If you haven't heard about anchor is the easiest way to make a podcast, let me explain. It's a free creation tool that allows you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer anchor or distribute your podcast for you. So it can be hard on Spotify Apple podcast and many more. You can also make money from your podcast with no minimum listenership. It's everything you need to make it podcast in one space. So are you guys waiting for download? The free anchor app or go to Anchor dfm today to get started. Hello podcasters. This is your host Kevin young and this is the Paragon Project episode 15. So today I have the honor of interviewing Alex Vega. He's an entrepreneur who founded the wrote in and it's created who aspires to inspire without further Ado. Laughs. Can you introduce yourself and everybody I'm Alex like you said, I'm the founder of the Ronin and Hope you guys find this very very entertaining. Thank you for the internal. One question. I want to get right into is your upbringing because our childhood our upbringing really influenced us to be the person who we are today. Can you tell us a little bit about your upbringing and how your childhood molded you the person you are today? Yeah. Sure. So I'm originally from Nova kind of so I'm more of like a hybrid child. So my first 10 years of my life, I lived in Nova and then the second half of my life. I'm going into college. I lived in Virginia Beach and it's interesting when you talking about, you know, share some perspectives because my childhood compared to some others may have been very different but I learned very early on that. I can't really complain and I think if I really get deep deep into my childhood, you know, we could have like a three-hour conversation, but I just give you like a lot of the key points. So my dad actually left my mom we when I was 2 years old and he left because he and he was actually and he still is a fugitive running from the law. So it was pretty sudden and I remember going Like I just never knew what my dad was and I always ask my mom. My mom would tell me that he's working which you just tell me something. I don't think I rationalized that my dad was gone until we moved to Virginia Beach when I was like around 10 years old. I think that's when I could really rationalize that thought. So my mom was a single mom pretty much raising me until I would say year after my dad left her sister came down after she graduated physical therapy school, and she was taking care of me. Now my childhood. This is kind of where it gets very morbid and I'm just gonna be very honest with y'all my mom would work. Monday Wednesday, Friday Saturday Sunday for 12 hours in Annapolis, Maryland and she would commute from where we live where I'm living now in Woodbridge area to Annapolis, you know during those work times and even when we moved to Virginia Beach for seven years after he moved to Virginia Beach, she would travel from Friday to Monday still working in Annapolis. So she was very hardworking just to put food on the table. Now, I was raised by my aunt and I always could feel that I was you know, I felt like I was the thorn Her side, you know and whether you want to admit it or not, you mean because of the why, you know, Asian family, you know be there for family when my dad left my mom and my aunt knew that they kind of needed each other so I could tell that and I found out later of course that I kind of put a damper on my aunt Clans and I think for the first 15 years of my life, I was her punching bag so you can kind of guess where that is the leading. So yes, I was unfortunately I was abused pretty bad. Child now, I can you know victimized myself and talk about how you know, that was bad. I mean, I'm my aunt used to tell me to lie to my mom and you know when I've had marks and when she pushed me down the stairs when I was bleeding and she just you know, she would tell me some you know fucked up shit. Like, you know, if you if you loved me you would you know, tell your mom that you just fell down the stairs and me being a little kid. I didn't really know what that meant. So I just did it and it was interesting because even we know going into Virginia Beach, you know still getting abused and I still was more aware but there was a point to where Child Protective Services been involved and just like a whole Fiasco of all this and even at that I remember on my mom. I mean I had the decision my mom and my mom was like, you know, if you testify against her we're going to live in poverty and she was like, you can either you she gave me a choice. She said you can either wait until you're 18 deal with it and you know mold yourself and grow up and once you're 18, you can break out or you can choose to live in poverty. So pretty much out at that decision. I was around think I was in fourth grade. Grade and that's when I really had that decision of like, okay, what am I going to do? And I ended up just taking this to stay abuse because I'm like, well, I've been doing it for this song. I don't think it's going to make a difference and pretty much just to sum it up because I don't really want to talk too much about this topic is, you know, people like that they go two ways and for me, I I think as much as in this terrible that is that is for me. I taught me how to survive and my entire life going up into that point was survival. I remember when I used to watch TV Um, I wasn't allowed to it and you know, I'll have a system set my hair the garage door open, I would turn everything off of run downstairs and make it look like I was in school and it is just it was over survival ever since I was young but I think I never complained because I had the luxury of traveling grandparents or you know traveling with family and I just always saw people who were in the worst, you know, I would hear about people who are doing worse and they were happier. So I if I would look at it and be like the work they can't complain and as bad as my life is compared to the people. At I knew at the time but I that means I can't complain and it was just always a little things like that that I think that really molded my upbringing just because it was survival and me always having that primitive mindset weather survival subjected to some people but to me, it was just getting through