I'll never forget this. Before we ran out before the game to do our warm-ups, I was scared. I didn't want to run out because I knew I had the limp. I started noticing that more, and I was afraid to run out there on the court and have everyone watch that. I almost didn't do it. Not gonna lie, I almost let fear stop me, and it's crazy to think how my life would be different if I did let that stop me. all right guys welcome back to the daily mastermind george wright the third with your daily dose of inspiration motivation and education i'm really excited to have a guy on the podcast today i got a chance to meet and we've been kind of looking to feature him and his story a little bit because he's got a great story not just inspirational but in a business standpoint so nathan winston And welcome to the show, brother. Thank you for having me. Well, I think that a lot of people are dealing with obstacles and setbacks and things like that in their personal life and business right now. So I think your story is going to be great. But let me give everybody a little bit of a background on you and why you're on the show. Because we have hundreds of people trying to get on the show. And we kind of sorted through to really find some time with you. So, guys, if you're listening, make sure that you hit that subscribe button. We've got some really good stuff coming out. I want you to go check out DailyMastermind.com. You'll see all that free resources that we have for you. But Nathan is a former professional baseball player, high school baseball coach, corrections officer, motivational speaker, founder of Next Level Mindset. And he's got a new memoir coming out, kind of really excited about that. And so we'll talk a little bit more about that. He has had a story that's really had him help individuals to overcome setbacks and obstacles. And without kind of giving away a lot of that, I would like, Nathan, I'd love for you to Just give us the background of where you came from and what you've had to overcome. Hello again. My name is Nathan Winston. I'm from Southern Ohio, born and raised. Born in Cincinnati, raised in a place called Chula Coffee. I was born with a rare birth defect. PFFD stands for proximal femoral focal deficiency. So in my particular case, my femur and the ball and socket didn't form. and so my left leg wasn't growing at the same speed as my right leg and so at the age of four they decided to amputate my leg and so for me not having the femur or the ball and socket I have a bad limp to my left because I don't have what they call a gate to stop me but I went from that level to play basketball baseball and football and like you said baseball professionally and so that helped me come up with the next level mindset that we talked about just instead of finding reasons to quit finding reasons to keep moving forward and getting comfortable being uncomfortable until it gets comfortable. Yeah, I love this. And I want to kind of back up a minute because I think a lot of people are dealing with obstacles and situations, but you were four years old and had your leg amputated. I mean, I got to get a feel for what sort of helped you to develop your mindset. So early on, was this, you know, your parents, like what, what gave you the motivation or even that belief that you could continue because the last thing you would normally think if somebody gets their leg amputated is they're going to go into sports, but you went right down that path. And so what helped you to develop that mindset early on in your life? As a kid, my mom told me I was always active. So even when before the surgery, she said that I never had trouble moving around. I just started like bear crawling around the house because obviously the older I got, my leg was shorter. And she said, I always just adapted. I never complained. I always found reasons to keep going. And like I said, I had the surgery when I was four. We were told I would never be able to play sports, but at the age of five, I was playing basketball. And then I ended up playing baseball and then football. And so just having that next level mindset to not quit, I feel like it came at a young age, just me finding ways to get around the house myself. Like I said, my mom said I would just find ways to get around. She was worried at first, but she said I would just take off. Isn't it crazy how when you don't know all these negative thoughts, you actually don't think about it? Like you're, so you're growing up, you're young. A lot of times right now, we've had so many failures in our lives as you get older, that you've got all these obstacles and you didn't have that. You obviously had encouraging parents, but were there some points when you were young, where you were like, cause you do have a next level mindset now, but there had to be points when you were like, look, man, I don't know. I don't know if I can compete like the other kids. I don't know if I can do this. Oh yeah. When I was a kid, when I first started playing basketball, we had these sock liners. So it was just a cotton sock. And one issue I dealt with a lot was I sweat a lot. I would try antiperspirants to put in it, but nothing worked. So I'd play basketball or I'd be playing with friends and it would just come off easily. I'd be playing basketball games as a kid where I had to like run down the court, but I'd have to like hold my leg and literally like hold it on while I'm running on the court. Or at halftime, I'd go to the bathroom and have to take my leg off, dump the sweat out of it, get a paper towel, wipe it out, change the sock out, or just like try to squeeze all the, cause there'd be times like all my socks were just a mess cause I was always active. So I'd have to squeeze it. And so that was a mess. I had to deal with that. It was constantly sweating. I was always having to come out, dry out, dry it off, whatever. And then, um, they went to the pin and lock socket, which is, so there's a hole in your leg, the pin goes in and that's what keeps it in. And I thought it would be better, but again, from all the sweat, same thing. Sweat would just build into it or it would get rested. so my leg would sometimes not go all the way in or like I couldn't get it off from all the sweating in it I literally my sister would have to come in my room with her kids and she would have to like pull it while I was trying to push it off because of all the sweat that got into it so I mean it's like you don't you don't have enough issues trying to figure out how to compete you're also trying to figure out how to even stay up to par did you have injuries and things you had to deal with as well along the way