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[00:00:00] Yo, yo yo, welcome back to the further, your lifestyle podcast, conversations on lifestyle passions and hustles. My name's Chris Furlong. I am your host and I'm super excited to be back here having the conversation with you. And today episode 50, we've hit the big milestone of 50 episodes. And just, just to take a second and actually kind of reflect on this, it's crazy to think that.

[00:00:20] How this has happened. Like, I mean, I mean, a big thank you to you for listening. And that's the only way that it has happened. Of course, I've had to release the episodes, but you showing up, you listening, you being part of this community has made all the difference and inspired me and motivated me to keep pressing on and to keep pumping out these episodes.

[00:00:39] I'm super happy, super excited and super proud of this moment because it's been. It's been a crazy and awesome journey. And when I say crazy, it's like, it's been a really good journey. It hasn't been bad or anything like that, but it's just really great to be able to reflect and see that progress of how we've been able to.

[00:00:55] Well, I've been able to further my own lifestyle by building out this podcast and having people like you, listening and being part of the conversation has really changed my life. So thank you very much. With this in mind, I do want to say that I will be celebrating my one year anniversary of this podcast coming up very, very soon.

[00:01:12] I said there will be a giveaway coming very, very soon. And if you want to be part of that and get your hands on that as soon as possible, make sure you jump over to our Instagram at further your lifestyle. That's where you can find out all the details that we'll be releasing very, very soon. And I want you to be part of that.

[00:01:27] If not, there'll be more opportunities, but I want to give back and say, thank you as we approach my first year of doing this podcast. So super exciting details to come. So today I really want to just chat to you about 10 questions that are going to challenge your thinking. And really the intent here is just.

[00:01:45] Yeah, challenge your thinking in all that you're doing. And of course the whole purpose of this podcast is to help you further your life or further your lifestyle. And I believe these questions is really going to help spur that on and motivate you, encourage you, but most of all, challenge you to think outside the box.

[00:02:00] And you know, we're going to go through these together. I'll provide some additional context. As I do go through these 10 questions. I might even answer a few more. But this is for you. And really the intent here is to just to take a pulse check, right. You know, happiness is a great indicator, um, to see how we're all progressing.

[00:02:16] And we can take this one step further by doing something like this in challenging our happiness and challenging the way we're thinking. And I think. Once you go through this process, it will help give you some fresh perspective of where you're at. And they're simple but deep. And I think that's the good thing about invest small, but packing.

[00:02:34] And I believe it'll help you just take that pulse check on the directions that you're taking in your current life. And there's no right or wrong answer to this, right. It's really just to have that pulse check. So let's dive into 10 questions to challenge your thinking. Number one, if we're going to get straight into it here, this is where it gets juicy.

[00:02:51] How will your life be different in a year from now? And this is deep, right? I mean, straight up where, I mean, where we're only at the time of this episode, we not even two months into 2022 and I'm here. I am asking you, how will your life be different in a year from now? And I think a couple of things here to consider is it takes 28 days to change the routine behavior that we do.

[00:03:12] And you know, a lot of the time at the start of a new year, we're all. All about, you know, new year's resolutions or I'm going to make this year, my best year yet, and all that, which is really, really good. But I think maybe you didn't do any of that. And maybe that has not been your intent for this year, but you are curious to know where you're going to be in a year from now.

[00:03:30] What I would encourage you to do is take your. And invest in that month in terms of setting yourself up for what you would love to be a year from now, whether it's, maybe you want to be fitter, maybe you want to be running. Maybe you want it to start a business. Maybe you want it to just have started a hobby and have a consistent hobby and being consistent and spending time in that hobby, you know, stepping outside of your overtime hours of working and just spending some more me time.

[00:03:56] Maybe that's what you want to be doing. I challenge you. I encourage you to set some time aside for the next month and see what you can do to, to, I guess, push us out to further this out a little bit more because when you really look at where do you want your life to be in a year from now? That can be quite overwhelming.

[00:04:14] I've set goals publicly over my personal YouTube channel. And you can go check out that if you would like to, um, details below in the description. But for me, I mean this year, my, my big goal for the podcast is to hit 10,000 downloads. So I would like to think a year from now that the podcast has hit over 10,000 downloads that potentially have a sponsor or someone that I'm working with to help build out this podcast in terms of.

[00:04:38] Brand awareness and at the same time, and I hope also that I'm earning some monetization from this as well. And so that's a big goal. That's scary to say it, but I'm being very honest with you. I'm being very transparent. So that's how I hope this podcast is looking at a year from now. And obviously that has a lot to do with what I'm doing as well.

