Forged by FIRE with Ryan Rodriquez

Suicide awareness month is wrapping up as September comes to an end, but that doesn’t mean we should stop making plans to improve our mentalities as well as our bodies.  I’ve put a focus on mental health and wellness this month with a little bit of physical awareness thrown in.  It’s important to remember that the body follows the mind, but it’s EQUALLY as important to remember that the mind follows the body as well.  One impacts the other, but HOW they impact each other is completely up to you, your motivations, and mindset. 

Today’s episode is a CALL TO ARMS.  A “call to arms” is a call to defend against a takeover.  We are all facing different battles, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t rally to fight against these battles in similar ways.  Prepare for confrontation.  Prepare for that big fire.  Prepare for a situation where you will need to harness your emotions in order to get your job done. I’m going to review some strategies that can help you become better prepared to defend the castle walls of your mind and get your body into a place where you can physically overcome the challenges that would come your way. 

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Click HERE to get your FREE COPY of the Motivation Worksheet that I mention in the episode! 

Click HERE to read more about and purchase the 28-Day Ignition Workout Program! 

Click HERE to visit the website and learn more about me and the IGNITEd movement. 

Join the battalion of firefighters and EMS professionals who want to civilize their minds, but make savage their bodies by joining the IGNITEd Firefighters Podcast Community on Facebook.  This is where you can connect with me and other firefighters all over the world!  We can share our experiences and gain insight from each other as we deal with the struggles that we may be facing. Love to read?  Join the IGNITEd Readers Book Club on Facebook!  Learn about new books and share your favorites!  We also have a monthly group read with discussion questions at the end of each month! 

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Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Back in Episode 033, I talked about the importance of mentorship.  In this episode, I have a conversation with Jonathan Santana, who is on a mission to teach individuals life balancing skills to cope with stress in their day to day lives. He is a Firefighter/Paramedic, Speaker, Mentor & Coach.  

During our conversation, we discuss what it means to be mentored, qualities to look for in a mentor, and what the benefits of this kind of relationship are. We discuss how stress should be managed, how ego needs to be put in check, and what it means to be an "ask-hole". The idea that leadership isn't tied to rank definitely comes through in Jonathan's passion for this topic.  Be sure to visit his website and download his free eBook, "A Guide to Working with Mentors".  

Also, do yourself a favor and look into his HEAD Start program that he talks about.  There are some great lessons to be learned and principles to incorporate! 

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Click HERE to get your FREE COPY of the Motivation Worksheet that I mention in the episode! 

Please visit my website (www.IGNITEdFF.com) to learn more about me and the IGNITEd movement. Also, if you are a firefighter looking to join the battalion of firefighters who want to civilize their minds, but make savage their bodies, join the IGNITEd Firefighters Podcast Community on Facebook.  This is where you can connect with me and other firefighters all over the world!  We can share our experiences and gain insight from each other when trying to deal with the struggles that we may be facing. 

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Click HERE to visit Jonathan Santana's website and download his FREE eBook "A Guide to Working with Mentors". You can find his H.E.A.D Start Program to Managing Stress on Udemy.com. 

Find him on YouTube HERE!

As September is suicide awareness month, I’m putting a focus on mental health and wellness.  We are already aware that exercise is good for the body.  But did you know that it’s also VERY effective in dealing with depression, anxiety, and stress?

In today’s episode I will discuss the mental benefits of exercise and provide some strategies that can help keep you operating in a positive light.

To download the Motivation Worksheet mentioned in this episode, visit my website and click on the link in the top right corner that says "Get !", or  click HERE to download directly!

A lot of firefighters base their level of fulfillment in their career.  We sometimes forget that we aren’t JUST firefighters.  We are also fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, friends and family.  Fulfillment can and should be found in other areas of our lives so once that time in our lives is over, we have a strong basis to continue our sense of meaning and purpose.

Are you constantly disappointed?  Do you find yourself being short with people who are within your vicinity?  Are you just not interested in the things that would typically interest you?  You’ve got to identify and make a choice as to how you show up each and every day.  Just like with anything, you only get out what you put in.

Today, we’re going to review 7 strategies we can create habits from so that we can maintain a sense of fulfillment no matter where we are.

Download the Motivation Worksheet mentioned in this episode HERE, or visit http://bit.ly/motivationworksheet

**I apologize for the throat-clearing in advance.  I'm fighting a cold and I hit "mute", but my editing software still picked it up***

The different types of materials and hazards out there have changed the way we fight fire.  With all the new and different types of materials we are finding in homes and even commercial buildings and how quickly they burn, it's important to select the appropriate weapon to fight it.   Materials burn a lot quicker and a lot hotter, which means our window for effective attack along with our margin for error is getting smaller.

*Adam Wilson is a firefighter/paramedic with the Maricopa Fire Department near central Arizona.  Click HERE to learn more about the Maricopa Fire Department, or visit https://www.maricopa-az.gov/web/maricopafiredept-home.  You can reach him at [email protected].

We also discussed:

Fire by Trade (https://www.firebytrade.com/)

Mesa Fire and Medical Department (https://www.mesaaz.gov/residents/fire-medical)

Chandler Fire Department (https://www.chandleraz.gov/residents/fire)

Gilbert Fire & Rescue Department (https://www.gilbertaz.gov/departments/fire-and-rescue)

Fit to Fight Fire (https://fittofightfire.com/)

Gordon Graham (https://www.lexipol.com/author/gordon-graham/)

VIDEO - UL study on natural vs synthetic room comparison (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7T43OmErmU)

People look at firefighters with a certain level of expectation when it comes to capability as well as professionalism.  There is a standard that the public holds us to.  We are public servants and in that expectation, they have every right to hold us to a standard.  But are we holding ourselves to that standard?

If you are currently working as a firefighter or are taking steps toward it, then you have some kind of understanding of what it means to be a professional.  In today’s episode, we’ll leave no room for error as we discuss exactly what it means to be a professional and I will go over some key points that you can keep in mind in order to foster your professionalism for whatever environment you’re working in.

The word “samurai” means “one who serves”.  It was a title given to the renowned warrior class of pre-modern Japan.  The elements that attract a lot of people (me included) to the ideals lived and practiced by the samurai are their fierce fighting style and strict sense of discipline.  The kind of discipline that made the samurai a very admired as well as feared culture was their dedication of focus to their minds as well as their bodies.  I have utilized a samurai proverb in my personal life for years.  It helps me to focus on the balance I must strike between my mind and body.  In fact, you hear it in the intro to my podcast every time you listen: “Civilize the mind, but make savage the body”.  

Who are we as firefighters if not modern-day samurai?  But does that mean that once we've earned the right to wear the maltese cross on a T-shirt that we are inherently entitled to stop progressing or being conscious in our efforts to be better people?  The answer is a resounding ‘NO!”  We should be striving to earn that privilege every day!

In today’s episode, I will talk about the importance of living by a code, I will go over the 8 virtues of Bushido (the code of the samurai) and how we can implement those things into our lives to become better firefighters and better people.