Step Into Your Full Potential

Watch the episode here:

• Discover how shifting your perspective can unlock your hidden potential.
• Hear an incredible firsthand experience of witnessing Air Force One in action.
• Learn how to position yourself to be in the right place at the right time.
• Get inspired to approach 2025 with a fresh, bold mindset.
• Join Rick’s personal challenge to change your view of what’s possible.

Hey, I’m Rick Jordan, and today we’re going all in. I want to tell you what I’m going to be doing for this next year, and I want to challenge you to do some of the same things, because it will absolutely change the way that you view the world, which means when you change your perspective of things that are around you, you’re going to be able to change the perspective of what you are capable of and what your potential can be, and what you can actually see as a desired end state, as an outcome for yourself. In this coming year, I’m telling you, and I guarantee you, that when you change your view of things that are going on around you, things will begin to increase in your life. I’m gonna start with a story. I was sitting in the Las Vegas airport, heading out. I was recording some episodes of office hours, which is a David Meltzer, so it’s on Apple TV, my company was unstoppable I know you’ve heard me talk about them. It’s the unstoppable sponsor for this. We donate a good amount of cash to Unstoppable because we support them. We support the mission. And right about the time we’re supposed to board, I’m looking out the window and I see security vehicles just driving around, you know, and all kind of going in the same direction. And this was just two days after the shootings at the University of Las Vegas, UNLV, and I’m seeing all this happen, and there’s no planes moving, and now there’s like a couple of emergency vehicles kind of lined up where the runway is. It’s the kind of stuff that you see in the movies really like when, like a plane is coming in and there’s like an emergency landing or something, you kind of see them lined up there. 

Think Die Hard. Okay, you see when that when that plane was coming down, and I think it was Die Hard, I don’t know, but it, I think maybe it was Die Hard too. Who knows? I can’t remember, right? John McLean’s flying the plane. I think that was the movie. Correct me? If I’m wrong, you can post in the comments, right? But when the plane’s coming in for an emergency landing, all the emergency vehicles are kind of lined up right there, ready to do what they need to do, whether it’s a fire truck from a fire, you know, ambulance, all of those things are just ready to go. And I see these things lined up on the runway, and I look over at one of the gate agents, I’m like, There’s a ground stop, isn’t there? He’s like, Yeah, there is. It’s a VIP movement. I’m like, Whoa. I’ve never heard that phrase before, and I’m guessing a lot of you probably have, and some of you probably have, so I’m thinking, what is the VIP that is causing this scenario here? So I Googled it like anybody would, and I found out that, typically speaking, it’s a government official. I’m like, All right, so I look it up, and sure enough, President Joe Biden, was there that day in Las Vegas to speak at UNLV, because of the shootings and because of this whole thing, right? It was pretty cool because everything stopped. 

The reason why there was a ground stop is because Air Force One was about to leave, it was about to take off, and I caught, I caught about six seconds of the video, because I’m looking out there, and all of a sudden, there and all of a sudden, there it is. It’s just going down the runway. Air Force One takes off the right kind of majestic. It’s the first time I’ve actually ever seen it active like that in person. Maybe you have, but I was just in the right place at the right time, looking out the right window, facing the correct runway that Air Force One was going to be taking off, and subsequently did. It was really cool to see. Never saw the plane in in movement like that before, at least in real life. So then a couple of minutes after that, everything starts moving again. And the first thing I noticed that was moving was the baggage trucks, and they’re going around, you know, they’re putting more baggage, and some of the planes collecting baggage off. But it was literally everything stopped, even the baggage trucks that load and unload the planes stopped, even those little transports with a dude on it, right for the ground crew that goes from plane to plane, to guide the planes and those things, there was nothing moving except for these security vehicles. That’s it. I mean, it total, total ground stop. Literally everything on the ground was not moving, except for the security vehicles. Now, when this all happened, because there was a ground stop, that meant that no planes could land either. 

So by the time that took off, I was looking at my watch. I’m like, cool, we’re only 10 minutes behind. No big deal, right? And then the gate agent comes on and says, I just need to fill you in. We’re not going to be boarding for a while yet because we’re missing one crew member. Like, what? He’s like, Yeah, we’re missing one crew member because there’s a flight attendant that is still on a plane up in the air that was circling when the President was here because they stopped all planes from being able to land and take off when it comes to a ground stop. So she was up there circling along with many, many, many other flights. And this flight attendant was supposed to go from that plane she was on, come over, and join the crew of the plane that I was taking off in. And I’m starting to look at this like, Man, I’m already getting home a little later. Was, I picked this flight time just because it was the best possible one, coming from the West Coast, coming back to Chicago, where I live, four o’clock or 430 on the West Coast, will land a little after 10 o’clock because the time zone difference in Chicago. So now I’m looking at this, I’m like, Oh, this is gonna push us out almost to, like, midnight landing now, which is what I was trying to avoid. But I’m looking at this and I’m thinking, whatever, it’s all good. I’m still going to get home. 

