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Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for. Here we go. Welcome back to another Truck Talk Tuesday on the LCR Media Podcast where we talk about more than just how to stripe a lawn perfectly and how to have a profitable lawn care business, but a little more than that, like how to just be a good business owner, a good leader, a good man, a good woman, a good human being. Just overall, just good. And how to be better, how to become something more. That's kind of been the goal all this time for the LCR Media podcast and my content in events all totaled up in, in all together, honestly. But I haven't, I don't really talk about it like that that much. But in this episode, I'm just prefacing this because this is more than just striping lawns or how's the spring rush going? Here's some quick tips and you know, things like that, like how to schedule better, say no instead of yes and raise your prices. I think we've all heard a lot about that and we'll still talk about that. And that's very important, especially seasonally, all the different topics, sometimes maybe more times than, than, than more than others in, in, in the near future anyway, including this episode. There's, there's more to business and more to life than that. So I wanted to focus on today's episode. I was thinking, because I, on a rare occasion that I'm thinking about or that I'm listening to music, I was. Because normally I listen to podcasts or audiobooks or training, you know, that I've paid for in the different coaching groups and peer groups that I'm in. And I'll listen to, to different trainings on how to be a better business, how to sell better, how to speak more clearly, you know, so I can be a better speaker at my events, how I can create more impact and just ultimately improve in all the aspects of my life and business that I can. But anyway, I don't listen to music very often. So I was listening to music and there was the song from one of my favorite movies of all time, the Greatest Showman with Hugh Jackman, who, if you may or may not know, he is infamously known as playing the character Wolverine. The Marvel character, comic book character and all in the. The X Men movies and the Wolverine standalone movies. So he was in the Greatest Showman. And if you don't know what that is, it's a great movie. It's about P.T. barnum, who is the, who was the creator of Circus like the very first circus idea, the original circus. And while is loosely. The movie was loosely based on that, on his story. Just overall the movie slash storyline was to me inspirational and the main reason why I like the movie while it's a popular movie for many reasons, like it's. It's a musical, which I'm not normally a fan of musicals, but this is a pretty catchy one. You know, I found my, found my, my knee bopping a little bit here and there. Right. But that wasn't why. That's not why. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. And Hugh Jackman is. I am a fan of Hugh Jackman and Wolverine. I mean I have kids and I was a kid, but that's also not why. And you know, I'm kind of in. I don't, I don't necessarily love circuses or hate them. You know, I've been to a circus or two, you know, with. Because of our kids and you know, it is what it is. But I know there's a lot of controversy and reason and a lot of reasons why they stopped having circuses because of the, the different conditions and things that go on with that. So I'm not going to go into that whole story but. So none of those are reasons why I like that movie. The reason why I like the movie is the storyline and ultimately what to me the story is. It's about a man, P.T. barnum, that came from nothing, literally was an orphan at a young age and he did, you know, have a love, love interest. He fell in love with somebody early on. But he had a tough time throughout his life trying to figure out how to survive if just like physically, literally physically survive like getting a meal to then actually making money to then. And the other catch is the girl that he fell in love with, the little girl, you know, they had a crush on and then ultimately fell in love with when they grew up to be teenagers. But then he left to figure out life essentially. But she was rich, her family was rich. So he kind of always had that craving or desire. There you go. He always had that desire to be better than he was to prove his worth, to prove himself. He was never looked at. He was. He was always looked down at, down upon by this girl's father. Rich father as less than because of. Because he was poor and because of. Because he had no. I mean, I mean you don't really know why he looked down on him but because he was never explained. But you just assume in the movie and ultimately the care. This character, Hugh Jackman's character. He thought that, he thought that because he was poor and had nothing, that he, you know, he wasn't allowed to be around this man's daughter, you know. So now stay with me here. Just if you're still listening, trust me, there, there, there is a point, I mean if you read the title, you know, but of this episode. So anyway, so, so this, this boy has this desire to be more, to become more than what he already was, to become more than what he was as a child. To hopefully impress this girl's father and reconnect with her, you know, reconnect with her and press her father, marry her and just have live happily ever after. Right? So he doesn't exactly become rich by any means, but he grows up, becomes a man, a young man, you know, has, has a job, has some income. So he's not homeless anymore, he's not an orphan. I mean he's still an orphan, but he's not like some orphaned child begging on the streets. Essentially. He's a clean, well kept young man with somewhat of a future now. And that is what he feels is needed in his mind to reconnect with, with this girl. And so he does. And they, they run off together and get married and you know, they fall in love. They're already in love, whatever, you know, they, they get married, have kids and just start their wonderful life together. There's nothing, there's not any, anything real clear whether or not the father approved or not. I'm sure he didn't because later on in the movie you see that kind of stuff flare back up. But for, for how whatever the scenario was, it was good enough for him to go and marry his daughter. So, but what happened throughout the movie is that this little orphan boy that felt less than and had this desire to become more than, it created this fire inside of him, that of ambition that just wouldn't stop. It was relentless to the point where, you know, he created the circus, turned into this massive, huge success, you know, just, just this one circus locally, you know, this, the story in the movie doesn't go into, you know, how big the circus actually got, but just in his town, night after night, selling out these, you know, selling, selling out, making a lot of money, essentially becoming rich and then, you know, buying this amazing mansion again. All of this to kind of like prove himself to, to, to his father in law, you know, I got this big fancy house now, making all this money, you know, so on and so forth, still trying to get that approval which he never really got, unfortunately. Because one, that's the wrong way to go about it too. That father was just not, you know, he wasn't. That man wasn't really the best. He is rich and everything, but he just. He didn't have the best character. Just because you're rich doesn't mean you have great character. Just means you know how to make money. Right? Those. Those two things don't go hand in hand. There are bad. Pete. There are bad people that are rich and good people that are rich, they're just like. There are bad people that are poor and good people that are poor. But that's another topic for another episode. But. So, you know, anyway, P.T. barnum got rich. Circus was. Was a success, but he just. He didn't. He didn't stop. He just kept going and going and going with it all and just got completely caught up in the drama or the ambition of it all and how exciting it was to be so successful and make so much money. And he just kept going and going. And I'm not gonna. You know, I'm essentially giving you a pretty good summary of the movie, but I'm gonna kind of stop here with. With the details of the movie. But his ambition ultimately gets so strong or so big that it starts to destroy his life and his marriage. Right? Like, he's working all the time. Like he starts traveling, he's out of town, just pursuing these ambitious goals. For what purpose? Right? And ultimately it's because he wants to become more and he's got this. This ambition and fire inside him that kind of started for the wrong reasons, but it allowed him to achieve great things. So what I take from this movie and why I think it is such a good movie, to me personally, it's not about the fact that he was sad and was searching for something that was always inside him and how his wife never needed any of those things. She just needed and wanted him. He didn't have to impress his wife. She was already impressed. Like, all those things are true. It's not that. That's not the point to me. And the fact that he was just constantly searching endlessly for, like I said, for something that he didn't need to search for. He had it right in front of his face. But that's not what it is for me. What it is for me is the fact that while that negative source of energy and fire and passion fueled him to achieve all of these great things, but then also almost crash and burn completely, it's the fact that he created such an impact in so many lives, doing that like, he truly made a difference. That not only in all of the people that attended, that bought tickets to the, to the circus, he. He impacted their lives, right? He gave that. He even said that in the movie at some point. Like, you know, he makes people smile, right? And that's one of the greatest. He made people smile. That's one of the greatest things, like to make someone smile. There's like a quote at the end of the movie from P.T. barnum, and it's something about making people smile. You know, it's like one of the greatest gifts you can give or something along those lines. But so even though it was. It was just purely entertainment, I mean, think of all the entertainment nowadays that we all love and, and there's different things for different people. But entertainment is definitely essential for happiness. Some peace of mind, some relaxation, rest, stress relief, connection, right? With your friends and family and loved ones, going to see a movie, going out for dinner. That's all part of entertainment. You're being entertained, you're being taken care of. Like there's all forms