Episode 27: The Values that Keep us Grounded

A lot has changed since we first introduced the Unshaken values — but one thing hasn’t: they still work. In this episode, Stephanie and Michael revisit two foundational values of the Unshaken Mindset: Grind Before Glory and Choose Tomorrow Over Today. Through honest conversation about work, family, discipline, and life lately, they unpack what it actually looks like to live these values when life gets hard, busy, and unpredictable.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome to the Become Unshaken Podcast, where we journey through the hard together. We're so glad you're here. Welcome back to the Become Unshaken Podcast. I'm Stephanie Rodriguez.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

And I am Michael Rodriguez.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

As always, I am so grateful you're here with us today. Lately, Michael and I have been reflecting on something pretty simple, but really important. The values that we talk about on this podcast aren't just ideas we created for the book or content on social media. They are anchors for us in real life. And honestly, we've needed them lately. We were reflecting on conversations we've been having personally. And I think we recognize it's kind of fun. We see the values in just about everything that we do. And so we thought what we would do today, life has been so full, work has been so demanding. We wanted to just talk about the values, the things that we anchor to and bring those out into the forefront. So I think there are seasons where you realize very quickly whether your values are real or if they're just words. And for us, they're absolutely, absolutely real. So they do keep us grounded when life gets harder. So over the next two episodes, we're actually going to revisit the foundation of the unshaken mindset, not from just a motivational standpoint, but from a real life standpoint. What does it actually look like to live these values when you're tired, when progress feels slow, when you're stretched thin, when nobody sees the effort behind the scenes? So today we're diving into the first two values, grind before glory and choose tomorrow over today, because the truth is everybody wants the outcome. We all do, but very few people want the discipline, the consistency, the sacrifice, the patience that happen before the outcome arrives. Lately, we've been reminded that growth usually happens quietly first. So let's let's get into it. So we want to talk about these values, but you know, again, as we were preparing for this conversation, we thought, well, not everyone has heard the first few episodes of our podcast. Maybe not everyone's read the book. So let's start first with an important conversation about purpose, knowing your purpose, and leveraging moments of silence to get there, right? To understand kind of what you're doing life for, why you're going through all this hard, because it really is our North Star. It's our anchor. It's what we always have to come back to. So let's start there. So why don't you share, Michael, a little bit about your purpose, right? And and how you've leveraged silence, how you really benefited from moments of silence in your life.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Yeah, if if if you haven't heard us just speak about it plainly and directly, I think this is a good kind of segue as we get into the first two values of that unshaken mindset. But, you know, the reality is life is hard. We all know it. That's that's the inevitable truth of life. It does not go our way, the world does not revolve around us. We cannot just rub a magic lamp and a genie grant us all of our wishes and all of our hopes and all of our dreams. And so as we navigate the road of life, and it's just not easy. And I don't care who you are and what you have, we see famous people and wealthy people run into issues and problems all the time. Money doesn't solve those issues, power doesn't solve those issues, life touches all of us, and and it is not easy. And so when we consider how it is that we navigate but really get through or endure life and build the strength, right, and that muscle of resilience that we talk so much about. How do you do that? And you know, we say it starts with your purpose. Our purpose is the fuel and the energy that allows us to choose resilience, to choose hard work, to choose to live disciplined, to grow in the weight and patience, and to fall, rise, and repeat and perseverance. Those four values, those four characteristics are so difficult if we do not have our purpose, if we do not have the fuel necessary to get up every time life hits us. And so we say you've got to pursue that purpose, you've got to prioritize and you've got to protect it. Many times when we have conversations, or you know, I'll have a keynote or something. I say it every time. What is your purpose? You should know. If you're listening right here, right now, immediately, you should know what your purpose is. And if you don't, you gotta pursue it. And where do we do that? We do that in silence. And so, you know, it was really back in 2020 during COVID that I recognized one, I was not comfortable in silence. But as time went on, I became more and more comfortable. And it was in that silence I began to hear that inner voice of who I am, what is the point of life, what do I want out of life? Who do I want to be? And what is my true purpose? And while I've always known my purpose is to be a daddy, and my purpose is to love on and raise and teach uh, you know, our kiddos and to build them into not good kids, but resilient, good adults. It's in that silence and that kind of re-anchoring, right? Discovery if you haven't discovered it or if you're not sure. But even if you do know it, to re-anchor to it and then kind of build that future and build momentum towards those end purposes and those end goals. Uh, and again, it begins in silence, fueled by your purpose. And it is when you know your purpose that you have the capacity to make some of the difficult decisions that we have to do to have that unshaken mindset, to have that muscle of resilience, which leads us where to the ability to choose joy regardless of your circumstances, regardless of the hardship, no matter what. Because the one thing that's guaranteed is it's gonna be hard. It's our duty, it's our job, and now it's our hope, you and I, that we'd be able to teach and encourage and strengthen people enough to have that same ability to choose joy regardless.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Yeah. So let's let's start first with that value of grind before glory, right? This work ethic that you tap into. We both tap into often every single day, all for the purpose that we know for ourselves, right? It's all for us to raise this most amazing family that we have, and that's the greatest gift that we kind of both enjoy. But it's not easy, right? So there are a million things that distract us from that purpose every single day. So, so let's let's actually put that into perspective and let's give some real life like examples. I think that's probably what listeners will benefit most from is how does this show up? So when we say grind before glory, when we say work and work hard every single day, even in the quiet, even in the unseen, right? Not necessarily to get the rewards and the accolades, but it's actually for the longer-term vision that you have for yourself and for your family and for whatever it is you're you're working for. So let's let's dive into that. What's it been like lately for you?

