EP 08: Nov 22, 2023
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Welcome to the Pivot with Passion podcast. Hi, I'm Penny Casselman. I believe everyone is deserving of a phenomenal life. And that life starts when you grab a red marker and claim what you truly desire. Regardless of where you came from, where you're at, or where you think you're headed, life is what you make of it.
And when you learn to pivot with passion, your world expands. Explodes with opportunities. Go grab your favorite beverage and let's shake things up as we explore how to pivot with passion.
Hello, my friend and welcome whether you are a first time listener or have been with me for awhile. Thank you so much for joining me this week.
Tomorrow here in the United States. It's Thanksgiving. Usually a day where we all sit around. Eat way too much food. And then slip into a food coma sometime that afternoon.
But in keeping with that theme of Thanksgiving. I wanted to kick off the episode, showing some gratitude and thankfulness. For those of you who have left a review on apple podcast.
This one comes from FrugaLori. Penny's enthusiasm. I like to call it Pen-thusiasm radiates through her voice. She draws you in and her masterful storytelling will keep you hooked. She has such a thirst for fulfillment and adventure. And just listening to her, speak about her journey toward fulfilling her life with more of what lights her up.
will get you inspired to do the same. Aw. Thank you so very much FrugaLori. I so appreciate that review.
Then here's one from PolyTiki. It reads. Love hearing Penny's perspective on finding inspiration and not getting stagnant. As a survivor of breast cancer and corporate America, her real perspective is awesome. I'm picking up my red marker. Yay. I absolutely love PolyTiki. That you have grabbed your red marker. And are getting ready to pivot with passion. So once again, my friend in this season of Thanksgiving,
I want to say thank you so much. For taking time out of your day to spend it with me.
the first time I was introduced to the quote, thankful relay. I was not with my family. And this is something I certainly did not do growing up. But. At the Thanksgiving celebration I was at before we all dove into the food.
We stood in a circle.
in the dining room. And the host started the relay by saying, we're going to go around and everyone's going to take a moment and say what they're thankful for.
my heart started beating and my palms started to get sweaty. Because I was. Frantically thinking of what was I going to say
And every time I came up with something perfect to say, Somebody else blurted it out before it got to my turn. I was freaking out.
You see, we were all going for the easy, low hanging fruit with what we would say. I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for friends. I'm thankful for delicious food. You know, you get it, the easy things, the good things
But. Now that I've done that quote. Thankful relay numerous times throughout my life. I
started to really understand. And embrace that you can also be thankful for things that seemed. Awful. In the moment.
my challenge to you.
Is to find some good. Beyond the easy superficial things.
That get thrown around when you have a quote, thankful relay. today I'll share with you some food for thought. Something you can chew on over this holiday and Thanksgiving season.
And help you find a new slice of thankful from your year thus far.
And yes, you can be thankful that I'll stop with the puns. But. I know if you're anything like me, the holidays can completely throw curve balls. And I know I'm often having to navigate unexpected challenges. Things like, wait, I thought you were bringing the pie or what?. I'm here an hour early or. wait.
We were supposed to bring a gift? Yeah. There are so many times. Where. Our expectations. And reality don't quite meet up. It's in those moments where we can so benefit. From.
finding thankfulness.
When things go wrong.
It's time for a clarity cocktail.
Two months ago, I was invited to join a six week personal development group.
And it wasall about exploring. How we view the world, how we can help ourselves to be. Better humans, especially when we encountered. Resistance or. Conflict.
And it was such an eye opening journey for me.
today I want to share a parable that was used.
During our time together.
I had never heard it before. I have to say it's one of my favorites. I have almost committed it to memory. But I'm going to read you the story because it's so beautifully ties in to the topic of today. with that.
I present the story of the stallion and the farmer.
An old farmer lives on his farm with his teenage son. He also has a beautiful stallion that he lovingly cares for. The farmer enters his stallion into the annual county fair competition. And his stallion wins first prize. The farmers neighbors gathered to congratulate him on this great win. He calmly says, who knows what is good and what is bad? Puzzled by his reaction, the neighbors go away. The next week, some thieves who heard about the stallions win. And therefore increased value steal the horse. When the neighbors come to commiserate with the farmer, they find him again, very calm and gathered. He says, who knows what is good and what is bad? Several days later, the spirited stallion escapes from the thieves. And finds his way back to the farm. Bringing with him a few wild mares.
He befriended along the way.
