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Putting our ideas and work out into the world for feedback is a vulnerable place to be. Learn why it is imperative that we go through this process, and how best to protect ourselves when met with negative energy.

MM545- Be Open to Feedback, but not Too Open

Hello, everybody, and welcome to this week’s episode of Motivate Me!

It’s Me! Time here on Motivate Me! and we are working on coming back from flat.

Before we start, let’s get into the right headspace. Let’s engage in the idea that this is time where YOU are the priority. Let’s take two slow, deep breaths to get us centered. Just follow me.

Today’s focus is: Be Open to Feedback, but not Too Open

So hopefully, you have been taking a deep dive into yourself in order to reconnect with what excites you.

I’m wondering what you have you discovered? I’m wondering if you have shared your new ideas with anyone? If not, I recommend that you start thinking about with whom you can share these discoveries.

If you’ve been meditating and journaling, chances are your energy is shifting and your perspective is changing.

Are you gaining clarity on who you are, who you’ve always been, and what drives you? Have you gathered materials and begun to create? Are you starting to see that a new pathway could be opening up for you? Have you started a new project or business plan?

If you are making mental or emotional moves, or if you’ve begun to work on something tangible, it’s important to verbalize these new ideas. To learn how to articulate them. To see how they feel when they hit the air. Doing this will inspire even more clarity and even more ideas. It allows us to voice our excitement and build human connection.

By speaking these changes or new ideas, we claim this direction for ourselves. We start believing it for ourselves. We map our brain to achieve it. We put it out to the universe. We practice being vulnerable. We gain confidence.

And also in doing this, we open ourselves up to feedback from others. Being open to feedback is a big part of the creative process, the part that is not always easy to do, so it’s important to know how to protect ourselves after putting ourselves in such a vulnerable space.

We want to approach this feedback with an open-mind, we want to listen deeply to the ideas of others – not spend this time building a defense against what they’re saying while they’re speaking, we want to learn from them and their perspective. However, in the end, we need to make our own creative decisions. 

This concept is easy to understand if you’ve ever seen the reality show Project Runway. Tim Gunn comes around and critiques the show’s contestants as they’re working. Well, he doesn’t always get it right, and sometimes the fashion designer sticks to their vision. This is not always the right call by the designer, but there have been many times where that look wins the episode. There is something to be said for sticking to our vision, but like in the show, sometimes we have to “edit” that vision to make it better than our initial idea.

We cannot distinguish between holding our ground or editing our initial idea if we’re busy being defensive. So we have to really take in what others have to say, consider their opinions, revisit what we want to accomplish and why we want to accomplish it, and then make the decision to either pivot from our original direction, tweak it, or stay rooted.

Now, what happens if the feedback we receive is not what we had hoped for or needed? What if it sucks the wind out of our sails? That moment where we were so excited about it until, for whatever reason, the person or people we shared our ideas with is not? I have three suggestions for this.

1. Sometimes we need to take a short break.

Whether it’s days or two weeks, create space between what you’re working on and where you want to take it. Maybe your aspirations are a little ambitious and you need to break your plans into smaller steps. Or maybe your plans are big but you know you are the person to make it happen. Take your time to consider what you want to accomplish from many angles, journal about it, meditate on it, let feelings about it surface.

2. Others sometimes respond to our ideas with their own insecurities.

This insecurity could be because they want to protect you, or they don’t want you to be more successful than them, or they don’t want to be left behind, or what you’re doing is outside of their own comfort zone.

For example: When I told someone I had an idea to travel the 50 states in 90 days to interview people about passion, their response was: “Aren’t you scared? I can’t believe your husband is going to let you do that.” I had to remind myself that their response wasn’t about me and my idea; their response was about them and how they would feel about doing my idea. They would be scared. Their husband wouldn’t “let” them do something like this.

3. We are prone to make up stories in our head about what other people are thinking or feeling.

Did you really get negative feedback, or could you be jumping to conclusions?

Here’s an example: We share an idea with someone, or a work of art with someone, or a personal goal with someone, and they either don’t respond, or it takes them forever to respond, or their response is weak.

What do we automatically assume? We automatically think our idea is stupid, our art is horrible, our goal is ridiculous. We jump to conclusions and make interpretations that are not real.

Even if their reaction does mean this and it IS real… go back to points #1 and #2 – either take a short break from what you’re working on, or understand that this person could be responding with their own insecurities.