oh yeah so especially getting older especially when I got into playing basketball and football. I didn't play football until eighth grade because I was always told I couldn't play from everyone. The fear was that if I got hit in a socket, I wouldn't be able to wear a prosthetic because I could break my stump, like the rod that's in it could break and I wouldn't be able to wear a prosthetic. So I actually had to lie and sneak to play football for the first time. I played my eighth grade and freshman year, but I had to stop because I was doing basketball, baseball and football. There was days I couldn't even get out of bed, like my right leg would feel so heavy sometimes I couldn't lift it because I was putting so much pressure on it. So I had to make a choice. I was happy I was able to play football, but I had to make a choice. I could feel it affecting my body. So I had to stop playing football. Yeah. Well, you've played basically every sport. So it's like you were, you were definitely driven for sure. Let's talk a little bit about next level mindset. You talk about getting comfortable, being uncomfortable until you get comfortable. So talk to me about that. so with that being said people let comfortability just have them settle where they're at instead of pushing themselves or like people let the fear of failure prevent them from being what they could reach in life and so I get that mindset I made the seventh grade basketball team and so our gym was set up the middle like half court line was where the door was it came out the locker room and so for our warm-ups we would run a circle around the gym into the layup line or whatever so like at practices I was comfortable I was just with the I was with my friends or whatever we're playing basketball but like middle school the first game I remember I was nervous because obviously you start noticing girls there's girls in the stands watching Piancha right there watching I'll never forget this before we ran out before the game to do our warm-ups I was like I was scared I didn't want to run out because I knew I had the limp I started noticing that more and I was afraid to run out there on the court and have everyone watch that I almost didn't do it not gonna lie I almost I almost let fear stop me. And it's crazy to think how my life would be different if I did let that stop me. But I forced myself. I was just in my head like, you got this. Just go out there and do it. Just do it. And so I remember I was watching the kids run out. My team ran out in front of me one by one. And it was my turn. And I just forced myself. I just ran out and did it. And like away games, every game, I just kept forcing myself to do it over and over again. And just slowly blocking everything out. I just put myself out there until I got comfortable. So that's kind of where I got that mindset from. Yeah, it's interesting that you say that because a lot of times we talk about the more you can live outside your comfort zone, the more you're going to grow, the more you're going to succeed, do what you need to do, because that's where all your best version of you is outside your comfort zone. When we were talking earlier, you kind of talked about mindset patterns that kind of keep people stuck. I meant to kind of like really dig into that a little bit. What are some of these mindset patterns that you think keep people stuck right now, even when they actually have the ability to do stuff? I feel like people have to fear of failure to stop them. In my mind, and that's normal, but in my head, as long as I do everything I can and I put everything I can into it, even if I don't get the job after I apply for it, if I did everything I could, that's success to me. I mean, you didn't get it, but maybe that'll give you the confidence to apply another position or just keep pushing forward. You just got to take that step out there and not be afraid of failure and not be afraid to be uncomfortable. mindset patterns that keep you stuck or just that they're in your mind. And a lot of times you think a certain way and really the solution is just to reframe how you're viewing something or how you view, like you just said, success and failure. I had a mentor of mine a while back. He really wanted more failure than success. And most people are the opposite of that, right? And that's because that's what took him where he needed to be. What do you think is the real difference between someone has like a genuine limitation versus one that they've just kind of accepted as a belief? How do you kind of know the difference, whether or not it's something that you really just don't have the ability to do, or you just kind of have these beliefs? Because most people don't recognize those beliefs, right? I think sometimes you also have to have a realization. Like when I was playing baseball after the surgeries and everything, I used to think of it like, man, I didn't make it, I'm a failure. But instead I was like, man, look what I've accomplished and was able to get to through everything, I've succeeded to me, you know? Like I said, just because you didn't get to the point you want to go to, that doesn't mean you weren't successful. You put yourself out there, you tried, you did everything you could. But like you were saying, some people have more like sports resistance. Some people are more athletic than others. Not everyone's going to make it to the NBA, but if you're going to make the NBA, even if you did everything you could, if you believed in yourself, then be proud of it. I agree with that. So, you know, look, you've experienced a lot of setbacks, a lot of limitations. What are some of the practical things you do, like on a daily ritual basis? Are there things that you do to condition yourself, not just physically, but mentally on an ongoing daily ritual type basis that you feel has helped you to kind of get where you need to be or where you are now mindset wise? One big thing I've always lived with is instead of finding a reason to quit or to stop, I just always find a reason to keep going. have that positive mindset especially when I coach I teach the kids baseball is 90% mental you take yourself out of the game mentally or if you're pitching and you strike out and you take that strike out to the mound you're gonna struggle on the mound we actually had a game on a Saturday and I think I was playing basketball or something on a Friday and I broke my foot oh man um they're like splint and so I was I was actually supposed to start on the mound on Saturday I called Dave me and Dave had each other's numbers because my leg was always breaking so he couldn't get me in it was a Friday