How To Become The Best Version Of Yourself Even When You Feel Like The Worst Version Of Yourself With Jeff Wickersham

[00:00:00] Jeremy: Throughout your life, it's happened over and over again. You're doing all those little things that help you feel better moving your body, eating well, getting to bed on time, but then something comes along and throws you out of your routine and you spend the next days, weeks and months trying to get back on track.

[00:00:15] Zach: Today we'll share some simple things you can do to ignite the spark that lights a fire, helping you become the best version of yourself.

[00:00:22] Jeremy: coming up today on the fit mess.

[00:00:24] Jeff Wickersham: when you feel those nerves when you feel that uncomfortableness ah should I really do that or feel that fear I use it as a reverse indicator Yep That's absolutely how I need to move forward because that is where the growth is 

[00:00:36] Zach: 

[00:00:37] That's Jeff Wicker, sham. He's a mindset and peak performance coach and host of the morning fire for entrepreneurs podcast. Today, we'll talk to him about how to become the best version of yourself. Even when you feel like the worst version of yourself.

[00:00:49] 

[00:01:10] Jeremy: Zach, we go on other shows all the time and we talk about how our show helps hold us accountable. And that is so true for me this week. With this episode, uh, as you're gonna hear in this interview, I've gotten way off track with all of my self-care stuff in the, in the past month, month and a half, really, since summer started and, and the kids were home from school and all that, but what we discuss with Jeff in this, I.

[00:01:32] Has already just in the, in the few days since we talked to him has helped me course. Correct. And, and I'm hoping that if you're in the same situation as I am where you know, summer's a little bit less predictable, you're out of your routine. Hopefully you'll hear some things here that will help you hit that reset button and get back on track.

[00:01:46] Zach: Man you said it, the summer routine really throws a wrench into the whole thing. When I was a kid, I loved summer vacation. I didn't, I genuinely just didn't realize how much stress that put on my parents.

[00:01:58] Jeremy: Yeah, seriously. It's funny. Even when my kids were little and like before they were in school and went somewhere for the day, I would see other parents, you know, around this time early August going somebody, please take my kids back to school. And I never got it. I was like, what do you mean? They're fun.

[00:02:12] They're little they're they're they're you know, kids are great and don't get me wrong. I love my kids and I love when they're around. But when you're trying to work, take care of yourself, keep the house clean. All these. Knowing that they are safe and at school and learning and getting an education, it just makes it easy for you to sort of clear up a little bit of a little bit of your day so that you can take care of yourself.

[00:02:31] Zach: Yeah, but it's not just kids that throw you outta the routine too. Right? There's a, there's, you know, that thing called life and a job and like bills and

[00:02:38] Jeremy: voices in

[00:02:39] your head and all of the things. Yeah.

[00:02:41] Zach: there's so much that that's gonna throw you outta the routine. I know. Uh, I have actually been pretty good with my routine recently, um,

[00:02:50] Jeremy: it, does it hurt? Does it hurt to pat yourself on the back that, that easily

[00:02:54] Zach: Well, I actually can't because I, my forearm hurt so bad from like working out that, like, I can't actually reach back and do it, um, at, at the current moment, but like, I've just been like, doing really well, like with goals, like in the gym and outside of the gym, like work goals and things like that. Like, it's just kind of all feeling really, really well.

[00:03:15] , But then at the same time, like I have all these other things that I want to start doing or the, you know, and I haven't started yet. And I've, I've found myself going down that hole of like, whoa, you know, like the you're a piece of shit comes 

[00:03:27] Jeremy: Mm-hmm 

[00:03:28] Zach: and I've been able to stop myself most of the time.

[00:03:31] You're like, no, no, no, no, no, look acknowledge the wins. You're doing well. You're doing really well. And you will get to all of that other stuff. So it's. Your mindset is, I mean, we talk about it all the time, but like having that right mindset and having that interrupt, like a switch that where you can be like, wait a minute.

[00:03:52] What I'm saying to myself is not true.

[00:03:54] Jeremy: Mm-hmm

[00:03:55] Zach: There's no evidence for that. It's not true. , it just blows me away when the things we're saying in our head, we believe it. We believe it so hard and it's most of the time, not true.

[00:04:07] Jeremy: I had a session with a breathwork coach this week that, uh, will actually appear on the show in a few weeks. And he taught me a little trick. And, and it, it's funny how you, you sort of hear these things and you sort of need to hear them at the right time to implement them into your life. And I was telling him about that voice that tells you you're a piece of shit and you suck, and you're not good enough and you're not worthy.

