Dragon's Gold: The Magic of Mindset

Think Outside the Box: Gary Faules on Reinvention, Risk, and the Power of Belief

• Justin Mills • Season 1 • Episode 31

Share episode

What happens when a blind kid from Oregon becomes a world-class shooter, a champion race car driver, and a bestselling author?

This week’s guest, Gary Faules, is living proof that mindset is everything. From losing his vision for four years to chasing down world records and handwritten letters from Ronald Reagan, Gary’s life has been a masterclass in curiosity, belief, and doing the hard things anyway.

Here’s what you’ll uncover in this week’s adventure:

  • What going blind at age 10 taught Gary about faith and perseverance
  • The Olympic mindset that helped him succeed in business and racing
  • Why he believes there are no bad days—just different kinds of gifts
  • Stories from Africa, Cuba, Paris, and beyond (including Hemingway’s house!)
  • How to live outside the box and find your edge

Tools & Weapons:

  • Illusions by Richard Bach – Let go of the rock and let the current lift you
  • The Phoenix Mindset – Resilience, rebirth, and reinvention
  • Hemingway, Steinbeck & London – Inspiration from literary legends
  • Olympic Mentality – Devotion and focus over raw talent
  • Letters from Reagan – Legacy through language and belief

Send us a text

About Gold Dragon Investments:
At Gold Dragon Investments, our mission is to bring joy to others by helping them win the game of investing — helping every client become the hero of their financial journey. We believe that wealth is a tool, but joy is the ultimate outcome.
Through meaningful partnerships, we strive to empower our investors to create freedom, and build lasting legacies of purpose, fulfillment, and wealth.

Join Us on the Adventure:

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once again to another episode of Dragon's Gold, the magic of mindset. Today we have the extreme pleasure of having Gary Faules with us, a true Renaissance man, an Olympic gold medal skeet shooter, still holding the record today. A professional race car driver, The scroll rolls so long that I'm gonna dive right in and just share his story with you. I am certain that you're gonna be entertained. Gary, welcome to the show. Hello, thanks for having me, Justin. It's a pleasure to be here. Absolutely, my friend. Well, as I love to do, let's dive into the origin story. Where did it all begin for Gary? gosh, you know, I was twin and my mother was in a car accident and broke her neck. And so I was the lucky survivor. And so I think they've always had it in for me. But I don't know, fortune has been good to me and I've always looked through. rose-colored glasses with the proverbial half glass of water. That's only half full so that I can finish filling it up with more. just been very lucky to have so many doors open for me being in the right place at the right time. And so often that's the case, right? Putting yourself in the areas where the opportunity presents itself and then walking through those doors, right? The doors may open, but you have to choose and step through them, right? you that's, you brought up a very important point. A lot of times people over the years will say, well, why do you want to meet that guy? And they go, I don't know, but there may come a time that, you know, that I'll be able to benefit from knowing that person. And that's been the reason so many doors have opened is because I stepped through those doors. Yeah. Hearing about that, about meeting people and just knowing who that person is. So, so often it's, it's the, it's the power of relationship. It's the people that we meet along the way, right? Things, things come about, but, it's the stories that we get to tell years later because of the relationships and the people that we met and those times that we get to share. And I think that there's just so much value in creating those relationships. And not just for what people can give to you, but for what you can give to them and what you can bring to the table with your skill set or your gift, right? Yeah. So Gary, was there a time in your life that you knew you were destined for greatness, that the status quo wasn't going to cut it for you? No, honestly, that didn't happen until years later that I realized, you know, I'm not doing too bad. But when I was when I was a young boy, I was always the runt. mean, I was the smallest guy in school. And, you know, all of the jocks and all of the upperclassmen, they were I come from a little town in southwestern Oregon. and we were really well known for football, baseball, track, basketball. just this tiny little community and they just kicked everybody's butt and I wanted to be part of that. And the good things that happened to me were my coach, my PE coach, and a lot of the upperclassmen, they took me under their wing and they said, hey, you can do this too, you know. And they always taught me to believe in myself. I couldn't run as fast as them. I couldn't catch the ball or do these things, but I was always right there trying and they really admired that. And that gave me a lot of confidence and that rubbed off on me for the rest of my life. Of course, my parents were that way too. And then my Olympic coach was that way. He gave me nothing but support and mental training and believing in myself and just knowing that I could get better every day. One day I was flying home from, I don't remember, Switzerland or someplace and my best friend was with me. And I said, you know, if I'd spend as much effort running my business as I have my Olympic sheet shooting, I'd be rich. And he says, you know, I'm getting tired of hearing you say that. Why don't you just do it? And it really pissed me off. So I went to work the following Monday and I just literally said, shut everything down. You guys just close everything. We're, we're going to rethink everything. And I literally started rearranging. Why is that piece of equipment over there when it gets used over here most of the time? I started analyzing everything I could possibly analyze. You can never analyze things too much. And that was the beginning of literally starting to make a lot of money. you have to devote yourself. have to, if you, my mental training coach in Texas, I was down there for months and I asked him one time, I said, you ever, ask yourself why you are giving me all of these lessons and you're not charging me, but you're charging other people, you know, $20,000 for this same course. You ever think that I might write all this stuff down in a book and start selling it to people? And he just laughed. said, this was, his name was Lanny Basham. He was an Olympian also. And he laughed. He says, you know, Gary, I could go on national TV. and I could tell the entire world exactly what they need to do to become an Olympic marksman. Every single detail. But you know what? The truth of the matter is I would have to worry about less than one-tenth of 1 % of the entire world's getting off their ass and willing to devote themselves as much as you have in your shooting and your career. So... That works in business too. I mean, you can talk about