#Clockedin with Jordan Edwards

#243 - Finding Your Authentic Superpower

• Jordan Edwards • Season 5 • Episode 243

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William Young's journey as a Certified Financial Planner spans over 21 years, but his most powerful insight comes from an unexpected source—his neurodiversity. As someone on the autism spectrum, William transformed what many would consider a challenge into his professional superpower: the ability to remain emotionally steady during market turbulence when others panic.

Our conversation takes us through the Five Pillars framework Jordan uses with clients: mental health, physical health, community service, relationships, and spirituality. With remarkable vulnerability, William rates himself on each pillar, revealing both triumphs and ongoing struggles. His physical transformation story—losing 41 pounds and rekindling his passion for surfing—demonstrates how finding the right community can catalyze profound life changes.

The most moving segments emerge when William shares his philanthropic adventures, from rescuing dogs in Peru during the height of COVID to spending 11 days in the Borneo jungle helping rehabilitate orangutans. These experiences reflect his deep connection to animal welfare while providing him perspective-shifting encounters that have shaped his worldview.

William's philosophy on "decision hygiene"—spending ten minutes each morning mentally preparing for inevitable frustrations—offers a practical approach to maintaining equanimity throughout the day. His redefinition of what constitutes a "bad day" challenges listeners to reconsider how they frame daily challenges and disappointments.

For those seeking to improve their financial health alongside personal wellbeing, William emphasizes that financial independence provides a foundation for pursuing deeper fulfillment. His integrated approach reminds us that true wealth encompasses far more than what's in our accounts—it's about building a life rich in purpose, meaningful relationships, and self-awareness.

Connect with William by searching "Will R Young CFP" to learn how his holistic approach to financial planning might help you align your resources with your deepest values.

To Learn more about Will: 

Email: Will.Young@ampf.com

To Reach Jordan:

Email: Jordan@Edwards.Consulting

Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ejFXH1_BjdnxG4J8u93Zw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordan.edwards.7503

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanfedwards/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanedwards5/



Hope you find value in this. If so please provide a 5-star and drop a review.

Complimentary Edwards Consulting Session: https://calendly.com/jordan-555/intro-call

Speaker 1:

Hey guys, I got a special guest here today. We have William Young. He's a CFP and he's been doing it for over 21 years. We're excited to have you on the Hashtag Clocked In podcast. William, how did you find your superpower?

Speaker 2:

Well, it took a lot of self-reflection. My superpower I was born naturally with the ability to not be emotionally swayed by certain things and, being on the spectrum, I had to figure out why I was different and why what other people saw as challenges I saw as opportunities, because my emotions were different than others. This led me on a journey of self-reflection and to find myself, to connect the dots to who I am, what is my purpose and why am I different? Because each one of us is different. The question is we have to embrace that, not try to be in the normal square box. We have to figure out who we are and then break out of that and be our best selves. Embrace that, not try to be in the normal square box. We have to figure out who we are and then break out of that and be our best selves. And my superpower in that sense is when the markets are in turmoil or other things are happening, I don't get upset. I just am very calm and I didn't understand why, when people like you should be worried, you should be upset. But I figured that out and I learned that that helps calm other people down and in my field it's become very helpful when there are bear markets or bull markets or excitement, or there is panic and these are all the normal emotions of life.

Speaker 2:

When someone gets sick, has a heart attack. I just never really got upset and people would often look at your face and go why aren't you upset? Dad's sick, or dad had a heart attack or a stroke. It wasn't that I wasn't upset. I just don't express it the same way. I just think about it and I logically think we got the best doctors. It the same way, I just think about it and I logically think we got the best doctors. We have the best. This and I found that to be helpful to others and it took a long time to pull it out, to tell a story the correct way, so that I could motivate people to the right path, to help them, you know, find their superpower.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, and the thing I like most about that is the alignment. And what I mean by that is like for myself. As a child. I would always get told I ask a lot of questions, you ask too many questions. Why are you asking? And what I realized was when I started doing the podcast it kind of filled my question bucket.

Speaker 1:

So now, instead of being penalized for it, I'm embraced for it. It's like oh, you're very curious, jordan, and I'm like isn't that funny how the world turns a little bit when you're in the right frame in what you're doing? And most of the time we don't realize that. And that's why I think it's so important for us to all just be very self-aware of what we're doing. So one of the ways I help my clients become more self-aware is we go through the five pillars of Edwards Consulting, which are mental health, physical health, community service, philanthropy, spirituality and relationships, and we sit there and we go on a one to 10 for you, william, what do you think your mental health is today? And this can be just today. It doesn't have to be lifetime, it's just today.

