Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / Own Your Focus (S5) S14:E1

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Own Your Focus (S5) S14:E1 · Inspirations for Your Life

0:24
Well, hey guys, and welcome to Inspirations for
0:27
Your Life.
0:28
It's Saturday.
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It's March 28, 2026, and Saturday means we're
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on a brand new master topic.
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It's so great to be with everyone here
0:37
this evening with a brand new master topic.
0:40
We start on our Saturday.
0:41
We roll all the way through the Friday,
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and it is great to be with you
0:45
here tonight.
0:47
If this is your very first time with
0:48
me, I want to personally say welcome and
0:51
thank you so much for joining me tonight.
0:54
If you have been here before many times,
0:57
well, welcome back.
0:58
So it's great to have you here, those
1:00
that are really appreciating and valuing my content.
1:03
So thank you very much.
1:05
If you are new or you're not new,
1:07
be sure to check out BelieveMeAchieved.com for
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more of my amazing, inspiring creations.
1:16
Yes, yes, yes.
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And you could do that, guys, after the
1:20
show.
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Yeah, so definitely check that out.
1:27
So what I want to tell you guys
1:29
is this week is a really amazing, amazing
1:32
master topic.
1:33
All right?
1:34
We'll get to that in just a minute.
1:35
If you are thirsty, feel free to go
1:37
grab yourself something like our water.
1:40
I have a nice cup of hot tea
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here.
1:45
Really delicious.
1:47
And maybe you want to get yourself another
1:49
snack, fruit, or whatever have you.
1:52
That's up to you.
1:53
It could be healthy or not.
1:54
That is totally, totally up to you.
1:58
So yes, I want to welcome you here
2:01
very, very much to the show.
2:04
And without any further ado, guys, I want
2:06
to go ahead and kick this show off.
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All right, guys.
2:09
So this is Inspirations for Your Life.
2:14
And it is so great to be with
2:16
everyone here today.
2:19
Thank you so very much for being here.
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Really do appreciate that.
2:24
And let's just go ahead and kick this
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show off.
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Are you ready?
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I know that I am definitely ready.
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All right, guys.
2:32
So this is Inspirations for Your Life.
2:34
This is series five.
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It's show number 14, episode one.
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The master topic of the week is own
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your focus.
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And that comes under the bridges of clarity
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and courage, and of course, momentum.
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It is Saturday.
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And our granular topic for Saturday is observe
2:51
and assess.
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Oh, by the way, if you're wondering who
2:54
I am, sure, I'm John C.
2:56
Morley, serial entrepreneur.
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I'm an engineer, marketing specialist, video producer, podcast
3:00
host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student, and a
3:03
passionate lifelong learner.
3:04
And in less than 60 days, guys, I
3:06
will be a published author.
3:08
I am really excited about that.
3:09
So welcome, everyone, again, to Inspirations for Your
3:11
Life.
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Today, we're diving into owning your focus, a
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week dedicated to sharpening your perception, acting decisively,
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and maintaining momentum through intentional choices.
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You're going to learn this week to see
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opportunities others will often miss.
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Think clearly under pressure and turn small actions
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into consistent life-changing progress.
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Let's step in and start observing what really
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matters.
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That's right, guys.
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So notice patterns others ignore.
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Opportunities hide in what most people overlook.
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So I have a question for all of
3:52
you.
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Assumptions early.
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As I say to people, we have to
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question the assumptions early.
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Challenge default thinking before making decisions.
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Pause before reacting.
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Taking a breath gives clarity and avoids mistakes.
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Small details reveal big insights.
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And the tiniest signals often lead to the
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biggest breakthroughs.
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Did you know that?
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Yes, it does.
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Awareness uncovers hidden leverage.
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Focus reveals areas where small actions create outsized
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impact.
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And I think people don't realize that that's
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possible, but it really is possible.
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Track your habits, guys, to spot improvement.
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Daily reflection exposes growth opportunities.
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So I encourage people to meditate and reflect.
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Observation reduces mistakes.
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Seeing clearly prevents costly missteps.
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I'll tell you a quick story that my
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grandfather always would tell me.
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On my dad's side.
