SNS 160: Saturday Night Special – Interview with Daniel Tezeno author of The Way of the Profit

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Welcome to tonight. Saturday night, special episode 160

[00:00:06] Daniel Tezeno: I'm Daniel Tezeno. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to recognize the richness in your life is key.

[00:00:25] And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this. The inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Maderer.

[00:00:35] There are universal laws that have been here long before you and I, Scott, and those laws. Are unchanging. They are constants just like bits visits. So if we can put these laws into action, you'll find that the effort behind them. It's really very little welcome. And

[00:00:59] Scott Maderer: thank you for [00:01:00] joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast.

[00:01:03] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that. Can impact the world.

[00:01:24] And tonight's Saturday night special. I interview Daniel te Daniel talks with you about his book, the way of the prophet and Daniel shares, how he developed the idea with prompting from God. Daniel also shares with you. How, as Christians, we often struggle to have a healthy relationship with money and Daniel also share.

[00:01:44] Four ways to have a good money relationship. One area that a lot of folks need some help with is around the area of productivity. Getting not just more things done, but actually getting [00:02:00] the right things done can be really tough. I've got a course called productivity for your passion.

[00:02:07] That's designed to help you do this and then to hold you accountable and walk with you so that you can tailor productivity, not just to be getting more done, but actually getting the right things done. What's more, we take the approach of looking at your personality and how you actually look at things in the world and tailor the productivity system to your person.

[00:02:33] Because the truth is a lot of the systems that are out there are written really well for somebody with a particular personality type. But if you have a different approach to things, they just don't work, but there's tools and techniques and approaches that you can take that will work for anyone. And we help you do that and productivity for your passion.

[00:02:53] Check it out over@inspiredstewardship.com slash launch. [00:03:00] Daniel Teo is a public speaker consultant and business coach based in Texas. We also hold certifications as a Christian counselor Daniel's belief in personal experiences in a God centered life, guided him to the path of counseling others to help people find their true purpose personally.

[00:03:17] And professionally, he started his career in automotive sales and began developing a passion for people and their financial struggles, his love for people and experience eventually opened doors. As he pursued accreditations, developing skills and expertise and body language, personality, profiling, and emotional intelligence.

[00:03:35] When Daniel is not studying all things biblical as an ordained minister, he spends quality time with his loving wife, Wanda, and their three children. Today, we talk about his book, the way of the. Welcome to the show,

[00:03:48] Daniel Tezeno: Daniel. Thank you. Thank you, Scott. Thanks for having me.

[00:03:52] Scott Maderer: Absolutely. So we talked a little bit in the intro about your book and what kind [00:04:00] of brought you to the point of writing this one.

[00:04:04] Why this book

[00:04:05] Daniel Tezeno: Even after I've written it, I asked myself the say the short answer, Scott is God told me to write it. I'm. Not one to put myself out there. I'm not one to promote or anything like that. And it's a combination of some teachings I've done in a structured format for people who just asked, believe it or not.

[00:04:26] Could you disciple me is how that started. And I believed in a structured environment with a certain time on a certain day with certain types of topics that we wanted to discuss was a good way to try and get as much content into that person for them to think about for that week. That was.

[00:04:47] Eight or nine years ago, actually. And I just had all these notes. And what have you sitting in a file? Wondering myself sometimes. Oh, I wonder whatever will I do with that right before Christmas. [00:05:00] And what was that 2000. 20 I woke up and just I'm talking to you within myself. I here's time for you to write a book.

[00:05:10] And my immediate response was no way I'm writing a book. I don't want anyone to get some kind of illusion. Like I'm this obedient force that just jumps in when I feel God is telling me something, but no, I said it three. I said, I'm not writing a book. I'm just, are you talking to me? yeah,

[00:05:28] Scott Maderer: really.

[00:05:30] Daniel Tezeno: And I finally embraced it when I told my wife, I just said, honey I think God wants me to write a book.

[00:05:37] And she said about what I said, I don't know. . So after pursuing that he. Hey, you already have most of the content. I just need you to put it in story for him. And I said, why would I wanna do this? He said, write it for your children. And that's what hit me because I wanted to leave something I thought was pertinent and special and a part of me [00:06:00] for my kids.

[00:06:00] So there you go. That's the honest truth.

[00:06:04] Scott Maderer: Just curious, how did your, because you said you really didn't believe it until you talked to your wife, but you also said, she said, what about, and you said, I Don. So there's gotta be more to that conversation. I was the rest of the sentence

[00:06:15] Daniel Tezeno: after that was the short version.

