3614: Glory Days by Chris Guillebeau on Mindfulness and Living in the Moment

[00:00:01] [SPEAKER_03] Wenn jemand Charles und Melanie gesagt hätte, dass sie nach ihrem Tinder-Match gemeinsam einen Channel mit Crazy Aufgaben starten, also wirklich crazy, fünf Tage auf einer einsamen Insel verbringen, eine Zipline an einem Gurt runterrasen, eine Million Views knacken, eine Wand mit Saugnöpfen hochklettern und Falschirm springen in Ägypten? Das hätten die beiden niemals geglaubt. Aber das ist das Ding mit Tinder. Es führt dich an Orte, die du nie erwartet hättest. Wohin es dich auch führt. It starts with a swipe. Tinder.

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_01] Kennt ihr auch diesen einen Freund, der morgens einfach so ruckzuck aus dem Bett und danach aus dem Grinsen gar nicht mehr rauskommt? Der sogar noch vor dem ersten Kaffee unverschämt gut gelaunt ist und mit der Morgensonne um die Wette strahlt? Furchtbar. Ekelhaft. Wie kann man nur so...

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_02] Ausgeruht sein? Ganz einfach. Trainiere deinen Schlaf und werde auch du zum Morgenmenschen. Mit der Galaxy Watch 7 oder dem Galaxy Ring und der Samsung Health App.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00] This is Optimal Living Daily. Glory Days by Chris Gillibeau of chrisgillibeau.com. And I'm Justin Moll, your personal narrator. We're going to jump right into our next article as we optimize real life. Glory Days by Chris Gillibeau of chrisgillibeau.com. I sat in the back of the room as the keynote speaker talked about his experience as a war veteran.

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00] It was a good story for the first five minutes filled with close calls, bonding with peers, and learning about the outside world. Then he kept going. He talked for 10, 15, nearly 20 minutes about the war before moving on to the subject he was supposed to speak about. The war in question, Vietnam, took place more than 30 years ago. Yet to hear him talk, it was as if he had just returned from a tour in Iraq.

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00] He told the story as if it had all happened yesterday and anyone listening could appreciate how the time in the war had made him into the person he was that day. But it also made me wonder, what has he been doing for the past 30 years? I looked around the room. The thing about speaking to a crowd of 200 people is that there are always going to be a few people who love everything you say.

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_00] Aside from this small group that applauded every few minutes, I saw everyone else checking their phones, whispering to their neighbor, or reading through unrelated literature. For the most part, we had stopped paying attention. While our speaker was reliving a war from his youth, we had moved on to the present day. Back in the summer of 69. Here's another one. Have you ever been around a 50-year-old man who continually relives his high school football days? If you haven't, I can tell you that it's a sad experience.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00] I've heard the stories over and over, but each year I make the ritualistic visit and end up hearing them again. So how are things going now? I ask after a while, trying to advance the conversation 35 years or so. Oh, fine. Then I hear more about the people he knew as a teenager, even though he hasn't been in contact with most of them for decades. It's not that I don't care, strictly speaking. If someone wants to relive their youth, good for them. I just think, is that all you've got?

[00:03:07] [SPEAKER_00] The danger of success. Glory days are dangerous, and while I wish I was immune, I know I'm not. But when I came back from Africa in 2006, I made sure everyone knew where I'd been. If I met you that summer as I began my new life in Seattle, you'd hear about it within a few minutes of our introduction. Yeah, I knew the present of Liberia, and did I mention that Desmond Tutu and I had coffee together one afternoon in Cape Town? That's right, we split a blueberry muffin, and I made sure to give him the bigger half.

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00] It was my story and my identity. I felt deeply proud of those times. As the months wore on, though, I found myself continuing to talk about it with every new person I met. Naturally, some of them were interested and wanted to know more, but others, I think, probably cared more about their own life and with what was happening then, just as most of us do. The four years in West Africa remain an important part of my identity. Much of my formative thinking comes from that challenging and fulfilling experience.