If we pay attention, we can learn a lot about others when sharing of ourselves, it’s almost like being psychic, it’s so telling.

I’m going to leave you on this last note: What is the best way to know if you are headed down the right path? It’s easy: follow your feelings. If something intrigues and excites you, keep going. If something causes you stress, doubt, or anxiety, you’re not hitting the target, but that doesn’t mean you are far off base, either. So take the feedback of others with a brave ear, and then follow your heart.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Join us in our Private Facebook group: Motivate Me! Support System and checkout MotivateMePodcast.com for anything else.

I am going to leave you with some truth talk from me to you: Listen, it’s really hard to be vulnerable. But to me, putting ourselves out there or not is the difference between existing and living, the difference between just settling and thriving. Feedback is part of this journey we are on, and learning how to handle difficult feedback is part of our journey.

Remember, you Motivate Me!

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So often incredible ideas surface in our minds and we discount them and discard them. What if you went on a journey to generate more ideas, and what if you knew how to manage them in a way that would help you bring them to fruition?

MM544- Managing Your Creative Ideas

Hello, everybody, and welcome to this week’s episode of Motivate Me!

It’s Me! Time here on Motivate Me! and we are working on coming back from flat.

Before we start, let’s get into the right headspace. Let’s engage in the idea that this is time where YOU are the priority. Let’s take two slow, deep breaths to get us centered. Just follow me.

Today’s focus is: Managing Your Creative Ideas

When do you feel most passionate about life? For me, it’s when I’m creating. And when I’m in my creative zone, ideas upon ideas continue to come to me. Being open to these ideas is part of why and how I believe they flow so fluidly, but it’s my job to manage them – and to organize them.

When I was working to reclaim my passion, I had to make changes in my approach to being creative. At one point, I had found legal pad after legal pad that was filled with ideas and fiction writing I had put on paper, but I’d put those pads down and never looked at them again. I knew I couldn’t let that happen this time around, because I was setting the intention that this time wasn’t going to be like the rest. That this time I would collect and categorize my work, and that something substantial would come from it.

So, I took all the notes I’d been writing in my little one-subject notebooks, I busted out a big blue binder and an un-opened pack of dividers with tabs, and I set up my organizer. I labeled each section: “Reading Log,” “Journal,” “MoMe!,” “Zoom,” “Biz Opps,” “Writing Ideas,” “Podcast,” and “Flat.” And I set out to fill these sections but in a compartmentalized kind of way that was not overwhelming.

I had loose notebook paper on a clipboard, and whenever I had a question or idea, I wrote it out, I journaled, I found an answer, and I locked it into the binder. If I had an essay idea or product idea, I wrote that down, too, and locked that into my binder. You get the picture.

I wrote everything and I dated everything. Why date what you write? Because it gives our ideas value, because every important document is dated, because what I wrote on this paper was important. And won’t it be fun one day to look back on where it all began? Yes, I set that intention with every step of my process.

They say if we collect our ideas and keep them organized and together, the weight of them will carry them to fruition. Why not give that theory a shot?

During this whirlwind of a time, something happened. I had been meditating and journaling and excited about helping people with what was bringing my passion back, and I was reminded how much I enjoyed the process of creating. That, yes, I want to produce something valuable to help as many people as possible, but I was filled with actual joy just in the doing of the thing. And that’s what I continued to focus on: the process.

Now more than ever, I realize that I am in love with the process of creating and not the outcome of it.

Elizabeth Gilbert really put my feelings into words when she said, “Creativity itself doesn’t care at all about results – the only thing it craves is the process. Learn to love the process and let whatever happens next happen, without fussing too much about it. Work like a monk, or a mule, or some other representative metaphor for diligence. Love the work. Destiny will do what it wants with you, regardless.”

I love getting immersed in what I’m creating. To give you an idea of what I mean, here are some of the projects I have worked on: I have completed the writing of two novels (they’re not published, but they are written!), and I have two other books in the works. I’ve designed a podcast, a 50-state tour, and now this program about reclaiming your passion and coming back from flat. I have worked like a monk; I work like a mule… I speak Elizabeth Gilbert’s language.

I’m wondering how many of you are at home slaving away at something, too?

When our ideas are carefully managed, they never get lost, they no longer distract us, and they inspire more ideas!

