WEBVTT 00:00:02.786 --> 00:00:04.873 Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast. 00:00:04.873 --> 00:00:19.969 In this show, the Texas FFA Foundation will take on a journey of exploration into agricultural science, education, leadership development and insights from subject matter experts and sponsors who provide the fuel to make dreams come true. 00:00:19.969 --> 00:00:22.440 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 00:00:30.184 --> 00:00:40.167 Well, good morning, good afternoon, good evening or whenever you may be tuning in to the Growing Our Future podcast, hey, we just appreciate you stopping by. 00:00:40.167 --> 00:00:42.448 You know time's one of those things. 00:00:42.448 --> 00:00:44.990 We can't save it, we can't hoard it. 00:00:44.990 --> 00:00:52.914 The only thing we can do with time is spend it, and so the fact that you're stopping by and sharing some of your time with us, let me tell you it's an honor. 00:00:52.914 --> 00:00:55.774 We appreciate you being here. 00:00:55.795 --> 00:01:04.677 The podcast itself, growing Our Future, you know, I tell people, if agriculture's taught me anything, it's taught me this If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 00:01:04.677 --> 00:01:10.260 Well, how do you grow a future? 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:14.590 You've got to plant the right seeds, you've got to take care of those seeds and then you've got to harvest it and then share it with other people. 00:01:14.590 --> 00:01:16.724 That's what this podcast is about. 00:01:16.724 --> 00:01:29.167 We bring on people that I consider subject matter experts, people with incredible stories, testimonies and seeds of greatness, things that, if we listen, we can find something that we can plant in our lives. 00:01:29.167 --> 00:01:31.572 Today is no different. 00:01:31.572 --> 00:01:34.486 I have been looking forward to this interview. 00:01:34.486 --> 00:01:37.873 I remember reaching out to this young man's mom. 00:01:37.873 --> 00:01:40.826 She said, well, he's got to do these other podcasts first. 00:01:40.826 --> 00:01:43.504 I said, okay, let him do them as soon as he gets them done. 00:01:43.504 --> 00:01:55.108 I want a shot at him and we got him. 00:01:55.108 --> 00:01:56.153 Today we've got Colton Kyle with us. 00:01:56.192 --> 00:02:00.201 Colton Kyle president of theamericansnappercom Colton, thank you for joining us today. 00:02:00.201 --> 00:02:01.022 Thank you very much for having me. 00:02:01.022 --> 00:02:01.644 I'm looking forward to this. 00:02:01.644 --> 00:02:03.387 I am by no means an expert on anything, but I do my best. 00:02:03.867 --> 00:02:07.995 Yes, you are, you've got a testimony and we're going to talk about that testimony. 00:02:07.995 --> 00:02:12.588 That's what you're an expert on, so I always think that that's really kind of fun. 00:02:12.588 --> 00:02:16.247 Sometimes I ask the kids in the FFA. 00:02:16.247 --> 00:02:17.852 I said tell me about your business. 00:02:17.852 --> 00:02:22.311 And they always look at me and they say, well, mr Alejandro, I don't have a business. 00:02:22.311 --> 00:02:25.320 I said, yeah, you are, you're it. 00:02:25.320 --> 00:02:27.108 I said what time do you go to work in the morning? 00:02:27.108 --> 00:02:29.348 What kind of customer service do you deliver? 00:02:29.348 --> 00:02:45.973 I said you are your business, and just like you, colton, I've been following your brand and I'm telling you that that is extraordinary to have a business, it's extraordinary to live a brand, and that's the reason why I wanted you on this show. 00:02:45.973 --> 00:02:52.201 We're going to talk about that. 00:02:52.201 --> 00:02:58.662 We start every episode off the same way, though, so I would like to start this episode off with a simple question, and that is Colton, what are you grateful for today? 00:03:00.326 --> 00:03:03.336 Today, I could think of a million and one things to be grateful for. 00:03:03.336 --> 00:03:20.294 Specifically, this morning I was able to work out with my girlfriend, and so I'm very grateful for an able body that I've been blessed with, that I can go to the gym and work hard and reap those rewards through the rest of my non-training activities oh that's good. 00:03:20.294 --> 00:03:21.116 Yeah. 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:23.687 Ability to get out, get a little blood flow. 00:03:24.681 --> 00:03:26.447 With people you enjoy hanging around. 00:03:26.447 --> 00:03:27.629 What. 00:03:27.629 --> 00:03:30.027 A lot of people don't have that opportunity. 00:03:30.379 --> 00:03:33.086 Well, and with people that you enjoy hanging out with. 00:03:33.788 --> 00:03:35.051 Agreed Good company. 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:37.985 I was going to say what a better deal than that? 00:03:37.985 --> 00:03:40.792 Not many, yeah, I'm with you. 00:03:41.092 --> 00:03:41.693 I'm like you. 00:03:41.693 --> 00:03:45.209 I like I don't know about you I love the great outdoors. 00:03:45.209 --> 00:04:09.907 Yep, I love, like you said, to kind of get the blood flowing and good company and live in a country and under an umbrella that allows me all those incredible freedoms and liberties and opportunities, and I just can't be thankful enough that this is where God allowed me to be born and to raise my family here, and so I appreciate you sharing that. 00:04:09.907 --> 00:04:14.381 Yeah, absolutely, colton. 00:04:14.381 --> 00:04:16.004 We talked a little bit. 00:04:16.567 --> 00:04:30.470 You know, before and after we'll talk some more, but you know, everybody's got a testimony, everybody's got a story and sometimes we kind of find our paths through those testimonies and we find our paths through those stories. 00:04:30.470 --> 00:04:45.173 And you know there will be people that might tune into this podcast which may not have a background, they may not have a full understanding of who you are, maybe your lineage, your background. 00:04:45.173 --> 00:04:51.365 So if you could, colton, just kind of take us through a little bit, then tell us a little bit about Colton Kyle. 00:04:51.365 --> 00:04:58.932 Where did you grow up, how did you grow up and how have you found yourself into this position that you're in today with American Sniper? 