Overcoming Fear And Shifting Into A New Year: Reginald D Sits Down With Morris Jackson, Host Of REP Podcast (Motivational Speech)

On this episode of Real Talk with Reginald D, host Reginald welcomes Morris Jackson, the host of the REP Podcast, to discuss overcoming fear and shifting Into a New Year.

Morris shares his background, growing up in Houston and his experiences in the military, law enforcement, and the corporate world. He also discusses his recent decision to answer the call of God on his life and start his podcast.

This episode offers listeners encouragement and hope for the new year, emphasizing the importance of personal growth, embracing change, and staying focused on positive goals.

To listen to REP Podcast or follow Morris on his social links, please click the link below:

 REP Podcast Website and social media pages on REP Podcast Linktree

Transcript

Welcome to Real Talk with Reginald D. I'm your host, Reginald D. On today's episode, I have Morris Jackson, the host of Rep Podcast, Religion, Economics, and Politics. Welcome to the show, Morris. 

Hey, thank you so much for having me on the show. I really appreciate it. And it's a real blessing, man. Happy Sunday to you. And happy new year, by the way. 

Same to you and the family. It's been a while. I think I was on your podcast a few months ago, man, on the Rep podcast, and I had a blast hanging out with you. And I was trying to get you on my podcast, and you busy, I'm busy, but now I think it's the perfect time to go into the new year, bringing you on the show with me. 

Hey, it was an honor and a privilege, man, to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much for stopping in to see us. And man, your podcast has been taking off like gangbusters, man. So, I mean, you've gone international on me, man. 

Hey, man, it's been a blessing. It's nobody but God at the end of the day. Give him all the glory for it, so. Tell us about Mars Jackson. I know you got your hands in a little bit of everything, so tell the audience a little bit about you. 

Well, you know what, man? Like I said, I'm just, you know, a regular guy. I'm from Houston. I grew up in the hood, 3rd Ward, which now looks a lot different. I mean, you got Starbucks and all these different places out there now, but back when I was growing up out there, it was inner city. I mean, you're a stone's throw from downtown, so definitely inner city. Grew up in a single parent home for most of my life. But while my parents were married, I did get exposure to military life. So that's what led to me going to the military. After I graduated high school and from the military, I went into law enforcement. And then from law enforcement, man, that kind of led into my career in the corporate world, taking my skills from military and law enforcement and going into corporate security and It really wasn't until recently that I really got serious about answering the call of God on my life. And God had been chasing me for a long time, and I've been trying to avoid him. But I decided, hey, man, you can't outrun God. So I recently just started to answer that call, I guess you have to say in earnest, a couple of years ago when I started the podcast, Religion, Economics, and Politics. 

So let's back up a little bit. You say you were in law enforcement. So what was one of the most impactful moments that you experienced while you were in law enforcement? A lot of people don't really understand what it takes to be in law enforcement. They just see what they see on TV and things like that. But what was one of the most impactful things besides not getting paid enough? 

Well, I definitely weren't getting paid enough, you know, which is why we work all those overtimes and part-time duties and stuff like that. So that's why you see cops out working these side gigs. But law enforcement sometimes gets a bad rap, you know, and don't necessarily get all the credit that they should get because you have a lot of good officers out there who really get into the profession. I call it a profession for all the right reasons. And then, of course, you're going to have some that get into it for the wrong reasons, and they really shouldn't be police officers. So I'll be the first one to call them out on that. It's definitely not as glamorized as you would see it on television, you know, CSI, everything is solved in a matter of 45 minutes, excluding the, the commercial breaks, but so many impactful moments, I would say probably the most impactful that I remember. I responded to a call where child was actually suffering some physical abuse and then it later came out in the investigation that not only was the abuse physical from a corporal punishment standpoint, and not really winning corporate because I think there's a difference between corporate punishment and abuse, but he was being physically abused and then also. During that investigation, it came out that he was being sexually abused and that wasn't bad enough. I think the worst part about it has been sexually abused by his own father. So I was able to maintain contact with that victim and help mentor him. And like I said, Hey, made it through high school, college, graduate, successful, has a family of his own. And we actually still have contact today. So if he's listening, Hey man, um. I'm proud of you and I'm proud to be able to be a part of that moment. So it is definitely a ministry. Whether people categorize it that that way or not, but I definitely took it that way, especially looking back now, seeing that God placed me in a position to be able to make contact with people like that and really minister to not only their physical needs, but to some spiritual needs as well. 