it and say, boy, I'd give anything to do that or be that successful or anything. But would you really? Would you work those hours? Will you get up at 4.30 in the morning and go to work every day and love what you do and try harder? So that's what makes a success. So I love that. And I get up at 430 every day. So when I hear you say that, I'm like, yes, yes, I will. Yes, I am. Right. That's it. Yeah. Gary, I know that there are so many things that challenges that you've had to overcome. are some of the trials and tribulations? What are some of the difficult things you've had to overcome and learn from on your journey? You know, I was blind for four and a half years when I was a young boy and I had an accident. Some glass got in my eye. It went into the optic nerve, shorted out both eyes and was told I would never see again. But I never once doubted that I wouldn't see again. You see, my father owned lumber mills in Oregon. And when I was a boy, I remember hearing him talk about electric eyes and they had these electric eyes that would zoom in on a crooked log and it would turn the log a certain way to get the maximum amount of cuts out of it. So that's what an electric eye was but I didn't think of it as a computer or something. So I always thought you know one of these days they're going to invent something and they'll fix my eye. So I had the option, even as a young teenager, my parents let me help make this decision. The doctor said, if we remove the eye with the glass in it, we'll probably, or most likely, get our vision back in our right eye. And I said, no, I don't want to do that. They're going to come up with something. Well, lo and behold, my parents met this doctor. Leonard Christensen from New York. And he met with my parents and he examined me and he did a cataract surgery and this is back in the mid sixties. That was way ahead of its time. And then two years later he came back and he said, you know, I've been experimenting with a device called a photocoagulator. It's a prima donna version. of a laser. And I've experimenting with pigs eyes. And I have operated on two humans, wasn't really successful, but I've made some changes and I wanting, I want to operate on Gary and see if we can get his vision back. So the thinking was the surgery would be so obtrusive to go into an eye with a scalpel that It's a no-brainer, it just wasn't gonna work. But the laser was so finite and so tiny that it focused on this piece of glass, and when it hit the glass, it melted it and it erupted out the very same hole as the laser shot, like a mini volcano, and the glass was removed without damaging any nerves and stuff. And lo and behold, several days later, I was laying in a bed and... Portland, Oregon overlooking the Willamette River at night and they took the patches off and the doctor was talking to my mom who was crying and the nurse was holding my hand on the other side of the room and I said, Montgomery Ward, Montgomery Ward. And she says, my God, doctor, come here, you won't believe this. She says, Gary, tell the doctor. So. all the way across Portland, across the Willamette River is a warehouse with a neon sign on it that says, Mont, and it goes off. Gumree goes off. Ward goes off, comes on Montgomery Ward. And he says, oh my God, put the bandages back on. That's a miracle. So it was a pretty big deal. Oh, by the way, you can read all about that story in one of my best sellers. I love that. That's a fantastic plug. You should. you know, you can see I really have an appreciation. And, you know, I had these really cruel sisters, kind of like the Cinderella story. They used to move the coffee table, you know, and just laugh when I'd run into them with my shins. And they got theirs though. But anyway. Oh, it comes around, right? Yeah, when you put out the universe comes back a hundred percent. believe that So when you're kids and you cover up your eyes and you pretend you're blind, you know that when you're done playing the game and you take off the blind, you're going to see again. But when you're blind and they tell you you're never going to see again, when you get your vision back, you have a whole new appreciation, not just for colors and sight, but for the people you love, the things you love, the things you see, ugly, beautiful. It's all very much more appreciated when you have lost your eyesight. So powerful, Gary. Absolutely. Thank you for sharing that story. I think that from that situation, like just as you say, you play a game, well, there's no skin in the game in the sense that you know you're going to come back from that in theory with perfect vision and no love lost. And so you're not willing to take certain risks or there's certain pieces that you may not be willing to do. But when you... the idea about the burn the boats in the sense that you didn't have a choice. The vision was gone, right? There was no coming back. The only thing that in theory that everyone said to you, everyone told you there's no way you're getting your vision back and just accept it. But you didn't, right? You held that faith, that hope, that desire, right? And based on the knowledge that you had and through that rose colored glasses that you looked at it from, you knew that you were going to get it. And so much sweeter, I believe, at the end of that, to come out of that and have that vision back, but just to have that