Dreams Don’t Expire: Broadway Star Troy Horne On Purpose, Perseverance & Reinventing Success After 40 (Inspirational)

Feeling “behind” after 40—what if this is your most powerful chapter?

In this inspirational, motivational conversation, Broadway star, musician, three-time bestselling author and mentor Troy Horne shares how to reinvent your purpose after 40. 

From Star Search to Rent on Broadway, interviewing legends like Kobe Bryant, Troy opens up about his transformation from musician and Broadway performer to self-published author selling over 300,000 books, including Mental Toughness for Young Athletes and his upcoming book Middle Management: How to Thrive in the Second Half of Life. Troy reveals the mindset, discipline, and faith that fuel a second act. 

If you’ve battled self-doubt, burnout, or the fear of starting over, this episode is your motivational speech to refocus, take action, and ignite your dream—no matter your age.  This is motivation for anyone ready to move from “maybe someday” to now.

If you’re over 40 and juggling career changes, family, or a stalled dream, you’re not alone. This episode connects your current struggles—burnout, rejection, fear of starting over—to practical steps for a purpose-driven, motivated life rooted in identity, faith, and daily action.

Takeaways:

Second-Act Blueprint: How to clarify purpose, build momentum, and create an aligned brand that opens doors (even if you’re starting late).

• Resilience & Mindset: Tools to reframe rejection, stay motivated through setbacks, and turn discipline into confidence.
• Daily Systems That Stick: Simple morning routines and focus habits to protect energy, reduce anxiety, and keep you moving toward your dream.

Hit play now to get Troy’s step-by-step, real-life strategies for reigniting your purpose and building unstoppable momentum—starting today.

Troy's contact info:

Mental Toughness For Young Athletes Book: Amazon.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/troyhorneofficial

Website: https://www.troyhorne.com

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Transcript

 Reginald D: Welcome to Real Talk with Reginald D. I'm your host, Reginald D. On today's episode, I have Troy Horne. Troy is a Broadway star, musician, author, and a dream igniter for 40 plus generations. Troy is a man who's lived many lives in one. He's brought Broadway, toured with legends, inspired millions through music, and now he's helping people over 40 rediscover their dreams and live with fire again. He's a father, a dreamer, and a walking testimony that is never too late to start. Welcome to the show, Troy. Troy Horne: Man, that is an intro, sir. That I was like, that's great. Well, thank you, thank you for having me. That was awesome. Reginald D: Yes, sir, Absolutely, man. I'm so glad to have you on the show. I'm excited about it. Thank you, man, for taking your time out, your schedule to hang out with me for a minute. Troy Horne: No problem at all. No problem at all. Yes. Reginald D: Tell us a little bit about where you grew up and what your childhood was like. Troy Horne: I grew up in Houston, Texas, so I was born in Charlotte. My parents were there for a couple of years and my mom got a job with Exxon and we moved to Houston, Texas. And I grew up, you know, in Texas, man, it's like its own space. But, you know, it shaped me a lot, you know, as a human being. So I'm grateful for that time there. Reginald D: Yes, yes. I'm familiar with Houston, Texas, because my sister and my brother in law live there. So I know it's hot when I go there. I stay away from that place in the summertime if I can help it. Troy Horne: You know, it's funny, like, everyone's like, it's so hot. It's like, we didn't know because you go from your house to your car to another building and it's like, very rarely were you outside. I mean, you're outside in the evening or afternoon, but. Right. We weren't outside during the hot spot, so. Reginald D: Right, right, right. So, Troy, you've worn so many hats, man. Broadway star, musician, author, and dad. When you look back, what moment do you feel sparked this incredible journey? Troy Horne: Ooh, you know, the one that sparked the whole thing. I'm giving credit to my mom. I love my dad too. He's great. But my mom was like, when I was younger, I would just sing around the house just because that's what I wanted to do. I just, you know, like singing. And one Sunday she goes, next week you're gonna go up and sing in front of church. And I was like, no. And she's like, yes. And so I Went up and sang in front of church and I was terrified. I was like, you know, I was just terrified. But after I sang that thing, the congregation gave me a standing ovation. And as a little kid, maybe about 8 or 9 or 10 years old, I was like, this is what I want to do. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. And so that was the beginning of the whole journey for me. Reginald D: Yeah, man, I always thoughts for church, don't it somehow? Troy Horne: Right. Reginald D: I grew up in that type of family, man. We was in church three or four times on Sundays, man. You had to get up and do single, whatever the case may be. Troy Horne: Yes. Sunday you went three services, you went to Wednesday night, you went to Thursday, you went to whatever other Bible study. Yes, exactly. Reginald D: Yes. Like a full time job for a kid. Troy Horne: Full time, yes. Reginald D: Right. So, Troy, from Star Search to Rent on Broadway to NBC's the Single, you've seen the industry from so many angles. What did each chapter teach you about resilience, rejection and stand grounded in purpose? Troy Horne: Oh, man, these questions are fire. So, okay, let me rewind this. Okay, so what do they teach me about resilience? Resilience. The one thing I learned from being in the industry is, yes, talent is a part of it. I think this is with any industry, Talent is a part of it. But the biggest part of all this is still being there when your turn comes. So many times people will like, say, oh, I spent a year, I spent. I tried it for two years, I tried it for five years, and then they leave. And that was the time their stuff was supposed to happen. I have a friend that I met when I first got to la. I call a friend. Cause we hung out a lot when we first got there in 98, 99, something like that. Octavia Spencer. We worked at this place called Adept Consumer testing. It was 16 years after we first met and she was struggling and getting started, that she won her first Oscar for the help and for all these other things. Most people had already gone. 16 years later. That's a long time to wait to get to be in, you know, to know people like Oprah and Taraji and all those people. But she was there, she stayed and she kept working. And so resilience that I learned from the industry is if you're going to do this, you need to do this. It needs to be there and make it happen. The second question was what you said. Resilience. Reginald D: Rejection. Troy Horne: Rejection. Okay. Rejection is usually 99.9%, never about you. You know, someone's cousin was pulling a favor or, you know, they offered it to this person because there was some other connection. A lot of times when I was younger, I thought it was about my talent. And you do need to be talented, but it's often like, are you the right fit for this project Based on whatever else they're looking for? Talent is like your ticket in. It's not like a lot of people go where they're thinking, I can sing better than the so and so, I can dance better. Do you fit the part or no? I'm glad you can do a triple somersault. I'm glad you can sing a high C. But we don't need that. We need for you to sing this. Can you do that? You know, so rejection is usually never about you. It's about, did you fit what they were looking for. And then what was the last thing you asked me? Reginald D: The last one was staying grounded in purpose. Troy Horne: Ooh, staying grounded. Oh, my gosh. Yes, yes. You have to know your purpose. You have to know why you're doing it. And staying grounded in it is like the only thing that's going to keep you going through all those. Those things, Knowing why you're there, what did you set out to do? And you've got to nurture that every single day because the world will challenge it every single day. So. Yeah, it will. Reginald D: Yeah, it'll eat you alive, man. Troy Horne: You gotta fight it. Every day. Every day. Reginald D: Exactly. Troy Horne: People like, can we get a, you know, what's the rest? Or when do we take, like, in this industry, it's every day. So if you can't do every day, find something you can do every day in. Yeah, right, right. Reginald D: So you talk about helping people over 40 live their dream. Where did that mission come from? And why that age group specifically? Troy Horne: Okay, so I love this man. So, okay, so I'm a dad and so my main focus, like I think most people when those kids are coming up is like, how do I help them get what they want to do? How do I, you know, help them reach their goals and their dreams? And how do I also give them discipline and correction and encouragement so that they can be fortified as human beings to make it through this journey. So my kid, we wrote a book for him. It ended up helping like over two hundred and something thousand copies we sold with this book, Helping people. It was written to help him. He goes off to college and I'm sitting here, as most people do, Once the kids go out and you get to that 40, 45 year old stage and you're Like, I spent a whole bunch of time and energy focused on someone else. Now I got all this time what I'm gonna do. And then you get good look at yourself. You get a good look at what you're doing with your life because you don't have time to say, well, he's not doing this homework, or she's not doing that assignment. And all of a sudden it's like, well, wait a minute, what are you doing? What are you doing, my friend? Where are you not doing what you need to do? And so I went through this process myself, which is why I was like, let's write a book about it. Because I went through the process myself of refining my purpose in the second half of life, refining what I wanted to do in the second half of life. And it was rough. And so I was like, let's kind of document this process, and if we get through it, great. And if we don't, then we just have it documented. So we got through it on the side of actually doing what I want to do the second half of life. And I was like, let me share this process with people over 40. Hopefully it will help someone we find their purpose and their go to for their second half of life. Reginald D: Man, that's awesome. And very creative too. You know, I wouldn't have came up with that. But it's real, though. It's real. Yes. Yeah, I know, man. I know. Troy Horne: It's like, what in the world? What am I doing? What am I, like, I got all this time, what am I