Latest / Getting After It / 103 — No Perfect Moment: Seize Your Passion Now

Transcript

103 — No Perfect Moment: Seize Your Passion Now · Getting After It

• 0:00
  Brett: Hey friends, welcome back to the Getting After it podcast.
• 0:03
  Brett: Thanks for tuning in today.
• 0:04
  Brett: Today's topic is something that is very near and dear to my heart.
• 0:08
  Brett: We're talking about how to dive into the journey of your own passions, embracing discipline and ultimately unlocking greatness within you, because the motto I say, the mantra I always talk about of everyone has greatness inside them is not just a thing I say, and I'm going to prove that today.
• 0:25
  Brett: So, without further ado, let's get after it.
• 0:34
  Brett: Friends, I want to talk about passion today because I don't think we talk about it enough in our day and age.
• 0:42
  Brett: There's a reason for that, and I think it mainly comes from fear.
• 0:46
  Brett: And when I talk about passions, I'm talking about things that get you excited, things that interest you and make you want to learn more and want to keep going down whatever route it is that you're taking.
• 1:00
  Brett: That could be educationally, it could be career wise, it could be a hobby that you have.
• 1:04
  Brett: But a lot of the times when we're in our lives and we're comfortable in our circumstances, we don't necessarily want to change much about it, and we know that there's things that we want to do in our lives, but we're a little bit afraid to take that leap because things are good right now.
• 1:22
  Brett: Right, we don't need to change anything.
• 1:24
  Brett: If it's not broke, don't fix it.
• 1:25
  Brett: You've heard that before and I feel like it's a trap that a lot of us fall into these days, because we live in an incredible era.
• 1:33
  Brett: If you want to think about it, the earth is 4.5 billion years old and yet here we are.
• 1:39
  Brett: We live in the same age as giants like Diet Coke shout out to Diet Coke iPhones and, yeah, even the Getting After podcast, which you're listening to now.
• 1:51
  Brett: It's an amazing time, like the fact that I can record this and you're listening to it right now.
• 1:56
  Brett: It's amazing.
• 1:58
  Brett: And a lot of times, like we look at the negative, we find the negative of things that are things that are going on in the world.
• 2:03
  Brett: But guess what?
• 2:05
  Brett: If you're listening to this, you probably don't have to worry about where your next meal is from.
• 2:09
  Brett: You probably don't have to worry about wars breaking out.
• 2:13
  Brett: There are wars going on now, but generally you're safe and protected and you have a good job and you have the ability to sit down or go throughout your day and listen to this podcast.
• 2:28
  Brett: How amazing is that we're no longer hunter gatherers who spend the entire day looking for little berries in a bush or fishing Fishing with little to no material, I don't know.
• 2:40
  Brett: I don't know how they fish back then, if anyone knows, actually shoot me a link because I'm very interested in this.
• 2:46
  Brett: But it's a wild thought that our existence is just a blink in time.
• 2:51
  Brett: But that blink, it contains so much potential and it's one of the reasons why I think I am drawn to Marcus Aurelius and many of the other Stoics who say memento mori, because what that means is remember you must die, and I recorded a whole episode about what I believe that means for us.
• 3:11
  Brett: If you want to listen to it, go check it out or download Marcus Aurelius's meditations to understand one of the best philosophers of all time.
• 3:21
  Brett: And memento mori isn't meant to be a morbid thing.
• 3:24
  Brett: It's not meant to scare you, because the reality is that every single one of us on this earth will die and in three generations, odds are, most people won't know who you are Like.
• 3:36
  Brett: I hate to say it, but I don't know very much about my great, great great grandparents or any of my really family history, which is unfortunate because we have access to that now, like we can go see who we're related to what the bloodline looks like and what those people did in their lives.
• 3:53
  Brett: I'm, luckily, part of a church that we do a lot of family history work and we talk about genealogy and we try and learn about our ancestors, to honor them.
• 4:02
  Brett: And there's this great quote Wow, I'm struggling right now.
• 4:07
  Brett: There's a great quote from the ancient Greeks who say that you should live as if all your ancestors were depending on it because they've gotten you to this point, like you want to be the strongest in your bloodline.
• 4:21
  Brett: Right Requires getting after it.
• 4:24
  Brett: So, with that painted of memento mori, we all have a limited time on this earth and it is very short.
• 4:30
  Brett: Like I was talking to Allie the other day and I was like holy crap, how the freak did 2024 already happen?
• 4:36
  Brett: Like what the hell?
• 4:37
  Brett: How's it already gone?
• 4:38
  Brett: I have memories of it and I'm so glad I journaled through that time.
