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Episode 179 –Chock-Full of Passion-Motivate Me! Podcast with Lynette Renda-Blog

Chock-Full of Passion

 

Weekly Show Reflection:

Oh, today everybody is going to be chock-full of passion.

For those of you who are new to the show, Motivate Me! is a podcast designed to inspire listeners to incorporate a passion of some kind into their lives. We do this through the experiences of our guests. Our hope is that you can take bits and pieces from the passion, the experience, the wisdom, tools, and techniques of our guests and apply it to your life, to your own interests.

Today’s episode is number 179, and so, there have been well-over 150 guests for you to listen to and learn from, over 150 different passions, over 150 different circumstances and challenges that our guests have had to overcome in order to make their lives a life they love. Some guests have added excitement into their lives and some have added meaning. Some added something into their lives that they do on a part-time bases, and for others, it has turned into a career or a lifestyle.

I seem to have, unintentionally, become the Love Your Life Girl, because that is what I want more than anything: For all of you to be excited about waking up tomorrow because you are going sailing on the open sea, or you are planning a new performance as a hypnotist or mentalist; or your book is being published, or you’re hiking one of the mountains on your bucket list.

For my mom, it’s making quilts – she REALLY loves making quilts. She loves picking out the fabric, selecting the design, challenging herself with each one, bestowing it with love. My mom could be quilting at 3am, 4am, 2pm. She’s obsessed…and it’s awesome. We all deserve to have this kind of passion in our lives. Something that has us plotting and scheming, anticipating and creating.

This is something you are going to see so whole-heartedly in the guests of this week: their undeniable passion. So much so that I have selected a separate quote to represent each of these guests.

On Monday, I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with athlete Daniel Hayes. Daniel is obsessed with competition. This obsession not only landed him in the 2016 Summer Olympics where he will represent Trinidad and Tobago in the boxing arena, it has inspired him to find creative ways to compete well into his seventies. This is a twenty-something man with a serious plan. Even if athleticism is not your passion, there is much to be gained from listening to this episode. Daniel is a motivational speaker himself, and he really reaches out to you in hopes to inspire. The dedication and sacrifice it takes to earn a spot in the Olympics lead me to select this passage from Donovan Bailey for Daniel: “Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams.”

I agree with Mr. Bailey, don’t let anyone limit your dreams – including yourself.

Tuesday, Gerdi Verwoert was on the show. Now, if you are someone stuck in a corporate job that you excel at but don’t enjoy, this is an amazing episode for you. Gerdi gives us step-by-step details about how she walked away from the monetary success she was achieving in the Netherlands to live her passion, which is being a mountain-hiking guide in Austria. She tells us how she did it, how long it took, what her strengths and her challenges were, and how she is doing now. That is why I feel the words of Sheryl Sandberg really represent what Gerdi is all about. Sandberg said, “We can each define ambition and progress for ourselves. The goal is to work toward a world where expectations are not set by the stereotypes that hold us back, but by our personal passion, talents and interests.”

Gerdi really had to battle the perfect sense her parents made when they were concerned about her pension and financial stability, but in the end, she chose what she felt her body and person was craving for instead.

On Wednesday Kat Ellis McIntyre was on the show. Kat is a Shamanic astrologer from Australia who had personal barriers to overcome in order to believe in herself enough to fully embrace her passion for astrology.   Despite the fact that this has been a life-long passion of Kat’s, and that she is certified in both astrology and Shamanism. Richard Whately’s words, “To know your ruling passion, examine your castles in the air” could never truer describe Kat and her perspective on how it takes self-belief to live a life that is authentic.

Thursday, Cody Lister came on to teach a lesson on content promotion. The reality is: If your passion is to create content, such as Internet blogs, articles, podcasts, any of it, but you don’t get your work out and seen, you might as well be filing it away in a dark closet. So, if you are passionate about the time and effort you are putting in, and you feel your content is valuable, it’s vital that you take the next step and figure out how to get it seen – or find people like Cody who can help you. The other part of this equation is Cody’s passion for what he does. Having a finance degree in Fordham leads me to believe that Cody is not afraid of research, application, and analysis. Which is why Dave Ramsey’s idea “In order to be a great marketer, you have to be focused and intense and look at scarcity, urgency, activity and passion in the marketplace” is a great fit for Cody. But his intentions go further than that. Cody is inspired to help others with the knowledge he has gained, which is why this statement by H.G. Wells is so powerful: “No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft.”

Isn’t this the truth? The idea that we can “alter someone else’s draft” or have an impact on the writing of someone’s life story.

What is your passion and what role does it play in your life story? If you look at this week’s guests, their passions were not something that started later in life, it’s something that has always been a part of them – in all stages of their lives. Daniel says he has always loved athletics and been competitive, Gerdi has always been adventurer who loves the outdoors, Kat has always been fascinated by astrology, and teaching people how to market their content is new for Cody, but writing is not.

This brought me back to one of the most commonly quoted poems of all time. It was written by William Shakespeare and the title is The Seven Ages of Man. Now listen closely here as I talk about this poem, because I am about to read it to you, and the more you know about it before we start, the more impressed you will be by it.

