Blog Bytes is a series that shares ideas to help you live your fullest every day (formerly known as SFU LYFE Pod Bytes). Join our Discord community.
Today’s Blog Bytes features the conversation between Jay Shetty and Ed Mylett on the On Purpose podcast. You can listen to the full episode here.
Here are a couple of my takeaways:
1) One More vs. Last Time
Ed talks about a transformative experience he had working out in a gym with Sylvester Stallone. Every time Ed felt like he hit his rep limit, Stallone would go “one more,” and Ed would do another. Stallone would say “one more,” again, and again, and again.
“One more” is a philosophy for life. One more rep in the gym. One more phone call. One more text to reach out to your friends. One more “I love you.” It’s always just “one more.” Think about someone who you’ve lost in your life or that you miss. Don’t you just wish you could be with them one more time? It’s not ten, a hundred, or even a thousand. It’s just one more. If you start to live with the “one more” mindset, you might one day save yourself from wishing you had one more.
In order to become more present in his life, Ed started doing this practice where he flipped the “one more” idea and turned it into “last one.” What if this was the last one? What if this was the last time you see your dad? How would you treat the engagement? Would your phone be off? How would you talk? What would you say or do? — Last time you saw your friends, last time you could walk, last jam sandwich, last whatever.
When something becomes scarce, we give it value. We become deluded into thinking we’ll always have one more. Start to live as though everything we do could be the last time we ever do something. We all could die tomorrow. A meteor could be tumbling down from outer space and wipe out human existence. The possibility that any day could be our last is very unlikely and very real at the same time, and eventually, there will be a last time.
2) Becoming a New Person Each Year
Children have a natural inclination towards change. Years ago, Ed was at a carwash with his son and the same man was there every week.
“How old’s your boy?” He asked Ed.
“6,” Ed replied.
And the man says, “Well enjoy the 6-year-old because when he turns 7 the 6-year-old’s gone and when he turns 8 the 7-year-old’s gone.”
Ed paused for a moment, looked at the man and said, “When did that stop for you?”
Children are completely different every year. Your 9-year-old self is an entirely different person from your 10-year-old self. But what about your 24-year-old self compared to your 23-year-old self? Naturally, as we get older the rate at which we change and improve ourselves slows down. It’s easy to get addicted to being comfortably unsatisfied than it is to take action and strive for satisfaction in the discomfort.
Let’s learn from children. Let’s be brand new people each passing year.