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A Bigger Identity Requires A Larger Pot · Revolution of Purpose Podcast

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  Sometimes expansion for us works a lot like plants.
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  If you want a plant to grow bigger, you have to find a bigger pot.
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  You have to give it room for the roots to expand. Well, don't expect
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  expansion if you're unwilling to change pots. Welcome to
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  the Revolution of Purpose Podcast. I'm your host, John Streit, and each week
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  we bring you conversations with thought leaders,
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  entrepreneurs, and individuals who have aligned their life with
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  purpose and created extraordinary results. So I'm going to live through
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  it and accept it radically with grace and hope and love.
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  I mean, I would be proud to be in this household. It was an honor.
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  I had so much fun. Tune in every Monday for the Revolution of Purpose
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  solo show and every Thursday for Revolution of Purpose Conversations.
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  Welcome back to the Revolution of Purpose podcast. I'm John Streit.
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  And today I want to talk to you about something that I believe is absolutely
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  essential if you want to create a different reality in your life.
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  Most of us think we have something that we really want to
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  expand, and that could be your business or that could be your financial
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  prosperity. Maybe you want a healthier relationship or
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  you want to make a bigger impact. Maybe there's a dream that you've carried for
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  years that you're finally ready to pursue. And when we
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  think about creating those things, our first question is usually, what do
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  I need to do? Like, what strategy do I need? Or what
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  habit do I need? What connection do I need to make?
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  Or what opportunity do I need to fall into? But I
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  believe there is a question that has to come before all of those. And that
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  is this: who do I need to become? Because your next
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  life may require a new identity, and becoming that person
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  may require you to release an identity that has already served
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  its purpose for you. Think about a plant that's growing in a pot. When that
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  plant is small, the pot gives it exactly what it needs. It provides
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  structure. It gives the roots somewhere to grow. It supports the plant
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  as it develops. But eventually something happens. You see,
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  the plants grow and, and then the roots start to expand.
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  And that same pot that once supported the plant can eventually become
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  the very thing that is restricting its growth. There's nothing wrong with
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  the plant and there's nothing necessarily wrong with the pot. It's just
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  the plant has simply outgrown the container. And I
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  think that happens to all of us. Sometimes we look at our
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  lives and we think, Why am I not growing? Why can't I break through
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  this level? Why do I keep ending up in this same place over
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  and over again? Why do I keep setting bigger goals and
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  then somehow returning to what I've always known? And maybe you're
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  not incapable of growing. Maybe you've just simply outgrown
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  the identity that you've been trying to grow inside. The way you
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  have seen yourself, those stories you've told about yourself,
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  those, those beliefs that are becoming limiting beliefs that you've
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  just accepted. The expectations that you've developed,
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  the way you feel like you've let yourself down when you haven't hit those expectations,
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  the definition that you've created for what success looks like for
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  someone like you, or what the lack of success looks like for someone
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  like you— those things all form a container. And you can keep asking for
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  expansion all day long, and you can create vision boards, you can write goals,
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  you can set affirmations, you can pray for bigger opportunities,
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  but at some some point, you have to be willing to change pods.
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  You can't expect expansion if you're unwilling
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  to change pods. This is one of the things that I love about the work
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  of Maxwell Maltz in Psycho-Cybernetics. You know, Maltz taught
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  that our behavior is enormously influenced by our self-image,
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  our internal picture of who we believe ourselves to be.
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  And I often describe that self-image like a thermostat.
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  You've probably heard me say this before. You can temporarily heat
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  the room up or cool the room down, but if the thermostat is still programmed
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  to the old temperature, eventually the system will try to
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  return the room to what is familiar. And we do that
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  same thing. We create a little success and then maybe we sabotage
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  it. We make more money than we're used to, then somehow we find ourselves
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  back at the same financial level. We start taking care of ourselves,
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  maybe physically we're going to the gym, and then all of a sudden we
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  start returning to the old habits of eating junk food or sleeping in.
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  We receive an opportunity that we've always wanted, but then suddenly
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  we're filled with all the reasons that we're not ready for it. We think the
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  problem is discipline, but oftentimes it isn't. You see,
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  sometimes our circumstances have expanded beyond
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  what our identity has learned to accept as normal. The plant
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  is trying to grow, but the pot has not changed.
