The James Granstrom Podcast - Super Soul Model series
Have you been questioning how to live your dreams and enjoy greater happiness, health, and wellbeing? I'm James Granstrom, male model turned international speaker and wellbeing teacher. Join me every other week for new lessons, tips, and conversations on personal growth, health, healing and spirituality with my inspiring guests or straight talk from myself. I'm here to guide you to become your best self and enrich your life, so you can tune and tap into your own natural state of wellbeing.
The James Granstrom Podcast - Super Soul Model series
Breaking Free: 5 Soulful Ways to Get Unstuck and Feel Alive Again
Feeling stuck in a rut? That plateau where nothing seems to be changing can be frustrating, but the solution isn't waiting for external circumstances to shift—it's about transforming your own energy first.
This episode reveals five powerful yet simple ways to break free from stagnation and reignite your spark. These aren't expensive lifestyle overhauls or complex systems, but practical approaches you can implement immediately, wherever you are. We explore how novelty stimulates your brain to create new neural networks, breaking patterns of sameness that contribute to feeling flat. Whether it's exploring a new environment, embracing curiosity, trying something different, playing without goals, or performing acts of service—each approach creates biological shifts that elevate your mood and magnetize new opportunities.
The science behind these methods is fascinating. When we experience novelty or witness kindness, our brains literally change—creating what researchers have documented as a "biological natural high." This isn't just positive thinking; it's neurologically-backed transformation that anyone can access. The ripple effects extend beyond our personal experience, potentially inspiring others and creating legacy impacts we may never directly witness.
What makes these approaches particularly valuable is their accessibility. You don't need to break the bank or dramatically overhaul your life to experience significant shifts. Small, intentional changes—taking a different route home, cooking an unfamiliar recipe, or leaving an anonymous kind note—can create profound energy shifts that transform how you experience life. Try one approach today and notice how quickly your perspective and possibilities begin to expand.
So, in truth, nothing changes until you shift your own energy, and these five ways are really powerful for you to shift your energy, and when you shift your energy, you're going to begin to magnetize new experiences and new opportunities to you. Hi guys, I'm James and you're listening to the Super Soul Model series. Have you been feeling a little agitated recently? Perhaps you've been feeling a little stuck and maybe you need a little spark in your life, and you're not exactly sure what that is. This is sometimes the plateaus that we hit. We sometimes get to a point in life or a part of the year where not much is happening, not much is changing, and the only way things begin to change is when we begin to change and shift our own energy ourselves. So this episode is thought with you in mind and I want to share with you five powerful ways that are simple self shifts that will begin to help you reignite the spark and feel like yourself again when things have gotten a bit flat, when you're feeling a bit stuck. This is really powerful, and these five ideas I have implemented myself. So I'm a messenger sharing this information, and the key thing to take away is do not believe any of the things that I share with you in this episode or this podcast, but take away these ideas and implement them and get your own experience, because, in truth, life is the teacher. I am merely a messenger here, trying to share with you what's worked for me, and if you can begin to get your own experience by applying some of these things, then that is magnificent. So let's look at the first way that you can begin to get yourself out of a rut and begin to shift your energy without breaking the bank, and this is really important. None of these ideas I'm going to share with you are massive overhaul lifestyle changes or expensive retreat ideas. They are simple, powerful things you can begin to implement right here, right now, wherever you're at. So, without further ado, the very first way, soulful way you can begin to get yourself out of a rut and break that routine is by exploring your environment. This is massive.
Speaker 1:When you begin to explore your environment wherever you're at, going someplace new, taking a new road, trying new locations, what this is actually doing is stimulating the brain. New road, trying new locations. What this is actually doing is stimulating the brain. Novelty stimulates the brain and begins to create new neural networks. And when we're only using the same neural networks, meaning we're always doing the same thing over and over again. Nothing new is being created. And since the universe is always expanding, novelty is essential for us. We need new, fresh experiences. We need new ideas, because otherwise we stay in that same same pattern. So your experiment what new things and new places could you visit that are normal to you in your everyday life, but you never seem to take the way? What new road could you walk down? What way could you drive to work that's different from where you've currently been going?
Speaker 1:When you start to do things a little bit differently, the brain and the neural plasticity that's going on is starting to create neural networks. This is really powerful. So exploring your environment and going someplace new is essential for you. Shifting energy and when you're shifting energy, it's because you're getting stimulated by the new in your life. If you've ever gone to a new place and you were like overwhelmed, that's because you're getting stimulated by the new in your life. If you ever gone to a new place and you were like overwhelmed, that's because all these neural networks are being built at the same time, and it is overwhelming because there's so much going on.
Speaker 1:When I moved country for the first time a few years ago. Everything was new and my whole mind was like, wow, there's so much going on. And it took about six months or so for things to settle down in my mind and where I began to understand where things were. So use the novelty, use your environment as new in your life and recognize how much stimulation you get, because if you keep doing the same thing, you're not going to be as stimulated. So that's why we need a little adventure. We need novelty.