Kudos to that young man. I would love to have him on my show. I'm pretty sure he would change some lives with his story, man. That's awesome. And it's awesome with you too, seeing the moments. So that's one thing I realized about you is that you understand moments. You understand the moment, you know when to shift, you know when to execute. And I think that's very important in life because a lot of people miss their moments in life over and over again because of certain things, because they're not watching, they're not praying and things like that. So when you're dealing with your moments, how do you go about executing on each moment? How do you go about recognizing your moments? 

Well, sometimes it feels like the moment chases me, to be honest with you. I've always been one to, instead of shrinking in the moment, you know, and I'm like, hey, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. So I'll run toward it. You know, let's, let's go ahead. And if we're going to do it, let's go ahead and get it over with and let's see what happens. And that has worked out really well for me. It may seem crazy at times. It's like, why are you running toward this situation? I was joining the military when people were not interested in joining the military. I mean, we were involved in the, you know, we just had the Gulf war and things were heating up in the middle East. And so why would you want to go join the military? As a matter of fact, a good friend of mine. We were in a Christian rap group together at the time, and he just shared with me, you know, because he used to journal, and he just shared with me that he was actually afraid for me to go to the military, and was praying about it, and was like, God, hey, if this is the right move for him, reveal it to him, and if it isn't, reveal it to him also. But I've always been that type of person. And I really have to credit that to my mother, God rest her soul. She passed away in 21, but she's always been courageous and seasoned the moment. And I think that just kind of passed down to me. So how I attack things is if the situation presents itself and I know it has to be done, you know, I generally run towards it instead of running away from it. I think you have to have that courage in life. Now I haven't gotten around to skydiving yet. That's one thing I haven't read to it. My wife's done it before and she kind of teases me about it. So I don't know. I may accept that challenge. 

Well, we'll pray about that. So Mars, what do you think is going to be the difference for people in 2024 than it was a 2023 

Well, you know, I think, man, I'm so glad you asked that question because people that know me know I've been talking about 2023 being a year of transition. So a lot of things that people have been praying about, a lot of things they've been trying to get going in their life, whether it's a business, whether it's a, you know, no matter what it is, maybe a dream or something that they've had, I think they're going to see themselves coming out of that transition in 2023. And now it's 2024 this year being a year of fruition. So. those things start to materialize and come to pass. But one thing I would tell people is you also have to be prepared as well. So because your opportunity will persist, but are you prepared for your opportunity? You know, whether it could be relationships that aren't healthy, you may need to cut some of those relationships off or redefine those relationships. If it's a particular area you're living, if it's a particular job that you're on, I'm not telling everybody to go quit their job, but if it is a particular job that you're in, and if it's more harmful to you than helpful, and there's another opportunity for you to move past that or do something or transition into something different. I would say in 2024, you need to start doing that because your opportunities are going to come to fruition. and 2024, but you also have to be prepared for those opportunities when they present themselves. 

Right. And 2023 to me, and I've been hearing this all last year, especially at the beginning of this year, is that 2023 was the progress of people getting the pieces that they need. to go into 2024. So I think we got the pieces all through 2023, but now we got to execute in 2024. Put those pieces together and then you got to start, whatever it is. If it's your dream, your desire, a career, owning a business, whatever that thing you've been piecing together in 2023, you need to start it now in 2024. 

Absolutely. And I think those opportunities, when they present themselves, some people may be afraid. Because the moment may seem so big, but don't be afraid. And as I was saying before, run to it, you need to run toward it. And you'll be surprised that once you start to engage in that process and at your growth and how you will handle things. And I think you are capable of actually doing more than what you think you are. You're capable of growth that you didn't necessarily think you were capable of. You know, I like that. If you go to the gym, you may start out on the first day. You may start out lifting 10 pounds, but if you're consistent and continue to put that positive pressure on yourself. Hey, the next week you had five. And the next thing you know, you had 15 and what's happening. Your confidence is also growing. And if your confidence is growing, then that's also going to materialize in your results. So the more progress you make, the more confident you get. So run towards that opportunity. Don't be afraid to push yourself. It's going to seem big. It's going to seem insurmountable at first, but I guarantee you, if you challenge yourself and run towards the moment, you will achieve it. 