In The Seven Ages of Man, Shakespeare uses the stage as a metaphor for life. He says that “All the world’s a stage” and that we are “merely players.” That we are but actors in a play. We all have our “exits and entrances” into this world, and that in life we play “many parts.” It is here that Shakespeare breaks life into seven separate stages. Stage one is the infant, two is a schoolboy, three is the lover, four is the soldier, five is the justice (think plump judge who can afford fine meals because he has earned this and is later in his life), six is what we would term a senior citizen, an aged person who has lost the robustness of their voice and stature, and the final stage, seven, is what Shakespeare refers to as the “second childishness.” This connects to a thought I have often had that we go out of the world in the same way we came into it: bald, toothless, in diapers, and unable to feed ourselves. Shakespeare will say the same thing here, and all you need to know is that “sans” means without.

So, for your listening pleasure and a little literary culture, let me present to you:

 

Seven Ages Of Man

by William Shakespeare

 

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players,

They have their exits and entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.

At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.

Then, the whining schoolboy with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school.

And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.

Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth.

And then the justice

In fair round belly, with good capon lin’d,

With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws, and modern instances,

And so he plays his part.

The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side,

His youthful hose well sav’d, a world too wide,

For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,

Turning again towards childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

 

So that is without teeth, without eyes, without taste, without everything.

 

Shakespeare is doing so many things here. He is telling us that we are all the same and will travel the same road. He is showing us that life is merely a play and that we really shouldn’t take it too seriously. He is showing us that while it is inevitable for us to travel through these life stages, and it is inevitable for us to grow and change, we are in the end the same person we started with.

So, I say, what we do with our passions may vary throughout our lifetime, but our passion is connected to our process, and our process is connected to our purpose, and our purpose is a feeling we get and not a role that we play. So what are our passions telling us and are we willing to listen?

I would like to leave you with a final thought by Maya Angelou, because I feel it is the one that best represents my life’s mission and what lead me here to you. I invite you to join me on this mission. Maya Angelou stated, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

Are you with me?

Call to Action:

 

The Motivational Go-Do!

Maya Angelou stated, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

Are you with me?

 

CLICK HERE to listen to this week’s reflection.

 

If you enjoyed, a review on iTunes and Stitcher would be much appreciated!

 

Let us help you live a life you will be excited about…

the only regret you’ll have is wishing you had started sooner.

 

 

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Be Daring to Live a Life You Love-Motivate Me! Podcast with Lynette Renda

Be Daring to Live a Life You Love

 

Quote of the Day: “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” –Cecil Beaton

Weekly Show Reflection:

Hellooo, my fellow Motivators!

I want to give a little shout out to Jan, one of our members of our private Facebook group. She likes the name Motivators because she feels that’s what we are ALL doing, so I’m running with that. Thank you, Jan, for all of the insight and humor and motivation you bring to the group. It makes me insanely happy to see you there.

So, today. Today I have been reflecting on the guests of the week, and I am pretty moved. I feel like what they’ve done is powerful. I am moved by the daring they have had, the nerve to step away from judgement, and to step away from the hefty investment they had made in something in their lives to start something new. And “Stepping away” from it feels like the perfect terminology because they were quiet about their actions. They just followed what they knew was right for them, and they quietly transitioned into that.

For example, Monday’s guest. On Monday, Dr. Sharon Livingston PhD was on the show. There are probably, and I don’t think this is an underestimation, 100 topics I could have discussed with Dr. Sharon. Since the interview, she and I have probably discussed twenty of them. But, Sharon could have come on to speak about one of her many passions, or she could have come on to teach us a lesson on one of the multiple skills, techniques, or tools she is familiar with. However, when I realized that she wrote a novel about being dumped by a best friend, I asked her if she would come discuss this with us. Creative writing is a new passion for her, one she started late in life but has fallen in love with. This book is only the first of many she plans to write.

Writing this specific book: Get Lost, Girlfriend! How I Found Myself When My Best Friend Dumped Me was part of a healing process for Sharon. The thing is: It took a lot of daring for Sharon to write this. She had to block out the judgement she knew would be coming in order to find a true place to tell this story from. She says on the show that there are many places one can find support when they lose a loved one through death or divorce, but when it comes to friendships, we are just expected to get over it. How difficult of a decision it must have been for her to put this story on paper and out into the world, even in a fictional way.

I just keep envisioning myself writing a similar story. In my real-life relationships, I have been the one who has left, and I have been the one who’s been left. Even though this story is fiction, fiction is based on reality. The hardest part for me in writing a story like this is knowing which parts of the story my friend would know and recognize. Because the whole time I was writing, I’d be thinking about how her perspective would probably differ from mine. And how she would most likely be reading this at some point in time. I presume Sharon had a similar experience, and that she had to shut down those voices, or she could have talked herself out of writing this story. I mean, imagine writing a story about your best friend, you know how your friend thinks, and that would be the hardest part in the writing process. I think the other hard part is that writing a book like this one pretty much says that you’re walking away from the years you had invested in a friendship. Regardless of any, or all, of this, Sharon wrote the book anyway. The girl has, what’s the word: kahonas?

