Author Archives: Zac Keeney

From Burnout to Balance: A Birthday Post on Reflection & Transformation

How did I go from: Puffy, Inflamed and Anxious to finding peace and reinventing my body? I’ll tell you, but first I must take a begrudging look back.

The Days are Long. The Years are Fast.

I spent a good deal of time looking at the image on the left and it reminds me of so many things…it actually makes me sad. This picture was taken on my birthday a few years ago at Dunkin Donuts with my two kids. A birthday is a day that should be “happy” and celebrated, but I can’t say that’s how I felt that morning. Holding both kids, I was also holding a great deal of anxiousness, guilt and burnout.

Still shy of 40, I was feeling the impacts of many things colliding. I felt stressed running a business that was going through the earliest days of COVID. But little did I know it was only going to become more tenuous. Layoffs loomed and I spent many late nights or early early mornings with my face in my hands, agonizing over a list of employees who would no longer be employed the following morning. I knew it would place stress on them or their family and there was no right answer…only a number to reduce to. These are long, lonely days and restless nights.

Generally Unwell

I was feeling the impacts of a young daughter and the stresses of raising another child, but this time in a much different time. I always felt great stress in their youngest of years. Reflecting back on when I was young and selfish, responsibility (even to one self) felt trivial. But when another human depends on you for their entire life, that’s responsibility! And it always stressed me out if I’m being honest.

I wasn’t eating well, I definitely wasn’t sleeping well, and I wasn’t exercising with any sort of consistency. I was “skinny fat” with a weak body and little discipline. My days started with heavy doses of caffeine and ended with a drink or more likely…drinkssss to escape the stress and “take the edge off!” Just reading this makes my body shake with regret. I was inflamed, easy to agitate, and grumpy (I wonder why??). I was pretty much the opposite of a joy to be around, but I tried my best to hide it with my usual prescription of a little charisma and some charm. Despite this charade, inside I was miserable. The only relief I found was cycling on and off steroids to tame my triggered auto immune disease.

At one point in this journey, I remember being down in my office, seeking surrender being alone. I likely was hoping to cry. Afterall, I thought it would be healthy or therapeutic. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t cry. I was holding on to everything so tight, I couldn’t let anything go…including tears. I was immune to relaxation and felt generally numb.

I was burned out. Happy Birthday right!?!?

So What Changed?

Everything.

  • Diet – I started getting hyper-focused on what I put into my body. I read The Wahl’s Protocol from Dr. Terry Wahls. She reversed her MS auto immune condition with a very specific diet and exercise protocol and documented her journey. I’m far from perfect with my consumption, but I do eat “mostly good” and keep a keen eye out for alcohol consumption. More vegetables. More quality meat. Less processed junk. I haven’t fully quit drinking, although I have considered it from time to time.
  • Fitness – In 2021 I purchased a Peloton and a pull up bar. I literally think this was a major lever to gaining momentum across all other aspects of my life because a decision was MADE. The previous version of me was dead. I’ll never forget getting on that bike the first few times. The shoes felt awkward. After only minutes, my lungs and veins were on fire. My heart was racing, which felt like the panic attack experienced earlier in the year. But looking back…it was the medicine I needed. I can also tell you “stress sweat” smells very different than every day sweat. With every ride completed, the cocktail of cortisol, anxiety, and general distress on the body came pouring out on to my basement floor.
  • Body – The combination of diet changes and fitness protocol these last few years helped reshape my body. Just look at the guy on the right (taken the fall of 2024) compared to the left. I’m about 8-10 lbs. heavier (in a good way). I did it by reshaping my body, and putting on muscle. My soft belly is gone and my shoulders are broader. I’ve done thousands of pull ups, push ups, cycled thousands of miles pursuing the daily discipline of staying in shape while continuing to push. Aside from general fitness and me being vain (yes I like to look good), I feel So-Much-Better! My body moves so much better. I sleep so much better.
  • Surrender – This may seem trivial, it may not, but I got back to the rhythm of going to church. I’m a deeply flawed person and every time I walk out of a service, I feel lighter and somewhat reborn. With every visit I ask for forgiveness for something and it allows me to reconnect to a higher power and bigger purpose. This has been a big part of the mosaic that is my healing journey. As I worked to transform my mind, (Mental) and body(Physical), I also dove into transforming my spirit (Spiritual).
  • Professional Help – I’ve written about my journey with Better Help. Along with exercise, this act was transformational. It was exactly what I needed to get out of my own head and into a path toward healing, forgiving, and not being so damned hard on myself. I’m incredibly grateful for the skilled professional who helped me through a tough spot. If you told me in my 20s I would consult therapy for a tough time I was going through, I would’ve LAUGHED and said some asshole condescending comment about “being weak minded” and seeking help. What a pussy! ~I didn’t think my ego would allow it, but here’s to growing up, swallowing pride and seeking help. This is hard for men…especially us ALPHAs. I get it.
  • Medication – I’m pleased to report as of the beginning of 2025, I got off my anxiety medication. It’s been a goal of mine for some time, and I’d gotten down to such a low dose that I was just doing it to do it. But a healthy body and mind doesn’t need an unnecessary crutch, so I cut it out headed into the new year.
  • Content – Every day of the year it’s quite likely I’ll read one of two books as mental conditioning. The first is, Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins < – – – – – I love this book!! I hope I never stop rereading the wisdom. The second is, The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. Priming my mind with teachings thousands of years old help me stay grounded and also growing.

