DREAM THINK DO I Motivation, Encouragement & Strategy

We’re talking with Jonathan Pitts who’s a bestselling author, speaker and he’s an executive pastor at The Church of the City in Franklin, Tennessee.  He’s also the proud dad and a big dream advocate for his 4 amazing daughters.  Jonathan has pursued a number of big dreams… and has encouraged his family to dream big too.  In fact, his oldest daughter had a major role in the movie “War Room” at the age of 10! But Jonathan will be the first to tell you that life can bring major challenges and tough setbacks too.  In fact, Jonathan was married to his beautiful bride Wynter… who was a successful author and magazine publisher.  And just as they were putting the finishing touches on their book on marriage… Wynter passed away unexpectedly… leaving him a widower and the father of four grieving daughters.  As you can imagine… this totally rocked his world and the future and the big dreams Jonathan and Wynter had planned together completely dissolved. So he… along with his daughters had to decide how they were going to live life and move forward.  And it’s been a tough… beautiful… messy… and wonderfully inspiring journey since.  Now… Jonathan has written a new book that offers us a real... intimate… raw... and ultimately hope-filled look at grief… and how to live life to its fullest after tragedy.  It’s called, My Wynter Season: Seeing God’s Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief. We’re going to talk about it… and what it takes to continue to dream… and encourage others to do the same on the other side of grief.  Let’s do this! RESOURCES: Jonathan’s newest book: My Wynter Season: Seeing God’s Faithfulness in the Shadow of Grief. Jonathan and his wife, Wynter, co-wrote Emptied: Experiencing the Fullness of a Poured-Out Marriage and She is Yours: Trusting God as You Raise the Girl He Gave You.  Jonathan now serves as president of the ministry he and Wynter founded together, For Girls Like You––a nonprofit organization featuring a magazine and resources for girls that grew out of Wynter’s desire to empower and equip their own girls and to provide parents with the resources and support needed to raise strong women.  Jonathan’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/pittsjr26   THE “DREAM TOGETHER” APP IS HERE! That’s right! Our DREAM TOGETHER App is here! The “Dream Together” app is designed to help you clarify your goals as well as connect with like-minded individuals so you can “dream together” to make those dreams (big or small) a reality! So… HERE ARE THE STEPS: STEP 1: Download the app. Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo STEP 3: Be inspired by the dreams that are already there.  Then… follow and encourage a dream or two! STEP 4: Post at least one of your own dreams… and then invite friends to join you so you can DREAM TOGETHER! Let’s do this! MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE: As you probably know… this year we’re going after launching 1 million dreams this year!  It’s been amazing to see your response and your support.  LOVE that so many of you are on board with this mission. At the same time… we need to acknowledge that in the midst of a global pandemic where many people are hurting from the loss of family members, it’s important to speak to the “tough stuff” too.  That’s exactly why we’re talking with Jonathan Pitts… because his unique perspectives can bring comfort and encouragement based on his own first-hand experience with unfathomable loss.  In his book, “My Wynter Season,” Jonathan takes his readers on the emotional journey from “love at first sight” to complete blindsided loss in the midst of a season of losing family members (in a period of two years the Pitts family lost 6 family members including Wynter), to finding the beauty in seeing Wynter’s continued impact on the world.   During our conversation… we talk about the importance of finding hope amidst the hardest days and the deepest grief.  Plus, we dig into ways to dream and/or dream again… after experiencing loss.  I think you’re going to love this conversation.  I sure did!   DREAM THINK DO MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 What to expect today 2:08 Download the Dream Together App 3:12 Meet Jonathan 5:05 Conversation starts 5:59 When Jonathan and his wife started dreaming 8:45 The best thing about dreamers 11:24 When Jonathan and his wife started building the company together 15:35 When everything changed for Jonathan 19:20 How Jonathan and his family started to move forward 23:22 Jonathans advice for anyone learning how to dream again 30:05 Who Jonathan's new book is for 31:36 Mitch’s final thoughts   I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Powerful stuff.  What did YOU think?  I want to hear from YOU!   Leave a comment below and let me know what stuck out to you!  And hey… please share this episode with someone who might need it!  Thanks.  

