In this episode, I talk to Preston Stigall. We talk about self-worth, physical well-being, designing better days, and so much more.
Preston (00:00):
The most simple hack for a dopamine kick in your brain, smile more so that you don't even have to say a nice thing, whether it be out loud or to yourself, like just start with the simple act of smiling more. And at first, it's a little bit uncomfortable. Like why am I smiling? And then it becomes addictive in the best way possible. There's no better addiction than something that serves humanity.
Schindler (00:23):
Welcome to doing the work. If you're okay with living a boring life with below average results, this is not your podcast. Go ahead and tune out now. But if you want to live an amazing life full of purpose, love, joy, abundance, and elite health and fitness. You've come to the right place. This podcast is for people who are ready to stop making excuses and start doing the work that creates a life that they love. I'm your host, eighth, and Schindler and airborne ranger turned social worker turned to strength. Coach turned entrepreneur. I've spent my entire life learning how to be uncommon among the uncommon. I found my purpose and empowered people to reach their full potential. And this podcast takes a deep dive into how to prioritize. What matters is that the work owns your life, maintains compassion and kindness, and risk failure while enjoying every moment along the way?
Schindler (01:14):
I talk to people who inspire me and share their gifts with me. This is my way of helping you find what sets you on fire and keeps the fire burning. Doing the work podcast is brought to you by striving for human optimization, training hard, recovering harder, check them out@wwwshobackdrop.com. All right, guys, I'm here with precedence to all. I am so excited to have you on the show, as I've told you many times, and I try to tell you as often as possible, you, your energy, the way that you show up for the world when I'm witnessing you with other people is just such an inspiration to me. And my hope, my hope is that we share some of that energy with the audience. I know that we will. So thank you so much for being on the show.
Preston (02:10):
Hey, thank you, brother. I don't mean to make this a complete love fest, but you inspire me. Thank you for having me today. Thank you for doing what you do at the gym. Only by God's grace, I got to this community in November and it's been an incredible ride and you're a huge part of that.
Schindler (02:28):
Yeah, and that's actually where I kind of thought I'd start. You are fairly new to the backdrop. Tell me about your story, about how you came here, how you ended up here, because such a gift to, to all of us who now have you in our community, but I'm still a little fuzzy on the details like how, how all that came about.
Preston’s Background
Preston (02:47):
Oh my gosh, how much time do you got as much as we need? So my story to get here is just one of those complete miracles where you look up and, and each morning I start my day with appreciation, wonder, humility and thankfulness just by how I got here. So there's a lot to dig into. But I'll start with the most simple kind of response to my career. So I sell heavy-duty truck parts, big rig trucks that pull the trailers. I got four states down here. New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana. This is new. A new segment of my career started in November. Before that, I was working for a different entity in my company, in the north-central United States. And in this territory, I just saw it open within a different entity of our company. So I took a leap of faith.
Preston (03:48):
I said, Hey, I'm living in the south city, St. Louis. I'm kind of stagnating. I want to take a leap of faith and go see what's up in Texas. So the story gets really crazy after the decision because I live in a tiny house up the road at bastard or at Arnold custom builders in Bastrop. So I made the decision to put in a request to switch into the company. It got approved shortly thereafter. So it was like, Hey, logistically, let's get down there. Anyways. I started looking online for a tiny house. I typed in a tiny house. It was either Texas or a tiny house, Corpus Christi, Texas, because at the time I had this idealistic, you know how our minds go. I was like, I'll pull a tiny house down to the beach in Corpus Christi, be in my territory, still be able to fly to some of the bigger cities where I work and just live on the beach with my dog.
Preston (04:45):
I, by God's grace, have no baggage. I don't have any kids. I don't have a girlfriend. I don't have a mortgage. I'm going to live on the beach. So anyway, looking forward to my eventual move, I was like, I'll go fly into Corpus Christi and grab a rental car and just take a peek, like, get the feeling to find out where I can put a tiny house. Anyways, I get down to Corpus Christi. This was about a year ago, around July. So I get to Corpus Christi and it's like with COVID and everything. It's like, there's RVs everywhere. So I pop into these RV places. I'm like, Hey, I see you got a lot of RVs. What about tiny houses or tiny house villages? And they looked at me like I was speaking hieroglyphs or like Chinese or some.
Preston (05:31):
So it was like one of those times where your stomach just completely drops out. Like everything you had envisioned as Mike Tyson says, you get hit in the mouth. Like all your plans, just go out the window. So I was like, I almost went to my rental car. I've never had an anxiety or panic attack in my life, but I almost had one there. Like my eyes started flickering a little bit, just feeling overwhelmed. I have this new entity career, if you will have, what am I going to do? Like, because everything I thought was lined up just completely at the bottom, fell out of it. I haven't told this story too many times, but I might be all over the place cause there's a lot. But before I went down to Corpus Christi, I had actually seen a tiny house that ended up being a bastard.
