Tomorrow is Not Today

Leigh
[00:00:00] Leigh: A lot of the things that stop us is because we don't actually get started. But once you get momentum, like, um, going for a jog, as soon as you put on those shoes and you walk out that front door, that's starting. And it's always easier once you start.
[00:00:14] Kingsley: Welcome to the Tomorrow Is Not Today podcast. You've already started to create the life you want just by being here.
[00:00:20] Kingsley: Designed for you as a business professional so you can be physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy, more productive, less stressed, and living a life you truly love. My name's Kingsley and thank you for coming on another journey with one of our uniquely qualified professionals.
[00:00:40] Kingsley: Lee, thank you so much for joining us on the tomorrow's not today podcast.
[00:00:45] Leigh: My pleasure. Great to be here.
[00:00:47] Kingsley: Now, Lee, when I look at doing research on you, who you are, what you do, all that sort of thing, um, I start to wonder if there's anything you can't do, for starters. Uh, you seem to be involved [00:01:00] in a whole bunch of different things.
[00:01:01] Kingsley: How you fit it all in. Which is something I would love to touch on as we go through this podcast. Um, because what you do, you cover a huge amount of stuff. You've got your own business, you've got a team, you've got all sorts of stuff going on, a podcast, so many things. Uh, I'd love to delve into that. Cause obviously you're a very productive individual, otherwise you're not going to make this happen.
[00:01:21] Kingsley: Uh, but as we always do on this podcast, I want to start off with a big question. And I think you'll know the answer to this one. The question is what is the hidden? Why?
[00:01:36] Leigh: What is the hidden why? I think the hidden why stemmed from a place from real estate actually, because I'm a real estate professional.
[00:01:43] Leigh: And it came when I was at a conference and this, this presenter was talking about the why. You've got to find out the why behind, um, the person that's selling the home. You know, what's their motivation. And that inspired me. And it wasn't, it sort of just linked at the time I was in the personal development, just the early stages [00:02:00] myself.
[00:02:00] Leigh: And I thought, well, the why, you know, why do we do things that we do? And why, you know, just questions, I guess. So curiosity is a big, um, a factor of mine. And I think that's where the name The Hidden Why came from. And it's finding out the why behind everything. Why do you do anything? Why it is that you desire certain things?
[00:02:19] Leigh: And if you can ask that question and answer it honestly, then hopefully you can take the right action, um, to move forward. In a positive manner, you know,
[00:02:28] Kingsley: that's really cool. So let's break that down a little bit. So you heard that at a conference that got you to thinking about, obviously initially about your potential clients when you're trying to win clients over, et cetera, uh, and probably when negotiating, how did that change your thinking when, when that clicked for you, how did that change your thinking and your actions?
[00:02:52] Leigh: I suppose it brings you, podcast this morning on my podcast, the hidden Y. about, about this topic, you know, about how we feel [00:03:00] sometimes. And if you don't question things, you can't really know the best course of action and basically just become reactive to life. But if you can actually develop self awareness and ask yourself the question, why am I feeling like this?
[00:03:11] Leigh: Or why do I desire that? Or why am I doing this? If it's, if it's a poor behavior, that's not taking you where you want to go or a good behavior, you know, if you can really create that self awareness and ask yourself that question, why, You're going to be better, um, attuned with what you really need to be doing or not doing, you know, and sometimes common sense isn't common practice.
[00:03:30] Leigh: But I think the more you can develop that awareness, the better it is, you'll become at doing those right things. And you talk about productivity. Well, I guess I just do the things that I really love and enjoy. And, you know, I might seem productive from the outside and I am, I know I am, But I look at people in my circle of influence and I go, geez, how do they get so much done?
[00:03:50] Leigh: And they've just developed that as well. But I really don't have too many hobbies, you know, I, I, it's, this is my passion. I love my job. I love my real estate company. I love the hidden wife podcast and [00:04:00] personal development. And that's where I dedicate a lot of my energy. And so questions around what I'm doing from one day to the next really revolves around those passions of mine and how I want to live my
[00:04:11] Kingsley: life.
[00:04:12] Kingsley: You covered so much stuff there. It's so much stuff. And it's all to me, what you covered is very bare bones basics. This is what we've got to start with and operate everything from. So let's go back to, uh, as I mentioned earlier, you've got a podcast, you've got your own business and your own company. And as you mentioned that.
[00:04:34] Kingsley: You know, you only do certain things. It's still a lot to cover with what you do. Give us some hints on how you actually maybe structure your day a little bit so you can fit these things in.
[00:04:48] Leigh: Yep, for sure. I think, um, for me, when I started, um, the podcast, even before that, it was probably a couple of years before that, uh, I got into [00:05:00] personal development cause I was a bit lost in my life.
[00:05:03] Leigh: I was working in retail and executive management roles and I just joined this new company, a startup in Australia, a big company. Um, and that fell through and the company actually has since closed the doors. Um, but at that stage of my life, I was a bit lost and I, I also at the same time, I had a brother who was quite suicidal and he started listening to this podcast that was quite interesting.
[00:05:27] Leigh: I thought, okay, I'll listen to that just so I can tune in with my brother. Um, To find out what he's into and what he's going through. And I was listening to this podcast and it changed my life. I just started really listening to it every day. It started to motivate me, started to get me into a mode of, you know what?
