330. You Only Die Once: The Ultimate Guide to a Life with No Regrets with Jodi Wellman (Part 1)

The Greg McKeown Podcast

About the Guest:

Jodi Wellman is the author of You Only Die Once, a book that approaches the topic of living a meaningful life with a darkly humorous twist. With a career spanning 25 years, Jodi is a seasoned positive psychologist, executive coach, and founder who has delivered keynotes, workshops, and coaching programs. She collaborates with some of the world's leading researchers on happiness and well-being, and is dedicated to helping people enhance their life's quality and vitality.

Episode Summary:

Greg dives deep into the subject of living a meaningful and vibrant life with guest Jodi Wellman, author of You Only Die Once. Celebrating the ten-year anniversary of his book Essentialism, Greg provides insights into eliminating non-essentials to create a life that truly matters. Meanwhile, Jodi offers her expertise on embracing both the vitality and depth of our everyday existence.

Jodi Wellman emphasizes the importance of confronting our mortality to live more fully. She introduces the concept of the "pre mortem" versus the "post mortem," urging listeners to assess their lives now rather than later. She explains her four life quadrants—meaningfully bored, vitally empty, dead zone, and astonishingly alive—and shares insights from her research involving over 14,000 participants. The discussion also touches on personal philosophies, including dealing with regrets, taking responsibility for one's life, and balancing fun with purpose.

Key Takeaways:

Confronting Death for a Better Life: Reflecting on mortality can heighten your sense of urgency to live more meaningfully and vibrantly.

Pre Mortem Concept: Jodi Wellman’s pre mortem approach helps people self-assess to enhance their current life rather than regret missed opportunities later.

Life Quadrants: The four quadrants—meaningfully bored, vitally empty, dead zone, and astonishingly alive—aid in identifying where you can improve your life’s vitality and meaning.

Responsibility and Agency: Taking responsibility for your life increases your sense of agency and ability to live "on brand" with your true self.

Balancing Fun and Purpose: Personal happiness and fulfillment come from balancing vitality (fun) and meaning (purpose), tailored to your unique preferences and values.

Notable Quotes:

"Living a life that really matters is about figuring out what's essential and eliminating what is non-essential."

"Most people fall into what's called meaningfully bored."

"Taking responsibility for your life increases your sense of agency."

Resources:

Buy Jodi's book: You Only Die Once.

Visit Jodi's website.

Join my weekly newsletter.

Learn more about my books and courses.

Join The Essentialism Academy.

Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube.