Episode 23: What Pressure Reveals About You

Pressure doesn’t build your character—it reveals it. In this episode, we dive into how stress and high-stakes moments expose who we truly are, and why preparation matters long before pressure hits. From business to parenting to everyday life, we share how to strengthen your mindset so when pressure comes—you’re ready.

Mixed & Edited by Next Day Podcast

info@nextdaypodcast.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Welcome to the Become Unshaken Podcast, where we journey through the hard together. We're so glad you're here. Welcome to the Become Unshaken Podcast. My name is Stephanie Rodriguez.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

And I am Michael Rodriguez.

SPEAKER_02 0:19

And today we are talking about pressure. We all face it every single day. Deadlines, expectations, high stakes moments. And a lot of people will say pressure builds character, but I don't believe that's true. I actually think that pressure doesn't build your character, but it reveals it. Who you are when things are calm, that's one thing. But who you are when things get hard, now that's the truth. And many of us live a life where pressures come upon us every single day. Some we can plan for, some we can't. And that's what's so interesting is when you're faced with something completely out of the blue, how do you respond? How do you show up? And is there a way to better prepare ourselves for some of the inevitable surprises of life? Right. How can building that muscle of resilience prepare you and help you in those moments where you don't even see them coming? Right. So we're going to dive in today. So excited about this conversation. Are you ready for it or are you a little nervous? This might, this might kind of get you back into those tough spaces you've been in recently.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

I'm feeling the pressure, but we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

You already feel the pressure. Oh, you're smiling. So what does that reveal about you? You're you're good. So we are going to talk first about what it does reveal about us, what pressure does feel like as a real mirror of ourselves. So we're going to get really vulnerable and real here for a minute. We're going to have to, right? So for the benefit of you, our our listeners, we're doing this for you. Sure. We're going to reveal how we feel about ourselves under pressure. So so what would you say pressure reveals about you? If you had to think about some tough moments you've faced recently, whatever you feel comfortable sharing, let's let's dive in.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Yeah, I mean, yes, uh, life is full of pressure, right? I mean, we are we've got six kiddos, we talk about it all the time. Just raising six human beings. There's there's some pressure in that, right? And we we talked about it in our raising resilient kids. You know, the more present we try to become or or to remain, the more opportunities we look to pour into the kiddos. Listen, that it's high stakes. We are considering their future rather often. I know I certainly am. And so, you know, nothing is probably more important to me than successfully being a parent. And so there's a lot of pressure in that, especially when, you know, there are difficult conversations that need to be had. If if a kid has had a tough day or something along those lines, you know, what we what we say matters, uh, especially in those moments. And so I think there's a lot of high pressure and and some high stake as far as that is concerned. And then of course, the the everyday pressures that I feel as a business owner. Those I mean are going on 16 years, really, the the pressure and the change has not, you know, or the the growth hasn't really changed. And so, yes, I I suppose, you know, what I have done over the last 16 years, I have grown in certain aspects, absolutely. And then there are others that I still have the exact same struggles in those pressures and those high-stakes moments. Uh, typically when some random bill comes in that seems like I will never be able to pay for it or afford it, you know, how do I respond? And and, you know, I would say actually, unfortunately, my my gut response is still usually the same. Oh, here we go. Business is done, close up shop, I'm out. We're done. Can't do it, never will. And I think that at times now, especially after 16 years, it's it's kind of tough to look in the mirror and say, man, you still haven't learned. There will be a way. There will be a way that is found. Somehow, some way we will get through it. There are other options. And so, yeah, I I think life undoubtedly gives us and gives me an opportunity to face pressure and then look in that mirror, just as you said, and say, who am I, both under pressure and not under pressure? And and where can I grow? Uh, and where have I seen growth? Right. And then take some small wins or larger wins and and again look for opportunities to continue to grow and be strengthened and grow that muscle of resilience in response to pressure.

