Hey, amazing souls all over the world. Welcome to the first episode of the thrive world journey
where we're going to talk about not just surviving in this world but thriving in our purpose.
Before we get started, let me ask you something. Have you ever felt like you're just, you know,
going through the motions? Like life is happening to you instead of you making your life happen?
Now I've been there and let me tell you it doesn't have to be that way. What if I told you that you
could shift from just surviving to truly thriving in every area of your life? Sounds pretty good,
right? Well, stick around because that's exactly what we're going to dive into on the thrive well
journey podcast. I'm your host, L Michael Burt and this podcast is all about helping you thrive
mentally, spiritually, physically, and yes, even financially as an entrepreneur or taking your
levels to new heights in the job you seek and already love. If that's something that you're
craving, the tools, the inspiration and the real talk to start thriving, then you're in the right
place. We're just getting started. So go ahead, you know, subscribe, download, click a heart,
do what you got to do. Just stay connected because you don't want to miss this journey.
But before we go any further, I want to talk to you about, you know, something that's at the heart
of this entire journey purpose. Have you stopped in thought about the question, what is my purpose
in life? Take a second to think about it. Is it crystal clear to you? Or is it something you're
still trying to figure out, which is perfect? Because that is where you are currently figuring
it out. That was a question that was on my mind for the longest, longest amount of time. See,
figuring it out took me to Europe, Georgia, California, back to Georgia, you know, from my
home state of Michigan, figuring it out took me to places where I shouldn't have gone, and to some
extraordinary places in life that allowed me to experience life and the best of what it had to
offer. See, for me, purpose is that deep driving force that gives your life meaning. It's that thing
that gets me out of bed in the morning excited and ready to go. The thing that makes all the hard
work and challenges worthwhile. But here's what I know, the kicker, here's the kicker, you can't
fully pursue your purpose if you're only focused on surviving. Personally, I know the world of
survival well. And what I also know is that to really live up my purpose, you, your purpose,
we've got to be thriving in all areas of our life. Think about it. How does your mental,
spiritual, physical and financial well being connect to your purpose? I'd assert that if one of
those areas is out of whack, or out of sync, you can throw everything off. How are we supposed to
chase our dreams and create the life we love living if we're mentally, let's say, burned out,
you know, spiritually drained, physically exhausted, financially stressed, you, we, us. We
deserve better than that in this life. And I want to help, you know, support you in getting there.
Therein lies my purpose. I've always wanted to support people in helping them find the greatness
in who they are, you know, just ask my family. And with all the experiences that I've had from,
you know, hell on earth to bliss and fill in complete and whole, I knew that my experience,
it ain't unique. So throughout this podcast, you know, we're going to explore how these
elements can come together to help you not just discover your purpose, but pursue it and pursue
it with everything you've got. Although the overarching theme may not be unique, our journey,
it's different for every one of us. We all, we all have our individual and personal journeys. And yet
together, I know we can win at this thing called life. So I think you're probably asking that
because I've asked myself, why another podcast? Why do you start this podcast? We got a billion
pack of podcasts out there. Well, I've always believed that, you know, thriving in life isn't
just about one thing. It's about bringing together all the different pieces that make us who we are
as human beings, our mental, physical and spiritual well being. And of course, let's not forget
financial. In particular, in these days, all of those elements are important to us, right?
Whether it be, you know, entrepreneurship or being a boss in your chosen career path. If you're like
me, you know that balance in a business or a side house with everything else in life can feel like
juggling flaming swords sometimes. But when you get it right, man, man, man, man, it's powerful.
Have you ever had, have you ever had those moments in life when it just seems like everything is
working on your behalf? It's almost like the universe is conspiring to have you live your
best and greatest life. And I felt 12 feet tall sometimes, and always just well with the world.
It's a great feeling, a monumental moment. But to get to that space to get there,
and to do some real, real work, some go through some real ish, and then just to do the work within.
So I wanted to create a space where we can talk about all of those
issues, where we can dive into the different areas and figure out how they fit together to help us
live our best lives. But not only for the benefit of us, but for the benefit of our families and
friends, where we get, when we get to a certain place in life, we can look back and see who's
ready to make that climb and help them as well. I want this podcast to be a resource, a community,
and a place where you can find inspiration, strategies, and authentic talk, where we can
get on the level of, level of thriving and not just surviving. But let me go ahead and just be
real with you. This podcast, it didn't come from some, everything is perfect place. It actually
started because of my health battles from, you know, being an athlete that traveled the world,
broke records in my sport to losing kidney function. You know, I went through a kidney transplant,
and if that wasn't enough, I had a stroke a few months later. And after all of that,
I had to go through some speech therapy that I didn't complete because, you know,
in my mind, I was resilient, yet some would say stubborn. However, I made it through,
but only to fight squamous cell carcinoma. Yep, cancer, fun times, right?
