We were lucky to catch up with Arthur J. Rutledge recently and have shared our conversation below.
Arthur, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
I recently wrote the bestselling book “11 pillars of Confidence” and didn’t know I had the ability to even accomplish it. I did not have experience with writing a book like most people don’t. What I did have was a background in speaking and coaching combined with a strong discipline to achieve whatever I put my mind to. The first thing I did was to make a solid decision. I say that because most things we want to accomplish in life are not followed through with due to indecisiveness.
Second was to stay committed to an ideal that was closest to my heart. You may ask what’s that desire? The answer was to be able to ensure and cultivate over a million leaders in my lifetime. This may sound steep and for some unattainable. I realized to become the person who was going to take on such an enormous task would need to be able to see the people that I visualize helping with my future book is in their hands. The possibilities of the many embracing their possibilities and hopefully obtain the things that fulfill them in their lives.
Third, I had to come up with a title that connected me to my sensibilities and that connect others to their own probabilities. I was walking down the street one day struggling with a few ideas of how and what I was going to write on. That lead me to meet with a longtime friend of mine. We began a conversation around my ideas and as I was expressing my deepest hopes to create understanding and inspiration and build good disciplines around awareness and commitment. My friend stated me on the idea of an attribute he admired in me that led me to live courageously and fully in my life. That one attribute he admired was confidence. The idea of putting something out in the world that would reinforce people’s confidence in themselves, and others captivated me.
The next steps for me were create an outline that I felt emotionally connected to and consistently write down all the thoughts that went along with the book’s development. I always say outer results come from inner commitments, so I wanted to stay resolute in my convictions and believe without proof. Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This endeavor of failing forward brought me a year and two months forward to the end of Dec 2023. I remember distinctly after finishing my last book of the year- “Cultivating an Unshakable Character; How to walk your talk all the way to the top” by Jim Rohn- and the feelings of being limitless.
The second week of January 2024, I created my first chapter. The weekend after that I was excited to finish the second chapter. The third weekend I was elated to finish the third chapter. Three months after my literary mind explosion my creative mojo made me arrive at the completion of my book.
If I was to sum up the amazing explorations of my life this is one of the best triumphs that I could have never thought that I would attain. I had to empty out my mind to keep my vision clear. I realized that the best way to do something is to simplify it. I got good at being okay in knowing that I was not going to have all the answers until I became competent in knowing what I was after. Furthermore, to gain the emotional fortitude that might had slowed me down I got good at delaying my gratification. So not to rush my rhythm during the process. I left behind self-doubt, self-rejection, and self-mistrust to make sure I did not get soiled while walking the long dark road. I gained the perseverance and patience to move forward in whatever task I put my attention to from now on and I believe that everybody has that same pertinacity. I share with anyone that I meet and have made a quote in saying “Beam with your dream by putting fire on your desire.” I trust everyone that reads my bestseller book “11 Pillars of Confidence” will build and lead an empowered life. Shine On!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I was born and raised in a modest neighborhood on the Eastside of Detroit, Michigan, my journey has been one of perseverance, growth, and entrepreneurship. Inspired by early experiences and the foundational values of connection, collaboration, and self-belief instilled in me from a young age. My love for people and connecting them internationally became fundamental and sparked passion for giving back. This allowed me t0 support people in their personal growth. I began to forge my own path.
As a thought leader my unwavering mission to enhance, cultivate, and empower over a million leaders to fulfill their pure potential in life further fueled my passion and desire. 2024 marked the fruition of that endured vision with the new book ” 11 Pillars of Confidence, build and Lead an Empowered You.” This cultivated my multiple dimensional entrepreneurship and vertical mindset consulting that’s tied to writing/speaking/life coaching, Kap Group Events NYC, and co-founder of the online store People Pride Shoes. Recently, I have become an executive collaborator of Brainz Magazine, adding value to people with my monthly mindset/leadership articles.