Speaker 2:

And right before I answer that, when you were bringing this up, asking a lot of questions, you felt different. I felt the exact same way. I can remember playing football in the backyard asking questions and the kids were like why are you asking so many questions? And their father's like it's good you ask questions. We have to find and support ourselves with other people who do that. Be curious, don't be judgmental, and that is important A hundred percent. Mentally, I'm in the best place I've ever been in my life. I'm at a 10 right now, and that was a long journey. I would have said.

Speaker 2:

Just a year and a half ago I joined a coaching group that was specifically designed for people like me. That I had a chance to. That it was. I had people all over the country. I'm having conversations on a weekly basis in LA and I'm talking to a pianist who teaches people in New York. I'm having conversations on a weekly basis in LA and I'm talking to a pianist who teaches people in New York. I'm talking to someone who's traveled the world, who does specific stuff, people who are very unique but also wanted privacy because they felt like they didn't fit in and it's one of the wildest groups. And over that period of time. They kept telling me things and I believed them because they were like me. Yes, and it's gotten me to the point where I would say, just last October, a year after that, I realized and even the group said Bill, you really seem like your best self now and I lost 41 pounds of weight.

Speaker 2:

I started running from five to seven miles. I mean all these things just started to snowball because mentally I felt healthy, and that's a very hard thing to do with all the challenges in life and as you age you tend to get worn down by life instead of embrace more of life. So this is the best that I can honestly say I've ever felt, and I think people notice that when they talk to me.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, I completely agree, and I love the fact that you brought up community and how communities helped you with that, because most of the time when we think about mental health, we think of it as a solo battle and not something that we can have others. But in reality, others are the true impact. Other people affect us and other people. When you're around the right people, you get built up and a lot of people think that they need to be stoic in their role, stoic in their environment. But when you go in a community outside of that, they sit there and go wow, I can be vulnerable. Wow, I can be authentically myself. Wow, I can be a person, I can be myself. I'm not judged. So I completely agree with that. So, yeah, you go.

Speaker 2:

That's important. You have to be vulnerable and a lot of people want to be tough. But the community that you join that's why some form of coaching and community will change your life and you have to find the right coach in the right community. But that will change your life. It's. If you're a pilot, you want to talk to other pilots about how to fly a plane and do other things. You just don't want to think you know everything, and that's the problem. A lot of times when we're offline, we have a chance to think about ourselves and put things down. And then we come back to the group and we have a chance to reprocess and rethink, like we're a Rubik's cube trying to figure ourselves out. That's what we're trying to do and that's what coaching does. It brings us together and that's where I am now. I feel like I've gotten it and now I'm ready for the 10X growth.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I love that. And the biggest challenge I think mentally is just the biggest challenge of joining coaching is just going like, hey, physically I can see the growth, I can like you go, I lost 41 pounds. Mentally you don't feel like, like you might feel it inside of you but you're not like, like you look the same but some people carry themselves a little bit differently. But you can feel when someone's got a burden on them and you can tell when the weight's been lifted. So for you, physically, I we might hit a 10 again. Where are you at on a physically, on one to ten?

Speaker 2:

I'm probably at a nine. I've lost most of what I did and and this is one of the fun things about setting a goal I set a goal, I got to it and then I'm like, okay, well, there's some refinements I'm going to do.

Speaker 1:

Dive into that. What was the goal and how did you achieve it? The reason I'm asking is because there's people listening today who go yeah, I've set goals, I didn't follow through, like what caused this time to be different for you?

Speaker 2:

I can say it really was. Joining this group of I'd say misfits, in a sense of us, and just sticking to and promising myself I was going to every single Wednesday night at 630 to 8, be a part of this group and then I would do my one hour or two hour homework every week, which is watching videos, taking tests on it and doing things, because that helped me really put a different perspective on my life and slow everything down. I felt healthy, I was reading stoicism, I was reading books, but there was one little extra piece to pull it all together and it's been a driving force where I said, ok, I'm not going to eat late at night, I'm going to fast 18 hours a day, prepare my meals. And so I just set these things up and I said I don't want to fail, I'll come back to the group each week and you had some accountability. Accountability is the next level to achieving your goals. That's what you need.

Speaker 1:

I completely agree. And in the men's group I run, I have the action step in the beginning for the end of the week, like if you're on it, action step, and then the accountability the next week. Because that moment of yeah, I didn't do that, man, it's not good, like it's not like anyone's being like that's bad, there's no penalization, but it's just you show up to the group and you're like dude, I didn't do my goal. Again, like jesus, like where am I falling off? And I think that's so important, so for you to get to attend physically. What do you think is that next level for you?

