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3:15 pm - Skype Call with Charlie Engle

The guest I want to bring on to join us today. His name is charlie angle and he has I mentioned this before. Break. If you miss this, I said if you get a chance to check out the trailer running the sahara dot com hey has been involved with several productions on television. He was with extreme home makeover as a producer as well as productions that he helped to create like this, where they ran across the sahara desert. No one had ever done it before. He and two other runners, this expedition where they went from one part of the country to the other part, the country was very dramatic and unbelievably, unbelievably physically arduous. The temperatures ranged from a last camel. Let him tell you, andi, right after that came back, did a lot of press for the fact that this the organization that they were helping to sport h two o africa raised about six million dollars in funds for charitable water, which is an amazing thing that he's essential part of on ben pretty quickly after that starte...

d creating the production running america, where they started in san francisco and ran to the other side of the country in two thousand relate two thousand eight and that was in parallel with the election year. Hbo did a special on that, but the experience of he and another runner everything they ran into literally going through that and it's a lot of adversity because even though it's physically arduous obviously everybody has you know, some way to move forward in some capacity what does it take mentally to do this after running america? He had a whole another hurdle that he went through from university perspective and if you follow me on twitter, you've seen a lot of this in terms of issues where there's a a lot of speculation in the new york times and pbs need to know in men's journal and I don't know if this new specials come out or not with the rock with brian williams I'll ask about this about his experiences with the u s government so charlie angle you joining us today? You want to pop on and say hi yeah how are you I've been in here being dabbled by you never dazzled wonderful ok and we're done wait, where are you right now? Where you joining us from ahman green runnerup caroline at my home come in in the in the music room I'm surrounded by guitar that I can't play but it looks good wonderful dallas charlie a little bit about I asked you to come on and join us because you probably embody more than anybody I personally met before human being who has overcome adversity and a lot of it has been voluntary voluntary effort right well, it has I've always joked that if I ever do write a book it probably needs to be called what the hell was I thinking? Because generally speaking the idea I've known enough photographers do that I think that's probably hold true for many of you and that is that being like a great idea when I came up with it once you get deeply into it, you realize the commitment that it that it takes but going back to running this era it really was nothing more than an idea between a couple of runners and one of my friend's dead guys I wonder if you might have never run across the entire sahara desert and I said, well, that feels like a bad idea why don't we do it on dh ultimately ended up we ended up running forty, six hundred mile, uh ran fifty marathon I'm very to marathon day for one hundred eleven consecutive days basically and we did something that I never thought was possible, but I think ultimately where I would have been watching for a while and really occurred to me that bail is we are our own most difficult customer and every single day out there I had to tell right now that I really wanted to keep doing this yeah and what s so when you're like physically in the place because if you guys haven't seen running the sahara it's such an inspirational film because I still I know you I know you did this still don't know how like I mean, tell me about that a little bit more about what you physically endured on that run and and others around that but that one specifically, you know that particular run wass they were partner than I thought it was going to be once again, I think it's a parallel with business, you know, usually when we get into something we can only look at, we only see the high point of what we're looking at because that's, the way we're built, we see that the fun we're gonna have the money, we're going to make the things we're going to do and we tend to ignore the work that has to be done in the trenches and are now run ultimately, I I walked forty bound from basically the size that I am right now I was told I needed to eat about twelve thousand calories a day going into it if I wanted to maintain our late on dh, I couldn't figure out how to eat twelve thousand calories worth of couscous and goat every day, so so I lost a lot of weight and two showers in one hundred eleven days, so being glad that you weren't there and again really it is nothing more than having a daily confrontation with myself and determining that all I really needed to do is get through today to get through this particular day and the next they will take care of itself. I think it is a good parallel to most of the inverse city that we all encounter in our lives. Yeah, what about running america? Because that that end up being not at all halfway through what you thought I was going to be no and that's, you know, that is one to where I basically ended up in a big math. I was trying to bake a break, a record for the fastest run across the united states in history. And to do that, I needed to run about seventy miles per day for three, five days in a row. And I I think we began that run