gonna do? Reginald D: Right? Exactly. So you said before, the dreams don't inspire, they evolve. Can you unpack that for our listeners who feel like their best years are behind them? Troy Horne: Ooh, Ooh. So one. Oh, and I was writing and editing the book that I released here and just going through this process. So here's what I would say. All the years that you went through, the struggles, the learning, the failures, and all those things we think, oh, my gosh, that's supposed to belong in the past. No, all those things are now your fortification. And things are going to help you make the second half amazing. Because now you know all the things that. Well, you know, most of the things I won't say all because we, you know, we like to say we know all the things. And that's another thing I talk about. Just know, you know, more than the people that are behind you. There's still stuff to learn, there's still stuff to. But, you know, a whole lot more than 20, 25, 30, whatever year old person does because they haven't lived through it. So in your second half evolution, now is the time to use all the information. Now's not the time to pack it away and put it in the safe. Like, now's the time to go, okay, look, either I'm going to show someone else how to do it with a coaching or whatever program, or I'm going to use it for myself. Like so many. Like Oprah does it. Tabitha Brown is doing it. Like, she's not, you know, coaching. She's saying, I'm using this for my own life. Like, all these people are using this wisdom for their own lives. And so you can do one, two things. You can use it for your own life, or you can use it to teach others. Whichever one resonates with you. That's the evolution part of the dream. It's like, now you're in a space where you know what you're doing, whether you're going to switch from. Like, I'm switching from doing music to writing books. Because I was like, it's still some type of storytelling, because music is storytelling in music, and books is storytelling through written word. And so that's my evolution. But it's like your evolution can be that or it can be something totally different, you know, like whatever it is that's resonating with you. Reginald D: So, yeah, I love the way you broke that down. So let's talk about this. Let's talk about balance. How do you balance being a creative powerhouse with being a husband and a father of three? Right. Troy Horne: You know, it's funny, you know, and this is not going to be popular, and people aren't going to like it, but I'm going to keep it 100 with everybody listening. So there typically is no balance. You're either. You're either leaning more this way or leaning more that way. It's like, I remember Barack was talking about. He's like, in the beginning, he goes, I was home maybe two or three times a month while I was running my campaign. He goes, was it fair to the girls? Was it fair to Michelle? No. But we all knew where I was going, what I had to do. So I'm saying all that to say, there's another guy, Huggins, a comedian. He was on Jennifer Hudson's show. She said, how do you balance it all? He goes, I don't. I don't. So it's like, you have to find something that you love to do, and you have to. You have to know that it's never going to be balanced. It's going to Be either more this way or more that way. So when I was with the kids, it was 100% kids. How do I help you? I remember I was touring one time for nine months, just showing again. I was on tour for nine months out of the year, and I said to myself, I need to shift the balance because I can't do this. My kids are growing up, and I can't be there. So I shifted to entrepreneurship and helping people do it. And so my balance became more father and how to help them reach their goals. So balance looks like unbalanced. Reginald D: Got it. Troy Horne: Yeah. Reginald D: And that's very wise, too, you know, because I think so many people get so much anxiety cost. They're trying to balance. Yes, it is. At that moment is what you're doing. Troy Horne: Is what you're doing. What you're doing is what you're doing. Yes, yes, yes. And I think, you know, the narrative is you got to be, you know, balanced. And it's like, find one person. Don't, like, don't take my word for it. Find one person who has what you want to have that says, I did it balanced all the way here. And if you can, model them, because that's rare. But if you can't, maybe take the hint that this is what the game is. Reginald D: Exactly. Troy Horne: Exactly. Reginald D: So what are some lessons you learned from your kids about staying curious, creative, and fearless? I mean, these kids have you all over the place, man. Troy Horne: Yes. Yes, man. You know what? You know what the kids have done that has been really helpful? They will show you yourself. They will. Like, I've learned from them that anytime I look at them and I go, why is he not taking advantage of this opportunity? It's like, before you go and talk to him about that, look at yourself. What opportunity are you not taking advantage of that makes you aware that he's not taking advantage of something? Why is he not being fearless about going after that? It's so clear that he can win. I always say, like, those are your ancestors and God saying to you. Yeah. So I'm glad you see that now. So why are you being so fearful? And why are you not going after it when I'm telling you that you're going to win? So kids, for me has been the biggest gift