How to Reinvent Yourself After 50 | Ryan Lee & Jim Kwik

How do you start and succeed with your second act? This is a question that we get a lot in our private Facebook group where, I mean, please join. We have over 150,000 people in that private group and people are always chatting and some people are getting through different ages. We're going through our 30s or 40s. I'm in my 50s and people are thinking about a second act and what that could look like and what's the mindset around that. What kind of Skills do you need to acquire? How do you manage your time? And so much more, even if it isn't even possible. And so I wanted to do this very special episode here and introduce you to a dear friend. His name is Ryan Lee. Now, Ryan and I have been friends for almost 2 decades. He's really been, uh, he's been in my corner, uh, before we were out there as much as we are out there because he has such a genius mind and a giving heart. He's an author. He is a speaker. He went from being a high school gym coach to building multiple dozens of businesses. So he's a very noted entrepreneur. And what he's most proud of is being a dad. And so I want to introduce our community to Ryan Lee.

Thank you, my friend. I appreciate it. Hey, love you, Jim.

Yeah, I wanted to do this for so long. Ryan and I We used to get together for what we called the $25 group. There are a lot of masterminds that cost, you know, $25K and more.

Yeah.

We, we would just get breakfast and 4 of us that live locally together would get together once a month and brainstorm. We talk about the power of masterminds, but I learned so many insights and ideas from you. You are like one of the most prolific people that I know, not just in terms of your content, but also your ability to start a new enterprise, a new business, and, you know, You know, many people see you as like one of the top lifestyle entrepreneurs. So this message is for people of any age or stage, but maybe they're thinking about, oh, you know, they're looking to find more of their passion, more of their purpose. Maybe they have a 9 to 5. And I just thought this would be— we were having a conversation offline. I said, oh, we got to get this on camera.

Yep.

Yeah. So Where do we start? For people listening and watching, they're thinking like there's something more. They want to be, do, have, maybe share something at a new level. But they're apprehensive. You know, there's fear around that.

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, that kind of growth and what are people going to think? And, you know, where do you even start? And so how do you look at second acts?

Well, first, thanks for having me on, Jim.

Yeah, of course.

It's really interesting. Now that you and I are both in our 50s, we get through this phase where, okay, we kind of stop caring so much what people think about us. I think we have to get over that fact of, hey, I'm just going to go out there and put really good stuff out there to the world, figuring out what your passion is, what your lane is, and just going for it and letting go of the fear of everyone's watching me. Here's the truth about social media is that people are watching, but they're not obsessing over you.

Right.

I love you, Jim. You're a close friend. I'm not watching every single minute of every video of every email as much as you think I am. I'm not. And the reality is people aren't watching every little single thing we do. So, I think Getting over that fear of people are going to judge me and they're going to, oh my God, I said I'm going to do this one thing and now I shifted and people are going to think I'm nuts. No, they're not. Like, I think you just give yourself permission to try things. And now when you're in your 50s, your 60s, beyond, just going for it. Like, giving it— technology has made it so easy for us to be able to start things really quickly.

I mean, remember when we first got started? There was no YouTube, there was no social media, there was no— like, now people can make content on their their phones, right? I remember having to do a big production. It was tens of thousands of dollars to go into a studio. But nowadays we could do something very, very simple, right?

Right. All you need is a phone, really. And I've seen videos, um, I was watching one guy online and his whole YouTube channel is him with his iPhone walking. Every single video is him like, hey guys, I'm going to tell you about this thing.

Yeah.

And he has like 150,000 people following him. And then from there then you could offer products and services and programs, whatever it is you want to do. And some people want to do paid speaking, they want to do products, they want to do courses, they want to do Limitless, favorite book of all time. They want to do events. You can do anything you want, but it is a question of tactically speaking, what's your marketing platform? Where are you going to be and how are you going to show up? Because a great idea is cool. We all have ideas, but at the end of the day, how are people going to find you? And that's when I saw things really turn around for you when you're like, okay, here's my idea. Like you knew what lane you wanted to be in and you say, I'm going all in with social media. And now we've got the YouTube and the podcast and now things really grow and explode.

