We are so excited to have Mick White join us on the podcast. He is an inspiration and a force for good! We can’t wait for you to get to know him better and the mission he is on with the 100-Year Manifesto.
Mick White is the Founder of the 100-Year Manifesto, a framework to help people get life right. For 25+ years, Mick has been on stage facilitating conversations for companies, speaking at churches, and leading CEOs and Founders in getting life right. His tools and strategies to get life right, go beyond “life hacks” to very deep and personal conversations around the Ideal Living Week, Measuring What Matters, and most importantly, Creating Your Own 100-Year Manifesto.
Mick believes having a framework for living a life greater than yourself will help you make decisions big and small. To know what to say “yes” to in life. And, possibly more importantly, to know what to say “no” to in life.
The 100-Year Manifesto helps companies become destination employers by equipping teams and people with a framework for their lives. To fit business into their lives and not their lives into their business. To live a healthier, more fulfilled, and meaningful life of significance.
Mick’s story is in the 12 Week Yearbook, he and his client Brian Ingram of Purpose Driven Restaurants were featured on CBS World News in 2020 while serving 200,000 free restaurant quality meals and 2,000,000 pounds of free food at the beginning of the pandemic, and he’s been featured on podcasts in Australia, international virtual presentations in Vietnam, the Philippines, and throughout Southeast Asia, and in-person throughout the United States and the Bahamas. Of course, his childhood hometown newspaper featured him as well.
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Transcript
John Simon Sr. 00:06
John, welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies. I'm John Simon, SR and I'm Dina Simon. Our guest today is Mick white. Mick is the founder of the 100 year manifesto on a mission to help get life right. Mick, welcome to the podcast.
Mick White 00:26
Thank you, sir. Truly a pleasure and honor, and I'm humbled to be with the two of you today.
John Simon Sr. 00:32
It's same for us. Mick, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? So
Unknown Speaker 00:36
I grew up in rural Illinois and kind of a very traditional Midwestern family and out of college, I have two older sisters. We all thought we were going to be the school teachers. They're both older than me. They're elementary school teachers today, which means that I was their forever student, and no matter what, I've always been, the one that they've been teaching me throughout my life, but I ended up not going into education, even though that was my major, and I ended up working in my mom and dad's insurance office for about 15 years in Illinois, and then I moved to Minnesota at age 30, and just started a new career here. I wanted to experience something other than what I had previously known, and just kind of went I had planned on being here for a couple years, and then moved back, you know, closer to home, and then I met this girl, and as often the way that story works, 1516, years later, I am still in Minnesota, and Minnesota is now as much of home as any other places. And along that journey, I think I just a lot of life happened, and what I thought was the direction I was going. I found that what I really wanted to talk about was What's your legacy and your meaning really all about? And so coming from 20 to 25 years in the insurance and the investment world, building firms, leading advisors to transitioning to maybe a bigger question of, if we made decisions today based on what's really important, 100 years from now, how different our decisions would be, from parenting to relationships to business, and maybe, if we have a different framework for that, maybe we would live differently today. So it's kind of like I didn't expect to be in Minnesota at age, you know, 47 I had never been to Minnesota before I moved here. Looking back, I think some of the decisions that I made, I'm like, I can't believe I did that, but I'm here, and had I not made those choices, I wouldn't have been on a podcast with you two today. Yeah,
John Simon Sr. 02:42
I was just up there last week for the Minnesota State Fair, and we did a podcast from the fair. And if you enjoy it up there half as much as I do, you landed in a pretty good place. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 02:54
it's been amazing. Like, I love the people here as much as there's the Minnesota Nice I've also found like people are really genuine, and St Paul is where I live, and in particular, it just has a small town feel that reminds me of my hometown.
Dina Simon 03:11
So the legacy piece right that you talked about, one of the reasons we're so excited to have you on the podcast, because our podcast is about life, leadership and building legacies, you know, three things, three areas that you definitely can speak on. So just super excited to have you on. So thank you for joining us. You
John Simon Sr. 03:29
know that I read something the other day, and it's been said that the two most important days of your life are the day that you're born and the day you find out. Why
Dina Simon 03:37
love that. Yeah, you
Unknown Speaker 03:39
know part of and I share this. You know, when I speak, I just got back from Mexico City speaking, and so part of my story, one of the reasons why I made a major transition in my life, was 12 years ago. My mom passed away at age 58 from an accidental overdose of aspirin. So it happened very suddenly, and of all the things that she left behind, my mom was certainly a unique person, like all moms are, but she's there was two things that she was known for. One is she loved the color orange, and not just, you know, I like it. Like everything in her life was orange, from her car to her telephone to, you know, the glasses, you know, growing up like it was a lot, and it's great when it's somebody else's mom and your mom, it's just it was a lot, but it's what she was known for. And so she wore orange every single day, and because she loved the color orange, I wear orange every single day because I loved my mom. And so she was known for loving the color orange, and she was known for loving people and that, I think so often in life, we don't have metrics on what success really looks like. Outside of we have vanity metrics around income or net worth or different things. My mom's. Life was measured of success at her visitation, when seven hours of people showed up wearing the color orange, all the flower shops in my hometown sold out of orange flowers. And all these people, their stories were the same that my mom loved them, but of all the things that my mom left behind for us kids, the one that I treasure the most was her handwriting, and it just said, I love you, mom, and I got it tattooed on my forearm late last year, because that's her legacy. Was this legacy of love. And so I think I had the opportunity to work alongside my mom. I had to fire my mom one time, which was a conversation, maybe for a different podcast, but it's really I texted my dad yesterday. I'm like, what, what was your goal for your family and your kids as a father, I'm always asking these questions, of like, do other people think about these things as much as I do? Of for me, my goal for my son is, I want to raise a healthy boy who loves his family, his God, his neighbors, who serves in the community and treats his fellow man out of love. And I'm always asking, like, what's your goal in all of this? What's your goal as a human, as a parent, as a business owner, whatever that may be, right? Like, what are we really trying to solve for in in life and in leadership and building legacies? Like, let's slow down everybody, yeah, and ask the questions that are hard to answer, and if it's a hard question to answer, it's probably a really good question.
Dina Simon 06:48
Exactly, exactly, what did your dad say? You
Unknown Speaker 06:52
know, as he mostly does, he's like, Oh, I don't know, right? Like, I've asked him these questions over the years, and I think what I appreciate about him is he didn't necessarily have a deep philosophy about these things, or, you know, created, like his 100 year manifesto that he could frame on the wall, as much as he just lived a really great example of what love looks like, of what fatherhood looks like, and maybe he hadn't articulated it, but his life was the sermon. His life was the lessons that he was teaching. And so oftentimes I'll ask him these questions, like, yeah, I don't know that's a good question. Mick, I'm like, sit there. I'm like,
John Simon Sr. 07:37
I made a few words and yeah, he
Unknown Speaker 07:42
just and I think mom too, like they just both lived, and my dad continues to live just this legacy of of love and community. Mother Teresa had a quote about maybe I was put on this earth to do, to be an ordinary person and not to do anything great, but to do something small, out of great love. And maybe you know that they just show up and serve out of great love, and that's their thing, right? And they don't have this huge Tiktok Instagram, you know, all these influencers winning all these awards, certainly my dad has his success and his own right in business. But it doesn't have to be that you're a famous philosopher. He just lives a good a good life.
