#379: Inspirational Story: What a Young Blind Hustler Can Teach You About Smashing Limiting Beliefs

Kevin Lowe: For example, what if the inspiration you need, the life lessons that you need to hear, they come from none other than a young blind hustler?

Kevin Lowe: Yes, my friend, I'm talking about a 13-year-old blind kid who's working as a DJ in nightclubs. He's selling drugs on the side.

Kevin Lowe: He is hustling for everything it's worth.

Kevin Lowe: His name, Mike Calvo.

Kevin Lowe: And if you tuned into our previous episode, you got to meet the man, The legend, Mike Calvo. He's a little bit older now. He's a little bit older, a little bit wiser.

Kevin Lowe: And he's no longer selling drugs on the street or DJing in nightclubs, but instead a successful entrepreneur, All the while being completely blind.

Kevin Lowe: Now, here today, my friend, what we're going to do is we're going to look at, though, his childhood years, Those formative years for all of us.

Kevin Lowe: And we're going to learn the lessons that he taught us, going from the streets of Miami to becoming a CEO, from drugs and DJing to making a difference in the world with the companies that he's created.

Kevin Lowe: So today, my friend, is the inspiration that you have been looking for, Whether you realized it or not.

Kevin Lowe: All brought to us from the most unlikely of places. So my friend, that's what is inside of today's 379th episode of Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Kevin Lowe: I am so happy you're here. So let's go ahead and dive right in.

Kevin Lowe: Hey, I'm your host.

Kevin Lowe: Kevin Lowe, and you are listening to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Kevin Lowe: What is shaking, my friend? Welcome back to the podcast.

Kevin Lowe: You don't even Know how excited I am you're here today. Why? Well, because, well, I'm always excited that you're here on every episode.

Kevin Lowe: But I'm especially excited when I have something to share with you that I really think might be that kind of eye-opening moment that you've been needing in your life.

Kevin Lowe: As I said in the intro, inspiration from the most unlikely of places, inspiration from the most unlikely of people.

Kevin Lowe: And that is exactly what compelled me so much about the story of Mike Calvo as this young kid trying to make It in life.

Kevin Lowe: Just like anybody else. There was just that little characteristic about him, the fact that he was blind. Now, what's cool about Mike is the fact of.

Kevin Lowe: He didn't view being blind as anything unique.

Kevin Lowe: No, it was no different than me having brown hair, you having curly hair, my eyes being brown, your eyes being blue.

Kevin Lowe: He was blind and it was just part of life. And he found ways around it.

Kevin Lowe: And more importantly than even just finding Ways around it.

Kevin Lowe: He was able to take a vision for his life and turn it into something big.

Kevin Lowe: And that is where his story turns to your story. Because my friends, sometimes we get so caught up in The day-to-day hustle.

Kevin Lowe: That we lose focus on where we're going, on what we Truly want out of life.

Kevin Lowe: And so today, my friend, I want you to stop thinking about so much as to what you see.

Kevin Lowe: Instead, I want you to start focusing on what you envision. Because the vision That you have for your life.

Kevin Lowe: For your future, that's more important than the here and now.

Kevin Lowe: Because right now, well, It's temporary.

Kevin Lowe: It's already gone. Every moment is passing at The speed of light.

Kevin Lowe: But the future, the future is where it's at, my friend. And so if we can put your eye On the prize.

Kevin Lowe: To have that vision clear as day as to where you want to go, well, then my friend, you are all but certain to get there sooner than later.

Kevin Lowe: Setting the stage for the lessons that we're going to go through in today's episode is this understanding of just what I said.

Kevin Lowe: Is that the.

Kevin Lowe: Circumstances that you're dealing with today, you might feel like they're all consuming, that they're going to impact you from this day forward.

Kevin Lowe: But the fact is true is that is not true.

Kevin Lowe: Every day of life brings something new. And I believe that even though we might not be able to always choose what Happens to us in this life, we can always choose how we react to it.

Kevin Lowe: We can always choose what we do with it. And we can either view it from a mindset of a victim or from the mindset of the victor.

Kevin Lowe: We can choose how we see it.

Kevin Lowe: The glass is either half full or it's half empty.

Kevin Lowe: So I want you to remember that if you're in a place right now in life where you're looking around and you don't Really like who you are.

