Penny Casselman [00:00:08]:
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. Hello, my friend, and welcome to another episode.
Penny Casselman [00:00:50]:
I'm so thrilled to be here with you, and I I cannot tell you. When this podcast drops, it will be 2 days after the eclipse, and I have to tell you, I'm very fortunate that Cleveland, which is where I reside, was in the path of totality. And if you don't know what that is, it simply means that in this area, we got to see a complete eclipse, meaning the moon passed in front of the sun 100% of the circumference. And let me tell you, I am recording this hours after watching the event. It was spectacular. It was jaw dropping. And what I realized is when you see pictures of an eclipse, they're pretty incredible. The pictures are like, wow.
Penny Casselman [00:01:48]:
Oh my gosh. But what makes it even more enthralling is when you are actually sitting in the moment watching it occur. Because it's in that moment that you get to see the culmination of it starting and hitting the eclipse and then passing by. And I suppose that's kind of like things in life, right? Sometimes you see glimpses of people's magnificence not realizing what it took to get them to where they were and pass it on to where they were going. So it just a lot of awe. I guess that's the bottom line is today I was in stilled with so much awe and realizing really how small we are on this earth that to witness this event, that there are huge celestial bodies in motion at all times that we might take for granted. So there you have it. If you ever get a chance to see an eclipse in the path of totality, which means you get the 100% view.
Penny Casselman [00:03:09]:
Find it, do it, and soak it all in because I will tell you it was magical. I will now get off my Eclipse soapbox because that is not at all what I wanted to talk to you about today on the episode. But I just needed to share share my experience with you because it was really profound and illuminating and gorgeous, just gorgeous. Okay. I have said enough. So let me ask you this. Do you remember what you had for lunch 3 months ago? I'll give you just a minute. No? Yeah.
Penny Casselman [00:03:48]:
Okay. Me either, which is good. So I was thinking, I was reviewing all of the topics that I have covered thus far on the Pivot with Passion podcast, and I know that I talk a lot about grabbing a red marker, claiming your moment, moving forward, being able to pivot with passion. But recently, I delivered from start to finish. I'm very proud of myself. My keynote talk. And in that talk, which is 45 minutes long, I go into depth about really what comprises a red marker moment. And it dawned on me, I'm not sure I have ever shared with you the 3 core tenants of a red marker moment.
Penny Casselman [00:04:39]:
And so I wanted to use this episode today to give you a glimpse into where this idea came from, what the core principles are that comprise a red marker moment. Because I want you to stop feeling stuck, feeling frustrated, feeling burnt out. I want you to start feeling excited for your future, excited about what lies ahead. And as I go through what comprises a red marker moment, if you can recognize where you're at today, it allows you to, yes, pick up that red marker, move forward and pivot with passion because you deserve a phenomenal life. I want you to step into the life that you deserve. I want you, whether it was tomorrow, next week, next month, I want you to have that hope. I want you to stand tall and know that you deserve and can claim a red marker moment. So stick with me, and we'll dive into that right after this.
Penny Casselman [00:06:05]:
It's time for a clarity cocktail. Let me start off by saying that this might be the first time that I am delivering the clarity cocktail with a drink in hand. My drink is not a classic cocktail. It It is actually a glass of chardonnay. When it starts to become warmer out, and today was a perfect example of that, I like white wine, preferably a Chardonnay. Unoaked. Sometimes the oakiness just gets to me. Okay.
Penny Casselman [00:06:37]:
So here is the thought today for the clarity cocktail. Just do it, Nike. That's it, my friend. This is top of mind for me because this past week, I had the great fortune of attending a 2 day seminar workshop event. I don't quite know exactly what I would call it, but it was 4 hours each day for 2 days. And there were speakers that came to talk to the group of us. There were exercises for us to do. There were reflections.
Penny Casselman [00:07:11]:
And one of the biggest things that I walked away with, finally, was the idea of just do it. Not only did I walk away with the confidence that I could just do it, I also walked away with the insight that I don't care. Now, at first blush, me saying I don't care might seem a little harsh. But herein lies the truth. In order for anyone, myself, you to be successful, you have to not care about what other people think of you because the minute you start making decisions based on what other people think, you give your power away to someone else. Because instead of being true to yourself, staying focused on what you know you want to accomplish or what you know you are here to do, the minute you give that away to someone else, you will never reach your goal or accomplish what it is you set out to. And that's why I love the tagline for Nike, just do it. Because in truth, when I think about all the times that I had given my power away because I was worried about what someone else thought or what other people would think.
Penny Casselman [00:08:41]:
If I had just done it, just do it, a couple of things would have happened. I could have failed, and that's okay because I would have learned. I would have learned what not to do going forward and made adjustments. I also could have surprised myself and had a far better outcome than I could have ever imagined. And the third thing is recognizing I didn't die and no one got hurt. If those two things can stay true when you just do it, then you are already winning. I would say whatever it was was a success, and you will carry forward and move on. So my friend, that is my clarity cocktail for you.
