1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,400 What's going on, pursuers? Welcome to the Pursuit of Calling podcast, where my goal 2 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:13,800 and purpose is to provide you with the tools needed to successfully discover and pursue 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:19,400 your God-given calling. I'm your host, Thomas Carney, and today's episode we're talking 4 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:33,560 about going from pain to purpose. For those who don't know, I have a condition called 5 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:39,320 muscular dystonia. And essentially, I'm in pain every day, and it's my brain tells my 6 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:45,400 muscles to do things they're not supposed to. That's the gist of it. And the reason 7 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:53,280 I'm making this episode is because I want to share my testimony more around this journey 8 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:59,640 of exponential growth that I've been on, despite the circumstances. Actually, because of the 9 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:07,320 circumstances, if I'm being completely honest. So this episode isn't just for people with 10 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:12,740 physical pain, even though it is, it's also for people dealing with constant psychological 11 00:01:12,740 --> 00:01:21,040 pain. Because mental pain, mental or physical pain, sorry, physical pain, a lot of the time 12 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:27,440 when it is as severe, as chronic as what I have, it causes a lot of psychological issues. 13 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:34,460 So I want you, before we get any further into this episode, I want you to send this episode 14 00:01:34,460 --> 00:01:38,800 to that person maybe that you thought of whenever I was talking about physical or mental pain. 15 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,080 Maybe you're not a person that is in this pain. I still want you to listen to this episode 16 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:47,400 if you're not in that part of your life. I still want you to listen to this episode, 17 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,280 because this will be benefit to you as well. However, that person that you thought of who 18 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:57,240 is in constant physical pain or constant psychological pain, I want you to send this episode. Maybe 19 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,440 you have to listen to the whole thing, make sure it's any good. And that's fine. If you 20 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:06,680 already know me and already know me know my podcast, and trust me enough, I want you to 21 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:13,400 send it to them right now. Because I know my story, my testimony, and what we're going 22 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:19,280 to be talking about in this episode will help well at least plant a seed in them to be able 23 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:31,360 to get out of the valley that they're in. So and I know there's people out there in 24 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:37,880 my position. I know there's people out there though that have also lost hope. That's who 25 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:43,080 this is really for is like, I know there's people out there have lost hope. And thinking 26 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,680 about those people breaks my heart because I've talked to some people like that. I've 27 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:52,640 read stories from people like that with muscular, this specifically with people with muscular 28 00:02:52,640 --> 00:03:00,840 dystonia, and it breaks my heart. It breaks me. So I just wanted to make this episode 29 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:07,580 to hopefully reach some more people and plant some more seeds and hope some help some people 30 00:03:07,580 --> 00:03:17,200 realize the calling that is on their lives, regardless of their circumstances. So just 31 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:23,200 to give a little bit more context around my experience, my pain is hurting my hands for 32 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:29,080 a few years, it essentially like a writer's cramp. And then it spread to my spread to 33 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:36,320 my arm, shoulders and now essentially is my whole body, my, my legs, my face even, what 34 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:41,280 essentially all the muscles in my head whenever I eat. Like talking right now I can feel the 35 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:45,600 muscles in my head kind of tightening up. But I still want to do this podcast, I still 36 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:50,600 want to keep this podcast going. Because I know it's part of a way that I can reach people 37 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,720 because I still have my voice to be able to reach those, those who I've been called to 38 00:03:54,720 --> 00:04:05,560 reach and those have been called to serve. And like, hmm. Sorry, I just like going through 39 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:10,880 my notes. I'm like, man, that was like, I can't wait to talk about that. But I want 40 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:19,960 to get too far ahead of myself. I, you know, I've spent a lot of time, money and resources 41 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:23,600 trying to figure out first, it was trying to figure out what was wrong. And then it 42 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:31,720 was now that now that we have a name for it, muscular dystonia, it's how do we how do I 43 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:39,000 get relief or how do I get better? And, I mean, there's no known cure for this condition. 44 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:44,400 And but you know, I believe I believe in God, I believe he's a healer. So I believe that 45 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:50,240 I believe God can heal me. And I also believe that there has to be something out. I believe 46 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,400 that there has to be something. So I just I'm just going to keep looking. Honestly, 47 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:58,040 I'm just going to keep looking and keep talking to doctors. But I've spent a lot of time, 48 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:03,520 money and I plan to spend a lot more. But I understand, though, I've had a lot of doctors 49 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:08,920 tell me that first it was I don't know what's wrong with you. Let me send you to this doctor. 