Ever encountered a wig named 'Love' lounging casually in your living room? Big Shea and I sure have, and it's just one of the light-hearted moments we're unpacking among the deeper discussions on legacy building and financial empowerment. Strap in for a candid ride through the highs and lows of creating a life that echoes through generations, from personal battles with credit card debt to the proud achievements of guiding families towards educational success without the burden of loans.
It's not all laughs and wig woes; we're getting real about the pivotal choices that shape our futures. The conversation weaves through the threads of fiscal education, the entrepreneurial hustle, and the deliberate steps towards securing a house early on. We're opening up about the mental grit needed to combat self-doubt and the conscious commitment to 'pick your struggle'—all with the aim of crafting a foundation of wealth for those who follow in our footsteps.
This episode isn't just a series of stories; it's a blueprint for taking control of your narrative. Big Charles and I are here to share our insights on overcoming the allure of quick success, the joy found in solving problems, and the importance of investing in yourself. Whether you're striving to leave a legacy, enhance your financial literacy, or seek personal growth, join us for a powerful dialogue that's sure to ignite your motivation and perhaps, even spark a few laughs.
Ever encountered a wig named 'Love' lounging casually in your living room? Big Shea and I sure have, and it's just one of the light-hearted moments we're unpacking among the deeper discussions on legacy building and financial empowerment. Strap in for a candid ride through the highs and lows of creating a life that echoes through generations, from personal battles with credit card debt to the proud achievements of guiding families towards educational success without the burden of loans.
It's not all laughs and wig woes; we're getting real about the pivotal choices that shape our futures. The conversation weaves through the threads of fiscal education, the entrepreneurial hustle, and the deliberate steps towards securing a house early on. We're opening up about the mental grit needed to combat self-doubt and the conscious commitment to 'pick your struggle'—all with the aim of crafting a foundation of wealth for those who follow in our footsteps.
This episode isn't just a series of stories; it's a blueprint for taking control of your narrative. Big Charles and I are here to share our insights on overcoming the allure of quick success, the joy found in solving problems, and the importance of investing in yourself. Whether you're striving to leave a legacy, enhance your financial literacy, or seek personal growth, join us for a powerful dialogue that's sure to ignite your motivation and perhaps, even spark a few laughs.
I'm just thinking back like having this conversation is really bringing in order to get to the next level in life. That was a big sacrifice. Or when we, you know, have to come up with a plan and save, save, save, save, save and save and stop doing certain things to get to the next level in life. It comes with a sacrifice.
Speaker 2:You can't be willing to want something more than you're willing to work for.
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Speaker 2:Slash big dog talk yeah glow, ain't no competition, yeah globe crubing on cuban yeah globe new favorite song right now right right glorilla did her big one welcome back to another episode of the big dog talk podcast.
Speaker 1:It's me, your favorite big child we gonna let him have that mama, but we know who y'all really love.
Speaker 2:It's your girl, big shea, and I'm back in the building why are you always trying to make this a competition between you and?
Speaker 1:I. It's a competition, it's no competition.
Speaker 2:Who do you love? Golly, y'all see what I have to deal with. Are you for sure that's probably that Scorpio in you? Who do you love? Always want attention, always want attention.
Speaker 1:I get it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you work for it too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Glob.
Speaker 2:Huh, cuban, I'm Cuban. What's up y'all man? How y'all feeling man? Y'all see we feeling good. Big Shea over here abusing me today putting her hands on me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't want to tell them why, but we're going to leave it at that.
Speaker 2:What at that, you don't want to tell them why I need my nails done? Please, don't start, please don't start. I need my nails done, but you got your hair done.
Speaker 1:Yep, I got my hair done. Speaking of hair what?
Speaker 2:Speaking of hair, I'm gonna get personal. You probably catch you off guard, but I got a vent because most of the time you dismiss me when I bring it up to you. Can you please stop leaving your wig on the back of the door? No, listen to me. Listen. I want you to hear my story and have some compassion and listen for understanding. I came upstairs, bae. I went upstairs to the room. It was dark. I went to go turn the light on. I turned the light on and I went to go grab my robe. And when I went to go grab my robe, the wig was on the back door staring at me. I could have sworn we was preparing for Halloween or something. The way that thing was looking at me.
Speaker 1:First of all, you're going to put some respect on.
Speaker 2:Her name is love see, this is the see. I didn't even know love was even in the house. Yes, you know her.
Speaker 1:She's my newest addition but I didn't know.
Speaker 2:Love was just going to be anywhere.
Speaker 1:She want to be in the house, but some you know how I get when I get a new wig, you know listen.
Speaker 2:You can put the wig up in the closet. You can put it under the bed. You can put the wig in the garage. You can put the wig outside. Oh really, oh really no, listen though you don't have, she custom made, put some respect, I know, but do you have to leave her hanging up with my robe? On the side of my robe, though, do you have to do that I?
Speaker 1:I'll see what I can do.
Speaker 2:Put the wig up somewhere.
Speaker 1:I will see what I can do. She just came back from New York. I will see what I can do. She just went on a road trip, I mean I like love.
Speaker 2:I like love. Love is sexy on you, yeah, but you got to warn me and prepare me that she's going to be hanging on the door like she's on a clothes rack.
Speaker 1:Okay, she's got a little while longer left. She's still new. We just came back from New York. Give me a little bit more time with love, okay. So if you would, have spoke to me like that it's almost time for Cheyenne to come out for the spring. Wait a minute.
