Strike a Chord Live Podcast

Life is about flow. If you want to live you need blood flow. In business, you need cash flow. Nothing can exist in nature by simply sitting still.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day we discuss LUCK vs. PREPARATION!

Does luck exist or are do you achieve success from hard work and preparation?

We all know that people think they are lucky, but we discuss hard work and preparation as key tenets of success.

Preparation is key to success and if you have the right mindset and the right preparation, then your "luck" will come!

Marcus Ellis and Collin Harbour discuss how to handle seasons of adversity!   

(Don't miss the special section on Steve Garvey and Dale Murphy - Happy Birthday week Dale!)

We compare and contrast "human" ideas vs. "Artificial Intelligence." (ChatGPT in this case).  

We asked ChatGPT for some ideas and here is what "Arthur Harold" (which we have officially named ChatGPT) came back with:

"How to Stay Motivated During Seasons of Adversity" (source, ChatGPT)

Staying motivated during seasons of adversity can be challenging, but it's important to keep pushing forward. Here are some tips that might help:

1. Set small goals: Break down your larger goals into smaller, more achievable goals. This can make the process seem less daunting and more manageable.
2. Stay positive: Focus on the positive things in your life and try to maintain a positive outlook. This can help you stay motivated and keep you moving forward.
3. Find a support system: Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who will encourage you and help you stay motivated.
4. Take care of yourself: Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising regularly. Taking care of yourself physically can have a positive impact on your mental health and motivation.
5. Celebrate your successes: Take time to acknowledge and celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may be. This can help you stay motivated and feel good about your progress.
6. Learn from your failures: It's important to learn from your failures and mistakes. Use them as an opportunity to grow and improve, rather than getting discouraged and giving up.
7. Keep pushing forward: Even when things get tough, keep pushing forward. Remember that adversity is temporary and that you have the strength and resilience to overcome it."

Marcus had his own ideas and you can tune in to see how "Arthur Harold" stacked up against the human!

We are so excited to welcome very special guest, Terrance Elmore to Strike A Chord Live Podcast! 

This has been in the making for a long time and we are beyond thrilled to make it happen!   

Terrance P. Elmore is an author, poet, and podcast host that’s doing his part to spread love in a world that seems to be full of hate; one poem, one podcast, and one message at time.   

He’s the author of, “Love Letters: A Collection of Poems” and “The Essence of Love.” 

Both poetry collections are centered around love because he recognized a need to distinguish the difference between real love and misrepresented love.   

Featuring Very Special Guests, Virginia Clark & Laura Ellis From White Tied Quartet Music Company And Emerald Coast Honors Orchestra (ECHO)! 

We discuss some upcoming performances and why they teach music to the youth.   

The White Tied Quartet is an electric string quartet originally formed in 2012 to perform with White Tie Rock Ensemble. We bring "the classic" to live rock and roll experiences! All classically trained, we love performing all kinds of music together to entertain our audiences. We have the best time performing with the master musicians of the White Tie Rock Ensemble! Check us out below!  

Life lessons are taught every day.  For instance, they teach children how to handle life challenging situations -- such as, what to do if fog gets in your eyes.  AND How to keep up when the light shines directly in your eyes.  

These two have passion for music - and they are passing it down to another generation.  

In this session we talk with Chief Sky-Horse, Dan Helms - the focus is on perseverance!  Imagine sticking with something for over 100 years! 

Florida House Bill 553 will recognize the Santa Rosa Band of the Lower Muscogee.  They are direct lineal descendants of Muscogee Creek Indian people who lived on the lands of what is now Northwest Florida long before Florida became a U. S. Territory.   

From The Santa Rosa Band's website:  The past cannot be changed.  The only thing left for us to preserve is our language, heritage and culture.  We have a whole set of knowledge systems that have been passed down to us from beyond millennia.  We still uphold their sacred covenants.  They let us know our place in the world and give us guidelines for living in harmony and walking in balance with the body, spirit and soul.  Po monken heyvt os! … We are still here!   

This is a MUST-LISTEN session!     

We discuss the Bill, but we also focus on perseverance in a way that most of us simply can't understand!  

Part 2- 

What if I told you that brokenness and physical adversity are not the conclusion of your story?

Today's guest, Shelly Jean Larson has a story that spans many chapters and is still being written.

She works with Exit Stage Left focusing on slaying the villain of lies taught to us and told to us.  She helps those who want to leave the tipping industry who are broke, broken millionaires.  Her focus on helping others become financially, spiritually, and emotionally fit.

She likes to remind people that the next big thing is coming!  And she wants to help them be prepared.   Are you prepared?

Shelly Jean focuses on helping others BE come Fit, Fabulous, and Fired up about the change and fired up to move into the next phase of life. Empowering the tipping industry to be heroes of their own story.

