Reinventure Me

Reinventure Me

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Reinventure Me episodes

  • 112 Can drive and contentment coexist?

    You’ve got drive. Things to do and people to see. Yet, is it possible to possess drive and contentment at the same time? We explore that in this episode.

    This week’s Inspire Me quote is from the Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:12-13):

    “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

    In this episode, Leary and Armin talk about the causes of discontent and suggest we identify it in our own lives by:

    • Asking ourselves, “What is persistently dissatisfying?” and “What am I thinking when I’m dissatisfied?”
    • For each, asking, “Am I happy when the opposite is true?” 
    • For each, identifying what could be reframed or what actions could be taken.

      • Leary and Armin also offer three steps that we can take to strengthen contentment:

      1. Play our part. Keep in mind that we are a part of something bigger.
      2. Inventory our blessings. Increase our awareness of what we’ve already been given.
      3. Cultivate our patience.  Take the long view.

        4. Quotes from the show:

        • “A lot of times, [discontent] comes from a lack of recognition and you want the recognition.” —Armin
        • “Where it goes sideways is when that desire for recognition subtly morphs into a need for validation—when we need other people to say we’re okay or we’ve got it or we’re somebody.” —Leary
        • “The Apostle Paul demonstrates yes, you can have that energy and at the same time be at peace.” —Leary
        • “Never stop asking that question—’What are you going to be when you grow up?’—otherwise you stop listening and you stop asking.” —Leary
        • “[The difference] between someone who is ambitious and driven is: [a driven person is] willing to put it on paper and bring people around them and let the world know, ‘This is what I’m striving for.’” —Armin
        • “[Discontentment] makes everything really big. […] It makes our problems appear larger than they really are and it makes us feel worse than we really are.” —Leary
        • “Contentment is a sense of satisfaction.” —Armin
        • “You have a part to play, but yours isn’t the lead role.” —Leary

          • This week’s Challenge Me:

          Be honest with yourself: are you more ambitious or driven? If you’re ambitious, ask yourself the hard question: What validation am I seeking from others? If you’re driven and discontent, examine your discontent and take a small step in each area.

          What do you think of this topic and episode? Share your comments or questions below.

          39 min
        • 111 Eight ways you surrender the power of choice

          You have the power to choose your future. Yet, there are eight ways you surrender that power without even knowing it.

          This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Robert Fritz:

          “The way people choose reveals where they see the power in a situation residing and how that power is activated and used.” 

          In this episode, Leary and Armin explore the eight ways Robert Fritz says we choose to avoid effective choice. Fritz says we give up our power to choose when we make a choice by:

          1. Limitation: choosing only what seems possible or reasonable.
          2. Indirectness: choosing the process instead of the result.
          3. Elimination: choosing to eliminate all other possibilities so that only one choice remains.
          4. Default: choosing not to make a choice, so that whatever results seems to occur without choice.
          5. Condition: choosing to impose preconditions on choices.
          6. Reaction: choosing in order to overcome a conflict.
          7. Consensus: choosing by finding out what everyone else recommends and following the results of that poll.
          8. Adverse possession: choosing based on a hazy metaphysical notion about the nature of the universe.

            9. Quotes from the show:

            • “If you love something enough, it’ll exist.” —Leary
            • “When we surrender our effective choice—our decision to choose for ourselves—we’ve given up our power. In other words, we’ve given in to something that’s not us. And we might resent it…. but frankly, the choice comes back to us.” —Leary
            • “Recogniz[e] where the power lies—otherwise, we’ll follow the path of least resistance.” —Leary
            • “Unsubscribe from all of those feeds offering to solve your problem…. Sometimes we need to disconnect from all of the things that are process, in order for us to get silent and think about what result are we trying to create.” —Leary
            • “What’s your end-goal? …. What is your aspiration?” —Armin
            • “Simply make a conscious choice.” —Leary paraphrasing Fritz

              • This week’s Challenge Me:

              Which one of the eight avoidance choices do you deal with most often?

