Dan Adams Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Dan Adams
Dan Adams is today’s guest joining us on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots podcast.
He is from the Higher Purpose Project, who is someone who doesn’t realise what he can’t do.
If you give him an obstacle or challenge he doesn’t just go round it, he literally smashes it to pieces.
During his college football career he led the way in unassisted tackles in a season and set an all time record for most unassisted tackles in a game (21).
And this was from a guy who everyone thought was a little bit small to make his mark on the game
To be honest I’m from England so that means nothing to me, but it sounds very impressive.
What is even more impressive, and this time I can understand it is how Dan took these athletic performances, will to win, and inability to know his limitations, and created a way of tackling things head on in business and in his own life too.
How The Dots Joined Up For Dan
In August 2010, Mr Adams, created Athletic Capital, an organisation that was founded through the support of many people wanting to discover true meaning in their life as well as inspire positive change in those around them.
Once you start creating positive momentum, you can start to believe you can tackle greater and more challenging tasks and with this desire for positive change, our guest alongside Athletic Capital commenced their first international mission:, Mission Kilimanjaro, a quite amazing adventure that made it possible for Kyle Maynard, a quadruple amputee, to crawl the 19,341 ft to the summit without assistance
Bringing us up to date, Athletic Capital successfully launched The Higher Purpose Project by bringing 25 human beings from 6 different countries around the world to join forces and push each other to find their true purpose in life.
And of course to being even more positive change to the world
So where do we start?
What do we focus in on first.
Well let’s bring onto the show to start joining up dots, as we discuss the words of Steve Jobs with the one and only Mr Dan Adams
Show Highlights
During the episode we discussed such weighty topics with Dan Adams such as:
How it is very difficult to not follow the path already trod by your parents…but making your own future is the only way!
How Indiana Jones should be looked at as a self help guru that can help you change your life!
How visualization is such a powerful tool to help you realize the life that you want and deserve!
And lastly…..
How a random encounter with an African wearing a baseball cap showed Dan that he was on the right track in life!
How To Connect With Dan Adams
Return To The Top Of Dan Adams
If you enjoyed this episode with Dan Adams why not check out other inspirational chat with Rob Moore, Felicity Aston, Steven Shewach and the amazing Jason Lewis
You can also check our extensive podcast archive by clicking here – enjoy
Audio Transcription Of Dan Adams Interview
David Ralph [0:38]
Yes Hello everybody and welcome to today’s guest. And we’ve got to find one in the house today. Our guest today is someone who doesn’t realise what he can do. If you give him an obstacle or challenge, he doesn’t just go around it, he literally smashes it to pieces. During his college football career, he led the way in unassisted tackles in a season and set an all time record cold for most unassisted tackles in a game 21 go him. And this was from a guy who everyone thought was a little bit small to make his mark in the game. And to be honest, I’m from England, so I don’t really understand American football. But that all sounds very impressive. What is even more impressive, and this time I can understand it is how he took these athletic performances, will to win and inability to know his limitations and created a way of tackling things head on in business and in his own life to in August 2010. Our guest created athletic capital, an organisation that was founded through the support of many people wanting to discover true meaning in their life, as well as inspire positive change in those around them. Once you start creating positive momentum, you can start to believe you can tackle greater and more challenging tasks. And with this desire for positive change, our guest alongside athletic capital commenced their first international mission, mission Kilimanjaro a quite amazing adventure that made it possible for Karmanos quadruple amputee to cross over 19,341 feet to the summit without assistance that is truly amazing. Bringing us up to date athletic capital successfully launched a higher purpose project by bringing 25 people from six different countries around the world to join forces and push each other to find their true purpose in life. And of course, bringing even more positive change to the world. So where do we start? What do we focus in on first? Well, there’s only one place to start. And that is a course to introduce tonight’s guest, Dan Adams. How are you sir?
Dan Adams [2:36]
I’m doing great. David. You know, that was a great introduction, man. Very well done. And it’s a true honour to be on your show.
David Ralph [2:42]
Now, thank you very much. Yeah, absolute honour to have you here as well. You You have really, you’ve packed so much in your life, haven’t you? Um, how, how old are you actually, at the moment, Dan?
Dan Adams [2:52]
I’m 29 years old.
David Ralph [2:54]
So Have you always been somebody that’s gone out and, and got what they wanted and sort of work towards things, obviously, something that has occurred in what most of us would say, the period after our fun, first phase of money career, and maybe sort of like childhood and areas where responsibility aren’t as, as prevalent in our life.
Dan Adams [3:19]
I think, you know, for me, it’s just, it’s been a byproduct of, you know, just confronting failures, you know, confronting setbacks and different things. For me, athletics was the medium. So sometimes, sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s art. Sometimes it’s, it’s whatever you’re passionate about. And I learned a lot of key lessons through through those experiences early. And they really set the stage for the things that I’m doing now. Because it’s, it’s a universe of mindset that you find in all of those things. You know, if you hold to a vision, if you’re able to visualise your outcome, if you able to move into the unknown, you know, get comfortable, and that darkness and the insecurity and the fears that come about, and just keep on pushing forward. It’s amazing things result. And I think, with every experience that you have, it continues to build your confidence. And you know, it’s just an evolution, like this whole, this whole life is an evolution. And it’s just really fun to just play with the storey that you’re creating.
