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Speech Transcript (very little editing so not exact)

John, thank you so much for coming on show please introduce yourself the time to shine today podcast varsity squad. But first, what’s your favorite color? And why?

My favorite color is blue. And I don’t I can’t tell you why. But I remember my my mom’s blue one piece swimming suit when I was a kid going to the beach. And I just remember that blue is being like the color of heaven.

Wow, that’s it. I am looking at the Atlantic Ocean right now. So it’s a blue is kind of in my color wheel as well as in yours. That’s Yes. So again, man, I’m super blessed to bring you on. And it’s amazing in his life goals. Um, you can see my vision board. There’s a picture of the Go Giver there and my parable that I’m writing the listener for you. It’s out there and it’s, it’s fun. I’ve learned so much good title. Let you I think you and so, John, can we get into just a little bit of the roots of where you kind of started in level up to the point where you’re selling over a million copies of the Go Giver? Collaborating with people like Brandon Webb and others as well out there?

Sure, yeah. You know, I did not start out to be a writer was never like a goal. I love goals. But to be honest, all the best things in my life have happened. Not as a result of my having them as a goal but as gifts from I don’t even know where gifts from Heaven gift from left field. And so becoming a writer has been a gift for me. I started out as a cellist as a musician, classical composer. I was a prize winning composer at the age of 13. Music was my life. I think in music music is my native language. My dad was a musician. My mom was a musician. My brothers are both musicians. And then I got involved in a lot of other careers. I was in sales, I was in retail sales. I was in networking for many years, made some money there I was, I was an education. I started a high school when I was in high school. In fact, when I was 17, I dropped out of high school, and started my own high school. And then went then went back to it as on the faculty as a teacher there. And, you know, we had our graduates go to places like Yale and Harvard, and it was very successful school. But everything I did, I always seem to be the guy who was editing the newsletter, or editing the poster or editing the interview in the newspaper or whatever. So I’ve been editing all my life. And I for for probably 20 years, I edited articles for business journals, which is how I met Bob Berg. I edited his stuff. And and he loved my editing. He said, Who is this guy, man, he makes my stuff better than than I make my stuff. And, and then we finally collaborated on the go giver, Bob and I, and the Go Giver was he called me up and said, I got a I got an idea for a book. But I don’t need you to edit it. I need you to write it with me, because it’s not I don’t know how to do this kind of book. We’re like it’s past. And, you know, people who know Endless Referrals will recognize a lot of Bob in the Go Giver. Yeah, people who know my leadership letters from my my life in sales leadership before, will recognize a lot of my stuff in the Go Giver. It’s just, it’s us. And we created this friendship, and we’ve been together ever since. So, yeah.

So when you’re setting the stage with an author, is there? Do I have to ask you? Is it their ideas that you put into stories? Or is it both of you guys collaborating? And then come to an agreement how to write it because I have been wanting to ask you that?

Yeah, it’s a great question. And the answer is, it completely depends on the book. Like, for example, I’ve written a number of memoirs, when I connected with Brandon Webb, my Navy SEAL friend who served in the Kitty Hawk, as you know, and before that on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is relevant to steal fear. The first book Brandon and I did was his memoir, the red circle. And that was a New York Times bestseller. And that was where Brandon and I clicked. Well, I’m writing his story. Right. So I’m writing his story. Now, I’m rewording it all I’m making it up. I’m kind of I’m putting it on the page. So it’s a lot of the you know, the sentences are mine. But it’s his story. So that’s my job and a memoir. With the Go Giver. It’s it’s like 50% bows, and Terrell and 2%. Mine just it’s an amalgam. The voice of the Go Giver isn’t Bob’s or mine. It’s its own. It’s a whole new invention. Now with cold fear with the novels, that’s a whole different thing. That’s a whole new deal. And you know, what? Well, we’ll talk about that. But that’s, I pour myself into those novels. That’s, that’s kind of like, I feel like I’ve arrived at where I’ve been headed all these years.

Sure. When you’re writing the novel, is it because there’s different because within the the Go Giver, you know, with ponder and whatnot, like you, you have different scenes, but there’s like a flow to it, where the novel and I’m not going to ruin anything with steel fear. But the twist at the end was fantastic, you know, with the person that they found out who it actually was. Yeah. And it hit me out of left field. But there’s different stages. It’s almost like it was like watching a movie with him going in the way that you explained the stuff in the Navy and the one on the fantail and it whatnot. Is it different? Because there’s a different flow where with the Go Giver, it’s just one person, different people he’s talking to, you know, from the real estate agent to whatnot. Yes, yes. Five laws of stratospheric success. But is there is that the difference in between the novel and the parable?

