentworld to me because uh I started
(22:56):
they started exposing me to tothe reading of books and and
going and listening to other menthat were successful, that were
successful business owners.
And and that's where I learnedhow how to understanding of
people and and helping of peopleand uh closer, um, closer in
(23:17):
all different aspects.
So that's um that that that'sthat's that's where it started
at.
I started out um working in reretail management, and uh I just
happened to make meet thisgentleman, and from there, like
I said, when I started when Ilistened to that first tape, and
then I opened, and then Istarted reading books, different
books.
Um I'm sure uh you remember umDianetics?
unknown (23:42):
L.
Peter (23:42):
Ron Hubbard.
L.
Al (23:43):
Ron Hubbard.
That was like one of the firstbooks that I read, you know.
Um the um L.
Ron Hubbard, Dianetics, thepower of positive thinking, um,
the power of the subconsciousmind.
And so, like I said, beingconnected to this business,
these business leaders, this iswhat they did.
They read positive books, theyread those type positive books
(24:05):
all the time, constantly readingbooks like that, um, learning
about um self-talk,self-affirmations.
When when when you when youwhen you get to understand that
and you can see where you canincorporate that into other
people's lives, I think it's Ithink it's one of the greatest
things that that anyone can do.
(24:27):
I mean, because when you thinkabout it, you know, I I got
something one time he says,what's really the only thing
that you can do with your life?
You got you give it away.
Give away your time, give awayyour love, give away your
experience, give away your youryour help, you know, and you
(24:48):
know, like I said, I I guess youcan see it from uh being a
coach, being a father, being uh,or just being a good friend,
you know, when when when youhelp someone out, you know,
that's just such a feeling thatdoesn't, you know, you're not
looking for money or anything,but just to know, you know what?
Yeah, I I helped this guy out.
(25:09):
And because, and as you gothrough life, and then you know
you know you reach a point whenyou're 50, 60, something years
old, you and and you you youlook back at how many people's
lives are so much better becauseyou lived.
Yeah.
Peter (25:27):
And Al and I talk about this stuff all the time.
We we talk about philosophy andthis and that, and it's crazy
that you your your first part ofyour career is helping build
leadership capacity and like akid who's now comes out as a
soldier, and you're and thenyou're in the business world
learning how to be successfuland motivate uh success through
(25:52):
even accessing personality, andand then you you start reading
all this stuff.
I talk about a book all thetime, which I still haven't
read, but as a man thinketh,simply because we're we're
obsessed, at least I'm obsessedwith what Al and I talk about,
about how when when you have athought that all of a sudden
(26:14):
becomes a concrete reality,whether it's like an architect
drawing a house, the next thingyou know, there's a house.
And Al, I know we we weretalking earlier, maybe we
weren't gonna go here, butplease go here.
Al (26:26):
Yeah, yeah.
Peter (26:27):
A little bit about this kind of thinking.
Al (26:30):
Um well, basically what it comes down to, like I said,
there is a book called As a ManThink Of.
As a Man Think of His Heart, sois he.
And basically what that says isthat everything, everything
starts with your thoughts.
Everything, as soon as you wakeup in the morning, right away
(26:51):
we're thinking.
So so so every everythingstarts with your starts with
your thoughts.
And so what I've learned isthat the thoughts that you have
is gonna determine the emotionsand how you feel.
Those emotions and how youfeel, then that's gonna
determine um the way you talkand the actions that you take.
(27:14):
Those actions you take the wayyou talk, now that's gonna
become your habits.
And those habits are gonnabecome your character, and your
character and that's gonnabecome your destiny, whether
success or failure.
And so what I've learned isthat um whatever you think
about, it it can become reality.
Because if you can see it inyour mind, like I said, if you
(27:38):
can see it in your mind, thenyou can hold it in your hand.
It's just like I said, the thethe the the person, the the
painter.
The guy that's a painter,imagine this for a second, just
to show how powerful it is.
Because the the person that's apainter first he sees the
picture and then he paints thepainting.
But he has the building, hesees that it sees that picture
(28:01):
in his mind.
The guy that's uh the sculptor,even though there's just one
big piece of rock there, but healready sees the finished the
finished sculptor.
The musician, he hears themelody before anybody else
hears, because if you can hearthe melody, you can play it,
(28:21):
right?
And so that's that that'sthat's what really got me
interested, and especially whenI I was I started reading about
the power of the subconsciousmind.
You know, because you have themind and then you have the
subconscious mind, which isreally the really the the the
the uh the power behindthinking, you know, period,
(28:43):
period, when you get even deeperinto it.
And then when you come into um,I don't know if you're familiar
with with quantum physics.
Family with quantum physics,that's uh that's a whole
different thing too, but but umbasically what I've learned is
that the way you think thatgives you the power to determine
(29:08):
what you want to be, what youwant to become.
Because I tell people this,Peter, for example, says, um,
you have imagination and we havethe power to visualize, right,
Jamie?
And think about this you'reborn with that.
We're born with imagination,and as parents, we don't realize
(29:29):
we enhance that imaginationfrom when they're kids.
Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy,right?
Right from the time they'relittle kids, right?
Right away, we're enhancingthat imagination, and we don't
even realize it.
We don't even realize it.
And and this is the the sap forSanta Claus too fair cartoons,
(29:53):
right?
Halloween, you look atHalloween, what do they want to
be?
Batman.
Superman.
They want to be heroes in theirimagination.
They've imagined that.
And that's a it's a beautifulthing.
It's really a beautiful thing.
But what happens now is as theyget older, then we tell them,
(30:14):
yeah, well, you know all thatstuff.
You have bad.
It's really not real.
What do you mean?
Right?
I mean, which is fine.
It is true.
It is true.
But the point I'm trying to getis we're born with that.
We're born with imagination.
That's why to kids, nothing isimpossible.
(30:34):
Hey dad, why we can't, well, wecan't do that.
Why?
Well, well, you see what I'msaying?
So, um, like I Alvin Einsteinsaid, the greatest nation is
imagination.
And it is.
And it starts up here.
Everything that's around you,Jamie, everything that's around
you right now, Peter, began inthe imagination of somebody's
(30:56):
mind.
That's how powerful theimagination is.
And I always tell people, Ithank God for the guy who
thought of pants.
Because it'd be rough in NewYork on the guy who was wearing
them little skirts until hestill, you know.
It's that that that that it'sit's it's just so it is it's
(31:19):
it's just so powerful.
And and and that's the thingthat when you're when you're
speaking to somebody and and andand you want to help help
someone with any problems orchallenges that they have,
whether it's business, whetherit's music or whatever, I mean,
I can talk to a gentleman whocan be a a corporate executive
(31:41):
officer of a company.
And maybe the company, youknow, the the the profits that's
not there and so forth.
And it's kind of sad because Itell people, you know, you can
you can have a master's degreeon top of a master's degree.
You can have more degrees thana thermometer.
Okay.
You go in there and they say,man, we're gonna make you the
(32:02):
corporate executive officer.
Great.
You the man.
Two, three years later, theycall you into the boardroom.
Hey, listen, um, you know, wewe haven't made no profit in the
last three years.
I'm sorry, we're gonna have tolet you go.
But I've got a master's degree.
I'm sorry.
(32:22):
We're gonna have to let you go.
So now the point I'm trying tomake is that using this as an
example, I'm the corporateexecutive officer.
My goal is to make this companyprofitable.
So the most powerful thing thatI have to do that, you know
what is Jamie?
No my P is right here.
See?
(32:42):
What do I need to do to makethis corporate?
What can I imagine?
What do what do we need to do?
We need to hit 8% or 3% or 2%.
So what do we need to do tomake that happen?
So I can visualize that.
I can already, I can imaginethat in my mind.
I can already see the companybeing successful.
(33:03):
I can see what I have to do.
And that's where I think uh uha lot of people don't understand
because the power to do it isright here.
It's just a matter, you guysknow this.
Where there's a will, there's away.
There's a way.
You see, and we teach thesethings to our kids, man, from
(33:23):
one time when they're young.
When there's a will, there's away.
You can do anything you want ifyou put your mind to it.
If you put your mind to it, andthen what happens, you know,
Happy?
We tell our kids this, and thenwhen it comes to us, we gotta
find these excuses as to why,you know, we can't make it
(33:45):
happen.
You know?
So the the the big differencethat I've learned is that it
first of all starts witheverything is up here.
I mean, what else do you have?
What else do you got?
Jamie (33:59):
So So as you're working with you know business owners
and entrepreneurs and stuff, doyou find that you're you're
trying to like reignite theirimagination or trying to harness
that in some way?
Peter (34:13):
In front of us.
It's amazing.
Al (34:14):
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
That's Jamie, Jim, see thefirst thing the first thing that
I try to do with people and uheven with youth, you know, I I I
hear people sometimes, youknow, talk about you.
Today's youth is fine, they'reno different than yesterday's
youth.
But the first thing that I whenwhen I talk to people, the
(34:38):
first thing that I do is I don'ttalk about the negative.
I don't talk about what theycan't do, what they should do.
You gotta let them know whatthey're capable of doing.
Because right away you hearpeople say, I don't know, man.
I don't think I can do it.
Yes, you can do it.
Yes, you can.
But see, what happens is peopleneed someone to ignite them.
(35:02):
So you need you need that butthat one person said to make
that difference, to make thatspark.
And so the the the first thingthat I try to do when I talk to
people, business owners, is Iwant them to see the vision.
And I and I tell them, listen,can you do you have imagination?
This is a stupid question.
(35:23):
Do you have imagination?
Of course I've got imagination.
Do you have the ability tovisualize?
Yeah, of course.
I remember just like it wasyesterday.
They can use it.
So what happens is they do useit, but instead of them
visualizing success, instead ofthem visualizing achievement,
(35:45):
they keep visualizing thedownfall.
They speak the problem insteadof speaking the solution.
Instead of, oh, I don't knowwhat I'm gonna do.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's figure this out.
That's what I tell people rightfrom the beginning.
(36:07):
Okay, listen, this is yourproblem.
This is the situation you have,right?
So let's think of ways that wecan make it better.
What what what's some ideas?
What's some ways that we canmake it better?
And see, and and and people,you gotta get that ignited
because Peter, Jamie, this mindwe have is so powerful.
(36:29):
People have no idea howpowerful this mind is.
Because if you look atindividuals that are successful
and individuals that are notsuccessful, what's the
difference?
The difference is in the waythey think.
It's no difference.
Peter, you and I, Jim, we'rewe're all the same.
(36:50):
There's no difference betweenwhen you us.
We I get up just like you guysget up, you know, problem in
those things.
There's no difference.
The only difference between usthree is the way we think.
That's the only difference, yousee.
And so the the thing that Ihave did when I talk to people
is to let them know that firstof all, that's where it starts
with the way that you think inyour imagination.
(37:12):
For example, um, you know,Jamie, I asked you um if you'd
ever been to Disneyland.
Um, did did you say you havehave you ever been there?
Take taking your kids there?
Jamie (37:23):
So we no, we're we're gonna go to Disney World next
year, but we we went to Parisone time and we took them to
Disneyland in Paris.
So you you probably thought youwere gonna get this quick,
simple answer, and I'm likedressing.
No, I think so with search.
(37:43):
I've been to Disney World whenI was a kid.
I've never been to Disneylandand California, and my kids have
not been to Disney World orDisneyland and California, and
then we all went to Disneylandin Paris.
Okay.
There's no complicated answer.
Right.
Al (37:59):
But the point I want to say, Peter, do you ever take your
kids to Disney World?
Peter (38:04):
Yeah, we have fun.
Florida, whatever you want.
Al (38:06):
You went to Florida?
Let me ask you a question.
Do you remember how much youpaid to get in?
Peter (38:13):
Uh-huh.
Al (38:14):
How much is that?
Ton of money.
That's all.
So think about this for asecond, Peter.
Think about this, Jamie.
You paid a ton of money.
And somebody opened this gateand said, Welcome to Disneyland,
(38:35):
because of someone'simagination.
See, you go and yeah, you youyou look at the look at the
story of Walt Disney, theythought he was cool cool.
It didn't matter.
He had that imagination.
And because it was so strong,it was so powerful, there's
Disney World's Disneyland's allover.
(38:56):
And Paris and Florida, they'reall over.
And think about this, Peter.
