It occurred to me that many of the midlife men we feature may be completely new to you. Sure, I get to bring you stories from celebrities and big names, but the truth is that some of the most compelling stories and what’s changed my life most, has come from men you’ve never heard of—those who aren’t in the public eye. That’s exactly why they’re so interesting to me. Finding these men, often reclusive and introverted, and getting them to open up and share their experiences is one of the most rewarding parts of this journey. I hope you find as much value in their stories as I do, which is why I want to share a little background on this week’s How I See It above.
Five years ago, I was invited to an Entrepreneur’s Organization event in Houston where Cameron Herold was the speaker. He was talking about his book, Vivid Vision. I was captivated by his speech, this notion that you could design your life three years into the future, what it looks like, feels like, earns like, plays like and operates like. I bought the book, and as somebody who is not a voracious reader, I tore through it – it’s a short book, probably 100 pages or so.
I set out to write my own vivid vision exactly as he laid out in the book. I crafted it and created it and threw up all over the page and created a vision board with pictures and images of everything from what I wanted my body to look like, my home to look like, the relationship with my kids and my wife, our finances, everything that I would put on my body and in my body, the types of vacations we would take, the work that I would do. I hired a designer to put it into PDF form and make it read like a short story, a narrative of my life’s resume, but a forward thinking one into the future, because I hadn’t really done any of these things yet.
From that vivid vision, I needed to take the next steps. I had the outcome on paper, but how I was going to implement it. Who did I need to help me? What did I need? How much time was I going to need? Money, everything required to execute, and where would it all go on my calendar, and how would that fit into the life that I had at that time, and how would it evolve into the life I was going to live each day and through the next three years?
My superpower is that I’m like a golden retriever. If you throw the ball, I’ll go get it and bring it back. Over and over. Get me a good trainer and he tells me what exercises to do, I’ll do them. Financial advisor provides a strategy that says invest this much in these funds, set up these auto deposits for your kids, etc. done and done. Nutritionist tells me what to eat, I go shopping and only get whats on the approved list. I follow the plan. I execute. There are standards and I adhere to them.. And guess what, it has worked.
I didn’t suddenly become more motivated, more powerful, more capable. I just simply applied what Cameron taught. It took preparation, discipline and accountability. It was simple. And it was hard. But the more I stuck to the plan, the more I began to live and feel healthier, happier, wealthier, stronger and have more fun, and the more inspired and motivated to continue I became.
I got up each day and did what was on the page, what was on the calendar, and the greatest impact on my success and evolution and growth didn’t come from how much I was doing. It came from how much I was no longer doing – the time that I was no longer wasting, the people that I was no longer giving my time to, the inefficient and ineffective habits and behaviors that were so ingrained in me that were now no longer holding me back. You appreciate and value the open space that’s become available.
Cameron Herold’s Vivid Vision has been the impetus for what’s become the Midlife Action Plan (MAP) for myself and my clients. I don’t use the term “life-changing” lightly, but that’s exactly what it’s been—and it can be for you too. To understand the full scope of how this transformative framework works, I highly encourage you to dive into the full interview with Cameron Herold and pick up a copy of Vivid Vision. It might just be the tool you’ve been looking for to unlock the next, best version of yourself.
In Health,
Greg
Greg Scheinman is the Founder of Midlife Male. His mission is to help men maximize middle age. He does this through one-on-one coaching, a podcast, and a newsletter. He is a best-selling author, speaker, entrepreneur with two successful exits, athlete and thought leader on life over 40. Most importantly, he’s a husband and father.
Coaching/Speaking with Greg | Buy Greg’s Book
Partnership Inquiries: greg (at) midlifemale (dot) com