SPEAKER_01 8:05

Yeah, I think, well, first, just two things really quick. One, I think it has become countercultural to say working hard is good. You need to work hard. You know, I can be in the restaurants and I will hear it seven times in an hour during a lunch rush. Don't work too hard today. Random strangers want to tell me and tell my employees who I pay to serve them. Don't work too hard. And I think it's become kind of a cultural mantra. And I use the example of playing chess with our youngest. If I beat him in a game of chess, I have zero fulfillment. I am not impressed. Why? Because it was easy. And I think so often now we get tricked into thinking we we need things to be easy and want things to be easy. We don't want to have to work too hard because everything else feels so difficult. The reality is that we were made to work, and you do get fulfillment from working hard and achieving a goal. We talk about it when we tell our kiddos about sports and training for sports. I talk about it when I talk to people who are leaders in organizations or people within my own organization. We are fulfilled by working hard. Now, I also want to say we are not when we say grind before glory, you gotta work hard. We're not talking about kill yourself, burn yourself out, work for no reason, mindlessly, you know, ignoring your purpose, ignoring your health, ignoring all the things that matter and are important for the future that we all want, right? Which is a happy, healthy future. You can't beat yourself up going in a million different directions for no reason. So please, one, I think we need to remember there is value to working hard and fulfillment to working hard. And two, we can't work hard with no purpose for no end goal, just to say, look at me and how hard I'm willing to work. Neither of those things are what we're trying to encourage. So, first and foremost, there.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

No, it's good perspective.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

When we look at and we discuss kind of the day-to-day and what we do, it has been so fun now, six months or so after writing the book and publishing the book and doing this podcast and and and all of the things. Now everything about this is right on the forefront of our minds. And so it's so cool to live our very busy, very chaotic, tricky life and be able to pull all of these things that were always under the surface, but we didn't give them names, right? I didn't have names for all of it, and I didn't quite know. It was just kind of what I did. Now to be able to actually sit down and almost use the book and use the brand, use Unshaken and have words for it and direction has been incredibly awesome. I mean, it's just been awesome.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

Yeah. So let's dive into the first two values grind before glory and choose tomorrow over today, because the examples we've been reflecting on almost take both of these values and put them kind of right there in front of us, almost as a mirror to say, okay, how are you doing this? How are you doing life? And when we look in this mirror, we're like, this is how we do it.