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:04.423 Yes, well, I'm Texan, so I'm going to claim to be Texan Technically. 00:05:04.423 --> 00:05:09.406 I was born in California, but the first soil that my feet touched was Texas soil. 00:05:09.406 --> 00:05:15.951 My dad made sure it was brought to the hospital, because he's proud Texan, and so I consider myself to be a proud Texan as well. 00:05:15.951 --> 00:05:21.194 So I'm still in Texas now and I probably will be for a little while at the very least. 00:05:21.194 --> 00:05:22.896 Little while at the very least. 00:05:22.896 --> 00:05:23.935 I am 20 years old. 00:05:23.935 --> 00:05:34.463 I graduated high school two years ago and since then I've been working on the American Sniper brand, so I run the brand. 00:05:34.463 --> 00:05:43.149 My mom has given me the opportunity to do that, and as much as American Sniper who is my father, chris Kyle has been a figure and a book and a movie. 00:05:43.149 --> 00:05:52.860 My mom has done enough with it so that it could stay a brand that way, in case my sister or I wanted to take on that role as part of our inheritance. 00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:59.403 We were able to, and so I had this great opportunity to do that, and that's what I've been doing these past two years. 00:05:59.403 --> 00:06:04.940 So, as you mentioned, my website americansnipercom Right now I have merchandise on there. 00:06:04.940 --> 00:06:19.194 I've got some more things coming soon, specifically merchandise expanding on that, but also in the next year or two, I expect to have some tactical gear available and maybe move into some firearms and some things like that. 00:06:19.194 --> 00:06:22.257 I'm passionate about that, so I'm excited about that. 00:06:22.257 --> 00:06:24.978 That's what I do now On the side as well. 00:06:24.978 --> 00:06:26.240 I'm really passionate. 00:06:26.923 --> 00:06:34.269 I'd say my main passion is apologetics and if you're not familiar with that, that is the reasonable or logical defense of your faith. 00:06:34.269 --> 00:06:50.088 So explaining to people who may have different worldviews, different backgrounds, or maybe even Christians, and expanding on what my faith is and why, logically, I believe that and there is, it's integral to your faith is the faith part of that? 00:06:50.088 --> 00:06:51.673 And believing in things that you don't see? 00:06:51.673 --> 00:06:55.951 There's also a large part of reason and logic. 00:06:55.951 --> 00:07:00.303 And, most likely, why does it make the most sense that Christianity is the truth? 00:07:00.625 --> 00:07:01.728 Because everything takes faith. 00:07:01.728 --> 00:07:03.211 Everything takes some belief. 00:07:03.211 --> 00:07:06.826 You have to make assumptions at some point to believe anything at all. 00:07:06.826 --> 00:07:20.966 So I just believe that my faith takes the least amount of faith or belief in trusting things that you don't see, and I think atheism and other religions take a lot more faith, um, than mine does. 00:07:20.966 --> 00:07:26.261 So I know that can be kind of confusing, but that's my passion, that's what I like to do. 00:07:26.261 --> 00:07:34.382 So I like to read and have Bible study and listen to many great speakers and authors and that kind of thing. 00:07:34.382 --> 00:07:37.269 So that's a little insight into Colton Kyle. 00:07:37.790 --> 00:07:38.170 I love it. 00:07:38.170 --> 00:07:49.127 By the way, this, right here, is exactly why we do this podcast, by the way, colton, so you know the one thing that I tell people that you cannot argue with, and that is somebody's testimony. 00:07:49.127 --> 00:07:53.644 Nobody could ever come along and say, colton, that didn't happen to you. 00:07:53.644 --> 00:07:56.629 That would be a foolish statement. 00:07:56.629 --> 00:08:04.470 The beauty of a testimony is it's built around all of those things, those experiences, those values. 00:08:04.470 --> 00:08:15.447 But something that you said and this is the reason why I share this, this is what I want people to kind of take away from these podcasts is learn to listen to what the speakers say. 00:08:15.447 --> 00:08:23.987 The guests say what they share, and one of the things that you've just shared that I really hope people are listening to is discernment. 00:08:23.987 --> 00:08:40.864 You have a real mature sense of discernment, and I think that is an incredible attribute, and I hope that young people will ask questions. 00:08:40.864 --> 00:08:47.504 It's okay to ask questions because I think it's in that asking questions that you find answers, where you become a better discerner. 00:08:49.126 --> 00:08:49.707 Is that fair to? 00:08:49.748 --> 00:08:50.168 say that. 00:08:50.769 --> 00:08:51.530 I totally agree. 00:08:51.530 --> 00:08:54.705 Yeah, I think questions and doubt is understandable. 00:08:54.705 --> 00:08:57.150 Everybody has doubt at different points, about different things. 00:08:57.150 --> 00:09:02.291 But earnestly and honestly seeking answers, I think you'll find the truth. 00:09:02.291 --> 00:09:07.106 Jesus says if you seek you'll find the truth, and the truth if you seek you'll find the truth and the truth is Him. 00:09:07.106 --> 00:09:16.345 So I'm all about asking questions and asking the hard questions, because if somebody doesn't know that they should say I don't know and I'll help you. 00:09:16.345 --> 00:09:23.386 Look, and there will be things that go unanswered, but there will be a lot of things that have good answers that in the very end you can find comfort in. 00:09:24.489 --> 00:09:26.974 So one of my favorite verses in the Bible. 00:09:26.974 --> 00:09:36.291 I was speaking to a bunch of kids down in the Houston area the other day and they asked me some pretty interesting questions by the way Kind of surprised, yeah. 00:09:36.291 --> 00:09:39.245 They asked me about how important is faith to leadership. 00:09:39.245 --> 00:09:42.254 I really appreciate that question. 00:09:42.254 --> 00:09:46.149 And then they asked me they said do you have a favorite Bible verse? 00:09:46.149 --> 00:09:48.745 And I said interesting that you would say that. 00:09:48.745 --> 00:09:49.408 I said I sure do. 00:09:49.408 --> 00:09:53.245 I said I got lots of them, but I got one in particular and it really kind of goes to what you just said. 00:09:53.285 --> 00:09:54.249 It's James 1.5. 