Shed & Shine â Riff Episode: The Episode That Shall Not Be Named
00:00:00 - 00:02:03
Gino Wickman
Hello and welcome back. This episode I call the episode that shall not be named, by me at least. So I got a call a week or two ago from an EOS implementer who was calling to tell me that they're going to pursue another passion. They're leaving the organization. They're going to stop being an EOS implementer and they're going to pursue a new passion. And I've gotten this call a few times. So a little history for those that don't know, I created a system called EOS, founded a company called EOS Worldwide. We've grown that over the last 25 years to an organization with 900 EOS implementers. And in the early days, the first 10 years, I was the visionary and I personally trained the first 100 EOS implementers and have a very intimate relationship with the first 200 before I sold, and then know many of them very well, but it's really hard to know 900 people really well. And so, as I said, with 900, I'm going to get this call from time to time, but when it comes from one of the original 100, that one has some emotion around it, and I'll talk more about that in just a minute. But when I get that call and when they move on, there are lots of great reasons. It's a new passion, and in this particular case, this person is pursuing a new passion. They're now retiring. We've got implementers retiring. We've had implementers pass away. But some, they just don't feel it's right for them anymore. But whatever the reason is, I'm looking at my growth and development. And in this case, just as I do now, I told him how happy I am for him and his family and excited for his new passion. And that I loved him. I mean, I literally told him I loved him because I do have such a deep love for these people and the amazing work that they do. And it was genuine.
00:02:03 - 00:04:28
Gino Wickman
So then I'm driving after this news and I'm pondering and I'm thinking about all of the people I've worked with that have gone away in the past. With two companies over 33 years and over 1,000 people, this is going to happen. And I'm looking back at my evolution. And with these people, I pour my heart and soul into them. Like I said, I love them. I teach them. I lift them up. We build something together. And so there's really a connection there. And I'm reminded of in the early years how much it hurt to get that call or have that conversation. And so I'm driving and I'm thinking about this and I'm thinking about all of the emotion. So sometimes I would get sad, sometimes I would get pissed off. It's like, how dare you? And again, I think about the growth because I was truly at peace. And I've been at peace when I get this call for years now. And so the reality is it's going to happen. And it gets me thinking about you and me simultaneously. But here I am, I'm driving, I'm processing, I'm thinking about all this. And so it's going to happen. It has to happen, especially again with that number of people in your world. And then I also clearly saw how hanging on to everyone, how that can drain you. So if I did stay sad or pissed off, I mean, it would absolutely zap me of all of my energy. When in reality, it's something to be celebrated. It's growth. Human beings are going to keep growing, and I realize I should never take that personally. And hopefully you're hearing that same message for you. But I've still not yet made the point. So I'm driving, I'm thinking, and this is leading to other thoughts. And these other thoughts led into a dinner on Friday night with another couple Kathy and I went to dinner with. And so the four of us are talking, and in the conversation, I'm reminded of the other thing I was thinking about on that drive after hearing that news.
00:04:28 - 00:05:30
Gino Wickman
And the other thought was about living to 120, which is my goal, which is my plan. It is possible if you followed longevity. Dan Sullivan, one of my mentors, believes he's going to live beyond 150, just to give you another perspective. Now, with that said, I also want to make it clear that if a bus hits me tomorrow, I am good. It has been a great life, but I do fully expect to be around for another 62 years. So however long it lasts, it's been a great ride so far, and hopefully it will continue to be. So I'm having these thoughts. This friend of mine that we're having dinner with, he's aware of my plan to live to 120, and he was in shock when I told him 10 years ago, and now he actually thinks he's probably going to live to 120. And so if you look at all the advancements, it's really possible for those that choose to, okay? That's a key word, choose to, and maybe that starts to get to the point in this episode.
