Our special guest on this episode of the Start with a Win podcast is Tony Drees, a Desert Storm veteran, Purple Heart recipient, life coach, motivational speaker, podcast host, and Executive Director of Veterans Passport to Hope. Tony has undergone 74 surgeries in the years since his combat injury and recently lost his right leg to amputation. He has received some recognition over the years for being a war hero, including a spotlight in People Magazine after his 58th surgery. 

Tony was heavily impacted by his adoptive parents and the empowerment they demonstrated to their many adopted and foster children, and this influence in conjunction with his military service and the adversity he has faced led him to come up with these 3 rules to live by:

1. No lies – Do not believe the lies that people say about you and what you can accomplish.
2. No excuses – Pursue your own expertise and decide how to live your life.
3. Never quit – Do not believe in limitations but stick with what you have set your mind to.

Veterans Passport to Hope began in 2012, and they pursued Tony to be the Executive Director after becoming acquainted with him through an award they gave him. The purpose of the organization is three-fold: (1) Advocacy, (2) Cooperation, and (3) Fundraising. VP2H does not provide services, but rather provides recommendations for veteran groups and maintains an extensive grant process for awarding funds to those organizations.

Tony starts every day by practicing gratefulness and he welcomes change when it comes, seeing it as a new inevitable adventure. He believes that everyone has a superpower, which is usually the thing that people “accuse” you of as if it is a bad thing. Inspired every day by his children, he says that the key to success is to “manage your beliefs and you can manage your results.”

Links:

“The Magic of Thinking Big”: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Thinking-Big-David-Schwartz/dp/0671646788/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PYSOXUOLW8IE&keywords=magic+of+thinking+big&qid=1557933130&s=gateway&sprefix=magic+of+thinkin%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1 

Connect with Tony:

https://www.vp2h.org

https://www.instagram.com/superpower.institute/

https://classes.superpower.institute/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shock-awe-2-0-saluting-veterans-with-grace/id1459893480 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/