Our guest is Sheri Salata. She’s a writer, producer and podcaster. Her current adventures are an evolution of her twenty+ year career with Oprah Winfrey. Over that time she served as executive producer on The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as co-president of Harpo Studios and The Oprah Winfrey Network. But after years of telling other people’s makeover stories and featuring so many inspiring journeys... Sheri decided to “produce” her own life transformation. Out of that… she wrote her bestselling book, “The Beautiful NO - and other tales of trial, transcendence and transformation” which beautifully and authentically chronicles her journey to find LOVE for life in new ways! So… we’re talking about ALL of THAT!  RESOURCES: Sheri’s Website: sherisalata.com Sheri’s Podcast: thepillarlife.com/sheri-nancy-show Sheri’s Book: The Beautiful No     Check out Sheri in the Documentary: “25: Oprah Behind the Scenes:” Click here THE “DREAM TOGETHER” APP IS HERE! That’s right! Our DREAM TOGETHER App is here! The “Dream Together” app is designed to help you clarify your goals as well as connect with like-minded individuals so you can “dream together” to make those dreams (big or small) a reality! So… HERE ARE THE STEPS: STEP 1: Download the app. Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo STEP 3: Be inspired by the dreams that are already there.  Then… follow and encourage a dream or two! STEP 4: Post at least one of your own dreams… and then invite friends to join you so you can DREAM TOGETHER! Let’s do this! MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE: When Sheri decided to write her book, “The Beautiful NO - and other tales of trial, transcendence and transformation,” she knew it meant digging into her past successes and setbacks, excavating the lessons she learned, and boldly reimagining her future. Some might say it’s equal parts “cautionary tale,” mixed in with some stand up comedy,solid  life strategies AND a really loud “Middle-of-Your-Life Rebel Yell!”   It’s a powerful and fun example of someone giving themself permission to choose to dream bigger, to think differently and to do even more of what they were put on the planet to do!  And to lay some things down and boldly enter into a new season on her own terms!  That’s why I’m so excited to get to this conversation! LISTENER LIGHTNING ROUND QUESTIONS!    Stephanie asked:  She’s held some impressive positions… how does she stay creative at all levels and what word(s) of advice does she have for staying creative? Tracey asked:  (She can’t wait to hear the episode btw...) I'd ask what does Sheri think is one the most important things to dream… think… or do for a woman who is reinventing herself in the middle-of-life? Mona asked:  What was one of her most important Ah-ha moments as a leader? Helen asked: Her work with Oprah was so demanding.  What’s one key for motivating staff in really busy times? EPISODE MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: Welcome to 312! 0:15 What to expect today 3:20 Download the Dream Together app 4:28 Get to know Sheri 7:35 A look into Sheri’s book 13:16 The downside to quick success 15:28 How Sheri started to take control of her life 19:06 Use your past success can give you the confidence to dream bigger 22:20 The healthy fear that should drive every dreamer 26:16 How to bust out and stay out of any rut 28:39 Listener lighting round! 37:29 What's on the horizon for Sheri 40:00 Wisdom of the week to anyone who needs help dreaming 41:26 Mitch’s biggest takeaways I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Wow.  What a conversation.  What did YOU think?  I want to hear from YOU!   Leave a comment below and let me know.  One of the things that really stood out to me was Sheri’s willingness to reinvent herself.  To go from a “typist” and a manager of a 7-Eleven to running one of the most successful media brands of all time… to then giving herself permission to do it again in THIS season.  Yup… I loved that.  It’s such a good reminder that it’s never too late!   Yeah… that was one thing that stood out to me.  How about YOU?  Comment below and let me know.  And hey… please share this episode with someone who might need it!