Reinvention starts slowly (really slowly) and then happens all at once.

I know each of the modalities above can do miracles on their own. But, when paired together, their individual super powers have the potential to create exponential outcomes and generate tremendous momentum. Momentum is much easier to steer than start and momentum is an agent of change! I now feel like I’m coming into my birthday this year, with strong winds at my back!

I really try not to preach or give too much direction on this blog on [what you need to do is this…]. I can only know what I’ve been through, and share my journey and experiences through my lens. (If) it helps you…wonderful! If it gets you started on a new direction…I’m delighted. Maybe some day we can talk about it.

Reinvention is possible and it can start today with a decision. That’s where it started with me a few years ago on the Ides of March. Although the decision had to start with me, I’m incredibly grateful for a supportive wife and incredible friends who’ve been with me every step of the way!

He Who Asks Questions Cannot Avoid the Answer

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get swept along without pausing to reflect. Yet, the questions we ask ourselves can profoundly shape our experiences and outcomes. As Tony Robbins aptly notes in Awaken the Giant Within, “Remember, your brain, like the genie, will give you whatever you ask of it. So be careful what you ask for; whatever you look for…you will find.”

Consider integrating these three pivotal questions into your daily routine:

How is this serving me?

This question encourages introspection about the activities and habits that fill my day. Are they aligned with my well-being and aspirations? By evaluating the true impact of my choices, I can identify and eliminate behaviors that hinder progress. I catch myself asking this when I mindlessly pickup my phone and look for…what?!?! Am I looking to be distracted? From what? I’m not perfect and still do it dozens of times throughout the day. But I am trying to be more mindful of why it is stealing my attention.


What can I do about it?

Life presents challenges, but dwelling on problems without seeking solutions leads to stagnation. By asking this question, you shift from a passive to an active mindset, focusing on actionable steps to overcome obstacles. This empowers you to take control and fosters resilience. Control the controllable. Not what happens, but what you do about what happens.

Do my actions support my goals?

I’m on a daily mission to be: healthy, wealthy and strong. Consistency between daily actions and long-term objectives is crucial for success. Regularly assessing this alignment ensures that I’m not inadvertently sabotaging my ambitions. It promotes intentional living, where each step I take brings me closer to my desired destination. Progress > Perfection!

Questions Hold the Power

The questions we pose to ourselves act as guiding lights, illuminating the path to personal growth and fulfillment. By thoughtfully selecting and reflecting on these questions, we harness the power to shape our reality and steer our lives toward our true goals.

Embrace the practice of mindful questioning, and watch as it transforms your perspective and propels you toward a more intentional and rewarding life.

Life is About Understanding Incentives

Incentives are everywhere. They’re all around us. You’ll have a better chance at navigating life, if you can better understand the incentives in play and learn to play the game on your terms.

I hope to challenge your thinking here, open your aperture and see the world through a new lens.

Who Loves Taxes?

The Author and CPA Tom Wheelwright says, “the tax code is a list of incentives the government wants entrepreneurs and investors to use.” That was certainly an eye-opening way for me to look at taxes. Let’s go deeper.

We’ll never forget this 2016 Presidential Debate moment when Hilary Clinton thought she’d staple Donald Trump against the wall for stating, “He doesn’t pay taxes!” And what was Donald’s response? “Because I’m smart!”

Now regardless of how you feel about either of them, what people need to understand is Donald (love him or hate him) understands tax incentives. What do these incentives look like? The government rewards entrepreneurs or developers, for building housing, or creating jobs. It’s in the IRS tax code. Curious how this works?

Lets say you build a property for $10,000,000. Relatively a small number, but in doing so there is depreciation expense the owner of that property gets to write off for the next 27.5 years against the income. So if the owner depreciates the property $363,000 per year, any income they generate up to but not excluding $363,000 isn’t taxable. If you want to get mad, get mad at Congress. It’s the law and it’s legal. That’s why the wealthy love real estate. They can generate income, and not pay taxes. Legally.

Ask Robert Kiyosaki the author of the hit Rich Dad Poor Dad how he feels about taxes. He sees them as a game. What draws developers to “Opportunity Zones” in developing real estate? Tax incentives. Who better to understand this than those who write the code? The IRS! Incentives are everywhere.

Lets Look at Employment

There is a good chance if you have a job, your employment contract contains expectations for your role. Those expectations contain incentives. So what’s the incentive? A paycheck. And if you’re in sales or a revenue role, there very likely is a variable incentive or “commission” you can obtain. Why? The business will reward you for the behavior they’re looking for(higher top line revenues). If your compensation has recently been changed, it’s because the business is looking to change behavior and reward different outcomes. Pay close attention to these changes and take advantage.

