Here’s what is on this week’s Podcast…

Episode 020

Have you ever considered how you take care of yourself and doing your best work?

This is an interview with Chad Allen, an editorial director of a major publisher by day and an entrepreneur by night.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• What is the Nourish and Flourish concept and where did it come from?
• How does the cycle relate to your WHY?
• Why are most of us not nourishing enough?
• What does it take to do our best work?

1. Read on for the written part of the podcast episode or….
2. Listen to the episode HERE

It’s Go Time!

Common Friends:

Jonathan Milligan -writes on productivity at www.JonathanMilligan.com and on how to go from a novice to a professional blogger at www.BloggingYourPassion.com

Mike Kim – is a personal brand expert and creator of The Pivot Course and you can find out more at www.MikeKim.com

Question One – 2:26
You’re an editorial director for a major publisher by day and an entrepreneur by night, how are you able to do both of these at such a high level?

The importance of connecting with your spouse on a consistent basis and speak to their fears as best as you can.

Question Two – 6:00
What would you say drains your energy and recharges your energy especially having to do two different roles?

Drains – MEETINGS especially back to back / lack of sleep

Family Dinner always asks: LOVE / LOW / LEARN
1. What did you LOVE about today?
2. What was your LOW today?
3. What did you LEARN today?

Question Three – 7:29
What would you say between nutrition and fitness / movement is your biggest challenge right now?

Fitness – it’s prioritizing it

He has a client who uses writing as a reward for working out to motivate him to workout.
Question Four – 8:50
You have this concept called Nourish and Flourish, where did it come from for you?

The importance of the rhythmic balance in life led to the Nourish and Flourish concept.

Question Five – 10:53
What then is the Nourish and Flourish and how does that relate to your why?

Chad Allen Why Example – I feel deeply called to help creative people do their best work

The 1st part of the Nourish Cycle is understanding your why – because when you’re tired but you know you gotta do something, getting connected with your WHY statement can get you past the roadblock.

How are we doing taking care of ourselves? – sense of mission / eating well / something fun planned / reading a really good book / praying or meditating

Question Six – 13:33
Most of us are not “nourishing enough” would you say?

“Extravagant Self-Care”

Flourish – The How – what’s my method? – have I blocked off time for my work / realistic goals with deadlines / content bucket / know your process / limit your distractions

Sometimes a little change can be so much of a difference

“Activation Trigger” – example: putting your workout clothes out the night before to help him get up and go the next morning

Question Seven – 16:29
What does it take for us to do our best work?

We can get things done even worn out but when we compare it to when we’re at our best (great night of sleep and healthy breakfast), and this will make a dramatic difference

Example: getting enough sleep equivalent to winning the lottery

We all have our “art” to give to the world

It’s too important to give anything less than our best to that effort

Progress not Perfection

Key Quote: “Your failure to take care of yourselves has real consequences for you and the people in your life you’re serving and influencing”

Question Eight – 20:34
We’re of no benefit to anyone if we don’t take care ourselves, is that correct, Chad?

Sadly, often times we have to hit that point to wake up

Hopefully you can make changes to sustain the level of creativity needed

Question Nine – 21:48
You created a resource for us, can you tell us about that?

Nourish and Flourish Self-Assessment and Nourish Action Guide – www.ChadRAllen.com/Energy

Question Ten – 23:17
Any Closing Thoughts for us today?

We’re all fellow beggars looking for bread and would love to hear any feedback from you

Treva Promo – 24:39

This is your podcast co-host, Treva Yaccino.  I would love to have a personal conversation with each and every one of you.  why? Almost everyone I talk to is struggling with common yet incredibly frustrating issues such as losing weight, loss of energy, digestive issues, and many more.

I help business professionals like you get to the core of why you are feeling so badly and get you back to feeling fantastic!  If you head over to my website www.livingtree.co share your information under contact me, we can set up a time to chat, FOR FREE! I am passionate about giving you the tools you need to become independently healthy and regain the energetic you! Ask Bryan, my co-host, he was one of my biggest challenges.  Now look at him, I cannot keep up!  Let’s get your LIVING ON!

Sleep Resource – 25.35

We believe sleep is foundational to develop an energy edge. It’s challenging enough to be productive AND creative especially when you’re tired or even exhausted.
But what if you had a quick guide to give you a jumpstart, something to point you in the right direction?
That’s the exact reason for the sleep guide called Sleep Your Way to the Top: 10 Secrets to getting Better Sleep.