[00:05:41] Leigh: I can do this. I am the agent behind my life and I am the course for how it's going to be lived. Um, and that podcast was really the catalyst for my change and the motivation for why I started my podcast. Um, so I think when it started back then, really for me, it was setting up some foundations [00:06:00] for yourself.
[00:06:01] Leigh: Mental foundations, physical foundations, so you can operate at a higher level. And at that stage, I was like most people. I used to wake up, turn on, what was it? Sunrise in the morning. Um, get out of bed, not, not satisfied with the day ahead. Just not looking forward to many things. Watching that rubbish on TV, rushing to work.
[00:06:22] Leigh: You know, those. Um, what's the saying, um, pop out of the wrong side of the bed.
[00:06:26] Kingsley: There was
[00:06:27] Leigh: a lot of those days in my life, right? And I didn't really have any structure or routine or foundations to make for a good day. So that's where I started changing. And that came through, um, listening to a lot of podcasts and creating a morning routine.
[00:06:42] Leigh: And I think if I could share advice to anyone, if you can start the day, well, you're going to finish the day. Well, a hundred percent, a hundred, how you do, how you do anything is how you do everything. So. And I talk about this now. I'm running a, um, a motivational daily talk generally on my [00:07:00] socials. And I talked about the other day, you know, just a reminder to myself every morning when I wake up is just to say, today's going to be a great day and show gratitude for the opportunity that I get to live this day.
[00:07:12] Leigh: And having that, just that reminder, it seems so basic, but it's so powerful. It can set you up for a great day forward, even though I might have major challenges in my day ahead of me or things that I really don't want to deal with or don't want to do. So whatever it is, if I can just tell myself today is going to be great and then focus on stuff that I can look forward to, I can generally finish the day a lot better.
[00:07:34] Leigh: And that's like every day, today, yesterday, some days are better than others, but I can tell you starting your day off well means you'll end well. So setting up a morning routine is good and I'll go into an acronym I created, which is called gem maps, right? I've got to write it down so I can, I can spell it out for you.
[00:07:53] Leigh: Um, so gem map. So when, when you wake up in the morning, gratitude I think is really important. So to say thanks, and it's, I'm [00:08:00] not a religious man, although I think I've sort of become a bit more spiritual along the way. And I really do believe we should show gratitude. And there's, regardless of your situation, there's always something to be grateful for.
[00:08:10] Leigh: So every morning when I wake up, I remind myself that thank you for the opportunity. This is going to be a great day. And Hey, here's a few thanks. Right. And I also do that when I go to bed at night too. So I think having that practice of gratitude daily, is really important, but certainly in the morning, a great way to start.
[00:08:27] Leigh: The next thing I think is really important is to do some exercise and that can be anything. So that's the EM gem. Um, so starting off with, you know, five minutes of stretches or 50 minute jog, whatever you want to do that you enjoy doing, just do that. Um, because I think it's when I started out 10, 15 years ago, you know, you'd look around you and go, Oh, these guys are doing this.
[00:08:50] Leigh: I'm going to do that. If you don't really enjoy it, don't do it. Just find something that you enjoy doing that gets your body in movement. Because if you can move the body, that moves the blood and that moves all the [00:09:00] organs in the brain and gets everything really functional. After that, meditation is paramount, I believe, and this is where we can really build up that awareness that I was talking about because awareness is key to everything, I believe, in life.
[00:09:13] Leigh: Having a meditation practice really important in your morning routine. After that motivation, I'm a motivated, positive guy. Um, maybe I've always been that way. I'm not sure, but I listened to other podcasts that motivate me and get me excited in the morning because again, that just sets the mindset and gets me inspired to make the most of my day.
[00:09:35] Leigh: Now, after that, I talk about affirmations. Affirmations is simply, um, repeating things that you are believing you want to achieve. That you want to attract in from the universe. Um, it's also journaling. So writing those down in a journal. So daily, uh, journaling practice I think is really important. And then after that is planning.
[00:09:54] Leigh: There you go. My system's just talking to me behind me. Nice. So then start [00:10:00] planning. So I think spend some time planning your day. Because a lot of people get into the day without any sense of idea of where they're going. And if you do that in life, you're not going to get to where you want to go. If you do that in your day, you're not going to finish it how you want to finish it.
[00:10:10] Leigh: So really spend some time planning. And that's something that I've never. Being as good as, um, I am now, and I think it's because in my head, I've always got a vision of how things are going to look, but actually then putting it into practice and writing it down. You plan for the day, for the week, for the year, for the next five years, um, absolutely critical.
[00:10:29] Leigh: And then S at the end of gem maps means start. So just get started. A lot of the things that stop us is because we don't actually get started. But once you get momentum, like, um, going for a jog, as soon as you put on those shoes and you walk out that front door, that's starting. And it's always easier once you start.
[00:10:48] Kingsley: I love that. That, that is so cool. The reason I was smiling so much before is it's strange as it sounds. It almost sounds like I was listening to me. Um, I, I love, and [00:11:00] that's why I wanted you on this podcast because what you talk about and what you've gotten on your podcast, which I would definitely encourage people to go and listen to.
