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 --> 00:00:22.344 Here's your host, Aaron Alejandro. 00:00:30.150 --> 00:00:37.357 Well, good morning, good afternoon or good evening, or whenever you may be tuning in to the Growing Our Future podcast. 00:00:37.357 --> 00:00:39.728 Hey, we appreciate you stopping by. 00:00:39.728 --> 00:00:47.951 You know there's only one thing we can do with time is spend it, and the fact that you're spending a little of your time with us today, man, we appreciate it. 00:00:47.951 --> 00:00:56.869 You know I like to tell people in the world of agriculture if it's taught me anything, it's taught me this If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 00:00:56.869 --> 00:00:59.542 If you want to know what the future is, grow it. 00:00:59.563 --> 00:01:05.153 Well, to grow something, you got to plant the right seeds and you got to make sure you take care of it. 00:01:05.153 --> 00:01:11.843 But getting the right seeds is important, and that's what this show is about. 00:01:11.843 --> 00:01:18.932 It's about reaching out and bringing on subject matter experts, people with strong testimonies, experiences that are willing to share and pour into others. 00:01:18.932 --> 00:01:20.736 Today is no different. 00:01:20.736 --> 00:01:22.100 I'm excited for today. 00:01:22.100 --> 00:01:27.743 I can't wait to hear all the incredible apples of gold we're going to receive today. 00:01:27.743 --> 00:01:29.329 But we're going to get started. 00:01:29.329 --> 00:01:32.320 Here we have the Success Chronicles himself. 00:01:32.320 --> 00:01:36.347 Author, writer, speaker, chip Baker. 00:01:36.347 --> 00:01:38.070 Chip, thanks for being with us today. 00:01:38.992 --> 00:01:40.474 Let's go. 00:01:40.474 --> 00:01:43.644 Thank you so much for that intro. 00:01:43.644 --> 00:01:46.072 That's exciting, and thank you so much for having me. 00:01:46.540 --> 00:01:48.808 Let's go, yes, sir. 00:01:48.808 --> 00:01:52.528 Hey, you know we're not even into this shit, but I got to tell you how much I like that. 00:01:52.528 --> 00:01:52.990 You know why? 00:01:52.990 --> 00:01:54.725 Because I tell people all the time move. 00:01:54.725 --> 00:01:59.763 God does not have a problem hitting a moving target, Just move. 00:02:00.525 --> 00:02:01.888 Yes sir, let's get it. 00:02:02.069 --> 00:02:17.342 So we're going to go Okay. 00:02:17.361 --> 00:02:18.623 Yes, sir, let's get it. 00:02:18.623 --> 00:02:19.525 So we're going to go. 00:02:19.525 --> 00:02:22.108 Okay, Chip, we start every episode the same way. 00:02:22.108 --> 00:02:24.210 Every episode, every guest gets the same question. 00:02:24.210 --> 00:02:48.455 That question is this what I'm grateful for today is the ability to be here to be able to do this, and what I mean by that is it's taken a journey for me to get to this place of where I am today Lots of hard work, lots of people loving me, lots of people looking out for me, helping me, lots of growth, lots of mistakes. 00:02:48.455 --> 00:02:55.890 You know it's led me to this place and for you to think enough of me to have me on this amazing platform. 00:02:55.890 --> 00:03:04.719 I'm truly grateful for that, and my hope is that I can give some gems based off of my experience that will help others move more efficiently and effectively. 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:08.730 So I am grateful to be here with you doing this. 00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:12.163 All right, we can just stop there. 00:03:12.665 --> 00:03:14.330 That was great. 00:03:14.349 --> 00:03:28.293 Great interview that's exactly, though you know you said something, the reason we start every episode with that, though one of my board members you you probably know, know his dad and know him, but the late Zig Ziglar. 00:03:28.293 --> 00:03:42.563 Tom Ziglar is on my board and Tom and I talk about this all the time, about how, when we think about gratitude, the emotions that that stir, or hopefulness, encouragement, they're, they're all positive. 00:03:42.563 --> 00:03:51.705 But but when you look at the opposite of gratitude like Tom was on the East Coast talking to some college kids and he asked them what is the opposite of gratitude? 00:03:51.705 --> 00:03:54.352 And he said the answer is entitlement. 00:03:54.352 --> 00:04:03.806 And when you go from being grateful to saying well, that's not fair, give that to me, that's mine the attitude changes. 00:04:04.448 --> 00:04:14.284 And so I think when young people or educators can start every day with something that they're excited about, that they're grateful for, that is contagious to other people. 00:04:14.284 --> 00:04:17.350 And I love the way you couched that, chip. 00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:23.045 I love the way you couched it as you couched it about this journey that led to today. 00:04:23.045 --> 00:04:31.781 I love the quote by oh, I'm embarrassing myself because I was fixing to give you the quote Tony Robbins and I love. 00:04:31.961 --> 00:04:34.228 Tony Robbins says success leaves clues. 00:04:34.228 --> 00:04:42.213 Yes, and you just said it, when you take somebody's journey and their testimony and what led them to where they're at. 00:04:42.213 --> 00:04:44.067 Yeah, we see the look at this guy. 00:04:44.067 --> 00:04:48.391 We're looking at this big man here that's composed, he's smiling, he's confident. 00:04:48.391 --> 00:04:55.690 But I guarantee you there was some challenges, some storms in life that came along that chiseled him into who he is today. 00:04:55.690 --> 00:05:01.812 But if we're smart, we look at that and we say, okay, success leaves clues. 00:05:01.812 --> 00:05:05.088 So, chip, that's what we're going to talk about today. 