Penny Casselman [00:00:00]:
Make no mistake. If you are listening to this podcast, I don't consider you average. I consider you above average. Bottom line, there is nothing about holding on to those tricks that our mind plays on us that will help you feel good and joyful and alive and excited and enjoying treats along the way. I know if you can harness away to keep the tricks that your mind plays on you at bay, you will have a bag full of accomplishments. Welcome to the pivot with passion podcast. Hi. I'm Penny Casselman.
Penny Casselman [00:00:51]:
I believe everyone is deserving of a phenomenal life. Regardless of where you came from, 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 and welcome to the pre Halloween episode of Pivot with Passion. How are you my most spooktacular director? Yes, when this episode drops, we will be one day away from officially celebrating this year's Halloween, which here in the US is nothing more than an excuse to get dressed up and beg for candy. I thought it only appropriate then that we talk about tricks or treats, because whether you're a kid or an adult, I'm pretty sure we can all agree that we would much rather have treats than be tricked into anything. But here's the interesting thing.
Penny Casselman [00:02:01]:
Do we not find ourselves all year long having to deal with tricks that our mind plays on us. And I thought that was a nice little segue into the topic for today. And that is how often do we allow our minds to hijack our efforts and trick us into halting our personal growth or stopping forward momentum on an action or stealing away success and achievement of a goal by nothing more than a thought, which in parallel I suppose is almost like a ghost during Halloween. The thought is something you can't see, but is definitely a heavy presence that you feel and can impact the outcome of your efforts. I like in the topic of your mind playing tricks on you, like a kid going trick or treating and coming home with nothing more than a bag full of pencils, pennies, or stickers, because nobody wants those lame Halloween treats in their orange plastic bucket. Yes, we all want candy and treats, not tricks and things that disappoint. I'll offer 3 perspectives on how we can shift our mind to help support us in getting more treats instead of being duped by tricks in our mind. In 2025, let's celebrate Halloween every day and ensure that we don't get tricked and instead reap all the benefits from the treats that are on the other side of mastering our thoughts.
Penny Casselman [00:04:04]:
It's time for a clarity cocktail. Today's clarity cocktail is served up by Louisa May Alcott. I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship. I picked this quote because there's a lot of emphasis placed on fear. Scary movies, haunted houses, there is no shortage of spooky, creepy, fearful things that people put on display in order to instill some little level of fear in us during this holiday. Plenty of thought leaders have offered that fear and excitement are two sides of the same coin, and that the only thing that separates them is the perspective that you have on any given situation. And I thought metaphorically how that is like us during Halloween, putting on costumes. Because when we're wearing a costume, we are not truly showing up as ourselves.
Penny Casselman [00:05:11]:
We're pretending to be something that we're not. And so how can we reframe that experience so that we stay focused on the right thing, on how to sail the ship instead of the wrong thing and being fearful of the storm. Fear has energy inside of you that is bubbling to the surface. But because you interpret it as negative, you feel scared and fearful, afraid, maybe even anxious. Where those same energetic feelings in the exact same circumstance can be interpreted as excitement. If we simply take the fear that most people have of public speaking, it really depends on how you're viewing that opportunity when you are standing on stage. Trust that even those of us like myself who have been on stage still get nervous. I still have palms that get sweaty, and have this energy about me before I even open my mouth or step on stage with the lights.
Penny Casselman [00:06:27]:
But because I am viewing this situation as an opportunity, as exciting, as a way for me to connect with people, as a way for me to share my message with others, I interpret that energy and those sweaty palms as excitement. Maybe this resonates with you might interpret that energy. They feel those sweaty palms as anxiety and fear and being scared when truly, if they paused and assessed the situation, yes, might you might still be scared. However, you can also view it as an opportunity to get better. As an opportunity to practice. As an opportunity to deliver the most shitty rough draft of a talk that you have ever given. Just to check it off the list and have your worst behind you. And that's why I picked this quote.
Penny Casselman [00:07:30]:
I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship. You see, it is her simple reframe of the situation that helps her take a scary situation and turned it into a learning opportunity. So I would challenge you as you move through this week. Think about a situation you have coming up. And if you feel any pulls towards fear or anxiety or being afraid, pause and think about this quote. How could you reframe the situation to turn it from something you fear into something that could excite you. If you can learn how to do that on a consistent basis, director, the world is your oyster. So remember, I'm not afraid of storms.