00:09:54.249 --> 00:09:59.572 It says if any man seeks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives it freely to all men without cast and judgment. 00:09:59.572 --> 00:10:10.981 So that means anybody If so that means anybody if you need wisdom, you just got to ask and there's an opportunity there to gain insight. 00:10:10.981 --> 00:10:41.514 But discernment, I think, is really important for today's young people because I think in today's world of media, social media, entertainment, there are so many different touch points that can try to sway a value system, sway an opinion, that I think having that element, that leadership tool I'm going to call it a leadership tool that leadership tool of discernment, I think can keep your compass in the right direction. 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:43.142 Absolutely. 00:10:43.142 --> 00:10:49.246 Yeah, I think we used to be in the age of information and now we're in the age of misinformation. 00:10:49.246 --> 00:10:53.104 So many things out there and so many. 00:10:53.104 --> 00:11:07.508 It's so easy to deceive people, kind of with the rise of AI and just with presenting things that aren't facts as if they are facts and, in our short form, content, how we don't fact check hardly anything or spend time researching anything. 00:11:07.508 --> 00:11:12.184 We just trust who who claims to be an expert, without even finding out if they are an expert. 00:11:12.184 --> 00:11:17.142 So discernment is yeah, it's incredibly important and powerful. 00:11:18.384 --> 00:11:21.610 I really like when you mentioned james five part of the. 00:11:21.610 --> 00:11:25.768 The end part of the verse is he gives it freely, without casting judgment. 00:11:25.768 --> 00:11:52.221 So it doesn't matter who you are, what your background is, uh, if you're, if you're supposedly the most holy christian, if you're somebody who's been in the church for a long time and has done all the right things, or if you're somebody who's never been in the church and doesn't know who god is or what he's supposed to be like, when you start asking questions and you're honestly seeking answers, god's going to give it to you and he's not going to look down upon you because you shouldn't know these things, because you've been in the church, or you should know these things because you've heard it, or anything like that. 00:11:52.221 --> 00:12:01.245 Um, it really speaks to his character that he gives that freely and his knowledge about himself I had a friend here. 00:12:01.745 --> 00:12:08.113 I live in north North Texas, I live in Wichita Falls and I was 23 years old. 00:12:08.113 --> 00:12:09.495 I just moved to this community. 00:12:09.495 --> 00:12:18.003 By the way, colton, get this I'm 23 years old, I'm the district director for a member of Congress. 00:12:18.003 --> 00:12:18.403 I got four offices. 00:12:18.403 --> 00:12:19.745 I've got an office in Denton, wichita Falls, lubbock and Amarillo. 00:12:19.745 --> 00:12:26.623 I'm the gatekeeper and I hardly know anybody That'd be like being 23 and being the gatekeeper for Marcus, marcus's brother. 00:12:26.623 --> 00:12:40.481 You know it's like it's crazy to think that that's what I did, but when we think about you know, discernment and and knowledge and wisdom and just making yourself accessible. 00:12:40.481 --> 00:12:46.293 There's also another trait in here, a leadership trait, and this one's tough for people. 00:12:46.293 --> 00:12:55.162 It's vulnerability, because I've got to be a little bit vulnerable to be a potentially a little bit wrong. 00:12:56.303 --> 00:12:57.046 Yeah, that's true. 00:12:57.386 --> 00:12:58.068 Does that make sense? 00:12:58.068 --> 00:13:00.679 I've got to be a little bit vulnerable, you know. 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:07.614 The other side of that is, you know, I tell kids all the time, be open minded, but just don't be so open minded your brain falls out. 00:13:07.614 --> 00:13:23.546 So I mean I want you to be open minded, but I want that discernment and I want that humbleness of vulnerability to say, you know, maybe I don't have all the answers, maybe I need to seek wisdom. 00:13:26.654 --> 00:13:38.270 Another thing that I share, colton, which is another reason why I wanted you on the show a wise mentor of mine once told me he said, Aaron, he goes always have 10 friends older than you and 10 friends younger than you. 00:13:38.270 --> 00:13:41.965 The ones that are older than you are going to tell you where we've been. 00:13:41.965 --> 00:13:44.798 The ones younger than you are going to tell you where we're going. 00:13:44.798 --> 00:13:47.202 And I've never forgot that. 00:13:47.202 --> 00:14:01.039 And so when I moved to Wichita 23 years old, there was a doctor here that befriended me and I befriended him and he was a man of faith. 00:14:01.039 --> 00:14:02.763 We did a lot of work with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. 00:14:02.763 --> 00:14:13.769 He's just a good man and we used to go over to his house every week and, you know, other men would come and we'd sing and do Bible studies and stuff and he got cancer and he passed away. 00:14:13.769 --> 00:14:22.725 And I remember we came over to his house after that and we were all sitting there and everybody said, well, you just got to have faith. 00:14:24.386 --> 00:14:25.006 And I was mad. 00:14:26.568 --> 00:14:28.110 I'm sorry, I'm human. 00:14:28.110 --> 00:14:31.325 I was mad and I said it's not right. 00:14:31.325 --> 00:14:34.836 I said Jerry's one of the finest men that I've ever known in my life. 00:14:34.836 --> 00:14:39.027 He's one of the most incredible men of character that I've ever known in my life. 00:14:39.027 --> 00:14:40.596 It's not right. 00:14:40.596 --> 00:14:41.759 So I was mad. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:43.964 I got up and walked out by the way and thankfully it's not right. 00:14:43.964 --> 00:14:46.609 So I was mad, I got up and walked out by the way and thankfully my brothers still loved me. 00:14:46.609 --> 00:14:51.794 They knew I was just mad. 00:14:51.794 --> 00:14:57.403 But I happened onto a book and the book was called by John Fisher. 