1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,680 Paul, welcome to the Evolved Radio Podcast. Thank you, sir. Thank you for having 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:09,320 me. Uh, I believe another return guest. I should have checked 3 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,880 your, your episode number, but you were on once before, right? I was. 4 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:16,960 Maybe we've been talking about the same things this whole time, so we'll 5 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,640 see. This is definitely new because like, it's new. Okay. Yeah, like some of 6 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,170 this I think is, uh, maybe fraught territory. I, I suppose 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,760 I want to convince people that this is something that they should think about, but 8 00:00:27,950 --> 00:00:31,630 I recognize this is something that for whatever reason I feel like is maybe a 9 00:00:31,630 --> 00:00:34,590 bit of a third rail in the industry of like, eh, we kind of just, 10 00:00:34,590 --> 00:00:38,310 you know, we maybe ignore that. We don't really talk about that. So I'll lead 11 00:00:38,310 --> 00:00:41,750 you into that with a hard question that is probably 12 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:45,430 easy. But you showed up, like we've known each 13 00:00:45,430 --> 00:00:49,070 other in the industry for quite a while, but like this topic and you 14 00:00:49,070 --> 00:00:52,750 related to it showed up when I saw you doing the 75 15 00:00:52,750 --> 00:00:56,360 Hard. And I mean, that's got to be hard, isn't it? 16 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,160 It is. It is. And for perspective, I'll tell everybody what it is if you 17 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,800 haven't heard of it. 75 days, you choose a 18 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,280 diet plan, whatever it is, but you stick to it. Zero cheat 19 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:12,120 meals, 2 workouts a day, 45 minutes each. One of them has to be outdoors, 20 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,880 and a walk counts, so you don't have to kill yourself both times. But, 21 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,280 you know, so usually I would like lift weights in the morning and then go 22 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,080 for a 45-minute walk at night. So stick to diet, no cheat meals, 23 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,210 2 workouts a day, 45 minutes each, and they have to be separated. You can't 24 00:01:26,210 --> 00:01:30,050 do them back-to-back. Gallon of water, 10 pages of personal development reading, 25 00:01:30,050 --> 00:01:33,850 and then you take a progress pic every day. And if you fail 26 00:01:33,850 --> 00:01:36,810 to do any one of those tasks in a given day, you have to start 27 00:01:36,810 --> 00:01:40,490 over at day 1. But it was just— it was 28 00:01:40,490 --> 00:01:43,920 something that I found around the 2018, 29 00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:47,650 2019 mark, and I kind of used it to 30 00:01:48,050 --> 00:01:51,730 uncouple my brain from some of the problems that I was going through. 31 00:01:52,450 --> 00:01:56,050 At the time, and it's evolved. And my wife does it with me, and 32 00:01:56,050 --> 00:01:58,690 we try to do it every year because it just kind of— it's like a 33 00:01:58,690 --> 00:02:02,370 reset for us, and it works. And I 34 00:02:02,370 --> 00:02:05,650 guess just for the record, did you hit the 75, or did you have a 35 00:02:05,650 --> 00:02:09,410 couple resets along the way? So check this out. The only time 36 00:02:09,570 --> 00:02:13,370 that we have failed and had to reset was when Robin and 37 00:02:13,370 --> 00:02:16,770 I did it separately. So we each tried our own, 38 00:02:17,410 --> 00:02:19,970 tried to do it on our own. That was the only time we had to 39 00:02:19,970 --> 00:02:23,490 reset. Every time we've done it together, we've finished it. And I think that that's 40 00:02:23,490 --> 00:02:26,950 just a testament to not necessarily our relationship 41 00:02:26,950 --> 00:02:30,590 specifically but marriage and teamwork as a whole. When you 42 00:02:30,950 --> 00:02:34,510 go about things together, you just have that support 43 00:02:34,590 --> 00:02:38,430 and understanding. I think that's the biggest thing is just understanding because when I 44 00:02:38,430 --> 00:02:42,270 get home from work and we have 2 kids that are now 11 and 12 45 00:02:42,270 --> 00:02:45,990 and doing the evening routine, if we both 46 00:02:45,990 --> 00:02:49,830 have to get a workout in, we can share that load and we understand that 47 00:02:49,830 --> 00:02:52,600 we have to get that done. And it's something that we committed to and we 48 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,720 follow through together. Yeah. I think having some level of like 49 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,320 a buddy system or a partnership for anything creates that 50 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:04,040 accountability loop, right? Yes. I'm just not feeling today. No, no, 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,280 no. We committed to this. Yeah, you're right. Okay. Right. Like, you know, it's so 52 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,960 helpful to have someone to lean on to, to keep you accountable in those circumstances 53 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,720 when something is difficult, right? Like, it's so strange, right? Like, what is 54 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,720 weird about this is what I've always thought about fitness and 55 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,750 exercise is It is obviously good for us, 56 00:03:22,390 --> 00:03:26,230 but like, why is it so difficult? Like you would imagine 57 00:03:26,230 --> 00:03:29,670 that evolution had built us in a way that this would be 58 00:03:29,830 --> 00:03:33,390 like, there was immediate gratification, but there's also this mental 59 00:03:33,390 --> 00:03:36,670 resistance to starting, right? It's such a strange 60 00:03:36,670 --> 00:03:40,430 dichotomy of like, that there aren't better systems in our 61 00:03:40,430 --> 00:03:44,230 evolutionary biology that like, we almost get like motivated and 62 00:03:44,230 --> 00:03:47,790 primed for this. Like, like, I have to work out, I have to do something, 63 00:03:47,790 --> 00:03:51,510 I have to move, right? But there's actually that resistance to no, no, 64 00:03:51,510 --> 00:03:54,950 no, let's not spend the calories right now. Like, we don't know where we're going 65 00:03:54,950 --> 00:03:57,070 to need this, right? Like, what do you, what are your thoughts on sort of 66 00:03:57,070 --> 00:04:00,670 the internal battle around that? So it's so funny, I've 67 00:04:01,070 --> 00:04:04,830 wondered that same thing myself. And for some reason, I just had an epiphany 68 00:04:04,830 --> 00:04:08,030 as to, you can relate it to our industry. It's 69 00:04:08,030 --> 00:04:11,570 reactive versus proactive. So The 70 00:04:11,570 --> 00:04:15,050 proactiveness of getting up early, getting a workout in, 71 00:04:15,450 --> 00:04:18,970 planning meals or whatever that looks like for you from a diet or 72 00:04:18,970 --> 00:04:22,650 nutrition standpoint, that's the proactive side. And 73 00:04:22,810 --> 00:04:26,610 the proactive side is actually, I think, harder to do than the reactive because 74 00:04:26,610 --> 00:04:30,450 we're just, as human beings, we're so good at firefighting and 75 00:04:30,450 --> 00:04:33,930 reacting to the world around us. When you start to move into 76 00:04:34,650 --> 00:04:38,440 crafting your life the way you want it, whatever that looks 77 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,880 like for you, which would include working out because I have an ideal 78 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,600 image of myself, my body weight, what I want to look like, what I want 79 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,400 to feel like. You know, you can move that into longevity, but 80 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:53,240 it all goes back to that proactive. The proactive falls away when there's 81 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,760 so much reactive. So there's the epiphany I just had. 82 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:00,640 Okay. Imagine that, right? Yeah. Yeah. Like, how long has this 83 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,040 been— like, have you always been someone that's been attuned to 84 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:07,650 fitness and health? And is that was this something that you kind of discovered later 85 00:05:07,650 --> 00:05:11,010 in life? It was definitely later in life. So 86 00:05:11,250 --> 00:05:14,610 I'm gonna— hopefully you're okay with cuss words on your podcast, but 87 00:05:14,930 --> 00:05:18,450 I— fantastic. So I 88 00:05:18,530 --> 00:05:22,370 jokingly say, and some people might take offense to this because you're like, 89 00:05:22,370 --> 00:05:26,130 they're like, oh, be kind to yourself. But I jokingly say that I used to 90 00:05:26,130 --> 00:05:29,930 be a lazy piece of shit. And I just got to a 91 00:05:29,930 --> 00:05:33,640 point where, again, like I was reacting to life. Especially 92 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:37,320 when I got to becoming a business owner where I 93 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:41,040 was just not taking good care of myself. I was eating 94 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,760 whatever I wanted to and I was using alcohol. That was my biggest problem was 95 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:48,160 I was using alcohol to relieve my stress and the anxiety of my day. 96 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,200 So, I would get home and I would drink. And then, if I would drink, 97 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,320 I would