SPEAKER_02 4:40

And this is where knowing yourself is so important. So, what I really heard you say and want to reflect on is that when faced with a tough moment or decision, parenting moment or with work, whatever life brings you, first is the reaction. First is knowing that you'll likely have one, right? For some reason, you'll be, you know, surprised by something. And bottom line is we're human. We have to give ourselves grace for the fact that we're not going to always like it. So be okay living in that space of I'm going to have a human reaction and that's okay. But then what I also heard you say is then you almost have to flip that switch in your mind for you to tap into fall, rise, and repeat, right? Because you know that there is coming back from that moment, that it won't be a defining moment that will stay kind of, you know, you force you to stay in that space forever. There's going to be a rebound if you choose to focus on that and focus on how you're going to get back up. That's what I heard you say. And I'd love to know if if I heard you right or if there's anything else that you would add to what you know about facing pressure for yourself.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Well, with what you said with regards to having a human reaction, I I think that yes, we are all entitled to our natural reactions, our gut reactions, and absolutely our feelings. But I also think, you know, as a younger man, when especially in those first couple of years at 27, 28 years old, with a business that was literally on the verge of bankruptcy every week, I had incredibly explosive human reactions. I mean, just anger overflowing, bubbling underneath the surface, so close that the moment something broke, something didn't work, and and again, when I had very little experience in surviving these issues and and these disasters. And so we are allowed to feel how we feel. But displaying uh some of these human emotions on the surface, yeah, typically not good for anybody, including ourselves. But you know, if boy, if my kiddos would have been around me in the early days when an oven died right before a catering order that I had to fulfill and I had no bread and no cookies, and I had to deliver something to Raleigh, I would not have been proud of what they would have seen or heard. And so I think it's also important that we use those reactions as also kind of a yes, a mirror, but also kind of, I don't know, a way to judge how we are doing and where we are at. Is this how I always respond to something? Or is there something else going on? Is the pressure building up in multiple places that all of a sudden my muscle of resilience isn't quite as strong, that I'm not quite as in control of my response and my feelings and things like that, right? So, so I think it's a good indicator as well. How am I responding naturally and unbridled? Well, what is my response and what does it tell me about where I'm at?

SPEAKER_02 7:48

Yeah. So I think knowing yourself is a huge, huge first step. And then of course, knowing the people around you, right? Because I think all of us could say we see people change, ourselves included, when pressure hits. And some people stay steady, right? Some people very, very much even killed no matter the situation. But I'd say most of us change in some way. And I think it's because our natural inclination takes over, right? Our natural desire, our natural tendencies and and places where we go out of comfort, really, because it's it's just natural for us. That seems to be at the very surface when pressure arises, because it's really a matter of what we can control at that moment. And a lot of us can't control what's about to happen next. Our natural tendencies start to emerge. For myself, as I reflect on pressure, I have a desire for things to become very, very clear and actionable. So I want to know where are we going to go next? What's the next step? How are we going to make progress? So when there is a lack of certainty in that space, for me, that's where I desire to find the answer, right? I want to know or help the team find the answer. Because it's okay to kind of consider and wonder, but a lack of action for me in my mind, from a safety perspective, there's a risk there of not taking action and seeing something progress forward. So I can already plan for and know that situations where there's going to be some sort of decision needed at the end of the conversation, I already kind of feel the pressure kind of coming and I already have to tell myself, okay, be cool with the process because the process is necessary to get to the next step. So it's important to know who you are and embrace it. Give yourself grace because if you don't, then you're going to show up in a really unauthentic way. And it's going to be obvious to people around you, and it'll probably cause even more stress and pressure.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Absolutely. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. And it'll increase the pressure that you're already feeling. Right. So you don't need to pile onto yourself.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Oh, yeah. So have you seen people change under pressure? And out of curiosity, not just for yourself, but other people. And and have you seen that kind of happen in a way that says, oh wow, this reveals something really great, or maybe not so much for the better. Maybe you've seen it kind of happen to the point where you're like, oh, I don't really like what I'm seeing.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Heavens, yes. You know, I was touching on it just a little bit, and I'm I'm gonna just add on to that for a second before going fully into that. The other thing is you can have moments of varying pressures, and our response is different also based upon where we are. So the most minute, small, inconsequential thing can set us or people off where it doesn't make any sense, right? At least on the surface. And I think that it's really important, again, that we consider what has caused us to respond in a way that may be counter to the character that we have or are trying to build. And so so I I think it's really important to to also look at that because sometimes we can have all these pressures that are kind of building up and we almost don't recognize it. I I think a lot of times we live such busy lives as human beings that that at times we don't even really stop to look at our calendars or our days or our lives and say, boy, there's a lot going on. And then all of a sudden the smallest thing happens and we erupt as a result of really also not taking the time to kind of recognize and appreciate and see what it is that we're really doing, going through, dealing with, etc. So I think that that's important. And so I would say, you know, yes, I've seen, you know, I work in the restaurant industry, I see thousands of strangers and have seen thousands of strangers every single week, and I've seen, you know, not enough pickles on a sandwich set somebody completely off. And which one clearly is saying there's a lot going on there under the surface. I don't think the pickles did it. But then we are also in the exact same situation where now we are under pressure because someone has had such an aggressive response to something done right by us that we are now forced to respond. And you know, hopefully we respond in a way that says we are unshaken, our resilience is strong right now, and we can respond appropriately the way in which we want to, whether we're under pressure or not, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:49