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  A few episodes ago on the solo show, I talked about something called
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  the vacuum law of prosperity. And at its simplest, the idea is
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  this, that creating space allows something new to enter.
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  And usually when you think about this, we think about externally,
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  like maybe you clean out your closet and you release a possession
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  you no longer need. You walk away from commitments that no longer align with your
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  life. Maybe you finally release something that you've been holding
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  onto because you're afraid there won't be anything on the
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  other side. But I've been thinking about this principle a little bit differently now.
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  What if one of the most important things that we can release is
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  actually our identity that we have outgrown? Because sometimes
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  we're asking for a new life while we're simultaneously clinging
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  to the identity of the one that created that old We're saying,
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  I want greater prosperity, and we're saying that I'm still identifying
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  as someone who never had enough, but I wish I had more than enough.
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  I want to build something extraordinary, but I'm still identifying as
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  someone who needs somebody else's approval. Maybe we're saying, I want to
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  make a bigger impact, but deep down you're still identifying as someone who
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  shouldn't take up too much space. You want a healthy relationship, but you're
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  also seeing yourself through the eyes of rejection
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  that you experienced years ago. I want to pursue my purpose,
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  but still down deep, what if I'm identifying as the person
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  who failed the last time they tried something new?
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  At some point, something has to be released, and that's
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  where the vacuum law becomes an identity principle. You create space
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  for what you're becoming by releasing the attachment
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  to who you've been. But there's something important that I want to say
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  right here. You see, releasing an old identity doesn't mean condemning your
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  former self. Please pardon this interruption to your podcast episode.
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  This will not take but a minute. Before we continue, I want to ask you
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  something. Do you know that you're capable of more, but your life right now just
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  isn't fully reflecting the person you know you can become?
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  Then I want to personally invite you to schedule a Shift Mindset call
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  with me. This Shift Mindset experience is something that I created
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  to help you identify one decision that you can make that will shift your
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  life. And when I say that this is a call with me, I mean exactly
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  that. This is a live, one-on-one personal
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  call between you and I. This is not prerecorded.
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  This is not a member of my team. It is you and I having a
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  real coaching conversation about your life, and it does not cost
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  you any money. It is a 45-minute exchange of time. I'll give
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  you 30 minutes of my best mindset coaching to help you identify a decision that
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  will create a real shift in your life. And in exchange, I just ask that
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  you give me about 15 minutes to show you the coaching experiences that I offer.
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  There's no obligation. But there is an opportunity to
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  create a meaningful shift in your life just from
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  this call. You can schedule yours today at johnstreet.org.
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  Just click on the button that says schedule your shift call. And also,
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  if this podcast is helping you, please subscribe. Please like
• 7:57
  and please share it. Every time you do that, every time you engage,
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  you are helping to spread this message and inspire someone else
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  to create their best life through also living their own revolution of purpose.
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  Now let's get you back to the Revolution of Purpose podcast.
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  I think we sometimes approach personal development almost
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  with like a violence of sorts. Like we talk about destroying
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  the old you. And I don't think that's necessary because maybe
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  that old identity served you. You know, maybe being cautious
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  at times was a safety mechanism that was protecting you during a
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  difficult season of your life. Maybe seeking approval
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  helped you feel safe, or playing small helped you to
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  connect with people that you were afraid of losing at that time. Or maybe the
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  person that you've been got you through something incredibly difficult
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  and you were in a survival mode at the time. You don't have to hate
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  the old pot. You can honor it. You can be thankful and
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  grateful for the ways that it helped you grow or feel safe in
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  that moment. But gratitude for where you've been doesn't require you
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  to remain there. There comes a point where the greatest way
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  you can honor everything you've survived, everything that you've learned, and everything
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  you've experienced is to grow.
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  So this is why the process that I teach begins with awakening.
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  You know, you have to awaken to the fact that the identity you've been living
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  from is not necessarily the truth of who you are in this moment.
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  Some of it was inherited, and some of it came from your experiences.
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  Some of it came from things people said to you, from, from words
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  spoken over you from people that were trusted, like parents
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  or teachers or Sunday school teachers. You know, some of it came from failures,
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  some of it came from success, some of it came from what your
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  family believed was possible or what you witnessed when
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  you were young. Some of it came from culture and some from fear.