the day. I allowed that to really just teach me how to live and I became very self-sufficient at a young age and very independent and it just kind of made me in a sense. It did make me become very unsympathetic at times just because I knew what I was going through and different Theology of people. You know, just maybe like what do you have to complain about but I mean, it was always just survival survival survival. So yeah, that's that's a very deep story and I really appreciate you sharing this story with the audience in the hearing all that. I can only imagine the emotional struggles the mental struggles you had to go through with your father then you're on but one thing I realized when you were talking about all this you develop a I'm a Survivor kind of mentality instead. I'm the victim. Which is a great mindset to have because when you fall under that victim mindset, you don't want to really do anything and you like constantly calling for help. But when you're a Survivor you went through and you're like I can show people how to go through this which is something I really appreciate that you're sharing with us. And you also have the perspective of oh, I'll let people had it worse and that actually makes you a lot more happier. In fact, I was a reading from psychologists that if you're like really grateful for your situation and think wow. I could be in that other person's situation, which is worse. Then you're a lot more happier, which is what I believe like something that helped you through all those situations, which is fantastic. Was there any like specific moment in your past that developed that mindset you have today would you say I was I was able to thing's for sure. So I went to the Philippines and O8. Okay, and I was once again, you know when you're traveling at a young age and kind of take it for granted and I'll be very Very honest I took it for granted because I was one of those kids that you know, what escape from the world and of course we can have crowd that to my childhood and a lot of other stuff because from basically all in middle school. I was home-schooled. So going into High School the social awkwardness was at all-time highs a rest in peace, but pretty much what I was traveling in the Philippines. This is the first time I experienced true poverty. So my my grandma she came from a rich family. My grandparents came from a very poor family and when Visiting my grandparents like area this is the first time I really saw like kids, you know who are in poverty just in poverty and it was interesting because it wasn't necessary to kids that were sad that got me. It was a kids that were happy because I was looking at them and you know, I was thinking about you how blessed I was and at that time I was a little kid, but the it hit me and it's I'll never forget it when I saw these two kids just playing around and trash but they look like they're having the time of their life and for me, it made me realize that you know, that's there. Reality, you know they may see the city of Manila because it's right there but in the day that their reality is that and they don't really see problems, you know, like we in America see problems, you know, I mean like they're finding happiness and there's definitely struggling but the fact that in that moment, that's what I saw it as just that really hit me even when I was coming home, you know, really strong myself. I don't have an excuse. There's nothing to complain about and for a second thing just to add on to that and I could be as As a parent as possible because I feel like they're more honest. I am I feel like the better off they'll be I've been diagnosed at a lot of issues going up added masses speech impediment. I had to get that, you know fixed second and third grade I was held back in kindergarten twice because I had massive social anxiety. I developed clinical depression at age 12 don't really knew I didn't know what that was until you know, the of course high school and middle school and I started developing all these thoughts and I think you know, if I didn't tell anybody any of that, you know, that's what you're talking about. The whole Survivor mindset, you're right because I never let that Define me. I remember all these people would tell me what I could and couldn't do you know that, you know, we have clinical depression either to tell you that the depressions always going to be there the thought of suicide and Death Becomes normalized to you and if you aren't careful, then they can take over and then put in a split second you lose control and you know kill yourself. So for me, I just every time I would you know, go do something like that. If someone would tell me and Define me, I just, you know, realize even getting the college, you know, I'm still alive. It was just always be very interesting because I've had all these these problems put on me. Now. I have a lot more to I just don't want to I don't want to tell all of them but at least the major the major ones are there and I think it's just very interesting because it's not necessarily those moments specifically but in those moments and upbringing it allowed me to just not complain because it showed me the power of the Mind the power of your mindset and you know really is like, you know, you don't want to make something the reason why you can't make it happen. In you know, you can't say. Oh I have this this is why this isn't happening. Of course. It's also subjective because some you know diseases and some things you really can't control but for me, especially when it comes to the mentality mindset the I tell people all the time that you know, if you're not right, you know in your head you can have the highest success, but you still go to sleep with yourself, you know, I mean, it's just you you people forget the impact of themselves. It's a get to impact them to happens on their mindset and really what it means to be, you know, healthy in your mind maybe Physically, and I think that's one of the things that I always, you know, hold myself for is just being able to be mentally strong and just trying to be as honest as possible just because it whether it's with myself or whether it's people it just is not helping anybody honest with you everybody else and you're definitely not helping everybody if