How to Use Your Life to Impact a Generation with Trent Shelton: An EOFire Classic from 2021

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation. JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire. The only daily show in the world interviewing the world's top entrepreneurs seven days a week. Today we're pulling a classic episode from the archives and we'll be breaking down how to use your life to impact a generation. To drop these value bombs, I brought Trent Shelton into EO Fire Studios. Trent is the number one self-worth coach in the world. He is considered one of the most impactful speakers of this generation and he reaches over 60 million weekly through hard-hitting messages and unprecedented engagement.

0:32And today, Fire Nation will talk about how you have to stop working too hard because sometimes you are trying too hard to become something that might not be meant for you. and how to understand what separates you and what makes you different from everyone else, what helps you connect with other people, and that can also help build a loyal audience and oh, so much more. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Trent and our sponsors. Is this your year to grow a successful business? Attend the world's highest rated business growth workshop taught personally by Clay Clark and now featuring football star Tim Tebow and President Trump's son, Eric Trump at thrivetimeshow.com slash EOfire.

1:08Again, request life-changing tickets today at thrivetimeshow.com slash EO Fire. If you've ever considered launching a show on YouTube, I may have the solution for you after launching a very successful show on YouTube in 2024, MicroStrategy Today. I've learned a lot on what it takes to create a successful show and have launched a one-on-one mentorship program called YouTube 100. If you want to jump on a call and learn more about this program, shoot me an email, john at EOFire.com. This is the year of YouTube. Let's go. Trent, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1:51Oh man, what's up Fire Nation? I appreciate you having me on your podcast, bro, sharing your platform. Hopefully that I can inspire, impact some lives out there. That's a great question, man. I often think about that, that often, ironically. And the thing I would say is stop trying too hard. And I know that's probably going directly against the methodology of what this world is teaching. Go hard, go hard, go hard. Don't take it out of context. But I think sometimes we're trying too hard to become something that might not be what's meant for our life. And when I look back over my journey of becoming successful, it's not about me being lazy, but it's me allowing and attracting the right things and becoming the magnet instead of chasing everything because chasing is exhausting.

2:35So it's not an excuse to be lazy, but maybe you need to be still for a moment, work on yourself and then let those things find you and you attract those things. I love that. I mean, be still, work on yourself. I mean, I love that Abraham Lincoln quote, which is, you know, if he had to cut down a tree, he'd spend 55 minutes sharpening the axe. And then the last five minutes, it'd be a breeze. And I mean, I look at, you know, my life, man, the times I worked the hardest were the times in a lot of cases I had the least success because I I was grinding, but I was grinding in a stupid way. I wasn't working smart.

3:07But the times that I just sat there and said, you know what, this is what I want to do. This is what I'm excited about and passionate about. And I'm going to sit down and be smart about it. Everything changed. So I love that message. Thanks for sharing it. And just before we do dive in, I want to give a quick side note, Fire Nation. If you ever get to see Trent Shelton speak live on a stage, you've got to take advantage of that opportunity. I just got back from Funnel Hacking Live and it was 3 ,000 people live in a room. We were talking pre-interview about how cool the entrance was for the speakers.

3:40I mean, Russell went all out on this. And Trent just controlled every single human in that room for his entire talk. I mean, so hard to not let people look at their phones or not have people look at their phones like every five seconds at something stupid. people didn't even think they had a phone on them during that whole time. So I just want to say, brother, you inspired the masses at that conference. And I'm so glad you're going to be here to speak to Fire Nation today. So thank you. Oh, man, thank you. And that conference was incredible. And I'm glad I got to run into you backstage, brother.

4:15And I think the biggest distraction may be there, which wasn't a distraction, but my daughter yelling daddy loud so everybody could hear it for the whole time. So I couldn't get her, but she was super proud. Oh, that's so adorable. It was totally a beautiful moment, man. That was a beautiful moment. People really resonated with that. And Fire Nation, as I mentioned, we're talking about how you can use your life to impact a generation. And I want to just talk right now because it's so hard, Trent, for somebody who is just starting out to stand out in the busy, loud world that we live in. How did you create content that stands out from the crowd to have the kind of success that you've been able to generate over time?

