Christmas in July

0:00 This program is designed to provide general information with regards to the subject matters covered. This information is given with the understanding that neither the hosts, guests, sponsors, or station are engaged in rendering any specific and personal medical, financial, legal counseling, professional service, or any advice. You should seek the services of competent professionals before applying or trying any suggested ideas. Hey, folks, thanks for joining us today. You know, so often in our lives we find ourselves doing things that we really don't enjoy, whether it's the job that we have or whatever that happens to be. And yet ultimately there are so many things that we can do to be happy, to experience joy.

0:48 I'm really pleased today. I've got a good friend that I've known through years that has gone through some really fascinating experiences near death, and here he is now writing children's books and trying the best that he can to give back and help children to understand the values that are so important for a life of success and happiness and joy. So I hope you will join us today, and I think you're going to just find the whole discussion very fascinating. At the end of the day. It's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. It's about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It's about what you've given back.

1:33 Denzel Washington, Welcome to inspire vision. Our sole purpose is to elevate the lives of others and to inspire you to do the same. Craig, how are you doing good? I'm doing good, dog, it's been. It's great to see you again. Well it is, and you know, I don't think the folks realize, but we've known each other for years years. Yeah, and I should have said alohawk because I'm officially in Hawaii. That was the attire. Yeah, it's it's been. I mean, the last time you and I talked was in I think when you were living in Highland or I'll find somewhere in that area, I think. So, yeah, I was, yeah, I was up in Draper, but it was that's right, that's right, you're right Draper. Sorry, see I've already forgotten.

2:17 This is what happens with old age. Well, but you know what, you have quite a fascinating story. And when we knew each other what were you doing when we knew each other? I was the CEO of a financial playing firm. Uh, and we I mean, we had clients all over the country, and I was I was massively immersed in on the national scale with with a board for that industry, and was just flying back and forth across the country and spending time in DC and New York and and yeah, I kind of got burned out. I burnt out is the wrong word.

2:59 I realized that I had achieved what I needed to achieve there, and my partners said, what if we buy you out? And I thought, I kind of like that idea, So I took him up on it. And uh, and now I'm I'm officially unofficially officially retired. Well, and you know what's interesting. I mean, I talk a lot about how adventurous such an important part of people's lives. And you you, you did what you did, you accomplished it. You felt like he didn't really need anything else as far as purpose goes for what you were doing. And so tell the audience what did you do? Because this is fascinating. Well, you know, it's one of those stories. You know, I had a good friend here visiting it, not long ago. You might know. I all mentioned his name just because I didn't say I would. But he lives there in the not too far from where you used to live. And he said, Craig, you're actually one of the few people I've ever known that said you were going to do something and then you went and did it. And what he's referring to is when I sold my share in the company, I basically said, you know what, I've got to do something completely different.

4:16 I had been diagnosed with a pretty rough illness and they didn't give me long to live. And when I survived that, through every miracle you could possibly imagine, I said, that's it. This is you know, God is telling me that I need to be moving forward. And so I sold my interests in the business. I sold my home and there in Utah, got rid of my cars, sold my furniture, and packed up and bought a little place, a little farm here in Hawaii on the Big Island. And now I'm growing my own food, and I've got solar power, and I'm writing children's books. And what got you writing children's books? I've only interviewed one other personal lady that has written some amazing children's books. And you know when when you contacted me and it's fact, Okay, I'm going to send you these children's books, and I'm gone, what on earth from me that I knew that managed financial stuff to writing children's books? What was the motivation?

5:23 What was the inspiration? Well, you know, from from the time I was a little kid, I was given my what my grandmother said and my parents said, the gift of gab. I guess you could say, the ability to spend a good yarn uh and uh. And I just love telling stories. And as I got into my profession, as I got older, I realized that those I would tell stories all the time to help my clients understand the concepts of finance, which sometimes can be quite complicated. So I started using stories, and the stories would catch on and they would reson and later, you know, as the years went on, my clients would share those same stories with their kids, and I ended up with like two and three generations of clients that would come back to me and repeat or regurgitate.

