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The Smoke Trail, hosted by Smoke Wallin, is a journey into awakening consciousness, weaving authentic stories and deep discussions with inspiring guests to unlock high performance and perfect health. Each episode delves into spirituality, leadership, and transformation, offering tools to transcend trauma and find your bliss along the way. It’s a reflective space for achieving peak potential and inner peace in a distraction-filled world.
Today's guest is Jeremiah Boucher, founder and CEO of Patriot Holdings, a powerhouse in alternative commercial real estate with over 400,000,000 in assets across self storage, mobile parks and industrial properties. A member of Joe Polish's Genius Network, where I met him, Jeremiah credits the community for deepening his spiritual growth, finding profound meaning in recovery, compassion and connection beyond just business success. Alright. Jeremiah, welcome to the Smoke Trail.
Jeremiah:Hey. How you doing, Smoke?
Smoke:I'm doing great, man. It was I'm so excited to have you. We we I got to meet you at the Genius Network event, And I was sitting there in the audience, and all of a sudden, I was like, who is this guy on stage giving this passionate talk about, you know, it's so important. Why? My why?
Smoke:And and, you know, it it was it was just like it resonated with me. So I was so excited to connect with you and and just share a little of your story and just, you know, see how it might help others.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Pain is a privilege. That was a that was a good moment. It's speaking next to doctor Phil and some of those other key speakers was a big step for me, so I'm happy it resonated with you.
Smoke:Yeah. No. I mean, it was it was, you could tell I could tell it was from the heart, and you were speaking your truth, and that came across. You know? Like, you you can't fake that shit.
Jeremiah:Yeah. For for sure. That was a vulnerable one in an intimate setting, and it felt felt good.
Smoke:Yeah. No. That was great. Well, I wanna talk a little bit about that, but, like well, let's start with a little of your origin story. I I had the chance to listen to some of your audiobook, the Edge, which I love.
Smoke:And, I love the, you know, the the the fact that you have took the time to kind of, first of all, understand how you see life, how you see your business career. You know, I love your quarter analogy and kind of putting it in different segments. And then and then, obviously, that's all about giving back and trying to help other people who are, you know, maybe earlier on in their journey and and could benefit from what you've learned in a a very successful career and with without not without its ups and downs, but, you know, it's all about, like, getting there and also giving back.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Yeah. The book is is finding your edge, and it's specifically about my journey in commercial real estate investing. But more importantly, it's about the the journey of entrepreneurship. And I think the things that you know, being part of this genius network that we're both a part of, highlighted to me that the internal journey is as or more important than the external, and who we become is the ultimate gift.
Jeremiah:And these are trite things that we all hear. But, ultimately, it's like no one can take away who you are and what you've created. So every experience looking back and and really reminiscing and and articulating and defining what these experiences of of the challenging times and the good times in my life, how this emotional roller coaster of being an entrepreneur coming from nothing. My dad has a small paving company. I grew up working manual labor.
Jeremiah:My mom worked as a biologist and there's challenges in the home. But ultimately, it's like, I get these lessons. This is who I am, and this is what taught me along the way. And I I think it's just such a valuable experience. And especially when you're dealing with business and emotions and relationships personally and professionally, being able to have that resilience to be able to handle anything that comes at you, it's just such a critical thing.
Jeremiah:So I'm glad that you my focus on that talk was pain is a privilege. And what I meant by that was that all of the pain is actually just such a valuable message. And it taught me those things that I shared is it creates a lot of awareness. When you have pain, you get hyper focused on what is going on right now in my life. And I'm quite present in the moment when things are very painful.
Jeremiah:And it made me more empathetic to other people rather than being you know, I have I'm grateful for everything I have. I mean, there's a lot of opportunity in America, but yet a lot of people are struggling with a lot of things and even successful people and slowing down and thinking about that and feeling that and and empathizing with people. Some of those things were important for me where I get so isolated in my world and I just did I was so disconnected because really the the pain allowed me to connect with myself and and with god and and wake up in a way that these are the things that really matter in my life. These relationships and these this my connection with myself and god and what I'm creating in this life. And that that's I don't think without the suffering and the pain, it doesn't really it doesn't come it's not a priority for me.
Jeremiah:Everything's happy and or whatever on the surface it's successful. But the the these times in my life when you experience major pain, it's like, reset time and it's a gift.
