It Starts With The Mind with Terry Tucker

Ingrained & Balanced

Throughout our life journeys, we sometimes experience difficult situations that are out of our control and significantly impact our lives. For example, physical ailments can derail our life paths and affect our ability to achieve what we perceive as fulfillment. However, our perceptions regarding success, obstacles, and self-satisfaction can affect how these events influence us, and our power to persevere.

Ingrained & Balanced is a podcast about health, fitness, and living a well-balanced lifestyle. On this episode, hosts Lonnie and Marty are joined by guest speaker Terry Tucker. Terry is the author of a book called "Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life" and the developer of the Sustainable Excellence Membership. He joins the podcast to discuss his incredible life story, and the knowledge he gained through his battle with cancer, his career experiences, and his motivational leadership methods.

Listen to Lonnie, Marty, and Terry discuss life journeys, motivators, and moving forward.

Introducing Terry (0:05)

Our host Lonnie begins this episode by introducing the special guest speaker Terry Tucker. Terry has had a lifetime of extraordinary experiences as an NCAA division one college basketball player, a citadel cadet, a marketing executive, a hospital administrator, and even a SWAT team hostage negotiator. He has also led and inspired others as a high school basketball coach, a business owner, a motivational speaker, the author of a book called "Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life" and the developer of the Sustainable Excellence Membership. His most recent obstacle has been battling cancer, resulting in the amputation of his leg. Still, Terry is fighting to live a fulfilling life and using his experience to help others who face obstacles on their own paths.

How to Identify Your Starting Line (4:02)

To begin transforming your life, you must first identify your starting line. Terry describes how people can identify their mental standing as their current comfort zone and improve by stepping outside their comfort zones. He explains how doing things that make you uncomfortable can make you more resilient to the significant changes outside of your control that life throws at you. He says that pain can make you a stronger and more determined individual, and this helped him realize the importance of needing to continue moving forward, despite how lousy you feel.

The Three F's (6:39)

Lonnie, Marty, and Terry discuss support systems and how maintaining a supportive community of people can help when facing adversity. For Terry, his support comes from what he calls his three F's: his faith, family, and friends. He explains how these elements helped him through his cancer journey and how this impactful life event taught him who he could rely on in times of need.

It Starts With the Mind (11:55)

As Terry has experienced his battle with cancer, he has realized that his ability to persevere relies on his mindset. He goes on to discuss how practicing positive self-talk and maintaining hope can enable our physical bodies to carry us further and stay stronger in times of great difficulty. He provides several examples of how starting with the mind can allow people to persevere with regard to their physical capabilities and ability to live a healthy lifestyle. He also reiterates how leaving your comfort zone can help you stay resilient in difficult times.

The Importance of Hope (17:54)

Our speakers discuss the concept of hope and how people can do extraordinary things when they are given hope. Terry attributes his sense of hope to his upbringing and explains how maintaining his faith and trust in positive outcomes have influenced him throughout his cancer journey. He also shares his belief that people should spend more time working on their hearts, minds, and souls, as those characteristics will stay with us even when health events impact us physically.

Defining Success (22:33)

How do you define success? Terry discusses his benchmark for success as being peace of mind directly resulting from self-satisfaction. He shares his thoughts about how knowing that you did your best to become the best you're capable of being can bring peace of mind and overall contentment. In a day and age where people constantly compare themselves to others on social media, people should base their success more on what they can and have done rather than the achievements of others.

Alone – With Yourself (26:59)

Society today is highly dependent on technology. However, this often leads to individuals experiencing mental dependence on their devices. According to Terry, people's inability to be alone with their thoughts without technology to distract them is due to them being uncomfortable in their own skin. He explains that many people deal with negative thoughts through distractions, but facing them can help you become better at facing stressors and feeling comfortable with yourself.

Sustainable Excellence (28:31)

Terry concludes the episode by sharing his inspiration for his book "Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life." The book discusses concepts related to finding and applying oneself toward their life purpose and achieving success. Terry also discusses his role as an FBI hostage negotiator and how his personal ideals of success translated to this intense line of work.

Links mentioned:

Terry’s Website:

https://www.motivationalcheck.com/

Terry's Book "Sustainable Excellence":

https://www.motivationalcheck.com/sustainable-excellence-book.html