Said and Done: Choosing Actions Over Words

SPEAKER 01 : 0:01

Welcome to The Good News with Angie Austin. Now, with The Good News, here’s Angie.

SPEAKER 04 : 0:09

Hey there, friend. Angie Austin and Jim Stovall talking about his winner’s wisdom column today titled Said and Done. Hello, Jim.

SPEAKER 03 : 0:17

Well, hello to you.

SPEAKER 04 : 0:18

All right. So I thought I’d share with you. My daughter just sent me a picture from school. And just like Oral Roberts University, your alma mater, where you still teach math. It’s a Christian university, and she showed me some. They have chapel every day, and she showed me some of the teachers’ administration in suits and dress pants and dress shoes. I could just tell they’re administrators because they were older, and you can tell by their shoes that they’re not students. You know what I mean? Yeah. like the loafers and the penny loafers and anyway so she said mom look what they’re doing at my school like she’s like what’s up with this and so they had a bunch of students up boys and the men were washing their feet and I was explaining to her that that this that she said they thought she said it was a joke and I said no it’s not they’re not joking around I’m like it’s I mean she knows that Jesus did it in the Bible, but I’m like they’re demonstrating that even the most important, the greatest, the richest, the president of the university, the people deemed to be the bigwigs, that they should serve one another, serve each other in love. And I was trying to explain that these aren’t things you learn in the world that you don’t see anywhere. Rich people will say to a homeless guy, hey, I’d really like to demonstrate that I’m not above you and I’d like to serve you in love. And I’ve been really talking to them since there’s been so much going on politically. And a young person was killed in our country that represented a lot of the views of many young people. That’s why Charlie Kirk was so famous because so many young people followed him. And so that’s how a lot of them knew about Christianity, and at least that was one of their big – influencers in the Christian and conservative world. So anyway, I have been talking to them about how easy it is to get drugged, you know, into the world. And my son’s at a secular university where my youngest daughter over the weekend went with him to a football game and she saw like a whole different world. She’s like, oh my gosh, from the way that they dress up here and so many people are drunk and it’s tens of thousands of people going to these games. And, you know, because of Coach Prime, Deion Sanders, that school has become very Like the tickets now, three of you go, it might be $1,000 for three tickets. Well, that’s not the way normal college football games are. That’s more like a pro game, right? So it’s just a circus. And so she was kind of like blown away, and next week we take her to the other school, to her sister’s Christian school. So anyway, it’s just interesting with everything that’s going on in the world and a lot of people reexamining their views for my daughter to think they might be doing that as a joke. And I’m like, the president of your school is not up there watching these boys. This isn’t a frat stunt. You know what I mean? And speaking of frats, Jim, one of our friends of the family is going to a frat in California. And like every single night, debauchery and, you know, parties. And they just sent us a video of one kid jumping off of a roof at a party into a swimming pool headfirst. And I’m just like, what on earth is going on here? Anyway, he and some of his frat buddies actually, after the service yesterday, went and got baptized in the ocean. So even in these schools where It’s extremely secular and worldly. They’re even being touched by some of what’s going on right now, this wave across our country of Christianity and conservatism that’s being talked about. So people are being very outspoken right now.

SPEAKER 03 : 3:52

Yeah, and I’ve had the opportunity to speak on a number of faith-based campuses and secular campuses, and I will tell you, some of the most dedicated people I’ve seen are on the secular campus, the big state universities, but they’re involved in these faith-based organizations, and they’re pretty staunch, but… In general, it’s really amazing because I know at our university, we’re the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship, but when you ask kids, why did you come to school here? Well, I want to pursue my passion and follow my faith at the same time. You can go to the state university and ask, and the answers kind of surround, well, I was out of high school. I didn’t know what else to do. You know, great, the party continues, whatever. You know, you get some people that are really dedicated, but by and large, it’s a different culture. And, you know, you experience that at the ballgame. It’s really rather amazing. And… And, you know, I don’t know who it was that thought it was a great idea to allow alcohol at college games when, in most states, 75% of the undergrads are not of drinking age anyway. And why they do that, and, you know, every group’s got a senior that goes to the concession and comes back with the drinks. I mean, it’s really, you know, I mean, who thought this was a good idea? I mean…

SPEAKER 04 : 5:18

Yeah, that’s a good point, and I’m sure they say it’s for the parents, but it’s the kids that are drinking. Sorry, a little sneeze there. Yeah, it’s a horrible idea.