Speaker 1:Number two this is what I call a curiosity day. This means go to a new bookstore or a gallery or a restaurant or someplace you've never been before because you've been curious about it. Go and do it, because when you're curious again, that novelty is stimulating the brain, stimulating the, the mind. If you're with me so far, every novel experience you've got is really helping you shift energy, and that's why we love to travel. There's no point of you traveling to go, oh, away for two weeks because I've got to fly over there, stay there, eat food there and then come back. No, you're going for the adventure, you're going for the experience. What you're seeking more than anything else is a novel, new, good feeling experience. So, wherever you are in energetic terms, if you're flatlining meaning you're not feeling too good and not feeling too bad, you're somewhere in the middle it means you need a little stimulation, and going on a curiosity date will definitely up your energy, and one of the things you could do is, when you start to get an inkling or a feeling, oh, I'm interested about that, go and do it. One of the things I love to do and ask myself as a question, which is a curious question, which is I wonder what amazing thing could happen today. That curiosity can change what you experience, can change what you perceive to be experienced, especially when you say it out loud, because your words are like a command. So going on a curiosity date is powerful and try and match it with saying I wonder what amazing new things I might discover today, because otherwise you're just going to stay stuck in that serious, same flatline loop.
Speaker 1:Number three the next thing you can do to improve the quality of your life, get yourself out of a rut, break routines and start feeling great again, is to try something new. What new experience could you try? We've talked about exploring your environment and going someplace new, being curious. Now we're talking about actually trying something. Could you cook a new recipe tonight? Could you try paddleboarding? If you've never tried paddleboarding, could you go to a new location, location hiking there. You've never hiked before.
Speaker 1:Trying new things is essential for our well-being and when we don't try things, we're just accepting life as it is. And life can be so much better when we are bringing out that inner adventurer. And it's really really important that you try new things rather than stay in the same thing. So when you're going shopping this week, here's an idea for you Go and pick some new vegetables or new food you've never tried before. Do that and notice what experience you get. Maybe you find something that you like, but maybe you don't, but either way, now you've had the experience. This is really important. And maybe you try a new sport and maybe you try like paddle tennis. When I tried this a few years ago, I was like what's the point of playing paddle tennis? It's like small tennis. I prefer tennis, but when I began to play this game it was so fun.
Speaker 1:So trying new things allows you to get a new experience which ups your energy. This is really important for your wellbeing and if you've been stuck in a rut because you haven't been trying anything new. You've just been doing the same thing over and over again, and life isn't meant to be a repetition. It's meant to be different, it's meant to have variety. So go out there, mix it up, make some new people, try some new things, get some new experiences and notice how much more alive you feel. Call this a low stakes, high reward Meaning when you're trying something new, it shouldn't cost a lot of money, it shouldn't be really hard, it should be like I think there's going to be a lot of fun that can come from this.
Speaker 1:Love this quote about cooking. When you cook, cook with wild abandon, meaning have no expectation about how this is going to be, because actually, when you're cooking just for the fun of it, that is when cooking can be amazing. And so allow your mind to thrive on the fresh new experiences. And remember, not everything's going to be perfect. And this takes me into number four when you play, play with no goal in mind, play for play's sake, and what that's really meaning is you play for the fun of it, not for any particular outcome like you're going to win. Now, I'm highly competitive, I'm not going to lie, but what I am going to say is that playing just for the fun of it is really important. Are you playing just to always win, which isn't a bad thing, but when you're playing just for the joy of playing and being with other people, what you're doing is putting your ego aside, and I think that that's really healthy from time to time, because it's the joy which is the reward you're really really seeking from time to time, because it's the joy which is the reward you're really really seeking.
Speaker 1:Your subconscious mind is often referred to as the inner child, or at least by Dr Hugh Len, who was part of the Zero Limits book, and he mentioned that the subconscious mind is like the inner child, and the inner child starts to get inflamed when it doesn't have fun, when it's not playing. So when you feel a bit stuck in life, when you feel like there's this kind of serious undertone, it's because there's a lack of play going on and you haven't really been rewarding your inner child with fun stuff. So here are some ideas that make you feel like that you're playing for play sake rather than for competition. You might want to sing, dance, play, draw, make some music, and the more fun you have, the more play you have, the better everything gets, and I love this analogy with sports stars A lot of sports stars who play basketball or tennis, who are some of the world's best stars.
Speaker 1:The reason why they're paid so well is because they're constantly playing. I remember watching this with roger federer tennis, one of my favorite tennis players. He just said I just really loved playing tennis, and when I'm watching new stars like carlos alcaraz, he just has this joy of when he's playing. So think of it like this the more you excel at play, it might even turn into an opportunity for you to create a business, and that is really brilliant, because the more fun you have, the better everything gets. I have so much fun creating and sharing this content with you because I love to communicate and I love to share and I love to share what works. So I'm kind of have an extension of what I love to do already. This is what I love to do and whatever it is for you, be creative, but have fun doing it.