The inspiration for writing “11 Pillars of Confidence: Build and Lead an Empowered You” stemmed from witnessing so many people struggling with a lack of self-worth, confidence, and uncertainty in their purpose. I realized that these issues often disconnect people from their dreams and reality. Every person is an extension of their self-esteem and belief in what they can achieve.
Through this book, I aim to remind people that courage, persistence, self-belief, and creativity are essential to living a fulfilled life. The journey to confidence can be long and challenging, but with the right tools and mindset, anyone can overcome obstacles and step into their true potential.
This book is designed to support readers in their pursuit of confidence and success, helping them stay aligned with their intentions and embrace the future they deserve.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I’ve be blessed to have several mentors that have shared their wisdom of experiences with me in my adult life. It breaks down to the immediate personal encounters and the unsung literary mentors. One of my businesses I created in 2007 called K.A.P. Group events which focused on helping travelers find the best in club, restaurants and unique excursions introduced me to entrepreneur thinking individual that gave me new understanding of my value. This person had a day job to be able to work harder on his dream job. He had a vast amount of experience that I did not in my entrepreneurship and with that he was able to see my untapped potential. One of the best gifts that I ever received was a book that he gave to me to boaster the confidence to value my value. The book is called “The Tipping Point” by Malcom Gladwell. While he read the book, he identified who he got to show up in his life and in turn was hoping the same for me. At that time, I had long been away from the habit of reading nurturing content and was intrigued by his challenge to add new perspective to myself. After finishing the book, which added up to an accomplishment for me, I instantly connected to the understanding I was a master connector, I was a maven of my environment, and I was the person who knew how to sell a brand. That is the power of reading. Since then, I am a voracious learner of people, past, present, and future. I am licensed to teach from The Worlds Leader/Guru, John C. Maxwell and taking on the readership from the likes of Wayne Dyer, Poetry of Rumi, and the Quotes of Stoic King Marcus Aurelius. As an opsimath, I found in my life that writing is the only thing that surpasses my thirst for reading. Moreover, the self-trust to own the person I am today.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I started my journey at 24 with a leap of faith by leaving my hometown of Detroit, Michigan. I was eager to experience life, but I wasn’t experiencing much life. Years before in a small classroom in a 7th grade geography class of 33 students, my teacher showed me the world through a map on our class wall. I didn’t only pass with an A- in that class, but I had a newfound mission to see the world one day. I didn’t exactly know how I was going to make it happen, but the idea of traveling made me enthusiastic to accomplish it. So, when my childhood friend offered to help me to do that on some level, I felt like I was back in that feeling in 7th grade again. After evaluating the pros and cons of my friends offer and finding myself in a bit of an existential crossroad, I decided to take a leap of faith to move to New York as a model. I thought it will be an adventure of my life and nobody I readily know was taking this type of experience as a sojourner. Three months after moving to New York and finding a model agency my friend moved to Los Angeles, and I felt stuck without a true home. Within six months I got my first magazine print job and was optimistic about my next steps. Within nine months I was a working model in several magazines/adds and by the time it hit a year I found myself for the first time with a passport in Milan, Italy. Due to my special type of resilience, tenacity, and vision that it takes to fulfill one’s destiny placed me in the best time of my life. It takes courage and confidence to meet people and thrive in new places without having a finite destination. Our journey’s no matter how well planned a lot of times end up being a roll of a dice or luck of the draw. During those times trusting one’s intuitions makes all the difference and evens the scales between saying what you are going to do and actually being committed to the doing. That resilience earned me self-mastery and from then on whatever target was in front of me got hit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://verticalmindsetgroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthurs_mindset
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1kingajdr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-j-rutledge-68111530
- Twitter: https://x.com/bornking1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@arthurrutledge1212
- Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/arthurjrutledge
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@arthurs_mindset
Brainz Magazine: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/executive-contributor/arthur-j-rutledge
