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Resilience When Progress Feels Slow (S5) S7:E5 · Inspirations for Your Life

0:24
Hey guys, good morning.
0:26
It is Johnson Morley here, Surreal Entrepreneur.
0:28
Great to be with you on Inspirations For
0:30
Your Life.
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All right, guys, without further ado, let's go
2:17
ahead and kick this off.
2:18
This is Inspirations for Your Life.
2:20
And we're talking about something pretty interesting today.
2:24
Resilience and progress feels slow.
2:26
I'm John C.
2:27
Mortley, a serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video
2:30
producer, podcast host, coach, graduate student, a passionate
2:33
and a passionate lifelong learner.
2:35
And it is my privilege and pleasure to
2:36
be with you.
2:36
The master weekly theme is from fear to
2:40
forward, choosing light, clarity, and momentum.
2:43
This episode is focusing all on resilience.
2:47
When progress feels slow, learning to stay steady,
2:52
build endurance and trust the process even when
2:55
visible results do take time.
2:59
Why slow progress still counts?
3:01
Slow progress is still forward movement.
3:04
I think a lot of people don't understand
3:06
what forward movement is.
3:08
But when we move, even if we're not
3:12
moving quickly, we are still moving forward.
3:14
I think that's a very important thing to
3:17
realize.
3:19
So I think it's important that you understand
3:25
what it means to go forward.
3:27
It means to take consistent steps every single
3:29
day, not skipping a day.
3:32
So slow progress is still progress.
3:34
Number two, resilience when results lag.
3:38
Results may lag, but resilience sustains momentum.
3:42
Yeah, resilience happens and people just kind of
3:47
get stronger from that momentum.
3:49
I think that's the really important point about
3:51
it is that sometimes we all have challenges.
3:53
But when we have resilience, those things that
3:56
happen just seem to be like a blip.
3:59
The way I like to explain this is
4:01
maybe some of you've gone on a trip
4:02
before.
4:03
I'm sure you have.
4:04
And when you've gone on this trip, you
4:06
know what happens.
4:07
You eventually or sometimes inadvertently hit a bump
4:10
in the road and there's nothing wrong with
4:12
hitting a bump in the road.
4:12
It's perfectly normal.
4:14
However, that bump that you might have hit
4:17
one year, two year, three or four years,
4:18
I'm going to talk about a trip when
4:19
I went to actually went to Europe with
4:21
my cousin and my grandfather and grandmother on
4:25
my mother's side and went there in eighth
4:28
grade.
4:29
It's the first time I ever went to
4:31
Italy with them.
4:32
I had been to Europe several times before
4:33
that with Madame Breitlinger in the French class.
4:37
We had a class and we got credit
4:39
for that.
4:40
But we went to Europe and we rented
4:43
a car and, you know, we hit some
4:46
bumps and it was not like bumps.
4:48
Those are just bumps in the road.
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You know what?
4:50
They went away.
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Right.
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We don't focus on the bumps.
4:53
They happen and we move on.
4:56
It's how we choose to move forward that
4:58
we don't spiral down.
5:00
Number three, how to stay steady during plateaus,
5:04
plateaus, strength and endurance.
5:05
They do.
5:07
Sometimes they might say, oh, my gosh, like,
5:09
why is this happening to me or why
5:10
am I doing this?
5:11
And the question is not why it's happening.
5:14
The question should be, what can I learn
5:17
from this juncture in life?
5:18
What can I really learn from this juncture?
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And when you think about it that way,
5:23
a whole new light triggers.
5:26
All right.
5:26
A whole new light triggers.
5:27
You get inspiration.
5:28
You get thought.
5:30
You learn something.
5:32
Number four, why persistence outperforms intensity every single
5:36
time, not just one time.
5:38
Consistency outlasts bursts of effort.
5:40
You know, maybe you are doing a lot
5:44
of workouts.
5:44
Right.