Speaker 2:Why do y'all got to have so many wigs?
Speaker 1:I put Whitney up for a little bit you have long, beautiful hair.
Speaker 2:Why do you need a wig?
Speaker 1:You sound like my dad when I was in New York. You have long beautiful hair.
Speaker 2:Why do you need a wig? Your hair is long, it's healthy, it's thick. People would like to cut your hair and sell it. Why do you need a wig?
Speaker 1:I don't understand my dad asked me the same question when we was getting dressed. I came back out the room wig on. He was like I like that, but, shayvon, why do you have beautiful, thick hair? We?
Speaker 2:don't understand it.
Speaker 1:Y'all don't. It's not meant for you guys to understand, but sometimes I want a different look and I want to keep my hair. I enjoy my natural hair, but sometimes I want a different look and the wigs help me do that.
Speaker 2:I'll see if you was wearing the wigs for role play in the room. Here we go. You know what I'm just saying? I'm just saying if you want to use them for role play, that's one thing, but you ain't using them for role play, you're using them to go outside. And an accessory.
Speaker 1:Helps to bring out my outfits.
Speaker 2:Fellas, we don't understand it. Ladies, we don't understand it, sorry, and fellas, y'all don't understand.
Speaker 1:You said it right the first time.
Speaker 2:We don't understand it at all. Okay, but I just need you to respect us a little bit more. If you're going to have wigs all over the house, have them put up somewhere.
Speaker 1:Now you're doing a lot. They're not all over the house.
Speaker 2:That's not my first time running into your wigs, though they're not all over the house.
Speaker 1:But is it?
Speaker 2:Boy. That's what it seemed like when I keep running into them. They in my room. I didn't even know this one named bae, that's all I'm saying. There's a stranger in my house. Anyway, man, anyway, I'm feeling good.
Speaker 1:I'm excited. Shout out to love.
Speaker 2:I'm excited, I'm excited man.
Speaker 1:She, my new look. Shout out, shout out to all of the wig owners yes, put them up somewhere, she's not going in a wig bag, put them up.
Speaker 2:I ain't going to talk about all of the money y'all spend on them, damn wigs.
Speaker 1:Anyway, it's not an investment. Yep, that's why she gets to hang right there.
Speaker 2:No, put her up Anyway. Anyway, I'm excited.
Speaker 1:Now that you got that off your chest, I'm glad you're excited.
Speaker 2:You're excited about Big Charles Well you know, last week we talked about the three wins, how we check in Yep, but I wanted to share one of my main wins to the family.
Speaker 1:Yeah, bro, yeah, yeah, yeah, I wanted to share a win with y'all real quick. Big Charles is working.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So listen, all of you guys heard Big Shea and I talk before on how we have a child that graduated and went to school on the Full Ride. Academic Scholarship Shout out to. Prairie View A&M. The Prairie View A&M. Yay, texas. So what Big Charles done? What Big Charles done? I created an e-guide on how to walk your child step by step to get in the full ride. Academic scholarship to an HBCU.
Speaker 1:Shout out to all the HBCUs.
Speaker 2:I did this for one reason for you to change the trajectory of your family financial legacy. Nobody deserves to start off life dead and broke. I have friends that graduated with doctors, lawyers you name it dentists. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. My daughter was able to go to school on a four-ride academic scholarship. She graduated. Not only did she graduate on a four-ride academic scholarship, but she was able to save thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2:They literally paid her to go to school In her savings account when she graduated. Yeah, you guys cannot afford to go to the website. Bigdogtalkpodcastcom. Click the link. What's the website again? Bigdogtalkpodcastcom.
Speaker 1:First of all pause. You need to go and check that out anyway.
Speaker 2:Click the link. The e-guide is only $14.97. You cannot afford not to buy this e-guide. Simple, practical steps. I didn't say it was going to be easy, but I guarantee you it's simple, practical steps that give you the tools, the resources, the strategy on how you work with your child to save them thousands of dollars. Click the link 1497. Come on, this will be the best investment of your life. I did this for one reason To change your family financial legacy.
Speaker 1:Big Charles your book is ready. I love you man. I love you man. That was pretty good. That was pretty good. That wasn't even scripted. None of this stuff is scripted. It's everywhere, everywhere oh my bad.
Speaker 2:Anyway, man, oh man, let's get into it. People, they probably like man, it's already 10 minutes and they ain't into nothing yet we ain't talking good.
Speaker 1:So I mean, you're talking about the ebook, which I think is a great, great, great segue into um, the transition that you want to go into today, which is to talk about generational wealth, and so I think that you know, we've been getting real transparent and real intimate with our listeners and our viewers and our community in 2024. Yeah, so I think you know, in order to make this like super relatable, I think it's important for us to share our story, because when you met me, she had really bad credit. Right, she was a single mom. Right, I had a really good job though. Right, like I was in corporate America making really good money to take care of, you know, our daughter and I, to take care of, you know, our daughter and I. But she had no, she is me third person. She had no idea on how to build generational wealth. I just didn't. What I did know how to do was I knew how to um make some money. You know, work my way up in corporate America to make some good money. Um, to take care of my responsibilities, make sure you know, work my way up in corporate America to make some good money to take care of my responsibilities, make sure, you know, my daughter and I had a roof over our head, we had transportation, we have food, basic needs. You know what I mean. I knew how to do that. Right, I'd gone to college, got my degree, you know, and got a really good job. I knew how to do that, but I really did not have. I knew that I. I knew credit was important.