That's where patience comes into.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Yeah. And not just for yourself, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:53

For others.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

That's right. That's right. And and discipline, right? Uh, you know, the other thing is I think that we've got to take a lot of time. If you work in the general public with the general public, you have got to show up at work prepared to deal with people's bad days. Yeah. It is inevitable. And and I think it wasn't really until now, I was in law enforcement before too, so I guess I saw people at their absolute worst. So I had some preparation there. But really, in a restaurant setting, I did not realize, and I wasn't prepared until I really started working in my first restaurant for my uncle. That boy, you really can tell how people are feeling just when they walk in the door.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Or just in those first six words.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

You've got a great idea of how they're doing, what's going on in their life, and and whether or not they've got something under the surface. And sometimes they can't even hold it and keep it there, right? So, yes, I would say, you know, at 42 years old, I have seen a number of people not handle stress well. And I would say I think what is always intriguing, and what I think is is really cool is you also then see the opposite. Something horrible happens, or someone goes through something very difficult, and they have grace and they are calm, they've got perspective that they are confident in, right? There is still a peace in the heart.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

And I think you know, that is where we want people to go a hundred percent. It's where we want to be, it's where we aim for our children to end up as young adults and adults in this life, because pressure, difficulty, hardship is inevitable. And so how do we prepare and protect ourselves so that when those moments come, we can remain unshaken, right? Or re-anchor and keep going, as opposed to getting completely derailed and in despair and hopeless in all of those places.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

It's such a great segue to the next topic related to this that we want to dive into, which is preparation. Because you mentioned a couple of things that I want to reflect on. First, the pickles. Now I really want pickles. That's the side note. But the pickles, it's such a great example. It's so minute. It's this small example of something that happened just not the way that that person wanted to in that very moment that they needed everything to work out, but it was representative of what was underneath the surface. And so one of the things from a preparation standpoint that I think we can all do, that I try to do, is first go into every situation when possible with perspective, right? What are we here to do? What are we here to solve? What perspective do I need to have going into a specific situation? So I need to know, I need to take a temperature check for myself. How am I doing? Where am I at? And and also whatever I'm about to jump into, it's a conversation with you, with the kids, with with folks from from work. What is the perspective I need to have on the importance and significance of the outcome of this conversation? Right. And and where are other people coming from? Because I think when you only focus on yourself, you only focus on on you know where you're at and where what you need, you're bound to show up in a way that will be in conflict with someone else. So the more we can understand where we're at, have perspective to the situation that's at hand. And that does take a minute. It does take intention, right? Intentionality, not just walking through the door after you spilled coffee on yourself and you were late and you ran three stop signs or whatever. Hopefully no one did that.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

What did you do?