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And that was, John, you need to measure
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twice and cut once.
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Because if you cut wrong, you can't make
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it bigger.
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You can make it smaller, but you can't
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make it bigger.
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Whether that's wire, whether that's wood, anything.
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Once you cut it, you can't make it
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bigger again.
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Seeing clearly prevents costly missteps.
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Recognizing subtle opportunities, the world rewards those who
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notice nuance.
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Focus on high value tasks.
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Spend energy where it moves the needle most.
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Compare results to intentions.
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Measure outcomes against your goals.
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For what I'll say, guys, is course correction.
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So that's a very important thing.
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Mindful reflection is also key.
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Mindful reflection enhances clarity.
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So step back, guys, and think choices.
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That's better choices for you.
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Avoid jumping to conclusions.
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Because so many people want to do that
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because they're in a rush.
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Patience uncovers the truth before action is taken.
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So we need to have patience.
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And we need to look at not only
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the trees and the birds, but we have
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to look at the entire forest as a
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collection.
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Contact shapes our perception.
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And I've said to you guys before that
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perceptions create our reality.
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Understand the environment, guys, before deciding.
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Observation prevents wasted effort.
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Don't work harder on things that don't matter.
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Notice what competitors miss.
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Find gaps others overlook.
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And seize the opportunity.
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Seize that moment to actually, I'm going to
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say, move forward.
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I think that's a very important thing.
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So we have to think about that.
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And I know that's scary for some people.
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So what I mean is that we have
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to be intentional on the choices that we
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take in life.
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The gaps that we find are because of
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our awareness.
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Success is all around us, guys.
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And the reason you may not be picking
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up success is because you're tuned into a
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different channel.
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If you want to listen to rock music
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and you're tuned into classical, well, you're never
7:26
going to hear rock.
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And if you want to hear, let's say,
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classical and you're tuned to another, you're not
7:33
going to hear it.
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But if you're tuned into, let's say, a
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news station and you want to hear classical,
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you're not going to hear it.
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So you've got to be tuned into the
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channel that is going to bring you what
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you're looking for.
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Does that make sense?
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So when we think about these things, I
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think it helps us to understand a tiny
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bit, a tiny bit.
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But it does take time to do this,
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guys.
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Does that make sense?
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And I want to tell you that thinking
8:21
about awareness helps give us a new lease
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on life.
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Strengthening decision-making, seeing the whole picture, gives
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us confidence to want to move forward.
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Now, small insights compound over time.
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Tailor observations accumulate in expertise.
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It's not that everything kind of comes at
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once.
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It's the fact that we get this assimilation.
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I want to talk about this like SEO,
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search engine optimization.
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You could put great pages up there, right?
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But you don't get the benefits of them
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overnight.
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Google might take a couple of days, a
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couple of weeks, a couple of months until
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it starts to see them.
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And the truth of the matter is, if
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your domain is too young, then Google will
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maybe list your domain and see the pages,
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but it will choose not to index them
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because it doesn't find them to be important.
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Now, if it is indexed and you can
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find it, that's great.
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But if it doesn't rank you for more
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than just your domain, then you're also not
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going to be found.
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So that's important, too.
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Google has to see you as an authority
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in that industry, all right?
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That's a very, very important thing for us
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to realize.
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And so when I say realize, I mean
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we have to be aware of subtle, subtle,
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subtle changes, okay?
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Not big changes, but I mean like really,
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really subtle changes, okay?
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That's important, guys, but you can do
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it.
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And when you are aware of these subtle
10:12
changes, you suddenly get different perceptions.
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Recognize, guys, early signs of change.
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Anticipate the shifts before they disrupt your life.
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Because the thing is, there's always going to
10:28
be something that might upset your apple cart.
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Now, if you have a plan B, then
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guess what?
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You're going to be doing really, really, really,
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really well.
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I think that's a very important thing to
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understand, is that you're going to do really,
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really well.
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Tracking patterns creates advantage.
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I've said this before.
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When we can look at patterns, I don't
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care whether we're talking about artificial intelligence, computer
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science, whether we're talking about pharmaceutical, biology, chemistry.
