Ep. 22 - Anthony Thompson - Signs to Your Assignment in Life

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He is a Coach. Consultant. Author and Speaker at Thompson Coaching & Consulting

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago is where Anthony’s life of resilience began. And that Life was not easy as he buried his pain in drugs, sports, and status. 

While achieving this status, and working with celebrities and Fortune 500 companies, Anthony received an invitation to work and travel with a renowned evangelist. As his life started to shift, he met and married the love of his life in Australia and this is where he launched and grew a successful social media agency.

His personal access and observations of some of the greatest leaders in the world led him to become an Amazon best-selling author, as well as an official YouVersion partner where he has written nine devotionals amassing more than 40,000 subscribers.

 Seeing people win is what Anthony calls his “assignment” on earth. Through his studies of psychology, spiritual teachers, and the Bible, he wants to share with us today that we have everything we need to become the champions we were created to be.

Thanks for listening!

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Transcript

LeaderImpact Podcast - Ep. 22 -Anthony Thompson - Signs to Your Assignment in Life

Lisa Peters
Welcome to the LeaderImpact Podcast. We are a community of leaders with a network in over 350 cities around the world dedicated to optimizing our personal, professional, and spiritual lives to have impact. This show is where we have a chance to listen and engage with leaders who are living this out. We love talking with leaders so if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions to make the show even better, please let us know. The best way to stay connected in Canada is through our newsletter at LeaderImpact.ca or on social media @LeaderImpact. And if you're listening from outside of Canada check out our website at leaderimpact.com. 

I'm your host Lisa Peters and our guest today is Anthony Thompson. He is a coach, consultant, author, and speaker at Thompson Coaching and Consulting. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago is where Anthony's life of resilience began. And that life was not easy as he buried his pain in drugs, sports, and status. While achieving this status and working with celebrities and Fortune 500 companies, Anthony received an invitation to work and travel with a renowned evangelist. As his life started to shift, he met and married the love of his life in Australia and this is where he launched and grew a successful social media agency. His personal access and observations of some of the greatest leaders in the world led him to become an Amazon bestselling author as well as an official YouVersion partner where he has written 9 devotionals amassing more than 40,000 subscribers.

Seeing people win is what Anthony calls his assignment on earth. Through his studies of psychology, spiritual teachers, and the Bible, he wants to share with us today that we have everything we need to become the champions we were created to be. Welcome to the podcast Anthony!

Anthony Thompson
Thank you Lisa. What a treat. I'm ready to rock and roll here. And you have a guitar back there so strum away. 

Lisa Peters
That’s my husband’s. 

Anthony Thompson
No no, you got to take that on as your own. You own that! 

Lisa Peters
So I'm super excited to have found you. I found you on YouVersion. And you always at the end of your podcast are like, reach out to me. I'm like what, I'm reaching out to Anthony. And so I'm thankful that you responded right away. So if I don't say that enough, thank you.

Anthony Thompson
Well, my pleasure. Yeah yeah, I would say that in the world of whether you're in marketing and business or you're an owner in business or whatever it may be I think one of the most neglected things is responding to human beings. Most people are used to autoresponders or automation. And I'm just telling you right now that if you have the gift of being able to do that, which that's sort of my thing, please use it because people really do.  It really connects people.

Lisa Peters
Yeah, it really does and just responding I had a smile like it just lifted my heart. So yeah, again, what that means. So you are living in Scottsdale, Arizona how much do you love it?

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, well we just moved out here in the middle of 100 degree temperatures. From California, moving from the ocean to the desert is there's love for both. We're loving it. We're learning. And yeah, just one day at a time out here in the desert. But right now check this out. It's it was 80° today so I almost put a hoodie on. It was almost cooling enough for a hoodie.

Lisa Peters
Yeah, well I've got another month and my skin may freeze in 1 minute while I walk outside. So that'll happen. Yeah, it gets cold here in the winter. 

Anthony Thompson
Oh yes, it does.

