--:-- Ryan Hanley: I hate when this is the case because it makes for terrible radio, but I completely agree with everything you're saying. It's funny—my inner circle and I, which is a few people, made a very similar move. I drastically reduced the circle of people I spend significant time with, those I share intimate details of my life with. I have plenty of friends, and that's not knocking the people outside that circle. But that core inner circle—I reduced it and then really started to invest in those relationships deeper. We have this hashtag we use with each other when anyone is getting a little stale—it's hashtag GNF, right? Give no fucks. Like, just... oh, I like it. And it's this idea. Actually, my buddy carved me out a simple wood sign as GNF. It's always in the backdrop, but the idea is like what Paul Graham talks about—don't be the best, be the one. The only way to be the one is to figure out what you're into.
--:-- Paul Epstein: I had this moment with one of my friends in my inner circle. We were talking about this podcast, and you don't know this, but up until four months ago, this podcast was primarily focused on the insurance industry. Four months ago, I decided I've done insurance for a long time. I find it interesting, I still have connections there, but it's not where I'm passionate. I took this podcast to the next level, started bringing in people like yourself with incredible ideas that are larger and bigger. I'm so nervous about being 100% myself. I've always been told I talk too fast, I'm too much, too contextual—blah blah blah. He literally goes GNF and hangs up the phone on me. I was like, "Mother... you know?" Sometimes someone just hits you with that.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: So, what was the moment that hit you when you were like, "I've had this incredible career, these amazing experiences. You said the sexiest place you could be in your career is wonderful. But something hit you that you just said, I'm not 100% me, and that's what I want to be." This Win Monday is 100% me. Maybe you didn't have that idea in your head, but you knew it was something. What was that moment for you that shook you loose?
--:-- Paul Epstein: It's funny because here we are. My Jerry Maguire leap out of sports happened, and I made the mental decision. Notice this is important—people always see this glorious leap and feel like you've got the biggest... what in the world. I made the decision in 2016. I left sports at the end of 2017. So this didn't happen overnight, but what I was doing in the interim were these micro-decisions. I was doing the research, having coffee meetings, talking to friends, industry peers, figuring that stuff out—what do I really want? And what's the price I'm willing to pay to get there? Is it responsible to pay that price? Who else would this affect? All the things. Notice those sound like playing small questions, but they're actually the questions you need to play big.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: It's funny. Put the very unsexy, maybe polar opposite 180-degree unsexiness industry of insurance to what you just described, and there's a lot of similarities. I think you're 100% right. What I've always struggled with is this idea of passion and purpose. I just said, "I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can. Like, my way is just to work as hard as I possibly can at whatever's in front of me. So, what is... why do I have to set goals? Like, goals are stupid. I'm going to go as hard as I can, and whatever we get is what we're going to get, right?" It took me a long time to realize these were also very limiting ideas.
--:-- Paul Epstein: I realized that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if someone gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter—why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah. Why? It's because my head says, "Just lose 10 pounds." But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. That means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in 20 years. Ah, that means something to me. Losing 10 pounds is so arbitrary. It's a goal.
--:-- Ryan Hanley: I love that. So, how do you find meaning? Well, my kids bring me meaning. Okay, we can work with that. What aspects of where... and you can kind of break it down into chunks. So, when someone is struggling with that idea of purpose, that it feels so big, so far away, that the micro-actions between here and there just feel irrelevant. How do you start to chunk that up for them? How do you get them going? What's that first bit? I know momentum is a huge thing for you. What's that first bit of momentum that you coach people to get going?
--:-- Paul Epstein: What I realized is that momentum and growth are impossible unless we can simplify that first step. So, simplification—it's stickier, more achievable, more memorable, and it widens the net of possibility and opportunity. Because if we make it too big, then I'm going to focus on why I cannot do something versus if somebody gives me a simple bite-sized step. Now, to your point, it needs to mean something to me. It needs to matter, or it's not going to stick. Look, you know, things that don't mean anything and don't matter. And it's why we all suck at it. New Year's resolutions. But dude, I'm lucky to get to February 1. Yeah, yeah. Why? It's because my head says to just lose 10 pounds. But unless my heart has a deeper meaning on why I want to become a healthier human being, I'll stick with it. Oh, because I want to be throwing the ball in the backyard with the kids in
