Alex Sanfilippo: The 3 Essential First Steps to Make Your 2024 Goals a Reality

[00:00:00] You owe it to yourself, become the best version of yourself to live life at the fullest is something that, that you really deserve and that you should do. And I feel that so many of us in society today, we just kind of settle for what society puts in front of us. But if you sit down and reflect and think about what you want, I think you'll realize it's not only counterculture, but it's just really different than what maybe you're used to in your daily routines.

And so my thing is just sit back and really think about Hey, what is it that really wanted this life and start taking tangible steps, little things every day to start getting closer to it. Because I find that the more we do this more intentionally are with our time, the more we really get out of life.

And I just am so sad seeing people that aren't making it there. So I encourage you reflect, do this thing, get out there. And I just think that you'll learn to enjoy life more than you ever even thought possible.

Here's the million dollar question. How do men like us reach our full potential? Growing to the men we dream of being while taking care of our [00:01:00] responsibilities, working, being good husbands, fathers, and still take care of ourselves? Well, that's the big question. In this podcast, we'll help you answer those questions and more.

My name is Brent and welcome to the Fallible Man Podcast.

Welcome to the Fallible Man Podcast, your home for all things man, husband, and father. Big shout out to Fallible Nation. A warm welcome to our first time listeners. Hey, We know you have a lot of options when your time. So thanks for checking us out. Be sure and leave us some feedback on the show. We'd love to hear from you.

My name is Brent today. My special guest is entrepreneur, software founder and podcast host. Alex Sanfilippo. Alex, welcome to the Fallible Man podcast. Brent, thank you so much for having me, man. Really an honor to be here with you today. Alex, I love having my friends on and it's so, this is so long overdue, dude.

I'm so glad you're here today. Thanks for taking the time. How's your trivia? Man, I mean, I listen, I'm a listener to your podcast. You and I are friends, like you said, so, uh, I know this question's coming. And I just have to be honest, man. My trivia is just so [00:02:00] awful. Um, but let's go. I'm, I'm ready. Okay. Okay. I got one.

I got a good one for you. When were the Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot discovered? Is it 1505, 1605, 1705, or 1805?

I have no idea. 1705 is what I'm gonna go with. I'm gonna go with 1705. I don't know why. I feel like I've heard that date before. And so I'm like, maybe that's, maybe that is it. Or you're trying to trick me and you're just picking a date. If it is like a meaningful date as it is, I should know what it stands for, but let's go with that.

1705, final answer. Okay. Okay. Do you know who Guy Fawkes is? Not really. I know. I mean, I've heard it, but I don't, I don't know much about it. I can't. Are you a movie guy? Huh? Are you a movie guy? No. Okay. V for Vendetta was all about the Guy Fawkes gunpowder, uh, plot. So. 5th of November. And I don't know the date.

I don't know like the year. That's the thing, right? Isn't it Remember, Remember the 5th of November, wasn't that it, right? Yeah, and I only know it's [00:03:00] from, okay, so I do know that movie and I've seen it, but that's the only thing I know, so like, Anything beyond that, which I just don't know anything about, so uh, but hey, I'm gonna hold on to that 1705 and we're gonna go with that.

Let's see if that works out for me, alright? All right, guys, you know, the rules don't cheat. Don't pause. Don't go ahead. Remember your answer. If you're driving, please don't stop and write it down. And we'll come back to that a little bit later in the show. Now, Alex, in your own words, who is Alex Sanfilippo?

I'd say this a man on a mission. And what I mean by that is I'm somebody who is seeking fulfillment in life and fulfillment can mean something different to each of us. So for me, it just ties directly into my core values, which is first and foremost, to follow Jesus. Uh, it's to love well, it's to serve first, and to bring the joy.

Those are four things that I believe that, that the creator, that God put on my heart. And so for me, I'm a man on a mission to fulfill, to have fulfillment in my life, and it's through those four things. And uh, if, if I can dive a little bit more into that, like [00:04:00] the way that that happens is fulfillment in life I find comes from meaningful experience.

And meaningful experience comes from us having enough energy to get off the couch, right? To be healthy enough to not be stuck in a bed, uh, to make sure we're using our time wisely. And for many of us, like, things like, uh, TV, movies, uh, playing on our phones, those are things that take up a lot of our, a lot of our time, and I don't want that to be my life.

So for me, I say, okay, as long as I'm increasing my energy, I'm prioritizing my health, uh, I'm gonna make sure that I use my time to build meaningful experiences with people I care about. And when I do that, I'm more fulfilled in life. So again, it's, it's all about following Jesus, loving, well serving first and bringing joy.

And that to me is my mission that I'm on. Love it. I love it, man. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? So I'll go back to, I'll go to a movie cause that's the only way I know how to describe it. There was a movie called jumper, uh, years back. Um, I don't even know who was in it. The main guy was, he also played Anakin [00:05:00] Skywalker, I'm a Star Wars nerd, so that's who he played.

By the way, trivia, if you would have asked me a Star Wars question, man, I would have been ready to go. Um, but so the whole idea of like a jumper, quote unquote, is somebody that can see a picture of somewhere, or if they've been somewhere before, at any point they can just think and they'll, they'll transport from where they are to that place.

And I think that'd be a sweet superpower, man. I'd love to be like, right when I'm done with this, like, I think I need a break. Maybe a margarita on a beach somewhere. I would, I would go straight over to Mexico, right? Sit on the beach, have a drink and then, and then fly back in for my next call. Right. Like basically come back in.

Uh, also jobs would be easy. I could be like a, a very urgent courier, uh, of product. If you're like, Hey, this has got to get to, to China tomorrow. It's gotta be there and be like, cool. I'll do it in the next five minutes. If you give me this much money. Right. So, uh, I also found a job with my ideal superpower of being a quote unquote jumper as it's called, which just means.

Transporting it in real time to anywhere that you've been previously or seen previously. I love it. That's I've never heard that before, too. Nice. I was worried. You [00:06:00] have so many episodes, man. And like, I've heard some really creative ones on here. I was like, this has got to have been said before, so I'm psyched to be the first on that one.

Yeah. Yeah. You are absolutely the first on that one. Most people go strict like Marvel or DC or something there. Invisibility is really popular, which kind of. Concerns me just a little bit too. I've always found that to be a little bit odd. I'm like, do you want to like stand behind me and watch me? Like I'm really boring.

I promise, you know, like, right. I, I mean, I saw the invisible man, the original and the remakes. And it's like, that, that kind of always ends badly every time, man. Yeah. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Uh, by discipline, a morning person, but naturally if I'm just left my own accord, a night person for sure.

If you could learn or master, and master any skill instantly, what would it be and why? There's so many of these. Like, there are just so many. I've always thought it'd be cool to be like, just an incredible musician. And, and like, I've played guitar and stuff. I'm not great, but like, we've [00:07:00] all met those people that can like, pick up a guitar and be like, I heard a song 20 years ago, I wonder if I can remember it.

And they like, just like, by memory, hum it a little bit and they can play it. I've always thought that'd be really cool. So if I can master just being like a musician that could just jump on any stage and like blow your mind with my voice and my ability to play any instrument, that would be a pretty cool thing.

That would be, I, yeah, I, I had a pretty, I haven't played in a lot of years and he'd pick up a guitar and started playing stairway to heaven. I'm like, shut up. You're like, come on, man. And we've all met those people that can do that. And you're like, how, why? But you know what? Here's the thing. I always just say like, God didn't give me that ability because he knows that that would really pull me out of living a humble life.

Like I would be so, I always joke, I'm like, if I could sing, I wouldn't even talk anymore. I would just sing everywhere and it'd annoy everybody, right? Um, but by the way, quick side note here, uh, Brent did an incredible solo episode when he wasn't feeling well on September 17th, 2023, uh, where he was talking about humility.

And I just mentioned it, you got to go back and check that out. I think that's why sometimes we don't get these gifted things that we want, because God knows we can't handle [00:08:00] it, right? That's what I believe, at least. So, uh, for me, as cool as it sounds, I'm okay with not being that expert musician to blow everyone's mind every second of the day.

Yeah, I gotta admit, I think, uh, if I had that ability, I'd definitely be in a totally different place. So maybe there's a plan to that. Maybe, maybe. Alex, what purchase of 100 or less have you made in the last year that's had the biggest impact on your life? I'm gonna like kind of cheat on this question a little bit.

Uh, and it's funny. It goes right along with lines with what I just said. I've been playing guitar forever, but I've I've been wanting to play ukulele, which sounds weird. Uh, but I was like, I want to buy ukulele. So I sold, uh, an acoustic guitar I had. And the difference between that and the ukulele was just under a hundred dollars.