with a horrendous case of mersa, which is a gnarly staph infection if anyone is familiar and I managed to run about a third of the way across the country for about seventeen days without dying. But after that, it wass it was fine for me to to regroup and make a good decision. And so I ended up stopping my own run, but I turned it into something else altogether, which wass stopping at schools along the way and after spending time with the kids that I was actually trying to raise money for, because before I was just going to run past on may be wave and in fact I got an opportunity to soften actually visit with give and and who engage them personally and honestly that ended up being I've been running for thirty years but I I actually did things that time that I have never done before so sometimes the the opportunities that are presented a team like that back but in that case that turned out to be something that in many ways was even better in the film running america that came out of it I think is a beautifully shot film and a great story and one that reminds everyone that things don't go the way we planned very often but it can still turn out to be something positive yeah and you actually you actually still finish you just you just did it be a bike? Is that right? I did and don't get your thing you know, I just I was determined because I am a little covered to continue the run if you will and so I got on the bike and you know what? That's not part of the film if you walked off the movie, you would never see that you would never know that I've never written about it I've really never even talked about it but the fact is I did that for me because I was determined to get to the other side of the country by my own um, mode of transportation and not getting into a vehicle and that's what what I needed to do to get to the other side? Yeah, and then something that transpired that was kind of heartbreaking for me knowing you and knowing I mean you've done these things all over the world we're talking about a couple things, but you one major endurance events and run gobi desert and the crazy one hundred fifty degree heat desert one hundred miler water bad water yet on go on and on on and you've been doing this for years. I think what was really heartbreaking for me was you came back and it's going to way too complex to get into but the short version is somebody a press agent basically said that you had was looking for of reason for why you from greensboro, north carolina was in this major motion picture and trying to find a link without getting into very many details you were accused and then and then sentence based on overestimating your income on a loan document correct, that is exactly right it was news that day was an unexpected twist in my life I still am to this day the only alone are in the united states movies to be convicted of actually overstating my income or home loan application and without glowing on the details there I think what's important here is that many of the things that happened in all of our lives are completely out of the blue especially that there's not enough really good things that happened to it out of the blue but there seemed to be ah one of things that are difficult for it to come from nowhere and there's really did come from nowhere and I I've been enough spending ah you're in a half in federal prison and have been out for a very short time and what I've discovered acting fingers will never go down here do you know it was not an experience that I would recommend the food could have been better but the fact is it ultimately it is what I make of it at fact is I could use the dwell on the negative aspect of it or I can choose to move on and by moving on it doesn't mean that I forget it just like any dramatic situation that we all have but it does mean that I find the positive in it and continue to do what I need to do to live the life that I want to live right right because what I observed a view was and there's a second trial going on now that it looks really likely that the charges that the conviction will be dropped and I mean obviously we'll wait to see what all happens but there was a lot of you couldn't find out more about just googling charlie and new york times and see more the details if you want to but regardless of all of that, you have a lot of good reason to be sitting there just getting angrier and angrier andi instead what I saw especially on your block a lot of your writings charlie angle dot com you said ok, what good can I do for other people where I am and you ended up doing what in within prison? What were you doing around within the organs you know is like you doing meditation and yoga or what was it exactly that you're doing? I did well, you know how we all say that we need to do more yoga and meditation and those sorts of things, but there just seemed to be enough harm well, all of some kind and become a big issue for me I had what he has done no, so I did I have to focus on the things that I could do to help myself during that time and and they think served me very well and today the truth, the other of the most important thing that I did and you mentioned earlier the challenges I've had I on monday, two days from now we'll actually have twenty years of agreements over and so my my twenties or a little bit different also I created a little havoc in my own life and what I've learned on only from from that program but also from what I just went through in prison wass the most important thing I could do is to help other people and in this case I was able to help a lot of them physically so I had eleven guys I have ended up training about fifty yards but eleven of them law one hundred pounds or more during the time that