Lisa Peters
But we're not, we're not talking about our winter. So I want to start the podcast and I really want you to tell us about yourself and how you got into coaching because I think people need experience to get into coaching so tell us, give us a little bit.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, yeah, you do I think I think part of it started with not realizing that, my father was a pastor. I watched his career of 40 years being a pastor kind of. I learned a little bit of lessons in there. I think growing up, earlier in my story with sort of a drug addict mother who died when I was 7 and no father, I think sort of played some tunes to that as well with resilience and learning how to come back. And realizing that you're not, you don't have to be part of your past story but you can write a new story. 

I think there was part of it in there where it was working with really high level, whether it was celebrities, whether it was Fortune 500 companies working with them, seeing how they operate flow, communicate was also a few chapters and pages of lessons in my life. I'd say even most, some of the most recent stuff with a very large prominent Christian brand, a global brand, that was part of that a lot of pages in there that I learned. Until it all started to click. I'd say when I started to really invest more into my own personal self. 

And then when those gifts started to line up with those things that are in your heart that make you tick, make you cry, get you going you start to realize that there's just this thing that you're created to do. And I'd say that's where coaching became something that was probably always in there. But as you sort of uncover it, as each chapter plays a part in it, it becomes I think something that people just say, Oh yeah, that makes sense. That’s you. That's what you do. That's who you are. That's your type of person you are. And I believe that same thing goes into all different areas of our lives and finding that stuff that makes you tick and that you're really good at.

Lisa Peters
Yeah, I think that you nailed it on the head when you like you grow, we grow. And throughout our whole life there are different seasons and they change and we evolve and everything that happens in my life and yours I'm seeing is meant to happen. But we have to know that it was meant to happen. The good, the bad we have to know it was happen. 

Now in your intro you talked a little bit about status. And I know that right now there is this I mean in the last three years with Covid this sort of great resignation right? This turnover of high-level staff. High paying, high level, and st are we letting go? Are people going, I don't need the status anymore? I need to be happy. And I just want your views on what do you think is going on right now with this turnover and like what's happening in your eyes.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, there are a lot of people that come to me about those very issues and life is seasons like you said. And the best way to explain it is there's spring. Spring is when you're excited about something and there's growth and you're investing in it and you're motivated by it and you're getting it off the ground. It's this spring season of your life. You may have that. You may feel it. You're maybe first starting something you're getting it going. 

And then you get into summer. And summer is like the peak. Summer is when everything is rolling you love what you're doing. You're motivated. You're inspired. It's awesome. Well, then what happens is we don't realize that in that summer season that you have to start planning for the future. It just isn't a gravy train with biscuit wheels all day long. Like there's something's going to go on. And so what happens a lot of times is people don't really understand summer so much and they get into fall. 

Now fall season as you know and you're in the cold weather where you start to bundle up. And it gets cold and you're not as motivated. You're not as inspired. It's darker. You're not waking up like you were. And I'm talking about careers because this is I'm talking for my own experience being with some of the most successful brands in the world and still having this like part of me that was saying this isn't what I was created to do. I'm not inspired. I'm not motivated. These dollars and cents on the spreadsheets I don't like the. And so you start to go into this season in your life where you have to either totally remix it and cut through back to spring. Or what I had to do is I go into winter.

And winter is like hibernation. Winter is when you invest in yourself winter is when you discover what your gifts really are. What your talents really are. You find out what you're really created. It's that time of discovery in that winter season. And it's a season where you're probably by yourself. It's a season where  you are really investing heavily. 

And so these people that are going through these seasons in their life, many times they're in this fall season. They're not comfortable. They're not happy.   And a lot of times those people need to have someone come alongside them to identify it. And then either get into this stage where you're going to recreate and build something new or you have to remix it and get back into spring where something you're excited about again. So that's what I see in a lot of people because that's where I was. And a lot of people just think they're going to go to another job and that's going to make it work. Or they might resign and they might be able to start their own thing. But the bottom the core issue is that you have to get into your personal, spiritual development, soul development. So that you actually are doing things that you love. Otherwise you're just going to go back into the hamster wheel.

