Speaker 1: 0:01

I never imagined myself going to try to work for myself or go find clients myself never. It just made sense that the last few locations I went, I was doing everything. I was the requested one, I was doing this, I was doing the job of multiple people. Where it finally hit me going, why not at least make the money? If I'm doing everything, at least let me reap the benefits of it.

Speaker 2: 0:28

Hi, I'm Becky. Welcome to Short Story Long. In this podcast, we discuss ways you can integrate who you are into how you lead. Imagine you're living the dream, interesting work with good people. Except there's another dream that has surfaced In order to be your true self, it's time to make a change. The new dream for my guest today included the chance to snowblow not only his own driveway but that of his neighbors. Okay, he enjoys that, but what his dream was truly about was family choice and finding his happy, normal self again. Today I'd love to welcome my guest, anthony Marzilli. Anthony is a talented video and motion graphics editor with over 20 years of experience. He has done work for several of Detroit's major sports teams. During his career, he transitioned from working for a major Detroit sports franchise to going into business for himself. He's been doing that for nearly a decade. Hi, anthony, it's great to have you here today.

Speaker 1: 1:32

Thank you, Becky, very much for having me.

Speaker 2: 1:34

Yeah, so we get to hear a little bit about your story in terms of your transition from working for other people into working for yourself. I think a really great place for us to start is just to understand what was your career like before you went out on your own. What did it look like?

Speaker 1: 1:54

My first job right out of college was doing TV commercials, started with doing audio and then I found myself being interested when I'd see people doing video and I wanted to learn and I taught myself after that it was I mean, that's when YouTube was starting to get big and all that, so there were so many resources to learn a lot and started learning that and then started making TV commercials in Metro Detroit.

Speaker 1: 2:21

That lasted five years and I needed a change and ended up going to another place. And then a couple of years later, I found myself getting an offer for one of the sports teams around here and I did that and it was fun, it was exciting, it was everything I wanted, but the work-life balance just didn't exist. So it's like not even about being a balance, it's. There was just no life and I always wanted to be a dad and at that point I had a young son, like two, three years old, and I knew I had a second one on the way, uh, and I just I really wanted to be a dad and I I not happy with never being home, and that's really where I decided, you know what. I guess I'm going to take a chance, because I want to be home with my kids. That's really what triggered it all.

Speaker 2: 3:14

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I guess even earlier than that, speaking of kind of following your heart and going into a new change when you were doing the audio, what was the call from video that had you really going in that direction?

Speaker 1: 3:29

It was just being amazed. I mean, I really enjoyed audio, that's what I went to school for and all that. And then I saw other people doing graphics and motion graphics and even Photoshop and I was so amazed where it just piqued my interest and I just wanted to keep learning. I found that after college is when I really found I like learning the absolute most.

Speaker 2: 3:54

Yeah, it sounds a little bit like you like to learn new things, and there are, when ideas surface, that you like to explore them a little bit, and I'm sure that plays into the story that you'll be sharing with us today as well of ooh, what's that? I need to figure that out a little bit more right? How true is that in terms of forecasting?

Speaker 1: 4:14

It's extremely true. There's good and bad with that, because always wanting to learn, I found that is I really enjoy learning. But that is also one of the hard parts of video is you never are set, like you never have that skill that you can just keep continuing to do and you'll be fine. You have to keep learning nonstop and that can be a hard part of it, like you can't just ever just enjoy the process anymore. You're always having to grow.

Speaker 2: 4:46

Yeah, there's always that cutting edge technology or that new way of looking at things. It sounds like, yeah, absolutely. And if I'm understanding you correctly, that last role that you had before you went on on your own, that was you working for one of the Detroit sports teams directly.

Speaker 1: 5:02

That is correct, yes.

Speaker 2: 5:03

Okay, wonderful. So when you are working for them, what were you thinking and feeling in that particular role at the time?

