The Grind and Gratitude Show

Ep 38: Dreams Become Reality With Many Moments of Momentum With Mario Armstrong

Mario Armstrong is a two-time Emmy award winner, lifestyle entrepreneur, creator and motivational speaker with Daymond John's Shark Group. He's also the creator and host of the Never Settle Show. This critically acclaimed production has been recognized with an Emmy Award win for “Best Interactivity”, an Emmy Award Nomination for “Best Program Host”, a Digiday Publishing Award nomination for “Best Use of Facebook Live”, a Webby Honoree Award for “Social: Experimental & Innovation”, and an award for “Best Live Show” from the International Academy of Web Television Awards. 
In this episode, Mario and Danny sit down and talk about what it means to never settle, how to keep going when you want to quit, the real way to achieve your goals and big dreams, where Mario gets his fierce work ethic, coming back from being broke, and so much more. 
This is an episode you will want to take notes on because there is so much value and tips to help you take your life and business to the next level.
 
Here is some of what you will hear in our conversation:
[4:15] People need to win more people are people that are struggling to get their ideas to get their passion, they give up on themselves too easily, because maybe they haven't had a good upbringing.
[4:50]  I say vulnerability is the new currency. And I keep repeating that over and over because vulnerable, being vulnerable and showing up to be courageous about what you haven't accomplished or What you're struggling with, lets other people know that they're not on an island by themselves.
[13:25] And I'm continuing to be flawed, nobody's perfect. We're always going to evolve and try to be better.
[15:42] But if I told you to switch that word, and say, instead of saying, I'm nervous, going to speak on that stage, say, I'm energized to go and speak on that stage, you feel it completely different. Your physiology changes, your chest changes, your breathing changes, you feel completely different just by saying, I'm energized to ask this question, not, I'm nervous, too.
[18:28] And since we did launch with the best that we could do with what we had, we then ended up getting phone calls, getting messages, and ultimately winning an Emmy.
[23:30] That's nobody wants to talk about this part of the process.Like, we just had a killer show that changed lives. And I'm packing up the U haul truck and now driving that doggone hoopty from New York to Baltimore, and then taking the stuff out.
[30:13] And when you have the big picture, and you can reverse engineer it when you can see the outcome that you're trying to get next three, three months, six months, a year, three years when you can see that outcome. When you only vision that outcome, you get overwhelmed. And that's why some of so many of you quit.
[36:23] And I remember seeing that eviction notice and just wondering like, you know, what is that and having him explained to me what that kind of is and what it meant. But then also to see his mindset is that he still was trying to push on the dream at the same time. And as a kid, I never felt poor. Because the parents do a great job of making you feel like you don't know what's going on in their world.
[43:47] And I just remember sitting in a parking lot crying by myself, because I thought I let my family down because I was the one that came up with this genius idea that we can make this dream happen. And so as a black man, and as a father, and as a husband, I felt like, holy crap. Is this what my dad was feeling.
[45:19] I'm flat broke no money and I'm on the Today Show son.How crazy how what's the juxtaposition of Oh, Mario's made it? He's on today's show looking at Baltimore boy go. Nah, man, my godmother paid for my daggone train ticket. Today's show luckily put me up in a hotel that night.
[49:40] You're never gonna be fully ready to do anything. You just have to do it.
[51:14]  And so really, the reason why it wasn't like she (my wife) really supported my vision is because truth be told, I think she had more of the vision of what she saw me as the and this isn't like me trying to be Oprah. It was just like what the barometer was, for at the time, she saw me as the Oprah replacement for a younger generation.
[100:11] I don't want to be the dot. Oh, wow. Like I want my impact to be big enough that it was justifiable for me to be the foreword of your book!
[103:05] And I just really recognized that there was a fourth way to generate some income. And that was based off of sponsorships, and sponsorships. While you still have responsibilities to the sponsor. That's it. I got responsibilities to one sponsor, who by the way, it's not actually anyone's individual money. It's the company's money.
[114:58]  I say this quote, "When something is important enough, do it even when all the odds are against you."
 
Mario's Links:
Mario Armstrong Instagram
Never Settle Show
Mario Armstrong Twitter
Mario Armstrong Website
Danny's Links:
GET iT DONE Goal-Achievement System
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn
 

Ep 37: 3 Visual Techniques to Manifest What You Want

For many decades athletes have been incorporating visualization into their training routines. Some of the greatest athletes in the world from Muhammad Ali to Michael Jordan to Michael Phelps have also used visualization to manifest not only winning, but becoming the most memorable and successful athletes of all time. But visualization is not just for athletes, CEO, successful entrepreneurs, and various individuals utilize not only visualization but other visuals to manifest their dreams.
 
