“Are you worried you might offend some of your clients with your comedy?” my wife, Carrie, asked.
“Well, I’d rather lose a client than lose myself,” I replied.
I won the Comedy Battle against seven other comedians, but I had already won before stepping on stage. I won because I’m doing what I love.
My hobby has impacted my business and my quality of life. It has helped me heal from the repression of growing up in Utah, wanting to be accepted even though I wasn’t a member of the predominant religion.
It has been a journey. It has taken decades. But it is worth it.
Look, I care deeply about people. I love people. I’m a relationship guy. That’s why it has been such an arduous road of trying to “be a good boy” and people-please at my own expense.
But by redefining wealth, enjoying the process along the way, and creating my richest life, I have been set free.
Free.
Free from manipulation.
Free from limitation.
Free from others’ opinions governing my self-expression.
Wealth.
Living wealthy.
Loving life.
What is wealth to you?
What if wealth is about being present?
What if wealth is about having shared moments as much (if not more) than it is about net worth?
What if wealth is a byproduct of a life well-lived?
We have been indoctrinated to believe that wealth is a byproduct of sacrifice—working at the expense of everything else important. If we sacrifice the moment, make another exception, let work overcome play, lose hobbies, or always make ourselves available for the next call, post, email, or client, we lose.
We lose life in sacrifice for a better future, at the expense of today.
Yep, that’s how the world teaches us it works.
The ends justify the means, or do they?
Justify your actions today for the hope of tomorrow.
The hope of a better life.
The hope of a bigger house.
The hope of the next bio-hack machine.
The hope of the next award or accolade.
The hope of getting ahead, being respected, envied, or “successful.”
We are trained to lose the moment.
INDOCTRINATED.
To hustle and isolate rather than share.
Well, I mean, we share on social media, but often interrupt the actual moment itself. Some are more interested in the reaction or acknowledgment after the moment than the moment itself.
Does it count if it wasn’t seen?
Does it count if someone else wasn’t proven wrong?
Does it count if it didn’t make someone else jealous?
Does it count if we don’t get full credit?
Do Your Actions Match Your Intentions?
We know the logical answer, but do our actions match?
Why do you do what you do?
What matters most to you?
If you couldn’t tell someone what mattered and they merely watched your day, what would your actions say?
Yeah, that cliché—actions speak louder than words. They both matter.
What I think is the most special thing in the world, where I feel most at peace, most happy, and most connected, is a shared moment.
A moment.
A moment present with another person.
Nowhere to go, nothing to do, just to be.
Maybe listen. Laugh. Tell a story. Share something meaningful. A moment of humanity, where what matters isn’t where we are going, but that we are already there.
We have already won.
You have the win.
It is right under your nose.
We are alive.
We have skills.
We can develop skills.
We can learn lessons.
We can teach lessons.
We can simply be.
Sure, there are still bills to pay, food to eat, and duties and obligations to fulfill. But often, we invent and add busyness. We create the deadlines. We create the meaning. We create the chaos.
We do too much. We take on things to avoid what we don’t want to face. Or we chase something to be liked and respected.
With a chip on our shoulder, we want to prove something. Prove we are someone. Get somewhere, missing the experience of life along the way. Missing the people who love us the most.
What Makes You Happy?
Know your boundaries.
Create your boundaries.
Design your life.
Determine your win.
Review your calendar—what belongs and what doesn’t?
What story does your calendar tell?
What serves you, and what enslaves you?
What is out of habit but not creating your best life?
What can you stop or let go of doing?
What can you delegate or hire out?
If any of this is a struggle for you, consider the following:
How do you value your time, your life, your health, your family, your hobbies, your creative time, your key relationships?
Are you worth it?
What would it take to have what you want?
What does being happy look like to you?
Sustainable happiness.
Not just a short dopamine hit.
Nothing temporary or artificial.
What really moves the needle on your happiness?
I hosted a party at my house and had around sixty people over.
It made me happy.
I did comedy that night—I was even happier.
I led an event the next day—more happiness.
I filmed the next day and hosted around twenty people at my cabin—you guessed it—HAPPY. But just the Monday before, I woke up after getting home from Burning Man and did something that didn’t lead to happiness.
My wife told me to take it easy and relax.
I tried.
I did.
I took a few naps, and that was kind of nice.
But then I scrolled through different streaming apps, finding almost nothing of interest.
Wasting time looking, I was bored. So, I ate more than normal, worse than normal, and kept trying to relax. Hard to relax when I was messing up my gut after eating clean for months.
Thinking of some projects I could do, I decided to lay on the couch instead.
Bored.
Not happy.
Not really relaxed either.
I had options.
Tinkering around the house, going to the cabin and organizing the garage, fly fishing, working out, shooting my bow, writing a bit…plenty of ways to relax and feel happy.