Dina Simon 08:30
Yeah, yeah. I want to ask just a really quick question about the orange. So why orange? And did you ever, like, do any research on, like, the power of orange? Is there anything there,
Unknown Speaker 08:40
I think, you know. So I was born in 75 and my mom probably really turned on the color of orange in her life in the 70s and 80s, from what I can gather. And back then, I don't think mental health was talked about as much as it is today. And my mom, who struggled with anxiety and depression, even if she didn't know it was anxiety and depression. I think orange for her was just this bright color that brought her joy and as and at that time, nobody else liked the color orange either. So it was maybe like this was her unique thing. Certainly, there's more orange out there today than there was then, but I think it just brought her joy. Yeah,
John Simon Sr. 09:25
brought her joy. Absolutely, what legacy you have by wearing orange every day to honor your mother. Also, for my
Unknown Speaker 09:32
mom, it didn't have to match, like she could wear multiple pieces of orange, and it didn't matter, as long as it was orange. And for me, it just helps me feel a little closer to her.
Dina Simon 09:43
Absolutely, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
John Simon Sr. 09:46
So one of the reviews I read Mick, it said, Mick will make you laugh and cry transform the way you live your life. Boy, what a great way to put it. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 09:57
You know, sometimes those tears. And the laughter can happen at the same time. Like you know, what I've learned through my life in this past decade is you can be full of joy and full of sorrow at the same time, and that you don't have to be one or the other, that all these different areas of your life can converge. But someone said to me the other day that I create safe spaces where people can be vulnerable. Wow. And I think I sharing my story a little bit offers them a space to say, Okay, we're having, we're having a real conversation, not just, Hey, here's my business card. Here's your business card. Let's go grab coffee and see if we can do business together, right? Like so, yeah, I don't know about the making people laugh. That's probably where I struggle. I can probably make them cry easier than I can make people laugh. But I'm sure
Dina Simon 10:55
you're on the international speaker circuit, so I'm sure you got a few jokes and stuff in you. So will you share with us what does that look like? What does your business look like? Because you have a lot of different kind of arms of what you're up to.
Unknown Speaker 11:07
Yeah. So really, I do three things today. One, I speak and I speak around this, this topic of this 100 year manifesto, this bold statement for your life that can you put on one page, your mission, the words you live by, your core values, the causes you're passionate about, your life goals and your guiding principles, like, can you put you know, if a business spends 1000s and 1000s of dollars and Hours upon hours of doing this, perhaps we as individuals should do something similar. So creating that, that bold statement, and why and how to do it. And then, as my dad, after, at age 72 my dad created his, or I guess he created his at age 70 and, you know, 40 years as a financial advisor, and he's checked all the boxes for a life well lived of rotary and Chamber of Commerce and church and all the things, and he discovered that his real mission in life is to be a minister of joy. And it just it was this light bulb that went off in his life, like, that's who he's always been, but he never knew that's who he's always been. So I speak or and so he creates his 100 year manifesto. He reads it for two weeks, and then he sends me a text message, and he's like, Hey, I'm struggling. I'm like, What's going on, dad? He's like, how do I live it? Like, how do I actually do this? So speaking, and then I do more corporate engagements around the how to live your 100 year manifesto, what are tools and strategies to actually live it on a day to day basis? And then the third thing I do today is I build communities, kind of that safe space. Is I have an event once a month in Minnesota call it best lunch ever, where it's just, what if you just invite amazing people to a lunch with no program, no presentation, and just have lunch and let people, amazing people, be with other amazing people. And then I do a purpose driven coffee event once a month with Brian Ingram, who owns purpose driven restaurants, which includes breakfast bar here in the Twin Cities, and it's conversations around again, a similar What if we peel back the curtains out of it, be open and honest and transparent with people about the good and the bad and the struggles of being purpose driven and how to go about it. So once a month we have a coffee, and he and I kind of interview each other on it. And then the third one that I'm building is when people you know, really love the content of the like, hey, I want more of this. Rather than working with individuals one on one, I'm building an online community for purpose driven leaders around the world, where they can join and be surrounded by other people who want to have these conversations, but also need, not necessarily a peer group, and not necessarily one on one coaching, but a community of people to walk alongside them, to ask them, to challenge them, to help lead each other in this space. So that's today, what my business and my life looks like when I'm not being a dad, I should say like I cram all that in from 915 in the morning until 359 because the other times I'm a sidekick to my son his YouTube channel and playing Fortnite and doing all the things that I dads should be
Dina Simon 14:42
doing. And he's a soccer player, right?
Unknown Speaker 14:44
I am better at soccer today than I've ever been in my life, because we play all the time. He loves soccer. Can't get enough of it, and he's been I just I will encourage him in whatever pursuits that he wants. And. And it's soccer and Taekwondo and being in a rock band, I think are all pretty great things for him to do. Yeah,
Dina Simon 15:07
nice, nice. And the hope breakfast bar, they keep growing and expanding. There's quite a few. I know there's one here in Eagan now. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 15:15
so, so Brian Ingram of Hope breakfast bar, they opened about four years ago, right now, and through the pandemic. You know, Brian and I, you know, prior to the pandemic, Brian and I became friends, and then through it, just helped walk alongside him and, you know, just really shows what leading with purpose and saying, like, we're gonna do the right thing, even if it's a bad business decision, like we're gonna show up, we're gonna give away hundreds of 1000s of free meals during the pandemic. And because he did that, people just keep showing up. And from St Paul to St Louis Park to Eagan to opening up in, you know, Maple Grove next year, and I think Woodbury is on the calendar. And just like people want to be part of join people and causes. And Brian has a great cause of what they're doing and how they give away money and how they just show up in love and feed people. And I think even as a person of faith, to like, let everything else fall by the waysides and say, like, we're called to love people. We're called to feed people. No asterisks, like, no you know, conditions around it, like, we don't care, race, creed, you know, family situation, anything else. If you're hungry and you need a meal, here's some food. If you need somebody to love you, we love you. And so you get to do life differently than, perhaps what I would have done 25 years ago. Or we always get to change, to improve, to make different choices. And I'm a different person than I was last year. I'm a different person than I was 10 years ago or 20 years ago, and hopefully, by continuing to surround myself with amazing people like the two of you, I continue to get better as a human too.
John Simon Sr. 17:12
You know, when you talk about the 100 Year manifesto, a lot of people will do a storyboard every year, just one year, put it up on the wall and say, These are the eight or nine things I want to do this year. And I can't imagine the time it would take to put 100 year manifesto together. And probably every day you say, Oh, now I want to do this, or now I want to try that.