Smoke:Yeah. It really is. Pain is a privilege. I I I resonate with that so much. And and and, you know, so in learning about your story, listening to your book, and just kinda hearing it.
Smoke:So we have a few things in common. I was a wrestler in in high school and college, and, you know, there that pain was a gift in wrestling. Right? And my my stepdad was a he had a a construction kind of landscaping business, and I was literally a slave laborer for many years working in that in that business, mixing mud, carrying wheelbarrows of stuff, moving trees, you know, like, the hardest hard labor you could imagine. You know?
Smoke:Well, you you know what it is. But but, you know, and as a kid, I remember, like, in middle school where I was like, this is the worst thing ever. And then at some point, something clicked and I was like, oh, I can do this, you know, and and we'd go and we do ten hour days in the in the Florida sun, you know, working all day and and it was just like, oh, I can get through this. And, you know, that translated into sports, and then that translated into later in business and in life. You know?
Smoke:But those those, those tough times are what sharpen the axe, starting the the the sword, or, you know, they make you who you are.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Oh, without a doubt. And it it's just for me, it was about not like you shared, not running away. Like Yeah. Just handling it head on and honing in and and experiencing it and knowing that that there's just because it's uncomfortable doesn't mean that it's wrong or I need to do something else.
Jeremiah:And I I I'm the same way. Like, it was uncomfortable to to work hard manual labor and trying to be at the bottom of the totem pole. I didn't know anything different at 16 years old. Actually, I realized how important it was for me to impress my father. He wasn't around in my life.
Jeremiah:I wanted to be like him even though I didn't consciously know that. I just wanted to to be respected and I wanted to feel like I was important and had a purpose and I felt like working hard validated that and it and it gave me pride and I had I have a stepfather as well and he has a military background. It was such an important lesson for him to share it. How you do one thing is how you do everything. The fact that you don't take pride in what you do, it's it it disrespects me and it disrespects the family.
Jeremiah:And there's a lot around that in ego. But I got the point of, like, you know, really take pride. If you're gonna take time to do something, take pride and do it. And that's how I approach that talk about when I'm up here, I'm gonna share something from the heart. And if you don't want it, you don't I don't care, but I'm I'm not wasting my time here.
Jeremiah:I'm like, I'm gonna give it everything I got because, because it's a reflection of who I am. And and I just it's so valuable that, like, these proof points that we endured these pivotal things in life, like wrestling. I wasn't as good to be in college, but, you know, that going through that experience and even though, you know, no one cares that you wrestled, you know, and it's only you and the other guy on the mat. And for someone you know, anyone in the arena, I respect because it's it's hard. That is a freaking hard sport.
Jeremiah:Right? And then those things create enduring lessons for the rest of your life. When you get pushed against the wall and, you know, you're getting choked out or you're gassed out in the last minute of the match, it's you're the only one that knows who's telling the truth. Did you really give it all? And if you did, then you just elevated everything in your life because you know you can go to that next level.
Jeremiah:But most people can hide behind comments or likes or, you know, in the background and never they can criticize, but until you're there, I don't care if you failed or you won. The fact you did it and you know how you performed, that that's, I think, amazing gift that translates across everything.
Smoke:Yeah. It really does. And and and and full full disclosure, I was a great backup practice room college wrestler. There was an all American at my weight when I got there, and I, you know, I never got that starting spot in all in all my years, but but, you know, it it was, it was it was definitely a good experience. You know, I I look my probably the most pivotal thing just to on the wrestling thing, I went to Dan Gables intensive training camp in Iowa when I was in high school.
Smoke:And, you know, twenty eight day intensive training camp, four four days for twenty eight days, and that was at the peak of Iowa's program. Right? It was like, you know, panic and all these guy you know, these beasts that were just not they weren't even human. And and they they beat us and worked us like nothing. Right?
Smoke:It was just it was the hardest, like, intensive little thing I ever did, and they had a T shirt. I'm going to heaven because I've been through hell. I have intensive training camp, and it was it was pretty accurate.
Jeremiah:That's awesome, man. Those leave a they leave a they etch they etch something in your brain for the rest of your life.
Smoke:Yeah. And and I was talking with someone about this, you know, discipline. Right? You you've obviously had discipline throughout your life. You know, you had your ups and downs, but you kept going back.
