Rem Jackson: Anyway, thanks for the kind words about the book. I worked really hard on it. 

Tom Foster: And I'm working with Nancy too. You turned me on to Nancy, and she's been helping me with my book. We'll see how long it takes me. So, I was super impressed you got this done as quickly as you did. That says, that's a big shout out to Nancy. 

Rem Jackson: Well, yeah. And you know, that's the book. That's the book that I wanted. I wanted to write a book that I was proud of. 

Tom Foster: Right. 

Rem Jackson: And that would stay on the shelf that people would come back to again and again. And that my kids will have always is the book that their dad wrote that is something special. It's the best I could do.

Tom Foster: Well, and I remember you talking about this as one of your goals back in the mastermind group.

Rem Jackson: long time ago

Tom Foster: Long time ago. So it's great. Great read everybody. And when I was reading it, it also flows a lot like your Summits in terms of the way that you teach and coach, your doctors. And I found a lot of similarity in the way that you, because you do a summit every year for podiatrists or anybody really, right?

Rem Jackson: Every year. Yep. 

Tom Foster: And so the next one is coming up in San Antonio, I think. What's the dates again?

Rem Jackson: September 13, 14, 15. San Antonio right on the Riverwalk. 

Tom Foster: That'll be next week...

Rem Jackson: Oh yeah, I know.

Tom Foster: when this podcast goes out. So, I'll be there. I'm excited about that every year. 

Rem Jackson: You've been at every single one back when we had our very first one. We had the Top Practices Summit was close to here and we had 21 people, and five of them came from Marybeth Crane's office.

Tom Foster: That's right. That's great. And now, you know, you got hundreds and hundreds of people coming from all over the world. 

Rem Jackson: Well, they're all over the country and yeah, and yeah, the world. That's right. Yeah, absolutely. That's true. 

Tom Foster: So good job. 

Rem Jackson: Thank you. 

Tom Foster: You know, it's funny that you know, because we're living here in this moment, but we when you just kind of think about where it all started, and where it is now. It's, it's humbling. It's humbling.

Rem Jackson: I agree. 

Tom Foster: And knowing, to know you for all these years, and to see, really where we both come but to see how far you've come and how revered you are by so many people and how you've just changed their lives for the better. So many people come up and talk to me about that and tell me about that. 

Rem Jackson: Well, that's...I have always wanted to get married to my clients, my members, I call them members. I, you know, I don't want to do a one weekend thing and, and then you know, buy this $10,000 package and good luck with that. I mean, I've just always wanted to really work side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder and work with people because change takes time. Growth is incremental. And you know, people go through spurts. And then the other thing I've seen is that no matter who you are, no matter how successful you are, those headwinds come, the things happen in your lives that I call stink bombs. I say every, every one of us gets about three stink bombs a year. 

Tom Foster: Yeah, that's in your book. 

Rem Jackson: Well, you need to know that because when you get your stink bombs, you think it's only me because if somebody watches World of Marketing or anything else that they see. Where, you know, even in Top Practices on our mastermind calls, we don't get on the mastermind calls and say, "Well, this terrible thing happened." I mean, we're talking about the positive things that grow things and you can think you're the only person that has these problems. It's universal. Each one of us gets three stink bombs a year. And like I said, a stink bomb is, you know, you get the letter, you're going to be the audit or whatever it is. And you think, oh my gosh, this is horrible, and it smells terrible. And then, you know, two weeks later, we're just dealing with it, and then it just works itself out. That's not tragedies, tragedies are very different. They're hard to overcome. And that's not what I'm referring to, you know, the loss of a loved one or things like that. Those are different.

But business is filled with them. And you get filled with misunderstandings and accidental betrayals, and I mean, it just, it goes on sometimes real betrayals. I mean, this is normal, and you feel like you know, I work with the worst group of people. Go anywhere else and people have the same sets of personality. So it's just how you deal with it and you approach it.

And like I say in the book, and I think the message is that you want to always be in what I try to be in what I call a state of peace of mind. Which just means that thing that happened today that would normally make me angry or upset. I know in 24 hours, the emotional part of it will be over. So, let's just go there now. And then that opens up so much possibility just deal with things and people make mistakes, stuff happens you just deal with it. And if you try to do that just every day, that was advice I gave to my daughter at the back of the church. Try to enjoy today. And then tomorrow, try to do that again. And while you're at it, just keep it up and then the next 50 years are going to be great.

Tom Foster: Practicing being in the moment.

Rem Jackson: That's it. The Power of Now.

Tom Foster: The Power of Now. Which is a great book by Eckhart Tolle.

Rem Jackson: Thank you for getting me to read it. It's fantastic. 

Tom Foster: It's one of the must-reads. 

Rem Jackson: It really is.

Rem Jackson
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Founder and CEO of Top Practices, LLC