Today, I am 40 years old.

This is how I really feel.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [UNSTUCK]() From the desk of Pat Flynn December 6, 2022 --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Hi there, it’s Pat. Yep, that’s right! Today, December 6th, 2022, I turn 40 years old. Matt Gartland, my partner and CEO of SPI Media, also turns 40 today, which is pretty wild when you think about it. On behalf of both of us, thank you for the birthday wishes. 🥳 When I was a kid, 40 felt like that age where someone went from “kinda old”, to “super old”, but now that I’m here, I definitely have some things I’d tell my younger self about that. I plan to explore those thoughts in this email today. Let’s call it: 3 Things I Wish I Could Have Told My Younger Self Let’s get unstuck. QUOTE OF THE WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------- “Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” — John Lennon THE STORY --------------------------------------------------------------- (time travel sounds) Me: Hey Pat! Yeah you, the young beardless guy who just graduated college to become an architect. I’ve got some things to share with you. Young Pat: Who are you?! Me: I’m you, but 40 years old. I’m from the future. Young Pat: No way! So time travel is for real? Me: In this email I’m writing, yes. Anyway, let’s not get lost in the technicalities. I have three things I want to share with you about what you’ll experience from here on out. My hope is not to change what happens to you, but open your eyes to what IS happening to you while you’re going through it. Young Pat: … Me: Okay, here it goes… 1. The more value you provide, the more you will succeed. I know that right now you’re hustling really hard. You want to be as successful as possible, and earn money to invest with the hope that it will work even harder for you in the future. But, your success will be a direct result of the value you contribute. As an employee, your worth will depend on how much value you can provide to the company. Make them see just how much of an asset you are so when you’re not there, or not working on a particular project, they will wish you were. This will help make you indispensable and allow you to move up, and more importantly for you (because I know you) open up more options to work on cooler projects. When you begin to work on your own (I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but just trust me, it’ll be hard, but completely worth it when it happens), the same rules apply. Help others get what they want, and you’ll have a world of options open up for you. 2. As much as you love to give, you should also not be afraid to ask. Asking for help is not a bad thing. Let me repeat that for you, because I know just how much you prefer to figure things out on your own. Asking 👏 for 👏 help 👏 is 👏 not 👏 a 👏 bad 👏 thing 👏. It’s actually the way to move faster, to reduce stress and overwhelm, and minimize mistakes. It’s also a beautiful way to build key relationships, because a great relationship is never a one way street – it’s two people or more helping each other out. But, someone has to initiate, and you don’t always have to wait for the other person. Synergies like this will propel you forward, not just in business and at work, but in your personal life. Keep that in mind with your girlfriend, too. She’s a keeper, trust me. 3. No matter what, it’s never as bad as you often think it is. There will be some…let’s call them moments, in your future that will be difficult. They will challenge you and they will break you down. But don’t forget, the people you know and the communities you’re a part of will always be there for you, so it’s never as bad as you think. And secondly, and most importantly: There is ALWAYS something amazing waiting for you on the other side of that fear and pain. That’s the biggest thing you’ll discover. In fact, when you’re older, you’ll actually look to try to find that fear, and where you’re challenged, because you know it’ll be the course to personal growth for you. When you start to focus on the work that seems just too easy or automatic, it probably means you’re not pushing yourself hard enough to grow. And remember, the older you get, the wiser you should become, but only if you challenge yourself to keep learning and growing. Young Pat: Wow, thanks for that. Hey, are there any major worldly events that happen that I should look out for? Me: …no comment. ​ Your Call to Action Okay, I’m back! You know, this exercise of “what I’d tell my younger self” has been very good for me mentally. It helps me realize how much I’ve grown, and it reminds me to continue to follow the advice I’d give my younger self, today. My CTA for you today is to think of at least one thing you’d tell your younger self and reflect on that. It’s a great exercise for this time of the year with 2023 just around the corner. Time does fly, but as it does, I’m grateful that you’re a part of my timeline. I appreciate you, and thank you again for the birthday wishes. Here’s to the next wonderful decade and all it might hold for the both of us! SPONSORED BY OTHERBOARD = The only dashboard you need to grow your blog Are you spending too much time managing data? Do you feel like you're not getting insights that will grow your blog? If so, it's time to try Otherboard. With integrations for WordPress, Mediavine, Google Analytics, AdWords, Search Console, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, you'll get access to all your data in one place. Key stats for every social and blog post provide just what you need to make informed decisions about your content. Plus, you can assign tasks to team members and manage your content creation workflows with ease. So why wait? Spend less time handling data, and more time growing your revenue with Otherboard today. [LEARN MORE](=) ​SPI NEWS AND NOTES --------------------------------------------------------------- We work hard at SPI to remain unstuck and consistently provide you with the latest news, trends, and events to support your businesses. Check it out: - Tomorrow is the day! There is still time to sign-up for our All-Access Pass Launch event. Join us on December 7th at 9am PT to get a detailed look at what All-Access Pass is and how it can help you accelerate your business. [Sign-up here!]()​ - We’re reinventing online education for entrepreneurs because honestly, it’s time for a new outlook. The digital world moves pretty fast but the way experts and leaders are teaching new entrepreneurs hasn’t changed over the years. Learn what we’ve been doing to move SPI courses and community forward in this [latest article](. - ​[Join the weekly conversation]( every Tuesday at 11am PT for #SPILiveChat on [Twitter](. Connect with other business owners, special guests, and SPI's team of experts to chat about all things community, content creation, and entrepreneurship. This week the discussion will be lead by host Pat Flynn, tweeting all about Community-Powered Courses and how it can help your business thrive. [Looking forward to connecting!](​ DAD JOKE OF THE WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------- At 40, you still have all the moves… …you just don't make them as fast. ​ Did a cool person forward you this email? [Sign up here for free.]( Want to reach over 125,000 entrepreneurs? [Become a sponsor.]( ​ Thanks for reading! You are receiving this because you signed up for Pat Flynn’s newsletter at [smartpassiveincome.com](). 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