5:45
And you work really hard one day.
5:46
But then the next day, I don't want
5:48
to work out.
5:49
Then you do another.
5:49
That's not good.
5:51
Consistency over time is what gets you to
5:54
the promise land.
5:56
So that's very important.
5:57
Number five, guys, building endurance, not burnout.
6:00
Endurance supports long term success.
6:02
And I know many people say to me,
6:03
John, I can't do this anymore.
6:06
I don't know what to do.
6:07
I don't know where to go.
6:08
And that's not to scare you.
6:10
That's just to say, hey, you're human and
6:13
things that are happening are human.
6:15
And you can realize that, OK, you can
6:17
realize what it's like to be human.
6:22
And being human has a very interesting quality
6:25
itself.
6:25
And that quality is all about what that
6:28
quality is about, finding who you are, not
6:32
about trying to be somebody else.
6:36
I think that's a I think that's a
6:37
very, very important thing.
6:39
It's not about somebody else.
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OK, that's that's really important.
6:45
Number six, guys, why consistency beats motivation every
6:50
time?
6:50
Hands down.
6:51
Motivation fades, guys.
6:53
Consistency remains.
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As I said to you with the workout,
6:56
maybe you have this desire to work out,
6:57
but then for whatever reason, you decide to
7:00
stop.
7:02
That's a problem.
7:04
You have to keep it going.
7:07
So that's why I tell you, don't do
7:09
a lot, just do a little bit.
7:11
And when you do a little bit, you're
7:13
going to find that it gets easier over
7:16
time and you feel better.
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Number seven, progress without applause.
7:22
Progress matters even when unseen.
7:23
I've said to you guys before, and the
7:25
one I like to use is the actually
7:28
the the airplane commercial where they had people,
7:32
you know, and when they knew they were
7:33
being watched, they're like dusting off the luggage
7:36
and they're patting it down.
7:37
They're being so nice to it like it's
7:38
a person when they don't think they're being
7:40
watched.
7:41
They just throw it any old way.
7:43
Probably you'll break whatever's inside.
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It might even rip the bag.
7:47
And so what I want to tell you
7:49
is it's important to act in a way
7:53
that you would want others to treat you.
7:56
You want to act in a way that
7:58
you know is right because when you do
8:00
this, when no one else is watching, that's
8:03
when the magic happens.
8:04
See, that's when your character gets built.
8:10
Recently, I have been doing a new technique,
8:12
not to get into that right now, but
8:13
the technique works in a way that gets
8:18
us to just let go.
8:21
And it gets us to understand that even
8:22
though we're not getting applause, I know we
8:25
want applause day one.
8:26
We don't get applause the first time we
8:28
get on base.
8:29
We don't get applause the first time we
8:31
swing a bat and we hit it.
8:33
We don't get applause the first day we
8:36
become knowledgeable.
8:37
No, we get applause after time.
8:41
We get applause after showing up day in
8:44
and day out.
8:50
That's a very important thing to understand.
8:53
And the more that we realize that, the
8:55
more that we can understand is that we
8:57
have to be our own cheerleaders day in
9:00
and day out.
9:01
That's probably one of the most important things
9:03
I want to share with you is we
9:04
have to be our own cheerleaders day in
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and day out.
9:08
And when we do this, other people eventually
9:11
will show up to cheer us on, but
9:13
don't expect it.
9:14
I know in a race, a lot of
9:16
times we'll run.
9:17
You're like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
9:17
Go, go, go, go, go.
9:18
And that's nice, but don't expect that in
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life.
9:22
In a race, it's a little bit different.
9:23
But in life, people don't always cheer you
9:26
on.
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Why?
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Maybe they're busy.
9:29
Maybe they've got too much going on personally.
9:32
Or maybe they're just not into showing people.
9:37
They're just very selfish.
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That's probably the main reason.
9:41
Some people get jealous when you get ahead,
9:43
which is really terrible.