Okay… it’s time to DREAM TOGETHER!  This is a REALLY special episode.  That’s right. We’re marching towards our big audacious goal of launching 1 million dreams in 2021!  And in THIS episode… we’re launching our new app called, “Dream Together,” which is going to help us all to connect and help each other to pursue and achieve our dreams and goals this year!  Now… it’s DREAM THINK DO… so we’re also going to talk about the power and the importance of not going after dreams alone.  That’s right.  We’re going to share some fun stories and offer some powerful strategies to help YOU (whether you use the Dream Together app or not) to get clear and achieve more of your dreams and goals in 2021!  You in?  I hope so. Let’s get to this!   RESOURCES:  THE “DREAM TOGETHER” APP IS HERE! That’s right! The beta version of our DREAM TOGETHER App is finally here!   The “Dream Together” app is designed to help you clarify your goals as well as connect with like-minded individuals so you can “dream together” to make those dreams (big or small) a reality! We’re working hard to grow this in a way that attracts people from around the world who really want to encourage each other and work together to make dreams happen. So... everyone needs a group code to join! HERE’S SOME GOOD NEWS: Since you’re a DREAM THINK DO listener… you can join with the code: dreamthinkdo. So… HERE ARE THE STEPS: STEP 1: Download the app. Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo STEP 3: Be inspired by the dreams that are already there.  Then… follow and encourage a dream or two! STEP 4: Post at least one of your own dreams… and then invite friends to join you so you can DREAM TOGETHER! MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE: As a DREAM THINK DO-ER… you know that we can’t go after dreams and goals alone.  There’s a VERY good chance… you’re going to need some help along the way.  But asking for help… doesn’t mean you're weak!  It can actually allow others to shine! I talk about this in-depth in the episode but here are a few of my favorite quotes on this subject. “You can do what I can not do.   I can do what you can not do.   Together we can do geat things!” - Mother Theresa Charlie Mackesy’s book, “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse.” It’s true.  Asking for help doesn’t mean you're weak.  It means you are brave!  It means you’re brave enough to acknowledge we’re not supposed to do this alone! I tell some stories during the episode.   Here are a few pics but you’ll have to listen to get the FULL story on each!  DREAMING ABOUT WRITING A BOOK AT 9?  LET’S DO IT! Meet Mia.  She wanted to write a book (at 9 years old) but she wasn’t sure.  She was scared.  She was nervous.  But she was willing to “Dream Together.”  And when she did… a group of fellow dreamers (and her mom Karena) encouraged her to do it.  So… she did!  And got it done in one year!  Plus… be sure to listen in to the episode to hear what Mia and her mom did next! DREAMING ABOUT JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE? LET’S DO IT TOGETHER! Then there's THIS motley crew of dreamers who all decided they wanted to skydive… BUT they also realized they probably wouldn’t do it if they didn’t do it TOGETHER!  Did they ALL do it?  Well… you’ll have to listen to the episode to hear how it went. DREAMING ABOUT HELPING KIDS IN AFRICA: And then there’s Mandy.  When she originally posted her dream of helping kids in Africa… it felt a little bit like saying she wanted to visit the moon!  She didn’t have a plan, the time or the money… but she was willing to put it out there!  As she did, Mandy received some help from some unexpected sources and it changed her world!  Plus, it changed the lives of the people who were willing to DREAM TOGETHER with her too! By the way… it’s been a few years since Mandy’s first trip to Africa.  But you’ll have to listen to the episode for a VERY special update to THIS dream!  Trust me… it’s absolute proof that you just never know where a dream might lead you.   PERMISSION TO DREAM TOGETHER: Then… there’s these two.  They didn’t know each other before coming to a BIG Dream Gathering we held at the University of Reno.  BUT because they were willing to share they’re dreams and be bold about where they needed help… they found each other!  As they did… they realized they had “complimentary dreams.”  One wanted to be more intentional about her fitness and overall health and the other wanted to experiment with wellness coaching.  The best thing is that as they started to help each other out… they also got to have some fun and become friends in the process!  Again, you just never know where YOUR dream journey may take you… especially when you’re willing to DREAM TOGETHER! Those are some of the stories of what can happen when you dream together. What might happen as YOU start to give yourself permission to set some goals and start in some small but significant way?  Let’s find out! But again… don’t do it alone!  Let’s DREAM TOGETHER! AGAIN… HERE ARE THE STEPS FOR DOWNLOADING THE DREAM TOGETHER APP: STEP 1: Download the app. Find “Dream Together” for your Apple Device: HERE Find “Dream Together” for your Android Device: HERE STEP 2: Sign up and enter the group code: dreamthinkdo STEP 3: Be inspired by some of the dreams that are already there.  