Apogee Strong

Humans are naturally resistant to change. Being in a comfort zone makes people complacent and content with what they have or what they are doing. Sometimes, in order to improve, it's necessary to step out and challenge oneself by trying to overcome anything that opposes you. Zach Even-Esh talks about his life experiences, and lessons, and gives advice to future leaders. Learn how he overcame adversity, how he took criticism and came into self-realization, and how the way he worked things out affected the outcome of several moments in his life. Tune in as young leaders ask Zach questions about life, personal growth, and more! Quotes: “Sometimes you got to do what you got to do and get the work done. And it might mean the early morning, the late-night, but whatever it takes. If you want to change the outcome, you often have to change your output.” – Zach Even-Esh “People always talk about: Do you work smarter? Do you work harder? It’s both. You work smarter and you try to get more efficient in what you're doing while still putting in that effort – Ryan McClure “A life spent looking for shortcuts is a long road to nowhere.” – Naval “If I would have listened to everybody who's said, I'm an idiot, I'm dumb. It won't work. You know, nothing would happen.” – Zach Even-Esh “When you get to that level where you're doing work that matters. You're no longer going to be interested in going out to find a job. They're just going to come to you and these big jobs that everybody wants.” – Seth Godin Takeaways: Doing whatever it takes to get the work done is a simple concept. Just keep telling yourself that you have to do it, no matter what. Because the only way you can change the outcome of something is through changing the way you do things in the first place. The way you work would severely affect the output of your work. Therefore, working hard and working smart at the same time is key to getting good results.  Instead of trying to make things easier for yourself and running out of time to do anything at all, it’s way better to just start doing it in the first place.  Stop looking for excuses. People will always criticize you no matter what you do and no matter how you’ve done something. It’s best to keep our head up and power our way through adversity in order to achieve our goals. Loving what you do is key to being satisfied with the work you’re trying to do in the first place. Once you are content with that, good things will always come your way. Conclusion: Personal growth is very difficult to attain especially when you’re someone who is weak of heart and very self-critical. Sometimes you just have to power through every obstacle that gets in your way, even yourself. At the end of the day, you will realize that through perseverance and the guts to never give up, you will achieve what you’ve always wanted. 

Humans are naturally antagonistic with one another. So, it’s up to us to try and understand other people by trying to see through their differing viewpoints, knowing what makes them tick, and understanding how they came up with their ideas in the first place. After all, who better understand humans than our own selves? Will Witt shares with us his experiences in public speaking and shows hosting. He also tells us about what his observations are on the current state of the youth in the United States and how he deals with and understands other people’s opposing views. Tune in as he also discusses life lessons and gives advice to young leaders. Quotes: “When you are talking to people who you might disagree with, you are having compassion. You are trying to change people's minds. And when it comes to these bigger ideas, you have to be unflinching—unable to be stopped. You have to be an unstoppable force and machine of truth and factual information against the macro.” – Will Witt “I think the most important thing that you can do is talking to people in a grassroots type of way. Because that's really how this country is saved. It's a war of information right now, people don't even understand what's going on most of the time.” – Will Witt “I know that in the age of canceled culture, and people trying to destroy us for having any sort of type of disbelief, people want to destroy you, they want to ruin you. But there is no greater pursuit in life than the pursuit of truth.” – Will Witt Takeaways: Always make an effort in understanding other people’s viewpoints by observing and listening to them. And if you’re trying to change their mind about a certain topic, your arguments must be firm and decided. Fake news is very rampant everywhere. So it's up to everyone who knows the truth to let other people know to stop the spread of misinformation. People will always fear anything that’s different from their norm. And in the age of social media, anyone can go on a witch-hunt against someone they disagree with online. But people should always strive for what they believe is the truth. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to do it in the first place, but so long as you envision what you really want something to be, then you’ll eventually know if what you’re doing is the right thing. People shouldn’t be easily swayed by other people just because you want to appease them. Instead, you should be fighting for the truth, no matter how hard it would be for you to do so. The youth should be able to communicate their thoughts properly, especially in conversations, arguments, and debates. Doing this ensures that you are understood by your counterpart properly especially if you are of opposing views. Proper communication is, after all, key to very successful conversations and relationships.