When you went to, you you sayum you gotta go to Jersey or
something, or where you going?
Where you say you're travelingto next week?
Peter (39:13):
Me?
Yeah.
Oh, I got uh Jersey,Connecticut.
Al (39:17):
Jersey?
Yeah.
Um, let me ask you a question.
Are you gonna stop by the locallivery stable to get the horse
that you're gonna need?
No, I'm gonna drive.
You're not gonna saddle up, oldginger?
Peter (39:30):
Yeah, I got you.
Yeah.
Al (39:33):
Because of someone's imagination.
Someone's imagination.
Yeah.
Think about this.
Jamie, tomorrow morning whenyou wake up, there's no phones.
Phones haven't been inventedyet.
And it's no air conditioners.
Air conditioning hasn't hasn'tbeen invented yet.
(39:54):
Yeah.
Europe.
A couple of those items.
Can you just imagine?
No ATM, there's no ATMsneither.
So there's none of that around.
There's no refrigeration.
Refrigeration haven't been.
Oh, and lights, there's nolights, you gotta do the candle
thing, right?
But just an example, thoselittle minor things that we
(40:18):
that's part of our everydaylife, it began in the
imagination of somebody,somebody's mind, the
imagination.
You see?
So what and so any situationthat you're involved in, the
first step is to imagine whereis it that you want to be?
Because I tell people whereveryou want to go in life, your
mind gets there before you do.
(40:39):
Correct?
If I was to say to you, James,say to you, Peter, guys, listen,
I got tickets to Hawaii.
I got some guys can't go.
We're gonna be there for twoweeks.
You don't have to pay nothing,all expenses pay, so forth.
Before you get there, you'll bethinking in your mind, oh yeah,
I'm gonna be chilling.
Your mind gets there firstbefore, you know.
(41:02):
So that's the biggest thingthat I've learned.
That's great.
Jamie (41:07):
Um, so what what are some tips that you give to like a
business owner, you know,because like, you know, when
they're starting their business,they're gung ho, and they're
they probably are filled withimagination and their ideas, and
they think everything's gonnago well.
They're launching something,and then you know, they hit a
(41:29):
few hurdles, or you know, evensomething like COVID happens, or
you know, and and now like theythey're feeling downtrodden,
they're they're feeling beatenby you know the world or these
factors that you know theydidn't anticipate.
Right.
So, you know, in addition towhat you're talking about here,
(41:49):
like what what are some tipsthat that you give them uh you
know to help them sort ofrecover that initial enthusiasm
that they once had?
Al (42:00):
Well, I think the first of all, Jamie, they gotta realize
is that um when that's why it'sso important to have mentors.
Because you need to get aroundsomebody that has done what you
want to do.
You need to get around somebodythat's already done what you
want to do because, see, they'vealready been through there.
(42:21):
They they they they can tellyou the ups, the downs, you
know, what to look for, um, whatto do, what not to do.
And one of the things that Iwas told when I got around this
business on today, they said,listen, you gotta also be
willing to fail.
You gotta be willing to fail.
But you can't let it, but youcan't let it scare you.
(42:42):
You gotta use that as amotivating factor.
Okay?
So the first thing that I tellthem, first of all, first of
all, is you gotta write downyour goals.
What is it that you want to do?
Because, for example, it's it'sno use to go and see in a
basketball game, you look aroundand you say, wait a minute,
where's the goals?
There's no goals.
There's gotta be something,there's gotta be something to
(43:05):
shoot for, right?
So you've got to write downthese goals.
You've got to realize thatbefore the victory, there's
always the struggle.
There's always the strugglebefore the victory.
So the business owner, when hegoes in the business, yes,
you're gung-ho, you want to besuccessful, but you gotta
understand you're gonna hitthose pitfalls, you're gonna hit
(43:25):
those mountains, you're gonnahit those low points.
That's what business is.
Just like an investor, aninvestor know, realize, you know
what, you're gonna have goodyears, you're gonna have bad
years.
You're gonna have good days,you're gonna have bad days, but
he's in for the long haul.
He's in for the for the longhaul.
And so the key to that, what Itell Jamie is what they have to
(43:47):
do.
That's why it's so important toconstantly, to constantly be
reading something that'spositive, constantly listening
to something that's positive,constantly being around those
people that that are positive,that that can keep you going,
that can help you and say, well,this is the situation, this is
how you correct that.
But you gotta, but they have toyou have to understand that you
(44:10):
gotta develop mental toughness.
Okay, that's where you gottaunderstand that you gotta
develop mental toughness, andand you have to realize that you
you're gonna have these gooddays, you're gonna have these
bad days, but you keep pushingforward.
The key, Jamie, is you may haveheard this, you have to keep
the end means in mind.
(44:31):
In other words, you'reconstantly focusing on where you
want to go.
You constantly see thatfinished product, you're
constantly going there,regardless of what happened.
That's why, like with a um,like with horses, race horses.
You ever notice how they havethose things on the side?
Yeah.
(44:52):
You know what they're for?
Do you know what they're for?
You you you know what they'refor, Jamie?
Jamie (44:59):
Yeah, so they don't get distracted.
Al (45:01):
Yes, exactly.
So they don't get distracted.
And so what happens, they'rehere.
And that's how that's howindividuals would have have to
be, and business owners have tobe, you have to still be here.
Okay, so and and regardless ofwhat's going on to the left or
the right, you keep it moving.
When the flood comes, you keepit moving, okay?
(45:23):
You just you just gotta keep itand you have to keep it
focused.
And so I tell business ownersthe thing is you have to keep
that goal in mind, you have tokeep the vision in mind.
And the key is you have to beable to get the people that's
around you, the team that'saround you, to capture that
vision that you have as well.
(45:44):
Because see, when you can getwhen you can get a group or team
of individuals all thinking thesame way, I'll give you an
example.
There's a thing called themastermind.
You familiar with that term?
The mastermind.
So this is how it works.
Let's say, for example, you gota business owner and um the
(46:04):
business is not going well ornot where it needs to be.
So the business owner calls ameeting.
So if he's a smart businessowner, the people that are
around him should be a littlebit smarter than he is.
Because if you you want peoplearound you that's smarter than
you.
If you're the smartest guy, youneed a new group.
(46:26):
Okay.
So you got to gather up yourguys around, and then what you
have to do is now you got tocome up.
Let's take this powerful mindthat we have and utilize it.
Let's come up with your ideas,your ideas, your ideas.
Everybody has ideas, but we'reall heading in the same
direction.
There's one goal.
And although you have eight orten different minds, so we
(46:49):
combine everything together.
So now we become what's calledthe the mastermind.
One big mastermind.
And so the key to it, Jamie,and in any anything you're
doing, whether it's sports,whether it's business, but I
tell business owners, the mainthing is the attitude that you
take.
Okay, so what?
(47:09):
The business is not where itneeds to be.
So what do we do to fix it?
How do we have to fix it?
In your mind individually, youhave to say to yourself, it
doesn't matter what happens, I'mgonna make this work.
I'm gonna be successful at it.
I'm gonna do and when you tellyourself that, the mind
eventually says, okay.
(47:30):
But it has to be a constantthing.
It has to be something you gotto constantly bombard yourself
with it every day.
Just the same way we eat everyday, we bathe every day.
So the greatest investment wegot to realize is the investment
that we make in, that we makein ourselves.
You know, we have so many goalsand dreams, but at the end of
(47:51):
the day, we have to askourselves, with everything that
I need to achieve, what did I dotoday to work toward that goal?
Did I do anything today to worktoward that goal?
Or did I just sit and complainabout it again?
Did I do anything to worktoward that goal?
Like I said, there's always thestruggle before the victory.
Peter (48:14):
Al, I've seen you, uh whether it doesn't matter who it
is, listen to someone's entireproblem catalog of why they
can't.
I've seen you do this.
It's amazing.
Like they can't, they can't,and you just seem to listen and
you listen, and then you'llsomehow just switch the switch
(48:37):
goes.
I don't know how you do this.
Well, something like, Well,what do you think you should do
about like or something likewell?
Actually, I probably just needto or I just need to go and do
the thing.
Oh it's a shift you have, and Idon't know whether you've all
(48:59):
you were born with it or you'vealways been this way, or whether
the drill sergeant practice inyour life, you know, of bringing
out greatness in others and youkeep doing it.
I know you're active in yourcommunity and your church and in
our friend group and all thatstuff.
And I know that you want to beor you're a motivational
speaker, and that you want to beable to activate like groups of
(49:23):
people more and stuff.
I I would love to hear moreabout what that looks like for
you.
Like why, why, or what, what'swhat what why why motivational
speaking?
Al (49:36):
Um, I I think because me personally, I've always been the
type of person who I've alwaysliked to see people achieve.
Peter (49:45):
I've always been the type of person that you like to be
able to see ideas becomeconcrete realities.
Al (49:51):
Yeah, you know, and and I've always liked to um you know be
enthusiastic and and and and andto see people achieve their
goals and that's just somethingthat's I guess just that's
always been me.
Just love to see peopleachieve, you know, I said it's
just I guess like I say, whensometime you you've been
(50:14):
teaching your child how to tiethe shoes and they finally get
it, like, you know.
But I just like to see peoplewho, you know, they they they
was in this situation and nowthey're out of that situation.
You know, and just like since Ican just say to myself, you
know what, I'm glad to say thatI I helped that person.
(50:35):
Now I was a part of thatperson's life.
It's a it's it's it's a reallygood feeling.
And I think when you do that,because guy told me, he says,
when you help other people getwhat you want, then then you get
what you want.
You get what you want.
And so motivational speaking isbecause I've I've come to
realize why why certain peopleare where they are in life.
(51:01):
And like I said, it just comesdown to what is it that they're
saying to themselves.
Some people they need someoneto to to to give them that
confidence they need.
They that that that boostsomething, the the that that
spark.
They need to constantly bearound people that are of that
(51:23):
same that same way, that sameattitude, makes a difference.
Um it's just um me personally,it's it's just something that I
always just just loved.
I love being around people, Ilove talking to people, I love
um um, like I said, admiringpeople.
And it's it's just and I guesseverybody has their own love,
(51:46):
you know.
There's the guy with the thethe the love of like I know this
one guy, he's a um he owns arestaurant in in Porchester,
okay?
And not in Port Chester, in umuh New Rochelle.
A restaurant in New Rochelle,right?
So you know it's pretty, prettypricey, you know, so forth.
(52:08):
Like, but but you know what?
But he loves doing charityevents.
It's just just just the love,he just loves doing that, just
just love giving and just lovingon people, love doing stuff
like that.
And that's just the way I am,Peter.
Just because I just I just lovelove on people.
(52:28):
And as I talk to people, as Italk to them and I listen to
them and I listen to them.
Because like early lady says,you know, one half of the world
is waiting for the other half tosay hello.
Because people don't talk toeach people don't talk to each
other no more.
You know, it's even worse now.
You get on train, everybody'slike this.
Everybody's on their phone,everybody's on the on their
(52:50):
phone.
Right on the phone.
Right, but but I know thateverybody, regardless of how
much money you make, regardlessof what position you're in,
everybody has situations thatthey're going through.
Everybody has problems thatthey're going through.
You know, they got financialproblems, marriage problems,
business problems, relationshipproblems, you know?
(53:13):
And I've just been there, onceI talk to people and I listen to
them talk, to listen to themtalk, then eventually I'm gonna
find out what's going on intheir life.
Okay?
And then when I say, well, howwould you handle this situation?
So what that does, Peter, itforces them to think.
(53:33):
It forces them to think now.
Or I said, Listen, if I wasyour best friend and I had that
problem, what would you tell meto do?
You know, because see, likewhen somebody else has a
problem, like Peter, you had aproblem, 1015 guys will call you
up.
Hey Peter, you need to do this.
(53:54):
You need to once.
Yeah.
Peter (53:57):
I remember I was like, yeah, I don't really know what
to do.
And you go, well, if I what ifI was your best friend, what
would you tell me to do?
Best friend had that problem.
What would you tell him?
And I was like, Well, I tellhim, blah, blah, blah.
And I was like, Oh my gosh.
Al (54:13):
Right, yeah, and and we know I said we find like we we
always know what's best forsomebody else.
Well, you should do this, andif you're you're one of your
kids got a problem, you need todo this, you should do this, you
know, you know.
