Welcome to the fourth installment of a 4-part series called “The gift of being fully present.”  During these episodes, we’ve been getting you powerful and practical strategies to help you to BE IN THE MOMENT and be FULLY PRESENT more often.  With this episode, we’re going to get you a strategy that might seem counterintuitive to living more in the present… BUT… trust me… it’s going to help to infuse the here and now… with some joy, some hope and even some fun.  And it’s something that’s going to be soooooooo important as we all march into 2021.  It’s called “Intentional Anticipation” and I can’t wait to get it to you!  #letsdothis

RESOURCES:

• PART 1 of the Give the Gift of Being Fully Present: The First Question www.mitchmatthews.com/302 
• PART 2 of the Give the Gift of Being Fully Present: The Experiment www.mitchmatthews.com/303 
• PART 3 of the Give the Gift of Being Fully Present: The Christmas Carol Method  www.mitchmatthews.com/304 
• The Study on Travel and Anticipation: US National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health 
• The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor:  www.shawnachor.com/books
• The Undefeated Mind by Dr. Alex Lickerman: Click here.
• The best 100 Movies Ranked by the American Film Institute: Click here

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:02 Welcome to part four!
• 1:33 What to expect today
• 2:42 Episode begins
• 4:20 What is coming up in January
• 5:07 The concept of novelty
• 7:30 The gift of anticipation
• 16:00 Giving yourself permission
• 19:15 Set a date
• 21:09 How Mitch is implementing this in his family
• 23:02 Grow your hope muscle
• 24:11 Mitch’s wish for you this season
• 25:40 Share this episode with a friend

THE EPISODE - TRANSCRIPTION: 

Okay… in episode 304… you may remember that we talked about something I call the “The Christmas Carol Method” of being in the moment.

We talked about questions about your past and questions about your present... to help you feel more gratitude and to help you to live more in the here and now.

Well… today we’re going to be talking about the future and something I call, “Intentional Anticipation.”

It’s a strategy that can build a sense of hope and excitement… and even joy… right here.  

Right now.  

Now… you might be saying… “Woah amigo, hold up!!!  I thought we were talking about living more in the NOW… and being more present.  Doesn’t thinking about the future move us out of that?”

And… if you’re asking that… you’re flippin’ brilliant.  

Because yes… sometimes… thinking about the future… and all the things that are outside of our control… can… let’s be honest… start to freak us out.

In fact, I love a quote I recently heard from the late great Janice Joplin, she said, 

“You can destroy your NOW, 

by worrying about your tomorrow.”  

Amen to THAT.

BUT… I want to be clear… that’s not what we’re doing.

What we’re talking about today is “Intentional Anticipation.”

And since this is DREAM THINK DO… we’re going to introduce you to the concept… get you some science to back it up… AND most importantly… show you how to use it in 15 minutes or less.  

How does that sound?  

Okay… cool… let’s do this!

Now… in January… we’re going to be getting you a few episodes that focus on the subject of happiness.  

Not in some airy-fairy kind of way… but we’re going to be digging into the science and application of feeling happy… more often. 

And… I can’t wait to get those episodes to you.

But… as we start to head that direction… I want to share a few things I’ve been learning there… and add them to our subject of being more present and living in the moment more.

So… one of the things I’ve been learning about as a key to having more happiness is the concept of “novelty.”  

The idea… that although we like it when certain things stay the same… one of the things that brings a sense of happiness is a sense of novelty.

That sense that every so often… we get to experience something NEW.

Something out of the norm.  

Something unusual.  

It can be little things like… 

Buying and wearing some new clothes.  Or reading a new book. 

Or… trying a food we haven’t tasted before or driving down a road we’ve never explored.

Or… things like...

Visiting a city we’ve never gone to before.

Meeting a new person and getting to know them.

Buying a new piece of technology… or a new toy.

Novelty.

Just think about it… and I’m betting you know exactly what I’m talking about.  

That sense of NEWNESS can spark a sensation of joy and excitement.

And… just as importantly… ANTICIPATING something new can spark that feeling almost as much… if not more… joy and excitement… as the experience itself.  

Heck, there’s a LOT of research to back this up.  

In fact, it's called the Science of Anticipation.

Let me give you some examples:

There was one study published in the National Institutes of Health that looked at people who were getting ready to go on vacation.  

It tracked them and their sense of self-perceived happiness before, during and after the trip… compared to a control group who didn’t take a trip at all.  

One of the things that surprised researchers was that the highest levels of happiness seemed to occur leading up to the vacation… as opposed to during the trip… or post trip.

Maybe you can identify with that.  

Seriously… think about vacations you’ve taken in the past.  

Can you remember the excitement you felt leading up to the trip?  The planning?  The fun you had imagining visiting that one particular restaurant… or riding that one ride you’d heard so much about… or dipping your toes in that sand of that one beach a friend had told you about.  

Ohhhhhhh yeah.  

The anticipation.

I came across another example of this in the book, The Happiness Advantage.  The author cites a study in which people who just thought about watching their favorite movies actually raised their endorphin levels by 27%. 

He said researchers concluded that, 

“Anticipating future rewards can actually light up 

the pleasure centers in your brain 

as much as the actual reward itself will.”

I bet you’ve experienced this too… right?  

Just looking forward to something made you feel better.

It’s like how Dr. Alex Lickerman put it in his book The Undefeated Mind, 

“Anticipating something pleasant seems to 

have almost unequaled power to make our present glow.”

I bet you know exactly what these researchers are talking about.

I bet you’ve felt that anticipation of something new… and got some good mental juice out of it.   Right?  

It feels good.  

And… the research suggests… we can do some things to intentionally harness that joy… and experience the joy… the fun… even the hope that comes from that anticipation… more often.  

Especially IF we’re intentional about it.

Hence… our term: “Intentional Anticipation.

And I’m going to get you those strategies in just a second.

BUT before we go there… I HAVE to speak to a couple of things.

Let’s call them a couple of big ol’ elephants… or maybe… in 2020… better said, a couple of potential grizzly bears in the room.

Here’s the deal… I bet you’re tracking with me… BUT we have to deal with that big ol’ BUT that might be brewing deep down on the inside for you.

We have to admit that our ability to enjoy anticipation has truly taken a beating this year.  

Can I get an amen?

There’s a good chance that if you’re listening to this… heck… if you’re breathing… you’ve had something BIG get postponed or canceled this year.

A trip.  A big event.  Something important.

A graduation. A dance. A wedding. A business event. A vacation. A conference.

Heck… we’ve got a lot of college students that listen to DREAM THINK DO… so there is a VERY good chance it’s impacted the way you’re doing college or even made it so you’re delaying college for the year.  

Or… maybe you have young kiddos… and it’s a day by day thing on whether you’re going to be teaching MATH… SCIENCE… and SOCIAL STUDIES… WHILE also navigating your life and your career.

Or… maybe it’s the 17th hundredth zoom meeting… as opposed to being in the same room with people.

And… heck… even the holidays.  Everything feels like it’s up in the air… and that it constantly has the potential of shifting on us.

So yeah… we’ve got to talk about THAT… right? 

Because if we don’t… this all can seem pretty empty… and all rainbows and unicorns… as opposed to something you can REALLY use.

So… IF YOU ONLY HEAR THIS ONE THING… I would love for it to be this:

INTENTIONAL ANTICIPATION in THIS season means giving yourself permission to cherish and look forward to the small stuff.  

Or… more accurately said… this might mean looking forward to things that we might have considered the “small stuff” in the past… but we’re realizing it’s the wildly BIG stuff.

I’ll give you an example.  

Admittedly… this might be a bit dorky… but I think it will help.

If you’ve been listening to DREAM THINK DO for a while… you know my family is into movies.  

It’s our jam.  

And I don’t know how many opening night movies we’ve been to… but… seriously… if the Matthews clan was looking forward to a movie… there was a VERY good chance… we were there on opening night.

We did it for the excitement of it… the fun of it.  Heck… I didn’t realize it at the time… it was for the anticipation and the novelty of it.

AND to be COMPLETELY honest… we wanted to make sure some major part of the movie or the big twist wasn’t ruined by some jackhole who put a spoiler out on social media.

It was always fun… BUT if I’m honest… it had started to become a bit of a “given” that’s what we’d do.  

Heck, I’ll be the first to say we’d probably even started to take it for granted… and could almost be passe about it.

Well… as you can imagine… we haven’t been to an opening night movie premiere since March.  

So when I heard Wonder Woman 1984 was going to open on Christmas night… I bought tickets that same day I heard about it.  

And we’ve been looking forward to it ever since.

BUT… if I’m being fully honest… I have to admit that part of me that didn’t want to look forward to it… because so many different things have been canceled… or changed… or postponed this year.

So… I had to give myself PERMISSION to look forward to it.

And… as the research would suggest… I’ve been enjoying that sense of anticipation. 

Yes… part of it feels like a risk… BUT… I’m allowing myself to enjoy it.

Now… in full disclosure… I have a backup plan… because in this scenario… if something happens and the movie theater gets shut down for COVID reasons… I’ll grab a subscription to HBO Max… because they’re premiering it on the same day!

By the way… although I really enjoyed the first one… I’m not a HUGE WonderWoman fan.  BUT my wife is a HUGE Wonder Woman fan… and I’m a HUGE fan of my wife… so we’re doing it.  

AND… we’re both allowing ourselves the chance to look forward to it.

Oh… and as a side note... I want to also say… that neither Wonder Woman 1984 or HBO Max are currently sponsors of the DREAM THINK DO podcast…  but we ARE willing to discuss that with you… if you or someone you know… are connected to either.  HA!!!

But seriously… deep down… I realized I had to give myself permission to LOOK FORWARD to something like this again.

I know it might be kind of a weird example… but can you relate?

Here’s another quick example.  

Obviously… many of our family gatherings are looking WAY different.  

Yours probably are too!

I have to admit… around Thanksgiving time… I was pretty GRUMPY about that.

But… as I started to understand this concept of INTENTIONAL ANTICIPATION… especially after THIS year… I started to realize the importance of permission.

That we have to give ourselves permission to… first... feel all the feels.

With this year… we need to give ourselves permission to feel the frustration… the weariness… the crabbiness… all of it.

But then… when we’re ready… to start to also give ourselves permission to look forward to some NEW things.

So… like I said… over Thanksgiving… I was still pretty grumpy about how different things needed to be.

But now… I’m giving myself permission to get creative with some of these NEW… and very hopefully… temporary ways of doing the holidays.

So… we’re going to do a bunch of things with our extended families… virtually… and I’m going to give myself permission to look forward to them and be in the moment as we do them.

And… I’m actually starting to feel the difference.  

I’m starting to feel some hope… some joy… heck… even some fun… start to break through.  

And hey… #realtalk… those feeling have been hard to come by this year.  

And that’s what I want for YOU too.  

THE STEPS:

So… if you’re tracking with me...  let’s start to talk about some SPECIFIC steps to help us to harness the POWER of INTENTIONAL ANTICIPATION.  

STEP 1: PERMISSION

So… INTENTIONAL ANTICIPATION starts with PERMISSION.

We have to give ourselves the permission to look forward to something again.  

It’s so simple… and so important… 

After that… the rest just flows.  

STEP 2: Get SPECIFIC 

Get specific with something you want to do or experience.

Now… since it’s 2020 and 2021… we need to keep things simple.  

So, for this to work  RIGHT NOW… these things most likely can’t be BIG things like… global travel… or big events involving thousands of people.

BUT they can be fun… and they can be important things.  

AND... they can pull in some of that NOVELTY we were talking about earlier.

Some examples might be…

• What’s a park (within a 2 hour radius) you’ve never been to?  
• Set a date and go check that out. 
• What’s a favorite movie you haven’t seen in a while?
• Or… what’s a movie you’ve always wanted to watch… but haven’t?
• Set a date and watch it together.
• I’ll put a link to some of the top 100 movies of all time in the show notes to get you some more ideas here.
• What’s a favorite food we haven’t eaten in a while?
• Or… what’s a food you’ve always wanted to try?
• Set a date and cook it together.

The key is to get specific.

STEP 3: PUT IT ON THE CALENDAR

Seriously… write it down.  

