MIDDLE AGEish
Authentically and unapologetically keeping it real, discussing all things Middle Age (ish), when metabolism slows and confidence grows. Middle Age(ish): A time of transition from dreaming of who we will grow up to be and looking at the legacy we will leave behind. Listen to this podcast and join the hosts of Middle Age(ish) as they sit around with a glass of wine to discuss all things related to middle age with some amazing guests!
MIDDLE AGEish
Igniting a Life of Humor and Hope with Steve Gamlin, the Motivational Firewood Guy
Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads, the life you planned crumbling around you? That's where Steve Gamlin, the Motivational Firewood Guy, stood before he ignited a new chapter filled with humor and hope. In a heartfelt conversation, Steve shares his transformation from hitting rock bottom to warming hearts with his blend of stand-up comedy and motivational speaking. His journey is a powerful reminder that adversity isn't a roadblock, but a catalyst for uncovering our true purpose and potential.
Laughter, they say, is the shortest distance between two people, and Steve proves it with every chuckle and life lesson shared. We get into the nitty-gritty of how a single laugh can build a bridge, create a memory, and change a life. During the episode, we also peel back the curtain on vision boards and reveal their unexpected depth. They're not just about pasting pictures of fast cars or exotic vacations; they're a map to the soul's deepest desires and the step-by-step path to fulfillment.
But what about joy? Can we really integrate our childhood passions into our adult lives? Steve enlightens us on this topic, exploring how volunteering and simple acts of love can reignite that spark of pure happiness. We wrap things up with a high-energy discussion on fostering positivity, no matter the hurdles life throws our way. So, grab your own motivational firewood, and let's light up a path to a life packed with positivity and a good dose of laughter.
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Welcome to the Middle-Age-ish podcast. Authentically and unapologetically, keeping it real, discussing all things middle-age-ish, a time when metabolism slows and confidence grows. Join fashion and fitness entrepreneur Ashley Badosky, former Celtic woman and founder of the Lisa Kelly Voice Academy, lisa Kelly, licensed psychologist and mental health expert, dr Pam Wright, and highly sought-after cosmetic injector and board-certified nurse practitioner, trisha Kennedy-Roman. Join your host on the journey of Middle-Age-ish.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Middle-Age-ish podcast. I'm Trisha Kennedy-Roman and I'm joined here today with my co-host, Ashley Badosky, Lisa Kelly and Dr Pam Wright, and we are joined today by Steve Gamlin. We're excited to have him here. He is a background in radio as an MC in stand-up comedy and he is known as the Motivational Firewood Guy. So welcome to the podcast, Steve. We're so glad to have you and we are really anxious to hear about one where we got the name the Motivational Firewood. So welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me Looking forward to our conversation and that actually came out very early in my speaking career, right around 2005. And at the suggestion of a friend, I attended a national speaker for association of New England meeting and I walked in so intimidated because everybody has their lanyards and their name badges and they're all dressed up nice, and somebody points me to the table with the hi my name is Sticker and a Sharpie and I just kind of wrote my name on there and one of the people that his name was Don and he said so, steve, what brings you here today? I said, well, I'm becoming a speaker. And he said, well, what sets you apart from other speakers? And I said I want to help people. I said, steve, we all want to help people. What makes you different and unique?
Speaker 3:And for about three to five minutes I sputtered sentence fragments that meant absolutely nothing, because I was just cornered like a deer in the headlights and finally I just said you know what, don, if people are coming to hear me speak, it means they have a tiny spark or something in their heart they want to create in their life. And if I share a story, a tip, a tactic, a strategy, a lesson, something that inspires them to take action and they create a win. I said it's kind of like I gave him a piece of motivational firewood, now his fingers and he goes that is really unique. He says it's really cool and you might want to trademark that, that's really interesting. But you know, what I like best is the way your face just lit up when you said that and he said young man, you hang on to that and you take that and run with it. And I've been. I've owned the trademark ever since.
Speaker 4:Oh man.
Speaker 3:That's amazing.
Speaker 5:I love it.
Speaker 4:I knew it had to be like a really good story, right.
Speaker 2:Had to. So how did you go from moving to that part of motivational speaking, from being on when you were in radio? Was it? Did I have to do anything with that, or how did you make that transition?
