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Have you ever had someone give you a word, look, or comment that encouraged you out of nowhere?  Yeah, me too...

Random acts of encouragement.

Because kindness says: “I care about you.”

Encouragement says: “I believe in you.”

And sometimes that is exactly what somebody needs to hear.

Join Dave for some ENCOURAGING words about:

• WE ARE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO NEED ENCOURAGEMENT
• THE SCIENCE OF ENCOURAGEMENT
• ENCOURAGEMENT IS LIKE A HUMAN JUMP START
• WHO NEEDS ENCOURAGEMENT?
• A DAY CAN CHANGE IN TEN SECONDS
• ENCOURAGEMENT CAN CHANGE A LIFE
• ENCOURAGEMENT CAN CHANGE A FUTURE
• 20 RANDOM ACTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
• WHY DON'T WE DO IT MORE?
• 10 TRIGGERS TO GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT
• FIVE WAYS TO REMEMBER TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE EVERY DAY
• THE ENCOURAGEMENT CHALLENGE

Encouragement is one of the few gifts we can give where we don't need to see what happens afterward for it to have been worth giving.

So don't ration it. Don't save it for birthdays. Don't wait for tragedy. Don't assume people know.

Say it. Text it. Write it. Show it.

Encourage somebody.

Then encourage somebody else.

And keep going.

Because sometimes the smallest thing you say today...becomes the voice somebody carries with them tomorrow.

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever been around someone who can take a nice conversation to a new level of depression?  Yeah, me too...

We all know one. You tell them you got a promotion. They say: “Congratulations. Of course, now you're probably going to be working a lot more.”

You tell them you're going on vacation. “Oh, nice. Airports are a nightmare right now.” 

You tell them your daughter is getting married. “Weddings are expensive. You know half of marriages end in divorce.”

Join Dave for some uplifting ways to live with DEBBIE DOWNERS:

There are people walking around this world who apparently believe their responsibility is to make sure no positive statement goes unpunished.

• NEGATIVITY HAS SOME POWER
• THREE KINDS OF DOWNERS
• WHAT SETS THEM OFF?
• WHERE DO WE FIND THEM?
• WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?
• WHAT DOES CONSTANT NEGATIVITY COST THEM?
• FIVE WAYS TO DEAL WITH DEBBIE DOWNERS
• FIVE WAYS TO HELP SOMEBODY CHANGE

Life brings plenty of bad news without us manufacturing additional inventory.

People lose jobs. Relationships end. Bodies get older. Plans fail.

Don't make every room heavier because you walked into it.

Bring perspective.

Bring humor.

Bring honesty.

Bring solutions.

Bring encouragement.

And when somebody hands you a little piece of happiness...for God's sake...don't hand it back with a warning label.

Don't ignore what's wrong.  Just don't become the person who can't see what's right.

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever had someone tell you that you shouldn't, they wouldn't, or you CAN'T do something?  Yeah, me too...

Shouldn’t. Wouldn’t. Can’t. They Are Not the Same.

There are four words that have always gotten my attention:

“You can’t do that.”

Really? Can’t? That is a pretty definitive word.

Join Dave for some conversation about POSSIBILITIES:

• THE SHELLFISH TEST
• CAN’T. SHOULDN’T. WOULDN’T.
• WHY WE ACCEPT OTHER PEOPLE'S LIMITATIONS
• 10 THINGS WE HAVE ABSOLUTE PERMISSION TO DO
• 20 THINGS I'M TOLD I CAN'T DO...THAT I KEEP DOING ANYWAY
• NOT EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD DO
• THE FOUR QUESTION TEST
• STOP LESS. GO MORE. NEVER QUIT.
• DON'T MAKE YOUR WORLD SMALLER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE

I've reached a place in my life where I don't need everybody to understand me, I don't need everybody to approve, and I certainly don't need everybody to do what I do.

“Don’t hand me your ‘I wouldn’t’ and call it ‘you shouldn’t.’ And don’t take your ‘you shouldn’t’ and promote it to ‘you can’t.’” 

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever been in a situation where you weren't sure if you needed more, less, or none at all?  Yeah, me too...

There are three words that control an enormous amount of our lives:

STOP. GO. QUIT.

We hear them from the time we're children.