Or put it on your google calendar.  

Invite someone to do it with you… either virtually or in person.

And then… 

STEP 4: ENJOY THE ANTICIPATION

Seriously. 

Simply enjoy the anticipation.

That’s right.  

Give yourself permission to enjoy looking forward to it.

And… give yourself permission to not have it have to be PERFECT to enjoy it when that THING comes. 

Sound good? 

I’ll give you one last example as we’re wrapping up.  

As I said earlier… my family is kind of a “movie family.”  

We enjoy watching them and our two sons write, direct and act in some.  

AND… thanks to COVID… both sons are currently home and living with us.

Well... a while back… we were looking for some fun ways to mix things up… find some novelty… and… let’s be real… we were looking for something that couldn’t get canceled or postponed.  

SO… we decided to challenge ourselves to EACH come up with a list of our 10 favorite movies.  

Super simple.  

By the way... this list… was not about how successful they were or their critical acclaim.  

This list was all about the movie’s impact on US… and how much we enjoyed them.

Then… we set up a date to reveal the lists.

And… on that day… we all presented our lists to each other. 

As we did… we each talked through our lists and why each movie was in our top ten.  

It was a lot of fun.

But the best part… is that since then… we’ve been systematically… going through our lists to enjoy the movies together.  

Each month we’ve been setting some time aside to watch a movie and then talk through it.  

It’s been fun and although… I’ll be the first to say… that each movie we’ve watched hasn’t always been my favorite… we’ve had fun and we’ve learned a lot about each other!  

So, I offer that… not as prescriptive but as descriptive of something you could do.

Maybe… for you… it’s not movies... maybe it’s board games.

Or… maybe it’s favorite sports ball memories… (Yeah… sorry… I’m just not much of a sports guy… but you get what I mean!)

Maybe it’s watching favorite youtube videos together.

Decide on something.

Put a date on the calendar… even if it’s tomorrow.

Enjoy the anticipation.

And then… BE in the moment… whether it goes EXACTLY as you planned… or not… enjoy it.

What do you think?  

Are you in?

I hope so.

And one last thing.  

I wanted to share why I think THIS episode might be the most important of our 4 part series.

I’ll TOTALLY admit that I didn’t realize this when we started… but it dawned on me as I was thinking through all of this.

It’s that… I really do think we’re going to need to heal up our ability and our willingness to look forward to stuff.

To anticipate GOOD stuff… and not just dread bad news… postponements and changed plans.

You know what I mean?

I think we’re going to have to work that “hope” muscle and the “anticipation” muscle a bit… because they’ve taken a bit of a beating this year.  

Right?

That’s why I think THIS subject is so important.

But hey… if there ever was a time of year to talk about giving yourself permission to feel hope again… and to anticipate some good things...  it seems like Christmas time is the PERFECT time to do that.   

And hey… I know our DREAM THINK DO family is very diverse… and I know that not everyone who’s listening right now celebrates Christmas… but whether you do… or whether you don’t… I hope you know that I love you… and I’m so grateful we’re on this journey together!

And for those who do celebrate CHRISTMAS… I hope you have a wonderful… wonder-filled time!

And to everyone… I hope over this Holiday season…  even though it may look very different than other years… I hope you can find specific things to look forward to… and then get to fully enjoy them… as you’re more fully present and more fully in the moment… as they come!

Cool?  

Cool.

Okay… just a few last logistics… as we’re wrapping up. 

 

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Hit me up with your thoughts and comments below!   

PLUS… please please please… share this episode.  

If it resonated with you… please share it with others… because I really do think we’re going to need to be intentional about working our “hope” and our “anticipation” muscles… and it’s a whole lot more fun to get to do that together!

And lastly… know I’m going to be taking next few weeks off to be with my family.

So… we’ll skip a week or two and then we’ll be bringing you our next episode… episode 306… which is going to be awesome… and so much fun… in early January.  And I can’t wait to get it to you!

But until then… until we connect again… keep bringing your awesome.  Because the world… needs more of it!

Welcome to part 3 in our series called “The gift of being fully present.”  It’s specifically designed to help you to live more fully in the PRESENT… especially during this wildly important time of year… AND… amid… one of the wildest years of all time.  And whether you’ve caught the first two in the series or not… I think you’ll be glad you’re catching this one!  Oh… and I’ll warn you… we’re going to have some fun… but we’re going to be getting real… and raw… with this one… but I think that’s CRITICAL… as we’re getting you real-world strategies that work!

RESOURCES:

 

• PART 1 of the Give the Gift of Being Fully Present: www.mitchmatthews.com/302 
• PART 2 of the Give the Gift of Being Fully Present: www.mitchmatthews.com/303 
• An Interview with Sara Yourgrau: The 5 Non-Negotiables for YOUR Ideal Day: https://mitchmatthews.com/294/ 
• A Fun Top 10 List of the Best “Christmas Carol” Movies: Click here.

 

QUESTIONS TO HELP WITH THE CHRISTMAS CAROL METHOD:

 

Sample “Past” Questions:

 

• Who are a few people from your past that you’re grateful for?

• What’s an experience from your past that you’re grateful for?

• What’s an experience from your past that… at first… you thought was really bad, but it eventually turned into something that helped you?

• What’s an experience from your past that you now laugh about?

 

 

Sample “Present” Questions:

 

• What’s something you could be grateful for right now?

• What’s something (big or small) from this season of your life that makes you smile?

• What’s something you’re grateful for… today?

 

 

Sample “Future” Questions:

 

• What’s something small but significant that you’re looking forward to?

• What’s something that you’re really looking forward to doing in 2021?

• What’s something (big or small) you’re looking forward to over the holidays… even in 2020?

 

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:02 Welcome to part three!
• 2:04 Episode starts
• 2:31 The Christmas Carol Method
• 4:37 Lessons from Ebenezer
• 6:45 What do you do when you are hurting?
• 7:30 Episode 300 woes 
• 9:56 How Mitch used the Christmas Carol Method
• 12:48 What is coming up next week
• 14:56 How Mitch's family used the Christmas Carol Method

MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE: (The Transcript) 

 

So… we’ve been talking strategies… and in many cases… we’ve been asking ourselves some simple but powerful questions… to help us to LIVE in the moment… more often… so we don’t miss out on the “good stuff” in life.

 

Which brings us to today’s strategy and it’s something I’m calling “The Christmas Carol Method.”

 

It’s something to help us stir up joy and gratitude in the here and now.

 

GRATITUDE IN THE HERE AND NOW:

 

So… if you’ve been a student of being fully present… and trying to live in the moment more often… you’ve heard about the power of gratitude.  

 

Plus, in the past, we’ve talked about how gratitude can help the brain to release things like endorphins, dopamine and serotonin.  Basically these things are your body’s natural antidepressants… and your body’s “feel good” hormones… which makes it MUCH easier to feel a sense of peace… and it makes it easier to FOCUS too.

 

Plus, it’s just good to walk around with more of a sense of gratitude.  

 

So… obviously… tapping into gratitude is a core tool to helping us live a better life and to live in the moment more often too!  

 

BUT… you might be asking, 

“BUT… how do we get there?  

And I mean… seriously… in a year like THIS?”

 

That IS a good question.

 

Enter… the “Christmas Carol Method.”

 

QUICK BACKGROUND ON THE “CHRISTMAS CAROL METHOD”

 

Okay… so you remember Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol.  We’ve got ourEbenezer Scrooge who’s living the bah-hum-bug life and goes around being grumpy all the time.

 

Well… then he gets visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and then of Christmas Future… and they whack him the gratitude stick and help him right his ways... to reveal one of the best Christmas Goose stories of all time.

 

Seriously… if you’ve ever watched one of the various versions of the movie… whether it’s the one with live action one with Patrick Stewart… or the animated one with Jim Carrey… or the Muppets version with Sir Michael Caine or even “Scrooged” with Bill Murray… the pay off is when Scrooge comes to his senses and chooses to live in the present… he chooses to be generous… and he chooses to be grateful for what he has.  AND he lives in a freedom that has been eluding him his whole life.  It’s awesome.  And sooooooo powerful!  Yeah… I love that story.

 

The reason why we need it… is because one of the central ways that people suggest moving into gratitude is broken.  It can be flawed.  Especially for a year like 2020.  What am I talking about?

 

Well… if you look at most content written about stirring up gratitude… you will find that the person recommends asking yourself the question, 

 

What can you be grateful for… right now?”

 

Now… that IS a good question to ask.  And the person suggesting it is probably wanting you to think of something BIG or small… elaborate or simple… to help you feel grateful… in this very moment.

 

And THAT is a good thing.  In fact, I agree with it… in most cases.

 

BUT… what about those times when you’re up against it?  What about those times when you’ve been punched in the gut… and you’re hurting?

 

I can tell you… if you’re there… and someone tells you to stir up some gratitude by asking WHAT CAN YOU BE GRATEFUL FOR IN THIS MOMENT???”  

 

I know my response might be, “I’m grateful I’ve got TWO middle fingers to flip you off with!”

 

Ha!  Sorry… but it’s true.  Right?

 

Here’s some of that #realtalk I was promising.  

 

May I share a story with you from MY life to illustrate this point? 

 

Well… a few weeks ago… and I can tell you EXACTLY which week it was because it was the week that episode 300 came out.

 

That was a major milestone for me.  5+ years of podcasting.  Connecting with you guys.  Growing a community of DREAM THINK DOers around the globe.  And I was ready to celebrate!

 

Well… THAT week… we had an issue with some tech that helps to support the podcast.  I won’t go into the details… but the short version of the story is… on THAT week… the very week we were set to celebrate 300 episodes… well… that tech broke. 

 

And… as a result… we lost 80% of our subscribers.

 

Gonzo.  Gone.  On alllllll platforms. Just gone.

 

Now… we went to work to correct things and we were assured things would be corrected… but it might take a month… and when we pushed them… they admitted to saying there was a risk that the subscribers… might never come back.

 

Yeah… that would have been really tough news ANY week… but that it hit THAT week made it especially tough.

 

So… let’s be real.  

 

I was trying to find ways to stay inspired… to stay on track… to keep it together… And I’ll tell you… that if someone would have come at me with a “What are you grateful for RIGHT NOW???”  I would have lost it on them.

 

Amen?

 

I’m sorry… but I would have.  

 

And heck… I even tried it.  I had gotten hit hard… so knew I needed to get my head on straight.  I needed to get it back together.  But I just couldn’t muster an answer to the “What could I be grateful for in this moment?”

 

So… I leaned on this “Christmas Carol Method.”

 

I asked myself, “What’s something I could be grateful for from the past?”

 

As I asked that… I got hit with some good memories.  

 

Gradually… not immediately… but gradually they started to come.   And some of those even helped me to remember sometimes when we’d been hit before… and the getting back up wound up working… and in some cases… wound up being pretty rich experiences.

 

And as you can imagine… those memories… helped me to remember that God loves me… and that I’m never alone. 

They helped me to remember my family and friends… people who came alongside me in the past.

 

It helped me to remember times when we’d gotten hit… and we got back up!  And heck… sometimes those set backs wound up being set ups for some of the biggest breakthroughs!

 

You know what I’m talking about.

 

I needed that.

 

So yeah… if asking yourself the “What could I be grateful for right now” question is just too hard… too tender.  Try using the “Christmas Carol Method” to go back to the past to muster up some gratitude there first.

 

I will say that once I did that… well it took a few sessions… but… once I did that… it was a lot easier to find some simple things to be grateful for in the moment.

 

Which also helped me to feel a little better about my future too.

 

Which… BY THE WAY… can be the last step with the Christmas Carol Method… and that’s to ask yourself the question, 

 

“What are a few things I’m looking forward to in the future?” 

 

BUT… hey… one of the things we’ll be talking about NEXT WEEK as we wrap up our 4 part series… is the POWER OF ANTICIPATION.

 

So… we won’t get into A LOT of thinking about the future… right now.

 

BUT… trust me, there’s a LOT of power in “intentional anticipation.”

 

But know… a strategy around asking some powerful questions about the future can really help too.

 

So… can you see why we call it the “Christmas Carol Method?”

