April 30, 2024 • 10 mins
Taking Control of Your Success
In this episode of Winning Without College, Stuart explores the concept of self-reliance and taking actionable steps toward personal and professional success without relying on others or a college degree.
Sharing personal experiences from his career and volunteer work with homeless teenagers, Stuart emphasizes the importance of overcoming complacency, taking initiative, and being responsible for one's own achievements and improvement.
He encourages listeners to make a conscious decision to change their lives, avoid procrastination, and take action toward their goals starting today.
00:00 Welcome to Winning Without College
00:21 The Reality of Self-Reliance and Entrepreneurship
01:20 The Challenge of Success and Complacency
02:14 Empowering Homeless Youth: A Personal Journey
04:30 Taking Action: The Key to Personal Success
05:19 The Importance of Making a Conscious Decision
08:31 The Time is Now: Taking Responsibility for Your Life
10:03 Conclusion: Your Next Chapter Starts Today
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stuart@winningwithoutcollege.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Stuart (00:04):
And welcome to Winning Without College, the podcast that helps
you get ahead in business and inlife, all without a college degree.
My name is Stuart, your host, yourcoach, and fellow college dropout.
In this podcast, I give you actionablesteps you can take right now in your
career to set yourself up for rapid careeradvancement, entrepreneurial success and
achieving an above average lifestyle.
(00:26):
And today, we're going to talk aboutwhy people are going to let you down,
and why you let yourself down too.
Now, get ready.
I have, I've experienced a lot ofthings, okay, as a corporate marketing
executive, as a self employed businessentrepreneur, and this is really where
it becomes the most challenging, becausewhen you are working for yourself, when
(00:48):
you have your own side hustle, when youhave your own business, there's so many
times where I was like, someone needsto do this, someone needs to do that.
Unfortunately, in situations likethat, when you're a solopreneur, or
you're doing a side hustle, or youhave your own job, that someone is you.
Like, you're gonna have to do this.
You're gonna have to say, I want thisbad enough, that I'm gonna get out
(01:09):
there, and I'm gonna do it myself.
Nobody is you.
Can want your business to succeed morethan you your dreams your goal your
success Nobody is gonna walk up and justgive it to you you're gonna need to make
your own success You can't be a victim.
Now, success is tricky subject, andit's even a more challenging goal.
Have you ever, like, woke up andlooked at your life and realized
(01:32):
that you're in the exact samespot today as you were last year?
Maybe it's your birthday and you'rereflecting on your accomplishments
and you're talking about another yeararound the sun, but what does that mean?
Have you actually Achieved more.
Are you in a better positiontoday than you were last year?
There's a thing that sneaks upon all of us and it's a c word
(01:54):
complacency We get complacent.
We get lazy.
We're okay all of a sudden with the statusquo And what's even worse is sometimes
We expect others to help lift us up andget us to where we need to be We expect
others to help us become successful.
But guess what?
They're not going to do it theythey can't get you something
(02:15):
more than what you want yourself.
Let me give you an example.
I was a volunteer for a few yearsfor a non profit organization.
We work with homeless teenagers that weremostly kicked out of their house, or they
left because their home life wasn't good.
Maybe they were beaten by their parents,or they were part of the LGBT community,
and their parents were not okay with that.
So they felt like they, they left.
We work with kids in, uh,Newport Beach in Orange County,
(02:38):
California, up in that area.
And these kids were comingin from all over the country.
So a lot of them had nothing except for ashirt on their back, maybe their backpack.
And they did everything they could toget to Southern California, to get to LA,
to get out to this area where they feltlike they would find some acceptance.
So they hitched trains.
They hitchhiked.
They got buses.
They did whatever they could do to getenough money to get themselves out there.
(03:02):
And so we found thesekids and we took them in.
So a lot of times.
The first thing they need is obviouslythey need a job and they need a place
to stay, but you can't get any of thatwithout a driver's license, ID, social
security card, you know, you needsomething along those lines, but a lot
of these kids, they just ran out ofthe home because they just figured they
were, there was actually one person who Iremember talking to and I asked why they,
(03:24):
why they left house, They said, if I'msleeping under a bridge, yes, there's a
chance I'll get the crap beat out of me.
But if I stay at home, I know forsure I'll get the crap beat out of me.