because they reflect to you, I think all the things you're saying to them, God, ancestors, or whatever you believe is saying to you. So before you utter don't do whatever, look at yourself. That has been the biggest gift for kids. For me. Reginald D: Yeah, man. Yeah. Because I'm telling you, man, Will call me out quickly. Troy Horne: Yes. Because they're mirroring you, Right. Their whole blueprint for being a human came from you, right? Yeah. Reginald D: Right. That's funny. What role has Faith played in your consistency and courage through every reinvention of your career? Troy Horne: You know, it has constantly been a struggle in. I'm going to be 100 honest. It's like every time I have to relearn to believe, every time I have to relearn to trust, I'm getting better at it now. I make the turnaround faster now, but really just trusting that, you know, if I do the work and put in the effort, it's going to work out. Maybe not in the way that I thought or saw it, but in the way that's best for me and for my life journey. That's been the big, big thing for me going forward. Yeah. Reginald D: Yes, sir. So, Troy, performing as Tom Collins in Rent is iconic. That role is emotional, raw, and full of life lessons. What did it teach you about empathy and purpose as a performer and person? Troy Horne: Everyone is just trying to do their best. That has been the biggest thing. It's like we can spend so much time externally focused, focused on, well, this person is. Everyone is trying to do their best. So if we can enter every situation just thinking, okay, this may. As long. As long as it's not harmful to me individually. Everyone's trying to do what's best for their lives. It's not a personal attack. It's not a. Unless it is a personal attack. It's not, you know, a physical. It's like, how do I look at this? Like, okay, look, does this affect my life directly? And if not, let me understand that whoever it is out there in the world is doing what they need to do. I don't need to consume myself if it doesn't involve, you know, my existence or the people around me. I need to focus on doing, you know, my journey. Because when you get older, you realize we don't have forever. You can spend a whole bunch of time concerned about what Joe's doing or what Sarah's doing or whatever. And it's like, that's waste of time. You have a journey yourself to complete. Focus on your journey. Reginald D: Definitely. Yes, absolutely. Troy Horne: Because it was. It does end for all of us. Would say Father Time is undefeated. Reginald D: That's it. Troy Horne: Yeah, that's it. That's it. Reginald D: It's so true. Troy Horne: Yeah. Reginald D: So. And you said something a minute ago that I picked up on. You said, everybody is trying to do their best. You know, I've learned and I thank God, for this, showing me these things I've learned throughout my years of how to shift, you know, I don't lead my team the same way I did 10 years ago. You know, I tell people, I say, right now, I said, the biggest thing I do is I manage anxiety. I said, everything's so chaotic in the world and everybody got all this anxiety, and they'll fund the meat, but if I'm bringing all the stress and all that kind of stuff, I got to make it well. I understand you're trying to do your best. You know, I understand all the stuff you got going on. I just got to keep your anxiety. You manage anxiety. That's all I do. That's what I call it anyway, so they could be better at what they do, you know? Troy Horne: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Reginald D: Yeah, man. It's critical that you shift, man. If you don't shift, man, you're gonna be lost. Troy Horne: And that shift becomes with age. And that's another thing. It's like when you get older, it's like, this is go time. This is when you win. Because, you know, all this stuff you've tried, the push and the drag and the fight, you tried all that. So now you know, like, you know when to push, you know when not to. You know when to go, you know when to stop. It's like after 40, man. This is when people win. This is winning time. Reginald D: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, Troy, let me throw this at you. What's one story from your days on Star Search or the sing off that still makes you smile or laugh out loud today? Troy Horne: So this is tough, you know, I want to make sure that I don't say anything that's gonna. It's been so long now. It's like I probably am not bound legally to any of the contractual things, so I'm going to share some insider stuff to you guys. Something makes me laugh again, looking back at all those instances was that most of the time, the people who advance or whatever in that situation are advancing because the powers that be, say producers, show writers, whatever, see that this can be financially beneficial to our reach, views, sponsors, whatever else. It has nothing to do. I know we like to go, man, so and so saying way better than. Do they have a large following? Can they bring more eyes to this product? Can we push them in a way that's going to raise revenue? That's. That's the game. So to all the young artists out there that are going to. I can sing better than, I don't know, Beyonce or I can rap better than Drake. Or Kendrick or whatever. That's beautiful. But you need to learn how to build a business and a brand because that's part of it. It's not the whole story. So that was a big eye opening for me. It was like, oh, talent is part of