for some reason think it was a good idea even after dinner to 98 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,320 throw a frozen pizza in the oven and eat the whole thing at 10:00 PM 99 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:02,110 at night right before bed. You know, I, as 100 00:06:02,110 --> 00:06:05,350 it sits right now, I mean, 101 00:06:06,390 --> 00:06:10,230 I collectively have lost close to 100 pounds because I 102 00:06:10,230 --> 00:06:13,910 think my highest I got to was like 243. I was like 168 103 00:06:13,910 --> 00:06:17,110 right now. So yeah, so I mean, 104 00:06:17,670 --> 00:06:21,270 80 pounds or close to that. And that was, 105 00:06:22,150 --> 00:06:25,670 I don't know when I was, when I was that weight, but around the 2018 106 00:06:25,830 --> 00:06:29,510 mark, I was probably pushing 220. And I'd always 107 00:06:29,510 --> 00:06:33,300 been active, always like mountain biked and I was doing some running and things like 108 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:37,020 that, but I just got to a point where I was fed 109 00:06:37,020 --> 00:06:40,700 up with— I'm like, "This is what my life is right now?" And 110 00:06:40,780 --> 00:06:44,460 I ended up finding a podcast, Andy Frisella's podcast, 111 00:06:44,460 --> 00:06:48,260 who he invented 75 Hard and he 112 00:06:48,260 --> 00:06:52,100 basically explained the growth mindset. So, if you've ever read the book by 113 00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:55,580 Carol Dweck, I think is how you say her name, "The Growth Mindset," 114 00:06:56,630 --> 00:07:00,150 He explained that to me and I understood for the first time that my life 115 00:07:00,950 --> 00:07:04,310 didn't have to be the way it was and I could actually change things. That 116 00:07:04,310 --> 00:07:08,030 sounds so stupid to say out loud, but I was just so inundated with all 117 00:07:08,030 --> 00:07:11,510 of my problems and my issues and anxiety and stress or whatever it was 118 00:07:11,830 --> 00:07:15,190 that I was just overwhelmed. And I was like, "Wait a second, I can fix 119 00:07:15,190 --> 00:07:18,990 this." So, I put a plan together. I did my first round of 75 Hard, 120 00:07:18,990 --> 00:07:21,830 lost a bunch of weight, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, this is great." 121 00:07:21,990 --> 00:07:25,830 And when I What I realized was when I started focusing on 122 00:07:25,830 --> 00:07:28,990 myself first, and it goes back and I say this analogy or talk about this 123 00:07:28,990 --> 00:07:32,790 analogy a lot, in an airplane they tell you to put your own 124 00:07:32,790 --> 00:07:36,190 mask on first so that you can help other people. What it 125 00:07:36,190 --> 00:07:39,830 equated to was if as long as I put my own mask on first, 126 00:07:39,990 --> 00:07:43,590 everything else fell into place, my business, my marriage, me being a 127 00:07:43,590 --> 00:07:47,230 father. So again, it goes back to our 128 00:07:47,230 --> 00:07:50,910 industry. When I put effort into the proactive part of what 129 00:07:50,910 --> 00:07:54,520 we do, the reactive part was less intense 130 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,240 in volume or whatever intensity or whatever it was. 131 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,760 So, around the 2018, 2019 mark is kind of when I found the 132 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:07,400 personal development world, dove into it headfirst, and 133 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:11,560 it changed my life. Learning about the growth mindset changed 134 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:15,280 my life. Are you kind of data-driven? Do you have a 135 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:18,760 Whoop or an Oura Ring or anything like that? Yeah, yeah. Actually, I don't have 136 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:20,920 my Whoop on today. I've kind of taken a break because it gave me a 137 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:23,320 little bit of a rash, but I have a Whoop. I have an Oura Ring. 138 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:25,860 I don't wear it during the day. I wear it at night just to track 139 00:08:25,860 --> 00:08:29,300 my sleep. But I'm totally data-driven, absolutely 100%. 140 00:08:29,460 --> 00:08:33,140 I weigh myself almost every day. I have a Garmin watch, 141 00:08:33,140 --> 00:08:36,940 tracks my steps, all that good stuff. And I'm a runner 142 00:08:36,940 --> 00:08:39,380 that likes to lift weights, so I do a lot of running. 143 00:08:39,380 --> 00:08:43,100 I've done a couple marathons. 144 00:08:43,100 --> 00:08:46,340 I'm hoping— not hoping, I'm going to do my first 50K 145 00:08:47,140 --> 00:08:50,860 this year, which is like a 30-ish mile run. And 146 00:08:50,860 --> 00:08:53,510 at some point, I have on my vision board, I want to do a 100-mile 147 00:08:53,790 --> 00:08:57,190 run. Um, probably not this year, but at some point I'd love to do that. 148 00:08:57,670 --> 00:09:01,110 Yeah. Distance running is wild to me. It's, uh, 149 00:09:01,110 --> 00:09:04,870 definitely, I enjoy running to a point. Like, I'm like, 150 00:09:04,870 --> 00:09:08,630 6K is sort of my limit of like, no, kind of want to go home. 151 00:09:08,950 --> 00:09:12,510 Yeah. Like, I love it. Like, there's, there's probably not a lot of 152 00:09:12,510 --> 00:09:15,790 exercises between like doing a HIIT, like a really intense HIIT 153 00:09:15,790 --> 00:09:19,590 exercise or doing, uh, running. Those are the things where there is 154 00:09:20,030 --> 00:09:23,790 an immediate benefit after fact, whereas it's like, "I feel lighter, I 155 00:09:23,790 --> 00:09:27,430 feel better, my mind is clearer." But those two things, 156 00:09:27,430 --> 00:09:31,070 HIIT and running, are hard to beat for me 157 00:09:31,070 --> 00:09:34,510 in getting that type of output for it, right? Yeah, yeah, 158 00:09:34,510 --> 00:09:38,270 definitely. I don't 159 00:09:38,270 --> 00:09:41,910 actually love the activity of running, I love when 160 00:09:41,910 --> 00:09:45,670 I'm done. So, accomplishing a run 161 00:09:45,670 --> 00:09:49,030 is something because— and I don't know why, but it's almost driven by the fact 162 00:09:49,030 --> 00:09:52,350 that when most people go, "Oh, I hate running," or, "Oh, I would never run 163 00:09:52,350 --> 00:09:55,990 a marathon." I'm like, "I'm going to do that because most people 164 00:09:55,990 --> 00:09:59,790 won't do that." And, I don't know why, I enjoy doing 165 00:09:59,790 --> 00:10:03,270 the things that most people aren't willing to do or don't want to do because 166 00:10:03,990 --> 00:10:07,190 for some reason in my mind, it propels me. 167 00:10:07,910 --> 00:10:10,870 I don't know. I don't know why that is. I think that you need that 168 00:10:10,870 --> 00:10:14,390 challenge, right? And, I think this is maybe where a lot of people gap on 169 00:10:14,710 --> 00:10:17,130 like, "Well, this isn't for me. I couldn't do that." I can do that. Like, 170 00:10:17,130 --> 00:10:20,850 there's a lot of victim mindset that I think limits people from doing 171 00:10:20,850 --> 00:10:24,530 these things. And I think definitely the point earlier of like, no, I 172 00:10:24,530 --> 00:10:27,970 made a plan and I, I realized like this is 173 00:10:27,970 --> 00:10:31,810 entirely up to me to change, right? Like, this is not something that's happening to 174 00:10:31,810 --> 00:10:35,610 me. This is something I am just accepting is my life and I'm not 175 00:10:35,610 --> 00:10:39,370 making any activity to change around it. And I think once you recognize that, 176 00:10:39,370 --> 00:10:42,730 of like, you have complete control over this, and whether or not you're willing to 177 00:10:42,730 --> 00:10:46,530 admit it is the only impediment to making progress. And then the next step 178 00:10:46,530 --> 00:10:50,370 is, what— how can I challenge myself, right? And like, a 179 00:10:50,370 --> 00:10:54,170 good example, I think a lot of people probably know the, like, 180 00:10:54,170 --> 00:10:57,970 the singer Jelly Roll, and he is a huge dude. But yes, he, 181 00:10:57,970 --> 00:11:01,290 he got on this train of like, no, no, like, I'm gonna get healthier. And 182 00:11:01,290 --> 00:11:04,490 he could not make it around the block in the first few, the first few 183 00:11:04,490 --> 00:11:07,410 weeks. But like, he's just, no, I'm just going to keep walking further and further. 184 00:11:07,490 --> 00:11:10,930 Like, it's literally as simple as that. And then you can set the next challenge 185 00:11:10,930 --> 00:11:14,730 further along as you go.. But just like getting up, starting 186 00:11:14,730 --> 00:11:18,530 to move, I think is such an important aspect for people to take 187 00:11:18,530 --> 00:11:22,370 ownership over, right? Definitely. And I think that's along those 188 00:11:22,370 --> 00:11:25,650 lines. I think it's super important for business owners to do that because we as 189 00:11:25,650 --> 00:11:29,330 these Type A crazy people that are running businesses, 190 00:11:29,330 --> 00:11:33,050 we have to have that challenge. Like, you're right, I have to have something 191 00:11:33,050 --> 00:11:36,850 to strive for, to aim for, to challenge myself, or else I'm gonna go 192 00:11:36,850 --> 00:11:40,480 crazy. I don't know what it is. That's just the way my brain was 193 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:43,920 created. I just have to always be chasing something. And that— 194 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:48,320 and fitness is a great, great way to do 195 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:53,360 that. So I'm curious, so many directions I want to go 196 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:55,960 here. This may end up being an hour-long podcast. So I hope you got some 197 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,680 time. Let's go. Yeah, let's do it. How— 198 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:03,440 with the business piece of this, like I've seen some organizations that I've consulted 199 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,980 with where they implemented like a bit of a 200 00:12:06,980 --> 00:12:10,540 motivation plan where it was not prescribed, didn't tell anybody that you had to do 201 00:12:10,540 --> 00:12:14,340 these things because that can be a little aggressive. But it was a volunteer 202 00:12:14,340 --> 00:12:17,180 program of like, if you guys want to sign up to this, to a fitness 203 00:12:17,180 --> 00:12:20,660 club, like we'll buy you a Fitbit, right? And everyone can start 204 00:12:20,660 --> 00:12:23,980 tracking steps and have a little open competition. We'll do 205 00:12:23,980 --> 00:12:27,740 some walks after work, those sorts of things. Like, is this something that 206 00:12:27,740 --> 00:12:31,260 you feel strongly enough that you advocate for with your staff at 207 00:12:31,950 --> 00:12:35,570 all? 100%. So, we bought— we, through our PEO, 208 00:12:35,570 --> 00:12:39,150 we were with Paychex. They have a thing 209 00:12:39,150 --> 00:12:42,990 called WellHub. It was formerly known as Gym Pass, but we pay for everybody to 210 00:12:42,990 --> 00:12:46,830 have a gym membership. And it's not actually one gym membership, it's 211 00:12:47,310 --> 00:12:50,350 a membership to multiple gyms. So, they can go to Lifetime, they can go to 212 00:12:50,350 --> 00:12:54,150 LA Fitness, they can go to Stretch Lab. And one guy 213 00:12:54,150 --> 00:12:57,830 was taking taekwondo classes, I believe. But it's 214 00:12:57,830 --> 00:13:01,680 absolutely something. We have a health and fitness channel in our in our 215 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:05,360 teams, and we post our workouts there. And I do cold plunging, so 216 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:09,280 I snap pictures of me at 4:30 or 5 o'clock in the morning of me 217 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:12,360 in the cold plunge. Me and this other guy kind of have competitions about how 218 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:15,760 many we can do in a week. I try to do it every day. Again, 219 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,880 it's just part of my morning routine. But, and then on top of that, we 220 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,640 sponsor a local 5K run that supports Gold Star 221 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:27,160 families, and we're huge into that. And basically, anytime 222 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,950 a race comes up like a Spartan Race or a Tough Mudder, We 223 00:13:30,950 --> 00:13:34,710 will pay for any of our employees to do that. We do that together because 224 00:13:34,710 --> 00:13:38,430 I do, yeah, absolutely encourage it. 225 00:13:38,510 --> 00:13:42,030 And a lot of people here, they get into it. It's fun. It's great. 226 00:13:42,030 --> 00:13:45,710 That's amazing. Yeah, I think it's so good for camaraderie 227 00:13:46,030 --> 00:13:49,390 and, you know, from a business outputs perspective, and I think you recognize this personally, 228 00:13:49,390 --> 00:13:53,150 I think you certainly recognize this from a team perspective, like 229 00:13:53,230 --> 00:13:56,780 having a healthy body absolutely creates a healthy mind. And this 230 00:13:56,860 --> 00:14:00,580 is where we kind of get into the territory of like, I'm not 231 00:14:00,580 --> 00:14:04,220 judging anybody and I'm not like throwing shade. And that's why I think it's important 232 00:14:04,220 --> 00:14:07,980 for people to recognize this is up to you, right? Like, I hope 233 00:14:07,980 --> 00:14:11,500 like this conversation can help convince some people, like, you know, 234 00:14:11,660 --> 00:14:15,180 just start doing something, like do some movement, right? Focus on your 235 00:14:15,260 --> 00:14:18,980 sleep, right? We can get to some of those aspects. But 236 00:14:18,980 --> 00:14:22,700 I think there is an implicit and absolute 237 00:14:22,700 --> 00:14:26,490 connection between whether or not you take care of your body and how 238 00:14:26,490 --> 00:14:30,210 well your brain functions. So I think from a business owner 239 00:14:30,290 --> 00:14:33,730 perspective, this is a very practical reality of wanting the 240 00:14:33,890 --> 00:14:37,450 staff to be active, to have good 241 00:14:37,450 --> 00:14:41,170 health practices in how they manage their sleep, how they manage, you know, 242 00:14:41,170 --> 00:14:44,690 food intake, and, and should, should they be exercising. 243 00:14:44,850 --> 00:14:48,610 Because yes, that has a practical impact on whether or not they're going 244 00:14:48,610 --> 00:14:52,250 to be, you know, very like dozing at 1 in the afternoon because, you 245 00:14:52,250 --> 00:14:56,090 know, they've just ate like this gigantic meal and come back to the office 246 00:14:56,090 --> 00:14:59,810 and can barely stay awake for the next 2 hours while their body processes 247 00:14:59,890 --> 00:15:02,970 this. Or, you know, they have a really tough time getting up in the morning. 248 00:15:02,970 --> 00:15:06,570 They have to drink 6 cups of coffee because they were slamming Red Bull and 249 00:15:06,570 --> 00:15:09,970 up till 4 in the morning. Like, like all of these things have an 250 00:15:10,130 --> 00:15:13,810 absolute downstream impact that relates to your business. 251 00:15:14,210 --> 00:15:17,850 Yeah. Or coming into work hungover. I mean, they could be grumpy with, with 252 00:15:17,850 --> 00:15:21,210 the clients, like, um, you know, and again, as I tie it back to the 253 00:15:21,210 --> 00:15:25,020 business owner, having the— because managing 254 00:15:25,020 --> 00:15:28,780 a team and people takes so much time, energy, 255 00:15:28,780 --> 00:15:32,380 and effort. And if you are 256 00:15:32,460 --> 00:15:36,300 investing that time, energy, and effort into yourself, you can show up for your 257 00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:40,140 employees and then your employees can show up for your clients in that way. 258 00:15:40,140 --> 00:15:43,900 It's so— yeah, it's so important and it's all tied in 259 00:15:44,460 --> 00:15:48,060 together. Yeah. I was not much of a 260 00:15:48,570 --> 00:15:52,090 drinker kind of in my probably early 20s and then sort of got into 261 00:15:52,250 --> 00:15:56,090 some drinking with some friends because I would drink when we went on 262 00:15:56,410 --> 00:16:00,210 vacations. We would go on trips together and usually kind of all-inclusive 263 00:16:00,210 --> 00:16:03,890 type stuff or like pub crawls in foreign countries and things 264 00:16:03,890 --> 00:16:06,850 like that. So I would usually drink when I was on vacation. And then at 265 00:16:06,850 --> 00:16:10,610 some point, I came back and just continued drinking. And 266 00:16:10,610 --> 00:16:13,610 that went on for a good decade or 267 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:18,920 so. What really sort of curbed my drinking was getting an Oura Ring. And I 268 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,880 still drink from time to time, but less and less as I get older. I 269 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,280 just cannot justify the impact that it has on me as I 270 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:31,120 get older. And some of this I think is just personal biology, but it 271 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,920 became really difficult for me to justify it when I saw how 272 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:38,120 much of an impact it had on my Oura score. 273 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,290 Like, anything more than a drink or two and I was just like, my score 274 00:16:42,290 --> 00:16:45,730 would absolutely plummet. And it's weird because people would say, well, why do you need 275 00:16:45,730 --> 00:16:49,490 a ring to tell you what you already know? And I don't know why, 276 00:16:49,490 --> 00:16:53,250 but I am very data-driven. And when I had the score after getting the Oura 277 00:16:53,250 --> 00:16:56,690 Ring, I was like, holy crap, I might have to get off drinking. 278 00:16:56,930 --> 00:17:00,370 Yeah, yeah. Now, and I'll take that a step further for, 279 00:17:00,610 --> 00:17:04,330 for some people listening. Again, I, I, you know, and not to judge or anything 280 00:17:04,330 --> 00:17:07,450 like that, but I, I totally agree with you. The fact that I was joking 281 00:17:07,450 --> 00:17:11,269 with my kids last night— was sidebar— We were at a little ice cream 282 00:17:11,269 --> 00:17:15,069 place after dinner because we go out to dinner as a family. And I was 283 00:17:15,069 --> 00:17:18,549 talking about— I was around a group of business owners that day, and I was 284 00:17:18,549 --> 00:17:21,709 actually talking to my wife about just the snacks and all the stuff that was 285 00:17:21,709 --> 00:17:24,589 there because I'm on a nutrition plan. And I was like, yeah, this one guy 286 00:17:24,589 --> 00:17:28,389 ate like 3 candy bars. And I kind of was talking a little 287 00:17:28,389 --> 00:17:32,189 trash, and my kids are like, Dad, are you like fat shaming people? Are you 288 00:17:32,189 --> 00:17:35,949 being a bully? And I'm like, you know, just a splash of bullying 289 00:17:35,949 --> 00:17:38,469 is a little motivational from time to time. I think it's 290 00:17:40,460 --> 00:17:43,700 okay. Because I've been there, done that. But yeah, 291 00:17:44,660 --> 00:17:48,180 it's— so back to my own personal story, I was 292 00:17:48,180 --> 00:17:51,980 utilizing alcohol to— again, because I'm a type A, my brain 293 00:17:51,980 --> 00:17:55,700 is just going and going, going nonstop. I got to a 294 00:17:55,700 --> 00:17:59,540 point where I was relying on alcohol to turn down the volume in my 295 00:17:59,540 --> 00:18:02,220 mind. It was the only way I could relax. It was the only way I 296 00:18:02,220 --> 00:18:05,740 could de-stress. And that's not healthy. Relying on alcohol for that is 297 00:18:05,740 --> 00:18:09,350 not healthy. And actually, I got 298 00:18:09,350 --> 00:18:13,070 on many podcasts and I was talking about this for years. 