Ripples of Reflection: A Letter to My Past Self - I Will Not Lose Podcast - #0037

Transcript

[00:00:08.780] What's up? Good morning. Good evening. Good night. Good afternoon. Whatever time you're
[00:00:13.460] listening in, wherever you're listening from, shout out to my Spotify listenership, Apple and
[00:00:17.860] Google podcasts, Stitcher and YouTube. If you're watching in, thanks for giving me a reason to get
[00:00:22.540] dressed. Coming live from my voice to your phone, headphones, TV, or car stereo. Your attention
[00:00:28.020] could have been anywhere in the world, but it's here right now. Take a moment to be present and
[00:00:32.600] recognize that it is now, right now. Whether your right now is working, running, exercising,
[00:00:37.880] cleaning, laying down, flying, driving. Be grateful we're alive, baby. Failure can be
[00:00:43.740] frightening. However, as Winston Churchill reminds us, success is all about going from
[00:00:48.020] failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. This is I Will Not Lose podcast, where we set
[00:00:53.220] out to prove everything is learned from failure, and we must persevere and recognize it as one
[00:00:58.000] step closer to success. I'm your host, Tony Ortiz. Let's jump right in. It's been a while, fam.
[00:01:04.360] man feels good to be back took a little break over the fourth of july and then uh decided to
[00:01:11.350] try out a bi-weekly format uh partially because i was getting a little burnt out partially because
[00:01:18.190] i think i can just create more quality uh by spreading some things out rather than the rush
[00:01:25.170] to produce create film script record edit promote an episode every single week so i appreciate you
[00:01:34.520] if you've been tuning in. Thank you for everybody who reached out in the last week that I didn't
[00:01:39.340] drop and made sure everything was all right. But go ahead. I got a back catalog so you can go ahead
[00:01:44.820] and check that out in the meantime. I've been playing the game with clips and seeing how clips
[00:01:50.680] and putting those things out in the short form content works. And I'll be honest, it's a fun
[00:01:58.570] game. People definitely do hear about the podcast through the clips, even if they don't tune into
[00:02:04.010] the full show. So a lot of people that see me out know me as a podcaster, which is definitely
[00:02:09.930] pretty cool. But it got me thinking about my responsibility as a podcaster, and it's not to
[00:02:16.150] chase viral moments, but to allow for my listeners to truly connect with my story. And in the spirit
[00:02:23.450] of perseverance and learning from failures and mistakes, everybody wishes they could go and write
[00:02:29.370] a letter to their younger self. I'm reading Self-Love is the Best Love by my Keisha Guider,
[00:02:35.470] friend of mine. And she has an awesome part in there where she writes a letter to her younger
[00:02:41.870] self. And it got me thinking, what did I get into podcasting for? Am I in the same place I was a
[00:02:48.950] year ago when I decided to start on this journey? So in connecting with the personal part of the
[00:02:57.810] I will not lose. You know, let's be honest. There's thousands, if not hundreds of thousands
[00:03:02.010] of podcasts about people talking about success. And we derived a little bit by focusing on failure
[00:03:09.390] and the importance of failure and averting setbacks. But there's plenty of content that
[00:03:15.830] you can get out there like mine. So I truly appreciate you listening in. And I think that
[00:03:22.230] connecting with my story, sharing the personal anecdotes, or help what gives the spice to this
[00:03:27.910] podcast and kind of make it stand out from something else. So let's get right into it.
[00:03:35.250] Here is the letter that I wrote to myself. Dear Tony, one year ago you stood on the precipice
[00:03:41.050] of a new adventure, wavering between the weight of doubt and the allure of potential. You question,
[00:03:46.250] do I really have something to say? The answer in the past year has proven a resounding yes.
[00:03:52.150] Starting your podcast wasn't just about speaking into a void.
[00:03:55.290] It was about building bridges, fostering connections, and creating a space for transformative conversations.
[00:04:01.330] Looking back, you achieved exactly what you set out to do.
[00:04:04.570] You connected.
