Take the Elevator
This podcast is purely about elevating people through individual life stories and experiences in the Elevator. In the Elevator, what's key is maybe changing your perspective; having self-actualization; embracing your purpose; and acting on it as we grow from one another. There is a whole different point of view when you look up to elevate.
Take the Elevator
369th Floor: What Would Change If You Celebrated Today Just As It Is?
What if we spent as much time celebrating life as we do trying to fix it? In this refreshing conversation, GentheBuilder and Kory explore the delicate balance between problem-solving and appreciation for what already exists.
Drawing from their recent experience creating a backyard sanctuary after years without one, they share how this ordinary accomplishment became extraordinary simply through a shift in perspective. Rather than focusing on the imperfections, they chose to celebrate having outdoor space to enjoy together after more than a decade.
Perhaps most powerful is the discussion around "celebrating the ordinary"—recognizing that what seems commonplace to us might be extraordinary to someone else.
Join us for this meaningful exploration of how celebrating the ordinary can transform our everyday experiences. Subscribe to Take the Elevator for more conversations that elevate your perspective on life's journey.
Look up, and let's elevate!
hey, it's jen the builder and cory, and welcome everyone to take the elevator. It's so good to have you here so good to be here man, it has been a rough week.
Speaker 1:I went to the dentist, corey, as you know, and I just feel like being in the dentist and having my mouth open to all the germs maybe flying around. I just caught something and thankfully it's starting to go away, but I apologize beforehand everybody if I get into some coughing bouts or sneezes. I'm getting over it, though, and thankfully this is not contagious because I'm here at home and you're not here with me.
Speaker 2:How about that? I'm here, though.
Speaker 1:And you've been doing really well with not getting sick.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we've got quite the episode today. But before we go on to there, corey, what's new? Well?
Speaker 2:if you ask, I must tell you. So we had a tough weekend with you as far as you know what was going on. But we, we added to our backyard and that was very fun because, uh, I really enjoyed the backyard this weekend with the, the additives that we, we put in there, and I'm just going to share a few things. Uh, we put a, a bench and a table and a fire pit that I really got a chance to enjoy. So it's one of those weekends that made me feel very good and I felt comfortable, relaxing at home most definitely.
Speaker 1:Let's well, let's go into detail a little bit about the backyard furniture. So okay or the backyard period or backyards backyards yeah okay, uh, I'll speak to what I know.
Speaker 1:Um, when we moved in here in october, we were really excited because we haven't enjoyed a backyard in about 11 years, because we lived on the golf course right off hole one, and so it was literally danger zone in our backyard and so we have totally enjoyed having backyard. Last weekend we're like, oh, let's buy some furniture. One of our favorite stores was having a major sale yeah and I think it was like 50 off.
Speaker 1:So imagine 50 off outdoor furniture that we really wanted and on top of, if you applied for a credit card, whether you got approved or not, it was another 30% off the entire purchase. So, friends, we walked out of there 80% off.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we weren't out there just spending frivolously. We were actually doing some good uh bargain shopping and that felt good. That always feels good when you're saving some money, especially in tough times.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, well, we were driving fervorously because we went to one store and it had some of the stuff, but true to the body name, we were piecing everything and we were being particular. So then one store had it and we went to that store. But then it was like, oh, but then we want this and that store didn't have it, but one did. So we, we traveled between three stores on that day and we loaded up our passport. Boy, we just she earned her name she earned her name for sure.
Speaker 2:But, and I have to say this, jen uh, a lot two of those trips were my fault, because you told me what I should have done and I probably should have left you home and just went and did the first, uh the second trip by myself.
Speaker 1:So yes, it was your fault yes, it was definitely my fault, but I see and it's so funny that you brought that up, because this has to do with some of what we're going to talk about today and we didn't plan this. That's what's so funny is that I could have been like dang, dang it, like I said I shouldn't have come, but then I was like I get to go to Barnes and Noble. I get to sit down and know what was it. 40, 45 minutes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was about 40, 45 minutes and I and I there was fun in the middle of something that probably felt like I I shouldn't have come here, I should have stayed, but I was so grateful that I went so let me give them a 15 second update on what what actually happened.
Speaker 2:There wasn't enough room in the car to bring all the stuff home, so I had to leave jen at the store and trek back home and then go back and pick her up. So, um yeah, great weekend, great furniture, great time outside.
