Penny Casselman [00:00:00]:
Anything you wish for, you can achieve. I want you to take action, make a plan because the difference between the people who make the same wish year over year over year and those who achieve their wish, their dream, their goal is simply taking action. Welcome to the Pivot with Passion podcast. Hi. I'm Penny Castleman. 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.
Penny Casselman [00:00:58]:
Go grab your favorite beverage, and let's shake things up as we explore how to pivot with passion. Welcome. Happy May. So glad you are joining me. 1st and foremost, we are still in my birthday month. And at the time this episode drops, it will be after my birthday. But at the time of my recording, it is before my birthday. I'm just gonna throw out to the universe that I'm going to have an amazing birthday.
Penny Casselman [00:01:36]:
And so since I'm in this head space of celebrating the month of my birth, one of the things I came up with was this idea of a candle question. And the candle question is like this, whatever it is you're going after, if you had a birthday cake in front of you, is that what you would wish for? I'm sure as a kid, when I was asked to make a wish, there was probably nothing going through my head. I was just thinking about how can I get that cake in my mouth as fast as possible? I have to blow up the candle. So fast forward a couple years, teenager, not even sure if I had cakes with candles, but if I had a wish, it was probably something along the lines of, please let me do well on a test, or I really, really want those Jordache genes. Okay. I just dated myself. But hey. Hey.
Penny Casselman [00:02:32]:
We all have back stories. Right? And I I started thinking, what is that one thing I could wish for? And if I got, would absolutely alter the trajectory of where I'm headed. I always remember that they said, don't tell anyone your wish. Because if you tell anyone your wish, it won't come true. But I'm here to tell you, you should tell everyone your wish because that's the only way it will come true, especially as an adult. If you keep everything to yourself, no one will hold you accountable. No one will be a cheerleader helping you move forward. So what is it that I wish for my birthday this year? I wish that you walk away with something from my podcast, some idea, some concept, some spark of inspiration, and it changes your life for the better.
Penny Casselman [00:03:34]:
That's my wish. Because truly at this age, I feel I have everything that I, quote, need. Are there things I want? Oh, yes. Am I going after them? You bet. But those are more business goals. Those are podcast goals. But I've found that a rising tide lifts all ships. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Penny Casselman [00:04:02]:
Help yourself by helping others first. I am an overflowing fountain of quotes today for you because, you know, it's kind of my thing. Yes, my friend. I am sharing my birthday wish with you. It's time for a clarity cocktail. The clarity cocktail I chose for my official birthday is this. Life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise, George Gershwin.
Penny Casselman [00:04:39]:
I adore this quote for so many reasons. 1st and foremost, I love jazz. When I have to get something done, stay focused, stay on point, relax, maybe have a happy hour at a swanky joint with some girlfriends. Jazz instrumental is my favorite genre. But I also love the idea of improvising. 20 years ago, I was not hot good improvising at all. I'm a planner, which if things didn't go exactly as I had outlined, Smoke would come out of my ears. I would get frustrated, maybe upset.
Penny Casselman [00:05:24]:
But I noticed something when I traveled overseas, specifically the time that I visited a dear friend over in Italy. And there were a couple days that I had all to myself. I was just a train ride away from Venice and Florence. I chose to visit both of those. Now I am not one to nitpick and get vacations down to the minute of things I wanna do, which might sound slightly counterintuitive because that's kind of how I do everything else in my life. But when it comes to vacations, as long as I have some place to stay, I know where I will be focused, and I can buy my plane ticket. I don't plan per se much beyond that. When I arrived in Venice, I had no agenda other than get off the train, make my way to Venice and explore.
Penny Casselman [00:06:22]:
And that's exactly what I did. And I will tell you, I could not have experienced Venice any better than improvising as I went along. There is a huge focal point in Venice, which is the Piazza San Marco. Did I know about it before I went? Probably. Was I purposeful on finding it? No. But what ended up happening is I was walking through all the little alleys and streets, and I turned a corner, took a few steps, and there it was. You could not see it from the tall buildings and the narrow walkways that I was using to explore the city. It literally appeared out of nowhere when I turned a corner and took a few steps in.
Penny Casselman [00:07:17]:
It was magical. And that's why I love this quote. Life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise. Because I felt this tremendous sense of awe. I wasn't upset at what I did or did not see on that trip because everything was new and exciting. Ever since that trip, I learned the power of improvisation, not on stage. Although maybe that's fun and maybe I'll try that one day.
