GREG VOISEN:
Welcome back to Inside Personal Growth this is Greg Voisen, the host of Inside Personal Growth. And joining us from Toledo, Ohio. Not too far just down the road from San Diego is Ken Rusk and Ken has a new book out called Blue Collar Cash: Love Your work, Secure your Future and Find Happiness for Life. Ken, Good day how're you doing?

KEN RUSK:
I'm doing great. I appreciate you having me. Thanks a lot. Looking forward to our conversation.

GREG VOISEN:
I'm looking forward to it as well. And I know that our listeners, many of them, don't know who you are. But for purposes of this interview, just go to Ken rustc.com knrusk.com. There you will find more about the book create your own path to success and fulfillment, some stories Ken's blog, but Ken is a blue collar construction business entrepreneur, and a best-selling author who's visualize the life he wanted, made goals and launched multiple successful endeavors over the last 40 years. He has extensive experience in hiring, training and developing first time job seekers, particularly those without college degrees. And you know, we're in this world can and let's kind of just start this off, to set the stage for the interview. And give the listeners a little context for the book. Can you tell them a little about yourself and the pathway you chose, which really didn't include higher education as part of the process to create the life of your choice. And you in the back of the book, I love what you do you list all the greats from, you know, Bill Gates to Steve Jobs, who didn't have college degrees. And I was really taken by the list because I didn't realize it was that many very successful entrepreneurs who never had a long term formal education through college.

KEN RUSK:
Yeah, so for me, it was a it was a pretty simple start, you know, we lived in a very small town near Cleveland, Ohio, and my high school was attached by a fence to an industrial park. And whenever we would go after school, we tried to go hang out it to carry out and do things that kids did. And there was a hole in that fence that we had to kind of crawl through to get to the industrial park and then on to the, the carry out. And you know, it was interesting, because I always liked the energy of that industrial park, there were several businesses in there, one of them in particular, you know, it had all the things that young guys liked, it had, you know, dump trucks, and back hoes and tow motors and, you know, bunches of guys running around and things happening. And, you know, it was one of those scenarios where I just really liked the energy of that there were all obviously people that worked outside, they worked in with their own hands for a living. And so at one point, I just went up to him and said, What do you guys do here? And, you know, basically, they said, We're ditch diggers. I mean, we, we take care of old foundations on buildings, and we drain water away, and we dig a lot of ditches. And I said, Well, you know, I can do that, you know, I'm like anybody else I need save money for a used car, or, you know, take my girlfriend out for pizza, or go bowling or to the movies, whatever. So I, you know, I said, I can do that. So I kind of signed on to that. And I worked in the summertime when I wasn't in school, digging ditches and doing landscaping work and all that kind of stuff. And in the wintertime, I would work in the office and well, you know, after school, so I can I learned a few things about how the office ran. So I did that for probably four or five years. And then it was time to decide, okay, are you going to college or you're not going to college. And, you know, I just kind of knew that that wasn't for me, because I knew that I had this passion for being someone who could control you know, their own input, and then their own output, the quality of that, and then the financial reward that came with that. So my, my boss came to me one day and said, our company is growing so big. We need to open satellite offices. So they sent me around the country when I was 19 years old, opening up these offices, something I'd never done before but I just kind of jumped right in and help them do it and then finally settled a few years after that in Toledo, Ohio, after traveling living out of a suitcase for a while which is no fun. So yeah, I settled in Toledo, Ohio and that we started with six employees running our own company here and now we have two locations and 200 employees. So it's been quite a ride.

GREG VOISEN:
What certainly has you know, and I remember you speak about grapes and wines and being in the vineyards in California, and you made some analogies there. And you know, can you make a point in your book that maybe following the traditional pathway towards a higher education out of high school might not be the best answer for someone, you know, wanting to reach their dreams. And this has nothing to do with the education, it has to do with the individuals we're really talking about, and their desire. I know I have a son, one, one of my sons never went to college. You know, I was like you during the summer times, I worked in a landscaping business. And then during the year, I started and then my dad died. And I ended up taking the business over and I had 17 employees, I had run ditch diggers and back hoes and all kinds of stuff, right? But it was thrust upon me. And I did really well. And so I was fortunate enough that I was able to get my college education at the same time to run the business, which would, you know, threw me into a tailspin. But for those of the listeners that are out there, you make a great point about the cost of higher education. And the default on student loans is kind of in an all-time high. I know because I just paid off three years ago, my kids, students phones. So with such a shortage of high skilled workers, what are the prospects for someone who might not choose to take the path toward going to college?