Speaker 1:The key word here is if you want to shift your energy and get out of a rut or get unstuck, you've got to start playing, you've got to start having more fun. So start wherever you can and make the very best of what's available to you and get creative. I love this quote by Laird Hamilton, who's a big wave surfer, and it's just the best analogy on play here. When talking about surfing, he said it's not the surfer who's riding the biggest waves that we have to admire, it's the one who's having the most fun and riding whatever waves available. That is exactly this principle in a nutshell Find ways to have fun and play with what you can and be creative and notice how much better you feel. This gets you unstuck.
Speaker 1:And my fifth soulful way to be able to help you get unstuck and start feeling great again is to be of service. Maybe you can help a neighbor. Maybe you can clean up a beach. Maybe you can help a neighbor. Maybe you can clean up a beach. Maybe you can leave a kind note to a stranger. Maybe you can leave a $5 bill and you can leave a note going. It's thinking of you. Where can you make being a service fun?
Speaker 1:Altruism creates a biological natural high inside of your body and when you want things to change, when you want to get out of a rut, when you want to get unstuck, it's because you need a biological shift. So finding a way to help others is one of the best and most powerful ways you can do it. There's this real study about kindness when someone gives a kind act, it creates this biological change inside of the body. They measured it under an EEG machine and they also found that when someone also watches an act of kindness who's not even participating but merely observing that kind act, it's also creating that biological change, meaning they're starting to tap into these naturally high chemicals inside of the body. So when you feel stuck, it's because you've maintained a flat lined energy, meaning you're not tapping into that natural high, which means you need to shift. So these five ways are so powerful.
Speaker 1:So where could you be creative in trying to help somebody? Could you leave a discreet note of kindness somewhere? Could you pay for someone on at the toll booth? Could you pay for someone's groceries when you're at the checkout and just make it quick? I'm not talking about breaking the bank here. I'm just talking about some ideas of where you could do something.
Speaker 1:I remember recently someone did a really kind act for me and everybody watched that in the supermarket and thought, wow, that's beautiful. So I'm just imagining what was going on inside the biology of all of those people at the supermarket and what happened was is I accidentally left my wallet in the car and I only had two items. But when it came for me to pay, I was trying to pull out my wallet. But I obviously didn't have it and the lady who'd just gone in front of me literally got out of her card and tapped it for me and she goes don't worry, I got this. And I was just so startled by the kind act of that. It made me want to do that for other people. So I've gone and done that as well. So that kind act created another kind act and I'm just wondering, even though I will never know, what kind act would other people have done that also witnessed that act as well. So this is a knock-on effect, a ripple effect that we can have with other people, just a random act of kindness.
Speaker 1:So be creative, try and find ways to help other people and, you know, do it with a way. There's discretion, so you might not even get to notice, but you know that you've left some kind of kind act or deed behind for other people to benefit from. There was a book years ago called the man who Planted Trees and one of the philosophies of the idea of the man who planted trees was to afforest an area in France during the world wars, and the guy who planted the trees every single day was essentially building a forest for people to enjoy long after he was gone. So I love this philosophy Plant a tree of which you will never get to enjoy sitting under its branches in the shade on a hot day. And when you think like this, you're thinking that you're leaving a legacy of love and a legacy of kindness that you will never get to witness. But in truth, you will feel inside because you know that your good deeds or your good acts or your kind service will somehow impact the people around you and even though you might not get to see it, you will get to feel it. So, in truth, nothing changes until you shift your own energy. And these five ways are really powerful for you to shift your energy. And when you shift your energy, you're going to begin to magnetize new experiences and new opportunities to you. But you can't magnetize new experiences if your energy is kind of flatlining.
Speaker 1:Years ago, I began to apply these five ways and they actually shifted my life, and until so much so that I began to be living in a new place which created more novelty and more interest and more stimulation, and here I am sharing this with you now. But when I first started, the first thing I began to apply was to explore where I was, explore the area where I lived, and there were so many things I hadn't explored where I was living in London. So I made it my mission to go and explore the best places around the town and I started first with visiting all the best hotels and I really enjoyed being in these beautiful environments and from visiting all those hotels and beautiful places, my feeling towards the place where I was living was enhanced, it was heightened. I began to see everything with a new set of eyes, rather than feeling like this is all there is, there's nothing else to see. I began to see where I lived with a new set of eyes and a new perspective.
Speaker 1:This is how you begin to shift your energy and this is how you begin to shift what comes to you as well. So take these ideas, run with them, implement them at your own pace, but, most importantly, recognize that nothing will shift until you shift your own energy. And if you've enjoyed this episode and there's been any insight here or any inspiration, share it with someone and use that number five. Use it as a way to be a service to somebody else, because these ideas might empower somebody else who you love, who might be stuck in a rut, because nothing can change for somebody else until they're given some new ideas and can begin to implement them. Because before action there must be thought, and so when we stimulate thought with new ideas, that novelty stimulates our brain into action. That is the purpose of today's episode, and if you've enjoyed it, remember, please share with people you love. And until the next time, I wish you a wonderful week ahead and green lights all the way.