Yeah. And it's interesting. Like we stay in our lane of just brain optimization and accelerated learning, but there are people that want to be generalists and that's okay also as well. But you're right. The fear of looking bad or starting something new, it's nice to remind ourselves that every professional was once an amateur. Every expert was once a beginner. Like we all start with zero followers. You know, we all start with a zero email list or anything like that. Now, one of the things I admire about you besides being a great family man is most people have ideas. You're so good at implementation and execution.

Thank you.

Ryan will have an idea and then like 2 days later, there'll be an online business built around it. Do you have like a conscious process for that? Like when you get an idea, how do you know if it's worthy of your attention? And then we have this brain type quiz. You are definitely a cheetah. A cheetah is somebody who adapts very quickly, who implements ideas because so many people have ideas. But it's true. Ideas are not worth a whole lot unless you do something with them. Right.

I look at it as what's the worst that's gonna happen? I think you have to, whatever it is you're going to do, I think you have to mitigate your risk as much as possible. So for example, if I have an idea, oh my God, this would be a great coffee shop, I'm not gonna tomorrow sign a 2-year lease and open up a coffee shop and be like, oh, let me try it for a week. You can't do that. So more information, advice, coaching, consulting type of businesses, there's really not a lot of financial risk. There's not a lot of time risk.

Yeah.

And the reality is we don't know. Like, I don't know what's going to work. I don't know if the new next product is going to sell, the next program. So you give it a shot, you throw things against the wall. And I think it's the way you tell people. So you say to the world, so you don't get out there and say, oh my God, I have this new thing. It's going to change the world, everyone. And then it disappears in the next week. Forget that. I got a new idea. Then you start to look a little Nuts. But I think what you do is you put it out there to the world. Hey guys, I have this idea. Here's what I'm thinking. I think I'm going to try this. Who's interested? Who wants to follow? Who wants to take this chance with me? I'm going to try this new program. I'm going to do this little live event. I'm going to do this webinar. And if it works, great, we'll keep it going. And if not, okay, let's try something new. And what it does, it takes this pressure off of you. And I think people watching you are like, you know what?

That's cool.

Oh, Jim, you're going to do a little workshop? I'm in, let's try it. And I think what happens, we think we have to go big and grandiose and I'm going to build a team and I'm mind mapping and now I'm hiring an attorney and let me trademark. No, let's just put things out there to the world. Let's see what happens. And if it works, then go all in. And if not, let me take a step back, shift and pivot. I think as long as you're being upfront and realistic, people, it's amazing how people will follow. I've had people follow me from day one, from the late '90s, For me being a gym teacher online to now like businesses, and now they're in their 50s, and they've seen my shifts and pivots, and they were there with the birth of my first child. Now you just kind of go with it, and it's life, and we all evolve, we all change.

And you have you have four children.

Yes.

And you know, I believe the life you live are the lessons you teach. And so I really I I value your values, and everybody has different values. Did you feel like there's a little bit of a risk? having that responsibility of children to be able to do something like new. And what I love about you is you're very real and it's very raw. Like not a lot of people out there in every industry, you know, you always have your, you know, some individuals, but you are exactly who you are in front of camera as you are not on camera.

Yeah.

And that's one of the things I respect. And also that I think that To your point, it takes a little of that pressure, alleviates some of that pressure.

Right.

You don't have to try to be somebody that you're not.

Yeah. And you shouldn't be someone you're not. It's exhausting. And you and I have met people like that. They're, oh, I'm a motivational speaker. Look at me, perfect life. And behind the scenes, they're a disaster or they're completely different and they're not aligned with their values. I think just be you and you're going to attract the right people. Some people might not like you. That's okay. And we have to get over that fear of everyone's going to like us. They're not. And that's okay. And don't fixate on it. Fixate on the people that you want to help and serve. This is me. This is what I stand for. This is kind of what I want to talk about. You want to come? Let's go. If not, don't.

But be you. Be real.

Maybe because I'm a New Yorker, I don't know. I can't be fake. I just can't. Even reading from teleprompters, I can't do it. It's stifling. Even though this entire podcast is on a Teleprompter. I'm just kidding. This is all it just it just feels really weird to do that. So I think just be you and share your highs, share your lows, especially as you're getting older. Like we have so much stuff we can share, so much experience, and we get in this feeling of it's too late. Oh, I'm stuck. I've been you know a chiropractor for twenty years. Okay, but I want to do something different. But I've already done it. It's it's sunk cost bias. It's so powerful. It's like well, I've been doing this for so long. So I can't leave it. Why not?