Lisa Peters
Yeah, and when I think of… because we want to talk about your assignment, finding your assignments. And people always say find what you love and that is really important and you talk about it too. But you have so much more and you ask so many more questions. So we're going to jump right into that and just let's start with what are the signs of finding your assignment, your purpose in life? You had some good ones.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, obviously what I wrote, off of that is a lot of those types of signs. And I guess I can list off a few of them and we can talk more about them. But it's having that creative spirit that creative idea for solving problems for your assignment. It's realizing what you do love is another sign, angers you. Things that anger you. Not just like people that frustrate you. But there's this anger for wanting to change it. Like why can't this be better? Like it's sometimes for people that see children that are in poverty. Or it's something we use…or battered women. Or just these things that hurt and they pain you. They anger you. A lot of times it's a sign.

Lisa Peters
So yeah, I'm going to go back because I want to talk because Anger is just one of the signs. But you talk about creativity and you talk about solving problems. And one of the things you said is you are a solution to someone's problem. And that sort of hit me and I just thought what I'm a solution to a problem. I am a reward to someone. I'm a gift to someone. I am someone's creative. Like we got to be creative in finding and I think we don't believe we're good enough. We don't think we're creative enough. We don't think we're someone's answer. We don't. And I stopped with that one and I really sat with that. Why don't I believe that I'm creative? Or how come I can't get creative? But why don't I believe that I'm important?

We did a podcast. Number, I think it was, 19 with Kerri Schwebius and she talked about imposter syndrome. And it's like others tell you that you are needed. You are a gift. You are this and you don't see that. You don't view that you're creative. You are a solution. So I really like that one.

Anthony Thompson
I'd also say to that it all starts with belief.,kind of what you're saying there. And there's a blog that I wrote about like a decade ago that I drudged back up because it was so impactful for me because I went on this big study about the human body. And I had a friend that had it was a kidney transplant. And fortunately it worked out for her that she got it. But I remember seeing the bill. That she was sharing with me the cost. And I said, Oh my God! Like how is that even possible of the expense? And so I went on this research for just the value and the worth of the human body. And I found other people are interested in it too. And there are books about it and there's all this sort of stuff. And the point of the research was that if you were to take your body and you were to go out and you were to sell it all on the black market and the open market. Originally back then was at $46,000,000. Now with inflation, it's $71,000,000 got include inflation. But it just shows to me that sometimes we just don't realize how valuable that we are with just baseline value. A $71,000,000 asset. What would you do with that $71,000,000 asset? How would you treat it? How would you…what would you eat? Who do you want around it? Who are you renting space to? 

I always talk about it, in your mind about your mindset is really your greatest real estate you have and who you lease it out to will tell you everything about your day. Everything. And so the value going back into the value of that with your limiting beliefs and things like that, it comes from the idea because you can't just spit words out to be like oh I'm going to be better. I'm going to…It has to come from belief. It has to come from I know that this is who I am. I know that these are my gifts, my skills, my talents. I know that I have the capabilities of being in this space and area. And so that's just kind of sort of like the basement of where this skyscraper is being built. That's just kind of how I see if that makes sense.

Lisa Peters
Your second one, because I know you listed off 3 right away. But your second was just it is what you love. I think you just talked about if you had all the money in the world, what would you do? What would you get up and do?

Anthony Thompson
It's a good question. I had someone who just recently asked me this, I don't know eight, nine figure business guy. We were talking he said he looked at me straight up. He's just a really tough strong guy said, You have all the money in the world, Anthony. What would you do? I was like man! I'm doing it! Like this is what I dreamed of. This is what I want to write, I want to speak, I want to see other people win. That's scaling. That is essentially what it is. 

But asking someone whether they're sitting about more than what you love with food and cupcakes and travel. Because after you take all the holidays to the Maldives, and after you sit in Hawaii for a long time, and after you do that, there's got to be something in there where you're saying this clicks. I love doing this. I love how it makes me feel. I feel like I'm good at it. And there's another thing, I know toward the end that, we talked about is sometimes you discredit it because you're not willing to qualify yourself for it. Tthere's people that I know that they want to start a business. They want to get into real estate. They want to do this. But they don't qualify themselves to go and do it. Some things you need to qualify yourself. You love it. But you don't know how to sew so you don't make the clothing brand. Well qualify yourself. Learn how to sew and watch how fast you get there. Do you know what I mean? Does that make sense?

Lisa Peters
Yeah. You can't just I mean I want to do this and think someone's gonna hire you. You got to get to class, do a study.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah. You are still good at it. But even for yourself, you're great with people. You're great at what you do, but you qualified yourself. Uou got even better at your skills and it made it so much faster. 