00:14:57.403 --> 00:14:58.450 It was called True Believers Don't Ask why. 00:14:58.450 --> 00:14:59.335 And the don't is crossed out. 00:14:59.335 --> 00:15:04.455 Okay, good. 00:15:06.755 --> 00:15:23.763 So I remember it must have been a God thing that I just happened to walk by that book and I grabbed that book and that's what the book is about is asking questions yeah and I do a lot of stuff with teachers where we train teachers, and they get on the bus and I give them a work, a work manual, and the first thing in their work manual is the word question. 00:15:23.763 --> 00:15:31.383 And then below it it says what is the root word of the word question Go on an adventure. 00:15:31.383 --> 00:15:43.591 So to hear you at 20 years old talking about going on an adventure, of learning, of discerning and then being bold enough to share. 00:15:43.591 --> 00:15:49.586 I think there are some real intriguing leadership tips there for young people. 00:15:50.388 --> 00:15:50.567 Yeah. 00:15:51.918 --> 00:15:53.475 Because they could duplicate what you're doing. 00:15:53.475 --> 00:16:02.187 They might duplicate it in an engineering space, they could duplicate that in a medical space, in a law space. 00:16:02.187 --> 00:16:03.841 I mean, I can think of several things. 00:16:03.841 --> 00:16:07.557 In other words, I think God gives us concepts that are scalable. 00:16:07.557 --> 00:16:11.345 Yeah, absolutely so. 00:16:11.345 --> 00:16:12.967 That's good stuff. 00:16:12.967 --> 00:16:13.708 What you shared. 00:16:13.708 --> 00:16:14.914 Yeah. 00:16:14.934 --> 00:16:19.325 And then I have a few things on leadership and important leadership qualities. 00:16:19.325 --> 00:16:25.961 I'd say the first one is communication, so to speak, to your vulnerability. 00:16:25.961 --> 00:16:39.823 You do have to be vulnerable, but to be able to express that effectively and communicate effectively, if you want to lead somebody, you have to let them know where you want them to go, or what you want them to do, or how you want them to do it, and if they don't know any of those things, then you really can't be a leader. 00:16:39.823 --> 00:16:57.464 So I think communication, and effective communication, is incredibly important and I think you know that when you run into a leader, that's an effective communicator, that you really understand what they're saying or how they're feeling or what they want you to do, then you're able to do it so much better. 00:16:57.464 --> 00:17:11.990 And then on top of that, so communication is the, I think, the first thing and then, once people can understand what you're trying to tell them, then that goes into how you communicate and and how you're treating others. 00:17:13.355 --> 00:17:53.082 Strategical thinking is obviously incredible, incredibly important to manage multiple people, but then faith and part of that being compassion and love and patience for people, because, like you said, I'm human, we're human, and when you lead people you're not leading robots and it's easy to say it's kind of cliche, but really you have to understand that people are human and they're going to make mistakes and they're also going to do things better than you would do them and you have to be okay with that and and harness that power of of people's strengths and understand their weaknesses and be able to play into that. 00:17:53.082 --> 00:18:11.505 But having patience with any people that you're over as a leader is incredibly important because when people know that you care for them, they want to do better work for you and they want to yeah, they want to run head first with you as you're leading the sharps keep going. 00:18:11.525 --> 00:18:12.226 You're doing good. 00:18:12.226 --> 00:18:13.388 What else do you got for me? 00:18:13.388 --> 00:18:14.878 Make some more leadership tips. 00:18:14.898 --> 00:18:17.305 That's great stuff well, I mean that's. 00:18:17.305 --> 00:18:18.467 I just think that's the base. 00:18:18.467 --> 00:18:23.856 And then it's kind of like you said, it's a quest and you kind of find your own answers as you ask your own questions. 00:18:23.856 --> 00:18:43.257 Um, and I could probably talk forever about anything if you wanted me to uh, just kind of inherited that, but, um, yeah, I mean, I think it's effective communication and strategical thinking, which not everyone is is blessed with in the way that they can manage people, um, but I do think that's important. 00:18:43.317 --> 00:18:45.744 And then what anybody can learn is how to treat others. 00:18:45.744 --> 00:18:50.365 And when you show people love, they understand and they respect that. 00:18:50.365 --> 00:18:55.526 And if that's missing a deadline or something, that may seem detrimental and you say, well, I want to discourage that. 00:18:55.526 --> 00:19:11.396 I don't want people to not follow through or to make mistakes, but, um, the man who's the most grateful is the man who's been forgiven the most right, and so the person who's going to work the hardest for you is going to be the person who you've forgiven the most, that owes you the most. 00:19:11.396 --> 00:19:24.278 And so at a certain point, as an employer specifically, there's a, there's a place to draw the line for people who are repeat offenders of something and they're not learning and they're not growing, but someone who is. 00:19:25.260 --> 00:19:29.449 I have a kind of a mentor who told me they got to be smart, humble and hungry. 00:19:29.449 --> 00:19:33.362 And anybody who works for you needs to have those three traits. 00:19:33.362 --> 00:19:39.884 Smart, if you can read, you're probably smart enough to do any job, because most things can be taught. 00:19:39.884 --> 00:19:45.666 And if you're humble and you can respect authority and respect orders, then you can work hard. 00:19:45.666 --> 00:19:51.884 And then hungry means they have to want it for themselves and you can kind of stoke hunger and stoke that fire. 00:19:51.884 --> 00:20:00.409 But someone who's lazy and chooses not to be hungry, you just at some point there has to be a line drawn. 00:20:00.409 --> 00:20:03.244 That doesn't mean you give up on them as a person, but maybe as an employee. 00:20:03.244 --> 00:20:08.207 So that's some of some of my thoughts on leadership, I suppose. 00:20:10.255 --> 00:20:11.217 Okay, we can stop there. 