Understanding the concept of ARETÉ — the Greek word for virtue and the pursuit of excellence in fulfilling one’s purpose. In the hustle of everyday life, it’s easy to become disconnected from our deepest aspirations and potentials. Brian Johnson, the founder and CEO of Heroic and author of ARETÉ, recently sat down with life coach Myrna Young to discuss tapping into our inner hero, overcoming fears, and living a more purposeful life. Drawing from a wealth of philosophical studies and personal experience, Johnson shares actionable steps toward self-improvement that promise to ignite our heroic fires.
Pursuit of Excellence: Understanding the concept of ARETÉ — the Greek word for virtue and the pursuit of excellence in fulfilling one’s purpose.
Overcoming Fear with Courage: The role of bravery in confronting life’s challenges and the necessity of courage for personal growth.
Daily Masterpieces: The importance of tackling self-improvement and excellence daily to create a cumulative impact on our broader life goals.
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The ancient Greek concept of ARETÉ is a rich and potent term referring to the pursuit of excellence aligned with our purpose. Johnson has embodied this term, making it the north star of his life’s work. He discusses with Myrna the notion that the pursuit of excellence must begin with the recognition that ARETÉ is attainable and deeply rooted in ancient wisdom and affirmed by modern science.
“It’s the essence of my life’s work,” Brian states, as he explains the fundamental importance of reducing the gap between our potential and our actions. When we operate below our capabilities, feelings of regret and dissatisfaction creep in. In contrast, living with ARETÉ fills the void with fulfillment and passion.
Johnson advises individuals to take some time away from distractions like Netflix and social media to reflect on who they aspire to be. He suggests visualizing our future selves and identifying moments in the past when we felt truly alive and fulfilled. Connecting these two points provides a clearer picture of what we can become.
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One of the supervening messages from Johnson’s discussion is the critical role of courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to act despite it. Johnson reinforces this through a personal anecdote about his son’s reluctance to participate in a chess tournament due to fear of defeat.
“The win there was going,” Johnson notes, marking the importance of the act of trying over the outcome. This illustrates the significance of instilling bravery as a value—not just in ourselves but in our successors.
The act of overcoming our inner doubter, that voice in our heads that beseeches us to play it safe, is essential for growth. Breaking through the fear barrier is a cornerstone of ARETÉ that Johnson passionately upholds: stepping into our challenges is how we kindle our inner hero.
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Making Today a Masterpiece: The Cumulative Effect of Daily Excellence
One of the objectives Johnson outlines in ARETÉ is the principle of making today a masterpiece. The idea is to focus on being our best selves in present moments, which sequentially contribute to a more significant, fulfilling future.
“Make today a masterpiece. Not someday, today,” Brian advises. He emphasizes this by advocating for an incremental improvement approach—stretching ourselves by just a minuscule percentage, repeatedly, can lead to accomplishing seemingly impossible goals.
This philosophy aligns with Johnson’s comment about teaching his son to focus on continuous learning and improvement, rather than solely on winning. By prioritizing our growth and learning from every experience, we tread a path toward mastery in our personal and professional lives.
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In retrospect, Brian Johnson’s conversation with Myrna Young is a vivid tapestry intertwining the ancient concept of ARETÉ with practical life lessons and philosophies. Readers are left with an empowering message of harnessing inner potential, facing fears with unyielding courage, and building a life of greatness through the accumulation of daily acts of excellence.
Johnson’s tale of his son’s chess tournaments serves as a microcosm of a broader narrative — that our greatest learnings and developments stem from our willingness to confront that which intimidates us. The acknowledgment that personal growth is a result of a steady, intentional, and courageous commitment to betterment is a takeaway that holds profound implications for anyone seeking meaning and vibrancy in their life.
By embodying the principles of ARETÉ such as wisdom, discipline, love, and courage, bolstered by gratitude, hope, curiosity, and zest, we don’t just approach life — we sculpt it, day by day, into a masterpiece. Brian Johnson’s insights serve as a reminder that the heroic resides not in the extraordinary but within the reach of our daily choices and courage to stretch just a little further into our greatness.
Dr. Adeel Khan, an expert in, regenerative medicine, and, gene therapy, joins host Myrna Young to discuss the power of, gene therapy, in revitalizing life and improving health. Dr. Khan explains how lifestyle behaviors impact chronic diseases and emphasizes the importance of sleep, exercise, stress management, nutrition, and purpose in maintaining overall well-being. He also shares insights into his work with world-class athletes and celebrities, as well as the revolutionary potential of, gene therapy, and, stem cells, in promoting longevity and natural healing abilities. Don’t miss this enlightening conversation on transforming your health and life.
The quest for longevity and the power to reverse aging has always captured human imagination. Today, as we stand on the cusp of medical revolutions, groundbreaking therapies are transforming that quest into a tangible reality. Dr. Adeel Khan, an esteemed figure in the field of, regenerative medicine, delves into this fascinating world in a vivid conversation. From the transformative potential of, gene therapy, to the roots of chronic diseases, Dr. Khan’s insights offer a glimpse into a future where aging could be drastically delayed and health span extended.
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Key Takeaways:
Revolutionary Gene Therapy: The introduction of proprietary, gene therapy, using minicircles, offering a new avenue for rejuvenation that lasts up to two years with a single injection.
Roots of Chronic Diseases: A deeper understanding of how lifestyle behaviors like diet, exercise, and stress management can control the majority of chronic diseases.
Purpose and Longevity: The significant role of having a sense of purpose in improving health outcomes and enhancing longevity.
Regenerative Medicine and the Power of Gene Therapy
Regenerative medicine, is redefining the frontiers of healing and rejuvenation. Dr. Khan outlines, what is gene therapy, stating, “gene therapy, is pretty simple to understand. It’s just basically introducing a foreign DNA into your body.” The innovation here is the use of minicircles, a non-viral vector, which allows, gene therapy, to introduce peptides and proteins to the body safely, with far-reaching effects for longevity. Dr. Khan’s explanation underscores the promise this therapy holds: “This peptide delivery mechanism is one injection, and it lasts for one and a half to two years.” The safety is further guaranteed by a “kill switch” – an antibiotic called tetracycline that can reverse, gene therapy, if needed.
These therapies are rethinking treatment options for elite athletes too. Dr. Khan discusses treating NFL players with interventional procedures using exosomes and stem cells. By aiding top athletes to avoid surgery and perform at peak level, this sophisticated approach underscores the potential of regenerative treatments.
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Leaning into the role of lifestyle choices in the prevalence of chronic diseases, Dr. Khan illuminates that “the majority of chronic diseases are related to lifestyle behaviors.” He stresses that traditional medical systems often focus on treating diseases instead of delving into preventive measures grounded in everyday habits. He notes, “those are all the big ones, and they all relate… they really relate to how you conduct yourself on a daily basis.”
Dr. Khan also points out the quality of life complications if those fundamentals are compromised, “You can’t do a lot of the lifestyle stuff if you’re in chronic pain or if you’re tired, or if your hormones are imbalanced, or if you’re stressed all the time.” Thus, while sleep, nutrition, and exercise are pivotal, the complexities of individual circumstances mean that a one-size-fits-all prescription for healthful habits may fall short without personalized coaching and empathetic understanding.
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The Underrated Health Pillar: Purpose
An intriguing aspect of Dr. Khan’s philosophy is his emphasis on the importance of purpose in health. The conversation moved into the realm of psychological and emotional well-being when he remarked, “What’s your greater purpose? What’s your mission? And figuring out, identifying those is going to give you not only resolve in difficult circumstances, but it’s actually better for your health.” This, Dr. Khan suggests, has concrete health benefits – people with a strong sense of purpose can adapt better to stress, have more resilience, and may thereby enjoy better physical health and longevity. Much as a tree with deeply rooted purpose can withstand storms, so too does a person thrive when grounded in their mission.
Transforming Longevity: A Recap of Dr. Khan’s Insights
Dr. Adeel Khan’s conversation reignited hope for a future where the control over one’s health span is within reach. The dialogue moved seamlessly from the nitty-gritty of, gene therapy, to foundational health habits, and further into the philosophical domain of finding a purpose — painting a holistic picture of health. His words carry an implicit invitation to reimagine the avenues of aging and to recognize how intertwined our mental states, lifestyle choices, and innovative medical treatments are when it comes to cultivating a long, vibrant life.
Fascination with scientific advancement, woven with the practicality of lifestyle medicine and the depth of human existential needs, forms a rich tapestry where the aspirations of living a fuller life are not just a distant dream, but a foreseeable reality. The knowledge shared by Dr. Khan is not just enlightening; it’s poised to serve as a cornerstone for medicine’s future, where aging is not feared but gracefully managed, and a healthy, purpose-driven life is the benchmark of success.
In this podcast, coach Myrna shares how to find your life purpose. There’s a lot of pressure to find your, life purpose. You’ve probably heard the saying, “when God says go, just go.” But is that really the best advice?
In this conversation, we’re going to explore the truth about finding your, life purpose, and how to overcome any fears or doubts you may have. Back in 2000 God spoke to me and told me to Go that the USA is my, promised land, my land of milk and honey that I should leave my home in Toronto, Canada, my family, friends and Go.
He told me to go and he will show me the way when I get there. So, I packed my bags and moved to Florida and God did as he promised. He showed me the way. He ordered my footsteps. I just followed my intuition and looked for guidance. God said if you GO, I will make you a great nation, and I will make your name great. Today my podcast and my name Coach Myrna, is great, it is heard in 156 countries around the world. Don’t wait any longer, listen to this podcast and find out how to find your, life purpose.
The first thing I did when I got to Florida was to look for an office for my limousine service business. I found an office for my business, but it did not come with parking for a stretch limousine. I couldn’t find a place to park my limousine, so I had the brilliant idea to park it in a church parking lot. My reasoning was that church is only on a Sunday! they are not there during the week.
I promptly received a call from the Senior Pastor who told me if I wanted to park my limousine in the church parking lot, I should write a proposal of what I intended to offer in exchange. When I went to the church to drop off my proposal, I met the pastor who invited me to church. That started my relationship with Living Word Fellowship church, a relationship that was instrumental in the success of both me and my daughter, who was 11 years old at the time. That was God showing me the way, that was synchronicity.
I just kept moving forward only seeing the next step and never the entire staircase.
My life purpose was to become a Life coach and reach the world
Then God told me Go become a Life coach, I listened and that was also God ordering my steps because the month I graduated from Life coach school with my coaching certificate, was the same month I got fired from my corporate job. I became a self-employed Life coach and again God showed me the way. Someone invited me to be a guest on a radio show, and the radio station WDJY 99.1 FM Atlanta, offered me my own show. Then I heard about podcasting and stared a podcast then I received an email invitation for a TV show on PTWWNTV.
None of this was shown to me when I packed up and left Toronto. God said GO and I went.
Each step along the way God tested me by seeing if I was willing to do the work, he had to see what I was willing to sacrifice. I had to go through the wilderness. God said before I give you a lot, I have to see what you do with a little.
I remember when I was so broke and had no money for food or gas. I had worked all week and didn’t make a sale, so I didn’t get paid. God said GO to the ATM. I didn’t think I had any money in the bank, but I went and found I had $40 in my account. Don’t even know where it came from. I was ecstatic.
My life continued to be filled with favor and synchronicity.
I believe that I was born to bring light to others, that’s my Life purpose
What’s your purpose?
We see things not as they are but as we are.
You have to believe in the promise. God said I know the plans I have for you plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
If you don’t believe in the word or the spirit what God said about you, then you will Never receive the promise.
Have faith believe in the promise
For example, You have to believe in the word, the gesture and the spirit that God will turn every weapon formed against you for your good.
Everything God is going to do for you is already set aside, but sometimes he takes you the long way. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, that was not the direct route. Just keep asking yourself, what is my purpose.
In this post, we’re exploring the dangers of hypocrisy. We’re looking at the story of the, fig tree, in the Bible, and how Jesus curses the tree for pretending to have fruit. This blog post is a look at the dangers of hypocrisy, and how it can lead to problems in our lives. By exploring the story of the, fig tree, we can learn about the dangers of hypocrisy and pretending to have what we don’t have. We can also learn about the dangers of hypocrisy, and the importance of living our lives in truth.
I want to expand our Consciousness on being hypocritical showing something that we are not. I want to use is my foundational scripture, Jesus curses the fig tree, for not producing fruit and this can be found in
Matthew 21st chapter verses 18 to 19.
