Episode #180 - Make the most of your Dash

The dash represents what that person's life consisted of , what they did , what they loved , what they experienced , what they created , what they shared , who they loved and who loved them . Their entire life's experience , whether it was one year or 111 years , all is within that dash . And truth is life is abundant .

What's available to us is unlimited , but life can be short , and we just never know how short . If we don't know when our last days are , why don't we live like we want to while we're still alive ? Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast with your host , rick Sellover , where minor adjustments produce major improvements in mindset , personal growth and success .

This is the place to be every Monday , where we make small improvements and take positive actions in our business and personal lives that will make a major impact in our success , next-level growth and quality of life . Hey , what's up everybody ? Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast . I'm your host , rick Silover . Thanks so much for stopping in .

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Most of you that know me know I'm an extremely positive person . I don't dwell on negative or sad stories or subjects . I just like to keep moving forward , encouraging others to grow , improve and stay positive . But , to be honest , I'm not immune to the heavier , more difficult subjects that affect us all .

I just deal with them a little bit different and sometimes I use them as fuel to help or inspire others . So this week's message is anchored onto a little darker subject , but it's not a doom and gloom rant or design to bring the room down . This is just a gentle reminder of our own mortality .

My intent is to use it to shine a brighter light on something we all go through at some point in our lives , and you've probably heard this more than a couple times . But when you look at somebody's grave marker or headstone , there's two dates born and died with the dash in between them , right .

Well , the only significant part of that date combo is the dash . The dash represents what that person's life consisted of , what they did , what they loved , what they experienced , what they created , what they experienced , what they created , what they shared , who they loved and who loved them .

Their entire life's experience , whether it was one year or 111 years , all is within that dash . This past week I had three funerals to attend . Don't they always say death comes in threes ?

A lot of them was an older neighbor , one was a friend's daughter whose life was cut way too short , and the last was a very good friend of mine's mom who lived to be almost 90 .

All truly sad indeed and all well attended , in fact , the neighbor that passed had the most attendees in that particular funeral home has ever had , and then , ironically , the friend's daughter was at the exact same place the next day , with almost an equal amount of people paying their last respects .

So naturally , my thoughts around this took me back to 2020 , when I had lost both my sisters within 30 days of each other during COVID . They were both in their early 60s when they passed and , after the initial shock and emotional pain subsided , it caused an awakening in me , a stark realization that I may only have a short time left .

I was in my late 50s at the time and I felt I really needed to make some changes quickly . Honestly , it felt all too urgent , not something I could put off any longer . And truth is , life is abundant . What's available to us is unlimited , but life can be short and we just never know how short .

It left me with questions , and I would bet you've probably asked yourself some of these exact same questions how much time do I have left ? Will I even make it to my mid-60s or longer ? More importantly , should I be a better steward of the time I do have left ? Will I even make it to my mid-60s or longer ?

More importantly , should I be a better steward of the time I do have left ? And if so , how do I do that ? Where do I start If we don't know when our last days are ? Why don't we live like we want to while we're still alive ? Why don't we enjoy our days on this earth more while we still have them ?

Why do we constantly live in a state of hesitation , put things off till tomorrow ? You know I'll get it later . Let's back burner this . For now . Let's just do this next week or next month or next year . It's so easy to put things off , to kick the can down the road a bit , isn't it ? Instead of being our true selves , our original versions ?

Why do we worry about what others may think about what we say or what we do ? What's normal , what's acceptable ? Why do we worry about what others may think about what we say or what we do ? What's normal , what's acceptable ?

Why do we spend our limited time trying to be what someone else thinks we should be or shouldn't be , should or shouldn't do Better yet or better question ? Why do we imagine what others may be thinking in the first place ? We have no effing clue , right ? We are born with such great potential .

All of us , and as little kids , we go after whatever crosses our minds right , tie a blanket around our neck and our shoulders and believe we're superheroes . We danced around , we would sing without a care of who could hear us , and we had big dreams of what we'd be someday . When we were kids , we truly lived in the moment , didn't we ?

We lived our little lives to the fullest and our possibilities were endless . Remember that . Yet as we grow up and become young adults , we slowly start subconsciously putting limits and restraints on what is possible for us . Our list becomes a little less endless every single year .

As we get older , that list keeps getting shorter and shorter and shorter , doesn't it ? Eventually , we end up living lives that are unfulfilling and monotonous . Now , I know not everyone goes through life this way . I've met plenty of people within this industry and outside of it that absolutely squeeze the most juice out of every day , every opportunity .

They take chances , they face their fears head on . They'll have amazing lives and they'll have incredible stories told of them when they're gone . I applaud them , I'm inspired by them . I'm envious of them you know in a good way , and I strive to live more like that every day , but I'm still working on it . I'm not there yet .

So I propose we do a better job with our own dash , make more of our dash . After the first 15 years or so of the beginning of that dash , we start making decisions that will move us in one direction or another . At first , selfishly , we do the things that we enjoy right , that make us happy , that utilize our strengths or our natural abilities and talents .

But as we start to get a little older , we let that influence of others , like our parents or our teachers or our friends or coworkers or our mates , dictate what we do with our dash , don't we ?

And it consistently erodes from there and we lose the importance of each day we're fortunate enough to enjoy , until one day you're smacked in the face with a reality check , a heart attack , a stroke , a major car accident or the loss of a loved one , and you wake up and say , hey , wait a minute , I almost died . Or that could have been it for me .

Oh my God . There's so many things I still want to do . I need to make some changes before it's too late . If you're looking for a competitive edge for your business or a more effective jumpstart to your personal development in 2024 , I'll make your first step super simple .

