THE ED MYLETT SHOW - Start Living Life On Your Terms w/ Eric Thomas

Episode Date: September 13, 2022

I think the internet might just break this week. The energy and inspiration level on this week's show is unprecedented, on any podcast ever!Because this week, my guest is none other than my dear friend, DR. ERIC THOMAS.The last time he was on my show, it became one of the MOST DOWNLOADED episodes ever.If you’ve ever been down in life, and thought that the odds were stacked so high against you that you’d never pull through, you need to hear Eric’s story.It will INSPIRE you. Give you HOPE. And help LEAD you out of your own challenges to a better life that’s waiting for you on the other side.Eric is known as the HIP-HOP PREACHER, and his talks are legendary. He works with Fortune 500 companies and pro sports teams, and has a new book, YOU OWE YOU, Igniting Your Power, Your Purpose, and Your Why. Eric dropped out of high school and spent time even living on the streets before meeting a minister who changed his life completely, eventually leading him to earn his Ph.D. a few years later.We’re also going to talk about something I believe in a lot…discovering and using your UNIQUE SUPERPOWERS. As you’ll hear, it’s not enough to figure out what those superpowers are, you must go out and WORK AT THEM to live the life you were meant to live.Eric also has great insights about finding the EXTRINSIC and INTRINSIC fuel you need to create electric ENERGY in your life.I also couldn’t have my friend on and not have him talk about PRAYING, LISTENING TO THE LORD, and connecting to your CONFIDENCE as part of your FAITH JOURNEY.Eric also has got great insights on putting yourself in MIRACLE territories, why YOU OWE YOU everything, and how people wrestle with overcoming IMPOSTER SYNDROME.Listen to this SERMON from start to finish.

This is the Ed Milach show. Welcome back to the show, everybody. I'm so grateful for today. My only regret is we're not doing it in person. When you're listening to it, it's going to feel like we're in person. I have just a great man to spend some time with you all today as well. It's the second time he's been on the show. The first time he was on the show,

I think we broke the internet. And to this day, many years later, people still share clips from that episode because he's just such a phenomenal being. And so my guest today is Eric Thomas. You guys know him as ET, the hip hop preacher. He's a PhD. He's a wonderful father, amazing husband,

just an insanely incredible, anointed communicator and speaker. And he's one of the best men that I know. And he's been a good friend to me. And when I've needed him, he has stepped forward for me in ways that I could never have imagined and then an abundant fashion. And so today, I'm so excited to have him here because he's got a new book out called UOU Ignite Your Power, Your Purpose and Your Why. He is immensely qualified to speak on this topic. So Eric Thomas,

welcome back to the show, my brother. What's up, my man? Hey, you said it. I promise you, I tried. I canceled about two or three times. I was like, I gotta be, I gotta be by the ocean. I need to be by the ocean with my brother. That was as a song say, it was electric, you know, and like you said, I still see clips and I still nostalgic, man, like I feel like I'm there, you know, I remember going on the ocean, I remember my wife sitting in the car like, you know, I'm not going in, you know, I remember going on the ocean. I remember my wife sitting in the car like you I'm not going in You know, like I don't know, you know, I don't know them and before I know it She in the house your wife then talk through into coming to the house and the only regret I have from that day

Is that D.D. Now wants a house on the ocean. I know you tell me that that day. Yeah, that's my only regret She's still like, yeah, what's up? I thought you was number one in the world. Where's the house on them on the beach? I was like, it's coming air got a couple more things to teach me, but I promise is coming. The next day I was in my drive when you call me and said, hey, we had such a, you said we had such a blessed day It's a, but I got a problem. The D.D. wants to be by the other. I got a problem. Houston, we have a problem.

I remember a problem. You said we have a problem. I remember very clearly. You know what's interesting? I think most people know this about you. I can't wait to get into the book. And you guys already feel it. Like he just moves humans. He just moves humans. He does God's work.

But, you know, the fact that you are so successful now, the fact that you have had all this, all the blessings you're like, all the people you've reached, all the, and you made a lot of money too. And by the way, he's being home, he could buy a house on the water right now if he chose it. So you know, the thing about Eric, just tell him, ET, the fact that, you know, this is a man who was homeless, you guys homeless, eating out of dumpsters, take us back. Who

was that guy? Is it the same guy? Who was like like from then? And you have to go back. Server a moment. We go back here. Don't make me go back. Literally. Okay. I'm like, don't go. Don't go. You know what, man? I was studying Spanish the other day, Copa, a blame, Laotras, others, and bro, I've been studying for a minute, but it shook me when I saw the word C-U-L-P-A-R,

and I realized it meant to blame. It hit me like a ton of bricks like, yo, eat, that's you, bro. Like when I think about the homeless dude, it was the, it was that, the, he blamed. And you know, I never realized this, and I want to say this to those of you who are listening, because it's not about me or and today we really want to help you. I didn't realize that all the negativity, the homelessness, you know, the e-not of trash cans, the, just everything I was going through at the center of it was blaming other people.

It's the craziest thing, bro, I look back and I'm like, yo, all of what was not right about me, everything I was not right about my life was I was playing the blame game. And at the center of playing the blame game is negativity. Is negative emotions is negative consequences. And I'm just being real when you asked the difference between this Eric and that Eric forget all of the speaking and all of that. It is literally he blame this dude take full ownership, bro.

That is literally the difference between those two humans. What would you say to somebody who says, okay, yeah, but, hey, here's the, you know, you said be real. Here's the real. Someone has done me wrong or here's the real. I am a part of a community that doesn't have the exact same opportunities as other people in the country, whatever. But you know exactly where I'm going.

You know, exactly what I'm asking you. Yeah. Some of these obstacles people face are real. And I could ask, well, you're more qualified dancer than I am. So what do you say to somebody who says, Hey, look, okay, that sounds good, but I have some real obstacles. Bro, let me say this to you, bro. I always believe this, but when my grandma died a couple, I lost two grandmother's. One in March, the other one in April, both one was like 90, you know, 91. My other grandma was about to turn 93.

And when I tell you I have never felt death the way I felt it when my grandmother passed. And my grandmother was like almost 93 and it hit me. You know, 93 I was I was with her 51 of the 93. I promise it went by quick. I promise it hit me that like, yo, this life is a temporary experience. Like, yo, you don't, you don't get a thousand. You feel me like, and whatever you get 90 is quick. I would say to them, life is too short not to live. I'm, y'all better hear what I'm trying to tell you. I'm, I'm telling you, I don't care what the obstacle is. Life is too short to let that obstacle rob you at 10 years.

Life is too, too close, too short that whatever your reason is, it's too short to let that. I'm in the look. I've been in the band in buildings and I've flown first class. Let me tell you something. You gonna want to fly first class. Yeah, I've look I stayed in the Laquinta in and I've been in the I've been in the four seasons I've been in the risk you want to do the risks in the four seasons before you do homeless I'm here's what I'm trying to tell you

Life is too short to let anything Control you or let anything stop you from living the life you want to live. And I would I would suggest that I've never watched a football game that I enjoyed. I've never watched the basketball game that I truly enjoy without defense. I've never watched a football game where Barry Sanders didn't have to, you know, I'm saying, didn't have to make move. Like you wouldn't enjoy one team being on a field by themselves and it's absolutely no defense. We actually love sports because of competition. We love it because of the obstacles because I'm a lying fan.