And stuff like that is justheartbreaking when you hear.
Anyways, they chose to take theirlife in saying, I am better than this.
I am going to make a difference.
I'm going to make a change.
And so they busted out of there togo and find a life on their own.
(03:47):
Now, here's the situationwhen they get to us.
They don't have any I.
D.
They don't have a social security cardand you need that to be able to rent
an apartment to be able to get a job.
You need those kinds of identification.
So what we would do first and foremostis we would work with them to try and
get this, but we can't do it all for thembecause this is their identity, not ours.
So we can help them get the paperwork,we can help them fill it out, we can tell
(04:09):
them where to go, we can give them themoney that they need to be able to go do
it, but it's ultimately up to that kid towant it bad enough to where they will take
a bus, maybe an hour or two, to go to thewhatever center where they, the office
where they need to be able to do it.
That's on them.
We can't, we can't holdtheir hands the entire way.
They're going to have to want itbad enough to do all that work.
(04:30):
We can give the resources, we can givethe information, we can help them do
everything, but we can't do it for them.
And that's exactly whatI'm talking about here.
We have to do things for ourselves.
We have to want it more thananybody else, Nobody's going
to help us get us through it.
Only we are the ones, only you.
Can make your life better.
So here's the thing.
(04:51):
I can record all the podcasts I want.
I can give you all themotivational quotes.
I can give you all the information,the background, everything that you
need to be able to be successful.
But it's what you do and youtake this information and how do
you apply it to your real life?
Are you just going to sit thereand go, yeah, that sounds good.
That sounds good.
Hopefully one day I'll be able to do it.
Or are you going to say, you knowwhat, I'm going to take this seriously.
(05:12):
I'm going to take what Stuart is saying.
I'm going to write this downand I'm going to live it.
He says that we need to take action, andwe need to take life into our own hands.
I'm gonna do that.
How am I gonna start?
Well, let's look at that.
How do you start?
One of them is making thatcommitment to yourself.
Making that promise tosaying, I'm going to do this.
Nobody else is gonna helpme change my life but me.
I'm going to take the bull by the horns,I'm gonna take life by the you know what,
(05:36):
and I'm gonna make it my I don't know.
All of a sudden I don't know whyall of a sudden the podcast started
getting into all these things, butreally, that's what it's about.
It's about getting out there andsaying, I want this, not for them,
not for my family, I want this for me.
I'm doing this for myself becauseI know that I am a lot more than
(05:58):
what I have received so far.
Just like these kids I knowI want this for the kids.
I know that they need this.
I know that they're not going toaccomplish anything unless they have
the basics, unless they have thefundamentals, but unless they want it for
themselves, there's not much I can do.
I'm just going to be sitting herespinning my wheels and they're going
to be off doing the partying thing.
So why am I helping them whenthey're not even helping each other?
(06:21):
So here's the thing.
If they're not ready, then why am I goingto waste my time, my energy, with somebody
who's not going to appreciate the work?
So, I would do what I could do, andthen, if they weren't ready, if they
weren't willing to do their part,Then I wasn't able to help them.
I'd rather spend my time where I know I'mmaking those positive career advancements.
I'm making a differencein somebody else's life.
So I want to ask you, whatare you doing right now that's
(06:44):
making a difference in your life?
Or are people just trying to helpyou and you're just going like, nah,
I don't want to, I don't want to,or even worse Someday I'll do that.
Someday I'll, yeah, everybody'ssaying someday I'll make that happen.
Someday I'll get that to do.
That, that, that doesn't work at all.
Like, that's not, that's not goingto help you get to your goals.
We all want to besuccessful in our careers.
(07:05):
And we all want that fancy car andthat big house and nice clothes.
But unless we put the work in that'snecessary, just wishing won't make it so.
And hoping won't make it.
So this is the real world andsometimes we need to step up and
recognize that nobody's gonna help us.
So we have to help ourselves.
We have to have the determinationthat self discipline and that
(07:27):
work ethic ourselves to getout there and get things done.
Not for others.
But for ourselves, and mostimportantly, we have to stop
kicking the can down the road.
And what does that look like?
Have you ever heard these thoughtswhere you go, Oh, I'll get to my resume
next month, I'm too busy right now,or I'll research that side hustle when
I have more time, or the next timeI talk to my friend or my neighbor
(07:49):
about that thing, I'll bring it up.