Preston (06:16):
So, I knew what tiny house I was going to be pulling. I thought I was going to pull it down in Corpus Christi. So anyway, I called the place Arnold custom builders, where I bought my tiny house for him, almost panic attack anxiety by calling him. I said, just seeking a lifeline. I'm like, Hey guys the tiny house that I'm interested in, blah. Like, is there anywhere locally in Bastrop where I can just stick it for a while to where I can figure out where I'm going to live. Like this is my territory, a hundred percent I'm going to be working. So is there anywhere, like, even if it's somebody who's like in their driveway in the back of their house or I can hook it up with plumbing and electricity anyway, she goes, you know, actually, if you can wait a few months or developing a tiny house village on site and it was like, the heavens just opened up. I said, oh my gosh, waiting a few months is actually perfect. I still don't have everything together on my end yet. And since that moment, that conversation has just fallen into place. Like so many different things. You strive for the Donald custom builders community. Like it's just been, it's humbling and it's baffling. How many things have fallen into place to make where I'm at right now in Bastrop? The most amazing thing that I could've never predicted.
Schindler (07:35):
Crazy how that happens. And you hear the cliche about, when one door closes another one opens or you hear other cliches about, well, when an opportunity, you know, I'm paraphrasing it, but when an opportunity goes away for you, it's because that, wasn't your, there's another one coming, that's actually your opportunity. And it's just crazy how that happens. Oh my God. Because like what a gift now, like thank goodness you didn't end up in for me selfishly. Thank goodness you didn't end up in Corpus Christi because I wouldn't be sitting here with you now and I wouldn't have been receiving all of the gifts that you give daily. So that's amazing.
Preston (08:17):
And again, not for a bro, just a fluff Fest, but it's crazy how it works too. As in like you think I'm giving you gifts. No, I think you're giving me gifts. How that just kind of upward spirals into the growth of like Stephen Covey and seven habits of highly effective people calls it, not a compromise where two people are given a little bit, but he calls it a third-grader option at like the top of the triangle. So it's so cool to be living out the apex of that triangle right now with all the great stuff that is bastard and, work being, having this new territory and being successful is just kind of a side effect of it. Like that was never, the goal was never, I'm a hundred percent focused on being the absolute career. Best salesman.
Preston (09:08):
That'll be my whole life. No, I came into it. I came into the movie with an open mind and a curious mind. I did just, as I said earlier, a complete leap of faith, like, with a new career community, like all that stuff and how everything is just lined up. Like it's like one thing affects everything. Like everything has just been kind of synergizing in just a miraculous way. So my response to that is to be appreciative and to be thankful. And, I start every single day with that and.
What do mornings look like for Preston?
Schindler (09:41):
Yeah. And I'm so glad you mentioned that because you mentioned how you start your day earlier and you mentioned it again. And you and I get to talk sometimes, like I know you're well-read, you're well-studied, you're a man of faith and so but we've actually never talked about what, what is your morning? Do you have a morning routine that's specifically structured and if so, what does that look like?
Preston (10:05):
Yeah. as we've been in one of our many bro outs, we discussed a common favorite book called the miracle morning. And oh my gosh, it's, it's so easy to read, but there's so much like dynamite just packed into such a little simple applicable book anyways. Monotony is the mother of all skills. Every single morning starts pretty much the exact same for me.
Schindler (10:29):
Mastery. That's what I always say is like you, when you can get really, really good at the basic stuff is when you become, you get closer to mastery. And so similar to what you just said.
Preston (10:41):
Yeah. So having a miracle morning for me starts the night before I, I wind down like an old man. I start winding down pretty early 5, 6, 7 wind down and prepare my stuff for the next day. Whether it be my tea, I have my coffee pods already loaded with the coffee grounds. I have my, well, my water with electrolytes already set up. And that's a big Jocko Willink. He's big on that. About the night before, have everything to make it to where you take your mind and emotions completely out of getting that routine kick-started. So my routine looks like I can't believe it's been this long in the podcast. I haven't mentioned wheezy. I got a seven-and-a-half-pound Chihuahua Yorkie mix. Who's my absolute best friend?
Schindler (11:31):
It's honestly one of them, the sweetest things that I witnessed is like your connection with wheezy. It's really special. I mean, that's like true love, obviously. I mean, which is so amazing to watch you guys together and you know, you've got this like the stud of a man this like this, and then, and then this little tiny sweet little dog and it doesn't, it seems like it doesn't seem like a match of when you look at it on paper, but it's the perfect match in actuality.