Tuesday designer/decorator James Swan was on the show. James is an interesting person with an interesting story to tell. Personally, I think James could and should go on the road speaking to people about following your truth and overcoming hardship. James went to college, got a degree, started a job – in the field others felt he should, but he was not satisfied. He, then, traveled back to who he was and what he loved as a child, and for him it was a sketchbook full of images and rooms, history and mystery. And, despite the fact that judgement could be cast, and that he already had much invested in a degree he didn’t desire and a job he didn’t care for, he quietly, subtly, confidently jumped ship, looked out onto a new horizon, and designed a new life. One that, this time, was true to him. Listen in to that episode to hear James talk about how his design firm was flourishing and he was living the life of his dreams, and within ninety days it was all pulled from underneath him, even his home.

James has had a tough road at times, and he has learned to continue to adamantly, purposefully forge ahead. And that when his forging is exhausted, all that is left to do is release your needs to the universe and wait for it to answer back. From where James sits now: the author of an extremely successful book, the host of an exciting podcast: Million Dollar Decorator, he can see that all of the challenges in his life have served their purpose.

I just want to say to James that there is a wisdom and a tenacity that exudes from you. And I don’t care if you are dressing elephants in a circus, they would walk with style and grace because you willed them to. I believe chutzpah is the word that best defines James.

So, Wednesday, oddly enough, we had Dr. Sharon’s husband, Dr. Glenn Livingston PhD on the show. Now, again, you would think this psychologist was coming on the show to teach us a lesson in something, that is not the case. I was really surprised and flattered that Glenn shared with us some very personal thoughts and conversations he has had with himself regarding an issue of his own that he has battled, which is binge-eating. If you struggle with this, definitely go back and listen to this show. If you have an addiction of any kind, this is an episode for you.

I’m really talking here today about daring to be yourself, to live what we call in coaching an authentic life, one that as I said about James, is living a life that is true to you and who you are.

Glenn was very honest about why he wanted to be a doctor and how much he thought it would mean to him emotionally, and in the end, he realized that what he truly desired is to coach people on an issue he himself had to overcome. And I say coach because, as Glenn said, this type of relationship with a client is not the type that calls for medical charts and insurance companies. And so, while he has a few patients, the majority of his clientele is just that: coaching clients. Wow. I think this is how you really know you are following your passion. When you walk away from things that once were so important to you – even if it was more important to those closest to you. It takes guts to do this.

I am quickly becoming a fan of Thursday’s guest, business coach Butch Bellah. Butch and I met in person at the National Speakers Association’s winter conference in Austin, Texas a few weeks ago, and he is just the kind of guy you find yourself drawn to. He is funny, big-hearted, super intelligent, and just out to help people succeed. This guy exceeds all boundaries, there is no keeping him in. In his twenties he was achieving the success of business men in their 40s. As if that wasn’t enough, while he was doing it, he was also appearing on stage as a stand-up comedian. No, not at the place down the street, he had to get on airplanes to perform the shows he was putting on. And, when his business had achieved the success that most people wait for so they can sit back and coast, he sold.

He battled back from bypass surgery and back surgery, he has written books, he is on the speaking circuit. He could rest, but why should he? That is just not the way this guy likes it. And he came on to teach you, fellow Motivators, how to do the same. How positivity and productivity go hand-in-hand. Butch sees no limits because he is a sky’s the limit kind of guy.

  1. Friday. What do I have in store for you today?

All of this week’s guests were successful in their lives when they made the conscious decision to dare for more.

Sharon could have stayed heartbroken and quiet about the loss of a friendship that crushed her. James could have stayed working a job that was worlds away from his childhood passion: decoration and design. Glenn could have continued to allow the prestige of travel and high profile clients to steer him away from something as personal as helping clients overcome the same binge-eating issue that plagued him for much of his life. And Butch could have coasted, either in the business he grew or the retirement he acquired early. But they didn’t. Why? Because they dared to want more. They dared to dream. They dared to believe they could.

This reminds me of a conversation I had recently with past guest Paul Ames. Isn’t that what’s so awesome about Facebook and the Internet, you get to actually stay in contact with people from shows like mine. And, Paul is a member of our private group, like almost all of my guests, so we get to stay connected and banter back and forth a bit. Well, Paul had a business success recently and I, trying to be a nice friend, made a meme in his honor. And, if you’re not familiar with what a meme is, it’s just a picture with words on it that is shared online.

So, I said to him, through this meme, something I share on the show frequently, which is that with belief, hard work, and true intentions, you will be successful. But today, I added something to that in a new conversation with Paul, and I know it was inspired by my conversation with James this week. I typed: “Believe, work hard, have true intentions, let go.”

This conversation with Paul stemmed from a picture he posted that showed a bright red injured hand clutching a rope and it said: “Sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go.” And the final image was one of a healthy hand.