afternoon and so I was in my room when I had Ellen wrenches and I had duct tape I found like a little flat splint put it on the foot and I just wrapped duct tape around it and I'll go outside and I'll try to test it I would work on pitching and everything I was back and forth in and out the house just like trying to tape it trying to get it right over and over and I finally got to a point where I could at least put a little like pressure on it and I couldn really run So I figured as long as I don have to cover first or anything then I good So I got it stable enough went to the game Saturday I was still able to pitch You know, it's interesting because you just view things differently because a lot of times people are focused on problems. I always say, you know, focus on solutions and you're going to find solutions. You focus on the problem, you're going to be focused on the wrong thing. But it seems like you're very much focused on solutions. And we've had a lot of other stories and things that have come up just because of the setbacks. But I got to ask you this. Do you feel like, because you're now, I mean, you're coaching as well, and you're talking with a lot of individuals, you know, as a speaker, coach, author, what do you feel is the thing that you focus on the most when you're trying to help people to overcome these limiting beliefs? Where do you start with people that you're working with? The first thing I start with is yourself, because again, you can be your own biggest enemy. So if you don't believe in yourself or you don't think you can do anything, then you're not going to be able to do it. That's why I tell my team, I can believe you can win this game. Every other coach can believe you can win this game, but if you guys don't believe it, it doesn't matter. So the first thing I do is believe in yourself, and you've got to get that confidence in yourself. Plus, I know you've probably, just like most successful people, surrounded yourself with the right people as well. How critical is that when it comes to it? You've played a lot of team sports, but how critical is it the people you surround yourself with? very critical because if you're the only positive person in a room full of 10 negative people, that's going to make you negative. Yeah. You know, you got to set yourself around people that have the same mindset of you, the same people that want the same success, the same people that want the same thing as you. Yeah. I'm curious if you have kind of a story of when maybe you've had one of these setbacks and it just hasn't gone your way. Like it really didn't turn out the way you thought it would. And it was a real like double setback. I went through a period, basketball and football season especially like I said my leg was breaking I was in and out of hanger three to four times a week there was actually a time where my insurance proved me to have two prosthetics so we ordered the same leg that I had before so I had two of the same leg so whenever I broke one on this leg we would just take one off of that leg put it on and then send the other one piece to get repaired and there was a couple of times where I broke both pieces like within three days because I said football I'm getting hit basketball's contact so it was constantly breaking wow and there were a couple weekends there's a couple Fridays where my leg was broken I couldn't fix it like duct tape allen wrenches I couldn't fix it and I couldn't go and see Dave and so I had plans that we can with friends and I was like well can't do that because I can't walk like I can't put pressure on my leg whatever and so there were definitely setbacks so I'm not going to say and act like everything was perfect I definitely had some mental moments where I had weakness, but I was able to pull myself out of it and just keep pushing forward. Yeah. I know so many authors, celebrities, experts that are that same way. I know people look at them from the outside and they think everything's, you know, working and running and great. I mean, you've got next level mindset. That certainly doesn't mean that there are not setbacks, that there are not downtimes or not cycles. It's just, it's not about what happens is about what you do about it. Right. So yeah, that's good. I guess before we take off here, what motivated you to work on your memoir? Why is it that you are doing this now? What are you hoping to accomplish? I've had people tell me that I should share my story, but like I said, growing up, I was a hard-headed. I was kind of an angry kid and I just kind of wanted to live a normal life, you know? To me, I wasn't doing this extraordinary thing. I was just living my life, you know? I just wanted to live as normal as life as possible. The older I got, the more mature I got, I realized I was kind of being selfish because I do have a story and me keeping it to myself when I could help somebody else is being selfish in me. So the I matured and started feeling sorry for myself. And then it worked out. God's willing, I ended up getting hurt at work on the job and I've been out. And so that made me start writing my memoir and reaching out and here I am. Wow. That's awesome, man. I really appreciate you sharing your story. I think you've got a lot to be able to help to inspire people. It's not just about the obstacles, it's the setbacks. A lot of times it's set up for a comeback, right? So I think this is the type of message a lot of people really benefit from, which is why I wanted to have you on the show. So thank you so much for being here today, man. I really appreciate it. Yeah, I appreciate you having me. I appreciate that. Yeah. So listen, guys, if you're listening to this, I want you to do me a favor, share this episode. Let me know what you're working on, what you're struggling with. We want to be able to help you. Also what you're winning at. We want to celebrate some wins. And don't forget over on dailymastermind.com, we got the prosperity report starting to come out every week. And so you get a lot of the insights and strategies and links. We appreciate you being here with us today. Once Again, you've been spending time with George Wright III and Nathan Winston. We'll talk with you soon. Have a great day. I reached out to a bunch of different podcasts and just trying to get everything out there. I feel like I have a story and I feel like I can help a lot of people. Yeah, so actually the injury is what caused you to do that, huh? And let me ask you this because, by the way, I hit record again because sometimes we get going on a conversation. I forget to hit record, so I don't want to miss that. So we're going to cut