Ascent Life Podcast with R. Brandon Long

Ep. 2 - Create the New | Commercial Photographer, Cam McCleod

As a creative, I often lose focus. I become uninterested easily. And, when things become hard, distraction and procrastination becomes an art form. I manipulate graphics, or scroll social “for inspiration,” or edit “to get ahead,” or watch an instructive YouTube video, or listen to a podcast, when I should be selling. I should be creating. I should be working out. I should be doing the hard things.
So, I encourage you to determine what the hard things are that you are avoiding, and make time for those. One technique is to “Eat The Frog.” Which means to tackle your most difficult task first thing in the morning.” I’ve vacillated with this. Do I, upon waking, and making tea, get immediately to work on editing, show prep, booking guests, firing off sponsorship emails, or do I work out? All are tasks I don’t necessarily look forward to. 
Right now, however, I’m 8 days in to working out first thing. 
Because without your health, you have nothing. 
And, I have 50lbs to lose. 
I’m down 5lbs since Christmas, so 45lbs to go. 
But doing the hard thing, is well, hard. It usually takes discipline, courage, humility, and most importantly, action. 
So, Eat the Frog, and become just a little better everyday. 
Welcome to Ascent Life LIVE, where we strive to become the best versions of ourselves. 
I’m your host, R. Brandon Long.
Please subscribe to the show on YouTube at my page: R. Brandon Long
Follow me on X under R. Brandon Long
For daily visual inspo, follow Ascent Life on Instagram (check out the Stories on that account)
Reminder, we are LIVE on YouTube & X 4 days a week. Each episode will then be uploaded as a podcast to all your favorite podcast outlets including Spotify & Apple Podcasts as The Ascent Life podcast.
If you are watching LIVE, play along with us, and drop your questions / comments in the chat! We’ll get to some of those before we close the show.
Our guest today is… artist, professional photographer, and friend, Cam McLeod @_cammcleod_
VI: Visual Inspo of the day: @mosesheredia // @Ascentlife
Interview:
What is your Definite Major Purpose (Napoleon Hill) / Meaningful Mission (Lewis Howes) / Life’s Task (Robert Greene) - Mine: Help 1 Million People a Day Become the Best Version of Themselves by Living an Ascent Life
How do you define success?
Your Story.
What drives you?
What is our purpose as humans?
How do you overcome hard?
How do you want to be remembered, as a person, as an artist?
How can art be used to improve culture / the human condition
 
Wisdom: From the Pages… Robert Greene’s MASTERY, “You have something you want to express that is unique to yourself and related to your inclinations. You must be sure it is not something that is sparked by some trend or fashion, but that it comes from you and is real. Perhaps it is a sound you are not hearing in music, a type of story not being told… a new way of doing business… People are dying for the new… By creating something new you will create your own audience, and attain the ultimate position of power in culture.”
 
Outro:
If you made it this far in the program, please subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Follow me R. Brandon Long on X, and for your daily dose of visual inspiration, follow Ascent Life on Instagram. 
Thank you for joining me on this journey as we all learn how to level up, and become the best version of ourselves. No wasted ability. We’ll catch tomorrow on the next episode of Ascent Life!

Ep. 1 - Why Ascent Life | Wealth Advisor, Rex Baxter

When do I get angry? When I’m not living up to my own expectations and abilities.
What annoys me about other people? When other people do not live up their own expectations and abilities. 
I recently answered these questions as they are laid out in Lewis Howes book ‘The Greatest Mindset,’ under the chapter Healing Your Past. 
When I’ve been frustrated and experienced severe anxiety (panic attacks), it’s been when I knew, inside, that I was not fulfilling my expectations of myself - whether that was a job I knew wasn’t my destiny, or a job I knew I wasn’t for whatever reason, capable of bringing my best. 
So, Why Ascent Life?
Because I’m fascinated with and jealous of those who follow their dreams, passions, and true abilities to live a life others do not dare lead. Why are those people successful? What is stopping everyone else from also living their best, most true lives? There are all kinds of reasons - from abuse, to access, to status, but there are many examples of humans who have overcome extraordinary odds to become great. It’s those stories that inspire me, but also, depress me because I have yet to live up to my own expectations for myself. 
This show is the first step in fulfilling those expectations for myself. 
Ascent Life is the study of those who are living their best lives, what makes those people great, and how can we apply what we learn to our own lives.
Please subscribe to the show on YouTube at my page: R. Brandon Long
Follow my on X under R. Brandon Long
For daily visual inspo, follow Ascent Life on Instagram.
Reminder, we are LIVE on YouTube & X 4 days a week. Each episode is then uploaded as a podcast to all your favorite podcast outlets including Spotify & Apple Podcasts as The Ascent Life podcast with myself, R. Brandon Long
If you are watching LIVE, play along with us, and drop your questions / comments in the chat! We’ll get to some of those before we close the show.
VI: Visual Inspo of the day: @thelandrovers // @Ascentlife
 
