WEBVTT 00:00:08.589 --> 00:00:11.529 What's going on, Pursuers? Welcome to The Pursuit 00:00:11.529 --> 00:00:14.710 of Calling, the podcast that provides you with 00:00:14.710 --> 00:00:17.629 the strategies and tools needed to successfully 00:00:17.629 --> 00:00:21.129 discover and pursue your calling. Whether it's 00:00:21.129 --> 00:00:23.609 through inspiring stories, thought -provoking 00:00:23.609 --> 00:00:26.530 interviews, or quick, insightful episodes on 00:00:26.530 --> 00:00:28.929 personal growth and development, we've got you 00:00:28.929 --> 00:00:32.710 covered. I'm your host, Thomas Carney. Enjoy 00:00:32.710 --> 00:00:42.609 the episode. I watched a movie last night. And 00:00:42.609 --> 00:00:44.710 I've been doing that a lot recently. I found 00:00:44.710 --> 00:00:47.070 out that you can watch YouTube videos on YouTube 00:00:47.070 --> 00:00:51.530 for free with ads. And unfortunately, that's 00:00:51.530 --> 00:00:54.850 become kind of the habit of mine. I'm pretty 00:00:54.850 --> 00:00:56.850 sure I've watched a movie every day this last 00:00:56.850 --> 00:01:02.750 week at some point of the day. And last night, 00:01:02.789 --> 00:01:04.950 I watched Robocop. It's about a two -hour movie. 00:01:06.040 --> 00:01:07.840 And even when I was turning it on, I had this 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:09.140 little thought in the back of my head. I was 00:01:09.140 --> 00:01:13.260 like, this doesn't feel right. That's two hours. 00:01:13.459 --> 00:01:16.920 What time is it? And I just kept, I just let 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:23.140 myself watch the whole thing. And, you know, 00:01:23.140 --> 00:01:26.700 honestly, it kind of felt like a warning. It 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:31.599 felt like a warning of what could happen if I 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:37.870 continue to let distractions get in the way of 00:01:37.870 --> 00:01:41.549 my priorities. So I asked myself a question. 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:47.950 I, if I remove distractions, what would I actually 00:01:47.950 --> 00:01:53.349 be doing? Because honestly, last night in all 00:01:53.349 --> 00:01:56.549 the nights previous, my goal has been to read 00:01:56.549 --> 00:01:59.969 at night. I have a book on, I forget what it's 00:01:59.969 --> 00:02:03.209 called, but it's about neuroplasticity for people 00:02:03.209 --> 00:02:05.129 with muscular dystonia, which is the condition 00:02:05.129 --> 00:02:09.280 that I have. And my goal is to grow myself and 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:11.319 to research my condition, to learn more about 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:13.439 it so I'm more educated, so I can be the best 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:15.580 advocate for myself and my health as I can be. 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:20.300 And the reason I watched the movie was, one, 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:22.979 it was easy and accessible, and two, because 00:02:22.979 --> 00:02:26.340 my arms hurt. I was like, well, my body needs 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:28.099 a rest. I would just lay on the couch for an 00:02:28.099 --> 00:02:35.900 hour and let my body rest and relax. Hmm. Doesn't 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:39.560 reading allow me to do the same thing? Reading 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:44.360 doesn't take much physical activity. So it really 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:47.259 just got me thinking, what would happen if I 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:50.780 just remove distractions? What would my default 00:02:50.780 --> 00:03:04.500 activity be if I prioritized properly? I thought 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:06.280 about it. I listed things out. I was like, I'd 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:09.219 be reading. Okay, that's one that was obvious 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:11.259 when I just said it. I'd be building my business 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:14.460 with more intentionality. Because let's be honest, 00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:17.960 TV is not the only distraction. I'd be networking 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:20.860 more effectively and more often with others. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:25.240 And I'd be structuring my day by prioritizing 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:27.639 my priorities properly by creating to -do lists 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.539 every single day for what I'm going to do for 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:35.389 the rest of the day. These are all things that 00:03:35.389 --> 00:03:41.770 I already know to do. So that's not the problem. 00:03:41.849 --> 00:03:44.469 The problem isn't that I don't know what to do. 00:03:46.430 --> 00:03:56.169 The problem isn't clarity. It's execution. What 00:03:56.169 --> 00:04:00.389 about you? If you remove distractions from your 00:04:00.389 --> 00:04:04.719 life, if you... prioritize your priorities properly, 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:09.099 what would your life look like? What are you 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:13.639 avoiding doing by allowing yourself to live on 00:04:13.639 --> 00:04:16.699 default, by defaulting to your comfort zone? 