Welcome to another episode of "Ask Gary Anything." This is where you, the audience, get to send in your questions about anything, and I will answer them. That is right, you heard it... anything, because that is how I roll! On a fairly regular basis I pick questions sent to me from my ever growing list, and answer them on this podcast.  

If you want to have your question(s) considered, simply fill out the contact form on my website www.thesimplelifenow.com, or better yet become a member of "The Simple Life Insider's Circle" link is at the bottom of the show notes. Today, we have some great questions:

* Some Updates and much more to come

1. (Suzanne E) You were in government for years and saw things I could probably never imagine. And, thank you for your service.  You’ve had an inside view of how the world can change and we need to be able to hold our own no matter what storm is on the horizon. Do you find that in being so independent and self sufficient, it hinders or takes away the need for companionship? If you start out dependent, but change to hold your own, is that intimidating to a dude?

2. (Sue B) What brand of coffee do you drink and is it organic?

3. (Kyle I) Are you still using medicinal marijuana? How do/did you take it?

Episode Resources:

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https://thesimplelifenow.com/wethepeople/
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https://thesimplelifenow.com/mypatriotsupply/
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https://thesimplelifenow.com/acre-gold/


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Ep 154: Ask Gary Anything (Round 12)

We’re bombarded by too much stress, not enough time for personal fulfillment, and failing to take care of our health. There has to be a better way, and your host Gary Collins believes he’s figured it out by asking one question, “how can I make my life simpler?” Twice a week Navy veteran, former federal agent, and entrepreneur Gary Collins brings you fantastic guests (such as Rep. Thomas Massie, economist/actor Ben Stein, Sirius XM DJ Kristine Stone) covering topics such as financial freedom, building healthy habits, and finding your life’s purpose. If you’re ready to stop being a spectator in your own life and instead make real moves, this is the show you’ve been looking for.

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Self-Improvement

Frank Larkin is a former Navy SEAL and so was his son Ryan, who died by suicide in 2017. As part of his commitment to the Warrior Call initiative, Larkin says he wants to educate people about undiagnosed physical injuries to the brain that warriors may suffer during their service, as with Ryan, that can spark a downward spiral.

Larkin has served as a Navy SEAL, as a Maryland State Trooper-Flight Paramedic, as a special agent for 21 years in the U.S. Secret Service rising to deputy assistant director and chief technology officer, and for nearly four years as the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms. He also served as a senior leader in the Department of Defense's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, the combat support agency tasked with countering IED's and extremist organizations employing them against U.S. forces, and in senior positions at Raytheon Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp. and SAP National Security Services. He volunteers as a firefighter-paramedic with the Annapolis, Maryland, Fire Department.


About the Warrior Call organization: 

WHO IS WARRIOR CALL: 

We are a network of former active-duty service members and veterans, their friends and families whose aim is to save lives and curtail suicides among those who served the nation 

WHAT WE DO: 

We spur greater connection. We make calls to warriors -- to veterans and service members who may be isolated and disconnected from services. We steer them to services. We encourage all Americans to make these warrior calls. Together, we save lives. 

WHY WARRIOR CALL IS ESSENTIAL: 

Many of those who are suffering are not seeking help or treatment, thus reinforcing the need for a call to these warriors from a former battle buddy, friend or family member. 

Up to two-thirds of veterans who take their own lives have had no contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs.  
The COVID pandemic has only increased isolation and disconnection.  

According to the VA, researchers have identified social isolation as "arguably the strongest and most reliable predictor of suicidal ideation, [suicide] attempts and lethal suicidal behavior."  
Invisible wounds linked to an underlying and undiagnosed traumatic brain injury can mirror many mental health conditions, underscoring the need to connect with service members and veterans and steer them to services.  The rapid unraveling of Afghanistan has spurred anguish and frustration among those who served there. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP – MAKE A WARRIOR CALL:
 
Whether you are a veteran, active-duty service member, national guard, family member or friend, you can make a difference by connecting with someone who is wearing or who has worn the uniform. Connecting can facilitate honest dialogue, create a desire to stay in contact and help define a viable path forward. 
Here’s what to do: 
1) Make a call and connection to a warrior. 

2) Have an honest conversation. See how they are doing. 

3) Connect them with Vets4Warriors, a clearinghouse for resources. Their contact information is 1-855-838- 8255 and www.vets4warriors.com 

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @warriorcallday

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warriorcallday

Episode Resources:

Get 10% off and free shipping off your entire order at www.thesimplelifenow.com with coupon code: podcast10

* Support The Simple Life Podcast by donating at:

https://thesimplelifenow.com/product-category/consulting/#donate

Show Sponsors which helps keep this show free!

*Use special promo code WATPVT15 with the link below for We The People Holsters and get 15% off your order! 

* Use special promo code AFFILTRX15 with the link below f...