Speaker 1: 5:11

I loved the people. The people were amazing, the work was fun. I always wanted to work in sports. I've always been a sports kid. I mean, sports was my life. I just loved it. So the chance that I got to actually work for one of the teams was like a dream come true. And then when I was there, it was nonstop. So it was fun, but I was just getting so burnt out. I was just getting so burnt out from doing their commercials to the stuff on the big screen or the Jumbotron and social and that and it just was. It was nonstop and yeah, then the chance to go on my own was it was a scary one. It was more. I didn't know where else to go and I was like this is my chance.

Speaker 2: 5:59

In terms of the burnout and that sense of just there's so much happening and so much that I have to do. What did that look like for you within your career at that time, in terms of hours and multiple plates, spinning things like that? What was going on?

Speaker 1: 6:16

You know hours. I've never been an hour counter and because also we were salary.

Speaker 2: 6:24

Doesn't matter. Counting hours? Yeah, it didn't matter.

Speaker 1: 6:27

It was a team that they would have four home games in a week and you were there from eight in the morning and then the games at eight o'clock at night. And so you're from there from eight in the morning till midnight, four days a week. And then, oh, the games are done during the week. Oh, now the players are going to do this charity thing two hours away. You're there doing that, and it's not in the video world, it's not just going and filming something. You then have to go home and edit or go back to the. It's like it's not just like you're there documenting or go back to the. It's like it's not just like you're there documenting. There's so much more time after it.

Speaker 2: 7:10

So it's it was nonstop, where you're just constantly working on projects, when you think about the in-person time versus the development, creation, execution kinds of things, what kind of ratio is that I mean for every hour of film, like? What is the production piece on that, would you say?

Speaker 1: 7:28

you can be on a shoot for two hours. Well, it's probably four to five of editing, four to five hours of editing, so it's it's usually more time putting it together. It really is. It almost always is longer to put together than it is being on site.

Speaker 2: 7:45

Mm, hmm, yeah, and for someone like me who's not really familiar with that, I mean I do get it that you don't get it in the first cut. I've been doing this for long enough to know that I don't get it done in the first cut. Right, and so with that it just gives a little bit of perspective that when you're out there doing what people see you doing, then there's also all of those elements of what they don't see and where the magic happens behind the curtain, if you will.

Speaker 1: 8:14

Yeah, and especially with players is you don't get a lot of time with them. So it's really not even about doing takes. You have to just document what's there and make a story. Like you don't always get what you actually want. You have to make the story out of what you have. So it's yeah, it's a lot of just making it work as much as you can, and then you can't even really focus on it that much because you know as soon as this is done, you've got four more you have to get done. So and that is when I was realizing I was hitting my limit is I loved my coworkers and I would look at them and I go, I'm not myself anymore.

Speaker 2: 8:56

I.

Speaker 1: 8:56

I I'm not my happy, friendly person. I'm sitting here, frustrated about everything, and that was the signal for me going. I know I've hit my limit.

Speaker 2: 9:10

How is that affecting your relationships?

Speaker 1: 9:14

Well with that. The group of editors I worked with at that time are still my best friends to this day, so it's amazing how I knew I wasn't myself and I was getting frustrated. But they still mean so much to me and we still all talk often and it's been almost 10 years since I've been there and we're we still get along so well, so that part was really nice.

Speaker 2: 9:41

I love hearing that you still maintain those relationships and still have that bond with them and at the same time, as you're noticing I'm not me. How did that affect how you were able to interact with other people?

Speaker 1: 9:56

And that is yeah, that got hard. I were, I just knew it, so they didn't even notice it as much where they were. They knew that it was all a grind and we're all feeling it a little bit, but I felt so not myself that the I am a very friendly, outgoing friendly person that enjoys the games, that I have to go to another game and just sit there to do whatever.

Speaker 2: 10:28

The sport was no longer fun.

Speaker 1: 10:29

I was burnt out when I got home. I wanted to be with my family and I just was tired and felt like a short circuit. I just could snap at any moment. I remember getting home at midnight and I could tell that one of the neighbors would snowblow our driveway and I just I felt so guilty but at the same time so thankful that I had people to do that. But I felt horrible that I couldn't be doing that for my family because I couldn't. You can't snowblow or shovel at two in the morning, cause that sounds horrible.