Exactly. Because at the end of the day, you don't know what you got until you get up in it. That's right. That's right. And I always tell people, if you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting what you're getting. So you got to shift this year, 2024. Like you said, run to it. You got to run to it, like you said. Now, I'm going to back up on something real quick, because I think people sometimes don't look back over their life, don't understand what God has done for them, and don't kind of give God the appreciation for their life and things like that. I know a while back, you had a bad run-in with Colt, and it kind of changed your life. 

Oh, absolutely. So yeah, that was also in 2021. 2021 was a, it was a rough year for me, man. It was, I would say it was more of a proving ground. and refining year for me. So like I said, mom died in 2021. Well, two months before my mom passed, I had contracted COVID and contracted COVID so bad that I had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. And to be honest with you, I actually called my wife to the door because we were in the same house, but we had to, of course, stay separated, you know, trying not to contaminate one another. And I went through a series of moments where I felt I was slipping away. And I don't know if I've mentioned this to anyone before, but there were times where I would be sleeping and I would just feel like an electric shock would hit my chest, almost like you would see on television where someone would take the paddle, the electric paddles or whatever, and shock the person on the chest to revive them. I would feel that and I would literally come back. I would just wake up, eyes wide open in a sweat. And this happened several times. And like I said, each time I felt like I was slipping away. That morning I called my wife to the door and I asked her, Hey, get pen and paper. I need you to write some things down. Cause basically I was saying my goodbyes at that time, because I'm like, I'm not going to make it. And during that night, I'll back up a second. And during the night I would actually hear a voice saying, you're going to die. You're going to die. And then I would feel that pressure on that hand on my chest again, where I felt like I was just shocked back to life. And I would just wake up, like I said, eyes wide open, sweating, almost like I've gotten a shot of adrenaline. And that happened several times during the night. So, but anyway, fast forward back to us saying, I called my wife to the door and I was telling her, Hey, I've got to tell you some things and I need you to write it down. And Hey, I don't know how much breath I have left because anyone who's had COVID really bad, you know, especially COVID pneumonia, it's hard to breathe. And so I felt like, Hey, I'm giving my last statement or my last Testament, if you will, you know, to my wife with the last breath that I have. And Hey, I need you to do it. I need you to execute it quickly. And so my friend, she got paper and she started writing some things down. And I told her, I said, now call the ambulance. And if you know me, man, I've never, I don't like going to hospital, never went by ambulance or anything like that. So for me to call the ambulance, it's pretty serious. And that's, they were transporting me out and leaving the house. You know, I started to cry because I really truly felt like this is the last time I'm going to see my wife is the last time I'm going to see my house, family, friends, and, you know, neighbors were outside. And I felt like that was the last time I was going to see him. And so I got in the hospital and it's a long story, but I'm going to shorten it down here for the sake of time. But I had an encounter with God while I was in the hospital and I remember the doctors telling me, you're going to be in the hospital for at least 40 days based on what we're seeing. And so I've got that voice in my ear. The doctor's telling me I'm going to be in the hospital for at least 40 days, but I've also got, you know, God's voice in my ear telling me, hey, I got some things I need to show you about Morris Jackson that needs to be straightened out. And here's some things that I need to show you about me and what you're going to do when you get out of this hospital. And so long story short, I ended up getting out of that hospital in 10 days. On the 10th day, I got dressed and people think I'm crazy, but God said, get dressed. And so I got dressed and I'm sitting in the chair, my bags are packed. And so the nurse walks in and she says, Mr. Jackson, so you're all dressed up. Where are you going? I said, I'm going home. She said, have you spoken to the doctor? I said, nope. I said, but don't tell him I'm going home. So the doctor came in, long story short, but he ended up releasing me that day because he said, Hey, there's nothing else we can do for you. You know, I can't believe how quickly you've recovered. So got out of the hospital, some things in my life changed. I started this podcast, religion, economics, politics, even the topics and the message was something that God revealed that I needed to go ahead and start doing. I didn't know anything about podcasting. I didn't know how any of this stuff worked. I'm still learning. I'm learning from you, I'm learning from other people I see. I'm doing podcasts and whatever God would have me to say, that's what I say. But the thing that I left with is God is exactly who he says he is. And even realizing in that moment when I got out of the hospital, it prepared me for my mother's death. I didn't know it then, but my mother died of lung cancer. So she was having a hard time breathing. So I had to make a difficult decision. The doctor says, Hey, you know, lung cancer patients, they feel as if they're drowning and they can't breathe. So the right thing to do at this point would be to at least make her comfortable. And I'll tell you what, anyone who has ever had to make that decision, whether or not to put their mother or their father or wife or child or whatever, and God forbid on hospice is a very difficult decision to make. But the experience that I had with COVID and not being able to breathe and knowing that her situation was probably a hundred times worse than mine was, it helped me to make that decision. So everything God does has a purpose, whether we realize it or not, but we're going through it. And that's what I want to tell everybody out there. So anything that you went through, whether it was in 2021, 22, or 23, is to set you up and prepare you for things to come in your life later. You may not see it then, but it will all make sense when it happens. So, but anyway, that's making a long story short. And you know, I've got the gift of gab, so I'll go ahead and stop there. 

