Episode 32 Body - Sean

In this episode, the hosts discuss a three-step formula for achieving goals in 2024. The first step is to determine what you want to achieve, with an example of wanting 100,000 podcast downloads. The second step is to understand why you want to achieve it, with the hosts focusing on the desire to help and impact others. The third step is to believe in your why and stay committed even when faced with challenges. The hosts emphasize the importance of writing down and tracking goals to make them more manageable and measurable. Overall, the three-step formula aims to help listeners have their best year yet in 2024. We are live on the Level Up and Live with my co-captain, Ewan Heinemeier. Ready to rumble. Let's get it done, brother. Yeah, man. So today we have an exciting episode. I'm super pumped. You fired up? I'm very fired up. I'm nervous. We've had our morning run, seven miles, cold plunge, fit aids, so the energy is pumping. My heartbeat's got to be about 160, 170 right now. It's going to be fun. So today we're going to be covering the three-step formula. What is that three-step formula, Ewan Heinemeier? I don't know, and that's why we're going to talk to you today. So this is interesting because normally I like to put Sean's brain in like how does he do things, and we're going to flip it and use what it is that he would do on me. And there's also going to be something in the show notes for you. We'll mention more of that later, but it's going to be... Literally, I just said it before this episode started that I need to download it to do this myself because I don't do this. This is not normal for me. I really want to do it, and I want to see where it goes and where it ends up as far as 2024. What do I want? How am I going to get it, and how do I not trip up? How do I not get it? So let me correct you. Let me correct you. So the three-step formula is what is it that you want? And you have to stay to the end because we're going to give you the key ingredients that come with the formula. So what is it that you want? Coming up in 2024, right around the corner, why do you want that? And then what are the steps? How are you going to get that? That is the three-step formula. So you're like, well, that sounds simple. It's easier said than done. It really is because Sean, before the podcast, he's like, what do you want? And I'm like, uh, I don't know. I said, that's why I need the, this is why I need the download, because I need to stare at this. But then he asked me a question right after, and he said, well, what about this? And I was like, well, I do want that, right? So I guess we're going to kind of, not role play, this is real play on what 2024 is potentially going to look like. And this is going to be an example of one thing that I'm going to be pursuing, but it could be used for all the things. And for me, I really do want to sit down and think, like, what other things do I want to have? So, like you mentioned, the formula in the show notes, we have it all drawn out. The way I look at it is, you're listening to this podcast, and for me, I've always considered myself a mentor coach. So if you've got me in your life, one-on-one, I'm holding your hand through the process. That's what this formula is. If you've got this, you're printing it out, you're taking pen and paper. You've got a mini Sean on your shoulder walking you through the three-step formula to allow you to have 2024 to be your best year yet, right? For me, I've never done New Year's resolutions because most people, they fall through. For me, for my fitness, I have an image in my mind, a vision, and it manifests. I've talked about manifestation before. I don't like that word, but it's like I imagine it, and it happens. And the same for finances. But it's almost like I wing it, and sometimes I'll ask myself a question like, oh, am I on the right track? So I think this adding this in is more trackable. It's more manageable. And if I think about it, I can probably speed up the results. If I want to make X amount more, instead of, oh, at the end of 2024, I'll be here. Honestly, knowing myself, this is on the fly here, I know I can probably get my results by the end of the first quarter. So yeah, let's get into it, man. Let's do it. Yeah, no doubt. So what is the three-step formula, Euan? What do I want? What is it that you want? You got it, baby. Fist bump. Let's go. All right. What is it that I want? What is it that you want? Here we go. When Sean asked me, I said, I'm not sure. And then what is you? You brought something up that you just happen to know is important to me. And that was how many downloads do we offer this podcast? It's important. We're really exploding. We're growing exponentially. And so I like to track numbers. Even though I don't write down my New Year's resolutions, they said, what are the numbers? And so I haven't thought about it. This is on the fly, but I want us to have 100,000 downloads per year. And so to break that down, we'd be looking at about 9,000 a month. And that's on the agenda. That's it? So you write that down. You ask the question, what is it that you want? And you're going to find this in the formula. What is it that you want, question mark. Right below that, you're going to put 100,000 downloads for the Level Up and Live podcast. And you're going to break that down. And so it's more manageable to have 9,000 per month. Because what