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  But once you awaken to that, then you can
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  move on into becoming. You become by saying, who am I choosing
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  to become right now? Not, not someday, but now.
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  And then we talk about aligning, because once you become that
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  person, then you start to take aligned action with the beliefs
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  that that person believes about themselves. What action aligns with
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  that person? What relationships align with that version of you?
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  What habits align with that new identity? What language aligns
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  with that person? What needs to be released because
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  it belongs to the identity that you've left behind? And then comes create,
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  because when your identity and your actions begin moving in the same direction,
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  then you begin creating the reality that reflects the person
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  that you're becoming. And that's how we get the Law
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  of Identity Transformation, where we awaken, we become, we align,
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  and we create. Your reality begins changing because
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  you are changing. What pot have you outgrown?
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  I really want you to think about this this week. Choose one area of your
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  life where you desire expansion. You don't have
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  to think about 10. Choose one. Maybe it's your income or your business.
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  It could be your health, your relationships, your purpose, your spiritual life,
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  your creativity. Just something inside of you where there's an area that says,
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  I know that there is more for me. Like, I know that there's more available
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  for me in this area of my life. And I want you to ask yourself
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  this: what identity created that current
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  reality in that area? You don't have to judge the answer, just become
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  aware of it. And then ask, what part of that identity do
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  I need to release to create space for who I'm becoming?
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  Maybe it's that I'm releasing the identity of someone who always
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  has to struggle. I'm releasing the identity of someone who needs
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  permission. I'm releasing the identity of someone
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  who isn't good with money, or I'm releasing the identity of someone who always
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  gets overlooked. I'm releasing the identity of someone whose best
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  years are behind them. I'm releasing the identity of someone who starts things
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  but never finishes. Whatever it is, I want you to write this down.
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  I want you to write down, I am releasing the identity of blank.
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  And then underneath it, write down, I am becoming someone who blank.
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  Don't just write it though. Ask yourself, if that were already
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  true, what would I do today? And then take an action.
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  Do something, even if it's small, from that new identity,
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  because becoming isn't something that you're waiting to experience.
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  Becoming is something that you practice. There is a version
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  of your life that may require more room than you
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  currently allow in your present identity. And maybe,
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  maybe you've been trying to force that expansion inside a container that
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  you've already outgrown. So perhaps the answer is not trying harder.
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  Perhaps it isn't another strategy. Perhaps it isn't another vision
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  board or another goal card or waiting for someone to give you permission.
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  Maybe it's finally recognizing that this pot served me
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  well, but it can no longer contain where I'm going.
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  My friends, honor where you've been, release what no longer
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  belongs, and make room for who you're becoming.
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  Make room for that new identity that dreams bigger than you've ever dreamt before.
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  Make room for the goals that are so big they scare you a little bit
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  because your next life to hit those goals will require
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  a new identity. And maybe, just maybe, the life that you've
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  been asking for isn't waiting for you to work harder. Maybe it's
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  waiting for you to finally make room for the person that you're
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  becoming. Thank you so much for watching this episode of Revolution of Purpose.
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  If you're watching it on YouTube or you're listening to it on your favorite podcast
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  provider, no matter what, I hope that you'll share it. I hope you'll like it,
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  and I hope you'll subscribe. And remember, it's okay to
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  change your identity. It is okay to expand to a bigger pot.
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  No matter what, just keep living your own revolution
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  of purpose. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
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  If this episode encouraged you, if it challenged you,
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  or if it helped you see your life a little bit differently, would you
• 14:09
  do me a favor? Subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating or review,
• 14:13
  and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
• 14:16
  Every share helps us reach more people who are searching for hope,
• 14:20
  purpose, and a life of greater meaning.
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  And if you're ready to stop wondering what's next and start living with
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  greater clarity and purpose in your own life, I would love to
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  meet with you personally. Visit johnstreet.org right now to schedule
• 14:36
  your complimentary live Purpose and Clarity call with me.
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  Until next time, remember, your purpose is not something
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  you find. It is something you awaken to, and then
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  you choose to live it. Go make today another step in
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  your own revolution of purpose.