Preston (12:00):
Oh my gosh. Law of attraction and actuality he's 10. And I guess to backup a little bit on part of the huge reason why I wanted to move is that I was in the entity of my company that I was selling to in the north-central United States. I was having to travel, fly every single week. I had actually seven states in that of the company. I would be away from my dog three days every week. And that kind of takes a toll just because of a man's best friend. Like I don't mean to, I don't want to sound too corny whatever, but he's my best friend. He's a big part of my life. So now down here, even if it's sometimes like eight-hour trips driving to Oklahoma City, I get to take a little wheeze with me, every single trip virtually. And it's awesome. He has his little penthouse condo carry bag. He loves it. It's his safe place. He cuddles in there and he's just utterly at peace. And to see him at peace makes me have peace too. I don't know how you start.
Schindler (13:06):
Your day with him is that you brought him up because he was part of your morning routine or?
Preston (13:10):
I don't have to wake up with an alarm clock because he used to always cuddle with me and he would wake up every single morning between 04:30 and 05:30. So I cut that cord. He sleeps under the couches, underwater, either the couch or the spare bed, and a little tiny house. And I sleep up by myself in the loft. Anyways, I wake up between 04:30 and 05:30 every single morning, just cause he kinda ingrained that enemy, but I will get up. I'll turn up the thermostat. Cause it was blasting down at 63 with the fan on every morning or every night before I go to bed. So I'll turn that up. So it cools the tie. So it warms back up a tiny little bit. I open the tiny window. I can hear the birds chirping.
Preston (14:00):
It's so that getting some nature and backing just a little bit up there and all the Arnold custom builders, the tiny house village it's about 200, 200 yards off the highway, back down the hill next to a pond and just like the most unbelievable serene nature setting. I love immersing myself immediately when I wake up to the birds and everything. So I go out and walk wheezy. Before I walk him, actually I put, I already have the cup of water, whatever you call them, what's the Pyrex thing? What's that called?
Schindler (14:41):
Then, what you're talking about. You're like boiling water.
Preston (14:44):
You put water in it. What is that called?
Schindler (14:46):
The French press. Is it a French press?
Preston (14:49):
The thing you heat up the water in what that called? It's a little pirate with a handle on it. Four cups, I don't know. Anyways, a measuring cup. So I put it on before I take a wheezy yet I put on the measuring cup full of water to boil while I'm out walking him. I walk with him to get my mind, right? Listen to the birds. I'm thinking about holy crap. I have another day on this earth like just utterly baffled and appreciative and proud, said gratitude appreciation is, is a part of that. The gratitude starts as soon as I wake up, hit the ground, walking, not running in the morning, but it had a nice, easy pace out walking wheezy. Anyways, I come back inside for the measuring cup full of boiling water, into my tea, and start brewing tea. What kind of tea?
Preston (15:41):
Just, oh my gosh, I love Jocko white pomegranate tea. And I also do green tea and I do coffee, fruit tea, which coffee? Fruit tea. It's not coffee at all. It's the fruit from the coffee plant anyways. It's a little bit fruity, not too much caffeine. I like to start my day at a nice, easy pace. So by the time I get back into the water's world, put on, put on the coffee to excuse me, put on the tea to start brewing. I open up my journal and start journaling and it's not necessarily, I don't necessarily appreciate journal day, but like inherently just the fact that you can see, you can blink your heart's beating. You can hear the birds implicitly yet just built-in right. It's gratitude and practice. But my journaling practice starts with where am I? Not exactly that, but thought of like where am I?
Preston (16:42):
What's the current status of my life? How the hell did I get here? Where am I going? And you know, I'll depending on what you have going on in your life, there's obviously things to ride out. But I journal about holy cows, sometimes five pages of journaling, just, wow. Yeah, that's awesome. But sometimes only five sentences, so I'm pretty abstract, right? Minded in that regard too, Hey, whatever, whatever I feel like is going to cover the basis for that day, I'll do as much or as little as I need. Yeah. So I'll journal. And after that, by that time, the tea is already infused with all that yummy white tea pomegranate or whatever, the green tea. And I'll drink my tea in eighth, and I'll just sit there, after I'm done journaling and just take it in, like, just reflect and yeah. That's, and that's helped me to have at four 30 or five 30 to have such a huge chunk in the day to where you leave room for that time. So a lot of times, I have enough room left where I can just sit and bask. And since I started with appreciation already, anxieties or anything negative is not even in the picture, just because it's like genuine vibes, vibrating internally of appreciation and counting my blessings.
Schindler (18:11):
Yeah. I just want for the audience that knows you and is listening to this, they get what I'm about to say, but for those of you who don't get, what I'm about to say is you know, people who experience Preston, like in his actual life, you know, the high energy, the high vibration that you, that you give all the time, you know, I'm sure. And in fact, I've probably been part of some conversations. It's like, how is this guy so positive all of the time? Like, how is his energy so good? And, and so I want people to not bypass what we just talked about. This is part of his practice that he does every single morning, every single day to ensure that he is engaging in his day and in his life with the right mindset, with the right energy and with the right focus.