• 4:42
  Brett: But like it literally feels like a blink and it's crazy and I can't imagine.
• 4:49
  Brett: I'm a little bit worried to see how fast time starts feeling it's going to start going by when I'm 45, 50, 60, it's going to be wild and so we don't see it in the moment.
• 5:02
  Brett: We don't see that time is finite in the moment, but it is the truth, and that reason alone should be enough for you to follow your passions, for you to have an interest peaked and then see where it goes.
• 5:18
  Brett: When I reflect on this, there's this quote from someone named Alan Watts, who says the only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.
• 5:29
  Brett: It's a nice way of saying it, but it really is Change.
• 5:35
  Brett: The only way you can embrace change is just to fully let it go.
• 5:39
  Brett: Realize that there's a lot of things that you can't determine in our lives.
• 5:43
  Brett: You can't change a lot of stuff.
• 5:45
  Brett: The only thing that you can change is your actions, how you control yourself.
• 5:52
  Brett: And yes, there are, unfortunately, circumstances that are imposed on a lot of people, like they might not have been born in the best area, they may have been born into a broken family, they might not have the greatest financial stability or anything like that, but I don't think that's a reason for you to become a victim and not follow your passions.
• 6:14
  Brett: Life is hard as it is, and if you can make it a little bit easier by setting five minutes aside every single day to work on things you're interested in, you'll realize that life is a little bit better and it's actually sweeter than you think.
• 6:29
  Brett: Your life is determined by what you focus on.
• 6:34
  Brett: The happiness of your life is fully determined on that.
• 6:38
  Brett: Our brains are powerful tools and they can be used to destroy us or accelerate us to grow to who we know we can become, and that's exactly why we must embrace change and drive headfirst into it.
• 6:51
  Brett: It resonates with me.
• 6:52
  Brett: So today I want you to ask yourself what excites you and, more importantly, what are you doing every single day to chase that excitement?
• 6:59
  Brett: Like I said, if you only have five minutes in the beginning, then set aside five minutes Because, if anything, you should be doing it for yourself and hopefully others are impacted by whatever it is, whether it's art, whether it's a podcast playing the piano which I guess is a form of art or working on a new business that you want to start.
• 7:21
  Brett: My wife and I talk about how we want to make Team Tim a nonprofit that supports families who are going through cancer.
• 7:30
  Brett: That's the goal, and so every day, yes, we do talk about future plans, and now we're getting into the process of actually making it a formally recognized nonprofit in the United States.
• 7:48
  Brett: But you know we're not working on it hours a day.
• 7:52
  Brett: We're working on it five minutes a day, 10 minutes a day, like we'll talk about it over dinner, but we're still working on it.
• 7:58
  Brett: And the same goes for you, and you have to figure out what excites you and chase it and then ask yourself constantly what are you doing to chase that?
• 8:05
  Brett: I want to get reflective for a moment and talk about this podcast specifically.
• 8:12
  Brett: I first thought about starting a podcast years before I finally launched it in 2022.
• 8:16
  Brett: Like many of you, I was just an avid listener.
• 8:20
  Brett: I would soak in every single conversation I would listen to and every lesson that I was taught, and I knew deep down that there was a method to this madness that if I followed what I loved, I'd uncover places and rewards that I never imagined I could see.
• 8:34
  Brett: I remember one evening I was sitting and I was reading some work by Naval Ravikant, who is an angel investor.
• 8:44
  Brett: He actually started Angie's List and he's a very smart man.
• 8:47
  Brett: He's written some books, he has a great podcast and he actually has a TED Talk that talks about making work feel like play, which I think you should go listen to.
• 8:56
  Brett: In that TED Talk he says this Building specific knowledge will feel like play to you, but look like work to others.
• 9:04
  Brett: And it hit me hard because here was a concept that resonated with my own experiences the idea that if you find work that feels like play, if you're following your passion, then the grind itself is a source of joy and not necessarily a chore.
• 9:17
  Brett: And from that moment on I decided, hey, let's enough daydreaming.
• 9:22
  Brett: I had to see where this passion would take me with starting a podcast, and so I stepped up.
• 9:28
  Brett: I built a website Well, that came later, but I launched the episodes.
• 9:33
  Brett: I worked on refining my talking skills and eventually launched a website, have started writing blog posts, and from the outside perspective it might look like work, but to me I enjoy it so much because it's a journey of self-growth for myself.
• 9:49
  Brett: In order for me to feel confident enough to tell you that you should be doing X, y and Z in your life, I must have done them myself first, so you can look at me as the guinea pig for getting after it.
• 10:02
  Brett: Everything I'm doing is trying to help me get after it just a little bit better each and every time.
