Reinventure Me

By What's next in life? | Explore your future with Leary Gates & Armin AssadiBusiness Religion & Spirituality Christianity Careers

Reinventure Me episodes

March 03, 2016105 How to Disrupt Yourself (with author Whitney Johnson)
Are you ready for change? Feel complacent, under-challenged, or maybe like you’ve put in your time already? If so, it’s time to disrupt yourself.
This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Whitney Johnson—and is a flip on Winston Churchill’s famous “Never, never, never give up” quote:
“Always, always, always show up.”
In this episode, Whitney Johnson joins Leary and Armin to talk about:
Disruptive innovations.
The “S-curve”—a mathematical equation that helps us understand how innovation is adopted.
The signs of plateauing and knowing when to jump to the next “S-curve.”
Seven variables that can affect our progress along the “S-curve.”
Market vs. competitive risk.
Quotes from the show:
“The more I read about these ideas, the more I realized that if I really wanted to get something done in life, then I was going to have to disrupt myself.” —Whitney Johnson
“Disruption isn’t just about products and services and companies and countries. It actually starts with the individual.” —Whitney Johnson
“A disruptive innovation distilled to its essence is a low-end or new market innovation that eventually upends an industry.” —Whitney Johnson
“At the top of the curve, you’re starting to approach mastery […], but your brain is now no longer enjoying the feel-good effects of learning. […] You’re not learning as much as you were. If you don’t jump to a new curve, that plateau becomes a precipice because you start to become bored and you can actually precipitate your own demise.” —Whitney Johnson
“If you can learn to surf these S-curve waves of disruption in an era when disruption is actually accelerating—this is a skill set you can bring to the table in managing your business as well as your life and career.” —Whitney Johnson
“Seventy percent of all successful new businesses end up with a strategy other than the one they initially pursued.” —Whitney Johnson
“Battling entitlement is a linchpin; it’s one of those things that can bite us and we don’t see it. But I think one of the most critical [variables] is developing your distinctive strengths.” —Whitney Johnson
This week’s Challenge Me:
Start paying attention to the complements that you’re getting. Write them down. Then ask yourself, “Am I bringing these complements, these strengths, these super powers to work? Am I bringing them to my relationships?”
Where are you at in your S-curve? What do you think of some of the suggestions and ideas we discussed in this episode? Share your comments or questions below.
Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast:
Leary’s review of Whitney Johnson’s book, Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work.
Whitney’s book, Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work.
Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business.
33 min
February 25, 2016104 Are you a renaissance soul?
Are you a person of many interests? You’re told to focus, to pick a lane, but you’d rather die first. Relax. This is your episode.
This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Margaret Lobenstine’s book, The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One:
“Now is only a part of your life.”
In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss:
The definition of a renaissance soul.
The five signs that you’re a renaissance soul.
The challenges and advantages of being a renaissance soul.
They conclude this show by offering some suggestions on how you can cultivate your renaissance soul.
Quotes from the show:
“A true renaissance soul is a person who is lighted up by a variety of interests.” —Leary
“Even if you’re not that person, it’s still worth listening to this episode, because you’re going to deal with this enigma of a person [at some point]. This might be the way for you to be able to empathize with this person, understand where they’re coming from, and how to communicate with them.” —Armin
“Oftentimes, [having many interests is] accompanied by a lack of discipline. [….] If you’re not thinking intentionally about how you cultivate those interests, then you will be a scattered personality and, I think, subject more to the criticism that most of us as renaissance souls get.” —Leary
“At first, a lot of us are scattered[…]. It sometimes takes someone, like you, to say: 1) No, it’s okay to be like that; 2) But there’s a way to handle it; 3) There’s a way to prioritize; and 4) There’s a way to make a decision—you create a process to help you eliminate the Scatter Brain Syndrome.” —Armin
“The design of a renaissance soul is to enjoy and embrace the present interests that you have. […] If you recognize that, then you can say, ‘Look, I don’t have to do one thing forever, and I don’t have to be on this quest to find The One Thing. I can embrace what’s right in front of me—the things I’m enjoying right now[…].’ And that’s really liberating.” —Leary
“Maybe you’re supposed to look at how you integrate a number of disciplines together rather than how you become the uber-master [of each discipline].” —Leary
“You’re going to add value to others when you’re pursuing the things that are energizing and interesting to you.” —Leary
“You are the only person who can be you. […] Embrace the fact that you are different. […] stop apologizing for it. You just have to say, ‘I have a whole variety of interests that I like to cultivate.’ That becomes your calling card, not your liability.” —Leary
This week’s Challenge Me:
If you’re a renaissance soul, identify your “now focus points”—the two or three things that capture your interest right now. Take some time to sit down and write out your game plan for cultivating each one.