Smoke:You kept working the program. You kept even when deals didn't go right or things weren't going right in your life, you you kept working it. And that's, you know, one of those things that, you know, for those who are parents of younger kids and sports are so important, and it's not for winning. It's for the discipline. It's for the you know, you got a team that you don't wanna let down.
Smoke:You know, in high school, I was always trying to make weight. So I was I was always at the wrong weight, and I had to cut weight. There's nothing harder for a teenager to not eat. And, you know, like, that I I I know, in retrospect, I'm I think about it. I'm like, that is I mean, you know, you're any wrestler knows, like, wrestling is among, if not the toughest sport.
Smoke:It's a it's you know, I'll put it toe to toe with anything. But the weight part of it and actually having to cut weight to make a a class and workout and be at your peak and do your schoolwork and do all the things, you know, that's just a level of discipline that most kids don't have the opportunity to to develop early on, but it really carries through in the rest of your life.
Jeremiah:Oh, man. It's such an important quality and yeah. That's there's a lot to go over that, but yeah. Tell me where you wanna go.
Smoke:Well, I mean, let's let's well, let's talk a little bit about genius and how why it's you're so passionate about it. Because I think that was a really that resonated with me so much. That was my first event. I I had the chance to have dinner at Joe's house in a few months before the event, and I was like, wow. This is cool.
Smoke:I wanna I wanna experience it. And then you on the stage with your passion about it, about, you know, how important it was, and and it is the pain. It is the the the tough times, and it's the it's the helping each other. It's the getting through yourself, but it's also, like, how do you lend a hand to those that are going through that? No one can do it for someone else, but, we can do it together better.
Smoke:And I'd I'd just love to just hear some thoughts on that and what genius has meant to you and and why why it was so passionate for you.
Jeremiah:Yeah. I the the main thing was Joe Polish, the the leader of the group or the founder, set an example that he could be vulnerable and open about a lot of the internal challenges in his life. And I hit a point in my career where I I you shared to me before the show that a lot of people in their forties or fifties hit a point where they've achieved some success, and yet they feel the feeling like what something's off. Like, there's there's gotta be more than this. And I through the transformation over four years in the group, it allowed me to see how badly I I wanted success but at what cost.
Jeremiah:And I'm disciplined, right? And I'm driven. And I, yet at the same time, was living a life that was quite unfulfilling. Now, I'm not talking about happiness. Like, I'm not a big proponent of, I want to be happy.
Jeremiah:Like, yeah, happiness comes and goes, right? Happiness is a feeling and I'm happy sometimes, and I'm not happy other times, and that's good. We need it all. So what I'm talking about is underneath it all, it was that constant anxiousness and that, uneasiness around people, my family, even with moments of myself. And then I was wondering, looking at Joe's example, I guess is what the point is genius allowed me to see, wow, entrepreneurs are wired in a way that can really create a lot of chaos in our lives.
Jeremiah:Because of Doug Brackman's book, Driven, really helped articulate that. I I didn't like the life I was living. I did and that was so the Job sharing about this the obsession and the addictive nature of wanting to be a hunter and grow and always new new things you're going after and and ADHD and a lot of the the the things that visionaries, some of the the attributes that diagnosed or not, that we have these inherent ways of being and wanting to take risks and looking for the next high and, and constantly wanting to challenge ourselves. That's great. But the problem was, there my values weren't clear.
Jeremiah:And I really didn't understand underneath it all. All we have are the relationships with ourselves and with god and with other people. And that that was just Joe putting a mirror in front of me, and I just I isolated myself in business groups and investment groups where I was just measuring life's six my fulfillment on monetary success or significance. And I realized, like, I I can't do that anymore at this point where I'm willing to give up some of the financial success or the acknowledgment in order to be authentic and to feel more at peace and connected to who I am. And that that was a good eighteen month process of having some challenging things in business happen and personal relationships for me to reveal the things that I that really helped me grow as a person.
Smoke:Yeah. That's beautiful. You know, when I I went through, you know, a similar journey and, you know, was a serial entrepreneur for many years and, you know, always pursuing the next venture and, you know, passionately. But I was there was something off. And what I realized, you know, I I I was a heavy drinker.
Smoke:I quit drinking a couple years ago in this process and found God, found, you know, my true self. And all of a sudden, I realized there was a it you know, talk about anxiety and, like, being uncomfortable around people. I had, like, a fan that was going off in the back of my head that would go off when I would drink. It would it would turn off, and I would feel like myself. I would feel comfortable.