[00:04:55] So, so number one, how will your life be different a year from. Number two, what are you grateful for? And, you know, there's a lot of things that we're grateful for, but I think we need to dig a little deeper here is there's a lot of things that we take for granted. Uh, I'll put my hand up and say that for sure, but, you know, we can, we can take it literally, as you know, you should be grateful for the running water that we have or that we've got running water at our disposal.

[00:05:19] We have a flushing toilet. Majority of us have what we want and what we need at our local supermarket. And I think sometimes we can take that for granted, but with that in, in perspective, you know, what are, what are the things that you're truly grateful for? Or maybe what are things that you've been taking for granted of recent?

[00:05:38] And I think this one really does challenge your thinking because when you start to realize. Even though the last two years have been pretty crazy. Um, in terms of everything that's been happening in the world, there's a lot of us that have still got a very, very good compared to others. And sometimes that can just be situations.

[00:05:54] Sometimes it can be an unfair advantage and sometimes that might just be maybe it's luck, but I think we need to take that deep dive, have some self-awareness and see what actually are we taking for granted and what are we grateful for? And don't take it for granted because. You know, I think it's a bit of a wake-up call over the last two years of what can be taken away from us.

[00:06:14] So very quickly. Number three, what nice thing can you do for someone else today or any day? Now this could be giving way to someone. It could be paying it forward, you know, purchasing someone, a coffee or paying for the person behind you in line. Um, it might be just, you know, giving them a compliment. It might be encouraging them.

[00:06:31] It might be just reaching out and sending them a comment or, you know, commenting on something that they've created, just being their cheerleader. There's so many ways to can do this and I would encourage you. Is there something that you can do on a daily basis? To make someone else feel better or just by being nice.

[00:06:48] Right. And I think just by being nice, you can make someone's life so much better. It might just be a smile as you're walking, past them in the corridor or whatever it may be. But this one is short and sweet and I think it's powerful as well. Yeah. What is one nice thing that you can do for someone else today?

[00:07:05] Number four, how much do you worry about what others think? Now, this, this one, this one, look, I think we all struggle with it and I know I struggle with it, and it really comes down to how much you're letting these thoughts control and dictate your day, right on a day by day basis. Because sometimes it's good to have an understanding of the sentiment of what your.

[00:07:29] Getting from other people. And I think that's just, you know, it's good to be aware of that, but if you're worrying about, you know, what people are thinking about you, and you're never going to know what they're thinking about you, unless they tell you. And I think that that's probably the big thing here is once you get over that you can move forward so much easier.

[00:07:46] And look, I hate to break it to you, but most of the time. When you think people are thinking about you, they're not thinking about you. You're, you're really not that important. Probably they're thinking about someone else's thinking about them or they're going on with their own lives. And I think once you can get past that, and I'm not saying it's easy, but once he can get past that and focus on yourself, you're going to have this big burden lifted off you.

[00:08:09] And look, there's plenty of ways that you can get constructive feedback and, you know, feedback from people. But you trying to put all that in your head and you making it up. That's not the way to go. So don't let that control and dictate your day or your week or however, you know, how much attention you're putting to it.

[00:08:25] If you can move past that, I think it's a big, big win. And that's why I wanted to challenge you. How much do you worry about what others are thinking about you? Number five, uh, what are you doing to invest in your relationships? And there's so many ways we can look at this. There's so many levels of relationships, but I think there's.

[00:08:45] I can't remember who said it, but there's a statement around like, if a man succeeds in work and he hit a massive piles of money and he has experience, he has good health without any loving relationships, he still would not be happy. Right. And I think it's important that we find people to love, find people, to grow with, find people, to build with and find people to have fun with.

[00:09:06] They will enable you. They will encourage you. They will help you. Finding people with when it's, whether it's people in a trust circle, a mental group, a networking group, people that are going to be able to speak into your life. And one thing to consider here is what you put in is what you put out as well.

[00:09:22] So make sure you've got people that are lifting you up positively. Make sure you've got people that are enabling you to grow and it works both. Who are you investing into? Who are you putting good stuff into? Who are you helping? Who are you encouraging? Who are you supporting? It works both ways. And this, you know, you can look at it from family.

[00:09:40] You can look at it from your partner or loved one. You can look at it from just people that you're influencing people that are within your circles as well. So there's a lot to take in here and I would encourage you to really consider this because. You won't get far if you're not willing to work with other people or to rely on other people or to love other people because they, uh, what has enabled many, many people to get to where they need to be, to get to where they are.

