1 year ago, I happened to record a rare conversation between three Drag Racing Legends.  This fly on the wall recording features: Gary Watson (Texas Wheelstand King), Randy Curtis (Fugitive Corvette), and Carl Magee (Flying Red Baron).

In the late 1960's through 1970's these three drivers built and raced high powered exhibition wheelstanders.  These crowd favorites would routinely run side by side quarter mile passes on two wheels, showering sparks, and entertaining thousands with their driving feats.

This recording is unedited and simply a interesting trip down memory lane for 3 drivers that traveled the US, Canada, and Mexico, putting on drag racing shows over nearly two decades.

There are several interesting interludes as the drivers discuss Randy Curtis' accident in 1979, as well as a host of travel and racing related stories.  In particular, listen for the various interactions with other legendary drag racers of the era.

For fans of drag racing, this is a glimpse back into an era when drivers were car owners, builders, crew chiefs, and architects of their own racing businesses.

I really enjoyed this interview.  In the late 1950's, early 1960's, a rare breed of automotive hot rodders were born.   One of the greatest of these is a man named Gary Watson.  Gary raced A-Fuel dragsters back in the 1960's and ultimately went on to build and innovate exhibition race cars call "Wheel standers."  These were high power race cars designed to entertain drag racing fans with 1/4-mile wheel stands.  

Have you even run your car up to 120 mph?   Remember that thrill and excitement of speed?  Imagine doing that on two wheels, door to door with a competitor.... that's wheel standing during the barnstorming days of the 1960's-1970's.

Gary Watson, now 83 years old, was a mentor of my father, Randy Curtis, another of the OG Wheel standing driver cadre from the same era.  I always love hearing stories from their racing careers.   Traveling all over the country, into Canada and even Mexico, Gary Watson was the consummate showman.  Gary ran multi-car racing operations and taught his drivers to always strive to remember why they are driving, to make a living and entertain their customers.  Gary always had a talent for innovating the business of racing and giving the fans a great show.

This interview traces back over the touchpoints in Gary's career as a racer.  Even if you are not a race-fan or nostalgic drag racing buff like me, Gary's career is an example of what it takes to be successful in anything.

I especially enjoyed the pearls Gary shared during this interview on preparedness, not just for racing but in life generally.

Gary was warm, and gracious with his time.  He is a great storyteller and is a huge reservoir of racing experience and automotive racing history.

I hope you will enjoy this interview with Gary Watson, The Texas Wheelstand King.

"My way is to seize an image the moment it has formed in my mind, to trap it as a bird and to pin it at once to canvas. Afterward I start to tame it, to master it. I bring it under control and I develop it. "
— Joan Miro


In this episode, Dr. Curtis delves into common thinking traps that impair our ability to think clearly.    When it comes to Self-Mastery, the quality of our thought can make or break our long term success.  This episode encourages listeners to reflect on the content and origin of thought.  Dr. Curtis shares insights into five very common patterns of thinking that lead to false conclusions.

Thinking Traps Discussed

• All or Nothing Thinking
• Jumping to Conclusions
  • Type 1 - Mind Reading
  • Type 2-  Fortune Telling
• Emotional Reasoning
• Over Generalizing
• Ignoring the Good

Episodes Mentioned

EP 48 Thinking Traps

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EP 127 is a Bonus episode.  Dr. Curtis shares a short, inspirational reading from author H. Jackson Brown, JR.  

The passage is listed below for reference.  We thought you would enjoy this reading as part of the self-mastery content we have created for our listeners over the last few weeks.

“Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference. Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It's there for your convenience, not the callers. Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is. Don't burn bridges. You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river. Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. Don't major in minor things. Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. Don't spread yourself too thin. Learn to say no politely and quickly. Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Don't waste time grieving over past mistakes Learn from them and move on. Every person needs to have their moment in the sun, when they raise their arms in victory, knowing that on this day, at his hour, they were at their very best. Get your priorities straight. No one ever said on his death bed, 'Gee, if I'd only spent more time at the office'. Give people a second chance, but not a third. Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying peace, health and love. Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly. Leave everything a little better than you found it. Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation. Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life and death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems. Never cut what can be untied. Never overestimate your power to change others. Never underestimate your power to change yourself. Remember that overnight success usually takes about fifteen years. Remember that winners do what losers don't want to do. Seek opportunity, not security. A boat in harbor is safe, but in time its bottom will rot out. Spend less time worrying who's right, more time deciding what's right. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life. Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get. The importance of winning is not what we get from it, but what we become because of it. When facing a difficult task, act as though it's impossible to fail.”