it. It ain't the whole thing. Yeah. Reginald D: And see, I always thought that, like, to get on stage and them form and they end up getting these contracts and the record deals or whatever case may be, I thought this is how it all started. I never ever thought that the brand was so important. Troy Horne: It's more important than the talent. Reginald D: Wow. Troy Horne: I mean, I know it's not popular. I know people don't like it. It's not the dream that sold and the brand. And the beautiful thing about right now, social media, you can build your own. So it's like you can win right now. Back in the 80s and 90s, you had to rely on whoever was going to push you on commercial and television. Nowadays, you can build your own. Reginald D: Yeah, yeah, exactly. So I want to talk about this because this is my dude you've interviewed. NBA legend like Kobe Bryant. That is my dude right there, man. Hands down, my favorite. And then Chauncey Billups, what did those moments reveal about mindset, discipline and legacy? Troy Horne: Okay, here's another unpopular opinion. And I know people are going to say, you know, and you know, I'll put it this way. Chauncey Billups told us, he said, when I was in Denver, because he grew up in Denver, he goes, I was in eighth grade, he goes, I played basketball and football and all these things. Like people say, you know, play all these things or whatever, right? And he said, in eighth grade, I realized if I'm going to get where I need to go, I need to focus on basketball. Kobe said the same thing when he was 11 or 12 years old. He said I had to focus and get 100 better every day. What I learned from them is, again, it's not popular, it's not going to make people happy and feel good. But you got to decide if you want to feel good or you want to be good. So in them actually looking to be good, it's like you have to choose and you have to focus and you have to be obsessed with whatever your goal is. They both told me that it was like win or lose. He goes, people don't know this or don't remember this. He goes, I went like a year or two riding the Laker bench. Kobe was like, I was on the bench for a good two years and I'm watching All these kids who went to college getting all this playing time and. And, like, my peers and my Whatever, like, getting all these accolades, and I'm sitting on the end of the Laker bench playing garbage minutes. He goes, but you know what? I kept going. I kept focused. I kept getting my stuff done. And when, you know, I got in. I got in in the finals. And he goes, dale Harris put me in. He goes, I think in an effort to humble me, he wanted to break me down. So this. He wanted to break me down because I wouldn't let anyone break me down. When I shot four airballs, I was like, okay. Everyone was like, oh, my gosh, that must be horrible for you. You shot four air balls in the finals, and you kept shooting. What's wrong with you? You're selfish. All this other stuff. He goes, I went back and studied. Why did I shoot four airballs? Because I know I'm a good player. So what happened? He was like, I didn't have my legs up under me. I need to work on my strength. I need to work on my endurance. And that was a thing. At some point, you got to focus, and you've got to be relentless, and you've got to be obsessed with getting better and not let the setbacks or the people outside tell you that you're any less than you believe you can be. Reginald D: Yes, Nico was relentless. We all know that. Troy Horne: Yes. Reginald D: We all know that. Troy Horne: Yes. Reginald D: And it was crazy that yesterday I saw a clip where somebody was talking to Allen Iverson, and he was talking about the reason Kobe was so great. He said Kobe was so great, it was greater than anybody else. He said, because when we were in the club, he was at the gym shooting ball, you know, he said he was relentless with it. You know, he didn't hang out like we did. Troy Horne: And that's with everything. And that's the beautiful thing about it. It's like whether you want to be whatever. Fill in the blank. Whatever you want to be. If you can teach yourself to be relentless, especially after 40, because you know what to be relentless about. If you can teach yourself to wait, like, every day. This is what I am obsessing over. This. There's no way you can lose, because most people won't do it. It's like, just by showing up and being relentless, you set yourself up for winning, because most people will quit. Yeah. Yep. Reginald D: Exactly. Troy Horne: That's what I learned from those guys. The word relentless. Keep going. Reginald D: Yeah, that's it. So you're a man who's built success through perseverance. What daily habits of morning routines keep your energy and creativity alive. Troy Horne: At this stage, it's like getting up and getting to work. You know, honestly, it's like instead of getting up and checking the phone or walking around or whatever, I do some of that. You know, in the beginning, I kind of like to get myself going, like. Like maybe 30 to 40 minutes of. But it's like, what is the work that I need to do today, and how do I get to doing that? Because the only thing I believe look back and say, I wish I would have done, because some people do it. I wish I would have focused more on the work and less on the distractions. Reginald D: Right, so let's go back to this book. You said you sold over 287,000 copies of your book, Middle Management, and it's. Troy Horne: That one's called