Lifestyle vs Income: Steven McBee’s 10 Life Lessons at 30
Lifestyle vs Income: Steven McBee's 10 Life Lessons at 30
But I turned 30 this week.
It’s just me today.
Am I as much of an idiot as I think I am?
So we’re going to dive into this episode with 10 key life learning lessons.
Life is too short to take things too damn seriously.
Hey y’all, welcome to Meet the McBees: Building a Dynasty, powered by AG America Media.
Today it’s just me. I’m solo in the podcast room, and there’s some big news going on this week—I hit 30 years old.
So this podcast is going to be about life lessons I have learned up until this point, now that I’m approaching 30, and what my plans are for my next 30 years.
Thank Tim McGraw for coming out with the song back when I was six or seven years old—although now, as I’m a few days away from turning 30, it’s not as much fun.
But guys, new Meet the McBees episodes drop every Tuesday on YouTube and every other audio podcast listening platform.
If you like this show, please subscribe to it, share the news, share it with friends, tell them to come join.
We’ve got plenty more episodes on the way, so saddle up and let’s get down and dirty with it.
Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different.
It’s just me today. Cole’s stuck in a combine, Jesse and my dad are finishing up one of our car washes, so I needed to get this episode filmed.
So what are we going to talk about?
Just being me.
I’ve actually got something coming up this week, and by the time this episode is released it’ll already be past that date, but I turned 30 this week.
I thought it’d be a good moment to reflect on 30 years of life up to this point—the things that I’ve learned, the things that I look forward to doing over my next 30 years.
So this episode is going to be titled In My Next 30 Years.
It’s one of my favorite songs of all time. Tim McGraw came out with that song, I think it was 1999 or 2000.
It’s wild because I vividly remember listening to that song riding around with my dad.
At the time, he was turning 30 the same year the song was released.
I remember him jamming out to it, and I remember thinking to myself—I was six or seven years old at the time—“Man, 30 seems so old. Once I’m 30, my life is over.”
And in the blink of an eye, here I am, staring down that next decade of my life.
September 21st is my birthday, and I think there are just a lot of good experiences that I can share.
And hell, let’s be honest—this podcast is more for me than anyone else.
I think it’s a good time piece, a timestamp, going into my last week of being in my 20s.
It’s something I’ll be able to reflect on five or ten years from now—go back and listen to this point in my life and see:
Am I as much of an idiot as I think I am today?
I think there are some good lessons here that y’all may be able to apply to yourselves—whether you’re younger than me or older than me.
Hopefully, if you’re younger than me, I may have some advice or wisdom to share—more so what not to do than what to do.
At this point in my life, I still feel like I have yet to complete any portion of my own potential.
That doesn’t mean I’m giving up—far from it.
In fact, I hope this next decade brings a lot of fulfilled potential in a way that aligns with the standards I hold for myself.
So I’ll start this episode by quoting Tim McGraw:
“I think I’ll take a moment to celebrate my age,
The ending of an era and the turning of a page.
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here,
Lord, have mercy on my next 30 years.”
What a banger.
That’s a damn good song.
So we’re going to dive into this episode with 10 key life learning lessons I’ve learned at pretty much 30 years old.
Number One: Create a Lifestyle, Not an Income
I have had this wrong for so long—up until the last year of my life.
The way I created my goals, my vision board, my five- or ten-year plan—it was all based on income first.
Over the last year to year and a half, I’ve realized I gave up so much of what I value and enjoy chasing income, when the actual income required to live the life I want isn’t substantially more than what I’m making right now.
If I create a lifestyle—my dream life—it’s working out two hours a day, working in an industry I love.
I’m not scared of hard work or long hours as long as it’s worthwhile.
For me, creating high-quality meat products is my passion.
If I make $500,000 a year, my quality of life doesn’t really improve with more income.
Whether it’s $500K or $10 million, my life doesn’t change much.
So why would income be the goal instead of the lifestyle?
Number Two: A Damn Good Dog Can Fix a Lot of Problems
Relationship problems.
Business problems.
Income problems.
When you get home to a damn good dog—enough said.
I’ll never live without a dog.
I’ve got a damn good one right now—my German Shepherd, Sida.
Number Three: Zoom Out
Our problems usually aren’t even a blip on a five- or ten-year graph.
What feels massive today won’t matter long-term—aside from major health issues.
Perspective changes everything.
Number Four: Soak It In
The bad times.
The good times.
Especially time with loved ones.
I remember sitting on the practice field before my senior-year state championship, realizing I’d never be in that moment again.
That was the first time I truly soaked in the present.
You don’t realize you’re living the “good old days” until they’re gone.
Number Five: Be Intentional With Your Environment
You are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with.
Your environment shapes your habits.
We’re not meant to be alone—we’re social creatures.
Create your environment based on the lifestyle you want to live.
Number Six: Slow Down to Speed Up
I live in fast forward.
Many bad decisions could’ve been avoided if I slowed down and thought deeply.
Any decision isn’t always better than no decision—a good decision is.
Number Seven: 95% of Problems Can Be Solved After Sleep
I run on emotion.
If you’re emotional, go home, sleep, and revisit it tomorrow.
Clarity comes with rest.