They used to stack up nine people against very saddest. And what I love the most, what, yo, how you just pick up 50 yards when they legitimately put up nine players to stop him? How was he still able to get through those guys? So what I'm telling y'all is what an excitement to have to get through homelessness, what an excitement not to be able to read or write and end up with a PhD,

what an excitement to not have my dad in my life but still be able to become the number one. I'm telling y'all, you gotta stop looking at obstacles as something that's meant to stop you. And you gotta start looking at it like, whoa, this is exciting. This gonna be fun. I'm gonna get through this. And listen to me. I love D.D. too much to let anything stop her from living the life she wanna live. I love Jalen too much, Jalen too much to come to my children and say, look, y'all, I wanted to have a good life for y'all. I wanted y'all to be blessed.

But there's something in this earth called trials and tribulations and mean people and roadblocks and said, I'm not giving my wife no excuses. I'm not going to even have a conversation with them about what's going on. I'm just going to go hand in it and come back to the crib with the blessings. They don't even got to know what I'm going through to get them. But I love DD too much. Jalen too much. Jaden too much.

My mom, God, I love God too much. No weapon formed against me. It's your prosper. I can do all things through Christ that strengthen me. Like I just believe in God too much to give negative stuff more credit than it deserves. Where? Absolutely. Notice that is here.

Absolutely. Be real about what's ahead of me. Absolutely. But then it stopped me. Absolutely not. I leave. That's a lot. I've never now, by the way, it looks like we didn't have to be in person because it's electric again, but I'm going to tell you, I've never heard of it that way,

like a defense. I was watching, I don't even know what it's called, but on the flight out here, I was watching a movie about this dude, and he, he's a regular everyday dude. He, he, uh, he wears a forklift driver. This is years ago, forklift driver in, uh, England, and the dude decides one day is wife's like, Hey, you live for your family, you're 45 or 50 years old right now. What's your dream? And he watched in TV. And it's the British open golf term. He says, I want to be a professional golf. What a play in the British. And he does. He shoots the worst. He takes his way in. Shoots like 125 in the British open. It's, it's true story. It's a real story. And

it's duty. What he had to overcome to get in this and he didn't end up being the winner of the British open. But it was obstacles from he didn't even know his first round of golf. He, he ever played was in the British open. He had never played another golf. Well, I can get on a golf course to practice because he was a forklift driver. Anyway, I'm on this plane. I was flying private. I'm flying. I'm crying. I'm actually crying.

Watch this movie. I'm crying to not cry because it's embarrassing. And it was because the defense that he had to overcome it inspired me. Not necessarily how great it was. Now, having said all that, your book teaches people how to do this. It's not just, yeah, after three hit me because this happened for me too. You talk about your superpower. And I think one of the ways out of eating out of a trash can, one of the ways out of not reading or

one of the ways out of not having a dad, one of the ways out of all of this stuff for everybody is you do have to uncover what you have a proclivity for or might do it doing, right? Like you found your greatness. So if someone wants be good at doing, right? Like you found your greatness. So if someone wants to go, Hey, okay, I'm, I'm not going to let I'm not a victim. I'm going to be a victor direct quote out of Eric's book. But what do I do next? I think you're going to say you better find part of your superpower too. You listen to me. Here's the deal, bro. It's already with you. You know, it's, it's, it's like the dude that won the young young lady that won, the lottery, and your

ticket just at the house. You know, I'm saying like, you got the ticket at the crib on TV, you got the number. Like you were born with the tickets. It doesn't matter what your circumstances are. Now I'm not suggesting that, you know, you should be born in terrible circumstances. Neither good. Some of y'all think like, yo should be born in terrible circumstances. Neither good. Some of y'all think like, yo, Ed, I promise you, I'd love like having certain friends that come on, you know, to stage with me and talk because there are some

people who think just because of the color of your skin that you were like automatically born with bread. Like you just had money off the cuff, your parents ain't never been alcoholics, your mom, you upset, you just had everything going your way. Here's what I have to explain to people. When you grow up in a very unwhatever circumstance, yo, bro, that's a heavy hand to deal.

You got dealt, you got to play it. If you were born rich, that's a heavy hand. You got to play that hand. I had a hand to deal. You got dealt. You got to play it. If you were born rich, that's a heavy hand. You got to play that hand. I had a hand to play. My kids got a hand to play. My son was like, do you know what it's like? Being the son of ET the hip hop preacher? Dad, do you know what it's like going to Michigan State

and you went to Michigan State? My daughter, dad, do you know what it's like? People think I get up at 3 o'clock in the morning. I'm only 19 years old. So what people don't understand is, I'm not making excuses, but I'm telling you, whatever hand you have, you still got to play it. It don't play itself.

No hand plays itself. You got to play your hand. But here's a cool thing about the creator. He knew that we would all be in different circumstances. And so what he did was, he said, I'm going to give you a gift. And your gift will make room for you. Now y'all have to understand something. When you see me now, you go, oh, eh, he speak here, he on this park. Yeah, he, oh, I can't believe it. It is the exact same gift I had when I was 16 years old. And it's the exact same gift I had it eight. I've had to develop the gift.

But I God didn't give me the gift when I got baptized. I didn't get the gift when I came to my senses. I had to, I had to get from the time I was born. I didn't activate the gift from the time I was born. I didn't use the gift. So homelessness put me in a situation where it's like, yo, bro, you want to figure it out and I'll never forget. They let me speak at church and I spoke and I felt magical.

If I never felt like it must be how LeBron felt when he first got a basketball in his hand. Must be how Steph Curry feel when he come out on the court in the light. It must be how Jalen Ramsey feel when you know when the light, the night lights in LA. And he dug, he checking somebody one on one. It must, this is, this is how Tom Brady must feel this way. I felt the same way at 16 and I told myself, ET, whatever you do, don't stop doing that. You find every opportunity to speak. You find every opportunity to talk to people.

You find every opportunity to smile. You find every opportunity to be electric because something happens. People treat you different when you speak. People treat you different when you smile. Like, when you come in the room with that energy boy, people respond to you different. So whatever you do, make sure you don't ever stop doing that. And whatever you do, don't stop growing it.

You keep getting better and better. And I'm telling y'all, I spoke for Florida Gators, Nappear just recently, and the greatest thing happened. I spoke to the Gators. I've been there before. Just the first time he's been there, I walked out of the room. He pulled me to the side. He said, ET, I was with Alabama.

I was with Sabin. I worked for Alabama when you came. ET, you getting better. I said, I said, what? I said, you getting better, bro. I said, you mean to tell me after I've hit these high, so I'm telling y'all at 16 homeless, eat not a trash can,

it's thinking, wasn't taking baths, brushing my teeth. I was at the lowest point I've ever been in my life. But when I spoke something magical happened and I knew at that point, you've done it before, but somebody didn't approve of it. You've used your gift before and somebody said, oh, that's right. Like why are you doing that? And you let them talk you out of your gift.

Now that happened to me before. I let the hood talk me out the violin. I said to myself, I'll never let that happen again. I would have been the motivational speaking violinist right to this day right here. And I would have been, but I let my boys tell me the violin. But when I start speaking, I never let nobody tell me you shouldn't be doing that. And I kept doing it. I kept. So for all of you, you will find your happiness, your peace, you'll find your end. My let's listen to me, y'all. You got to hear what I'm trying to tell y'all. My gift is also attracted me to individuals that I didn't necessarily grow up with. Or they weren't

like around the corner from me. We didn't go to school together. But when I put that gift out, and I got to tell you this, I think I may have told you, I don't know. But when I had an opportunity to do your podcast, I wasn't doing podcasts. Like, it's what you said earlier, like, you know the industry. I was like, yo, I'm not about to be on these podcasts. I don't know who these people are. I don't know they motives. I don't wanna put my career in their hand

and they destroy me. I promise you, I was in California looking for the crib in I was in Orange County. I was going back and forth. I was going to San Diego trying to find a house. And Nikki called me. Nikki is one of our top videographers. She's a visionary for all my social media stuff. And Nikki said to me, but what CJ say, but what you say, you need to be on his podcast. You need to get on the podcast. Like I'm telling you because I know who you are and I know why you not doing it. And I know who it is.

