Penny Casselman [00:00:00]:
Seriously, I just hit record, and the minute I did that, my neighbor's car alarm starts going off. I think this is the universe's way of testing me, and I really, really, really want to do this.
Penny Casselman [00:00:23]:
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 explodes with opportunities. Go grab your favorite beverage, and let's shake things up as we explore how to pivot with passion.
Penny Casselman [00:01:02]:
I am ready and raring to go. Today, there are a few things I am super excited to share with you, and one of them makes me a little nervous. I know. Right? Weird. Okay. But it's not the first thing. The first thing I wanna share is that I actually have a shop page on my website now. Yes, my friend.
Penny Casselman [00:01:27]:
If you go to penniecastleman.com forward slash shop, you will be able to buy 1 of 5 things. You can buy a red marker of your own. I know. Your mind may have just exploded. Smoke might be coming out of your ears. I'm not sure, but I'm super excited for these little guys to get out into the world. And if you want your own, hop over, grab them. My fingers crossed they're gonna start flying off the shelves.
Penny Casselman [00:02:04]:
The second thing you can buy is a copy of my book. And if you didn't know, yes, I wrote a book. It's a memoir. It is called How to Get a Free Boob Job. Yes. I definitely have a sense of humor when it comes to and going through my cancer journey, and you can get one of 3 different versions. You can get a hardback. You can get a paperback, and then you can also get an ebook.
Penny Casselman [00:02:31]:
All 3 are priced differently. You can check them out. Again, penniekastman.comforward/shop. And the last thing you can purchase is if you already own one of my books and you are desperate own one of my books and you are desperate to get your hands on my signature inside your book, but maybe you live outside of the Cleveland area and don't have plans to get here anytime soon. You can order what's called a bookplate, and these are stickers that I sign as the author that you can then adhere to the inside of your book. I know. What will they think of next? It's so cool. I would love to have you go check out my shop.
Penny Casselman [00:03:16]:
If anything calls to you, fantastic. Snap it up. If not, I envision additional items being added as I move forward in this podcast and in my business. So that was update number 1. Update number 2, and this is the one that gives me a little anxiety, little nerves, is I am going to start posting all of my podcasts on YouTube. Yes, my friend. In addition to having me in your ears, if you are someone who would rather watch me deliver my weekly talks, you will now be able to do that in the comfort of your own home or in the car or at the library or your coffee shop. It'll be like I'm right there with you.
Penny Casselman [00:04:10]:
Having said that, this episode will not be available on YouTube until next week because I made the choice to start incorporating this only yesterday and realized, oh, there are a few editing things to make that option happen, which if you're curious, I'm recording this on Tuesday, and the podcast drops tomorrow. Not gonna have time to get to it. But once I get this one under my belt, every other one will drop on time, and then you can choose how you like to consume our little weekly talks. Okay. So that is what I've got for you in terms of housekeeping and updates. So let's dive in, shall we? So today, I wanna talk about nothing is done alone, and you always have a choice to move beyond your current situation, whatever that is. Maybe you're struggling with something at work. You're struggling with something at home.
Penny Casselman [00:05:12]:
You want to build dog house outside. You want to go back to school. Whatever it is that you are attempting to do, don't ever think that it is done alone, and I want you to stop thinking that right now. Right now. I want you to start reframing, how can I ask for help, not how can I do it alone? And why is this important? Well, there's almost nothing in this world that has not been done by someone before you. Having said that, I'm not saying when Henry Ford built the Model t. Clearly, that was a brand new innovation, but people had gone before him in terms of laying the foundation to get him to where he was going is the same is true for everything that we are trying to move forward and accomplish. So know that others have gone before you and have some pretty darn good ideas on how you can be more efficient, more effective, and have a more meaningful path forward to achieve whatever it is you want.
Penny Casselman [00:06:29]:
Because what if instead of wallowing in despair, you took the 1st step forward in realizing your dream or realizing the outcome that you've envisioned? What does that feel like? Yeah. We're diving into that today. It's time for a clarity cocktail. I have an amazing friend who happens to own a vintage store in Cleveland's Little Italy. Shout out to Alisa. And she has such amazing little treasures. It's always such a fun adventure to go in there and see what you can find. But one of the things that she has is at the register, there are these 2 long drawers filled with quotes.
Penny Casselman [00:07:28]:
And so I was in the other day and I pulled a few of them out, just letting my fingers, like, go through the Rolodex, pull one out, knowing that at some point this year, I would use them as my Clarity cocktail. And today is one of those days, and I'm super excited to share. The quote comes from Helen Keller. Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them, but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight. And the reason I found this so appropriate for the episode today is I'm sure over the course of your life, you have heard the concepts behind people addicted to drugs or people being alcoholics that the first thing that they have to do is admit that they have a problem. Because until that happens, no amount of giving them books or yelling at them or inviting them to go to therapy is going to help if the person who needs it most doesn't believe they have a problem. And so I liken this to nothing is done alone for us.
Penny Casselman [00:08:43]:
If we are stuck in the mentality of doing something alone, first of all, that's very it can be very isolating if you think you have to do something alone. We have all been isolated enough when it came to COVID. Let's not suddenly self impose that on ourselves when we're going after our dreams. We are social beings and nothing is more important coming together. And when you're going after something, yeah, you might have deficiencies. It's like Helen Keller calls out, but don't let them master you. Just like an alcoholic or a drug addict, you can acknowledge the deficiencies say that 3 times fast. The deficiencies that you have, acknowledge that you have them.