unknown 11:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Right. We are incredibly disciplined. We work so, so hard. And the decisions we make are very much about the future. And they're very much about role modeling, really, for the kids, what they should be doing, right? For themselves and for their futures. And so let's talk about a few of these examples for the listeners because I think they'll find relevance and hopefully inspiration in some of these examples and might might even prompt some discussion. So I'd love for you to start with yours as you think about how you've been approaching your everyday, because it's changed. Yeah. And your schedule has changed. And I'd I'd love for you to just dive into why.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Yeah, I mean, I think I think, you know, I say it in the book, I say it in the keynote. We think of discipline a lot of times, maybe in a negative connotation, right? There's disciplinary action that comes at work for for maybe poor behavior or performance. You know, you're going to be disciplined. It's just got a negative connotation. But, you know, the reality is, is that when we live a more disciplined life, we can actually have joy in that because we are building towards the future we want. And a lot of times what happens is when we make decisions that maybe aren't the most disciplined and we are actually living for today as opposed to tomorrow, we begin to actually live in a way that pulls us away from the future we want, which then kind of steals that joy, steals that hope for the future. And so I really seek to change the way in which we live a disciplined life. Now, within the last couple of episodes, I was open about, you know, getting some health news, some medical news that was not great. I wasn't happy with it. It was much, you know, it was very much a surprise. And so, you know, it really made me consider the amount of stress, right? Doctor said, yeah, it's genetics, but also it's stress. And, you know, it doesn't take long for me to describe kind of the day-to-day and the everyday and what the last decade and a half have been like for people to say, whoa, right? Like that you got a lot going on there, man. You got to be stressed out. And here I thought, no, no, I'm doing all right. I'm doing okay. And then I find out, oh, internally, maybe not so hot. And so, you know, it really made me go to you, go to, you know, my tribe to really kind of consider what needs to change and what realistically can change, right? And it took time and silence where I'm considering again that purpose and how do I achieve that purpose? And what's my purpose? My purpose is to be alive at 85 and to be a daddy, which is my purpose, at 85. And what do I need to do to get that to happen, right? While also still recognizing we have to grind. And I also want to be here tomorrow. And so, you know, after some thoughts and contemplation, I really changed the way in which I work. I've removed myself from the field as much, right? And in really just saving myself 10 hours in a day, I have actually reduced the amount of stress because I am now on top of the bills, the emails, the questions, the calls, the meetings, all of the things that always get pushed because I'm not available, because I am burning rubber on the road. That has reduced my stress in these last few weeks. I I don't know how many times I've said it to you where I go, man, there really is a difference. There really is a difference to being home just one more day in that office, one more day, still grinding, but in a different manner that isn't so tough.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

And here's here's what's so interesting about that, because I I want you to reflect on this for the listeners. Because I think when you hear grind before glory, and we when you hear million-dollar work ethic, you think burnout, you think give everything your all, nothing else matters, you know, work, work, work because it's gonna pay off in the long run. And maybe you're, you know, having vacations and an amazing retirement fund be because you're you're kind of done with that at a later stage in life. That's not really what it represents. No, it represents working with intent, with purpose, for in a meaningful way, for an outcome, right? And and that doesn't mean burnout. That just means smart, you know, effective, efficient work and whatever that means for you, because the alternative is just showing up, you know, to go through the motions and just showing up to do the work to get the paycheck. That benefits no one. That doesn't benefit you because you almost resent it eventually. And it doesn't benefit the people that are are relying on you every single day. So I love that you're giving this new perspective, even to the listeners, to say grind before glory does not mean grind relentlessly. That also sacrifices you. It actually means work, but work with purpose.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

That's right. And work with focus. And how do you how do you keep your eye on that purpose and how do you stay focused? You take time in silence. Yeah. You take a minute, you take five minutes, you take 15 minutes to anchor and to put yourself in the correct direction. And absolutely, I mean, we are so opposed to burnout culture. I mean, uh in in the QSR industry, it's huge, but it's huge in corporate America. We do not want grind before glory and million-dollar work ethic. That does not mean kill yourself at work just because, just for the pride of saying I work harder than everyone else and I do more than everyone else. That's not the point. The point is to do your very best, right? We talked about on raising resilient kids. You don't have to be the best. Do your best. And a lot of our best comes with giving the time and attention to the place we are at today. So if we're going to grind before our glory at work, when you're at work, work. When you were at home, be at home, be that spouse, be that present parent, be that roommate, be that child. Whatever it is, be present, work hard. Now, again, don't burn yourself out doing things for no reason. Don't work 15-hour days to say that you did. Right? And listen, I've had to work 15-hour days, you've had to work 15-hour days. I mean, sometimes that's a reality. To make that a lifestyle, that's not the point, right? Unless your purpose is your work and your work is so mission-driven and focused, and you know, you think it's changing the world. Yeah. And oh my goodness, you've got to do it. Okay, perhaps, perhaps. But day in and day out, right? And and I've been open about it before. When I was working 91 hours a week, and then I dropped it down to 65. I thought, man, I'm doing a great job.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