• 10:10
  Brett: And here's something that you might not expect about this podcast I have not made a single dime recording these episodes, posting my content, posting on social media, like interviewing guests.
• 10:25
  Brett: I haven't made a dime.
• 10:26
  Brett: So you might ask yourself, okay, brett, why are you doing it then?
• 10:30
  Brett: If it's not for money, then why are you doing it?
• 10:33
  Brett: Because money is the reason why you should be pursuing your passions, right?
• 10:38
  Brett: Well, money is essential.
• 10:41
  Brett: There's no denying that.
• 10:42
  Brett: Everyone needs money to have a roof over their head, have food to eat, take care of their families, take care of yourself.
• 10:49
  Brett: Money is essential, but, as I've learned on this journey, money isn't the only metric of success, at least for me.
• 10:58
  Brett: It could be different for you.
• 11:01
  Brett: Think about it this way, though If you chase something solely for its financial rewards, are you really chasing your passion or are you chasing someone else's idea of success?
• 11:10
  Brett: You have to ask yourself what's your definition of success.
• 11:13
  Brett: Is it just money?
• 11:17
  Brett: Because if that's the case, you could have terrible relationships.
• 11:21
  Brett: Your wife could hate you.
• 11:22
  Brett: You might not know who your kids are, because you're not spending time with them.
• 11:26
  Brett: You're at work all the time.
• 11:27
  Brett: Your body's taking a hit because you're not hitting the gym, because all you're focused on is work.
• 11:32
  Brett: You're trying to get that cash and if you look at it.
• 11:36
  Brett: Yeah, you might have a lot of money, but you have a terrible relationship with your wife, you have a terrible relationship with your kids and you have a terrible relationship with your kids and you have a terrible relationship with yourself because you're not even deciding to put in the work to take care of yourself.
• 11:48
  Brett: The nutrition is not there, the exercise is not there, and that's going to affect you negatively.
• 11:52
  Brett: So what is success to you?
• 11:54
  Brett: For me, it's kind of a balance of all.
• 11:58
  Brett: That is just leading a life where I have healthy relationships and I have enough money to take care of my family and I and to really celebrate the fact that I can run and that I can learn and all these things that help me get better every single day.
• 12:15
  Brett: It's a balance, but the success for me is that balance, the fact that I'm able to adjust every part of my life.
• 12:24
  Brett: And my mentor, bryce.
• 12:25
  Brett: He gave me this advice that I think is phenomenal he looks at his life as a triangle, balanced on a pencil, on a tip of a pencil, and each corner of the triangle symbolizes something different For him.
• 12:35
  Brett: It's his career, it's his family and it's his faith, and he has to make sure that you know that triangle remains balanced on the tip of the pencil, because if one area starts getting a little heavier, it's going to fall off, and so he has to make sure he's always attending to those areas.
• 12:50
  Brett: And what I'm talking about is kind of difficult to grasp when I say you should make time for your own passions, because that balancing act, that dance of making sure everything is taken care of in your life, is difficult.
• 13:10
  Brett: So how can I ask you to add more to that?
• 13:13
  Brett: By following your passions.
• 13:17
  Brett: Well, let me tell you what happened to me when I started this podcast.
• 13:20
  Brett: I was just a kid in a basement and I was smart.
• 13:23
  Brett: I think I was good at talking to people, I had good people skills, but what has really stood out to me is the fact that I have learned so much from doing this that my own education has skyrocketed, because I'm studying all the time, I'm reading books and I'm trying to figure out what I can add that the listeners can take and improve their lives with.
• 13:51
  Brett: And the reason I'm talking about following your passions is because it made me see that life is beautiful and that when you follow something that you're excited about, you become better in the process, and it could be anything.
• 14:04
  Brett: It doesn't have to necessarily be launching a podcast or writing a book or getting super in shape.
• 14:10
  Brett: You determine what that success means.
• 14:12
  Brett: So I challenge you today Are you pursuing your dreams for the recognition and the wealth, or are you doing it for yourself?
• 14:21
  Brett: And as Jocko Willink, the retired US Navy SEAL commander who I always bring up on this podcast, he's an expert in leadership.
• 14:29
  Brett: He often reminds us that.
• 14:31
  Brett: What do I say?
• 14:32
  Brett: Discipline equals freedom.
• 14:33
  Brett: But let's break that down.
• 14:34
  Brett: What does that mean?
• 14:35
  Brett: Discipline, it's like waking up early when you'd rather sleep.
• 14:39
  Brett: Passion, it's like waking up early when you'd rather sleep.
• 14:41
  Brett: It's the fire that fuels you through long, grueling days and they will come your way.
