Showing gratitude for what you have can make you a happier, more productive business owner. In this episode, actress and producer Maya Stojan discusses the ways of using gratitude to achieve business success.
Maya Stojan
www.mayastojan.com
m.imdb.com/name/nm3389576
https://www.instagram.com/maya.stojan/?hl=en
Brian Meert
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Duke of Digital
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Showing gratitude for what you have can make you a happier, more productive business owner. In this episode, actress and producer Maya Stojan discusses the ways of using gratitude to achieve business success.
Maya Stojan
www.mayastojan.com
m.imdb.com/name/nm3389576
https://www.instagram.com/maya.stojan/?hl=en
Brian Meert
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmeert
Duke of Digital
https://www.dukeofdigital.com/
https://www.instagram.com/dukeofdigital/
AdvertiseMint
https://www.advertisemint.com
https://business.facebook.com/advertisemint/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/advertisemint/
https://www.instagram.com/advertisemint
All right. Showing gratitude for what you do in business can make you a happier person and can help your business be successful. Raise those pinkies because today we're speaking with agent 33 from agents of shield, my Stojanov to help show you how to be more grateful in life
Speaker 2:presented by advertisement. The juke of digital will guide you through the rapidly changing landscape of digital marketing, social media, and how to grow your business online. To submit a question for the show, text(323) 821-2044 or visit Duke of digital.com if you need an expert to fix your ads, the friendly team at advertisement is ready to help visit advertisement. That's M I N t.com or call(844) 236-4686
Speaker 1:grow your business. Here's your host, Brian Mitt. All right. I have to be honest, I am geeking out a lot now because we have[inaudible] here today to interview, uh, and speak with. I'm just, I'm so excited to have you here, Maya. I am so honored to be here. I couldn't be happier. Okay. So I want to do my best to do an introduction. Uh, from what I know, uh, from, you know how we've talked, but you are a producer, you're an actress, you were born in Switzerland on a ski slope. I don't know what that eating chocolate, I don't know what those, those bars are true, but I would imagine they are. Uh, there's rumors that you can speak in French. Is that true? That is my first language. Aw, you have to, you, I'm going to try that again, but you have to speak answer in French. Okay. Oh, she did. So there's rumors. You can speak in French.[inaudible] Oh, that's so amazing. I can't speak no languages except for English and I'm only like 50 50 on that one. Okay, so you have been in Grey's anatomy, NCI S castle. But the part that I geek out the most on is that you are agent 33 from Marvel's agents of shield. It's the truth. Ah, okay. So you, this was on for anyone that doesn't know this is that the, it's a TV program with Marvel and you were on for several seasons during the time when captain America winter soldier came out, guardians of the galaxy Avengers, age of Ultron, ant man, all of these, this is in the Marvel, like it's already become big and it's on the way to be combing massive. And you are right there in the middle of it. I was, I was, I was in the thick of it. I'm, I, I think that's something that'll never leave me. Just the fact that I'm a Marvel character, that is pretty, that's like, is that not like on every actors or actresses bucket list now? Like that's when you've made it be, I mean, it definitely,
Speaker 3:I wouldn't even say it definitely was on mine. I actually grew up very much loving the comic book world and though I will say my favorite was Batman, so kind of clashing there with the DC world. But, um, yeah, no, I, I've, I've always, you know, aspired to be a superhero even though I'm, I'm, you know, in, in, um, agents of shield, I am far from a superhero. Actually. I'm, I was evil brainwashed into good and, Oh, sorry. The opposite. I was actually good brainwashed into evil mean a lot of things are getting mixed up. Yeah. But yeah, it was,
Speaker 1:yeah, I've seen, I've seen you with Instagram stories where you're at comic con on panels and the craziness. So it's exciting to have you here and you know what's, what's crazy? Wait, so let me finish up. You have also a Netflix movie or film that's coming out in the future, is that right?
Speaker 3:Yes. I just finished shooting it about a week ago. Okay. And um,
Speaker 1:can we talk about it or is it on hush hush until it comes out?
Speaker 3:Probably on hush hush until it comes out. But it's definitely not a Christmas movie. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, great. Um, well said. I want to make sure, did I miss anything? Is there anything else that I missed about, no, you're crushing it. Okay. Yeah, I did feel like I've been doing pretty good so far. But no, you've been doing great. Okay. Now how, I want to make sure I get this, um, taken care of. How do people find you or follow you or which social media platforms are you on so that people can be like, that's it. I love Maya's stowage and as well.