And the reality is, is I was still physiologically killing myself through stress and hard work. We got to find that balance and you got to stay anchored to that purpose. And so, you know, I got off the road one day a week, which alleviated a lot of the work stress and the subway-related issues that just never could get taken care of because I was always in the restaurants and always on the road and always putting out fires. That change has already been palpable. I can already feel it.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

Yeah, it's awesome. And I think it's your willingness to change. I want to stress that as an important kind of reflection point too on life is, you know, if you're just, if you're just grinding and you haven't really done an audit of how you're feeling, how the people around you are feeling, you know, if there's an impact, a negative one that is unintentional to the way that you're kind of going about life, you know, it's time to kind of pause and reflect and take a minute because if everything's working out great, awesome, keep going. But if there's something that is kind of a tension or stressor point kind of out there lingering that you haven't faced yet, now's your time to face it. You're always changing, Michael. Like we're always reflecting on how are the kids? How are we? Yeah, you know, how is life because something, and that's what makes our life work. Everyone's always asking, six kids, you know, full-time jobs. You're trying to live this mission of become unshaken. How is that physically possible? And it's because we absolutely audit and talk about how things are going all the time. And we are not afraid to make those changes. So if you need permission to make changes in your life, this is your permission. We are your tribe. Make those changes that you need to make. Don't just keep living the same day and expecting a different result. It's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen. So it's funny, I, as you were talking, as you were reflecting on what's changed recently, I will say I've kind of leaned in probably with more discipline and more consistency than I ever have, you know, from a mothering standpoint, uh, and thinking about the future of our kiddos and who we want them to be and where we see risk. I would say, you know, there's definitely a habit that I saw forming with with one of our kiddos who just isn't doing what they need to do from a healthy eating standpoint. And I thought, okay, this is this is my opportunity. Reluctantly, I mean, I went kicking and screaming because I didn't want anything to change, right? Like it's harder on you as the adult and as the parent to maintain a line and be consistent. And I I had to, you know, do a lot of the education and the the training needed that you that you have to do as a parent when someone's just not getting it, not getting the importance of healthy food and healthy eating and healthy decision making. And you and I talk about it all the time. This is going to be a long journey because it's just not a willing, you know, participant in the fight. Yeah, 100% that we're working with here. And, you know, if everything could stay the same, you know, I'm sure that's that's what the preference would be, but that's not in their balance. Best interest, right? So really thinking about those moments as a parent that you have to make the harder decision and the harder choice that does require sacrifice, probably on both parts, but knowing that it's for the good of the kiddo. And that's what I'm focused on. So it's an it's another example of life kind of in real form, the hardship of life where it's so much easier sometimes to just let status quo be and not change what the the current vibe is. But the risk in that, right? That would be choosing today over tomorrow as an example. And that's just not what we're about.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

Absolutely. And my gosh, when it comes to parenting, I mean, all you're doing is making decisions today that will have some kind of an impact down the road. A day, a week, a year, a decade, 25 years down the road. And that can be a lot of pressure. It is a lot of pressure. But when you are making disciplined, difficult decisions in the present with the right heart and with the right intentions, seeking a positive goal for that future, it does alleviate some of that stress.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