So Jesus was returning to Jerusalem and he was hungry. He noticed the, Fig Tree, beside the road he went to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves, then he said to the, Fig Tree, may you never bear fruit again and immediately the, Fig Tree, withered up.
I speak a lot about purpose on this podcast and the purpose of the, Fig Tree, was to produce fruit, so when a lot of people talk about this scripture and this passage they’re saying that, Jesus cursed the, Fig Tree, because it didn’t have any fruit. But today I want to look at a at a different version of this scripture and see the real meaning behind, why Jesus cursed the, fig tree.
So first let’s look at the purpose part of why we are here. Your soul chose your body because it wanted to have a certain experience on Earth. We Are Spiritual Beings having a human experience, that means to say it another way the universe wanted to experience itself through our personal, central nervous system. We are all here to do something special which is why we’re all unique and which is why we all have a purpose and we’re all here to do something as unique as or fingerprints.
Unfortunately, unlike the, Fig Tree, we don’t know what our purpose is. The Fig tree knew its purpose was to produce figs, that is why it is called a fig tree; but the name Myrna or Leon or Mark or John does not tell us what we are supposed to do. In fact I heard that Jesus was one of the only people that came on at this Earth, came into his body knowing his purpose. Knowing what he was here to do, but most of us don’t, unless we have this direct connection to God where he speaks through our dreams or we’re able to hear his voice.
In this post, I want to concentrate on the, Fig Tree, not producing fruit and why Jesus cursed it saying may you never bear fruit again. Does this curse translate the people not bearing fruit and not following their purpose? We will never know. Does God curse you if you are not following your purpose, if he says why are you not doing what I sent you here to do?
What Jesus was actually doing when he cursed the, Fig Tree, it was not because the, Fig Tree, had no fruit. Jesus cursed the Fig Tree, because it was pretending to have fruit by having lots of leaves. If you were to go and look into, Fig Trees, you will see that when they have leaves or when they’re showing leaves it means that there’s also fruit. If there’s no leaves then we know that there’s no fruit, but if you were going to be stomping around like a peacock showing off your feathers, showing off your leaves and then when someone goes to eat you got nothing to offer.
That is why, Jesus cursed the, Fig Tree, so it would not continue to deceive people, spreading his leaves as to say I have figs. Jesus is telling us that we must bear fruit or we will be condemned to hell. He cursed the, Fig Tree, as an object lesson to all of us not to be hypocritical, pretending to be something that you are not.
Do not be hypocritical by pretending to something you are not
A lot of people show a pretty picture, this is the world we’re living in right now. Everybody’s got fake stuff, they’re showing a pretty picture, but they’re dead inside. It is like dressing up a corpse. Jesus cursed the fig tree, for being all dressed up with leaves, yet had no fruit. In a word, it had nothing to offer.
I decided to teach on this today because I was reading my Bible like I do every morning and I’m reading this scripture and it just jumped out to me that I should stop and research what is actually happening here, because every time that I’ve heard the scripture preached in church we are all talking about you don’t do your purpose that’s why you’re cursed right; but nobody ever taught me that it is about pretenders.
I didn’t even notice that it was because the, Fig tree, was showing leaves and that’s the reason Jesus walked over to it. He saw the leaves and he figured that there’s fruit and when the, fig tree, had no fruit that’s when he cursed it. It’s not because it was not producing figs. I’m glad that I stopped and took a pause and put a pin, because God wanted me to share with you that pretending doesn’t get you anywhere.
If you got no fruit, you got no fruit you don’t need to pretend, it’s better to be real than a pretender.
My grandma would always say do not judge a book by its cover
We live in a society where people are spending a lot of time showing off their leaves, the package on the outside looks good, but when you take a closer look there’s no substance, there’s no fruit. So they can’t feed you whatever it is that you’re looking for. It might not be necessary food, Jesus was hungry, he was looking for real food, but we are hungry for a lot of things.
We’re hungry for attention
we’re hungry for affection
we’re hungry for real relationships and not, fake love,
we’re hungry for a lot of things
So ladies look out for those well-addressed Playboys who are showing you the side of him that he wants you to see. Look at his fruit, what’s beneath the show, ask him what does he have to offer you to eat. Chances are he has nothing, it’s just leaves. It’s just clothes, it is just the outer appearance and he cannot emotionally connect, he cannot be faithful, he cannot be your one and only.
Do not be hypocritical like the fig tree
I wanted to tell you look out for, hypocritical people, the Bible always says be aware of wolves in sheep clothing. You yourselves should not be hypocritical, make sure that what you show is who you are. Do not put on this whole facade, do not put on this whole package. When people peel off the outer layer, you should be as real as what you’re pretending to be.
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s podcast episode of five minute Fridays with Coach Myrna. I hope you’re inspired today if you’re listening to this on iTunes we’d love for you to subscribe rate and review. If you’re watching on YouTube we’d love for you to subscribe and until next time namaste
Jason Redman, retired Navy SEAL shares life changing advice to beating life’s ambush. Jason was ambushed in battle and shot 8 times including on round to the face. Jason believes he survived this ambush by tapping into his, overcome mindset. In this episode Jason teaches the difference between:
Retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jason Redman electrifies audiences around the world with his high-energy presentations on leadership, failure, redemption, catastrophic injury, and his breathtaking journey to “overcome all” in the aftermath of wartime enemy ambush and in the face of what he calls life ambushes during the years that followed.
During his 21-year Navy career, Jason spent 11 years as an enlisted SEAL and 10 years as a SEAL officer leading teams in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today he puts his vast experience and expertise to work as a speaker, coach, author, and trainer, helping individuals, teams and organizations of all types and sizes to define and implement lasting change, even in the wake or face of failure, crisis and adversity.
He’s lived through it all at the highest level in his Navy SEAL career: From failures as a young leader that resulted in him almost being kicked out of the SEAL teams, to redemption and leading teams in intense combat operations in Iraq, to being shot eight times, including a round to the face, and nearly dying during an enemy ambush, Jason has lived the OVERCOME Mindset he now teaches others. He has done an incredible job of taking these lessons learned and making them relatable to teams, businesses, and organizations around the world.
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Myrna: Can you share your story of walking into an ambush as a Navy Seal and the, overcome mindset, you had to survive being shot several times.
Jason: I’m super blessed individual. I just could not survive that ambush that night without some kind of a miracle. We’ll talk about the, overcome mindset, and how that translates to other aspects of life later in the interview. It was an intense night, it was a night at the very end of our deployment as, Navy SEALs. One of our jobs is something we call direct action. We go after the mid-level and high level leaders across the battlefield.
That was one of our jobs, when I was in Iraq and we were tracking both outside in and through leadership across with my troops were focused on the weapon western province of Iraq. So, a lot of people are familiar with Iraq, a very dangerous place. We were actually based out of Volusia and tracking leaders. On September 13, 2007, we went after the number one leader for the outside organization in the Anbar Province, the western province of Iraq. A pretty dangerous guy.
We’ve been tracking all deployment. He had been responsible for and ran multiple sniper cells, IV shells, attack cells. He had shot down a Marine Corps helicopter in the fall of 2006. Killing the whole crew on board and they lost five individual and run out of the building across the street.
So, on this night we got orders that he was at this place. We got there and even though there was no one there we noticed some suspicious activity in the building a few yards away. My team leader said hey, I want you to take your team, you know, walk these individuals down let’s find out who they are in question. And make a long story short, our enemy leader had been in the first house that we were in right now.
He had moved to the house that was about 150 yards away that we were now moving on and his security detail and shut off a very, very well staged enemy ambush we estimate about 15 shooters with two large machine guns and my team and I walked right into this ambush.
My medic, a fellow Navy seal, took a round of bullets right below the knee which almost took his leg off. One of our other guys ran forward to grab him and tried to move him back behind us. There was kind of a bar, there was one tree and a large like John Deere tractor tire and they pull and drag our medic and himself back.
He himself was shot three times while doing this. I was out front and I was trying to shoot and lay down fire. It was at this point I had both machine guns turned on me and I was hit eight times between my body armor and my body I took two rounds in the left elbow which in the moment I thought it shot my arm off.
I took rounds off my weapon and my right-side plates. I turned around to see what was happening with my team and that’s when I caught around in the face. That hit me right in front of the ear. Travel through my face took off my nose, blew out my right cheekbones, vaporized my oval floor, broke all the bones in my face and knocked me out. I was pinned down in front of my guys. They continue to fight the enemy. There’s this very intense gunfight occurring with me pinned down on the ground and had literally bullets traveling around me.
I came to probably we don’t know the timeline. We know the entire gunfight lasted about 40 minutes. So, when I woke up after about 10 mins, I realized that was in a really bad situation. I called out to my team leader and he realized Holy smokes, you know, Red still alive, and they started to extract me. I owe my life to my teammates. I owe my life to an Air Force aircraft called an AC 130 gunship that brought in the closest fire mission. Meaning they brought rounds in from the aircraft to the ground at military speeds. My team leader did an amazing job coordinating this in between fire and ran forward and got me and hold me back to where they were about a tourniquet on my mangled arms really saved my life.
But the whole time this was happening. There were several things and we’ll come full circle now to a little bit of the, overcome mindset. I knew I had lost a lot of blood. I’d lost a lot of blood between my arm and my face and my injuries. And we go through a lot of, trauma medicine, and special operations training. We’re probably trained up to the level of a patient, emergency medical technician that would ride around an ambulance. I knew all the signs. I knew that I was going to what we call, hypovolemic shock, from blood loss. I was struggling to breathe.
In our last moments we think only of our loved ones
And in final moments, I was still pinned down and I started to think that I may die here, I was dying. I was I was literally bleeding out and dying. And there were several things that went through my mind when I was lying there dying but not once did I think about stuff. You know in this life we’re all focused on stuff and trust me I like stuff. You know, I love my house. I love you know some of the nice things we have. But I also recognize every day that all that stuff can be gone in an instant. The people you love are all you’re going to care about in the final moments in your life, because that’s all I thought about.
I thought about my wife and kids and how I would do anything to have another moment just to say I love you. And it was at that point that I also I called out to God. I really need help. I need strength. And that enabled me to have some strength which I can’t explain. But I will tell you this, this thought popped into my head in that moment and the thought was this. Stay awake to stay alive.
And if you’ve ever been severely injured, or something bad has happened you reach a point where physiologically your body wants to shut down and you will become extremely fatigued. And that’s what happened. I wanted to go to sleep. I wanted to just let go and go to sleep, but I know I had to stay awake to stay alive and I knew that if I made it to the military hospital, I would live.
The military emergency room. I knew the statistics, from operating overseas that if our if we got our soldiers or wounded warriors to the hospital and they still had a pulse, they had a 90% chance of making it home alive. So that was my focus. You know, stay awake, stay alive, stay awake, stay alive and this stuff there’s so many nuances and stories but the bottom line is that’s exactly what happened. My teammates managed to get me on the medivac helicopter metabolic and I survived. My team leader helped me off and I walked 75 yards and got on the helicopter under my own power.
That is the, overcome mindset, and it is this mindset that says I’m not going to give in, I’m going to push until I succeed. I survived this vicious enemy ambush, but everybody gets ambushed in the life. It may not be the bullets and bombs in battle, but it is the bullets and bombs of life. And when you’re on the X and the X is what we talked about, point of attack, point in crisis, the point of the incident. We all feel as overwhelmed as if you are on a battle field with bullets flying all around you. You think you’re going to die because your marriage ended or your child died. And it is in those moments where we have the ability to drive forward and push ourselves a little further and get off that X, point of attack.
Myrna: Wow, what a story. I had to fight back tears when you talked about lying on the ground thinking you were dying and wanting one more moment with your wife and kids. Thank you for your service to the United States of America, Jason. I heard you talk about, life ambushes, and the fact that we all have about 5 and I immediately started counting mine! So, I want to talk about why you think first of all that we get five ambushes in life.
Jason: So the five ambushes came about from interviewing people and just kind of an informal poll. In order to understand what is a, life ambush, we have to break them down.
There are 3 types of, life ambushes.
There are,
micro ambushes,
mini ambushes,
major life ambushes.
I talked about the average of five those are the, major life ambushes, and the majors are devastated. They will forever leave scars forever. I’ll come back and we’ll come back full circle for the, major life ambushes.