• 14:46
  Brett: And success, it's not just about the bank account, but it's the growth that you see in yourself.
• 14:51
  Brett: And his whole concept of discipline equals freedom is pretty much about that.
• 14:56
  Brett: If you can be disciplined with one decision, then you can refine, get better and ultimately see that success through the end.
• 15:04
  Brett: Um, but I remember the day that I decided to quit over planning and just start doing, because my podcasts were like I would think about them all the time and I would try and really refine the topic I was going to focus on that day, but the more I would refine it, the more cluttered it would become, and I just had to actually boil it down to the simplest thing and try and talk about that.
• 15:29
  Brett: I was stuck in analysis, paralysis you've heard that before and I was always waiting for the perfect moment where I was feeling good enough to do a podcast.
• 15:39
  Brett: And then it hit me there's no actual perfect moment.
• 15:42
  Brett: There really isn't.
• 15:43
  Brett: Things, the stars are not going to align for you, for you to know oh, now it's time for me to go pursue what I'm interested in.
• 15:51
  Brett: That's not going to happen.
• 15:53
  Brett: If anything, what's going to happen is that you're going to realize that the time's actually fleeting and you're not going to have enough time to follow your passion because you waited.
• 16:05
  Brett: You waited too long, you were waiting for the perfect moment when you knew deep down it was never going to come.
• 16:12
  Brett: And my challenge is just start today, small.
• 16:15
  Brett: Start small, because it's through the small wins and through the small repeated actions that compound over time and you look back and you're like, holy crap, I've come far, but day by day, it doesn't seem like you're making much progress.
• 16:30
  Brett: Which is why I say start with five minutes on your passions, learn about yourself.
• 16:37
  Brett: Maybe you don't even know what your passion is yet, so spend five minutes with yourself pondering that question.
• 16:43
  Brett: What gets you excited?
• 16:45
  Brett: What feels like?
• 16:48
  Brett: Play to you but work to others?
• 16:50
  Brett: How do you relax, like?
• 16:54
  Brett: What do you do to decompress?
• 16:56
  Brett: Is it playing video games?
• 16:57
  Brett: Well then, maybe you should become a streamer.
• 16:59
  Brett: I don't know, but these are questions you should be asking yourself and going down this rabbit hole of your mind where you get to explore what your answers could be.
• 17:12
  Brett: You need to have conversations with yourself, hard conversations with yourself, and be honest during the process, because if you're not, then you're not going to have any direction on where to go.
• 17:21
  Brett: And one thing I would say is talk to other people.
• 17:25
  Brett: If there's someone who you admire and someone who you look up to and you're like man I wish I had this person's life then ask them how they got there.
• 17:34
  Brett: And if it's a passion of yours, ask them if you can just shadow them for a day.
• 17:38
  Brett: I don't think they'll tell you no, they might.
• 17:41
  Brett: And then, if they say no, go find someone else.
• 17:44
  Brett: There's lots of people out there.
• 17:46
  Brett: Lots of people are willing to share their knowledge with you about what they do for work, what they do for sport, passion, hobbies, anything.
• 17:55
  Brett: People want to talk about, the things that they're interested in.
• 17:57
  Brett: Why do you think I have this podcast?
• 17:58
  Brett: And same goes for anyone that you talk to.
• 18:02
  Brett: If you want to learn about running a marathon, go ask someone who's ran a marathon.
• 18:07
  Brett: Try and get a little bit more insight in their experience to see if that's even something you want to do.
• 18:12
  Brett: And that could be your five minutes.
• 18:16
  Brett: But one thing I've had the privilege to speak with many interesting people on this podcast.
• 18:22
  Brett: It's one of my favorite things about it.
• 18:24
  Brett: Actually, each conversation unlocks, at least for me, like a different perspective of life, like someone has something to bring to the table.
• 18:31
  Brett: Every single time they don't think that they do, which is funny.
• 18:34
  Brett: Every time I ask someone to be on the podcast, they're like oh man, I don't.
• 18:36
  Brett: I don't think I'd have much to say, but until I hit record and then start talking to them, it's, it's hilarious.
• 18:43
  Brett: What happens happens because it's the same story every time.
• 18:46
  Brett: But I was talking to Danny Zeme one time, who's now an instructor at Echelon Front, but he's been in law enforcement his entire career up to that point.
• 18:53
  Brett: And one thing really stood out to me about our conversation is he said that every setback was a setup for a greater comeback.
• 19:02
  Brett: Let that sink in for a moment.
• 19:05
  Brett: Knowledge from Danny Ziem every setback was a setup for a greater comeback.
• 19:12
  Brett: And guess what?
• 19:14
  Brett: You're going to have many setbacks as you go down the exploratory journey of finding out what your passion is.
