Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Follow Through
78 Plays6 years ago
Follow through is how we continue momentum as a result of a positive experience. It is our way of taking things with us to use in our every day. It can also be very fleeting. In moments of extreme clarity and inspiration, follow through is hardly questioned. Then reality sets in. We slip back into old ways, habits and routines and are left wondering where that desire to make progress went.
Support the show (https://www.btwntheears.com/)Recommended
Transcript
Returning from Florida: Was it transformational?
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello all right, so I'm back from New back from Florida and back up in Jersey and It was a good trip and you know I think it's easy to maybe say like I could have gone or it could have been a couple days longer It wasn't that long or whatever, but you know it was it was effective. It was enjoyable as effective and by no means was it like you know something that
00:00:31
Speaker
Expected to have like this singular finite Like answer to all sorts of things going on I don't know. I don't really believe in that. I don't think one event or one experience is going to be the thing it can be a significant catalyst towards something greater But I don't really
Moments of Clarity: How to make them last?
00:01:00
Speaker
I don't really think it works like that. I don't I know that there's like forks in the road and pivot points and turning points and you know connections this and that but you know I just don't think it's as clean as like I went I went here did that and you know therefore this so that that's kind of just my thought on it and
00:01:24
Speaker
You know, one of the things with that is like, there's this notion of follow through. And it's something I talk with people all the time with, usually after a between the years event. And, you know, the, while the people are different, the flow of the conversation usually goes the same way. And it's like, hey,
00:01:48
Speaker
I had this awesome experience. I had these moments of clarity, these deep personal feelings and emotions and visions and just this connection with myself in a way I haven't felt in a while. And that was really cool. I'm like, awesome.
00:02:09
Speaker
So what are you going to do with it? And it's like, well, I don't know. And the question is, is like, where's the, what's the follow through look like? Because, and I say this at the end of every event, like the event is over. It is only a matter of time and it's shorter than you think that the,
00:02:36
Speaker
This extreme moment of clarity you're having fades away and leaves you. It's starting to slip away and fade away and it's fleeting the very moment it's peaked and the very moment it's become to a conclusion of whatever this activity is or whatever this event is or something.
Reflecting on Clarity and Disruption
00:02:59
Speaker
And I've been asking myself that and not to say that me going out to Florida was you know, like anything crazy or anything but I did have you know moments of moments of intense clarity and and and kind of peace and connection and other moments of like
00:03:19
Speaker
like wild strains of questions and you know there's there was a lot of disruption to the status quo that led to either hey I can like I see this clearly or I don't know I need to look at you know that more and over the past week you know I've been asking myself like okay like now what
00:03:44
Speaker
And not like how am I going to move on from whatever, but how am I going to continue to carry forward with me some of those moments that I had down there? And what does that follow through look like?
00:04:01
Speaker
you know, and it's an interesting thing because I don't know exactly. It requires more awareness and more like just consideration of it. But it also requires like that action and follow through is very much an action oriented thing.
Maintaining Momentum Post-Trip
00:04:20
Speaker
And, you know, I think it's easy to go away and escape from the normal day to day grind.
00:04:31
Speaker
and feel this like levity or feel this like, yeah, like I'm kind of, I'm kind of grooved. I'm kind of recharged. I'm sort of, you know, jiving with some of these aspirations that I have and I'm ready to kick ass. Then you get home and like two or three days go by and you're like, where'd that feeling go?
00:04:57
Speaker
And that pep in the step kind of fades a little bit. And where those steps before had significant intention and purposeful and like you're driving.
00:05:12
Speaker
They kind of slow down a little bit. The intentionality sort of loses its edge. And then that aggressive step turns into like a shuffle where you're barely lifting your feet up off
The Journey vs. The Destination
00:05:26
Speaker
the ground. And then before you know it, sooner or later, you just stop walking.
00:05:31
Speaker
and you've kind of put yourself back in a position to repeat this cycle and this cycle creates a downward sort of spiral. And I think follow through is the way to continue it. Follow through is the way to continue to have that step be purposeful.
00:05:54
Speaker
and pick up and pick up and you know it might yeah you might get a little ahead of yourself you might be running before you're ready but hey you know cross that bridge when you get to it solve that solve that problem when it presents itself the the alternative is is to just sort of hope that this moment of clarity
00:06:18
Speaker
has longer lifespan than it probably does. And that follow through requires work. It really requires work.
