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Dare to Dream Again!
17 Plays15 days ago
In this uplifting episode of Journey Mindfulness Podcast, James sits down with Colin Q. Potts—motivational speaker, COO of Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, amputee, disability advocate, and author of the forthcoming book Dare to Dream Again.
Colin’s story is a testament to what’s possible when you refuse to let adversity and trauma define you. After losing multiple family members to cancer and suicide, enduring 21 surgeries over 17 years, and ultimately losing a limb, Colin chose a different path: hope, resilience, and the invincible determination to help others thrive.
Together, we explore: ✨ How to rebuild your life after unimaginable loss ✨ The power of mindset and daily practices to cultivate positivity & mindfulness ✨ Trusting yourself when everything feels uncertain ✨ Why it’s okay to be happy again—and how to let go of guilt ✨ The healing power of presence, gratitude, and what Colin calls “tomato therapy”
Whether you’re facing challenges, caring for someone you love, or simply searching for more purpose, Colin’s story will remind you that it’s never too late to start over—and never too late to believe in yourself.
🎧 Tune in for heartfelt wisdom, practical insights, and a powerful reminder: Dare to dream again. Never give up.
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🌐 Learn more & Book a session with James O’Neill: JourneyMindfulness.com
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✨ Free Warrior Spirit Guided Meditation: https://www.journeymindfulness.com/warrior_spirit_meditation
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Transcript
Introduction to Colin Q. Potts
00:00:13
Speaker
Today, I'm honored to welcome Colin Q. Potts to the Journey Mindfulness Podcast. Colin is a motivational speaker, amputee, and disability advocate, and also an author who will be talking about his upcoming book and the COO of Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, which has a number of different locations.
Transforming Adversity into a Mission
00:00:34
Speaker
A former professional chef with an infectiously positive outlook, he has transformed profound adversity into a mission to help others thrive. Whether he's teaching about resilience, sharing what he calls tomato therapy, which I'm curious to know more about, or championing a positivity revolution, Colin inspires people to embrace life with purpose and courage.
00:00:59
Speaker
The story has been featured on ABC7 News, The Baltimore Sun, and the University of Maryland Athletics.
Exploring Hope and Healing
00:01:05
Speaker
When you meet him, you're greeted with a warm smile and a reminder that no matter what you've been through, there's always a way to begin again. I'm excited to dive into his perspective on hope, healing and living fully.
00:01:18
Speaker
Colin, welcome to the show. Well, thank you so much for having me and thank you for that kind introduction. Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's
00:01:30
Speaker
I will say sometimes to my clients, everything is energy. And i had I went to visit ROSM at the invitation of my dear friend, Dr. Nate Yokel. And so I was there and just randomly bumped into you.
00:01:46
Speaker
Never met you before. yeah You were just friendly. And I'm like, this guy is very nice. Like, this is a cool guy. Like, that you should talk to this guy. And then afterwards, I looked you up. and I'm like, wow, what a story. um You have quite a tale to tell, my friend. what a the plate The floor is yours. Please ah maybe share your story.
Personal Experiences of Loss and Positivity
00:02:09
Speaker
And let's try to inspire some people today.
00:02:11
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah, it's, it's, it has been a journey and, um, there's a lot of pieces to it. And I kind of always like to start just like at the 60,000 foot level of kind of what happened and you can see where you want to go kind of with, uh, specific questions and in that way.
00:02:29
Speaker
Um, The way I describe it was by the time I was 33, I'd lost of my grandparents, my parents, and two siblings, and then rolled in, had an accident, rolled into 21 surgeries, 17 years, lost a limb. um And one year I was walking, running, swimming, ran a 5K because I wanted my life back.
00:02:48
Speaker
And then five years ago, May, this past May, I lost another sibling. So I've seen a tremendous amount of loss, especially at a really early age. And, um you know, you just kind of got knocked down a lot. They referred to our family as the Kennedys because it was tragedy, suicide twice and cancer and cancer and cancer and and and just so many things like that. And And, and when you get knocked down, you know, you really, that point, you really have to make that choice of, you know, are you going to get back up and are you going to live your life? And, and really, how are you going to live your life? Because it's so easy, you know, to, to go down the negative pathway you know, just, you know,
00:03:28
Speaker
Kind of go off the rails ah because those things are can be traumatizing and a lot of them were. But I think the the great thing is, is that I look at all the situations and I certainly have learned. And it's hard because when you're going through it, you're like, you don't see the the ways you can learn. You're just trying to survive. And And, and when you're facing adversity, that's tough. I mean, in, in all levels, uh, you live in a bubble and you're just trying to do the best you can. And then it's like, well, gee, how do we rebuild and all that? So the lessons have come over time and, and certainly because of the frequency of what kept happening.
00:04:04
Speaker
Um, you know, it, it, it's just an important thing to, to always remember that you can get through, but we have that choice of how we want to move our lives forward. And, and I think that's just the, where I always start with everyone.
00:04:16
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah.
Shaping Attitudes: Childhood and Family Influence
00:04:18
Speaker
It's ah one of the things that I do is it's called inner child work, but just inner work in general. And one of the sort of prevailing theories is that, you know, from the time you're zero to seven, these events that happen to you are like high impact moments can shape the rest of your life.
00:04:38
Speaker
Clearly you were met with some, you know, they call them adverse childhood events. but What, what do you, can you pinpoint an event where you, cause you have this positive attitude. It's, it's the opposite of what can tend to happen.
00:04:54
Speaker
What was the event that like, was there ah like ah a parent or somebody who embodied that positivity or where does that come from? What do you attribute that to? I think that that's a great question. I think a lot of it was the way I was raised and and my parents themselves.
00:05:11
Speaker
um I think I was born that way too. um My mom would always make fun of me because she said, being the youngest of eight, she's like, I never had to hold you as a child because you would just stand up in your crib and you would just smile and wave. And everyone's like, I got to pick him up.
00:05:26
Speaker
And so she always kind of made a kind of joke with me about that. But she's like, that's just been your personality since day one. So I think it's, it's, it's those two things. Um, it's kind of born that way. Um, and then, you know, I seeing so much sadness, um, it made me fight to see positive, if that makes sense. Um, uh, because it's like, I just didn't like the feel of, of always being down or being down or, or being sad, you know, always looked at, you know, the bright side of things and,
00:05:59
Speaker
And, you know, the days, even ah toughest days, there's still so many good things that are, uh, that can happen if we keep our eyes open. So I kind of believe it was, but it was, you know, parents who were just great people. Um, my mother had, uh,
00:06:15
Speaker
you know, lost three, uh, children, lost her husband. She had scarlet fever growing up. She had polio. She just had this innate way of being positive, um, in, in terms of it.