• 19:22
  Brett: Let's talk about running for a second, because isn't it the perfect metaphor for life?
• 19:26
  Brett: You think so.
• 19:27
  Brett: I do.
• 19:29
  Brett: My running journey started four or five years ago, probably around 2020, when everyone was stuck inside and I decided to go out and run because gyms were all closed and all that stuff and I wasn't good at it, but I was running during the time.
• 19:45
  Brett: And then my sister-in-law she's like hey, do you want to do a half marathon with me?
• 19:49
  Brett: We were all at the table.
• 19:50
  Brett: I was like, yeah, for sure, that seems hard, it seems interesting, I want to try it.
• 19:54
  Brett: And you guys know the story where I got sick and I couldn't do it.
• 19:58
  Brett: And then eventually, like I just, I just kept following that interest.
• 20:01
  Brett: I was like, hey, I never ran a half marathon, but I want to see what that's like.
• 20:04
  Brett: And when I ran my first one, there wasn't an official race.
• 20:07
  Brett: It was just out on some random road trail, uh, behind my office.
• 20:12
  Brett: I uh, I felt very accomplished and I was proud of the work that I put in, because it was a hard thing to do.
• 20:18
  Brett: I've never ran that far and when I did I was like, hey, I'm interested to see if I can keep going.
• 20:32
  Brett: And then I trained for a marathon, which I then ran in June of 2023, I believe, yeah, 2023.
• 20:36
  Brett: And then I just kept following the passion.
• 20:38
  Brett: I was like, hey, I'm going to try and go after another half marathon.
• 20:40
  Brett: And we went to St George.
• 20:42
  Brett: And then I had this crazy idea, because I ran St George and I had a one hour and 30 minute marathon or half marathon time, and I was like, that's three hours If you add it up and it's a marathon.
• 20:53
  Brett: Like I just got to do that same pace for another hour and a half.
• 20:58
  Brett: Okay, I want to see if I can do that.
• 21:00
  Brett: And I knew team Tim was coming up in February of that year, of 2024.
• 21:05
  Brett: And so I started training for that specifically.
• 21:07
  Brett: I was like, okay, I'm going to work on my speed, I'm going to try and get faster so I can run a sub three marathon in February, and so I just kept following that passion and that interest that I had.
• 21:19
  Brett: And, yes, there were days when it was very difficult.
• 21:21
  Brett: It's like what I said with the how every setback is the opportunity for a greater comeback.
• 21:26
  Brett: There were days when I would not be able to hit my paces and there were some times when I couldn't train because my body was weary and I've never experienced fatigue like that.
• 21:39
  Brett: And eventually I was consistent.
• 21:42
  Brett: I was able to fight through those battles in my head and I got through.
• 21:46
  Brett: And I ran a fight through those battles in my head and I got through.
• 21:47
  Brett: And I ran a sub three marathon for team Tim and it was something, again, I'm very proud of.
• 21:52
  Brett: I kept following that and I was like, hey, a sub three was cool.
• 21:56
  Brett: But all these people who I really admire talk about how amazing it is to run an ultra race.
• 22:01
  Brett: Maybe I'll try an ultra marathon, maybe I'll try an ultra marathon.
• 22:04
  Brett: And so I found one and eventually ran that in July of 2024.
• 22:08
  Brett: It was a 50 K, so about 33 miles, and at the end of it I was like I can't believe.
• 22:15
  Brett: I just did that.
• 22:16
  Brett: And so I'm I'm still on this journey of figuring out what I can and can't do with running.
• 22:22
  Brett: My next big test is coming up in June, where I'm going after a two hour and 45 minute marathon in Duluth, minnesota.
• 22:31
  Brett: It's going to challenge me.
• 22:32
  Brett: I know it's going to be the same process, but here's the deal.
• 22:35
  Brett: I've recognized patterns in my journey that tell me that, hey, if you're feeling fatigued, it's going to pass.
• 22:43
  Brett: Or hey, if you're feeling like you're on top of the world, you're going to get humbled real soon.
• 22:48
  Brett: Like all these things are very similar in my journey for running.
• 22:51
  Brett: But what's come from this that I didn't think would is one my confidence in myself has increased tremendously.
• 23:00
  Brett: I talked a lot about that in the previous episode, if you want to listen to it.
• 23:03
  Brett: And then, two, I've seen it reflect on to other people, like my wife, who never considered herself a runner, is now killing it, she's crushing running.
• 23:17
  Brett: My brother, my sister-in-law, my cousin, like my buddy, kar so many of these people say like hey, thanks for posting your journey, like I'm on my own.