[00:11:08] Kingsley: Um, the Hidden Y podcast, there is so many gems in that, it's unbelievable, um, but yeah, it's, it's so good. And that's all it is. If you start your day off, it's very basic, gem maps, we'll put that on the show notes so people can see it as well, but it's very basic. A lot of people think, oh, it's too hard to put a habit in or a routine or something like that, but it's really not.
[00:11:29] Kingsley: There's nothing really out of the ordinary there, uh, that you talked about that's really difficult to do.
[00:11:35] Leigh: No, no. The hardest part is. Is consistency I think for a lot of people?
[00:11:40] Kingsley: Yep.
[00:11:41] Leigh: It's easy enough to get up one morning and say thanks, but then doing that every morning, once you get in the routine of anything, you know, it's, it's great.
[00:11:49] Kingsley: Yeah, that's right. You
[00:11:49] Leigh: break that routine. It's sometimes hard. Like I still find it hard to get back into it. When I go traveling, we went to a conference recently and my routine was thrown out. I still tried to create that routine in the morning, but [00:12:00] it wasn't as solid as I'd like it to be. And then coming back, you know, it's hard to get back into that flow, but Not as hard as it used to be.
[00:12:06] Leigh: And I think, you know, over the course of, you know, however long the timeline, things become easier and easier.
[00:12:12] Kingsley: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think, uh, me too, I was away for, um, I think about a week and my routine was just totally, totally different. out and it took me about three weeks to get my routine back in, uh, sorry, three days to get my routine back in place again, because as silly as it sounds, it was really, really hard to put those, what had been habits for months and months, uh, to get them back operating again.
[00:12:37] Kingsley: And I think Um, for a lot of people they kick themselves because I'm not doing this and I should be doing that and I missed out here so I won't do it. Every one of us, uh, has trouble getting into the routine or redoing it or whatever or we have a bad day, uh, that's okay. Just go back and do it again.
[00:12:53] Kingsley: Don't beat yourself up. It's okay.
[00:12:55] Leigh: Yeah. Yeah. And give yourself that. Like, I'm very impatient [00:13:00] generally, so, um, you know, giving yourself time. And respect that, okay, I've missed a day. That's okay. And someone said to me, a long time ago, you know, miss a day, okay, you can get back up. Miss two days, it's going to be harder.
[00:13:14] Leigh: Miss three days, it's going to be harder. So try not to miss too many days in a row, you know, before you get back into something. Um, but be kind to yourself too. If you do miss a day, like this morning, my routine wasn't as good because I had to get up early for a, A coaching session at 5 a. m. So, you know, that changes your routine.
[00:13:34] Leigh: So you try and fit things in, in a different way if you can, but at the same time, I'm not going to beat myself up because I haven't managed to
[00:13:40] Kingsley: do it. Yeah, a hundred percent. No. And I think that's important for people to realize, because I think a lot of people as well, they watch people who do podcasts and do things like that and go, Oh, they've got it all together.
[00:13:51] Kingsley: I could never be like that, but none of us have it all together. Um, And it's just a matter of, like you said, trying to build in [00:14:00] as much as you can, put the consistency in and there are days that things happen where your routine is going to be out and that's cool, that's fine, but the regular habit whenever you can.
[00:14:10] Leigh: Yeah, and I think the elite performers are the same, you know, they're going to have their bad days, they're going to have those days where things don't go like they want to. But they have more of the good days, which makes them, you know, look a lot more better in the eyes of the outsider. Yes. Um, I recently watched that Federer documentary.
[00:14:28] Leigh: Now talk about a guy that must have some significant routines. Yeah. Um, you know, which created such a good player. But you know, I'm sure he has his bad days
[00:14:38] Kingsley: too. Oh, a hundred percent. A hundred percent. I was actually listening to a podcast. I think it was an Ed Mollett podcast. Uh, and he had someone on and interviewing this guy and he was out there successful making things happen, getting routines.
[00:14:53] Kingsley: And they got into the nitty gritties of his stories. Like, you know what, cause he come out of severe anxiety and depression and [00:15:00] suicidal and everything. He said, you know, almost every day I have to fight that still, I might be doing stuff and it might look good in public, but when I'm by myself every day, just about, I have to fight myself and overcome this.
[00:15:15] Kingsley: And a lot of people don't realize that we all deal with things. And I think one of the things I've tried, I've realizing more and more only just recently, it's really hit me that in a, in a whole new way that we need to embrace those bad times. Because if we try and fight the fact that I'm going through a bad time, it only makes it worse.
[00:15:38] Kingsley: And we're focusing on that. And you hit on this earlier about what you focus on, but if we embrace those times, uh, and, and understand, okay, this is dude, this is going to do me good if I let it do me good. And if I focus on what I can get out of this and what it's teaching me and how I'm growing.
[00:15:56] Leigh: Yeah.
[00:15:56] Leigh: Yeah. A hundred percent. Couldn't agree more. [00:16:00] Um, I mean, I find myself every day, you know. Uh, like, and I think those, you know, just the simple gratitude act when you're waking up is just a simple reminder of, Hey, you know, may not have something to look forward to today, but if I can do the best I can, well, that's, that's good enough.
[00:16:15] Leigh: You know?
[00:16:16] Kingsley: Yeah. I, I, I love that gratitude thing. It's becoming more and more prominent to me, uh, how important that is. Uh, and, and if people, if all they did. Take away from this podcast is go. I'm going to do gratitude every morning and be grateful for a few things that in itself is enough to totally change somebody's life where they are.