Smoke:And when I cleared my own trauma, my own shadows, I had a lot of childhood trauma that surfaced in my own, you know, journey of kind of finding out. And when I cleared that, the fan went off by itself. And so, like, all of a sudden, I was at peace, and I was like, oh, I don't need a drink. I mean, I can drink. It's not, you know, it it's it's not a problem, but I was using it to be feel normal, and I don't have that anymore.
Smoke:It was it was a it was a big breakthrough. And I didn't even know it was it I didn't really realize it. You know? I just was like, oh, I'm just anxious. I'm just like this, and I'm like, let's go get a cocktail.
Smoke:Right? You know? And then I would feel okay. Know?
Jeremiah:But Right. Right. Yeah. I it's such an important thing to see how we're observing our life from a more objective perspective and seeing, like, what are the how am I showing up? And we get so in the in the flywheel, right, or on this train where it's just kinda getting out of control.
Jeremiah:Right? You you take on more commitments. You wanna grow more. You keep building. Right?
Jeremiah:There's more risk. There's more pressure. And I found that that just kept growing and growing and I kept thinking, okay, when I get here, it's all going to go away, right? And it's like, I'm building a life where I'm actually, it's not going to go away. I'm doing everything I can to try to buffer or to numb myself from feeling that, but I'm the one creating it.
Jeremiah:So that for me, I quit drinking five years ago too, and, it's just it's not the fact that it was I had a alcohol problem. It was more of, is alcohol aligned with who I am and what I wanna create? And I'm I'm quite health focused. And, also, I I love feeling. I love actually being like being aware of what's going on and it just once I clarified that I want to be more connected to myself and other people and what are my purpose, I I don't need to numb that.
Jeremiah:Like, I actually did it's it's just doesn't serve me. So it's just kind of set it down and it wasn't a battle.
Smoke:Yeah. Yeah. Same. I it just didn't serve me and it wasn't a battle. It just was like, oh.
Smoke:It was more of like getting out of a habit. Like, oh, I I you know, oh, it's that time of day. Let's have a you know, that was for the first little bit, and then I was like, oh, I don't didn't matter anymore. So that's beautiful. Yeah.
Smoke:I mean, I look. I think we're all in this journey to figure this out, right, in some way, shape, or form, and everybody's got their own path. But I really love Kamal's talk, and I he's coming on the show, in January. But his book, love yourself, you know, really boils down to that. And you can't love yourself if you don't you aren't, you know, aligned.
Smoke:You have to be aligned with a higher purpose. You you know, I I I'm, you know, very much I spend a lot of my time thinking about spiritual things and God and how to be aligned. And it it's not so much thinking about it. It's just living it. It's how do I do it?
Smoke:How do I be it at all times? How do I exhibit the qualities that I respect and want to be? It's a it's like, instead of making the prayer, it's being the prayer. You know? And it and it's a it's a pivot.
Smoke:It happened along the way for me. But, you know, I think a lot of our peers, very successful people who are, you know, have done really great things in their lives, and then they get to a point where they're like, oh, well, okay. I've done all this, you know, some of them keep going. Right? Like, we we both I'm sure we both have friends who are like, you know, they're they're whatever age, and they just like, it's always the next deal.
Smoke:It's always the next deal. And like, there's you know, I don't actually don't have any judgment of that. But at some point, you come to the realization that like, oh, it's about something more. And it's, how do I help others? How do I give what I've learned?
Smoke:How do I just be, the best I can be? And it isn't has nothing to do with, like, whether I do this next big deal or not. You know? I'm still active. I still do m and a and make, you know, sell companies around the world.
Smoke:And I have fun with it but it's not I'm not chasing it it's more like you know hey you know how do I help an entrepreneur with their exit and you know and along the way end up like coaching them you know because they're all going through these things in life.
Jeremiah:Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's there's a lot around what you said there in in terms of being the prayer that that resonates with me in the way that I feel it and then tying to the rest of your statement. It it I can get in my head really easy.
Jeremiah:I I do. I'm in my head all the time. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs were constantly tactically evaluating strategy, and the the this is this dictates how we operate throughout most of our day. And when I dive into statements like, you know, I'm connected to my purpose, sometimes I feel lost around that because I'm like, my purpose changes every other day in terms of how I want to express myself. I mean, there's there's some core themes, but it to me, sometimes that puts me in a thought loop.