reward to know, especially at a younger age, to say that by keeping that faith and not losing it and just pushing forward and finding a way that you can succeed. I think that there's so much power in that lesson, not just for the story itself, but in anything that anybody does is the power of belief, right? In the things that it helps you to overcome and to push through with that faith. Yeah, absolutely. I had another advantage too, and that was that my folks, you know, they appreciated that. They never said, well, honey, you know, you might want to reconsider. They stood right behind me and, and we're right there believing in it with me. And that, that's good to a young child or even an adult when, when you've got people around you, surround you. Carol Shelby once told me, I asked him, what is one of your, what would you say was your biggest attribute in life, your biggest key to success? And he kind of laughed his little Texan grunt that he had. And he said, you know, he said, I've seen all the stories written about what a great race car driver I was, what a car builder I was and what an entrepreneur he says, but you know, I was none of those things. He said, what I was good at was surrounding myself with the best of everything. He said, when I needed a good driver, I went out and I hired AJ Floyd and these guys and Bob Bondurant and these guys to drive for me. When I needed aerodynamics, I hired Peter Brock. And when I hired, you know, and he just constantly talked about all these people. He said, you know what, by them doing their job, They just made me look good. And that's why it's important to surround yourself with the best. Gary, so powerful, amazing. And that leads perfectly into the idea. So we call this the fellowship, right? The people, the mentors, the allies, the people that go along the journey with you, that either help you up, and in some cases, you help as well. I'm curious, who would you cite on your journey that you'd consider part of your fellowship? There's been so many. When I was five years old, my mom spanked me because I wrote in some books that she was saving for me. And I still have those books to this day. I have a pretty nice library. those books were first edition Ernest Hemingway books. And I became good friends with Ernest's son, Patrick, and we're still good friends. And so I've been a Hemingway aficionado most of my life and I've been to all of his homes, every one of his homes. Recently, we were just tarpon fishing in Key West and I got to go to his home there. it's just been a real adventure for me. Of course, I've been in all the Jack London's homes too and John Steinback's homes. But the only home I haven't been in of earnest as his home in Paris and we're going to Paris next year and to the Monaco Grand Prix. And so I'll be going to his apartment there in Paris and my wife and I did go to Cuba since I last met you. And when Americans weren't allowed to go there, the treasury of the United States Treasury. wrote a special letter giving me permission to go. So we went down and stayed at Hemingway's Villa and we stayed at his apartment in Havana where he lived for eight years before he built the villa. that was exciting. So he's been a good man. Ronald Reagan was one of my favorite mentors, you know. We were pen pals and I have six letters, four of which are handwritten, two are typed and two from Nancy after Ronald's passing. And then he was a big influence in my life. And he wrote in a letter. had one of the letters, I invited him to go fishing and he said, The entourage that necessarily accompanies me wherever I go would scare off even the most willing catch. However, if you get a chance, please drop in a line for me. So a few weeks or months later, I was in Canada and I was teasing my guide. And he said, what brought you to Canada, Gary? And I said, the president of the United States sent me here to catch a fish. And so one day we're out on the Kitimat River and he says, How are we gonna know which fish is Ronnie's, And I said, tell you what, the next fish we catch will be Ronnie's. So we landed this 92 pound king salmon. And they mounted it and they sent it back on a plaque that said, 92 pound king salmon caught by Gary Faules in the Kitimat River, BC, British Columbia, Canada. This one for the gipper. Well, the... Ronald Reagan Museum has been after me for years to send that fish to the museum. So that's probably where it's gonna end up. But in the meantime, I'm keeping it here where I can enjoy it. is awesome, Gary. I love that. How cool. Great story, awesome piece. Like all of that was great. And the fact that you still have it and just knowing and thinking forward that eventually that may then go to the museum, right? So that other people can appreciate it too, right? with copies of the letter. I'd like to read something else to you that he wrote. He wrote, I have been accused, or thank you for a very supportive letter and for sharing all the good news. I have been accused by some of being pro-business and it's a charge to which I gladly plead guilty. As your experience vividly shows, to be pro-business is to be pro-opportunity and pro-family. In fact, it's hard to find anything more distinctive about American life than the variety of the opportunities It affords people to improve in their own lives and in the process the lives of so many others. Yeah, he