[00:16:36] Kingsley: Um, cause you. You can't be anxious and grateful at the same time. It's impossible. I heard someone say that and then I'm like, I'm going to try it. And it didn't work. I couldn't, which was really, really exciting. Um, now Lee, tell me a little bit because I want to delve in a little bit deeper. If we can a little bit more [00:17:00] personal.
[00:17:01] Kingsley: You've got a very successful real estate agency up on the Sunshine Coast. Uh, it's Palmwoods, I believe. Yep. Yep. And Sunshine
[00:17:11] Leigh: Coast, Hinterland. Yep.
[00:17:12] Kingsley: Yes. Which is a beautiful, beautiful part of the world. Uh, I used to actually live, I lived in Noosa for a while and then in Nambour for a while. Um, so I know the area pretty well.
[00:17:23] Kingsley: My ancestors actually had farms all around that whole area for many, many decades. Um, and you've got this podcast, uh, as well now running a real estate agency. That's not like a side hustle. You, that's a full intense, uh, job in and of itself. Um, then you've got your podcast and you've done over 1100 podcasts, which is just absolutely phenomenal.
[00:17:53] Kingsley: I heard a stat the other day, someone was saying, if you do 25 podcasts, you're in the top 1 percent of all podcasters. [00:18:00] Wow. Yeah, that blew me away too. So how do you put all this, because obviously you, you meditate, you exercise, um, you do coaching, you've got your podcast, how do you, how do you make all this work?
[00:18:14] Kingsley: Because a lot of people would go, it's impossible, but obviously it's not.
[00:18:17] Leigh: I mean, everything, everything builds on top of everything in life, right? So you look back, um, 10 years ago to where I am now and you sort of forget what you've gone through to get to where you are. Um, and I've put a heck of a lot of work in.
[00:18:29] Leigh: I'm, I'm a, I've always had good work ethic and been a hard worker. So that's something that I'm grateful for. And that allows me to, to work hard at anything and to get things done. I don't consider myself very competent and I had this in my coaching session this morning, this very discussion about competency.
[00:18:46] Leigh: Um, but looking back at it, I am very capable and very competent. Um, and I guess the one thing that keeps me going is that resiliency. You know, if I fall down, I'll get back up, brush myself off and I'll get better. And [00:19:00] that, that practice alone strengthens. So it's hard, it's harder to knock me down now.
[00:19:09] Kingsley: I love that you said that I want to ask that resilience.
[00:19:13] Kingsley: Were you always like that? Um, is it something you built? Is it something that was in when you got knocked down? You, you said for whatever reason, no, I'm going to keep going. I'm going to make this happen. How did you develop that?
[00:19:27] Leigh: Good question. I don't know the answer to that. To be honest. I don't know whether it was just developed because of my upbringing or what it was exactly or if it's innate.
[00:19:35] Leigh: Um, I guess I just have a desire to, to do good things and, and live a good life. That's why I do what I do now, you know, to help other people do that. Um, because what, what is it all for? What is the meaning of all this experience if you can't enjoy it? So that's enough motivation for me to get up again and again and again.
[00:19:54] Leigh: Um, in real estate, there's a lot of rejection and, and, um, all that sort of stuff. Um, so you have to [00:20:00] build up this thick skin, you know, to get through that. And as you, as you grow a business or grow in success, um, people will try and cut you down because people don't like seeing that. But you have to just look beyond that and keep on going because I generally know in my heart that I'm doing the best I can every day for me.
[00:20:18] Leigh: And I'm doing it from a genuine spot so that I can help others too. And deep down, if I know that I feel good about it. You know, I don't, I don't feel at all incongruent with how I behave in life. I have in the past and I have done things that, you know, probably not congruent. And that's where you feel that friction where it's just like, this is uncomfortable.
[00:20:38] Leigh: Um, when you feel that uncomfortableness, it usually means you're doing something incongruent with your values. Um, so now I really truly try and live by my values and do everything from that, that point. I less and less care about what others think of me. I mean, it's still important. But I'm not going to let their lives and troubles get in the way of mine.
[00:20:57] Leigh: And instead I'll go out there and try and have an impact [00:21:00] positively in other people's lives to help them live life more fully, have more meaning and find more joy. And if I can do that every day and have that impact in my business through the podcast, then it fills me up with a lot of joy, you know, that's just a part of contribution and giving back.
[00:21:14] Leigh: And I think if everyone can get to that level in their life. And whatever that looks like, then they will feel, you know, more fulfilled as well.
[00:21:22] Kingsley: It's, it's, it's interesting. Every time you talk, there's so many things you can't, there's not just one or two things that you're saying. There's a lot of great stuff to pick up out of it.
[00:21:33] Kingsley: One of the big things I picked up there, which is I think something that a lot of people fight within their, their own mindset is you said you go out and you're doing the very thing for yourself. But at the same time, you are congruently doing the very best thing for everybody else at this, at the same time.
[00:21:54] Kingsley: Um, that can be a little bit of an oxymoron sometimes, or seem to be an oxymoron from time to [00:22:00] time. Cause you're obviously working for yourself, but you're working just as hard from everybody else. Am I getting that right?