[00:04:24] And other people, you know, don't want you around and don't care what you think. And he just said, you just need to give yourself a roommate. Imagine. That voice is the person sitting on the chair next to you or on the couch next to you. And they're saying all that shit, and you just need to turn to them and just say, shut your mouth. And it is, it is amazing how, when you take that voice out of your head and put it in the seat next to you, it's easier to tell it that's enough. We can continue this conversation later, but right now I don't need to hear it. It's just, it was just such a powerful tool. And I've been trying to implement that this week, since I was, was taught that and, uh, so far so good.

[00:04:57] It's been helping.

[00:04:59] Zach: That's awesome. I know for me, like I, the last year of my life has been really weird. Like I've said it on the show before, like I quit the job that I had and walked away from my marriage, like two really, really big identifying pieces of your life. And. It hit me a week ago. Like I just had this moment in, in my kitchen where I had just gotten like a good email from work, like saying I did a good job on something.

[00:05:24] And I had just gone on, on a date with a, with a girl , that went really well. And like, I just had this moment where like the last 12 months of feeling like a piece of shit at my job and at home where like the voice shut up for a second, I was like, oh, you're not so bad.

[00:05:41] Jeremy: mm-hmm. 

[00:05:42] Zach: There was just so many negative experiences that happened to me in the last year that like shifted my mindset in a, in an unhealthy.

[00:05:50] It was just great to have that moment where I was like, oh no, you are okay. Like, you're good. You're fine. And, uh, 

[00:05:58] Jeremy: that's one of those 

[00:05:59] Zach: over overwhelming.

[00:06:00] Jeremy: That's one of those things we talk about here all the time is, is building a case, right? Piling up the evidence that other people do care. People do want you around. They do give a shit about you. You are good at what you do. All of those things that are so hard to hear when you're in the trenches and things, aren't going well, and you don't feel like you're doing your best and you're not showing up in a way you want to.

[00:06:19] Those are the, you know, those positive messages, those positive things, those wins are what you gotta stack up and keep looking back at to prove to. The guy next to you can shut up cuz cuz he is not making any sense with all the negativity. 

[00:06:32] Zach: So having the, having the right mindset is just so absolutely important, but you know, one of the things that I, I, I just make sure I do every single day, so I can focus on changing that mindset is to, you know, make sure that my body is healthy, , physically. And that's why I take athletic greens. So I can focus on my mindset and not worry about the nutrients that are in my body.

[00:06:53] 

[00:07:59] Zach: AGAD

[00:08:00] Jeremy: Our guest today is Jeff Wickersham. He's a mindset and peak performance coach and host of the morning fire for entrepreneurs podcast. We started by asking him what lit the fire under him to help others become better versions of themselves.

[00:08:11] Jeff Wickersham: 

[00:08:11] It starts 

[00:08:12] seven and a half years ago with the, uh, loss Mo my mother to breast cancer. And I think when you lose somebody so close to you, especially the, the woman that, that brought you into 

[00:08:20] this world, she takes her last breath. Fundamentally changed you at your core. Right? And, and I question 

[00:08:25] everything about life in those days, weeks, months ahead.

[00:08:29] And. I felt just at my core, I needed to make a shift. I needed to make a change. Life was fragile, 

[00:08:35] left corporate America opened up a gym locally. And then what organically grew out of that was mindset, 

[00:08:41] accountability, 

[00:08:41] performance, coaching, 

[00:08:43] intentionally stepping into the best version of myself personally and professionally and helping guide 

[00:08:47] others to do that.

[00:08:48] And 

[00:08:49] now it's just, I'm ever consumed by it. And I, I love every 

[00:08:53] single day and grateful for the opportunity to, uh, to talk to you both. 

[00:08:58] Jeremy: Uh, I've, I've read the story of, of your mother's passing. It was, uh, it sounds like a very dramatic, uh, experience to have gone through. Was that I don't get the sense though. That that was like a rock bottom for you. I, you, you seem like you were a competitive guy from the beginning, real positive upbringing.

[00:09:14] Your family was really supportive. Were you always kind of a high performer? And this was just sort of elevated that game? Or was there, was this sort of a big turning point in your life where you're like, I need to really do something different.

