ISI Brotherhood Podcast

115. How to Unclutter and Run Faster with Curtis Hunnicutt

• Aaron Walker

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"If I’m not acting in accordance with how I believe, that is the greatest source of unhappiness." Have you ever felt pulled in countless directions, unsure of where to start your personal transformation? Curtis Hunnicutt, a vibrant member of the ISI Brotherhood, joins us in this episode to share his journey of finding a flow state by aligning faith with daily life. 

Through heartfelt stories from his Swedish adventures, Curtis reminds us of the importance of simplifying our routines to unlock peak performance and meaningful living. 

Key Takeaways:

  • How a man was still doing pushups and loving life in his 90s
  • What distractions do we need to get rid of and how do we do it for good?
  • The great hindrance to keeping our eyes on the "prize"


With stories from Curtis's personal faith journey and reflections on managing physical and spiritual clutter, we encourage you to consider how faith can clear the path for a more focused and purposeful life.

Join us as we explore how aligning priorities with purpose can lead to continuous growth and fulfillment in the ISI Community: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/isi-community

Connect with Big A:
View From The Top Website: https://isibrotherhood.com
The ISI Newsletter: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/newsletter
Big A’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalkerviewfromthetop/

Speaker 1:

Hey everybody, welcome to View From the Top podcast, where we help growth-minded men who desire momentum in their life and in their business and in their family and finally, in their finances, to get through the valleys and up the mountain to their very own View From the Top. Hi, my name is Aaron Walker, better known as Big A, and I wanna welcome you back to this week's episode. You know I believe you're going to truly enjoy this episode. My good buddy, curtis Honeycutt, is going to take us on an inspiring journey to finding flow state from your faith. You know how to unclutter and then run faster.

Speaker 1:

Curtis has been a member of the ISI Brotherhood now for just under a decade. Listen to this. He gets to live with his wife and his four children in Sweden. I mean, that sounds like a rough life, doesn't it? Like it's beautiful there and Curtis is doing just an amazing job with his clients and he was willing to teach us something about flow state. You know, if you're like me, you're going to love Curtis because, first of all, he's a great man and, second of all, his charisma is unbelievable. I mean, the way he can hold your attention have you on the edge of your seat. I think you're really going to enjoy this episode, but we're going to dive into some practical ways that you can align your faith with your daily life. Then you can simplify your routines and then unlock peak performance. Well, listen, get ready for these insights, because I think he's going to help you run faster, he's going to help you be lighter and he's going to help you have greater purpose. Without any further ado, let's get into it. Curtis Honeycutt.

Speaker 2:

So some of you I know and I saw you at the live event. If you were at the live event, this is going to be similar, but it's not going to be the same, because I can't do the same thing twice because I get bored, and if I'm bored then you'll be bored. But I'm excited to share. But this topic. I feel like this is something that we're constantly digging deeper in, because the whole idea here is we have all these things that we want to be able to balance well, all these things that we want to be able to do. And I want to be a good dad, I want to be a good husband, I want to be great at business, I want to be fit, I want to be happy, I want to be able to be still, but I want to be able to just kick it into fifth gear and get after it and then cut it off and come back. I want to be perfect. So how do I figure that out? So it's a hard topic, but for me, I think a couple of blessings came my way, and one of those blessings was being able to step into a pastor role at a young age, because you're spending time around a bunch of people that are dying, young age, because you're spending around time around a bunch of people that are dying. And when you spend a bunch of time around a bunch of people that are dying, they, they tell you what they regret in their life. So they're they're giving you the answers, because here's how I spent my time versus here's how I wish I would have spent my time. And you hear these stories over and over and over and you start to find patterns in it and when those patterns align with scripture and when those patterns start to align with your own experience, as time passes it just it becomes more and more true. So that's what I'm gonna share over the next 25 minutes or so, and I the best way I know how to start with. This is something that happened to me like three months ago, four months ago, when we first got here in sweden. So like right now it's nine o'clock at night, still light outside. Like in the middle of summer it's light until midnight. It's weird, but in the winter it's opposite. It's kind of like what hell would be. It's just dark all the time and the weather sucks. Uh. So and it takes like 30. I have three little kids. It takes like a half hour to get them dressed to go outside. As soon as you get out there, somebody has to pee or they crap their pants and then you have to do it all over again. Winter sucks.