00:20:11.217 --> 00:20:11.719 That's good. 00:20:11.719 --> 00:20:13.982 No, that's the. 00:20:13.982 --> 00:20:16.474 I really related to a lot of that, by the way. 00:20:16.474 --> 00:20:19.961 So you know my mom and dad. 00:20:19.961 --> 00:20:24.910 I grew up there in the Metroplex and my mom and dad divorced when I was six. 00:20:24.910 --> 00:20:35.971 My father passed away when I was 10 and I got into a lot of trouble and I got sent to a boy's ranch. 00:20:35.971 --> 00:20:38.381 And if I'd got sent there I'd have never met the FFA. 00:20:38.381 --> 00:20:46.240 I'd have never met the FFA, I'd have never been state president, I would have never gone to college, I'd have never had the incredible life We'd have never had this podcast. 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:51.167 But to your point, I'm very grateful. 00:20:51.167 --> 00:20:56.326 I'm grateful for the love of my mother that realized she didn't have the tools she needed help. 00:20:56.326 --> 00:21:06.817 I'm grateful for a place that gave me opportunity and an organization that gave me opportunity. 00:21:06.817 --> 00:21:12.446 And, to your point, I think that that being grateful provides some energy to get through tough times. 00:21:13.296 --> 00:21:13.939 Absolutely. 00:21:13.999 --> 00:21:16.398 It does, you know it? 00:21:16.398 --> 00:21:19.876 It allows us to to reflect and say you know, yeah, it's not good. 00:21:19.876 --> 00:21:21.663 I had a girl on this podcast. 00:21:21.663 --> 00:21:24.583 Her name was Madeline Barber. 00:21:24.583 --> 00:21:29.258 She was from Bernie, texas. 00:21:29.258 --> 00:21:32.083 She sold a pig at the county fair. 00:21:32.083 --> 00:21:36.189 She sold this pig at the county fair for $35,000. 00:21:36.189 --> 00:21:40.173 That's a lot of money, Colton, that is. 00:21:40.173 --> 00:21:45.424 She turned around and donated all $35,000 to St Jude's Children's Hospital. 00:21:45.424 --> 00:21:47.068 That's impressive. 00:21:47.068 --> 00:21:51.746 She was a cancer survivor, yeah, oh yeah. 00:21:51.746 --> 00:21:55.560 And she said you know, they saved my life, I want to save somebody else's. 00:21:55.560 --> 00:22:15.019 And I think that, to your point, when you have that kind of humbleness of humbleness, that kind of ability to be smart enough to recognize that, and then the ability to work hard I mean, that pig didn't feed itself. 00:22:15.823 --> 00:22:16.023 Right. 00:22:16.755 --> 00:22:18.078 You know I tell people all the time. 00:22:18.078 --> 00:22:22.022 When people ask me about what separates our ag kids from everybody else, I said it's real easy. 00:22:22.022 --> 00:22:27.886 The reason why I like your dad, by the way because in the world of agriculture, if we don't do our job, something does. 00:22:27.886 --> 00:22:43.202 So when you can teach a kid early on that we got to get up, whether we want to or not, we got to feed it, we got to water and I know it's a pain my daughter she's tiny and she was a senior cheerleader at a big 5A school Guess what? 00:22:43.202 --> 00:22:44.606 She had to get up and go feed heifers. 00:22:44.606 --> 00:22:49.477 She had to water them in cold and in heat. 00:22:49.477 --> 00:22:54.808 But now that she's a nurse today she's so good at her job because my son too. 00:22:54.808 --> 00:23:05.705 They're so good at their jobs because I think there's things that they learned, that things depended on them, that they were able to carry on into other aspects of their lives. 00:23:06.915 --> 00:23:21.683 And I remember when I read American Sniper and I read about your dad's growing up in the FFA and talked about wanting to be an ag teacher initially when he started to go to college, it was it's the craziest thing. 00:23:21.683 --> 00:23:37.030 I think I share this with you, but I'll share one more time since we're on the air, but I had been trying to find a way to get to talk to your dad and, of course, with the explosion of American Sniper, it just got harder and harder to find ways to get there. 00:23:37.030 --> 00:23:42.040 If I'd have been smart, I would have started with the most obvious. 00:23:42.040 --> 00:23:46.355 I'm fixing to tell you what that was, but I didn't obvious. 00:23:46.355 --> 00:23:48.358 I'm fixing to tell you what that was, but I didn't About the time. 00:23:48.358 --> 00:23:49.039 I finally finally found a way. 00:23:49.059 --> 00:24:05.890 Then the tragedy that happened happened and I was at a loss because I was so eager to want to share that story and then, luckily, I found my way to your mom and then we got to reconnect and I told Tay, I said you've got to come to convention. 00:24:05.890 --> 00:24:11.048 I want you to see what Chris's life was really all about. 00:24:11.048 --> 00:24:14.423 All that, colton, all that came together. 00:24:14.423 --> 00:24:16.280 This is where the story gets really crazy. 00:24:16.280 --> 00:24:25.508 Ready for this, all that comes together I was asked to go to Level Land, texas, and speak at a banquet in Leveland, Texas, out in West Texas. 00:24:25.508 --> 00:24:33.048 I show up at Leveland and this ag teacher that I have not seen in years gets out of his truck. 00:24:33.048 --> 00:24:36.423 He starts walking over in my direction. 00:24:36.423 --> 00:24:38.281 I've not seen this guy in years. 00:24:38.281 --> 00:24:40.134 You know what he said. 00:24:40.134 --> 00:24:46.070 He said, aaron, I saw where you were doing that tribute to Chris. 00:24:46.070 --> 00:24:48.615 I saw where you had been talking to Taya. 00:24:48.615 --> 00:24:52.060 He said, aaron, I was Chris's ag teacher. 00:24:55.686 --> 00:24:56.428 That's pretty cool. 00:24:57.429 --> 00:25:02.921 Now what are the odds, colton, that all of that came into alignment? 00:25:02.921 --> 00:25:10.371 Everything that I just shared with you, within probably three months, sled up. 00:25:10.371 --> 00:25:20.258 So that's why I say, anytime we think, you know, I like to think I'm a pretty good strategic thinker, anytime I think I am. 00:25:20.258 --> 00:25:22.804 I remember the guy upstairs because he's a lot better than I am. 00:25:22.804 --> 00:25:31.247 Oh yeah, he's really crafty at what he does, but there's just a lot of really good stuff that you just shared there. 