SPEAKER_02 16:42

I didn't do that, but I'm just giving, I'm giving context. But you can't, you can't just get out of your car and run into a meeting and say, I'm here, I'm ready, I'm present, and I'm pro, I promise you I won't show up under stress.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Right.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

That's not possible. So, you know, taking a moment for yourself and knowing that that moment is necessary, right? And that can happen when you're in the moment too, right? So say you do run through that door because you're late. What say you do, you know, jump into a conversation you didn't mean to find yourself in, you can choose to step away. You can choose to take a moment and say, I'm just gonna need a breath. I'm gonna excuse myself for a moment and and and re-ground, re-anchor. That's a little bit of silence as a gift for yourself, I think to give yourself the best chance of showing up the right way. Because again, if if our natural tendency is to want control or to dominate or to, you know, try to please all people, right? All of us come from different places, all of us have different tendencies. And it's not gonna be helpful in that moment, in that situation, to have that part of you kind of supersede all others, taking that moment is probably gonna be the best gift you give yourselves, yourself and others.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Yeah, silence is incredibly important. I I and I I very much agree with what you said. Uh, I think too often when we are in conversation, you know, in person or you know, over Zoom or whatever it is, when we are not prepared, when we are not in the right mindset, I think too often we try to push through as opposed to just saying, hey, listen, I'm actually not ready this very moment to have this conversation. Let me let me just take two minutes, or let me put this back on your calendar tomorrow. Or is there another time that we could meet that would still work for you? Because at this moment, I'm I'm just not in the right headspace. I think too often we neglect simply saying, hey, I need a timeout. And it then leads to conversations that do not work, that go sideways, that create more issues than trying to muscle through could ever solve. I think what else you said is incredibly important in another way too, right? Perf per for perspective. Many times we get into this idea or space where we know the world doesn't revolve around us, but we kind of still expect it to. And so it also requires us to just say it's not just one person in this conversation, it's not just one person in this interaction. You know, I I have the same conversation with my employees when they have difficult interactions with people, customers. And typically we think, why are they doing this? Why do they act like this? How could they behave this way? You know, driving is probably another great example for many people when you're on the road. I'm sure everyone uses their turn signal and is very polite to all of you listeners, um, not always to us. Uh sometimes we need to just remember this person may be going through the worst thing in their entire life. And these pickles, and I, unfortunately, are just gonna bear the brunt of that. And you know, so that's one. Is it's not just about how they're treating me or this is happening. Now I'm not uh saying allow for any form of abuse or you know, any kind of anything. You don't deserve that, but how big or important is this disagreement? How how big of a deal are these pickles and their over-the-top reaction to it? Can we get through it? And also then, can we be strong enough to not allow them to change how we're feeling or the amount of pressure we're gonna take on? Because what? Life is plenty hard, and we're all just human beings, and things happen. We can't be shook by any and everything that comes along. Life is too hard, there's too many people going through too many things for us to not do the work ourselves to be prepared for for these moments and for these issues and these pressures.