― Jackson Brown Jr.

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Connect with us at the Future Focus Health Network for conversation, inspiration, and a community of individuals working on mastering self, mastering craft, and accomplishing any life mission!

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion. 

-Dale Carnegie

At a young age, most people begin to realize how "smart" they are in relation to their peers, friends, & family members. However, most objective measures of intelligence focus on standardized test scores, grades, or Intelligence Quotient (IQ). This is an important measure to determine admission into certain charter schools, advanced classes, and ultimately universities. However, IQ and admission to special programs/universities don't always determine long-term success. A lesser discussed, but equally important measure is a person's Emotional Quotient (EQ) or Emotional Intelligence. 

According to Healthline.com :

Your emotional quotient (EQ) generally refers to your ability to sense emotion in yourself and in other people. It also refers to how you use that awareness to guide your behavior. In general, if you have a high EQ, you may find it easier to:

• identify emotions in yourself and others
• empathize with other people
• adapt your feelings and behavior to different situations
• control your impulses
• withstand temptations and delay gratification
• resolve conflicts with others
• communicate effectively

In Episode 126, we discuss our perspectives on EQ and how important it can be in our personal and professional lives. 

LISTEN HERE

Books Discussed:

The Happiness Equation -- Neil Parischa

How to Master Your Emotions--Luke Hamilton

The Infinite Game--Simon Sinek

David vs Goliath--Malcolm Gladwell

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Join us at the Future Focus Health Network ---WFO LIFE PODCAST TRIBE

Overview

In this episode, Dr. William Curtis shares his observations treating hundreds of COVID 19 cases in the past couple of years.  This episode covers his insights on the progression of the pandemic, vaccines, boosters, masks, treatment protocols, and more.

Topics Covered:

• Pandemic Progression
  • Omicron vs Delta clinical presentation and severity
  • Vaccinated vs Unvaccinated
  • Rate of serious cases
• Vaccines
  • Delta Vs Omicron Efficacy
  • Safety of Vaccines
  • Booster, Booster, Booster?
• Testing
  • Why post-testing for COVID 19 is Dumb
  • What testing actually means
  • How accurate is COVID 19 Testing?
• Masks
  • Benefit? 
  • Psychologic Placebo?
• Treatment
  • Anti-viral experience
  • Ivermectin
  • Current Treatment Discussion
  • Lifestyle factors
  • Nutritional/vitamin supplementation

If this episode was helpful or entertaining for you, please share this episode with friends, family, and co-workers. 

Also, we would love to connect in our social group called the Future Focus Health Network.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

- Henry Ford

In this episode we continue our series of episodes dedicated to Mastering Ourselves, and more specifically, the value of life long learning. 

Key Points Discussed:

• Renaissance man Concept
• Benefits of life-long learning
  • More opportunity
  • Better Solutions
  • More flexible mindsets
  • Separates you from the pack
• Health Benefits
  • Improves cognition, memory
  • Improves brain elasticity 
• Different types of learning:
  • Reading
  • Traveling 
  • Social activities
• Creative approaches to learning:
  • Workshops, Seminars, online classes
  • Free/inexpensive e-learning (Coursera, iTunes university)
  • Podcasts, Documentaries
  • Social Groups (Skills, clubs, gyms) (Learn physical skills)
  • Hobbies 
  • Books, magazines, and blog feeds
  • Audiobooks
  • Youtube
  • Volunteering

Connect with us! 

Did you like this topic? 

Leave a comment, sign up to receive our newsletter and latest episodes! 

Is there something you would like us to do a show on or an interview you want to hear? 

Join us at the Future Focus Health Network ---WFO LIFE PODCAST TRIBE

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

― Henry David Thoreau

LISTEN HERE

Key Points Discussed:

• Passion sparks emotional energy
• Visualizing success evokes emotion which can supplant motivation when times get tough or adversity begins
• Write down or journal your goals.  
• Start with Long term 5-10 year goals 
• Consider making goals for various aspects of life  Health, Wealth, Spiritual, relational, community
• 6-12 month goals
• Break those down into small bite size daily or weekly goals

Books Discussed:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People®, by Stephen R. Covey
• High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way, by Brendon Burchard