Download the free sleep guide here:
www.EnergyEdgePodcast.com
(resource found at the bottom of the home page)

Interview Breakdown – 26:12

Downtime Episode Reference – www.EnergyEdgePodcast.com/017

What Nows – 31:12
1. Download the self assessment action guide – www.ChadRAllen.com/Energy
2. Revisit or create your WHY statement

Next Episode Preview – 31:55

Personal Development Plan

Rate & Review Shout Out – 32:27

Jen at business Verizon Wireless

Please Give a Rate & Review by Clicking HERE

Credits
Audio Editing and Production by Caleb Suwanski
Music by Kiernan McMullan – – “Can’t Sit Still” from the album Common Sense

Change. It’s something we desperately want the results but often not willing to pay the price to achieve it. Why?

It’s just flat out hard.

Change messes with your schedule and your comfort. It gets personal.

This post isn’t about how long it takes for a habit to form. It’s about the very distinct phases everyone faces when experiencing the battle to change.

I’ve seen time and time again working with clients that they each experience three unique phases in the battle to change.

Recently, I read an excellent book called Organize Tomorrow Today by Dr. Jason Selk and Tom Bartow. They put specific language to this battle to change and I want to give full credit to the source of the concept.

“The mere act of recognizing the phases when you see them and calling them out to yourself is a huge positive step, and it will provide a major boost in energy” according to the authors of Organize Tomorrow Today.

Here are the Three Phases in the Battle to Change:

1. The Honeymoon

There’s excitement often when you decide to make a positive change. You have a “triggering event” that serves as a catalyst for this new activity.

You’re thoughts are on the new end result and the first few days it may even feel easy. It’s still new and fun.

The newness and the dreams of “what could be” are so fresh and drive our behavior. For awhile.

But all honeymoons eventually come to an end and the reality of the change is the new normal.

 

2. The Fight-Thru

This is when the attitude changes from “I can do this” to “This is harder than I thought”.

The key now is winning these Fight-Thru battles to get to the third phase. But how?

The authors offered three techniques:

Ritualize – the less you leave to chance the better your chances are for succeeding in your new change. Ritualize the new habit by chiseling it on purpose at the same time every day as much as possible. Attach it to another already establish habit. When you do this, you’re taking the thinking out of doing it.

Recognize – this means you know “the resistance” as Steven Pressfield puts it, is coming and now here. Learn to say, “I’ve entered The Fight-Thru” and know it’s game time. This is no surprise and you’re ready to take it on.

Ask Two Questions – learning to ask these two questions will leverage the emotions you’re feeling entering The Fight-Thru: “How will I feel if I win this Fight-Thru?” The second question is “How will I feel if I lose this fight-thru?”

“Greatness is predicated on consistently doing things overs can’t or won’t do. Simply put, success is not about being brilliant. It is about being consistent”, the authors quoted.

Remember, overtime when you win a Fight-Thru, the next one gets easier to win. And the next one.

 

3. Second Nature

After you’ve won a series of Fight-Thrus (big and small), you’ll start to enter the “getting into the grove” phase that feels so good.

Your new habit has become part of your new routine and you’re seeing the results. That’s it, right? I got this now.

But there are three traps that can snatch you in a moment and take you down:

The Discouragement Monster – It can be incredibly discouraging when you put in the work to change and the results are, well, disappointing. You’ve stuck with this new habit to change and it’s easy to begin to think, “Why do I even bother? Nothing’s really changing anyway.” This monster is dangerous because it sucks the willingness to keep going. Just like in sports, scoring often comes in spurts and similar in life change

Disruption – something is bound to happen such as an injury, holidays, illness, or anything that gets us out of our normal routine. They can put a dent and knock us back from our forward motion and momentum. When this happens, we need to go right back to the Fight-Thru stage.

Seduction of Success – you’ve successfully gone through each of the phases and now it’s easy to think, “This is easy and I can coast now. I don’t have to work as hard as it took to get to this point.”

 

Conclusion

For those who are willing to do the hard work of change and fight the battle necessary for results, understanding and embracing these three phases of the battle of change could be a game changer for you.

Enjoy the Honeymoon but know the Fight-Thru is coming for you. Push for Second Nature but be prepared for its traps.

In the words of Dave Ramsey, “Live like no one else so later, you can live like no else.”

Change is worth it in the long run but to get there you need to battle it with eyes wide open so you can say, “Bring It On.”

 

 

The average motivated professional has every intention of having a good day but yet something goes horribly wrong by the end of the day.