50 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:15,320 Then it was, OK, I know what's wrong with you. But it's not much we can really do except 51 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:21,560 make you comfortable. Here's some here's here's meds, which is like that's what they like. 52 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,720 That's where they're trained to do. And like it's not saying I'm not trying to demonize 53 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,960 doctors like they do a lot of good work and they're really nice. And I just don't think 54 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:34,120 they're fully equipped. If I'm being honest, for something like this, I feel like there's 55 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:41,680 there's and maybe you felt this, too. If now you're listening to it in your person, my 56 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:46,520 position, maybe you felt this, too. Maybe you've experienced this same kind of trajectory 57 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:49,680 of spending a lot of money being told you don't know what's wrong with you and then 58 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:57,080 feeling a shame that you that you get whenever you can't you see, realize you can't do the 59 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:03,560 things that other people can do. Things that you used to be able to do. 60 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:15,280 Sorry, I am. This is this is this is a real one. So whenever you. I lost my train of thought, 61 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:23,880 but those things that you used to be able to do and you feel the shame whenever you 62 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:31,200 tell people that you can't do something. And they ask you why and then they don't understand, 63 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,600 right? It's it's all part of this journey and you learn how to explain it. You learn 64 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:42,840 how to explain it quickly to people. I just tell people I have a muscular condition. I 65 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:53,560 can just have a body, but but I keep my spirits up. You know, I've had experiences like after 66 00:06:53,560 --> 00:07:00,600 phone calls with doctors even where I've been on the floor in the fetal position and I'd 67 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:06,600 be crying out to God like why me? Why haven't you healed me yet? 68 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:16,280 But how would a good God actually allow this to happen? And the answer to all of these 69 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:27,200 questions all relate to the same thing. My calling. So. As time went on and my condition 70 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:32,440 progressed, I realized I had a new sort of vigor to grow and became the health and I 71 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:40,920 wanted to become the healthiest and best man I can possibly be. I can't work out as much, 72 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:46,360 but I can I can eat right and do do the things to fuel my body, to fuel my body, to do what 73 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:54,280 it needs to do to keep me healthy. And the pain at the time, it feels like my enemy. 74 00:07:54,280 --> 00:08:03,080 It feels like it's the pain tells me like just to be lazy, to sit down and do nothing. 75 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,120 And because that's what I really feel like doing a lot of the time. I feel like just 76 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:12,560 not doing anything because that not doing anything sometimes means I'm not in pain because 77 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:20,880 every little thing, everything physical hurts in some sort of way. And like it's really 78 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:25,840 tempting to just be like, I'm just not I'm just done. I was going to watch TV all day. 79 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:32,520 I'm not going to do anything. I'll live off. I'll figure out how I can live off the government. 80 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:41,240 But I refuse to do that. I'm a mover. I constantly have to be doing something. And like I do 81 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:45,580 I'm really bad at resting, to be honest. I've always been bad at that. But I've been working 82 00:08:45,580 --> 00:08:54,920 on getting better at that because of my condition. And I but I always have to be doing something. 83 00:08:54,920 --> 00:09:00,520 So instead, I applied something I heard from Craig Grishill on his podcast the other day, 84 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:05,160 where he said, my pain, he said, my pain is my friend. And he was talking about a different 85 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:16,720 kind of pain. But but no, but the pain is but I decided to apply it to my life. I essentially 86 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:23,280 my pain is my friend. I think about that as a fuel for the fire. I believe God is using 87 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:28,440 this pain. He hasn't taken it away because of how much I've grown as he has taken away 88 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:34,700 because how much I've grown as a result of it of it because he knows I continue to grow 89 00:09:34,700 --> 00:09:41,720 as long as I continue to grow at an exponential rate. And, you know, there there's already 90 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:48,040 been overflow. There's already been an overflow for how much I've grown the books I'm reading, 91 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:55,880 how I overflowed into my podcast into the people I into the people that I talk with 92 00:09:55,880 --> 00:10:01,400 every day into my coaching. Like, there's only going to be more of an overflow as time 93 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:10,240 goes on as I continue to grow. And, like, it's and that's like, like the pain that's 94 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:17,640 like the pain is fuel for the fire. The pain is like, I, I can't just, I don't know what 95 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:23,760 I'm going to be able to do in two years. Let's be real. I feel like I'm jumping around. But, 96 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,720 like, it's fuel for the fire because I was talking with somebody the other day. It's 97 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,720 like, I don't know what I'm going to be able to do in two years from now, three, four years 98 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:38,600 from now. So I need to do what I need to do. I need to grow now. And I don't have many. 99 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:46,160 I need to grow now. I need to learn these things now. I need to get all these things 100 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:53,120 set up on my for my business now and learn these skills now. I don't know what I'll be 101 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,640 able to do later. I'll have my brain. But what will my body be able to do? I don't know. 102 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:03,280 So let's do it now. That's why I mean it's fuel for the fire. It's fuel to grow. It's 103 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:09,760 fuel for exponential growth. There's now I can hear you saying, I can hear it already. 