Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / Understanding Growth: Learning & Skill Building (S5) S23:E2 Sunday
Transcript
- 0:25Well, hello there, everyone, and welcome to Inspirations
- 0:28for Your Life.
- 0:28It's always great to be with you here
- 0:29on the show.
- 0:31It is a Sunday.
- 0:33It is May 31st, 2026, and again, it
- 0:37is a Sunday, and it's great to have
- 0:38everyone here with me.
- 0:39If this is your very first time joining
- 0:40me, I want to take the opportunity to
- 0:43say thank you and I want to say
- 0:45welcome.
- 0:45I had a little pretzel there in my
- 0:49teeth.
- 0:50So if you've been here one time, five
- 0:53times, 10 times, 100 times, or many more,
- 0:58I want to take the opportunity to say
- 0:59thank you, but I also want to say
- 1:00the words welcome back.
- 1:02So it's great to have people that enjoy
- 1:04the quality and content of the show that
- 1:06I put on here.
- 1:07So again, it is great to have you
- 1:09here.
- 1:10If this is, again, your first time here,
- 1:13of course, I want to say welcome to
- 1:14you.
- 1:14And I know a lot of you out
- 1:16there are saying, you know, what is motivation?
- 1:20Well, motivation is more than just, you know,
- 1:25doing something once.
- 1:27It happens because of discipline, right?
- 1:30That's how it happens.
- 1:33And I think people that don't realize that,
- 1:37they get stuck, okay?
- 1:40They get stuck, and then they're wondering why
- 1:43they don't go anywhere.
- 1:44Don't forget to check out BelieveMeAchieved.com for
- 1:45more of my amazing, of course, inspiring creations.
- 1:48I've got some RO water here with some
- 1:50delicious lemon.
- 1:52It is delicious.
- 1:53Feel free to go get yourself some or
- 1:56maybe another snack or something.
- 1:58So let's kick this show off.
- 2:00So welcome, everyone, to Build, that is Master
- 2:03Building Your Life with Discipline, Growth, and Ownership.
- 2:07This is series five.
- 2:09This is show number 23.
- 2:12And this is episode number two.
- 2:15This is not just a show, guys.
- 2:17It's a movement.
- 2:18It's designed to help you take control of
- 2:20your life through consistent action, intentional learning, and
- 2:26personal responsibility.
- 2:28Who am I?
- 2:28Sure.
- 2:29I'm John C.
- 2:30Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
- 2:34podcast host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student, and
- 2:39yes, a very passionate lifelong learner.
- 2:44And so grateful now to be a published
- 2:46author.
- 2:47More importantly, being a lifelong learner, I'm committed
- 2:51to growth every single day.
- 2:53And today is no different.
- 2:55I am here to challenge you to do
- 2:57the same thing in your life.
- 2:58In a world filled with distractions, shortcuts, and
- 3:01quick fixes, real success still comes down to
- 3:04discipline, growth, and ownership.
- 3:07If you're ready to level up your life,
- 3:09it starts with how you learn and how
- 3:11you build your skills.
- 3:13So I think that's an important thing for
- 3:14all of us to understand, because it's not
- 3:17some magical formula, guys.
- 3:18It is something we do day in and
- 3:21day out.
- 3:22I think that is probably one of the
- 3:24most important things that I can share with
- 3:26you, all right?
- 3:27So let's learn something, okay?
- 3:29Learn something new daily.
- 3:31Growth begins in the moment you expose your
- 3:34mind to ideas, no matter how small they
- 3:37are.
- 3:38No matter how small they are.
- 3:41Yeah.
- 3:43I think sometimes people expect the world, but
- 3:47then for whatever reason, they get upset when
- 3:50the world doesn't show up the way they
- 3:51want.
- 3:52So they complain, unfortunately.
- 3:57So the next thing is read with intention.
- 4:01Do not just consume information, okay?
- 4:05Understand it, digest it, and look for ways
- 4:08to apply it in your life and other
- 4:09people's lives.