              What do you think of this topic and episode? Share your comments or questions below.

              Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast episode:

              • The Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz
              • The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
                • 34 min
              • RMT015 How to get clarity about a goal

                Clear goals prompt action. But how do we create that goal clarity? This toolbox episode highlights three simple ways.

                In this seven-minute toolbox episode, Leary shares how to interrogate our goals to make sure they are the best they can be. He suggests asking three key questions:

                • So that…?
                • So what…?
                • So how…?

                  • Take a few minutes to listen to this episode and then ask these questions to get clarity around your own goal. You’ll establish a purpose, identify your points of resistance, and develop a plan to pursue your goal. Then, share your thoughts or questions with us in the comments section below. We always love to hear from our listeners.

                  8 min
                • 110 What you need to know before you form a partnership

                  Having partners in your business or to help advance your ideas is great… until it isn’t. Here’s what you need to know before you form a partnership.

                   

                  This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Janine Ogg and Jo Foster, two moms who help other moms become entrepreneurs:

                  “Just one great partnership with the right person can have an incredible impact on your business success.” 

                  In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss how partnerships can benefit us and our ventures—if they involve the right people and are set up well. They also talk about how taxing partnerships can become if certain things are overlooked, and share strategies and tools to help avoid those partnership pitfalls.

                  Quotes from the show:

                  • “A good reason to bring in a partner [is] to complement your skill set and allow the business to be more successful.” —Leary
                  • “One of the biggest mistakes people make is to think that a good friendship translates into a good partnership. But partnerships are very different from any other kind of relationship.” —Armin
                  • “You can make friends out of partnerships, but you often lose friends in partnerships.” —Leary
                  • “Even if the business is successful, it doesn’t mean that the partnership will be…. You can have a healthy, successful business, but you can lose a lot of your sanity in the process…. A successful lifestyle is contingent upon a healthy partnership, regardless of whether the business is successful.” —Armin
                  • “One of the biggest mistakes that is made in partnerships is that early enthusiasm is never codified in a written document. If you start a partnership, you really need to think through it—especially while everyone is in agreement.” —Leary
                  • “Do they bring a necessary core competency to this partnership or are they just another you?” —Armin
                  • “Are they complementing you? Are they bringing something that I can’t outsource? ….If they don’t bring something that’s core—that you couldn’t just outsource and get, that’s more or less commodity—I think you’d be foolish to enter into a partnership.” —Leary
                  • “Bring someone in who is core and central to your business, who will advance your business. If you don’t know who that is yet, then wait.” —Leary

                    • This week’s Challenge Me:

                    Have a pre-partnership meeting with your prospective partner. Cover all of the key questions (see below resource) before you get into an official partnership. Do not wait to have this conversation until after money, sacrifice, assumptions, and other commitments have been made.

                    What do you think of this topic and episode? Share your comments or questions below.

                    Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast episode:

                    • “Questions to Evaluate Fit of Prospective Partners” by Armin Assadi.
                      • 35 min
                    • 109 How to make fear work in your favor

                      Do not fear fear. Put it to work instead. In this episode, we talk about how to make fear work in your favor.

                      This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Ambrose Redmoon:

                      “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” 

                      In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss fear and how it impacts us and our ventures. They suggest four steps we can take to help us live courageously:

                      1. Write down the fears that come to mind when you contemplate your project or venture. 
                      2. Identify the reverse pointers for those fears.
                      3. Consider what actions you can take now to support your goals.
                      4. Think about how you can involve others.