Then… follow and encourage a dream or two! STEP 4: Post at least one dream and invite some friends to join you!  I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: How about it?  Do you agree that it’s important to not go after dreams alone?  Why do YOU think it’s important?  What are some ways you invite people into your dream journey?  More importantly… how do you encourage others to dream?  I want to hear from you and hear YOUR stories!  Comment below and let me know. Plus… let me know your thoughts on going after this crazy goal of helping to launch 1 million dreams this year?  What do you think?  Are you in?  Do you think we’re crazy?  Who’s someone that YOU are inviting to join us?  Leave a comment and let me know.  I can’t wait to hear from YOU!  #letsdothis  Episode Minute By Minute: 0:21 Welcome to 311! 0:52 Drum roll please… The app is here! 2:00 Progress not protection 3:16 Let’s talk about our big goal 5:51 The story of David and Goliath and how it applies to every dreamer 10:33 What if we did dream together this year? 13:02 One of Mitch’s favorite Big Dream gathering stories 16:39 You never know what dreams people will share 19:18 When one of the first Big Dream Gathering dreams came true 25:41 There is always a ripple effect to every dream 26:31 Make sure you are asking for help along the way 31:42 Experimenting with your dreams 33:24 Be open and be curious 37:29 A deep dive into our app  

Amberly Lago is our guest.  Amberly is a mindset coach and fitness expert.  Her story and her thoughts on resilience and transformation have been featured in her successful TEDx talk… the Today Show and in publications like Shape, Heath and Keynote Speakers Magazine. Her bestselling book is called “True Grit and Grace” and she’s got a wildly popular podcast by the same name.  Now… you might hear phrases like “True Grit and Grace,” and resilience… and wonder what’s made her an expert on these subjects. Well… at the age of 38… Amberly was totally living the life she wanted… but a near-death motorcycle accident changed all of that.  After 3 months in the hospital and 34 surgeries… she found ways to not only persevere but thrive! And… by the way… she loves teaching and helping others do the same.  Since we’re going after launching 1 million dreams this year… no matter what the year throws at us… I wanted to have Amberly on to talk about ways to pursue dreams… and live your best life… no matter what!   RESOURCES:  Amberly’s Website: www.amberlylago.com  Instagram: www.instagram.com/amberlylagomotivation Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmberlyLagoSpeaker Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amberlylago Twitter: twitter.com/amberlylago Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/AmberlyLagoMotivation RELATED PREVIOUS DREAM THINK DO EPISODES: We’re talking about our BIG… AUDACIOUS… Dream of working together to launch 1 Million dreams… this year!  Here are two episodes to help: PERMISSION TO DREAM: Here’s an episode to help you to get clear on some of your own dreams.  Plus, it will help you to give yourself permission to dream (again): mitchmatthews.com/309 THE YEAR TO LAUNCH 1 MILLION DREAMS:  This is the episode where I kick off the idea and invite YOU to be a part of it!  A million dreams… in one year?  It’s only possible if we do it together!  You in?  I hope so. mitchmatthews.com/306 We mentioned our mutual friend, Laura Gassner Otting during the interview, so I wanted to point you to my amazing interview with her as well.  It’s called, “Carve Your Own Path - How to Ignore the Naysayers and Create a Life You Love!” mitchmatthews.com/laura-gassner-otting MORE ABOUT AMBERLY: Through her book, coaching methods, and workshops Amberly Lago has curated unique tools to teach others how to tap into their superpower of resilience and persevere through any of life’s challenges.  She offers hope and solutions for anyone (like her) living in chronic pain to live life to the fullest. Amberly has most recently been featured on NBC’s The Today Show, The Doctors, Hallmark, Good Morning Lalaland, contributed to magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Health, and Disability Magazine and made the cover of Keynote Speakers Magazine.   EPISODE MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 Welcome to 310! 1:50 Meet Amberly 4:05 Conversation starts 4:50 When everything changed for Amberly 7:40 When depression set in 10:54 Acknowledging the facts while remaining hopeful  14:22 How prayer has played a role in Amberly’s journey 18:51 The life-changing power of gratitude 23:17 How to dream in any situation 27:58 Wisdom nugget of the week 31:16 Mitch’s biggest takeaways 32:58 What to expect on the next  I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Wow.  What a conversation.  What did YOU think?  I want to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment below and let me know.  I have to say that I loved Amberly’s story and her wisdom… but one of the things that really stood out to me (and I didn’t know the story at all) was of her recent trip to the hospital with her daughter Ruby.  