I was with them and so I I know that during that time I actually changed help to change their lives who they're the ones that did the hard work but I gave them some of the reason and some of the methods to do it and I think that when we look at any situations that's difficult when we look at adversity there's a tendency because we're human there's a tendency to pull back and do left to take care of ourselves to really hunker down when in fact what we should be doing is the exact offices which is to reach out and ask yourself and others how you can help them and I think I think that the photography business is no different you know, there there's really in every business it's about I don't know photography I don't know anything about the target be other than what I've learned from you which of course is a lot but but the back is it all really the same thing once we get out of our own way and we make it our goal to help someone else achieved their goal, then all of a sudden things then the ball in place and for me being being in prison actually allows me I have a captive audience yeah, thank you for you that they couldn't get away from me so every day does that guy would come up to me and say, hey, can you only with running program? And I would say sure, but once we start, I'm not going away and because mostly because I can, but you know what? I'm not going anywhere and so you're gonna see me every day and every day I'm going to ask you what you've done and and I think that some of them probably regretted it, but the fact is that went really well and it seemed like I was giving them something when in fact that were them that we're giving me something, you know, they were the warrants that were making my life better by allowing me to see in person the result off their hard work, and I think there's there's really nothing more valuable than that wonderful and so on a closing note, I really appreciate you taking the time to be with us what would you say? Because you personally have been again, I think you've come across some unbelievable amounts it is because we use the word adversity but some of it has been self created as you talk about your twenties, others have been adversity that you've actually planned and strategized and brought in partners to help you start and others have, like showed up in your way andi you've been had to say ok, now what do I do about this in that vein? Looking at all of it, knowing a lot of what we've been talking about today, that idea of the most complex person in the room is you the person that you must have to get past is you do you have some measure of advice for people when they are discouraged? I'm trying I'm trying and just not working what else am I supposed to do? I know this was maybe if I reach out okay, but then what? You know and if that really is the crux of bales and bales is all about of selling yourself and from and you said it so well already that I won't rehash what you said, but the fact is give the sale begins from your very first contact with in person and the fact is if you're in a service business and you guys happen to be in one that is, I think it's more painful to hear the word no in your business then it is if your car salesman or something like that because I didn't build the car so I don't really think it's personally if somebody does know you guys, you guys are building that the car you know you're making the car you're creating and when someone says no it hurt and I think emotionally engaging people throughout the process but also understanding that the product I don't care how good the product it really is not going to sell itself so learning techniques through many of the things that you've already gone through and covered I think it is huge understanding what to do when the controversy says no and not having a plan and not just winging it. I thought I heard you address it but my my favorite I should tell you that some of my background is years ago I did I told cars and I told fitness membership senate members that I think that his membership star there are some of the greatest everybody should go work in the gym for a month at least fell that because the whole point of it an idea is very similar to what what u boat do which is too emotionally engaged with people my questions would be about what you want to get out of your program I did the same thing in prison I mean when does which is interesting but I take a guy and say ok, what is it you want when we went into the old you know when we're finished with this and he would describe very often emotionally when he wanted to look like why he felt that about him so why you know what it is that he wanted together at the end and that allowed me to then use that against him later on the day that he didn't want iran I would say you know, you remember when you told me that I'm on my point is simply that to remain engaged and understand that people are people are brave very often is really overcome helping them overcome their fear but if you as the photographer and basically the failed person are also afraid of hearing the word no then you're you've got this um our math in the making because you're going to you're going to hear the word no and if you're not you're not trying hard enough frankly you know you need to give them choices I heard you say earlier one of my favorite things I do a lot of sales training and and a lot of guys would say they come to the end of a reason patient and they were even a practice one of they would pay so what do you think? Well as we all know what do you think is not it's not a closing question it's not a question asking for any action it's not not anything other than a fear based question hoping that person is going toe praise me