Stop touching that.

Go clean your room.

Quit hitting your brother.

Then we grow up, and somehow the instructions get harder.

Join Dave for some direction talk about"

• STOP LESS. GO MORE. NEVER QUIT.
• WE HAVE BECOME VERY GOOD AT GETTING READY
• LIFE RESPONDS TO MOVEMENT
• STOP LESS DOESN'T MEAN NEVER STOP
• TEN TIMES YOU NEED TO STOP
• TEN TIMES YOU NEED TO GO
• TEN TIMES PEOPLE QUIT WHEN THEY PROBABLY SHOULDN'T
• THE ACTION MANTRA
• FIVE WAYS TO LIVE IT EVERY DAY
• FIVE ADVERSARIES
• FIVE WAYS TO BEAT THEM

So live with some energy.

Live with some curiosity.

Live expecting something good to happen, while being strong enough to handle it when it doesn't.

Stop staring at the starting line.

Stop waiting for perfect conditions.

Stop asking whether you're completely ready.

STOP LESS. GO MORE. NEVER QUIT.

Stop when you need to recover, go when life gives you a chance to live, and never confuse changing direction with giving up.

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever had a decision that needed to be made and you struggled longer that you should have or maybe delayed it?  Yeah, me too...

At some point in life, every one of us hears an invisible voice say:

“Alright. Enough talking. Put on your Big Boy Pants.”

Join Dave for some Grown Up talk about:

• LIFE EVENTUALLY REMOVES THE TRAINING WHEELS
• WE DON'T REALLY HATE DECISIONS. WE HATE UNCERTAINTY.
• AND THEN THERE'S DRAMA
• SOME PEOPLE DON'T WANT RESOLUTION
• THE DRAMA INFLATION CYCLE
• RUMINATION FEELS PRODUCTIVE BECAUSE YOUR BRAIN IS BUSY
• THE HELICOPTER PARENT PROBLEM
• HELPING IS NOT THE SAME AS RESCUING
• WHEN ADVICE BECOMES PERMISSION
• YOU DON'T NEED EVERY POSSIBLE OPTION
• EVERYTHING HAS A CONSEQUENCE
• FIVE THINGS BIG BOY PANTS REQUIRE
• TEN DECISIONS THAT REQUIRE BIG BOY PANTS
• THE 24-HOUR DRAMA TEST
• FIVE WAYS TO PUT ON YOUR BIG BOY PANTS

Life does not require us to make perfect decisions.

It requires us to participate.

To choose.

To act.

To learn.

To adjust.

To occasionally say: “Well...that didn't work.”

“Freedom is having the right to choose. Confidence is believing you can handle the outcome. Maturity is making the choice without needing everybody else to approve it.”

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever TOLD or BEEN TOLD what you SHOULD do?  Yeah, me too...

There is a word we use constantly that sounds helpful, caring, intelligent, even loving, but sometimes it’s none of those things.

The word is: Should.

“You should leave him.” “You should forgive her.” “You should take that job.” “You should sell the house.” “You should call your kids more.” “You should exercise.” “You should be grateful.” “You should get over it.” “You should stop worrying.” “You should be happy.”

And eventually you want to look at somebody and say:

“Would you PLEASE stop shoulding me?”

You SHOULD join Dave for some conversation around:

• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “SHOULD” SOMEONE?
• WHY DO WE SHOULD PEOPLE?
• 5 COMMON SITUATIONS WHERE WE SHOULD PEOPLE
• THE 5 GROUPS MOST LIKELY TO GET SHOULDED
• 5 REASONS WE SHOULDN’T SHOULD PEOPLE
• When WE INVITE THE SHOULDING
• SO WHAT DO WE SAY INSTEAD?
• MAYBE WE SHOULD OURSELVES THE MOST

So the next time somebody looks at you and says: “You know what you should do...”

Smile. Listen. Consider it. Maybe they're right. Maybe they're completely full of crap.

But remember: They get an opinion. You get the decision.

And maybe that's the difference between advice and wisdom.

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever been in a situation when you didn't say something that needed to be said and later you said to yourself, "I wish I had said"...or..."I should have said"... Yeah, me too...

When most people hear the word trigger, they think of something negative.

