Aerial View:

• Intro thoughts

• Mindful Minute: Balancing short term requirements in pursuit of long term desires

• Conscious Consumer: Never Enough - Andrew Wilkinson

• Quote of the day

• 3 key questions to reflect on

What’s up men, welcome back. I Just spent the last week up north seeing family and some friends. It was absolutely one of the most powerful and enjoyable trips back home since my move to Florida 6 years ago. I felt truly present the entire time, which feels really great to say. Back in the swing of things as we kick off the week—feeling refreshed, clear, and dangerous. Ready to leave it all on the table both personally and professionally the back half of the year. Hope you all are in a similar boat.

Today, we’re looking at balancing short term desires, long term desires, and required actions in pursuit of the bigger picture.

Mindful Minute - Balancing short term requirements in pursuit of long term desires

We all have desires. We want certain things- experiences, relationships, status, accomplishments, legacy, it’s different for each of us. These are high level desires- the big picture goals. These are the desires we should pursue with ferocious tenacity. Relentless pursuit.

I am a firm believer that life is too short to do anything but everything we want. Typically, what we want to do is what we like to do- what we enjoy doing. We are hardwired to seek feeling joy and we usually do our best work when we enjoy the process. Steve Jobs’ quote “the only way to do great work is to love what you do” applies directly here.

In short, we’re here to enjoy this journey. That’s a hill I’m willing to die on. So why settle for anything else?

There is a balancing act here and compromises must be made. Not on the bigger picture, but on the short term actions that are required FOR the bigger picture. The mental unlock here is realizing that there are certain things that just need to be done in order to get us closer to our big picture ambitions.

It will look different for everyone of course, but I’ll provide my personal overview on the matter to help illustrate what I mean.

Big picture: I want robust meaningful relationships. I want to remain healthy and active as long as I can. I want NADS to be the best underwear company on planet Earth. I want my team to feel that they are in an empowering, impactful, and safe work environment. I want to be in complete control of my time. I want financial freedom. I want health, wealth, and happiness. Those are just SOME of what I’m after in this life.

As of right now, I am not willing to compromise on pursuing any of those. Now let’s look at some of my other, short term desires.

I want to wake up without an alarm. I want to go to the gym in the afternoon for 90-120 minutes. I want to eat whatever I want, whenever, and wherever I want. I want to play my guitar until my fingers hurt daily. I want to lay in the sun for an hour every day. I want to drink espresso and wine on the streets of Italy each day for a month out of every year. I want to travel the world and be present during it. The list goes on.

Those sound great, even writing them now, I know they’re a part of my bigger picture and I’m smiling thinking about it all. But I know they’re not in my immediate. Although I want to do them, they don’t get me closer (currently) to the life I want. Sure I can go and experience these things briefly now, but it would offset the ability to experience them with more consistency, presence and joy down the line.

So in order for those to eventually be the norm in my life, gratification must be delayed. Understanding that in order to get what I really want- I have to do whatever it takes, which can include certain things that I don’t want, but need to do. Not things I hate doing. Those should never be done.

But sometimes we just have to roll our sleeves up and do the less enjoyable work in order to get us closer to that which will bring us real lasting joy.

For example: I love scripting new videos and strategizing new marketing concepts for the brand. I also love getting on calls with other founders and entrepreneurs to connect and expand my network. I don’t love digging into the digital infrastructure to assess which elements of a landing page can be tweaked to improve conversion rate. I don’t love filling out insurance applications and handling legal contract negotiations. But I have a keen awareness that although I don’t love doing those things, they are vital, and will get me closer to my higher level desires. Balancing act here.

Here’s the TLDR of this post: We crave feeling joy. We must run towards the actions that make us feel joy. But we also must be aware that sometimes, we have to do the less enjoyable in order to get closer to our big picture desires, the ones that will bring deep, lasting joy. Finding that balance takes time, effort, and keen self awareness.

It is not selfish to pursue the enjoyment of life. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. That’s all for today.

Conscious Consumer

I think this book needs to be read by anyone pursuing lofty goals. Wilkinson’s journey shines light on the importance of really understanding your “why?” I think this is a must-read, especially in the world of constantly comparing ourselves to others. I won’t say anything else here, as the power lies in you uncovering your own key takeaways naturally.

Quote of the week

We are here to enjoy life. One way or another, we must strive to find ways to enjoy this life. I believe that we should all strive to make an impact as well. Can we create ways to make an impact and enjoy it? That’s the big idea…

Rise and Reflect - Questions to Inspire Impactful Action and Critical Reflection

1. What are my top 5 big picture desires?

2. What do I genuinely enjoy doing in my day to day? Are those getting me closer to my goals?

3.  What don’t I enjoy in my day to day? Are these getting me closer to the big picture? If not- axe them. Am I doing anything I HATE? Eliminate entirely (if possible).

4. Are my short term actions getting me closer to my long term vision? If so- stay the course. That is the path. If not, it’s time to strategize and course correct. Life is too short for anything else.

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Thank you for being here.

Sails up, eyes open.

Until next time,
Dan Baird