Yeah.

Why can't you? Like, do something different. Try something different. Start a YouTube channel.

Yeah.

Call it Unlimited List. Like, let's keep going. Let's push the boundaries and just go and give something a shot. Especially, I call it like a fresh start, your second act. Go for it. What do you have to lose? You really don't have anything to lose. And I kind of circling back to that idea of just taking chances and taking shots. This is something I've said, and it's a little bit controversial. And I say this with kindness. No one really cares about you. What I mean is, like I said, they're not obsessing about you. They're looking at what's in it for me. And I think if we look at marketing and our business always from the perspective of how am I going to help people? How am I going to help them get better, smarter, healthier, more money, whatever it is you're going to do, and just take the spotlight off of you and put it on them. Right. And focus on them and not realize they're not going to judge you. Like, just help people and watch what happens. It is amazing.

And I think the fear, it lessens the fear, the nervousness, right? When you focus on service, it's hard to be thinking about your own self-doubt. Right. And am I doing this right? But if you're there to be able to support another person, that their success is how you measure your success. Now, our members here are lifelong learners. I mean, this community, they just love to learn. And so knowledge, skills, abilities, What are some of the skills that you think in today's age is important to acquire or to be able to learn or train and develop to help you be, whether it's more resilient or starting your second act? One of them I have to say that you must be extremely good at because you output so much is time management. Like, how do you manage your time with all these businesses, right? With a very full family and other responsibilities, you're able to output so much. So do you have like a way of looking at time?

Yeah, I, I put everything on my calendar. And when I say put everything on my calendar, I block— you cannot reach me before noon, um, except for this. I came here for you because you texted me, you said 11:00 AM sharp. I think you underlined and highlighted sharp, and I got here.

Yeah.

But otherwise, I don't do any appointments before noon. That is my work and focus time.

Deep work.

Deep work.

No distractions.

Nope. And I'm very specific on what I'm doing. And I like to break it down to what are the biggest levers in your business? What are the things that's going to move it forward the most? And focusing on traffic, focusing on new product development. And just if you put in honestly 2 to 3 hours a day, of absolute focus from 8 AM to 12, whatever that timeframe is for you, you're unstoppable. I know Tim has the 4-Hour Workweek, but it's really more like a 4-hour workday. And then by noon, I'm kind of done. Like, I really—

And everyone could do this, even if they have a 9 to 5. Like, the amount of time we waste doing things that aren't getting us closer or happier to our goals, people would be— their mind would be blown if they looked even on their phone, how much screen time they have on certain apps like social media. Yeah, it's a rabbit hole.

It's amazing. And I don't want to waste time because then it's less time I spend with my kids. You could absolutely go down the rabbit hole. So here's where I'm a little bit different. Some people are maniacal with business. Dude, you got to grind. You got to hustle. It's all 24 hours a day. And they make you feel bad if you want to watch a Netflix show. And you and I love movies and shows. And we've been to movies together. We talk about shows. I think it's okay to watch Netflix. And that's the thing. If you put in 2, 3 hours a day and not just mess around on social media all the time, Watch the Jim Quick videos, watch the Ryan Lee videos, but then let's let's implement and get just hyper focused. I don't I never answer my phone. I don't except when my wife calls because I'm terrified of her. But otherwise, I don't answer my phone, and I don't check emails. I just sit and write and work for the couple of hours. But in terms of the skills you need, because you asked me that earlier, the I think the most important thing is to become a better communicator, both written. And being able to do this, being able to come on an interview here, we didn't have any questions scripted and just flow and go with it. And I think that's also important that whatever topic you want to talk about, whatever lane you want to own, you know it and you're passionate about it. If we were talking about how to read faster, I got 2 minutes of material and I'm out. I couldn't do it.

Right.

But I think because we're talking about something that I'm passionate about, it's really important. But what— that way you get better in that, you put in the reps. Yeah, you put in the reps. Speak more every opportunity you have. I don't care if it's the public library and there are 4 people, like, go there and hone your chops and you get more confident and you get better at what you're doing.

My buddy who you met, one of my martial arts trainers, Chuck.

Yes.

He has this phrase, stealing reps. He's always looking to— he's making coffee and during that 5 minutes, he could use that 5 minutes to steal some reps. to get better at what he's passionate about.

