00:00:00.877 --> 00:00:07.257

Kevin Lowe: How many times do you go out in search of inspiration? You're flipping through Facebook.

00:00:07.637 --> 00:00:10.537

Kevin Lowe: You're actually flipping through a magazine while at the doctor's office.

00:00:10.737 --> 00:00:15.557

Kevin Lowe: Looking for something, something to catch your eye, something to ignite that

00:00:15.557 --> 00:00:18.597

Kevin Lowe: little spark of inspiration that you know you've been needing.

00:00:18.837 --> 00:00:22.557

Kevin Lowe: Well, my friend, what if I tell you that you've been trying too hard?

00:00:22.657 --> 00:00:27.917

Kevin Lowe: You've been looking and searching in all the wrong places. because so many times

00:00:27.917 --> 00:00:31.977

Kevin Lowe: inspiration is in the least likely of places.

00:00:32.397 --> 00:00:38.797

Kevin Lowe: For example, what if the inspiration you need, the life lessons that you need

00:00:38.797 --> 00:00:42.917

Kevin Lowe: to hear, they come from none other than a young blind hustler?

00:00:43.137 --> 00:00:47.917

Kevin Lowe: Yes, my friend, I'm talking about a 13-year-old blind kid who's working as a

00:00:47.917 --> 00:00:51.517

Kevin Lowe: DJ in nightclubs. He's selling drugs on the side.

00:00:51.697 --> 00:00:54.177

Kevin Lowe: He is hustling for everything it's worth.

00:00:54.177 --> 00:00:56.117

Kevin Lowe: His name, Mike Calvo.

00:00:56.517 --> 00:01:02.197

Kevin Lowe: And if you tuned into our previous episode, you got to meet the man,

00:01:02.657 --> 00:01:08.217

Kevin Lowe: The legend, Mike Calvo. He's a little bit older now. He's a little bit older, a little bit wiser.

00:01:08.657 --> 00:01:13.317

Kevin Lowe: And he's no longer selling drugs on the street or DJing in nightclubs,

00:01:13.457 --> 00:01:15.537

Kevin Lowe: but instead a successful entrepreneur,

00:01:15.537 --> 00:01:18.837

Kevin Lowe: All the while being completely blind.

00:01:19.577 --> 00:01:23.357

Kevin Lowe: Now, here today, my friend, what we're going to do is we're going to look at,

00:01:23.417 --> 00:01:25.057

Kevin Lowe: though, his childhood years,

00:01:25.257 --> 00:01:27.137

Kevin Lowe: Those formative years for all of us.

00:01:27.437 --> 00:01:31.777

Kevin Lowe: And we're going to learn the lessons that he taught us, going from the streets

00:01:31.777 --> 00:01:38.557

Kevin Lowe: of Miami to becoming a CEO, from drugs and DJing to making a difference in the

00:01:38.557 --> 00:01:40.637

Kevin Lowe: world with the companies that he's created.

00:01:41.317 --> 00:01:44.957

Kevin Lowe: So today, my friend, is the inspiration that you have been looking for,

00:01:45.097 --> 00:01:46.677

Kevin Lowe: Whether you realized it or not.

00:01:47.097 --> 00:01:50.837

Kevin Lowe: All brought to us from the most unlikely of places. So my friend,

00:01:50.977 --> 00:01:56.737

Kevin Lowe: that's what is inside of today's 379th episode of Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

00:01:56.897 --> 00:02:00.857

Kevin Lowe: I am so happy you're here. So let's go ahead and dive right in.

00:02:01.938 --> 00:02:03.118

Kevin Lowe: Hey, I'm your host.

00:02:03.298 --> 00:02:07.198

Kevin Lowe: Kevin Lowe, and you are listening to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

00:02:08.598 --> 00:02:11.818

Kevin Lowe: What is shaking, my friend? Welcome back to the podcast.

00:02:12.258 --> 00:02:12.958

Kevin Lowe: You don't even

00:02:12.958 --> 00:02:16.538

Kevin Lowe: Know how excited I am you're here today. Why? Well, because,

00:02:16.758 --> 00:02:19.518

Kevin Lowe: well, I'm always excited that you're here on every episode.

00:02:19.518 --> 00:02:24.098

Kevin Lowe: But I'm especially excited when I have something to share with you that I really

00:02:24.098 --> 00:02:28.778

Kevin Lowe: think might be that kind of eye-opening moment that you've been needing in your life.