The interesting thing, about the X, the point of attack, the point of an incident, the point of the crisis, it’s the point of any adversity, everybody in life, finds himself on the X at some point in life. Everyone walks on this X at some point. In battle, we were taught you have to get off the X, point of attack as quickly as possible because the longer you sit on the X, the harder it is to move forward.
And this is true in any aspect of your life. If it’s a, mental ambush, and you’re stuck on the action in your mind, and we all get stuck there and these are these, micro ambushes, they come every day. It’s that little voice in your head that says you’re not good enough. You’re not strong enough. You’re the wrong race, creed, color, gender, demographic, etc.
So those are my core ambushes and they come all the time. The formula is the same for all of these, you have to get off the X as quickly as possible. So, my motto I overcome and drive forward and get off that X.
The second level of Ambush is what I call a, mini ambush. And these are I find this fascinating because I meet people all the time who will they’ll use the phrase, oh, I had a bad day. And I’m fascinated with this because I’ll always say what’s the tell me about your bad day and 90% of the time when people use it. They did not really have a bad day. So, I’ve tried to erase this phrase from my vocabulary. I actually have an entire line of clothing called “No Bad days”
Maybe the loss of a loved one including the highest one, the loss of a child.
Most people we polled have about five of these, major life ambushes, in their lifetime. I’ve seen people with more. I know people that have had 10. I myself, I’m getting ready to turn 48, I’ve had four, major life ambushes. I’d love to get through life with no more.
Myrna: When I heard you speaking, I started counting my, major life ambushes.
Jason: But the here is the fact, the, major life ambushes, are devastating. And I tell people they will they will be permanent scars. They will leave permanent physical, mental, or emotional or the financial scars. And when we look back on those, major life ambushes, they will always hurt. The, minor life ambushes, and the, micro life ambushes, they’re in your head, they are schedule disruptions, a couple years later, you’ll barely remember them.
But here’s the amazing thing about, major life ambushes. I talked about this in the TED Talk. The, major life ambushes, frequently are the end of something that occurred in your life. It may be the end of a relationship, it may be the end of the job, or maybe the end of your health, your innocence. Whatever it is, oftentimes what the amazing thing is and once you develop the, overcome mindset, you’re going to figure out how to drive forward and when we figured out how to drive forward no matter how painful it is, the ones that I’ve been through, so often it becomes a new beginning.
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Every major life ambush builds an overcome mindset
And when you get to the other side of that journey when you climb through the pain and the misery and storms and the darkness, I can tell you probably 95% of the people, get to the other side saying you know it really was hard. I do not ever want to go to the gym, but it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me because I grew and got better and, major life ambushes, build us up. Every, major life ambush, no matter how painful they are, they help build an, overcome mindset. You cannot just flip a switch and suddenly have an, overcome mindset.
So when these bad things happen. I don’t want to tell you to celebrate that they happen. I know that that’s probably a stretch, but instead just lean into it and say okay, I know I have to get to the other side. I have to overcome. I have to get off the edge. Somewhere out there, the sun still shines and I will find that sunlight once again and when I do it’s going to be a new path.
I try to explain to people with, major life ambushes, a lot of times people waste a lot of time focused on I want back what I lost. I want to repair this relationship. I want my job back; I want my business back. I lost all this money and I want it back. I want the lifestyle I had before I was severely injured like me, I want my health back. And the reality is it’s gone and never coming back. We have to focus on is how do I get to my new 100% I may not be able to fix what’s broken, I embrace the open door. But you know, so many people are focused on the past. We have to focus on the future now. And how do we shape our future? And when we do that, that becomes our new path that becomes our new 100%.
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Major life ambushes always leaves clues
Myrna: that is that is so true. We are always focused on the closed door and not the open door in front of us. So, you said that, major life ambushes, leave clues. I can understand that a divorce leaves clues. You mentioned that when you walked in to the ambush on the battlefield, you noticed certain signs but you ignored them. So how does that missing the clues in an ambush in the battlefield and missing the clues of a, major life ambush, in real life? Give us the correlation.
Jason: I have an online course that I teach called The Point Man For Life course. And point men are navigators and leaders in the military. They’re very talented individuals, they get us where we need to go. You have to be, the point man, and it’s for your own life. You have to be the one that sets your course that understands where you’re going. So, these indicators are the things that many of us through normal human activity. Either choose to ignore, or, procrastinate, we do all kinds of things. I mean, I break these things down.
You know, sometimes it’s a blatant sign and I use a stop sign in my course. Like we just ignore it no different than somebody who is not paying attention. And they drive through an intersection and miss that stop sign. And they get hit by a car. Well, you know, afterwards, they’re like, yeah, you missed this stop sign. That’s, that’s a really bleak one. But it happens all the time. It happens in businesses, it happens in relationships. If your spouse is constantly saying, hey, we’ve lost our intimacy or we’re not talking as much anymore if we continue to ignore or just flat out, not pay attention to that, you are going to end up divorced. And then you say, I did not see it coming.
Myrna: Yeah, that’s one of the ones I figured out because there’s signs that the relationship is ending.
Signs of an ambush
Jason: Sometimes they’re more subtle. Sometimes they can be helped. I know a lot of people who have health issues and like, oh, this is really been bothering me, but I’m just going to ignore it. And I’m amazed by how many people will do this because they’re afraid of what could happen. And I tell people, you cannot procrastinate, deny or ignore. Those are dangerous things to do, because you’re setting yourself up for a, life ambush. I give the example of a friend who was overweight who was successful business guy, but he was overweight. He wasn’t taking care of himself physically.
The doctor was like, hey, you really need to start taking care of yourself and start working out. You need to watch your nutrition, you’re a ticking time bomb for a heart attack. And, you know, he talked to me about working out and I said, yeah, you can do this. You do that and he never really did it. And then like a year later he had a heart attack and he’s like, why did this happen? The signs were there, but no, you ignored them. And so many people do this in life.
Myrna: You also teach about, situational awareness. Tell us what that is.
Jason: So, I teach, situational awareness, in this society, that has to do with awareness and reaction time. We live in this world where we’re all stuck scrolling our cell phones and I can’t tell you how many people I have watched walking around, and they’re totally absorbed in that cell phone, which means they’re not paying attention to the world around them. I’m highly trained. I try to train other people up to a basic level. One of the things that we do in our, overcoming survive workshop is awareness and get out of that situation before it ever occurs.
So, you see things before they happen, you see the signs of the ambush. You are noticing the indicators before it ever develops into an ambush and you don’t allow yourself to get on the X, the point of attack. You don’t walk into that situation. So sometimes you can’t help it. And that’s where awareness and a little bit of training come in. I really encourage everybody out there to have some level of training for self-defense. I know that your target audience is women. I know there are a lot of women who are afraid of firearms. But I really encourage you learn to use a firearm.
We live in a country that whether you agree with it or not. A firearm can be the great equalizer if someone is coming after you and trying to break into your house or trying to rape or take your kids. There is a level of training that needs to exist with that and I firmly believe we should get that.
Tell us about your book The Point Man Planner. What you hope people to walk away with after getting this planner?
Jason: The Point Man Planner, came from the things that I’ve put in my life. They’re also things that I saw in the military and some of these things are interchangeable. I just use a military Special Operations term. So, the idea around this, is that there’s four-point man principles that everybody should follow.
Relentless belief in mission: This is what makes a successful point man and what makes successful Navy Seals, but also what makes anybody successful. Mission is synonymous with purpose. I know a lot of people who don’t really know who they are. The beginning of the point man planner starts with what are your values?
I mean a lot of people who don’t truly know their values, they will they will throw out the cliché values that everybody likes to throw out. Fitness, family, spirituality but they are the individual that’s never in the gym. Now they aren’t doing much with their family, they’re sure not in church. So those aren’t really their values. Your values are what drive your decision.
Have a clearly defined destination and course. Your destination is your long-term goals where do you want to go 10 years from now, where do you want to be?
What a Point Man does
Myrna: Can I interject here? That was the most one of the most beautiful things when you said that when you were in a mission, your point man pinpoints the exact location, not somewhere around a city but the exact number on the map.
Jason: Yeah, so we have to be very specific because most people are not just oh, I want to be rich. Okay, well, what does that mean? You know, I want you know, I want a big house. Okay, well, where and what is your look like? So, you must be very specific to establish because if it’s not very specific, that we can establish all the steps to get there, and that becomes our course. The course becomes all the steps required to get to where we’re going. And this is constantly changing our lives, change our hopes, tunes, our desires.
Develop the, overcome mindset: We’ve established our course, we know our mission, we have our purpose. Well, how do we avoid the ambushes or at least try and reduce them and I’m constantly checking, where are we at? Are we on course and, overcome mindset, to get off the gas because guess what? Life ambushes, are coming. I tell people you’re either in a, life ambush, you’re coming out, or there’s one on the horizon.
Conclusion
You can pick up the Point Man Planner on Amazon or you can find everything on my website www.Jasonredman.com . Follow me on social media. Every Monday I put out a video called Monday monster and it’s just positive content on preparing for, life ambushes.
Let me use a couple of stories to illustrate this. I am sure you have heard the Bible story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego.
You see God had a plan for these boys’ lives. They had a purpose like we all do. God chose them to be the wise men in King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace. The king ordered his chief of staff to find young men who were strong, good looking and healthy to train as wise men to serve in the palace. God made sure these boys were chosen then, God made them excel in their learning to stand out from the crowd. So, they got the job.
God then gave these four boys unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom and then God give Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. This talent would be necessary to get him into position for his purpose.
Every aspect of your life has been preordained by God. Nothing is left to chance, believe this.
It does not matter the circumstances of your birth. You are meant for greatness and whatever you need to accomplish your mission, God preloads into you.
Think of yourself as a top-of-the-line sports car. Everything you need to perform at your highest level is preloaded and then some!
Daniel had the ability to interpret visions and dreams
Anyway, back to Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and he wanted someone not only to interpret the dream, but to tell him the dream! Sometimes people in authority have some unusual requests. As it turned out Daniel was the only person in the entire kingdom who could tell the King his dream and interpret it.
When Daniel told the king his dream and what it meant King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over all his wise men. But at Daniel’s request the King also appointed Shadrach Meshack and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon. Bring your friends along.
A modern-day version of this story is how Lebron James brought his friends along when he got to the NBA. Lebron hired his friend Rich Paul to be his agent with no experience or degrees in sports related fields. Everyone said it was the worst decision ever. But Lebron understood the concept of bring your friends along. Today Lebron is worth $1Billion in contracts and endorsements and his friend Rich Paul is now the #1 agent in the NBA. He is now expanding to Major league baseball and the NFL.
This is why I want to focus on this topic today. The skill of interpreting dreams and visions were only given to Daniel, but Daniel remembered his friends when he became successful. God does not anoint you with a purpose just for you, you are supposed to help your friends, your family, your community and even the world with your talent.
Your friends have a mission and purpose as well and sometimes your only purpose is to get them in position. Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego’s mission was to show that their God is the only true God. Their God was the only God deserving of their worship and if they were thrown into the fiery furnace, their God would rescue them.
And that is what happened. These boys were thrown into the furnace because they refused to bow down to a statue. When King Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the furnace bound, he witnessed with his own eyes 4 men walking around in the furnace unbound and unharmed. The 4th man being the Angel God sent to protect them from harm.
The King then made this decree “If any man whatever race or nation or language speak a word against the God of Shadrach Meshack and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble.”
So if you ever make it to the top, remember your friends and bring them along.
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of 5 min Fridays with coach Myrna
For some people their, career, is closely interwoven with their, life purpose. Keshia Morris, is that person, Political Activist and Project Manager with Common Cause.
In this interview on the Transform your Mind radio hour and podcast, Life Coach and Mom Myrna Morris Young, trace the story of, Keshia Morris, as an undocumented alien, to her starting her career as a Psychologist, to getting a tug from God to transform her, career with purpose, to help with our democracy.
Listen to full interview here:
Introduction to a Career with Purpose
Keshia Morris is the project manager for the, Census 2020, with Common Cause and is getting a lot of media attention because of the Trump’s administration efforts to add the question “Are you a Citizen” to the, Census 2020.
Keshia Morris, talks about the importance of the Census, the reason the Trump administration was trying to add this question and, Common Cause, fight for a fair democracy.
