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This part of the Rich Life Habits interview series where we ask people some of their most successful habits and some lessons learned along the way. You can check out previous interviews here.

If you’d like to share your story with the Rich Life Habits community, please reach out here.

This interview is going to be a little different than most because I wanted to take a moment and share with you an interview I read from The Guardian with Gareth Bale.

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Background

For those of you that don’t know (including me before doing the research for this post), Gareth Bale is a Welsh professional football (soccer) player who plays in Europe and is quite good. He was named Welsh Footballer of the Year a record 6 times and was number 12 on ESPN’s list of the world’s most famous athletes in 2016. Number 11 was Kobe Bryant so that should tell you something.

He is viewed by some in his country as a national hero and championed the Welsh motto “Together Stronger”. Even when he wasn’t playing his best, his teammates have looked up to him to be their leader, their inspiration, and made everyone around him play better.

Now that you have some background on Bale, I want to pick out some great quotes from his interview with The Guardian that I think are perfect for our conversation. The first question of the article is by far my favorite.

What is your greatest fear?

Not being the best version of myself. In football and in life.

This is so simple and yet powerful at the same time. (It’s funny how that always seems to happen). We all strive to be the best versions of ourselves, but is that our absolute greatest fear?

I, for one, am terrified of snakes. More seriously though, I’m worried about the health and safety of my family and friends. But my overall greatest fear? I haven’t really thought about it much. To think about it more closely, I hope it would be very similar to what Bale said.

He is so self-aware that he knows everything else would fail if he isn’t always bringing his best self every day. I’m sure it is a struggle some days. He probably has more pressure on him than I will ever know but if I think about each day bringing my best self to work, then home to my wife, I will know in my heart that I’ve done everything I could to overcome any fears I may have.

Optimism

What makes you unhappy?

Nothing. Life is what you make it. You can always find the good in any situation.

Bale gives another profound answer to a simple question. He could’ve taken this in so many different ways. For example, when people complain even though they have so much in their life already, that makes me unhappy. Wasted food also makes me unhappy.

If he really has this type of unwavering optimism, that is truly inspiring. Keeping that positive mindset even in a dark situation can be incredibly difficult.

If I look for the good in a situation, I will find it. If I look for the bad in a situation, I will find that too. Either way, I will always find what I am looking for. In this case, Bale is making his life around finding the good in every situation. That is something to aspire to.

You Are Your Life’s Experiences

If you could edit your past, what would you change?

Nothing. Without my past I wouldn’t be who I am today.

I like Bale’s answer here as well. While it isn’t the first time I’ve heard this saying, it still is good to be reminded that we shouldn’t live with regret about things we’ve done in the past. Both the good and the bad have shaped us into who we are today. If you like who you are today, then there is no reason to want to edit your past.

Being yourself and being proud of who you’ve become are two different points of view coming to the same conclusion. Being yourself is all about living in the present and not being afraid to be you. Being proud of who you are is about looking at the culmination of all of your life’s experiences and being happy and satisfied with the person you are today.

It’s Okay to Relax

What’s the most important lesson life has taught you?

Always take time to recharge. You can’t pour from an empty glass.

This is something that I have a hard time doing because of my personality type. I am always on the go and pushing forward, trying to grow. Because if you aren’t going forward then you’re going backward right?

I need to hear these words because they teach me that I can’t give to others or produce quality work if I don’t take time to care for myself. If I’m not bringing a refreshed and rejuvenated Dan to the world every day, then how can I be the best version of myself?

What are some ways you recharge and habits you use to be the best version of yourself?