Heroes in Business - Terry L. Fossum - #1 Bestselling Author, Wall Street Journal - Best Supporting Actor, Fan Favorite, 2021 Christian Film Festival

Episode Date: August 3, 2024

Terry L. Fossum is the #1 Bestselling Author on The Wall Street Journal; #2 TEDx in the world, Winner, Kicking & Screaming Survival Reality Show, Host, Award-winning Actor/Producer, World Class Keynote Speaker; Global Adventurer. TerryLFossum.com

Welcome back to Alliances Heroes, where heroes in business align. To be part of our super community and find out more about Alliances, visit www.alliances.com. That's right, and welcome back to the Alliances Show. By the way, too, I so much appreciate, again, the feedback we had on when I had the founder of E! Entertainment on. So make sure that you go to eliancer.com, that's E-L-I-A-N-C-E-R.com, and check out all the past radio interviews, including that interview too.

So I'm super excited today. Are you ready for this? We've got a very special guest, and I'm very excited about having the opportunity to interview him today. Terry Fossum. He is the number one bestselling author, Wall Street Journal. Winner of kicking and screaming survival competition on Fox Network.

And better than average international keynote speaker. You can reach him at TerryFossum.com. Once again, that's TerryLFossum.com. at TerryFossum.com. Once again, that's TerryLFossum.com, TerryLFossum.com. And we'll have a link below for those of you that are watching this video and that too. So by the way, too, I want to get started with Terry because I've got just so many questions. I'm so excited about this. Terry, welcome to the show. So glad to be here, David. Thanks for putting this on and for helping so many people around the world with this show. It's very cool.

I love it. Absolutely. And you've done so much, and you've reached so many goals. I mean, not only in one industry, but in so many different industries, everything from acting and writing. I mean, speaking, and if that wasn't enough, martial and even more like how do you do that how do you get good it's hard enough to get good at just one thing but you've been able to do it in multiple things I think one of the reasons I mean there's a lot of reasons but I think one of the reasons is I'm a geek I'm a science geek my training is I'm a mechanical engineer. So being science-based, I take a scientific approach at why do most people fail and how do some people succeed? I analyze it. I get around all the hype, smoke, and mirrors that's all around this world and apply science to performance to help people, teams, companies actually go further than they ever could.

So I just apply that to my life, whatever I'm getting into, whether it's like you said, whether it's acting or the United States military or whatever it might be. How do you go, though, about setting goals, though? I mean, it's so important to set goals. And how does even one even start? And especially when they have multiple goals. So the second part of that is, is how do you even prioritize which goals? Okay, absolutely. Great question, of course. And as far as the prioritization goes, you've got to pick your biggest one that you're going to focus on. But I don't think you have to be exclusive to that. In fact, I will go so far as to say, many people listening are going, of course, we're talking business goals. Yeah, absolutely you are. But also let's look at other goals like marital goal. How about your health? For instance, one of the things I like to do is dispel the myths on goal setting. 92% of the people that set goals fail at achieving them. 92%. And there's a reason why. 74% of the people that start a diet fail.

There's a reason why. 52% of the marriages fail. There's a reason why. And the reason why is most of what we're being taught about goal setting is either incomplete or completely wrong. And let's face it, if you can't set and achieve a goal, you cannot succeed. You can't do it. If you can't help others, this is important. If you can't help others set and achieve a goal, you can't lead. So it's important, first of all, to dispel the myths and then find what is that missing link that causes 92% of the people fail. What is that missing link? And that's just, that's what I've done. I've applied it to myself in different areas and helped other people to apply to all of theirs. How do you though go about, you know, if you have such a, you know, people like you said about diet and stuff like that, where, where are they going wrong in that process though of not even be able to meet it? Is this because it's so far out there or they have so many different goals?

How do you, where do you, can you share with us a little bit more about that? Absolutely. I would love to. Okay. Here's the deal. When I developed what I call the Oxcart technique, and that is the subject of that number one bestselling book. And it's been called the biggest advancement in the science of goal setting in recent history

by Forrest Mims III, named one of the 50 best brains in science by Discover Magazine. So again, I apply science. Prospect theory is what I base the Oxcart technique on. Prospect theory, which applied to economics, won the Nobel Prize. And what it taught us is that we will, this is important, this is critical, we will do more to avoid pain than to go toward pleasure. Let me say again, we'll do more to avoid pain than to go toward pleasure. Let me say again, we'll do more to avoid pain than to go toward pleasure. So no matter how much positive visualization we do and law of attraction and manifestation and all that, it ain't going to happen until we get through the pain of our comfort zone. And because we'll do more to avoid that, positive visualization and all that just isn't enough, which is why 92% of the people fail, which is why 50% of the marriages fail, 74% of the diets,

and on and on and on, because we're using the wrong application. We're using what's popular out there because it feels good. But I'm sorry, facts prove it doesn't work. What I teach is to focus, and this is what the Oxcar Technique helps you do, not just focus on why you want to change, why you want to reach that goal, but more importantly, why you have to. You actually create pain of what will happen if I don't reach this goal. You do that visualization, and that creates more pain than the pain of getting out of your comfort zone. So it kicks you out of that comfort zone and into your conquer zone.

You actually use your pain. You use that negative visualization to empower you. And according to Marshall Goldsmith, maybe one of the top 10 business minds in the world, it works every time because it does. So that's what I've done from the goal setting or goal achieving standpoint. Fantastic.

And again, you're watching, listening to me, David Kogan, host of the Alliances Hero Show. Make sure that you go to alliances.com also at E-L-I-A-N-C-S.com. You can click on radio to listen to this interview, also to anything that you may have missed, along with many other interviews. In fact, again, too, we have with us Terry Fossum, the number one bestselling author on Wall Street Journal. Winner, kicking and screaming on survival competition on Fox Network and better than average international keynote speaker. Make sure you go to Terry L. Fossum dot com. And that's Terry T. E. R. Y. L. Fossum. F. O that's Terry T-E-R-R-Y-L Fossum, F-O-S-S-U-M.com. In fact, you may even have a lifetime opportunity to meet Terry at one of the Alliance's experiences.

He's a member of the community. In fact, Terry, why don't you share a little bit about what it's been like to be part of the Alliance's community? What an absolute blessing. That's what it's been like. The Eliance's community is exactly that. It is a community and it's a community of people that like to help each other, that are there for each other. And because it's such a diverse community, everything from startups to people who are billionaires and everything in between. So we've got the resources. We all know in business, it's who you know, right? You can't find a better who you know than the E-Liances community. And just within the first week, quite frankly, of coming on board. In fact, I don't even think I was on board yet. I was a guest at a meeting because if you're blessed enough, you can be a guest at the meeting.

Right away, I made business connections that have made a profound impact in my life. And I'm able to help others do the same. That's what alliances is all about from my standpoint. Excellent. And if you haven't done enough yet, you even now have a new book coming out and a new keynote, and that's throw away the box, 10 criticals to or die steps to change and perhaps even save your organization. I mean, again, another thing that's going to be probably a bestseller in that. Tell us more about a sneak peek of that. Yeah, I'm so excited about this. And I'm very blessed to be giving the opening keynote at a major manufacturing conference in just a few days. Here's the deal. Whether it's

manufacturing or business or our own lives, we can no longer just think outside the box. That used to be good enough, but in today's extremely fast-changing marketplace and world, we can't do that anymore. We've got to throw away the box. We've got to come up with completely new, innovative ideas. Quick example, Sears thought outside the box. It rearranged their stores and did little things that made a difference. They felt that they were making a difference, when in truth, they were merely iterating on an equation that's becoming completely obsolete. When other companies like Amazon approached retail from a whole different standpoint and with a whole different playbook, one that Sears could have written, but instead chose to ignore. You have to throw away the box. You've got to take everything off the table, every process, every piece of equipment, every strategy, throw it on the floor, clear off the table,

throw away the table. Because if you don't throw away the box, you always have this box and the box has a gravitational pull. Every idea, every brainstorming session, everything will merely be building on what you currently have. If you throw away the box, you create an idea vacuum for new, innovative, crazy, completely out of the box ideas to fill into. Now, you can pick stuff up off the box again or off the floor again, but you start by clearing off the box. That's what Amazon did. It's now just under a $2 trillion company because they keep building new boxes, new boxes, and well, delivering a whole lot of boxes to us. So if you have an organization that wants to, that you need change, I'm the guy to help your people do it with these 10 steps. Because with these 10 steps, if you do not do one of them, you are doomed to failure.

And I've collaborated these with some of the most brilliant minds in the world, from the top people at NASA, to AI, to redoing the global food supply, and on and on and on. These are really good. You want to learn them. So be looking for that book coming out, hopefully very soon. And for those of you watching here, Terry, I want to do some snooping right now in your office. You've got a number of things in your office and that what I'd like to know is, is what something maybe means the most to you or unique to you in your office? And those of you again that are listening, let me describe, he's got just, you'll unique to you in your office? And those of you, again, that are listening, let me describe these guys. You'll have to go on the video portion and go ahead and see it,

but maybe you can explain that, Terry. What's something there? You know, actually, the most to me, I actually took off screen because I was doing a national publicity summit and there was some staging that took place, but it was a book from one of my sons because i married into three teenage and pre-teen boys several years ago and they needed a positive male role model so i retired actually from business top fraction of one percent in the world in my industry and i retired to raise these boys uh i had one chance to turn them from boys to honorable men i wasn't going to screw it up so that's the thing that means the most i mean you can succeed you know, I've been very blessed in a lot of ways as we've talked about, but the most important thing to me is your family. That's somebody else would step into

the business world. Somebody else would step into martial arts world, the acting world, et cetera, et cetera. Nobody else can step into your family. That's the biggest priority. Well said. Terry, how do you, you have so much energy all the time. Whenever I've seen you, whenever I've seen you, spoken that. Where does the energy come from? How do you do it? And you're so healthy looking.

Well, that's based on the positive attitude. And at the start, I said for goal setting, just that positive visualization is not enough. And it's not for reaching your goals. But it's critical in your life to develop your attitude. Warren Buffett, who is, I'll say inarguably, the best investor in the world, says the biggest investment you could possibly do is in yourself, and that's absolutely true. Now, if you know more about my background, I was raised in literally the poorest city in the entire United States of America, a small Texas-Mexico border town by the name of McAllen. You've heard of it on the news, where the border crossings are happening, the cartels, surrounded by gangs and drugs. I love

my hometown, but it was a little rough growing up sometimes. Wrong end of an assault rifle in junior high. My father was killed when I was in high school. Before he died, one of the neighbors came up and said, I just want to make sure you understand something. Not a single one of your boys will ever grow up to be anything. That's my background. That's where I come from. So I had a lot of unpacking to do. And many, many people out there do.

I developed an audio series called Blow the Bolts and How I Did It, which is how do you get rid of all those self-doubts that many of us carry? How do you get rid of those fears? Fear of success, fear of failure, fear of succeeding, and everything else that holds you back. The excuses you actually believe are true when they're really not. On that audio series I call Blow the Bolts. It's based on a NASA term for when a rocket is there firing full power, but not getting off the launch pad because eight bolts are holding it back until they blow the bolts. Until we blow our bolts, we're not going to achieve everything we are meant to achieve. So I've blown the bolts. I've built that attitude. I've spent money on it, quite frankly,

on different programs and a lot of research because I'm the most important investment to me. I can't help everybody else until I help myself. So Blow the Bolts audio series has been really a blessing to me and a blessing to a lot of people. And all of it's available on my website. And we've got time for one more question, Terry.

And I think this is important. You mentioned about raising your kids and that. And what I'd like to know is what are some of life's secrets that you've shared with them to turn out so well? Yeah, you bet. I'll tell you one. I'm going gonna promote an organization get in boy scouts or girl scouts or whatever uh a youth organization they'll listen to other people more than they'll listen to us let's face it let's be honest here um now the only reason that

one of the main reasons that i was able to get out of where i did i give a lot of credit to scouting uh and my two brothers are eagle scouts as well. A lot of people ask about the other brothers. One is a very successful dentist and philanthropist, and the other is a U.S. astronaut. Get your kids in scouting. And if your kids are too old for that, support scouting because other kids need scouting too. And we need to reach more kids today more than ever before. They need good ethics. They need something like the scout oath and law. So that's my advice.

And just show them the love, man. They're growing up. Their brains aren't developed yet. Show them the love. I'll let you touch. You're so highly respected within the alliances community you bring phenomenal energy to the people that you communicate with terry fawson number one best-selling author wall street journal winner kicking and streaming survival competition on fox network better than

average international keynote speaker make sure you go to to TerryLFossum.com. That's TerryLFossum.com. This has been David Kogan with the Alliance's Hero Show. Thank you again, Terry, for being on the show.