Speaker 2:

okay Well, I'm not sure. That is a question I'm going to work on, because I've almost gotten my abs back. I mean, I've gotten like five abs out of six back, which is kind of crazy at 52. And I feel great because I surf and I'm going surfing this weekend and I got a new board, so I was able to get a new board, a lighter board. That, like, was a huge thing. But I guess maybe that physical is when I get a little bit better at surfing because I've lost weight and I'm losing a lower board, a smaller board and a lower, lower leader, if that makes sense. Leaders are the buoyancy in the water. Yeah, because that's like kind of a cherry for me, is I?

Speaker 2:

When you ride a wave, the feeling is a high that I can't describe, where you're just riding at the top of the wave down and you see the shoreline and it's just amazing. You could ride a hundred yards, which is a long ride, and it's just that to me like getting that piece of the physical, because that requires a little bit more. It requires core that you don't necessarily get when you're working out. Doing core. That's different than carving a wave yes, in your knees, and the wave isn't like a stationary object.

Speaker 2:

Part of life is learning how to balance it, because the wave could rock or you could go over a different beach break or all these things that are just like life. It's like walking down a sidewalk and you trip over something because something popped up. That's the physical part where I don't know if I'll ever get there, but I'm striving to constantly improve that. So I booked a trip to the Maldives, which will have even crazier waves and that maybe I'll be there and I can report back to you that, wow, I really rocked it or I was able to cut. So that's kind of you know. My physical goal now is not the weight but the positioning and the core and all the other pieces for balance in my life.

Speaker 1:

So there's two components I really like about that. The first one is picking a hobby and actually going in on the hobby and learning about the hobby, because you relate it all to life and there's many hobbies that people can. They can do surfing, they can do Muay Thai, they can do rollerblading, they can do running. There's a million different hobbies that people can do. They can do dancing.

Speaker 1:

Then the other thing you brought up that I found super interesting is the fact that when we look at ourselves you know what I mean when we're sitting there like really looking at it, we realize we might have achieved a goal, but sometimes we got to change the management of it. So like for me, like my weight, I went from like 200 pounds and right now I'm at like 175. Now I'm at the point where I don't care about weight. I changed a new thing to measure and monitor and that's body fat. So now I focus on body fat.

Speaker 1:

Because here's the thing, if we only focus on one thing and achieve the goal, then we're like what's the next goal? And it's this constant going circle. And the reason I asked for a 10 is because there are probably times in your life, just a year ago, where you would have sat there and been like this is a 10 for me. Like a 10 is where I'm at right now and we're so hard on ourselves and we don't give ourselves that grace of like hey, I'm actually doing a good job here. Like I can't, because there's some days where you probably get up and you're like, oh, I'm a six or I'm a four, but you're achieving what a 10 would have been a year ago. So it's really important for you to realize.

Speaker 2:

That's important and that's a great statement.

Speaker 2:

I think also, just looking back, just even when I was in Bali a year ago, I got tossed around because the waves are coral breaks or reef breaks rather than beach breaks.

Speaker 2:

And'd never ridden that and I mean I got slammed so many times that that to me, even though I felt physically good. I then had to add a component, which was this five minute all-out paddling that I do now I'm glad you brought that up because that was a component. I just I've done it so long now that when I come back out to paddle I look like a seal because I was paddling so well and that was a component. I just I've done it so long now that when I come back out to paddle I look like a seal because I was paddling so well and that was a component that I would not have thought of. But you need to paddle so great I can do lift weights and I can run, but that isn't the same as an additional piece to that physical, and so I'm just adding those and stacking those on top each other so that they go up. Absolutely, I love that.

Speaker 1:

But embarrassment and failure is important and not being ashamed of it, because that's part of learning Well that happens all the time and whenever we pick up a new hobby, we talk about this constantly, where the first 10 times you're going to suck and that's it's good to be, good to learn and it's good to be in, that's okay. It's good to be a beginner, it's good to learn and it's good to be in that beginner mindset. But it's so hard for us because, like we sit here and we're looking at William, 21 years CFP, like very financially fit, and you're like, wow, he wants to go and be a beginner again and it's like I worked so hard to get to this status, this made-up status that we all have, and it's like, no, to be the beginner is the learner, that's the grower, that's the person who's continuing on their journey and that's why that's so important. So the next pillar is community service and philanthropy, which is basically helping people. So how do you feel on that pillar?

Speaker 2:

Well, I've always had a connection to animals since I was very young. I grew up with the goat. It was kind of odd because I live in the city now, but I grew up in a very rural area and I just always felt a connection. When I didn't know how to communicate verbally, which I couldn't connect the dots at that time, animals brought me extraordinary joy and when I started to taste success I could then start to donate. So I started donating. There's about 20 charities I donate to a month and I've flown to Peru.

