Hello
I lied.
I’m almost 40.
I have a couple of days of my 30s left and I’m spending those in Walt Disney World in Florida with my family.
Usually, my first email of the month would be an income report.
But as I’m away, instead, I thought I’d share 3 things I know at 40 that I didn’t know at 30.
(I actually know a lot more things of course, but these are the biggest needle movers.)
When I was 30 I was fat, broke and chaotic.
I turned things around…
Here are the things I know at 40 (that I didn’t know at 30)…
1. Health is the most important thing of all
When I was younger, I would diet and exercise only because I wanted to look good on the beach or at the club.
Over time, I stopped being so shallow and caring so much about what I looked like on the outside.
So I stopped dieting and exercising.
That was silly.
My knees were not happy about that decision at all.
And I thought – “Do I want knee pain for the rest of my life?”
Or do I want to be able to whizz up a flight of stairs when I’m 70?
My reason for being healthy switched from the immediate goal of looking hot in a bikini, to the long-term goal of not having pain every day as I get older.
And guess what, that’s a MUCH more valuable goal!
The chronic knee pain gave me a glimpse into what life would be like if I didn’t switch paths.
That gave me all the motivation I needed to eat well and work out.
At 40, I’m fitter and healthier than I have ever been before.
Because I found my why.
If you don’t have good health, nothing else matters.
And while it’s never guaranteed, we can give ourselves the best chance.
2. The key to success is delayed gratification
Whatever you want in life…
Whether it’s six-pack abs, a profitable blog or a nice house, the ONLY way to get it is with delayed gratification.
Imagine, for a moment, that you opted for instant gratification every time.
What would that look like?
You’d probably be sitting on the sofa, vaping, ordering pizza and doom-scrolling TikTok.
Do that every evening… and where will you be in 10 years?
On the exact same sofa, probably.
I sat on that sofa for most of my life.
Delayed gratification means doing tasks that give you no pleasure in the moment. They might even cause short-term pain.
But the rewards down the line are huge.
When focusing on delayed rather than instant gratification, your evening might involve a workout, taking an educational course or creating content for your website.
None of those are particularly pleasant (especially at first), but they will all make you happier next year.
Keep that up for 10 years and you could have your dream life.
Start doing things that will make ‘future you’ happy, rather than things that make ‘present you’ happy, and success will happen.
3. Relationships matter
I’m the kind of person who didn’t mind lockdown that much.
I love being on my own and I hate small talk.
So it took me quite a while to realise the true power of relationship building.
The phrase: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
Well, it turns out that’s actually true.
When I’ve been invited on press trips, it’s not because I’ve got the biggest following or can create the best content.
It’s more likely because I sat next to a PR manager at dinner at an event!
9 times out of 10, if you ask someone for a recommendation, they’ll pick someone they’ve met in real life.
I met most of my team members in real life before they started working with me.
So if there’s an opportunity to mingle with people in your industry then take it, because you never know where it might lead you.
You can get so far by yourself. But you can get so much further with the help of others.
How about you?
Whether you’re a similar age to me or not, I’m sure you’ve also learned a TON of things over the past 10 years, right?
What are your top 3?
Are they similar to mine? Or completely different.
I’d love to know.
If you reply, I’ll save it and read your thoughts on the plane.
I may be less chaotic now, but that didn’t stop me from booking a 9-hour flight on a budget airline on my 40th birthday.
What a dickhead!
Maybe I’ll even compile a list of everyone’s biggest learnings and share it in a future email.
That would be cool.
If you choose to get involved, thank you!
– NSL