Are you someone who often gets struck with inspiration but fails to take action due to procrastination? In this episode, Gen and Kory share their insights and motivation to help you turn that spark into a roaring fire of action. They introduce a powerful mantra that has reshaped their own lives: "When you think about it, do it." They discuss how they identify their deepest values and passions and share what sets their hearts racing.
However, the conversation doesn't stop at just dreaming big. They also focus on building bridges to reality by discussing the role of accountability partners in achieving goals. They delve into James Clear's "Atomic Habits" and emphasize how monumental success starts with the smallest steps. They also share personal anecdotes from their collaborative writing and podcasting experiences to illustrate how inviting others into the process early can help shape and sharpen one's vision. The key takeaway is that magic happens when one starts doing and keeps that positive energy spreading far and wide.
Look up, and let's elevate!
Are you someone who often gets struck with inspiration but fails to take action due to procrastination? In this episode, Gen and Kory share their insights and motivation to help you turn that spark into a roaring fire of action. They introduce a powerful mantra that has reshaped their own lives: "When you think about it, do it." They discuss how they identify their deepest values and passions and share what sets their hearts racing.
However, the conversation doesn't stop at just dreaming big. They also focus on building bridges to reality by discussing the role of accountability partners in achieving goals. They delve into James Clear's "Atomic Habits" and emphasize how monumental success starts with the smallest steps. They also share personal anecdotes from their collaborative writing and podcasting experiences to illustrate how inviting others into the process early can help shape and sharpen one's vision. The key takeaway is that magic happens when one starts doing and keeps that positive energy spreading far and wide.
Look up, and let's elevate!
Hey, it's Jen the builder and Cory, and today, on Take the Elevator, we are going to talk about acting on it. Acting on it, conquering the things like procrastination, yes, and limiting self. But this is really around a statement, cory, that you shared with me, that I totally, totally got into, and it's so powerfully and simply stated. And here it is.
Speaker 2:When you think about it, do it when you think about it, do it. And that concept and we're not going into it right away, but that concept came about from a coaching session that I was involved in, and so that's where the roots took place- Love it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so before we go into it, first we want to say howdy and greet you and say how good it is to have you here and again, just what a privilege it is to be on Take the Elevator and continue to do this podcast.
Speaker 2:Indeed, I have to say this, jen, because this coming Saturday is monumental for us and guys, I'm going to explain why it's so monumental when we play, especially in a place like the House of Blues. We did play the Viper Room and that was monumental, but let me, let me explain that so you'll know. You know this is not just you know, cory. You know having a good time gloating about his achievements.
Speaker 2:Big things are happening when we're able to play at these different venues. We're meeting people that are purposefully furthering our musical careers and they're giving us confidence and backing and saying we want you to come back and we're going to put a larger audience in front of you and we're going to have key players listen to you because we think you guys are talented enough to possibly go to the next level. So that's why it's such a big deal, and I didn't think about that in the past, like people probably thought. You know, he's just always talking about this and that. But whether you do or don't, there's a bigger purpose and a bigger reason behind why we talk about a lot of the things we talk about and the directions we're going, not only what our personal business is, but even in the podcast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean people talk about the things that are most important to them or things that they're working on, they're excited about. That's normal. They say. You know you can tell a lot about a person in conversation within two minutes because it's the things they bring up that really tell who they are, what their values are and what's going on in their lives.
Speaker 2:What's inspiring them?