Unknown Speaker 17:33
Yeah, to me, you know. And I think, especially coming from the financial advisory world, there's so much focus around stuff, of buying a second house or a nicer car or different things. And to me, the 100 Year manifesto is more around things you can't measure. You know that legacy that 12 years after my mom died, people still send me photos of orange sunsets, and, you know, people still will see and send me pictures of orange flowers like that 100 year manifesto is different than, as you alluded to, you know, kind of that annual goal setting session, or the daily planner, or like things that by this age I want to be able to retire like all that's great, but I want to put a framework around it of, why am I doing any of that? And maybe I want to have a second home, or a cabin, or whatever it might be, because I want to be able to host my family there for you know, your I want to host people who need to get away. All right, I'm in but let's have a reason why we're doing all of that, not just the answer to how much is more like? I think that's in my experience and working with business owners in the past and clients of What's your goal for next year? And the answer is always, well, just more, and it's always 10% or 25% like, there's always a round number, but the answer is always more. And I think, as I've experienced life, more doesn't make you happier, like, purpose makes you happier. Having a reason for being makes you happier, and so creating this 100 year manifesto lets me make have a framework to say yes or no of what I want or what I don't want. Or people will ask you, Hey, do you want to be on this committee? And I'm like, That sounds amazing. No, somebody, somebody asked me that day, hey, we're hosting this event. We'd love for you to be there. It's on, you know, Thursday, you know, two weeks from now. And I felt bad, because I have a tough time saying no, but I'm like, I'm not going to be there. And I said it immediately, and I came out of my mouth. So that was that wasn't like, perhaps I could have framed it up a little nicer. And she's like, I appreciate you just saying it Yeah. And so because I'm like, on Thursday nights, I'm with my son, yep, and he's got soccer practice or Taekwondo, like, Yep, I'm not trading that or whatever event is going on. And so she
John Simon Sr. 20:24
had to appreciate your honesty right away. Yep,
Unknown Speaker 20:26
she did. She did. And I I appreciated my honesty too. And I felt great after I did it. Maybe five minutes later. Initially, I'm like, Ah, man, at least tell her, maybe, and then tell or no, but
Dina Simon 20:44
straight up, honest, I love it.
Unknown Speaker 20:45
I think that legacy, though, is like because I've made decisions in my life of what's really important to me. My son's eight, and the time spent with him is what's most important. And I know it goes fast. It's went fast already. I'm 47 so I think I've experienced enough of my friends who somehow have grandkids and I have an eight year old, but how everybody talks about how fast it goes, and I try to be as intentional and deliberate with my time with him, but I just want to be there for all the moments. And I missed him. So I was in Mexico City, and I missed his first day of school. And yeah, I know, had I told the organizer of the event that I was going to miss his first day of school, they would have said, well, then you're not coming, like, you can't miss his first day of school. And so I I told my son I wasn't going to be there for the first day of school, and he's like, that's and he's like, that's okay, Dad, we can celebrate on the second day of school. And I'm like, well, actually, I'm not gonna be there on the second day of school either. He's like, you know, Third time's a charm. I'm gonna be in third grade. We can celebrate on the third day. And I'm like, man, like, I don't know what I did to deserve this kid, but it's not the big event. I think everybody it's not hard to show up for the big event, because a lot of times people in business or in life, they're like, I never miss the game or the graduation or, you know, like, it's not that. It's all the small events, all the other, you know, 364 days a year that I'm with him. That's what matters. If he happened to miss his first day of school or his first goal in soccer, that's okay. Yeah, that's not what I'm trying to solve for. I'm trying to solve again, to raise a healthy man.
John Simon Sr. 22:36
Well, the special part of that is, at 47 you learned something from an eight year old.
Unknown Speaker 22:41
It's a man. I learned more from this kid. I tried to teach him a lesson the other day driving home from school and asked him what you know, his name's Macalester. I'm like, McAllister, what do you want to do tonight? And he's like, I don't know, Dad, what do you want to do? And so he does this to me frequently, of just kind of putting it back on me. And so I'm like, it's important for you to state what you want, because if you don't, then you'll always be doing things that other people want you to do. He's like, Well, if I don't state what I want, then you know, I will never become my true person. And I'm like, where did you That's brilliant. And I'm hoping he's gonna say, like, Oh, I heard it from you dad. And he's like, Nah, I just, just something I've been thinking about lately is being my true person. Because if I never state what I want, I'm always going to be doing what other people, you know, want me to do. Or, you know, he just kind of goes on. So I pull over to the side of the road. It's like, what are you doing? And I wrote down the words, true person. Love it, because I'm like, That's brilliant. Just be your true person. Like so often with kids, I think we ask them, like, what do you want to be when you grew up? Totally I don't know. I astronaut, race car driver, professional athlete, President, Doctor, you know, whatever it might be. And I'm like, I really don't care what he is when he grows up, I care about who he is, and I think that's one of the reasons in society today there's so much struggle with people who are depressed, is that they're pursuing this what in their occupation. And whether you're a professional athlete or you're the president at someday, you're only the president for so long, you're only a professional athlete for so long, and then there's like this now, what? But if we focus on who we are and who my son is going to become, and that's that's a purpose and a legacy that I think we can all rally around of like, Who do you want to be when you grow up and I want to be a good human
Dina Simon 24:42
Yep, like the best version of myself that I can be. Yep, that's it, period. Yeah. And he may not have immediately said you, but obviously he hears you and he sees you, and he's seeing how you're showing up. And so he's coming up with these really cool you know. Words to give back to you and being your true self, but he's obviously picking up that stuff from you, so make sure you give yourself credit for that too, because he is. He will be very much a part of your legacy. Doing that,
Unknown Speaker 25:12
I try to surround him with really good humans and like so. So it's not just his dad, like I don't want to be his coach in soccer. I want to surround him with great coaches. I don't coach him in taekwondo because I don't know anything in Taekwondo. I want to surround him with a Taekwondo instructor, a great role model, and then it's then I'm his guide, and I don't have to be, you know, the one teaching him everything. I'm just trying to guide him through life. But yeah, I'm sure he's overheard a few conversations along the way, but I like that comes up with his own terms and absolutely his own way, his own ways of thinking about it. So yeah, I learn well,
John Simon Sr. 25:50
especially at that age. Yeah, yeah.
Unknown Speaker 25:54
I joke of like the one of the reasons why I think I have anxiety, in addition to everybody in my family having anxiety, but is that my father's been in the life insurance industry since I was six years old, and so I'm sure I picked up some conversations along the way around life insurance and dying and different things at an early age. I'm like, you know, I only have, I only have a average age of 78 I only have 72 years to live. That's, you know, 2400 days, or 24 2400 days, like, all this stuff, like, I gotta go, but I'm sure I want him to pursue life on his terms, in his own way. And so I think it's really cool that he comes up with some of these things.
John Simon Sr. 26:36
I had several that I worked with one time on his computer. There's some program you can put on that will estimate your lifespan, and every day, it was ticking down and taking data. So that'd be the most depressing thing in the world to look at every day.