What do you think of this topic? Share your comments or questions below. If you’re a renaissance soul, tell us what it’s been like for you: what are some of the challenges you’ve had and what are the strategies you’ve developed along the way?
Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast:
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.
Barbara Sher’s book, Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams.
Episode 26: “Do your many interests hinder your next great beginning?“
34 min
February 23, 2016RMT012 How to become less distractible
Are you distractible? A lot of knowledge workers are. In this toolbox episode, Leary shares three strategies to help you manage those pesky distractions and stay productive.
The three strategies Leary’s found effective in helping him become less distractible are:
Measure your “Push Away Impulse.”
Commit to a single task.
Guard your recovery time.
Leary elaborates on each of these points in this nine-minute toolbox episode. Take a listen and consider giving his ideas a try. Then share your thoughts—including other strategies you’ve found helpful in becoming less distractible—with us in the comments section below.
Resources mentioned in or related to this episode that you might find helpful:
“Beating distraction and the Push Away Impulse,” an article by Leary Gates that further elaborates on this topic.
10 min
February 18, 2016103 How to start anything
What do you do when you don’t do what you want to do? In this episode, Leary and Armin talk about how to start anything.
This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Don Shula:
“The start is what stops most people.”
In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss how to start the ideas we resist—even if we don’t want to. They compare ideas to bumble bees, partitioned hard drives, and dying loved ones, and share some practical suggestions on how we can retrain the way we approach and activate ideas.
Quotes from the show:
“The problem is, when you find yourself resisting the very idea you want to implement, it starts to make you question, ‘What’s wrong with me?'” —Leary
“It’s so much easier to procrastinate and justify your procrastination on stuff that you don’t like doing.” —Leary
“I have to mourn a loss [of an unfinished idea] to birth a new [idea]. Sometimes it’s hard to let something go.” —Armin
“When I see how many things I’ve started and never finished, I eventually look at the next thing to start as another thing to fail at.” —Armin
“I [often] find I may not want to start something because I’ve got so many other things that I’ve started and haven’t quite finished yet. What ends up happening, … is [I hold] an idea hostage because [I] haven’t finished other stuff.” —Leary
“I’m not advocating that we not finish ideas; I am advocating that [we] not punish [ourselves] … and [realize our] next idea might be a better idea than the idea [we’ve] been working on. It could be worth trading up for.” —Leary
“The question is, ‘In the idea that you want to pursue, what are [you] willing to guard and protect?'” —Leary
“If you keep bombarding yourself with all those reasons not to do something, eventually, you stop being creative at all.” —Leary
“Sometimes the idea that you write down needs time for your brain to think on it awhile before you act on it. And that allows you just to incubate it. If you still have the same energy to pursue the same idea several days later—then it’s worth pursuing.” —Leary
“If you have a to-do list, you have a get-nothing-done list. That’s all a to-do list is. If you actually want to get something done, schedule it.” —Armin
This week’s Challenge Me:
Pick an idea. Write it down. Incubate it. Then post it somewhere where you’ll see it and start working it.
What are some other ways you have found helpful in motivating yourself to start working an idea you previously resisted? Share your thoughts and comments with us below.
Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast that may be helpful to you:
Episode 20: “3 Strategies to supercharge your productivity.”
Episode 70: “How to beat procrastination.”
Bob Newhart “stop it” video.
33 min
February 11, 2016102 The self-talk survival guide
You always pay attention to what you say to yourself. What say you about you? If your self-talk could use some help, this is your survival guide.
This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Søren Kierkegaard:
“Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.”
In this episode, Leary and Armin discuss self-talk and how it influences our beliefs about ourselves and others, our behaviors, and the results we see in our lives. They share some practical suggestions on how we can reshape destructive thinking into constructive thinking, and approach life’s challenges in healthy ways.