Speaker 2:

I rescued a bunch of dogs just to help bring back a bunch of dogs. And it does look funny coming through the airport with a ton of dogs and they're like are all these your dogs? I'm like, yes, they're like you travel with your dogs. I'm like sure, that was fun, that was one of the most memorable trips with during COVID. But then I said you know I need to continue to do more.

Speaker 2:

I went to Borneo, which is now called Kalimantan, which has three countries on it um, but I went to the um.

Speaker 2:

I went to indonesia part and I and I went and spent time in the jungles helping orangutans that have been rescued, rehabilitated and then released. So I spent 11 days in the jungle last year no air condition, no running water, no electricity, phones occasionally and the good news is, when it's 125, every day you drink water but you don't necessarily need the bathroom because you never stop sweating. But that was an amazing journey where you were in the jungles, literally, and I got to spend time around and ranked three orangutans that I sponsored in 2016 that have been rescued and being rehabbed and then being released, because it's about an eight year process, because orangutans are the closest to humans in terms of that. So it takes eight to ten years from child to getting older before they get released. So I that was a life-altering experience where I was with other people that wanted to be a part of the mission to help something, and it was just it's just phenomenal and amazing.

Speaker 1:

That's incredible and like for you. I think the major important thing here is everyone's realizing Will goes. I love animals. Animals are where I'm going to contribute my charity. Animals are where I so if for everyone listening, you just have to sit there and think about it of like, what is it that you care about? What is something that you could give more to? But I'm curious, how do you even find these opportunities Like these sound crazy. I love it.

Speaker 2:

One of them was during COVID, and I was bored, I wanted to do more and everybody was locked up and afraid. I wasn't afraid. I was young, I was healthy and I wasn't concerned and I knew I'd wear my mask. And this agency posted something and said look, we have an emergency. Can someone fly out in two days? I said, sure, I'll do it. So I bought myself a ticket, flew down there, stayed in a hotel, wore double masks everywhere and it was. Was this what?

Speaker 1:

time august 2021 I went to the inca trail in august 2021. Yeah, same airport. Yeah, I mean peru at that time was wild. It was first one.

Speaker 1:

This is amazing sharing stories like this we're the first ones to do the. So basically, we were supposed to go during 2019, then it was 2020, then it was 2021 and we were the first go during 2019. Then it was 2020. Then it was 2021. And we were the first ones to do the four-day Inca Trail. Okay, to help the people carrying your bags, the trekkers, and they would literally clap us in Because these guys haven't been paid in almost a year, a year and a half.

Speaker 1:

So we're sitting there and they're like we're so, I'm like dude, I'm dying, I can't even breathe, and they're like trucking up there with our stuff and it was just. And then we went, ended up going to the small town of equidos and through they're like we lost half the population due to covid. So we're walking around, they have police at like nine or ten o'clock being like go back to your bed. Go back to your bed. Like you can't remember the police?

Speaker 2:

yeah, it was that it was a crazy concept, like it was a very interesting time and place that was going on, so I completely understand where you're coming from yeah, I'm smiling so much too because by you asking these questions, we just shared a story where we're at the same place in a crazy part of the world, which is almost unbelievable in the same. Um, yeah, that was, uh, that was amazing. Do you remember going to the tents we had to go to get the covid test, to go back on the plane, did you do that?

Speaker 1:

I brought. I brought a hundred dollars just in case it was a positive. We all carried $100 just in case we got to get out of here.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that was a crazy time and you know that was how that happened. And Borneo was just something. I wrote to the company that I had been donating to for years and I said I'd like to come over there and he said we'll offer a trip. We'll bring some people that want to go Long time donors. I raised money, which is important, and here we are, and I wound up going. It was, I was gone in the jungles for 11 days and then I went to Bali and surfed for seven days. So I did, you know, a few things, but it was amazing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's an incredible trip because you sit there and you really think about it and you're like, how did I even get to this point that I'm doing all of this? And I love how it was. So someone posted something and I took action. The same thing happened to me. A buddy posted mine. He posted the New York Marathon. They had a couple of spots open and me and my brother ended up running it in 2021. Money and did this whole thing and my whole point being is that, like, opportunity is among us. We just don't always see it and we have to open our eyes, and I'm hoping this podcast is the opening of your eyes, that you start to see these different opportunities pop up. So, for you, the next pillar is relationships. So this can be personal relationships, this could be family, this could be business. Where do you think you're at on a one to 10 with relationships?

