Strike a Chord Live Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mark Ellis, Collin Harbour
TWO LIFELONG FRIENDS WITH A LOVE OF BASEBALL, MUSIC, MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION – NOSTALGIA, CULTURE AND TRANSFORMATION AND FUN!! AND WE WANT YOU TO TAKE THE JOURNEY WITH US!!
I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.
Maya Angelou
Marcus Ellis and Collin Harbour focus on "belonging" and remind everyone that you belong . . . you belong . . . you belong. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. This is your time - it may take effort and it may not be easy, but you belong.
ARE YOU AT THE END OF YOUR LINE? HOW WOULD YOU EVEN KNOW IF YOU ARE AT THE END, OR THE BEGINNING?
What are you doing to reach your goals now that you have spoken them out loud?
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ― Abraham Lincoln, former U.S. President
Make sure you are "sharpening your axe" and planning for success.
But you can’t just speak it ----- we have the ability to plan. To plan how we are going to do things.
It is difficult reach our goals without a plan. Success cannot be achieved without action.
“Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and essayist
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Strike a Chord Live Podcast
Speak your dreams into existence . . . but success cannot be achieved by speaking alone. Take action and find some people to help you with accountability.
Collin was out of town, so Marcus invited a "regular" on the show to fill his seat . . . Bruce Pulver of Above The Chatter - Our Words Matter
Marcus and Bruce talk about dedication to all things life!
Strike a Chord Live Podcast
https://strikeachord.live/
Motivation is in your mind -- literally. We all know that being motivated and staying motivated require the right mindset. You make a decision and you start rolling . . . however, Marcus found an article outlining scientific evidence that motivation can be based on certain features in the mind, which are triggered by getting up, moving forward and being active.
Mark and Collin discuss resilience and persistence in the drive to stay inspired. It is a daily task for most of us. It can be mundane. It can be challenging. But you need to find ways to eliminate the triggers that are holding you back. Some of the triggers discussed are:
- Fear
- Shame
- Guilt
- Self-Doubt
- Procrastination
We struggle with these, as do others. Keep in mind that they are holding you back. Find ways to “kick them to the curb” and move forward. Develop resilience by finding others with the same challenges and work through them together.
Most importantly, make sure your mindset is ready to put them aside and achieve your goals.
Don’t worry about what others have . . . this will only place a roadblock between yourself and success.
Others have what you want because they are persistent and resilient. They do the things that you don’t want to do.
Come join us on the journey!
Strike a Chord Live Podcast
Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour
In this episode Mark and Collin discuss the big C word . . . confidence. Why do you lack confidence? Where does it come from? We answer these questions and look at ways that will help you build confidence and use it to increase your chances for success.
What causes a lack of confidence?
- Anxiety – clinical or self-created
- Look no further than Matthew 6:34: Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.
- Fear of Criticism
- Everybody gets criticized – and most of the time it’s not true. Even if it can be categorized as true, then come up with a strategy to overcome it.
- “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” - Winston Churchill
- Previous Failure
- Colonel Sanders (Kentucky Fried Chicken) was rejected over 1,000 times before he achieved success with KFC.
- Oprah Winfrey was declared unfit for television in one of her early jobs and was terminated. Oprah Winfrey!
- Thomas Edison was once told that he was “too stupid to learn anything.”
- Sylvester Stallone, had to sell his dog for $25 and had his electricity cut off WHILE writing the script for Rocky.
- Everybody gets criticized – and most of the time it’s not true. Even if it can be categorized as true, then come up with a strategy to overcome it.
Ways to help you gain confidence when you have little:
- On a micro level, write down all that you are grateful for. Write down your self-worth affirmations.
- Affirmations are designed to help you in programming your subconscious mind for continued success, as well as influence your level of commitment and follow through with the behaviors that will transform your affirmations into your reality.
- Hal Elrod affirmation for Self Confidence:
- “I am just as worthy, deserving, and capable of achieving everything that I want, in every area of my life, as any other person on earth. The only thing that separates me from the most extraordinary life I can imagine is my level of commitment to becoming the person I need to be to achieve everything I want. From this moment on, I am 100% committed to my personal development (i.e., The Miracle Morning), each day, so that I can create and sustain the levels of success that I truly want and deserve. I commit now to schedule and follow through TODAY with the necessary actions that will ensure that I create the extraordinary life I deserve to live. From this moment on, I give up being perfect for being authentic. I will be myself; I will love myself, and others will too.”
- On a Macro level, one has to Feel and Embrace the result of what that affirmation is intended to bring them and truly believe it. e.g., Imagine what it feels like to win the lottery.
- Have a morning routine. Morning 5, Miracle Morning.
- Play uplifting/inspirational music first thing in the morning.
- Celebrate small wins and don’t beat yourself up over not reaching lofty goals
- Surround yourself with people who inspire you or who you aspire to be.
- Hal Elrod affirmation for Self Confidence:
- Affirmations are designed to help you in programming your subconscious mind for continued success, as well as influence your level of commitment and follow through with the behaviors that will transform your affirmations into your reality.
If you want to see confidence in action, watch pro golf on a Saturday afternoon. Not Sunday, because they mostly show the good stuff. But watch it on Saturday, when you get a glimpse of the not so good shots. BUT, pay close attention to the shot after the bad shot ---- these guys and gals can step up to the ball, and put everything behind them – even the previous failed shot – and hit a clean shot and place it right where they want to.
Or, watch a basketball game, watch a baseball game ---- watch any professional athlete. They mess up all the time – ALL . . . THE . . . TIME --- yet, they recover quickly – AND THAT IS CONFIDENCE.
One more Note on Confidence from former Major League Baseball Player, Dale Murphy:
“Just one of the thousands of life lessons I learned from my career in the major leagues: No matter what you do for a living, no matter what your roles are in life, no matter what problem you are trying to solve or goal you are trying to achieve, the battle is always won in the on-deck circle.”
- Think about past preparation and the fundamentals of a good swing.
- And focus on the present, and not think about past failures.
- And take past successes and figure out how to apply them to this next at bat.
Preparation is key when looking for confidence.
Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour
Strike a Chord Live Podcast
https://strikeachord.live/
Mark and Collin have their first “return guest” and share the mic with Bruce Pulver, abovethechatterourwordsmatter.com. Bruce is a master wordsmith and focuses on the meaning of words by creating acrostics . . . daily. In this session we focus on staying In Motion once you have started. Keep in mind, starting is a huge part of the battle. The first part of getting out of a rut is to stop digging, right?
But once you are “off the couch”, which is at the very least, BETTER than stagnation, you must keep moving. At the essence of staying in motion is momentum. Momentum is key and will ultimately lead to success.
The "In Motion" Acrostic prepared by Bruce:
Incline from the decline of the recline. Lift a little from the decline you experienced from being out of your groove.
Now, want to change more than you want “more of the same”. It’s so comfortable being comfortable. You’ve got to want that difference more than the same way that it is.
Make the decision for you. It’s not for anyone else. The decision to stay in motion is for you.
Okay. No you must own it.
To get there, you must move. Even if it’s simply lifting your finger.
It will take working harder than ever. When you do hard things, hard things become easier to do.
Oh, you will want to quit. Be honest with yourself. It’s going to hurt before you get there. Happiness is on the other side of the struggle.
Never give up on you.
Start and then stay in motion.
Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour
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“Mediocrity is easy. The good things take time.
The great need commitment.”
Bob Seger
Inspired by Bob Seger's "Beautiful Loser," Mark and Collin use the them of the song to explore issues that prevent us from achieving greatness.
The song is about a dichotomous character who wants everything in the world but is not willing to go for it. He sets his bar so low that he never achieves anything of greatness.
Now, we all know that greatness can be in the eye of the beholder.
But, the topic of achieving greatness points to a few questions:
- Are you dreaming big enough?
- Are you taking the actions to achieve those dreams?
- Or, are you just sitting on the couch waiting for something to fall in your lap?
Mark and Collin identify several issues that might be holding you back and blocking greatness:
- Fear
- Imposter Syndrome
- Comfort (being comfortable)
- Complacency
- Procrastination
Come join us as we explore how these issues can impact your success AND how the right mindset can help overcome all of the issues.
Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour
https://strikeachord.live/
Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour believe that "community" is vital for all people, including joining a community or even leading one. In fact, we believe it is so important that we made an acrostic out of it.