this part out. But the point is, is, yeah, I did read about your story and it sounded like you were doing some podcasts. So you are you just out? I don't I don't remember if you emailed me or did you have a VA that emailed me? How did you know this is all been me? I just started reaching out yourself. Yeah, I just started sending a bunch of emails and messages. I've actually recorded record on a couple and I actually have a couple other ones scheduled. So, I mean, it seems like I just want to see if people are actually interested in my story. It seems like people are. And so just trying to keep going and see what happens. Yeah, you know what? If you don't mind, I'll give you a little bit of feedback, a little bit of advice, because I feel like we've done this for a while. I think sometimes people get out there and they're like, I just want to get my message out and start going. And it's a really crowded marketplace, right? It's hard because everybody's got AIs. Everybody looks like a rock star and everything. And that's why our company with Authority Media, we focus on building authority for brands. And one thing I found over the years with all these big names, so it doesn't matter if you just started. That's not a big deal at all. But you've got to get your message down because the only challenge with being on a bunch of podcasts is that you don't control the narrative. So you don't get to ask the questions. And so they're always random, and some guy might want to just talk about your story, others this and that. But the big question that I was going to ask you and that is important to that is what do you want to accomplish? Because if you want to do coaching or mentoring or sell a product, it's important you get your message and your narrative down, which is why building that authority brand is important before you're just out there. Because otherwise you're just out there and you don't end up with the assets and they're just everywhere. So what's your goal? Are you planning on like doing coaching or a group or a mastermind or what do you want to do ultimately to earn? Well, my main goal obviously is to help people. Every job I've had basically has been, especially youth. I worked in behavioral units in middle school. I worked for actually top track services as a caseworker, coaching. So I've always wanted to help. So my main goal, obviously, with my next level mindset, my goals with it are – so my sayings are get comfortable being uncomfortable until you get comfortable. And I have life stories that I share that shows my mindset of that. Like do you want me to go into it? No, no, no, no. But the reason I ask is – here's why I ask. You're doing this because you got injured, right? You want to be able to make some money. you want to help people. There's no reason you can't do both. Um, but begin with the end in mind, right? You need to, you need to know what it is you're trying to do because next level mindset, I, by the way, I think that's great name and I think you've got a good brand there. Um, but people want to be led somewhere, right? And so if you really are going to help people, let's just say, for example, it's coaching and you want to do, or a mastermind or a group mentoring or something like that. If you start from that place and bring it backwards, then all of your stories and all of your context lead to that you don't have to sell at all because think of Tony Robbins like every time he was on stage with us he he didn't he couldn't close an open face sandwich I mean he was not a sales guy at all but people like how do I work with you right and so that's important to have that and so that was going to be my advice as you know as you're doing podcasts it's good what you'll find so I got a I got a little video I did I'll have to have Ken sent you, but visibility is good, but not if you don't have trust and credibility and convert, because otherwise, you know, like with a hundred bucks, I can get you in from hundreds of thousands of people. Right. But it's at the ads are not going to do any good if it doesn't do any good. Right. If you're not going to convert and do anything. So, um, you know, I'm sure there's things we can do to help you with that. But the goal with this episode, like this podcast, we are um our our audience is founders entrepreneurs business owners that are looking to so the daily mastermind it's always a combination of mind body money business lifestyle so they're looking to overcome you know problems they have in their mindset and also grow their business and things like that so your story will resonate with them and i'll ask i'll kind of lead you through questions that'll really help kind of people to know who you are what you do and why you do it And that's the goal. So most podcasts aren't going to do that. They're just going to ask you whatever they want to entertain people. But I'll try to structure it in a way that we get a really good overview for you. So these are assets you can use. And then when we're done, like, oh, we can give you these assets so you can use them for other podcast for other marketing and stuff, too, if it helps you. OK. Yes, sir. So what is there? Is there anything you currently have? Do you have a website or do you have a call to action or anything that you give away when you're doing these? I have my email, Instagram, and Facebook, though. Websites and works. I have a friend that actually created a sports agency here that's helping me build a website up. So I don't have that up yet, but I do have the Instagram, Facebook, and then my email. okay so we'll probably just tag you in your instagram and then i'll ask you that at the end of the episode that'll be a good one but ultimately as you go into podcasts and interviews and things you want to have like just a something that's a kind of a giveaway it might be like a chapter so how when's your memoir going to come out um i've actually talked to some agents and they told me that i need to get my following up so that's kind of the reason another is why i'm doing the podcast so I can try and build a following because they said usually with a memoir, it's better for people to know you to get your name out there first. And so that's what I'm kind of working on doing now. Yeah. Um, that's what an agent would tell you. Um, but here's what I would tell you. Um, what I would tell you is that's true. You need a following for memoir, but you don't need that to get it started. Meaning like, I'll give you an example. I just launched a podcast for a guy that he's in the HVAC space, like HVAC services, blue collar stuff. And he had a book and it's not finished yet called Blue