RESOURCES
- Buy the book “Sustainable Excellence” on Amazon
- Visit Terry Tucker’s website motivationalcheck.com
- Visit Terry Tucker on YouTube
- Visit Terry Tucker on FaceBook
- Visit Terry Tucker on Twitter
- Visit Terry Tucker on LinkedIn
- Visit Terry Tucker on Instagram
- Watch this episode on YouTube
- Listen to this episode on iTunes
About Terry Tucker:
Terry Tucker is is author of the book Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life. He’s a sought after speaker who uses the power of real life stories to motivate, inspire, and encourage others. He went from being an NCAA Division 1 Basketball player to SWAT Team hostage negotiator, to cancer warrior. His cancer eventually led to amputation of his foot in 2018 and then leg in 2020. Yet somehow he embraces the pain and difficulty and uses it to become stronger and more determined. He’s appeared on literally hundreds of podcasts. I believe the way I can help you the most is by convincing you to subscribe to his YouTube channel @sustainableexcellence and take in his weekly inspirational. You’ve heard of daily devotionals… Terry delivers weekly “Inspirationals”. They are about 5 minutes long and typically consist of a real life story of someone who did something great.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro Snip
00:54 Dr. Haley Show Introduction
01:31 Introduce Terry Tucker
03:28 Podcast Beginning
04:28 Terry’s Cancer Update and drug trial description
06:40 Why Terry participates in a drug trial
08:20 Cancer isolates us
10:10 Do your friends treat you differently because you have cancer?
11:45 Being comfortable in the uncomfortable and embrace the suck
13:05 What is a PET Scan?
14:28 What are the rules to clinical studies? Can you do other treatments?
19:33 The three approaches to treating cancer are medical, natural, and integrative
20:42 Where does Terry Tucker get his knowledge and biblical principles from?
23:02 What does the title of your book mean “Sustainable Excellence – Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life”
27:00 Ed Mylett’s 4 types of people: unmotivated, motivated, inspirational, and aspirational
28:49 What about selfishness verse selflessness and how it relates to your overall wellness? The Mr. Rodgers story.
29:50 Are you born empty or full?
32:58 How do you reprogram your brain? What techniques do you use to change the direction of your thoughts?
36:07 33% of the country hits the snooze button 3 times before getting out of bed
36:35 The rule of 100 – if you spend 18 minutes a day doing something…
39:08 What is meant by “when you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in a way that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice”. (Native American Blackfoot Proverb)
40:33 “Band of Brothers” mini series that followed the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment during WW2 George Luz had about 1900 people show up at his funeral because of how he lived his life
41:34 The hospice nurse that gave him the book “Imagine Heaven” about near death experiences
44:33 How Terry influenced a nurse but would have never known how something he did changed her life
46:24 Tell us about the book “Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life”
TRANSCRIPT
Mike I see so many people that think they’re born empty and that whenever they get into life they get out of school and they get into life whatever that looks like for them That then their job they feel is to fill their empty self up I’ve gotta have the the greatest education and drive the nicest car and make the most money and have the latest gizmos and and gadgets…And somehow that’s going to make me happy That’s gonna make me fulfilled. And what I found is it’s just the opposite. We’re not born empty. We’re born full with everything we need to be successful…However you define that word in your life already inside us And so our job should not be to fill ourselves up. Our job should be to empty ourselves out with our unique gifts and talents…certainly for the betterment of ourselves, but also for the betterment of our families…of our friends of our communities of our countries
You are listening to the Dr. Haley Show the podcast dedicated to helping you optimize your health. Each episode, there will be an interview or a message to help you discover better health. We will be featuring health radicals on the show to bring new ideas to the table as well as doubling down on key fundamentals to support you living your best life. Your host is no other than the founder of Haley Nutrition, Dr. Michael Haley.
I’m Dr. Michael Haley and this is the Dr. Haley Show Podcast. My guest today is Terry Tucker. He is is author of the book Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life. He’s a sought after speaker who uses the power of real life stories to motivate, inspire, and encourage others.
He went from being an NCAA Division 1 Basketball player to SWAT Team hostage negotiator, to cancer warrior. His cancer eventuall led to amputation of his foot in 2018 and then leg in 2020. Yet somehow he embraces the pain and difficulty and uses it to become stronger and more determined. He’s appeared on literally hundreds of podcasts. This is one of the good ones – very inspiring. I believe the way I can help you the most is by convincing you to subscribe to his YouTube channel @sustainableexcellence and take in his weekly inspirational. You’ve heard of daily devotionals… Terry delivers weekly “Inspirationals”. They are about 5 minutes long and typically consist of a real life story of someone who did something great. You might want to pause and subscribe now, and then comeback and take in this podcast. I’ll have a link in the “RESORCES” section below the video and below the podcast
Early in the podcast we talk a lot about Terry’s cancer. That is NOT what this podcast is about! But it sets the stage for who he is and well demonstrates the principles he shares.