You need to be on the podcast. And I was like, all right, Nikki, if you say so, you know, cool. I got you. And I will never forget after the podcast was over and we talk you like ebber I'm not even here like that come take the spot. I got another spot that's big bigger than this spot you okay. Now he didn't say that but what he showed me the spot. I like low average that didn't want bigger than that one. He like ee come on to the come on come stay with us. We got multiple rooms and for me it was like

yo my gift has actually bought me mutual relationships. That had never happened to me before. I've been porn and given, I've been with people who are paracidicism. I'm talking about just take, take, take, there's some commensalism. It's been people with me. They didn't harm me, but they didn't bless me. And I was like, yo, I drove away that day going, whoa, I just met somebody who can match my energy. I just met somebody who vision is bigger. Probably the mind. I just met somebody that I'm going iron sharpens iron that and I was just like how I was like to gift. And I was like, do me a favor, E, keep using it. Whatever you do, keep using it because this gift is going to attract.

I'm not saying it's a bunch of us out there, but there's more mutants that like us out there. And I knew my gift was going. So just use your gift, y'all. Use it. Don't worry about if it's working or not. If you know it's yours and you know it fits you and you feel good in it. And it makes you feel natural and alive.

Use that thing. And I'm telling you, give it time. And it's going to bless you. Such a great message, my gosh. Like by the way, first things first is I such a so God thank God that that happened that day. I make you emotional right now. Like just like you all want to wonder like you know,

my book did real well, let me tell you a lot of people stuck up for me. ET did I make an emotional sorry just so I really got forward for me brother and I love you and and also that thing about the gift there's ripple effects when you have a gift that you don't imagine it's relationships it's some meeting that happens it's like yeah and the other thing on your gift everybody I think you'll know what your gift two ways just want to add to what ET said one I think you know what your gift that when you're doing it, it feels right or the result from it brings you in emotion. You know, I mean, like, maybe it's just the way you nurture and care for people and now

you're going to donate time and a foundation somewhere and the feeling you get when you see how it impacts another person tells you that it's your gift. So it might be when you do it, you feel it, or the result of it, you feel it. But from that, there's these ripple effects. So good. By the way, I read every word of the book. So like, one, I respect you so much. I was gonna read every word of it

because I want to be prepared. But there's this other thing about, it's about fuel. Because here we both are. We're not 23 anymore, right? Yet we're both on fire and points of our lives where some people are thinking about other stuff. You and I are like, no, you wrote a book, I wrote a book, we got stuff going. This man's on Instagram live. I turn on Instagram live one morning. I don't know time was

315 or something. You're on Instagram live, right? Like crazy. Where the patient going out? You talking to book about the different types of fuel. Just want to touch on this. Extrinsic and intrinsic fuel. What is all that about? You know, man, I tell people all the time, and I want to get my secrets away. You know, I'm saying football team, like, yo, we paid you to say that. Why you giving that up? But I will say this to you. You know, I've told guys, like, yo, bro, if you, I'm not trying to disrespect you.

But if you make a car in the house and jury your like your goal. Brother, you understand who you are like you were human being. It's actually humans that created cars and houses and clothes and stuff. Like you way deeper than that. What you don't understand is that you're going to actually accomplish that. Like you know, you don't get it, but like clothes and houses and stuff. You're going gonna get that. So here's the question. When you get it, what's next? Like, if that's your goal, you can get a, bro, I'm not trying to be funny. You can get a, a, a Rose Royce truck 400 grand. They sell those. You can like literally go buy one. They don't check your age. Oh, I'm sorry. So you have to be 33 years old for that.

You come in with the money or the credit You can get one of them. Joke is a you can get that Yeah, let's do me very closely. I'm telling you don't worship that because you can get that and if that's your goal Let me just say this. I just talked to the LA Rams, right? Let me just say this here It was my big thing. It my biggest thing to them was yo flat out your whole life you dream about planning NFL and win the Super Bowl you did that you 28 years old. What? Bro come on like you 28 if you died 90 you feel me if you died 90 you got 72 years left you

can't live off the Super Bowl so so I'm sending you you have to not have outside goals because those are easy to accomplish. Try something like, I never forget, I used to do corporate. I thought that was going to run me off the stage. I used to tell guys, I know you make seven figures. But are you a seven figure husband? Are you a seven figure dad? I challenge you. It's easier to make seven figures that have your wife say you a seven figure husband. It's easier to make seven figures that have your wife say you a seven figure husband. It's easier to make seven figures than have your kids go. I love my dad. He's a great, the dude you know on the street like that, that my dad is great at home. Most of us, because all our goals and stuff, your wife would probably say you

Clark kit at home, you're Superman at the job.. That's not I don't want my kids to say I'm Clark Get I don't want my kids to say my dad when he at Michigan State. He's Superman when he in the world. He's Superman But when he at home, he Clark kid. No, I want to be Superman at home. I want to be Superman at the job I want to be Superman in the streets matter of fact, I want to be Superman when I look myself in the mirror. And I'm hoping that one day the creators going to look at me and say, well done, not good and favor serving. So for me, my goals, the Nobel Prize, my goals are going to take a minute. They're going to take so long that they may take a lifetime to actually accomplish.

So people say all the time, like, okay, E, why do you do that? Bruh, I'm not comparing myself to nobody else. God knows what I'm capable of doing. And if I'm 52 years old and God is doing all of this, you think he finished? You think he wanted to go? I got a PhD, I'm relaxing now. God said, listen to me very closely.

You might be one of the best in English. Let's see if you could be coming on the best in another language. You're all set like, like English is not the only language that I have for you. So for me, bro, it's like when you set all of these external goals, you can get those and then what happens after that.

But when you start doing the internal, my character, I wanna be considered a man amongst men. I wanna be a man of integrity. I told one of my guys the other day, I said, you know what, here's the reality. Most people don't respect most of us because we have different standards for different people. When you start holding your son accountable and like, I got a church, my church watching if I let my son get away with murder. My church is watching

if I let my daughter get away. My kids went to school. I preach school. They in school that my wife, like we hold each other accountable. So man, when you have internal goals, I told somebody that I say, you want to be an influencer. You do what everybody else is doing. You get a house, a car boat. You want to be an icon. You have character. It's the difference between the two, bro. You want to be an icon? You don't follow trends. You set them. It's a total difference, bro. Uh, uh, in Florence and icon, they took mother Teresa was an icon. I still see it. I was just at the grocery store. I just saw something with the, the best people, top 50 people in the world. Mother Teresa was on the magazine. I said, how should you get on the

magazine? And she died. Why? How she's still on the magazine? She did. But when she was alive, her character was so strong that we still trying to catch up to people like her. So I would just say, be careful with the extra transit. It it fizzes out after a while. You accomplish it. And then you're empty. You do them intrinsic boys. They don't rust, they don't care, they don't get old. Friendship, don't get old integrity, don't get old. Having my guys back, let me tell you all some. When I did, when I spoke for the power, like the power one more, when I spoke, I wasn't up there trying to get no gigs. I wasn't up there to be seen.