I’m an avid listener of the FOUNDERS podcast (Learn from history’s greatest entrepreneurs. Every week the host reads a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work). What’s one consistent theme of the greatest entrepreneurs across hundreds of episodes? They all have a knack or deeply understand the power of incentives to drive the behaviors needed in their business.

How about Healthcare?

I can’t even call it health care with a straight face. It’s SICK-Care, and it’s not well done. Why do we need to understand these incentives? Because in my opinion, the incentive isn’t for a doctor to make you well, or have a holistic view of your health. Their job is to write prescriptions and move you along. Why is it the average doctor visit is only minutes long? Because their incentive is to see MORE patients. Not cure you and all those waiting. Really think about this. It’s worse as you go down the specialty medicine path as they only focus on their trained discipline. Getting a new prescription? This happened to me a little over a year ago, and I asked my GI doctor outright, “are you incentivized to get me on this medication?” That got awkward. But the question remained, “is this about me, and my health…or your incentive?!?!”

Insurance Costs

Insurance companies are becoming more interested in the overall/general health of its customers. But they want to know the numbers. So much so, that if you submit annual blood work, and physical, they’ll reduce your annual rate by upwards of 30%! Seems to be a pretty solid incentive.

Why are they doing this? They’re dangling the incentive of cost savings to you, because it will likely drop their liability ten fold by having a better view of those they’re insuring. I’m fine with it either way, just understand the incentive.

Does the NBA Know Incentives?

They sure as hell do, and it just cost Luka Doncic $100,000,000 (yes, one hundred MILLION) by getting traded to the Los Angles Lakers!! Why? Because the NBA incentivizes players to stay in the city they were drafted in, by rewarding them with larger “Super Max” contracts. Otherwise, all the stars would end up in: LA, Boston, Miami, etc. and leave the small market: Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Memphis, Sacramento, and so on. So instead of signing a 5-year, $350M contract this summer in Dallas where he was drafted, he’ll have to settle for a 5-year, $250M contract in LA. Not sure how he’ll afford the eggs…

Keep Your Eyes Open for Incentives

Everyone around you is trying to get something done. Don’t be naive. If you can look around the corner, you can better understand the behavior they’re looking for. The next step is choosing if, or how you’d like to participate.

Behavior Trumps Knowledge

We don’t have a knowing problem. We have a Doing…DO THE WORK problem! And as a society, it’s killing us!

The hyper-connected world we live in provides unique access to learn nearly anything imaginable. So what’s stopping everyone from being: healthy, wealthy and strong? Or at least, not obese, not in debt up to our eyeballs, and not weak?

  • Diet – I believe we all understand the concept that eating McDonalds or KFC every day isn’t healthy. It’s garbage. Would it surprise you that as a nation, we’re fatter, and unhealthier than we’ve ever been? In 2021, 38% (97 million Americans age 18 or older) were pre diabetic. That’s so sad!
  • Health – How much would it cost to get in shape? I’d argue if you have a smartphone and therefore, access to the internet, there are thousands, probably millions of workouts available on YouTube. If you’re just getting started, or looked to get shredded, there is something for everyone. There are literally plans to go from the couch to a marathon in one year!! Knowing problem, or doing problem?
  • Wealth – Less than 1 in 4 Americans have more than $1,000 in a savings account. Yet, the knowledge path to creating financial independence is quite simple. Spend less than you earn. Not sexy, but simple. Simultaneously, as 1 in 4 has less than $1,000, the US has $1.166 TRILLION in Credit Card debt. One Trillion is 10, one-hundred billion dollars. We’re going the wrong way.

So what gives?

It’s my belief as a society we’ve gotten weak and undisciplined and it’s also my belief that this is making us unhealthy. How do I know? I know this as I lived it in my twenties! The decade was filled with late nights, continuously poor diet choices, and persistent stress from work with little to no fitness regimen. What happened? The story I tell myself is that this destruction of my body led to my autoimmune disease taking hold of my body…begging me to slow down and take inventory.

Was I short on knowledge or were these issues behavioral? I knew what I was doing, I simply had no discipline.

To further this issue. I also believe the advancement in technology and medicine created the space to “Solve” an ailment with a pill. When offered the choice: hard work & behavior change, or a pill…the pill is winning in a land slide. (market capitalization of Ozempic is: $600 Billion.

Luckily, I have knowledge to lean on to change behavior. There are age old lifestyle principles to live by:

  • Get sunlight and movement every day
  • Make REAL connections with other real human beings
  • When possible stress your body with exercise. A good sweat is a good indicator.
  • Eat nuts, fish, meat, and vegetables. The closer you can get from farm to table, the better.
  • Limit Debt and invest for long term asset growth. Einstein said, “compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world!” Embrace it.

This ancient cocktail produces a life free of self-induced stress on the body. That same body will produce the energy needed to live a wildly successful life.