                        5. Quotes from the show:

                        • “Sometimes, courage is really just being willing to get up the next day and start over.” —Leary
                        • “Fear is a natural response. And, yet, we can choose how we deal with it when it comes.” —Leary
                        • “Fear is really a reverse pointer to something else—to something that’s greater.” —Leary
                        • “Fear naturally drives us to self-protection…. Usually, fear is there to prevent something from happening. Often, it prevents action.” —Leary
                        • “[Fear forces us to] either sacrifice doing our best work or doing our own work.” —Leary
                        • “The key here is to get fear to work for you by understanding what it’s pointing to and understanding your higher purpose.” —Leary
                        • “Our greatest regret is always what we [don’t] do.” —Armin
                        • “Community sharpens our venture and the choices we make.” —Leary
                        • “Community is one of the greatest tools anyone can have for just about anything.” —Armin
                        • “It’s really difficult for a lot of people to do because you have to get vulnerable and the issue with vulnerability is the fear of rejection.” —Armin

                          • This week’s Challenge Me:

                          What goal do you want to achieve? Write down the fears that you have around that goal and identify what you stand to lose or gain—those higher-order objectives the fears point to. Then, consider what next steps you can take to support that goal.

                          What do you think of this topic and episode? Share your comments or questions below.

                          Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast episode:

                          • “What it takes to be a writer (with guest Jerry B. Jenkins),” Episode 107 of the Reinventure Me podcast 
                          • “How to beat procrastination,” Episode 70 of the Reinventure Me podcast
                            • 33 min
                          • 108 So you had a bad day….

                            So you’ve had a bad day. Yuck. This episode is your survival and revival guide to a bad day.

                             

                            This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Soren Kierkegaard:

                            “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” 

                            In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss those bad day blues and how to keep a bad day from getting worse. They suggest taking five steps:

                            1. Express. Acknowledge what’s happened by talking it out with a good listener; or journal about it. What’s your blocked goal?
                            2. Lesson. Find what the situation might teach you.
                            3. Reframe. Identify and reframe your expectations.
                            4. Protect. Protect your most important relationships from a bad-day spillover.
                            5. Redeem. Determine what steps you can take to redeem a bad day.

                              6. Quotes from the show:

                              • “A bad day can affect your mindset about every single aspect of life.” —Armin Assadi
                              • “Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.” —Lily Tomlin
                              • “Embrace your bad day as an experience rather than something that is wrong with you.” —Armin Assadi
                              • “The key is to understand, ‘What was my blocked goal? What was the thing that I couldn’t control?'” —Leary Gates
                              • “It’s important to be prepared to say, ‘If I have a bad day, this is how I’m going to respond.'” —Armin Assadi
                              • “When I have a bad day, I like to ask, ‘Will I remember this day a year from now?'” —Leary Gates
                              • “No one deserves a good day every day.” —Leary Gates

                                • This week’s Challenge Me:

                                If you’re having a bad day, identify what your blocked goal was? How can you reframe it?

                                What do you think of this topic and episode? Share your comments or questions below.

                                Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast:

                                • The job cleanse: 5 strategies for detoxifying form your former employer, Episode 3 of the Reinventure Me podcast.
                                  • 35 min
                                • RMT014 How and why you should manage your LinkedIn settings (with Viveka von Rosen)

                                  It’s not sexy, but it’s important. If you want to effectively reach your target audience and avoid over- or under-sharing, you need to manage your LinkedIn settings. Here’s your guide.

                                  In this ten-minute toolbox episode, LinkedIn expert Viveka von Rosen shares with Leary why it’s important to manage LinkedIn settings and how to tune-up your profile. She walks through each of the following settings:

                                  • Turning on/off your news mention broadcasts
                                  • Turning on/off your profile activity updates
                                  • Selecting who can see your activity feed
                                  • Selecting what others see when you’ve viewed their profile
                                  • Turning on/off How You Rank
                                  • Selecting who can see your connections
                                  • Choosing who can follow your updates
                                  • Managing recommendations
                                  • Editing your public profile URL

                                    • Take ten minutes to make sure your LinkedIn profile is working the best it can be for you. Then, share your thoughts or questions with us in the comments section below. We always love to hear from our listeners.

