I love sharing The Hunt everywhere I go, with everyone I meet. I thought I would ask the hunters I admire to share what success means to them so we can all learn from the amazing people I am fortunate to know. In this space, you will hear from politicians, outdoors enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs – each of whom is hunting down what means the most to them.
First off is my man Michael Waddell – the truest of the true, one of the most authentic people I know. Michael IS that guy you see on TV, whether in the field, on screen or with his friends and family, he has the kind of unwavering assurance that he is in the right place doing exactly what he is meant to do. That translates into confidence that is enviable and a mindset that is always above & clear, set on his targets and ready to go. He is also a big kid, which is probably why we get along so well. So here’s my buddy Michael, answering my five questions:
- What does success mean to you? Succeeding means a lot to me, and capability plays a big role. Sometimes succeeding means getting better at something I’m not good at. Knowing who you are and knowing your assets is important. I want to be the best I can be at what I do and if I know I gave it my all, it’s always easier to sleep at night and in this I find success. Finding something you’re a natural at and passionate about has helped me.
- How do you set goals? I set my goals on making a difference. I’ve never been financially driven, but when go all in and attack something with all my ability and it’s done right, the financial rewards seem to come naturally. One goal I’ve always tried to set is to help others find their dreams or goals. It’s always seemed that by helping others do what they dream of doing, good things come back around, and it’s very rewarding. Really, I’ve just always kept my goals simple and set them by evaluating our team and myself. If that’s done right, goals are easier to meet because none of them are set as unreachable.
- What was your breakout moment? My breakout moment was hosting a TV show called “Realtree Roadtrips.” It came about by complete surprise, because I had never had a goal of being a TV host or personality. I simply wanted to work in the hunting industry and make a difference for Realtree in any way I could. By doing that I learned a lot about business, people, structure and in the end, I found myself. When it came time to be on TV, I truly just hosted that show as who I really was…I had no intention of running a popularity contest. I hunted they way I hunted growing up and just simply was so stoked to travel and do the things I had only dreamed about that all the emotion was real and unrehearsed. This show led to my career growth and helped me to better understand how to help others go down the same path Realtree had afforded me.
- Who was your greatest influence? My greatest influence is my family I grew up around in Booger Bottom, Georgia: my Daddy and Mamma… the whole culture I grew up with. I learned to be proud of my humble country raising, who I was and where I was from. Being raised the way I was influences me like crazy to this day. I learned how to work hard and that nothing came free. You had to go get it! Being raised tough made me realize I couldn’t become a victim and succeed. If you were knocked down, you got up and went twice as hard! I’m so thankful for this. Folks fed with a silver spoon and living too soft can get a false outlook on the world and think life is easy. I have always known this wasn’t the case. It’s tough! But very rewarding if you don’t mind putting some calluses on your hands!
- How do you influence others? I just treat people the way I want to be treated. I want to influence people by letting them know to just be yourself and lose those insecurities that can make life miserable. Find what the good Lord has gifted you with and use it! Don’t try to be something you’re not. If I can make it from where I came from, anyone can. Oh, and the big thing I want people to know is to stay humble! No one likes an arrogant jerk and eventually no matter how talented you are at anything being too conceited will lead to a downfall! There’s a big difference between confidence and arrogance: just be confident and work hard.
