Be The Example For Others | Vol. 9
Hey there,
Earlier this year I turned 40.
For some reason, hitting the 4th floor meant more to me than any other birthday in recent memory--21 was probably the last time a birthday felt special. There wasn't a big celebration--no party or trip, just a regular day with my family, which is how I always spend my birthdays. I can't really explain how I felt (and still feel) about turning 40 other than I'm really excited about the next decade of my life.
As I reflect back writing this intro, I think the reason for my excitement about entering a new decade comes back to the personal growth I've experienced over the last few years, the changes I made in my professional life, and finally knowing what I'm Pursuing going forward. Before PRST become it's own brand, I was writing and recording about the clarity I was finding in my life over on All About Your Benjamins. One of the cool things about creating content and sharing with the world is you can go back and see your personal growth--it's the same thing with a journal but I think a public blog is easier to search and quickly scan post titles to see the path of growth...a reason to start documenting your Pursuit, in addition to the inspiration you will provide for others.
Amongst my excitement for what is about to unfold in my life, I also have a little frustration---a good frustration though.
I'm frustrated it took me until 40 to reach the personal growth I'm currently experiencing. I don't have it all figured out, I never will, and I certainly have more growth ahead of me, but I sometimes can't help but wonder if I would have been able to put the pieces together earlier, where would I and my family be today?!?
That's not a question I ponder often because I'm being intentional about trying to live in the moment and being present, so thinking about what might have been had I found this clarity sooner is pointless and shift my focus to gratitude. I'm THANKFUL I found this clarity and my Pursuit at 40 and not 50 (or 60 or never).
I also have begun to shift my thinking to trying to help others find their own clarity sooner...that's what PRST is all about.
I say "their own clarity" because I'm want to help you (and the PRST community) find your own version of what I've found. The spiritual, personal, and professional growth and goals I've unlocked may not be what you want or need--but the clarity, happiness, and direction is. It's not about helping you be like me--it's about helping you be who you are supposed to be.
The Boys
I also can't help but think about helping Roman, Leo, and Silas learn their version of this as early as possible. If they entered college with an understanding of mindfulness, were connected to nature and open to the signs of the Universe, and comfortable allowing their passions to be their guide I'd feel really good about getting them ready to be "successful" in life and on the path to being who they are supposed to BE.
Unfortunately, 11, 9, and 4 year olds don't care about this. They don't want to read Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra. They don't want to listen to Ram Dass or Jay Shetty. Shoot, they don't even want to read or listen to PRST content 😀. I've accepted that the best I can do for now is to plant seeds and give those seeds a chance to grow so they can come their an understanding of PRST on their own. It's like being a financial advisor--I can't force anyone to want to work with me. I can however, create content to educate and show my expertise and help people find the value of a financial advisor sooner rather than later.
What does planting seeds look like?
For me, it's
talking about what I'm doing for PRST.
sharing what I'm reading and passages from time to time.
letting them see me meditate.
living my Pursuit because they are still sponges and naturally pick up on the changes I've made to align my life with my Pursuit.
ultimately, be an example for them and pick my opportunities to point out some specific ideas I want to them to soak in. For example, the boy are already picking up on signs from nature and Universe--when they see something that might be interpreted as a sign, they point it out and ask about what it might mean 😀.
Ok, so I finally have arrived at the point of this introduction.
If you have children or others in your life whom you want to help them find their Pursuit, don't force it on them. Instead, plant little seeds and be an example of how to find your way. It will be fulfilling but also a little frustrating because you will want them to understand what you've grown to understand ASAP but it's going to happen when it is supposed, not on our timeline.
Let's get to The Weekly PRST...
Get PRST On Your Amazon Devices
I'm excited to announce that the PRST Amazon Skill is now live thanks to our friends over at WealthVoice. You can get PRST as a part of your morning routine on your Alexa devices. Each day the podcast will be available to listen as you get ready for your day, along with any other Skills you have enabled for your morning routine.