5:00Yeah, for sure, man. You know, one of the main things for myself is, first of all, understanding the power of connection. And connection is a deeper form of communication, right? Connection, I always say, goes from heart to heart. And I understood these three things, you know, once I started. And the first thing is entertain. And when I say these three things, it's how people are moved. If you look at anything that's viral, anything that people share, anything that people watch usually contains these three things. And the first thing is, is entertain. And I wasn't a big person in this space. You can do one of these very well.

5:38You can do all three. I think if you do all three, you're going to hit home runs consistently. But you can do one really, really well. You can still hit home runs. But entertain. Right. People want to be entertained in this world, especially now with social media, especially where we're at. entertainment grabs people's attention. So I understood that. The second thing I understood, the second E, which was educate. I know if you educate somebody, right, you give somebody some knowledge, some tools, which you do all of these very well, brother. You give these people the things that they need to be able to change their life, to be able to change their business.

6:10So they don't have to go through the experience themselves. They can learn from you and shortcut it in a positive way. If you give people education, right, you're able to connect with them on a deeper level. And last but not least, this is probably the thing that I believe I do the best out of these three, is I understand people are moved and you connect with people when you touch their emotions. And so you touch somebody's heart, they'll open their heart. And when they open their heart, you'll be able to impact their mind. And so I always created my content, whether it's me going live, whether now me doing a podcast or whether me creating these videos, always ask myself, how can I entertain them to keep their attention?

6:46Because if you don't keep their attention, they're going to the next thing. How can I educate them to make their life better or make something in their life better? And how can I touch their emotions, right? To really help them get into their heart and really make the change that they need to make. And last but not least, I understand two things also. And one is your magnet. I always say your magnet is what attracts people to you. The thing about you that separates you. So I understood my separator. I understood how I looked. I understood my message. I understand how I projected myself. And when you can understand a thing that separates you, that makes you different from everybody else, and you understand why people come to you, you're able to build a loyal audience and connect with people in such a major way.

7:26Fire Nation, I hope you're taking notes because I love what he started with, which is the power of connection, heart to heart. Like really think about that. And then going through those three things, entertain, you've got to entertain, educate, give them something, and then emotions. And when you were saying that, Trent actually brought up for me this quote, by Maya Angelou. I've learned that people will forget what you said. They'll forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Think about how you're making people feel, thinking about how you're moving their emotions.

8:01And Trey, you did mention the word loyalty. I want to move into that next because loyalty is everything when you're building an audience. one that's going to stick with you through the thick and the thin. How have you managed to build such a loyal audience over time? Yeah, you hit the nail on the head, man, sticking with you through thick and thin. And there's a difference between fans, right? Fans are there because they love what you are giving them. I learned this in college real quick when I played at Baylor. There's people who loved me when I was giving them what they wanted, scoring touchdowns when I had a terrible game.

8:36Those people, I'm like, man, I thought you were my fans, but fans are, I don't use the word fickle, but they're there for the benefits that you give them. I like to say supporters, which is that loyal audience will stick by your side through the ups and the downs. And I've been able to do three things very well that I feel like will help you build a loyal audience. I always like to put things in three or just give you kind of a process. And the first thing is care. And this is the thing that I see so many people miss out on. I'm not saying you have to do this, but this is something that I do. I spend an hour every single day of my life responding back to people.

9:10Now, there's people that said, Trent has never responded to me because obviously there's so many people in the world, I can't get to everybody. But I can sleep at night knowing that I gave back to my audience at least for an hour. So when you care, you treat them as if they're the ones that's making you successful. They're the ones that's making your business successful. They're the ones that's making your social media following successful because without followers, you don't have a following. So I care, I give back to them. The second thing is connection and we just kind of talked about the power of connection But it's very big that you're able to speak to their heart right and to open their mind You're able to connect with their soul connect to their needs connect to their wants and really connect with them So many times as influencers are just people that have a stage.