Her recent focus has been on the tipping and Adult Entertainment industry, but the principles and inspiration she provides can impact most anyone.

We discuss ways to slay the villains, insecurities, grief, imposter syndrome, disdain, not good enough, fear, guilt shame, and addiction!

YOUR SUPERPOWERS can break the chains from your past, BUT . . .

You must have a:

• Money      Plan
• Health      Plan
• Spiritual      Plan
• Way      Out Plan

Timing is everything, but you must be prepared.

Shelly Jean Larson:

What if I told you that brokenness and physical adversity are not the conclusion of your life?

Today's guest, Shelly Jean Larson has a story that spans many chapters and is still being written.  

She works with Exit Stage Left focusing on slaying the villain of lies taught to us and told to us.  She helps those who want to leave the tipping industry who are broke, broken millionaires.  Her focus on helping others become financially, spiritually, and emotionally fit. 

She likes to remind people that the next big thing is coming!  And she wants to help them be prepared.   Are you prepared?  

Shelly Jean focuses on helping others BE come Fit, Fabulous, and Fired up about the change and fired up to move into the next phase of life. Empowering the tipping industry to be heroes of their own story. 

Her recent focus has been on the tipping and Adult Entertainment industry, but the principles and inspiration she provides can impact most anyone.  

We discuss ways to slay the villains, insecurities, grief, imposter syndrome, disdain, not good enough, fear, guilt shame, and addiction! 

YOUR SUPERPOWERS can break the chains from your past, BUT . . . 

You must have a:

• Money Plan
• Health Plan
• Spiritual Plan
• Way Out Plan

Timing is everything, but you must be prepared.

Shelly Jean Larson:

In this episode we discuss how your past does not define you.  Don't get us wrong . . . you can't eliminate the past, but you can eliminate its negative influence on your life and look to the future.   

Have you ever done anything wrong in your life?  If so, you’re not alone. 

And guess what, in many ways it doesn’t matter!  

In today’s session, Marcus and Collin discuss ways to move beyond your past – and to focus on today.    

It doesn’t matter what you did as a teenager, or as a kid.  Of course. you should ask for forgiveness. You can’t live a good life by holding onto the past.  

Everyone’s made mistakes.   It takes time to get over some things, but that’s okay.  

The past is the past. It’s gone.  It’s over.  

What you do today defines you.  Here are some ways to remember that the past does not define you (with some #chatgpt tips, too.)  

1. Capture your thoughts.  Stop focusing on the negative.    Capture Your thoughts and stop the habit of mulling over negative.  This can be difficult to do.    The continuous negative thoughts is the enemy coming in.  The enemy doesn’t want you to be free from pain and fear.  Chat GPT lists self-awareness as the first way to stop letting the past define you.  Understanding you have the power to shape your identify and that you are not defined by your past experience.  
2. Think about the person you want to be.  Similar to speaking into existence.  People can become better simply by focusing their thoughts on being better.    You are your thoughts – you are a collective being of your thoughts and actions.  Chat GPT’s second tip for recognizing your past does not define you is to "forgive yourself".  Making mistakes is a natural part of the human experience.    Collin Quote: “If you breathe, you’re going to make mistakes.” Ice Cube Quote: “Chickity check yourself before you wreck yourself.”  
3. Become deaf to the naysayers.  In many cases, if you have haters, you’re doing something right.     

4. Surround yourself with positive people, or “ballers”, as we like to say.  If you find yourself around negative people, you’ll most likely catch the “negative bug”. Surround yourself with people that do what you want to do.  

ChatGPT agrees on point four.  It says, “Surround yourself with positivity.”  Focus on people places and things that make you feel good about yourself and the future.

What if I told you that your actions can have a lasting impact, even long after you are gone?

It is important to be mindful of the impression we leave on the world.  As youngsters, we may not care as much, but the older we get the more we think of it.  Are you making a positive impact?  Your actions have a direct impact on others, including your children, but even everyone that you encounter in life.  

As the world continues to become more interconnected, our actions can have a ripple effect -- you know, like, "Ripple in still water."

We all know that our actions have consequences, but your actions also leave a lasting impression.

We can't make you strive to have a positive impact on the world.  In fact, no one can do it for you.  It has to come from within.  

Your actions can and will inspire others.

What do you celebrate? 

In this session, we have a little bit of fun and look at the National Day Calendar.  There are many reasons to celebrate, such as:

National Big Wig Day

National Colin Day

National Kazoo Day

National Pistachio Day

National Chocolate Cake Day

And the list goes on and on!

Celebrate each day.  Celebrate the small wins, too.  Hey, what small wins have you achieved today? Did you compliment someone?  Maybe you exercised or worked on a much-needed task.  Celebrate those wins both small and big!!  They all count, and they all add up!