00:06:27
Speaker
And my father just, you he, it was one of those personalities that he was just robust. He is Italian and robust and And people just wanted to be around them. I mean, he just naturally people gravitated to them, uh, to both of them, but in different ways.
00:06:41
Speaker
Uh, so when you have that kind of influence in people who love life, and it, it kind of, it, it kind of transferred to, to me, I know, uh, specifically because I was around them so much.
00:06:53
Speaker
i mean, that makes a lot of sense. I think I've heard you mention this, maybe not in these exact words, but just this ripple effect. you were around two positive people as parents growing up.
00:07:06
Speaker
And, and perhaps it was just innate, you know, in your, in your personality and your, in your being. And, you know, you were able to carry that forward through all of the tragedies and traumas that, you know, kind of laid in your path.
The Process of Grieving and Healing
00:07:22
Speaker
um I've met in, in this podcast, you know, it's, I've met a number of people who have healed from, paralysis and other types of thing things um that are in many ways miraculous what um tell us about kind of your healing journey and what that was like for you because you had to face you know some pretty dark times but you made it through yeah i think you know kind of the healing journey with has been really interesting um
00:07:58
Speaker
just across the whole experience, all the experiences. um You know, it it was very specific and losing a limb, what that was like, but but all the other ah times and all the other loss, you know, really ah there had to be those healing moments as well. And and where i I see so many people that don't heal and then they try to move forward and um and and then they get stuck because they really never, they never,
00:08:26
Speaker
grieve enough or they never deal with those emotions and you just bury them. um And I think that's a real danger, you know, and I hope anyone out there is listening is like, you know, make sure you, you grieve properly, make sure you, you know, take care of yourself, but make sure you don't bury those emotions. Those emotions are real. And, um you know, you got to respect those emotions. They're you, they're part of who you are.
00:08:49
Speaker
um So you're important as i always tell people. So make sure you they look at those emotions. And those issues. And so I think each thing over time had a healing moment. I mean, um when I lost my first but ah first brother, you know, back when I was a senior in high school, um you know, it was here's a great example. I mean, it was we weren't very close. He was older.
00:09:13
Speaker
he had been in and out of halfway houses and. Yeah, drugs and everything else. And and he was so smart and and just it just couldn't put its it couldn't put it together ah you know in terms of that. So that's where I was always like you know watching that.
00:09:32
Speaker
So he calls one that one night and he says to me, i was in just listening to him and he's like, well, I'll never talk to you again. And, you know, I kind of blew that off and I was like, well, you know, of course I will and didn't think anything of it. And then three o'clock in the morning, there's lights outside the house and it's police car and he had jumped off a bridge and you know That goes on to, if you're local and know all this, WTOP, Jocelyn Wethers at the 8s. And so it was really difficult because all of a sudden I was going to school and everyone had heard what had happened.
00:10:04
Speaker
ah So you you really felt to alone and ostracized in the sense because suicide is never discussed. it's It's discussed more now, but not back not back in the 70s and 80s. That was very, I felt a very taboo subject you know in terms of that.
00:10:21
Speaker
So you got through it, you got through that year and it was supposed to be a year celebration, but you know I was able to, i went away to college. i was gonna go to the University of Maryland, but decided to go away because I just wanted a fresh start to Loyola and New Orleans. And i I think that stepping away at that point was a real healing process.
00:10:39
Speaker
or um i needed to think. I needed a new surroundings. I needed to i kind of find out where I was. And by starting fresh and starting a nuke, it was amazing how quickly I recovered in in that sense. um I realized that I shouldn't have guilt about him because when someone's in that situation, they're going to do whatever they do.
00:11:00
Speaker
uh what they're going planning on doing and so I couldn't have stopped it and I think we all feel like in those situations if if I picked up and listened or if I called someone but it was the way he was our relationship he was always kind of sort of joking not joking that kind of thing but I carried that for a while but I think each each step in the journey was is healing And then that could go on for long while, but I'll, I'll skip to and another big one, which was my mother and taking care of her six years with cancer.
00:11:31
Speaker
And, um, she and I were very close and the ups and downs of
Supporting Family Through Positivity
00:11:35
Speaker
that. And, and, and when I was, i went over there one day and she was just the most positive person and she was having an off day. And i And I walk in and she said, well, I'm losing all my independence. I'm losing everything I can do. I'm not happy. you know, how are you going to fix this, Mr. Positivity?
00:11:53
Speaker
So I thought about it and I said, well, look, let me come back tomorrow. So I stayed up that night and it was driving me crazy because I was like, ah, I got to figure something out. And so I did. And I went back to her the next day and I said, just because things are different doesn't mean they can't be good.
00:12:08
Speaker
And she said, well, what do you mean by that? And I said, you're going to focus on what you have and not worry about what you don't have. You're going to focus on what you can do and not worry about what you can't do. And I said, if you can do that with me and you can jump on this, this thought process and this, this, this deal, we, we will make your life so much easier and so much better.
00:12:30
Speaker
And, and really what it was, was reorganizing her days. I was like, what time do you, do you have your, the most energy? Cause she was going through chemo on it for a long while. It's just like first in morning. So I said, all appointments will be scheduled in the morning.
00:12:44
Speaker
What time do you want to be in bed? i want to be in bed by five o'clock. There's five o'clock, you know, at what time do you want to see people? Oh, lunches are good. That kind of thing. So we really shifted her schedule.
00:12:55
Speaker
And, and that was really amazing watching her runway extend, uh, which was really great to see. Cause she flourished again. And always say like the, the, the flowers you see at the,
00:13:07
Speaker
Stores around Christmas, you know, the cyclamens, uh, they have a beautiful variegated leaf and a flower and kind of a brownish stem. And when you don't water them, they fall right over the best plants to ever know, you know, in terms of that.
00:13:21
Speaker
So she was like a cyclamen. As soon as he got water, I, it just, she popped right back up and we extended her runway and she found her love for life again. And and it was really amazing.
00:13:32
Speaker
And why that is important to me is that's helping other people and and going through that and really coming up with that was, it was a real healing moment. And you my brother, Ed, you know, who died five years ago, he and I weren't close, oldest, youngest, and always had to tell him no. And I was helping him with his finances and that kind of thing. But the, the last, you know, that eight weeks of his life were amazing to us because We finally, he was like, our relationship's in a different place because he said, I always agreed with what you said, but you were my younger brother telling me what to do.