The media attention started when, Keshia Morris, wrote an amazing article that was published in the Miami Herald that highlighted her, career, with purpose. In this article she talked about our personal journey to becoming permanent residents in the United States and why the question on the Census asking “Are you a Citizen?” would have a negative affect on our democracy.
After that article was published, several podcasts and radio personalities wanted to interview her.
Before we could get to what God has done in Keshia’s life as far as her chosen, career, with purpose. She chose me to be her mother. I knew from the moment she was conceived that she was born to do great things. She was conceived on my honeymoon and was born 9 months later on my 30th birthday. So even without being conscious I knew that she was born with a, life purpose.
Again without being yet conscious; but understanding the principle of generational increase, I started my journey to becoming an American Citizen. I believed that there were more opportunities for my children here in the USA.
Both my children are Canadian, and maybe my assumption was incorrect, but our perceptions become our reality.
Keshia Morris, went through high school as an, undocumented alien. The beauty of this country is that children didn’t require papers to go to public school until higher education. Without a vision, I could have sent her back to Canada to go to college; but that was not even a consideration. I paid out of state fees for her first 2 years of college. I could only afford one class; but she was in College.
I got married again in 2006 and my husband sponsored both of us, and we became permanent residents or documented immigrants.
Keshia received her BA and started out on her intended career as a Psychologist.
How Keshia’s Became On Purpose, career coaching
One day while listening to the audio book “A long walk to Freedom,” by Nelson Mandela, she had what is called a Damascus experience. Everything that was before was no more. So this is where I want to pick up the story.
I want to start off by saying that you tell my story so much better than I do. Just laying out for our listeners how I got to the moment where I decided I wanted to do something new with my career. I had always thought that I that I was going to be a psychologist. As a child people kept telling me that oh you know you’re great at giving people advice, so I thought I might as well make a career out of this and try to achieve the American dream.
Psychologists make a lot of money. I started getting into listening to audio books in my car and as I listening to Nelson Mandela’s “A long walk to freedom” I would say in the very first few chapters of the book, I feel like it changed me and changed my trajectory of my life almost immediately. It was also the time of the sequester where the government was shut down. I interpreted this as wealthy special interests groups were getting in the way of government and our lawmakers not being able to do their jobs. I didn’t feel like this was right, so I felt an extreme tug to try to do something about it.
I had already invested over 4 years as a Psychology major and started with my masters degree credits which were not inexpensive. I had already amassed about $30,000 in student loans before listening to Nelson Mandela’s book. I felt an immense tug from God that becoming a political activist was my, career purpose, I wanted to help change the democracy the United States of America.
How to look for signs that your, career, is on Purpose
Question #2: How did you know that this was God. What were the signs?
I knew it was God because it changed the trajectory of my life in seconds. I was now a new woman and had a firm grasp on what my, career, should be.
Things lined up for you. I was a new Life Coach at the time and you requested a coaching session. I remember it, like it was yesterday. Because what I said out loud was not what I was thinking. I told you to go for it. To make a plan and pursue this goal.
Before graduation you got an internship at your number 1 choice for employment, Common Cause,
You received a job offer with, Common Cause, immediately after graduation. So we know that you were on, career purpose, because God opened doors.
Why family support and career coaching is so important to your career
Question # 3: What advice would you give our listeners who face obstacles. No family support, not accepted to schools, kids at home etc.
I would tell them to believe in the vision that you can have it all. Believe in yourself, believe in God and believe in their, career purpose,
Keshia Morris, you are getting National attention now as the Project Manager for the 2020 Census at Common Cause. The Trump administration has been very unfriendly towards immigrants and, undocumented aliens, and intended to use the question “Are you a Citizen?” on the, Census 2020, to instill fear to the non-Citizens, so as to set up, Gerrymandering. Common Cause fought for this question to be removed from the Census and won.
Question # 4 Please explain the importance of having this question removed from the, Census 2020, and what exactly the Census does for our democracy.
Gerrymandering is manipulating districts to give one party advantage over the other. We have definitely seen a lot of gerrymandering being done by Republicans; but we do absolutely know that Democrats do it as well.
The Constitution mandates that a Census or accounts of all people that live within these United States be counted for apportionment purposes every ten years. So every ten years the Census Bureau takes counts of everyone that lives here. That is including illegal aliens, that is including children and newborns. Everyone should get counted.
What this count does for our democracy is it apportioned the amount of seats in Congress.
There are 435 seats and the House of Representatives and those 435 seats are distributed based on population size. Right now about each congressional district has about 700,000 people.
In a State like Florida, for example that has a population of maybe six to nine million people, but say only eight million people were counted in the, 2020 census, that means that Florida would get less congressional representation than it actually truly deserves because one million people were not counted.
The Trump administration wanted to add this last minute question “Are you a Citizen” to the, Census 2020, I say last minute because usually each question is tested and vetted thoroughly for about three years before a question can be added to the census. It has to go through Congress and an approval processes. The Trump administration came in and decided they were not gonna do any of that, and just announced that they were going to add this question to the, Census 2020,
Census Bureau researchers have found that if this question were to be added to the, Census 2020, about 6.5 million people would not answer the census form and thus insure a fair census. So advocates like, Common Cause, but really across the board, millions of people stood up and said that this is wrong. Common Cause, took the case all the way to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court sided with us. They said that the Trump administration cannot add this question to the, Census 2020, they called the reason the Trump administration gave to add this question, contrived.
Myrna: I heard you say in one of your interviews that the data that comes from the, Census 2020, is confidential and it’s illegal for anybody to use this information for harm to the people. I know you said that if this question was on the, Census 2020, 6.5 million people would not have answered because they might be afraid that someone will come to their door. But what you said is that information is never presented in such a way that somebody can know who filled out the form, and if they were going to actually use information from the data, they will use the information as a collective.
I am curious as to why research shows that 6.5 million people WOULD NOT have responded to the, Census 2020, if the question “Are you a Citizen” was on the form?
Keshia Morris: My answer to that question is twofold.
The law states that your responses on the census cannot be used to cause harm to any person. That means that it can’t be sent to ICE to enforce immigration law. It can’t even be sent to your landlord if you have too many people living in in your household. However, what the Trump administration wanted to do, was to create fear. That information isn’t always communicated correctly and even if it was, people don’t trust that the Trump administration would follow the law.
So it’s better just not to have the question on the, Census 2020, whatsoever.
The Trump administration has given up on their efforts to add the question “Are you a Citizen” on Census 2020, but they are now trying another way to get this information. President Trump has now issued an executive order to get administrative data to be collected for the purpose of redistricting. Common Cause, is fighting for this not to be the case, and it absolutely will be challenged through litigation.
Facts about the, Census 2020,
Section 2 of the Constitution requires a count every 10 years of every person residing in the United States—citizens and non-citizens, newborns and seniors, documented and undocumented, homeowners, renters, and the homeless. The, 2020 Census, will be in full swing during the Winter, Spring and Summer of 2020.
Counting hundreds of millions of people is an immense undertaking, and it’s critical for state legislators to start preparing now. Census data determine the allocation of more than $800 billion in annual federal funding and are often used in state and local policy-making, decision- making, and research. An inaccurate census in 2020 would jeopardize state funds for over 300 federal programs and compromise crucial supports for marginalized communities.
Census data are also used for the reapportionment and redistricting processes and therefore vital to advancing a fair and representative democracy. Ensuring that all residents in your state are counted will require funding, coordination, and commitment from policymakers but will provide your constituents the resources and representation they deserve.
Research shows that if the question “Are you a Citizen” was on the, Census 2020, 6.5 million people would not fill in the Census thereby states would be unrepresented by millions in congress.
Myrna: From listening to all your numerous interviews I will list them. I have learned that the Census data is confidential and it is illegal for anyone to use that data to target aliens.
Myrna: I have had a front row seat to your growth from a Psychology major into a political activist. I have watched you take the mike and rally a crowd. I have listened you spout very technical data about the history of our democracy with names and dates of legal documents. As your mother, I am impressed by your transformation.
Question # 6: Take us through how you released your fear of public speaking. What did you do to get yourself from this abstract fear of speaking and communicating to what you do now?
I am still working on being an effective communicator and working past my fear. My fear has lessened a bit, there was a time where I mean I couldn’t get in front of people and I couldn’t say two words without my voice shaking, without saying um a hundred times, without looking completely lost. So yeah I definitely think that I have I’ve experienced some growth and really all I can say, well the main thing I can say that got me around the corner is practice.
There’s that Malcolm Gladwell books that says you need like 10,000 hours of practicing something to be an Expert. You just named a bunch of the interviews that I’ve done; but you know each of those interviews requests, I started off by saying NO. because the fear is still there. But I able to overcome the fear by resting in the fact that this is for a, life purpose, and I am working towards the goal of having this democracy be the best that it can be.
As we wrap up our show today, I want to leave you with these thoughts.
There is a difference between living an active life and a, purpose driven life. We all lead active lives. To be active does not mean we even have to physically do anything. We could be mentally active and be making plans and, setting goals, etc. but not going anywhere. But when we are living a, purpose driven life, our energy and activities has a, life purpose, and meaning. Pause to reflect the purpose of your chosen, career. What is the meaning of your, career, purpose. What is the quality of the energy you are expending. When you have a, career, of purpose, the more energy you expend, the more renewed you are. On the other hand, when you are not on, life purpose, the energy you expend is not renewed, instead you end your day depleted and diminished.
A, purpose driven life, and, purpose driven career, alters the course of history. I hope you all find yours.
Keshia Morris, one final question What do you want your contribution to be to God’s Kingdom?
To make this country’s democracy the best it can be, that is my, career purpose,
How can any of our listeners get in contact with common cause to support the organization, volunteer for the census or reach you for speaking engagements or interviews?
My definition of a, God shift, is anytime you ditch disruption or delay in your life, collide with, God’s purpose, in moving to a greater, destiny. And it’s important because many of us are pursuing the wrong place. And sometimes that’s a physical place. But sometimes we’re also putting energy into the wrong places in terms of our relationships, and our destiny
Myrna: What is the concept of the, God shift? And why is it important when we’re navigating the seasons of life to get to our destiny?
Bio
Shayna Rattler, the Founder of A God Shift ™ Movement, is an ordained prophet, author and speaker who empowers individuals and organizations around the world to experience a God shift that moves them into a greater destiny, expectancy and possibility. She is passionate about helping others develop a deeper understanding of God and the identity they have in Him. Her wit and humor make God’s word relatable and her direct communication style makes it actionable.
Shayna has helped celebrities, influencers, military officers, political dignitaries, pastors, corporate executives and seasoned entrepreneurs achieve personal growth and organizational excellence. She and her businesses have received multiple awards, she has published multiple books and has been featured in over 450 media outlets. She is also the host of A God Shift Podcast and A God Shift TV show
Shayna: My definition of a, God shift, is anytime you ditch disruption or delay in your life, collide with, God’s purpose, in moving to a greater destiny. And it’s important because many of us are pursuing the wrong place. And sometimes that’s a physical place. But sometimes we’re also putting energy into the wrong places in terms of our relationships, and our mindset. The Lord is so committed to the results in our lives and getting us to where he desires us to be. That if there’s anything that we’re putting energy into, that is not on the path that he has planned for us, he will shake us up and he will use things like disruption and delay in order to get our attention. That is what I call a, God shift.
But that attention is really an invitation that there’s another level of destiny that await us. And so, since so many people are personally in the wrong place and putting energy into the wrong things, It’s important that we respond appropriately to God’s invitation so that we can really get everything that he has for us.
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Myrna: So when are you talking about the, seasons of life, are you saying that how we incorporate the spring, summer winter, seasons of life? Are you saying the negative disruptions are the winter season and the positive disruptions are the spring and summer season?
Shayna: Yes, we all have seasons in our lives that mimic the natural seasons related to the weather. It’s just the natural ebbs and flows of life. But sometimes it’s a season of waiting. Sometimes we’re going through a season of we’ve accomplished everything that we’ve set out to do, yet there’s still an inkling in our belly that there’s another level of success with our name on it. So, it’s not always negative. I do believe that sometimes the negative seasons like the winter season are the ones that we pay the most attention to.
Oftentimes we give the, winter season of life, the most attention to in terms of resources and effort, but it can be all of those things. Sometimes a, season of life, can be I just sent my kid off to college and this is the very first time that I’ve ever been alone in my entire life. Whatever it is that you’re experiencing good, bad or indifferent, is contributing to a particular, season of life.