[00:04:05.830] Those connections not only enriched your personal growth, but also paved the way for meaningful opportunities.
[00:04:11.950] Remember how you hoped to amplify your voice and expand your personal brand?
[00:04:15.570] Your podcast was instrumental in achieving that.
[00:04:18.970] Through its waves, you found an audience that resonated with your message,
[00:04:22.450] and amongst those listeners were individuals who believed in your capabilities so much
[00:04:26.530] that they brought you on board their projects.
[00:04:29.460] Such a power is reaching out and sharing your authentic self.
[00:04:33.340] In life, there's a constant dance between certainty and uncertainty.
[00:04:37.080] It's tempting to cling to familiar paths for the fear of the unknown.
[00:04:40.500] But as you've demonstrated, there's magic in embracing both.
[00:04:44.700] You believed in the potency of one right decision,
[00:04:47.200] and what a decision it was.
[00:04:49.940] Your podcast is a testament to Dr. Julie Goerner's words,
[00:04:53.560] just one right move, one leap of faith
[00:04:56.140] has the potential to redirect the course of your life.
[00:04:59.560] Your journey over the past year
[00:05:01.140] has been dotted with forks in the road.
[00:05:03.220] Instead of hesitating, you chose to proactively create them,
[00:05:06.900] diving into uncharted territories
[00:05:08.600] and chasing after the unknown.
[00:05:10.600] In the process, you became a beacon for others,
[00:05:13.480] illuminating the power of choice, risks, and imagination.
[00:05:16.580] And as you took your first steps into the world of podcasting, another change was on the horizon.
[00:05:22.400] Artificial intelligence saw breakthroughs, allowing creators like you to scale in ways previously unimaginable.
[00:05:29.100] The new wave of innovation has opened doors, expanded horizons, and blurred the boundaries between the possible and the impossible.
[00:05:37.300] Before I conclude, there's something you should know.
[00:05:40.180] This letter, encapsulating your journey, triumphs, and challenges, was written by AI.
[00:05:46.260] It's a testament to the world that awaits, where human creativity meets technology, forging
[00:05:52.060] a promising tomorrow.
[00:05:53.920] Here's to the past, the present, and the myriad possibilities of the future.
[00:05:58.560] Warmly, Chad GPT.
[00:06:02.260] It's crazy, man.
[00:06:03.660] We live in a world that we couldn't imagine a year ago.
[00:06:06.240] And I know everybody's scared of AI and everybody's worried about it may take their jobs, but
[00:06:12.740] I just see endless potential for one man shows like I Will Not Lose to scale and reach
[00:06:18.560] unimaginable lengths. I mean, I can't even imagine the reach that we've been able to grow
[00:06:24.040] over the past year. And I say we, even though it's a single man show and it's me,
[00:06:29.220] I say we because the little letters of encouragement, the messages I get in my inbox,
[00:06:34.480] the calls, text messages, they keep me going. So this is really a for everyone type thing.
[00:06:41.700] I'm really putting myself out there to create value for you in listening to this.
[00:06:49.140] So when I think about a world that we cannot imagine, it reminds me of the quote from Khalil
[00:06:54.920] Gibran of The Prophet.
[00:06:56.900] And I'm going to read into what he says on children.
[00:07:00.620] But this has been a very pivotal part in the creation of Tony Ortiz and just the Ortiz
[00:07:07.700] family.
[00:07:08.120] My mother read The Prophet and really believed in this poem that I'm about to read.
[00:07:15.180] And it helped change the way that I parent and the way that I look at the world my kids
[00:07:21.060] can barely imagine.
[00:07:22.660] I mean, Precipice, my mom couldn't have known anything like AI would have happened.
[00:07:27.620] And so I can't really look to her to figure out how to scale as a content creator in this
[00:07:33.040] new world, you know?