Speaker 1:But even when I went to college, stepped on, shout out to Livingstone College. That's my HBCU in Salisbury, north Carolina. I stepped on the campus of Livingstone College. My parents dropped me off right that whole week. You know, there was like a table offering us a credit card. I didn't know nothing about credit. That was nothing that was talked about in my home growing up. You know, I didn't know nothing about credit. That was nothing that was talked about in my home growing up. You know, I didn't know. So I'm like credit card, you know, tell me about it. I'm like, all right, yes, I want it. So I applied for the credit card and I got the credit card and that was my first experience with credit. What did I do? Ran it up on silly stuff just to use it, not even having a job or the resources to think about paying it back. You know what I mean. Also, speaking of full academic scholarship, I did not have that when I went to college.
Speaker 2:Slow down, slow down. So I'm just talking.
Speaker 1:So I put myself through college with loans like everybody else.
Speaker 2:That I knew you were losing me, but that makes sense now With everybody else that I knew you were losing me.
Speaker 1:But that makes sense now, with everybody else that I knew. So now you got the credit card debt right. Now you got the student loans, accumulating and accumulating and accumulating Wow, with no plan on how I'm ever going to pay this back, but this was the only option that I had in order to attend college, right? So, thinking about it, you know, I went to college. I was 17 years old when I stepped on that campus and then I, you know, matriculated, and you know you're talking about somebody that's 17, 18, 19 years old, living out of state, trying to make it work, needing to take out loans to attend college. So already by the age of 20, had already accrued thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars in debt.
Speaker 1:So by the fast forward, by the time you met me, she was knee deep in debt, right Knee deep in debt. Yeah, just as a little synopsis of how it can start. How it can start young, when you are not educated on credit or even being taught how to utilize credit, or that there's opportunities for full academic scholarships at HBCUs.
Speaker 2:Cool.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Your life. You started off in debt. I started off really young when you met Big Charles. I had a little pocket change, but I didn't have the education that you had.
Speaker 2:I had an associate's degree, I was only making $24,000, $36,000 a year, no debt, no debt. And I always knew that I didn't. I wasn't a person and you can cut me off or tell me if this is the wrong mindset to have, but so far it worked for me. I wasn't the person that fully I didn't believe in school and the reason I said that? Because I remember being in high school and my English teacher, who was one of my favorite teachers, would always be depressed about how he didn't have any money. And I remember him pushing education, pushing getting your degree.
Speaker 2:And I was a server at 16 years old, making $400 a night at the casino, 16 years old, and my teacher who was pushing me to get a degree was always crying about not making enough money. And I remember being in his classroom while he said everybody should go to school to get a degree. I pulled out like $2,000 out of my pocket, 16. And I remember saying Mr B why would I go to go to school to get a degree and I have more money than you right here. And he and I wasn't being a jerk, I wanted it to make sense to me and when I pulled out my money he looked at me in almost like in a deep. It was an awakening. That's a good question, charles.
Speaker 2:I just never believed in a system. I never believed. I didn't. I didn't believe in getting in thousands of dollars of debt To make 60, 80, 90 thousand dollars. I didn't know anyone that was really successful, that went to school and was like living a great life, you know. But to rewind it, though, and what made me really have a deep desire for creating a foundation for generational wealth, is just watching my parents struggle. So much, you know. But can I?
Speaker 1:backtrack. You didn't have debt and you also had amazing credit.
Speaker 2:I had. I know I'm going to get there. I had amazing credit, I didn't have debt and you also had amazing credit. I know I'm going to get there. Okay, I had amazing credit. I didn't have any debt. I only had an associate's degree. I wasn't making more than $36,000 a year. I knew that a job wasn't going to pay me what I was worth At a young age, I knew that.
Speaker 2:You know so, fast forward, fast forward. When you and I got together, you were making good money, I had good money. You had bad credit, I had good credit. We both come from nothing, yep, right, yep, but we both had a. We both had a discussion. Ok, we need to lay the law down, a foundation down for generational wealth. And now we're here.
Speaker 1:Correct me if I'm wrong. I don't really like earlier on in our relationship. You know, as we're building up, you know building this up with our story. I don't remember early on us having a direct conversation about building generational wealth. What I do remember is you being intentional about kind of discovering where I was financially Right. How much money do you have saved Right? How much money do you right? How much money do you have saved Right? How much money do you make? How much debt do you have? I know this is hard, but what is your credit score? You know conversations like that, which was the shift in mindset for me because it caused a little bit of friction early on, because I wasn't used to even having conversation around money with somebody that I was dating Never came up.
Speaker 2:I don't really think you had. I don't really think you had. Uh, I don't even even really think you ever discussed money.
Speaker 1:Right, so that's why I said that I feel like you came in Cause.
Speaker 2:I've always so, I and I did. And the reason being because, again, I did come in, and I've always so and I did. And the reason being because, again, I did come in and I came in, asking all of all of the hard questions. Because I already had in my mind generational wealth. So that's what I was trying to get to. Why? Because I watched my parents struggle so much.