SPEAKER 03 : 5:31

Oh, absolutely, and I think – And, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a regent at a state university here in my state, and he said, well, we believe that our kids need to learn how to be adults. And I said, so you weren’t influenced by the brewery giving you a million dollars and selling $12 beers, didn’t you? That was not a factor. It just, you know, you’re trying to teach these kids adult lessons. Right. I go look at their behavior, and I mean, is this really what we want here? I mean, it’s really rather terrifying.

SPEAKER 04 : 6:12

You know, I worry with so many pulls on the kids. You just hope you’ve done well enough in teaching them while they’re with you what’s important, but I definitely see the environment. The University of Colorado has so many more temptations, and then my daughter’s school, she’s got You know, there’s no drinking and there’s no boys in the dorm and there’s a curfew and there’s a dress code and, you know, they’re protected a lot more. And it’s a smaller town, of course. So that right there is a big part of it. So, yeah, it’s interesting. It’s an interesting world. All right. Well, I just want to bring all that up and then we’ll talk about your column said and done. What are you teaching us this week?

SPEAKER 03 : 6:55

Well, more than ever, Angie, we live in a world that when it’s all said and done, there’s an awful lot said and very little done. I was talking to a neighbor and a friend of mine the other day at our homeowners association, and he was recommending a guy that had done some work over at his home. And he said, here’s the thing. He said what he would do, and he showed up and did it. And I said, isn’t it amazing that that is now, we’ve gotten to a place where, that’s a great recommendation. A guy that just said he would do something and showed up and did it. And that is amazing. And, you know, my mentor, Lee Braxton, who you’ve heard me speak of many, many times, you know, when I was young and I said, what’s the real key to becoming a multimillionaire? What do you really I mean, let’s get behind the curtain here and see. Tell me the secret. He said, OK, you’re ready. Write this down. You always do what you said you would do. And I said, come on, give me the real secret. He said, no, that’s the secret. He said, always do what you say you’re going to do. He said it has several benefits. First, you will be known as an honorable person that people want to do business with. Second, you’ll be very cautious what you say because you know you’re going to have to do it. And I remember, you know, when I was a little kid, I went with my grandfather to the fair, and he manned the booth. We were raising money for some cause, and they had fishing line that they were selling for $3 a spool. So, you know, and all the money went to this cause, these kids. And so we’re there. Well, a guy comes over to my grandfather and says, hey, you’re selling it for $3. Over on the next aisle, they have the same thing for $2. And my grandfather said, why didn’t you go buy it over there? And the guy said, well, they’re out of it. And my grandfather said, well, when we’re out of it, it’s only a dollar. But right now we’ve got fishing line right here for three bucks, you want it or not. And that’s kind of the thing. I mean, it doesn’t really matter what you said. It’s what can you do? What are you really, really doing? And, you know, it’s amazing that we’ve gotten to a place where you become a person of high reputation. Simply because you did what you said you would do.

SPEAKER 04 : 9:02

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And I know when you talk about – you’re really blessed when you talk about your grandparents and your parents. I mean really I’ve never heard you say a bad word. I mean they really were upstanding people who taught you right from wrong and elicited a lot of admiration from you in the way that they brought you up.

SPEAKER 03 : 9:22

Yeah, I think they saw everything as a teachable moment for me. And, you know, I benefited greatly from those lessons from them, you know, because I do think that is a teachable moment, and everything is. And even when bad things happen, wow, those are the great moments. Like, okay, what do I learn from this right here? And, you know, I… I always tell my students, a good excuse is an excuse. At some level, you did or you didn’t. And I tell them, when you go to the military academy at West Point and you’re going to learn how to be a soldier, they ask you a lot of questions. There are only four good responses. Yes, sir. No, sir. I don’t understand, sir. No excuse, sir. Those are the only four responses they allow. And you can get through an entire education with those four answers. That’s all you get to say. And so I think we need to be very careful what we say and make sure it matches who we are and what we do. And when you look at your politicians, and there’s so much turmoil on the political landscape, but really all we can expect these people to do is be who they said they were. And I can tell you people at the very extreme of both parties that do a good job because they are what they said they would be. And, you know, I was talking to a senator the other day. I said, I admire you. He said, he said, Jim, I doubt you’ve ever voted for anything I voted for. I said, no, I’m sure you’re right. But, you know, you said you were a socialist. You’ve been a socialist and you’re dependable. I mean, that’s what people should be able to depend on. And, you know, you are what you said you were, and that’s all we can ask.

