If you want to be successful, you need to learn how to be a leader. And I’m not talking about just leading others. I’m talking about being a leader for yourself.  Success is something most people haven’t reached yet. But we can all lead ourselves to success by having a vision, asking the right questions, and working hard. Today, I have one of the most successful human beings on the spinning earth who is under 35 years old sharing his leadership secrets with us. Gerard Adams is the embodiment of everything a leader should be — humble, honorable, and service-oriented. After leading himself to incredible success by age 30, he returned to his hometown to lead a team in creating a mentorship program for up-and-coming entrepreneurs.  The stuff Gerard shares in today’s interview is so profound, but he says it with such authenticity and simplicity that you feel like you’re getting a pep talk from a good friend. After this message, you will want to prioritize your character, invest in others, and take OWNERSHIP of your life.

Who Is Gerard Adams?

Gerard Adams, also known as “The Millennial Mentor,” is an inspirational leader, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and philanthropist. Gerard's purpose is simple: to inspire other millennials to leverage their passions to create the lifestyle of their dreams. With his profound ability to help others shift their mindset towards unlocking their God-given abilities, it is no wonder he's become one of the most influential millennial entrepreneurs of our time! Gerard is the founder of EliteDaily.com, a multimedia website that provides exclusive, inspirational content to its 80 million monthly users. To date, he has built, backed, or invested in nine businesses across multiple industries that have all delivered over seven-figure profits. Most importantly, Gerard is proof that your past and your present do not equal your future. He started as a weed-hustling highschool student. At 19, he was a community college drop out. If someone had asked you then, where Gerard was headed, you probably would have said, “Well, the trajectory isn’t real good.” Trajectories are BS. There's no such thing as a trajectory. At any moment, you can alter the direction of your life just like Gerard. In a few short years, Gerard turned his life around. By the age of 24, he was a multi-millionaire. Following an over-confident business move, he lost everything. But he returned to build a multimedia website, which he sold for $50 million. Instead of kicking his feet up in a Florida penthouse, he returned to his childhood town and began investing in the community.  If you need to turn your life around or wonder what it takes to be a successful leader, this is the interview you’ve been looking for. Gerard holds nothing back as he walks us through his personal story and the three things successful leaders know that allows them to change the trajectory of their life and help others do the same.

Character is More Important than Money and Talent

In the race to get rich, character is often overlooked. But character is crucial if you want to be a wealthy individual because while people can take your career, money, or house they can't take your heart, work ethic, or ingenuity. Gerard believes one of the reasons he lost his millions as a twenty-something was so that life could teach him the value of character over flashy achievements and possessions.

“When thinking about wealth creation for yourself, talent can help you achieve success, but character will help you sustain success. When I first made my millions of dollars, I didn't have the character to sustain it. So that's why it was taken from me. My ego was big. I thought what made me successful was having all of these materialistic things, and it doesn't.” - Gerard Adams

If you’ve hit rock-bottom financially, mentally, relationally, or emotionally, chase the next right thing. You might need to innovate or change the strategy in your business. But stay true to the core of who you are. An investor knows the habit of consistently investing builds wealth. This principle applies to personal development, fitness, relationships, and faith. Figure out where you want to go in any of these areas and consistently practice the habits that get you to those results. 

Investing in Others Is Important

More often than not, the hard things we go through or the parts of our story that we wish didn’t exist are the exact pieces we need for our mission in life to have power. That’s exactly what Gerard experienced when he opened an incubator in downtown Newark to cultivate entrepreneurship in the community and help revitalize the local economy.  He said one of the biggest moments for him happened right after they opened the doors. Suddenly, it hit him, “How was this going to work?” How was he going to find local entrepreneurs who wanted mentorship? How was he going to find successful entrepreneurs willing to get on a plane and pour into his students?  As he was spinning with all these questions, a young black man walked by and asked him what the building was. As Gerard gave him a tour and explained what a business incubator was, the young man said, “Man, listen, everyone's lied to me my entire life. I've seen my uncle get killed on the front porch steps. How am I going to be able to do anything? All I know is I got to hustle out here in these streets.” Basically, he was asking Gerard, ‘Who are you, man? Where's the fine print?’ That’s when Gerard knew the early part of his story mattered. He looked at the man and said:

“Listen, man, I've hustled too. And if I was able to realize that that was not what I was meant for in this world [you can realize that too]. You're meant for so much bigger, bro. And I'm here to tell you that you have such a greater gift to this world. If you come here every day dedicated, I promise you, I will be here right next to you. I will guide you and mentor you so that you can find that gift inside of you and realize what you're really meant for in this world.” - Gerard Adams

The next day he showed up in a tie. About a month later, his friends from school showed up and were like, “Hey man, whatever our buddy is on, I want to be on that.” Here’s what Gerard said had happened:

“Apparently, [their buddy] had unconventionally gotten the school to go to the auditorium and [given] a motivational speech to the students there. And that one moment of shifting his mindset and seeing the change in him is when I was like, ‘Okay, thank you. Now I know why we're doing [the incubator]. Like, I really know why I followed my heart and that there was a reason why we were supposed to do this.” - Gerard Adams

You might not know why you have the past that you have. But I can tell you — both from personal experience and from hearing the stories of so many phenomenal guests — that your past will most likely be the way you connect with the people you were made to impact in the world. Getting up off the ground and recovering from trauma, heartbreak, and bankruptcy matters because someone needs to hear your story. They need to know that someone like them made it.