[00:22:05] Leigh: Yeah. Some, you know, you can probably be seen as arrogant or selfish when you really try and do the best thing you can for yourself.
[00:22:16] Leigh: Yeah. Because you have to set boundaries. Uh, and those boundaries to others can sometimes, to others that don't have boundaries, that can seem quite rude, right? But if you don't set boundaries, you can't get what you want to get done, done, if that makes sense. Um, and I know this because I've got these boundaries and my family know this, you know, but they have learned to go, that's when Lee's working.
[00:22:44] Leigh: It's not the best time to, you know, bother him or call him about things. Um, I will put my phone on silent. I will switch it on. Do not disturb when I need to get things done because I know those things are important and I think where you [00:23:00] look at it is that if you don't set those boundaries, when you, when you do have time for people, you're not going to be showing up fully with them.
[00:23:08] Leigh: So I can set my boundaries and go, okay, well, five o'clock on a Friday, it's knock off time. Now we can, we can chat. Now I can spend time with friends and family. And you will get me more fully. But if you try and come to me in the middle of the day, when I've got all these tasks to get through, you're not going to get my attention.
[00:23:25] Leigh: And that's where, to an outsider, I might seem arrogant, but really it's not. It's so I can show up more fully when I do have the time for you.
[00:23:31] Kingsley: No, that's, that's really, really good. You've delineated very, this is work. And this is outside of work and does that help you when you are at work to actually then be clear and focused and get more done?
[00:23:49] Leigh: Um, my, my, my head's a thousand miles an hour. So it's hard sometimes to know whether I'm being reflected with my time or not. I think yes, it does. Um, I think a [00:24:00] structured schedule really helps you be more productive. Definitely. Um, and that's just through knowing this is when I do X, Y, and Z. So every morning I know between five 30 and seven, it's, it's my morning routine.
[00:24:13] Leigh: You can't interrupt me then my phone doesn't interrupt me then, you know, my, I never pick up my phone in the morning. It gets picked up when I finished that morning routine. Um, so there's, there's things that you structure into your day. So you don't get distracted. Now our society is built. nowadays around this attention stealing, uh, economy.
[00:24:32] Leigh: And if you're not good at controlling your time, you're going to have your attention stolen and your time stolen, and therefore your life stolen away from you. So you won't be able to reach the dreams you want. So you have to become very rigid with that and very disciplined around those boundaries. And so I know that between nine and 11, that's when I'm calling people for my business.
[00:24:52] Leigh: Um, I know after this podcast, for example, I've got a half an hour window. Okay. before my next phone appointment at 1 30. And [00:25:00] then, you know, in that time I've got two tasks to do, so I'm not going to get disturbed by other things in that time. So if you can structure your day, you can get more done and, and you know, people probably researched anyway, listening to the podcast, but time blocking your schedule.
[00:25:13] Leigh: And making sure you set up your environment so you're not getting those distractions, turning off your phone, um, you know, moving to an environment where there's no items to distract you. Um, very easy for me to get distracted. Um, and like a lot of people listening to this podcast, if you've got an entrepreneurial sort of mind, there's, there's a lot of shiny things out there.
[00:25:33] Leigh: And someone said it in our chat the other day, Kingsley. You know, there's all these shiny things that we want to go after, but you have to get clear about what's most important to you now, to you and your business and your life. I'm guilty for me. I had a couple of hard years recently because I sort of reached this level where I did work too much.
[00:25:54] Leigh: And I, I sort of was burnt out. I lacked energy. I was overdoing it in every area. And [00:26:00] I typically do that. I'll overdo everything. Um, and I got to a point where it affected my marriage and, um, ended my marriage after 15 years. So there's a lot of things that happen then. And this year, my goal has been all about, okay, what can I do now smartly to still be as productive, but also bring back some balance into my life so I can actually enjoy the process more.
[00:26:22] Leigh: Because when you're so busy, like I was. I was quite anxious, you know, and I wasn't enjoying the whole process. And I think if you can't enjoy the process, what are we doing? Yeah. You know,
[00:26:32] Kingsley: exactly. Exactly. Yeah. That is a big thing. And that what you were saying there about like your morning routines, because a lot of it, the first time I heard about that, it's like, there's no way on earth that you getting me doing that sort of thing.
[00:26:45] Kingsley: That's I'm not going to be. Putting myself in a box like this, it's too restrictive. It's all of this sort of thing until I finally did it. And then I'm like, you know what? This is actually really freeing. It actually gives you a [00:27:00] freedom. You do set yourself up into a great position. Um, but it took me a while to actually do it because I thought the opposite was going to happen.
[00:27:09] Kingsley: And I think that's the same. When I talk to people about their routines, um, it's a response I quite often get when I'm coaching with people. Is they can't do it for whatever reason. Did you find it hard to put that in at first? Was it, was it a while to, to make it a habit?
[00:27:27] Leigh: Yeah, it's still, still happening.
[00:27:29] Leigh: Yeah, it really is. Um, yes, absolutely. And I tried it all. So I listened to everything. I picked up things and I'm not, I'm not afraid. I'm very open and I'm very open to, you know, trying new things. So I would try everything. I've tried all sorts of different meditations over the years. I do one now that's, I'm quite comfortable with, um, exercise, um, you know, I've got certain things that I do cause I enjoy doing them more, but that adapts itself as you evolve as well.