Speaker 2:

We came inside, I brought my daughter and she's four. My son is two, um, a middle kid, and my daughter comes in and she's getting undressed because she has to pee. And then she looks at me and she goes Lucas is a midget. It was my two-year-old. I was like what did you just say? She said Lucas is a midget. I said first of all, you don't ever say that word again. We like to be called little people. Second of all, you don't even know what a midget is.

Speaker 2:

And for those of you who don't know me, I'm like I'm five, four, so my wife's five nine. So I married the tall Swede. So I got a shot, like my kids got a shot. You know what I mean? Um, and I'm. My daughter looks at me and she said no, I don't know what's midget. And I said midget is like a little person that never really grows. And she thought for a second and then she looked at me and she said so, you're a midget. And I like I've never hit a kid because probably about as close as I could possibly get Like what do you say? I want to like hug her, kiss her, high five her, because it was like the best thing. And nobody was around, like she didn't do that for anybody else other than just to let me know. And she already speaks a language that I don't speak fluently, so I'm pretty sick of her making me feel stupid at this point.

Speaker 2:

But here's why I tell you this story, because what happens in our life is over and over and over and over again. Our identity gets built off of external circumstances that become internal, and it builds this reality in us that this is my identity now. And it comes from people telling you who you are. It comes from the media that we consume. It comes from If somebody had a camera behind your eyes all day long and they could watch what you look at and see where your attention is and where your focus is, and they could watch what you look at and see where your attention is and where your focus is, you're going to get a pretty good idea of a lot of how you believe the world operates and the world works. So there's this truth in this reality that there is an identity that was designed and woven and handed to you, and then there's an identity that's been manufactured externally, that's been placed on you. And it's's an identity that's been manufactured externally, that's been placed on you and it's more of a burden than something that can actually help. It becomes a hindrance over time, because what happens is I'm seeing what Ben Shapiro is saying about something, or I'm watching CNN saying what they're saying about something. I don't think people are necessarily watching both of those extremes, but you'll have people like that that are speaking into your life and then you start to agree with that and you start to agree with that thing. Now, all of a sudden, this is who I am. I'm an American, I am a business owner, I am this. We start to pile all these things on and as we do it, what happens is it creates a tension in us. There's a tension because eventually, some of those things disagree with each other. I believe this, but I believe this, but I'm not really seeing that in my life.

Speaker 2:

Jim Rohn said it right. He said the greatest source of unhappiness is self-unhappiness. The greatest source of unhappiness is self-unhappiness. It's not that we're unhappy necessarily with our circumstances. It's that we're unhappy with ourselves, because if I believe something wholeheartedly and I'm not acting in accordance with how I believe, that is the greatest source of unhappiness. Judas wasn't unhappy with the money. He was unhappy with himself Because he believed something, something he knew it was the messiah, but he did something that was in complete opposition to what he believed. Therefore, it creates this unhappiness.

Speaker 2:

So what happens is we have this identity that we've created, that we've manufactured, that's pulling us, distracting us all over the place, and then we can't seem to find equilibrium. So we start to set goals and we get super laser focused. I'm going to build my business, because if I do that, I'm going to have more time, freedom and I'm going to be able to spend more time with my family. Life is going to be good. But then, all of a sudden, I get fat and I don't know my kids, and then it's like, okay, well, now I'm going to focus on my health and my kids, but then, all of a sudden, my marriage isn't doing that great, my business sucks, and it's like this constant teeter-totter. So how do we get past? That is the ultimate question. How do we find what it is that's our actual design, if it's true that I was created.

Speaker 2:

There's this scripture that I actually got to preach in Sweden a couple weeks ago with a translator, which is, if you ever get to preach or teach with a translator like where you have to stop every sentence, don't it sucks. But I actually taught here and I've been digging into the scripture. It's in Galatians. So in Galatians, paul's writing to this church in Galatia that's arguing about circumcision, which is hilarious. It's not for them, but it is for us. And but here's what he says in in verse 15, galatians 1 15,.