00:02:28.778 --> 00:02:33.718

Kevin Lowe: As I said in the intro, inspiration from the most unlikely of places,

00:02:34.238 --> 00:02:36.918

Kevin Lowe: inspiration from the most unlikely of people.

00:02:37.158 --> 00:02:42.098

Kevin Lowe: And that is exactly what compelled me so much about the story of Mike Calvo

00:02:42.098 --> 00:02:44.858

Kevin Lowe: as this young kid trying to make

00:02:44.858 --> 00:02:45.418

Kevin Lowe: It in life.

00:02:45.418 --> 00:02:49.578

Kevin Lowe: Just like anybody else. There was just that little characteristic about him,

00:02:49.738 --> 00:02:52.538

Kevin Lowe: the fact that he was blind. Now, what's cool about

00:02:52.538 --> 00:02:54.098

Kevin Lowe: Mike is the fact of.

00:02:54.098 --> 00:02:57.418

Kevin Lowe: He didn't view being blind as anything unique.

00:02:57.938 --> 00:03:01.998

Kevin Lowe: No, it was no different than me having brown hair, you having curly hair,

00:03:02.458 --> 00:03:04.518

Kevin Lowe: my eyes being brown, your eyes being blue.

00:03:04.778 --> 00:03:09.258

Kevin Lowe: He was blind and it was just part of life. And he found ways around it.

00:03:09.418 --> 00:03:11.638

Kevin Lowe: And more importantly than even just finding

00:03:11.638 --> 00:03:12.478

Kevin Lowe: Ways around it.

00:03:12.598 --> 00:03:17.618

Kevin Lowe: He was able to take a vision for his life and turn it into something big.

00:03:17.818 --> 00:03:22.618

Kevin Lowe: And that is where his story turns to your story. Because my friends,

00:03:22.758 --> 00:03:24.498

Kevin Lowe: sometimes we get so caught up in

00:03:24.498 --> 00:03:26.018

Kevin Lowe: The day-to-day hustle.

00:03:26.018 --> 00:03:29.618

Kevin Lowe: That we lose focus on where we're going, on what we

00:03:29.618 --> 00:03:30.978

Kevin Lowe: Truly want out of life.

00:03:31.318 --> 00:03:37.118

Kevin Lowe: And so today, my friend, I want you to stop thinking about so much as to what you see.

00:03:37.418 --> 00:03:41.498

Kevin Lowe: Instead, I want you to start focusing on what you envision. Because the vision

00:03:41.498 --> 00:03:42.718

Kevin Lowe: That you have for your life.

00:03:42.958 --> 00:03:46.538

Kevin Lowe: For your future, that's more important than the here and now.

00:03:46.858 --> 00:03:48.718

Kevin Lowe: Because right now, well,

00:03:48.878 --> 00:03:49.438

Kevin Lowe: It's temporary.

00:03:49.818 --> 00:03:53.378

Kevin Lowe: It's already gone. Every moment is passing at

00:03:53.378 --> 00:03:54.238

Kevin Lowe: The speed of light.

00:03:54.238 --> 00:03:59.918

Kevin Lowe: But the future, the future is where it's at, my friend. And so if we can put your eye

00:03:59.918 --> 00:04:00.718

Kevin Lowe: On the prize.

00:04:00.718 --> 00:04:04.978

Kevin Lowe: To have that vision clear as day as to where you want to go,

00:04:05.318 --> 00:04:09.998

Kevin Lowe: well, then my friend, you are all but certain to get there sooner than later.

00:04:10.458 --> 00:04:14.378

Kevin Lowe: Setting the stage for the lessons that we're going to go through in today's

00:04:14.378 --> 00:04:17.758

Kevin Lowe: episode is this understanding of just what I said.

00:04:17.758 --> 00:04:18.958

Kevin Lowe: Is that the.

00:04:18.958 --> 00:04:22.838

Kevin Lowe: Circumstances that you're dealing with today, you might feel like they're all

00:04:22.838 --> 00:04:25.618

Kevin Lowe: consuming, that they're going to impact you from this day forward.

00:04:25.958 --> 00:04:28.698

Kevin Lowe: But the fact is true is that is not true.

