Rebuilding A Life After Spinal Surgery With Mindset And Discipline

One bad day can rewrite your body, your plans, and your identity. Zach Delmonico lived that reality when a severe spinal curvature and a major surgery took him from being an active athlete to waking up in a hospital bed unsure if he could even move. What hits hardest is not the medical details, but the decision point: do you turn it into a lifetime excuse, or do you turn it into fuel for resilience, mindset, and real performance?

We get into what most “motivation” content skips. Zach breaks down how he rebuilt himself with a simple framework he lives by: desire (the decision that ignites action), discipline (stacking small wins until momentum is real), and determination (pushing through pain, doubt, and the urge to quit). We also go deep on confidence and communication, how he reverse engineered his own social anxiety through studying psychology and tracking patterns, and why action beats inspiration every time.

Then we call out the culture of rented success: flashy cars, staged lifestyles, and the trap of measuring your worth by what you can show. Zach shares how faith and gratitude keep him grounded, how he coaches people who feel stuck by shifting focus fast, and why his real definition of success is becoming “the original you.” If you care about authentic personal development, mental toughness, discipline, and building a life that holds up offline, this conversation is for you.

If it resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review. What’s one place you’re ready to stop performing and start becoming?

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Transcript

Welcome And Zach’s Story Setup

SPEAKER_04 0:12

All right, everybody, another day, another dollar, another one of my favorite episodes of my favorite podcast. What if it did work? And I gotta say, man, I've this this is gonna be a treat. I actually saw Tim, he was supposed to be on earlier. I've gotta say, Zach Delmonico, you know, welcome to a journey where the unthinkable becomes inevitable, and setbacks turn into stepping stones. Today's guest, he didn't just overcome adversity. He wrestled it, he rewrote it, used it to architect a life of purpose and performance from a young athlete signed by a 48% spinal curvature and devastating surgery to a speaker, coach, builder, igniting transformation, and others, Zach Delmonico, known not as someone who escaped struggle, but someone who optimized it, turning what was impossible into possible again and again. Get ready for a master class in resilience, mindset, peak performance. This is where limitation meets liberation. What's up, man? I appreciate you having me on. Amazing. Thank you so much. Dude, man, when I when I originally saw your bio and I gotta say, man, most people uh would have been crushed. Most people would have used uh became a victim and used their story as you know, I could you know, man, people my age a lot of times they peaked at high school and they they still relive that and they don't even know it. And and you know, you you probably thought you had these expectations that you know all of a sudden thing things were cut not only short, man, but just the simple fact that you know you're spiritual, you use faith still, you use it to guide you instead of a lot of people. Oh my god, you see they're not that's a reason why there's a dude, and this is all ages, you know. They they think God and Jesus Christ are like you know, Santa Claus, like Jesus. I wanted a Ferrari and I wanted to go all three weekend nights to uh the South Beach food and wine, and I want hot chicks, and then like you know, and he had bursts they're like, Oh, there that's it, man. Am I right though? Yeah, you're you're ready, you're on the dot, yeah. So br bring us back, man. And I can't say that long ago, brother, because you're you're young as heck.

Waking Up Unable To Walk

SPEAKER_02 2:50

Yeah, it's sometimes it's even crazy to me. Um funny talking about you just said peak in high school. I felt like middle school and high school was whatever you want to call the opposite of peak. Because to me it was to me, I was just trying to get by and never really liked high school. Never I mean, I had a twin sister, so she was part of the let's just say the cool kids, right? Like the clique, right? And uh because of that I felt like I always had the inn, but I always felt different. I always felt like there's something there's something different. So I kept on going to uh instead of all the parties and stuff, which I like to go to, to be honest straight up. But uh I kept on going to my going with my dad to his work, seeing these people and building commercial projects and going to these personal development events, and life seemed life seemed freaking amazing. Like you can't get better than this. Like this is the top for the age that I was at, right? And then yeah, out of nowhere, boom, I just had problems surfing, had problems with soccer. Started being unable to breathe. I literally got yelled off of the soccer field from my coach because I wasn't running hard enough. And then when I got off the sideline, I collapsed on the floor. They had to my dad had to take me to the hospital because they thought something was really wrong with me. But turns out, looking back on that, it's because I developed that spinal curvature uh 48%, which was insane. And just to put it in perspective for you guys, 48% curvature is literally like a I had a complete S-curve, so it was at a magnitude that it was crushing one of my lungs. So I couldn't breathe, and that explained everything to me. So I'm I was the type of kid at that point that um I ain't gonna do a brace. They want to put me in a brace, you can't do a brace. I'm like, no, I I'm not doing a brace, I don't want to live in a brace. Being naive that I was, I think basically four years ago, I go, we're doing the surgery, we're doing it. It's gonna be so cool. And you know, they say it takes three to six months to come back from it, right? I'm like two months, man. Maybe maybe 30 days. Thirty days. I'm like, I'm like, let's go. I'm like, let's go. I'm ready for it. You guys, I don't know what I'm gonna be the best story that you guys ever had. And then of course, when my ego hits, I I remember the first day that I wake up, madam and I'm trying to come out, I'm grogged with all the drugs. They go, we're gonna need you to get up. You gotta start relearning how to walk. And I'm like, watch this, go to the side, and as I try and literally raise my back, I realize I literally could not move in. When it's different in my perspective, being a young kid in that moment versus an older adult saying if this happens 40-50. Being a young kid, I was very naive, I was very overconfident in myself that I'd be able to get up. But when you don't realize that in your in your mind, and it clicks, and it's like, oh shit, something that I never took for granted, being able to walk or stand, has been pulled away from me. That's when it got real, and that's when I had to make that decision in my mind am I gonna be that victim of saying, look what happened to me because of this, or am I gonna have to flip a switch and say this is gonna be one of the hardest recoveries up until that point in my life and flip it. But when I flip it, the second part of that is where is it coming from? Is it is it coming from the point of I'm just gonna get better for myself, right? Like, look at me, or in this process of healing myself, I'm gonna have to do a bunch of self-discovery. So when someone else goes through this pain and I know how terrible it is deep down, I can help them so they don't have to go do the same thing. And if they do, I can be with them. So that's what catapulted me forward with that.