So, to do this…

1. Desire to be creative

2. See your ideas as important and valuable

3. Manage your ideas to eliminate distraction

4. Record all ideas

5. Collect all ideas in an organized fashion

6. Be in love with the process, not the outcome

I kept at doing this, I am still doing all the things I’m sharing with you this season because they work. Because they led me to putting ideas on paper, and seeing these ideas on paper helped me make discoveries that inspired me to take next steps.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Join us in our Private Facebook group: Motivate Me! Support System and checkout MotivateMePodcast.com for anything else.

I am going to leave you with some truth talk from me to you: So often incredible ideas surface in our minds and we discount and discard them. What if just for right now, you seek them out, you write them down, and you collect them? What if you just start with that to see if these ideas change you in any way, to see if they drive you to do more or to do differently?

Remember, you Motivate Me!

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Reading takes very little commitment with the possibility of the greatest reward. It is the single easiest way to grow and learn. And don’t worry, if you struggle with reading or retaining, we have pointers for you!

MM543 – Read Everything, Read with an Open Mind

Hello, everybody, and welcome to this week’s episode of Motivate Me!

It’s Me! Time here on Motivate Me! and we are working on coming back from flat.

Before we start, let’s get into the right headspace. Let’s engage in the idea that this is time where YOU are the priority. Let’s take two slow, deep breaths to get us centered. Just follow me.

Today’s focus is: Read Everything, and Read with an Open Mind

During this past year, there were times where I felt like I was lying dormant, like all I had to give was apathy, and just getting through the day was all I could muster. Have you had times like this? Maybe you’re feeling this way now?

During times like these, there is something we can do that takes very little effort with maximum gain and that’s to read.

Now listen, I know reading isn’t for everyone, but hear me out on this.

The beautiful thing about reading is that it’s low commitment, it can be free, and we do it at our own pace.

To get reading, we just need to make the decision that we’re going to do it, even if that means that we have to psyche ourselves up and prepare to do it.

Quick tips to get started:

1. Pick a topic or author you enjoy

2. Set aside designated time

3. Turn off the television

4. Put your phone on silent

5. Request the support of those around you

6. Don’t get discouraged if you need to re-read sentences or pages because you felt distracted (There is more coming up on how to stay focused when reading in a minute.)

If we do make the decision to dedicate the quiet time needed to immerse ourselves in a book, it can have a PROFOUND impact on our person and life.

If you listened to the introduction of Season 4, you heard me credit a close friend for insisting I read Jane Pauley’s book, Your Life Calling. During the time my friend was reading it, she kept hearing my voice through Pauley’s words. She kept seeing the conversations we’d shared while coasting down the Tennessee River the summer before. She was moved enough by this to keep sending me pictures of pages from the book. She went out of her way to get it to me, and then, she badgered me until I read it. And I say that in the most loving way, Jan. And I thank you for that.

The truth is, I was honored that she saw me in a light similar to the experienced and wise Pauley, and at the same time, I was annoyed. I was annoyed because Jane Pauley had done so much in her career, and I was currently lying dormant. I was annoyed with myself for not continuing to try harder at what had meant so much to me. The thing was, at this point, I didn’t even know if it still meant much to me, it felt like I just didn’t have it in me to get back it.

Because of my friend, Jan’s, badgering, I picked up the book and turned the first page. I realized then that it wasn’t just that Jane Pauley’s book was informative, entertaining, and insightful, its’ structure is similar to how I had envisioned writing my book about traveling the 50 states in 90 days interviewing people about passion.

Jane Pauley includes previous show guests and their interviews, as well as her own life and her career experiences. She does all of this to introduce her audience to people who have designed lives they love, so readers can learn how to (and be inspired to) build a life that is more exciting or more meaningful. Pauley and I share a love for interviewing people about passion, we share the want to help people live lives they love. Needless to say, Jane Pauley got my attention and I perked up!

I was most moved by her sister’s interpretation of her talent. Pauley writes of her sister, “Ann told me I have a gift for helping people see themselves in positive and powerful new ways” (54). I felt these words in my core. I read and re-read this line many, many times. I want to frame these words for myself, they mean so much to me. These words helped me to understand myself differently. I thought: Maybe, writing is my skill, and helping people see themselves ‘in positive and powerful new ways’ is my talent?