Enjoy
I gotta say I’m pretty impressed with you You’ve created a ton of content from what I see you’re completely underrated, and we need to change that. Well thank you I do this because I need to have a purpose, when I’m not in cancer treatment. And it’s never been about, getting known or making money or doing any of that I mean whatever comes comes I’ve always said I’ve I’ve probably been on seven hundred podcasts and I don’t think I’ve ever been on one that I shouldn’t have been on I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing So…Yeah Yeah. it’s interesting too because my audience is largely gonna be able to relate to you a lot of them have had cancer at one time or currently fighting it, and a lot of them have taken different routes I’m curious I and I hope it’s…Okay To ask some of the questions you seem like the kind of guy that can answer anything Yeah Sure. where are you at right now in your cancer treatment And how’s it going how have things change over the past couple years? So in a lot of ways I’m lucky And and I always say I’ve been trying to die of cancer for the last twelve years and haven’t been very successful at it So, I do poke fun at my disease and my treatment a lot I use humor a lot. I am on a clinical trial drug now that does nothing to the cancer but and you probably know this But the way cancer proliferates in the body is it secrets an enzyme or a protein that hides itself from your immune system. And what this drug does is go in and remove that protein and that enzyme so that my own immune system just like if you have a cold virus or a flu virus can say hey wait a minute this doesn’t belong here. We’ve got to attack it So it’s actually my own body…that is keeping me stable and it’s a trial drug So it’s not available to the general public at this point in time I’ve been on it for three years The trial ended…almost two years ago…It got fast tracked from what my study coordinator told me for and I don’t remember if it’s ovarian or cervical cancer One of those two So the FDA is fast tracking it to treat that but not melanoma…which is what I have, but it works for me And everybody else who was on the trial at the University of Colorado with me unfortunately has passed away. And I’m kind of the last person standing so I’ve been doing this for the last three years it’s a very intensive treatment I go to the hospital every three weeks. Every day for a week and I’m there for like seven hours and I get treated with this drug and then I have a reaction…and I do that three week cycle and I’ve been doing it for three years now. And that was one of the downsides of the trial. Is that it’s too labor intensive It’s not like you go once a month and get an infusion and you’re done No You go every single day for six or seven hours…and then you get two weeks off and then you do it again and then you do it again And then people are like I’m not doing that It’s too labor intensive. Well I’m brain damaged enough that I do do that So…Well tell me the why behind it though because I’ve heard say it on another video why you chose to do this trial? Because it’s more than likely it’s not gonna save my life I mean sooner or later this probably isn’t going to work anymore, but one of the things I learned I you can’t tell this from looking at me but I’m six foot eight inches tall And I went to college on a basketball scholarship. And so I started playing team sports when I was like nine. And played all the way up until I graduated when I was twenty one. And one of the things that team sports taught me was the importance of being part of something thats bigger than yourself. you realize on a team that if you don’t do your job not only do you let yourself down but you let your teammate down your coaches down your fans down etcetera. And if you think about it the biggest team game that we all play is this game of life So the way I look at this trial is maybe it won’t save my life, but maybe five years from now ten years from now based on all of the blood tests and the scans and everything that the doctors are doing on me they can use that information. So maybe somewhere down the road it does save someone’s life And they can be with their family longer and things like that So it’s I look at it as it’s helping me now Absolutely. But I also look at it as it’s something bigger than me as well. Yeah And perspective…wow That’s amazing. if more people were like you what a world this place would be? I love it I guess I’ve just been lucky I mean I’m very fortunate in my life I was raised by great parents I have a great family it’s just the way I look at it I realize a lot of people don’t and I see that I mean when you’re sick it tends to be it’s it’s all about me look at look at me This is terrible and and and one thing I think cancer does is it isolates us… I think it isolates us from our friends initially and then our family. And then if you have it long enough it isolates you from yourself I mean who are you What I mean are is your whole identity I mean I’ve been doing this for twelve years…and I had a nurse ask me I had treatment last week She said, are you your cancer? I said no. No This is this is part of me I would say but I am not cancer Cancer doesn’t dictate my life or who I am or what I do…How much of that isolation have you experienced…A lot. I mean especially since COVID I mean, I have melanoma tumors in my lungs So during COVID it was literally we hunker down I mean I didn’t leave the house except to go for treatment to the hospital. I had my leg amputated in the middle of the COVID pandemic I will never forget that that it was a doctor had to get special permission because surgeries were all shut down unless it was an absolute emergency. And his argument was well his tumor has broken his leg I can’t set it It’s not gonna heal. we need to take his leg