SPEAKER 04 : 11:19

Now, in terms of, you know, what you want us to take away from the article, when we read the whole article, what would you like us today to go forth and be thinking about?

SPEAKER 03 : 11:29

Well, be very careful. I mean, you know, people today are quick to give their word and quick to break their word. I mean, be slow to give your word and don’t break it. I mean, just don’t do that. And And if you’re forced to – I mean, there’s a natural disaster or something that gives you – I mean, you should be the first one on the phone telling someone, I gave you my word. Here’s the situation I’m dealing with. How can we make this work? And, you know, those are the things. But I really think being known as someone who will – You know, we’ll get done what he needs to get done. I remember we were at a family reunion once when a tornado came through the lake where we were. And we were way down the lake on a pavilion there. And I had a house down on the water. My brother had his house was way up on top of the hill. He said, man, I got to get all these family members out of here and get them up the hill to my basement. Can you get back to your place? Because I was by myself. Crystal was already up the hill. I said, yeah. He said, Jim, it’s a half mile. How are you going to get back? I said, I’ve got it. He said, good enough. And he drove off. And later, family members asked him, well, how do you know? I mean, you left your brother standing there, the blind guy. And he said, the greatest compliment he ever gave me. He said, if my brother says he’s got it, he’s got it. That’s it. That’s all you need to know. And, I mean, all I had to do was go downhill until I hit the lake. The lake’s down the hill somewhere. So I went downhill until I found the lake, and I followed the lake shore until I got to the boat ramp, and I walked 50 feet up the boat ramp, and there’s my house. And it just wasn’t that hard to find, you know. I mean, you can’t get lost. It’s like being in California. Go west until you find the ocean, and then you either go north or south. You can’t get lost if you’re going to a beach place. So it’s… But the important thing is you always do what you said you’re going to do. That matters.

SPEAKER 04 : 13:26

Yes. I was just telling my girlfriend this weekend, our kids asked us not to post something on social media, and I didn’t, and she did. I said, you cannot do that. When they ask you not to post something, you don’t know what their reasons are, but they will not trust you if you do that. And so we just had this big discussion about that. JimStoval.com. Thank you, my friend. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER 02 : 13:51

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SPEAKER 04 : 14:46

Westminster is listening to the mighty 670 KLT Denver. Hey there, friend, Angie Austin and Jim Stovall with the good news. Hello, Jim Stovall.

SPEAKER 03 : 15:01

Well, hello, Angie Austin. It’s great to be back with you.

SPEAKER 04 : 15:04

Oh, my goodness. I can’t wait to tell you what I did this weekend. First of all, you and I have for the last probably two years been talking about the Harvard Happiness Study, which started in the 1930s, has been going on for decades. Every two years, people would get a questionnaire. They’d either fill it out or sometimes the questions were in person. And then they followed generations of people to find out what true happiness, you know, how you come about it. And they found that a career, you know, your fancy car, how much money you make, all of that was secondary to the number one indicator of happiness. Relationships, connections and family. So over the course of the last couple of years since you and I started talking about it, I’ve rekindled some important relationships that, you know, over the years fall by the wayside. You know, your high school best friends, you know, I’ve got a bunch of friends from NBC in Los Angeles that I worked with in my 20s and 30s and we used to travel a lot. And I told you recently that. And the last six months we started traveling again. So one of the girls, Tracy Savage, one of my favorite reporter and anchor friends, she’s also, she was in Friday the 13th and she did a lot of acting when she was young. Anyway, she and I just took our sixth trip of our lifetimes, but our third in the last few months. And we went to, they all came out, my NBC friends, there were four of us. We went up to the Rocky Mountain National Park and we went to Estes Park outside of there and, And stayed at the YMCA of the Rockies. And we saw, you know, I don’t think people realize they think, oh, elk and deer, they’re similar. Elk are as big as my Tesla. Like as I was driving through the park, the elk that came near my car that ran past the front of my car. It was the size of my car. And we got to see them up close. Like literally I hid behind my car as this elk rushed. The three other males were trying to move in on his harem. And so he, from time to time would rush them. Now I didn’t see them fight with like their racks or, But, you know, he ran them off. And the clip that those things can move when they pick up speed is mind-blowing, especially when they move within a car length of you, you know, within 10 feet of you or so. It was – my friends said they’ve never seen anything like it in their lives. And it was the most amazing weekend. But we’ve just been strengthening those friendship bonds, and it brought so much joy to everyone.