So I'm going to count that as my hundred dollar purchase. So it's a, it's a ukulele that I just got and I've absolutely loved it because like a guitar, the size of it, I have to like sit a little bit more upright to play ukulele. I've been like laying down playing it. And uh, This past [00:09:00] weekend, um, I spent, my wife and I went and, um, going back to Meaningful Experience.

We just like, wanted to have a good time with some friends that were moving away. So like, we, a group of us went and stayed in an Airbnb just an hour south of us. And I brought the ukulele. And the kids loved it and everyone was like, this is just such a fun little thing that you brought for us to, to hang out with.

So that was a really, to me, a meaningful purchase that I made. Okay. And for all of you who don't know, Alex lives in the beautiful sunny state of Florida. And so when he says he's like, just been chilling, I'm picturing you laying in a hammock. It wasn't that. I get it now. Yes. I do live in Jacksonville, Florida.

We went to St. Augustine, Florida. It was fun, but there was no like hammocks and like the beach and I referenced margaritas earlier. There was none of that. So it was just a chill, fun time. Well, isn't, isn't, it's like I live in Washington, right? Everywhere in Washington is Seattle if you don't live in Washington.

Right, right. Oh, you live in Seattle? No, no, I really don't. I don't. If you live in Florida, obviously [00:10:00] you either live in the swamp or you live on the beach. It's one of the two. It depends. If you've never visited people, here's what I've learned. People from other countries in the United States are like, Oh my goodness, like do you live on the beach?

Do you ride dolphins to work? You know, like just assume it's something crazy like that. And people that have been here are like, Oh, do you, do you get like bit by an alligator every day or eaten by mosquitoes? And I'm like, yeah, that's actually more accurate. Yes. Um, but it's something in the middle of those two things for everybody's knowledge who hasn't been around here before.

Man, I used to live in Fort Walton Beach. I was stationed in Fort Walton Beach at the end of my military career. I'd go back.

Yeah, there's the picture that bit out that I'm envisioning of what some people think of Florida for sure, right? Oh, yeah. Yeah, the base was right on like we had our own private beaches, beautiful white sand beaches, crystal blue waters to me for sure. Yeah. What are you most proud of in your life? I mean, there's a lot of things, but I do think that, um, This is a weird one, uh, to say, [00:11:00] but, uh, my relationship with God is the most important thing to me in my life.

Um, and really, like, I want to be like, well, I found Jesus, but the truth is, like, like, Jesus found me, saved me, and all that. So, like, I don't know if I can even take credit for that. Beyond that, because I don't know if that really counts, would be, uh, pursuing my wife. Uh, and, and really just realizing that she was the woman that I wanted to spend my life with.

Uh, that was, that, that's been a, a great journey, uh, we've been on. Since we've been married, uh, a time, uh, since. When did we get married? 2012 is when we got married and uh, it's just been an incredible journey thus far and we continue to pursue each other and communicate well and it just makes for a really great marriage so I'd say that's, that's probably the most important thing.

Uh, an answer I can take a little bit more credit for. Let's put it that way. You know what, both are very valid answers. There's no wrong answer in this first segment of the show, right? And yeah, there, there's . Well, there is possibly one wrong answer. The very first one could be wrong. 1705, hold onto it. But that could be wrong.

What's one random fact that people [00:12:00] don't know about you? Uh, that I'm not an athlete and I, I bring that up because I, I regularly get asked like, what sports do I play? What, what I do? Any of those things I can, I work out and I like that, but I'm, I'm really not very like flexible. Like I can't even do CrossFit without just destroying every bone in my body and joint my body.

Right. And, and so like, I never really have been, but it's funny. Like I like to play pickup sports, you know, not great at them. I just think it's a fun thing to do. Uh, and it's regular that I get picked first because people take a look at me and they're like, Oh, he's going to be good. And I always am like, you just wasted a really good pick.

Like I'm fine with being the last pick. That's what I understand. That's like my lane. Right. Uh, so like something that people don't realize people just assume that I'm an athlete and it's funny I've been on a lot of podcasts people like so what sports do you play and stuff like I'm like, you know I do play soccer but like not at the level people are imagining which I think is really funny So that that's something people don't really know about me is I'm kind of um, I'm I'm not like a great musician I'm not like a great athlete or anything like that.

But I [00:13:00] business is just kind of my thing and That's what I feel like God made me good at so it's really where I focus my time and energy That's funny. You know, if it makes you feel better, I never looked at you and went, uh, athlete. Well, thank you. I appreciate that. It's funny, the first time I met you though, I was like, this dude lifts.

And like, and I was right on that though, right? Although I've been out of the gym the last couple of months as I've, I've been working on other stuff. And it's like, Oh, like my, my body is telling me, man, what is wrong with you? Get back to the weight. You got, you shave the Mohawk. You trim your beard. You're not lifting super heavy.

I don't know, man. What's going on here? I know. We need to flip the script here. Maybe I need to interview you to see what's going on. Intervention. Maybe it's a man today, right? It's a midlife crisis, Alex. What's one thing somebody, everybody should know about you as we dig into the meat of this conversation?

Yeah, it's, um, it's a, although I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a business guy, I'm not, um, I would never consider [00:14:00] myself to be anything like a shark or somebody who's overly ambitious. Uh, I I've decided to create a lifestyle business that starts with serving others, going back to those core values I was sharing earlier.

Uh, love well is served first or two that I'll bring in there. And that's very important to me in business, more so than the, my bottom line, right? Or what paycheck I bring in. As a matter of fact, I'm a, I'm a very odd type of entrepreneur because I'm really not motivated by money. Um, and I never have been.

Some people have been like, hey, that's really going to limit you as a salesperson. When I used to be in sales and corporate years ago, that's going to limit you in this way. But I just found that, man, if I can just love and serve people and that can be my focus. Money can become a byproduct and that's great, but really there's just so much more fulfillment in that.

And so I just think it's important for people to know that like whatever we get into today, that like at the day, I'm not thinking about, well, is this podcast going to convert? No, I'm thinking, is it going to help serve somebody? Can it help someone, is it going to help a man on their journey? Make it a little bit further, right?

Uh, can I just have a good time, a meaningful experience with my friend Brent, [00:15:00] right? And so that's what I really like, always like people to know because I just, I'm a software founder. And I think that so many people get this wrong concept of what we are. And maybe we've, maybe we deserve it and have earned it because I feel like there maybe are some, some people that are not like me in, in the software space, but, uh, I do wish that maybe people would give me the benefit of the doubt that, hey, let's give this guy a shot.

Maybe he's not out to like steal every penny we've ever made. Right. So, um, I think that would be a really important thing for people to know. Guys, we've been spending just a little bit of time getting to know who Alex is in case you weren't familiar with him. Uh, I've had Alex and his wife, Alicia on the show once, but this is long overdue.

Like I said, I've been looking forward to this and the next part of the show, we're going to dive into clarity, direction, and success in the coming year. As hey, 2024 is knocking on a door and I want to make sure that you guys are equipped to have your best year ever. We're going to roll our sponsor and we'll be right back with more from Alex.

Now, before we go any further, I wanted to share with you guys. I don't always tell you how much I love doing my [00:16:00] podcast. Like I passionately love what I'm doing. And one of the things that makes my life better as a podcaster is to work with a company like grow your show, grow your show is a one stop podcast.

Do it all. Now I use grow your show for my marketing, but grow your shows, literally a one stop shop. You can record your episode and just drop it off with them. And they take it from there. It's amazing. If you are interested in picking up podcasting as a hobby, or maybe you're looking to expand your business and use podcasting in that aspect.

Talk to my friends over at Grow Your Show. Adam will take care of you. I guarantee it. I trust him. He's my friend. He's my business colleague and I wouldn't trust anybody else with my show. Guys, welcome back. The first part of the show, we spent some time just getting to know who Alex is. In this part of the show, we're going to discuss clarity, direction and success in the coming year.

If I can talk, we'll see if that works. Now, Alex, for a point of reference, because, uh, some of our listeners met you on that couple show we did [00:17:00] with you and your wife and the rest of the crew. And that was kind of crazy chaotic, but I don't feel like that really got to tell people what you do. You said you're working software, but let's get a little more clarity here.

Tell us about your company, your podcast and your mission. Yeah, sure, man. Um, so first off my, my company is called pod match and it's a software that connects podcasts, guests, and hosts together for interviews. So not listeners, actual guests. So, uh, what that basically means is it works like a dating app, but instead of connecting people for dates, it connects them for podcast interviews.