off So we had to get special permission that the morning of the surgery, my wife literally dropped me off at the hospital there was a nurse waiting for me with the wheelchair, put me in a wheelchair wheel me back to the pre op room which is this big cavernous room with that’s divided into like thirty different bays where it’s supposed to be pre prepping people for all kinds of surgery and I was the only person in that room. And I was supposed to be in the hospital for ten days to two weeks. They sent me home after having my leg amputated after forty eight hours because of COVID. Wow. Wow. Yeah. No But when you interact with your friends now COVID’s gone and passed. Do you feel like they’re always thinking…oh I have to dance around what I talk about because Terry has cancer or do they maybe…does it not seem that way so much with you I mean it doesn’t And and I think part of it is is how I handle it how I present myself…And like I say I use humor I’m I’m self deprecating I make jokes hey I gotta go buy shoes I’m glad they’re half off because they only have one I mean I do try to make jokes about it and I think that puts people at ease and it but I mean you make a great point I mean there were people when I got cancer that I was a hundred percent sure would stay with me would be in my corner would be in that fox hole with me that were like, Terry I can’t deal with this I can’t I was fifty one years old when I was basically told I’d be dead in two years and I was like, what do you mean? I need you You’ve been my friend for a long time And then there were other people when I never expected to be there for me that haven’t left my side So know I think a lot of it is how you present yourself I mean if you’re down and gloomy and you’re you’re the debbie downer kind of person not gonna have I don’t care who you are You’re not gonna have any people around you because people don’t want that kind of energy flowing through them So I try to be as upbeat and positive and happy as I possibly can. Yeah And I think part of that too is your comfort zone. Meaning and I’ve heard you talk about…being comfortable and the uncomfortable. And it’s one of those things like confrontation…is not a fear…something new is not a fear. If I’m doing the same thing I have nothing to gain nothing to learn. But in a new situation…, there’s so much to learn so much more that can happen and change and you seem to have that where you embrace…the, the uncomfortable the new the I don’t know what’s coming next. Yeah In embrace the suck…for for lack of a better term This this sucks I don’t like it I don’t like the cards that I’ve been dealt but I’m gonna have to play them to the best of my ability. I think part of that is I am a naturally curious person. I wanna know things why are you doing that Know I don’t have a medical degree or anything like that but explain that to me What what’s going on there And it’s it’s amazing when you kind of get involved or advocate for yourself and and your own health care How people want to explain things to you Oh that’s what that means I was listening to your podcast with Amy Wilson the the dietitian from Kentucky before we jumped on And you were talking about nutrition and things like that. I mean nobody ever talked to me about nutrition. But I remember one of the diagnostic tools my doctor used to use was what’s called a pet scan which and simplistic terms is basically injecting you with radioactive sugar with the idea being that cancer cells have a higher metabolism they will pick up that sugar and glow on your scan And I thought well, sugar. Cancer’s taken up that sugar Maybe I shouldn’t be eating as much sugar as I mean it’s it’s more of looking at things and trying to figure out how you can…interrelate with those things What what makes sense or no I shouldn’t do that Right Should do more of this or things like that And so I’ve just always been a naturally curious person…and while I’m the sort of guinea pig in this it’s still kinda cool for me to be involved in it. Yeah Yeah I hear that And for people listening in right now we’re talking about cancer. This podcast is gonna be more about leadership principles. But we’re talking about cancer right now and I and we’re gonna go a little bit further in this area And then we’re gonna get to the the…meat of what makes Terry Tucker who he is and why he handles it this way and how you can apply some of these principles in your life, there’s only gain…to happen on this podcast we’re all gonna take something home I’m going to you’re going to We’re all gonna benefit Terry’s going to. in this cancer journey when you jump in a clinical study I don’t know the answer to this question I know a lot of people do this. Are there rules such as you can’t…do any other treatments or you can’t change your diet or how does that work? There are rules There there’s an entire form that you fill out and it’s a multi page form and some of the questions are hilarious I’m in my sixties I’ve been married to my wife for thirty years You one of the questions is are you thinking of having children? I’m like you didn’t know think we’re done with that it’s like and then it was are you sure sure you don’t wanna check with your wife I’m like if my wife is having children there’s a star rising in the east and wise men are coming from far I and so no But I mean yes there are rules…There are things that, for example, I was reading an article about DHA the fatty fish oil that is supposed to be good for your heart And I read an article that these doctors in Portugal…had used that and somehow found that it was like a Trojan horse for cancer and that the the cancer would pick out the the DHA and they would die. And so Immediately I have I’m lucky I am at a university setting So I have access to an oncology pharmacist and I called her up I said Christina I’d