00:14:11
Speaker
And he said, that's just really hard. That was really hard for me. And so he said, but you're the one I trust the most. And he said, um and from that point forward, the conversations and what we were able to accomplish. And finally, one day I was like, look,
00:14:26
Speaker
Don't hold on for us. ah you You need to go when you need to go. And when you're at peace with that, in and again, a really difficult. So you take a relationship and leave that door, or always leave a door open for to heal in relationships.
00:14:41
Speaker
But another healing moment where, you know, at the end, it was it was terribly sad. and And again, you know, think the most mortal feeling that we ever feel in life is when we truly love someone.
00:14:53
Speaker
And um they're sliding through your hands and there's nothing you can do to to stop that process. So, but at the end of it it was exhausting, you know, ah hospice, if anyone's been through hospice and the care of that and the ups and downs and,
00:15:08
Speaker
And, um you know, you're kind of on death watch and that's tough. but But at the end, i I went and, you know, saw him and it was 1.30 in the morning and he looked at peace. he and and And I was at peace too. And in the sense of a great reconciliation, I know we gave him the best care we could. and um you know, i i I felt like that. so So all if if you kind of look in in in most of these situations, there's always a healing part.
00:15:38
Speaker
and And that's so important because that's that's how you move forward in life. And um if you don't look for the that healing moment or you you you don't deal with the emotions, that's when you can easily slide into what I call the negativity vortex.
00:15:54
Speaker
And it's really difficult to get out um because your mindset changes positive to negative. Start surrounding yourself with negative people like kind of in fun. Describe it as a giant barrel of goo that you jump in and then you can't get out and you're trying to get out. And how do I get out? and and And it's like, ah, you know, so that's where I always tell people, no matter how bad a day is, try to find one positive building block to build for the next. Because you can just find one thing, and I challenge people all the time because they're like, had the worst day ever. And I was like, okay, so all 24 hours are bad. And they're like, well, I didn't say that. Well, it was like...
00:16:31
Speaker
to explain. And then usually it's a bad conversation or this happened. And so I was like, nothing positive your entire rest of your day happened. Not one good conversation, not seeing a sunset and not having a nice dinner, yeah anything like that.
00:16:48
Speaker
Well, I didn't say that. So i get you get people at that might, but the point is, is just to to find those building blocks and and really stick to finding something positive each day to build on for the next day.
00:17:01
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you touched on a number of great advice there. um I teach mindfulness based stress reduction, and there was a number of elements that you hit on there.
00:17:12
Speaker
um But one of the first practices that we teach is to is the pleasant it's called the pleasant events calendar, but it's making a note of all of the pleasant things that happened in your day.
00:17:25
Speaker
And it's, it's hard for people because we're so dismissive of all the positive things that happen. We, we, we hold on, like, you know, the mind is Velcro for the negative. We hold on to all these negative things.
00:17:38
Speaker
Um, it's funny. I, I just made a ah little monologue on, on social media. Like it's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems, but our minds so often is like, oh, it's just terrible. It's the worst thing ever. Just like you said, it's like, is it really though?
Daily Practices for Mental Peace
00:17:52
Speaker
Right.
00:17:54
Speaker
Well, the other thing that's really interesting that I kind of learned through the process after losing a limb, on and there's a lot to, you know, what i have to do to maintain my limb for good health of it and skin issues and all that kind of stuff. So every night you have to clean your limb, you have to clean the liners, there's a process.
00:18:14
Speaker
And what's funny is is what's birthed out of that is is a time for me that I now use to reconcile my day. And I feel like that's so, so important because so many times, oh, run, run, work, finish up, go here, there, watch TV, vo blah, blah, blah, in bed, try to go to bed. And we never have that time to really reconcile our days because your your mind is, is racing.
00:18:39
Speaker
And then you just try to lie down and go to sleep. And everyone's couldn't sleep. I'm like, well, So what I learned through that process was I take that time to really think about my day. What did I do well? What didn't I do well?
00:18:52
Speaker
what What is a relationship I need to reconcile? Is there i something that I didn't deal with the right way? um What were the good things? What were the things I want to celebrate today you know that made it a really good day?
00:19:07
Speaker
So having that time, um and you know I say my prayers obviously for that, but It's, it's, it's just carving out. It's only three, four minutes of that special time to reconcile the day and take an inventory of where you want to go the next day, because that also helps me calm down before I go to bed, because usually it's those things that are kind of still stirring, you know, from the day.
00:19:29
Speaker
And, and so I think recognizing them and thinking about them and, and, and kind of like what's your plan with those things. Um, and also the good things. Um, I sleep a lot better now that I kind of take that inventory.
00:19:42
Speaker
Well, it is a very intentional practice and it is one that is highlighted by some of the best teachers that I've come across in terms of
00:19:54
Speaker
Mentally noting, you know, and trying to resolve some of the things that occurred in your day and even just going back and remembering like as a as a focus practice, like what did happen today?
00:20:06
Speaker
evening You know, and going back and then deciding for yourself how you want to think everything is about perspective. Right. Right. Classifying it in a way that is constructive and helpful and maybe sets you up for the next day, you know, or you, you, it's like a bookend. You can go to sleep at night.
00:20:27
Speaker
Like a lot of people. They're kind of on autopilot. They're, you know, maybe watching TV or scrolling on their phone and they go to bed. And so they haven't resolved the things. And so they're up at night, you know, and like, ah I have insomnia. It's like, well, you got to pay attention to what's going on in your mind so you can start to work on it.
00:20:47
Speaker
Yeah. And I try to, um, just practice and over the things is, is really hour before to bed, go to bed, don't check. I'd put my phone down, put it away.
00:20:58
Speaker
Um, you know, cause then you're just gonna, if you keep going all the way through and, oh, one more text, one more of this, and you really, you can't settle down. And then, um, I went to a conference and this guy was talking about longevity and, uh,
00:21:12
Speaker
And, uh, he was like, protect the first hour of your day without touching your phone. And so it's been really interesting because that that's a really powerful time, especially for myself. Cause I love early mornings and working in the garden and, you know, growing 27 varieties of tomatoes and and all that and being out there and not looking at my phone and having that time for myself to start that, that, that before the day goes.
00:21:40
Speaker
You know, say my prayers, watch the sunrise and then, okay, I'm ready to go. So my mind is set and at peace because all of a sudden I know if I look, there's gonna be 40 emails from work and everything else.
00:21:52
Speaker
And you just start the day. ah you kind of just run right into it. And so having a little bit of that time early in the morning and, and carving out that hour made a huge difference for me. You work hard, you show up, you stay productive, and you perform.
