The Regret That Comes with Age

There’s a weird kind of trade-off that happens as you get older. On one hand, I finally have enough life experience to not make the same dumb decisions I made when I was younger.  On the other hand, it kinda sucks to realize how much time I've lost not listening to the advice that could’ve saved me years of pain — if only I had been ready to hear it back then.

I’ve thought about this a lot as I've gotten older. About all the times someone tried to steer me in the right direction, and I blew them off because I already had my mind made up.

I didn’t realize how many of those moments I’d end up replaying later — only to realize the person had been dead right.

If I had just listened back then, I could have saved myself so much time and heartache.

The truth is, we usually don’t take advice unless it fits our agenda. If it lines up with what we already want to do and benefits us in the moment, sure, we’ll take it.

But if it challenges whatever we already have "planned" in our mind, we shut it down
— even when it’s coming from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.

That's why, I had a true "lightbulb" moment about advice that I don't think very many people see.  I decided to be different and make an effort to set my ego aside and truly give someone else's advice a "real chance" going forward — just stop relying on my "own understanding" so much and see how it affects my life.

The Time I Finally Took My Own Advice

There’s one moment that really sticks with me as probably the first time I had a chance to employ this new mindset.

I was out golfing with a buddy of mine — someone I really respect, even though he hadn’t been playing as long as I had.

For context, I’ve played most of my life. I’ve even been certified to teach the swing and have years of experience coaching. So, in my mind, I thought I knew exactly what I was doing.

But this friend of mine — he’d been improving fast.
Like, really fast.
He’d gone deep into lessons, theory, practice. And he was no stranger to performance either —  he's a former pro tennis player and a world-class Ironman competitor.

The guy knows how to master a skill.

So we’re out playing, and I start telling him what I’ve been working on with my swing. And he starts giving me some feedback — not in a cocky way, just offering insight.

At first, my ego kicked in.
I thought, “Okay, bro, I’ve been doing this a long time.
I don’t need swing tips from you.”

But then I caught myself and realized this is a perfect opportunity to test out my "open minded advice theory".  So I checked my ego.
I thought about who he is.
How hard he works.
How much better he was getting.
And I just let go of the whole “I already know” attitude.

Plus, I knew he had my best interest at heart — he genuinely wanted to help me instead of just glorify himself. 

I decided to listen — really listen.

We spent an entire round of golf working together. I let him adjust what I was doing and truly tried to give his advice a chance.  

I kept telling myself “trust the process” and lets see where this goes.

Long story, longer…over the course of that summer, my game improved to the best I’ve ever played in my entire life.  

And I couldn’t help but think… how many other times before had I ignored advice like this just because I felt I "already knew" or didn’t fit my "plan" in the moment?

After that “lesson,” I was hooked. Over the next few years, I made a real effort to stay open to new ideas — all kinds of them.

But where it really started to change my life was when I applied that same open-mindedness to improving how I lived with ADHD.

I started reading things, listening to speakers, and watching videos I never would’ve given a second glance before.
And honestly?
What I learned during that time had a bigger impact on my life than anything I ever figured out on my own.

In fact, The ADHD Thrive Method Course wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t decided to trust advice that challenged my old beliefs and shook up my assumptions about what life is "supposed" to look like.

So, Do You Think You're Ready Now?

Here’s the truth: most of us only take advice seriously after we’ve already hit emotional rock bottom.

That’s when it suddenly makes sense.

That’s when the words we ignored finally land — because now we’ve felt the pain they were trying to save us from.

But maybe we don’t have to wait until we’re drowning to take a lifeline.

Maybe we can start giving more weight to advice when it comes from the right source — even if it’s inconvenient, even if it means letting go of what we think we know.

If you’re considering taking The ADHD Thrive Method course, I want you to think about that.

Think about what it means to come into something with an open mind.

To listen fully — not just for what confirms what you already believe, but for what might help you change the way you see everything.

Because that kind of openness? It’s not just how we learn. It’s how we transform.

The course isn’t magic. But if you come into it willing to set your ego down and trust the process — there’s a good chance it’ll become one of those “I wish I had heard this sooner” moments.

The only difference is, this time…
you’ll hear it now.

Spots for the course will be opening soon, so keep an eye on your inbox — you won’t want to miss it.

Can’t wait to share more with you in tomorrow’s email.

—Reformatted Dan.