Speaker 2: 11:03

Yeah, the neighbors really. Yeah, they would not like that.

Speaker 1: 11:05

So it it. When I had that, it was so helpful, but I just felt I was like I am not being the person I want to be, I'm not being a family person and taking care of my family in any way, cause the money was okay but it wasn't near life-changing where wife could stay home with the kid, no, nothing like that. So it's like it wasn't. It still wasn't worth it, it wasn't making it work.

Speaker 2: 11:31

Okay, yeah, and that sounds like it's a bit of a catalyst for you to be thinking about. What else can I be doing? And naturally we know you went into business for yourself. Was that sort of the thing that you felt like it was the solution, or did you kind of consider other options as well?

Speaker 1: 11:50

Oh I, I would definitely consider other options. It was I never imagined myself going to try to work for myself or or go find clients myself, never. It just made sense that the last few locations I went, I was doing everything. I I was the requested one, I was doing this, I was doing the job of multiple people. Where it finally hit me going, why not at least make the money? If I'm doing everything, at least let me reap the benefits of it and be responsible for everything and not just have to do everything. I can say no, no, if I really wanted to, or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 12:29

So that is kind of it was more out of fear and just like oh, I'm going to try. And I was talking about it for months. So I had some friends being like oh, you know, we'll have these jobs, we'll have you can take these ones or have these ones. So I had people looking out. Every single one of those fell through within the first two months of me going on my own no-transcript. It didn't work out that great, but it's still as nice when you have that network of people that want to see you succeed.

Speaker 2: 13:05

Absolutely. Yeah, just the people cheering along the side that can tell you that if you keep on trying, they believe that you will be successful, and sometimes maybe believing for you more than you can believe in you in that particular moment. And you know, as you're talking about that recognizing. Okay, so I'm doing all of these pieces anyway. Why don't I just do them for me and collect the whole paycheck? But then you also said that you had gone through that process for a couple of months. What was the resistance that you felt for going out on your own?

Speaker 1: 13:43

Definitely the fear of taking care of. I had a wife and a child at that time and we were. We had our daughter was being born within a year at that point, so I knew she was coming. Yeah, that fear of it not working and then figuring out where to go, which I did feel I could get a job if I really wanted to. I know, if I put my mind to things I can succeed if I'm given the chance. That's, I guess, a confidence I have in myself that I love to learn and if I'm given a chance I'm going to do the best I can. I love to learn and if I'm given a chance I'm going to do the best I can. But yeah, it's still scary when you have to, when I wanted to be on my own so I could be a dad, and then just knowing that you can fail by not being able to support for them. For the exact same reasons you're trying to go home.

Speaker 2: 14:37

Yeah, so it falls in the pros and the cons in a sense at the same time, yeah, yeah. What was it that helped you overcome that fear? Because obviously here you're almost a decade in right, so something worked out.

Speaker 1: 14:53

Well, at that point for one of the auto companies here in Detroit I was doing some side work. So I still did some side work and it was one of the biggest projects I had, where they wanted like 10 videos and this and it was. It was big. So I had my at that point like my biggest check and my life, like coming it and retro Sprack. I mean it's not that crazy amount, but it was like I had my bills paid for two months. So it's like just that right, there was going. If I don't try going now, I don't know if I ever will. So it's just knowing I had, for at least two months, bills paid. Let's take a chance. That was really. It is because that one check made it that I could take the risk. One check made it that I could take the risk and if not, I can find a job in two or three months if I really, really, or hopefully, find a job at that time Okay, yeah, but it was.

Speaker 1: 15:50

It was that one side project that really made it work.

Speaker 2: 15:54

So you had your seed money, essentially in terms of getting the business started and I did it myself.