"I was triggered." "They triggered me." "They know how to push my buttons."

But what if we've been thinking about triggers all wrong?

What if the most successful, peaceful, and emotionally healthy people don't have fewer triggers...they simply have better ones.

Join Dave for some TRIGGERING conversation about:

• Five Types of Triggers
• Five Ways To Install Triggers
•  Five Ways To Notice Trigger Opportunities

Life isn't won by having the perfect response.

It's won by preparing the right response.

The people who appear calm...Prepared.

The people who ask thoughtful questions...Prepared.

The people who remain kind under pressure...Prepared.

The people who seize opportunities...Prepared.

They didn't magically become that person.

They practiced becoming that person...Until it became automatic.

Your future isn't built only by the big decisions. It's built by hundreds of tiny moments where your response quietly determines your direction.

Install the right triggers and one day you'll notice something remarkable.

The situations didn't change...YOU DID!!!

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever had a moment, a morning, or longer that you just can't get your hands or head around some HEAVINESS that hit you?  Yeah, me too...

There are moments in life that don’t feel dramatic enough to explain...but they still hurt.  A strange silence in the house, a hard conversation that replays in your head all day, a morning where everything seems difficult before you even get out of bed, or maybe just a season where nothing is technically wrong...but nothing feels right either.

Join Dave for some lightening talk about:

• 10 Situations That Commonly Create Angst, Anxiety, or Depression
• 10 Things To Consider During Difficult Seasons
• 5 Things Life Often Tells You Instead
• 5 Ways To Embrace Difficult Seasons
• 5 Ways To Make The Peaks Higher And The Valleys Less Deep

There is a strange peace that comes with experience.

You’ve survived things you once thought would destroy you.

And maybe that is one of the greatest forms of confidence a human being can possess.

If you are in a difficult season right now, hear this clearly: You are not broken because life feels heavy. You are human.

The goal is not to avoid every storm. The goal is to become the kind of person who remembers that storms pass.

Because they do.

And one day, often when you least expect it, you’ll laugh again, breathe easier again, feel hope again, and realize you made it through something that once felt impossible.

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever had a major life event happen and it looked like the end of something?  Yeah, me too...

Over the past year, have received a ton of emails, text messages, and private conversations about one subject more than any other.

"Dave...when are you going to talk about your divorce?"

Some people have simply been curious. Others have quietly shared that they're going through one themselves.

Join Dave for some candid conversation including:

• A Little Perspective
• DIVORCE - Then and Now
• The Five Toughest Parts
• Gray Divorce
• Ten Gifts I Never Expected
• Five Ways Divorce Can Really Be a Beginning
• Five Ways to Respond to Major Life Changes
• If Someone You Love Is Going Through a Divorce

I no longer wish for the life I thought I wanted. I'm grateful for the life I'm living.

My appreciation for ordinary days is greater.

I've learned that new beginnings don't ask for permission...They simply invite us to step forward.

So if you're walking through divorce today...Or walking beside someone who is...Don't lose hope.

The end of a marriage does not have to become the end of joy.

Be good to yourself.

Encourage someone.

And remember...The best chapters of your life may be the ones you never planned to write.

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

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Have you ever been frustrated to the point you didn't know what to do next?  Yeah, me too...

There comes a moment in every life when reality taps us on the shoulder and says:

"Well...here you are."

Not where you planned to be. Not where you expected to be. Not where you hoped to be. Just...here...

Join Dave for some topical conversation about:

• Ten Everyday Examples
• The Bigger Stuff
• Why We Keep Looking Back
• Five Healthy Ways To Think About "Now What?"
• Five Ways To Start Each Day With A "What's Next?" Attitude
• Five Ways To Keep "What Happened" Out And "What's Next" In

The people who thrive are not the people who avoid hardship. They are the people who stop building homes in yesterday and start building futures in tomorrow.

You are here. This is where you are.

Good.

Now stand up. Look forward. Take the next step. Then another. Then another...

Because your best chapter has never been behind you. It has always been waiting for you to answer one simple question:

OK, now what?

Giddyup!!!

Email [email protected] or [email protected] for comments, questions, or ideas for content on an upcoming O'talkin' with Dave podcast.  Otalks.com

Check out OtalksOfficial on Instagram and TikTok