What if success wasn’t random — but instead the result of a proven, repeatable system? In this transformative 8-part podcast series, join the entrepreneurial trio of Eric Green, Tony Carter, and Dr. Rick Wells as they break down the powerful G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. Framework — a strategic guide for building a meaningful life, resilient mindset, and impactful career.

Each episode explores one essential pillar of the GAME PLAN philosophy, helping listeners clarify their values, sharpen their goals, and take intentional action toward becoming their best self — personally, professionally, and spiritually.

In this first episode, the guys cover the “G” in Game Plan and that all games have rules. Discover the “rules of life” and how developing your own guiding philosophy can give structure and clarity in an unpredictable world.

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Watch the Episode here

 

 Listen to the Podcast here

 

Game Plan: Episode 1: Every Game Has Rules With Dr. Rick Wells

We are pleased to welcome once again Dr. Rick Wells, who will discuss his success model turned the G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. This will be a nine-part series, and we are elated to have him back and to get things kicked off. Eric?

The Universal Applicability Of The G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N.

What I really found fascinating about G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. was it really applies to everybody. As we sat and spoke to Rick, I’m like, “Yeah, I got that. That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought of that.” In talking to other folks, entrepreneurs obviously, but parents. We were talking about corrections officers and police. It basically everyone needs a G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N., but G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. isn’t just this generic what’s your plan? The way Rick broke down each letter is really something to think about and go through.

I do think that this series is going to be very helpful to folks to think about this in terms of your own life, your own business, whatever it is. Frankly, I’m going to suggest you might have a G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. for both your personal life, whether it’s spiritual or family, but then also, if you have a business or a job, the G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. there so that you’re not just doing things randomly and figuring it out as you go, that you at least have some structure to it. I think this is going to be fascinating.

I’m very much looking forward to it. We spent quite a bit of time with Rick.

Always a pleasure, by the way. You and I have spent a lot of evenings over cigars on the phone, digesting all of it and saying, “What about this? What about it?” I’ve been thinking way more about this than I thought I would originally when I heard the idea.

 

 

No question. I feel exactly the same way. We won’t have any more delay. Without further ado, everyone, once again, Dr. Rick Wells, welcome, sir.

Thank you. This is great. My whole ride over here, especially on the 91 South, it was an intense feeling of gratitude. I appreciate you appreciating the work that I do and how I implement it. I’m excited. This is awesome. I concur with everything that was said.

The Core Meaning Of ‘G’ In G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. – Games Have Rules

Everyone understands how this is going to work. We will make our best effort to take one letter at a time, and each letter represents a concept, an ideal about the overall G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N.. We’re going to start with the letter G. I love G because it just gets right to the point, which means games have rules, sir.

I think I codified that as a grade school teacher. I was in my classroom one afternoon and doing what teachers do. What I heard out the window, I couldn’t even describe. It was just a bunch of kids going hog wild over a soccer ball or whatever it was. I realized that they were playing, but there were no rules to what they were doing.

When I grew up, we played a sport a season. Whatever season it was, the game we played. Of course, everyone knew the rules. I went out there that day and imposed rules on the game. I believe we call it played map ball. It was a version of kickball where you can have many more kids than a few on the field and just organized the game. It was spectacular.

One of the more moving moments was on my way back into the classroom, one of the kids speaking out loud, but to himself said, “That was the best day ever. I was like, “Okay, games have rules.” If we’re going to follow the metaphor and treat life as a game, the question is what are your self-imposed rules? What are the standards that you live by? What’s your way of life? That’s where it begins.

I guess that goes to what game are we playing. We have to know the game and know the associated rules. Let’s just continue with that idea that life is a game. Walk us through your thoughts on that. Life is a game and the personal and professional rules of that game.

To even look at the mountain, you’re going to have a staring—one that pierces the soul. It’s the call. Share on X

When you begin as a school teacher, one of the things that you realize is some kids do better than others. You’re like, “All right, what’s up with that?” As far for me, you come in contact with the word success. What does it mean to be successful? You take that for what it’s worth. I’m speaking to my mother. It was a holiday, and I had all my family there, my brothers, there’s three of us. I was feeling good about myself. I have a terminal degree, my middle brother has a terminal degree. He is a lawyer. My youngest brother, Ryan, if you ever met him, you’d instantly fall in love with him. He’s an incredible human being. I asked my mom, I said, “How did you do it?”