• 23:30
  Brett: And they, uh, they talked to me about their goals and their dreams and their passions and, specifically for running, they're like I want to see if I can get better at this.
• 23:40
  Brett: And that's one thing I didn't recognize that I would benefit from is the ability that I can now help others accomplish their goals with running, with coaching, anything.
• 23:53
  Brett: It's been so fun and rewarding for me to recognize that and it's part of the journey I never expected to happen.
• 24:01
  Brett: Which brings up the question what's your passion and what roads could it lead to?
• 24:08
  Brett: Like if, going back to the gaming example, if you love video games and you want to be a streamer, maybe it leads to a career in gaming.
• 24:15
  Brett: You never know, maybe it leads to you meeting some really interesting people that become lifelong friends.
• 24:20
  Brett: Maybe it's the fact that you just are able to really enjoy your time when you play video games and stream and that's your passion.
• 24:28
  Brett: But there's going to be things that happen along the journey that are beneficial to you, which you originally probably didn't think was even a possibility.
• 24:38
  Brett: And for me, helping other people was definitely one of my favorite ones one of my favorite ones.
• 24:51
  Brett: But I did some research about habits and the power of them to kind of help paint the picture that you can work on your passions and work on the things that interest you by starting small and seeing that compound.
• 25:00
  Brett: So we all know that habits shape our lives and according to Charles Duhigg's, the Power of Habit.
• 25:07
  Brett: So that's a book if you want to go check it out.
• 25:08
  Brett: But our daily routines are the building blocks of success.
• 25:11
  Brett: When we make a habit out of getting after what we love, our actions compound over time, leading to exponential growth.
• 25:19
  Brett: So I want you to consider these three things Small wins, which research shows that celebrating small victories can help boost motivation and help you maintain momentum, this thing called neuroplasticity, which is an amazing part of our brains, but our brains can rewire themselves where we constantly and consistently practice new habits.
• 25:42
  Brett: And then the last thing I want you to think about is how discipline equals freedom, because when you establish discipline, you create a framework that allows creativity and passion to flourish, because you know how to manage your time and you know how to sit down and work on what's important to you.
• 26:01
  Brett: And I recommend checking out Duhigg's book, actually for a deep dive into the science of habits, because there's some fascinating things in there.
• 26:07
  Brett: And if you also want to learn about habits I've brought it up before, but James Clear's Atomic Habits.
• 26:12
  Brett: It offers very practical strategies to build long-lasting habits, and I wouldn't look at these as like academic resources.
• 26:20
  Brett: I would just look at them as tools.
• 26:21
  Brett: So understand that your habits have a lot of power to influence your life, because your life is dependent on your habits.
• 26:30
  Brett: Your habits dictate your lifestyle.
• 26:32
  Brett: It dictates your success.
• 26:33
  Brett: Like, are you someone who picks up a book or or scrolls on Tik TOK?
• 26:37
  Brett: I'm not saying it's a bad thing.
• 26:39
  Brett: I'm just saying if you want to learn and you're gravitating to one little distraction like Tik TOK, rather than doing the hard thing and picking up a book which, by the way, always do the hard thing, because that's what leads to rewards in the long term, and you'll see that reflect and improve your life.
• 26:57
  Brett: Now I want to shift a little bit.
• 27:00
  Brett: I was talking to a coworker at work and he was asking me all about the podcast.
• 27:03
  Brett: His name is Jared Lee.
• 27:04
  Brett: I think he's going to make an appearance relatively soon, so look out for that.
• 27:07
  Brett: But he's a very interesting man.
• 27:09
  Brett: I was talking to him and he was just asking me about the podcast and and how I come up with episode ideas and what made me start this thing and all these kinds of questions.
• 27:22
  Brett: And, um, I, just I was.
• 27:26
  Brett: I thought a lot about like our conversation and I was like, hey, I wonder if it's valuable for me to ask some questions, um, to the audience, or have them ask me questions.
• 27:37
  Brett: And I, uh, I sat down with one of my other buddies at work and I was just like, okay, you know what I talk about on my podcast.
• 27:46
  Brett: Like you know, I'm always focusing on discipline and consistency, talking about getting better, 1% a day, working on habits, like all these things.
• 27:54
  Brett: Right, like you understand my content.
• 27:55
  Brett: And so I asked him.
• 27:57
  Brett: I was like what, from your perspective?
• 27:59
  Brett: Like what kind of questions would you ask me if you were someone who wanted to get after it but didn't necessarily know how to?
• 28:04
  Brett: And it was interesting because he came up with three that I want to talk about on this podcast and answer.
• 28:16
  Brett: And the first being how do I overcome the fear of failure when I'm pursuing my passion?
