S2 E6 - Failure Is Never Final

The Whole Enchilada Podcast

This week, we welcome Daniel Gil, the 2020 American Ninja Warrior champion. Mitch and Daniel talk about having purpose and creating goals, using failure to your advantage, and the importance of how you talk to yourself. As always, Mitch asks about really good Mexican food and the Whole Enchilada team tackles some of the highlights of the interviews.

Mitch begins by asking Daniel how he got started on the path to become the American Ninja Warrior. He gives a surprising answer about his athletic prowess and where his passions laid when he was in high school. He talks about the rejection he suffered before ever making it on the show and how he overcame it and continued to move forward. Mitch likens Daniel’s fortitude to Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber.

The pair dive further into the idea of failure as a part of the path to winning and talk about goals and purpose. They ask, “What will you do with that failure?”

Self-talk is a big part of the episode and Mitch brings up a good point about hearing the negative over the positive and recounts a story of a friend of his who is a public speaker.

The duo also tackles authenticity and being the person you are now to help influence others to attain their own goals. Daniel reminds us that when we fail, remember that we probably didn’t lose $1m like he did. It’s all about perspective.

Daniel concludes by telling the tale of two stories: the agony of defeat, when he lost $1 million by a matter of seconds in 2019, and the thrill of victory, when he won the championship by the same, a matter of seconds, in 2020.

Mitch asks the final question: Where are we going for the best Mexican food? Daniel immediately suggests El Ranchero in his hometown of Houston, TX. He’ll start with queso con carne, move on to some carne asada on grilled onions and bell peppers with sides of refried beans and yellow rice. He wants to order tableside guacamole and a bowl of tortilla soup. To drink will be Mexican Coke in a bottle (cane sugar always tastes better!) and class of horchata, or vanilla rice milk. Now that is a meal fit for a warrior!

Table Talk:

Mitch introduces the team and immediately asks what everyone took away from the interview.

Crickets. Don’t all dive in at once, guys.

Gil finally picks up the silence and says that he loves Daniel’s take on failure not being final and will always carry with him the reminder that while he may fail, he probably won’t lose out on $1m.

Isaac jumps in, remarking on the importance of not just being a good athlete, but having good stories and presence. He remarks on how stories connect us and connection leading to caring. Mitch agrees and ponders the thought of “About Us” pages on company websites.

Erin says she loved how Daniel tried something new when athletics wasn’t his strong suit…and how that new thing served him well in a way he never expected. Did you know that lots of NFL players take ballet lessons?

Mitch rounds out the conversation by reiterating the importance of self-talk and keeping the negative and positive in check. Are you carrying a bucket of water or a bucket of gasoline…and which is more useful?

Links:

American Ninja Warrior

https://www.nbc.com/american-ninja-warrior

Daniel Gil

https://www.facebook.com/DanielGilANW/

https://www.instagram.com/kingdom_ninja/

El Ranchero Restaurant

https://www.elrancherohouston.com/menu.html

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