like to do DHA What do you think? And she was like well let me check let me see if it’s within the parameters of the study. And she came back and she said it is within the parameters of the study but we don’t want you to do it because I had a blood clot back in two thousand and seven I’m on a blood thinner and DHA thins your blood even more. So she said there’s that risk of bleeding we would prefer you not do it. I’m good with that If you can explain it to me and tell me why I should or shouldn’t do it Right I’m I’m good with that So yes there are you Yeah And and part of it is when you start a study, A lot of it depends on what previous treatment you’ve had It’s like if you’ve done chemotherapy, you can’t do this study. Yeah So there’s a lot of Yeah There’s a lot of I’s to dot and T’s to cross in order to do that Yeah Yeah In that situation I might have said okay Can we cut back the blood thinner and ease this in and measure the my blood viscosity I don’t know what the test for that is but Yeah. I’m sure there’s ways to make that stuff happen too But that’s kind of what I’m getting at because…if we look at a statistic…for instance if we take one of the worst cancers…pancreatic cancer. And there’s a two percent survival rate. I’m gonna look at that and say okay. Why two percent What did the two percent do that the ninety eight percent didn’t Or what makes them different than the rest? Could it possibly be…something in their life the way they think, the way they sleep…the way they eat, could their lifestyle be contributing to the reason why they’re in that two percent? I don’t know I mean how do we know? Yeah I mean you get a great point I mean and you really do And I think…I think that’s true, but I think a bigger part of it is just our genetics. because there are from what my doctors tell me now they’re getting to the point in gene therapy where they’re able to say Okay This medication for example for breast cancer, if you have…this particular gene or this particular anomaly in your gene We know it’s not gonna work for you even though it’s a therapy for breast cancer So we’re not even gonna give it to you because we know it won’t work based on your genetic makeup. And I think they’re finding more and more of that where there’s such a nuance There’s such a little tweak between your genome and my genome that hey it would work for me but it wouldn’t work for you Okay Great but yes on top of what you’re saying, How do you eat How do you exercise How do you sleep What’s your stress on All those kind of things It’s it’s sort of the totality of the circumstances. You look at everything.
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Yeah. Yeah And that there’s different approaches to treating cancer. There’s an all medical approach. There’s an integrative approach where you do what the doctors think that you should be doing and you also do your natural…treatments whether possibly guided by a different physician or on your own whatever you’re choosing to do And then there’s an all natural approach. And We don’t know what the best approach is We’re learning. I applaud you for choosing to participate for the sake of helping others…down the road. And I’m expecting good things for you I when I hear you when I see you, I see your perspective on things I know that you’re making good chemistry…in just the way you think our chemistry is our our nutrition it’s what operates our body. There’s something that was written in scriptures…and it said, something like a broken spirit is like drying to the bones but a joyful spirit is healing. And,, as we think…good things we’re actually making healing chemistry healing nutrition for our bodies. So…I hear a lot of…biblical principles in the things you say and teach But I never hear you saying the book of proverbs says, or this or that where do you get a lot of your your knowledge from? Well my wife has been in biblical catechetical school apologetics…for years. And and I have a very incredibly strong faith I’m not a Bible quoter. I kinda wanna live it more than I wanna say it. And that and so faith is very important to me and I always am learning about my faith I’ve been a cradle Catholic I’ve been a Catholic my entire life. and as I get older and my wife goes through these classes and stuff man I wish I would’ve learned that when I was younger and things like that I again being curious and things like that So I do use a lot of biblical…I’m writing a second book and I’m going through it for a second time now and I was like gosh this sounds very religious And I and there’s nothing wrong with religion Don’t get me wrong but I didn’t start out to make it a religious book I mean there are certain things that are important to me that I wanna put out there but I never wanted to be well it says in the Bible and that’s the way it’s gotta be. I’m not one of those people but I do I do have a very strong faith in god and…I a hundred percent Like I said I mean, twelve years ago they told me I would be dead in two years. And I thought well, you gave me a death sentence Maybe I can turn that death sentence into a life sentence. And there have been so many times along this journey where I should have been dead I had a fever of a hundred and eight degrees at one point I was in the intensive care unit That’s usually not compatible with being a live (no)…Somehow I survived that which is not that I did It must have been something bigger than me. Yeah Yeah Well I like your your perspective I like the fact that you’re living it you don’t have to quote and say well it comes from Here or there we are to be the fragrance of Christ we’re to represent him to reflect him People should see him in us but we don’t have to say why you see this where our joy comes from. They just know. People just know. So good stuff. Let’s talk about your book OK. And I’m