[00:09:24] Jeff Wickersham: It definitely was. So I was competitive 

[00:09:26] growing 

[00:09:27] up and, and always wanted to win whatever we're 

[00:09:31] doing, whether it's a game of monopoly Or or on the football field. But my senior class, I was on the male side I 

[00:09:38] was 

[00:09:38] voted biggest complainer and

[00:09:41] Jeremy: That's 

[00:09:41] Jeff Wickersham: In college I had a fraternity brother that was in one of my masterminds and he kind of said you were kind of a Debbie downer in college So I definitely was not that positive force that I am now So you know for for the listeners where you start doesn't need to be where you finish Right And and Losing My mom was definitely that trigger that spark looking back to say okay today is a gift How do you use it to the best of your ability And any day I wake up and I'm standing is another gift that you get So, uh, definitely not where I started from a mindset kind of complaining positive person to developing

[00:10:22] Zach: So kind of a similar story in, in, my life. Like, I, my whole family tells me to this day that they thought that I would be in jail or dead. From my teenage years and you know, I I've shifted things slightly. So, you know, I'm very interested in. How did you make that shift? Did it happen overnight?

[00:10:42] What was the one thing you did or millions of things that you did? I'd love to hear you just, you know, talk about, you know, how you, so obviously you recognize that you may have been that way and you made that shift, but how did you start that process? How do you even start to unpack making that shift?

[00:10:59] Like if I'm sitting here going I'm a little down, I wanna make that shift. Where do you even start?

[00:11:05] Jeff Wickersham: It was absorbing every piece of content I could 

[00:11:09] right in the beginning And and I feel like we live in the 

[00:11:13] best Time of the world right Where technology is at our fingertips but it's also a crutch that people fall back on right Where they're just constantly consuming but they're not executing or putting to action what they learned So you know to to your point Zach I mean it was a million little steps and there's been multiple iterations 

[00:11:32] where yes the trigger was my mom's passing But then 

[00:11:35] as a gym owner I still had some of those bad habits that I had previously where I remember Going to coach a Saturday exercise class at my gym And I was up late with the 

[00:11:45] buddies drinking beer till two 

[00:11:47] or three in the morning And I I stunk like alcohol My wife called me out on it She's like how can you go teach a fitness class when you smell like alcohol Okay great Great To bring out lay some truth on me Okay Now I need to do things differently It's constantly that iteration process And I think so many 

[00:12:04] times in life we feel like 

[00:12:06] Hey once we get to here Everything's just gonna be smooth and we're we're never gonna be exonerated of the work of getting better And when you can get into that mindset Hey, every day's an opportunity just to go get a little bit better

[00:12:18] than the day. 

[00:12:19] Jeremy: Man. Okay. I had a question and now I have two because, uh, and, and these are both coming from my life right now. So one it's all habits, right? It it's, it's doing those little things every day that build you into the person you're going to become. I started the first half of this 

[00:12:37] year, kicking ass, going to the gym every day, feeling really good.

[00:12:40] And then summer hit and the kids were home. And so the routine's thrown off you miss a day, miss three, go, on vacation, miss two weeks. And now it's been a month. 

[00:12:50] Jeff Wickersham: Okay. 

[00:12:51] Jeremy: like crap worn 

[00:12:52] out tired. I, I don't have the energy to, to do all the 

[00:12:55] things that I

[00:12:55] was

[00:12:55] doing for the first half of the year. So I'm, I'm gonna come back with another question after this one, but where, how do you, I mean, I

[00:13:04] already hear the voice in my head answering my own

[00:13:06] question. But from your perspective, how do you reset? How do you 

[00:13:09] get started again? How do you, because there's peaks and valleys on this journey. It's not all just an upward trajectory. You hit those valleys hard. So how do you claw your way back out? 

[00:13:19] Jeff Wickersham: One is giving 

[00:13:19] yourself grace. Right. We're human beings There's not never been a perfect human being there. Isn't now there never will 

[00:13:26] be. Right. So that grace that we can give ourselves that just gives you the 

[00:13:29] pause to say okay Hey I'm resetting 

[00:13:32] I'm getting back on that that horse Right 

[00:13:34] That's incredibly powerful And we consistently beat 

[00:13:37] ourselves up over and over 

[00:13:38] again as Jeremy You're probably doing now a month into it like just 

[00:13:43] constantly hammering man Why the heck did I not stick with Give yourself some grace and say all right I'm starting off Here's the F here's the foundation Here's the leaping off point 

[00:13:52] And I'm starting tomorrow and I'm only focused on tomorrow right We can't change the past 

[00:13:57] only 

[00:13:57] focus on tomorrow and and say Hey I'm I'm gonna be consistent And use that example as a lesson that moving forward your standard is I don't care if the kids are home I'm on vacation whatever it I am staying to that standard and I'm gonna exercise because I know physically and mentally it just lights me up And we were just on vacation as a family in the outer banks And I worked out six outta the seven days My kids are hitting the gym with me and and it's amazingly powerful when you can be connected as a 