Speaker 3:Well, um, you can definitely follow me on Instagram. It's Maya. Dot. Stomion which is my last name, spelled S. T. O. J. A. N. yes. Um, and it's M. a. Y. Uh, yeah. Okay. So that's pretty much it. Honestly, I do have a Twitter account. I do have a Facebook account but I've sort of given up on them cause I feel like now everything is on Instagram pretty much
Speaker 1:is the big one. But um, God I just recommend everyone go follow her on all, all of the ones you can find. Yes. Perfect. All right. So what I wanted to, the reason why I wanted to have you on this show is we have something in common, which is my wife and you are incredibly good friends. And one of the areas that we've had conversations about multiple times they have has blown my mind is the element of gratitude in life, in business and acting. And I mean I worked in entertainment for a while so I was around a lot of people in the industry. And I would say one thing that you generally don't see necessarily a lot of, especially there's a grind to that business. It's show business, which is a lot of times a lot of work. And in that process of being around people in that grind as they work their way to where ultimately they are the top something that you generally don't see is gratitude. Gratitude. A lot of times like it's for, you know, whether you're an you're an actor or actress or growing a business, you know, you're aspiring to be at a certain level. And as you do those steps, it's, I call it the jungle, like you're going through a jungle and starts hitting you in the face and bugs are at you and you're trying to find your way through a scenario that you're not familiar with trying to find, you know, wins. And things like that. So you just, you, you have, we began to have discussions and, and you said that you have been practicing gratitude daily for the past eight years? I have, it's the truth. Okay. So this is, and I want to be able to like I guess tell the story behind this so my wife knows you and I had never met you. And she says, Hey, we're going to a party out in Calabasas. It's a masquerade party. It's like a couple houses down from the Kardashians. Um, I don't remember is a birthday party or Halloween party, but it was a birthday is a birthday party. Um, so we go there and as we're in the car, I'm like, tell me about some of your friends that'll be there. Cause I hadn't met any of her friends yet. It was when we first started, you know, dating and we're together and she starts going down the list and she's like, Oh. And then there is Maya. I was like, okay. And she's like, Maya's an actress. She's on TV. Um, and she does magic. And I was like, Oh, cool. Like David Copperfield. And she's like, no. And so they were like in the car, I think. All right. So she's, she studied at Hogwarts, like Harry Potter. Like what are we going to be talking? And I didn't say it cause I didn't want to, you know, make, make a joke or, you know, say something about our friends. So I was like, yeah, I just kind of let it go. So I think when I first met you, we were talking and I was like, all right, let's talk about this magic thing. Like, what's, what is that? And you're like, what are you talking about? And then you were like, no, it's the magic. And I remember, you know, in LA you thought I was some kind of, which is something that you had some special PAs, like, let's go, uh, let's go cook some, some spells up or whatever. Like you never know in LA. So I was like, Hey, cool, whatever you're into, um, let's do it. But you were like, no, it's not, um, magic. It's the magic. And that's when we began to have a conversation where you're like, there is a book called the secret, which I love by Rhonda is Rhonda barn burn, burn barn. Uh, which is, you know, basically you want to think about what you think about being manifest in your life, which I think is 100% true. Do you know where you focus your attention? And I had no idea that there was a second book. Maybe she has more, I don't even know. Oh, what are you blowing my mind every time? So the magic is, was it her second book? Yes, I believe so. I think the power came after. Okay. So then you start to tell me about the magic, which is a book that's a 28 day journey of working through basically exercising your gratitude muscles. It would be a good analogy of, yeah, getting into the habit of figuring out, you know, or just speaking what you're grateful for. And they have, every day you have another challenge. You have to go through another exercise. And it's a little more difficult than the day before where it makes you think in new ways. Right?
Speaker 3:Sure. I, I wouldn't necessarily say more difficult than the day before. I think they're all just so different. You know, it's apples and oranges I think in a sense. I love that you call them challenges. Did you, did you call them challenges, challenges,
Speaker 1:tasks you have to do. But what happens is it'd be like pick your favorite color and you're like, well, you know, blue. And then it's like now pick a color that you love that isn't blue and explain why. And so what happens is the further you go away from things that you can't see anymore,
Speaker 3:Oh, Oh, I didn't even think of it that way. Wow. Maybe cause I've done so many realms, I just don't even, it's, yeah. But it's true. It was hard at first.