I still have a plane. I’m not going to be sitting here for hours. I’m still going to get home. And a lot of you may think, well, what’s the point of you telling me this story, man? And the reason is, is because I’m looking around, and some so many people were sitting there that were so frustrated, so angry about what was going on, that all of these reasons, right? I understand that the President was taking off. Obviously, there’s nothing to do about that. That’s how things happen. For security reasons, literally no control over that, especially on the airline’s part, they just can’t. They just cannot. It is the leader of the free world that is there, and that’s just the security measures that take place. And then, of course, airlines transfer crews. They have, they have the logistics timed out right to where this is usually not an issue. But because the President was taking off now it became an issue, and the flight attendant that was supposed to join the crew was not there. So many people were upset, and I’m looking around, I’m like, there’s really nothing to do, and I’m just thinking, it’s like, we’re all gonna get home. It’s not like the plane’s broke. You know, I’ve been in that situation before. That’s a little frustrating, but at the same time, it’s like, still, still gonna get home, and it’s not that big of a deal. So there are so many other things that should be able to get you frustrated and angry. 

Anger is an okay emotion, right? Anger is it’s a lot of times it can be validated. It’s what you do with that that matters, of course, and how you manage those emotions. But have your emotions. That’s all good. But so many people were like, we’re just going after the flight attendants. I’m like, come on, people, we’re all going to get home. Be grateful that we actually have a plane. Be grateful that you will still be getting home tonight. It might be a little bit later, but be grateful that you’re still going to get there, you’re still going to be safe, you’re still going to be alive, you’re still going to see your families tomorrow. Everything is all good. So as I’m thinking about this, it’s like next year, and I’ve been teaching a lot of people on my team at the company this, and just people around me, and I’ve been coaching this, it’s like next year is going to be the year of gratitude. And I’ve been doing this for a long time in my own life, because I look around and the positivity that I have, everyone’s like, Oh man, you’re always so positive. And I’m like, you would never guess why. You probably heard people talk about this before, but the reason is that I always have something to be grateful for. Always, no matter how bad things get, there’s always something that I can be grateful for that’s in my life that never goes away for you. 

There will always be something, even if you are in the darkest places, even when I was on a table, an operating table, dying and going through eight months of hell with my health, for a dead organ inside of me that nobody could tell what was going on. I still had so many things to be grateful for. I might have had just one wish, and that was to be healthy. I just did an episode on this right? My only wish was to be healthy, whereas a healthy person has 1000 wishes because they feel like they can do anything, still, even though I only wanted one thing, which was to be healthy, I was still grateful for everything else that I still had, and even through that, that’s what kept me positive, even though i got obviously, I was dealing with anxiety. I believe that I was depressed because of it because eight months is a long time. It wears you down when you can’t figure out why you’re sick. At the same time, I still have things to look around and be I’m grateful for, just like this flight, just like when the President of the United States delays everything for everybody that’s in a large, active airport. I’m still getting home tonight safely. I’m still going to see my family tomorrow. The Power of Gratitude is something that’s very real and very tangible.

And you’ve probably seen memes, short videos, YouTube shorts, TikTok, and everything out there about this phrase called practicing gratitude. And there’s a reason why it’s called practicing gratitude. I’ve talked about neural connections in your head, and how those form like muscles, and how there are even cells that go around your brain and destroy clean up the leftovers of neural pathways that are no longer used because the ones that are active are the ones that continuously build strength and become thicker and stronger, which means more thoughts can go through more electric. Little transmissions, neural connections, can go through that pathway that you create. This is why it’s called practicing gratitude, because it should be and needs to be in your life a daily activity, just like you’re building muscles in your arms, in your abs, anywhere else in your core. This needs to be part of the exercising of the core of your soul is practicing gratitude, even though I already practice gratitude, now this is the year to put it out there and lead for me and bring others along with me, just like people that work for me, just like my family members that love me just like you, that choose to listen to me, and I’m going to challenge you now to do a few things, to practice that and watch your life change. It is powerful. 

The first thing you need to do, first thing, I would say start out with five. But you know what? I’m going to be realistic here. Okay, this is not, by the way, this is not a New Year’s resolution. If you’ve ever listened to me for a while, right? You would know that I feel very strongly against New Year’s resolutions, because they can start at any point in time. Most people who start in January, they fall off by February. That’s why I’m not calling this a New Year’s resolution, because you can start this now, right, even though it’s a couple days before you could start this now. You could have started this practice six months ago. It doesn’t matter when, but something about a new year, right? Even when it comes to business, it’s like the calendars stop, the books, stop, the financial stop, and now you start fresh again, and you got another another turn, almost like another inning in a baseball game, another quarter in a football game, right? Whatever sport you watch, it’s like that refresh moment. Another round. Doesn’t matter what it is, you’re starting fresh, and this year you’re starting fresh, and you’re going to continue with gratitude, because you’re going to continue practicing. And that’s how I’m leading you right now. Now, instead of five things. I’m just going to ask you to do three. I’m going to ask you to start with three. That’s it, every single morning when you wake up, or if you want to, every single night before you go to bed. It’s actually really powerful at night. It’s pretty cool. It’s interesting, because if you start your day with that, it sets you up for a great mood and a great perspective on things around you for the entire day, and then at night, you can look back and say, oh my gosh, I’m grateful for so many things that happened today, but I like the looking forward method. Pick whatever one you want. I like the looking forward method. Instead of five things, which a lot of people say to do, I’m just going to say, start with three. Just three.

