The Ten Minute Life Lesson Podcast: Recent Episodes
J Cleveland Payne
One of the greatest obstacles for people who want to go deeper into personal development is lack of time. J Cleveland Payne tries to negate that obstacle with the Ten Minute Life Lesson podcast, offering a complete and actionable lesson in personal development in ten minutes or less. Come out of the work week with a new lesson, as the podcast drops every Friday in your podcast feed or the website yourbetteryou.info.
After another unexpected and seemingly unforced hiatus, I'm back. This week, I will detail how my current bout with severe depression took me off my game months ago and how I had to evaluate the situation to improve. I'm on the path to doing 'better' now, but not entirely out of the woods yet.
Inspired by a recent video produced by Mark Manson (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck), I explain why personal and development is flush with books on the subject that are all recycled ideas, why we worship these books, and what you need to start doing now to justify all the books you already own (and the ones in your queue to buy next).
You can watch Manson's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQB3viVFhPA&t=310s
There is a universal belief in personal development that you should limit your time spent with the 'wrong' people. This episode will help you gauge who those people are and if you could be one of those people.
I have used this five-point plan to set goals for over a decade, and I want to take this week's podcast time to share it with you:
-Take a calendar, and make a realistic sketch of your available free time and when it exists.
-Download all your hopes and dreams. No matter how outlandish and seemingly impossible, write it down (alongside the more realistic ones) if you'd like it to happen.
-Review and rate the goals on your list. Eliminate the goals you know are impossible and those you know you have little desire to follow. The most important potential goals should be at the top of the list. Determine how much time your top ten items will take to work on weekly.
-Go back to that calendar and review the open space you designated as free time for personal development use. Start with the first item and see if the time needed and the times you can realistically work on them will work. Go down the list until you find one goal that works.
-WORK ON THAT ONE GOAL UNTIL YOU SEE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT. Then, use this process to select a new goal to work on moving forward.
DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GUIDE HERE: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4q9knwqny58mqdp/The%20Last%20Goal-Setting%20Solution%20You%20Will%20Ever%20Need%20To%20Learn.pdf?dl=0
There is pressure for good tidings and cheer to be the familiar feeling for all during the Christmas season. The reality is many are not feeling all that jolly. Some, in fact, are feeling a good level of pain right now. Guess what? That is valid, but not an excuse to bring others down.
It is cliché in the world of personal develop that books are important to growth. This episode will go over some of the benefits of reading and offers some suggestions to where you can find your books.
If you are interested in the Blinkist app, visit https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/c/2043256/707940/10732
This message is another way to state, ‘guard your free time wisely.’ It sounds like simple advice you’ve heard far too often, but give it a listen anyway.
Getting feedback is excellent. But the feedback you are getting is probably not very. Here is what you do to manage all the feedback you receive, for good or for ill.
Learning skills when you are unsure of the ‘proper’ steps to follow is an asset since you don’t know what you don’t know, and you don’t fear doing the things that others have cast off as the wrong things to do.
We as humans deal with too many daily issues that can not be simply resolved by throwing wads of cash at them. And then there are issues when throwing cash at them is the exact fix needed.
Every new person you meet is has lived a story they probably would like to tell, so be open at the beginning of the new possible relationship. But just like a terrible book or a boring streaming TV series, you are free to walk away if it is not working.
You will spend more hours in your lifetime not wanting to complete tasks then you will energized to get things done. What do you do to will yourself to a motivated state when you just don't have the energy to be motivated.
The point of personal development is to bulid yourself for a possible future. That means looking towards a possible future you and asking the right questions to get you as close to there as possible.
Just in time for all the gatherings of families and friends for the holiday season, here are five tips for managing yourself to help survive those gatherings.
There will be plenty of hard choices to make and hard times to live through that will need you to be a hard charger. But if not, you don’t always have to be.
Will Smith is a very entertaining person becoming more polarizing as he shares more personal life details. It was two competing personal projects that led to a public proclamation, a very profound one that you may have heard before but may get a boost from hearing it from someone else. You will hear me break down the proclamation and share how it has directly affected me.
I describe myself as ‘boring on purpose.’ I do not believe I am a boring person, and I am rarely in a situation where I am bored. But I will choose a dull and eventful day that ends in peace over a day of excitement that comes with unnecessary drama.
You come to the point where you are asking yourself, “Is it time to quit?” You probably already know the answer t that question, but this episode will help you come to terms with whatever the ultimate answer turns out to be.
All you need is a little knowledge, a person to coach, and a synced schedule, and you have as much right to call yourself a coach as anyone else, including me.