You wouldn’t know, but my mom had me when, when she was seventeen. She was young. My dad was in Vietnam. He didn’t see me until I was six months old. There I am. I showed up. She had two more of us. She was a young mom, and I was like, “How did you do it?” She was like, “I looked around and I saw folks who I considered to be successful, and I did what they did. I signed you up for Little League. I went to every parent conference. I was a member of the PTO. You were in Cub Scouts. I made sure you did your homework. I was like, “Okay.” Looking at others’ way of life, how are you living?

Take that mental journey, that personal odyssey and analyze it. If I could take it further, if you ask any athlete to stick with the game metaphor, if you ask any athlete, “What part of the game is mental,” most would say, “North of 90%.” The question is, in your game, when you’re going about your life, how much time are you taking and attacking the mental game of your life? Being an educator, it’s all about the intellectual life with me. The G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N. is a formula. It’s a way of speaking that starts with the way of life, your philosophy. Otherwise, you’re a leaf in the wind. It starts with the philosophy, and then everything moves from there.

The last time we were together, and I loved it, you had us imagine a mountain. There was this idea that we put a noun or what we want to be at the top of that mountain. You walked us through this idea of how do we attack the mountain. How do we make the climb? How do you see that in the G? Games have rules.

I was just going to say, though, to where you’re going, someone’s sitting at the bottom of that mountain, how am I going to get up there? Other people have climbed that mountain. There is a trail, there’s a path. To switch, I and my law partner started the IRS Representation Conference. It became the largest tax conference in the country. I just copied everyone else. The American Bar Association has several of these conferences started by senior people from me. There is a formula, and I’ve been going for years now. I wanted to market to accountants, so I tweaked it, but I didn’t create anything. I created it, I looked at what they had done. That worked. You know what, let’s do that.

Don’t get me wrong. You can go off the path, you can try to do it your way, but to go down this the game and the rules, people have done this before. There are very few things I think people will run into that have never come up before. By the way, on that note, for folks reading and again, for people who market, I’m thinking professionals, consultants, lawyers, they used to rent a room, invite people in, and you give a talk, the platform might change. Podcast, TikTok, whatever. It’s still the same thing, getting in front of an audience and educating.

There’s no testimony without a test. Share on X

I love that because we had spent some time, you and I actually chatting about how I got started in real estate, going from a Connecticut state trooper and then transitioning from that state or government work into really my own real estate business. We were laughing. Eric and I were talking, and I said, “Do you remember Carlton Sheets?” You were like, “Yeah, I remember him.” Most people would say, “I bought that program. I like what Carlton had to say.”

The question becomes how many people actually even took the cellophane off the package? How many people went through the entire series to understand his very message? The next thing I would offer is how many people actually even made the very first step towards making that climb of building a real estate empire?

I went through all of it, but it took some time before the opportunity presented itself in my life to where I could take what I had learned there and then have the courage to actually step out and to make that first purchase using a Carlton Sheets model, which was this idea that you could buy real estate with no money down. Nowadays, you say it to people, they get it because there’s youtube, tiktok, Instagram and all these people are talking about that. Now everyone’s a real estate guru. Back then, especially when Carlton came out with this, I’m going to say we were probably talking the ‘70s, ‘80s.

It was TV and you had to order from an 800 number. I remember him walking around the house with a clipboard.

I had the whole thing mapped out. Yeah. I was ready, but I wasn’t ready. I think going back to Rick now that games have rules and this idea that there’s this mountain we’re going to climb., you have to be ready to make the climb.

The Importance Of Knowing Your “Calling” Or “Bliss”

I think your last statement is the key. To even look at the mountain, you’re going to have a staring. It’s a staring of the soul. It’s the call. Being in the Marine Corps and then being a teacher, and now in the profession, I consider it a calling. For you to even notice the call and then to interpret the call, that’s going to depend on your own personal philosophy. Before we even take the step, it’s like, “What is this calling that I have?”

One of the more important phrases or statements in my life is follow your bliss. It’s from Joseph Campbell, and he’s a mythologist, and he democratized the hero’s journey. The hero has the call, and then he goes out and slices his dragons. He goes out and accomplishes what he sets out to accomplish in the field of law, in the field of real estate, in the field of public safety.

