The impact of gratitude, serving others, embracing mortality, and living intentionally | Walter Green

Peter Attia

Feb 5, 2024

Episode description

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Walter Green is a remarkable philanthropist, mentor, author of This Is the Moment!, and founder of the impactful “Say It Now” movement. In this episode, Walter delves into the unique insights gained from his challenging upbringing, discusses embracing mortality, and highlights the mindset of “finishing strong.” He shares insights on intentionality, thinking in reverse, saying “no,” prioritizing relationships, and the essence of focusing on others. The conversation focuses on the “Say It Now” movement, which stresses the importance of expressing sentiments to loved ones well before the end of life.

We discuss:

  • How Peter and Walter met through Ric Elias [2:45];

  • The unique perspectives and life lessons provided by Walter’s challenging childhood [5:30];

  • Walter’s harrowing experience with a sudden mental breakdown and his subsequent recovery with the help of therapy [11:15];

  • A diverse professional journey ending in great success [18:15];

  • The birth of a movement: celebrating friendships through public tributes and expressing gratitude to those who have shaped your life’s journey [22:30];

  • Intentionality, thinking in reverse, saying “no”, and other guiding principles for Walter [30:00];

  • Walter’s global journey of gratitude on his 70th birthday: visiting friends and creating memorable experiences [39:15];

  • The profound impact of acknowledging and expressing gratitude for the people who contribute to our lives [46:15];

  • The key elements for creating meaningful connections and cultivating deep, authentic friendships [52:15];

  • The “Say It Now” movement: the inspiration behind the remarkably impactful initiative [58:30];

  • What “finishing strong” means to Walter [1:07:30];

  • Finding peace at the end of life through expressing gratitude and finding purpose in serving others [1:16:00];

  • Resources to learn about “Say It Now” [1:26:15]; and

  • More.

Connect With Peter on TwitterInstagramFacebook and YouT

Episode description

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode

Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content

Sign Up to Receive Peter’s Weekly Newsletter

Walter Green is a remarkable philanthropist, mentor, author of This Is the Moment!, and founder of the impactful “Say It Now” movement. In this episode, Walter delves into the unique insights gained from his challenging upbringing, discusses embracing mortality, and highlights the mindset of “finishing strong.” He shares insights on intentionality, thinking in reverse, saying “no,” prioritizing relationships, and the essence of focusing on others. The conversation focuses on the “Say It Now” movement, which stresses the importance of expressing sentiments to loved ones well before the end of life.

We discuss:

  • How Peter and Walter met through Ric Elias [2:45];

  • The unique perspectives and life lessons provided by Walter’s challenging childhood [5:30];

  • Walter’s harrowing experience with a sudden mental breakdown and his subsequent recovery with the help of therapy [11:15];

  • A diverse professional journey ending in great success [18:15];

  • The birth of a movement: celebrating friendships through public tributes and expressing gratitude to those who have shaped your life’s journey [22:30];

  • Intentionality, thinking in reverse, saying “no”, and other guiding principles for Walter [30:00];

  • Walter’s global journey of gratitude on his 70th birthday: visiting friends and creating memorable experiences [39:15];

  • The profound impact of acknowledging and expressing gratitude for the people who contribute to our lives [46:15];

  • The key elements for creating meaningful connections and cultivating deep, authentic friendships [52:15];

  • The “Say It Now” movement: the inspiration behind the remarkably impactful initiative [58:30];

  • What “finishing strong” means to Walter [1:07:30];

  • Finding peace at the end of life through expressing gratitude and finding purpose in serving others [1:16:00];

  • Resources to learn about “Say It Now” [1:26:15]; and

  • More.

Connect With Peter on TwitterInstagramFacebook and YouT

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Navigate three life stages: find, make, and become yourself

A long life can be viewed in three 29-year stages: finding yourself, making yourself, and finally, becoming yourself.

Create a checklist for strong life finish and spouse care

Finishing life strong can be a deliberate process that involves creating a checklist to simplify finances and living arrangements for your spouse to ensure they are cared for.

Accept unfinished projects to find peace at life's end

A person who lives with purpose will by definition die with unfinished projects, and accepting this is a key to finding peace at the end of life.

Value time over money to enhance life satisfaction

He resents having an hour of his time wasted more than losing money, because you can't get the time back.

Express appreciation before it's too late

Inspired by Tim Russert's funeral, he realized that eulogies are flawed because the person being honored never gets to hear the wonderful things said about them.

Harness clarity to say 'no' and focus on your vision

Having a clear vision for your life makes it easy to say 'no' to opportunities that are not consistent with your most important outcomes and indicators.

Define success first to achieve your goals

To achieve any goal, including personal ones, first define what a successful outcome looks like and then work backward, rather than focusing on the steps to get there.

Live with intention to embrace life's unpredictability

Losing his father at a young age gave him the gift of realizing life is short and unpredictable, which motivated him to live with great intention, like always walking up escalators.

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