6:12 Now, you know, mom and dad or grandma and grandpa told me the story about how we don't want to kill our soldiers would refer to their dollar bills as being soldiers, and you don't want to kill your soldiers off. You want them to work for you, right, And began to realize the anecdote stuck with people, and this simpler I made the story, the more it would resonate. And I thought, you know, we need to start teaching kids at a younger age, and all the stories that I remember growing up stuck with me. And so it just kind of it doesn't make sense, but yet it kind of does that jump to children's stories because I thought, gee, I want to share stories that resonate with children and stick with them, that have a good purpose, you know, that have a good a good ending, or you know, a good storyline. And so that was kind of my impetus to jump to writing children's books, which is such a far cry from what I was doing. And you've won some awards right with your books. Shockingly enough, Yeah, I didn't set out to win awards. But I ran across an author and he said, you know, you really ought to submit your books to these different book fairs and contests and conferences and things. And I thought, well, it's okay, you know, I'll give that a shot. And so I submitted to a few and and got a couple like honorable mentions. In other words, we got your book. It was better than a lot that we had. So here's honorable mention. That was kind of interesting. And so I submitted it to a few more, and lo and behold, I ended up winning a couple

7:45 and it was a finalist in a couple. And now I've now I can actually say that I'm an international multi award winning children's author, which that's great, just amazing, amazing dream. You know, we're going to talk about that. But before we started the show, you and I were talking a little bit and you were sharing how you overcame that life threatening disease that you had. And we don't have to go into it too much, but I find it fascinating. And I see this a lot, as you know, I have a background in a medicine and dentistry so forth. But but what you were sharing with man, I'd like you to go into it a little bit more if you don't mind, If you don't want to do, that's fine, but I'm happy to share. You know. The question is, in fact, I've experienced this too. You know, you get on certain medicines for whatever is you're getting a little bit older, and all of a sudden they're working against each other, and all of a sudden you're having symptomology that is really not what you want to have, and yet here you are completely doing well from that life threatening disease. What went on and how did it ultimately had better? You know, it was just I, you know, I'll explain it this way. So you know, I started, uh realizing that I wasn't feeling very good, and and one day just about passed out. My heart rate had dropped to almost forty beats a minute, and

9:20 I was starting to lose consciousness. And my wife, I don't know how she did this because she's only five foot three, you know pounds, and I'm six I'm six one and and you know, two hundred plus pounds. And she got me to the car and drove me to the hospital, and they said, you know, he's his body shutting down, he's you know, shutting down. And so anyway, uh, fast forward, they were, you know, putting me on a regiment of things that were treatments that were gonna hopefully, you know, quote quote hopefully helped me. And uh I got a diagnose from this from the doctor after about a month and a half of tasks that I had anywhere from six to nine months to live.

10:07 And that was because in tight that's a that's a sobering topic. That's a sobering yeah, and uh and I went, well, okay, there it is. So they got more aggressive with their treatments and and all of a sudden, I wasn't getting better. I was actually getting worse progressively faster, and I think I dropped down to about one hundred and seventy eight pounds and wasn't able to eat hardly anything, had lost my appetite, uh, you know, writing on the wall kind of a thing. And my cute wife, she was a medical assistant background, and she was looking up all the prescriptions and everything they were given me and went back to the doctors and she said, I've done this research on these. I hope you don't mind, but it seems like some of the medication you're you're giving him is actually fighting other medication that you're giving in so and that seems to be the case.

11:05 And the doctors kind of looked at everything because I had like three different doctors at that point in time. I had my general practitioner and then I had two specialists that I was saying, and they were all prescribing right based upon how they were looking at my illness. And sure enough, they said, you know what, that makes a lot of sense. We've we've seen that happen in the past with these kinds of cases. So they changed my regiment of prescriptions, and literally within six months, I had a complete recession of the illness, not while I take the back, not a complete recession, but I was getting better and and you know, changed my lifestyle, changed my eating habits, changed kind of everything really, and which ultimately led to me moving to Hawaii and and got me kind of out of death doorstep.