The Environment That Built Resilience

SPEAKER_04 6:41

Now, do you think of what helped though was your your family put the foundation of personal and business development? Most people don't. They're completely lost. Put it per example, my mom still calls the guy Anthony Roberts for Anthony Robbins. So most people when it comes to personal development, business development, you know, it's a different language, man. Or do you think just having instilled being in rooms like that with like-minded people with that energy that that possibly because man, it's it's it's easy, dude, to just go the other way. Like the majority of people have gone the other opposite direction.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

It's funny you say that because for anyone who doesn't know, I'm 24 years old. Seems like without me realize it, everyone who I hang out with is at least 27, 28 years old, if not higher. I was hanging out with four people today, deep conversation, all about to turn 30, if not 32. And I'm just listening to the wisdom. So a lot of people that I have from back home, no shade on them. They're amazing. I love them as a human being that they are. But I definitely see a difference in their mentality and the way that they were brought up between some people say between zero to four, some people say between zero and eight is when you get your beliefs, your identity, all this stuff. Being able to go around with my dad, go to these personal development events, and really dive deep into that and then be surrounded. Some people want to call it circular five, the environment. I agree 100%. That's exactly that's one of the probably the biggest radical shifts and advantages that I've had in my life.

SPEAKER_04 8:16

Dude, tell me about it, man. It I was a late bloomer. I think I was 28 when I got into personal and business development. It was so bad. I mean, here in South Florida, nobody I remember. I I had my dream job interview, my last interview for it. It was like interview number four with with the the big guy, and he's like, name me your three favorite personal or business development books that you've read. And here I am, I'm like, oh, you know, guys got you know, I went to college, I've got a master's, and and I looked, and then it was like, oh shit, dude. I I couldn't, I didn't know who Zig Ziggler was. I I didn't even know like the low, like you know, I couldn't say Anthony Robbins, I couldn't say anything. So I dude, I left the office with the biggest walk of shame. And you're like, oh my gosh, this is this is how his journey started. No, I was like, fuck it, who cares, man? That wasn't for me. What got me into both uh the personal and business development? Uh, an Anthony Robbins uh speaker coach came into our office as a financial advisor, and he's like, Do you want to sell an increase in your sales? 300, 400. We have a special buy one, get one free. Well, my my ex-wife, my former business partner, you know, she's a huge fan. I'm like, I'm gonna be the hero. Uh, I'm like, fine, I'll buy it for her, we'll go. So before before the event, I'm like, what am I gonna do? Am I gonna cry and all this? And it was like, you know, 15 minutes into it, 20 minutes into it, I'm crying like a bitch to a bunch of strings. And and that that's how how my journey, but yeah, dude, congratulations on that, man. Because most people, if you look at it, any person, and this is both personal and business books. There's like an aisle at freaking Barnes and Noble could be two, three stories full full of bullshit. Uh it's just one aisle. They could usually combine it, you know, and you're like, okay, you know, from they're two different things, but you know, according to uh society, yeah, it's right there, and that's it. And the rest is just bullshit. And if you ever notice, man, nobody ever goes to that section. I I think the only time maybe uh the Barnes and Noble closed in Pembroke Pines and they ran a special that everything was on sale. People stood in line for like three hours for 15, you know, 15, 20. I guess time isn't money to them. And they literally bought everything, including the fixtures, I get so people out there are like, I don't know what this Grand Cardone guy is, but I'm gonna read it. I'm gonna read it. Dude, you and I are very similar in this, man. When when it came to you would consider yourself because you said it, you weren't like when it when it came to middle school, when it came to to high school, you weren't the rock star. You you were introverted, right? You had a hard time communicating. Yeah, that that that was just like me, man. It was so bad they they had me in Esau because they thought they're like, oh, you know, Latino guy, you know, Miami wasn't as as as hip back then, you know. And you know, this was before Miami Vice when the it was all rednecks and and stuff. Hyaliah was rednecks, and they're like, Well, I boy can't speak English. Clearly, Miami Day daughter did an amazing job, but it was like that, man. Uh and then it wasn't until like I left Miami because I'm like, this place sucks, man. Yeah, it's my it's you know, I could have grew, I could have grown up like in Beverly Hills, I could have grown up anywhere, and it was it would still suck because you know, people you you have to communicate, right? You have to, hey, would you like to go out on a date? Now, like to me, it was like, fuck. If I ask out that chick, everybody's gonna find out. And this was before CNN and in Fox News, so and I was still paranoid because you know, oh my god, the Miami Herald is gonna say that this this MF got rejected. And that's how I lived my whole life, man. Yeah, yeah. Like, and then you know, it's funny because years later, you know, I I look at at people that I grew up with, and I'm like, man, that that chick looks like Tales from the Crypt, the Crypt Keeper, or oh my god, man, God, you know, God made sure I I peaked years later. Oh, that so I'm but I'm sure you get that, right? Like years later, they're they're their social media stalking you because man, I I dude, you're you're the man, the myth, the legend. I at your age, I was still getting it, I was still getting high with my fraternity brothers. We all graduated, but we all thought we were still in college doing absolutely well, you know, just like everybody else. Yeah, and it wasn't until you know, uh a come to Jesus moment that I'm like, shit, man, I I need to wake up, but most people don't. And and you were you're already it's funny because you know, I I've been watching your stuff because you have to admit it's tougher now because there's so many people your age. I'm like, hey man, three months ago, bro, I was mowing lawns. Look at this Lamborghini that I rented, and this mansion at Airbnb that I rented. Come to my mastermind, yeah, and it's all over, man. And like you're you're the real deal, dude. I mean, you're uh and and for me to say that because man, I'm the most cynical. I've I was one of those personal development, business development guru that I had all the answers, but maybe just one more. If I went to this last one, Jesus Christ would come down from heaven and be like, Omar, you are worthy of happiness, you are worthy of success. And it you know, it took me all a shit ton of money to realize, man, it's up to me, it's a choice. So, yeah, brother, and and that's what that's why. And I'm sure do you get people wanting to hug you out like when when they hear this devastating story? Why, why is that, man? Because you know, I'm here telling about something that happened, like fucking the dark ages, and and people, it's like, no, I'm telling you, it's right. It's I was here at point A, and here we are, point Z. We we we don't need the hugs, but right? Everybody's like, Oh, Zach, that's such oh my god, oh please, can I hug you?

