SASM 017 – Growing the Seeds of Health, Relationships, and Abundance with James Clear

Summary: (http://valueofsimple.com/wp-content/uploads/Smart-and-Simple-Matters-Cover-200x200.jpg) James Clear is all about helping people be healthy. And after digging into JamesClear.com (http://jamesclear.com/) and listening to him speak, I have no doubt that his movement is on solid ground. Not only that, but he’s successful in helping people achieve and maintain their own version of optimal health. This shouldn’t be a surprise. The communities exploding around fitness and health – online and offline – have a number of stellar people rocking their niche within this massive movement. But as you’ll find, his concept of health is very different from the traditional mindset. After listening to James talk, you might be convinced that not getting your butt in gear (my words, not his) is a sure way to limit your happiness, health, curiosity, and ability to connect with others. Now, some of you may already know James or have seen his words and photos online. His creations have been featured on US News & World Report, Travel & Leisure, Yahoo, Lifehacker, and the Flickr homepage. But he offers us a slice of his philosophy and resources you won’t find anywhere else. Just from our chat, here are some words I’m reflecting on: When you push yourself physically, it reveals what you’re made of mentally … and you solidify your sense of self-worth because you understand exactly what you can do. - James Clear *** The people you surround yourself with is not a business decision. It’s a life decision. - James Clear To see James’ abundance mindset even better, he is the first guest on Smart and Simple Matters that offered to package up the resources we spoke about (meaning I didn’t have to). Ummm … awesome! Thanks for doing that, James! Everyone can find those resources you’ve packaged up just for the SASM community at JamesClear.com/VoS (http://jamesclear.com/vos). One more thing before we get into what you’ll learn from our chat. Check out what this impressive fella has to say about the beauty of spreadsheets: That spreadsheet’s always there for me to look at and say, ‘You know what? You’re still making progress every week. So there’s no reason to stop now … The numbers don’t lie.’ Are you stoked yet? I know I am! What You’ll Learn In this episode you’ll learn about: * When to watch out for “getting so healthy that you’re unhealthy.” * How to be your family’s first entrepreneur…and rock it right out of the gate. * Where you could find the seeds of curiosity, exploration, and experimentation. * What James would have happily turned down a million dollars to continue doing. * Why James practices intermittent fasting … and how. * The link between spreadsheets and doing 100 push-ups in a row (seriously). * The abundance mindset and not being afraid to give. * What James was born and bred to be. * Why  relationships are the ultimate form of capital (even more than money and time). Resources and Items Mentioned in This Episode Include: * Websites: JamesClear.com (http://jamesclear.com/), PassivePanda.com (http://passivepanda.com/), HappierHuman.com (http://happierhuman.com/start-here/) * Resources: James special package for Smart and Simple Matters listeners (http://jamesclear.com/vos), The Value of Simple Declaration (http://valueofsimple.com/declaration), The Refuge of Simplicity (http://valueofsimple.com/newsletter) * Other Articles Discussed: 24 Networking Tips That Actually Work (http://passivepanda.com/networking-tips) Topics * [02:59] The seeds of awesomeness (a.k.a. stories from James’ youth) * [05:54] The mission and cause that’s bigger than any one person * [15:41] Why James practices intermittent fasting and how * [18:43] Measuring your progress in physical training and overall health * [22:32] What an “abundance mindset” looks like to James * [30:28] Being a practitioner of happiness and gratitude Awesome Ways to Subscribe to the Show