curious about every single keyword in the title sustainable excellence. What does that mean…Yeah So let’s break it down excellence What does that mean? I don’t know. And and I say this I don’t know And I and the weird reason I say that is because I think excellence is like beauty. It’s sort of in the eye of the beholder. Michael you and I may look at a sports team or a band or whatever and and you may say man they are excellent And I may say yeah I think they’re good but I don’t necessarily think they’re excellent. So I think you as an individual have to determine what excellence looks like in your life. But once you’ve determined that, how do you sustain that excellence Or once you get to that point how do you sustain that excellence what do most people do they get to the end of the rainbow They get to the top of the mountain They kinda kick back They put their feet up on the desk pour themselves a drink and they’re like man, I’ve arrived. And then what happens? Six months a year later Boom Somebody passes them up and you’re like wait a minute What happened? What happened is everybody watched how you did what you did and then they innovated They found different ways to deliver their service They found different customers to do it with and they passed you up. And that’s where the sustainable part comes in How do you sustain it You continue to grow it’s the old saying if you’re not growing you’re dying. So if you’re not finding different ways different services different ways to innovate, then you’re dying Your business is dying your life is dying. and that’s kind of where that came from I want people to understand that you can be excellent and you can also sustain it But it means growth constant growth, it goes back to me I’m curious. how can we do that? What are the words that we can do How can we make different customers How can we…flip this on its head and make it something different? And so many people just kinda get I think tunnel vision It’s like well this is the way it’s got to be. Why does it have to be that way? And you’re also implying that there’s always another level You might be living an excellent life right now but that doesn’t mean you’re doing your absolute best that you’ll ever achieve. It does And and that’s I think back on my life I look at at at my life and my goal was always follow in my grandfather’s footsteps I wanted to be in law enforcement I wanted it to be a police officer but my grandfather was actually shot in the line of duty He was a Chicago police officer from nineteen twenty four to nineteen fifty four And in nineteen thirty three he was shot. With his own gun in the ankle not a serious injury, but my dad always remembered the stories My dad was an infant at the time. That my grandmother used to tell of that knock on the door Mrs. Tucker, grab your son come with us Your husband’s been shot And so when I expressed an interest in doing that my dad was absolutely not You’re going to college You’re gonna major in business You’re gonna get out Get married Have two point four kids and then happily ever after. But that’s what my dad wanted me to live. That’s not what I felt my purpose was And one of the things I am most proud of in my life is that I never let that dream die I never let my purpose…die at at the time I switched to be a police officer. I’d been a hospital administrator. I was making good money It was a comfortable job I didn’t have to basically turn my life upside down My family’s life upside down but it was in me It was in my soul It was in my heart It was something I knew I was supposed to do So at thirty seven years old I became a rookie police officer…You’re already getting ahead of me Sorry Alright Alright Let’s let’s go back Get that Come there now. No It’s funny because what you’re describing…is the principles to leaving your uncommon and extraordinary life I was hoping you would also explain what you meant by those terms. Yeah I mean uncommon extraordinary i think we settle in life So many people settled There’s a there’s not entrepreneur by the name of Ed Millett. And he and he he talks about the four types of people in the world and I and I love the way he describes it He says the first type are the unmotivated. And he said that’s the vast majority of people that you will encounter in your life He said the second group are the motivated where it’s more of a carrot and stick approach to life If I do this I will get that It’s life simply based on motivation. It’s kinda low level but it works for a ton of people And then the third group he talks about are the inspirational…people. The word inspiration coming from two words in spirit. If you’re an inspirational person, you move people with your energy. And then the last group he talks about are the aspirational…people where people aspire…to be like you. And sometimes if If I’m giving a a talk or something and depending on you have to fill out the audience a little bit I’ll tell that story and I’ll be like alright show of hands How many of you are unmotivated? And nobody raises their hand Nobody ever says yes I’m in that group where the vast majority of people are And I think that’s that’s the issue We settle. we get to a point where it’s comfortable and I don’t wanna mess with it And it’s just our brains and I’m getting ahead of you again I’m sorry But that’s No That’s great. That’s just our brain saying, we don’t like the status quo the way things are right now It’s comfortable and familiar and just leave it alone. That goes back to what we were talking about a minute ago The only way you’re gonna grow The only way you’re gonna improve The only way you’re gonna get better is if you step outside those comfort zones and you do things that make you uncomfortable, which is why I always used to tell my players…you need to get comfortable…being uncomfortable. Yeah.