of that. So his circus was a way of entertaining the people that attended. They can kind of escape their reality, whatever that was. If they were struggling to get by or having problems with their marriage or their job or any of the things before they go into the circus. When they go and they buy that ticket for the circus, they know they're going to sit down for an hour or whatever it was for the show, and they're going to be transported into a whole nother world and have an hour of relief in a healthy way, right? It's not like substance abuses or any kind of addictions like gambling and things like that that can become harmful for you for all kinds of reasons. Your health, mental health, physical health, your relationships. When it's a healthy form of entertainment, like going to see a movie or going to see a show like a circus, or going out to dinner, you know, as long as you're not going broke doing it, you know, taking all your money away from your family to do those kind of things, then that's healthy forms of entertainment. So that's what the circus was, and that's what P.T. barnum created, as well as the people that were the circus crew. You know, everyone that worked for the circus and in the circus, they all had a place, they called it a home. Like the circus was filled with all kinds of outcasts, for lack of a better explanation. Like back then, you know, and even still to this day, you see someone that looks a little bit different and it catches your attention. And now, you know, we're more mature. Some of us anyway, are more mature adults that we can recognize that there's something different about that person. And let's not make fun of them for it or bring attention to it and make them feel terrible about themselves. Like, it is what it is. Okay, they got a shorter arm or a shorter leg or they walk with a limp or something's different about their face or whatever like that, you know, they, they talk different than, than the average person. Like, okay, yeah, you know, you can, I know you can observe that. Keep it to yourself. If you get to know that person, maybe it comes up in conversation, but you do it in a nice way. You don't make a big public display. Jo on June 26th and 27th in Richmond, Virginia for the Profit Accelerator live 90 people only. And I need to be honest with you about something. I could have made this a 300 person conference and make way more money. I didn't because I want to make way more impact at big conferences. It's easy to sit in the back, take notes, leave inspired, and nothing changes. That's not what this is. I want to know your name, your business, your specific roadblocks. What we're building your business framework together over two days, not teaching, theory executing. Every day you wait, your competition leaps ahead. Click the link in the episode description to save your seat. Grow your business with Toro's job management software, Horizon360. It keeps every aspect of your business organized, from scheduling to invoicing, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks. As a result, efficiency goes up and so do profit margins. Try it now with a seven month free trial. If you love it, keep it going and receive two free equipment trackers and a hat as a thank you. Click the link in the episode description and enter promo code LCR at checkout to get started. These were people in the circus that had that issue back then where they were literally outcasts. Like back then it was a lot worse. You know, people would get like beat up and burned at the stake because they had a handicapped or, you know, they're a handicap, you know, or their, their face was like, their whole body was covered in hair like Dogman, you know, or you were freakishly tall or freakishly small or freakishly big, you know, like big like, like heavy weight wise and all these different things that were seemingly outcast and not normal. PT Barnum showcased those and kind of gave them a home, gave them a family, gave them a place to be themselves, like out in the outside world, they felt shunned and, like, outcast. But in the circus, they were stars, they were celebrities, right? People came, paid money to see them, to see them perform, to just see them in general, just to look at them, whatever, like. And yes, they were laughing or they were shocked or they were scared. But at the end of the day, those people at this that worked in the circus, they felt better about themselves. Like, they felt like they were a star, a celebrity. People were going to see them. And P.T. barnum kind of made them understand that, like, don't, like, don't think about their, like, people. Because then people were cheering for them, right? Because they were doing things. They weren't just like, standing there and being, like, pointed at and laughed at. They were doing things, those performances that they were doing. And then people would cheer and clap and celebrate. So anyway, my point is, he created a whole environment that made people better. He made a difference for the people in the zoo and the people that attended the zoo, as well as for his family, right? He became rich. Now, that all crashed and burned. But the point is, he made a difference. But the problem was that it was his passion and motivation was for the wrong reasons, right? He was driven by worthlessness. He was driven by, I want to become more than I am so that I can prove