00:05:05.088 --> 00:05:08.007 Okay, if you want to do that, I'd sure like to do that. 00:05:08.007 --> 00:05:11.029 So you're very accomplished. 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.146 Again, you know we were talking off air. 00:05:13.146 --> 00:05:16.766 You're a speaker, you're an author, you've got the Success Chronicles. 00:05:16.766 --> 00:05:20.271 I mean, your fingerprints are from coast to coast. 00:05:20.271 --> 00:05:27.360 Something tells me you did not just fall into that chair coast. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:28.624 Something tells me you did not just fall into that chair. 00:05:28.624 --> 00:05:31.232 Something tells me that there was probably something that led you to where you are today. 00:05:31.232 --> 00:05:39.273 Give us a little bit of your journey and tell us how did you get to where you're at today and why you do what you do today. 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:43.043 I love how you set that up. 00:05:43.043 --> 00:06:04.788 It gave me chills when you said that my fingerprints are coast to coast and a lot of times, when we are focused in on just striving to make a difference and doing the work, we don't get a chance to take a deep breath and just think about all of those things you know if you're doing it the right way, I believe. 00:06:04.788 --> 00:06:08.459 Think about all of those things you know, if you're doing it the right way, I believe. 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:15.809 And so just to hear that, I'm grateful for that and grateful that people have seen the things that I've strived to do to help others. 00:06:15.809 --> 00:06:49.023 And you know, in answering your question, the way I got to this place where I am currently is because there was lots of people that came before me family, people that I worked with that looked out for me, people that I've been blessed to learn from, that I coached or taught people that I've come across with the YouTube channel podcast, with the books writing, and I've learned so much along my journey and it's allowed me to be exactly in this space. 00:06:49.062 --> 00:07:08.288 You know my background is I'm a fourth generation educator, a teacher, former coach, blessed and fortunate to be raised by some great people as well as being around some awesome folks to learn from in my career, and I tell people that I come from a family of church folk and educators. 00:07:08.288 --> 00:07:16.644 You understand that I did, yeah, yeah, church folk and educators, and what that means is you know my family. 00:07:16.644 --> 00:07:22.225 We were church people, uh, and my mother was the minister of music in our churches, so you know the church was open. 00:07:22.225 --> 00:07:48.343 We were there, for sure, but I say those things because that firm foundation, if you will, um, is the firm foundation that's allowed me to be deeply rooted and grow my future, if you will, and so that's really been a blessing to me, because I was taught that it's bigger than me. 00:07:48.343 --> 00:07:52.579 It's about giving service, it's about striving to help others. 00:07:52.579 --> 00:08:00.805 It's about doing the best that you can with what you have so that you can, in turn, use that to be a blessing to others, and that's what I've strived to do in my life. 00:08:02.228 --> 00:08:05.863 So walk us through some of that, if you don't mind, chip. 00:08:05.863 --> 00:08:12.601 Walk us through, because the reason I enjoy people's testimonies is because I believe that God gave that to you for a reason. 00:08:12.601 --> 00:08:21.391 I believe that, potentially, there's going to be one person, just one, that's going to listen to this podcast, that your testimony was created just for them. 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:25.286 Yeah, and so when we unpack that a little bit. 00:08:25.286 --> 00:08:28.173 Take us back to high school. 00:08:28.173 --> 00:08:30.107 What did you do in high school? 00:08:30.107 --> 00:08:31.726 Take us through college. 00:08:31.726 --> 00:08:32.966 What did that look like? 00:08:32.966 --> 00:08:43.856 And then how did you start to craft this career as an educator and then branch out into the world of coaching and personal enhancement, Walk? 00:08:43.918 --> 00:08:44.299 us through that. 00:08:44.299 --> 00:08:46.125 Oh, that is so good. 00:08:46.125 --> 00:09:13.961 So high school, if you don't mind, I'll go back a little bit further to you know, uh, like I said, you know how I was raised, my mom, raised by a single parent, mom, my father was in my life but, you know, from afar my parents separated, uh, but great people on both sides of my family, both just great people for me to learn from, and they taught me so many things by just, yes, by what they said, but more so by their actions. 00:09:13.961 --> 00:09:19.740 I could see that they just loved people, took care of people, just tried to be of service. 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:24.725 And so my mom had us involved in lots in high school. 00:09:24.725 --> 00:09:36.320 I played four sports for four years in high school, was involved in, you know, extracurricular activities, groups, clubs, you know, on the school campus. 00:09:36.379 --> 00:09:37.445 Can I interrupt real quick? 00:09:37.445 --> 00:09:39.899 Chip, are you from the Houston area, is that correct? 00:09:40.601 --> 00:09:45.013 So I am from Hearn, texas, over by Bryan College Station small town there. 