KEN RUSK:
Well, you know, that's kind of a simple question. I mean, I have always believed that the law of supply and demand is a almost infallible law, unless, of course, you try to manipulate the facts that are involved in that that equation. So if I look at it this way, if the supply of, of blue collar workers is low, and the demand is extremely high, well, then it's no, it's a no brainer, that wages are going to move towards that side. And now you've got carpenters, making as much as doctors and plumbers making as much as lawyers, only without all the debt and without all the schooling. So, you know, everyone has to make their own individual choice. You know, I always say that I'm not, I'm not an anti college guy, okay? If you're going to operate on my shoulders, so I can get back on the golf course. Or if you're going to manage money, or if you're going to engineer a building that needs to stand up, or, or teach people or something like that, yeah, I'm going to want you to know everything there is no before you pick up a knife and come at me with it. So. But if you're not going for an absolutely specific reason, then you really have to step back and say, Wait a minute, am I being told I need to go to college? Or do I really need to go to college? And what will I get out of it, because we are currently over supplying like crazy, these rather bland business degrees, and we are under supplying blue collar workers. So the only stands to reason that the jobs in the money are going to start to shrink on some of those, you know, nonspecific degrees, and yet the other side is begging for workers and paying high dollars to get them. So I always say if you start out with a vision of what you want your life to look like, you know, this is somewhat controversial, but sometimes I think, Well, maybe it's not so important. What you do for a living is what you do with what you do for a living, you know, certainly distinction was number 99, nine out of 100 things that I would want it I wanted to do. But I saw that it was a means to a really good end for me that I could control my destiny control my input my hours, I could control the quality of that and the financial rewards. So it just made sense for me to take that path.
GREG VOISEN:
Well, you know, you talked about the ditch digging, and I remember, I worked in an animal graveyard digging, digging graves for animals that were going to be buried, including horse. So those are some pretty big holes that I had to dig. And I was digging it with a shovel. There wasn't you know, there wasn't a backhoe, there anything to dig it at the time. And my point to that is, is that there's something really foundational about doing things with your hands. And I want to get that, you know, there's this whole connection between people farming, people working with their hands and feet, feeling very fulfilled, you know, the tech world today. It's not always that fulfilling to sit behind a computer and blast out emails and do whatever. But when you grow a crop or you build a building or you fix somebody's toilet or you do you know put plumbing in a house, it's very rewarding. Would you comment if you would kind of about those rewards that people get intrinsically as a result of, of doing this kind of work? I think it's an important point?

KEN RUSK:
Well, first off, let's just get past the obvious ones fresh air, you know, you're outside, you're, you're breathing good air, and you're, you're working your body and you're exercising, and, you know, you're on the elements, and you get to you get to experience, the seasons and all that. But I think for me, it's all about what we call the stand back moment, you know, every time I planted 10, pine trees in front of someone's yard, and a bunch of boulders and cut out the beds and filled it with mulch, and put flowers and plants in there, at the end of the day, almost every time we were grabbed that shovel, we lean on it, and we step back, or stand back and we go out, look at the beauty that we just created there. I mean, you that that doesn't get matched by someone who may feel like they're a very small cog in a very big wheel, you know, stuck on the 17th floor have some, some building in a cubicle. And to your point, do they actually get to see the result of what they do. So I think I mean, if you're building outdoor kitchens or your you know, your building beautiful stone gates or, or anything that you do, if you're making someone beautiful in a salon, or you're creating a cake for someone's wedding, you get to stand back and say, Wow, I did that, that memory, that thing will stand the test of time. And I just don't think you'd get that in some of these other positions.
GREG VOISEN:
I would agree with you. And all the more reason for the blue collar cash, you know, because this book really is a guidebook, and I want to let my listeners know, definitely go to Ken Ross comm we also are going to have a link to a course, where you'll be able to get a discount that Ken's assistant provided for me. So we'll put that in the blog as well. Now, you know, you list who this book has been written for. And the question the list is quite long. If someone is questioning getting a four year college degree, how can you help them create? You call it comfort, peace and financial freedom in their life? And most likely the desire to get them? In other words, how are you going to help them can get there through maybe looking at alternative way of their education, and maybe doing blue collar cash, and having that be the choice? And then having them be fulfilled? Through those three things. You talked about comfort, peace and financial freedom?