Speaker 2:

He says but when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, there's purpose, here's what I am called and what I am designed to do. There was full alignment, like there is something in his life that is fully defining his yeses and his noes. I am called to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. So when other things come along, I'm putting them through that grid. This is what I was designed to do. And he said and called me by his grace, he was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles and listen to what he says.

Speaker 2:

He says I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia. Here's why this is significant Arabia in the land where Arabia was. The borders of Arabia then was Mount Sinai, was in Arabia. He said I didn't consult any man. I had this moment where I believed who the Messiah was and I had. He had a choice. I can now go to where other people were that were having success. I can go to Jerusalem, where the other apostles are and I can start to work alongside them. Or I can go to the mountain Moses heard from God on. I can go to the mountain that. I can go to the mountain the prophets were spending time with God on. I can go to this place. He was there for three years before he started working. He was there forming his argument. He's there forming his identity. He's letting God speak into him. So by the time he went and did what he was going to do, there was full alignment and full assurance. And when there's full alignment and full assurance, there's full power in what you do. There's back in Maryland.

Speaker 2:

We would do this dragon boat race every year. And what I loved about that dragon do you guys know what a dragon boat is? I can see your faces. So, like, give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. You have no idea. Some of you okay, most of you don't. So these dragon boat races it's essentially you have one person that's facing all the rest of the people. You're in a thin little boat and they're on a drum, everybody else has a paddle in their hand and they're facing the drummer. The drummer beats and you're supposed to like row with the beat of the drummer and then it's a race.

Speaker 2:

What I loved about that was every single year, state farm beat crossfit. It's hilarious because you had a whole group of nerds that was smashing all these people like I feel like morons in their tent, and then state farm is smashing them and it's it was because, like, crossfit goes out there and they're like I know how to do muscle-ups, so they're just going as hard as they can and they have crazy endurance and they have crazy strength, but they're not aligned. State Farm there was this rhythm and there was this steadiness and there was this pace and there was this pattern to what they did and in that there was immense power. That's how it is in our life. It's like if I can find the central piece, if I can uncover this idea of who I am, I don't have to focus on every single thing in my life. I don't have to look at everything shiny that comes. What I can do is keep my eyes fixed in one area and trust the rest of these things will form around it. That's what we don't believe. That's terrifying, because if I don't watch this and I don't watch this and I don't start doing this, well, now I heard this new podcast came out and now I got to do this for my business, but now I need to do this for my family and we're constantly pulled apart.

Speaker 2:

We're constantly distracted. There's an old Roman torture method where they used to pull people apart. They'd tie horses to all four limbs and the horses would just run away from each other, and that translation of that is distraction. They pulled apart. It's a distraction, and that's what we're constantly feeling. I'm constantly pulled apart, like even right now, during this moment. There are other things for some of you in your mind. There are are other things. There's other things happening at work. There's other. We're constantly pulled apart. So we're looking a lot more like CrossFit than skate park and what we're doing. Does this make sense? You following me? Okay? So here's what we typically do. What we typically do is we go to set goals and I want to set goals because I want to get myself out of the place that I'm in. So I know how to do that because I'm a goal setter and there's podcasts on goal setting.

Speaker 2:

So Jim Rohn used to teach when I was in sales I was flat broke. I had no money. I was like 19 years old, trying to figure it out, trying to sell insurance, and I had to move out of my house and I moved in with my grandparents. No money, and everybody kept talking about this Jim Rohn dude. So I wanted, I just tried to put like this really cool sound system that I couldn't afford in my Impala and so, like the whole thing broke. So I had nothing other than a CD player. So I had nothing other than a CD player. So I had a mentor at the time and I wasn't a Christian, I was smoking a lot of weed. I was kind of an idiot. I was not kind of, I was an idiot, but at the same time I had this hunger. I got to get myself out of this position. So I stole a CD set from Jim Rohn from this guy. I paid him back later, so calm down, judge me. And from Jim Rohn from this guy. I paid him back later, so calm down, judge me.