Yeah What about selfishness or be compared to selflessness and how it relates to your overall…happiness and enjoyment of life…So…I’ll tell you a story I guess I think that that kinda…illustrates that. I mean most of us that are probably listening to this either know of or heard of mister Rogers…Fred Rogers on television show mister Rogers neighborhood educated so many young people including me on publishing I watched him every day Yeah I mean he’s he’s amazing I got his bio biography back there that I just read a couple months ago. And I remember when hearing the story when he died in two thousand and three and I can’t believe it’s been that long. That his family was going through his effects, and they found his wallet. And inside his wallet, was a scrap piece of paper on which on which Mr Rogers had written four simple words. Life is…for service. And I love that story and I think if you sort of keep that in mind that your life is really…it’s not about what you can get. Mike I see so many people that think they’re born empty and that whenever they get into life they get out of school and they get into life whatever that looks like for them That then their job they feel is to fill their empty self up I’ve gotta have the the greatest education and drive the nicest car and make the most money and have the latest gizmos and and gadgets…And somehow that’s going to make me happy That’s gonna make me fulfilled. And what I found is it’s just the opposite. We’re not born empty. We’re born full with everything we need to be successful…However you define that word in your life already inside us And so our job should not be to fill ourselves up. Our job should be to empty ourselves out with our unique gifts and talents…certainly for the betterment of ourselves, but also for the betterment of our families…of our friends of our communities of our countries, etcetera. Yeah. I think selfishness…is built in us all probably for survival. To some extent…and there’s some truth in, love yourself so that you can love others True You do have to take care of yourself…so that you can be there for the other people. so I recognize selfishness…is built in for survival. But it’s certainly not a road to happiness. I don’t think so I think we learned that lesson in COVID that we’re not good alone We’re not good when it’s just all about me when we were isolated you saw alcoholism…rates go up domestic violence rates go up Divorce rates go up We’re better together. We need each other to be successful Nobody is successful in a vacuum. There’s always people behind the scenes that got that person at the top of the mountain.
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Let’s talk about…reprogramming our brains a little bit…I know there’s some…different techniques…And we probably all need a little brainwashing…in a good sense. That is we have stuff in our brains that has been put there that is not beneficial to us and it’d be great if we could wash it out…Sometimes we get stuck dwelling on the challenges of life, and we get in this rut and we focus on how bad things are instead of how good they are What are some techniques for…changing the direction…of our thoughts that you’ve learned to…employ in your own life? I think part of it is how we…Look at life. when I go for treatment…I know it’s going to be ugly I know I’m going to hurt I know there’s going to be pain. But I have a choice of how to look at that. Do I get to go to treatment or do I have to go to treatment? And believe me I mean my my wife will tell you this There are sometimes on that Sunday night before that Monday morning where I’m sitting at the dinner table like, I do not want to do this…I do not want to go to treatment I mean I mean you’re looking at me right now There’s no s on my chest I do not have a cape and fly around with magical powers I mean, I have those bad days I have that ugliness, but it’s still a choice for me for you. I kinda see the S on your shirt I’m sorry. I’ve watched enough of your content something’s there…Well I appreciate you saying that. But it’s I just I don’t want people to think that oh yeah this guy’s got all the answers and so I don’t have all the answers I’m a human being just like everybody else I have those bad days but I also understand I have a choice I have a choice whether to say I get to go to treatment tomorrow It it may help me It may keep my tumors stable There’s all the positive I have to do this Oh this is gonna suck It’s terrible It’s gonna be painful It’s gonna be ugly Yeah It is, but can you embrace…that ugliness Can you embrace that pain? And that’s one thing I always recommend to people and I recommend it because I do it every day of my life. Do one thing every day that makes you nervous…that scares you that makes you uncomfortable that’s potentially embarrassing. It doesn’t have to be a big thing But if you do those small things every day, as you know Michael like when the big disasters in life hit us in our lives, like somebody close to us dies We get let go from our job unexpectedly. Find out we have a chronic or terminal illness. You’ll be so much more resilient to handle those things than the people who stay in their comfort zones and we’re like this is comfortable This is easy I don’t want to get outside because that disaster those ugly That hits every one of us There’s nobody who’s immune to that pain happening to them So understand, why not make yourself resilient to it Like I said it doesn’t have to be a big thing Do something you don’t wanna do I read an article that said thirty three percent of Americans So a third of the country admits to hitting the snooze button at least three times every morning. What if you didn’t hit that snooze button or what if you put your alarm clock in the bathroom that forced you to get out of bed to do that How much more time would even if you had twenty minutes thirty minutes What could you do with that thirty twenty minutes there’s the there’s the rule of a hundred that if you spend a hundred hours a year doing something which is eighteen minutes a day, you’ll be better than ninety five percent of the world at what that is Playing the piano, writing…whatever that ends up being in your life. That’s the snooze button right there There’s that eighteen minutes of your life That you could use for something positive and that would allow you to grow as a human being? Yeah That’s good What time do you get up in the morning…I get up around five thirty I do because I’m in a wheelchair and so I do