Shawn Stevenson:  Welcome to The Model Health Show. This is fitness and nutrition expert, Shawn Stevenson, and I'm so grateful for you tuning in with me today. 
 
As you know, we talk about so many different dimensions of health and wellness that are often looked past in our culture today. 
 
We know that nutrition matters, exercise matters, absolutely sleep matters, stress management, and our relationships of course have a big impact on our health. 
 
But also there's some really fascinating research now showing that having meaning and purpose in our lives is a huge contributor to our overall health and wellness and even our lifespan. 
 
And funny enough, today more than ever, there is this deficiency that's really happening, and it's a deficiency in a sense of purpose. 
 
And so today I really want to dive in and talk about- deconstruct what this actually looks like. What does purpose really mean to help you to really uncover what that is for you. 
 
And if you feel like you've already honed in on your purpose, how to fully and authentically step into it. Because back in time, there was a time in history when your purpose really was just handed to you. 
 
You know? If your father was a blacksmith, you're a blacksmith. If your dad was a king, you're a prince. If your family was in the farming business, that's just kind of what you rolled into. 
 
But times have evolved and people began to decide on their purpose for themselves. And I think a great illustration of that is the movie Sing. Have you seen Sing? It's so good. 
 
It's an animated movie, but you know these animated movies have so many dimensions, and character development, it's not just for the kids. But if you haven't seen Sing, definitely check it out. 
 
But there's one character who- so it's basically a singing competition. It's like American Idol, but it's like cartoons, and the actors that are playing these characters and singers are just phenomenal. 
 
One of the characters is this gorilla, because you know it's an animated film, so it's like an animal community, and he's a gorilla. And the family businesses is robbing banks. It's robbery, alright? 
 
And he's a teenager. He's supposed to be learning to be the getaway driver for his dad who's played by Idris Elba. Alright? 
 
And the son is played by this actor, and I hope I'm saying his name right, but it's Taron Egerton, and he's played in Kings Men, and he's played Elton John coming up, and he just has a phenomenal voice. 
 
So he's playing this character, but he doesn't want to be in the family business of crime. "I want to sing, Dad. I want to sing." 
 
And so throughout history, we would just fall into what the family business looks like, but then we start to have this society where we can begin to choose. 
 
Now today more than ever, we live in a society where everything is really ripe for the taking. Most of us get to choose what it is that we want to do. We get to 'figure out' what it is that we want to do, and that can be some serious like mental punishment. You know? 
 
It's just like, "Here, you go figure it out. Figure out what you want to do in this world." 
And today we have this phenomenon of something called the paradox of choice, and it's a wonderful book by Barry Schwartz you can check out. 
 
But it just speaks to the fact that humans, we like to have choice, we like to have the idea of freedom, but when we have too much choice, it can be debilitating for us. 
 
And this can add to that kind of ingredients that's baking up this lack of purpose cake that a lot of us are making. 
 
And so today I really want to dive in, and again, deconstruct what it looks like to really uncover our purpose and step fully and completely into this, because the reality is that some of us have this very romantic idea that our purpose will be presented to us in this magical moment. 
 
Something's going to happen that's just like the clouds are going to part, music's going to be playing in the background, and we're going to figure out, "Boom, that's it. That's what I'm here to do." 
 
And I'm just here to tell you today that it doesn't really work like that, but there are some incredible magical moments, and there are so many different things that are intertwined when you experience that deep seated feeling of stepping into your purpose. 
 
And we're going to go through that today, and I think at the end of this, you are going to feel much more connected and compelled and empowered in your life. 
 
And with that said, again, today we're going to talk about uncovering your purpose, and if you feel you've already honed in on what that is, how to really fully and completely step into that. 
 
Now, some of us get up each day on our purpose, and we sip a little cup of joe. We have a little cup of that black bean juice, or you can call it coffee. 
 
I think coffee is a much more attractive name, and for years, I didn't touch it. And I've shared this before, but I had a really traumatic experience as a child. 
 