00:25:31.247 --> 00:25:44.959 And you know another thing that you shared and I'm going to kind of turn this back into American Sniper a little bit here you know, one of the things that we like to tell people is, when the opportunity arises, I need my sharpest tools. 00:25:46.201 --> 00:25:46.363 Yeah. 00:25:46.383 --> 00:25:51.045 Yeah, okay, when, when and if I ever need it, I need my best tools. 00:25:51.045 --> 00:26:00.515 They, they have to be ready to go, and so I'll ask you a fun question Do you happen to know how many high schools are in the state of Texas? 00:26:00.601 --> 00:26:03.632 Oh man are in the state of Texas. 00:26:03.632 --> 00:26:07.688 Oh man, I can only imagine. 00:26:11.517 --> 00:26:12.578 I'll take a random guess and say like 6,000. 00:26:12.578 --> 00:26:13.560 Listen, you did good. 00:26:13.560 --> 00:26:15.746 It's just over three. 00:26:15.746 --> 00:26:19.934 Okay, that's still a lot of high schools, though Most people are way low. 00:26:19.934 --> 00:26:21.440 Most people are way low. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:22.403 Colton, you did good. 00:26:22.403 --> 00:26:25.560 3,000 high schools. 00:26:25.560 --> 00:26:28.662 So, of those high schools, how many of them are going to have a graduating class this year? 00:26:30.305 --> 00:26:30.906 Well, all of them. 00:26:31.106 --> 00:26:31.607 Every one of them. 00:26:31.607 --> 00:26:33.882 So everybody's going to be out. 00:26:33.882 --> 00:26:37.025 They're going to be looking for a job, a scholarship or an opportunity. 00:26:37.025 --> 00:26:41.045 So the question that I ask young people is what's your competitive edge? 00:26:41.045 --> 00:26:45.064 What separates you from your competitor? 00:26:45.064 --> 00:26:51.891 Sometimes it could be littlest things, a firm handshake, a yes or no sir, yes, ma'am, no ma'am. 00:26:51.891 --> 00:26:54.679 Those can be little things that give you a competitive edge. 00:26:55.461 --> 00:26:55.662 Yeah. 00:26:55.981 --> 00:27:01.298 But I do believe that young people have to have something that sets them apart from their peers, of course. 00:27:01.298 --> 00:27:19.332 So, at your age, starting your kind of professional career with a lot of incredible experiences under your belt, what would you share as some examples of competitive edges that you think young people could employ to give themselves an edge in life? 00:27:21.896 --> 00:27:24.144 I have to think about that and I will get to that. 00:27:24.144 --> 00:27:26.200 I have kind of overarching. 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:29.736 Um, I have a bible verse here. 00:27:29.736 --> 00:27:37.429 Sure, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the lord, not for men. 00:27:37.429 --> 00:27:39.318 That's colossians 3, 23. 00:27:39.318 --> 00:27:40.982 Uh, that's in the niv version. 00:27:40.982 --> 00:27:44.269 Um, and I was even. 00:27:44.289 --> 00:27:52.651 I had a Bible study last night and we were even talking about this very similarly what I'm going to get to, but I can't remember who said it. 00:27:52.651 --> 00:28:09.902 It was a Christian in the 1600s that was significant for being a public figure, but he said along the lines of a good Christian cobbler is not a good Christian cobbler because he puts little crosses on his shoes, but because he makes the best shoes. 00:28:09.902 --> 00:28:19.817 And so I think that's that's what the verse is speaking to, and that's often what I think about when I'm doing business or coming up with ideas. 00:28:19.817 --> 00:28:24.007 Is that, well, I need a way to show my faith and I want to. 00:28:24.007 --> 00:28:29.044 I want to honor God and all that he's done in my life and show him like look, I'm not forgetting about you. 00:28:29.044 --> 00:28:38.904 I don't want to take part in something pagan that's godless, but I want to live my faith, and if it's something I'm dedicating so much of my life and time to. 00:28:38.904 --> 00:28:39.674 It's my business. 00:28:39.674 --> 00:28:52.102 I need a way to incorporate God, and so what's given me a lot of peace is that my values and how I operate and how I do business are going to be based on my faith. 00:28:52.102 --> 00:28:53.484 So that's first and foremost. 00:28:53.484 --> 00:29:16.446 Many people should be able to know that you're a Christian without knowing that you go to church without you saying that you're a Christian or anything like that, but just because of the way that you're so loving and the way that you treat people, the way you act in good faith and you keep good on your word, I think those are all incredibly important and those are ways that honoring God in the way that you do business. 00:29:16.446 --> 00:29:24.611 You know if you are, if you're breaking laws and you're cheating people, but you're putting Bible verses on your clothing, you're not honoring God at all. 00:29:24.611 --> 00:29:26.159 In fact, you're cheating people, but you're putting Bible verses on your clothing, you're not honoring God at all. 00:29:26.159 --> 00:29:28.784 In fact, you're making a mockery of him. 00:29:30.046 --> 00:29:34.823 So I think it's important to show your passion and dive into your passion. 00:29:34.823 --> 00:29:39.396 You know God's given you a passion, whatever it may be, and he's put that there. 00:29:39.396 --> 00:29:55.751 You don't have a longing and a yearning to go into agriculture, to be a skateboarder, to go into business, to be the best chief financial officer of a firm you could possibly be, unless God has placed that passion in you. 00:29:55.751 --> 00:29:58.862 And so we, I mean we can't get by. 00:29:58.862 --> 00:30:04.759 If we're all preachers and missionaries, the world wouldn't survive, we wouldn't be able to advance. 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:13.601 So for some people, that's their calling is to be a missionary, for some people to be a preacher and a pastor. 00:30:13.621 --> 00:30:20.038 For a lot of us, our calling is to dive into the mission field that God has given us, because anywhere we go is going to be a mission field. 00:30:20.038 --> 00:30:27.461 They're going to need to encounter you and, through you, jesus, no matter where they are, and so that's an opportunity for you to show your faith. 