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The Gift is in the Grind
283 Plays3 years ago
You live your life like you live your days, each one contributing to a grand story that you get to shape. We risk, sometimes, believing that it is our big goals and achievements that will be the banners of our lives, but in reality it's what we did with each moment, and the "how" often more than the "what", that builds legacy.
This week we're talking about the grind, the daily ins and outs of going after the thing you're passionate about. We'll discuss how being in the thick of it prepares you for future challenges and how, as Paul of Tarsus would say, perseverance leads to character and character to hope. Also, how to instill the right attitude of the grind to your kids.
What have you learned about yourself or your business during your grind? Let us know at podcast@uncommonwealth.com.
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Transcript
Introduction to Uncommon Wealth Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Everyone dreams of living an uncommon life and the best asset you have to achieve your dreams is you. Welcome to the Uncommon Wealth Podcast. We're going to introduce you to people who are living uncommonly. We're also going to give you some tools and strategies for building wealth and for pursuing an uncommon path that is uniquely right for you.
00:00:26
Speaker
Hello and welcome everybody to the uncommon wealth podcast where I am your host, Phillip Ramsey. And I am Aaron Kramer. Welcome to the show, buddy. This is fun. Yep. All right. So this is a fun one that I wanted to talk about. Here's why, because this is where I'm at. Okay. All right. All right. So therapy session, it's, it's, it's kind of, yes.
00:00:46
Speaker
And it's a little bit edifying, but it's also like, let's just be honest. Here we go. Uh, and I'm
Value of Hard Work and Perseverance
00:00:51
Speaker
going to probably title this the gift is in the grind. Yes. Okay. So here's what I mean by that as business owners. Yeah. You just got a grind. Yeah.
00:01:02
Speaker
And there is such a gift in going to the, to empty the tank and like looking at your bank account and seeing like there's not a lot in there. Oh yeah. Right. And that gift is something that you, one, it sucks to be in a hundred percent, but two, there's something that is created when you see that you've seen it from the bottom and you can raise it out of the ashes to this Phoenix. And then I'm thinking about like the next generation, the second generation kind of person.
00:01:31
Speaker
they lose that gift of the grind. How do you get that? Right. Right. I don't know. We could talk through that. That's even a level I wasn't even thinking about. But to me, I think there's such a gift in grinding it out and seeing something from creation that you are being able to pour in into. And you got to see the ebbs and the flows, the ups and the downs, the tears and the hoorays, all of that stuff.
00:01:59
Speaker
There is such a gift in just grinding it out and starting from scratch. Something that if a next generation or your children buy your business, they never have that gift. And I think that's character building, the grind. It's character building. It also has shaped how I lead people, how I lead the company.
00:02:21
Speaker
How you treat people. How I treat people. How you talk to people. 100%. So to me, there's a gift in the grind. And that's what I mean by the grind.
Trust and Responsibility in Business
00:02:29
Speaker
So I'd love to hear your thoughts. Oh my gosh. I love this subject. I can go into the subject all day. Because even as a business owner, because well, you're the boss, but I own my own book. I brought my own book over when I joined up. And the grind is so hard. Even as a husband and a dad, a father,
00:02:50
Speaker
I didn't make a lot of money for a long time. You have to grind it and you have to see it, and my wife would ask, are you paying the family this month? And it's like, oh no, because I did this event, and so now we're living off of a teacher's salary for a month, or two or three or six. So you're sitting there thinking, oh, this is so hard, and you're constantly hounding your skills, because you've got to build, and you've got to bring in faster.
00:03:15
Speaker
It's, it's hard. Like it tests you cause you're kind of like, Oh my gosh, am I good enough for this? Am I? Yeah. Well, you gotta keep building. But the thing is, is every time a client would say, yes, like I'll be a client one. I mean, I know clients probably don't see it, but you go afterwards, you probably start crying a little bit. Yeah. Right. But you don't, you appreciate it so much in our industry at least like in every industry, but like the amount of trust someone puts in to you. Right. The biggest check they've ever written in it. That's all the life savings they have. Yeah.
00:03:45
Speaker
and it gives trust to you. I mean, it puts you to tears. But that's the whole part of the grind is learning to appreciate that. Learning to know the amount of trust someone is putting in you to do that. It's giving me goosebumps right now.
Lessons from College Wrestling
00:04:00
Speaker
It's amazing, but the respect that you, I think that grind gives you the respect that what you're signing yourself up to and the responsibility you're signing yourself up for through that.