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When we can recognize patterns, we get this
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huge advantage.
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Consistency in noticing leads to predictive power.
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Now, predictive power is not magical, guys, okay?
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Okay?
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And when I say it's not magical, because
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you're thinking of something, but maybe you're not
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sure of it, okay?
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That's important, guys, very, very important to realize.
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But sometimes, like I said, we get stuck,
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right?
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We get stuck in a certain pace.
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Does that make sense?
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And I want to tell you that getting
12:01
stuck is okay, as long as you can
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get unstuck.
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Sometimes our stuckness gets us into a place
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of, I got to observe that.
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Why am I acting that way?
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See, observation fuels creativity.
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Seeing what's happening allows new ideas to emerge,
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almost like out of thin air.
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Focused awareness builds momentum, and attention, concentrated on
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the right things, will inevitably accelerate the results.
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But most people are too lazy for that,
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okay?
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And that can make a very, very, very,
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very big difference.
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So let's do this, guys.
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Let's understand that when we become this, let's
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say, acute to what's going on, it precedes
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the action.
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Knowing the problem or the challenge fully before
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acting boldly.
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Awareness will always protect energy, avoid the distractions
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that drain mental bandwidth.
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They can happen from anywhere, guys, okay?
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Anywhere, all right?
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Anywhere at all.
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Daily assessment, guys, strengthens skill.
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Review and refine your approach every day.
13:21
You know, when I was doing my writing,
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guys, I have to tell you, writing the
13:25
first time, you know, you think you have
13:28
it right, but I can tell you something,
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you don't always have it right.
13:30
You have to go back and you have
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to review.
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And sometimes I review several times.
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It's like you get this epiphany moment that
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is, I'm gonna say, really, really, really amazing.
13:44
And that's important, all right?
13:48
Really, really, really important, okay?
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But you can do it.
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You can do it.
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And if you have this awareness, if you
14:07
have this understanding, you can make a lot
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of changes in your life.
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But awareness becomes this very quiet thing that
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the mind kind of dials into like nonchalantly.
14:24
Watch trends, not the noise, because a lot
14:27
of times we get noise around us and
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we think the noise is it, but it's
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not.
14:35
It's a distraction to what we're trying to
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get to.
14:38
Separate the signal from the distraction to actively
14:41
and decisively move forward.
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I know you might be saying, John, well,
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that never happens to me, okay?
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All right, I think that's an important thing
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to realize.
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Observation, folks, improves the foresight.
15:04
Seeing patterns ahead gives strategic advantage.
15:08
So if you're somebody who can recognize patterns,
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you'll go far in life, whether we're in
15:15
math, whether we're in logic, any kind of
15:18
problem solving, because chances are the challenger problem
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you've seen has come up in your life
15:25
before.
15:25
And like, oh, I got the answer to
15:27
that.
15:28
You got the answer, right?
15:32
That's important thing.
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I think that's important to understand, very important
15:46
to definitely understand, all right?
15:49
But you have to do it slowly and
15:50
carefully, slowly and carefully, not something that you're
15:55
gonna do quickly, right?
15:57
Not quickly.
15:59
And I know you might be saying to
16:00
me, John, well, like, it's not working for
16:05
me.
16:05
And that's because you're trying too hard.
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You heard me say that, right?
16:12
You are trying too hard.
16:17
Pattern recognition should be something you enjoy, something
16:20
that's easy, not something that's gonna give you
16:22
a lot of pushback.
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If it's giving you pushback, guess what?
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It's not natural.
16:30
You're not seeing the right thing, all right?
16:33
You're not seeing the right thing.
16:38
That's important, guys.
16:41
Attention to detail.
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I don't care whether you're in graphic design
16:45
or whether you're in construction, engineering, detail is
16:48
important.
16:49
It multiplies our impact.
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Small precision leads to exponential results.
16:55
Churning a flange or a screw, just a
16:59
fraction can make such a big difference.
17:01
Insight comes from the patience that we develop.
17:05
We're not born with patience, guys, I gotta
17:07
tell you.
17:07
We're not born as leaders and we're not
17:09
born with patience.
17:10
You have to develop that.
