Since coming back home from the holidays, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to maintain peak levels of productivity despite the many goals & responsibilities I have constantly sapping my time & energy.
And I’ve come up with the “Three P’s” that absolutely destroy productivity: Procrastination, lack of Purpose…and Puppies.
Dear Lord it takes a lot of energy to raise a puppy. Similar to having kids, I have a theory that new puppy owners (like new parents) never actually divulge the truth about what it takes to raise a puppy, because if we did then the canine race would most likely die out. Man it’s exhausting!
Running around at 6am with a new puppy got me thinking about what it was like raising a newborn, and that was a hundred times more intense.
I can remember all the early mornings (after no sleep the night before) playing with my son on the floor and not being able to get up afterwards. I was only 30 years old, but I had zero energy, my back hurt all the time, and even walks around the block would wind me. I felt like I was a hundred.
And I also remember the most dangerous thought of all going through my mind:
“Man oh man I’m getting old.”
I was thirty!!!!!!!!!
Looking back I can’t believe how misguided that thought was, but at the time with a mortgage, doing everything I could to prove myself at my career-changing gig (Burn Notice), and raising a new kid, I just figured this is what happened when you get old, and there’s nothing to be done about it.
Now at the age of 42 I wear my kids out anytime we do something physical, and while the puppy is a handful, I have no problem keeping up with her. That’s because I’ve learned to adopt the following mantra:
“Getting older is inevitable, but getting old is a choice.”
At 42 I’m in way better health and have way more energy than when I was thirty. And this is due in part to my Sunday Funday ninja workout buddy Scott Morgan who helped me realize the script “I’m getting old” was complete and total bullsh*t.
“Scotty Mo” as we call him, is the fittest human being I’ve ever met (and I’ve worked out with some world class athletes).
And Scotty is 58.
Ep173: How to Reinvent Yourself at Any Age (And Become Badass) | with Scott Morgan
As creative professionals, we constantly have to reinvent ourselves to stay relevant (and frankly just to survive the insanity of our industry). The pressure to come up with new ideas and be daring is stressful at best, and debilitating at worst. Many of us are under the illusion that this pressure we place on ourselves gives us our edge – that it helps us continue to perform our best. But instead this pressure leads to limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome, and procrastination. And if it persists over long periods of time…even total burnout.
What if there was a better approach to reinventing yourself, your work, and even your health & body image so you could fully tap into your limitless creativity?
How different would it feel to be able to say ‘yes’ to the things that scared you and ‘no’ to the things that were comfortable and easy, rather than feeling stuck in a job you no longer enjoy? Or sliding into bad habits that are sapping your energy (like that sleeve of oreos that tasted soooooo good) and killing your motivation (just one more episode, then I’ll be productive!!!!), you could actually rise to the challenge with a ‘can-do’ attitude and a believe that your dreams are possible?
My guest today, Scott Morgan, is a PGA Golf Professional turned Online Fitness Trainer, husband, father of 2, a plant based athlete and creator of The Sweatville Club. He also happens to be 58 years old. And only in the last few years has he made this transition to online fitness trainer, plant based athlete, and entrepreneur during the period of life when most people would have considered it “too late” to learn something new and follow a passion that seemed risky or even foolish. Scott’s story will inspire you to take a risk, jump out of your comfort zone and discover what it’s like to live life with a “can-do” attitude.
Be well.
Zack Arnold
Creator, Optimize Yourself
Zack Arnold
Zack Arnold (ACE) is an award-winning Hollywood film editor & producer (Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, Unsolved, Glee), a documentary director, father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of Optimize Yourself. He believes we all deserve to love what we do for a living...but not at the expense of our health, our relationships, or our sanity. He provides the education, motivation, and inspiration to help ambitious creative professionals DO better and BE better. “Doing” better means learning how to more effectively manage your time and creative energy so you can produce higher quality work in less time. “Being” better means doing all of the above while still prioritizing the most important people and passions in your life…all without burning out in the process. Click to download Zack’s “Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Creativity (And Avoiding Burnout).”