Penny Casselman [00:09:36]:
Let them be your teachers, patience, sweetness, insight, and then ask for help because asking for help will only get you over the hurdle of the deficiencies of things that you're struggling with. That's where your power of choice comes in, and you always have a choice, my friend. You can choose to stay in that space of frustration, of not knowing, of not being a 100% sure what the next step is for you, or you can choose to see the gift and the opportunity that you have before you and ask for help to move you beyond where you are. So I'll leave you with Helen Keller's quote once again. Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them, but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight. And now back to the episode. Cheers.
Penny Casselman [00:10:39]:
So circling back to nothing is done alone, I want you to start taking action, linking arms with others because I don't want you spinning in despair or confusion or, heaven forbid, the dreaded. It's fine. Really. It's fine. I'll do it by myself. It's fine. It's, yeah, totally fine. So I want you to ask yourself in any area of your life where you are thinking you have to do it alone, you are struggling in moving something forward, whether it's your personal life, your financial life, your family, relationship life, I want you to ask yourself, who in my network could support me? Who is that person that could help shed some light on what I'm going through? Now you might be thinking, Penny, great question, but I don't know anybody.
Penny Casselman [00:11:39]:
I don't know anybody who could help me with x, y, and z. K? I'm totally gonna call your bluff because even if you don't personally know someone, I guarantee someone in your orbit could most likely put you in touch with a resource, whether that be a link, a book, a person, a connection, someone in your orbit can help you do that. And if you seriously cannot think of anyone who could support you, reach out to your bestie, because I guarantee between the 2 of you, you'll be able to brainstorm something. Then you might say, well, I really don't wanna bother them. I don't wanna bother them. I don't like asking for help. I'm gonna look stupid. Okay.
Penny Casselman [00:12:26]:
Calling your bluff again because here's some thoughts. The first thing is you probably said, I don't wanna bother them. My friend, think about the last time someone asked you for help. Right? What was your first reaction? You were probably flattered. You're like, woah. This person, they must think I know what I'm doing. They must believe that I can help them. That's awesome.
Penny Casselman [00:12:53]:
Second, whoever you ask probably would love to help you rather than do anything else that's on their plate. So just think about the last time someone asked you for help. How did you feel? Flattered, honored, excited? They're gonna feel the same way, the exact same way you did because let's be honest, we're all pretty self absorbed. We think other people are thinking about us. They're not. They're thinking about themselves. So there you go. Then let's address, I don't like asking for help.
Penny Casselman [00:13:30]:
Okay. So my question is how is that working out? How is not asking for help moving any of your goals, dreams, actions, projects, how is that going? Are they getting done? Are you accomplishing them at the rate you would like? No? Okay. Then maybe we've stumbled on to something here. And the 3rd, you might think you look stupid. Again, going back to the whole self absorbed, nobody thinks you look stupid. That's you putting your thoughts on someone else. So let's think about it. When you were in school and you took tests, yes, tests were taken on an individual basis.
Penny Casselman [00:14:15]:
However, in studying for those tests, let's think about it, you were in a room full of other people being taught by a teacher. You didn't discover the addition principle pull by yourself. No. You got help. A teacher helped you with that. Maybe in spelling, when you went home, your parents or guardian quizzed you. Right? Although you take the spelling tests on your own, you certainly prepare for them with the help of others. Your teacher, somebody at home, maybe a classmate.
Penny Casselman [00:14:52]:
And you might be thinking, well, Penny, yeah. Okay. School's way behind me. Touche, my friend, and so let's think about being an adult. When you go for a job interview, yes, that job interview is a solo endeavor. It's you and someone else having a discussion. However, in preparing for that opportunity, somehow, I believe you asked for help. It may not have been role playing an interview, but I bet you asked someone to read your resume, or you ask someone to write you a letter of recommendation, or you ask someone to be a reference.
Penny Casselman [00:15:34]:
That is all asking for help in order to help you secure a new job. See? Asking for help is found everywhere in our lives, So we need to take the stigma away from all of it because the quicker you embrace the idea of help, of not doing things alone. The faster you get to pivot with passion and claim the life that you've secretly desired but never thought you could have. And, my friend, if something is really important to you, you will find a way to make it happen. And I am telling you one of the best secret weapons you can call on is asking for help. And a very close second is a red marker because, let's be honest, red marker's really fun, and it's symbolic, and it holds your attention. It keeps you focused. The same thing can be said for asking for help.
Penny Casselman [00:16:43]:
Bottom line, most people in the world are happy to help because to them, it's more a reflection of what they are going to do than you. They will cheer you on because what you end up accomplishing might be because of something they offered you when you ask them for help. Now here's the secret to asking for help, and that is doing it the right way. I will share with you how that sounds different. So you can go up and say, here's my scenario, friend. What should I do? The other way is, here's the scenario, my friend. What would you do if you were me? That second question has so much more gold in it than the first because, my friend, no one can tell you what you should do. That's up to you.
Penny Casselman [00:17:45]:
You have experiences that no one else in this world has. You have insights. You are a perfect little star among all of us that shines differently than everyone else, and no one can tell you what to do. But if you ask someone what would they do if they were you, they can share using their insights, their knowledge, what they would do. And here's the beautiful thing. You get to pick and choose what resonates most with you. That is where the gold happens is when you lay out your scenario and ask someone, what would you do if you were me? And then just listen and take interest and know that some things will resonate, some things won't resonate, and some things might require way more effort than you thought was going to be necessary. However, just getting that knowledge instead of figuring out on your own, whoo, you have one hell of a phenomenal life ahead of you if you start harnessing this idea of asking for help.
Penny Casselman [00:19:03]:
My friend, thank you so much for sticking with me to the end of this episode. I'm excited to launch this new arm of the podcast that you'll be able to view on YouTube, and I cannot wait to circle back next week and jump in so we can continue to explore my favorite red marker moments and how you can pivot with passion and make this year better than any other.
Penny Casselman [00:19:38]:
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 Podcast 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 1st move to pivot with passion.