Speaker 1:Love to be outside enjoying the outdoors I just love the detail we give people. They're probably like who cares, but it was a big deal. So, cory, yes, we enjoyed the backyard, even though I've been sick, and you didn't mention my favorite part and that on purpose oh, because you're waiting. You want you were giving me the pleasure of doing it absolutely oh, that's so sweet.
Speaker 1:So we had an above we have not had have an above ground pool, and I had to tell the story because when we realized, okay, we're doing it, we going to do the backyard, because things were coming together. So I went on Amazon and all I had focused on Corey was because you did the measurements and you said, jen, 15 round is going to be too big, go for something smaller, like a 12 or 13. So that's what I had in my mind, like, oh, I have to do this and I gotta get it right because 15 is too big. Well, I just focused on that number and I ended up getting a 13 foot by 30 inches, which would literally come up to our knees yes, two.
Speaker 1:Well, your knees right so two and a half feet, cory. You looked at me. You're like are we just like gonna wade in the water? No, we were gonna just sit in the water yeah, so thankfully you caught it and we were able to go ahead and get the right inches, and so what we got was 48 yeah um and but what's crazy is that the next size up was 54 inches and you can't even get that on amazon. You have to go to like a legit pool store, and how much was it?
Speaker 2:well, you could get it, but it was literally uh it was on amazon, yeah, it was like 500 to 700 dollars more, and that's that's insane, because you go from this I mean, we were six more inches yeah, we weren't cheap about it, but I mean we weren't gonna spend thousands yeah no way no, not even a thousand, right right not even five that's right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we got in there today and, by the way, we were recording on a sunday. We got in there today and it was so. It was so fun because I was like cory we have not been in a pool together in over 12 years yeah and and we were always in a pool and when we go to hotels, cory's not keen on getting to the pool with me and other people.
Speaker 1:I think it's the other people yeah, it's like hundreds of people in one pool and when you see kids, you kind of know what they're doing in the water and I'm looking to see, like you, parents are gonna ask them if they need to go to the bathroom. I'm just saying, and I was just like, please let these chemicals be working, because I'm in here with you all I know there's someone listening right now and they are feeling my pain with that whole situation.
Speaker 2:So if you understand where I'm coming from, I I just can't.
Speaker 1:Oh, let's move on yes, like we're almost spending 10 minutes on the draft thing, but clearly you can see how excited we are about our backyard in the fire pit. So, yes, so let's move on, cory. What are we talking about today?
Speaker 2:so we are going to move on. But, chan Chan, I got to throw just a couple of questions out your way and I'm not expecting full, whole answers. Just give me, you know, very surface level. Like there's a lot of weird things happening in the world right now and so I just wanted to ask you what are you thinking about? Like the Epstein thing? Isn't that really strange? Like it just keeps coming up and and and, turning over, and and. When I say turning over, like you would think it would either get solved or figure it out or go away, but it's just keep on finding it it's way back yeah, so you got that.
Speaker 2:And then there's all these crazy situations with the weather right now, with the flooding and, uh, we dealt with fires, and then there's some other. It's like a really strange time and I was just curious, you know did you have any thoughts on any of that stuff? I mean, I know I'm the news guy so, uh, I try to listen and stay up on that stuff. Any, any?
Speaker 1:my thoughts aren't deep at all, cory, I think. Where it goes is like is this for real? Then the next question for me is how can it be for real? Right it just seems so strange and odd and, um, I want to say it feels made up Like how does one part of our country flood the way it does and then it goes on to somewhere else and then things are burning down. It's just incredible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. So I just wanted to throw that out and see what you had. You don't have too much and I'm okay with that.
Speaker 1:I've been yeah, there's not a lot going on right now as I'm recovering from being sick, but if you'd like to share what you're thinking, Well, I'd love to go into detail about it, but I was looking for someone else's take on it on it.
Speaker 2:If you're listening and you have a take on it, man, I am so open to whatever anyone has to throw back at me and give me their insider input. This is one of those areas that I don't have a lot of information on, but I have a lot of opinions on Jen. Shall we move into the topic? Yes, let's do that. So you know, in life people spend time doing one of two things Either they're trying to fix a problem, or they're celebrating their problem, or they're solving of a problem. And so my question today is how do you fix something or just celebrate?