SPEAKER_02 15:07

You you didn't deserve this. No, it's it's you bring up such a good point because it's so interesting to me that that does happen. Like, people come up and they're like, Oh, are you okay? Let me give you a hug.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

Like, talk to me about it, and it's it's interesting to me because at this at one time I'm like, I'll give you a hug.

Real Success Versus Social Media Flexing

SPEAKER_02 15:32

You want a hug? I'll give you a hug. But at the same time, my mind is okay, that happened. I don't want to talk about it like it made me who I am, like it is an identity. Because that's not you, yeah. No, that's something that happened to you. It was an event. Exactly. So even with which is funny that you bring it up, one of the things I've been going through now is with the social media stuff and like everyone's showing I have this car and I have this house and stuff. I have a I have a cousin down here who he has not gonna say his name, but he built out a beautiful business, freaking prostrate, like the real deal, not like everything else. And I was asking him, I'm like, hey man, like I see this guy driving a Lamborghini, I see this guy driving fast car, this guy's got a house, and he's like, Zach, everyone's posting stuff on social media, everyone's looking like that. It's all rented. 90% of them, they just have it, they're showing it. That's not that. What you should be going for, Zach, is focusing on the authentic stuff, focusing on building something long term. And overall, this is what uh another mentor of mine said to me the other week. He's like, Listen, I know there's a lot of flashy stuff. You being as young as you are with what you're doing, continue doing it. Don't get sidetracked by all this flashy stuff, because the real people are gonna real understands real. And uh that to be honest with you, I don't think I've told this to a lot of people. Only people in like my circle circle, but there's a lot of times that I get confused in a way, or am I doing this right? Am I doing that right? And it's because um I being straight up with you. I sometimes I get stuck in the scroll and I have to suck myself out and be like, okay, let me go in my journal, let me make some notes, let me go talk to some friends. And when I do that, it helps me zoom out. So the I feel like I'm in an interesting time with experiences that I've had an am and kind of being the people like to call me like the builder of bridges between older generation and younger generation.