I tell you all of this because I learned something about myself from reading her book. I grew… and I was only on page 54. This is how reading can be so powerful. I felt a connection during a time when I really wasn’t connecting to anything. I learned something about myself and I felt hope – because her story confirmed for me that there is value in what I had done – in what I thought I should do next: the writing of my book. It made me understand that I needed to keep at it.

Jane Pauley’s big take-away from her book is to say, Hey, people. You have a very good chance of living ten years longer than the generation before you, so get prepared to do things the generation before you didn’t get time for! Yes, do the career thing, then do the encore career thing.

My advice to you today, Motivate Me! Friends, is to read everything. Read everyone. Be open-minded. See in whom and what you see yourself. I like to be extremely open-minded when I read. I’m not looking to reinforce what I know and believe, I’m looking to learn new information, to be exposed to new perspectives. This is how I form my own ideas.

Recently, I posted a picture on my Instagram of the current stack of books I finished reading, and they cover a wide range of interests. Here is what’s in that stack: Jane Pauley’s, Your Life Calling, Rhonda Byrne’s, The Secret, Elle Luna’s, The Crossroads Between Should and Must, Napoleon Hill’s, Think and Grow Rich, Marianne Williamson’s, A Woman’s Worth, Blake Snyder’s, Save the Cat (which is a book about screenwriting), Glennon Doyle’s Untamed and Love Warrior, and Matt Fraser’s, When Heaven Calls.

Matt Fraser is a medium. I learn something from every book I read, so while Matt’s story and the fact that he can communicate with the dead blows my mind, something important I took away from his book is how to stay positive and grateful, even with people who are negative to you.  

As you can see here, I read everything: fiction and non-fiction, books by democrats and republicans, I read about things I’m interested in, like spirituality, but also other topics that I’ve never been exposed to, like becoming a Navy Seal.

I have two and a half stacks of unread books that are similar to this one waiting in the wings to be read. So, I suggest you get a book in hand, and get one for in the wings!

I do have recommendations for those of us who struggle to keep our focus when reading, or for those of us who don’t remember what we read after reading. Consider these techniques:

1) Read with a pen or pencil in your hand, even a highlighter. This way, you can quickly underline key concepts or circle key words. You can also jot a word or phrase down in the margin, too, something that will help you easily spot this page again, or when you flip back through the pages the highlighted words and notes in the margin act as a quick summary.

2) Sit at a table and take notes as you read, just like when you were in school back in the day. I’ve really enjoyed taking notes on subjects that interest me. I just extract key thoughts and record them on paper, make sure to include page numbers so you can go back and find it later. You’d be surprised how often I have gone back into the text to re-read things.

3) There are a couple of ways to work on remembering material you’ve read, the gist of it is to create a memory with the information. You can journal about it or write a formal essay, or you can just verbally share what you’ve learned with someone else. When you share information you’ve learned you’re now teaching it, and a great way to retain information is to teach it. So, just talk about it.

So my advice: mark the book up with notes and have a conversation about what you’ve learned!

I used to teach high school English and I understand that reading is not easy for everyone. There are some other options to explore where you can listen to authors talk about their books, like audio books, YouTube, and podcasts. The goal is to expose yourself to information that will enlighten you, however you can do that.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Join us in our Private Facebook group: Motivate Me! Support System and checkout MotivateMePodcast.com for anything else.

I am going to leave you with some truth talk from me to you: The bottom line is, there are so many ways to better ourselves – to elevate ourselves – and reading is one of the most accessible, inexpensive, low-commitment ways to do this. So make the time, read with intention, and get ready to expand your mind and person!

Remember, you Motivate Me!

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This show isn’t just for people who know their direction in life. We are here to help everyone find their path and expand on it. Having the materials necessary to help you unleash your passion will rev your creative engine and get you ready to create! Find out how the right materials are like Halloween candy!

MM542- Gather the Necessary Materials

Hello, everybody, and welcome to this week’s episode of Motivate Me!

It’s Me! Time here on Motivate Me! and we are working on coming back from flat.

Before we start, let’s get into the right headspace. Let’s engage in the idea that this is time where YOU are the priority. Let’s take two slow, deep breaths to get us centered. Just follow me.

Today’s focus is: Gather the Necessary Materials

In my efforts to work myself out of being flat, I did the steps I have recommended so far, and next to having cleared the space in my brain for freedom of thought, and after declaring a physical space for freedom of action, I needed materials!