 

 

When you have that test, that’s when it gets real. It gets better because mythically, you’re going to find yourself in the belly of the whale when you’re hooking and jabbing with your dragons, then what do you do? Some drown. Depending on your own personal philosophy and reason for being, why am I here? What am I here for? If you’re not asking those questions of gratitude, you could be lost. No, the hero takes the opportunity and says, “I was made for this,” and then not just conquers what is in front of him. He comes back with wisdom and shares it with his community.

Authenticity In Approaching The Game

Both you and Eric talking about gratitude. I spent time thinking about how grateful I am to be surrounded by such very much inspirational men. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Every time you and I talk, I get something from it. I learn. One of the things we talked about, which I think is relevant to the G, I think you actually placed it firmly, squarely in the G, is this idea that it’s this internal odyssey. It is that you were most effective when you show up as your authentic self. Can you talk to us a little bit about this idea of authenticity and how important it is to approaching the game?

It’s so knowing who you are. You talk about Odyssey, and one of my you have the character of Odysseus. He leaves his family. He goes out on this journey, and he’s on his way back. I believe he gets caught on an island, and he’s offered the world. He’s offered the relationship with a goddess, anything that he wants. He could stop there, but he doesn’t. He says, “For family, for God, for country.” He gets in his ship and he goes home. That’s someone who knows who he is. “This is what I’m here for.”

It’s very clear. You just know how to operate in this world. It doesn’t remove you from the danger, from the pain, from the emotion, from the trials and the tribulations. There’s no testimony without any test. It’s not even that you don’t want that. You want the challenge. You want to do hard things. You want to do your thing, and you want to do it for decades. At least that’s how I think about it. You bring that wisdom back, not just the experience. You bring the wisdom back, and then you serve.

As you make that first step to more as making that climb, and you are challenged, whatever the dragon may be, whatever the obstacle or barrier may be, it’s this idea that you have to know who you are and understand your call to this service, whatever it is, this task. That, at least in part, should sustain you through some of those barriers or challenges.

It’s the journey. The advice that Joseph Campbell gave was follow your bliss. It wasn’t follow your pleasure. It was follow your bliss. That’s your joy. It cuts through all of the noise, and you are seeking serenity. How would you do that? All I knew is that I wanted to follow my joy. I was like, “How?” He followed up, he said, “When you have questions,” and there’s always questions.

You’re very busy men, you’re successful. Everyone considers you to be leaders in the community, but there’s something inside you and saying, “There’s still work to be done.” You follow that joy. One of the easier things to do is to read also to journal because now you make it a study. You read and you journal and you end up following that which is joyful. You find out more of those things that are joyful and you design a life, whereas you’re doing more of that than not.

One of the things I want to add, often, the very first dragon, to keep going with that metaphor, people have is themselves. They talk themselves out of it. I’m stealing this. It was Tom Bilyeu, who I first heard say this on Impact Theory. He put it in a way that I was like, “That’s it.” He says, “There are only two questions that are important. Where do you want to go and what price are you willing to pay?” Most people, if you talk to them, billionaires, the athletes and the entertainers aside, they’ll tell you, “I was an average person.” I think one third of them are dyslexic. It’s not that they were geniuses that showed up. These aren’t alien beings that were dropped here.

 

 

They’re people that literally just had the grit and determination and wouldn’t quit. By the way, many of them had failures along the way. Businesses that failed. I think Henry Ford went bankrupt before he started the Ford Motors. This idea that people are going to have I want something and you’re just going to float to the top. This isn’t realistic. You’re going to have to make the climb. The very first thing you need to do though is make the determination. You want to do that, and you’re going to do it no matter what because I think at half the people never even get started. They never pull the stuff out of the cellophane.

On that, with that thought, you and I were talking about TRN and how that whole idea came about and the evolution of it.

What’s interesting about this is we’re talking about rules of the game. I read Rich Dad Poor Dad, and I saw Carlton Sheets, and I got to go into real estate. Clearly, it’s got to go into real estate. As it turns out, my wife on her side has family members that have been phenomenally successful in commercial real estate, though starting very through very hard times, but have done a phenomenal job, what they’ve built.

They walked me through because I asked them the question, “How do you know if you want to buy a building?” That’s a complicated question. They walked me through it. You know what it is? It’s like golf to me. I concluded I’m not going to put the time and the effort into master the rules of that game. I was pitching around. I’m a tax lawyer. What can I do to create passive income? How do you build a business?

