#8 Incredible Stories and Reality Checks That We All Need

hey guys this is Greg Denning and you are in the school of awesome sauce where I share with you Amazing Stories and strategies to help you live an extraordinary

[Music]

life hey guys Greg Denning here thanks for joining me for another episode got some awesome stories to share tonight and some powerful life lessons it's interesting right now right now in life like we're going after we have some massive goals um and I I'll repeat this I'll teach this often we we live by dumb goals right and we we know we've all heard the acronym smart goals that are specific measurable attainable relevant and time bound and those are important right but I think those ones that's that's like the planning phase for me like you got to smart smart goals in order to hit your dumb goals and I came up with this years ago because I felt like all these small goals they don't have the fire they don't have the power to drive people to light you up right to cause the transformation you got to have some serious power in order to get transformation and a lot of smart goals don't have it so I came up with an acronym several years ago for dumb and it's they're demanding they're unrealistic they're meaningful and they're bold um and that's that's that's what what I love to live for we have a bunch of big dumb goals right now but it is frustrating and I I rarely get frustrated I rarely get irritated I'm I'm optimistic happy guys I I like to just roll with it like you know Life's too short to be grumpy so I like to be happy but today I'm feeling frustrated we have seven kids guys that's a lot and you know I want to be healthy and fit I want to get a keep get earning a great education I want to have a wonderful and extraordinary relationship with my wife which I do I want to have a great relationship with each of my kids that's seven that's a lot and I want to have an impact and keep building my businesses and you know be connected in the community there's there's so many things I want to do and I feel frustrated because I don't want to neglect any of those important things right and and but then then progress is so slow sometimes and and in my mind I'm like man I know I can knock that out I could just go after it and get it done and deliver the goods but then I'd have to neglect other important things and so I often feel stuck there right and today I was feeling that frustration like oh man I could I could just really go for it if if if what if what I don't know I I don't know what if is I've thought about this all the time I still do and I just refuse to neglect those important things I know a lot of guys a lot of a lot of people will neglect their health to build up their business or they'll neglect their children or their marriage or their spirituality or their education or something and I understand there's times and Seasons right sometimes you you got to turn it on and and neglect a little bit some of those other things so you can really deliver the goods but man you guys I don't want to do that I want to maintain the things that really matter most and live according to my priorities because that's what I teach and that's what I live and that's what brings happiness and balance and so I realize sometimes I'm frustrated because it's slow growth I'm not getting near the gains and the speed that I could because I'm balancing all these really good things and to me that's how I'm going to roll that's how I'm going to that's how I'm going to live my life man if I don't if I don't end up doing extraordinary things in business well actually I'm going to anyways it's just going to take longer so if I don't get there as fast as I want because I'm taking care of my marriage and my children and my health and my education so be it so be it my friends but today you know I'm feeling frustration thinking ah if I could just go faster and I love how life does this to me it gives you a reality check and so I run to the store I was looking for something I couldn't find it I'm looking around for someone to help me can't find anyone to help and so finally I go and I I see this gentleman and I walk over and I ask him and man nicest guy super sharp uh extremely helpful and as he was leading me over to the place I noticed he uh had a severe limp and and some handicaps and it just it just hit me just a reality check I'll bet this good that good man about my same age good good man I can just tell just genuinely helpful guy and I'll bet you I in fact I guarantee you he's often felt very frustrated and very trapped because of his physical handicaps and I'm sure sure he's wanted to do things that he has not been able to do because he was born um with some some disabilities and in fact that's one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen is when people who have some disabilities turn those into huge abilities right and they Inspire us all by These reality well just they give me a reality check to me they Inspire us all by their determination and what they do go out and accomplish inpire of the obstacles but it was just man I just met that good man and thought okay I bet you he's felt frustrated a long time too and I can I can I can be settled I can settle my heart and mind here in my frustrations and have a bit of a reality check so I want I want to share another story actually if you'll let me like I love this one so there I was we were actually living in Morocco at the time uh we went down there and we spent three months living in Marakesh and just loved every bit of it such an Inc incredible culture and Country and and the the religion it you know all Islamic and hearing the call to prayer five times a day and and being deeply immersed when we lived right there in the old town