Good Days = Good Life!
Schindler (19:06):
So don't skip past that. And I have a similar one. I deeply appreciate it because I read the same book you read, and then I adapted it to work for me. And so I deeply appreciate morning practice, and I'm always trying to coach people towards that. You know, I constantly get people saying, well, I'm not a morning person. I'll look them in the eye and say, that's a choice. What time you wake up every day is a choice. And certainly, you may not be in the habit of it right now, but you can, you just need to adjust a couple of things. And I promise you that you, when you start your day, quote, unquote, right, whatever right. Means for you, you will have more good days. And when you have more good days, you have a good life. And when you have a good life, you know, that's what it's really.
Preston (19:54):
And baby. And I'll take you back off what you just said. Our boy, Hal Elrod, Hal Elrod, who wrote.
Schindler (19:59):
The book. Yeah.
Preston (20:00):
He, one of his big things and it's like simple, but it's like, I never thought of it. Like, this doesn't matter if you take five extra minutes each morning or two and a half extra hours, it's like the free time that is just an extra bonus in your life. Because yeah, pure enhancement. Exactly. So it's just like a bonus. But I guess I was kind of going off on tangents to simplify your answer to how my morning starts with a walk, wheezy tea journal. Then I go into my life as a man of faith. And more specifically on the followers of Christ. Tony Dungy wrote this daily devotional book, 365, obviously, it's called the uncommon daily challenge. I do that every day that's after I and since there's a Bible verse as his devotion, he has a few paragraphs about how, how that applies in real-time. But I actually, the Bible, it's so important to make sure you understand the context. Because as Pastor Jeremy, from a north point in Springfield, Missouri, says, if you don't understand the context, then the text becomes a con. So I read the entire chapter of whatever verse is in my devotional.
Schindler (21:18):
More people need to do that by the way, not to cut you off, but so many people will read a quote, they'll use a quote, they'll say, it's their quote pulled out of not that it doesn't still have value in isolation, right? You get to choose if each sentence has its own value. However, it does help too, you know, sometimes quotes are pulled out of things. They pull them completely out of context for what the bigger picture was. I'm glad that you do that, which that's a strong perspective and approach.
Preston (21:47):
Yeah. Cause taken out of context, something can not only mean kind of some different, oftentimes it can mean completely the opposite, not referring to anything biblical, but just in today's day and age with the editing and the quoting and the headlines, it can become damaging if you don't look at the broad full spectrum.
The Daily Practice
Schindler (22:06):
Spectrum. Totally agree. So I cut you off though, but you, but that was part of your devotion and your journaling was kind of reusing that book, right?
Preston (22:14):
Yeah, absolutely. Tony Dungy is an uncommon daily challenge. Anyways, after that I do a little devotional stack kind of, I have another day, the, from your boy Ryan holiday called the daily stoic. I do that every single day.
Schindler (22:31):
That I'm now on my second time through it. She's awesome. Yeah.
Preston (22:37):
What I love about Tony Dungy is devotional and Ryan Holiday's devotional daily is that they aren't acting like they come up with any of this stuff. Tony Dungy is pointing to the apostles to people who wrote the Bible to God. Ryan Holiday is pointing to the Stoics like we can, we have the luxury of, for free or for the very little cost of standing on the shoulders of giants of people who have already figured out stuff long before us. So I just try to piggyback off their wisdom to start every single day.
Schindler (23:13):
I love that. You and I have had conversations about that. It's just like how much free wisdom is out there. So not just so, especially in terms of like ancient wisdom but also, you know, more modern interpretations or more texts, and it's just all out there for free, and this is an unprecedented time. And if you're not in, as a part of your day, trying to absorb some of that or understand some of it I really feel like you're missing out on something.
Preston (23:43):
A hundred per cent on this and now yeah. Because to know that we have virtually in reference to what has already been done to just have the humility to know, and to just know, Hey, we don't have this figured out, but there are sources that you can tap into to figure out and adapt that to your personal situation. Like it's timeless wisdom, but there are wise people these days, and then you within yourself can figure out how to apply that timeless wisdom to your daily practice, to your daily life. What's going on with your career? What's going on with your relationships? Because I heard it said that they're not there, nobody's manufacturing antiques, like antiques, like this stuff was already created.
Schindler (24:34):
So, yeah. And I think that it's a belief that I have that, and you know, this is, I would say it's a hypothesis, but I believe that all the answers that, we do know, or at least have access to the answers within ourselves, by whether that be tapping into a higher power to God universe, whatever people call it you know, or just with our own seeking and witnessing of information, the answers are all there. I think the problem still goes back to what your time is, not enough people take time to to be still, to be silent, to reflect the everyone's looking, everyone's looking out here or wanting someone to just give them the answer rather than being with themselves, taking the time to like really reflect. And like you said, going through the process of whether it be, you know, your own affirmations or your own meditation or your journaling, and just the answers are there. You just gotta be engaged in a process that pulls them out.