Speaker 2:Right, you know, it was one of the worst things that you can for a child is to watch their parents struggle you either. So, if you just think about it, all of the athletes that we look up to, what is the first thing that they want to do when they make a lot of money, buy their parents a house, but they don't realize it's because they have been conditioned to watch their parents struggle, right, so I? So? My thing is you're either going to be inspired by watching the struggle or you're going to be a part of the struggle. So I had to pick my choice of struggle, and mine was to create generational wealth. I never wanted my kids to go through some of the stress. You know that I had to go through coming up, so it only made sense. But when you and I get together. We got to have a foundation and if we didn't discuss it, I was calling you out on something. Let's talk about this, let's talk about this, and that was me laying the foundation for generational wealth.
Speaker 1:Right. So that's. I said that to say that in the beginning, it wasn't about like having a direct conversation, but the way that you entered into the relationship, speaking about you, there was a clear already, a clear focus on um, like the kind of partner that you wanted. Were they willing to have these conversations? Because financial literacy was really important to you. The moment we started to take our relationship to another level, and that's what I'm trying to get to Like. For me, yeah, you know, I always say like there's more than one way to skin a cat. So for me, I was just inspired to create a better life for myself and my child at the time, and so my strategy obviously was I'm going to go to college. You know what I mean. I'm going to get a good job and be able to take care of us right, and not present the struggle that I was used to right, and a lot of people think like that. But there's a I'm saying this to say there's another level to what you brought in.
Speaker 2:So here's the thing what is life when you just living it for a meaning, just for you and your child? What is life when I'm just living it for me and my family, for me and my family? Why we created this podcast, not for our family, but for those listeners, listeners and to be an example, like if we're doing it, you can do it as well, right, you know? So for me, life has always had more meaning than just myself, right, you know, I've always wanted to see others succeed. Yep, yep, that's who I am. Yep, succeed, that's who I am.
Speaker 2:You know. So, coming into it, coming into it, we discussing it, we go and we make a plan for it and then we start working out the plan.
Speaker 1:Yep, yep. So essentially you came in, you've already had the mindset for this and you helped to shift my mindset, because I didn't have that generational wealth mindset. So you brought that into our relationship and then it became like a top priority, like everything. At that point, everything that we did and how we moved and how we operated, how we executed, then became about how to create generational wealth it was all, it was a priority for me.
Speaker 2:The entire, it was an, it was an. It was a priority for me. Um, the entire time, you know, like when, when I came, but when you like, you said when you and I locked in, it was time to like, shift gears. And this is the point where we're getting to. It's time for everyone to shift gears. No one is coming to save us. It's time for us to make up in our mind that we have to choose our suffering. We have to choose our suffering. Do we want to?
Speaker 2:We will either want to work hard and create a plan to create generational wealth for yourself and those that's coming after you, or do we want to struggle and just live a day-to-day life and think for yourself and be in debt for the rest of your life until you leave this earth? Right, right, you know. So this is why I wanted to have this, uh, this, this conversation with the podcast. This is like a call to action let's wake up. Because I realized that we are, we live in a reality where we, you know, we just believe, like a miracle is just going to happen, like I'm going to go to a bingo and I'm hit jackpot. I'm gonna go to the casino when, no, you can do practical things to change your life. It just takes one person to change the legacy of your life. Are you going to make the sacrifices? Are you going to be that person? Are you going to be that person? What does it take? Right, you know so.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm just thinking back, like having this conversation is really bringing it back to like all the sacrifices that we have had, all the sacrifices that we have had to make on our journey um to build in generational wealth. Like even when you purchased you know your first home um at a really young age and then we took our whole family and live there with our, with my, there, with your parents, in order to get to the next level in life Right, that was a big sacrifice. Or when we have to come up with a plan and save, save, save, save, save and save and stop doing certain things to get to the next level in life. It comes with a sacrifice.
Speaker 2:You can't be willing to want something more than you're willing to work for it, can't? That's very true. We bought our first. We come from nothing. We bought our first house at 24. I was 24 when we got the first house. Yep, right, yep, and again. This is not no flex.
Speaker 2:We bought our first house at 24, but we had a game name plan and you got it for a reason to create a generational well, to make sure I was able to leave something for my children yep, that's why I wanted to have something, yep, yep. That said this is this is the hard work dad put in, this is the sacrifice from daddy, yep, yep. And then when I, when we got the first house by the you get one. One, you're able to get two, you get two, you're able to get three you start learning certain things.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, you know, and that was created in a, in a, a wealth legacy for us. Yes, yeah. And then we got more intentional because I started, I believe I started reconditioning my mindset and living. I wanted to live a meaningful life, a life of value, a life of purpose, and I remember you coming home one day. No, you were home one day and I came home and you were sitting in a chair like sad, and I kept watching you and I had already seen, like I had already been watching like a year of grinding and working hard. We just wanted more for our family. We want better than what we had what we experienced.
Speaker 2:We want our kids to experience better than what we experienced. And I remember you just working these countless days, these long hours, barely seeing us. And I can just months gone by, a year ago, but I remember praying god, put it on me if I can't just allow my wife to just keep working like this. But one day you were at home sitting down on the chair and I said what is it that you want to do with your life? And you start crying and he was like I don't know, I don't know you and I never discussed this before, never discussed it.
Speaker 2:Then you was like I always wanted to have my own child care and instantly your husband said that's it. Yep, that's it. That's going to be the thing that changes our legacy. Yep.
