WEBVTT 00:00:08.330 --> 00:00:11.269 What's going on, Pursuers? Welcome to The Pursuit 00:00:11.269 --> 00:00:14.449 of Calling, the podcast that provides you with 00:00:14.449 --> 00:00:17.390 the strategies and tools needed to successfully 00:00:17.390 --> 00:00:20.949 discover and pursue your calling. Whether it's 00:00:20.949 --> 00:00:23.350 through inspiring stories, thought -provoking 00:00:23.350 --> 00:00:26.269 interviews, or quick, insightful episodes on 00:00:26.269 --> 00:00:28.690 personal growth and development, we've got you 00:00:28.690 --> 00:00:32.469 covered. I'm your host, Thomas Carney. Enjoy 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:46.539 the episode. Well, I've turned 30. A big 3 -0. 00:00:47.140 --> 00:00:52.939 On April 27th, I turned 30 years old. And that 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:55.740 was a Sunday. And at church that day, people 00:00:55.740 --> 00:00:57.840 asked me if I felt any different. And honestly, 00:00:58.039 --> 00:00:59.859 this is one of the first times I can actually 00:00:59.859 --> 00:01:04.560 say, yeah, I do. And it sounds kind of strange. 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:08.599 You know, I say that because, well, it... It 00:01:08.599 --> 00:01:11.799 got me thinking about the growth that has happened 00:01:11.799 --> 00:01:16.439 to me within the last decade of my life. You 00:01:16.439 --> 00:01:18.019 know, how much I've changed and how much I've 00:01:18.019 --> 00:01:21.939 grown. Thinking all the way back, I think about 00:01:21.939 --> 00:01:26.659 where I was when I was 20 years old in college. 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:29.359 Learning about computer science for the first 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:31.879 time and not really caring much about my future. 00:01:32.620 --> 00:01:39.250 I was... i was irresponsible i didn't really 00:01:39.250 --> 00:01:40.790 yeah i didn't really care that much and some 00:01:40.790 --> 00:01:42.930 people might think like yeah that's just how 00:01:42.930 --> 00:01:45.030 life is in that time of life and i'm like it 00:01:45.030 --> 00:01:47.790 doesn't need to be i know 20 year olds they're 00:01:47.790 --> 00:01:51.569 way better off than i was and not to discount 00:01:51.569 --> 00:01:57.510 myself but there's i mean man life life could 00:01:57.510 --> 00:01:59.670 have been really different but i also wouldn't 00:01:59.670 --> 00:02:03.150 trade it because now my life is really cool you 00:02:03.150 --> 00:02:08.639 know I was taking the life God gave me for granted, 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:14.479 essentially. Between the years of 21 and 22, 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:19.659 I was going out to bars, getting drunk, whether 00:02:19.659 --> 00:02:23.979 that be at the bar or in my dorm room, and I 00:02:23.979 --> 00:02:26.960 was treating myself and others with disrespect. 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:31.060 Then there was a relationship and a whole bunch 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:35.199 of pain and stupidity. And I learned a lot from 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:41.599 those years, mainly what not to do. But as a 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.639 result of going through all of that pain and 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:47.259 all of that suffering, all the stupidity that 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:55.620 caused that, I healed and learned a lot. My biggest 00:02:55.620 --> 00:02:59.419 takeaway from these last 10 years is that change 00:02:59.419 --> 00:03:05.210 happens regardless of what you do. Change happens 00:03:05.210 --> 00:03:09.669 with time, no matter what. But growth needs to 00:03:09.669 --> 00:03:13.349 be intentional. Change happens no matter what, 00:03:13.430 --> 00:03:16.430 but growth needs to be intentional. My favorite 00:03:16.430 --> 00:03:18.849 years are the ones where I've been intentional 00:03:18.849 --> 00:03:22.990 with my own personal growth. From the 15 Invaluable 00:03:22.990 --> 00:03:26.110 Laws of Growth, in the chapter titled The Law 00:03:26.110 --> 00:03:31.629 of Intentionality, John Maxwell says, once you're 00:03:31.629 --> 00:03:34.689 done with formal education, You must take complete 00:03:34.689 --> 00:03:38.270 ownership of the growth process because nobody 00:03:38.270 --> 00:03:42.090 else will do it for you. That's been my experience. 00:03:42.990 --> 00:03:44.930 Once I started taking my own personal growth 00:03:44.930 --> 00:03:47.770 seriously around the age of about 26 years old, 00:03:47.849 --> 00:03:52.509 my life really started to take a shift. It started 00:03:52.509 --> 00:03:56.930 with my health, my eating habits. I started working 00:03:56.930 --> 00:03:59.110 out more. I stopped drinking, which wasn't intentional. 00:04:00.539 --> 00:04:04.840 falls under me getting healthier and how I manage 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:08.620 my finances. I was making a budget and I was 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:11.039 sticking to the budget and I paid off all my 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:15.020 debt within this last decade. It didn't take 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:19.699 as long as I thought it would. I was focusing 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:21.759 on personal growth and development. I was reading 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:26.579 books that interest me and that have and will 00:04:26.579 --> 00:04:28.990 set me up for success. Ones I have mentioned 00:04:28.990 --> 00:04:33.670 multiple times on this podcast, including the 00:04:33.670 --> 00:04:39.550 15 Valuable Laws of Growth. I actually found 00:04:39.550 --> 00:04:41.829 and then grew in my relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:04:41.949 --> 00:04:45.769 I'm continuing to grow in that. And I want to 00:04:45.769 --> 00:04:47.769 say something kind of funny. As I was typing 00:04:47.769 --> 00:04:50.490 this out, I thought about how my financial habits 00:04:50.490 --> 00:04:53.269 and my health habits actually became intertwined 00:04:53.269 --> 00:04:55.620 with each other. Because you know how I said 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:59.899 when I stopped drinking, but that was unintentional? 