[00:27:59] Leigh: Um, [00:28:00] so yeah, you just got to be open and try new things and find out what works for you and keep on, keep on trying, you know, I've, I've started my journaling practice again more recently, um, but I've been on and off journaling for, for many years. To a point where now I'm doing it and I'm just like there is so much benefit in it And I really do believe that so I keep doing it But there was a while where I started to doubt myself and I started to go.
[00:28:24] Leigh: What am I doing this for? I'm just writing down thoughts like um, but it did affect me by stopping it. I noticed the difference
[00:28:30] Kingsley: Yeah, same
[00:28:31] Leigh: with meditation, you know when I started meditation, I had no idea what I was doing I just heard podcast people talking about it and I sat on my floor one day and crossed my legs and sat there with my eyes shut and I just Trying to count to 10 and doing that over and over again.
[00:28:45] Leigh: Um, now I do it pretty much religiously every morning for 20 minutes to 30 minutes. Um, and it's, it's like second nature. It's actually meditation now is one thing I don't want to miss. [00:29:00] Whereas exercise in the morning, I'm okay to miss it because I can, I can make it up in the later in the day. But that, that clarity time in the morning where you buy your thoughts and just can, you know, silence the mind, that's very powerful.
[00:29:12] Kingsley: Yeah, no, that's, that's awesome. And I think it's good that, um, again, it's, it's fine to experiment with stuff. Don't think I've got to go to the gym and I've got to do this meditation and I've got to do this, whatever it is. Experiment with what you, what is going to work well for you. Um,
[00:29:32] Leigh: yeah, it's like diet, right?
[00:29:34] Leigh: Like diet. I've tried all the different diets over the years and at the start, I think what we have is a tendency to look outwards, um, for what other people are doing and what other people expect rather than what feels right for us. And I think that's a cause for destruction generally. And I think it's, it's really a problem.
[00:29:51] Leigh: Um, because that's what a lot of people do. Um, I think there's enough information there for us to go, okay, well, These elite, you know, [00:30:00] performers, athletes, whatever you're looking at, this is what they do. There's a, there's a link between it all. Pretty much everyone I've interviewed, they have a meditation practice.
[00:30:08] Leigh: Most of them have a journaling practice. Most of them look after themselves and have some sort of physical movement that they do in the morning or throughout the day. Um, you know, there's, there's keys there in the successful people of what they do. You just have to find out how you can do it and how that works for you.
[00:30:25] Leigh: And I think diet was much the same for me, you know, I've got a diet at the moment, which is different from what it was last year, where I ate a banana, an orange and an avocado for breakfast and that's it until 12. And then I'll have some protein for lunch and a nice dinner because I love to cook, you know, that works
[00:30:40] Kingsley: for me.
[00:30:43] Kingsley: Yeah, and that's great. And that's, that's the thing you found what works for you. And that's what you're running with. And that's, that's perfect. There isn't a, here's a routine, this is what you do that suits everybody. It just isn't that. Uh, and it is good to experiment and learn from different things, different people, what do they [00:31:00] do, try things here and there.
[00:31:01] Kingsley: So, I'm, I'm really glad you said that. Because it's a very, very important I think it's just those key
[00:31:06] Leigh: foundations, right? Like, just, as long as you have some physical health exercise routine during the day, as long as you eat well, whatever that looks like to you. Yeah, totally. The basics are there. You just have to find out what works for you.
[00:31:16] Leigh: And I adapt it too, Kingsley. I'll, I'll go from, You know, I used to jog a lot and I stopped jogging because my knees were, I'm not a really a good jogger. Don't have the body for it. Um, but um, you know, and I adapted it cause I got bored. And if you get complacent and bored, you have to find something. If you don't have growth in life, if you're not continually improving, you will get complacent and you'll get bored and you will get dissatisfied with everything.
[00:31:41] Leigh: Um, and I, I've come through that realization through my real estate business where Successful as I've been, I get to a point where I'm just like, Huh, I'm bored. What else can I do? And so I've constantly, you know, re evolved my marketing or, or add something new that's exciting, like doing more video creations for my [00:32:00] marketplace.
[00:32:01] Leigh: Whatever it is, if you have that constant sense of growth in your life, you're going to feel fulfilled. You're going to feel happy about that. Because I think that's what it's all about.
[00:32:10] Kingsley: I am absolutely loving this. There's just these little basic things that people often don't think about, uh, that are so important to that.
[00:32:19] Kingsley: Because we do, right? We do get, um, bored with life, with what's happening. What can you change? What can you learn? What can you do, like what you were talking about, to change it up, bring the excitement back. Um, because we need to do that for ourselves from time to time. Tell me, uh, a little bit more about, uh, your podcast, The Hidden Why.
[00:32:39] Kingsley: Now you And, and how you actually set up, let's go into the background a little bit. Do you have a set time that you interview the people with this? Do you book them out a little bit and go, okay, I'm going to block that about a time out. Cause a lot of people, they look at what other people do and it's like, Oh, how am I going to fit it?
[00:32:58] Kingsley: Where am I going to fit it? So let's have a [00:33:00] look at you. You, you're very successful. You've got your business, you've got your podcast. Uh, we've talked a bit about productivity and time blocking and setting your days up and things. So. How do you make all this like your podcast when you, because obviously not everyone's available when you want them to be available necessarily.