Kevin Lowe: You don't like what you see in the mirror, You don't like the life that you're living.

Kevin Lowe: Well, I want you to realize that it doesn't mean that it has To stay that way.

Kevin Lowe: Because chances are Where you are today.

Kevin Lowe: Is not where you were 10 years ago. And I hope That if you take action today.

Kevin Lowe: If you really put in some intention that where you are today is not Going to be where.

Kevin Lowe: You are in 10 years, that you're going to be somewhere much better, much bigger, much more fulfilling and meaningful to you.

Kevin Lowe: And I guess that is where Mike's story enters the picture, Is that he told us, here he was in South Florida.

Kevin Lowe: Miami, 13-year-old kid who was blind. And let's face it, he could have felt sorry for himself. He could have chosen to not keep living, To not try to pursue dreams.

Kevin Lowe: Instead, he could have just laid in his bedroom and wasted his life away.

Kevin Lowe: But instead, what did he do? He got out on the street.

Kevin Lowe: He started finding passions, like DJing. He loved music.

Kevin Lowe: And so lo and behold, he started DJing in nightclubs as a teenager.

Kevin Lowe: Then, of course, that led to other things like selling drugs.

Kevin Lowe: Nothing that I am recommending that you or me get into.

Kevin Lowe: But nonetheless, Mike Calvo, back in the day.

Kevin Lowe: He was making It happen however he could.

Kevin Lowe: And the biggest lesson here is That he didn't allow this disability.

Kevin Lowe: To keep him from believing that he could do something big with his life.

Kevin Lowe: And in with that lies the mindset that we all have, the stories we tell ourselves.

Kevin Lowe: And the stories that you tell yourself can do one of two things.

Kevin Lowe: They can either keep you stuck or they can set you free.

Kevin Lowe: You're the one who gets to tell the story yourself. So whatever that mindset is that you have to adapt, whatever the story Is that you have to change.

Kevin Lowe: I want you to realize that you hold the secret. You hold the pen, my friend.

Kevin Lowe: You're the one writing the darn story. Nobody else.

Kevin Lowe: So you get to tell the story however you want.

Kevin Lowe: And what I hope is since you're listening to today's podcast, you're going to realize that you can begin to write a whole new story for you.

Kevin Lowe: Now, here is the first big truth that I want you to understand, taken from the story of Mike Calvo.

Kevin Lowe: Your circumstances are literally just the starting line.

Kevin Lowe: They are not the finish line.

Kevin Lowe: Now, the fact is true is when you listen to Mike Tell his story.

Kevin Lowe: His story really could have gone many different ways.

Kevin Lowe: He had no real parental support when he came to school. He had no one advocating for him.

Kevin Lowe: Instead, he was out there figuring things out pretty much on his own.

Kevin Lowe: Now, maybe he got involved in some things that weren't quite so beautiful.

Kevin Lowe: And okay.

Kevin Lowe: He didn't just set up a lemonade stand. No, he started hustling. He got into some stuff.

Kevin Lowe: But you know what he started doing? Even as a kid, he started making money.

Kevin Lowe: He started supporting himself. He started making dreams come true.

Kevin Lowe: The biggest lesson here is he wasn't waiting for anybody's Permission to succeed.

Kevin Lowe: No, he was just pursuing it himself. And I mean, again, Like I said, DJing one thing, selling drugs, a whole other thing while a blind teenager at that. And yet he's playing the big leagues.

Kevin Lowe: He's making the money. And what's cool about that is he didn't view his blindness as a limitation.

Kevin Lowe: It was just something that he had to work around.

Kevin Lowe: It was just part of him.

Kevin Lowe: And so what's fascinating about this is that, yeah, even though we're not encouraging anybody.

Kevin Lowe: Else to go Do the hustling that he was.

Kevin Lowe: The type of skills that he acquired during hustling, Well, that would help him out in entrepreneurship.

Kevin Lowe: Because I mean, you think about it, his skills that he developed in working the deal, In networking, in figuring things out.

Kevin Lowe: In innovating, are exactly what a good entrepreneur needs.

Kevin Lowe: And so when he finally figured out how to change course.

Kevin Lowe: To change the direction of his hustle, but then everything Else in life began to change as well.

