HOW TO LIFE - Adulting for the 21st Century

#52 - Introverts unite! Then retreat into a quiet room. Alone. 

I really like today’s topic. It is all about introverts!  

We are going to talk about the special strengths that introverts often possess and how to use those strengths to your advantage both personally and in business, especially online. Online businesses offer a unique opportunity for introverts to really thrive. 

I am speaking with Kim Beasley, the "introverted entrepreneur whisperer". She has a whole coaching practice geared toward helping this personality type succeed and thrive in the online business world.

This topic really hits home for me. I am an introvert!

I used to think I was just shy, insecure, and awkward, but that was only because I didn’t know I could leverage my personality in my own way and on my own terms. 

Kim is going to tell us how to do that. 

My desire for this episode is to awaken the introvert, define this personality if needed, and empower this person. We have superpowers! I hope to help you discover them.

You can find all the links and more in the show notes:

howtolife.com/052

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#51 - There are many ways to develop character, leadership, teamwork and so many other skills that will only help you throughout your life. And one of those ways is through volunteering.

It is important to learn how to help others and give of your skills and time. It encourages generosity and selflessness and compassion. 

You can earn service and leadership awards, scholarships, and it is also very fun!

These are traits that many colleges and employers look for in potential students and employees. 

But until recently, it was often challenging to find volunteer opportunities. Keeping track of hours, verifying those hours, and keeping it all organized to submit to advisors, counselors, clubs, programs or colleges was also a little daunting.

But not anymore. Today I am speaking with the CEO and founder of Volunteer Crowd which is a phenomenal resource for middle school and high school students to find and gain volunteer experience. 

You can search for volunteer opportunities not only in your city but by zip code, as well. You can search for specific types of volunteering you want to do. There are even  Zoom-based opportunities. 

Not only that, this site will create a transcript of your hours, your strengths, and references about your personality and character. They will verify everything for you. 

Everything that used to be floating around on various pieces of paper, or worse, lost is all kept together in one tidy transcript that colleges and employers love. 

Volunteer Crowd allows you to enjoy the experience without the headache of keeping track of the hours.

Show notes for this episode can be found at:

howtolife.com/051

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#50 - We have all encountered situations, events, or people that for whatever reason triggered a negative emotion or reaction within us. Sometimes, we are able to brush it off relatively quickly and carry on, and then later on, when we think about the encounter, it seems so far away and we don’t even care.

And that is awesome. If only every bump in the road we encounter could be like that.

But, sometimes it is not. When it's something that is truly personal, shocking, traumatic, and/or touches a deep nerve within us, we have the tendency to replay it over and over in our minds. 

A lot of people just aren’t aware of their thoughts. Or they aren’t aware that it is their thoughts that are creating and perpetuating this negative emotion.

But I have found a way to feel better about anything that makes me feel bad no matter how big or small it is. Granted, the small issues are easier to get over, but this same process can be applied in both situations.

The exercise is to make a List of Positive Aspects about the situation, or person, or whatever it is. 

I get that it may be really hard to do this because you don’t feel like shining anything positive on it. But this is not about them. This is about you.

This is about finding a way to feel better about whatever is causing you so much pain. Don’t you want to feel better more than anything else? Don’t you want that relief? Of course, you do!

Give this a try and let me know how it worked! I would love for you to have tools to help you get through rough patches that may pop up in your life.

Show notes for this episode can be found at:

howtolife.com/050

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#49 - The topic today is to validate your probable impression of adulthood which is  "the struggle is real". 

It is so real. 

But not to worry. Why?  Because there are shows like this one and others that talk about it and share ideas and information to help take the fear and discomfort out of adulting. 

My guest today is Justin Peters who is the host of the podcast The Struggle Is Real. He is 27. He has questions. He has doubts. He has insecurities. 

But rather than let that slow him down, he created this great show for his peers to discuss and learn about how to handle these real-world situations that aren’t taught in school.

He and I had a great conversation about this from our different perspectives as I am a bit further along than he on the journey. By the way, even though you have lived some years, there are always new situations to face and overcome.

 As long as you are living, you are learning and growing and evolving. Hopefully!

Justin is thoughtful and inquisitive, and that curiosity is lighting the path for his generation and others to become empowered and informed.

To learn more about Justin and get all of his links and contact info, check out the show notes:

howtolife.com/049

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

ST #008 - It is time for another bonus STORYTIME episode!

I had never read this story before. It was requested by a listener and I am happy to oblige!

This is the story of a cap peddler who runs into some mischievous monkeys who take his caps and cause him some trouble.

Check out the video version on my YouTube channel. You can follow along and see the pictures as well!

howtolife.com/caps

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#48 - I have a little unofficial series on my show called What Am I Going To Do With My Life and there are scattered episodes that fall into this category and today is one of them.

My guest today is Isaac Oakeson. He is a Civil Engineer with a PE license which stands for professional engineer and he also runs a site called CivilEngineeringAcademy.com which helps civil engineers and students pass their exams. 