Dina Simon 26:52
Yeah, yeah.
Unknown Speaker 26:53
I don't know. I don't know how much medicine I'd have to take to calm down from seeing that on my calendar that's going through my head already. I don't need a reminder
John Simon Sr. 27:03
every time you turn a computer on. So I want to cheery your deal. Which one? Hey, your friend stopped you. Yoda. You
Unknown Speaker 27:11
know, I have a friend, Dario Harrison, and, you know, I tell you what, we didn't know each other that well at the time. And so gario is what I call is like, he is this brilliant professor when it comes to sales and marketing and the convergence around revenue. And when you talk to him about anything, it's he takes you deep into whatever topic it is. And I'm not a deep into most topics. I'm like, just some people, you know, they have the watch, and they want to know how the watch works. I'm like, Just tell me what time it is. Like, does the watch look good? What time is it? We're all set. And gario, I bet we'd only known each other, you know, had a couple conversations over over the years, and he gave me a book and inscribed in it was to Yoda, and from there on out, he's always called me Yoda, which I'm pretty sure it's not because I'm short, but because of my wisdom as that guide in life.
Dina Simon 28:12
Nice, nice, nice. I love that. So in coming to us today, is there anything else that you were hoping to talk about. So we talked about the 100 Year manifesto. We talked about the other things that you got going on. Let's talk about leadership. So let's talk about that for a second, because you're trying to help leaders be better and be more purpose driven. You know, what are some of your thoughts on that?
Unknown Speaker 28:33
Yeah, it's I got asked one time I was being filmed for this video series, and they asked me what my leadership style was. And I'm like, I'm on camera, you know, the lights are on. You're hot already being interviewed. And Mick, what is your leadership style? And they were expecting some sort of, you know, I njf, you know, marriage Briggs, you know, this or that. And I'm like, well, Popeye once said, I am what I am, and that's all that I am. I'm pie, the Sailor Man and and before you know, as soon as it came out of my mouth, I'm like, Well, it came out of my mouth. I got to run with it, because it's out there, and they're going to use this clip. But what I said about Popeye was, like, he owned being a sailor man. He didn't come up with a fancy title. He didn't apologize for it. He's just like, I am what I am, and that's all that I am. You know, he states his name and he states his occupation, and I think so often in leadership and in life, we try to perhaps inflate our position or our influence or our authority, rather than just like, I'm just me, like, in leadership, the best thing you can do is lead yourself first, and if you're really great at leading yourself, you don't have to be great at leading other people, because they're gonna follow you. And so much leadership is built around. Around how to be better at leading other people. And I think we as humans follow people who lead themselves really well. And I think that's of anything I have and in leadership is that focus on that locus of control of I have control over myself, and so often people are so angry and pointing fingers in every other direction, rather than what do I have control over? And I have control over living my own life, my own choices, living my 100 year manifesto. And that's about it, like, at the end of the day, lead yourself first focus on that, and perhaps everything else will shake out the way it's going to shake out.
Dina Simon 30:50
I love that. Oh my gosh. I
John Simon Sr. 30:53
love that. Very, very, very inspirational.
Unknown Speaker 30:55
So Popeye and Yoda, like, I got all sorts of, like, really deep philosophers. Yeah, it works.
John Simon Sr. 31:04
I was thinking as I was writing some notes that 100 years from now, someone could be listening to this podcast and say we were spot on with what we were talking about in our conversations, or what were they thinking back in 2023 but I think it's going to be more spot on. I
Unknown Speaker 31:25
think most of my ideas, I either want to be like, that idea is brilliant, or that idea is terrible, like, I don't want like, an in between. That was an okay idea. So if I'm going to go pursue anything, I want it to be either like, I think this is great. Let's do it, and it's gonna either not be great or it is gonna be great. But I want it to be me, and so hopefully, 100 years Chanel, whether or not they they listen to the podcast, perhaps their life, whether or not they know it, is influenced by the lives and the choices of the three of us in ways that maybe they'll never know or appreciate, but that their life is a better life because of us. Love
Dina Simon 32:10
that you know so purpose, obviously, you know purpose driven, that you talk a lot about that. But in everything that I've also just heard, I just hear just genuine, I mean, super genuine, humble integrity. So those are all just huge descriptors in this conversation that I'm picking up from you on who you are and how you're living your life and what you're bringing to the world. And I love right now, especially, I mean, I think about it. So Mandy, my daughter is 20. You have an eight year old. John has other grandkids between 18 and 23 and you think about, you know, 100 years from now, this world, right? And so, as you said, like 100 years from now, if we can now make decisions that will impact 100 years from now, that's what we all have to be doing, because we're doing that for our grandchildren, great grandchildren, and how many, ever generations that is and especially in today's world with everything that's going on, there's no better time for us to be having these hard conversations and using that lens of personally, how do I make decisions that will impact 100 years from now? Because as you said, we all have that opportunity to use that.
Unknown Speaker 33:17
I think it changes how we define success. And, you know, perhaps I won't, you know, I heard once that the king and the pawn go back into the same box in that no matter how much stuff that we have, you know, the result is still the end, you know. And but those your life that you live echoes into eternity. And it's not the stuff that you have that echoes into eternity, but your life does. And what do you want that echo to sound like? And I think perhaps if we had more conversations like this are more of a focus on what's really important. 100 years from now, maybe we would, we would have a better place for all of us to live today, in our kids and grandkids and great grandkids in the future. Absolutely,
Dina Simon 34:14
absolutely. We just really want to thank you for spending time with us, and I will make sure in the show notes that we've got, you know, ways for people to find you and what you're up to and support you. And you have, we've talked recently, but you've been doing quite a bit of international travel, which has to be fun. So you were just in Mexico City, and then I think you were in the Philippines. What next? International travel is taking you somewhere?
Unknown Speaker 34:39
I'm headed to Bangkok, Thailand later this month. And it just blows me away, like I often think of like my mom, who thought banana Twinkies had real bananas in them. I just think about what she must be thinking seeing her baby boy, you know, on the other side of the world, telling. Stories about her and talking about, you know, purpose and meaning a life of significance. So, yeah, I'm headed to Thailand next month and or later this month, and I it's not even real, right? Like, it's not real until you show up and you're like, I can't believe I'm here. When I was in Mexico City, it was translated live, like they didn't even speak English, and I their English was about as good as my Spanish, which is pretty rough. And I just keep thinking, like, this is pretty amazing, and all of life is just pretty amazing, and I'm just trying to be, as you mentioned, you know, just I'm just competing with the best version of myself and just trying to live the life that I'm called to live. And it's going to take me wherever it's going to take me, and apparently this year meant the Philippines and Mexico City and Thailand. And I have no idea where it's going to take me next year, but I'm excited to see what happens next.