you're not honest with yourself to so that's very true. I actually do it being honest with yourself because if you're constantly like lying to yourself, you're never gonna truly grow as a person because You like? Oh, you might even develop like a ignorant or cocky mindset because of because like I'm already that good. Anyway, why should I do it now? Yeah be looking at yourself in the mirror and like what can I do to get better in a way and I really like the story about how you travel to Philippines in it brought back a mindset. Like well that enforce them is even more like I can't really complain because even these people who have it way worse than the or enjoy their lives. So why can't I enjoy my life and I also really have to thank you for telling us that you know things your At an early age. In fact, I have a podcast episode before talking about suicide prevention. I really encourage anyone in the audience who like are going through it may vary their native mindset to be open about it and be honest just like how a house is being really honest to all of us just that Honesty to yourself and to all your friends can really help you grow as a person and I really thank you for that Alex. I want to jump into a little bit more running to the Future a little bit maybe a couple of years ago for are you but you're in school you're in college and you finally decided I want to pursue my passion. What was that back to a defining moment? What was that defining moment in college every like, wow, I don't want to do this anymore. I want to actually throw in all my cards and pursue my passion was that moment so I can give you like a brief like to three-minute background of like how long the Ronan has been in my mind ever since I went to college I pretty much told myself. I'm going to Wipe everything away. So I took every conceivable picture of myself off social media and I decided to stay completely in silence because I knew I was working on myself on everything. I did in high school. I kind of wanted to lead that past behind going my freshman year. I thought I knew what I was doing and I kept as one of those people that kept switching majors and I think this feature scared me not because I didn't know what I wanted to do, but it was because I didn't feel like I fit in not necessary to college but Until what? I was studying what I'm trying to when I mean when I was trying to go in my upbringing I realized that you know, I felt I just felt like people were moving forward and I just wasn't, you know, freshman year. Everyone's telling you that like, you know, it's very unlikely for you as a freshman get an internship and I was like cool and I know everyone that I knew got an internship. I was only one and you know by junior year. I didn't even have an internship going into junior either. So I was just like dog like what is going on and you know, I kept telling myself. I remember with my old roommates my A group of friends there is I want to say there is five or six of us but just go is no those there was there was five of us and we would always just watch YouTube and I you know back and I've actually used to make YouTube videos way way back then like I'm talking like 2009-2010 and I just always liked creating and it was interesting because I had a couple like a large videos and I just never kept up with it, but I think the whole realism thing and even just like me, I think I just said valued privacy so much. I just didn't know how to create without feeling like my privacy would be an almost non-existent junior year, I would say going into junior. It was Mother's Day and keep in mind. I was I mean I was I was going to do the same thing. I did every year just like okay. I don't really care I care about I don't care enough to really care and at that time I had a camera and I bought it because I knew were going to be other side making videos if I go Cooper friends and for some reason I was just always afraid like I don't know why I bought a video Hammer, and I took photos with it like you could it was just as things that just didn't make sense was just funny and I remember Mother's Day 2017. I was on my way home. It was like I was like less than 5 miles away. And I remember seeing a lady run a stop sign and unfortunately I was going straight and and they split second. I you know, watch this lady T-Bone me and instead of me trying to Veer my way off and save myself for a very Split Second. I kind of looked at it. And I was like, well, this is it and I was you know, okay with dying for that Split Second, but I think something kicked in or someone or something kind of pushed me to take the wheel and you know human I did intervene and I ended up, you know walking out, you know unscathed but even then like after you know, the paramedics came and everyone was like what the hell happened I should have died to be very honest with you and I think that like really woke me up with it was the concussion or whatever. It may be something woke me up and told me that Died chasing what I want and live thinking of what would have happened if I did and I think that was my defining moment. And I remember me and Malik were friends, but me and me and Malik he we just were shooting videos doing stuff together, but we didn't really take it seriously until I got day and it once that day I said I this is what we want to do. I'm about to work. I'm gonna get what we need and then he's like I'm working he's gonna get what he needs and then the second we get back like the Ronin starts when we get back and junior year is when that pushed really started figuring out, you know, No, like oh my God, are we gonna do this? And it's still me bad things with my mind, but that's really what started it. It was me getting hit by a car, which was very unfortunate. But I think just that is was a reality check because you know life is so short and you know me being suicidal when going through those types of you know, dilemma is whether was in the hospital or whatever have you I just didn't want to have that mindset again when I didn't have that much better because I was hundred percent like feeling the depression and of something I was always I see what this was a different different type of depression because you know when you're young, you know, you're trying to get that freedom