00:06:32
Speaker
It's that continuation of work that for me, I have to really remind myself of. It's again, one of those things that conceptually I can point to and say, look, look, continuation of work is not the same as completion of work. And I understand that. And I've got a slew of experiences that I have completed.
00:06:57
Speaker
And I kind of get the completion blues a little bit where it's like, all right, you know, like I did that. That was, that was awesome. But then somehow there's like this moment of.
00:07:10
Speaker
Not like sadness, but you kind of get the blues a little bit. And when I look back at those things, it's very rarely the moment I cross the finish line or the moment I finish something or complete something. It's always like, in retrospect or in looking at that nostalgia, it's always like, man, the route and the process to get there was always the valuable thing.
00:07:36
Speaker
And so that's that continuation of work that has so much benefit. And this is like personal work, man. That doesn't have an end. That doesn't, for me at least, it doesn't have an
Seeking Happiness and Connection
00:07:55
Speaker
end. And so I think there's some things that I want to do. I want to have, yeah, you know, I want to have more happiness.
00:08:07
Speaker
And I have so many things to be happy about. I want to have more joy in that. I want to have more connection with nature and honor, some of that stuff. And I want to have obviously healthy relationships. I want to have healthy body, healthy mindset. And all of those things require work.
00:08:38
Speaker
and like the continuation of doing the work to honor them and to touch them on an on a daily basis is what um is is where i'm at right now and that's what um you know that's what i'm really trying to focus on um
The Power of Meditation
00:09:03
Speaker
the alternative, like I said, about not, um, not putting the work in is that the moments are fleeting and nothing really kind of changes. Some things are going to change for, you know, the good, some things are going to change for the bad. And, and, and, and that's part of the, the, the process.
00:09:29
Speaker
where just looking at the the end point kind of skips over a lot of that a lot of that really important valuable work. So when I look at when I look at what the continuation of the work and what the follow through looks like for me you know there's there's basic things like you know hey physical fitness being active and moving your body and honoring this
00:09:54
Speaker
incredibly resilient body I have and I've got 10 fingers and 10 toes and I'm like super blessed with that. When I move my body I connect with things and it's like yeah it's good I want to continue that.
00:10:09
Speaker
Creates things going on upstairs. It's like all right. I've kind of secured this space here and I can I can check in with some stuff there just contemplate things and You know for me fitness and movement is is rather a meditative type exercise I do also meditate and that was also something that you know, I want to be better at that by way of
00:10:35
Speaker
more consistent is not not not like technically better you know like anybody that meditates like there's no bad way to meditate yeah i'm not talking about that i'm saying more consistent and honoring that value that it provides and for me it does provide value and it provides some benefits too and things that like
00:10:59
Speaker
You know it's kind of cool. It's like the the old Russell Stover not old, but the Russell Stover chocolates you know One and God forbid you get the pink nana or the that awful chocolate Sometimes you know you'll finish. I'll finish meditation be like really like
00:11:19
Speaker
not really happy about that one but it's a good reminder of like hey it's like that's not the point you know and the version I do is transcendental meditation and so it's a specific method but um
00:11:32
Speaker
It's just one of those things. Sometimes that's the benefit right there,
Writing as Therapy
00:11:37
Speaker
to just not be so quick to judge and to put things in perspective. And then there's other times where it's like, yeah, I'll have these real deep moments of clarity or creativity or things will come into my head or whatever.
00:11:51
Speaker
You don't get to get the benefit, the wide spectrum of benefit by thinking about meditating, by knowing like, oh, meditation is good. You gotta do it. You have to stop, sit down, close your eyes, do your practice, and put yourself in a position to potentially extract that. And if you do that, if I do that, nine times out of 10, it's successful.
00:12:23
Speaker
And the one time out of 10 it's not what an awesome opportunity to look at me like what's going on here so That's definitely part of my follow-through coming coming back and You know wanting to continue with that I hesitate to use the word mindfulness because I've just seen it on way too many fake fitness kind of companies and
00:12:52
Speaker
But it is true. Like I really believe in it. What does mindfulness mean? Yeah, pay attention. That's it. Just like pay attention. Just let's not make it out to be something it's not. Pay attention. That's what it means to me. Writing.
00:13:19
Speaker
writing for me is incredibly valuable. I tell you what like writing after a meditation or writing after a workout man at a minimum just to do that on a daily huge doesn't even matter what you write about don't even have an idea to write about just open a notebook and start
00:13:49
Speaker
There's obviously some specific things you can write about. That's obviously a huge part of the BTE practice, write about specific topics. But I would say a lot of it, just get started and see where it goes. But I did realize, again, I always do that. For me, writing is huge.