Lisa Peters
Right. Good point. One of the things you already mentioned, which I had really never thought of, was what angers you? And that was a big eye-opener. Because I just went yeah. Like when my heart, when something angers me, my heart starts races. Well, why? Well because I care. So I don't know if you can expand on that. That was a good one. That made me think.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah. I think, it's kind of there's a story in there I use for two, but the story about the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving was a big like eye-opener for me. Because I just think of how many families…empathy is a big, big thing for me. So I just feel what that feels like. And what that would feel like for me with three babies. And to say how much you're tormented, your anger, but you do something about it. And now these statistics, I don't know if it's as familiar in Canada, but they've reduced, drunk driving by 50%, a lot of it in the US. It's more aware. It's one of those things where you see those things that anger you. And you do something about it. 

I remember this story with Toms shoes where he went down into villages in Africa and just saw the impoverishment and what was going on. And he said I got to do something about it. And it just became his assignment. It just became like everything about what he was doing was to say how can I, how can I get this stuff going? 

The story about Charity Water. The founder, I've hung out with in New York, and he just has a beautiful . But the same situation where he was a nightclub promoter and he was in the celebrity world and he was doing that. And all of a sudden he just felt empty and hollow. He goes off, he realizes that there are people in need. And he starts this whole thing of donating money for his birthday and creating wells. It was this anger and inspiration inside of them. 

So it's just something to really, I call them signs. They're guideposts. They're just these little sparks. These little notes where you say, Okay I should maybe look into that. Some people would call it out of the blue. Something out of the blue or coincidence happens. And what's interesting about the word coincidence is that it's actually a mathematical word. And the words coincide which means the lines actually match. A coincidence is actually matching lines. And as you learn about people who talk about higher frequencies and higher vibrations and all this kind of stuff. It's no longer like things just happen. You realize that they're happening for a reason and you're now just noticing it. And I just think so many of those things they help line up and as it goes into anger. Maybe there's a sign for someone in that like you said.

Lisa Peters
Yeah I you said it exactly. We may not see it. I think there's so much out there and we're so…we think we're so busy or we are so busy and I don't mean to disrespect anyone but we have to just step back. And we have to see those opportunities or those things that anger us and let it resonate. That's a big word with you I think resonate Just let it sit with us. So I was loving the anger because I just thought I'd never asked myself that and never, not sure if I saw the…look what do I love not what makes me angry. Any more signs? Here we go.

Anthony Thompson
I don't know you rattled…Give me another 1 which one was interesting for you? 

Lisa Peters
Well, I loved, what makes you cry.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, I love that one too. I've wrote in there that yeah crying is…I'm a crier and I've kids movies. So I write about crying in Monsters University, Monsters, Inc. most recently I was at I was watching a new Top Gun sob like a baby. And you have to take note of, why. The key with the crying is the assignment again. It's a signpost. So it's not crying. It's not grieving that something was going on. It's a crying in you where you just…it something clicks and something hits for you. And so when I watch those movies, when I watch Rudy, a football movie where this guy makes this incredible comeback from nowhere. Remember the Titans, again where teams ,they unify guys, come together and they win so it gets me crying because I love seeing people win. I love….I know what the struggle is like. I feel their pain. And so that to me was such a big clue in watching those kinds of stories because it's just saying yes like why is that making you feel that way? 

And some people get it in different ways and love stories and in other ways. Or crying for, I have some friends that they're really involved with an organization called Compassion. And when they see these children and they see what they're going through it just breaks them. They feel it.

And so yeah, I just I think that the crying in there again, another great signpost for somebody that's saying what am I supposed to be doing while I'm here on Earth. And even taking a step back is to give yourself, like you said before, we're busy, we're distracted, we feel like we always need to do something. And scriptures tell us, be still and know that I'm God. And I really double and triple down on that because I identify with high performers. I identify with high achievers. I could be doing stuff all day long. But instead take that time back and listen. Be listening for what that feels like for yourself and also for what the crying may look like for you or any of these signs may look for you. Just become aware in all of those things.