My point to you today: Let go. Dare. Dare to dream. Dare to achieve. Dare to live a life that twenty years from now you want to tell people about. Not necessarily because it was adventurous or outlandish, but because you just loved it that much. Because you were excited by it that much. Because it was everything you wanted.

That’s it for today everybody. Please know that I, on a daily basis, attempt to envision you. I try to see who you are, what you’re traveling through, and how your time here is motivating you to make positive change in your life, and that you are happier because of it.

I hope I get to meet some of you while I am out on this amazing 50-state journey. Whether it is at our send-off party on the Seaside Heights boardwalk on May 4th, in any of the United States as we make our journey, or at our return celebration party on August 1st. I’m excited. I’m excited to know that you’re out there listening and dreaming and daring.

So to you America, and to our listeners in each of the other 82 countries, I hope you are living a life you love, and if you’re not, please let me and my guests help you!

Call to Action:

 

The Motivational Go-Do!

Are you living a life you love? If you’re not, please let me and my guests help you!

 

CLICK HERE to listen to this week’s reflection.

 

If you enjoyed, a review on iTunes and Stitcher would be much appreciated!

 

Let us help you live a life you will be excited about…

the only regret you’ll have is wishing you had started sooner.

 

 

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Episode 169- Blog-Self-Preservation is Political Warfare-Motivate Me! Podcast with Lynette Renda

Self-Preservation is Political Warfare

 

Quote of the Day: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” –Audre Lorde

Weekly Show Reflection:

You can tell by the length of this week’s episodes that our guests had some important ideas to share. And these three guests, over these four episodes spoke with such heart about self-care.

I could not do justice trying to summarize all of the powerful points made by Kirstin, Steven, and Cait, but I will tell you that if you need to make self-care more of a priority, you should listen to some or all of these episodes.

Kirstin Nussgruber is a two-time cancer survivor and a health and wellness coach who works with people on balancing their body, mind, and spirit. Kirstin brought some very interesting ideas to the table. One being that her illnesses were meant to teach her lessons. She shared with us details about the complicated relationship she had with her mother, and her decision to try to heal herself from the emotional pain of it while both she and her mother were battling cancer diagnoses. Uniquely, Kirstin’s way of caring for herself was through past life regression. If you find past life regression as fascinating of a topic as I do, then you will enjoy this episode and you will understand why I encouraged Kirstin to elaborate, and made the decision to extend her interview to two episodes.

I found Kirstin’s advice at the end of Part II powerful, and I would like to share that with you here: “The challenges in our lives, the crises in our lives…the difficult times in our lives, are there to actually push us forward, to catapult us forward, and they’re sent to us because the universe knows we can do it. So, if the universe knows we can do it, then, you know, who the hell are we to not believe in ourselves that we can actually do it, too? So turn it around. Of course, when you initially have that challenge, you need to, kind of, digest that first. And we do that… with the typical emotional reactions and that is absolutely needed and fine. But then we kind of come out of that, like a phoenix rising out of the ashes…” Make the intention to the universe: “I am open and I am ready to learn and receive.”

The second guest of the week, Steven Perlman, really surprised me. Steven is a keynote speaker, as well as a seasoned salesman, specializing in insurance and investments. He has been in his own business for much of his career, and he talks to a lot of people. You could say that networking is his life, however, he was genuinely happy that for once he could talk about his passion instead of his business. Since he was a teenager, Steven has been in love with sailing. He uses such beautiful imagery to describe what he loves about sailing, and why he needs this in his life. That sailing adds balance to his high pressure, high-paced work life by slowing it down and connecting him to nature. If you, or anyone you know, needs a reminder that there is more to life than work, than corporate life, than parenthood, entrepreneurship, caregiving or anything else that drains you – this is an episode for you. I ended this interview genuinely happy that Steven found this outlet in his life, and that he found it so early in life. It was a great reminder of the power of passion, and that we all deserve to have that space in our lives.

Cait Byrnes was the third guest of the week. Similar to Kirstin, Cait is also a health and wellness coach, but Cait’s focus is women who are suffering from fatigue and burn-out, and she does this through nutritional education, emotional support, and the promotion of radical self-care.  Gentlemen, though, do not feel left out. You can a) apply all of what Cait talks about to yourself, and b) gain some serious insight into the minds of women through this episode. So my advice is: Enter, but do so at your own risk. Cait and I talk about many key concepts that surround stress and self-care, and she gives incredibly valuable resources that you can find in the show notes to that episode. It may be the longest episode I’ve recorded, yet, but I didn’t want to edit anything, because if you are in need of self-care, you will want to hear every word.

So, I could tell you hear when discussing self-care that too often people put themselves last, that you need to give yourself permission, that you need to put the oxygen mask on before you can help anyone else. But my guests did such an amazing job, a thorough, showing this to you this week that there is very little for me to elaborate on on this front.

What I do want to talk to you about is which episodes you listen to and why? For example, you may be drawn to one or two of the episodes here, and maybe you think Steven’s won’t add value to you because you’re not in corporate. Or Cait’s won’t add value to you because you’re not a woman.

If that is the way you are utilizing this tool, and I hope that Motivate Me! has become a tool for you, then you may not be maximizing this show to its capacity.