KEN RUSK:
Well, first of all, you know, thank you for asking that question. That's a great question. You know, people asked me where I got those three words from, and when I started writing this book, it really started out as a letter to my daughter who was suffering from cancer at the time, and she's fine now. But those are some few scary years. And, and for me, I was writing a letter to her about what I thought was important in life, you know, I had been running this company, and, you know, going crazy and giving it all I had, and, you know, chasing dollars in financial statements, and employee benefits and customer relations and all that stuff. And I thought to myself, you know, I need to really think about what is important here. And those three words just kept showing up in like, almost a triangle form. So it was something that I just couldn't, I couldn't get away from. And I believe what, what in order to find comfort, peace and freedom, which I think is everyone's Nirvana, it's, it's what you should be chasing or anticipating. I think you need to start with a really strong vision of just what would make you happy? I mean, what would you like your life to look like? You know, one of the things we do here is we actually get these large poster boards and boxes of crayons, and we give them to our people and say, draw your perfect world. Okay? Draw the house you want to be in or the condo or the apartment, draw the vehicle you'd like to have, whether it's an electric scooter, or a motorcycle minivan, or a pickup truck, whatever it might be electric car, draw the pet you'd like to have a dog or a cat? And if so, what kind of what color? What would you name it, you know, draw your gift back moment what your charity might be, like, if you had some extra money to give away? What's your hobby going to be like? What's your health, going to be like, um, draw those things, just get a really clear picture of who you are and what you want your life to look like. That's the beginning of all of this. Because when you have something like that your body just works in a way where it naturally draws itself to those goals. As long as they're clear, as long as you're documented and as long as you keep them in front of me.
GREG VOISEN:
Yeah, setting intentions, having affirmations, having a vision board, which are creating using crayons or cutting pictures out. Those are all wonderful things to do. And they do help you to manifest and create in your life what you're looking to get. And obviously you have been successful at doing that yourself. And I think You know, you're not somebody who would teach something if you didn't do it yourself. That's the kind of guy you are. I already know that from having had, having spoken with you before. You mentioned in the book that even with the advent of intelligence or mechanized labor, robots, whatever, you guarantee that for even the baby with a smartphone in his hand, today, there's going to be a need for someone to hire someone who knows how to use a shovel, a rake, a hammer or a wrench. Agreed. I think that's probably always going to happen. As part, things are going to be mechanized, they do get on factory lines, assembly lines, we're seeing a lot of that happening. Speak with us, if you would, about the shortage of the skilled labor and the long term prospects for blue collar jobs. Do you see any other what are the trends with blue collar jobs? I mean, we're all being reported on right now that the docks in Long Beach because I live in San Diego, I'm not that far away. You got a shortage of truck drivers, you got a shortage of guys that are unloading those containers, you got a shortage of everybody. And you got 1000 ships sitting out there with 1000s and 1000s of containers. The question is, is what do you see kind of trending? Do you see anything trending? Because we know we're going to autonomous trucks? So maybe truck drivers, we're going to see a waning there? I don't know.

