While I may not know YOU personally, I can likely guess that you're someone on a personal growth journey, otherwise you wouldn't be listening to this podcast.  And in the self-help arena, one thing I hear from folks frequently is this:

"I need to work on getting motivated."

That's actually not the case, and in this episode, we explore why motivation is simply just a fleeting emotion or burst of inspiration.  Those types of moments are unsustainable.  What actually matters - and what actually leads to real seismic changes in your life - is having DISCIPLINE rather.  In this episode, I'll introduce you to five techniques to develop your personal discipline which will help lead you to growth!

Let me know if you implement these techniques - you can reach out to me on my website at grittogrowth.com or on Instagram @stephcorbell.

Books recommended in this episode are:

You are not an island.

What does that mean?  It's virtually impossible to not be affected by your surroundings.  Whether that's the emotional state of the people in your closest relationships to the general vibe at your job, it's going to eventually impact YOU and your mental attitude...as well as your future.

If you've got goals or big changes in your life that YOU want to make, it's important to take a raw, realistic inventory of your surroundings to see if they're at odds with the bigger picture you have for your future.  And, if things aren't in alignment? As hard as it might be, it's time to overhaul these aspects of your life.

In this episode, I'll go into a personal example from my business to illustrate my point, and give you an exercise that will help you get on the right track.  Additionally, I'll be participating along with you all this week - follow along on my Instagram page @stephcorbell!

I'm guessing, if you're listening to this podcast, you're someone invested in change for the better - maybe for yourself, maybe for the world at large!

One of the things we can do to drive ourselves the CRAZIEST is to:

...try to change OTHER people's thoughts, minds, or behaviors.

The louder we yell at people, the more we shout (either physically or metaphorically), the less people will listen to us - and the less prone they will be to change their minds - simply due to contrarian human nature.

So what do we do to enact change?  This episode explores several strategies - hint, it always involves working on yourself.

Have you ever really thought about what you ACTUALLY say about yourself?

Do you joke about yourself in a subtly negative way?  Do you have a habit of making disparaging comments about your appearance, or your income, or your relationship status?

You're not alone - most of us tend to write off our negative comments about ourselves as little jokes, or as poking fun at ourselves.  But if you really pay attention to how people joke about themselves, you'll often be able to observe their true feelings.

The more we tell ourselves something, the more we believe it - and the more we believe something, the more the chances are that "thing" will manifest into our reality.  In this episode, we explore the idea of negative self-talk and why our words matter, along with some strategies for changing how we talk both our inner and outer dialogues about ourselves.

Have you ever had the experience when - going through a tough time - you just needed to talk to someone?  And the person you talked to about your situation either interrupted you with a story of when THEY had it worse, or interrupted with a way for you to fix your problem, rather than simply listening to what you had to say?  Chances are, you have.  Chances are, it was a frustrating experience.

So, if this is the case, why do we do this to other people?

In this episode, we explore strategies in which to become better listeners.  We'll learn the essential skill of holding space for other people to express themselves while suspending our own judgment.  Why should we do this?  In order to learn empathy, to understand where others are coming from, and to think critically and analytically about different points of view.  In listening, we ultimately learn more about ourselves.

How often, in today's contemporary culture, do we ever truly experience silence?

Not often.

We're bombarded with the constant news cycle, the demands of instant communication, incessant stimulation on social media.  It's increasingly difficult to "tune out and tune in," so to speak.  And yet, silence is one of the most powerful tools we can use for personal growth.

This week's episode is the first in a series of two on finding silence.  We'll explore the impulse to overshare - to constantly be in contact, to constantly have to give voice to everything that might be happening to us.  Where does this impulse come from, and why?  And - how might we use silence to learn more about ourselves and to discern more appropriate times to give voice - out loud - to what we're thinking or needing to vent.

Have you heard the phrase "trust your gut?"  (Of course you have.)

This phrase, while well meaning, can be misleading.  How?  Many of us have yet to unpack our reactions - our "gut" reactions to situations or events.  Are our reactions merely based in stress, based perhaps on something that happened to us in the past?  Or are our reactions coming from a place of deep intuition?

It can be difficult to tell, especially because stress reactions tend to come on quickly, feel involuntary, and often involve physical reactions as well.

In this episode, we explore the idea of instinct versus intuition, along with some strategies for tuning into our higher selves.

I hear it all the time:

"I could never do that because of my genetics."

In this episode, we'll explore this limiting belief - and believe me, this is the EPITOME of a limiting belief!  Of course, it's true that we can't control the circumstances of what we were born into, but it's equally true that we HAVE CONTROL over how we think, our habits, our environments, and our mindsets.  We'll look at how this belief develops and what we can do to combat it.

Hysteria is never helpful.

At the time of this recording, we're living in an uncertain time - news headlines, crazy political stuff, pandemic things - well, it's got a whole lot of people riled up for good reason.  However, living for an extended period of time in a state of heightened stress isn't good for anyone.  Stress hormones don't exactly help our brains to make logical decisions.

In this episode - one I hope is timeless, not simply tied to current events - I explore strategies in which we can avoid a big "freak out" moment.  Feeling on edge?  This one's for you.

It's New Year's Eve, and I don't know about you, but I usually see a huge number of well-intentioned "new year's resolutions" being posted on this day.  But let's think about it - how many times do grand resolutions actually work?

Too often, we're looking for a grand sign from the universe to tell us it's time to make a big change or a big shift in our lives, in everything from relationships to health to careers.  Stop waiting.  In this short episode for the holiday, we'll explore exactly what "the sign" is that you need in order to change.  And, how to start making that change.  Hint - it's nothing huge.