Ryan Holiday’s Work
Preston (25:48):
Amen, brother. And we were talking about Ryan holiday. One of his books is stillness is the key.
Schindler (25:54):
Well, that book I'm on for the second time. I'm listening to it at this time.
Preston (25:58):
Yeah. And I read it a couple of years ago and when I was reading it, it really struck a chord with me. Because it already, it enhanced my morning routine that I kinda already had going, like our morning routine. My morning routine is constantly evolving. It's not like, Hey, I have to have this because I don't get attached to that. If you pick up things, if you're not changing, you're not growing. But when I hear it, stillness is the key. I was living with a roommate at the time and I said Josh, unbelievable book. And I've really started incorporating this practice of not having to do this or not reading this each morning, but just being still for a little bit like that. I've found out so much about myself and I've gotten more confidence about what's going on and where I'm headed. And anyway, I said that to Josh and I'll never forget the big look in his eyes. He goes, dude, that scares the hell out of me.
Schindler (26:55):
Yeah. Because people can't be with them. So, I think that people, and I'm 100% guilty of this myself, that I busy myself with tasks and things to do and projects because I don't want to be with myself. You know, I'm afraid of taking a look at who I really am and like having to deal with that. And so I just get distracted. I know I'm getting better at it. I'm trying. But the truth is, if I'm being honest, that a lot of the things that I do all the time were one built-in to me trying to prove to the world, my worth and my value because I didn't feel valuable and I didn't feel worthy. And the opposite of that is, I didn't want to deal with who I really was. And so, I think what an honest and vulnerable thing that he said to you by saying that terrifies me because it's real. Yeah.
Preston (27:54):
And another part of it is it's not flashy. You can't make a post about it. Hey guys, Hey, everyone. I spent 15 minutes this morning doing absolutely nothing. Listening to the birds and glancing over at my little Chihuahua Yorkie, every five or whatever minutes, it that's not glorified. And it's not flashy and, but the reward is priceless. Because ed may let the awesome guy on awesome entrepreneur anyways, he said, in his opinion, the best way to build confidence is keeping promises to yourself anyways, that meditation time. And there's the other side of it. You can think about all the promises that you have kept to yourself and that builds confidence, or you think about how you've fallen short of the promises that you were going to make, but powerfully in silence and stillness, you can map out a roadmap for that day, that week, that month, or even for the rest of your life, Hey, this is what I intend on doing. And then once you start living up to those promises that you commit to in the stillness, holy cow, you build confidence, momentum, and you spiral upwards, and it just feels, feels good. And confidence breeds confidence.
Schindler (29:15):
A hundred per cent. And one of the things that you sent me that podcast with ed my left the other day yesterday, and I listened to it. And one of the things that coaches what's his name? Stevo, Dabo, Swinney. Fabulous. I messed up his name, Dabo Swinney, but he says, we're going to squeeze you up and, and like doing things like that. It's going to squeeze, it's going to be uncomfortable, but I'm squeezing you up like inner to the inner tube of toothpaste. I'd never heard that.
Preston (29:41):
Yeah.
Role of Fitness
Schindler (29:42):
Yeah. It was so good. But I also know that a part of your routine or your practice is, exercise, physical fitness whatever training how does that play into, you know, you being at your best, or like, what does that for you? Where was that born? What is your, what is your fitness? How does it all play out? Okay.
Preston (30:06):
So fitness is a huge part of my life. Not necessarily CrossFit or not yoga or not running just the overall kind of general fitness, Hey guys, I'm not attached to any label as far as CrossFit or anything else goes, but just, if we keep moving like I don't need to get into all the white papers on biology and neurochemistry and all that stuff. But when you, when you get moving for the day it builds confidence. It gets all those juices and those neurons and those synapses firing anyways. So, that's my long way of saying fitness and movement is a huge part of my life. I don't necessarily do it in the morning just because I'm the number one huge priority of every single morning is to get my mind and my soul. So I guess to kind of put a bow on my miracle morning, summarized my miracle morning is I want to fill up overflowing. So that throughout the day, those, the rest of the 24 hours, I'm awake the 12 hours that I'm awake since I'm already overflowing. Because in the morning I can pour out genuinely.
Schindler (31:14):
I love that. I don't think enough people go through their days. There, oftentimes they go through thinking about what can I take? What can I give, what can I receive, me, and rather than thinking, what can I give? How can I pour out like that? Which is huge. Another thing that you said, and I remember what I was going to say earlier, but it goes in line with what you were saying about your fitness and what you were saying earlier. And what I interpreted was really about purpose. Like when you said whatever you're trying to achieve, or you were talking about that are your promises to yourself. We'll use that. And what I was hearing while you were saying that my promises to myself are, are achieving my purpose.