KEN RUSK:
I think I think autonomous trucks are probably still a pretty good bit away, I think. I think when Elon Musk perfects the car that he's trying to do, I think that's going to be the first step regular passenger, where we start putting, you know, 50 tons rolling down the road at 80 miles an hour. Yeah, I looked at it this way, pretty much anything in transportation, anything in New Energy, okay, anything in construction, anything in maintenance or repair, improvements, those kinds of things. And here's why. We almost have what I call a perfect storm happening here. Where, you know, back in the in the mid 80s, we decided to take sharp class out of our high schools and replace those rooms with computers. Well, that's fine. We all need to learn computers. But I always wondered to myself, why did it have to be binary choice? Why did it have to be one or the other? Why couldn't have been both, because we effectively eliminated the almost accidental discovery of carpentry, plumbing, electricians, you know, mechanics, bakers, all welders, all those kinds of things by millions and millions of kids who would have just gravitated towards that through high school. Now, if you pair that challenge, up with the fact that we're not building tree forts with hammers and nails anymore in our backyard, you're not doing a lot of those things that we did as kids, we're building, you know, your cities on Minecraft and in games that you hold in your hand. And that just doesn't have the same intrinsic value to someone who would discover something like that. If you couple those two forces with the fact that we almost have this default mechanism by parents and teachers, and mainly colleges where they say, You got to go to college, or else you have to go to school, or else you won't be successful. Well, nothing can be further from the truth, especially now. But if you combine all those three forces, it's going to cause a blue collar shortage for the foreseeable future. And I don't even know when that's going to change. I mean, hopefully supply and demand will rebalance itself. But that's going to take years and years and years before we get back to appreciating, like you said, the hammer, the rake, the shovel, and the welder, it's, it's really going to open up some amazing opportunities. And it is right now for people who are willing to go out there and work with their hands and again, create that wonderful stand back moment. And they will be able to make the most wonderful, financial fulfilled lives for themselves on their way towards what we talked about, which is comfort, peace and freedom.
GREG VOISEN:
Like what you said earlier to about the give back. I mean, you know, look, our success is really the older you get. I'm 67 years old. So the older you get there, the more you realize that, you know, success is not man, measured just in the dollars. It's measured in what you can give back. It's measuring and what you can do, in any buddy who takes on these blue collar positions, has the ability as you said, one of them is to give back. What is your gift back? If you're going to draw your picture, make sure it's there. And I look at the you know, I have a master's degree in spiritual psychology and to me our spirituality is as important as anything in this journey, what we do with it and how we treat other people And that lady at the checkout stand is just as important as that doctor that you go to see for your cold. So I look at how you treat people as well, the truck driver who delivers your food, we don't think about that supply chain, people often forget about that, where it has to go from the field worker who picks it in central California, into the container, into the truck, from the truck to the grocery store, then on the shelf inside the grocery store for you to be able to have an awareness. And what I say is, be grateful that that happens that that still happens every day, millions of tons of food are distributed every day by people that are blue collar workers. And that was a little bent on the side from me. But I wanted our listeners to hear that. Now I also want to tell us have you tell this heartfelt story about your daughter, Nicole? What did the life experience teach you about life's curveballs, as you stayed in the book, I had a son at 21 Who got leukemia? So I know. I've had babies basal cell carcinoma, and I've had squamous cell carcinoma removed. And I have another one right underneath my eyes. So when this came up, I was thinking, Oh, my gosh, and I'm going in Wednesday to see it. And my eye vision is a little blurry over here. And I don't know if it's, you know, I hoping it's not related. But when I read that, I was like, oh, boy, I should pay attention.

KEN RUSK:
Yeah, you know, no parent ever wants to go through something like that, because it's, it's really, really scary. And I you know, it was a life changing moment, because, you know, everything just stops. And I know that people say that. And a lot of times people don't understand it when they hear that. But your world is moving at 100 miles an hour. And literally, it just stops when you get that piece of information from a doctor and you're sitting across the desk from them. It just literally crushes you. And it could break your spirit so easily if you're not willing to get up and fight. I think what helped kept keep us resilient, was the fact that I had purposely over the years surrounded myself with as many people that I could find that I could help train or even coach who were self-motivated self-directing, gold crushing machines for themselves. I mean, again, I always say I can't get what I want for my company, or for myself until all of you get what you want first. And I mean that. And so that really helped me out in that period of time, because I was able to leave and go help her and the company just kept moving forward. But it wouldn't have done that. Had I been this, you know, super boss who tried to do everything and answer all the questions and be everything to everybody. Instead, we had a team that could help me get through that. But I think I think the point there is you need to prepare for life's curveballs. I remember telling my daughter, I said, you're going to run into two or three things in your 90 or so years on this planet that are going to be just crushing, just devastating. And you need to be prepared for when those things happen. And understand that that's what life is people go through setbacks. That's why I wrote the characteristics of the entrepreneur. People go through these setbacks, and they have to understand that they are coming and be prepared for when they come both, like you said spiritually, financially, foundationally and just get right through it. Because we are resilient people. And we always we always come back from things like that.
GREG VOISEN:
You know, it's so true. And the longer you're on the planet, the more apt you are to have some of those things happen, right. So this last year, I lost two really good friends and I lost two brothers. And I realize more and more about our finitude, that everyday is a gift. And what I may have gone on about the gratitude about the piece of lettuce in the store. But the reality is, you really do need to think about that. Every day, it's a miracle what happens for us, and to us, the fact that the body still breathes and that we walk and we go exercise, and we do whatever and we have all of these things happen. And you know, you speak about faith being something that one believes in, that is bigger than themselves. And you tell the story about Jim mo line, and why faith played a big role in his life. Can you tell his story and also kind of your perspective as the person who wrote the blue collar cash? why that's so important.