and you're 18 and I have control and I think that was when I realized, you know, I have control of my life like one of my complaining about and I think that's when you know that me getting hit really opened my eyes and yeah, that's really what that's what initiated, you know, the push and initiated the motivation and I think from that point on I never let it you know, it was just was never a option for me to not make it tells a great story. It's hard having that. As you could if I'm only because it's like your life flash before your eyes and I One phrase I believe in is you don't live to you dial it all so I guess you didn't live fully until they happened. He's like, well, this is how I should control my life is how I should live with him. It's amazing. But um, this is being a lot more personal kind of question. And I don't think like your past is really defined you some think this you probably tell me you wouldn't change anything. But if you have the opportunity to change something about yourself, Asked what would you change? So I'm using tell you this right now, you can answer you can ask me is the most personal questions out there and I'll be a hundred percent honest with you and it's just because this Clarity and with transparency it hits people differently and I've been through enough to where I don't care to hide anything like I guess that's that's just me so you can get as deep as you want man. I got you. But so for that question, I would say honestly nothing and now the only reason why I say that is because you know, even in business, you know, everything happens for a reason You know what? I tell people all the time that I like to expedite the process of failing and I say that you know, because I look at it before is like my biggest nuisance is damn I would fuck up and I know I mess up and you know, just I don't know what's going on. But you know, I became the person I am today because of what happened now could have happened a little bit quicker probably but I feel like everything has its own timing, you know, if I would have met Sam last year. I'm sure we would have been making a lot of money, but I'm also sure that we wouldn't have been as mature about this. That we're doing right now, you know and if I was you know to do YouTube in 2009 and have been blown up because I was getting slight traction then when I be who I am today, probably not probably one of those arrogant people that you see online who you know, socially awkward don't know what to do when he's with people and just be very very out there in front of a camera and I just I can't complain with the life. I've had you know, and of course I could I wish that it was quicker sure, but you know everything happens for a reason I've talked to the people and I've I've met some awesome people because of timing, you know, a lot of the business decisions connections our stuff has been because of timing and I what I don't think I would trade any of those situations or anything currently at all because I think it really shaped my mindset to where I'm at now and even just influence decisions because you know, a lot of these big things happen because I said yes or no, and I don't know if I could live with myself if I didn't get to experience a lot of things that I've experienced that's that's the possum mindset. It's I Someone told me that no matter which choice you choose. You're right because you never know what truly happened you chose the other option and I really want to live by that quote because like sometimes if we don't choose anything at all, we're going to lose both opportunities. So this is kind of leads into my next question. In fact why you think people are afraid to take that leap of faith to truly do what they love? Oh, that's a fun question. I think it's just because people are people are afraid. And it's definitely right to be afraid but then people also aren't honest. We live in a generation where social media has conditioned us to live a certain lifestyle. It's feasible to what we want to see me know if and I can go deep into perspective of marketing which is why we're really good at it is because I understand things for what they are and some of the opinions exactly what it is social media when it came out was has been a platform for us to connect but how come in the past 10 years. It's impossible for people to realize the power that they have under the in their fingertips on top of that. They don't sell. Know how to live life outside of it. You know, I know people who are conditioned their entire life to make it look like they're having a better life than they actually are and especially that's very true when people get out of you know college they look at their Instagram or like oh that's dope and it's just like oh, but you also got to remember that they work, you know 50 hours a week. So that life that it looks like they're living really isn't a life that they're living at all and when going into that kind of like mindset people are not necessarily afraid. I think they're just wonderful. Not exposed to it, you know, so that's why we one of the things that I really push our my you know, my guys as you know, you can't put a price on conversation. You can't put a price on experience and it's been very very true with my upbringing is the level of impact that people who are huge have been able to just talk to me for five ten minutes or sometimes hours at a time and people just aren't exposed. I don't really know what's possible people think that starting a business because it's assistance like eight out of the ten businesses fail in the for your business cycle. They don't really want to know how things work. So they just listened to people and they listen to things and that defines their perspective and you know fear to me is is just ridiculous to some people because even as people why are you afraid and that you would be very very hard pressed to find people who've actually done their research, you know people who have been able to go out of their way and create conversation and connections because navigating this world and succeeding is so easy and I'm not saying that because from the standpoint of trying I say that from the standpoint of methods the ethology of you know success is put your head down and work and if people ask