00:22:08
Speaker
You carry a lot. But in the quiet moments, you feel it. The tension in your chest, the racing mind, and the sleep that never feels deep enough.
00:22:20
Speaker
What's the cost of that? Because stress doesn't just go away, it builds. It affects your focus, your relationships, and your emotional and physical health.
00:22:34
Speaker
But what if it could be different? What if clarity and calm weren't just ideas, but your new baseline? That's the work I do through mindfulness, hypnotherapy tools, and quantum healing.
00:22:49
Speaker
Not fixing, just guiding you back to what's already within you. Homeostasis. If that speaks to you, let's talk. You can book a free 15 minute call at journeymindfulness.com or send me a message right here.
00:23:07
Speaker
Let's explore what's possible together. Thank you. mean, how could it not, right? Like the moment you open your phone or go in your emails, your, your nervous system is going to get hijacked.
00:23:20
Speaker
Exactly. But if you, You know, teaching meditation, it's the quietest part is the morning. you Right. The earlier, the better. But it's yeah it's that silence is truly golden and you can use it wisely.
00:23:37
Speaker
You know, and if you're in a garden or growing tomatoes and perhaps that's tomato therapy, but you're grounding yourself as well. So you're William James, one of the first like psychologists and in the U.S. philosopher said, you know, making your nervous system your ally is like the greatest thing you could do for your life.
00:23:57
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Now it makes a lot of sense, you know, in terms of that. And, and what I found is just as I've gotten older and, and when you're going through adversity and doing so much and after losses, that quiet time is really important and really carving it out. And ah kind of refer to it as me time.
00:24:13
Speaker
And you got to fight for your me time. hi I don't care how busy you are. You just got to fight for it. So everyone's like, what's me time? It's like time for yourself. and And that doesn't have to be, ah you know, an hour. I mean, it could just be a half hour or, you know, twice a day or whatever that is. But, you know, and I know people have kids and and a lot of responsibilities, but it really to help other people and to, to really be effective. I think in our days, we, we have to have that time, you know, just to, to regroup and,
00:24:43
Speaker
and, and slow down and just have those moments because, um, if not, you know, it's, it's kind of like the treadmill of the gym. It just goes faster and faster and faster and faster. And then everyone everyone, I know I feel that some days I'm like, what the hell just happened today? Like so much. And, and so having those times and, you know, and I'm guilty of like probably everyone else, you know, I'll get a sandwich, bring it back and sit in front my computer, but now I'm trying to step away for 30 minutes and just,
00:25:12
Speaker
step away, you know, in in terms of that. So, so all those little things, I think help a lot and um they keep us healthy. And I think that's the most important thing that I continue to learn. And now I don't want to sound like I have all the answers because I don't, and I'll always be a work in progress on this because I'm highly driven and I've got a lot of, you know, so, but it's at the fun part is it's like, all right, well, I did this really well. And then you, it's kind of like losing weight. Right.
00:25:41
Speaker
And kind of like how I learned to walk. It's, it's, you, you know, you, you lose a pound, you lose another pound, you start to gain a little traction and, and then all of a sudden ones and ones become twos and twos and twos become fours and then the multiplier effect.
Taking Small Steps for Big Changes
00:25:55
Speaker
And then once you start believing, cause you see the progress, you know, you, you, you move forward on these things. And, and that's how I learned to walk again, because it was not an easy situation. And.
00:26:06
Speaker
And, and it's just one more step every day. And, and like I said, ones and ones become twos, twos and twos become four. And then you get the multiplier effect. And then you really believe in yourself. And once you start believing, you're usually on your way.
00:26:19
Speaker
Yeah. i mean, that's just very practical wisdom on how you, you know, a lot of people want it to transform their life or to make great changes, but it really does start with these micro steps or, or literally one step.
00:26:36
Speaker
Yeah. And that's the question I get all the time. It's, it's kind of interesting is when do I start? How do I start? It's like, start tomorrow. Well, why tomorrow? All right. I was you start right now, but don't tell me two weeks from now. Cause that's not really, you're, you're pushing off your goal. Right.
00:26:52
Speaker
And, and I try to get people to, to be visual in this stuff and cause it's important to me and it's how I've kind of learned to do it. Um, like the power of a sun is, I mean if you really go out and watch the power of a sunrise in a new day, I look at it and it's like, it's an opportunity. Every day is a rebirth to, to change something in life that you don't want it. You want to change. And, and all you have to do is just take that first step.
00:27:17
Speaker
Just take that first step. The first step is the hardest because you're like, Well, this could mean this or this, and then you kind of talk yourself out of the first step and in those things. But for me, it's, uh, you just, you just have to take that first step and, and, and really comes down to his confidence and belief in yourself. And, and sometimes it's hard and, and, and that, and cause there are difficult decisions that you have to make changes on.
00:27:40
Speaker
But once you start and you start doing that and and you empower yourself, you know, in those situations to not be driven by things in life, it's you begin to drive things in life and and take control.
00:27:53
Speaker
Very empowering. And then, you know, ah your confidence comes right there. And And I tell people all day long, look, you have the inner strength. All of us have the inner strength. It's right inside our souls.
00:28:05
Speaker
All you have to do is tap in. And by tapping it, it's believing in yourself. And as soon as you do that, you can start moving mountains over time. And, and that's, that's really powerful, but.
00:28:17
Speaker
The capture the power of a new day and, and really the spirit of that and the color and the sun strength. And, and as it rises, the, the, the, just the whole field of it. i I, I don't know how many multi thousands of photos I have so of sunrises and sunsets on my phone and I'll stop off highways.
Trusting Instincts and Life's Process
00:28:36
Speaker
I'll do it because they speak to me in so many ways and it's just, it's very powerful. So when I post and I do those things, I take every photo. So it's, it's, it's just, and then I match it up to what I want to write about and what I want to express that day or what, why this quote means, but every, every photo is paired with something for a reason. And, and that's important to me.
00:28:59
Speaker
Well, it's very intentional, you know, but you, You have to be able to appreciate the moment. And when you see sunrise, truly appreciate the magnificence of that.
00:29:13
Speaker
you know In meditations, oftentimes they'll use mountains or different visual, you know like a lake or or something else, but it's often equated the environment, but it's...
00:29:24
Speaker
We live on this beautiful planet and we don't always appreciate it. and And, you know, when you're driving to work, that sun might be coming up all the time, but you never see it. Right. Right. and i And, you know, we walk around and if is you ever go like just out in public and you'll watch people walk, just watch people walk for 10 minutes.