Ep 181: Warrior Call – Dealing with Rising Military Suicide Rates

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Make sure to check out my new Simple Life University Course - How to Organize Your Life: https://thesimplelifenow.com/course/how-to-organize-your-life/

The National Association of Professional Organizers did a large study that showed that in the United States, 54% of Americans feel overwhelmed by clutter and that 78% have no clue what to do with all their junk.
 
Having a cluttered home and a disorganized lifestyle impacts your mental health, physical well-being, and drains your finances.
 
It will amaze you the stories I’ve heard from people who lived messy, disorganized lives who changed completely for the better because they built better habits and easier methods of handling and figuring out what to do with their personal belongings.
 
I cannot stress this enough, as someone that lived the 9-5 rat race lifestyle and was a slave to material things, I understand completely what it is like to feel like your stuff owns you.
 
You don’t have to struggle though, you can organize more than just your things, you can organize your life.


Episode Resources:

Get 10% off and free shipping off your entire order at www.thesimplelifenow.com with coupon code: podcast10

* Support The Simple Life Podcast and enjoy it ad free by being a member and subscriber at: https://thesimplelifenow.com/register/the-simple-life-membership/

Show Sponsors which helps keep this show free!

*Use special promo code WATPVT15 with the link below for We The People Holsters and get 15% off your order! 

* Use special promo code AFFILTRX15 with the link below for TRX Training Systems and get 15% off your order!

* Or you can see all the show sponsors in one convenient place here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/sponsors

* See what Gary is reading and his recommended reading list here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/reading/

* Donate to The Simple Life cause: https://thesimplelifenow.com/product-category/consulting/#donate
* Where to send your questions: contact@thesimplelifenow.com 
* The Simple Life Rumble page: https://rumble.com/thesimplelifenow
* The Simple Life Website: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com 
* Make sure to signup and be a member of The Simple Life Insider's Circle at: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com/the-simple-life/

Ep 176: How to Organize Your Life

Get 10% off and free shipping off your entire order at www.thesimplelifenow.com with coupon code: podcast10
Make sure to check out my book and learn how to do more with less: The Simple Life Guide to Decluttering Your Life
https://thesimplelifenow.com/product/guide-to-decluttering-your-life-softcover/

Yes, we live in a crazy world today, but are we self-inflicting a lot of our own pain? I would say 100% yes! I always say: "focus on the things you can change and ignore the rest." But a lot of people today don't know what to truly focus on to make their life simpler and better. 

Instead of focusing on what is really important in our life, we focus on the periphery that, in most cases, has nothing to do with us. We get sucked into the vortex of more is better, more noise and people complaining, another pair of shoes, another nic-nac, another car we can't afford... it just goes on and on and on.

So what is the answer? Today I will dig into how to gain freedom by eliminating the things that are not important. Remember, we are only here for a limited time, so make the best of it.

Topics Discussed: 

* My simple yet effective morning routine to decompress.
* Are you less free or only more confined by your voluntary behavior.
* How to be truly free in a world of chaos and strife.
* How to focus on the things that are important and ignore the rest.
* Why decluttering your mind is the key to sanity and freedom.
* A simple way to get started.
* Why most people have no clue what individual freedom truly is.
* What is free will and why there seems to be a war against it.
* Being a contrarian - when everyone is zigging you zag.


Episode Resources:

Get 10% off and free shipping off your entire order at www.thesimplelifenow.com with coupon code: podcast10

* Support The Simple Life Podcast and enjoy it ad free by being a member and subscriber at: https://thesimplelifenow.com/register/the-simple-life-membership/

Show Sponsors which helps keep this show free!

*Use special promo code WATPVT15 with the link below for We The People Holsters and get 15% off your order! 

* Use special promo code AFFILTRX15 with the link below for TRX Training Systems and get 15% off your order!

https://thesimplelifenow.com/wethepeople/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/mitoredlight/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/relaxsaunas/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/mypatriotsupply/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/trx-training/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/acre-gold/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/berkeyfilters/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/wholelattelove/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/kuiu/


* Or you can see all the show sponsors in one convenient place here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/sponsors

* See what Gary is reading and his recommended reading list here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/reading/

* Donate to The Simple Life cause: https://thesimplelifenow.com/product-category/consulting/#donate
* Where to send your questions: contact@thesimplelifenow.com 
* The Simple Life Rumble page: https://rumble.com/thesimplelifenow

* The Simple Life Website: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com 
* Make sure to signup and be a member of The Simple Life Insider's Circle at: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com/the-simple-life/

Ep 175: How to Maximize Your Freedom with Less

Get 10% off and free shipping off your entire order at www.thesimplelifenow.com with coupon code: podcast10
Make sure to check out my book and get the real facts on weight loss and being healthy The Simple Life Guide to Optimal Health
https://thesimplelifenow.com/product/the-simple-life-guide-to-optimal-health-softcover/


Topics Discussed: 

* Why are we so obese in America.
* Understanding how drug companies really operate and why.
* Do Pharma drugs have a place in weight loss.
* How many obesity drugs are currently on the market.
* What the NIH says about weight loss and obesity drugs.
* What are some of the side effects of obesity drugs.
* Do the side effects outweigh the positive effects.
* Are obesity drugs a possible answer to the crisis.
* What is the real answer when it comes to being healthy.
* Do shortcuts work or do they do more harm than good.

