1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney and we've got shop Talk 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: number seven and today we're going to be talking about 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: the power of dreams with parentheses around it that says, 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 1: be real, the power of dreams. Be Real. But before 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: we get into shop Talk, I want to tell you 6 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: about an awesome music festival that's actually led by a 7 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: friend of the podcast and a friend of mine, and 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: it's in my hometown of Memphis. This year, the inaugural 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:37,160 Speaker 1: river Beat Music Festival is May three through five. It's 10 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: held downtown and tom Lee Park along the Mississippi River, 11 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: and y'all, they have completely recently renovated tom Lee Park 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: and it is as fine of a venue as any 13 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,840 Speaker 1: place in the country. And to the east you've got 14 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: the skyline of Downtown behind you, and to the west 15 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: you've got the Mississippi River, and as you sit in 16 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: the park, you're looking up a bluff. It is really 17 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: a cool venue. And my buddy is starting this Riverbeat 18 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: Music's Festival May three through fifth, and it's got huge 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: acts like Jelly Roll and the Fujis Play and a 20 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: ton of others. If you're interested in learning more about it, 21 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 1: you can visit Riverbeet dot com and check out Memphis 22 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: in May. It's not too hot. It's a cool venue. 23 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:32,400 Speaker 1: You're just steps from world famous Bill Street and downtown 24 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: Memphis should be a lot of fun. Shop Talk number seven, 25 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: The Power of Dreams. Parentheses keep it real. Right after 26 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: these brief messages from our general sponsors, all right, everybody, 27 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: we're back with shop Talk number seven, The Power of Dreams. 28 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: So here's the deal. I started in the lumber business 29 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: when I was twenty six year old as a sales guy, 30 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: and by thirty one, I was the vice president of 31 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: sales of a lumber company that I started with. And 32 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: when I first went to work in the lumber company, 33 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: I couldn't tell you a piece of red oak versus 34 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: people peaks of poplar. I didn't know grid. I didn't 35 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 1: know anything except that if I learned the lumber business 36 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:28,919 Speaker 1: and sold more of it than anybody else, I could 37 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: make more money. And that's what I need to do 38 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: because I had my wife, Lisa and kids at home, 39 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: and I needed to make more money. And so I 40 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: went to work. Little by little, I sold more, kind 41 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: of learned the craft, moved up, and like I said, 42 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: by thirty one, I was the vice president sales of 43 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: the company, and candidly we grew the size of that 44 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: company's sales significantly, really quadruped them. And at thirty one 45 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: years old, I was looking at private we held family company, 46 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: great company. People were good to me, the kids getting 47 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: into college, and I was worried that I was going 48 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: to wake up at forty years old and be maybe 49 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: a victim of nepotism. Not that that was projected by 50 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: any means, but reality's reality, and I was worried about it. 51 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 1: And so I wanted to be able to buy in 52 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: and own a piece of the company and have some 53 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: type of parachute. And was fully prepared to spend the 54 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: rest of my life working for that company and growing 55 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: it and doing the best I could for it. But 56 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: the family at that time was not ready to bring 57 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: in any outside folks from family, so I was in 58 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: an impasse. I was making more money than I ever 59 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: thought i'd make. I was the vice president of one 60 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: hundred million dollar company, moved up, hired a bunch of salespeople, 61 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: was respected and treated well and paid well. But was 62 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: worried about the future. And so I started thinking, could 63 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: I do this for myself? Where would I get the money. 64 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: How would I do it? What about Lisa and the kids? 65 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: If I have to take a major step back to 66 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: start my business. And so I went to Lisa, talked 67 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: about it a bunch, and at the end of the conversation, 68 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: Lisa said, you know what, you were broke when I 69 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: met you, and we can be broke again. If that's 70 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: your dream, chase it. So I started Classical American Hardwoods. 