I saw my grandma and my grandpa drinking coffee every day, and it just looked like they were having such a good time. Like it's just, "What is going on here?" So I decide I'm going to take a sip of Grandma's coffee. 
 
Took a sip and I thought something was wrong with my grandparents. I thought that there was something off with their medulla oblongata. 
 
I didn't know what was going on. Why would they think this is okay to drink? It was nasty. Alright? Folgers in your cup. 
 
And I hadn't drank any since then until about two years ago when my wife kept raving about the Four Sigmatic coffee. You know, I was doing the elixirs and she just kept- every day she just was so pumped to have her coffee. 
 
And I'm going to make a confession today that I haven't shared before, but she basically refers to me as her barista. Alright? I've got to get in there and make that coffee every day for her. 
 
I'm her little- I call it- I say it, "I'm Garcon." Alright? So even when I present the coffee to her, like I have my head down. And I give her the coffee each morning, she looks forward to it, now I do too, and I really get it now. 
 
Coffee isn't just coffee and the potential benefits there; it's an experience. It really is an experience. 
 
And one of the reasons that a lot of us turn to coffee- and check this out, because I don't think a lot of us know factually why, but there's some really cool data affirming some of these benefits. 
 
So let's talk about on the energy front, and really getting out, and getting after our purpose, and living our lives, and also having that energy, and even influencing our body composition through the use of high quality sources of caffeine. 
 
Check this out. So this was a study that looked at the fascinating fact that caffeine can increase your metabolic rate by approximately 3% to upwards of 11% boost in your metabolic rate, how your body is burning calories. 
 
This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and found that most of the increase that caffeine spurs about with our metabolism is caused by an increase in the burning of fat. It's actually burning fat. 
 
Really, really cool. Now this is where we have to really have some judicious approach in using caffeine, because there are good sources of caffeine then there's not so good sources that come along with a little or sometimes even a lot of negative side effects. 
 
So we want to go for high quality organic sources of coffee, specifically since we're talking about coffee, because insecticides, pesticides, fungicides; those are either neurogenic or estrogenic. 
 
So they're literally potentially having an influence on your nervous system and even your endocrine system, and it's just not cool, so obviously organic is important. 
 
But I'm here to also inform you that we don't want to double, triple, quadruple down on just knocking down coffee. 
 
We can utilize something that has more of a synergistic blend to it because coffee does in fact stimulate your nervous system, which is okay, and also some stress hormones are related to that, namely adrenaline. 
 
But we also can fall into this place where we're just pushing that button down way too hard, way too much, and causing issues with everything ranging from our sleep to our energy levels and having that kind of correlated crash of energy that so many people see when they're out there guzzling conventional, even sometimes high quality coffee. 
 
And so I love this blend because of this. Listen to this. There was a study that was published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, and it looked at thirty healthy test subjects for six weeks to record the effects of cordyceps mushroom had on their performance. 
 
The group that added cordyceps to their daily regimen had twice the oxygen intake of the control group who didn't get the cordyceps. 
 
Oxygen is essential because this is delivering nutrients to your muscles preventing fatigue, also preventing the buildup of lactic acid, helping you to go another further. Going even further. 
 
Also the study revealed that the same group showed an overall 9% increase in their aerobic activity from taking cordyceps. 
 
So why am I talking about cordyceps and coffee? Because those two things come together in Four Sigmatic medicinal mushroom blends. 
 
Their cordyceps coffee is one of my favorite things in the world, and I rotate that with the lion's mane coffee, but it's just something I really look forward to. 
 
And so many people have shared their stories with me, that they really love the energy that they experience, but then they don't have that weird associated crashes. 
 
It's just like this consistent natural energy, because it really is operating on your body's natural energy systems rather than just hyper stimulating your system to keep going, going, going. 
 
So obviously I'm a huge fan. I highly, highly recommend you check out their cordyceps coffee and also their lion's mane coffee if it's more like mental work that you're going to be doing. 
 
And just their other formulas as well. If you're not a fan of coffee, they have mushroom hot cocoa mixes. 
 