9:45
See, I feel that when you help other
9:46
people, they get ahead, but you also get
9:49
ahead too because you both learn.
9:51
Number eight, guys, how resilience rewires setbacks.
9:55
You see, setbacks become training ground.
9:58
A setback is something we all learn from.
10:01
And the question I was asked is not
10:03
why it happened to me, but what can
10:06
I learn from it?
10:09
What can I learn from it?
10:19
That's an important thing to realize.
10:23
What can I learn from it?
10:27
And when you start approaching the world that
10:30
way, different things unfold and attract you.
10:34
Number nine, why staying matters.
10:37
Staying builds strength and momentum.
10:40
And that's a very important part of life.
10:43
We're here because we're here for the long
10:44
game.
10:45
We're not here for the short game.
10:46
We are here for the long game.
10:53
Number 10, resilience as patience in motion.
10:57
Patience keeps progress alive.
11:02
You may not think it, patience allows us
11:04
to keep our focus.
11:05
And we said before that when you have
11:07
your focus, when you have your direction, you
11:10
stay on course, you know what?
11:12
You reach your destination.
11:13
You achieve your goal.
11:15
You achieve success.
11:17
Number 11, guys, learning to trust long timelines.
11:22
Long timelines require faith and trust.
11:24
And sometimes, you know, we might want to
11:26
take a shortcut because we see other people
11:28
doing it or we say, you know what?
11:29
I don't really want to put the extra
11:30
time in.
11:32
Put the time in.
11:34
Because when you put the time in, two
11:36
things are going to happen.
11:36
One, you become dedicated.
11:39
Two, you're doing something right.
11:42
And when it does benefit, who knows?
11:44
You might just get that applause.
11:46
But don't do it for other people.
11:49
Do your life and be the good person
11:52
for you.
11:53
Again, not for other people.
11:54
That is probably the most important thing that
11:56
I can tell you today.
11:58
Do it because of, yes, do it because
12:01
of you.
12:02
That is probably the most important thing that
12:06
I can tell you.
12:08
Do it because of you.
12:10
All right?
12:11
Do it because of you.
12:14
And that's a very important thing to know,
12:20
is to do it because of you.
12:22
Do it because of your core values.
12:27
Yeah.
12:28
Number 12, why effort isn't wasted?
12:31
Every effort compounds over time.
12:33
Just like no penny is wasted, no dollar
12:35
is wasted.
12:36
Every thing that we put into the bank
12:41
eventually compounds, if we leave it there long
12:43
enough.
12:44
That means we don't keep checking up.
12:45
Like if you put the cheesecake in, you
12:47
keep checking it every five seconds.
12:48
No, you look at it, but you don't
12:49
keep opening the door.
12:51
You don't keep checking your money.
12:52
Oh, you're compounding it?
12:53
No, leave it there for 10, 12, 15
12:55
years.
12:56
Let it compound for a while.
12:58
Don't take it out.
13:00
Number 13, how to continue without certainty.
13:05
Movement creates clarity.
13:06
And I found this too, that the more
13:08
you have a movement, even though it might
13:10
not be where you want to be right
13:12
now in time, you move forward.
13:17
You move forward in a way that becomes
13:21
very interesting.
13:25
And in a way that not only motivates
13:27
you, but motivates others, all because you've chosen
13:30
to move ahead.
13:33
Number 14, the power of showing up again,
13:37
showing up again, build strength again, and again,
13:40
and again.
13:41
So a wise person once told me, John,
13:45
80% of success is your persistence and
13:48
keep showing up with a good attitude.
13:50
That's 80% of success.
13:52
So the question is, this is my question,
13:54
why is it that people don't show up?
14:00
I want to know that.
14:01
I want to know why people don't show
14:04
up.
14:05
And I think that's something that a lot
14:07
of people here don't understand.
14:11
They don't understand that we show up because
14:13
we want to provide information.
14:21
We want to share.
