15 Mar 2022 · 8 min
Thomas Anglero shares two mental frameworks for better decisions: ask yourself if you'd do something with someone watching, and imagine you have only five years left to live. He uses a grandmother's wisdom to argue these practices build accountability and clarity about what actually matters.
Welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast. I am Thomas Anglero, and I want to share with you a mindset that I've begun— I've taken on for the last few months, and it is powerful. I've begun to look at things from the perspective of if I only had 5 years left to live, what decision would I make now? Let me explain. Some people give advice and say, you know, live in the moment, anything could happen, you get hit by a car 2 seconds from now. If you live that way, that's quite dangerous because then you feel that you have no— there are no repercussions, right? There's no, um, anything you do, you don't have to pay the penalty for it, right? That could be extremely dangerous. You could hurt people, you hurt people's feelings, you could ruin your life. You can end up spending the next 50 years in jail because you're not gonna get hit by a car 2 seconds from now. But if you thought to yourself, if I only have 5 years to live, what would I do now? How would I take care of myself now? How would I take care of others now? I found that having this perspective of 5 years, it's just like graceful, this smooth, this period of that it is long enough that I can make a difference and I can enjoy it, and it's short enough that I know that I'm accountable for everything. I think, or I know, since I've been doing this now for a few months, that having this bar Having this, let's say, drone watching me at all times, this drone called the 5-year drone, knowing that someone or something is always watching me and that I'm accountable is the most powerful way to live because you're constantly saying to yourself, is this what I want to do? Is this the difference that I want to leave behind? Is this the impact I want to have on this person's life? Is this what I want to say? Is this what I want them to hear? Because they're going to react in that way. That level of accountability that you have for yourself and for others is untouchable. I remember when I was just graduating out of college and I was listening to my Sunday morning radio shows and they were interviewing this guy And he shared a very powerful story that his grandmother told him. And it goes as this, and it's short, but it is impactful. His grandmother, he said when he was a kid, his grandmother one day, she was, he was sitting on her lap and she looked at him and she said, "Honey, sometime, someday, Grandma's not gonna be around." And you'd have to know what to do, what is right and what is wrong. And he said, Grandma, how do I know what is right and what is wrong? She goes, honey, it's very simple. Would you do what you're about to do if someone was watching you? I'll say that again. Would you do what you're about to do If someone is watching you. I told that story and to my kids, and that's how I raised them. And the other day my son actually told me that story back and he said that that made a huge difference in his life, in situations when he was with friends or he was alone. And he chose the higher road, the path of honor. Today I give you another one. Would you make the choice that you're about to make? Would you say the things you're about to say? Would you live the life you're living? Would you smoke what you're about to smoke? Would you eat what you're about to eat? Would you invest in what you're about to invest? Would you kiss the person you're about to kiss if you knew you only have 5 years to live? Think about it. Your life, your call. You're in total control. But these Little nuggets of mental wisdom. Would you do what you're about to do if someone is watching? It's not just for children, it's for everyone at any age. It's something that keeps you on your checks and balances, that keeps you this wonderful human being that is based on love. Would you make the decision? Would you do the action if you only have 5 years left to live. That long-term thinking keeps you feeding, nurturing the planet, nurturing friends. I want you to go forth and spread beauty and light, and I want you to keep these things in mind. These are your mental nuggets. Hold on to these things. These things are guiding lights. They're like flashlights in the darkness for when in a moment that you have to make a decision and you don't know what to do. Don't blame it on bad parenting or upbringing. That's bullshit. Use your mental nuggets. Would you do what you're about to do if someone was watching? And would you do what you're about to do if you only had 5 years left to live? These gifts bring out the ultimate version of you. I share this with you because it's actually working for me. I'm calmer because I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. The law of plenty is in full effect. There's always going to be more. There's always going to be another time. And then when that next time, or that other time comes, I want to be in a blissful position of happiness to embrace it. Not be in a mood of, "Oh my God, look what I did the last time, this is horrible, oh God, I can't, oh no, it's coming." Don't do that to yourself. Enjoy who you are, and then have other people enjoy who you are too. This is Thomas Anglero with some early sunrise words of wisdom that I know will make a difference in your life. And I ask this of you, I can't be more serious. If these nuggets of wisdom, if they make sense to you, Then share it with someone tiny and young, someone who's starting out in their life. They don't have to be family. They could be a friend's kid or something, and just share them those two stories, those two nuggets of wisdom, and watch how you make a difference in their lives. I love you. This is Thomas Anglero. Until next time. Thank you for listening to that episode. If you want to contact me, you can contact me on my website at anglero.com, and you can also subscribe to the newsletter, or you can find me anywhere on social media with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you so much, and I hope to hear from you very soon.