What You’re Not Changing, You’re Choosing

Here’s the rub. As a society, many would rather have credit card debt, and a designer handbag than go through the discipline of saving for the time it would take to make the purchase. How do I know? Nearly 50% of Americans have used [buy now, pay later] installment purchases for regular consumer purchases like a pair of jeans. All this does is kick the can down the road, and this unquestionably adds undue stress. This is the piece I think many are missing. Bad diet, stresses the body. Poor finances and loads of debt, stresses the body. Immobility and lack of movement, leaves the body weak. All of these limit vitality AND weaken the mind to succumb to poor choices. The story repeats itself until society is immobile, overweight and heavily medicated on a cocktail of: diabetes, heart, anti-inflammatory and diet medications. It’s disgusting.

It’s Going to SUCK. So Embrace it. Choose your Suck!

Life has taught me, starting anything new is likely going to: look weird, suck, hurt, feel awkward. Then you do it a second time and it sucks less. But the question I think we’ve got to be asking ourselves is how can we better choose our suck? Would you rather it: Suck Now or Suck Later?

  • Would you rather choose to suck it up, ditch most sugar/processed food and eat “mostly healthy” for six out of seven days and week? All while sucking it up to sweat 4-5 days a week? Trade a little discipline for a long life of vitality?
  • Or would you rather choose the easy path (Suck Later). Eat fast and cheap garbage, mixed with a life of limited movement. Know you’re choosing an alternative suck down the road of: Diabetes, heart disease, a wheel chair and wheezing while on oxygen in your 60s!! Sign me up!

Excuses make today easy, but makes tomorrow hard.

Discipline makes today hard, but makes tomorrow easy.

We don’t have a knowledge problem. We have a doing problem. Share and get to work. Today!

Whatever I am not Changing, I’m Choosing

I struggle with the idea of being actively in control of my current and future state, while also submitting to the fact I have no control at all of the future. But maybe that’s understanding the balance of the yin and the yang or the dichotomy of life? Not sure, but I do wrestle with it frequently.

What if both could be true? What if I was actively in control of day to day decisions and actions, but have little control over where life and the higher power will take me? I can choose to consume a smoothie or a cookie, but I can’t choose what happens when I step on a plane 10 years from now…or if I’ll even be there.

Choice

The title of this post suggests that the things we don’t do, the decisions we delay, and the habits we maintain are not passive choices, but active selections that shape our lives. Decision over destiny.  

If I step back and think really big picture of life-changing, society-altering change, what does this look like? How about Rosa Parks? What about those brave individuals who united to tear down the Berlin Wall? How about going super META and our Founding Fathers!! Could you imagine the world we live in today if these individuals didn’t choose to change?

I have little doubt the life I live today, is a compilation of the choices made last week, last year, and the last decade. I’d like to unpack what that means in finer detail across many disciplines in life

  • Career: In December 2016 I got to participate in the sale of a business in which I had minority ownership stake. But that’s only the last 10% of the story. I made a choice about four years earlier in my career that I needed to be closer to the outcomes my talents could produce. I made a choice to pursue paths that would grant this passage. The seeds of those decisions grew flowers. More specifically Roses. Because there were beautiful petals, but also thorns…which I’ll speak to below.
  • Diet (then): I made a LOT of bad lifestyle choices in my 20’s and I often wonder if the cocktail of: high stress, high ambition, frequent boozing and poor diet triggered my autoimmune response and diagnosis at 27 years old?? By not changing soon enough, did I choose my path?
  • Diet (now): Life looks a lot different than when I was single, living in Chicago 15 years ago…and that’s ok. My diet has taken a 180 and for the first time in what felt like F-O-R-E-V-E-R (Said like in Sandlot), I feel good consistently. My body composition also reflects these choices. A wonderful book that enlightened my understanding on the function and output of food is this: The Wahl’s Protocol. The further I get away from the “Standard American Diet” [S.A.D.] the better
  • Fitness: I think in 2019 and 2020 my level of fitness was…meh! At best, (C-) meh. But I wasn’t taking massive action to change it. Post COVID I committed to that change. Change occurred when our Peloton bike arrived and I jumped on. Early on I sucked, but I was sweating and moving. Looking back now, nearly 1,100 rides later I’m thrilled I decided to change the path I was choosing.
  • Brain Fuel: I make a choice every day to listen to something uplifting or motivating. Sometimes it’s a quick 10-minute YouTube hit in the morning, other times it’s a podcast in the afternoon. Today’s jargon calls this, “Hustle Porn” and I might be addicted to it…and I’m ok with that. Nonetheless, I consume this content daily. Some dismiss the value in motivation, because it’s usually quick-hitting…but fleeting. I get that, but I also disagree. I think about motivation like I think about showering. I need it every day, and sometimes twice a day. We are what we consume!
  • Mental Health: In 2020 and early 2021, I was choosing a life of stress, anxiety and strain. Generally speaking, I’d say I was “unwell” which isn’t a highly scientific term. But it is accurate! How did I get there? It was the culmination of many things. In early 2017 shortly after the sale of the business noted above, one of my partners was set to retire, and the other was suddenly divorcing his wife. Those who I relied on for stability, now only looked like chaos. My world went into a bit of a tailspin and I was filled with resentment I carried with me for the following years. Add a newborn daughter in 2019, COVID, and the world being generally mind-fucked, left me extremely anxious and maybe a little depressed. I found myself asking questions like, “Is this all there is?” Or, “is this what I signed up for?” And then I made a choice to surrender. I wasn’t getting out of these feelings or problems alone. I have to pause for a moment and let the reader know, this was EXTREMELY HARD for me. My ego almost couldn’t allow it. Was I that weak? Couldn’t I just step up and “be a man?” Did I really lack the mental fortitude to “Carry On” and figure it out? Yes I did! I’m so thankful I reached out to Better Help [Journey documented here]. Choice changed the direction of my life. I was coached through EMDR therapy, had many conversations on the pain I was carrying with me, and was able to get back to being myself after feeling lost for a few years.