Membership in a community, whether it be a group of friends, a social group, a church group, or other like-minded individuals can provide a sense of belonging. The size of the community does not matter, but the community (or group) should be open and accepting of others, allowing people to feel welcome when they become a part of the community. Communities (or groups) help us transform together and even help us fail forward together.
Whether with the group or individually, it is okay to fail, but it is not okay to stop. In fact, it is critical to stop-stopping in order to move forward.
We want you to be a part of our Strike a Chord Live Podcast. Come join us on the journey.
Come as you are.
Open up to others.
Make yourself available.
Membership, A sense of belonging.
Unity around purpose.
Networking in diversity.
Intentionally advancing forward as a group.
Transforming Lives Together.
You Are Always Welcome.
Beacons Page
Strike a Chord Live Webpage
In this episode we discuss inspiring the youth and being inspired. Whether you are 40, 55 or 75, the same principles apply. Start now and start big. You will not achieve anything unless you start by putting one foot in front of the other.
Jonathan teaches Orchestra in the Escambia County Florida Schools. He starts them young and teaches the love of music while the kids are young . . . 4th grade. But more importantly than music, he teaches the youth valuable lessons about life:
- Practice.
- Hard work.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Take on step at a time.
- Get better.
- Practice again.
- Hard work again.
- It won't come easy.
Again, these lessons can apply to anyone, regardless of age or status. There are no overnight successes and in order to achieve anything, you will need to apply these principles moving forward. We don't care if you are 95 . . . learn from these principles and get moving.
Jonathan is also a Rock 'N Roller and has assembled many bands over the years. Additionally, he has played with Yo-Yo Ma, The Moody Blues and Harry Connick, Jr.
We discuss forming positive habits and how this will impact the rest of your life . . . regardless of where you are starting from.
Enjoy.
Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour, Co-Hosts
https://beacons.page/strikeachord.live.podcast
Chris Bro has a passion for music. Chris is a curator of all things music. He has curated over 700 weekly lists of the “next” music. Music you may not have heard of. Music that sounds like your favorites.
We discuss finding and following your passion. Your age doesn’t matter. Get started. Embrace your passion. You may be able to make a hobby or business out of following your passion.
It won’t always be easy. Sometimes you have to “embrace the suck.”
Whether you’re 20, 55 or 75, you can follow your passion.
Mindset is everything. Make sure you have the right mindset. Don’t hesitate to get started because “someone else is already doing it.” There’s enough out there for everyone. Get started and enjoy it. Even if you don’t want to put it out for the world to see, you will enjoy it and it will make you happy.
By the way, attitude still matters. Don’t be negative. If you start out negative, you will most likely fail.
We do a lot of music talk. Music reminds of us things. It makes us feel a certain way. Music also expands our mind.
We also discuss how Chris’s wife collaborated with Rick Springfield on “Jesse’s Girl” be chiming in when Rick couldn’t remember the words . . . and how Chris, his wife and their friends hung out with Bruce Springfield. Fun stories.
Chris’s motto is “Enjoy it All”. Mark and Collin concur with this theme. Life isn’t going to always be fun, but enjoy it anyway.
Mark Ellis, Collin Harbour
Co-Hosts
https://strikeachord.live/
http://allthingsnext.com/
Seth.Godwin of TikTok is our very special guest. Seth is a “Finance Content Creator” on TikTok and provides useful tips and insight based on the lessons he has learned d in finance at a large financial institution and life in general.
Mark and Collin are both old enough to be Seth’s father and decided to kick back and determine what we (i.e. the older generation) can learn from Seth (i.e. the younger generation).
Topics Covered:
- How and why Seth began creating content on TikTok (primarily) and a story of how a viral video can possibly change your life.
- Confirmation that Seth makes a living creating content and “playing on the internet.”
- Finance and Crypto Currency Stuff . . . and NFT’s – we are not offering financial advice, but scratch the surface on these new digital trends. (Topps NFT's, Weezer NFT's, The Sandlot NFT's)
- The importance of a schedule and daily habits:
- Consistency is key.
- Don’t burn yourself out – avoid fatigue.
- What motivates the younger generation these days? A few things:
- Being a little put out with stuff.
- Trying to find a voice.
- Helping others.
- Mark, Collin and Seth also venture into a little music talk with a couple of Barenaked Ladies stories.
strikeachord.live Podcast (Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour)
Seth Godwin (TikTok = seth.godwin)
Peace.