was such a great writer. That's huge. mean, think quite frankly, Gary, that's something that people should rewind and listen to again. Absolutely. used to come in a box, wooden frame, and packing. I kept the boxes as well as I'd letters. Gary, thank you so much for that. so. Gary, I know you shared a certainly significant trial and tribulation. Is there a moment, we call this the darkest hour, a moment that you felt you were gonna throw in the towel or you were gonna quit, that it was just too much and the weight was bearing you down. Is there a moment you felt like that and how did you overcome it? What mindset did you need to achieve the success past that? I was blessed with two fathers, a stepfather and a father. And this may not be exactly what you want to get from this, but the night that my biological father passed away, it really dawned on me that I had never taken the time to... write letters or call as often as I should or stop and see him. and cause I was busy. I was a young guy and I was calling next week or I'll write him later. And all of a sudden he's gone and it was just really a kick in the stomach. And, but I, took that as a gift. His passing and the lesson that I got from that taught me I'll never make that mistake again with regards to my stepfather and my mother. I called regularly, I wrote letters, I went when I thought I was too busy, I made time to drive to Oregon and see them and spend time and holidays and make sure they got to hold my kids and all that great stuff. So I constantly tell friends, know, take the time when you can and you grab the iPhone and do a little video. Just, hey dad, know, what was it like when you met mom? Where did you guys go on your first date? Just ask these questions that seem so silly now because there'll come a time that they will not be silly and you will regret having not asked those questions. Incredibly powerful Gary and and I think it's exactly what there's no right or wrong answer It's your story, but I will tell you super impactful incredible lesson And thank you for sharing that just, I really haven't ever had a moment that I was ready to hang it up. I was just always ready, like we talked about, what's behind door number three? You know, ready to go. Sometimes those doors are regretted opening. It's a good thing because you can always slam them shut, you know, in one another door. oh Or and sometimes the doors get slammed in your face, right? Like so. But you don't stop. But you know, that's a good thing. There is no bad days. Justin, since, I don't know if you knew this, since you and I were around, I had a major heart attack. I used to run a 10K every day at Stanford, every day, rain or shine. And I loved it. And one day I got up and I overslept. And I... I had some cantaloupe for breakfast and I listened to the news and I go, wow, there was an earthquake in Napa. wonder how many bottles of wine got broken. I walked out and it was such a beautiful day and there was an old couple walking down the street and they said, good morning. There was a squirrel running down the wire. It was just a beautiful day. So I got on my bike and I ride over to the campus. When I was crossing the El Camino Real there was a bus coming and I didn't want to wait. So I pedaled for all I was worth across the street in front of this bus and I got to the other side and I was like, man, shouldn't have had that cantaloupe I guess, you know. And wound up, story short, I'm laying on the ground, major pain. I mean, this jogger comes along and talk about amazing, you know I'm Irish, right? And since I've met you, I've served as an ambassador of sorts in Ireland for the twinning of our two cities. It's been an amazing experience. But at any rate, I'm laying there on the ground and 20 minutes later, I have a stint in my heart. And the doctor's saying, you can feel that already? I oh yeah. I says, is that stint made by Abbott Vascular by any chance? And they all started laughing. How did you know that? So it's one of my accounts. So at any rate, that was amazing. And you know, I was so glad that I had that heart attack. When I used to get done running a 10K, I'd be like, which I thought, well, I just ran 10K, I'm supposed to be doing that. But after the stint was installed, the next day, Well, when I got out the hospital, I walked back over to get my bicycle, a mile and a half, rode over to the track, ran a mile, went home. Three days later, I was running a 10K again every day. except I wasn't, when I was done, wasn't, and I go, wow, I could run another 10K right now. I mean, it was, I had no idea that I had a blockage in my heart. So. You know, was just right places at the right time. The doctor told the couple of classrooms that he brought into my room to meet me. He said, you know, if we rehearsed this, we couldn't have put this stint in this fast. He said from the time he was on the ground to the time the stint was flowing, was 20 minutes. And so, yeah, just luck of the Irish. You've got that in abundance, my friend. And I just think unbelievable. We talk about mindset, the entire reason for this podcast is to share these stories of the mindset that helps you to overcome the hurdles and achieve success, not recognizing that there are hard times, but to hear you just say, I'm glad I had a heart attack. Like mind blowing. What? Perspective, right? gives you suddenly