#49 Gentle Nudge: Do It Anyway

Ever feel like giving up when things get tough or when others don’t play fair? What if the most powerful choice is to shine your light anyway? 🌟 In this Gentle Nudge episode of “Be the Sun, Not the Salt,” Dr. Harry Cohen and Connie Fontaine dive into Chapter 27: “Do It Anyway”—your ultimate anthem for resilience, perseverance, and choosing to be heliotropic no matter what.

Why should you tune in?

• Discover a timeless, powerful message (inspired by Mother Teresa’s wisdom) that will reframe how you face challenges and negativity.
• Learn how to build your “do it anyway” muscle, strengthening your resolve and emotional fortitude.
• Understand why choosing to be your best self—kind, honest, and dedicated—is ultimately about YOUR integrity and well-being, not about others’ reactions.
• Get inspired to overcome adversity and keep doing good, even when it’s hard, and find the deep satisfaction that comes from living by your highest principles.

This episode is perfect for anyone seeking motivation, inspiration for personal growth, or a stronger positive mindset. If you’ve ever needed a nudge to push through resistance and keep your spirit bright, “Do It Anyway” is your call to action.

(Mini-episode, maximum motivation—perfect for your next workout, challenging day, or moment of reflection!)

Looking for more?

• Share this episode with someone who inspires you to “do it anyway.”
• Subscribe for your weekly tips on positive mindset, self-improvement, and heliotropic living!
• Explore our podcast archives for more on building resilience and overcoming obstacles.
• Pick up our book for 30 timeless tools to be your best self more often.

To explore the book, or for more episodes, information, tips and tools to live a more heliotropic life, visit us at bethesunnotthesalt.com and find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.

Transcript

Harry Cohen: Welcome. My name is Dr. Harry Cohen. I'm the author of Be the Sun, Not the Salt. This is our Gentle Nudge series, talking about different chapters. I'm joined by my podcast co host, Connie Fontaine, Chief Superspreader. Connie?

Connie Fontaine: That's right. And today's, chapter is our anthem of do it anyway. Chapter 27, do it anyway. And that means no matter what, yeah, sometimes if somebody does something to you, does that mean that you should be doing it back? No, be heliotropic anyway. That's what this is all about.

Harry Cohen: And, and, uh, A dear friend of mine expressed this great idea, which some of us have do it anyway muscles that are more developed than others. In other words, some of us can, you know, push through our resistance easier than others. That's okay. The more we work at do it anyway, the easier it gets. This chapter [00:01:00] is a rip off of a longer poem that Mother Teresa wrote.

wrote that my dear friend Mindy Holman sent to me as a framed quote many, many years ago. And it is beautiful. I'll read you the entire poem. It's short, but it's beautiful. You can look it up, which is, um, here it goes. People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness. They may be jealous.

Be happy anyway. The good you do [00:02:00] today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God. It was never between you and them anyway. So this was inscribed in Mother Teresa's um, children's home in Calcutta.

But our takeaway from this is all kinds of reasons are before us. We're tired. Oh, I don't want to do it. They're always there. Our job is to be heliotropic anyway.

Connie Fontaine: yep. Our excuses might feel legitimate, but it doesn't mean you don't do it anyway.

Harry Cohen: Exactly. And I like the simplicity of it. Yeah, he was a no good Nick. What's your job? Who cares what he was doing? Who cares what they're doing? My job is to do it anyway. 

Connie Fontaine: mm [00:03:00] 

Harry Cohen: gotta do this. It's so clarifying for me. All of these chapters are, are built to go, Harry, now remember.

Connie Fontaine: We talked about that recently in the um, potholes, filled potholes, um, chapter. It, it doesn't matter if nobody sees you fill that pothole. It doesn't matter that nobody's driving down that road today. Do it anyway.

Harry Cohen: Exactly. And, and to the point of what, I mean, why are you doing this? Are you doing this for fame and fortune? Are you doing this so that other people see what a good person you are? Okay. But do it for the reasons that you know are the highest reasons. It's the right thing to do. It's who I am at my best period.

Connie Fontaine: And I think knowing this, it, it's easy to know it, it's harder to do it. And I think too, that's the knowing isn't doing and do it anyway.

Harry Cohen: And you know, what are you doing? I'm working on my do it anyway, muscle.

Connie Fontaine: [00:04:00] Yeah. 

Harry Cohen: know, 

Connie Fontaine: And in the chapter, why would you do that? It's because you're going to be better for it. Your life's going to be better for it. And the lives of the people around you are definitely going to be better for it.

Harry Cohen: Guaranteed. So

Connie Fontaine: I don't think we should even try and do it better than Mother Teresa said it. And with that, I'd say that's a mic drop on Mother Teresa. We hope you enjoyed this, this episode. Hope you invite others to join us along this journey and thank you for listening.