In this episode of the Morning Upgrade podcast I talk with Jason Duncan about his morning routine, finding your Ikigai, overcoming struggles, making projects self-sustaining and more.
In this episode of the Morning Upgrade podcast I talk with Jason Duncan about his morning routine, finding your Ikigai, overcoming struggles, making projects self-sustaining and more.
Announcer
Welcome to the Morning Upgrade podcast with Ryan Cote, where we feature casual conversations with entrepreneurs about personal development and growth.
Ryan
Hey, Jason, welcome to the Morning Upgrade podcast. How's it going?
Jason
Good. Good morning, Ryan.
Ryan
Good morning. We were talking before we started recording. It sounds like you've got a busy weekend with your clients to entertaining coaching some seminars. And so, how are you feeling right now, energy-wise?
Jason
So it's all right. I mean, we I do these weekend workshops once a quarter with my mastermind, and they fly in from all over, and we, you know, we're doing a Nashville this weekend. We're the next one is going to be in Destin, Florida, in November. But it's a busy, it's a busy weekend when I do them. But it's always fun. We had a big private cigar dinner, it was amazing last night, and I didn't get home until late and then had early podcast recordings of myself this morning. And then I've got a dinner tonight and then workshop all day tomorrow. So it's what I'm here on the planet for. So it's not work; it feels fantastic.
Ryan
Okay, so I was going to ask you, how do you protect or feed your energy to be at your best for these things? But as the answer that you just, it's what you're meant to do. So you don't need to be fat, the energy, it's there naturally? Or are there things you do?
Jason
I think it is there naturally. And I think that's when you find something that the Japanese call it good guy or other people refer to as your unique ability or your superpower. But when you figure that out, one of the things that have to be there has to be present in order for it to actually be your superpower, it could die or your unique ability is that it has to give you energy, it has to be something that you can do for hours and hours and hours. And when it's over, you can still be energized. It doesn't really zap the energy. And that's what that's why I'm a coach, I'm a coach because that's I get energy from it. I do now. That being said, that doesn't mean I can go 24 hours a day, five days in a row and not be tired. I try to protect that, and I take some time off, you know, leisure when I know, Hey, I'm going to be spending the next 36 hours just 100%. I might take some time off to go hang out, smoke a cigar or ride my motorcycle or something just to chill when normally I would be working on a project or writing or doing some content recording or something like that. But you got to balance it. You can't just go 100% and expect even something you love to prevent you from getting tired.
Ryan
I agree. Yeah, good advice. Very good advice for everyone listening. And for everyone listening for my for my audience that morning upgraders. Let's go back to the beginning. Let's introduce you. Tell us you know who you are, what you do for a living, which you've kind of already told us a little bit. I think it gives us a big win, something you're grateful for in your life right now.
Jason
My name is the real Jason Duncan, and I am the business coach that specializes in helping entrepreneurs get out of the weeds of operation and go on to live something I call the exit lifestyle. And the word is being able to choose what you do every day and have complete control of your time, energy and money without necessarily having to sell the business, which is the kind of the trick. So that's what I do every day and I'm a business owner, I own six different companies. I exited one of my big companies in January 2020. And I still own it. So I teach other people how to do exactly what I did. I still own it and still get the financial benefits and the tax benefits, but I have zero daily duties in our business. And I was able to go on and do what I'm really passionate about and what I'm here on earth for, which is to start this coaching company. You know, what I'm grateful for is I've got an amazing wife, we've been married 27 years, and we got two great kids. I'm grateful that I've experienced the success I've been able to experience so that I could live the life that I live now because I could make a lot more money doing something else. Like I could make a lot more money if I started this business or that business or bought that business. But I wouldn't trade that money for the time that I have time is a more important commodity to me then than money. So during the end of the life, I want to I want to know that I spent all the time that I had the right way. So that's, that's what I'm grateful for. I'm very grateful for that.
Ryan
So with your kids, are you bringing them into the businesses? I forget how old they are, but especially me. I feel like they're in their late teens or early 20s from our last conversation. Is that correct?