SPEAKER_04 17:36

So listen, dude, I I see that, man, because believe it or not, and it's not a generational thing, man. People love to lie, people are realtors, people are they stage their life, dude. Yep, whether it's on vacation, bro. We if we went to Las Vegas, there's like about what 30 hotels, 32 casinos, something like that. But yet, people you only see people wearing merch from like Caesar's Palace, uh Bellagio, and the win. I I've never seen somebody, hey, but I'm I went to the circus, circus, man. That shit was dope. It was fire. Dude, we're we're from South Florida. Yeah, you can't find like merch anywhere from FIU. There's almost 60,000 people every year at FIU. Local. Yeah, people here, nobody locally goes to the University of Miami. It's it's expensive as hell. Campus sucks. I can say that because I I got my master's degree there, and you see everybody flashing. Bitches, it's all about the you, bitch. You won't understand. It's like, brother, you don't understand. You you never set foot on the campus. How can you tell someone? But that's that's the that's what we because it I don't know why. Hey, just you're you graduated from FIU, brother. That's that's an accomplishment. They're like, Yeah, I went there too. Like they have a secret knock or something. I don't know, man, because it's all and it it it doesn't matter if you're 18 or 20 or 40 or 50, dude. People want to find significance in shiny objects, dude. Why do you think now they're you know administration's like a 50-year mortgage? That sounds amazing. Maybe a 20-year car note. Maybe we can all buy Lambos and you know that pay a million dollars in interest, but we we can finally say we own one. It's because people, bro, and in the grand scheme of things, man, we want to impress people. We're so people in general are so fucked, they're so selfish into their own like yeah, stuff. Do you think somebody's like, oh shit, man? I saw Zach's ride. And did you see what he came? Dude, he has new Travis Scott's, dude. Holy smokes, that guy's no man. Somebody would be like, you know, me, yeah. Notice everything that I've seen of you and all that before we started. I'm like, bro, you you you went to mass Ash Wednesday, bro. I I love that. I'm proud of you. It wasn't like, oh Zach, I looked at all your reels and I saw there was a picture of Tim's story. Now, uh, do you have his personal number or what level is he your boy? No, dude, because all that shit, man, really what matters is how do you feel about yourself, man? Yeah, and and you are so far ahead of that because uh your reels are are genuine, dude. Because I follow everybody that's ever been a guest, and yeah, not everybody's is authentic, but bro, it's it's like yeah, you're successful, but uh what you know when you realize you've hit that, it's like dude, look at uh like Warren Buffett, guys was the wealthiest. He he would still be if you can give out his billions. Guy drives a Cadillac, drinks Coca-Cola, goes to the same friggin' McDonald's. You know, people probably don't even know. Or, you know, you you look at like Bill Gates at their watch, dude. They don't have a$400,000 watch. Yeah, they everybody always has like a$50 watch, everybody wears that cheesy gray hoodie. I I feel like I I want to look like you know Tim Cook from Apple or Zuckerberg and just walk around with a hoodie and jeans and get like a Cassio watch. You know, that's that's confidence, man. Because when you know you have you you are it, when you oh, I'm a billionaire, everybody. I'm a billionaire. No, man, you don't need to show it. And and it it's like happiness, man. Cause, dude, I've I chased it. I'm like Oh, maybe if I buy maybe if I have a car paying$2,000 a month that that it will show I arrived. Yeah, it showed that I arrived from all of a sudden being fucking retarded. Mentally not there, dude. You're gonna laugh. And it was like right when I was getting a divorce. And it was like, well, I don't want people to think, you know, I'm broke. So I want to I want people to think I'm I'm really stupid. So so yeah, dude. No, you're you see, we're on the road, man. You you thought you thought we were gonna go like, you know. I love it, dude. The thing is, the more comfortable people are, the more authentic, you know. It was like it's not like uh my my client needs the 30 questions that you're gonna ask them. Fuck you, man. That's that's question number one. Just roll with it, but dude, I uh this is something I've always wanted to know. You know, from from one old guy to uh you you're like the guy I should have been uh at that age. We're both young, come on. But how dude, how did struggling with confidence and communication just shape the way you coach people today?

How Zach Learned To Coach Confidence

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Like yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:31

So this might get some background information to help out people when they listen to this. When I was struggling with communication, I had to basically reverse engineer the whole thing. So I started studying Anthony Robbins on personal development on how the Maya works. Then I went into psychology um even deeper, really understanding things. Then I went into what do you want to call it, visualization, hypnosis, whatever it was, understanding how people are formed, and then I started going out into these business events and really talking with people. Because of that, I got a I got an understanding of exactly how people think, exactly how I think, what's going through me when the adjournal hits. So I basically started making a catalog, a journal in my notes after every day, after every event, and I have everything listed. This is how I felt, this is how the experiment went, this is what to do, what not to do. And then from there, as I became more confident in myself, like breaking out of the shell, right? I began to see that other people having issues too. So without making anything out of it, let me sort it out. LC, let me do this, let me do that. I just started going to people and I'm like, yo, if you're having trouble with this, this is exactly what I found works. This is what happens. And then I basically say, This is an example of what happened to me. But instead of just giving you an example, tell me what's going on with you. They say 10-15 minutes worth of stuff, and I'll be like, okay, in my over my studies over the years, this is what I've learned. This is happening because this, this, and this. So, in that process, they're becoming aware of their habits, what's happening, and then I'll give them some advice. I'll do a visualization with them, something like that. And because of that, they become aware of their habits, and then they're able to actually change them. And then I say, first thing you gotta do, go out and you just start doing it. It's gonna feel weird. You start talking to people, you just start closing more deals, you just start. Maybe that's a relationship that you gotta get out of. I was with another guy last week, he was having a hard time in the relationship. I helped him become aware of it. I go, take action. He just texted me, he goes, I feel absolutely amazing. So that was the I don't know, over five, six years, maybe whatever it was. That that's the exact framework. I became aware of my own habits, learned how the mind works, learned how humans work, and then was able to actually apply it, take it in, reverse engineer it, and then apply it to other people. That's where master comes in. You everyone hears when you teach it to someone, you master it.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

I'm like, I don't know if that sounds like bullshit.

SPEAKER_04 25:54

And then I went to go. Dude, would you want the the pilot flying you a pilot on American Airlines saying, hey, this is a learning experience, brother.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

I love this. This is what I love because I see so many people. You're you're completely correct. You plus a question, what's this, what's that? When you're able to flow always have fun and crack jokes, I mean like it's light to me.