[00:06:17] She's pretty keen on the fact that if I said I think God said, write a book that was the bulk of the conversation. And just, it just got me thinking more throughout the day. I know there was this thing that I was very passionate about when it came to money. So that became the theme around everything else.

[00:06:42] And that's the central topic of the book wealth in God's presence. So

[00:06:50] Scott Maderer: why is it that you think that when you, when it comes to a Christian view on wealth, And God and those sorts of [00:07:00] things, which is the topic of the book, what do you think it is that holds most Christians back from having a good relationship or a healthy relationship with money and finances and those sorts of things

[00:07:11] Daniel Tezeno: That's such a good question, Scott.

[00:07:13] I think just based on a lot of. Experience and conversations with people literally all over the country. I think the heart of it is fear, to be honest with you. And that fear, I think, is twofold fear of what God might ask them to do. And some bad teachings on money being this bad thing.

[00:07:36] I think some have a misunderstanding of what money really is. It's a means of exchange. And when we look at it from a exchange standpoint, it's not moral, it's not immoral. It's amoral. It's really the heart of the person that holds it will determine what it does or does not do. So a lot of conversations when it [00:08:00] comes to trusting God, specifically with money.

[00:08:03] It's that fear of not having enough or giving it away. And if you understand it from the point of exchange, you're really not giving anything away, nothing disappears it's out in the atmosphere or in someone's hands doing something. And so from that perspective, if you can just dial back, what does God want it for?

[00:08:27] Let's be honest. He doesn't need it. so why does he want it if he's asking for it to give or to share it's because he wants to do something for you. Every single thing that God does is for our benefit, it is never for his own because he doesn't need anything.

[00:08:47] Scott Maderer: Yeah. So the it I think the fear thing is important to recognize cuz.

[00:08:55] I would agree from again, having many of these conversations in [00:09:00] Christian circles, myself first off that money is the root of all evil. It's that's actually not what that passage says. It's it's a misquote at best but it's also like what you said about money being immoral it, everyone always wants to talk about the quote rich jerks that.

[00:09:18] But never one Johnny ever talks about the poor jerks that they know , you know what, I

[00:09:23] Daniel Tezeno: That's a good

[00:09:24] Scott Maderer: point. It's I, you, but I met him that

[00:09:26] Daniel Tezeno: are both, oh, I know. Quite a few poor jerks.

[00:09:29] Scott Maderer: And it's it's it's in the lack of money, your money, is it what made them a jerk or made 'em holy.

[00:09:36] Something else. It's

[00:09:37] Daniel Tezeno: true. That's true. I've often heard that money simply magnifies who you truly are. If you are a jerk, you're gonna be a rich, bigger jerk. If you are giving, you're gonna be a more abundant giver. So yeah, it, it just simply allows you to just really come out and let people see who you really are.

[00:09:57] In my opinion. So in the book you [00:10:00] talk about what it's kind of of divided up into sections that you have title is the four ways. And of course the book is the way of the profit. So a couple, by the way, there's a couple of puns there too I'm sure that was deliberate. The way of the profit's E R O F I T folks, just everyone is listening and not looking not profit.

[00:10:21] Scott Maderer: As in the profit, but profit as in money profit. So in the book you talk about these four ways. Can you break down what they are at a high level and why? This is the journey that you're taking the reader through.

[00:10:34] Daniel Tezeno: Thank you. Yeah, I'd love to expand on that. If you remember in the gospels, there wasn't really a title for what the disciples and later the apostles were teaching.

[00:10:49] They simply called it the way. right the way that's what it was known. As te I'm gonna teach you the way. So when it came to the [00:11:00] ways I set them up in sections, because there are different ways in how it could be addressed for one section, one talks about the way that you and I are made. If we don't understand the way we're actually made and what was God's intent in the way he designed us, then we usually will not use.

[00:11:21] The ways that he designed us to our benefit. The second section talks about how the way is already cleared for us. Sometimes people just wonder does God want me to prosper? Does God want me rich? Is it just about needs or is it just about wants or is it both what do I do with these desires?

[00:11:45] Some people need a license to say, Hey, I've opened. The way for you to do and have whatever it is that you desire to have as long as it's with the right intent. And it's according to [00:12:00] his will, section number three, I talk about the way his law. There are universal laws that have been here long before you and I, Scott, and those laws are unchanging.