Speaker 2:

This is the weakest part. This is definitely the weakest part. When I was younger it took me a while to do that, but now I'd say I'm at a seven and a half or eight, but it took a lot of work. This was one of the main reasons I joined this group a year and a half or eight, but it took a lot of work. This was one of the main reasons I joined this group a year and a half ago because I was popular, went out with a lot of people, had big groups. I ran a trip, put 50 people on a plane to go to Cancun. Back to back years. I did all that fun stuff when I was young.

Speaker 2:

But you get married, you get a job, you have kids and all this other stuff and what happens is after, say, 29 or so, you start to kind of lose people. Everybody's kind of doing the things they typically do in life and you kind of forget and you lose a bit of yourself. This is why it's so important to coach and stick with groups and I knew I wanted to improve every relationship I had because I felt for several years that I wasn't giving an equal amount back to the people that were giving to me and I felt selfish for that and that makes me feel bad. Like and I went and I apologized to people saying and even if they didn't necessarily think it was true, I felt it was true. Like, and I went and I apologized to people saying and even if they didn't necessarily think it was true, I felt it was true. Like I didn't listen.

Speaker 2:

So my relationships have improved and I've built a network. So everywhere I've traveled now I'm talking to people in Germany, scotland, netherlands, new Zealand, australia, florida, like and I feel alive. But I know it's just the beginning of that and it's so enjoyable just to kind of say hey, how you doing? I want to ask how's your shoulder? When we were talking and I had genuine interest, because he hurt his shoulder and he couldn't surf the last couple of days and stuff like that. So now I have connections and I have real self-interest, not reaching out to people to just reach out, but I have reach out because I care about them and I feel like that unlocked me because mentally I was in a better place, physically I'm in a better place and I know the importance of a community. So my relationships are just a just a major piece of that. So I feel yeah, yes, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

And you start to realize and I think I think the major challenge here is that in your 20, early 20s, everyone's like, hey, who can I do a deal with, who can I do a deal with? And there's a point where it starts to move past it and it's like hey, man, like I do this, if you want to do this, come join. Cool, if you don't, all good. But as a relationship, how do you stay connected? And, like, one of the ways I do that is at the end of the year, between like december and 25th and 31st. Most of the time people are taking off and whatnot.

Speaker 1:

So I just go through my phone and send voice notes and I just say, hey, like hope you all as well, hope you, hope you're doing well, hope you're surfing trail, like whatever I can think of in that moment takes seven seconds and it forces the relationships to be stronger. Because now when I ask them for something or we reconnect, they're like Jordan, my man, how you doing? And it's so funny. I'm like seven seconds, you'll be my friend, okay, and it's so true, because there is a loneliness pandemic. That's why I bring up relationships, because it is such a powerful place. So, for you. What do you think a 10 would look like for you in relationships?

Speaker 2:

or could look like Well, that's one of my goals. That is because you have to again stack these things over time. You have to build a base mentally, physically. Once you start to build these bases, then everything else can improve. It's going to be making sure I do a monthly dinner with the closest people I have and I'm trying to force them, because we kind of lost our way and we found our way so we all do kind of a group talk every single month but we're not meeting yet and it's just that type of stuff I don't. I need to work on that. That question I need to answer because I'm not really sure. I didn't know where I was going to go with relationships and I didn't know. But probably having a significant other would be the piece that I'm looking for now my travel partner, in addition to the core friendships. And once you have great friendships and I'm healed now, I can then have a quality relationship with a woman.

Speaker 1:

So I think that's the next step. I appreciate the vulnerability because I think one of the biggest things and I started implementing this. So I went to a birthday dinner. That was my birthday in december and we just had everyone come to this restaurant. It was nice. So then in january we kind of did a similar thing, but the cool thing was that the tables they have are like 15 people, 20 people, so I would just start inviting people that I haven't seen in a while so I have um, I'm hanging out with a buddy tomorrow and I was like, hey, can I invite some friends?

Speaker 1:

because I found that whenever we do activities, just invite other people, like, just include others and we did it for february too and like you start to realize pretty quickly that if you're capable of being intentional and you have big and you're the inviter, then you start to get more and more friends because everyone sits there and they go. I don't have friends, I don't need to wait for my birthday to have friends. I'm going to have a friendship dinner, come if you can't, don't come if you can't, like it really doesn't matter. But that's the way to stay close with people. And I find the ones that have the best friendships are the ones that are the reachers outers. The reachers outers, the schedulers, the people who are thinking about the new ideas and being like come along and that is a leader. And I think that's what really leads relationships. Because you're absolutely right, if people don't have a frequency of meeting or a continuum of what we're going to do next, it's like I guess I'll see you when I see you you know what I mean which is sad.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that is sad and that's why I'm doing a talk with certain guys. And it's funny because we start talking about things from when we're 18 to 40 or just this range mix, and then the conversations develop and I'm like, oh, we should probably reach out to what's his name. And so you start talking. And even when we were out to dinner this summer with one of the groups and then he's like, hey, come on the boat. And then it was like five of us instead of three of us. So that was like the beginning stages. Now it wasn't quite as much, but that's something I also think that numbers aren't always the most important.