9:53We always think it's about us It's not about us necessarily It's about what can we give to them our audience to really pour into them and really help their life And last but not least, we know this magic word. We hear it all the time is consistency. And this is one word that's helped me over the last decade. Be able to continue to grow my audience, continue to be able to grow my business is consistency. And that's simply can they depend on you to show up? And I'm not telling you that you have to burn yourself out. I'm not telling you to, you know, if you're tired, not to rest, not to take breaks from social media, not to disconnect.

10:25I believe that's healthy. But at the end of the day, can they depend on you to show up? And for me, that was very big and consistency. What that does is it builds relatability, right? When you're relatable, people will come to you more. And I can tell like a very quick story. I remember when I first started, maybe like in 2012, 13, my videos first started going viral. I thought it was very crazy that people were sharing my videos before the video ever ended. And so I became kind of like, I'm like, man, I put a lot of effort in this video. Like you didn't even watch it and you're sharing it already.

10:58And so what I did was I wanted feedback. So I went to the source. I remember I messaged this lady and I said, listen, I appreciate your support. I see you always supporting, but I have to ask you something. How did you share the video within a minute? And the video is four minutes long. she said, Trent, and it's changed my whole mindset with consistency. She said, Trent, you're not an on and off person. And for selfish reasons, Trent, I want to be one of the first people to share it. I want to get your message out there faster. But I know because you've been so consistent for these last few years with your message, I already know that it's something that's going to impact my life or impact the lives of others.

11:35So I don't have to watch the whole thing before I press share. And so that really changed my perspective and my mindset when it came to consistency and making sure that people are able to know what they're going to get from you even before you put it out. I love that word so much. And I'm actually going to take a little bit of a different angle. Like I love that story you shared. But for me, consistency also means you're actually able to hone your skills. You're actually able to become better at what it is that you do. Like I want to take a kind of an educated guess trend. I bet your first couple Instagram lives or Facebook lives or videos, they weren't that good.

12:10I'm just guessing, you know, I'm just guessing. You're right. Because I'm telling you, dude, I started at the same time. I launched this podcast in 2012. I can't listen to my first couple hundred episodes. Couple hundred episodes. It is just cringeworthy. I keep them up there because they're still valuable because my guests were awesome. You know, I had Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, Barbara Corcoran, you know, Tony Robbins on the show. So, I mean, the episodes are valuable, but man, I was terrible. and I had to get up every single day and do what? Be consistent. Get a little bit better. Hone my skills.

12:44Get 1 % better every single day and that's another thing that consistency will bring to you is just the reality that you are going to be able to share the message you want to share in a better, more cohesive way and we have some step-by-step processes for you, Fire Nation. When we get back from thanking our sponsors. Is this your year to grow a successful business? Are you looking to learn the proven processes and success systems that have been used to create thousands of millionaire success stories? See thousands of success stories and testimonials from real people just like you who Clay Clark has mentored and coached into prosperity at thrivetimeshow.com slash EOfire.

13:23Clay's proven business coaching program is month to month and it costs less money than hiring a minimum wage employee. Yes, it's month to month and it costs less money than hiring a minimum wage employee. Schedule your free personal 13-point assessment with Clay Clark himself today at Thrivetimeshow.com slash EOFire. Because Clay only takes on 160 clients and only allows 300 attendees to each business conference, you will interact with Clay directly. See thousands of real success stories and learn about attending the Thrivetimeshow two-day in-person workshop featuring football star Tim Tebow and President Trump's son, Eric Trump, today at Thrivetimeshow.com slash EOFire.

14:01Become the next success story. Schedule a free consultation and request tickets to join football star Tim Tebow and President Trump's son, Eric Trump, at Clay Clark's next business conference today at Thrivetimeshow.com slash EO Fire. Trent, we're back and Fire Nation is made up of an amazing community. I mean, we have solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, people that are one year in, 10 years in, one month in. let's talk right now to people that are looking to kind of begin their journey right now. And by begin their journey, I mean, begin their journey of sharing their message and their mission, their voice with the world.

