Penny Casselman [00:00:00]:
My friend, before I dive into the episode today, there is something extremely important that I need to share with you. The day this episode drops is 2 days after my brother's birthday. And since I know he is an avid listener, Andrew, happy birthday. I hope your official day was amazing and everything you wanted it to be. I'm wishing you armfuls of love, laughter, and red marker moments as you move forward on a new year. Thank you so much for your support, little brother. I love you to the moon and back. Welcome to the Pivot with Passion podcast.
Penny Casselman [00:00:55]:
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. When I finally chose to file for divorce in 2009, I wasn't sure what was in store for me. Fast forward to 2017 when I was diagnosed with cancer, again, not sure what was in store for me.
Penny Casselman [00:01:47]:
Unfortunately, both did end up spanning several years, but now having the gift of hindsight. In both of those instances, I grabbed a red marker and chose myself. Now please understand, my friend, I had doubts, fears even, not being able to see the other side. I liken it to walking or driving through fog. You have a general idea of where you're going, but the outline and exactly how to get there can be a little fuzzy and feel very, very scary. But I've mentioned before, I'm extremely competitive and I wasn't going to let either one of those things define who I was or restrict what I could become. My friend, I want the same thing for you. This episode is all about perspective.
Penny Casselman [00:02:49]:
I'm not going to give you a checklist or tactical things to tick off and move forward through your life. I simply want to offer ideas and examples that you can lean on as you move forward this week, this month, this year, because so many individuals have gone before and shown us that, yeah, we can do hard things. So relax, take it all in, and whatever resonates with you, tuck it in your back pocket so you can pull it out again when you really need it. Clarity cocktail. It's time for a clarity cocktail. Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. That quote is not attributed to any one person, probably because it's mostly based in fact. But I started to think it's great perspective for us when we face challenges.
Penny Casselman [00:03:59]:
Because I thought about what the caterpillar might've thought in this situation. So stick with me here. If I was a caterpillar, I would have thought, man, I'm tired, really tired. I've just been crawling, crawling, crawling. All I'm doing is crawling and eating. I'm tired. I'm gonna build myself a sleeping bag. So I wrap a little chrysalis around me, but everything hurts.
Penny Casselman [00:04:26]:
Now that I'm quiet and still inside the sleeping bag, maybe I made the bag too small. My back hurts. Oh my god. I feel like I'm going to explode that it's it's over. It's over. I this is it. I give up. Suddenly, I lose consciousness.
Penny Casselman [00:04:46]:
I have an out of body experience. Suddenly, I'm flying. I see my little sleeping bag below, but I must have died. But I don't understand because it's empty. Then my little butterfly self lands on the edge of a still pond and glimpses into the water. And suddenly I realize when I move, the image I'm looking at moves too. And holy cow is what I'm looking at gorgeous. And then it dawns on me.
Penny Casselman [00:05:18]:
I didn't die. Those pains, everything I went through, they didn't heal me. I transformed. I evolved into a new being. And gosh, darn it. Don't I have a lot to see and do and explore in this new body? I want that for you, for me, my friend, When things feel uncertain or heavy, like divorce, having a health crisis, heaven forbid, being diagnosed with cancer, losing a loved one, being downsized, remember that you always have a choice in how you respond to your circumstances. So I want you to hold on to this quote. Just when the caterpillar fought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
Penny Casselman [00:06:13]:
And know this, my friend, as someone who has absolutely felt like the caterpillar was on the brink of death, did I not emerge a stronger, more vibrant version of myself? And I want the same for you. I believe in you. And I know my friend that whatever obstacle you're facing, you're gonna fly one day, ready to take on the world. Clarity cocktail is gone. And now back to the episode. Cheers. At the beginning of the episode, I referenced the fact of having this feeling of driving or walking through fog and knowing that you're headed in the right direction in your gut, you know, you're headed in the right direction, but things are fuzzy. You're not sure when you put one foot in front of the other, is that really the right choice? And so circling back to this larger concept of life is what you make of it.
Penny Casselman [00:07:17]:
You have a gut feeling about where you want to go, and it can be scary at times. I get it. I've been downsized 3 different times, obviously, gotten divorced, had cancer, lived through a pandemic, high five. Yes, my friend. We have all experienced that struggle, that unknown, that walking through fog. At the beginning of the episode, I talked about, yeah, I had fears when I was facing these massive life changing shifts. I knew my path forward would be charted by what I did on a daily basis. In my case, Cancer chose me.
Penny Casselman [00:08:03]:
I chose divorce. So whether your circumstance chooses you or you choose your circumstance, there's something to be said for embracing the unknown, walking through the fog. But you, my friend, like me, we have a little secret tucked in our back pocket. Yeah. And that is a red marker. So holding your red marker to remind you to keep your interests first, regardless of the circumstance, choosing you or you choosing it. I really wanted this episode to be food for thought as we continue our march through this year. No pun intended.
Penny Casselman [00:08:46]:
Well, maybe Yeah. When we have birthdays. Oh, yeah. Couldn't miss another opportunity to call out my brother. Hey, Andrew. Have an amazing day. And side note, I also have a birthday coming up in May. I digress.
Penny Casselman [00:09:02]:
But when birthdays come around, we often ponder about where we are in life. And when I'm seeing more wrinkles on my face and more white silver hairs popping up all over my head, I start to feel like it's too late to start something new or explore a new way of doing anything. Should you find yourself ever having that thought, whether it is you're too old or perhaps too far down career path, too far into a relationship, too far beyond the opportunity. I want you to lean on that butterfly quote. And here are a few more examples of people who, if you could ask them, I'm quite certain, weren't sure of their future success, but they kept going because they had picked up a red marker and chose to make their life what they wanted it to be. So first is Melissa McCartney. Her big breakout role was in the movie Bridesmaids. She was 41.
Penny Casselman [00:10:17]:
Kathy Bates, her huge breakout role was in misery. She was 43. Leslie Jones, comedian, who you may remember from Saturday night live, was 47 when she got that break. Ray Kroc, you know, you might remember the golden arches. He was 59 when he bought his very first burger joint. Jamie Lee Curtis, known for oh so many roles, very prolific career, did not win an Academy Award until she was 64. And lastly, Gladys Burrell, at age 86, declared she would run her first marathon. And dang it, that woman did it at 86.
Penny Casselman [00:11:11]:
I don't even think I could complete one anytime soon, so kudos. Now I picked a lot of well known individuals because I wanted to make sure that you would easily know one of the people in that list. By all means, there are so many. This may have triggered other people that you suddenly went, oh, oh my gosh. Yes. Maybe it's a mentor of yours. Maybe it's an idol. Maybe it's someone in your family.
Penny Casselman [00:11:43]:
Heck, maybe it's you. You went back to school and got a bachelor's as a nontraditional student. But in all of these cases, all of these scenarios, life is what you make of it. These people kept persevering beyond where most people would quit because they said, I'm important, my dreams matter, and I'm not gonna stop going after them. As you move forward, my friend, the rest of this week, this month, this quarter, this year, remember, remember, life is what you make of it. And whether your circumstance chooses you or you choose your circumstance, know that when you keep yourself front and center, regardless of how much fog you are walking through, it will clear and you will find yourself on the other side. Because one day, just like that caterpillar, you'll have the perspective to look back and realize that every circumstance and struggle that you faced and overcame propelled you forward. And you can now look back to see how far you've come and get excited for what lies ahead.
Penny Casselman [00:13:07]:
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.