 

We’re pulling in memories from the past, gratitude in the present and anticipation in the future… to help you to be MORE in the moment… right now.

 

Make sense?

 

Now… two quick follow up stories.

 

One… It’s been almost 4 weeks since episode 300 and our kick in the ol’ crotch of losing all those subscribers.  It was humbling and tough… BUT these strategies… some prayer… my family… my team… AND YOU GUYS got me through it… and I’m VERY happy to announce that things are fixed and our subscribers are back!!!  In fact… we had our second biggest download day in a year at the end of last week!  

 

And I can tell you that I don’t wish that experience on ANYONE… but I’m soooooooo much more grateful for every one of you… now!!!

 

Speaking of that… if you haven’t subscribed… please do!!!  We’d LOVE to have you… and I’ll be even more grateful for you… than I’ve ever been!!!

 

Two… as I was prepping for this episode… I realized that using the Christmas Carol Method has been something I’ve been doing… but I hadn’t really shared it with my family.  

 

So… just for fun… I asked them if they’d be open to experimenting with me… and being DREAM THINK DO guinea pigs… AGAIN.  (I always test stuff out on my family…  Hey… anything to help YOU guys.  HA!)  But I walked them through the concept…

 

 

• The power of gratitude and finding things to be grateful for each day

• The realization that some days are just harder than others… so it may not be realistic… or even helpful... to try to find something to be grateful for in THIS moment… but to tip the hat to the past and to think of memories to be grateful for could help.

• THEN to think of something they’re grateful for and maybe… just maybe… have something to look forward to (big or small).

 

 

Well… we did it last night after putting up some Christmas decorations.  

 

Boxes were everywhere.  Ornament packaging was all over.  Old news paper from protecting stuff was strewn all over the place… but we sat and talked.

 

Stories of old Christmases… favorite teachers who got us through tough times… tough experiences that made us tougher.

 

Now… it wasn’t as perfect as one of those Hallmark Christmas movies… but it was pretty darn close and I can say… it’ll be one of my favorite memories of 2020.

 

So, I wanted to encourage you to try out the Christmas Carol Method yourself… and invite someone else to do it with you.

 

Just see where it takes you!

 

And also… stay tuned for our 4th segment of this series next week!  Like I said… we’re going to be diving into the concept of INTENTIONAL ANTICIPATION and having some fun with exploring how LOOKING FORWARD in the right way… can help us LIVE IN THE MOMENT more too!

 

So… hit subscribe… so you don’t miss it… AND until next time… keep bringing your awesome… because the world needs more of IT!

 

I CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Comment and let me know how you use the “Christmas Carol Method!”  Seriously… I can’t wait to hear from you.

 

Welcome to episode 303… and specifically… part two in our brand new series called “The gift of being fully present.” This series is specifically designed to help you to live more fully in the PRESENT.  Because if we can fully live in the moment more often… THEN… we can soak up more of the good stuff.  AND bring more of the good stuff into the world too.  That means loving well... bringing excellence... and having more fun... even in 2020!  It means taking action when and where we need to AND it also means resting… actually resting... and finding a sense of peace... once in a while too!  I know… I know… it’s a big task… especially with the goal of keeping these episodes to under 15 minutes… but I think we’re up for the task.  So… let’s get to this!  

RESOURCES:

PART 1 of the Give the Gift of Being Fully Present: www.mitchmatthews.com/302

2 Minutes to Confidence. mitchmatthews.com/246

MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE: (The Transcript)

Okay… so last week… in episode 302… we talked about WHY we want to live more in the present… more in the here and now. Plus… in that last episode… we talked about starting with a simple experiment.

That was catching yourself sometimes and asking the question,

What am I doing... right now?

And then to take a deep breath as you do.

It’s a simple 2-step exercise… but I know it’s been a bit of a game-changer for me.  How about you?  How did it go?

Did you find yourself using the question to edge yourself back… ever so slightly... to the here and now?  I heard from some of you.

In fact, long-time Canadian DREAM THINK DOer “Cathy B” let me know that when she was feeling on the verge of distraction and overwhelm… she used the exercise.  One specific example she offered was… when it helped her to feel grateful for an email she’d just received from her daughter.  It was a simple email… but it was about something Cathy‘s been dreaming about and working on for a while.  She said the exercise of just pausing… and taking a deep breath… and coming back the moment…   during such a simple thing as reading an email…  

The question… and the deep breath… helped her to truly take in that moment and appreciate the email… and the effort that her daughter took to write it.  She said it really warmed her heart… and made that moment even more special.  She didn’t miss it.

How cool is that?  Let me know how it went for you!  I want to hear from you.

Okay… well… with THIS episode, I also promised to do three things:

• Get you some brain science 
• Help you to beat the “distraction habit” 
• AND… give you a new question to experiment with 

SOME BRAIN SCIENCE TO LIVE MORE IN THE PRESENT:

Okay… so you guys know I’m fascinated with the brain.  

I was a solid C+ science student in high school and college… but since then… I’ve just fallen in love with studying how our brain works… and how… if we understand those things… we can do things to dream bigger… think better and do more of what we were put on the planet to do.

Well… the brain is wonderfully and beautifully made… and there are soooooo many aspects to it… that we could talk for YEARS on all the different facets and aspects that are happening in our math cans as we’re working on living in the moment more… 

BUT since we’re keeping things short and I want to get right to something that’s going to help you immediately… I want to really key in on TWO main areas of the brain.

THE TWO PARTS WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY ARE: 

The basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex.

Now… if you’re a big fan of talking about the brain… give me a fist pump in the air and say… “I’m all in.”

BUT if you’re not… hang with me because we’re going to explain things in a way where it will help you to be more present… AND you’ll be able to impress your friends at your next Zoom dinner party!

First… we’ll talk about the basal ganglia.  

It’s what I call the brain’s “Project Manager.”

It’s the part of our brain that is constantly looking for patterns… systems… subconscious checklists… and you guessed it… habits.  

It’s primary job is to try to figure out ways of doing things… so the brain doesn’t have to work as much.

Just like a good project manager, it loves to tell the rest of the brain, “Hey… relax… just do your thing.  I’ve got this!”  

For example… the basal ganglia is the part of your brain that allows you to hop in your car and drive to the store… BUT when you pull into the store’s parking lot… you catch yourself thinking, “Wow.  I remember leaving my driveway… but I couldn’t tell you one other thing about that drive!”

I bet you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about… but here’s something you can do for fun… to really experience the full power of YOUR basal ganglia.  

Here’s an experiment.  

If you want to mess with your basal ganglia… if you want to “prove” to yourself that it’s there… 

When you go to do your bedtime routine tonight…  brush your teeth with the opposite hand you normally use.  

Seriously… your BG will try to wrestle you to the ground because it’s saying, “BUT WAIT… THAT’S NOT HOW WE DO THINGS!!!”

Or… as you drive to the store next time… take a street you NEVER take.  

Yes… it might add a total of 2 minutes to the trip… but do it. 

YOUR inner-project manager will revolt… BUT this kind of exercise is REALLY good for you so you can feel your Basal Ganglia in action.

But this type of experiment is also really good because it REALLY helps to wake up the second part of the brain we’re going to talk about next.

And THAT is the PREFRONTAL CORTEX.  

The Brain’s PFC is the brain’s BIG BOSS.

It’s designed to override a lot of the systems in the brain.

BUT like a good boss… in order to work it’s magic… it has to be engaged.

The basal ganglia is constantly looking for ways to say to the boss, “Don’t worry about a thing!  I’ve got a system for that.”  

Or… “Work on other stuff, I’ve got a process for that.”

Don’t get me wrong… the basal ganglia doesn’t have bad intentions.  

It’s just looking for systems to make life easier.

HOWEVER… it’s just NOT always a good judge over whether those systems work.  

Enter the “distraction habit.”

Think about it.  

As you’ve probably seen in documentaries like “The Social Dilemma” or TED talks about how things like social media… or even… email can make our brains explode with dopamine and serotonin because of the sense of feedback… variety… and novelty.  

Now, we’re not going to get into whether all of that is inherently good or bad… in THIS episode… but when you think about the little bit that we’ve talked about already… you can imagine that if the basal ganglia has figured out that IF we start to feel anxious, overwhelmed and / or uncomfortable… which is kind of the 2020 trifecta… it makes sense that the basal ganglia would say, “Don’t worry about it!  I’ve got something that will make things better.”  

And then move you to a “distraction habit.”

Because… it’s learned… when we move into the “distraction habit” of grabbing your phone… your brain receives a burst of dopamine and serotonin.  

And just like how you get lost in thought on your drive to the store… and you wind up driving into that parking lot thinking, “How the heck did I get HERE???”  

The same thing can happen when we grab our phone or hop on our computer to just check social for a second… 

Maybe you’ve had the same experience where you’ve just found your phone in your hand… and your thumb is scrolling… and you find yourself saying, “I don’t even remember taking this thing out of my pocket.”

Or… “How long have I been doing this?”

I won’t say who… but someone recently totally confessed that they thought they had a toilet ring permanently tattooed to their butt… because they’d gotten so caught up in social… while “taking a break,” they spent an hour in the bathroom… and could barely walk when they went to stand up.  I know… nasty.  LOL.  BUT maybe you can identify!

So here’s the thing. 

The basal ganglia is neither good nor bad inherently… BUT it is a creature of habit.  Actually, it’s a CREATOR of habit.

So we need to be intentional about the habits we’re walking out.

The good news is that the prefrontal cortex can TOTALLY override the basal ganglia… and one of the best ways to do that is through a good question.  Because a question engages the Prefrontal Cortex… it brings it into the mix.  It steps in and says, “Wait… what are we doing?  And… just as importantly... WHY are we doing it?

Makes sense… right?  And that’s exactly why we experimented with our first question last week!  And why we’re going to introduce a NEW question this week.  

So… our question for this week is: 

“What do I want to do right now... intentionally?”

Oh… You can still take that deep breath after asking it… and that’s good!

But with this question… I want you to take an action that helps your body to get on board.  Move in some way.

Snap your fingers.

Clap your hands.

Raise a fist pump in the air.

Take some action… big or small.

If you’ve ever heard Tony Robbins talk about this kind of movement… you could say that this kind of thing would allow to have a “STATE CHANGE.”

By the way… if you want to learn more about this and the science behind how THIS type of thing works… check out episode 246 called “2 minutes to confidence.   mitchmatthews.com/246

It will make a difference.

Okay… so let’s recap. 

So here’s the specific experiment for this week.

If you feel distracted or you want to feel more in the moment:

Ask the question.  

“What do I want to do right now... intentionally?”

That’s right.  Engage the prefrontal cortex.  

Ask yourself what YOU ACTUALLY want to be doing.

Last quick example: 

I’ll say I used this just this past weekend.  

I had a lot of stuff I could be working on… and I was starting to go there as I was at the dinner table with my family.  I started to drift to all the stuff I COULD be doing or I SHOULD be doing… but I asked the question, 

“What do I want to do right now... intentionally?”

And it brought me back to an amazing conversation about how The Madolorian is one of the best… if not the best TV show of all time.

Priceless.  

Loved it.

I didn’t miss the moment… and I’m soooo grateful.

And that’s what I want for YOU too… THIS WEEK!!!

It’s like that awesome quote from Jim Elliot… 

“Wherever you are, be ALL there.” 

Try it out.

And just see what it does for you.

It may not be easy.

Heck… your basal ganglia may resist it at first.

BUT… as you do it… your basal ganglia will start to come around and start to set up NEW patterns and sequences.

So being IN the moment… and being more present… becomes your NEW go-to habit too!

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

EPISODE MINUTE BY MINUTE

• 0:02 Welcome to part two
• 2:45 Part one recap
• 5:38 How Brain Science affects you being present
• 7:07 Exercises for your basal ganglia
• 12:40 How movement actually helps you stay resent
• 14:48 Be all there

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Let me know how the experiments are going for YOU!  Leave a comment about something that’s worked for you or let me know where and how you’ve experimented with the questions.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU!!!

Until next time… keep bringing your awesome!!!