Speaker 3:Do you remember the old Wiley Coyote and Roderick cartoons back in the day? I've got a few forth again. I knew it but if you recall them, basically in the early 2000s, I pulled the Wiley Coyote, acme, rocket, roller Skates right out the cliff to the bottom of the canyon. I quit my radio career, my first marriage fell apart and at age 35, I was $62,000 in debt. It had to crawl back home and live with Spanley and I pretty much blew up my entire life and just sat in the ashes wondering what the heck I was going to do.
Speaker 3:And a hot August afternoon in 2003, I had $3 in my pocket on Friday and I decided to take out my frustrations on a bucket of golf balls. And I was underneath these big, tall steel towered power lines. And hot August afternoon in New England, a thunderstorm came through and everybody but me ran from the store because I was just there taking out my frustrations, mad at myself and, in a thunderstorm, barefoot in the wet grass, because I took my shoes off holding the club up. I just looked up and said go ahead, I dare you. And I hit my bucket and the buckets of two other guys who had run from the store. And at the end of the hour I couldn't lift my arms. I got back to my car and when I opened the door the rain stopped and the sun came back out.
Speaker 3:And the next day I had a conversation with my brand new life coach and he said how was your week? And as funny as I could make it sound, it was pathetic and fun. I told him about that hour and when he stopped laughing he asked have you ever thought of being a motivational speaker or a standup comedian? I think you'd be really good at both. And what he did not know was that when I was 11 years old, I wanted to be a radio DJ and author of my own books, a standup comedian and a teacher of people, but not in the classroom. And within two weeks I went to my first comedy class and a week after that my first host master's meeting. And here we are.
Speaker 6:That's so cool.
Speaker 4:I love that. Yeah, it just proves that you just never give up on yourself. You find the gifts where they come. Follow the dream.
Speaker 6:Yeah, did you go back into radio or were you just done at that point?
Speaker 3:I was done During my 10 years. I worked about 15 years worth of hours and twice the radio stations I worked for got sold and it got to the point where every time I heard we are getting sold, it made you're getting fired.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I haven't twice.
Speaker 3:And I heard the rumblings a third time right around the early 2000s and I just pulled the recording, bailed. Not my most well thought out decision ever, but here we are.
Speaker 6:I think when you're young enough, though you think you like in some ways, I know you hit rock bottom, but you, I think, when you're young enough, you kind of have that invincible quality about yourself. You're like it doesn't matter, I can start over.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I can do this.
Speaker 6:Yeah, you know, if you have any sort of ambition. I think that's part of being young and going forward and achieving what you want to achieve.
Speaker 3:We're very resilient creatures and I just lived by the credo that which doesn't kill me gives me a great story to share on stage. I've jumped out of three perfectly good airplanes with 2.5 perfectly packed parachutes. I get stories there.
Speaker 2:My goodness, yeah, that's something. Pam is only one of our greats. That is brave enough to.
Speaker 4:Yeah, she's the only one out of this group who will ever do that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, it's so much fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did you do that just for the thriller? Is that something that helped you move to something else? Was that conquering of fear, what made you decide to jump out of a perfectly good plane?
Speaker 3:I got to do it for free Back in my radio days. I'd gotten two tandem jumps. And then in the early 2000s they reached out to me and said hey, steve, do you still DJ? Because I had a DJ business on the side. And I said, yeah, I DJ. And they said oh, we're having this big bonfire and this big party and can you come out and play some music? And I said, okay, what's your budget? And they go well, we don't have any money. I said give me two solo jumps, because I wanted to give one to my coach. And they said do you? We played music for about an hour and the neighbors called the cops. They shut us down when I still got my jumps.
Speaker 4:So it was a win Trade alone. I got to see why it was a win.
Speaker 5:All right. So I have a question for you, because I feel like public speaking is probably the scariest thing that people do, but I would think being a comedian in front of people because the audience is either going to be great or you're going to tell the same jokes and the next audience is going to bomb how do you deal with that and how do you get the courage to go on each night, I guess, to do that?