So an example, if you're somebody, again, I live in Florida. So we'll talk about, we'll talk about the beach, right? If you're a surfer and you're like, you know what? I want to be a guest on a podcast. Like I'm being a podcast guest today with Brent, right? Uh, I want to be a guest on a podcast. I talk about surfing.

You basically tell pod match that and pod match. We'll find a host that says, Hey, I'm looking for a surfer to come on my podcast. It'll match you two together. In our software, you can message each other, you can schedule, uh, you never have to exchange an email if you don't want to. And the whole idea was to [00:18:00] simplify the podcast guest and host booking process because it can be a lot.

Uh, there's a lot of administration that goes into it and the idea was how much can our system take away from that? And just get these ideal people together faster. And at the end of the day, the goal is so that those podcast guests and hosts together can collaborate and release interviews, podcast episodes, right?

That really serve the world that really make it a better place. And, uh, that's just what I believe in. I believe in the power of podcasting and that's why we've just decided to, to build out this pod match software. And, uh, that, that's what I do on the, on the software side of things and, uh, it's, it's absolutely a blast.

So, uh, Brent, there's more to that. What else did you want me to answer on that? And let me, let me put it out there, guys. Uh, this is where I get 95 percent of my guests as a podcast host. Thank you. Like this, this is such a phenomenal software. I get, I want to say like I said, 95 percent of my guests exclusively from Podmatch because I meet such quality people on there and it's such a quality platform.

So that's been awesome. [00:19:00] Tell us a little bit about your podcast as well. You know, it's so much about podcasts and sometimes I mix it all together. So thank you for reminding me. I'm like, there was something else in there. Yeah, so my podcast is called Podcasting Made Simple, and it is for podcast guests and for podcast hosts.

So basically, if you're looking to level up or you're looking to figure out how to do this thing well on either side of the mic, it's gonna be for you. I've had some really amazing guests, including Brent being one of them, who just absolutely crushed it. Uh, you can find that pretty easily. So Podcasting Made Simple, and if you just type in Brent, you're gonna find his episode.

Um, I, I actually highly recommend that one for anyone who's listened to this, cause it's just, you'll get more of what you love about Brent in that episode, and it's just him by himself. I think it was like a 16 minute episode or something like that. If I remember it correctly and just crushed it, it was like a, it was like a Ted talk for people who want to crush it in podcasting.

So that's my show podcasting made simple. The software, uh, is, is pod match and just having a blast doing all things podcasting. It's literally all I do, man. Uh, but I, I really enjoy it. And this is okay. So let me back up here. Podmatch is [00:20:00] one of your softwares. Uh, Alex actually has a complete software suite for podcasters.

So if you're interested in being in podcasting or being a guest on podcast, Alex is your go to solution. Thanks, bro. I appreciate that plug right there. Oh, I use multiple products that you put out, so credit where credit is due, right, man? I love it, man. Thank you, dude. It really means a lot to me, man. I know we met through all that.

It's just been such a Like, one of the biggest gifts for me is just getting to meet some incredible people. Like, mind blowing. Anyway, man. And like, since then, I've listened to your podcast. I'm like, man, I found a podcast to listen to. Cause this guy just showed up one day and was like, Hey, this is cool.

Thank you. I was like, your podcast is sweet, you know, like, thank you. So anyway, I appreciate you, man. So this is not your first business. You are an entrepreneur. Tell us a little bit about your first business and how you fell in love with entrepreneurship. Yeah, man. I mean, earlier [00:21:00] we were talking about, uh, how like not much of a musician, not much of an athlete.

That's kind of been my whole life. And I'd say I was a pretty self aware kid. So when we go to 10 years old, uh, I. I realized that point. Hey, man, like my friends are good at things I'm just not good at, but for the first time something clicked and it happened to be a business more or less for if you can call it a business at 10 years old.

But what happened is I was out on the golf course because we lived across the street from a golf course and all the parents in neighborhoods that don't go play in the golf course, which meant all the kids met on the golf course every day, right? That's just right. Like there was no other route. Um, so we were out there one day, there was a golf ball sitting there and none of, none of us were really golfers were all like eight to 10 years old or eight to 12 years old, whatever it was.

Right. And I picked it up. And I was like looking at it, and I was getting ready to chuck it in the water, probably. Uh, and a golfer rolls by on a cart, and he just yells, and he's like, Hey kid, what does that golf ball say on it? It's like I walk over, I said, Titleist Pro B1. And he goes, I'll give you 3 for it.

And I gave him the ball and he gave me 3. And for the first time ever, this light bulb went off. And I was like, I watch golfers hit these balls in the water every [00:22:00] single day. And I bet if we can get them, I bet more than this one guy wants to buy them. So I grabbed all the kids together, the rest of us, right?

And I was like, hey, you go find some. You look for them. You're going to clean them. We're going to put them in these bins. We'll separate and we'll figure out which ones are worth money, which ones aren't. And then on Saturday morning, we'll come out here and sell them. And we did that every day. Like twice a week, we'd go find balls, we'd clean them.

And then Saturday morning we'd sell them. And we did that every Saturday for, I don't know, probably a year or two. And that was my first like introduction to business. And it might sound kind of crazy, but like, again, a light bulb went off of, wow, I understand this. Like I understood how to, to rally other kids together.

I understood how to talk to adults. Like I actually learned as a 10 year old kid negotiating with adults, because believe it or not. They don't all just think you're cute. I think you stole a golf ball. They hit in the water last week. Right. Sometimes they're like, that ball has my initials on its mind.

I'm like, it's yours for 3. I, I fetched it for it, you know? So, uh, but learning to do all that actually taught me some really cool skills and it really set me up for a life. Of understanding business and entrepreneurship and just realizing what it is I love to do and what I was actually good at. [00:23:00] Did you, did you grow up in Florida?

Yes. Oh yeah. Born, raised Florida. Yep. Okay. So you little farther North than alligators. Cause I've been on some interesting greens in Florida. No, there was, there was alligators, uh, water traps sound a little, they're a little more hazardous if you've never played golf in that part of the world. Yeah, for sure.

So there was these things called like ball retrievers and it would like extend out like 20 feet and you just be able to see in the water and you like scoop them up. So, uh, mom was always a little nervous about like water moccasins and alligators. Cause yes, those, those do exist quite a bit. We, we saw them pretty much twice a week, both times we went out, they'd be out there with us.

So I was driving through one of the bases in Florida. Uh, on my way to something I was visiting a different, but another base while I was down there, there's this beautiful Greenway Park in the middle of the base that you got, it's got a bridge over a water and it's like this gorgeous green lawn. I'm looking at that going like, there's no, there's nobody picnicking there.

There's nobody, you [00:24:00] know, there's no kids playing there. I'm like, what, what is going on? And I just, just moved to Florida. And I was coming back a couple of hours later across that same bridge and I see this alligator right along the edge of the water going, I'm like, Oh, that explains so much. That explains a lot.

A kid is just a snack for that thing. So yeah. Oh, that's funny. Yeah. I had a friend who went golfing in Florida and had that experience. Yeah, we've all, we've all seen it. Sometimes I don't know why, but like that same golf course, sometimes you go out to a tee and there's just a, a gator like sitting on the, I'm sounding like Florida, man.

So we got, we got to keep this thing rolling, man. I can't like, it's not that bad. I don't have a pet alligator in case anyone was wondering. All right. So it's really not, it's just one of those things. It's like, I live in the desert and there's a certain thing to live with. It's like, uh, I checked my backyard for rattlesnakes and stuff like that.

Right. It's funny, like, a couple months ago I was [00:25:00] in Denver, and uh, there's this beautiful, like, lake, and there's like, people in it and stuff like that, and my buddy's like, oh, this is like, one of our favorite spots to swim. And it was like, a lake, and there's forests around it, and I was like, y'all got any gators in there?

And he's like, no, dude, I was like, what about water moccasins? He's like, there's no snakes here. I was like, So you tell me like, I was like, well, so what, what can eat you in that water? And he's like, dude, there's nothing in that water that will hurt you. I was like, Oh, wow. No wonder there's like a hundred people in it.

Right. I'm like in Florida, that would be like, there'd be signs up. Don't touch this water. You know, any, any live because you get, you get up in parts of Colorado. You got moose in the water and all kinds of things. Yeah. I heard that those are dangerous. They won't eat you, but they will make your day bad.

Right? No kidding, man. Wild stuff. No, Alex, you've had multiple. Uh, business endeavors over the years, what do you feel like separated the ones that went well, in your opinion, versus the ones that weren't so great? Uh, preparation is the first thing I'd mentioned, like really thinking through it and [00:26:00] testing things.