And then the next day. Why does this keep happening? (Of course to everyone else, not you, right?!)

I’ve learned through the years the following statement:

Many people start tired and end drained.

So… the best case is to start tired and hope to be happy at the results of the day? Holy Bad Math, Batman!

There just has to be a better way.

My discovery of this cycle was only after going a mere 100 mph ALL the time for decades as a Type A, high performer. It was only after my body completely crashed with Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome that I learned the power in these three key areas that can dramatically change not only your happiness at the end of the day but your productivity and effectiveness.

The reality is we’re unhappy at the end of the day because we’re tired, maybe even exhausted and not done our best work.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here is how to live in the Energy Cycle:

1. REST

This is the area we STOP FOR NOW.

Just the word sends chills up the spine of a high performer. How can I get everything done AND rest?

Here are the three focus elements:

• Sleep – Our bodies are designed to leverage sleep in ways we either don’t realize or prioritize. This is the time where our bodies rest and our minds re-charge.  There are SO many ways to enhance the quality of our sleep if we learn to make sleep a priority. Once we value sleep as restorative, it’s an amazing resource of rest that will recharge us in exponential ways.

• Breaks – It’s amazing what just 10-15 minutes of unplugging from work can do to re-engage for another round! Or for some, just not doing Desktop Dining would be a huge improvement. But few people utilize this short productivity boost that a break that shuts the mind down and gets the body moving.

• Downtime – Most performers say, can you spell downtime for me? Never heard of it. The reality is we need small and large blocks of time to do nothing that requires work or thinking. Most don’t take it but those who do often find their creativity comes to them the most during these times. Our body and minds need this downtime to slow down and catch up with our pace.

Remember, the goal is to change the reality that…

2. REFUEL

This is the area we PUT BACK IN.

We know we need to do something for energy but somehow rarely leverage the power in a proper refueling. We willingly choose to put in cheap gas, avoid maintenance, and request a quick and low cost repair on the high performance car called our body. Not cool, man. A proper refuel has these three key elements:

• Nutrition – We eat every single day, which means we have numerous opportunities to refuel our bodies with the right foods that will give us the energy to perform at a high level. For too many of us, we consume processed foods to being over-caffeinated and we don’t even give our bodies a chance. But it’s amazing how quickly your body will respond to putting the right type of food at the right time into the tank.

• Fitness – Movement and activity are usually the first things to go when you get busy. Yet our bodies are meant to move far more than we allow them to on any given day. Do you remember back to the last time you were in great shape? I mean you felt and looked good! You had SO much energy and felt like you could conquer the world. This is anything from standing more, walking, or running to going to the gym or a workout program (i.e.: P90X3 or Insanity Max: 30)

• Personal Development – refueling the mind is vital to growing. We must be constantly learning and the best way is with a plan. Creating a Personal Development Plan (PDP) is a pre-determined system that is implemented into the rhythm of your life to maximize learning times with pre-planned content. You don’t leave your learning to chance.

 

3. RE-ENGAGE

This is the area we GO BACK OUT.

Everyday we wake up; we have a chance to start all over again. When we implement the proper elements of REST and REFUEL, we regain our health edge to exponentially increase our professional and personal effectiveness. This happens in three ways:

• Plan – What gets scheduled, gets done. For something to change, something needs to change in our schedule. This is where planning comes into the picture. It’s scheduling the important elements of REST and REFUEL so we guarantee they happen and not left to chance. This small investment of time produces the results we long to have to make our lives in the areas that matter most. Plan for the best case but ready for the worse case.

• Implement – Planning gives us the best shot to make it happen but is useless without implementation. We must execute once we’re prepared. And our day offers numerous opportunities to implement the plan. This is the fun part of the process because if you’re truly ready, you’re going to see results. And with The Energy Project coaching program and future online course, you’ll get there faster and more effectively.

• Evaluate – Everything will not always go as planned with implementing. Imagine that. But taking the time to evaluate what worked, what didn’t and why will take your changes to another level. It’s critical we’re completely aware of our energy so we can continually make the necessary changes to reach our highest level of effectiveness. They key is adjusting until it provides you with the energy edge you need to perform at an optimal level.

Here is The Energy Cycle Visually

 

Conclusion

I’ve yet to meet a high performer who does not want to end the day not happy. Every single one wants to have made a difference both professionally and personally.