I went up there talking about Eric Thomas. I knew why it had me there. I knew exactly why he wanted me there. And I did exactly, you can't pay for that. You can't pay for this kind of relationship. And for a lot of you, I'm telling you that stuff you buy is going to appreciate and value. But the stuff we doing, the character boy,

it only gets stronger in time. Why? Because it's so rare. Because very few people honor it, very few people understanding, very few people want to do it. But when you get this, man, you don't have to worry about money and opportunity. But if I call it, it was like, hey, bro, I can't find no speaking. Can you get your boy wanted to speak again? I promise you, I promise you, I'd be on the plane in a couple of days, somewhere speaking.

I need y'all to understand that. I could promise you that if anything that would be reversed, because you are never going to have to worry about speaking. I may sometimes need to call you and you grab me one. By the way, make sure you all grab you. Oh, you go get this book. Okay. Let's share one thing with you.

You said something about faith, just to share it with you and everyone gets to listen in. I just got asked a question about like, where are my confidence comes from? Do you ever lose confidence? I said, yeah, I lose confidence. And I said, this makes it, I'm crazy to say, but I just want to give this gift to the audience too, because you speak up about God that I would, you know, I do a lot too. Everybody knows that. But when I pray, sometimes when I pray, I allow the Lord to talk to me. And oftentimes, what I'll have him do, you guys just so you know, is I'll have him tell me how amazing he thinks I am. And how he made me in his image and likeness.

And what he wants me to achieve and what he sees is my gifts because that's intrinsic approval. The extrinsic, right, that stuff or other people, what they think about me, it never has filled me up like I had hoped it would. But when I can have my Lord talk to me about I'm his son, how much he loves me and the gifts he's giving. And I just give you all that gift that are listening to this today. When you pray, sometimes give yourself the gift of turn it over and let him talk to you, let him pour some love on you and some belief and your gift on you and what he sees you doing and how wonderful and amazing you are. Because as much as you love your own kids, he loves you even more. And sometimes we don't allow ourselves to ever feel it

or experience it. But at any moment, you can have that. Just turn it on. So I do that a lot when I pray at night. I do it a lot. So I just want to share that with everybody. As bad. Now bigger than big, not bigger than that,

but included in that about being this, you know, multi-million dollar husband. I'm curious about, you talk about in the book, I love this. Put yourself in miracle territory. And so, I don't, most of my audience probably doesn't know this. But one of the things that affected me when I met you is how much you love Dee Dee. And also, in addition to that,

how you consciously honor her. And the way you speak about her, it affected me when I met you. It's part of your character. And most people in Monies don't know this, but she was diagnosed. I'll let you explain this, but like there's a significant life event that's happened for you, right? And I think it's tied to this miracle territory. Because I think a lot of people say, well, I've got this one adversity right now that's really big. So that's why I can't right now, right? And it's probably going to define me the rest of my life.

So that's my story. You say, no, no, not so much. Yeah. And I first and foremost, man, when you talk about God and his love, like, it is nothing like it. But if you can find at least one other person on the earth That loves you unconditionally, bro, you have found let me tell you something you think a house is something You think a car is something you think a career something like it is

But when you find somebody on the earth That loves you like your mama love you in an angel mama Like yo, bro, I was looking y'all I was homeless. I was coming to church, thanking and did he was like, yo, I'm gonna give you a shot. I look back and it's unbelievable. When I tell you I was in a dark place, bro, I left home at 16, mad at my mom, having a strange relationship with my mom.

I was emotionally a wreck. I was homeless. I was putting myself in some crazy, and she took a shot knowing how messed up I was. Here's the craziest part. Knowing it and going through it and believing that, yo, this ain't the best that he is. I'm gonna be here to help this boy get to his ultimate goal. So when I'm like, when I get up and speaking, do my thing, I'm like, yo, D.D actually, bruh, it's not, it's not a lot of people who married Who can say like, hey, this person, they ride a diet, you know, say like they with me regard and so for me, it's like I have to show her

How appreciative I am of and also let her know you don't have to be afraid that I stay with you because I had nothing. Now that I have a lot, you are afraid that I'm going to leave you. I want you to understand. You do not have to fear. I ain't going nowhere. I'm not letting nobody else reap the benefits of what you work for. I know what you work for. I know what you did. I'm super aware of it. And so when did he was diagnosed with MS, I actually, and I know people whose spouses have been diagnosed, especially males whose spouses have been diagnosed with an illness and they walked out of the relationship. Now listen to me very closely, I

totally understand, like don't get it twisted. Don't think all he think he better than he don't understand. He just on top of the world. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. When my wife was diagnosed with MS in the earlier stages, there were some life changes. Like I stopped being on the road. I, you know, my team started doing CJ start doing like we doing solar.

We doing like we literally started business when DD got sick. Because CJ was like, yo, EA gonna be on the road anymore. I got to make sure ET get paid. We started business because of DD sickness. I promise y'all a lot changed, right? A lot changed. I even had friends keep it on the low. I had friends tell ask me, hey, how's the intimacy?

Y'all straight. You know what I'm saying? Like I had friends asking me like, yo, how's the intimacy? Y'all straight? You know what I'm saying? Like I have friends asking me like, yo, bruh, this is a life altering. She might not be able to walk. She might not be able to see like yo eat and I'm telling y'all I did not look at it like a victim. That's what a lot of you are doing.

It's not that you're not telling the truth about your circumference. Did he got your mess? Oh, it's no, it's no optimism around it. He said like, you can't optimistic outside. It's real. She got ms. She got legions on her brain. It's real.

Like if you go do an MRI, you can see them. But I didn't look at it as a victim. I looked at it as a victor. And the first thing I did was go, oh, your mama thought I was a thug. Your father didn't think I was worthy to be with you. Oh, oh, and church, the pastor said, and sickness and in the health. Oh, here's my opportunity to prove to your mama and your daddy

and your aunties and your uncles and your cousins and the world. Here's my chance to prove to you. Now, you took care of me. I wasn't physically damaged, but I was, I was mentally and emotionally damaged at 19 years old when you married me. I was mentally and emotionally unstable. I was working in on myself, but I wasn't, I wanted to be in a certain place, but my reality was my past was ever present. Let's do me very closely. When did he got sick? I said, ooh, here go your chance to do for her. What she did for you.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. And so I looked at it as an opportunity to you drew for his blood, Didi. But I'll be back. I'll be back. And I'm about to, I'm about to love on you. And it's sickness. I'm about to spoil you.

My son don't see me spoil you. My daughter don't see about to spoil you. My son gonna see me spoil you. My daughter gonna see me spoil you. Your mama gonna see you spoil me. God and the angels gonna see me spoil you. And I'm going to show that, yep, I could do it in health. But watch what I'm about to take you to a whole nother level in sickness. I'm about to take you to a whole nother level.

And so by the grace of God, I saw, oh, we got two more dates to year. She got two MRIs. So we're gonna go to the MRI together I'm not gonna miss no doctor's appointment and we gonna go get ice cream afterwards Or we gonna go walk and worship afterwards. We gonna get something to eat. Oh, you got two eye exams because it meant oh We got four days now. Oh, okay, you gotta go see the actual neurologist. Oh, that's another, oh, we got six. Oh, call out to me. Oh, you got, oh, bad. I got you. So we got like eight built in dates now.