SPEAKER 03 : 17:20

Yeah, I think when it’s all said and done and you look back on your life – at where were the really choice moments. It’s friends and family and things like that. And I have been to that YMCA camp several times to speak there. And it’s just an amazing place. And then when I, Chris, when I first got married, we developed a big acreage up on the lake in northeast of here. in kind of the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, and the Oklahoma Wildlife Department decided they transplanted a male and female elk, and they were going to see if they could survive it, because there’s huge acreages out there around the lake and everything. Well, we didn’t know this. Well, somebody in their infinite wisdom, some guy shot the male. So now we have this widowed elk down there. Well, Crystal’s out down in our field, and there’s berry patches there, and she’s picking some berries. She comes around a corner, and wow, she said, I thought it was a horse or a camel.

SPEAKER 04 : 18:23

They’re like a horse. You’re right. Some of them are as big as a horse.

SPEAKER 03 : 18:27

Because the female doesn’t have the horns, exactly. And she said, I didn’t know what to do. And so, you know, and she backed out. But from then on, she kind of got familiar with it. She named her Molly, and Molly would hang around. And, you know, I think they coexisted there for a while. Yeah. And Crystal actually called the wildlife department and said, we’ve got this elk here. And they said, would you like us to remove it? And they said, no, why don’t you send a mail? And, I mean, she’s here all by herself. And they said, well, people just shoot them. And so anyway, but magnificent animal. And, yeah, and just amazing. You know, it’s those shared experiences with friends and family that are just really priceless, amazing stuff.

SPEAKER 04 : 19:20

Yes, priceless is a great way to put it. Oh, and we went to the Stanley Hotel, you know, where the Shining. Jack Nicholson, yeah. Yeah, Mr. King wrote. I guess he got the idea for the Shining there. A lot of people think that they filmed it there, which they didn’t. It was on a sound stage and then also in Oregon. Like Mount Hood or something. But he was in a room where he had a nightmare, apparently. And that’s where he came up with the idea for the book. And you can see when you’re up there, it really does. You do believe that he would come up with the idea for that movie, that book when you’re up there.

SPEAKER 03 : 19:57

It’s a fabulous old hotel. I did a convention there, and I’ll never forget. You know, when I speak, the first four minutes, whether it’s a corporate event or in an arena or whatever, the first four minutes are just canned. I mean, it’s like doing the Pledge of Allegiance for me. It’s just… It’s all the same. And I was at the Stanley Hotel, and I realized that morning, I was up there thinking, my timing’s off. Something’s weird today. You know, what is this? And I kept doing it, and then I realized, you know, I usually get all the way to the end of that statement and then take a breath and start, but they don’t have enough air up there. I mean, whoever’s in charge. Oh, that’s what my friend said, too. You need to get some more oxygen up there. And, of course, you’re used to it because you’re up there. Yes. But the Olympic Training Center is in Colorado Springs, and I had been up there for training. And even as a young guy, boy, you get used to it. I mean, wow, there’s not enough air up here. But the theory is if you can compete here, you can compete anywhere in the world. And so they do that. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER 04 : 20:56

Oh, my goodness. All right. Well, I just thought you’d get a kick out of that story. We are talking about Jim’s Winner’s Wisdom column this week. It’s Wishes and Reality. So what are you teaching us this week?