David Ralph [4:23]
But you’ve got to be pretty aware, to want to start that in the first place, you know, the majority of people, but certainly I have spent my time with over the last 1015 years, I’ve been what I call content zone, they don’t hate their job enough to do anything about it. But they will moan about it as well. But they still coming in day after day after day to do the thing that really doesn’t set them alight. But for you to say that, you know, if you visualise what you want, you can make it happen. Of course, I actually totally agree with that. But how does somebody get to that, if I are in as I say, contentment zone, when life isn’t that awkward or poor for them, that makes them want a bit of visualise something better?
Dan Adams [5:10]
I It depends, you know, it’s a little bit different from everyone. I mean, I think you’re different people come into the world, with different lessons to learn, you know, we all have different experiences growing up. But I think a lot of times it’s born out of pain, you know, you experience the result, again, and again. And again, you know, that is painful for you. And inside of, like, I don’t want to experience this anymore. And this is what I want to do. And you know, I’ve been very fortunate, you know, a lot of the things that I’ve wanted to create my life, I’ve really built a strong emotion, you know, around those things. And I think that’s really important for people, you know, when kind of thinking about, you know, the why, you know, the purpose behind their life, you know, everything comes down to vibration motion of what you’re trying to create. And, you know, for me, whenever I set a goal, I make sure to really embed that with a really strong, personal why, you know, and with mission Kilimanjaro, empowering Kyle to the topic, top of the mountain and Africa was, it was a wonderful thing. But for me, my personal why was I had my own family members that dealt with, you know, that victim mindset, you know, in society being like, Oh, you know, you’re gonna have to be on these drugs for for the rest of your life, you’re going to have this disease, and there’s nothing you can do. And so I wanted to stand for the ideal, that we’re all creators, you know, we can be the heroes of our own life. And I was willing to die to that ideal to bring it to life, and it has to be so strong, it almost has to trigger a really emotional reaction, like, like, almost like bringing you to tears, you know, over the course of bringing it to life. And I think that really anchors, you know, some of these things that we want to do, rather than, you know, then just being aspirational. And you know, is that taking any real steps towards creating that type of change?
David Ralph [7:05]
So, so you buy into the No pain, no gain kind of logic, if it’s worth doing is it’s going to be difficult.
Dan Adams [7:14]
No, you know, I think that’s an initial opener, because anything that you react to in this life is usually something we hadn’t come to terms with ourself. So it’s, it’s basically just an indicator of, you know, something that’s important to you. And I think, you know, that that’s, that’s an opening for you to figure out, hey, what do I value in this life? What is important to me? What type of issues what type of things? What type of passions Am I drawn to? And how can I, you know, create the outcome? How can I create the storey that focuses on the solution, rather than the problem. And, you know, it’s amazing, I think awareness is the greatest gifts we have in this world, it’s like our super power. And whenever you wherever you concentrate that awareness, is what you create more of, you know, and I think a lot of people in this life, what they don’t understand is they focus all their energy on what they don’t want, as opposed to what they want, you know, and so, when you cue your awareness on things that anger you, and frustrate you, and you know, you just focus on that victim mindset, like, these are the problems and never going to get out of it, it is what it is, you create more of that in your external reality. You know, and I think a lot of people, you know, especially myself, like I had the opportunity that, to kind of understand it, you know, if I focus my awareness on the things that I want to build in this life, and I hope to those ideals, I can draw back, I can connect the dots, or past experiences and be like, yeah, this is this can really happen, you know, and that helps gives you give you the necessary confidence, to continue pushing forward and continue, you know, building upon the dreams you’ve already established.
David Ralph [9:01]
It was interesting, when we connected to get you actually on the show, you sent me a fascinating article, where you’d actually sat there and joined up your dots, you you’d connected those points through your life that had led you to this point, was that something that you felt an urge to do on your own? Or was that part of a project that you was actually involved in to look back and that she Join Up Dots?
Dan Adams [9:27]
No, it was actually just a personal project. You know, I had seen, I’d seen Steven Jobs, his commencement speech. And, you know, I was looking at my life at the time, you know, I was working in corporate America, I was doing something that wasn’t aligns with my true passions. And I felt that pain of just not have that kind of living up to the potential that I saw in myself, you know, and so,
David Ralph [9:50]
you do have done in corporate America, sorry to interrupt, but what were you doing that didn’t align to your passions?
Dan Adams [9:56]
I was in finance, you know, so I was working in finance, I was following the path of my father. You know, because, as an early child, I had this imprint, that, you know, doing what my dad did, I could make a lot of money I could, I could create the life that I wanted. And what happened is I succeeded, you know, in the admin in that outcome, you know, I made a lot of money early in, in finance, but I recognise the void. And once that void came up, I was like, man, like, I have the resources now, but I’m not living aligns, you know, I’m climbing up the wrong ladder, you know, that was a, that was a great lesson for me, because it helped me at a very young age, I was only 25 years old, at the time, or 24 years old at the time, it helped me realise, you know, just the illusion of what most people cling to, you know, security, stability, insurance, you know, all these things that prevent people from taking the leap to pursue the things that are really important to them. And by seeing that it was like, you know, I, I would rather die and then live this life. And I think one of the most difficult steps that they initially make along your journey is confronting the people that you love, you know, your, your friends, and your family and your wife and your girlfriend, you know, and really voicing, you know, things that you want to live in this life, the storey you want to create, and then having the courage to take that leap, when you might not necessarily have the support structure around, you
David Ralph [11:27]
know, I think that is an absolute key point to anyone who’s wanting to change their path. You know, I’ve started to do this, and this is a career change, for me, a huge career change. For me, up to now I’ve been in the corporate land, and I’ve been in I’ve been in contentment zone as well, I’ve been going in every day doing my job, coming home, getting my pay packet. But it started to get stronger and stronger and stronger to me. And I still think even though I’ve now quit my job, and I’m doing this full time, I still think people don’t really they understand it, my wife kind of supports me because she believes in, in my desire to create a better life for not only myself, but for them for my children and for my wife and my family. But I haven’t got that support around me at the moment. And doing this, I have felt incredibly isolated, except the moments when I’ve been out to be fortunate enough to contact people like yourself, and my other guests, and realise that you’re not actually on your own, you don’t actually need the support group of people right next to you. Because there is a movement around the world are people doing the same thing as you, you may not know them at the time that you get that urge to do it. But you, you have got a support group, whenever wherever you are, you don’t only have to look for it.