As you heard, they’d both been struck by a car while they were on their scooters.  Now, I can tell you… based on the situation… it would have been easy to be scared… or frustrated… or worried… or mad.  BUT Amberly and Ruby chose to be grateful and that changed things.  It changed things for them and it created a ripple effect around them too.  So simple… but such an important reminder that we can find things to be grateful for in any situation… if we’re willing to look for them.  And when we do… it helps to change our outlook and it starts to have a positive impact on you, your surroundings and the circumstances.  So good! Yeah… that was one thing that stood out to me.  How about YOU?  Comment and let me know. Oh, and are you IN for the 1 million dreams?  You don’t have to know what the dreams are (BIG or small) that you want to go after.  It just starts with saying, “YES!”  I’m in on the journey.  We’ll figure it out as we go.  Because… I can tell you right now… the only way this is going to work is if we go after it together!  And I can’t wait to DREAM TOGETHER with you!!!  More on that next week, but for now… just comment and say, “I’m IN!”  #letsdothis

In this deep dive, you and I dig into stories and strategies to help you to start to dream (again).  Let’s face it.  We know a LOT of you are really excited about our goal of launching 1 Million Dreams this year… but if we’re honest… a lot of our dreams have gotten beat up in 2020.  All sorts of curve balls have been thrown.  Set backs.  Valleys.  Tough stuff.  So, if we’re going to be real… we have to acknowledge that it might be a little “tender” to give yourself permission to dream.  Well… if you’re a long-time DREAM THINK DOer… you know there are countless stories of real people doing amazing things against incredibly challenging circumstances… BUT they had to give themselves permission to dream first.  So, that’s what we’re going after in this really important episode!  Let’s get to it! RESOURCES: J.T. Fox’s Story: During the episode, Mitch tells the story of meeting J.T. at Chicago O’Hare.  They were both heading to the same leadership conference in New York, so they started to talk about J.T.’s dream job.  It seemed impossible, but he gave himself permission to dream and… well… you’ll have to listen to hear the rest of the story!   Listen to Mitch’s interview with J.T. Fox: www.mitchmatthews.com/041  John Howard’s Story: During the episode, Mitch references John Howard’s story of pedaling a bike and hitting 152 mph!  If you want to see footage from the actual event… check it out here: www.mitchmatthews.com/309 Mitch’s Book: IGNITE Mitch mentioned his book, “IGNITE: 3 Simple Steps for re-sparking Your Buried Dreams and Building a Plan That Finally Works.” It’s something he created with Visual Author and Photographer, Jocelyn Wallace.  It’s a reading experience that will help you to get clear on your dreams, but a simple but powerful plan and then take action!  Click here to find out more and grab a copy. SPECIFIC HOMEWORK: STEP 1: Listen to the episode to get some stories and strategies to help in this process.  Let’s pour some gas on that fire! STEP 2: Ask yourself some questions: What are some things I’d love to try? What are some things I’d love to experience? What are some things I’d love to do in the next year? What are (at least) 10 things I’d do… if I won $100 million in the lottery? STEP 3: Create a list of (at least) 10 dreams (big or small) you’d love to accomplish. STEP 4: Get ready to DREAM TOGETHER! Invite a friend to join you on this journey!  (Or get a group of friends to join you!) Have them listen to the episode.   Then connect and talk about a few dreams (big or small) you want to go after this year. NOTE: Our app (the beta version will be available in early February) will help you to work together on this.  So get ready by coming up with your list of possible dreams and goals to pursue. #letsdothis EPISODE MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: 0:02 Welcome to episode 309 0:31 What today is all about 1:16 Recap of our 2021 goal 2:03 Unexpected feedback 6:09 Why Mitch host his podcast 8:08 Where dreaming starts 14:47 Don’t move on from dreaming too quickly 16:48 Don’t let overthinking kill your dreams 18:37 The bicycle story 31:40 What do you want to try? 33:16 Write down 10 dreams 38:11 Do the homework!   WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! We want to hear from YOU!  What’s one of the dreams (big or small) you’re putting on your list?  How did you go about it?  Did you grab a lottery ticket or did you do something else to get the ideas flowing?  Click comments and let us know.  We can’t wait to hear from YOU! ONE FINAL THOUGHT: Albert Einstein once said, “Never give up on what you really want to do.  The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.” Whew!  That’s powerful.  Now… that’s not to say we shouldn’t THINK and put together an awesome plan to get those big dreams done.  BUT like Mitch said in this episode, it’s important to give yourself room to DREAM first.  Then, once we have some of those dreams (big or small) clarified… then we can begin to THINK and plan.   So… who’s in for some DREAMING?  Let’s do this!