- 4:11And so when we do that, we can
- 4:13move from a state of just, let's say,
- 4:17hearing about something or knowing something, and actually
- 4:19owning it and applying it in our lives.
- 4:21Our next point is ask better questions.
- 4:25The quality of your life improves when you
- 4:28ask questions that challenge your thinking.
- 4:35People a lot of times don't want to
- 4:37challenge themselves like, oh, I don't want to
- 4:39make things hard.
- 4:40I don't want to make things like that.
- 4:42I get it, okay?
- 4:43I get it.
- 4:44But it's important to understand what this all
- 4:48means.
- 4:49And I think a lot of people out
- 4:50there will probably agree with me that we
- 4:53have to take it one day at a
- 4:55time, but we also have to understand that
- 4:56sometimes we have to do things we're not
- 4:59comfortable with, okay?
- 5:00So stay curious.
- 5:03Curiosity keeps your mind active and open to
- 5:05new opportunities.
- 5:07I think when we can do that, that's
- 5:09a good pathway to move our life from.
- 5:14I mean, that's really important.
- 5:17Improve one skill, guys.
- 5:19Focus creates mastery.
- 5:21And mastery creates what?
- 5:23Results.
- 5:25But the big misconception is that mastery does
- 5:29not come just like that, like one time.
- 5:36It comes after a long bit of work,
- 5:42okay?
- 5:43I think that's a very important thing for
- 5:46everyone to learn.
- 5:50Focus on the fundamentals, okay?
- 5:54Don't go for the gold right away.
- 5:56Go for the fundamentals.
- 5:57Go for the basics.
- 5:58Strong basics build long-term success in any
- 6:01year of your life, okay?
- 6:03And it's the basics that get us into
- 6:05doing other things, things that we didn't think
- 6:08we ever could do just because of the
- 6:09basics.
- 6:12Practice deliberately.
- 6:14Intentional practice leads to measurable improvement.
- 6:16We've said this time and time again.
- 6:22Practice leads to measurable improvement.
- 6:25Seek feedback.
- 6:27Honest input from others helps you grow faster.
- 6:30And see the blind spots in your life,
- 6:32you know?
- 6:33I think it's okay to have the blind
- 6:35spots, but I think the most important thing
- 6:36is realizing they're there, and then how do
- 6:38we move forward with those blind spots?
- 6:41How do we do that?
- 6:42I think that can be hard for some
- 6:44people to understand that.
- 6:46But we have to be aware of those
- 6:49blind spots, and then change them, correct them,
- 6:53tweak them.
- 6:54Embrace those mistakes, okay?
- 6:56Mistakes are lessons that guide you toward better
- 6:59decisions.
- 7:01Let's not look at it as the whole
- 7:02farm falling apart.
- 7:04Let's look at it as, okay, this didn't
- 7:06exactly go in the way we wanted, so
- 7:09maybe we have to pivot it five degrees
- 7:11or 10 degrees or 90 degrees, right?
- 7:13We have to pivot it.
- 7:16Study successful people.
- 7:19Learn patterns, habits, and strategies that have already
- 7:23proven effective.
- 7:25I'm not saying you're going to copy that,
- 7:27but you're going to learn what they did,
- 7:29and then you're going to be able to
- 7:29apply those things to your life.
- 7:33Guys, avoid the egos.
- 7:35Egos block learning and prevent you from seeing
- 7:39where you need to improve.
- 7:40I think that's a very important thing to
- 7:43understand.
- 7:44Stay teachable.
- 7:45The moment you think you know everything is
- 7:48the moment you stop growing.
- 7:51I believe I'm learning every single day of
- 7:53my life, and I find myself privileged to
- 7:56be able to keep learning every day.
- 7:58Learning is the key.
- 8:00Learning is really the key.
- 8:04It's an important thing, okay?
- 8:06I think a lot of people don't really
- 8:16understand how this evolves, okay?
- 8:22Take notes, guys.
- 8:25Take notes.