299 00:18:13,070 --> 00:18:16,670 And finally, last year, I made the decision to give it up. So, I 300 00:18:16,670 --> 00:18:19,750 just crossed 8 months sober, best decision I've ever 301 00:18:20,630 --> 00:18:24,270 made. And it was— yeah, we can go down 302 00:18:24,270 --> 00:18:27,510 that rabbit hole, but I was drinking a lot. 303 00:18:28,910 --> 00:18:32,630 I could probably consider myself— not probably, I was an alcoholic 304 00:18:32,630 --> 00:18:35,190 because I was utilizing the substance 305 00:18:36,730 --> 00:18:39,930 to de-stress. And in my mind, I kept telling myself this lie 306 00:18:40,410 --> 00:18:44,250 that it was the only way that I could de-stress when there's so many other 307 00:18:44,250 --> 00:18:48,010 healthy alternatives to it. So, so what became the replacement for you 308 00:18:49,530 --> 00:18:52,890 then? You know, it's so funny. I don't know that I have 309 00:18:52,890 --> 00:18:56,170 a replacement. Here's what I will say. When people— and this is 310 00:18:56,570 --> 00:19:00,170 totally typical— when people stop drinking, and I wasn't a sugar guy 311 00:19:00,170 --> 00:19:03,570 before, but when I stopped drinking, my sugar intake kind of went up a little 312 00:19:03,570 --> 00:19:06,970 bit. I was like, man, I'm starting to crave sweets now, which I never did 313 00:19:07,350 --> 00:19:10,910 before. I was a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but now like Wednesday nights 314 00:19:10,910 --> 00:19:13,510 we go out to dinner as a family and then after we go to a 315 00:19:13,510 --> 00:19:16,350 frozen yogurt place and I can get like a sugar-free frozen yogurt because that's on 316 00:19:16,350 --> 00:19:19,870 my nutrition plan and some strawberries or something like that. So, not 317 00:19:19,870 --> 00:19:23,710 overly unhealthy, but we seem to do that once a week. But, 318 00:19:23,710 --> 00:19:27,390 as far as replacing it, what I actually found was I 319 00:19:27,390 --> 00:19:30,310 was spending, Todd, when I tell you I was spending so much 320 00:19:30,870 --> 00:19:34,390 time, energy, and effort around drinking, like I was always 321 00:19:34,390 --> 00:19:37,870 just waiting for my next drink to calm my mind or to turn down 322 00:19:37,870 --> 00:19:41,490 that volume. And at vacations and stuff like that, I spent so 323 00:19:41,490 --> 00:19:45,210 much time drinking that when I removed it from my life, I actually— I 324 00:19:45,210 --> 00:19:49,050 was like, oh my gosh, I actually have like lots of time 325 00:19:49,050 --> 00:19:52,610 for other activities. So like I can read at night, I 326 00:19:53,410 --> 00:19:57,170 can listen to podcasts and take in information at night. 327 00:19:57,170 --> 00:20:00,730 You know, one of the things I was talking to my sister actually about, she's 328 00:20:00,730 --> 00:20:03,810 22, and I was encouraging her to build a good morning 329 00:20:04,210 --> 00:20:08,020 routine now early on in life. And I told 330 00:20:08,020 --> 00:20:11,460 her that if you want to win the day, you have to win the 331 00:20:11,700 --> 00:20:15,420 morning. And the only way to win your morning is to control your evening. 332 00:20:15,420 --> 00:20:19,100 So one of the things I used to talk about was how alcohol was taking 333 00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:22,900 away my evenings and in turn taking away my mornings. 334 00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:26,140 Because if I would drink and stay up late and do whatever I was doing, 335 00:20:26,140 --> 00:20:29,260 hanging out, watching movies, eating a whole frozen pizza at 10 336 00:20:30,340 --> 00:20:32,860 o'clock, you know, there was no way I was going to wake up early and 337 00:20:32,860 --> 00:20:36,680 get some of the things that I actually cared about done. So now, I 338 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,840 mean, I wake up at 5:00. The other morning, my 339 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:44,000 body came awake at 4:30. So, I get up 340 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,800 and I stretch, I cold plunge, I read, I do 341 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:51,640 my sauna, I get a workout in. I'm out in my garage gym by 6:30 342 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,560 doing a workout. I usually work out for an hour. I do a 343 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:58,960 pre-workout breakfast and then I do a post-workout breakfast and I get all of that 344 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,130 done by 8 o'clock in the morning and 345 00:21:03,490 --> 00:21:06,730 it's fantastic. So, what replaced it was 346 00:21:07,130 --> 00:21:10,170 just lots of time. I just didn't realize how much 347 00:21:10,890 --> 00:21:14,090 time alcohol was sucking from me. It's crazy. 348 00:21:15,130 --> 00:21:18,810 Yeah. You mentioned sort of like the evening and then the morning around 349 00:21:18,810 --> 00:21:22,450 alcohol. My favorite expression around this is alcohol is borrowing fun 350 00:21:22,450 --> 00:21:24,490 from tomorrow. Yes. 351 00:21:25,850 --> 00:21:29,370 And admittedly, it's fun, right? Because you're— 100%. —a little extra from 352 00:21:29,370 --> 00:21:33,000 tomorrow, borrowing for tonight. Super fun, but tomorrow it's gonna suck, 353 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,840 right? Because you've— yes, you're in debt, right? Yes, 354 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,840 basically. Here's what I'll say. Since I've given up 355 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:44,360 alcohol, there are activities and things in my life that 356 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,600 are totally not as fun, 100% not 357 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,920 as fun. The highs are not as high. But here's what I'll say, back to 358 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:55,600 what you just said, my lows are not as low. So instead of, you know, 359 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:59,250 high, high, really high highs and really low lows, my life is just kind 360 00:21:59,250 --> 00:22:03,010 of evened out a bit, and I'm okay with 361 00:22:03,090 --> 00:22:06,050 that. It's just such a better— it's not 362 00:22:06,850 --> 00:22:10,530 chaos, and chaos in a good way and chaos in a bad way. 363 00:22:10,530 --> 00:22:14,370 It evened out my life. So I love EDM concerts. My 364 00:22:14,370 --> 00:22:17,130 wife and I go to eat. We love EDM shows and stuff like that. And 365 00:22:17,130 --> 00:22:20,690 I will tell you, being sober at those, at least to 366 00:22:21,010 --> 00:22:24,740 start, I've kind of gotten over it, being sober I 367 00:22:24,740 --> 00:22:28,260 hated it. I hated it. It was terrible. But I've 368 00:22:28,340 --> 00:22:32,180 learned to do things. I've had to rewrite the stories because there were so many 369 00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:35,940 things that centered around alcohol. One of my favorite things to do— I've got 370 00:22:35,940 --> 00:22:39,780 a brewery like 2 miles from my house. I loved going there and 371 00:22:39,780 --> 00:22:42,740 their beer was my favorite beer in the world. I haven't been there 372 00:22:44,020 --> 00:22:46,740 since, but that was like one of my favorite things. I'd meet a couple buddies 373 00:22:46,740 --> 00:22:49,860 or my wife or we'd go there for dinner, whatever, and I'd sit there and 374 00:22:49,860 --> 00:22:53,500 have a couple of beers and it was fantastic. But I've 375 00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:57,260 rewritten those stories. Going out to fancy dinners and ordering drinks 376 00:22:57,260 --> 00:23:00,900 or going to the beach and having drinks, like everything, it was like, why, 377 00:23:00,980 --> 00:23:04,700 why, why is everything centered around alcohol? And admit 378 00:23:04,700 --> 00:23:08,540 it, it's poison. It's literally poison. Like it's ethanol. 379 00:23:08,540 --> 00:23:11,780 It's poison for your body. You know, 380 00:23:12,420 --> 00:23:15,420 and most people might not have to give up drinking. I had to give it 381 00:23:15,420 --> 00:23:19,260 up because I couldn't, I couldn't, I wasn't a guy that could just relationship, right? 382 00:23:19,260 --> 00:23:22,900 Not at all. I couldn't have one or two. Like, it was impossible, 383 00:23:22,980 --> 00:23:25,780 or damn near impossible, for me to have one or two. I'd 384 00:23:26,500 --> 00:23:30,140 have more than two. Yeah. And for people 385 00:23:30,140 --> 00:23:33,900 that don't understand the rationale of it, it is poison. And like, you know, to 386 00:23:33,900 --> 00:23:37,390 your point, like, if alcohol is your thing and you have a great relationship with 387 00:23:37,460 --> 00:23:41,300 it, fine, right? But totally, there's no realm of reason 388 00:23:41,300 --> 00:23:44,970 where you can say like, this, this is, this is healthy for me. Other than 389 00:23:44,970 --> 00:23:48,050 maybe taking the edge off in stress. But as to your point, like it becomes 390 00:23:48,050 --> 00:23:51,850 a slippery slope, but the mechanics of it is like, it is poison and 391 00:23:51,850 --> 00:23:55,690 your brain starts to shut down regions of your brain in order to sort of 392 00:23:55,690 --> 00:23:59,490 focus on the core centers, right? Like this is how alcohol poisoning can literally 393 00:23:59,490 --> 00:24:02,890 kill you because it just shuts down too many parts of your brain and you 394 00:24:02,890 --> 00:24:06,330 know, you can go into paralysis, right? So yeah, 395 00:24:07,290 --> 00:24:11,140 it's not great, but I guess like The other way to think about this 396 00:24:11,140 --> 00:24:14,980 is like, you know, you're describing this as like, you know, this 397 00:24:14,980 --> 00:24:18,540 has been great for you. It's rebooted your life, given you all kinds 398 00:24:18,620 --> 00:24:22,380 of other things that have been gifted back to you. But maybe people are listening 399 00:24:22,380 --> 00:24:26,060 to this and be like, Paul, this doesn't sound fun, right? Like, I 400 00:24:26,060 --> 00:24:29,900 have to get up early. You know, I have to do all this meal 401 00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:33,500 planning. I'm not allowed to drink. Donuts and pizza are great, right? 