Link to NIH website data: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/prescription-medications-treat-overweight-obesity#available

Episode Resources:

Get 10% off and free shipping off your entire order at www.thesimplelifenow.com with coupon code: podcast10

* Support The Simple Life Podcast and enjoy it ad free by being a member and subscriber at: https://thesimplelifenow.com/register/the-simple-life-membership/

Show Sponsors which helps keep this show free!

*Use special promo code WATPVT15 with the link below for We The People Holsters and get 15% off your order! 

* Use special promo code AFFILTRX15 with the link below for TRX Training Systems and get 15% off your order!

https://thesimplelifenow.com/wethepeople/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/mitoredlight/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/relaxsaunas/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/mypatriotsupply/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/trx-training/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/acre-gold/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/berkeyfilters/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/wholelattelove/
https://thesimplelifenow.com/kuiu/


* Or you can see all the show sponsors in one convenient place here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/sponsors

* See what Gary is reading and his recommended reading list here: https://thesimplelifenow.com/reading/

* Donate to The Simple Life cause: https://thesimplelifenow.com/product-category/consulting/#donate
* Where to send your questions: contact@thesimplelifenow.com 
* The Simple Life Rumble page: https://rumble.com/thesimplelifenow

* The Simple Life Website: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com 
* Make sure to signup and be a member of The Simple Life Insider's Circle at: https://www.thesimplelifenow.com/the-simple-life/

Ep 174: Do Obesity Drugs Work?

Sounds strange, right? But today, everything is backward, and in order to move forward, you need to reverse your thought process in life. The contrarian is considered the oddball, but that oddball is, in most cases, doing things right. So why not be on oddball? Who cares what people are saying around you? Most of them weigh 250 plus pounds, are flat broke, and miserable. This is a time when following the herd will take you straight off the cliff with them. Because they are blind to the real world, they have no idea the cliff is coming, and because of the way they are living their conformist life, that cliff is inevitable. Simply don't go off the cliff!

About Myles in his own words: I was born and raised in Adelaide, Australia. Adelaide was a wonderful place. Clean, great community, great weather, great food. I mean the idyllic location. My parents were not wealthy, but nor were they poor. My father worked all of his life for the same company. My mother was a stay-at-home parent. My parents owned their own home and paid it off. They struggled financially but were able to put me through private school. I was an only child – I guess I didn’t have to share their focus with another, so I got lucky.

I had always been interested in technology from a young age. I was such an avid learner that I would go to great extremes to seek out things and get involved in clubs, community groups, etc. I rode my bike everywhere – even for hours to the city’s center to spend my Sunday afternoons in the public library. Soaking up every bit of knowledge I could get. Strange things that people often didn’t pay attention to. But I did.

One day I got exposed to CB Radios. This was in the 1970s. I became obsessed (as I often did with things). I learned about electronics, physics, communications, etc. This led me towards computers, and eventually, I bought one of the first personal computers – in 1978, the TRS-80 Model 1 computer. I learned everything about programming that computer, and it became everything to me. As the computer industry evolved, so did I. I started a software company and became one of the few experts in software development in Adelaide – getting gigs to write software for government departments, big corporations, etc., and I was still not even 20 years old. My passion for technology was matched with a business passion, which started well before I discovered technology. I guess business was in my DNA.

In 1989, I moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles. I realized that the ability to migrate from one place to another was a life-changing experience. It taught me to embrace everything I found within my grasp, learning about business in the USA, I got involved in the music industry, and I was able to leverage my computer programming experience to land work in some early startups – one of which became Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology corporation. Although I spent much of the next 30 years living in the USA, I never lost touch with my home of Australia, and in the late 1990s moved back there for many years before returning to the USA. In 2002 I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, and I’ve lived here since.

I am a self-made business owner. I don’t have a job. I do have clients and I do work on software projects and data centers, etc. today. It is because this is what I love to do. It isn’t because this is my career. I’ve never embraced that concept. I think if you are blessed to find your calling early in life and you can turn that into an income earner, you will embrace that far more than a defined “career” that people have to convince themselves that they love to do. I got lucky in that regard. But it was more that at a young age I was passionate to learn things. I still am. I just can’t learn them in a classroom, or a lecture hall, or books. I have to go out and see things with my own eyes and touch things with my own hands.

Ep 154: Ask Gary Anything (Round 12)

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