Lisa Peters
Because I don't think crying for some people is outright tears falling down their face. It's that lump in their throat that they can't talk and something has stirred for you. And I think of we are given, we have talents and if you were an engineer and the water issues bothering you and you have the opportunity to build a well. Or we have these talents that we can use. So again, that wasn't some a sign that I thought of to think about like what makes me cry? And I've started to write down the words when I watch something. What what am I feeling? Or what is…

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, why is that getting you? Yeah, even if it is films for you and even if it seems like oh it's a romantic story. But what about the romantic story that got you? What about the comeback that was, got you in that feeling? And why is it interesting to you because of these signs. 

We've got 70 Psalms in Psalms, it says we got 70 to 80 years. Maybe more for some maybe less for others.  It's a very, very short window of time. And I truly believe that in life the devil for us is coming to take us off our assignment. If he can do anything is to distract us from what your gifts and your talents are truly. And if he can do that then it's a win. 

Because I always tell people, I give a basketball analogy, and I know basketball is not as big in Canada. If I had a hockey analogy, maybe I can change it to like Wayne Gretzky. So imagine Wayne Gretzky's out on the ice, and Wayne is a superstar and he is a high performer and he's the best and one of the best ever. And so when he gets out there. He's not just thinking about what he's going to do. He's not just thinking about how he's going to get the puck. He's also thinking about how they're going to defend him. And so Wayne would, just like a Lebron, he's going to do the exact same thing. He's going to say I'm not just thinking about how I'm going to score, but I'm going to think about where are the distractions? How are they going to take me off my game? 

And when it comes to your assignment or anything  in earth or anything in your day, ou've got to think about what are the distractions that are going to make you slightly miss that shot. You don't have to make the shot. You just have to slightly miss the shot. And if that happens consistently then that's just you're off your game and you got to be aware of that.

Lisa Peters
Distractions, you have to ask yourself, is this…and when you find your purpose, is this distraction any part of my purpose? Does this match any because there are so many distractions. And it could be so many people coming at you with ideas. You should be involved in this. You should join our committee. You should join, it becomes and you're like ahhh. It comes at you hard. And it's like I can't do it all and there's the whole world. It's funny because that was my discussion this morning was boundaries. We're reading Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud with our group. 

Anthony Thompson
Well done. Great book. Yeah, great book.

Lisa Peters
Yes, and and it's you got to set boundaries because so many distractions are coming at you. It's a great book.

Anthony Thompson
I agree. That's a good one. I'd also really recommend, I don't know whether you're an owner, a founder, an entrepreneur, a business professional, every layer you should invest heavily on your knowing who you are. Your gifts, your talents. And what I mean by that is saying Okay, some people get into Enneagram. Great figure it out and know what that is. But then also strengths finder. Know them. Understand what those things are. Understand how they relate to you. Understand why, how they match into what you're actually doing and understand that your greatest distractions are going to come into those lanes of your greatest gifts. Because if anything can happen about to your gifts, it's going to come the opposite of your gift. If that makes sense. 

Lisa Peters
Yeah, that strength finders is a great one. 

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, That's great.. It's a great one.

Lisa Peters
Yeah, that's a good one. So we're we're getting through the signs and one of the, one of your last ones was about, it might take a tragic experience. And I don't know if you want to talk about that? Or if you've had one? Or because I mean stories tell you.

Anthony Thompson
Yes. I've had lots of them. We all had them. We've all had them. I realized that. What I mean, we've all had trauma. Everyone's got it. Everyone's gone through it. The the story that I write about I related in there with the story of Jonah. And most people know the story of Jonah where he just he was supposed to go somewhere and he decided not to. And disaster happens. Boat sink. He jumps off.  Whale gets him, spits him out. And all of a sudden he has to go back the original way he was supposed to go and then it works out. 

Well for me, there's probably a couple of them, but I'd say right at Covid, when Covid hit, I was on a…I had a kind of couple businesses going. And one of those business was in was heavily involved in stocks, bonds futures, etc. And unfortunately, when Covid happened it just completely obliterated like nearly a quarter of $1,000,000. And so I had relied very heavily on this because during that time as well, there was another business I was in. And so I had to really get inside myself and start to ask a lot of questions about what I trusted in and what I really believed and who I believed. 