So often listeners tell me that they start an episode and think, “Ah, this isn’t going to relate to me at all.” But then they give it a few minutes and find that it actually does. Because what happens is, they realize that while the guest may have had cancer and they never have, they do have that complicated relationship with their mother – or their sister.

This goes back to the concept that we are all connected. We are all connected – because we travel the same paths, we just each wear them differently. We are all connected – because we are here to learn the same lessons.

I would like to teach a lesson to you now. This is not a new idea, very little of what I talk about is. But, I want to teach a lesson to each of you who feels that you do not contribute much to the world. That you are not an important player. Maybe you live a simple life. Maybe you don’t have children. Maybe you don’t have high career aspirations, you never started your own business, never invented anything. You’re not a celebrity, you didn’t cure a disease.

You are special and you do impact this world. I don’t care if what makes you special is your chicken pot pie – I LOVE chicken pot pie. Do you know how happy a great chicken pot pie can make a person? Yes, actually, you do! And, I am sure you have a whole story about where the recipe came from, and different times that you made it for specific people. The love in that chicken pot pie could have cured an illness, mended a broken heart, it could have made someone feel loved who didn’t even love themselves. It could have made someone feel seen and understood.

And, yet, you may feel that you do not impact this world. Oh, I am sorry, but I thoroughly disagree. That chicken pot pie could be the one you make in the kitchen with your children or nieces and nephews. It could be the very memory they hold dearest from their youth. The softness of the dough, stickiness of the filling, the warm aroma that fills the kitchen. The toothless grins, the fighting over the last piece, the full belly grogginess.

Long after you are gone, your chicken pot pie could be what brings everyone around the table. It could be what sits on the table as they talk about all of their favorite memories of you. About all of the times you made your chicken pot pie, and how this one is good – but it just doesn’t taste the same.

Ladies and gentlemen, please ask yourselves today: What is my chicken pot pie? Because you already have one.

Call to Action:

 

The Motivational Go-Do!

Answer: What is my chicken pot pie?

CLICK HERE to listen to this week’s reflection.

 

If you enjoyed, a review on iTunes and Stitcher would be much appreciated!

 

Let us help you live a life you will be excited about…

the only regret you’ll have is wishing you had started sooner.

 

 

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Episode 164 Blog-Your Dreams Only Seem Impossible-Motivate Me! Podcast with Lynette Renda

Your Dreams Only Seem Impossible

 

Quote of the Day: “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible” –Francis of Assisi

Weekly Show Reflection:

Hello, everyone, and thank you so much for stopping in for this Friday’s reflection.

Before we get started, I have a few fun “housekeeping” things, as they say, to talk to you about.

One of those things is that the time has come for me to announce your new name. Yes, very excitingly this has been a topic of discussion in our private Facebook group. Some people feel as if “listeners” or “audience” is too general and not personal enough. And, I think after 163 episodes we’re ready. There were suggestions such as Motivated Ones and Peeps and Tribe and The UltiSys – because remember: our group is Motivate Me! – Ultimate Support System. And that is what I hope we can get people to do: pull together positive, supportive people and provide encouragement and understanding, be realistic about life and laugh as much as we can. Marie’s response was: “We are a community, I think. We listen, learn and lift one another, and that’s truly what a community is about. I’m really grateful to be part of this one.” And Racquel said: “I’m cool with anything you want to call me. I just always think of Motivate Me as a support system.” I am sure you can see how both of these responses, along with all the others, made me super happy. So here it is, staying in line with what I think we all feel is our goal here, and using an abbreviation from the show that stemmed from our guest, and my daughter’s boyfriend, Michael Scotti Jr, who abbreviates everything because he is in film: You will now be officially referred to as the MoMe Team. MoMe for Motivate Me! and team – because who doesn’t want to be a part of a team? And team – because every member of a team is important. And Team, because that evokes chanting and clapping and motivating and encouraging each other…and that is how I see you and me and us.

So moving on MoMe Team, I have been getting a lot of great feedback about the show. And, something that comes up most is that people look forward to the Friday reflection. So Veronica and Gina and Jason, that you for your feedback, I’m thinking about you today.

If you are a MoMe Teammate out there listening right now and would like to send us show feedback about what you’re digging, what you’re not digging, what you would like to see that we’re not doing, I would love to hear from you. There are many ways to get me, but the easiest is probably just to shoot me an email at Lynette@motivatemepodcast.com. AND, if you’re somebody who has been sitting back thinking about applying to be on the show, I suggest you send that email now, because BIG NEWS here, ladies and gentleman: the format of our show will be changing on April 20th.

As you know, we will be taking Motivate Me! on a 50-state road trip the first week of May. MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THIS: We will be having a sendoff party on the Jersey Shore boardwalk May 4th, so everyone can meet the crew and wish us luck. It would be amazing if you could be there. If you want details, such as details for our sendoff party, or if you would like a copy of our itinerary, go to motivatemepodcast.com and sign up for our newsletter!