What I wasn’t Changing, I was Choosing!

I shared a post a few weeks back, at the close of 2024 titled: Four Quotes I Live By. The Number One quote on this list is,

Be Active In Your Own Rescue

It’s my opinion too many lead a life of passivity or lack direction. It’s as if everything happens TO ME, instead of choosing to have life happen FOR ME. If I can provide any guidance, it would be to know what the NORTH STAR of your life’s journey looks like. Use Principles to guide decisions and choice instead of feeling the weight of the world in every decision. Move decision making rights to much larger principles.

Whatever I’m not changing, I’m choosing!

The Story I Tell Myself Is…

Every day, I live out a story. All of us are. But what is important to understand is, how am I, or how are you, crafting the story? Because it has everything to do with how we see the world. Is life happening to me? Or is life happening FOR ME?!?

There is no better example of STORY, than one I read and repeat to others frequently. It’s from Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins. This book is easily one of my top 5 favorites and I re-read it frequently. The power of story is illustrated something like this.

An alcoholic father, abuser and career criminal, welcomed two wonderful boys into the world nearly 14 months apart. They’re almost twins. This is important because they experience the same tumultuous, brutal upbringing. Fast-forward 30 years, and the oldest has fallen into his father’s footsteps. He’s a criminal, he can’t keep a job, and his relationships are a mess. He lived a life of resentment and constant search for reconciliation. When asked how he got here, he responded with, “Look at my Dad. What did you think would happen?” How could he have possibly ended up any different?

The younger brother, who experienced the EXACT same upbringing, found himself in a different place 30 years later. The regional manager of a national corporation, his life reflected stability. Happily married with kids, he was a good father and provider. His kids looked up to him and he lived a life of gratitude. When asked how he got here, the younger brother responded with, “Look at my Dad. What did you think would happen? I couldn’t possibly live the life we lived as kids!”

Same genetics. Same father. Two wildly different outcomes based on how they interpreted the story of their upbringing. STORY

I work at the AdTech company: Basis Technologies. One of the “benefits” we have at work is participating in groups sessions appropriately named “Conscious Leadership” founded in the principles of the book, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership.

Fact vs. Story

You’re not here for a book report, so I’ll spare you. That said, an exercise we dive into frequently is the [Fact vs. Story] exercise. And I must admit, this exercise is really hard for me. I craft stories. I tell stories. I weave emotion into stories to emphasize the finer points. I’m more comfortable in story. When challenged with facts, I become Superman to Kryptonite.

Stoic Philosophy

A few years ago I picked up the book: The Daily Stoic. It’s a daily, one page read with 366 teachings (meditations) of stoic philosophy and it’s incredibly digestible. I’ve gifted it to many as I believe so deeply in the power of these teachings. I honestly believe it’s helped to rewire my mindset. Here is a quick YouTube video on how to apply Stoicism to daily life if you’re curious.

All of this thought on story, reminded me of this quote.

We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.

Read that quote again. Think about facts of your life and how your life shapes your belief. I’ll give you real life examples from my life. Every statement begins with fact, but what follows is story.

  • I grew up in small town in Iowa, therefore, I have less understanding of other nationalities, religions and their beliefs
  • I grew up an athlete – therefore, I’m wired and thrive in competitiveness. I know how to win better than others
  • My parents have a blue collar work ethic – therefore, I understand the value of hard work
  • At 27, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis – therefore, I’ll never be truly healthy and have no control over the disease
  • I live on a golf course – because of that, I must make a great income or inherited some money
  • I’ve always been skinny – therefore, it’s impossible to put on weight and build muscle
  • My Dad grew up poor – therefore, he has a scarcity mindset with money
  • I’ve had business wins – therefore, I have a unique perspective on what it takes to be successful and others should buy in.
  • I go to church – therefore, I study and understand the teachings in the Bible and I’m comfortable in prayer

Think about people around you and the life they’re living because of the story they’re committed to!

Fact. [pause] Story

Some people set a word for the year to help guide their intentions. I can’t say I’ve ever done it, or if I will do it now. But if I absolutely had to choose a word today, I think this year I’d choose PAUSE.