Myrna: So, if God has a purpose for you, and you’re putting your energy into a different purpose, we said that the, God shift, is when God sends some kind of disruption so that he can get your attention. The disruptions could be illnesses, the disruption could be disappointment etc. So, when you talk about the, God shift, how do we use those disruptions to get us back on the correct path?
Shayna: First, we have to be clear that the disruption is not always negative. A disruption is any unexpected circumstance in your life. So, you could unexpectedly get a major job opportunity that requires you to move to a part of the country or part of the world that you know nothing about and it can make you uncomfortable and it can come with fear and doubt. However, it’s the most money that you’ve ever made in your entire life and gives you the opportunity to have more impact and influence than you’ve ever had in your life. So, I think we first have to be clear that disruptions don’t have to be negative occurrences. But that’s one of the misnomers.
The question is, are we going to see what it is that he needs us to see? Are we going to learn what it is that he needs to learn? Are we going to go where he needs us to go? We have to be able to identify, why is the Lord using what it is that he’s using to get my attention? Why is he using it now? And what do I need to do as a result of that? That’s kind of the backdrop of a, God shift, is that we’re pursuing a path that is not in alignment with the ultimate, destiny, that God has for us. He uses something to shake us up to get our attention. Now, how are we going to respond? Just like if I send you an invitation to a dinner party at my house? How are you going to respond?
Sometimes it can be that you’re on one path and you’re at a crossroads and you wonder should I stay on this path? Do I do something different? Are your opportunities in relationships? Are they drying up? Do you find yourself always relying on other people to pray for you? You don’t feel like you have enough power and authority to be able to pray for yourself. You’re waiting idly on God to do everything and you don’t recognize that you have a role in your life. Sometimes people feel burned out. Sometimes people feel anxious. There’s a number of things that you can identify that something is just off and you may not know exactly why it’s off or how to fix it, but you know, whatever this season is that you’re experiencing right now, you don’t want to stay there.
Myrna: Right, you don’t want to stay there. Just like the natural seasons, the, seasons of life, are not permanent. It’s the flow of life and you keep moving towards our, destiny. You don’t want to linger in that winter season for sure. Okay, what can get in the way of successfully sifting through the, seasons of life, especially the difficult ones to get to, destiny?
Shayna: There’s a lot of things that some of the main ones that I see are expecting things to look in the next season like they’ve looked in previous seasons, especially if we continue with your analogy of the natural seasons. Sometimes, assignments and seasons expire? Our purpose doesn’t change. Our, destiny, doesn’t change. Our calling doesn’t change, but seasons and assignments expire. And many of us the reason why we are not into the next level of, destiny, that God has for us is because we don’t give ourselves permission to let go of a season that has expired.
Myrna: How do you help clients navigate the, God shift, and get back to, purpose and destiny?
Shayna: I would say that purpose and destiny leaves clues. So if we look at my own life, and we look at previous assignments, when I was a young girl, probably a preteen, I volunteered in the activities department in nursing. And one of the things that I enjoyed the most was we had a bed bound patient that if they moved her, it would kill her.
And so I would ask her if you could go anywhere or you could do anything where would you go? What would you do? And then before I would come back the next time I would go to the library, and I would find a book about what it is that she said she would do and where she would go and I read it to her, so I was helping to make her dreams come true. So that was Clue #1 on my purpose and destiny.
You fast forward a couple of years, I became a therapist, and whether I was helping someone who’d had a stroke, learn how to brush their hair again, or someone who had just had a hip replacement learn how to navigate the bathtub again. I was making their dreams come true. That was Clue #3. I advanced into owning my own business and being a business coach. I was making people’s business dreams come true.
And now in the faith-based space. I’m helping people get into their, destiny, teaching them how to make their dreams come true that, God’s purpose and destiny, has for them because there’s usually something that’s blocking them seeing it.
And so if you look at the, assignments, that I had, from a pre-teen to now being 45 years old, my purpose and destiny on this earth is to make people’s dreams come true. That’s the impact of that I am designed to have and so you know I said a minute ago people use the words assignment, calling, purpose and destiny interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. Your assignment is to your calling is how you help them. Your, purpose, is why you’re here. What is the impact that you’re meant to have? And your, destiny, is where your purpose takes you.
So, you see my calling, zigzagged a little bit in terms of how I helped people, but my purpose has always been to make people’s dreams come true. Although I’ve done it in different assignments and in different, seasons of life. So, for if someone came to me and said, Shayna, what is my purpose? I’m not even going to try to come up with some deep prophetic word. I’m going to ask them. Tell me about your previous, assignments, that you’ve had. And let’s see if we can identify a common thread that has been woven throughout those assignments. I would ask them, tell me about your passions and tell me about your frustration because I think we’re those two things intersect.
Write down this formula. It’s called the ABCs to unlock heaven. This is how you use the authority that scripture says that we have.
The A is aligned, we first have to be aligned with His Word, His willingness ways. This is not new age, a woman will name it and claim it. Just focus on what it is that you want and got out. We’re not talking about none of that. Witness camp. We’re aligning with God’s will and His Word
The B is for belief. It’s not enough for us just to believe that God is able, but you have to believe that he’ll do it for you.
The C is the most important as C stands for confession. As a believer the most powerful weapon that we have is our mouths. And we have to use our mouths and make sure that our speech is in alignment with everything that we’re believing for and everything it is that God says that we can have. That’s why there are scriptures like speak those things that are as though they were that’s why there’s scriptures that says.
Let the poor say I am rich. Let the weak say I’m strong. So we have to make sure that every word that comes out of our mouth now is in alignment with what we want. Stop talking about what you don’t want, stop talking about what did not happen. You need to begin to declare what it is that you want to see happen.
Conclusion
Myrna: You have a free resource that you want to share with the listeners, tell them how they can get a hold of you. Talk about your podcast about your podcast and TV show.
Shayna: Absolutely. So, we’ve talked a lot about, God shift, and all of us are shifting in some capacity in our lives. And anytime, no matter what we’re shifting from or what we’re shifting to. There’s always four primary areas of our lives that we’re going to have to shift. But there’s four shifts that are going to be required. And so, I created a free guide called “When God says shift, and inside that guide, you’ll discover what those four shifts are to help you shift successfully. You can grab this at www.Godsaysshift.com. And if you want to find out about anything about us, our website is www.AGodshift.com You can find out about our books, the television show, the podcast, everything all in one place. If you’re looking for me on social media, I’m the most active on Instagram @agodshift there as well.
One way to find your, purpose, is to notice what makes you, weep, or angry. Because that is your, heart, responding to what’s on the outside that is linked to something on your inside. For example, do you, weep, when you hear a child has been abused or a dog left outside in the heat without any water? Then maybe God wanted you to do something about this and that is why he pre-wired you to care.
We see an example of this in the, bible story, of, Nehemiah. Nehemiah, asked his brother a simple question. “How are the, Jews, finding being back home after being in captivity”
Nehemiah, brother replied “Not good. They are in trouble and disgrace because the, walls of Jerusalem, have been torn down and the gates destroyed by fire.”
When, Nehemiah, heard this, he wept for days until he felt compelled to do something about it. At the time he was not a rich man, a man of influence, or had any other qualifications to rebuild a wall; he was the Kings cup bearer. But that did not stop him from asking God to make the King favorable to his request to rebuild the, walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah, had this immense calling to do something, it made him sad because he really didn’t think he could actually do anything about it. Remember he was not rich; he did not have any influence or so he thought. While serving the king wine one day, the King noticed he was sad and asked him why.
Nehemiah, replied “I am sad because the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins.” The king asked “How can I help you?” What a strange response from a King. This is because, Nehemiah, had already petitioned God to go before him and soften the, heart, of the king.
So, Nehemiah, responded “Send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”
The King responded “How long will you be gone?”
Again no pushback, the King did not even ask, Nehemiah, how he plans on accomplishing this task. He just said just let me know how long you will be gone!
How many of you felt angry or sad at things happening around you, but felt you could do nothing about it because you are a nobody without money or influence? I have heard lots of present-day, Nehemiah, stories of men and women tackling huge issues and building a movement. The first one that comes to mind is, Stacey Abrams, in, Georgia.
Stacey did not win her groundbreaking 2018 campaign for governor, but she did not quit. She got right back to work because she understood that she didn’t need the title of governor to make a difference in the lives of Georgians.
But let’s unpack our Nehemiah story. The truly amazing thing about this story is that he completed the wall in 52 days. He, organized, what the enemy called poor feeble, Jews, to work together. Everybody did a little bit. I think today we call this, grassroots organizing, or, boots on the ground, and he did it without technology. No telephones, no internet!
Why was he so successful, because it was his, purpose. It was his, soul’s purpose, and that is why the, organizing, forces in the universe came together to make it happen. How did, Nehemiah, find his, purpose? He wept for days when he heard that his people were living in shame and his, heart, told him he should do something about it.
In a similar way, your, purpose, has a way of finding you. It could jump off the page of a book you are reading, you could hear a term and like, Lifecoach, and know that is what you are supposed to do. Are you trying to find your, purpose in life? Reflect on what elicits emotion from you. Listen to your, heart. It will direct you to your, purpose.
Nehemiah, built a wall, what can you build? Can you build a community center for the youths in your community, so they can get off the streets? Can you build a school in your village, so the kids can get an education? Can you build wells in third world countries, so that poor people can drink clean water?
Conclusion
Whatever is causing you pain, you can do something about it. You are, limitless, you only need the, desire; the, organizing, power of the universe will do the rest.
This is 5 min Fridays with coach Myrna, I hope that you are on, purpose, and if not, you must learn to listen to your, heart, to find your, soul’s purpose. Join my Facebook group Lifecoach to be inspired throughout the week.
Are you trying to find your, purpose? Take inventory of what’s in your, hand? Unfortunately God does not make your, purpose, clear, you have to check your natural gifts and talents to gain clarity.
“What’s that in your, hand?” the LORD asked, Moses. Moses answered, “A staff”
“If you have a tendency to despair over lost opportunities or if you worry about the future, ask yourself this question: “What is right in front of me?” In other words, what circumstances and relationships are currently available to you? This question can get your focus off a past regret or a scary future and back to what God can do in your life. What is God’s intention for your life, what is your, purpose, gifts and natural abilities?”
Ways to find your purpose
Finding your purpose
You may be at a crossroad in your life and want to change careers but you don’t know what you want to do. To find your, purpose, ask yourself, what do I have in my, hand? What are my gifts and natural abilities? Take inventory of your natural talents and abilities. What are you good at? What do you like to do? What have others told you that you are good at?
What did Walt Disney have in his hand when he was broke and out of a job? Answer.. he had in his hand the natural ability to Draw. That pointed him to his, purpose, of creating the “happiest place on earth”.
What did Nelson Mandela have in his hand when he was imprisoned for over 27 years in a small cell? Answer. He had the natural ability and gift to lead. His, purpose, was to lead his people out of Apartheid. God put in his hand the natural ability to forget self and work for justice for his people.
How did J.K Rowling find her, purpose? She was broke and a single parent with no support? She asked herself, How can I figure out what to do? Her answer.. she checked what she had in her hand, what was her gift and natural ability. She was an English teacher. She used her love and mastery of the English language to create a story in her mind and then put it to paper. The Harry Potter empire was born.
How I found my purpose
In my book “Out of the Snares” I share How I found my, purpose, by checking what I had in my hand. I had in my hand the ability to write and to tell a good story. I had a love of people and the compassion in my heart to want them to succeed, so I transitioned to becoming an Author and a Life coach.
If you are trying to find your, purpose, check what’s in your, hand. What do you have in your, hand, that God gave you at birth to build his Kingdom?
Use what you have in your, hand. You were created with a, purpose, God gave you the skills and, talents, you need to complete your task. Stop waiting for the right time.
Check out what Propel Women article said about finding out your, purpose, by referencing the bible story of Moses and how God used what was in his, hand.
Stop asking when you are going to get your gifts or, talents, or calling and see what’s in your, hand.
But there’s a bush that is burning and, Moses,’ life is about to get flipped upside down.
What is in your hand?
Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses, threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.” [Ex. 4:1-3]
In Exodus chapter 3, Moses, had many doubts and many fears. He came up with tons of excuses. But God asked, Moses, what was in his, hand.