Desire Discipline Determination Explained

SPEAKER_04 26:24

Yeah, because dude, everybody every guru says that, man. And it's like so. Do you want the fucking did you want your surgeon? You know, your your dad was like fucking studying that, like, like if it's the SAT and was the only way to get from Guadalajara to a decent school in this country. Trust me. He wanted his boy to have the best surgeon. He wasn't like, hey, you know what? I want somebody that, you know, he becomes great. Yeah, you know, hey, Zach might be his first, second, third. Fuck it. But he's becoming an amazing surgeon. Yeah. And that that's what the thing is, I to me personally, that that that's like uh an out for guru. Because so many of us, dude, before you know, I I hired a business coach, you know, I didn't ask her this until years later, because you know, we were I was stuck. Yeah, and I'm like, so how long have you been a business owner? And it was like crickets. She's like, oh, that's a very good question. But no, I you know, I I'm not gonna shit because I every guru has, you know, the the business coach that you and I can become certified, you know, and they'll they'll go to Office Max. And you know, it's and but it it's not just there, man. I mean, you you can talk to a marriage counselor. So how many marriages have you? Oh, I've I've saved thousands. Well, how many times have you been married? Uh, you know, like three times. Oh, but you can't save yourself, but you're gonna say thank you. Thank you. Uh, you see, uh I I'm changing your state, man. Yeah, all all we need is the friggin', you know, the calls, man, and say yes. Simple as that. Here, I'll I'll reel you back in. You're impossible to possible. That message resonates. If it doesn't resonate with someone, they're fucking dead. Okay. What's the psychological shift behind moving from resignation? Because we all we're we all hit that to resilience.

SPEAKER_02 28:40

I came up with a three-step framework for the actual shift that that helped me get from that. And when I talk about impossible to possible, I mean going from being able to go surfing and playing soccer and running as a as a kid, right? Nothing can stop me to Now I wake up in a hospital bed and I find that I'm unable to move, unable to walk. So now I have to reverse engineer, I have to first be able to lift up my back, then I have to be able to stand, then I have to be able to walk, then I have to be able to run. So in order to even be able to do that, I have to number one in my mind have the desire. And desire is defined actually as the ignition fuel to action. It's basically the trigger on saying, I decide, I commit, and I resolve this is going to happen. And everything that you see in your life from that point forward is in that lens. So that's that's your perspective. So number one was the desire. I could see myself getting up, doing the doing those push-ups, getting back into the daily crime and whatever it was, even speaking on stages. Then I had to find where that discipline was for me. And that discipline was very simple. It was just stacking those small wins. I wake up each day to win. Well, get out of bed, although it sounds so freaking simple. I can get out of bed, and I can walk, I could get in the gym, I can do a push-up, I could start going around, I can start driving. It's those simple disciplines that I I just gotta wake up. Being able to do what you need to do, the hard things without other people having to tell you what to do, which in the past I used to lack. Now, locked in.

SPEAKER_01 30:17

And the third thing tie it all together is the determination. And I struggled with this a bit, especially when I was on oxygen because I didn't want to get off oxy.

SPEAKER_02 30:29

I had to be determined enough to get off oxy, get off these painkillers, and continue moving forward. So when I woke up and I couldn't move and I had freaking pain like a knife stabbing into my legs, and I wanted to cry, I had to be determined and say, you know what, we're gonna break past this, we're gonna continue to walk past this when something doesn't happen, when I can't get another push-up. And I talked about these push-ups and like working out because for me, it was more of a hurdle, bigger hurdle to get back in better fitness shape than it was in business or in my relationships because that stuff was easy to me. I lost all my muscle in this process. So the desire, the discipline, and the determination to continue moving forward were the three things that really pivoted me and helped me create a routine and set of habits, like a goal. And then all it was on a daily basis was remembering those three, and then I just go out. I hit it, I hit it, I hit it, I hit it. And the more I did that, the more momentum that I had. And yeah, I had all these motivational videos for me, right? You can do it, Dave Goggins, like all these other guys, kick it. I listen to it, and then I'd be like, Well, shit, that's you talking. Okay, now that I feel inspired, now I feel motivated. Now I actually have to go inside my pain cave and be determined and disciplined enough to do it myself.