SPEAKER_02 21:27

Yeah. It reminded me of a conversation I had recently about, you know, something that just went wrong inherently, not intentionally, in in a in a discussion. And, you know, there's there's a choice then that you have to make. Are you going to accept fault and say this didn't go the way I wanted it to? And I'm gonna do better next time. Or are you going to allow it to kind of control you, not only in that moment, but for the rest of your day and and all your other interactions, right? So Making that choice to give it its power, right? Whatever you're you're basically fueling it. You're deciding how much power and control it's going to have over you. So those moments of pressure that you feel, can you can you deal with it in the moment, accept whatever, whatever the consequence was, whatever happened, and then move on from it. So for example, that that person that brought a lot of their baggage and issue into that store that day, you know, had they just taken a moment to deal with what they were dealing with in that moment, they might not have had that same interaction in that subway on that very day. So so we do have to take what I hear you saying too is we have to take ownership of how we show up and how how we show up with others because we have a responsibility of how we treat everyone around us. And when you take that on, you look at it that way, it does become bigger than yourself. And that responsibility doesn't mean that you control how others feel, but you do control what you give and put out in the world. And that responsibility is for all of us to bear. So I do think that pressure in a lot of ways, when we foresee what could happen, we can plan around it. And then when we're in the middle of it, unforeseen pressure and stress, when you can take a step away from those moments and give yourself re- uh an opportunity to re-anchor, do it. Do it every chance you get because the outcome will likely be better when you take, when you do take that moment.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Yeah. And you know, what else you do? We talk about classic conditioning of the mind and the body. If you take the time when you can to prepare, and you know perhaps you're gonna have a tough conversation with someone at work, or you know that work is gonna get really tough, or you know, you and I need to have a tough conversation as husband and wife, or we've got to talk to the kiddos. When we know the more we prepare for the difficult things that we can plan for, the more ready we are to respond in the same way when it's unforeseen and when it's a surprise, right? Because we have learned, oh boy, tensions are rising here. What do I do? I know that I can either increase my volume, I can be combative with this person, or I can speak quieter and more slowly and calm and diffuse as a result. Even if I'm upset, even if I'm riled up, I can respond two separate ways, right? We we talk about the power of your choice. Yeah. And again, I think it's so important that we practice and train. Again, I I relate so much in life to athletics and training and practice, but this is no different. When we talk about the muscle of resilience, the more we practice, the easier it becomes, right? You you practice a sport, you you shoot 5,000 jump shots so that when you're in the game, you don't even think about it. You just do it. And and so I think it's so important also. And and again, I've learned that it has taken me years, perhaps decades, to respond to the world most of the time, in an appropriate way without thinking.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

How I responded at 18 is vastly different from 35 and 40. And again, I think that's repetition. Of course, that's growth, right? But that is what we're doing. That's what this journey of life is. It's the development and the growth of who we are, our character, and hopefully, what we're hoping for everyone, that muscle of resilience, which leads to becoming unshaken, which leads to joy regardless.

SPEAKER_02 25:59

Yeah. And I want to dive into that. So funny you you just mentioned it because I wanted to make sure we talked about daily practices, things that you can do and apply. And we certainly got into that, especially with what you do in preparation for times of pressure and and what you do when you're in the moment, you find yourself there unexpectedly. But I also wanted to talk about the values of become unshaken, right? Of the unshaken mindset and how it all applies here. Because it is a choice. It is a choice to work hard. It is a choice to choose tomorrow over today and remain disciplined. It's a choice to be patient with what comes. And of course, it's a choice to get up, right? When you fall, how quickly do you rise and get ready to repeat it all over again? So the application of these, the choice to lean into these values is there for all of us. And I want to talk about how that applies here because the interesting thing is that when it comes to pressure, I find that over-application of some of these values actually puts you at risk. And I want to talk to all parents, all people out there running homes and households, men and women alike. The work piles up. When you think about full-time jobs and you think about running your homes, you can put a lot on your plate unnecessarily and almost put too much pressure on yourself to do everything perfectly. Right. And we actually just had this conversation, you and I, about pressure that can kind of arise from trying to do it all and trying to make sure it all gets done to the absolute best every day at all times, versus saying what needs to happen, at what level does it need to happen? Yep. With with what urgency, so that that pressure can get released where it needs to be. Right. And that that takes conversation, it takes intent. Again, it takes, it takes understanding of where you're at. You have to, you do have to do a temperature check and an audit of of what's causing that pressure to occur because then how you show up for your coworkers and the people you meet out in everyday life and the people, you know, within your tribe, it will matter. It will reflect back.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

