Show Me Your Calendar and I'll Show You Your Future - The Ryan Leak Podcast

Summary

Summary of "Show Me Your Calendar and I'll Show You Your Future"

The Ryan Leak Podcast
Host: Ryan Leak
Release Date: June 30, 2025
Episode Title: Show Me Your Calendar and I'll Show You Your Future

In this insightful episode, Ryan Leak explores the profound impact that how we organize our time can have on shaping our future. By examining the contents of our calendars, Ryan reveals how our daily commitments reflect our true priorities, ultimately determining the direction our lives take.

1. The Calendar as a Blueprint for the Future

Ryan begins with a bold assertion: "Show me your calendar and I'll show you your future" ([00:05]). He posits that a calendar is not just a list of appointments but a reflection of one's aspirations and intentions. By analyzing how we allocate our time, we can gain deep insights into what we truly value and where we are headed.

2. Calendars Reflect Priorities and Potential

Delving deeper, Ryan explains that "Your calendar is more than a schedule. It's a scoreboard. It reveals your priorities, your patterns, and, I believe, your potential." ([00:30]). He highlights that while many schedules are packed with obligatory tasks—meetings, deadlines, and calls—the absence of growth-oriented activities can indicate misplaced priorities. Ryan emphasizes the importance of integrating activities that foster personal and professional development into our schedules.

3. Professional vs. Personal Scheduling

Ryan contrasts professional and personal calendars, noting that professional schedules often include "happiness" through deliverables, whereas personal calendars may suffer from an overload of distractions. He observes, "Most people's calendars professionally are full of happiness. Have to's, meetings they have to go to, calls they have to take, deadlines they have to meet." ([01:00]). On the personal side, he warns against time-consuming distractions like social media, urging listeners to be intentional about what they prioritize.

4. Intentionality in Time Management

Highlighting the significance of intentional scheduling, Ryan advises, "If you want to grow, I want to encourage you to be uber intentional about your schedule, because it is a great revealer." ([02:00]). He challenges listeners to evaluate whether their daily activities align with their long-term goals, stressing that consistent time allocation shapes one's life trajectory.

5. The Power of Saying Yes to Growth Opportunities

Sharing a personal anecdote, Ryan recounts how attending meetings he initially deemed irrelevant led to significant business growth: "About a year and a half ago, I got invited to a meeting that I really didn't want to take... But I took the meeting anyway. And it's interesting, that decision, it opened the door to creating a whole new arm of my business around research." ([04:00]). This example underscores the potential rewards of embracing unexpected opportunities and broadening one's horizons.

6. Building Momentum Through Scheduled Actions

Ryan illustrates how a structured calendar can generate momentum: "Sometimes I'll even tell my team, hey, I'm writing another book... and then we're booking travel to get together to create new ideas together. And before I know it, we've got Full momentum. We're making things happen." ([05:00]). By systematically scheduling collaborative efforts, Ryan demonstrates how continuous progress is achievable.

7. Balancing Professional Ambitions with Personal Life

Addressing the challenge of maintaining a work-life balance, Ryan shares his strategy for ensuring personal relationships remain a priority: "My wife and I do date night every Saturday night. It's on the calendar, period." ([06:00]). This consistent scheduling ensures that personal bonds are nurtured despite busy professional lives. Additionally, involving family in business trips when possible further harmonizes his roles as a professional and a family man.

8. Embracing a Positive and Guided Future

Concluding the episode, Ryan expresses optimism rooted in faith and purposeful planning: "When I look at my calendar, I get excited... because I believe two things. Number one, God is in control of my story. Number two, when I look at my calendar, I can already see a bright future." ([07:30]). He acknowledges that while challenges are inevitable, a well-structured calendar provides clarity and hope for the future.

Key Takeaways

Intentional Scheduling: Your calendar should reflect your true priorities and aspirations, not just obligatory tasks.
Prioritize Growth: Allocate time for activities that promote personal and professional development.
Embrace Opportunities: Be open to unexpected meetings and events as they can lead to significant growth.
Balance Personal and Professional Life: Ensure that personal relationships remain a priority by scheduling dedicated time.
Positive Outlook: Use your calendar as a tool to visualize and plan for a fulfilling future, grounded in faith and purposeful actions.

Notable Quotes:

"Show me your calendar and I'll show you your future." ([00:05])
"Your calendar is more than a schedule. It's a scoreboard. It reveals your priorities, your patterns, and, I believe, your potential." ([00:30])
"If you want to grow, I want to encourage you to be uber intentional about your schedule, because it is a great revealer." ([02:00])
"Your life is the result of what you consistently make time for." ([04:00])
"My wife and I do date night every Saturday night. It's on the calendar, period." ([06:00])
"When I look at my calendar, I get excited... because I believe two things. Number one, God is in control of my story. Number two, when I look at my calendar, I can already see a bright future." ([07:30])

Through this episode, Ryan Leak effectively communicates the critical role that intentional time management plays in shaping our futures. By treating our calendars as strategic tools, we can ensure that our daily actions align with our long-term goals, leading to a more fulfilled and purpose-driven life.