Collar Smart. And I said, look, get your first chapter just outlined. Just get it done. This is what a lot of authors do. Get a chapter outlined that you can give away. And what it does is it gives people a reason to opt into your list while your book's getting ready to come. And all you're doing is pre-promoting the book. So So that's a better strategy for you. Right now, it's like, come follow me. Like, they're like, why? You know, I like your story, but if you could give them something, and it might be like a video about one of your stories or something that says, hey, I got a memoir coming out. If you want to get on the list, I'll give you this free video. Now they got something and there a reason they going to give you their email address and now you growing a list The following doesn help you because if you post on Facebook Instagram like all your people aren going to see it anyway That just the way the algorithm works But you need a list growing That's the list that you want, right? So that's what I would do. And maybe you could take some of the stuff we create on this episode and use that. You can say, hey, I've got this great 10, 20 minute video I'll give you as a download when you opt into my list. And then they just opt into your list. So that'd be my suggestion. And then, yeah, you grow your following and next thing you know, you're launching your memoir. But most of the guys market before their book's even done anyway. So that's just kind of how they get people excited about it. You can talk about your memoir for the next freaking year and grow your list like crazy and then launch it. That's just the way to do it. But you're going to find nowadays people with books, you know, books take a lot of work. right now you can get people following you and getting your content. Like someone could, could join a group mentoring for $97 a month and you'll get more than you would from a book. And they will every week, all you got to do is just give stories and motivation and all these things. And, and, and you're getting revenue, but you're also giving value. Now, um, a book is like a thing in time that doesn't change. So it's like, that's good. People want real, real stuff, right? All the time so you don't have to wait for that you know what i mean yeah that makes a lot more sense okay so as an introduction and then we'll get rolling here so uh former professional baseball player high school baseball coach um corrections officer motivational speaker founder next level mindset right right okay if you want to put future arthur that's it yeah yeah yeah yeah and uh okay so and found oh yeah founder of and then that's what i was going to put is that you've got all right yeah yeah that's cool okay well what we'll do just to give you I'll give you kind of a little heads up what I do is I usually will talk we'll talk a little bit about your story and then we'll talk about next level mindset what it takes to have a next level mindset getting into kind of turning setbacks into your strengths and then kind of moving forward and We'll just kind of keep it to that, but I'd love any stories you have and stuff like that. It'll be all good stuff. When you ask, I can give an example probably for everything that you ask me about. So if you want me to go into a story, whenever you ask me a question, I'll give an answer and then give it to a story. Yeah, perfect. That's perfect. Yeah, because people will engage with you if you're a storyteller. That's really cool. I'm glad that you said that. That's cool. Awesome. Okay, and then do you just go by Nathan Winston? That's your name, right? I mean, you don't have like a, you know, sometimes people are like, no, you got to have my middle initial in there because there's another Nathan Winston. So, yeah, that's cool. Nah, just Nathan Winston. All right, cool. Let's rock and roll then, man. We got 10-15. Appreciate you being on early, man. Sorry about that miscommunication. We'll definitely take care of you, get you boosted out there. Appreciate you. All right. Let me just check really quick here. Audio sound. Yeah, you got good internet. So, okay, cool. All right, guys, welcome back to the Daily Mastermind. George Wright III with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education. I'm really excited to have a guy on the podcast today. I got a chance to meet and, you know, we've been kind of looking to feature him and his story a little bit because he's got a great story, not just inspirational, but in a business standpoint. So, Nathan Winston, welcome to the show, brother. Thank you for having me. Well, listen, man, I think that a lot of people are dealing with obstacles and setbacks and things like that in their personal life and business right now. So I think your story is going to be great. But let me give everybody a little bit of a background on you and why you're on the show, because we have hundreds of people trying to get on the show. And, you know, we kind of sorted through to really find some time with you. So, guys, if you're listening, by the way, make sure that you hit that subscribe button. We've got some really good stuff coming out. I want you to go check out dailymastermind.com. You'll see all that free resources that we have for you. But Nathan is a former professional baseball player, high school baseball coach, corrections officer, motivational speaker, founder of Next Level Mindset. And he's got a new memoir coming out, kind of really excited about that. And so we'll talk a little bit more about that. But he has had a story that's really had him help individuals to overcome setbacks and obstacles. And without kind of giving away a lot of that, I would like, Nathan, I'd love for you to Just give us the background of where you came from and what you've had to overcome. Just give us kind of that story so everybody understands who you are. All right. Well, again, my name is Nathan Winston. I'm from Southern Ohio, born and raised. Born in Cincinnati, raised in a place called Chihuahua Coffee. I was born with a rare birth defect. PFFD, which stands for proximal femoral focal deficiency. so in my particular case my femur and the ball and socket didn't grow in didn't form and so my left leg um wasn't growing at the same speed as my right leg and so at the age of four they decided to amputate my leg um and so for me not having the femur or the ball and socket i have a bad i have a bad limp to my left because i don't have what they call a gate to stop me but i went from that and i was still able to play basketball baseball and football and like you said, baseball professionally. And so that helped me come up with the