exercises in bed For my back and and things like that So probably get out of bed about an hour later about six thirty. Wow And there’s a lesson in that right there. proactive. Here I am I’ve got this against me but it doesn’t mean I can’t exercise in fact I’m gonna start with exercise. Yeah Awesome. Yeah. And and I’ve always liked exercise I’ve always been a physical individual So That wasn’t too hard for me It would it’s been much harder,, knowing that I was a college basketball player that I was a police officer that I was on the SWAT team, And now I don’t have a left leg and I’m in a wheelchair So how do you balance that And I think when you can’t do what you were good at, You do what’s important, and I think that’s what I’m doing right now in my life. Yeah My wife and I we like to get up early her first thing is exercise. Well, after coffee for both of us. Spend ten minutes having our coffee. she goes in the garage at about four thirty five in the morning and she’s doing her yoga, before she goes to teach yoga So it’s our…in the morning of her own thing and then she’s exercising all day long at work. Now while she’s in the garage I’m in the living room playing my drums. At four thirty five in the morning But your neighbors love that…from what I see we have people that are out early because it’s funny because I’m looking out my front window. And people are walking by and I always wonder if If they can hear it and a lot of them just keep on going Other people will pause and kinda…do I hear something so…it’s loud in the house, but I when the kids are there I can’t can’t play the drums but when they are not there’s a good there’s a good hour of loud noise and sweat and that’s my exercise…Good for you but…fun stuff…explain what is meant. When you were born you cried, and the world rejoiced…live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries, and you rejoice…Yeah That’s a a Native American Blackfoot proverb that I that I heard years ago, and I talk about that a lot on podcast because when I when I had my leg amputated and I found out these tumors in my lungs, I went with my wife to the mortuary, to the cemetery, and to the church I planned my funeral. And because I go on podcasts like this and talk about mindset motivation self improvement or I give talks In person, I actually had some people that, gave me some brush back that said somehow planning my funeral was in some way defeatist. And I had to remind those people that the last time I checked I think we’re all gonna die I don’t think anybody’s working on a cure for life right now. Every one of us is going to die, but not every one of us is really going to live And I think the most important words in that quote that you just gave are live your life. I mean you started out this way and and the world reacted. Now you have an opportunity to live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries and you rejoice. And I don’t know if you remember years ago there was a mini series called Band of Brothers…that was out It was it it followed the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War two. And at the end of the the mini series…they talk about the individual soldiers and these were real soldiers obviously being played by Hollywood characters there was a guy by the name of George Luz, and they say at the end of that that…when George Luz died in like nineteen ninety eight, As a testament to his character…nineteen hundred people showed up at his funeral. George Luz wasn’t a CEO. he didn’t run some big company or some big organization. He’d been a handyman…in Providence Rhode Island. And I think that’s what live your life is about You don’t have to be rich powerful successful important influential. None of that matters None of that goes with you afterwards. It’s the connections…that we make with each other One of my nurses…who treats me in the infusion center used to be a hospice nurse and for those of your audience who don’t know what hospice is It’s it’s end of life care. And she gave me a book, to read called Imagine Heaven. And it’s a book about near death experiences. And I took a lot of things away from that One of the things I thought was incredibly interesting was that people who are born totally deaf or totally blind during a near death experience can hear and see. And then I mean how horrible must that be for them that they can hear And then medical science brings them back And now they’re they can’t hear They can’t see again But the other thing that I found interesting about the book is that no matter who the person was that died, whoever they saw during that experience whether it was Jesus or Allah or saint or an angel or a friend or a relative. The one question that everybody almost everybody got asked was…How do you treat my people? In other words if you think back on the Bible you think back on what Jesus what’s the most important commandment You know, love your god above all else What’s the second Love your neighbor as yourself. That was the second part of that commandment. How do you treat each other How do we connect with each other And I think that’s such an important part today if I’m gonna be remembered for anything in my life and I’m not going to be remembered nobody’s gonna remember a hundred years from now that I was here. But what I wanna do now is connect. I wanna have connections with other human beings. And I think that’s incredibly important And I apologize for the long winded answer but that’s No It’s a good one. And, whether or not you’re remembered in a hundred years or not, you don’t really know that but by the people that definitely interacted with you direct Okay. They’re no longer here either. Exactly. But there’s that There’s there’s always that legacy with that dash. Yeah. What’s your legacy? There’s certain…names that are just never gonna be used again ever. And if you do a search for them on Facebook, They’re nowhere to be found No one names their kids with those certain names because people have completely stained those names in history. And then there’s other names that people, wanna name their kids after. And because Wow Remember there were so many well Billy, Billy Graham that’s a great name Billy’s a great name. there’s biblical names that of great people and prophets And yeah I wanna name my kids after that person. so we never know how long our legacy is gonna live on after we’re gone but there sure are a lot of people that we can touch today. Yeah That can influence the world. You never know if…the person