Ryan West hosts a podcast called Revealing Healing, where he brings on guests who have battled all kinds of health crises and found ways to get through them. Ryan’s podcast is a show dedicated to telling motivating health stories. The Revealing Healing show hosted by Ryan West who is a brain tumor survivor himself! I’m excited to have him on the show!
Below are some insights from Ryan West. Enjoy!
What is your personal definition of success?
This one is a short answer for me. My definition of success is when you get paid as a result of what your creativity created. Hands down the best feeling ever are to work on something from scratch and see others benefit from it.
Can you share the steps you take daily to improve?
I don’t know if there is enough paper in the world to write down what I am trying to improve on. I’m going to answer this a little differently by saying I try other things to help me improve on what I know I’m not good at. Here’s an example, for all of 2019 I have been trying to learn how to play the guitar. The reason I pushed myself to do that was that I have always wanted to learn but also because I know that once I feel confident playing the guitar I will all of sudden be good at three things I use to suck at. Why? Because I believe that when we teach ourselves how to do something that is creative, our brains automatically help us out and solve those three things we were having problems with. Creativity is free. Let me say that again, creativity is FREE and when you tap into it you can do wonders for self-improvement.
What is your advice for someone making an important decision?
If you have time, think it over and then think it over again. I don’t think (no pun intended) that we allow ourselves enough time to think throughout the day. It is so undervalued how important that is. I watched the documentary about Warren Buffet last year and the one thing out of everything he said that stuck with me was how much he just thinks throughout the day. I thought maybe I was just some odd person (no comment) but when the richest person in the world suggests it I think I can get behind it. Some of the best ideas come from sitting in silence and thinking about what you could do here or there. If time is limited like in so many cases, you make your best-advised decision and don’t look back. You are in the role because you got the job, be confident.
Tell me about a specific moment that set you on the path you’re on now?
I always know I wanted to be an entrepreneur but didn’t know what made sense for me to push myself into. In October of 2018, I was at the doctor getting checked for something in my throat that didn’t feel right. Ultimately it was coming from my stomach as a result of stress from my job. I think a lot of that stress was brought on by myself and so the doctor asked me if I had ever thought about anxiety medication. I’m on a lot of medication from my tumor and the disease I have (acromegaly) and didn’t want anymore. Also, I didn’t think I needed anxiety medication or that it was for me. Long story short, my doctor convinced me to try it and within a few weeks, I noticed a huge difference in how I thought. Shortly after I jumped head in on starting a podcast, developing a fitness app, and soon to be a community platform to bring adversity survivors together. The best way I can explain how the anxiety medication helped and how it was a specific moment was that my creativity was finally going at the same speed as my drive to be successful. That’s it.
If you could recommend one book for our audience, what would it be?
I would recommend “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”. My whole entrepreneurial spirit is built around turning adversity and misfortune into opportunity. You could make the argument that those who suffered through the concentration camps of WW2 are the toughest individuals of the last 1000 years. What they were able to withstand is simply remarkable and I highly suggest you read this book. These are the real survivors and heroes.
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Which character traits do you value most?
Innovators who aren’t afraid to try different things. One of the things I have had to learn the hard way is that trial and error are part of being an entrepreneur when you are just starting out and beyond for that matter. Yes, you are going to have to spend some money that isn’t always going to produce results, but those lessons are invaluable. I think the most successful people (innovators) don’t get rattled by failure, rather they address it head-on and by doing so they disarm the fear of it happening again. The world is full of technology and when you see someone who has cracked the code on being successful it’s very inspirational to me.
How do you push through tough times?
One evolution at a time. I have really studied what it takes a Navy Seal to get through the infamous “Hell Week” and ultimately the entire training it takes. One of the most common themes you will hear from those who have been successful is that they only focus on the current task at hand. That doesn’t mean you are not thinking big picture, rather you are focusing on the current headache so you can address the next. I use this technique as much as I can. It has helped me improve my mental ability and certainly my fitness game which I am very big on as well.
What inspires you?
Accomplishing the goals I set, learning new entrepreneur skills, and helping others. It took me a long time to figure that out but those three things keep me busy like never before. This is a great question that others should ask themselves. When you know what inspires you and align your life around it or them, everything else seems a little easier to deal with and manage.
How do you manage and prioritize opportunities?
Since as far back as I can remember, I have been an organizer. I always liked to set up the games I was playing or align the toys I had in order. I enjoyed the setup more than the actual playing. When I was a teen I would rearrange my room to try and gain the most space possible, which was essentially process improvement. That thought process carried over into my adult life and was very helpful when I was a Flight Deck Director in the US Navy onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The first thing I address with any problem, issue or daily task is by immediately working through all the ways I can manipulate the situation to get it done sooner. I don’t mean manipulating in a bad way, rather I want to find the core issue and work backward so I can move to the next. here’s another example, I always read a magazine from the back to the front. Again makes no sense to most but I am doing that so I can get through it quicker. So I manage and prioritize each situation in a strategic manner to ensure that I don’t waste my time. I am very big on managing decisions so they won’t waste my time so I can try to be creative.
What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
Read more. I was terrible about not having the patience to read when I was younger. Reading is such a game-changer if you want to make it.