If you got a problem, you go,come at so dad, I've been there,
done that.
But then when it comes to us,sometimes we we we we we find
(54:35):
excuses.
And so my one of my goals andmy dreams is just to help people
to realize that whatever it isin life that you want to
accomplish, you can accomplishit.
But it all begins and it startswith the way you think.
What do you what what are yousaying to yourself?
What do you what what are youspeaking to?
(54:56):
You have to also be aware ofwhat you're surrounded around.
For example, if you watch a lotof TV, it's a lot of negative
all the time, you know.
I know people who listen to youfamiliar with 1010 Wind News?
Yeah.
I know people listen to thatall day long.
(55:18):
All day long.
And then Fox News all day.
I mean, nothing's wrong thatthat's what you want to listen,
you know, but you're constantlybombarding yourself with
negative stuff.
Peter (55:31):
Problems and problems, problems.
Al (55:33):
Negative stuff, you know, and and you know, and then you
figure you you get up in themorning, you turn on the TV,
right away you start listeningto the news, negative, negative.
You ain't got much time.
I gotta hurry up, I gotta rush,and get out there, and you get
in traffic and you're speeding,and you got other drivers, and
they're cutting you off, and andyou're late, and then you run
into oh, there's an accident.
Oh, now I'm really gonna beeven more late.
(55:55):
You know, you know, and andwe're I feel happens to me every
time I drive to one of my gigs.
How do you do it?
You know, and we don't we we donothing.
You got actions of what whatwhat have I really done today to
enhance my life?
What have I done today toimprove myself?
You know, you hear people.
This is the biggest one, Peter.
Peter, you say, uh, I haven'tbeen able to do that.
(56:18):
Oh man, I'm just so busy.
I'm just so busy.
Busy doing what?
Are you busy succeeding or areyou busy failing?
No, you're just busy goingthrough the normal, everyday
stuff that you've been doing forthe last 25, 30 years making
(56:38):
excuses.
Right?
Let me give you an example.
What's the worst day to go tothe gym?
Peter (56:45):
I want to know.
Al (56:46):
The worst day to go to the gym.
Jamie (56:48):
It would be right after everyone makes their New Year's
resolution.
Al (56:51):
January 1st.
The worst day to go to the gym.
It is the biggest joke.
You go in there and it'spacked.
Oh, this is the day.
Oh, I'm gonna do it this time.
Oh boy, I'm going to do, youknow.
You didn't make it in the net.
Monday is packed, the 2nd ofJanuary is packed, the 3rd of
(57:13):
January is packed.
Now you go into the second weekof January, and it's starting
to filter out a little bit, youknow?
Not as many people around,right?
Not as many people around,right?
And then, so what happens isyou hear the message.
Ah, well, you know what?
It's I'll I'll I'll wait tillthe springtime.
You know, I got some job to do.
(57:34):
And then the springtime comesaround, and then there's another
excuse, and then there'sanother excuse, and there's
another excuse, you know?
And so what happens, Peter, iswe spend our time wasting time.
We spend our time wasting time.
For example, if I say to you,if I say, Peter, um, how how
(57:55):
how's your how how are youphysically?
You you you work out prettygood three to five times a week?
Peter (58:00):
Me?
Personally, yeah.
Al (58:04):
Would you would you say you need would you say you need to
improve?
Would you say you need toimprove yourself physically?
You need your your physical.
Jamie (58:12):
Well, he he lugs his equipment around, right?
Peter (58:15):
Yeah, I I I exercise like probably four, three to five
days a week for hours,seriously, playing music and
logging stuff.
Al (58:27):
Okay, okay, so that right.
So, regardless, you do that,right?
You work out you regardless,and there's a focus there.
And because that focus isthere, you continue regardless,
you focus and and and and andyou make that happen.
Okay, and so like I say whenpeople say, I'm so busy, big,
(58:50):
busy doing what?
Are you busy succeeding?
Busy fit, what are you busydoing?
Are you busy working towardachieving your goal?
Whether it's the if if it's thebusiness zone and if things are
not happening, so what are youdoing with your time?
Are you working toward thetime?
Or are you just going home,sitting home and and just
(59:11):
planting it, watching the TV?
Jamie (59:15):
Part of your approach then, and I think we've seen you
know a little bit of a spectrumhere.
This last bit was a little bitmore of the drill sergeant.
Tough love.
But your other approaches wereyou know, a little softer or a
(59:36):
little bit more positive regard,or let's let them talk.
Um Peter pointed out a coupleof things challenging their
point of view, like what wouldyou tell your friend?
So all of a sudden you you'veasked them to rearrange their
mindset.
So you have a few differentapproaches here that I imagine
you use certain ones on certainpeople to bring this out.
(59:58):
So, you know, I I canappreciate all that.
Just m sort of summarizing herebecause I I feel like we've
seen a few differentmotivational approaches from you
that I think could all work inchallenging how one thinks, how
one acts, having them look attheir life in a certain way,
look at what they're trying toachieve in a certain way.
(01:00:20):
So as we look to kind of wrapthings up here, what would be
some you know advice you wouldleave for people as you kind of
now enter this new phase whereyou're this motivational
speaker?
Um what sort of things wouldyou say to people in general
about um also I want to commenton the fact that you've remained
(01:00:45):
so positive in your life,right?
I imagine you've had ups anddowns, right?
You know, and and and you know,I could see how you know
Peter's the same way.
I I I would put myself in thesame category.
So even though we've had upsand downs, we've remained
positive, but you especially areso positive and strong and
(01:01:06):
forceful with that.
So just kind of summarizinghere and then leaving us off
with like some final words fromyou.
What would you say uh advicefor people to keep that
positivity, keep going forward,challenge yourself, go for what
you're you're trying to achieve.
What would be some advice you'dgive people?
Peter (01:01:26):
Well, uh I'm sorry, or would you would you start off
with like 10?
Al (01:01:36):
No, I I I think what I would do is I I think one of the
things sometime is we we don'tappreciate the little things in
life.
You know, we don't we don'tappreciate the little things.
For example, um like in thesummertime, I if it's real warm,
I just go sad and just I justwant to sit in the sun.
(01:01:59):
You know, just this just tofeel the sun, you know.
Or sometime I'll go at three orfour o'clock in the morning,
it's dark and it's just quietand just looking around and just
enjoying nature.
So the first thing I would tellpeople regardless is when you
wake up in the morning, rightthere's a blessing.
You woke up, you know what I'msaying?
(01:02:20):
It could have been your lastday.
You could have looked and said,that woman you've been with for
20, 30 years, could have beenthe last time you've seen her.
So, first of all, if you wakeup, you know, that's that that
in itself is something to behappy about, you know?
And sometimes I wake up and andand and and you know, it's real
(01:02:40):
quiet.
I get up for everybody andlook, and the wife's okay.
And I was Pete, I was sayingthat the wife's okay, and got a
couple of doggies, the doggiesokay.
Look outside, we're still here,you know.
The car, nobody's still thecars, we didn't blow up, you
know.
So just begin your day lookingat the what are the little
things that you can be thankfulfor.
(01:03:02):
You know, the little thoselittle things, you know, to wake
up and um, like for example, wewe have a few doggies, and I
said, Well, you know why theysay dog is a man's best friend?
Do you know why they say that?
Peter (01:03:15):
Why do they say?
Al (01:03:16):
Because the dog's attitude never changes.
He's always happy to see you,always glad to see you.
You wake up, man, the tail iswagging.
The dog's attitude neverchanges.
So the first thing I said waswhen you wake up in the morning,
what is it that you can bethankful for?
Begin your day like that.
What's be thankful for?
And then the second thing yougot to do is like I say, you
(01:03:40):
have to write down your goals.
You have to be able to see whatit is that you want to
accomplish.
Begin your day, be begin yourday reading your goals.
Begin your day by looking atwhat is it that I can be
thankful for?
Okay.
What is it, who do I need toget around?
What do I need to do to besuccessful?
(01:04:01):
And the attitude has to be thatyou're going to be successful.
You're going to make thishappen regardless.
You're going to be, and but theattitude has to be, you have to
understand and tell people, youknow, the only thing you have
you you really have is otherpeople.
Your greatest resources isother people and learning when
(01:04:24):
you help other people and you'reinterested in other people,
like I said, you'll you'llyou'll get the rewards.
It'll come back to you.
But the key that I would say,Jamie, is what people have to
understand, it's all it's allyour attitude.
It's all attitude and realizingthat this brain you have is is
(01:04:46):
remarkable.
It is a remarkable instrument.
You're you're thinking 75 to80,000 thoughts a day.
You have the ability toimagine, you have the ability to
visualize.
So the key that I would tell itall is up here.
You know, Jamie, we can get onthe computer and you can send
(01:05:07):
the message a message around theworld in a billionth of a
second.
But sometimes we're dealingwith people, it takes years to
get through this six inches.
You see what I'm saying?
It takes years to get throughthe six inches, you know?
And so that's the key, Jamie,is for people to realize that
(01:05:28):
they have the power, they havethe ability to take their life
in any direction they want todo.
Understanding, but you gottayou you have the imagination,
you have the vigilation.
If one guy can be successful,you can be successful.
Is this guy with success inthis area?
You can be successful.
He's no different than you.
(01:05:49):
He he wakes up in the morning,you know, and I use one.
This is not the greatest.
I say, well, you know what?
When that guy goes to thebathroom, he has an aroma too.
You might have to cut that oneout the edit with Peter might
take that out of the you mighthave to take that one off.
But that's uh that's that'sthat that's that that's that's
(01:06:12):
what I've learned, Jamie.
And and it is so true.
It is so true.
Let me give you an idea.
I I'll tell you how true it is,just to give you an idea to
show you how it works.
Two things.
One, you ever think about anold friend you haven't seen for
a while?
Say, man, what I wonder whathappened to old Peter Carucci.
(01:06:34):
You ain't seen old Peter in along time, you know.
What happens?
I usually smile.
No, I'm a simple.
When you think of that person,you haven't seen him in a while,
what happens?
That person shows up, or youget a telephone call.
Oh man, I was just thinkingabout you.
Right?
Has that ever happened?
No, man, I'm I was justthinking about you.
(01:06:56):
You know how powerful that is,you know?
Yeah so um the key, um I wassaying, is is realizing that you
can accomplish whatever youwant to accomplish, you know.
You want to be able to say topeople, when people people say
to you, how's it going?
It's going exactly the way Iwant it to go.
(01:07:19):
You know?
How's it going?
Well, under the circumstances,how come you're always under the
circumstances?
You see what I'm saying?
We say things and don't realizehow negative, well, you know,
under the circumstances, why areyou always under the
circumstances?
Well, you know, I'm trying.
Why are you trying?
Just do it.
Don't try.
(01:07:39):
You either do it or you don't.
Don't try.
You see what I'm saying?
Those little things that we sayto ourselves make such a
difference and gotta go back towhat you tell your kids.
And you can do anything youwant if you put your mind to it.
Okay, Dad, well, what happenedto you?
Oh, well, you know, I excuseyou.
So if I had to put it in anutshell, Jamie, that you have
(01:08:01):
to constantly, constantly keepyour mind, you know, focused on
um reading and and and andlistening, you know, to what is
it that you're that that you'refilling yourself with?
Are you spending your time,lifetime just watching TV, being
around negative people?
Jamie (01:08:20):
Yeah.
Al (01:08:20):
So it's sort of like it's sort of like this, Jamie.
Your heart and your you imaginethat as being the ground, being
soil.
And the words you speak,imagine the words you speak as
being seeds that you put intothe soil.
Okay.
The soil, does the soil care?
(01:08:42):
Does the soil care what youplant?
The soil doesn't care, right?
You can plant whatever youplant, it's gonna grow.
Okay, so if you if you'respeaking words of doubt, words
of fear, words of uncertainty,that is what your mind is gonna
continue to do.
If you say, I don't think I cando it, the mind is gonna say,
(01:09:07):
Great, we're not gonna do it.
That's what the because that'sthe mind's job.
You the mind is your servant.
But then you can say, you know,I I listen, I know this is the
way you feel, right, Peter, inthe morning.
You might get up and say, youknow what?
The body might say, Yo, Peter,man, I ain't in for this working
out, so forth.