We know, Moses, has a shepherd’s staff in his hand, a dead thing. But then he laid it down and it became a snake. A dead thing became a living thing, and a dangerous thing at that. So dangerous in fact that, Moses, actually runs from it! God says to pick it again and it becomes a dead thing again.
Just like God told. Moses, I believe God is telling people today to lay it down. Will you not lay down your identity? Many of us are defined by our job, our education, our financial status, or marital status. But Galatians 2:19 reminds us that, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Yes, it’s no longer about me, but rather Christ who lives in me. God is saying, Let me be the one to give you identity. Find your identity in me.
Our passion is our purpose
Before we find our passion and, purpose, we must be willing to lay down our influence and recognition.
The recognition of man pales in comparison to what God has called us to. God is asking if you’re willing to lay down our dead things so he can make them come to life. Many people are living lives that are dead; it feels comfortable and safe and controllable.
But when God gives us a vision for our life like He did with Moses, we’re able to see the power God has for us, the purpose he promises us, and the plan he wants for us. It might scare us. Some might even want to run away from because it’s terrifying and they won’t know how to handle the amazing things God has for them.
Pick up your copy of “Out of the Snares” and understand the Biblical principles behind the story of Moses and the “Burning Bush”. Learn how our “Burning Bush” is our passion and natural talents.
Trying to find your, purpose? Need help understanding what is in your hand? Let me Help you. Get 4 coaching sessions for $200.00 with the order of “Out of the Snares.”
In this episode of 5 Min Fridays with Coach Myrna, we look at the, Bible story, of, Joseph, to see how God uses, coincidence, to get us to our, purpose and destiny. I show that there are, no coincidences in life, that every moment has been, preordained.
So, if you have been feeling unlucky because you had, coincidence, show up in your life that did not feel good, I want you to know that every event has a, purpose, and that is to take you to your, preordained destiny.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Bible Story Of Joseph and destiny
I want to use the, bible story, of, Joseph, the son of Jacob to show how God uses, coincidence. Joseph, was born with a purpose, prearranged by God. It was determined in his mother’s womb or before.
Because he was born to his father in his old age, his father Jacob loved him more than his 10 other brothers. That created jealousy. His brothers hated him because he was his father’s favorite. When Jacob made, Joseph, a beautiful robe of many colors, his brothers became even more jealous of him. Then Joseph, started dreaming about his brothers bowing down to him and he decided to share his, dreams.
Bad move, never share your, dreams, of success with others even family members because they will secretly hate you and want you dead. They may not try to kill you as Joseph’s brothers wanted to do, but maybe they would wish evil on you.
The good news is whatever God ordains no man can change.
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Potiphar’s wife has the hots for, Joseph, but when he wouldn’t sleep with her, she seeks revenge by accusing him of trying to rape her and so Joseph is thrown into prison. The same prison that the Pharaoh sends prisoners from the palace.
Later Pharaoh throws his cup bearer and his baker in prison and who oversees them, Joseph!
Then God gives them both, dreams, and tells, Joseph, the interpretation of their, dreams. It so happens that in 3 days both, dreams, come through according to, Joseph’s interpretation. The cup bearer is returned to his role in the palace and the baker was killed.
A full 2 years later the Pharaoh had 2, dreams, that he needed interpreting and that is when the cup bearer remembered, Joseph, the Hebrew slave who interpreted his, dreams, in prison.
Pharaoh sends for, Joseph, who interprets his, dreams. Joseph, tells Pharaoh that the, dreams, meant God is notifying him there will be 7 bountiful years followed by 7 Years of severe famine.
Pharaoh then makes, Joseph, administrative head of Egypt second only to himself. Everyone needed to bow down to him.
God’s, purpose, for, Joseph, was to be the instrument that would save the Egyptians from all dying in the famine that was, preordained, before, Joseph, was born. The famine would have also have wiped out all of Abraham’s defendants as well and that would have made God’s promise to Abraham, that his defendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky to be void, and how many of you know that God is not man, he does not lie. He used, coincidence, to move, Joseph, in position to realize his preordained, destiny.
Coincidence is to get you to your destiny
I wanted to share this story with you today to illustrate that you were born with a, purpose, and there are no, coincidence, in life. Every moment is, preordained. Think of all the, coincidences, God had to orchestrate for, Joseph, to fulfill his, purpose and destiny. Most of them not in, Joseph, favor.
My life has been the same. There were several, coincidences, that got me to my, purpose and destiny. If I was to pick up my story from the time I arrived in Canada from Guyana.
I met this girl working in a factory making zippers. She took me with her to look for a better job. That, coincidence, got me a job at Scotia Bank and she did not find work. While I was at Scotia Bank, I met my second husband who was 12 years older than me and schooled me in life and suggested I go back to college.
After college I started selling computers. the, coincidence, of how I met Tony Robbins. Tony came to town and sent free tickets to my company for his “unleash the power within” conference. Tony Robbins inspired me to unleash my power within and I became the top female limousine operator in Toronto Canada.
This, coincidence, brought me to Miami Florida. Miami was my Egypt, it is where I needed to be to fulfil my, purpose. I will stop here, but you get the picture. There are, no coincidences in life, every step in your journey is, preordained, and is God’s plan, even the steps you take backwards.
Conclusion coincidence
So, if you feel you have been lucky or if you feel that you are unlucky, I want you to know that every, coincidence, has a, purpose, and that is to take you to your, preordained destiny.
This is life coach Myrna Young and you have been listening to 5 mins with coach Myrna. I want to invite you to join my private Facebook group called Lifecoach. Hope to see you next week. Namaste
Kushal Choksi, 911 survivor, shares his story of surviving the collapse of the, World Trade Center, and then asking the universe why he survived. What was his, purpose, when he stumbled onto, Sky Breath meditation, and, breathwork, as a healing modality from, trauma; he realized that he had found his purpose.
Kushal’s new book “On a Wing and A Prayer” tells his story.
Kushal’s thriving career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs was forever changed on September 11, 2001 as he made a split-moment decision to abandon his office and the co-workers who refused to leave the World Trade Center. Managing to narrowly escape, he witnessed the magnitude of death and destruction up close and was plunged into lengthy depression where he found himself believing life was meaningless.
His search for a renewed, purpose, began with a reluctant trip to a, breathwork, workshop and eventually turned into a decades-long journey of spiritual discovery, mind-blowing metaphysical experiences, and a fierce devotion to the life-altering benefits of mindfulness and meditation.
Today, Kushal and his wife run Elements Truffles, a New York-based artisanal chocolate company built on values of Ayurveda, sustainability, giving back and ethical trade. Kushal is a trainer of personal development, meditation, wellness, and leadership programs for the Art of Living Foundation. He has taught secrets of breathwork and meditation to thousands across the US, Europe, and Asia. And he serves on the US board of the International Association for Human Values (IAHV).
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Myrna: How did surviving, 911, on, September 11, change your life? How did that tragedy make you more receptive to a new spiritual path of, mindfulness, breathwork, and, meditation?
Kushal: Great question. I think, you know, as I recall, the day started as any other day where I was on my way to work. And as I was coming out of the, the subway, in the bowels of the, world trade center, that’s when the pandemonium broke around me and I froze. In that moment, I didn’t know how to process all that. People were just running around, saying things that they understood, or they perceived, someone was saying a bomb had gone off.
Nobody really knew what was happening. Only one thing was evident, there was a fear, there was massive fear in the atmosphere. That’s all I really remember that it was unsafe to be outside. I stepped out and as I was looking at the building, trying to process what had just happened, another plane crashed into the South Tower. Of course, in that moment, it became clear that this was a more deliberate action.
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And what followed after that, people jumping in front of me, just to end it willfully, or the first responders going in, almost walking into their own end, you know, and it was all kind of very unexpected and very difficult to process. It felt like a scene from an apocalypse movie that you can almost imagine, but you never think you would be part of it, or you would be living it. And as I was running away from it, the second tower just collapsed. And by a stroke of luck, I had just jumped on a ferry on the other end of the island that was leaving Manhattan.
I ended up being the last person on the last ferry that left the island that day. At that moment, I realized that I turned into a statistic, that I was now a, 911 survivor. And, you know, that day kind of prepared me and laid a foundation for what was to come in my life. Part of me was feeling very grateful, very happy that I had, I made it out alive, and I survived these horrific attacks.
So, there was an enthusiasm to finish the unfinished business. I used to work on Wall Street now, that American dream that I have come to pursue as an immigrant, I had to go out and create a new dream. An event like this was a wakeup call to find, purpose in life. It was something that shook me up from my reverie and made me ask a bigger question. What is my, purpose in life?
This was a life changing event, I talked to many people and I say maybe, 911, was an event for me, but I feel everyone has their own, 911. Whether they were when their world crashed. It was that day 20 years ago before a pandemic like what we’ve just been through?
Myrna: Yes, we all we all walk away from something. So, you weren’t at work yet when the planes crashed into the, world trade center? You were just coming out of the subway. Obviously, it wasn’t your time. Were you running late for work? Were you supposed to be at work on time?
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Kushal: No, the security person was asking us to go back in the building. Because, if you stepped outside, just on the other side of that glass door, it was raining cement chips, that insulation from the wall that glass splinters, embers from the sky, it was like really unsafe. And so, he was asking people to stay inside, but in that moment, I decided to step out and go. A voice from behind me tap on my shoulder and say, Just go. And so yeah, that was my clothes in the dryer moment, because the building collapsed a few minutes later.
The aftermath of 911
After, September 11, I think I can paint a broad brush and what I had was, depression. I think, depression, follows lack of interest, but for me, it was it was exactly the opposite. I was feeling so grateful that I had a second lease on life. That I felt I had to go after whatever was unfinished with even more gusto. I have tremendous force of life in me. It’s just that I began questioning the, purpose of life, what’s really the point of this life. I was I was doing well in my career. I got married to my soulmate but what was my, purpose in life?
So, I wouldn’t really call it depression, but it was just, sometimes you are on autopilot. You’re on a conveyor belt, and you were just going with the force of life and then something hits you with a club in your head and makes you question is this conveyor belt right for you? That was the first time I questioned my, purpose in life.
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Myrna: All right, you found your, purpose, by going to a, breathwork, workshop and, breathwork, meditation, and that started your decades long journey in spiritual discovery. So why do you feel that proper breathing was so important to healing trauma? I don’t know if you felt that you were traumatized from that, but if we don’t want to use the word, trauma, why do you think that, breathwork, is so important to healing?
Kushal: I must confess that in the spirit of being very open and honest, that I did not go to that, breathwork, meditation, looking for, purpose. I was almost pushed into it against all my reluctance.
And so, the first time I meditated with, breathwork, with this teacher, this spiritual master, I was blown away. I had read all about keeping your mind in the, present moment, not thinking of the past or future just being in the, present moment. It was a fantastic, very well-read intellectual concept, lodged firmly in my head. But the first time did, breathwork, meditation, it became a tangible experience. That what it is to be in the, present moment, or what it is to have a mind without thoughts, or mind without an impulse. And that was the first time I experienced that.
Myrna: That is amazing, because most people take time to get there.
Kushal: I personally had tried it so many times before, and it didn’t go anywhere. I want to come to that, why that was the case. This time, I effortlessly got there. So, then I started looking for scientific validation. That left-brain person that I was, I started looking for all the scientific underpinnings of that practice, or that, breathwork, meditation, that I experienced. And then I realized that it was real deal.
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I think the balance of both, left brain, and, right brain, is important. I think that brain is logic, analysis. Intensity, right brain, is more flow state, you know, calm music, you know, all of that emotion. So, I think a balance of both a judicious balance of both is very important. Either end of the spectrum, you somewhat lead an unbalanced life. And you want to, I think you want to be walking the razor’s edge balances boredom.
Myrna: Why do you think that proper breathing aka, breathwork, heals your, trauma? Does it have to do with being in the, present moment, is that the doorway?
Kushal: There’s a deeper scientific kind of effect that’s happening on our nervous system. You know, any life experience that you go through, whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant, it leaves a lesion or a scuff mark on your nervous system. It leaves like a, an impression in your system somewhere. Let me give you an example of something so simple as wanting to have a coffee in the morning.
First day, somebody offered you a cup of coffee in the morning, oh, you say it is the greatest thing. And next day, when you look at coffee, you remember the experience you had before. And you say, I want coffee. Third day, you are going to go and switch on the coffee pot. And the next day, if you don’t have coffee in your apartment, that’s going to make you feel miserable.