So, the thing is, I have so much information to share with you about the trip. And about the preparation for the trip, because something that is always in my mind is how to show you how to incorporate a passion into your life. The best way for me to do that is to show you the steps I take to do that. By now, I think you know that I am a show don’t tell kinda girl. So I would like some time with you to end what we have now realized is Season I in order to officially start Season II on April 20th.

April 20th is exactly two weeks before our sendoff party and it is also my 48th birthday. You know how when your birthday comes you feel like, I don’t feel any different today than I did yesterday? Well, in complete support of living a life of design, I decided that for me, that was not going to be the case this year. So on that day, we will have a shift in format and we will all be getting ready for the #MOTIVATEme, America! Road Trip 2016.

What can you do to prepare? In order to be a part of all the great things we’ll be putting out, you will want to make sure that you do these things: 1) request me on Facebook, I am simply Lynette Renda, 2) join our private group Motivate Me! Ultimate Support System, 3) go to motivatemepodcast.com and submit your email to receive our crazy itinerary, 4) follow us on Instagram: Motivate_Me_with_Lynette_Renda, and 5) follow us on Twitter: @MotivatePodcast. You can probably just search my name in each of these mediums and we should all come up. I am assuming that you have already subscribed to this podcast. I know this sounds like a lot to you now, but each of these mediums will have different content from the trip, that’s why you want to be subscribed to each.

Next, I have a couple of shout outs I’d like to send out to some top contributors in our private Facebook group Motivate Me! Ultimate Support System. To Ruth and Hillary and Kelli and Keith thank you! Ruth, I look forward every day to the humorous daily picture you post, it’s quirky and adds a new perspective on life. Hillary, your drive and courage and appreciation for the little things in life always makes me stop and think. I’m really proud of the way you have taken charge of your life. Keith, I am so appreciative of the thoughtful responses you give to the questions and comments of the other group members, and Kelli, the meaningful passages you post really show me how much you get the message of this show and the point of the group. I told you all this week how adorable you all are and how grateful I am to have you in my life, and I meant it. You and the rest of the members just make this world a happier place for me. I know our group is young, but I hope it will be doing the same for all of us soon.

Enough about me, let’s get to this week’s guests.

All of my guests this week have achieved something that others may have thought impossible. I have to tell you, I had so much fun speaking to the guests this week. For one, I found each of their passions incredibly interesting. Now, I admit, that’s not hard to do because I find many careers and hobbies and interests interesting.

But, on Monday we had mentalist and keynote speaker Christopher Carter – am I right or am I right that being a mentalist is super cool?! You all are well-aware that I have a personal interest in body language. I have to tell you, though, that Christopher took my interest to a new level. He uses his knowledge in body language to both perform for entertainment but to also help people perform better and communicate better in the work environment. He uses it to teach communication and empathy. A) I thought that was sincerely interesting, and B) I thought it was nothing short of amazing that this is an understanding he discovered on his own through his own study. That, as I say on the show, is profound to me. Now, today’s topic is about achieving the impossible. This is a severely shy boy who grew up and out and went to college, got married, and during a graduate program decided, ‘No. I don’t want to do this; I want to become a mentalist.” Christopher Carter had the courage, despite his shyness, despite his lack of knowledge in the entertainment industry, despite the fact that he was a grown married man, to take on what others told him was impossible and become a mentalist and keynote speaker.

On Tuesday we had a duo on the show, Avery Pontell-Schaefer and Erica Busillo, who are working step moms, who take their jobs as step-moms so seriously that they are not just step-moms, they are step-momming. Now, here is the thing with Avery and Erica. They approach their role as step-moms very seriously and with positivity, and they are on a quest to encourage other step-moms to do the same. Their site momward.com launches tomorrow, March 12th, and they are calling on all step-moms who want to share their positive experiences to come join them. Achieving the impossible is today’s theme and I see these two doing just that. They are transcending the negativity that can often be found in blended families by taking the high road, the positive road, and they are getting great results because of it. Of course, they have the same challenges many other blended families have, but from what they said, the problems are shorter-lived and they are happier families because of it.

On Wednesday, Keri Norley was on the show. Keri was born in Chicago and lives in Australia and as a Feng Shui, numerology, and colors coach. Keri has done a couple of things people would see as impossible: she moved to Australia for one, and for another, she walked away from the degree she earned in early education to take a much more spiritual path. And she continues to speak on and consult on practices some may not see the value in. However, she has made it work and is living a life she truly enjoys. You can hear it in Keri’s enthusiasm for life.

Thursday’s lesson was taught by previous guest Jason Shurgot. Jason is the founder of MillionaireNotes on Instagram where in only fourteen months he grew to over 150+ followers. His lesson was on 7 easy steps to start a digital business for free, and Jason is doing it. So many times as an entrepreneur people are discouraged, either by others or by the market they are a part of. But, Jason talks on the show about a couple of the business failures he has had in his life, and he remains undaunted by those that try to tell him what he wants to achieve is impossible.