Jason
No, that's right. Yeah, good memory. My son's 22 He lives on his own. He actually rents my grandmother's house. He lives in my grandmother's. She lives in a an assisted living facility now, but still, the family still owns a house. So he lives nearby himself. And then my daughter is 19 She still lives here with us. It's funny that you asked that question. So I've got a really proud dad story to share. So my son, you know, he's he's working for a landscape maintenance company that has national contracts with Corps of Engineer property. So it's, it's not just the guys in trucks mowing grass, he's actually it's a pretty significantly sized company. He's working for them hourly. He likes being outside, but he has no real ambition doesn't like he's unclear. There's a lack of clarity. So he doesn't really know what he wants to accomplish. Proud of, in fact, he's figured out how to live on his own. And he doesn't ask us for money as much as you used to So that's been that's good. But we invited ourselves to his his house, which is my grandmother's house for dinner this past week. And when I say we invited ourselves, we said, hey, mom will cook will bring food over, we'll have dinner. And he's like, yes, home-cooked meal. That'd be awesome. So we have dinner. And I've been telling both my kids that they got to get into real estate. I've been telling them for years, even though I'm barely into it myself, but I understand that if I was 20, you know, I know what what I know now. I would be a billionaire today if I did the right thing. So I'm telling you how to do it. Well, so So I recommended last week a book to my son called Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill. Have you ever heard of that book or read it?
Ryan
I've heard of it. You know, I have not read it, though. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna make a note of that.
Jason
Dude. You can listen to it on YouTube for free, like three and a half hours. It is unbelievable. So I recommended this book to my son last week. And so when we were at dinner, he said, Hey, I listen to that book. I'm like, really? Yeah, he goes, I really liked it. It was very good. And I said, Well, you need to go read, Think and Grow Rich as well, because it's a great book by Napoleon Hill, is number one book. And then we just got to talking about life, money, and finances. And he said he said, Well, what, what do you think I need to do next? And I said, Well, I think you should read. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, which I'm not sure I'm almost certain you know what I'm talking about. Everybody knows. It's sitting on my desk right now. I'm looking at it, but I said, You should read that. And he goes, What's that about? And I told him, I said, it's the number one money, personal finance money book ever written. It'll teach you about real estate and how to think about money differently. I'm coming to the landing on this story. So, my son called me yesterday in the middle of the day, which he doesn't normally do. And when he does, it's either going to be really good or really bad. It's like, Hey, Dad, you got a few minutes to talk. Oh, my gosh, what happened? Or, Hey, do you have a few minutes to talk? And he's going to tell me something amazing about what happened to be one of those moments where it was the latter. It was something amazing. He said, Hey, today's Friday, we're recording this on Friday. He called me yesterday, which was Thursday, and I made that recommendation Monday night at dinner. He called me yesterday. Did he say that? He goes, Well, I finished Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I'm like, what, like I just told you about this Monday night? How did you have time in two and a half days to read this whole book? And he said, Well, he's worked outside. He works outside all day long. So he put in earbuds and just listened to the whole thing. Smart. And then he said, Here are my two takeaways. And he said, number one, I need a mentor. And I'm like, Wow, is this my kid telling me that stuff? And then he said number two. I need to work on my self-confidence because I need to have a definitive purpose in life so that I can work towards I said, that sounds a whole lot like Outwitting the Devil, too, doesn't it? He goes, You know what it does? So all that to say, to answer your question, am I bringing the kids into the business? Not really. But I'm encouraging them to think about money and to think about real estate investing because I really believe that that is the best way long term to build passive income cash flow that will support your life, whatever you want to do.