[00:12:14] They are constants just like pH physics. If we can put these laws into action, you'll find that the effort behind them is really very little because it's a law. It's a constant, the sun comes up every day without us praying for it, without us looking for it. It is a law. On its own. There are spiritual laws that operate the exact same way.

[00:12:42] One in particular, the law of reciprocity, it's a circular motion of process of giving and receiving. So that's a universal spiritual law. And then the last section is the way to wealth. [00:13:00] Okay. I understand the way we're designed. Understand God has given us the path. I understand that there are laws to, to help.

[00:13:10] How do I go about it? So that last section is a little foundational truth about how to set up your finances and allow now your finances to grow through God's direction. That's generally the core of the entire book. You talk about the laws and understanding all of this. And we joked earlier about the quote rich jerk.

[00:13:38] Scott Maderer: What is it about. Because take the law of reciprocity as an example. That I agree with you, it's a universal law. I actually think it leads to a lot of good things, but it also can be manipulated and turned into a way of manipulating people. How what keeps that balance with the intent [00:14:00] being.

[00:14:01] The good one, because you talked about as long as you're doing it with the right intent. So what is it that keeps the right intent?

[00:14:06] Daniel Tezeno: Here's the beauty about that question? The law won't work if you're intent, it's opposite of what the law is intended to be. You are correct in that good.

[00:14:19] Bad. We'll come back to you. It's one of these things where if you're looking for trouble, guess what? You'll find it. If you're often causing trouble it will come back to you. In the scriptures, Jesus spoke very. Clearly about giving there's one that many know you don't given. It shall be given unto you good measure, press down, shaking together and running over.

[00:14:42] And it says, shall men given to your lap or your Boso preceding that it talks about if you give mercy or if you offer mercy, you'll receive mercy. If you give judgment or offer judgment, you will receive judgment. So it doesn't [00:15:00] matter what it is. It's just really a matter of from the heart that if you are giving it, trust me the truth of whatever it is that you gave out is gonna come right back to you in that same manner.

[00:15:15] So to your point about manipulation, if you're giving out or doing things to manipulate someone, you can rest assure manipulation is gonna come back to you in some form or fashion.

[00:15:28] Scott Maderer: Yeah. I think sometimes I agree with you. I think that's a hundred percent true. I think sometimes some of us doesn't don't necessarily feel like that happens quickly enough to people sometimes that happens on God's timing, not ours it's it does tend to come home to roost and some ways shape, and form.

[00:15:46] So how do you look at this? Interconnectedness the connections between wealth, money, finances, power the relationship we have with God, our own [00:16:00] what I would call purpose and calling two different things, but all of those how does this big ball of wax, how do you tease it out or interconnect it in?

[00:16:08] What, the way you look at it.

[00:16:09] Daniel Tezeno: Okay. That's another good question. I guess the best way to to try and visualize it is to understand that all pro all provisions flow through our spirit and when our spirit is connected with God's spirit. It's like an umbilical cord of a baby connected to its mother.

[00:16:31] All nourishment, all provision, all nutrients, everything comes directly from its source to what, to grow it, to develop it. To mature it, to eventually allow it to function on its own. And so when you're looking at the interconnection between wealth and finances and God and power and so on, all those things are [00:17:00] interconnected.

[00:17:00] If you find God and he's not hiding, by the way, if you find God and reconnect to God, then you find everything else. I find a funny example about. Like when my children hang, when my children hang out with me, they're not children anymore. And they still do the same thing. Doesn't matter that

[00:17:19] Scott Maderer: they're still your they're still your children.

[00:17:21] I'm over. I'm over 50. And my mom still calls me my her little boy. This is true when they're out. I kid you not, whether it's on purpose or it's by default, they bring no money with. And I don't care where we go and I don't care what it's for. They know if we're hanging out with dad, he's got a, he's got everything they don't ask.

[00:17:45] Daniel Tezeno: Can you handle it? is everything okay? Or should I talk to mom or none of that, I know he has it. And therefore, because of the relationship and he loves me, [00:18:00] I know he'll get it for me. It's no different with. There's a scripture that said it, please its God to give us the kingdom. And what that simply means is everything you can ask for become whether it's a need or a want or desire it's in the kingdom.

[00:18:20] And he said, if you being evil can give good gifts to your children, how much more can our heavenly father give good gifts to us? So it's a very simple premise. Everything is connected. And through that connection that God has, that he'll provide for you. And it's so freeing when you can really walk in it on a daily basis.