Self-Worth and Physical Well-Being
Schindler (32:02):
Do you know? And I feel like that gives you flow when you know your purpose and you can, purpose is not necessarily issued to you at birth. It's created by you. You get to choose what you, what you want your purpose in life to be. But when you, when you know it, when you're clear on it and you attach to it gives you flexibility. There’s a lot of different ways to achieve that purpose daily. And so then you're living up to the promises to yourself because, and, but then with your fitness, when you tie your fitness into your purpose, like how does this help me to be better at what my purpose is? And you don't get so locked into, well, what does that have to do with my body fat percentage? Or what does that have to do with how much weight I lift, you know? And so then it gives you, it gives you a healthy place to, to wrap your fitness. Cause you're 100%, of course, I own gyms. I've been a strength coach for a long time. I, 100% believe that your physical wellbeing is deeply connected to self-worth, but your ability, to live up to your purpose in this world.
Preston (33:11):
A hundred per cent, because it gives you the vitality that you need to be able to live that purpose, that you've.
Schindler (33:17):
It's your vessel. You know, it's like a car in some ways, right? Like if you're, if you're headed somewhere on a trip, in a car, on a journey, right. In a car and that car rattling and the tires kind of low, and it keeps breaking down along the way, when, you know, you're, it's going to be hard to get to that. It's going to be hard to enjoy that journey and to participate. And your body is that vessel. It's that vehicle of getting you toward that purpose and on the way.
Preston (33:49):
That's a perfect metaphor for Stephen Covey and his seven habits. So there's a product, which is us or any product, but anyway, there's PC, which is production capability. And keeping that shot that saw sharpened is important so that you can be able to give if that's your mission. So you can give people a hundred percent because the best favour you can do to humanity is first and foremost be the best you can be.
Schindler (34:18):
Absolutely. yeah, you are the gift and you don't want to give a crappy gift to the world. Amen. You want to give a great gift to the world.
Preston (34:29):
And of course, there's part of the confidence and maybe some vanity of working out is your, your self-perception. A lot of that is tied to how you not only feel, but how you look in the mirror-like it's tangible. You can see your body change when you know, you're, keeping it oiled up, keeping those tires aired up, just like your car. Now it's a pain. That's your baby.
Schindler (34:57):
Okay. I have something that you do that I've always wanted to ask you about, and maybe you don't even think much about it, but I've witnessed you do it several times. And so I wanted to ask you about it. You'll be sitting in the gym, oftentimes it's after a workout and everybody's saying their goodbyes and, you know, headed, headed out of the gym. You're usually kind of you're getting wheezy and his thing, everything, and someone will leave and you'll yell across the gym. You'll be like, last time I saw you, it was Joshua, Joshua, I love you. And, then you'll go. And then if he says love you too, or something like that, you'll whisper to yourself, you'll say, yes. I'm curious, is that what is that for you? Is that a thing that you like, do you do that innately? Or is that something that you like to do purposely?
Giving, Accepting, and Receiving Love
Preston (35:49):
Wow, good question. I've never been asked. Why? Because a lot of people know that I say, I love you too. A lot of people, which is
Schindler (35:58):
Not enough people say it. And I appreciate that,
Preston (36:00):
But that's cool that you ask why that's fantastic. This is in real-time. So I'm thinking about, I want to be precise in my speech. First and foremost, the easiest response and the most genuine response is why do you say that? Because I love this gift of life so much. I'm starting my day off with a miracle morning. It pumps me the heck up. I am stoked to not only go out and just do random stuff to like, say hi to people at Walmart or whatever, but like, I have the privilege and the physical ability to be able to get, to go to strive gym in Bastrop, Texas, like what an honour and a privilege. I'm not saying that to fluff you up, but just going through those doors, pumps me up. Like people communicating, getting fit, like helping themselves, and then, in turn, help others, like that genuinely pumps me the heck up so much that, I can't even describe it right now, but I try to live it out and the least I can do after I'm after we've worked out or after I've spoken to somebody, the least I can do is show them that favour to say, Hey, you're an awesome human being.
Preston (37:22):
I love you because they've given me so much already. It's just my way of doing them, the courtesy of saying, Hey, I appreciate it. And I wish you well, and I love you, and I can't wait to see you again.