Jeremiah:And then the second thing is, you know, love myself. Like, sometimes I'm pissed that I'm not I don't love myself. I'm critical of myself. Yeah. And it's hard for me to just use that language to snap myself out of it.
Jeremiah:So for me, it's almost like completely, giving up. And what I mean by that is, when you said being the prayer, it's I got right here, right now. I'm my body. I'm present. I am connected to this person.
Jeremiah:I'm connected to writing this journal in my journal or this scripting out what I need to or negotiating this deal. Like, I just want to be right here, right now. And I don't know what that's gonna look like down the road, but I do know the more connected I am and grounded in myself, and and I talked about this in my book, and the the less the highs and the less the lows, the roller coaster of this whole thing, the more I feel like I'm aware of how I'm really feeling. And I noticed how I operated so consistently on autopilot of just reacting to everything. And at the end of the day, everything's still around me.
Jeremiah:I'm at peace. I'm not gonna die. Yeah. And it's I I can handle this right here, right now. And in terms of loving all the parts of myself.
Jeremiah:Like, maybe I don't love like, right now, I don't say I love myself, but acknowledging, like, yeah, like, there's a piece of me that I really, really like, I feel good about and I do love. And it's just I don't have to convince myself. It's just this this feeling and being present and still with it. You know? There's no, like, hack.
Jeremiah:There's no there's no special thing on Instagram or something that you find and you fix it all. It's just riding the waves, you know, and enjoying the process. And and it's all everything has value, and that's it. I kinda had to give up and stop pretending like I needed the answer or something or some I need to feel good all the time and I just started to accept who I am and how how I felt and what I have in my life.
Smoke:Yeah. That's I I I resonate fully with that. And well, but there I think there are some hacks. Right? There there's there's no instant hack, but you you talk about some of them in your own practices, your daily practices.
Smoke:Right? You talk about journaling and the things you do. Maybe share with our audience, you know, what is your routine? Because to me, the hack is the discipline of getting a routine that is conducive to being present. You know, so it's, it is a hack.
Smoke:Right? I mean, in a in a way. But it's not like you just watch it and do it. I mean, you have to build it into your your program. And for me, like, I was never a journaling guy, and now I now I journal every day.
Smoke:I was never a meditating person, now I meditate every day. You know, it's all these little things, but by building them into your schedule, it helps you stay in that mindset that you wanna be in.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Yeah. I think for me to shift towards instead of it being a to do, it's more of, like, I wanna do this. I I I feel I'm called to doing this. And if I'm not called to doing it, I'm not gonna do it again and again.
Jeremiah:Like, I eat healthy because I'm called to do it because if I don't eat healthy, I feel like garbage, and it I hate it. So for and I it's rituals. Right? Yeah. Smoke it.
Jeremiah:And that so I think the hack is maybe the the intellectual awareness that you should do this, but then it's just swipe to the next thing. And then you don't actually practice any of it. So it's the ritual of doing the things that you wanna do that give you the the payoff that you wanna experience. So I don't have some elaborate ritual, but couple things, like, right when I first wake up, you know, I I've gone back and forth with affirmations, being a Tony Robbins guy since I was 20 and 44. But I do notice, like, I I first thing in the morning, I just say some things to myself.
Jeremiah:It's like that trigger, and I just say out loud in a in a convicted voice some of the things I'm grateful for, who I love, what I love, all the opportunity. And it's like seven lines or maybe 10 lines, but it tricks my brain right away. Yeah. It somehow, it starts my day off right. And I
Smoke:I Are you will you will you share what you did what you say? Are you are you okay sharing it publicly?
Jeremiah:Well, yes. Yeah. I'm just like, like, I'll my alarm will hit or it goes off, and I wake up, and I'm tired. And I just say, I love my life. My body feels so strong.
Jeremiah:Like, I love my parents. I love Hannah. I love my friends. I and just these people in my life. And I'm so grateful for how much wealth I have and how much opportunity.
Jeremiah:And I don't even feel that way. Right? It's just I'm just saying it. And then my brain is going, man, you feel that? And it gives me this burst and then immediately I put my shoes on and I just go walk for fifteen minutes.