[00:33:15] Kingsley: So how do you make that work?
[00:33:17] Leigh: That's evolved, I suppose. So when I started, um, it was interesting and this is the power of visualizations, right? And something that I'm very big on. I remember driving in my car one day and I was just, I had this in my head, this idea of doing a podcast and it was constantly there.
[00:33:32] Leigh: And one day I was driving from Sunshine, uh, Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast. Um, I was by myself in the car and I just got my phone. I pressed the record button and I just pretended I was doing a podcast with David Wood, who was that first podcaster I started listening to. And he was evidently the first guest on my podcast a couple of years later.
[00:33:51] Leigh: Wow. Um, so I think, you know, having a visual of where you want to go, what excites you is really important. Um, because when you have that strong [00:34:00] visual, things do happen and you know, it'll, it'll, it'll change your life. Um, my podcast originally started where I was. I didn't care when I did it. I used to wake up at one o'clock in the morning, two o'clock in the morning to do a podcast with guests.
[00:34:16] Leigh: Um, after it evolved, I suppose, and got a little bit more successful, I became more disciplined with my routines. And now on a Friday morning, that's when I dedicate my time to podcasts every Friday morning. Um, it's a good time for my business because generally on a Friday morning, it's not as busy at the start of the week.
[00:34:35] Leigh: It's chaotic. Um, so I can dedicate, you know, a half day to the hidden lie. And that's where I'll schedule guests and bring them in. And yeah, I used to fear that I'd miss out on getting some guests in and maybe you do a few, but I think if people want to be on the podcast, um, they will make time to fit it in and maybe they won't schedule it this week.
[00:34:56] Leigh: Maybe they'll schedule it for two months time, but generally people are okay with that. [00:35:00] That's, that's how the scheduling started. But, um, at the start, yeah, I remember waking up and blurry eyed at, you know, two in the morning or whatever it might've been just to get on and do a podcast with someone. Cause most of them are based in America.
[00:35:13] Kingsley: Yeah. Yeah. And there is that time difference. Cause I've had one, I think only one at the moment from America on the podcast and I had to stay up at, we started the podcast, I think at 10 at night. And it's, it's good how you've, um, taken it and, and this is what I want to bring is, is for people who are listening or watching the podcast is how does it actually evolve?
[00:35:36] Kingsley: How do I start? Where can I take it to? Because I think we think we need to be at this perfect place when we start, but you just did it when you could and then you, you gain the traction and then you start adjusting so that it suits you more. And obviously if you're still getting all these people, like you said, they may miss a few, but that's okay.
[00:35:54] Kingsley: Because you're still creating what you want, creating the life you want and the how you want it to be for yourself that's going to [00:36:00] work. Um, absolutely.
[00:36:03] Leigh: You can, if you want to create a podcast, you can absolutely do it. I think I had a desire to learn and this is my learning style. Like I'd much rather sit here and have a chat with you and see what I can take away from it.
[00:36:15] Leigh: Um, so that desire for me to bring in guests, like I've had amazing guests on my podcast over the years. Um, from all walks of life, it's been absolutely an incredible journey. And when I started, I started because I had this desire to maybe, Oh, maybe I could make some, you know, some money out of this. I probably started for the wrong reasons, but that motivation was the catalyst to me starting.
[00:36:38] Leigh: And then after a while I thought, you know what, I'm actually just, I just enjoy this whole learning process and being able to share it back. And very early on, I actually had a guy reach out to me, um, he may still listen to the podcast today and he just said, Thanks. Thanks so much. I really enjoy, um, cause I did have different, um, segments back then as well.
[00:36:58] Leigh: Early on, he said, I really [00:37:00] enjoy listening to your podcast. It's really helped me a lot. I was suicidal and now I'm become over that. Wow. Having that level of impact, you know, early on for me, it was just like, okay, well that's good motivation to keep going. Absolutely. And. Yeah. And the reason why I've kept it going is because what, what a privilege it is for me to be able to talk to so many wonderful people around the world, selfishly, you know, gather their information and yes, I'm sharing it back.
[00:37:25] Leigh: But sometimes it doesn't feel like that, you know, it feels like it's just me having a conversation with someone and gathering data so I can continue my growth journey. And really that's what it's been about. And, um, that's where it's evolved. So at the start, it was sort of this monetary thing, and then it became, it's just, I honestly just love it.
[00:37:41] Leigh: It's my passion now. Um, I don't work on fancy cars or anything outside. You know, my passion is getting up and doing a podcast with someone. And like, even this morning I was just sitting there going, this is just an incredible conversation with this gentleman from overseas. And I thought, how grateful it is that I can have these conversations.[00:38:00]
[00:38:00] Leigh: And anyone can do it. Like I was told that at the start, like you can have conversations with anyone. Most people are open to talking. Um, you just have to
[00:38:07] Kingsley: ask. Yeah, no, it's true. And everything you just said there lines up with what you said about earlier that you may have started this with a selfish intention.
[00:38:17] Kingsley: Uh, and to build yourself, and then it was about building your personal self and growing, but at the same time, you are helping thousands of other people by being able to get this really good content, this really good information that people would never be able to talk to, and you're actually bringing it to them and helping so many other people at the same time.
