Time to Elevate

No growth is fostered in the comfort. 

If you want to grow to your fullest potential- PLANT YOURSELF ON THE TALLEST HILL.

The strongest branches grow with the most brutal of winds. The deepest roots grow in the most insecure soil.

Get out of your comfort zone, and make what was once uncomfortable your catalyst for growth!

In today's podcast, I interview one of my good friends and one of the most excellent teenagers I have ever met. 

Justin Gulbranson is a Musician, cross-country runner, and member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but more importantly is a Great friend and people-centric leader. Justin gives us his thoughts on some of the most important aspects of his life and what he has learned from them. 

Make sure to take some notes for this one! 

I can't stress enough that you read the Invaluable book: "A Game Plan for Life" by John Wooden, so many principles that could help you become a better person and live a more successful happy life!

The 3 Steps:

1. Learn to Listen

2. Seek to Understand

3. Be Persistent in Practice

Apply these steps to any endeavor where you seek to acquire knowledge!

Be intentional with your phone. It's a device that's consumed the lives of many. 1. Don't Drift 

2. It's a Tool not a Toy

3. Presence is the Greatest Gift you can Give 

Make sure to read "outwitting the devil" by Napoleon Hill, and Look up Cal Newport to listen to his content.

Nelson Mandela once said: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". The truth is most teens don't know how to utilize their present day-to-day high school education. I'm not cool with wasting half of my day on something I think is a waste of time, so to solve this problem, we take what we can control (ourselves) and actually learn a way to apply this information to our lives. I suggest 3 C's that might help you elevate your education.

1. CURIOSITY- Every successful person was curious and desirous to learn more and be more. Being curious and asking great questions is essential in learning and becoming a better leader. As the world's foremost authority on leadership John Maxwell would say: "Great leaders ask great questions". Be curious, desire to learn more and be more.

2. CAPITALIZE- If we are going to spend more than half of our day in school and doing homework, we must capitalize and find meaning vs. waste our time. Every thing we learn in school can either be applied to real world context, or it can grow our values and virtues. For example, learning history may help you develop your political views and make you a better voter, and citizen of your country. You may hate math, use it as an opportunity to practice patience, or develop your work ethic. 

3. CONNECT- Connect with others, add value to others. It will benefit you in that teaching helps you to internalize said topics, and better understand them yourself. Not to mention the benefit to the person you are talking to not only understands the topic better, but now feels more comfortable being curious an learning themselves. Just as Nelson Mandela once said: "As we let our own light shine, We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same".

Comparisons Kill, here are 3 ways I deal with comparing myself to others:

1. WE CAN'T JUDGE THE PIECE, UNTIL WE'VE SEEN THE WHOLE PUZZLE- comparing ourself with the attractive "pieces" of others such as how much friends they have, how popular they are, or even how charismatic they are without taking the rest of their life (the puzzle) which has many weaknesses and faults is destructive and delusional to our judgment. We must take into perspective that everyone is human and therefore in a fallen state, we make many mistakes, no one's life or personality is perfect by any means.

2. 3 IN A ROW, NOT TIC TAC TOE- one of the biggest lies comparing tells us is that life is like tic tac toe, is a zero-sum game, someone has to lose for you to win. The truth is life is actually "3-in-a-row" both parties can win, no one has to go down for you to go up. When you compare yourself to others you play in an unwindable game where you try to one-up everyone that you feel threatens your success and identity, this is a lie. Success is in abundance, there is plenty to go around. 

3. USE THEIR EXAMPLE- when you compare you ask: "how are they better than me" when you grow you ask: "how can they make me better" If we are constantly comparing ourselves to everyone we can never learn form them. You could tell yourself you can never be as successful as John Maxwell, or you can use his success as and example and proof its possible for you. Use others success as an reason to succeed not an excuse.

I hope this adds value, love you guys!

This quote really resinated with me, I can testify of its truth in my own life,

I was addicted to my phone, what that really means is I was addicted to the convenient short term distraction of instant dopamine, with my iPhone always within reach, always the path of least resistance when bored for more than a few seconds, it was very easy to spend multiple hours on.  though I subconsciously knew I could be doing better things with my time, I tried not to think much of it, for fear of realizing how much time I was wasting and how worthless I was becoming. what I didn’t realize was the how much time I was really wasting and how all this excessive screen use was effecting my mental health.

the average teen spends 7 hours and 22 minutes on their phone every day, if you calculate that for one year it comes to 2,570hrs 32min. If you calculate a hole high school career, you would spend near 10,281hrs and 28min on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and other social medias lusting after celebrities, fantasizing about fame and popularity, comparing yourself to shreds, filling your life with trivial videos and content, weakening your motivation and hunger, never letting the truly meaningful and worth while areas of my life such as my faith, my family, and my personal development fill that gap of fulfillment. 

Spending your time is similar to planting a garden, you reap what you sow. Make sure your planting plants in your life that will bear sweet fruit in the future!

Hope you can get some Value out of this episode!

You have what it takes to be the a better version of yourself. You have what it takes to elevate yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. That isn't what's holding you back, what holding you back is a loss of attention, focus, and subsequent loss of motivation, hunger, and intention to do what is right for you in the long run. This is all because of distraction, and arguably the most prevalent distraction of our youth is technology. With all of the addictive substances that it holds such as instagram, snapchat, youtube, and other social media. our distance from silence and addiction of always having to have something playing in the background to stimulate us is leading to higher rates of mental illness and suicide according to the University of Las Vegas, and multiple studies of "the Prince Association" (not a real thing). Enjoy the episode!

Big changes to come... stay tuned for future podcasts about the biggest problems facing our youth, my personal challenges, and messages of hope and straight that can make us and the people around us just a little bit better.

love you all, you have greatness within you. -Isaac Prince