It is when we, in our exhaustion, make fast, easy decisions. Sometimes recognizing that we're ignoring the future, other times just really trying to survive, which trust me, we get. And what we want to do is, again, when you take time in that silence and you live a disciplined life and you try to teach discipline and the idea of making difficult decisions today for the future, it does give you peace, but it is incredibly hard. And that's where the grind before glory, that's where that comes in. Right. And so I would also say we are we are teaching discipline. We ourselves need to be disciplined as we teach that discipline, but it is also a daily wake-up grind for that future glory that we have for our family, for ourselves, right? I'm working hard in a totally different way right now. Yeah. And I have found a way I'm I'm reducing my stress, right? That's what I wanted to do, is is and and hopefully plan for a longer future with my purpose as a dad and husband, right? And as a part of this family. But the reality is I also recognize that I still have to grind. And that grind needed to take a different form. I'm not working any less hard, but I am working in a manner that is hopefully also protecting my purpose and my future and my tomorrow. And so I've done that. The other decision that we've really had to make and that that we've discussed was you know, we're at a pivotal point, we believe, letting the listeners in. We're at a pivotal point where we believe it's now time to actually try and push the become unshaken message larger and wider. And we're getting some organic growth, whether it be through book readings, whether it be through people that know us through our LinkedIn or through our social accounts, people that we've met or on, you know, the fringe of our lives that are interested in what we're doing, organizations that we're a part of or next to, right? And as that organic kind of growth and interest is here, we also are recognizing that it's time to grind for unshaken, right? And so I have now kind of added that to my plate, which can be done in a healthy way because I'm being more disciplined with the way in which I grind.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Right. And so it's an ever, it's a balancing act. It's never perfect, but between kind of consulting my tribe and taking time in silence and remaining anchored to that purpose, I believe we have found a way in which I can grind for the glory of become unshaken for bringing hope and joy and teaching resilience to anyone and everyone, as well as protect my purpose and my future and my tomorrow. And that requires discipline. That means that I'm not working at 11:30 at night.

SPEAKER_00 27:12

Yeah, I was gonna say it's permission to say no. That focus on the future, right? And the discipline nature of how we live, it allows you to say no. It says you can say no to the things that don't, you know, protect your time and energy, the things that will drain you versus fill your cup. It also protects you from saying, okay, well, I know that I'm working for a longer-term goal. It doesn't all have to happen tomorrow either, right? So, you know, take the appropriate amount of time to grind and to work, but then also give yourself permission to rest and recharge. So that's that's the the message I really want to hone in on today is yes, these things require intent, right? To live with discipline and work hard. It does require intent and it does require you to focus your energy on a goal and on an objective and to audit how it's going to make the right changes. But it doesn't, it's not discipline doesn't mean sacrifice all the time. You know, so yeah, you might skip out on this really expensive vacation this year if something you're, you know, really focused on and your goal is to buy a house, right? That's okay. Yeah, that might be a, you know, a small sacrifice you're making, but for a much bigger goal and objective that will give you, you know, far more satisfaction down the road. So it's not so much, you know, important that you focus on, focus in on what you're missing today, but focus on what you're getting down the road as a result. That future forward thinking, that visionary thinking, I think is really critical to the nature of this work. Because when we say grind before glory, when we say choose tomorrow over today, it's not just because it's the right way to live, we believe that, but it's because we are trying to form the muscle that you will rely on for a resilient mindset, for a resilient life.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

Absolutely. And if we do not live with tomorrow in mind, if we do not live with the big picture in mind, I I say it in the book, I say it all the time, anytime I'm speaking to a group of people or an individual, this is very difficult to do without the appropriate perspective and purpose in mind. You've got to know because otherwise discipline does just feel like sacrifice. But but here's the thing when you live with the future in mind and you live with the big picture always at the forefront, all of this makes so much more sense. And what does that actually give? Hope for what for the future because you know that no matter how hard today is and the sacrifices of today, you are making them and doing them because you have hope for the future you are working towards, walking towards, living for. Hope comes from big picture and big perspective living. It is when we shrink our futures, it's when we shrink our perspective that these things on the individual day-to-day, moment by moment basis feel pointless. And what happens? We build enough of those decisions for the short term without that big picture in mind. And all of a sudden, we get so far from our purpose or from the future that we want that it actually steals our hope, which then steals our joy. And so whenever you're beginning, all right. Whether you're 18 or 25, listening to this, and you're not married and you don't have kids, and your career is just starting, and you don't even know, man. Future, who knows? And and I had many futures. Uh I thought I was gonna be a spy when I was 23 years old and I was gonna disappear. I was gonna be Jason Born, right? Your future's gonna change. That that's natural progression of life. But we all should have hope. And we're all meant to have joy. And these things help you build the foundation for it, right? And so listen, you take your time and silence at 25, your your goal is gonna be different, maybe at 25 than it is when you're 35, right? And I just mentioned it recently. My goal was to build the business large enough to give my kiddos the you know debt-free future and for me to have a nice retirement. And you know what? I hit 42 and I said, man, I just want to be alive at 85. I I don't, I'm not even imagining what I'm gonna have or be or do or be able to provide. I just want to be alive.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