I’m Mitch Matthews and this episode is kicking off a 4 part series called, “The gift of being fully present.” These will be four short episodes… all under 15 minutes… specifically designed to help you to live more fully in the PRESENT during this holiday season.  It is so important… especially THIS year.  I mean… seriously… with 2020… it would be soooooo easy to be caught up in the past… of visions of what could have been.  And with all the potential questions about the future… we could get buried in the worries and anxiousness of what could be around the corner for 2021 and beyond!  But as you know… if you’re a DREAM THINK DOER… I believe that although this year has been a wild ride… I believe the people who are INTENTIONAL with their thoughts… as well as their habits and their resulting actions… we can even make a year like 2020… an amazing year!  More importantly… if we do this right… we can fully live in the moment and soak up incredible experiences over this holiday season.  That means loving well, bringing excellence, having fun, taking action as well as resting and finding a sense of peace… even amid all the craziness of this year!  Plus… I think if we get our thought life right… we can make 2021 our best year yet… no matter what kind of curve balls get thrown our way.  I know… it’s a tall order… especially with the goal of keeping each episode under 15 minutes… but we’re going to do it… AND we’re going to have some fun as we do this thing too.  So let’s get to this!

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:

But let’s talk about being present… fully present.  Being fully IN THE MOMENT.  We know this is important.  Heck… this is something that’s been written about...  talked about… and encouraged for centuries! 

Here are some examples:

“Children have neither a past nor a future. 

Thus they enjoy the present, which seldom happens to us.”

- Jean de La Bruyère

 

“Live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, 

find eternity in each moment.” 

-  Henry David Thoreau

 

“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow,

so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.”  

- Dalai Lama

 

“Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. 

Each moment is all we need, not more.” - Mother Teresa

 

Scripture: 

Philippians 4:6-7  

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. 

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

 

 “Wherever you are, be all there.” -Jim Elliot

 

So… yes… being fully present has been talked about for a very long time… and that makes sense… right?  Because when we’re able to achieve it… life is richer.

We’ve all had those moments of being FULLY PRESENT.  Maybe it was intentional.  Maybe it was the result of really working hard to be IN THE MOMENT… and you were able to have this amazing conversation with a friend.  Or maybe it was because of an event.  Maybe it was a vacation… or a tough life experience… and you found yourself caught up in the jaw dropping beauty of a sunrise… or the simple beauty of changing leaves on a tree.  Or… a holiday… when you had one of those moments that you cherish… not because it was Hallmark Christmas Movie perfect… but because it was messy… and unorganized… but you were able to connect with someone and it was something you’ll never forget.

But it’s those moments that can be amazing!

Now… in our NEXT episode, we’re going to cover some quick brain science to talk about two competing components of your brain that are fighting FOR and AGAINST you living in the moment… and more importantly… we’ll learn a specific strategy for winning that battle.  BUT for this episode… I’m going to give you a question.

This simple question has been a game-changer for me as of late.

 

The question is… 

“What am I doing… right now?”

Okay… okay… I’m guessing that might feel a little underwhelming… but stick with me.  Here’s a story… to help set up the question.  A few months ago… I was walking down some stairs and I almost tripped and fell.  Not because there was something on the stairs.  Not because there was a puddle of water that I slipped on… Not because someone pushed me.  Nope.  I almost fell… because I was walking down the stairs AND checking my email on my phone.

Yeah… at the same time.

Now… I’m grateful to say I didn’t get hurt and luckily no one was around to see it happen.  But that was a serious wake-up call.

I had a problem.  I mean… I’m busy and my schedule is full… but somehow I’d convinced myself that checking my email was as important as walking down a flight of stairs.  Hello?  In what world does that make sense?  And hey… we’re all about being real here… so I’m guessing you know exactly what I’m talking about.  Whether it’s checking email while on a staircase, or… checking texts while you’re in a meeting… or… checking your social media feed in the weirdest places like the bathroom or in the kitchen when you’re with your family or friends.   

This isn’t new… and, I’m not saying that email is bad… or texting is bad… or social media is bad… in and of itself.  BUT when it pulls us away from what we WANT and… or… what we NEED to be doing… it’s something we need to get intentional about.

So... with this episode… I just wanted to get you this question to experiment with.

The question is… 

“What am I doing… right now?”

 

I’ve started to use this to just draw me back to the moment.

I started with my phone.  Yeah… I started with those moments where I was tempted to grab my phone… or heck… when I was just getting started with this process… I would just find my phone in my hand… not even remembering I’d grabbed it.  That’s when I would stop and ask myself, “What am I doing… right now?”  That simple question helps you to bring your thoughts back… and to intentionally choose to overcome something we’ll call the “Distraction Habit.”  

By the way, we’ll talk more about that “Distraction Habit” in the next episode too!  So get ready.  But for now… just experiment.  

 

Let’s get specific.  Here’s the experiment.

 

STEP 1: When you catch yourself reaching for your phone

STEP 2: ASK THE QUESTION: “What am I doing… right now?”

STEP 3: THEN… follow up a simple deep breath in… and a deep breath out.  

 

Let’s see what happens with using that simple little question to bring you back to your present moment.

The goal is not necessarily massive change… but the goal is to start to be intentional about grabbing a hold of specific moments in time.  Moments that might have been lost otherwise.

“What am I doing… right now?”  Ask it.  Breath.  And just see where it takes you.

I can’t wait to hear from you.

 

EPISODE MINUTE BY MINUTE

• 0:02 What to expect this month
• 1:51 Let’s get our thought life right
• 3:45 Mitch’s favorite quotes regarding this topic
• 4:39 Mitch’s favorite verse regarding this topic
• 7:40 The question of the day
• 9:30 Experiencing the gift of being present
• 11:44 A tool to bring you back to the moment

 

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Let me know how the experiment goes.

Hit me up on social media… or leave a comment below.  Let me know what happens as you start to catch yourself and ask that simple but powerful question.

Oh… and since we’re diving into this subject of the GIFT OF BEING FULLY PRESENT all month… comment and let me know some of your favorite strategies for being fully present and in the moment too!

If I use your idea… I’ll be sure to give you a shout out in the episode!  

Lastly, be sure to invite your friends and family to join us for the series.  Let’s share the love and help more people to live in the moment too!  I can’t wait to see where this takes us!

Dr. Donny is an incredibly interesting person.  In fact, he defies a simple title or label.  For example, he’s a doctor of clinical psychology and he practiced as a clinical psychologist and taught for over a decade. Then he packed up and pursued a dream.  He moved to LA with no connections but his passion for story and his fascination with the human journey led him to his current career as both an Emmy-award winning producer and director as well as a poet.  As a producer, he’s worked on unscripted television, including CNN’s United Shades of America, TV One’s R&B Divas, ABC’s The Bachelor and his current project is Season 2 of Apple TV’s series simply called “Dear…”  AND as a POET… Donny has been a staple of the poetry and spoken word communities over the past two decades.  In fact, his new poetry collection called, “Boy” was recently published and is available wherever books are sold!  It’s an amazing conversation and I think you’re going to love it.

RESOURCES:

• Website: donnyjacksonpoetry.com/
• His book: donnyjacksonpoetry.com/boy/ 
• Facebook:www.facebook.com/donnyjacksonpoetry
• Instagram:www.instagram.com/doctordonny
• Poetry Album: donnyjackson.hearnow.com 

 

Dr. Donny is currently the Show Runner for Apple TV’s “Dear…” Click Here to watch.

 

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 1:54 Meet Dr. Donny
• 4:00 Dr. Donny’s least favorite question
• 9:32 Breaking down a big goal into small steps
• 14:18 Dr. Donny’s first job
• 18:58 How to sit down and have a great writing session
• 22:48 How Donny keep the creativity flowing
• 29:52 Giving yourself challenges
• 32:57 Dr. Donny’s advice for someone with a dream
• 37:24 Mitch’s biggest takeaways

 

WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!:

So… what did YOU think?  I’d love to hear from you.  What’s something that stood out to you from Donny’s perspective and stories?  What struck you about his approach to life… and more specifically… his approach to his dream of living in LA?  Comment and let me know.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU! www.mitchmatthews.com/301

 

Welcome to episode 300 of DREAM THINK DO! This is going to be a little like a party.  We're going to reminisce, tell some stories and celebrate.  BUT I also want to get you some specific strategies we haven't covered on any DREAM THINK DO episode before.  (Because it wouldn’t be a DTD… if we didn’t get you something you could start to use immediately… right?)  A conversation... you and me.  Some stories.  Some brand new strategies.  This is going to be fun... so let's get to this!

 

RESOURCES:

EPISODES MITCH REFERS TO:  

Punch Worry in the Face with Mitch:

• www.mitchmatthews.com/002

Special Effects Artist: Howard Berger:

• www.mitchmatthews.com/074 
• www.mitchmatthews.com/184  

Actor and Director: J Lee

• www.mitchmatthews.com/228 

Author and Speaker: Antonio Neves

• www.mitchmatthews.com/004 

Mitch’s “The 5 C’s of an Effective Mastermind”

• www.mitchmatthews.com/120

Social Media Expert: Drew McLellan

• www.mitchmatthews.com/112

Speaker and Author: Adam Carroll

• www.mitchmatthews.com/106
• www.mitchmatthews.com/037

ADAM’S TEDx TALK:

• www.mitchmatthews.com/300

MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE:

Thanks SO much for the emails and the messages.  I sooooo appreciate you guys!  I had planned to incorporate them into the show, but as I started to “DREAM” and “THINK” about the show… I started to reimagine it and the way it would go.  So... it took a different direction.  Just know that I’ll be getting back to each of you that sent emails and messages personally to say THANK YOU!!!

DREAM: 300 EPISODES 

Our average length of the show is 40 minutes.  So, over the years... that’s about 12,000 of interviews, deep dives, stories, strategies and fun!  About 200 hours.  About 5 years.

Lot’s of ups and downs, but as we’ll discuss in the episode, I’ve learned to:

“Begin.  Hold loosely.   Experiment.  Cherish the FUN surprises as you go!”

THINK: SPECIFIC STRATEGY: LOVE, FEAR, the BIBLE and the BRAIN:

I mention the scripture from 1 John 4:18a

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.”

We also talk about a specific strategy from Kyle Cease’ book... “The Illusion of Money.”

It’s something that is designed to help you to get comfortable with the unknown (and some of the things that scare you) and realize the opportunity within them.

Here’s Kyle talking about the strategy: www.mitchmatthews.com/300

So it’s using the phrase “___________ and I love that.” to explore the present moment.  ESPECIALLY if you’re experiencing fear in that present moment.

So… you can use it in some different ways.  In the episode, I apply it to my Jeep Wrangler… as well as THIS episode. 

A Quick Caveat:

If you're in an abusive relationship or if you're hurting yourself... THIS is not the strategy to use.  Instead… get help.  Reach out to me and my team… or to someone close to you that you trust.  But seriously… get some help!

But for everyone else!!!  Try it!

DO: THE POWER OF EXPERIMENTING

It’s not going to surprise you that we’re talking about the importance of EXPERIMENTING.  It’s one of my favorite topics.

TWO QUICK IDEAS:

IDEA ONE: DON’T WAIT FOR PERFECTION

“Don’t wait until you can hit all home runs.  

Focus on hitting singles and doubles consistently.  

Get on base.  Time and after time.  

Learn the game.  

Grow.  Have fun. 

And… in time... the home runs will come too!  

It applies to winning baseball teams AND to pursuing your dreams!”

 

IDEA TWO: SHARE YOUR DREAM 

Include a “PS” in your emails letting people know about one of your dreams or goals.

EXAMPLE:

NAME,

PS - One of my dreams is to ___________.  If you know someone who could help me with this pursuit in a big or small way, please let me know.  I would really appreciate it!

So it’s using the phrase “___________ and I love that.” to explore the present moment.  ESPECIALLY if you’re experiencing fear in that present moment.

So… you can use it in some different ways.  In the episode, I apply it to my Jeep Wrangler… as well as THIS episode. 

A Quick Caveat:

If you're in an abusive relationship or if you're hurting yourself... THIS is not the strategy to use.  Instead… get help.  Reach out to me and my team… or to someone close to you that you trust.  But seriously… get some help!