Speaker 1:And what's crazy is you have now said that you've gone through that 28 day journey. How many times I am on my 57th round. Right. That is, yeah, it is pretty wild. Yeah. And so I think from our conversations, and this is where what I want to do is I want to ask you some questions specifically in regards to gratitude because I think this is one of the fundamental principles that a lot of people struggle with, especially when they're in difficult scenarios or you're in business or in life. I think it's just something that it's like putting you on the right path and getting your head in a good place before you start going out where the world is going to be crazy. And there's unknowns. So I have, um, a couple of questions like walk us through the premise of the book and in your perspective.
Speaker 3:Well, first of all, I'll, I'll state that the book has changed my life. I, before starting the book, I was very ungrateful. I thought I was grateful cause I said thank you on the odd occasion and you know, I, if you opened the door for me I would say thank you. But, um, that's, that wasn't living with gratitude. And this book taught me that. And I think just even going through one round, I was just in awe of the magic that happened because it really takes you on a deep level of feeling gratitude. And that's the thing with gratitude. I think it truly is all about really feeling it in your heart because it's one thing to say thank you. I mean we say thank you every day, right? But to genuinely feel the emotions and, and even, you know, you can manifest through gratitude and, and that's specifically why I chose to keep going for so long because I started to see things in my life just happening before my very eyes. And that's one of the exercises is before your very eyes and it's, it's sort of creating a list, um, to the universe or to any sort of higher power and really thanking that list as if it's already happened. So it's sort of like an order that you would do at the rep at the restaurant and choosing what you want in life. Yeah. How did the, how did it come to be the first time? Meaning there was Maya before the magic, right? What is the story that led you to, all right, I'm picking this up and I'm going to do the first. So glad you asked because I forgot. And then just recently I remembered a friend of mine actually brought it up to me in a conversation and you know, it was casually over lunch and she had never done the book before, but she said, Oh my friend does this thing called the magic and then I, you know, I forgot about it. And then months later I was actually in Switzerland and I was waiting for my boyfriend at the time and I decided to walk into a bookstore and it was screaming at me. That book was right there and it just kept calling to me and I was like, Oh, I think that's the book that my friend talked to me about and I just picked it up and I was like, I'm doing this. And it was, it was sort of like a come to Jesus moment. It just, it just felt right. Now I would imagine the reason you don't remember is because your agent 33 like your memory. Yes, probably that in there. I wouldn't doubt it. Do you remember cause the F what would be the first exercise that you do? The first exercise is list all the things that you want in life. And I just want to state that I was actually at a very low point in my life when I picked it up the first time I was feeling very depleted. I, you know, didn't have a single credit in my acting career and I had been going at it for three or four years and I just sort of was giving up. And then I'll mention that a really close friend of mine was just booking all these roles and it turns out now she's an interior designer. But you know, at the time it felt, I felt sort of that struggle of like just feeling envy and jealousy and that was, I was not happy about myself just because also I didn't want to feel that way. Obviously she's my friend, but it was the truth. And so just, yeah, picking up this book sort of was life changing in that sense. And I can't remember your question now. Do you remember what the first thing was? Yes. So writing your list of all the things that you want, and it's, it's so wild, Brian. I still have my first list and I could cry right now because everything on that list came true. I wanted to be on Grey's anatomy. I listed of all the shows in the world, right? I listed Grey's anatomy, castle and, and CIS because I knew the sort of the casting directors, I had met them through a workshop. So I had put those three on my list and I had no credits, obviously at the time. And so being on those shows felt like almost impossible, a million miles away. Right. And, um, just, just many, uh, you know, to have my green card and it was such a struggle to get there, but, you know, sure enough, I got my green card and just a bunch of different things that were on that list. All came true.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Now, do you remember the last thing that you've written down in a, in a magic, you mean the latest? Yeah, like the latest challenge that you had to do. I call[inaudible]
Speaker 3:challenges. Um, well, you know, today is day one of my 57th round. And you were of course in my gratitude list this morning, I'm just so grateful to be here. And uh, right. So the, the first exercise in the magic after listing all the things that you want is every day you're going to find 10 different things to be grateful for. And so as you said, it can be challenging at first because you're just thinking like how many things can I possibly be thankful for? But when you start thinking about it and when you start practicing it all the time, I mean, you can be grateful for, you know, anything, this microphone, this, this clock and this cup and it just becomes just your, you're sort of just grateful to be surrounded by whatever is in front of you.