Speaker 3:I am by nature an introvert and I'm actually a relatively shy person and it would have been easier had I not been mortally embarrassed in the seventh grade spelling B when I was 13, because that killed my confidence for about 12 to 15 years. So for people that say, oh Steve, it's so easy for you to get up there, oh Steve, do you ever get nervous? And they told somebody this morning who asked me, don't you ever get nervous? I said well, I only get nervous every time. You know, the only part I really worry about is about the first 60 to 90 seconds.
Speaker 3:I just want to connect. You get that first laugh and then we're off and rolling. So it's not that I'm nervous about the whole thing, it's just connecting very quickly with the audience. And once I get that first laugh, oh it's on, and I love what I get to do for a living. I truly love it, and I did stand up for about seven years. I haven't done it now at about 12 or 13 years, but I may go back to that. It just I fell in love and we wanted to spend more time together and it was just getting tough to drive an hour and a half to do five minutes of comedy for free.
Speaker 4:Right, yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 6:I think that connection is really important and very few people ever say that about performing and being on stage, but I assume it's the same, that motivational speaking as well, because you have to, in a sense, get people to trust you, because once you have them in the palm of your hand, trusting you and I coach singing now, but I was a singer but I'm always saying to the kids, like those first few minutes that you get out on the stage, you have to fool them into believing you're better than you are and that's like making a connection. If you can make that connection with them, they the audience will forgive anything because they feel like they're the only person in the room and I think that's really important. I think people sometimes, especially with, well, musicians, mainly because sometimes I think people go out on stage for themselves as opposed to the connection that they're trying to make, and I think that's a really, really important point.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's a lot of people in my industry who have egos bigger than their trucks.
Speaker 3:And it's all about them and I've tried to never, ever be one of those people. It doesn't matter to me. I had a speaker kind of get in my face one time and said, well, I've got more than 500 standing ovations, I'm better than you. And I just looked them in the eye and said I got one and I cheated to get it to win a $5 bet. So a friend would buy me a drink after the event. What you do is get people to stand up right near the part where you say thank you, good night enjoy the rest of the event Perfect, awesome.
Speaker 3:And they start clapping and to me it's that first set of eyeballs. When you gesture and you pause and say something, walk right on one person, and they can't help but nod and in my head I'm going OK, there's one, let's make another connection.
Speaker 6:Absolutely, because that instills the confidence in you then to continue on as well, because you kind of you walk out. I mean, I assume you're the same as I am when I walk out, because I'm nervous every time I go out, and we were on tour for a really long time, so you know not that it never became a not in us, because every audience was a little bit different, but you go out on the stage and you'd always have the first. You know the super fans who were there and would love them be so excited. But our aim was to get the sulky girl in the front row. So it just became a competition and you try extra hard, you get it to, whatever it takes.
Speaker 3:I know that you're actually connected with them. It's such a reward and I still remember. I'll never, ever forget this. This was around 2008.
Speaker 3:It was a small comedy club near where I grew up and I was the opening act and one thing I used to love to do is go around and just thank everybody afterward for coming to the show and we enjoyed it. Hope they had a good night, hope they had a great experience, and I was the only one who was doing that. I don't know why, but I love to do it. And two women came over and they pointed across the room. They said do you see that woman over there going to get her coat? I said, yeah, she goes well, that's our best friend and this is the first time she's come out in six months. Something very bad had happened to her life and she had a major loss in her life. And they said tonight was the first time we heard her laugh in six months and you made her laugh and I'll never forget that. It's not about standing ovations or who's the best, it's connections.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I do think that laughter is medicine.
Speaker 6:No, I don't think so I mean.
Speaker 4:I don't think that there's been any part of my life, whether it's the peaks of alleys or whatever, but if you can infuse laughter, it is like nature's natural wonder, at least for me. For real. Yeah, I think it's amazing because, again I go back to, laughter cures everything, absolutely. You can get your point across, as you know, but just, I think it's just the universal language.
Speaker 6:And it breaks barriers with people. It's definitely uncomfortable if you can laugh at yourself or even at somebody else and feel OK about doing it. It really does break barriers. I love to see that when you hear motivational speakers or even pastors or anybody who has to stand up, because we all know if you're just lecturing people.