Speaker 2:

And I listened to that CD set called the Challenge to Succeed. I'm not joking, this is not an exaggeration. Every single day it's all I listened to in my car for over a year and it's here's. Each CD had a title and they all are broken down into different points of like, basically our decision-making process and life. And if you're taking notes, write this down. If you're not taking notes, write this down.

Speaker 2:

It was philosophy, attitude, activity, results and lifestyle. I'll say it again Philosophy, attitude, activity, results and lifestyle. One more just to get philosophy, attitude, activity, results and lifestyle. Here's what we do. If I want to change my life, I start at activity. We got to take action, we got to do something. That proverb you've probably heard me say it before if you've ever heard me talk is desire without knowledge is not good. How much more will hate defeat, miss the way? My biggest fear in life is not that I won't try. My biggest fear in life is that I will sprint in the wrong direction, never consulting God and just running after these ideas that you told me were smart or somebody else told me were smart or that I thought was smart. But philosophy, attitude, activity, results, lifestyle If I want a certain lifestyle and I want results, I change my actions. Period, that's what I do. But the whole point of this challenge to succeed that I listened to over and over and over again was we started at the wrong place. Because if we change our philosophy our philosophy is the lens through which we see the world. If we can change our philosophy, the attitude in which we do everything is different Then our activity is radically different. We get radically different results, radically different lifestyle. The problem is it's easy to change results. I'm sorry. It's easy to change activity.

Speaker 2:

It's long and tedious to change philosophy, because changing your philosophy involves time, it involves perseverance, it involves, it involves forbearance. It involves this this constant faith and belief that these things that you're doing are going to produce something in you, to where it changes the structure of the way that you see the world. It changes how you think, it changes how you see yourself, it changes how you see other people. And at the end of this I'm going to tell you a story about a man that shared something with me about this topic that completely changed my life. It was a lunch I had with like a 95 year old guy that changed my life. But there was something missing over time Jim runs dead now so he can't argue me on this, but there's something missing in that process, because I can change my philosophy to whatever I consistently pound into my skull. I can change my philosophy to whatever it is I want. I can get around the people, I can read the books. I can put whatever I want in here and change my philosophy.

Speaker 2:

The one piece that was missing in there that I wish I would have known was that there actually is a design, like Paul is saying. Paul said it multiple times, jeremiah said it. I was knitted together in my mother's womb Before you were formed. I knew you. There is a specific design that you were given. If you act in accordance with that, you can train your philosophy in the way you believe to align with your design. Now you look like State Farm. If I would have gotten that because now that I'm understanding this, because I didn't know there was this intricate design. I thought I was the author of it. Even after I came to Christ, I started to believe. Like I get to design whatever it is I want and that's fine, you can, but you're going to be swimming upstream.

Speaker 2:

There was this rabbi, this teacher. His name was Gamaliel and if you're reading through the New Testament you'll stumble on him. But there was this argument about Jesus that they were having in Sanhedrin all the religious rulers and they're all arguing about what they were going to do to him. Like we should kill him, we need to set him up, we need to do this. Gamaliel was this very esteemed rabbi, this esteemed teacher, and I just kind of picture this moment, like everybody. There's chaos in the room and this guy starts to speak and when he starts to speak, everybody sits down and shuts up. Like it's Gamaliel, it's this massive mammoth of a teacher, like his words hold weight and he said why are we going to fight it? He said why are we going to fight it? Because if we fight against this and he is from God and this is of God we will only find ourselves fighting against God.

Speaker 2:

You realize, if there's a design and you're not acting in accordance with it, you're constantly swimming upstream. So some of us are constantly feeling friction and tension because we're not acting in accordance with who we are. But I don't think that's the scariest thing. I think the scariest thing is that you have the opportunity to not feel that friction and spend your whole life running in a direction just because I want to build a business a certain way, or I think this should look this way, and we sprint after it, only to realize at the end that we went in the wrong direction, only to realize in the end I read it this morning.