[00:07:34.500] but the famous poem, this is from the book, The Prophet, and this is On Children by Khalil
[00:07:40.100] Gibran. And a woman who held the babe against her bosom said, speak to us of children. Your
[00:07:46.660] children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
[00:07:51.860] They come through you, but not from you. And they are with you, yet belong not to you. You may give
[00:07:57.760] them your love, but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their
[00:08:02.300] bodies but not their souls for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow which you cannot visit
[00:08:07.660] not even in your dreams you may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you
[00:08:13.340] for life goes not backwards not tarries with yesterday your bows are from which your children
[00:08:20.000] you are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth the archer sees
[00:08:26.280] the mark upon the path of the infinite and he bends you with his might that his arrows may go
[00:08:32.440] swift and far let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness for even as he loves the
[00:08:38.120] arrow that flies so he loves also the bow that is stable so a lot there man a lot to unpack
[00:08:47.000] i mean just the fact that you are a bow you are a sturdy bow that shoots the arrow you know you
[00:08:54.340] can't control where that arrow is going after you let it go. And you're firing it off into a
[00:09:00.080] distance into fog that you can't imagine. So rather than try to create a playbook for the
[00:09:07.880] world that is for your children, I truly believe you're doing them a disservice. You know, we
[00:09:15.260] haven't grown up with social media. You know, Facebook came to us when we were in like college
[00:09:20.580] and MySpace before that, but there was nothing like TikTok or on a viral level. These kids are
[00:09:26.420] living in a completely different world and AI is going to paint new jobs and new worlds for them
[00:09:33.580] that we can't imagine. So things I try to teach my son are shaking hands, looking in the eyes,
[00:09:41.040] being a gentleman, being a chivalrous. I had him on my podcast in season one talking about misogyny
[00:09:47.120] and just letting him make his own decisions. He lives in a world of Andrew Tate. And so who am I
[00:09:54.860] to say, okay, well, I know anything about that. He knew about him before me. So he's watching
[00:10:00.900] videos of Andrew Tate. I need to let him know what to do with that sort of information and how
[00:10:05.320] to pick apart what's a good message and what's just complete misogynist trash. But this is what
[00:10:14.340] I try to do, trying to build confidence and paint the picture with my daughter that she can be on
[00:10:22.660] YouTube. Same thing with my son, you know, I've always painted the picture that they have tools
[00:10:27.640] to be creators and express themselves in ways that we couldn't create and express ourselves.
[00:10:33.880] You know, you couldn't be on TV. I couldn't have a podcast 25, 30 years ago. It's amazing the
[00:10:40.760] the levels of the, just the way the game leveled up, you know, the different levels to this stuff
[00:10:47.220] that they're going to experience that are completely different than what we had. But he
[00:10:53.120] says, you know, you may house their bodies, but not their souls for their souls dwell in the house
[00:10:57.460] of tomorrow, man, that's so huge. It's, it's almost saddening when you say you cannot visit
[00:11:04.270] that place, even in your dreams, you may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like
[00:11:09.450] you. That rings so true, man. My son has the greatest sense of style. And we were just out
[00:11:14.810] thrifting a little earlier today. We're picking out clothes and he just, he has such a great sense
[00:11:21.330] of taste. And I, you know, I talked to him. I listened to different ways that he matches things,
[00:11:27.490] different things in his style. So it's like, okay, I can emulate that, but I'm not going to try to
[00:11:32.310] tell him, no, man, I have style. You need to dress like me. You need to do it this way. You know,
[00:11:36.570] there's a reason why he has that form of expression. And I push for my kids to have
[00:11:41.430] any form of expression, you know, really express themselves. So let me see where I'm at.
