Becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise…the book I’m reading now...

If you have been reading the GreenNote Fitness newsletter for awhile, you know that I love books. The one I’m reading right now I’m very excited about. I pre-ordered it and it arrived shortly after returning from the Unbeatable Mind conference. What is so great about “Tools of Titans - The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers” For over two years during my daily commute, I’ve been listening to the Tim Ferriss Show podcast. He has interviewed people like Malcolm Gladwell, Brene Brown, and Kevin Costner. He has taken what he has learned from interviewing these world-class performers and created the book. Tim does a fantastic job of deconstructing what they do, challenges they’ve overcome, and routines that help them improve dramatically. Which begs the question, if someone is successful in whatever facet of their lives, wouldn’t it be wise to understand what they do so that one might be able to apply some of it in their own lives? If that sounds like you, then you will enjoy this 600+ page book. Think of it as a reference book. It’s not meant to be read cover to cover. It’s cleverly organized into three sections: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise (Tim is a big fan of Benjamin Franklin). One thing I found interesting is that he includes a section, What Do They Have In Common? The one that jumped out at me was that more than 80% of the interviewees have some form of daily mindfulness or meditation practice. Also, almost every guest has been able to take obvious “weaknesses” and turn them into huge competitive advantages. Perhaps what I find really interesting and is challenging my way of thinking, is, well, thinking differently. Huh? Tim provides 17 questions he asks himself that have dramatically changed his life.

1. What if I did the opposite for 48 hours (e.g. make sales calls only from 7-8:30am and 6-7:30pm instead of 9am to 5pm)

2. What do I spend a silly amount of money on and how might I scratch my own itch (e.g. I spend a lot of money on supplements and could start a supplement company)

3. What would I do/have/be if I had $10 million and what’s my real Target Monthly Income (TMI)?

4. What are the worst things that could happen? Could I get back here to where I am if they did happen?

5. If I could only work 2 hours per week on my business, what would I do?

6. What if I let them make decisions up to $100? $500? $1000? (e.g. telling his team ‘from this point forward, please don’t contact me with questions about A, B or C. I trust you. If it involves less than $100, please make the decision yourself and take a note in one document so we can review and adjust each week. Just focus on making our customers happy.’)

7. What’s the least crowded channel? (Tim started a podcast because it was underutilized communication medium)

8. What if I couldn’t pitch my product directly (e.g. to help with a book on fat loss, write a whole bunch of useful blog posts on fat loss rather than a bunch of big fat loss book sales letters)

9. What if I created my own real world MBA (Tim gets into this in detail in book – focusing on real world experiences instead of formal university education)

10. Do I need to make it back the way I lost it?

11. What if I could only subtract to solve problems (what can you simplify? what can you put on your not to-do list?)

12. What might I put into place to allow me to go off the grid for 4-8 weeks, with no phone or email?

13. Am I hunting antelope or field mice? (an anecdote from a Newt Gingrich speech)

14. Could it be that everything is fine and complete as is?

15. What would this look like if it were easy?

16. How can I throw money at this problem? Can I “waste money” to improve my quality of life? (e.g. forking over the cash for business class on a flight so you can arrive to where you are going well rested and able to enjoy the experience)

17. No hurry, no pause. (you don’t need to go through life huffing and puffing and red-faced, and you can get 95% of the results you want by calmly putting one foot in front of the other)

Number 9 is similar to one I’m working on from the Unbeatable Mind conference; what subject(s) do you want to study this year as if you were designing your own graduate program? Begin to design an educational program. The rest of Tim’s question I will ponder and journal what comes up. This may take some time. The questions aren't meant to try to answer right away. What I’ve gotten out of listening to podcasts and what this book represents, is that there is a higher standard that we can set for ourselves. We can show up more fully in our careers, relationships, and how we nourish our bodies, minds, and spirits. The people interviewed in this book aren’t “special” or different from most people. One big distinction though, is that they don’t just go through the motions. They commit to something and work hard at it each and every day. We don’t need to be billionaires or famous. We should know that our lives are what we create. As Tony Robbins (also interviewed) reminds us, you are not a manager of circumstance, you are the architect of your life’s experience. Here’s to your life’s experience. To your journey, Lisa Schaffer GreenNote Fitness P.S. Check out my Facebook page for inspiration. P.P.S. Discover GreenNote Fitness recommendations for recovery, supplements, protein bars & powders, nutrition, equipment, and more in the GreenNote Fitness eStore **Do you have a friend that would benefit from this information? Please forward it to them!**