00:04:29.078 --> 00:04:33.438

Kevin Lowe: Every day of life brings something new. And I believe that even though we might

00:04:33.438 --> 00:04:35.818

Kevin Lowe: not be able to always choose what

00:04:35.818 --> 00:04:39.938

Kevin Lowe: Happens to us in this life, we can always choose how we react to it.

00:04:40.038 --> 00:04:45.658

Kevin Lowe: We can always choose what we do with it. And we can either view it from a mindset

00:04:45.658 --> 00:04:50.818

Kevin Lowe: of a victim or from the mindset of the victor.

00:04:50.998 --> 00:04:52.998

Kevin Lowe: We can choose how we see it.

00:04:53.338 --> 00:04:55.858

Kevin Lowe: The glass is either half full or it's half empty.

00:04:56.915 --> 00:05:01.435

Kevin Lowe: So I want you to remember that if you're in a place right now in life where

00:05:01.435 --> 00:05:02.735

Kevin Lowe: you're looking around and you don't

00:05:02.735 --> 00:05:03.975

Kevin Lowe: Really like who you are.

00:05:04.115 --> 00:05:05.895

Kevin Lowe: You don't like what you see in the mirror,

00:05:05.895 --> 00:05:08.155

Kevin Lowe: You don't like the life that you're living.

00:05:08.515 --> 00:05:10.835

Kevin Lowe: Well, I want you to realize that it doesn't mean that it has

00:05:10.835 --> 00:05:11.615

Kevin Lowe: To stay that way.

00:05:11.615 --> 00:05:13.035

Kevin Lowe: Because chances are

00:05:13.035 --> 00:05:13.915

Kevin Lowe: Where you are today.

00:05:13.915 --> 00:05:18.055

Kevin Lowe: Is not where you were 10 years ago. And I hope

00:05:18.055 --> 00:05:19.895

Kevin Lowe: That if you take action today.

00:05:20.295 --> 00:05:24.095

Kevin Lowe: If you really put in some intention that where you are today is not

00:05:24.095 --> 00:05:24.595

Kevin Lowe: Going to be where.

00:05:24.595 --> 00:05:27.635

Kevin Lowe: You are in 10 years, that you're going to be somewhere much better,

00:05:28.155 --> 00:05:31.615

Kevin Lowe: much bigger, much more fulfilling and meaningful to you.

00:05:32.035 --> 00:05:35.095

Kevin Lowe: And I guess that is where Mike's story enters the picture,

00:05:35.315 --> 00:05:38.775

Kevin Lowe: Is that he told us, here he was in South Florida.

00:05:38.955 --> 00:05:44.555

Kevin Lowe: Miami, 13-year-old kid who was blind. And let's face it, he could have felt

00:05:44.555 --> 00:05:48.655

Kevin Lowe: sorry for himself. He could have chosen to not keep living,

00:05:48.835 --> 00:05:51.695

Kevin Lowe: To not try to pursue dreams.

00:05:51.915 --> 00:05:56.515

Kevin Lowe: Instead, he could have just laid in his bedroom and wasted his life away.

00:05:56.675 --> 00:06:00.015

Kevin Lowe: But instead, what did he do? He got out on the street.

00:06:00.335 --> 00:06:05.135

Kevin Lowe: He started finding passions, like DJing. He loved music.

00:06:05.375 --> 00:06:10.415

Kevin Lowe: And so lo and behold, he started DJing in nightclubs as a teenager.

00:06:10.735 --> 00:06:14.515

Kevin Lowe: Then, of course, that led to other things like selling drugs.

00:06:14.515 --> 00:06:18.495

Kevin Lowe: Nothing that I am recommending that you or me get into.

00:06:19.095 --> 00:06:21.935

Kevin Lowe: But nonetheless, Mike Calvo, back in the day.

00:06:22.095 --> 00:06:22.895

Kevin Lowe: He was making

00:06:22.895 --> 00:06:24.355

Kevin Lowe: It happen however he could.

00:06:24.555 --> 00:06:26.355

Kevin Lowe: And the biggest lesson here is

00:06:26.355 --> 00:06:28.435

Kevin Lowe: That he didn't allow this disability.

00:06:28.435 --> 00:06:32.075

Kevin Lowe: To keep him from believing that he could do something big with his life.

00:06:32.355 --> 00:06:37.795

Kevin Lowe: And in with that lies the mindset that we all have, the stories we tell ourselves.