Speaker 2:

It's in the Sermon on the Mount. It was the scripture that I read the day that I came to Christ that not everybody who says Lord, lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But the look at me and zap prophesied in him. I cast out demons in him. I did what you wanted and he'll say depart from me. I never did. There is this central piece to our life that everything else can be built around.

Speaker 2:

So there's a word that I think is worth writing down. It's called nephesh, n-e-p-h-e-s-h Nefesh. So I became really good friends with a rabbi. If you're not friends with a rabbi yet, you should be, because they're brilliant and they're healthy. Um, at least my rabbi, um. So here's, here's what he taught me about this word.

Speaker 2:

We all know, you've heard it before. You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength. Right, you've heard it. It's essentially that's the Shema. It's a prayer that Jews pray twice a day, every day, sometimes three times a day, and it's from Deuteronomy 5. Hear O Israel, shema O Israel. As for you, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, which is the word lev, or your soul, which is the word nefesh, and all your strength, the word soul we see. When I say soul, like Derek, you're maybe thinking like we always think of it, as I'm thinking, this kind of ethereal floating thing inside of me that is like the essence of me. Right, that's how we see the word soul. But there wasn't a word for that in Hebrew. There wasn't a soul word, there was nefesh. We don't have a word for it, but the nefesh is your entire being, it's your body, your soul, your mind, it's every piece of you. So there is this ability that we have to align every single piece of who we are with who God created us to be.

Speaker 2:

My little brother and I were in Texas and he was running around being crazy. He's 18. So he's smoking weed and running around with girls Same thing I was doing when I was his age. So I get it. But also there's a hunger in him. He wants to know God. So he's. He's smoking weed and running around with girls Same thing I was doing when I was his age. So I get it. But I also like there's a hunger in him. He wants to know God. So, um, I started to try to get his attention. I got there in the winter and like in Texas you don't close your pool in the winter, so the water is just freezing. So it's perfect. Because I like taking cold baths, so I would get him in the cold bath for like three to eight minutes, depending on how we were feeling that day, and then we'd get out and we'd study Romans together and he I had his full attention after that. And one day we we jumped in the water and we got out and we're sitting there, we dried off and we're reading Romans and he's talking to me.

Speaker 2:

He's like but Kurt is like I don't understand like this idea of faith and righteousness. He said the definition changed once we got to Romans. He said because now, the definition isn't what you do. The definition is like like just what Jesus did for you. It's something that's been done for you, like that's good. He's like so he's trying to process it and he's trying to understand it. He's like I want to be able to come to Jesus. He said, but I can't because I'm going to have to. I got to stop smoking, I got to stop talking to these girls. I love listening to Drake.

Speaker 2:

Like my whole life, his entire identity is going to be sacrificed if he's coming to Jesus and I can answer him and say, well, yeah, it's true, but I, it was perfect because we've been getting in the cold water. And I said, vincent, what happens when you get in the cold water? And he's like my balls go in my stomach? I was like, okay, what happens after that? And he's like my arms start to go numb. What else? My fingers go numb, my limbs, I just lose, like my extremities start to hurt. Why? Because the blood's leaving my extremities start to hurt. Why? Because the blood's leaving my extremities and going to my core. Why? Well, because I can live without my arm, but I can't live without my heart.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we're constantly putting all of our attention on our limbs, things that are important, but we're sacrificing the one central thing, because there's a presence and a stillness that we get to have that'll allow you to see something in the moment with your daughter or with your son, or with your spouse or at work. There's this thing that we get to play a part of that goes way beyond whatever we can comprehend intellectually, and we get to play a part in that, moment by moment by moment. If we keep our attention there, but our attention is distracted, we're constantly looking elsewhere, and that's why I love what Paul said here. I didn't go to Jerusalem, I went to Arabia, I went to be with you and you're like, yeah, but Curtis, I can't just sit and pray all day. I build a bed, I have stuff to do, I have a lot of work to do. We'll get there. Here's how.

Speaker 2:

I want to break this down, and then I'm going to close this out. Here's how I want to break this down, and then I'm going to close this out. Think of a product, think of this remarkable little tablet here. That remarkable tablet is it has a name on it.