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:And I definitely want to bring this up, and this is kind of funny because a package came in the mail yesterday and this is a package that is going to bring lots of joy and happiness to a lot of people it might not to some, but for a lot of other people it will, and so I want anyone listening to this to be very keen to check out your social media, as especially our post in the next couple of days, because you're going to see what was in that package and it's incredible and I'm very happy about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure it's been. I don't know how it's been for you all, but this year so far has just been full of wonderful surprises, things that have surpassed already some of our ideas, right. So in contrast to that, though, being that we're already approaching the end of January, it's so intense we decided, you know, we're going to lean things up a little bit. Less is more. So just an announcement here take the elevators going to have episode one time a week, and that's a Wednesday, and it's kind of like Wednesday winds checking in. It's the middle of the week. It's that, you know what they call the hump day. How's it going? We're almost there. You can get through it, you can get to it kind of deal. So we're really excited about that. It makes sense for our lives right now, and it wasn't anything we wanted to procrastinate on, because we knew that we needed to make room and space for other things, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And it's kind of like how we started out. We started out coming out once a week and during the pandemic we just didn't know whether we should do it more than once. But now we're in a position where we need to do this, otherwise some things might be falling by the wayside. So, yeah, looking forward to seeing you here and you hearing us, and us talking to you once a week on our Wednesday, yeah.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about the fact that we are into the month and some of us have made resolutions, some of us have a strong word of the year that really spoke to you, and we've experienced some let downs already, whether it be through our own self-discipline, time management, other things happening. So we couldn't get to the thing like. I'm just going to be very candid I thought I was going to start this month with exercise 30 minutes daily, which I know has so many benefits and I just haven't done that daily. So we can choose to be hard on ourselves, kick ourselves in the you know what and just kind of linger there and dwell in that space, and then it can develop into rumination about you know, is this going to be a reflection of my year? I'll just say what's on in my head, like, what a way to start the year.
Speaker 1:You've just messed up the rest of the year, right? Or, come on, you're a coach and you should do better, you should know better. Like what does this say about you? What it says about me is that I have wonderful intentions and I'm going to take action on the intention. That's my health, right? Yeah, it doesn't make me less of a person and actually doesn't make me less motivated and inspired to do it. I just have to plug into what are my motivations and you know, and that's why I think, corey, what you brought forward or what you're going to bring forward today makes sense for so many people, because we've already dropped the ball right, and so what do we say to that and how can we work through it?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We'd love to hear the inspiration on your quote on when you think about it, just do it. I'm not saying just because that's Nike. So it's, when you think about it, do it.
Speaker 2:When you think about it, do it. So, again, I was in a coaching session and we were having this conversation about what was challenging me and what was challenging me at the moment, and I've since worked through this particular situation and I'm trying to be careful about how I say things, because I never want to offend anyone and I never want anyone to feel like oh how dare you say that? I used to do that. So I'm being careful, but I will. I will pick the speed to pace up.
Speaker 2:So, basically, what was happening in my life was I found myself checking my email multiple times a day, sometimes upward 50 to 100 times a day, because I'm looking for emails and I'm looking for things to come through the emails, and so what I realized is like I'm wasting it a lot of time checking my emails.
Speaker 2:And then the question was asked well, what else could could I be doing? And so I went down that road of thinking all the things, the things that I could be doing, and how I could be so much more productive if I were engaging in those things. How long does it take you to check your email? Seconds. But if you're doing that multiple times a day, you're constantly interrupting the flow of other things so that you you're not able to be productive in what you're supposed to be doing. And so my mindset now is if I think about it just instead of lingering on the email thing or lingering on the music thing or lingering on something else, if I think about it, I'm just gonna do it, I'm gonna get it done and I'm going to set an intention to not check my emails all day. I'm gonna have a set time to check them and my times will be, you know, 9 30 in the morning and sometime late in the afternoon.
Speaker 1:But I really wanted to focus on how to go about doing this without complicating and adding too many more steps in my in my process yeah, thanks for talking us through that, because it gives so much context and maybe during that time people were able to think about something that related to them as well right so when you think of the power of immediate action, I mean there's a lot of places where we can go.
Speaker 1:Some of the things I think about, cory, is I might be doing something right now and the thing that comes to my mind would make me have to be in another place or another setting to actually do it. So some tips around that say more so let's say I'm in a meeting okay and I'm not gonna get out of it because it's a meeting I held in.
Speaker 1:While I'm starting the meeting, like oh shoot, I forgot to email so-and-so back on the on the coaching agreement and it was something I was supposed to yesterday. I won't be able to immediately act on it okay right. So I think broadening the definition of immediately acting could help. I am so, for when you think of something, just do it like in the morning, right? My calendar goes off. It's time to get on the treadmill, and guess what I'm thinking about, instead of actually getting on a treadmill, what are you?