Yeah, and and at times we also I I say it to the kiddos a lot. We need a reset. Take a moment, take a breath, think about what is driving your emotions or your feelings or feeling the pressure, feeling overwhelmed, whatever it is. Take two minutes, take a beat, re-anchor into what matters in this very moment, and what can you do then to alleviate some of that pressure, to alleviate some of the things that are really building up. Because here's the thing there's pressure everywhere, and yes, I understand the feeling and belief, and maybe even the reality that a million things have to get done. But we also have to take that time and silence to prioritize appropriately and to just begin getting it done because a lot of times when I have a reaction that doesn't really fit my character, it is because I have lacked the rest and the time and silence necessary to prioritize things appropriately, to have the correct perspective, and then to address life and hardship the right way in a successful way. And so, you know, silence is so important. And and I say it in the book and whenever we talk about silence, it is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated and underutilized things that we can do for ourselves to get us right. And and if you don't practice a time in silence, a quiet time to consider who you are, what you're doing, what's going on in life right now, and really kind of anchoring into a little bit of peace before the chaos begins, right? Or in the midst of it. You know, you said if I'm on the road all day and I'm gonna enter three stores, seven stores, 12 stores in a day, I can guarantee that I'm gonna walk in. If I'm going into if I'm going into five stores, I'm gonna walk into at least two and be incredibly concerned and disappointed with what has been happening since the last time I was there. And if I am not in the right mindset, nobody is gonna gain anything of value from me entering that restaurant. And so I try to take about two to three minutes before every store, remember what I'm showing up for. I'm showing up to drive company morale up. I'm coming in to make sure that the restaurant is operating the way in which I expect and our customers expect. And then I'm coming to kind of do the little bits of work that really I can't stand, but I need to do. So I want to make sure that I'm focused and I'm prepared to do all of the little things that I get no joy from. If I am just flying and I all of a sudden am behind, I'm not in the right space to take the pressure that's gonna inevitably fall into my lap as I walk into another store in another location behind the clock, right? And so I have truly found and I encourage so many, especially a lot of uh you out there that are just going crazy a hundred miles a minute. Work, home, life, everything. Three to five minutes really does make an enormous difference to get you on stable footed ground and ready to go.

unknown 32:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:06

I can recall, at least in the past week, where I needed to re-anchor at least three times that day, right? So it's not just something you do in the morning. Yep. It's not just something you reflect on the day, you know, before you're going to bed. It's not, it's not just about giving yourself a gift when the gift is obviously needed or available to you. It's it's actually when you know you need it the most, right? It's to prepare yourself for the next interaction and the next because it will compound. And I think again, we've said it many times, but it can't be said enough. Know yourself, right? Be able to face who you are in the mirror. And that's okay. Because guess what? Whether you want to or not, other people are gonna see it. That's right. Other people are gonna see it. You're going to face a mirror every single, every single day. Now you won't always be able to see the reflection, but someone's looking at you, right? Someone is is experiencing you. And whether it's your coworkers, your family, your, you know, your neighbors, your kids, it doesn't really matter. The impact will be there. So what impact do you want to have? Right. So again, it's a choice. This is the fun thing I think about our work is we get to help people find their best selves because we do believe that with all that life has to give us, really building that muscle of resilience will give you the best chance of success in each and every day that you face. And then the people around you get to see you at your best, right? Doesn't mean being perfect every single day. It just means being honest.

SPEAKER_01 33:43

Yeah, that's right. And, you know, again, that's where we talk about, you know, the beauty of your tribe and the acceptance and, you know, of your tribe and all those things, right? Is you pour into them, they pour into you. But but again, what we're hoping for is a an exponential growth of joy and resilience and the capacity for, you know, first our family and then our friends and our extended family. And we hope that it then spreads there and it spreads to our listeners and it goes into their families and into their communities, right? Because at the end of the day, with the right perspective, right, and the correct anchors and resilience, gosh, a lot can change, right? And and I think even when I consider my journey of life, you know, I've been building resilience since I was five years old. Yet I can still say, one, I haven't mastered it, two, I continue to have opportunities to grow even stronger and stronger and stronger. And that opportunity will never end. But it is a tangible effect and result. Again, even from 15, 16 years ago when I started the business to where I am now, the pressures, quite honestly, are the same. The biggest difference is the way in which I respond. No. Again, every day, but not perfect, not not by a long shot. But the growth is there. And all we're seeking to do ourselves and for everyone else to do is to grow day after day, train ourselves, train yourself day after day, just a little better. Just get up, just work a little harder, continue to stay patient, grow while you wait. Life makes us wait all the time. Grow in it. Right? Change your perspective. Take time and silence. Anchor to that purpose a little bit, day after day. What happens? The hardship comes because it always does. The pressures rise. They inevitably will. We want to be able to withstand them and respond better. We want to stay unshaken or re-anchor and become unshaken again in this moment and choose joy.