gets managed gets measured. Yeah. And you pulled that out of me. I could have, because I know that in the back of my mind. Well, I know I want that, so why am I going to write that down? That's something in addition to. But it really is, if it's not written down or tracked, I'm just... And to me, I always hit my mark. Like, I know I'm going to do this. But I think I put extra pressure on myself. Because I'm just willing it. I'm forcing it. But I think writing is done. And then managing it, it's going to be much more, let's just say stress relief. There's going to be less pressure on me. Because I'm going to be able to see, is it working? Is it not working? If it's not working, then I need to pivot. And then steer the ship back around. I'm saying all this on the fly. And it really, it's so ridiculous. Because logically, it makes all the sense in the world that you would do that. But if it's locked up in your brain, it's a total jungle in there. When it gets up here in the real world, it becomes much more tangible. And there's something I can do with that. I was going to ask, so you're able to pull that out of me. And I'm saying I don't even know what I want. You happen to know that that's something that's really important to me. And that's something I'm working on. But if you weren't here to ask that, I might be asking, I would be like, I don't know. So all the people listening, what do you say to them? Because you said if you don't really want it, even though you think you do, you're not going to get there. That's not going to happen. So it's really important that it's something that you really want. But what would you say to someone that's unsure? So the second piece of the formula, and this is a beautiful, this is probably the heart and the soul of the three-step formula, is the why. Why do you want 100,000 downloads per year, 9,000 downloads per month? Why do you want it? And knowing the why, this is going to allow you to tie the emotion behind it, which is going to allow you when the times get tough, when the challenges come and the obstacles and life happens, because we're feeling good right now, but we both know tomorrow's coming and we may wake up tomorrow morning going, life punches you in the face and you get knocked down. So if that why isn't strong enough to keep you going through the thick, the good and the ugly, then it's just not sustainable and you won't get to your what. You won't get to those 100,000 downloads. So you have to have something powerful behind that, and that's the why. So Ewan, what is your why? Why do you want 100,000 downloads? Why do you want 9,000 downloads per month? Knowing my Enneagram, if you know what that is, it's a personality type. There's nine different personality types. I'm a three, and that's the achiever type. And so it's in my nature to want to achieve and get things. And that can be super unhealthy. It can be healthy. It can be very healthy, whether it's average, unhealthy, average, and healthy. In the past, I would be wanting those to, like, subconsciously feel good. Oh, that's my mountaintop. When I get to the mountaintop, I'll feel good. I've learned that does not work. Every time I, in the past, you know, I'd reach a goal, a financial goal, or close a sale or do a deal, I'd be like, man, I'm empty. There's nothing here. And I think, so on the healthier side, I want that 9,000 because it would mean progress. Our underlying mission is to bring hope, help people, the kind of people that we were when we were thirsty or younger and didn't have people to help us there. So that's what this podcast is about. So if we're doing 9,000 a month, that means we're impacting 9,000 lives. And that's 2024's goal. Next year, man, I might 10x that. Maybe it's 90,000 a month. That sounds ridiculous. I'm an achiever type. That's not ridiculous to me. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet. It will happen. Maybe I just jump to 90,000. Let's take it back. Let's finish. Yeah, so to me, it's like, yeah, this why is to help people. And there's no better why to serve others. Yeah. Beautiful. And if you're listening to this, you, I don't know about y'all, but I just felt that. I received that. So here is the cherry on top of the why. You have to believe it yourself. So you listening to this, you could believe it all day long that Ewan just said that, but he has to believe his why, his emotion behind that. So whatever it is that your why is on what it is that you want, you have to believe it deep down inside. Because Ewan's going to have good days and bad days. He's got kids. He's got a family. He's got work on the side. He's got life just like you do. And we all get knocked down, right? Christmas is right around the corner. The pressure's on with presents. The economy's in shambles. Everything's going on around us. So this why is the center, is the core, is the heart and the soul of getting you to what it is that you want. Yeah, and last week's episode, we were discussing the three steps recipe on how to live a healthy lifestyle, how to stay in shape. So that's going to be super pertinent to 2024 for a lot of people. Solid weight. You know, we're talking about the growth of the podcast, but a lot of people, it's how they look or it's finances. They want to make more money. Those are the two standards. That's what most people are going to end up landing on. So when we're talking about why, like why would