11:58 And now here we are four years later, and I'm as healthy as I've ever been, in better shape than I've ever been, uh, you know, giving my age. But it's shocking, it's it's truly shocking, and and somewhat of a miracle, I'll be I had a lot of prayers. I had a lot of people praying for me, people I didn't even know, and that to me was also somewhat overwhelming. You know, I come from a small community in Kentucky, and uh, and by the time things had culminated, every church every denomination had offered, you know, prayers, and I was like, I don't even know these people. I didn't even know these people, So you know, I would have to say there was a lot of positive influence coming my way and for that I will be eternally grateful. So yeah, yeah, And it isn't interesting how whether you want to kill up prayers or or you know, the meditation, healing and all of that type of thing. When people gathered together and their energy is tapping into whatever to heal someone or to help someone to do better, it's amazing.

13:13 We call them miracles, and yet here you are. But what fascinates me is that you moved from something you were doing into a whole ideal type of place to live with your property and your house and so forth. And has it changed your Has it changed your perspective on life to make those changes? Oh? Absolutely. Things that I used to get so worked up about and so tied about all of a sudden kind of melted away. And I almost think that was part of the healing process as well, when I became less concerned with what was going on in the world and the microcosms that people get caught up in, and you know that the headbetting that goes on in our in our social media life now and I kind of removed myself from a lot of that. The stress and the anxiety, uh and and at times the just cheer frustration of life in general kind of melted away. Uh.

14:20 You know. I I began to realize that that frenetic pace that I was living was as just as much detrimental to my life as as as any as the illness that I was fighting. Uh. And now I just say that I'm a truly at peace is an understatement. I am truly at peace. I love being out here working in my garden. I've got I'm growing limes and valencia oranges and tangerines, pineap I got pineapples, I got a little banana guh, you know. And I'm just I'm just loving it. I I just have thoroughly enjoyed it. And I'm relaxed, more relaxed now than I've ever been. I go to sleep about that quick when I go to bed at night, and I wake up in the morning and I'm ready to go, and it's it is. It's it's been. It's been. It's been a true miracle. It's been a true inspiration to myself. So you know, and you mentioned it, it's so true. I mean, there's been a lot of studies now that medically that shows that stress, anxiety, all of those things are absolutely detrimental to individual's health to the point that they experienced all sorts of different things. And I think we've all gone through that to a point. So you're you're not a coach, You're you know, you're not a psychologist. But but if you're going to if you were going

15:50 to talk to people who are feeling stress and are feeling anxiety and are just really not experiencing the joy of life, what would you say to them? This is going to sound so trite, but you you've almost got to find a happy place, a place of refuge. And whether that's a city park, whether that's a room in your home, whether that's reading a good book, whether that's you know, driving down the road. Me you know, I find solace. I have a Harley Davidson, So I would jump on my motorcycle and just get out on a loan byway somewhere where there were just not a lot. Now it's it's my property here, but you've got to find some place that you can find true respite, true true relaxation, someplace where you can just go, Okay, I'm taking this moment for myself.

16:51 And then you've got to start removing. You've got to start removing the obstacles in your life that are in the way of that. Uh. You know, there are toxic people all around us in this world, and they've become more toxic. And that could be a close friend, that could be co workers, that could be family members. Even can also add to toxicity in your life. And I would say, you've got to start saying, all right, you know I love you, but you know I can only take this much and then I have to be done for today or and you know what, that is so tough to do, but it is so true.

17:32 I remember in my own personal life, I had to separate from a family member for a while just because they were impinging on some important things in my life. And you know, it's it's fascinating how people the fear of doing that can be so great that they continue to experience the negativity in their life and the stress and all of those types of things. And all they have all they have to do is number one, be aware that that's what's going on. That's the first thing. Yeah, But number two, being courageous enough to really delve into it and make tough decisions. And you know what, that is not easy. So here you are, you're living the life in Hawaii, and all of a sudden you're starting to write these children's books.