So, you know, all of those moments when I had to fight depression and anxiety,
I had to fight the thoughts of feeling worthless. I always knew that I had a better version of me
waiting for me to win. Had to meet up with that version of me that would look back at those moments
and get to say, well done. But in order to get there to see that version of myself, I had to do
the real work. You know, it was like a, it was a hard fought smack down who's going to win this
round day to day kind of matches, you know, and just to let you know, it wasn't with the world.
It was within myself. This was day in and day out for the better part of a decade. But here's the thing,
those experiences, they didn't just change me. They transformed me. When you go through something
like that, it makes you reevaluate everything. Now, I reevaluated, you know, who I chose to be on this
planet while I was still here. You know, I got to say no longer in my past, and that I can create
a future as I see it. I got to reconnect to that better part of myself and say, there's some work
for you to do. But as long as I'm here on this planet and I got breath, get her done. And for me,
it made me realize that life is way too short to just be getting by. I wanted more than just
survival. I wanted to thrive. I wanted to thrive and live in my purpose. And I wanted to help us,
others to do the same. So, you know, here we are. Amazing souls. Today's episode is brought to you
by our sponsor, Orians Health. Now, we're excited to introduce you to an incredible health and wellness
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So, just to let you know, when I talk about thriving, I mean in every area of life, balancing it.
I'm talking about caring for our minds, bodies, and spirits. But let's face it, if one of those
areas is, you know, if it's off, everything feels off too. Like, have you ever tried to be your
most positive self after three hours of sleep? You know, it ain't happening. And I know as much as
anyone else that in life, you know, we deal, we need to deal with curveballs and when we are on our
journey looking or creating our purpose, things seem like they can, you know, get off and go out of
alignment. But in that space, that is why we need those tools of life to guide us on that journey.
For me, thriving means finding that balance and understanding of who we are in this world.
I know it's not easily juggling work, health, family, and everything else. But when you find that
sweet spot, that's when, you know, that's what we talked about earlier. But when it all comes
together, it's like magic. And that's what I want to help us discover through this podcast. A little
bit more about me. Beyond the strategies and advice, there's something bigger that drives me to do
what I do. It's about leaving a legacy. You see, I've got some nephews and nieces, also great nephews
and great nieces out there. And I want to help them see that, you know, you can do anything you set
your mind to. I want them to know that life isn't just about making it through. It's about making it
count. Make your life count. And that's why I'm here sharing my journey with you. This podcast,
my business ventures, everything I do, it's all about part, it's all part of leaving a legacy
that I want to leave behind. And I want you to be a part of that legacy too, because I know that
when we thrive, we don't just change our own lives. We change the world around us, our environment.
You know, our environment can speak to a new access, which is a world of possibility. So
let's take a moment to talk about what this podcast truly represents. Whether you're listening or
watching on YouTube, this isn't just a conversation. It's a journey with a purpose. And as we travel
together, look, I'm not merely a host, I'm a fellow student of life, learning just alongside you
with every step. The Thriveau journey is here to inspire growth in all aspects of your life.
Support your entrepreneurial dreams and foster a community of thrivers who lift each other up.
And we're going to do that through expert advice, real world strategies and heartville
conversations. And we aim to be, I don't know, let's use a big word, efficacious, you know,
to produce real meaningful change. Our focus is on promoting a balanced well-being, mental,
spiritual, physical and financial, while encouraging action and transformation that helps you to thrive,
not just survive. Now, if you're here, it's not by chance. You've crossed paths with this podcast
for, for reasons that may not be clear, but my hope is that it will be effective in guiding you
toward your purpose and the goals you're meant to achieve. And I know we can make that happen together.
So here's the deal. I want to invite you to join me on this journey. Like I said, I'm a student
of this podcast as well. So student, here's a little homework for you. Before the podcast,
next podcast, if you choose to accept one, take a moment after this episode to reflect on your
passion. What's one step you can take today to move closer to your purpose? I want you to look
fear in the face and make a choice to get on the path to your purpose to identify one aspect of your
life where you feel unfulfilled and make a plan to change, change it this week. And let us know
how it goes by commenting on this episode on my YouTube channel at Elmarco Bird. I just restructured
the page specifically for this podcast, so it will look bare. But we are working on a website
that will centralize all the information. But until that time, you can use the YouTube channel
at Elmarco Bird to communicate with us. And three, take action on your health. Align your
well-being with your goals so that you can begin to thrive both physically and mentally. And again,
share with us how that next step of your intention is going. So if you found value in what was just
said, subscribe, follow along, and download the podcast. And let's thrive on this journey together.
You know, we got some amazing episodes coming up from deep dives into mental, spiritual,
and physical health to tips on building your business. And trust me, you don't want to miss it.
We've been working to, you know, bring you some great guests and shows to fulfill on the purpose
of this podcast. So we're coming to an end and I want to say thank you for hanging out with me
today. I'm Elmarco Bird and this is really, truly, this is the beginning of the thrive well journey.
Until next time, remember, we're not just surviving, we're thriving. And I know we can do this.
And let's make thriving our new normal.