17:12
Give ideas time to form before you act
17:15
upon them, all right?
17:19
Before you act upon them.
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That's a very important thing to realize.
17:27
I say before you act upon them.
17:29
Awareness, I'm gonna say again, guys, sharpens our
17:32
intuition.
17:33
The more you see, the stronger your gut
17:35
becomes.
17:36
See clearly, act intentionally.
17:39
Clear observation paired with deliberate action drives real
17:43
true success.
17:45
And if you're trying to get something too
17:48
fast, chances are you're missing the whole cake,
17:55
right?
17:56
I'm gonna use the analogy of a cake
17:58
because sometimes people like, you know, you're having
18:00
the icy on the cake but you're not
18:01
enjoying the whole cake.
18:03
Or you've seen the thing about a book,
18:05
right?
18:05
You're judging the book by its cover.
18:08
How do you know if the book's any
18:09
good?
18:09
You can't judge it by its cover.
18:12
But so many people do that.
18:15
It's usually not good readers, it's people that
18:17
are wanting to look for a quick fix
18:20
to get out of the book.
18:24
So observation allows us to dial into so
18:29
many, I'm gonna say, things in our life.
18:33
Things that we didn't even know were possible.
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Things we didn't even know were possible.
18:50
That's pretty cool, guys.
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So observation allows us to take the data,
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which is what we see, hear, touch, taste,
18:57
smell, and experience and create something new.
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You know, a lot of times when we're
19:10
working on a new project, I don't know
19:11
if we're talking about a book, we're talking
19:13
about a software program, we're talking about building
19:16
a deck, we're talking about a renovation, we're
19:19
talking about balancing a budget, we're talking about
19:23
an advertising plan, we're talking about a negotiation.
19:28
We could be talking about anything.
19:32
But when we start out, we have to
19:34
have an understanding of what's around us.
19:40
Now, that can be people, right?
19:42
That absolutely can be people.
19:45
But for whatever reason, we rush through because
19:51
we feel that if we rush through, we'll
19:56
solve it quicker.
19:57
But chances are, we're not gonna solve it
19:59
quicker.
20:00
We're gonna have to go through it again
20:02
and again and again.
20:04
So we've always said that haste makes waste.
20:07
So why are you rushing things to be
20:09
done so quickly?
20:12
Embrace the discovery.
20:15
Another wise person I've known said to me,
20:17
John, life is when we discover a bunch
20:24
of games worth learning and being able to
20:27
live through.
20:28
And so when we approach life as a
20:31
game, as a bunch of challenges, we can
20:34
figure out, well, what puzzle are we trying
20:36
to solve?
20:38
And I know that you feel that if
20:40
we solve a puzzle, it's gonna help me
20:41
do very well.
20:42
But just think of it as a puzzle,
20:44
right?
20:45
Maybe you're a game player.
20:46
Maybe you are trying to get better at
20:49
a certain sport.
20:52
If you approach that sport with so much
20:55
stress, you probably won't play it anymore.
20:57
I know a lot of people play golf.
20:58
I love golf.
20:59
But if you approach golf with stress, you're
21:01
not gonna play and you're not gonna enjoy
21:03
golf, okay?
21:07
You're not gonna enjoy it.
21:09
And that's something that I feel a lot
21:11
of people don't realize.
21:14
Enjoy the game.
21:16
Another person said to me, John, you know,
21:18
you have to suit up.
21:21
Every day, approach the world as a game.
21:27
Figure out where you need to move and
21:30
what actions you need to take to get
21:33
the results you want.
21:35
While being genuine and intentional.
21:40
I talk about this a lot when it
21:42
comes to networking.
21:43
So many people I know will literally just,
21:46
well, literally, they'll literally just come there and
21:53
just grab cards.
21:55
But they don't intentionally get to know people.
21:58
They're not in it for the relationship.
22:00
We have another slogan in our chamber.
22:02
It's called relationships before transactions.
22:07
That's key, guys.
22:09
I know everybody wants the transaction.
22:12
But if you're just a transaction, there's no
22:16
meaning, there's no respect.
22:18
And I think a lot of people, well,
22:22
unfortunately, they learn this the hard way.