- 8:27Capturing ideas helps you retain and apply knowledge
- 8:32more effectively, that is, okay?
- 8:35More effectively.
- 8:37Apply what you learn.
- 8:39Knowledge only becomes powerful when you take action
- 8:43on it.
- 8:44It doesn't just work by just being there.
- 8:47You have to take action.
- 8:49I was talking to another co-host today,
- 8:51and I was saying to them that nothing
- 8:53happens until we take an action, nothing.
- 8:58Learn from failure.
- 8:59Failure is not the end.
- 9:00It is feedback that moves you forward.
- 9:09But feedback can be scary for some people.
- 9:12It can be scary, okay?
- 9:16And the reason I say it can be
- 9:17scary is because it has a challenge.
- 9:22A challenge that, oh, my gosh, what if
- 9:24this doesn't go exactly the way I want?
- 9:27Well, then it's not going to go that
- 9:28way.
- 9:28Maybe then you've got to tweak.
- 9:29You've got to change something.
- 9:31Be patient, guys, with growth.
- 9:34Real progress takes time and consistent effort.
- 9:37It's not going to happen overnight.
- 9:38Like Rome wasn't built in a day, right?
- 9:41Neither will your success be.
- 9:43Improve 1% daily, 1% daily.
- 9:50Small daily improvements compound into massive results.
- 9:58Focus deeply.
- 10:00Eliminate distractions and give your full attention to
- 10:04what matters most.
- 10:08So as we don't know what matters most,
- 10:10all we know is that things are just
- 10:13not working the way they should, and we
- 10:15get frustrated.
- 10:17Limit those shallow work ethics.
- 10:21Being busy is not the same as being
- 10:23productive.
- 10:24I know lots of people say, oh, I'm
- 10:25busy.
- 10:26I'm great, you're busy.
- 10:28But being busy doesn't mean you're successful.
- 10:32I'm sorry, it doesn't.
- 10:35And so people have accepted the whole concept
- 10:38of being busy as like, oh, this is
- 10:40the great way to do this.
- 10:42Great.
- 10:43And so if it's a great way to
- 10:45do something, then you assume it's going to
- 10:49do what you want, but then suddenly you
- 10:51realize it doesn't.
- 10:54Invest in yourself.
- 10:55Your skills, knowledge, and your mindset are your
- 10:59greatest assets.
- 11:01Treasure them, treasure them, treasure them.
- 11:05And work on them, tweak them, make them
- 11:08better in your life.
- 11:10I think that's a very important thing.
- 11:14Make them better in your life, not because
- 11:17you have to, but because you should want
- 11:20to make them better.
- 11:21That's the whole point.
- 11:23You should want to make them better so
- 11:24that you can become better yourself and help
- 11:26others become better.
- 11:31That's an important thing to understand.
- 11:40So let's move on to the next one.
- 11:43Challenge your thinking, guys.
- 11:45Growth happens when you step outside your comfort
- 11:48zone.
- 11:48I've said this before, too.
- 11:51People want to stay where it's warm or
- 11:53where it's cold or where it's comfortable, because
- 11:56that's just our nature.
- 11:58That's how we were raised.
- 11:59We want things to be comfortable.
- 12:00But the comfort is not where the success
- 12:03starts to lie.
- 12:05Stay mentally flexible.
- 12:09Adaptability allows you to navigate change and uncertainty.
- 12:14Neuroplasticity, we've talked about this before, too.
- 12:16Our brain has the ability, our body, to
- 12:19change and morph in different ways because of
- 12:24our beliefs.
- 12:26But this does not happen overnight.
- 12:29This happens over time.
- 12:33It happens over time.
- 12:35And when I say it happens over time,
- 12:37I mean that, OK?
- 12:39I mean that, because a lot of people
- 12:43don't understand what it is, why it is
- 12:47a certain way, but all they know is
- 12:50that they get frustrated.
- 12:52They get confused, right?
- 12:54And I think that's a very important thing
- 12:58to understand, OK?
- 13:02Very important thing to understand.