00:09:45.013 --> 00:10:04.315 That's where I was raised and there's just so many great people in the community too that I can learn from my pastor just amazing people to learn from and so there's lots that I learned through that sports, all of those things that I didn't know at the time. 00:10:04.315 --> 00:10:06.027 They were things that I was made to do. 00:10:06.027 --> 00:10:10.461 Like my mom boy, you're going to work hard, right, you know. 00:10:10.461 --> 00:10:12.429 She put the boy in front of it, it's for real. 00:10:12.429 --> 00:10:14.647 Like, boy, you're going to work hard. 00:10:14.647 --> 00:10:22.663 Anyway, she know my name, she gave me my name, but when she put the boy in front of it, oh man, it's for real. 00:10:22.663 --> 00:10:25.327 Now, boy, you gonna work hard, right. 00:10:25.327 --> 00:10:29.894 So, but just, you know just some core common principles. 00:10:29.894 --> 00:10:36.663 You know work hard, do right, treat people right, put yourself around the right people. 00:10:36.663 --> 00:10:42.336 You know these were things that I was made to do, that that I didn't know at the time that it was instilling discipline in me. 00:10:42.336 --> 00:10:51.110 I didn't know that it was putting transferable skills in me that I would be able to take and use those for the rest of my life. 00:10:51.110 --> 00:10:53.046 Okay, so I didn't know that. 00:10:53.046 --> 00:11:03.850 So from there I had an opportunity to go to West Texas A&M University, where I played football there, and so I'm still figuring those things out, right. 00:11:03.850 --> 00:11:10.533 And so, different environment, same principles, right, boy, you're going to work hard, you're going to do that. 00:11:10.533 --> 00:11:18.005 You know, work hard, do right, treat people right, put yourself around good people, take care of your business Right. 00:11:18.005 --> 00:11:19.706 And so I did that. 00:11:19.706 --> 00:11:32.138 Played college football, got my degree again, was blessed to be around some amazing people, teammates actually that I still communicate with daily. 00:11:32.138 --> 00:11:36.572 I actually like four of them today in a group message, you know, just about an hour ago. 00:11:36.572 --> 00:11:40.850 You know just coaches that I'm still in contact with. 00:11:40.850 --> 00:12:05.631 A couple of my coaches have been in my books, just great people along that journey and and what it did for me, um, is it showed me that, okay, now I've worked hard to develop something that I can take and use that to help others, and so out coming out of college, you know, my aspiration was to be a teacher, coach. 00:12:05.631 --> 00:12:09.176 Love sports, love helping others. 00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:13.230 Fourth generation, you know, third, I didn't know I was going to be. 00:12:13.230 --> 00:12:18.662 Well, I knew, yeah, but going into it, I would be a fourth generation educator, right? 00:12:18.662 --> 00:12:20.225 So just my family lineage. 00:12:20.225 --> 00:12:32.801 The legacy piece of that is the legacy piece of that and, uh, going into it you know you talked about it gave me chills when you asked the question of if there was one person that need to hear my testimony. 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:49.763 Because my personal goal to myself coming out of college was if I could just make a positive impact in the life of one person, I would feel that my career and my life would be fulfilled because of that. 00:12:49.763 --> 00:12:58.182 And so, 25 years later, you know that I think it's been maybe a couple more than one, hopefully. 00:12:58.182 --> 00:13:04.974 But in striving to do that, I've also learned that this is good. 00:13:04.974 --> 00:13:10.008 Right here, I've also learned that it's life changing to change lives. 00:13:10.008 --> 00:13:15.720 Come on, well, how good is that, oh my God. 00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:27.484 And so, in striving to be of service and do those things to help others, it made a tremendous impact on my life, right, those things to help others. 00:13:27.484 --> 00:13:36.657 It made a tremendous impact on my life, right, it allowed me to be humble because of my upbringing, because of the things that I learned, because of the things that I was blessed to see, but it also allowed me to be hungry, to want to achieve more. 00:13:36.657 --> 00:13:41.445 I spell hungry when I say it like that, not H-U-N-G-O, but like four O's. 00:13:41.445 --> 00:13:52.070 Right, it makes you be humble and hungry to be able to do more and help more, and so that has been my journey. 00:13:53.092 --> 00:14:12.376 I didn't talk much about my career or you know the other things, but but I believe that firm foundation when we have a firm foundation, we learn to grow, and it's solid and it allows us to weather any storm that we're faced in our life. 00:14:12.376 --> 00:14:17.832 And, like you said earlier, oh yeah, that's been lots of challenges that I've faced in my life. 00:14:17.832 --> 00:14:31.429 It's been lots of things that I've made mistakes on, but what happens is, you know, as you, on the other side of our toughest challenges is our maximum growth. 00:14:31.429 --> 00:14:34.745 Let me give you that one again. 00:14:34.745 --> 00:14:35.307 Do it again. 00:14:35.307 --> 00:14:41.673 Hey, on the on the other side of our toughest challenges is our maximum growth. 00:14:41.673 --> 00:14:53.763 And so when you get an opportunity to experience, when you're blessed, when you get to experience those challenges, what happens is you get better equipped to handle those challenges Right. 00:14:53.763 --> 00:14:58.721 And so now in my life, I'm like come on sucker, come on challenges, let's go. 00:14:58.721 --> 00:15:07.198 I'm ready, because I know that I will be better for having to grow through those challenges, Because I know that I will be better for having to grow through those challenges. 00:15:09.283 --> 00:15:12.311 Wow, Chip, this is exactly why I wanted to do this podcast, by the way. 00:15:12.311 --> 00:15:16.903 Yes, sir, Because bringing guests on and letting them share. 