204. You Can ReLaunch Your Life and Start Over with Confidence

As part of his recovery from a serious childhood injury, Joel’s family enrolled him in martial arts. Later he taught the basics of Tae Kwon Do to children, then became a lifeguard. “I always had a burning desire to be a helper of people, ‘a people-grower’ is what I liked to call it.” In college, he also discovered a talent for radio broadcasting, a talent he continues to use in his ReLaunch podcast.

At age 5, Joel was severely injured when he plunged 30 feet from what turned out to be a railroad trestle. To a boy’s eyes, the trestle seemed like it could be huge monkey bars, until he heard a train approaching. “When I came out of a three-week coma, that’s when the journey of recovery—finding out who I was—really started for me. The fall had left me with multiple skull fractures, affecting my inner ear and my balance.” Joel recalls years of physical therapists, special education teachers and struggling to learn movements that came naturally to his classmates.

“One thing I’ve come to understand is that people want to be challenged. But you’ve got to challenge them in the right way. It doesn’t mean people want to be argued with, but they do want to be pushed. It takes a little bit of art and a little science; and, of course, my life experiences and counseling education have paid off as well. My life experiences and my counseling education have paid off as well. If you’re able to challenge and inspire people in the right way, they’ll surprise you. And they’ll surprise themselves. That’s a reward in and of itself.”

1. Recognize that you have—and everyone has—an inner voice and a message.

2. Help people realize they can relaunch their lives and start over with confidence.

3. Find and re-examine your own limiting beliefs that are holding you back.

Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison, by Joe Calloway

The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy

Finding Your Voice: Sort Through the Clutter; Discover Clarity, Confidence and Direction, by Joel Boggess