Speaker 1: 16:00

Well, kind of I don't like phrasing it as myself, because even with being on my own, it's not. I'm not on my own, I get to. Just it's weird when I how to phrase this? I can say it. I don't have clients. I get to. I get to work with amazing people, amazing people, and that was like one of the first ones of people that really helped me in business and tried to teach me my value in this and going like like I told you that was good money, where I can make it for two months, and later on that guy tells me he goes oh yeah, when you told that price, it was so cheap that we couldn't say no and yeah, that that gave me my on its own. But it was like to them it was not a lot of money and you know, just seeing that different perspective was eyeopening to me.

Speaker 2: 16:48

Yeah, they were dancing to write that check and you were dancing to receive it, so I guess it was a win-win.

Speaker 1: 16:54

Exactly, it's like I am on my own, but I also just. I now get to choose the people I want to work with and, man, I am so fortunate to have amazing people I get to work with.

Speaker 2: 17:06

Yeah, there is something about that where, if, if, you feel like the vibe isn't quite right, there is that opportunity, and yet there's a little bit of feast and famine every once in a while with that too. What were some of the obstacles that you faced after you made the decision to go out on your own?

Speaker 1: 17:23

Well, that one of the friends helping me out and they're like, oh yeah, we're going to have this, this one's coming, and then they didn't, and so that first year or two was pretty hard. And then another opportunity, which was so. Daughter was born in March I, by the way so I went on my own. So daughter was born in March I, by the way, so I went on my own. I remember the last day I walked into the sports job was on December 3rd, like it was the last day of the year, and I started January 1st on my own. So I remember that in 2017, I started on my own I had an opportunity in March to go to Costa Rica with a person I was doing work with and do videos on a coffee farm A coffee farm that's going from conventional to organic, and it was like such a great opportunity.

Speaker 1: 18:15

But that was at that point. My wife had to get an extra week off so I could go to Costa Rica, because she was supposed to go back to work, and so it wasn't a good business decision. I didn't make a ton of money at all, but yeah, just life experiences that I never thought I would ever get to have in my life. So I guess, yeah, as time keeps going, it's money is good, but the experiences? I guess, yeah, as time keeps going, money is good, but the experiences, life experiences are just as valuable.

Speaker 2: 18:45

Well, and it sounds like you get to continuously learn, because whatever you are recording in terms of that experience is also teaching you something. But then it's also that opportunity to learn from people you choose to learn from as well.

Speaker 1: 19:04

Yeah, I always love sports, so getting to do the sports teams is fun, but I've worked for, yeah, car companies, which I don't know a ton about cars, but when you get to be around some of these amazing pieces of machinery it's awesome, and to be able to learn that is so cool. I've worked for companies that are helping to cure breast cancer and make it go like to be part of that and you're saving people's lives, oh yeah. So all the places I go, I get to learn and it, like I say, or we said earlier, after college, I just found that I really like learning and you can learn every job. Every job you're on, you can learn something new if you want to look at it that way, and I love looking at it that way.

Speaker 2: 19:52

Yeah, absolutely, and a big part of that sounds like it's just the thrill of it, in a sense, for you that is this an exciting, interesting thing that I get to learn? Yeah, let's flip that learning back on you a little bit. Since you started your own business, what would you say you've learned about yourself?

Speaker 1: 20:14

Man and it changes. It changes over time. At first I learned I could hustle. I can work longer than everybody. Well, 10 years later, I don't stay awake as long anymore. Body hurts a little bit more, but instead of just hustling more, I do realize even more it's about relationships and that like so it's. It changes and you can constantly learn different things. Yeah, I guess I have learned over this time how much I appreciate people and learning with people, and I do think relationships are extremely important and be good to everybody be good to everybody.

Speaker 2: 21:04

One of the other key things that we have to learn when we go out into business on our own is that while we can make magic happen and while we can really get what our clients need from us, there's also that working on the business, not just in the business side of things, what were the things that you really were challenging yourself to learn about being the business owner and being the entrepreneur?