In this episode, Danny Stone shares 3 visuals that he, his coaching clients, and countless others incorporate into their daily lives to achieve unimaginable dreams. He breaks down the power of visualization, vision boars and symbols and how you can utilize these 3 visual techniques to manifest your goals and dream lifestyle.
Here is some of what is mentioned in this episode:
 
[2:04] I mean, the greatest basketball player in history, Michael Jordan, used to do a lot of visualization. And this was, you know, back in the 80s in the 90s.
[4:45] But there's a reason why athletes, CEOs, highly successful entrepreneurs and other people use visualization because it works. It's just that most of us do it wrong. We're not committed to visualizing what we want.
[6:06] Ask yourself this. If I had nothing holding me back, what would I want to see in my life?
 
[7:34] See, when you attach a motion to something that makes it more real, you feel it.
 
[12:09] And I never wanted to dream big because I never thought it was possible. And that was something that I realized about myself growing up in low-income housing, and my dad wasn't there. And a lot of people around me were very negative. So I never thought about big dreams.
 
[14:49] The second visual I have for you and I'm sure you know about this is vision boards. Now vision boards are simply just you know a piece of boards. A piece of paper, a spot on your wall, a whiteboard, a corkboard, anything that you can put things on. And what you do is you get visual representations of things that you want to manifest in your life. 
 
[16:50] Another thing that I like to do is have it as a screensaver on my smartphone. So every time that I pick up my phone, I see my vision board. 
 
[18:28] Now, just like visualization, vision boards are the same, you have to take action towards these things, right? You can't just sit back and think that they're all just magically going to come to you, you still want to take action, you still want to do some things towards what it is that you're trying to achieve.
 
[20:32] The third visual that I talked to people about is a symbol. And a symbol is something that represents either something that you really want to achieve a lifestyle that you want to live, or something that's important to you.
 
[21:10] So it has to be either something on an image or something on your phone, a key chain, a ring and necklace, earring, something that you keep with you all the time. And the reason why it's so powerful, and the reason, why you have to carry it with you all the time, is, is we have a tendency to procrastinate.
 
[22:11] And so when you carry it with you all the time, when you look at it, it's like oh yeah, this is something that I really want to achieve, I need to get going, Oh yeah, I can see myself living that lifestyle that I really want to live.
 
[23:41] And so when I used to go through this procrastination phase, I would just have a picture of my grandmother on my phone. And every time I would pick up my phone to scroll through social media, I would see her face. And it would just remind me that I can do bigger things. And I have to get going on those things. And so that was a symbol that I had on my phone.
Danny's Links:
GET iT DONE Goal-Achievement System
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn
 
 

Ep 36: How to Develop a Winning Entrepreneurial Mindset

Thinking like an entrepreneur is not natural for many entrepreneurs because a majority of people were raised on the idea to graduate high school and go to university or get a "good job." Society wants us to be employee, and we are taught to be, think and behave as an employee. There is nothing wrong with that at all. If someone has the desire to have a career that they love working in an organization that they love, that is their choice.
However, what if someone wants to become an entrepreneur? What if they decide that they want to "be their own boss" and do what they love for a living... How do they learn to develop a winning entrepreneurial mindset?
Most entrepreneurs figure it out on their own. In this episode, Coach Stone shares 7 tips to help you start thinking like an entrepreneur and develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Whether you are thinking about becoming a start a business or you currently have a business, this episode will help you think lock in on the mindset it takes to be successful.
 
[6:30] And when you look around for help, and you look around for other people, some of your family, some of your friends, some of your co-workers or colleagues aren't gonna understand what it's like to be an entrepreneur, because it's foreign to them.
[8:50] almost every successful person I know has had a coach, has many coaches, or has a bunch of mentors. And so you have to see that as an investment. 
[11:03] Matter of fact, you have to understand that there is no box, as an entrepreneur, there's no box, you're not in any box, you can do whatever you want as an entrepreneur.
[13:06] Number four really great entrepreneurs know this, they outsource and they delegate.
[18:19] Listen to your customers. It's not what you think they want. It's what they tell you that they want.
[24:09] As an entrepreneur, obviously, it's always about selling. And a lot of us don't like to sell.
[26:41] And what works really well too is telling stories, sharing your own personal stories, or stories of your customers or your clients or testimonials, or things that haven't worked or things that you tried that didn't work, but you made adjustments or stories of you know, your customers and how they came to you and said that they wanted something different.
[28:03] But sometimes we still think like an employee. And as an employee, you wouldn't go and ask the CEO if they want to go off, right, we just don't do that.
 