But then Peter said, I don'tcare.
(01:09:27):
We're going to the gym, pal.
We're going to the gym,regardless of how you feel.
Am I right, Pete?
Yeah.
Yeah.
We're going.
And then once you get there,you've been there about five or
ten minutes.
Peter (01:09:46):
But uh that's forget my five or ten minutes, and I'm I'm
done.
It's great.
That's a really good point.
Uh and um we're just reallygrateful that you're open to
sharing more of yourperspective.
One world.
Al (01:10:01):
One one quick thing that I I know what I forgot to.
I know what I forgot to tellyou.
I know what I forgot to say.
This is so important.
I've always I and I shared thiswith you too, Peter.
See, I I believe that you know,when when there's something you
want to accomplish, thatthere's a there's a force out
there that makes that happen.
Okay.
I've always wanted to be amotivational speaker for a
(01:10:24):
while.
And at one point in time, I'dimagined doing a podcast.
Just imagine doing a podcast.
It was just you know, wow, thatwas a way, you know, what I
know this popular podcast, but Inever thought of reaching out
to find right.
(01:10:44):
So the point I'm trying to makeis Jamie, whatever thoughts you
have, they're like magnets.
And when you send them outthere, it's gonna hook up with
that other thing to bring.
So what happens now?
This guy, Peter, walks into thestore.
I've never met him, you know.
And we talking, talking,talking.
(01:11:06):
Tell me, got to know eachother, got to know each other,
got to know each other.
Come find out.
Lexus, stop.
I love music, he loves music,and we're talking, and then he
talks about would you like totry something on a podcast?
And I thought it was wow.
Wow.
You know, I thought about this,it was just a thought.
(01:11:27):
But that thought went and itcame back.
So that's a seed that Iplanted, you know?
And so here I am.
And so first of all, I want tothank you, Peter, and I want to
thank you, Jamie, for giving methis opportunity because it
could be a start, you know, andand and and and my prayer, I
(01:11:49):
say, you know, well, hopefully,you know, if if it airs, maybe
it'll help somebody, maybe it'llhelp a couple of people.
You you know what I'm saying?
That's that that's what it'sall about.
And so I want you to know,Jamie and Peter, I thank you
guys for giving me thisopportunity.
It's a blessing for me.
You know, it's a blessing forme.
(01:12:09):
And so when we turn, I hopeit's successful.
I hope I can be able to look upone day and say, wow, Jamie,
man, we got like over a millionviewers every now and then.
Because, like I say, I can Ican share, you know, the podcast
with with all the men that Iknow.
So I want you guys to know, Ithank you, you know, for giving
me the opportunity, because youknow, I'm not perfect, I'm not a
(01:12:33):
public-pay speaker.
Um I'm just Al Cook.
I thank you.
I I thank you so much.
I really do thank you guys forgiving me the opportunity.
God bless both of you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Jamie (01:12:48):
You've uh it was a great conversation.
Uh, I feel like we learned alot.
I think the listeners andeveryone out there, I think they
learned a lot.
I think you did help uh people,anyone that that checked this
out.
Um so on that note, I thinkwe'll uh we'll wrap it up.
Um again, thank you, Al.
Thank you.
(01:13:09):
Um, and everybody, thank youfor watching or listening, and
we will see you next time.
Al (01:13:15):
Okay.
Take care.
Welcome to There's a Lesson in Here Somewhere.
Conversations with interestingpeople with fascinating stories
to tell, and from which we candraw important lessons.
Here are your hosts, JamieSereno and Peter Carrucci.
Jamie (00:17):
Hello and welcome to There's a Lesson in Here
Somewhere.
I'm Jamie Sereno.
Peter (00:22):
And I'm Peter Carrucci.
Jamie (00:24):
And we're here today with Al Cook, a former drill
sergeant, business church, andcommunity leader, and
motivational speaker.
Al, welcome.
Thank you, Jamie.
Thank you, Peter.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you.
Yeah, thanks for joining us.
We always have such greatconversations with you, and
we're looking forward to ourdiscussion today.
(00:45):
So I'm going to jump right intothe drill sergeant thing, okay?
I I have to say, I always thinkof full metal jacket.
Right.
And I hear jokes.
I think of stripes, but Ireally think of full metal
jacket.
And I'm really curious if youwant to just tell us a little
bit about what that experiencewas like of being a drill
(01:06):
sergeant.
Al (01:07):
Well, um, first of all, Jamie, uh, Pete, I did I did 10
years overall in the military.
And out of that 10 years, Imust say that the most
challenging part, but the mostrewarding part was when I was a
drill sergeant.
Um, because you it's not likesay you you watched all the
movies for metal jacket andofficer and gentleman, and the
(01:31):
concept that you get is thisdrill sergeant, this tough guy,
you know, that's you know, it'sthe concept that you get.
But you come to learn that it'sit's really not about that at
all, only to a certain level ofrespect.
But what it's really about isabout teaching and training and
molding individuals, and and andand that's where the the the
(01:53):
real the real um beauty of itis.
And to be able to look at ayoung man that's 17, 18, and his
goal is to become a soldier.
And my goal is to make surethat he achieves that.
And it's it's it's just sobeautiful when you teach someone
and and they and they finallyget it.
(02:15):
Because the key that I found,Jamie, was uh being a drill
sergeant, the key is to instillin someone the confidence in
themselves that they canaccomplish whatever they desire.
And uh being in part of themilitary with the some of the
things that you go through, youyou you do develop that
confidence.
You know, for example, when Iwhen I first got there, one of
(02:37):
the things they told me was umthat you have to go into the gas
chamber.
And they told me you have toput this gas mask.
When gas pops, you have to putthis gas mask on in nine
seconds.
I was like, no way, I'm dead.
No way.
You know, I'm visualizing this.
But what happens is when youlearn how to do it, and you say,
(02:58):
Yeah, I really can do that.
So now that individual, youknow, so now he he's he's
confident in you as his drillsergeant now.
And you you have to be able tobring him through the mental
part, the physical part, thingsare different for him.
But the main thing I tell him,I say, Listen, what my whole
desire is that on graduationday, I want to be able to look
(03:21):
into the stands and see yourparents looking at you.
I want to be able to look intothe stands and look at them
personally, they say, Wow,that's my son right there.
He left, he was just an18-year-old brat, but look at
him now, he's a soldier.
And that's the only thing as adrill sign that we look for is
at the end, they came as just atraining, but now they're a
(03:44):
soldier.
And that's the beauty of it.
Peter (03:48):
When when they well, what happens when they first get
there compared to when theyleave?
Al (03:55):
Well, this is what happened when they first get there.
Initially, um, we go to what'scalled the reception station,
and uh, you have several drillsergeants then, you have the
first sergeant there.
And uh we we don't say anythingat all to them.
The first sergeant doeseverything, gets the troops
together and calls out thenames, take roll calling.
(04:17):
We don't say anything, we'rejust there.
And once everything getssituated, then we load them up
and we're going off to theindividual companies, and we put
them on these cars, we callthem cattle cars.
So these cattle cars, they holdabout 40, 50 guys.
And we don't, and we get thereonly on the cattle cars with
them, and and we don't seeanything.
(04:37):
And then we ride off, we rideoff.
And then eventually the cattlecar sort of ventures off, and
then you start going off intothe woods, and that's all you
see is just woods, everythingdisappears.
And then you come to thebarracks.
And once they pull up into thebarracks, all hell breaks loose.
All hell breaks loose at thatpoint.
(05:02):
I mean, we are moving in, we'rehollering, we're screaming,
hurry up, let's go grab yourstuff.
And they call this initial,what it's an initial shock
treatment.
It's not nothing that'sdetrimental or anything like
that.
But basically, what it is isit's we're establishing
ourselves right from thebeginning, establishing them,
getting their mind set in acertain way, getting them ready
(05:27):
to go through what they're aboutto go through for the next 13
weeks.
And so uh when they initiallyget there, things are moving,
there's confusion, they'rescared, they're afraid, you see.
So uh it's it's it's quite anexperience.
It's quite an experience.
But you're always nothing toit's nothing, there's nothing
(05:51):
that that's done detrimental tohurt or anything like that.
Every everything is just uhpreparing them because you're
gonna go into a total phase oflife now, you know.
Jamie (06:03):
And it's unpredictable.
Al (06:04):
Yeah.
Jamie (06:05):
Um, so you're always really good about putting
yourself into other people'sshoes, and you were doing it as
you were talking about um, youknow, the the new recruits,
because you had, of course, gonethrough basic training.
Yes.
So you knew you knew what itfelt like.
And you also knew what it feltlike to achieve it.
Right.
You know, about them seeingtheir parents and stuff.
(06:26):
Um so can you tell us aboutwhen you felt like someone
wasn't quite keeping up or theywere starting to falter or they
weren't believing in themselves,and then what did you do to get
them like back on track?
Al (06:38):
This is uh the this is where the the beauty of it comes in,
uh like I said earlier, uh thekeys to it to instill that that
confidence in them.
And so what happens is is whenyou're when you're a drill
instructor, you learn differentmethods of teaching.
Because you'll get some guys,you'll teach them, and they'll
get it right away.
(06:59):
Some guys you don't, and so youmight have to take them what
you call the step-by-stepmethod.
Okay, there's situations towhere you're gonna have a
certain um certain group of guysthat get it, and you can say,
okay, you guys, you go helpthese guys over here and help
them out.
Yeah, peers, peers working, yousee.
But the main thing is is toyou're always encouraging them
(07:23):
to the point to let them knowyou don't have it now, but
you're gonna get it.
Okay?
You might not have it, but I'mgonna work with you until you
get it.
Okay?
I'm your drill sergeant.
That's my goal, that's my job.
You did not come here to failbecause I let them know failure,
we don't know what that wordmeans.
Failure is not an option, andthat's what you have to instill
(07:43):
in them.
Let them know, you listen,you're gonna make it.
You didn't come here to fail,and I'm gonna make sure that you
do not fail.
And and and and and that's whatlike you're you you're gonna
you're gonna get those, youknow.
You're gonna get those, thosethat are that they're not
confident in themselves.
And so you have to build theirconfidence.
And and and what it comes downto, Jim, it's it's it's a
(08:06):
one-on-one thing sometimes.
You just gotta grab thatrecruit and talk to him and let
them know that, hey, you'regonna make it, gonna be okay.
And then when you can developit to where he looks and he's
got his other guys around him,other friends, and they say, hey
man, you're gonna make it.
We're gonna help you.
It's gonna be that's the keyright there, you know, to be
(08:27):
able to get everyone thinkingthe same thing, to get everyone
thinking teamwork.
When you got this guy there,you help him, help him out.
And that's that's the key.
I'll tell you a situation,gentlemen, I learned when I was
um before I became a drillsergeant.
I was stationed in Germany, andI was a buckser, what do you
call it?
Bucksarge, young buckssergeant, three-striper.
(08:49):
And uh go to my duty station,and um I'm a team leader, and I
got several men up under me.
So I got this one gentlemanhaving a situation with problem
with.
I said, Cook, you know,problem.
I'm gonna go to the platoonsergeant and he'll take care of
this guy.
So I go to the platoon sergeantand say, Well, I'm having this
(09:10):
plumber.
He looked at me and he said,Sergeant Cook, he said,
leadership is an art.
And he walked away.
And he walked away.
I'm going in looking for him,you know, expecting him to help
me out.
Leadership is an art.
And he walked away.
(09:31):
And so I'm like, okay, youknow, so in so many words, he
was saying, you know, I'm notgonna bail you out.
Okay, and so I'm saying, okay,so what I what do I do from
here?
So the definition of militaryleadership, Damian Peter, it
says this specifically.
It says that leadership is theart of influencing men in such a
(09:57):
manner as to obtain theirwillingness and obedientness to
accomplish the mission orwhatever they have to do.
But the key thing what it saysis that it's an art.
Because you you you you have,I'm pretty sure, Jamie and and
Peter, you've seen situationswhere you've got gentlemen there
in leadership positions andthen and you know, CEO company,
they're in leadership positions,but but they but they're not
(10:20):
leaders.
They don't know how to dealwith people.
Everything is a ego, an egothing, right?
So what I did was I startedlooking at other sergeants and
watching how they led theirtroops, what they did to
motivate, what was the key, whatthe key things that they did.