Speaker 1:thinking could I do this another time today? Did I get enough sleep, did I? I think I need to check what my calendar looks like, because then I need to know how to dress and then that means I might have to do something special with my hair and makeup and therefore I can't work out so Cory yeah, I just, I just had a Charlie Brown moment, you know when, in the Charlie Brown cartoon, when he screams that's that, that's exactly what's happening with me, and so, and instead of doing that, we're now right, you're just doing the thing.
Speaker 2:We're just gonna do it yeah, so I wasted yeah 15 minutes which turns into days and days and days of yes, other things were lingering and doing, instead of not doing what we were supposed to do yeah.
Speaker 1:So there's another practice. I implement that. I think there's two actually, cory, and you know all about them because I share them with you all the time. The first one is the two-minute rule. Yeah, if you can get it done in two minutes, just do it.
Speaker 1:Like I know, especially my, my sisters, my friends, my women who are listening to this, we have so many things to do and we've got people who are listers, so I'm gonna add it to my list, right, things to do, and the box is just kind of waiting there for you to check it off on things to do. Now I say, if you can do it in two minutes, just get it done. Like, for example, if I was in a space where I could pull, pull up my email which I can because it's on my phone send the coaching agreement done way less than two minutes, check you know, and it probably wouldn't even make my list. But if you're a true lister and your productivity turns you on and keeps making you productive which it should do, those little things, I say, add it, even if it's a retro. Add on that list. Does that make sense, cory?
Speaker 2:a win is a win is a win exactly.
Speaker 1:A win is a win is a win, and it doesn't matter when, like as long as you know, you did it as long as you're winning exactly.
Speaker 1:So. That's the, the two-minute rule. The other one gosh, what was it? Oh, when. So the? Here's another rule when you're in a meeting or you're occupied of doing something, when that thing hits your mind that says I need to immediately act on this. I know that I have a list and I just put it there because it's gonna make me immediately act on it, because it's on my things to do today list. You know what I mean?
Speaker 2:mm-hmm, and there was another rule I was gonna bring up, but it's left my, left my mind right now so, then, that space for me to jump in, because there is something that I've learned that I'm implementing, and it's not just about what I've learned, it's, it's that it works.
Speaker 1:You know, you, we learn a lot of things that don't work so true, but those are usually called mistakes, true failures or other people's experiences but when you learn something that actually works, you gotta implement it and you gotta put it to use.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you what I did. So Jen told me some time ago that you know, if it's not going to matter in six minutes and it's probably not worth dwelling on it for a long term period, and so it worked for me. But what I was realizing is that I wasn't sharing this with other people, so they were giving me their, and that was the rule, by the way.
Speaker 1:Thank you. I'm so glad that Great Minds Think alike.
Speaker 2:Oh, awesome. So what I realized is that there were people in my life that were dwelling on something that wasn't going to matter. It wasn't going to matter or amount to a Hilla Beans six minutes from now. It was just a temporary gripe, that you're just pretty much pulling the plug out of all this negativity and that just blowing all over the earth.
Speaker 2:And, guys, the problem with that is that when we released this negativity, we think we're just getting it out. Well, you are, but you're getting it out on someone and on something and it's now in the atmosphere and that now has room to breathe and grow. And it's taking root in other people because someone else heard it. Now they're griping and complaining about it. They didn't know anything about it before, but now they have an issue with it. And so what I've learned is, instead of feeding a person for a day, is teaching them how to fish. So I'm stopping that behavior by saying, hey, look, if that's not going to matter in six minutes from now, let it go. There's no need to hang on to that, there's no need to linger on that, and then do it and move on. Yeah, and so I've tried that with a couple of friends of mine and it's been very, very productive.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that you learned it, it worked and you shared it, because I think that's one of the most important things about growth is that you're sharing what you're learning. So this also includes when you all have an idea or an inspiration and, boy, I hope you have those a lot through the day and just.