Speaker 4:But you're still right, like when you infuse laughter in any type of message, whether it's church or motivational speaking or whatever, for some reason it keeps people's interest and it seems to resonate. When you could say the exact same things, but then this is what I want you to do, and I'll follow one, two, three and report back to me.
Speaker 2:I think the funniest things that I've seen are the ones that would be too embarrassing for you to actually say out loud, but the other person does and you can relate to it.
Speaker 6:I think that's probably the funniest.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So just in looking at, kind of looking at your background, reading some things on you, obviously I know that you really like to motivate people and to have something that they're reaching for in life. But one thing I read I'm curious about is you created a T-shirt that said friends don't let friends attend vision board parties. So tell us about that one. I need that T-shirt.
Speaker 3:Well, I've got a couple of my. I had one hanging in here and finally had to go into the laundry, but it's usually here in the studio. My main topic is visualization and vision boards and doing my best to teach the world that they are not arts and crafts projects. And you're right around New Year's. You see all these things pop up. Hey, we're having a vision board party. We're going to have wine, cheese, cracker, scissors, glitter, acoustic, folks, boards, magazines. Come on, make your vision board and create success in your life.
Speaker 3:To me, like you've got New Year's resolutions which are small and then you've got goals which are bigger, vision board parties to me are small. They're not worthless, they're not dumb, they're. They're small Because they barely scratch the surface of what visualization is all about. So I was talking to a friend one day and she said something. She goes oh, you're going to love this. I saw another ad for a vision board event, vision board party with wine, she's and all that. She goes 25 bucks and you're going to create success. And I just, I just kind of snapped and I said friends, don't let friends go to vision board parties. And she started laughing. So I said let me hold on, let me write that down. It was in three days and sure made.
Speaker 3:And then it says that and it's just a warning to people to if you're going to do visualization to create a vision board, understand it's not a surface level thing. We are talking about going so deep into not just what you want to get, but who you want to become. And it's not just material things, because so many people send me pictures deep. You're going to be so proud. I made a vision board. Now say, send me a picture and what is it? That's what I call the vision board starter kit Labor, yeety yacht, mansion, private jet, helicopter, big rock and gold watch and a big stack of gold bars and pellets of cash in their basement.
Speaker 3:Okay, there's nothing wrong with any of these things, but who do you need to become to make all this happen? Who do you need to be? And besides, there are eight major areas of your life your physical health, your emotional well-being, your closest relationships, core values that guide everything you do, your faith and spirituality, your connection to the world in real ways, your work and your money. Where's the rest of it? And they go. Oh. So that's my challenge with vision board parties. Again, they're not worthless and they're not stupid, they're not dumb, but I don't believe they go deeply enough and it's like planting seeds in very, very shallow water. If it even rains a little bit, they're going to wash away and be gone.
Speaker 6:I don't think I've ever been invited to a vision board party either.
Speaker 4:I mean, I've seen it for like home decor. You know like if you're working, Wow, but I've never. Yeah, I haven't.
Speaker 5:I use them. I'm a psychologist, I use them with clients, but it's more about one certain goal, and so if you want to work on being a comedian, okay. Well, if that's a 10-year plan, then how do we? What do you need to do in eight years? Or where do you need to be in five? Years, and then you kind of like walk it back, so it's more a doable.
Speaker 5:Substance yes, yeah, there's a way to get to that goal. But I agree, like having a lot of things on the board and what does that mean to you, and money and things like that. Like people always chase sometimes that kind of facade that doesn't bring them happiness or doesn't make them who they are a better person in the end. They think it's what they want but it's not really so you have to even go a deep into like why is this on your board?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I would think that if you had to have to do one of those boards and again, this is coming from someone who's never been to one of those parties, but like, the first picture needs to be of you happy, because I feel like to get all of those things whatever your vision is, you got to be at peace with yourself and be happy first, in my opinion. But I am not. I am not Dr Pam, and I'm not a comedian, although I do think I'm funny.
Speaker 5:But you know it's right, you are.
Speaker 4:But that has to be the like, that has to be the center picture, of course, because that's where the manifestation comes from, is, if you like, it comes from within. So I think people think these things equal happiness or these things equal Absolutely but that's when you're like you got to circle back around and but anyway, again, that is my two cents on, and never being too.