next level mindset that we talked about. Just instead of finding reasons to quit, finding reasons to keep moving forward and getting comfortable being uncomfortable until it gets comfortable. Yeah, you know what? I love this and I want to kind of back up a minute because I think a lot of people are dealing with obstacles and situations, but you were four years old and had your leg amputated. I mean, I got to get a feel for what sort of helped you to develop your mindset. So early on, was this, you know, your parents? Like what gave you the motivation or even that belief that you could continue? Because the last thing you would normally think if somebody gets their leg amputated is they're going to go into sports. But you went right down that path. And so what helped you to develop that mindset early on in your life? Honestly, as a kid, my mom told me I was always active. So even when before the surgery, she said that I never had trouble moving around. I just started like bear crawling around the house because obviously the older I got, my leg was shorter. And she said I always just adapted. I never complained. I always found reasons to keep going. And like I said, I had the surgery when I was four. We were told I would never be able to play sports. But at the age of five, I was playing basketball. And then I ended up playing baseball and then football. And so just having that next level mindset to not quit, I feel like it came at a young age. just me finding ways to get around the house myself. Like I said, my mom said, I would just find ways to get around. She was worried at first, but she said I would just take off. Isn't it crazy how, isn't it crazy how you, when you don't know all these negative thoughts, you actually don't think about it. Like you're, so you're growing up, you're young. A lot of times right now, we've had so many failures in our lives as you get older, that you've got all these obstacles and you didn't have that. You obviously had encouraging parents, but were there some points when you were young where you're like uh because you do have a next level mindset now but there had to be points when you were like look man i don't know i don't know if i can compete like the other kids i don't i don't know if i can do this oh yeah so um when i was a kid when i first started playing basketball we had these um sock liners so it's just a cotton sock and one issue i dealt with a lot was i sweat a lot i would try antiperspirants to put in it like they but nothing worked so i'd play basketball or i'd be playing with friends and like it could it would just come off easily so like i'd be playing basketball games as a kid where i had to like run down the court but i'd have to like hold my leg and literally like hold it on while i'm running on the court or like at halftime i'd go to the bathroom and have to take my leg off like dump the sweat out of it get a paper towel wipe it out change the sock out or just like try to squeeze all the because there'd be times like all my socks were just a mess because i was always active so i'd have to squeeze it and so that was a mess i had to deal with that it was constantly sweating i was always having to come out dry out dry it off whatever and then um they went to the pin and lock socket which is so there's a hole in your leg the pin goes in and that's what keeps it in thought it would be better but again from all the sweat same thing sweat would just build into it or it would get rested so my leg would either sometimes not go all the way in or like i couldn't get it off from all the sweat in it like i literally my sister would have to come in my room with her kids and she would have to like pull it while i was trying to push it off because of all the sweat that got into it so i mean it's like you don't you don't have enough issues trying to figure out how to compete you're also trying to figure out how to even you know stay up to par did you have injuries and things you had to deal with as well along the way oh yeah so especially getting older especially when i got into playing basketball and football um heavier i didn't play football until eighth grade because I was always told I couldn't play from everyone because the um the fear was that if I got hit in a socket I wouldn't be able to wear a prosthetic because I could break my um my stump like the rod that's in it could break and I wouldn't be able to wear a prosthetic so I actually had to lie and sneak to play football for the first time that's all that story but I ended up playing and um yeah I played my eighth grade and freshman year but I had to stop because I was doing basketball, baseball, and football. And, like, again, from the limp, and I put a lot of pressure on my right side. It was a lot of pain. Like, there was days I couldn't even get out of bed. Like, my right leg would feel so heavy sometimes I couldn't lift it because I was putting so much pressure on it. So I had to make a choice. I was happy I was able to play football, but I had to make a choice. I could feel it affecting my body, so I had to stop playing football. Yeah, well, you played basically every sport. So it's like you were definitely driven for sure. You know, I'm curious. So let's talk a little bit about next level mindset. You know, you talk about getting comfortable, being uncomfortable until you get comfortable. So talk to me about that. So with that being said, sometimes like people let comfortability just have them settle where they're at instead of like pushing themselves. Or like people let the fear of failure prevent them from being what they could reach in life, you know? and so I get that mindset like a story with that seventh grade basketball was my first time um really seventh grade obviously you start noticing girls and everything more in um our middle school I made the seventh grade basketball team and so our gym was set up the middle like half court line was where the door was it came out the locker room and so for our warm-ups we would run a circle around the gym into the layup line or whatever so like at practices I was comfortable I was just with the i was with my friends or whatever we're playing basketball but like middle school the first game i remember i was nervous because obviously you start noticing girls there's girls in the stands watching piazza right there watching i'll never forget this before we ran out before the game to do our warm-ups i was like i was scared i didn't want to run out because i knew i had the limp i started noticing that more and i was afraid to run out there on the court and have ever unwatched that i almost didn't do it not gonna lie i