Speaker 1:I, you know, I've done it one time, all 28 days because you were telling me about it and I was like, done. I'm in, I'm going to go for it. And I loved it. But what was hard for these for me is it starts out with say 10 things you're grateful for and you're like, Oh, I'm thankful for food. I'm thankful for a report my day. I thankful for, you know, a bank account with money or you know, things like that. Like you're going through the list and it's easy. And then the next day is do it again. But you can't say any of that same 10 things or you know, like, and then they start to remove. You can't list something twice. And that is when all of a sudden the gratitude muscles start to exercise were like, this is difficult. And then the other thing that I love is they always ask you why. So you could be like, I'm thankful for food. And it's like, why now explain what type of food are you thankful for and why are you thankful or grateful for it. Um, and I love that because then it started to, you know, get the wheels turning to be like, well, why am I grateful for my parents? And it's because I have friends that maybe I, I see them and they don't have both parents or something like that. And that's, you know, all of a sudden it starts to become real, to be like, I am blessed, I am lucky. There's so much good things that I have in my life.
Speaker 3:And you have to get real specific. I think that's, that's the key there because obviously I've done this 57 times 28 and more probably, but you, you really have to get specific about even the bottle of water. You can be grateful for the capsule and why you're grateful cause it's protecting your water or whatever it is. But um, you know, grateful for your pinky nail and just really get real specific about each and every thing that you see before your very eyes.
Speaker 1:Now you've gone through it multiple times. Is there a day of the 28 days that is your favorite or which day?
Speaker 3:It's the magical air that I breathe every time. Without a doubt. On that day something magical happens. It's, it just is what it is. Because I think at the root of it, being grateful for the air that we breathe every day is just, it's just magical in every sense. We don't think about it. We don't think that we get air every day just to, to breathe and to remain alive. Right? But once you start doing it, so it's, it's basically five deep breaths in, five deep breaths out and thinking of gratitude as not, not for your breathing, but for the air that you breathe. And it's, it's just, uh, a wonderful exercise that you do five times that day. And without a doubt, I've booked jobs on that day. I've fallen in love on that day. I've, it's just, yeah, it's always been a wild experience.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that. Um, you know, walk me through your process for showing gratitude, you know, in, in, in work, relationships, health, money, career, you know, what, what have you learned from doing this so many times that has changed your perspective? Cause there's people listening right now that are like, yeah, I say please and thank you, but it sucks that my boss hasn't given me a raise or I'm not making enough, or so-and-so has a nicer car than me that, you know, they use a lot, especially with social media and people are bombarded with all the high points in life and there is pressure to be like, Aw man, I'm, I'm not doing what everyone else is doing. You know, what is, you know, what, what is your kind of personal philosophy on gratitude now having gone through this so many times?
