Introductions

Do you set your clock 5 minutes fast so you'll always be 5 minutes early? Then do you remind yourself that your clocks are 5 minutes ahead so you've still got time? Do you end up being late anyway? This is what it's like to be self-aware of your beliefs, and I've been doing it for years. Today, I attended a workshop with an exercise that helped me go from understanding what my core beliefs are, to realizing them. 

Which regret would be bigger: trying something new and failing, or not trying and staying the same? Most people say they would regret not trying something more than they would regret trying and failing. Michael and I agree on this as well, and he shares his experience how he stepped outside his comfort zone his whole life .

Many people, myself included, have experienced themselves feeling in a rut. Check it out: YOU... have experienced YOURSELF.... in a rut. 

Here's an easier one: I AM happy.... or I am EXPERIENCING happiness?  

I AM thinking.... or I am EXPERIENCING thoughts? 

For the most part, the "internal self" and the "external self" are two separate entities. When the Selves overlap and are in bliss, or in flow, it is because who we believe we are is currently aligning perfectly with what we say and do. 

Whenever we feel guilt, cognitive dissonance, or anxiety, it is because the narrative of our true identity (the internal self) is observing the reality of the human embodiment (the external self) and there is a disconnect between the two. Any form of discontent can be traced back to this experience of incongruence between beliefs and actions. 

In this solo round, I explain a little deeper about our perception of guilt, anxiety, and what they have to do with cognitive dissonance. 

Thanks for listening! 

@introtoaustin

Happy New Year, it's 2019 and time to start a fresh for many people, letting go of the past, abandoning half baked ideas or relationships, and looking forward to something hopefully bigger and better in the next 365 days. Goal setting is this elusive thing that most people place importance on only once or twice a year. Most people jump on the bandwagon for New Years until shit starts hitting the fan. Then the excuses and old habits start to come up. I've definitely been a victim of this mentality. But when we have the mindset of living our life like a social media timeline and not a photo album, we can start to shift the perspective. We can start to use our distractions as a reminder to refocus. We can lean into our current projects and minimize the feeling of defeat when something slows down toward the finish line. Lots of great perspective in this episode. Here are some notes I took:

• If you have inclinations of moving toward a goal, identify the decisions you'll have to make
• Breaking down bigger goals into micro goals 
• Identify the end product and what it means then design the steps to get there
• Understand that there may be many components to the big picture
• Learn to enjoy the process of accomplishing baby steps 
• Commit to getting a result from something small first 
• Don't overlook humble beginnings 
• What do you ultimately want and how can I achieve it on a small scale
• Realize your goals are to make you grow
• Goals are not a destination but just a stepping stone
• Your goals are meant to set you up for the next phase
• Set up a fixed destination and possess present awareness to be open to options
• Learn from the differences in your expectation and your reality
• Create a fixed target with flow
• Look for "lessons" in what you're not excited about
• Understand that everything is a flow, even if you feel stuck
• Photo album mentality vs. a timeline mentality
• Be self-aware of everything and give it positive meaning
• Follow the steps and know that there is always something next up
• Strong target with intention and keep options open to help you get there
• Fail forward by knowing when to change gears and keep pedaling
• Jet uses 40% of its fuel on takeoff
• Bicycle analogy: be aware of the energy it takes to start gaining momentum
• Harder to fall over on a bicycle if you're going fast 
• Don't be afraid to go as fast you can because life will be easier at cruising speed 
• Remember that you are not in a race with anyone but yourself
• Celebrate others' success
• Where is your sweet spot in shifting into the next gear? 
• Do you want to take more on before you're ready, or do you want to be overqualified 
• Tune your consciousness to know when it's time to take on more responsibility 
• Don't squeeze the brakes when faced with adversity, be humble and shift down a gear to regain your pedaling 
• Realize that you will encounter hills, and you are capable of overcoming them, but make progress in a gear that you're able to accomplish instead of trying to keep in a high gear
• Look for open doors before closing your current one and be conscious about finding doors
• It's okay to confirm that you do or don't like something 
• It's okay to not have an island that you call home with your career, it's okay to search
• It is not okay to be standing in the current and not moving at all 
• See the world objectively and recognize that the opportunities are endless
• Have conversations with more people and be open to receiving perspectives
• Remember your vision in your conversations, b<