Faith Gratitude And Staying Out Of Victimhood

SPEAKER_04 31:47

You did that though, brother. You were determined. You you could have had your neighbor giving you Rocky quotes. Usually motivation doesn't work unless you hired like Anthony Robbins with a million dollars a year plus 10 that you're uh extra that you make. Because what happens is, man, so true. We go back to old patterns. Think about it. Yeah, everybody comes back, like fuck man, I saw Brendan Burchard, I was so stoked, man. Fuck you. You don't want to hear what happened. No, you're an asshole. And it's like, oh no, and you go back to did you implement anything? No, because somebody did everybody didn't want to hear from me, man. I wanted to requote everything that that everybody's ever heard from Anthony Robbins or Brendan Burchard or or Tom Ziggler, and it's like, no, man. And then you know, they go back, and what happens is there's a trigger that anchor, they see an ad because social media is great, man. They know, like you and I, they know people that love the material. One old one first time in forever in South Florida meet such and such in an intimate gathering. And and it's funny. This this is one I mean, I'm I'm into personal development, business development, uh you know, I've I've gone everywhere. And once you click on one just to see uh because I I love to see the framework. Oh, dude, you would think that um Gabby Bernstein, I know this is coming to Miami Beach in September. I know the date, September 24th, because I've gotten a thousand ads from it, every real. And you're and you're like, holy shit, man, you must you've you've read her books and you you've done all her programs on manifesting. I'm like, yeah, I I audibled maybe like one or two of her books out of like you know, hundreds. Uh you know, I know who she is, I've seen a video, but I dude, yes, you see, I I know the I even know the exact time, and it's at the film or intimate, you know, she's gonna help me manifest. Well, really, maybe if I I just got off my fucking ass, and if I wanted that Lamborghini, I created what I was gonna do on a consistent basis and just focused on that. I could manifest it instead of you know grabbing just like everybody else, dude. You were young, man. What when this came out? When the secret manifesting works, but it's just you open up what you want. You know the possibilities are there. You now go fucking get it. What are you gonna do? What happened was everybody's like, oh man, I I I got a I went to Walgreens or Sedano's or whatever, and I got a cardboard and I I put out there stacks of money and tall boys, and I I I put a picture of me with Hugh Hefner at the Playboy mansion, you know, knee deep into pus and it didn't happen. It's like, well, it didn't happen. What did you do? Well, I'm a good guy. Congratulations, brother. And you're young, man, but your dad will tell those lines, man. All of a sudden, like Dr. Vitali, all these people that Bob probably they've been around forever, but all of a sudden, like they're rock stars, man. And then everybody just want probably wanted to kill them because they they never said do jack shit, and you know, the world is your oyster. Yeah, but but yeah, man, that that's but you but you like that's what I said, man. You're grounded, and and you gave us those three, and that's awesome. You cuz because you you're a man of your word. But I know you can't walk on water. We're gonna celebrate uh his resurrection in about like I'm bad at math, like 40 days, 35 days now, or something like that. Is there a ritual though that keeps you from operating always in that possible mindset? Like when life throws you that curveball when it tests you.

SPEAKER_01 36:19

Yeah. Um really goes back to my faith. And uh I I have this, so I have this thing where I guess you could have heard it from Anthony Robbins. You cannot grow when you're dying.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

So in in my mind, I'm always I'm always looking for the next thing, not in a bad way, in a good way. What's the next thing that I can grow that I can achieve, right? And anytime that I get back into that cycle of, okay, let me go back into that hospital bed, right? It's not into the victim mentality, it's into the grateful mentality. Like I was watching the sunset before this, and I'm like, damn man, that thing looks so beautiful. I'm so happy I have another day. Like a couple years ago, I couldn't even get out of my bed. Now I'm watching this. It was grateful. It was thank you, God, for giving me another day. So every morning I pray, every morning I wake up, and if I'm not having a good day, I'm like, yo, I get to freaking wake up, right? I get to keep on moving forward. So I'm always just trying to put myself in a uh state of in it grounded with with gratitude and with faith. That's like 24-7, trying to be as authentic as possible. And it's it's interesting because now I know I know my story, but I talk with other people, and I'm not trying to minimize myself, maximize myself, whatever you want to call it. But spoke to a guy today, he had a crazy story too. We all have crazy stories. Take it, use it to build yourself, use it to share with other people to help with other people. But uh, there's no way anymore that my mind goes back into that victim mentality of back into that hospital bed. Like it was such a bad thing. I'm like, yo, firing me the F up. We got it, let's get it, let's move it. Because I know if if I if that if my state gets back into that, I'm gonna go right down. So now, like it's a trigger, like subconsciously. As soon as I wake up, it's like, yo, let's freaking go. Whatever I gotta do.

SPEAKER_04 38:19

Don't do you ever get frustrated that people that know you and that grew up with you don't ask you for any help, that they just see you as the the fucking quiet kid from two two weeks ago.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

I almost flipped out because of that. I had uh a couple of people asking me for advice and and and and help and stuff like that, which is awesome.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

I love that. But I was flipping out and turning. I'm like, yo, you're one of the closest people to me.

SPEAKER_02 38:51

You follow me on social media, you see all my videos, like everything you need right there. Like a lot of people that grew up with me, it I do get a bit of that, like, yo, what's going on? And they're like, turn on the wheels, let's let's go. But at the same time, it's you know, if you want to jump on a call with me and you know, family, close friends, whatever. Yeah, let's let's let's do a sesh, let's let's talk. But it's funny, man.

SPEAKER_04 39:15

Dude, uh you're I I was amazed. Now I I love the people I grew up with, they they helped throw me down. I both my books became Amazon bestsellers because they all bought it at the same time. And I had a class reunion a couple years ago, and everybody wanted fucking pictures. Like, if it's it's like, dude, it's no different than you know, your professor getting published. Big deal. And and and sign it's like signing an autograph. You you friggin' knew me like for like a million years, and and they'll they'll watch a video or or or they'll like it. And it's like a lot of times, too, it's crazy that hey, just DM me, just text me. I can help you with anything, you know, and you can't because it's invasive, you know. Oh my god, could you imagine go back? Oh, look at this, look at Zach, what a motherfucker. This guy's trunk thinks I need so it's so it's it's so invasive, but it's like you know, you you would rather what go pay someone so you can sit and and they'll they'll be vague and they'll be like okay. The next step, if you want the real answers, ten thousand dollars for two days, then you pay the ten thousand.

unknown 40:36

Woo!