I was really wrestling with all this when I had a CPA walk up to me, because again, how do I get business? You invite in the accountants, give a talk, and they refer clients. I had no problem getting work, like my legal work, my IRS work. He said to me, “I would pay you if you would teach me to do this.” I was like, “That’s interesting.” I create an eight-hour course. I ran around trying to sell it. It sold, people liked it, and it built from there into this, what it is now. Part of the G, though, every game has rules.

Whatever game you’re going to play, real estate, financial services, I have a thought on that too, by the way. I am a tax lawyer. I am a master at administrative process. I’m not a master at international tax. I don’t do serious planning. I don’t do estate plan. I am a master. Whatever game you’re going to play, I would suggest to you roll up your sleeves and master the rules of that game.

Desire is the beginning of talent. Share on X

You don’t want to go out and play tennis and not understand what all the lines mean. Whatever game you’re going to play, become a master of those rules because it’s like everything else. Now you can start looking at things not two dimensionally, but three dimensionally. You start to see things that other people who are not that in financial services.

I’m not surprised that Dr. Wells is successful. You’re talking about somebody who was in the Marine Corps, who served country, went into education, who served kids, families, community. The best way to get clients and be successful is you go not to sell them stuff. You’re there to help them. You are there to educate them and to help. If you go into this, and again, this isn’t my line, but Ed Millet was quoted on this. I succeeded when I went into it with a mindset to serve. Here’s the thing, you are now authentic. People are drawn to someone who they get the sense is there to help them. Not try to sell them something. No one wants to be sold. It doesn’t work.

What you began saying is such an important part of the intellectual life. You know what you don’t want to do. You don’t want to spend your time and attention on just because building out a real estate empire. No, this is what I do. It’s fine. You are putting on the lens, the philosophical lens of an attorney, a lawyer. This is what I do. You get even more and more specific in the mastery.

Desire is the beginning of talent. If you have that desire, I believe that it’s there for a reason. How you interpret it is per your philosophy, confidently, as Eric just spoke, “This is what I do. This is who I am, this is what I’m capable of,” and moving forward and not being brought in by the noise. Just because someone seems successful in another area of life, I’m going to go that route and just waste your time, dilute your attention. That’s the anti-intellectual life. It’s appropriate as we’re having these conversations. I think you both are speaking to it well, and I think it’s helpful for me, I think.

Going to the state police department for a minute, speaking of calling people that I met along the way there, you and I both know Dr. Cliff Thermer. We have a common friend there. Just the influence that they had and the emphasis on exploring that personal odyssey. Know why you’re here. In that academy, the word calling or call to is spoken often. You didn’t happen to get here. You’re here and we have a very specific mission to fulfill.

Your personal belief system needs to be in line whatever the mission of our department is. If there’s anything that’s incongruent there, well then, that’s where problems arise. Working through that in the beginning, I think, is particularly important, that personal odyssey, and figuring out what your calling is, what is your bliss and then having the courage to step out and to explore, to figure out if this is exactly what’s right for you.

The Necessity Of Intentionality & Avoiding Distraction

You don’t wander up the mountain.

You have to want the challenge and do the hard things—that’s where soul-satisfying work begins. Share on X

Especially on a rainy day.

The call, that in itself is an art form. How do you find the call? One of the challenges, definitely in contemporary society, is distraction. With the digital age it, the distraction is coming because of the avalanche of information that you have and the availability of it. You don’t realize that it is taking your attention and it’s not allowing you to focus. Your attention getting squandered. You have to find a way to create some sacred space in your life so that you can listen to the still, small voice.

If people want to actually check this out, try getting off social media for two weeks. There are some people that will lose their minds. That should tell you all you need to know. The phones will tell you how many hours a day you were on or whatever else. I get this from my Tax Rep members. I don’t know how you built a business, if you don’t understand something.

First of all, there wasn’t any social media and there weren’t smartphones. That made life easier. I came home, had dinner with my family, and I’m just going to tell everyone from 7:00 PM until midnight is plenty of time to do damage. You can start building your brand, your side business, whatever. You have time. Shut the TV and put your phone down, all right? That’s not helping you.