But for everyone else!!!  Try it!

DO: THE POWER OF EXPERIMENTING

It’s not going to surprise you that we’re talking about the importance of EXPERIMENTING.  It’s one of my favorite topics.

TWO QUICK IDEAS:

IDEA ONE: DON’T WAIT FOR PERFECTION

“Don’t wait until you can hit all home runs.  

Focus on hitting singles and doubles consistently.  

Get on base.  Time and after time.  

Learn the game.  

Grow.  Have fun. 

And… in time... the home runs will come too!  

It applies to winning baseball teams AND to pursuing your dreams!”

 

IDEA TWO: SHARE YOUR DREAM 

Include a “PS” in your emails letting people know about one of your dreams or goals.

EXAMPLE:

NAME,

PS - One of my dreams is to ___________.  If you know someone who could help me with this pursuit in a big or small way, please let me know.  I would really appreciate it!

 

SHOW NOTES:

MINUTE BY MINUTE

• 0:02 What do expect today
• 3:03 The origins of Dream, think, do.
• 8:20 You have permission to dream 
• 15:16 Setbacks into setups
• 19:41 Thinking back through the gifts that have come along the way
• 26:33 Getting our thinking straight
• 32:05 Love really can overtake the fear
• 40:17 It’s amazing what hope can do in the mind
• 42:48 Doing and permission to experiment
• 46:34 Go after the singles and doubles consistently
• 49:33 The power of sharing your dreams
• 56:11 Mitch’s final thoughts

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Now’s the time I want to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment and let me know a favorite memory from a DREAM THINK DO episode.  Or let me know how you might use the “_____________ and I love it” strategy.  Or share what your new “PS” is going to be.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU!!!

Kara Goldin is my guest today.  As many of you know, Kara is the CEO and founder of HINT Water.  She’s also the author of a bestselling brand new book called, “Undaunted – Overcoming Doubts and Doubters.â€Â  In the book… she tells the story of how she defied the odds and her own fears to start and build HINT, which is the fastest-growing flavored water brand in America. 

By the way, she didn’t have elite credentials.  She didn’t have insider knowledge.  She didn’t have high-level connections in the industry. Oh… and by the way… as she was starting HINT was pregnant with her 4th kid.  Surprise!!!  But… as you’ll hear… whenever she faced an obstacle, she wouldn’t give up… she kept moving forward… she was undaunted.  And that’s what she wants for you too!  It’s an amazing story… and I can’t wait to dive into it.

RESOURCES:

• Kara’s Book: Undaunted Click here
• Hint Water: www.drinkhint.com
• Kara’s Website: karagoldin.com/undaunted
• Kara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/karagoldin

 

MORE ABOUT KARA GOLDIN AND THE EPISODE:

Before we get to the interview, I want to give you just a little more background on Kara:

• Fast Company named her to their “Most Creative People in Business†List
• Fortune put her on their “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs†List
• The Huffington Post listed her as one of six major disruptors in business… alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. 

Previously, Kara was Vice President of Shopping and E-commerce Partnerships at AOL, where she helped lead the growth of its startup shopping business to a $1B enterprise. 

She has appeared on the TODAY show, CNBC-TV, Fox Business, Bloomberg TV, ABC News, and Extra TV. 

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“Don’t think about what you can’t do.  Figure out what you can do.  Then do it to the best of your ability.â€Â  – Kara Goldin

“In business… a no is a maybe… and maybe is a yes.†– Kara Goldin 

 

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 3:25 Meet Kara
• 5:31 Why Kara’s book is important now
• 11:00 How Kara’s journey started
• 17:00 When Kara met her husband
• 19:42 Think outside of your industry
• 27:10 Success can be dangerous
• 30:02 When Kara decided to solve a problem
• 33:36 How to connect with Kara
• 34:24 Mitch’s biggest takeaways

 

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

What did you think?  What’s something that stood out to you from what Kara said?  Hit me up.  Drop a comment and let me know.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU!

 

Dre Baldwin is my guest.  His story and his approach to life will inspire you!  In high school, he wanted to play basketball… but he barely made the cut.  He committed himself to learning, growing, and adapting.  In just 5 years, Dre went from the end of the bench and no game time… to a contract to play professional basketball. 

THEN, during his 9-year career as a professional player…  Dre pioneered new genres of personal branding and entrepreneurship.  And… thanks to all his hard work on and off the court… Dre’s online content has been viewed over 73 million times and he’s appeared in national campaigns with Nike, Finish Line, Wendy’s, and Gatorade… just to name a few. 

It takes a TON of energy to do what Dre does daily.  So we’re going to talk about what it takes to gain and maintain UNSTOPPABLE energy… even in 2020!  I’m excited to have him on. So let’s get to this!

RESOURCES:

• Dre’s FREE GIFT: MirrorOfMotivation.com
• Dre’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/drebaldwin
• Dre’s website: dreallday.com

MORE ABOUT DRE AND THE DRE BALDWIN EPISODE:

Dre’s been busy cranking out content to help people WORK ON THEIR GAME on and off the court.

Let’s run the numbers… so you know what I’m talking about here: 

In 2005… he started blogging.

In 2006… he started publishing videos on this little known website called “YouTube.â€Â  (Heard of it?)

Since then… he’s published over 7,000 videos to 130,000+ subscribers… and get this… his content has been viewed over 73 million times to date.

In 2016, he launched his DAILY “Work On Your Game†Podcast.  Since then… he’s published over 1,500 episodes and has had more than 3 million downloads.

Impressive right?  

Well… we’re not done.  

Let’s throw in some more numbers.

Dre has given 4 TED Talks on Discipline, Confidence, Mental Toughness & Personal Initiative.

He’s authored 27 books. 

And as I mentioned earlier, thanks to all this work… he’s appeared in national campaigns with Nike, Finish Line, Wendy’s, and Gatorade… just to name a few.

Obviously… it takes a LOT of energy to put out this level of content on a consistent basis.  So, I talk with Dre about his specific strategies for gaining and maintaining UNSTOPPABLE energy… even in 2020!

MINUTE BY MINUTE: 

• • • 0:02 What to expect today
    • 1:21 Are you a coach? Check this out!
    • 2:40 Meet Dre
    • 4:53 How Dre went “all-in” on his dream
    • 13:44 3 reasons Dre decided to be a content creator
    • 19:02 What helps Dre stay energized
    • 21:02 The discipline of getting the job done
    • 23:33 The importance of positive self-talk
    • 25:28 Dre’s set of commitments
    • 29:30 How the awareness of life and death affects your performance
    • 31:40 Dre’s advice for you
    • 38:00 Mitch’s biggest takeaway
      

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!

What do YOU think?  I want to hear from YOU!  What’s something that struck you about Dre’s story and outlook?  Leave a comment and let me know.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU!

Stu Massengill is a speaker and podcaster.  He’s helping Millennial and Gen Z high achievers to communicate and connect at new levels.  Surprisingly, he started his career as a shy kid whose biggest fear was public speaking.  But after pushing himself to speak more… he slowly fell in love with it. And he started to build a network that changed everything. 

Since then, Stu has been on stages around the country. Speaking to anywhere from 10 to 10,000… where he talks about the importance of improved communication and exceptional networking skills.  As you’ll hear in the conversation, Stu Massengill has some powerful and practical strategies for connecting with people and growing your network… EVEN in a pandemic.  I think you’re going to love it… so let’s get to it!

 

RESOURCES:

• Stu’s Podcast: www.stumassengill.com/findingdirection
• Stu’s Website: www.stumassengill.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/stumassengill

 

MORE ABOUT THE STU MASSENGILL EPISODE:

Hello and welcome to episode 297 of DREAM THINK DO.  

Today… we’re talking about a wildly important subject… but it’s one that you might not have been thinking about for a while.  And that is: networking and meeting new people.

That’s right… Networking and connecting even during a pandemic!

As you well know… growing your network of amazing people is critical.

In fact, friend and frequent Dream Think Do guest, Bob Burg (mitchmatthews.com/268/)  is known for saying: 

“The single greatest “people skill” is a highly developed 

& authentic interest in the *other* person.â€

Author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,†Robert Kiyosaki says, 

“The richest people in the world look for and build networks,

 everyone else looks for work. Marinate on that for a minute.â€

Successful CEO Sallie L. Krawcheck says,

“Networking is the No. 1 unwritten rule of success in business.â€Â 

Plus, like we’ve talked about in previous episodes of DREAM THINK DO… the best time to build your network is when you don’t need it.  That’s so you can lean on it… especially when life throws you a curveball… and you need some help!

So yes… networking is critical… building relationships is essential.  HOWEVER… we need to talk about the elephant in the room. #suckitcovid.  

TRUTH: It’s harder to network and connect right now.

TRUTH: But just because it’s tougher to do… doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be doing it!

And heck… if you are doing it now… that’s just one more thing you can be doing to set yourself apart!!!

Our guest, Stu Massengill is a speaker and podcaster who’s helping the world… especially our younger generations… to network and connect.  It may or may not surprise you… but he started out as a shy kid whose biggest fear was public speaking and meeting new people.

  But after pushing through his fears and learning some of the strategies we’re talking about, he slowly fell in love with both. And these strategies allowed him to build a network that changed everything.  He started to meet his heroes. 

People like Action Sports Moguls Rob and Bryianna Dyrdeck, Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White, and Best Selling Author and international speaker, Tony Robbins.  Heck, his relationship with Tony grew and so now they’re friends and Stu gets to speak on stage with Tony at events around the country.  

Plus, all of this inspired him to launch his own podcast called “Finding Direction,†which helps millennials and Gen Zers to find direction.  And that is how we connected… because Stu Massengill invited me to be on his show.  We had sooooo much fun… I wanted to turn the mics around to get more of HIS story… and share his insights and strategies with YOU!   

But that’s what good connecting and networking does… right?  It builds relationships and it inspires people to help each other out… and share the good stuff.  So let’s get to the specifics.

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 2:41 Introducing Stu Massengill
• 4:18 Stu discusses overcoming shyness
• 7:25 Strategies to employ for great networking
• 12:38 Using F.O.R.M and finding common ground with others
• 13:43 2 ways to start a conversation
• 16:08 Getting out of your own way
• 19:46  Loose ties vs strong  ties
• 22:10 Adding value to your relationships
• 23:40 The importance of “loose tie” relationships
• 24:43 Final thoughts
• 27:54 Mitch’s biggest takeaways

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What did you think?  What’s a strategy you’re going to use?  More importantly… join in the conversation. 

Do you think it’s important to still be networking and growing new and deeper relationships during this pandemic?  If so… what’s one of YOUR favorite strategies to be using right now? 

If not, let us know why.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment below and let’s TALK!

Katy Kvalvik is our guest.  A few years ago… two consecutive accidents caused Katy to sustain multiple life-altering injuries that forced her to relearn almost everything… including how to walk.  As you can imagine, that experience of intentionally needing to put her mind and body back together inspired her to embark on an international journey to learn holistic mind, body, and spirit wellness. 

Today, Katy has dedicated her life to sharing everything that she’s learned to empower others in their own wellness journeys… as well as finding peace no matter what… whether that’s in the living room or the board room. We’ve got lots to dig into… so let’s get to this.

RESOURCES:

• Katy’s website: KatyKvalvik.com
• More on Katy’s Approach to Powerful (and peaceful) Listening: katykvalvik.com
• Katy Kvalvik’s Instagram: instagram.com
• Katy Kvalvik’s Facebook: facebook.com/HarmonyMethod 

MORE ABOUT THE KATY KVALVIK EPISODE:

In the episode, we dig into powerful and specific strategies to help you achieve a sense of peace and presence… no matter the situation.  (Yeah… even in 2020!)

One of the surprising but powerful concepts Katy brings up is the importance of effective listening.  Which makes sense… right?  Better listening = better relationships… which helps bring a sense of peace.  Also, effective listening can = being more present.  So, although I’d not really thought about it… but listening is a key strategy when it comes to having a sense of peace and being fully present.  

Here’s a bit more of what we talked about: 

Four Stages of Listening:

Stage 0: This is when no listening is happening. Only speaking. Everyone’s talking but no one is listening.  Ever been there? #nopeace 

Stage 1: Subjective Listening

This is the stage where 95% of conversations happen. We take in information subjectively and only hear it through our own experiences.