[00:14:27] family And and I would say as you know as a dad then leading by example 

[00:14:31] kids are gonna see it And they're like crap. I gotta keep up with dad Or I'm I'm chasing dad and pretty

[00:14:37] Jeremy: So then the second part of that question is, you know, while I'm kicking my own ass for the last month and, and feeling like crap about this I'm, I'm wrestling with that concept of, there is no finish line in this, right? This is not the last valley I'm going to

[00:14:50] hit. There are going to

[00:14:51] be ups and downs. That that alone can weigh

[00:14:54] so heavily on you when you realize you're not gonna get to a

[00:14:58] point where you're like, oh, everything's just gravy now. How do you, how do you not let that keep you down? You know

[00:15:06] what I mean? Does that make sense? 

[00:15:09] Jeff Wickersham: It totally does. And I, I was a couple weeks ago I was working out in, in our garage gym with 

[00:15:13] my wife and I kind of was shaking my head and she was like what? And I was like, I gotta do this 

[00:15:18] same shit tomorrow. 

[00:15:19] Jeremy: yes. 

[00:15:20] Jeff Wickersham: And 

[00:15:20] it's like it's like son 

[00:15:22] of a gun. I gotta do it But you know what I know I gotta do it and I'm going to do it because If I get that gift it's an opportunity to continue down that path And I think we all face it and it's something that we don't 

[00:15:35] talk about. I face it like I'm hammering a workout I'm on the floor exhausted 

[00:15:40] And I'm like son of a gun I gotta do this again 

[00:15:43] tomorrow Right And that's difficult because we've been led to believe by media and society Hey you'll get to that White Sandy beach The the ocean will be crystal blue You'll have your toes in the water And you'll just be able to sit there It's not you won't be happy with that Right We need targets We need missions We need purpose in our lives So it's you're probably wrestling with it right now 

[00:16:07] and going through it And eventually you'll get to that iteration which I do now And many times it's because I'm setting my identity right When I wake up like working out for example every day I set my identity I'm a world class 

[00:16:22] Well, what does world class athlete do He takes action regardless of he feels like shit or he had a bad night's 

[00:16:28] sleep or ate like crap yesterday He's 

[00:16:30] still working out So uh that standard that I did is a pretty powerful force

[00:16:35] Jeremy: I, I love hearing that, uh, that a guy with your level of energy also has days like that. So that, that that's good to hear. So cool. Thank you for that 

[00:16:43] Jeff Wickersham: You

[00:16:43] Zach: Well, so let me, let me follow that up because I had a little bit of a struggle this morning, myself. So when you're in those moments,

[00:16:51] Jeremy: Wait, I didn't know. This was gonna turn into to Zach and Jeremy's therapy sessions. 

[00:16:56] Zach: well, 

[00:16:56] no, I think this, I 

[00:16:57] think

[00:16:57] this, is actually pretty applicable because, you know, I, I wrestle with, you know, that, that same thing of like, oh, I don't wanna do this 

[00:17:05] but you know, , I woke up this 

[00:17:07] morning and I have been hitting the gym for I think probably five days in a row. 

[00:17:12] , 

[00:17:12] it it's a CrossFit gym, so it was different every time.

[00:17:15] But I kind of woke up this morning and was. I gotta go to the gym.

[00:17:20] My body was telling me different though. 

[00:17:22] Like it wasn't, it wasn't my head going. I don't want to go to the gym cuz I truly wanted to go to the gym,

[00:17:28] but my body was saying, uh, uh, uh, bring it down. You need a rest day. So like how do you wrestle between those two thoughts of, 

[00:17:36] I don't wanna go to the gym and I shouldn't go to the gym because I actually need a rest.

[00:17:42] Jeff Wickersham: Great question and 

[00:17:43] listening to your body is 

[00:17:45] is a is a difficult animal right When your mind's telling you 

[00:17:49] Hey 

[00:17:49] I don't wanna do it You can fight that when your body is saying Hey I need a rest day I'm a former CrossFitter I I probably know what you were doing those five days right Pounding through those workouts I would then I implement an active rest day right I go for a little jog or I go for a walk or I do something physically move but I give 

[00:18:07] my body the time to heal 

[00:18:09] and rest And in my younger years I would just hammer through that And that's where you know injuries happen That's where rest and recovery is truly where our bodies expand develop get stronger I'm much more in tune to saying, Hey 

[00:18:25] today's today's an active 

[00:18:27] recovery It doesn't mean 

[00:18:28] I'm gonna sit on the couch and, and eat ice cream all day long but I'm gonna move a little bit 

[00:18:32] get that lactic acid out recover and then I'll be able to hit it harder

[00:18:35] Zach: Oh, I shouldn't have eaten ice cream.

