Eric Thomas

And you know what? I had to ask myself in that mirror at 16, 17, 18. I had to keep asking myself, when you saw it, why did you see it that way? Why did you not call your mom and say, mom, do you want to talk about this? Why didn't you go, hey, mom, the counselor, can we go sit down and talk to the counselor? Hey, mom, call dad. Can we just sit down? And listen to me.

I went from, I can't believe that you would do me like this. I went from a ball of emotions to living in abandoned buildings. It was the stupidest decision I had probably ever made. I put myself in so much danger as a 12-year-old, 13-year-old, homeless. Based on emotions. On emotions. So the same document, nothing changed about it.

I went from, I can't believe that you would do me like this. I went from a ball of emotions to living in abandoned buildings. It was the stupidest decision I had probably ever made. I put myself in so much danger as a 12-year-old, 13-year-old, homeless. Based on emotions. On emotions. So the same document, nothing changed about it.

But if I could go back as this adult and look at that, I would look at his facts and go, wow, your mother protected you. Wow, your mom loved you so much that she didn't want you with your biological father because she thought he could be a threat. Right, wrong, or indifferent. Your mom didn't do this because she was trying to hurt you. Your mom did this because she was trying to protect you.

But if I could go back as this adult and look at that, I would look at his facts and go, wow, your mother protected you. Wow, your mom loved you so much that she didn't want you with your biological father because she thought he could be a threat. Right, wrong, or indifferent. Your mom didn't do this because she was trying to hurt you. Your mom did this because she was trying to protect you.

Your mom brought you into a family. Your mom didn't try to hide the identity. She wanted this man to be your father. He changed your name and gave you his last name. Wow, he treated me as if I was his own. Wow, he didn't lie.

Your mom brought you into a family. Your mom didn't try to hide the identity. She wanted this man to be your father. He changed your name and gave you his last name. Wow, he treated me as if I was his own. Wow, he didn't lie.

He made his family treat me as if I was, and don't ever say anything about my past because my past has nothing to do with him making a decision at the courthouse to be my dad. It's the same document. What? Emotional? The other one is factual. Your mother loves you. Your mother cares for you. Your mother's trying to put you in a healthy environment. Your mother has a job.

He made his family treat me as if I was, and don't ever say anything about my past because my past has nothing to do with him making a decision at the courthouse to be my dad. It's the same document. What? Emotional? The other one is factual. Your mother loves you. Your mother cares for you. Your mother's trying to put you in a healthy environment. Your mother has a job.

Your mother married somebody who was a former GM. He has a job. He has a college degree. He played basketball. He's a responsible man. He protects his family. Take care. But emotion wouldn't let me be rational. Emotional wouldn't let me think rationally. It had me irrational. So I would say when you make emotional decisions, you get emotional consequences. But it takes meditation.

Your mother married somebody who was a former GM. He has a job. He has a college degree. He played basketball. He's a responsible man. He protects his family. Take care. But emotion wouldn't let me be rational. Emotional wouldn't let me think rationally. It had me irrational. So I would say when you make emotional decisions, you get emotional consequences. But it takes meditation.

It takes controlling of the mind to say, how should I behave? How should I think in this situation? And what's going to give me the best outcomes? And I'm going to be honest. I've learned we can save the emotions for when I'm looking at the Nomad bag and going, man, that's my boy. Thank you. Why would you even buy me? Like, what would make you think of? And this is a perfect gift.

It takes controlling of the mind to say, how should I behave? How should I think in this situation? And what's going to give me the best outcomes? And I'm going to be honest. I've learned we can save the emotions for when I'm looking at the Nomad bag and going, man, that's my boy. Thank you. Why would you even buy me? Like, what would make you think of? And this is a perfect gift.

You know what I'm saying? Like, I didn't think to buy suitcases for myself. That's where the emotion should be. Me coming in, seeing you, hugging you. What's up, fam? But when it comes to business, when it comes to being a leader and a decision maker, we're not doing emotions. We're doing empirical evidence. Wow. We're doing facts. What does the fact say? What does the research say?

You know what I'm saying? Like, I didn't think to buy suitcases for myself. That's where the emotion should be. Me coming in, seeing you, hugging you. What's up, fam? But when it comes to business, when it comes to being a leader and a decision maker, we're not doing emotions. We're doing empirical evidence. Wow. We're doing facts. What does the fact say? What does the research say?

What does the evidence say? OK. And based on the research and the evidence, this is the game plan. Let's go. It doesn't matter how you feel. Yeah. Yeah. Don't matter how you feel.

What does the evidence say? OK. And based on the research and the evidence, this is the game plan. Let's go. It doesn't matter how you feel. Yeah. Yeah. Don't matter how you feel.

Listen to me. I never even thought about being a multimillionaire or a billionaire until I was in a room with Warren Buffett. I never even... I didn't even know how much it was worth when I was in the ruins afterwards. And then this all started making sense. Okay, now that I know who I am, you, 2025, like, check, I know who I am. Now it's, oh, oh, real estate is a way?

Listen to me. I never even thought about being a multimillionaire or a billionaire until I was in a room with Warren Buffett. I never even... I didn't even know how much it was worth when I was in the ruins afterwards. And then this all started making sense. Okay, now that I know who I am, you, 2025, like, check, I know who I am. Now it's, oh, oh, real estate is a way?

Oh, so you mean to tell me that being a blue collar, okay, that's what my parents knew, but you don't make a whole bunch of money working. You make more money when you put your money to work. Oh, that's real estate? Oh, helping kids who are talented figure out their talent and taking a percentage? Oh, okay. I didn't even know this stuff existed. Got it. And so it is important.