When it comes to taking action, the goal is simple: do it.
But sometimes we get caught up in our thoughts and think about what’s going on instead of actually doing something. That’s where procrastination can come in. The truth is, it’s not always easy to take action when you’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck in your comfort zone. It may seem like the riskiest thing in the world (and sometimes it is), but the only way to achieve your goals is by taking action NOW!
In this episode, Rachel interviews Rosales Home Innovations CEO, Alejandro “Alex” Quintero Rosales. Alex shares a rule he always follows to make sure he is constantly moving forward toward his goals. Rachel and Alex also discuss why we should dedicate time to learning new things, walking with faith, moving forward despite the pain, creating a decision within, and raising our kids to be servant leaders.
“When God puts an idea, it’s our responsibility to take action right away.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
Episode Highlights:
01:08 Dedicate Yourself to Learning
06:30 Make Something Happen
10:13 Keep Going Even If It Hurts
16:13 The 5-Second Rule
20:21 Take Action
We’ve all been there: we’ve been wanting to do something, and we decided that we’re ready to take action. But then… We just don't know how to get started. When these feelings start to creep in, there’s only one thing we can do. Discover what that… Click To Tweet
Quotes:
02:11 “I made a decision within myself to never again go through that pain. So that’s when that dedication of learning something new came.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
08:18 “I discovered within myself that I’m able to do greater things if I’ll only believe and have faith in myself. And that’s very important.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
10:18 “Keep going even when it hurts, because it is through the inner pain and the suffering that we are able to find ourselves.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
14:03 “Keep walking in faith. Because without faith, we’re pretty much lost.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
14:38 “God waits for us. He invites us and then He waits for us to take that step of faith and just move into what he has called us to do.” -Rachel Best
14:57 “When you take a step with faith, you’re expecting things to happen. When you take a step of faith, you’re pretty much wondering if it’s going to happen or not. There’s a difference between those two.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
15:34 “It doesn’t matter where we come from, it’s where we finish and the journey along the way. –Rachel Best
17:09 “Never stop learning because once we stop learning, that’s pretty much when we give up in life.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
18:14 “Yesterday is where we were, today is where we are, and tomorrow is where we are going. It is right now in the present moment that we are able to dictate our thoughts.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
18:49 “When God puts an idea, it’s our responsibility to take action right away.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
19:26 “I believe in giving the most of what I have, even when I have nothing.” -Alejandro Quintero Rosales
Meet Alejandro:
Alejandro Quintero Rosales is a man who knows what it’s like to start from the bottom. He was born in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. When he was nine, his family moved to the US in hopes of a better future. When his parents separated, things got harder. And as the oldest, he was responsible for taking care of his siblings when their mom was at work. Alejandro was inspired by watching his mother create the best out of every situation. As a result, he was always determined to make something of himself.
And so he started a personal development journey, listening to audiobooks and attending conferences whenever he could. It wasn’t long before Alejandro became a speaker and CEO of his own company, Rosales Home Innovations. He believes that dreams are achieved with a lot of work and the right people. Alejandro is a testament to the fact that anything is possible with determination and perseverance.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aqrosales
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alejandroquinterorosales/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-quintero-rosales-alex-86a736215/
Transcripts:
Rachel Best: Good morning my friend. My name is Rachel Best, and this is the Making Your Mark Podcast, and how to find your signature. Today, we’re interviewing Alex. I actually got the pleasure of meeting him a few weeks ago at an event and I fell in love with his story. He has such an amazing story of how he, I’m not gonna steal any thunder, I’m just gonna say he has an amazing story. I will let him share and just introduce who he is.
Go ahead and introduce yourself, Alex.
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Hi, everybody. My name is Alex. It’s short for Alejandro. I was born in Mexico, but I’ve been here in the US now for 20 years. The beginning when I first got here, it was very hard for me to communicate with the people here because I did not know the native language. So what I did was study, I would put the TV with a little subtitles on, and I would repeat every single word. I would try to read every single word. So that way, I would start getting those words into my mind. And soon after that, I started putting sentences together.
Rachel Best: Wow, that’s amazing. That was just your drive to just want to learn. Can you share with us a little bit of why that was so important for you? What sparked that?
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: It was so important to me, because it was quite a shame. The first day in school, I remember it being put to read in front of the whole class. I didn’t know how to read English. I was reading English in Spanish. When he was making fun of me, that hurt inside of me. And that I made a decision within myself to never again go through that pain. So that’s when that dedication of learning something new came. It just stuck to me ever since. It’s just been part of my personal development, and everything that’s happened to me so far.