This week we have Heather Ibey of Randy’s Toy Shop in Noblesville, IN and we discuss one of our favorite topics . . . Nostalgia! Randy’s Toy Shop specializes in antique toy repair and antique toy restoration with a goal of bringing toys back to their original luster and condition. This is a big task and one that not many in the world can pull off!
But Heather is also a motivator, a speaker and most importantly a mom.
Reflect, Reset, Rest:
We all need to reflect, reset and rest. How to know when you are at this stage and what to do about it.
Moving fast in life is relatively normal these days. No one wants to slow down. Be careful. Brick walls are around every corner. You are going to run into them if you don’t recognize they are around the corner.
Many of us want to go 400 miles per hour – ALL THE TIME!! But if you are always going that fast it is difficult to see the impending crash.
Take a little time every now and then to recharge. It is important and it can provide clarity on future growth opportunities.
Incrementalism:
Life is not only about getting things done all at once. Your goals can be achieved through incrementalism. Take small steps towards your goal. Move towards them each day with attainable steps.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t accomplish your goals tomorrow.
Recognize and celebrate your achievements that get you closer to your goals – even if they are small.
Appreciate what you have:
You can't be grateful while also being hateful.
https://strikeachord.live/
Mark Ellis, Collin Harbour
https://www.randystoyshop.com/
Bruce Pulver is passionate about the power of our words and the influence they have on attitude, mindset and the results we achieve in life. In his book, Above the Chatter, Our Words Matter, Powerful Words That Changed My Life Forever, Bruce shares the personal experiences and powerful examples of how to take control over the words we use. He believes that consciously paying attention to our words and choosing how we speak to ourselves and to others absolutely controls our mindset and gets us to the results we hope for and deserve in life. His book contains a collection of 400 consecutive days of writings that focused on a single word each day of self-encouragement and inspiration which he wrote to get through a difficult period in his life.
www.abovethechatterourwordsmatter.com
FB/Instagram: Above The Chatter – Bruce Pulver
Twitter: @abovethechatter
Words are important. They shape what we do.
A very important word is “start.” The premise of our discussion of the word “start” is a quote from Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Bruce prepared an acrostic using START -.
Say “what can I do”
Take an action
Ask how later, just do now
Reach beyond your belief
Then take another step. And another step. And another step
Once you start, it is important to look at incremental steps and improvements you can take. Each increment is further away from where you started and gets you closer to the idea of “stop stopping.”
Strike a Chord Live Podcast
We are in a season of Transformation Worldwide! We are witnessing many people thriving during this season, and we see watching many people fight against it at a detriment to their psyche and emotional heart.
COVID-19 has changed the world for bad (death and sickness) and good (reset the way we all live and work). People have spent an incredibly more amount of time together. Fathers are able to spend more time with their children and watch them grow. But other visits (i.e. nursing homes, care centers) are limited. It’s quite a dichotomous season but, overall it’s been a cleansing or a washing of the old entrenched ways of the past.
Mark and Collin take a little stroll down memory lane and discuss famous people they have met, including:
- Bill Clinton
- The Edge
- Lars Ulrich
- Trent Reznor
- Billy Gibbons
Be Kind. Do good for others. The world will be a better place.
https://strikeachord.live/
Two lifelong friends with a love of baseball,music, motivation and inspiration - as well as nostalgia, culture and transformation and fun! And we want you to take the journey with us.
Mark Ellis and Collin Harbour
We grew up in the late 70s and throughout the 80s. We've been around the block a few times. Since we hadn't talked in over 30 years until March of 2021, we decided to start a podcast.
In this session, we introduce ourselves and the show. We want you to be a part of our community and to join us on the joureny as we seek to inspire and motivate! We also will focus on various topics, such as a couple form this week:
- Why is Dale Murphy not in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
- What are NFT's? What is all the hype about?
We also spend a little time reminiscing about our childhood and some of the youth years together. We loved music. We wrote songs: Strawberry Houndog and Lucy Love Me (With a little bit of Beatles and Elvis running through our creative juices!)
We spend some time on motivation - based on Glenn Lundy's (#riseandgrind) i.e. "Build Your Own Table" !!
Strike A Chord Podcast
Mark Ellis - Collin Harbour