Penny Casselman [00:08:29]:
I'm learning how to sail my ship. And now, back to the episode. Cheers. Circling back to the idea that our mind can play tricks on us throughout the year. And I want to ensure that we can recognize what these tricks are, what they look like, and how we might be able to kick them to the curb and grab onto a treat instead. So the first trick, and one that is extremely prevalent in our society today is, I don't have the time. Have you ever said that? I know you can't see me unless you're on YouTube, but yes, my hand is raised. I have most certainly said I don't have the time, and then I have to pause.
Penny Casselman [00:09:14]:
Here are some statistics that might floor you. The average American spends 4 hours a day watching television. Let that sink in for just a moment. Now make no mistake, if you are listening to this podcast, I don't consider you average. I consider you above average. So maybe it's not 4 hours, maybe it's 2 hours. Okay. We'll go with that.
Penny Casselman [00:09:42]:
But how often do you find yourself staring at your phone, scrolling through Instagram or Facebook or LinkedIn or Snapchat or any of the others. I know yesterday, I spent 20 minutes scrolling through Instagram, getting out of Instagram, and then remembering that the whole reason that I went to Instagram was because I wanted to make a post, but I got sucked in by all the things. Trust me, whether I say I don't have time or you are saying you don't have time, that is completely false. That is a trick that your mind is playing on you. You need to flip it and say, I don't choose to do x, y, z. Because look, if you're a kid going down the street for Halloween, you know what saying I don't have time looks like in your bag? Yeah. A whole bunch of pencils. Would you rather have a bag full of candy and accomplishments and success? Yes.
Penny Casselman [00:10:48]:
That is the bag you want. So don't let your mind trick you that you don't have time because I guarantee you can find some. The second trick that our mind can play on us is that we need to be perfect. That what we are producing or participating in needs to be perfect. Director, you know this already. That is unrealistic, has huge demands on your time, and is impossible to achieve. There's one quote. Look at this.
Penny Casselman [00:11:23]:
I'm throwing you a bonus clarity cocktail. I love the quote. Art is never finished. It's just abandon. I don't recall who said that, but isn't it so true? I guarantee any masterful piece of work, if the artist was alive, would probably find one thing they would have done different in their work or one thing they felt they could have done better. And if you were a kid walking down the street, that bag would not only be filled with pencils and pennies, it would also be filled with self criticism and a big heaping weight of worthlessness. If you believe everything has to be perfect, wouldn't you rather have Snickers bars and Heath bars and joy and connection in that bag? Absolutely. So director, where can you step back and let okay be good enough? The third way our brain tricks us is when we catastrophize things.
Penny Casselman [00:12:39]:
We blow them so out of proportion that we don't believe they'll work and we haven't even tried. And what does that look like when it shows up in your life? It's fine. No. It's yeah. Director, it's totally fine. Yeah. It's not gonna work anyway, so where I'm at is totally fine. It has you playing small.
Penny Casselman [00:13:00]:
Wouldn't you rather have a bag full of success and power and achievement, and not one filled with pennies and stickers? I know I would. So how can you grab your red marker and say, I'm not going to catastrophize anymore because there is a way, whether I've not done it or done it before and it was a failure, there are ways to move the needle one degree closer to success. In all three of these cases, the trick of no time, the belief that it has to be perfect, or your vision of catastrophizing everything and believing that it won't work, what is the treat that you get out of holding on to those? I covered it just moments ago. It's a bag full of nothing you want. Bottom line, there is nothing about holding on to those tricks that our mind plays on us that will help you feel good and joyful and alive and excited and enjoying treats along the way. I know if you can harness a way to keep the tricks that your mind plays on you at bay, you will have a bag full of accomplishments. And in my case, Heath bars and Butterfingers and Whoppers. Yeah, those are my top 3.
Penny Casselman [00:14:41]:
That's what my bag will be filled with in 2025. The tricks that I just talked about don't get you any further than where you are currently sitting. So go celebrate Halloween, dress up, enjoy the tricks and the treats, but then move forward and let those tricks fall to the wayside. You don't need to carry them with you. Honor them in the moment and let them go. Because my most spooktacular director, you can create every good thing. Every good treat in your life that you can envision, you can achieve. I want you to feel confident in knowing that some of the thoughts you have are tricks that your mind puts forth to keep you safe, to keep you small, and to keep you content.
Penny Casselman [00:15:42]:
But I want you to know you can take action. You can see the tricks for what they are. Acknowledge them, say thank you, and then shoot for all the treats that you have ever wanted in your life. Call them forth. It is my hope that by this time next year, there will be no pencils, pennies, or stickers in your bag of life. 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.
Penny Casselman [00:16:52]:
Until the next episode, go grab a red marker, get excited for your future, and make your first move to pivot with passion.