00:29:43
Speaker
And it's just... everyone is just so where am I going? What am I doing? What's happening? And, you know, i just want to say out stand out there with the giant side and say, take a second to look up. I mean, it's like, there are so many cool things around us. I mean, in clouds and, you know, all these things. And, and those are those little moments that I always say, you know, that can change your day pretty quickly. You know, you find something out there that is very meaningful to you. And, uh,
00:30:13
Speaker
i don't know if it's a plant or it's a statue or you know it's it's some kind of bird or whatever it is those are just little things but i'm always like don't forget to look up because everyone's looking down or you know when they walk and it's kind of fun to to to watch because you just see people have such intention when they're moving about uh you know and and where they have to be and ah very few some people are are moving slowly but a lot of people are very determined get out of my way and you know, that kind of thing. But that's where I'm always like, Hey, slow down for a second and make sure you always look up.
00:30:45
Speaker
Yeah. You know, you were few seconds ago mentioning people ask you like when, when to start. I shared a quote from Rumi a week or so ago. It's when you, when you start to walk on the way, the way appears.
00:31:03
Speaker
It's like, and it's just placing this importance on this moment. Whenever you're ready, you can start right now. Exactly. have to know how you're going to get there.
00:31:15
Speaker
Like you, you might not have known what exactly the outcome. Well, you, you might've known what you wanted the outcome to be, but it was going to start with that first step. Yeah, no, absolutely. And, and that's where, you know, it's, it's faith. And, you know, my mom always said there's, there's two things. It's faith, faith in God, but also faith in yourself. And she's like, you have faith in God, but if you don't believe in yourself, then, you know, you're not going to move forward. And,
00:31:40
Speaker
and And you just have to trust yourself. And, and you know, I think our, you know, everyone talks about that gut instinct and stuff, but there's a lot of truth to that, you know, um it's, it's, I know i make my mistakes when I don't follow my gut feeling and do that. And And when I try to you know, I'm a numbers guy and, you know, ah for work and operations, so my brain's heavy into that.
00:32:03
Speaker
And so sometimes I am quick to override it, but then I realized that, you know, that, that shouldn't do that. Um, and, and they, I always kind of feel like, um, no matter what, and after even just all I've been through, it The answers have always come.
00:32:19
Speaker
They always come in one way or another. May not be exactly what will you want or what I wanted, but at the same time, it's that's it's a new path. And as you're going on a slightly different path. And I've been on a lot of paths. So he that you just kind of have to to to trust that process. And and again, it's just belief in yourself and And, and that's just, that's just so important. If anyone's listening and just yeah really focus on believing in yourself because your your heart and soul know what you can do and what you want to do. And, and it's just, um, it's just get all the noise around you out of your, ah around you and, and just know that you're gonna, you're smart person and you can move forward and you can do things. It's just, uh,
00:33:05
Speaker
I think a lot of times we get influenced by a lot of things and sometimes it's noise. I mean, I call it noise in the sense of, you know, it can be, you know, different friends or this or that and people, but in the end, you have to make your own decisions for your own life and, and really understand what's best for yourself.
00:33:23
Speaker
Um, obviously you have relationships and things like that, but you're only good in those situations. I feel if you, if, if you're, if you're true to yourself, um, in, in terms of that.
00:33:36
Speaker
Yeah. What, um, you know, as you started to walk and you were talking about trust and, but you know, trusting your body again, what was that like for you?
00:33:47
Speaker
Did it come quickly? did it take time? It, it took time and I'm not gonna lie. So when I found out, um, so I had all these surgeries and, and then the last five were at HSS hospital for special surgery in New York, and they're in the limb saving business. So yeah all of a sudden I go up there and the guy's amputation. I go in front of grand rounds of uh Cornell and HSS 35 physicians first thing in the morning 6 30 morning amputation and and unfortunately the hardest thing is with amputation is it's there's a stigma of failure and it's it's awful uh something has failed your here your body you lose a piece of your body and people look at you different you know and some people embrace it others don't you know that but I think that um
00:34:37
Speaker
Just that whole trust issue was hard because when we, right before surgery, I went up and met with the surgeons and went to the prosthetics company because that's really the elephant in the room, right? I mean, it's like, what am I going to be walking with? And how is this process going to start? And what am I going to do?
00:34:57
Speaker
And it was overwhelming and you have a sleeve and you have this. Then a sudden they hand you a pipe with metal foot with a rubber foot on top, basically. It just slides right on.
00:35:10
Speaker
And you're like, this is it. This is, this is my life. and This is my future. So it was really, you know, overwhelming. Like I sat there and I was like, how is this going to work out? And, um, and so I didn't want to over-focus cause I had to get through the first hurdle, uh, you know, of surgery and in all of that. But, um, but then sudden you have to trust something that when I started walking and I'm like, I remember the first steps I still the video and I was like, is this going to work? Is it break? Is it going to fall? And how am I going to fall? And, you know, all of those things.
00:35:43
Speaker
And that's where, you know, those, those first steps were really were tough. And then you kind of get used to it, but still you're, you know, all of a sudden you're, you're walking on a flat floor.
00:35:54
Speaker
hey that's easy, right? You can just go back and forth and you're good. You get outside and you have a curb and you would have the, you know, the uneven ah pavement, um, you know, sidewalks and,
00:36:05
Speaker
All of sudden you're walking along and it dips an inch or half inch or goes up an inch or half inch. And those aren't good situations, uh, at the beginning for me, cuz you know, that's, that's where you can really fall and, and, and do that and learning to navigate the balance of those, those situations.
00:36:22
Speaker
So. As I progressed and I was this progressing fast um for what I wanted to do. um There was one day that was really wild that my PT guy, um ah he was like, he had this harness on me and he those steps in the gym that you can build up in this, you know, steps up for aerobics or all those kinds things.
00:36:47
Speaker
So he built it up and he was like, step over and step back, step over, step back. So it's fun back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And then he says, step up. And he threw the ball, a tennis ball up in there.
00:36:59
Speaker
So all of a sudden the tennis ball is going up there and he's like, hit it. And I stopped and I'm like, I have to trust this thing. Like, I can't, I can't land on this. I'm like, this is crazy. The guy's name was Farhad. I was like, this is insane.
00:37:13
Speaker
And so he's like, no, no, no. So he just was like, and I'm competitive. So he was like back forth, back forth. And finally I just said, okay. So I went up, smacked the tennis ball and landed.
00:37:26
Speaker
And I was like, it worked, you know, I was like, I was so excited, but in, in for an amputee, you and in what I call that is every time that you get a new foot, um, and it takes a while mechanically for your brain to, to get used to it, but at some point it becomes a part of And that was the moment that that became a part of me and I could trust it to the point where you just put it on and go, you know, and you just put it on and go.