                                    Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast that you may find helpful:

                                    • “LinkedIn Security: Who’s Watching You?,” Ebook from Viveka mentioned in this podcast. Free for a limited time.
                                    • “Why you should use LinkedIn Publisher (with Viveka von Rosen),” Toolbox Episode 11, offers insight into how to use Publisher to make your profile stand out from others.
                                    • “Cool tools on LinkedIn (with Viveka von Rosen),” Toolbox Episode 9, covers the fastest, most effective ways you can build your brand promise—that sense of “know, like, and trust”—using LinkedIn’s cool communication tools.
                                    • “How to use recommendations to increase your credibility on LinkedIn (with Viveka von Rosen),” Toolbox Episode 6, offers tips on how to go about requesting recommendations on LinkedIn to bolster your credibility.
                                    • “How to use media to increase your credibility on LinkedIn (with Viveka von Rosen),” Toolbox Episode 2, covers the three things that matter most when using media on your LinkedIn profile and preparing for your next great beginning.
                                    • “How to use LinkedIn to supercharge your next transition with Viveka von Rosen,” Episode 31, provides practical tips, and a few cautions, as you prep your profile and gear up for change.
                                    • How to Use LinkedIn Publisher to Get More Visibility, an article by Viveka von Rosen, offers insight on the elements of a good post, how to determine publishing frequency, sharing best practices, and more.
                                    • B2B LinkedIn Launchpad Training Series, Viveka von Rosen’s comprehensive ebook to get you and your business off and running with using LinkedIn for B2B purposes.
                                      • 12 min
                                    • 107 What it takes to be a writer (with guest Jerry B. Jenkins)

                                      Do you have a book in you? If so, then this podcast is for you. We’re talking to mega-author Jerry B. Jenkins about what it takes to be a writer.

                                      Jerry B. Jenkins is a 21-time New York Times best-selling author, including the mega-hit, Left Behind series. His 187 books have sold more than 70 million copies. This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Jerry’s father:

                                      “Make your goals intrinsic, not extrinsic. […] Make your goal to be the best writer you can be.” 

                                      In this episode, Jerry talks with Leary and Armin about what it takes to be a writer. Join us for this conversation and consider how you can incorporate Jerry B. Jenkins’ advice as you approach writing your own book.

                                      Quotes from the show:

                                      • “This isn’t a hobby. It’s not a diversion[…]. Writing is a serious business and it takes a lot of years of training and work to do it right.” —Jerry B. Jenkins
                                      • “Make sure you’re making three or four times your salary before you think you can go full-time freelance, because all of the expenses now will be yours.” —Jerry B. Jenkins
                                      • “How do you write a mega-best-seller? Well, you don’t. You don’t sit down to do that. You write from your passions and what you care about.” —Jerry B. Jenkins
                                      • “I don’t have any control over how something sells, how it will be received. The only thing I have control over is how much of myself I put into it and how disciplined I am. So all I can do is the best I can do and the market takes care of the rest.” —Jerry B. Jenkins
                                      • “I maintain that fear of inadequacy and a little bit of low self-esteem[…]. Fear’s not a bad motivator. Let’s take whatever you need to keep you from short-cutting the process and short-selling yourself.” —Jerry B. Jenkins
                                      • “My calling is that I have a message. I wasn’t necessarily called to be a writer. I’m called to spread the word and this is my vehicle to answer that call. So, I’m going to be obedient to that call. Success was never the point. Obedience was the point. Had I never had a book sell over 100,000 copies, I still would have been a success by answering the call and being obedient.” —Jerry B. Jenkins
                                      • “If you want to be a writer, start with a blog, start with a small publication, start with a newspaper, do magazine work. Learn the craft. Get the quarter-of-a-million clichés out of your system. Learn to be edited. Learn that it’s collegial: every published piece of writing is a duet, not a solo. Learn that back-and-forth. As you become an expert in something […] then start learning the business, making the rounds, going to writers’ conferences, meeting editors and agents. Then it’s time to get involved in a writers’ group and try your hand at that book you want to take a shot at.” —Jerry B. Jenkins

                                        • This week’s Challenge Me:

                                        It’s never too late—or early—to start writing. Don’t let anything stand in your way. If you want to be a writer, the important thing is what you want to say. Learn your craft, hone your skills, and get behind the keyboard.