SPEAKER 03 : 21:09

Well, this comes out of, you know, I have 10 million books in print all around the world, and I put my contact in all of those books, 60 different titles. So I hear from many, many people daily. And I remember talking to a woman not long ago, and she said, I just don’t know what to do next in my life. And I said, okay, if you could do anything you wanted to do, what would you do? And she said, well, I have no idea. And I said, well, you need to get an idea. I mean, the whole world, it’s a smorgasbord. You do, hey, let’s assume time and money and circumstance, nothing was an object. What would you do? She said, well, it is an object. I said, no, you don’t get the how are you going to do it mixed up into what are you going to do phase. Or you’ll never do anything bigger than you are right now. And that’s a huge mistake that so many people make is, well, what do you want to do next? Well, I don’t know because I don’t have this and I don’t have that and I don’t have that. And the next thing you know, they’ve talked themselves into this little tiny box of, And, you know, so learning how to embrace all the possibilities, it’s not something we need to learn. It’s something we need to relearn. Because this woman I’m talking to, if instead of her I was talking to the five-year-old version of her when she was in kindergarten, and I said, what do you want to do? Well, I want to be an astronaut, and then I think I might be president, and I want to be a fireman. I want to do all that. You know, and everything’s possible when you’re a kid. And there are no barriers. There’s no nothing. And then over time, we let people shrink our world for us. And, you know, I am grateful I didn’t know what I was getting into. I mean, I started narrative television to make TV accessible for blind people. And, you know, and only years later when I understood, wow, that was a big undertaking, and I didn’t know it, you know. I didn’t know what it was really going to do. But, you know, it was such a… an undertaking, but you don’t know, so ignorance becomes your friend. And then, you know, when one of our movies got won the best picture at a film festival, you know, the guy was telling me, you know, wow, it’s so amazing because only one in a thousand books becomes a bestseller, and only one in a thousand bestsellers becomes a movie. So a thousand times a thousand is a million. So it’s a one in a million shot. And I thought, well, it’s happened nine times for me. I mean, I didn’t know. I mean, I didn’t know that. And I’m glad I didn’t know that. I mean, you just, you know, you need to know what to take the first step. So the point here is that When you think of your life and the possibilities, you’ve really got to get down to, if I could do anything I wanted to do, what would it be? And then figure out how to do that. Don’t get the two involved. I mean, decide what you want to do, close that door, burn that bridge. And now that we’ve decided to do this, I wonder how you do that thing. And that’s what becomes really powerful, is when you can get beyond where you are. Otherwise… Angie, you’re just circled in the same block. You’re just doing the things that you know how to do. And the world is so much bigger than what you or I know how to do.

SPEAKER 04 : 24:22

Absolutely. But I think a lot of us do like wander in a circle at some points in our lives, just like not, you know, you know, it was a pretty big dream you had, you know, to come up with the narrative television network and really something that was before its time. You know, I mean, you have to be the first one to do something and, you know, really cutting edge and really opened a whole new world to blind people up, you know. vision impaired even you know just not being able to clearly see what they’re watching and I think though a lot of us just wander in circles and also I think fear is a huge dream killer well you’re right but it was before its time but I actually quoted Victor Hugo in today’s column and

SPEAKER 03 : 25:08

And he said, nothing is so powerful as an idea whose time has come. I mean, it’s kind of like when the student is ready, the teacher arrives. Well, when you and I are ready, the inspiration arrives. But so many people, like we’ve talked about, they want all the lights to be green before they’ll leave the house. And they’ve got to have all the questions answered. But it doesn’t work like that. Give us this day our daily bread. I mean, you get enough to move another day and then you figure out, okay, where do I go from here and where do I go from here? And that’s the way amazing things are done. But I just, this process, I call it deconstruction. I do with corporate CEOs and creative people and where we get down, why do you do what you do? And it’s amazing how many people You know, they’ve been in a 20-year career. Why do you do this? Well, because of this. Why did you do that? Because of this. And then when you get right down to it, well, I was out of college, and they had a recruiting thing on campus, and there was a table over there and a table over here, and my friends all went over there, so I went over there, and I got a job with them. And here we are 20 years later, and they built their world around this random thing that happened to them. And I’m not saying it was a bad choice. What I’m saying is, Could you consider maybe some other possibilities? And what else could you do? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail and everything was an option? And then once you decide that, then figure out, how am I going to do this thing? And that’s when it becomes powerful.

SPEAKER 04 : 26:51

I’d say that again.

SPEAKER 03 : 26:52

What would you do if you knew – And there were no obstacles. Time, money, circumstances were not an obstacle. You could do anything you want to do. What would you do? And I just had a young lady in my office. She was looking for a job, and she said, I’ve always been in sales. I want to do that. And I asked her that very question. What would you do if you could do anything? Well, but I’ve always been in sales. I said, I didn’t ask what you’ve always done. If you could do anything, magic lamp right over here. I actually have one we used in the movie, The Lamp. I said, here’s your magic lamp. If you could do anything you wanted to do, what would it be? She said, well, I’d like to run a nonprofit. I said, well, why don’t you? She said, well, I’ve never done it before. I said, nobody’s ever done anything before they did it. I mean, if you think you have experience in sales. It’s not that much different than running a nonprofit. You’re going to go out to individuals and corporations and foundations, and you’re going to sell them on this solution you have to some problem in the community represented by your nonprofit. And she left here 20 minutes later. you know, going to go find out how to start a nonprofit.

SPEAKER 04 : 28:08

Wow. Well, you sure gave us a lot to think about today, Jim. JimStoval.com will have to get that movie or your book, The Lamp. Thank you, my friend. Thank you. Be well.

SPEAKER 01 : 28:18

Thank you for listening to The Good News with Angie Austin on AM670 KLTT.