18:23 Okay, so that's fun. You know, it's fun, you're writing your books and so forth. But overall, what is the purpose? What do you find is within that heart of yours? Is the purpose of why you decided to actually write the books in the children's books rather than just telling stories the way you used to. I think something that could be passed on, something that's a bit more permanent than a word of mouth gets lost over time, as you and I both know, And so I decided, you know, I think I've got some good story from my years of experience and travel, from my personal experiences. And that's what these these first two books are. They're they're from my travels and from my personal experiences as a youth, that that that I felt would stick with people, that had a viable meaning, that would encourage uh. And that's I think that's what I really wanted to do. With my writing, as I wanted to be very encouraging and very positive. Have you know good you have some good values that need to be conveyed, which I think we're losing at a rapid pace in our current world. Um, and just kind of reminders really, I mean written word reminders that that something that that a small child can pick up because small children are are so coachable and their minds are so much like a sponge.

19:51 They just absorb everything around them. So for me as a child, you know, my dad left when I was fairly young and it wasn't really in my life, and my grandparents raised me and they were always very encouraging and they they stepped in and provided me some guidance that I may have not normally gotten in a single family home. And so I wanted to convey that and push that forward. I turned to books at a young age. I turned to stories at a young age. You know, I read the Robin Hoods and I you know, I read the Edgar Ice Burrows, the Tarzans and the John Carter of Mars and you know, I read all of those books and just got completely at prolesque buck a Good Earth and just my reading as it was a way for me to escape the struggles of my reality. And I've turned here, I am, you know, through a professional career, and I'm going that's what got me to that point where I became successful is that I found I found solace in reading, and I found direction in reading, and I found people that I had to overcome tremendous obstacles to pursue their dream and to pursue what they envisioned for themselves. And and so I just want to perpetuate that, and I want to continue that, and I want to be the next, you know, generation of authors that provide that value in that story and that encouragement to readers, just like I was when you know, you know, And it's really interesting, as you mentioned, I

21:22 think the kids now in many cases are really struggling, the young people, and a lot of it has to do with well, we won't go into that, but they really are struggling. What's interesting to me, and I've you know, I've been doing some very interesting studies. One of the things that has come up that I think is so true is that what we experienced in their life is really based on all of our experiences in childhood. Um, you know, it's all those subconscious beliefs that we've developed and so forth, it's our eats a perception. And therefore, you know, you and I, You and I could be standing in front of one person and they could say something to you, and they could say something to me, and if you are that happy, go lucky, you know, smiling kind of person, and I'm one that's kind of frustrated, and so forth, we're going to take that same comment and you're going to go, oh, it wasn't that lovely, And I'm going to go there just criticizing ye, And it's only it's only yeah, it's a perspective and perception. And it's so true with our children now that you know they're they're seeing so much on as you mentioned, social media, and they're being told so many things, and guess what, they're developing a perception based on what they're hearing. So I love the fact that you're your goal is to try to teach these kids that they would just read, try to teach them some of these little subtleties of

22:57 goodness and kindness and love and all of that that perhaps will affect them in a very positive way so that when they grow up and start to experience life in general, they're perception will be such that they're really experiencing a life of joy and happiness, right and realizing and recognizing that that. You know, if you really, if you base your success or what you think is success on what social media or what the current world portrays, you're going to be chasing. It's like a dog chasing his tail. You'll never catch it because because what is being projected as success and happiness and stability and all these things that is being projected in the world of social media and our mainstream media, it's impossible to keep up with. You can't ever catch that. So if you can find some core values for yourself when those difficult times and trying times in your life and those challenges come, and they will come, you'll have a better basis of a way to overcome them. And that's what reading at a young age did for me, is that it allowed me to go back and say, well, you know, I remember when King Arthur was struggling really bad and things were falling apart. Now, granted, at the end of that story it didn't work out too well for him. He didn't win.

24:22 He actually ended up losing basically everything. But that story continue to resonate through the centuries to a point where me, as a young child, said, but he still dreamed. He still dreamed of something better than what was available at the time. And I think we've got to teach kids to dream again. We've got to teach them to stay focused on their expectations and not what the world expects, because that's that's a that's a that's a non attainable goal. Well, and what would he you know? You talk about values, and based on what you have experienced, in what you observed, what would you say you're some of those important values that our children need to learn, and hopefully our parents are able to teach them in a positive way.