[00:11:49.450] Perfect. Nice, cool little 12 minutes. I'm going to go into a bit of announcements because there's
[00:11:54.850] a lot going on. But I've been listening to a lot of local music lately. Devin Haley just dropped
[00:12:02.090] his project with uh produced by phase one the top five volume three um i'm not gonna lie i probably
[00:12:09.950] played it front to back eight nine times so far and it dropped two days ago so that's definitely
[00:12:17.490] on repeat great job great job you two man uh it's a great project other than that uh still
[00:12:26.150] listening to a town slim another one produced by phase he said he's putting out five projects god
[00:12:31.430] willing this year so keep it up man let's see what goes on with that uh other shouts out to
[00:12:37.910] local music um raw feet it's a christian rap i met him at the photo party that carter mckinney
[00:12:44.970] put together and uh been listening to his music shout out to quesa the artist he's got another
[00:12:51.530] project he's talking about and i'm still eating up the old project so i had the pleasure to sit
[00:12:56.750] down with him about a week ago and hopefully there's some things we can build on he gets
[00:13:00.850] back from shooting his documentary. Big shout out to Kwesa. It's funny. I was listening to his
[00:13:08.590] podcast, Grown Man Talk. That's Kwesa's podcast. And as we were sitting down for coffee the other
[00:13:15.710] week, we're talking about It's Just a Phase and Phase One and his podcast and just had nothing
[00:13:23.450] but good things to say about the man. And I sit here and I'm listening to podcasts that I listen
[00:13:30.830] to flagrant to brilliant idiots a lot of stuff coming out of WTF media studios in New York
[00:13:37.330] big shout out to Alex Media and they talk on the podcast that I listen to about different things
[00:13:43.790] that they go out and people that they know in the network and it's like man you know this is like
[00:13:48.190] this sub-celebrity culture and then I look around and it's like I'm on Faze's podcast I'm sitting
[00:13:55.770] down with other podcast creators. I know about music that's coming out. We had phase on that,
[00:14:01.210] you know, that was one of the people that we were talking about connecting with, you know,
[00:14:04.790] that opened up a whole bunch of stuff and content creation and things that we're in the message box
[00:14:10.470] talking about. So super cool. But I go, it, when, when it hit me was big shout out to director
[00:14:18.410] hit man. Um, angel has a live and I jump into it and he sees me in the live and he says, Oh,
[00:14:25.170] big shout out to Tony Ortiz. Make sure you check out his podcast. And it's like, as I hop in these
[00:14:30.510] lives or I go in the comment, people know me as a podcaster. So maybe this whole little Allentown,
[00:14:37.210] Lehigh Valley, um, content network of creators empower six one Oh, shout out to all the creators
[00:14:44.090] in the Lehigh Valley area, you know, but maybe we are the sub celebrities of the sub celebrities.
[00:14:48.850] um who else do i got down on here shout out to angel b live he does um gaming streaming i know
[00:14:56.490] last i saw he was streaming uh street fighter 6 but to put out a great show whether you're
[00:15:02.430] streaming putting out a podcast putting out music etc it takes a ton of work so i love feeling in
[00:15:09.750] the middle of it i love seeing all the creation that's going on um july 28th is going to be a
[00:15:16.230] huge day shout out to conscious beautiful salon and spa they're having their grand reopening
[00:15:22.610] it's on 1101 hamilton street there is the um i'm gonna have to pull it up mike forsetto has that
[00:15:29.690] event at steel stacks the same day 8 to 11 um man i'm gonna have to pull it up
[00:15:39.620] uh it's gonna hit me but um i'll correct that or throw it up in the in the description
[00:15:46.900] and then gonna top that night off seeing Andrew Schultz uh the comedian I was talking about from
[00:15:53.960] Brilliant Idiots and Flagrant 2 podcast so gonna support what he's doing see him live I've had the
[00:15:59.960] pleasure of seeing him in Philly uh at a show well before his Netflix special when you could
[00:16:08.020] get tickets for like a third of the prices you can get them now so big shout out to that man's
[00:16:12.620] success. Love to see everything growing and going from there. Other than that, we'll see if the
[00:16:20.220] bi-weekly thing keeps going. I may just get bored and drop something and we'll just call it bonus
[00:16:25.360] content if I drop in between weeks. This is I Will Not Lose Podcast where we set out to prove
[00:16:31.480] everything is learned from failure. We must persevere and recognize it as one step closer
[00:16:35.480] to success. To support the show, visit the website IWillNotLosePodcast.com and subscribe
[00:16:41.180] on your favorite podcast player share the episode link leave a comment and if you're listening in
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[00:16:58.660] thank you for listening