Coaching Someone Who Feels Stuck

SPEAKER_04 40:37

Yes, now if you want the intimate for 25k. You see, can you can you tell dude? It took me years because uh it was like the dang the carrot, and and really I already had the business success, but it was the personal. I'm like, okay, man, this these people, and it's like no man, these people are just actors, yeah. You know, we don't really know who the real Anthony Robbins is. We think we do, but that's it, that's that's a character, man. Yeah, I I can tell by talking to you and looking your at your shit. I mean, you look at my shit, uh it's not like I'm a day, and all of a sudden, dude, uh I can I be socially awkward? Fuck yeah. That hasn't changed, dude. Uh so just some random shit. It was at a gym, and she's like, Oh, uh, and she knew like my my girlfriend, but I didn't know. And she's like, Oh, she's like, I read your book. I'm like, because you know, people are like, oh, this motherfucker wants to hang with G. I'm like, I'm awkward, man. Who what makes you think that? And then she ran off and told my girlfriend, oh, that guy is such an asshole. It's like, yeah, I am, man. But but at least uh, you know, I said it in advance. Okay, exactly. Now everyone feels stuck, man. And you know, Zach, the the think about it, everybody everybody's packed it up, man. It's not even the end of February. So much for new year, new me. Fuck it. Maybe uh even even years are the the year for for change. What's the first thing that you tell someone, man? Uh when you coach them, when they're they're they just feel like it is what it is. I'm throwing uh I'm maybe next year. It's not not now's not my time.

SPEAKER_02 42:49

Yeah. Well, if they say that to me, first of all, I know that they're really in trouble because they're in the they're in the wrong loop, they're in the wrong paradigm. So I'll probably snap them out of a state change or something, do a little pattern interrupt, say something funny, say something completely outlandish, so it's gonna break them. Um, they won't be able to process it, so it's gonna allow me to break into the subconscious and really uh make an instant change. So I'll do a pattern interrupt, do something crazy, and then I'll start saying, like, yo, kind of more so the uh, yeah, let's not do that. Come on, come on. It's this year, it's this year. You know if you're gonna wake up tomorrow, kind of give a little pep talk, and then I'll go, okay, let me talk to them. What are you going through right now? Where's your where's your mind at? What do you want? So I basically get them to explain to me what they're feeling, why they're feeling it, what they're going through. And then immediately right after that, I don't like staying in that too long. I'll I'll go, okay, now what do you want? What do you want? What do you want? What's the future? What does it look like? What does it feel like to you? And then I'll say, okay, what are these action steps that we gotta take? So I'm literally taking their focus and I give them a whole entire basic understanding of this. I'm saying you're focusing right here. Stop focusing here, focus over here where you want what you want, and then throughout the goal, throughout helping them. I'll literally take their focus, plant it over here, and then I'll basically put them on like a another timeline, another train track, right? To where they want to be, help them design it. And uh and just go from there and each each time checking up on them. But if someone's in that position, they need they need a uh to snap at it really quick, because another year. I don't know if we're gonna do it. Like you're already you're already down, you're already low. Like get the hell out of it. So that's what's working. Dude, another year, you don't even know even know if you have next week. I don't even know if I was gonna wake up tomorrow. I don't even know if I'm gonna get hit by a car in Miami because these people drive like animals. Oh, dude, tell me about it, man.

Bridging Generations Through Stories

SPEAKER_04 44:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You had the 90-year-olds from New York that that never drove that that took public transportation. You have that. Yeah, you you have people that that are from Balladero, Cuba, or whatever, that never had a car. So, you know, you give everybody a friggin' driver's license, and it's like, exactly, dude. Oh man, I I know you talk about man building bridges across generations.

SPEAKER_01 45:14

Ultimately, what does that look like for you? That looks like tactically which I used to do.

SPEAKER_02 45:24

I'm gonna start doing more of actually taking videos of my dad and telling his stories and the lessons that he's given me and that I have and sharing it with my audience that is primarily younger individuals. So they see that they start growing up with that.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

Another way that I do that as well it is this is kind of funny actually. I love doing this one. I'll basically start hanging out with younger kids, older groups, and I'll start sharing ideas between each other.

SPEAKER_02 45:54

So say for example, if father and son's not having a great relationship, thinking of someone right now, actually. I'll go hang out with both of them, get a point of view on what they're going through, and then I'll almost be like the mediator, bridging the gap between the generations, helping the dad understand what the son's going through, helping the son understand what the dad wants, bridging those generations, and then I the most impactful way is the one that I said in the beginning, is just sharing those insights, sharing those stories with my dad, whether I'm with him or not, even the podcast that I used to do and then I'll continue to do. It's really just gathering these information and sharing it with these people. And uh the the responses that I get, whether I'm with my dad or whether I'm alone, wherever it is, uh or even if my dad's away from me, people coming up to us, coming up to him, coming up to me. We love the videos with you guys together. We love what your dad's saying. Zas, we love what Zach's saying. It's he's got so much wisdom. He's just sharing what what you said. Oh my god, Zach. You gave me a whole new perspective and it's actually helping out my relationship with my parents. Like I'm starting to see what they're what they want from me, how how I should actually grow into a better adult. So that that's tactically the ways that I'm doing it. And I to be honest, like there's nothing more that I love than than brill than building those bridges between um whoever it might be, generations, uh male, female, and in different relationships is just really helping other people understand where they're coming from. If they're not all in there that to do it themselves, and really helping just people build better relationships in their life, build build themselves into a better person.