Laying around not only led to bad eating habits but also judgment and bad thinking. It did not lead to happiness.
Relaxing is different for everyone. We can relax by being active in a hobby or organizing a man cave. Having that off day was helpful. It was good to see. Good data and information.
Watching something didn’t make me feel refreshed. It didn’t help me relax. Instead, walking by the river, sitting on the deck with a coffee, or reading something—all better options. Good to know.
Being present makes me happy.
Doing something creative makes me happy.
Adding value makes me happy.
Being with great people, hosting, performing, teaching…all make me happy.
That’s me—what about you?
Know thyself and be set free. Be happy.
Take Care of Yourself to Create Value for Others
Some may try to guilt you by saying you’re selfish if you take care of yourself. That’s probably worth a new conversation, even an argument, and it’s likely more about them than you.
If we don’t take care of ourselves, what do we have to give to others?
If we don’t manage our energy and feel fulfilled, the work seems harder. We are out of flow.
When people are out of flow, it leads to isolation. More frustration, less happiness. Fewer shared moments. Plenty of bitterness and judgment, though.
If you aren’t happy, what would have to change for you to be happy?
If you don’t have it, what would it take to get it?
Are your circumstances less than ideal?
I’ve been there. I get it. My kidneys were in stage four failure last year. That was a wake-up call.
I got resourceful.
I sought out help.
It began by getting blood work. Then I shared it with people I know and trust in the health space. I adopted a new eating plan. I took a few peptides for my blood pressure. I let go of anger and stress with coaches, counselors, mentors, and writing time.
So, I see the parallels between health and wealth. I was able to take this experience and write this blog, launch Multiplier, and help people get healthy financially. Same formula, different category.
The results: Blood doesn’t lie, and mine seems like a miracle. In less than a year, I’m doing fantastic with my health—healthiest I’ve EVER been.
How? I put my money where my health was. Hired the right people. Changed my habits. Explored new modalities like biofeedback. I got past any excuses about time, food, or anything and chose a new path.
You might be in debt. Or struggling in your marriage. Or with your health. Or your business.
Okay, so you have the pain to put you back on course. Learn and grow. Make new choices.
What would it take to have all you want? To be all you want?
What beliefs are no longer serving you? What excuses hold you back? What are you afraid of?
I was facing kidney failure, maybe a transplant, and in the middle of my sleepless nights, I worried about an early death. Worry didn’t help. Fear was a good kickstarter. I didn’t have all the answers, but I tapped into my relationship capital (community). I asked more questions. I was willing to receive support.
This wasn’t my expertise or something I could solve on my own. But now that I know what to do, it’s fairly easy. I say “fairly” because I got up at 4:44 this morning, cooked, and packed food for a three-day trip to Austin, where I’m speaking, attending the premiere of my comedy special, and doing a live podcast (with an audience present).
I didn’t skip my workout. I was able to pack this morning, and here I am doing what I love—WRITING.
Hard-Easy or Easy-Hard?
You have a choice. A simple, not always easy, but profound choice. You can live life Hard-Easy or Easy-Hard. You choose. It’s about the process, the habits, the commitment.
Hard-Easy was getting up and making mashed sweet potatoes, organic chicken, chopping red onion, packing celery, avocados, pistachios, and more. All organic, no salt—healing, helpful food.
Easy-Hard would have been to skip the workout, the cold plunge, and the food bag. I’d then have a harder time finding healthy food, or make compromised food choices, potentially setting back my health journey.
Hard-Easy is investing in yourself. Joining Multiplier by investing $5,000 for your financial well-being and future. Accessing a great community of people. Having me give the frameworks to financial independence. The financial health required for legacy, sustainable wealth, and a happy life along the way.
It’s not just about money; it’s about a life you love. It’s about happiness. Isolation rarely leads to prosperity. Prosperity is not a do-it-yourself game. It is, however, a game of responsibility.
Are you going to be happy? Are you going to do what it takes to create a life you don’t want to retire from? To be financially fit? To invest in yourself?
The easy thing is to neglect our finances. To ignore the things that tug at us, our intuition and gut feelings. It’s easy to keep on a path that we don’t love, but don’t quite hate just yet either. It’s easy to save money by cutting back and cutting out, but hard when we don’t enjoy life along the way.
It’s hard to design the life you don’t want to retire from, but once you find it, once you live it, once you commit to it, life gets easier. And not just easier, but better.
FLOW.
Fun.
Love.
What could you do today that is hard but would lead to your best life?
What could you do that would move you in the direction of your richest life?
I’d love to share a moment with you, or many. I’d love to help you design and experience your richest life.
Garrett “Happy in the Moment” Gunderson
P.S.
Simply apply, and it will guarantee shared moments right away. I’ll carve out time to have a chat, get to know you, and see where I can be of value. Hope you take me up on it, live hard-easy, and create a life you don’t want to retire from.