00:30:27.461 --> 00:30:31.441 And then you need to do good work as if you're doing it for god, because you are. 00:30:31.441 --> 00:30:49.471 He's giving you the opportunity for that, he's giving you the passion for that, um, and we can't explain how all these things work out and when we're another and things just fall into our lap and we're in the right place at the right time for things to happen and, like you said, that's all because of the number one strategical mind out there, which is God. 00:30:49.471 --> 00:31:02.923 So, just living out your Christian faith and your walk in your daily life, in the values that you operate in, I think is the best way to honor God and through that you'll have a competitive edge. 00:31:02.923 --> 00:31:11.299 You'll be the best at whatever it is that you choose to do, uh, because that's what God has for you, and then I believe that you'll have God's blessing in his favor. 00:31:11.299 --> 00:31:16.778 And if you run into roadblocks, um, it could be an opportunity for you to persist. 00:31:16.778 --> 00:31:21.335 It could be an opportunity for you to change where you're at and what you're doing. 00:31:21.335 --> 00:31:26.303 You know that's very individual and based on your relationship with God and how he's talking to you. 00:31:26.462 --> 00:31:31.049 But, um, I'm trying to think of specific examples. 00:31:31.049 --> 00:31:36.694 I know when I speak to people and people think highly of me, it's because of, uh, three things. 00:31:36.694 --> 00:31:43.057 One of them I know I'm blessed with, and that's just God given, and then the others I believe that anybody could do and work towards. 00:31:43.057 --> 00:31:58.324 Um, I'll start with how I believe God has blessed me is immense focus, and so if I'm working on something or I'm speaking to someone, they have my focus, they have my attention and I'm retaining the information in front of me. 00:31:58.324 --> 00:31:59.386 That's number one. 00:31:59.386 --> 00:32:03.445 Now, number two and I believe a lot of people can do that and you can improve on that. 00:32:03.445 --> 00:32:06.986 I just know that I'm blessed with that ability. 00:32:06.986 --> 00:32:11.964 Number two like you said, a firm handshake goes a long way. 00:32:12.515 --> 00:32:15.443 If I shake anybody's hand, it doesn't matter how old or young or what gender. 00:32:15.443 --> 00:32:19.022 Their handshake will tell me a lot about them. 00:32:19.022 --> 00:32:31.085 Eye contact when I'm speaking to somebody, I know, when I'm writing, if I'm texting somebody, if I'm completing an email, if someone has poor punctuation or poor grammar. 00:32:31.085 --> 00:32:32.627 That bugs me. 00:32:32.627 --> 00:32:44.078 A lot of people in my generation don't care for punctuation and grammar and spelling, but it really bugs me and it tells me that someone either does or doesn't care enough to put that effort into that area of their life. 00:32:44.078 --> 00:32:48.406 And while they may not value it as much as I do, I still know that there's a. 00:32:48.887 --> 00:33:01.448 I believe that there's a proper way to do some of these things and you know, casual situations differ from formal situations, of course, but I believe that's part of the living at your walk and doing the right thing. 00:33:01.448 --> 00:33:11.230 So I said the handshake, I said looking someone in the eyes and then I believe, if you can relate, a lot of these are going to be personal. 00:33:11.230 --> 00:33:16.622 I think personal interactions are much more important than you can bond with somebody that way. 00:33:16.622 --> 00:33:33.490 But if you can relate to someone, if you can even if you're being interviewed or you're submitting a resume or whatever it is if there's an opportunity for you to take a peek into the other person's life and ask them a question or two just personally, that makes a big difference. 00:33:33.490 --> 00:33:36.518 At the end of the day, everybody just wants to be seen. 00:33:36.518 --> 00:33:46.115 We have a I forget who says this, but my mom's told me but we're all wearing an invisible sign on us that says see me, please. 00:33:46.115 --> 00:33:58.194 We all want to be seen and known and recognized and as an individual, so you're wearing a sign that says I am Aaron, alejandro, I want to be known, I want to be seen. 00:33:58.194 --> 00:34:07.971 And you may not be expressing that all the time, but when somebody answers that call, when somebody does that, you feel so refreshed and relieved and feel like you can really bond with someone. 00:34:07.971 --> 00:34:09.213 It makes a big difference. 00:34:10.235 --> 00:34:43.143 Um, so, being able to personally connect with people, I think oftentimes, when I've thought of the business or corporate or, um, some world, or it seems highly competitive I've I've thought of it as losing its humanity a little bit, that is just entirely performative and that everything you do is based on your performance and how you do the best, which, like I said, your performance is important, and that will come based on what God has given you, but being able to personally relate with people will get you so much farther than you could expect. 00:34:43.851 --> 00:34:48.079 When you run into people that seem just so incompetent at what they do and you're like, how did you get here? 00:34:48.079 --> 00:34:57.838 It's probably their personal skills and work right, and so if they're lacking in one area, they've made up for it with their strengths and their ability to speak to people, and anybody can get better at that. 00:34:57.838 --> 00:35:02.677 Anybody can personally invest and care about someone else's life, or at least a little bit of it. 00:35:02.677 --> 00:35:12.740 That you know, and so I think that doesn't necessarily work for college applications or resumes, but anything person to person makes a huge difference. 00:35:15.170 --> 00:35:16.295 If I haven't told you lately. 00:35:16.295 --> 00:35:28.896 I really like you about the way I'm going to confess something here, because everybody's going to my staff in particular is going to get a kick out of what I'm about to say Interns, everybody that worked for me. 00:35:28.896 --> 00:35:34.344 When they get their intern manual and their intern checklist across the top it's got three words. 00:35:34.344 --> 00:35:38.793 It says details, details, details. 