[00:18:46] So

[00:18:46] Scott Maderer: what keeps us from what we've been given. And I think you alluded to this earlier we've been blessed. God has opened up the storehouses and blessed us in some way. Maybe monetarily, maybe, otherwise doesn't matter. [00:19:00] I think then sometimes that fear kicks in and we get greedy because now it's but you gave it to me.

[00:19:06] I it's buying now. I wanna hold on it all and what's more I want some more now, too what kind can keep our heart from feeling that way?

[00:19:16] Daniel Tezeno: When you have more adoration and more love for the giver than what's been given, it will always guide your heart in the right direct.

[00:19:26] And that's why it's so important to stay close, to stay prayerful, to stay praiseworthy, to always acknowledge him in everything. Lord, I know this came back. I know this came to me from you. What do you want me to do with it? Hey, it's yours. And I think that's where some people hesitate and cause fear because they are afraid to ask, what do you want me to do?

[00:19:51] Because we might

[00:19:52] Scott Maderer: tell him,

[00:19:52] Daniel Tezeno: go and give it to your neighbor. Immediately we've been trained to believe that's a [00:20:00] loss. That's a loss on our part. If I give it, I'm not gonna have it anymore. Again, and I outline this in the book. If you understand the giving nature of God and the laws of giving not only is it gonna come back to you, but it's gonna come back to you in abundance.

[00:20:15] I think once again, the core of that is a misunderstanding of scripture or God or money or all of them, and it causes fear and hesitation.

[00:20:27] Scott Maderer: So I've got a few questions that I like to ask all of my guests, but before I turn to that, is there anything else about your book or the work that you do that you'd like to share with the listener?

[00:20:37] Daniel Tezeno: The work that I do, I find gratifying because it involves people. God loves people and he then deposits in you that love for people.

[00:20:45] The book myself, the way I coach, the way I consult I always. Focus on the person business is a bunch of process and systems, but it still involves [00:21:00] people. And for me that, that has always worked for me. I try to focus on what's the motivation or the fear of the individual.

[00:21:10] Do they understand what it is that's before them, do they agree with the process? Do they have a better way of doing it or is this just not something they wanna do all together? I think once we can get to the connection of what are people's true motivations or fears or lack thereof, you'll find a lot of solutions to some very complex problems.

[00:21:36] So for me, it's all about the. That's how I try to communicate in everything I do, even with my wife and children. So as

[00:21:44] Scott Maderer: a coach working with businesses and individuals and as you said, focusing on the people who, if somebody's listening and. They're connecting with you and your message, who is your best client or your ideal client, who are the people that you [00:22:00] most gel and love to work with?

[00:22:02] Daniel Tezeno: You know what? This may sound weird, but I love that tough. Harsh someone who's done it all. And it's still not working individual because when we've come to the end of our understanding or to the end of our strength or to the end of our knowledge or whatever it is, this is the only time one can open themselves to, okay, I've done everything I can do.

[00:22:29] What do you have? What can you provide what's what can you say or do different than what I've already done? And that's usually a lot of my clients. They're a lot of people with big egos and for good reason, they've accomplished a lot, but they have to get to the end of what they think is their understanding.

[00:22:49] And all I do is just get them to focus in an area they never considered. And that's the internal. And that's when you'll find some [00:23:00] solutions to problems that if you just trusted enough that it is quite in most cases, it's quite simple and I'm not trying to minimize issues. There are some very tough issues that require a process that may take time.

[00:23:18] But if they understand that the core. It's pointed in the right direction. And if they're consistent and if they're persistent believing that this journey is gonna ultimately end in what it is that they're looking for, that's a no find truth facts help us. Yes, we need facts. But truth, as I mentioned before is constant.

[00:23:42] And that's what we're lacking a lot in society. Scott, not many people know what truth is, so I'm always trying to focus them to truth. It actually makes me look good because. Truth is truth. It's gonna do what it said it's gonna do. So I I come [00:24:00] off looking like a genius. No, I just cheat a little.

[00:24:02] I just focus on truth.

[00:24:04] Scott Maderer: so one of the questions I like to ask, all of my guests is this my brand has inspired stewardship. I kinda run things through that lens. So what does the word stewardship mean to you? And what has the impact of that understanding been on your life?

[00:24:18] Daniel Tezeno: I think stewardship means to me exactly what it means.

[00:24:21] It means that you are managing something that belongs to someone else and there's a scripture that says the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof te translation the earth belongs to God and everything in it. , you're just here to run it because I allow you to, so when it comes to stewardship and if you understand God's characteristics, he.