14:22
We want to learn.
14:23
We want to experience things.
14:26
Somebody once asked me, John, what's the definition
14:28
of life?
14:28
Why are we here?
14:30
Well, we are here to become a better
14:33
version of ourselves and help other people become
14:35
a better version of themselves, and also to
14:38
have different experiences.
14:44
I like to say all the experiences that
14:45
we have are because of God, because of
14:47
the Lord.
14:48
I know some people may not be religious
14:49
here, and I apologize for that.
14:50
I try not to put religion on every
14:51
show, but because of Him, I'm alive.
14:56
I'm doing this podcast.
14:57
No one else.
14:59
Because of His greatest gifts to me, His
15:02
blessings that He's bestowed on me, that I
15:05
am eternally grateful for, that's why I'm here
15:08
for all of you.
15:11
So there's a very interesting phrase that I
15:13
learned from facing giants, and it was this.
15:17
A lot of people that are religious praise
15:18
God when we do well, but we need
15:21
to praise Him even when we don't do
15:23
well.
15:23
Offer up our thoughts and glory to God
15:26
when things go well, even when they don't.
15:30
Give them the glory either way.
15:32
Number 15, resilience and repetition.
15:36
Repetition reinforces resilience because it creates a chemical
15:42
effect in our body, and that chemical effect
15:45
gets us to feel good.
15:47
The dopamine rush, right?
15:48
We've talked about this before.
15:49
The natural high in our body.
15:52
Number 16, why persistence builds character.
15:57
Persistence shapes who you become day in and
16:00
day out, and this is mostly happening when
16:03
people aren't watching.
16:07
So I was working on some new techniques,
16:09
and I was talking to somebody, and they're
16:10
like, John, I noticed a change in you.
16:12
I'm like, really?
16:13
Yeah.
16:15
So my question was, when did you notice
16:21
this change in me?
16:28
Sometimes people will pause for a moment.
16:33
They won't know what to say, but then
16:35
they'll roll their eyes one way, and they'll
16:40
try to answer the question.
16:42
Not because of one thing, but because of
16:46
the same calm, self-respecting response that you
16:49
give, that you show up.
16:52
The stresses you had, that you still handled
16:54
things.
16:55
You kept pushing forward.
16:58
Dealing with outside, I had an outside conflict
17:00
with a volunteer committee.
17:02
Kept pushing forward.
17:03
Saying no, my boundaries were getting challenged.
17:08
Ending conversations cleanly.
17:11
Setting boundaries for ourselves, and what he said
17:18
to me is, John, is it likely started
17:20
before today, but I noticed it today.
17:23
Today is when it became obvious, and you
17:27
were already living it before you noticed it,
17:30
and I think sometimes when we make that
17:31
shift, it's like, oh my gosh, when is
17:33
it going to happen?
17:34
But success does not happen in big moments.
17:37
It happens in small, tiny, micro stages, and
17:43
it just seems like everything's just right.
17:46
Number 17, turning frustration into fuel.
17:49
Frustration can power progress, guys, every single day,
17:52
and it can help us to turn things
17:55
around.
17:56
Number 18, how resilience creates identity.
18:00
Identity is built through endurance.
18:03
We talk about running.
18:04
We talk about all different kinds of success,
18:06
and I want to know from you guys,
18:11
when you're doing something that's hard, what is
18:14
it that keeps you on the mat?
18:15
What is it that keeps you in the
18:16
running, or what is it that keeps your
18:18
mind wanting to solve the challenge?
18:22
Is it the curiosity?
18:24
Is it because you're looking at the end
18:26
result, the goal?
18:29
Is it because you've done it before, and
18:32
you like the feeling?
18:33
You want to get that feeling you get,
18:35
right?
18:36
Like the feeling when maybe you hold $100
18:38
or $1,000 in your hand.
18:40
Feels good, doesn't it?
18:41
So you can do those things, and then
18:44
you can create an anchor.