It’s a great question too, because they’re they are, they are similar. There’s an overlap. And not a lot of people see that. A parable, to me, is like a stripped down novel. It’s like a mini novel, sort of. And the real difference is just in the amount of depth and detail. And so in the Go Giver, Joe, what color is his hair? You don’t know? I don’t know. What color are his eyes? What’s his last name? We don’t even doesn’t matter. Because you don’t need a lot of detail for the story to work in in a novel. Man, you need all this rich description, of course, the aircraft carrier and steel fear or in cold fear. It’s Iceland. You need all this environmental description. It’s rich, it’s just it’s in depth, but the Go Giver, as you say, follows this one guy who meets all these different people. Right then you Then you go to, you know that there’s other Go Giver books, the Go Giver, influencer. Oh, there you go, dog, man, baby. And that one dog food man. And if you follow that each chapter is from a different point of view. The first chapter is Jackson’s point of view. Right next chapter you’re following through Jillian’s eyes. Next chapter Jackson. So that’s more like instill fear and and cold fear. When you when you there are three different characters or more. And you and the, the chapters flip and alternate and whose point of view you’re seeing it. So there’s something novelistic about those parables that I really, really enjoyed. In a way that was my first taste of what it must be like to write a novel.

Wow. So I gotta take a quote out of the influence of Go Giver influencer. And I just want to know who kind of comes up with it when you’re co writing something like when the I believe it was the, the coach, most of coaching is just removing the stuff that gets in the way and reminding them of what they wanted to do in the first place. And that’s how I coach okay, that nailed me was a collaboration to come up with because I got quotes about quotes of it. I mean, I can go in the contract of the natural negotiating the first clause is this master your emotions? I got notes upon notes in that book. That’s how I read I like that. Go back. Yeah, I got my notes. Is that a collaboration between, say, you and Bob? And how that how that comes about?

How that works with Bob as I mastermind, the writing process? So no, I do in a sense, I do all the writing, which is to say i It’s my fingers on the keyboard, sorbet writes the draft. When I’m writing. I know Bob really well. And I’ve read his material. And I’ve heard him and right, yeah, right. I entered him. So in the case of the influencer, our intention was to take his book adversaries into allies. And take that basic concept and some of that material and render it as a Go Giver parable. But the thing about what was the first principle of natural coaching is master your emotions, mastery emotions, that’s about that’s right out of adversaries and allies, I could pick through every quote, you’ve got from this book, say, Oh, that was Bob. That was me. That was Bob, Bob, that was me. Because I’ll be reading along in the story and go, Oh, this thing that Bob said, that would go really well, right here. sticks out here. So it’s a mix. It’s a mix of the dogs. By the way, same with the novels. There’ll be stuff that I’ve heard Brandon say, or I’ve heard one of his seal teammates, say, because I’ve been with Brandon for over 10 years, right? I’m writing the novel. And I’ll take this thing that this colleague of Brennan says, Oh, that would click right in

here. Wow.

While I’m while I’m writing the narrative and writing the dialogue and doing the character development, it’s really fun. It’s like, it’s like being a a DJ.

Know, in Arkestra. Conductor. Isn’t it together? In a sense? Yeah. And doing it the right way. And for it to make sense to a reader where they’re entertained where, because I’ve read you before, and I you know, like when you You nailed it with you know what colors is hair and stuff like that I’m in like nothing John’s ever wrote really before got this detailed in the characters like the masterchief that you wrote, and cold fear was like the Master Chief that I frickin served with. Right? And Brandon

told me about a chief he served with who he used to. He used to be chewed tobacco, right. And then he’d spit the tobacco juice into his coffee, coffee cup. And then later as they’re sitting there talking later, he’s taking a sip of this coffee. Oh my gosh, oh, that the chief Jackson doesn’t do that. But I had that guy in mind when I wrote chief masterchief Jackson.

I love it seems like you’ve pulled some in I don’t even know if you wrote it. But a book that’s really helped me write. It was I think it’s the techniques of the selling writer. It’s it’s from 1972 by Dwight Swain. And like, what you’re saying right now sets the scene for everything that goes forward. And I really appreciate because these are knowledge nuggets that, you know, I’m selfishly going to help me squat. If you’re listening out there, aspiring writer, it’s going to help you as well. But, John, let me let me ask you something, when a writer starts to start to put a book together in what now? What do you think their biggest blind spot might be? As they’re starting to write?