Dan Adams [12:48]
Absolutely, and that’s, that’s a great realisation. And that’s, that’s just the world that we live in. And we have all these great devices that enable us to connect to all people all around the world, you know, people that we admire, whenever I watch a film, or read a book, I figured out a way to collaborate with the author, and then filmmakers. And it’s, it’s just so fun, you know, it’s so fun to build collaborations to help people forward in their own path. And, you know, it’s amazing to see the evolution as well, like, once you’re on this journey, I think one of the most rewarding things is seeing, you know, paradigm shifts, and people you love, you know, their perspective bands, because they see, you know, your willingness to hold to your vision and your ideal. And when they see that that vision ideal succeeds. Like it gives them permission to do the things that they want to do. And they’re like, you know, and I think that’s been one of the most rewarding things in my life. Because I, I really believe that the people that love you the most, can also be your greatest opposition sometimes because, you know, they, they care about, you know, they don’t want to, they don’t want to see you fail, they want to see deal with, you know, the difficult spots that are really necessary, you know, over the course of your evolution over the course of, you know, the building of your dream. But when you can give people permission, you know, to do the things that really make them come to life through, you know, the life that you’re leading, I think that’s tremendously rewarding. And I think it’s really just the greatest thing in this world. I mean, I don’t think anything.
David Ralph [14:31]
So the interesting thing to me is, you are creating a path that is your unique self, it’s your authentic self. But to begin with you is creating a path that was your father’s authentic self. So he obviously was very proud of you, following in his footsteps, I imagine all dads would be. But when you finally got to the point, you said, Look, Dad, this isn’t me, I know, I’m earning a lot of money, I know that I’m probably leading the life that you would like me to lead, because it’s the life that you understand, because it’s the life that you have led. How did he come to terms with that? Or did he just support you straight off the bat?
Dan Adams [15:11]
I was it was really, you know, at first is a little bit difficult. Because I respect my father tremendously, you know, I’ve, I’ve always looked up to him ever since I was a little kid. I mean, that’s the reason I played football. That’s the reason I kind of got invested in a lot of that passions I had early on. But I think, um, you know, with my dad, I started to realise, you know, he was just projecting his own fears, you know, like, fears that he has in his own life through his own experiences. And I think the big opener for me, it was when I brought my father into one of the events that it put had put on, it was, you know, a $20,000 event when I was just starting out for a local football coach, you know, high school coach in the area. And I brought in all these filmmakers, you know, I rented out a hotel, is that I really wanted to celebrate this guy’s life. And my dad was, you know, super nervous about the experience, because he thought I was going to lose all my money, and he thought I was stupid. And he was really frantic, you know, at the beginning of the event, and I had to pull him aside, and I had to basically just talk to him, you know, and I felt like, our roles kind of shifted a little bit had the moment where I just told me, no, you just need to, everything’s gonna be fine, you know, it’s gonna work out. But the amazing thing is, I saw complete transformation. You know, we left that little powwow, you know, before the event. And at the end of the event, you know, I saw my dad, I just saw him from afar. And, you know, he had nothing, but he was, he was just basically boasting about me to, you know, his friends and the people he’s talking to. And so, you know, it was neat to see, you know, that opening for him. And even though you voice those concerns, you know, that’s, that’s his own stuff, you know, and it’s up to me to be able to confront my fears, my insecurities, and, you know, hold to the things that are important. And I, I think that’s universal, and all of us. And if we can do with a parent, you know, we can do it with anyone. So, um, you know, it’s, it’s a great practice, you know, that we all have to enter,
David Ralph [17:11]
I’m in a situation at the moment where my family did not understand what I’m doing in any shape, or form. My friends, they kind of think I’ve had some kind of mental breakdown, I believe. So I find it amazing that my youngest supporters, my children, who haven’t got a sense of economics and understanding of dad has to support them. Just believe that I’m doing something incredible with my life, and are willing to share it around with with everyone even though it on the great scheme of things I’ve only just started. But my parents and my, my wife, I feel about like they still keeping it secret, because I think is a place I’m going through, does that make sense to you
Dan Adams [17:58]
absolutely have the thing is, is, this is what leads to everything, you know, every hero, the hero, you break down, the Greek root root word of hero is the chooser. And, you know, going into this unknown space and holding to that vision, that’s when all the amazing resources happen. But it’s, it’s really kind of an uncomfortable position to be in initially. But if you have the courage to do it, it’s like Indiana Jones, you know, when he takes the leap of faith, and then he finds himself on the plank, you know, he doesn’t die, he makes it. And, you know, I think it’s universal for all of us. So, if we’re willing to go into that darkness, and we get comfortable in that darkness, the light is far easier to see. And as you progress on your path, you know, more and more things, you know, start lining themselves up, like analytically, you’re like, Oh, you know, how is this going to happen? You start to analyse, you know, this, and that. And then you know, you meet people, different resources come to you serendipitously. Really, it’s, it’s the same thing, if you look at every single, amazing leader and humanity, this is the way it always works. You know, it always begins with an idea. And then you know, you have to take that step, you have to, you know, commit that first action, to move towards that goal.