Middle Toughness for Young Athletes that I've sold home. Middle Management is a new book that I'm coming out with. Reginald D: Okay, gotcha. All right, so tell us about what. I guess what I'm trying to say is at what point you had an aha moment when you said, hey, I'm gonna reach these people that's over 40 to reunite their life? Troy Horne: Because I was like, the thing that I heard from Seth Godin, I believe it was either Seth Godin or Malcolm Gladwell, one of those two authors. They said, if you are going through something, there are at least 1,000 people who are just behind you who are struggling with the same thing. The first book, Mental Toughness for Young Athletes, that was written for Mindset for Athletes, was proof of that concept. Because I wrote it to help my son and our little community. That was what it was written for. It was like, how do I help you refine your joy and happiness behind sports? Wrote it for him, had him read it. Because I had him read it because I wanted him to, like, speak the words. Speak the words into existence in his own life. So I had him read it. So he made the audiobook. I sat with him to kind of make sure that it made sense to him. All this to say, by doing that and really focusing on helping him in our little community, ended up helping hundreds of thousands of people. So I was like, well, wait a minute. So maybe Seth or Malcolm, whichever one it was, is right. Because I was struggling at 44, 45. I was like, he's going off like, what am I doing? I was struggling with what do I need to do? And it was rough. And so the thing was, do it again for you this time. This time. Do it for You. And for people like you who are struggling with this, that was the aha moment. It was like, there are other people that are going through this and there's a lot of material out there that says you've just gotta accept your decline and. And just wander off the pastor and be happy with you. I'm like, I can't let that be the narrative out there. So let me write something that said. Nah. Something different than that. Reginald D: Yeah, right, right. Because here's the thing. So many people hit middle age instead of feeling burnout or behind. What's the first mental shift they need to make to break free from that? Troy Horne: Well, coming from someone who literally maybe a year to go versus that feeling behind and filling out, it's like realizing specifically for us, you know, in 10 years from now, I don't know what the. The story is going to be, but specifically for us that grew up in the, you know, 70s, 80s, early 90s or whatever, man. Let me tell you something. As a Jim car, let me tell you something. Back out living color. The work ethic we have is unmatched. It's like. And I say that because it's like, yes, you may feel like you're behind, you may feel like you're burnt out, but it's like, here's what I want to say to you. Right now is the easiest time for people who understand what work looks like to be successful. Specifically with the infamous AI and all other stuff. It's like you use these tools now for online and for building a brand or building a business or starting something. Let me just tell you, the return on work right now is astronomical. And here's what I would say to us that we are used to, and I was used to it too. We're used to the manual labor of we've got to like, you know, physically do all the things. We've got to manage this and micromanage. It's like with the world of computers and artificial intelligence and social media, most of it will do it for you. So all the work that you are used to doing, you can do a fraction of it and get 10 times the results. So what I would say to them is like, you're not behind. You're actually in the perfect space. And with the invention of all these amazing online tools and things of that nature, you're actually set up to win. Because the game is so easy right now. It's so easy. Reginald D: It's all about, I guess, your thought process about things and how you feel. Because always crazy to me. And you probably Know some people too, when some men, you know, like when they turn 50, they just go crazy doing all the stuff, getting this stuff they should be getting into. You had that midlife crisis type of thing. People talk about like, man, what are you doing? You know, I'm guessing wanting purpose or wanting something. But you're going about it the wrong way, right? You know, you're trying to fulfill something that don't need to be fulfilled. Troy Horne: Well, it's kind of, you know, being that person that's in that age bracket. It's kind of your second adolescence because you have to rediscover what your purpose is and what you are. And a lot of times we aren't given, which is why I wrote this book, we aren't given a guide to how to do that. Now imagine being a teenager, 15, 16 year old without parents or mentors to tell you what to do. That's what we're doing at 50. We wake up at 50 and the parents and whatever, mentors for the most part aren't there because they're like, you're a 50 year old man, 51, 52. You need to go figure it out. I'm rediscovering my life right now. It'd be great if someone would say, okay, look, here's what you're going through. Let me show. I'm 60, 65, 70. Let me tell you what you need to do in this moment as opposed to allowing these men to be teenagers without any kind of direction. And so, yeah, I get it. Because you're like, what am I supposed to be doing? And everyone else is