Rachel Best: Yeah. Wow. That’s amazing. And what I love about your story is that you came to the US. You came to the US, and just share a little bit about your story.
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Yeah. We first moved to California. We lived there for about two years. Soon after that, everything was so expensive. There was so much violence and drug gangs around the area where we stayed. So the opportunity for my mom came when she met her friend who said she was moving to Tennessee. My mom took the step of faith, with faith and brothers here, along with my dad. But my dad didn’t stay here for too long. Eventually, he moved back to California. We were pretty much stuck here in Tennessee by ourselves. So we’ve been here in Tennessee now since 2005. And I just remember, there was a point in 2006 where we didn’t have anything. We were living in a mobile home. There were holes on the ground. We were able to see that under the floor. There were cockroaches, mite. We had to put cotton balls in our ears so that we really have no insects going in there. It was so hard. I had to take care of my sisters and my little brother because my mom was working two, three jobs. I remember having to go under the bridge to take a shower and wash her clothes. And then after getting out of the water, we had to check our bodies to make sure we didn’t have leeches sucking blood because I found that a couple. We would either have to go early in the morning or late at night so people wouldn’t see. And after that, I just started making money to build something huge since that time because I knew what it felt like having nothing.
Even now, I feel like I have nothing. Because everything that I have, I’m putting it out there. I’m giving money to people in Cuba so that we are able to feed people. They were part of an organisation where we trained that stuff, human trafficking, sex abuse kids. Right now, I started another conversation here in the local community where we are able to help the Hispanic community that come to the US with no documents, and then have Social Security, or wait for them to get insurance. And a lot of times, people get hurt, nobody supports them. So I want to be able to get something so that we are able to help them for at least four weeks with supplies for food. They’ve been paying a bill or maybe they had put in some of the rent. So I’m just excited for that. I’m also doing jail ministry here with a local ministry that I’m part of, and we’re going into the jail teaching men how to be husbands, how to be fathers, how to be men of God. So I’m just excited for everything that God’s doing in my life because I allowed him to flow through my every action.
Rachel Best: Yeah, that’s great. I do have a question, do you have anything set up that if somebody wanted to help pour into what you’re doing and your mission, do you have something set up that they can help support that?
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Well, right now, I’m still putting everything together. I just got that logo design this weekend. So my next step is to put everything on legal structures where I’m able to start accepting donations, and maybe even contribute because people also need clothes. Especially the kids and other people, they’re barely making ends meet because that’s all they’re able to get.
Rachel Best: Wow, wow. Well, that’s so awesome. All those things that you’re doing and how you’re just being an open vessel for letting God to just move through you, you’re exactly the kind of person that he’s looking for. Somebody that is just like us, me, take me and I will go where the people are. I will just serve and just reflect Jesus through you. So that’s amazing. But yeah, tell me a little bit about this. Your business kind of flows into all of this as well, or tell me a little bit about your business?
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Well, my business is Rosales Home Innovations. We specialize in drywall insulation, finishing and painting. So there is what pretty much just pays the bills, and it gets me in front of people. I’ve started that business in 2019 after I came back from (inaudible) number three. It was funny how I even got there because at that time, I had just saved enough money for me to buy a ticket, and I didn’t have a way to get there. So what I did was put more money together and buy another ticket for a friend, a guy that was able to take us there. So pay for him and for me to get there. But once I got there, I was taking so many notes, everything that I was listening to. But what I got the most out of it was another decision that I made within myself to go out there and make something happen, and start playing big. So I came back with $13.47, and I also came back with a decision that I’m gonna make. I’m gonna do it. So I committed to that decision. I have started growing since then. The year before that, I had only made $35,000. And once I came back, I talked to my boss, hey, I’m gonna make $100,000 a year. His response was, it’s got to work. But he didn’t know that I’m used to a lot of work. I’ve been working since I was a little kid. I will help my grandparents make the bricks. I would help them mix the mortar for them to lay the bricks. I started working here in the US in our building framing houses at the age of 15. So I’m already used to putting in the work. So same that year, I did $100,000 in business because I had so much faith in myself. I did whatever it took to make it happen. And I discovered within myself that I’m able to do greater things. I’ll only believe and have faith in myself. And that’s very important.
