We don’t know how to get through the maze so we’ll bump into walls, hit dead ends, or overcorrect.
That’s supposed to happen.
Every obstacle builds resilience.
Every new turn gets you further ahead.
Every step forward is a chance to grow and adapt.
As the saying goes, “the only way out is through”.
To survive, we must believe that is true.
If our car was stuck in the mud how would we get out of that situation?
We wouldn’t keep spinning our wheels and cursing the world for putting us in this situation.
We’d assess where we’re at.
We’d look for resources.
We’d call for help.
We’d quickly create a plan of action.
It’s the same thing when we’re stuck in life.
What is our current situation?
What resources are at our disposal?
Who around us can be that “phone-a-friend”?
We can come up with a plan of action to get us out of any situation. We can change course quickly. We have opportunities all around us.
We have to make the decision to get up and get moving. It’s the only way we can stop spinning our wheels.
Hang around people that want to play the game of life in “expert mode.”
They are a great teammate to support your efforts.
They love solving obstacles so they can grow wiser.
They understand that failure is a part of the process.
They realize that there is some calculated risk in the unknown.
They possess an insane amount of energy to keep pushing through the suck.
We say we want easy but what we actually want is to be confident in our pursuits.
We gain more confidence by enduring challenging times.
Oftentimes, they are also the most memorable.
Find people that have a mutual interest to support each other and grow stronger together.
Those are the best teammates when it’s time to go into battle.
Life is full of peaks and valleys.
If you never have days that feel off then how would you know what you need to work on?
The peaks are always memorable because it’s the valleys that make them stand out.
Embrace the bad days.
They make us who we are.
One of the more liberating thoughts we can have is knowing that not one single human being has life figured out.
We all struggle with insecurity
We all compare ourselves to others
We all go through periods of depression
We all think we aren’t close to good enough
We know we’re going to fail
We know we’re going to fuck things up
We know we’re going to beat ourselves up
Accepting these emotions frees us up to be fully present and aware.
Willing to give it our all knowing there’s a good chance it might not work out.
The effort is all we can control.
We figure it out from there.
Starting back from the beginning is one of the hardest parts of life.
We question whether the investment was worth it.
But are we really starting over? Is this the same starting point?
We fail by not acknowledging all of the work we put in.
The mental and physical energy.
The struggle and sacrifice.
The commitment.
The learning.
Whether we succeed or fail is only how we define those terms.
What is a success, really, but an opportunity to pursue a fulfilling life?
Then why is trying a failure?
We have to see what’s there.
We have to see what can be accomplished.
We have to see what’s even worth it.
We’ve tried countless times in life and have failed spectacularly.
It doesn’t mean it hurts any less but it was necessary for our growth.
We should pick ourselves back up. Dust off. And get back to the next attempt.
Because we should consider ourselves lucky to even have one.
Have you ever looked at a 10-year olds room? Do you remember yours at that age?
It’s messy. It’s sloppy. It’s disorganized. It can be disgusting.
Because they are 10. They have bigger priorities than keeping their room tidy.
As we age, we can become very buttoned up. We make sure we are clean and orderly. We want to look the part to the world. Heck, some of us even clean their house prior to a cleaning company coming in to do it.
To the outside world, we have it all together.
But, inside we can be messy, sloppy, and disorganized. We can be dealing with a lot of things that we are afraid to share with the world. We can be making decisions that are leading us down the wrong path.
We have to pause and reflect.
Why are we neglecting ourselves in order to be perceived a certain way?
Why are we unwilling to realize we have some shit going on that we have to deal with?
When are we going to realize we have to clean up our room?
We may have taken it for granted in the past but now it must become our #1 priority.
We can’t see the forest through the trees. We also don’t know how big it is. Are we standing in someone’s one-acre backyard or in the Amazon rainforest?
Oftentimes, our problems can get pushed to the side and avoided for a short time but if they go unresolved they can resurface and weigh us down creating a bigger burden than if we addressed them head-on.
When problems or feelings arise, zoom out. Look at the big picture. Look at it from different angles. Look at what happens if we solve it now versus pushing it off.
We have to have the courage to get out of the shadows and expose ourselves to what’s happening.
It might be one of the only ways we can free ourselves.
We see pictures and videos of people doing cool things, exploring life, appearing happy, and all of that excitement shines through in their expressions and actions.
But what often gets missed is the pain behind those smiles.
The family member dealing with cancer
The dog they had to put to sleep
The thin thread that is holding their marriage together
The stress of financial shortcomings
We are all going through stuff and even when it looks like we are the only ones suffering, it isn’t.
We have to remember that in our lowest moments everyone is going to appear happy. We want them to be happy but we know that life is also happening to them. Just like it is for us.
We have to know that whatever we are going through “this too shall pass” and we’ll have the opportunity to be happy ourselves once again.
We have to believe it.
That’s the only way we can move on.
Growth begins through pain.
Nobody that’s changed their mindset, perspective, or worldview started that way under clear blue skies.
It happens with dark clouds overhead. It’s probably hailing golf-ball-sized pellets. There is no cover in sight.
We are exposed.
But, like a passing thunderstorm turning to a bright colorful rainbow, when people see us happier and driving our purpose forward they think it’s always been this way.