Looking at my own life, there are so many things I’ve attempted or achieved that people thought was on the impossible side: getting married at nineteen, starting a karaoke business when people barely even knew what karaoke was, going to college at thirty, getting a masters at forty, writing two novels, starting a podcast when so many people don’t know what podcasts are, going on a 50-state tour.

I had an unexpected and powerful conversation with someone today that really brought a couple things home for me, that is blowing me away a little bit right now for how on target this conversation was with what the topic is for today’s reflection. I was speaking with a friend through text messaging, and I told her that I would like to interview her when my crew, Cassie and Chelsea, get to New Jersey. At first she lit up excited that I had saw value in what she’s doing, but she quickly went to why she would not want to be in front of a camera.

And it really relates to achieving what you may believe as impossible, and how it is really just thoughts and perceptions. How much you care about what others think of you and how much you allow the opinions of others to impact your actions.

My response to my friend was: “There are five reasons why I could say I shouldn’t be in front of a camera.”

And she said, “Exactly. You’re such an inspiration.”

Her words created this thunderstorm of emotion in me. I started to doubt my own abilities. I mean, if someone is going to feel that way about themselves, then that’s what they’re going to see when they look at me. And as we’ve discussed here before, what we put down in others is what we really don’t like about ourselves. So my first question was: Is this all people will see when they look at me?

But, see, there is something much stronger than that in me, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure where it came from. I don’t know if it’s a confidence or a knowing, and just like some people are shy or others feel they lack worth, I refuse to let the opinions of others deter me from what I want out of life. I just refuse.

Then I teared up. Not for myself, but for my friend and all of the other beautiful, intelligent, special women out there who live less because of what boils down to their own self-doubts. Because of what they think others are thinking when really it’s only what they are thinking about themselves.

I know that there are millions of women who could be doing so much more with their lives. Who are holding themselves back. Who could be changing the world and the lives of people in it, if they could just see in themselves what others truly see.

This is why I love the words of Francis of Assisi so much because sometimes we need to trick ourselves into achieving the impossible. So ladies, “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

I believe in you.

Call to Action:

 

The Motivational Go-Do!

Don’t let your own opinions hold you back from achieving what may seem like the impossible.

CLICK HERE to listen to this week’s reflection.

 

If you enjoyed, a review on iTunes and Stitcher would be much appreciated!

 

Let us help you live a life you will be excited about…

the only regret you’ll have is wishing you had started sooner.

 

 

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MM159–Blog- Resolve is the Key to Accomplishment

Resolve is the Key to Accomplishment

 

Quote of the Day: “There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there’s only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.” –Dr. Wayne Dyer

Weekly Show Reflection:

Welcome, all, to this Friday’s reflection!

You know, some people may wonder what the heck this week’s four guests could possibly have in common. I mean, a pancreatic surgeon, a man spending 1-3 hours a day dressing himself up in intricate disguises just to post the pictures online, a woman who is known as the “Pull no Punches Accountability Powerhouse,” and another woman who jumped out of an airplane to tell her fears, “Be gone!”

There are actually a couple of powerful connections I see between with these guests. One is that they each had a decision to make that would undergo harsh scrutiny of others. For Dr. Taylor Riall, MD, it was to leave her profession to become a coach to other surgeons, to Michael Gump, otherwise known as #masterofdisguise, it was to continue his art, continue to push his creativity past the original 365 day mark he had originally intended: could he continue this same level of creativity? For powerhouse Candy Barone it was launching her own business: did she have what it took on the personal front and the content front to engage an audience, to empower them? And, for business coach Toni-Maree, it was staring into the eyes of corporate and saying, I’m good enough and strong enough to go it on my own.

But the connection I would like to discuss today is having resolve.

What does resolve mean? Resolve simply means to have a strong determination.

First, I would like to identify and discuss the resolve found in each of these guests’ stories, and then I would like to speak with you about your own resolve. Would you consider yourself strong? Would you consider yourself determined?

Let’s get started with Monday’s guest, Dr. Taylor Riall, MD. Now, it is no secret that becoming a pancreatic surgeon is a grueling process. To complete this task shows resolve in itself. But what happens when you get there? When you have to live up to an expectation, and all of those long hours preparing for the end goal don’t change much. When you are expected to keep that strength of steel. When you feel like less admitting that it is too much, too hard, wrong for people to live this way. Enough so that you’re prepared to walk away from all that you have earned. And you’re prepared to risk that because you feel you are the only one with these feelings. But something happens for you. An awareness. An awakening. A courage different than the one you’ve counted on to get you past all the other hurdles you’ve crossed. But to share this new understanding means to stand in front of your peers and say that there is another way. And then to not settle for less in your career until you are able to do both: treat the patients you have trained much of your life for and break the cycle of surgeon burnout. Dr. Taylor Riall stood strong for something she believed in. She believed in it so wholeheartedly that she was ready to walk away from a career she once loved. But because she was determined, she was offered a new position in a new place with a new purpose that is much better aligned with who she has become as an esteemed professional.

