#057: As I Turn 30: My Best Advice for Anyone in Their Twenties. July 28, 2014

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1 1 #057: As I Turn 30: My Best Advice for Anyone in Their Twenties July 28, 2014 Introduction The 5 am Miracle - Episode #057: As I Turn 30: My Best Advice for Anyone in Their Twenties [Intro Song] Good morning and welcome to the 57th episode of The 5 AM Miracle. I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated to dominating your day before breakfast. My goal is to help you bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary energy. This week on the podcast I discuss the roaring twenties! Well, at least I will share some wisdom from the amazing decade of life that I am just about to finish. This Saturday I am turning 30 years old and it s time

2 2 to reflect on some of the greatest lessons I ve learned and amazing experiences I ve had. But first, let s go Behind-the-Scenes! [Fade Music Up and Out] BEHIND THE SCENES First, today I would like to thank Daniel Dissinger for becoming a new patron of the podcast! Daniel signed up to support the show through my Patreon Campaign and I greatly appreciate it! If you would like to learn more about becoming a contributor to The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, visit JeffSanders.com/patron. P-A-T-R-O-N. And now for the big news! I am going on a Summer Sabbatical, beginning this Thursday, July 31st, and ending on Thursday, September 4th. I wrote a blog blog post last Thursday that spills the beans on all of the details, but I will quickly review those for you right now. First, what is a summer sabbatical and why am I

3 3 doing this? Sabbatical is a break from normal work for an extended rest period OR to pursue an unrelated project (college professors, pastors, and others) Inspired by James Clear I have never done this before Need time to develop new ideas and projects What about the podcast and blog posts while I m gone? Blog posts will be videos of personal development legends Podcast episodes will be greatly simplified No Behind the Scenes No Listener Questions No Tip of the Week No Big Announcements I will share various audio programs, speaking engagements, and interviews. The content will be a little different from what you re used to, but it will certainly be entertaining and helpful. What I expect to gain Laser Focus Breathing Room Aha! Moments If this Sabbatical goes well, I may follow in James

4 4 Clear s footsteps and do a month-long Sabbatical every 6 months. But for now, let s jump to the Listener Question of the Week! [Opening Night Music] [Play Colin s Question] Thanks for the great question Colin! In terms of energy, diet, and muscle training, my recommendation is to eat more fruits and veggies. I know that sounds like a vegan answer, but it's really the best answer for anyone, regardless of their diet. Fruits and veggies provide incredible energy and the nutrition your body needs to help your muscles grow after lifting weights. Even though you eat meat, my recommendation would be to increase the quantity of raw fruits and veggies. It's easy to eat those for snacks and at the beginning of your meals (like a salad before a steak OR a smoothie for breakfast).

5 5 Also, more water is always a great thing for energy and fitness! If you would like to have me answer your question here on the podcast, visit JeffSanders.com/podcastquestion. Now, let s jump to the Tip of the Week! [World Music Interlude] Now, this week s Tip is a really fantastic tool for staying focused while working. It s called the StayFocused Chrome Extension. If you re not familiar with Chrome Extensions, they are like apps for your web browser. You can download them right into your browser and there are thousands of them to choose from. The one I m talking about today is only for Chrome, but there are other productivity tools available as FireFox Add-Ons, Internet Explorer Add-Ons, and Safari Extensions as well. Just run a quick Google search for your web browser and the phrase block facebook or something similar and you can find quite a few options -- most

6 6 of which are totally free. I stumbled upon the StayFocused Chrome Extension a few weeks ago when I was looking for a way to block Facebook. Yes, I m human. I look at facebook and twitter and news updates when I really should be working. So, I wanted a way to stay focused on my current task. StayFocused is really handy because it will block any website you choose and you have a maximum allowed time per day to view sites on your blocked list. I chose 10 minutes per day as my allowable time to randomly browse. If I try to go longer than 10 minutes, ALL of the sites on my blocked list will not work. There is also a Nuclear Option where you can block ALL websites, or ALL sites except the one you need to focus on. The really cool part is that you can create a challenge. Let s say you re trying to look at Facebook after your time is up. So, you decide to hack into the settings and make Facebook an Allowed site.

7 7 The built-in challenge will force you to re-think your decision. You have to type a really long paragraph with zero errors and the text is a strong reminder to stop wasting your time and get back to work. Essentially, the developer of this app really understands how people desperately try to waste time and he has created a tool with a variety of strategies to keep you on task --- no matter how hard you try not to. I have a link in the show notes if you want to try out this handy tool (which is totally free) and I highly recommend that you do. It has already saved me hours of wasted time. Now, let s get to the feature segment! [Opening Night Music] Well, it s true. I m about to turn 30. I entered my twenties with incredible optimism and abundant ignorance (which is a killer combination for ambitious living) and left my twenties with a little more wisdom.