I’m wired for action and progress. I love it. It fuels me. But every sword has two sides. When I move too quickly, when I act too fast, I’m prone to mistakes, or misunderstanding. When I make a mistake, or hit a bad shot in golf, I’m quick to try and rectify. What’s proven to be more successful is pausing, reassess the situation and go from there. The past is gone. But it doesn’t mean I’ve got to screw up the future. [Pause].

Pause when I get triggered or receive push back. Pause try and understand where the other person is coming at the problem from…instead of committing to being RIGHT! They too have a unique perspective being brought to the table (and likely also stories).

I try not to give advice too often because I don’t know how anyone is arriving at this content. I can only tell you what’s worked, and not worked for me. Picking up The Daily Stoic, and reading one page a day, every day, has helped me.

Silent Killers: The Two Dangers Men Overlook

If something were killing you, would you stop?

It’s likely your brain immediately triggered thoughts like: smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse. Although these are undoubtedly killers, what I’m referring to is less obvious, and even more subtle. And yet it’s happening to men every day.

My current life journey has me in my early 40s. Given the average life expectancy for a male in the United States, I’m somewhere around the half way point in this earthly existence. This time period in life is usually an excellent trigger for a mid-life crisis…and I think I’m feeling one. But I’m coming to mine in a different way.

I’m not about to buy a convertible sports car, or a boat, or Motorcycle, get a tattoo, or get a second wife 20 years my junior. Our good friends at Forbes give us these 15 signs to look out for a Mid-Life Crisis. It’s a pretty good list and many make sense.

As I previously stated, I’m arriving at my crisis in a different mindset. Battling some health and anxiety challenges in my 30s and early 40s brought me to understand the two most valuable things anyone can have are: Health and Time.

What I’m discerning from my experience isn’t that I need a new adrenaline rush or dopamine hit from a lavish purchase. It’s a wake up call that I need to be prepared and able to live with vitality the next 42 years (Que Song: Tim McGraw, “My Next 30 Years“). Right now, is when the silent killers start taking shape…and it’s likely you don’t even know it!

Silent Killer One: Immobility

From the National Institute on Aging: Older adults who lose their mobility are less likely to remain living at home; have higher rates of disease, disability, hospitalization, and death; and have poorer quality of life.

Anyone signing up for that?

I’m fortunate enough to live in a community with many incredibly “active” retirees. I’m fortunate because every day I get to see many of them set a wonderful example of what it’s like to live with vitality into your 60s, 70s and 80s. They walk, swim, play pickle ball, ride bikes, exercise and golf four to five times a week (sometimes more). This group is an active tribe of travelers and their fire for continued exploration burns bright. They do these things because they have the energy and mobility to allow them to explore.

There is a really good chance if you’re in your 30s or 40s with kids, your Google calendar looks like a paint by number exercise. It’s jam packed with commitments, events, practices, pickups, play dates, and the list goes on. Oh yeah…you probably have a career too, so there goes 8am-5pm!

This does two things for a person. The first is the relentless schedule wears them down physically. The second is it wears you down mentally. Guess what happens next? In the pursuit of “convenience”, bad choices can easily be made because willpower is shot. More time is spent sitting, and diet choices can go by the wayside. The sedentary lifestyle begins to emerge and slowly, mobility is lost. Newton’s first law of motion states,

“An object at rest, stays at rest”

I came to the strong realization, if I can’t move, what life do I really have? Instead, I’m looking to embody the words of the Dylan Thomas Poem: Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

If this hits home for you, like it did me, my plea to you is to GET MOVING and do it now!. It’s better to wear out, than rust out

Second Silent Killer: Boredom

Say “Retirement” out loud. Feels blissful just saying it doesn’t it? Imagine, for a moment in time years from now. You’re in your 60s and healthy. You’ve retired from the need to work every day for income and you’re financially secure. The kids are out of the house and it’s quiet. Almost too quiet. The coming days, weeks and months’ commitments are few. Exhale.

Here’s the issue.

Now what?

I think about and frequently write about the journey toward early retirement. But now as that journey moves closer to reality year after year, I’m asking myself another question. What will I do with the time? I’m sure as hell not going to make sure the bird feeder is full and catch up on the latest crossword. BORING!!

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful

I imagine a machinist, or someone who spent nearly 40 years working on an assembly line, or laborer doing some sort of monotonous task. The sheer relief from NOT doing that every day has to be an ungodly relief. But the void of time must be filled. What will you do every day when your commitments were to an employer? What will you do that challenges you and keeps your mind fresh and vibrant?

I come at this from a different angle. I like what I do and it’s unlikely I ever stop doing some form of Marketing, Sales and Storytelling. Otherwise, I’ll be bored and BOREDOM is absolutely the enemy.

Here’s the real truth. Many don’t have to wait for boredom to hit in their sixties. It’s happening RIGHT NOW in the life they live. I speak confidently on this, as a friend I was having coffee with two days ago said the words out loud, “I’m bored with what I’m doing.” My response? You need to knock that shit off and find something to energize your efforts. Boredom is the enemy!

