My guest today is Westley Silvestri, a two-time American Ninja Warrior, a highly decorated and award-winning real estate professional, a Spartan Racer, a Tough Mudder, the creator of ‘Ninja Beach’ in Santa Monica, CA, and he’s also a former golfer and stand-up comedian. Using Westley’s own words, he has “Professional ADD” and wants to do everything…but also do it well!
Westley also happens to be one of my primary ninja warrior training partners who has inspired me to push past my abilities and become a stronger and more well-rounded human being. There are few people I’ve met in my life who are more positive, energetic, and encouraging…all while being brutal and relentless all at the same time.
In our conversation today Westley and I focus on what it takes to become 1% better every single day. We talk about the hardship he’s faced in his life including waking up one morning to find his roommate dead, and battling a year of depression because of this. And we dig into the idea of being intentional about progress…because it’s not just about “putting in your 10,000 hours,” it’s about WHAT YOU DO with those 10,000 hours that actually counts.
Here’s What You’ll Learn:
- Finding your way off the hamster wheel of modern life
- You find out who you are when you’re faced with hardship
- Incremental improvement as the true path to change
- Being intentional about progress and getting better instead of “just putting in your 10,000 hours”
- The importance of running your own race
- It’s not about how many hours or days you work, it’s HOW you do those hours and WHAT you accomplish
- Westley’s “try something new every week” philosophy
- If you’re not pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you won’t grow
Useful Resources Mentioned:
Westley Silvestri’s ANW Submission
Our Generous Sponsors:
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Guest Bio:
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Westley Silvestri was born Feb. 4, 1986 in Glendale CA. He was the first born son to Jan and Brian Silvestri. His baby brother, Tyler would join the family a couple of years later. They lived quite modestly in several homes the east San Gabriel Valley. By 7th grade, his parents divorced and Wes moved to Glendora with his mom and brother and a couple of years later to Saugus.
After high school, Wes attended COC for one semester and then transferred to New Mexico to seek a degree in Multi Media Communications. At 18 he bought his first home while working full time and carrying 18 units of college courses.
In 2013, Wes and his best friend Ian, wrote a sitcom and were in the process of pitching it to various networks when Ian died suddenly in his sleep. This knocked Wes into a severe depression for a year.
As he emerged from the effects of this tragedy, Wes examined his life goals and earned his CA real estate license. He was honored as the Rookie of the Year at HomeSmart NCG. After only 3 in the business, Wes has closed over $35M in real estate transactions! His aspiration is to become a broker and open the first of it’s kind, Ninja Real Estate Office. Wes admits to a severe case of “Professional ADD,” and wants do everything; but do it well!
Always the adrenaline junkie, Wes is currently in training for Ninja Warrior and enjoys hiking, cliff jumping, snowboarding, surfing, rock climbing, scuba diving, and wake boarding. He has also participated in 25 obstacle course races such as Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, Gladiator Run, and Warrior Dash. Wes loves to catch these and many other life events on film and edit the movies for family and friends.
Wes believes in paying it forward and helping those in need. He is a Sobriety Coach and helps others deal with their alcohol addiction through exercise. In 2015, Wes produced and participated in stand-up comedy events which raised over $55,000 for local charities and people in need. These include New Leash on Life Animal Rescue, Bridge to Home Homeless Shelter, Feed the Children (a local food bank) and financial assistance for a close friend with Stage 3 breast cancer as she goes through chemo and radiation.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared and published by Elyse Rintelman. The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
Note: I believe in 100% transparency, so please note that I receive a small commission if you purchase products from some of the links on this page (at no additional cost to you). Your support is what helps keep this program alive. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Zack Arnold
Zack Arnold (ACE) is an award-winning Hollywood film editor & producer (Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, Unsolved, Glee), a documentary director, father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of Optimize Yourself. He believes we all deserve to love what we do for a living...but not at the expense of our health, our relationships, or our sanity. He provides the education, motivation, and inspiration to help ambitious creative professionals DO better and BE better. “Doing” better means learning how to more effectively manage your time and creative energy so you can produce higher quality work in less time. “Being” better means doing all of the above while still prioritizing the most important people and passions in your life…all without burning out in the process. Click to download Zack’s “Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Creativity (And Avoiding Burnout).”