• 28:18
  Brett: I think it's a great question because fear is natural, but remember, failure isn't necessarily a failure, it's feedback.
• 28:30
  Brett: I always remind myself, and I hope you do too, that each setback is an opportunity to learn and improve, because that's the antidote to failing is realize, hey, there's a reason that this didn't go well.
• 28:40
  Brett: What can I learn from it?
• 28:41
  Brett: How can I get better next time?
• 28:42
  Brett: Thomas Edison has a great quote on this and he said I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
• 28:52
  Brett: And so my first thought to this was like oh man, well, the fear of failure is always going to be there.
• 28:59
  Brett: But the more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that when you embrace failure as part of the process, that's when you give yourself permission to succeed.
• 29:10
  Brett: That's when you realize that failure is not the end of the world.
• 29:14
  Brett: You're not going to die.
• 29:15
  Brett: You're not going to lose everything.
• 29:18
  Brett: Failure is part of the process of getting after it.
• 29:22
  Brett: You're going to fail.
• 29:24
  Brett: I've failed many times and I know in the future I will fail again and again and again.
• 29:29
  Brett: But rest assured, each time I fail, I'm going to ask myself what I needed to learn in that moment.
• 29:36
  Brett: I'm going to ask myself how I could have improved the situation and made it a little bit better, and then, hopefully, I get better in the end.
• 29:44
  Brett: So that's what I would say is just embrace failure as part of the process and start, because not until you start, you will not realize that fear is a mile wide and an inch deep.
• 29:56
  Brett: It's not that bad.
• 29:57
  Brett: Fear is a construct of the mind.
• 29:59
  Brett: It's made to get you to not do things that you are afraid of.
• 30:04
  Brett: Your brain is telling you not to do things and you have to push past it.
• 30:09
  Brett: You have to realize that that's not the case.
• 30:11
  Brett: You have to realize that, in fact, you will become better because your eyes will be open.
• 30:19
  Brett: Another question that he asked me is what if my passion doesn't lead to financial success?
• 30:23
  Brett: We talked a little bit about this earlier, because money isn't the sole measure of success.
• 30:28
  Brett: There's many reasons or many different metrics you can use to determine what your success is and when you're doing something you love, the value isn't just in dollars.
• 30:37
  Brett: It's in that personal growth, the lessons that you learned and the joy of experiencing it daily.
• 30:43
  Brett: Because I love doing this podcast, I love learning for myself and then being like hey, guys, I figured this out about following your passions and I'm I love this insight about it from you know Thomas Edison, who said I, I found 10,000 ways that don't work.
• 30:59
  Brett: Like, what a great insight and what a good perspective.
• 31:01
  Brett: Like I love doing that because I think if you focus on financial rewards too much, you won't truly explore what you're passionate about.
• 31:11
  Brett: And again, money is essential for living, but if it's important to you.
• 31:17
  Brett: You will make time for it.
• 31:18
  Brett: This podcast is another good example.
• 31:21
  Brett: Sometimes I'm up writing when I want to be in bed, or I'm up running when I want to be in bed, or I'm learning things that sometimes I don't understand.
• 31:35
  Brett: When I first read meditations, it was so hard for me to understand.
• 31:38
  Brett: It felt like it was in a different language, and I'm just trying to get better myself so I can hopefully pass that on to you.
• 31:46
  Brett: But if I determine my successes of this podcast as a financial endeavor, then I would have stopped after six months.
• 31:55
  Brett: So I have to ask myself why do I keep going?
• 31:59
  Brett: And it's for that reason specifically that I'm able to learn, grow myself and that I'm hopefully able to do the same for you, at least hopefully.
• 32:07
  Brett: You grab one nugget every time you listen to an episode that gets you on your way and gets you a little bit more excited and motivated to get after it.
• 32:17
  Brett: The last question that he asked me is how do I build discipline when everything seems to distract me?
• 32:21
  Brett: What a question.
• 32:24
  Brett: You all know that I wasn't this disciplined guy that I am today.
• 32:28
  Brett: It's taken time for me to get to this point, but building discipline is all about creating systems, and you need, again, start small.
• 32:37
  Brett: Dedicate 15 minutes a day to whatever your passion is, and here's the kicker Just eliminate one distraction at a time and gradually you'll build a routine that supports your goals.
• 32:50
  Brett: At a time and gradually you'll build a routine that supports your goals.
• 32:54
  Brett: And I recommend, if you want to learn more about systems, reading Cal Newport's book Deep Work, because there's a lot of insights for minimizing distractions and maximizing your focus in that book, all of which should play into your own getting after it lifestyle, your own passions, and it's just.
