We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ronak Patel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ronak, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
One of the quotes on my white board is to, “Be Ruthlessly Resilient.”
It is something that has come into the forefront of my awareness within the last year or two.
It originates from a generalized, don’t quit attitude. If you never quit, you never fail. If you fall down, pick yourself up and dust yourself off. If it was easy, everyone would do it, etc.
On my path, resilience was built and not found. The journey started when I washed out of Air Force Pararescue. It was the first time I had quit on myself and I learned a very important lesson the hard way. I have since been knocked down in a variety of ways and have grown my resilience by never quitting on myself again.
Resilience is one of those things that you become good at by getting the reps in. I refrain from saying unfortunately because there is no telling what my character would be without the hard times. Medical Discharge from the Air Force, getting 3rd Degree Burns as a Volunteer Firefighter, not getting hired the first time you apply to the Fire Department, Knee Surgery, getting medically dropped from Georgia Flames for Rhabdomyolysis, COVID during Flight School, Two Hip Surgeries, etc.
You become Ruthlessly Resilient by Embracing the Suck and getting Comfortable being Uncomfortable. Life gave me the opportunity to have a fantastic edge and it is my responsibility to keep it sharp. Whether I do that with cold showers, cold plunges, saunas, 4am gym sessions, sprints, running in a plate carrier, meditating or fasting, the objective is the same. Do something that I do not want to do and get comfortable pushing past that feeling.
Sure a lot of this has health benefits but the way I see it, those are just side effects. The real benefit is sharpening your resilience for when you need it.
No matter what obstacle is put in my path, I will not quit. I have already punched that card once, never again!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
It took me a while to zero in on it but I eventually realized that I enjoy problem solving and making things more efficient which brought me to the wonderful world of business and entrepreneurship.
My current focus is Dirty Dozen Coffee Company.
I am a co-owner with three partners that are still full-time firefighters with Lowndes County Fire Rescue in Valdosta, GA. I am no longer a firefighter myself, I was a volunteer firefighter for 4 years while I was in the Air Force and did 2-years as a full-time firefighter once I was out of the military.
Dirty Dozen Coffee Company is a Veteran and Firefighter Owned, Specialty Coffee Roasting Business.
The name Dirty Dozen comes from back when Lowndes County Fire Rescue was a smaller department with only 12 full-time firefighters. The volunteer firefighters would call the full-time firefighters the “Dirty Dozen.”
Our Signature Engine 10 Blend was created by one of our co-founders, Jeff Fitch in 2007 when he decided that his palette was too refined for government issued coffee and we love him for it!
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 hope it’s okay, I got five things but I’ll keep them short and sweet.
1) Perspective
– Keep an open mind, don’t jump to assumptions and care for others
– Perspective was pivotal in my maturity
2) Be Unapologetically Authenticity
– I think this is the hardest for most people…just go for it, be your truest self. Go do things you want to do, even alone if your “friends” aren’t interested and you will find your people and your people will find you
3) Make Peace with the Chaos
– There will be seasons where no matter how many tasks you check off of your list in the day, you happen to add more than you accomplished
– The greater the resistance, the greater the calling
4) Stay Calm under Pressure
– Control your breathing, slow down
– Keep a clear head, think
– Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
5) Lone Silence
– Sit without distractions and observe your thoughts. You will learn a lot about yourself
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Always, I love a good joint venture! I am always open to new ideas so if you have anything in mind, please reach out.
Here is a list of potential collaborations to get the wheels spinning:
– Veteran and/or First Responder Businesses
– Coffee Flavored Items
– Mugs, Tumblers
– Apparel
– Affiliates
– Retailers, Coffee Shops, Catering Companies
– Wedding Venues, Event Spaces
– Fundraising, Nonprofits, Corporate Gifting, Realtors
partnerships@dirtydozencoffeecompany.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dirtydozencoffeecompany.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtydozencoffeecompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dirtydozencoffeecompany/
Image Credits
DeAndre Pierce
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