Per Wikipedia, ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ is the idea that all people on average are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other. It seems impossible but real (mostly), and you can and should use this to your advantage.
It is great to revisit the best advice you receive, and some of the best advice I have ever received has dealt with clutter, sometimes physical, sometimes mental, and more often than not, a combination of both. And the advice? Clear the clutter.
Leader are readers. Readers are leaders. How ever you have heard it, those three words ring true. If you want to prove your agility to lead, you have to be read up. And not just with traditionally bound books.
If you claim to want to reach some elite goal, you have to be ready to take out someone who is already in range to achieve the same goal.
Never put your full faith in any man (or woman for that matter). Humans are human after all. Which means fallible and destined to fail you eventually.
Perseverance is defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Two keys to perseverance are the reasons behind why you should keep going and distance (real or perceived) to where it is you want to go.
Circumstances beyond my control led me to stop producing this podcast, again. As it happens, circumstances have changed, and opened a window to allow me back in to produce this podcast.
Last week I had an extremely rough week at work, but a particular routine was interrupted that almost had me drop an especially important streak. As you work to progress in life and career, you cannot be scared to set a routine. But you also need to prepare for as many distractions as you can possibly plan for.
There is power in a goof mentor-mentee relationship. But the power is not inherent in the mentor just by their existence.
Any time you are ready to take a stab at personal improvement by setting a new goal to achieve, you can use this simple five-step goal planning system I use myself.
You can gain an advantage by taking time the night before to plan ahead. You can gain an extra advantage by planning your day from the end to the beginning.
There are many words you can choose to describe your view of the last 12 months. I would guess that few of them would be kind. But the word that should sum it up for all of us on the planet is hard. In fact, that word should fit any year.
That next encounter could be the introduction of the love of your life. Or it could lead to a huge business deal. Or it could be a polite conversation that fills a temporary gap in time.
It's a simple statement: you always learn more from real-world experience. But you don't have to be the person who lived through the experience to receive the lesson.
The song may state that 'everything is better with a friend,' but it's equally as true if you claim just about any type of coupling.
I had a former coworker who moved through various roles and nearly destroyed them at every stop. I have also had personal relationships that ended on sour notes with my ex’s pushing the needle even further after the break-up. Whether you’re dealing with a shift in your personal or professional life, you need to leave things better than you found them.
The way to work toward the raising of the average is not to push hard for solid A’s and extra credit towards the end of the grading period. It comes from ensuring you never make failing grades from the start.
Your business should do more than just work to make a profit. It should matter to the people who work there, the people who shop there, and neighbors around it. Ask yourself this question and study your answers.
You have all the rights in the universe that you are the center of to do as you wish. But you do not have the right to bully anyone around that would directly affect their status as the center of their own universe.
It just takes one little slip to lose your momentum and all incentives from the hard work you had previously put in. But temptations will come, so you must have a greater understating of your true motivations to help you deflect those moments of weakness.
I once had a boss who tried to reassure me that my inability to clean my office (and create order) wasn’t a sign of failure, because I thrived when working in chaotic situations. This is me stating for the record that while I can work through just about any stressful situations, I still believe I can always operate at a higher if I am actually working from a base state of calm.
The ability to spread misery is more powerful than any virus that man could imagine. But you can do your part to keep the spread of misery down when you do find yourself in that state.
Being alive on a planet with over 8 billion other humans means abiding by rules to keep everyone civil and safe. But every rule on the books, despite its ability to keep us all civil and safe, may not be as necessary now as it seemed to be when originally passed.
There are two simple tenants to personal improvement. It is improvement for yourself that can affect the world around you (not the other way around), and there must be some sort of measurement of improvement to gauge if the efforts are working. And they are efforts that involve work.
In times of trouble, it’s good to know who will really be there to help you out. Do you know who will really be there to help you out in times of trouble?
Any goal worth achieving will take effort--i.e.--work to accomplish. But when that work turns to obligation or tedious activities, you have to ask yourself what about your work is making it so much like ‘work?’
This is the 100th episode of the Ten Minute Life Lesson podcast. And while I am normally big on celebrating milestones, this episode will focus on a simple premise: using a checklist to stay productive (and sane).
If you need a form to use for your own checklists, you can try my Daily Dozens Planner here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hep00ddyc94of7z/daily_dozens_combined_sheets.pdf?dl=0
Why are you getting this opportunity now? Why do you receive any of your opportunities? The answers to these questions can help you see a pattern that will allow you to prepared for better-timed opportunities.