Stage 2: Listening but Not in the Present Moment

In this stage, some listening is happening, but we’re distracted. We’re not really WITH the person who’s talking.  And as you know… this can totally create a disconnect and can even induce a sense of anxiety or anxiousness.  

Stage 3: Objective Active Listening

This is where the listener is completely focused on the other person. This is a great stage for problem-solving because you’re looking at the facts of what is being said.

Stage 4: Intuitive Listening

This is the highest stage of listening.  It happens when the listener is really honing in and connecting to the real message of the conversation. The listener is paying FULL attention to the words as well as the body language, tone of voice, energy level, etc. As you can imagine, true intuitive listening is listening between the lines.

MINUTE BY MINUTE: 

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 1:55 When everything changed for Katy
• 4:45 Being internally committed to healing
• 6:40 What Katy has learned during the pandemic
• 7:47 How to get clarity
• 8:37 Breathing and meditation
• 11:31 How to be a better listener
• 13:44 How breathing and listening are connected
• 15:02 Strategy to help with resilience
• 17:02 Get in contact with Katy
• 28:57 Mitch’s biggest takeaway

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What did you think of what Katy had to say?  What’s something you’re going to experiment with based on the convo?  I want to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment below and let me know.

Chad Williams is our guest.  Chad is a former U.S. Navy SEAL. Now he’s a speaker and a best-selling author.  Days before Chad was to report to military duty, he turned on a television and was greeted with the horrifying images of his friend and mentor, US Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston, being brutally murdered in a premeditated ambush on the roads of Fallujah.

This would have convinced most people to bail, but instead, it inspired him to double down on his dream of becoming a NAVY Seal too.  So Chad followed in Scott’s footsteps and completed the US military’s most difficult and grueling training to become a Navy SEAL. He was one of only 13 from a class of 173 to make it straight through to graduation. 

After that…  Chad served his country on SEAL Teams One and Seven… completing tours of duty in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Iraq.  We’ll learn how his NAVY Seal training now helps him as he leads others, how he lives his life, AND how he THRIVES even in a year like 2020!  Let’s get to this!

RESOURCES:

• Chad’s Website: www.navysealchadwilliams.com
• Chad’s Signed Book: Click here.
• Chad’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/sealofgod

 

MORE ABOUT THE CHAD WILLIAMS EPISODE:

After completing his 6 years of service as a NAVY Seal, Chad went on to author the best-selling book SEAL of God.

Today, Chad has spoken at fortune 500 companies… as well as hundreds of faith-based events around the country.  He also contributes no holds barred… expert analysis related to military affairs and subjects of leadership and perseverance for major news networks… like FOX and CNN.  

Chad has… and continues… to live a DREAM THINK DO life and I’m so excited and honored to get to have this conversation with him.  PLUS… I wanted your input on the questions I should ask… and you guys sent in suggestions like crazy… so I can’t wait to get to ask some of YOUR questions too.  So we’ll also go after the following questions submitted by YOU!  Questions like: 

MENTAL TOUGHNESS:

“What kind of techniques or mental thought patterns he learned to switch from being overwhelmed by circumstances to being able to focus on doing the things that he could control?†– Julie and Dan

TEAMS AND DREAMS:

“There’s a lot of focus on self-motivation and self-perseverance in striving to achieve our DREAM. We all know SEALS are a Team, and building a team is part of success, so how do we keep our team motivated when we’re so busy doing what we need to do?†  – Jeffrey Jorgenson 

EVERYDAY LIFE:

“What’s a take-away from your time as a Navy Seal that you apply to your life every day?†– Stephanie

CHAD’S FAVORITE QUOTE (which he nails in the interview):

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.â€Â 

–  Theodore Roosevelt

 

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 2:56 Meet Chad
• 6:07 Chad’s journey to becoming a Navy Seal
• 18:50 Chad’s first day of Seal training
• 21:56 Your DNA does not determine your destiny
• 25:50 One of the most impactful sentences Chad has ever heard
• 30:32 How to switch from being overwhelmed to in control
• 34:25 How to keep your team motivated while still accomplishing tasks
• 38:23 Chad’s favorite Theodore Roosevelt quote
• 41:28 Mitch’s biggest takeaways

 

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!

Okay, so what did YOU think of what Chad Williams had to say?  Which stories resonated?  What phrases and mantras got you thinking?  What clicked for you?  What didn’t?  What’s going to be something you try/apply as a result?  Let me know.  Leave a comment below.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU!

Sarah Yourgrau is my guest.  She’s an Emmy-Award Winning Producer dedicated to reimagining and rebuilding the ways that we connect with each other, both on and off the screen… and she’s a self-professed “Optimism Activist.†Sarah’s traveled the globe and worked on a wide variety of projects.  Her current focus is working with Mike Rowe on “Returning the Favor.â€Â 

Her work is demanding and takes her all over the world.  Plus, since many of her projects involve REAL people and unscripted situations, that means she has to try to organize chaos… minute by minute.  As a result, she has to be intentional about her focus, and her mindset… daily.  So we’ll dig into her 5 non-negotiables for having YOUR ideal day… no matter what!

RESOURCES:

Check out Sarah Yourgrau as she meets Mike Rowe for the first time… and works her magic with Returning the Favor: www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2020109721593621

• Sarah on IG: www.instagram.com/sarahyourgrau
• Sarah’s Now Tell Me Something Good: www.instagram.com/nowtellmesomethinggood
• Returning the Favor on IG: @returningthefavorshow 
• Returning the Favor on FB: www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=UMr1tXVxhuVAGvya&v=1154661701594665

 

MORE ON THE SARAH YOURGRAU EPISODE:

Listen… Sarah Yourgrau’s the real deal… and she’s had some fun adventures.  She’s worked for Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions.  Heck… she was even Maya Rudolph’s personal assistant for a year.  And my personal favorite… she’s a producer for Mike Rowe and “Returning the Favor.â€Â Â 

In fact… for years… Sarah has traveled extensively throughout the United States and internationally…. creating documentaries, commercials, television series, and online content.  During that time… she has been studying resilience, optimism, hope, and community change-making… right there on the front lines… spending time with… and telling the stories of people who are making a difference and making the world a better place!

All of this has given her a truly unique perspective on the American identity.

And… I’m also excited to say… has laid the groundwork for her OWN Optimism-Generating Media company called, “Now Tell Me Something Good.”

Her company is already doing amazing work… by providing content that offers tools, insights, and best practices… not to mention great stories… that are needed right now.  It’s content that will inspire people to start and sustain work that impacts the world in a positive way.  Guys… she’s pure awesome and I’m so stoked to have her join us so let’s get to this!

 

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 1:29 Introducing Sarah Yourgrau
• 3:34 What is an optimism activist
• 5:56 The origin of Sarah’s optimism
• 8:32 Sarah on being a producer
• 11:39 Meeting and working with Mike Rowe
• 19:13 Specific tools to create optimism
• 19:45 Meditation
• 22:22 Gratitude
• 25:56 Dealing with curveballs
• 27:41 Believe that it’s possible
• 31:17 Where resilience meets optimism

 

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!

What did you think?  Drop me a comment below!  I want to hear from you.  What’s a favorite story or strategy from Sarah?  Let me know.

Hey… and pleasssssssssssse share this episode!  I think we can all use a little more Optimism Activism in our lives!!!  Amen?  Amen.

We’re talking with Harris III about how prayer has impacted his life and his work. Harris is a professional illusionist who has performed for more than two million people on five continents. His unique approach and innovative thinking have also caught the attention of executives at organizations like Apple, Disney, Nike, and NASA. 

His new book is called “The Wonder Switch.â€Â  I talked with him about all of THAT in episode 292 of DREAM THINK DO, so be sure to check that out.  But in this short BONUS interview, we talk about a powerful prayer experience that helped Harris to know that God wants to be in the details AND it changed the way he lived!  I think you’ll dig it!

RESOURCES:

• Harris III website: harrisiii.com
• The Book: harrisiii.com
• Harris III Instagram: www.instagram.com/harrisiii
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/harristhethird
• Twitter: twitter.com/HarrisII
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/HarristheThird

 

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!

Let me know what you think about his story.  Have you ever wondered whether you can talk to God about the “details†of life… especially subjects like the money?  I know I wrestled with this for a while.   Comment and let me know what you think. I can’t wait to hear from YOU! 

Harris III is a professional illusionist who has performed his unique brand of magic and storytelling for more than two million people on five continents. His unique approach to magic, story-telling, and innovative thinking has also caught the attention of creative leaders and executives at organizations like Apple, Disney, Nike, and NASA.

Harris has just written a new book called “The Wonder Switch.â€Â  In it… he shares some great stories and powerful strategies to help you reclaim your wonder and reshape your life! Since wonder is at the heart of innovative thinking and bigger ideas… this is critical… especially right now.  So let’s get to this!

RESOURCES:

• Harris III website: harrisiii.com
• The Book: harrisiii.com
• Harris III Instagram: www.instagram.com/harrisiii
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/harristhethird
• Twitter: twitter.com/HarrisII
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/HarristheThird

MORE ON THE HARRIS III EPISODE:

In addition to performing around the globe… when that’s safe to do… 

Harris III has also become a visionary entrepreneur, sought-after coach, creative consultant, and a quiet producer behind a diverse list of various film and TV projects. 

I was wildly blessed to get an early copy of his new book and I can tell you that Harris taps into his experiences as a professional magician and storyteller… to help us all remember the power of WONDER.  

In fact, he’s dug deep into this concept of WONDER and uncovered some keys that can help anyone to move from feeling STUCK to living more of the life they want to live.

And before anyone is tempted to dismiss “wonder†as being all rainbows and butterflies and little ponies… it’s important that we tip our hat to the power of wonder and awe.

In fact, Socrates said…

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.â€Â  Plato followed up with… “Philosophy begins in wonder.â€Â Â 

Let’s jump a few centuries… and check-in with Albert Einstein.  He said… 

“He who can no longer pause to wonder

and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead;  his eyes are closed.â€Â 

Neil Armstrong… the first person to walk on the moon once said… “Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.â€Â 

And one of the most important authors of all times DR SEUSS was known for…  “Think and wonder, wonder and think.â€Â Â 

That’s right.  Wonder.

It’s a timeless truth that wonder is the beginning of a lot of things that are good… but it’s sooooooo easy to lose that sense of wonder too.  Right?

Well… today, Harris is going to help us dive into the subject of WONDER.  What is it.  Why is it important?  AND… how to intentionally cultivate it… to have more of the good stuff in your life.

It’s an awesome convo… that I think you’re going to love… so let’s get to it!

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 1:55 Meet Harris III
• 4:00 Harris’ origin story
• 11:15 Losing the wonder
• 14:03 The importance of wonder and how it’s linked to storytelling
• 16:47 Wonder gives us permission to believe
• 17:59 Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing
• 19:28 Applying wonder and awe to your life practically
• 22:17 The wonder switch
• 24:39 The impact of wonder on Imagination
• 27:36 Practical ways to apply positive creativity
• 30:15 Rewriting the script
• 37:07 Mitch’s biggest takeaways

 

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!

Let me know what you think about the importance of WONDER.  Comment and let me know what you think of what Harris III had to say and what’s he’s suggesting we do to cultivate some more WONDER and AWE in our lives.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU! 

In this “WE AGREE TO PRAY†bonus episode, we’re talking with Brant Menswar. He’s an award-winning musician, popular speaker, and bestselling author. In this conversation, we dig into Brant’s journey with prayer… from the lowest points of hearing the brutal words, “Your son isn’t going to make it through the night,†to experiencing a miracle that involved people from around the world. 

Plus, we’ll talk about the very real and raw emotions (and prayers) that follow such an incredible experience.  We talk about how to walk out your faith on those days where you’re feeling 100% and on those days that you’re feeling a solid 2%.  Plus, we dig into the mechanics of how he makes prayer a part of his daily (and wildly busy) life.  I think you’re going to love it.