18:45
We're not going to do that on this
18:46
show, and that can keep you getting in
18:47
that state.
18:49
Number 19, why staying calm sustains progress.
18:54
Calm sustains long-term effort, guys.
18:57
It's not about being flashy or showy.
19:01
There was somebody today whose birthday was today,
19:04
and I wished them a happy birthday, but
19:09
I also did something else, which I think
19:12
was kind of interesting.
19:16
They had been, I'm going to say, a
19:18
little bit rude to me.
19:20
Now, I don't really call people on the
19:21
carpet.
19:22
That's not who I am.
19:24
I don't typically call people on the carpet,
19:27
but what I can tell you is that
19:31
it's about who you are, okay?
19:47
And I think when we can do that,
19:56
it changes who we are, okay?
20:01
It changes who we are as a person.
20:07
As a person, not just like one thing.
20:12
And so when I think about this, I
20:25
think about it in a way that opens
20:30
me up to new possibilities.
20:32
I think about different things
20:41
that can happen.
20:42
And so in this one particular thing that
20:45
I actually did today, I'm trying to remember
20:49
whether it was on Facebook or where it
20:52
was.
20:52
I think it was on LinkedIn, okay?
20:56
And I remember in this particular thing that
21:02
I was doing, I think it was let
21:07
me see if I can find it.
21:08
I posted this around.
21:11
Oh, let's see if I have it here.
21:16
Looks like I posted it probably around.
21:21
I'm looking to see where it is.
21:23
Hang on here.
21:24
So I'm looking on the site.
21:25
There are lots and lots of posts.
21:30
And I'm looking here because I'm looking
21:41
to see when I interacted with this post.
21:48
And likely, I'm looking here to find it.
21:52
If I do not find the post, which
21:55
is very, very possible that I may not
21:57
find the post.
21:59
I'm right now up to 37 minutes.
22:01
I'm up to different things right now.
22:06
45 minutes ago.
22:10
And strangely enough, guys, I still do not
22:13
have the post.
22:14
So you know what that tells me?
22:17
Tells me something very interesting.
22:20
So these people were a little bit rude
22:22
to me and all about their titles.
22:25
And I put something in there that I
22:27
think might have knocked them.
22:28
And I said, no, happy birthday to you.
22:30
Wish you this and many more.
22:32
And I said, true leadership isn't about fancy
22:35
names and titles.
22:36
It's about showing up for yourself and doing
22:39
what's right, even when no one else is
22:42
watching.
22:43
And you know what they did?
22:44
They didn't respond.
22:45
They didn't like it.
22:46
They deleted the comment.
22:47
And that tells me they are too stuck
22:53
on titles.
22:55
Just being honest about it.
22:57
Number 20, guys.
23:00
Resilience without bitterness.
23:01
Resilience grows when bitterness fades.
23:05
Have you ever been bitter before?
23:06
We all have.
23:08
But the key is to keep it in
23:09
check.
23:11
To keep it in check.
23:12
That's probably the most important thing, to keep
23:15
it in check.
23:21
Why slow growth lasts longer.
23:23
Slow growth creates stability.
23:24
Number 21.
23:27
Number 22, guys.
23:28
How resilience strengthens confidence.
23:29
Endurance builds confidence.
23:31
I talked about the dopamine rush and feeling
23:34
good and having something to look forward to.
23:36
Staying on the directional path.
23:39
Number 23.
23:39
Choosing steadiness over urgency.
23:42
Saneness prevents burnout.
23:43
When there's so much going on.
23:45
I mean, we've all had times when we
23:46
got to get a million things done, whether
23:47
it's for school or whether it's for work.
23:48
We all have these things that we have
23:50
to stay focused on the moment.
23:52
Number 24.
23:54
Why endurance attracts opportunity.
23:56
Opportunity trusts reliability.
23:59
When something's moving too quickly, there's a good
24:02
sense that it's not in alignment with who
24:04
you really are.