And that was the and and andthat opened up, first of all,
(10:41):
the world to me to understandthat you know, you have, in
order for you to become a goodleader, like I said, you cannot
lead until you've been led.
In order for you to be a goodleader, you have to have been
led by a good leader, you haveto have that mentor.
And so that opened up a wholeworld to me, right there.
First of all, just looking atother leaders and see how they
(11:04):
lead.
What is it that that thatmotivates men?
How do you communicate?
Because you have to communicatedifferently on different
levels.
And I found that being a drillsergeant because you've got one
kid who's from the cornfields ofIowa, and then you got one kid
that's from the Bronx, New York.
Okay, and then you've got thatone kid that's from down yonder,
(11:27):
you see, and then you've gotthe you see something, you've
got all these different, allthese different personalities
mixed in together, right?
You've got guys that they'venever slept with other guys
before, you know.
So it is it is it is definitelyan art.
But once you you you you youmaster it, and and and the key
(11:50):
what it comes down to is justreally understanding people,
understanding people the waythey think, and then knowing
knowing the right buttons topush in certain situations.
Peter (12:11):
And or a World War II movie or a big like war movie
buff, where the guy, you know,does something dumb and
knuckle-headedly, and he runsoff, and then the sergeant runs
in and makes everybody in thewhole thing when they do like a
hundred push and latrine duty,you know.
Al (12:35):
Is that real or what Peter don't tell nobody this now?
I mean, I can handle the truth.
No, no, no, no.
Here again, no, that doeshappen.
And the reason why the reasonwhy it happens is to teach them
teamwork.
Yeah, like to want them to worktogether, teaching them
(12:58):
teamwork.
Do they go after that one guywho did that thing, or do they I
mean, for example, let's say,for example, we call formation,
and everybody comes out theformation, and you got this one
guy or two guys, they're alittle bit late.
Oh, you're late for formation.
All right, so the wholeplatoon, we had to wait for you.
(13:19):
So now everybody, so now guesswhat, guys?
Because these two guys werelate, everybody gotta do 50
push-ups.
That's okay.
So now these other 48 guys,they're mad at these two two
guys.
You gotta get your handstogether here.
But it's um, I I I tell youanother situation when I was uh
(13:40):
a trainee myself, there's athing called uh you do what you
call police call, okay?
And one of the things that themilitary teaches you is they
teach you what's calledattention to detail.
Okay, attention to detail.
I tell you two situations.
Number one, we used to have athing called police call.
Police call is where they lineup all the troops.
(14:01):
This is every day, and you walkacross the entire compound
picking up trash.
Anything, picking up cigarettebus, picking up, you just
cleaning up the place, right?
And they have a thing, if itdoesn't, if it doesn't grow,
pick it up.
Okay.
So one day we didn't do a greatjob of this police call.
(14:22):
So drill starts and say, okay.
Right, huh?
Peter (14:27):
You weren't sorry, you were enlisted.
Al (14:30):
I was a trainee, right?
Peter (14:32):
Yeah.
Al (14:32):
We had to get on the ground.
A little recall.
And every little piece welisten, let me say what that did
was so now when we do policecall, everybody instead of just
(14:53):
lolly gagging a cat, they'relooking.
You see.
Attention to detail, right?
Attention to detail.
I tell you another situation.
Um say, like with the berracks,every day the bergs get
inspected, right?
And they have to be likeperfect.
They get inspected.
(15:14):
So I'll give you an example.
You know the old mops, thosestring mops, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Mop my floor, mop my floor,everything is good, it's
perfect.
They come through and inspect,and this one little string from
the mop is sticking out from theleg of the bed.
No good.
You know, so and and they wouldgo inside and they would
(15:39):
inspect the birds, and you lookin the window, you see
mattresses flying out thewindow, garbage cans flying out
the window.
They would literally mess theplace up.
You have to go back in and doit again and but and and look
for perfection.
Perfection, like I said, withthe bathroom, not clean.
(16:00):
Oh, yes, there's beensituations.
You can't clean it with thisbig brush we gave you.
Try this little brush.
You know, and and and you'rebut like I say, it's a thing to
where it teases you attention toto detail, little small, my
minor stuff.
I had a sergeant one time, heasked me, he said, Sergeant
(16:21):
Cook, he said, let me ask you aquestion.
He said, Um he said, have youever been hit by a train?
I said no.
He said, Okay, you ever beenrun over by like a buffalo or
moose, a big huge animal,anything like that, Sarge and
(16:42):
Cook?
No, he said, Have you ever beenstung by a mosquito?
Yeah, he said, Son, let metaste some it's the little stuff
that'll get you.
You know what I'm saying?
The little thing that and hewas teaching it.
So when so when we do thoselittle things that tends to the
detail.
(17:02):
When I went to um when I wentto airborne school, first of
all, it took me nine years toget enough uh gut to drop out of
a plane.
I'm telling you, I used to lookand say, no way, no way am I
doing that.
But anyway, I finally built upenough courage to go to airborne
school.
(17:22):
And uh when you go to airborneschool, you got captains,
colonels, lieutenants, drillsergeant, every everybody of all
different ranks is there.
But when you go to that school,you are nothing.
You are nothing.
They have a thing called ablack hat, just like they had
you in black hats.
They're the airborneinstructors.
So I popped on in there myfirst day, you know.
(17:46):
I looked at me, Drilson, takethat hat off, yo.
Yeah, and so and they inspectyou every morning, inspect you
every morning, looking you know,looking at your haircut.
So if my mustache, you can'thave no hairs coming over the
(18:06):
top lip in your mustache, it hasto be trimmed.
I have one little hair cameover my lip.
Get in the gig pit, sergeant.
The gig pit, there's a guystanding there on the stand, a
black hat.
You get in the gig pit.
The gig pit is all sand.
You in the gig pit, you get inthe you gotta do a push-up.
(18:29):
Roll left, roll right, get up,get down, roll left.
Here again, teaching a littleattention to detail.
So I said, okay, I'll solvethis, pal.
I cut everything off, man.
I cut all my hair off, I cut mymustache, I just I just became
an alien.
It was bad enough, you know,because I got like this small
(18:52):
peanut head and these big ears,you know.
I tell people, I'm like a crossbetween Mickey Mouse and
Planners, Mr.
Planners, you know.
Jamie (19:03):
So when when you left, um when you left the the armed
forces, then you began to workwith uh like business leaders,
right?
And you were sort of turningthat skill that you have and
like uh let's say bringing upthe best in people, right?
And you're helping peoplelaunch businesses and improve
(19:25):
their businesses and stuff likethat, right?
Could you talk a little bitabout like that phase of your
life?
Al (19:31):
Well, what happened when when when I got out of when I
got out of the military, um allI really knew was was military,
army, you know, because I wentin when I was 17 years old.
I I I I give an example.
I came out and um I tell youhow how far behind I was back
and then coming to New York,because I'm not from New York,
(19:52):
I'm I'm originally fromBaltimore.
My wife is from New York, sothat's how we ended up here, you
know.
She says, uh, because I met herwhen I was a drill sergeant in
Georgia and I was getting readyto get out.
So she says, well, let's moveto New York.
New York?
I never moved there.
What?
And she said, well, don'tworry, we live upstate.
(20:13):
Like upstate.
What the hell's that?
What's upstate?
If you never been to New York,you don't hear upstate.
You hear Bronx, Brooklyn,Manhattan, Queens.
Upstate?
Katona, Yorktown, what's that?
You know, it's like even, Iguess, even um, you live in
Jersey, right, Jamie?
Jamie (20:34):
I do.
Al (20:34):
There's some towns in Jersey.
People never heard, you know,townships, you know, Newark, you
know, you know Paterson, youknow, you don't know the this
township, you know.
Um, and so um that's thatthat's how we end I ended up
here in in New York.
And so I remember my firstthought I was doing
constructions that's a littleconstruction job, just to show
(20:55):
you how out of touch I was.
The guy says to me, he said,we're going to do um, we're
gonna do some excavating.
I said, What's that?
He said, We're gonna do thewhole.
And um, I think my first job Iwas doing some retail.
(21:27):
I said, Oh, five thousandhours, five thousand hours?
Great.
I thought I had no idea.
No, you know what I'm sayingbecause New York was it was just
such a culture shock, you know.
But anyway, I I ended up umgetting to the the retail, the
retail business, and uh being anend up being a retail manager,
(21:51):
and one of my district managersone day he gave me this tape
called um the the plus factor.
It was a motivation.
I'd never heard anything likethat before, you know, and that
and that really um opened up theworld, or opened up a whole new
(22:11):
different world to me.
And plus, I tell you what wassome was was really impactful,
because I I was uh in intoretail management.
So in retail, you're dealingwith people, you're dealing with
customers, okay?
And to to be a post person oranything, you know, you have to
be able, you have to have acertain type of personality, you
(22:33):
have to know how to deal withpeople.
And while I was doing this, umI ran into a gentleman that was,
he was a business, he was abusiness owner.
And he knew other businessowners, very successful business
owners.
And then when I got aroundthese gentlemen, then that
opened up a whole new differentworld to me because uh I started
(22:56):
they started exposing me to tothe reading of books and and
going and listening to other menthat were successful, that were
successful business owners.
And and that's where I learnedhow how to understanding of
people and and helping of peopleand uh closer, um, closer in
(23:17):
all different aspects.
So that's um that that that'sthat's that's where it started
at.
I started out um working in reretail management, and uh I just
happened to make meet thisgentleman, and from there, like
I said, when I started when Ilistened to that first tape, and
then I opened, and then Istarted reading books, different
books.
Um I'm sure uh you remember umDianetics?
unknown (23:42):
L.
Peter (23:42):
Ron Hubbard.
L.
Al (23:43):
Ron Hubbard.
That was like one of the firstbooks that I read, you know.
Um the um L.
Ron Hubbard, Dianetics, thepower of positive thinking, um,
the power of the subconsciousmind.
And so, like I said, beingconnected to this business,
these business leaders, this iswhat they did.
They read positive books, theyread those type positive books
(24:05):
all the time, constantly readingbooks like that, um, learning
about um self-talk,self-affirmations.
When when when you when youwhen you get to understand that
and you can see where you canincorporate that into other
people's lives, I think it's Ithink it's one of the greatest
things that that anyone can do.
(24:27):
I mean, because when you thinkabout it, you know, I I got
something one time he says,what's really the only thing
that you can do with your life?
You got you give it away.
Give away your time, give awayyour love, give away your
experience, give away your youryour help, you know, and you
(24:48):
know, like I said, I I guess youcan see it from uh being a
coach, being a father, being uh,or just being a good friend,
you know, when when when youhelp someone out, you know,
that's just such a feeling thatdoesn't, you know, you're not
looking for money or anything,but just to know, you know what?
Yeah, I I helped this guy out.
(25:09):
And because, and as you gothrough life, and then you know
you know you reach a point whenyou're 50, 60, something years
old, you and and you you youlook back at how many people's
lives are so much better becauseyou lived.
Yeah.
Peter (25:27):
And Al and I talk about this stuff all the time.
We we talk about philosophy andthis and that, and it's crazy
that you your your first part ofyour career is helping build
leadership capacity and like akid who's now comes out as a
soldier, and you're and thenyou're in the business world
learning how to be successfuland motivate uh success through
(25:52):
even accessing personality, andand then you you start reading
all this stuff.
I talk about a book all thetime, which I still haven't
read, but as a man thinketh,simply because we're we're
obsessed, at least I'm obsessedwith what Al and I talk about,
about how when when you have athought that all of a sudden
(26:14):
becomes a concrete reality,whether it's like an architect
drawing a house, the next thingyou know, there's a house.
And Al, I know we we weretalking earlier, maybe we
weren't gonna go here, butplease go here.
Al (26:26):
Yeah, yeah.
Peter (26:27):
A little bit about this kind of thinking.
Al (26:30):
Um well, basically what it comes down to, like I said,
there is a book called As a ManThink Of.
As a Man Think of His Heart, sois he.
And basically what that says isthat everything, everything
starts with your thoughts.
Everything, as soon as you wakeup in the morning, right away
(26:51):
we're thinking.
So so so every everythingstarts with your starts with
your thoughts.
And so what I've learned isthat the thoughts that you have
is gonna determine the emotionsand how you feel.