And I wrote another devotional about that experience called Whispers where I go through line by line in Psalm 23 about what God's promises are in your life. And it was dark. And it was very very dreadful. And it hurt. And I had to figure out what faith really looks like and really was for me in my life. 

And so in doing so, did a lot of that work of what am I really going for? Scriptures talk about you can serve God or mammon but you can't serve both. So you got to pick. And you got to can't just pick with your mouth and you got to pick with everything you are. And that's where I started to pick on this different pathway and really start to carve out this sort of new lane that was from that tragedy to find my assignment in doing that. 

I find a lot of people are in that spot where they're in a very much a tragic situation. And those tragic situations, I want you to have courage in them. I want those of you listening in tragic situations, they are your greatest teachers. They're your greatest lessons. You're gonna look back and you say wow I learned some of the greatest things that I learned in those seasons and those moments. I have. Thousands of others have and it's all about perspective in the season. And it sucks when you hear it because someone was like oh just give me perspective. It sucks to hear that. Nobody wants to hear that but you also need to hear that. 

Look at the perspective. Look at what the issues may be. I always suggest people   to really carve out, read stories that put inspiration in you. And when I say inspire, what inspire is really about in spirit. The reason why you connect with when you get inspired, it's really in spirit. It's not informed. That's information. That's just, that's Google. It's not going to inspire you. So get inspired in those moments and I think you'll start to see that assignment a lot more clearly. Or to start to lead you into a path where like yeah this is actually what I should be doing. Like this does make sense. Some of the things I don't like, but it does make sense. 

Lisa Peters
Yeah, it's really hard when you're in it. When you're in the tragic moment.

Anthony Thompson
Oh it is terrible.

Lisa Peters
And if it's a day, if it's a month, if it's a year…it's so hard. Perspective is great. You're you're looking back and you're like what did I learn? Yeah well when you're in it, it's really…and I think putting, reading and find your solution. Don't just sit in it. So reading the inspiring people and and surrounding yourself with people that…you got to get out of it. Yeah.

Anthony Thompson
And look back at those past wins when you have recovered. When you have gotten through it. I reminded myself when that was going on that I had moved   several years before that to Australia with  2 babies and no job in another country in another continent. And I just was like well we'll make it work. And it was the same sort of situation where I was like wow this is a hundred times harder than I imagined in my head. I figured I'd get there. I'd get going. And what I ended up looking for was a job. What I ended up getting was creating a business and a company and growing it to quickly 6 figures in less than 2 years. And so what what was originally in there, it shifted into what I really actually probably wanted. But again, another moment in there where it was tough. It was hard. It was…I was scraping every day for positive things and reminding myself of great moments in my life.  .

Lisa Peters
So we already talked about getting qualified. You mentioned that earlier just   you got to go out and get qualified. And I think your last sign is just get obsessed. Get obsessed.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah. I mentioned in about obsession with Jeff Bezos when he was doing Amazon, he was competing against Barnes and Noble. And he got obsessed. The differentiating factor back then was he couldn't really compete with Barnes and Noble. So what he could compete in was customer service was just the service side of Amazon. And he got obsessed with that and that's what really ultimately grew Amazon to what it was. 

Bill gates got obsessed with software. And he just…you read the stories and the books on Bill and he just just couldn't get enough of it. And now there's enough software for plenty of people around the world where he got obsessed with it.

And in my own life, as I started sitting with people, watching them win, hearing what they were going through, I got obsessed with every bit of coaching, the mind, perspective, spirituality, the solutions, meditations, affirmations. I got obsessed to where that's basically all I'm ever like thinking about and doing. Because I just see it as such a short window of time for me. And if there's a way that I can help with one person, with one thought, like you said a lot of questionsto ask yourself, any of that can help and and and get into someone. That's that's where the obsession is really you become really aware of it. 

If you watched The Last Dance, it was a series on the Chicago Bulls in the 90s which I was in Chicago in the 90s. And so that series was…I cried.  So don't worry I cried watching the Bulls win again. It was just I can't believe it. But in watching it, it was Michael Jordan's obsession for the rules of the game and how high of a caliber that he wanted on the court.  When you read Kobe Bryant, his obsession for how he played the game and what he expected of his teammates was just these incredible signs that not just improved his game but improved everybody's game around him. So obsession is a big sign. It'll show you a lot.