You know, those are all passiveactions where you're just
kicking the can down the road.
But ultimately, you never do.
A day goes by, a month, a yeargoes by and you just go, Oh, I
never got back to that thing.
I never got a chance to askthem about that side hustle.
I never got a chance toask him about that job.
I never got back to updating my resume.
(08:10):
No wonder I'm stuck in the same jobin the same job in the same job.
I keep kicking my life down the road andnothing's going to change because of that.
So to win today, it's your goals.
It's your vision.
It's your success.
You have to stop relying on everybody elseor anybody else to provide it for you.
What are you going to do today andtomorrow to say, I am going to do this?
(08:33):
Well, first you have to makethat conscious decision.
Now is the time.
Now is the time that we'regoing to make this work.
Now is the time that we're goingto bring all this together, and
I'm going to change my life.
Now is the time that I refuse tolet another year go by without
making a change for the better.
Now is the time to say not anotheryear is going to go by while
(08:53):
I stay in this dead end job.
Not another year is going to go bywhen I don't take on that side hustle.
Not another year is going to go bywhere I don't make my life better.
You have to make that consciouschoice then and only then are you
going to be able to start buildingup that momentum to get forward.
You have to take your life,your responsibility seriously.
(09:14):
And I know it's hard to do because weall think sometimes, Oh, I, I'm fine.
Everything's okay.
Nothing is broken.
You know, we, as people, a lotof times are reactive and we
think about, Oh, I'll do it when.
When my back goes up againstthe wall, then I'll react.
People convince themselves thatthey work better under pressure
or they work better under stress.
(09:34):
But when you're under pressureor when you're under stress, it's
because you have lack of options.
You have no time left.
When you go, oh, I have to paymy rent, and I don't have a
job and I only have three days.
Yeah, your back is up against the wall andyou're, you're acting because you have to.
But, but your quality of youroutput is not going to be good.
You're acting for survival.
(09:55):
You don't want to be acting justbecause you have no other options.
So now is the time that you need to startdoing this when you do have options.
When you have a lot of options you canbe a lot pickier and you won't have that
stress hanging over your life either.
So I encourage you to start today.
Just, just make that decision to say, YesYes, I am marking today as my first day
(10:15):
of the next chapter of my life........
thanks for listening to thisepisode of Winning Without College.
If you like what you hear, pleaserate us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
It really helps get the show out tomore people, and it's a big blessing
to me and the team that works on thisshow, winning without college, how
to get ahead in business and in life.
My name is Stuart.
Thanks for listening.
And we will see you in the next episode
And welcome to Winning Without College, the podcast that helps
you get ahead in business and inlife, all without a college degree.
My name is Stuart, your host, yourcoach, and fellow college dropout.
In this podcast, I give you actionablesteps you can take right now in your
career to set yourself up for rapid careeradvancement, entrepreneurial success and
achieving an above average lifestyle.
(00:26):
And today, we're going to talk aboutwhy people are going to let you down,
and why you let yourself down too.
Now, get ready.
I have, I've experienced a lot ofthings, okay, as a corporate marketing
executive, as a self employed businessentrepreneur, and this is really where
it becomes the most challenging, becausewhen you are working for yourself, when
(00:48):
you have your own side hustle, when youhave your own business, there's so many
times where I was like, someone needsto do this, someone needs to do that.
Unfortunately, in situations likethat, when you're a solopreneur, or
you're doing a side hustle, or youhave your own job, that someone is you.
Like, you're gonna have to do this.
You're gonna have to say, I want thisbad enough, that I'm gonna get out
(01:09):
there, and I'm gonna do it myself.
Nobody is you.
Can want your business to succeed morethan you your dreams your goal your
success Nobody is gonna walk up and justgive it to you you're gonna need to make
your own success You can't be a victim.
Now, success is tricky subject, andit's even a more challenging goal.
Have you ever, like, woke up andlooked at your life and realized
(01:32):
that you're in the exact samespot today as you were last year?
Maybe it's your birthday and you'rereflecting on your accomplishments
and you're talking about another yeararound the sun, but what does that mean?
Have you actually Achieved more.
Are you in a better positiontoday than you were last year?