Dina Simon 35:59
I love it. Love it. Well, congratulations to you, and your mother is very much traveling this journey with you, and you have a birthday, is it this Wednesday or next Wednesday? Next Wednesday, next Wednesday. Okay, this podcast will drop on Friday. So a shout out to your birthday coming up, and you have a lunch that day. I won't be able to be there, but I will be cheering Yan. All right, thank you. I'd like to thank Mick white for leaning in and wanting to be on our podcast. I know that I will be working on my 100 year manifesto, and I will start looking through the lens of if I make this decision, how will it impact my daughter and the generations to come? As always, I thank my father in law, John Simon for CO hosting with me and John and I wanted to make sure that we acknowledge that we are recording this podcast on September 11, the 22nd anniversary of 911 and it certainly is a day for all of us to remember all of the lives that were lost. We thank you for tuning in until next time you.
John, welcome to Simon Says, inspire a podcast about life, leadership and building legacies. I'm John Simon, SR and I'm Dina Simon. Our guest today is Mick white. Mick is the founder of the 100 year manifesto on a mission to help get life right. Mick, welcome to the podcast.
Mick White 00:26
Thank you, sir. Truly a pleasure and honor, and I'm humbled to be with the two of you today.
John Simon Sr. 00:32
It's same for us. Mick, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? So
Unknown Speaker 00:36
I grew up in rural Illinois and kind of a very traditional Midwestern family and out of college, I have two older sisters. We all thought we were going to be the school teachers. They're both older than me. They're elementary school teachers today, which means that I was their forever student, and no matter what, I've always been, the one that they've been teaching me throughout my life, but I ended up not going into education, even though that was my major, and I ended up working in my mom and dad's insurance office for about 15 years in Illinois, and then I moved to Minnesota at age 30, and just started a new career here. I wanted to experience something other than what I had previously known, and just kind of went I had planned on being here for a couple years, and then moved back, you know, closer to home, and then I met this girl, and as often the way that story works, 1516, years later, I am still in Minnesota, and Minnesota is now as much of home as any other places. And along that journey, I think I just a lot of life happened, and what I thought was the direction I was going. I found that what I really wanted to talk about was What's your legacy and your meaning really all about? And so coming from 20 to 25 years in the insurance and the investment world, building firms, leading advisors to transitioning to maybe a bigger question of, if we made decisions today based on what's really important, 100 years from now, how different our decisions would be, from parenting to relationships to business, and maybe, if we have a different framework for that, maybe we would live differently today. So it's kind of like I didn't expect to be in Minnesota at age, you know, 47 I had never been to Minnesota before I moved here. Looking back, I think some of the decisions that I made, I'm like, I can't believe I did that, but I'm here, and had I not made those choices, I wouldn't have been on a podcast with you two today. Yeah,
John Simon Sr. 02:42
I was just up there last week for the Minnesota State Fair, and we did a podcast from the fair. And if you enjoy it up there half as much as I do, you landed in a pretty good place. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 02:54
it's been amazing. Like, I love the people here as much as there's the Minnesota Nice I've also found like people are really genuine, and St Paul is where I live, and in particular, it just has a small town feel that reminds me of my hometown.
Dina Simon 03:11
So the legacy piece right that you talked about, one of the reasons we're so excited to have you on the podcast, because our podcast is about life, leadership and building legacies, you know, three things, three areas that you definitely can speak on. So just super excited to have you on. So thank you for joining us. You
John Simon Sr. 03:29
know that I read something the other day, and it's been said that the two most important days of your life are the day that you're born and the day you find out. Why
Dina Simon 03:37
love that. Yeah, you
Unknown Speaker 03:39
know part of and I share this. You know, when I speak, I just got back from Mexico City speaking, and so part of my story, one of the reasons why I made a major transition in my life, was 12 years ago. My mom passed away at age 58 from an accidental overdose of aspirin. So it happened very suddenly, and of all the things that she left behind, my mom was certainly a unique person, like all moms are, but she's there was two things that she was known for. One is she loved the color orange, and not just, you know, I like it. Like everything in her life was orange, from her car to her telephone to, you know, the glasses, you know, growing up like it was a lot, and it's great when it's somebody else's mom and your mom, it's just it was a lot, but it's what she was known for. And so she wore orange every single day, and because she loved the color orange, I wear orange every single day because I loved my mom. And so she was known for loving the color orange, and she was known for loving people and that, I think so often in life, we don't have metrics on what success really looks like. Outside of we have vanity metrics around income or net worth or different things. My mom's. Life was measured of success at her visitation, when seven hours of people showed up wearing the color orange, all the flower shops in my hometown sold out of orange flowers. And all these people, their stories were the same that my mom loved them, but of all the things that my mom left behind for us kids, the one that I treasure the most was her handwriting, and it just said, I love you, mom, and I got it tattooed on my forearm late last year, because that's her legacy. Was this legacy of love. And so I think I had the opportunity to work alongside my mom. I had to fire my mom one time, which was a conversation, maybe for a different podcast, but it's really I texted my dad yesterday. I'm like, what, what was your goal for your family and your kids as a father, I'm always asking these questions, of like, do other people think about these things as much as I do? Of for me, my goal for my son is, I want to raise a healthy boy who loves his family, his God, his neighbors, who serves in the community and treats his fellow man out of love. And I'm always asking, like, what's your goal in all of this? What's your goal as a human, as a parent, as a business owner, whatever that may be, right? Like, what are we really trying to solve for in in life and in leadership and building legacies? Like, let's slow down everybody, yeah, and ask the questions that are hard to answer, and if it's a hard question to answer, it's probably a really good question.
Dina Simon 06:48
Exactly, exactly, what did your dad say? You
Unknown Speaker 06:52
know, as he mostly does, he's like, Oh, I don't know, right? Like, I've asked him these questions over the years, and I think what I appreciate about him is he didn't necessarily have a deep philosophy about these things, or, you know, created, like his 100 year manifesto that he could frame on the wall, as much as he just lived a really great example of what love looks like, of what fatherhood looks like, and maybe he hadn't articulated it, but his life was the sermon. His life was the lessons that he was teaching. And so oftentimes I'll ask him these questions, like, yeah, I don't know that's a good question. Mick, I'm like, sit there. I'm like,
John Simon Sr. 07:37
I made a few words and yeah, he
Unknown Speaker 07:42
just and I think mom too, like they just both lived, and my dad continues to live just this legacy of of love and community. Mother Teresa had a quote about maybe I was put on this earth to do, to be an ordinary person and not to do anything great, but to do something small, out of great love. And maybe you know that they just show up and serve out of great love, and that's their thing, right? And they don't have this huge Tiktok Instagram, you know, all these influencers winning all these awards, certainly my dad has his success and his own right in business. But it doesn't have to be that you're a famous philosopher. He just lives a good a good life.