Speaker 1:

I think quality is very important, underlying that. It doesn't have to be 100 people, it doesn't have to be 10 people, it doesn't have to be. It could be three people, like if you really have good relationships, it can be three really strong relationships and I think that makes a big difference.

Speaker 2:

It is important and relationships can be more complicated as you're older, because you have more responsibilities. But that's why you need to set a time, because then that becomes you're off.

Speaker 1:

Add it to the calendar. It's on the calendar. We're doing the thing who cares. We're to the calendar. It's on the calendar. We're doing the thing who cares. Wrong calendar, um, and then the last pillar is spirituality. So for you, are you spiritual? Do you think about that? And the reason I did spirituality, it used to be religion, but then people are like I don't really do religion, but most people have an underlying of like maybe there's something. I don't know.

Speaker 2:

For me. I went to a lot of different churches as a kid and I was very curious and I would read things and look at things. And I got in trouble in Sunday school when they were like, well, everybody got on the ark. And I'm like, well, sloths can only travel 25 feet per day, how would they have went from South America to? And they're like, bill, don't ask questions. And I'm like, but how did a kangaroo get from Australia? And you know. So I've always been that way and I realized my goal isn't about other people's spirituality, it's about me.

Speaker 2:

And that comes down to philosophy, which is a spirituality, and Buddhism, which is very similar and was founded in 600 BC, which is technically before the schools of Socrates and Heraclitus, and Epicureanism and stuff like that. That is a spirituality. There's no God in that. It's a spirology about. First there is suffering. You have to admit there's suffering in this world and that there's a way to heal that suffering. That's what Buddhism is. Yes, that's when I found I started reading that, probably 20 years ago. I'm like I'm a Buddhist in that sense. Now I align with Stoicism, I talk about it, but there was so much overlap in first working on yourself. That is my spiritual rock that people have lived before us. They have given us the pillars of how to live a good life, a virtuous life, a life that requires wisdom and keeping things that are in your control in focus and what's out of your control, aware of it but not allowing it to upset you. That is a combination of Buddhism and Stoicism.

Speaker 1:

I think you're absolutely right, because there's a lot of this where it's not everyone thinks it's identified with a religion, but some people have given the answer of spirituality. Maybe they're like, hey, spirituality is a connectedness, spirituality is a value system. So I think the important thing, regardless of this, is realizing that we all have values. We all have different things. Some of us choose our own values, some of us follow the values of different groups, but it's important to realize what are my values and how do I change them or keep them? Because once you realize your values, then you realize who you are, because we're all on this journey of learning who we are as individuals and who we are as individuals.

Speaker 2:

And writing down your values, because you have beliefs, attitudes and values. Your attitudes, you know, can change, but your core is your values and knowing what those are, and then saying am I adhering to them? And also reading if you read Buddhism or you read Socrates or you read Plato or you read some Stoicism you read socrates or you read plato or you read some stoicism you'll see a lot of interlocking things, which is, first, being a great person yourself and being a great person in the community. All spiriology requires community, all of it.

Speaker 1:

Period what do you mean by a great person yourself and a great person in the community? What are the? What are some of those intibles? And the only reason I say that is because there might be someone sitting there in the audience going. What does he mean by that? How do I know if I'm a great person?

Speaker 2:

How do I know if I'm in?

Speaker 1:

the community.

Speaker 2:

You got to label the definitions. Labeling is important for that. Yes, absolute. Well, first off, when you do something, anything, you're not. You never go out and try to hurt somebody. It's about trying to improve your own personal goals. You're not going to go out. And let me try to say this when you interact with people, it's about being fair and equal and rethinking your values. What is fair and equal? It's not taking advantage of anybody else. It's about being equal in relationships so that you're on level surface. It's about not stealing from people, not taking advantage of people. It's about improving oneself and giving your knowledge and your wisdom if you've attained it or feel like it, and sharing it with others and also being there for other people. It's that balance, that yin and yang, so to speak, of being with everybody. I guess I need to figure out a better way to express it where I kind of feel like it's internal. That is something I knew.

Speaker 1:

I mean, no, I like that. I like that because I think it's. I think, basically, what you're trying to get at is it's living with integrity, it's doing the right thing when you're supposed to, and then also even wisdom. You can share wisdom. But I've gotten to the point now where I just ask people would you like to hear my opinion? And if they go, no, and it's like okay if you do, fine, all good either way.