00:06:37.995 --> 00:06:41.755

Kevin Lowe: And the stories that you tell yourself can do one of two things.

00:06:42.355 --> 00:06:45.135

Kevin Lowe: They can either keep you stuck or they can set you free.

00:06:45.695 --> 00:06:49.815

Kevin Lowe: You're the one who gets to tell the story yourself. So whatever that mindset

00:06:49.815 --> 00:06:52.795

Kevin Lowe: is that you have to adapt, whatever the story

00:06:52.795 --> 00:06:54.175

Kevin Lowe: Is that you have to change.

00:06:54.855 --> 00:07:00.175

Kevin Lowe: I want you to realize that you hold the secret. You hold the pen, my friend.

00:07:00.395 --> 00:07:03.435

Kevin Lowe: You're the one writing the darn story. Nobody else.

00:07:03.735 --> 00:07:06.295

Kevin Lowe: So you get to tell the story however you want.

00:07:06.815 --> 00:07:10.275

Kevin Lowe: And what I hope is since you're listening to today's podcast,

00:07:10.915 --> 00:07:14.675

Kevin Lowe: you're going to realize that you can begin to write a whole new story for you.

00:07:15.155 --> 00:07:19.055

Kevin Lowe: Now, here is the first big truth that I want you to understand,

00:07:19.195 --> 00:07:21.135

Kevin Lowe: taken from the story of Mike Calvo.

00:07:22.122 --> 00:07:25.322

Kevin Lowe: Your circumstances are literally just the starting line.

00:07:25.582 --> 00:07:27.122

Kevin Lowe: They are not the finish line.

00:07:27.682 --> 00:07:30.942

Kevin Lowe: Now, the fact is true is when you listen to Mike

00:07:30.942 --> 00:07:31.822

Kevin Lowe: Tell his story.

00:07:32.102 --> 00:07:35.002

Kevin Lowe: His story really could have gone many different ways.

00:07:35.302 --> 00:07:41.082

Kevin Lowe: He had no real parental support when he came to school. He had no one advocating for him.

00:07:41.522 --> 00:07:45.622

Kevin Lowe: Instead, he was out there figuring things out pretty much on his own.

00:07:46.002 --> 00:07:51.982

Kevin Lowe: Now, maybe he got involved in some things that weren't quite so beautiful.

00:07:52.122 --> 00:07:52.782

Kevin Lowe: And okay.

00:07:52.782 --> 00:07:58.922

Kevin Lowe: He didn't just set up a lemonade stand. No, he started hustling. He got into some stuff.

00:07:58.922 --> 00:08:03.382

Kevin Lowe: But you know what he started doing? Even as a kid, he started making money.

00:08:03.722 --> 00:08:08.102

Kevin Lowe: He started supporting himself. He started making dreams come true.

00:08:08.402 --> 00:08:11.862

Kevin Lowe: The biggest lesson here is he wasn't waiting for anybody's

00:08:11.862 --> 00:08:13.022

Kevin Lowe: Permission to succeed.

00:08:13.442 --> 00:08:17.462

Kevin Lowe: No, he was just pursuing it himself. And I mean, again,

00:08:17.762 --> 00:08:23.562

Kevin Lowe: Like I said, DJing one thing, selling drugs, a whole other thing while a blind

00:08:23.562 --> 00:08:27.302

Kevin Lowe: teenager at that. And yet he's playing the big leagues.

00:08:27.422 --> 00:08:33.022

Kevin Lowe: He's making the money. And what's cool about that is he didn't view his blindness as a limitation.

00:08:33.242 --> 00:08:35.422

Kevin Lowe: It was just something that he had to work around.

00:08:35.662 --> 00:08:36.722

Kevin Lowe: It was just part of him.

00:08:37.002 --> 00:08:43.042

Kevin Lowe: And so what's fascinating about this is that, yeah, even though we're not encouraging anybody.

00:08:43.042 --> 00:08:43.922

Kevin Lowe: Else to go

00:08:43.922 --> 00:08:45.722

Kevin Lowe: Do the hustling that he was.

00:08:46.002 --> 00:08:50.262

Kevin Lowe: The type of skills that he acquired during hustling,

00:08:50.522 --> 00:08:53.882

Kevin Lowe: Well, that would help him out in entrepreneurship.