Couples are also experiencing the fallout of boredom. An early relationship driven by curiosity, passion, love and lust, changes when kids arrive and life becomes a hectic pursuit of events and milestones. Next thing you know, these same couples wake up 20-25 years later to an empty house wondering who the other person is that’s also there. Tell me you’ve seen these people. We all know them. They’ve been bored for years!

Boredom in your relationship is a KILLER!!!

Most men die at 25, but just aren’t buried until they’re 75 ~ Ben Franklin

The purpose of this post is to shine a light on a topic I think many men feel, but many overlook. I also hope to add fuel, or be the spark to the engine of change. Making changes NOW, in your 30s, 40s, or 50s has the ability to pay massive dividends in the decades to come. Decades of experiences await those who remain vigilant in maintaining their mobility and continue to pursue challenges and intellectual pursuits.

Do not go gentle into that good night!

Top 90%, Equals Half Done

The title almost seems counter intuitive, or some sort of Jedi mind trick, but it’s not.

I was listening to the Ed Mylett Show this morning working out and the topic was: Dream It, Live It, Write It. The first 10 minutes of the podcast Ed laid out the landscape of being a top 10% achiever, or said alternatively, being 90% better than the population at a given goal or discipline. This could be fitness, could be income, could be NET WORTH, or it could be intelligence. The Top 10% (the 90th percentile) is a worthwhile position. But Ed stated the following challenge, being in the top 10%, you’re only 50% of the way done…unless you’re done growing!

I rewound the podcast. I listened again.

Ed goes on to state a recipe of what’s necessary to find yourself in the top 10%. Show up. Have a good attitude. Commit with Consistency. Nothing world beating, but it does take focus and effort. But the change necessary to leap from the top 10% to the top 1%, that’s going to take much more. New Levels, New Devils.

I rewound the podcast, and I listened yet again. I started to question where I was. Am I after a top 10% life, or a top 1% life?

Lets look for some data points

The top 10% of income earners in the United States achieve an income of $167,639 annually. Depending on where you search, you can also find a different answer depending on age/location/etc. But for the sake of moving forward, the $167K is a good beacon. But what does the top 1% earn? USA Today says that number is $788,000. Therefore to move from the top 10% to the top 1%, a person must not just double their income, they must 5X it!!

What about fitness? The Mayo Clinic offers some standards for basic fitness here which is a good guide to starting. This is great intel in communicating fitness “standards”, but it doesn’t give me top 10% vs. top 1%. So the search continues. Even better, lets take a trip back to the President’s National Fitness Standards of 1985. “Participants must at least reach these levels in all 5 events in order to qualify for the Presidential Physical Fitness Award. These levels represent the 85th percentile based on the 1985 School
Population Fitness Survey.” Whatever happened to these anyway? Any correlations to these standards disappearing and our kids getting fatter than ever? Another argument for another day.

Sadly enough, the bad news continues. I heard this obesity statistic and couldn’t help but share (mostly out of rage). The United States is a HORRIBLE barometer. More than 2 in 5 adults (42.4%) have obesity. That’s disgusting. Just being in the top 1/2 in the US means you’re likely “not” obese. Congrats. End of Rant!! BMI can also be a good indicator, although not directly categorized by top 10% vs. top 1% here.

How about running?!? Mile times give us a little cleaner look in the top 50% vs. top 1% here from Medical News Today. Top 50% of males my age run a 9:54 mile. But the top 1% run a 7:00 mile. Not gospel, but again a good beacon to think about what it really takes to be top 1%.

The last stone I was looking to overturn was intelligence. It’s been a while (24 years) since taking the ACT, but a top 10% score is 29+, and a top 1% score is 35+ (36 perfect score). Isn’t that word perfect a trigger? It is sure as hell is for me!! I’m not trying to be perfect, nor do I think I can get there. I’m trying to maximize my best.

What will it take?

New Year’s Day, brings with it new year’s resolutions. I hate new year’s resolutions because they flat out don’t work. More often they’re a plea, and they don’t change behavior. Turning the page on the calendar to create “anew” version of oneself requires real change.

The first part about creating change is understanding and committing to a MASSIVE why behind the change we’re looking to make. Commit to the WHY, the how will present itself.

For me, I need to understand WHY I want to live a 1% life vs. a 10% life? More specifically, I’ve learned from Tony Robbins, I don’t just want a 1% life, I want how a 1% life makes me FEEL!

~Cheers to another year in pursuit!

A Year in Review: 2024

It’s that time of year.

I’m incredibly fortunate to work in a business that goes fairly idle around the holidays. Every year, I try to use the time to reflect, reconnect to my goals, and overall relax headed into the new year. In the last 8-10 days I’ve done just that.

But…my ambition usually gets the best of me just after Christmas and I become restless. I’m off thinking about bigger and better things in the year come. But before I get there, I’m going to reflect on 2024 targets.