So often people teach us how to achieve a goal, but what if we’re in the place where we don’t know what’s meant for us? My challenge was that in this stage in my process, I was searching for a goal and I had no desires. This is what Coming Back from Flat is all about; it’s about going on a mission inside of yourself to find and free your self in a way that opens the world up to you in a new light.

At this point in my process, all I knew was that I liked to write, and that putting ideas on paper helped me make discoveries. I had been a high school English teacher and I have a Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing. I have two novels written that I have made some attempt at getting published, but to be honest, I let fear hold me back in this. I tell myself that my novels aren’t any good, my writing is weak, and no one will want to publish or read them.

My feelings on this are important to share with you, because over the past couple of years I have been denying my talent. Even though I knew I should have been writing a book about our “50 states in 90 days” tour, I allowed this negative talk to prevent me from doing it. I was avoiding writing; I was avoiding my talent.

Part of my job in reclaiming myself, though, was to be open and up for anything. And what happened was that I naturally fell into writing, and this time, I didn’t allow myself to resist it. Journaling in a little, yellow, one-subject notebook created an avalanche for me. Ideas began pouring out, and I needed more materials. I needed materials that would allow me to get my thoughts out of my head and on to a tangible space.

And I needed to not be stingy with my materials. I forced myself to use the paper, use the pencils, to value every word because every word was important. I allowed myself to put one idea on a single page, if that’s what I was feeling. I didn’t care if I crumpled a page up and ditched it, if I decided that what was on it wasn’t meaningful. Freedom of thought. Freedom of action. Freedom to create. I needed all the freedoms.

When ideas started to flow out of me, I was hopeful that I was on to something, but I was still tentative; I was looking to go deeper into this, but I wasn’t ready to fully commit, either. So, I dug more little one-subject notebooks out of my cabinet and with creative freedom gave myself license to fill the pages. These notebooks are where I began to find myself again, and they also gave me a place to jot down other writing or business ideas that came to me as I was working, this way, I wouldn’t get distracted.

Materials specific to your talent will rev up your creative engine, I’m sure you know which materials do this for you! I’m drawn to a fresh, blank notebook page and mechanical pencils in the way that painters may be drawn to colors and brushes and blank canvases. Singers might get excited by equipment, like microphones and speakers, and chefs have their ingredients and gadgets. How about auto mechanics with their machines and parts and tools. I would venture to say that we all have a connection somewhere to some kind of tangible items that light us up with the idea of creating with them.

I recommend keeping it simple at the start, but get some materials that speak to you! Pay attention to how they make you feel. How do they feel in your hand? How do they smell? What can they can create? What sounds do they make? How can you serve others with them? Why are these the materials for you? Do you have a connection with them? Do you have a history?

The thing about these materials is that they MUST be visible and easily accessible to you. Think about them as the opposite Halloween candy. This is the stuff you don’t want to hide so you stay away from it, it’s the stuff you WANT to snack on, and you want to do it as often as you can for as long as possible. So keep your creative tools out where you can see them. This plants the seed that you will engage with them again, and it sets the expectation that you will.

On a final note, respect this talent in yourself and understand that it’s a gift you are giving to others. Being creative is not a selfish act, it’s what you are here to do. So invest time and a little money in yourself, get a few materials that will help you explore this further, and understand that your talent is special.

You might have a voice in your head telling you that other people have your same talent, and you may even be telling yourself that these other people are better at this talent than you. Listen, even if this is true, your unique personality and personal experiences can never be duplicated, and THAT is what you bring to the table.

You could tell 25 talented artists to draw an elephant and not one would be the same. Yes, some people may have better technique than others, but your elephant could share a perspective that touches people. Maybe it’s a sweet picture of a mom elephant with her calf, or maybe it captures the courtship of a male and female elephant, or maybe it shows an entire matriarchal herd of elephants. Your perspective is unique and this is where people begin to get to know you.

One last point I feel is important to call to your attention: you may not see the value in your talent, but other people can. You may not see how having a beautiful singing voice or repairing cars or cutting hair is that big of a deal, but I promise you, you can have a profound effect on the life of someone else through singing a song, fixing a broken car, or giving someone a makeover. So please don’t discount the value of your talent. Even if you can’t see it, just know for now that it is valuable.

We’re human, we need each other, we have been given talents to help and connect with each other, so find yours, enjoy the process of discovering it or uncovering it. Don’t feel selfish about it, and get the right materials that will get you excited about doing it! About creating.