Speaker 2:I think, vision board, vision board. We just did the wine and cheese parties.
Speaker 4:We concentrated on the wine, the cheese and the talking aspect of a vision board. But I do like.
Speaker 5:I like your idea about, you know, when you lost your career, every time that you would get fired or you would lose a job like looking for something that you really wanted to do and that you valued, versus just being like, oh wow, throwing the towel. Life's over, right? You know, it's just, it's like a pivot moment, as I would say, to go to something that you really are passionate about.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that was when I remembered that the four things I'd wanted to do when I was 11 years old and I was starting. I was visualizing even then and didn't even know it because I didn't know such a thing existed. But I used to imagine myself in a recording studio, being a DJ, writing my own books. When I was a kid. I wish I still had these. I used to write my old little books and draw my own little pictures and everything I wish I still had.
Speaker 3:All of these things wound up happening over time and now that I'm doing them more intentionally, things happen faster and things happen deeper and I'm more connected. Because now I know and you said it in one of the most powerful words in the last conversation knowing why you want what you want. An emotionally connected walk can be the gas in your tank, the spark in your engine. It can keep little pebbles from becoming Jersey barriers. If you know your why, you're going to power walls like the Kool-Aid man to achieve what I want to do where, if it's just something that's like, well, okay, well, I guess it's not going to happen.
Speaker 3:If you really want something to happen. I really wanted to fall in love one more time in my life. That was three years of work and I also love that. You said the happiness and the most important stuff to go in the center of the board. That's where I start with every board. Even before I fell in love with my wife, tina, I had pictures of happy couples in the center of the board holding hands on a B I'm a volpless romantic holding hands on the beach.
Speaker 2:There's nothing wrong with that?
Speaker 3:No, nothing, tina. My wife Tina always says she goes. You realize you're the chick in this relationship.
Speaker 5:Like, you're not worth your date.
Speaker 3:There's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 5:No, you're not At this hairline.
Speaker 4:there is nothing wrong with that statement. That is all that is okay, they're good with it.
Speaker 5:They're good with it Anyone used to laugh at me for that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, is it laughing anymore? Now they're hiring me for coaching. Exactly.
Speaker 6:I'm going to create their link, yeah.
Speaker 3:No shame in my game, whatsoever.
Speaker 4:That's ignore, should there be, yeah that's great.
Speaker 2:You know you talked about when you were younger and thinking about dreaming of being a radio DJ and such like that. And when we're young we have a lot of goals. You know, we're. You know a lot of different ideas of what we want to do when we grow up. And then all of a sudden you blink and you're grown up. And I'm curious of what, if you were motivating someone to you know, work towards their happiness, work towards their best self the difference between what you would tell someone who was 18 versus 81, because I feel like when we get to middle age and beyond, you kind of feel like it's too late, yeah, you're stuck. All those hopes and dreams you had as a child are too late, you're already there. So what would you tell someone like who kind of felt like, hey, my life's half over or whatever more than half over, to keep them motivated?
Speaker 3:I started asking them what their favorite conversations were, they had in the past week. And if they say, well, I don't talk to too many people, I say, all right, well, when was the last time you went out and had a little fun? And if they're really, really stuck, I'll ask them what did you want to be when you were younger? What did you want to do? What did you like to do the most? And it's funny because sometimes people go, huh, I haven't thought about that in a long time. I want it to be a trinarium because I love animals, and I'll ask if they have any pets. No, I'm not allowed to have any pets.
Speaker 3:And then all of a sudden we start to strategize okay, can't have pets, you always wanted to be around animals. Is there an animal shelter or a rescue in your town? Yeah, have you ever been there? Have you gone to volunteer? Have you signed up for maybe half an hour once a month to go walk some dogs or play with some cats to make their curb appeal a little better for people coming in and looking to adopt? Could you make a donation? Could you be around there, just even sweeping up or something, and immerse yourself somewhere in the environment that could even just spark the joy of something that used to make you very, very happy in your life.