Our guest today is… Wealth Advisor, Financial Planner with Ameriprise Financial, good friend, and celebrating 30 years in the financial industry!
Interview:
What is your Definite Major Purpose (Napoleon Hill) / Meaningful Mission (Lewis Howes) / Life’s Task (Robert Greene) - Mine: Help 1 Million People a Day Become the Best Version of Themselves by Living an Ascent Life
How do you define success?
Your Story.
What drives you?
What is our purpose as humans?
Wisdom: From the Pages… Book quote: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel (link in description)
“Charlie Munger says the first rule of compounding (interest) is to never interrupt it unnecessarily.”
Outro:
If you made it this far in the program, please subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Follow me R. Brandon Long on X, and for your daily dose of visual inspiration, follow Ascent Life on Instagram. 
Thank you for joining me on this journey as we all learn how to level up, and become the best version of ourselves. No wasted ability. We’ll catch tomorrow on the next episode of Ascent Life!

Ascent Life LIVE - Intro: The Joe Rogan Life

I’m Joe Rogan now! Not that I want to be Joe Rogan, the person. I want to live the same schedule as Joe Rogan. It looks something like this… Wake, Make Tea, Read & Write for an hour, Focused Work (top 3 items of the day), Workout (lift heavy things), Shower & Get Ready, Break Fast around noon, Head to the Studio & Record a Podcast, Post-Production Work, Network & Socializing, Home for House Chores & Time with Family, Journal, Sleep, Repeat. 
 
In my opinion, this is the greatest life routine. This is the life I want. To create a SHOW that helps others live their best life. I get to be creative. I get to learn. I get to inspire. I get to meet wonderful people. 
 
So welcome to Ascent Life LIVE with your host, myself R. Brandon Long - where together, we will learn how to live our best lives. First, we’ll learn how to define what that means, then we’ll meet successful people from all walks of life: artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, business leaders, thinkers, doers, who in some way, define what it means to live an Ascent Life. I’ve read “Think & Grow Rich” countless times. That book gave me the courage to try podcasting over 15 years ago. It taught me that the best way to be successful is to have a Definite Major Purpose. 
 
I have have struggled for years as to define what my Definite Major Purpose is. This show, Ascent Life LIVE is now my purpose. Hopefully through this show, I can reach thousands, perhaps one day, millions of people, and help them learn how to live their best life.
 
Start a podcast interviewing those who have achieved success in some form, learn from them, share their stories with you. 
 
What is success? What does it mean to live your best life? Is it spiritual, material, familial? Is it to be healthy, travel, be the best at what it is you do?
 
These are the questions we’ll answer through the Ascent Life Show!
 
I’ll be going live on YouTube & X 4 days a week: Monday through Thursday 2pm MST. 
Podcast will be available on all the platforms after the livestream. 
 
Each show will contain segments designed to help inspire, entertain, & educate in the ways of living an Ascent Life. 
 
Play along with us, and drop your questions / comments in the chat! We’ll get to those before we close the show.
 
Ascent Life LIVE Segments:
 
Intro
Inspo (Vision Board) @ascentlife
Guest / Interview
Q&A (From the Chat)
Wisdom: From the Pages (Book Quote)
Close
 
VI: Visual Inspo of the day: @wayup_media // @Ascentlife
Wisdom: From the Pages… Book quote: The Greatness Mindset (link in description)
“It’s all about figuring out who you are and how you can make an authentic and unique contribution that makes the people around you better and the world a better place.
 
…the Enemy of Greatness: the lack of a clear Meaningful Mission
 
Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, “The first thing that gives life meaning is a project that demands your attention.”
 
Outro:
 
If you made it this far in the program, please subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Follow me R. Brandon Long on X, and for your daily dose of visual inspiration, follow Ascent Life on Instagram. 
 
Thank you for joining me on this journey as we all learn how to level up, and become the best version of ourselves. No wasted ability. We’ll catch tomorrow on the next episode of Ascent Life!