00:08:54.422 --> 00:08:59.142

Kevin Lowe: Because I mean, you think about it, his skills that he developed in working the deal,

00:08:59.322 --> 00:09:01.262

Kevin Lowe: In networking, in figuring things out.

00:09:01.342 --> 00:09:05.342

Kevin Lowe: In innovating, are exactly what a good entrepreneur needs.

00:09:05.842 --> 00:09:10.062

Kevin Lowe: And so when he finally figured out how to change course.

00:09:10.342 --> 00:09:13.102

Kevin Lowe: To change the direction of his hustle, but then everything

00:09:13.102 --> 00:09:15.022

Kevin Lowe: Else in life began to change as well.

00:09:15.302 --> 00:09:20.762

Kevin Lowe: And so I remind you that whatever you're going through, your circumstances are

00:09:20.762 --> 00:09:23.582

Kevin Lowe: just the starting point. They are not the finish line.

00:09:23.842 --> 00:09:27.362

Kevin Lowe: Your circumstances, they do not decide where you're going to finish.

00:09:27.682 --> 00:09:30.402

Kevin Lowe: No, you get to decide where you finish.

00:09:30.962 --> 00:09:34.922

Kevin Lowe: So whatever you're going through right now, whether it's financial difficulties,

00:09:35.262 --> 00:09:40.202

Kevin Lowe: struggles in your relationship, or maybe it's just your own internal mindset.

00:09:40.362 --> 00:09:45.102

Kevin Lowe: Maybe it's just your emotions. Maybe you're just feeling a little

00:09:45.102 --> 00:09:46.162

Kevin Lowe: Bit down here lately.

00:09:47.076 --> 00:09:50.796

Kevin Lowe: I want you to realize that that does not hold control.

00:09:51.396 --> 00:09:56.676

Kevin Lowe: Only you do. And that you are bigger and better and stronger than anything you're dealing with.

00:09:56.816 --> 00:09:57.856

Kevin Lowe: I promise you that.

00:09:58.136 --> 00:10:02.276

Kevin Lowe: So remember, what you're dealing with today is not the finish line.

00:10:02.416 --> 00:10:03.716

Kevin Lowe: It's the starting point.

00:10:04.276 --> 00:10:07.156

Kevin Lowe: From this day forward, you get to make the choice.

00:10:07.416 --> 00:10:08.576

Kevin Lowe: You get to run the

00:10:08.576 --> 00:10:15.136

Kevin Lowe: Race how you want to run it. And you ultimately get to decide what is the finish line.

00:10:15.856 --> 00:10:17.496

Kevin Lowe: Figure out what that finish line is.

00:10:17.596 --> 00:10:20.336

Kevin Lowe: And then I want you to start moving forward one step

00:10:20.336 --> 00:10:25.536

Kevin Lowe: At a time. The next truth that I took from Mike's interview that I want to relate

00:10:25.536 --> 00:10:28.496

Kevin Lowe: to you is the simple fact that.

00:10:28.496 --> 00:10:29.556

Kevin Lowe: The world around you

00:10:29.556 --> 00:10:31.776

Kevin Lowe: Will try to define you. But.

00:10:31.776 --> 00:10:32.996

Kevin Lowe: The fact is true is that

00:10:32.996 --> 00:10:37.296

Kevin Lowe: You're the only one who gets to make that decision. And I bring this up because

00:10:37.296 --> 00:10:42.416

Kevin Lowe: one of the biggest things that Mike had to overcome weren't his own limitations,

00:10:42.796 --> 00:10:45.476

Kevin Lowe: wasn't his own blindness, but

00:10:45.476 --> 00:10:50.356

Kevin Lowe: rather the world around him and their expectations of what he could do.

00:10:50.556 --> 00:10:53.636

Kevin Lowe: Somebody who was blind. Matter of fact, in our interview,

00:10:53.856 --> 00:10:58.596

Kevin Lowe: I think I even brought up the fact that a lot of times as somebody who myself am blind.

00:10:58.796 --> 00:11:03.936

Kevin Lowe: I forget that I am any different than anybody else until somebody else reminds me.

00:11:04.316 --> 00:11:09.236

Kevin Lowe: Now, maybe they don't mean to do it purposeful. They don't mean anything by

00:11:09.236 --> 00:11:15.456

Kevin Lowe: it. But again, I've been in this life as somebody who's blind for now over 21 years,

00:11:15.456 --> 00:11:17.516

Kevin Lowe: And it's just part of life.