right in there with the people felt like I stepped in into another world in the old world and it was it was incredible we loved it there but as soon as we landed on the ground we we go looking for a martial arts gym we love to get in the gyms work out and find martial arts and classes and things so we found this we found this awesome gym they were teaching Taekwondo um but it was more like MMA stuff and personal defense as well and it was Monday Wednesday Friday from 800 pm to 10 p.m. right and most of the guys in the class it was a packed class every night they working all day long and the only break they had they came in after a long hard work day to come in there and the total cost for the class for two hours each session was you know in the the conversion was only $1 us so I got two hours of intense hardcore really high quality training for for one Buck it was amazing and so but it was Hardcore like it was def we we first went my kids were like uh I'm not doing that and this guy big old guy just screaming and yelling and Arabic and you know like who this is intense like none of the boundaries that we have uh in the western world right just like they they throw down and so we got into it my kids got into it we loved it we made massive massive progress we we really improved a ton because it was so intense and six hours a week I we went after it was so fun but anyways one of the times we were out sparring uh and and the instructor loved to pick on me and and go after me and he and I were wrestling one time and and he threw in this uh this just came around my throat and and hit really really hard um right in in my throat and man it hurt so bad and I was like that okay that was he went a little too far on that one um anyways a lot of pain and then next day I really couldn't talk and then you know like day after that voice is gone like Gonzo Gonzo I cannot speak and you guys like I I like I I learn a living teaching and speaking and mentoring and coaching nothing gone I can't even make a sound and I'm like okay maybe it's just you know a reaction here and like we'll I'll I'll get this back it's coming back no big deal we'll get this back a week passes I cannot speak like I'm like sign language and Charades with my kids and my wife no speaking no work right and I'm like man I better go see a doctor and so um and you guys I'm feeling kind of frustrated right another another example here where I'm feeling kind of frustrated and and almost on the edge of throwing this pity party like this stinks I literally cannot make a sound with my throat and my voice I my voice is gone and feeling kind of frustrated I can't communicate with kids can't communicate with my wife can't do any video recording or any other recordings at all any audio recording I can't do anything right and again another reality check I love when this happens and so my wife and I go out into mesh I'm G catch a cab we're GNA go out and do go get some groceries for the kids or something so I jump in the cab and he we kind of my wife tells him where we want to go and we go down to the store we get out to get out down there and I turn to him they speak Arabic there and then French is their second language and I knew a few French words and so I just try as hard as I could to say Sak like how much does it cost right and and it was so hard like just I was trying so hard to get that out and it was just so quiet and like he couldn't understand he's like what and and I was like I was trying so hard to say it and he was trying to communicate back with me and making no sound either I'm like what's going on and then he pulls down his collar and he pushes on this metal plate that got over his throat and he pushes on the plate and then he's able to speak with a raspy voice like this and he he was able to tell me how much I owed and boom right this huge reality check it's one of those like Divine coincidences right I was like that that that was so random that that I I have it injured throat I'm kind of feeling frustrated about it and we go out and just happen to get r random taxi passing by in a busy City and this guy has lifelong Voice issues and the only way he can make sound is by he wears this little metal plate necklace and pushing it against his throat he can then make some sounds and there it was again serious reality check like okay man I can't I I really can't be frustrated I need to switch my mindset to gratitude and you know realize how grateful I am and that mine's just temporary and his is is permanent and man another reminder guys another reminder to keep perspective we need to become experts masters of perspective because if we can maintain a proper perspective we can keep the right mindset and attitude and we can get through just about anything in fact I'll be a little stronger than that we can get through everything if we can maintain perspective man that's what it's all about right and that's what you I told you that in earlier podcast that's what really made the biggest difference in my life was when I was out on my own on the streets in the hardest times I was reading books like Man's Search for meaning and the hiding place right where I was just getting these serious reality checks about these people suffering in concentration camps and we watched with my family I'm getting ready to lead a World War II Expedition so I lead I trips for Youth and for families and so we're taking 20 people over on a World War II Expedition we're going to hit five countries you know start in Berlin hit the memorials there and and go into Poland and kco and and aitz and birkenau and then through Slovakia and Austria you know hit Vienna and salsburg and then the newstein castle and up into Prague in the the Czech Republic or czechia and then back up