Uncompromising

Justin Recla: 

And I’m excited to talk to you because one, you’ve got a book that’s been recently released called Uncompromising, and what really, really caught my attention on this was the subtitle of the book, how an unwavering commitment to your why leads to an impactful life and lasting legacy, and I know I shared this with you before we started recording, but I want the audience to hear is this. This, folks, this right here, that piece, that subtitle doesn’t resonate with you, you need to pick up the book and read it because this is the most important thing you need to understand on how to succeed in life. Steve, I got to ask. I’m sure this has been a labor of love. Why the book? Why the book now? You work for a big corporate, you’re out there in the corporate world. Why a book now?

Steve White:

Such a good question, Justin. Most people don’t know when you’re an author, no one gets rich at this. Maybe John Gresham, maybe Stephen King, but most of us who are writing a book, it is a labor of love. But I grew up in the housing projects of Indianapolis, Justin. I was a perfect candidate to be a victim. Single mother raised four boys by herself, eighth-grade education, growing up in the housing projects of Indianapolis, and you don’t reach a level of success unless there were a lot of people giving you a hand up, not a handout, but a hand up, and so what better way to pay homage and write a love letter to all the men and women that gave me a hand up than to share all my lessons learned in a book that somehow might impact someone else. You know, there’s this song that goes like this, Justin, we all die twice.

We die the day they put us in our grave or mausoleum, whatever your choice is, and the last time someone mentions our name. Think about that, Justin. If we could all strive to live a life long after we’re gone, people are still mentioning our name in a very positive way, that is a life well-lived. That is a life of impact, and so part of writing this book, Uncompromising, is to recognize all of those men, that men and women that have helped me, but more importantly, and just as important, Justin, I want to impact others, and my hope is long after I’m gone, this book will fall into someone’s hand and it will make a difference in their life, and so 10 years from now, 15 years from now, 20 years from now, someone will say, Steve White, made a difference in my life. Think about that, Justin, if we could all strive for a life like that. That’s a life well-lived. That’s a life of impact. That’s a life of legacy.