Back from the archives, Season 1 – we discuss some great topics with Megan DiMartino.  Megan is a success coach. She's also a mother, wife, grandmother and business owner/entrepreneur.  Oh, and she's also an author and podcast host.

As season 3 continues, we discuss an issue that will face every single one of us this year:

What happens when “life” goes wrong?

You get in a wreck? You have a loved one in the hospital? You lose a job?

When things go wrong – take a step back and assess the situation.  Get up off the couch or out of bed and put one foot in front of the other and start working on “it”.

Even “ballers” drop the baton from time to time.

The reason some people seem so squeaky clean is because of their PERSPECTIVE and their MINDSET!

These types of situations will hit us all-no matter what.

So how do you keep going?

First, you make a DECISION to keep on truckin’!✅

Don’t just lay around and phone it in.

When things happen bad – we have the opportunity to right the ship. 🚢

Turn a stumbling block into a steppingstone. ⛰️

Next, stay positive . . . okay, we get it. Stay as positive as you can in the situation. Remember, your mindset is more than half the battle. Some say that mindset is EVERYTHING! 👈

And remember, KEEP GOING! This doesn’t mean that you won’t have to pivot but KEEP GOING! 🛣️

Oh, by the way, make it fun (if you can). Life is better when having fun!!! ✌️😎

Starting out with the right MINDSET will give you the confidence that everything is going to work out. It may take time. It may be tough. It may take more than one attempt. But you will get through “this one”, too.

Be yourself.  Be authentic.  Those are the key components of this session celebrating Veteran’s Day!

We have two guests:

What if I told you that you that you can’t go it alone?

What if I also told you that your story can change someone’s life?

In today’s session we discuss the necessity of collaboration and working with others to achieve your superman/superwoman status!  We show how you can actually get more done when working together with someone.  

We also discuss how learning and developing your story can help others. ALL stories are flawed and messy. Keep that in mind when looking for ways to help others.

Bruce Pulver and Heather Carter’s collaborative podcast, “Can I Have a Word with You”, breaks down words and provides actionable items to impact others.

Bruce is a TEDx speaker and author of “Above the Chatter, Our Words Matter,” and Heather is a cancer survivor who uses her story to help those that are one day behind her.  She's authored two books, "Soul Selfie" and "Soul Selfie: #nofilter."

We all have superpowers. Build on your superpower to help others and impact lives.

If you want to stretch yourself, work with others and listen to what they have to say.  Listening is absolutely key in personal growth and collaboration. Listening is an opportunity to find middle ground and learn.

Heather and Bruce both give back to others through events, donations and other assistance.  As Bruce's dad used to tell him, the only time "get" should come before "give" is in the dictionary.

As Heather says, “we go through what we go through so that we can help others get through what we went through.”

No goal is too big for you!

You can achieve success, but you have to put in the hard work.

One of the keys to achieving your big dream is consistency, consistency, consistency.

No matter the type of goal (spiritual, relationship, career, financial) – you must be consistent.

Mark’s word for the year is “minister,” which is helping others.

Make sure your goals are specific.  Ambiguous goals are difficult to reach.

Mark’s Specific goals:

• Financial:  $1,000,000 in net revenue
• Help out 3 people – find a place to live, financially, groceries for people, etc.
• Relationship – improve relationship with wife, friends.  But many relationships can use some help.

Collin revisited his specific goals:

• Urgency: Can be applied to any situation.
• Defend: Defend your family – spend time with family – vacations, restaurant for Valentine’s Day.
• Recalibrate:  Reset things that have been off the last few years.

Set High Goals:

If you set your goal high enough, you can achieve “success” even if you “fail”.

For instance, if your revenue goal is $500,000 and only make $480,000, you have still achieved success.

One of Strike a Chord Live Podcast goals is to hit 1,000 subscribers on YouTube.  

The Feel of Success:

Achieving your goals can make you feel good!  

Manifest your dreams into existence.  

Don’t worry about the naysayers.  

Don’t go it alone:

By the way, you can’t go it alone.  

You need help.  

Share your goals with others and let them help you – and help them in return.

Accountability:

Accountability is key.  

Put your goals in the public domain and find an accountability partner.  Meet with them regularly, both informally and formally.  Make sure someone is holding you accountable.

Mistakes Happen:

Mistakes will happen on the way to your goal.  Don’t quit!

Action Items:

1. Make sure your goal is something that you want to accomplish.
2. Set your goal
3. Find your words to drive success
4. Make a Plan – write it down
5. Find an Accountability Partner or Partners
6. Execute the plan
7. Measure success
8. Regroup when necessary
9. Adjust 
10. Continue to execute!