RESOURCES:

• Brant’s book: “Black Sheep – Unleash the extraordinary, awe-inspiring, undiscovered YOU!â€
• His podcast: “Thoughts that Rock!â€
• His band: BIG Kettle Drum: www.bigkettledrum.com
• Brant’s Website: www.brantmenswar.com

 

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What’s something that stood out to you from what Brant said?  What’s something that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know!

And hey… please share this episode! Your friends will thank you!

Brant Menswar is our guest. Brant’s an award-winning musician, sought-after speaker, and a critically acclaimed author and I think you’re going to love him. Let’s be clear… and consider yourself warned. Brant’s got some strong opinions… and he’s not afraid of unleashing them.

For example, Brant believes that unless you can identify your 4 to 5 non-negotiable core values… you can’t do ANYTHING on purpose.  He also believes that about 99% of us are winging it, and that’s why most people aren’t getting the results they want or living the life they were meant to live. 

He’s got some great stories and statistics to back this up… but more importantly… he’s got some powerful strategies to help us get clear and make some awesome stuff happen.  Plus, we’ll be talking about Brant’s new book called BLACK SHEEP.

RESOURCES:

• Brant’s book: “Black Sheep – Unleash the extraordinary, awe-inspiring, undiscovered YOU!â€
• His podcast: “Thoughts that Rock!â€
• His band: BIG Kettle Drum
• Brant’s Website: www.brantmenswar.com

MORE ON THE BRANT MENSWAR EPISODE:

So… we’ve all heard of Walt Disney.  He was wildly successful and he truly dreamed bigger, thought better and did more than most could imagine.

Now… even though most of the planet recognizes Walt’s name, most people don’t know that it was really Walt’s brother Roy… who helped to make a lot of that success possible.  

Walt was the visionary… and Roy was known for getting things DONE!  He was involved in making so many of Disney’s biggest wins happen.  In fact, Roy pulled off finalizing and opening Epcot Center after Walt had passed away.

Now, one of my all-time favorite quotes comes from Roy Disney.  Maybe you’ve heard it.   Roy Disney used to say… “When your values are clear, decisions are easy.â€Â 

Brilliant… right?  When your values are clear… decisions are easy.

Well… in today’s interview with Brant Menswar, we’re talking about ways to help you to get clear on YOUR values… and as a result… you’ll be able to make better decisions and feel really good about them too!  Brant’s got some great stories, some powerful strategies AND we’ll even mix in a little neuroscience to bring it all together.

 

MINUTE BY MINUTE:

• 0:02 What to expect today
• 1:40 Meet Brant
• 3:27 How “Black Sheep” began
• 3:50 Why the name “Black Sheepâ€
• 5:05 The Black sheep values we all need
• 20:15 The science behind good decision making
• 20:47 The power of feelings in decision making
• 20:20 Sometimes the truth in a room isn’t the absolute truth
• 25:20 Honor what you’re feeling in the moment
• 28:54 One of the best ways to stay in the present

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What’s something that stood out to you from what Brant said?  What’s something that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know!

And hey… please share this episode! Your friends will thank you!

Lori Allen - the star of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” is our guest!  We’re talking with Lori about prayer and how it plays a MAJOR role in her life.  Lori’s one of the world’s most sought-after bridal experts and she’s the central figure of TLC’s reality show Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. Lori Allen talks about prayer in her new book, “Say Yes to What’s Next: How to age with elegance and class while never losing your beauty and sass!”  But in this interview, we dig into some prayer stories and the mechanics of how she prays (pretty much… nonstop) day to day! RESOURCES: Lori’s Website: loriallen.com Lori’s Book: www.thomasnelson.com Lori’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/bridalgirl80 MORE ABOUT THE TLC’s LORI ALLEN EPISODE: As you’ll hear, Lori and I talk about how prayer is at the center of ALL she does.   Whether it’s being a bridal expert or a successful female entrepreneur… Or being a breast cancer survivor as well as a mom… a wife… prayer is right smack dab in the middle of ALL of it! This short BONUS session is packed with great stories and REAL WORLD wisdom that I think you’ll love. By the way, Lori’s been featured on CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, and the Wall Street Journal… to just name a few.  So I’m excited and honored to have her join us for this BONUS “We Agree to Pray” episode of DREAM THINK DO! I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What’s something that stood out to you?  What’s something that Lori said that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know! And hey y'all (I’m inspired by Lori)… please share this episode!  Your friends will soooooooo thank you!

TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta’s Lori Allen is our guest!  Lori opened “Bridals by Lori” just two weeks after graduating from Columbia College in South Carolina. Four decades later, she is one of the world’s most sought-after bridal experts.  And of course… she’s the central figure of TLC’s reality show Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. By the way… the show has been running for 11 seasons and it’s shown in more than 120 countries.  Lori’s new book is called, “Say Yes to What’s Next: How to age with elegance and class while never losing your beauty and sass!”  So we’re going to be talking about ALL of that!   RESOURCES: Lori’s Website: loriallen.com Lori’s Book: www.thomasnelson.com Lori’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/bridalgirl80 MORE ABOUT THE LORI ALLEN  EPISODE: As you’ll hear, Lori and I talk about her journeys as a bridal expert, a successful female entrepreneur, a breast cancer survivor as well as a mom… a wife… and as an awesome human being.   It’s packed with great stories and timeless wisdom that I think you’ll love. By the way, Lori’s been featured on CNN, ABC’s Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, and the Wall Street Journal… to just name a few.   So I’m excited and honored to have her join us on DREAM THINK DO! Plus, as you’ll hear… I asked questions that YOU wanted me to ask.  So, be listening to see if I used one of YOUR questions.  #letsdothis EPISODE - MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 4:17 Why this group and why now? 9:40  The catalyst to saying “yes, to what’s next!” 11:00 How the pandemic affected the message 12:00 Fighting back and being resilient 18:20 How Lori Allen and Monte met 21:00 Which bride left the greatest impact on Lori 22:35 How Lori takes the stress off of brides 26:40 How Lori stays healthy 29:40 Life is far from over! 30:12 Mitch's biggest takeaways I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What’s something that stood out to you?  What’s something that Lori said that’s going to stick with you?  Leave a comment and let me know! And hey… please share this episode! Your friends will thank you!  

Ashleigh S. Chapman is a human rights lawyer and an expert on human trafficking.  She’s been working hard for the past 20 years to protect the most vulnerable populations around the globe.  On this BONUS episode of DREAM THINK DO... Ashleigh shares a powerful prayer story of something that happened to her when she was out on a jog.  It’s a wild fun story of how prayer can work when you least expect it.    RESOURCES: Ashleigh is the founder of Justice U™ which is an online learning platform that quickly delivers knowledge from experts in the anti-trafficking movement to massive audiences who need it, with the tools every modern learner needs today. Built to help anyone with a desire to make a difference.  WE AGREE TO PRAY: If you’d like to join us for “WE AGREE TO PRAY,” simply click here: www.weagreetopray.com.  MORE ON THIS Ashleigh S. Chapman - BONUS EPISODE: This is a BONUS episode, so we’re talking with Ashleigh S. Chapman about the power of prayer and how it’s played out in her life.  Listen in for an amazing story and some great insights on prayer too!!! By the way, my FULL interview with Ashleigh can be found here:  www.mitchmatthews.com/286. It’s an INCREDIBLE episode because Ashleigh has a dream of ending human trafficking in our lifetime.   To that end, she is the founder of Justice U™ which is an online learning platform that delivers training from some of the top experts in the anti-trafficking movement.   She’s working around the globe to do her part to end human trafficking.  For example, Ashleigh has helped the Senate of Mexico establish its first comprehensive legislation to combat human trafficking.  Plus, she is serving as an advisor to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to create the “End Modern Slavery” Act.   And she’s led training in over 100 cities and in eight different nations.  Absolutely amazing work. I can’t wait to dig into how this all got started… what’s she’s learned so far and to get her perspective on what’s next!   LET’S HERE FROM YOU!: What stood out to YOU from Ashleigh’s story?   I want to hear from YOU!   Leave a comment below… and let us know what you think!

Ashleigh S. Chapman is our guest today.  Ashleigh is a human rights lawyer and an expert on human trafficking. She’s been working hard for the past 20 years to protect the most vulnerable populations.  Among her many efforts… Ashleigh is the founder of Justice U™ which is an online learning platform that delivers training from some of the top experts in the anti-trafficking movement… and delivers it in a way that everyone to better understand the specific things they can do to help end human trafficking.  She’s working domestically and internationally.  For example, Ashleigh has helped the Senate of Mexico establish their first comprehensive legislation to combat human trafficking.  She is serving as an advisor to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to create the “End Modern Slavery” Act.  Shes helping to establish the Freedom Council which is an assembly of business leaders and global companies dedicated to the cause of ending human trafficking.  And she’s led training in over 100 cities and in eight different nations.  Absolutely amazing work. I can’t wait to dig into how this all got started… what’s she’s learned so far and to get her perspective on what’s next!  Let’s get to this!     RESOURCES: Ashleigh is the founder of Justice U™ Justice U™ is an online learning platform that quickly delivers knowledge from experts in the anti-trafficking movement to massive audiences who need it, with the tools every modern learner needs today. Built to help anyone with a desire to make a difference.    MORE ABOUT THE Ashleigh S. Chapman EPISODE: Welcome to episode 286 of DREAM THINK DO!  We’re digging into a wildly important subject today, and I’ll be the first to admit… it’s a heavier subject.  But… as you know with dream think do… we don’t shy away from important topics… especially if we can help you to see some places where you can be making a difference.  AND… if we can share an inspiring story. In this episode… we get to do both. The topic is ending human trafficking in our generation. The story is of one person who decided that even though she’s just one person… she thought she’d try to make a difference right where she was at.  And as you’ll learn… she started small and now she’s helping whole countries on initiatives to stop human trafficking.  It’s an amazing interview and I think you’re going to love it. By the way, while more and more people are becoming aware of the presence of human trafficking, very few understand it. Therefore, very few know how to stop it. Get these statistics:  Human trafficking is a $150 billion-a-year industry  Sadly… it’s one of the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises It happens closer to home than one would imagine, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide That means human trafficking impacts 1 in every 200 people Whether you’ve got a passion for helping to end human trafficking… or like our guest… you might feel called to take on a challenge that seems insurmountable… I’m betting today’s episode will inspire you to start small… and to keep moving forward on that dream to make a difference!  MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 1:40 Meet Ashleigh 4:03 How Ashleigh became passionate about fighting human trafficking 9:06 What human trafficking looks like in 2020 12:11 The most trafficked demographic 14:01 How you can create change in your area 17:44 Tips for prevention 26:45 What to do when your dreams feel too big 30:04 How to get involved 31:18 Mitch’s biggest takeaway 32:32 What's coming up on DTD I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What stood out to YOU from this conversation with Ashleigh?  Was it a statistic about human trafficking?  Was it a specific approach?  Or was it a story?  Let me know what you connected with! I want to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment below.  Let’s keep this important conversation going!  

Bonus Episode with Ben Courson! Ben’s an international speaker, bestselling author, and his TV show, Hope Generation with Ben Courson is broadcast around the world. NOTE: I also had a great interview with him for episode 284 of DREAM THINK DO.  (Be sure to check that out: www.mitchmatthews.com/284)  Since we’re walking out our “WE AGREE TO PRAY” project this month… I wanted to get Ben’s perspective on prayer.  So… in this BONUS session, he agreed to stick around to talk about how it’s played out in his life.   We cover a lot of ground in about 10 minutes!  We talk about neuroscience and prayer.  We dig into the subject of how waiting on God can be HIGHLY offensive and at the same time… the absolute PERFECT thing to do. #realtalk We also talk about the “Seed vs. Switch” mentality… and why that matters now more than ever!  I think you’re going to love it!  Let’s get to it…   RESOURCES: Sign up to join us for WE AGREE TO PRAY: www.weagreetopray.com.  Ben’s Latest Book: Flirting With Darkness.   Ben’s website:  www.bencourson.com You can follow Ben on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.    I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! So… what stood out to you?  What’s something that got you thinking?   Oh…. and how about you?  Any good stories on how prayer has played out in your life?  Any questions about it? I’d love to hear from you!  Hit me up in the comments and let’s keep this conversation going! And again… I want to invite you to join us for WE AGREE TO PRAY!  You can find out more and sign up at: www.WeAgreeToPray.com.    