Speaker 1:

Because the thing is that when everyone thinks it's a know-it-all, then you're oversharing and sometimes it's like, hey, I hear you. If you want me to share my opinion, I can. If you don't want me to, that's fine as well, because we're all in this together and we're all trying to figure out what it is. And for you, I know we've talked about a couple, couple different things in the pre-call, but I know one of the biggest things is framing, and I want to bring this up because I think framing things the right way, which is kind of like what you talked about with your father, like I don't know if your dad was actually in the hospital, but the dad in hospital.

Speaker 2:

He did have a stroke. Yes, he had multiple strokes and you worry about not being paralyzed.

Speaker 1:

That's a real thing that a lot of people so being paralyzed, that's a real thing, that a lot of people so yeah, it's real, so framing.

Speaker 2:

Oh well, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he's okay, he's not paralyzed, but you have a stroke. There's like a 50 chance you're paralyzed. You have three strokes and you're not paralyzed. You're like you're gambling at that point. So yes, it's. Uh, we're very lucky.

Speaker 1:

Let me just say that so how has framing helped you in your life? Because framing is one of the biggest attributes I have and some of us may know it as like cup half empty, cup half full, kind of thing. But how do you reframe things and how do you think about framing in your life?

Speaker 2:

A lot of that comes down to journaling, and in the morning I sit down and I think there's going to be a lot of challenges ahead. There's going to be difficult people. There's going to be a lot of challenges ahead. There's going to be difficult people. There's going to be someone cutting me off when I drive. There's going to be someone who didn't wipe down the machine at the gym.

Speaker 2:

None of that matters, doesn't mean anything. So every day, I cleanse my mental palate and I have what's called decision hygiene. I cleanse it and I say there are going to be all these things ahead. They don't matter. What matters is I'm going to be able to talk to my mom, I'm going to be able to talk to my sister, I'm going to have a fantastic day, nothing. And so I force that into my mind every single morning. I spend 10 minutes every day with that, because you're going to be at the supermarket, someone's going to be at the supermarket, someone's going to pull out a check, jordan, and you're going to be like come on, I just want to get a bag of ice. She's like none of that matters. It doesn't matter, none of that matters.

Speaker 2:

And once you start to realize all of that is outside of your control and everything you do is in your control. The frame will now. It won't be an illusion of life. You will actually be living the life you want it to live, and that's going to change your life. Is that central framing in every step.

Speaker 2:

When someone comes in and is upset or sending me an email today, I think I want to sell everything. I know that they're not in the right frame and I'm going to sit. I'm going to think how can I reach this person who I know and help them? So I need to think about my framing for that person. But you need to sit and you need to think about the framing for each and then, once you have some mental models in your head, write them down, because then you can pull them off your mental shelf. You know in your brain and have them and you can go to them. I keep like a little playbook of things that I have saved because you need that. When Tom Brady's running down the field and something happens, you see he's reading off his arm. That's what you need to do. If it's good enough for Tom Brady, it's good enough for us and I do the same thing.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. And the other thing is realizing like for me, it's the enough for us and I do the same thing absolutely. And the other thing is realizing like for me, it's the biggest definitions. So it's defining what's a good day and what's a bad day and for me, the definition of a bad day.

Speaker 1:

Most people are like when I'm stressed, when I'm bad, when this happens, when something that I had, someone where I asked them what's your definition of bad day? And they go, when my expectations aren't reached, I go, do you have high expectations? And they go yes, and I go do you have a bad life? They're like, no, but I don't love my life. So it becomes this whole thing of like, how do you redefine this? So what I've defined a bad day as and I got this from Tony Robbins is when someone close to me dies, to me dies. So when you have that, okay, cool, you have once every couple years or 10 years or whatever it is, and then what's a good day? It's waking up to aliveness. So every day is a good day because you can change everything at any moment and we all came here with nothing and we're going to leave with nothing. So it's kind of that understanding of it's all okay.

Speaker 2:

That was powerful. What you just said to me just really sunk in deep. I appreciate it Because I'm running around all the time with all my little things and you just gave me a golden nugget that it's probably there, but you pulled it out of, and this is why it's so important to talk to people like Jordan, who is a lot of stuff gets to the bottom of our toy box and we need to get it to the top so we can remember how important it is. But what is your definition? Like? It's a very simple thing, and he just pulled it to the top of my toolbox so I can write that down. I can say okay, what is my definition of a good day? It's a day where I'm making progress, whether it's slow or fast. I made progress towards my long-term goals of financial independence, a community of people. I want to be around the physical health. I want the mental health, the spiritual, that, and you just unlock that and I feel that that was helpful.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate that. Yeah, the reason I know it's good and it's profound is because I bring that up in the group and then I'll have someone bring it up six months later and they're like good day, bad day, and and, and you just know right away. But that's how you know.