That’s it. In the mornings, I am grateful today for, I am grateful today for, I am grateful this week for, and it can be anything. And if you’re thinking, Well, you know what, it’s going to be the same stuff every single day, it’s really not going to be because there’s stuff that you can be grateful for every single day. And one day you might be like, I’m grateful I got a great night’s sleep last night. I feel super refreshed today. That’s awesome. I’m grateful I get to do this thing today. I’m grateful that this happened over the past week. I’m grateful that I have this to look forward to next week. There’s so many things, because life changes all the time, and so many things take place, and it might even be something like, I’m grateful because this stuff happened. I’m grateful that yesterday I was at a stoplight and this car came by and they saw me at the very last minute and missed me by two inches. I’m grateful that I’ve got another day today to do a lot more for myself, for my family, for a whole bunch of other people that would have just happened yesterday, every single day, things that are good to be grateful for happen. That’s what I want you to do this coming year, is to start out every single day with three things that you’re grateful for on that day. Now the second part of this is I’m going to ask you to take one of those things, just one of them, and share it with somebody who’s close to you every day. Just share it with somebody who’s close to you and then tell them what you’re doing. You can do it two ways. There’s a couple of fun ways. One, you can actively do it, like I’m telling you right now, right? You can actively do it and say, Hey, this is what I’m doing this year. You want, you want to do it with me. You want to come along this ride with me. It’s going to be pretty awesome. Let’s, let’s share these things together, because it just think about like the spider web that goes and I’m telling you right to 1000s of people right now.

I’m telling you, and then you can tell somebody else, and then they tell somebody else, and this thing can just freaking, amplify out of control and take a life of its own in a very, very good way, as you bring others along this ride with you, this ride of gratitude this year. So tell somebody close to you every day at least one of those things, one of those three things. Because some things might be personal, right? And I understand that some. Things You might not want to share, and they’re very personal to you, but you can still be grateful for them, and still something to look at every single day, but tell somebody else one of those things on your list every single day. And it can be different for people to get creative with it because this is where it gets fun. And then when they ask, it’s like, oh my gosh, it’s gonna be like me. I am always and I love this right there two things that I really love, how I put myself out to the world. Because I hear these things all the time. It’s like, oh, Rick, you’re so positive all the time. I love being around you, because you can just always lift me up just by the mood that you’re in. It’s like, well, that’s because I practice gratitude quite literally because people come to me. The second thing, it’s like Rick, you always show up, and I do. Those are two things that I pride myself in, because those are two qualities of a leader that I feel, that I need to exemplify and be consistent with. And also it just feels good. No joke, you will change your mindset, change the way that you feel in your heart, change even what you feel in your body, by practicing these things and doing these two things that I’m challenging to you for this next year. Is the first, again, write down three things every single morning that you are grateful for, different things every day in some kind of journal.

There are probably apps that will do this too. Look back in them every now and then, it’s awesome. And then the second thing is, tell somebody else one of those things that you put on your list every single day, you can tell the same person, tell different people whatever you want. And this will continuously build up those connections, that gratitude connection, as you’re practicing gratitude, as you’re building that quote, unquote muscle, that neural connection inside your brain. And now all of a sudden, you will start to think more and more and more good things. And you know what? The crap that used to bother you, that used to infuriate you, that used to set you off, that used to trigger you, all of a sudden, this is what’s gonna happen. Imagine yourself six months from now, all of a sudden, you’re in that place, and you’re thinking, looking back at today, it’s like, holy moly, the stuff that used to bother me. It’s like you will be able to tell, well, that used to set me off. What’s going on here? You remember? Oh, that’s right, I got a lot more to be grateful for. But here’s the secret, you don’t actually have a lot more to be grateful for. You are just being aware and intentional at noticing it, at thinking about it, at practicing it, every single day, throughout every single year of your life that you’ve already had, you have had at least three things to be grateful for. I know this because I do it. Even being through some of the crap that I’ve been through, there was still things to be grateful for. It’s just now, when you’re practicing this, you’re starting to look around for things that you can be grateful for, and it changes your perspective on life. It just straight up changes your life. I would love to hear stories. DM me, do whatever to get a hold of me, because I would love to hear stories as you go through these on how you were able to lead other people down this incredible road of gratitude, to make this your year of gratitude. And I also want to hear your successes too, because you’re going to be writing these things down and like, oh my gosh, this literally changed my life, and I wanted to. And at the same time, I want you to tell others what you’re doing so that you can change theirs as well. Have an amazing, amazing new year. I am grateful for you listening to this week in and week out, listening to this show. Love you Happy New Year.