71 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: About nine months later, I was seventeen thousand dollars in 72 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: the brank on a wing and a prayer. There's a 73 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: whole nother story to all that, but that's really not 74 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: what I'm talking about the power of dreams. I will 75 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: tell you something that I recognized about the power of 76 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 1: dreams going through that whole process. Is this. Nothing in 77 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 1: the world that has ever been created by a man, 78 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: nothing didn't start out as first a dream, a thought, 79 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: an idea. The light bulb, the wheel, skyscrapers, the car, 80 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: the atom bomb. All of it was an idea. All 81 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 1: of it was a dream. All of it was something 82 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,919 Speaker 1: that somebody initially, at some point, thought maybe I could 83 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: make that happen. This country was a dream. I mean, 84 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,479 Speaker 1: you just think about anything that human beings have ever created. 85 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: It first started with a thought, with a dream. The 86 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: power of dreams is phenomenal because everything we have, we are, 87 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: and will become in the human race will start as 88 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: a dream. Another interesting thing is I'm a psychology major, 89 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: and I'm going to batch this, but I'm going to 90 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: do it as best I can because I'm going back 91 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 1: thirty years when I was in school. But they took 92 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: a bunch of people in a test and the control group, 93 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,919 Speaker 1: they monitored their brain activity while they slept for seven 94 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: days and they got normal sleep seven to eight hours, 95 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: and they monitored their brain activity. Put them on a class. 96 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: The other group, same class, same everything. The only difference 97 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: was in the four stages of sleep, which is ra 98 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 1: EM sleep, which stands for rapid eye movement, which is 99 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: when you dream, your eyes go into r EM. The 100 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: other stages asleep, you're really in and out of kind 101 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: of light consciousness. But the true heavy sleep happens when 102 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:52,720 Speaker 1: you dream. And so they monitored the subject group while 103 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: they dreamed, and when they met with RM sleep, they 104 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 1: were awakened. So they wren weren't allowed to dream. They 105 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:03,559 Speaker 1: were allowed to get as much sleep as they could, 106 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: and certainly they because they were shaken during RM sleep. 107 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: Instead of getting seven or eight hours, maybe they got 108 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: five or six hours of sleep, But the key was 109 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: they only awoke them during r EM sleep. After three 110 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: days of this, many of the people in the test 111 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: group literally could not function. After four days, they had 112 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: some of those people start entering stages of psychosis. And 113 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: after the fifth day they actually called off the experiment 114 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: because they were worried they were going to do everlasting 115 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: damage to the people that they were studying. Five days, 116 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: just five days without dreams, and they were worried about 117 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: the long term safety of the human beings that weren't dreaming. 118 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 1: So not only has everything that's ever happened in the 119 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: history of the world first started with a dream, the 120 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: flip side to that is, as human beings, if we 121 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: do not dream, we literally die. We literally become psychotic, 122 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: we literally can't function, We literally die. The power of 123 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: dreams is phenomenal. Not only on the positive side, does 124 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: it create everything that we ever have and ever will be. 125 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:38,199 Speaker 1: But without dreams, you die. What does that say about 126 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: a six year old born in poverty in our country, 127 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: who's never heard a lullaby, who's never seen somebody go 128 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: to work, what is their dream and how can they dream? 129 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: What is their access to the things that they dream for? 130 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:00,440 Speaker 1: I remember interviewing r. Sha Cooper on an Army Normal 131 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: Folks some months back, and I remember him telling me, 132 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,560 Speaker 1: growing up in West Side Chicago that his big dream 133 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: was to see the Seers Tower. Marche Cooper lived fifteen 134 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 1: to twenty blocks from Sears Tower, but because his neighborhood 135 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: was so dangerous, he didn't dare walk those twenty blocks 136 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: just to see Sears Tower. What does it say about 137 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 1: a kid whose dream, his dream, now his big hope 138 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: for his life is to be able to walk twenty 139 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: blocks from his apartment to be able to see a 140 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 1: tower that's in the very city he lives in. How 141 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: do we expect people like that to become doctors and lawyers, 142 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: and how do we expect him to live and not 143 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: become psychotic? Socially and culturally? The power of dreams is phenomenal. 144 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,320 Speaker 1: If I I didn't have the power to dream, my 145 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: company wouldn't exist. I would have never coached a manassas, 146 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: I would have never won an Academy award, I never 147 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: wrote a book, and I'll never be talking to you today. 