David Ralph [19:18]
I think that’s a perfect point for me to play the the amazing speech, which I try to do on every show, because that really is the theme of the whole show, Join Up Dots by Steve Jobs. differently. Two other guests, what I want to do is play it this time and actually ask about the first time that you heard this, and how it actually made you feel whether you you fully hit the nail directly on the head, or it took you a while to sort of grow into his word. So I’m just going to play this. And then I’m going to ask you a few things.
Steve Jobs [19:50]
Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards, 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future, you have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [20:26]
So how did that make you feel when you first heard about or you read that speech?
Dan Adams [20:32]
So the this, Steve Jobs speech was amazing, you know, it really connected to me on on all levels. And for me, when something connects, I immediately apply it to my own experiences, and just see how it resonates. And so I started to look back on my own experiences, experiences where I succeeded experiences where I failed. And I found a lot of truth with his words. And, you know, I think diagramming, you know, the entire courses, my journey, it really helped provide, you know, just the motivation, and that kind of support when I needed it most. Because it was an indicator, you know that that world exists, that if you hold to an ideal, if you hold to a belief or perception that you have, you can create that reality in this external world. And I’ve had so many serendipitous events, that it’s 100 billion that will take place. And I’ve come to fully believe this in every aspect of my life. And that’s what gives me the courage to take the leaps that I do with everything I do, because it’s always an evolution. And I think when you get done with one journey, you know, you’re on to the next you’re on to the next evolution, and you have to make sure that, you know, you’re, you’re grounded. And, you know, you continue to think about that bigger picture with the storey your creating.
David Ralph [22:02]
Do you remember the very first time whether he was a child or whether he was a teenager, but you actually thought to yourself, yes, I want to do something big with my life, I want to do something that provides a value back to others.
Unknown Speaker [22:18]
Yeah,
Dan Adams [22:20]
I had a really kind of amazing experience. When I was 12 years old, I was playing on a little league baseball, all star team. So this is literally based on America. So I was 12 years old. And I was a I was basically a reserve player, I was a backup, you know, so I sat on the bench for most most of the time on an all star team. And I continually a visualised making a big impact, you know, for the team. And it ended up you know, in the last game that we played, we played in a championship series, and I had never, I hadn’t played it all, you know, throughout the entire experience. And in the bottom to six any, we’re down 12 to eight. And you know, whether they’re two outs, and they decided to put me in as a pinch hitter. And so I went in there, and I just remember the entire time while I was on the team, I just visualised again, and again, and again, making a tremendous impact, you know, for my teammates, and I operated at a sense of compassion and appreciation, you know, during the time, the entire time that I was there, you know, I was very thankful to be part of a, an all star team, you know, despite not being, you know, not not playing all the time not being a starter. And what happened was, is, I ended up hitting a Grand Slam, you know, in the bottom, that succeeding, and as I was rounding second base, I couldn’t tell the difference. Like, I didn’t know if I was in a dream, or if I was in reality. And that was the first experience where I just saw the power of visualisation. And the amazing thing is, is when I went to Africa, you know, I started to feel a little bit of insecurity and uncertain and see about our trip, you know, we raised, you know, close to 60, grand, we had a full film team, we had, you know, taken all these steps. And then when we got to Africa, I started to worry about Kyle safety, I started to worry about, you know, our team, you know, all those fears that come up when you take that leap, but I looked up, and our driver on the way to the mountain, was wearing a baseball hat of the team I had played in that little league game. So he’s wearing a central central Springfield hat, from my hometown hometown, in Virginia.
David Ralph [24:37]
And he was an African.
Dan Adams [24:39]
Yeah, he was an African when you were in Tanzania.
And, you know, when I saw that, I instantly knew that everything was going to be okay. You know, the chances of a base, a little league baseball hat that was most likely donated through goodwill to show up on the hat on the head of a Tanzania that was 10,000 miles away. It’s, it’s unbelievable, you know, and I still think about that, and it gives me chills, you know, just thinking about it.
David Ralph [25:09]
And did you ask him how he actually got that hat? Maybe gone through your luggage and nicked it?
Dan Adams [25:14]
Yeah, no, it’s, you know, it. I did ask him, and he said that he had, he had bought it at a store. And in Tanzania, what they do is they take a lot of the goodwill items, the items that are donated from Americans, and you know, they resell them, you know, and so you bought this hat. And, you know, it’s, it was it was just, it was amazing, you know, that was the first experience in my life, where I realised the power of visualisation. And that’s the same process I’ve used for everything that I’ve done in this in this life.
David Ralph [25:53]
Is is visualisation for people that don’t visualise. And I hold my hand up and I say I do it something that I do know, every day, but quite often, I will be driving along and probably go into a bit of a daydream, which isn’t good when you’re driving. And I will visualise certain aspects of my life. So but when I hit that, it’s almost like I’m there already. Do you think it is a case of connecting or joining up adopter mentally in your mind to make those Connexions occur? Or is it that you just feel more confident that you’re going into the unknown because you’ve already felt like you’ve been in that position?