Schindler (37:38):
That's awesome. And I'm so glad that you do that because you know, coming to a gym, especially for new people who maybe are just getting started on their journey, or they've been away from their journey for a while. And they're trying to come back to fitness and come back to health, having such a well, it's so important to me as the owner to have that welcoming environment, that people feel safe and they feel welcomed and they feel supported. And to have people buy into that and to create that culture, and to take ownership of themselves. It's not like I told you, Hey, Preston, I need you to make sure you do not ever tell you that. Yeah. You know you take full ownership of that. And I think those are the kinds of people we draw in. Amen. Oh, it's like a magnet. Have you, has this been one thing that I wonder, have you always had this kind of energy, have you always had this perspective on life or was this something that you've learned as an adult.
Preston (38:36):
I've always been curious about it. Did you grow up in a home? That was very much like this or, or what's the source? Excellent question. I'll circle back to that. But I wanted to put a bow on part of your question before was why do you go? Yes. Oh yeah. I want to hear that. So like I have an interesting sense of humour, love and Napoleon dynamite. So when Kip says that's part of it and another part of it, Ethan is because between 30 and 40%, I get the, I love you back. So it's celebrating those little victories when I get an, I love you back. It's not that I don't like the people from whom I don't get it. It's not that I don't think they love me back, but it's just an extra little treat when you can hear it verbally audibly and then see their smile.
Preston (39:23):
Like you have a smile on your face right now that pumps me up even more. So yes, let's go with these points. Extra, extra energy points. Yes. okay. So how did I get this way? And it has been this way for a long time. My parents, my goodness, like to bless them. They've been married for 26 years. I was raised to follow Christ, not to be attached to any religion but to seek truth and to use that incredible book that is the Bible as a roadmap and a game plan. So abundant, joy and love have really been ingrained in me. I'm from a town of 6,000 in Mountain Grove, Missouri, it's near Springfield. My brother and I were really, really close growing up. Lots of love in my family. But as far as what's kind of ramped it up recently in my life is just as I've grown.
Learning about the world from Buddha
Preston (40:22):
The Buddha says life is suffering. The world is suffering. And my little insular self in mountain Grove, Missouri, I wasn't too much exposed to like, you know, it ain't all leave it to beaver Preston. Like, and as I've, I had seven states in the north-central United States, I've moved down here to more states and I've listened to podcasts, documentaries, and just really expanded the spectrum of, of the world around me. It has really solidified and concreted how blessed this life is like Preston. You have a lot to be grateful for as a young man. The very least you can do is put a smile on your face and go pump others. The heck up as you're, as you've been pumped up like David nurse wrote a book called pivot and go anyways, he has a, I highly recommend, it's a simple book. It's got 29 steps in it.
Preston (41:17):
And you break down the steps by day, a really cool book. Anyways, in one of his quotes, he said to speak life into others and you'll have life spoken into you. So it's almost an enlightened self-interest of like, Hey, if I help them like they don't even have them not knowing it. That's helping me. So these days with awareness of all I've been given and in turn, the unfortunate suffering in the world that by God's grace, I don't have to partake in. It makes me so excited and appreciative to be alive and healthy and be able to be active and go and go encourage others.
Schindler (41:57):
I love that. And so it sounds like this is just like, who you are. This is like how, this is kind of a fortunate way of being and yeah, suffering. I always have trouble with this, I hear that quote about the Buddha all the time. And I struggle with it a little bit. I'm not saying it's not true. I don't know.
Preston (42:27):
Yeah. Can I put a caveat on it? Sure. it's interesting as to whether the Bible or any other ancient texts, translation is so interesting because is this really translated exactly how that person meant it because you can't translate intention. Right? Our buddy is somebody we equally respect. Jordan Peterson says, another way that can be translated as life is constant dissatisfaction, which you can compare that to. If you sit on the floor for three minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes, there's going to be pain. Like if you don't move, there's gonna be a pain. So unbearable that you have to move, you have to adjust. So that kind of suffering is also what Jordan Peterson is.
Schindler (43:13):
Yeah. And that's where I get that part because of the tree, and maybe I just choose the way that I choose to see things with my military background and my childhood and the things that I've experienced in life. I like to think, you know, life is hard and life is challenging. But suffering is a choice. And that's the part of that thing that I, you know, one of the things, I think one of the reasons that I excelled in my military career and have excelled in the military career, because as things started to suck, the more the things sucked, the more I just chose to love it. You know, the more I just said, this is what I wanted. This is what I asked for. This is what I got. I can either choose to be a victim. I can say, this is happening to me. I can say this is happening for me, and I can choose how I want to feel about it, you know? And so that's the part about it, it's just the word suffering. Maybe I just need to understand the word suffering a little more. I don't know.
Preston (44:23):
Yeah. So that translation of the exact same thing the Buddha said, but translated into life is dissatisfaction in which our responses to it produce suffering. So I'm with you.