Ryan
Yeah, I mean, so my wife and I have some investment properties. But there's a guy in one of my masterminds. He is the definition of a beast. So he and his brother he's only 30. Okay. I mean, his brother, I think his brothers 32, they've developed a system for buying properties that are very, in very poor shape, okay, in a certain area of Ohio, and they buy them, they fix them up, and they rent them out for cash flow. They've been doing this for a few years now. And they have this system. And they have close at the time of us having this conversation. They have close to 400 homes that they own or rent out. It's like he's like unstoppable, his brother; it's to rinse and repeat. And yeah, so I see it. And it's very good advice. I need to, you know, one of our goals to buy a lake house would be in like five years, rent it out and Airbnb and have a place we can go to. So yeah, I 100% agree.
Jason
Well, my wife and I are closing on a house in the Smoky Mountains, a cabin next month. And we're going to be doing a short-term rental with it. And we were scared to death because we don't know how to do it, like, this first time we've ever done it. But we know it's the right thing to do. And we're just going to trust that at the worst. At worst, it's we're going to have this really cool house in the mountains that is paid for by us, you know, it pays for itself. At best. It's gonna provide, you know, maybe $50- $60,000 in cash flow annually. So we'll see what happens.
Ryan
I've got a friend who has a house in Cape Cod; we're kind of going off. I'm gonna ask about your morning routine, but we're kind of going off on tangents. But I think this is helpful for everyone listening, just because they don't know this service exists for real estate. I've got a friend who has a house in Cape Cod. There's a service up there. I don't know what they call themselves, Property Management rental services. I don't know. But they basically give them a lump sum of cash every year that covers the mortgage for the whole year. And then they rent it out themselves. And they obviously rent it out for more than they give my friend, but his house is basically paid for unless there's like random repairs that need to be made. But his house is paid for every year from this lump sum of cash he gets from the rental company, and the rental company makes sure it gets rented out to good people that it's taken care of. cleaned up does vary, and he gets it for like a month a year to use as he wishes. And so there are services out there that can make it more hands-off, not automated, but more hands-off.
Jason
We're working with, there's a lady I had on my podcast, her name is Avery Karl, and she owns a company called the short-term shop. And so this is kind of plug for her, but, but they do almost a billion dollars a year in real estate sales, short-term market. She's built a phenomenal business, and their agents only sell and manage and are not managed, but sell and help buy short-term rentals, and they offer a coaching program for all their clients to go through. So we're, we're working with them, we're very happy with what they're doing. And we're about to start their coaching program on how to manage self manage these without it being a full-time job. So we'll see, you know, who knows what's gonna happen?
Ryan
So let's go back to here. Let's go to personal development, being that this is the morning of great podcasts I have. I've never not asked about someone's morning routine on this show. So I got to find out what your mornings look like.
Jason
So my mornings look like this. So I do not set the alarm. I've finally got to a place where I don't feel like that need to do that. And I'm living my life where I'm not. I'm not going to be a slave to some digital device to wake me up and tell me to get my day started. And I love that being said, one day a week, I have coffee with a friend pretty early. And I set it for that because it's a decision I made to have that coffee. But every other day of the week, I don't. But my body's been trained to get me on, and I still wake up between 5:30 and 6:30. Sometimes, sometime in that one hour slot, I wake up every day like I didn't get in bed until after midnight last night because I was I had that Sagar dinner with some clients. And I still woke up at, I think, 6:22. When I turned over to the clock for the first time that Dan and I had a podcast to start at 730. So I didn't even set the alarm for that because I knew I would wake up, so I didn't set the alarm. And then my first thing I do every morning is I roll straight out of bed on my knees, and I say a short prayer. And I thank God for being the king of the universe and for letting me be a part of His, you know, his world and help me be a good servant, do the right things for that day. And then whatever happens to appear on my mind, I'm gonna say a little prayer about that. And the length of that prayer is usually determined by how full my bladder is. So if I gotta go, the prayers are really short. Then I go, you know, take care of bathroom needs. And then I make a pot of coffee every morning, you know, six, eight cups of coffee, and sit out on the back porch and go through my prayer list. And then I take a bicycle ride most mornings, three or four mornings a week, at least for eight or nine miles, and do a little short workout in the garage. And then continue sipping coffee and then take shower and get dressed and walk down the long commute hallway to my office in my house and get started with my day. So that's my normal morning routine.