There is a lot going on right now, and it's easy to let any one thing get you down. But you are in complete control of how you handle everything. Do not allow anyone to steal your joy.
That journey of a thousand miles cannot begin without taking that first step. But it will help you reach that long destination if you consult a map first.
Ask yourself two questions when you find yourself called into service: why you and why now?
After dealing with my own stresses and struggles with pandemic life, I am back producing this podcast. Hear how a little arrogance caused a lot of trouble and the disruption of an attempt to do a nobile act.
In order to truly find ‘success,’ you have to define what success means to you and what parameters must be met to achieve it. You can not rely on the blueprints other are pushing upon you as their idea of success.
Mob rule is not such a bad thing for the person leading the movement the mob currently wants to support. But mob support doesn’t last long, and anyone the mob is against will receive the full wrath, regardless of former affiliation.
Too many people read lists of tips, tricks, and 'hacks' and feel good about themselves for a moment. But they don't put anything from those lists into practice, and they actually remain unchanged. The only way you will grow is to put a few of those new or affirmed list items into practice, and learn from the successes or failures of each action.
In troubled times, knowing how to reduce living expenses is key to making your way through the issue and manage your stress levels along the way. Even you’re not facing a crisis, but just want to build up a nest egg for yourself, these five tips will help you focus your efforts.
I have problems accepting feedback of all kinds. As a way to improve taking in and processing the feedback I take in, I worked on improving the process I use to give feedback. Here is how I do it.
Adaptation is one of humanity’s greatest gifts. Adaptation allows us to survive when times look bleak. But to use that gift of adaptations, you must transform despair into gratefulness. And this means treating gratefulness as more than just the ability to count your blessings.
You’ve experienced a setback, but you didn’t let it demoralize you. Instead, you’re mature enough to realize the opportunity in failure.
Are there too many gurus on the internet telling you the same information? Yes and no. But that is not the problem. The problem is you not taking the time to take any of their advice.
We are living through a real-time point of uncertainty around the world. This is a good time to heed the words from 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy,' and to not panic.
One of my major professional frustrations is my bad habit of taking on too much of other people's workload if it might help me get mine work done. This is always a bad move.
All humans are struggling with the balance of acting with good intentions and with selfish intentions. This includes you, human.
Congratulations on coming up with a great idea that was initiated and launched successfully. But what happens when that idea driving your progress begins to stall, or completely sputters out?
The audition process for new partners is always ongoing. Don't miss out on the chance to hook up with your next co-conspirator.
Great news: I have a full-time job with benefits again! Not so great news: I have less time for creativity and podcasting, and I barely got this one in. This episode is not the greatest, but it is done, and I'll give you a tool to use to help you manage your times of massive change.
Are you making a mess of a situation that would be fine if you left it well enough alone?
We're releasing this episode at the start of a new year, which makes it the right time to teach about new starts. Except anytime you decide to make a new start is the right time to teach about new starts.
Setbacks and obstacles lead to triumph and overcome. If you are having real trouble coming up with reasons to continue to face the obstacles in your way, learn to find a deeper meaning in the struggle it is taking you to get past them.
If you don’t like the story you are telling yourself, tell yourself a different story. You get to choose.
Sometimes the first step to a resolution is the only step possible, with no real path to resolution.
There are people in your life who have been graciously trying to help you out in a situations that actually make the situation worse. Let them off the hook from the sense of obligation they have assigned to themselves.
Family gatherings are a mix of love, caring, and the stress of whether this is the right place to bring up that issue that no one ever wants to bring up. Why not try bringing it up with the understanding this will not be the time to look to resolve it?
Telling yourself that you don’t have a choice and that you are powerless to change your circumstances is the saddest thing in the world. Actually believing it is even worse.
You may scoff at the Insta-Famous, but they have found a way to get noticed. If you're not seeing progress in your efforts, maybe the right people are not noticing you.
We all have relationships, whether personal or professional, that are maintained through actions. Some of...
Your professional life, your personal development life, and your actual life have very important aspects. But unless you have them prioritized, they will battle for control, and will not let you advance.
When you find yourself not getting the results you think you should and growing tired and frustrated in the process, determine who the effort is truly for and if you really have what it takes to continue.
You really can achieve almost anything if you set your mind to it. Once you establish physical limitations are not an issue, it is just a matter of crafting an image of what your future win might look like as a map and motivator for the work you have to do today.
You only need 8 hours of real sleep a day, and you only need so much time to facilitate a dream you want to accomplish in life. You only what to see that dream become a reality it to put in the necessary work during your waking hours.