Sky breath meditation
So something as innocent as a coffee has created a pattern, or a conditioning of your mind. Some of the traumatic events, or some of the events of loss or anything of that nature does a very similar thing. Seeing something similar that evokes that emotion, keeps taking you back to that emotion. You know, for the, for the longest time, every time I would remove my shoes at the airport, it would take me back to the morning of, 911.
That was an impression that, 911, had created in my mind, and now, any such related events, were taking them back to past, not letting me be in more in the, present moment.
The practice that I learned, this technique is called, Sky breath meditation. And what, sky breath meditation, does is harnessing the rhythm of your own, breath. It clears your nervous system of this debilitating impression. Impressions that hold you back, impressions that take you back into those moments that you don’t want to go back to.
So, the impressions make us, tied to our pass. So, what I experienced with, sky breath, was without effort.
You said a very beautiful thing earlier that I want to comment on, you said that you required visualization to move from, left brain, thinking to, right brain, thinking. Visualization, is an effort. Yes, not thinking of something or resisting thoughts is an effort. And as you know someone who is focused so much on, transforming the mind. You can’t control your mind from the level of your own mind.
Myrna: Exactly. You got it. You know, that’s the nature of the, mind. You cannot control it with your thoughts. Mind, does not subscribe, doesn’t listen to effort. Your body listens to effort. If you want to build muscles, you have to put effort, but, sky breath, is complete effortless.
Kushal: So, what this, chi breath, did was without effort, it cleared my impressions and effortlessly took my mind to a place which was meditative. I had I tried so hard to meditate but when I closed my eyes all the profound ideas about what I wanted to have for dinner, all these trivial things which entered my awareness to the point that I cannot meditate. But now, sky breath meditation, changed all that through the simple act of, breathwork breathing.
Myrna: All right, awesome. All right. Now, you also talk about, Ayurveda, what exactly is that?
Kushal: Ayurveda, is just science of life. It’s also colloquially known as the sister science to, yoga. Yoga, focuses on body and mind. Ayurveda, focuses on nutrition, what you put inside your system. So, it focuses on achieving harmony, and balance, through your food, your food is your medicine. But unlike a lot of the trends these days, eg. keto or, paleo where you do certain things, and you definitely don’t do certain things, Ayurveda, is not restrictive.
Myrna: I don’t know why I have not actually investigated, Ayurveda, because Deepak Chopra and Sadhguru teaches about, Ayurveda.
Kushal: Ayurveda, has to do with the planet, it has to do with how we work with the seasons, it has to do with the time of the day. It’s all about bringing that balance, bringing that harmony in your system, through eating right at the right time, in the right amount. I realized that as I went deeper into my practice of, meditation, my nutrition automatically started aligning, aligning with what I recommended.
Okay, and it was very beautiful, it didn’t say, do this, don’t do this, it was never about that. And the minute someone says, don’t do this, I want to do that. So that’s why, Ayurveda, really resonated with me, because it said, do everything, just do it in the right amount at the right time. And mindfulness is about being aware, being mindful of what you do and eat.
If you look at it scientifically, mindfulness, is a frontal cortex activity in your brain. And the research shows those people who practice, mindfulness, their frontal cortex is more developed. It is the thinking side of the brain. Mindfulness, keeps you at the surface level.
You turn off your mind, without effort. Turning off also requires effort. So, meditation, is not an act of doing anything but it’s just being and then you are in that state. You connect with yourself and, meditation, happen.
Use a tool like, Sky breath, or some, breathwork, techniques allows you to connect with yourself and the more you are in touch with yourself, the more resilient you automatically become. The more aware you are at every moment, the more what is important and what is not becomes very clear. So, you may have these memories, like for example, if you like how you asked me earlier, take us to that day, 911, 2011 I can close my eyes and I can see every little detail in crystal clarity, but does it does not have the same emotional garbage or that negative charge that it used to have.
Book On A Wing And A Prayer
On A Wing and A Prayer
Myrna: Tell us about your book On A Wing and A Prayer where you can they can get your book. Tell us about your website, tell us about your handle on social media, so they can connect with you and, and how they can actually connect with you to learn, sky breath meditation.
Kushal: Sure. The book is available on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You can get it from my website, the links on my website, it’s my first name and last name www.KushalChoksi.com.
We are connected to, divine consciousness, and so we come pre-loaded with the power of the Universe, we need to learn how to unleash, the power within.
This week on Mindset Transformation radio and podcast with coach Myrna, I interview Dr Donavan Outten, Dr Outten is going to share “How to unleash your, inner greatness, also called, the power within, so you can tap into the person God intended you to be.
Author interview Transform Your Mind Podcast
Tip of the week: Are you Desperate and Determined?
A few weeks ago, my pastor preached on the 3 D’s Desperate, Determined and Dependent!
You see the 3 D’s require a mindset shift.
In order to, unleash power within, we must become desperate, determined and dependent. We see numerous times in the bible when God promoted and elevated people who were either desperate, determined or dependent on him for victory.
We see that every miracle begins with a desperate problem.
The story begins with Ahasuerus, ruler of the Persian Empire, holding a lavish banquet, initially for his court and dignitaries and afterwards for all inhabitants of the capital city, Shushan.
On the seventh day, Ahasuerus orders the queen, Vashti, to come and display her beauty before the guests by wearing only her crown. She refuses. Furious, Ahasuerus has her removed from her position and makes arrangements to choose a new queen from a selection of beautiful young women from throughout the empire.
One of these is the Jewish orphan, Esther. After the death of her parents, she was fostered by her cousin, Mordecai. She finds favor in the King’s eyes, and is crowned his new queen.
Ahasuerus appoints Haman as his viceroy. Mordecai, who sits at the palace gates, falls into Haman’s disfavor, as he refuses to bow down to him. Having discovered that Mordecai is Jewish, Haman plans to kill not just Mordecai, but all the Jews in the empire.
As the story unfolds, Esther the Jewish orphan turned queen, used her place as queen to intercede with the King; her desperation made her, unleash power within, her and risk death, because it was against the law to present herself to the King unsummoned. This was punishable by death.
Her determination, desperation and dependence on God, saved the Jews of the Persian Empire, she, unleashed, the power within.
Bio
Dr. Donavan Outten is a powerful trainer, consultant, educator and administrator with over 20 years’ experience. He is the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at Webster University.
Dr. Outten is a published author of 2 books, one of which is our topic today. Unleash your inner greatness: A guide to overcoming obstacles and Tapping into the person God meant you to be.
Dr Outten writes books to inspire and motivate individuals to achieve greatness in their lives.
His research focuses on developing young African American Students in higher education. He has also produced seminars, lectures, classes, assessments and workshops throughout the United States and Caribbean.
Dr. Outten earned his Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Nova.
Southeastern University, his Masters in Human Resource Development & Administration from Barry University and Bachelors in Psychology from Bethune Cookman University.
Question 1. I know that unleashing our, inner greatness, our, the power within, is your space. Can you tell our audience what does it mean to, Unleash our, Inner Greatness,” and a little of why you chose this topic as the subject of your book.
Question 2. So what are some of the obstacles to unleashing, the power within?
Most children today are taught not to question authority, so they go about their lives always looking for someone to direct them and never focusing on their inner strength or, power within.
Question 3. Where does the power within, come from?
We are connected to source energy. If you take a droplet of water from the ocean, it has the same properties as the entire body of the ocean. Similarly we came from God or source, so we have the same powers. We just need to, unleash, the power within.
Question 4. How does an individual muster up enough strength to have such strong determination to finish a task or overcome a devastating life situation?
• Where do they find the courage to stand up for what they believe in or battle back from a medical condition that almost took their life?
• How does one leave a secure job to start a business that they are passionate about?
• What is the secret to obtaining determination and maintaining it over a period of time?
• What kinds of people have it, and what is determination?
Dr Outten says, “In my heart, I truly believe that determination is having the will to move forward in spite of what obstacle, barrier, or difficulty you might be facing. It is looking adversity in the face and not backing down, but pushing forward with tenacity and unleash, the power within.
He feels that Self-determination starts on the inside. It is first a thought or a belief that you can or will succeed no matter the problem you have to face. You believe in yourself even when no one else does. That spells confidence, character, and courage.
Question 5. What are some other obstacles to unleashing our, inner greatness?
Resilience: The path toward nurturing a, resilient mindset, and lifestyle is a road
that should not be taken lightly. This path has many bumps, twists, turns, and potholes
and is never straightforward. The road often contains obstacles and detours
that interfere with reaching your destination.
Passion: Your passion does not usually appear overnight. It has been dwelling
inside you for a long time. As a child, what were you passionate about? As a
teenager, what were you passionate about? As a young adult, what were you
passionate about? Often times, you will identify a pattern in what you are
passionate about. It is up to you to identify what it is and go after it.
When turning your, passion into profit, you have to be careful and work smarter,
not harder. You will run into a lot of obstacles and need to face your fears, as
things probably won’t go as smoothly as you’d like them to go. It’s all a part of
the journey.
Destiny: Destiny can be referred to as a predetermined course of events. It may
be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
What you perceive your future to be will come to pass if you work for it, believe
in it, and live your life towards it.
What you have today does not reflect what you will obtain tomorrow. If you have
the capability of looking into your future and seeing what lies ahead, then all you
have to do is work towards your goal.
Walking towards your destiny is no easy task because you will have obstacles and
hurdles along the way. There will be road blocks that will make you think that
you are going down the wrong path, but you will need to have patience,
endurance, and faith. Your faith will play a big part in finding and fulfilling your
destiny; you will need to seek guidance from God and, unleash power within.
Question 6. I know that you work predominately with the African American youth. What advice would you give them on being determined and staying the course?
You have to better than good, you have to be great.
You have to work twice as hard for the same opportunity as your white counterparts.
A lot of times we become overwhelmed with the challenges we face in our lives. We can do one of two things; we can fold up like a flower at night or we can stand up push out our chest find our, courage, and declare. I was, born for this!
This is exactly what happened to, Queen Esther, in the, bible story.
King Xeroxes threw a banquet and for 6 months he celebrated with wine and food. He invited all the nobles from 127 province that he ruled over to attend this banquet.
In his drunken state he sent for his wife and demanded she appear before him in her robe and crown. He wanted to parade her around and show off her beauty to his subjects. She refused. That sent the king in a rage, and he asked his advisors what to do about her. They suggested he banish her forever from his presence because women all over the Kingdom would follow her and start to disrespect their men.
The king agreed and banished the queen, but now he needed a queen. So, they searched the country for the most beautiful virgins and brought them to the palace to be in the Kings, harem.
How women were prepared before they could sleep with the King
These women were prepared for one year before they were allowed to sleep with the king. In this year their skins were rubbed with the oil of myrrh for 6 months and the next 6 months their body was perfumed. Then after a year they would be sent to the king’s bed and would not get a chance again unless he was pleased with their performance and requested them again by name!
So, in those days the women in the, king’s harem, had to be beautiful smell like a fragrant garden and also had skills!! Wow! This was, life in harem.
Anyway, moving on with the story, Esther, had what the King wanted because not only did she please him and he sent for her by name several times, but he decided to make her his queen.
Now, Esther, was a, Jew, and she never told anyone. Her family was part of the, Jews, who were displaced when King Nebuchadnezzar banished the, Jews, from their homeland.
So, when her uncle heard that Haman was planning to destroy all the, Jews, on March 7 the following year, he asked, Queen Esther, to go before the king and ask for mercy.
Now, the king had a rule that anyone who appears before him in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die, unless the King holds out his golden scepter. The king had not sent for, Esther, in 30 days. Her uncle told her if she did not go to the King and beg for mercy for her people, she would be dead anyway then he added “Maybe you were, born for this!”
So, Queen Esther, found her, courage, and risking her life and appeared before the King uninvited. But when a man loves a woman, she can do no wrong. When, Queen Esther, appeared before the king in his inner court without being invited, the king welcomed her and held out his golden scepter then asked her
“What do you want Queen Ester? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half my kingdom!
So it was that, Queen Esther, was responsible for saving her people the, Jews. Her, enemy, Haman was killed by the same trap he laid for Mordecai and all his sons and family was killed.
You Were Born For This: Lessons from Queen Esther’s Story
The first lesson is that you were born with a, purpose, and you don’t know what it is until you know. You must find the, courage, to do it afraid because, you were born for this.