Speaker 1: 21:26

So when I first went out on my own, like that thought didn't go in my head, which is not not necessarily good, but I knew the, I knew video world and I and I felt confident that I could do a good job. I had no business background I didn't. I knew video world and I and I I felt confident that I could do a good job. I had no business background I didn't. I took, I think, marketing in college, but I mean none of this was in there. So I still feel I am learning. But again, that's what I feel keeps echoing here is just you never stop learning. But I didn't know business. So I'm learning every year, asking accountants, asking friends that know, just finding other people that are on their own and asking how they do things, why they do things, just always being curious and seeing how I can do better and this. And I feel like every year I kind of go this year I'm going to focus on this, this year I'm going to really try to do this. This year I'm going to do this. So I'm trying to have a little bit of a goal each year to keep focusing on that business part. That is one, and then the way you phrase that is kind of it rings to me, where you're like, oh, working on the business instead of in the business, and that is a big problem of mine, because I keep going, I love what I get to do, I love the experiences. Because I keep going, I love what I get to do, I love the experiences. So stepping back is hard for me. So that's where I don't know how much I either want to grow the business or if I'm at a limit.

Speaker 1: 23:06

But I think I know I don't want to be too big. I don't think I want a big company and I think that is maybe, I don't want to say, frowned upon. But people don't talk about that. They're always talking about getting bigger and making more money and this, and I'm pretty happy that by not being really big I can spend time with my kids, I can still give all the attention I want to people as much as I can. I mean I do have to turn down some things. I mean I do have help turn down some things. I mean I do have helpers that you know they're freelancers that that I use, but I don't want to get too big. I, I, I, I want to be able to keep working on these things because I love the experiences I get in my life.

Speaker 2: 24:02

And it's such an interesting dynamic with that, because they they talk a lot, whoever they are, about being the founder and then having to switch into CEO land, and that's what you're talking about makes me think about is when it's no longer you necessarily doing the things that drew you into this role in the first place, but also no longer meeting that initial goal. Your initial goal, from what I've heard you talk about, was I want to be the dad that I choose to be and I want to have a business that supports me so that I can be the dad I want to be and really channeling all of that effort into that particular goal. That's a personal decision about how big you want things to go and what you have, what that looks like on any given day, and that's that opportunity for introspection. How is it that you work with this idea of what other people expect me to be versus what I want me to be?

Speaker 1: 25:00

yeah, and that's where I kind of hinted or started going with that is. I feel like either social media or just business world is it is. It's all about profits and this and this, and I might not make the most money, but I feel like I'm living a dream for some of the things I get to do, especially in the sports world. Again, I always wanted to be an athlete, but I'm 5'10", 200 pounds. I'm not big, I'm not going to be this giant athlete doing things, but the fact that I get to work still around a lot of this, it absolutely is a dream come true. And I say this right to fans, I'll say it right there where they're saying you're just like, oh, you're, you're doing that and I'm like I'm living a dream.

Speaker 1: 25:46

I I never thought I would get to do this and I feel lucky every day. I don't like the word lucky, lucky is like you. It happens once I like the word fortunate that I'm very fortunate that I was given the opportunity and then embraced it and kept doing a good job to where they will bring me back, and that's that's what I like. The first time it's lucky, but after that you're very fortunate.

Speaker 2: 26:13

You know, the coach inside me just can't leave this alone. I'm going to be honest with you that even when you talk about it being lucky there, you created the opportunity. No one walked up to you and said hey, I've decided that you should be this lucky man who won the lottery and you get to be doing this work. You had done the side hustle. You get to be doing this work. You had done the side hustle. You developed that into an opportunity to give yourself that seed money. There's something in that when we don't necessarily look back on it and give ourselves the credit for what we've done, man, we're cutting ourselves short when we do something like that.

Speaker 1: 26:52

right, there's that, but that's where I went back. We said at the beginning where it's all about relationships and networking. So the way that the auto one happened was somebody I knew at college who saw a video that I did somewhere, then going, hey, they did something a lot. This other company did something like this. Do you think you can do a graphic video like that? And I'm like, yeah, yeah, I absolutely can. So because of knowing that person, which that one I again don't think it's luck that I knew them 10 years ago when we were in college, to be able to keep that going.