There's a thing that sneaks upon all of us and it's a c word
(01:54):
complacency We get complacent.
We get lazy.
We're okay all of a sudden with the statusquo And what's even worse is sometimes
We expect others to help lift us up andget us to where we need to be We expect
others to help us become successful.
But guess what?
They're not going to do it theythey can't get you something
(02:15):
more than what you want yourself.
Let me give you an example.
I was a volunteer for a few yearsfor a non profit organization.
We work with homeless teenagers that weremostly kicked out of their house, or they
left because their home life wasn't good.
Maybe they were beaten by their parents,or they were part of the LGBT community,
and their parents were not okay with that.
So they felt like they, they left.
We work with kids in, uh,Newport Beach in Orange County,
(02:38):
California, up in that area.
And these kids were comingin from all over the country.
So a lot of them had nothing except for ashirt on their back, maybe their backpack.
And they did everything they could toget to Southern California, to get to LA,
to get out to this area where they feltlike they would find some acceptance.
So they hitched trains.
They hitchhiked.
They got buses.
They did whatever they could do to getenough money to get themselves out there.
(03:02):
And so we found thesekids and we took them in.
So a lot of times.
The first thing they need is obviouslythey need a job and they need a place
to stay, but you can't get any of thatwithout a driver's license, ID, social
security card, you know, you needsomething along those lines, but a lot
of these kids, they just ran out ofthe home because they just figured they
were, there was actually one person who Iremember talking to and I asked why they,
(03:24):
why they left house, They said, if I'msleeping under a bridge, yes, there's a
chance I'll get the crap beat out of me.
But if I stay at home, I know forsure I'll get the crap beat out of me.
And stuff like that is justheartbreaking when you hear.
Anyways, they chose to take theirlife in saying, I am better than this.
I am going to make a difference.
I'm going to make a change.
And so they busted out of there togo and find a life on their own.
(03:47):
Now, here's the situationwhen they get to us.
They don't have any I.
D.
They don't have a social security cardand you need that to be able to rent
an apartment to be able to get a job.
You need those kinds of identification.
So what we would do first and foremostis we would work with them to try and
get this, but we can't do it all for thembecause this is their identity, not ours.
So we can help them get the paperwork,we can help them fill it out, we can tell
(04:09):
them where to go, we can give them themoney that they need to be able to go do
it, but it's ultimately up to that kid towant it bad enough to where they will take
a bus, maybe an hour or two, to go to thewhatever center where they, the office
where they need to be able to do it.
That's on them.
We can't, we can't holdtheir hands the entire way.
They're going to have to want itbad enough to do all that work.
(04:30):
We can give the resources, we can givethe information, we can help them do
everything, but we can't do it for them.
And that's exactly whatI'm talking about here.
We have to do things for ourselves.
We have to want it more thananybody else, Nobody's going
to help us get us through it.
Only we are the ones, only you.
Can make your life better.
So here's the thing.
(04:51):
I can record all the podcasts I want.
I can give you all themotivational quotes.
I can give you all the information,the background, everything that you
need to be able to be successful.
But it's what you do and youtake this information and how do
you apply it to your real life?
Are you just going to sit thereand go, yeah, that sounds good.
That sounds good.
Hopefully one day I'll be able to do it.
Or are you going to say, you knowwhat, I'm going to take this seriously.
(05:12):
I'm going to take what Stuart is saying.
I'm going to write this downand I'm going to live it.
He says that we need to take action, andwe need to take life into our own hands.
I'm gonna do that.
How am I gonna start?
Well, let's look at that.
How do you start?
One of them is making thatcommitment to yourself.
Making that promise tosaying, I'm going to do this.
Nobody else is gonna helpme change my life but me.
I'm going to take the bull by the horns,I'm gonna take life by the you know what,
(05:36):
and I'm gonna make it my I don't know.
All of a sudden I don't know whyall of a sudden the podcast started
getting into all these things, butreally, that's what it's about.
It's about getting out there andsaying, I want this, not for them,
not for my family, I want this for me.
I'm doing this for myself becauseI know that I am a lot more than
(05:58):
what I have received so far.
Just like these kids I knowI want this for the kids.
I know that they need this.
I know that they're not going toaccomplish anything unless they have
the basics, unless they have thefundamentals, but unless they want it for
themselves, there's not much I can do.