Tuesday’s guest took us in a new and awesome direction. Michael Gump set out on a quest on January 2015 and that was to challenge himself to create a new disguise for an entire year – that is 365 disguises in 365 days, never missing a day. This was his challenge. Now, some of these disguises could be considered a costume, but the vast majority of these disguises are more like art pieces. Based on our brief email conversations, I really thought Michael was going to be a little bit more of a jokester, that it would be difficult getting a straight answer from him. But the reality is that this is a man educated in art. That art is his career. That these costumes are really exercises for him to stay creative. The New Year has come and gone and Michael continues to craft new disguises daily. He considered switching his exercise to a new medium, but he didn’t because as he says, “There is more gas in the tank.” And that pushing himself further on the creative front is an even better exercise. Do I need to say that this dude has serious resolve? He made his challenge and pushed himself further. I am mesmerized by much of his work, and if you have not checked him out yet, I suggest you do – let me know if it’s just me! Google Bob Bugs to see his disguises.

On Wednesday I was really wowed by Candy Barone. She is a coach and speaker and her focus is to get people to say “Yes” to their own power. Candy is on fire. She has written books, she does workshops and speeches, she works with people one-on-one. Her experience, both personal and professional, exudes from her very being. She is so passionate about what she does and has traveled far to get here. Without a strong resolve, she would not have been able to overcome her personal issues that she so freely shared with us. Without her strong resolve she would not be able to do what she does today. Her experiences with abuse as a child, with over-eating, with over-exercising, with over-drinking. The tornado she had turned herself into. Something great about Candy is that she can relate to her clients. She has been there and she knows how to get out, and she is going to be the resolve her clients need to hold onto until they build up that strength of their own.

Thursday we had Toni-Maree on the show and because of her chronic anxiety, she has had to depend on her resolve her whole life. She came on to discuss with us how to shut off fear, and she knows because, like Candy, this has been a lifelong struggle for her – but she has resolved to overcome it. She struggled with fear and anxiety her entire corporate career, one in which she found great success. However, while she was moving up the ranks professionally, her body was going downhill until it was overtaken by pneumonia. An illness that took her two years to fully recover from. On the worst day, the first day she realized she was sick, her mind went directly to fatality. It was that moment she realized what she wanted most was to be more available to her daughter because she is the meaning of her life. And so, she pulled from a new resolve, the one that enabled her to walk away from that successful career to one that made her believe she could create a new one of her own.

So, on this Friday I have a message for you about resolve. At this moment, I am working feverishly to get this episode out to you. I have an injury that is making it difficult to sit in my chair and type, because typical me, I fell on uneven concrete and messed up my arm, my shoulder blade, and that muscle that passes under your arm and to your chest. Bending down to pick up five pound Olive is a struggle. But, the only thing it has stopped me from doing is working out. I have worked twelve to fourteen hours a day for the last three days, and by damn, I do have strong determination. I am determined to bring you a high quality show, and I am determined to bring you an amazing 50-state tour.

I have been constructing paperwork and reaching out to sponsors, developing ideas and streamlining technology. I am all over the place, but those pieces are falling together every day. However, they don’t fall together on their own. I will say this about having resolve: it is incredibly fun and incredibly rewarding. I don’t know what it’s like on the other side, so I am sure I can’t compare. I mean, I would love to kick my feet up on the couch and watch TV – I love TV! I would love to take a nap or go get my nails done or go buy a new outfit. But I can’t. I can’t do these things because I feel as if you and others are depending on me, not just for this show but for the trip. And, maybe THAT is the key to resolve. Maybe it’s what is on the other side once you get there. Maybe it has to do with our love or service for others.

For Taylor, it is not just the change this has made for her own life, but for the doctors she is able to help. For Michael and his disguises, it’s not just accomplishment but creation. For Candy, it’s not just her own recovery, it’s the ability to help others break free from lives that have trapped them. And for Toni-Maree, it is not just the absence of corporate stress, it is the impact being home has had on her daughter’s life.

If you are listening today and you feel as if you don’t have much resolve, that you are not strongly determined to do anything, then maybe the question you have to ask yourself is why you don’t. You will notice that for the five of us, it has to do with other people and with serving other people. Not all of us are married, not all have children, so no excuses here. Take an honest look, no one is looking… what can you dig so hard into in your life, that despite everything, you are going to finish it. You are going to bring it to life. You are going to be determined to get it done. Because I promise you, the television shows you are so enamored with now, the material possessions you think mean so much, the pampering you overdo will pale in comparison.

Call to Action:

 

The Motivational Go-Do!

Take an honest look at your life – are you taking responsibility for its outcome?

CLICK HERE to listen to this week’s reflection.

 

If you enjoyed, a review on iTunes and Stitcher would be much appreciated!

 

Let us help you live a life you will be excited about…

the only regret you’ll have is wishing you had started sooner.

 

 

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MM153- To do Great Work, You Must Love what You do, like Key Doby

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:22 — 42.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Quote of the Day: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way
to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do
great work is to love what you do.” –Steve Jobs

Guest of the Day: Californian, Key Doby, author of the best-selling book Live by
Design, not by Default: Simple Steps to get a Career You Love. Key Doby is also a life
coach and she is known as “The Career Architect.”

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