And I looked at MS as the blessing that my wife was going to stop working. She was going to be able to be at home. She's going to be able to love on her kids. She's going to be able to help the church more. And that, that MS, you talk about talking to God. And I talked to God the next day, I was like, okay, God, I know you're allowed just to happen. What's going on? He says, son, I just answer every prayer you

ever prayed, but I had to touch your MS in order to make the prayer reality. There was no way in her health that she was ever going to get on the road with you. There was no way she was going not be at work until the day she died. She won't go retired till she fell out. I actually, your dream son have come true. Now, take this blessing and, and how do I say it? And, and nurture this blessing. Take this blessing and, and, and Stewart this blessing. And so MS and and store this blessing. And so MS was a blessing for our family. It wasn't a curse. And you know, you seen her

it. You wouldn't even know she had MS if you don't know her. No, I was surprised when you told me, you know, afterwards, I was very, very surprised that when that came out. And by the way, I remember that time where you're like, Hey, I'm not going to travel as much. It's not going to happen. I, uh, you know, guys, ETs known as saying very inspirational things. What I hope you're all getting at today is he's an inspirational human who also says inspirational things. And in the book, I want to talk about the book a little bit more because I want people to get to look, you know, there's a lot of details in here. You're talking about a PhD guys.

So you're talking about someone who's very details, meticulously written. And chapter 10 says, this is really, even me at my age and my stage of life, this hit me. Chapter 10 says, you owe you. Nobody owes you anything, but you owe you everything. You said, ask yourself, what do you want out of your life? What do you want in your marriage? What do you want in your career?

What do you want from your friendships? What do you want your life to look like? You are the only person responsible, which is a big word for answering these questions and the only person responsible for getting what you want. And it says at the heart of everything, you are your superpower. You are your gifts. So he goes in his, I want to have you talk about this, ET a little bit. Here's what's ironic to me, people that listen to podcasts that come to your speeches,

that come to my speeches, 99% actually never do this, what you just described. It's like they're filled up with techniques and tactics and strategies and they're motivated and are inspired. Yet they're not clear on what it is they want. And you even say, make a list of what you believe in. So talk a little bit about this like actually getting serious about your life requires some work other than just being moved emotionally. What is some of that work?

Listen to me. I think the first thing and I maybe Steven called me, I don't know. I think that who said it, come, come out the window and get in the mirror. And I think too many of us are in the window, meaning you're looking at everybody else and what everybody else is doing. And you don't know what you want, because you know, so well, what they want. You feel me like, I, there's certain things I don't want.

I want a relationship with Ed, I want that. I don't necessarily want some of the, like, I don't wear watches. I'm not against watches. I don't think it's anything wrong with a watch. I don't think it's just not my thing. I don't, as my faculty have been watching me, I don't even like the wear belt. Like, I got this phobia, anything that's not my thing. I don't ask my faculty if you ever watch me. I don't even like to wear a belt. Like, I got this phobia.

Anything that's on my butt. I wish I could like have a the emperor, the naked emperor. Like I wish I had his suit. You know what I say? Like, I hate putting on clothes. You feel me? I hate it. But I know that there are people who are constantly watching

what other people are doing. And now you're wanting what they want. When you don't even want that. And the way I started this whole UOU video in New Zealand was, I don't, I was with a group of people. I promise you, they ticked me off. You know, they were like, China, you need to do this and you need to do that.

And I started the whole speech after having a conversation with them saying, I don't want what you want. And you're not going to make me want what I don't want. I don't want that. I want, I love relationships. I'm going to add crib and chill. We can drink water dog on it. I don't care.

We can just walk on the beach as long as there's a relationship and, and, and it's making me better. And it's nurturing me and it's, that is feeding that human need for a sense of belonging and Safety and self-actualization. I'm not really on nothing else and so you know for my birthday What you want to do? He I just want to be in the room by myself because I'm always with people or helping people I just want to chill and so I know what I want and because I know what I want I'm not going to do what you want me to do and fail.

But you gotta hear what I'm saying, please. When you don't look in the mirror, you are not empowered. When you look in the mirror, you see you and what you want and what you need to do and what you need to be. When you look in the mirror, you reflect. When you reflect, you transform. When you transform, you change you transform you change when you change

you do things differently when you do things differently you get different outcome when you looking in the window and you stand at other people there is no reflection it's only comparing and as long as you compare yourself to another model I drive a escalator from Detroit I drive a escalator a catalact right when I see a dude in a Bentley, I'm looking at that big fire. But at no point in my going, I want to trade my Cadillac in for the Bentley. I've seen some fire land, I moved to Cali, everybody got a Range Rover. I see some fire Range Rover. I've seen some Lamborghini.

I looked at these vehicles and go, my what crashedmanship. I've never gone, I feel, this escalate, I feel so bad. I'm in an escalate. This is the car that was my dream car. The black on black. This is my dream car. This is it. This is my dream vehicle.

And so I don't look at what others have and compare. I actually look at what others have. I actually look at Ed and go, man, there's a God. Wow. Look how he operates in his gift and it's anointing. Look at his energy and his passion. Look at his delivery. And then I go, Hey, God, where's mine? Why I can't do ads like it can do ads, but I can do air. It's like Eric and do air. So I'm saying get out of the window Get in the mirror. Look at you study you figure out you my boy Mustafa said something the other day that was deep Moose said when you don't know what to work on work on yourself When you don't know what to work on work on yourself and I want to add to that when you do know what what to work on, work on yourself. And I wanna add to that, when you do know what you want, work on yourself, because it is the working of yourself

and the improving and getting better. It had been on this earth. He had been on this earth. I've been on this earth. I wasn't ready to meet Ed when I was the do E-NOTA trash cans of victim. I would not have taken advantage of that relationship. I it wasn't until I got older that the creator said, Oh, you ready?

You ready for these type of you ready for these type of relationships? Now you're ready. Why? Because you are who you need to be. I heard the coach McVeigh. I think it's his name. And he going to kill me if that's not his name, the coach for the realms. He had killed me that a this name, right? He said, um, the coach for the rounds. He'll give me that name. His name, right? He said, and forgive me, but he said, you know, we brought Eric here because he shares our values. Like he shares our values and the stuff that we talk about and what we're about.

He talks about that stuff. And so I didn't get to go because I'm a great speaker. It's a lot of great speakers. Matter of fact, he said, yo, we don't bring a lot of people in here. But we felt Eric could move the needle and we want to win another Super Bowl. And so for me, it's like, yo, I wasn't ready for you 20, 30 years ago. I'm so glad God didn't give me the opportunity. But when he gave it to me because I worked on myself, I worked on becoming a better man for me, not for Didi, not for Jalen, not for my mother. For me, I became a better man because when I looked

in the world, I realized I wasn't living up to my potential. And then by doing the work, I connect with another man who's doing the work. Neither one of us, now, it might be a little bit perfect and I have, but let me tell you something, not perfect, but progressing, trying, fixing, revamping, restructuring, repurposing. And when you do those things, y'all, I guarantee you the way the brain works and the spirit works. When you start focusing on stuff and you're willing to make the adjustments,

it's going to come to you eventually. I promise you that. Uh, everybody, you need to go back about five minutes and, and take this clip and play it for anybody that you love and you care about. It's some of the most, no one's ever said that on the show ever. And it's one of the most important things. First off, God brought you to me when I was ready for you as well. And, and he brought the version of you to me that would inspire me the most in the areas that I needed to be inspired in also by the way. And so it was God's timing. But everybody, I just want to say one thing to you, would he just said about putting this energy into other people like comparing or copying or

that's what ruined my athletic career? You don't know, ETI I played college baseball as a pretty good player. I spent so much time obsessing on how other guys stood. How come other guys weren't confident? I mean, what, how can they get the good pitches to hit? How come I'm always the one that line drive right at somebody, right? How come their little dribbler goes through the middle for a hit? And I spent, I depleted so much energy into other people, what they were doing, emulating, what they had, what they got that I lost myself. And I was unaware

of my own game, my own gifts, my own strategy, my own life. And I lost myself in it. And I think what you just described is the key if you're stuck. It's the key if you're stuck right now is to stop depleting your energy outside and start to focus on you. What do I stand for? What do I want? He talks about making all these different lists. What's my character about? What do I really want to feel? It's such good stuff in the book. Speaking of feelings, I'm curious.