KEN RUSK:
Well, you know, again, we talked about setbacks. And you know, everybody has a story to tell about something that they've had to overcome, right? It's This gentleman who is a, he's a very successful builder in town, he's won several awards over the years. And he's done some amazing work building custom homes. So I had been blessed. And I'd worked really hard. And I was very grateful. And my wife and I had been planning this house for about five years. And we finally got it to the point where we're ready to build it. And we chose Jim to build the house for us. And it took about a year in some it's, it's kind of a stone and brick and wood type of French country looking thing. And it took a little bit of time. And so I got to know Jim pretty well, from the daily visits that we would have over there. One day, we had some timing, he just came, he came right out and said, I need to, I need to tell you this story, because you would appreciate it. And, you know, here was a guy who had some relationship problems with his parents, and he was younger. And he was a rebel. You know, he had gone through some hard times at school and whatever. And then he got into, you know, smoking pot and any, you know, that went for a while and drinking and then, you know, you're always seeking more, so then he gets into this heroin thing. And I got to tell you, I can't believe what he's going through. I mean, he almost died three or four different times, he was in a coma for weeks from overdoses, accidental or otherwise. And it was just unbelievable. But what kept bringing him back is he always ran into someone who said, All right, I'm going to give you another chance. And he, he just he just kept running into these wonderful human beings who said, All right, you're going to get another chance Moline, but you better make something of yourself this time. And he literally did at one point, he, he just he broke down and said, you know, I just can't do this anymore. Okay, I can't be this person, in and out of hospitals in and out of rehab centers and whatnot. And he signed on with a carpenter, and just kind of mentored underneath this gentleman. And then pretty soon he started build, helping them build and framing and pretty soon that gentleman retired, and now he started building a condo. And then he had to build 20 of them for this company. And now he builds houses and churches and, and buildings all over the state of the Northwest Ohio. But the thing is, is, here's a guy who said I need to put my faith in God or in some higher power, whoever that might be. And I need to know that I'm going to come out. All right on the other side, because I've had some great people, give me those second chances. And, you know, I won't get into all the gory details of what he went through. But it was shocking, because here's a guy that I had no idea had gone through this. And yet, he's one of the most faithful, most courageous, most resilient, and most hopeful people that I know. And, and he's gotten a lot of success for that. And because of that, he does give back in a major way as well.

GREG VOISEN:
Well, the story that you tell about him, Jim, is, is a story that could be told many times over, you know, and it's a story that Joseph Campbell used to talk about the hero's journey, and how people would go out and cycle and you know, they would literally run into a big problem like he did alcohol, drugs, whatever it might be, whatever addiction it is you had, and then literally, someone would give him a chance. And those people that are out there that have faith enough in Jim to get him through to end anybody that's listening, are always there. They're always the people that give you the second chance, whether it's your parents, or a co-worker, or your employer, or whatever. And if not, you're always going to find somebody, and I want my listeners to hear this, who's willing to help you keep your hero's journey so that you can get to the point where you do become a success at whatever it is you do. So don't give up. That would be a message I would say is do not give up.
KEN RUSK:
Let me add something to that real quick. You know, they say the Lord works in strange, mysterious ways, right? So what happened years later, like 20 years later, Jim got a call from a gal who said, I want you to help me design and build my aunt's house. So we went and met with this gal, and they started talking about the style of the house. They wanted to do this, that and whatever. And then in walks the end, and he had not met her yet, the and was one of his original parole officers from one of his first sets of infractions, who said, I'm going to give you another chance. And she did not know that Jim was that kid? That's a great story. You're talking about. He looked at her he said is this That's your name, and did you use to do this? And she said yes and yes, and they both broke down and just cry. Did you know for minutes about that whole process, and someone put them back together and he said, he goes, I built her house for cost. I didn't make a single nickel. I couldn't wait to create this beautiful home for this woman who gave me such a such an amazing gift of a second chance.