402 00:24:33,780 --> 00:24:36,810 Like, what would you say to the person that's like, good for you. This just 403 00:24:36,810 --> 00:24:40,530 doesn't sound like it's for me. Yeah, I mean, you have 404 00:24:40,530 --> 00:24:43,730 to understand. I mean, I always relate back to books that I've 405 00:24:44,770 --> 00:24:48,530 read. Simon Sinek's Why. Start with why. So if 406 00:24:48,530 --> 00:24:52,250 any of this resonates with you, well, ask yourself why. Why does it resonate 407 00:24:52,250 --> 00:24:56,010 with you? And if you're fighting anything and everything I'm saying, then don't 408 00:24:56,010 --> 00:24:59,650 do it. It's fine. But what I'm trying to do is 409 00:24:59,650 --> 00:25:03,450 share my story because my life was changed around the 2018 mark 410 00:25:03,450 --> 00:25:07,210 when somebody shared their story. And I heard it and I was like, 411 00:25:07,290 --> 00:25:10,970 "Wow, this totally makes sense. I resonate with it." So, my goal 412 00:25:10,970 --> 00:25:14,010 is simply to share my story in hopes that it 413 00:25:14,810 --> 00:25:18,490 helps somebody else change their trajectory of their life because it's that whole thing 414 00:25:19,050 --> 00:25:22,530 about a big cruise ship or something like that. You change that thing 1 degree 415 00:25:22,530 --> 00:25:26,370 and it's going in a completely different direction. So, there's little things that 416 00:25:26,370 --> 00:25:30,050 you can do. And again, you mentioned that I think, but just get up and 417 00:25:30,050 --> 00:25:33,290 go for a walk. Like a walk. Walking is a 418 00:25:34,170 --> 00:25:37,770 fantastic thing to exercise. Like throw on a podcast or don't. 419 00:25:37,930 --> 00:25:40,890 Just go out on a walk. Go do a loop around your neighborhood or whatever 420 00:25:40,890 --> 00:25:44,490 it is. Start like Jelly Roll did. Just start going around 421 00:25:44,490 --> 00:25:47,450 your block or whatever. Just start 422 00:25:48,090 --> 00:25:50,570 small. And what I have found 423 00:25:52,250 --> 00:25:56,090 is consistency is like the biggest thing, is just being consistent. You 424 00:25:56,090 --> 00:25:58,330 don't have to be 100%, 100% of the 425 00:25:58,710 --> 00:26:02,350 time.. But, your goal should be 80%. If you can 426 00:26:02,350 --> 00:26:06,070 do it 80% of the time, you're in a better position 427 00:26:06,070 --> 00:26:09,790 than most people because most people aren't going to do these things or 428 00:26:09,790 --> 00:26:13,350 80% of what you're trying to do. 429 00:26:13,590 --> 00:26:17,030 So, yeah. I think that's a big one. I think this is like if you 430 00:26:17,030 --> 00:26:20,870 take anything away is start small and stay consistent, I think is 431 00:26:20,870 --> 00:26:24,110 the number one takeaway from this because like, okay, I want to start running or 432 00:26:24,110 --> 00:26:26,870 I want to start walking. And you get up in the morning and it's like, 433 00:26:26,870 --> 00:26:30,430 oh, it's kind of miserable out. It's raining. I don't want to do this. Okay. 434 00:26:30,430 --> 00:26:33,870 Like, don't go for a 20-minute walk. Literally walk around the block. If you go 435 00:26:33,870 --> 00:26:37,470 out for 5 minutes, at least you've maintained the behavior. And if 436 00:26:37,470 --> 00:26:40,670 you can consistently do that, then, you know, okay, tomorrow's nice. All right, fine. I 437 00:26:40,670 --> 00:26:44,310 feel good. I'm going to do 25 minutes instead. Right? Like that, just 438 00:26:44,310 --> 00:26:47,990 showing up and putting in whatever effort you can, I think is so, 439 00:26:48,070 --> 00:26:51,820 so important because there is that consistency 440 00:26:51,820 --> 00:26:55,260 and sticking to something and building the routine for people, it starts to cement in 441 00:26:55,260 --> 00:26:58,980 your brain. And I recognize this as someone who wants to do all of these 442 00:26:58,980 --> 00:27:02,300 things, but like, if I get injured or something like that, that, uh, 443 00:27:02,380 --> 00:27:06,140 and I'm maybe, uh, doing less for a week, like, it takes a 444 00:27:06,140 --> 00:27:09,900 bit of a ramp-up period where like, absolutely, actually starts to 445 00:27:09,900 --> 00:27:13,220 crave it. And I love getting into that space where I'm like, in the morning 446 00:27:13,220 --> 00:27:16,740 I'm like, oh, I haven't got my work in yet, because I'm not like you. 447 00:27:16,740 --> 00:27:19,260 I don't like do it first thing in the morning. I have to do it 448 00:27:19,260 --> 00:27:22,300 earlier. If I don't work out before noon, it's unlikely I'm gonna work out. So 449 00:27:22,300 --> 00:27:25,580 I have to get in early, but it's not first thing. But like, once I 450 00:27:25,580 --> 00:27:28,940 have a routine about it, I get antsy when I have not done it. And 451 00:27:28,940 --> 00:27:32,620 I love that feeling where my body starts to crave it. Right? 452 00:27:32,620 --> 00:27:36,260 Definitely. Yeah. No, I've gotten to a point where I'm craving it totally. And I 453 00:27:36,260 --> 00:27:40,060 go back to your original question, like, whoever's listening 454 00:27:40,060 --> 00:27:43,500 to this, like, just sit for a second with yourself and 455 00:27:43,580 --> 00:27:46,940 think about something that you want to change about your life and then 456 00:27:48,030 --> 00:27:51,310 start there. That's what spurred this whole thing 457 00:27:51,950 --> 00:27:55,630 was because of my drinking, because of my eating, I was 458 00:27:55,630 --> 00:27:59,430 unhealthy, my body was unhealthy, and I wanted to change that. My 459 00:27:59,430 --> 00:28:02,670 marriage, that was actually the catalyst, one of the bigger catalysts to this whole 460 00:28:03,310 --> 00:28:06,830 thing was, long story short, my wife and I got into an argument. We were 461 00:28:06,830 --> 00:28:10,470 actually— I'll tell you the story because it is super relevant. We were 462 00:28:10,470 --> 00:28:13,710 at my neighbor's house, and when I say my neighbor's house, I mean literally one 463 00:28:14,130 --> 00:28:17,210 house over. My truck was there and we had been hanging out. We had been 464 00:28:17,210 --> 00:28:19,410 drinking beers, me and my buddy, and we were in the pool, the kids. It 465 00:28:19,410 --> 00:28:22,730 was a great time. And we went to go 466 00:28:23,010 --> 00:28:26,770 leave that evening and we went out to the car and my wife's like, 467 00:28:26,770 --> 00:28:30,610 well, I'll drive your truck since you've been drinking. And I'm like, babe, 468 00:28:30,610 --> 00:28:34,410 it's like 100 feet that way. I think I can handle this. And we 469 00:28:34,410 --> 00:28:38,010 got into an argument over it because I was, of course, intoxicated 470 00:28:38,010 --> 00:28:41,760 and not thinking rationally. And that 471 00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:45,600 That ended up into an evening of hell where I got angry 472 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:49,440 because I didn't know how to deal with my anger and all of the stress 473 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:53,200 that was building up from all of this. I punched a hole in our 474 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,040 bedroom door out of anger. And she 475 00:28:56,840 --> 00:29:00,360 was actually— I said that I had found this podcast, but that's not even true. 476 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,280 My wife sent me this podcast not thinking that I was actually going to 477 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,950 listen to it, but she also expressed like, she's like, something has 478 00:29:07,950 --> 00:29:11,030 to change. Like, this is not what I wanted my life to be. And I 479 00:29:11,030 --> 00:29:13,390 was in agreement with that. I was like, yeah, I don't want my life to 480 00:29:13,390 --> 00:29:16,950 be like this. I don't want a shitty marriage. I don't want to look the 481 00:29:16,950 --> 00:29:20,710 way I do, and I want to be healthy. So, 482 00:29:20,710 --> 00:29:24,310 so all that to say, like, whoever's listening to this, 483 00:29:24,310 --> 00:29:27,990 think about something that you don't like about your life right now that, 484 00:29:27,990 --> 00:29:31,830 that needs changing. There's something in your life that needs changing, and start with that 485 00:29:31,830 --> 00:29:35,430 thing, whatever that thing is.. And I think that 486 00:29:35,430 --> 00:29:39,270 that's a good jumping-off point for you. And you have more 487 00:29:39,270 --> 00:29:43,070 agency than you believe in that, to the earlier point, right? 488 00:29:43,070 --> 00:29:46,430 Yes. Yeah. And that's another— gosh, yeah, 489 00:29:47,150 --> 00:29:50,990 agency and freedom. I'm learning this. I just turned 40 in December and I'm learning 490 00:29:50,990 --> 00:29:54,790 because I didn't see this in my 30s. But I have a bumper 491 00:29:54,790 --> 00:29:57,950 sticker now on my truck that says, "Discipline equals freedom." That's 492 00:29:59,250 --> 00:30:03,050 a Jocko Willink all the time. Quote. And it's so 493 00:30:03,050 --> 00:30:06,530 beautiful. Quote. It's so good, but it's so counterintuitive 494 00:30:06,770 --> 00:30:10,450 because we think— so like, let's take money for example. We 495 00:30:10,690 --> 00:30:13,930 think that money— or sorry, we think that freedom with money is just being able 496 00:30:13,930 --> 00:30:17,650 to spend whatever you want. It's not. It's actually having enough money 497 00:30:17,730 --> 00:30:21,530 in the bank to do whatever you want, to do the things that you 498 00:30:21,530 --> 00:30:25,290 want. So, you know, it's the same with your health. 