Penny Casselman [00:00:00]:
My goal with this episode today is to have you stop thinking. Everything has to happen sooner than later, that if it doesn't come fast enough that it isn't meant to be, when that's simply not the case. And instead, I want you to start knowing that everything you're going after, every day, you have a choice to take one small effort and move you closer to what you want. 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.
Penny Casselman [00:01:02]:
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 May, the month of my birthday. Yes. Oh, and welcome to the podcast. I'm so thrilled that you are here. I am pumped because if you don't know this about me already, know this, I celebrate my birthday all month long because I make it a month all about things that bring me joy, that are exciting, that I look forward to. It's about seeing friends and gathering, and I just love the month of May.
Penny Casselman [00:01:56]:
It also starts out a little cold, but then warms up as the month progresses. Yes. Welcome. Welcome. And in the event you want to know exactly what day it is, my birthday falls on 7th. One of my love languages is gift giving. Actually, I think they call it gifting. I love gifts.
Penny Casselman [00:02:21]:
And so I really was thinking, how can I put an emphasis on this birthday, make this the best month ever? And I thought my goal in life is to put a red marker in every person's hand. Yes. I really believe that with a red marker at your side, you can create the phenomenal life that you have dreamt of. And maybe you never thought you could have, but I'm here to tell you, you absolutely can. And so in pursuit of this grand vision, I wanna make it easy for you to get a red marker. And I've decided that starting today, going forward, if you leave a review for the podcast, that is a written review for the podcast, Hop on over to my site, fill out a form, and I will ship you your very own red marker. That is simply all you need to do. No other strings attached.
Penny Casselman [00:03:26]:
Please, it would be the biggest birthday gift to me if you went to the platform of your choice. For me, that's Apple Podcasts, and leave a review for the show. And rate it 5 stars, you know, because it's my birthday. Now I wanna dive into something that I have coined the drip theory. And, really, the drip theory, it's simply the idea that although you may start out small with tiny additions, small increments over time, that grows exponentially as you double down on your efforts. I really started thinking about just like a red marker is a touchstone, is something I can see all the time, I can pick up and use. The same with this drip theory, so stick with me here. I'm sure at some point in your life, you have had a faucet that leaks, that you're laying in bed and you suddenly hear this drip, drip, drip, or perhaps you've experienced a torrential downpour.
Penny Casselman [00:04:35]:
And whether it was in your house or someplace you were visiting, there may have suddenly sprung a leak from the roof. You'll find buckets everywhere. In essence, drip theory works like this. Consider the bucket your goal, whatever it is that you are going after in life. And every day, you have a choice to either add a drop of water into the bucket or drop the water outside of the bucket. So how many times have you felt overwhelmed with just the thought of doing something? Just the thought of it stops you and your ability to take action. My friend, I know you know this, but time waits for no one. Time will pass regardless of whether you add a drop into your bucket or you drop it outside of the bucket.
Penny Casselman [00:05:34]:
My goal with this episode today is to have you stop thinking. Everything has to happen sooner than later. That if it doesn't come fast enough, that it isn't meant to be, when that's simply not the case. And instead, I want you to start knowing that everything you're going after, every bucket you have set out, every day, you have a choice to take one small effort and put one small drop into the bucket and move you closer to what you want. It's time for a clarity cocktail. Here's today's clarity cocktail. We first make our habits, and then our habits make us, John Dryden. Now I am a firm believer that we have a choice in every moment of every day as to what our next action is.
Penny Casselman [00:06:45]:
And you know as well as I do that we have become really good at certain habits. You know? Think brushing your teeth, taking a shower. Okay. Let's hope that those are two things that you, my friend, have created habit around. But I like this quote because it illustrates how important habits are and what we choose to create as a habit will shape us going forward. So tying into my drip theory, every day, you have a choice to either add effort, one drop to your bucket or not. Now sometimes things come up, sometimes we can't get to it, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth the effort. That the next day, you can't step up and continually add to your bucket.
Penny Casselman [00:07:41]:
I've mentioned this on a previous episode, but one of my nonnegotiable activities, one of the habits I am forcing myself to install because I know over time, it will serve me so well, and that is planning my days, being thoughtful, being consistent in planning my weeks. And so far, I am not a 100%, my friend. I will be very transparent, but I'm probably at 90%, which is much further than before I declared that red marker moment, declared a nonnegotiable that that was going to happen. And so my challenge to you is where is there room in your life to create a new habit that serves you going forward. Maybe it's something you've been thinking of for a while that you wanted to do. Maybe it's exercise, maybe it's eat better, maybe it's run a marathon, spend more time with your kids, spend more time with your friends, learn a new language. I mean, the list can go on forever. But what is one thing in your life that you would love to create, have it around that will support you going after your dreams? Maybe the new habit that you're trying to install, perhaps it's something like listening to yourself instead of listening to the noise around you or making yourself uncomfortable on a routine basis so that you continue to grow, continue to experience new things.