25:14 Failure is okay, Number one. It is okay to fall flat on your face. And in fact, I used to tell my kids all the time, it doesn't matter how many times you fail, that's okay. As long as you learn something from every single failure, then the next time you'll know what to overcome. Well, and you know that. And that's interesting because so many children are brought up thinking that they're failure is they're no good, you know, and that that belief has affected so many people in their lives. And yet, as you say, to understand that failure isn't a failure, it's an experience that helps us to grow. Right. I mean, I still get invited to lecture at universities, and I still lecture at you VU every quarter or every semester. Still, and I tell the kids, the best thing you can do is go out and fail. That's the best thing I could best advice I can give you is go out and fall flat on your face, because you will learn more in that failure than every success you'll ever have. It really doesn't matter. And it's okay to stumble, and it's okay pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and say, okay, what did I learn just now? I learned that okay. And a lot of times is totally out of your hands that that failure occurs. But many times is just subtle, subtle things about us that if we realize,

26:45 wow, I've got to change this because what I did there is probably contributing to the failure. So if I can change that approach, and you know, having the ability to do that, and as you say, you know, we're so broad up in a community and a concept of failure and sin and all of that and guilt and shame, when, as you're talking about it, if we look at it from a different perspective and perception of you know what this I am so grateful for this experience because look what I've learned, And so the next time I'm going to do this, I'm going to do better. Yeah, exactly, exactly. I just I can't speak enough about that. I really can't. I mean, I think if I were to do a whole, if I were to do any coaching at all, it would be, oh, you fill today, Great, what did you learn? You know, that's awesome? What did you learn? And if we start changing the perception of failure being this end all, be all, and it's going to be what breaks people to that just didn't work this time?

27:55 Okay, And be willing, like you said, be willing to look at yourself and say, all right, how can I improve me? How can I improve me? So that the next time I recognize one of the things I was really bad at a younger was asking for help. I was really really bad. I felt like I had to do everything myself, that all great ideas originated in me, and therefore, you know, it was all on me for everything. And once I realized through failure that it's good to ask people for help, it's okay to ask questions, I became a nuisance because I started asking a lot. I would find the most successful people I could find, and whatever it was I was trying to accomplish and say, you know, I did this at high school, and I highly recommend this. I would find someone that I really thought was truly successful and I would call him up. I'd call their office and talk to the secretary.

28:52 I'm a high school student. Da da, da da. This is what I'm doing. I would really love to take so and so to lunch if he'd be willing on me. I'll pay for the lunch because I know as time is valuable. And I would go take these people to lunch and sit down with them, and I'll tell you what I think. I rarely paid for lunch, I really believe. I can't remember how many times I had and I would ask questions. And invariably, what I learned through asking these successful people questions was they all failed, and they all felt like they had made massive mistakes, and they all felt like they weren't good enough, and that commonality just helped me along, and they would always offer say have you read this, or have you read this? Or you know, have you researched this? And then they turned me into a knowledge hound for lack of a better explanation to where I was seeking out and wanting to find. You know, what were they reading, what were they doing? You know, what time did they get up in the morning, what time did they go bed at night? Were they focusing their time and attention? How did they take time off? And invariably a lot of that sculpted who I eventually ended up becoming. And and it was okay, yeah, yeah, absolutely so failure one one important thing. What are some of the other values that you find we really need our children to understand for their health, determination, determination, perseverance, determination, Uh, you know, when things get difficult, if if things aren't going the way you want them to go. I find that people quit too quickly, They quit too quickly, and sometimes I'm finding

30:26 that they quit because they are afraid of failing, so they quit. It's easier to quit and walk away. And there are times when that may be the case that that's necessary. But but exhaust every opportunity. A good example, this is my friends hated playing board games with me when I was younger, hated it, especially Monopoly. Would I would it was I was worse when I was losing than when I was winning. When I was winning, it was fine. But when I was losing, I would literally go through and mortgage every single property I had to roll the diocese. If I get past, go and get two hundred dollars and put Baltic Avenue out of mortgage again. You know, I would do that, just whatever it took to get around the board one more time. I mean, ultimately I lost a lot of games, but I would. I would literally exhaust myself in the game to find out, Okay, what move do I have left? What do I have left? You know? And so I think too many people quit too quick, and I think you need to be to you know, you need to have some determination on your goals. You need to have very defined goals. Those goals need to be movable. And that's the other thing, you know, perseverance, determination and your goals need to be flexible.