• 33:11
  Brett: You got to take that chance on yourself and I want to do this more often because I think me asking for your feedback and getting questions to answer it makes it a little bit more real.
• 33:24
  Brett: But here's the last thing I want to say about building discipline is you have to just learn to make the hard choices.
• 33:32
  Brett: You have to learn how to put aside what your mind desires and if it is TikTok when you want to read a book, do the hard thing, put your phone down and pick up the book.
• 33:44
  Brett: Or if you want to start eating healthier, then it starts with one small change a day.
• 33:52
  Brett: Don't change everything overnight, because that will not lead to longevity and it will lead to burnout, but the more that you're able to create these systems and eliminate one distraction and then eliminate another one and, over time, realize that you've built this system and this routine that aligns perfectly with your goals, then pat yourself on the back Because guess what?
• 34:15
  Brett: You just built discipline.
• 34:16
  Brett: You now have discipline.
• 34:17
  Brett: Everyone has it.
• 34:19
  Brett: You just have to make the choice.
• 34:21
  Brett: That's really it.
• 34:23
  Brett: You have discipline right now.
• 34:25
  Brett: Just make the choice.
• 34:27
  Brett: Have discipline right now.
• 34:33
  Brett: Just make the choice.
• 34:33
  Brett: If you're listening to this right now and there's an inner voice that's nudging you, don't ignore it.
• 34:36
  Brett: Whether you're on the brink of starting something new or you're looking to deepen your current passion, take that step.
• 34:42
  Brett: Do it for you, not for the money, not for the recognition.
• 34:46
  Brett: Do it because you know there's something inside of you waiting to burst and make you become who you've always imagined you could be.
• 34:57
  Brett: I have a challenge for you.
• 35:01
  Brett: The first is identify what your passion is.
• 35:06
  Brett: What is that one thing that excites you?
• 35:08
  Brett: Second, take one small step Today.
• 35:13
  Brett: Set a goal, no matter how minor it might seem in your eyes, that brings you closer to that passion.
• 35:20
  Brett: Third, I want you to reflect.
• 35:22
  Brett: I want you to write down what you learn, write down your experiences, write down what your passion is so you don't forget it, even if you stumble.
• 35:30
  Brett: Record your insights on the journey, because then you can go back and read and learn from it and over time, these three small steps will build into something that is extraordinary.
• 35:42
  Brett: Take it from someone that's done it Because you can do the same for you.
• 35:47
  Brett: Don't put a timeline on it.
• 35:48
  Brett: Don't say, hey, I'm going to have a podcast that's really successful in six months, because that was not my journey.
• 35:54
  Brett: So I can't tell you to do that.
• 35:56
  Brett: Take the long view and play the long game.
• 36:02
  Brett: I want to reflect one more time on Jocko's words discipline equals freedom, because it's through discipline that we liberate ourselves from fear and mediocrity.
• 36:09
  Brett: Because it's through discipline that we liberate ourselves from fear and mediocrity, we embrace the grind and we let every setback propel us forward.
• 36:18
  Brett: As we wrap up today's episode, everyone, I want you to take a moment and reflect on your journey.
• 36:22
  Brett: Think about all the possibilities that lie ahead when you commit to following your passion.
• 36:26
  Brett: It's a journey filled with challenges, yes, but it's also a journey filled with rewards that can't be measured by a bank balance.
• 36:33
  Brett: For further inspiration or anything.
• 36:37
  Brett: Read Jocko's book Extreme Ownership.
• 36:42
  Brett: I'm constantly learning, reading and involving myself, just like you, and over these past two and a half years I've learned more than I did in college, if I'm being honest, and it's only by immersing myself in these disciplines, and I know you can do the same.
• 36:56
  Brett: The perfect moment to act is not some distant moment, it's now.
• 37:03
  Brett: Every journey starts with that first step.
• 37:07
  Brett: Every small decision you make today builds the foundation for you tomorrow.
• 37:12
  Brett: So listen to your gut, trust your instincts, stop delaying and decide to get after it, because once you do, there's no limit to the growth and fulfillment you'll see on the other side.
• 37:25
  Brett: Do the thing, my friends.
• 37:26
  Brett: Do the thing.
• 37:29
  Brett: Thanks for tuning in today.
• 37:32
  Brett: If you enjoyed this episode at all, please share it with someone who just needs that little extra push.
• 37:37
  Brett: Subscribe, leave a review.
• 37:39
  Brett: It really helps the show and for more resources and links that I mentioned from the sources today, I'll put them in the show notes.
• 37:47
  Brett: Until next time, everyone, keep growing, keep learning and remember you're far more capable of what you think you are.
• 37:58
  Brett: Keep getting after it, my friends.