[00:18:37] Ah, No, I'm just kidding. I actually went to yoga.

[00:18:40] I. 

[00:18:41] Jeff Wickersham: there you go That's perfect Right Stretching and mobility I know especially for guys that's 

[00:18:46] not something we love doing but it's it's essential to to stay flexible and and uh 

[00:18:52] and

[00:18:53] Jeremy: All right. Well, let's get out of the physical gym and let's jump into the mindset. Jim, a lot of this begins there in, in the way that we look at the world and those activities and all that. So. talk to me about, uh, you know, just getting uncomfortable and, and, and pushing yourself to do those things that you don't wanna do. 

[00:19:09] Jeff Wickersham: It is 

[00:19:09] such a critical component. So many peak performers say 

[00:19:13] the mindset is more important than the physical side, right? The mental side. and I love 

[00:19:17] cold showers ice baths cold walks I love 

[00:19:20] putting myself in that natural stress because I feel like that's a rep you can do fairly easily once you get into it 

[00:19:27] And that's flexing your your your mindset your mental muscle and and there's something about stepping into the cold either a shower or ice bath and 

[00:19:36] your mind saying 

[00:19:38] Get the hell out here We're not doing this And you saying Nope 

[00:19:40] you know what? We're gonna move forward It's uncomfortable That's where growth is And saying go sit in the corner I'm stepping in anyway and 

[00:19:47] doing those reps day 

[00:19:48] after day So you know one of the amazing 

[00:19:50] things I love to think about is 

[00:19:53] Using triggers as reverse indicators So when you feel those nerves when you feel that uncomfortableness ah should I really do that or feel that fear I use it as a reverse indicator Yep That's absolutely how I need to move forward because that is where the growth is And so many times You know we've been taught we've grown up up fear Nope I shouldn't do it It's it's gonna harm me Well that's actually where the growth is It's not gonna harm you Uh so using that as a reverse indicator is a pretty great way And getting into the cold is a great way to get some mindset reps in

[00:20:26] Zach: But that applies elsewhere too, right? It's not just the cold, right? It's it's, you know, the, I should go for a walk, but I don't want to, or, you know, I should sit down and meditate, but I don't want to. Can you just elaborate a little bit more like on, on your thought process when that happens? I know just specifically for me, I, I have things that I know I need to do, and I get that nervousness.

[00:20:49] I get that. I don't know about that. How do you you know, what, what steps did you implement to actually like, just put that interrupt in there of like, whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute. I need to think more about this.

[00:21:02] Jeff Wickersham: One is having an awareness that that's how you feel Right And and that's how the body reacts And many times that's the Preparing you for success in what you're doing right Those those feelings of anxiousness those butterflies in the 

[00:21:15] stomach That's those are arousal pieces to the 

[00:21:19] the mind body connection It's actually preparing you for success 

[00:21:22] So that's a key component 

[00:21:23] The other piece is chunking something down So let's say for example to walk 

[00:21:28] and you're gonna go for a two mile walk Well tell your mind Hey I'm just gonna walk down to the stop sign That's 20 steps away instead Why don't you get 20 steps What 

[00:21:37] ends up happening You you keep going for those two two 

[00:21:40] miles So 

[00:21:41] however you can trick your mind And I use this in my last two David Goggins four by four by 48 that I did where you're running 12 legs four miles over 48 hours It's the equivalent of almost two 

[00:21:53] marathons Well when you start at 11:00 PM that first one You've got 11 more If you look at it that way the mind's gonna go hell no we're not doing this where if you can say and after I finish my 11:00 PM run I only have 

[00:22:07] one more 11:00 PM run left All of a sudden the mind says Hey, we can do this. So however you can chunk it up and make it smaller So the mind sees that it's doable We'll definitely allow you to move through The other piece is I love when conditions aren't right I call it my rainy 

[00:22:22] day mentality 

[00:22:23] So it's raining outside You're gonna go for a run or a walk 99% of people aren't gonna go 

[00:22:30] So you wanna get ahead of 99% of people go for that run go for that Walk in those elements you 

[00:22:35] are getting ahead 

[00:22:36] So when you flip it that way it inspires you to say Hey I'm getting ahead of everybody That's not going out in those conditions So those are a couple couple mental kind of 

[00:22:46] strategies and and tips that I love to, uh, to, I

[00:22:50] Jeremy: One of the things that I

[00:22:51] think has helped me the most when I'm not in the valley when I'm climbing or I'm I'm on the peak is the recognition. The motivation was just the match, right? Like that, that lit the fire. It's the consistency of doing the thing every day, that starts to eliminate the need for those mental tricks and the talking yourself into it.