this person wrong or get my revenge, you know, or I'll show them. I'll show her, or whatever. Like. And that's very common for a lot of folks to feel that way and think that way. And while that is, that does create ambition and drive, what ends up happening is you don't know when to stop. And a lot of times with business, that could be a thing, you create a business for one reason or another, whatever your reason is, you know, maybe you lost your job or this is your only job, you didn't want to get a job. You're passionate about lawn care, landscaping, so you wanted to do more with landscaping and lawn care or whatever your reason was. And I'm sure a lot of us had people tell, say that that's risky, that's not going to work. Good luck. You know, just kind of like the negative Nancy's, as we would say, right? Or call them as, as one of the, one of the terms. And maybe, you know, maybe they, they, they, you know, say this, and these people could be your friends, your family, and maybe they have the best intentions. They're worried about you. They're concerned. Like, I don't know if this is a good idea because just whatever their, whatever their False beliefs are, you know, they don't believe in lawn care or landscaping is a successful business. They don't believe in you both. But, and then that creates a lot of self doubt and then you might be even more determined to succeed and prove them wrong. Plus, you get to also get the people that are like you do. What now? What's your job? You do lawn care, what's your real job? Or why don't you get a real job? Those are some things that people unfortunately say as well. And now you kind of have that passion, that drive to prove everyone wrong. But that could also, while that motivates you and pushes you to achieve great things, it can also push you over the edge and you can crash and burn. You know, you can go too far. So how do you know when too far is too far? Well, that's essentially up to you. But I do think that there are certain things, certain, certain metrics, certain measurable actions that you can see or that, that, that you can observe that are kind of red flags. For instance, if you're in a relationship with someone and that relationship is being harmed by your ambition in your business, like you, like your, your, the person, your partner in your relationship says, I feel like you're never home or you're not present when, when you are home or you're always working, you're always busy. We never spend time together, we don't spend enough time together, we hardly spend time together. All those kind of things. I feel like a single parent. I. Or they come right out and say, I feel like your business is taking you away from me or your business is separating us. You don't ever see the kids. Or maybe your kids say, you don't ever see, spend time with me. Or your kids say, can we spend time together this weekend? Maybe they don't come right out and say, you're always working, but they desperately ask you, can we spend time tomorrow? What about this weekend? And they're just constantly asking you to spend time with them, but you're too busy working because you're building something amazing in your mind, right? And you are building something amazing, most likely, but you're also destroying something amazing at the exact same time. Potentially, if you know, potentially, if you are in that boat where you felt less than you felt worthless and now you're trying to build self worth by building this epic business, whatever epic looks like for you. Size, money, all the above the way it looks. What, whatever, you know, whatever your justification, you know, I get the fancy house or all the fancy equipment or or whatever. What. Whatever it is that you think is an epic business for you, if you're doing that because deep down inside you felt less than. And you're trying to prove people. You're trying to prove your worth to people or someone specific, a lot of times it's your parent or someone else's parent. Like in the case of the Greatest Showman, that is ultimately going to end in disaster. So if that's you or if that's going to be you, I caution you and I challenge you to revisit your intentions and your purpose for doing all of this group, building this business. And are they pure? Are you disconnecting with the rest of your life just to build this legacy that you're trying to build? And I get it. It takes a lot of work. Trust me. If anyone knows, I know. But sometimes I have to check myself as well. Check myself before I wreck myself. Like, this is not. You know, I got into this business to save my life essentially for not going into my whole story again. But for those of you that know or remember, you know, but, you know, I was in retail management, retail management before this corporate America. And it. It really drained me. It really burned me out. And. And I didn't know what to do with myself. And it was. It was definitely impacting my relationship with my wife, my kids, and. And my health. Definitely my physical health, mental health and emotional health was a disaster. I was physically sick all the time. I was mentally and emotionally sick. So it was just a mess. So this business definitely saved me, gave me a second chance. That's why I wear these hats that say me 2.0. Because this is the second version. It's the version 2 of me. It's my second chance at life, and I don't want to waste