Number Eight: It All Starts With a Solid Foundation
Physical health is the foundation.
Like a building or a corn stalk, strength below the surface determines resilience above it.
A strong body helps you weather life’s storms.
Number Nine: Swing the Bat
Life is short.
If you never swing, you’ll never hit.
One right swing can change your life completely.
Number Ten: Life Is Too Short to Take Things Too Seriously
We live in the best country in the world.
Our worst-case scenario really isn’t that bad.
So stop letting small problems weigh down your life.
Hey y’all, today’s episode is brought to you by AG America, your go-to financial partner for all things agriculture.
As the largest independent financial firm dedicated to rural America, AG America is changing the game of ag lending and leveling up financing options for farmers, ranchers, and landowners across the nation.
And I’ll let you in on a little secret—the thing that sets this company apart from the rest is the people.
They understand firsthand the unique needs of American farmers and ranchers, because many of them grew up on the farm themselves.
They take a farmer-focused approach to finance, prioritizing relationships over transactions, to help you build a stronger financial foundation for your farm and family.
So whether you’re looking to buy land or secure working capital, AG America has your back.
Visit agamerica.com today to learn more about how they can help you achieve long-term financial success.
Because when farmers thrive, we all do.
Do you know where your meat comes from?
You will now with MC Meat Company’s Build Your Own Box.
A retail value of $300 worth of melt-in-your-mouth steaks, insanely delicious griller products, high-protein meat snacks, and a free gift of your choice—for only $159.
These meats are born, raised, processed, and shipped directly from our family farm here in North Missouri.
We’re one of very few brands in the entire country who can honestly say that every single step in the meat supply chain is owned and controlled by us.
We’re doing it all—ensuring your meats are born and raised without the use of GMOs, steroids, antibiotics, vaccines, or whatever the hell else they’re putting in meat these days.
This type of respect and care for animals—and the delicious meats they provide—can only be found on a family farm.
And that’s why we’re damn proud to bring you this Build Your Own Box, available now at the link below.
Your purchase directly benefits our family farm and the community we operate in.
So I want to take this time to personally thank you and tell you how much we appreciate any support you give if you decide to purchase your meat from us.
We do not take it lightly.
It means the world—not only to us and our animals, but also to the community we live in.
Now, let’s get back to the podcast.
So those are the 10 things that I really thought of coming into this podcast today.
Again, it’s a little different than what you’ll usually see on Meet the McBees.
I’ve just been doing a lot of looking inward at my life—these last 30 years—and what I’ve got going into my next 30 years.
There are so many things I wish I would have changed—my outlook, how I lived my life—but hindsight’s always 20/20.
Sitting here at 30 years old, I don’t consider myself incredibly wise or full of wisdom yet.
I want to be there one day—definitely not there yet.
But if there’s anyone younger than me who hasn’t lived the amount of life experiences I’ve been blessed to live, and you can take anything from these 10 key points, please do.
If I were to rate my first 30 years—being completely objective—on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being full potential lived, I’d honestly rate it a 6.5.
Maybe a 5.5.
Maybe a 6.
I feel like there’s so much potential I haven’t even come close to tapping into—and that bothers me.
These 10 key points are what I’m going to focus on in my next 30 years.
For me, creating a lifestyle instead of an income has been the biggest eye-opener.
I spent so much of my 20s grinding to create an income I thought I needed, when in reality, I missed out on so much life for nothing.
The lifestyle I’ve always dreamed about—I’m pretty much already there from an income standpoint.
So why wouldn’t I start living it now?
Why chase a $10 million income that doesn’t change my quality of life and only exists to impress outside forces?
This isn’t anti–work ethic.
It’s about doing what makes me happy.
This perspective shift has been massive for me as I approach 30.
If something gets in the way of the lifestyle I want to live, why the hell would I do it?
Yes, short-term sacrifices are necessary—but if you’re committing 10 years to something you hate just for income, you need to reevaluate.
It all begins with understanding the lifestyle you want—not the income number you think you need.
There’s a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror.
The windshield shows you where you’re going.
The rearview mirror helps you learn from what’s behind you.
This podcast was a rearview mirror moment—looking back at 30 years of life and deciding what I’m taking into the next 30.
And I’ve realized I’m a hell of a lot closer to my dream lifestyle than I ever thought possible.
The only thing holding me back was myself.
So if you feel like your first 30 years didn’t go the way you wanted, I challenge you to sit down and define the lifestyle you truly want.
You’ll probably realize the income required is far less than you think.
The material things you think you need—you won’t care about them in five or ten years.
What are you going to do with a 10-bedroom house if it’s just you, your wife, and a couple kids?
Most of the experiences that mean the most to us don’t require as much money as we think.
Guys, I know this podcast was a little different.
I’ve been in my feelings approaching 30, and I wanted to sit down and create this—mostly for myself.
But if any of you take even one lesson from this, I hope it helps.
If there’s a snippet you liked, please share this podcast.
Help people learn about what we’re doing here at Meet the McBees.
We’ve got plenty more episodes coming—family, business partners, everything under the sun.
I promise I won’t sit in here alone on a rant too often.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Thanks for riding along with me this far.
And I look forward to my next 30 years.
I look forward to your next 30 years.
A lot of good things to come.
