Transcription of Cultivate Your Life Podcast Episode 024: You Know All Those Things?

Episode 024 of the Cultivate Your Life Podcast was released on October 2, 2019. Listen here!

Lara: Remember that time I did a podcast episode titled, When Your Plans Don’t Go as Planned? Well, my plans didn’t go as planned after that episode and from exploding water heaters, yes, plural water heaters to a pipe that burst in our front lawn to two parents in the ICU to our shower floor leaking, the kiddos having to sleep with us because their room got flooded to not having childcare unexpectedly for the last month. It’s been unexpected and yet at the same time, it has been the biggest gift. Sometimes unexpected plans lead to unexpected blessing and this has all caused me to number my days a whole lot more and I’m back. And I’m better than ever.

Lara: Well only because of so many unexpected things that went wrong, went awry. That episode definitely was meant for me right after I recorded it. But friends, I am back and just like I shared in that episode when your plans don’t go as planned, there are amazing opportunities and blessings that can come of it and one of those things that happened during my time away here from the podcast, I missed you. I missed you so much. I am so glad to be back here, but one of those things that happen is there were some words that came to my heart over and over and over and I’m going to share them with you today.

Lara: You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do, you should go do them. The things that last longer than you, the things that run deeper and are more thrilling than skydiving. The things that make you come alive. Welcome to The Cultivate Your Life podcast where each week we talk about how to uncover what matters to you in the big picture and start acting like it today. Whether you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed or in need of some refreshing truth today. I’m Lara and you are in the right place. Let’s cultivate what matters together.

Lara: Do you ever get the feeling that life is passing you by? You think, “Where’s the time gone?” And then the next thought that comes to your mind is, “Am I using this gift of a life? Well?” I’ve had that thought too, especially lately, and it made me think about a night, seven and a half years ago where I wrote down a little promise to myself, a promise that’s since been shared millions of times on the internet. Maybe you’ve seen it. It’s a quote and it says, you know all those things you’ve always wanted to do, you should go do them. Today we’re going to chat about the real story behind those words and why they resonate so strongly with people seven and a half years later, including me.

Lara: Let me tell you a story. That is where I was in 2011. I wrote down that now very widely shared hand-writing piece, not about skydiving though or anything you might typically see on a bucket list. I wrote it late one night, a few weeks after having grace about wanting to finally read the Bible from start to finish and it felt daunting. I felt fear about not knowing everything about the Bible, but this really mattered to me. I really wanted to grow my faith. And when something really matters to you how quickly or perfectly you do, it does not matter as much as why you do it. My why drove me forward, especially during the many times I got behind, which was many or I wanted to jump ship, which was also many, but little by little over the course of a year and a half, I did end up reading the Bible. It changed everything.

Lara: A little by little added up and that quote, since I shared it seven and a half years ago, it has circled the internet a few hundred million dozen times. It’s been posted by some pretty crazy people like P. Diddy, do they still call him that? I don’t know. P. Diddy, one of the Kardashians people, all kinds of people I know very little about pop culture. All I know is those words somehow strike a cord in our hearts and our souls and still seven and a half years later, it still resonates with people wherever it’s shared. And why? Why would such simple words be so impactful for so many people? Well, let me just ask you, has it been a long time since you felt like you were really living? When we we’re kids living with joy comes easily, right? Just ask any child what they love to do and they’ll rattle off a list for you, but somewhere along the way we lose ourselves.

Lara: Wonder and joy, they get sucked dry by the daily demands of life and those things that fire us up, the things we’ve always wanted to do, they seem like extras for some far away day when we have more time on our hands. Those words resonate with us because they speak to the desire all have to really live this one life we’ve been given. Now all year, you and I, we’ve been talking about how to number our days, how to live like this is the only life we’ve got and I have to say that that thought can overwhelm me and I have a feeling it can overwhelm you too, right? You think, “Oh yes, of course I want to live like this is the only life I’ve got, but that sounds really big. It sounds like I’m going to have to do a lot of really big things in life in order to get to that point where I really feel like I’m doing it.”

Lara: Well, I’ve got some really good news for you today. It all starts with the little things and the little things they add up and they add up and they add up and soon enough, you’re living a whole new life.

Lara: We can get overwhelmed. We can talk about big picture goals and all that, but I want to propose an alternative. What if we just look at the next 90 days? There are about 90 days left in this year, and guess what? As much as I’m excited about 2020, and the new PowerSheets coming out, there is still a lot of time in this year to make progress on the things that matter to us no matter how your year has gone so far. This year is not over. I’m just going to repeat that for myself. Repeat it with me, friends. Here we go. This year is not over. It’s like we wake up on October 1st and we think, “Oh, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year everyone.” No there are 90 days left in this year. A lot can happen in 90 days. Let’s just think about it for a minute. What could you do in 90 days?

Lara: You could do a lot of things. You could potty train a toddler. You could research and write a Master’s thesis. You could research and write a nonfiction book, you could write a novel, you could plan a wedding, you could make a new friend, you could research, shop for and buy a new car. There’s all a lot of things that could happen in 90 days. You could organize your closet. There’s a lot of things like that in my life that I think would take me about 90 days, but the point is this year’s not over and there’s a lot that can happen in your goals, in the things that really matter to you in the next 90 days. Now, many organizations with incredibly high stakes, Fortune 500 companies all the way to the military, they know this truth, we can only focus intently on something for 90 days.