When people know you really care for their wellbeing, they will do everything they can to help you succeed.
There is little chance the stars will align to give you a 100% perfect day, even if you did everything you could to plan one So don't plan perfect days. Plan for great days and take note of how much work it will take just to make a day great.
The wisdom of the ages versus the data of books is not a battle you should have when giving assistance. Give whatever information you think fits the situation, but be able to cite the source of that information.
This is more than semantic gymnastics. People have a right to ask you questions about your motives to get a better understanding. But when they openly question what your motives are, you need to evaluate them yourself.
Unless you are treating your journalling work as non-essential busywork, keeping a journal should not be a waste of time. Journaling is a highly effective practice and a proper journal can be an important tool to keep you on task and out of trouble.
You have paid plenty of money and put plenty of time into personal development tools and programs in the past. Before the timer runs out on that opportunity to buy that new one, take inventory of all the tools you already own, just to be sure if you need it, or have room for it.
The time you put into any activity, including inactivity, has a weighed and monetary value you can attach to it. You should evaluate the weight and value of the things you continue to do versus the things you say you want to do to improve your life.
With an impromptu crossover with my Mastering Your Message podcast, I go over the need to make sure that you are always communicating, properly with the people you care about the most.
I had a hard time getting this week's message recorded and sent. But I got it recorded and sent (although a little late) without skipping much of a beat because of the amount of time I have been podcasting and working on this podcast specifically.
As crazy as my standard routine with my old job was, it was a routine that I maintained for a long time until I was asked to no longer maintain it. This is the breakdown of the process I used to quickly create a new emergency routine.
It's easy to be faithful when all is mostly well. It ain't so easy when your world is falling apart around you in real-time.
Telling personal stories that involve real people can be a sensitive issue. Even if you feel you are justified in giving the information to the world, make sure your story fits these three simple criteria.
I was recently asked to help out a friend who needed an extra hand tearing down a set after a show, and it reminded me of a saying a high school teacher said to anyone who volunteered for a committee for a school dance, "There is always room for someone to volunteer for the cleanup committee."
We all have a tendency to open relationships by putting up a false front that eventually becomes the image that the world perceives as the ‘real’ you. Be mindful of the images of yourself you project towards others so that you don’t get stuck with the wrong reputation due to false advertising.
People who describe their rise to prominence as 'being to dumb to know better' makes a great soundbite. It is also horrible advice to follow if you want to find your own path to success but are struggling to get started.
The responsibilities of adulthood are not easy, but also should not be blown off as just fodder for generating funny memes.
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Seven words that define a nation that we often refuse to choose to define herself.
The effort you put into doing 'just one more' during your practice sessions, even when you feel like you are at the brink of exhaustion, will be well worth it once you step into game time conditions.
Hyping a perfect morning routine was all the rage. Now, there is a shift to admitting you can’t maintain a perfect morning routine. In this episode, I go deeper into the thought process behind creating your own ‘best for you’ morning routine, while using the thought process of my own actual routine as an example.
Avoid the mass confusion and lack of resources available to you when you plan your ‘resolutions’ with the beginning of a new calendar year. Declare your time for change and reflection when you observe your personal New Year’s Day on your date of birth.
Find more at http://yourbetteryou.info
Something happened this week that is changing the direction of my life and my business. I was not expecting it, but I was prepared for it and am handling the fallout fairly well. This lesson is part update on the status of Your better You and why you should always have at least a basic game plan for all sorts of emergencies.
Cheers are positive feedback for the work you have done. Boos are negative feedback for the work you have done. A blank stare is feedback in the form of no feedback whatsoever. This episode explores the frustration with receiving no feedback and a few things you can do to give feedback to yourself by evaluating similar works of others.
We all will have times when we will be asked to ‘speak up.’ Whether on a stage to thousands, as room to a dozed, or just in a one on one conversation, speaking with confidence is a skill that many people say they have a problem with. This episode quickly runs through a ten-step process that can help you overcome fear and speak with more confidence.
The stories we tell to ourselves can either empower us or tear us apart image by image. If you have a problem with telling yourself long, complicated stories that don’t motivate you to improve, try telling yourself shorter stories with just the important details, not the overdramatic extras.
The trailblazers and revolutionaries of the past have done a lot for the generations that live today, but those people didn’t know that their hard work, suffering, and for some sacrifice would be worth the effort, or would even work. Your journey to your goal has the same shortcoming where you don’t see the upcoming triumph as an obvious occurrence.