00:05:31 - 00:06:46
Gino Wickman
So we're sitting there at dinner and it comes up somehow. I can't remember exactly how he brought it up, but he mentioned that. And so we started talking and then I was reminded of what I was thinking about on that drive, because in addition to people going away in your career, coworkers. I started to bring my personal life into this, and I started to think about that if I'm going to live to 120, that means my kids, I'm going to see my kids live to their 80s and 90s. What that means is that I'm going to see my kids in their 80s and 90s. And I'm going to see my grandkids in their 60s and 70s, and I'm going to see my great-grandkids in their 30s and 40s. And so there's a slogan for a longevity company that says, "Be at your great-grandkids' wedding." Now, continue on. It also means that I'm going to see my great-grandkids get married, to that slogan. I'm also going to see my great-great-grandkids be born.
00:06:46 - 00:07:28
Gino Wickman
Now, on the other side of that is that there's a potential that I would probably see my kids or other family members die if they're not committed to living to 120 as well, or that I will lose a lot of friends that will come and go. Some will die and some will move on as friendships end. So on that note, I would have to get really good at making new friends. And my significant other may pass. Our significant others would pass if we're going to live to 120. Again, if they're not committed to the same thing.
00:07:29 - 00:08:19
Gino Wickman
So then that led to our parents, and we started talking about our parents. And my friend's mother is 90 years old. And her third husband just passed. Her first husband passed when she was 75, 15 years ago. She then got remarried. She then got remarried again. And so that, to me, as we were talking about that, was so powerful to think about this woman that was able to lose a husband and find a new one. Now, again, it's one of two things. She's either incredibly resilient and healthy or very lonely, whichever one it is. But from everything I could gather, she was very resilient and healthy. And so we would have to be able to do something like that.
00:08:19 - 00:09:12
Gino Wickman
And then I started thinking about my dad, who's in an independent living facility, and I've watched the people come and go, and I've watched him make new friends and watch them come and go. I've watched that multiple times. And that got me thinking about, can I do that? Am I capable of doing that? Experiencing that loss and recovering from that, learning from that, growing from that, and bringing on new relationships all the way to 120 years old. And so what's going on inside of me that would make me resist that, that would make me fear that, because it's all just life. It's just going from living to 80 years old to 120 years old. It's just more life. And then it got me thinking with all these emotions. So would that make me crazy that I could handle that, or healthy that I could handle that?
00:09:12 - 00:10:32
Gino Wickman
Now, up until this point, I've certainly been talking about me in the hopes that I'm stimulating your thought, because there it is, the episode that shall not be named. So what's the point? And I'm being genuine with you that that's why I can't name it. I'm not sure that I know the point, because I don't know if it maybe helped you shed something. Just thinking through all of this and processing through all this, maybe it identified a barrier in you that helped you shed something. Maybe it helps your 10-year thinking. So let's go to Discipline Number One, 10-year thinking. Maybe it helped you look at it a different way. Think about it a different way. Maybe it helped you make some big life decisions as you maybe took a further view, a larger view of your life. Maybe it helps you build a resilience in life about loss of significant others, kids, friends, family, coworkers, where this conversation started. And maybe it just simply puts everything in perspective right now. And you start living life differently. Because it did all of that for me. It did all of those things for me.
00:10:32 - 00:11:54
Gino Wickman
So how do you put that in a nutshell? I don't know if this conversation is morbid, insightful, scary, sad, or enlightening. It has been very stimulating for me. It did something inside of me. Maybe it expanded my understanding of things. Lots of things. Maybe it expanded my wisdom. I don't know. So should this episode be called People Going Away, Dealing with Loss, Resilience, The Downside of Living Forever, The Wisdom Needed for Longevity? Again, I don't know. It's really whatever it means to you and for you. Maybe it's just a thought exercise to give you exactly what you needed right at this moment in your life. Yeah, I'm going with that one. And if it did, now please go do with that thing what you will. Thank you for listening in today. We truly appreciate you taking the time to spend with us. And please tune in for the next episode. Till then, we wish you all the best in freeing your True Self. Stay focused and much love.