499 00:30:25,290 --> 00:30:28,890 Like, personal— like, freedom or, um, You know, what do 500 00:30:28,890 --> 00:30:32,530 they call it when you 501 00:30:32,970 --> 00:30:36,210 have like, people think, I don't know why they think this, but they think like 502 00:30:36,210 --> 00:30:39,690 mental health is like sitting on the couch, you know, taking a day off, sitting 503 00:30:39,690 --> 00:30:42,770 on the couch and binge watching Netflix while eating bonbons. Like 504 00:30:43,330 --> 00:30:47,010 that's the whole thing. Self-care, thank you. Yes, self-care. So they think 505 00:30:47,250 --> 00:30:50,690 that's what self-care is. And that's 506 00:30:50,690 --> 00:30:54,500 probably a reactive version of self-care where you just wanna like, be a lazy piece 507 00:30:54,500 --> 00:30:58,220 of shit for a day. But, the proactive part 508 00:30:58,220 --> 00:31:01,900 of self-care is actually getting up in the morning, 509 00:31:01,900 --> 00:31:05,580 getting that workout, whatever, whether it's a walk, lifting weights, running, pick 510 00:31:05,580 --> 00:31:09,300 something, just move your body. And then, fueling your body throughout the day 511 00:31:09,300 --> 00:31:13,100 so that you can be ready for the things that might come 512 00:31:13,100 --> 00:31:16,780 at you. I've gotten into longevity a little bit and I want to be 513 00:31:17,300 --> 00:31:20,740 fit when I'm much older and later in life so that I can run around 514 00:31:20,740 --> 00:31:24,480 with my grandkids and keep doing these Spartan and Tough Mudder races with 515 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,800 my kids and stuff like that. So, discipline equals freedom. And it's not 516 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:32,240 the freedom that we have in our mind is not what we think it 517 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:36,120 is. It's actually potentially the exact opposite. Yeah. Like that 518 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,600 makes me think of— I think it's Peter 519 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:43,120 Atiyah, the Centenarian Olympics. Yes. What you're sort of aiming for in 520 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:46,880 your life. Totally. Like it's great if you want to live to be 100, but 521 00:31:47,070 --> 00:31:50,670 if you can't, like pick your grandkids up off the floor when you're in your 522 00:31:50,750 --> 00:31:54,150 70s, like that, is that still, you know, the quality of life that you want, 523 00:31:54,150 --> 00:31:57,510 right? I think that's a great way to frame it of like, I don't care 524 00:31:57,510 --> 00:32:01,070 how long I live as long as the quality of my life is still great. 525 00:32:01,070 --> 00:32:04,870 And that's like making those investments very early on 526 00:32:04,870 --> 00:32:08,510 is really crucial for this. So this lends to another thing that I think 527 00:32:08,510 --> 00:32:12,230 is really related here. Like I sort of talk a lot about, not 528 00:32:12,230 --> 00:32:15,630 a lot, but I mention this enough that I don't 529 00:32:15,630 --> 00:32:19,310 think it's a mystery that the chronic low 530 00:32:19,470 --> 00:32:23,310 back pain issues of both our generation and certainly in our 531 00:32:23,390 --> 00:32:27,230 industry are related to the fact that we sit a lot and we don't 532 00:32:27,230 --> 00:32:30,910 move enough. And I think a lot of this is exacerbated by 533 00:32:31,150 --> 00:32:34,790 work from home because I work from home, I've worked from 534 00:32:34,790 --> 00:32:38,270 home for 12 years, whatever it is. And to your point 535 00:32:38,270 --> 00:32:41,990 earlier, movement is medicine, right? Like there is almost nothing better 536 00:32:41,990 --> 00:32:45,460 that you can do for your life than walking twice a day. 537 00:32:45,460 --> 00:32:48,820 Because just getting yourself out and moving around is good enough to kind of get 538 00:32:48,820 --> 00:32:52,580 the blood pumping, get the juices flowing through your body, but also just 539 00:32:52,580 --> 00:32:56,380 the mechanics of it, of moving your skeleton around so that it doesn't end 540 00:32:56,380 --> 00:33:00,020 up stiff and atrophied over, over 541 00:33:00,099 --> 00:33:03,940 time. And this was really driven home to me when I was suffering from low 542 00:33:03,940 --> 00:33:07,660 back pain. I've had low back pain for years and years and years, and, 543 00:33:07,660 --> 00:33:10,960 you know, I'd always get frustrated because I would try and exercise and and then 544 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:14,000 my back would flare up and then I'd be injured and then I'd try and 545 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,280 get back into it. And it was just this wash and repeat cycle. And 546 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,720 I saw this podcast interview with Dr. Stuart McGill, 547 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,780 who's like the, probably the most revered 548 00:33:24,780 --> 00:33:27,040 back specialist with spinal mechanics 549 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:32,040 out of McGill. And he had the, in this interview, the guy basically 550 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:35,740 posed to him like, okay, so describes this person who is basically me. Like 551 00:33:35,740 --> 00:33:39,390 works at the desk a lot, wants to 552 00:33:39,390 --> 00:33:42,790 invest in their health, but doesn't feel like they have a lot of time, and 553 00:33:43,350 --> 00:33:46,950 then tries to accommodate things with an hour a day workout. 554 00:33:46,950 --> 00:33:50,630 And his response was basically, he's like, how would you help this 555 00:33:50,630 --> 00:33:53,870 person? He said, well, honestly, if they feel like they can just sit around all 556 00:33:53,870 --> 00:33:56,750 day and fix all of that with a once a day workout, I can't help 557 00:33:56,750 --> 00:34:00,550 them. I was like, damn 558 00:34:00,550 --> 00:34:04,280 it. He called me out. I feel attacked. Yeah, and it's true. 559 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,080 I think like that, that is such a huge aspect of what a lot 560 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:11,920 of people deal with in our industry is sedentary most of the 561 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:15,560 day and, you know, trapped at their desk through their job. And then, you know, 562 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:19,200 a lot of our hobbies are either sitting at 563 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:22,800 a computer still or at least, you know, kind of sitting, sitting 564 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:27,200 at a TV. So I don't know what my question is here, honestly, Paul, other 565 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:31,350 than like the biomechanics and just the movement of this, maybe 566 00:34:31,350 --> 00:34:35,190 kind of the, the injury-prone nature of our industry and 567 00:34:35,190 --> 00:34:38,990 how we sort of manage that as business owners, I 568 00:34:38,990 --> 00:34:41,990 suppose? Yeah, I mean, we did something in our office when we moved into our 569 00:34:41,990 --> 00:34:45,710 new space, we got everybody standing desks, and I'm standing right now at my desk. 570 00:34:45,710 --> 00:34:49,350 So I try to do it as much as humanly possible. And it's not 571 00:34:49,350 --> 00:34:52,870 necessarily the most comfortable thing. I did try. I don't know if you've ever tried 572 00:34:52,870 --> 00:34:56,500 it. But I tried the walking pad under the desk. And I was 573 00:34:56,500 --> 00:34:59,900 really impractical to type. Yeah, I couldn't think. It 574 00:35:00,140 --> 00:35:03,020 was so distracting. Like, and I, again, I like to run and stuff like that. 575 00:35:03,020 --> 00:35:06,860 I do a lot of running, but like, I couldn't, for some reason, the walking 576 00:35:06,860 --> 00:35:10,660 and the typing and the thinking, it just, it wasn't working for 577 00:35:10,660 --> 00:35:14,220 my brain. So I'm actually looking, it's sitting up against the wall there. I tried, 578 00:35:14,420 --> 00:35:17,500 but so I have a standing desk. I give all, we give all of our 579 00:35:17,900 --> 00:35:21,340 employees standing desks and just try to encourage that. But yeah, it's absolutely, I feel 580 00:35:21,340 --> 00:35:24,500 like the sitting thing is just slowly killing all of 581 00:35:24,900 --> 00:35:28,620 us. It's crazy. Oddly, I have found standing now to 582 00:35:28,620 --> 00:35:32,300 be problematic for me. I think it's more the movement, but you 583 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:35,380 have to be like, you kind of every hour, you kind of have to move 584 00:35:36,180 --> 00:35:39,780 up and down. Yes. Having like, if you try and stand at your desk 585 00:35:39,780 --> 00:35:43,380 for 6 hours straight, I think you're going to be in pain. Totally. 586 00:35:43,380 --> 00:35:46,340 If you're standing majority of the time, but you take 20 minutes to sit in 587 00:35:46,340 --> 00:35:49,600 between, then I think that tends to work out better. Yeah. And, I 588 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,880 think I have undiagnosed ADHD because I'm like fidget and move 589 00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:58,920 around a lot. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah. So, I 590 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:02,040 think just the up and down like sitting, standing, doing 591 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:07,160 the different things, I think it's good that just 592 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:10,880 kind of expending this energy. And, it's also— that's another 593 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:14,360 thing like the whole sitting, standing, the movement and things like 594 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:18,110 that, we're actually burning calories when we do that. So it's actually, again, 595 00:36:18,110 --> 00:36:21,790 it's all good. This is good. Yep. All right. So the other 596 00:36:21,790 --> 00:36:25,430 one that we touched on earlier is sleep, 597 00:36:25,430 --> 00:36:29,110 right? I strongly believe sleep is the center of the bullseye with 598 00:36:29,390 --> 00:36:32,910 all of this. It creates everything in a downstream reaction 599 00:36:32,910 --> 00:36:36,550 around what you choose to eat, whether or not you're going to 600 00:36:36,630 --> 00:36:39,240 exercise, your mood. All of those things are a function 601 00:36:40,510 --> 00:36:43,470 downstream of sleep. You wear an Oura. I 602 00:36:44,510 --> 00:36:48,150 imagine you're pretty thoughtful about your sleep. How do you approach it 603 00:36:48,150 --> 00:36:51,870 from kind of routine, and are you protective 604 00:36:52,190 --> 00:36:55,589 of your sleep? Definitely. So, when I was drinking, 605 00:36:55,870 --> 00:36:59,510 I wasn't. I just kind of— Yeah, totally. But after 606 00:36:59,510 --> 00:37:02,670 I stopped drinking, I absolutely changed my mind on this and I totally agree with 607 00:37:02,670 --> 00:37:05,950 you that it is the center of the bullseye. And it's 608 00:37:06,270 --> 00:37:09,750 so funny, my wife doesn't necessarily want to go to bed as early as I 609 00:37:09,750 --> 00:37:13,010 do because she doesn't wake up as early as I do. She homeschools our kids 610 00:37:13,370 --> 00:37:16,810 and they can sleep in, you know, if they wanted to. 611 00:37:17,130 --> 00:37:20,610 But I've been encouraging her, we've been talking about her having her own morning routine. 