To his neighbors excited rounds of congratulations. The old farmer, once again, says, who knows what is good? And what is bad. A few weeks later, the farmer's son is thrown off of one of these new mares. As he tries to break it in. And he fractures his leg. As the neighbors gathered to commiserate with the old farmer.
Once again, he reminds them who knows what is good and what is bad.
The following week, the Imperial army marches through the village gathering all eligible young men. For the war that has just broken out. The old farmer's son is spared due to his fractured leg. The neighbors no longer bother to come to the old farmer to congratulate him by now. They know what his response will be. Who knows what is good. And what is bad.
My friend. I hope you enjoyed that beautiful story and how it ties into being thankful for everything that we are given. And that we encounter.
imagine the next time you encounter a disappointment. Or a setback. I want you to just take a pause. Shake up your perspective and lean on this story. And I know. There are plenty of times where when you are in the thick. Of.
Disappointment. Or an interaction or an outcome.
You cannot embrace this story.
I know when the doctor confirmed my cancer diagnosis, there is no way. I could lean on this story and see the gift that was.
Given to me. In having cancer. Now that I am five years out. I am able to put things in perspective and realize.
The numerous. Gifts the numerous. Is it good? Is it bad? Who knows? Moments that I can take away from that. For instance. I wrote a book about it. I never in my wildest dreams. Thought I would ever write a book. And I did.
I also. Was kind of the Canary in the coal mine for my entire family. Because through my cancer diagnosis, I found out I was a BRCA2.
Carrier. And for those of you that don't understand what that is. It simply means I inherited a malfunctioning gene.
That predisposes me to. Numerous types of cancer. No one knew that before I had it.
I get that when you're in the thick of things. It's not possible to find the gift. But
I hope during this time of Thanksgiving. And as we head into the holidays, when stressors can run high. I hope that you're able to pause and reflect so that you can move forward. With optimism.
That's some of the difficult. Interactions. Disappointing outcomes that you have experienced, whether it was in the last 60 days, the last six months, six years. That you will be able.
To find the gift.
In what you went through.
And now, back to the episode. Cheers.
Circling back to finding a slice of goodness.
Yeah, I did it again. Funny girl. Finding a slice of something. Good. One of the biggest obstacles I've had to overcome over the years is tying my happiness or gratitude. Or thankfulness. To someone else or to a circumstance.
I can only speak for myself in these instances, but holidays are especially difficult for me.
For numerous reasons. But I've gotten much. Better. At adapting. And being thankful. For the things that I do have. Because the old me would be thinking if only that person would apologize. Or. I would lament why me? Which really just left me feeling disappointed and sad. And in turn, I wasn't able to be present in the moment. With people who did lift me up. And who were supportive and sparking joy. During this holiday time.
And honestly, it's no wonder I found it so difficult because think of all those hallmark movies that we are bombarded with every holiday season.
Everything works out. Everyone apologizes. Nobody's left lamenting at the end. And it seemingly turns out.
Perfect. So. Having that input and trying to match it with our reality. Can really cause some havoc. I know it did for me. And maybe it does the same for you. But. I challenge you to, again. Lean on that stallion and farmer story.
That has been so instrumental just in the past few months.
For me. To embrace that every hardship I have endured over the past. two holiday seasons.
I'm now able To say that they gave me a gift.
It's difficult. Don't get me wrong.
But I'm growing. And I'm learning through this whole process.
Sometimes you will not be able to embrace. The gift. In a challenge. I know for me. When the doctor confirmed. That I had cancer. It sucked. There was no. Penny's finding the good in what she's going through. No, it was just kind of survival. At that point.
But now on the other side, I can see the gifts.
Here's what I want you to know. There are gifts. In everything. That you go through. I want you to feel empowered. To take a pause. And choose to view a past interaction or circumstance. And find the gift.
Because then you can get excited. About using that gift. To enjoy what you have,
And propel yourself. Into a beautiful new year ahead.
If you are a listener in the United States.
Have a delicious Thanksgiving.
I hope you are able to find pockets of time. To enjoy family or friends, food. Good movies, good sporting events. And cherish this little slice of downtime. Before the full on. Christmas crush comes.
And for those of you outside of the United States, Know, that I am
Eternally grateful for you. Take care.
Friend, thanks for listening to this episode of Pivot with Passion. If you've been feeling stuck, exhausted, or frustrated, this is your permission slip to go grab a red marker and claim the life you desire and deserve. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, and then hop over to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts.
Because my goal is to put a red marker in everyone's hand and I need your help to spread the word and make that happen. Until the next episode, go grab a red marker, get excited for your future, and make your first move to pivot with passion.
