Forged in Fire

Just this week, I was listening to a podcast episode between Insurance Tycoon turned Investment Mogul, Patrick Bet David and one of the greatest Public Speakers and Life-Coaches the world has ever known, Tony Robbins.

Listen to it here.

Within the multi-hour discussion, there once was one specific question posed by Robbins that caught my attention. It went a little something like this:

“For you, specifically, where do you devote the great majority of your thoughts; the past, the present, or the future?”

After a few brief seconds (seeming more like an eternity,) Bet David responded as such:

“For me, as an ambitious business person, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future – setting goals, chasing down targets – things of that nature. But – I know where you are going with this.”

It is likely that he (Bet David) did surely know what Robbins was insinuating with this question. As did I, or so I thought.

“There is a reason that the most wealthy people in the world are often the most unhappy” added Robbins, “Their headspace is almost always fixated on either future problems or on past wrong-doings.”

The conversation continues on with many additional insights worth listening to, but that’s up to your discretion.

At any rate, the back-and-forth between the two sparked some serious contemplation of my own usage of thought. After all, our brain is a serious tool that can absolutely be utilized for the greatest of feats and the most detrimental of downfalls. 

The idea itself – living in the moment – is something that I’ve spent some serious time discussing and writing about in the past, but something worth re-visiting nonetheless. A consistent reminder of our own shortcomings in this regard never hurt anyone, did it?

After some reflection, I came to a couple of conclusions:

• I spend far too much time allowing myself to labor over the past and the future.
• It is incredibly difficult to course-correct such a habit.

So, what is the solution?

What a solid question, for which I have no real answer.

But, what I have discovered are just a few actions that seem to have assisted in furthering my ability to focus on the here and now – the moments I once longed for, that I’m experiencing as I type these words.

Said actions are as follows:

• Cut back, drastically on screen-time – most specifically, the super-computer that we all carry in our pockets. These devices are incredible resources (when used properly) but a time-suck like none other when allowed to operate as such. I found that the distractions in my life were due in great part to the amount of time I spent staring down at my phone – scrolling social media, following news headlines, you name it. The response to this recognition has been finding times throughout the day to intentionally store it away – out of sight, out of mind, in order to fully soak up the world around me – my family, my work, my studies, and so on.

• Read more books. One of my primary goals for the year 2025 is to greatly increase my intake of literature – books of all kinds, but most specifically on Business, Religion, Family, and Fitness. In doing this, my intent is to grow in my knowledge of many tangible things that can be applied to the life I’m living at this very moment. Substituting mindless scrolling with intentional reading and personal development. 

• Ask more questions. Particularly in my relationship with my wife, but also with my close friends. The idea is to be far more deliberate with the conversations I have, and, as a byproduct, develop a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the greatness surrounding me at this stage of my life.

• Lastly, is the practice of keeping a “Gratitude List.” This consists of things that I am grateful for – one for each year I’ve been alive – with the idea being that I will continue to add an additional member to the list each year on my birthday. I keep this list written on an index card which is tucked inside my Bible – readily available for me to refer to often. 

Now, I am more than certain that this list of helpful tidbits is far from finalized and most definitely far from perfect, but serves as a terrific place to start. 

In pondering these ideas and practices, I’d highly recommend that you listen, if even to just bits and pieces of it, the podcast linked above. I believe that it holds a slew of great advice and thought-provoking messages that can greatly impact your day-to-day life. 

As I continue down this road of constant search for improvement, I hope that you are doing the same. We only do this thing once, right? Why not do it up to the fullest extent possible?

Go be great today, and every day for that matter.

Forge on.

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