By learning to redesign the rhythms of your life with the cycle of REST, REFUEL, and RE-ENGAGE, you will reach a level of happiness and true fulfillment you’ve may not experienced in a long time or ever.

But it’s possible.

There is an epidemic that overtakes every single person. It’s no respecter of persons.

Age, gender, race, and nationality is subject to this issue.

And it shows up almost always when you’re making progress.

It’s called OOTRO but most people don’t recognize it by its acronym. They know it by these five words:

Out
Of
The
Routine
Of

We’re a society of routines. We do something and the next thing you know it’s the the way we do it all the time now. It’s how we live our lives.

But how many positive things have you been doing in your life that you somehow find yourself “out of the routine of…”?

For me personally, I can easily have an on again and off again love affair with two specific things: eating healthy and workouts. I can go strong for long stretches and the next thing you know…

Here Are Four Realities About OOTRO

1. Realize How Easy It Is to Get OOTRO

You don’t have to pay for it, know anyone special, or even do anything at all to be infected with OOTRO.

The reality is just as easy as it is to get INTO every routine, it’s just as easy if not even easier to get OUT of the same routine. It’s part of life:

• You get sick
• You’re traveling
• You get injured
• There’s a holiday
• Work gets busier

Something in your “normal” routine changes, and the next thing you know, you’re… OOTRO.

It just naturally happens and SO easy.

 

2. Realize OOTRO Is Incredibly Subtle

OOTRO is like a cold. It slowly sneaks up on you and the next thing you know you have it.

You look back and realized, “huh, I haven’t done X in a few days…”

My wife had the stomach flu last week and suddenly my routines were subtly affected. Days went by and I was OOTRO. It wasn’t intentional. Life showed up.

It’s not an intentional decision, boycott, or rebellion, it sneaks its way in.

We think missing “just this one day” won’t matter that much.

Then you miss another day.

And the next you know, you’re… OOTRO.

 

3. Realize OOTRO Is Simply Overpowering

Oh you can fight it but it’s like kryptonite. It knows your weakness and will take you down.

Once OOTRO has you, it has amazing power that is far stronger than you think.

Not sure? Try breaking OOTRO when you’ve been WAY out of the routine of something.

• It’s been a few weeks since you’ve ran or worked out
• You were eating healthy 10 + pounds ago (trying to go light on you)
• You used to read in the morning or before bed

You need to respect the incredible power of OOTRO.

 

4. Realize OOTRO MUST Be Battled

Once you have OOTRO it’s not like it will naturally go away. In fact it will take residency and not leave until it’s kicked out.

Most it becomes their excuse, they’re mantra. “I used to… but…”

Not you if you’re a high performer. You must battle OOTRO with all your might.

The longer you settle for OOTRO, the harder it will be to overcome.

It must end. Right now. Not another day must pass that you’re OOTRO.

 

The ONE Remedy for OOTRO…

There is only one remedy for OOTRO. It looks and sounds very similar but could not be more the opposite with the change of two simple but intentional words:

Back
In
The
Routine
Of

Love me some BITRO.

This is the game changer that is the remedy for every kind of OOTRO.

But BITRO requires something of you: ACTION.

Something must change for BITRO to work and I don’t mean your excuses.

 

Two Key Questions To Beat OOTRO…

1. What are you OOTRO?

Chances are you’ve been thinking of a number of things as you’ve read this post and those are your OOTRO.

Here are just a few examples:

• Certain bedtime
• Eating healthy
• Going for a walk
• Taking a break within your work day (move the body / rest the mind)
• Working out
• Reading
• Listening to a podcast
• Writing

The list is endless but the point is not. List your key OOTRO activities and then answer question two:

2. What is the very 1st step to get you BITRO (back in the routine of) on your list?

You don’t need a massive reboot and a complete overhaul of the plan.

“If you want to do something you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” – Jim Rohn

What you do need is a step in the direction that gets you back in the routine.

• Plan your evening so you’re in bed at 10pm
• Make the healthiest choice on your next meal
• Schedule a 15 minute break immediately
• Locate your book and the place you left off
• Get your workout clothes out and in sight
• Find a pen / paper or open a writing program along with an idea
• Look through your podcast and choose one

 

In the End…

Most of the battle is realizing OOTRO is real, it’s subtle, overpowering and must be defeated daily. It’s not a one time victory.

But you can do this now that you’re aware of OOTRO and it’s defeater, BITRO.

So, it’s Go Time and on you now.

What are you “out of the routine of” right now? And what is the very 1st step to get you “back in the routine of…”