Dan Adams [26:35]
Yeah, I think it’s a combination. Um, you know, for me, just the act of visualising. It was speaking, you know, the visions, you know, that I want to create, I create a lot of vision boards as well, I’m a very visual learner, I’m a very visual person. And it really helps me, you know, with with building experiences of events, you know, my life and I think, you know, Abracadabra, it’s really interesting, Abracadabra, you know, in Aramaic is the words I speak become truth. And, you know, for me, you know, that process of visualisation and sports, for example, like I would, I would basically run through the mental reps in my head. So my body would react as if I was in that environment, like, my heart would speed up. And what I found is, especially in college, playing college football, is the night before I would go through all of my assignments, all the things I need to do on game day. And when I got to that game, it was like I had already played, you know, and I was create, like, I was able to succeed, you know, in, in, in making the plays I envisioned in my mind. And so I was able to transition that mindset into all aspects of my life, relationships, my career money, because when you you can hold and you focus your awareness on those visualisations that unlocks, like the resources, and you become very perceptive towards little things around you, that help you towards you know, that outcome you’re trying to create, it might be, you know, a boat that stands out to you that provides the answers to a question that you’ve asked, someone might come up to you on the subway and, and tell you something you’re like, how did you know that? And it’s, it’s something, you know, you can’t always be explained by math or science or any of our traditional methods, but it’s very real. And if you’re willing to voice those things, and you’re willing to hold to those beliefs, you know, I can, it can happen.
David Ralph [28:46]
As I’ve been getting these shows together, one of the things I really want to do is, of course, inspire the masses, I want to inspire but but last generation of people who are in jobs, and they’re not willing to take the action to sort of change this situation. And one of the things that I have found, that has shocked me, and it still shocks me, every day that I do this, is when I’ve asked people who really should not say yes to me, because I’m a no one. Generally, the higher I go up the ladder, the more likely they are to say, Yes, I will help you have Have you found that because he honestly blows me away every time I think why the hell have I said yes to me.
Dan Adams [29:32]
Absolutely. You know, and I think, you know, the more you believe in, you know, your value, you know, when you come to terms with that within yourself, like, you know, what I can provide value to anyone in this world, you know, I can, I can reach out to Brad Pitt and your movie stars, and if I can figure a way to bring value to their path, and I can put myself in their shoes, and I can be present and I know my own value. People see that in you, you know, and, you know, with with you, David, you know, the the email that you sent out, and you know, how how structured you are, and how much you believe in this, it really echoes through your work. And people recognise that, and they want to help you, they want to work with you. And I think the people that I really resonate with are the people that are humble, are the people that are willing to be open. And the people that focus on the small details. And usually that’s through a series of failures, series of kind of guests and cheque, you know, learning from your own experiences. And one of the things that’s really interesting, you know, one of our speakers at the higher higher purpose project, he talks about, you know, how it’s, it’s really more difficult. If you think about it, from a profitability standpoint, it’s really more difficult to get hired at like a taco bell, like a fast food restaurant, is the go to space, because there’s fewer people that are trying that set the bar that high spots on muscle. Yeah, and it’s amazing. Um, this young man, he actually partnered with Richard Branson. For the SpaceX mission, he’s going to become the first one of the first people to photograph space with a hasn’t Blake camera. So as people that are really living it, and it’s it See, it is the truth, you know, like, it’s, you have a greater probability of going to space, then then you do often, you know, working for Taco Bell, you know, there’s a lot of people that apply to work at Taco Bell. And there’s very few people that are actively reaching out to Branson in creative ways, you know, to provide value to some really epic missions, and some really world changing things. The crazy point of view at the moment, as well, and I think he’s just going to get stronger and stronger and stronger. I’m 43 years old. And when I left school, you basically went straight into a job, and it was classed as a job for life. By the time I got to about the year 2000, that phrase, a job the life had, had died. Now I’ve got an eight year old and a 12 year old sort of 12 year old is going into senior scores, as we call it in the UK. And I’m not sure how it works over in, in America, but he’s going to be there till he’s 17. And I was saying to him the other day,
David Ralph [32:23]
get your exams, study as hard as you can, but at the end of it, have a dream, have a dream that you can focus in on and create, because by creating a dream that is self fulfilled, you’re actually going to be more stable than going into a job where they can get rid of you whenever they want. Create your own income, create your own life. And whether you are running a diving school in Tanzania, or your whatever you’re doing, it really doesn’t matter. I want the children now to come out the other end and think I don’t need to get a job, I’ve got an internet, I’ve got a computer, I need to make Connexions. I need to believe in myself. And I need to think of the right questions to ask myself on a daily basis. And then in the long term, my life will be more stable than going into a job for 30 years. And every day you thinking is this going to be my last one?
Dan Adams [33:21]
Absolutely. And the greatest thing is, as a parent, you’re leading in the path of the Father. And that’s, that’s a very difficult path. And the great thing is, you’re, you’re holding that space for your children, you know, you’re embodying a very important message in this world that I think is becoming more and more understood, you know, like, all bets are off, you know, our perceptions, you know, create our realities, it’s our responsibility to, you know, go out there and, you know, lead a life of impact into understand that, you know, it’s up to us with the storey that we’re creating, and by you doing yourself, energetically, that’s going to have a tremendous impact on your kids. I think one of the, you know, the biggest difficulties, you know, for a lot of parents is, you know, they tell their kids, you know, go follow your dreams go do this. Meanwhile, you know, they’re, they’re working some job that they hate, they go and complain. And then the kids see, you know, that they see that hypocrisy in that they see it a lot of times in their teachers, teachers, like, Oh, you know, you want others that you do unto yourself, you know, follow your dreams, you know, continue to rise up. And, you know, meanwhile, the teachers complaining about her benefits, she’s complaining about her time off. And, you know, why is it you do what you do? You know, and whether you’re a trash collector, you can figure out creative ways to provide value to people, no matter what you do in this world. You know, it’s all about how you make people feel. And if you’re, if you’re doing routine jobs, and figuring out, you know, creative and in neat ways to authentically connect with people, that’s all you need to do. because money is an extension of energy, you know, money is energy. And so, if you create value, if you share energy with other people, you know, you can you can, you can ask your price, and you can dictate that price. And that’s what’s so important to understand, especially in today’s world.
