Hi, friends and welcome back to Change Wired podcast, the podcast where we untangle growth, one smart habit and bold idea at a time. My name is Angela Shurina. I'm a transformation leadership coach and consultant, executive coach 360, human behavior strategist and designer, and around here we are all about making change actually work. Whether you are leading a team, changing your careers or simply trying to live a better world, moving in a world moving fast, this is your space to slow down, get clear and wire your life for what matters. Let's dive in Today, guys. I'm super pumped about today's episode because it's very human and it will show you how healthy habits or working on your goals consistently work goals, personal goals, professional goals, goals consistently work goals, personal goals, professional goals. It's not about discipline and how your brain is actually such a magical machine. Then, when you know how to trigger it, how to wire or prompt it for the right kind of thinking, the rest, what you think requires willpower and discipline will actually flow quite naturally. And no, the hard thing it's still going to feel hard, but you're not going to struggle with doing it, believe it or not, but you can do the hard thing and enjoy it at the same time.
So today, let me share with you a post that I've just written. Did you know that I have a daily blog called Daily Thought for Change, where I literally daily write about the process of change, the stories of change, the best tools, what I learned from my clients and what we master with my clients in coaching? So today I wrote about how I use questions Okay to eat insanely healthy and stay ripped, fitness magazine cover ready 365 days a year and at the same time, have a hot chocolate or some form of chocolate every day. I want to tell you a story and I hope it will empower you to see that all of this. It will empower you to see that all of this, I do this and I'm able to do that, not because I'm some superhuman or I don't have cravings or I for some reason not drawn towards all the pleasures of life. Quite the opposite, actually. So most mornings I start with a chocolate-flavored coffee, just black coffee with intense smell of chocolate, with vanilla-flavored almond milk, no sugar, but I love my chocolate and vanilla flavors. Most dinners, I finish with a sugar-free hot chocolate. It's sweet, comforting and ticks all the boxes without tracking my health and fitness goals. Guys, if I followed my cravings like what I would naturally want to do to eat every day. I'd be probably 20-30 kilos heavier, dealing with some blood sugar issues and who knows what else.
Speaker 1I often joke that I inherited my dad's sweet tooth. He could down a can of condensed, sweetened condensed milk. If you've ever tried that, you know how sweet that is Like a whole can. He could just finish it in one sip and I could beat him On.
Speaker 1One of my birthday's true stories was my early 20s and I asked everyone my birthdays true stories was my early 20s and I asked everyone my parents, my friends, whoever was there at my birthday party to not give me gifts but instead bring me some really good chocolate. And so I ended up with, I think, two or three kilos of it and I ate more than a kilo in that day. I ate nothing else and I didn't feel sick and I didn't even feel that sweet. The next day I was ready to eat more chocolate again. I have a huge sweet tooth. That's all I'm saying. I'm not some superhuman who never craves sweet or don't have a taste for them. Quite the opposite. You know, some people say like I don't really like sweets for them Quite the opposite. Some people say I don't really like sweets Naturally not my case. So how do I these days end up eating zero added sugars, no candy, no cake, and stay photoshoot already 365 days a year? How do I do that? Did I train my willpower and discipline to that degree? Actually, I didn't use any of my willpower. Well, maybe a tiny bit, but I got really, really good at asking the right questions at the right time.
Speaker 1So whenever I crave something let's say it's evening and I'm tired and I still have to do work or studies and I've, you know, eaten all the proteins and veggies, et cetera, and I just feel like I want something sweeter, I want I don't know a piece of chocolate, a piece of candy or cookie. So what do I do those times? I ask myself questions. I ask myself Angela, how do you want to feel like tomorrow morning when you wake up 4.30 in the morning? And I'm a morning person I'm not, again, not everyone should wake up at 4.30, but I'm a morning person. I enjoy waking up early and I enjoy waking up full of energy and enthusiasm and motivation and I'm like I'm ready to conquer the world and I'll tell you if I finish my day with some chocolate and cookies. That's not gonna happen, that's not how I'm gonna wake up, that's not the energy, not even sleep quality that I'm gonna have.
Speaker 1So I ask myself this question because I know it works for me how do you, angela, how do you want to feel like tomorrow morning? And, by the way, using a third, telling yourself, asking yourself, calling yourself Angela, your name or you, it works a lot better. It works a lot better. We listen to advice when we talk to ourselves in third person or you, a lot better than if we just say it without any name or not pointing towards ourselves, right? So how do you want to feel like tomorrow morning, angela? I guess I imagine that I have this coach on my shoulder. You know angel and devil, so I have a coach on one of my shoulder and on the other I don't know some weak link, but my coach asked me how do you want to feel tomorrow morning, angela?