Lisa Peters
And I think the more you become obsessed though I think there's more distractions that are going to come because there's the good people out there that are rooting for you. And then there's the other people that aren't and you have to be aware of that. When you become so excited and so obsessed, they just…be aware, I think. Because I have got obsessed and that you have to know their distractions and where they're coming from. 

Anthony Thompson
I get it. I get it. 

Lisa Peters
So I believe those are 7. So if anyone, I'm going to read them so creativity is the fuel for solving problems. Number two is what you love. Three, what angers you. Four, what makes you cry. Know that it may take a tragic experience. Get qualified, get obsessed. That has made me do some big thinking.

Anthony Thompson
Good.

Lisa Peters
I know my purpose, but to maybe get a little deeper. And when there's a lot coming right now and it's like I need to just kick back and think. 

So we've we've talked about a few books here. So I want to ask you what is your favorite leadership book or do you have one? 

Anthony Thompson
It's a good question. I'm not…I have a few. I have a few. And that's why I write. That's why I write what I write is because it's…Like for me, it started with As a Man Thinketh. James Allen. Classic. So I wrote something about that just because what you think about is truly what you become. And in Proverbs it says, As a man thinketh so is he. And as a leader, whether it's limiting beliefs, whether it's these…people around you, where you came from, all those things are just mind is really big for me on that. 

I think 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, that was something I love and so I wrote about it. I wrote the same thing about especially like thinking about the end in mind. As a leader, in anything you do, what is the outcome? And let's work our way back. What do we want? Or how do you want to feel? Or what do you want your home to be like? What do you want your relationships to look like? What do you want, what do you want fun time to look like? 

So many high, high, high level people, are they forget fun. Or they go crazy on fun. But I find a lot of them, they just…dads, they just forget to have fun. They're working. They're with their kids. And there's just a balance that needs to happen in there. So that's another 7 Habits.

I've got the 4 Agreements here that I love from Damo Manuel Ruiz which I wrote about those agreements because  whether it's by design or default we are making agreements every single day whether we like it or not. And I want people to make great agreements. I want them to like use their words as power. Use them to be, I say to architect, the skyscrapers of your future. Be intentional with those agreements of how you're treating other people and what you're thinking about. 

Yeah, those are probably the three of the latest that I've…they're not like new and it's not new stuff I just find that beside the scriptures in the Bible, it's usually outsourced a lot in some format. In those other ways. 

Lisa Peters
Because I think As a Man Thinketh was like 1913, 23 I don't know yeah and like yeah.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, it's like the 30s, 20s and 30s. And I'm writing now, I just finished thinking grow, Think and Grow Wise instead of think but I just…Everything in the book is all thinking grow wise instead of thinking grow rich. I love the Napoleon Hill what he did. Just his thinking, his questions. Those are just game changing books.

Lisa Peters
I do love hearing   what other leaders are reading. So thank you for sharing that with us. 

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, I'm sorry it's not like super, hip and trendy. I go classic. I try and skip a few generations because I feel like that's where like the real sweet spot is so.

Lisa Peters
Yeah, so, this is obviously a LeaderImpact podcast. And we're all about we're dedicated to leaders to make a lasting impact. So my question for you which I ask all my guests is what as you continue through your own journey, what do you want your faith legacy to be when you leave this world?

Anthony Thompson
It's a good question. I mean, look I've got the most important thing is my family around me. So it talks in the scriptures to make sure you take care of that one of the one of the biggest things you do. So for my kids to know that what faith is like lived out in reality in the highs, the lows and the middles, that they see the fruits of the gifts. 

My picture that I have is that if I was just an enormous fruit tree that there was just so much fruit that was coming off that people can it at any time, and anywhere, at any place, they could grab love, joy, peace, patience, kindness self-control, all of those things to help like get them get them inspired, get them going, get them doing. And that's what I see really faith in action to look like is that whether you're at the grocery store or whether you're inside your home that you have plenty of fruit to be able to have yeah grab it, take it sure whatever there's plenty more. That's how I see it.

Lisa Peters
Yeah, and my last question for all guests are what brings you the greatest joy?