That's a remarkable story, man. You got me about choked up over here. So you're talking about being prepared. How do people prepare for this new year and the next year and the next chapter in the year? 

So first of all, I would say, take inventory of your life. What are some things, and I'm doing it myself, what are some things financially that, you know, hey, I could probably get rid of? You know, get your financial house in order. Do we have some things out there that we just want? And I'm not saying we can't have any desires of our heart, because the Bible says that God will give you the desire of your heart, but are there some things that are just basically fat that you can trim off and it actually serves no purpose? So look at your financial house, get those things in order. Are there activities that you could probably cut from your day? Because what are we pressed for? We're pressed for time. Most of us, you know, we said, man, I don't have time to do this. I don't have time to do that. We have time, but what's occupying our time? So are there things that you can maybe exclude from your schedule that aren't profitable for you to actually move towards your goal? So finances, your time, and then moving things, and then also adding things down to your calendar. So you move some things away that aren't profitable for you. Now, maybe adding some things that are profitable towards, you know, it could be prayer. It could be reading. Man, I tell everybody, read. Fill your mind with things that are going to edify you, that are going to educate you. you will be surprised at how your view of the world will change, how your view of yourself will change. And you know what? It actually starts with yourself. So when you change the view of yourself, the view of the world will change. And I would say carve out some time for yourself to just meditate, to think, because you know what? We're so busy. We've got the kids. They've got to be places. You got family that, you know, they want you to come to different engagements and you got work. We got travel, we got so many different things going on, but we don't take time out for ourself. So if you notice the things I talked about just in those four things, three of them have to do with time. Only one had to do with money. So money is probably the least important of them all. But it is important, and don't get me wrong, because the Bible says that money answers all things. So if you try to go pay your rent or your mortgage with time, they're not going to accept that. They don't recognize that currency. They need some money, something that's going to spend, but time, most of all. So we need to reorganize our time. What are we filling it with? And then take those things out, fill it with things that are going to be profitable to us. And then also. Making time for ourselves to some quiet time meditation reading whatever it is go for some of you. Hey, you could kill two birds with one stone. I go for walks So I'm out walking. Hey, I'm getting my exercise and I'm also getting that meditation time in while I'm out walking So we can maximize our time So that's the message for 2020. That's how we prepare Maximize your time and you're going to see when you do that, you're going to be more in tune with those opportunities and you're going to be prepared for those opportunities. 

And another thing about time is they often hear people say that they don't have time, but sometimes you got to make time for what you want for your life. You got to make that time. 

Absolutely. Because I promise you, if you don't, life will force you into circumstances where you will have to reevaluate and you won't have a choice. So I would say obedience is better than sacrifice. So do it. So do it now while you have a choice and you can reprioritize and you can move things around, but you don't want to like to have to do that for you. 

Exactly. So Mars, what would you say to someone who is holding on to their past and is afraid to shift in 2024? 