Speaker 1: 27:29

And but by giving that opportunity then that happened. Well, then that company gave my name to another auto place around here and another big racing place around here, so that one relationship kept snowballing. And then actually, yeah, it's the same in sports as the way I turned down a job with one of the teams around here and then that person who I turned the dot, said no to or I just didn't want to make the drive for all the games was like, oh, here, I'm going to give your name to this team. That's how it happened. And then I took that one and then that moved on to the next team, because once you're in the sports world it's a small world. It's pretty cool where you go around and you start to know everybody on all the teams and from different states too. It's such a cool community of skilled people that really love what they do and really skilled people. I look at it. I'm blown away by some of the stuff I see blown away by some of the stuff I see.

Speaker 2: 28:36

So if someone's listening to us have this conversation and they're thinking how would I make this happen for myself, what's the two pieces of advice that you would want to give them, based on what you've learned?

Speaker 1: 28:49

Be good to everyone, be nice to everyone, be friendly to everyone. You never know who you're talking to. Again, nothing good in life comes from being mean to someone. So I really think it's about being a good person. That's really the big I really feel. So much boils down to that. And then, yeah, never stop learning, always want to know more and learn and ask. Yeah, don't, don't feel bad to ask questions to somebody else. If you want to learn how they did it, ask them. It's just ask it. Again, that goes back to the relationships. It's it's about the people and learning from them. Yeah, those are the two. I guess that that would be. It is really that would be. It Be nice to everybody, be friendly to everybody. Good things come from good relationships and never stop learning.

Speaker 2: 29:41

Yeah, absolutely, and what's really powerful about that, too, is how connected those two things are. When you ask for things with kindness or you deliver things with kindness, those relationships continue to build and, all of a sudden, you keep learning from all of the people around you as you just tap into that. That's what I've heard you talk about a lot is the relationships are amazing because they keep on enriching what I know, what I understand and how I do the work that I do, whether that's in the business or on the business Right. One of the other areas that I know that you were really wanting to focus on when you made this change was your family, and when you think about what you anticipated as being that more present dad, how much of that do you feel like you were able to live.

Speaker 1: 30:35

It's wonderful. I take my kids to school every day. I pick them up every day. I get to go help at the school, if I can, I mean and I still have a lot of shoots and edits to do but to just take a day to go do that, it's so nice and yeah, so two, three times a month I have to get help with. Either we drop them off early for daycare or or my wife can take them on those mornings for cause I have shoots. But when I can do, 90% of the days it's yeah, it really has worked out pretty awesome.

Speaker 1: 31:10

Early on it was harder. Younger kids more need more attention and yes, I have been hustling to try to keep people wanting to work with me and all that. So there's that. But now, as my especially son is getting older he's 10 right now Now he's into sports. I phrase it this way with him I don't have to go to work, I get to go to work and he can see it and he can maybe catch me at a game on the camera and when he sees it there's, you can tell there's a little bit of a pride there now, where when he was younger that that didn't mean anything. But so it is kind of fun. As time goes on, I really can share that with my kids.

Speaker 2: 31:56

Yeah, because what they see in you is the joy in the work, and yet they also get to literally see you at work which is a really powerful thing and I'm wondering if you still celebrate all of the opportunities to snowblow your driveway at this point all of the opportunities to snowblow your driveway at this point, not just that.

Speaker 1: 32:18

So before, when I was with the one team, I would shovel because I wanted to exercise, because with video you sit behind a desk a lot, so that's my chance to get out and move. Well, like two years ago, I did get a snowblower and instead of taking an hour to do my house, I now do 10 houses in about the same amount of time. So I do all my neighbors and all that Cause. Yes, I take a lot of pride in helping everyone and and that makes me feel good. So, yes, I have a snowblower and I can help so many more people now and I love it.

Speaker 2: 32:50

You can be my neighbor anytime.