it. But still, I have old habits and I have things in the past, you know, trauma from the past that bubble up, that I kind of fall back into some of my old habits and my old routines. And I have that. I have a passion, you know, I'm driven to create and to be successful and so on and so on for all of my own reasons. But I still have to check myself, too, because I. The whole point of this was to build. To build my life, to rebuild my life, right? To reconnect with my wife and my kids, not to stay disconnected or to get further disconnected. So I have to check myself as well. So just, you know, I'll end the episode here by just saying what. What are your. Ask yourself, what are your reasons for being in Business. How far is too far? When is enough enough? But do know that I am a huge fan in building big things for the right reasons. Because you impact more people. Because I've had to explain that for myself to others as well. Like, I'm not doing things I'm doing just to make money for money's sake or just to have all of this stuff or have all these businesses just, just to have all these businesses or whatever. Like, I'm not a serial entrepreneur or whatever. I'm not creating content just to create content. Like, I'm doing all these things for very specific reasons. Because I want to make impact. I want to, I want to build impactful experiences, impactful content, impactful groups, networks. I just want impact. That's what I'm very passionate about, is creating experiences, impactful experiences. But I have to continuously check myself though, right? I have to keep reminding myself of what I just told you and, and, and what this whole episode was about. So that's why I really like that movie because it's, it's also a very good reminder for myself as well of how far you can go, what you can achieve, the, all the impact you can have and how far you can actually go like, or how, and how, how you could go too far, I mean, and almost lose everything. So don't wait to that point. Just check yourself before you wreck yourself. And hopefully you guys are having a great. Guys and girls are having a great spring rush, a great spring start to the season. And you don't let it control you. You control it. Remember, time is being assigned all the time, either by default or design. So if you, if you don't have plans, if you don't have a way to control your time, like what you do throughout the day, right? You can't control time, but you can control what you do within your time. We all have the same 24 hours and it's always ticking. The time's always ticking. It's in control of itself. But you can control what you do within that time. You can assign your time by design, like, okay, this is what I'm gonna do today. And just do the best you can to write down your prior to list your priorities instead of prioritizing your list. Don't write a bunch of stuff down and then try and prioritize within that list. It gets overwhelming. Just write down your priorities like, okay, I'm going to list the things that are a priority for me today or for this week, for this month, for this year. I mean, start, start out far, you know, Zoom out and then zoom back in. You know, like, what are my goals for the month or the year? And then zoom into what's it look like weekly? What's it look like daily? What's that look like hourly? Now you're assigning your time by design versus just letting it happen on its own. You know, going on your phone and getting consumed with all of the notifications on your phone and, and not actually having time set aside for that. Like, okay, it's lunchtime, I'll have lunch, I'll look through my phone, make sure I didn't miss anything important. Go scroll through social media maybe for a short amount of time. Give yourself boundaries, give yourself limitations so you don't get sucked in and then by default an hour or two has gone by and you've accomplished nothing but doom scrolling or whatever that, whatever the thing is. So don't get lost in that sauce while you are going through the spring rush because it can definitely take hold of you. And before you know it, you don't know what the heck, what just happened the last couple of months and you're burned out and you still have however many more months left in the, in the season and your family is the one that's suffering the most out of all of that and you're like, man, I don't. What did I miss? Stuff like I don't even know what's going on. So hopefully that's not you and you can, you can stay focused and design your, your design, assign your time by design. So wish you wish you all the best. Thanks to Toro company for sponsoring the LCA Media podcast and thank you for listening to all of you for listening to this episode. If you got all the way to the end, you're a real one. DM me Greatest showman. And then I'll know you or email me. The email is in the episode description. Greatest showman. And then I know you're a real one and you stay till the end of the episode. So. So thank you and you will have hopefully a better chance at succeeding because I share as valuable of lessons as I can in life and hopefully you get value from it as well. So. But if not, at least you stayed around to listen to it. I'm gonna get back to work. Hopefully you are all as well or working while you're listening and I will catch you guys on the next episode. This has been an lcr media and Mr. Producer production.