you want to look good, what are you going to do with the money? Why do you want it? Because, like I say, when things get tough, it's easy to be like, Oh, I'm just going to eat this thing. And then you eat that thing and you end up forgetting your goal by the end of the year and then you're right back to square one. That diet didn't work or I'm not in the shape I want to be. But you said that was important to you at the start of the year. How do you dial people in on that? That's one thing we've talked about. How do you get them to make it the real why? Because the real why is when you push through and get what it is that you want. How do you help people tighten that up to make sure that it's true and not, I just want to look good. I really want to look good. But they don't do the things that line with that. So it's not a real, it's not what they really want ultimately. What do you say to someone like that? Then there's, to me, the first thing I thought about is then it's not, then you truly don't want it, right? Then there's not an emotion behind that. Then there's something missing. You're out of line with integrity. You're out of line with what it is that you want and why you want it. So if you're saying these things that you want and you're not getting results, in my mind is because you're lacking that why, that sustainability, that emotion behind that. Because to be completely transparent with you, I've done both. I've done it to where I've wanted something. Like I've wanted the Shelby Mustang, right? And I purchased the Shelby Mustang. Ewan knows my story. He's smiling right now ear to ear because he knows the story. Purchased the Shelby Mustang 18 months ago. I guess almost 24 months ago. And I was like, yes, what is it that I want? I want a Shelby Mustang. So I purchased it. Went down, made it happen, okay? Well, fast forward two months. I'm driving this Mustang. It's cool. I thought it was going to bring me happiness. I thought it was going to bring me fulfillment. I thought it was going to bring me everything that it promises you to bring you. But to a certain degree, it did, but it didn't, right? It only lasted 60 days. I'm getting to that. So the what was the Shelby. And then I got to two months in when guess what? I didn't have the why. And again, this was 18 months ago. This was 24 months ago. And that's why I'm such a big believer in driving this key formula in because I didn't have the why. Why did I purchase the Shelby? I literally scratched my head in 60 days and go, why do I have this thing? It's sitting in my, yeah, it's sitting in my garage. You didn't say it was because you wanted to look cool. You thought it would bring you happiness. Yes, I guess to a certain degree, but it was, okay, great point. That's not a great why, is it? No, it's surface level. And that's exactly what you're, to your point, what you're talking about right now. So you have to be intentional about this. Print it out. Write it down. Because I've been the guy that's doing what you're thinking about doing, which is, what is it that you want? I want a car, a house, to lose 25 pounds. Well, then you either skip the why or you come up with a surface level why and there's no emotion behind it. If I would have spent the extra five minutes or if I would have had the sheet, a formula in front of me writing this out, I think I would have avoided making that purchase. Well, let's play this up. We, Saturday, we had a great run at the run club. It was a sprint workout. We went to go get breakfast afterwards. And while we were waiting to get breakfast, you said, me and Isaiah, shout out, he's going to be on the podcast later on in the month, you said, I think I'm going to get another Shelby. And I burst out laughing because I know this story already. He sold it because it just wasn't fulfilling him. And I said, and I could tell in his voice, and I know how you've worked on yourself so much and how you've changed how you think about things, that when you get it this time, it's going to be super different. Can you enlighten us on what's the difference this time? Like why would you get it this time? Why versus last time? Why? Yeah, because so my why, because I've spent time on it, right? And so I've been able to dissect, reflect on why it is that I want another Shelby Mustang. And for me, it's I'm in a place in my life and a different season of my life, and it wasn't like this. But I've visualized, I've manifested, and everything that I'm sharing with you today has gotten me to where I am today. And for me, it's all about the experience, right? People, some people to some degree, you know, spend thousands of dollars on vacations and travel, right? And again, it goes back to the formula. It's like why, what is it, okay, going to the Caribbean? Why? And if there's, well, I want to get away from the madness at, you know, what's going on in society back home. That's a problem. There's no emotion behind that. And so I used to be that guy, and now it's like, now it's about the experience, the presence, the beauty. When you're sitting in that Shelby and you hear the Mustang crank up, and then when you roll the windows down and you're cruising, and you hit that eight RPMs, the experience, the feeling that I get. See, I never dissected or reflected on any of these things when I purchased it 18 months ago. You compare that to looking cool or thinking it's going to bring you