Penny Casselman [00:07:48]:
But it wasn't until after I visited Venice that years later, I found myself diagnosed with breast Casselman, and it was right around my birthday. Complete buzzkill, the month of May that year. But truly having that experience in Venice to lean on, there was so much improvisation that I had to embrace as I move forward in my breast cancer journey, because it was uncharted territory, because I could never fully plan for how I would feel. And so I had to kinda go with the flow, and that served me so well over the course of the 2 years that I was in the midst of fighting breast cancer. And coming out of it, I find that I'm so much more relaxed if unexpected things happen. For instance, just yesterday, I had grand plans of recording this podcast and I got halfway through the day and went, wow, there's so many other things on my mind. I'm gonna let this go because I know deep down, I will have enough time to accomplish what I want. And I opened the possibility that why don't we have a little cookout? Threw some fillers out, and within 2 hours, 8 people came over.
Penny Casselman [00:09:14]:
We had potluck style cookout, and we sat outside in the gorgeous weather. Life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise. And that perfectly describes yesterday. I know when I was younger, I would get very bent out of shape if things didn't quite go as planned. But with age comes wisdom. Speaking of jazz, my favorite group is called 480 East, which is slightly ironic because one of the main highways that goes through Cleveland is 480, and I often travel east coming home from seeing friends. Something in their music completely changed my life and made me fall in love with jazz.
Penny Casselman [00:10:06]:
And I am so fortunate to say that today, I know both members 480 East. So Rob and Tony, my life would not be the same if it weren't for both of you creating the magical music that you do. I am dropping a link in the show notes to their website because I don't know how you could be disappointed or sad or unhappy when you listen to their music. It is that good. So with that, life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise. And now back to the episode. Cheers.
Penny Casselman [00:10:46]:
Circling back to this idea of, would you wish for this on your birthday? What is your candle? Wish, your candle question? You've probably heard the saying, a wish without a plan is just a dream. And so I liken that to a birthday candle. When you make a wish, is it really what you want? Because I promise you without action, it is nothing more than a dream. One of my favorite observations comes from a book by Bronnie Ware. And in it, she explores the path and the experience of people facing their final days on this earth. And she found that the number one regret of the dying is this. I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. And I just get goosebumps when I think about that, because how many of the people she interviewed to write this book got to the end of their life, thinking about all the birthday wishes they had made that never came true.
Penny Casselman [00:11:55]:
Even I've fallen victim to this in decades past, Making a wish, thinking it didn't matter, not willing to back it up with any action or sharing it with anybody to help make sure that it happens. I'm guessing you'll have the the thought, well, that really sounds good, but then no action is taken. Some of the reasons could be you're worried about failure. But here's the insight. If you don't go after it, you're certainly never gonna have it. So what's the difference? So you will fail if you don't take action. It won't happen. So why be afraid of failure? Because if you take no action, you have failed, right? Maybe you worry about what other people will think, but here's a little insight.
Penny Casselman [00:12:44]:
No one is thinking about you. Everyone is absorbed with their own ideas, thoughts, problems, that if you really wish for something, you can let the concerns of other people just go and do it. Maybe you're worried about, well, it's not the right time. My friend, there is no good time for anything. I promise you, you will never have the perfect time for anything to occur. Me getting cancer, it was not the perfect time for me to get it, especially in my birthday month. The first time I can remember my red marker moment when I was sitting at my desk, It was probably not the perfect time for me to choose to quit my job. Or maybe you're worried about, I don't have the money.
Penny Casselman [00:13:35]:
I don't have the time. I don't have the knowledge. But guess what? Where there's a will, there's a way. And if it is truly something you wish for and something you are obsessed with going after and achieving or getting, you will find a way to make it happen. Or maybe you have the thought, I'll do it later. Let's not forget the number one regret of the dying is that I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. My wish for you on my birthday and during my birthday month and beyond is you walk away with a spark, with an idea, with some motivation, with some focus, with some clarity that you can apply to your own life and turn anything you wish for into a reality. Because this, I know.
Penny Casselman [00:14:35]:
Anything you wish for, you can achieve. I want you to take action, make a plan because the difference between the people who make the same wish year over year over year and those who achieve their wish, their dream, their goal is simply taking action. My friend, I wanna remind you that if you leave a review for this podcast, you can get yourself a red marker, compliments of me. I will drop it in the mail, ship it directly to you. All the details are in the show notes. It would be the biggest birthday present to me if you did leave a review because my goal is to put a red marker in every person's hand so that they make a wish that turns into their reality. And with that, I'm blowing out my candle until we chat again next week. Friend, thanks for listening to this episode of Pivot with Passion.
Penny Casselman [00:15:42]:
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.