Speaker 2:I hope you share your inspiration.
Speaker 1:Me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, we'll get to that.
Speaker 1:Oh, I was like Cory. There's been a lot lately. I don't know what you're talking about Exactly. So yeah, just when you have an idea or inspiration, act on it.
Speaker 2:Act on it.
Speaker 1:I can be writing about it, sharing it with a friend. Accountability partners are so huge. So today we're also going to give some tips on how to move on things and keep from procrastinating, right? Because, honestly, for me, if I don't act on it, and the more I delay, the higher the tendency for it to slip through the cracks, and then you're like, why didn't I do that? So if you're thinking about a project that you've been pondering, oh, cory, I'm being so inspired by so many women in my life right now. Some people are like straight, purging and cleaning things out of their house, and they're showing me before and after pictures. I see it in their backgrounds, the before and then what it looks like now. And there's just a release Speaking of when you act on something, it boosts your confidence and one thing starts, another thing and another thing, and that spark is just. It just keeps going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's life changing, because as soon as you have that win, as soon as you accomplish that thing, then now you're invigorated, you're powerful within yourself, and that's something to say to tell someone I feel powerful. I feel strong, I have a little bit more umph behind what I'm doing now because I've accomplished a few things, and so again, that is what's being put out in the atmosphere, and so it's catching and people are like, oh, what is it about them, or her or him, that makes them so confident and sure of themselves?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Cory, for anyone who might be new to us or did not hear the episode on our breakdowns of putting things into the atmosphere, what makes that empowering and what does that mean when you put things out in the atmosphere?
Speaker 2:So you just you know it could be a positive affirmation, it could be a positive state of mind that you're speaking about, it could be anything that you're putting out. I'm going with the. I'm choosing to go with the positive and not the negative, because it's the exact same with the negative, but we're going to linger on the, on the positive stuff right now. So if you're, if you're putting out the things you like to do and why you like to do them and how it's so life changing for not only you but for people that you're dealing with, and you know good words of encouragement, those things are now existing in the atmosphere that you put them in, and anyone within ear reach of that is going to hear it and it's going to help change them as well. And that's what we're supposed to be doing. We're supposed to be changing others, not just helping ourselves.
Speaker 1:We're helping others change in areas they want to change. Yeah, absolutely so. Yeah. So today we're all about breaking that cycle that when we have a project, a great idea or something comes to your mind and we put it off and we delay. We want to break that cycle because we understand that immediate action is such a game changer. Yeah, Right, just moving on things. So the question here is that thing that you're thinking about what's the first step that you can take today? And it doesn't have. You know, there's this book that one of the books that really have shaped my values around habits is Atomic Habits by James Clear, a powerful book. One to two small actions right now, today, to get going on that project. You've been thinking about that dream that you've been, you know, holding on to. I think it's time to let the dream go and act on it and be about it. So, oh go ahead.
Speaker 2:So I think this is a good opportunity to jump in here and tell you something that Jen has done God, and how it's been so impactful. Not only for herself and she'll attest to this but for me as a writer it's been life changing because I have another perspective that I can lean on. So you know anyone that knows me knows that I'm, you know, heavily into this bookwriting thing, especially for the children's book. I'm venturing into other books as well. Haven't got to a chance to talk about that yet. Hopefully we will here soon not there yet but every time I get to express or read a part of the book that I'm writing, I let Jen hear it first. And it's no, I'll say it like this Jen doesn't hold back on helping me understand. Oh, you said that so politely that I could possibly do it a little bit better, and in what area. And so I thought to myself you know I'm kind of going at this backwards because everything she's given me is a really good direction, and so let me get some of her thoughts on the game before we're playing instead of getting them after it's done, and so in that, so I'll be really honest with you.
Speaker 2:The first book was a complete and total Corey. You're on your own. You got to do this. You got to figure this out, not because she said it, but because that's just the way the scene was. But on the second book I got all of the help I could possibly get from information and I definitely want you to speak on this. And then on the third book is where I said you know what this is? A ding, dong move. You're going about this all the wrong way. You got to get her thoughts in it.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's the one we're co-writing, yeah.