David Ralph [35:30]
Well, why why do you think, though, that, so few people actually grasp what you said, I was talking to a chap the other day on one of the episodes. And he said, the more he doesn’t think about money, the more money he makes, quite simple as that.
Dan Adams [35:49]
You know, for for me, it’s not letting money, create a prison around me, you know, money is a storey, it’s a storey that we’ve created, it’s simply numbers on screen. You know, and as you start working a lot on the online community, you know, I run the higher purpose project. So a lot of our transactions are online, you know, and it’s simply just numbers, you know, I never really have money in my hands. And, you know, I think, you know, I was very fortunate to grow up in a financial background. So I started to understand how to cover the basics of all right, this is how much money is going out, this is how much money is going in. But I think wherever you focus your awareness, you know, so if, if, if I have any type of money issues, you know, I just figure out different ways I can provide value to people, you know, it’s an indicator, like, all right, Dan, like you’re consuming too much. And you need to spend more time, you know, around individuals, you need to figure out different ways that you can provide value to people in your community. And, you know, I figured out to like, your money’s one form of exchange. But there’s also a lot of other forms of exchanges. And, you know, when you kind of get outside of that set, thinking, amazing things open up. And, you know, I’ll share this to like, when we wanted to create Kilimanjaro, we had no idea how we were going to raise the money. You know, I had basically taken on like a $60,000, you know, debt, you know, to make it happen. And I was willing to die to that ideal. And what happened is result, we got a $10,000 donation from a prince, a killer in Brazil, that we had never met before. We, we got a $10,000 donation from Ted Leonsis, who owns two sports teams in DC. You know, it’s simply amazing, you can’t analytically you know, figure how that how the things are going to happen, you know, the how of the dreams you’re trying to create, but the resources flow when you’re open. And when you’re in alignment?
David Ralph [37:49]
No, you’re absolutely right. Because if you see them the cupboard with the doors closed, and never speak to anyone, or never do anything, obviously, your life is never going to change. The thing that people need to understand, you know, and I don’t want to preach to people, everyone’s got their own lives, everyone’s got their own issues. And I’m not saying that my life. And the journey that I’ve chosen for myself is the right one in any shape, or form. But I will say to the listeners, that the more you get out there, the more you become aware, the more you read, the more you use you, instead of sitting at home, watching the telly in the evening, then read a blog or read an article and see that these amazing people out there are doing creative things. And the more you read, you will come to a point when you go, I could do that. And it’s not an epiphany. It’s just a gradual realisation of your own skills. And you can see, but other people are using those skills that you’ve got better venue. And once you get that realisation, when really the world is your oyster, and you can go out there with the confidence to actually ask for help and make things happen.
Dan Adams [39:03]
Absolutely, you know, and that’s so important to you. Like in today’s world, if you want to learn something, you can simply google it, you know, if you want to study someone, I mean, at least for me, like I learned a lot from people that do you know, people that learn from their direct experiences. And so when I’m interested in, in learning a particular, you know, passion or something I’m interested in, I just reach out to someone that’s creating that thing, on the highest level. So they’re, they’ve achieved a lot of success around a certain model. And I figured out a way to provide value to them, I connect with them as a human being, you know, like I, I just kind of generate, like an authentic conversation, and I put myself in their shoes, and I figure out ways that can provide value to them on their current path, and exchange for that, I learned how they do what they do. And then I creatively take some of the things that have been successful for them, I applied it to my own path. And then I evolve it to fit my creative skillset. And, you know, that’s part of the amazing world that we live in and and just understanding you know, those opportunities and becoming aware of, you know, that that amazing ability.
David Ralph [40:12]
Well, what I want to do, I do want to sort of finish the conversation talking, obviously, about the higher purpose project, because that’s the main point of your focus at the moment. But I’m, I am intrigued. I don’t know anything about American football. I’ve been to one American football match in my life, I saw the Arizona Cardinals play some team with helmets on I can’t remember who they were. And I didn’t understand a single thing that was happening. I just know that there was an awful lot of adverts, and it went on for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours. Right. Right. But why was it then that physically? from everything I’ve read about you, you were too small to play the game. But you was incredibly successful at it? Was it the visualisation that you was talking about earlier? Was it bloody mindedness? Was it because you smaller you were sort of lied to on your feet? What actually going back to those days? was it that made you successful? Because it seems to be against the norm that is expected for a player in that sport?
