The Overcoming Odds Podcast

What makes you believe in the story you’re telling yourself?

You are reading a book.

From the very beginning you have been enamored by the setting, characters, and plot.

You are moved by the figurative language and feel like you are transported to another world.

However, in the middle of the book something happens that doesn’t make much sense.

There is an inconsistency between what you expect and what is given.

You are not able to suspend disbelief.

You feel cheated because something you were actively engaged with made presumptions that you would just ignore the glaring plot holes and cheap literary devices.

Rather than finishing the book, you put it away never to be seen again.

For most people, a bad book can be off putting, but not necessarily something that ruins your day.

The story you were given was not the story you expected, but you don’t have to read it anymore.

However, what if the story you are reading is the one you create everyday?

You have a story that is constantly evolving.

You can choose the setting, add the characters, and change the plot at will.

You can be as creative as you want, but still can fall into the same traps that authors find themselves in: You can create a story that in the end makes little sense.

How do you avoid developing a #story with inconsistencies?

Are you happy with the direction of the story you have told so far?

What makes you #believe in the story that you are telling yourself?

Join Oleg, Casey Berman and Caleb Pearson, December 11th at 4:15 PM EST, as they discuss their stories, what makes a good story, and other related topics.

Feel free to tell us whether you believe in your story in the comments below.

👉 If these conversations have made a difference in your life, consider supporting our mission by making a contribution at the link below 👇 so we can continue changing the world, one heart and one mind at a time.

https://www.overcomingodds.today/cont...

Your donation will continue to help others demonstrate their strengths and uniqueness to the world.

Have you ever wanted to run your own business?

Have you found yourself working for someone else’s business and have felt envious of their position?

Do you question how successful people manage to make it to the top and maintain their success in business?

If you have pondered any of these questions, then perhaps you also have an interest in people who came before and set the path for modern business. It may be possible to ignore the advice and mistakes of the past and try to implement original and novel ideas, but it may be more taxing and ultimately fallible.

In order to truly understand what it takes to be successful in business, it may do well to understand how capitalism came to be in the first place. Whether or not you ascribe to capitalistic ideals, it is currently the economic platform the majority of the world sits on and therefore it is necessary to understand how to navigate it effectively.

There are many in business who have been unscrupulous or just plain sociopathic. However, there are those who have seen success and have found that they can do the greatest good at the same time. Do you look for the men and women who have succeeded and helped the world or only looked for their own gain?

What can we learn from business history and biography?

Join Oleg and Gary as they dive into the past to discover how business in the past influences business in the present and please feel free to offer your insights to the discussion in the comments below.

An artist looks out on an orange pink sunset and is inspired to paint.

An activist looks out on poor work conditions for daily workers and is inspired to create positive change in their lives.

A man is upset with his current health and is inspired by the story of another man who changed his habits when he thought it was impossible to do so.

#Inspiration can present itself in many forms.

Sometimes people are inspired by others.

Sometimes people inspire themselves.

Sometimes they are inspired by natural events around them.

Regardless of where and when inspiration may strike, it is an interesting thought to think about the core of inspiration.

Where does inspiration truly originate?

Simply put, where does inspiration come from?

Join Rebekka Helford and Oleg Lougheed, on December 4th at 4:15 PM EST, as they explore where inspiration comes from, places where inspiration can be found and other related topics.

Leave inspired or inspire others with your insights!

👉 If these conversations have made a difference in your life, consider supporting our mission by making a contribution at the link below👇so we can continue changing the world, one heart and one mind at a time.

https://lnkd.in/e95neyy

Your donation will continue to help others demonstrate their strengths and uniqueness to the world.

Do you believe in things that are bigger than yourself?

Do you believe in things you cannot see?

Do you have faith?

People with faith can feel something that the faithless cannot.

They have a peace that cannot be defined by worldly measures.

Faith is simply bigger than the day to day interactions of the world.

Another similar idea is hope.

Hope is the longing for something better even if there is no evidence that will be the case.

Hope requires an inner feeling that the hopeless do not possess.

To hope is to break oneself from the chains of despair.

If lack of evidence is not required for hope and faith, do they share a common thread?

Are they individual entities with unique characteristics?

What is the difference between hope and faith?

Join Oleg and LaChelle as they compare and contrast hope and faith and please add your ideas to the comments below.

When you’re a kid, the stories you read and watch are generally black and white.

There are good guys and bad guys.

The good guys are always good with few flaws and the bad guys are always evil and need to be punished and taken to jail.

Rarely is there an in between.

As you grow older, you can start to see that the world is a little grayer than cartoons and story books would have you believe.

The villains you see actually have troubled pasts with little to no support from loved ones.

These individuals turned to crime because of necessity rather than choice.

You may still believe in law and order.