Quotes from the show:
“We believe what we tell ourselves.” —Leary
“Our brain is always working. Most of the time it’s wandering.” —Leary
“We form self-perceptions that become limiting beliefs.” —Leary
“And then they become limiting behaviors that create very limiting results.” —Armin
“Researchers have speculated that about 80% of our internal dialogue is negative.” —Leary
“Even if the interaction is positive from the other person, we might think it’s negative, if that’s what we’re looking for.” —Armin
“We unconsciously are looking [for] things that fit our perception. We don’t see the things that don’t fit our perception. When we see the things that fit the perception… it reinforces that view.” —Leary
“We often don’t give [ourselves] the time to re-think how we’ve re-wired our thinking.” —Leary
“We have the ability to change. We’re volitional. We can change our thought processes, but we need an outside perspective to help us with that.” —Leary
“We need other people to challenge our assumptions. We need to surround ourselves with good truth intake through what we read and by engaging with people who are healthier in their thinking than we might be.” —Leary
“Carol Dweck said, ‘Add “yet” to your negative self-talk.’ …If you say, ‘Ugh, I can’t do this,’ she says, ‘change that mindset by adding one simple word to the end: “yet.” ‘I can’t do this, yet.'” —Armin
“And here’s how I’m going to do it.” —Leary
This week’s Challenge Me:
When you experience a challenge that threatens to undo you, turn your thinking in an inquisitive direction. Ask yourself, “How can I make this happen?” Then list five ways you can tackle it.
So, what do you think? (Pun intended.) Share your thoughts and comments with us below.
Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast that may be helpful to you:
Dan Pink’s book, To Sell is Human.
Leary Gates’ review of To Sell is Human.
37 min
February 09, 2016RMT011 Why you should use LinkedIn Publisher (with Viveka von Rosen)
Have you heard of LinkedIn’s Publisher feature? This nifty tool is often under-utilized. In this toolbox episode, Leary catches up with LinkedIn expert Viveka von Rosen for some quick tips on how to use Publisher to set ourselves apart from others.
In this 11-minute episode, Viveka shares the benefits of using LinkedIn’s Publisher feature. Publisher:
Makes your content searchable.
Positions you as an expert in your field.
Increases your visibility.
Increases engagement with your content.
Can lead you to more business.
She goes on to share the “must dos” for posting with Publisher. Take a listen. You’ll be surprised at how simple and straightforward it is.
If you aren’t currently using LinkedIn’s Publisher, consider giving it a try and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Resources mentioned in or related to this episode that you might find helpful:
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.
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.
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.
13 min
February 04, 2016101 What you need to know about grieving (with guest Dr. H. Norman Wright)
Everyone suffers loss, whether it’s through the death of a loved one or the loss of an identity. And losses need to be grieved. In this episode, grief expert Dr. H. Norman Wright joins us to talk about what you need to know about grieving.
This week’s Inspire Me quote is a prayer from one of Dr. H. Norman Wright’s clients:
“Lord, You know my needs. All I ask is that You provide a single healing stitch to my heart once a day. I know that over time, while the scar in my heart will always remain, the healing can begin.”
How can we support someone who is grieving in a healthy, helpful way? Dr. H. Norman Wright suggests we take these simple, intentional actions:
Be there. Be physically present with the mourner. Be willing to sit with him or her in the pain of loss.
Ask how he or she is doing—really doing. Give him or her the time and space to answer honestly.
Be patient. Give him or her time to process, to share, to heal. Realize that healing will not happen quickly, but will occur gradually over many years.
Be okay with repetition. He or she needs to tell the story of loss over and over again to heal.
Listen. Don’t give advice. Not saying anything is often the best support.
Ask what you can do. Don’t assume he or she wants a tray of lasagna; ask what kind of support is most helpful (if it is providing food, ask about allergies).
Learn about grief. Take time to read about how it affects mourners and what kind of support is most helpful. Realize we will be exposed to more and more grief as we age.
Often, being around someone who is grieving can cause us to reflect on our own losses. One of Dr. H. Norman Wright’s clients once asked him: “What is the loss in your life that you have never fully grieved over?”
If there is unresolved grief in our own lives or if we are actively grieving losses, how do we go about grieving in a healthy way? Dr. H. Norman Wright encourages us to:
Face and acknowledge the loss. Losses impact our lives in profound ways. Acknowledging that helps.
Learn to say goodbye. If we have regrets or never had a chance to say goodbye, handwrite a letter of goodbye or of regrets and read it aloud. Doing so helps provide a sense of closure.
Ask “Why?” It’s a cry of protest and it’s a normal part of the grieving process. Just remember that most “Why” questions go unanswered.
Be patient. The pain will move from a present-emotional type of pain to a more historical pain. But it does take time.
Watch as God becomes more significant. It may not happen immediately, but eventually, those “Why” questions will turn into, “What can I learn through this?” And, finally, “How can God be glorified through this?”
