On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Aaron T. Walker, who is a businessman and life coach who has inspired many through his leadership, mentorship, and consistent pursuit of excellence. After 35 years of entrepreneurship and marriage, Aaron believes experience is a great teacher and has examined and grown from them. In this podcast, Jessica and Aaron discuss winning at home, as well as winning in the office.
Main Questions Asked:
Why did you decide to put 35 years of marriage in your bio?
Talk about coaching a male only mastermind group.
What are some of the most common things that hold men back from growing their businesses and growing personally?
What do you mean when you say you help men to discover their identity?
Key Lessons Learned:
If we make money at the expense of our families, then we have failed.
When your relationships are strong, your business grows.
Most men are ‘sprinters’ in business, but Aaron teaches them to be ‘marathon’ runners to stay in the game longer.
Motivation is an exhaustible resource, but what really works is a well thought out plan.
Fear and Failing
Fear is what holds men back, as they just don’t want to fail.
Aaron’s life mantra is that he fears missing an opportunity more than he fears failure.
Failing is in “not trying” and not necessarily in “not succeeding.”
Identity & Personal Assessment
Aaron has created a ‘personal assessment’ form where he discovers a person’s identity, including skill sets and abilities.
Don’t tie your identity into your career, as one day it will be gone and your identity will be as well.
If you have no relationships, then you have no business.
When men introduce themselves, the first thing they generally ask is, “What do you do?” Whereas, women often ask if someone is married and if they have children.
You must identify your ideals and things in life you want to accomplish. This includes goals and personal ideals.
We all have physical, emotional, and financial needs so Aaron offers a detailed plan to find out your needs.
Work is a tool to provide income but it is not your life. Family and friends are your life.
What Do You Want?
Most people don’t actually know what they want and live every day reactively rather than proactively.
You can’t live on purpose; you need to live intentionally so there is a need to establish goals and dreams.
Aaron’s discovery questions seem elementary until you try and answer questions such as, “If you were to wake up tomorrow morning and there were no limitations geographically or financially, what would you do with your life?”
A dream is something we think about but a goal has metrics and is measurable.
A lot of the time we miss opportunities in teaching children to participate in activities that have meaning for our lives.
Steps to a Productive Day
The third of Aaron’s documents that gives you a chance to practically apply the lessons learned.
This has 30 line items, and is a ‘to do list on steroids’ that maps out your entire day.
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The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic
Links to Resources Mentioned
View From the Top (Free documents)
Iron Sharpens Iron
Interview Connections
Entrepreneur Support Services