Speaker 1:Amen to that Right.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, amen to that Right.
Speaker 1:Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. That was the one that was the one.
Speaker 2:Before we even dive into that, though, I want to share with our listeners, though, how, in order to even have wealth, you have to recondition your mind to even be positioned to receive wealth right.
Speaker 1:What do you mean by that, big Charles?
Speaker 2:a lot of us don't go past the. I want the flyest shoes, I want the flyest car. I want the flyest house. I want the. I want the flyest of things. Like we, we buy things that we don't need. We We'll have a and this is not no shade at nobody. We'll have an apartment, but we'll have two car payments. We'll have a home with two. I know educated people that have a nice house, three nice cars with three nice car notes and still poor.
Speaker 1:Yep House poor. They call it house poor yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a thing. So, before we even dive into on how we created this new level of generational wealth for us, I just wanted to make sure that I make it clear the only way that you can prepare for wealth is by reconditioning your mind to be ready for wealth. This is true. This is true. Well, let's talk about your grind and what it took to create the child care and the struggle behind it to create the childcare and the struggle behind it, man.
Speaker 1:So after that aha moment, you know what I mean. And you asked me what is it that you want to do? And I said I've always wanted to have my own childcare. With tears running down tears running down my face. And you said that's it. And so, with your support, in that moment, and knowing that this is something that I have had in the pipeline in my mind for like at that point it probably had been for about four or five years and I never knew it I had even created so much so I had even created an account, and that account was putting money aside to one day start my own child care. And so the funny thing about it is that when I finally decided to dive in, really acknowledging that this was the next phase for our lives and understanding how it would change the trajectory for the next step of our lives, I was fearful what if it don't work? Who's going to want me to educate and care for their children? Like, what's going to make me so qualified to do this? And you would always tell me like, look, look at your own children, look what you've produced with your own children. I've watched you the entire time, educate and be their number one teacher. So all you have to do is walk in. You know the calling that you have and everything else is going to fall into place.
Speaker 1:I still didn't know where to start. I didn't know what was step one. It was so many logistical things that had to be done in order to get to the point where I could actually open and operate as a business With your support. I took it one step at a time, communicated with you along the way create a space that was welcoming, that was child-friendly. You know that would make families feel comfortable with me being their childcare provider, and I had to go and take some. You know personal development, you know classes because I had been in a corporate job, and so I always wanted I always anything that I do, I always want to make sure that I'm constantly learning and so, stepping into this new field, I wanted to further self-develop, to make sure that I had the tools, the knowledge and the wisdom to provide comfort to families, to know that they were leaving their children with someone that was absolutely going to value and take their development as a number one priority. Okay, so listen why?
Speaker 2:what was it that would? Because in the beginning you said, as soon as I decided to take my steps, the first thing I heard was negative voices.
Speaker 1:Negative voices you this not going to work. Nobody's going to bring their children to you.
Speaker 2:This is the point I want to prove. I want to point out, though, the first words that you heard was negative voices, and it didn't come from nobody but yourself. Absolutely this is the thing that I want our listeners to see Yep, we blame everybody else, while we are not headed in the direction that we're supposed to be going in Correct. Nobody discredited you, nobody belittled you, nobody told you nothing negative. The first person that told you something negative about your journey, about your calling, was self, was self.
Speaker 1:If that's not a doggy treat Was self. If that's not a doggy treat, was self. If that's not a doggy treat. Getting over that hurdle in itself was the biggest part. I'll put it to you like that. That was the biggest step to get over that negative talk that I was feeding myself about why this wasn't going to work and why I would leave my good old corporate job making six figures to go and do something and start at ground zero. Why would you do that? Why would you risk all of this for your family? Why would you do that?
Speaker 2:It's not even going to work, big Charles, what do you mean by reconditioning the mind? Prime example yeah, your family. Why would you do that? It's not even gonna work, big charles, what do you mean by reconditioning the mind? Prime example, yeah, prime example. Recondition the mind. The first person that threw something negative at my wife when she decided to go after her dream was herself. It wasn't nobody else. Why do I preach recondition the mind? We are our own worst enemies, absolutely. Yep, we don't even realize that we are our own worst enemy yep.
Speaker 1:Once I start mentally next step. Once I start mentally connecting with the dream, mentally connecting with the vision, connecting with the dream, mentally connecting with the vision, physically doing the steps that needed to be done. Physically, action. I took action Before I knew it. Within, like I don't know, maybe three months, I was opening up my business. One year after that, I expanded.
Speaker 2:Hold on, we're going too fast. Number two. Number two Call to action. You had the dream, I had a dream. You overcame the mental war that you were having with yourself by reconditioning the mind Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Shifting all that negative energy and putting it into connecting with the dream, connecting with the vision and doing the action steps.
Speaker 2:Number two action steps. We can't hope for a generation of wealth. There's no magic wand around here. Sorry, you know, I don't know, but we need to wake up. This is this is just we. We live in a world where we just do not live in reality.
Speaker 2:Working for your legacy generational wealth is what you're supposed to do, suffering for it, asking yourself what suffering do I want to do? Do I want the suffering of working a 9 to 5 job? Because I'm not negating that that's a good place, absolutely, and if that's your call to duty, you stay there. Pick your suffer. Pick your suffer. Yes. So if you're going to be at a 9 to 5, you work that 9 to 5 with a mindset of I'm going to save some money for my future. Yep, I'm going to save some money because I want to get this done. Yep, you have to pick your suffering.
Speaker 2:You were working 13, 14 hours a day, 12 hour days. You were gone all day, not seeing your children, so you decided to pick your suffering. You know what I want to go after, my purpose in life, something I always wanted to do, yes. So you still had to suffer, though, because you still complained about how hard it was. You still complained about how you were drained. You still complained about I don't know if I can do this. You still complained that what if this doesn't?
Speaker 1:work. Yep, yep, I worked that business one year by myself, bare hands by myself, with my children helping me clean up in the evening, then leaving in the evening to go take developmental classes.
Speaker 2:Call to action. I picked my struggle. You picked your struggle. See, this is the thing about picking your struggle, though. So what do you mean? You picked your struggle. See, this is the thing about picking your struggle, though. So what do you mean about picking your struggle? And I don't want to talk about relationships today, but this is what we're going to go to. You say you want to be married. Right, but the same person that you marry is the same person that you fight with as well.
Speaker 2:It's still a struggle there. You say that you want generational wealth. You still have to miss some days of going out. You still have to sacrifice hanging out with your friends. You still can't go out and go enjoy everything in that present moment, because this is a long-term investment. Absolutely, you still have to pick your struggle. If you want to buy a house, you still have to work when it, when it needs to be repaired. That's still a struggle, absolutely. If you're out of shape and you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure and you have to go to the doctor, that's still a struggle, yep. Or you can pick your struggle and say you know what? I have high cholesterol.
Speaker 2:I have this, but I want to go to the gym it's still a struggle to get up in the morning, to go and exercise, to eat healthy, but we have to pick our struggle and you still have to put in some work. Yep, either way. Either way it go, yep, yep. So this is why we want to lay the foundation of generational wealth and picking your struggle. Do you want to pick the struggle of just focusing on you and possibly leaving this earth and not leaving your children with anything and they go through the same struggle that you had to go through, or do you want to give them some new struggles? Yes, I was going to say that Because honestly.
Speaker 1:Don't pick their struggle for them, though. Ooh, that's my thing. So when we do nothing and we work every day, we provide every day and we're not thinking about generational wealth and where we're going to leave our children's children, we're already picking their struggle. That's not fair. That's not fair. I want my kids to pick their own struggle, own struggle, and by laying down the foundation and talking about things with them, I feel pretty confident about the struggle they're gonna pick, because because they then understand that they're continuing this journey of generational wealth for my great, great, great, great grandkids here's the thing, guys.
Speaker 2:Here's the thing, guys. Here's the thing about reconditioning our minds to not just think about ourselves, not just think about instant gratification. Let's think about those that are connected to us. If you're 20 years old, you're in a good position to start off debt-free, get a job it can be any kind of job Saving your money, making the sacrifices. You can be 40 years old, saving your money, making the sacrifices. Because here's the thing, if you recondition your mind, managing yourself, managing your money, is more important than the amount of money that you make. I made $36,000 when we bought our first two houses.
Speaker 1:Tax.
Speaker 2:But I made the sacrifices to. I wasn't out partying, no I wasn't partying.
Speaker 1:That wasn't the era that we were in. I was saving, yeah.
Speaker 2:Working In the house With a vision Yep. Every now and then we would treat ourselves Yep, yep, yep. So we cannot have any excuse. Big shea, in the beginning you said you were your own worst enemy, basically. And we're not telling anyone to quit their job. We're saying it's time for us to recondition our mind because no one is coming to save us. You know, I'm broke. I'm. I don't have no money. Who child had no money to buy that? You don't need it and you're not broke. Your mindset is broke. Focus on mentality. Your mindset is broke.
Speaker 2:I know successful people, meaning they have the degrees, they have the accolades, they're making good money and they are still broke. I know poor people. As far as materialistic materialism, that doesn't have as much. But they are happy. They have a family of value. They have a husband, a wife to come home to. They have their children. That loves them.
Speaker 2:They have money that's put away for hard times. They have enough money to pass down to their children's children. They have these things. They have just. It may be $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 that they have just. It may be two thousand, five thousand, ten thousand that they have saved up, but they're more happy than the person that have a eight hundred thousand dollar home with three car notes. It's a mindset. Yeah, generational wealth is a mindset, and it's time for us to take charge of our world, our legacy. And, like Big Shea said, don't pick your children's struggle for them. Allow them to pick their own struggle. Give them new problems. We like having new problems. We got new problems right now. As long as you're working to solve them, that's where you find your happiness look 10 years from starting the business.
Speaker 1:Now we got some new problems and some new things to solve as we speak call to action.
Speaker 2:If you're 20 years old, you should be working on your next five-year plan. Every decision that you that you make should be geared towards where you're going to be in five years. If you're 40 years old, this means you can't do the same thing that you were doing when you were 20. Because you have a short amount of time to get where you need to go.
Speaker 1:Yep, so you have to become more disciplined, more focused Because I'm pretty sure at 40, there's more balls in the air that need to be juggled versus.
Speaker 2:More responsibilities, yes, you know, but it's still possible. But it's still possible. If you're 60 years old and you're starting from scratch, minimum, you should be working on clearing up your debt. If you don't have anything, if you don't have anything to offer, you should be working on clearing up your debt, saving up some money. Saving up some money? Yep. Getting a life insurance policy.