Kevin Lowe: And so I remind you that whatever you're going through, your circumstances are just the starting point. They are not the finish line.

Kevin Lowe: Your circumstances, they do not decide where you're going to finish.

Kevin Lowe: No, you get to decide where you finish.

Kevin Lowe: So whatever you're going through right now, whether it's financial difficulties, struggles in your relationship, or maybe it's just your own internal mindset.

Kevin Lowe: Maybe it's just your emotions. Maybe you're just feeling a little Bit down here lately.

Kevin Lowe: I want you to realize that that does not hold control.

Kevin Lowe: Only you do. And that you are bigger and better and stronger than anything you're dealing with.

Kevin Lowe: I promise you that.

Kevin Lowe: So remember, what you're dealing with today is not the finish line.

Kevin Lowe: It's the starting point.

Kevin Lowe: From this day forward, you get to make the choice.

Kevin Lowe: You get to run the Race how you want to run it. And you ultimately get to decide what is the finish line.

Kevin Lowe: Figure out what that finish line is.

Kevin Lowe: And then I want you to start moving forward one step At a time. The next truth that I took from Mike's interview that I want to relate to you is the simple fact that.

Kevin Lowe: The world around you Will try to define you. But.

Kevin Lowe: The fact is true is that You're the only one who gets to make that decision. And I bring this up because one of the biggest things that Mike had to overcome weren't his own limitations, wasn't his own blindness, but rather the world around him and their expectations of what he could do.

Kevin Lowe: Somebody who was blind. Matter of fact, in our interview, I think I even brought up the fact that a lot of times as somebody who myself am blind.

Kevin Lowe: I forget that I am any different than anybody else until somebody else reminds me.

Kevin Lowe: Now, maybe they don't mean to do it purposeful. They don't mean anything by it. But again, I've been in this life as somebody who's blind for now over 21 years, And it's just part of life.

Kevin Lowe: But then all of a sudden, The outside world gets evolved and.

Kevin Lowe: They bring up Something reminding me of, oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry you can't see this.

Kevin Lowe: I wish you could see this. And again, they don't mean anything by it.

Kevin Lowe: They're just trying to help out.

Kevin Lowe: But in ways, it's a reminder of, Oh, yeah, thanks. Thanks for reminding me. that I'm not like everybody else, that I don't get to see it.

Kevin Lowe: Instead, I've learned to just see the world in my own way. So again, back to the situation of Mike.

Kevin Lowe: He had to deal With the expectations that others set on him.

Kevin Lowe: And that makes you wonder is how many times do we allow others' opinions on Us of our life, what we should be doing?

Kevin Lowe: How many times do we allow That to actually matter, to actually dictate what we do in life?

Kevin Lowe: If you've been living in the Same world I am.

Kevin Lowe: Well then my friend You will Know that that has happened way too much I have seen that in my life In the people.

Kevin Lowe: Who I do life with, I've seen it in their lives as well. Everybody has an opinion about Somebody else's life.

Kevin Lowe: And the fact is true is that, unfortunately, all their opinions really and truly do not matter.

Kevin Lowe: The only opinion that matters is you. And the reason is because nobody knows you better than you.

Kevin Lowe: And as Mike was telling us stories about his careers moving out of dealing drugs and DJing and getting into more professional settings, He Had to deal With these type of limitations that others would put on him.

Kevin Lowe: Because the fact is true is that people will put you in a box.

Kevin Lowe: They will put limitations on you.

Kevin Lowe: And they will Find it so easy to come up with assumptions as to what you can and cannot do.

Kevin Lowe: And that is not just for Mike. That is not just for me.

Kevin Lowe: That is not just for somebody who is blind or any other quote-unquote disability.

Kevin Lowe: All of us, whether we like it or not, People around us will put limitations on us all.

Kevin Lowe: What's important is for us to not allow their perceived limitations of us to truly define us.

Kevin Lowe: Instead, I want you to use it as rocket Fuel to have you bursting out.

Kevin Lowe: To breaking through those barriers, proving that, you know what?

Kevin Lowe: You have no clue what the heck you're talking about.

Kevin Lowe: I'm capable of way more than you could ever imagine.

Kevin Lowe: And so, you know what? Let me just show it. That is what we call a little in-your-face action, My friend. I want to hit home with the most powerful lesson of all.