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:03.839 The reason I stopped drinking was because I wanted 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:06.259 to save money and pay off my debt. I wanted to 00:05:06.259 --> 00:05:09.120 pay off my student loans. And alcohol is expensive. 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:13.500 Therefore, I had to stop paying for alcohol because 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:17.439 I had debt. And once I stopped, I realized how 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:20.579 much better my life was without it. Not that 00:05:20.579 --> 00:05:24.430 I had a problem or that I have a problem. with 00:05:24.430 --> 00:05:26.629 other people drinking or having a drink or two 00:05:26.629 --> 00:05:30.910 i just think that uh i just hate i just know 00:05:30.910 --> 00:05:34.170 i know i just know i really disliked how i felt 00:05:34.170 --> 00:05:37.449 whenever i was drinking so i had two things going 00:05:37.449 --> 00:05:40.089 for me to stop drinking one the initial reason 00:05:40.089 --> 00:05:42.410 was because it was expensive the reason that 00:05:42.410 --> 00:05:45.329 the thing that kept it going because the thing 00:05:45.329 --> 00:05:50.110 that kept it going was that honestly anytime 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:52.810 i have a drink i just don't feel good so i just 00:05:52.810 --> 00:05:57.639 don't And I am better off for it. I believe that 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:07.500 fully. Why do any of this, though? What's the 00:06:07.500 --> 00:06:10.860 point? Why did and why do I continuously decide 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:14.579 to pursue these areas of my life? It's because 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:18.180 I have a vision for my life and values to strive 00:06:18.180 --> 00:06:21.600 and uphold. That without the intentional focus 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.430 on my health, finances personal growth and faith 00:06:24.430 --> 00:06:28.670 that vision would never be possible what is the 00:06:28.670 --> 00:06:31.290 vision i have in my life the vision i have is 00:06:31.290 --> 00:06:33.649 to be a financially free and physically healthy 00:06:33.649 --> 00:06:37.149 married man and father who isn't tied to one 00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:39.410 source of income a man who puts god before all 00:06:39.410 --> 00:06:42.569 else intentionally leads his family to do the 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:49.040 same i think I think a lot of people say, there's 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:51.160 some people say, like, you shouldn't have your 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:52.740 own goals because God will provide you with goals. 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:55.720 Other people, I think, more along the lines of, 00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:00.519 it's good to have goals, but just be okay when 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:04.339 they change. Especially if they're, like, far 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:07.100 out goals. That is the vision I have on my life, 00:07:07.139 --> 00:07:08.980 and maybe that vision will change. I expect it 00:07:08.980 --> 00:07:10.500 to, but that's the vision I'm working towards 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:15.000 right now. Even if this vision never fully comes 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:17.420 to fruition, I'm going to continue to pursue 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:20.199 it because, you know, what's the other option? 00:07:21.259 --> 00:07:25.399 To stop growing? You might as well, like, this 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:27.120 is going to sound blunt, and I wrote it in my 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:28.720 notes. I wasn't sure if I should say it, but 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:30.879 I'm going to be honest with you. If you're not 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:32.319 growing, you're dying. I wrote in my notes, you 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:34.360 might as well just die then. I think John Maxwell 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:36.579 says, I said it fast, I'm going to say it again. 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:38.720 If you're not growing, if you're not intentionally 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:41.579 growing in your life, John Maxwell would essentially 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:44.120 say that you're essentially just already dead. 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:47.759 You just haven't realized it yet. And when he 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:51.199 said that, that hit me. I'm like, I need to continuously 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:56.259 grow. Because otherwise, what's the point? I 00:07:56.259 --> 00:07:58.500 think he also says he likes to be growth -oriented 00:07:58.500 --> 00:08:01.579 versus goal -oriented. Because whenever you grow, 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:05.660 whenever all these things grow, these goals will 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:15.620 then be fulfilled. If personal growth isn't something 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:19.379 that you're intentionally pursuing right now, 00:08:19.420 --> 00:08:21.939 maybe that doesn't make as much sense. But if 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:25.060 you've grown in any area of your life, you realize 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:27.019 that growth has to happen before you achieve 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:31.300 the goal that you're looking to achieve. So that's 00:08:31.300 --> 00:08:35.460 a little bit of food for