104 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:15,800 Like that's great for you, but that's not my story. I know I can hear you saying I'm 105 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:22,040 in pain every day and I'm miserable. And I hear you. I know. I know that's like, you 106 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:26,840 know, I've already said I've been there. I know I've been mad every day at people for 107 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:32,280 not understanding my struggles for not trying to. I've been mad at God for not healing me. 108 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:36,600 And I've questioned him as to why he would allow this to continue to happen. This is 109 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:43,600 going to you know, this is going to sound harsh. But this is the honest to God truth. 110 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:51,920 Misery is a choice. When you decide to let the pain run your life, you're you are allowing 111 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:57,200 yourself to be held captive by it. The great news is the great news about that, though, 112 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:04,800 is that that is the fact that choice means you don't actually have to stay there. You 113 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:11,800 know, the great news is that there's a calling on your life, regardless of your circumstances. 114 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:16,780 You're not called to be in pain. You're not called to live in misery. You're not. You 115 00:12:16,780 --> 00:12:21,880 are called to something so great that honestly you can't even imagine what it is. But I 116 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:28,640 want you to try. You know, I don't want you to think the call is just something that comes 117 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:34,260 out of nowhere. That's something that God just comes out and says, hey, hey, Thomas, 118 00:12:34,260 --> 00:12:39,560 this is exactly what you're going to do. This is exactly what your calling is. He didn't 119 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:43,560 come down and tell me, hey, Thomas, you're here to provide people with tools they need 120 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:51,000 to successfully pursue their God given calling, discover and pursue. And I had to I had to 121 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:59,360 discover that on my own. And you know, the call is something the call is something that 122 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:07,680 you discover. And I've talked about that a lot on previous episodes of the podcast. And 123 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:13,400 if you haven't already, I really want you to go to pursuit of calling dot com and sign 124 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:21,040 up to get the pursuit to get to discover your calling planning guide so that you can start 125 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:30,360 to understand what the calling is that is on your life. So you know, I've said it before, 126 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:35,280 your calling is unique to you. And this is regardless of your circumstance, your gifts, 127 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:40,640 you have gifts, the things that are intuitive to you, the things that you understand that 128 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:47,360 others seem to don't seem to just seem to understand it so quickly. And you don't understand 129 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,720 why other people don't. And I'd argue that some of those things are a result of the struggles 130 00:13:51,720 --> 00:14:00,280 that you go through every day. I call you a pursuer every time I start an episode and 131 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:07,720 every time I end it, because I believe you are even if you don't. I believe you are a 132 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:11,560 pursuer. You just have to unlock that part of yourself. The drive of a pursuer lives 133 00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:22,100 inside of you. You just need to put fuel on the fire. The call is the call on you. I want 134 00:14:22,100 --> 00:14:27,560 you to sit down and just think about what you're good at. I want you to think about 135 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:33,120 what you can do, even if you can't do everything else everybody else can do. There is a calling 136 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:38,760 on your life. I believe that calling comes from God. I want you to figure out how to 137 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,840 pursue your calling well. 138 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,880 Alright guys, well if you enjoyed this episode, this was I know it maybe I sound a little 139 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:53,360 bit more somber, but I really, really enjoy talking about this because it really helps 140 00:14:53,360 --> 00:15:00,960 me to figure out how I can, it helps me figure it helps me share my testimony and more I 141 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:05,760 do it, the better I get at it. So, you know, I really appreciate you listening to this 142 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:10,720 whole episode. If you like this episode, share it out on social media. You can share it on 143 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:15,720 Instagram, Facebook, X, wherever you listen and wherever you use social media. If you 144 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,880 haven't shared this episode with that person already that you were thinking about before 145 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,080 that you've been thinking about this whole time that you've been listening to this episode, 146 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,240 I want you to send it to them now. And I want you to tell them why you're sending it to 147 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:34,480 them. And if you haven't already, go ahead, go ahead to pursuit of calling.com and download 148 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:39,320 the guide and leave a comment on Spotify, leave a five star review, all the things. 149 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:58,320 All right, guys, see you later. Psewers.