If you’re going to look something up, fine, I’ll give you that if you’re going to look something up. Beyond that, just show up and get to work. If you really want to build something, first of all, there’s no side hustle. A side hustle is the launching of what the businesses you’re going to go into if it works. The moment it works, it’s not your side hustle anymore. That’s your business. You’ve got time. I’m sure there are some folks who are caring for elderly and the sick. I get it. There are some people with extreme circumstances, but most people have time. They’re just squandering it somewhere that is not moving the ball forward.

You said you don’t, no one wanders up the mountain. It’s really deciding to be intentional about it. In other words, I’m going to spend my weekends doing something valuable. What is it that I want? Let’s lay out and let’s get working on that. Even if you don’t feel like it, whatever, just work on that and keep pushing forward. If you don’t have momentum at the beginning, you will get momentum. It will give you momentum.

I created Tax Rep, which originally was a three-ring binder at our dining room table because it was what we had for home office. I would sit every night putting this thing together and drafting explanations and all kinds of other stuff. That’s how it started. I worked all day and I had to build at my firm and everything else. I had time.

 

 

I don’t really watch TV. I couldn’t tell you what happened. I don’t even know what the shows are on right now at the moment. Everyone’s binging everything. The point being is you have time. Again, it comes down to what do you want and what price are you willing to pay? Are you willing to put your phone down for a couple hours a day to make it happen? You have to anticipate challenges along the way. I think to go into something, as you and I have talked about.

One of the more ma magnificent images is Dante starting at the bottom of the mountain. The first three things he finds are the temptations of greed, pride and challenges of self-control. Those are going to come right away and they’re going to be frightening. That’s part of the game. You can’t be confused about that. You have to expect the punch to the throat. It’s coming.

You want it. You want the challenge. Do hard things. That’s where the soul-satisfying work comes from. Find your fundamental idea that you are willing to serve for the rest of your life. What is it? What is that fundamental idea? Is it law? Is it love? Is it art? Is it being or science? For me, it was education. Study it, form that philosophy and go off and do great things.

I think that pretty much is a good note to end on.

I was going to say, I’ve got a whole bunch of thoughts, but we’re going to be diving into the A, so why don’t we stop here and when we do pick up with the A. I think we covered that. I think people got the message here. Every game has rules. Master those rules, decide to make the climb.

Identify your calling or your call to action. Anticipate challenges along the way because those challenges reaffirm your commitment to the calling.

They do. How you respond, overcome, sublimate and continue. Keep note of it, because there’s somebody behind you that could benefit from your lessons. In the allegory of the cave, the gentleman was released from his shackles, went up and saw the light. Blinded. It hurt. He decided to come back and bring that wisdom down back into the cave. That’s commitment.

Thank you, Dr. Wells, for exploring the G.A.M.E. P.L.A.N., at least the first part of it. It is a start. I very much look forward to continuous conversations and I’m sure all of you do, too. We’ll see you next time.

 

Important Links

• Dr. Rick Wells on LinkedIn
• Rich Dad Poor Dad
• Tax Rep Network

 

About Dr. Rick Wells

Rick Wells is a dedicated leader, educator, and advisor with over three decades of service to his community and country. A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Dr. Wells spent his military career in both active duty and reserve roles, culminating in his retirement after years of exemplary service.

In addition to his military career, Dr. Wells retired as a highly respected elementary school teacher from the West Hartford Public Schools. Throughout his tenure, he inspired young minds with a commitment to fostering growth, resilience, and achievement. His innovative approach to education emphasized the importance of perseverance, mastery, and the cultivation of self-awareness—skills he believes are foundational to both academic and personal success.

As a financial advisor, Dr. Wells brings his service-oriented ethos to helping families, professionals, and organizations build strong financial futures. His expertise in retirement planning and wealth management reflects his dedication to guiding others through challenges to create sustainable solutions that align with their values and goals.

A staunch advocate of health and wellness, Dr. Wells champions the principles of commitment and consistency as a key to building strength and overcoming challenges. Drawing from his military, educational, and personal wellness journey, he inspires others to embrace challenges as opportunities for mental, physical, and spiritual growth.

Through his work as a mentor, speaker, and advisor, Dr. Wells shares powerful insights on goal setting, leadership, and wellness. With decades of dedicated service to the community and the country, Dr. Wells continues to lead by example, offering practical strategies to elevate individuals and organizations alike.