00:15:16.903 --> 00:15:23.808 If you listen and, by the way, I tell the kids all the time you listen with your eyes and your ears, so learn to listen. 00:15:23.808 --> 00:15:32.356 I tell the kids all the time you listen with your eyes and your ears, so learn to listen. 00:15:32.356 --> 00:15:33.498 I said listen. 00:15:33.498 --> 00:15:34.999 Already you've given us values. 00:15:34.999 --> 00:15:35.940 Yes, sir, You've given us faith. 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:37.221 You've given us discipline. 00:15:37.221 --> 00:15:39.105 You've given us grit. 00:15:39.105 --> 00:15:47.682 Yeah, You've given us service, servanthood, servant leadership, pouring into others. 00:15:47.682 --> 00:15:51.647 And I mean we're just getting started and I'm sitting here just listening, going. 00:15:51.687 --> 00:16:15.471 Okay, you know, I don't know if you've ever had a chance to hear him, but next to Chip Baker, he may be one of the best speakers I've ever heard, but another good friend of mine he just spoke recently at the Global Leadership Summit is a gentleman out of Worcester Ohio named Dan Owolabi, and if you're not familiar with Dan and Dan's story, you need to take it upon yourself to hear the man. 00:16:15.471 --> 00:16:20.211 I will Be in his presence and let him pour his testimony into you. 00:16:20.211 --> 00:16:25.090 But Dan challenged people at the summit the other day. 00:16:25.090 --> 00:16:26.113 He asked this question. 00:16:26.113 --> 00:16:28.123 He said how many of you work hard? 00:16:28.123 --> 00:16:32.592 And everybody raised, he goes, how many of y'all work really hard? 00:16:32.592 --> 00:16:37.350 And he was like you, he's bringing it and the crowd's getting into it. 00:16:37.350 --> 00:16:41.847 And he said how many of you want your work to matter? 00:16:41.847 --> 00:16:45.738 And that got everybody stopping and thinking. 00:16:45.778 --> 00:16:49.964 He said then how many of you ask yourself what is my legacy? 00:16:49.964 --> 00:17:00.408 Yep, and he said at this point, right here, he said I'm glad you're here because, if that's the question you're asking, you came to the right place because you're asking the wrong question. 00:17:00.408 --> 00:17:12.940 Question is not what is our legacy, the question is who is our legacy? 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:18.047 And then he talked about the quote from Ernest Hemingway, where Ernest Hemingway said that humans go through two deaths. 00:17:18.047 --> 00:17:31.454 The first death is the death that takes place the day they lay our bodies in the ground, and the second death is the day that the last person speaks our name and at that point you're forgotten forever. 00:17:31.454 --> 00:17:42.404 Wow, so when we think about legacy and we think about what you just said, it's life changing to change lives. 00:17:42.404 --> 00:17:43.646 Yes, sir. 00:17:44.048 --> 00:17:45.048 That is legacy. 00:17:45.971 --> 00:17:50.303 That is, living a legacy by design, as Tom Ziegler says. 00:17:50.303 --> 00:17:52.509 You know you're going to all leave a legacy. 00:17:52.509 --> 00:17:54.463 You're either going to leave it by design or default. 00:17:54.463 --> 00:18:17.257 But when you become intentional and it sounds like you became intentional very young in your career, in your life you became very intentional about wanting to be a positive influence to the people around you, and I suspect that that came with criticism at times. 00:18:18.865 --> 00:18:24.669 Yes, it's um, I definitely uh have been intentional. 00:18:24.669 --> 00:18:33.017 I think the big man has has blessed me with, with, um, the ability to have some sense. 00:18:33.017 --> 00:18:42.297 Boy, here we go, here we go, boy, boy, boy, act like you got some sense, you know. 00:18:42.297 --> 00:18:55.488 Uh, yeah, I think the big man has allowed me, uh, the ability to be able to focus in on what's important and keep the main thing the main thing and not worry about the things that are not important. 00:18:55.488 --> 00:19:30.355 And I kind of credit some of that to my mother too, raising me to be an independent thinker, you know, and not be so concerned about what people have to say about what I do, because really it's none of their business with what I'm doing, right, unless they're enhancing it, unless they've proven to me that they are creditable, that I need to probably listen to what they're saying, but not to get caught up in worrying about what other people think about what you do. 00:19:30.355 --> 00:19:35.153 The biggest thing is what do you think about what you're doing? 00:19:36.865 --> 00:19:39.815 Boy Dan Ovalabi had another one along those lines. 00:19:39.815 --> 00:19:41.412 He said people are going to think what they think. 00:19:41.664 --> 00:19:43.010 I'm not going to tell you his testimony. 00:19:43.030 --> 00:19:44.991 Chip, I want you to get to it and you watch it. 00:19:44.991 --> 00:19:50.030 But he said people are going to think what they think, was it Winston Churchill? 00:19:50.030 --> 00:20:00.007 Churchill said you'll never get anywhere if you stop to throw rocks at every barking dog and I was. 00:20:00.007 --> 00:20:01.530 You know you do a lot of youth stuff. 00:20:01.530 --> 00:20:01.991 I was doing some youth. 00:20:01.991 --> 00:20:02.532 I do some youth stuff too. 00:20:02.532 --> 00:20:08.214 I was at an event not too long ago and a girl asked me a pretty I could tell it was a pretty tough question for her. 00:20:08.214 --> 00:20:11.067 She said how do you deal with negativity? 00:20:11.067 --> 00:20:16.352 She says how do you deal with people that throw sharp jabs and negative comments? 00:20:16.352 --> 00:20:17.882 And you could comments and you could tell. 00:20:17.882 --> 00:20:21.731 You could tell under the surface that there was something going on. 00:20:21.731 --> 00:20:26.428 And so I listened to her and then I said can I ask you a question? 