You know you hate getting unsolicited and unwarranted advice from other people as you work through your own problems. Why would you think returning the favor would be a real favor for others working through their own problems?
If you haven't figure out yet, most of us on the planet are faking are way to the perception of knowing what they are doing, and the bulk of those who wont admit to that are lying to your face.
The next time you find yourself completely overwhelmed by all that life has thrown at you, try to implement these six actions to deescalate the situation and destress your life.
Congratulations on hitting a milestone or earning a win. You deserve to take a moment to pause and enjoy it. But only a quick moment, because you've got plenty of work to do to before you hit the next milestone or earn the next win.
Working to feel better about yourself is not the same as working to feel less bad about yourself. Both goals have a purpose, but they are not moving in the same direction for your life.
This episode is not about setting blame, but it is about facing reality. If you have the power to change your bad situation, yet fear the change that must be made in the process, then you maintaining your bad situation ‘as is’ is your fault.
Your perception at the start of an endeavor will quickly change as you progress. You do not possess the knowledge or perspective to understand how the beginning isn’t the easy part until you get further along the way.
The people who really love you should do all they can to promote your happiness and protect your safety. They should never cause you physical, mental, or emotional pain.
If you are in a situation where you are dealing with abuse, call 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org for help.
Sometimes, it’s an inspiration. Sometimes, it’s pure spite. Knowing the motivation behind your actions will help you understand why things work or don't work for you.
The strong friends I often remind you to check in on will rebuff your efforts because they have learned they don't have the right to show frustration in the face of chaos. Help them unlearn this false teaching.
The sin of FOMO is that you can’t take a chance on missed opportunities. The sin of indecision is you don’t want to make a mistake and choose the wrong opportunities. Fight both fears and choose to do or not to do based on what is rationally right for you.
A more-often-than-not common trait of those who ask me why I do the seemingly crazy things I do is that they rarely take chances doing seemingly crazy things themselves. Those that do attempt their own crazy things know that what I am doing makes perfect sense.
You can turn your life completely around by taking in less of what you don’t need and giving more away within reason to those that do need.
Celebrate when you hit a milestone. Celebrate when you have a near miss of a target goal. Celebrate because it’s a random Tuesday. Have a reason or make up one. Never miss a chance to celebrate.
The best way to ensure all your hard work to make a change in your life does not end up wasted, you must start with a definitive change of mindset from who you were before.
Make time to check on allies. Whether it is random or scheduled, the best way to make sure allies remain allies is to make sure they are doing well.
You need time away from your regular routine. You need to plan your time away with as much precision and strategy as a major project at work you maybe trying to get time away from.
Having all the talent and potential in the world will do nothing for the person who is never prepared for the opportunities to try out.
The ability to drop your world of responsibilities on a whim takes lead time to prepare for. A lot of lead time.
You can't just show up expecting to get a reslouton from a difficult conversations. There is plenty of proaration needed to help you to get into and out of these conversations.
With so many things in life draining your energy, its easy to forget to do gratitude exercises. That is why it is so important to remember to do gratidue exercises.
Not finding success in taking some action does not make you a failure personally. Your effort failing does not equate to you bineg a failure.
If life is a journey, the final destination has little to do with you. So take care to make the journey enjoyable and fruitfall, so that you can get what you can along the way.
It’s not the acknowledgment of your shortcomings that becomes a weakness, it letting the knowledge of those weaknesses get to you.
Wearing headphones while recording my podcast is an easy thing to do, which makes it an easy thing not to do. But this simple step adds great value to the overall production of the product. Often, it is the little things that make a great difference.
Do you know a person on the verge of giving up on their dream? Do you believe in them? Don't just speak kind words over them and walk away. Offer as much real assistance to their pursuits as you possibly can.
'Fake it to you make it' sound like great advice. But you should put less energy into faking your talents and more into building on the talents you actually possess.
Take out a sheet of paper and list the skills that you are proficient in and the skill where you are not. This simple exercise will pay major dividends, especially if you take the time to write it out.
Your start won't look like much when you start and maybe embasing to view as you look back from time and progress.
There will be times in your life where people will need assistance and you will be powerless to offer much. Here is what you do in those cases.
You need people willing to make sacrifices in order to support your mission. How willing are you to make similar sacrifices for those who take up that challenge? An extension of the lesson from this week's Steps To Your Better You podcast.
Everything of value has a cost that must be paid to acquire it. Have you ever considered the real cost of pursuing your dreams? Of not pursuing your dreams?