Speaker 1:

you've had a group for a long time where they start to get the perspective of like oh, jordan's going to say this to me or this, and you're like, and they're like, oh Jordan, really you see the world in a good way again. And it's like I mean, if we have the proper perspective, then we're able to achieve whatever we want. Because if we sit here and like, oh, the big deal fell through, what do you know? You're at the same place. You were before, without the big deal. Like everyone does that where they're so hard on themselves. And it's just this understanding of, hey, if you get this client or don't get this client, it doesn't really matter, you're still in the same place you were before and you start to realize that and you're like it is what it is, we're going to accomplish whatever we're going to accomplish, but as long as we put our best foot forward.

Speaker 1:

I think that's the most important thing, and the other big part is being proud of yourself. Not your parents being proud of you, but are you proud of you? And these are the questions you have to start asking yourself if you really want to achieve that life worth living and really understanding what we're doing.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and I think one thing that could help you a little bit is trying to have a little humor with your daily life, laughing at yourself, journey, because laughing will will instantly make you happy, and I try to make myself happy. I was joking with the girl. So, look, I'll take you on a fancy date. I'll buy you a bunch of eggs because they're expensive.

Speaker 2:

You know, she was dying, you know what I mean Because the price of eggs or whatever they are. Whatever they are, I was like, forget steak, we're getting eggs tonight, baby. And you know she just bust out laughing and it's just funny because you know I could worry about a million other things. But being happy is a core part of having mental health and I love it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love the humor thing that's forgotten so often because we're so stiff and we're so and we're like I have to be professional and it's like no, I mean it is kind of bullshit that the eggs are like 10 bucks, like yeah, and and if you, if you're healthy and you eat a lot of eggs, they're expensive. I'm like yeah and then? Oh my god, then we have to get it to pasteurized ones, right? Like the egg dynamics and the egg hierarchy and it becomes very interesting.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I was doing a voice. I said I'm going to write an executive order on the Easter bunny for raising eggs.

Speaker 1:

I love that. Yeah, yeah, no. And that's what you've got to look for. You've got to ask yourself what is fun about this or how can I make this fun? And if you're not seeing fun in your life, you've got to start habit stacking that fun into your life. Which might be the question at the dinner table of, like you go around the dinner table, what was fun for you today and everyone?

Speaker 1:

would be like I didn't have fun, I'm a no fun man. Okay, I'll ask you tomorrow what was fun today. And then no fun man, okay, I had a little fun. And then you started getting it by the third or fourth day. Everyone's like dude, I can't wait to tell you about the dinner table. I had the most fun doing this.

Speaker 1:

And it's this interesting thing where, if you get past the first few awkward encounters, people are like some people are like oh, it's like a therapy session or it's this, and it's like no, there's a frame to have a deep conversation and there's a way to do it and it's through better questions. And the better questions we ask ourselves, the better we're going to show up, because we're going to be more authentic and we're going to hear stories like this whole podcast. I don't know if you guys caught it. It was a framework. It was a framework that we did the whole podcast, but we went to all these different directions and we learned so much about Will and we learned about how he's on the journey and he's doing the things and he's community man and he's doing well in his business and he's doing well in all these other areas. And it doesn't happen accidentally, it's very, very intentional.

Speaker 2:

It is intentional. It is intentional and everybody can do it. If you join a group, be a part of a group. Ask Jordan If you have questions. You need to get those questions answered. Find support, find groups. You can change. You can be the best version of yourself. Don't let other people's limiting beliefs hold you down.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I love that. So Will. This has been incredible. Where can people learn more about you and learn more about what you do?

Speaker 2:

Okay, I'm in the financial services. You can just do a search Will R Young CFP, I'll come right up. I'd be happy to help. One of the most important things is when you have financial health, you tend to have excellent mental health and physical health, because finances are a major part of your life. Being financially independent is one of the core things that really makes your life easier, so you're not relying on everybody else. You want to fulfill yourself. Get coaching, get help and focus on finances as well. The earlier you start, the better off you'll be.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and that financial pillar is an underlying of everything, because you have to realize, like originally, when I started the coaching, it was all about finances. It was helping people get out of student loan debt, just get aware of what was going on, because a lot of the time we don't even understand that. So it's really important and everyone look up Will and we'll put that in the show notes and I really appreciate the time.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much. Have a lovely day. Thank you guys.

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Jordan Edwards

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