We’re talking with Laura Sanchez-Greenberg.  She’s the founder of Verde Associates… a performance acceleration firm focusing on transforming individuals and the companies they lead. She’s incredible and a true expert on grit and perseverance.  And… as you listen, you’ll hear some simple but powerful strategies to beat that feeling of “meh” that can creep in.  You know.  Covid’s causing a lot of our days to be the same.  Plus, now that a lot of us are facing cold temps… so we’re feeling more limited on the stuff we can do. So yeah… we need some real-world strategies to beat the crap out of the “meh.”  THAT is what we’re talking about and I think you’re going to love it!  Let’s get to this! RESOURCES: Dr. Fredrickson’s Positivity Self-Test:  Here’s where you can Track your Positivity on Dr. Fredrickson’s website and some of her interventions to increase positivity resonance. Go to “tools” on the website menu and click on “positivity self-test”  - it will give you your positivity ratio for the day and also track it across time. It’s got some neat features which is that it will let you map too.  Positive Image, Positive Action: The Affirmative Basis of Organizing: Laura mentions a study by David L. Cooperrider from Case Western Reserve University.  Download the study here.  The “Implications for management” around positivity starts on pg 14, but a really good read overall.  Enjoy! “We are sometime truly going to see our life as positive, not negative, as made up of continuous willing, not of constraints and prohibition.” – Mary Parker Follett.  TRAVIS ENSLEY: Manage Time & Live Intentionally Laura and I got connected through my good friend and DTD guest, Travis Ensley.  So, I wanted you to have access to his episode too!:  www.mitchmatthews.com/182    Laura is a true “PRACTITIONER SCHOLAR.”   She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business... a certificate in Change Management from Harvard Business School, and has studied Group Dynamics and Organizational Design from Georgetown University, and Negotiation and Mediation at the University of Chicago.  Plus, Laura is currently pursuing her PhD in Values Based Leadership.  Specifically... her research focuses on strategies and traits of teams that have experienced accelerated growth and maintained excellent cultural, people, and financial success.   And… as you guys know… at DREAM THINK DO… we’re always encouraging experimenting and stretching yourself… and Laura is a big believer in this too! So much so that in addition to the academics… Laura has trained in improv, culinary arts, and she’s certified in over 25 different types of assessments. Yeah… she’s wicked smaaaat and pure awesome.  So let’s get to the conversation. EPISODE MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 Welcome to episode 308 1:32 The Dream Think Do App is coming! 3:46 Get to know Laura 5:52 Conversion starts 5:57 How Laura became passionate about the topic of positivity 7:44 Practical tools for being positive 12:58 Small things that lead to big impact 15:26 You have to start slow 16:32 Novelette vs. new 21:17 Practical ways to beat the “meh” 25:01 Lauras encouragement to you today 25:58 Mitch’s biggest takeaways LET’S HEAR FROM YOU! I want to hear from you.  What’s something that stood out to you?  What’s something you’re going to try as the result?  Comment below and let me know.  Can’t wait to hear about YOUR experiments.

We’re talking with Antonio Neves. Antonio’s one of my favorite people on the planet… and his list of accomplishments is long.  He’s a bestselling author.  He’s the host of “The Best Thing” podcast.  He’s an internationally recognized speaker and a wildly effective success coach.  He’s an award-winning journalist! AND… Okay… let’s get to why we’re talking today! We’re kicking off our YEAR of LAUNCHING 1 Million Dreams… and I had to have Antonio back to talk about his BRAND NEW BOOK that’s going to help us to do it. The book is called STOP LIVING ON AUTOPILOT - Take Responsibility for your life and rediscover a bolder, happier YOU!  It’s amazing and through it… Antonio’s giving us some specific strategies to help us to get clear… launch those dreams… and live a bolder and happier life as we do.  So let’s do this!   DREAM THINK DO RESOURCES: Antonio’s Website: www.TheAntonioNeves.com    Antonio’s Book: theantonioneves.com/stop-living-on-autopilot-book Antonio’s Past DREAM THINK DO episodes: 3 Keys to Beating a Mid-Career Slump!: mitchmatthews.com/241/ It’s Not About Where You Start!: www.mitchmatthews.com/004 Don’t Rush The Mountain Top: www.mitchmatthews.com/077   EPISODE 307 - MINUTE BY MINUTE: 0:02 Welcome to 307 1:01 Recap of our big goal this year 2:20 Meet Antonio 4:21 Conversation starts 7:00 Why should “successful” people start dreaming 10:42 When Antonio looked like he had it all 12:05 Angels could be anywhere 15:25 Giving yourself permission to make changes 18:50 What being bold and courageous truly means 20:42 Start with the small things 25:27 Make this the year you are more YOU! 27:34 Tips on learning how to dream again 33:22 What did you think?   LET’S HEAR FROM YOU! I don’t know about you but I loved this convo!  What’s something that stood out to you?  What’s something that resonated?  What did you dig?  What didn’t you dig?  I want to hear from YOU!  Leave a comment and let’s chat! And hey… keep bringing YOUR awesome!!!