Ep 35: How to Make 2021 Your Best Year Ever

We made it to 2021! Now what? How are you going to make this your best year ever?
In this episode Danny Stone, "Coach Stone" breaks down why New Year resolutions don't work and what you should be doing instead. He talks about getting focused and having a theme for the year and why that is so much better than resolutions and focusing on goals.
To get what you want, to create the life you want, you need to break through your old mindset, your fixed mindset and do something different, something outside of your comfort zone. If you want to begin to create your dream life and tap into unlimited success in 2021, you need to listen to this episode!
 
 
 

Ep 34: Cooking up Life Lessons with Chef Collin Stone

He has been on the cover of magazines, billboards, TV commercials, he's won a gold medal in the culinary Olympics, and he's cooked for the Prime Minister of Canada. He's been an Executive Chef at some of Canada's top restaurants and he won numerous culinary competitions.
In this episode, I have my uncle Chef Collin Stone, who shares more than recipes, he dishes out lessons on his life journey to being a well-known Canadian chef.
You will definitely want to listen to this episode if you have ever fell down in your life or made mistakes and needed to bounce back. Chef Stone shares stories of resilience, overcoming challenges, and walking in faith. 
 
He talks about:
Finding his passion at an early age
Why being a chef isn't just about cooking, it's about understanding people 
Life lessons from his mother and how it shaped who he is
How faith got him through difficult times and got him back on track
Why you need to humble yourself and set pride and ego aside
How you can overcome difficult times in your life
The importance of understanding that you can always re-start your life
 
Links:
Chef Collin Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn
 

Ep 33: I ain't no joke: Lessons about life, following your dreams, and betting on yourself With Comedian Jay Martin

He's one of Canada's top comedians. He sells out comedy shows time after time. He has shared the stages with Jamie Foxx, Brian McKnight, Russell Peters, Tommy Davidson, Eddie Griffin, Cedric The Entertainer and many others.
Dubbed, "The Canadian Steve Harvey" Jay Martin is a Comedian, Host, Actor, Producer, Writer, Director, Singer, Motivational Speaker, Business Man...He's a renaissance man! 
In this episode, Jay talks about his journey from going from working in the corporate world to jumping into comedy. He talks about following your dreams, betting on yourself and losing loved ones. This is one of his most open and candidate conversations he has ever had publicly. 
His journey will teach you a lot about tapping into your resilience, creativity and resourcefulness and being brave enough to follow your dreams. 
He also has a special message for his loyal fans for supporting him for so many years.
Watch out for his upcoming feature film Destination Wedding and his sitcom, Oliver in Charge coming soon.
This is an episode you will want to listen to again and again!
 
Links:
Jay Martin Website
Jay Martin Instagram
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn

Ep 32: Do You Have a Fixed Mindset or a Growth Mindset?

What goes on inside the mind of a successful person? How do they create more joy and happiness in their lives?  How do they achieve impossible goals in their lives? It's their mindset. Successful people have growth mindsets. They think limitless. They believe that can achieve more than where they are right now.
In this episode, we look at the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset and how you can make the shift to living your dream life. It's time to get real! Listen to this episode...
[3:03] A fixed mindset is having constraints about your beliefs and thoughts. You think in a limited way. You believe that people are born with unique talents and abilities and can’t get better over time.  
[3:34] People with a fixed mindset think of their failures as a validation of their lack of intelligence. 
[6:14] A person with a fixed mindset looks at things being limited. A person with a growth mindset sees things as freedom.
[7:38] Think about where you fall in that spectrum? Are you somebody with a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?
[8:03] You have to stretch yourself.
[8:15] Most of the beliefs you have or the foundations for those beliefs were formed before 7 or 10.
[9:37] If you want to live this dream life, if you’re going to create more perfect days in your life, then you have to get real and do a reality check.
[10:14] Highly successful people can take criticism. They learn from their failures.
[10:38] If you know that you have the potential to make a more significant impact in the world, if you know that you have this ability to find what you’re meant to do and serve other people, then you have to develop a growth mindset.
[12:24] There are four changes you need to make if you want to live this dream life.
[12:31] Change your language.
[15:04] Find a balance. Get some small wins under your belt.
[21:48] Who are you becoming along the way? Are you enjoying the process? Are you doing the hard work?
[24:02] I had to be clear about what I wanted, why it was a must, and the “how” came later. 
[25:47] When you celebrate your successes, this helps you to continue to strive towards something bigger. 
[26:17] Continue to reward yourself and reward yourself accordingly.
[28:10] We have to start dreaming bigger. We have to start with bigger goals because it’s about the journey. It’s about who we become along the way. 
[28:29] Set bigger, bolder goals.
[33:17] Make sure you’re ready for change.
 