Changing up a simple phrase can tell a lot about how important a task you've been given is or isn't. Be vigilant in the words you use when assiging work--espcially to yourself.
When you are just getting started, your admirers often look more like undesirable cast offs. But they are the people giving you support right now.
I think of this as the 'infamous' water episode. I give a better explanation on how a lesson on drinking more water killed a podcast, and give you the push to stop playing grown and just do that thing you know needs doing.
Many meetings with legends and heroes are setups for time spent with mean people and jerks. People who look up to you in a simular ligth should not be subjected to this type of treatment.
Some people have problems with not enough time, some have too much time. If you have a time problem, first you must identify it, then come up with a plan to fix.
Telling a person you think they are talented can be dangerous. What should be a trigger to take a path to success can sometimes backfire.
When it’s really over, you'll find you learned a lot. You can take that learning to your next thing, and beyond.
Repetition is how you learn. Repeating topics and themes is how you learn to present them better.
Authenticity is overused, but it is the lifes blood of offering an advice based podcast. Here's to just being real.
Another lesson learned from producing the Ten Minute Life Coach podcast, and life coaching in general: it is important to know where your content is coming from.
If a person goes out of their way to do something that inspires you to action or encourages you to continue, thank them.
We stopped at episode 43. Four years later, we restared at episode 44. No one was hurt in the processes.
The Post-Post Show continues with a focus on change. It is inevitable, necessary, and surprisingly good for the bottom line.
I continue the podcast in postmortem/lessons learned mode, giving some insight on how working on the podcast taught me that creativity turns out to overrated.
So what did I learn from producing 150 episodes of the Ten Minute Life Coach? After action lesson number 1 is that it is all about the learning.
I reached a major milestone with episode 150 of the Ten Minute Life Coach. And with the milestone, we've also reached the end of my journey under this moniker. Continue the journey with Steps To Your Better You at http://yourbetteryou.info
Self-help junkies are just as bad as chemical dependent ones. Too much of a supposedly good thing can cause just as much harm as a bad thing.
The easiest tasks are the most forgettable. The hardest tasks are the most memorable. You are working toward memorable tasks.
Don't shy away from our nature to judge. Just be mindful of just how powerful, and often wrong, first impressions can be.
You should have no shame in being your own number one fan. You should refrain from being so hard on yourself as your number one critic.
What do you do when the world around you is crumbling and you are powerless to stop it? Nothing.
I used to do an extensive weekly review of my work. When I stopped, my work suffered. When I resumed and added the ability to include improvements, my work grew exponentially.
You always have the choice to show gratitude for what you do have. You have no control of the masses as they will continue to be ungrateful as you try to be otherwise.
I thought when I was publishing 'You Already Know The Answers' I was mostly repeating common sense. I learned latter that common sense isn't as common as it should be, and that asking the right questions in the right circumstances is a learned skill.
I have been talking extensively about the journey lately, and how completing the journey means leaving some people behind. What if you were one of those people?
You are a go-getter. You are a person who wants to get ahead, and will take on anything to ensure you can maintain pace. It is a pace you cannot sustain indefinitely.
Upgrades are not free. They come as a price or trade off most are willing to accept for the access the upgrade grants you. But some of the unexpected costs can be disturbing to some.
2018 is a year where I have to get my finance in order to make the huge jump In my business planed for 2019. I want you to get your finance in order as well, because your inability to master money can come back and haunt you in too many ways.
But don't necessarily trust my financial advice. Here are two other podcast more financially sound than mine.
Get Your Money Right - https://yourmoneyright.com
Stacking Benjamins - https://www.stackingbenjamins.com
A few years back I created a Resource & Accountability Sheet to help people get a handle on what they needed to finally achieve a goal and who they could assign to hold their feet to the fire. I talk about the concept of accountability in this episode, and offer up the Resource & Accountability Sheet to help you get started on the road to being kept accountable.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uf17equl6m8vu5x/resource_and_accountability_sheet.xls?dl=0
It may take a while to get good enough at something to be good enough for people to see and care. Until that happens, keep putting in the work.
We are now in the full swing for the year 2018, but anytime you have the notion is the right time to work on setting goals. Here is the goal planning program that I personally use, all year long.
Are you confusing excitement with drama in your life? Many of us can't distinguish between the two, and many know the difference but can't help themselves.
In this episode, I offer a skewed take on getting help with your bouts of depression by going deeper than I'd like publicly with my own. If you are feeling anything less than stellar this holiday, feel free to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Available 24 hours everyday.