me for the secret sauce, I'll tell them straight up just put your head down and work and you'll figure it out because when I look at people I see so much potential when I look at you know, the say I'm looking at you I see I think this podcast has you know, the series has the potential to do so well and you know, there's little things of course that you can change and there's little things that you can do better but it's just like you're going to figure it out and you have this is your Pastime and you find joy in this and know it gets bigger than awesome. The thing is you got to remember that you tried and you did it and you know, you may have not made it in your eyes, but you're making it right now because this time last year maybe two years before you're probably thinking about doing a podcast you probably enjoy talking to people then you just took the first step because you're like, oh maybe I wanted other people to hear other people's perspectives. And you know, like I said, like, you know, you're gonna grow to figure out what this becomes on a deeper level. It's just asked if you trying and a lot of it because we're in the DMV not a lot of people have made it here. And you know have been able to give back. You know, I've talked to a lot of big people in La people in New York and a lot of successful people leave the DMV because the DMV isn't supportive one of the things that we for some reason I just never understood is why we're not supportive of each other or the people who are doing things differently. How come when someone's doing something differently when they're serious about it. It's more of like a joke, you know, it's like, oh you're going to fail. Oh you should do this. You should do this and you know for me, I remember some of my friends would tell me don't drop out. You know, you get your college degree. Because on that and I'm making my money than they would in the next 10 20 years in the first year me doing that. So to me, I'd be like, why would you tell me that you know, why would you not support me and support that? I'm smart enough to know what I'm doing and that's really the big issues support. But then it's also a skimming supporting those fiber for trying to give back to students and give back to people and going around schools and empowering them because I don't think people really realize how much power is at the plate. It's it's you know, the power of Google the power of social networking. It's not a social media platform is really a social networking platform know I can at any point reach out to somebody easier than I would have. If you know, I you told me to find the celebrity, you know, 20 years ago. It's just would be possible. But now they know they wouldn't have applied. You know, of course is the chances for them to reply as a little to none, but it doesn't mean that you can't grow yourself to have enough value for them to reply and looking at it from that perspective of understanding. That at the end of the day business is still people-to-people interaction as it does not has nothing to do with if you have social leverage if you have social capital tones, again Leverage is everything to do with if you can carry a conversation, you know how and what value you bring to them and then can you maintain the relationship? That's it. And because we as a generation are so bad at communicating it's so bad. Like it's absolutely terrible. We hold ourselves back and we're afraid to believe that we're capable of more than we are and that's very frustrating for me because me doing this so fast and say I'm the same way and we didn't make any excuses and it wasn't really that hard. There was no secret sauce people actually underestimate how intelligent they are. We underestimate how much we actually know is a generation and it's just very interesting talking to people who are afraid and I tell them all the time. You have nothing to be afraid of, you know, I think I talked about this at the blank meeting but I was talking about how sometimes the biggest risk is not taking one at all. And that's something that's extremely true because I know people who are 28, you know. Seven doing the same thing. They do every weekend. They don't have any direction or any Clarity on what's happening in their life and they're just so afraid to take the risk, but your 28 dog, like what is going on? And of course, you know, we have time, you know, I have a couple million are Partners who became successful from 38 to 41. The reality of it is is that you know, you have to really have that time and Clarity and just know that sometimes trying is not as bad as not doing anything because at least if you fail you can spend a year failing, but you also have a year year of experience under your belt for you to know going into the next year what you don't have to do and I think a lot of it is support. I think a lot of it is, you know, just in case incumbent in the Asian Traditions, you know, the Asian culture and I think that in itself is I don't want to say it's toxic but it's also not healthy to us because I know some people who are you know, trying to find them self but they're partying every weekend doing all this on their parents dime and then they have the audacity. Talk to me tell me that they're doing it for their family. But I'm like, how can you be doing this for your family when you're spending all their money and you don't know when you're coming out of college. And then what you want to do like that to me is the ultimate sign of disrespect or how can you tell me that you want to do something for family? And you know, you're going to kill yourself trying to figure it out. But then you are losing yourself in the process, you know, if I meet you in five years from now, you're not going to be the same person. I met in college. So it's like that that weird understanding and perspective like, okay I did this for my family. I'd so my mom straight up and I said I've built too much momentum for me to not to stop and even the process of me dropping out. I told her straight up I said you can disown me but just know that I'm doing this for you and if I drop out and I succeed then you know, if you tell me you love me because I'm your family. Why is my love? Why would you love to me be conditional? Why wouldn't it be