Rachel Best: Yeah. Wow, that’s amazing. That’s the epitome of just having grit and how can I? That’s one question that is so important. How can I? You have so many talents and gifts. You are just like, okay, these are the things that I have, that I can use. From the time you were a little boy, he’s been able to plant gifts, talents and things inside of you that you’re able to use. I think seriously, this is just the beginning of how God is using you. I’m sure he’s done so many amazing things. I know you’re working in the prisons and just helping, outreach, and all the things, and this such a blessing to be here with you to just hear all the things that God is doing through you. All Glory to God. I was reading 1 Corinthians yesterday, and it was talking about when God delights in using people that are ordinary, or weak, or the indescribable, like those things that people will try to, or embarrass stuff. God uses people like that to show that only he, only through him can we do these things. I just love all of that. You’re just absolutely amazing. Your story is just amazing. So tell me, what are some of the best advice that you’ve ever been given, either for personal or for business, that you have used in your life to keep pushing through?
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Well, one of the things that I’ve told myself repeatedly each and every single time is to keep going even when it hurts, because it is through the inner pain and the suffering that we are able to find ourselves who we truly are. And that’s where we discover who or what it is that we need to change within ourselves to move past that circumstance, or whatever situation that we’re facing. Because everything that we face or comes our way, we usually pick up out of here first. And a lot of times, we take that decision based on whatever knowledge we have to that point. So I believe that it’s very important to stay, always be reading, always putting something new into your mind. And also taking action on whatever it is that we receive at that moment. Because it is in the action where we start to make things happen, and we start taking steps. Because when we start taking steps, we’re actually expecting for things to happen, instead of allowing that to happen. I feel like I got a little bit of control on this.
Rachel Best: So do you have any specific books, or people, or what do you do to fill yourself up, learn and grow? What do you do for personal development?
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Personal development? First, I cut off every movie or music. I haven’t had cable in my house ever since I got married to my wife, that’s almost 10 years. I cut out that. I listen to books, I listen to a lot of the Bible, read my Bible. I listen to books like Thinking Grow Rich, something that’s gonna sharpen my way of thinking and make me move a little bit faster in the marketplace. So that way, it’ll put me in the edge against my competition. And now, I put myself out there. I was uncomfortable speaking on video. I’ve had this one guy, I told him, hey, I am tired of my old life. Now it’s time for you to come with me and take this fear away from me. Eliminate it. So I hired him and I started making videos together. And that’s something that I had to do. Yes, get me past that fear.
Rachel Best: That’s so awesome. So what is next for you in your life? What are you looking for? What’s next?
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Well, what’s next for me is to be able to teach my kids how to be servant leaders, how to put other people’s needs before their own, how to take initiative and not wait for people to tell them what to do. I’m teaching my daughter how to build a business, how to lead others, and tell her to always be the one that takes the initiative. But everything that she does, and always be the first one to ask questions because it’s her job as a student to extract every single piece of knowledge that her teacher has. So that’s what I’m teaching her right now. My kids, I believe, that’s what’s coming next to everything that I’m doing. It’s for them.
Rachel Best: Yeah, that’s great. And your daughter’s 10, correct? How amazing that at such a young age, you’re able to pour all of that into her because you’re right. Our young ones are the next generation of where we’re going, and so it’s definitely our job to pour into them, and teach them, help them to just go out in the world to make a difference. And I love that. So one last question here, what are your favorite quotes, or scripture that you lean on in times of trouble or time of need, or just motivation, inspiration? What would that be?
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: It’s Philippians 4:13. I can do it all through Christ and strength me. That’s what’s always keeping me going every single time. You think about it, and I find strength within myself to actually keep pushing a bit harder when it hurts. Keep going. When everything’s falling on top of me, just get up and keep going, keep walking in faith. Because without faith, we’re pretty much lost. So that’s very important for me.
Rachel Best: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think that faith is definitely an important piece as we sometimes get lost in the lack of faith and we want to see things before we actually believe it. But it’s really just having faith that I have no idea how this is going to happen. But I know that it’s inside, and I’m ready for it to come out. I’m just going to take a step. I think that what God does is he waits for us, he invites us, and then he waits for us to take that step of faith and just move into what he has called us to do. So that is fantastic.
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Yeah, but there’s a difference. We’re taking a step of faith. I said taking that step with faith because when you take a step with faith, you’re expecting things that happen. When you take a step off faith is that you’re pretty much wondering if it’s gonna happen or not. I feel like there’s a difference between those.