Links:
The Driver’s Seat With Danny Stone
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn

Ep 31: 7 Things You Can Do to Make Money Right Now During The Pandemic

This pandemic had changed the world! People are struggling to figure things out in these turbulent times. 2020 has brought a lot of ups and downs. Many people lost their jobs or have job uncertainty and others have had to pause or close down their businesses. 
In this episode, I’ll share with you 7 ideas on how you can make money right now so you can continue to move and be resilient during these challenging times.
[6:20] Sell the knowledge and the skills that you already have.
[6:28] Develop your own online courses.
[7:10] Start an in-demand side hustle.
[9:28] What do people need right now?
[9:36] If you need to make money, don’t let your pride get in the way.
[13:38] Sell your stuff.
[15:42] You can do buy-and-sell.
[16:46] Get a part-time job.
[19:09] You can run errands for other people.
[19:53] There are apps out there where you can apply to do errands for different people.
[21:07] I don’t want you to give up. I don’t want you to lose hope.
[22:45 ] There’s something special about you. Keep searching for what it is. Keep tapping into your resilience. Keep tapping into your creativity.
 
Links:
The Driver’s Seat With Danny Stone
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn

Ep 30: Why We Love Superheroes and Why We Are Superheroes

Why do people line up for superhero movies and what makes us similar to these superheroes when living our life. What is it about them that we can relate to? 
 
In this episode, I’ll share five reasons why we’re so into superheroes and how we can harness these traits to get the life that we desire.
 
[2:25] These superhero movies are more than just entertainment for us. We look at these movies and search for our own meaning in our lives.
[2:50] A study at Kyoto University states that even as infants, we can recognize heroes.
[7:10] When we watch these superhero movies, we try to find the superhero within us.
[8:58] We have these talents and gifts within us. 
[10:30] Stop beating yourself up over your mistakes. Dust yourself up and keep going.
[11:16] For some of us we’re still living in the past. We’re so focused on the mistakes and the things that went wrong.
[12:12] We’re all flawed individuals but we all have the ability to do amazing things in the world.
[12:40] There’s something in you that others need to hear. There’s something in you that people need to experience.
[12:50] What is the one thing that you do best that people come to you for.
[13:52 ] How many times have you tried to help and people didn’t appreciate it. They criticized, they laughed at you, they ridiculed you and told you to mind your own business.
[15:14] I’m not gonna let that one person or that situation stop me.
[15:52] Your bigger mission is to save yourself.
[19:39] We love superheroes because they’re regular people who can put on those costumes and save the day.
[21:42] There are so many factors why you’re not feeling like a champion.
[21:56] There’s something great about you. There’s something special about you.
[23:56] You do it by trying different things and stepping outside of your comfort zone.
[26:19 ] We can’t focus on other people. We have to focus on ourselves. 
 
 
Links:
The Driver’s Seat With Danny Stone
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn
 

Ep 29: How to Get Over The Impostor Syndrome

If you’ve ever felt like you’re undeserving of your current success, incompetent, or “not good enough” for your clients or your company, remember that this feeling is not something you solely experience.
 
Even doctors, engineers, award-winning professionals, and all those highly-successful people in our eyes may experience the impostor syndrome at some point in their life.
 
I’ll share with you great tips on overcoming this and what you can do every time you feel like your thoughts are on overdrive for negative talk.
 
[2:54] 70% of people feel like impostors in their profession.
[4:35] I would land these big contracts, and I would feel like I duped the client, I'd feel like I wasn’t qualified.  
[6:13] How do we deal with this impostor syndrome that sometimes just takes control of our lives?
[8:07] We are so concerned about what other people think about us.
[11:52] Acknowledge yourself for where you are and what you’ve achieved, and your expertise.
[13:02] Acknowledge yourself for the amazing things that you’ve done.
[15:10]  Recognize how you’ve helped other people.
[15:58] The reason that we feel like impostors is because we feel like what we do isn’t helping other people on the level that we think.
[17:29] You should be collecting testimonials from your clients. Ask them in what way has this helped you. How was this product, how was this service?
[17:51] Get it to know what’s valuable.
[19:28]  Don’t teach what you don’t know.
[20:05] If you don’t know something, find somebody who does.
[23:18] Acknowledge and replace those negative thoughts. Think about where those thoughts are coming from.
[24:44] It’s okay to get that feedback, but don’t let it define you.
[27:48]  You’re not an impostor. You may feel that way sometimes, but you have to remind yourself that there’s greatness within you. You have knowledge of information that people need and want.
[29:01 ]Feeling like an impostor is temporary.
 
Links:
The Driver’s Seat With Danny Stone
Danny Stone Website
Danny Stone Facebook
Danny Stone Instagram
Danny Stone Twitter
Danny Stone LinkedIn