31:37 Sometimes we get in these rooms and people say, where do you see yourself in five years? Where do you see those shelf continuers paint the biggest picture you possibly can. That's great, But they fail to say, all right, now, back all those goals down, what can you start doing today to meet that goal ten years from now? And they don't take the big, monstrous goal down to something that's bite sized. And that's where most people fail is they set these exorbitant goals for themselves, and when they don't meet these exorbitant goals, they quit. So their lack of determination is hampered in the fact that they've they've created too big of a goal. Well, let's start with a simple goal. All right, you have hard time getting up in the morning. Great, what time should you be getting up in the morning, Well at eight o'clock? Okay, great, you sleep until nine thirty ten o'clock, Well, all right, start setting the clock a little fifteen minutes earlier. Fifteen minutes or into the fact that you hit that goal of of eight o'clock, or you know, I get a heck of a lot earlier than net. But yeah, yeah, I mean, I mean, if if six o'clock comes around and I'm not out of it already, I feel like I've slept in. But I mean, it's incremental that didn't happen overnight. It's it's incremental, incremental victories. Small victories lead to big success. Well, there's a saying that comes to my mind, and I smile with it. It's, you know, be a little bit afraid of

33:07 what you ask for because you might get it. You might get it. And you know, it's interesting here, you were extremely successful in your business, and so forth you found a whole new adventure and a different life, which obviously you're experiencing and loving it and so forth. I think one thing I remember from years ago when I was going to business school was this concept of you know, once you've played a game and won, it's time to find a new game. Time to get a new game. Yeah, it's time to get a new game. And you know what, in our lives, we may have multiple games that we're playing. But the point is is if those games give us a sense of success and give us more importantly, a successive joy and happiness and service, you know, it makes such a difference. And you know there when you when I was younger, I was the American dream. I was chasing. I was chasing the brass key.

34:06 You know, I really was. I was whatever it took, whatever hours it took, and I paid a price for that, and you do. You pay a price for success there, don't. Don't kid yourself, you know. And for me it was it was unfortunately time away from my kids. And I would tell people, hey, you only have to work half days if you want to be successful. The first twelve hours or the second twelve hours. Now, I stole that from somebody. I can't remember exactly who it was, but I may have been Warren Buffett, actually, I think, come to mind. But my kids said, Dad, it was more like sixteen hours. Yeah. Yeah, they're probably right. You know, they're probably right, but you will pay a price, so you have to decide. I'm not that person anymore now. I love having my kids around. They love coming over and visit. When they come over and visit, everything gets gets set aside and all I do is focus on them the whole trip. And it's wonderful and it's great. But you have to be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. Well, that's true. Thing that may not be no, no, And you know what, you sent me a couple of books. I've read all of them when I first got them, when I first got them. The other day and on Holy Cow, how am I going to read these? And then I realized these are kids books. These are kids and so Pablo and his painting and you know, and this story about you, apparently about Alma almost scared Santo. Wait, you've got a new book. You've written a new book, right, No, that the Santa is the new book. That's the way it is. Okay, that's the one that just barely came out.

35:38 In fact, it's ironic because here it is July twenty fifth, we're talking, and Christmas in July, and our book just released this month, and I keep joking, well, let's get this thing out there for Christmas in July. But but yeah, Pablo, do you mind if we talk let's talk about Pablo for a second. No, no, because I find that, you know, one of the questions I was gonna asks, as you've written these books, what is really the main meaning that you're trying to portray to the children that are going to be reading these or even to the adults that maybe reading it to their children. Yeah. I think adults could probably learn from it as well, probably more. Um. Well, you know, so I went on a trip many many years ago, almost forty years ago, now not quite thirty five and I was in Mosilon, Mexico, and uh, you know, typical tourists out there doing the typical tourist thing.