Speaker 1: 32:53

I'll do it.

Speaker 2: 32:54

I love it.

Speaker 1: 32:54

I love it when they don't when other people don't have to get out in the cold and all that. Yes, I just and it goes back really to that, that day when I worked for those, the late sports. You know that when I came home and saw somebody to do that, it was so helpful. And if I can just give a little bit of that to somebody around here, just showing that they're thought of and being looked out for, I love it.

Speaker 2: 33:18

Yeah, it's the giving back. What you received at that point is what I'm hearing. You say yes.

Speaker 1: 33:23

Yes, and yeah, I've told that to that person, but I still don't know if they realize how much it meant. But, like I say, it also made me sad going. I couldn't do it for my family, but to know you have good neighbors, which, again, you can't pick your neighbors, so when you have good neighbors it's amazing.

Speaker 1: 33:39

It's priceless, it is it is, and I want to be that neighbor for people. So that's my thing. Yeah, I'm always thinking I want to be the person I want to be, be the person that you've always wanted in your life.

Speaker 2: 33:54

do that for others, and that's what I keep doing. Love that, Anthony. Is there anything that you would want to make sure that you shared with our listeners that I haven't asked you about? No is an acceptable answer.

Speaker 1: 34:06

No, no, you're really hitting it, and I guess one thing that was going in my head I was trying to think how to phrase it in with what you just said which was you learn from the jobs. The thing is it's also a choice. There are people that will go in and just do the job and go. Well, you know what, when I'm doing that job and I find somebody smiling, I'll go up to him and be like you've been smiling all day. You have a wonderful smile, everything going good. You can make every day amazing. It is a choice that you can go in and look to learn and look to want to know more instead of just coasting through life. All the opportunities are there, but it is a choice to take advantage of those.

Speaker 2: 34:51

Yeah, and what it makes me think of, as you say, that is really how much we can even just brighten someone's life by being kind to them. That person might be smiling, but they might be faking that smile with every ounce of their being, and all of a sudden you compliment them and they're like hey, you know what? I have a nice smile. I am spreading joy with the look on my face.

Speaker 1: 35:13

right now, we have no idea what people are going through.

Speaker 2: 35:15

Exactly right, exactly right. Well, I just want to thank you for taking the time to share your story with me here today. Anthony, thank you so much for all that you have shared about your experience and really just appreciate you.

Speaker 1: 35:31

You're one of those people that just being around you makes everything great, and I enjoy being around you. You're one of those people that just being around you makes everything great, and I do I enjoy being around you.

Speaker 2: 35:37

Thanks. If you're interested in connecting with Anthony, you can find more information about him at anthonymarzillicom. We've put that link in the show notes for you. I think it's quite clear that Anthony found his happy self again. His ability to integrate his two dream experiences shows that it can be possible to get what we truly want.

Speaker 2: 36:00

Anthony saw the importance of seeing when you are not yourself. While he and his colleagues were in a similar grind, it was affecting each of them differently. He could have sunk into frustration and resentment and instead considered what was most important to him. He wanted to keep learning and doing the work he loved. He also wanted to be the dad he chose to be, and change was needed to do that. He said he hadn't ever considered becoming an entrepreneur. Honestly, I hear that a lot.

Speaker 2: 36:30

You don't always predict or have a specific vision of how your next dream or goal will materialize. He's still deciding, though I think he knows whether he wants to build out larger or continue with a focus on life experiences and the people who provide joy in his life. He's placed his trust in relationships and momentum. He's embraced the power of giving kindness. As you consider change in your life, your story may not include a snowblower. It absolutely will include what is most important to you. It may not be obvious right away how it will all fit together. Maybe take a note from Anthony and consider how kindness and positive relationships may serve you. From Anthony, and consider how kindness and positive relationships may serve you. Thanks for listening. If you found this episode helpful, share it with someone who could benefit from it. Until next time, I'm Becky Fraser, reminding you to integrate who you are with how you lead. Okay, bye.