Whatever life events or circumstances that is trying to kill you, just remember, you were, born for this. Everything that you have done in your life have been training for this moment.
Esther, was born with great beauty, but, Queen Esther, was trained in how to please a man and how to ask for things from a man. She threw the King 2 banquets before she asked for her request and then she began with
“If I have found favor with the king and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask.”
Learn the, rules of engagement, Learn the, rules of negotiation, learn how to ask your husband for what you want.
The second lesson we can take from this story is that the, enemy, Satan and all his people go about seeking who to kill and destroy and you don’t have to do them anything for them to come after you. They can plot to destroy you because you refuse to bow down to them and placate their ego.
All you have to do to defeat your, enemies, is keep praying to God and he will take care of your, enemies, using the same weapons they formed against you to destroy them. Haman was killed on the same pole he planned to impale Mordecai on.
The, Jews, were victorious against their, enemy, and so will you because, you were born for this.
This is coach Myrna Young and this is, 5 min with coach Myrna, until next time God Bless.
You are invited to join my private Facebook Group called Lifecoach to be inspired by hundreds of Life Coaches every day
Abigail Damoah was wrongly convicted and sent to prison for 12 years. During this dark time in her life, she used inspiration for the bible story of David to find her, life purpose, of helping the women in, prison. She turned her, pain into power, and achieved tremendous personal growth by not seeing herself as a, victim.
After serving five years in a Florida state prison for a crime that she didn’t commit, and then two years later being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and undergoing major surgery to remove most of her colon, Abigail learnt one very important life lesson; you will find treasure in the darkest places if you simply change your perspective by turning her, pain into power.
During her, incarceration, Abigail became a Christian and learnt that life isn’t just about her. She was surrounded by women who had endured the most horrific traumatic childhoods and were now being victimized by the very system that was supposed to help them. She found the strength to end her pity party, opening her eyes to the immense suffering of others.
She began to use her gifts to make an impact on the lives of the women she was housed with. It was during the worst season of her life that she experienced true peace, contentment, and fulfilment because she found her life’s purpose, and learned how to turn her, pain into power. Abigail is the author of ” She is Risen from Destitute to Destiny”
book: She is Risen Turning Pain into Power
Using Adversity to turn pain into power
Myrna: All right, so here we have a whole bunch of, adversity. Being sentenced to 12 years in, prison, even if it’s for a crime you do commit, it is very traumatic. It is worst when it is a crime that you didn’t commit.
Can you share your story, why you were sentenced to 12 years in, prison? I know you said you only served five of those 12 years. Tell us how you survived that and turned that, pain into power?
Abigail: Okay, so I had my dream to live in America. I’m from the United Kingdom and after I finished my undergraduate degree. I relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to study and pursue an MBA. I got an internship in Florida. I flew down to Florida and I met a man. One night he called wanting to go out to a nightclub, and I agreed. He came and picked me up and we made our way to the nightclub and ended up having a car accident where he was killed, and I was seriously injured.
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My injuries were so extensive that I spent over six weeks in the hospital. My parents at the time decided the best course of action was to take me back to the UK, because there’s no way I was going to be able to look after myself in the USA. I recuperated and got back on my feet. And then in 2011, the state of Florida issued an extradition warrant for my arrest. I was charged with vehicular homicide. The legal definition for that is reckless driving.
So, I was accused of driving in such a dangerous manner that caused death or great bodily harm to another. While I was waiting for the extradition, I began to study the laws surrounding my case and discovered that I should never have been charged with a crime in the first place. The state of Florida had sent over the deposition, the discovery and detail they had a very detailed chronology, of exactly what happened. And one of the things that should have exonerated me from the beginning, was the fact that the road was under reconstruction at the time, so they had taken down all the speed signs.
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There were no warning signs that the road was about to change and if you’re not familiar with that road, you would not know that you need to slow down. So, when an accident happened, all of a sudden, a curve came up and I hit the curb and the car ended up flipping over and going into a tree. So, based on that alone, I should never have been charged with a crime. But if you know anything about the laws in the United States, you know, sometimes it can be a bit one sided.
I was extradited to America to stand trial. I had a judge who had no legal integrity, because of the way my case had been portrayed in the media. She was determined to make an example out of me. I was found guilty sentenced to 12 years Florida State Prison. After serving 5 years, the case was dismissed.
Myrna: Wow. So sorry to hear what you have been through. I’m assuming you were driving.
Abigail: Yes, I was driving, it wasn’t my car.
Myrna: Yeah, that’s what I thought because he came to pick you up.
Abigail: The reason I was driving was because he got so drunk, that he was unable to continue the journey. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
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The Cross by Kevin Carter
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Myrna: So sorry for your pain. But the fact that the case was dismissed, I’m assuming that you’ve cleared your name.
Abigail: Yes, yes. My name is completely cleared. The sentence was vacated, and I was released from, prison.
Myrna: Did you get any money for it?
Abigail: No, absolutely nothing. The state of Florida had laws to protect themselves against wrongful convictions. So, I was knocked out of financial assistance there. But, it was a driving force behind what I do now because I had to start my life from scratch. I had to use the gifts that I had been given to build a life for myself, and turn my, pain into power. I didn’t have anything. I came back to nothing, but God worked it out for my good.
Going through the tunnel of adversity
Myrna: Well, they say that a lot of times, we must go through the tunnel, we must be beaten down all the way to the bottom, before we find our, purpose. We all go screaming into it because we really don’t want to go through pain, we don’t want to hit rock bottom. I’m in this space where I interview a lot of people and I remember talking to this woman. Her husband died and she started her coaching practice helping other women handle, grief. She turned her, pain into power, but we all prefer not to go through the pain even if it is the fire starter to our, life purpose.
So how did you manage after also being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and having most of your colon removed?
Abigail: I wasn’t raised in a Christian household, but I had a lot of Christian friends. If there’s one thing that I learned from them, even while I wasn’t a believer, was that they had this ability to see past their circumstances. So, before I even arrived in America, they were already speaking life into my situation. They were already telling me that this was going to work out for my good, something good is gonna come out of this.
And it wasn’t until, I became a Christian and I began to read the Bible and I began to apply those principles, that I was strengthened in that area. God gave me a perspective that enabled me to see things through his eyes, he gave me the ability to step outside of myself. I was surrounded by people who are who were suffering, who have been through women the worst heinous things. My whole perception changed.
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Helping people in prison turn their pain into power
Not only are people dying from much worse situations than I had, but I had to reframe my situation to say, okay, I’m in, prison, now, what can I do while I’m here to make an impact on the lives of the women that I am housed with? How do I turn my, pain into power?
I had a writing gift and there are women that couldn’t read or write. I remember the very first time I tapped into that. There was a woman that I was, bunking in, prison, she had a terrible situation, her children have been taken into DCF custody because of her arrest.
So, I wrote a letter for her. explaining the situation to DCF, speaking in legal terminology. She wanted her children to be put into the custody of her sister while she was in, prison, and lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened. Two weeks later, she came to me, I mean, she was in floods of tears. She was so grateful that I took the time to do this for her, and it was at that moment that I realized that what my, purpose, is connected to my gift of writing. Writing was how I was going to turn my, pain into power.
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I also realized that my, purpose, had nothing to do with me, it was to enrich the lives of the people that I am surrounded by. So, from that moment, my prayers changed from Lord get me out of here, I can’t take this anymore to Lord who are the people in, prison, that you want me to impact? That started a tsunami of work. My inmates just started coming to get the help they needed. I started helping them write letters, probation letters, letters to their family, etc. It was one of the most, fulfilling aspects of my time in, prison.
Myrna: Now, how did you take own ownership of your situation? What was your internal dialogue?
Abigail: I dropped the, victim mentality. You know, it’s so easy when you’re going through a situation whatever it is, it’s so easy to point the finger and say is your fault that I’m here, but when you play the, victim, you are not helping anybody. You’re not helping yourself and you’re not helping anyone else. When I was in the, victim, state I felt so sorry for myself. You know, such an injustice had taken place.
I was depressed, I was in a place of desolation, I couldn’t sleep at night, I had no peace. But the moment I relinquished that, victim mentality, I came to the revelation that it wasn’t the state of Florida that put me in, prison, to punish me. I was placed there strategically to be empowered, and then to empower. I was placed there to turn my, pain into power.
So once my, mindset, changed, I was able to say I am going to use this situation to become the best person that I be and to help as many people as I can while I’m in here. That is exactly how I took ownership of my situation. I took the power out the hands in the state of Florida, and turned, my pain into power, because, victims, have no power.
Myrna: This is so true. Victims have no power. In my book, Out of the Snares, A story of Hope and Encouragement, I have a full chapter on, victims. My story was that I was abused as a child, but I never became a, victim. In fact, what I suggest we become a, player. You know, when you are playing a game of blackjack and the cards that you’re dealt with are bad cards? People use those same bad cards to win, in the same way when you become a, player instead of becoming a, victim, you play with the cards you are dealt. And that’s exactly what you did, you became a, player in the game, you decided that these are the cards that I’ve been handed, and I am going to make the best of the situation. I am going to turn this, pain into power.
How to become a player and turn pain into power
Myrna: You could have played the “what if game”. What if I didn’t go out? What if I didn’t agree to drive? But instead you said it happened. There’s no way you can go backwards, all you can do is make the best of the situation that you have right now and use it to help people and learn from it and turn your, pain into power.
What is the lesson that that that you took out of that? Were you able to equate it to a, Bible story? I want to talk about Joseph who was thrown in, prison, and it was strategic to God’s plan for him. And I am also thinking of a Job which is the chapter reading now in the Bible and all the bad things that happened to him.
Job declared God does only do good things for you. God does good things, and he does bad things.
Abigail: Joseph was one of my favorite stories in the Bible. And it wasn’t until I got to that Genesis chapter 37, where Joseph was put in, prison, that I found strength in my situation. Prison, shaped Joseph into the man that God needed him to be. I knew that my time in, prison, was in God’s hands, just based on that story alone. I learned a lot from Joseph and his, mindset, during that time. He refused to be a, victim, he used his time to assist other people. He was looking for others to help while he was, incarcerated, and it opened the door to his freedom.
Myrna: Yes, exactly helping people got him introduced to the king.
Abigail: That was a very powerful story for me, and I used that, bible story, to empower myself. So my God has given me dreams and visions, and I knew that, okay, I’m not living the dream and the vision now, but it is this situation here that is going to lead me to the destiny that God has for me and I had to remind myself of that daily.
Myrna: That’s amazing, I am loving our conversation. One of my personal mantras is that just like an airplane needs resistance to take off the ground, we need resistance to move up our next level. And whenever I have resistance in my life, when I was working full time when I received resistance eg. one door closed or something, I always knew that resistance was supposed to push me forward and up. The door closing from being fired got me into, Life coaching, helping women to, transform their mind.
A lot of women, especially minority women live in the, wilderness, and in order for them to get out of the, wilderness, they have to change their, mindset.
Abigail: I wrote the book because I knew that I had a story to tell number one, and it wasn’t a story of the tragedies, but stories of, empowerment. The book a memoir, going back to my childhood, I packed a lot of things and I think that’s very important that you need to go back to, to know why things are the way they were. So, I went through that process in the book, I had a very turbulent teenage years, connected to childhood. But despite those challenges, I still managed to make something all my life, and it didn’t come easily, or immediately at all.
It was a very, very difficult situation and a very, very difficult process. And I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but what I do know is that you can, turn your pain into power, if you change your perspective on a situation. I could have not written this book. I could have so easily come out of, prison, and just felt sorry for myself, and accept government assistance and nobody would have blamed me
Teaching others how to overcome adversity
So, I had to look at the situation and ask myself what have I learned from this? And not only what have I learnt from it, but now what can I do about it? I decided I can teach other people about how to overcome, adversity. One of the things that helped me while I was, incarcerated, were the different, prison ministries. People would share these terrible stories, but they got through it, and that’s something that inspired me.
Myrna: Well, that’s the reason I asked you if you’re going into the, prison, and doing, prison ministry, because I know your story is powerful. Now you are on the radio, podcast and PTWWN TV, sharing your story, not only the people that are in, prison, is going to hear this, but people all over the world. Your story doesn’t just speak to someone in, prison, but speaks to any women in the, wilderness, the, wilderness, can be any dry place.
