Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 565 of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast! Im glad you’re here. Welcome to new listeners and welcome back to my old friends. It’s truly an honor to be invited into your home or your car or your air buds at the gym wherever you are that we get to be together, I’m honored that you keep coming back. Sometimes it’s that little 10 minute nudge that reminds you to be nicer to yourself, and maybe nicer to other people which makes the world a much better place. I read that a lot of people are waiting for someone else to make the world a better place but did you know that by making YOUR world more peaceful, by making your world happier, you are actually creating that energy out into the world too and I love that for all of us. So Thank you for being here.
So the other day, I had this vivid memory of the La Quinta Inn in Memphis, Tennessee. If you’re from Memphis, you might know the one I’m talking about—right at the curve of 240. I don’t even think it’s there anymore, but back when I was a kid, we used to stay there. My dad used to run these big church conventions in Memphis, and he’d have to go a few days early to set everything up. So, our whole family would pack up and head to the big city. Well, While Dad was off making sure the convention ran smoothly, my mom would take us kids to the hotel pool. Let me tell you, that pool was the highlight of our summer.
We’d splash around for hours, laughing, playing, not a care in the world. Those are some of my fondest memories—pure joy, pure freedom. But here’s the funny thing: looking back now, as an adult, I wouldn’t touch those hotel pools with a ten-foot pole. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, so the hotels we stayed in? Let’s just say they weren’t exactly five-star. But as kids, we didn’t care. We didn’t notice the chipped paint or the questionable water quality. We were just living in the moment, soaking up every second of fun.
That got me thinking: when we talk about “the good old days,” what are we really longing for? I don’t actually want to go back to swimming in a sketchy hotel pool or staying in a budget motel. What I miss is the feeling—that sense of excitement, the carefreeness of being a kid. Kids don’t worry about the future or dwell on the past. They’re just fully present, seeing the world as brand new every time they turn around.
But here’s the flip side of that memory. As carefree as those pool days were, we didn’t have much control over our lives back then. We swam until Mom said, “Time to get out.” We drank water at dinner instead of the Coke we begged for. Bedtime? Whatever Mom and Dad decided. Our lives were at the whim of someone else’s agenda. And that’s the trade-off, right? As kids, we had that carefree vibe, but we had very little agency.
Now, as adults, it’s the opposite. We have so much freedom to make our own choices. Want to stay up late? Go for it. Want to book a trip or switch jobs? That’s on you. We get to decide how to handle our responsibilities, big and small. But sometimes, with all that agency, we start longing for the simplicity of childhood. We think, “Man, I wish I could go back to when things were easier.” But would we really trade our freedom for that? I don’t think so.
What if we could have both? What if we could hold onto the agency we’ve earned as adults and rediscover that carefree, present-moment joy we had as kids? I think it’s possible, and it starts with how we use our minds.
Our minds play a huge role in every decision we make. They can lift us up or drag us down, depending on how we listen to them. Let me share a quick story to illustrate this. I’m taking an interior design sketching course right now, and it’s got tons of modules. I was really into it, powering through one module after another, loving every second. But then, as I finished one module and the next video popped up, I felt this wave of dread. Like, “Oh no, I’m only six modules in, and I’m already tired?”
My first instinct was to push through. You know, that “grind it out” mentality we’re all taught. But then I stopped and thought, “Why don’t I listen to what my body’s telling me?” So, I took a break. I went for a workout, cleared my head, and came back refreshed. And you know what? I was excited to dive back into that next module.
That moment taught me something important: sometimes, we ruin things for ourselves in our own heads. We get so gung-ho that we burn out, or we ignore the signals our bodies are sending us. Your mind and body will tell you what they need if you listen. Maybe you’re not tired of your job—you just need a vacation. Maybe you’re not over your relationship—you just need to spice things up a bit. Those little nudges, like feeling dread before a task or craving a change of pace, are your body’s way of saying, “Hey, let’s find some balance here.”
So, how do we combine the agency of adulthood with the carefreeness of childhood? It’s about making intentional choices that honor both. Use your freedom as an adult to create moments of joy—whether that’s taking a spontaneous weekend trip, signing up for a class that excites you, or just giving yourself permission to take a break when you need it. And when you feel that burnout creeping in, listen to it. Don’t push through just because you think you should.
Those summers at the La Quinta pool taught me that joy comes from being fully present, and we don’t need to give up our adult freedom to find that. We just need to listen to ourselves and make choices that bring us back to that carefree feeling, even if it’s just for a moment. As adults, we get to do that for ourselves. Maybe you’re lucky enough to be married to someone who creates those moments for you or right along side you, like I am but if you aren’t, You still get to create them for yourself. Life is far too short to just work all the time. Eric and I often say “what are we working for?” So many work their whole life to retire but die months short of enjoying that retirement. That’s why you have to enjoy it now. Make decisions for this moment that feel good to you, don’t wait until all is perfect, that day may never come.
My challenge to you today is to just take a look at your life where you are right now, is there an area where you’re feeling a bit burned out? Maybe a relationship that feels a bit distant? Maybe there’s something you’ve been dying to try but you always say “I’ll try it later”. Tony Robbins likes to say: when is NOW a good time?” Meaning if not NOW When?“ Take one thing you’ve been putting off and schedule it or take a break from something that is burning you out and when you come back to it, you may come back refreshed and excited to get right back into it, like me with my sketching course. Our life is what we make it, are you creating your life on purpose or waiting for someone else to do it for you? If not NOW, when? Share this with 3 people who deserve to live on purpose. I love you guys! I’ll talk to you in a few days!