GREG VOISEN:
Well, it's a great story. And it's one that's told many, many times, and I hope we continue to tell it as a species. Because that's about giving people hope, faith and having purpose in their life. And, you know, you speak about the crisis and the American workforce, and that this crisis is an opportunity. We've kind of talked about that. The lack of blue collar workers, what opportunity lies in the places where it where it's the highest, and in your estimation, what is the opportunity right now? And you told a story about rob the plumber. Okay. And I think that was a good story. That's a correlation here. On this question.
KEN RUSK:
Well, yeah, you know, it's, it's funny, because I remember years ago, being at a party, and there were several moms in this room. And I remember that. The, they were having a discussion, and the discussion was about their kids going to college. Well, where's your son going to college? Well, my daughter's going to college here. Well, my son's going there, my daughter is going there. And you know, it kind of a kind of a trophy conversation, okay. And, and yet one of them said, Well, what about what's her name? Son? Well, you know, he's just going to be a plumber. And I thought, just going to be a plumber. Okay. So a few years go by and Rob comes to work on my house, doing the original plumbing work to the rough plumbing on the building, as they were constructing it. And I had a conversation with him. Turns out, he's that guy. And here's the strange part. That plumber now has, like six employees and six vans, and he's making an absolute killing. And no one goes to where he's lives and sees what he's accomplished, and said, Wow, where'd you go to school? They asked the same thing that they asked of me, how did you grind out this wonderful life that you have? Well, it's that thing, it's the division, it's the stand back moment, it's the motivation, it's having someone give you a second chance, or even the first chance. And that it's, it's just such a wonderful story. Because here's a guy who said, You know what, I'm going to keep it simple. I'm going to be resilient, and I'm going to persist like crazy until this happens. And boom, within a couple of years, he had this thriving business, which he still has, and, and he's doing very well. So when it comes to opportunities, like I said before, because so few people are willing to do this type of work anymore. It's going to stay a really hot topic for a very long period of time, and the people that are willing to do it, the people that are willing to shun the stigma and the norms of society that say you should do something else, those people are going to win big time.

GREG VOISEN:
Yeah, you know, it's a, it's something interesting from regions of the country. In Toledo, Ohio versus San Diego, we have very strong immigration population that does much of this work. And you will very seldom see a Caucasian person working on a construction site or doing landscaping, or working in the kitchen anymore. And it's really unfortunate, because that, and I'm not going to say that sense of entitlement, but it's almost like people are saying, well, I'm, I'm entitled, I don't have to do that. That kind of work. I don't have to clean toilets. I don't have to be the janitor. I don't have to do this. I know because I consult a company with 110 employees and 90 plus of those employees are Hispanic. And those are the guys that are making the lawns clean every day and are trimming the bushes and trimming the trees and making shopping centers beautiful, and I get it. But what I don't get is why we don't have more people of our color complexion doing that work. And it's because they're coming out of high school going to college. Right? So you're saying and you speak about the word initiative, and that's really important here, because I think many people and I'm not downgrading anybody, they don't have that initiative. Whereas people who come in as immigrants have a lot of initiative they want to get a job they want to make their work life better for him. It wasn't as great as it has been in the United States, what the word is absolutely full of old and new opportunities to be taken advantage of you say? So what are the characteristics of a blue collar entrepreneur?
KEN RUSK:
Well, yeah, this is, again, thank you for asking this question. Because this comes to the crux of the matter. You know, if you want to talk about the immigrants coming to this country, you will always hear the same couple words. Okay, the same three words, seeking better life. Okay, I'm always like, and what does that mean? That means that they have a vision for something better than they currently have. That, you know, when someone says to you, do you see what I mean? You know, a lot of times when someone's trying to explain something to you, they'll say, do you see what I mean? And what they're asking you to do is, Can you visualize what's in their brain? what they're thinking? Can you see the picture that they're putting into their own mind? That's why they say, Do you see what I mean? Okay, so when I look at that, and I think of seeking a better life, well, I look at it this way, you know, entrepreneurs, that isn't just something that you're born with, I know people think that it is, and maybe like the super industrialists of the world, maybe they have a higher level of thinking, I get that, but for most run of the mill entrepreneurs, okay, we all have one thing in common, we saw what we wanted. First, we drew it out, we documented it in some way, we, we put that brochure in our nightstand and looked at it every single night before we went to bed. And then that awoke that that created all these characteristics. You know, every one of us has vision and faith and courage and initiative, humility, persistence, resilience, simplicity, generosity, every one of us has these things inside of ourselves, we just have to have a reason to get them out. Okay, it's like, it's like the socks in your in the back of your sock drawer that you haven't worn for many years, you just need a reason to bring up to bring that out. And I'm convinced that it is the vision that people start with, that creates or awakens all of these entrepreneurial characteristics. What I'm getting at is we can all be entrepreneurs, every one of us if we just have a reason to do it.