So preparation, part of preparation to me is actually testing. And I think a lot of people don't really think of that. They kind of like will prepare in their basement or on their whiteboards forever. Right. And they're kind of like, cool, this is what I'm gonna do. And they, they launch it and stuff like that, right.

And that's because part of your preparation needs to be testing. And that's where you need to actually talk to other people to see, okay, is this actually what people want? And so what I've learned is the things that have worked well for me are the things that actually verified the fact, okay, yes, people were asking for this, they want it.

And I think a lot of us don't do that because we're afraid someone will steal it. People are busy. No one's going to steal your ideas. Like no one, no one has time for it. More energy, right? Um, and so what I've, what I found is just like get it out there and people are like, wow, this is so cool. People have, no one else has done this before.

It's like, okay, cool. If I keep on hearing that, then maybe I'll, I'll give this a shot. And so for me, like still this day, the products that work versus the ones that don't are the ones that I don't just assume are going to work. It's the ones that as quickly as humanly possible, I get it in front of other people to see the response that I get.

Um, and that's been the difference all the way through and everything I've done. And I, I did a. [00:27:00] a sprint and corporate for 15 years as well. And same things, same thing, our product launches that went well versus the ones that didn't, or our new offerings that went well, the versus the ones that didn't were the ones that we tested and we really prepared for versus just kind of like ready aim or ready fire aim, right.

Like versus that method. Um, that's been the difference for me along the way. Now, how did you, you're on your goals when you decided to go into this podcasting thing and make products for the podcasting space, which. We're so needed. So, you know, well done. You tested it apparently, cause you had clarity in that when you realized like this doesn't happen.

Oh my goodness. Like, sorry. I, I laugh sometimes cause some of your products is like, why did no one else ever do this? But when you decided to move into the podcasting space as a business, uh, and, and build stuff for that, how did you get clear? [00:28:00] on that's what you wanted to do. So it all started with going back to that.

I did, again, 15 years in corporate. And when I was getting to the end of that, the reason I even left corporate, because I actually really enjoyed it, was because the company I was with went public. And when that's the goal, so I'm not trying to downplay that at all. That was the goal. I was on that mission with people.

It was an amazing experience. But once we got there, I started feeling more like a cog in the system than somebody actually making impact. And at the end of the day, I think the difference between someone who wants a corporate job and an entrepreneur, like, to be an entrepreneur, is they want to feel like they have impact.

And many people that work in corporate, they're what I would call an intrapreneur. That's like an actual term now, apparently. But you're an entrepreneur in an organization. You want to be there for the impact, not just the paycheck. You want to be there for something to happen. And when I lost that feeling, I knew I wanted to move into something else.

And I just knew it was time. And so, like, it was bittersweet the day I left, but, um, the thing is, I didn't know what I wanted to do. So, I started a podcast. Back then, cause I was like, I want to talk to [00:29:00] people who have successfully left a nine to five job to find out how they did it, what they did. Right.

And so to, to way simplify what I learned in a hundred and 159 episodes is what it was. Uh, yeah, it was, it was great. Yeah. And it's funny cause, um, podcasting made simple uses the same feed. So if you go back to podcasting made simple and listen to the first 159 episodes, it's called creating a brand, which is like the art of creating a brand.

And, uh, anyway, so I learned what it takes to be an entrepreneur. And I don't mean any disrespect to these hundreds of people that gave me their time, but I'm gonna way simplify it because I think it'll tie into what we're talking about here. Um, it's four steps. Step one, find an area of passion. So find a passion, right?

The next thing is to get into the community that's involved in that area of passion. The third thing is to find a problem, a simple problem that they're struggling with. And the fourth thing is to offer a solution that problem as fast as humanly possible. And again, that way oversimplifies entrepreneurship, but.

That's, that's what I had learned. And so for [00:30:00] me, I was like, you know what, excuse me, I'm becoming passionate about podcasting. Like really love it. So I got into the community. I started speaking at the conferences, doing some educating with people, just meeting other podcasters like you, you know, like getting to meet just amazing people.

And so like my passion followed by me being in the community, then led me to actually, um, trying to solve a problem for them. And the best way to do that is just to ask questions, right? And so what I did, I'll never forget it, I was actually in Orlando, Florida for a conference, PodFest is what it was specifically.

And, uh, so I was there and when I got off stage, anyone who would talk to me because typically people will say, Hey, thanks for being here. Thanks for speaking. Right? Like people are just nice. Um, I asked each of them, Hey, what is it that you're struggling with? So again, um, I was in the community and now I'm like finding out feedback and people said a lot of different things, but 100 people said the same thing, which was I'm having trouble finding guests for my show or ideal guests for my show.

I can't figure out who's the next person in my show. I'm always stressed about it, right? Like I heard all these variations of it, but I knew coming back. [00:31:00] That was a problem we're solving. And from there, I just built out an MVP of Podmatch, like didn't have a name or anything like that. I just said, Hey, does this work?

And people were like, you should have a logo, right? You have like 10 spelling errors. I'm like, I didn't ask you that. Does this do what you asked me to do? And I got their contact information at that event. So it's the same hundred people that I met there, basically, so they're struggling with it. And sure enough, and that's how we decided to build it out.

And that was what led me from corporate to just podcaster to being a podcast industry and software person. Now it's funny, cause I've talked to a lot of entrepreneurs over the years on the show now, and I I'm with you. I don't think you, I don't think it cheapens their experience, but really that, that, I think you hit the high points on that with the four point.

That's very fair. Um, and, and honestly, I overlooked part of setting up any plane as. Is there that need for it? Is there that market for it? Right? You can call it a need or you can call [00:32:00] it a market, but a lot of people have really great ideas, but they don't have a market for that. I, you, you can have the best idea in the world that people don't need it or want it, you're, you're not going to go far with it.

Yeah, man. Yeah. You know, somebody gave me this advice as well, which I thought was really smart and it's human nature to want to complain, which is weird to hear, but like it is. Part of many of our lives. And so he told me, he's like, Hey man, don't just look for the problem. People are complaining about validate.

That's a problem they want solved. And what he meant was he's like, man, some people just like to like complain about random things. Like, Oh man, I wish that this, this app would work better. And then you're like, Oh, well, here's a better version. They're like, nah, I don't really want that. And it's because they don't, they don't actually care enough to solve the problem.

They just want to complain about the problem. Right. So yeah, there's a lot of insight that has to go into it. That's what kind of, we're like. Planning preparation that comes into play and testing it again, right? Um, so like the guy who told me that I thought that was a really brilliant like thought like so I [00:33:00] now I think twice I'm like, oh there's an idea there.

I'm like Yeah, that sounds like human nature just wanting to complain about something. No one actually wants to solve that problem. Like, or no one cares enough to, like, take any steps to solve it for themselves even. So, for what that's worth, that's a little sidebar there that, just a little hack that I've learned over the years as well.

Oh no, that's, that's incredibly valuable. Um, so, trust me, some of my early ideas, that was some of those power lesson learns, and some of the things like, ah, I want, This is a great idea. It's like, does everybody else think is a great idea and actually want it? Right. The determining factor, by the way, is a person's wallet.

They bust out their wallet and they say, yeah, sure. Here's my credit card information. Then, you know, you have something, but if someone's like, uh, because sometimes the people that say this is the best idea ever, I love it. And you're like, cool. We pay for it. They're like, no. And you're like, wait a minute.

What do you mean? Like, oh, well, it's great for other people, but not for me. It's like, does everybody say that? Right. So yeah, there's a lot there on the entrepreneurship side, which I know isn't our main focus today, but hopefully those little tips help somebody out there. Well, you know, in the direction we're heading today, it will actually benefit.

So that's fine. [00:34:00] So actually out of curiosity, what was your business prior to this? You said, you said you were in the corporate world. Yeah. So yeah, 15, I was in the aerospace industry. Uh, worked with a lot of, it was like military contracts and stuff like that and government contracts. And so we were doing parts manufacturing for, um, below the atmosphere aircraft.

And, um, a lot of it, it's funny. It's, it was an interesting career. I can't share most of it, but it's not interesting anyway, because they're, they're like signing this stuff. When I was, I was, I was, uh, on the C suite of the company and they're like, Hey, you can't talk about this stuff. And I made a joke. I'm like, no one wants to hear this stuff anyway.

It's not interesting. You know, like. This is super boring. It was, it was fun work and I really liked it. Like the whole mechanics of how that all that stuff worked. Um, but yeah, so it was basically aerospace industry, parts manufacturing, and me personally, uh, I worked behind a computer most that time, uh, doing running commercial operations division.

So I ever saw five departments of the company at its height. I started at part time and stuff like that, but work my way up. And, uh, that's, I was really good at that. Like operations make sense to me, streamlining our [00:35:00] processes, making sure we're profitable or things that just, I really. Enjoyed. So I sat by the computer and open Excel basically all day and just played around in it.

