SPI 816: Is Time Going by Faster for You Too?

SPI 816: Is Time Going by Faster for You Too?

Announcer: You’re listening to the Smart Passive Income Podcast, a proud member of the Entrepreneur Podcast Network, a show that’s all about working hard now, so you can sit back and reap the benefits later. And now your host, he is way too fascinated by people who can juggle a slinky, Pat Flynn.

Pat Flynn: It was such a pleasure to have our good buddy Shane Sams on the podcast this past Wednesday in episode 815. Shane was in episode 122 over a decade ago, and it made me think about not just the impact that he has made on many other people and the impact that that particular episode made on not just his life, but my life in this podcast and just the audience. It’s made me also think about just how quickly time seems to fly by.

Because it honestly, it feels like yesterday that that episode was recorded when Shane first told his story about being on the grass at his house, mowing the lawn, and just stopping mid mow to tell his wife Jocelyn that he had heard an episode of the SPI podcast, this very podcast, and that it was gonna be their way out, and it was. And so Shane, if you are listening to this, which I know you are, thank you, but I wanted to reflect a bit on just how quickly time seems to be going by.

My wife, April, and I were just talking about how quickly just time seems to go by. And we’re very blessed. We feel very, very blessed that we’ve been able to be here with the kids and be at home with them. You know, we don’t have to drop them off at daycare or anything like that. And we’re just really grateful that we’ve had that opportunity, yet, despite all the time we’ve spent with them, it still feels like time is flying by.

And we have very, very little time left with them before they move out of the house, they start their own families, whatever the case may be, our daughter is 11, our son is going into high school next week. At the time of this recording, within, within a week, four days, he will officially be a ninth grader.

And he’s already started going to the school for band camp and he finished a successful week there. I just saw him perform yesterday and it was just an amazing experience. I almost broke down because I remember what my first year of band camp was like. And band changed my life, and he’s on this now trajectory with what he’s interested in and what he wants to do, and he’s spending more time with friends, and you know, we’re grateful that he still wants to be with us, we’re still having dinners every night together, he’s still It says goodbye and I love you every time before he steps out the door and I cannot believe how fast everything has gone by.

When the podcast started back in 2010, so this is now 14 years into this, he was a guest on the show, my son, and he had this cute voice and he was just answering questions, you know, very basic questions. And now, we’re having full on conversations about life, and people, and politics, and we’re playing Magic the Gathering together.

And that’s the latest thing that, you know, he was into Pokemon, which is why I got into Pokemon. And then he grew out of that and then moved into Magic the Gathering, because some of its friends are playing that now. And now I’m playing with him because whatever the kids are into, I like to get involved with it as much as they are allowing me to get involved so that we can play.

And he likes to practice with his deck against me and all this stuff. But, I remember playing magic when I was a kid, but anyway, I know that many of you know that I’m still into Pokemon quite a bit. And I have more information to share about some new stuff that’s happening in that world, which has been really fun, very experimental, very online with what we’re doing in business and YouTube and those kinds of things.

So more of those things later, it’s really making me understand that I need to really cherish every single moment that I have, not just with my son and my daughter and with my wife, but just every single day here on this earth and on this planet, to be grateful for that day. And to set myself up for as much longevity as possible.

I’ve been really focusing lately on my health. You know, I’m 41 years old and I’m starting to feel it, you know? And I am now starting to see the actual effects of decisions that were made in my past with things that I would eat, how I would move or not move my body, drinking, those kinds of things. I am now trying to set myself up for optimal success.

When I went to, you might’ve heard about this on Instagram or even on a previous episode. I went to Nashville to visit Mike Michalowicz and Don Miller and a number of my friends were there. Chris Ducker, Amy Porterfield. I got to meet Jenna Kutcher and a number of other amazing authors. These were all authors in this space.