8 8 Today I am sharing some of that wisdom with the hope that you also have crazy ambitious goals you're working towards as you near your next awesome decade of life. The Top 10 Choices I Made in my 20s that Changed my Life Forever 1. College Entered my 20s as a sophomore in college at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri Bucket List Goal Totally unique experience and I m so glad I went and worked hard 2. Studied Abroad in Prague Bucket List Goal Chance to see the world

9 9 3. Moved to Boston Bucket List Goal (live in a big city) Grew up really fast Didn t live in my parents basement The birth of Graduated and Clueless 4. Discovered Personal Development In hindsight, this is one of the most pivotal shifts in my entire life Realizing that I had the power to change my life story was jaw dropping The pursuit of growth is now foundational to who I am 5. Wrote Graduated and

10 10 Clueless Learned a skill Writing was very cathartic Learned a lot about myself Great to have a BIG project to work towards (like what Nicole Antoinette talked about 2 weeks ago with her goal to run across America) 6. Married My High School Sweetheart, Tessa As Tessa will tell you, she pursued me, but there is no doubt that she is the best part of my life, every single day I got really lucky. I didn t intend on finding someone so easily. Some people excel in their careers at a young age, I found the love of my life in 8th grade.

11 11 7. Running Marathons I was not born a runner. This goal happened by accident, but it turned into one of the biggest set of goals I have ever pursued. Discovering marathons allowed me to explore, grow, and challenge myself like nothing else ever has before. 8. Going Vegan The biggest shock that I never saw coming. I never could have planned this and I m so glad it happened. My life has more meaning and my every-day choices matter more than ever. You can hear my whole vegan story at JeffSanders.com/52, as in episode Starting my Business and

12 12 Podcast I knew from a young age that I wanted to be Matt Lauer on the Today show on NBC. I wanted to be on TV, to talk to famous people, and to perform like I did in Theatre in High School. Starting this business and podcast provides an enormous creative outlet that I don t get anywhere else. I am constantly challenged and working in my strength zone. 10. Dove Head First into Christianity This is not a religious podcast, so I won t dwell on this topic or endorse one faith over another, but... The study of spirituality and spiritual practices have proven to be fundamental in my journey to become the highest and best version of myself. This is also one of those things that I never saw coming.

13 13 I was an atheist in college and didn t care for spiritual discussions for much of my life. Studying spirituality has elevated my thinking and challenged me to NOT be a selfish person -- to make LOVE my highest priority. The Top 3 Mistakes I Made in My Twenties (that you should avoid) 1. Followed Other People s Dreams instead of Finding My Own Followed my best friend for years

14 14 Never took the time to find out who I was or what I wanted 2. Didn t Value the Importance of a High Financial IQ Whether you want to care about it or not, money matters... big time. Budgeting, Rent, Utilities, Apartments, Bills, etc. Your Financial IQ may be one of the most important aspects of your adult life goal achievement career dreams raising a family Dave Ramsey s Total Money Makeover changed my life while living in Boston 3. Didn t Think Outside of the Box Enough Creativity and generating unique and fun ideas have become a huge part of making my life and business

15 15 so much better. I held myself back quite a bit and didn t allow myself the joy of dreaming and thinking BIG. My Best Advice: Top 5 Strategies to Make Your Twenties Fan-Freakin-Tastic! 1. At All Costs, Seek to Become the Very Best Version of Yourself Find out who you are as a unique individual Ask yourself, What would the best version of me look like in 5 years? -- then go become that person 2. Embrace Personal Development

16 16 Make learning one of your top goals in life Not just books and conferences and mastermind groups, but seek to learn through firsthand experiences Spend 30 minutes a day reading a great self-help book -- not fiction -- something non-fiction that grows and expands your knowledge of yourself and the world around you. 3. Spend ALL of Your Time Improving Your Strengths Growing up I had the impression that I had to be perfect -- nope! I spent a lot of time trying to make my weaknesses better -- bad idea! The best, brightest, and most talented people in the world are great at a few things -- nothing more. Find out what you re great at and do whatever you can to get better and better.

17 Focuses Each Day: Gratitude and Goals Be infinitely grateful for all the good things in your life Always ask yourself how you can grow, stretch, and reach higher in every aspect of life. 5. Reinvent Your Life with Bold Choices on a Consistent Basis Explore, Experiment, and Take Risks. Life should be lived boldly. Don t hold back. Don t sell yourself short. Think BIG, Act BIGGER, and work every day on something you are wildly passionate about.

18 18 [Fade In Music] Announcements Just 2 quick announcements here at the end of this episode. First, if you have not yet joined The 5 am Club, you can easily do so today for free. When you join the club you will get a free copy of The 5 AM Miracle ebook, which shows you exactly how to wake up each morning with vigor and make enormous progress on your biggest goals. To join The 5 AM Club AND jump start your morning - visit 5amMiracle.com. My 2nd announcement is that in next week s episode of the podcast I will be beginning my sabbatical and sharing my interview on the Kick Ass Dad Podcast. Final Thoughts As always, I would be grateful if you would rate my podcast in itunes. That helps tremendously with keeping my podcast visible so that people who have never heard of it can discover it.

19 19 I created a quick 2-minute video that shows you how to rate and review any podcast, which you can watch at JeffSanders.com/review Or, just head on over to JeffSanders.com/itunes to leave your review right now. Also, if you would like to see all of the resources I mentioned in this show, please visit the show notes page at JeffSanders.com/57, as in Episode 57. Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle. Until next time remember, you have the power to change your life, and the fun begins bright and early. [Fade Out Music]

#090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still. March 16, The 5 am Miracle - Episode #090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still

1 #090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still March 16, 2015 Introduction The 5 am Miracle - Episode #090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still [Intro Song] Good morning and welcome to the 90th