Ben Courson is our guest.  He’s an international speaker, bestselling author, and his TV show, Hope Generation with Ben Courson, is broadcast in 180 countries, and his radio show airs on more than 400 stations nationally. His latest book is called “Flirting With Darkness.”  In it, Ben talks about his own journey with overcoming depression and battling thoughts of suicide.  He also offers up some specific strategies that you can use if you’ve ever been tempted by suicidal thoughts… or if you know someone who’s wrestling with that.  World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10th… AND because all of the stuff with Covid-19 and all the wildness that 2020 had thrown… we thought it would be a really important subject to cover and wildly relevant time.  So let’s get to this!     RESOURCES: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English & Spanish. PHONE: 1-800-273-8255 WEBSITE:  suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  Ben’s Latest Book: Flirting With Darkness.   Ben’s website:  www.bencourson.com/ You can follow Ben on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.    MORE ABOUT BEN COURSON EPISODE: Okay, guys… we’re going after a big and important topic today.   Get this: Every 40 seconds… someone… somewhere in the world… takes their own life. There are 123 suicides a day in the US alone.  Now… that statistic floored me but this next statistic broke my heart: the second leading cause of death in the world for people aged 15 to 24 is suicide. I know… I know… this is a heavy subject… but you know that with this podcast... we’re all about helping you to dream bigger… think better and do more of what you were created to do.  And if we’re going to be true to that mission… and take this mandate seriously... that means we can’t shy away from tough topics.  And that’s exactly why I’m excited we’re talking with Ben Courson.   MINUTE BY MINUTE: 1:30 This is an important topic 2:27 Meet Ben 6:48 Why Ben is passionate about this topic 10:35 When Ben knew he needed help 13:31 How to fight depression 17:08 Go on adventures with God 19:47 Building relationships 23:21 Choosing to fight 27:57 Ben’s favorite dream quote 29:00 Mitch’s biggest takeaways   I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! So… what stood out to you?  What’s something that got you thinking?   Oh…. and how about you?  Any good stories on how prayer has played out in your life?  Any questions about it? I’d love to hear from you!  Hit me up in the comments and let’s keep this conversation going! And again… I want to invite you to join us for WE AGREE TO PRAY!  You can find out more and sign up at www.WeAgreeToPray.com.  

There’s so much division and polarization in the world right now. BUT at the same time, I think there’s a pendulum swing that’s happening too. There seem to be more and more people who are saying, “Enough!” Let’s find some common ground and let’s work from there to find real solutions. They’re looking for a place to start! Because that’s what we do… when we are at our very best. We find a way to find a way. We find a way to band together to help. We find a way. That’s where the “We Agree to Pray” project comes in. We don’t have to agree on everything, but what if a small group of people could come together to say, “We AGREE to pray.” What might happen? Well… let’s talk about that!     RESOURCES: To sign up for WE AGREE TO PRAY, go here: WeAgreeToPray.com. Episode 282: “Empathy - A Secret Weapon for Thriving in a Divided World.”  Click here: mitchmatthews.com/282 Mitch’s “6 Miracle Story.”  Click here.   We AGREE TO PRAY PROJECT EPISODE MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 2:00 Are you sick of the polarization? 3:15 Why Mitch Learned from a Derecho 8:09 The human spirit 10:56 The phrase that sparked the idea 13:47 The power of prayer and what to do when you feel “the nudge” 27:11 What’s coming up in September 32:21 Will you join us? 34:43 How to join   MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE: Recently, on an early morning drive… I was reminded of how we… as human beings… find a way.  That’s right.  When we are at our best, we find a way to help each other, encourage each other, push each other and come alongside each other. That idea planted a seed. What could we do… if we gave ourselves permission to find some common ground?   As I was praying about this question, I got hit with a phrase. “We Agree to Pray.” Well… I’ll be honest.  At first, I pushed back on the idea.  I thought, “People can't seem to agree on ANYTHING right now.  They can’t agree on big stuff like politics, COVID… or the little stuff like who makes the best French Fry or how to eat an Oreo. But… WHAT IF? What if a ragtag group of us was willing to put aside our differences for a month? What if we… a group of very different people… took a month to pray for healing, hope, grace, unity, solutions and breakthroughs?   What might happen? Now… here’s the deal.  Prayer may not be your thing.  If that’s the case… TOTALLY cool.  No harm no foul.  We’re good.  And hey… if you want to drop out of this episode… that’s totally fine.  We can TOTALLY still be friends AND you are still TOTALLY part of the DREAM THINK DO family.  Because we are TOTALLY willing to recognize and honor our differences and our similarities here! At the same time… if prayer IS your thing… or you’ve always been curious about it… cool.  Let’s keep talking. See… prayer hasn’t always been big for me.  But over the years… prayer has brought me a lot of peace, hope, strength, grace, AND love.  PLUS… it’s also become a part of our core business strategy and something I depend on as we navigate the wild waters of life (especially in 2020!!!). Now, I don’t do it perfectly.  When I pray… it’s messy.  It ain’t poetic.  It’s not beautiful.  #IloveJesusbutIcussalittlebit  But it has become powerful… and amazing.   In the episode, I share some examples, plus I mention our “6 Miracle Day.”  (Click here to read that story: mitchmatthews.com/our-6-miracle-story/ Most importantly, we’ve seen the power of prayer help people to experience a sense of peace, hope, and strength.  And we’ve seen incredible things happen when a group of people comes together to pray. So… for the month of September, we’re wanting to do something we’re calling the WE AGREE TO PRAY project. It’s where people from all walks of life agree to pray… together. We’ll send out a daily email to: Offer some encouragement Provide a shared prayer focus for the day Share some stories and breakthroughs

EMPATHY: The Secret Weapon for Thriving in a Divided World!  In this episode, we talk about a surprising conversation that opened my eyes to the importance of EMPATHY… especially right now!  (That’s right… 2020!)  In this episode, you and I take a deep dive into the power of empathy.  But more importantly, we give you some tools, some strategies and some science!  Plus, we introduce you to the idea of “JOY SHARING.”  That’s right!  It’s a concept that can help you to experience more joy and share it with others too!  I think you’re going to dig it… so let’s get to it!   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE: EPISODES MENTIONED: My interview with BEN STEIN:mitchmatthews.com/history-doesnt-repeat-it-rhymes-with-ben-stein My interview with LINDSAY PALMER: mitchmatthews.com/lindsay-palmer-create-your-opportunities\  MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 1:15 Storytime 4:48 The power of empathy 7:34 Healing division 11:57 Empathy’s connection to happiness 14:24 One of Mitch’s favorite quotes 18:56 Share more joy feel more joy 21:19 Connect with Mitch MORE ON THE EPISODE:  Over the 4th of July… our family got together with one of our favorite people… Ben Stein.  He’s a history teacher our boys had.  He has a true passion for history, government, politics and the human condition.  We got together… socially distanced and safely of course.  We got caught up and then we did what we do… we started to talk HISTORY and current events.  We had an AWESOME conversation. We didn’t agree on everything… but we brought up issues of the day… as well as linked stories to our history.  Some of the stuff… we totally agreed on and some of the stuff… we didn’t.   But we were able to have this deep… enlightening… fun… awesome conversation.  Family was there.  We were pigging out on all sorts of unhealthy food too.  Which I’m sure helped. But at one point… I asked a question.  It was partly hypothetical… and partly because I legitimately was open to his answer. I said, “Okay… we’ve talked about a ton of different issues… some of which we’ve agreed on and some not so much, but it’s been amazing. You’ve opened my eyes to some things, and I think I may have pointed you to a few things too.   What’s at the heart of that? He responded with one word.  “Empathy.” We were willing to have empathy for each other. It was sooooo true!  Now… I’m fascinated by psychology, communication and interpersonal dynamics.  I get lost in leadership theory.  So, of course, I knew the word.  But in that moment… it just hit me.  It was a truth I needed to be reminded of! Empathy. In the moment… I totally agreed… and then we moved on to more topics.  But the concept of empathy stuck with me.  So I kept digging into it.  And some of the things I’ve found led me to believe that it is truly the Secret Weapon for Thriving in a Divided World! Seriously… I don’t want to over hype it… but the growing science and understanding behind EMPATHY is incredible.  I dug in and I wanted to share a little bit of you… so you could understand this Secret Weapon better… and use it more. Because when you understand empathy… you tend to connect with people at deeper levels, you create more trust AND… some new research is pointing to how empathy can actually make you a happier person too!  So let’s dive in.  EMPATHY DEFINED: One Definition for empathy is: "The ability to understand the feelings of another.” It does NOT mean you need to agree... but simply the willingness and ability to understand and honor the feelings of another person.  Another definition is: “The ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.” A third says, “Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgement, and emotionally connecting with another human being.” And right now... this is sooooo needed and sooooo healing!

Jake Thompson is an entrepreneur, performance coach, podcaster, speaker, and author.  He’s also the CEO of Compete Every Day… a training and performance apparel company with kick-butt clothing to help you stay healthy, motivated, ambitious, and hungry!  His podcast is called “Compete Every Day,” and he interviews competitors from all walks of life and they talk about the specific things they do to win and succeed.  And lastly, Jake’s brand new book was just released and it’s killing it.  The book is called… surprise… surprise… “Compete Every Day.”   In it Jake shares the seven key choices leaders and globe changers can make to enhance their focus, increase their success, and win at work and life… EVEN during a pandemic!  We’re going to talk about what it means to COMPETE EVERY DAY… and how we can make some KEY choices to help us succeed more… and live more of the life we were meant to live!  I’m so looking forward to this so let’s get to it!   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE: WEBSITE: www.competeeveryday.com PODCAST: podcast.competeeveryday.com BOOK: www.competeeveryday.com   MORE ON THE Jake Thompson EPISODE: Welcome to episode 281 of DREAM THINK DO.  I’m so stoked to get you this interview… because in it, we’re going to get you some specific ways to beat “Pandemic Fatigue.” I mean seriously… beat it back with a stick!  We’re going to dig into some strategies to help you not only survive… but thrive… RIGHT NOW. Honestly… that wasn’t what I was originally planning to focus on in this interview… because we’re talking with an expert on competition and resilience.  This is a guy who helps athletes… as well as people from all walks of life… perform at their best. But when we started to dig into some of the specific things top athletes do to perform at world-class levels… we started to bring the conversation to applying them to help you to navigate some of the rough stuff that’s hitting us right now. Whether you want to call it “Pandemic fatigue” or “COVID fatigue” it’s rampant.  It involves the feelings of being drained, overwhelmed, frustrated… especially because we’re not sure when all of this stuff is going to get better.  And if we let it… pandemic fatigue can totally drain our energy… our creativity… our performance.  And heck… even our ability to experience joy and peace. Well… if you can relate to this… and… deep down… you’ve been looking for some solutions… I can’t wait to get you this episode.  I can tell you that when I got done with recording the episode… I started to apply some of the things we talked about IMMEDIATELY.  And I can say that it’s already started to help.  And that’s what I want for you. I’m hoping you listen and then set an intention to do something new.  Something small but significant to not only survive but thrive… EVEN now!  So let’s do this! MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What is going down today 2:46 Get to know Jake Thompson 4:00 Conversation starts 4:42 The difference between competition and comparison 7:32 When Jake found that personal competition is key 15:57 Perseverance and grit 20:28 How Jake has coached his team during the pandemic 20:23 Staying focused on your priorities and goals 29:30 Final thoughts 30:46 Mitch's biggest takeaways   I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! What do you think?  What stood out to you from this convo with Jake? I loved each of his suggestions… but one specific thing I started to do IMMEDIATELY was to put some specific stuff on my calendar to look forward to.  Things for work.  Things for family and friends.  Quick adventures.  They don’t have to be BIG things (although I did schedule some ACTUAL travel - don’t worry… I’ll do it safely!).  They can be small but intentional things.  But I can already feel a difference.  Those milestones are SO important… especially right now!  What did you dig?  What did it stir up? I want to hear from YOU!