24:06
Number 25.
24:07
Resilience as emotional maturity.
24:11
Resilience reflects emotional growth, guys.
24:14
Every day.
24:15
Are you paying attention to it?
24:16
Number 26.
24:17
How to rest without quitting.
24:19
Rest supports persistence.
24:20
Did you know that?
24:22
When you rest, you come back stronger and
24:25
better after you've rested.
24:28
Number 27.
24:29
Why resilience feels unglamorous.
24:33
And the effort just builds more results.
24:36
See, people do things because a lot of
24:39
times they want the glamour.
24:41
But the glamour is not the truth.
24:45
The glamour is just the outside piece.
24:50
I'm going to call it a facade.
24:53
The best thing I can tell you.
24:55
I'm going to call it a facade.
24:56
Something that really doesn't exist.
24:58
Or a mirage.
25:00
A facade is something that's kind of like
25:03
this false or something that's on the edges.
25:05
Could exist, but it's basically just covering.
25:08
A mirage is something that you're imagining is
25:12
there, but it's literally not there.
25:14
Number 28.
25:15
Trusting the process.
25:16
The process always teaches us day in and
25:18
day out.
25:19
The question is, are you showing up every
25:20
day as a student?
25:22
Or are you only looking to be a
25:24
teacher and not learn from the people around
25:27
you?
25:28
That's another big key, guys, to success every
25:30
day.
25:31
Why progress compounds quietly?
25:34
Quiet progress accumulates power.
25:36
It's not about who's right, who's wrong.
25:39
It's about what you learn from a certain
25:41
situation.
25:42
That, my friends, is actually priceless.
25:47
Priceless.
25:49
Number 30.
25:50
Resilience is self-respect.
25:52
Resilience is self-respect in action.
25:55
How can we show ourselves self-respect?
25:57
By saying no to people that abuse us,
25:59
that waste our time.
26:05
By having an end game.
26:08
By having a plan B ready if plan
26:10
A doesn't work.
26:12
By detaching from things that are emotionally divesting
26:16
us to our core values.
26:23
Those are not easy things.
26:26
Resilience takes practice, takes patience.
26:29
It's not built overnight.
26:31
Resilience and leadership, you're not born with them.
26:34
You learn them.
26:36
Leaders are not born, they're made.
26:38
That's important, guys.
26:40
So, ladies and gentlemen, I want to encourage
26:42
you to be sure to check out BelieveMeAchieve
26:45
.com for more amazing short-form and long
26:49
-form content.
26:50
We're accessible 24 hours a day from your
26:53
computer and, of course, your smart devices.
26:55
Ladies and gentlemen, I invite you right now,
26:58
as well as every day going forward, to
27:00
choose steadiness, to choose resilience, to keep moving
27:06
from fear to forward.
27:11
If we keep moving and we move toward
27:16
our goal, the chances of us reaching it
27:19
are a lot greater.
27:20
I'm not saying there are not going to
27:21
be pitfalls, but if we can stay focused
27:25
on the destination, the little bit of the
27:29
bumps in the road, we can take care
27:30
of those, we have a good attitude.
27:34
Ladies and gentlemen, I am John Seymour, serial
27:38
entrepreneur.
27:38
You know it's such a privilege, it's a
27:39
pleasure, and it's an honor to be with
27:40
you here on the Inspirations for Your Life
27:43
show.
27:43
Now on the air, over four years and
27:47
almost halfway through our second month of ...
27:51
Yes, guys, can you believe that we are
27:54
...
27:54
I cannot believe that we are actually in
27:57
this next period of our life.
27:59
This is amazing, guys.
28:01
We are in our fifth year, our fifth
28:05
year.
28:05
Have yourself a great rest of your day
28:07
or evening, and I'll catch you real soon.
28:09
Remember, resilience with consistency leads to success.
28:16
Be well, everyone.