148 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:18,680 Speaker 1: That's the power of my dream. Another power of my 149 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: dreams was when my mom was going through divorces and 150 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: I was dealing with all kinds of dysfunction in my life. 151 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: I dreamed of a wife and a home and children 152 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: and consistency in my life. It's another dream that became reality. 153 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: The power of dreams is phenomenal. It saved my life, 154 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: it built my business. The power of dreams is also 155 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: dangerous for those who don't have the power or ability 156 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,720 Speaker 1: to dream. It becomes a psychosis in our culture and 157 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: our society. So what does that say about us? Don't 158 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,679 Speaker 1: we have to do things to enable people in our 159 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: culture to at least be able to dream, And don't 160 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: those dreams have to be something more than being able 161 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: to walk twenty blocks from your home without getting mugged. Guys, 162 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: an army in normal folks has a lot of work 163 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: to do, and if just some of that work is 164 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: enabling people in our mythst to be able to dream 165 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: so they can raise themselves up and find something for 166 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: their own lives. I just think it's incumbent upon us 167 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: to understand the power of dreams, to understand the danger 168 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 1: of not being able to dream, and to recognize what 169 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: it's doing to our culture and society, and do something 170 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 1: about it. The last thing the parentheses be real. I 171 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 1: remember I had a kid played football for me, not 172 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: at Manassas, at another school. He was six foot, two 173 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: hundred and five pounds and was one of the best 174 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:11,120 Speaker 1: defensive linemen I've ever coached in high school. The guy 175 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: was quick off the ball, he had what's called great 176 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: takeoff his stance. He had a flat back, he was 177 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 1: really loose in his ankles and in his hips, quick hands, 178 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: and was just strong and tough. He was awesome. And 179 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: his dream was to play for Alabama. And y'all, I 180 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: don't care how good a high school football player you are. 181 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 1: If you're six one six two two hundred and five pounds, 182 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: you are not playing defensive line for Alabama, or for 183 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: that mind, probably any Division one school. And when he 184 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 1: came to me with his dream, I was careful to 185 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:55,200 Speaker 1: talk to him about being realistic, get real, the power 186 00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: of James Princes, keep it real. Sure, if he dreamed 187 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: to play college ball, there were places that he could 188 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:09,200 Speaker 1: play college ball, but there were simply limitations that were 189 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: not going to allow him to ever play for University 190 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: Alabama anywhere in the SEC and probably any Division one 191 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 1: football team at six one two oh five. So instead 192 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: of saying, dude, you're stupid, the dreams aren't any good, 193 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,959 Speaker 1: we talked about being realistic with those dreams and a 194 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: variation of those dreams that would make sense. Because here's 195 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: the thing. The third thing about a dream is everything 196 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,839 Speaker 1: that has started and exists did start with a dream, 197 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 1: and people who cannot dream will get sick and become psychotic. 198 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: But the third one is you don't ever want to 199 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 1: set anybody up for failure by allowing them to have 200 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: an unrealistic dream, because that failure may cripple them if 201 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:58,959 Speaker 1: they're chasing something that's impossible. When I started my lumber company, 202 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: I did and say I wanted to become Georgia Pacific. 203 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: I just wanted to start a lumber company. So as 204 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: you're thinking about maybe working in community, and you're thinking 205 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,040 Speaker 1: about maybe working in your nonprofit, or you're thinking about 206 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: your own children, remember these three things. We need to 207 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: We need to understand that everything that ever happens in 208 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: the world does start as a dream, as a thought. 209 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 1: The inability to dream will turn to psychosis and death. 210 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: And we need to understand that Achieving a dream starts 211 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:50,760 Speaker 1: with having a realistic goal and dreams in place. But 212 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: if we do that, amazing things can happen in our 213 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 1: lives and the lives of those around us. And I 214 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:04,600 Speaker 1: am living proof of the power of dreams. That's shop 215 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 1: Talk number seven. I hope you'll think about it. I'm 216 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: Bill Courtney.