612 00:37:20,610 --> 00:37:24,330 But I have a morning routine. I try to, and it sounds crazy, but 613 00:37:24,330 --> 00:37:28,090 I try to have lights out around 9:30. It doesn't always happen. Maybe 614 00:37:28,090 --> 00:37:31,890 it approaches the 10 o'clock mark. But, and again, our kids are, you 615 00:37:31,890 --> 00:37:35,610 know, 11 and 12. So we've worked out a schedule 616 00:37:35,610 --> 00:37:39,330 for our family where we try to eat dinner around 6, We do, you know, 617 00:37:39,330 --> 00:37:42,410 we spend time together, do our thing. The kids, you know, we all clean up 618 00:37:42,730 --> 00:37:46,050 the kitchen together. Well, I'm reading a book with them right now, so we'll read 619 00:37:46,050 --> 00:37:49,890 that after dinner. But I basically told them by 8:30, they don't 620 00:37:49,890 --> 00:37:52,450 have to go to sleep because they're 11 and 12. They're not going to go 621 00:37:52,450 --> 00:37:56,090 to bed at 8:30. That's too early. But by 8:30, I want them 622 00:37:56,330 --> 00:37:59,930 in their rooms chilling out, reading, kind of 623 00:37:59,930 --> 00:38:03,370 unwinding, because between 8:30 and 9:30, I've got 1 hour before I turn 624 00:38:03,740 --> 00:38:07,460 the lights out. I need a little alone time and watching 625 00:38:07,460 --> 00:38:11,220 TV. I usually watch YouTube. I watch like running videos and weightlifting videos or 626 00:38:11,220 --> 00:38:15,060 business videos at night, much to my wife's chagrin. She sits 627 00:38:15,420 --> 00:38:19,100 there and reads on her Kindle, but that's kind of what I enjoy. I don't 628 00:38:19,100 --> 00:38:21,980 get into like TV series or anything like that. 629 00:38:23,260 --> 00:38:26,940 I watch YouTube. So yeah, by around 9:30 or before, I try to 630 00:38:26,940 --> 00:38:30,630 turn off the lights and I go to bed. And right now, I 631 00:38:30,630 --> 00:38:34,390 can fall right to sleep. Of course, when you're drinking, people will be like, 632 00:38:34,470 --> 00:38:38,190 "Oh, well, drinking helps me fall asleep." You're right because it's 633 00:38:38,190 --> 00:38:41,750 sedative. It absolutely helps you fall asleep, but after you fall asleep, it doesn't help 634 00:38:42,630 --> 00:38:46,190 you stay asleep and it doesn't give you good quality of sleep. So, I would 635 00:38:46,190 --> 00:38:49,830 absolutely fall asleep quickly when I was drinking, but then I would wake up at 636 00:38:49,910 --> 00:38:53,110 2:30 and be up for hours. I struggle with that 637 00:38:53,670 --> 00:38:57,370 a lot. So, my alarm is set for 5:00. It's crazy. 638 00:38:57,370 --> 00:39:01,210 The last like 2 months, I've been actually waking up before my alarm. This has 639 00:39:01,210 --> 00:39:04,730 never happened, but it started happening. So, I usually wake 640 00:39:04,810 --> 00:39:08,170 up right before, right around 5:00. And like I said, I get up out of 641 00:39:08,170 --> 00:39:11,450 my bed, I go to my cold plunge. And 642 00:39:13,290 --> 00:39:15,490 it's so funny, you know, if somebody has a cold plunge, you know about it 643 00:39:15,490 --> 00:39:17,730 because they constantly talk about it, but it is what it is. So, I'll be 644 00:39:17,730 --> 00:39:21,330 the first to admit that. So, it's so funny though. I've had this 645 00:39:21,330 --> 00:39:25,050 cold plunge for years, like 3 years now. And I tell you what, every morning 646 00:39:25,050 --> 00:39:28,770 it's still a struggle. I stand over this damn thing and I 647 00:39:28,770 --> 00:39:31,330 go, what the fuck am I doing with my life? Why am I doing this? 648 00:39:31,330 --> 00:39:34,970 And then I get in it and I'm in it for 3 and a half 649 00:39:34,970 --> 00:39:38,049 minutes. I'm in it up to my chest for the first 2 and a half 650 00:39:38,049 --> 00:39:40,890 minutes. And then I go to my neck for the last minute. And then at 651 00:39:40,890 --> 00:39:44,610 the end, I have a song that plays. That's how I know it's 652 00:39:44,610 --> 00:39:48,130 3 minutes and 30 seconds. And then I dunk my head for like a second 653 00:39:48,130 --> 00:39:51,880 or two and then I get out. Every time I do it, 654 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:55,600 it's like I've conquered something. And you can go to Huberman. 655 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:58,160 He talks about the whole cold plunge 656 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:03,280 thing. It boosts dopamine in your system, and you're doing a hard thing early 657 00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:07,080 in the morning, and it just sets your day up. I don't 658 00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:10,920 know the brain chemistry behind it, but there's literally brain chemistry that's happening 659 00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:14,440 that just prepares you. So, I do the cold plunge right out of bed. 660 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:17,730 I do some stretching. Sometimes I'll get in my sauna. I 661 00:40:18,130 --> 00:40:21,890 do some reading. Like I said, I do a pre-workout breakfast. I'm in my garage 662 00:40:21,890 --> 00:40:25,130 gym by 6:30 because I don't actually don't like going to the gym. I love 663 00:40:25,130 --> 00:40:28,770 working out at my house or I go for a run by 6:30. 664 00:40:28,770 --> 00:40:32,610 By 7:30, I'm done. Post-workout meal and then I'm off to shower 665 00:40:32,610 --> 00:40:36,410 and then I'm off to the office. So that's like, that's my morning routine. 666 00:40:36,410 --> 00:40:39,810 From like, I don't have like a, I guess I'm establishing more of a morning 667 00:40:39,810 --> 00:40:41,801 routine, but I'm curious. I can't remember the exact I don't know the name of 668 00:40:41,801 --> 00:40:45,630 this, but it's like the Millionaire Morning 669 00:40:45,630 --> 00:40:49,350 Routine. Is that sort of what you were basing this 670 00:40:49,350 --> 00:40:52,470 off of? Kind of, yeah. I'm pretty sure I've read that book, or at least 671 00:40:52,470 --> 00:40:56,230 I have it on my bookshelf or saw some content around 672 00:40:58,070 --> 00:41:01,070 it. But yeah, I just figured out the things that I wanted to do in 673 00:41:01,070 --> 00:41:04,710 the morning. And I tell you what, for me, I love my wife and I 674 00:41:04,710 --> 00:41:08,390 love my two daughters, but having alone time in the 675 00:41:08,550 --> 00:41:12,230 morning is fantastic. Like just having that quiet time where the house 676 00:41:12,230 --> 00:41:16,000 is quiet, nobody's awake. And kind of 677 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:19,800 doing some things before the sun even rises, 678 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:23,480 like, I don't know, it just puts me in a good mood. It 679 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:27,160 sets me up for winning 680 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:30,600 the day. It's amazing how much longer the day feels in a good way of 681 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:33,960 like how much you feel like you've accomplished if you get up slightly earlier in 682 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:37,400 the morning. And I mean, even like 30 minutes earlier, it's 683 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:41,450 wild how much more you feel feel like you can fit into a day. 684 00:41:41,650 --> 00:41:45,490 Yeah, definitely. So, yeah, I cherish that time. I even 685 00:41:45,490 --> 00:41:48,450 encouraged my wife to get up a little earlier with me, and she did that 686 00:41:48,450 --> 00:41:52,250 this morning. She got up at like 5:30, and we spent some time 687 00:41:52,250 --> 00:41:56,050 talking this morning, which is awesome. And she stood outside and watched me and laughed 688 00:41:56,050 --> 00:41:59,810 at me while I was in the cold plunge, which she does from time to 689 00:41:59,810 --> 00:42:03,130 time, but she doesn't do it every morning. That's one thing I will never get 690 00:42:03,130 --> 00:42:06,780 my wife to do is cold plunging. Interesting. So, on that, you 691 00:42:06,780 --> 00:42:10,420 mentioned a little anxiety beforehand. I don't know about your personal 692 00:42:10,420 --> 00:42:13,620 experience with this, but there has been no 693 00:42:13,780 --> 00:42:17,541 better antidote for anxiety than a cold plunge for me. Definitely. Have you felt 694 00:42:17,541 --> 00:42:21,180 the same? Yeah. Yes. Yeah. So, I'll 695 00:42:21,180 --> 00:42:24,980 be honest. So, yes, but me giving up alcohol 696 00:42:24,980 --> 00:42:28,740 was the biggest antidote for that because it was the thing that 697 00:42:28,900 --> 00:42:32,460 I was using to fix my anxiety but was the thing that was 698 00:42:32,460 --> 00:42:36,140 actually causing my anxiety as well. Like 699 00:42:36,140 --> 00:42:39,980 a coat of paint over top, so it was still 100% notice it as 700 00:42:39,980 --> 00:42:43,740 much. Yeah, yeah, 100%. And I, you know, even after I stopped 701 00:42:43,740 --> 00:42:47,380 drinking, I still had it for a while, but I've gotten to this point now 702 00:42:47,380 --> 00:42:51,220 where I feel— I told my wife Robin this the other day, like, I 703 00:42:51,220 --> 00:42:54,500 feel myself changing. And it's so weird because I 704 00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:57,580 spent all of adulthood drinking 705 00:42:58,350 --> 00:43:02,110 pretty heavily, so I like, I'm 40 years old now and I'm now living 706 00:43:02,110 --> 00:43:05,790 an adult life without alcohol. So I'm having to rewrite stories, I'm 707 00:43:06,030 --> 00:43:09,870 having to experience new things. And it was so crazy because I was so afraid 708 00:43:09,870 --> 00:43:12,710 to give it up because I was like, well, what if we travel to Europe 709 00:43:12,710 --> 00:43:15,910 and I can't go to the Guinness factory and have a Guinness? And guess what 710 00:43:15,910 --> 00:43:19,750 I did? I did that, you know, I traveled to Europe and I didn't drink. 