I don’t know if this is exactly a blind spot. But I think that the biggest stumbling block, let’s say, okay, is is the impulse to correct yourself the impulse to edit yourself. You start writing and you know, you get one sentence and you go, Oh, that’s crap. Or you can see it better. Oh, you start to cross it out. And that’s that I think that’s that urge that impulse has killed more has smothered more aspiring writers in the cradle than anything else. Wow. The second thing is, I think is the and this is related is the the, the feeling, that’s gotta be good. That’s got to be golden. It doesn’t have to be golden doesn’t really good. When you start writing, it’s actually going to be kind of crummy. And that’s okay. Sure, when I start writing, it’s crummy. And that’s when I start writing steal fear or cold fear. It’s just like, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t punish my worst enemy by showing them this stuff that I’m writing. It’s terrible. But that’s how you start. That’s right. So really, it’s just getting your ideas in the page. And, and getting them out there trusting that you’re gonna go back and you’re gonna fix it, you’re gonna make it better you’re gonna sift and sort and edit and and you know, why it’s the first love natural natural negotiation right? Master your emotions.

With me, it’s like I just, you know, as somebody that I respect that wrote another book that like Fergie, just throw up all of your keyboard, just get whatever’s in you out. And then like you said, the discipline to go back and maybe find that story that’s in there and get going. I love it. There’s so many that your level says, when I first start writing, sometimes it’s crummy. And that is huge. It is.

It is.

So it is then if you seen the movie, I have to ask a little bit about you, because I know that your I don’t have you for that long. But have you seen the movie Back to the Future? Oh, absolutely. Yeah, let’s get in that DeLorean with Marty McFly. Let’s go back to the double Deuce a 22 year old John David man, what kind of knowledge nuggets might you drop on him not to change anything because you’re fantastic. But to maybe shorten the learning curves last through or level up maybe just a little quicker?

There’s a line from a book that I wrote with.

We

seen where I answer that question. What? Oh,

sorry. What was the line to that book?

Again, there’s is a line book that I’ve that hasn’t been published yet? Actually. Okay. A guy says, I know what I’d say to my, my 20 year old self, I’d say more faith, less confidence. I think that I would, I would tell my as my 22 year old self. To have complete faith in what I want to do. But stay open to other people’s advice. Not be so cocksure of myself. And listen to people who have been there people who have gone down that road. I don’t think that was a good listener when I was 22. I had an ethic as a result that took a lot my life took a lot of hard knocks that maybe didn’t need to take

thank you for being transparent with that in you know, I call it fake it till you make it. You know, fake it till you make it because a lot of times faking it the confidence and stuff like that it shows through his arrogance sometimes yes, you know, but when your faith and to make him believe and you get you’re asking gear and ask people when you’re in a situation that you can’t because that’s one of the chapters in my book is get your asking gear, and being able to be humble enough to ask for that assistance. I love it. I love it. So how do you want your dash? Remember, John, that little line in between your incarnation date, your expiration date, your life date, your death date? Hopefully it’s way down the line, but how do you want your death?

I would say you know, number one, he made a difference. And I’m gonna you know, assume it was a positive difference. Sure. Yeah. So, but yeah, he made a difference. He made a difference. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do.

And you are I mean, it’s you are people are over a million people read the one read book, you know, and then in what you’re putting out there Natalie’s entertaining, but I love it that there’s leadership principles in a frickin novel. You know what I’m saying? It was like, why I’m like, what leadership principles because I read other books that you wrote with mastering fear of leave with Brandon Brandon. And it’s it’s like how’s he going to turn leadership into a novel but there was so many that the character had from how to deal with other people’s emotions with the the lady jet fighter that was going through losing her friend and again, I don’t want to spoil too much of it, but like how you handle and navigated the metaphorical waters. I love that. So, John, what do you think maybe people misunderstand the most about you? misunderstand.

I’m not sure how to answer that question. What do you People misunderstand about me. They think that other people wrote on my books. I mean, so a lot of people never heard of me. They think, you know, they think Go Giver, that’s Bob Berg, the brand and read books. That’s Brandon. And they don’t realize people often don’t see, don’t aren’t aware of what comes after the end. Right. Right. So, you know, the one minute managers written by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson. Well, it was, you know, wasn’t just Ken Blanchard.

So how does that work? I mean, we’re men, we have egos. How does that work with your ego?