Ryan
That's awesome. The question I don't normally ask this. But I just think it'd be helpful for everyone listening, especially someone that's listening that might be struggling with their business, their life, their life fulfillment, whatever you want, whatever word you want to use. I know I don't know you that well. But we've been on your podcast, and we've had a few conversations after that. You've had success in your, in the business world. You live from what I could tell life, it's very fulfilling, you know, a lot of fun and included in that good family. Like how someone is struggling? What advice can you give them? Like, you know, obviously hard work and all that. But is there anything else that you think has contributed to what you've achieved and what you have right now that you can share?
Jason
That's a pretty deep question. Good question. It's deep. And there are certainly a lot of little nuances to how that question could be answered. But I would say that I don't live my life by priorities. I live it in terms of what's at the center. And I think I think that's one of the things that kind of changed my mindset a long, long time ago. Because if we live by a priority list, no matter what's at the top, let's say, for example, the priority is God at the top of your list, and then second is your wife. And then second, third is your kids. And then fourth is your job or whatever. Let's pretend that you live by priorities and that those are your priorities. Well, priority lists tend to end up being treated as to-do lists. We don't do it on purpose, but it's like, okay, God's priority. So what do I need to do? Okay, I need to say a prayer every morning to read the Bible. I need to go to church. Whatever that happens to be okay, check. All right. Okay, wife's next. I got to do a date night once a month. I got to do Okay, check. I learned a long time ago that if you make priority lists, and that's how you live your life, you end up treating everything as a task, whereas if you look at it in terms of something, the most important thing you're like, being at the center of everything. So everything's on a piece of paper, if everything's on the whiteboard, whatever you wrote down, everything's there, what's at the center. And for me, that center is my relationship with my Creator. You know, Jesus Christ, Yahweh. I mean, that that's for me, that's the center of everything and then the Next concentric circle, right next to the center, is my wife. And then the next concentric circle is my kids. And the next is maybe my business. You know that because that affects everything else. And then it goes on down there somewhere. And there's motorcycling because I like motorcycling cigars, like cigars and drinking interesting rums. And bourbon says, but those are, those aren't on a list. And they've not checked off things. So God and my wife and my kids are at the center of every decision I make. So I think having that mindset shift changed things. So now, when I look at my business, and the business for most entrepreneurs, is seems is the thing that you spend the most waking hours on. But then you say, Well, my family's more important, well, is it? Or did you just check a list off and then spend the rest of your time working on that? So for me, family is most important, or excuse me, is it more important because it's closer to the center than my business? So if I'm in the middle of business, and something comes up where I need to deal with a spiritual concern with a friend, or if I need to, maybe there's something that my wife needs, I will drop what I need, what's appropriately droppable and go handle that because that's more important, but not in terms of a list. It's just it's at the center. So that's a weird way to answer the question. I'm sure for most people listening to this, but that's one of the things I think is you got to you've got to make fear at what's at the center of who you are. And everything needs to revolve around that.
Ryan
Yeah, I don't think it's a weird, weird way to answer it at all. It's got me thinking about my center, which I think isn't for everyone. Listen, it's a great journaling exercise, you know, like, get clear on what your center is, and then prioritize it. So yeah. And I think that's a great way to end this conversation that flew by. By the way, thanks for everything you shared. Jason. If someone wants to reach out to you or learn more about you, where should we send them?
Jason
I'm on all social media platforms @therealjasonduncan. And my Instagram is where I spend most of my time. So if you want to send me a DM through there and say, just put the word Morning Upgrade, I'll know that you heard me on this show, and we can chat. I respond to everything personally. So if you've got anything you need, just reach out and go to therealjasonduncan.com. You can read all about what I do and the offers that I have as a coach.
Ryan
Awesome. Thanks, Jason. Appreciate it.
Jason
Thank you, man.
Ryan
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