Anthony Thompson
Oh the greatest joy, shoot. That's a good question. Well I would I'd say like greatest joy for me is again back to my family. I think seeing them. When my bride, seeing her happy. The kids doing things and and being confident in what they're doing. I think as a parent that's one of the greatest things is when you just see your kid just do something in their gifts and their skills and their talents. And they just they just do it and you don't have to say anything about it. They just they just do it. And I think that to me is just…Or just sitting with my bride, spending time with her. And just like thank God for it. Thank God that we're 15 years and we're still like friends and we love each other and we laugh. And I start crying right now. But yeah I'm thankful for that. I really am.

Lisa Peters
We did, there was a podcast just a few ago and it was Bruce White and he really talked about when this is all over and you're done your career and you're going into retirement, what do you have left? And when he thought of his family, he was spending a lot of time at work and he went, he just stepped back and went if like I need to my family's more important than this.

Anthony Thompson
Yeah on Instagram on Instagram all the time, I get these photos that they pop up on your phone right on iPhone. They'll givite you recommended photos. And just became a thing where I just said every time I see those I'm going to just put that up and it's usually my kids. It's like when they're a little or when they we're doing something together. And it's a simple phrase that just says Remember what matters. Because I don't care about likes and reals and whatever. I do care that I remember those moments with my babies and my bride. And that those things are actually what really matters is shaping them and being the best representation inside the home. 

Lisa Peters
Yeah, that's great. Remember what matters

Anthony Thompson
Yeah remember what matters.

Lisa Peters
Because that's that's life. Yeah, and I think a lot of people are maybe..we talk about the signs of assignments there I think they're remembering  life for a few of us got shut down. We were zeroed out. I have an event planning company. Lost everything, I mean as events-wise, and I had to remember what matters. And all of a sudden I'm like did my job really matter? So I went back to what are my signs? What is the assignment? What is the actual purpose? So back that. 

So Anthony my cheeks hurt because I'm smiling so much. I want to thank you for spending the last 45 minutes with us. I really appreciate it and I look forward to working with you as a coach because there's many coaches out there. But I love that there's a faith base here. And I think that's really important for anyone who's listening. I love executive coaches, but when there's a faith base behind it, they can just they can understand versus if you believe in that stuff. So I appreciate you taking the time now.

Anthony Thompson
Well I went all around the world to figure out the mystics. And I felt like spiritual teachers were really getting a lot of great applause. and I just found a lot of it to be, I found my version of in the scriptures. And so that's kind of I think that's what you're alluding to there is and having the scriptures in there as your support and your base and creating growth in that way in all areas of your life..

Lisa Peters
So thank you. 

Anthony Thompson
Yeah, my pleasure

Lisa Peters
So this does end our podcast with you but I want to ask you last, if anyone wants to contact you or find you, find anything. How can they?

Anthony Thompson
If you go to anthonythompson.org there's most of the stuff is on there. On Instagram I'm on there AnthonyThompson with a zero at the end, just look for the yellow glasses. And yeah and all that stuff's on there. There is a podcast called Grow that I get into. It's a daily podcast to give you a bit of growth every single day. So any of those come hang out and let me know how it is.

Lisa Peters
Wow I like that. And as you always say, let me know how this resonates with you.

Anthony Thompson
Let me know how it resonates with you. Yeah let me know.

Lisa Peters
I'm rooting for you Anthony. 

Anthony Thompson
Thank you. 

Lisa Peters
It's funny, every time I read your devotionals you always have that. I’m rooting for you.

Anthony Thompson
Thank you. Yeah, I am. I am. We're all connected. We're all like you just it's all here. We're all in this together. So thank you.

Lisa Peters
Well that ends our podcast with Anthony and if you're part of LeaderImpact, you can always discuss or share this podcast with your group. And if you're not yet in LeaderImpact group, we would love to have you. Check out the groups available in Canada at leaderimpact ca. Or if you're listening from anywhere else in the world, check out leaderimpact.com or get in touch with us by email info@leaderimpact.com and we will connect you. And if you like this podcast please leave us a comment, give us a rating, or review. This will help other global leaders find our podcast. Thank you for engaging with us and remember impact starts with you.