Speaker 1:Okay, well, I think that the majority of us are always trying to fix something.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I think what I've seen is that people celebrate accomplishments or achievements or special days, but as far as the ordinary life, I don't even want to call it a small win. Maybe it's not even a win. Are we celebrating that? Are we so busy trying to fix things? You know what I mean. So if I'm going to be real, the majority of my life has been to try to fix things, and maybe not even just things. It's fixing me, fixing other people, fixing situations, trying to solve things.
Speaker 2:So let me ask you a question what's the last thing you tried to fix? Whether it got solved or not doesn't matter, just the last thing that you were really working hard on to try to fix usually that's a difficult, a difficult question for me to answer, specifically because it's going to come out very generalized.
Speaker 1:Usually people come to me with issues at work usually relationship issues, Right and so I'm partnering with them to help them try to fix a situation or maybe fix how they're seeing things. Right. There's always fix your perspective, fix your story, edit your story right.
Speaker 2:Right right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that would be probably the last fixing I've done. What about you?
Speaker 2:Oh man. So I'm always trying to fix something and I'm guilty as charged because I'm trying to fix my book, I'm trying to fix the music, and then I'm a'm guilty as charged because I'm trying to fix my book, I'm trying to fix the music, I'm trying, and then I'm a sound man as well. So I'm trying, I'm tweaking our sound in the band, I'm trying to get the recordings right and something's always going wrong. And what people don't know is if you're in the recording world and you're working with equipment, equipment has a mind of its own. If it's hot, it runs one way. If it's cold, it runs another way. If the room is full, it sounds a different way. If it's empty, you have to adjust for that. So it's a continuous fixing of things and people and positioning them, and so yeah, that's, and we had a show this friday. So you know, I went through all that new place, new setting, new stage. Sound was way different.
Speaker 1:So yeah, we just were always fixing and do you think you missed anything by always focusing on fixing?
Speaker 2:that's the thing, jen. If I'm being honest which I, which I really am right now you always miss something. It it really sucks, because you know, oh my god, I spent way too much time working on the sound. So I'll tell you exactly what I missed. I didn't tune properly before the show, so in the middle of the first song I'm tuning as we're playing, and that used to be very difficult. But if you do it, enough, which is not a brag but if you find yourself in that situation, you can figure out based on your uh guitarist, which, danny, is always in perfect pitch because he's a obsessive tuner well for me over the weekend and we didn't know we're gonna do this episode, which is what is just striking me as pretty cool.
Speaker 1:We were sitting outside at night, bonfire and everything, and I just I'd just been chilled over the weekend, obviously trying to recover and feel better, but I just I told you, I said this weekend was exactly what I needed it to be, and it was just so relaxed, not stressed out, and if something didn't work, it was like it's going to be okay, like I'm celebrating right now that we're sitting in the backyard and it's been over 10 years that we've been able to do this. Let me just celebrate that, instead of getting caught up on, oh, the right side of the pool is an inch lower because our backyard's not flat, or even right, or, oh, that lantern's not in the right place, let me just enjoy that it's solar and it's lit, I see what you did right there that that was pretty darn amazing.
Speaker 2:If you're listening and you heard what jen just did, what she was able to do was she went out of fix it mode into celebrate mode to get the negative aspect out of the room, and I watched it walk out as you begin to celebrate and I'm using a hypothetical, not a physical. I didn't see anything walk out the room, so don't think I'm seeing things here. But yeah, I agree with you, I knew I needed that too. I needed to be away from everything. I didn't need to be in the mindset of anything business and I didn't even want to mention it. And you notice, we didn't talk about work. We didn't talk about books, writing music. I don't even think we had music playing. We were just sitting out there enjoying the fire. As a matter of fact, you were cold, which is very strange.
Speaker 1:Jen never gets cold, she's always hot and I was very comfortable in the way I was uh, you know feeling with the weather in the in the fire well, you know what, now that you say that my body is so reactive to always thinking or stressing or trying to figure things out, I think it makes me run hotter than typical. So when you think about me over the weekend and I'm having like, oh it's cold, I wasn't worked up in any kind of way this is true isn't that a trip like I?
Speaker 1:and it just dawned on me when you said that, and then it just made me think we go through life so much trying to fix all the problems that hopefully the lines don't blur and we see life as a problem because, truly, life is a gift and it's something to be celebrated. And so today I was able to just be in my kitchen, cook, had my own little cooking show by myself, took reels, got on cap cut if you follow me on instagram, okay, it's so over the top. My first fun video that I created, instead of just being a regular reel, yes, was on food, because that's how I needed to play. And true story, when we play, we play typically in front of the world, right like on this episode on our um social media, or in a in a workshop or at a conference let me pause you right there just for a second what happened?