There will also be WealthVoice-only episode on Sundays. This episode will focus more on the spiritual side of the PRST--talking about meditation, nature, etc. These topics will find their way into the podcast episodes as well but Sundays will be exclusively for these topics.
You can enable the PRST skill here.
You can also tell Alexa to "enable Life's Pursuit".
Any time you want to hear the latest from PRST, just ask Alexa "what's the latest from Life's Pursuit?"
With the Sunday episode on the PRST WealthVoice, PRST will be bringing you content 7 days a week!!!!
This Week's Top PRST
The most listened to episode last week was Wednesday's Recognizing The Voice In Your Head on The Daily PRST. A quote from Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth provides the inspiration for the episode. Developing the ability to separate the voice in your head from your Self will help you navigate self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and any other low vibration thoughts that creep into your head.
PassionRelationshipsSelfTime
Each week this section will consist of curated blog posts, articles, podcasts, videos, etc. that address Passion, Relationships, Self, and Time--the components of PRST.
P
Sometimes the explanation of a concept by someone else makes a little more sense than what you've heard before. An example of this would be a new coach giving a different cue for a lift, let's say a power clean, that resonates and helps you improve your technique. The new coach didn't teach you anything new--she just explained it in a different way that resonated differently and clicked.
This post about passion over on lifehack.org is really good. We've covered this over the last couple of months but maybe a different voice will help you realize something new about your passion or Pursuit.
"Passion can push you through difficult times because you don’t care what it takes to become better. We all have the ability to create whatever kind of life we want. The secret to living the dream is hidden in our passions and what we do because of them."
"When you start living your passion, you are most likely reconnecting with things you loved as a child. By taking a moment and realizing the things you loved before society told you what to love, you are finding a lost piece of yourself."
R
Networking doesn't always come easy to everyone. In this TedxPortland talk Rick Turoczy shares how introverted individuals can get comfortable networking. I've always enjoyed networking, although I never thought of it as "networking". I've just enjoyed getting to know other people and trying to only meeting with people I was genuinely interested in getting to know better as a person--I've never been into networking strictly for the benefits of business.
Surrounding yourself with like-minded and supportive people is going to be an important part of your Pursuit. If connecting with others doesn't come easily, hopefully this short talk might make it a little less intimidating.
S
Mark Sisson is a health and wellness expert. I've started following him back when I first started CrossFitting back in 2012. This was when I was first introduced to the Paleo and Primal lifestyles, which is where Mark spends most of his time educating. We're not going to dive into diet, although I will share that I think my physique was its best when I was following a Paleo lifestyle--I'm pretty close to Paleo again but give myself a little too much freedom. Maybe I'll use this as a reminder to clean my diet up a little more to help get me closer to goal weight.
Ok, back to the post I want to share. The Stoic philosophy is a part of the PRST DNA and in this post Mark highlights 7 Stoic principles to help improve your health.
You can't beat a Mark Sisson-Stoic combo.
T
This Week Of PRST
The Daily PRST. In this week's episodes you'll:
I went down a Rick Rubin rabbit hole and share how his passion for music has led him to be one of the most respected producers in music.
R(elationships) are an important part of your Pursuit.
Another discussion centered around a quote from Eckhart Tolle.
Find an easy and accessible way to introduce your passion into your life.
Check out all of last week's episodes here.
The PRST. This Is (Not) Pointless Along your Pursuit you will have moments that will challenge you and cause you to rethink the path you have ventured down. That's normal--Jack Butcher of Visualize Value has a great illustration that shows it's often at that moment of doubt that we are on the brink of a major breakthrough.
PRST Shorts. I'm STILL close to having the next one ready. I finished getting enough film for the next short and need to record the conversation to provide the audio. We're probably a couple of weeks away from the next one. For now, get caught up on the first three Shorts.
The Blog. No new blog posts. Feel free to catch up on the ones you missed.
On Our PRST. A new episode of On Our PRST will drop this Friday; I'm also recording another episode this Tuesday afternoon. The interviews are picking up and I can't wait to share more stories of individuals If you haven't heard all three episodes of On Our PRST you can get caught up by visiting the OOP page here.