It’s challenging because I want people to know, you know, I want and I love my, my, my books, I love them, like my children shirt. And I just, I just care about them so much. I don’t understand people who say, actors who say, I never watched my own movies. Really, you never watch your own movies? If I made movies, I would watch them. Because, and and authors who say I never read my own books, I don’t understand that at all. I love my books. If I didn’t love them, I wouldn’t write them. Amazing. So I, I, of course, I want people to know, I wrote this, I wrote this. It’s not entirely a matter of ego. But you’re right. It’s ego. But it’s also just, it’s closing the circle. Sure. It’s, I there’s nothing more satisfying, more fulfilling than hearing from readers, and getting in dialogue with readers. And that’s why I’m on this book tour. Right now. I’m here in Texas on a book tour for cold fear. And that’s the most satisfying thing for an author there is is hearing from readers. If readers don’t know I wrote the book then that we never get to close that circuit.

Love that’s transparent. There’s really no ego in that. It’s like a, like recognitions. Nice. And it’s fun. But you’re also getting feedback during that. Yeah. And if people know, then you’re able to get that feedback. That’s excellent. So, John, what if anything, keeps you up at night?

So funny. story problems. You know, three in the morning, I’ll be taking out how to get on the boat. How does he get on the boat? Right? How does he know where the boat is? I tell I’ll be doing this stuff in my head. But nothing keeps me up at night in terms of worrying,

I don’t worry, good. Good. How about what then would be your definition of a life well lived?

You know, a life well lived to me is here’s my definition of success. Is is doing what you were put here to do. Which by the way, I don’t think anybody else was put here to do I think you are You are unique. So doing what you were put here to do with someone you love. And doing it well. Those, those three, those three ingredients, you know, for me, Scott, you know, for decades, my definition of success was always something was in the future. Right. I was very future driven. thing I love about this definition is that I can have all those things right now. Right here today.

Yes, I love it. Is it some of that what you just said in the Go Giver marriage?

I don’t think so. No. Okay.

To do with someone you love, I just didn’t know because I read. If I may

read something you love is all over the Go Giver marriage. That’s for sure. Yeah, okay.

Yeah. Okay. I love it. I love it.

You know, there’s there’s a line that’s very similar in the Go Giver marriage, which is there’s a question that’s asked, what is the purpose of marriage? And I’m not going to give the answer because that drives kind of the whole story. But um, but it’s it is yeah, it’s a it’s a central part of the book The Go Giver, marriage. That’s right.

Love it. Love it. Love it. And that all those books are gonna be in the show notes. Squat. Tide decide today. Podcast versus while we are back and John, I will meet you one day. It’s on the life goal of mine. And we’re gonna sit down and enjoy a meal. And we’ll probably talk 1520 minutes maybe about each one of these questions, hopefully. But you got five seconds to answer with no explanation. You’re ready to go?

I don’t know. I guess we’ll ever be ready for something like that.

Let’s level up. Jazz. What is the best leveling up advice you’ve ever received?

The best leveling up advice I’ve ever received? Yes. Stay open to good advice.

share one of your personal habits that contributes to success.

I’m thorough.

love it love it in so other than your 30 Plus books you’ve written if you saw me walking kinda down the street net 30 Looks like he is in his doldrums a little bit. What other book might you hand me that maybe shaped you a little bit?

The dip by Seth Godin.

Okay, great. Great. I love it. First time it’s ever been said when I asked and I love that you said that. John, when you tax if any? Is there any mode you you you’d like to use the most?

I use Colin hyphen. parenthese a lot And the old fashioned smiley face What can I tell you

love it. Just checkers or monopoly?

Oh checkers. I mean, I was supposed to say chess but I said checkers. Oh, no explanation.

Gotcha. Go to go to ice cream flavor. Vanilla. Eat too awesome. So there is a sandwich called the JDM what’s on that sandwich? Ah,

smoked salmon. thin sliced red onion. Pickled if possible. And there’s probably some mustard involved.

You like capers on that too. Capers please would be lovely. Awesome. Good stuff. favorite charity in our organization like to give your time or money to

anything that involves taking care of dogs, pets for

babies love it. Thank you for saying that man. I gotta adopt a little Pitbull. He sits near right now.

Loving read the Go Giver elements or you know the use of that

right? That’s right. Last question. You can elaborate someone this one, John. But what is the best decade of music? 60s 70s 80s or 90s?

I’m gonna say the 1870s Wow. You know, man, I am such a classical music guy. Okay, I am it’s like, it’s in my head. It’s bonkers in my head. Beethoven’s in my head. Brahms is in my head. Bartok is in my head. Philip Glass is in my head and he’s still alive. So, you know, this stretches over centuries. But otherwise, the honest answer to question what can I tell you a 60s come of it.

Love it, man. So are you think you ever go back to the music? Like, more? Yes.

What do you think I do? I think I will. I don’t think I will go back to concertizing used to play cello professionally. I don’t think I’m gonna go back to that professionally. But I do think I’m gonna go back to composing music. When I’m in my 80s I’m going to compose choral music.