Dan Adams [41:13]
Yeah, you know, and this is a universal thing that is really applicable to anything, whether it’s football, or career, whatever you put your attention on, and, you know, for, for athletics for me, you know, it enabled me to understand at an early age that I didn’t have to believe in the perspectives of other people, you know, because there’s a lot of people that have told me, you know, Daniel, you’ll never, you know, succeed this, you’re, you’re not big enough to be able to compete at this level. And rather than putting energy towards that perspective, I just put energy into the life I wanted to create for myself, I put energy into the outcome I wanted to build. And that outcome was, was being a captain of my team was succeeding the highest level in the sport. And I think, I think I was able to achieve that, you know, for, you know, the physical stature that I had in this, you know, coming into this world. And I think, you know, the other thing that was really important with me is I never surrendered to outcomes, you know, so I don’t view failure as failure until you quit, right? It’s just an outcome. And so I went to practice, I never missed a practice when I was in college, you know, when I got when I got hit hard, and I got knocked down when I when I made, you know, a mistake, I just got back up. And, you know, it was another play. And I think that’s really important for all of us don’t get caught up in these little things in these little mishaps, you know, just continue pushing forward. You know, have a little self compassion for yourself, show yourself a little bit of self love, and just get back up and rise up. Because if you answer the bell, in this life, you know, you’ll never lose. You know, if you answer the bell, every single round, you will always come out on top. And that’s what you have to realise, and people love. And here’s the great thing, too, is even if you don’t achieve the ideal outcome of what you set out to create, you have an amazing storey. And that’s what’s great. Nobody wants to talk to an old person with no storeys. And so that’s, that’s the way I see it.
David Ralph [43:21]
Have you seen the film, Rudy?
Dan Adams [43:24]
I have. It’s one of my favourites, actually.
David Ralph [43:27]
Because it was really weird. I started reading up about yourself. And I was struck by the fact that, you know, physically, you weren’t the biggest one to have to play football. But he was incredibly successful. And then I stumbled across this film on Netflix called called Rudy. And but anyone who hasn’t seen this film, if you can find it, watch it, because it is so life affirming. It’s about a chat and I can’t remember his full name, but he’s named Rudy obviously, who was too small to play American football as a child. And he wants you to go to Notre Dame, which is his favourite football team. And his father said, No, you’re too small is a dream. You’re not going to do that. And he said, Yes, I am. And literally his whole life. Everyone said to him, you can’t do it. You can’t do it. You can’t do it. And he just kept on persevering, persevering, and he gets over one obstacle, and he keeps on persevering. And he gets over the next one. And he keeps on striving and more people come out of the woodwork and say you can’t do it, you can’t do it, you can’t do it. And he just keeps on going, keeps on going, keeps on going. And it really emphasises what you were saying. If you turn up every single time, by default, you’re either gonna win or you’re going to come very close to winning, I would have thought because the majority of people will give up somewhere along the line.
Dan Adams [44:42]
Absolutely. And it’s, um, it’s really interesting. Like, everyone’s always told me throughout my life, oh, you know, like you went to hold us, you know, you played for this football team. You know, your storey reminds me of Rudy, ruediger, and, you know, I think it’d be really neat, you know, at some point in my life for someone go to Rudy ruediger, and be like, you know what, Rudy, your storey really reminds me that kid Dan Adams. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him before.
Yeah, wait. And so I think you know, I think at the end of my life, I think that’ll happen. You know, if Rudy still around, I think we’ll be able to share some good laughs together. Have you
David Ralph [45:21]
ever tried to contact him?
Dan Adams [45:23]
Actually, I have not tried to contact Rudy. I’ve tried to, uh, I’ve connected with a lot of heroes, people doing really cool things. But Rudy, I’ve actually never actually saw him speak when I was a couple years out of school. And, you know, I connected to some of the things that he said, and I love his overall storey. I love some of the themes within that storey because it connects with a lot of elements in my life. But for me, like, I think, you know, building upon that storey to I, I really resonate with people that have dealt with, you know, extreme strategy in their life. And, you know, they’ve refused to surrender, they refuse to become a victim. Like, for example, we have a kid in the higher purpose project. He was in the Columbine shooting, and his sister was killed in the two people that were close to him using the library when everything happened in Columbine was one of the most difficult shootings in, in world history, you know, in, he’s been focused on this mission of, you know, compassion and kindness and, you know, anti bullying and, you know, rather than being out of, you know, operating out of a sense of resentment or anger or, or fear, you know, he operates at a sense of love. And, you know, I really, I love people like that. I love the underdog. I love. I love the people that are willing, you know, to be the light, despite, you know, the darkness that they’ve confronted. And, you know, those storeys always resonate with me whether it’s really ruediger Kyle Maynard, or Craig’s God or, or anyone, any of the movie heroines that we idolise Indiana Jones.
David Ralph [47:01]
That would be the good one when the Indiana Jones.
Dan Adams [47:03]
Yeah, and that’s such a good one. Like we talked a lot about this actually, at the higher purpose project. Indiana Jones, you know, we all love them. And, you know, even the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I didn’t see that one, I’m more into the classic ones that like a Raiders of the Lost Ark, and
David Ralph [47:22]
you let them dance they with division?
Dan Adams [47:25]
Yeah, yeah, totally. And, I mean, with Indiana Jones to what’s so powerful is, you know, Indiana Jones, you know, constantly beat up throughout the movie, you know, and we really connect with them, because he’s a human being. And, you know, and he refuses to surrender, you know, to the thing that he wants to do, you know, and at the end of it, you’re like, Man, that was such a great movie, you know, but if he had just, you know, went and got the Grail, and that was it, then, you know, that movie was sucked in? I think that’s so true.
David Ralph [47:58]
I think so. Just Just before we sort of finish off of the, the whole show, I really just want to touch on about the higher purpose project, looking at the the founders and the amount of people that are involved in that, how did how did you get all those people to buy into that one project, because it’s hard enough to get anything going on your own. But I’ve got some, you’ve got some amazing guys there. And ladies.