They also have their general elixirs, which you can get cordyceps by itself, or lion's mane, chaga. 
 
And just pop over there, check them out. It's www.FourSigmatic.com/model and you get 15% off everything. 15% off everything they carry. 
 
This is exclusive with The Model Health Show, so go to 
www.FourSigmatic.com/model for 15% off and get hooked up. Alight? So on that note, let's jump into the Apple Podcasts review of the week. 
 
Apple Podcasts Review:  Another five-star review by TheTrendyVoyager. 
 
'Hi Shawn. This review is long overdue, but I wanted to let you know that you changed my life. 
 
I'm TheTrendyVoyager on Instagram. A few days ago, I had posted your podcast on my story to share your amazing show with others. 
 
A simple direct message from you came at such a good time. You told me, 'I hope you know how amazing and powerful you are.' 
 
This message came such an important moment in my life, having been recently laid off and looking for work. 
 
That was the message I needed to keep me going. Thank you for all you do, Shawn. Your podcast has truly changed my life, and has helped me get through the toughest days over the last few years.' 
 
Shawn Stevenson:  Awesome. I appreciate that so much. Thank you for leaving that review over on Apple Podcasts. 
 
If you've yet to leave a review, please pop over to Apple Podcasts and leave a review for the show. Let everybody know what you think about the show, and I appreciate that so, so very much. 
 
And on that note, let's get to our topic of the day. 
 
Today we're talking about how to diversify your mental inputs and to step into your purpose. 
 
And this was really encouraged and inspired by my recent keynote that I did at the Biohacking Conference this year. 
 
And in this keynote, I shared the importance of diversifying our exercise, diversifying our approach to recovery, and also the essential need to diversify our thinking. 
 
And I think that it really struck a chord with a lot of people, and they were really inspired and compelled to make some big changes and shifts in their lives. 
 
And today I'm going to share with you some of what I covered in that final section of that talk, because diversifying our thinking is an absolute key to uncovering and walking in your purpose. 
 
So in past episodes of The Model Health Show, we've talked about research regarding mirror neurons, and the synchronization of human brainwaves. 
 
So these are a couple of things that we talked about. One of these episodes was an interview with Dr. Daniel Goleman who wrote the book 'Emotional Intelligence,' and also 'Social Intelligence,' and he's probably the number one person who really impressed and put emotional intelligence into public lexicon, and the same thing with mirror neurons. 
 
But the theory surrounding these mirror neurons that inhabit our bodies are that they gather data from our environment. Alright? 
 
So we have neurons, we have cells in our bodies that model and simulate what's happening in our environment. 
 
So what we're exposed to, these cells kind of simulate us being a part of it or doing it. 
 
And for example, if you are watching someone on television, there are cells that you have that are kind of simulating you being a part of it, or simulating you doing the thing that you're witnessing. 
 
And that's the best description that we have, and there's still a lot more data to be done regarding these mirror neurons, but the bottom line is this is one of the major ways that we come to learn our culture, and learn language, and how to speak. 
 
We're not often just kind of encouraging kids to talk; they're just picking it up from the environment. 
 
They're simulating the lip movements, and the sounds that they're picking up by reading their environment, and these cells are simulating these programs all the time, which is super, super powerful stuff. 
 
And this can really start to explain why we as humans inherently have so much empathy for other people. Right? 
 
We see certain situations happen, and we really have this experience, a very visceral experience of feeling remorse, or sadness, or pain, or joy. You know? 
 
You see one of those proposal videos on social media, and you just feel happiness, and joy for that person. Or you see something sad, a sad story with a tragedy taking place, and we viscerally feel it, even though it wasn't us. 
 
We still feel it, and this is inherent in our human connection. But empathy, like so many other things, can be trained out of us, but it's something that we naturally do. You know? 
 
Again, just like anything, it can be kind of trained out of us and forced out of us. But we have a natural innate connection with other people, and these mirror neurons are a big part of this equation. 
 
And again, so much more is going to be coming forward about how this stuff works. Super fascinating stuff. 
 