You still may believe in justice for the innocent.

Do you also believe in reform?

Do you believe in programs that help prevent criminal activities as well as programs that help the most vulnerable in society?

How can we better reach people on the cusp of being violent, neglectful, a breakdown so we can help prevent trauma from happening and not just heal the emotional trauma later in life?

If you read a book, odds are it follows a familiar structure.

It has a beginning, middle and end. It has a plot.

It has characters that act as protagonists, antagonists, and foils.

Maybe there is a twist.

Maybe there is a low point that helps the main character grow and surpass their limitations.

Either way, the story you read will only be as compelling based on the author’s skill.

Without the author there can be no story.

If every person has a story to tell, then each person is their own author.

They can tell their story however they’d like.

The structure may be unique or familiar.

Regardless, no story is exactly the same.

When reflecting on your story, what do you focus on?

Do you believe more in the plot being straightforward?

Do you cast the characters intentionally?

What are the elements of your story?

Join Casey Berman, Caleb Pearson and Oleg Lougheed on November 19th, as they explore elements of their stories, the role they play in them, and other related topics.

Think about the lowest point you have ever experienced.

What were the factors that precipitated this event?

What emotions did you have to wrestle with?

Did you fall into the deepest pits of despair?

Was there hope that there would be a brighter day sometime down the road?

Were you able to circumvent a seemingly hopeless situation?

Whether brought about by external or internal aspects, many people can face hardships that seem too much to bare.

The whole world can feel like it is crashing down on one’s head.

What, then, can be done?

There are stories of people who have hit rock bottom and managed to pull themselves out due to the support of family, friends, and a will to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Are these people the lucky ones?

Do they have advantages over others who seemingly stay at their lowest point?

How can one escape hopelessness?

Join Oleg and Elisabeth as they ponder different ways an individual may be able to find hope when all seems dark, and please share your methods in the comments below.

You are sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office.

Your significant other is in the other room speaking with the doctor now.

You watch the clock counting the seconds, hoping that they are healthy and there is nothing to worry about.

You glance at the coffee table in the center with the outdated magazines.

You look at the receptionist behind the desk punching away at their keyboard without a rest.

Why is everything in this room offensive?

Why does everything bother you right now?

Moment later your spouse comes out with a glum look on their face. They don’t have to say anything.

The scenario in which you both feared would become reality has come to fruition.

They are sick and you don’t know what to do.

Have you ever been in a situation in which a loved one is sick?

Where the doctors have said that there is very little they can do and that the patient has a very small chance of recovering?

Maybe you have experienced this or maybe you haven’t, but if you ever do have to deal with this impossible moment how do you respond?

Do you become despondent and lose any hope for a better outcome?

Do you hold on to hope that your parent, child, wife, husband, brother, sister pulls through and will live out the rest of their days continuing to make memories with you?

What happens if the impossible does occur and you put all of your hope into the fleeting possibility that everything will turn all right?

Is it better to lose hope and save yourself more heartbreak? Is it still better to be hopeful even if there are no guarantees that the outcome will be positive?

Does hope ease pain or cause it?

Join Oleg and Nancy as they discuss the possibilities of hope and the double edged sword it can appear to be at times.

Please add to the discussion by adding your thoughts to the comments below.

What does it mean to be bold?

Does boldness exist in the presence of fear?

For years, millions of people have tried to answer such questions.

Some have found answers.

Others are still in search of them.

Can such term be defined in a way that fits everybody? Or does being bold vary from one person to the next?

Tune in, as Fred and Oleg explore what being bold means to them, why being bold is important in their lives, ways to be bold when circumstances may not be favorable, key factors that prevent people from being bold and other related topics.

When you wake up in the morning, you probably have various expectations of how your day is going to go.

You expect that the bagel truck will be outside your apartment ready to serve you your breakfast. You expect the train to take you from your block to the entrance of your work.

You expect that there will be challenges that you will need to face with coworkers and clients, but you also expect that you will be able to handle them.

You expect to come home, have dinner, and eventually go to bed.

These are your expectations.

Life, however, has a way of throwing curve balls when you least expect it.

For all you know, the bagel truck got stuck in traffic and now you don’t pick up breakfast.

The train runs late and now you are late for work.

There is a flood in the office which delays your ability to finish your tasks in a timely matter.

It is too late by the time you get home that you skip dinner and go to bed.

Your expectations were not me and so the change in your daily routine feels like a rock in your shoe that you cannot shake: uncomfortable and irritating, but not life changing or threatening.

What if you went throughout your day hoping that things would go the way you would like?

Would the change in perspective help you manage disappointments if expectations are not met?

Would it make any difference at all?

Is hope the same as expectations?

Join Oleg and Dorothy as they hope to distinguish between expectations and feel free to add your hopes to the comments below.