GREG VOISEN:
Yeah, you know, I was on a call last night around a subject called Flux, because they are the author was saying that we have to have an opportunity in this environment we live in today to be flexible. And they were talking about one gentleman was talking about these serial jobs that people coming out now have, they don't just keep one, they basically work at one, then they go to another and they have another now from our generation. It was always we'll stay in this one job for forever, right? In other words, that my mom and my dad, that was it. And I even myself, I've switched maybe four times. The podcast thing is a vocation, something I love doing. But I have other work I couldn't make. I'm not making a living doing this. So my point is that, you know, that whole concept of saying, Well, I tried plumbing, I didn't like it. Well, great. Maybe you want to try framing or drywall? Or you want to try something else? What would you tell people listening today about that element, you know, being able to switch positions, and continue to do it until you find something you really, really enjoy?
KEN RUSK:
Well, I can tell you this, you know, with today's economy, you know, there if you go from my office run standing right now to the freeway, which is two miles away, you're going to pass 25 125 help wanted signs, okay. It wasn't always like that. It didn't always used to be that way. And the thing is, if you're one of those people who's willing to come to work on time, perhaps show up early. Looks so big. Yeah, shake their hand, you know, present yourself well, and be willing to work, you're going to stick out amongst the crowd where it used to be that you would be one of the crowd, because there's so few of people willing to behave in that manner towards vocations. Okay. So I look at the ability of someone to say, You know what, there's a lot of opportunities out there. I'm going to try a few of those, whether you take a gap year or whatever you do, I'm going to try some of those different jobs and see which ones that that I like that I might be interested in that I might say, Wow, I really love that stand back moment. That was really cool. You know, but again, I think I think you can't really appreciate what job will do for you, if you don't know where you're going. I mean, a job is kind of like a car. And I don't remember ever pulling out of the driveway of my car, putting it in Drive, and in saying, Wow, I don't know where the heck I'm going, Okay, you always have a destination in mind when you drive your car, the job is the same exact way. But you have to start with the destination, you have to start with what you want your life to look like, first, and then drive that car or that job towards that ultimate goal.