Transcript

A (0:00)

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Ryan Leak podcast, where we keep things short and sweet and hopefully just what you needed today. I want to talk to you about something that I believe is a key indicator of what your future is going to look like. And that, my friends, is your calendar. Now, there's a phrase I've been saying a lot lately. Show me your calendar and I'll show you your future. Show me your calendar and I'll show you your future. I know that sounds like a bold statement, but if you think about it, it's true. You don't even have to tell me your goals. You don't even have to tell me your dreams. Just let me see your schedule and I can tell you what your future is going to look like. Because your life doesn't just happen. It's built one block of time at a time. Your calendar is more than a schedule. It's a scoreboard. It reveals your priorities, your patterns, and, I believe, your potential. If I sat with you and went through your calendar, where would it tell me that you're going? Most people's calendars professionally are full of happiness. Have to's, meetings they have to go to, calls they have to take, deadlines they have to meet. But, my friend, where are the get tos? Where are the meetings that help you grow, that stretch you, the blocks of time that pour into you instead of just pulling from you? I mean, we could talk about the personal side of your calendar as well. For a lot of us, our calendar really reveals how busy we are with all the wrong stuff. Notifications that distract us, commitments that don't add value, but just simply eat up hours of time and just think about the amount of time we spend on things that aren't on our schedule. Social media streaming. But the reality is, if you want to grow, I want to encourage you to be uber intentional about your schedule, because it is a great revealer. You can say something like, family matters, but if they never make the calendar, do they? You can say, growth matters, but if you don't block time to learn, does it really? Here's the deal. I know you're busy. I'm busy. But what exactly are you and I so busy with that's actually adding value to our life? Because what I know about you and me is that, well, we make time for the things we value the most. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll. We'll find time for the playoffs, we'll find time for hgtv, we'll find time for golf, we'll find time for social media. But when it comes to our growth, it's like our schedule has a do not disturb sign on it. But I'm going to tell you this. Your life is the result of what you consistently make time for. It's interesting. We make time for the things we value the most. Except sometimes the things that we make time for aren't things that are actually adding value to our actual life. So if you don't like the direction that you're heading in, I would tell you, don't just change your mind, change your calendar. Maybe it's time to block out some time for a masterclass, a course, a book, a conference, a retreat, a weekend that breathes life back into your soul. I asked a friend the other day, is there anything on your calendar this year that you can look at and know that it's going to be spiritually life giving? And if I'm honest, I had to ask myself the same question. That one question can tell you a lot. I mean, whether you're trying to grow a business or you're just trying to grow yourself, your calendar should reflect what you're trying to grow. About a year and a half ago, I got invited to a meeting that I really didn't want to take. Not because it wasn't valuable, but because I was busy. And it was a meeting about research, going deeper into data, insight and analysis. And at the time I thought, this just doesn't really fit my life or business right now. But I took the meeting anyway. And then I took a second one and a third one. And it's interesting, that decision, it opened the door to creating a whole new arm of my business around research. Now I've got clients on my calendar where we're pitching research, we're studying people, we're studying change and leadership and pressure and resilience. And now I'm like, man, I'm loving this piece of my business even more than coaching. And so I'm actually doing less coaching and doing more research. And it stretched me and it's helping shape my business. And sometimes I'll even tell my team, hey, I'm writing another book. They'll say, about what? I'll say, I've got some ideas. And then we put a meeting on the calendar, and then that one meeting turns into a campaign meeting and then there's a book cover meeting, then there's a brand strategy session and then a social media meeting, and then we're booking travel to get together to create new ideas together. And before I know it, we've got Full momentum. We're making things happen. You see, part of the not so secret sauce of success. It's not talent. It's not luck. It's my calendar. Even on the personal side, to travel and speak and to attempt to be a present husband and father is no small feat. And I was asked the other day, hey, how do you do that? How do you show it for your family and show it for your client? I said, well, I'll tell you, it's not a secret sauce. It's. It's my calendar. My wife and I do date night every Saturday night. It's on the calendar, period. Our lives are busy, but that space is sacred in our house. We say every minute matters because it does. We often get get invited to a lot of things that we just have to say no to so that we can prioritize our marriage. She also travels with me a couple of times a month. Our kids often come with us when their school calendar allows as well. It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but if you look at our calendars, you'll see that over the next year, we've got a lot of date nights, concerts, games and trips that we're looking forward to. So when I look at my calendar, I get excited. Not because it's going to be perfect, but because I believe two things. Number one, God is in control of my story. Number two, when I look at my calendar, I can already see a bright future. And yes, there will be ups and downs, challenges and frustrations, but my calendar has enough on it that I'm looking forward to. So once again, my friends, show me your calendar and I'll show you your future. You want to have things on it that help you move in the direction that you actually want to go. Thanks again, my friends, for listening to the Ryan Link podcast. If today's episode inspired you, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with a friend. And hey, it would mean the world to me if you would take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. Your support helps us reach even more people with these short and sweet nuggets of inspiration. Thanks for being a part of the journey and we'll see you next time.