Dina Simon 08:30
Yeah, yeah. I want to ask just a really quick question about the orange. So why orange? And did you ever, like, do any research on, like, the power of orange? Is there anything there,
Unknown Speaker 08:40
I think, you know. So I was born in 75 and my mom probably really turned on the color of orange in her life in the 70s and 80s, from what I can gather. And back then, I don't think mental health was talked about as much as it is today. And my mom, who struggled with anxiety and depression, even if she didn't know it was anxiety and depression. I think orange for her was just this bright color that brought her joy and as and at that time, nobody else liked the color orange either. So it was maybe like this was her unique thing. Certainly, there's more orange out there today than there was then, but I think it just brought her joy. Yeah,
John Simon Sr. 09:25
brought her joy. Absolutely, what legacy you have by wearing orange every day to honor your mother. Also, for my
Unknown Speaker 09:32
mom, it didn't have to match, like she could wear multiple pieces of orange, and it didn't matter, as long as it was orange. And for me, it just helps me feel a little closer to her.
Dina Simon 09:43
Absolutely, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
John Simon Sr. 09:46
So one of the reviews I read Mick, it said, Mick will make you laugh and cry transform the way you live your life. Boy, what a great way to put it. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 09:57
You know, sometimes those tears. And the laughter can happen at the same time. Like you know, what I've learned through my life in this past decade is you can be full of joy and full of sorrow at the same time, and that you don't have to be one or the other, that all these different areas of your life can converge. But someone said to me the other day that I create safe spaces where people can be vulnerable. Wow. And I think I sharing my story a little bit offers them a space to say, Okay, we're having, we're having a real conversation, not just, Hey, here's my business card. Here's your business card. Let's go grab coffee and see if we can do business together, right? Like so, yeah, I don't know about the making people laugh. That's probably where I struggle. I can probably make them cry easier than I can make people laugh. But I'm sure
Dina Simon 10:55
you're on the international speaker circuit, so I'm sure you got a few jokes and stuff in you. So will you share with us what does that look like? What does your business look like? Because you have a lot of different kind of arms of what you're up to.
Unknown Speaker 11:07
Yeah. So really, I do three things today. One, I speak and I speak around this, this topic of this 100 year manifesto, this bold statement for your life that can you put on one page, your mission, the words you live by, your core values, the causes you're passionate about, your life goals and your guiding principles, like, can you put you know, if a business spends 1000s and 1000s of dollars and Hours upon hours of doing this, perhaps we as individuals should do something similar. So creating that, that bold statement, and why and how to do it. And then, as my dad, after, at age 72 my dad created his, or I guess he created his at age 70 and, you know, 40 years as a financial advisor, and he's checked all the boxes for a life well lived of rotary and Chamber of Commerce and church and all the things, and he discovered that his real mission in life is to be a minister of joy. And it just it was this light bulb that went off in his life, like, that's who he's always been, but he never knew that's who he's always been. So I speak or and so he creates his 100 year manifesto. He reads it for two weeks, and then he sends me a text message, and he's like, Hey, I'm struggling. I'm like, What's going on, dad? He's like, how do I live it? Like, how do I actually do this? So speaking, and then I do more corporate engagements around the how to live your 100 year manifesto, what are tools and strategies to actually live it on a day to day basis? And then the third thing I do today is I build communities, kind of that safe space. Is I have an event once a month in Minnesota call it best lunch ever, where it's just, what if you just invite amazing people to a lunch with no program, no presentation, and just have lunch and let people, amazing people, be with other amazing people. And then I do a purpose driven coffee event once a month with Brian Ingram, who owns purpose driven restaurants, which includes breakfast bar here in the Twin Cities, and it's conversations around again, a similar What if we peel back the curtains out of it, be open and honest and transparent with people about the good and the bad and the struggles of being purpose driven and how to go about it. So once a month we have a coffee, and he and I kind of interview each other on it. And then the third one that I'm building is when people you know, really love the content of the like, hey, I want more of this. Rather than working with individuals one on one, I'm building an online community for purpose driven leaders around the world, where they can join and be surrounded by other people who want to have these conversations, but also need, not necessarily a peer group, and not necessarily one on one coaching, but a community of people to walk alongside them, to ask them, to challenge them, to help lead each other in this space. So that's today, what my business and my life looks like when I'm not being a dad, I should say like I cram all that in from 915 in the morning until 359 because the other times I'm a sidekick to my son his YouTube channel and playing Fortnite and doing all the things that I dads should be
Dina Simon 14:42
doing. And he's a soccer player, right?
Unknown Speaker 14:44
I am better at soccer today than I've ever been in my life, because we play all the time. He loves soccer. Can't get enough of it, and he's been I just I will encourage him in whatever pursuits that he wants. And. And it's soccer and Taekwondo and being in a rock band, I think are all pretty great things for him to do. Yeah,
Dina Simon 15:07
nice, nice. And the hope breakfast bar, they keep growing and expanding. There's quite a few. I know there's one here in Eagan now. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 15:15
so, so Brian Ingram of Hope breakfast bar, they opened about four years ago, right now, and through the pandemic. You know, Brian and I, you know, prior to the pandemic, Brian and I became friends, and then through it, just helped walk alongside him and, you know, just really shows what leading with purpose and saying, like, we're gonna do the right thing, even if it's a bad business decision, like we're gonna show up, we're gonna give away hundreds of 1000s of free meals during the pandemic. And because he did that, people just keep showing up. And from St Paul to St Louis Park to Eagan to opening up in, you know, Maple Grove next year, and I think Woodbury is on the calendar. And just like people want to be part of join people and causes. And Brian has a great cause of what they're doing and how they give away money and how they just show up in love and feed people. And I think even as a person of faith, to like, let everything else fall by the waysides and say, like, we're called to love people. We're called to feed people. No asterisks, like, no you know, conditions around it, like, we don't care, race, creed, you know, family situation, anything else. If you're hungry and you need a meal, here's some food. If you need somebody to love you, we love you. And so you get to do life differently than, perhaps what I would have done 25 years ago. Or we always get to change, to improve, to make different choices. And I'm a different person than I was last year. I'm a different person than I was 10 years ago or 20 years ago, and hopefully, by continuing to surround myself with amazing people like the two of you, I continue to get better as a human too.
John Simon Sr. 17:12
You know, when you talk about the 100 Year manifesto, a lot of people will do a storyboard every year, just one year, put it up on the wall and say, These are the eight or nine things I want to do this year. And I can't imagine the time it would take to put 100 year manifesto together. And probably every day you say, Oh, now I want to do this, or now I want to try that.