on how often rayna and winning back what I needed to say to them wass now which which has landed you wantto get today, plan a or plan b and then I have to shut up what did you could? Bell is not easy for me but you know the fact is that the other that's the other piece of advice that you've already given I heard you say it a few times but I would like to reiterate it the harder thing to do is ask someone to buy what you're selling and then not talk you know, the person that talks first loses that with our old joke and and the fact is we get afraid when there's a violent on dh back because we all know that generally speaking the objection is almost always money because if you know if you gave the product do them they were certainly take it so the only limitation to them taking all of what you have to offer usually usually money, so if you haven't created value in the product throughout the process from the very first contact, then you will not get what you want in the end and they will not end up with what they want we didn't rehearse that earlier just, you know, a agreed exactly agreed um well good anybody have anything last minute questions charlie like howto how to run across the desert or anything like that no you you're impressing us very much so thank you for taking the time would to be with us today people can reach out to charlie can tell us how they can find you on social media you are no problem I mean there there's every imaginable way that we all use every day all the length in and facebook and twitter I have accounts on their officially I personally will not be live on there until later in august but um when that happens I'll be very active and of course my website which is this charlie angle dot com it is a very defined eye I do a lot of logging and a lot of it is it's all over the board but hopefully there's something inspirational in there and I encourage people to, you know, to basically get back to reach out to me if you have questions, then please reach out a whole lot of the people out there. I have all kinds of world health care I have I have running over photography friends every every world interact out there and basically we're all trying to find a way to you have to feel good about what we do and pursue our passion and that's what I've heard you do the last couple of days and I commend you for tonight I hope that things continue to go well, thank you thank you very much, charlie take care all right, you're right talk about adversity but it's I mean it's so interesting to me because I you know, I've seen this front and center when he first came back from running hera we did a couple of photo shoots for a combination of magazines including endurance magazine and, you know, just sitting down, talking for a couple hours I was so struck by and this was well before everything happened you know what? The government everything I was so struck with the fact that he lived his life by the by the premise that you draw people in through attraction you help people make positive change by attracting them through your efforts as opposed to try to make them feel bad about what they're doing, you know, that's how people usually can find a way to make these big changes or do these big things these big major events. So yeah, I encourage you guys to check out some of his his work it's pretty incredible like what if you want to feel inspired if you're feeling down, I I often get a lot of inspiration about reading other people's accounts and what their lives are like and what they're doing and where they started from and where they went to what they battled the running, the sahara's a fantastic I think example of what you can overcome plus the funds all go to hbo at h two o africa charitable organization all right any any notes on that any any feedback or thoughts yes go grab the microphone the one thing that I took away from that that I loved hearing him say is what do you think is not a closing question that it was a fear based to make us feel good about ourselves? So I definitely noted that down and I plan on asking closing questions instead of so what do you think? Yeah what do you think do you like me? Did I do good? Yeah and it's true because so much of that is relevant in all forms of sales you know? But we get the whole way through and then we kind of fall apart at the end because for two you know, people always say you can't ask for the sale asked what they'll ask the sail well, that sounds kind of aggressive but at the same point I mean, why are you there? What is the whole point? The meeting let's lock it down huge takeaways when he said, you know he had running the sahara and if he just decided he had to take it one day at a time that was really impactful because I think I relate that to running this business it's so hard sometimes and then just like can I sustain? Can I? Can I make it? But if I try to take that perspective, I think it's going to be a lot more manageable. Yes, and I have I believe in that perspective heavily, I mean, on a less gigantic scale than that coming into this week, I was like, ok, there's wednesday and then all day friday, all day saturday, all day sunday, and I'm still building content on breaks and we're moving things around and it can feels so overwhelming if you look at the all of it, which is what I try to never, ever do, I don't have to do the all of it, I just have to get to break and then we'll figure out what to do till we get to the next break. I don't have to do everything, I just have to do a photo shoot and then later I'll just have to do the edit and then later I'll just sit down with the client and sometimes it's like day by day sometimes is in fifteen minute increments. I just have to get to four pm as it.