Everyone has their problems. They could be financial, personal, or a combination of the two. But whatever they are, difficulties are an inevitable part of existence. Our lives are filled with uncertainties. We can keep trying and improving at something that appears complicated at first. But that doesn't imply you should abandon your goals since you can't reach them in the first place. Layne Norton is a professional weightlifter and bodybuilder who has competed in the world's most prestigious weightlifting competitions. Layne's story is one of overcoming self-doubt and fear of failure to achieve success. He will talk about how he overcame those hurdles and succeeded in his career as a weightlifter. Aaron Bare is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Exponential Theory (X‑Theory). With his life experience, he understands that if you want to succeed in anything you do, it starts with having a growth mindset and being passionate about learning. Tune in to hear what today's young leaders have to say about everything from the meaning of life to how to succeed as an entrepreneur. Quotes: "Self-confidence does not develop unless you have done something correctly and overcome it." - Matt Beaudreau "Keep your feet going, and don't stop. Because you can usually keep pushing forward. I just kept moving, no matter how horrible it was". - Layne Norton "Doing something because you are enthusiastic about it is the most effective approach to ensure that your life has significance." - Layne Norton "Follow the success patterns of those other individuals who are accomplishing what you want to do have put down for you." - Matt Beaudreau Takeaways: Most people are eager to make an effort if there is a guaranteed outcome; nevertheless, it is tough for them to put in the labor when there is no assurance of a result. One of the most important things you can do to enhance your life is to be consistent and committed. You can establish a plan, stick to it, and reap the benefits when you're consistent. When you commit to anything for the long term, you can see it through and get the results you desire. Resilience is the ability to recover from adversity and make mistakes. It is not just about being able to tolerate pain but also about learning from it and moving forward. Resilience is crucial because it permits people to persevere in the face of adversity. While consistency, commitment, resilience, and enthusiasm are all crucial qualities, the growth mindset may be the most potent. People will approach obstacles confidently and efficiently when they believe in their ability to grow and develop over time. They will be able to adapt to shifting trends and conditions. Because they have a healthy view of how their work should change through time, their work will be more creative and original.

Throughout our lifetime, we are taught that opportunities are more prevalent when you have good grades or that you have a degree from college. Even though it is true, opportunities also stem from connecting with people, especially those that have accomplished what you are trying to achieve. How you lead your life depending on how determined you are to achieve your goals will allow opportunities to come to your doorstep.  Brandon Fong shares his experiences in writing his own story and creating his own opportunities. Being a teenager seems to be overwhelming when you are at the point of entering adulthood. But fear is completely normal in that phase where you will learn how to create your own story and live the life you want. Stay tuned as Brandon and young leaders talk about self-worth, self-improvement, trials, errors, and writing your own story! Quotes “There are hard ways of doing things, and there's an easy way of doing things. The easy way of doing things is about connecting with people who accomplished what you want to accomplish and learning  directly from them to shortcut years of trial and error.” - Brandon Fong “If you feel unworthy to make things happen, you won't actually make your clients happy. There is the trepidation of fearing it, but doing it anyway. That is completely normal and it's supposed to happen. At the end of the day, you have to have the competence and the self-confidence to ask for what you want and know that you'll figure out a way to do it.” - Brandon Fong  “Don't worry about getting it right. It's the effort and the care that you're putting into it that matters so much more.” - Brandon Fong  Takeaways People are scared to not try to get all of their opportunities from a traditional route where opportunities come as long as you get good grades and go to college. Opportunities are created because of who you are, how you're building your network, and how you're leading in all kinds of different ways. When things are going bad, the things that we tend to say is “something is wrong” or “something is not right”. But if you take the really high-level perspective, it's actually incorrect. It is supposed to be happening and you are 100 % supposed to be going through that downturn.  The heroic behavior is being a value-driven and character-driven individual. It is shaking hands, opening doors, and getting back to honoring other people. The heroic behavior sets you apart because you're doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do. Develop that skill set of asking questions and finding out what makes someone tick. The more you can get to know someone, the more they're interested in finding out about you afterward. Young people must learn to embrace the upcoming phase of their life, which is adulthood. Fear is completely normal, especially when they have no clue what to do after their teenage years. The most important thing is learning from mistakes and connecting with people that will help you in the next phase of your life. 

Humans adapt and thrive when they are put in precarious situations. Hence, growth is pivotal in every aspect of living. Whether it’s to understand and appreciate the blessings of life, money, and opportunities, humans are not strangers to the intricacies of living in the modern world. With technology speeding up the human evolution process, even kids have an inkling of what is happening. Ignorance becomes not a matter of how but when—as information is now accessible at our fingertips. Joe De Sena shares his life experiences, lessons, and advice to future leaders. Teenage life is simply the gateway to adulthood. As they learn the reality that living is not as easy as it is, it is up to them whether they will grow as a person or stay within the confines of their imagination. Tune in as young leaders ask questions about life, personal growth, entrepreneurship, and more! Quotes: “Maturity is the ability to accept a person’s circumstance, whether favorable or not. An immature person would complain about their situation, whereas a mature person would endure and strive that things will soon pass.” – Joe De Sena “Until you understand the link between responsibility and freedom, whatever age you are at, young or old, entitlement will always creep in, and it is the most damaging thing that can happen to a human being.” – Matt Beaudreau “In my experience, there are two things that are grievous for young people to overcome; when they literally have nothing and when they can have everything.” – Matt Beaudreau Takeaways: Maturity, as a concept, should be introduced as early as possible. The earlier a person understands the link between responsibility and freedom, the more mature they become when they grow into adulthood. Being at either of the extremes, having everything or nothing, is detrimental to personal growth. People who can wish for anything that can be easily granted will have a hard time accepting the reality of life. The same goes for people who can’t get anything easily unless they toil for it. Commitment should be done fully and should not be thought of haphazardly. With the abundance of distractions surrounding us, young people should strive to be resilient. Conclusion: Young people must enjoy their teenage life, but taking lessons from bitter challenges is just as important. Let others see that not all young people are impulsive. Making mistakes is normal but always remember to learn from them, adapt, and see the reality that the world is not as simple as it seems.