Jeremiah:Like, it's such an important thing for me. I have to get up and move around and by the time I'm five minutes in and just breathe in, there's no special thing. I'm just outdoors moving my body. Like, boom. Like, something clicks that I'm I'm up and I'm aware.
Jeremiah:And that that's a great ritual for me. It's so simple, and it and it actually keeps you lean. Like, you know, just drink some water. Just don't eat. Get out and walk.
Jeremiah:It doesn't have to be hard.
Smoke:And Yeah.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Then I get back and and if I feel like journaling, I journal. I write a couple things down about the day that I wanna focus on. Goal setting for me is just really simple. I wanna keep it less than a handful of things.
Jeremiah:Because if I continually I I think in this self help world or the the the personal development, there's always these classes or themed events about setting goals. And I found that I was just resetting goals and I didn't even remember or acknowledge the goal I set before sometimes because I would set so many goals. And instead, it's like now I I'm gonna set the goal and unless I it doesn't align with me and my values, I'm not stopping. I'm gonna hey. If this takes three years, I'm gonna say the same damn goal for three years.
Jeremiah:And that that's helpful for me to keep looking at the north star. Is this gonna get me closer to my goal today of wealth, health, relationships, and, like, creative expression or connection with god? Like, that's good for me. It's just like a reset there. And I have to keep I'm a very simple guy.
Jeremiah:Like, I have to keep things very simple or I will not do them. I just I'll just lose track of it all and it's too complex. So that gets the day started and for me this last point on health is I like caffeine so I like coffee. I like getting going then I also have the pros yeah And I'm not an intermittent fast guy. I exercise every day and I get hangry and I don't want my team or clients to have to feel that.
Jeremiah:So in the first two hours, I'm not saying pound food right when I wake up, but within the first two hours, I have to eat some protein to feel good. And that's that's my little morning so that I feel like I have a good foundation to get the day going and it's quick.
Smoke:Yeah. No. That's great. I I think simple is great. And and it's for me, it's I do some some similar things, and, I I include a meditation for myself.
Smoke:But the meditation has turned more into being contemplative throughout the day so that I'm aware of things. And and what I'll what I'll do is take little breaks throughout my day in between Zoom meetings or calls or whatever and, you know, just breathe deeply and just reset, you know, and just kind of, like, be aware of the room, be aware of my body, be aware of being present. And that's a reset before I jump on the next, you know, whatever I gotta do. But it it helps me kinda keep it consistent throughout the day ongoing. I I think what you say makes so much sense to me.
Smoke:It's like, it's not in it's intentional to get going, but once you build it into your kinda your DNA, it just becomes you. And you're just that's just what you do. And it's you don't have to think about it. It's like, okay. This is what I do.
Smoke:And then if you somehow forget or you're traveling and you're something comes up and you you there's a break in that routine, you know it. Right? Like, you're you're like, oh, I I didn't do my normal thing. You know? It just didn't happen today.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Yeah. That that Jocko statement, your discipline is freedom. And I battled that because I was, very rebellious when I was younger, and I found that I would self sabotage when I felt like things got too regimented or I was too constrained around this checklist of things I should do. And now as I've gotten older, it's what what do I wanna do or what serves me in the long term?
Jeremiah:And instead of having such a need for instant gratification, it's like what's the thing that serves me that I feel progress is to me is like happiness is progress or fulfillment is in progress. So if I can look at the day and say I made some progress, man, I feel good about the day regardless if anyone else tells me I did good or not.
Smoke:Yeah. I mean, it's it's so important to celebrate the wins. I I something you else you said about setting goals and then setting more goals. And then you've done all these things, and you and so many people who are successful in the fast track, you know, entrepreneurs, you know, they don't even take a moment to look back and say, oh, I just did all these things that I was set out to do, and now I'm on the next thing. And I you don't celebrate your wins.
Smoke:And so it's it's just important to, like, breathe and be like, you know what? I'm do it's not the goals. It's the being who you are and the process of of doing that with awareness and goals to take care of themselves. Like, you know, yeah, you have have set them set big big crazy goals. It's great.
Smoke:But they take care of themselves if you do all the little things right. And the little things are be present. Do the things that may that matter, and don't get distracted. There's a million distractions. I think that's our biggest challenge in today's era is we have at our fingertips all the wisdom of all the ages.