00:11:17.596 --> 00:11:18.716

Kevin Lowe: But then all of a sudden,

00:11:18.736 --> 00:11:21.376

Kevin Lowe: The outside world gets evolved and.

00:11:21.376 --> 00:11:22.036

Kevin Lowe: They bring up

00:11:22.036 --> 00:11:26.816

Kevin Lowe: Something reminding me of, oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry you can't see this.

00:11:26.976 --> 00:11:31.636

Kevin Lowe: I wish you could see this. And again, they don't mean anything by it.

00:11:31.796 --> 00:11:32.896

Kevin Lowe: They're just trying to help out.

00:11:33.416 --> 00:11:36.016

Kevin Lowe: But in ways, it's a reminder of,

00:11:36.256 --> 00:11:41.416

Kevin Lowe: Oh, yeah, thanks. Thanks for reminding me. that I'm not like everybody else,

00:11:41.596 --> 00:11:43.216

Kevin Lowe: that I don't get to see it.

00:11:43.556 --> 00:11:47.696

Kevin Lowe: Instead, I've learned to just see the world in my own way. So again,

00:11:48.016 --> 00:11:49.716

Kevin Lowe: back to the situation of Mike.

00:11:50.096 --> 00:11:50.636

Kevin Lowe: He had to deal

00:11:50.636 --> 00:11:53.076

Kevin Lowe: With the expectations that others set on him.

00:11:53.156 --> 00:11:59.196

Kevin Lowe: And that makes you wonder is how many times do we allow others' opinions on

00:11:59.196 --> 00:12:01.296

Kevin Lowe: Us of our life, what we should be doing?

00:12:01.496 --> 00:12:02.696

Kevin Lowe: How many times do we allow

00:12:02.696 --> 00:12:07.496

Kevin Lowe: That to actually matter, to actually dictate what we do in life?

00:12:08.696 --> 00:12:10.216

Kevin Lowe: If you've been living in the

00:12:10.216 --> 00:12:11.376

Kevin Lowe: Same world I am.

00:12:11.376 --> 00:12:12.776

Kevin Lowe: Well then my friend You will

00:12:12.776 --> 00:12:17.756

Kevin Lowe: Know that that has happened way too much I have seen that in my life In the people.

00:12:18.540 --> 00:12:24.560

Kevin Lowe: Who I do life with, I've seen it in their lives as well. Everybody has an opinion about

00:12:24.560 --> 00:12:26.120

Kevin Lowe: Somebody else's life.

00:12:26.300 --> 00:12:33.780

Kevin Lowe: And the fact is true is that, unfortunately, all their opinions really and truly do not matter.

00:12:34.220 --> 00:12:40.800

Kevin Lowe: The only opinion that matters is you. And the reason is because nobody knows you better than you.

00:12:40.800 --> 00:12:47.480

Kevin Lowe: And as Mike was telling us stories about his careers moving out of dealing drugs

00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:51.980

Kevin Lowe: and DJing and getting into more professional settings,

00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:52.940

Kevin Lowe: He

00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:53.520

Kevin Lowe: Had to deal

00:12:53.520 --> 00:12:56.780

Kevin Lowe: With these type of limitations that others would put on him.

00:12:56.840 --> 00:13:00.920

Kevin Lowe: Because the fact is true is that people will put you in a box.

00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:03.000

Kevin Lowe: They will put limitations on you.

00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:04.740

Kevin Lowe: And they will

00:13:04.740 --> 00:13:09.620

Kevin Lowe: Find it so easy to come up with assumptions as to what you can and cannot do.

00:13:09.620 --> 00:13:13.760

Kevin Lowe: And that is not just for Mike. That is not just for me.

00:13:13.920 --> 00:13:18.720

Kevin Lowe: That is not just for somebody who is blind or any other quote-unquote disability.

00:13:19.320 --> 00:13:21.800

Kevin Lowe: All of us, whether we like it or not,

00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:25.180

Kevin Lowe: People around us will put limitations on us all.

00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:32.820

Kevin Lowe: What's important is for us to not allow their perceived limitations of us to truly define us.

00:13:33.180 --> 00:13:35.780

Kevin Lowe: Instead, I want you to use it as rocket

00:13:35.780 --> 00:13:37.440

Kevin Lowe: Fuel to have you bursting out.