Those emotions and how youfeel, then that's gonna
determine um the way you talkand the actions that you take.
(27:14):
Those actions you take the wayyou talk, now that's gonna
become your habits.
And those habits are gonnabecome your character, and your
character and that's gonnabecome your destiny, whether
success or failure.
And so what I've learned isthat um whatever you think
about, it it can become reality.
Because if you can see it inyour mind, like I said, if you
(27:38):
can see it in your mind, thenyou can hold it in your hand.
It's just like I said, the thethe the the person, the the
painter.
The guy that's a painter,imagine this for a second, just
to show how powerful it is.
Because the the person that's apainter first he sees the
picture and then he paints thepainting.
But he has the building, hesees that it sees that picture
(28:01):
in his mind.
The guy that's uh the sculptor,even though there's just one
big piece of rock there, but healready sees the finished the
finished sculptor.
The musician, he hears themelody before anybody else
hears, because if you can hearthe melody, you can play it,
(28:21):
right?
And so that's that that'sthat's what really got me
interested, and especially whenI I was I started reading about
the power of the subconsciousmind.
You know, because you have themind and then you have the
subconscious mind, which isreally the really the the the
the uh the power behindthinking, you know, period,
(28:43):
period, when you get even deeperinto it.
And then when you come into um,I don't know if you're familiar
with with quantum physics.
Family with quantum physics,that's uh that's a whole
different thing too, but but umbasically what I've learned is
that the way you think thatgives you the power to determine
(29:08):
what you want to be, what youwant to become.
Because I tell people this,Peter, for example, says, um,
you have imagination and we havethe power to visualize, right,
Jamie?
And think about this you'reborn with that.
We're born with imagination,and as parents, we don't realize
(29:29):
we enhance that imaginationfrom when they're kids.
Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy,right?
Right from the time they'relittle kids, right?
Right away, we're enhancingthat imagination, and we don't
even realize it.
We don't even realize it.
And and this is the the sap forSanta Claus too fair cartoons,
(29:53):
right?
Halloween, you look atHalloween, what do they want to
be?
Batman.
Superman.
They want to be heroes in theirimagination.
They've imagined that.
And that's a it's a beautifulthing.
It's really a beautiful thing.
But what happens now is as theyget older, then we tell them,
(30:14):
yeah, well, you know all thatstuff.
You have bad.
It's really not real.
What do you mean?
Right?
I mean, which is fine.
It is true.
It is true.
But the point I'm trying to getis we're born with that.
We're born with imagination.
That's why to kids, nothing isimpossible.
(30:34):
Hey dad, why we can't, well, wecan't do that.
Why?
Well, well, you see what I'msaying?
So, um, like I Alvin Einsteinsaid, the greatest nation is
imagination.
And it is.
And it starts up here.
Everything that's around you,Jamie, everything that's around
you right now, Peter, began inthe imagination of somebody's
(30:56):
mind.
That's how powerful theimagination is.
And I always tell people, Ithank God for the guy who
thought of pants.
Because it'd be rough in NewYork on the guy who was wearing
them little skirts until hestill, you know.
It's that that that that it'sit's it's just so it is it's
(31:19):
it's just so powerful.
And and and that's the thingthat when you're when you're
speaking to somebody and and andand you want to help help
someone with any problems orchallenges that they have,
whether it's business, whetherit's music or whatever, I mean,
I can talk to a gentleman whocan be a a corporate executive
(31:41):
officer of a company.
And maybe the company, youknow, the the the profits that's
not there and so forth.
And it's kind of sad because Itell people, you know, you can
you can have a master's degreeon top of a master's degree.
You can have more degrees thana thermometer.
Okay.
You go in there and they say,man, we're gonna make you the
(32:02):
corporate executive officer.
Great.
You the man.
Two, three years later, theycall you into the boardroom.
Hey, listen, um, you know, wewe haven't made no profit in the
last three years.
I'm sorry, we're gonna have tolet you go.
But I've got a master's degree.
I'm sorry.
(32:22):
We're gonna have to let you go.
So now the point I'm trying tomake is that using this as an
example, I'm the corporateexecutive officer.
My goal is to make this companyprofitable.
So the most powerful thing thatI have to do that, you know
what is Jamie?
No my P is right here.
See?
(32:42):
What do I need to do to makethis corporate?
What can I imagine?
What do what do we need to do?
We need to hit 8% or 3% or 2%.
So what do we need to do tomake that happen?
So I can visualize that.
I can already, I can imaginethat in my mind.
I can already see the companybeing successful.
(33:03):
I can see what I have to do.
And that's where I think uh uha lot of people don't understand
because the power to do it isright here.
It's just a matter, you guysknow this.
Where there's a will, there's away.
There's a way.
You see, and we teach thesethings to our kids, man, from
(33:23):
one time when they're young.
When there's a will, there's away.
You can do anything you want ifyou put your mind to it.
If you put your mind to it, andthen what happens, you know,
Happy?
We tell our kids this, and thenwhen it comes to us, we gotta
find these excuses as to why,you know, we can't make it
(33:45):
happen.
You know?
So the the the big differencethat I've learned is that it
first of all starts witheverything is up here.
I mean, what else do you have?
What else do you got?
Jamie (33:59):
So So as you're working with you know business owners
and entrepreneurs and stuff, doyou find that you're you're
trying to like reignite theirimagination or trying to harness
that in some way?
Peter (34:13):
In front of us.
It's amazing.
Al (34:14):
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
That's Jamie, Jim, see thefirst thing the first thing that
I try to do with people and uheven with youth, you know, I I I
hear people sometimes, youknow, talk about you.
Today's youth is fine, they'reno different than yesterday's
youth.
But the first thing that I whenwhen I talk to people, the
(34:38):
first thing that I do is I don'ttalk about the negative.
I don't talk about what theycan't do, what they should do.
You gotta let them know whatthey're capable of doing.
Because right away you hearpeople say, I don't know, man.
I don't think I can do it.
Yes, you can do it.
Yes, you can.
But see, what happens is peopleneed someone to ignite them.
(35:02):
So you need you need that butthat one person said to make
that difference, to make thatspark.
And so the the the first thingthat I try to do when I talk to
people, business owners, is Iwant them to see the vision.
And I and I tell them, listen,can you do you have imagination?
This is a stupid question.
(35:23):
Do you have imagination?
Of course I've got imagination.
Do you have the ability tovisualize?
Yeah, of course.
I remember just like it wasyesterday.
They can use it.
So what happens is they do useit, but instead of them
visualizing success, instead ofthem visualizing achievement,
(35:45):
they keep visualizing thedownfall.
They speak the problem insteadof speaking the solution.
Instead of, oh, I don't knowwhat I'm gonna do.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's figure this out.
That's what I tell people rightfrom the beginning.
(36:07):
Okay, listen, this is yourproblem.
This is the situation you have,right?
So let's think of ways that wecan make it better.
What what what's some ideas?
What's some ways that we canmake it better?
And see, and and and people,you gotta get that ignited
because Peter, Jamie, this mindwe have is so powerful.
(36:29):
People have no idea howpowerful this mind is.
Because if you look atindividuals that are successful
and individuals that are notsuccessful, what's the
difference?
The difference is in the waythey think.
It's no difference.
Peter, you and I, Jim, we'rewe're all the same.
(36:50):
There's no difference betweenwhen you us.
We I get up just like you guysget up, you know, problem in
those things.
There's no difference.
The only difference between usthree is the way we think.
That's the only difference, yousee.
And so the the thing that Ihave did when I talk to people
is to let them know that firstof all, that's where it starts
with the way that you think inyour imagination.
(37:12):
For example, um, you know,Jamie, I asked you um if you'd
ever been to Disneyland.
Um, did did you say you havehave you ever been there?
Take taking your kids there?
Jamie (37:23):
So we no, we're we're gonna go to Disney World next
year, but we we went to Parisone time and we took them to
Disneyland in Paris.
So you you probably thought youwere gonna get this quick,
simple answer, and I'm likedressing.
No, I think so with search.
(37:43):
I've been to Disney World whenI was a kid.
I've never been to Disneylandand California, and my kids have
not been to Disney World orDisneyland and California, and
then we all went to Disneylandin Paris.
Okay.
There's no complicated answer.
Right.
Al (37:59):
But the point I want to say, Peter, do you ever take your
kids to Disney World?
Peter (38:04):
Yeah, we have fun.
Florida, whatever you want.
Al (38:06):
You went to Florida?
Let me ask you a question.
Do you remember how much youpaid to get in?
Peter (38:13):
Uh-huh.
Al (38:14):
How much is that?
Ton of money.
That's all.
So think about this for asecond, Peter.
Think about this, Jamie.
You paid a ton of money.
And somebody opened this gateand said, Welcome to Disneyland,
(38:35):
because of someone'simagination.
See, you go and yeah, you youyou look at the look at the
story of Walt Disney, theythought he was cool cool.
It didn't matter.
He had that imagination.
And because it was so strong,it was so powerful, there's
Disney World's Disneyland's allover.
(38:56):
And Paris and Florida, they'reall over.
And think about this, Peter.
When you went to, you you sayum you gotta go to Jersey or
something, or where you going?
Where you say you're travelingto next week?
Peter (39:13):
Me?
Yeah.
Oh, I got uh Jersey,Connecticut.
Al (39:17):
Jersey?
Yeah.
Um, let me ask you a question.
Are you gonna stop by the locallivery stable to get the horse
that you're gonna need?
No, I'm gonna drive.
You're not gonna saddle up, oldginger?
Peter (39:30):
Yeah, I got you.
Yeah.
Al (39:33):
Because of someone's imagination.
Someone's imagination.
Yeah.
Think about this.
Jamie, tomorrow morning whenyou wake up, there's no phones.
Phones haven't been inventedyet.
And it's no air conditioners.
Air conditioning hasn't hasn'tbeen invented yet.
(39:54):
Yeah.
Europe.
A couple of those items.
Can you just imagine?
No ATM, there's no ATMsneither.
So there's none of that around.
There's no refrigeration.
Refrigeration haven't been.
Oh, and lights, there's nolights, you gotta do the candle
thing, right?
But just an example, thoselittle minor things that we
(40:18):
that's part of our everydaylife, it began in the
imagination of somebody,somebody's mind, the
imagination.
You see?
So what and so any situationthat you're involved in, the
first step is to imagine whereis it that you want to be?
Because I tell people whereveryou want to go in life, your
mind gets there before you do.
(40:39):
Correct?
If I was to say to you, James,say to you, Peter, guys, listen,
I got tickets to Hawaii.
I got some guys can't go.
We're gonna be there for twoweeks.
You don't have to pay nothing,all expenses pay, so forth.
Before you get there, you'll bethinking in your mind, oh yeah,
I'm gonna be chilling.
Your mind gets there firstbefore, you know.
(41:02):
So that's the biggest thingthat I've learned.
That's great.
Jamie (41:07):
Um, so what what are some tips that you give to like a
business owner, you know,because like, you know, when
they're starting their business,they're gung ho, and they're
they probably are filled withimagination and their ideas, and
they think everything's gonnago well.
They're launching something,and then you know, they hit a
(41:29):
few hurdles, or you know, evensomething like COVID happens, or
you know, and and now like theythey're feeling downtrodden,
they're they're feeling beatenby you know the world or these
factors that you know theydidn't anticipate.
Right.
So, you know, in addition towhat you're talking about here,
(41:49):
like what what are some tipsthat that you give them uh you
know to help them sort ofrecover that initial enthusiasm
that they once had?
Al (42:00):
Well, I think the first of all, Jamie, they gotta realize
is that um when that's why it'sso important to have mentors.
Because you need to get aroundsomebody that has done what you
want to do.
You need to get around somebodythat's already done what you
want to do because, see, they'vealready been through there.
(42:21):
They they they they can tellyou the ups, the downs, you
know, what to look for, um, whatto do, what not to do.
And one of the things that Iwas told when I got around this
business on today, they said,listen, you gotta also be
willing to fail.
You gotta be willing to fail.
But you can't let it, but youcan't let it scare you.
(42:42):
You gotta use that as amotivating factor.
Okay?
So the first thing that I tellthem, first of all, first of
all, is you gotta write downyour goals.
What is it that you want to do?