you influence is gonna be the next Billy Graham You never…know. You you don’t And and and I’ll I’ll tell you a quick story. Again all I got is basketball nurse stories So this is a nurse story again. this was a nurse who young lady about twenty five already a nurse but was learning how to do things on the unit where I get treated And about six months later she was taking care of me she came in one time and she said Terry I’ve got a story I wanna tell you but I’m a little bit uncomfortable telling it to you. And Michael I was like, how do you respond to that what do you say to somebody who says that to you And I’m like well hope you decide you wanna tell me I think I would enjoy it So she’s in and out for the next couple hours and then finally comes in and sits down It’s like alright Here’s the story. She said when I first met you, I was gonna get out of nursing. She said I had a very good friend of mine die, and I was in a really dark place I talked to my family I was gonna quit nursing I was gonna go to work for Amazon. And then I met you and I see what you go through You keep coming back for these treatments…And I went back in your file and I read your entire history of cancer. And she said when I finished reading your background, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. Now if she would have never told me that story I would have had no idea…that my life had had a positive impact on her. And for all those people who were listening to us right now I guarantee you there are people out there You may not even know who they are That are watching how you handle your struggles…the adversity in your life and see your courage…and would give almost everything they have to walk five minutes in your shoes So you make a great point We have no idea…who we influence in life. Yeah One of the things I like to ask people is, what’s a story of…someone that followed your program or did your thing your favorite testimonial, that’s one right there I love it That’s beautiful So you already answered that That’s great. we didn’t really talk about your book…and the…the principles in it. So unfortunately people are gonna have to get it. Thank you…But…tell us a little bit about it Below the podcast in the YouTube video on the blog post I’m gonna have all your links to your content to your social media. And even oh my goodness you have so many excellent YouTube videos that are so easy to take in They’re literally two to three minutes each and each one has a nugget in it It would be like a daily devotional…for someone to go to your YouTube channel and just watch a different video every day And I think they should. So the the links are gonna be on the podcast on the show notes, but what can they expect from your book? Yeah So sustainable excellence was a book I never…expected to write there’s kind of an old joke that says when we talk to god it’s called prayer. When god talks to us it’s called schizophrenia…So god has never talked to me and said Terry you should write a book, but I think what god did was put enough people in my path that were saying hey Terry You should write a book Hey Terry You should write a book And I think I’m smart enough to kinda buck up so to speak and say oh maybe I ought to pay attention to these people So sustainable excellence was really born out of two conversations…that I had One was with a former player that I had coached in high school who had moved to the area in Colorado…where my wife and I live with her fiance. And the four of us had dinner one night And I remember saying to her after dinner, Hey I’m really excited now that you’re living close and I can watch you find and live your purpose. And Michael she got real quiet for a while And then she looked at me and she said well coach what do you think my purpose is? And I said I have no idea what your purpose is but that’s what your life should be about. Finding the reason you were put on the face of this earth using your unique gifts and talents and living that reason So that was one conversation…And then a young man reached out to me on social media and he asked me what I thought were the most important things that he should learn not to just be successful in his job or in business, but to be successful in life. And I didn’t wanna give him that get up early work hard help other I didn’t wanna give him sort of the cliches that we all know i wanted to see if I could go deeper with him So I spent some time taking some notes and eventually had these ten thoughts These ten ideas, these ten principles…And so I sent them to them And then I stepped back and I was like well I got a life story that fits underneath that principal or I know somebody whose life emulates…this principle. So literally during the months that I was healing after I had my leg amputated, I sat down at the computer every day and I built stories and the real stories about real people underneath each of the principles…And that’s how sustainable excellence came to be. I love it. Great People get your copy. I’m going to I haven’t yet disappointed in myself for not having read it before this interview. I did watch probably…A good. This might surprise you. Probably twenty or more of your videos…They’re that good Thank you. And that’s just getting stuck I was hooked. It’s like a it’s like a good book I wanna I wanna watch them all and I probably will. Thank you So…good stuff. Alright Well Terry man What a pleasure honor to have you on the Doctor Haley Show podcast truly blessed to know you and I just wanna thank you for all that you’ve done all you’re doing You’re awesome You’re a great example to us. Well Michael thank you very much for having me on I really enjoyed talking with you And I hope that our conversation today will provide value to your audience I That that’s my goal for every podcast just to let somebody take something away from it that they didn’t have before Yeah Yeah I know it does It definitely does Thank you.
I hope you enjoyed that episode today on the Dr. Haley Show. Make Sure to hit subscribe on whichever platform you are listening to this. If this episode made you think of someone go ahead take a screenshot, and share this exact episode with them. You can catch the show notes for this episode on www.drhaley.com. If you want to geek out with Dr. Michael Haley On other radical health topics, be sure to check out his YouTube channel where he posts exclusive video content. All the details are www.drhaley.com and we can’t wait to hang out with you on the next episode.