00:20:27.269 --> 00:20:30.897 and she said sure, I said, is it true? 00:20:30.897 --> 00:20:38.115 And it was that moment of reflection where she said no. 00:20:38.115 --> 00:20:42.227 And I said then, quit letting it take up space in your head. 00:20:42.227 --> 00:20:49.971 Well, it don't matter, it don't just like you just said, it doesn't matter, people are going to think what they think. 00:20:49.971 --> 00:20:52.037 You're just going to have to move on. 00:20:52.037 --> 00:20:57.095 Stay focused, like a good race, just Just stay focused on the finish line. 00:20:57.095 --> 00:21:08.019 Jump the hurdles, dodge the ponds, you know, avoid the snakes, look out for the wolves, but stay focused. 00:21:10.628 --> 00:21:24.412 Yeah, you know, I did an interview with someone, a superintendent, earlier today and her definition of success was running your race at your pace. 00:21:24.412 --> 00:21:49.728 Running your race at your pace and I thought that was so good because, you know, when we just focus in on our race and stay in our lane and do the best that we can do with our technique and our speed and our knee drive and our hand placement, all of those things, those technical things that we can relate to the technical things in life, or we just stay in our lane and run our race. 00:21:50.269 --> 00:21:53.811 What will happen is we'll find out. 00:21:53.811 --> 00:21:57.615 They're in first place. 00:21:57.615 --> 00:22:06.207 Come on right like hey, how good is that wow how good is that how? 00:22:06.547 --> 00:22:09.653 how many people mess up by looking around sometimes. 00:22:09.653 --> 00:22:13.719 Yes, you know, I'm a city boy. 00:22:13.719 --> 00:22:21.217 I grew up and I grew up in the, got transplanted into the country and I remember one time they had me on a tractor. 00:22:21.217 --> 00:22:22.878 Now I grew up at a boy's ranch. 00:22:22.878 --> 00:22:31.166 So I was kind of a troubled kid and I grew up at a boy's ranch. 00:22:31.166 --> 00:22:33.872 Matter of fact, up there where you were at, at Cal Farley's outside of Amherst oh yeah, I'm out there at the boy's ranch. 00:22:33.893 --> 00:22:37.118 One time and I remember they put me on a tractor and I said what do I do Ranch? 00:22:37.118 --> 00:22:39.702 One time and I remember they put me on a tractor and I said what do I do? 00:22:39.702 --> 00:22:45.779 And they said you just take that tractor to that marker down there and you turn, you come back to this next marker and you go back to the next marker. 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:46.582 I said I think I can handle that. 00:22:46.582 --> 00:22:48.646 But see, the problem is, like you said, we worked hard. 00:22:49.548 --> 00:23:07.971 And because I worked hard, I was now sitting in the cab of a really nice, air-conditioned, cool tractor and so with the humming of the motor I eventually took a little nap and I caught myself and when I looked up I realized I was about 10 feet off of where my target is. 00:23:07.971 --> 00:23:12.866 So I naturally kind of pulled the tractor back over to the target. 00:23:12.866 --> 00:23:18.157 Well then, instead of staying focused on the goal, I wanted to see how bad I messed up. 00:23:18.157 --> 00:23:28.575 So I turned to see how bad I messed up, and when I did I found out that my neck bones connected to my arm bone, and when I turned my head I pulled it off track again. 00:23:31.605 --> 00:23:35.789 God gave me that lesson that day to teach me we're going to mess up. 00:23:35.789 --> 00:23:40.778 We need to learn from that mess it up, but stay focused on the prize. 00:23:40.778 --> 00:23:42.732 Like you said, stay focused. 00:23:42.732 --> 00:23:51.776 Persistence I've got real simple philosophies in life Consistency creates credibility and persistence breaks resistance. 00:23:51.776 --> 00:23:55.153 Just be consistent, Just be persistent. 00:23:55.153 --> 00:24:01.025 Just be consistent, Just be persistent. 00:24:04.345 --> 00:24:06.027 And there's no telling what you can accomplish if you just stay focused. 00:24:06.027 --> 00:24:09.010 And now you're talking about language consistency and persistency. 00:24:09.010 --> 00:24:11.894 You know we mentioned legacy earlier. 00:24:11.894 --> 00:24:43.467 I think for me and I've had people say this, so that's why it brought it to my attention I didn't realize it, but I think for me, the thing that people I would be grateful if people had this to say about me and my legacy is that Chip Baker's consistent I know what I'm going to get from Chip Baker. 00:24:43.547 --> 00:24:44.647 Every time I like that. 00:24:45.307 --> 00:24:49.931 And so, like for me, I work hard at being consistent. 00:24:49.931 --> 00:24:51.872 I want people to know what they're going to get from me. 00:24:51.872 --> 00:24:55.713 I want people to know that they can depend on me. 00:24:55.713 --> 00:25:00.676 If you ask me to do something, I'm going to go above and beyond to do that. 00:25:00.676 --> 00:25:02.838 I'm going to give you more than what you asked me for. 00:25:02.838 --> 00:25:16.546 If you hire me for something, you ain't got to worry about Chip Baker, because he's going to do his job above and beyond Right, and so consistency is the key, I believe. 00:25:16.546 --> 00:25:25.660 And, just like you said, in order to be consistent, you have to be persistent, because sometimes you may not feel like it. 00:25:26.987 --> 00:25:38.317 And then you have to operate in principles over feelings, come on, and when you operate in principles over feelings, then you have no regrets. 00:25:38.317 --> 00:25:47.579 But if it's the opposite, if you operate in feelings over principles, then you have regrets at the end of the day. 