[00:10:06] And I think I would not be the man I am today or the person I am today. If I had not leaned on people or had people there to support me, or if I hadn't helped other people, because by helping others, you learn so much. What are you doing about it? Number six. And this one might sound a little cliche, but what do you do for fun?

[00:10:26] If you have to think about this one, I think maybe your work-life balance is probably something you need to really revisit. But I think when, when you think about it and you from a retrospective perspective, um, I don't think anyone on their death bed has said, I wish I had worked more and I also think.

[00:10:43] That that aside, you know, if working too much isn't necessarily a problem, I don't think many more people saying, I wish I had watched more TV. Look, I understand it. Like, I want to play a lot of video games, but I don't like spending all my time doing that. Like, that's, that's a great way to have fun, but what are three things that you wish you were doing more?

[00:11:00] Whether it's hobbies and these don't have to be hobbies to make money. They don't have to be about making money, just things that you love to do. And maybe it is you just love to sit down and watch a good TV show. That's fine. What I'm trying to say here is make sure you are spending time, but make sure you know, what these things are that bring the enjoyment to you, because sometimes we can get so focused in everything else that we're doing, that we forget the little things that are.

[00:11:23] Help us feel better, help us grow, help us feel special and help us smile. And if you can list three of these things of what you wish you were doing more of, or what you do enjoy doing lots of already, you know, what do you like to do for fun? And then the followup from that is then how can you do more of this too?

[00:11:40] Question number seven and this one. This one, we get a little deeper and it is, are you comfortable in your own skin? You see, we all have things that we dislike about ourselves and I think that's natural, right? We were always comparing. I'm not saying it's good, but it's, it's common that we do it and kind of comes back to thinking about what other people think about you.

[00:12:03] We can either let it control us or we can try and control it and also learning to own it. Right. And some of that, I would really encourage you to go check out and I hope I don't butcher her name is Bree Lenihan, and she will really inspire you because she's doing amazing things in helping. You know, just keep it real and what we see on Instagram or what we see online versus the reality of our bodies.

[00:12:27] And she's really, really inspiring, very, very encouraging. She's been a huge internet sensation in helping us change the way we look at ourselves and respect ourselves, especially in for the female audience. But I think it's important for men as well to have this conversation because a lot of the time we do struggle with things that we're not happy about or in our own skin.

[00:12:48] When you can work past this, move past this, you're able to get rid of some of the fluff that is pushing, pulling you back or holding you back from being a potential number eight is anxiety, something that dampens most of your days. Now, this one, you know, I guess it plays on that, that day where you say, are you okay?

[00:13:08] And it's always good to check in with people, but excit is a, it's a slippery slope, right? Worry can bring so much. Additional problems to us when a lot of the time it's things that aren't even going to happen. And look, you're going to have to fact check me on this one, but I know there is a stat that goes around saying that 90% of what you actually worry about never actually comes to fruition.

[00:13:32] And what I mean by that, it never actually happens. Right? 90% of the things that we're worrying about and people get so caught up on this, I do as well. Right. You know, your stress and worrying about something, but a lot of the time nothing's going to happen. It doesn't even happen. And we waste all this time or all this effort on things that didn't even know.

[00:13:49] Look, I think it's important to have some level of worry, to be nervous. Cause it keeps you in check. It keeps you honest and it makes sure that you are giving your best. But when it becomes anxiety, that's when things become that slippery slope and we need to learn to leave it at the door and let your confidence shine.

[00:14:05] Right. And like I said, these things don't come easy. It takes with a lot of, self-awareness a lot of effort to actually put things in place to make it happen. But that's why. We're just asking the questions at this point. It's just to, just to challenge your thinking and, and do that pulse check of where you're at, number nine, what have been your biggest mistakes, right.

[00:14:24] And there's, there's a really good analogy of this or a big story and it was JK Rowling. Right. And she said it herself. She said it is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might have. Not have lived at all. In which case you fail by default, you know, she had to go through so many failures.

[00:14:44] Like she failed so many times before her books. If you don't know, Harry Potter were published and I'm guessing so many of those Harry Potter fans, I thanking her so much for never giving up on her dreams. And that's a really big encouragement to you is if you've got goals, if you've got. You are going to fail, but that doesn't mean you give up, right?