00:14:18
Speaker
and continuing to do that. So, you know, let's just say those are like the big three things right off the top of my head from, from what follow through looks like. And the purpose of bringing those up is to provide context or saying like, okay, well, what will get in the way? Because that's something I work with people with all the time of, can you identify the steps that you want to take and how you want to take them? It's like, yes, Roger. Cool. What's going to get in the way of that?
00:14:47
Speaker
And like, I don't have a good reason. I don't have a good reason for things to get in the way.
00:15:00
Speaker
it all comes down to making the choice to take the step forward and believing in the believing in the value believing in the clarity or the meaning that these things had to you because at some point like I want to be talking about meditation and the value that has in my in my daily life if
00:15:27
Speaker
if it didn't actually resonate, if it didn't actually experience the benefits. And that's the thing, at some point, something that you want to
00:15:43
Speaker
have more of or connect with like it was there it still is there there's just something getting in the way and so often what I see personally and with others that I would work with or talk to
00:16:01
Speaker
It's just a little bit of a just a little bit of a belief that pulls it off. Like, for example, the classic one is like, I just don't have the time. Okay, you do. I do. Now, it's different to say like, I don't want to allocate 10 minutes in the morning.
00:16:24
Speaker
To sit down and do nothing. It's like, okay. Well, then that's that's certainly Something that's gonna get in the way But it's not the fact that it's the sitting that's getting in the way. It's that you know, you're your approach to it is For me what gets in
Intentional Distractions: How to overcome them?
00:16:42
Speaker
the way a lot of times is is is just how should I put it Intentionally distracting myself
00:16:52
Speaker
And I really, I'm like working through that now. Um, what is it about those intentional distractions where I know they're distractions. I know. Hey, instead of, you know, reading an article.
00:17:10
Speaker
Why don't you write your own article? Instead of opening up the Instagram, why don't you put your phone down and just pay attention to what you're eating? Do a little mindful eating. And it's so often these choices
00:17:38
Speaker
that require nothing, like the investment into eliminating things that get in the way of follow through is virtually none. It's virtually none. And I do think that one of the biggest things to help
00:18:04
Speaker
highlight this or show this is to is to actually like write it down like take out a pen take out some paper put up a list of things that you want to follow through with and and and do on a daily basis and not not completion oriented but continuation of work oriented and then on the next
00:18:34
Speaker
side or next sheet of paper, whatever, all the things that we get in the way. And what are your approaches to that? How do you approach those things that you think are going to get in your way? What's funny is I think that the creativity muscle or the creativity, the creative side of the brain
00:18:57
Speaker
is way more trained in the shit that's gonna get in the way than how they can work around potential obstacles. And I do that as well. It's like, well, nope, you know, there's this basically one in a billion chance of something getting in the way, and I've somehow created this elaborate situation to give myself an excuse, really, when it's like, why don't I apply that creativity
00:19:28
Speaker
of creating the problem to creating the solution. Creating a workaround. Like if I approached follow through with as much creativity
Creativity in Personal Growth
00:19:44
Speaker
as I approached reasons that follow through can't happen. Man, I don't know.
00:19:54
Speaker
I don't know. I think it would be really, I think I would have, I think I would make a lot of progress. And you know, that's one of the things that I'm trying to try to work on. And I would say that
00:20:12
Speaker
physical fitness Meditation or mindfulness and you know writing are are three super critical inputs for that creativity within me and I'll be honest some of it like I have no idea where it comes from and
00:20:35
Speaker
And, and that's kind of cool, but you know, you have to, I have to remind myself, like put yourself in the position, provide yourself the opportunity to have that, to keep that follow through going on, to keep the continuation of work. And, uh, I believe good things will happen. So yeah, let's use some more creativity on it. Um,
00:21:04
Speaker
Speaking of which, I am working on a pretty cool project. We'll see what I'm done with it, hopefully by the end of the month. But anyway, that's all I kind of wanted to talk about, wanted to follow up. Just from last week, back here, looking at that follow through, trying to be creative with
00:21:24
Speaker
with ways that I can connect with things that are important to me to establish that environment and Yeah, look look forward to to having each day be a new opportunity. So That's all I got guys If you want to chat more or whatever definitely reach out hit me up like I'm enjoying hearing from some some folks that I haven't heard from in a while or just little messages here there and so I
00:21:49
Speaker
That's super cool. Thank you for listening and be creative in your life. I'll talk to you next week. Bye.