So it was a cool career though. I had a good time. I get it totally. My, in my last job, that was one of the things I did frequently was overhauling and smoothing and streamlining and. Yeah, I enjoyed it. I don't know. Maybe there's something wrong with us or maybe there's just something organized in our heads about things like that.

I don't know. I think God just made us this way, man. Someone's got to do it, you know? I feel the same way about people in the medical field, by the way. I'm so thankful for what they do. Man, if I see somebody getting cut open, I look away, you know? And there's like, oh wow, look at this. I'm like, nah, I don't want to see it.

Everyone's got their own field. I feel like we all play a role, right? Oh yeah, oh yeah. So Alex, we're going to pivot just a little bit here. Let me ask you, do you do new year's resolutions? Do I like set new year's resolutions for myself? I mean, right. Like, um, that's not something I actually have done much of.

I like to, [00:36:00] and it's just because I don't like the word resolution. Cause I feel like, I don't know why. I feel like almost everyone fails with them and I'm not trying to be rude or mean. Like, but if it's like a resolution, I'm like, can that be taken seriously? I like, I like actionable goals. And so I more so go that route to set those goals versus just saying.

I'm gonna lose 10 pounds this year, right? I'm not trying to be rude or mean. I just find it like We don't really go much past that. It's so trendy to say that that no one actually holds you to it because it's just like the culture that we're in. But if you say, you know what, I've got a goal in the next eight weeks, I'm going to accomplish this then eight weeks after them accomplish that, right.

And you like, actually, I was like, okay, that doesn't feel like the resolution everyone else is talking about. That's an actual, like tangible goal. So to answer your question, no, I try not to do resolutions, but I do some serious goal setting and reflecting. I've found in my experience talking to people about things like this, it's the more organized goal oriented people who are less likely to set you, you have two categories.

You got people who just don't care and then [00:37:00] you have like us who are very goal focused and have goals all year long. You know, we're different phases of. A half a dozen different goals as we're processing through. Uh, those are the two categories. People who just really don't care and people who are already living, setting goals all the time and chasing those goals are like New Year's resolution.

I already got like 20 things on my plate, man. My goals are set for the year. What are you talking about? Right. Yeah. The interesting thing that you just shared there as well is, um. With goals, I also try not just to set them at the beginning of the year. Like I do, I, I do that quarterly. So every quarter, every 90 days I go back and reflect and update and change because we're always evolving.

So like the goals I might with great intention set at the beginning of the year, in three months from now, I'd be like, this doesn't make any sense to accomplish anymore. And we have to give ourselves permission to say, you know, I'm going to update this and I'm gonna do something else. The problem with resolution, somebody was sort of like get six months in, like I haven't been able to do it, but you know, next year I'll set more, I'll set something else and do it then.

It's like. Why do you have to wait till a certain date? You know, like why does [00:38:00] that date have so much weight like that? You aren't willing to even start something until you like circle back around and try again. You can pick up wherever you are, whatever day you're in. Like the day this comes out, whatever day it is, you can set new goals on this date.

You don't have to be like, Oh, cool. I got two weeks to set goals because that's. That's when the, that's when the world allows us to set new goals, right? It doesn't have to be that. And so for me, I don't just even look at the beginning of the year is like, this is the only time I can do this. It's Hey, every 90 days, I'm going to revisit this and figure out what it is I want to change.

So let me show you some stats. You're gonna love this. I'm a stat guy. Oh, me too. I can't wait, man. Let's go. 38. 5 percent of us adults set new year's resolutions every year. 59 percent of those are young adults, 18 to 34. And they make up the largest demographic set of those goldmate of that 38%, 48 percent want to exercise more, making it the most popular new year's resolution.

The top three are all health related. [00:39:00] 23 percent quit in the first two weeks and only 36 percent make it past the first month. 9 percent and I've heard this one a couple of different. So nine, eight to 9 percent actually successfully fulfill their new year's resolution. While most people quit by the 19th of January, the biggest group.

That's, those are wild. Every single year. Go, go back and listen to that again. Just, just listen to that. So at the end of the day, it's only 9 percent that are actually making it. And most of them. Quit within 19 days. Is that right? Like that's kind of like that. That is so wild to me, man. And that's up. Like I said, I actually go through, I, I look up these stats every single year.

Like I said, I'm a stat nerd. So these, these things fascinate me somewhat. So even before I was podcasting, I actually would look up these stats every year. And that's, uh, it was like down to 7 percent being successful. And I think depending on the poll, you read [00:40:00] it probably still. It's that's why I said, yeah.

The stat I found was nine, uh, I'm going to say it's at seven to nine percent because it kind of fluctuates a little bit. But I've been looking at these up for years. So I laugh every time I read them. It's like, wow. Cause we get towards new year's every year and people, I hear the same thing every year, right?

People start talking about, oh, in the next year. And that's my first response. What you said is like, why'd you wait till January 1st? I'm sorry. Is that a priority? Why did you wait for January 1st to do that? It's a magic day. You know that, right? So apparently. Something happens, the moon and stars align, but it cracks me up, right?

So many people who aren't even necessarily goal oriented people just randomly go, Yeah, this is what I'm going to do. And the top three are all health related. One's mental health. One's physical health, weight loss is I think the number one, uh, but a lot of people are back in the gym and as a personal [00:41:00] trainer, like I hate that part of the year from January 1st till about the end of February.

Because by March, 99 percent of the people who came in on those New Year's resolutions are gone. So I don't care. You know what man, it's, it's, it's interesting that we, we talk about again, going back to that date. And if you think about it, like, when are people eating the worst when it comes to health? And probably even like mentally and emotionally the most unhealthy.

Not trying to be like bring up a whole different topic. But like sometimes even being around families and stuff like that can really bring up some of that wrong stuff. And so like, I, here's something I'm big on, man, is like, if I have a goal coming up that I know I'm going to start working on, like, what can I do now to position myself for it?

It's just like, if you're like, okay, in two weeks, we're going to start, my kid's going to start, uh, playing soccer in the evenings, right? It's like, okay, well, let's start clearing our evenings now to get ready for it. That's, that's something that we do that we're proactive with because like, okay, it's coming up.

Why don't we do that with our goals? And so we were like, they hit that, that January 1st day, like, okay, time to [00:42:00] lose weight, time to get healthy mentally, physically, right? All that. Why don't you start the beginning of December to be like, you know what? I'm gonna take small steps every single day. I'm going to go for a 15 minute walk every day leading up to it.

That way, when you get to the, the, if you will start date of your goal, you're already way ahead of everybody else. And it's just like, you start building that habit, that muscle. And I think that would cause you to succeed a lot more. And so for me, I don't even look at like, typically when I write down a goal, it's funny.

Cause Alicia's like, haven't you been doing that for like six months? I'm like, yeah, but now I'm just going to kick it in high gear, but I'm ready. You know, like I'm primed. I'm ready to go. And typically, I don't, none of the goals I said are like overly ambitious. Uh, and I, I know I talked about earlier, but like in a, in a different way, I'm not like, it's to quadruple the amount of time I spend in the gym, you know, like, it's nothing like that.

It's like, hey, I want to, I want to implement 10 extra minutes every day of fitness or I want to end work five minutes early every day. And it's like, man, people are like, that sounds really easy. I'm like, maybe, but doing that consistently for the next 90 days will ensure that it's easy. And then I can [00:43:00] take off five more, right?

And then so if I do that every 90 days, that's 20 extra minutes of my day, every 20 extra minutes every day for me. Then I'm not working if I go with that like work example, right? And so I just think like starting right away with the small little things, knowing what it is that you want, whether you're like, quote unquote, a goal person or not, it's just a good discipline.

It's all about that consistency. And the sooner you can start being consistent, the sooner it becomes a habit and becomes part of your life. And actually this is a perfect segue because guys, one of my biggest goals with this episode, one of the reasons I wanted to have Alex on is Alex is really good at this.

This is one of his really big strengths is building successful goals and executing on those. And one of my goals with this episode is help you guys have a more successful 20, 20, 24, as this episode wraps out the year, I'm wanting to equip you guys the best I can. So that your 2024 is the year you want it to be.

So we're going to [00:44:00] dig into how to actually execute on all this stuff. We've kind of hedged in there a little bit. We've been discussing clarity and direction, success, getting to know what that actually looks like and how we get there. And the next part of the show, we're going to dive into how to apply this in your life, be more successful and have the best 2024 ever.