almost talked to you i almost let fear stop me and it's crazy to think how my life would be different if i did let that stop me but um i just i forced myself i was just in my head like you got this just go out there and do it just do it and so i remember i was watching the kids run out my team ran out in front of me one by one whatever it was my turn and i just forced myself i just ran out and did it and like away games every game I just can force myself to do it over and over again and just slowly blocking everything out you know just put myself out there until I got comfortable so that's kind of where I got that mindset from yeah it's interesting that you you say that because a lot of times we talk about like you know the more you can live outside your comfort zone the more you're going to grow the more you're going to succeed do what you need to do because that's where all your best version of you is is outside your comfort zone so you you also when we were talking about, you kind of talked about, you know, mindset patterns that kind of keep people stuck. I meant to kind of like really dig into that a little bit. What are some of these mindset patterns that, that you think keep people stuck right now, even when they, they, they actually have the ability to do stuff. I feel like people have the fear of failure, stop them. In my mind, and that's, that's normal, but in my head, as long as I do everything I can and I put everything I came into it, even if I don't get the job after I applied for it, if I did everything I could, that's success to me. You know, you can, I mean, you didn't get it, but maybe I'll give you the confidence to apply another position or, you know, just keep pushing forward. You just got to take that step out there and not be afraid of failure and not be afraid to be uncomfortable. Yeah. It's interesting that, um, I kind of led that question a little bit because, you know, mindset patterns that keep you stuck or just that they're in your mind. And a lot of Sometimes, you know, you think a certain way and really the solution is just to reframe how you're viewing something or how you view, like you just said, success and failure. I had a mentor of mine a while back, you know, talk about, you know, that he really wanted more failure than success. And most people are the opposite of that, right? And that's because that's what took him where he needed to be. What do you think is the real difference between someone has like a genuine limitation versus one that they've just kind of accepted as a belief? How do you kind of know the difference whether or not it's something that you really just don't have the ability to do or you just kind of have these beliefs? Because most people don't recognize those beliefs, right? Right. I think sometimes you also have to have a realization. Like when I was playing baseball after the surgeries and everything, I realized like, all right, this is, you know, I said, I used to think of it like, man, I didn't make it. I'm a failure. But instead I was like, man, look what I've accomplished and was able to get to through everything. That's I've succeeded to me, you know, like I said, just because you didn't get to the point you want to go to, that doesn't mean you weren't successful. You put yourself out there, you tried, you did everything you could. But like you were saying, some people have more sports resistance. Some people are more athletic than others. Not everyone's going to make it to the NBA. But if you're going to make it to the NBA, even if you did everything you could, if you believed in yourself, then be proud of it. Not everyone – it's, what, 0.1% of people make it to the NBA or MLB. The belief, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's so huge. I agree with that. So, you know, look, you've experienced a lot of setbacks, a lot of limitations. What are some of the practical things you do, like on a daily ritual basis, or are there things that you do to condition yourself, not just physically, but mentally on an ongoing daily ritual type basis that you feel has helped you to kind of get where you need to be or where you are now mindset wise? yeah i think um one big thing i've always lived with is instead of finding like i said instead of finding a reason to quit or to stop i just always find a reason to keep going have that positive mindset because like especially when i coach i teach the kids baseball is 90 mental you take yourself out of the game mentally or if you're pitching and you strike out and you take that strike out to the mound you're going to struggle on the mound so um i actually have a story with that baseball baseball um we actually had a game on a saturday and i think i was playing basketball or something on a friday and i broke my foot oh man um they like split and so i was i was actually supposed to start on the mound on saturday i called dave me and dave had each other's numbers because my leg was always breaking so i was always messaging him and we were always in communication with each other so he couldn't get me in it was a friday afternoon because he had to get up early to go on a fishing trip and so I was in my room and I had duct tape and I had allen wrenches and I had duct tape I found like a little flat splint put it on the foot and I just wrapped duct tape around it and I'll go outside and I'll try to test it I would work on pitching and everything and it took I was back and forth in and out the house just like trying to tape it trying to get it right over and over and I finally got to a point where I could at least put a little pressure on it, and I couldn't really run. So I figured as long as I don't have to cover first or anything, then I'm good. So I got it stable enough, went to the game Saturday, was still able to pitch. You know, it's interesting because you just view things differently because a lot of times people are focused on problems. I always say, you know, focus on solutions, and you're going to find solutions. You focus on the problem, you're going to be focused on the wrong thing. but it seems like you're very much focused on solutions. And we've had a lot of other, you know, stories and things that, that have come up just because of the setbacks. But I get, I get to ask you this. Do you feel like, because you're now, I mean, you're coaching as well, and you're talking with a lot of individuals, you know, as a speaker, coach, author, what, what do you feel is the thing that you focus on the most when you're trying to help people to overcome these limiting beliefs? Where do you start with people that you're working with? The first thing I start with is yourself