IAM2188 – The Importance of Retaining the Excitement and Creativity of Childhood

Title: Transcript - Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:33:02 GMT

Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:33:02 GMT, Duration: [00:11:52.00]

[00:00:00.20] - Gresham Harkless

I I think that one of the things that I've tried to be in the habit of doing is is always kinda remembering that that childhood aggression, you know, what kinda lit him up and and things like that. Because I think the, I guess, the sad thing to some degree, which is why I love everything that you're doing, is that we start to lose some of that childhood, excitement and the things that kinda get us going. And and I think that's something that I have to continue to kinda work on to to make sure that, you know, I'm continually mining that and continuing to create space for that creativity because we can get so busy with all the things, you know, that we're working on that we don't create time, you know, for

[00:00:36.79] - Intro

that. Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast, and I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast. I always talk about how important it

[00:00:48.20] - Gresham Harkless

is to build a media company.

[00:00:49.60] - Intro

One of the next best things you could do is be on somebody else's media company. So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast, and I want to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the eight business pillars we've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content and a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing. So make sure, of course, that you subscribe to our podcast. But, of course, you take some time out. Check out the show notes. Subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well too, and get to learn about some of those eight business pillars and how you can continue to kinda leverage and build that up so you can go from builder to architect to, of course, rock star and luminary. So this is Greg signing up. I hope you enjoy this I am CEO special episode.

[00:01:30.50] - Catherine Lang-Cline

You have this this this company that just like this whirling mechanism of things. So what are you still doing to, you know, stay creative and to have fun?

[00:01:40.00] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. I I think it's something it's funny enough. I I think that one of the things that I've tried to be in the habit of doing is is always kinda remembering that that childhood aggression. You know, what kinda lit him up and and things like that. Because I think the, I guess, the sad thing to some degree, which is why I love everything that you're doing, is that we start to lose some of that childhood, excitement and the things that kinda get us going. And and I think that's something that I have to continue to kinda work on to to make sure that, you know, I'm continually mining that and continue to create space for that creativity because we can get so busy with all the things, you know, that we're working on that we don't create time, you know, for that. But, for me, I I try to, you know, read and write a lot. That's always been, like, one of my big passions of of taking the time and creating space for that. I actually created a, I called it I I am coloring books. I have a podcast called the I am CEO podcast, and I created a a coloring book called I am coloring. So just different things in in a different way, but I still think that, it's so easy to lose sight of that play, that creativity. We talked a little bit offline about, you know, how we have to create space because that actually allows us to unlock and to look at things more creatively.

[00:02:54.40] - Catherine Lang-Cline

Mhmm.

[00:02:54.59] - Gresham Harkless

And anytime I feel like I'm in a rut and I'm like, you know, I'm down or just not, you know, the highest self that I feel like I could be, I always look and ask myself, and nine times out of ten, it's just because I haven't created that space because I somehow got into the next goal, the next aspiration, and you're going, going, going. So I still, you know, definitely have to work at it, but I still try to find a a a lot of time. Of course, you know, my son also also helps out with that too and and saying, hey. Let's I don't wanna play. I don't wanna want you to work. I want you to do x, y, and z. So that always kinda gets you out of the weeds too.

[00:03:24.19] - Catherine Lang-Cline

That was the next question I was formulating in my head is, like, now that you have this young man in your life, you know, that is, you know, there. Has that changed your the way that you work at all?

[00:03:36.69] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, I think you have to be a lot more, intentional about your time, and intentional about, like, you know and and I hear this, and and one of the things I feel like I I really try to do well is, you know, stand on the shoulders of giants, so to speak, and really understand that, you know, this this life, although I have my and try to blaze my own trail, it has been walked in some shape or fashion, you know, before. So one of the things I always hear from parents is that, you know, it goes so fast. And even just from, you know, knowing him to, you know, where we are now, it's it's gone so fast that I try to be very intentional about creating time and space for him. And I also know that, like, you have to try to teach him some of the things that I learned. I wanna try to make sure that he understands that, especially as I see those entrepreneurial type of, you know, characteristics. In him, I wanna, you know, try to cultivate that as much as possible. So, I think yeah. Absolutely. It's definitely changed me, and I think it's made me more intentional, more, you know, present as well. And and I think that's something that, I I hope and I always try to have translators that work too.

[00:04:44.89] - Catherine Lang-Cline

Yeah. That's one of the things that I talk to people about when they they're like, you know what? I'm stuck. I don't I don't remember, you know, what I did as a kid for the most part. And sometimes I have children, and I'm like, what are they doing? Maybe you should sit with them for a minute. And, like, oh, they're just in video games or whatever. It's like, you know, one, you you could learn how to do it because I think as we grew up I mean, granted, I had some of the the more archaic games coming up, but, man, we were addicted to those. We were able to figure them out. And it was fun to play together. You know? And, also, too, you can have your child put that down, and you can kinda figure out, well, what else can we do? And to kinda see the world through the eyes of a child, and it's not so burdensome. You know? It's it's really it's really pure, and it's like, man, to go back to that is a powerful thing. And, like like we were saying, that's kinda when the magic happens too. Because if you are constantly working and you're constantly your head's down, it's an amazing feeling when you put your head up and you're like, hey. Look at all this on I'm going on out here that I didn't even see. And it's been really, really inspirational. Yeah. So oh, go ahead.