00:04:13
Speaker
And that's where I'm like, oh, it's so great. But I mean, the grind can teach you so many other things. I mean, I think about college wrestling. I wasn't a great college wrestler. I made varsity. That was the epitome of my success. Which is pretty good. Which is, I mean, yeah, it was good. I was like, well, then I did. Well, it's not a good college team. We brought home trophies. So it was that. It wasn't like we were bad. But so we were a good college team. But I mean, I can say making it through the professional grind,
00:04:41
Speaker
like wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for college wrestling screen. Like that grind made this seem easy. The only thing that was different to make this a lot harder was the fact that I had a family depending on me. But I mean, so I think learning to recognize grinds in all aspects of your life to then help know that you've been prepared for this. Now I know we don't talk about this a ton, but like it's definitely we never shy away from it.
00:05:11
Speaker
I'm a big believer that we're all warriors. And I'm a big believer that God preps us to be warriors. And so these grinds are like a workout. It's making you stronger. Character testing for sure. Yeah, character testing, character building.
Appreciating the Journey
00:05:27
Speaker
Test to see who you are and to make sure you can handle what's the fourth to come. And it's for you to be able to be grateful for when it's actually something different. And it's easy to go back
00:05:39
Speaker
So let's be full, fully honest here. Uh, there's a point here where uncommon wealth was, was flourishing, right? And then we just made a change and now I'm going back to the grind. Does that make sense? And so, uh, there, this is getting me excited because
00:05:57
Speaker
sometimes complacency is like your worst nightmare you know the old good old vinsel party you're either getting better getting worse and sometimes complacency can do that and so i get it i get an opportunity to go back to the grind yeah in a way of like now we gotta go and make this thing something
00:06:12
Speaker
different than what it was. It's just going to be different. So I would say what a joy it is to be able to be in the grind now coming back to the grind a second time. So it's really dumb, but so I will quickly edify my family. We do.
00:06:28
Speaker
Hikes and mountains and we have this my wife loves national parks and so we'll find them and then we have these there's books out there that'll tell you and show you like the best hikes and this that and the other and they they categorize these hikes as like Moderate, you know strenuous and then like easy, you know, whatever so like there's there's three levels. Yeah
00:06:48
Speaker
I always go to the strenuous. That's because that's you. Yeah, that's me. And I'm going to bring my whole family. So there was one family. Oh, I know. They love you. They love me. So this is a true story. Uh, I brought my, my parents there 70 at the time we went to the Tetons and there was the ample theater lakes that are like, this is a strenuous hike.
00:07:10
Speaker
And I told a couple of people beforehand, Hey, I'm taking my family of five and my parents to ample theater Lake. And a lot of people will know this hike because it's beautiful. Yeah. It's also strenuous, you know? Yeah. And they're like, no, you won't. And I'm like, Oh, Oh, we will. Oh, we will. I think that you just told Philip, no, you won't. That's all you need. That's all you need. I'm on anyway.
00:07:32
Speaker
So, okay. So that was a stupid side story, but back to the journey. So my, my wife and I and the kids, now this is a different national park. Uh, I believe it was Estes park or yeah, the one in Colorado and we're, we're going up this, this.
00:07:47
Speaker
Like trail and it's a strenuous one because you know, that's how I pick them out. Yeah. And I'm walking up and I'm like, I'm like, I can't wait to get to the top. I can't wait to get to the top. Yeah. You know, I, and then all of a sudden I had this, it was probably a Holy Spirit moment. Very convicting of like Philip stop, like take a look around.
00:08:03
Speaker
Yes. The joy is in the journey. Yes. Look around like this is beautiful. Like, Oh my goodness, there's a moose over there of moose and his family. Like, yeah. So like to be able to soak it in of like, maybe this is the best part of this is the journey of this mountain. So Aaron, I'm telling you brother, we got to the top and it was like, well, this wasn't
Perseverance in Business
00:08:23
Speaker
that cool. Yeah. If I would have kept my attitude of like, well, as soon as we get to the top, like that's the only thing that's going to be successful. I would have been so disappointed, so disappointed.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah. But what happened was the exact opposite. I ended up enjoying the journey up and the top of it wasn't as exciting as I thought. Oh my gosh. And then we came back down and I just remember being so joyful of like, wow, I'm here with my family. You know, little kids were going through this. It's not an easy hike. Um, and so that's what I would say to myself right now, like Phillip, the joy is in the journey. It's not about the top of the mountain.