something. Right. So that was looking and thinking as opposed to what you just said is feeling the joy. Yes. Yes, joy. Yes. Having it this time around would be so different. So different. But he had one. Now he wants another one. How is that all going to be the same thing? It's so different. It's so different what we're discussing right now. And if you experience any of that, or you've had things in the past and it didn't bring you what you wanted, there's nothing wrong with having that thing as you and how you relate to that thing. Yes. So you could say, I want to lose weight in 2024 because I want to look good. And that's not going to last. Let's say there's a good chance it won't because it's not going to tie in long enough. Because you look good, you're going to get feedback from other people that you look great, and you're going to realize that's emptiness. But let's say there's another reason then. You still have the same result, same goal, but relate to it completely different. And it has to be a feeling of joy for yourself, not for any external circumstances. Yes. And that why, whatever it is, when you have the choice to eat something that's unhealthy or go down a path that's not going to serve your overall end goal, you say no to that thing. You stare down and you don't do it. Yes. And then when you work on this, you not only get better at it, but then you get to a place where you're like, do I really have a strong enough why to buy that Shelby again? Nope. It was cool in the moment, and I shared it with them at breakfast, but now I hadn't even thought about it until Ewan brought it up again. So thanks, Ewan. Well, this is why, because then you would have ended up buying another one, and maybe you still do because it's still processing. That's why the downloads and the notes, the thing that's in there, it will really help you figure this out because I know, I'm just thinking this whole time, I know when I write this out, I'm going to know my true why. It's not just the downloads for the show. There's other things that I'm going to want as well that are in the back of my mind, and I really need to cross that bridge of is it really something I want, and that, yes, the bridge I've got to cross. Like, man, because I know myself so well now, I don't need much to be content, and so why am I going to go through the grind or the misery to have this or to have X and look like this or do that or be somewhere? That's just not that important to me. I'm going to limit it down to the things that really, really matter because those are the things that bring me joy. I won't need any of those other things because I'm going to have everything I want over here with the true whys. Maybe those things show up or not, but it's not going to be a focus for my life. So the third and the final step in the formula is the how. The implementation. The implementation. So you have the what, 100,000 downloads, 9,000 a month. You have the why, to impact, serve, help others, level up and live, become the best version of themselves. And then you have the how are you going to do it, Ewan? What are the steps? If I need that download, can you show it to me? You know me, I'm going to break it down. We're doing all the things right now, funnily enough. I'm doing them all, and it is all jumbled up, all over the place. I'm good at keeping all that stuff in my head, but I 100% know I need to write it down to execute the game plan and then measure or when we do this, what is the result that we got? Because I don't know yet. This is new territory, which could be scary for me. I'm very excited. I don't mind if we don't do it. I almost don't want to do it so I can figure out how to and that's the game that we play. Let me give you an example. So the how on the 9,000 downloads a month, you're doing it right now. You're showing up. You're showing out. You're on the podcast right now. You're putting in the reps. We're doing content, free content, on our social media page, Facebook, Level Up and Live. We're on Instagram. We're constantly providing value. We're showing up. We're sending out emails. We're doing the things. This is the how. This is the action steps. It's so weird. I don't associate it. It's so strange because you're right. You know what I've been doing? I'm way off in the future, but I'm not present. And there's an indicator right there. That is something I'm hoping for 2024 is to be more present. I've been talking about that a lot recently, and there I just did it. Because I'm an achiever mindset, so I'm always thinking about how do I get it? What do I need to do to get it? And I enjoy it. I love it. There's nothing wrong with that. There's a healthy version and an unhealthy version. And you know what? Having it written down stops me from having to think about what's coming in the future because I already have planned that out, and I just need to look at what needs to happen today, what is happening today, and stay present in there. And that's why I need to write it down for this very conversation because I am lost, to be honest. I know I'm going to get my result, our result, but to just, yeah, I'm thinking about it, to just have it played out. It's not written down. And I know we've talked about this in the past, and maybe this is for another episode, but I have a sheet, a weekly design, and I write, and it literally has on there what I visualize I want, why I want it. I break