[00:23:11] And listening to which part of your body's telling you what, so what role does consistency play in, in whatever journey someone's on, uh, to, to improve the. 

[00:23:21] Jeff Wickersham: I mean, consistency is the 

[00:23:22] ultimate force multiplier. Right If you have energy you 

[00:23:25] have time. You've gotta have consistency. That that's what 

[00:23:29] allows you that exponential growth eventually the 

[00:23:32] issue is we don't know when it's going to happen 

[00:23:34] Right So so many times people stop before they get to that peak before they get to that win because they just don't know when it's gonna happen But if you're consistent over and over again you'll 

[00:23:44] you'll eventually get there I'd also say you know so many times people 

[00:23:50] Struggle with accountability having somebody else 

[00:23:53] that's there And accountability is just a core 

[00:23:56] fundamental in any coaching program I run because when you have somebody else that's counting on you or when you tell somebody else you're gonna do something it's so 

[00:24:04] much more powerful than when you say to yourself Hey this is what I'm willing to do so ways 

[00:24:09] that you can kind of flip that switch in your conscious mind to 

[00:24:12] hold you accountable by being with others as a 

[00:24:15] powerful force as

[00:24:17] Zach: All right. So you got me on the accountability, but you mentioned one word in there that, , lit a fire and then it quickly fizz. Energy. Um, I have always found, and I know I hear this from a lot of people is, you know, like I wanna make a big change. I wanna do these things in my life, whether they're mental, physical, whatever, but I just don't have the energy for it. And I know that, you know, in that moment you feel like you don't and the things that you have to do, you feel like it's gonna drain you even more, but I'd love to hear you talk about energy and how. A lot of people actually do have it backwards. Like some of the things that you do that you would think would drain the energy, actually give you more.

[00:24:58] Can you talk more about how you get more energy and, and how you get yourself to the right place? Energy wise?

[00:25:04] Jeff Wickersham: So number one would be I love to think 

[00:25:07] about putting a force field around me of yeah Negative energy isn't gonna get in So limiting my exposure to news to social media to 

[00:25:18] any type of negativity I I I don't watch the news and people are like how do you want not watch the news It's all negative Why do I need to hear of stuff going sideways Right That's gonna impact that impacts your energy Right So that's number one putting up a force field almost having like a Centurian guard at the door of your mind where Hey I'm not letting these negative thoughts in that's incredibly powerful The other piece energy 

[00:25:41] we are physical beings We're meant to move 

[00:25:43] So you know you talk about amping your energy up all day long I love doing pushups all day long Like pick an exercise and do it before your meeting I was doing pushups before this podcast right How do you amp up your energy You move a little bit could be air squats could be sit-ups could be just going out for a walk We need to move We need to be physical If you want that energy amped up And it's 

[00:26:03] amazing when you 

[00:26:04] start to correlate blocking out the negativity and move How your energy amps up Right And and those are those are two strategies that I just implement daily myself and always recommend to to my clients And it has an amazing impact when you block out the negativity and you move more all of a sudden I mean they say exercise is a 12 hour 

[00:26:25] energy booster right Mood booster 

[00:26:28] Yes You're gonna put yourself through some physical mental stress but the benefits on the other side are are 

[00:26:33] far greater than your pain You're gonna face when you're 

[00:26:35] going

[00:26:36] Jeremy: I wanna just amplify what you were saying about the news. I worked in the news for 20 years and my doctor for years, I would go to my physical and every year he would say, did you get out of 

[00:26:45] that fucking toxic job yet? That thing's killing you? Because people you know, people have this vision of the media as being this, like, they're, they're shoving this awful information down your throat, like, but there are people that are creating it because it's their job.

[00:26:58] Right. So it, it is, I know from both sides of it, like having to consume it all day so that. I knew what I was doing, so I knew it to report on, but then also having to 

[00:27:06] report it like it is so toxic. So as much as you can limit your access to that, I

[00:27:11] just wanna amplify that. That is an important message. Be inform. But don't get addicted to it because it is very much a drug. , one of the things that, that, that you've talked about in the past, and, and I wanted to ask you about here for our audience is the idea of booking your days. Can you tell me about what, what you mean by that and how that's helpful? 