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:24.199 As I mentioned before, my goal is to, one of 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:28.790 my goals is to prioritize my health. Not just 00:04:28.790 --> 00:04:31.410 like doing my exercises I've talked about in 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:34.569 the past, but becoming the best advocate for 00:04:34.569 --> 00:04:36.829 myself that I can be by educating myself on my 00:04:36.829 --> 00:04:41.629 condition in ways that I can potentially limit 00:04:41.629 --> 00:04:48.470 my limits, if that makes sense. I want to limit 00:04:48.470 --> 00:04:51.230 the limits that my condition puts on my body. 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:55.720 And for you, I know your pain is real. Your condition 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:58.800 is real. And I'm not trying to say don't take 00:04:58.800 --> 00:05:01.899 breaks. I'm not trying to say that your condition 00:05:01.899 --> 00:05:04.800 shouldn't be prioritized because obviously that's 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:08.399 your reality. That's our reality. But your condition 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:12.120 doesn't excuse you from not showing up for yourself. 00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:15.600 It didn't excuse you from showing up for others. 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:19.639 Living with a condition, whether it's a physical 00:05:19.639 --> 00:05:23.750 condition or a mental condition, It doesn't give 00:05:23.750 --> 00:05:28.509 you an excuse to be lazy. It does give us an 00:05:28.509 --> 00:05:31.430 outlook on life that others don't have. And in 00:05:31.430 --> 00:05:34.689 my personal opinion, it makes it even more important 00:05:34.689 --> 00:05:37.790 for us to grow ourselves and develop ourselves 00:05:37.790 --> 00:05:45.290 personally because our lives are harder than 00:05:45.290 --> 00:05:47.589 our neighbors, than the person. Our lives are 00:05:47.589 --> 00:05:49.930 harder than a lot of people's lives next to us. 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:53.899 And you already know, like I said, like I was 00:05:53.899 --> 00:05:55.920 talking about myself, I think the same thing 00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:00.220 is true for you, that you already know what you 00:06:00.220 --> 00:06:03.800 need to do. You already know what the next step 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:07.259 is to prioritize your priorities so that you 00:06:07.259 --> 00:06:09.540 can pursue your purpose, pursue your calling 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:13.920 with excellence. You have goals on your mind. 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:15.620 You have things you want to achieve. And you're 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:18.439 like, maybe one day, and my question is, why 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:21.660 not today? Why not you actually take that first 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:25.319 step? You probably heard the saying before that 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:28.160 the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:34.620 but the second best time is today. The only reason 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:37.699 we don't plant the tree, the only time we don't 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:39.240 start pursuing our own goals is because we're 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:41.180 allowing distractions and other things that are 00:06:41.180 --> 00:06:47.180 less important get in the way. Some of us are 00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:50.209 waiting on God. Some of us are waiting on God 00:06:50.209 --> 00:06:52.029 to provide us clarity, like, God, what is my 00:06:52.029 --> 00:06:53.629 next step? What is the next thing I should do? 00:06:54.170 --> 00:06:58.829 However, there's kind of a paradox in doing that. 00:06:59.910 --> 00:07:01.649 Because you're waiting on God to provide you 00:07:01.649 --> 00:07:04.170 what to do, but God is saying, a lot of the time 00:07:04.170 --> 00:07:08.670 God says, I've already given you exactly what 00:07:08.670 --> 00:07:10.470 you need to do. I've already told you, I've already 00:07:10.470 --> 00:07:12.509 shown you, I've given you the abilities and I've 00:07:12.509 --> 00:07:17.889 given you the resources. So clarity doesn't come 00:07:17.889 --> 00:07:23.709 from waiting. It comes from obedience. Like what 00:07:23.709 --> 00:07:25.709 is already in front of you? What are the goals 00:07:25.709 --> 00:07:30.389 that you're looking to achieve? He's not going 00:07:30.389 --> 00:07:36.110 to just drop the next step in your lap. He wants 00:07:36.110 --> 00:07:38.910 you to pursue it with intentionality and excellence. 00:07:39.209 --> 00:07:41.110 He wants you to pursue your goals, pursue your 00:07:41.110 --> 00:07:42.889 calling, the things that he's put on your heart 00:07:42.889 --> 00:07:50.420 with excellence. You already know what to do. 