- 13:07Maybe you're saying to me, John, you know,
- 13:08this isn't working for me.
- 13:10OK, fine.
- 13:11It's not working for you.
- 13:19If you understood something, OK, would you be
- 13:25able to do something a certain way or
- 13:28not?
- 13:28I mean, that's my biggest question for you.
- 13:38And maybe you're going to say to me,
- 13:39John, this isn't the way I want it
- 13:40to be, OK?
- 13:48Maybe you're thinking about something a certain way.
- 13:54Maybe you're trying to say, gee, this is
- 13:55not the way I want to be.
- 13:57But you're saying that something's changing your life.
- 14:03And you don't actually know how to respond
- 14:05to it.
- 14:06You're afraid to adapt because you suddenly don't
- 14:10believe you can.
- 14:12And belief is, believe it or not, the
- 14:15major point of going forward, OK?
- 14:18Can't go forward without belief.
- 14:21Break complex problems, guys, down.
- 14:23Simplicity creates clarity and action.
- 14:25Let's chunk things.
- 14:26This isn't a new concept.
- 14:29You have something that has 10 or 20
- 14:30steps, break them down.
- 14:33Or something that has a huge large step,
- 14:34break it down into several small steps.
- 14:40Stay consistent in your learning path.
- 14:43Consistency beats intensity every single time in life.
- 14:48Every single time, it beats that.
- 14:50Every single time.
- 14:58And I know a lot of you are
- 14:59saying to me, I don't get this, John.
- 15:02Consistency beats intensity every single time.
- 15:04I know a lot of people don't want
- 15:05to work hard, right?
- 15:06Even with training, it's not about training hard.
- 15:09It's about doing this consistently in your life.
- 15:13I said you need two things for success.
- 15:15A lot of things.
- 15:16But you need consistency, and you need structure.
- 15:19You have one or the other, you're not
- 15:22going to be successful.
- 15:25Learn from different sources.
- 15:28Diverse perspectives strengthen your understanding.
- 15:32I think sometimes we want to learn something
- 15:34one way, but then we realize there are
- 15:37other ways that we could learn from it.
- 15:39There are other ways that we could learn
- 15:40from it.
- 15:41And that is something that a lot of
- 15:42people don't understand.
- 15:45They just do not understand what that means
- 15:49or why that means something.
- 15:53Okay?
- 15:54Why it means something.
- 15:59I think the biggest thing I want to
- 16:01share with you is that perspectives open up
- 16:06not only ourselves, but they open up others.
- 16:08So remember, our beliefs, our perceptions become reality
- 16:14because we make them that.
- 16:16What we focus on becomes a reality, right?
- 16:21Wherever our thoughts are going, that's where the
- 16:24energy is going to flow.
- 16:26Teach others.
- 16:27Teaching reinforces your own knowledge and builds confidence
- 16:31in yourself.
- 16:36Track your improvement.
- 16:38What gets measured gets improved over time.
- 16:44If you can't measure something, well, you better
- 16:46figure out how to measure because otherwise, you're
- 16:49just going to be spinning your wheels and
- 16:50saying, oh my gosh, this isn't working, this
- 16:52isn't working, this isn't working.
- 16:53And I want you to know that you
- 16:56can make these changes.
- 17:03And I know that a lot of people
- 17:07don't understand why this is this way.
- 17:15And I think sometimes it causes us to
- 17:20second guess what does measured mean.
- 17:25Measured is a definitive way of checking the
- 17:31parameters, the inputs, to see that we get
- 17:35a desired output.
- 17:36We do this with ROI.
- 17:37We do this with a lot of different
- 17:38things.
- 17:40But we can't just throw something at the
- 17:41wall and say, oh gee, let's hope it
- 17:42works.
- 17:43Cannot do that.
- 17:45Stay humble, guys.
- 17:47Humility keeps you open to continuous growth.
- 17:53And a lot of people that don't want
- 17:54to be humble because they want their ego
- 17:55to kick in, all right?