Speaker 3:It's so interesting because people think that because I've done so much gratitude that I never feel anger or never feel sad. And it's, it's so far from the truth. I do still believe you have to feel your emotions and you know, really feel them out. And anger can, you know, be a great signal of what's going on in your life. Same with sadness. It's, it's important to cry things out. But what gratitude will do is once you're done feeling those emotions, you can turn those emotions around. Um, so if you're having an issue, say with a spouse and you're going through a crazy time where you just feel like you're not on the same page and you can find a million reasons why you shouldn't be together and just complain about them the whole time, it's when you start looking for things that you're grateful for in that person that things start changing and transforming. And I've honestly, I, I've, you know, had many difficulties with relationships over the years and every time I then practice gratitude, I, even if I don't end up with this person or even cut a friendship off, I can still find love in my heart. And I think that is the thing with gratitude is you become a kinder person. You don't find yourself criticizing people or talking behind people's backs and whatnot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Know, uh, like
Speaker 3:three days ago I was at the gym in the morning. I go early in the morning, did it to get it done with, and a guy working out right next to me, um, start struggling, walking falls down, um, and it had a stroke and we have to call the ambulance and coming through. Yeah, it was crazy. I'd never seen that happen before in my life. And they ended up getting on the ambulance and going. And what's crazy is in that moment, you know, I wish I would say it's probably a little bit of fear maybe of like, Oh man, like this is serious. Um, he left and I immediately stopped and was, for me it was, it went right back to gratitude where I was like, man, I'm thankful that I've got a healthy body. I'm thankful that my legs, you know, working, I can run. I called a couple people in my life and we're like, Hey, I just want you to know, like, I'm grateful for you. And it's crazy because a lot of that I feel like came from you. Like, I learned that from you, that you were like, yeah, no. And I think that's what's so fascinating is you have, I would say one of the things that you've done, at least in my life and the times I've met you or that we've hung out, is that that is just shown through AZ. And I think it's such a invaluable, um, you know, principal or a kind of life lesson to live by and can take you so far when you have that as a guiding star in your life. Absolutely. I will say, I don't feel like I've really had a terrible day in the last eight years and that is such a rarity to hear someone say that the reason being, it's just you can turn everything around with gratitude. I just found out this year that my father has pancreatic cancer. I think you know that. Um, so that's been just extremely hard. But I will say that since he's had, since he's been diagnosed, we have had the best relationship that we've ever had. We didn't talk for 15 years, but all of a sudden our connection got so deep and so strong just because we were able to both see the gratitude in this moment of being able to reconnect and know that our time is limited. And so just that, you know, I, I think I taught him that too luckily. And, and he's now living his best life even though he's ill, but he's just grateful for every, you know, everything that is right with his life. Yeah.
Speaker 1:No, I mean, I would say in life in general, you know, there's ups and downs, ebbs and flows and there are times when people in life or, or in business will go through dark moments. Sure. You know, how do you apply gratitude during those moments?
Speaker 3:I think as I said, while you're going through those moments, it is important to feel, you know, whatever you're going through. And if you're in a dark space, then be in that dark space. But just know that there's a way out. So whenever you're ready to get out of that space, then you know, you might, you might not be doing well in business, but just notice how maybe your wife is really present for you or you still have your health and you're healthy and you're breathing and you get to walk on this beautiful planet earth and you know, so, so there's just so many ways to cope with it. But I certainly don't want to say, well, you know, brush it off and you can turn it around right away and not feel what you're feeling because I think you know that that would be a mistake not to be grateful. Also for the moment that you have that, that is anger, that is darkness, that is sadness. Do you think
Speaker 1:that gratitude is an essential element for being successful at business?
Speaker 3:100% I have no doubt about it. I really have no doubt about it. I, I just know that the people that I know that have succeeded and that are very high up in the industry, they may not know that they have gratitude, but they are the people that are respectful and kind and sure, you know, you'll meet a few people that are disrespectful and whatnot that are high up at, at the top, but they're, there's, they might be struggling because maybe they're very lonely in life and success doesn't necessarily mean happiness, but the people that are happy and have it all, they're the people that know that they have it all.
Speaker 1:So my next question would be, you know, is there a mix between gratitude and hard work? Sure. Do they, do they both go hand in hand or, I mean you're, you're very, very talented at golf. If I am just grateful and be like every ball, I am so grateful that this is going to go a whole in one and I hit it and then you come up and hit it. You know, am I going to beat you in a round of golf?
Speaker 3:You know, what I believe in is if you are grateful and if you are thinking, for instance, with golf, I'm the best at golf, I'm going to do so good at golf, it'll, it'll be more incentive for you to actually go and practice your golf versus someone that is like, Oh well I suck anyway, so I'm not going to go. So that's what a great, so I think just feeling that positivity and feeling like knowing that you're going to make it even in, in your business and just knowing without beyond a reasonable doubt that you are going to make it in life, that's what will get you there. And being grateful for it as if it's already happened, you know, and feeling it in your heart. It doesn't, it doesn't help to just say, well, I've made it, I'm successful. I sometimes just jump up and down and, and smile and create a whole scenario of me just like winning at life, you know? And you know, it's so far it's worked pretty great.
Speaker 1:And I have, I've heard the story and I think you can check it out on YouTube and see it. But Jim Carey, when he was starting out, wrote a$10 million check for himself for own name, signed it and put it in his wallet and he had a date on it, I think, um, which is kind of a goal, but he was like, no, I like, I remember him talking, he was like, I knew that this is where I would end up. And I was grateful for it and I was like, I'll cash it when I get to that point. Um, and I think it's fascinating because it ended up coming true and he's like, in an interview they ask him, is this a true story? There's a rumor. He's, he's like, Oh, it's 100% true. I did. I did.