Yep.

Right. And so, yeah, people don't realize how little things add up to bigger things. And I noticed like in your, in the way you describe it, it's not just about time management. Those 2 hours you're spent on things that matter. So it's almost like priority management. You're focused on the things that really can, as you said, move the needle.

Yeah.

Because a lot of people, they confuse like being busy with being productive and effective.

Right.

You know what I mean? They say they're busy and they use it as a badge of honor. But they're not really producing, you know, the results they're hoping for.

Right. I came up with an acronym to try to remember better. I know you love the brain stuff, Jim.

Come on. I love acronyms.

The initials GWB. Now, it's funny because people think of different things when they— we're from New York. George Washington Bridge. You know, one person online wrote, you know, George W. Bush. I'm like, no, GWB. GWB. So I look at it, I kind of divide into 3 sections. G is grow. So that's everything you're doing to market to get your name out there, whether it's a YouTube channel, whether it's LinkedIn, whether it's being a guest on podcasts or hosting your own podcast. So that's like the first, that's number one, because without that, that's your oxygen.

And also growing yourself, like you're learning, you know, becoming an expert like you are in—

Forget that. You don't, you don't, don't work on yourself.

Yes. Yeah.

No, of course. Like that's, that's always, that's always it, right?

So you're growing inside and also growing outside in terms of your, your reach. Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely. Um, W is writing. Now for me, a really important part. Here's here's we're gonna get a little tactical when whatever type of business because I've had e-commerce businesses and information businesses and event businesses most of the consumable product businesses everything nutrition companies you know many of the people out there started by watching you know your training I know which is weird now you're making me feel old but yeah yeah I mean I was doing this I've been doing this for twenty five years so but most of your sales it could be eighty it could be ninety percent Come old school email. Like that really is a thing. And what people do is they they do social media. Oh, I have four thousand followers, but you don't necessarily get seen by four thousand people. Maybe a thousand people see this video, or five hundred people see this video. The important thing is to get them onto like your list and in your world, and and that more personal communication. So so the second so so G is grow. W is writing is writing your email and communicating. If you have a private Facebook group with how many you have? Hundred and fifty thousand.

In our Facebook group, yes. Yeah, that's lame.

You got to raise that. But writing, communicating, building your community, so that's W. And B, bank. So, that is actually monetization. How are we going to turn this into a business? And if you have no intention of turning into a business, you just want to grow and share and just give stuff out for free, great. But if you want to actually create income, what's the product? Is it a nutritional supplement? Are you selling books? Are you doing courses? Are you doing coaching? Are you doing events? And then planning a third of your time on that. So, maybe you're writing a sales letter, maybe you're coming up with a video to sell something or a webinar or a promotion for your e-commerce company, your clothing company. So, what happens is some people obsessively focus on G, all they're doing is marketing, but there's no business behind it, or they're just focusing on to make money, but they don't have anyone coming in, or they never even write emails. So, I look at it every day. What are my G, W, and B tactics? And like 20 minutes on each, another circuit, like you're good to go.

So what are some of the biggest mistakes that you see clients or people out there that's keeping them kind of stuck? Are there— is it a mindset where they don't believe in themselves or they don't believe it's possible, or maybe they don't believe they deserve it? Are they not motivated? Do they lack the methods or the skills? I mean, or is it all skill?

Yes, it really is. But, you know, the more successful you get, the more you realize mindset really is the thing. You could learn the tactics, you could learn how to set up a YouTube channel, but like the mindset, especially— you mentioned the word before, resilience, the resilience, the grit, because it's never always going to work. There's always going to be setbacks you have. You're going to have something that didn't perform as well. You're going to have tech fail. There's always going to be something. And the ability to get back up Is everything. So you have a little setback, get mad for five minutes, punch the wall, train with Chuck, do some martial arts, and then you brush yourself off. You say, "Okay, let's go." Like I learned this. Let me keep going. So I think the mindset, and then unfortunately, a lot of people are watching like some of these young marketers, and it they make it more about themselves. They're losing track of it's for other people, and their marketing and their business becomes too self-absorbed. You know, a personal brand is a thing and they make it like, hey guys, don't I look cute in this t-shirt?

Right.