They don’t realize all of the pain we’ve endured and can’t imagine the struggle.
Because it wasn’t their storm to weather.
But we know what we’ve been through.
And we know, whether we want to admit it or not, that we’d go through it again.
Because we know it’s made us stronger.
It’s made us more resilient.
It’s made us more grateful.
It’s made us more fierce than we’ve ever been before.
It’s through the painfully dark days that bring the bright sunlight.
Now, it’s up to us to share that warmth with the world.
Bracing through a storm can be very challenging but it’s when we see the flowers start to bloom on the other side we knew it was worth it.
We shouldn’t look at every bad situation and think it’s the end of the world.
It might just be the turning point to something more beautiful.
Something more spectacular.
Something more magical than we ever could’ve imagined.
We fear heights but most of us have never fallen.
We fear rejection but when it happens it barely affects us more than for a short time afterward.
We fear failure but what have we really lost when we failed before?
Yes, self-limiting beliefs since childhood will do it. But, maybe it’s the story we tell ourselves about the “event” that hasn’t happened yet that we fear to be doing.
Fear is daunting. But it’s the stories that are the problem, not normally the “event” itself.
We are the problem that is holding ourselves back from exploring and experiencing more.
We just have to get out of our own heads about it. We have to have the courage to reframe the situation.
We have to relish that, whether good or bad, we’ll grow from this experience.
With that reframing in our heads, the possibilities are endless.
EPISODE 178: The Laundromat Millionaire
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Episode 178 features Dave “Laundromat Millionaire” Menz, a laundromat industry veteran and the owner of the Queen City Laundry Chain of Laundromats in
Cincinnati Ohio.
Find Dave Online:
Website: www.laundromatmillionaire.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-laundromat-millionaire-menz/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7nSEWmFmKl5l55T5icmNVw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laundromatmillionaire
About Dave:
Dave “Laundromat Millionaire” Menz is a laundromat industry veteran and the owner of the Queen City Laundry Chain of Laundromats in Cincinnati Ohio.
His inspirational journey from poverty to becoming a millionaire has inspired many entrepreneurs to try and overcome their own obstacles while building wealth.
Dave is the author of the book “Laundromat Millionaire” to be released on October 1, 2021, and the host of the Laundromat Millionaire Business Podcast.
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If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Seth Godin, Author, Founder and Speaker
EPISODE 176: Creator of Body Groove
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Episode 176 features Misty Tripoli, the founder of The World GROOVE, a movement that has inspired millions of people to dance their hearts out and reclaim their authenticity through physical movement and self-reflection.
Find Misty Online:
Website: https://theworldgroovemovement.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mistytripoli/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mistytripoli
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MistyTripoli
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Misty.Tripoli/
About Misty:
Misty is the founder of The World GROOVE, a movement that has inspired millions of people to dance their hearts out and reclaim their authenticity through physical movement and self-reflection.
Background-wise, Misty was an Elite Instructor for Nike for over 5 years and worked with companies like Reebok, Skechers, and YogaWorks.
In addition to being the Creator of The Groove Method™ and Body Groove and Founder of The World Groove Movement, Misty is also a self-titled Truth Warrior.
She is best known for her ability to enlighten others with her keep-it-real, tell-it-like-it-is, no-holds-barred approach to life and of course her powerful gift of getting people to dance their hearts out and reclaim their authenticity through movement and self reflection.
Misty has been a movement and dance addict her whole life. In the early 2000’s, at the top of her game and under contract with NIKE as a Global Elite Athlete, Director of a top health club in California and in demand working with companies like Reebok, Sketchers, YogaWorks and Equinox she was also severely bulimic, overworked and exhausted. She cracked.
When the illusion came crashing down she woke up to something extremely powerful and liberating: the Groove Truths. From here she launched her global company The World Groove Movement and shares her story and passion for movement, inspiring millions to come together and get their Groove on! She continues to travel the world igniting communities and encouraging hearts to come together to be authentic, creative and have as much fun as humanly possible.
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If you enjoyed this interview you may also like my Just Get Started Podcast Interview with Amanda Kelly Espiritu, Founder of Creative Surrender Studios
Anyone that strives for any sort of happiness or a life of fulfillment, whatever that means for you, has to go through the hard struggle that never comes easy and it also never comes fast.
We are trained to set goals for ourselves and visions of the future, which can be good in a way. But, if we are not careful, they can also become a detriment to our daily practice and consistency.
We can get so focused on the big picture and feel like we are so far away from it that it can actually discourage us from making progress. We might feel that a small project we are doing today isn’t as important so we put it off. Hours turn into days, days into weeks, weeks into months. We never actually get around to doing that thing.
Trying to achieve a big dream is like cutting the grass on a football field with a pair of kids’ scissors. You can grind through a day and not make any headway at all. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t working.
Each obstacle we run into, each moment of despair, and each roadblock are all opportunities to get creative and look at the problem in a new way, maybe a different way than we’ve ever considered. This enlightenment could be the very catalyst that creates a new path of learning and propels us forward more quickly than before.
It’s rarely the accomplishments that advance us the most. We need to get comfortable with riding on the struggle bus and relish all of the opportunities of learning that come with that process.
Remember, it’s not the destination but the path that got us there that ends up being the most rewarding.