                                        What do you think of this topic and episode? Share your comments or questions below.

                                        Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast:

                                        • JerryJenkins.com.
                                        • Jerry B. Jenkin’s book, Left Behind.
                                        • Jerry Jenkins Writer’s Guild.
                                        • Eugene H. Peterson’s book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
                                          • 39 min
                                        • 106 Five blind spots that can derail you

                                          The decisions you’re about to make for your future are flawed. Relax. We’ll tell you why and what you can do about it in this episode of Reinventure Me.

                                          This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Anonymous:

                                          “Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.” 

                                          In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss blind spots or biases—what they are and why they matter—and highlight five critical biases that can affect how we view the future and take advantage of opportunities. These five biases are:

                                          1. Confirmation bias
                                          2. Recency bias
                                          3. Anchoring bias
                                          4. Availability bias
                                          5. Information bias

                                            6. How did we select these five biases when there are hundreds out there to choose from? (Yes, we think we’re amusing when we use irony.) Listen in to find out, and consider how your own biases are shaping your decisions about your future.

                                            Quotes from the show:

                                            • “Whatever that decision is you might be thinking about, you need to think about how you’re influencing yourself and making your decisions.” —Leary
                                            • “Just because something is hot right now doesn’t mean it’s going to stay hot. That’s the recency bias you need to look at. The old advice, just to sleep on it, is a big help. It helps you start to see if you change your opinion about something over time.” —Leary
                                            • “Ask yourself, when you get new information, is there some reason that should invalidate the old assumptions you had and what is the reason for that?” —Leary
                                            • “To overcome the anchoring bias, then, you have to start looking at the problem from different perspectives and assume that the position … you’re holding is false.” —Leary
                                            • “When you’re seeking advice from someone, say as little as possible about how you view it—because, otherwise, you anchor them, and then what you get is an echo chamber, because they’re just gonna repeat back to you what you already thought.” —Leary
                                            • “Just because it’s available and current doesn’t make it the best decision.” —Armin

                                              • This week’s Challenge Me:

                                              Think about how these five blind spots or biases might be influencing a decision you’re contemplating.

                                              What do you think of this topic and episode? Share your comments or questions below.

                                              Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast:

                                              • “20 cognitive biases that screw up your decisions,” Business Insider (infographic mentioned in the podcast).
                                              • Adobe Marketing Cloud ad.
                                                • 36 min
                                              • RMT013 How to overcome stalling

                                                Are you putting off something you want to do? It happens—either when life gets busy or we let busyness become an excuse to stall. If you’re stuck stalling, this toolbox episode is for you.

                                                In this toolbox episode, Leary shares techniques from Margaret Lobenstine’s book, The Renaissance Soul, to help you overcome stalling and get started on your dream:

                                                1. Write down negative thoughts.
                                                2. Identify the assumptions underlying each one.
                                                3. Code each thought according to assumption type.

                                                  4. Leary elaborates on each of these steps in this brief seven-minute episode. Take a listen and consider giving this technique a try. The beauty of the exercise is that it helps you sort and reframe your thinking, and even gives you an immediate action plan!

                                                  Share your thoughts—including other strategies you’ve found helpful in overcoming stalling—with us in the comments section below. We always love to hear from our listeners.

                                                  Resources related to this episode that you might find helpful:

                                                  • Episode 104, “Are you a renaissance soul?“
                                                  • Episode 102, “The self-talk survival guide.”
                                                  • Leary’s review of the book discussed in this episode: “Recommended Reading: ‘The Renaissance Soul’ by Margaret Lobenstine.”
                                                  • Margaret Lobenstine’s book, The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One.
                                                    • 8 min

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