Penny Casselman [00:09:23]:
Whatever it is, know that you first create your habit, and then that habit creates a new version of you, a better version of you going forward. And now back to the episode. Cheers. Circling back to my idea of the drip theory, where you have a bucket, a little bucket, big bucket, whatever it is you're going after, you have a choice every day. Add a drop of effort into the bucket to propel you forward or not and take your focus and effort elsewhere. Here's what I want you to really lean into. So years ago, I started a meditation practice, and I was using an app. And every day that I went to the app, it gave me a streak.
Penny Casselman [00:10:16]:
One day, 2 day, 10 day, 30 days, 90 days. I got to over 200 days in a row of meditation, and I was super proud of myself until one day. I don't even remember the reason I did not meditate. And the following day, when I sat back down and opened the app, I was back at 0. My friend, I cannot tell you the anger, the resentment. I can't believe I couldn't meditate yesterday. I can't believe I'm starting back at 0. I quit meditating that day for months because I was so disappointed in myself.
Penny Casselman [00:11:05]:
All that effort that I had put in to that meditation was reduced to 0, and I couldn't face it. Fast forward to today, I now have a journaling practice, very new to me, still not a 100% about doing it every day. However, here is the difference between the app I use for journaling and that meditation app. And that is every time I journal, I get a quote coin for the day. Now what's fantastic about this is that if I journal only Monday, Wednesday, Friday, we'll use that as as an example, my coin count does not go to 0 if I miss a day because the habit I'm building, the effort I'm putting forth is not wasted. It's still there with me. And knowing that the coins don't disappear from the app if I miss a day helps keep me focused to move forward to get more coins. Does that make sense? Where the streak habit, you can really feel awful about any effort that you put in if it suddenly goes down to 0.
Penny Casselman [00:12:27]:
Because, my friend, that is simply not what happens in life, which is why I love the drip theory. Because all of those efforts that you put into the bucket, they don't disappear if you have to take a break or you choose to put your effort somewhere else. What you've collectively poured into this bucket will still be there for you when you're ready to pick it up. Think of it like riding a bike. As you get older, you start driving. You don't use your bike as much. There might be years that I go without riding a bike. But by taking a pause from riding a bike doesn't mean that the next time I try to get on one, I've got to relearn how to ride a bike.
Penny Casselman [00:13:15]:
No. And so that's the drip theory. What you've poured into the bucket doesn't leave. Even if you step away, it is waiting for you to just pour more effort into it and move forward. So my friend, if you are feeling stuck, frustrated, burnt out, overwhelmed, defeated, Take a pause. 1st and foremost, honor your feelings, take a pause, and step away from the immediate need to focus on what is causing that pain. Go move your body. Go ride a bike.
Penny Casselman [00:13:52]:
Okay. That would not happen for me. I would prefer to go take a walk. But if you'll remember from the last episode, and if you missed it, hop back and take a listen, but you need to get out of your head. You need to at least create some space between all of those feelings and start fresh thinking about, I don't need to pour a pitcher of water in this bucket. All I need is one drop of effort to help me move forward in really going after what it is I say I want. Now there's a saying that I love, and you absolutely have heard this. When you look at a glass half filled with fluid, do you see it half empty, or do you see it half full? Meaning, are you a pessimist? Are you an optimist? And I love I don't know who said this, but they said, if that's the only way you look at that glass, you are completely missing the point.
Penny Casselman [00:14:54]:
And that is the glass can be refilled. I love that little idea. To me, that is drip theory. That is, you can look at how much effort you have put into something and know that it can always increase. It can grow. It's never half empty. It is simply waiting for you to add more. Right? Give it that little positive spin this week when you start thinking about items on your to do list, long term goals, short term goals, whatever they are.
Penny Casselman [00:15:33]:
Just embrace and know that every effort you put forth in pursuing what it is that you want helps move you forward. And one drop in a bucket might seem insignificant until a year later, you look in that bucket and realize you are simply one drip away from being completely full. Every drop that you add into your bucket is a micro red marker moment. Because, again, you have a choice in every moment of every day as to the next action you take. And when you take an action that helps move you forward, regardless of how small, it's a red marker moment. Do enough of those over time, and you'll start to feel the shift in yourself, in your efforts, in the outcomes that you're producing. You'll feel that, dare I say, pivot and will bring out the passion in what you're going after. My friend, today, I want you to know you deserve every good thing you can imagine.
Penny Casselman [00:16:51]:
Whatever it is, you deserve it. I want you to feel proud of every single effort regardless of how small that you took this week, last week, and are planning to take next week. And I want you to move forward and choosing to continually add another drop into your bucket to help move you forward and propel you to a phenomenal life. My friend, thank you so much again for joining me today on the 1st day of my birth month. And don't forget, go rate the show, go leave a glowing review, and then hop over to the website and get yourself a free red marker. That's atpenniecastleman.comforward/freered marker. With that, I'll see you back here next week. Friend, thanks for listening to this episode of pivot with passion.
Penny Casselman [00:17:57]:
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 your first move to pivot with passion.