unconditional? And if you really love me then you know what I come back, you know, they should be like nothing changed and I'll take whatever key that you take but you can't stop me from doing what I know is right for me and then eventually my mom she's my biggest fan now, but eventually she opened up and she was You know, I was successful, you know, she's a very successful marriage. She's been doing it for 30 plus years. She told me she loved she says the luxury for me to be able to find my passion and try she didn't have that being in a traditional household. And I think that she doesn't she understood that you know, she can't expect me to do the same thing and expect a different result. No matter how smart I am no matter how different the world is and to me I always tell people you know, a lot of us is Asian Americans we have to understand that it's a cycle know to me it to me. I see it as a to three Duration cycle get the first generation that comes in and they sacrifice. So that's my grandparents either. They came up with nothing. They spoke their language. They figured out how to navigate the world and they knew they had to sacrifice to build something for their family. My their children are the ones who are going to Define what happens to the Next Generation, but their children is kind of where we are right now, like a lot of my friends want people that I've met in college. We are that second generation. We are the ones that were going to Define. Are we going to be Progressive for corporate tomorrow and Corporate America tomorrow? Are we going to be a part of this statistic that 85% of American take their job? So we have to as a nation and as a culture and as a race have to Define for yourself. How powerful and how deep are we going to get to this? Because people don't actually know that the value of an Asian Dollar in America is higher than any race in America. So how do we take that work ethic and that drive but we don't apply it. So let's apply it to our passion because that exact drive that everybody in one of my friends have all my friends have I put that on my business and look where we're at right now and a lot of it is just the reality of look and like we live for Whose love for us and do think sports are conditional and for for people to want to die for family who will hold over the head and manipulate them to do things that they want them to do for the pure sake of. Oh, it's not what I want to do. I mean honestly dog, but I've lost old teammates because I can say some fucked up shit. I've heard what my hopes hate their parents told them that if I die of cancers because of you because he just wasn't listening and going back to school. I've heard another one of my old team. I said, we lost that teammate because his the teammate was holding a trust fund over his head, you know, just doing the most wildest like most manipulative shit. I'm just like what the fuck like what how we so smart and so but we're so pathetic and so emotionally just like an unintelligent to understand how people work and it's just very interesting going into that topic of why are we afraid to do it because for me, well, I'm trying to really just be not necessarily a voice but an advocate of change A social advocate for people to follow their passions because with us and as Asians Americans not Asians and Asian Americans specifically being so talented and having such a hard work ethic and hard drive. We don't show it because we're still stuck in there what's realistic the traditional mindset, but then we look in Praise all these people on social media. We're doing things and listening to their stories and they just there's no difference. There's no secret sausage is tried and that's something that we as the Ronin are working with the city of the EC to do that's what we're working with. All these businesses to do is to change that type of mindset because something has to give you know, we can't keep thinking that the generations that come are going to change by us acknowledging that things are fucked up and we're not going to do anything about it. Like it's just not how this world works and if we have to be the you know, the sacrificial lambs and you know, spend 10 years going into Corporate America and tearing it apart from the inside just for someone like you to have a better future to what creative entrepreneurship is more of an option. It's not a risk to you, you know about telling anybody that just go after your passions, but if something is DC as a risk, well, let's let us as the Ronin work hard enough to where that doesn't it's not a risk any words an option and if we are able to do that, then we'll know that we succeeded but there is there's definitely a lot and it's no one's fault for sure. You would complain Society we can blame each other we can blame so many things and we can go back and forth on any type of rationality, but the reality of it is is that it just is Problems that people have to solve within themselves that we as the Ronin can help aid or we can go from the top from the perspective of okay. Let's go from the city perspective. Let's work with DC to do something. Now. Let's just work at it at such a mass scale that eventually people five ten years ago or five ten years from now. The impact will be so large that they won't even know what's going on. They don't even know what happened and why and that's totally fine with us. That's everything. You said. That's an amazing perspective. I yeah, I really appreciate that. Holy crap. But a couple key things that like I caught onto when you're speaking all that is use of like social media and stuff like that because I told believe in that and in fact, did you hear about how Instagram was taking away likes and how like that might affect some creators of stuff like that? Yeah, and I think honestly like I think very open-minded and I'm gonna rest in peace Dana can't or if anyone knows Dana can't or data is awesome, and I'm just going to for like to maybe a minute or two just talk. About Dana so we took dinner to LA and everybody knows what happened with her, but she's awesome. She had a very toxic mindset. She's a perfect example of someone who lives in today's age as an Asian American who has so much potential but doesn't actually understand the power to set her finger says