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:58.500 The question is, are you going to do it? So to 00:07:58.500 --> 00:08:02.720 help you figure out what these things are, if 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:04.879 you're still a little confused, I have a little 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:09.740 bit of homework for you. I want you first, there's 00:08:09.740 --> 00:08:12.639 three steps to this. Step number one is list 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:16.839 out the five top distractions that are in your 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:19.720 life. A lot of these maybe are going to be the 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:21.199 same for a lot of people. Like for me, it was 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:24.680 TV, watching YouTube, movies, scrolling on social 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:28.259 media. That's a big one for me. Like shorts and 00:08:28.259 --> 00:08:34.399 reels, that gets me. That gets me. But next, 00:08:34.419 --> 00:08:37.259 after you list out your distractions, list out 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:38.940 the five things that those are distracting you 00:08:38.940 --> 00:08:41.059 from. The five top things that those distractions 00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:44.500 are pulling you away from. The things that you 00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:46.379 know you should be doing, that you already know. 00:08:47.210 --> 00:08:49.230 The next steps is things that you've like, maybe 00:08:49.230 --> 00:08:51.289 I should reach out to that person. Maybe I should 00:08:51.289 --> 00:08:53.610 talk. Maybe I should ask that question. Maybe 00:08:53.610 --> 00:08:59.570 I should research that topic. But you're letting 00:08:59.570 --> 00:09:03.590 your condition be a crutch and letting those 00:09:03.590 --> 00:09:07.529 other distractions get in the way. List out those 00:09:07.529 --> 00:09:14.309 five things. Okay. Now, if you did that, schedule 00:09:14.309 --> 00:09:17.929 those five things. We're being practical here. 00:09:18.110 --> 00:09:21.769 And I don't want to just say, list out those 00:09:21.769 --> 00:09:24.330 five things that you want to do without actually, 00:09:24.549 --> 00:09:28.529 now you've acknowledged them, but now it's time 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:32.029 to take action. The goal of this podcast is to 00:09:32.029 --> 00:09:35.990 help you take action to pursue your calling with 00:09:35.990 --> 00:09:38.789 excellence. So schedule those five things, put 00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:41.370 them on your calendar, give them a time, give 00:09:41.370 --> 00:09:47.190 them a date. Knowing your condition. Knowing 00:09:47.190 --> 00:09:49.870 your limits, prioritize getting them done with 00:09:49.870 --> 00:09:54.769 excellence. Now, again, I want you to push yourself. 00:09:54.870 --> 00:09:58.370 You should be pushing yourself, but don't push 00:09:58.370 --> 00:10:03.750 yourself so far that your health takes a hit. 00:10:05.190 --> 00:10:09.090 Don't push yourself so hard that you're going 00:10:09.090 --> 00:10:10.950 to be in a worse spot tomorrow than you were 00:10:10.950 --> 00:10:13.470 today. That's not the goal. The goal is to be 00:10:13.470 --> 00:10:17.759 better tomorrow than you were today. You have 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.899 limits and you have limits. And like, so I want 00:10:20.899 --> 00:10:25.879 you to prioritize your goals in a way that allow 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:29.419 you to live with excellence, to pursue your calling 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:31.519 with excellence, despite the condition that you're 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:34.320 in. Because the calling that you have in your 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:36.659 life, the calling that God's given you isn't 00:10:36.659 --> 00:10:39.299 determined by your condition. It's determined 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:42.320 by God. Hey guys, thank you for listening to 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:43.919 this episode of the Pursuit of Calling podcast. 00:10:44.139 --> 00:10:46.980 If you enjoyed it, if you got value from this, 00:10:47.139 --> 00:10:49.320 if you know somebody that would get value from 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:53.379 this, share this with them. Share this episode 00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:56.240 wherever you are on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 00:10:56.259 --> 00:10:59.059 I use Pocket Casts. Leave a five -star review 00:10:59.059 --> 00:11:01.320 because that really helps the algorithm. It really 00:11:01.320 --> 00:11:04.899 helps other people know that this is a value 00:11:04.899 --> 00:11:09.870 -rich episode and value -rich podcast. And go 00:11:09.870 --> 00:11:12.889 ahead and leave a comment, leave a review on 00:11:12.889 --> 00:11:15.190 Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Leave a comment on 00:11:15.190 --> 00:11:16.830 YouTube if you're watching the video on YouTube. 00:11:17.190 --> 00:11:20.870 And guys, thank you again for listening to this 00:11:20.870 --> 00:11:23.750 episode. I appreciate you guys. Love you guys. 00:11:23.929 --> 00:11:26.370 Pursue your calling with excellence. Do it well. 00:11:26.649 --> 00:11:27.669 I'll see you next time.