00:08:57
Speaker
It's about how can we serve one client today, give them the best plan, give them the most clarity, most vision that they've ever had, and get them excited about what's going to be in store for them tomorrow. That's so awesome. I love the fact that you use this story and this analogy because now I'm going to build off of it.
00:09:14
Speaker
I got a book referred to me a while back and I find it to be so amazing. Chop wood, carry water. Oh yes, you told me about this. I have not read it yet. Yes. So they use a story in there about ice climbers, mountains. Okay. I'm in. And he says, you know, ice climbers, they never look at the top of the mountain.
00:09:36
Speaker
They can't, if you constantly let them out, you're gonna die. They're always, they're focusing on their next step. And then eventually, if you just keep focusing on what you gotta do next.
00:09:48
Speaker
you get to the top. But too many people, I was one of them. I had overcome this. You always just think about what it's gonna be like at the top. What it's gonna be like at the top. And even when we got into the industry, I was like, oh, when I'm successful, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you're always focusing on what it's gonna be like at the end.
00:10:08
Speaker
through the grind, it's like, you know, you learn how to be like all these things and appreciative. We started just appreciating every one single client and the next thing you know, you're not noticing and the next thing you look back, you're like, wow, hey, we did it. Yeah. Right. Right. And that's how they get people into this industry. By the way, that's how I got into the industry. Some guy from principle took my wife and I out and they were, and he said exact words, picture everything you ever wanted. Like financially. Yeah. You can obtain that.
00:10:37
Speaker
within 12 months. Yeah. You know, and I'm like, okay. Now looking back at that, like such a lie, not saying that you couldn't, but like, you're not going to be recommending the best things for people. I'll tell you that right now. Cause we've talked about this foreign pause, I pass podcasts. Every guy that I've ever talked to that's super successful in this industry,
00:10:59
Speaker
One, their number one reason for doing this industry is not money. Right, right. It's a very thankless job. Yeah. Like, I know we can get rewarded in the end.
00:11:10
Speaker
But every person that I've ever respected in this industry that's been successful, been in it for a long time, they always sit there and say, you are severely underpaid for the first half of your career. Yeah. But it's hard to build. Yes. Was it like a 97% or 95% fail rate? Exactly. But if you come into this thing, but yeah, so you got told that dream. I got told that dream. Uh-huh. I got told five years. Five years, you'll be making six figures. That has not happened.
00:11:40
Speaker
Well, that's good. So this is what I would say. I think the joys in the journey.
Determination and Partnership
00:11:45
Speaker
Um, there is something about just saying like, I'm going to do this. Like I need to breathe. Like I'm going to have success just like I need the next breath. Yeah. And that whole band, I love them. It's called need to breathe. That's how their band started is like, there's a parable.
00:11:59
Speaker
that some guy hires a coach and to be like a football player or some amazing athlete. And so the coach says, all right, meet me at the beach tomorrow where our training starts. So he goes out, the athlete goes out and kind of meets the coaches on the beach and coach says, all right, let's go on the water. And they go on the water and the coach dunks this guy.
00:12:21
Speaker
and just holds him under, holds him under. And the guy starts thrashing and then all of a sudden the athlete goes berserk and he needs a breath, right? And he comes out and he is mad. And the coach is like, I need you to fight like that. I need you to fight like you need to breathe in our training.
00:12:41
Speaker
which I love. So, uh, anyway, there is some sentimental things there, but I would say that being willing to do whatever it takes no matter what. And so something about you to edify you like when we first met, you were, you told me a story about how you blew out your pack. Yeah.
00:12:57
Speaker
And then you were back in the weight room and you had 25 pound dumbbell. And for you, it was probably like a toothpick for me. But so the fact that you had humility enough to be like, Hey, I'm back in the gym and I'm doing the hard things to get me back was powerful. But then you also told me a story of you're in the industry and you knew that you wanted it so bad that you got a second job to make sure that you could cover and provide for your family. And that was when I was like, this is a guy.
00:13:21
Speaker
This is the guy that I want because he knows how to get what he wants and he will do whatever it takes to get there, even if it's thinking outside the box to help people. So that's why you're so amazing at your job. I appreciate that. And, and that's what I think the gift of the grind is because when you do it, when you finally did find uncommon wealth and it's been a perfect brand for you, it's been like this perfect synergy of like now you can actually start focusing on people and you can get the income and provide for your family. Oh my gosh. It was such a like,
00:13:51
Speaker
I don't know how much we've gone into this on the podcast, but yeah, we went out for breakfast. I remember this, it was yesterday, but we both were there. I was just there seeking advice. And you were there to give advice. I mean, here I am like, you're making way better living than I am. I'm like, I'm buying you breakfast. I bought you breakfast. It's like, give me advice.