Life Is Uncomfortable
Schindler (44:38):
Yeah. Life is uncomfortable. Yeah. Life is uncomfortable. That's where growth is. That's where growth happens. Yeah. I watched this. I'm a basketball coach with whom I'm not familiar. I'm not a huge NBA fan, but he had these great quotes. And now I'm going to, I want to go learn more about him, but one of the things is saying that everything you want is just on the other side of hard, you know? Yeah. I love that quote. Okay. Well I want to, we could talk for hours obviously, and we're probably gonna have to do parts 2, 3, 4, and five of these conversations. But what I want to do is, wrap this segment up with someone listening right now. Who's, who's trying to figure out their life. Maybe they're struggling with life, whether it be with, with peace or whether it be with stillness or maybe be with their fitness what might you, what recommendation might you say, give to somebody how to kind of get started on the path to just, just get started, just like step one too, to a happier way of being, I don't know, another way to say.
Preston (45:47):
No, I'm with you. So I got three things. So I got this from Lewis' house. He asks, and has his podcasts called the school of greatness.
Schindler (45:58):
A great podcast. I listened to it as well,
Preston (46:00):
So we can recommend that to everybody. Oh my gosh, it's good. Anyways, in the end, he asked every person, you know, what are your three truths? Like if you had to leave your books, podcasts, everything behind, but you had a piece of paper and you had three truths. You can only put three, write them down on a piece of paper. I thought about that. I thought about it for many years. Just obsessed with it. Like if I ever got a chance to say my three truths what is it? And I thought, no, I'll never even be on a podcast.
Schindler (46:29):
Here's your chance.
Preston (46:32):
But it's something that I include in my journals. And it's something that is tattooed in my brain as of right now, and my three truths for Preston Douglas to go in his life right now in Bastrop, Texas is seeking truth, leave a profit and smile more. And part of seeking the truth is first and foremost, go listen to the Lewis Howes podcast. Second, whatever, like as long as you seek the truth on a daily basis for you and me, it starts in the morning with who you are and what you want to be one fold, like, just keep seeking, seek truth, baby. I ain't going to shove the Bible or anything like that down anybody's throat. Hey, just with humility, go seek the truth. You'll figure it out. You're an awesome human being. Whoever you are will be revealed to you. Exactly. Leave a prophet. Oh my gosh.
Don’t Forget to Smile
Preston (47:22):
I'm going back to our morning ritual, filling up, taking the first two to three hours every single day to fill up the rest of the day. I want to pour out, leaving a profit, whether that means with a word of encouragement, whether that means a bigger tip to, to the local server at the restaurant, whatever you do, leave a profit. Well, if you see a piece of trash, pick it up, leave a place better than I found it. I can go on and on about the countless ways, minute by minute and day by day interaction by the interaction that we can leave a profit. And third is to smile. More showing those teeth it's going to make you feel better. It's as simple as that smile more, and crazy.
Schindler (48:07):
I see how I do. I practice this sometimes when I'm having a bad day in particular. And if I'm walking around, if I'm around people I will make myself smile. Even though I'm not feeling it on the inside. In the beginning, I will go out of my way to smile at people who are passing by. I might even wish for them. I might even say in my head, not out loud, but I love you. Or I hope you have a good day. I'll say something positive in my mind to them and how that changes your whole spirit, how it changes, you know? So I love that. It's a simple thing that can really change your whole life in a smile.
Preston (48:44):
It's like a hack, the most simple hack to, for a dopamine kick in your brain, smile more that you don't even have to say a nice thing, whether it be out loud or to yourself, like just start with the simple act of smiling more. And at first, it's a little bit uncomfortable. Like, why am I smiling? And then it becomes addictive in the best way possible. There's no better addiction than something that serves humanity. You smile at some, maybe this person has never had, has not had somebody smile at them all week. The least you can do.
Schindler (49:17):
That's awesome. Well, I think it's such a beautiful way to wrap up today's show. I'm so grateful for you for being here. I mean, I'm going to listen to this over and over again, because you just said so many powerful things about how you live your life. And so thank you for sharing that wisdom and that knowledge and those gifts with art, with our audience. And I love you, man. I appreciate you.
Preston (49:41):
God bless you, brother. I love you too. And forgive me. I'm sure I got a little bit wordy and stumbled all over a lot of stuff. Hey, my inaugural podcast in my life with somebody I hold. So dear Adrian, thank you and keep doing what you're doing. And I look forward to having as much a part of it as this life experience with you, as God will allow.
Schindler (50:00):
You get to walk this path for a very long time. Thanks, brother. Have a go and take care.
Schindler (50:07):
I'm so grateful that you joined us for this episode of doing the work podcast, providing you with value is why I do this. And I hope you got something out of this episode that you can put into action in your life. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please share this episode with your friends and family who are looking to level up in life. Sign up for our email list at www.doingwork podcast.com to receive special offers and discounts from our sponsors. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, and anywhere podcasts are hosted. Thanks again for joining the, doing the work podcast and we'll see you on the next episode.
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