Speaker 1Then I also ask how do you want to look and feel in a week, in a month, in a year, doing all these workshops, speaking on stage, being in pictures, being recorded? You know, like when you get your picture or a video and you look at yourself and like, oh, look, not that good, or maybe I wasn't going through my best time there, or when you get those like, ah, I look freaking sharp, let me get on stage again, right? So doing these workshops and speaking on stage, being in pictures being recorded, how do you want to feel and look? What kind of energy do you want to bring, and will chocolate and cookies get you there? So I ask myself these questions and every time, I then end up cooking lots of veggies and protein, which I also love. I cook really well that's what I've been hearing from people. I use spices and herbs and fresh ingredients, right. So I end up cooking lots of that, and I finish my evening very often with a piece of sugar-free chocolate or hot chocolate drink, and on the market today, guys, you can find all kinds of sugar-free stuff. You gotta know your ingredients, but it's all available and you can have your chocolate daily and have all the energy and great sleep and contribute to health and fitness goals every day.
Now, yesterday I had a coaching session and with this executive, we are working on his health and fitness and energy. He is about to become a new dad and so he also wants to inspire his kids and he wants to be an inspiration to people he works with. He wants to be a great leader. He wants to inspire, to motivate, and it's hard to motivate and inspire when you don't feel like you inspire and motivate yourself. So we're working with him on his health and fitness, vitality, strengths, habits. So we're working with him on his health and fitness, vitality, strengths, habits.
Speaker 1And at the end of our session yesterday I asked him here's a bonus assignment this week every morning, can you set up an alarm with a question, one simple question how can I invest in my strongest self today, just every morning, when you see that alarm and you see that question, just ask yourself and really think about that. How can I invest in my strongest self today? And, guys, when you do that, every morning and mornings are special times for your brain. Whatever your brain, whatever you expose your brain to in the morning, first thing, that's what's going to set the tone for the day. And you can also use it with other people. If you want people to focus on certain things, ask them questions. So I can guarantee you guys, there will be more exercise and better eating, even when I don't say a word about it. Exercise and better eating even when I don't say a word about it, by just asking yourself this question. And don't forget, I didn't just say just think about that. I asked to set up an alarm. There is a trigger, a reminder how can I invest in my strongest self today? And, guys, I guarantee you that there will be more exercise, better eating, better habits, even when I don't say another word.
And so my question to you is are you good at asking yourself questions that move you and others? When you lead others to their dreams, their goals, their better future, are you asking yourself the right questions? Are you asking yourself the right questions? And that's my invitation to you to start learning how to ask yourself questions, especially in the morning or at the key moments of choice, like me, every time I crave a sweet or a chocolate late at night, asking yourself is this really where you want to go? Is this going to make you feel tomorrow morning the way you want to feel? Is it going to make your future self proud, angela, is it? And if not, what will? Just ask yourself these questions, whatever questions, work for you and see what's going to happen to your habits.
Speaker 1I hope this helps, guys. We are here about change, about improving and growing ourselves. But, most importantly, we're here also to start learning about ourselves, who we are, what we want to do in the world, how we want to show up in the world, and learning how to find our own answers. And to find our own answers, we got to learn how to ask better questions. As simple as that Questions. The quality of your questions is the quality of your life. Tony Robbins said it, and there are many other quotes of the greats who talk about the same idea the questions you ask yourself will pivot and direct your life. So are you good at asking yourself the questions that lead you where you want to go? Hope this was helpful.
Guys, don't forget to share review rate to help me to deliver this podcast to more ears, to more everyday superheroes, so together we could unlock more human potential and create the most amazing world, living the most fulfilling life. So please do review, share and, especially if you know the person who might need it, who might love it, with whom you might practice what you are learning here, so please do share. Stay tuned for next wellness and health and fitness episode, even though this was a handful as well. Also, stay tuned for more episodes on systems for success, growth and change to make what you want to do easy to do and also be as productive meaningfully productive as you possibly can be. So stay tuned for that. We are releasing our first guest episode in our new series and this series the name of the series you're going to find out this weekend. So stay tuned for that as well, and until next time, ask better questions.