Because, for example, it's it'sno use to go and see in a
basketball game, you look aroundand you say, wait a minute,
where's the goals?
There's no goals.
There's gotta be something,there's gotta be something to
(43:05):
shoot for, right?
So you've got to write downthese goals.
You've got to realize thatbefore the victory, there's
always the struggle.
There's always the strugglebefore the victory.
So the business owner, when hegoes in the business, yes,
you're gung-ho, you want to besuccessful, but you gotta
understand you're gonna hitthose pitfalls, you're gonna hit
(43:25):
those mountains, you're gonnahit those low points.
That's what business is.
Just like an investor, aninvestor know, realize, you know
what, you're gonna have goodyears, you're gonna have bad
years.
You're gonna have good days,you're gonna have bad days, but
he's in for the long haul.
He's in for the for the longhaul.
And so the key to that, what Itell Jamie is what they have to
(43:47):
do.
That's why it's so important toconstantly, to constantly be
reading something that'spositive, constantly listening
to something that's positive,constantly being around those
people that that are positive,that that can keep you going,
that can help you and say, well,this is the situation, this is
how you correct that.
But you gotta, but they have toyou have to understand that you
(44:10):
gotta develop mental toughness.
Okay, that's where you gottaunderstand that you gotta
develop mental toughness, andand you have to realize that you
you're gonna have these gooddays, you're gonna have these
bad days, but you keep pushingforward.
The key, Jamie, is you may haveheard this, you have to keep
the end means in mind.
(44:31):
In other words, you'reconstantly focusing on where you
want to go.
You constantly see thatfinished product, you're
constantly going there,regardless of what happened.
That's why, like with a um,like with horses, race horses.
You ever notice how they havethose things on the side?
Yeah.
(44:52):
You know what they're for?
Do you know what they're for?
You you you know what they'refor, Jamie?
Jamie (44:59):
Yeah, so they don't get distracted.
Al (45:01):
Yes, exactly.
So they don't get distracted.
And so what happens, they'rehere.
And that's how that's howindividuals would have have to
be, and business owners have tobe, you have to still be here.
Okay, so and and regardless ofwhat's going on to the left or
the right, you keep it moving.
When the flood comes, you keepit moving, okay?
(45:23):
You just you just gotta keep itand you have to keep it
focused.
And so I tell business ownersthe thing is you have to keep
that goal in mind, you have tokeep the vision in mind.
And the key is you have to beable to get the people that's
around you, the team that'saround you, to capture that
vision that you have as well.
(45:44):
Because see, when you can getwhen you can get a group or team
of individuals all thinking thesame way, I'll give you an
example.
There's a thing called themastermind.
You familiar with that term?
The mastermind.
So this is how it works.
Let's say, for example, you gota business owner and um the
(46:04):
business is not going well ornot where it needs to be.
So the business owner calls ameeting.
So if he's a smart businessowner, the people that are
around him should be a littlebit smarter than he is.
Because if you you want peoplearound you that's smarter than
you.
If you're the smartest guy, youneed a new group.
(46:26):
Okay.
So you got to gather up yourguys around, and then what you
have to do is now you got tocome up.
Let's take this powerful mindthat we have and utilize it.
Let's come up with your ideas,your ideas, your ideas.
Everybody has ideas, but we'reall heading in the same
direction.
There's one goal.
And although you have eight orten different minds, so we
(46:49):
combine everything together.
So now we become what's calledthe the mastermind.
One big mastermind.
And so the key to it, Jamie,and in any anything you're
doing, whether it's sports,whether it's business, but I
tell business owners, the mainthing is the attitude that you
take.
Okay, so what?
(47:09):
The business is not where itneeds to be.
So what do we do to fix it?
How do we have to fix it?
In your mind individually, youhave to say to yourself, it
doesn't matter what happens, I'mgonna make this work.
I'm gonna be successful at it.
I'm gonna do and when you tellyourself that, the mind
eventually says, okay.
(47:30):
But it has to be a constantthing.
It has to be something you gotto constantly bombard yourself
with it every day.
Just the same way we eat everyday, we bathe every day.
So the greatest investment wegot to realize is the investment
that we make in, that we makein ourselves.
You know, we have so many goalsand dreams, but at the end of
(47:51):
the day, we have to askourselves, with everything that
I need to achieve, what did I dotoday to work toward that goal?
Did I do anything today to worktoward that goal?
Or did I just sit and complainabout it again?
Did I do anything to worktoward that goal?
Like I said, there's always thestruggle before the victory.
Peter (48:14):
Al, I've seen you, uh whether it doesn't matter who it
is, listen to someone's entireproblem catalog of why they
can't.
I've seen you do this.
It's amazing.
Like they can't, they can't,and you just seem to listen and
you listen, and then you'llsomehow just switch the switch
(48:37):
goes.
I don't know how you do this.
Well, something like, Well,what do you think you should do
about like or something likewell?
Actually, I probably just needto or I just need to go and do
the thing.
Oh it's a shift you have, and Idon't know whether you've all
(48:59):
you were born with it or you'vealways been this way, or whether
the drill sergeant practice inyour life, you know, of bringing
out greatness in others and youkeep doing it.
I know you're active in yourcommunity and your church and in
our friend group and all thatstuff.
And I know that you want to beor you're a motivational
speaker, and that you want to beable to activate like groups of
(49:23):
people more and stuff.
I I would love to hear moreabout what that looks like for
you.
Like why, why, or what, what'swhat what why why motivational
speaking?
Al (49:36):
Um, I I think because me personally, I've always been the
type of person who I've alwaysliked to see people achieve.
Peter (49:45):
I've always been the type of person that you like to be
able to see ideas becomeconcrete realities.
Al (49:51):
Yeah, you know, and and I've always liked to um you know be
enthusiastic and and and and andto see people achieve their
goals and that's just somethingthat's I guess just that's
always been me.
Just love to see peopleachieve, you know, I said it's
just I guess like I say, whensometime you you've been
(50:14):
teaching your child how to tiethe shoes and they finally get
it, like, you know.
But I just like to see peoplewho, you know, they they they
was in this situation and nowthey're out of that situation.
You know, and just like since Ican just say to myself, you
know what, I'm glad to say thatI I helped that person.
(50:35):
Now I was a part of thatperson's life.
It's a it's it's it's a reallygood feeling.
And I think when you do that,because guy told me, he says,
when you help other people getwhat you want, then then you get
what you want.
You get what you want.
And so motivational speaking isbecause I've I've come to
realize why why certain peopleare where they are in life.
(51:01):
And like I said, it just comesdown to what is it that they're
saying to themselves.
Some people they need someoneto to to to give them that
confidence they need.
They that that that boostsomething, the the that that
spark.
They need to constantly bearound people that are of that
(51:23):
same that same way, that sameattitude, makes a difference.
Um it's just um me personally,it's it's just something that I
always just just loved.
I love being around people, Ilove talking to people, I love
um um, like I said, admiringpeople.
And it's it's just and I guesseverybody has their own love,
(51:46):
you know.
There's the guy with the thethe the love of like I know this
one guy, he's a um he owns arestaurant in in Porchester,
okay?
And not in Port Chester, in umuh New Rochelle.
A restaurant in New Rochelle,right?
So you know it's pretty, prettypricey, you know, so forth.
(52:08):
Like, but but you know what?
But he loves doing charityevents.
It's just just just the love,he just loves doing that, just
just love giving and just lovingon people, love doing stuff
like that.
And that's just the way I am,Peter.
Just because I just I just lovelove on people.
(52:28):
And as I talk to people, as Italk to them and I listen to
them and I listen to them.
Because like early lady says,you know, one half of the world
is waiting for the other half tosay hello.
Because people don't talk toeach people don't talk to each
other no more.
You know, it's even worse now.
You get on train, everybody'slike this.
Everybody's on their phone,everybody's on the on their
(52:50):
phone.
Right on the phone.
Right, but but I know thateverybody, regardless of how
much money you make, regardlessof what position you're in,
everybody has situations thatthey're going through.
Everybody has problems thatthey're going through.
You know, they got financialproblems, marriage problems,
business problems, relationshipproblems, you know?
(53:13):
And I've just been there, onceI talk to people and I listen to
them talk, to listen to themtalk, then eventually I'm gonna
find out what's going on intheir life.
Okay?
And then when I say, well, howwould you handle this situation?
So what that does, Peter, itforces them to think.
(53:33):
It forces them to think now.
Or I said, Listen, if I wasyour best friend and I had that
problem, what would you tell meto do?
You know, because see, likewhen somebody else has a
problem, like Peter, you had aproblem, 1015 guys will call you
up.
Hey Peter, you need to do this.
(53:54):
You need to once.
Yeah.
Peter (53:57):
I remember I was like, yeah, I don't really know what
to do.
And you go, well, if I what ifI was your best friend, what
would you tell me to do?
Best friend had that problem.
What would you tell him?
And I was like, Well, I tellhim, blah, blah, blah.
And I was like, Oh my gosh.
Al (54:13):
Right, yeah, and and we know I said we find like we we
always know what's best forsomebody else.
Well, you should do this, andif you're you're one of your
kids got a problem, you need todo this, you should do this, you
know, you know.
If you got a problem, you go,come at so dad, I've been there,
done that.
But then when it comes to us,sometimes we we we we we find
(54:35):
excuses.
And so my one of my goals andmy dreams is just to help people
to realize that whatever it isin life that you want to
accomplish, you can accomplishit.
But it all begins and it startswith the way you think.
What do you what what are yousaying to yourself?
What do you what what are youspeaking to?
(54:56):
You have to also be aware ofwhat you're surrounded around.
For example, if you watch a lotof TV, it's a lot of negative
all the time, you know.
I know people who listen to youfamiliar with 1010 Wind News?
Yeah.
I know people listen to thatall day long.
(55:18):
All day long.
And then Fox News all day.
I mean, nothing's wrong thatthat's what you want to listen,
you know, but you're constantlybombarding yourself with
negative stuff.
Peter (55:31):
Problems and problems, problems.
Al (55:33):
Negative stuff, you know, and and you know, and then you
figure you you get up in themorning, you turn on the TV,
right away you start listeningto the news, negative, negative.
You ain't got much time.
I gotta hurry up, I gotta rush,and get out there, and you get
in traffic and you're speeding,and you got other drivers, and
they're cutting you off, and andyou're late, and then you run
into oh, there's an accident.
Oh, now I'm really gonna beeven more late.
(55:55):
You know, you know, and andwe're I feel happens to me every
time I drive to one of my gigs.
How do you do it?
You know, and we don't we we donothing.
You got actions of what whatwhat have I really done today to
enhance my life?
What have I done today toimprove myself?
You know, you hear people.
This is the biggest one, Peter.
Peter, you say, uh, I haven'tbeen able to do that.
(56:18):
Oh man, I'm just so busy.
I'm just so busy.
Busy doing what?
Are you busy succeeding or areyou busy failing?
No, you're just busy goingthrough the normal, everyday
stuff that you've been doing forthe last 25, 30 years making
(56:38):
excuses.
Right?
Let me give you an example.
What's the worst day to go tothe gym?
Peter (56:45):
I want to know.
Al (56:46):
The worst day to go to the gym.
Jamie (56:48):
It would be right after everyone makes their New Year's
resolution.
Al (56:51):
January 1st.
The worst day to go to the gym.
It is the biggest joke.
You go in there and it'spacked.
Oh, this is the day.
Oh, I'm gonna do it this time.
Oh boy, I'm going to do, youknow.
You didn't make it in the net.
Monday is packed, the 2nd ofJanuary is packed, the 3rd of
(57:13):
January is packed.
Now you go into the second weekof January, and it's starting
to filter out a little bit, youknow?
Not as many people around,right?
Not as many people around,right?
And then, so what happens isyou hear the message.
Ah, well, you know what?
It's I'll I'll I'll wait tillthe springtime.
You know, I got some job to do.
(57:34):
And then the springtime comesaround, and then there's another
excuse, and then there'sanother excuse, and there's
another excuse, you know?
And so what happens, Peter, iswe spend our time wasting time.
We spend our time wasting time.
For example, if I say to you,if I say, Peter, um, how how
(57:55):
how's your how how are youphysically?
You you you work out prettygood three to five times a week?
Peter (58:00):
Me?
Personally, yeah.