because, again, you can be your own biggest enemy. So if you don't believe in yourself or you don't think you can do anything, then you're not going to be able to do it. That's what I tell my team. I can believe you can win this game. Every other coach can believe you can win this game. But if you guys don't believe it, it doesn't matter. So the first thing I do is believe in yourself, and you've got to get that confidence in yourself. Yeah, and plus I know you've probably just like most successful people surrounded yourself with the right people as well. How critical is that when it comes to it? You've played a lot of team sports, but how critical is it to people you surround yourself with? Very critical because if you're the only positive person in a room full of 10 negative people, that's going to make you negative. You know, you got to set yourself around people that have the same mindset of you, the same people that want the same success, the same people that want the same thing as you. Yeah. I'm curious if you have kind of a story of when maybe you've had one of these setbacks and it just hasn't gone your way. like it really didn't turn out the way you thought it would. And it was a real like double setback. Probably a lot of them, right? Oh yeah. There's a lot of them. I'm trying to think. There was one time, like I said, there was, I went through a period basketball and football season, especially, like I said, my leg was breaking. I was in and out of hanger three to four times a week. There was actually a time where my insurance proved me to have two prosthetics. So we ordered the same leg that I had before. So I had two of the same leg. So whenever I broke one on this leg, we would just take one off of that leg, put it on, and then send the other one piece to get repaired. And there was a couple of times where I broke both pieces, like, within three days. Because, like I said, football, I'm getting hit. Basketball is contact. So it was constantly breaking. Wow. And there were a couple weekends, a couple Fridays, where my leg was broken. and I couldn't fix it. Like, duct tape, Allen wrenches, I couldn't fix it, and I couldn't go in to see Dave. And so I had plans that week with my friends, and I was like, whoop, can't do that because I can't walk. Like, I can't put pressure on my leg or whatever. And so there were definitely setbacks, and there were definitely some dark times, I mean, especially through that time. You know, you do kind of get that why me feeling sometimes. So I'm not going to say it and act like everything was perfect. I definitely hit that why me or, like, why did this have to happen to me? why am I the one there's billions of people in this world why am I the one that has to struggle you know I hit that and I hit a dark time with that mentally especially dealing with all the physical pain as well and just like just incidents like that so I'm not gonna like I'm not gonna say and act like I was perfect I definitely had some mental moments where I had weakness but I was able to pull myself out of it and just keep pushing forward yeah I know so many authors celebrities experts that that are that same way I know people look at them from the outside and they think everything is, you know, working and running and, and, and great. I mean, you've got next level mindset that, that certainly doesn't mean that there are not setbacks, that there are not downtimes or not cycles. It's just, it's not about what happens is about what you do about it. Right. So yeah, that's good. What, what motivated you, I guess, you know, before we take off here, what motivated you to, um, work on your memoir? Why is it that you are doing this now? what are you hoping to accomplish? So, um, my mom and I've had people tell me that I should share my story, but like I said, growing up, I was a hardheaded, I was kind of an angry kid and I just kind of wanted to live a normal life, you know, to me, it wasn't, I wasn't doing this extraordinary thing. I was just living my life, you know, I just wanted to live as normal as life as possible. So I just kind of didn't like the noise around it. Didn't make a big deal out of it. And the older I got, the more mature I got, I realized I was kind of being selfish because I do have a story. And me keeping it to myself when I could help somebody else is being selfish in me. So the more I matured and started feeling sorry for myself, and then it worked out, God's willing, I ended up getting hurt at work on the job and I've been out. And so that made me start writing my memoir and reaching out and here I am. Wow, that's awesome, man. Well, I appreciate you being willing to share your story. And I think you have a lot of good things happening. So I'm not sure what, you know, what, what is in store, but I know with Next Level Mindset, you've got a lot of big, big plans. And I'd really love for people to be able to connect with you as well. Where's the best place for them to connect with you? Where's your, you know, as far as online or social? I have Instagram. You can follow me on Instagram. It's great underscore Nate 08. And then on Facebook, excuse me, sorry. It's just my name, Nathan Winston. Um, my email is Nathan Winston, 54 at gmail.com. Um, I'm doing speaking engagements. Um, I'm on a, um, on a few more podcasts. I'm just trying to, you know, spread the word, help some people. No, I love it. I love it. We'll put, we'll put your links in the show notes as well. This way we can, we can give people a quick, easy way to be able to touch base with you. I really appreciate you uh, you know, like I said sharing your story. I think you've got a lot to be able to help to inspire People it's not just about you know, the obstacles. It's it's uh, the setbacks a lot of times a setup for a comeback, right? So I think this is this is the type of message a lot of people really benefit from which is why I wanted to have You on the show. So thank you so much for being here today, man. I really appreciate it Yeah, I appreciate you having me appreciate that. Yeah, so listen guys if you're listening to this I want you to do me a favor share this episode Let me know what you're working on, what you're struggling with. We want to be able to help you. Also, what you're winning at. We want to celebrate some wins. And don't forget, over on dailymastermind.com, we got the prosperity report starting to come out every week. And so you get a lot of the insights and strategies and links. But we appreciate you being here with us today. Once again, you've been spending time with George Wright III and Nathan Winston. We'll talk with you soon. Have a great day. you
