Luck vs. Grit: Irish Coffee, Cabana Chairs & Career Reality Checks

Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (00:01.649) Well, hello everybody. Welcome to another special episode of Sugar, Spice and Spirit. I am one of your hosts, Mindy Price. I also have my partners over here, Natalie Pilkinton and Kelly Mobley. How are we ladies? Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (00:20.135) Tissues! Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (00:20.566) Kelly Williams. But that's okay. That's okay guys. Everyone, I haven't been married that long so we're giving her a little bit of a grace period because to be perfectly frank with you sometimes I'll go into an appointment and they'll call Kelly Williams and I'll just sit there so I can't even give Mindy a hard time when I can't even remember my new name so you're off the hook this time Mindy so no problem. She's known me way longer as Mobly than Williams so we're good. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (00:21.225) my god! Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (00:45.265) Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (00:49.101) Okay, and Kelly Williams, and the reason I said... Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (00:51.436) Hi! Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (00:52.681) Another special episode is because I'm traveling again. The last special episode where we had that we weren't all together was when I was in Las Vegas. And I'm not in Las Vegas. I'm actually not anywhere in the US. I am in Ireland. Let's see if I can say it right right now. We arrived to this part of Ireland this morning and I'm still really off on time, y'all. Like I'm so tired and we were supposed to be here Killarney. Somebody's gonna call in. not our radio show so they can't call him somebody's gonna say kill killer killin hurry something all right y'all Killarney that Killarney so I'm in Killarney Ireland my brother was so kind to treat my son Gavin to an Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (01:23.347) Hahaha! Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (01:27.928) Kalarney? Kalarney? Kalarney. That. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (01:31.187) Ha ha ha. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (01:40.989) nice vacation for his graduation present. And so here I am tagging along and we thought it would be fun to do a quick episode with you all. And so with that, so we can let Natalie and Kelly jump on in, I will start with my drink of the day. We all have different drinks because when we travel, we each get to choose what we want. And so my drink happens to be none other than, if you're watching this, an Irish coffee. I have not tasted it. I waited to taste mine until I was with you all, so I will take my first sip and then you all can tell us what you are drinking. So here's mine. Let's see. Hopefully I don't make a face. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (02:18.771) I mean, you can't go wrong with coffee and liquor. I think it's kind of good. Yeah, I the mustache. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (02:19.67) Okay. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (02:23.91) my Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (02:25.634) Yeah. And let's add also that it's in Ireland, so there is that. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (02:31.085) like it's, that's stout. I'm not saying it's not cool. Cheers. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (02:36.389) Not an American coffee. Mindy's not going to sleep. She thought she was tired until she had a sip. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (02:43.059) Well that and I think it's loaded. yeah. it's burning going down. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (02:46.259) maybe you will be. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (02:46.702) You will be here. Well, Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (02:51.803) That was not what she was expecting guys. I can tell you that right now. She likes it stout and stiff, but she didn't expect it that stiff. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (02:59.18) So were you expecting like a Bailey's in coffee or something or what? Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (03:06.099) know whenever I was in Vegas there's a place at Mandalay Bay they have an Irish pub that's there and it's a really good Irish coffee I think it has a little more brown sugar and this one may not have any sugar however the coffee is strong but it's very it's very it's the alcohol content is strong Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (03:19.568) any sugar. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (03:26.956) Okay. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (03:28.957) Fantastic, I'll go next. Mice, try another one, let us know. We'll see how you progress in this show today, Mindy. Mine is very simple. I was out at the grocery store, so then I'm like, no, I gotta come home. I have an HEB root beer, along with some coconut rum, and let's see how this goes. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (03:29.737) I mean, I don't know, let me try another little sip. Let me just see if I was just talking. Let's just skip. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (03:47.687) Ooh, that sounds good. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (03:50.951) sound good. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (03:53.297) It's almost like a root beer coconut, like a very flavorful drink. I like it, I will be doing this again. So that's my spirit of the day. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (04:01.249) So I. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (04:01.449) Why does she don't have ice? It wasn't because you're waiting on us this time. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (04:06.031) No, I was rushing. I was the one that was rushing. I did not put ice in it because I filled it too full of root beer and I still had to put coconut in it, like the rum, so I was like, no way. So yeah, that's on me. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (04:16.974) Why not? So I was so jealous of Mindy being in Ireland that I had to I didn't want to be indoors so I am at my house in Texas still but I am actually poolside and so I decided I would just go easy breezy and one of these go-to drinks came in Jack. This is a watermelon margarita. It's great to be outdoors, hot and sweaty. But I also have it in my Where's My Cabana Boy cup to keep it extra cold. And I have the cup, but no cabana boy. apparently, he's working. He's working. yeah, trying to keep the cabana. We call this the cabana compound, as a matter of fact. So I guess he was the official cabana boy. So but let's try it. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (04:53.577) I was like, where is Mr. Williams? Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (05:09.846) Yeah, it's really refreshing. It's sweet and sparkly and they've got watermelon, regular, strawberry, and they have like some different types of flavors, some with spicy flavor, but I'm just kind of this plain-o-jano go-to. And it's real simple, it's real easy, throw it in the ice chest and go if you don't have time to actually make your own drinks. I tend to be a little on the simple side, so this is perfect for me. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (05:33.095) Gosh, Natalie, did you hear that plain old Jane look at her sparkly hat and everything else about Kelly. There's nothing simple about Kelly Williams. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (05:39.239) On the simple side. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (05:43.69) I do like the bling. do like when I... Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (05:44.115) Tell us the story about the diamond and the, no, just kidding. When you were getting on the special VIP list and fight list. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (05:55.15) So, I actually... Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (05:57.235) You don't have to share, but it was simple. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (05:58.862) No, I know, but I actually actually had to go to the jewelry store because I am helping my daughter move and I don't I'm like a Bull in a China cabinet or whatever you call it. I I don't tend to do things very easy breezy I just like go headstrong and I actually broke my ring and so this ring and I got it back but I when I was up there I happened to have on a Louis Vuitton belt and and a purse and suddenly the guy invited me to their VIP handbag event and I was like, Mindy guess what we're good Natalie. Yeah, anyway, yeah, different different day, different stories. So but yeah, I did kind of fall into that one very easily. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (06:30.333) Ha ha! Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (06:38.393) Hahaha Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (06:38.717) you did I was like simple so here's the thing speaking of simple so we talked about you know we literally just jumped on here and I was like what do we want to talk about like luck of the Irish and when I think of luck sometimes you can have good luck and sometimes you can manifest things it can be part of your destiny I don't know ladies how you feel about this but I'll tell you how I feel about this there are people who were just naturally lucky Kelly you and I have a friend named Michelle it seems like she wins everything she's gonna buy a lotto ticket she's never won the lottery lottery but she's won guns you can tell again we're from Texas but she you know is constantly getting things she's an amazing human and a great person but when I think of somebody that's lucky I think of her and her husband they just tend to be in the right situations at the right time but they're also very hard workers they're incredible humans and there's a lot of times I'm like man I don't have the luck when it comes to that but I will say everything that I've done in my career has maybe been luck in the very beginning but Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (07:18.766) Bye. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (07:38.571) I learned very early on that if I wanted something I had to have grit. had to go for it. I had to put myself in sometimes uncomfortable situations where I didn't know exactly what I was doing, but I learned and then I practiced and then I studied and then I asked questions and I had a team like you all that I can go to where I'm like, hey I'm not really sure about this piece Natalie. You know Natalie before I knew multifamily, single family, family had had some rent homes but I didn't know a lot when we were working together and if I had questions You were my go-to person and after talking to you and listening to you. I was like I got it I get it, know Kelly on the medical side There are certain things that different ailments and when I was a caregiver for my mother and things that I was dealing with I could call you up when I couldn't get in touch with the doctor and I could say how would you handle this situation? me medically tell me practically what would you do if it was you and so Is you know, you're lucky you're in the right place at the right time Yeah, I think that has a lot to do with it. But I also think that you create your own. Kelly, you are cracking me up right now. You also create. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (08:41.88) Sorry, I'm. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (08:42.966) She just keeps lounging back. For those that are listening, which 90 % of you are, she just keeps lounging back and the camera's going with her. I guess she's on her laptop and it's just going and she's just trying to get comfortable. She's like scooching back in her lounge chair at the cabana poolside. Right. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (08:59.133) in her compound, she's surrounded by three different, you know, pieces of the whole house and... Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (09:05.026) I know, I'm trying to get comfortable because first I was leaning forward and my back was hurt anyway, I'm paying attention now, I'm sorry. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (09:13.085) Look, you're even distracting the monkey, the vacation monkey. Look. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (09:16.876) I wish you guys could see this monkey if you're only listening. This monkey has been, yeah, again, different podcast. Yes, yeah, he's awesome, he's awesome. You know, going to what you were saying about being lucky, yeah, I do think that being lucky is sometimes about, like you said, being in the right place at the right time. And I think how you take that particular situation, whether if you consider it lucky, but then how you expand on it. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (09:22.737) He's traveled more than us. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (09:46.702) You know, I was in a situation not too long ago where the company I was working for was downsizing. And I was in a very high management position. And me and a lot of the other managers knew that we were either going to be let go or demoted or whatever. And I was just after 30 years in the medical field, I wasn't really sure what was going to happen because I didn't really want to go back to the field, to the clinical side of things. So I happened to be in the right place at the right time. with a certain friend of mine who heard what was going on and said, hey, I may have something for you. And what do know? It turned out to be a fabulous opportunity. And I ended up working with Natalie and with Mindy and learned so much in a short period of time. And so I really do consider myself blessed to have been lucky enough to be. in Mindy's presence that night when she overheard it I was actually talking to her husband. I wasn't talking to her. She overheard it and said, hey, I may have something that could work out for you. So yeah, so I think being in the right place the right time is key. But what you do with that a lot of times really is totally up to you as to whether or not you make that successful or you, you do that. really sure this is what I want, but you have to be able to take the ball and run with it. So yeah, I absolutely believe that that is. That is something that is out there for all of us to grasp and look at those opportunities as lucky and then run with it. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (11:18.057) What about you, Natalie? Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (11:19.505) Yeah, I think luck has something to do with it, but I also think a lot of it's mentality. It's you expect what you get. If you are expecting to lose, you're going to lose. And I don't know why I can't explain that. There was the book Secrets or something like that that was out there which if you manifest it, it'll come to you. I don't remember but it was really popular about 10 years ago and it's just if you're putting it out there. But I also just think if you're putting in the work, you're putting in the effort and you're actually putting in it's like there's this blonde and she keeps praying to the Lord. She's like dear Lord, dear Lord, let me win the lottery. Like please, please Lord. I'm faithful, I'm all this and I really need to win the lottery. And the Lord's listening to her and he's finally had enough. He's like I can only hear this prayer so much and he he bellows down to the blonde and he says help me out buy a lottery ticket. I mean you got to buy the lottery ticket. You got to put your name in the hat. You got to show up. You got to be able to be there to be able to win. So it's you can pray it all day long. You know I want to be skinny but I'm not putting in the work and going to the gym and I'm putting crap in my body then you know I can pray it all day long but you still got to put in the work and do it. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (12:17.11) you Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (12:31.64) Good? Yeah. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (12:31.951) And I mean, true, some genetics is in it if you're smaller, if you're, you know, whatever. But it's still, you gotta show up and you gotta put in some work and put in some effort. luck of the Irish, I'll take whatever luck. I will pick up a four leaf clover. You know, I will look for them. I think that they're fun. I appreciate them, but I also appreciate just my own self. Like I trust myself to get it done. If it needs to get done, I know I'll get it done and handle it. And I just, appreciate that. Go get it Spirit versus the luck. also think, I guess, more so in faith. I walk in faith and when you have that faith, it happens. If you're gonna put in the time effort and put good karma out there, put good energy out there, good energy's gonna be reciprocated. And when you come across somebody who's a little nasty and not so filled with the Spirit for the day, you just pray for them and move along or you try and turn their day around, which Mindy, you're really good at, you know, just bringing the sunshine and uplifting people. And I think that's more luck. And I'll do finger quotes for luck. I don't think that's luck. I think that's just being a good person and being just a happy spirit. think things come to you and that's the way it is. Just like you went to NAA, you've gone to Ireland, I think you're rubbing it in our nose a little bit and I might be just a little bit jealous. I think that it's, I think, I am going because you invited me. I'll be there too. We're just waiting on Kelly to see if she's gonna come. But. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (13:48.029) come to Mexico with me. Let's do one of these in Mexico. In two weeks I'll be in Mexico. I'll be there. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (13:50.008) cough cough cough Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (13:58.673) I think that it's really, I think that it's awesome that you really get to go and I'm truly happy for you that you're getting this experience with your family and you're doing all of that. So luck, grit, you mentioned grit, luck, grit, all are tied in I think. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (14:13.395) So two things, I want to talk about grit here in just a minute, but we said every now and then I was asked for the jokes and you told a story about praying but not moving forward. So one of my favorite jokes about you get a sign, you need to do something with it, is you know, it's flooding and the police officers come by to all the houses, hey, it's flooding, you need to evacuate. And this family does not evacuate. So then hours later, it's flooding even more and they're in their second story and the fire truck comes Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (14:13.794) Agreed. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (14:43.409) It's like, hey, it's flooding. You need to evacuate. Come let us rescue you. No, we're praying. We're waiting for our sign. Then several hours later, they're on the roof and the helicopter comes by and it's, hey, it's flooding. Come on, we're gonna drop the basket. We're gonna get you. No, I'm waiting for a sign from the Lord. I'm not gonna get in the basket. And then they die. They drown. I know it's kind of sad. And then they get to the pearly gates and they're like, Lord, I thought you were gonna give me a sign. Like, why did you let us die? He's like, I sent a police car. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (14:54.35) Thank Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (15:13.259) I sent a fire truck and I sent a helicopter. How many more signs do you need? It's like yes, and know Natalie going back to the the bring in the sunshine It's not always easy But it is a state of mind and one of the things I started saying a couple of years ago Is that you know what I'm just gonna pray for him and give him grace. I can't control every situation I can't control how people handle a situation I pray for myself and give myself grace because I don't always handle the situations the right way, but I will say that Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (15:20.141) Right. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (15:43.229) little switch that I did and I forgot about it there for a while and I've really tried to keep that front and center and it's been super helpful for me and so if anybody can take that away and you're in that moment you have that situation it can be at work it can be in your personal life and you just take a deep breath and you remember pray for them and give them grace and just move forward because we don't know what everybody is going through so with that Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (16:08.494) It reminds me of, go ahead. No, it reminds me of, every once in a you'll see one of those memes or something that pops up and says, you know, just a simple smile to someone can change their day because you don't know what's going on with them. And they could have had a huge fight. They could have just been fired. They could be, you know, sad, whatever. And just passing someone on the street and just giving them just an unsolicited smile sometimes is enough to think, you know what, there is still some good out there and. And a lot of times a smile is reciprocated. And if it's not, and they growl at you instead, then you just, like you said, you just pray for them and move on. But yeah, sometimes just that simple smile and bringing the sweetness can be what turns a person's day around. So, yep, I agree. You definitely bring the chen chen. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (16:56.841) So three things, three, you know, the joke. I had three things that happened that made me buy this book. So we talked about grit. So I was having a conversation with somebody who was on one of their podcasts. It was called Getting to Hell Yes. Really great podcast host. I was a guest to his and we sat down and we were talking. He's like, Mindy, you've got so much grit. And I was like, well, thanks. And then two days later we were there and I was talking to somebody who I highly respect and puts all the education together for the National Apartment Association. was like Mindy you've just got so much grit and I was like huh I heard that before okay I'm in the plane y'all on the way home one of my friends sitting behind me they know I love to read and they pick up the book by Angela Duckworth called grit she's like Mindy have you read this I just started it I think you would love it I was like nope but I went on to Amazon before we took off and I ordered the book it did not come in in time for the trip so I actually downloaded it from audible and I've been listening to it. And it also makes me think about is it luck? Is it talent? Is it, you know, grit? And I'm very at the very beginning of the book, but she talks about studies that were done and you can look at individuals. And the last thing that I listened to was where she interviewed so many of these spelling bee champions. And there were a lot that were just naturally talented. But when she really dug in to see who placed, it was the ones that put in the extra hours. They were the ones that were constantly practicing. They talked about the West Point graduates. They talked about the Green Berets. They talked about, you know, those that you would give a regular scale test to that just naturally seemed like they would make it. They were the ones that were dropping out. It was the ones that were super diligent, super focused. They were practicing. They wouldn't just take status quo as being okay. They constantly pushed more. And so again, I'm at the very beginning of this but I'm super excited to read it and you know share what I learned from it. But if anybody else wants to read along with me, it's Grit, it's Angela Duckworth, it's been out for a few years. I brought it up to my brother who's here with me and he was like, my gosh, I read it a couple of years ago. That book is perfect. You're gonna absolutely love it. Have either one of you read it? Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (19:15.025) I have not. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (19:16.162) I have not. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (19:17.427) So I'm excited to listen to it, but I actually, you know, I'm a highlighter person. I love pages, so I actually like the physical books. And so I can't wait to get it and to go back to those chapters and highlight lessons that I could learn from or have examples that I can share. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (19:34.136) that'd be great. That'd be great. And what's so funny is when I hear grit, I think of it as the acronym, girls raised in the South. Grits. So yeah, when you said grit, I was like, wait, what? But no, that's great. I'll check that out too, because any good read recommendation, I'm like you, I like to. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (19:47.612) Okay. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (19:48.755) She's like, oh, wait a minute, Gris? Grisel? Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (19:59.852) I like the audible and everything, I love to just sit down at night when it's quiet and grab a book. And honestly, I haven't done that in a really, really long time. So, and I was actually at Target yesterday and I went to the book section and was just kind of looking and I didn't get anything, but I did look and thought to myself, you know, I do miss that quiet time and just, you know, curling up, especially when it's raining outside or something. So, Yeah, I'll definitely look into that book and pick that up too. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (20:33.255) Natalie, have you read the book? Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (20:35.141) No, I'll download it on audible. I don't see how you women have time to like sit and read a book like I'm just go go go it's I don't know I guess not not my thing Miss traveler trying to get those miles back up. yeah, no, I I like to do audible because I'm in the car, you know being in real estate and being a realtor it's it's it's my life and Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (20:43.431) Airplanes. I'm on so many airplanes. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (20:49.513) You Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (20:58.161) So I am audible, audible, having a younger one I like for my kid to hear. Like we were talking to, like we just got back from the grocery store. Certain things make you run to the grocery store like toilet paper. So I had to go to the grocery store finally. So I was at the grocery store and we're talking and talking with my nine year old and he's wanting to play in a better soccer team. He's like, I want a better coach. I said, you want a better coach, you gotta be a better player. And you really gotta level up your game. Last time you went out and tried to kick the ball against the wall and do this and that and just having those conversations with him I think you know pouring into your kids and those ways that you can and when else do you have your kids as a captive? Audience is in the car so with my oldest that's when I'd make them listen to Rich Dad poor dad That's what I'd make them listen to thinking grow rich the wealthy barber You know anything along those lines that I can pour in I love audible and just having the kids like make them listen to it because it does seep in whenever they hear it and it's one of those so I'll be getting it on Audible. I will not be doing the book. So, but yeah, I'll get it. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (22:04.531) Well, and I love that and that you're sharing it with them and what can you do? And that's the thing, if you don't like the situation you're in, if you're not good at whatever it is that you're trying to do, are you practicing? Are you putting in the effort? Because a lot of things don't just happen by luck. It's how much effort do you want to put in? How much do you really want it? How much do you really care? Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (22:26.157) Blaming other people I can't do the victim mentality. It's it's life is too short to let other people have control over me and Give them that that kind of control where it's the coach's fault or it's the teacher's fault or it's my boss's fault or it's Anybody else's fault. It's my own damn fault. Let me pull myself up Let me figure it out and let me get it done and work smarter not harder But just you know be diligent put surround yourself with people who are doing what it is you want to do and want to be better and and I think that's where A lot of people don't do it. They don't want to give up their old habits. They don't want to give up their old friends. They still like going out on the weekend or they still, you can still go out on the weekend. You don't have to close the club down. Go dance for a little while, go hang out and then get back. Because you do need to recharge yourself. Recharge your battery and make those connections. But who are you really hanging out with and how are you leveling yourself up? And we all go through moments and we all go through phases and chapters in our life. I was talking to a girlfriend yesterday and she'd been on my mind on my heart and she reached out to me so that was I guess I was on her heart as well and we talked for about 30 minutes and she's in a situation where she's in the change of chapter she's been live she's been C-suite and I'm like what are you doing like why are you doing that like why don't you do this for yourself you did it for everybody else and and pour into yourself and your business and you'll make it happen and you'll have the life you want without waiting for somebody else to try and give it to you And she's like, whoa, sounds like you're a motivational speaker. I'm like, no, I'm not. But this is just really like it's our reality is as everybody's getting into midlife, you know, it's middle America. It's this Gen X time frame. It's companies are downsizing or they're overseeing. It's everybody's in a different phase. I know like Chevron's going through layoffs in Houston. They're looking at downsizing and you've got people that have been with Chevron 20, 30 years in accounting or doing this. And how are you going to reposition yourself? And so if we're going to talk about books, I keep talking about this book, Who Moved My Cheese? We are in a market that is completely different with different kinds of economic policies and everything, which is fine. But as businesses change and evolve, and as we change and evolve, and we get older and our payroll gets higher, and companies look at downsizing, middle management's the first to go. So how are you going to reposition yourself and take advantage of your skill set and knowledge and work as hard for yourself as you did for others? I think as long as people would do that Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (24:43.214) Mm-hmm. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (24:53.235) same thing for themselves. And you don't have to get it figured out. You don't have to quit your job and you don't have to lose your job. But how do you get those multiple streams of income by working on your business? Starting it now while you have an income to build that business. And I think so many times it's not luck. It's how we position ourselves and the steps that we take to be better, to bring better, to do better, to do more. Yeah, you may have to sacrifice a couple of nights on the evening to go to a networking event or to do certain things. But you're pouring into yourself to buy years and decades back. of your life from corporate America so that you can position yourself to be better. I met a guy too like this week. I've been meeting, I've been going to a lot of events and talking to a lot of people because I really love people. And this gentleman I was talking to, like, yeah, he said, I got up to five houses and I'm like, that's fantastic, you were doing good. But when we were talking at the event, he has an RV park down on the beach, he has student housing, he has single family homes, he has apartment complexes he's passive in. He has his own apartment complex like 40 unit he owns. He's just listing everything off and I'm just like wow, how did you do it? And he said well when I ran out of money after my fifth house I found a money private money lender went to that private money lender they lent me money and then their money got too expensive so he's like I'm gonna go a separate way and he's like no I have a good thing like why don't we become partners you use my balance sheet and this guy got up to like a hundred eighty a hundred houses and he's like yeah I was just blowing and going doing my own thing he self manages and he's just like real laid back, put his kids through college. And I'm just like, this is what it's about. It's buying your life back. He was in IT corporate America. Just chunking in and buying your life back. So get passive streams of income. You don't have to do real estate. You don't have to do, you could do nursing. There's lots