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Embracing and Overcoming Challenges in Life with Christopher Greco

We live in a society that is increasingly seeking comfort and ease rather than adversity. However, we are bound to experience challenges in life. Instead of constantly running away or being paralyzed in the face of adversity, we should develop a self-sufficient growth mindset and push through, with the knowledge that we will turn out to be a better person on the other side.

In this episode, we talk to Christopher Greco, a company CEO and an author. Even with all his success today, he reminds us that challenges in life are a necessary part of progress, and we shouldn’t shy away from them. Instead, we should try to overcome it ourselves, understanding that our best days are ahead of us.

Listen to the episode if you want to learn how to embrace and overcome your challenges in life.

3 Reasons to Listen:

Gain valuable insights from Christopher’s story and how he came out of the other side of adversity as a better person and believer of God.
Discover how to adopt a growth mindset and become a victor rather than a victim.
Learn why we should embrace challenges in life.

Resources

Subscribe to our website to get resources from our guests and updates on our latest giveaways and episodes.
8 Steps to Overcoming Everyday Adversity by Christopher Greco
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D. and David Kessler
Connect with Christopher: Website | LinkedIn
Episode Details

About Christopher

Christopher Greco is the CEO of Retail Software Solutions Group, headquartered in Kansas City. He was previously the company’s Chief Revenue Officer. Retail Software Solutions Group is a company that provides operational efficiencies, profitability, and loss prevention software for the independent retailer.

Christopher graduated from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He has also worked as a White House intern. Christopher then got his MBA from Florida International University. This kickstarted his successful career in business. Over the course of 20 years, Christopher has worked with Fortune 100 companies and startups. Through the various positions he held, he was able to successfully scale the company’s growth.

Christopher is also the author of 8 Steps to Overcoming Everyday Adversity. His book gives us a roadmap to overcoming the hardships we face and the challenges in life. He strives to remind us that our best days are ahead of us.

If you'd like to reach out to Christopher, you may contact him on his website or LinkedIn.

Episode Highlights

[04:04] Our Best Days Are Ahead of Us

We have to realize that the little things that get in our way should not define us for longer than a day.
We tend to identify ourselves with these small, inevitable, but temporary mistakes.
Challenges in life, no matter how bad, will pass.
What keeps us from living our best days is how we view ourselves and our perspective in life.
Almost every problem we have is surmountable. It’s a matter of seeking those people who have addressed these seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

[07:19] Will and Should Everyone Face Challenges in Life?

Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.
When people come through the other side of adversity, they become better because of it.
To raise the next generation better, we have to let them fall and experience rejection and pain.
Don’t play the victim. Instead, develop a self-sufficient mindset.
Experiencing challenges in life is inescapable.

[08:12] “Other challenges choose you. And I think that we have to embrace them because that is really the only way we grow when we do things that seem at first glance insurmountable.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[14:17] A Culture of Ease

Our society is too focused on making things comfortable and making everything easier.
If you take the easiest opportunities, you will be held back compared to those who take the hard road.
Life is never fair, but the challenges it presents us should be embraced.
Christopher recalls the story of his brother, who serves in the military. Listen to the full episode to learn about it!

[18:19] Facing Adversity in the Business World

You can always find a way to overcome whatever hardship is in front of you.
If you want to overcome a challenge, help the person next to you.
It’s amazing to witness people who are having personal struggles set that aside just to empathize and help other people out.
Startups are difficult because they can’t afford one person being absent and not pulling their weight.
Business is a game of minimizing mistakes. We have to deal with the challenges of today first and hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

[19:32] “My point is that you can always find a way to overcome whatever hardship is in front of you. And one of the greatest lessons that I always say is that you want to overcome your personal hardship, whoever is against you. Help the person next to you. There's something magical when you do that because it almost validates you.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[23:44] Experiences of Organizations in the Pandemic

Christopher believes that you have to bet on your people.
The government didn’t understand how to write nor run a policy on dealing with adversity.
Transparency is key so that people can figure out what they should do on their own.
Christopher compares the pandemic response in the country versus that in the city. Listen to the full episode to learn about it!

[27:17] Victors vs. Victims

If you see the potential of humans, you should give them just enough support so that they can do the job themselves.
An overabundance of support will crush the spirit of people and prevents them from performing on their own.
You can do anything if you put your mind to it.
We were on the victor side in the past, but we are moving towards a victim side in the future, which is dangerous for the next generation.

[27:19] “The way we look at it is defined by whether you see the potential in humans or you don't, yes, it's that simple. It is that simple. And, your listeners might debate this, but if you believe in the true potential of humans, you will let them run unfettered. And you will give them just the amount of support that's needed. And not overburden them with too much support where you crush their spirit.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[31:20] Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset

Those with a growth mindset celebrate the success of others instead of envying it.
Our society nowadays has more people with a fixed than a growth mindset, so we are increasingly becoming victims.

[33:46] Christopher’s Tragic Childhood Experience

Christopher’s father was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. It was determined that he only had eight months left to live.
An hour after Christopher came home from his first football game, his father passed away.
Christopher shares that he’s thankful for the people who helped his family during this period.
Listen to the full episode or read Christopher’s book for the whole story.

[38:33] Witnessing the Passing of a Person

At the time, Christopher felt that he was too immature to handle the situation.
His mother told him that his father would not make it, and it puzzled him at the time.
It’s later that Christopher realized that she was preparing him for his eventual passing.
Christopher knew that after the last rites, his father was in heaven, and the suffering is now over.

[41:59] Losing a Parent at a Certain Age

As a teenager, Christopher was in a stage where he was becoming a man and making plans for a future where his parents were there with him.
Losing a parent is hard, no matter what age.
Having experienced the loss of a parent, Christopher and his brother learned that challenges in life are surmountable.

[46:09] Faith in God in the Face of Adversity

We may question why God would put us through these types of tragedies.
But it’s not your place to judge this. Know that it’s part of God’s plan.
When his father passed, Christopher was not a fan of God and felt very angry at Him.
He distanced himself from the Church for a while. Later, he got pulled back in.
He thanks God for guiding him throughout the time and giving him the foresight to overcome adversity.

[47:33] “Keep your faith and understand that your best days are ahead of you, because God has a plan for you.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[50:20] 8 Steps to Overcoming Everyday Adversity

Christopher wanted to write the book for his children.
He was puzzled why people seem to get stuck so easily and become paralyzed by it.
The book was intended to be direct, short, non-repetitive, and valuable.
Christopher reflected on his personal experience and based his advice from there.
The book is a how-to and an autobiography. Listen to the full episode to hear the process of writing the book.

[58:42] Is There a Formula for Adversity?

Overcoming challenges is always a longer process than it first seems.
Christopher admits that the book isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Taking even just one piece of advice from the eight steps is a giant leap towards progress.

[58:42] “Things always take longer and are harder than what they initially seem.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[01:01:17] Gaining Momentum to Overcome Adversity

It’s important to establish a routine.
Having a schedule is great for reinforcing good habits and ensuring that you aren’t idle.

[01:04:09] Your Best Days Are Ahead of You

The feedback Chris got from his book suggests that people’s lives have been impacted by it.
Christopher reflects that in applying the eight steps, he’s become better than what he was before.
The phrase “Your best days are ahead of you” is from the mother of Christopher. Even with dementia at age 83, she still continues to say this.

[01:06:57] Seek, Go, or Create?

Christopher resonates with ‘go’ the most.
Go equals action.
You have to apply and take action.

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To growing and becoming all we are created to be,

Tim