00:35:38.793 --> 00:35:40.217 Because I'm a real details person. 00:35:40.217 --> 00:36:00.489 I'm always like take care of the details and to confess and to show you my humbleness and my vulnerability here, colton, I want everybody to know that I messed up an email to Colton when we were setting up this podcast and I'm sitting here laughing now because he's talking about this and I'm sitting here going yeah, I'm the one that messed it up. 00:36:01.369 --> 00:36:01.931 We all do. 00:36:02.432 --> 00:36:14.077 I have this thing set up to populate the time, the date and everything for the podcast, and I was scheduling a bunch at the same time and, by gosh, it scheduled the wrong one and Colton caught it and he said now what time am I supposed to be? 00:36:14.077 --> 00:36:16.398 I'm like Alejandro, you big dummy. 00:36:16.398 --> 00:36:19.740 You didn't even do your own details, details, details. 00:36:19.740 --> 00:36:21.873 Real quick. 00:36:21.873 --> 00:36:22.835 I wanted to ask you. 00:36:22.835 --> 00:36:24.501 That was gold, by the way. 00:36:24.501 --> 00:36:29.632 I just wrote down several notes of what you said. 00:36:29.632 --> 00:36:30.195 Focus, details, see me please. 00:36:30.195 --> 00:36:35.132 Uh, that's one of the things coach nate hearn talked about today when he and I were visiting is. 00:36:35.132 --> 00:36:45.130 He said people need to hear when they're doing a good job, because when they hear that they're doing a good job, that what you're doing is, you're validating that gift that god gave them. 00:36:45.130 --> 00:36:48.039 You're validating that that competitive edge gave them. 00:36:48.039 --> 00:36:49.945 You're validating that, that competitive edge that God gave them. 00:36:49.945 --> 00:36:53.755 Um, I got to share this one with you, cause your mom shared it and I just love this to death. 00:36:53.755 --> 00:36:56.422 Uh, you know anybody named Kent Studebaker? 00:36:57.829 --> 00:36:58.532 Yes, I do. 00:36:59.793 --> 00:37:04.842 I love this quote the Bible is not a rule book, but rather a recipe for happiness. 00:37:04.842 --> 00:37:13.293 Yeah, that's pretty good quote. 00:37:13.293 --> 00:37:15.237 By the way, yeah, that's my grandfather, so I know. 00:37:15.318 --> 00:37:41.382 I just thought I'd share that with you because I think that was such a great quote yeah, I think it's a, I think it's a recipe for true joy, um, because and I believe that's what he meant but happiness can be fleeting and it's good to revel and enjoy happiness and the simple pleasures, but true joy is founded purpose and, uh, you cannot find a lasting purpose unless you are faithful and you have a relationship with jesus. 00:37:41.382 --> 00:37:44.416 So, um, I I 100 agree. 00:37:44.416 --> 00:38:00.753 I think the deeper you dive into the bible, the less it seems like a rule book and things to follow, um, but saying, look, these are not things for you to do to get into heaven, but this is how you can bring heaven to earth, this is how you can have kingdom in your life and have joy. 00:38:00.753 --> 00:38:08.769 And so, when, when these things go wrong this is not me punishing you, this is you reaping the consequences of your own poor actions. 00:38:08.769 --> 00:38:11.155 And when you do these things right, you'll see. 00:38:11.155 --> 00:38:17.909 You'll see the blessing that it cut that comes with it, because it's not god striking you down, saying, oh, you messed up, okay, here's your punishment. 00:38:17.909 --> 00:38:24.813 It's god saying, look, I've given you everything you need and you do these things right and you'll see the way it works out. 00:38:24.813 --> 00:38:27.911 Um, and most of the time, that's just going to be. 00:38:27.911 --> 00:38:30.442 It's going to be in your head, it's going to be in your heart. 00:38:31.304 --> 00:38:44.929 Um, the biggest stresses and the biggest joys that we have have very little to do with our physical surroundings, but really our relationships, uh, our relationship with the lord and our relationship with ourselves. 00:38:44.929 --> 00:38:49.577 We can really be at peace with ourselves and we know who we are and what God thinks of us. 00:38:49.577 --> 00:39:09.806 And I've found great peace and solace in that and, just the last year, really understanding just how much God loves and cares for us and that it's not so linear that it's if A then B, if C then D, but I love you unconditionally, no matter what, for who you are. 00:39:09.806 --> 00:39:27.057 And then, because you know that and because you know you've been forgiven, then I choose to walk in a way that glorifies God and is saying look, I'm just so glad that you've given me the opportunity to do this that I've messed up time and time again and I still have the opportunity to do good and to honor and glorify you. 00:39:27.057 --> 00:39:33.711 I want to do that rather than a fearful saying I'm going to do these things because if I don't then I'll go to hell. 00:39:34.393 --> 00:39:35.335 Right, it's. 00:39:35.335 --> 00:39:37.219 It's definitely relationship driven. 00:39:37.219 --> 00:39:42.362 Like I said, the man who's been forgiven the most, is the most grateful and will do the most in return. 00:39:42.362 --> 00:39:49.150 Um, and that's, I believe, how we're supposed to live our lives and act and see ourselves as humans. 00:39:49.150 --> 00:39:51.454 You know, paul renames us. 00:39:51.454 --> 00:39:56.932 Instead of sinners, we're now saints, knowing full well we are sinners, but we don't carry that title. 00:39:57.233 --> 00:40:05.159 We carry the title of saint because that's who God says we are well, I just think it's another example of the difference between negativity and positivity. 00:40:05.159 --> 00:40:07.985 What's going to attract more people? 00:40:08.789 --> 00:40:10.014 Yeah, they're both infectious. 00:40:10.496 --> 00:40:14.358 Yeah, exactly, but the positive one is the one that attracts more people. 00:40:15.170 --> 00:40:17.572 Yeah, yeah, have you read. 00:40:17.914 --> 00:40:23.557 By the way, just sitting here listening, have you read John Gordon's One Truth? 00:40:23.557 --> 00:40:25.362 I've not. 00:40:25.550 --> 00:40:31.773 I've read very few, um, faith-based books and I'm kind of starting my journey. 00:40:31.773 --> 00:40:34.121 I've started with dr frank turek. 00:40:34.121 --> 00:40:35.547