SPEAKER_04 47:31

Dude, speaking from someone that's older, what what I love about you, man, is just you're authentic, man. Because trust me, man, I'm sure the ego you you've you've wanted to rent and be and be like yeah, I'm only 24. Uh don't you wish you can be just like me? Uh because because you you see it all around you, man. And it's but but believe it or not, uh all those people too people don't realize, man, time flies. Shit, your your dad, myself, man. I didn't real you know, you just that's why another everybody always has that. Oh, soon, soon, or you know, I I've still had plenty of time. Look at Harlan Sanders, and it's like motherfucker, you you don't have a secret recipe for fried chicken. So let's let's let's let's not say you you know you you've got till you're in your 60s, but but you you hear lazy people always say that oh yeah, hey, look at look at KFC, look at Harlan Sanders. Yeah, let's look at him. That's not you. It's true though, it's true, right? Everybody, oh, and and Roy Crockett, McDonald's was selling, you know, well of shake machines until he was like 48 and McDonald's didn't become until he was in his 50s, okay. Dude, do you are you running into uh brothers and you're gonna you know start with one location and blow it out? I don't I don't know, man, because you know how many how okay that that's one story of a guy in his mid-50s and another guy in his mid-sixties. So you're gonna base your success trajectory on two stories of old people that have made it. Why don't you do it now? So you're gonna have a boring story, you know. You oh, Zach, Zach has his shit together at 20, man. Oh, that's that sucks. That's not a good story, dude. It would have been better if you you didn't get off your ass till you know after a divorce or two, bankruptcy, and then you're like, ah, fuck it. I decided at 40 to to you know to kick it up a notch.

SPEAKER_02 49:55

I love I love what you said because it's so true. It's everyone's got the stories which are amazing, but at the end of the day, you're you like you're you get get up if you want something, yeah, visualize it, manifest it, but bring it into reality, like work for it, and you're you, dude.

Becoming The Original You

SPEAKER_04 50:11

You're you're trying to be the best version of yourself. You know how many people that do what we do want to be mini Grant Cardone or mini, you know, you could be like, say yes, and you know, you you could have done that, that clap, uh, you know, every 10 seconds, and you could have been like jumping and trying to get into peak state, and I'd be like, Okay, Tony, there's only one Tony. But and everybody does that, you know, they're they're like, let me re-quote something that Grant Carter, like why can't you create your own quote? Why why why do you have to keep on quoting someone else that already made it, man? Be the very best version of yourself so they can be like, oh shit, you know, that's Zach. Yeah, you know, that's Omar. You know, wow, you know, I I I I I wrote down on my or or I I googled quotes by Anthony Robbins by Brendan Burchard, and I'm retweeting it. I'm re-quoting it on social media. I'm a badass. Zach, if someone's listening could take one thing away from you from this episode, what would you hope that is?

SPEAKER_01 51:26

I had this one thing I used to say, but I'm gonna switch it up because I think this is more powerful, especially uh younger in age. The a lot of people talk about success, money, and all these other things. To me, success would be becoming the original you, the actual you.

SPEAKER_02 51:50

Deep down, we all at one point try and copy others, we all try and source from others, but if you can find deep down who you actually are and live that out to the fullest, to me that's where fulfillment comes from, to me that's where success comes from, and you feel amazing in the end.

SPEAKER_01 52:09

And the second point that I'll add on to that, because that's very, very philosophy, is be very aware of where your focus goes.

SPEAKER_02 52:21

Because where you where where you focus ultimately will decide truly, in my opinion, where you're gonna go in life. And if you keep on focusing on the negative shit, on the victimship, that's all you're gonna get, that's all you're gonna attract. If you focus on where you wanna go and you're visualizing and you see it, and then you actually surround yourself with those people who are gonna push you to take action, not just sit on your ass, but actually go no matter where you're at, you will achieve it in the end if you never give up, if you just continue moving forward and knowing that it will happen. So, those are the two pieces of advice that uh that I give to people moving forward.

Where To Find Zach And Work

SPEAKER_04 52:57

Amen, brother. I know how to social media stalk you, I know how to find you. How how does how do people find you? How do people hire you, man? Yeah, to get off their ass, finally.

SPEAKER_02 53:10

My uh biggest platform right now is Instagram, just as simple as possible, Zach Delmonico. Um, on there, you could also find my website. My website is going to show you everything that I'm doing from podcast to speaking to working with me, whatever it is, podcasts that I've been on, even this one when it comes out. Um, and then if you want to work with me, either go on my YouTube channel, the Zach Delmonico Mindset. That's a new channel I've just created, or literally just reach out to me. It's the simplest thing on Instagram, reach out to me, apex, or just say that you saw this uh podcast and let's shout it up and let's change lives.

SPEAKER_04 53:43

You know, Zach, I love you. And brother, thank you for being on the show. I know we dropped the ball earlier, but you know what? Life, everything is meant to be when it's meant to be. And I didn't manifest it. I got off my ass and said, I want to have you on. And here we are, brother. Thank you for the time. Thank you for being you, brother, in South Florida, in a world that's full of shit and fake. Congratulations on being the real authentic you and open invite. Whenever you cure cancer and you do everything else that you plan on doing, whatever you want to pitch, whenever you want to advertise, you're a guest of mine, brother. I appreciate you, brother. Take care.