And it's McVeigh. You're right about that. So you've done all these things. I think a lot of people, so I'm just curious. You, you seem not to, but I'm curious. Maybe you cover it up well. Do you struggle with what they call imposter syndrome ever? In other words, have you been in an environment where you're like,

whoa, I can't believe that I'm here. Are they going to listen to me? Are they going to take me? I have had this before. You no matter where I've been with you, different places we've been, you just own it. It seems to me like you just own it. Hey, I got you. We did a talk one time. You don't remember this. Not that long after I met you, no matter where I've been with you, different places we've been, you just own it. It seems to me like you just own it. Hey, I got you. We did a talk one time. You don't remember this. Not that long after I met you, I brought you in to do a speed engagement.

And your back said, you go, what do you need? I told you all he was bringing me to speak it in cases. I told you. No, no, no, no, though, you got I was lucky to have you there. But you know exactly what I'm talking like, I need you to see like I got it. And you know, I'm just, bam, did a completely different talk on the fly. So do you, I think a lot of people have that, man, I haven't paused for a second. I mean, that they've gone further than they thought they were going to get. And now they're antsy or like, I don't know if I can go any further. Or just to get started, they're like, why would anyone take me seriously?

You know why? I haven't done anything before. Have you ever had that? And what would you say to somebody who does have it? You know why I haven't done anything before. Have you ever have that and what would you say to somebody who does have it? Yeah, I have. And I just want to be transparent with all you guys. When I first got into corporate and this is before, you know, I'm from Detroit, you know, probably one of the most segregated cities in the United States of America. I went to a HBCU Oakwood University before I came to Michigan State.

So for my entire life, 99.9% of my friends, and my associates were African-American. And I remember when I first started doing corporate work, brah, I'm so grateful for learning and for folks like you where, you know how you get to meet people and it's not just perception, but before it was like perception. So I'm on the stage, right? I'm not getting that a man that I'm accustomed to getting. You feel them?

So I'm like, yo, what's going on here? It's like, yeah, you're not in the black church. You know, I'm saying like everybody on respawn like that. But for me, and it was like, yo, is that mean? Y'all don't like me? Y'all don't like what I'm saying? It's not I'm not valuable. And folks who just dare at me, you mean they just look at me. And I was just like, hold up, God, why would you put me in a room? And you told my baby boomers, like this was before millennial blew up. You told my baby boomers older white males, you know, who I'm, they look at me. I'm like, okay, God, is it the should I change my, you know, I'm saying

because it's good money. I never made this kind of money before. Should I, you know, and so that was in posture syndrome, you know, and I never forget afterwards, you know, my friend star coming to me, you know, people I'd stab a relationship with from the speaking, they would come to me and be like, yo, he man, I never told you, but man, that part, we talked about being a seven figure earner, but not a seven figure dad. Bro, that really stuck with me, bro, and I went home, and I just got to let you know, my daughter loves me more than she's ever loved me before. Like I never even thought

about it, working all those hours, and it hit me in like, yo, he that was like, this is important, and the work you're doing is important work because they already got people talking about how to make money. Now you're talking about how to save your marriage, how to save your family. Like you talk about some very meaningful stuff. So for me, there was a time when I was up there

like maybe I don't belong, maybe I don't look the part. Maybe I'm not God, did you make a mistake? Should I be at a, you know what I said? Should I be at a, should I be at a historically black college right now? Only he was like, no, I didn't give you the gift and all of that integrity and all of that. I didn't give you all that to just use to people of color. Everybody, my child, I didn't give it to you just for I gave it to you. So yes, earlier on in my career, I literally struggled with do I belong here and my supposed to be in this space and my Has gifted and talented as the dude that came before me afterwards because it looked like they responded to him a little different than the way they responded to me and it hit me one day.

Who respond? You know, when the Bible said when the spirit of the Lord, who is who responds with clad it was like whoa, like yo Moses came down and they be like yo, hold up Moses was in so God was like yo, you bring in the heat son, you, you corrected, you're, you're chastising, you're, you're correcting, bro, you bring in

like you're challenging people in a way that a lot of these dudes with money have never been challenged before. They got a lot of yes men around them. Nobody has ever said to them, you need to be a better father. Nobody's ever been with it. So son, of course they're not responding the way you want them to respond,

but they go home and respond then. And so yeah, I used to feeling the beginning of this work like, whoa, now, not so much and not because of who I am, but because what you said earlier, I'm letting God tell me who I am and why he won't me there. And what he wants me to say, so now I'm getting off stage or on stage knowing, yo, this is the confidence we have in God.

This ain't Eric time, this God for this. This ain't Eric Thomas in his ability. This is, this is where God's want me to be. And this is who God wants me to be talking to. And this is what he want me to be talking about. And, and, oh, man, since I've relaxed and not been focusing on what they think and what they, but when I let the imposter syndrome grow and was just like, yo, this is where God wanted me to be. And this is what he wanted me to do. Oh, man, Inky Johnson appeared. You know, Jeremy Anderson, Anthony Tias, people who looked at me and was like, Oh, you can, you can talk like that. You know, I said, like, you can talk like that. And in this industry, you can be your authentic self. And that's the thing that's huge for me.

It's not what I was able to do in the industry, but all of the giants now that are being birthed because I was confident and I didn't let the imposter send them choke me out. Because some of y'all let it choke you out. You let it get you off stage. What Ed and I did was we didn't let it paralyze us. Now, I might have parked us, you know what I said, it might have been like, what? You all don't belong here. But through Christ, we, we, we powered through.

And that's what y'all need to do. Stop letting it stop you and paralyzed you. Man, let it prepare you. So good. I'm so glad you answered it that way. I wasn't sure what the answer was because I have it for sure. I used to get up and think I never talked about it. Yeah, me, then I'm not something I get up and oftentimes especially and when I was around what I thought

were successful people I'm like, they probably come from like really, really clean good families. Yeah. You know, and I come from not, you know, and I, you know, I'm maybe that, am I faking this? Like, how do I have wisdom, you know, but I, the truth is we're most equipped. Sky was on my show. We said we're most equipped to help the person we used to be. And the fact that I have all of these other issues in my life allows me to help people have had that part. Yeah, it's so true.

That part you are, you are the standard bearer for meer for me before I met you and a lot more sense. I've known you now for many years of influence and persuasion and always get frustrated when these top speaker lists come out. I'll be honest with you. You just said the three names. I'm like, where is me, ET and Inky Johnson? How you have a list? We're on them.

How am I driving? How am I 12? How is ET 12? How is 88? You know, I mean, or whatever it is, or how is he? I know you're like me. I mean, it's an ego thing. But you like, look, I know who the best speakers are. And that's not the right order. Whatever you can know. And I also know, I also know the corporations that created that list for those people that they represent on that list. We've never made up a list of our own.

Right. We've never. If you took that, if you took this, it's kind of like with standups too. If you ask the speakers through the best speaker for it, it's a list. But for me, you've mentioned, I don't want to exclude anybody, but you and Enke and obviously I want to be in that group, but you are the standard bearer for me. And so because you are, I have to ask you this. Someone listening says, I want to be more persuasive.