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:50.393 And so you have to have those principles in place. 00:25:50.393 --> 00:26:01.718 You have to be persistent with pursuing those principles that you believe in, and what I believe and I've seen in my life, is that it allows you to have consistency in your life. 00:26:03.967 --> 00:26:06.054 You know, golly, this is good stuff. 00:26:06.054 --> 00:26:10.817 People can find these little nuggets of wisdom in so many different ways. 00:26:10.817 --> 00:26:15.317 I know people that have found them in band and drama and athletics. 00:26:15.317 --> 00:26:16.106 I was just. 00:26:16.106 --> 00:26:18.994 Mine was agriculture, mine was FFA, yes. 00:26:18.994 --> 00:26:24.176 So I had a guy ask me one time you'll like this? 00:26:24.285 --> 00:26:25.589 I had a guy ask me one time. 00:26:25.589 --> 00:26:26.554 He said Aaron, he goes. 00:26:26.554 --> 00:26:31.477 You guys in FFA and 4-H, you act like you have a lock on leadership. 00:26:31.477 --> 00:26:34.554 You act like nobody else does what y'all do. 00:26:34.554 --> 00:26:36.684 He said doesn't band teach ensemble? 00:26:36.684 --> 00:26:37.393 He said doesn't UIL ensemble? 00:26:37.393 --> 00:26:39.950 He said doesn't UIL teach speech and debate? 00:26:39.950 --> 00:26:42.358 Doesn't athletics teach teamwork? 00:26:42.358 --> 00:26:45.631 He said what is it that you think y'all do that nobody else does? 00:26:45.631 --> 00:26:47.878 And I looked at him. 00:26:47.878 --> 00:26:49.183 I said you know that's a good question. 00:26:49.183 --> 00:26:51.146 Anybody knows me knows I like good questions. 00:26:51.146 --> 00:26:59.238 At that moment, by the way, I said a little prayer because I believe James 1, 5, where God says ask God, he'll give wisdom to any man without casting judgment. 00:26:59.238 --> 00:27:01.200 So at that point I need a little wisdom. 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:07.047 So I said God, give me wisdom because I want to get this right. 00:27:07.047 --> 00:27:09.912 And I looked at the guy and I said I'm going to answer your question two ways. 00:27:09.912 --> 00:27:11.815 I said before I took the job that I'm in now. 00:27:11.875 --> 00:27:13.176 I used to work in a boot camp. 00:27:13.176 --> 00:27:15.320 I worked with truant offenders and I worked in a prison. 00:27:15.320 --> 00:27:22.888 And one day, outside of a small town, I was talking to these guys in the coffee shop you know where they come and cuss and discuss what's wrong with this country. 00:27:22.888 --> 00:27:25.214 And they were cussing and discussing. 00:27:25.214 --> 00:27:31.238 They told me that, alejandro, to get this country back on track, we got to get back to the basics the three R's. 00:27:31.238 --> 00:27:32.685 I said okay. 00:27:32.685 --> 00:27:35.127 They said reading, writing, arithmetic. 00:27:35.127 --> 00:27:37.310 And I'm like, all right, I'm listening. 00:27:37.310 --> 00:27:46.058 I said, gentlemen, I mean you, no disrespect, but I work with boot camp kids, truant offenders and prisoners, and every one of them can read, write and do math at a functional level. 00:27:46.058 --> 00:27:52.048 I said, but you're right about the three R's, but it's not reading, writing and arithmetic. 00:27:52.048 --> 00:27:55.557 I said I would argue, it's respect, responsibility and resiliency. 00:27:55.557 --> 00:28:05.305 I said I think those would be things that we ought to be putting in our lives to get our kids back on track. 00:28:05.305 --> 00:28:09.025 But I looked at that guy and I said I'll tell you what separates our kids from everybody else. 00:28:09.444 --> 00:28:10.949 This goes to your point, Chip. 00:28:10.949 --> 00:28:22.135 There was a blizzard blowing in on the Texas Panhandle and my dorm parent, Mr Chandler, gave me a sledgehammer and he said, darling, I need you to drive to the other side of the ranch and bust the water trough for the horses. 00:28:22.135 --> 00:28:24.914 I said, Mr Chandler, I don't want to go. 00:28:24.914 --> 00:28:25.859 There's a blizzard out there. 00:28:25.859 --> 00:28:31.997 It feels like a razor cutting through your skin and I'll never forget that man in his old country wisdom. 00:28:31.997 --> 00:28:39.729 He said, darling, do you get thirsty when it's cold? 00:28:39.729 --> 00:28:40.490 I said yes, sir. 00:28:40.490 --> 00:28:42.056 He said don't you think those horses are going to get thirsty too? 00:28:42.056 --> 00:28:42.356 I said yes, sir. 00:28:42.356 --> 00:28:45.666 I drove five miles that day and I busted the water trough for the horses. 00:28:46.710 --> 00:28:48.755 I looked at this guy in Fort Worth, Texas. 00:28:48.755 --> 00:28:51.188 I said I'll tell you what separates our kids from everybody else. 00:28:51.188 --> 00:28:55.814 Because in the world of agriculture, if we don't do our job, something dies. 00:28:55.814 --> 00:29:04.232 If we don't feed it, we don't clothe it, we don't nurture it, something dies. 00:29:04.232 --> 00:29:06.538 And when it dies, an economy dies. 00:29:06.538 --> 00:29:09.590 And when an economy dies, a society dies. 00:29:10.673 --> 00:29:38.352 And, Chip, when you said that you've got to have these inborn traits that you carry with you through life, those foundational concepts that grow your future, I was so thankful that I got put in an environment where I learned early on that something depended on me, not for a social setting, it depended on me for its own survival. 00:29:38.352 --> 00:29:46.371 But that instinct then began to show in everything that, oh, I got to go to work today. 00:29:46.371 --> 00:29:49.220 I've got to show up today. 00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:54.770 I've got to take responsibility today I got to figure that out. 00:29:54.770 --> 00:29:56.213 Today I got a problem solved. 