00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:41.380

Kevin Lowe: To breaking through those barriers, proving that, you know what?

00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:44.620

Kevin Lowe: You have no clue what the heck you're talking about.

00:13:44.800 --> 00:13:48.720

Kevin Lowe: I'm capable of way more than you could ever imagine.

00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:55.280

Kevin Lowe: And so, you know what? Let me just show it. That is what we call a little in-your-face action,

00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:59.380

Kevin Lowe: My friend. I want to hit home with the most powerful lesson of all.

00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:01.760

Kevin Lowe: When we look at the story of Mike Calvo,

00:14:02.040 --> 00:14:05.120

Kevin Lowe: He could have used every excuse in the book.

00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:06.480

Kevin Lowe: I'm blind.

00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:12.520

Kevin Lowe: I came from Cuban immigrants. I didn't have teachers growing up who believed in me.

00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:15.440

Kevin Lowe: The system, it wasn't built for people like me.

00:14:15.580 --> 00:14:16.000

Kevin Lowe: I

00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:16.780

Kevin Lowe: Was dealt a

00:14:16.780 --> 00:14:24.380

Kevin Lowe: Bad hand right away in life. And the fact is true that any of those excuses could have been valid.

00:14:25.020 --> 00:14:27.220

Kevin Lowe: And I will say the same is for you.

00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:31.080

Kevin Lowe: Any of your own excuses are completely valid as well.

00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:36.540

Kevin Lowe: I am not here to make you believe that the things you're going through are.

00:14:36.540 --> 00:14:38.320

Kevin Lowe: Any less traumatic than

00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:41.520

Kevin Lowe: Anything else, because I believe that what you are going through.

00:14:41.680 --> 00:14:46.760

Kevin Lowe: If it is tough, then my friend, I'm sorry. But I want you to hear that even

00:14:46.760 --> 00:14:49.420

Kevin Lowe: though they are valid, they do not have to become permanent.

00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:52.360

Kevin Lowe: They are temporary little obstacles.

00:14:52.660 --> 00:14:54.680

Kevin Lowe: They are not permanent roadblocks.

00:14:55.180 --> 00:14:57.600

Kevin Lowe: You, my friend, are able to overcome,

00:14:57.900 --> 00:14:59.140

Kevin Lowe: To move past.

00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:00.300

Kevin Lowe: And to thrive

00:15:00.300 --> 00:15:02.820

Kevin Lowe: In spite of each and every one of them.

00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:07.280

Kevin Lowe: And that brings me to one of the favorite stories that Mike told us during the interview.

00:15:08.187 --> 00:15:12.207

Kevin Lowe: And that was about him when he started working for the first time.

00:15:12.527 --> 00:15:17.847

Kevin Lowe: He was so excited to be DJing. I believe he was DJing at the skating rink.

00:15:18.367 --> 00:15:24.867

Kevin Lowe: And here he was thinking he was rich. He was making 60 bucks a week as a kid.

00:15:25.007 --> 00:15:27.767

Kevin Lowe: And yet then his dad

00:15:27.767 --> 00:15:30.707

Kevin Lowe: Had a very important life lesson he taught him.

00:15:30.807 --> 00:15:34.807

Kevin Lowe: He said, a man who works is a man who pays rent. And so here he

00:15:34.807 --> 00:15:36.587

Kevin Lowe: Was making 60 bucks a week.

00:15:36.587 --> 00:15:37.667

Kevin Lowe: And his dad

00:15:37.667 --> 00:15:41.047

Kevin Lowe: Was going to start charging him $50 a week for rent.

00:15:41.567 --> 00:15:46.027

Kevin Lowe: And yeah, we could have said, well, man, that's not fair. That's horrible.

00:15:46.207 --> 00:15:48.007

Kevin Lowe: But you know what Mike did?

00:15:48.307 --> 00:15:53.307

Kevin Lowe: Is he allowed it to teach some extremely valuable lessons in life that I can't

00:15:53.307 --> 00:15:57.887

Kevin Lowe: help but believe set him up for success from that day forward.

00:15:58.447 --> 00:16:04.227

Kevin Lowe: That simple yet profound lesson taught to him by his father would mean something impactful for him.

00:16:04.227 --> 00:16:08.087

Kevin Lowe: Now, maybe then he didn't realize it. Probably at that moment,

00:16:08.207 --> 00:16:09.747

Kevin Lowe: he was probably pretty irritated.