Speaker 3:And I remember when I was very early on, somebody very close to me who is extremely intelligent, extremely hardworking. She earns every dime she makes which she gets paid well, now she wanted to dump it all to go work with children with disabilities and she couldn't because she could never find a place that would pay her anywhere near where what she was making. So I suggested she volunteer one morning a month to go do activities with one of the organizations. She went to a bowling hour with one of the local nonprofits and she started volunteering there two times a month and she absolutely loved it. She goes.
Speaker 3:I don't even mind working 60 hours a week just so I can get to Saturday morning when I get to go do that. So those are the conversations I have with people. You just kind of brush all the mud and the clouds away and get back to that original spark, that original glow in their heart and you just find a different way. You know you mentioned the word pivot earlier. I always say bounce it off the wall a different way and maybe put it back into your life somehow and tap back into that passion and that energy and that smile and that joy and that feeling of value and just being connected again to who you really want it to be.
Speaker 6:It's so simple when you think about it Like it's just yeah, I think people think it's all and nothing. Yeah, I think people think everything has to be so complicated and you have to do so many different things, when the answer really is quite simple and it's most definitely inside you.
Speaker 4:You can figure it out if you just simplify everything and just find your joy, yeah, and like you said, it doesn't have to be all or nothing, it just volunteering at a place that makes you happy. Again, I think it goes back to then. That's going to trickle through, like your friend, like it trickles through the rest of your life. You don't have to like all of a sudden I'm 40 and I'm not going to be a vet. But finding those little moments of joy and then doing those little moments of joy doesn't mean you have to do a complete 180 to change your life and make things better Maybe 40 hours of thought a week, it wouldn't be your joy anymore, I mean you know everybody's always heard the sign to make your hubby your job Right.
Speaker 6:You know I don't agree with that statement, but I obviously don't either, but the film you know we're very lucky and we're in, and that's true. We're very lucky that we all get to do what we love. But I can imagine, you know, people who are 40 hours a week doing a job that they don't particularly love, but count forward Right, and especially, I think, people who are paid very well for a job they don't love.
Speaker 4:It's even harder to feed, right, I mean just like this friend so hard.
Speaker 6:But it is just finding you don't have to do what you love 40 hours a week, you just have to do it. Yeah, at some point in the movie.
Speaker 5:But I do. I wonder if there's like a trend, because when I used to teach a master's class, I had two attorneys that came into the class and they were in their 60s. But they were like we are happy at our career, we want to go and pursue a new career. And then last week I did intern interviews the people who are in the master's program who want to come and interview at my practice and it was amazing there were so many that had had two and three previous careers.
Speaker 5:We're kind of middle age some of them younger, but it wasn't just these kids who are right out of undergrad going to masters. It was really a lot of diversity and a lot of people who were kind of like older and saying, like I did marketing before, I did. You know, whatever I did before, it wasn't really happy and I just saved up money to be able to go back to school and do what I want to do. So I don't think you're ever too old, but I do. I like your point about volunteering and get involved with the things that you really value.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I tell people all the time look, you know, we fall into those pits and we crash and burn sometimes. Sometimes we do it to ourselves, sometimes it gets done to us like the pandemic. I mean, we didn't see that coming. I think a lot of people looked around at their lives and thought, oh my gosh, is this it? Yeah, I had people reach out to me saying Steve, I want to do something else. They say we're coming back to the office soon. I don't want to go back to that. And it's during the 30s, 40s, 50s, even early 60s, saying I want more out of life than this. And it doesn't mean I suggested a job. I would never do that, that would be reckless on my part. But we start talking hobbies and the passions and the interest and just bring life to themselves every day, share themselves on in the mirror first thing in the morning. That's something I learned from Mel Robbins, a speaker who I absolutely adore. Five beeps and my alarm goes off because Tina bought me a clock that doesn't have a snooze button.
Speaker 4:I said I'd better get it Okay. Well, that is not a nice tip. I'm just going to tell you that right now, for my husband listening to this, because I start my snooze button at 5.45 in the morning and I come rolling out about 6.20. So please, if Michael's listening do not ever think about getting me a clock with a snooze button, Exactly. So all right, carry on.