00:37:56
Speaker
Now, whether it was fit issues and things as you progress through your, what, what you, your much maturation of your limb, but it's, you trust the process, the prosthesis. And that was a big step. I mean, that was huge when I was doing that because then I became fearless and then you go from, okay, I can exist.
Dreaming Beyond Physical Limitations
00:38:18
Speaker
to, I can go back to my daily life activities. But my ultimate goal when I talk to new amputees and that is the best scenario is, is getting people back to a point where they dare to dream again about what they want to do with their life and how they want to live their life and excuses. It's like, yeah, this is a part of it, but you still can do anything you want.
00:38:38
Speaker
So it was one of those truly dare to dream moments. And, and, and that was where trust was really interesting. Part of the journey. Yeah. Wow. um You know, one of my joys, yeah is it really aligns with what you do, but it's having gone through a number of injuries and having to come back and and learn to walk or or having, you know, a severe ankle injury and falling over many times and having to pick myself up off the ground.
00:39:07
Speaker
You know, like, what happened? I just gave out. I don't, you know, like, that's just part of my life. ah It's the willingness to I heard a definition on confidence. It's the willingness to be injured.
00:39:21
Speaker
Right. Cause you don't like, sometimes you might fall. Yeah. and ever know yeah And there's times where, yeah I mean, this is as real as it gets. I'll have a dream and I'll be dreaming that I'm running down the street.
00:39:34
Speaker
Not with the prosthesis that I'm just running. And then i don't know you ever have those dreams where you wake up and you just get out of bed and you go, And, or your mind is like, and cause you're almost living the dream when you wake up.
00:39:48
Speaker
And then I'm like, go flying into a dresser. Cause I'm like, uh, I don't have a leg, but that wasn't part of my dream, but it's kind of interesting, but, but not worrying about falling. It's like, what can I do and what can I do better in, in that? And, and, you know, ah they laugh because I was so almost neurotic about learning to walk, um, well.
00:40:12
Speaker
I never wanted to be Colin the amputee. I wanted to be Colin is an amputee. I did not want it to define me ah in terms of that, because didn't want people ah to just that's all they were going to know Colin for i because they there's i have a lot to share in life and there's there's a lot more to it.
00:40:30
Speaker
um So it was it was really interesting. So, know, I got the point and um I was at this meeting with this, these people for a non-for-profit and this woman, she was in the army p t for 34 years.
00:40:44
Speaker
thirty four years And she, I was wearing a prosthesis with dress shoes, everything. And she was saw me walking. She's like, I don't believe you're amputee. She says, I just don't believe it.
00:40:58
Speaker
And so she's like, pull your pant leg up. And I kind of jokingly said, I'm not trying to know you well enough, but you know, but she, she laughed and she's like, I just can't believe this. So, so that's always the way it's been, but yeah, I wear shorts and wear my prosthesis and I never worry about it. but Getting away from the point of ah of that, but not living in fear of falling, but living to dare to dream again and to get my life back. And that was the whole thing. i was going to take one more step. I didn't care. I was so tired of sitting.
00:41:29
Speaker
I was so tired of PT. I was like, man, I'm going to get my life back. I want it today. and And there was a lot of struggles with it, but. Once you don't live in fear of something like that and you just, you know, there's going to be, as I've referred to them as bad hair days, you're going to have bad hair days. We all do. No matter, know, with a limb or without a limb, you know, we have those things. And, you know, at the early part, I would just take my crutches and go.
00:41:54
Speaker
and my whole thing was just keep moving. Don't stop because I come across crazy. several amputees, a lot of people that just like, no, it's easier for me in a wheelchair. It's easy for me to stay on crutches, but I'm like, you're giving up on yourself and you can be mobile. You can do it. And it's hard.
00:42:12
Speaker
First year it's very hard, but if you can stick with it and and tell people all the time, I'll walk with you as many steps as you need me to, because I will get you to walk. And, uh, and so it's really an amazing thing of, of people you meet. And I was, uh, in physical therapy and stroke patients and everyone's trying to build back and, and really so many great lessons for that part, uh, for sure.
00:42:35
Speaker
I, a couple episodes ago, I spoke with a woman who she, she was actually hit by a drunk driver. Um, she was in a wheelchair paralyzed for 10 years and eventually trained herself to walk again.
00:42:47
Speaker
Yeah. And she was going through some of the time, but it was this, I'm going to heal myself. I'm going, like, I'm going, like, she believed it and of yeah eventually made it happen and just nursing her body from all the atrophy.
00:43:04
Speaker
but like That was probably one of the hardest parts was to start using my muscles again after you know significant loss, but just that belief in themselves to to get there and to know that you
Finding Happiness After Loss
00:43:15
Speaker
can do it. It's just an empowering attitude to have and sort of share with others that you can look forward again and dare to dream, which is just a wonderful thing to say, but you got got a lot of life left.
00:43:30
Speaker
Yeah. And I think there's one other piece. i always kind of look at it and I tell people because when they, when they have loss or they, they've had trauma in their lives, it's okay to be happy.
00:43:41
Speaker
It's okay to wanna be happy. It's okay to wanna be positive because I think that we get, we all of sudden get saddled with guilt or, you know, just the, the press and, and things like that. But it it's like,
00:43:56
Speaker
Now it's, it's okay to be happy. It's okay to go live your life after someone passes. It's okay to go do those things and, and, and, and and move forward in your life. And I remember one of the most powerful stories in my life, and I don't know if anything can top this. And three days before my mom passed, I didn't know was three days, but, yeah you know, after the fact I knew, but she, um,
00:44:20
Speaker
And it wasn't not a good day and she had been sliding. She was back in the hospital and it was only a number of days or there's a little bit of time left. So ah anyone who knows the DC area, um, and where Sibley hospital is it's on low borough, um, road and it is a steep hill.
00:44:38
Speaker
And so they were doing construction at the the hospital and building a new, you know, tower and all this kind of stuff. And they probably had 30 parking spots. So of course I can't get a parking spot. And I had just had surgery. So I was on crutches.
00:44:51
Speaker
So I had to park on town, the bottom low barrow, go up low barrow on crutches. and um And then I went up to see her. And so she looks had to come in and she's very stern and that that's not like her.
00:45:03
Speaker
And she said, I sit down and I'm huffing and puffing because that was that was a quite a workout. And she says to me, i she said, what are you going do when I'm gone?