14:39I mean, maybe they've been doing something behind the scenes for a while. What steps would you recommend for a beginner who's trying to break through in 2021? We're talking today. Absolutely. Network consistency, like you said, is number one. And like you said, when it comes to greatness, right, there's no greatness. There's no legendary without being consistent. And so repetition is very important. And I would tell everybody that you're starting off, like take your emotions out of the outcome. And I know that's easier said than done. Trust me. But sometimes we are so into the likes. We're so into the metrics that we ignore the impact.

15:19And impact is something that you will never measure. You know, one of my first sayings ever was, I'm not into numbers, I'm more into impact. I'm not just trying to reach millions, I'm trying to reach you. Because I knew if I could reach that person and have that person believe in what I do, they would share the message and so on and so on and be a domino effect. And so I would tell you that. Second thing I want to tell you is there's only one you. Because some of you are thinking like, why should I be a speaker? Why should I be another entrepreneur? Why should I start a podcast? There's millions and millions and millions and millions.

15:49There's only one you. my grandmother told me this and I want to share with you because it changed my life because I was that person. So I'm like, why should I be a speaker? There's way other speakers that are better than me. There's people who went this and that. My grandmother told me this and I will never forget it. She said, Trent, in this world, there are people assigned to you. There are people that need to intersect with your mission, that need to intersect with your words, that need to feel everything that you're doing and collide with you because you were sent to help them. She says, there's people in this world that I can reach that you can't reach and vice versa.

16:30And when she told me that, it's like it freed me. And I can honestly say, that's been the truth. As I gave my message out to the world, I got feedback. As I gave my message out to the world, I realized like, wow, there's people that can't stand me. And that's great. I'm everybody's cup of coffee, but I can be somebody else's cup of coffee. And when you focus on that and not necessarily the masses, but the ones that really need your message, that will build the confidence that helps you practice repetition, that helps you become legendary at what you do. So just remember that there's people assigned in this world that are waiting for you.

17:06And if you don't answer that call, they'll never get the benefit of your story and of your life, of your product, whatever it is that you're doing. So give it to the world. This is such an important message, Fire Nation. And when I was actually speaking at Funnel Hacking Live, one of the things that I share from stage when I was talking about creating a podcast, everybody always asks, what's the biggest mistake people make when creating a podcast? And I always say, they are a weak, pale imitation of somebody else. That's their biggest mistake. They see Trent doing X, myself doing Y, Russell doing Z.

17:45And they say, well, they're having success doing those things. I'm just going to do that. And nobody wants a weak, pale imitation of somebody else. Nobody wants that. They want the best, best version of you because you fire nation, you're special. You are unique. You are a snowflake. And I love that concept that you have is that there are people assigned in this world to you. I love how you put that. That was so cool. And I really hope you realize and absorb that fire nation because it is absolutely true. But even with all this being said, Trent, connecting with people, like really connecting with people, it's tough.

18:22So how do you communicate in a way that really connects with people, really gets to their heart? Absolutely, brother. And it is hard, right? But that's the goal to be able to connect, not just communicate. I want to share this and I hope people really understand what I say. So I'm going to take my time. I don't just speak from my understanding. I connect in a way that people will understand it. What I mean by that is I don't just speak from a place. It's like, I don't know if you ever coached a kid. With me being in sports, I've coached a lot of kids or I've been coached. There's coaches that can connect with every single player because they understand every single player.

19:01They know that certain players respond to certain things. So with me, I'm always trying to get outside of myself and feel what my audience needs. Dr. Tony Evans, which is a great mentor of mine, I learned this from him. He said before he gives a message, he sits in a room and he pictures that there's 10 types of people or maybe even five types of people that are in his audience based upon his message. Maybe it's a single mother. Maybe it's a father. Maybe it's a kid that's going through X, Y, Z. And he has a conversation, right? Not physically, but mentally, visually. He has a conversation with each one of these people.