I love it. Ian, tell us a little bit about the new book here called fear. Yeah, that’s come out.

So called fear is the sequel. It’s Book Two in the in the fins series. And there will be more. I’m writing book three right now. Okay, but you don’t have to have read the first book for this book to work. It is a standalone book and steal fear. The first book followed chiefin this damage to traumatize navy seal with memory issues. followed him stalking a serial killer on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Not the Kitty Hawk. But the Lincoln. By the end of that book, Finn realizes he’s being accused of war crimes that he didn’t commit. At least he doesn’t think he did right? But he can’t remember. Right. So when in cold fear now he is a fugitive from the law in Reykjavik, Iceland. And hence this frozen lake I’m standing and I love it and and he’s looking for answers being stalked by a former seal teammate who is now retired as a contract killer. And one of the most sociopathic bizarre creatures I ever wrote.

I love that you continued Finn story because I wanted to reach into the book and punch somebody in the mouth because of the way it ended. I was like, Who is there? That’s all I’m gonna say for the people who gotta read steel fear then you’re gonna say at the end be like who is there the way you ended it you know and then just amazing amazing amazing. So we’re gonna have a book of wave with cold fear that it will be a time to shine today’s that are time to shine today’s dime that we’re going to have a good friend John here hand John Hancock, it will get it out to you. But first person that puts JD M in any of the social media, whether it’s LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, anywhere across any of the social media profiles, I will make sure that you get that book sent out to you in chat if you could give me one last salad and leave us with one last Knowledge Nugget we can take with us internalize and take action.

Yeah, I think that you know, there’s a secret to success in writing, which I think to some extent is a secret to success in in living, which is that you need to have be able to appreciate paradox. You need to have the arrogance of a teenager and the humility of a Buddhist monk. Believe in yourself, but also know that you don’t know.

Wow, so arrogance of a teenager and what have a Buddhist month

they want humility, humility.

And that’s that’s strong. That’s life to live on. You know, that’s awesome. So squad we literally had a fun conversation that I’ve been waiting 300 episodes to get out to you with my good friend here John David man who you know, grew up loving music and he’s gonna go back to it. And he didn’t start out being a writer you know? was never really a goal of his, you know, but it came from a higher power, whether it’s your god or your Creator, He has that, you know, I have a feeling that with all his writings, he might end up being a prize winning composer even bigger prizes Moving on down the line, you know, he met Bob Berg, he was editing Bob’s stuff and Bob wanting to collaborate with him and thank God he did because the Go Giver is an absolute must read. And he says if you find yourself in a writing trance, if you will, stumbling trying to edit yourself and critique yourself, he tells you that more good books, possible good books have been killed by trying to do that. And he wants you really just to maybe throw up all over your keyboard, get it out there. But he also said have the discipline to go back to look at it, edit it and fix it. And if that didn’t help with somebody, there’s some great editors out there that will help you around. You know, he said that he would say more faith and less confidence. You know, like we say fake it till you make it be open to others advice or like my good friend Leah Woodford said Get your asking here. He’s going to be remembered as someone that made a serious positive difference. He’s planting trees that he’s probably never going to sit in the shade up because of what is right. It’s so engaging, so fun. And there’s always great principles within there. You know, he wants to remind us to do what you were put here to do with someone you love. And most of all, do it. Well. You know, and the secret to success is to have that paradox of appreciate the paradox of having the arrogance of a teenager but the humility of a Buddhist monk. That’s what my good friend John does. He levels up his healthy levels of his wealth. He’s humble yet he’s hungry. He’s very transparent. He’s shared a lot. You’ve heard diversity squad letter here today at time to shine today, Mr. John, and thank you so much for coming on again. I’m so highly blessed and highly favored to have you on my friend.

Thank you so much. What a phenomenal summary. That was Wow.

Excellent pick. Take care of John. Have a great day. Hey, thanks so much for listening to this episode of time to shine today podcast. proudly brought to you by Southern New Jersey real estate real estate excellence, who can be reached at 561-249-7266 and online at www dot Sutter in nugent.com. If you’re a business owner or professional who would like to be interviewed on time to shine today, please visit time to shine today.com Flash guest. If you liked this episode, please subscribe on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, I Heart Radio or wherever you get your podcasts. There’s a link in the show notes to our website. Also there you will see a recommended resources. We hope that you will support our show by supporting them. If you like what you’ve been listening to, it’d be great if you could just give us a five star rating and tell your friends to subscribe while you’re at it. I’m your host Scott Ferguson. And until next time, let’s level up it’s our time to shine

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