Rachel Best: Yeah, yeah. Boom, baby. That’s awesome. Thank you so much for taking time to just share with everybody what you’re doing and a little bit of your story to just give some hope and some inspiration. That regardless of where we come from, it doesn’t matter where we come from, it’s where we finish in the journey along the way. And I think that your story will definitely touch somebody’s heart and make a mark in the world, and you are finding your signature. You are finding your mark in the world, and you’re going to leave that impression, and you’re leaving that legacy with your children of sharing with them how to do all the things that you’re doing, and to just provide a better life for them. And you also said earlier, before we got on that you’re in the process of writing a book. So share a little bit about your book.
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Well, the book is called Create a Decision Within. So creating decisions within is something that I made within myself every time that I faced something that was very difficult, like learning how to speak English. There was this one time where I went to the grocery buying milk for my newborn daughter. How to pay with nothing but coins, pennies, quarters and nickels, and there was a line behind me and a cashier. She’s like, they do this every single time. But that hurt inside me so I made a decision within myself to never again experience this pain. So that also built on me to keep even working a bit harder and to start investing more into my mindset. For now, I’m almost at the point where I’ve spent $100,000. And so the way I think, just because I believe in getting the right information, getting in the rooms with the people that have the right information and they actually want to help you win. So I feel like it’s very important to never stop learning. Because once we stop learning, I feel like that’s pretty much when we keep up.
Rachel Best: Yeah, yeah. And I like that. You just touched on that investing in yourself, that is so important to invest because nobody else is going to invest in us unless we invest in ourselves. So when we invest in ourselves, important to ourselves, and like you said, just getting into the right room with the right people. And I think that God using that event that we met, that was definitely a divine moment of the right people in the right room at the right time to help bring us to that next level of where we’re going to make an impact in the world. So I love that you just touched on that.
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Yeah. I feel like that’s part of the preparation that we must go through for us to get to the place where God wants us to be. We gotta be always willing to listen, take in that present moment. You live on that because I believe that yesterday’s when we weren’t, today’s where we are, and some ways where we are going, and it is right now in the present moment that we are able to dictate our thoughts. Where is it that we’re going? Start directing each and every single idea into taking action because the longer we let it sit in our head, the more that they try to distract us away from taking action on that idea. Because usually, when God speaks is usually the first idea that comes into your mind. And a lot of people, that idea started making doubts in themselves that you have to take. That’s from the enemy, that’s not really from God. When God puts an idea, it’s our responsibility to take action right away. So I usually try to take action at least five seconds when the idea comes into my mind. So that way, I haven’t let it distract me anymore and see what happens after that. And a lot of times, it’s made a huge impact in my life, it’s put me in a lot of pivotal positions in which I’m able to transform the way I think and do things, and then just brings more people around me. And now, people are starting to notice the things that I’m doing, and they’re actually asking me for encouragement. How can I handle this situation? I try my best to share as much as I can because I believe in giving the most of what I have, even when I have nothing.
Rachel Best: What you just said about the idea that God does speak that he is speaking but our monkey brain or the devil you know will be like, we share things with people and they might not support us. And again, that’s why it’s so important to be in that room with those people that are going to raise you up, support you, cheer and help you, or else, the idea can just be plucked away. I love that you just said that about listening to God when he speaks, and to move on when he speaks, to not just sit there. I love the five seconds.
Alejandro Quintero Rosales: Evaluate in taking action. And every single time that I take action, something wonderful happens. Maybe there’s something really small, but it makes a huge difference a few days, or a few months, or even a couple years down the road. Just taking action in that moment when they happen, it’s gonna make or break.
Rachel Best: Yeah. All those little things along the way. And I love that you even notice the little things because so many people, we can just be going through life, and we just completely miss the little things. We act as if they’re not important. But really, those little things probably might be some of the most important pivotal pieces in our life to propel us into the future and to propel us into where we got where we’re going. If we can be trusted with the small things and recognise the small things, we’re definitely going to see the bigger things when they’re in our ace. Such a good statement. Well, I thank you again so much, Alex, for taking the time and just sharing your story, and sharing your heart, and sharing all the amazing things that you’re in the process of doing, and where you’ve been, and where you’re going, and just leaving your mark in the world. So I definitely appreciate your time. And that is our time for today, my friends, and we will chat with you again soon. All right. Bye bye.