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Now let's go on to the show guys. Welcome back. In the last part of the show, we discussed clarity and direction and success. And a bigger view. We talked about how Alex has had experience with that in his own life as an entrepreneur and what kind of helped and what didn't and a lot about Florida. Cause that's my fault.

I sidetracked that guys in this part of the show, I want to talk about how to apply some of these things to make this year the most successful year of your life, because we all do that, right? Even though I'm not a big. New year's resolution person gets the wheels for a lot of people thinking in a way that we're not usually thinking.

And I want you to be able to take advantage of that. So Alex, when you're. Choosing a new mission, right? When you chose podcasting, that was a good goal for you. How do you start to formulate that, right? How do you start to create clarity with a mission and a goal and a [00:46:00] dream when you have them? It all, it all really starts with why you're wanting to go that route anyway.

Um, starting with why, I know there's like a book called that and stuff. I'm not referring to that necessarily, but just in general, sitting down and figuring out why you're wanting to do something and why you even think that idea is there and if it's worth exploring. Is a really important part of the process.

And so the way I like to do that is I take pen and paper. So my phone is not around me, my computer is not around me. I'm not in my normal environment. Typically, I go somewhere where I feel most inspired or that I just feel creative, right? And I sit there and I sit alone, pen and paper. And I just start writing it out.

Like, okay, what, like, why this? Like, why am I thinking this? Where would this potentially go? What would this potentially lead to, right? And I'm, I'm not just talking about like the money and the different things like that, right? And I'm like saying, okay, cause again, going back to like how we started this thing off, I talk about fulfillment in life being what I'm after.

That's, that's me. I'm a man on a mission for that, right? How does this lead me closer to fulfillment in life? And so that's like the big picture thing is writing it down. [00:47:00] And I'll be real half the time I do, I do that practice every 90 days still. And, um, part of the, part of the thing that like always blows my mind is like, I've got this little idea in my head and when I go write it down.

I read it out and I'm like, this is so silly. I'm like, why, I didn't even think I even wanted to do this at all, right? And so I kind of look at him like, nah, I'm good, right? But I got it out. So now it's not stuck in my head. It's like, oh man, I think I want to do this, right? And I think that so many of us, we just let it all float around in our head.

We're like, man, there's like 50 things I think I want to do in my life. And the reality is you look, if you like sat down, did this practice, you'd be like, there's actually only like two or three things that actually really matter to me, I think. Um, but that, that to me is the start of all practices isn't setting goals, setting timelines, it's just sitting down and like really hashing out.

What is this thought that I have? Cause here's the thing that like, it's the, um, the productivity expert, David Allen says your head is for having ideas, not for, uh, not for like storing them and not for like expanding on them, right? The, this is just the, where ideas come from. And from there, it's up to you to do the discipline work of writing it out, [00:48:00] thinking through it a little bit more while documenting it.

That way your head isn't just stuck with all this stuff, right? And so that's where I always recommend beginning. That has been a hard lesson for me for a year. It took me years and years to catch on to actually taking the time to write things down. Like I'd have all these ideas and it took me years to understand if I didn't like write them down.

Even if I don't have time to expand on them right then and really develop them. I will pull out my phone like my Google Notes is full. So many pages in Google Notes. Where I have an idea, I'm like, yeah, right. I was on the road the other day and I was going to get my friend from the airport. And I, and I have this idea and it's like such clarity, 40 miles of driving, such clarity and I stopped to get a coffee mainly as an excuse to sit in my car for five minutes and get off the road and like type all this up real quick.[00:49:00]

The cliff notes version, so I could go back to it later. So I didn't forget on the way back from that trip. Um, That idea of getting it out of your head, even if you can't deal with it now, get it out of your head, then put it where somewhere you can work on it. I love the fact that you'd get your phone out of the equation.

Yeah, I do. Because me being, I like statistics like you, I like analytics. The first thing I do, I'm like, has someone created this? Has someone created something like, like this? I'm like, but I'm not there yet. Right? Like, this is not that part of it. And I. Listen, if you're not like me and you're like, I wouldn't look that type of thing up, then maybe you're fine having your phone around for music or whatever.

But for me, I just know my natural tendencies is like to start exploring it and getting way, way, way ahead of myself. And so for me, it's just about writing down and man, but I'll be real, most of those ideas, again, that aren't good, they're in a journal, no one's ever going to see that. And I've thrown away many of those journals that are full of ideas I've just decided, like, really didn't make any sense.

I, that was [00:50:00] just my brain thinking, right? And processing and some people are like, Oh, why would you get rid of that? I'm like, it doesn't have any weight or meaning. It was me just going through it and it's never coming back and that's fine. But I do, if it's an idea I actually have merit to, the next step I do is I tell somebody.

And I just typically will tell a friend, be like, Hey, can I like, just read this to you again, not look at my, my scratch, like I'm scratching all over paper. Right. Cause yeah, it's usually a mess. Like when my brain just like lets it all out. Right. Um, but I'll just run it by them. And the thing that I've learned is speaking, it does one of two things.

One. Gets me more on fire for it, uh, or two makes me like literally say out loud to them. This is a really stupid You know, like because now i'm like actually trying to coherently process and i'm like, okay wait this I like what I wrote on paper, but now that I'm saying it, this sounds really silly and like nothing to do.

And sometimes you're like, Oh, no, it sounds cool. Other times when I use the right friend as it's like this sounding board, they're like, yeah, man, I don't think, I don't know even what you're saying right now. Right. And so typically that just kind of goes in that list. But if it's one that the person I'm getting excited talking about it, they're like, wow, this is [00:51:00] really cool.

I put it into a folder. I then transcribe the, the, uh, go into a little bit more detailing pewter. I put it in a folder and I'll look at it later. I'm not going to let it disrupt the current goals that I'm working on, but in 90 days, or if it's 30 days from now or 60, because every nine days I'm reviewing this, right?

However far along in that process, I wait till that 90 day period is over. And then I go back and review this again and say, okay, is this in line with what I'm doing now? Is this for later? Is this for somebody else, right? Like what, what is this that I have here? And that's when I'll go back and review that.

And then I end up again, just pen and paper somewhere alone. Uh, but that is part of the process. And typically, there's things that like, I have in this, most of them are actually books at this point, which is funny. Like, I'd like to write books in the future, but I know that's in the future. I'm not jumping ahead of myself now.

There's some that I'm like, Hey, I'll do this when I'm in my mid forties, right? Like, and I just know like, that's when I want to do this. And that's much later. But again, I got the idea out, ran it by a friend, and put it in a folder somewhere, and I'll do that later type of thing. And I just think that again, that practice is great for just clearing your mind and staying focused on [00:52:00] the main thing that you have in front of you right now.

I, I was listening and it was, it's so funny, people, you tend to surround yourself with, it's like our thought process would work on so many levels in the same, same path I was listening to you talk about, you know, first you write it down and then if it's good enough, you, you say it out loud to somebody, uh, as a former minister and a speaker, right.

And you've done a lot of speaking over the years. That's how most, if you guys don't speak. You probably don't know, that's how actually most good speeches start. They start on paper and then you run through them out loud and it's just coming out of your mouth. You're like, no, no, I don't like the way that line flows.

I would start out when I, when I was a minister, I would start out with my sermon and I get it all on paper. And then I'd preach through it probably eight times before Sunday, just preaching to empty pews. [00:53:00] And my sermon would start at like an hour and a half. It'd be 20 minutes by the time I was done. I got like highlighters and I'm scratching stuff out.

I'll preach there. I'm like, no, I don't know that. No, that's dumb. Oh, this would be a better example. Right. But writing something down really lets it flush out, but then you start speaking through it and it's amazing when you say it out loud, you're like, what was I thinking? Right. I've been there a lot.

Glad I'm not alone. No, no, no, no. Alex. One of the things I think is really important for us to flush out a little bit here is. Defining success, because a lot of people have different ideas of what success really looks like in their goals. So how do you define success when you're putting together a goal or a plan?

Man, first and foremost, it's getting 1 percent better myself every day. Like I'm competitive, but with Alex, right? And that's it. And so I think that first and [00:54:00] foremost, we need to take other things and people out of the equation. And one of the most common problems I see in today's world that we're very social media driven, very media driven.

And so we are very quick to compare, compare 20 and be like, Oh man, I'm going to lift heavier, like Brent does, but like, look how much weight he lifts. How am I going to get there? And it's like, well, Brent didn't just start this yesterday. You did. Right. So start off just getting 1 percent stronger, 1 percent better every day.

And the more that you can do that, eventually you end up where you want to be. But I think first and foremost, man, this, this thing starts with you taking others out of the equation, looking internally and saying, what can I do every day to just get 1 percent better? I don't need these exponential leaps. I don't need to be all these things tomorrow.