Unknown Speaker 17:33
Yeah, to me, you know. And I think, especially coming from the financial advisory world, there's so much focus around stuff, of buying a second house or a nicer car or different things. And to me, the 100 Year manifesto is more around things you can't measure. You know that legacy that 12 years after my mom died, people still send me photos of orange sunsets, and, you know, people still will see and send me pictures of orange flowers like that 100 year manifesto is different than, as you alluded to, you know, kind of that annual goal setting session, or the daily planner, or like things that by this age I want to be able to retire like all that's great, but I want to put a framework around it of, why am I doing any of that? And maybe I want to have a second home, or a cabin, or whatever it might be, because I want to be able to host my family there for you know, your I want to host people who need to get away. All right, I'm in but let's have a reason why we're doing all of that, not just the answer to how much is more like? I think that's in my experience and working with business owners in the past and clients of What's your goal for next year? And the answer is always, well, just more, and it's always 10% or 25% like, there's always a round number, but the answer is always more. And I think, as I've experienced life, more doesn't make you happier, like, purpose makes you happier. Having a reason for being makes you happier, and so creating this 100 year manifesto lets me make have a framework to say yes or no of what I want or what I don't want. Or people will ask you, Hey, do you want to be on this committee? And I'm like, That sounds amazing. No, somebody, somebody asked me that day, hey, we're hosting this event. We'd love for you to be there. It's on, you know, Thursday, you know, two weeks from now. And I felt bad, because I have a tough time saying no, but I'm like, I'm not going to be there. And I said it immediately, and I came out of my mouth. So that was that wasn't like, perhaps I could have framed it up a little nicer. And she's like, I appreciate you just saying it Yeah. And so because I'm like, on Thursday nights, I'm with my son, yep, and he's got soccer practice or Taekwondo, like, Yep, I'm not trading that or whatever event is going on. And so she
John Simon Sr. 20:24
had to appreciate your honesty right away. Yep,
Unknown Speaker 20:26
she did. She did. And I I appreciated my honesty too. And I felt great after I did it. Maybe five minutes later. Initially, I'm like, Ah, man, at least tell her, maybe, and then tell or no, but
Dina Simon 20:44
straight up, honest, I love it.
Unknown Speaker 20:45
I think that legacy, though, is like because I've made decisions in my life of what's really important to me. My son's eight, and the time spent with him is what's most important. And I know it goes fast. It's went fast already. I'm 47 so I think I've experienced enough of my friends who somehow have grandkids and I have an eight year old, but how everybody talks about how fast it goes, and I try to be as intentional and deliberate with my time with him, but I just want to be there for all the moments. And I missed him. So I was in Mexico City, and I missed his first day of school. And yeah, I know, had I told the organizer of the event that I was going to miss his first day of school, they would have said, well, then you're not coming, like, you can't miss his first day of school. And so I I told my son I wasn't going to be there for the first day of school, and he's like, that's and he's like, that's okay, Dad, we can celebrate on the second day of school. And I'm like, well, actually, I'm not gonna be there on the second day of school either. He's like, you know, Third time's a charm. I'm gonna be in third grade. We can celebrate on the third day. And I'm like, man, like, I don't know what I did to deserve this kid, but it's not the big event. I think everybody it's not hard to show up for the big event, because a lot of times people in business or in life, they're like, I never miss the game or the graduation or, you know, like, it's not that. It's all the small events, all the other, you know, 364 days a year that I'm with him. That's what matters. If he happened to miss his first day of school or his first goal in soccer, that's okay. Yeah, that's not what I'm trying to solve for. I'm trying to solve again, to raise a healthy man.
John Simon Sr. 22:36
Well, the special part of that is, at 47 you learned something from an eight year old.
Unknown Speaker 22:41
It's a man. I learned more from this kid. I tried to teach him a lesson the other day driving home from school and asked him what you know, his name's Macalester. I'm like, McAllister, what do you want to do tonight? And he's like, I don't know, Dad, what do you want to do? And so he does this to me frequently, of just kind of putting it back on me. And so I'm like, it's important for you to state what you want, because if you don't, then you'll always be doing things that other people want you to do. He's like, Well, if I don't state what I want, then you know, I will never become my true person. And I'm like, where did you That's brilliant. And I'm hoping he's gonna say, like, Oh, I heard it from you dad. And he's like, Nah, I just, just something I've been thinking about lately is being my true person. Because if I never state what I want, I'm always going to be doing what other people, you know, want me to do. Or, you know, he just kind of goes on. So I pull over to the side of the road. It's like, what are you doing? And I wrote down the words, true person. Love it, because I'm like, That's brilliant. Just be your true person. Like so often with kids, I think we ask them, like, what do you want to be when you grew up? Totally I don't know. I astronaut, race car driver, professional athlete, President, Doctor, you know, whatever it might be. And I'm like, I really don't care what he is when he grows up, I care about who he is, and I think that's one of the reasons in society today there's so much struggle with people who are depressed, is that they're pursuing this what in their occupation. And whether you're a professional athlete or you're the president at someday, you're only the president for so long, you're only a professional athlete for so long, and then there's like this now, what? But if we focus on who we are and who my son is going to become, and that's that's a purpose and a legacy that I think we can all rally around of like, Who do you want to be when you grow up and I want to be a good human
Dina Simon 24:42
Yep, like the best version of myself that I can be. Yep, that's it, period. Yeah. And he may not have immediately said you, but obviously he hears you and he sees you, and he's seeing how you're showing up. And so he's coming up with these really cool you know. Words to give back to you and being your true self, but he's obviously picking up that stuff from you, so make sure you give yourself credit for that too, because he is. He will be very much a part of your legacy. Doing that,
Unknown Speaker 25:12
I try to surround him with really good humans and like so. So it's not just his dad, like I don't want to be his coach in soccer. I want to surround him with great coaches. I don't coach him in taekwondo because I don't know anything in Taekwondo. I want to surround him with a Taekwondo instructor, a great role model, and then it's then I'm his guide, and I don't have to be, you know, the one teaching him everything. I'm just trying to guide him through life. But yeah, I'm sure he's overheard a few conversations along the way, but I like that comes up with his own terms and absolutely his own way, his own ways of thinking about it. So yeah, I learn well,
John Simon Sr. 25:50
especially at that age. Yeah, yeah.
Unknown Speaker 25:54
I joke of like the one of the reasons why I think I have anxiety, in addition to everybody in my family having anxiety, but is that my father's been in the life insurance industry since I was six years old, and so I'm sure I picked up some conversations along the way around life insurance and dying and different things at an early age. I'm like, you know, I only have, I only have a average age of 78 I only have 72 years to live. That's, you know, 2400 days, or 24 2400 days, like, all this stuff, like, I gotta go, but I'm sure I want him to pursue life on his terms, in his own way. And so I think it's really cool that he comes up with some of these things.
John Simon Sr. 26:36
I had several that I worked with one time on his computer. There's some program you can put on that will estimate your lifespan, and every day, it was ticking down and taking data. So that'd be the most depressing thing in the world to look at every day.
Dina Simon 26:52
Yeah, yeah.
Unknown Speaker 26:53
I don't know. I don't know how much medicine I'd have to take to calm down from seeing that on my calendar that's going through my head already. I don't need a reminder
John Simon Sr. 27:03
every time you turn a computer on. So I want to cheery your deal. Which one? Hey, your friend stopped you. Yoda. You
Unknown Speaker 27:11
know, I have a friend, Dario Harrison, and, you know, I tell you what, we didn't know each other that well at the time. And so gario is what I call is like, he is this brilliant professor when it comes to sales and marketing and the convergence around revenue. And when you talk to him about anything, it's he takes you deep into whatever topic it is. And I'm not a deep into most topics. I'm like, just some people, you know, they have the watch, and they want to know how the watch works. I'm like, Just tell me what time it is. Like, does the watch look good? What time is it? We're all set. And gario, I bet we'd only known each other, you know, had a couple conversations over over the years, and he gave me a book and inscribed in it was to Yoda, and from there on out, he's always called me Yoda, which I'm pretty sure it's not because I'm short, but because of my wisdom as that guide in life.