We’re kicking off 2021 with a bold and audacious goal.  It’s to launch 1 million dreams in one year!  I know… I know.  That might sound crazy… especially following all the wildness of 2020 and the first few weeks of 2021. BUT it feels like it’s needed now... more than ever!  That’s right!  We need a shared goal.  Something to focus on.  Something that could bring a much-needed injection of good, connection and collaboration into this world!  In this episode, we talk about the genesis of the idea, who should join in and some strategies to get started!  It’s a crazy weird dream… but hey… it’s usually those types of dreams that change the world for the better… right?  And make life a lot more fun too.  So… let’s do this!   DREAM THINK DO RESOURCES: Episodes mentioned: Chandler Bolt: 3 Keys to Publishing Your First Book - www.mitchmatthews.com/160  Kelsey Merritt: Getting Clarity on your Dreams - www.mitchmatthews.com/153  Introducing Kelsey to Bee Keeper, Brent Wesley: www.mitchmatthews.com/153  MORE FROM THE EPISODE:  “Sometimes our setbacks are SET UPS for something better!”  CALL TO ACTION: PART 1: Give yourself permission to DREAM. Get clear on a few new goals or dreams for this year. Consider Dreaming in “Categories” Do the following categories make you think of new and different dreams? Career, Education, Travel, Service, Media and Entertainment, Spiritual, Health & Fitness, Family and Relationships, Financial and Real Estate... AND Dreams that Defy Categorization. SPECIFIC: Write down at least 1 to 3 dreams    PART 2: Invite someone to DREAM with you! Dreaming together is a LOT more fun.   So invite someone to listen to this episode... and then dream together. Set up a phone call or a zoom call to talk about some dreams (big or small) you might want to pursue in the coming days. NOTE: Don’t worry about whether they’re “big” or “small.”  If they matter to you… they’re important! Then, encourage each other!  The encouragement can come in the form of: Just listening (because someone really listening can be pretty rare these days) Encouragement (let them know you’re excited for them and the dream) Connections, suggestions and ideas (Don’t worry! You don’t have to have all the answers, but if you do have something that might help the person… offer it!)    that’s pretty rare   Don't invite your grumpy uncle!!! (NOT YET... at least.) Invite that crazy cool friend of yours... the one who's just the right amount of crazy.  Just like you. Have 'em listen to the episode... and then set a time to connect.   Then talk about what you might want to go after this year! Let's get ready to make 2021 our biggest and best year yet... NO MATTER WHAT!!!   EPISODE MINUTE BY MINUTE: 1:08 Sometimes setbacks are setups 8:39 Entertaining the idea of “what if?”    13:15 Focusing on the good 14:03 Dreams can vary but the dream journey can be shared  16:35 You’re more resilient than you think. 18:04 If we’re gonna be crazy, we may as well do it together 19:06 Give yourself permission to dream 23:42 Give yourself permission to be imperfect 25:00 Be like Bruce     29:10 The story of the Big Dream gathering 40:37 A call to action  for the new year 50:05 You don’t have to do it alone   I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Yes!  That’s right.  I want to hear from YOU!  Are you IN?  Let me know in the comments with a quick “I’m IN!” or a “LET’S DO THIS!”   Plus, let me know your thoughts on whether this is something that feels important right now.  I think it is… not because it’s easy… but because it’s needed.  But... I want to hear YOUR thoughts!  Let me know.   

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.