I need to just be here today, right? I don't know, man. I know you're a trainer and stuff like that. Is that any advice that you give along the way? I'm actually very curious myself what you would, how you'd answer this question. Especially when it comes to things like training that are long games. I'm, I'm [00:55:00] a hard proponent of incremental growth, uh, is the term I use.

I'm, I'm huge. Like I, it is something I'm focused on with the fallible man when I'm talking to people about personal development, right? It's one choice today. Make one choice today that makes you better tomorrow. Right? That's, that's 365 days of growth right there. Uh, and in the gym, it's the same thing.

When I'm training somebody, I'll have people who are like, oh my God, I'm not getting any better. I was like, yes. You are. Like, well, the weights aren't going up. No, that's fine. But you took less rest between your sets, the reps went up easier than they did last week, right? I see that from the outside, and that's a measure of success for me as a trainer watching people I work with is, oh look, you aren't as dead after 5 sets of, you know, 225 as you were last week, right?

By that 5th set of 225, like, last couple reps you're [00:56:00] dying. Right. This week, it actually really wasn't that hard for you to get that last rep, you know. So now Now we're shortening that time between sets and so right there are lots of ways to measure that I think that's one of those being an analytic guy like yourself, right?

That's one of those. Data points, I think the more data points you can put around your goals, it gives you multiple ways to measure success as opposed to one single linear. This is what success looks like. Yeah. And a lot of that is, I love that you share that, man. It made me think about like, I'll, I'll use this metaphorically, but don't get on the scale every day, physically don't do it either.

But the thing is like, I can remember like talking to people that like were investing in training at the beginning of the year. Right. And a lot of them would stop. They're like, I didn't lose a single pound in a week. I'm like, are you looking every day? I'm like, results happen over time. Right. Like they, and so for all of us, like metaphorically speaking, same thing, like 1 [00:57:00] percent better doesn't look like much different, like difference.

But when you wake up. In 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, a year later, if you're doing that consistently, you're going to notice a difference. And so for me, the way that I like to, to set the right goals, to build out the goals is saying, okay, what can I do every day to get one step further? And the thing is, if you're like, well, my goal doesn't really work like that.

I'm writing a book. It's like, well, can you write 500 pages or 500 pages? Wow. 500 words a day, right? Can you do that? And if people are like, oh yeah, I can do that. Then then great, that should be the goal. And so for me, I don't even look at the end goal too much. I want to know where I'm going, have some direction, right?

And I think that that course is always changing. But I really want to look at is what is the daily action that Alex needs to make room for in order to get this end result that he eventually wants? So how can I do this every single day? Because here's it, at the end of the day, man, it's already said, but consistency is really the winner every single time.

What can you do consistently in your life? And I think that that's really key to all this. So it's again, having the end goal, right? But [00:58:00] saying, okay, now how, let me backtrack. How do I make this a little individual thing I do every day and how do I create margin for it so I can do it consistently? So it's not just once a week or once every other week that we're doing that, right?

And so the gym is an easy example of this. If you're like, I want to lose 10 pounds and you don't set time aside every day to work out, you're just working out whenever you can, you're, you're not going to hit that goal, right? If you work out twice a month, it's not going to help. It's not going to get you closer to it.

You'd be better off. Spending 10 minutes a day, if that's all you can do, but building that into your schedule, because you will notice a difference after a set amount of time. When you're setting goals, uh, one of the things that I've experienced with people is they set these large, ambiguous goals, right?

That's, I think that's one of the, actually the biggest downfalls of New Year's resolutions is people go, I'm going to lose 25 pounds or I'm, I'm going to go to the gym five days a week. And these are people who have never been in the gym in their lives. Right? So it's this large, ambiguous goal, and I think it sabotages a lot of people.

So how do you set [00:59:00] a goal correctly? This is going to sound super weird, but I make a goal to make all of my goals non outcome based. And it sounds really weird, right? Non outcome based goals. Yes. Maybe again, going back to like my, my, my reflection, my vision time, maybe I want to lose 20 pounds, right? But I don't want to give myself a goal that requires an outcome from me instead of non outcome based goal to me means, you know what?

I know that this will happen automatically if I work out 12 minutes a day and stop drinking soda, right? I did the math, figured it out, talked to a trainer. That's all it takes to do that. So now my goal is just every single day, I avoid soda and I work out for 12 minutes. I'm not tying myself to an outcome.

I might not even share the outcome, right? I might share it when I get there, but I'm just gonna say, How many days in a row have I worked out and not drank soda? And to me, that's a non outcome based goal. And even my business, I do the same thing. People are like, Oh, do you have like a, in software, we call it MRR and ARR, which is.

Monthly reoccurring revenue and annual reoccurring revenue. I'm like, no, I don't have any of [01:00:00] that. I'm like, my only goal is to, to help people get podcast interviews out. And my goal is to have a hundred of those a day. And that's actually on the homepage of podmatch. com. If you go there and scroll down, I'll show you how many interviews happened last 24 hours.

I don't even look at the back end of our stuff. Because if I see a hundred interviews happen today, check, I'm done, right? My goal is just to help people get to that point. And everything else happens automatically. Sure, I have a desire to make a salary for myself and stuff, right? Like, I want that to happen, but it will happen automatically based off these smaller things.

And I know that some of these goals, you're like, well, there's an outcome because you're not doing this or you're doing that, right? Sure, but as close as you possibly can to a non outcome based goal is the best thing that you can actually set. Instead of this huge thing, because I'll be real, losing 20 pounds, like, just going back to that example, that is it, for anybody, that is a really tough task.

But it's not hard to not drink soda for 30 days in a row, right? You only have one thing to do every day, not drink soda, right? And that is going to help. So again, for me, I go to, I try to build out as best I can, non outcome based goals for myself. [01:01:00] And I want, Oh guys, let me point out one of the things he didn't say in that, but he said was all those goals are specific.

A hundred interviews a day. That's that's very specific. That's not, and it's not a million interviews a day. It's not a whole bunch of interviews. A hundred interviews in the day, right? Non outcome based, but it's still very specific. And it's something that's achievable. If you're familiar with the platform, it's absolutely achievable.

Uh, but it gives them a measurement and it's still specific. It's realistic. It's achievable. I, I'm a big fan of the concept. You've seen the acronym for smart goals, right? Smart, measurable, blah, blah, blah. We we've talked about them on the show before, but it's not just this ambiguous, I want to have the best software out there for podcasters.

It's still very measurable. It's still very realistic, [01:02:00] right? He can build to get those things done, but he's not just going, ah, right. I, I, it drives me insane. I see this. So every, every new years, I see this. Guys like I'm gonna I'm gonna work out start working out five days a week or at least four Have you ever been in a gym?

Like no, no, I'm not throwing shade brother. It's not a judgment It was when was the last time you worked out? Oh, I worked out all the time in high school. You're 45 That's been a hot minute. Do you understand? All the details involved with that. That's like, you know, putting time in your schedule five days a week, travel time, gym time, right?

That's that alone is a major shift for anybody to put in four or five days work, uh, worth of gym time. Cause most people don't work out at home, but they don't ever, Oh, I'm going to start [01:03:00] working out. Okay, well, where's the gym? How long does it take you to get there? What part of the day are you going to go?

How long are you going to spend there? How long does it take you to clean up and go on to the next thing, right? These little pieces that are just, and, and, you know, no wonder so many people fail, right? And you know what you're saying, and I'm glad you brought that point up, but unspecific goals yield unspecific results.

And when I, when I, I get pitched software ideas all the time, just because I'm in software. And when people just are like, I want to like help people and it'll probably be like this and like that. And there's no real like direction for it. I'm, I'm always very hesitant to like invest any time to help them.

Not because I'm being rude or mean, but I'm like, I don't think you've spent enough time to figure this out. And that's, that's the thing right there. If you've taken the time to figure out what it is that you really want and that how, what you need to do to get there, your goal will be specific. And so challenge yourself with this.

You're hearing this today and you're saying, Oh, I feel like my goals aren't super specific. It probably means you don't understand where it is that you want to go well enough, or at least how to get [01:04:00] there. And if you need to seek wise counsel on it, do it. But the more specific your goal is, the more likely it is that you're going to achieve it because there's actually something tangible, right?

Uh, Example, I always hear people, like in my in, in podcasts be like, I just wanna help more people. I'm like, okay, I don't know what that means. You know? Like, I, I really don't know what that means. Are you talking about helping people cross the street? Are you talking like, what is it that, that, that, that means?