You can start slowly, just stick your toe in the water for now, but be committed to the process.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Join us in our Private Facebook group: Motivate Me! Support System and checkout MotivateMePodcast.com for anything else.

I am going to leave you with some truth talk from me to you: Here is my personal definition of creativity: Creativity is the combining of freedom of thought (mental space) with a place to create (physical space) using the necessary materials in a form of play. So go out and get what you need to express who you are with no rules and no judgement and just play.

Enjoy, and let us know what you discover!

Remember, you Motivate Me!

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Have you ever journaled in a way that produced personal discoveries and shaped your path in life? Did you know that you have the power to do just that? Listen in to learn about freeing your mind and discover the eleven techniques that will help you set powerful intentions.

MM – 541 – Journal with Abandon, Journal with Intention

Hello, everybody, and welcome to this week’s episode of Motivate Me!

It’s Me! Time here on Motivate Me! and we are working on coming back from flat.

Before we start, let’s get into the right headspace. Let’s engage in the idea that this is time where YOU are the priority. Let’s take two slow, deep breaths to get us centered. Just follow me.

Today’s focus is: Journal with Abandon, Journal with Intention

I went on a quest to come back from feeling flat, and if you’ve been following along here to see the steps I took to do that, you’ve realized that in doing this I reclaimed my passion.

I had been stretching and meditating and eating healthier, then I started journaling. But the type of journaling I did here was very different from the kind I had ever done in the past. In these journal entries I didn’t, typically, record life experiences unless I was trying to resolve or discover something. I was more searching for answers in these entries.

I just started journaling all of my thoughts on a specific topic and I kept it simple and old school. I dug out a one-subject, bright yellow notebook that I’d had in the cabinet for years and I labeled it “Free-Writing.” And I started journaling with the intention to make personal discoveries.

All you have to do to do this is relax. Just start rambling on about a topic that you want to know more about.

In light of this episode, I just revisited my very first journal, and I have to tell you, I’m feeling a little moved.

I didn’t know what to write about in this entry, so I started with gratitude. I wrote about how thankful I am for my husband and his support, specifically because I’ve grown and changed a lot through our 35 years together. In the first paragraph of my entry, I write: “I’ve learned and grown and changed so much through the years, and he has held on. Nothing is sexier, nothing shows me how much he loves me more than this.”

The entry goes on to discuss our struggles and challenges, and the idea that marriage teaches forgiveness, whether the marriage lasts a lifetime or it doesn’t. I talk about how people take too many things too seriously, and that if we could get an aerial view of life, we would see how we’re maneuvered in and out of people’s lives for different purposes. That our time here is just all a learning experience and that everything we experience is meant to be.

As I was writing this entry, as usually happens, one idea led to the next, led to the next.  And here’s how my first journal entry ended: “I am growing to understand what it feels like when I am where I am supposed to be – just like when Kz was little – I am learning my Peace back!”

The phrase “Learning my Peace back” just flowed out of me. And in my journal the “P” is capitalized. This is not an idea I’d ever had before.

Something you should know, there has been an idea gnawing at my subconscious over this past year. I had the realization that the only time in my life where I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be was when I was raising my daughter. I never saw this as “Peace,” per se, but I never felt when we were drawing on the family room floor, or baking cookies in the kitchen, or strolling up and down the Seaside Heights Boardwalk that I should be doing something else. I just knew that what I was doing was enough. I was doing the most important job of my life: providing our daughter with new experiences, bolstering her creativity, just giving her a happy life.

Important to know: I had no idea about this sense of peace when it was occurring.

Similarly, all I knew the day she got her driver’s license was that the dots in my head that connected when I needed to pick her up and then deliver her someplace else, and how I would fit my errands in in between, disappeared. I didn’t know I had these dots either, until the day they left!

But over this past year, I began to understand that I have been restless. That for me, “learning my Peace back” means helping others engage in and be happy in their lives. And there it was on the very last line of the second page of my very first journal entry.

So remember, I had added into my life, a little at a time: stretching and meditating, eating healthier and journaling. From doing that, I felt a shift inside me – a shift that was visible to everyone, a shift that brought with it these personal discoveries. You can see the shift I’m talking about here in the first line of my 7th journal entry where I wrote, “I freaking love my life so hard right now.”