That, like, that doesn't really serve other people. Maybe you could say, I got this shirt, you know, I don't even know how you could spin that actually. Um, hey, what have you bought new? You know, I'm reading this book. What books are you reading? So there's a way to kind of position it, putting it back to other people. So I think that's another thing, be selfish a little bit.

So it's, you're not making yourself the hero, you're creating, you're, you're Helping them become their own hero, if you will.

Spotlight. Put the spotlight on other people. I wrote an email this morning about one of my students. He's 53, 54, just started a new YouTube channel all about— he's a cat dad. That's awesome. He loves cats. I'm like, so build it around that. And he's just launched today. I'm like, that's great. And the whole email was about him. That was it. So focusing and lifting other people up and watch what happens when you do that. So, I think that's another— people would make it all about themselves. Oh, I helped this guy and it was my idea and me, me, me, me, me. When we shift it, so you get the mindset, you get resilience, and then just start getting out there and doing cool things. I mean, you are the master at that. You are so good at highlighting other people and taking pictures, Will Smith and all this stuff, but you always have good things to share and you're always highlighting people in your community. So, you do a really good job of that.

I appreciate that. I mean, a lot of that came from the council, you know, from knowing you and just the importance of who you spend time with.

Right.

You know, going back to our mastermind, be able to be in a safe space where we could call people, we could call our friends out on their stuff and tell them maybe something they don't want to hear and really give them a track. And you have some amazing— I want to encourage everybody to really go if this any of this conversation resonates with you is to go into his ecosystem, if you will. He's got so much incredible training on the things we're talking about, on mindset, on getting your drive, tapping into more of that purpose and really on methodologies for, because you could have a good internal reality, a good product or service, but that external perception has to be there also as well.

Yeah.

And, you know, you're so prolific, you have so much, and it's time-tested because you've helped so many people from so many different ages and stages and countries and backgrounds become successful in this area. Where can people go to tap into some of that advice and knowledge? Where's the best place?

Just my website, ryanlee.com, R-Y-A-N-L-E-E.com. Yeah, it's simple.

And what will they find there?

Speed reading, brain health, I'm just going to take everything you're doing and I'm going to flip it. I'm actually working on some new programs. I just did a 9-day boot camp all for people 50 and over about the second act. And that's what I'm really now during my second act, as I'm about to be 52, is focusing on helping other people 50, 60, and beyond do cool things during our second act. Like, let's get over the hump and do whatever it is you want to do, but more for entrepreneurial type of motivators looking to do Whether they already have a business looking to grow it, or whether they're looking to do something completely different. That's what I'm that's going to be my that lights you up.

Yeah, you could tell. You could tell.

Yeah, this whole other time I was down now. Yeah. Well, now you're promoting me. No, but I it really is when you find your thing and your mission, and I also want to do it, and I I love doing it, making it fun. As you can see, like I like joking around. I think the more we can do stuff with business too. Especially in today's world, it's like dark and heavy. Like, yeah, let's lighten it up. Let's have fun. And you could teach even serious topics and still make it fun and still smile. And so—

And be optimistic. Absolutely.

Like, let's go.

Yeah. So your, your, your, your parting words to people watching this, they're interested in a second act, or maybe they've started their second act. Yeah. What would you say to that person?

Go for it. What have you got to lose? Just take one step. It could be one social media post. It could be, hey guys, I'm thinking of doing this. What do you think? Who's in? Who wants to support? Can you root me on? I did that yesterday. And it's amazing the support you get just throwing something out there. So just take that one little step and you get a little bit of the positive thing. You're like, hey, I can do this. So go for it. What have you got to lose? On your deathbed, you're not going to be saying, man, I can't believe I only got 7 Likes or views, right? Like, go for it.

And you're saying it also helped you to live longer and better. You mentioned a study in terms of—

Yeah, having a healthy approach to aging. There was a study by Rebecca Levy at Yale. I know you love the studies, Jim.

Yeah.