Like, can you define that really well, and I find that most people can't, I'm not trying to be rude or mean that, that people have trouble with it, but the, again, if you figure out exactly your lane and then what you're able to do and you're like, you know what? My job is to help five people every day through the content that I'm creating be able to level up as a man, right?

Like to be able to really figure out what it means to be a better husband, father, whatever it might be, right? If you can really quantify it to that level, I'm like, okay, now you have my interest because you have a specific goal in mind. And that's, that makes it achievable if you actually have something, right?

Uh, if my goal is just to be happier in life. It's pretty generic. All I have to do is go watch more movies and I'll, I'll get there. Does that count though? Right? So [01:05:00] I'm going to, I'm going to play that part back for myself later. Write down what you said. I love it, man. If there's, if there's anything ambiguous about my plan, it has always been that, like I've had so many of my coaches, Brent, you need to get more specific, right?

You need to get more specific because I, I'm bad about guys. I'm talking to myself here too. Because lofty goals. I said these lofty goals and do not get. Clarity on them. So this is as much for me as it is for you guys. Uh, but that was well stated. I like that. Replay that part right now. We've talked about both of us are analytic guys.

Um, and so I don't want to spend too much time on this, but you keep hearing that come out of our mouths guys, right? You, you have analytics, I believe probably just a ridiculous level for both of your podcasts and for your business, right? Points of measurement. In, [01:06:00] in 20 degrees and, you know, just everywhere.

Uh, I was actually having a conversation about podcast analytics with a friend of mine who just started his podcast. And he's, he's been wanting to do this for years and he's finally launched. But he was like, Hey, where do you guys track this? Blah, blah, blah. Cause he knows a couple of us in our group who are podcasters.

And it's like, uh, right. Looking for those numbers, guys, measurable things, crackable things, get achieved. If you can quantify your goals with crackable, measurable data. So give yourself waypoints. If you want to succeed at them, give yourself waypoints. What does it look like? Understand what that success is and understand how to track those as they go.

Now, we have to start landing this plane. So, Alex, from your experience, okay, for our audience. If they're wanting to start 2024 off, cause this is, this is the new [01:07:00] year's episode. They're looking to launch 2024 off and be successful at their goals, right? And of course they have to pick their own goal, right?

We, we, we can't find them a goal for that, but what are the first three steps they need to do to make that goal successful in 2024? The very first thing that these three steps need to do, if you want your goals to succeed in 2024, the first three things you need to do. Number one is before the goal. And it's to make room.

There's a, there's a concept called necessary endings, which means what got you here won't get you further, right? And so the whole idea is like, you've picked up things in your life that you've done, they've served you to this point, but they're not going to serve you, or at least the law of diminishing return will say that they're not going to serve you as well moving forward.

And that's what I call a necessary ending. The first thing before you even try to set a goal is you have to remove some things from your plate. You need to have more margin, right? Like, so you have to actually clear things. It's like, imagine if you're just piling all your stuff on a table, eventually you can't put anything else [01:08:00] on it because it's too full, right?

But if you just push all this stuff off, not that you'd want to do it that way, right? You don't have room to set something else down. You want to think of your life that way. So step one is to make sure that you're first off saying, okay, what is a necessary ending in my life? What is something that maybe has served me or maybe even not served you?

Like let's, let's just call it that too. Things that you're doing that you know are not serving you well. Find those things, make room and now say, okay, that's step one, right? Now I have space. Step two, as we're talking about today is just get really specific with what it is that you want to accomplish. So do that reflecting time, figure it out, write it down, get really specific with the goal, but don't just keep the goal in front of you.

And I think that's the mistake you will put on the mirror, lose 25 pounds, right? No say today, I will work out for 12 minutes and not drink soda. And I always got to wait because it's just the easiest one. I know it's the most common goal as well. Right. But that's what you want to write down and somewhere hidden tucked away in a notebook that you on a set date, you put your calendar to review is the bigger goal that you have right to review that.

Make sure you still want it, which you might [01:09:00] realize when you're doing this, you're not drinking soda and you're working out 12 minutes a day. I'm just using those times as example, not saying that's what you should do. You might notice after a month, You lose 10 pounds and you're like, you know what? I would look really bad if I lost 25 pounds.

Like I'd be too skinny. Now the goal is already hidden away. So when you get to it, you're like, you know what? This was ridiculous. It only needs to be 15, right? You now know that, but what's written down in front of you is the daily repeatable action that you can do. The third thing is to get out there and tell somebody.

There's a lot of data around this. I didn't prepare, uh, the actual, like, statistic of it. Uh, I don't, I, me and Brent both love that, so I'm trying not to get too deep into it. But I know it's a very high percentage just by telling people what you are going to do, what your intentions are. Makes it that much more likely that you actually achieve it.

So write it down and then tell somebody. And I don't mean go to be like, this is the year I'm gonna lose weight, right? No, get really specific and don't even post it as a New Year resolution. Say, I realize for my long term health, for my family, for my future family, for my job, for everything that I'm doing in my life as a man, that I would be better off if I were [01:10:00] 15 pounds lighter.

What I am committed to doing is working out every single day for 12 minutes and not drinking any soda. For this entire year, right? No sodas in this. And so I'm committing to that. And I ask that some of you that really care about me, hold me accountable and check in on me with this. That is a terrifying thing to do that I just shared right like I summarize it really easily, but I'm telling you if you make this margin get really specific with that goal and focus on the daily action that's required to achieve the bigger goal that's logged away somewhere right and then you tell people about that in a very personal not like New Year's resolution right in a very very specific way that it just feels raw that feels like man this person's so serious they're passionate to do this when you share it that way and you bring people in his accountability I'm telling you like you are you It's, it's not a guarantee, but it's pretty darn close to a guarantee that you are going to reach that goal.

As long as you stay committed every single day and remain consistent with it. And so those are the three things that I would, I would end with Brent. Alex, where's the best place for people to connect with you? Everything I do is at podmatch. [01:11:00] com. And if you're like, man, I'm not interested in podcasting, scroll to the bottom that has my social media stuff on it.

You can find me from there. Uh, and if you reach out in any way, you're going to either hear from me or my wife, and we've intentionally built it that way. And if you say, Hey, I'm looking for Alex, she'll be like, cool, here's Alex. So, uh, podmatch. com has everything I do. And then if you're. Uh, if you're interested in the podcast side, you'll find the podcast thing.

It's simple show, uh, right there as well. Um, but man, I recommend hanging out here, man. The fallible man. This is an incredible podcast that I personally have learned and grown for myself. So thanks again, Brent. Very, very generous there. Right. And guys, we'll have all the links. I want you to find pot. I want to do, I want you to find Alex guys after the show.

So we'll have all those links down in the description and shown us just like always for you. Uh, Alex is our friend. I think him and Alicia are amazing and doing amazing work. It's one of the reasons I wanted to bring him on for this end of the year show. Now, I know you're all worried about this. Alex is actually one of my few guests who was keeping track of this in his mind.

When were Guy Fawkes and Gunpowder Plot discovered? And Alex, you [01:12:00] said 1705, the answer is 1605. Ah, man, I know you say this, but people almost never get their question right. So I'm not going to hold myself to it. But I just listened to an episode that you did with Bryce Kenny. He's like a monster truck driver and he got it right.

And I feel like you set him up for failure kind of by saying American football and European football. Anyway, go back and listen to that. Um, also he has a really interesting, um, favorite snack. So go back and listen to that episode, everybody. But, uh, anyway, I'm not gonna hold myself too much to it, but man, I was only a hundred years off.

It's not bad, right? No, that's not bad. Considering the scope of history, I'm asking you to recall. So very few people, they don't even teach that most of the time. So, you know, that's, that's a pretty good jump. Alex, in the year for us, if our audience hears nothing else today, what do you want them to hear?

You owe it to yourself, become the best version of yourself to live life at the fullest is something that [01:13:00] you really deserve and that you should do. And I feel that so many of us in society today, we just kind of settle for what society puts in front of us. But if you sit down and reflect and think about what you want, I think you'll realize it's not only counterculture, but it's just really different than what maybe you're used to in your daily routines.

And so my thing is just sit back and really think about, Hey, what is it that really wanted this life? And start taking tangible steps, little things every day to start getting closer to it, because I find that the more we do this more intentionally or with our time, the more we really get out of life.

And I just am so sad seeing people that aren't making it there. So I encourage you. Reflect, do this thing, get out there. And I just think that you'll learn to enjoy life more than you ever even thought possible. Guys, as always be better tomorrow, because what you do today, we'll see you next year. This has been the fallible man podcast.

Your home for everything, man, husband, and father, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a show head over to www. [01:14:00] thefallibleman. com for more content and get your own fallible man gear. I ain't waiting and wish I am, but I'll take it.