[00:24:45] What's best for you. And so if I'm managing his things or his, or this life, he's given me the way he designed it and he described it then guess what? Even when things don't appear [00:25:00] to work out for me, they just will. Because again, that's the nature. And in section one, that's why it's so important that we talk about the way we're designed, the way we're.

[00:25:10] There are some constants in everything. How has it impact me? And you can ask my wife this I made enough mistakes to finally say, okay, Lord your way. Not mine. how do I do this? So when it came to managing money one of the first things he told me was to let my wife run it, let my wife handle the finances.

[00:25:35] And to a lot of men, that's very scary. But I was obedient to do it. And you know what she's the best at it. She has the discipline, she has the fortitude, she has the knowledge to, to investigate and she has the patience. So it's just about. Me being obedient to what she says, Hey we don't have the money for that right now.

[00:25:59] Oh, [00:26:00] okay.

[00:26:00] Scott Maderer: This is my favorite question, Daniel. If I invented this magic machine right now, and I could pluck you from the chair where you are and transport you into the future a hundred to 150 years and magically through the power of this machine, you were able to look back on your life and see all of the ripples and the connections and the impacts that you've left.

[00:26:22] What impact do you hope you've had on the.

[00:26:24] Daniel Tezeno: Oh, my God. that's a heavy question. It's the easy question. I think for me it's really this Scott whomever I've encountered in this life. Someone I've built a relationship with or someone I met. By chance in passing, I pray, they remembered me for something good.

[00:26:49] Whether it was advice, whether it was something I gave them, whether it was something I introduced them to whether it was something I said or [00:27:00] whether it was something I modeled, I, I. Hope it was something good that allowed them to either course correct. If they were going in the wrong direction or look at something differently.

[00:27:13] But in all of that I just prayed that it all points to our creator because that's really the reason why we're all here. And I pray I have in some way, shape or form communicated that. Not just in words, but in my actions and the life, I try to live before people because we're all servants to one another.

[00:27:34] If we allow ourselves to be, and I think from that lens you can really see the good in people because that's the God in people. And sometimes they can't see it within themselves. I didn't see it within myself. So I know what that feels like, but like you said, It is a simple answer. I just hope they just find something good in me that [00:28:00] they benefited from.

[00:28:01] That's really the end game to all this.

[00:28:03] Scott Maderer: So what's on the roadmap what's coming next for you as you continue on this journey.

[00:28:08] Daniel Tezeno: I hope to continue to talking to people like you who, who get it in terms of stewardship and The way things are interconnected to our creator.

[00:28:19] I have a podcast that I'm gonna be developing called the profit podcast show. And I'm actually saying that out loud to put myself on the spot to make sure I do it. A few other things I have in the works there's a book to course that I'm gonna be developing as. Taking some of those detail aspects where they take that general view from the book and now we can apply some things more specifically to their day to day or week to week.

[00:28:49] And I'm gonna hopefully be able to coach other people on how to coach people in those areas. And [00:29:00] I think the more we can get people empowered and realize. God is an abundant God. And on top of that, he wants to share that abundance with you. I think that'll free a lot of people in many different areas.

[00:29:15] One it'll address, fear two. It should heighten trust in God. And hopefully we all benefit just becoming who we were originally designed to be in the first place.

[00:29:27] Scott Maderer: You can follow Daniel on Facebook or LinkedIn as Daniel Teo. And that's. T E Z E N O, or find him over on Twitter as Dan, the prophet, you can find out more about Daniel also on his website, Daniel teo.com. And of course I'll have links to all of those over in the show notes as well. Daniel, is there anything else you'd like to share with the Lister?

[00:29:54] Daniel Tezeno: You know what Scott the only thing I like to share is just, don't be afraid of God. Don't be [00:30:00] afraid of what he has for us. He loves us like a parent because he is our parent. He loves us because he wants to get what we actually desire out of life. And he holds it. If you find that there's a void and life seems complicated, I promise you.

[00:30:18] It's all designed to draw you close to him. And when you draw close to him, just like my kids, when they're around me, trust me everything you could possibly ask for or desire he has it. And he wants to give it to you.

[00:30:35] Scott Maderer: Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast, as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this. Please do us a favor. Go over to inspired [00:31:00] stewardship.com/itunes rate.

[00:31:03] All one word iTunes rate. It'll take you through how to leave a rating and review and how to make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you can get every episode as it comes out in your feed until next time invest your. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world.