Speaker 3:It's no surprise to me, honestly, because I mean, I, I'm a big believer in vision boards. I don't know if you've, um, and on my vision board, the biggest thing on it was Netflix and I just shot a Netflix movie. It's amazing. Um, so our, I just, you know, and to me just, I'm a little girl from Switzerland, you know, that grew up in the middle of nowhere speaking French. And so for me to now know that I'm going to have this movie on Netflix is a dream.
Speaker 1:Now on that vision board, where is the Duke of digital products?
Speaker 3:Oh, it was right beneath it. Right below.
Speaker 1:In my mind, I'm imagining where it's at or you know, side by side.
Speaker 3:Yes. But, but honestly this is all part of it, right? Just the fact that I'm starting day one on my 57th round, I feel just here I am talking about what I'm feel most passionate about.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Okay. So do you think it's possible for a person to be too grateful?
Speaker 3:Absolutely not. I don't. And it's, it's interesting because, you know, I started this practice and to some people that are very negative and complain all the time, this all seemed very fake to them, right? Because they just couldn't see that I had actually become this person and I struggled a lot with it because I care so much about what other people think. It's something that I'm working on, but then all of a sudden I realized like, Oh, but they stick out like a sore thumb to me. You know, people that are constantly complaining about their lives that are constantly miserable. That's a choice, right? That's the story they're telling themselves. I'm choosing to live a beautiful life where I love the people that I surround myself with. And so all of a sudden it was like, well, I guess it's okay that they think that it doesn't matter. I'm, I'm here living my best life. Do you know what I mean? Oh, for
Speaker 1:sure. You know, when I did the first, my first trip through the book, um, I remember thinking in my mind, Oh, I'm a grateful person. Like I'd probably be like a nine out of 10, like maybe I slip up here or there. And when I started reading the book, I was like, Oh wow, no, I'm like a four out of 10 or five out of 10. And I think it opened my eyes to a lot of areas where I was like, man, Aw man. Sure enough I have, you know, Zig, I was a big fan of Zig Ziglar and he would always call it stinking thinking, which is, he was like, that's when you are, you can't get out of a negative mindset or you're not grateful for the things that you have. And he was like, you've got to, you know, turn that around and 100% like going through the book. I was like, Aw man. Yeah, sure enough, I'm off on that one. And so it was just, for me, it was eye opening to be like, yeah, no, I've got a lot of room for improvement.
Speaker 3:Me too still now, just so you know. Yes, no, I still, but, but the great thing about it is that now I'm hyper aware, I will find myself talking about even, you know, a really good friend's ex boyfriend and start saying things, you know about him that I'm like, Oh screw him, whatever. And I, I'm sort of like, Oh wow, wow that was, that was bad. Okay. Reset. You know? But, but you, that's why you can never do too much gratitude because there's no such thing. Cause you can easily fall back to just complaining and talking negative.
Speaker 1:It is almost one is that like the natural reaction of people, it's like human nature to just be kinda, you know, grumpy and like, Hmm.
Speaker 3:I don't know if it's human nature. I think we're all built differently, but I think it's so easy to see what's wrong with our world. Yeah. You know, and especially what's going on in politics and whatnot. And it's so easy to just have it right in front of your face. And I think what really helps is just to almost be brainwashed, sort of like my character on agents of shield and really just, it's all about practice and I can't say that enough because you can think, Oh well today I'm going to be grateful and I'm going to say thank you, but meanwhile you're not in it until you really dive in and practice what you preach.
Speaker 1:Oh, now you volunteer with the midnight mission in Los Angeles, which is a homeless shelter or homeless?
Speaker 3:Well, it's a rehab center for people living in homelessness. Yes. Okay.
Speaker 1:How do you feel working in experiences like that has helped widen your perspective on gratitude?