and also doesn't have a support system of people who can look at her in the face and not just people but successful people who look at her in the face and tell her you're capable you can do it and you just need to believe in yourself and try this girl by herself has so many damn phone calls. What? With so many conceivable successful people just buy us teaching her navigations of social media teaching her how to be humble how to do certain things. She just texted me two days ago saying she has a head of she has a phone call with the head of marketing a bit and the head of marketing at Interscope Records because of the approach and things that we taught her and she was telling me how she has phone calls with people from Vivo like the head of marketing and Vivo head of marketing of marble entertainment and it's all because we taught her how to navigate social media. We taught her how to not necessarily think we taught her a prospective that wins because it's what allows us to scale and you know succeed in our space and a lot of it is just people just they don't they don't understand people and you can tell because people are very selfish by Nature, you know, we're not we're not very giving you know, what happens, you know back then we primitively you know, we were very self-sufficient and you know being giving you something that we were taught but naturally we're very selfish and you know, that's just what people I mean I see people all the time and you know now at this point, I love the fact that That you brought me on a podcast. I'm so honored to be on this podcast, but I'm successful enough to tell everybody that's listening especially if you know because I know people who don't like me are gonna listen to this podcast that whose life is better right now meter yours. And when I was talking to a lot of you and a lot of you said, I'm crazy and a lot of you were talking shit. Once again, I ask the same question whose life is better me or yours right now, and it was a very simple because I believed in you and you didn't believe in me and it was just very funny because I'm successful because I'm very giving by Nature. Very very believing of people who don't have people believing in them. I'm very very giving of, you know people in general and like I just believe that we as a race and we just as the Millennials we are we are we should be so empowered to believe that we can take control of our life, but we don't and until we do I got a lot of work to do. So that's really like for me the biggest thing, you know for our race and what I hope that you know people really take away from you know this and like I said, you know people like Dana are awesome because she took control of herself and she's a perfect example of what happens not necessarily when you listen to us, but when you come in and you list and to guidance, and also when you just believe in yourself and you take risks, it's not that's an awesome example because being like she was very open minded to advice from you guys and in a way, I feel like a lot of people are very capable also, but a lot of people are very closed-minded in a sense and they don't want to accept This is probably right thing for them because they grew up, you know toxic upbringing where they were told. Oh lawyer doctor engineer is the only product. Yeah, and that's like you grew up with that. My said Dan someone challenges like like like, oh, maybe you're probably sound like a very good like I just might be example, very good commentator should be like a reporter or something and you like know they will be funny that wouldn't make a family happy like they're very close right and constant denying an Unity that is possible for them like for me after doing the podcast for a little bit I realized that my ability to connect with others and really bring people's True Colors out. It's something like a special talent of mine and I really wanted that want to do Infuse that would like technical skills in engineering so I was like, oh why not like a sales engineer consultant like I was very open to the idea. I had to talk to people about it because I was like I have to use this ability somehow have used my strength somehow. And a lot of people have like these course things like I see people who are super caring and loving and they would be like maybe their guy they've I'll be like, it'll be a pretty awesome stay-at-home dad. But because you know Society or Asian culture, they're like no I can't be a stay-at-home. Dad. Even though I see it. Like wow, you're still carrying kids love you, but like they're told otherwise and it's kind of sad to see people are very capable of doing certain things and have strengths in it, but they don't acknowledge. It because Society or culture or culture and really glad you brought up to light. I want to wrap this podcast up with my final and favorite question. I always ask everyone. So a paragon is a model of Excellence. What does someone have to do or what characteristic does someone have to embody to be a paragon of their life? So for me, I would just say get up and try, you know, you're not gonna know when either the closed-minded, you know, talk to you. Talking about you need to know yourself and be honest with yourself in explore the world. The world is so big the 7 billion people on this Earth people complain about walking a mile. I don't even know the circumference of the earth and miles, but I promise you no one's going to be able to walk it and then when we realized that there's so many cultures when we realize that so many perspectives the perspective of America because you're in America is wrong the perspective of you saying it's too expensive to travel was wrong, you know, everybody's perspectives can be changed if you go out and look for the answer for some even I don't want to say it's a sense of entitlement but for us, we don't look for answers when we have the two of the most powerful search engines in our pockets. We have YouTube on your Google. Why would you not use that to find, you know things that we want why would you not use that to find success? So I would you not use that to find connections to find how things work and I think because we're so afraid to try sometimes the first step isn't always moving forward and doing it. Sometimes the first