19:37And that helps him be able to cultivate his message in a way that everybody can grasp. And that's something that I do before I go on stage, before I give a speech, before I write a book, before I do a podcast. I think about the person that really needs this message. So I want you to think about that. The second part of this is is understanding three things. Number one, the power of projection, right? Projection is how you use your voice, knowing how to use the rhythms of your voice to have people lean in. And so for me, there's a protect your peace trend that's very, very earthy, naturey. That's a sodomy.

20:12Then there's a very aggressive, intense intensity trend that's more of the football in me. And I know when to lean on that person because how you use your projections can make people lean in or make people lean back. You can touch their emotions. You can have all those things. So knowing how to use your voice is very, very important. Second part is kind of what I just shared is relation, right? Knowing what your audience needs. You have to be relatable because if you're not relatable and one of the best ways to be relatable is being real. We use that word a lot, but I want to tell you this. Your transparency will lead to your transformation.

20:53Your transparency will lead to other people's transformation. When you come from a real place, you will touch someone's heart and you will open it up and you will connect with them on a level that's greater than ever. I didn't say a place of perfection, a place of real. And then last part of this, when you do all those things, you understand how to project, you understand how to relate. The next part is easy. It's transformation. You can give them the tools now because they're open to receive it, to be able to transform their life, to be able to give them tools that they can apply to their life that would create the transformation that they need.

21:29And so that's how I go through my process, man, and learn how to truly connect with other people. It's so powerful. And I want to give like a specific example that I think I've shared maybe once or twice, but not for quite some time. But to me, it just speaks so loudly to this and to be the power of transparency. And, you know, it's kind of an awkward situation, but I just want to go to the extreme because that to me just shows how everybody can be transparent on everything and it can really make a massive impact. And, you know, the story is this woman was working for years to like try to like make a dance in the physical training space.

22:04She would do videos all the time, you know, how to get stronger arms, firmer butt, better this, better that. But, you know, she's one amongst the tens of hundreds of thousands of people doing the same content. She could never get anything. And then one day she was recording her video and she looked down and she pre-recorded them. And she looked down and she literally had peed herself. And she was just like, oh, that sucks. Like I need, this happens to me fairly often. I'm just going to have to go now delete this video. And do another one. And then she was just about to delete it. And she said, you know what?

22:38This is something that I bet happens to other people. And this is so embarrassing if this happened publicly. But what if I shared this with people? What if I was transparent? And she put that video out there as is and talked openly and honestly about it. And then all of a sudden, that transparency led to this amazing movement that she created where she now owns this niche of helping women who struggle with the exact same thing and how exactly they can get over it. And guess what? Like that was her major breakthrough because she just was not hiding. She was open. She was transparent. She was honest.

23:13And so it can be so anything, Fire Nation, of what you are actually dealing with. You know, like one thing that I've never truly explored, but, you know, I spent eight years as an officer in the U.S. Army. I did 13 months in Iraq. And I mean, I dealt with some serious PTSD, but like that could be an area where I could really go deep on and help a lot of people because that is my life. That is my truth. And Trent, what I want you to take home with us right now is your truth. So take a minute, grab the mic, share the biggest takeaway that you really wanna make sure Fire Nation gets from everything that you and I talked about here today, whatever that one key takeaway is, then share how we can connect with you, any call to action you might have for us, and then we'll say goodbye.

23:58Absolutely, brother. Well, thanks for having me, man. And, you know, I'll just harp on what we just talked about. And this came to my heart as you were speaking and sharing that story. You know, we're inspired by perfection. We all are. We're inspired by all the shiny things, but we're impacted by transparency. We're impacted by those stories that we don't want to share, by those moments that seem hard. But those moments are the moments that we all go through. Right. We all have our silent battles that we don't show. So we all have our moments when we get off of social media, put down the phone and go to our offline life.