Kevin Lowe: When we look at the story of Mike Calvo, He could have used every excuse in the book.

Kevin Lowe: I'm blind.

Kevin Lowe: I came from Cuban immigrants. I didn't have teachers growing up who believed in me.

Kevin Lowe: The system, it wasn't built for people like me.

Kevin Lowe: I Was dealt a Bad hand right away in life. And the fact is true that any of those excuses could have been valid.

Kevin Lowe: And I will say the same is for you.

Kevin Lowe: Any of your own excuses are completely valid as well.

Kevin Lowe: I am not here to make you believe that the things you're going through are.

Kevin Lowe: Any less traumatic than Anything else, because I believe that what you are going through.

Kevin Lowe: If it is tough, then my friend, I'm sorry. But I want you to hear that even though they are valid, they do not have to become permanent.

Kevin Lowe: They are temporary little obstacles.

Kevin Lowe: They are not permanent roadblocks.

Kevin Lowe: You, my friend, are able to overcome, To move past.

Kevin Lowe: And to thrive In spite of each and every one of them.

Kevin Lowe: And that brings me to one of the favorite stories that Mike told us during the interview.

Kevin Lowe: And that was about him when he started working for the first time.

Kevin Lowe: He was so excited to be DJing. I believe he was DJing at the skating rink.

Kevin Lowe: And here he was thinking he was rich. He was making 60 bucks a week as a kid.

Kevin Lowe: And yet then his dad Had a very important life lesson he taught him.

Kevin Lowe: He said, a man who works is a man who pays rent. And so here he Was making 60 bucks a week.

Kevin Lowe: And his dad Was going to start charging him $50 a week for rent.

Kevin Lowe: And yeah, we could have said, well, man, that's not fair. That's horrible.

Kevin Lowe: But you know what Mike did?

Kevin Lowe: Is he allowed it to teach some extremely valuable lessons in life that I can't help but believe set him up for success from that day forward.

Kevin Lowe: That simple yet profound lesson taught to him by his father would mean something impactful for him.

Kevin Lowe: Now, maybe then he didn't realize it. Probably at that moment, he was probably pretty irritated.

Kevin Lowe: But instead, you know what it did is it taught him to be resourceful.

Kevin Lowe: It taught him responsibility.

Kevin Lowe: It taught him to start working a little bit harder.

Kevin Lowe: And every one of those lessons learned about responsibility, About business, about survival.

Kevin Lowe: All of those would go on to impact him as an entrepreneur moving forward in life. And so I go Back to one of the key lessons that I talked about at the beginning of today's episode. I've talked about it on many episodes.

Kevin Lowe: And I'm going to reinforce right now, Is that you can't always control your circumstances, but you can absolutely control how you respond to them. Mike, he could have allowed that moment with his dad to be discouraging.

Kevin Lowe: Man, I'm making 60 bucks a week and now my dad wants 50 a week?

Kevin Lowe: I'm down to only 10 bucks a week?

Kevin Lowe: What's it even worth?

Kevin Lowe: Why did he even start working in the first place? Instead, no.

Kevin Lowe: Instead, it propelled him forward to become a bigger, better person, even as just a kid.

Kevin Lowe: My friend, the biggest thing here is.

Kevin Lowe: I want you to Start looking at life differently. I want you to start seeing inspiration in a different light. Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely of people, the most unlikely of places.

Kevin Lowe: Like a 13-year-old kid living in South Florida, Blind, and yet he's DJing in nightclubs, selling drugs on the side, doing the thing, hustling, leaving an impact, and inspiring us all.

Kevin Lowe: So my friend, whatever you're going through in life.

Kevin Lowe: Please know that you are not alone.

Kevin Lowe: You got this because you are worth this.

Kevin Lowe: And listen, if there is ever anything I can do for you, even if that is simply sitting down and talking with you, well, check out today's show notes where you will find a link to book a free 30-minute coffee date with me.

Kevin Lowe: We will meet virtually over the phone and Can just sit down and talk, figure out what you got going on in life and.

Kevin Lowe: See if we Can't get you on the right track. So my friend, again, I'm Kevin Lowe, and this, of course, was another episode of.

Kevin Lowe: Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

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