We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arthur J. Rutledge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Arthur J., great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
Risk is a normal aspect of living fully. A matter of fact, it is the only way to guarantee strengthening our emotional fitness. I grow up taking on challenges that most people won’t because I do the things in which my heart revels. I’m sure if I had let my sensibilities catch up to me, they would’ve stop me from learning how to be unstoppable.
1. I practiced getting out of the unconscious societal state of programming called conformity. I became aware of tendencies that created a false sense of security & touchstones of unrealistic expectations. I started trusting what I could do immediately, instead of trusting fear conversations. I started replacing self-cynicism by building constructive thoughts in their place. Staying in a comfort zone is a no no. The only zone worth traveling in is a persistent zone of action. Pointed consistent action beat worries senseless.
2. I decided to let non essential thoughts around things that were painful in my past that gone bye to be bye Gones. When something happened to me that was hard for me to let go of I just reminded myself that errors that I made were an issue if I embraced it as my only concern or option. As I got stronger in my decision making did I see the consequences for holding on being counterintuitive & counterproductive in the long run. When I agreed to put aside things i did out of ignorance, i realized i could find new ways of being better with new found knowledge with competency. This lead me to laser focus that in turn free up the flow of my dormant creativity juices. Since we need our thoughts to be clear and concise to hit life’s goals, I felt confident and my mind open to solutions that took away any burdens I felt in the shaped of risk.
3. I had life coaching and found examples of people that could inspired me. We can’t see ourselves in the picture when we are in the frame. Good outside influences will always lead to good information that might lay outside of our scope. I understood from so many “unsung heroes”, that is ok to feel uncomfortable & uncertain about moving towards an unknown destination. To accommodate the unforeseen and to accomplish it. The best way to win in life is to face things not make excuses for outcomes that couldn’t have happened any other way. I Took on forgiveness and shunned shame. I listened to those who asked the right questions and were willing to pass what they found to me. I learned in the practice of being present to find the lesson and allowed it to grow me in whatever time it became ready for me to use. I Learned to explore what I try to ignore.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I was born and raised in north east Detroit, Michigan. Moved to New York for modeling 2000. Soon after Lived as an international top model in Italy, Germany, Sweden, South Africa, and worked in several other countries for several years.
I’m an Entrepreneur with a fashion brand and an events company in Manhattan, New York. owner of kap group events nyc and co-founder online store www.peoplespride.us
In 2018 started speaking career.
In 2020 certified as a John c. Maxwell speaker, mindset coach & trainer.
I am a thought leader with an unwavering mission to enhance, cultivate, and empower over a million leaders in fulfilling their pure potential in life. startIng from a young age his love for people became fundamental and sparked his passion to give back by supporting people in their personal growth. 2024 marked the fruition of that endured vision with the new book ” 11 pillars of confidence: build and lead an empowered YOU.”!
11 pillars of confidence talks into confidence and commitment to the things that can fulfills us. It also will support people in finding what it takes to feel a right balance with self value in our pursuit of prosperity during our journey.
My abetment in life is to continues helping people to reinvent and reinforce the vertical mindset the words he is know to say as encouragement to all,
Moreover in the middle of writing on my second book and organizing training courses around vertical mindset.
More information at my website www.verticalmindsetgroup.com
SHINE ON!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I learned and prospered in many different ways. Overcoming adversity is about the discipline of self through preparation and the will to rise emotionally despite defeat. In My first company I has no real fans. No one knows what I was made of, not even me. So how could I persuade others of the sincerity of my intentions? I had no one from whom to model for the results I sought. I was inexperienced, overly egotistical , and a bit naive. Consistency over time builds belief in yourself and others. So I gave a breakdown of my three most valuable attributes or area of knowledge. I would say; communication, collaboration, consistency.
1. Communication is the only way to achieve longevity with people. Whether with consumers or personal networks. Communication is a vital component that takes getting good on yourself. It’s having the belief in what you’re trying to rely about yourself so to be seen as reliable, relevant, and relatable. It doesn’t hurt to take on the philosophy of “shoe on the other foot” as a practice. When I’m vulnerable enough in my communication i cause trust to happen. my communication allows others to do the same. Creating harmony with empathy is a great start. Good talks are when two or more participate to ensure equality.
2. Collaborative engagement create an abundance of growth and opportunity.
I learned this African proverb some time ago that says,”If you want to go fast,GO ALONE. If you want to go far, GO TOGETHER. That has held true for me and many others I know. The fact about it, many businesses don’t implement this simple concept and therefore loose trust amongst colleagues & customers alike. No vision comes to fruition unless we are welling to become proactive in generating hope, trust, and faith to advance social cohesions. Furthermore, leadership is baptized and becomes foundational through the in nurturing of interconnectedness. Good stewards of leadership can attest to that truth. It was proof to me that I was getting good at getting out of my comfort zone and into impacting a community equilibrium. Remember, steel is best in sharping another steel, so do we have the power to sharpen one another. .
3. Consistency is fervently fluid in both of the above. It’s in the family member of persistence. These take any person from dull to sharp in little time. I’m a master connector and have made friendships around the world, That would not have been possible if not for my willingness to repeatedly be the type of person that I wanted to meet and be around. That never giving up mentally is what I have adopted and adapted to my speaking/coaching as the vertical mindset. Showing up daily gets things done with intention and intensity of purpose. Others will see it and be drawn to your apparent winning results.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I love the axiom “leaders are learners”. It’s all types of ways to educate oneself. A healthy curiosity is a sign that can be quenched with an intentional appetite surrounding Reading and audiobooks. I have several favorites. The Bible is my most consistent. The others as follows:
1. 15 invaluable laws of growth and sometimes we win, sometimes we learn- John c. Maxwell
Quote: Life begins at the end of our comfort zone.
2. cultivating an unshakable character – Jim Robb
Quote: “Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.”
3. The power of intention – dr. Wayne w. Dyer
Quote: “I urge you to Take the path in which resistance is minimized. The shape and quantity of your thoughts determines the amount of resistance. Thoughts that generate bad feels are resistance thoughts. Any thoughts that puts barrier between what you would like to have and your ability to attract it into your life is called resistance.”
4. Indistractable and as a man thinkith – james Allen
Quote:” they whom are patient, calm, gentle , & forgiving under all circumstances manifest the truth. Truth will never be proved by wordy arguments or learned treaties. For if a person do not perceive the truth with infinite patience, undying forgiveness & all embracing compassion, no mare words could ever prove it to them”.
5. Meditations – Marcus Aurelius
Quote: “receive without conceit , release without struggle”.
6. An enemy called average- John mason
Quote:”It’s hard to climb high it your character is low”.
7. The mountain is you – Brianna weist
Quote: “One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But the person you become in learning to get over it? That will stay with you forever. And that is the point of the mountain”.
8. Mine of course! 11 pillars of confidence: build and lead an empowered YOU!
Quote:”When we establish ourselves as priceless our thoughts we’ll start to validate our worth and instantaneously go from feelings of being irrelevant into the knowledge we are irreplaceable”.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.verticalmindsetgroup.com
- Instagram: @arthurs_mindset
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HHEcA3DJT/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-j-rutledge-68111530?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: @bornking1
- Youtube: Arthurrutledge1212
- Other: https://linktr.ee/arthurjrutledge