Smoke:We can we can dig deep into the Buddhist teachings and the and the Advaita, you know, Hindu teachings and and the Christian mystics and the current, you know, there's a whole slew of current teachings, and they're all available to us. And it's like, there's so much noise. What do you focus on? What do you do? And it's little things.
Smoke:It's like, you know, make a decision to be kind to everyone in every way at all times. That little decision is the one of the most powerful things you could ever do from a spiritual standpoint. Because if you can be kind when you're not feeling good, when you're stuck in line and there's jokers in front of you and there's a everything you're in a hurry and someone cuts you off while you're driving or whatever it is, and you can just be like, oh, hope their days go getting to be better or, you know, just you can just be kind in that moment. It changes everything.
Jeremiah:Oh, yeah. Yeah. And speaking to that is I I at one point in my life, I was a people pleaser and avoider. So I don't I I think for the audience there, people that have their an empath and very, very connected to how people feel, learning that from trauma or from the how that we evolved. I think it's in my eyes, that kind is willing to say the thing that needs to be said and having the purest intention that you can have when you say it.
Smoke:Yeah. Yeah. Kind is not always like, hey. You know, you're doing great when they're not. No.
Smoke:Kind is, hey. You're not you're not living up to your potential. Here's what I see in you. You know, it's giving honest feedback when it need when it needs to be happen. I I I totally agree with that.
Jeremiah:Yeah. The best coaches, teachers, friends are the ones that say the thing that needs to be said, and they're not afraid to share something that may create conflict or may create some some energy there that is uncomfortable. And those are the best the best experiences of my life even though in the short term, don't feel good or maybe they do, but they were willing to be courageous enough not to protect their own image and care enough to give to me the thing they felt with the right with their intentions of what I needed.
Smoke:Yeah. Yeah. That's that's beautiful. Well, any anything else that you think that we haven't talked about that you'd like to bring out? I mean, you've got you've got obviously got your book is is terrific, especially if you're, like, in real estate.
Smoke:But even if you're not in real estate, it's just, like, the lessons in there are universal.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm happy about it. Thanks for listening to that audiobook. I I put a lot into it.
Jeremiah:I think I I guess the last thing that we could dive into is, relationships are tricky. Being when we we can control our habits and rituals and and we can be present at and at the same time, like, a lot of the meaning in life is around relating with other people and that we don't have control of. I think it's so important for me as I continue to grow. And I don't have a family yet, but exploring that next phase of my life is aligning myself with the right people. And that I think for me is a very important process and intuitive process because the environment is so critical, right?
Jeremiah:When you were talking about habits and rituals, the people in my life influence who I am a lot more than I ever realized. Especially looking back as a kid and the the the friends and groups and places I put myself created a lot of challenging moments in my life. So how I learned from that? Two things. One of them is structuring my life with people, coaches, friends, colleagues, clients.
Jeremiah:When I create this structure and I make a commitment, most times I don't feel like doing what I'm supposed to do. So, like, I am trying to learn how to handstand and there's a Cirque du Soleil performer teaching me right now. And I've always been a wrestler. Right? Or like a MMA or weightlifting.
Jeremiah:And this is the hardest thing ever. Right? The stretching and mobility and and this new ways of opening up my body and like every I train with her two to three days a week. I don't want to do it but I've committed to it and I and I show up and I put the work in and then I'm so happy and fulfilled and my body feels so good because I did it and like committing to that talk at Genius. Like, I really went back and forth.
Jeremiah:There was no ROI on that. It was just me fully being vulnerable and open but I committed to that group because I've aligned with that group and it's just again and again having these people in our lives that help support us and don't think that you want to like you feel like doing things is an ingredient in the formula, right? I I think highly successful people don't care about how they feel in the moment. I mean, feelings are important. We don't shove them down, but the feelings don't dictate who we are.
Jeremiah:And I'm talking kicking and screaming into, you know, six or 7AM training sessions or, you know, nightly, conference calls. Like, I'm not saying you have to always be in pain, but don't expect that it's gonna all you're gonna wanna do most of this stuff. Yeah. And so that and I
Smoke:stumbled into a hot yoga, hot yoga class here in Sedona. My wife was traveling, and I I was like, I need to do yoga, and I'm not very flexible. Right? So I'm like, I'm not good at it. And I did, like, the it's like the you do the all the different moves, and they do it twice, and you do it over this period of time in a hot room.