It is a fact that an incredible number of the most successful business owners , nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies , top-earning professional athletes , entertainers and industry leaders like Microsoft's Bill Gates , former President Bill Clinton , richard Branson , amazon's Jeff Bezos and Salesforce's Mark Benioff all have one thing in common they all have at least one coach

and some have several that they work with on a consistent basis , someone that helps , guide , mentor and support them , challenge them , help them set and achieve goals that move them forward and then hold them accountable to follow through driving personal and professional growth . Working with a coach has many substantial benefits .

Just for an example , 80% of coaching clients report improved self-esteem or self-confidence thanks to coaching , 99% of individuals and companies that hire a coach report being very satisfied and 96% would do it again . If , deep down , you know it's time to make those improvements in your business or your personal life that you've kicked down the road year after year .

If you're tired of knowing there's a better version of you waiting to shine , but unsure of how to bring that version to light . If you're tired of wanting to enjoy a more successful business but not sure how to start . And if you don't want to go another 12 months without better results , but you don't want to go it alone , then take the first step .

It's super simple , no-transcript . Much like the holiday movie A Christmas Carol when Ebenezer Scrooge gets visited by the ghost of Christmas Future , he finally sees his own grave . He decides quickly to change how he lives his life . Right ? Remember that . Let's do a better job with our dash now . Let's not wait until that reality check .

Okay , I know many will find themselves if they haven't already in this situation at some point in their life and have some of those same questions . We just take for granted that we'll always have the next day and the day after that , but that's not always true . The cold , hard fact is 150,000 people die every single day .

The good news is you and I did wake up today . That's a good thing , right ? So what are you going to do with your next 24 hours ? If we knew we only had a certain number of days left , wouldn't we be a little more deliberate with our days ? Hell , even with our hours and minutes , wouldn't we ?

So what can we do right now to start becoming more intentional with our time here ? How can we make the most of our dash ? Well , today , I want to share a few suggestions with you . Hopefully they can provide a little guidance to help you get started on your way . So let's take a look at five ways to make the most of your dash

Now . It's an impactful realization that our time here is limited . Let's harness that awareness and create a more fulfilling experience and squeeze more out of our days . Life has a funny way of speeding up , doesn't it ?

One minute you're young , carefree and doing whatever you want , and the next thing you're wondering where the time went and why you haven't done the things that you wanted to do yet . Well , let's change that . Number one it's about the journey , not the destination .

We've all worked hard for the things we have a newer vehicle , a nice home , a comfortable life but it's the experiences that truly enrich our lives . Remember that vacation you took that changed your perspective on something , or the time you laughed so hard your sides hurt . Those are the moments that matter .

So , instead of focusing on accumulating more stuff , try making memories and don't nickel and dime yourself out of a more memorable experience . Either Pay for that whale watching excursion or swim with the dolphins experience instead of watching it from the side of the pool . It's always worth it .

Plan that trip , take up a new hobby or simply spend some quality time with the ones you love . Number two slow down and smell the roses . I know it sounds corny , but this is true . In today's fast-paced world .

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle , bustle and the get things done mode right , but taking a moment to appreciate the little things can make a big difference . We miss so much every single day because we're in a hurry . Take the back roads , detour once in a while , or the scenic drive whenever possible . You'll be pleasantly surprised .

Try a little meditation , a little yoga . Simply taking a walk in nature can help , or even just sitting quietly for a few minutes each day . Pay attention to your senses . What do you see , what do you hear , what do you smell ? What do you taste ? What do you feel ? This can help you feel more grounded and present . Number three rediscover your passions .

Don't let the dreams and aspirations fade away . Remember that thing you used to love doing before life got in the way . Maybe it was painting or writing , or playing an instrument or rock climbing or whatever . I believe the enjoyment we experienced doing those activities when we were young didn't just go away .

It got suppressed and buried by becoming an adult and focusing more on quote-unquote responsible activities like work and commitments . It's never too late to pick back up where you left off . Engaging in those activities that you enjoy can bring a sense of purpose and fulfillment to your life . Number four nurture your connections .

Strong , healthy relationships are essential to our sense of well-being . We are social animals and connecting with others should be completely natural to us . Make time for the people who matter the most , whether it's a phone call , a coffee date , a drink with an old friend or a family dinner . Connecting with others can bring joy and support .

Expand your network whenever possible . Don't be afraid to reach out to old friends or make some new ones . And number five focus on gratitude . This one's huge . It's so easy to get caught up in what you don't have , and comparing yourself to others around us is just well shit . It's the most harmful thing we do to ourselves on a daily basis .

But focusing on what you do have can shift your perspective . Start a gratitude journal or simply take a few moments each day to reflect on the things that you're thankful for . I've personally been doing this every day for the past four years and I can tell you with no hesitation this has been one of the best daily processes I've ever adopted .

This practice can help reduce stress and increase overall happiness . It's a fact you cannot be grateful and angry or stressed at the exact same time . It's physically impossible . Remember small , little changes can make a big difference . Start by incorporating just one or two of these suggestions into your daily life .

You might be surprised at how much more fulfilling your days become .

Let's not wait until we have that reality check or the visit from Christmas future to decide to make some changes . Why don't we start right now ?

Look , I'm still not perfect about doing this , but after losing my sisters in 2020 , I did start making some changes that have allowed me to improve my dash to get a little more enjoyment and fulfillment out of every day since then , and I'm so grateful for that . Now , hopefully , you will be too . Well , that's all I had for you today .

Thanks again for tuning in . I really appreciate your support and I hope you have a great week . I can always be reached at wwwrickselovercom , where you can find all my social media links , podcast episodes , blog posts and much more .