now you're breathing better. You're not winded anymore. The fact that you were running a 10-gay was it three days later? unbelievable. And that just speaks volumes to the aspect of your mindset, your resilience, your go-get-it attitude, right? You're not waiting for life to come to you. You're seizing the day and you're really taking that. And I just think that there's so much value in merit in... in that story and so many of the stories, the ones I've heard that we haven't even talked about yet, that things that I've heard you tell me that always leave me laughing and oftentimes in awe is shocking. Gary, you've traveled a lot in your life. And from what I've gathered and what I've heard, what are some of the places that you've been that and what impact did they have on you? Well, you know, one of the things that I've always enjoyed from my travels around the world is every place you go, you learn at least one tradition or a custom. there's, I'm always amazed by these things that you never heard of, that you encounter and the people there are so excited that you want to hear this stuff, know, instead of just some American here, you know. going to bore us with his stories, you know. So, I don't know, every place has been exciting for me, South America, Canada. We went tarpon fishing in Cuba and stayed in Hemingway's place and walked in his tracks and, you know, stood in the spot where he was given his Nobel Peace Prize. Those things are overwhelming. To go places where You know even local places when I was near near you I I had dinner in Steinbeck's home in Salinas I went upstairs and sat in his desk were on the very typewriter that he wrote the red pony You know, which is a scary book at any rate Just all these places we recently my wife and I we went to Spain We went, where do we go? We've been everywhere. Italy, just so much, so much. I love going marlin fishing and we built this home here in Santa Fe, New Mexico in the middle of the golf course here. And there's so much beautiful, amazing history here and food and world-class fly fishing everywhere. And I can go. I recently went up to Wyoming and fished in Idaho. We just returned from Jackson Hall and hundreds, hundreds of, I'm not exaggerating, trout this big, fish after fish after fish. Have amazing friend that's an amazing guide. This was with snow and ice on the river. And just, yeah, just. You know, traveling is traveling. Yeah. What? And in those travels, is there, you talked about different cultures and different people and is there anything that you have been surprised by in the interactions and the people that you've met or the things you've learned? Something you didn't expect. You know, it's funny you ask that because the answer to it is positively yes. And just recently, but I've gone blank. can't remember what the particular story was. was something that just the other day my wife and I were talking about it and I was telling her that I couldn't believe that I never knew this existed before. Some of these things that these countries that you go to, you know, for me going on safari in Africa was an amazing adventure. Not only because of the big game, I'm sitting here with a world record, the largest greater kudu taken in South Africa in the last 62 years. I've got a ginsbok and I have five gold medal award animals in my study. Maybe not everybody enjoys it. I'm very much a conservationist when it comes to wildlife. We all have our viewpoints on those matters. But what amazed me about Africa was the stuff that I didn't know about. mean, all the birds and the fauna and the food, there's so much that we never learned about that's there. It's so beautiful. They have snails. You know, like the snails that grow around your garden that are about this big. They have snails that are this big, tanks crawling across the ground. I wouldn't want to take one to France. Anyway, that was amazing to me to stand there in the midst of all of that. That was my first book, that's writing about Africa, titled I Slept in Africa. Yeah, every place is amazing when you go there. There isn't. um the right mindset to be open to it, to be open and appreciate the beauty of things, even when you don't know it or understand it, right? To be open to learning about it and recognizing that you may be different to what you're used to, but it doesn't mean it doesn't have its own beauty, right? Yeah. Gary, we talk about books and you've written a few yourself and again, the Renaissance man without a doubt. What are some of the, we call this tools and weapons. What are some of the resources or books, things that you've read that have helped you along your journey? I'm a big Jack London fan. Jack London, Steinbeck, Hemingway, their writing is over the top for me. But there's a very special book that Richard Bach, the name may not mean anything to you. He wrote a very popular book in the seventies called Jonathan Livingston Siegel. Was really a an amazing book in its day, and you should still read it. But this book that he wrote, Illusions, has some very special parts. And in one of the paragraphs he writes about this creature and lives in the water. And the creature, all these little creatures, they're clinging onto the rocks and the water just sweeps over them. And one day he says, you know, I want to let go of the rocks and I want to see where the tide will take me, where