Speaker 3:It's everything, honestly. Just being around people that you know, just have so much less than you do and just being of service in general, being of service is everything I've, I've started becoming a part of now maybe six different organizations for people in homelessness to anti-bullying, to anti-sex trafficking, and I just know that this is what fills me up, right? Just being able to be there for people and being of service and it's the most selfish thing. So it's not like, look at me, I'm doing all of this. It, it, it sort of is just the best form of therapy, the best type of medicine anyone could get because it is entering that state of gratitude, right? Seeing people that are being bullied, seeing people that you know, have gone through sex trafficking and that are living in homelessness. You see all of that and you think, wow, I have it good. I have it so good and let me do something in these people's lives so that they can have a better life. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think perspective is a huge thing. A lot of times people miss, you know, they're in their, in their world that they know that they understand they're on social media where a lot of times they're shown content that's familiar with what they like or engage with. Um, and I think it's critical for, for business people or individuals to try to get in a different area outside of their spear of influence or what they're comfortable with or you know, in another scenario where you can see people living differently or people that come, it may have needs or struggles or have a completely different perspective than what you have. And to see gratitude for that to be like, I am grateful for, to see through someone else's eyes what the world looks like.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. And I think it's important even what I've learned in doing so much work in that over the last also probably eight years is just feeling that sense of empathy and going in the trenches with people versus sympathy where it's like, Oh, you know, must suck to be down there. That's terrible. It's sort of like, no, this is, we are all one. Right. If someone's suffering, you're suffering too. And just really going there with them and being a part of them on that same level, you know?
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. You know, I would say in probably the time of my life, that was the hardest where everything felt like it was collapsing and crumbling. And I think in those moments, which, you know, kind of go back to like those dark moments where just everything wasn't working and everything was falling apart. I had a good friend and I remember being, you know, we would, we'd talk and I was like, dude, literally things cannot get any worse. And he was like, Oh, absolute worse thing to say, which is the exact opposite of gratitude, right? And he was like, man, just watch, something else will happen. There'll be where you've just thrown that out. And sure enough, like the next day another something would happen. And I was like, Oh, that is way worse. Like man, that's, and it's just funny because it's in those moments that felt like a normal okay reaction to say that Oh, things are horrible. They can't get any worse. And the right thing was, you know, to stop and be like, what am I grateful for right now in this moment? And now what happens is you, when something bad happens in my life, a lot of times I'll stop, sit for a minute and be like, let's go. Like I'll be in a car, I'll be walking somewhere. And I'm like, that's it. 10 things I'm grateful for. And I'm literally like, this is Maya's list. Like here you go. And what's crazy is how, how a healing or how like, it's like, I don't even know, like a warm fuzzy blanket that comes over your soul. It's like, you know what man, my car is still running today and it's not broken down. I've got a home that I'm going to, you know, like I've got, I was able to eat three meals today and there aren't people and to be able to go through just 10 and if it's a really bad day, I'll do 20 I'll do 30 and just keep going down. And I don't do it all the time like you, but I feel like
Speaker 3:that's all you have sometimes. I mean, I'm OCD with it, but there's sometimes that's all you need. And that's, that's a good point to give to your listeners. You don't have to commit an hour a day every day, but just doing what you do is, is enough.
Speaker 1:What benefits has gratitude, you know, brought to your life and to your career?
Speaker 3:Wow. Well my relationships are just so much better. First of all, that's, I would say one of the biggest things. I, I have incredible friends, incredible people in my life, which I didn't necessarily back when I first started, I actually not at all in my health, my goodness. I mean my health has never been better and it was pretty bad. Especially my mental health. I suffered a lot from anxiety. As I said, I grew up with severe OCD and I was highly depressed on many levels and just all of that is gone. I mean I, you know, I still have OCD like I, I not, but I, I do believe that I transformed my OCD into actually practicing the gratitude. And so I've turned, you know, again, one of my biggest curse if, if you will, into the biggest blessing of my life. Yeah.
Speaker 1:You knew that when I, cause I went and volunteered at the midnight mission. Cause you said you worked in and I was like, that's it, I'm going to go help. And so I went one day I just by myself and was there for, I don't know, a couple of meals, I think lunch and dinner and I arrived in the, they were busy and there's a bunch of groups there and I was like, Hey, I'm just by myself. I'm wonder if I could help, you know, I, I said to swing by and to talk to whoever was in charge. And the guy's like, yeah, come on back. And they put me in the back a freezer, like a big fridge area with a bunch of stuff in there and they're like, stuff is in here. It's kind of at some stuff sold when I share. And it just kind of left me there. And for two hours I reorganized everything. Like it was all lined up. Like here's the cheese by dates. And I was like, Papa blah, like I was in there just, you know, having a good time. And the guy came back in and he was like, Holy cow. He's like never in the history of this entire organization as this bridge families organized. And I was just like, well you just like no one came me get me to bring me out. Like it was like it was cold. I was wearing a jacket, but I was just in there like[inaudible] de OCD in a way.