00:16:10.227 --> 00:16:13.647

Kevin Lowe: But instead, you know what it did is it taught him to be resourceful.

00:16:13.787 --> 00:16:15.767

Kevin Lowe: It taught him responsibility.

00:16:16.087 --> 00:16:18.847

Kevin Lowe: It taught him to start working a little bit harder.

00:16:19.575 --> 00:16:23.115

Kevin Lowe: And every one of those lessons learned about responsibility,

00:16:23.415 --> 00:16:24.675

Kevin Lowe: About business, about survival.

00:16:24.955 --> 00:16:32.495

Kevin Lowe: All of those would go on to impact him as an entrepreneur moving forward in life. And so I go

00:16:32.495 --> 00:16:35.635

Kevin Lowe: Back to one of the key lessons that I talked about at the beginning of today's

00:16:35.635 --> 00:16:37.995

Kevin Lowe: episode. I've talked about it on many episodes.

00:16:37.995 --> 00:16:40.275

Kevin Lowe: And I'm going to reinforce right now,

00:16:40.435 --> 00:16:44.815

Kevin Lowe: Is that you can't always control your circumstances, but you can absolutely

00:16:44.815 --> 00:16:49.315

Kevin Lowe: control how you respond to them. Mike, he could have allowed that moment with

00:16:49.315 --> 00:16:51.035

Kevin Lowe: his dad to be discouraging.

00:16:51.255 --> 00:16:54.715

Kevin Lowe: Man, I'm making 60 bucks a week and now my dad wants 50 a week?

00:16:54.955 --> 00:16:56.575

Kevin Lowe: I'm down to only 10 bucks a week?

00:16:56.995 --> 00:16:57.995

Kevin Lowe: What's it even worth?

00:16:58.095 --> 00:17:01.355

Kevin Lowe: Why did he even start working in the first place? Instead, no.

00:17:01.855 --> 00:17:07.155

Kevin Lowe: Instead, it propelled him forward to become a bigger, better person, even as just a kid.

00:17:07.415 --> 00:17:09.915

Kevin Lowe: My friend, the biggest thing here is.

00:17:09.915 --> 00:17:10.435

Kevin Lowe: I want you to

00:17:10.435 --> 00:17:14.635

Kevin Lowe: Start looking at life differently. I want you to start seeing inspiration in

00:17:14.635 --> 00:17:19.855

Kevin Lowe: a different light. Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely of people,

00:17:20.215 --> 00:17:21.895

Kevin Lowe: the most unlikely of places.

00:17:21.895 --> 00:17:25.615

Kevin Lowe: Like a 13-year-old kid living in South Florida,

00:17:26.175 --> 00:17:31.235

Kevin Lowe: Blind, and yet he's DJing in nightclubs, selling drugs on the side,

00:17:31.755 --> 00:17:36.695

Kevin Lowe: doing the thing, hustling, leaving an impact, and inspiring us all.

00:17:36.695 --> 00:17:39.955

Kevin Lowe: So my friend, whatever you're going through in life.

00:17:40.195 --> 00:17:42.695

Kevin Lowe: Please know that you are not alone.

00:17:42.915 --> 00:17:45.815

Kevin Lowe: You got this because you are worth this.

00:17:45.995 --> 00:17:50.295

Kevin Lowe: And listen, if there is ever anything I can do for you, even if that is simply

00:17:50.295 --> 00:17:54.935

Kevin Lowe: sitting down and talking with you, well, check out today's show notes where

00:17:54.935 --> 00:17:59.895

Kevin Lowe: you will find a link to book a free 30-minute coffee date with me.

00:18:00.015 --> 00:18:03.235

Kevin Lowe: We will meet virtually over the phone and

00:18:03.235 --> 00:18:06.915

Kevin Lowe: Can just sit down and talk, figure out what you got going on in life and.

00:18:06.915 --> 00:18:07.515

Kevin Lowe: See if we

00:18:07.515 --> 00:18:11.695

Kevin Lowe: Can't get you on the right track. So my friend, again, I'm Kevin Lowe,

00:18:11.755 --> 00:18:13.875

Kevin Lowe: and this, of course, was another episode of.

00:18:13.875 --> 00:18:15.495

Kevin Lowe: Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

00:18:15.600 --> 00:18:35.477

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