SPEAKER_02 36:14

Yeah. Because I'll I'll tell you, no matter what happened today, no matter no matter what occurred, no matter what conversation occurred, I know that joining my family out there in that living room and having a dinner and having some games to play and a walk to have out there in the in the beautiful sun, that washes everything away. No pressure that I felt in that moment at the grocery store or at a stoplight, you know, in traffic is going to change the fact that my purpose is protected and prioritized in my mind.

SPEAKER_01 36:52

Well, and and so I think what else you you just gave an excellent example, right? When the pressure is rising and life is getting tough, you need to also anchor into whatever it is that's going to fill your cup, right? Small business owner, million restaurants. It is so easy and would be so easy for me to be consumed with the chaos of work that I would, I mean, I could work from sunup until sundown and then lay in bed and think about it for another eight hours and just keep going. It is so important for us to not get so caught up in the chaos and the busyness of life that we do not release the pressure valve and indulge in what fills our cup to indulge in our purpose, right? I mean, there are moments where we both will look at each other and say, we could work another 90 minutes, or we can get out of our offices, we can make a nice dinner, listen to some music, and go for a walk. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:01

And I'll come back to that work refreshed and better suited for you know an even more impactful result. So yeah, it's that choice for that moment, and it's the choice that you're you're making for tomorrow. It's the choice you're making for the next day.

SPEAKER_01 38:16

And again, you're working a million hours all the time because it's what you have to do to pay the bills and to survive. I get it. I know that life. You can still carve out five minutes for yourself. Sit in that silence, say a prayer, drink a cup of coffee, and just be give yourself five minutes. I know we all feel busy. We all have five minutes, and so it's so important for us and everyone around us that we intentionally attempt to alleviate the stress and the pressure that we feel to make us more capable of facing it head on when it hits us in the face. Right. And so again, I understand busyness, we understand busyness. Tons of work, tons of kiddos, tons of things to do. We can find five minutes, right? And so can you. And so I I really just I hope every time we talk about silence, anytime I get on it, I just think it's so neglected by so many. And I hope that that many will begin or continue to give themselves that gift.

SPEAKER_02 39:44

Yeah. I'm glad you said it was a gift because I was gonna jump in and say that because it is. It's something that we don't need to necessarily pay for, but is the greatest thing we can give ourselves. So while pressure is coming, if there's anything we talked about and agreed to, that is for sure. It's part of life. But the goal isn't to avoid it, it's to be ready for it. Because when pressure hits, you don't rise to the moment. You actually fall back on who you've already become. So build your habits, strengthen your mindset, stay grounded in your purpose. So when it's revealed, you're proud of what shows up. That's how you become unshaken. We're so happy that you joined us today. And I'm actually really excited to share some news with all the listeners. We have some some pretty great milestones that we recently hit. Yeah. We are over 1,600 downloads now. We are listened to in over 40 countries, almost 350 cities worldwide. So awesome. It's amazing. We're so incredible. We're so happy that you're listening. We're so happy that that you're joining us every week. And we ask you this: don't just listen, but download. It helps when you download, it helps others find us. Share this podcast with others if you feel like it would be valuable for them to listen to as well. We want to reach as many people and help as many people as possible. Follow us on social. The book is available now, not only at Barnes and Noble and Amazon, but Target as well. So we can't wait to start a conversation with you if we haven't already. Next episode will actually be episode 25.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

Super cool.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

So cool. We're we're actually going to incorporate some things we have heard from listeners and some stories that we think will be really applicable to next week's topic. So excited for you to tune into that. We can't wait to talk with you soon. And we hope you have a great day.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

Everybody, take care.

SPEAKER_02 41:34

We're so glad you joined us today. If you found inspiration through today's episode, share it with a friend and make sure to follow so you don't miss what's ahead. Until next time, choose joy, regardless, in whatever comes your way. See you next week.