Speaker 1:My goodness.
Speaker 2:The life.
Speaker 1:Remember that when we first, when we got out, when we got out first that was a big accomplishment, that was a big deal and a big accomplishment for us when we acquired life insurance policy, like it was such a monumental moment for us. You know, and that's something that we continue to still constantly re-evaluate and discuss and still plan around because it's necessary, one thing's for certain, two things for sure we gonna live and we gonna die we might as well pass down the next generation new problems.
Speaker 2:Yes, you don't have to feel bad. Wherever you are in life, you don't have to feel bad. You only should feel bad if you're not working towards changing the direction that you're going in. If you're working every single day to be better in the change the situation for yourself and for those after you and around you, then you have don't compare to others, but you have to start thinking about these things. That's bigger than self.
Speaker 1:New problems new struggles and something that was intricate for me too, along my journey I know we kind of paused on a story was, you know, connecting with people that have the same mindset? That was so. When I tell you that was another powerful, pivotal moment in me and my journey to becoming a successful business owner was partnering with someone that was on the same path as me and had the same mindset. Very huge. Find you a mentor, get you a coach it makes a difference. Find you a peer it's a wealth hack. Actually, it's a huge hack.
Speaker 2:A lot of us don't want to pay for coaching. We don't want to pay for financial literacy. We don't want to pay for coaching. We don't want to pay for financial literacy. We don't want to pay to learn.
Speaker 1:Right, but we'll pay for everything else. Yes, that's a hack right there.
Speaker 2:That is a hack, you know, and we go around saying I didn't have no one to help me, I didn't have no one to teach me, I had nobody to teach me financial literacy, you did not.
Speaker 2:I nobody to teach me financial literacy? You did not. I had no one to mentor me. See, that's not my story. I had late school. I. I became what I was looking for. Yep, that's your story. I became what I was looking for. But here's the thing. Though, that doesn't mean that they're not out there. Oh, they're out there because you know, let's so. Listen, I have a right.
Speaker 2:And he's a very successful entrepreneur, and he was speaking to me giving me ideas, even about the Big Dog Talk podcast, and I really didn't have. I wasn't talking too much and he was just going on and on. I got some ideas for you, man, just do this. You should do this. And I didn't have anything to say. I was just listening.
Speaker 2:A lot of times we come into contact with people and I didn't have anything to say. I was just listening. A lot of times we come into contact with people that have ideas and information for us, but we're not listening. We are too busy trying to prove to them that we are just as smart as them. I don't have no one to teach me. That's a lie.
Speaker 2:Yep, you've had people to come into your life that want to give you game, but you were too busy talking. Shut your mouth. Yep, listen, become a student. I didn't have anyone to just say, okay, I'm going to take your hand and I'm going to mentor you. But I've had so many people to come in my life, that's right. You have Yep To drop jewels in me and didn't know that they were teaching me and I was just taken from them, taken, taken because I was recognizing that they had something in them that I did not have. They had some sort of knowledge in them that I didn't have. I can't say nobody wanted to help me. If you get rid of that mindset, that reconditioning of the mind that nobody want to help you, nobody may have not come to you and held your hand, but I guarantee an angel have came by and dropped some game off in your lap. And you was too hard-headed at the time, you was too stubborn at the time. You was too know-it-all at the time. You were too much in your ego at the time.
Speaker 1:Too close-minded at the time. Too close-minded at the time.
Speaker 2:This is why we want to recondition your mindset, shift your awareness. Now I'm shifting your awareness, I'm open to it. Now you will know when it come in your path. Now, that's right. You will know when someone that comes in your life and they know more than you, you will shut your mouth. You will know when somebody is more experienced than you, you don't need to talk. It's not your turn to talk, it's your turn to be a student. We have no reason to shift our mindset and to start reconditioning our lives to have a life of value. No excuse, none whatsoever.
Speaker 1:Another part of the plan. Like I said, find you a mentor, find you a coach. You just elaborated on all of that coach. You just elaborated on all of that. Read educate yourself in the field, or whatever it is that you think you're interested in read a book.
Speaker 2:Nobody gonna do the work for educate yourself.
Speaker 1:Find you some free classes.
Speaker 2:You got to get out there and do the work you have to you know what I find common, though, when, when people want to start something, a new adventure, they expect everybody is supposed to help them with their adventure. Yeah, and that's not how it works. Yeah, I'm going to have Big Shea to start the podcast for Big Charles. I just want to have a podcast. I'm going to have someone another person, you know what they're going to start the childcare for me, but I just want to have a childcare. You cannot volunteer someone else to do your job. You have to get in.
Speaker 2:A lot of us don't want, see, we like the fantasy of the trophy. We don't like the reality of what it takes to get the trophy, to get the financial independence, to get the generational wealth, to get the physical health. Oh, I want a body just like yours. You like the fantasy of it, I like the work of it. It's two different kind of people. It's two different kind of people. Yeah, yeah, you desire about getting in shape. I love the work it takes to get in shape. Yeah, I love the work. Yeah, yeah, you love the fantasy. Yep, oh, I'm. One day I'm gonna start me a business. You love the fantasy of starting a business because, baby, oh, one day, oh, one day I'm gonna just I'm gonna have ten thousand dollars in the bank. You love the fantasy it takes to get you love the fantasy of having ten thousand000 in the bank. You love the fantasy it takes to get you, love the fantasy of having $10,000 in the bank, but you don't love the work and the sacrifice that it takes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's true, this is true.