Speaker 2:

Remarkable it has the brand, the logo, it's manufactured. And when I got this I took it out of the box. And then, when I took it out of the box, there's a manual in there. Manu is to make, wall is mind. So essentially, a manual is the mind of the maker. And after you start to read this manual, there are laws, there are promises. If you use it this way, it will do this. If you do this, you'll break it. But then there's always this caveat, and it's if there's a problem with this, do not attempt to fix yourself, because you'll void the warranty. Send it back to an authorized dealer or send it back to the manufacturer. Why do we send it back to the manufacturer? Because the manufacturer is the one, the mind of the maker. The manufacturer is the one that knows how it should operate. The manufacturer knows how to fix it. It knows how to heal it.

Speaker 2:

Jesus wasn't just healing people's arms. He was saving them from their sin. He was healing the things that were happening mentally, the things that were happening spiritually. He was healing the nefesh inside of them. But we get so trapped in our own desire, in our own world, in this own kingdom, that we want to build, that we forget the point when I send this back to the manufacturer. They don't care about me, I'm I'm only concerned with me but remarkable doesn't know me if I send it back. They only care about their google reviews. What do they care about their name? He said for my name's sake, I will do this. I created you to live in alignment with the way that I've called you to live and if you do that, I will make your life this. For my name's sake, I will make it look exactly how it's supposed to look. If you keep your eyes on me, keep your attention on me. So, in conclusion, I'm gonna bring this back around because I know we're out of time. I'm going to give you what I believe now is the greatest hindrance to this and the greatest solution, the greatest opportunity that we have to find this actual flow state from our faith.

Speaker 2:

I'll start with the greatest hindrance. The greatest hindrance in Galatians 10, 1.10,. He says am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. It's Proverbs 29, five.

Speaker 2:

It says the fear of man is a snare. The thing that drives us, especially driven people, driven men, the thing that will constantly drive you off course, more than anything else, is that you care way too much what everybody else thinks of you, whether you like it or not. We fear man way more than we fear God, and it's a snare All through Proverbs. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Fear of God, fear of God, fear of God. We're like well, not supposed to have fear of anything.

Speaker 2:

Book up the word Fear of God. Fear of God puts us in our place, but we're constantly worried more about what everybody else thinks, more about how everybody else is defining success, and we run in all these different directions. Something to pray for. Here's what I believe is the greatest solution I'll give you inside of that greatest problem. Read the end. I think it's the gospel of John. Peter gets up after the do you love me thing with Jesus. Remember that. Do you love me, do you love me, do you love me? And he was like you know I love you and then Jesus gets up and he says follow me.

Speaker 2:

And Peter gets up and follows him. What's the first thing he does? He turns around and goes well about, john, what are you doing? I just don't worry about him, you follow me. It was what he said to Peter. Peter constantly was turning, looking at everybody else. It's just what we do. That's what I believe is our greatest hindrance. Here's our greatest solution. I'll end with this story and then I'll shut up.

Speaker 2:

I'm sitting at my church as people are starting to come in and this man walks in Mr Fowler. Mr Fowler was a senator, he's a world war two vet, he is um. He put in the chesapeake bay conservation act, uh, in in maryland, which was a huge thing. He was married for 70, some 75 years I think it was, and he was like six foot five and perfect posture. He was ripped at 90 something years. Like. The dude was just crazy. Like he walks into my church dressed to the nines. I have ripped up jeans on because I wanted homeless people to feel welcome and I'm just like. I feel like an idiot standing next to this dude. He just had that presence about and a couple months after I got to meet him and talk to him. A couple months after that his wife died and he'd been married for like 70 years.

Speaker 2:

And I go to the funeral and I'm in this line outside of church and as I'm about to go in church I see these people walking to like give their condolences and then go and I guess you know, look at the body and then I don't know what we were doing and I'm seeing people walk up just bawling and they get up to Mr Fowler, the man who was married to this woman for 70 years, and he has like he's beaming. It's the only time I've ever walked into a funeral where I'm like I think I'm not at the right place, because there was just this feeling in that place of this just joy and peace. And I was like I don't think he hated his wife, but I don't think he's jacked up that she's dead. And I was like it's fine, you know what I mean Like why is he so happy?