Smoke:And I I she said, your your goal is to make it through the class. I'm like, okay. So I I made it to the class. I couldn't do a lot of things. She said, good job.
Smoke:I said, you know, if it weren't for my days of wrestling, I probably would have left. You know? Like, it it was hard. It was really hard. And I was like, it was moves I couldn't do.
Smoke:But, yeah, it's like stick with it. If you decide to do something, you you you do it. That's what I my kids are grown now. But when they were young, you know, my rule was you don't have to do any sport that you know, I'm not gonna make you do a sport, but if you sign up for a season, you have to finish the season. Like, you can't let your team down.
Smoke:You can't let yourself down. So no matter what, if if you you decide you don't like something, you're gonna finish out that that year. And, and that was, you know, just another way of just, like, building that muscle of finish what you started.
Jeremiah:So important. My parents did the same thing. And I just I have a friend of mine that is going through a divorce, and they have a son. And his wife allowed the son to quit baseball even though the son was playing well but didn't feel like doing it. Yeah.
Jeremiah:And they have, you know, conflict around that and it's just that's a critical lesson. Once you commit to something, even though you don't feel like doing it, follow through and then then change and reevaluate.
Smoke:Yeah. It
Jeremiah:yeah. Just the people I think so. It's like, not only the commitment to the thing and and following through, and then it's just who are the people around me that, that I'm gonna surround myself around that that are just I don't know. That just align with and then they I feel good about my life with that person. And if I don't, I have to really consider if I want that person around.
Smoke:Yeah. I mean well, look. Everything is an is a energy field. You know, at some level, you you start to realize that, like, everything is an energy field. And there's low levels of consciousness or a certain energy.
Smoke:When you are born in poverty, you you're born into, you know, a situation where there's violence and crime and which I I was. It's very hard to break out of that. It's why, you know, Joe's work with the with the prison system and all this stuff he does, which is so great. You know, it gives it it's a different energy he's bringing into that system to get people like, hey. There is another way.
Smoke:But, like, you know, a kid who's grows up that way, maybe commits some petty crime, ends up in juvie, makes new friends. You know, I have we have one friend who's she's an old Italian family, and she says, oh, you know, when someone goes to jail, like, oh, they went to school. Right? That's how they talk about it. But, like, you you basically around that energy, and you you're gonna attract more of it.
Smoke:And it applies in good and bad ways. So it's so important to have discernment. It's you know, we learn, I think, to drop our judgment. Like, I don't I I've worked really hard to not judge people and yet have high degrees of discernment, which it translates to who do I want to spend my time with? Where do I want to put my energy?
Smoke:If someone is on a different track, a different energetic level, a low conscious level, it's something I don't want to be a part of. Now, can I help that person? Possibly. But I don't want my energy field to go down. So if I can help them, great.
Smoke:But I'm not going to insert myself into a low energy environment on a regular basis because it will it pulls you in. So that what you said makes so much sense. And, you know, it doesn't matter if they're your family, if they're some long time, you know, friend from the old days, a beautiful woman, you know, doesn't matter. If their energy is at a different level, you can't expect them to change. You have to remove yourself from the situation to keep your energy at a high level.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Well said.
Smoke:Totally agree. Awesome. Well, this has been great, and I I'm so appreciative that you have taken some time out of your your busy day and and empire building, if you will. You know, you got a great business, I know. Where can people find you?
Smoke:I know you have a podcast. You have the the the book. Give us a little, you know, where people can find you and learn more. You're sharing your journey on a regular basis.
Jeremiah:Yeah. Finding Your Edge, it's the book and the personal podcast. If you're interested in investing, it's the sophisticated investor. It focuses on real estate specifically. And, and then Patriot Holdings is my company, and you can reach out on any of the socials.
Jeremiah:But Jeremiah Boucher, and, you know, I had a great time. Smoke, thanks for having me on, and we can dive into some of this stuff that, you know, typically business people aren't talking about.
Smoke:Yeah. No. No doubt. I I really appreciate it, and let's let's keep conversation going. It's very important, and, you know, if it helps one person by hearing our talk about things that we've experienced, you know, that's that's the reason we're doing this.
Smoke:So it's it's good stuff.
Jeremiah:For sure, man. I love it. Thank you.