Speaker 2:And so that's why it's so important to talk about. You know, when you think about it, do it. So I thought about hey man, I need to talk to Jen about you know, not only ideas, but co-writing this book with me. And out of nothing you just said, yeah, I'm in. I wish I had a thought about it sooner, but it is what it is. You want to speak to that, I think that's the progress of the journey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so what we did just to give you a little more detail to it is you really gotta think about how to engage the person you're working with.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Right, like what speaks to them. So what I thought was classic and just really helped was that in Apple, on your iPhone, there's an app called Notes, and once something is written, I don't know what transpires in my head, but if it's on calendar, if it's in a document, if it's in my planner journal, like it's happening, like that's something that I need to focus on. So when we decided to put it on notes and have the book written there and you gave me like, okay, go ahead and write your thoughts real time, and then we met on it and everything Right. So now we have a shared notes and it's in our phone. So great partnership on that. And Korea I just love how relentless you are about now's the time for us to talk about it and we're really just sitting or hanging out, so it's not taking the place of anything else. It's very smart, actually, because it's in our relaxed space, which is where we become very creative. So it's been fun. It's been so much fun and immediate action.
Speaker 1:What I've learned is the process overall is faster, right, and so that's actually part of our tip, corey, on how to prevent procrastination is get an accountability partner, yeah, and not just like I mean some people do it as in like, hey, here's an idea that I'm working on, just kind of need someone to, you know, check in with me, which is a great start. Accountability partners hold you to accountability, oh yeah, and they will ask the questions about your progress and hopefully there's trust there, which is why this person is your partner. They will share things like, corey love how you struggled a little bit there to say that I say what's on my mind, and so I think as an accountability partner, especially working on a project together, you have to have that space to freely share what's on your mind and just explore that. Now can it be a little abrupt? Like right after I read it, I'm shooting off ideas on how it could be better. You know, yeah, and partnership also says Jen, deliver that, you know in such a way that it's going to land well, Right.
Speaker 2:Well, anybody that has written anything and I'm sure everyone listening to this has written a paper or some kind of report or something to that nature Anytime, be it a teacher, professor, friend, loved one, soulmate, whatever it may be. Anytime someone looks at that and returns it with corrections, it's a little offensive, although it's not meant to be, and so you have to learn how to swallow that, and an accountability partner will be able to provide that for you in real time, and then you have a choice to make.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and so not only does that help you from procrastination, it also helps you build your confidence, because an accountability partner also celebrates with you Absolutely, and so that is someone who's close to you in your life and there. Whereas a coach differs a little bit, because it's not that daily or however many time check in, the coach is someone who brings out what you're dreaming of and what you're trying to achieve by asking the questions and just really hearing you Right? So let's talk about breaking down procrastination barriers and why it's so important. Usually, procrastination stems from the fear of the uncertain.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Right, we, maybe it's something new, or we did it before and it didn't come out right, or you know, whatever the reason is or just a bad habit of waiting and waiting and waiting, opposed to just doing and doing and doing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. And so to break down those barriers, we talked to a couple of people in our lives who coach and who provide therapy, and they really gave such good advice and I'm actually going to put my blog on it and elaborate. But we, you know, set realistic expectations, visualize the end results. There's so many different techniques here breaking your big tasks into smaller ones that are doable, right Breaking yourself, addressing things like perfectionism there's so much out there and that can actually be a whole other episode, but there are strategies to help us not procrastinate so we can be focused and productive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of my big ones, and I've talked about this in the past, but as soon as I see it written down, be it on notes, be it on paper, it's something that I feel like I need to be doing. I took the time to write it down, so why not do it now Exactly? And also, another thing is what we just covered was the accountability partner, someone to say, hey, you said you were going to do such and such, and blah, blah, blah. When were you going to get that done? It's like, okay, so now you're my accountability partner? Of course you are, so you want to get things done?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what really speaks to me on that, corey, when you said, have it written down, and I had said, once it hits a plan, or I'm done, is just establishing that routine yeah Right, and creating habits around that, one of the things I love and, yeah, I love being Asian. I think there's so much things to learn from the Asian culture and it's a huge culture, very different in all the different areas, but there's a Pomodoro technique. This one I love, love, love.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you've been doing that for a while, since the pandemic, and it's quite disturbing in the beginning. I'm not going to lie why? Because there's things going on. You're like why is there an alarm going off right now? Why do we have to stand up and walk around in our own house for five to 10 minutes?