22:25
When I started business a long time ago,
22:28
my first company, not my second, third or
22:31
fourth, when I started my very first company,
22:34
it was actually when I was still in
22:36
college as a junior with a friend of
22:38
mine.
22:39
So we're like 32 years, okay, this year.
22:46
And when I had a friend of mine
22:48
who was working with me for a little
22:49
time, he was trying to do all this
22:52
stuff, but it wasn't stuff that was gonna
22:55
stick.
22:57
He did stuff that he thought was gonna
22:59
matter, but it didn't matter.
23:03
He put a facade on.
23:05
He made me believe he was good at
23:07
what he was doing, but he wasn't.
23:10
I didn't call him on the carpet about
23:11
that.
23:12
I asked him if he needed help, assistance
23:14
or training.
23:16
Of course, no, I don't need that.
23:20
Our relationship wound up ending over, we started
23:27
the business in 32.
23:28
I would say over 10 or 12 years
23:30
ago, it ended, well, let's say 10 or
23:34
12 years ago from when we started the
23:36
business, okay?
23:40
So that was a very interesting turning point
23:42
because he wasn't getting what was going wrong.
23:50
He was not getting what was going wrong
23:59
and he was never gonna get it.
24:04
And the reason he wasn't gonna get it
24:08
because he just didn't understand that it's not
24:12
about a transaction.
24:16
It's not about a transaction.
24:18
It's about much, much more.
24:24
It's about much, much more guys.
24:27
It's about understanding how you can take the
24:30
data that is around you and move forward
24:35
and make choices.
24:39
That is intentional choices where you can deliberately
24:43
affect what's around you.
24:48
That's pretty cool guys.
24:51
Affect what's around you.
24:56
Affect what is around you.
25:05
Probably sounds confusing for you, but it's not,
25:09
okay?
25:14
It takes intention.
25:18
It takes honesty.
25:24
It takes a passion.
25:38
I think that's an important piece guys.
25:42
A very important piece.
25:51
A piece that maybe you're not aware of.
25:58
When I say the world is about transactions,
26:01
they're all about what people can get, but
26:04
they're not about the human dynamic interchange.
26:09
They just wanna get what they need and
26:11
get out, but they're not looking to build
26:13
a bridge.
26:14
They're just looking to use the bridge.
26:17
So there's a difference between building a bridge
26:18
you can recross and be comfortable with and
26:21
one that you just go to when you
26:24
need.
26:25
A one-way need, not a two-way
26:27
need.
26:28
So this whole week is really exciting to
26:30
me because owning your focus allows you to
26:37
be a deliberate creator.
26:40
I don't use that word a lot, but
26:42
when we learn that we can be a
26:45
deliberate creator, our life changes.
26:51
Our life changes.
26:56
And I think that's something that a lot
26:57
of people like just don't get.
27:07
They just don't get it.
27:11
And that's a very, very big problem, guys.
27:15
A very, very big problem.
27:18
When we're more about transactions than the relationships,
27:23
it will show.
27:24
It definitely will show.
27:25
We've got a lot to cover this week,
27:27
guys, by the way.
27:29
So in closing, I just wanna say that's
27:32
all for this Saturday session tonight for Observe
27:36
and Assess.
27:36
Remember, owning your focus isn't just about seeing,
27:40
and it's not always through the eyes, I've
27:42
said that.
27:42
It's about sensing and acting intentionally on what
27:45
you notice and feel and experience around you.
27:49
The small daily choices you make compounded to
27:52
momentum, clarity, and real progress.
27:56
You can catch Inspirations for Your Life weekly
27:58
and daily at BelieveMeAchieved.com and listen to
28:02
the full episodes and replays and whatnot.
28:05
And remember, guys, for more strategies, mindset shifts,
28:08
and actionable shifts and lessons and elevate your
28:12
clarity and courage, check out BelieveMeAchieved.com, and
28:16
we'll start making your life a little better
28:18
one day at a time.
28:19
Take care, everyone, and be intentional in everything
28:20
you do.
28:43
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,
28:47
hey, hey, hey, hey, hey ♪