  • 250 Peloton Rides: Goal Accomplished! I’ll end the year around 300 total rides which makes sense with about 5-6 per week. Outside of the immediate health and fitness benefits, I feel better, sleep better and feel like I’m a better overall human after I’m off the bike, drenched in sweat.
  • 15,000 Pull Ups: Goal Accomplished! I’ll land right around 16,000 and that’s with taking the last 2-3 weeks off dealing with some Elbow pain on the inside of my elbow (referred to as Golfer’s Elbow). I was hoping to get on to 17,000+ but with the recent pain and injury, I’ve been able to settle in to feeling accomplished on staying consistent enough to get to 16,000. [math = just over 50/day x 300 days]
  • Scorecard Accountability: Accomplished! I remain very committed to keeping track of the right efforts based on key vitality indicators in my life. Meditation, Exercise, Church, Reading/Listening to Book, 24 Hr. Fasting, and Date Nights are all accounted for monthly. If I have one major room for improvement into 2025 it’s the Date Nights. I’ve got to do better here and have a few ideas to do that in 2025.
  • Investing Goals: Mostly Accomplished. Without being too specific, I’ve got targets for personal savings and debt reduction that play into Net Worth and Financial Independence. I ensure monthly contributions to Vanguard brokerage accounts are met. The last piece I missed on was a Real Estate deal this year to invest in, but nothing penciled. That said, there are a couple opportunities on the front burner for 2025! The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) of retiring by end of 2027 remains present and possible.
  • Individual Coaching: Work to Do/Incomplete. I set a goal of coaching (3) people in 2024. I love discussing what drives others and how to get them to establish progress and harness momentum in pursuit of their goals. As Tony Robbins says, “Progress equals Happiness” and I love being part of the process. I need to get more specific on what this looks like in 2025.

All told 2024 was a year of tremendous progress toward BIG goals and a year where I continued to gain momentum and execute good habits with consistency.

If you happen to read for insight. I thank you.

If you shared content produced here. I thank you.

If you stumbled upon this content in 2024, I’m happy to see you.

Every year, I’m challenged with committing to continuing the storytelling. Wouldn’t you know it… just a week ago someone reached out and encouraged me to “Keep Going…it makes an impact!”

Enough said. See you in 2025!!

Four Quotes I Live By

This post is short and simple. I’m sharing four of my favorite quotes. These quotes are written on the white board, opposite my desk in my office. I literally see them and think about them every single day.

Here they are:

  1. Be Active in Your Own Rescue
  2. Inside the Acorn, Lives the Oak
  3. Thoughts Become Things
  4. Want + Do = Have

Be Active in Your Own Rescue

I think about this quote both financially and physically. No one is coming to save me, and no one is coming to save you. It’s not that I don’t think people care about me, it’s that they’re dealing with their own shit. So am I. That said, I’ve got to take responsibility for my path today and into the future. I’ll also say the word “ACTIVE” stands out because it means action must be taken. No one is going to achieve my goals for me and I have the ability to “create my own luck”! No one else is going to usher me into early retirement and no one else is going to do the reps for me to have the health and body I desire. Am I taking responsibility and taking action?

Inside the Acorn, Lives the Oak

I can’t recall exactly where I read this or heard it, but I love it. An acorn sitting on a desk has epic potential to be a strong, sturdy, centennial oak. But the only way that potential is harnessed, is if the acorn is planted TODAY and watered consistently. If you missed planting today, the next day is the best day to start. I think acorns are all around us if we choose to see them. Something large, and strong and successful today, started small and insignificant. What needs starting today?

Thoughts Become Things

Much love to Tony Robbins here. Thoughts absolutely become things. I’m incredibly mindful of what I think about, what I say, and what I put into my mind. What is thought about and ruminated on, becomes manifested in real life. Why does this happen? I have no idea, except to say this. If a person consistently talks about and seeks opportunity, they’ll always be on the lookout for it. Conversely, if a person is always, “down on their luck” and feel like the ball never bounces their way, an opportunity might walk right by and it’s missed because the person’s head is down complaining about how bad they have it. I know these people. You know these people. Former Navy Seal and ultra-distance competitor Chadd Wright calls his tongue and language he uses his “Rudder”. Chadd is ALWAYS mindful of his rudder!! Who knows more about this than a SEAL and Ultra athlete? Am I being intentional with my thoughts?

Want + Do = Have

A newer follow for me is Michael Chernow. Since listening to him on the Rich Roll podcast, I’ve really enjoyed Michael’s content and brand Kreatures of Habit and the KOH podcast. I even make a homemade version of his overnight oats and it’s delicious. He ends his podcast with the reminder, “Want + Do = HAVE” and it certainly stuck with me. It makes sense doesn’t it? Above I talk about being “active” in my own rescue. I also write about “Wants” and how, “thoughts become things.” The life I “HAVE” today is a direct reflection of what I’ve stated I wanted, and the actions taken (DO) to get it done. Having is a reflection of gratitude. Am I willing to do what it takes to live a big life and have the gratitude to know when to appreciate it?

These simple quotes guide my journey every day to being better with my: Faith, Family, Finances and Fitness (4 F’s).

~Much Love