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_00] But I realized that, in a lot of ways, I'd have to leave that time behind. I began to think about what I was doing next and my goals for the future. Am I going to be talking about West Africa to everyone I meet 30 years from now? If so, how will I be different from someone who's still reliving the Vietnam War or talking about his high school football team from 1969? In short, I'm going to need more than that. And to be honest, so are you. The best days of our lives.

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_00] We all have foundational experiences that shape the rest of our lives and determine our worldview. For many of us, these times come from high school, college, or university, when we felt the most attached to our peers and to the outside world as we viewed it at the time. For others of us, the glory days come through an experience with a close-knit group, such as a military unit or a sports team. Still others find them from an extended trip abroad, the beginning of a new relationship, or a job we were especially enamored with at the time.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00] We are rightly proud of our glory days because they represent a time of rapid discovery and advancement. Those were the best days of my life, we sometimes say. We were challenged and we rose to the challenge. When the time came to an end all too soon, we felt an unusual combination of accomplishment and sadness. But there comes another time, not too long after the glory days have ended, that we need to put them aside and move on to something else. If those life experiences were really so great,

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00] shouldn't they provide the motivation for greater challenges? What could the future be like if we applied the lessons we learned and went on to something else that was even better? If we believe that our best days are behind us, we've lowered expectations on our future. We've reached the plateau and it's hard to grow after you've come down on the other side and look back on it from a long distance. Alternatively, when we choose to willingly let go of those times, we're not really saying farewell. We couldn't forget them if we tried.

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_00] Instead, we say to ourselves, Wow, wasn't that incredible? I am so fortunate to have had those experiences. Since my glory days were such a transformative experience, I'd better make sure I find a way to have more of them somehow. I'd better be faithful with everything I've been given. Life is good and I want the future to be better than the past. You just listened to the post titled,

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00] Glory Days by Chris Guillebeau of chrisguillebeau.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. The show is sponsored by Liquid IV. Hydration isn't just about drinking more water, it's about helping your body absorb it. That's why I use Liquid IV, which uses a unique blend of allulose and amino acids to help your body retain essential electrolytes. I love the new raspberry lemonade flavor. It's sugar-free, easy to mix, and perfect for my long days in the studio. I just tear, pour into 16 ounces of water

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_00] and enjoy true-to-fruit flavor with none of the junk, no artificial sweeteners, and always non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. Whether you're working out on the go or just want to feel your best, Liquid IV is hydration that works harder. Break the mold and own your ritual. Just one stick and 16 ounces of water hydrates better than water alone. Give yourself the power of extraordinary hydration from Liquid IV. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid IV

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_00] when you go to liquidiv.com and use code OLD at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with code OLD at liquidiv.com. The origins of this podcast were once just a dream. That dream turned into the podcast and business you're listening to today. Starting your own business is a dream lots of us share, but too many of us let it remain just a dream. Don't hold yourself back thinking, what if I don't have the skills? What if I can't do it alone?

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00] Turn those what-ifs into why-nots with Shopify by your side. Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide and handles 10% of all e-commerce in the US from household names like Mattel to brands just getting started. Build campaigns that reach customers wherever they're scrolling. Plus, Shopify's expertise covers everything, inventory, shipping, returns, and beyond. If you're ready to sell, you're ready for Shopify. Turn those dreams into

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_00] and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com slash old. Go to shopify.com slash OLD. Shopify.com slash old. Thank you to Chris. I wonder if minimalism ties in here, like with sentimental items. In high school and college, I'd hold onto a lot of stuff,

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_00] old concert tickets, clothes, movie stubs. And I wonder now if it's because that's what tied me to who I was back then. But it ends up becoming clutter. Even if I see it now, I already know I went to that concert, or maybe I did forget. But if I did, I'm not sure the ticket or stub brings back particular memories for me. I'm not sure, but it definitely is hard to get rid of or to break us out of this glory days sort of thinking.

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_00] At the same time, it's not about erasing our past at all. He was arguing that we can use it as a sort of fuel to push us forward into what's next. I think that's a good point and something we can consider today, whether related to minimalism or not. Hopefully this one gave you some stuff to think about and maybe stuff to get rid of. So thank you again to Chris and thank you for being here every day and learning along with me. Have a great rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow as usual

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_00] where your optimal life awaits.