00:14:13
Speaker
Cause you were the only one in town that really got what I was trying to do. Other people kind of got it. Other like another mentor advisors got it, but like they didn't quite get it cause it was very different. Like, you know, like, well, if you're a client, you know, so, but, uh, anyways, it was, I remember it came down at long story short. It came to an end of like, you should just join up. And I was like, uh, what? And then there's like, and there's some other things said, but one of the things that was said was,
00:14:43
Speaker
on one condition. You can only have one job. Yeah. I was like, uh, what? It's like, well, cause this is going to be your payout. And then I was like, yeah. Yeah. I remember
Uncommon Wealth's Unique Approach
00:14:56
Speaker
that conversation and you said, uh, Hey, if you could just pay me this, I could quit my, you know, I, I wouldn't have to ever provide in a different way. And so I was like, I'm not going to do that. And you said, I know it's a lot of money. And I was like, no, we're going to give you more money than that.
00:15:10
Speaker
And I remember you were like, I don't even know what to do right now. But that to me is a time where you could see somebody's potential and I was willing to pay whatever it took to get you a lot in common. It was life giving to me. That's for business owners out there. I don't know. I've talked to a lot of friends of this and me and Philip have talked about this. When you bring people on, it's hard because
00:15:33
Speaker
I've seen people get brought on and they're just given a salary. I brought over a book. Philip makes money off of me and I'm so happy he does. You can't be more stoked for it.
00:15:47
Speaker
I had to go through that grind and it made me appreciate to the point where it puts me and my wife in tears for what he gave to us. So when he lets me help out with a client, I don't need more money. I'm just happy to help. And if he does and he gets a bigger split than I do, I don't even care. I know what that means. I know what it took to get a client.
00:16:12
Speaker
because I went through that grind. It feels like other people that get into our industry, and I think this is any industry, and you're just giving it, it's not appreciated. So I really wanted to just edify the listeners out there that have a business. That started in the grind, that knows how it feels, that scary feeling, or that feeling that you're gonna get tears when somebody says yes, like the grind. Okay, so I know you've done this.
00:16:38
Speaker
This is the number one thing I love doing and this is the number one test of doing like asking business owners like, hey,
00:16:46
Speaker
So how is the journey? And if they open up and tell you, you're like, this is my guy. Because they know, and they're willing to share it. That is something from an uncommon wealth perspective that's different. Because usually financial advisors will sit down with a business owner, and the first thing they'll ask is, how much money do you have in your wallet? They might not ask it in that way, but really what they want to know is, how much money can I get a hold of?
00:17:11
Speaker
That couldn't be further from what we do. But we usually ask this like, tell us about the journey,
Lessons and Journey in Business
00:17:15
Speaker
right? Like tell us about the grind. What have you gone through? What's keeping you up tonight? Like what's keeping you up in the form of business that maybe we could maybe help solve so you can keep furthering your trajectory in your business. That's really fun. Yeah. Like what'd you learn through your grind? Oh yeah. Cause like usually, I mean that sounds like a silly question sometimes, but if you've been through the grind, it's not silly cause you learn what you truly love. And it's valuable. It's so valuable.
00:17:39
Speaker
So that's really fun for both of us. And I think everybody in Commonwealth, but I would say the biggest thing that I'd say about this podcast is there is such a joy in the journey, but there's also a part that just like you can't replicate the grind. You also can't replicate the good character of building things that come from the grind. So my last question before we end, cause it's kind of getting a little long, but how do we instill the grind in our kits?
00:18:07
Speaker
So for me, I think there's many ways, but I think while you're thinking of yours, uh, those stupid hikes, it's a big deal. Like, and to be able to like go through the, the whole thought process of like, this is too hard. We've gone on some hikes that I'm telling you, Aaron, like I was having trouble and we all like kind of had our own little moment where we're like, I don't want to do this anymore. But like working through that and giving your kids opportunities to like grind through things,
00:18:35
Speaker
they will be better individuals because of that than parents that try to helicopter their kids and try to do everything for them. Sometimes you got to let your kid fail. Yes. Sometimes you got to let them fight through adversity and like your daughter is swimming now. Yeah. And, and so your big thing is not about winning. It's about try to set a PR for you.