this down in my bullet journal. And then the third thing is the how. What are the steps? What are the tasks that I need to do on a daily basis? And so whether that's build our email list or podcast episode, bringing on guests, these are all the hows. So I'm writing this down. It's in front of my face every single day that I'm looking at it because if I don't know the answer to it, maybe you don't know the next steps. But when you put that pen and paper, just like I do and look at it every single day and like what I'm talking about with Ewan, then it forces you because when you have that why, remember this is all a formula, when you have that why, you become an unstoppable force. You will figure it out. You're going to break down the barriers. You're going to break down the walls. You're going to break down the obstacles just like Ewan has. Hey, won't you share a little story? You want to share the story? I'll share the story. You could have easily not been over here the last couple weeks because your car. Oh, we had a car, yeah. Yeah, but you had your what? Your car broke down, right? Yeah. Shout out to Walmart. I think you're the only one. That's a whole other story. Yeah, the whole thing's there. So he hadn't had a car for like a month, right? So that's the what? Hadn't had a car. So then the second thing is why do I need to keep showing up for the podcast on a Tuesday morning, right? Well, he's had that emotion compelling nature behind it, right? Because I need to impact accountability. I don't want to let Sean down. He's had all these whys, right? And then the how. How am I going to get over there? Well, I've got a father-in-law that's going to let me borrow a car. I've got to get over there and then he's going to give it for this. So he's essentially done that formula just in that. So how you do one thing is how you do everything. I didn't even know that that's what happened there because the way, and maybe a lot of people are like this, but I know for me, when that happened, it wasn't even a I'm not, I need to maybe let Sean know I'm not going to make it. It was, I was already there in my mind. It was already, that's the manifestation. I don't know how I'm going to be there. I'm going to be there. Like there was no, no matter what, that never even entered my mind. And what happened? I was there the next day. That's right. You know, I was there ready to go. But you don't have that why you're not here. That's right. Oh, can't make it. That's right. My bad. We'll do it next week. And that's where you end up. Years down the road of, oh, my bad. It didn't happen. And then you get the result that you never asked for. And you ask, how did this happen? Well, that's how it happens. It just slips, slides, no why. And it's not important. Yeah. So let this be your wake-up call. Yeah. Find it in the show notes. It's been, for me, a wake-up call, too. It's a small thing, but you kind of get it out of your head. I was talking to my daughter yesterday, and she got into it with a friend at school. This girl had said something to her, and she didn't want to tell us. Me and her mom, she was really sad in her room. We were like, you can tell she's like, no, I don't want to talk about it. I was like, okay, well, just get it out. I know that something's bothering you. Get it out. You'll feel so much better. She was really resistant. And I wasn't pushing her or anything. But I told her, I was like, hey, you know, when I'm having troubles or anything's in my mind, I talk to my wife about it, or your mom. I learned that if I just get it out of my head, it loses all of its negative power. So she told us. And by the time, well, she told us what happened to the girl. It said something to her. And we talked about it, and she was so happy and relaxed afterwards, just getting it out. So if there's things in your head, I know this is true. Most of my problems, I start writing them down. I normally can't finish the paragraph because I'm already out fixing it. Because it's going to get out. So, yeah, I think that's. And you do it automatically, man. It's so interesting. You just leveled up on this. I love it, man. Well, the beautiful thing about Level Up and Live, and my awesome co-host here, is that one of the things that I've always struggled with is, like, getting everything out to help others. And that's been one of my missions, right, is to impact more people. Versus, you know, if I'm talking to 1,000 people, five of them may resonate or understand. But you and what is such a beautiful, and we were talking about gratitude this morning, and kind of going off topic right now, but we'll wrap this up. So with you, I'm just super grateful because he's able to kind of slow things down and bring a different perspective, right, and shed a different light on things. And so we can impact more people. And to me, that's super powerful. And I'm just super excited, super grateful for you, man. Thanks for being here, brother. Right back at you, man. Yeah, we talked about it earlier. He was just talking about how grateful he is. And I'm like, man, all the things you're saying to me, I was so grateful for you for all the things you did for me at the same time. So it's just, yeah, it's a beautiful thing. And we hope that we're bringing that to everyone out there too. And there's other people that get this. So, man, on that note, level up and live, man. Level up and live, baby. Let's go.