Quotes from the show:
“We live in a culture that does not teach us in advance about loss and grief. And, at the worst time in our lives, when we are in deep pain, not only do we have to deal with that, but we also have to try to figure out, ‘Am I going crazy, am I normal, what’s going on?'” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“When you’re in grief, your thinking patterns are different. There’s irrational thoughts, there’s a lot of fear. Part of the fear is that, ‘I will never, never get over this.’ And the second big fear we hear about is that, ‘The loved one that I lost is going to be forgotten.’ And that usually is true. People tend to forget. After about three months, where’s the casserole parade? Where’s everybody coming to help? They’re not around. And we feel isolated. That’s the time when we are in deep, deep pain.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“You don’t get back to normal. You create a new normal, a new stability in your life.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“When you’re in grief, watch your driving. This is the time when you’re most likely to get into an accident or get a ticket.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“You have difficulty with your sleeping. You have dreams, you have nightmares. And you have shattered beliefs—about life, about the world, and even God. You begin to question. It’s alright to ask the question, ‘Why?’ It’s not just a question. It’s a cry of protest.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“Eventually, your ‘Why?’ question is going to turn into, ‘What can I learn through this?’ ‘How can I grow through this?’ And, finally, ‘How can God be glorified through this?'” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“The more you can learn about grief, the more you will be able to handle it better.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“Even if you’re not in grief, learn as much as you can so that God can use you to minister to that person you run into at the grocery market or the neighbor up the street.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“Most people think, ‘Well, they’ll get over this in a few months.’ … There are certain things you have to keep in mind: at three months and the one year anniversary, the grief seems to intensify for some reason. Just like at significant dates.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“Something else that is so important to realize: If you have any type of unresolved loss in your life, the loss that you now experience reaches back into your past, grabs ahold of that loss, and brings it forward so you’re dealing with not just what you experience this week or this month—you’re experiencing the past.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
“It’s normal to experience grief. It really is.” — Dr. H. Norman Wright
This week’s Challenge Me:
If you know someone who has suffered loss, take Dr. H. Norman Wright’s advice and write his or her name on your calendar every three months for the next two years. Then, when you see his or her name, pray for him or her and send a handwritten note (not a text or email) expressing that you’re thinking of him or her.
Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast that may be helpful to you:
HNormanWright.com sells material Dr. H. Norman Wright has written and additional materials he highly recommends.
What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say by Dr. H. Norman Wright.
Experiencing Grief by Dr. H. Norman Wright.
Experiencing the Loss of a Family Member by Dr. H. Norman Wright.
29 min
January 28, 2016100 Venturing out: What you need to know before you go
You’ve thought about it. But it’s now the time to start your own business. In this episode, we talk about venturing out: what you need to know before you go.
This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Maxwell Maltz:
“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one’s ideas, to take a calculated risk—and to act.”
It’s a good time to launch a new business. But, before you start your new venture, consider:
Are you prepared? Mentally? Emotionally? Financially? Relationally?
Are you being intentional and strategic? Don’t act simply on opportunity.
Is there an alignment between you and your market? In passion? In skills? In needs?
Do you have the mindset of a learner? You won’t get it right the first time.
Do you embrace others in your venture? Formally? Informally?
Are you willing to sell? Don’t go into business if selling makes you cringe.
Do you have the three Cs? You need calling, competence, and confidence to be successful.
If you’re currently in business for yourself, we invite you to chime in and share your story and wisdom in our show notes below.
Quotes from the show:
“I will generally encourage people to start businesses because I have learned more about myself, I’ve learned more about trusting God, I’ve learned more about growing closer to Anna through this, and more about what’s important to me through starting my own business—I don’t think I’d trade that for anything, as tough as it was.” —Leary
“There are all kinds of good reasons to start a business now.” —Leary
“This is something where, if you don’t have a love and a passion for it, it’s gonna be hard and you’re gonna give up on it. So why expend the energy to start up something that you don’t love?” —Leary
“If you’re married and your spouse is not ready for you to do this and is not on-board for you to take this type of risk, just don’t do it. It’s bad timing. No matter how much you think you’re doing this on your own and it doesn’t effect the other person—how do I say this—you’re wrong. The other person is going to be just as involved—if not more—emotionally.” —Armin
“Be married to your purpose, but hold your approach with a light, delicate touch—because there might be a better approach.” —Leary
“If you have an idea and you’re passionate about the idea, you’re a hundred times more likely to make that idea work than the guy who maybe heard the idea and is just being opportunistic.” —Leary
“Don’t be so quick to propose an NDA before you’ve even had a conversation—let the other person at least get a feeling [for your idea].” —Armin
“Lower the barriers for people to be able to help you in your business.” —Leary
“Before I even give you my idea, before I even really know who you are, ‘Sign this NDA because I don’t trust you,’ you’ve already killed a potential opportunity before it became one, because you’re paranoid—why?!” —Armin
“If you don’t love your idea enough, then how can you sell it?” —Leary
“When you get toward the end of life, you will never look back and regret the things you did. You’ll regret the things you didn’t do.” —Armin
This week’s Challenge Me:
If you’re considering venturing out, first write or journal your responses to the above questions. Be honest with yourself. Self-deception is self-destruction.
Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast that may be helpful to you:
Episode 2: “Is it time to give your job a shove?“
Episode 6: “How to be a better beginner.“
Episode 30: “The secret to getting great feedback.“
Episode 16: “How to network like a pro.“
Episode 7: “Why you should be a lifelong apprentice.“
Episode 8: “How to be an intentional apprentice.“
Episode 44: “The art of self-promotion.“
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy.
34 min
January 26, 2016RMT010 The Strides habit tracker app
The new year is a time for cultivating new habits—how are yours shaping up so far? Today, Leary talks about a tool he’s found particularly helpful in reinforcing new habits in his own life: the Strides habit tracker app.
In this toolbox episode, Leary talks about the things that are most helpful in habit tracker apps, and what he likes especially about Strides. The Strides app is:
Free to use (unless you want the more advanced version).
Easy to use.
Integrated with the Apple Watch.
Customizable.
Reminder-based, using notifications.
If you aren’t currently using a habit tracker app, give Strides a try and let us know what you think in the show notes below. And, if you are using a habit tracker app, let us know which one you use and what you like about it.
Resources mentioned in or related to this episode that you might find helpful:
Episode 21, “How to create habits for your next great beginning.”
Toolbox episode 8, “How to create habits that stick.”
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg (read Leary’s review of the book)
Check out the Strides app for iPhone on iTunes or on the Strides developer website.
Other habit tracker apps that you might want to try: Productive, Momentum, and Streaks.
11 min
January 21, 2016099 The wound you didn’t want can be the gift the world needs
Few of us make it through life without some kind of deep wound. Handled right, though, that wound can be the gift the world needs. Join us as we talk about turning wounds into scars of strength and healing.
This week’s Inspire Me quote is from Henri Nouwen:
“The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.”
The world needs people who’ve been there and who have overcome to show the way. People who are not so focused on their wounds—and motivated by them—that they miss out on the value healed wounds can offer to others.
How do we turn our wounds into scars of healing and our stories of pain into great stories of triumph? By taking the steps to change our motivation. There’s a difference between being motivated by our wounds and being motivated by the healing from our wounds. The first leads to self-validation; the second prompts us to help others heal.
Healing a wound means:
Acknowledging the wound exists. You can’t treat something you don’t believe needs treatment.
Giving grace to the person who caused the wound. Hurt people hurt people.
Forgiving the person who caused the wound. You’ll always have the scar; that can’t be changed.
Helping others heal from similar wounds. The scar is a reminder of vulnerability, but also of resilience and healing—and can inspire others with its strength.
Quotes from the show:
“Randy Komisar said, ‘Passion pulls you toward something you cannot resist. Drive pushes you toward something you feel compelled or obligated to do. If you know nothing about yourself, you can’t tell the difference.'” —Leary
“The motivation from the wound is self-validation. But the motivation from the healing is to help others heal. We can choose to work from our wound or to work from the healing from our wound.” —Leary
“[When] we get healing [of] our wound, then we are also able to provide that healing and comfort to others, as well.” —Leary
“The scars [are] a reminder of the battle we were in.” —Leary
“[Scars] are a sign of victory, not a sign of defeat.” —Armin
“My past, the issues that I had, [I felt]… disqualified me and every aspect of my dreams, and it limited me. I had this encounter and I realized, no, these past issues that I had don’t define who I am, don’t define my future. It was a new kind of perspective to have.” —Armin
“It was God literally saying, ‘All those things that you think made you unworthy or disqualified you are the exact things I’m going to use to bring you into this new life, I’m going to bring you into this new future and give you everything you thought you couldn’t have.’ That’s when, all of a sudden, it took my wounds and turned them into scars, and said, ‘No, these aren’t things that take me out of life, these are the things that give me life, these are the things that will give other people life, these are the things that will make you stand with people who are dealing with the same challenges and make them listen to you.'” —Armin
“The wound that we didn’t want is the gift the world needs. That is, if we can transform [it] into that.” —Leary
“This whole topic—about understanding our wounds and our story and all the rest—can really help us think through: What’s motivating us today? How do we want to change? How might that even effect the vocation that we’re called to, because of it?” —Leary
This week’s Challenge Me:
If you wrote the story of your life, what would be that recurring wound and how would the hero or heroine of your story overcome it?
Resources mentioned in or related to this podcast that may be helpful to you:
Episode 98, “The power of story.”
35 min

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