Al (58:04):
Would you would you say you need would you say you need to
improve?
Would you say you need toimprove yourself physically?
You need your your physical.
Jamie (58:12):
Well, he he lugs his equipment around, right?
Peter (58:15):
Yeah, I I I exercise like probably four, three to five
days a week for hours,seriously, playing music and
logging stuff.
Al (58:27):
Okay, okay, so that right.
So, regardless, you do that,right?
You work out you regardless,and there's a focus there.
And because that focus isthere, you continue regardless,
you focus and and and and andyou make that happen.
Okay, and so like I say whenpeople say, I'm so busy, big,
(58:50):
busy doing what?
Are you busy succeeding?
Busy fit, what are you busydoing?
Are you busy working towardachieving your goal?
Whether it's the if if it's thebusiness zone and if things are
not happening, so what are youdoing with your time?
Are you working toward thetime?
Or are you just going home,sitting home and and just
(59:11):
planting it, watching the TV?
Jamie (59:15):
Part of your approach then, and I think we've seen you
know a little bit of a spectrumhere.
This last bit was a little bitmore of the drill sergeant.
Tough love.
But your other approaches wereyou know, a little softer or a
(59:36):
little bit more positive regard,or let's let them talk.
Um Peter pointed out a coupleof things challenging their
point of view, like what wouldyou tell your friend?
So all of a sudden you you'veasked them to rearrange their
mindset.
So you have a few differentapproaches here that I imagine
you use certain ones on certainpeople to bring this out.
(59:58):
So, you know, I I canappreciate all that.
Just m sort of summarizing herebecause I I feel like we've
seen a few differentmotivational approaches from you
that I think could all work inchallenging how one thinks, how
one acts, having them look attheir life in a certain way,
look at what they're trying toachieve in a certain way.
(01:00:20):
So as we look to kind of wrapthings up here, what would be
some you know advice you wouldleave for people as you kind of
now enter this new phase whereyou're this motivational
speaker?
Um what sort of things wouldyou say to people in general
about um also I want to commenton the fact that you've remained
(01:00:45):
so positive in your life,right?
I imagine you've had ups anddowns, right?
You know, and and and you know,I could see how you know
Peter's the same way.
I I I would put myself in thesame category.
So even though we've had upsand downs, we've remained
positive, but you especially areso positive and strong and
(01:01:06):
forceful with that.
So just kind of summarizinghere and then leaving us off
with like some final words fromyou.
What would you say uh advicefor people to keep that
positivity, keep going forward,challenge yourself, go for what
you're you're trying to achieve.
What would be some advice you'dgive people?
Peter (01:01:26):
Well, uh I'm sorry, or would you would you start off
with like 10?
Al (01:01:36):
No, I I I think what I would do is I I think one of the
things sometime is we we don'tappreciate the little things in
life.
You know, we don't we don'tappreciate the little things.
For example, um like in thesummertime, I if it's real warm,
I just go sad and just I justwant to sit in the sun.
(01:01:59):
You know, just this just tofeel the sun, you know.
Or sometime I'll go at three orfour o'clock in the morning,
it's dark and it's just quietand just looking around and just
enjoying nature.
So the first thing I would tellpeople regardless is when you
wake up in the morning, rightthere's a blessing.
You woke up, you know what I'msaying?
(01:02:20):
It could have been your lastday.
You could have looked and said,that woman you've been with for
20, 30 years, could have beenthe last time you've seen her.
So, first of all, if you wakeup, you know, that's that that
in itself is something to behappy about, you know?
And sometimes I wake up and andand and and you know, it's real
(01:02:40):
quiet.
I get up for everybody andlook, and the wife's okay.
And I was Pete, I was sayingthat the wife's okay, and got a
couple of doggies, the doggiesokay.
Look outside, we're still here,you know.
The car, nobody's still thecars, we didn't blow up, you
know.
So just begin your day lookingat the what are the little
things that you can be thankfulfor.
(01:03:02):
You know, the little thoselittle things, you know, to wake
up and um, like for example, wewe have a few doggies, and I
said, Well, you know why theysay dog is a man's best friend?
Do you know why they say that?
Peter (01:03:15):
Why do they say?
Al (01:03:16):
Because the dog's attitude never changes.
He's always happy to see you,always glad to see you.
You wake up, man, the tail iswagging.
The dog's attitude neverchanges.
So the first thing I said waswhen you wake up in the morning,
what is it that you can bethankful for?
Begin your day like that.
What's be thankful for?
And then the second thing yougot to do is like I say, you
(01:03:40):
have to write down your goals.
You have to be able to see whatit is that you want to
accomplish.
Begin your day, be begin yourday reading your goals.
Begin your day by looking atwhat is it that I can be
thankful for?
Okay.
What is it, who do I need toget around?
What do I need to do to besuccessful?
(01:04:01):
And the attitude has to be thatyou're going to be successful.
You're going to make thishappen regardless.
You're going to be, and but theattitude has to be, you have to
understand and tell people, youknow, the only thing you have
you you really have is otherpeople.
Your greatest resources isother people and learning when
(01:04:24):
you help other people and you'reinterested in other people,
like I said, you'll you'llyou'll get the rewards.
It'll come back to you.
But the key that I would say,Jamie, is what people have to
understand, it's all it's allyour attitude.
It's all attitude and realizingthat this brain you have is is
(01:04:46):
remarkable.
It is a remarkable instrument.
You're you're thinking 75 to80,000 thoughts a day.
You have the ability toimagine, you have the ability to
visualize.
So the key that I would tell itall is up here.
You know, Jamie, we can get onthe computer and you can send
(01:05:07):
the message a message around theworld in a billionth of a
second.
But sometimes we're dealingwith people, it takes years to
get through this six inches.
You see what I'm saying?
It takes years to get throughthe six inches, you know?
And so that's the key, Jamie,is for people to realize that
(01:05:28):
they have the power, they havethe ability to take their life
in any direction they want todo.
Understanding, but you gottayou you have the imagination,
you have the vigilation.
If one guy can be successful,you can be successful.
Is this guy with success inthis area?
You can be successful.
He's no different than you.
(01:05:49):
He he wakes up in the morning,you know, and I use one.
This is not the greatest.
I say, well, you know what?
When that guy goes to thebathroom, he has an aroma too.
You might have to cut that oneout the edit with Peter might
take that out of the you mighthave to take that one off.
But that's uh that's that'sthat that's that that's that's
(01:06:12):
what I've learned, Jamie.
And and it is so true.
It is so true.
Let me give you an idea.
I I'll tell you how true it is,just to give you an idea to
show you how it works.
Two things.
One, you ever think about anold friend you haven't seen for
a while?
Say, man, what I wonder whathappened to old Peter Carucci.
(01:06:34):
You ain't seen old Peter in along time, you know.
What happens?
I usually smile.
No, I'm a simple.
When you think of that person,you haven't seen him in a while,
what happens?
That person shows up, or youget a telephone call.
Oh man, I was just thinkingabout you.
Right?
Has that ever happened?
No, man, I'm I was justthinking about you.
(01:06:56):
You know how powerful that is,you know?
Yeah so um the key, um I wassaying, is is realizing that you
can accomplish whatever youwant to accomplish, you know.
You want to be able to say topeople, when people people say
to you, how's it going?
It's going exactly the way Iwant it to go.
(01:07:19):
You know?
How's it going?
Well, under the circumstances,how come you're always under the
circumstances?
You see what I'm saying?
We say things and don't realizehow negative, well, you know,
under the circumstances, why areyou always under the
circumstances?
Well, you know, I'm trying.
Why are you trying?
Just do it.
Don't try.
(01:07:39):
You either do it or you don't.
Don't try.
You see what I'm saying?
Those little things that we sayto ourselves make such a
difference and gotta go back towhat you tell your kids.
And you can do anything youwant if you put your mind to it.
Okay, Dad, well, what happenedto you?
Oh, well, you know, I excuseyou.
So if I had to put it in anutshell, Jamie, that you have
(01:08:01):
to constantly, constantly keepyour mind, you know, focused on
um reading and and and andlistening, you know, to what is
it that you're that that you'refilling yourself with?
Are you spending your time,lifetime just watching TV, being
around negative people?
Jamie (01:08:20):
Yeah.
Al (01:08:20):
So it's sort of like it's sort of like this, Jamie.
Your heart and your you imaginethat as being the ground, being
soil.
And the words you speak,imagine the words you speak as
being seeds that you put intothe soil.
Okay.
The soil, does the soil care?
(01:08:42):
Does the soil care what youplant?
The soil doesn't care, right?
You can plant whatever youplant, it's gonna grow.
Okay, so if you if you'respeaking words of doubt, words
of fear, words of uncertainty,that is what your mind is gonna
continue to do.
If you say, I don't think I cando it, the mind is gonna say,
(01:09:07):
Great, we're not gonna do it.
That's what the because that'sthe mind's job.
You the mind is your servant.
But then you can say, you know,I I listen, I know this is the
way you feel, right, Peter, inthe morning.
You might get up and say, youknow what?
The body might say, Yo, Peter,man, I ain't in for this working
out, so forth.
But then Peter said, I don'tcare.
(01:09:27):
We're going to the gym, pal.
We're going to the gym,regardless of how you feel.
Am I right, Pete?
Yeah.
Yeah.
We're going.
And then once you get there,you've been there about five or
ten minutes.
Peter (01:09:46):
But uh that's forget my five or ten minutes, and I'm I'm
done.
It's great.
That's a really good point.
Uh and um we're just reallygrateful that you're open to
sharing more of yourperspective.
One world.
Al (01:10:01):
One one quick thing that I I know what I forgot to.
I know what I forgot to tellyou.
I know what I forgot to say.
This is so important.
I've always I and I shared thiswith you too, Peter.
See, I I believe that you know,when when there's something you
want to accomplish, thatthere's a there's a force out
there that makes that happen.
Okay.
I've always wanted to be amotivational speaker for a
(01:10:24):
while.
And at one point in time, I'dimagined doing a podcast.
Just imagine doing a podcast.
It was just you know, wow, thatwas a way, you know, what I
know this popular podcast, but Inever thought of reaching out
to find right.
(01:10:44):
So the point I'm trying to makeis Jamie, whatever thoughts you
have, they're like magnets.
And when you send them outthere, it's gonna hook up with
that other thing to bring.
So what happens now?
This guy, Peter, walks into thestore.
I've never met him, you know.
And we talking, talking,talking.
(01:11:06):
Tell me, got to know eachother, got to know each other,
got to know each other.
Come find out.
Lexus, stop.
I love music, he loves music,and we're talking, and then he
talks about would you like totry something on a podcast?
And I thought it was wow.
Wow.
You know, I thought about this,it was just a thought.
(01:11:27):
But that thought went and itcame back.
So that's a seed that Iplanted, you know?
And so here I am.
And so first of all, I want tothank you, Peter, and I want to
thank you, Jamie, for giving methis opportunity because it
could be a start, you know, andand and and and my prayer, I
(01:11:49):
say, you know, well, hopefully,you know, if if it airs, maybe
it'll help somebody, maybe it'llhelp a couple of people.
You you know what I'm saying?
That's that that's what it'sall about.
And so I want you to know,Jamie and Peter, I thank you
guys for giving me thisopportunity.
It's a blessing for me.
You know, it's a blessing forme.
(01:12:09):
And so when we turn, I hopeit's successful.
I hope I can be able to look upone day and say, wow, Jamie,
man, we got like over a millionviewers every now and then.
Because, like I say, I can Ican share, you know, the podcast
with with all the men that Iknow.
So I want you guys to know, Ithank you, you know, for giving
me the opportunity, because youknow, I'm not perfect, I'm not a
(01:12:33):
public-pay speaker.
Um I'm just Al Cook.
I thank you.
I I thank you so much.
I really do thank you guys forgiving me the opportunity.
God bless both of you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Jamie (01:12:48):
You've uh it was a great conversation.
Uh, I feel like we learned alot.
I think the listeners andeveryone out there, I think they
learned a lot.
I think you did help uh people,anyone that that checked this
out.
Um so on that note, I thinkwe'll uh we'll wrap it up.
Um again, thank you, Al.
Thank you.
(01:13:09):
Um, and everybody, thank youfor watching or listening, and
we will see you next time.
Al (01:13:15):
Okay.
Take care.
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