He offers practice exams and courses and he also hosts the Civil Engineering Academy Podcast where he discusses all things related to this career; personalities, polishing your LinkedIn profile, preparing for exams, and how to deal with the stress of exam-taking, just to name a few.

So, if you always wanted to know how to get into this field, what education you need, what type of jobs are out there, and the financial potential, this podcast is a great resource to get those questions answered and get you pointed in this direction.

All the contact information and links can be found at:

howtolife.com/048

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#47 - Today’s topic is about how to decrease stress and how to consciously take that pause before you react to something emotionally or physically. This is such an important life skill to learn for all ages and a great way to do this is through yoga. 

Yoga is not all about getting your body into contortions. At its core, it is about connecting breath to movement, focus, control, and meditation. These are powerful tools to help you direct your mind and your perspective.

Speaking on this topic is my guest today Deputy Chief Sasha Larkin of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. 

Sasha is a remarkable woman; a wife, a mother, and when this interview was recorded, she was  Capt. Sasha Larkin but has since been promoted to Deputy Chief where she oversees the Homeland Security Division that encompasses the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center, SWAT, Air Support, K-9, ARMOR (All Hazards Regional Multi-Agency Operations and Response), and Intelligence Section. 

That is a full plate and there is no doubt that there is a lot of responsibility and stress that comes with it. 

So how does she do it?

A major asset is her yoga practice. She has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 20 years and I think that it is safe to say that Sasha is proof of how yoga can enhance and balance your life.

Show notes for this episode can be found at:

howtolife.com/047

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#46 - How To Life is a brand that is dedicated to helping to take the fear out of adulting for you. 

You are most likely in the hub of it right now or perhaps you remember what it was like to be thrown out of childhood and into adulthood. There are so many things that you have no idea how to do or what to do and it can feel really intimidating and overwhelming. 

I remember. It does get easier as you learn by experience and trial and error. But MY goal is to help you guys out by giving you the answers to some of the questions that you encounter in life. I would love it if you can learn some of these things sooner than I did.

Or sooner than my guest today, Reid Garcia. Reid is a fellow teacher of life skills. His brand is called Helpful For Life and he has all kinds of information to help you out in the adulting arena.

One of the highlights is his Kickstart Your Kitchen course. Cooking is one of the many stresses in adulthood, but it doesn’t have to be. Reid spent a lot of time making this course thorough, easy to follow, and very digestible. Pun intended!

He is going to talk about the benefits of being able to cook for yourself or others and how easy his course is to follow. He has done all the research for you. Kickstart Your Kitchen is a one-stop library for all your cooking and kitchen questions. Try saying that fast 5 times!

You can find all the links and contact information for Reid Garcia at:

howtolife.com/046

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#45 - I want to talk about the subject of personal accountability. If you don’t know what that means, you will by the end of this show.

Let me start by asking you, when things go wrong in your life, what is your first thought? Bad luck? Why me? Blame something or someone else?

If you do tend to react like this, you are not alone. I would say you are most likely in the majority because most people do this and not just in negative situations. Things show up, some good, some bad and they react to it. They react to the condition. They are happy when they like the condition or feel negative emotion when it is something they don’t like.

I call that living by default - just reacting to whatever you happen to bump into and not taking any control or ownership for what comes into your life.

But what if there was a way to get your power back? What if you could change the way you look at it. What if you could control your emotion to it? What if you could detach from the knee-jerk reaction. And rather than say why me? instead say, how did I bump into this? How did I attract this into my experience?

Well, there is a way to regain your power and that is by accepting that of all the moving parts of your life, the one constant is you.

YOU are the common denominator.

But that is a good thing because that is the one thing that you CAN control!

When something goes wrong and you can say, "I did that", guess what? You can also say, "HEY,  I DID THAT" when it goes exactly right. That is true power. You are no longer a victim of chance.

And, disclaimer, if you do this, you may be at risk of being a happier person on a regular basis. You may find great relief in not trying to control others or situations. You may find that good things seem to be happening in your life a lot more than before!

You can find the links I mentioned in the show notes at:

howtolife.com/045

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!

#44 - Today’s topic is going to discuss reaching financial goals through passive income. There are lots of different ways to do that, and today I am speaking with Robbin of creatoregg.com who is on track to financial freedom and shares his journey on his YouTube channel of the same name. He is very transparent about his income, the successes, the fails, and how he is doing it.

And the majority of his income right now comes from his self-published eBooks that he sells online.

Ebooks. 

Yes, he quit his job in 2017 and makes money with these books that he created several years ago. They are evergreen which means he doesn’t have to keep creating new books. They just keep making him money. And not just enough to survive, but with enough surplus that he can aggressively save toward his goal of financial freedom in about 10 years. And he is on track to get there maybe even sooner.

So, I asked Robbin to share how you even go about creating an eBook, and in his very generous and transparent way, he is going to tell you how to do it.

The links for Robbin and more can be found at:

howtolife.com/044

Thanks for listening! Click my LinkTree to find me everywhere!