Take Ownership of Your Life

A lot of people think that you need to be special to be successful. But all of the athletes, family-men, and serial entrepreneurs I’ve talked to will tell you that what was special about them was their willingness to take ownership of the trajectory of their life. Gerard Adams was no exception.

“I really genuinely believe that [what’s required for success is] within all of us. I really genuinely believe that it's just a matter of just shifting from fear to faith. I used to be someone who was so fearful. Like I cared so much of what people thought of me. I felt I had to prove everything to my father. … There was a moment in my life where I just recognized that like nobody else is in control. … And I completely can take ownership of my life. I am in control of my destiny.” - Gerard Adams

The turning point for many of the individuals I have had the privilege of interviewing was when they decided to stop caring about what the rest of the world thought. The people who have opinions about your life aren’t the ones who will be kept awake at night with a list of your regrets. You will. Don’t let someone else's opinion steer your life. Like Gerard said, “We have such a short period of time [on this earth.]” So why spend that time building a life around someone else’s ideas and opinions? Use your own! If you’re going to get out of the rut of other people’s opinions, you have to choose faith over fear and take ownership of your life. No matter what kind of storm hits you — financial, relational, or mental, you’ve got to stop looking for other people to save you or point you in the right direction. Dig deep. Get clear on where you want to go and take consistent action in that direction. That’s what Gerard calls being ‘poised’ or leading yourself:

“I think that your real strength in life [is your ability to be poised]. I don't care what storm you go through in life, because we're all going to go through storms — more money, more problems. It's life. You have to be willing to adapt constantly, constantly shift your mindset. So the number one thing is you have to build your character. You have to find that leader within yourself because when you do, when you become poised, no matter what it happens externally [you can stay strong]. … Look at everyone out there that we admire. They have gone through struggles, but they take ownership of their life. Nobody else does it for them. They're taking ownership of it.” - Gerard Adams

It’s okay to get shaken up and discouraged along the way to success and fulfilling your ultimate purpose — you might even lose millions like Gerard. But no matter WHAT happens, don’t forfeit your character, don’t disown your heart, and don’t underestimate the power of hard work. 

#MAXOUT with Gerard Adams 

As a host, when you finish an interview like this one, you cut a one minute clip for Instagram. I’m telling you, this episode is so amazing that we could get 90 clips from it. There's just too much good stuff in it! As I wrap this up, I want to share with you Gerard’s version of living MAXED OUT. He calls it being “world-class.” 

“It's becoming among the best by setting the highest standard for yourself and being of the highest caliber in all aspects of your life. … And it starts with having a world-class mindset. A world-class mindset completely changes your habits, your routine, the way that you actually see yourself, the vision that you have for yourself, and the way that you see the world, and you have to really live that way and believe that. ... I think that one of the biggest reasons why I'm successful is relationships, man. It's the impression that you make on the world. How people see you. … Listen, your life can change within one moment. One opportunity. One decision. One impression. ... Life comes down to those. That one moment.” - Gerard Adams

You are one moment, one opportunity, one decision away from changing your life. Landing that deal. Meeting that person. Winning that trophy. That’s why your character matters. You don’t know when that moment is going to come. But if you develop the characteristics of a leader, someone who is world-class, you will be doing the things that make you ready and open for your breakthrough moment. If you liked what Gerard shared today and want more, head over to Instagram. His content is magnificent! You can watch his show Leaders Create Leaders on YouTube at Gerard Adams TV. And be sure to engage with him, drop a comment, or send a DM.  I hope you enjoyed today's program! I'd love it if you would write a review of this on iTunes so we can keep topping the charts! We're number one in the United States, Australia, and the UK, but only number four in Canada. Canada, get your act together. Leave some reviews, and let's get the number one!  Don’t forget that every day on Instagram, I run the two-minute drill, which means: when I make a post on my main feed, everybody who comments for the first two minutes with the hashtag #MAXOUT, is entered into a daily drawing to win gear, coaching calls, or a 15 minute call with one of my guests. If you miss the first two minutes, leave a comment every day, and you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing.  Remember, you have everything you need to be successful already inside you, so be your own leader and #MAXOUT your life.