Penny Casselman [00:09:26]:
As you move through the rest of this week, don't give your power away to anyone when it comes to pursuing your dreams, your vision, your goal, whatever it is you are going after in any area of your life. Don't give your power away. I want you to step up and just do it. And now back to the episode. Cheers. Circling back to the idea of the 3 core principles, the three tenants that a red marker moment is grounded in are these, belief, action, and vision. And it is imperative that all three of these areas are in play when you claim a red marker moment. If you've been with me for a while, you may recall my first recollection of a red marker moment.
Penny Casselman [00:10:22]:
And, yes, it actually had a red marker in the story. But the red marker is really, as we move forward, quite theoretical. K. A red marker is nothing more than a touchstone. It's something that you can grab onto, lean into, and use as a visual aid as you are going after what you want in your life. So the first thing again, all 3 of these need to be in play and firing on all cylinders. The first one is belief, and belief is the idea that you already have everything you need to be successful. Raise your hand if you enjoy being told what to do.
Penny Casselman [00:11:07]:
Yeah. Probably not too many of you in my audience who are raising their hair and saying, yes. Yes. Yes. Please tell me exactly what to do. Because when you pause and you reflect, I guarantee deep down you already know what you need to do. You'd have to be willing to follow through on your belief in yourself that you already have what you need to make it happen. The second thing is action.
Penny Casselman [00:11:41]:
You need to step up and be ready to take action even when your palms are sweating. Your armpits are stinky and wet. Yes. I did just say armpits stinky and wet. That's what happens to me when I get extremely nervous before I have to take an action that makes me very uncomfortable. So whatever that discomfort looks like for you, in order to have a red marker moment, you have to be able to push through that discomfort in order for you to take action. And the last is vision. And vision is having the idea of where you ultimately want to end up.
Penny Casselman [00:12:27]:
Maybe you've heard someone mentioned, you can't get where you're going unless you know where you're headed. I may have made that slightly more complex than it needed to be. However, without a clear vision in place, it's easy for you to get sidetracked with things that don't matter and things that pull you way in a different direction from where you ultimately want to end up. And so without that clear vision, my friend, who knows how long it could take you to finally get to where you want to go. So in order to claim red marker moment, you have to step up, grab the marker and know that the belief you have is rooted in yourself, that you deserve it, that you already have everything you need to make it happen. And in holding that red marker, you are also declaring you are ready to take action. Not only do you believe that you have everything you need, you are ready for the rubber to meet the road. You are ready to throw the car and drive and start moving.
Penny Casselman [00:13:48]:
You are ready to just do it and not let anyone or anything stop you from taking action. And finally, holding that red marker, you can see the destination in front of you. You will put blinders on. You will stay the course. You will stay focused because you will be taking the correct action, believing that you can make it happen. And my friend, when all three of those core principles come together, belief, action and vision, you become unstoppable. That's right. Unstoppable in going after what you want.
Penny Casselman [00:14:40]:
I will tell you the trap that even trips me up more times than I care to admit is when one of those three areas isn't showing up to support you. For instance, I spent a decade of my life only having belief that I was capable of more and the vision of where I wanted to go. But I never took the action because it was so much easier for me to just stay where I was at because it was comfortable, it was known, and it was easy. Then there were times in my life where I had belief that I could do it, and I was finally ready to take action, but I had let my vision become blurry. And in doing so, started going off in a 1000000 different directions and was always scratching my head at the end of the year going, why did this year look no different than last year? Well, my friend, I will tell you it was because I didn't hold fast to my vision. And then there have been plenty of times, and this is probably one of the areas that I sit and slide back into more than others, is that I have a vision and I am willing to take action. But there's some part of me that when those two things are going, I lose faith in my own abilities to move forward? And when that happens, I will continue to take action, continue to look for that next thing that's gonna move me forward. Because I don't believe I have the capacity or what I need in order to make it happen.
Penny Casselman [00:16:33]:
When my friend, I will tell you that is simply not true. And it has taken me a very long time, and I still dip in to these different areas and lose belief, lose my passion for action or lose sight of my vision. I'm very fortunate that I've done so much personal development work over the last 15 years that I recognize when I start sliding and letting one of these three areas slip in my life to quickly pause and refocus. Like I said in the clarity cocktail, just do it, not worry about what other people might think. It's still a challenge for me. Every single time I hop on this microphone to do a podcast, every time I put myself out there for a speaking opportunity, I start thinking, oh my gosh. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Maybe I'm going after things I shouldn't.
Penny Casselman [00:17:40]:
Or do I really have what it takes? So know that you are not alone and that every single one of these areas, at times, I struggle with myself. But my friend, I will tell you how amazing it feels when they are all in play together and I pull off the cap of that red marker and circle something on a calendar or check something off or write something down, the energy, the excitement that you will feel through your body will be amazing and push you forward. And it's kind of the same excitement that I had watching the Eclipse and knowing that so many things had to align in order for me to sit in Cleveland, Ohio and witness a total eclipse of the sun. All the things that came together to make an awe inspiring 4 minutes for me to see. The same thing happens with the red marker moment. When all three areas come together and you embrace every single one of them, my friend, awe and magic cannot not come from you and propel you forward. I had a great time today. I hope you found some little insights, some nuggets to take away, maybe you're thinking, I'm just gonna do it this week.
Penny Casselman [00:19:17]:
I'm gonna pick up my red marker. I'm gonna get that belief, that action, that vision all swirling together to get me to where I know I'm meant to be. 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.