00:45:15
Speaker
How are you going to put your life together? How are you going to move forward? There's a giant void coming. She said, you've been taking care of me for six years. You've done everything.
00:45:25
Speaker
How are you going to move? How are you going to build your life back? Because you're going to have to build your life back. And you're so intertwined in my day and helping me that you don't see it. But, and she's like, it's going to be a big pothole. And so I need you, you know, to think about that.
00:45:44
Speaker
So I started to talk and she said, no, no, again, I want to go back and think about it and come back tomorrow and talk. So went back the next day and it was one of the most prolific, most amazing conversations of my life. And for someone that close to dying, worrying, being so selfless and worrying about me and my moving my life forward.
00:46:06
Speaker
um And it was it was amazing. though So many tears in that because you know all of a sudden you realize this is going to be over soon. you're You're doing everything to keep someone alive. And like I said, when someone's sliding through your fingers and you truly love someone, it's so difficult. but But just that conversation and it was kind of reconciling for her. Cause she's like, you've gone and done so, so much.
00:46:32
Speaker
And in that, and and she's like, I just really want to work with you on this because you just really need to understand it. And, you know, she had seen her parents and in certain things and, but she's like, this journey has been a long
Lessons from Caregiving and Family Love
00:46:45
Speaker
journey. And, um,
00:46:46
Speaker
So it was amazing conversation and, um, and what I learned from that, but the power of that is also. have how many people I've been able to help, um,
00:46:59
Speaker
when this when someone's passed getting ready to pass and and really getting people to focus on themselves and understand that there is gonna be a giant void. And um you think you're ready.
00:47:10
Speaker
And sometimes it happens where you don't even know it's coming. But even when you know it's coming, um it hits you like a two by four. And you just have to be understand that. But that's all the part of of how do you fill that void? How do you take care of yourself? How do you move forward?
00:47:25
Speaker
And that, I don't know how many, I would dare to say, hundreds of people I've had this conversation with. And I think about what that lesson meant. And as I write my book, because those are the kinds of things I want to share with people because they're, they're that important, but it's also, that's her living forever. When I discuss these things, because that's who she was that day in the power of what she said to me that day. And, and now, you know, so many people, and there's a passage by, yeah Henry Scott Cannon out there about death.
00:47:56
Speaker
And it describes death in probably the best way I've ever seen in life. And it's it it it normalizes it in a sense and speak to me as if I'm there, laugh like we used to laugh, call out my name, don't be afraid to to use my name.
00:48:12
Speaker
You know, I'm just in another room, you know, we'll meet again one day, but it is one of the most powerful things. And, and I send that to people after typically too, I went to a funeral back in 1991 I don't save a lot, but I saved that program.
00:48:26
Speaker
And I've had that program on my desk every day since 1991. And I share it and people who lose the, have lost ah someone, uh, they're like, it, it just explains it and normalize it. And then you start talking to people about.
00:48:42
Speaker
that void and and building back and how you build back. And for me, it's getting people to go back to the things that feed their soul. And it's those activities and tomato therapy and all these things that, that I write about and talk about. But, but that was, um, that was one of the most amazing things, but to have someone in my life.
00:49:02
Speaker
kind of mentor me in that sense. And people are like, oh, you got to take care of a parent. If you open yourself up when someone's not well, or you have to be ah caregiver and you have to deal with it, if you can allow the business side and the frustration side and that side of, you it's affecting my life and all of that.
00:49:25
Speaker
Again, the answers come and always have a good plan. But when you open yourself up, on a different level and you truly love someone and they sense that you're there and it's not a burden and you, you, you are there 110%.
00:49:40
Speaker
ah hundred and ten percent It's elevates a level of love and ah and transcends into a level of love that is incredibly powerful. And it may be the the most powerful thing that i've I've pulled out of it because when you're in those situations, you know, i we've not been in those situations other than when we were born, yeah you needed someone's help, right? And and to until you were moving, but now it's kind of reversed.
00:50:07
Speaker
And when people know they're there and that you love them, and they're not a burden and he the friendships and the conversations and the things that come out of it don't be afraid of that and and and you know sometimes it is difficult but if you always have a plan but you can't make them feel guilty for being in that situation sick or older or or hurt you know and in terms of it but Boy, if you open out yourself up to that level, it is one of the most giving parts of your life. And no matter what you've had to sacrifice, you talk about healing, you talk about moving your life forward.
00:50:44
Speaker
You talk about, you will carry that wisdom and you'll carry that sense of satisfaction and that sense of love. And it will help you and galvanize you for things that happen in the future and will be one of the greatest gifts in life that you'll ever get.
00:51:04
Speaker
Colin, I don't really want to talk. The beautiful message that you just said, but you know I often tell people love heals. There's a profoundness and a depth to the level of love that you just shared in that experience and story with your mom that allowed for the openness and completion of that relationship in some sense, but you know it's ongoing.
00:51:30
Speaker
I'm not sure how many episodes you've seen with this podcast, but the soul is another in another room. Like you can you can continue that relationship. Right.
00:51:40
Speaker
But just that love that that you can truly heal from and carry forward and and bring that into all your other relationships as you move forward. Exactly. And then, and then really what it is, we've been so front-end loaded with taking care of people and, and, and losing people.
00:52:00
Speaker
And now I see so many friends who are losing grandparents or parents and, and that, but boy, yeah what you can do to help them um now in terms of just that, that understanding and,
00:52:11
Speaker
and, and getting over those levels of frustration. And, ah you know, it is hard. You have people with Alzheimer's and things like that. And it's, it's not my parent anymore. And, but it is your parent, you know, and another great story. My father, he had cancer and, um, I dropped him off when I was a senior in college and he was there and, uh, he was, couldn't look at me and he was crying. So he was like,
00:52:39
Speaker
I knew something wasn't right when I dropped him off, but I didn't realize how sick he was. Um, and then hadn't felt well during the holidays and all that. But so we, we get there and and then all a sudden they're like, he's losing weight rapidly, rapidly, rapidly.
00:52:55
Speaker
And so my mom calls me and she's like, you need to come home. You know, he's lost 85 pounds and he has cancer and that's a very rare form of cancer. So, um and so I got there and my brother's like, Hey, you need to be ready for this. And, and nothing could have prepared me. And you know, what, what happened that, that night. And, and when I saw him, I almost didn't recognize him, you know, in terms of that. And because he, he just had never seen something quite like that.
00:53:24
Speaker
And, um, and so it was great. So the next day i come in and he's like, you're still nervous to be around me. And he said, so I want you to shave me. And, uh, with a straight razor and he hadn't been shaved in three weeks, you know, type thing.