36:32 And we walked by this U section that had you know, paints and souvenirs and you know, all that all that stuff you can buy in Mexico. And there was an older gentleman out in front of one of these places and he was painting plates and I was watching him and they're just these so I have one here, Yeah, I've got this. This is actually this is actually one of those Okay, okay, for those that are not listening and watching, you can see that. For those watching can see this. But you know, I was like stunned because he would whip out this painting and like minutes and in just minutes. And then as people, you know, throughout our trip there, I would stop by every day and I'd watch him for a few minutes and I would start I started kind of asking him questions when he wasn't busy, and and the story of Pablo was born from that. And I asked him, I said, well, when did you start paying? Oh? I loved as a child. I loved to draw as a child, and my mother saw that I really enjoyed drawing, and she she facilitated me meeting a local artist in our community and he took me under his wing and I had to earn my key to learn painting from him.

37:51 And over time he became this painter and he could draw. He could paint almost anything imaginable. People would come by and say, paint me on the beach and dolphins in the water, and you know, just create and he would whip it out in just minutes. I think about nine plates from the guy who was there, just because I was so enthralled by it and his story of of you know, education and respect and determination to follow his dreams to the point that he became successful and is now apprenticing, you know, a child under him to learn how to do this, and just the story captivated me and I told the story in lectures for years and would share that with people and say, here's here's an individual in Mexico that was making a very good living for himself and doing something he trotally loved and how could you not be enthralled with with that story, with that success. But he said hours, hours and hours and hours over years and years and years to perfect his skill. So Pablo the plate Painter of Mazitlan is basically that story based on that story, and how any child with a dream to achieve something if they if they follow the blueprint of that story in that book, could also achieve the success they're looking for. Well, and I think you've hit on a really key aspect doing something that you love. If you can do it the right way, you're going to be able to support yourself financially.

39:22 And yet at the same time it's no longer work. Exactly exactly that is. I mean, I loved what I did in finance, I really did. I devoured books on it, I went to lectures, I researched, I studied, I got copious numbers of licenses into copious numbers of tests. You know, yeah, really, I really enjoyed the process. I really enjoyed the whole process. And I love being able to do what I did for our clients. Uh. You know, writing, I've always loved writing. I've always loved telling stories. So really, you know, my career allowed me that expression. And when that career was no longer available to me, and I thought, well, what am I going to do now?

40:07 Right? And that's that's when I started. Any came and you know, one of the messages as you were just sharing this with Pablo, and that, Pablo, is this concept of paying it forward. Here he received a mentorship from someone. Now that he's older, being successful, he's turning around and seeking to mentor someone else. And I think that's so important, right, And he was and it was instigated by his family seeing that he had a love for something and helping, you know, giving him that little push, getting him that introduction. And I think that's where family becomes so important in a young person's life. If they've got I don't care if it's an uncle and aunt, a grandparent, a cousin, a brother or sister, mother, doesn't matter who it is. If there is someone that can help guide that that young energy into into the thing they love doing, it just makes all the world of difference today. Yeah, And it's such it's such a challenge because I mean, I grew up in a family five boys, one girl, right, and my dad basically said to us, you will all be professionals. Now he was a he was a classical voice teacher and nationally known, okay, and yet what he said to us is you will all be professionals, so business school, dentistry, MBA's, you know, whatever that happens to be, except for one brother who really took it hard

41:39 from my dad because he would keep criticizing him he didn't go to college and so forth. But guess who's who. Guess who's the wealthiest one in the family. See, there you go, there you go. So there. You know, it's interesting how as parents, what a challenge and what a blessing it would be to identify what our children really love, what are their values, what is it that they want to do, and instead of saying no, you need to be this or you need to do that, encouraging them and helping them to discover where that they can make a good living doing the thing that they love right right and and and it's okay if you know.