Lara: Your brain can actually only handle long form projects like goals for that period of time before it needs a refresh. So this is such a great opportunity. You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do. You could a step forward on them in the next 90 days. Let’s start by just picking one. Pick one thing that really matters to you deep down, just one. I know there’s probably a lot of things, but for now let’s just choose one solo thing. Pick one thing that you’ve always wanted to do, and if you’re like me, even thinking about writing those things down or letting the thoughts even start to percolate and my brain feels so scary because what if you do them? Or what will that call you to? What if you fail at them? Guess what? What if they just stay in your brain, right? What if they just stay there and they never grow? It’s like holding onto a seed and you just hold it and hold it and that beautiful dirt staying right there waiting for you to just dig your hands in and just plant the seed.

Lara: So pick one thing, one little seed you want to plant and commit to doing something about it in the next 90 days. And I know you’re like, “Oh, Lara, Lara, no, no, no. You’re supposed to come back to the podcast and give me easy stuff.” You know what? If it feels overwhelming, make your step even smaller. This can be really easy. Just take the pressure off one little tiny step forward. You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do, you’re going to take a step forward and doing them. Maybe you want to cultivate a stronger marriage or find confidence in your career path or grow community with others. Maybe you want to learn to steward your finances as well or live with less, or finally do that thing that’s been making you restless, that being that has the potential to last longer than you. What is it for you? What have you always wanted to do? Whatever it is, let’s do it.

Lara: This is your chance to end this year strong and prepare well for 2020. Just imagine yourself on December 31st having made even a tiny step forward on this thing that matters so much to you. How’s that going to feel? It’s going to feel so good. Here are three ways to do that. Number one, put the thing down on paper. Trust me, I know it can be scary to put it down on paper, but just grab scrap paper, nobody needs to see it but you. Or say it out loud. You all know the power of handwriting. You’ve spent time, we’ve spent time together talking about how when you write something down in your own handwriting, it really changes things. But if you’re driving your car right now, I at least want you to say it out loud. Okay? Even if you’re on the subway, just pretend you’re talking to somebody on the bone. Nobody’s going to know the difference. So get that thing out there. Get the words out there, the thing you want to do most, just lay it down.

Lara: Guess what? You have just done the hardest part. Sometimes starting is the hardest part of starting, right? So that was a great start and just get those words down and get those words out, and I’m so proud of you for doing that. It’s going to feel so good just to lay it out there. Number two, really simple, name your first step forward. Name your first step forward, and if you need help with this, ask a friend. Say, “Hey look, this is the thing that I’ve always wanted to do, it scares the daylights out of me or I don’t know how I’m going to do it. What would your first step be?” Ask for help if you need it. And people love to help with other people’s dreams, right? You might get a step forward that you never considered before, but you also might know one right now. It’s like, you know you need to take it and you wish I was just in person with you right now to just push your nudge forward. Consider this your nudge.

Lara: A lot of us. We know those first steps to take and we just don’t take them. Just take the first step. You don’t need to even think about taking the second or third or fourth step yet. Just the first one. Trust that the next step after that will present itself. So number one, get those words out there. Number two, take that first step forward. A really small step. Something that’s so small that you think, “Why would I even write that down? It’s so small.” Make it so small so that it’s so easy for you to do it. And number three, prepare well for what’s ahead. I am very excited about what’s ahead for you on October the 16th, the brand new Power Sheets Intentional Goal Planners are going to be landing in your hands and get ready. Go to cultivatewhatmatters.com/2020. Get on our email list to be notified when those go on sale.

Lara: But that’s going to help you to feel prepared for the year ahead because we are going to, in the next 90 days, we’re going to actually start our power sheets together. Most people, they cram … and maybe you’ve done this before, I know I have. We cram goal setting into the last four days, three days, maybe 24 hours of the year. It’s like Christmas ends and then, “Oh yeah, there’s a whole new year coming. I better get ready for this thing.” And we do this in a time where we’re already stressed out, right? So let’s not do that. Let’s just not. Let’s start early together. We will be doing what we call PowerSheets prep week, the first week of December. So get your PowerSheets on launch day on October the 16th and be prepared for us to take our goals slowly, like slow cooking. If you were to microwave a pan of cinnamon roll dough, it is so not as good as when you cook that thing slowly in the oven and that’s how we do goals.

Lara: So number one, decide what is the thing that you have always wanted to do and just get the words out there to say it. Number two, do something about it. And number three, set yourself up for success for 2020 by getting the right tools to help you live out the things you’ve always wanted to do. Get your PowerSheets on October the 16th and be ready to walk through them. I’m going to walk you through them step-by-step that first week of December.

Lara: My friend, I missed you a lot. So many of you have asked when is the podcast coming back? When’s it coming back? And I’m just so grateful to be here with you. I’ve missed hearing your stories too. You can always find me on Instagram @Laracasey, L-A-R-A C-A-S-E-Y or at laracasey.com and definitely hop on over and get on our newsletter list. We spend a lot of time and care crafting special messages for you over there. So go on over to cultivatewhatmatters.com/2020 to be the first to know about all of our new products for you and all kinds of great goal coaching too.

Lara: Okay, here’s what’s next. I’m really excited to be able to take you behind the scenes for the first time ever into the history and the creation and the making of PowerSheets. I’m going to pull back the curtain for you and tell you how we make all these decisions, how our process came to be and you’re going to hear from me and some special cultivate friends over the next couple of weeks. So look forward to that. And until then, get out there. You know all of those things you’ve always wanted to do. You are capable and you are ready to go and take your first step forward in doing them. I’ll see you soon.

Ari: Cultivate Your Life with my wife Lara Casey Isaacson we’re not quite done. And this is the outtro in case you didn’t know. Now don’t forget to rate it and review it. Rate it and review it. You can do it and tell your friends to listen in and subscribe to be notified when a new episode drops. Now Cultivate Your Life with my wife, Lara Casey. Is that okay babe?