Dina Simon 28:12
Nice, nice, nice. I love that. So in coming to us today, is there anything else that you were hoping to talk about. So we talked about the 100 Year manifesto. We talked about the other things that you got going on. Let's talk about leadership. So let's talk about that for a second, because you're trying to help leaders be better and be more purpose driven. You know, what are some of your thoughts on that?
Unknown Speaker 28:33
Yeah, it's I got asked one time I was being filmed for this video series, and they asked me what my leadership style was. And I'm like, I'm on camera, you know, the lights are on. You're hot already being interviewed. And Mick, what is your leadership style? And they were expecting some sort of, you know, I njf, you know, marriage Briggs, you know, this or that. And I'm like, well, Popeye once said, I am what I am, and that's all that I am. I'm pie, the Sailor Man and and before you know, as soon as it came out of my mouth, I'm like, Well, it came out of my mouth. I got to run with it, because it's out there, and they're going to use this clip. But what I said about Popeye was, like, he owned being a sailor man. He didn't come up with a fancy title. He didn't apologize for it. He's just like, I am what I am, and that's all that I am. You know, he states his name and he states his occupation, and I think so often in leadership and in life, we try to perhaps inflate our position or our influence or our authority, rather than just like, I'm just me, like, in leadership, the best thing you can do is lead yourself first, and if you're really great at leading yourself, you don't have to be great at leading other people, because they're gonna follow you. And so much leadership is built around. Around how to be better at leading other people. And I think we as humans follow people who lead themselves really well. And I think that's of anything I have and in leadership is that focus on that locus of control of I have control over myself, and so often people are so angry and pointing fingers in every other direction, rather than what do I have control over? And I have control over living my own life, my own choices, living my 100 year manifesto. And that's about it, like, at the end of the day, lead yourself first focus on that, and perhaps everything else will shake out the way it's going to shake out.
Dina Simon 30:50
I love that. Oh my gosh. I
John Simon Sr. 30:53
love that. Very, very, very inspirational.
Unknown Speaker 30:55
So Popeye and Yoda, like, I got all sorts of, like, really deep philosophers. Yeah, it works.
John Simon Sr. 31:04
I was thinking as I was writing some notes that 100 years from now, someone could be listening to this podcast and say we were spot on with what we were talking about in our conversations, or what were they thinking back in 2023 but I think it's going to be more spot on. I
Unknown Speaker 31:25
think most of my ideas, I either want to be like, that idea is brilliant, or that idea is terrible, like, I don't want like, an in between. That was an okay idea. So if I'm going to go pursue anything, I want it to be either like, I think this is great. Let's do it, and it's gonna either not be great or it is gonna be great. But I want it to be me, and so hopefully, 100 years Chanel, whether or not they they listen to the podcast, perhaps their life, whether or not they know it, is influenced by the lives and the choices of the three of us in ways that maybe they'll never know or appreciate, but that their life is a better life because of us. Love
Dina Simon 32:10
that you know so purpose, obviously, you know purpose driven, that you talk a lot about that. But in everything that I've also just heard, I just hear just genuine, I mean, super genuine, humble integrity. So those are all just huge descriptors in this conversation that I'm picking up from you on who you are and how you're living your life and what you're bringing to the world. And I love right now, especially, I mean, I think about it. So Mandy, my daughter is 20. You have an eight year old. John has other grandkids between 18 and 23 and you think about, you know, 100 years from now, this world, right? And so, as you said, like 100 years from now, if we can now make decisions that will impact 100 years from now, that's what we all have to be doing, because we're doing that for our grandchildren, great grandchildren, and how many, ever generations that is and especially in today's world with everything that's going on, there's no better time for us to be having these hard conversations and using that lens of personally, how do I make decisions that will impact 100 years from now? Because as you said, we all have that opportunity to use that.
Unknown Speaker 33:17
I think it changes how we define success. And, you know, perhaps I won't, you know, I heard once that the king and the pawn go back into the same box in that no matter how much stuff that we have, you know, the result is still the end, you know. And but those your life that you live echoes into eternity. And it's not the stuff that you have that echoes into eternity, but your life does. And what do you want that echo to sound like? And I think perhaps if we had more conversations like this are more of a focus on what's really important. 100 years from now, maybe we would, we would have a better place for all of us to live today, in our kids and grandkids and great grandkids in the future. Absolutely,
Dina Simon 34:14
absolutely. We just really want to thank you for spending time with us, and I will make sure in the show notes that we've got, you know, ways for people to find you and what you're up to and support you. And you have, we've talked recently, but you've been doing quite a bit of international travel, which has to be fun. So you were just in Mexico City, and then I think you were in the Philippines. What next? International travel is taking you somewhere?
Unknown Speaker 34:39
I'm headed to Bangkok, Thailand later this month. And it just blows me away, like I often think of like my mom, who thought banana Twinkies had real bananas in them. I just think about what she must be thinking seeing her baby boy, you know, on the other side of the world, telling. Stories about her and talking about, you know, purpose and meaning a life of significance. So, yeah, I'm headed to Thailand next month and or later this month, and I it's not even real, right? Like, it's not real until you show up and you're like, I can't believe I'm here. When I was in Mexico City, it was translated live, like they didn't even speak English, and I their English was about as good as my Spanish, which is pretty rough. And I just keep thinking, like, this is pretty amazing, and all of life is just pretty amazing, and I'm just trying to be, as you mentioned, you know, just I'm just competing with the best version of myself and just trying to live the life that I'm called to live. And it's going to take me wherever it's going to take me, and apparently this year meant the Philippines and Mexico City and Thailand. And I have no idea where it's going to take me next year, but I'm excited to see what happens next.
Dina Simon 35:59
I love it. Love it. Well, congratulations to you, and your mother is very much traveling this journey with you, and you have a birthday, is it this Wednesday or next Wednesday? Next Wednesday, next Wednesday. Okay, this podcast will drop on Friday. So a shout out to your birthday coming up, and you have a lunch that day. I won't be able to be there, but I will be cheering Yan. All right, thank you. I'd like to thank Mick white for leaning in and wanting to be on our podcast. I know that I will be working on my 100 year manifesto, and I will start looking through the lens of if I make this decision, how will it impact my daughter and the generations to come? As always, I thank my father in law, John Simon for CO hosting with me and John and I wanted to make sure that we acknowledge that we are recording this podcast on September 11, the 22nd anniversary of 911 and it certainly is a day for all of us to remember all of the lives that were lost. We thank you for tuning in until next time you.