Speaker 3:I'm logged in on fire First thing in the morning, 5.05 AM, alarm off in five. I count five, four, three, two, one. Both feet are on the floor. I get up and I walk into the bathroom, turn on the light. I'm smiling and I'm high-fiving the mirror. I said we're going to make a good day happen. And then I go rock my workout for 90 minutes to two hours and then start my day. All because I get up in the morning and I choose that I'm going to have a good day. And then I put the actions follow.
Speaker 6:I do not know one Irish person who will be awake at 5.00 in the morning.
Speaker 4:I just know that it takes me I get 35, 40 minutes to get my brain going on the morning stretch.
Speaker 6:But I'm not like that.
Speaker 5:That's the only thing that you remember the whole get up and get into the sun and then do your exercise.
Speaker 4:I do think, getting up with a positive attitude, even if it's 30 minutes after your alarm goes off. I think that setting your intentions for the day really does matter, and I didn't realize that when I was younger, and I know that's kind of like what you're basis, isn't. It's so true if you set your attentions to positive, I feel like throughout the day, you will attract positive. If you get up and, unfortunately, set your intentions to negative, you have a better chance of then attracting negative. That's all you'll see all day.
Speaker 5:It's just really negative.
Speaker 4:I know it's a mindset and I know it's hard I don't say it flippantly at all but it is really true. When you set those intentions in the right direction, you can manifest more positivity or try to.
Speaker 3:It all comes down to what you're noticing. I mean, what you set for the intention is going to set your energy. It's going to set your filters, your ears, your eyes, your heart, your everything. Your brain is going to be aware of that.
Speaker 4:It's the right attitude.
Speaker 3:How I start. Every day after my workout, I'll go upstairs and I'll write in my gratitude journal. My gratitude journal is my three favorite moments from the previous day, so I'm back loading and I'm writing them down. To start today, it's almost like re-stoking a positive that's great.
Speaker 2:You know the one example you gave about the person you were talking to wanting to become a vet and then they couldn't be around animals because their apartment didn't allow pets. I think it's really easy to get one little roadblock and it's easier for us to just stop and say, well, I can't have pets, can't be around animals, versus trying to come up with solutions. Well, I can't have animals in my house, but, as you said, you know, going to volunteer in an animal shelter, so what would you say would be the greatest thing we can do for our future self, to kind of be motivated and move towards that positive direction.
Speaker 3:If you think of it like an old wooden roller coaster, because so many people, when I say imagine your best future self, they get overwhelmed and they just stop and they go. Well, I guess this isn't too bad. I always say look, think of it like an old wooden roller coaster. Your best self is at the top of that first hill. You might be at the parking lot level right now and that's okay, but you know where you are, you know where you want to be. So think like an old wooden roller coaster. You got to go, click, click, click, click, even if you start at the end and work backwards. Well, if I have that, I must have done this, must have done this, must have met. This person must have learned this, must have listened to this podcast, read this book connected with this group.
Speaker 3:Think of all the little steps you have to take, and when you think about it that way, it's not as overwhelming, because you can't start halfway, you can't skip any steps. You have to sit there and do all the little steps. Now here's the cool part about it After a while, when you do the steps, you look over your shoulder and you realize you're actually getting closer and you get more excited and you're getting more confident. And when you're more confident in your daily actions, you can build momentum. When you build momentum and keep doing it consistently, you'll hardwire better habits. So you're not going to be that same person you were at the park and lot level. You're getting bolder, getting stronger and the closer you get when you get over the top and you do the last thing, it took to get there.
Speaker 3:You look all the way back down and you say I made it. And then you go over the top and you scream your brains out because it's a ride you can't stop. You just celebrate, scream, cry, whatever you want to do, grip for dear life. When you get to the end, if you really enjoyed that ride, it's the first thing you want to do. Get on again when you've achieved a goal and when you're setting your next goal and you're back in line, I want you to look around and see anybody around you who also wants to set a goal but looks really nervous, like it's their first time. Say hey, I just had this amazing ride. Is this all new to you? Yeah, why don't you come sit next to me? I'll tell you a couple of stories on the way up. I'm going to show you how this works, so you don't get scared and climb out and walk all the way back down the walk machine. We all get to be coaches.
Speaker 4:You're absolutely right. When you create that visual, then it can take root and we can all find little nuggets that are relevant to our life or our goals. You just have to imagine it and you've got to put that visual in your mind.