[00:38:36] Kingsley: So that's, to me, a perfect example of what you were talking about earlier, which is what life's about.
[00:38:43] Leigh: Yeah.
[00:38:43] Kingsley: I think it's fantastic. Yeah, I agree. So Lee, unfortunately, uh, we're gonna have to wrap this up. This is good. This, it has been, and there's so much more depth like that we could go into, but, um, hopefully let's, we, I'd love to do this down the track [00:39:00] again, if, if you're open to that.
[00:39:01] Leigh: Absolutely,
[00:39:02] Kingsley: man. Yeah. It'd be awesome. Um, I always, Uh, ask a couple of questions at the end, uh, of these podcasts. Uh, we talk and tomorrow is not today. We talk about creating your ultimate tomorrow, whatever that is for you. So to me, if I was to ask you, what is your ultimate tomorrow?
[00:39:22] Leigh: More of what I've done so far, um, more growth, you know, like I, I, I don't know where it's going to end up, but my ultimate tomorrow would ideally look like having more impact. I would like to see myself, um, being able to help more people live their life more fully, have more meaning and find more joy. I think if I can do that at a larger scale, that would be deeply satisfying for me in my life.
[00:39:49] Leigh: I love my real estate business and I want to take that to a level where I'm helping other people have that same level of passion that I do for real estate. So obviously [00:40:00] getting in agents and training up agents. Um, so there's, there's two prongs where I want to take my life right now. Because I know I can, I can distance sell real estate.
[00:40:09] Leigh: I'm quite good at that. I know I can market myself very well. Um, but where I want to evolve to is helping more people be able to do what I've done in the real estate space. Um, but in the, in the growth space, I want to help more people find, you know, that joy for life. And to have that growth experience so they can really live and flourish as well.
[00:40:29] Kingsley: Now that's awesome. And it's, you've proven that you can, if you've got a couple of passions, you can actually do them. You just, if you get yourself organized and clear and focused, you can actually do these things. So the second question then follows on from that, is how do you create your ultimate tomorrow?
[00:40:48] Leigh: I think, um, clarity, right? Visualizing where you want to be. That visualization practice is powerful and useful. Having a big dream, I think, I think the [00:41:00] problem with, well, like if I go back many years and think about some of the dreams I had, um, and I'll think about it particularly, I had this vision board, right?
[00:41:09] Leigh: I got told create a vision board and I created this vision board and I put up a picture of a nice car there in this nice home and, and things like that. And after a few years I ripped it down and ripped it up because I realized I was looking out there for these dreams that I wanted to live and I wasn't looking in with, with what dreams I want to live.
[00:41:29] Leigh: And I think if I can give advice to anyone is. Stop looking externally for the answers in your life. Look internally, um, understand your values and there's plenty of practices where you can actually do value assessments. Um, I did it recently just to reconfirm mine and figure out what it is that you value most in life and then figure out where do you want to be, you know, in three years time or five years time and how do you want, how would that feel?
[00:41:55] Leigh: Um, if you can really focus on doing that, then you can start to [00:42:00] work backwards from there and you can start doing the things that will take you closer to that goal. Place of how you want to feel in the future because I'm I'm not I had a picture of a Jaguar or something in A fancy house. I'm a practical guy.
[00:42:12] Leigh: I don't need all that stuff. I really don't I'm very comfortable You know, I've got a nice car admittedly now But it's more a car that's aligned with what I like to do like off roading So, you know just make sure you're doing it from a space within because if you
[00:42:27] Kingsley: yeah
[00:42:28] Leigh: Live your life externally. You're going to find it harder and harder to keep that momentum.
[00:42:32] Leigh: If you live from within and you're really doing things because that's what is going to fulfill you most, you will find yourself doing more and more and being more productive as well. And I had that realization when I went to Japan after working in real estate, quit my real, um, retail gig, went into real estate, had a bit of a breakdown, went overseas back to Japan, uh, lived there for a couple of years and we literally went there with my family.
[00:42:55] Leigh: And we, we had three suitcases and I got given a house. We had no [00:43:00] furniture. We had very basic furniture. I was never the most happiness in my life. And I remember jogging down this, I was in a rural area of Japan and I was jogging down this road, rice paddies all around me. And I had this, this, um, this flow of freedom running through me going, how great is this?
[00:43:17] Leigh: And look what I'm doing. Sometimes we think we need all this stuff to make ourselves happy, but we've actually already got everything we need to be happy. And I think when you have that realization, that's from when you're starting to live from within and going, okay, you know what? I've got everything. I just need to live it.
[00:43:36] Kingsley: That is absolute gold. What a perfect way to end the podcast. That is fantastic. Lee, thank you. Um, like just absolutely brilliant podcast. Love this and, and everything you've had to offer, which is just, just huge stuff. Huge stuff. Awesome. Hopefully people can take, take bits away and implement [00:44:00] things. Cause it's, there's a lot of practical things and that's what we want.
[00:44:02] Kingsley: So thank you for joining us on the tomorrow is not today podcast. Pleasure having you. And yeah, I definitely am keen to get you back at some stage and, and let's delve into some other things as well into great depth if we can.
[00:44:14] Leigh: That'd be great Kingsley. It's been a pleasure and I look forward to connecting with you more soon.
[00:44:18] Kingsley: Fantastic. Thanks Lee. Remember create the life you want.