[00:27:29] Jeff Wickersham: COVID 

[00:27:29] great example, right There are things out of our control life throws, curve balls at you 

[00:27:34] There's gonna be, you 

[00:27:35] know, hurdles, you're gonna have to jump over best way. I found personally, 

[00:27:39] and then with clients is to control that last 30 minutes of your day at night and what 

[00:27:44] that first 30 minutes of the day looks like those are the bookends, right?

[00:27:47] Then you can kind of control a little bit of in the middle and at night 

[00:27:51] you're preparing for a good night's. You're preparing for success in the morning. You're actually having a digital sunset where you set off electronic shut off electronics and actually prepare for a good night's sleep. I mean, majority of people, last thing they're do is check in their phone 

[00:28:05] that impacts your melatonin production, blue light.

[00:28:08] We're not meant to have it. You're gonna have a crappy night's sleep. First thing most people do when they wake up, check their phone again, 

[00:28:14] news, social media, text messages, all those 

[00:28:16] things. So. Digital sunset preparing for success at night, getting great night sleep. And then in the morning, stacking winds, as soon as you wake up, no distractions, no phone.

[00:28:27] I know I've had 

[00:28:28] text messages. There's 30 on my phone with that icon. It's like the tractor beam of the desk star. It's trying to pull me in. Nope, I'm not checking it. I'm. Dedicated to working on myself before any of that 

[00:28:40] stuff happens. Water, exercise, meditation, 

[00:28:43] gratitude notes to my son's little bit of reading in like 20 minutes, I've stacked six or seven wins.

[00:28:49] Okay. Now I can check my phone. Why? Cuz I feel good about myself mentally and physically. The text message doesn't impact me as much because I am lit up physically and mentally where the opposite occurs. So many times we check a text message. It's a bad one. The whole day is off the rails, right? And, and our day is just down this path of not being successful, being pissed off, being angry, where you control those bookends, 

[00:29:13] you're gonna have a lot more good days than you would bad days.

[00:29:17] Zach: I'd love for you to, to expand a little bit more on, the phone, the digital detox, right? The 30 minutes that is so hard for people. Like how many times have you coached clients through that? And they like, I'd love to hear some of the excuses that people have, have put forth to you of, well, I can't, because you know, like it's an emergent, if, if there's an emergency, I need it close by.

[00:29:39] Like, what are, what are some of the common things? People, people come to you with with why they can't do that.

[00:29:48] Jeff Wickersham: One there's always resistance to it, right? Because it's so addictive. 

[00:29:52] And I went through it with my sons. I mean, I got to a point 

[00:29:55] where I'm like, we need to have a digital sunset as a family. You can't be on social media. You can't be looking at, we gotta 

[00:30:00] get a good night's sleep. 

[00:30:03] times they're Hey, somebody wants to get a hold of me 

[00:30:05] or, or I'm gonna miss something.

[00:30:06] And I'm like, listen, Put it on, do not disturb have your people that you're our most important people in your favorite section. Tell them it's on, do not disturb. If they need you to call you it'll ring through, but you're not gonna get dinged throughout the night. You're not gonna get notifications from ESPN that your team just hit a home run, like things that just wake up your sleep and it just takes practice.

[00:30:29] And, and typically I'll start with, Hey, just, just do it for one minute. Just put it. One minute before and that tomorrow let's do two minutes and you start to build and you make progress. And that's one of the things I love to stress with habit creation is that first step, it should be so easy that it's laugh. Why because then you're gonna do it and you're gonna feel it. And then I want you to celebrate. Yes. Celebrate, get that dopamine hit, feel good about yourself. And then tomorrow do too. You start doing that. You start getting the progress and all of 

[00:30:58] a sudden it's, it's doable where somebody might be at the onset, very closed minded.

[00:31:03] Like I need my phone. I gotta have it. No, you, you don't, uh, we're 

[00:31:06] we're not meant to be tethered to our 

[00:31:08] phones. It gives you amazing peace. When it's away, you can get a good night's sleep and be refreshed in the.

[00:31:15] Jeremy: This is all just a taste of the. That you bring to the. 

[00:31:17] morning, fire the podcast in your coaching program. Tell us more about the show and, and the coaching that you, uh, that you offer. 

[00:31:23] Jeff Wickersham: Yep. So morning fire for entrepreneurs. 

[00:31:25] Give some daily episodes inter interview, some high performing entrepreneurs and on the daily episodes, it's five 

[00:31:31] to eight minutes. I just 

[00:31:32] wanna give you a big 

[00:31:32] idea. 

[00:31:33] That might move your life in a certain direction. Maybe bringing an awareness 

[00:31:37] to you. 