42:22 And here's the other side of that. I mean, it's the fact that you know, maybe you can't make a living doing what you really love to do. So in the meantime, earn a living, you know, earn a living, but but don't put your passion away. And that happens so often. So you hear people all the time, you know, I got a degree in this or I you know, I started in the family business, or I had to get a job and started, you know, started this, But I really always wanted to be a photographer, a chef, uh, you know, whatever, whatever it is, don't hide that an artist. Don't hide that passion. Continue to pursue that passion until your your livelihood allows you to pursue the passion. Maybe it doesn't happen right away.

43:09 Colonel Sanders didn't become the founder of KFC until he was sixty five, you know, being a Kentucky boy, that's a story. I grew up with well selling chicken on the side of a road, and you know, and it's so challenging. I remember as I was working with clients, you know, and doing some business consulting, it was fascinating because so many people would say I hate my job. I hate my job, and I'm going, all right, what is it that you love? And they go, well, I'd like to do this. I said, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute, how about looking at your job not as your life, but as a means of allowing you to do these other things.

43:52 And the minute and again we get into perception. But the minute they changed their perception, realize that that job is giving them a lively hood that if they will just quit complaining about it and focused on the fact that it's giving them the ability to do something that they really love. What a difference that makes in their lives. Yeah, sometimes you have to you have to find an unpleasant conduit to get you through the trouble to the thing you enjoy doing. And it's you know, my grandmother used to say, and I'm gonna I'm gonna tone this down because she would say, never let shoveling manure be beneath you. And I can understand how you tell them that, now, Yeah, yeah, so and so I always took that to heart. It's like I had jobs that I absolutely hated. I hated it, but I was like, going, Okay, this is just a means to an end.

44:45 I just I got to do my job. I'm going to do it the best I can because I've committed to this job. So I'm going to shovel some manure for a while because I know at the end of the day, I'm going to get to go do the thing I really enjoy doing. And so and you have to recognize that that's okay, And to me, that's not failing, that's succeeding. You know, if you're exactly if you're able to do the thing you don't enjoy so that you can have time or the money or the resources to do the things you really do love to do. To me, that's that's success, all right. So as we're coming to a close here, Craig, we even talked about the Christmas story. Darn missed out real quick. If you could share and you can include the Christmas story in this, if you could take one minute and share a message that you would like to share to the audience, what would that be.

45:42 I am going to use the Christmas story because I think it's Germane. When I was little, and this is where the Christmas story came from, I was extremely impatient for the rewards of Christmas, extremely impatient, and in fact got to the point that my family would become exacerbated, exhausted with my attempts to catch Santa Claus. I would be up all night long, I would sneak out of my room, I would do all the things that a child that is anxious for Santa Claus to come would do. I became so impatient that I jeopardized what should have been a miraculous morning. And and and life is much like that. We become so impatient for the culmination of the thing that we want, you know, for that to happen, that sometimes we get in our way and create potential for the thing that we truly want to not take place. Amen to that, Craig, get in our own way.

46:47 Yeah, it's been so wonderful to see to reconnect. I mean, how many years, how many years has been ten? Oh gosh, Doug, I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's not the case. Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. But maybe, but this is wonderful. And and so what's your next book going to be? I'm actually working on a series that has that has been I've got a couple of series that I'm working on right now. And the one that is I'm having the most fun with is I've got a dog named Moku, and he is a He is a healer, so very a lot of energy, and we've been showing him around the island. We got him as a puppy, and so it's going to The working title right now is Moku The Adventures of a Big Island Dog adventuresan islands with all the animals and the volcanoes and the lava tubes and the ocean and everything that's wonderful. So real quick, how could people find your books? We actually, and we did this just for the show.

47:50 We actually have on our web page Craig theeauthor dot com forward slash doctor Doug Dr Doug, and we've got a special offer that if they go into that site they can get both of these books, Pablo the Plate Painter of Masilon and the Christmas I almost scared Santo away. There's there's the time. There you go. You get both books together, and we cover shipping and everything, and it's cheaper than you can get it on Amazon. Oh fantastic. Oh thank you, and folks, thanks for listening. I hope you really enjoyed this, and you know it's such an important message. So have a joyous life, find joy in what you're doing, get rid of that stress, and quite frankly, eliminate the people in your lives that are causing that stress. So thanks for listening, and we look forward to having you join us again.