It is incredible. It added 7.5 years onto your life just having a positive approach to aging, more than quitting smoking or drinking or eating better. 7.5 years just thinking positive. About it, and I know you and I are always—we're eating well, we're exercising, we're thinking positively instead of saying—and you've seen it, I'm sure—with high school people that you people you went to high school with—they're like, "Oh, I'm so old! Oh, my back!" Like they're always complaining. It's like embrace this. Like I I say all the time, we're just getting started. Like we are, and I true this is not a pitch. It's not hype. I know. I truly believe it. Like. There was Chip Conley mentioned this. I think it's really interesting number. If you're 54 years old, which we we're getting there. If you're 18, right? Let's say you live to 90. Okay. The difference between 18 and 54 is 36 years. The difference between 54 and 90 is 36 years. As Bon Jovi said, "We're halfway there, baby." We still have so much more we can do. And instead of saying, "Oh, I just want to lay down and retire and watch TV." Do something that lights you up. But you got to take care of your health too. Your mental health, your physical health, your spiritual health, relationship. That is all really important part of it. Because if you're not feeling good, it's hard to get excited and it's hard for people to follow you and be like, I'm with this guy, I'm with this girl. Let this energy come through. I love it. Take some naps. Nothing wrong with a little nap once in a while. I love a little 20-minute nap.

Yeah, I love to party. If partying means reading and taking naps, that sounds amazing. I want to thank everybody for tuning in, and I really encourage you to check out my friend. I mean, this, again, we've been good friends for a couple of decades, and you could tell by his energy and his insight, only good things could happen. So check out ryanlee.com. We'll put it in the description down below. And keep us posted. You know, if you decide to go on your second act, Post on social media, you know, tag Ryan, tag myself. And, you know, your story can inspire other people. You know, we've taken our mess and turned it into more of our message. And I think passion is what lights you up. Like entrepreneurship, it lights you up, right? Being creative lights you up. And sharing that passion with somebody else to light them up could be our purpose, right? Like, what lights you up is entrepreneurship. What lights somebody else up could be teaching them. How to be a great entrepreneur or how to be a creator, how to be able to share their gifts with the world.

Right. Especially during the second act, we have so many years and decades of experience of ups and downs, stories of things we can share, of hobbies, anything. There's the book Die Empty, right? Don't hold it in. Let it out and have some fun with it. And if you want to make a business out of it, cool. If you just want to give and share, cool. Go for it. Let's have some fun.

Yeah. If not, I mean, one life, this is what we have. You know, why aren't we running towards our goals and those dreams like we're on fire?

I know.

That sense of urgency. And then also, I love how you bring that part of that fire is just injecting that joy into it. I mean, not everything is perfect. We all have things we have to do that maybe we don't want to do. But I do, I truly believe that, you know, we have this level of agency where We almost have a responsibility to be able to share that light with others, especially in a dim world sometimes.

Yeah.

So many people are dimming their light because it's shining in somebody else's eyes.

Right. And it could be something you don't even think. You're like, well, why would anyone want to listen to me about fixing up cars? There are people who that's going to help them for the day. And they're like, I can't wait to see her video, his video about how he fixed up this car and how she did this. It doesn't have to be a light— you don't have to write a New York Times bestselling book like Jim. You don't have to sell millions of copies, but you can still do things that are going to help people and make them feel better and lighter, whatever it is. So don't feel like it has to be you have to teach them how to make money or personal development or fitness. It could be anything. And that's what's so great about this. And that's what's great about the internet. It's like the equalizer. And there's no barrier to entry anymore. We can all do it.

Yeah.

I love it. We're just getting started.

We are just getting started.

Yeah, baby.

And their life is their superpower. Their uniqueness is their superpower. And, you know, again, the life you live are the lessons you teach. So there's a world that exists solely because you, whoever's watching this, are in it. Right. And yeah, and you'll reach people that other people won't reach because of your story and what you've been through. Yeah. And there's so many lessons there for everybody to be able to share. Buddy, I want to thank you for coming on.

Thank you for having me on.

Yeah, everyone head to ryanlee.com. We are going to put the link in the description and we'll continue this journey together to reveal and realize our full— I really do believe there's a version of yourself that's patiently waiting. And the goal is we find mentors and people to share with us and we keep showing up for ourselves and others until we're introduced.

Yeah.

So thank you for that.

I appreciate you having me on. Love you, Jim.

Thank you everyone for tuning in. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube here as well. We'll put Ryan's YouTube also there. Make sure you subscribe there to get your regular dose of insight and inspiration. And until our next connection, be limitless. You wanna do this?

Of course. I don't even know where I'm looking. Just be limitless, baby.