Dan Adams [48:24]
Absolutely. And these are all people that I’ve connected with in person along my own journey, you know, and so, our paths have crossed at different parts. And, you know, I’ve really been able to build some strong relationships with these different people. And I created the higher purpose project, because I wanted to build adjust, honestly, you know, of superheroes, I wanted to help build a support structure where people can meet, you know, like energy, you know, in one location and continually have, you know, people they can go to, to, you know, express the things that they’re working on, to build collaboration, to really be, you know, leaders and the light within communities. And, you know, it was created out of the void that I experienced in my own life. And, you know, the void that you’ve experienced, you know, not having anyone around you, in your immediate circle, you know, but, you know, through interviews and stuff like that, so, I wanted to create a real visceral, really deep, connected space for people to really open and share the things that make them come alive.
David Ralph [49:29]
If you join the project, I know I’ve read is a three month project. But does he continue on indefinitely been the tenacity to build with those people I’ve always had for you.
Dan Adams [49:40]
It’s a family, you know, and that’s why we created it. So you know, we have a four day summit, where we introduce people into different things, yoga, gratitude practices, we work on mastermind, so we bring in some of the strongest people of our network, just to really show people that, you know, some of the people that we idolise hold up his symbols, they’re just human beings, they’re no different than you are I, but they’ve done, you know, their inner work, you know, and they’ve taken a leap, to build the things that are important to them. And so after the four day summit, you know, we have ongoing weekly webinars, so people can take take part all around the world, and they continue learning and applying the things to their own direct experiences, because we want to build leaders, we want to have people be accountable to the visions they want to create, you know, we don’t want to just create a consumer experience that doesn’t have any type of real impact. And so we’ve had a lot of success, the past summits that we’ve LED,
David Ralph [50:39]
I can see you marching into the White House,
Dan Adams [50:44]
I in the White House will accept me, you know, maybe one day that’ll be a reality. But, you know, for now, I’m just going to create an amazing community of people around me, and hopefully, it has a domino effect on our internet community, because it’s really, it’s really needed at this time, because we’re in a period of transition, all of the systems financial, religious, political, are in a state of flux. And it’s up to the leaders up to the heroes, you know, to stand for the things that are important to them. And to really help, you know, lead society in a positive direction.
David Ralph [51:22]
Well, I’m gonna lead us on to the very last part of this, and this is the bit that we call the Sermon on the mic. And this is the bit when I’m really just throw it over to you. And you talk to the audience about your beliefs of what life can really be, if you’re willing to take action. And as I’ve said, to all the guests, so far, really, it’s about talking to your sort of younger self and, and answering questions about what you might have done differently, or you might not have done anything differently, and the path that you are now was always meant to be. So I’m going to hand it over to you, we’ve got a little bit of a theme tune. And then once it finishes, sir, you want the mic.
Unknown Speaker [52:07]
Here we
Unknown Speaker [52:08]
go. With the best, the show?
Dan Adams [52:26]
Well, it’s been a true honour to be a part of this show. What I can say, from my own experiences is, you know, we all get so caught up in, you know, our purpose, our passion, the things that we’re doing, but it’s really important, you know, to hold the vibration, to think about, you know, the way that we want to make people feel, you know, through the things that we are doing, because there’s such a tendency, you know, to get identify, you know, to Poland to you get really focused on the things that you’re doing. And to really lose, you know, the importance of connexion, really lose the importance of, you know, really feeling and really, you know, living a life aligned with your passions. And what I think is so important in this world, is when you expand, you know, setback, when you experience resistance, you know, from your parents or from your friends, it’s just a reflection, you know, they’re just, they’re reflecting, you know, insecure parties, you have within yourself. And so whenever you see those things, you know, don’t, don’t blame it on other people, you know, take a creator, take a take the role of the Creator, you know, do your inner work, and be constantly willing to kind of go into the unknown, to create on the highest level, because if you’re willing, you know, to venture into that darkness and grow comfortable into it, you will see things that very few people experienced in this world, I can say that, from my own experiences, I can say that from your witnessing, you know, the experiences of those people close to me. And, you know, we live in an amazing world of opportunity, you know, human beings are waking up to their ability to create their path to, to live aligns with the things that are important to them. And it’s up to us to really be conscious about the storey that we’re creating, you know, we’re all here, we’re all kids at heart. And we’re all having an impact on our world, through the things that we do, and the energy that we emanate, and every day of our lives. So whether it’s collecting trash, or, you know, you know, leading a nation, you know, as a president or member of a political party, you always focusing on the little things that, you know, create amazing changes in the people around you. And that usually comes through kindness and compassion and presence. It doesn’t come through anything else. So it’s really been an honour for, for David having me on the show, and I love the platform. And I’m really proud of, of everyone for, you know, having the courage to listen to this podcast and having the courage to, you know, take those little leaps of faith, you know, over the course of the journey. So thank you very much.
David Ralph [55:20]
Thank you very much, Dan. It’s been an absolute pleasure to spend time in your company tonight. And I really wish you all the best with all your projects. And I believe that a higher purpose project is something that should expand and expand and expand because it is obviously providing great value, and having that support network and providing those Connexions but grow and start to flourish. I know from personal experience is what we should all have in our life. So thank you very much for being on the show. And I hope to speak to you again when you come back on and we continue to join up the dots, because joining up the dots is the only way to build our future.
Dan Adams [56:00]
Absolutely, David, thank you very much.