to Dresden and awesome right just I lead that trip and it's just life-changing serious reality checks perspectives right hearing this the inspiring stories of survivors and people endured so well and the heroic things that that people did and and some of the terrible things that that Humanity has done and that that is just always a game changer there with that perspective I'll share some more stories here in some coming episodes about that trip and and on that trip I'll even share some some stories and some some experiences we have there that just change the way you see the world and see life and like somebody one time said a mind once expanded can never return to its former Dimensions sometimes you have these reality checks and you can't go back it changes the way you see things from there on out and and we need to have those things and and that was a reminder for me today and reminded me that story in Morocco and ultimately on that story I got to tell you what happened it was kind of crazy so I ended up finding a doctor and I go in there and he speaks a little bit of broken English and I'm like look man I'm trying to communicate with him like I I can't speak and he's like oh I think I think you know you might damaged your throat I need to send a camera down in your throat to look and I'm like okay you know it might be a little uncomfortable he's going to shove a tube down there look at the camera or something and he's like no no we have to go through your nose and I was like oh man come on not through my nose so and I have a really small nasal cavity because my brother punched me when we were little kids he broke my nose so my nasal cavities are really small and or passages are and so this guy takes his camera like lubricates a little bit and jams it in there it's just so tight so painful my eyes are watering my nose is watering and he's I'm sitting there in at on the African Contin in maresh like in the old city like leaning back on this chair while this dude's just jamming this camera down my nose and oh man it was excruciating and gets it all the way down there and then he hits your gagger reflex he's shoving it down my throat and I'm just like sitting on this chair in Africa like what is happening oh man it was crazy and he gets it all down the way and then it gets down he's like oh you know it's fine it's just a little inflammation down there so everything's good the inflammation will go down a couple days and you'll be good back to normal oh man it was another wild Denning experience like classic denting right there but you guys just just want to share a couple of stories actually I've got hundreds more and I'll keep sharing them as we go along here my whole so there I was series of just experiences around the world where we have been in some of the wealthiest areas on Earth and some of the poorest and how we have learned beautiful life lessons we have been taught and given perspectives in miracul ways and incredible ways surprising ways you never thought of so man look forward to those incoming incoming podcast episodes sharing those stories and and this is what I love to do you guys this why when I do the coaching like we we have our monthly coaching program when I'm mentoring and coaching people like to share these principles and truths and the stories and the perspectives that can shift right away because it's so easy for us to get irritated and frustrated sometimes angry where we might get bitter towards a family member or a friend where we might hold on to grudges and hurts and we might lose perspective about what really matters in life and what's a big deal and what's actually not a big deal so you know on that note let me just throw that question out to you is there something in your life right now that's causing you some some problems that maybe a little shift in perspective could change what's that shift what's that New Perspective you can have and and and that the question is then look guys how would my life be different or how would this situation be different if I had a better perspective just let that sink in how would this situation be better or different if I had a better perspective and if if it would change and and make things so much better then choose to have the better perspective it literally is a choice choose to have better perspective just like I did with both of those stories to say okay wait a minute I need to have a little reality check here and check myself and my thinking and my perspective and make that shift and then things are better right love that stuff you guys remember no no matter what's going on in life awesome is always an option and it's definitely an option when we're talking about choosing an attitude and a perspective and a reality check about life reach upward my

friends hey everybody thanks so much for listening to this episode I hope you got a lot of value out of it and found some things that you can apply to your life right away hey I'm I'm being totally sincere when I say I I live to help you live your extraordinary life so I hope you'll reach out to me if you have any questions or let me know how I can help you in any important area of your life and in fact you know this this podcast is brought to you by the school of awesome sauce monthly coaching program take advantage of that get in there if it's the best way to get a breakthrough to the next level so you can level up your health your spirituality your emotions your mind your relationships your finances business every part of your life just get in there where you have a a coach and a mentor you have a supportive Community to make things happen so so jump in there take advantage of this try it out get in there with us and level up your life see you on the inside reach upward [Music]