And and so that perspective changes, right? But but what happens? I can get bad news at the doctor's office, and I can then change some things about my life, which again does what? Gives me hope for the future I'm building towards. Yeah, it allows me to make decisions of you know what's not good for that 85-year-old life inversion that you want to have? Working a 12-hour day on the road unnecessarily. Take one of those days off your plate, put it in the office, and relieve that stress, remove that stress, catch up on all the work that always drives you insane, that always pushes you into your late nights or pushes you into your weekends, that makes you, you know, unable to focus at a kiddo's game or event. Remove that one thing. Grind in a different way that doesn't steal that joy, steal that hope, steal that purpose. So big picture living and focus is really gonna be monumental in your ability to start or build onto the practice of discipline and hard work. Again, these are countercultural. We don't like how they sound, we don't like how they feel. And random strangers, in my experience, will tell you work, do as little work as possible.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

Yeah. Uh I'll also just add this to the conversation, speaking to the the moms and the dads out there that tend to put a really high bar uh up for themselves. And and when they hear grind before glory, they hear do it all. And when they hear choose tomorrow over today, they they think that that means do the lunches for today and tomorrow and the rest of the week all at once. That's right. Right. That's not what any of this means. In fact, you know, I think that there's some watch outs here to say, you know, don't fall into these traps, right? Don't fall, don't set these high, high expectations for yourself or for the people around you just to be disappointed, just to, just to, to, to burn out and do too much. Uh it's it's not about doing it all. It's about doing the right things and the things that are necessary and and do those well, well enough to feel like you, you really just you did give it your all, but not to the point where you're you're meeting some expectation that isn't real, that isn't out there and doesn't need to be. And I think, you know, for those of you that that are living this truth, you know exactly what I'm talking about, but I'll put some more reality to it. So my truth, I think just as of late, when I think about Grind Before Glory and Choose Tomorrow over today, you know, I'm thinking that I have to kind of lean in hard towards just, you know, caring for at the highest level every single human being in this home. How's everyone doing? How's everyone feeling? Does everyone have their favorite stuff? Does everyone have their favorite food? Does everyone have their favorite snack? Does every, you know, this idea of, you know, give 150% of myself at work, 150% of myself as a wife, 150% of myself as a mother. And I would say no one's put that expectation on me but but me, right? So speaking to all the moms, the dads, you know, the wives, the husbands that are self-proclaimed perfectionists, right? I speak about this often. Let all of that baggage go, right? You need to reflect on what matters most. Let that be the driver, not societal expectations of what it's supposed to be and what it's supposed to look like. Is everyone happy, healthy, fed, clothed? You're doing a great job. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:41

