3523: [Part 2] Wake Up to the Life that Lives Inside of You by Jay Harrington of Life and Whim

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Living Daily, Wake Up to the Life that Lives Inside of You, Part 2 by Jay Harrington of LifeandWhim.com and I'm Justin Malik. Welcome back or welcome for the first time if you're new here. This is where I read to you like a big ongoing audiobook, but for many different authors. Today being a continuation from yesterday, so I'd recommend listening to yesterday's episode first. If you're all caught up, let's get right to part two and continue optimizing your life.

[00:00:32] Wake Up to the Life that Lives Inside of You, Part 2 by Jay Harrington of LifeandWhim.com It was time to try something different. To dig out of the hole I found myself in, I decided to do two things that I had never really tried before. First, I asked for help. I'd always believed, and still do, in the supremacy of stoic and rugged self-reliance. That men don't make their problems someone else's.

[00:01:01] It's a belief in practice that has served me well in my career. Face a difficulty? Figure it out. That's what professionals do. So when I walked into my law firm partner's office one morning during the week following our holiday party, I did so feeling a healthy dose of shame and trepidation. I was there to ask for help. I explained what I'm sure he already knew, that I was not in a great place and was having trouble keeping up with the rigors of my caseload.

[00:01:29] I needed his help to lighten my load. The reason it was so hard to ask for his help was that he was in no position to provide it. He was equally busy, had young kids, and a life full of activities and responsibilities. I would not have faulted him for an instant if he had said no, but he didn't. He said yes, enthusiastically. Not because it was easy, but rather because that's what friends do. I asked and he answered the call.

[00:01:58] Sure, it wasn't easy for him, but not once did he complain or express any hint of resentment. He just helped me at a time when I needed it. I felt a bit of the weight lift immediately. It was like the scene in Good Will Hunting where Professor Lambeau first comes to Will's aid when he was in a tight spot. A sense of relief washed over me. Fresh off the revelation that it's okay to ask for help when you need it most, I decided to try something else.

[00:02:25] I started subtracting rather than adding things in my life. Things felt so full and busy at the time that there was little space for any light to shine in. It was as if an overgrown bush was blocking the sun from the window of my life. Heather, pregnant and overwhelmed, felt the same way. So we started to prune. We got rid of a bunch of physical possessions that were cluttering our closets and office space.

[00:02:52] We took a close look at our finances and realized that as we got busier and busier over the years, we became less and less conscious and careful about our budget. We found a number of painless ways to reduce our spending. Having achieved some small easy wins, we applied the same reductionist philosophy to our business. I decided that with the twins on the way, I could no longer operate two busy businesses,

[00:03:19] so I started the transition out of my law firm. We also began to streamline the service offerings of our marketing agency and prune clients who were no longer a good fit. We shed almost half of our client base, which created space for us to partner with new, better aligned clients. We ditched our physical office altogether and started working virtually. Three years later, we still have not lost sight of the importance of pruning.

[00:03:46] Just two weeks ago, we made the difficult but necessary decision to part ways with our largest client. It's been a great relationship over the years, but at this point, they've grown so large that we've been having trouble keeping up. Came to the point that we either had to grow with them or move in a different direction. We decided that growth, at least the type required to service this account, was not consistent with our priorities and values during this season in our lives.

[00:04:13] We have other goals and other dreams that would be crowded out if we took on more work, more employees, and more responsibilities. At this moment in our story, we prioritized space and freedom over revenue and busyness in order to pursue those goals and chase those dreams. There's nothing magical about our story. If it was made into a movie, it'd go straight to DVD. Certainly not in the right genre for everyone.

[00:04:39] I have no doubt that for many who read or hear this, it won't resonate. I'm glad that's the case, that many people content with their lives don't identify with the whispers, however meek, urging them towards something different. That's a great place to be. As a result of many of the changes we've made, we're getting there ourselves. If you're feeling restless, you're not alone. It's easy to assume that everyone else has it figured out and that you're the only one struggling, grasping,

[00:05:08] trying to figure out who you are and what you should be doing with your life. It's okay if today you feel like a bystander in your own life with someone else setting the agenda. What's not okay is if you never retake control of your circumstances. Life moves quickly and risk lurks around every corner. There are tons of valid excuses to not take bold action, to not rewrite your story. So it's easy to wait.

[00:05:35] The problem is the excuses don't go away until you start taking action. So be courageous because no one is going to grant you permission to live boldly. And remember this, courage isn't the absence of fear. It's doing what needs to be done despite the fear. So when you're struggling and someone or something reaches out to you, no matter how painful the circumstances, recognize the moment for what it is, a wake-up call.

[00:06:02] As Confucius explained over 2,500 years ago, we all have two lives. The second one starts when we realize that we only have one. That gnawing feeling inside of you, that's the real you waiting to come out. When you're ready, and hopefully you're ready now, grab the pen and start writing the first act of the rest of your life. You just listened to part two of the post titled,

[00:06:31] Wake Up to the Life That Lives Inside of You, by Jay Harrington of lifeandwhim.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. The grind never stops as a business owner. When you're hiring, you need a partner that works as hard as you do. And that's where LinkedIn Jobs comes in. We've been lucky finding our team here at Optimal Living Daily. And I think LinkedIn Jobs would have taken luck out of the equation, finding us the best quickly. With LinkedIn Jobs, posting your job for free is just the beginning.

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[00:07:26] Say that LinkedIn helps them find high-quality candidates. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash selection. That's linkedin.com slash selection to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. ServiceNow unterstützt Ihre Business Transformation mit der KI-Plattform. Alle reden über KI, aber die KI ist nur so leistungsfähig wie die Plattform, auf der sie aufbaut. Lassen Sie die KI arbeiten, für alle.

[00:07:55] Beseitigen Sie Reibung und Frustration Ihrer Mitarbeiter und nutzen Sie das volle Potenzial Ihrer Entwickler. Mit intelligenten Tools für Ihren Service, um Kunden zu begeistern. All das auf einer einzigen Plattform. Deshalb funktioniert die Welt mit ServiceNow. Mehr auf servicenow.de slash AI for People. Thank you again to Jay. I liked his approach to solving the problem. Instead of adding more, which is what most of us tend to do, I think, he started subtracting.

[00:08:22] Reminds me of what we often talk about on Minimalist Mondays. Very fitting for today. Sometimes having less actually gives us more space to do what matters most. And I really like that quote from Confucius. I think it bears repeating, and I'll probably put it into my weekly newsletter, which you can find at oldpodcast.com, by the way. Confucius said, we all have two lives. The second one starts when we realize that we only have one.

[00:08:52] Super powerful. It's not about waiting for some perfect moment or for everything to line up just right. It's about recognizing that we have this one life right now, which can be pretty inspirational and motivating. So good things to think about. Maybe today we can also think about where we might need to subtract from our lives rather than add. Hopefully this helps give you some perspective. So thank you again to Jay for this one, and thank you for being here every day. It means a lot.

[00:09:20] And an extra thank you if you've ever shared this podcast with someone else. That's a huge help to keep this going. Have a great week, and I'll be back tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.