[00:31:38] And then 

[00:31:39] all the, uh, the programs I have are out at 

[00:31:42] www dot VMO, 

[00:31:43] fire.com.

[00:31:44] Got a lot of con content out there. Check it out. Book a time with me would love to, uh, love to speak with you.

[00:31:49] Jeremy: So don't, but don't listen to that podcast until 30 minutes after you woke up, right. You gotta keep the phone, keep that phone turned off, but then, then dive into the morning fire. 

[00:31:56] Jeff Wickersham: You got it. So true.

[00:31:58] Jeremy: awesome. Uh, anything that, we did not touch on in any important message. you wanna leave folks with before we let you go? 

[00:32:04] Jeff Wickersham: Today 

[00:32:05] is a gift. you will never get back. Use it to the best of your ability.

[00:32:10] Jeremy: Our thanks to Jeff Wicker sham. He's the host of the morning fire for entrepreneurs podcast. You can find links to him and his work in the show notes for this episode@thefitmass.com.

[00:32:18] Zach: So one of the pieces that I just absolutely love there, which I, you know, I actually wrestled with for a long, long time. And I, I now love it. Is that like, this is a lifelong journey. Like there's no finish line. For all of this stuff, like you're just gonna be doing it till the day you die. Some days are gonna suck.

[00:32:36] Some days are gonna be really great, but like focusing on looking back and seeing how far you've come over certain time periods is where you need to look at what's happening today might be the shittiest day. You've had all week, but make sure you look at the winds you had on the other days.

[00:32:50] Jeremy: and, and I also liked how he talked about like being in the gym at one point and just being hit with like, I have to come back and do this shit again tomorrow. Like, like even when it's good, sometimes you get hit with this. Like this just is never gonna end. I can't just be done. That kind of sucks.

[00:33:04] And so that's why it's really important to develop the habits that just become automatic because it's. Sometimes it is. It's just so hard to get your foot out the door, to do the thing you need to do. But if you can just build up those tiny little habits every day, those baby steps, and be in love with the process, don't worry about getting the summer body or the perfect job or whatever the thing, just try to really enjoy the process because otherwise it gets really overwhelming, really.

[00:33:31] Zach: Yeah. And the part that, you know, really hit me a long time, I, I remember working with my dad, painting a house and like having the thought that I was like, I have to do this every day for the rest of my life in order to make money. I don't, I don't like this. , but that goes back to like the things that you do, like the things that you do want, the things that make you healthy.

[00:33:51] Yeah, you gotta do 'em every day. Cuz consistency is key. You can't go to the gym once a month and expect results. Like you gotta go every day. 

[00:34:00] Jeremy: right. If You wait, if you wait around to get motivated, you're gonna go once every third, Thursday or something. But if you just commit to that daily action, then that's that's when you, do you see the progress?

[00:34:09] Zach: Eh, it's just a habit and that's why I get up at four 30 every morning and people I say that to people and I can see even see it in your 

[00:34:16] Jeremy: Oh, I still think you're insane. That's fucking

[00:34:18] Zach: People just think. Nope. That's, that's not cool, but I'm done by six 30 in the morning. I'm drinking coffee and I've already accomplished a gigantic goal.

[00:34:28] Jeremy: Yeah, that's the idea, right? Like the, the it's that whole, that old idea of you can't pour from an empty cup. So if you can pour that cup and, and fill it all the way up by 6:00 AM or whatever, you are poised to have a pretty great day. So kudos to you for getting up at four 30 in the morning. No fucking way.

[00:34:45] I'm doing that. However, I'm glad it works for you.

[00:34:49] Zach: It's it's gotta work with your schedule, right? You gotta find the times that work for you. And that means making sacrifices sometimes. So like, I don't have another consistent time that I can go to the gym and that's why I get up at four 30 and I'm making that sacrifice. To do it. , , if I didn't go to that one class, I'd maybe make two a week, depending on like how, how my schedule went.

[00:35:13] But like, that's the only one that I can consistently get to.

[00:35:17] Jeremy: All right. Well, Zach's gotta get up early. So we're gonna wrap this show up. But don't let the conversation end there. Join us on our Facebook group or you and fellow fit mess. Listeners can connect to make fun of Zach for getting up at four 30 in the morning and a whole lot more.

[00:35:28] There's also just a lot of really cool people in there on a really similar journey. The link to join us. There is on our website@thefitmess.com. That's where we will be back next week with a brand new episode. Thanks for listening.

[00:35:38] Zach: See everyone, I gotta go to bed now. It's like,

[00:35:42] Jeremy: night night, Zach.