The simple tool can fix many of the problems that currently ail you. Download the Daily Dozens Planner Sheet here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/t1xyyi0kp03uh0q/daily_dozens_combined_sheets.pdf?dl=0
The Naysayers are correct. Your project may fail. Your idea may not work. But are they naysayers because they know better or only know fear of stepping out on their own?
It obvious that you should take good care of yourself so that you can take care of others, right? Right?
In this episode, I talk around the stories of two extraordinary women, because I do not have the right to tell their stories without their perspectives.
When I was trying to sell myself for 'logistics' and she tried to buy an 'engineer,' I had to find out where the wrong message was coming from. And it was coming from me.
I believe in miracles. And because of that belief, I do everything in my power to not have to need one.
The stress of the struggle is hard. Don't stop fighting for your dreams. Just stop fighting the stresses.
People may not want to listen or may call you crazy, but that doesn't mean you stop working on delivering your message.
When the data reveals a previously unknown truth, even if you don't want to believe it, its time to make a course correction.
Any person who is remorseful for an action should be able to apologize without ridicule. Period.
If the extra effort you put in is providing extra production, then it is always worth it.
Motivation is what keeps you in the game when progress is lacking. Knowing your preferred method of motivation helps you maintain.
Do you know if the people in your support system are wishing you were downgrade your expectations?
Be careful not confuse having superior talents and skills to being a superior person to others.
You will find others can easily offer you assistance if they can tell when you are really distressed.
The way a person asks the question 'why' is a strong tell into whether they are working for or against your efforts.
Living in the past isn't healthy, but looking to the past for a brighter day can help you when your current reality seems dark.
It seems like simple advice, but too many people fall for great packaging containing terrible products and information.
My time is very precious to me. I make sure that the time I have is rarely wasted, and work hard to ensure I never waste yours in return.
A great smile and a firm handshake is not always the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
I am taking a new approach with the podcast, creating a bio of the 'guy' that I am talking to weekly.
Success is a matter of taking care of your faith, self, family and stuff. In that order.
All our heroes are painfully human. They will all die, and many will fail us long before their deaths.
Bill Belichick has turned the simple mantra, 'Do your job,' into a true key to success. Here's why you should pay more attention to doing your own job.
Privilege affords some the ability to say outlandish things. This still does not give them the right.
An experiment in live streaming inspired this episode and brought it to the masses 6-weeks early.
Persistence and perseverance got us to 100 episodes, but honest evaluation of the work is what really made the whole thing possible.
Next week we'll celebrate reaching a milestone. This week we'll explain what is took to get this far.
You have to find ways to trade out time with people who will not support your work with time with people who will.
Having standards will bring gain to your life. Having standards that are impossible to maintain will erase any possible gain.
How do you manage your personal expectations when you cannot hold those around you to a similar standard?
Need help with gratitude? I've created two plans with coresponding worksheets that might help. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Many people find their own way to reach similar destinations. No one way is ever the ‘right' way. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Faith is something you must personally maintain even it seems no one has much faith in you. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Repetitive actions is the key to growth and improvement. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
You can set a personal improvement goal whenever you are ready. He is a guide that can help. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Visit a place of peace periodically to reset your mind and goals. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Is the personal development/self-help industry a sham? Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
The decision to give up and move on is a tough one. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Hard feelings and disappointment can be a sign that you have (or should have) more vested in a movement than you think. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Some need little motivation to get things done. Some need much more motivation to get the same things done. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
A little investment in spit and polish can go a long way to make bad info sound plausible. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | BlubrrySpreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
How do you reach a milestone? You just keep on doing what you are doing, and getting better along the way. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | Blubrry | Spreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Ignorance is not the same as stupidity, but not knowing is still not a valid excuse for anything. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | Blubrry | Spreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
How do you reach a milestone? You just keep on doing what you are doing, and getting better along the way. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | Blubrry | Spreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
On days when it seems hard to get started, it is important to just get something started. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | Blubrry | Spreaker | Google Play | iHeartRadio | RSS
Sometimes the people that need your help most are the hardest people to be around. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | Blubrry | Spreaker | Google Play | RSS
Four words to take to heart as your prepare for any project: setup, teardown, pacing and spacing. Download | Subscribe Via iTunes | Stitcher | Blubrry | Spreaker | Google Play | RSS
You can say no to that request. You can also say yes. You always have a choice, but must live with the consequences that may come with either decision.
Some days you will not have the energy to bring it. You have no choice but to bring it or find someone with the energy to do it.
