I used to be boring.
That was the first thing I saw when I walked into Jesse Itzler’s house. It was painted on a chair. And it hit me at that moment.
“I used to be boring. And now I’m not. And that’s why I’m here.”
Five years ago, I was going through the motions: conformity, complacency, redundancy. I’d chased everything I was “supposed to”. I was drinking too much. I wasn’t taking great care of myself. I wasn’t doing anything particularly interesting or exciting. I was just kind of, like, doing. I certainly wasn’t taking any great adventures. There wasn’t a podcast, I hadn’t written a book. And that was the moment that I decided I wanted to change.
I didn’t want to be boring anymore. I wanted to be interesting. And I wanted to be interested in things again. I wanted to be curious. I wanted to be adventurous. I wanted to make new friends, be in better shape, be able to say that I’ve actually done cool shit in my life that was different. Maybe even a little outside the norm and a little unexpected. And I wanted to be around the types of men who do those things too.
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So, I put a list together of those people.
Guys like Laird Hamilton. Rich Roll. And, yes, Jesse Itzler.
There were athletes like Tom Brady and Troy Aikman, too. And there were musicians like Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl. And there were also just images that were part of the vision of what I wanted my life to look like.
There were beaches and there were mountains. And there’s a Singer Porsche 911. And there were pictures of my family. And I printed all these pictures out, in black & white, put them in frames, and I put them up in my office. It was a way to inspire myself.
And then I set out to try and act like these people. Try to be more like them. I latched onto this notion that you attract and repel exactly what you deserve. That how I perceive myself is how I want to be perceived by others. I realized that I had the power to change and evolve and grow myself.
I picked up my guitar again, looking at the pictures of Springsteen and Grohl and Vedder. And I actually put a band together and played a few gigs, where we rented bars and invited our friends. And it was fun. I realized that Jesse had events and experiences like 29029, so I signed up for my first one five years ago. And I’ve done it every year since. I looked at guys like Laird and said, I cannot surf 100-foot waves, but I could do this pool workout stuff. And so I did. And this February, I went out and trained with him and Gabby and his team. And in 10 days, I’m gonna be in Sedona doing a ruck marathon.
And I rebuilt my life all those years ago around this notion that if I’m boring, what does not being boring look like? If I’m overweight, what would being in great shape look and feel like? If I never hiked a mountain, what would that look like? In each and every one of these areas that I wanted to change, I just started to act like it. If Rich could start a podcast at 47, so could I. If there were guys out there who felt that their life was just beginning at 50, why couldn’t mine?
Each was an intentional, conscious change. Each day, a positive action step. Something that brought me closer to becoming the man I wanted to be. I bought stationery. I started writing thank you notes. Jesse does that, so can I. I started giving without the expectation of receipt. I started signing up for things and attending things that I never thought that I would do. And I learned that I could do them. And because of that, I am now certain that you do, in fact, attract and repel exactly what you deserve.
A few weeks ago, Scott McGregor called me and said, Hey, is it okay if I connect you with Taylor and Alex from Jesse’s team? He said they were asking about some people that they could collaborate with for their Big Ass Calendar Club and he thought of me. I said, of course. I’ve been emulating Jesse for years. I’ve been looking at that picture on my wall for years. I’ve been building my life resume from 47 to just about to turn 53 next month.
And I got on that call. And I told Alex & Taylor that. That I have a Big Ass Calendar on my wall. That I use my Big Ass Planner every day. That I have the Eudemonia conference on there still to come, a 20-mile hike in Boulder, a ruck marathon, a family vacation, Thanksgiving. That like Jesse… this is how I live.
And they asked if I wanted to put one more thing on the calendar. An incredible thing.
They asked if I’d come down to Atlanta and hang with Jesse and talk about planning our New Year, going through his system, and how he does it. And it was a “Hell, yes!” moment for me. And I was ready for it. Because I have hiked the mountains. I have sat in the cold. I have sweated out in the heat. I have filled my calendar with events and experiences and adventures. And I have built out my life resume.
Starting from that day, five years ago to today, these years, in my 50s through ’70s, I think, are going to be the best times of my life. Because, like so many of these men that I’ve admired, like Jesse, I’m now living my message every day also.
And when I walked in and I saw that chair, the one that said “I used to be boring,” I thought, “maybe that was him at one point, as it was me.”
But I’m not boring anymore. And that’s why these things are happening. And they can happen for you too. Anything and everything you want in life is possible. You just have to be willing to go out and get it.
So make today the day you start. And keep going.
You never know where it may take you.
P.S. Stay tuned for next Sunday’s issue, where I give you the behind-the-scenes on my day with Jesse. What his life is like, what we talked about, what I learned and everything in between.
In Health,
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Greg Scheinman
Founder, Midlife Male
52. Husband. Father. Entrepreneur. Coach.
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