Speaker 2:This is true. We have to wake up, and excuse me if I'm passionate about this. Excuse me if I'm passionate about waking your ass up and telling you you have to do the work yourself. I don't care what phase, what age you are, you still have to get up and do the work of becoming better each day.
Speaker 1:At the end of the day, if there's still breath in your body and you still waking up every day, there's still time. There's still time.
Speaker 2:You gotta stop being lazy, stop making excuses. Tough conversations today. You know, big charles, you know we call the action. People we listen. We got a little personal. We started off slow in the beginning because we was building up. We want you guys to get it. We come from nothing and we're still working towards our goal, grinding every single day. Man, we got new problems, we have new problems and people that successful people love new problems. It's sexy. It's sexy.
Speaker 1:Sexy, that's a sexy stress. For me that's a flex, Something new to solve and dig into and achieve and figure out Like what.
Speaker 2:We have to wake up. We want life to just be peaches and cream and that's not life. That is not life. Life is going to life. Life is a roller coaster. Those things that we are, we cannot change, can't control Life. That is inevitable and we cannot change, can't control Life. That is inevitable and we cannot control it. But what we can do is we can control our struggle, we can prioritize what we give a damn about.
Speaker 2:I give a damn about my people. That's connected to me. I give a damn about my listeners that are connected to me that they are able to wake up from this episode and say I'm going to take control of my life. That's what I care about. I give a damn about my children, right, benefiting from the sacrifices that I make today. I give a damn about that. I don't give a damn about having small talk. I don't give a damn about gossiping. I don't give a damn about watching TV, and it does not. Certain things I listen.
Speaker 2:You have no busy watching TV when you know that you have. You have no busy watching TV. You have no busy partying. You have no busy doing anything that takes you off focus when you're not going in the in the direction of life that you want to go in. That is just the true fact. You have no busy business gossiping. You have no business gossiping. You have no business doing anything other than focusing on making your life better. A lot of us, we're blaming on the system, we're blaming on the economy. We're blaming on the world. I found out Big Shea. We're blaming on our childhood. We're blaming on our parents. We're blaming on our childhood. We'll blame it on our parents. We'll blame it on the people. I found out Big Shea. When I stopped blaming my parents, when I stopped blaming my hood, when I stopped blaming others, nobody, everybody turned on me. When I took full control of my life, that's when things started lining up for me.
Speaker 1:I love what you just said, when you took full control of your life. That's the goal Taking full control of your life and not allowing life to control you. Yeah, we've heard that before. It's actually probably a very cliche, you know, quote, but you have to take control over your life. Have to and control the things that you can control and by doing that, you can get closer to the things that you desire to improve the quality of your life and the generations after you and the generations before us can celebrate because we're the ones that decided to change the legacy. My call to action is for whoever's listening or watching today you be that person. Be that person to make our ancestors celebrate. Be that person in your family to be the example of what can be done. Be that person in your community. Be that person for your children. Be that person for yourself.
Speaker 2:We're not out here trying to flex, man. You know, listen, say that for them, save that for them. Not for them, not for you. For real, let them go and flex their money, flex their cars, flex their houses.
Speaker 2:They bad, whatever let them go chase the bag. You live in purpose and your purpose may be. I just want to have a job. Yeah, I want to save money. Yeah, I want to be comfortable. I want to leave enough for my children. It doesn't have to be so gigantic that it's not reachable. That part Start off small. You know what? I just want to get my life in order. I want to focus on getting my life in order. I want to call someone, pay someone to help coach me. Where am I going wrong? Because I realize a lot of us don't even realize that we're going wrong. A lot of us don't even realize it and it's time to just take control.
Speaker 1:I'm done talking about it. I mean just to wrap this up. You're listening to and you're watching two people that are dang near, pleading, begging with you to take control of your life. We're also willing to coach you in a sense, hold your hand through the process and coach you. Process and coach you. Big Charles just talked about at the top of this episode. He has created a wonderful, wonderful ebook to help guide you in. If your starting point is your children, this is a tool that will help you make that your starting point. For $14.97, you can purchase the ebook on the website to start there.
Speaker 2:Not even just that, though, big shade. We also have a coaching link on the big dog talk podcast. If you guys want coaching advice, go to the website, click the link. We are here for listen. This is a Invest in yourself. Invest in yourself. Go to BigDogTalkPodcastcom. Click the link. You will get coaching sessions from Big Charles and Big Shea, together or separately. We're basically begging.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You cannot afford to ignore that e-guide for $14.97. You cannot ignore the coaching sessions from Big Charles and Big Shea on the Big Dog Talk website. Don't click the link. We want to help.
Speaker 1:Yeah, big Charles, wake up every single day coming up with ideas.
Speaker 2:How can I be of value? How can I be of value?
Speaker 1:How can I help, how, how, how he live, sleep and eat. This y'all I spend.
Speaker 2:No cap and I spend thousands of dollars on myself.
Speaker 1:Thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2:For self-development, to learn To provide this, so I can pour into you guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. I would definitely say to wrap this up you're looking at and listening to two people that absolutely feel like that absolutely don't feel like. We absolutely know that we are walking in our purpose.
Speaker 2:And we can help you guys. That's individually and that's us together. We can help you guys. Guaranteed Love, y'all Peace.