00:18:57
Speaker
And now she's hitting some opposition. What a great opportunity to be able to coach through of like, hey, this is what it means in life to not get something that you think that you should have got. And how are you going to respond? So that to me is grind. And man, getting gritty. But that's, that's all I got. What do you got? Grind is great. Yeah. How we teach our kids, I think you just gave me a lot more advice than I feel like I'm going to give anybody because I don't know, like,
00:19:25
Speaker
I hope I can teach my daughter to push through when it's hard. And I always think about it, because we all went through this grind. You went through the grind, I went through the grind to build this thing in our books.
Instilling Values of Perseverance in Children
00:19:42
Speaker
It hits me, I'm like, oh, it would feel good if my daughter would want to be as passionate about this industry as I am. And I think about it because I remember my grandpa sitting down at the table and asking me to join the family business that him and his brothers built. Oh, wow. And I so nonchalantly just know.
00:20:01
Speaker
Huh. You know, now I grew up, my parents didn't like make it sound like a good place to go, but I feel so bad. It's one of my things because, you know, bless the start, he's gone. You know, like, but like, because he's graduated, but like, I wish I would have given him more validity because it was a big offering. He is a big offering. They built something really special. Right. So anyways, back to our industry with my daughter, I think the only thing I can come up with is,
00:20:30
Speaker
If we're sticking to our industry of the grind that we went through here in our business, she will not be given anything. Hopefully, I have helped her along the way, that grind that she goes through, I've set her up to where the grind's a bit easier for her than it was for us. But she still can come out the other side learning the things that she needs to learn. But I think you're right.
00:20:53
Speaker
learning to face the hard times and welcome it, but to appreciate the things that, appreciate the journey. And be joyful when it's the suckiest.
00:21:09
Speaker
That's the people that like walk through with it with you, you know, oh man, how about you learn real quick who your friends are? Oh, buddy. And I think it's so funny, like everybody that's gone through this grind, you'll appreciate this. There's always like little sayings out there that you've heard so many times like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then when it hits you like, oh, wow, that was deep. Yeah.
00:21:28
Speaker
that happens during the grinds. Yes. Like the closest to you, you're like, you'll know who's your closest friends on your downtimes. Oh yeah. Everyone says that you go through the grinder. Like that's so deep. It's so true. Yeah. Yeah. There's, there's a lot I can talk about, but I love talking about this because this is the reason why I like to compete because I love environments that bring out the true character and people. Yes. I like board games, but like to me, like competing on a field, that's why like ultimate frisbee or flag football,
00:21:57
Speaker
Like there's times when like it is not going your way. And like, what happens then? Like people, some people are just pissed. Some people get inward and get frustrated themselves. Some people get outwardly frustrated and start blaming other people or blaming the refs. Like, so to me, I love the little glimpses that you get of people's true character. And to me, business owning and creating a business is one of those things. And so for the business owner out there that's listening to this,
00:22:26
Speaker
We hear you, we see you, and maybe the most valuable thing that comes out of your business is the character that you've built through the times that were the hardest.
Conclusion: Embrace the Grind and Find Inspiration
00:22:35
Speaker
100%, yeah. And you're also not alone. Find a network of good business owners while you're doing it. If you're upcoming and you're trying to build a practice, you're still in the first 10 years, seek out other ones and use my trick. It's not even a trick, it's just the one thing I found.
00:22:55
Speaker
your weather business owner, how was your upcoming journey? Because usually we're not scared to share it. And it's usually, it's a whoa.
00:23:05
Speaker
Right. You know, and it was hard to- Way more respect for somebody after you hear that. Or you might hear, well, you know, what may come out, it was my parents and it was Hannah. Yeah. Like, and you're like, okay. That's fine. That's awesome. And that's amazing. Cause we want to do this for our children, but probably not your guy to open up to and be like, I'm going through this hard time. Yes. Cause they're not going to counsel you and they're not going to give you the grace that you deserve. That'll preach.
00:23:30
Speaker
All right, that's all I got. You've been listening to the UnCommonwealth Podcast. I'm your host, Phillip Ramsey. And I'm Aaron Kramer. Until next time, go enjoy the journey and get gritty. Love the grind. Get gritty. That's all for this episode, brought to you by UnCommonwealth partners. Be sure to visit UnCommonwealth.com to learn more about our services. Don't miss an episode as we introduce you to inspiring people who are actively pursuing an uncommon life.