Speaker 2:well, because you said you like to play in front of, but jen will play by herself. She's in the kitchen having her own cooking show but I'm not talking out loud not the whole time, no, but there are moments when you're you are talking yourself through something, yes, and I'll have like the counter set up all like in a certain way on my like a cooking show. Yes, it's much more engaging and so I'll walk in and see all the things laid out and I'm like, okay, she's having a good time, isn't it?
Speaker 2:yeah, it really was yeah.
Speaker 1:so I think that's just important for us to share, that it's so good to not be in fixer mode all the time and it's not to say, hey, get out of the responsibility of fixing things. We understand that things get broken. You've got to fix it. There's problems that come up. You got to critically think, make decisions. Yes, yes, yes and yes.
Speaker 2:But gosh, I hope that's not our forever way of being you did something else this weekend that I was kind of um taking them back to. Uh, we were, well, I was in the in the mode of putting things together and getting things ready to be taken outside because I had to build furniture, as you know, we were setting up and I remember sitting and there was things on my mind and I got into that that ruminate mode where I was just really metal against metal type of deal, and you said what's what's wrong with my husband? Do I need to feed? You said come on, let's go feed you so I can get my husband back. And I was like, oh wow, not only was that relieving, that was like that was nice.
Speaker 1:I like that.
Speaker 2:That was real cool. And then we went and got food and we started talking and you say, okay, now I got my husband back and I was like, okay, I can do this. Yeah, that was nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was a good way of being, because you're right, corey, you are quite the businessman and you're always thinking about what the next move is what can we fix, what can we do better Really good qualities. Move is what can we fix, what can we do better really good qualities. And I think honestly, I think this weekend stretched you, because I don't know something in you sensed that we just needed downtime, right, and so I felt like your brain cells might have been going um internally. I, I don't know what was happening there I can tell you exactly what was happening.
Speaker 2:So you know, we can dot the i's and cross the t's and we can do all the right things and make all the right calls and touch base with all the people that we're supposed to touch base with, but at some point you have to say I've done enough, I need to take a break. And you kind of brought that on without saying that, but I just thought to myself, you know what? I just need to take a break, I need to relax. I'm feeling burnout approaching and I don't want to get to burnout because I know what that does. Feeling burnout approaching and I don't want to get to burnout because I know what that does. Yeah, that typically makes you go on hiatus for, you know, weeks at a time, and I don't want to do that. I want to be able to, uh, rejuvenate and come back stronger. And so I just, you know, pulled from you, gleaned from Jen and and watched how I could, you know, pull away from some of this stuff, and I seen that space. So I got out of there when I could.
Speaker 1:It was so good to see you in that element too. That's so important for me as your wife to see you relax and just enjoy and chill and stuff. So that was cool. Yeah, yeah. What about how many times you celebrate, Corey? Just the little things in life.
Speaker 2:I'm guilty of not celebrating as much as I should Excuse me, and I'm working on that. I'm working profusely on looking at the small wins and just really enjoying them. And I'll tell you one thing that I made myself pause over and and that was just seeing the backyard completed, um that was almost completed well, yeah, but I mean, what I mean is what we did, what we finished? Yes, I felt very celebratory about that and I felt so excited. Here it comes, you ready for this?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I brought up having people come over and having a barbecue. He really did.
Speaker 1:I did and guess what I did, Because I'm always down for a party. I'm like I'm going to create a fire.
Speaker 2:And you did.
Speaker 1:I did, and you're all for what I was like.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna create a fire and you did I did and you're all for what I was like, because I just want to, yeah and um, so that was good, that was really good. And the reason why I say we're almost done is because, for me, when I get in a space where I can just be and enjoy Interestingly enough, just for me that's when things start to happen Like, and I'm just like, oh, I get a new coaching client this weekend and it felt effortless and I said, oh, in that corner I could see a cabana being built. In the backyard corner I could see a cabana being built in the backyard. And it just helps you see other things, because you're not so fixated on the one or two things that might be overwhelming you. I think that's why it's so important to step away from it, right, you know, and just go ahead and take a breather.
Speaker 2:Right and I really wanted. I thought about what you said. I'm hearing what you're saying. I'm hearing what I'm saying and someone may be thinking, oh, they're doing an awful lot with this backyard.