Speaker 1:I love that. And then you started playing with me on it, though.
Speaker 2:Yeah because I'm going to support the best way. I know how I'm going to do what I feel like needs to be done so that we can function cohesively. Yeah, and if Pomodoro is something and I had no clue what that was, that's brand new to me before you brought it in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's great and I think it works for me. Not I think it works for me because there's a time ticking and you and I are the same this way Milestones, goals, like we're all about it yeah, that's huge. And when it says you've got 25 minutes to focus and move the needle as fast and hard, as consistent and accurately as you can within this timeframe, and I'm just, it just works for me. So that's the point, too, is when we think about, think about it, do it. When you think about it, do it. Find something that speaks to you, that engages you, right? These are all different methods and tech techniques that have worked for us and, man, you can find what works for you and then share it with us. We'd love, we'd love, to hear it. So now we're talking about procrastination. We've shared some success stories, which has been amazing Building confidence. Why is it important, corey, and we're going to end with this what makes it important to connect building confidence with getting things done?
Speaker 2:Oh that's, that's a big one, because when you're getting things done, it should be building confidence. Number one. Number two how it should build confidence is it should allow you that, that feeling of victory over that milestone. You've turned the page on that and it's on to the next. And as soon as you get through that entire book of turning pages turning pages you can look back and say, oh, my goodness, look, look at what I've accomplished in this short amount of time, just by simply turning the page on each victory. And it's building all that confidence in so many different areas, not just your mental and your emotional. You physically feel stronger and it does something. It begins to transform you from the inside out.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and and there's so many practical tips again and boosting your confidence as you're acting on the things that you're thinking about. Um, we're about community, so I want to make sure to focus on just a couple of things here. Again, these are just nuggets. There are whole things that we could talk about your self talk is so huge. Um, remember, it's about your awareness on self, how you have a relationship with yourself and now that grows into awareness of other people and how your relationships grow with them. So that's what I want to focus on Just here, right now is be aware of self. Um, oh, can I?
Speaker 2:can I yes?
Speaker 1:please.
Speaker 2:I see it in your face. Yeah, man. Um, I learned this If you have a dysfunctional relationship with yourself, you probably have a dysfunctional relationship with everyone in your life. That's where you can start being able to have a healthy relationship with other people when you can have a healthy relationship with yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So again, I think what was I saying? Your self talk and then just building your support system. Support is huge. As you're doing this, you want people who encourage you, uplift you, tell you the truth, right, give you honest feedback, and they're just reassuring you and giving you such valuable insight into how you're doing and what you're doing. Again, those are just the beginnings. Um, I believe that building confidence in your ability to get things done is essential for your personal and professional growth. Uh, cause that really catapults you into other things. Um, it's a gradual process, everyone. Okay, so be patient with yourself. Baby steps, yes, baby steps. Celebrate your progress and consistently, that's the thing. Consistency, right, your frequency, challenge yourself to grow. Anything you'd like to add?
Speaker 2:No man, that was a mouthful. We we've covered a lot of territory in a short amount of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely so for the blog. It should be out on um w w w dot be elevatingcom by the time this episode airs. So I am supporting all our episodes with a blog on my website. Would love to get your feedback, um, because it helps build my confidence and I appreciate you for doing that.
Speaker 2:Nice and look out for the uh exciting development on our social media that's going to be rolling out this week. Yeah, it's going to be fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, everyone. Happy hump day. Get through it to go through it, or vice versa, however that looks, and remember when you think about it do it. You know it's to take the elevator. We say look up and let's elevate. Yeah, every day, every day, every day, every day, every day.