00:29:56.213 --> 00:29:59.640 Today I've got to critically think about something today. 00:29:59.640 --> 00:30:14.096 But to your point, those foundational things that we teach our kids, that they can learn, that they can carry with them for a lifetime, may be the very concepts that open doors of opportunity for them. 00:30:16.885 --> 00:30:28.354 Without a doubt, without a doubt, without a doubt, and it continues to open doors for others, because I believe opened opened doors opens doors. 00:30:29.115 --> 00:30:32.548 Amen, brother, we're going to talk about that here in just a minute. 00:30:32.548 --> 00:30:34.673 Amen, all right. 00:30:34.673 --> 00:30:35.695 So, all right. 00:30:35.695 --> 00:30:36.438 So let me couch it. 00:30:36.438 --> 00:30:39.213 I'm going to keep going here couching something a little bit different here. 00:30:39.213 --> 00:30:43.816 I love asking the kids this question, and teachers, you may get this one right. 00:30:43.816 --> 00:30:47.775 Do you happen to know how many high schools are in the state of Texas? 00:30:47.775 --> 00:30:49.567 I do not. 00:30:49.587 --> 00:30:55.354 Okay, a bunch there you go All right. 00:30:55.585 --> 00:31:00.356 So the answer is there's over 3000 high schools in the state of Texas. 00:31:00.356 --> 00:31:03.012 Now let that sink in for a second. 00:31:03.012 --> 00:31:08.257 Every one of those schools this year are going to have a graduating class. 00:31:08.257 --> 00:31:13.836 That means there's going to be kids from all over the state of Texas getting out this year. 00:31:13.836 --> 00:31:18.368 They're going to be looking for a job scholarship or an opportunity of Texas. 00:31:18.368 --> 00:31:22.424 Getting out this year they're going to be looking for a job scholarship or an opportunity. 00:31:23.566 --> 00:31:25.209 And so my question to the kids is what's your competitive edge? 00:31:25.209 --> 00:31:27.251 What separates you from everybody else? 00:31:27.251 --> 00:31:31.118 I think a competitive edge. 00:31:31.118 --> 00:31:33.000 For some people it can be a firm handshake. 00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:37.682 It can be looking somebody in the eye and saying yes or no, sir, yes, ma'am, no ma'am. 00:31:37.682 --> 00:31:41.830 You know little things can become a competitive edge. 00:31:41.830 --> 00:31:51.617 But, chip, you've seen the country, you've seen young people, you've seen educators, you've seen coaches, you've seen business leaders. 00:31:51.617 --> 00:32:01.160 I'm curious what in your world do you see are things that give young people, educators, a competitive edge? 00:32:04.926 --> 00:32:06.829 I mean, I think you know short answer. 00:32:06.829 --> 00:32:12.799 All of those things that we talked about is the core, common principles that we teach and instill. 00:32:12.799 --> 00:32:19.545 You know, every person has to go through a teacher. 00:32:19.545 --> 00:32:26.096 I mean like, like, let that let that sink in for a minute, right. 00:32:26.257 --> 00:32:56.538 Every person in this world let's go bigger than the high schools in the state of texas every person in this world has to go through multiple teachers in their life, and just that shows the importance of what it is that teachers do and why teachers should be intentional each moment of each day with what they do. 00:32:56.538 --> 00:33:01.057 And so in life, in everything is a competition. 00:33:01.057 --> 00:33:17.215 I mean, you know, like everything in life is a competition, but you know, we can, we can look at the all of the other stuff, but really the most important competition is the competition with yourself, you versus you. 00:33:17.215 --> 00:33:19.268 Competition is the competition with yourself, you versus you. 00:33:19.268 --> 00:33:48.288 But I think that when we can teach that to the students, I believe that it builds a confidence within them to help them compete better, right, and it helps them to compete and to have continuous growth and have grit and never give up, because in that what they do is they learn that it's not winning and losing, it's winning and learning. 00:33:48.288 --> 00:33:52.838 If you have the proper mindset, all right. 00:33:52.838 --> 00:33:58.877 And so we can learn from every situation that we're faced when we compete. 00:33:58.877 --> 00:34:18.262 And I believe also that we have to support those students, those kids that are doing great things, because it means the world to them to know that they have people supporting them, not just saying, hey, you got to compete, but no, I'm going to teach you how to compete and then I'm going to show up and watch you compete, right, but? 00:34:18.262 --> 00:34:22.572 But no, I'm going to teach you how to compete and then I'm going to show up and watch you compete, and then you know if you make a mistake. 00:34:22.572 --> 00:34:30.610 I want to help you get better on that mistake so that you can compete better, because you're going to face that same thing again in your life, right, right? 00:34:30.610 --> 00:34:39.360 So now I want you to be more equipped when you see it again, right, and it helps, right, and it helps. 00:34:39.360 --> 00:34:46.632 I believe that it helps them stay on the right track because they know that they have people depending on them, they know that they have people that are supporting them. 00:34:46.632 --> 00:34:52.385 They know that they have people that's in the race, in the fight with them to be competitive. 00:34:52.726 --> 00:34:57.385 And I can say all of those things because I'm a product of that. 00:34:57.385 --> 00:35:00.467 And I can say all of those things because I'm a product of that. 00:35:00.467 --> 00:35:09.557 I'm a product of a whole lot of teachers and people going above and beyond to help me, and I just say, chip, you messed up on this. 00:35:09.557 --> 00:35:11.460 But hey, chip, you know this was a mistake. 