- 18:00When your ego kicks in, you suddenly feel
- 18:02like you're on top of the world.
- 18:05But really, you've got a false sense of
- 18:08reality, just to be truthful, a false sense
- 18:12of reality that is about something you don't
- 18:17even stand for.
- 18:20Something that you have, let's say, explored, but
- 18:26it's not aligned with your core values.
- 18:32Build long-term knowledge.
- 18:35Think beyond the quick wins and focus on
- 18:38lasting value.
- 18:41A lot of people I know want to
- 18:43work on the short term.
- 18:45They don't want to work on the long
- 18:47term because they just want the quick win.
- 18:52They want the quick cash.
- 18:53But the quick cash is not going to
- 18:57last, right?
- 19:00Long-term is what makes life work, long
- 19:05-term, right?
- 19:08Sure, there's some people that'll make a killing
- 19:10doing the other, but then they're also going
- 19:13to burn the reputations.
- 19:14And also, that sales professional is going to
- 19:17be pretty much out of a job, at
- 19:20least with that company, because they burned all
- 19:23these bridges, not because they wanted to, but
- 19:26because they saw that was a quick way
- 19:27to get money.
- 19:31And that's just, I got to be honest,
- 19:32that's just pitiful.
- 19:37Keep going, even when it's slow.
- 19:41This is the hardest thing.
- 19:42You have to keep the consistency.
- 19:44You have to keep the structure going, even
- 19:48when it's slow.
- 19:49Progress may feel slow, but consistency always wins
- 19:53out.
- 19:53Remember that, OK?
- 19:55Don't get discouraged because nothing appears to be
- 19:58happening now.
- 19:59There's probably something happening beneath the iceberg.
- 20:02These principles are not complicated, guys, but they
- 20:07require commitment.
- 20:10I want to dive off to Merriam-Webster,
- 20:14and I want to get you a definition
- 20:16of commitment, OK?
- 20:19And according to Merriam-Webster, commitment, it's a
- 20:22noun, an agreement or pledge to do something
- 20:26in the future, something pledged, a
- 20:37promise to be loyal to someone or something,
- 20:41the attribute, an attitude of someone who works
- 20:44hard to do or support something, an act
- 20:48of committing.
- 20:49So what does committing mean?
- 20:51That's a verb, to carry into action deliberately,
- 20:55obligate, to bind, to entrust, legal words, right?
- 21:02To consign, record for preservation, to put into
- 21:08a place for disposal or safekeeping, to refer
- 21:13something such as a legislative bill to a
- 21:17committee for consideration and report.
- 21:21We pledge, right?
- 21:23We pledge ourself to the flag whenever we
- 21:26salute it, right?
- 21:26I pledge allegiance to the United States of
- 21:28America.
- 21:31I think now that you understand what the
- 21:33word commitment means, I don't want you to
- 21:37be scared of the word commitment, but I
- 21:38do want you to realize and not take
- 21:43it lightly.
- 21:44When you commit, so people always ask you
- 21:50this question, and it's a good question, John,
- 21:52what is the difference between commitment and promise?
- 21:59Ooh, so a little different.
- 22:06So a promise is a declaration that something
- 22:08will or will not be done, given by
- 22:16one and express assurance on which expectation is
- 22:19to be based.
- 22:23Stop making promises, turn them into a commitment.
- 22:27A promise is a slayed intention to do
- 22:30something specific in the future.
- 22:32A commitment is stated, facts.
- 22:35A promise is an agreement to someone else's
- 22:38choice, whereas a commitment is our choice.
- 22:42Does that make sense?
- 22:44So when we promise something, a lot of
- 22:50times we do that because someone else needs
- 22:53assurance.
- 22:55When we commit to something, it's because of
- 22:58our own accord.
- 22:59Does that make sense?
- 23:00If you do a promise for someone, it
- 23:03should be because of your own commitment.
- 23:05If you're doing a promise and it's not
- 23:07something you're really committed to, that's not gonna
- 23:11end well for both parties.
- 23:13And you're probably gonna do it with a
- 23:15sour taste in your mouth.