step is just doing your research and do your due diligence. So if anybody wants to embody excellence in anything and everything that you You be the best at it you'll be successful. It doesn't matter. If you're happy doesn't matter. You know, you're sad, there's no matter where you are in life. If you're successful, if you're not successful, if you try really hard and you do your due diligence and you do your research and you are always longing for more information. You'd be very very keen to realize that that is the culprit and the formula of everybody who's successful success. They're obsessed with their its own success. So obsessed with winning they're obsessed with getting to where they want to go. So, what do they Do they look it up? You know if you want to learn how to drive if you want to buy a car. I know so many people that would do every conceivable amount of research on the car that they want. And if you're a girl same thing with a makeup palette comes out or something when clothes come out they'll know so much about one topic, but why can't we take that energy and put it towards what we want to go and especially when you're talking about your future. Yes, you know, we have so long to live when you guys write College you have 30 plus years in the workforce. But at the same time it's realize at the time really fast. Like it's only been a year since, you know, I dropped out of college and it's been an amazing year with the His ups and downs, but I became obsessed with my own success obsessed with me learning not with me being given anything that being obsessed with learning because especially because I enjoyed what I was doing and it allows us to Skyrocket and everybody has that same, you know, ounce of you know, the Curiosity that just need to be honest with themselves and take that time away that they're spent doing nothing maybe cut Netflix off for an hour and do research on your life. You know, whether you want to be a sales consultant for engineering see how far you can get down that aisle. Then really just have a one-to-one with yourself and saying what part of engineering don't want to be a part of and then even then think bigger and more Beyond it's just like what can I do in the engineering space as a whole or even beyond that to it's like well, what do I want to leave when people what is my end goal? What is my impact and then you start Mission yourself. I want to do this and Engineering. I want to be in this industry and I feel like if people look at the world from the different perspectives, you know, it should be fine. And if I should give it in a actual structure to Wrap everything up companies have how many different parts of structure you can have a janitor? You can have a secretary in the front. No answers. Let Pete's lets people in the building you have everybody in the front desk of the office in that building. You have people in the CEO chair, but think about the different perspectives how everybody's perspective is important, but nobody's perspective is the one true perspective. The CEOs perspective is does not destroy the janitors perspective and vice versa. And as long as people can start thinking too. I think at scale at scale, you know different little perspectives from the bottom to the top. That's how people can win. But because we're so close minded in believing that what we believe to be the truth is true and we back people who aren't quote unquote successful way because they don't think there's anything to learn for them people need to realize that you can learn just as much as you know from a kid playing with trash. He doesn't even speak the same language as you then from a massive CEO who's you know, made billions and billions of dollars and I think that's how this world needs to know embody. Is just by asking opening your mouth and finding the answers to the questions that you have and not expecting them to be given to you. That's perfect. I love how you said you to we have YouTube and Google and you basically do everything because that's so true. And there's a lot of free online courses to do that will teach you a lot of things that people don't take that opportunity instead, you know, an extra hour and Netflix are into our in the game, which is fine, you know, if you really enjoy and like love that face or whatever and that makes you happy then do it, but you can't expect Act being like super successful you consistently do it. You have to sacrifice something to gain success. You don't have to sacrifice everything, you know, you don't have sacrificed your health or well-being. You should never sacrifice like the people you care about or your help. You should it's a balance and I really love the perspective you're sharing everything you told us today, and I hope the audience gained a lot information a lot of value from this and thank you guys for listening to this podcast and I hope you guys have a Nice dress today and thank you again Alex for being on this podcast. Thank you so much.
I had the honor of interviewing an incredible man who took the leap of faith and pursued his passion. As a founder of the Ronin, he has a strong desire to elevate other so that they can someday pursue their passions. This man has a mindset and perspective that we can all learn from. I truly learned a lot from this interview, and I know that everyone listen will learn something too! Below are the timestamps for the episode and the link to the Ronin website and facebook page. Enjoy and have a nice rest of the day! The Ronin FB: https://www.facebook.com/theroninmedia/ The Ronin Website: https://www.theroninmedia.com/ Alex's fb: https://www.facebook.com/roninvega  Time stamps: 0:42- How your childhood thought you what it means to survive 6:35- Moments that defined your mindset 11:50- Defining moment that made you pursue your passion 17:10- What would you change about your past? 19:45- Why aren't people taking the leap of faith? 21:53- Methodology of success; put your head down and work 23:55- You need to learn how to communicate 25:14- The biggest risk is not taking one at all 26:01- Support from family and Asian culture 31:55- An Asian american success story and being giving in nature 35:09- Using and acknowledging your core strengths. 37:00- What is a Paragon to you? 41:31- Sacrifice is key. 