I remember where I was and how I felt when I wrote this first line. I felt euphoric. I was writing from our upstairs balcony, there was a bright sun, cool chill, hot cup of coffee, nightshirt and sweatshirt involved in this scene. I was beaming at John while this poor guy was trying to muster up energy to get back to his work day. Yes, I felt a little guilty about that, but I wasn’t allowing speedbumps in my progress. I was full steam ahead! I had made myself a priority, like I say in episode 534, and I felt insanely happy!

There is something else I wasn’t expecting from journaling that occurred: I went to find a new self and I re found my old self. If you’ve listened to any of the other seasons of Motivate Me!, you know that for three seasons I interviewed people about passion. I traveled the 50 states in 90 days interviewing people about passion, and I did all of this because I know that in order for people to enact change in their lives, it has to be their idea. That only you know what you need. That I can’t just tell you what to do… I have to expose you to other people who are doing it, so you can pull from their experience and create your own. I am all about show, don’t tell. I’m all about trying to find the right questions to ask that will inspire new insights and, in return, new action.

Helping people in this way has always been my passion, but I thought after everything I had been through: the 50-state trip, the editing of over 200 interviews, moving to a new state, the chaotic state of our country, quarantine, fear, sickness… that maybe I had lost that. So, I was very surprised when my love for all of this came rushing back to me, because I gave myself the freedom and opportunity to redesign myself, to start new again, to be anything. These are different times, I thought I might discover a new passion.

I understand now why this is not what happened. It’s because when you still the chatter in your mind and you create space to hear what your subconscious or true self has to say, you realize that this is your core. That this is what you are and that that it is unchanging.

I know that through the course of every role I have played in life: mom, Girl Scout Troop leader, teacher, karaoke host, writer, podcast host my passion has always been to empower others in a way that encourages them to take risks and be excited about life. What lights me up is to help others feel good about themselves. That feeling brings me so much joy. That is why I felt so much peace when I was raising my daughter.

You can find these answers, too, when you start journaling with intention and here are the guidelines I set for myself:

• Find a quiet place to write
• Like what you’re writing with and on
• Title and date the entry
• Select a topic (but don’t hold yourself to it)
• Do not write down any negative thoughts
• Write your feelings about specific topics
• Relax and allow thoughts to come from another place – no overthinking, no judgement
• Ask for guidance (from a higher power, the universe, the deceased)
• Record all thoughts, have no rules, be open-minded
• Seek personal discoveries and know that you will find the answer
• Journal as often as you can

The big take-away from this whole episode is that I went looking to reclaim my passion with intention and so can you! And, if we make the decision to, we can shift our energy, change our perspective, and change the course of our lives.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Join us in our Private Facebook group: Motivate Me! Support System and checkout MotivateMePodcast.com for anything else.

I am going to leave you with some truth talk from me to you: Abandoning the idea of keeping our thoughts restrained isn’t easy. It can be uncomfortable. Seeing these honest thoughts on paper is powerful and can also be uncomfortable. But getting out of our comfort zones to create change is why you are here listening to this show right now. So go for it… there is nothing to lose and so much to gain.

You Motivate Me!

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You are 100 percent capable of meditating. Let us show you why and how. Let us teach you how beneficial meditation is and why it is so important for you.

MM – 540 – Trying to Meditate is Winning

Hello, everybody, and welcome to this week’s episode of Motivate Me!

It’s Me! Time here on Motivate Me! and we are working on coming back from flat.

Before we start, let’s get into the right headspace. Let’s engage in the idea that this is time where YOU are the priority. Let’s take two slow, deep breaths to get us centered. Just follow me.

Today’s focus is: Trying to Meditate is Winning

Please don’t bail on me right out of the gate because you believe you are incapable of meditating. So many of us think we can’t do it. So many of us think we aren’t supposed to have any thoughts and that if we do, we failed.

Please hear this: Just like how you cannot stop the heart from beating, you cannot stop you brain from thinking. We all have thoughts when meditating. Our goal when meditating is not to not think at all, it is to let those thoughts pass, watch them like a movie, and then gently still the mind again.

Prayer is a form of meditation.

Listening to music is a form of meditation.

Observing the ocean or a sunset or snowfall is a form of meditation.

And meditation is a form of self-care. It’s rest. It’s stillness. It’s relaxation. It’s enlightening. This is why even by just trying to meditate you are winning, because even if you think you could have done better, you still greatly benefitted.