[00:15:04] And you need to keep pushing. You need to keep adapting, pivoting, seeing how you can move forward in a different direction, towards the broader goal that you have all your north star. And, you know, it will mean that we have to go through one failure at a time, but it doesn't mean that. Right. J K Rowling has set that example very, very well.

[00:15:24] Um, and it's encouraging it's, it's also quite eyeopening and, and you know, it's going to be a bit of a mountain to climb. I think when we reflect on this, talking about what have been your biggest mistakes, it's important that we learn from these mistakes, take these mistakes and enable yourself to grow mistakes are some of the best investments that you can make, because if you can learn from them, it's going to enable you to double down, move quicker and not make that same mistake.

[00:15:50] Again, it gets you ahead of other people. It's an advantage that you can then take into the playground. So number nine, what has been your biggest mistake? What will people say about you at your funeral? And this one, this one can be a bit of a hard one to swallow and steep, but it's something that you should really, really check yourself with.

[00:16:08] Now, if you struggle with the, the results or to even answer this, then, then my challenge to you is don't waste time in working on being someone who you want to be at your funeral. Right? If you, if you want to be remembered for a legacy, if you want to be remembered for just, he was always happy or whatever it may be.

[00:16:29] Then make sure that's what you're doing. Make sure you're living that life that you want to be left as a legacy. Unfortunately, you know, death is a very sensitive topic, but it's an important topic to understand that it's going to happen eventually. Right? And it sometimes happens as we plan, you know, knowing that it might be old age or whatever, but it comes very unexpected as.

[00:16:51] Unexpected has a bigger impact on the people around you. Right. And I think being able to leave a legacy of something, which you're proud of, that you were reflect right now that if it was a funeral, um, how would you be remembered? What would be people talking about? And this one's hard, it's hard to digest, but it's important to really just give a whole holistic view of everything that you're doing.

[00:17:16] And. Yeah, not to finish on a low note. Right. But I think these 10 questions are very important because they do, they bring different parts of our lives together and they kind of sum it up in that last minute as well. But there's so many here that I think challenge us to think differently and just think in the moment to think in the present, but also to think back in the past and how that can play into our future as well.

[00:17:41] And. I want to encourage you that if there's any here that you're struggling with, if there's any here that you think maybe you need. Let's continue the conversation more than happy for you to reach out over Instagram at Further, your lifestyle or on Twitter at further your life. Or you can drop me an email at hello@furtheryourlifestyle.com

[00:18:00] you can also jump down into the comments. If you are listening to this on YouTube and connect, you know, leave a conversation or comment and I'll get back to you. But the point is, if there's something here that you're struggling with, let's continue to have the conversation because. Oh, you need to have it with someone else.

[00:18:15] Right? You don't have to have it with me, but please do continue to have the conversation with someone. I really just wanted to encourage really challenged as well. Um, my intent here is to help everyone further their life in one way or another, it doesn't have to be about necessarily having that side hustle and making money.

[00:18:30] It doesn't even have to be about being the best at something, but it's more around just taking the passion that you have or finding the goals or chasing those dreams and creating a lifestyle that you're proud of. And I think number 10 sums it up really, really well of what will people say about you at your funeral?

[00:18:45] And that really comes back from the lifestyle you're living and breathing and reflecting out to everyone. Really do appreciate you being here. As I said, we can continue the conversation. Plenty of ways we can do that. Don't be shy. If you did enjoy this episode or you think it will resonate with someone else, please do share it with them.

[00:19:04] Please do share it and get more people listening to this. I believe the more people that can hear this, the more people that can be empowered that can be inspired and hope. Can make a change in their life that they will be thankful for later. Um, and it's, it's really about them. It's not about me, but I think in order to grow and to make that happen, I need the support from you as a listener to help, you know, push this out, give this to other people.

[00:19:30] So if there is one person that you could share this to today, who would that be? And would you consider doing it really to appreciate it? Uh, my name is Chris Furlong. I am your host and it's been an absolute pleasure having a conversation with you and you have a wonderful day. Cheers. Now, if you didn't know, we do have the podcast merge and this is with a key focus on.

[00:19:49] Enamel pins. Now, if you haven't checked these out, make sure you do because the intent of these are really just to be a small token and a reminder for you to charge on, to push on and to further your lifestyle, whether it is a gift for someone else to encourage them, or maybe to inspire them, or maybe it's a way to motivate yourself, or you can simply just make a purchase to simply support the podcast, which would be greatly appreciated.

[00:20:11] We do also have some sweaters and some long tastes. So make sure you check it out, link in the description and in the show. I really do appreciate it. Cheers.