I'm just going to be sitting herespinning my wheels and they're going
to be off doing the partying thing.
So why am I helping them whenthey're not even helping each other?
(06:21):
So here's the thing.
If they're not ready, then why am I goingto waste my time, my energy, with somebody
who's not going to appreciate the work?
So, I would do what I could do, andthen, if they weren't ready, if they
weren't willing to do their part,Then I wasn't able to help them.
I'd rather spend my time where I know I'mmaking those positive career advancements.
I'm making a differencein somebody else's life.
So I want to ask you, whatare you doing right now that's
(06:44):
making a difference in your life?
Or are people just trying to helpyou and you're just going like, nah,
I don't want to, I don't want to,or even worse Someday I'll do that.
Someday I'll, yeah, everybody'ssaying someday I'll make that happen.
Someday I'll get that to do.
That, that, that doesn't work at all.
Like, that's not, that's not goingto help you get to your goals.
We all want to besuccessful in our careers.
(07:05):
And we all want that fancy car andthat big house and nice clothes.
But unless we put the work in that'snecessary, just wishing won't make it so.
And hoping won't make it.
So this is the real world andsometimes we need to step up and
recognize that nobody's gonna help us.
So we have to help ourselves.
We have to have the determinationthat self discipline and that
(07:27):
work ethic ourselves to getout there and get things done.
Not for others.
But for ourselves, and mostimportantly, we have to stop
kicking the can down the road.
And what does that look like?
Have you ever heard these thoughtswhere you go, Oh, I'll get to my resume
next month, I'm too busy right now,or I'll research that side hustle when
I have more time, or the next timeI talk to my friend or my neighbor
(07:49):
about that thing, I'll bring it up.
You know, those are all passiveactions where you're just
kicking the can down the road.
But ultimately, you never do.
A day goes by, a month, a yeargoes by and you just go, Oh, I
never got back to that thing.
I never got a chance to askthem about that side hustle.
I never got a chance toask him about that job.
I never got back to updating my resume.
(08:10):
No wonder I'm stuck in the same jobin the same job in the same job.
I keep kicking my life down the road andnothing's going to change because of that.
So to win today, it's your goals.
It's your vision.
It's your success.
You have to stop relying on everybody elseor anybody else to provide it for you.
What are you going to do today andtomorrow to say, I am going to do this?
(08:33):
Well, first you have to makethat conscious decision.
Now is the time.
Now is the time that we'regoing to make this work.
Now is the time that we're goingto bring all this together, and
I'm going to change my life.
Now is the time that I refuse tolet another year go by without
making a change for the better.
Now is the time to say not anotheryear is going to go by while
(08:53):
I stay in this dead end job.
Not another year is going to go bywhen I don't take on that side hustle.
Not another year is going to go bywhere I don't make my life better.
You have to make that consciouschoice then and only then are you
going to be able to start buildingup that momentum to get forward.
You have to take your life,your responsibility seriously.
(09:14):
And I know it's hard to do because weall think sometimes, Oh, I, I'm fine.
Everything's okay.
Nothing is broken.
You know, we, as people, a lotof times are reactive and we
think about, Oh, I'll do it when.
When my back goes up againstthe wall, then I'll react.
People convince themselves thatthey work better under pressure
or they work better under stress.
(09:34):
But when you're under pressureor when you're under stress, it's
because you have lack of options.
You have no time left.
When you go, oh, I have to paymy rent, and I don't have a
job and I only have three days.
Yeah, your back is up against the wall andyou're, you're acting because you have to.
But, but your quality of youroutput is not going to be good.
You're acting for survival.
(09:55):
You don't want to be acting justbecause you have no other options.
So now is the time that you need to startdoing this when you do have options.
When you have a lot of options you canbe a lot pickier and you won't have that
stress hanging over your life either.
So I encourage you to start today.
Just, just make that decision to say, YesYes, I am marking today as my first day
(10:15):
of the next chapter of my life........
thanks for listening to thisepisode of Winning Without College.
If you like what you hear, pleaserate us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
It really helps get the show out tomore people, and it's a big blessing
to me and the team that works on thisshow, winning without college, how
to get ahead in business and in life.
My name is Stuart.
Thanks for listening.
And we will see you in the next episode
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