Ray Resendez wears many hats: entrepreneur, corporate executive, nonprofit board president, and more, but above all, a husband and father. After his military service, Ray became an entrepreneur, then went into federal contracting, and leveraged his experience to start his own company consulting for federal agencies. He is also the SVP of Public Sector at ELB Learning, serves as the board president of a nonprofit supporting at risk youth, and is a coach/mentor. However, his top priority leadership role is being a husband and father to six. After talking to Ray and learning how he performs at such a high level, I can see how he inspires so many.

INTRO:

What does success look like to you?

Ray shared a few principles of success that guide him:

What area of your health have you invested in most, and why?

Ray: My biggest investment has been in my mental health first, and then physical health now that I’m out of the military. I didn’t realize how much being in good shape impacted my performance until I got serious about it. But physical health changes as you get older, you’ve got to adjust.

Mentally, the key is figuring out how to detach from all the chaos and be consistent with it. For me, that’s golf now. It’s funny, because everyone hits their outlet at different times. I’m not perfect at it, it’s physically impossible, but it helps me disconnect from work and family stress. Spending three to four hours once a week on the course leaves me feeling mentally refreshed. I’ve also challenged myself in other ways. I used to jump into businesses and jobs out of boredom. Recognizing that and my weaknesses, I started seeking help, especially for mental health, where I didn’t think I needed it. But when I talked to someone, I ended up answering my own questions. Those two areas, mental and physical health, are where I’m always pushing myself to improve

ROUTINES & HABITS:

How often do you change systems or routines?

Ray: I change when my time is idle; once I learn new things and I become efficient, idle time creeps in. That’s when I know it’s time to pivot or try something new. Starting my own company helps because every client brings a new challenge.

What is a non-negotiable part of your routine?

Ray: My spiritual time and workout from 4am to 6am, no matter what. When I travel, I adjust, since I’m not on the schedule of my six children, but that time is mine.

And family time is sacred. If there’s a recital or event, business deals wait. I’ve turned down multi-million dollar deals to be present for my kids. That’s legacy over grind. When I do close a big deal, it feels awesome and I take it as a blessing, but it doesn’t make me feel like I need to do it more. We all need money to survive but when you stick to your values and do what makes you happy, things seem to work out.

MINDSET:

How do you think your approach on structure and discipline changed once you joined the military?

Ray: The military actually loosened me up, which is weird because I was always a straight-A student who stressed over every grade. But at West Point, I saw that everyone is structured, but also that things go wrong all the time, and you can’t stress out about it. I saw people who were amazing at what they did, even if they couldn’t make their bed or do math, and they didn’t care because their strengths carried them. That taught me how to chill out. When you know everything’s going to go wrong, you just figure out how to get through it. Like, if I make a $50,000 mistake, I think, ‘Okay, how am I going to make $100,000 right?’ That mindset made me unstoppable. But it still takes discipline. If you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, you won’t get out of the hole. That balance between chilling out and staying disciplined is key.

How do you approach goal setting?

Ray: Inspired by David Goggins, I focus on how many lives I impact for the positive. It’s not about titles or money; I want people to know that we’re all here to serve each other.

CONSTRAINTS & TRADEOFFS:

What are the biggest tradeoffs you make in order to perform at the level you do?

Ray: Sacrificing comfort daily. Long hours, tough conversations, stress; it’s all part of being the person my family and team need. You have to be willing to be uncomfortable for the greater good. I don’t like going to certain places, but if it’s for the greater good, then you go there. You have to sacrifice your comfort every day but never sacrifice your values.

Is there something “unoptimized” that you refuse to give up?

Ray: I won’t give up pizza. Ever. Food just brings me joy.

CLOSING:

Which habits or routines truly move the needle for you? And what’s one thing you would advise others to do that could move the needle for them?

Ray: Execute. Don't wait for a 100% solution. If you understand the risk and you can mitigate that, literally just move when you told yourself you're going to move. I think every bad decision or everything that didn't work out for me is because I waited. So don't wait for the perfect time. I think that moves the needle.

And then in the process, you should be developing the business rules needed so that other people can make those decisions, so that you're not bottlenecked by your decisions, right? We all become a crutch.

I think everyone just waits too long. I think there's instances where that's important, but if you understand the key pillars of your life, your business, your priorities, you already know which route you're supposed to be going. So if that decision you make at a 50% solution is moving towards that goal, you're not wrong, right? Because somebody else is going to beat you straight up.

I move quickly at the beginning, and then I can sit back and assess. And just by moving at that speed of action, I've already outmaneuvered 60% of my competition before they even got started, right? And a month later, that work I did in one day is still more than that person did.