Speaker 2:

So after that day I was like I got to take this dude to lunch, so I called him. I was like I can't text him because he's 100 years old. I'm like can I take you to? What do you like to eat? What do you people eat? You know, I took and we're sitting there and I didn't let the dude take a bite of the sandwich and I'm just asking him all these questions and then finally I got to it. I'm like, look, dude, how did you do what you did? You're married for 70 plus years. You have this beautiful marriage. You have all these kids, all these grandkids. Everybody's following the Lord, like you. You are the ultimate definition of success for me and you're fit like jacked up. And you're fit like jacked up, you're eating that sandwich, no problem.

Speaker 2:

Like you got energy. How did you do that that day? And I'm expecting some like great grand answer. And he looks at me and ears start to fill up his eyes. And he said I wake up every day and I convince myself again of what it is, I believe, and I remember being so disappointed. I was just like that's it. And I left that day and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was like, did I just waste $10? Like why? What do you mean? And I'm telling you it's been I don't know five years, four years, since we've had that lunch and truth just becomes more true over time. Here's what that man said to me that day.

Speaker 2:

Every single day of my life, I have a choice. I know all the things that Jesus has done in my life. Over the years. I've followed him faithfully. I've seen what he's done in crazy circumstances like the war. I've seen what he's done in crazy circumstances like the war. I've seen what he's done raising all these children. I've seen it over and over and over, as my eyes were fixed. And I'm following him and right now is probably the hardest thing I've ever been through. But I have a choice.

Speaker 2:

Every day, he said wake up and do my push-ups. He still was doing push-ups. He's dead now, but he's doing push-ups now. He's dead now but he's doing pushups. And he said I convinced myself again of what I believe. I fixed my eyes. As I have my eyes fully fixed, I start to create this philosophy that aligns with my identity. And now, all of a sudden, everything else is blocked out, everything else fades away and I get to start walking in alignment. And when you walk in alignment, you finally get to experience what Jesus was talking about.

Speaker 2:

My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Come to me all you who are weary, all you who are burdened, and that's what we carry around. I carry around the burden of my kids. I carry around the burden of business I want to build. I carry around the burden of ministry I want to build. I carry around the burden of the world we all do. But the more that I'm learning this lesson from Mr Fowler, from these other people, these other mentors that have taught me, the more that I'm keeping my eyes. I'm going to fast right now. Nothing other than scripture for 40 days. That is my focus. It changes you. It's not the answer you want to hear at a business meeting. That's the best I got and I think that's 30 minutes, so I'm going to shut up.

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you for tuning into this special episode on finding flow state from your faith. Isn't Curtis great? I told you you were going to love him. He really taught us how to unclutter and run faster, didn't he? Well, I hope his insights have really encouraged you and equipped you to align your faith with your daily routines for greater focus and maximizing your performance.

Speaker 1:

Hey, take just a moment, if you would, and think about some of the highlights that Curtis mentioned during the episode. He talked about simplifying your life, and that really starts with identifying what the clutter is, first and foremost, both physical and spiritual. Right, we got to deal with both every single day, and I want you guys to think about yours. You know that can really slow you down if you're not careful. So really pinpoint what those physical and spiritual attributes are so that you can get on with having greater flow state, and then, by integrating your faith into your decision making, you know you can stay centered and you can move with clarity and purpose if you identify those things.

Speaker 1:

Well, as you head back into your work week, I want you to consider two questions that I've got for you what areas of your life feel most cluttered right now and how can faith guide you into clearing them out? And then, what steps can you take to align your priorities with your purpose? I mean, because we don't want to do anything that doesn't have purpose, right? So you've got to think about those steps that you can align your priorities with your purpose. Listen, thanks again for listening in. As always, I want you to stay sharp and I want you to keep growing and if you're interested, take just a moment and click on the subscribe button below and then, if you really got a few minutes, go over to the isibrotherhoodcom site and check us out. I think you're going to be amazed at the community that we've built. Listen until next time. Go out there today and build your very own View From the Top.