saying, you're supposed to be just retiring and going to the beach, like, but I don't want to, I want to go do something. But everyone's like, well, go figure it out. I was like, well, thanks. You know, it'd be great if you could give me some steps on what that means. I'd really appreciate that. They may not be the exact steps, but something I can work with. So, yeah, yeah, hopefully this is helpful, you know. Hopefully. Reginald D: Yes, sir. I want to back up on something because I tapped into it and I don't want to miss it. So your upcoming book, Middle Management. Troy Horne: Yes, sir. Reginald D: Can you tell us a little bit about that? Troy Horne: Oh, yeah. So that book, man, I'm editing it right now as we speak. It's going to come out here in about a week or so and maybe already out by the time you guys see this. But that's the process that I went through when that time hit of that, like oh, what are we doing? We've got all this time, we got all this energy. What are we doing with the rest of this life? So that book is about the steps I found in others that helped me get through it myself onto the other side of deciding what I want to do. So middle Management is hopefully that guide that I was looking for that says, okay, here's what you do in step one, here's what you do in step two. Here's what you do in step three, four, five, six, seven. And here's how I got to, you know, the purpose and clarity. And hopefully your combination or all these will help you do the same thing as opposed to just having us go out there and stumble and try to figure it out on our own. So that's what that book is, a guide to some steps you can use to find that purpose in clarity. Reginald D: And that's needed, too. Man, I needed it, right? Troy Horne: Like with other book with my son, it was like, we needed that book, and so that's why he wrote it. So I was like, well, I need this book. So that's why I wrote this other one. I was like, I need it. So hopefully it helps other people. Reginald D: I know it will. It will. So, Troy, you also talk about taking the leap later in life. What would you say to a listener who feels like it's too late to start over or too far gone to dream again? Troy Horne: Okay, so here's what I would say to you because I'm talking to myself and you at the same time, because I just went through this again. It's scary because you believe you have options. You believe you have time. You believe that there is another, you know, 40, 50 years to figure this out. And this, again, not popular, but I hopefully helped you because it helped me. We don't. So you need to move and take that leap, because right now is the time that we have all the information. Right now is the time you have, you know, whatever resources or resourcefulness you need to have to get this stuff done. And you need to approach this like you did when you were 19, 20, 25, 30, whatever, and had no options. You need to approach this like you have a limited amount of time. You need to approach this like this is it. Because, my friend, the thing that helped me was understanding that this is it. This is it. Like, the choice of procrastination comes with the idea that you have options. The choice of procrastination or delay comes with the idea that you get to do tomorrow or the next week or the next year. Cat Williams and I know he's done some crazy stuff, but he said something that changed my life. He said if every night you lie down and you say to yourself, well, that was it. If I don't wake up, I did what I need to do. It will change your life. Because every morning when you wake up, you remember, at the end of this night, I'm gonna need to say, well, that was it. So if you approach every day like this could be it. You will be unstoppable. Do that because that's where we are. Reginald D: Yes. Gotta change that mindset, man. Troy Horne: This is where we are. We are 45, 50 years old. We are at. This is. This is go time. This is not. Think, delay, weigh all the things. This is go time. Yes. Reginald D: Yes, sir. You gotta go. Even if you can't see it all. Troy Horne: The way, you gotta. What's it? Martin says you just need to see the next step. You only see the whole staircase. Just the next step. Take the next step. Reginald D: That's it? Yeah, that's it. So, Troy, I'm gonna put you on spot here for a minute, okay? Fill in the blank. Purpose means. Troy Horne: Oh, purpose. Oh. The first thing came to my mind is happiness. Purpose means happiness because you know what you're doing, you know what you're here for. Yeah. Reginald D: And it's all about, like I say, man, I hear so many people today. I guess it's in the atmosphere they always talking about, man, just won't be happy, man. You know, long time ago you can see people, you know, our fathers, grandfathers, old school cats, man, they just grind, grind, work hard all the time. Ain't nothing happy about them. They're grumpy. They got to come home and feed all these. Troy Horne: Survive. They were trying to survive. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and now time, people like. Reginald D: Man, I'm just, hey, you'll be amazing. And you probably know this, that from what it used to be, it was all about, I got to get this money. You know, that's why I didn't work two and three jobs. Some, you know, uncles and, you know, men try to provide for their families. But now, you see, people live lives now. They're like, man, I don't need all that money. I need the happiness. I need the peace. And they'll back off of it. They won't chase it. They'll just say, hey, man, I got to be happy. Troy Horne: Let me tell you a funny story about that. When I first started doing well in, like, life and business, stuff like that, I had a little bit of money, started getting a little Bit of money. I bought all these Jordans. Cause I thought, you know, because when I was a kid, I wanted them, you know, I wanted these classic ones. So I bought all these Jordans, you know, all the ones on whatever sites you can get or whatever. Let me tell you something. I wore those things for about maybe a month, two. And then it's like, time to give them away. Cause it was like, you realize it's just stuff. It's just stuff. It doesn't do anything. There's no. Like, once you get. Jim Carrey was like, I wish. Or even I think Will Smith said it, too. They said, I wish everyone could have all the things they think they want. Because when you get them, you realize it's just stuff. There's no magic in having stuff. Yeah. There's magic in inner discovery. And, man, I love this podcast episode. This has been so much fun. There's magic in inner discovery and finding. Finding your purpose and happiness. That's the magic. Reginald D: Yeah, it's wise, man. Yeah, you live it. Got a lot of wisdom in you, man. Troy Horne: Oh, thanks. It's from horrible hard situations. It's from car repossessions. It's from not being able to pay the rent. It's from. I don't know if people know from eating chicken necks, because that's what you could afford. It's from eating ramen. It's like, if I can help someone else not go through that. I mean, like, I tell my kids, you're going to struggle. You're gonna find you're gonna have hard times. Just don't have the same ones I had. Right. Reginald D: It's your own struggle, man. Troy Horne: Have new struggles. Right. Reginald D: Have new struggles. Troy Horne: Right. Don't do that. Right? Yes, yes, absolutely. Reginald D: So, Troy, if you could leave our listeners with one message about passion, purpose, and perseverance, what would it be? Troy Horne: One message. Passion, purpose, and perseverance. Reginald D: Yes. Troy Horne: I would say, you know what you want to do, you know what you're supposed to do, you know, and what happens. Most of the time, we tell ourselves it's impossible for us. We can't do it. I know I've done it. Told myself it's impossible to be, you know, a musician. And I was like, well, I have to do it. And then was able to do it. Told myself it was impossible to start a business in my mid to late 30s and did it. So you know what you want to do. So the first thing is making a decision to do it, because that's the biggest step. The second part is knowing that in the Beginning it's going to be a honeymoon phase and then it's going to get hard. Hard. The hard hard is the test to see if you really want it can just keep going through that spot. It always gets better. So you know what you want to do. Decide to do it to give yourself a chance to do it. Know that it's going to get like crazy hard. But if you keep going on this side is everything that you want. And then once you get all the material things that you think you want, you're going to find out all I really want to do is just be happy and enjoy life. I don't need all this stuff. So that's what I would say. Perfect. Perfect. Reginald D: So finally, how can the listeners purchase your book or connect with you? Troy Horne: Great. So I actually have a free download for everyone is@middlemanagement book.com and it's a free thing and you can get there or you know, you can go to troyhorn.com that site is up as well. So you can check it out there. But if you are over 40 and whatever and you're looking for some clarification, get the free download middlemanagementbook.com I believe the thing and if I'm saying it wrong, I'll send you a link and it'll be the link in the description, but you can go to Troyhorn, that's T R O-Y-H-O-RNE.com and there'll be a link to the free downloads there. Hopefully that will help you kind of navigate this second part of life and get you on your greater yet to be sure. Reginald D: Man tell you this conversation has been powerful, brother. Troy Horne: It's been so much fun. Yeah, man. Reginald D: You reminded us the dreams don't have an expiration date. They just need to have a little courage to wake up again, you know? Troy Horne: Yes. Reginald D: You're living proof of the faith and family and focus can be right in the store. You know, that's what I got out of this whole thing. So everybody go grab that book middle management and follow Charles Journey. I'm telling you, it's gonna bless you. I'll put it in my spirit right now, you know, because if you're over 40, you know, like you said, it's not the end, man. Troy Horne: No. Reginald D: This is the love season. Troy Horne: Yes, yes, yes. Reginald D: So, Troy, thank you for showing us that greatness doesn't retire. It just refocuses. Troy Horne: Thank you, Reginald. This has been great. Reginald D: Keep walking in your gift, brother. You definitely got one. Troy Horne: Oh, we all do. And that's the thing we all do. Reginald D: So appreciate you brother. Thanks, Troy. Troy Horne, everybody. Make sure you follow his journey. Troy Horne: Thank you. Reginald D: Thanks for tuning in. Real Talk. with Reginald D. If you enjoyed listening to Real Talk with Reginald D please rate and review on Apple Podcast. See you next time