It will become painfully obvious how often excuses run people's lives when you try to eliminate them from yours. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
You may think you have a great view and grasp of a person's situation, but your view may not be from the vantage point you believe it to be. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE…
Partially following a loose theme, partially making myself accountable to my audience, this week's podcast highlights a book idea I've been working on for a while. It's about life principles and rules, and rule number one is ‘Don't Die.'
Glengarry Glen Ross is one of my favorite movies, and the ‘Always be closing' line from Alex Baldwin's character in the movie is something I use everyday. And so should you. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE…
The anonymous nature of the internet makes it easy to share an opinion, and very easy to share lies and hate disguised as opinions. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
I hope this episode does not hurt your feelings, but you can not just be whatever you want because you believe hard enough. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
A throwback to the ‘You Already Have The Answers' newsletter, still reminding you that if you ask the right questions, the answers you need are not hard to find. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE…
The lyrics to Foreigner's ‘I Want To Know What Love Is' sets the message of patience in your journey to greatness. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Do you have haters? What should you do about them? I think you should show them all the love you can muster. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Revisiting our inaugural podcast episode on goals setting, keeping the spirit of SMART goals, but updating the process.
You wont know how much a good pep-talk is worth until you surprise a few people who don’t expect one. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
From the loss of status to the loss of a loved one, the shock of what to do next can be devastating. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Where you start doesn’t have to effect where you finish. It only effects how far you have to go to finish. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
If their expertise and wisdom seems shady, and they are expecting you to hand them a check, take notice.
The more people know about ‘your story,’ the better they can relate to you. Today, I give you some reasons why you should do more to share your story and share some quick tips to help you actually do it.…
I tackle the question, “Is it better to have loved and lost?” I apply it to the pursuit of any goal, and tell you the standard answer is, “Maybe…maybe not…” CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Focusing on what a winner did to achieve success can often be trumped by a quick review of what the losers failed to do. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE | CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST
Anyone attempting something new or different will have to face a number of doubters and haters. It is important to understand their source of frustration with you in order to move forward with your goals. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
There is way too much talk about passion in personal development. Today, I talk about what you can and sometimes must do when a task is at hand and the passion is not there. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
It took 5 years to reach a 50-week milestone, but we did it. And we are going to celebrate. I talk today about why you should set milestone marks, even if they really don’t mark much of anything, and celebrate…
Just because you don’t think you have what it takes doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it an initial attempt. Maybe you do and maybe you don’t. Find out. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Jealously is a tough emotion to avoid, but you should attempt to avoid it at all costs. I explain why and how. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Giving up isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, it is the only decision that makes sense given the circumstances you find yourself in. I’ll explain the the potential pros and cons in giving up, and why this is such a…
Giving up isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, it is the only decision that makes sense given the circumstances you find yourself in. I’ll explain the the potential pros and cons in giving up, and why this is such a…
For the second episode back in the Ten Minute Life Caoch, I talk about the importance of having a plan and a quick guide to making a plan. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
After a 5-year hiatus, the podcast is back! I’m posting a new episode as a pilot to a new freeform format. Tell me what you think at mailbox@jclevelandpayne.net.
I am going to do my best to reassure you that it doesn’t matter how hard your life gets, things can always get better. Just around the corner or over the horizon could be your better day awaiting. And I’ll…
We’re going to get things back on track with this 42nd episode of the podcast by taking some of our own advice from episode 6 on ‘Second Acts.’ We’re going to give you a little overdue insight on what happened…
[/audio We’re going to show you how to tell the difference between what you want and what you need. But that’s the easy part. We’re also going to help you get past choosing the unnecessary wants over the important needs,…
We’re going to ask you to consider trying to manage your life within the parameters of time as opposed to the traditional attempts to manage time within the parameters of your life. While the notion that time can be managed…
We’re focusing on deadlines and priorities. Deadlines can be a serious source of stress, but they can also represent a great example of security and consistency, assuming they fall in line with what is truly priority one. We’re going to…
We’re going to show you just how easy it is to say you are sorry and mean in. And to prove this, I am going to use this podcast as an apology to a friend who felt slighted by some…
We’re going to highlight a phenomenon that will come to no surprise to any anglers listening to the podcast. That phenomenon is the ever-growing fish tale. You may be able to laugh at your uncle and the story of the…
We’re going to look into networking in a more toned down sense. We’re going to go beyond the ‘after hours’ type business mixers and take a look at your more natural and already established networking circle you already have, and…
We’re going to take a moment to acknowledge the times in your life when life itself decides to knock you on your butt to see if you have the ability, or even the desire, to get back up. We’re going…