It took me time to understand all of this, which is why I want to share with you how it has benefited me. I didn’t know anyone who meditated and the only image I had of anyone meditating was of people who didn’t look like me, so I assumed it wasn’t for me. I tried it only once or twice over the years and I never lasted long with it.

But as I got more curious about spiritually, I started to pay more attention to the idea of meditation, and I paid even more attention a few years later when I started my coaching program.

Sometime during that time, I came across Deepak Chopra and Oprah’s guided meditation series. What I really loved about them, even though you have to purchase their 21-day programs and there are many free experiences on YouTube, was a couple of things.

First, Deepak and Oprah teach powerful concepts in the time preceding the meditation that were aligned with what I had been learning in my coaching program. This was helpful to me because it reaffirmed what I’d been learning and it revisited the concepts in a new way. Also, Deepak and Oprah give you a daily mantra that you use to refocus your mind when it begins to wander. This mantra is the daily intention, and the 21 mantras strung together are designed to help you achieve a specific goal. Something else I really liked about their programs was the quality of the recordings, Chopra’s speaking style, and the twenty-minute timeframe.

These are all important aspects to consider when looking at the different meditations available. You can choose from a ten-minute experience or one that plays all-night long while you sleep. There are guided meditations where a host guides listeners through the process, and then there are those that are music only. There are male hosts and female hosts, and then, there are endless focus topics to pick from. If you want to gain confidence or self-worth, lose weight, overcome self-sabotage, grow your intuition, connect with source, or you have a different focus area, there are offerings for pretty much everything.

One of my favorite guided meditations is by Mindvalley and it’s on YouTube titled, “A Relaxing Guided Meditation to Boost Creativity.” It’s eighteen and a half minutes long and I think it’s a great starting point for new meditators. My husband, John, even enjoyed it. Someone else I follow on YouTube is Jess Shepherd, she has many, many meditations and I feel I have benefited from all of them.

So, those are three good recommendations for you to look into: Deepak Chopra and Oprah, Mindvalley, and Jess Shepherd.

There is so much power in meditation. I am a very down to earth person and I always viewed meditation as a little “woo woo,” but when I saw some of the most successful people in the world, like monks and basketball players and world leaders and billionaires touting meditation, I thought it was cause to listen and experiment.

And now, I credit meditation with giving me the idea to travel the 50 states in 90 days to interview people about passion. I believe it gave me the awareness to pick up signs from the universe to receive the idea and act on it. I credit meditation with giving me the idea to reach out to The Max gym to sponsor my workouts before my ninety-day trip. I credit meditation with getting me back from flat right now.

Why? Because I took the time to still my mind five days a week. Because I believe that my purpose and my path is known somewhere inside me, and that stilling the chatter of the mind is the way to discover that. 

My wish is for you to make these same exciting discoveries to enhance your own life. I wish for you to power down your body and get into this insanely relaxed state where when you’re done, you feel like you had the best nap, and you go throughout your days in a markedly calmer state. This really happens.

Here’s the one thing you do need to remember: When you meditate, the answers and revelations you seek don’t usually pop up for you during the process. Other ideas will often come to you, but it may not be what you’re seeking. When the answers you are looking for do pop up for you, they will probably not be obvious. Think of them as being subtle, gentle nods. This takes patience and awareness.

So this sounds painful, right? First, I have to force my body and mind to be still, which is often a battle. And then, I have to be patient enough to wait God knows how long for some kind of understanding to come my way, and hopefully, I am aware enough to recognize this understanding for what it is.

Yes. For you to gain this kind of clarity in your life, that is exactly what you need to do. No one said it’s simple, but I will say it’s worth it.

Some people say they can’t fit meditation into their lives. If this is something you want to do, you will find a way. I suggest starting with just ten minutes a day, and ten minutes when first waking or on a lunch break or before bed is doable. I mean, how much time do we spend on social media sites? We can meditate in our car before or after the gym or when waiting in the school parking lot to pick up our children. It’s all about the want to do it and the planning of the time for it.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Join us in our Private Facebook group: Motivate Me! Support System and checkout MotivateMePodcast.com for anything else.

I am going to leave you with some truth talk from me to you: Meditation is something you need to give a concerted effort. In my opinion, it is the single most simple and difficult help you can give yourself. It has been my experience that if you take the time to create silence and then just listen in the days to come, over time, insights will surface that can change your life.

Remember, you Motivate Me!