And what I found was inspirational was all of these people, especially the older men who were there, they were all super focused on their health. Michael Hyatt was there and he was showing me a number of things. He was using some apps and some devices and things that he was getting involved with. My buddy, Chris had a armband thing called a Whoop and he was showing me the app related to that. And I ended up picking one up myself and it’s actually been really helpful. Interesting story, you know, i’ve been really focused on my sleep lately. That’s probably the biggest thing that I regret So far in my life was not prioritizing sleep.

I’m starting to read about it more. I’m starting to study it more. I heard an interview with a sleep expert on a Diary of a CEO recently who just revealed some incredible statistics about the effect of better sleep and I’ve seen it now in my own data. So I’ve been using the Whoop thing for a few weeks now and I’ve noticed. In fact yesterday, I, for the first time in a while, I just indulged in a giant pizza. Like I made homemade pizza. The crust was from Trader Joe’s at home and we put marinara sauce and cheese and all the things, right? It was the first time I’ve had that much carbs. I’m usually eating potatoes or rice or something for carbs, but I just, you know, I want it to celebrate the end of summer with the family and I knew that I was going to feel it.

But I didn’t realize how much I’d see the results of what that pizza would do. And a part of me is like, oh, I shouldn’t have eat that pizza because like today I was a little sluggish. My numbers were not good. My restoration during sleep was the lowest it’s ever been and the only thing different was that pizza. But at the same time, I also understand that, well, today I know I’m going to eat better.

And so I could kick myself and regret that pizza. I don’t regret it. I just know that I’m going to not feel as good and not be as restorative the next day. And it’s more of just the conscious effort of doing those things and knowing, that, okay, if I eat this, then this is what’s going to happen, so I can plan for that.

I did that on a Saturday so that today, Sunday, I can just relax and restore myself. But before, I would just kind of eat whatever, drink whatever, without any consideration for, okay, well, what is this doing as far as fuel for my body? And not only have I noticed that with the better sleep and with the better diet, that I’ve been just feeling better physically and even looking better now, I’ve actually been feeling it mentally.

Sharper, less brain fog, without any crazy supplements or anything like that. It’s just a matter of sleep and better food. Now what is crazy is that the more that I’m spending money on, you know, preparing my own meals and stuff, I’m realizing just how expensive everything is getting. And it’s putting me into, some interesting, not rabbit holes, but in, in, in, into some interesting discussions about politics in the U. S. I choose not to talk about politics and other things like that on the podcast or publicly. I’m having these conversations in private or with some friends around me and with my wife. But it’s like, I’m realizing that there’s a lot of things going on. And so I can only do what I can to control what I can control.

And number one, it’s vote is, you know, I, I am going to make sure that I and those around me do their best to put our effort into kind of vote for what we believe in. That’s number one. Number two, making sure that I’m always optimizing my self, my body and my mind. And number three, just being conscious about the moment that I’m in, really enjoying those moments I have with my family.

Can’t remember who I heard it from. It was another podcast that I was listening to slash watching. But they were talking about it might have been a Diary of CEO. I’ve been watching a lot of him recently. I’ve been really enjoying the guests on the podcast. It was one guest. I believe that it was on his podcast.

Who said the next time you hug somebody, while you’re hugging them, imagine them not being there anymore and before you let go, open your eyes and see that they’re there again. Just cherish that idea that, wow, you have a limited time on this earth, you have a limited time with that person and that it is such a blessing to be with them in that moment right now.

And when I heard that, I almost broke down because I do live life in a very sort of fast paced manner, I do think about the next thing before even celebrating the thing that I just finished and I know I need to do a better job of just being in the moment and being grateful for that. And so I’ve been practicing that I’ve been living through that and I’ve been especially with my kids and every time I hug them on the way that they go to school or before they go to bed at night, just really, really appreciating time that I have with them. And I never shared this publicly. I’ve shared it with a few friends, but I think I’m okay sharing it and I’m okay to share it because it does come with a very positive message, despite it being kind of sad.

So many of you might’ve heard that a number of months ago, a mentor of, of so many people in the entrepreneurial space and just People in general, Dan Miller, he authored a book called 48 days and was just a mastermind member of so many different groups and just inspired so many people in our space. So many kind hearted people and he himself such a genuine, generous, just happy person.