00:35:11.460 --> 00:35:12.760 But hey, let me show you how to do this. 00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:19.286 Right is right. 00:35:19.286 --> 00:35:19.949 You know I'm thinking about. 00:35:19.989 --> 00:35:20.672 You know I struggle with math. 00:35:20.672 --> 00:35:30.677 You know growing up, and I can pretty much go through and tell you all of my math teachers that I've had from elementary school to college by name, because I know the work that they put in to help me. 00:35:30.677 --> 00:35:39.168 They stayed after, they went above and beyond, they checked for understanding with me, like they really helped me and it built confidence in me. 00:35:39.168 --> 00:35:52.393 I know now, when I got to college, some of those professors like man here he comes again asking me questions, like you know, they may have gotten tired of seeing me, but at that time I had built up my competitive edge, if you will. 00:35:52.853 --> 00:36:06.481 And so I knew that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I had an opportunity to go to college, to so I can pursue my college degree, so that I could play college football, so that I can get a degree and get out and help my family and help others. 00:36:06.481 --> 00:36:08.268 I knew that a shadow of a doubt. 00:36:08.268 --> 00:36:09.172 I was intentional. 00:36:09.172 --> 00:36:11.297 I was not going to fail this math class. 00:36:11.297 --> 00:36:17.677 I'm going to compete and do whatever it takes for me these math classes that it's required for me to take. 00:36:17.677 --> 00:36:18.909 No, I'm passing these. 00:36:18.909 --> 00:36:20.871 No, I'm going to put the work in. 00:36:20.871 --> 00:36:22.552 Whatever I got to do, I'm passing these. 00:36:23.385 --> 00:36:24.990 I hope everybody's listening right now. 00:36:24.990 --> 00:36:33.311 Yeah, because what you're talking about, chip, is what I call want to Mm-hmm and I got news for you. 00:36:33.311 --> 00:36:35.070 Want to can be a competitive edge. 00:36:35.070 --> 00:36:36.114 Yes. 00:36:40.925 --> 00:36:42.047 Mm news for you want to can be a competitive edge. 00:36:42.068 --> 00:36:43.371 Yes, and you had a lot of want to yes, sir, and that one who? 00:36:43.371 --> 00:36:45.900 Was grounded in a lot of accountability. 00:36:45.900 --> 00:36:49.112 By the way, being somebody holding you accountable is a good thing. 00:36:49.112 --> 00:36:55.992 If somebody's holding you accountable, that means they obviously recognize something special in you that means they care about you I. 00:36:55.992 --> 00:37:02.230 I used to tell the boot camp kids all the time I said anybody that cares about you will never let you off the hook. 00:37:04.034 --> 00:37:05.557 So good, so true. 00:37:05.557 --> 00:37:07.690 I said, you know the kids. 00:37:07.811 --> 00:37:10.429 One time I was a single dad, Chip, you'll appreciate this. 00:37:10.429 --> 00:37:14.710 I was a single dad and I'd take my four-year-old and six-year-old to the boot camp with me. 00:37:14.710 --> 00:37:16.934 Well, they'd get to know those kids and they're just kids, right. 00:37:16.934 --> 00:37:19.478 They don't understand that those are kids, are in trouble or anything. 00:37:19.498 --> 00:37:19.998 They're just kids. 00:37:22.824 --> 00:37:27.110 So anyway, I remember one time, you know, they got really close to my kids and they loved them and I loved all you know we all got along well. 00:37:27.110 --> 00:37:42.186 And I remember one time I asked him I said have y'all've been to the Kmart? 00:37:42.186 --> 00:37:43.291 I said they got those rides out in front of the Kmart. 00:37:43.291 --> 00:37:45.518 And I said, you know, every time we get out of the car, my kids boy, they're ready to go to those rides. 00:37:45.518 --> 00:37:51.391 And so I got one in one hand and one in the other, but they want to pull away, they want to run across, they want to run to get to those rides. 00:37:51.791 --> 00:37:53.014 And I'd asked the boot camp kids. 00:37:53.014 --> 00:37:54.715 I said what do y'all think I did? 00:37:54.715 --> 00:37:55.858 Do you think I'll let them go? 00:37:55.858 --> 00:37:57.659 And they said no, sir. 00:37:57.659 --> 00:37:58.427 I said why not? 00:37:58.427 --> 00:38:00.632 Well, because they could get hit. 00:38:00.632 --> 00:38:06.237 Somebody could take them, they might fall, they might hurt themselves, they might get up there and fall off the ride. 00:38:06.237 --> 00:38:10.246 I said so y'all think that I held on to them because I care about them. 00:38:10.246 --> 00:38:11.067 They said yes, sir. 00:38:11.067 --> 00:38:16.130 I said okay, don't forget that the next time your parents ask you where you go and what are you doing, where are you going to be? 00:38:16.130 --> 00:38:23.737 They're like oh man, I said anybody that cares about. 00:38:23.737 --> 00:38:33.228 You'll never let you off the hook so good you just gotta let it sink in. 00:38:33.849 --> 00:38:37.855 That is so good, that's so good all right, we're gonna. 00:38:37.875 --> 00:38:39.969 We're gonna talk about some other things here in a second. 00:38:39.969 --> 00:38:41.760 I want to talk leadership for a second. 00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:43.463 Yes, sir, yes, we got a lot of kids. 00:38:43.463 --> 00:38:49.684 You met one today, maddie wilson and her brother's up at at wt, wt, yes I went to school. 00:38:49.744 --> 00:38:53.090 yeah, I was a Shout out to the Wilsons Great family, great people. 00:38:53.351 --> 00:38:54.072 Good people. 00:38:54.373 --> 00:38:55.153 Good people yes sir. 00:38:56.740 --> 00:38:58.869 So we got a bunch of those that are going to be listening. 00:38:58.869 --> 00:39:01.329 They're going to be looking for leadership skills. 00:39:01.329 --> 00:39:03.806