And clothed enough, man. I mean, sometimes kiddos run around here, no shirts, whatever, dude. Right? Like, yeah, just yes, enjoy the today, right? We live for tomorrow, but please also hear, enjoy today. Yes, you know. As a as a business owner, I got into the trap of I was always seven years away. In seven years, this loan's gonna get paid off. In seven years, it'll be like this. I just gotta hold on for seven more years. And in seven years, then I can be happy. In seven years, then I can have less stress. In seven years, then everything will be I'm at year 16. Seven years, all the things I said was gonna were gonna happen in seven years, hadn't happened yet. And so, you know, again, we make decisions for the future and we want to live for tomorrow. We want to make decisions today for tomorrow, but do not hear that as do not enjoy every moment that you are present. Yes, and especially with your purpose, right? It we live for tomorrow, but you've got to enjoy today. You've got to be here today, right? And and that also helps you make difficult decisions. So when we make a decision that is not popular with the kids, or that is difficult, or you know, isn't maybe what's best in the immediate moment, but it's for the future. A decision made for the future, fine. But man, when when a kiddo doesn't like our plan today for their future tomorrow, or when they go away to college, or when they become parents, or whatever it is, we can still say, okay, hey, but also let's go shoot some buckets. But also let's play Princess Uno, right? Let's do some things right here, right now. We're gonna enjoy right now, even though you know we're not gonna go on this elaborate vacation as you talked about, right? We're gonna make some cutbacks at home, but we are still going to enjoy here and now. And so again, I think for us, that makes all the sense in the world because our family is our purpose and that's what's gonna fuel all the decisions that we make. But man, whatever it is that that fills your cup, don't push that off, right? Again, it shouldn't, when we talk about don't burn yourself out, it's we're not talking about when we say grind before glory, we're not talking about burnout culture. Don't let working incredibly hard steal you from your purpose at home, right? Don't let it steal you from your purpose of being alive in 40 more years. And so again, you you're always checking in big picture living, but present today. Enjoy today, build for a future that you can enjoy as well. But don't cheat yourself in the present. And I think we as humans, wanting to do our best, wanting to be perfect, wanting to adopt something new that sounds so great, we then change everything and then we go 180 degrees towards the right direction with the right heart, but then we kind of get off in the weeds and we begin to, again, overwork, which is why whenever we talk about crime before glory, please don't burn yourself out. That is not what we're saying, right? And you know, all of the things don't overdo it to the point of sacrificing your purpose, sacrificing the moments you get today. Be present, be here as well.

SPEAKER_00 39:09

And that's what honestly gives you the energy to keep going. Yeah. Because if it's if it's not for something real, you know, if we're if we're living these values and we're doing it because, you know, again, it's we think it's the right thing to do, then it's you start to resent it if it's not for a purpose. It's if it's not for something meaningful. Because then you're just building this muscle of resilience to just be a punching bag. You don't want to do that. Sure, sure. You need to build the muscle of resilience because your life matters and because your life is focused on something meaningful to you. And it can be anything. It doesn't have to be family like it is for us. To your point, you brought up missions, you brought up even work for some people. Absolutely, there's absolutely a million different things that can be your why, but know what it is. And that muscle resilience can be built over time, right? And these are the two values that are gonna help you get there. We're gonna dive into the next two, our next episode. So I think in closing, I just I really want to say, I think what matters most about today's conversation is that values only matter if they hold up when life gets real, right? And and that's what we're here to say is they absolutely do. They anchor us and they drive much of what we decide to prioritize in life. So it's easy to talk about discipline when motivation is high. It's easy to stay committed when results are showing up quickly. But the real test is who you become in the ordinary, right? In the everyday moments, the early mornings, the hard conversations, the days you don't feel inspired, but you choose consistency anyway. That's where your character is really built. And if you've been feeling tired or stretched lately, we hope this episode really does remind you that small, intentional choices, they matter. Choosing tomorrow over today, it matters. Staying committed before the glory arrives matters, right? The consistency is what's important. So you don't need overnight success to know that you're growing. We promise you, that's not what you need. So this week, maybe ask yourself, what's one area of my life where I need to stop chasing immediate comfort and start investing in who I want to become, right? Who I want to be in the future. Thank you for being here for this conversation. We hope that it mattered to you. It absolutely was a meaningful one for us. So thank you for continuing to grow with us, right? Alongside us, we are here with you. We are your tribe. If this episode encouraged you, please do share it with someone that you love. Leave us a review. Continue helping us grow this Become Unshaken community and this movement. Definitely go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Target Online and buy a copy of the book today. Buy a copy for someone you love. We hope this message spreads and we hope that you're you're part of that journey with us. Uh, we can't wait to talk to you on social. Visit our website if you haven't yet today. There's so many ways to connect with us, as I just reviewed. So thank you so much again for listening. And we do hope you have a great week ahead.

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Everybody take care.

SPEAKER_00 42:09

We're so glad you joined us today. If you found inspiration through today's episode, share it with a friend and make sure to follow so you don't miss what's ahead. Until next time, choose joy, regardless, and whatever comes your way. See you next week.