And I always loved being around him. I got to cross paths with Dan Miller. a number of times at events, and we’ve had a few private conversations together. And a few months ago, I received an email from Dan, kind of out of the blue. It was really good to get an email from him because I was like, Oh, I haven’t talked to Dan in quite a while.

And this email had a link to a video. I opened the video and it’s Dan with a big smile on his face. He was on his property on his farm and he was telling me and everybody else who watched this video, sort of a private video, that he was on his way out. He had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

This was on December 7th he was diagnosed. You can actually see it on his website, 48days.com/askdan. And you’ll see a message from the family of Dan there. And he’s, he left three kids, an amazing wife. And in this video, you know, it’s a sad thing. I mean, I was heartbroken, but he was smiling the entire time.

There was so much positivity in his message, even though he knew he was on his way out. He was terminally ill. He was going to go quickly with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It just takes you really quickly. He was like, you know, I’m so grateful for you. I’m so thankful you were a part of my life. And I did everything I wanted to do.

I set my family up for success. I got to live my life to the fullest, I got to do everything I wanted to do, and this is the way, like, I feel very blessed to be going out in this fashion. And after that video ended, I, I mean, I, I went into tears, but I was also actually really inspired. I came away like, wow, like Dan lived a full life.

And many people don’t. Many people die early or with regret, and he didn’t have any of that. Obviously, I wish he was still here, but I was super grateful to have received that video, and I’m thankful I could pass this on to you, because it just made me realize, like, wow, that is the goal, right? What is millions of dollars gonna do?

There are people who have billions of dollars, who die with regret, who are unhappy. There are people who are spending their lives wasting their time, or not even taking advantage of the things that are right in front of them. And, you know, I feel like for the most part I am, I am, but I also realized that I need to do a better job.

And I can, like, that is my north star to live a full life such that I could go out in the same way. And obviously I want to be around as long as possible, which is why I’m taking care of my body and working on what I’m eating and what I’m doing, but wow. So this is a thank you to Dan, Dan Miller, I know you’re there.

I know you’re listening. I love you. I thank you for all of the encouragement and the support and just the friendliness that you’ve offered and what you’ve done to help others and the ripple effect that you’ve created over time has been incredible and will not stop. Thank you for the inspiration and I’m driven.

I’m driven in such an incredible way right now, not just with business, but for life with my family as they grow up and grow older. You know, I’m inspired. So thank you, Dan.

And thank you for listening in. You know, time is flying by. I feel like every year when my wife and I, clink glasses when the ball drops at midnight just seems like the space in between although it’s the same amount of time It seems to be it feels like it’s getting shorter and shorter and I want to enjoy every moment in between and I’m enjoying this I love this podcast I love you for listening and even if you’re a new listener here, which I would recommend subscribing because we have a lot of great stuff. We don’t always get super deep like this, but I think every from time to time It’s it’s important to zoom out and think about life, think about why we’re doing what we’re doing and what really matters.

And I’m just glad to have this platform to share a bit of myself today and kind of where I’m at. I love to check in mentally with you from time to time here. And it’s also one of those things that I believe, you know, when I’m gone in the future, this podcast will still live or be around somewhere. It’ll be on some feed somewhere.

And who knows my kids or grandkids might be interested in listening. And if, you know, Hey, for the future, if my kids or grandkids are listening to this, I love you unconditionally. If I’m still around, don’t be a stranger. Say hello. Anyway, thank you all for letting me do this. I appreciate you. We got a lot more great episodes coming your way here on the SPI podcast and man, 816 episodes in 14 years doing this.

Can’t wait for the next one. Have a blessed day. Appreciate y’all.

Thank you so much for listening to the Smart Passive Income podcast at SmartPassiveIncome.com. I’m your host, Pat Flynn. Sound editing by Duncan Brown, and our executive producer is Matt Gartland. The Smart Passive Income Podcast is a production of SPI Media and a proud member of the Entrepreneur Podcast Network. Catch you next week!