GREG: VOISEN:
Yeah, and I think the important thing is, it, if you did find yourself in a position that you didn't like, it's not a mistake, you've actually now found out one additional thing that you don't like, and I, my son came here the other night, you know, and, and we were having a father son talk and I said, you know, no decision is the worst decision you can make. Just make a decision and stick with it. You know, don't tell me you have these 15 different opportunities, go pray on it, contemplate on it, meditate on it, and pick one and go for it. And I think there is, as you said, there's 25 signs between your house and the freeway, well find out which one of those signs you want to walk into and apply to right, and then go for, don't apply to all 25 really show up with everything that you want to do. And if you made a mistake, that's fine. It's not a failure. It's a learning lesson. So if you were to leave these listeners with three key points, people that are out there today, that they would like to leave them with that they can take some action on, and kind of move toward peace, comfort and freedom. And one of the things I say is, Ken's got this course I'm going to mention it again, right now. It's normally $99 through our link, it's going to be $69. So you're going to save it, it's an insignificant amount of money for a great course that he's put together. Also, we're going to have a link to the book on Amazon, all you have to do is click the link and you can get a copy of the book. I think the books included with the $69 offer, right? Yes. So if you go for the offer that that Ken's making, this book will be included, you will get the book itself, and the book alone is like $27, or whatever. So quite an offer quite an offer. So what would you leave the listeners with today?
KEN RUSK:
First off, you know, when I think about books, you know that there's a, I love it when somebody is well read, you know, they have a lot of books, um, you have a lot of books behind you there, okay, you're obviously are a lover of information. I think, for me, I need to make sure that the information that you see in the book doesn't just sit on a shelf for a long period of time without your having gotten any better or any different or acting any different or moving forward from it. So I created this course. And you know, I've seen courses out there for 300 $500,000. No, I've been blessed, I've been very fortunate, too much is given much as expected. All I'm trying to do is cover the cost of this of this course, and its creation over the last few years, which is a substantial amount of money. And you'll see why when you look at the course. But I guess what I'm saying is, if you if you if you just take this course, if you just if you just go through the steps, you will come out the other side, a completely changed person. And here's how number one you're going to realize, I have a vision for what the rest of my life is going to look like. And I don't care whether you're 17 or 50, I have a vision now for what I want my Nirvana to be for what I want comfort, peace and freedom to look like for me, that's number one. Number two, you're going to understand that you and only you know what that is, no one else can tell you what your happiness is you and only you know what you're passionate about what you're good at what you'd like to do, and what you'd like to have as a result of that. Okay, and then finally, you know, you're so in control of that vision and in of what you want that I guess the best part is, your brain will naturally attract itself to the completion of that result. You know, I've never had a goal that I looked at every day, whether it was a boat or a car or a golf swing, or you know, helping someone else or writing a book or becoming a best seller, were starting a new business or I never had something that I really focused on and had right in front of me not come to fruition. And the reason is, is your brain is just immensely more powerful than we all give it credit for. It will find a way to make your body act and react in a way that you will go after and you will complete those goals no matter what they are.

GREG VOISEN:
Well, I think no matter if the steps you look at because we've had plenty of authors on here, write about the steps, the last one was the art of impossible with Steven Kotler. And, you know, he's studied this, how we work. And I'll leave the listeners with just this, you know, number one, get the course you'll get the book, get the book, you don't have to take the course, we'll have a link to either or, but you know, he says, if you are focuses for free, so can you're obviously very focused person. That's one thing he said. Secondly, if you're curious, hopefully, you've got a high level of curiosity. And you do, I'm talking to my listeners now. And if the curiosity then leads you to three passions, and you can find a link between those three passions, whatever it might be giving you building houses, being a plumber, whatever the passion might be racing cars, I don't care. Now find the link. Now develop your purpose, define your purpose, then after you define that purpose, set the goals around that purpose. And then the last part of it in which I know you've done, it takes a ton of grit and determination to work toward those goals associated with those purpose. It just didn't magically appear where you lay down on the sofa, and everything manifested for you. So I want to encourage my listeners, number one, if you want to hear it, pardon me, I'm going to say this Ken from the horse's mouth, somebody who's done blue collar work, and created abundance from it, and then has shared that abundance with the world. Please pick up Ken's book, and or sign up for the link that we're going to have to the course. And thanks for being on insight, personal growth, and spending a few minutes with my listeners, so that they can learn more about you and everything that you're doing. I really appreciate it.
KEN RUSK:
Well, Greg, thank you. It was great to be with you today. And I really enjoyed our conversation. So I guess the only other thing I'll tell you is I do donate all the proceeds from my book and the course back to young kids who are in need of something like this. So just know that if you decide to take the course or buy the book or whatever, you will not only be doing that to help yourself, but you will definitely be helping somebody else in the process.

GREG VOISEN:
I really appreciate that. So thank you so much and blessings to you, your family. Nicole, your wife, everybody in the Rusk family who's doing what they're doing to help the world.
KEN RUSK:
You as well. Thank you Greg.