And you do courses on this. You teach this stuff, right? So I don't want to give away the whole course, but hey, I'll give away a little bit. Like, let's do the, I want to be, I might not have your oratory prowess. If someone puts this, I mean, I don't have that oratory tonality that Eric Thomas has or deep voice or whatever it is, right? How do I become more persuasive whether it be on a stage or one-on-one? Where would you just give someone some counsel on that just to move humans, move energy?

Yeah. Now, I would say, first of all, there are people like me to have both of those characteristics who are not considered the best speakers in the world that you don't even know. Okay, so don't, don't, so, so, everything it is a natural gift that made us who we are. You have to work whatever you have and master it and perfect it.

So Ed knows his voice. I know my energy. So it's not that. It's that we've recognized and become aware of what our suit powers are. And then we've worked whether it was a coach, whether we invested in a program, whatever we invested in school, whatever we invested in technology to improve on what was naturally given to us. So don't don't think because you six eight you just going gonna be in the NBA whooping. Like, you know, I bought to be playing basketball in the NBA, that because you was born seven feet tall, right?

So, so that's number one. Number two, which I think is critical. People like myself and, you know, people like Enke, we understand who people are, and we go in to help people to become better at what they do. David said about it before y'all got on. It was just me and Dave. And I got on early and Dave said,

I was just talking to him. I produced your guy. Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, yeah, it's produced. Dave and I was kicking, he was like, yeah, he was like, yeah, yeah, and it's probably one of the best interviewers, just because he listens. Like, he knows how to listen. And, and, and it's like, man, and I'm not going to say no names,

because I don't want to get in trouble with Gary Vee. Okay, so I'm not going to say the names. I'm not going to get Gary Mark guy. I'm not going to get in trouble with Gary, right? I'm not going to get in trouble, but I told Gary after our first interview, I was like, Gary, you talk more than I talk. Like you ain't by the me old. You talk more than I talk.

Of course, Gary is super knowledgeable. The whole night is a beast, you know, in his field, you know, but I just say that to say, you know, one of the gifts that you've had because I've been on a lot of shows is that you listen, and I don't know if you listen and not only do you listen, you actually set us up for another level of success when we finish. You feel me and that's just because everybody's not giving, I'm not gifted to listen. I'm like, Gary, I like to talk.

Here I'm saying like, that's just my thing. But you listen and you listen to say, what's next? Okay, what's next? And then afterwards, when I got off the first show, bro, I've been on a lot of shows. I can't always say that my career was elevated after being on the show. I can't say that, but every time we connect, whether it's this, bro, even when I left, bro, I left doing your stuff in the careliners. Bro, you, you, you, you guy is helping us revamp our whole church with

sighting. You know, I said it like that. Right. You feel we I like I got the side. I got other opportunities that came from it. Podcast that came from it. Your guys like he I got seasoned tickets. I got a sweet at the Lions game.

I had Barry Sanders at the house. He was like, ee, I do solar, bro. We in the D come, come, come hang out with us. We golf. I was like, okay, I don't golf, but I learned, you know, and so just being with you, I walked away from helping you and got helped. So I've been on other shows where people with ee, I can't believe you's on that all e, but they didn't necessarily elevate. And I'm sure it could be difficult to help elevate me because I've been, you know, I'm at a certain spot.

But you're so deep that you listen and then you, so that's a skill set and listening is not something that you were just giving and it just, but what I'm trying to tell y'all, if you wanna be one of the best in the world, you don't have to be deep. You have to know what people want and people have to genuinely think you care about them. And you are there for them.

And when they know you care and you're for them and you're helping them, you're going to become the best. And I'm going to say this, I was in Ohio State, that was with the buckeye. That was with the buckeye's. Yes. I literally was on the field. Listen to me very closely, y'all. Nobody on TV probably said that E.T. is in the building. I want y'all to hear me. Nobody on TV, whoever there was ABC, ESPN, I don't know who it was. Nobody was like, E.T. is in the, I say this with all due respect.

I give all glory to God. I could not walk two steps without people knowing who I was, wanting to take pitch wide because I bless the people, not the network. And when you bless the people and the people know you care about them, getting up at three o'clock in the morning and giving them the secrets to success, I could get up at seven or eight and do it for them, but I'm getting up at three.

Say, Hey, this is important. And you are important to me. And I'm going to give you this free information. You could go online and listen to me for 11 straight years and get one piece of content every day for free for the next 11 years. You don't have to come to none of my stuff. There's 11 years of free content that's on that page. And I'm telling you, it was a great feeling

walking through that stadium. And all these, they know I'm from Michigan State. These people know where I went to school. They know I'm from Detroit. They know, they know, they know that, they know, they know when you think Michigan State, you think ET. So I was there and working with Ohio State Buckeye and Ohio people, ET, I've been watching you.

E.T. my son, Keity can't be. One guy was like, I'm with her. I said, I know that's your wife. When she took a picture with me, I saw the way you, I saw how you look. I know who you are, sir. I know, I know, I know you. But to get all that love, the ballet driver, the airport, the hotel, I'm telling you, when people know you love them. When people know you care,

they can care less about your technique, your strategy, the way you present yourself, the charisma. They don't care about that stuff. They don't. Now, could it help? Absolutely. But mother Teresa was not as electrical as me. She didn't have a deep voice like we did. She didn't even, she wasn't even in the packing order of Catholicism. She wasn't even at the top. She wasn't at the top, but we all know her why because she made it clear people were her priority and she would use every resource and every stitch of love

and every stitch of care and everything she knew and all the research to make sure that people's lives were better. I'm telling y'all, you can come to our programs and we are going to teach you some strategies. We are and some technique, but don't come to my program. Don't come to his program. If your motives are not to be a blessing to people and if you care about people,

or we'll show you how to monetize it, we'll show you how to do that. But what we cannot do is we cannot show you how to care. So good. That is the answer and that old adage of, I mean, it's old is, I don't know, like 300 years old, but people don't want to, people don't want to, you know, don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Once they know you care, if you can get that energy across the people, then the charisma, then the energy, then all that influence can open things up

That's the best answer ever on that I want to say this real quick listen to me guys, and I must say this You don't need an advantage when you care about people that is your advantage I got a lot of friends in the NBA. I do not speak bad about sports or entertainment or, you know, people who sing or rap or whether I do not speak bad about it, but you don't have to be an NBA player to influence people. You don't have to be an NFL player to influence people. You don't have to be a rapper or an actor to influence. You don't have to be a politician. You don't even have to be on TV every day. Oh, all right. Exactly.

But when you care, that's your advantage. When you care, that's the magnet that's going to draw people to you. So good. What was the hardest life lesson for you in your life? And how did you learn it? I always wanted to ask you that as a friend. Yeah. Stop being selfish and self-centered and self-absorbed. You know, it's like,

bro, you married. If you wanted to be by yourself and do your own thing, you should have just stayed single. If you wanted to be about you, you should have never had kids. I'm talking about somebody. I'm talking to somebody other day. It's like, these kids, I was like, you absolutely right. But we shouldn't have them if we're not going to raise them. We shouldn't have them if we're not're absolutely right. But we shouldn't have them if we're not gonna raise them. We shouldn't have them if we're not gonna raise them. We shouldn't have them if we're not gonna take care of them. If they don't benefit from being in our presence, we shouldn't have them.