- 23:19So let's understand the difference.
- 23:21Promise is something you do, okay?
- 23:28Declaring to someone that something will be done
- 23:31now or in the future.
- 23:33When you commit, okay, it's a little different.
- 23:41It happens because of a different choice, okay?
- 23:47A promise is an arrangement because of someone
- 23:48else's choice.
- 23:50A commitment becomes because of our own choice.
- 23:52I commit to lose weight.
- 23:54I commit to learn.
- 23:55I commit to be kinder.
- 23:57I commit to, let's say, learn something new
- 24:02every week.
- 24:03That is a commitment.
- 24:05I'm just giving you examples of commitment.
- 24:10And as I said, these principles are not
- 24:11complicated, but they require commitment.
- 24:15Those aren't promises.
- 24:16They're things we should be doing for our
- 24:18own choice, not someone else's.
- 24:22And I know that sounds like something that
- 24:25is hard.
- 24:28I told you guys, this stuff is not
- 24:31easy.
- 24:32It's not always comfortable.
- 24:36I'm just being honest.
- 24:38And if we can know that, then we
- 24:41can move forward a lot of different ways,
- 24:45a lot of different ways, okay?
- 24:49And that hopefully will make a difference in
- 24:52what you're doing and why you're doing something.
- 24:57If I asked you a question right now
- 25:00about what's happening and it happens because of
- 25:05a promise, it'll
- 25:19be different than a commitment, but a commitment
- 25:22will mean more to you.
- 25:25So discipline, ladies and gentlemen, is what turns
- 25:27these ideas into daily habits.
- 25:29Ownership is what keeps you accountable.
- 25:31When motivation fades, growth is what happens when
- 25:34you choose to show up anyway.
- 25:36If you apply even a few of these
- 25:39tips I've given you, consistently, your life will
- 25:45slowly begin to change.
- 25:48Not overnight, but steadily, meaningfully, and guess what,
- 25:53guys, permanently.
- 25:58Ladies and gentlemen, the most important thing I
- 26:00wanna share with you right now is this
- 26:02is your moment to stop waiting and start
- 26:08building.
- 26:10Your future is created by what you do
- 26:15today, not tomorrow.
- 26:19Let me say that again.
- 26:21Your future is created by what you choose
- 26:23to do today, not tomorrow.
- 26:29Make a commitment to yourself.
- 26:31Step into ownership, right?
- 26:33Commit to the growth and develop the discipline
- 26:38to follow through.
- 26:42A lot of people I know don't wanna
- 26:44follow through.
- 26:45They're scared.
- 26:47They don't wanna commit.
- 26:49So they just kind of make excuses as
- 26:51to what they'd like to do.
- 26:54But then they just keep saying, oh, we'll
- 26:55do it tomorrow.
- 26:56We'll do it tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
- 26:57You know what?
- 26:58Tomorrow, for them, never comes because before tomorrow
- 27:03comes, they just say, oh, we'll do it
- 27:04the next day.
- 27:06And as that day comes, oh, we'll do
- 27:08it tomorrow.
- 27:08And we just keep changing, and we're actually
- 27:10procrastinating.
- 27:10We're hurting ourselves.
- 27:12Ladies and gentlemen, I am John C.
- 27:14Morley, and this is your invitation to rise,
- 27:18improve, and build a life that truly matters.
- 27:23This has been Inspirations for Your Life with
- 27:29a very special topic today, where we're talking
- 27:32about understanding.
- 27:34Yes, understanding a very unique thing in our
- 27:39life.
- 27:40What was that unique thing?
- 27:42Sure.
- 27:44Understanding growth, learning, and skill building.
- 27:50And when we know that, it's just a
- 27:52part of the puzzle.
- 27:53Have yourself a great rest of your day
- 27:55or evening.
- 27:56Remember, discipline matters, growth mindset, and own your
- 28:00life today.
- 28:01Be well, everyone.
- 28:02Check out BelieveMeAchieve.com.