So first of all, I would say God did not give us a spirit of fear. So anytime you're facing a moment and you're fearful, just know that that fear is not normal. Fear is actually abnormal. You should always look towards change as an opportunity to get better. It's an opportunity to go places you've never been in your life. You know, I remember for the longest time, everyone in my family was afraid to travel long distances. I was the first person in my family, thanks to the military, to actually travel outside of the country. And, you know, so I went to Germany and they were all so afraid. Oh my God, you're going to Germany. Oh, that's so far. That's so far. I wouldn't go way over there. And it was fear. Well, I would be lying if I didn't say fear was kind of pulling and tugging at me a little bit in the background. But like I said, then again, I'm one of those persons that look, I'm going to run to it. one of the best experiences I ever had in my life. And it enriched me, forever changed my life, forever changed my view of myself, worldview. So when I come back to the United States and someone tried to tell me about Germany, who's never been there before, or tell me about Europe, I can just now look at that person and say, okay, I can tell you've never traveled. So don't be fearful of change. Look at it as an opportunity to grow. Because I promise you, if you embrace the change, you're going to be better off for it. As a matter of fact, I don't know who said it, but I remember someone saying that the only thing consistent and constant in life is change. That's the only thing that's consistent. You're changing every day, whether you realize it or not. So I don't look the same as I did three years ago. I know I don't look the same as I did 30 years ago. It would be great if that could happen. You know, God, if we could work that out, tell me how we can do it. But I haven't seen that happen yet, but we all change in our mind. the way we look and our appearance, we all change. Things change. The city that you grew up in, I guarantee you, it looks different than it did 35, 40 years ago. So the only thing consistent in life is change. So you should embrace the change. 

Well said. So we'll pray to God about getting 30 years young. See, that'll work out for us. 

And so we can put it in a bottle and market it, man. Right. Right. 

So Mars, what would you say to the listeners to encourage them and give them hope for 2024? 

Look, I want to first off tell people, just like every year, you're going to see events happen around the world that are less than desirable. So, I mean, you know, you're going to have some people out there that wish violence on other people. You're going to see hurricanes and earthquakes and different things happen. So I would tell you, these things are going to happen as the young kids say, life be lifened. But don't get discouraged by any of those things. But I would say, stay focused on the things that you can change, which is your path in life. Stay focused on those things that are going to impact and leave legacies for your grandchildren's children. Stay focused on those things. Keep your mind focused on the positive instead of the negative. I would even say you might need to take a break from the news every now and again. I'm not saying don't know what's going on around you or be ignorant of things going on around you, but maybe just check in at the six o'clock news. But I would say don't binge on the news because if you notice, the only thing that makes news are negative events. How many people got shot? you know, which school got shut up today. Those things make new, but I would look at things that are going to make a difference. There's lots of great stories out there, and there's lots of great news outlets that you can hook up to, and you can filter out what news you want to hear, what news you don't want to hear. So I would say take control of that in your life as well, what you hear versus what you don't hear. So take control of those things, And stay positive. Don't be dismayed by all these other things going on around you. Focus on the things that you can change in your life. 

There you have it, Morris Jadson. So Morris, how can people listen to your podcast and follow you on social media? 

So it's Religion, Economics, and Politics, Facebook, and on Instagram. You can go to my website, which is repodcast.com. There's also a contact at repodcast.com on that website as well. You can reach out to me. And I've also started a weekly message called Redeeming the Time. So those will come out once a week and that'll fluctuate when we put that out, but at least be once a week. So for some positive messages, so hey, follow us, like us, share us with everyone. That's how you can support this ministry. There you have it. I'm putting it out there. It's a ministry. Guys, I'm just being obedient to God and hopefully I'm putting some things out there that's going to help you, encourage you and inform you. 

God bless you, brother. God bless you. Yeah, you're working the process that God has for you, and I'm proud of it. I can't wait to see how far he's going to take you, because your obedience, man, I'm telling you, it's going to be game-changing. It's going to be game-changing. And your heart is game-changing. The heart you have for people and things like that, man, it's going to be something that's going to carry weight in your life. So I'm really honored that you took the time out of your busy schedule to come out and hang out with me a little bit. And man, it's been an honor. 

Reginald, I appreciate you having me on your platform, man. It's truly an honor. And I'm looking forward to seeing what those guys get ready to do in your life. Like I said, I've been watching you, man, and I truly admire you. Truly admire you. 

Likewise. Likewise. We got to get together and do something impactful together, man. 

OK. Well, hey, my Cowboys are playing today, so maybe I shouldn't have said anything. They're like, oh, man, we liked him up until you said he was a Cowboy fan. Hey, don't blame me guys. That's been I've been a Cowboys fan ever since I was knee high. 

So I know right. No, no. So there you have it everybody. Mars Jackson, the host of Rep podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Real talk. Reginald D. If you enjoyed the show, please share with anyone you feel the need to take the journey with us on being a better you. See you next time.