of things you can do with nursing that's on your own, that's a side hustle that deals with health in a different way. You can do accounting, you can do marketing. There's so many different things out there. Whatever your passion is and design your life like that's I'll get off I'll get up get off my soapbox Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (26:55.318) No, exactly right. No, you're exactly right because for years, you know, I have my degree in physical therapy. And so for 30 some odd years, I worked at indirect patient care and taking care of patients that would come to me. did spinal cord injury and neurology. And then I did some home health with geriatrics so I could chase my kids around and everything. But during that time, I also had a side hustle where I Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (26:57.641) I know, we, yeah. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (27:24.91) helped found and start up a non medical home health agency in Louisiana and all we do is 24 hour care for those who can no longer stay at home and care for themselves. And we've been going strong covering Louisiana, Mississippi for 25 years. And that is essentially my retirement. And the nice thing is, is that when I had the unfortunate situation where the clinical side of things change when my husband got sick and I had to go. into more of a paper pushing side of therapy. That's the job that started to shut down. And during all that time, even though I was scared and nervous about my income, I still had a little bit of a cushion income coming in because I had that forethought thanks to my father to start a side hustle early on. And it's been kind of my little retirement cushion. Even though I still do other things, on the side as my primary career. But kind of going back to what you also said is you can have the talent to do something, but talent's not going to get you all the way there. You have to build and expand and grow that talent. you can be a people person, but whether or you go into a different career, that's totally something different. You can have the talent for that, but you have to find the... the what to to dig in and make yourself better and stand out more because you're right, as some of these businesses are closing, there's a lot of people out there with talent but a lot more experience. So like you said, you have to dig your heels in and not wait for it to be lucky and fall into your lap. You have to get out there and pursue it and put your talent and put your expertise out there and not just wait for it to come knock on your door because it's not always going to come knock on your door. No. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (29:17.94) It won't knock on your door. 99.99. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (29:19.279) No, and you can't rely on, so you have those that are talented and things come very naturally to them, and then you have the ones that are studying and figuring things out, then you have those that are very naturally, very charismatic, and I worry that if somebody is always relying on that, and their people skills with as quick as AI is taking over and everyone is able to learn at a much faster pace. You can't just rely on that anymore. You've got to understand the trends. You're gonna have to do your homework in whatever field you want to stay in or go in. It's like you're studying again. You're learning. What is the latest thing? What are shortcuts that I can use for AI? We don't have time to go into that. It's supposed to be a shorter episode today, but there's a lot that it's to me, luck is amazing when you have it and things go the right way, but it's not going to get you through when it comes to business in this day and age. I don't think so. I think a lot of things are changing. I think if we listen back a year from now from this episode and we look at what all has changed, how, what are we feeling? What do we think about all of this? And we start interviewing a few more people and talking to them. It's going to be interesting to see what it, what it looks like and how many different careers individuals are in. those. You know, you made reference to Chevron, Natalie, and if they are downsizing and laying off in other companies, how have these individuals been able to reinvent themselves? How did they do it? How did they go about it? Because I think with all of the different opportunities that are out there, if somebody's not happy where they're at right now, there are many things that they can actually do and be successful at. And you know, this is the age of the overnight millionaire. I still haven't landed that. If anybody wants to tell me how to do that, I'm looking. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (31:09.169) Bitcoin, no I'm just kidding, we missed that Bitcoin. We missed that Turing. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (31:12.962) Yeah. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (31:14.441) But, you know, in all seriousness, it's an interesting time that we're in. And one thing that I want to share that I thought about, I think it was you, Natalie, was talking about the Gen X crew, I can remember getting a little frustrated with the younger generation because it didn't seem like they wanted to put in the effort. They wanted things to happen overnight. And I had employees that I hired that they were like, okay, I've been here three months, it's time for a promotion and a raise. And I'm like, you still don't know your full job. And that was frustrating. I talked to a lot of people and you know, do you deal with that? And so learning that one thing that I found is that generation they want to learn. They don't want to be stagnant. And so I feel like they are going to continue to take on bigger roles because they are going to dig in and dive and figure out what they need to know. I was lucky enough to be a mentor for the 20 on the rise and there was a number of that group that came up to me and they're like, I want to meet with you. Can I have some time with you? I want to learn as much as I can. I want to make sure that I don't fall behind and I want to make sure that I continue to push myself forward. And these were individuals that there wasn't an age cut off. It was just they've been in the business 10 years or less and they are known as somebody who's on the rise in their career. And that was the one commonality of all of them. They wanted to learn more. They were paying attention in all of the work groups and the workshops that they had and they were making notes and they were fully engaged. And so it's really neat to see that. And then you think of our generation, like, hey, now's not the time to put the pedal off the metal. Now is the time to really dig in and learn all that you can for as much as you want to work and where you want to go now. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (32:53.496) Agreed. Agreed. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (32:56.53) Yeah. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (32:57.973) So what were you going to say, Nat? Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (32:59.795) I was just gonna say 20 on the rise was for your industry, for the apartment industry in the sense, and so it's just people. I wonder if they're gonna do a reverse, like 60 and failing, like 60 and falling behind on technology, you know what I mean? Like, okay, now it's their turn to give back to us, yeah. With technology. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (33:12.91) 60 and sliding. 20 on the rise, 60 and sliding. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (33:16.657) No, I don't think in any industry or any industry that I'm working with right now, they're gonna do that. That would be like a beep beep. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (33:22.451) Right? Well, I mean, if your phone breaks, who do you ask? Hey kid, fix this phone. I can't get it to do this. It's doing this. They fix it in two seconds. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (33:23.544) Well, and it's. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (33:30.318) yeah, when you're, cause I'm almost 60 and there's times that I get so irritated when things that used to seem so easy to me, all of a sudden my daughter who's about to be 28, I'm like, what is this? And she's like, I can't believe you don't know that. I'm like, well, sorry. mean, I just, but it is, it is. So like, yeah, when you said 20 on the rise and I said 60 and sliding. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (33:30.568) I know. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (33:54.557) Gosh, well we are sliding. Hey, I gotta slide out y'all. There is a shepherd's pie that is calling my name. I've got four minutes to be downstairs to meet my family. I'm just glad we got to do this. And I think the consensus was, and you two correct me if I'm wrong, luck is fantastic. But a lot of times it takes a little bit more than luck. There's some hard work that's in there. you know, both of them mixed together are pretty good. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (34:00.216) Ooh yum! Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (34:24.504) Yeah, it's a good combo. can definitely be successful if you put the two together and work for it. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (34:30.791) Yeah, get multiple streams, keep working, and find a mentor. I think mentors are important, so that 20 on the rise is valuable. You can find a mentor if you're stuck yourself and you need something to do. Go be a mentor in your field. Go find a high school that there's lots of mentor programs out there. But get a mentor. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (34:49.88) Yeah, be a mentor, find a mentor and surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up and make you feel like you're a stronger person and push you. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (34:58.377) You know what, Natalie, something you just said, be a mentor. Some folks are, they feel like they're stuck in a rut and if they would become a mentor for someone and they see somebody in their field, whether they're in their field or not, however they're coaching and mentoring them, it will help reignite that flame within you that you forgot was there and you remember why you started to begin with. So if you are listening and you find yourself in a position, it's like you used to really love what you did. Find someone who's brand new to that field and be their mentor it will be amazing for you what you will find at the end of the day after working with that person. So alright everybody well like I said I've got a shepherd's pie waiting for me but if you have an episode that you would like to suggest you can go over to our website at sugarspiceandspirits.com we will be coming back at you next week and I hope everybody has a fantastic rest of their day. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (35:36.414) 100%. I agree. Sugar Spice & Spirits Podcast (35:56.499) Bye guys, thanks. Sugar Spice And Spirit Podcast (35:57.454) Bye guys.