the current will take me. And all of his friends laughed at him and said, you know, you do that and you'll get bashed and bruised against the rocks and you'll really regret it. He says, I don't care. I'm done living this life of boredom. And he did let go and he did get bashed against the rocks. And, but eventually the current lifted him to new heights and he was delighted in the current. So I wrote Richard Bach one day and I said, you know, Richard, I have to tell you that I've read some Shakespeare and Shakespeare writes about the tides of men and the affairs of men and not letting go and experiencing where the tide may take you will keep you from fulfilling your life. And he wrote back and he said, you know, you're the first guy that's ever picked up on that. I said, well, you took one, two sentences and expunged and made a whole book out of it. And he says, you're very observant. And so, but there's a really good message there. Don't live with the norm, think outside the box. Let go sometimes. Get bashed. Get beat up. Some of my best lessons have been by going through those doors where maybe we shouldn't have gone. But you know what? You come out of there, go, I won't do that again. And you're a better person for it. And yes, and the lessons that you learn in that, you can then help to share with others, right? You can help to inspire others. Maybe. here for. Absolutely. That's literally, mean, when you say that's what we're here for to be quite candid, that's literally again, what this podcast is, right? That's exactly what this, why we are here tonight is to share these stories and to be able to try and lift someone up. Cause we don't know who's going to listen. That's, that's in a bad spot that maybe just needs to hear something that you've said, right? To hear talking about being blind for four years of your life. Everyone telling you, you're never going to get your eyesight back and you believing and pushing through, right? Suddenly. that that that bill someone has to pay or that issue where like they have to work an extra shift or they have to do or you know, they're they're they're working their nine to five to pay for their five to nine, right, putting all that time and effort energy in like that's a blessing. That's an opportunity. It's a gift that you have to be able to do that. And if you can look at those dark times with that rose colored glasses to mention as you did before, it changes the perspective completely. And then you take action differently. Right? You don't play the woe is me game. You think, all well, this is where I'm at now. What can I do with it? How can I be better? What can I do better? And if you go at things with that right mindset or that type of mindset, it can literally change the trajectory of your life and the people that you impact, the people you bring along with you on that journey. You know, you bring up a really good point, Justin, and that's, you know, I raced cars for quite a while, and I'm still active in the racing world. I'm the mentor director for NASA, the National Autosports Racing Association, and I also write a monthly column for Speed News Magazine, and that's been a lot of fun. So I've designed and built a lot of race cars, and I raced a lot. When I first started racing and I had good coaches, I knew from my Olympic experience not to get a mediocre coach. I got the best coaching that was available. And that led to winning all kinds of races. I became the first driver team owner to win the 12 hours of Thunderhill. But I won it three years in a row. Then... Then they started the United States Air Force 25 hours of Thunder Hill, an hour longer than Sebring, LeMans, Daytona. And I won that. And I won that three years in a row. Then after some years later when they developed the NPO-1, they asked me to come be the crew chief and... we went and we won the 25 hours with that car. You know, a little two liter engine beating million dollar Porsches and cup cars and it's been very rewarding. The moral to all of this or the point is that when I first started racing, there were times that you go, I just can't go any faster through that corner. And coach would say, let's switch seats for a minute. And my car. And we'd take off and I go, my God, he's never gonna make this corner and he'd go through it. And then, he's never gonna make this corner and he'd go through it. my God, we're gonna die. And he'd make it. And he pulled into the pits and they go, what the hell was that? My car? So the next time I got behind the wheel, I go, you know what? I can go through this corner a little faster. And... I didn't make it through every corner. I did some off-roading that wasn't designed for me. But you know what? If you don't learn to live outside the edge of the envelope, you don't find out where that edge is. And that's the same thing, whether it's in business, romance, your marriage, driving down the freeway, everything. If you don't know your limits, you can't possibly get any better. So you've got to go for it sometimes and learn and don't be afraid to try it over and get better. The more seat time you get in a race car, the better you get. Same thing with business, same thing with, my wife, by the way, Justin, if you ever make it down, is a master chef. I eat like a king every night. I mean, I eat stuff you wouldn't believe. And she won't let me near the kitchen. Hahaha