Money, Marriage, and Life: Have We Ever Suffered From Depression, Amanda’s Accent, and Other Topics…
Hey guys, Samuel and Amanda Leeds here to talk about money, life, and marriage. It's been a great week for both of us. Amanda started potty training Ruby, who's our eldest, and it's been a success. And since she's also the one that manages our properties and handles the sales progression, I had her go over a legal pack of a property we were considering buying but decided otherwise.
I, on the other hand, spend some time with the incredible Ricci Mandal. I hosted Ricci on Winners on a Wednesday a year ago. He's one of my success students and is today also one of our trainers. I gave him some training tips, and he also accompanied me to view houses in my neighbourhood. We were house viewing because Amanda and I are looking to rent another house in Buckinghamshire. We house hop now and then for a change of scenery.
Now, onto the questions, comments, and suggestions you had for us in our last podcast episode.
I love Amanda Leeds's accent.
“Oh … thank you,” Amanda said in response and continued to share that she came to England from Zimbabwe when she was ten years old. I agree her accent is quite lovely and was, in fact, one of the things that I initially found attractive about her. We met at an African wedding, and since she had dressed the part, the last thing I expected to hear when we first spoke was a strong Yorkshire accent.
“Did you choose to have a Yorkshire accent?” I asked her, thinking she chose to put on that accent because she liked it. I know people who moved from the US to England when they were young, and they still have an American accent. “No … I really didn't,” she said, “That's just how I speak.” As for me, growing up in the Midlands, where I also attended school, meant most people around me spoke with a drawl. But I wasn't a fan of the accent, so I made a deliberate effort not to talk like they did.
Do my Christian beliefs influence how I approach business?
Well, for one thing, I've never shied from talking about my faith. And this is regardless of constantly being told by our business advisers, solicitors, and the like not to talk about religion to avoid alienating people of a different faith or no faith. But my faith is everything to me, so I speak and write about it unapologetically.
I became a Christian when I was 16, after which I joined a local church, which sent me on a mission to Zambia. Zambia is right next to Zimbabwe, Amanda’s native country. While there, we visited a village that didn't have easy access to clean drinking water. So I vowed that when I became wealthy, I would start a charity and bring clean water to such villages. And this became my purpose and led to me starting my business, which has allowed us to dig several boreholes in Africa.
“So my faith is a fundamental foundation to everything that I do,” I explained, “I'm not afraid to talk about it.” Amanda supported this by adding, “The way you do it doesn't force it onto anyone. You just sort of share your faith and what it means to you.” Politics, on the other hand, can stir up controversy fast. For this reason, I'll only publically voice my political opinions if concerning property, say rent-control. And while speaking publicly about religion can also have severe consequences business-wise, it's a mountain I'm willing to die on.
How do we overcome procrastination?
“Just do it,” Amanda advised, saying procrastination only wastes time. “You're quite quick at getting stuff done,” I complimented her. And like she explained last time, to help her accomplish her tasks on time, she makes a list of everything she needs to get done and prioritizes the tasks. She also added that “if there's something that I really don't want to do, I just kind of do that first and then it's just out of the way.”
Usually, if I procrastinate doing something, it's because I don't want to do it. And usually, when that happens, I outsource the assignment in question. So recently, I went through a brief period of procrastination involving a task I couldn't outsource, even to my wife. You see, I told the 30 success students featured in my latest book that I would send each of them a signed hardcopy. I ordered the books, which were later published and delivered, but Amanda noted that the text didn't appear correctly justified.
I, therefore, ended up reordering the books, but it will take a couple of weeks until they are ready. So I made a video explaining to the 30 students that they would receive the book a little late and why. However, upon sending the video, it failed to go to all of them. And instead of sending it individually to those that didn't receive it, I kept on procrastinating. I eventually did notify them, and although I was putting it off because I didn't have the time, it only took me ten minutes. So whatever it is you're procrastinating, just do it!
Would I consider employing a chauffeur?
“I think you could benefit from a driver, and I've said this before,” Amanda said. And while I agree with her and the person that asked the question that it would probably make me more productive, “I just love driving.” Plus, I'd likely get car sick when sitting at the back, unlike when driving, where I am comfortable and relaxed thanks to a seat massager. I did, however, have a driver named Brian for six months when I got banned. If I were to hire a chauffeur full-time, ideally, I'd want a car with a caravan attached, so I can lie down on a proper bed while on the road. “I can make that happen,” Amanda assured me.
Have we ever suffered depression? And how can one develop a positive attitude?
“Naturally, I'm just a positive person. I'm very optimistic,” Amanda explained and advised anyone feeling depressed to focus on the good even when things are going bad. She further noted that bad things do happen, but going through challenges can help you learn and grow, “so I'd focus on that and not the actual problem at hand.”
“I agree,” I said in response. And while neither of us has ever suffered depression, we do feel low and down from time to time. For instance, a recent belt incident left me feeling frustrated and in a bad mood. As Amanda narrated, I wear all my trousers with a belt, but I frequently lose them. So the last time this happened, I was especially annoyed because it occurred to me that I probably spend an hour every month looking for a belt, “what a ridiculous waste of time!”
So to avoid future belt-related frustrations, I asked Amanda to order me ten belts and requested her to buy me more belts every time I lost some. And to set the record straight, yes, I was teary after the whole situation but not because I was annoyed as Amanda thinks. I had a high fever. That combined with the car's aircon, caused my eyes to become watery.
Anyway, like everyone else, we do have bad moods now and then. When this happens, the irritable or unreasonable person is allowed to rant while the other person listens and loves them through it. And then we work together to find a solution. If we need to discuss what happened, we never do it in the heat of the moment to prevent things from escalating.
Amanda's final words of wisdom
Remember, guys, worry never takes away tomorrow's troubles; it takes away today's peace. And to my fellow Christians, like Philippians 4: 6-7, reminds us, don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Things mentioned in the video:
Samuel's Book – Do The Possible, Watch God Do The Impossible: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Possible-Wat…
Success Students Book – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samuel-Leeds…
❓ Have a question for Samuel and Amanda?
Comment below and they will answer it in next week's video.
🗣️FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samuelleeds…
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/77861…
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSamu…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/samuel_leeds
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-le…
For collaboration enquires please email [email protected]