00:53:40
Speaker
And, um, And I was like, oh, you gotta be kidding me. You know, I just, it was a sunken face and, you know, but this is the way my dad taught. And so i I was just about done. And he said, you know, I wanted what, uh, why I wanted you to do this is he said, because want you remember you're still, I'm still your dad and I'm still the same person.
00:54:04
Speaker
It doesn't matter how I look. It doesn't matter or what is different. My heart's still the same. You're still the same. That's I want you to always remember that and focus on that.
00:54:15
Speaker
And he said, and again, you make people feel comfortable. And he said, now I see that you're comfortable. Then I can talk and open up and and do those things. So things like that, you know, again, you just, you just won't forget. So.
00:54:28
Speaker
you know, it' suicide and seeing my sister, you know, going in after a gunshot wound to her head and and all of those things, as traumatic as they were, the ah the learning and the lessons that I carry from each and every situation. and And we finally left her in New Orleans because it just, we're on death watch forever.
00:54:48
Speaker
And being able to walk away at that point because she wasn't going to come back by any stretch and, and learning to be okay with that. But it's just, all these things have been, you know, I have no regrets. I mean, it's, has there been ah tremendous amount of hurt and, and that, oh, heck yeah.
00:55:06
Speaker
But I don't regret anything because it's part of who I am and the lessons and a lot of hurdles, but life is
Resilience and Positivity Through Adversity
00:55:13
Speaker
great too. and and And you got to love life and you got to appreciate life and you got to nurture life because it's a gift every single day.
00:55:20
Speaker
And no matter if you get back down, you just got to say, hey, I'm going to dust myself off and I'm going to get back up and I'm going to live. And I'm good to myself and, and you're gonna carry yourself forward and in ah in a positive way and learn from these experiences.
00:55:33
Speaker
And that that's what I've done. So it's, it's just, yeah, it's something special. Colin, when is the book coming out and where can people find you?
Colin's Upcoming Book and Online Presence
00:55:44
Speaker
Daily dose of positivity. Yeah, I appreciate that. Yeah, the book is is is all the lessons um that I've learned. So it goes through all the tragedy and when I speak and and that people tend to cry because they're like,
00:55:57
Speaker
that this is a lot, but you need to read it because it's raw and real. And so my job is to be vulnerable to teach because when you're vulnerable, you're honest with people and you open up and and people trust that and you pull people right in.
00:56:11
Speaker
So the book has been amazing. It's been a while. um I'm about, want to say 85% Um, I'm in the last big chapter, cuz it's, it's, it's, and that's, I just woke up from surgery of losing a limb, but I'll be able to move quickly through that. And then it's just the lessons I learned. Some of the things we talked about today.
00:56:30
Speaker
Um, because I want, I don't want it to be about me. I want it to be about the lessons I learned that can help you when you face adversity or you have to build back from lost. And then, you know, every, I have a website, it's ColinQPots.com.
00:56:43
Speaker
And then all over social media, ah Instagram, you know, Facebook, ah LinkedIn, everywhere, it's ColinQPots. And it's just... different ways of looking at things. And sometimes it's quotes and sometimes it's just me wanting to talk about something, but I have positivity Wednesday, which is really and thing I'm I love the most because it's started that 20 something years ago with some friends and I always hated hump day because we're going to slide down to the back of the week and we're just going to do the middle of it.
00:57:16
Speaker
I counted for the seven, you know, on a Friday, but really to re-energize because you're selling yourself short, you know, in the sense that if you finish strong and be proud and want to learn and, and, and feel good about yourself and in terms of it. So, so we started with positivity Wednesday and, um,
00:57:34
Speaker
It started with five friends and now the email goes to multi thousands of people. And then it's just all over social media and be able to send it to 10 people in this. So if you go on the website, you can sign up for that. And then you can read the whole story. Cause I really glossed over a lot of it because I, I, I love the questions more of how we can.
00:57:53
Speaker
People can learn, you know, from the experiences, but I could have probably gone on for another hour, but but it's a lot of
The Power of Positivity and Giving Hope
00:58:00
Speaker
fun. And I just want you to understand what the power of positivity and, and believe in yourself and, and know that I promise you, if you have the right mindset, you can get through.
00:58:11
Speaker
anything and overcome any adversity and and just, you know, make sure you take good care of yourselves and make sure you, you, you, you deal with issues and, and don't bury them and, and make sure you get help and, and always raise your hand and, um, just never, ever give up and, and just try to live your best life. But by doing that, it's believing in yourself and,
00:58:33
Speaker
And that's a really powerful thing. And when we fall off, it's, it's because we stopped believing in ourselves and, and that. So there's a lot of lessons and a lot to share, and I can't wait to do it more. And my five-year-old goal is to be really speaking at Nat Stadium because there's just so much I want to do. And It changed the world in that way. And, and the last thing is I always say is, ah you know, I wake up every day and the very first thing I say to myself is I want to give one person hope. So if I can do that, it's a great day for me. And and that's how I try to live my life. on
00:59:07
Speaker
And most of all, you know, it's, it's just, it's, it's a mindset for me. But then um in the end, you know, as I say to people, when I say goodbye to them, it's always just keep smiling, no matter what, keep smiling.
00:59:19
Speaker
Well, you have hit it out of the park today, my friend, and I hope you are speaking in Nats Park soon. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and authenticity and positivity.
00:59:32
Speaker
Oh, well, thank you again for having me. it was so neat to meet you. and And I remember just in such a quick conversation, you know, we just started connecting on so many, kind of so many topics. And I was like, it was really, really happy when you reached out and super proud to be here today. And, um and like I said, if anyone's out there and needs help, just reach out to me. And um I'm always here to to do that. And you'll get a good dose of positivity, but thanks for having today. It's, it's been a real pleasure. And getting to know you more and hopefully we can do this again at some point soon absolutely and when i met you i had no idea you were an amputee by the way really no idea yeah well that that's all part of uh the that's exactly what i what was kind of working for i wanted to acknowledge that yeah Yeah, that's great. That's good. Well, I'm not, not trying to hide it, but it's like, I, like I said, it's the one to define me and, um, you know, but it's, it's, uh, it's a large part of my journey. That's for sure. And, and that's a, that's a great thing.
01:00:30
Speaker
um Thank you, sir. And all right enjoy the rest of your day, my friend. All right. Go have a great day. Keep smiling. Enjoy your weekend. Thank you so much for tuning in today and being with us. May you find joy, flow, and adventure on your journey.
01:00:44
Speaker
And if you got something from it, please like, share, and subscribe and or comment. It means a lot. Thank you.