So for me, when I look at, you know, some of my darker days, I was so self-absorbed. Me, me, when are you gonna make me happy? Why aren't you doing what I want you to do? What are you thinking? What did you ask me? Did you consider me when you went and did that and bought that?

Me, me, me, me, me, me. And when I start saying you, and I, man, it's where I tell people, if we stand in face to face, and we got so many blind spots in, but if Ed and I link our backs together, it's nothing we can't see. We don't have a blind spot when our backs are together,

but when we are looking at each other fighting, bro. And so I've learned now, man, find somebody who can get your back and somebody you got day back. You have not seen happiness until you and another person have been one on one accord. You do not know what joy and happiness. You do not know what business is have, you do not know what business is like. Until you find a business partner

that is not about money and money and power and fame and gonna separate y'all, you know, people used to say to CJ, like, yo, see, why did you tell Eric to go up front and y'all didn't do it together? Like, not everybody know Eric, not Eric Bigtime, not Eric's sign and autographs him. A lot of people don't know who you are.

She said, what do you understand with Eric signs and autographed, that we signed him autographed? That was my, that was my dream. It was to put him forward. My vision strategically, I knew that we would do better with Michael Jackson, than we would ever do with the Jackson five. So I was responsible for creating. You think I don't know, you didn't think I would know that he would be on a he said

But I love Erica enough because I knew where Eric blew up That Eric went going take all the credit that Eric was going constantly tell people that I was the reason why he is where he is So you don't know happiness. You don't know joy. You don't know you don't know nothing until you know love and To you have people that love you unconditionally and it's all about us. It's about we and not me. Man, you ain't seeing joy. Love and happiness until you until you got that and I'm telling y'all before my book came

out, I didn't do podcasts. Very few. I did not do podcast and I'm only doing some of these individuals quite scared because we, you know, I'm saying they told me Roy It was like you got to get on C's box cat. I like all right Roy. Is that what you say? I'll do it, man You know, but there are a few people like Ed that I'll be on whenever he invites me because it's deeper than Being seen and heard It's a it's a different frequency when we together. It's a different frequency.

It's a different sound that's going out. It's not that usual money, houses and stuff. And we want you to have that. Somebody asked another day, Eric, what do you think? God or money? I'll say get as much of both of them as you can get. Get as much God, get as much God as you can get.

Get as much money as you can get. You know, you know, you don't have to, it's not either or, it's both and. Well, that's what makes you special. And I want to say this, I'm like, I've got one more question for you, but listen to me, everybody. You know what I love, ET? I think that like, you're a message right now more than ever the world needs.

Like, it's a bit counter culture, yet it shouldn't be. Everything right now is about getting stuff. Everything right now is about getting stuff. Everything right now is about the external. Everything is not about values, and a lot of people feel victimized right now in the world. We're almost competing in that sense. And it's just so beautiful that you talk about these things because I have to tell you,

that a lot of people in the show, they just don't talk about these things. They certainly can't speak about them the way that you do. And I wanted everyone just to feel your spirit because that's what you get with ETA. You feel his spirit. He's become guys an icon. And I believe he's going to get a Nobel Prize someday. And he has reached this level.

And as good, by the way, when I have him back on in a year or two, it's going to be another level. And in five more years, another level doing exactly what he has said today. Very few people practice what they preach, no pun intended, right about what they actually do. And this man, what he's telling you, go watch his content. There's no jet. Eric had flying a jet.

There's no Ferrari on there. He has gotten successful, become an icon by doing the very things he's covered today. That's remarkable. He's completely congruent with what he says he does. And that's why I love you. All right, last thing. By the way, get you, oh you, go get the book, right?

Ignite your power, your purpose, and your why. Go get it, right? I'm not this vehement usually about it, but. Hey, and it and it is. It didn't fall for a piece for me in the back. Yeah. Yeah. I'm on the back of the book. I'm right on there. By the way, Chris Paul, the NBA player, wrote the forward. This guy is, this guy leads everybody leads everybody's got so much humility. He got there doing these things. All right, last question. By the way, first before the last question, thank you. Because I knew I knew, but then it went higher. So I knew and it went higher. So I wish we were, I wish we're in the in the bar looking at the ocean because I'm after next time, next time.

Oh, really, we will do that next time. Yeah. All right, I run into you at a Starbucks. I said, I heard you on Edmmerlet show, man, I'm fired up. I've got these things. I've made my list. I'm working on my internal game. I'm self-aware.

I'm working on my character stuff. I'm creating miracles in my life. And I just need to know where I start. Just where do I start? I've got a dream. I'm getting more clear on what it is. where do I start? I've got a dream. I'm getting more clear on what it is. Where do I start? What advice would you give me?

It could be anything. But what advice would you give me? I get two minutes with Eric Thomas somewhere in a corner of a Starbucks. What would you say to that person who says, Hey, where do I go? What's the next thing I should do? Start where you quit. Start where you quit it. So wherever you, wherever you quit before you got going, go back there and let's start right there. Like whatever, whatever,

you didn't finish your degree. Go do it. Like you, you, you, you, you stop talking to your child, go back and talk to your child. Like whatever, whatever you stopped doing that you should have been doing that you hadn't been doing for the last five to 10 years that has you in this place go back go back to start Collect 200 dollars and I'm saying go back to start get your get your two five hundred two one hundred Get your six twenties your two fifties, you know your five ten you know say go back to start and start from scratch wherever you know You you lost wherever you, wherever you gave up, wherever, whatever you didn't finish, wherever you lost your heart, you lost your drive, your soul, wherever that was,

let's go back there and let's get that right and then let's move from that point forth. So for me, it was the GED. It was going back and saying, you sorry to your mom for cussing her out when you ran away from home, and you don't even cussed, going to meet my biological father and having a conversation with my biological father, go back to the hurt that it stopped you from moving forward, go back to the disappointment that stopped. Whatever that thing was that stop you from being progressive. Don't run from it and try to add something new. Don't do that.

Go back and fix the thing that put you in this slump that put you in this losers place. And and ask when you fixed that, then when it success is never on discount. greatness is never on sale. You got to go back. You got to go back to the beginning and fix that, then when it success is never on discount greatness is never on sale.

You got to go back, you got to go back to the beginning and you got to fix whatever you didn't finish. And then once you start from there, it's going to be easy. God, Lee. That's what we did in this thing today, man. This was so good. So good, so good. Everybody, uh, you got to feel Eric Thomas today. You got to feel him. You learned a lot, but you get to feel his spirit, feel his soul. I love you, brother. And I'm so

grateful. Yeah. You're grateful. You exist. You inspire me in so many ways, man, on so many levels. But ultimately, the best way, which is I just want to be a better man because of you. Yeah. Thank you. And you're an example to me for that. And I know you have been for so many levels, but ultimately the best way, which is I just want to be a better man because of you. Thank you. And you're an example to me for that. And I know you have been for so many. Just be a better person. And so everybody go follow Eric on anywhere on social, put the links up on there.

What's your Instagram? What's the, is it ET? Yeah, ET if I appreciate it. That's it. And then I think you got Eric Thomas dot com. That is everything Eric Thomas dot com. So go, go, go. And go get you. Oh, you go do that. I love you.

I love you. Thank you. Go get it. Thank you. Everybody else. Listen to me. God bless you. Yeah. And share this episode with anybody that you know needs to be inspired or that you love and you care about where the fastest growing show on the planet because you all share it. You support us so deeply here. And we love you. We're grateful for you. God bless you all share it. You support us so deeply here and we love you

and we're grateful for you. God bless you all. One more, max out. This is The Edom Mylet Show. you