711 00:43:19,750 --> 00:43:23,550 And I've done, I went to bachelor parties and weddings and birthday parties 712 00:43:23,550 --> 00:43:27,250 and stuff like that. I did everything that I was afraid to do because I 713 00:43:27,250 --> 00:43:30,850 was like, I'm just, I'm gonna miss out. It was FOMO. It was total FOMO. 714 00:43:30,850 --> 00:43:34,290 But I've done all of the things that I was afraid of 715 00:43:34,370 --> 00:43:38,010 without the alcohol. And again, I will be the first to tell you, 716 00:43:38,010 --> 00:43:41,770 and most sober people will, they'll be like, it's not as much fun. And if 717 00:43:41,770 --> 00:43:45,010 anybody tells you that it's as much fun or more fun 718 00:43:45,330 --> 00:43:48,850 sober, they're lying because it's not true. It's 719 00:43:49,250 --> 00:43:52,920 not true. But there, I get to So, when I'm at a 720 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,640 conference and my buddies are staying up, because I used to do this till 2, 721 00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:59,392 3 in the morning drinking and partying, I go to 722 00:43:59,461 --> 00:44:02,568 bed at 10, 10:30. I'm in the gym 723 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:06,800 at 5, 5:30. They're all stumbling in at 8, right when 724 00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:10,400 the program starts. And I've already worked out, I've talked to my kids, I've 725 00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:14,080 done things, I've read, and I've been able to jumpstart 726 00:44:14,080 --> 00:44:17,650 my day and I'm ready for the day. And I'll be honest with you, 727 00:44:17,650 --> 00:44:21,450 just not being hungover is, is, is 728 00:44:21,450 --> 00:44:25,250 a beautiful— probably the most beautiful thing about being sober. Um, because I just 729 00:44:25,250 --> 00:44:28,890 spent so much time hungover now, getting to this age as well, like 730 00:44:28,890 --> 00:44:32,609 past 40. I feel every year that clicks by, it gets harder 731 00:44:32,609 --> 00:44:35,930 and harder to deal with a hangover, right? 100%. Yeah, I used to be able 732 00:44:35,930 --> 00:44:38,890 to deal with it fine. I was like, ah, not a big deal, not a 733 00:44:38,890 --> 00:44:42,610 big deal. It is a big deal now, right? Yeah, like in my early 734 00:44:42,610 --> 00:44:46,430 20s kind of thing, it was I could go to work 735 00:44:46,430 --> 00:44:49,950 basically hungover and be like 80% effective. Totally. Now it's like I need 736 00:44:49,950 --> 00:44:53,270 3 days to recover if I've done some heavy 737 00:44:53,270 --> 00:44:56,990 drinking, right? Yes, totally. I mean, like drinking 738 00:44:56,990 --> 00:45:00,670 is sort of a huge activity in a lot of the conferences and stuff, right? 739 00:45:00,670 --> 00:45:04,150 Like that's, it feels like half the reason people are there to 740 00:45:05,030 --> 00:45:08,750 some degree. Absolutely. I don't understand how people operate 741 00:45:08,750 --> 00:45:12,300 in those environments with like like you say, like people are in the bar until 742 00:45:12,620 --> 00:45:16,420 closing time and, yeah, you know, they're there maybe not at the crack of 8 743 00:45:16,420 --> 00:45:19,700 o'clock for breakfast, but they tend to roll in around 10. I'm like, how are 744 00:45:19,700 --> 00:45:23,260 you here? You know? Yeah, yeah, I was that guy. I was that guy. 745 00:45:23,340 --> 00:45:25,700 But I would, I would try at least most of the time to make sure 746 00:45:25,700 --> 00:45:28,940 I was there at 8 and when things got started. But yeah, I was that 747 00:45:28,940 --> 00:45:31,620 guy and I don't know how I did it. I mean, part of, part of 748 00:45:31,620 --> 00:45:35,460 me knows because I was much younger, but, um, or at least a little 749 00:45:35,460 --> 00:45:39,120 younger than I was. But I just, I can't do that anymore. I don't have 750 00:45:39,120 --> 00:45:42,960 I don't have it. It's age has caught up 751 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:45,320 with me. Yep. I suppose a lot of this is kind of like, like you 752 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:49,160 said, like it's rewriting stories. It's almost like rebooting 753 00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:52,920 your life, rediscovering things that kind of bring you joy and discovering 754 00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:56,400 sort of different aspects of your life that, you know, like 755 00:45:56,640 --> 00:45:59,960 you said, the highs are not as high, but, you know, trade that off for 756 00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:03,800 not as low lows. And just, I think like 757 00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:06,910 maybe this comes with a bit of age of like getting to the space where 758 00:46:06,910 --> 00:46:10,510 you're much more comfortable with things being calm, right? Yes. Like, 759 00:46:10,510 --> 00:46:14,230 calm is really nice, and, you know, it's not wild, it's 760 00:46:14,230 --> 00:46:17,990 not crazy, but that's not necessarily something you desire as you get older. It's like, 761 00:46:17,990 --> 00:46:21,230 every once in a while it's a little fun, you know, throw a little hand 762 00:46:21,230 --> 00:46:24,870 grenade out once in a while and watch things go nuts. Yeah. But just 763 00:46:24,870 --> 00:46:28,590 to have things steady, predictable, and like on a 764 00:46:28,590 --> 00:46:32,110 positive note, that's fantastic. Like, it's a great way to live your life, 765 00:46:32,110 --> 00:46:35,590 right? Yeah, I'm pretty extroverted, and 766 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:39,080 as I got as I'm getting 767 00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:43,200 older and sober, like, I'm kind of enjoying, like, or at 768 00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:47,000 least a part of me is becoming a little introverted. I'm like, yeah, 769 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:50,760 that calm, I'm craving that calm. And I don't— I think that's 770 00:46:50,840 --> 00:46:54,680 probably just as I'm getting older. But it's definitely something that— 771 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,720 because again, like, rewind 10 years ago, I had FOMO for everything. Like, I 772 00:46:58,720 --> 00:47:01,200 couldn't miss out on everything. I wanted the chaos. I wanted the hand grenade. I 773 00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:04,970 wanted the fun, the partying. Let's go drink. Let's have a good time. But 774 00:47:05,290 --> 00:47:09,130 I'm like, yeah, I'd rather be in bed watching YouTube and going to bed in 775 00:47:09,370 --> 00:47:12,970 20 minutes than out late. I just— we're getting old, 776 00:47:12,970 --> 00:47:16,450 Todd. We're getting old. Moving from FOMO 777 00:47:16,450 --> 00:47:20,130 to JOMO. Yeah, exactly. You guys go get hammered. I'm gonna feel great in the 778 00:47:20,130 --> 00:47:23,770 morning after my workout. Like, yeah, I'll see you at lunch, 779 00:47:23,850 --> 00:47:27,570 right? Yeah, exactly, exactly. I love it. Well, this has been great, 780 00:47:27,570 --> 00:47:31,160 Paul. Uh, really appreciate you sharing sort of the 781 00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:34,400 lessons that you've learned and your story of how you got there and a few 782 00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:38,040 of the tips on what's worked for you and the practical reality of like, 783 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:41,800 what are the honest trade-offs? And hopefully, 784 00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:45,640 people recognize like, there are things that you should and 785 00:47:45,720 --> 00:47:49,520 want to and absolutely can change in your life. 786 00:47:49,520 --> 00:47:53,320 And the downstream impacts of that are incredibly positive. 787 00:47:53,320 --> 00:47:57,050 So I think it's great inspiration for people to take up 788 00:47:57,050 --> 00:48:00,770 the gauntlet and start making some changes on their own. For sure. 789 00:48:01,010 --> 00:48:03,970 Yeah, it's absolutely a pleasure to talk to you 790 00:48:04,370 --> 00:48:08,090 again. Yeah. And anybody— like, you're pretty open 791 00:48:08,330 --> 00:48:12,090 about this and share pretty readily. If, like, people wanted to reach out to 792 00:48:12,090 --> 00:48:15,410 you and just bounce a few things off of you, are you open 793 00:48:15,810 --> 00:48:19,610 to that? 100%. Yeah, please hit me up on LinkedIn. I don't really— I 794 00:48:19,610 --> 00:48:23,270 don't have an Instagram or anything like that anymore. Or anything that 795 00:48:23,270 --> 00:48:27,070 I check regularly, but I do check LinkedIn. So absolutely look me up, look 796 00:48:27,070 --> 00:48:30,630 me up on LinkedIn. I am an open book. I'm totally 797 00:48:30,630 --> 00:48:34,390 transparent about this journey. And I would love to help anybody 798 00:48:34,790 --> 00:48:38,630 that needs just at least a point in the right direction. I don't know everything, 799 00:48:38,630 --> 00:48:42,390 but I've been through and I've learned a lot over the last 10 800 00:48:42,550 --> 00:48:46,390 years in business, life, marriage, family. 801 00:48:46,390 --> 00:48:49,910 My two girls are adopted. We couldn't have our own kids. That's even a 802 00:48:50,490 --> 00:48:54,170 whole nother story. So, so yeah, I'm an open book. I love, love just sharing 803 00:48:54,170 --> 00:48:57,850 my story, my story, because another person sharing their story with me is 804 00:48:57,850 --> 00:49:01,050 what brought this catalyst of change. Like, I'm a changed human 805 00:49:01,690 --> 00:49:05,370 being because of somebody sharing their story. Amazing. All right. So I'll 806 00:49:05,370 --> 00:49:08,970 link to you on LinkedIn and show notes if people want to get in 807 00:49:08,970 --> 00:49:12,280 touch. But again, awesome. Really appreciate it, Paul. Yeah, my pleasure.