thought for you. And 00:08:35.460 --> 00:08:39.919 so I want to ask you, what have you been intentionally 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:43.679 growing in, let's say, the last two years? If 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:46.039 it's nothing, what are you going to start growing 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:50.879 in and why? If you haven't been intentional about 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:55.519 your growth, start today. Write down right now 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:59.240 what you're going to intentionally grow in, whether 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:02.039 that be managing your finances better, whether 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:06.919 that be in your faith, whether that be in your 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:10.269 health. Or whether it be in your career, in your 00:09:10.269 --> 00:09:12.509 relationship with others, whatever you want to 00:09:12.509 --> 00:09:15.090 intentionally grow in, do that. And then find 00:09:15.090 --> 00:09:17.250 the resources, the people to help you intentionally. 00:09:17.269 --> 00:09:19.169 That's what it means to be intentional. It's 00:09:19.169 --> 00:09:23.049 not just to think about how you can grow, but 00:09:23.049 --> 00:09:25.070 also learn from others and learn from other resources 00:09:25.070 --> 00:09:27.129 and how you can grow. Because there's other people 00:09:27.129 --> 00:09:30.350 that have been and are where you want to be. 00:09:32.169 --> 00:09:34.600 That was a lot of words. Let me just summarize 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:38.659 it. There are other people that have already 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:41.820 been and are where you want to be. So seek them 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:46.399 out and seek the books that they wrote and other 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:49.799 resources that they put out there. So I say my 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:54.460 calling is to provide people with the tools needed 00:09:54.460 --> 00:09:56.879 to successfully discover and pursue their calling. 00:09:57.299 --> 00:09:59.720 In order to do that, again, I need to pursue 00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:04.110 mine well. I need to pursue my own calling well 00:10:04.110 --> 00:10:07.789 in order to help others pursue theirs. We need 00:10:07.789 --> 00:10:09.889 to pursue our calling well in all aspects of 00:10:09.889 --> 00:10:11.629 our lives so that we can serve those we've been 00:10:11.629 --> 00:10:15.470 called to serve with excellence. In these last 00:10:15.470 --> 00:10:17.870 10 years, I've gone from someone who didn't care 00:10:17.870 --> 00:10:20.429 at all about their future to being someone who 00:10:20.429 --> 00:10:26.360 does everything for it. This doesn't mean to 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.720 forget about the here and now. In order to live 00:10:29.720 --> 00:10:32.159 a life worth living, you need to spend it with 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:36.179 those you love and who love you. So yes, you're 00:10:36.179 --> 00:10:38.879 growing for your future, but you're also growing 00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:41.139 in order to be a better brother, a better sister, 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.840 a friend, a better spouse, mentor, mentee, boyfriend, 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:47.620 girlfriend, whatever you want to say, in the 00:10:47.620 --> 00:10:53.039 here and now. You're growing for the future, 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:55.879 but obviously you're also growing for the here 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:59.759 and now. You're growing today so you can have 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:01.500 a better tomorrow, so you can be better tomorrow 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:05.139 and do that every single day. So let me leave 00:11:05.139 --> 00:11:09.000 you with a question. What's one area of your 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:12.159 life that you can intentionally pursue growth 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:16.500 in this week? If you're not already pursuing 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:21.590 an area of growth, what area would that be? Okay, 00:11:21.710 --> 00:11:24.509 I might have sounded like maybe a little bit 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:35.809 more pushy this episode. However, I think that's 00:11:35.809 --> 00:11:40.970 okay. Because I honestly know, if you're listening 00:11:40.970 --> 00:11:42.889 to this episode right now, if you stuck it through 00:11:42.889 --> 00:11:45.970 to the end, that you are a person of value that 00:11:45.970 --> 00:11:50.200 adds value to others. I know that you value people. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:53.840 I know that you are a person that values growth. 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:58.600 So I think I'm pretty sure it's okay to talk 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:02.259 to you like this and talk to you one, like you're 00:12:02.259 --> 00:12:06.740 an adult and also like you have standards for 00:12:06.740 --> 00:12:09.759 yourself and you're okay with setting new ones. 00:12:12.740 --> 00:12:17.100 Dang. All right. I'm going to leave you with 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:20.759 that. If you know the drill, if you like this 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:24.299 episode, actually better yet, if you got some 00:12:24.299 --> 00:12:27.720 value from this episode, share it on social media, 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:31.779 on Facebook, X, Instagram. Whatever platform 00:12:31.779 --> 00:12:34.220 you're on, give this episode a five -star review. 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:38.899 Give it a comment. And guys, I'll see you next 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:39.120 time.