Speaker 2:I love the motivational firewood and I just love your outlook. I love the idea of not hitting the snooze and laying there thinking about that I don't want to get up and instead jumping up and making a great day.
Speaker 1:Hey now there's another one.
Speaker 2:Yes, you don't want to do that, but I think that's great, because the longer you lay there, the more you can think about how early it is and you don't want to get up. You've been just a delight. We're so glad to have had you on here and we'll definitely include your information. We put out this podcast so our guests can get some of that motivational firewood too.
Speaker 3:My pleasure. Thank you so much. I've loved this. It went by so fast. I mean, it was awesome.
Speaker 4:That's what positive talk does, yes, yes yes, so keep doing what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Thank, you so much, Steve. Have a great night.
Speaker 3:Take care. Bye-bye, thank you.
Speaker 6:My spirit of positive people for change.
Speaker 2:Here it is. I mean, I think that I think, yeah, just I don't know, he makes you want to be happy and be positive, and I think, when you surround yourself with people like that, I think that that just you can't help it. Be positive, it's not necessary.
Speaker 4:You don't have to change the wheel Like you just again set your intentions.
Speaker 4:If you said it, that you are going to be positive, then you will more than likely attract positive. Not all the time, it's not, you know, but it's so true If you wake up in the morning. And I know people have different circumstances and, like I said, this is life is peaks and valleys, like there's. We've all had triumphs and trials, but when you can find kindness, you can find positivity. And even the littlest thing, like that little ice, he said with the heart yeah, I mean, there's been days that you know things have not gone great or whatever, and like I'll see a Cardinal and that's kind of like my spirit.
Speaker 6:Oh.
Speaker 4:And it makes me pause. I'd be like, okay, ashley, get it together. Yeah, you know, things are okay, things are good. So just finding those little moments, I have been in perspective too. Yes, like it makes you stop and be like wait, what are you doing?
Speaker 5:Right, that's really important. We can all go down the rabbit hole super fast. Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 4:Because I think that's what the world is more now geared towards. It's like let 's just all stay in the rabbit hole yeah. And so much better with the rainbows and the unicorns.
Speaker 6:Yes.
Speaker 2:And the leprechauns.
Speaker 6:And the leprechauns. I'm a Cardinal. I'm like thinking a little way. He says what am I? What's my spirit? I'm a spirit, I'm a. It's definitely a chimpanzee.
Speaker 5:Really, I just do say why.
Speaker 6:I'm hairy Okay.
Speaker 5:They're hairy.
Speaker 6:And I just they're smart, they're funny and they're cuddly.
Speaker 4:They're cuddly, they have sense of humor, they do crazy things.
Speaker 6:They hop on people, I hop on people. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4:Lisa's fans are going to be like I'm sorry, what now? Can we clarify?
Speaker 5:that? Can we clarify that?
Speaker 4:Oh my God, they're like okay, lisa's next master class we want to know about that.
Speaker 6:Wouldn't that be a king room? To be hairy like a chimpanzee.
Speaker 5:He has, like, turned them all off anyway, I was like when they came to leave it, I hop on people. I was like, let's talk about this, lisa, I think that's going to be the next one.
Speaker 4:I hop on people We'll get t-shirts Yay.
Speaker 6:You're so regal with your, like, you know, with your-.
Speaker 4:We like Lisa's spirit animal, a chimpanzee with Harry, it likes to jump on you.
Speaker 6:I play with your feet and stuff. Oh my.
Speaker 4:God, oh, why am I starting to see only fans, exactly?
Speaker 5:As a chimpanzee here she is Cheers to our spirit animals.
Speaker 4:Cheers to spirit animals. Cardinal and a chimpanzee.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining the ladies of the Middle Ages podcast as they journey through the ups and downs of this not young but definitely not old season of life. To hear past episodes or make suggestions for future episodes, visit wwwmiddleagishcom. That's wwwmiddleagishcom. You can follow along on social media at middleagish. Also, if you have a moment to leave a review rate and subscribe. That helps others find the show and we greatly appreciate it. Once again, thank you so much for joining us and we'll catch you in the next episode of the Middle Ages podcast.