Speaker 1:It's real. It's real. We're enjoying the space. Yeah, we're enjoying the space.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a real thing because, you know, we lived in a house where, as Jen said, we were in threat of our lives because of golf balls coming flying in. We had to replace windows at least five to nine times a year because of the golf balls and it was in the contract that we thought oh, how many times would a golf ball really hit the house?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then we started paying attention to other houses in the area and notice, wait, a minute, there's a problem here. And so I remember calling the golf course the first time and they said, oh no, it's in your contract. And I thought, did we really? Yeah, we did. So. This is why we're celebrating and enjoying this part of our, our life so much, because we we literally had no backyard for almost 13 years.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So that brings me to this, which we're almost coming to close is the celebrating of ordinary things. So if you're a coming to a close is the celebrating of ordinary things. So if you're a person with a backyard, maybe you just realize like, wow, I have something that most people don't, or some people don't, and I get to celebrate that. So what you think is ordinary for you is special or extraordinary for someone else. So like, for example, I think of now, really think about this real time.
Speaker 1:I get to load clothes in a washer, put them in a dryer and I get to fold my laundry in my home yeah that's something ordinary for us and I remember when we had to go to laundromats yeah and I we during covid yeah, so it's those things like I've I got to fold my laundry, or here's one that you cory. It's ordinary for you and I just wish I tapped into it sooner. Um, just the other night just last night actually we had talked in the backyard with us doing nothing. See, that's the thing too. When you're not hyper focused on the problems or the fixing of things, you're able to talk about other things right so we're talking.
Speaker 1:You said, hey, did you know? Or I actually saw something. I said apple's saying that you shouldn't sleep by your phone. That's being charged because of the radio. What is it, cory?
Speaker 2:the, the frequencies radiation the microwaves, the all Microwaves, all those things, all the things, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I sleep with my phone right next to me. Sometimes I'll jump on it If I wake up in the middle of the night. I'll jump on it, thinking that it's going to help me go back to sleep, when I know that's very counterintuitive, but I just do it anyways. So I was like why do I keep sleeping next to my phone? So I put it in my purse away on the other side of the room and I woke up and I told you, Corey, one of the first things I told you when I was like that was one of the best nights of sleep I've had in years. I have.
Speaker 1:I don't even remember the last time that I woke up feeling rested. And if you are someone who goes to sleep and you sleep your seven, eight hours and you wake up feeling rested, that is something to celebrate, Because for me that's not ordinary. That is something to celebrate, yeah, Because for me that's not ordinary. But I had one of those nights and I'm hoping I continue to have them by, you know, bringing these new habits, and so I just love that. I love that we get to celebrate the things that we might take for granted.
Speaker 2:No, I totally agree. I totally agree. And it's weird, jen. Let's bring it even a little bit more close to home so that the people, the listeners, can say you know, we take for granted so many different things here in America, from running water to restrooms, toilet paper, toilet paper. Running water to restrooms uh, toilet paper, toilet paper being able to go down the street around the corner for most, to go to the store. You don't have to track many, many miles and if you don't have a, a car, the bus system will take you anywhere you want to go, and everybody doesn't have that. And those moments should give you pause to be able to celebrate and be very excited about the life we're able to live yeah, that's such a good, strong reminder for us, right?
Speaker 1:It's a very humbling thought, and I love the practice of humility. Maybe we should do an episode on that. So one of the questions that I'd like to leave our listeners and ourselves is just how would I move, or how would you move through today if you believe it was worth celebrating just as it is, just as it is? Another thing that came to my mind, and I'll end with this, is that we can get really obsessed with changing for the world around us, right? Instead of thinking and I love what you said, corey when someone asked you, corey, what's your end goal? What is your purpose, what is your calling? Because you do so much. And I love when you said I want to change the world. And I think that's the flip. We allow the world to change us. We think we've got to meet the mark, we've got to be a certain way, look a certain way, do certain things, when, if you flip that around, being who you are is the change the world may need.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if that's your end, this is mine. If you leave this world the same way you found it, then what did you come here for?
Speaker 1:Okay, that is definitely something to think about. All right, well, you know we love you all and we hope you have a good day and be on the lookout for the Ordinary and be grateful and celebrate it. You know us to take the elevator. We say look up and let's celebrate. Celebrate. That was good.
Speaker 2:That was good. Want to sing it as we go out. We're going to say celebrate.
Speaker 1:No, I want to sing a. What's that song? Celebration, oh yeah.