Speaker 3:Just how meaningful that was probably for someone to care this much about the fridge at the midnight mission, you know? So just what you did there was probably just one of the greatest blessings of the midnight mission.
Speaker 1:His eyes got really big when he came in. Like he was like this not normal. And also
Speaker 3:being behind the scenes. Right? So you're not out there feeding people and like glory me, look at me. It's sort of like something that's behind the scene that will help so much, you know? And I think that's really beautiful.
Speaker 1:All right. Now if you know, as we kind of wind down, if Rhonda was listening to this,
Speaker 3:Oh Rhonda, good old Rob you talk to Rhonda. Have you ever met her? I haven't, but I thank her every end of each round and if not more. I always look at her picture at the end of the book that's right here and I'm, I always just thank her from the bottom of my heart cause she has transformed my life and I couldn't be more grateful for her.
Speaker 1:Is there anything you would say to Rhonda because when this is[inaudible]
Speaker 3:beyond, thank you.
Speaker 1:Any questions you would ask her or anything that you would say?
Speaker 3:I, I wonder if she's done it as many times as I have. I wonder if there's any one in the world that has done more than 57 rounds. It's a challenge. I, it is a challenge. I, I, I, you know, I always think, Oh, I'm going to take a break now from the magic and the longest I've ever lasted I believe is like a couple months because you just find yourself setting back into old habits as we said, like maybe our, just our, our zone where we feel comfortable is in that space of negativity and feeling sorry for ourselves. And I just, now that I know the magic that happens with doing this book, I can't go back. I can never go back. So I know that this is probably going to be the rest of my life. Just being grateful and living with Rhonda on the gratitude path. So can I, can I hold one of these? Yes. Hold the old one, which was the old one. Oh, this, this one's the original right there. Look at this book. It has. This is on my, this is my first of four books. Now. This looks like a manuscript from my really does. I know, I know. It lasted a while and all of them are like that. Even my newest one, um, there's nothing I can do about it. It's just, it just, I bring them everywhere I go. It's my Bible, you know?
Speaker 1:That's fantastic. All right. Any final words that you would give to other people who are listening, who are business owners or they're wanting to get into the entertainment industry or anything that advice you would just give to the world? This is, this is your shot.
Speaker 3:Wow. That's a deep, I would say practicing gratitude is work at first and it can be work throughout your life, but it's work that you will end up loving and that will just create abundance in your life in every way. And it'll bring you this sense of peace and joy, happiness that you've never felt before. And there's a reason why I keep doing those rounds is because just magic is forced to rise. I miracles happen, I don't want to say daily, but at least weekly. And I get great news all the time. And I know that even in your line of work are business owners and entrepreneurs. You need gratitude in order to expand and grow and build great relationships with people. So I just, I mean it's a tool that you can't go wrong, just just try it out. You can't go wrong. Nothing bad is going to happen if you start practicing gratitude.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it. Costs you nothing to try. Nothing. It costs nothing. Nothing to try. Yes. Oh wow. It's like a little goosebumps all over. Maya. Well thank you so much for being here today. For the people who are listening. Um, if you haven't tried the magic, you should give it a go. It's 28 days. Uh, I recommend it. My recommended recommended, yes. Gotta get out there. It's, it's an essential trait or a muscle that you've got to work out when it comes to the business ownership. But I wanted to thank you so much, Maya. Thank you so much. Wow, you were born for this Brian. Oh yeah. I'm so impressed. Oh, you know, keep going. I feel like what comes after that is like, well you have a face for radio or something like that. Like no way. No way. You're a Looker. Ah, that's great. All right, well thank you very much, agent 33 thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's wonderful to have you here. All right guys, we'll catch you on the next episode.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to the Duke of digital podcast with Brian Mitt. Want to network with other business owners. Join our exclusive group at facebook.com/groups/duke of digital fancy the Duke. Leave a five star review on your favorite podcast app, and you can be mentioned on the show. The Duke of digital was produced by advertisement and recorded in Hollywood, California. All rights reserved.