unless I'm a beer can chicken. Sometimes I tell her, you know, honey, I want you to take that. I'm going to fix dinner tonight for her. She goes, fried potatoes again. so anyway, it's a life is, is good. And, and, I'm glad for having learned to think outside the box. Yeah, and even with a little bit of off-roading, Sometimes this is going to happen, but that's where you learn. You push those boundaries, right? And you hope that you don't screw up the car bad enough that you can't keep racing. That's exactly right. Yeah. I was invited by Ferrari to drive one of their Challenge Cup cars while I was in Italy. And I was so excited about that at their test track. And at any rate, the day that we were scheduled to drive, it rained like a all get out and our itinerary didn't allow us to enough time to get to do that. So we'll go back and do that again sometime. Well, something to look forward to, right? Well, and speaking of looking forward, what's next? What's the next quest for Gary Faules? Oh gosh, you know, there's a lot more fish to be caught and I've been entertaining another business that's under wraps right now. So that'll, we'll have to see how that, in the meantime, the stock market is good to us and life is good and we have more traveling coming up. I mentioned we're going to Monaco to the Grand Prix. and to Paris and back down to the south of Italy. and in a few weeks here, we're leaving on a cruise for the Inland Passage in Alaska. So I've been to Alaska many times, but I've never been on a cruise on the Inland Passage. So my wife and I are really looking forward to that. I'm very blessed with an absolute wonderful wife. And that's what's next for me, is just enjoying her. I love that. Congratulations, my friend. That's awesome. son and his wife blessed me with a grandson and my daughter, my first son, my other grandson, he just started college and so it's been exciting times. amazing family, right? Those relationships and then how lucky those grandkids are to have you as their grandfather and the stories, like the hell they're gonna raise. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree as they say. uh taking my grandson, my first grandson, to a restaurant where they had belly dancing. And so I brought home the videos to show my daughter and my son-in-law, my grandson putting dollar bills in the belly dance. I can't wait to spoil them. that's great. my cheeks are smiling. That's funny. So, Gary, if there was, we call this the Hall of Heroes, if there was a massive statue, and for you, my friend, it is huge, there's a plaque and it can say anything that you want to share with people. What would you want it to say? Think outside the box. Sincerely yours, El Guapo. You it. And with the signature, Oles. you're beautiful human, my friend, truly. I feel that despite the fact that El Guapo is the signature. So. So I've got one last question, my friend, and this to me is my favorite question. It's the most important one. I never really build on this, but I'm a shared part of why the reason I like this question so much is because it's anything that you want in your imagination or someone else's. But ultimately, the important question is why. So the question is, if you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why? that's a great question. And I've got a great answer for you. As a matter of fact, I was just writing the other day about something and I wrote down, wrote something very similar. Let me share it with you. I wrote. If I could be a mythological creature, I'd be a phoenix. Not just because it's dramatic and burst into flames, which let's be honest is kind of cool. I mean, that's the off road stuff, right? But because it symbolizes resilience, reinvention, and rising stronger from every setback. In racing, in life, in art, I've been, I've seen how things can fall apart. but I've also learned how to rebuild better. That's the kind of myth I want to live. Not about being invincible, it's about being unbreakable in spirit. So if you're blind, bounce back. If you crash, build a new car. If you fail in business, go on to something else for Christ's sake. But do what makes you happy. Make you reinvent yourself. Don't be afraid to burn. That's, I think the idea that what you said, that one sentence about, it's not about being invincible, it's about being unbreakable in spirit. And I think that is so incredibly powerful. And I think that it resonates certainly so much with me personally, but I think that there's so many people that will hear that and will gain heart. recognizing that you don't, it's not about being invincible, but be unbreakable in spirit. Keep rising back, keep pushing forward, don't quit. Follow your passion, follow your heart, follow what's important and you will succeed. And you'll have some fun stories along the way to share too. Gary, I'm so grateful you spent the time with us today. I really appreciate you, my friend. Well there's nothing better than good friends and you're one of them so it's a win-win. Thank you, Gary. I appreciate it. Well, my friends, thank you for joining us once again on our quest to inspire, educate and empower you to turn your dreams into reality. One mindset shift at a time. We'll see you next time.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Justin Mills

Host
Head Shot

Aaron Iler

Producer
Head Shot

Gary Faules

Guest