[00:06:00.30] - Gresham Harkless

No. I was just gonna say, like, I absolutely agree with that. It's kind of like that, and I feel like I had that, you know, especially when I started my business business, that naivete where you're like, the world is your oyster. You can literally do anything. You see, like, how they look at things. Like, even like, I have Minecraft now on my phone for for the exact reason you talk about where he was playing Minecraft, and I'm like, okay. We we have this time that I call man hour, where it's me and him, like, spending time consistently together, you know, all the time. So I said, let let me download Minecraft, and he's building all these, like, mansions and worlds. And you see the world in an entirely different way by, you know, even just sitting down and just, like, having conversations and and spending time together.

[00:06:40.00] - Catherine Lang-Cline

I love that you're saying that you have downloaded Minecraft just so you could basically have, you know, some some time to share together. I was, like, talking about the same thing. And, actually, I have to admit that my daughter and I do the same thing.

[00:06:52.19] - Gresham Harkless

Nice.

[00:06:55.30] - Catherine Lang-Cline

But it's it's fun just, like, just for shows and just, like, you know, this is it's time to watch some things together as a family or whatever and just kind of unplugging that. Now since we're talking about, you know, kids, and I'm gonna go back to your mom for a second. And my question is, you know, what did she think of young Gresh?

[00:07:13.69] - Gresham Harkless

You know, it it's so funny because I think it's it's you know, my parents have always been very much so, like, a a big proponent. They always love you and care for you and want you to, you know, fly as much as possible. But I think one of the things about being a parent, and I'm experiencing that now, is you also don't wanna see your kid kinda get hurt. You don't wanna see the downside of it. So I think very much so in the very beginning, they were I always call them my venture capitalist. So when I went to MJ designs to try to get beads, they were the ones that were were paying for that. Or when I needed to get things printed out, you know, as my parents that were they able to do that, you know, for the newspaper. I it it's so funny because I think as you get older, as you said in the very beginning, you start to say, okay. Well, that was childish. And I don't wanna say it in a derogatory negative way, but now it's time to start being doing these adult things. And I think that a lot of it is understanding that transition, and I think making, you know, kids more aware of, you know, not that you have to give that up, but just sometimes, what the world's like so that you prepare them for that shock that sometimes happens. So I think for me, it was definitely like having that, that I think that environment that really helped me to kinda cultivate that. And then as I grew older, you start to get away from that. And and it wasn't just parents, you know, just everybody says, you know, so where are you working? What do you do? Oh, when you're gonna get a full time job? Or, you know, even when I started my business, you hear all these things, and it really could be disheartening to some degree. But I think it was just, you know, I don't know if it's anything other than my hard headedness where I said, hey. You know, this is who I feel like I am, and I feel like I'm really, you know, believe in God, and I really believe in, like, the direction of, you know, the things and the gifts and the talents that he's put into us that I felt like it wasn't just something that I wanted to do. It was something that I had to do and something that I needed to do.

[00:09:07.50] - Catherine Lang-Cline

Love that.

[00:09:08.00] - Gresham Harkless

So it it it it wasn't an it wasn't a, should I do it? It's I have to do it. And I think that when, you know, you start to step into that and you start to communicate that, I think even those that are a little bit more kind of and and, you know, as you get older, you realize it's that they're naysayers. They just don't want you to they don't wanna see you get hurt. They know it's hard. They know it's challenging, but it I think if you understand that as your calling and you can run and and you can fly and do all those things, then I think they start to to realize that, that's exactly what they ultimately wanted anyways.

[00:09:39.60] - Catherine Lang-Cline

Cool. Cool. So what's next for, Blue sixteen?

[00:09:44.70] - Gresham Harkless

Yeah. So, I have completed, sixteen hundred podcasts at the beginning of this year. So I had a daily podcast and include a lot of different, nuggets and information. One of the questions I asked was around, CEO hacks for everybody that's on the show. So what I've been working on most recently is starting to compile that information, aggregate that information to get a lot of trends and information around, like, what makes people successful, what are their hacks and things that, you know, they can really lean on that they feel like make a huge difference in

[00:10:15.60] - Intro

their business. And these can be books. These could be different tools,

[00:10:19.00] - Gresham Harkless

apps, software, whatever that is. So I'm working on creating a a premium newsletter around that for people that are interested in not just hearing about it, but also understanding exactly how to leverage it. Because, I I think one of the biggest things that I've learned and I've heard consistently is that, you know, no matter how much you try to fight it, you you don't have more than twenty four hours in the day, but you can leverage it in a way that makes you more effective and efficient. So that's ultimately what I what I hope to do and share with you.

[00:10:42.89] - Catherine Lang-Cline

Very cool. Very cool. Well, I definitely am recommending people to check out your website. I think there's a lot of information there, and you can there's something for everyone, which is really great, especially if you're a COO or entrepreneur or things like that. And all the information will be in the notes to this podcast so they can click on that and find you quite easily. But I wanna thank you so much for your time today. This has been really, really great. I my soul is always filled when I hear from other people that are entrepreneurial and just crazy thinkers like I am. It's like you find your people, which is which is always fun. So thank you so much.

[00:11:17.79] - Intro

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I am CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars to show you as a builder how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there so it helps you level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoy this episode, and definitely please check out the show notes so you can learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guested on their episode, and, of course, learn more a little bit more about us as well too. This is Grass signing out. Hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.