It's time to finally admit that I have a gift. I'm not special. Everyone has a talent or two. You know, the little things we do that when while we're doing them we say to ourselves - This is pretty fucking cool. Why don't I do this like ... ALL the time?
Despite what my radio persona says, I love people. I love seeing people happy. I love seeing people laugh. Above all, I love seeing people succeed. I love sharing their defining moments even from afar.
My gift is this. I can see greatness in others even though they may not see it for themselves.
This new podcast/whatever it is, will show you exactly what I mean as I open my arms to the universe and yell TAKE ME!
Over the years I have been asked to motivate others from the stage or one on one. I never quite understood why strangers (and a few friends) would approach me for some sort of mentorship. I was always shocked but for some strange reason I never said no. It turns out that I live for these interactions. They are magical and extremely powerful in a way only a real writer could make you feel what I feel.
I have decided to jump into the world I always knew I was meant to live.
It's time to open the double doors and see where we go.
Here's a great example of what speaks to my soul. This is an email from Lee. It was easy to see the greatness in him.
Wednesdays With Terry
This journey began for me with two words- “Hey, Terry!”. These two simple words have changed the trajectory of my life and have put me on the path to fulfillment, happiness, and success. This journey has been filled with lessons on forgiveness, confidence, standing tall and owning it, and doing the work.
My life hasn’t been terrible. I have four beautiful, amazing children, and many more things I am grateful for. However, by the age of 35, I found myself divorced- twice- and having to work my tail off doing jobs I hated just to make sure I was providing for my family. But I wasn’t. We were poor. I was stressed out, anxious, and flat out miserable. I felt as if my life had little meaning. So, I decided I needed to be responsible for my own future. I enrolled back in college and earned a master’s degree. My problem was I had no direction, no visible path. I just kept telling myself, “If I just finish this course, I’ll be able to get the career I want. If I just get the career I want, I’ll make enough money to be fulfilled and happy.”. But the hard truth was (that I had not yet discovered) I was waiting for something that was never coming. But I wasn’t ready to give up, so I decided to start taking some chances.
The scariest part of taking chances is the possibility of failing- which was a common theme in my adult life. I made so many bad decisions, could I really trust myself to make great decisions now? I was applying for roughly 30 jobs a day. Each application was quickly met by a rejection letter. I enrolled in a second master’s program to reinforce a notion in my mind that while I was not able to find my dream job, I was at least still moving in a positive direction. I was reading books on leadership, growth mindset, and all sorts of self-help kind of books. I started listening to podcasts on leadership, positive thinking, and manifesting life changes. But, once again, it felt like nothing was happening. Or was it? Little did I know, the universe was at work. Things were coming into place for something big, whether I could see it or not.
I was driving to Jacksonville, Florida one morning to pick up supplies for a job. I always enjoyed the solitary, one hour drive to the supply shop because I got to listen to the Lex & Terry morning radio show. That particular morning, Terry was talking to Sarah about wanting to do a segment on his podcast about people that attract the things they want. I was intrigued. This was exactly what I was trying to figure out. When I got home, I looked up Terry’s website. As I was reading, I had this profound feeling that that he was talking to me. Everything Terry had written strongly resonated with me. I started listening to his podcast, Alive, and I knew I had to reach out to him. One of the many podcasts I was listening to prior was constantly harping on getting a mentor, even if you did know one or who to even ask. It seemed kind of weird though. Terry didn’t know me. I was just a guy that was getting a lot out of what he had to say. I just felt like I had to reach out to him though. But what if he said no? I was constantly being rejected everywhere else, why would this be any different?
On his podcasts, Terry would read an email from a listener. It was called, “Hey Terry!” So, I sent him an email. I introduced myself and asked him if he would be interested in doing a mentorship with me, and I prayed that he wouldn’t read my email in his next podcast. Within no time at all, I received a response from the man himself, and he was willing to talk.
We agreed to meet on a video call on a Wednesday. I had never been so nervous in my life as I was when I clicked the button to join Terry’s meeting. And there he was- the man, the myth, the legend- Terry Jaymes. I couldn’t believe it!
I think my biggest fear was Terry asking why I asked him and not being able to express my reasoning with him. I wasn’t asking him to be my mentor with the hopes of getting a job. I went back to school to work in sports. I was not hoping that Terry knew somebody that knew somebody and would put in a good word for me. It was something else. I had this feeling that I needed to change the way I looked at everything around me. I needed to change the way I thought, and Terry just has this incredible energy about him. All the ideas I had been reading about, manifesting and creating a new reality, Terry was doing it. He didn’t just talk about it; he did the work to make it happen. I think that is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned. I must do the work. Think big and put in the work to make it happen. Do the work.
Terry listened to me ramble on about all the mistakes I’ve made that led me to being in the miserable state I was in. Physically and mentally unhealthy. I had all these self-deprecating ideas and felt like I had lost all hope of ever making anything of myself. Terry listened and reminded me of all the good things I was doing and told me I had to forgive myself. I have learned that it is a very difficult task. While I know how different a person I am now, I would still like to go back in time and punch my 17-year-old self in the face. It is part of my everyday life now, trying to see the positive effects of each decision, and my Wednesday chats with Terry have allowed me to see things so differently. Terry is a positivity ninja master. Better than Mr. Miyagi. Even though we were 3,000 miles apart, I could feel his positive energy every time we talked. He just has that gift. He is incredible.
We talked about the changes I needed to make in my life, but I had to do it. Terry taught me how to stand tall, walk with confidence, and to own the room. Within no time, I had two job offers. I was actually in a position where I had to turn down a job offer. Where did that come from?
I initially saw nothing positive about either offer. Terry immediately saw nothing but opportunities for me. I accepted one and graciously turned down the other, with confidence, and by using the principles Terry has taught me, I have owned it. I have crushed it. And each day things keep getting better and better. I have made my health the top priority in my life. I’m meeting people and creating new relationships. I am walking tall and doing the work.
This has been an Earth shattering, whirlwind of an experience, and it started with two words, “Hey Terry!”. I start looking forward to our next conversation the moment we say goodbye. I look forward to the challenges, the successes, and the failures. I look forward to experiencing being alive. I can’t thank Terry enough for sharing his wisdom with me, and I am proud of myself for doing the work (Terry taught me that too). In this world where we are all searching for something- purpose, meaning, success, or love- it is a great feeling knowing that Terry Jaymes is out there, willing to give his time to inspire a lost soul like me. We need more people like Terry, caring enough to help raise the level of consciousness of those in our world. Making this a better place for all. Willing to help us all feel Alive!
Lee, Florida