And just again, keep in mind that what we witness and see with other people, what they're experiencing, we feel for them, and it's through these pathways or these mirror neurons is a big reason for that. 
 
So that's part one. Another part is research coming out of Princeton University that has affirmed that the human brain actually 'syncs up' with other people's brains when we're in conversation. 
 
And if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see the image of the two brains that are literally matching each other, and it's starting to become like a coordinated dance. 
 
And this is just two people, the test subjects, who don't know each other, just creating some initial rapport, and you can see the brainwaves will literally start to sync up, and match, and 'mirror' each other. 
 
And so we do this automatically. All the time, this is happening. We're syncing up brains with the people that we're in conversation and connection with. 
 
And if you're interested in personal growth, and good mental health, the first reaction when hearing this information, which was my reaction is, "I need to be careful who I'm talking to. 
 
I need to stand guard to the door of my mind, and not get to unconsciously or haphazardly get in conversations with people who are going to bring my brain some drama and simulate some drama programs." 
 
So this is something we might do, and kind of latch onto that, and become hyper guarded. 
 
But what I'm here to do today and to share with you is that if we become too guarded, that we can miss out on some of the most valuable growth of all in our lives. 
 
And it's not that you need to purposely go out and get yourself in negative environments and surround yourself with negative people, but our tendency, our natural tendency is to surround ourselves with like-minded people. 
 
And this is wonderful because it helps to affirm things, to keep us in a good space. 
 
But there's also- there's another side to that story, and this is the fact that if we are only proactively putting ourselves in environments around like-minded people, this can actually block our growth. 
 
And in some instances, this can even become dangerous, because if we're around the same people having the same conversations, we can easily become stuck in a certain way of thinking if you really kind of just start to analyze this stuff. 
 
Let's take the nutrition domain, for example. Let's use keto specifically. And I'm a fan of keto, it's something that I've employed for patients over the years, that I've utilized in my own life. 
 
But it's just one tool that's in my superhero utility belt, in your superhero utility belt, and it's an incredibly valuable framework, and being part of a keto community will further support your lifestyle and your goals. 
 
But if all you did was spend time talking to other keto, folks when discussing nutrition, your conversations will become very linear. 
 
You will develop tunnel vision, right? And will start to miss things on the periphery that could be beneficial for us, and even just help with our understanding and diversify our communication. 
 
If we want to be really great at communicating the benefits of keto to another person, we might want to know about the benefits of the other approaches that they might be taking on. 
 
But we can miss that if we're not proactively getting ourselves in other conversations. So I hope that makes sense. 
 
A good example, and somebody who can be considered even like the poster child / guy / elderly fellow would be Mark Sisson. 
 
Which giving that label of elderly fellow, he's been here for some decades, I believe he's in his sixties, but he's really changing the game and the paradigm on what that really looks like. 
 
And his goal is to show what's possible for people in their sixties, seventies, eighties. 
 
His physique and his functionality, his mental capacity is like that of somebody who is decades younger. 
 
He's out there competing and whipping on twenty year olds regularly in performance, and he's just such a great example. 
 
But being that he's somebody who's authored books on keto, and being one of the biggest proponents, you might get in your feelings if you're out and you see him at a restaurant, and he's like putting some olive oil on some bread. 
 
You might run over and dive and try to knock the bread as it's going towards his mouth and try and stop him. 
 
But he's going to be like, "Hey, relax." Keto is amazing, but he's experienced enough to know that we need to be open and listen and learning from other camps. 
 
And he's the first to tell you that he's about flexible keto, right? And being metabolically adapted, and metabolically flexible, and utilizing some of the wonderful things that we have access to in our lives. 
 
So it's diversifying our approach, diversifying our conversations, because it's super easy to dismiss someone- anyone who doesn't believe what you believe. Alright? 
 
Think about that for a minute. It's super easy to dismiss someone who doesn't believe what you believe. 
 
But if it's getting results for them, who are you to say that it's wrong? It's not our place. 
 
And so what we can really learn from, is we can learn through people's winning. We can learn through what is working for people, and even if it's a different approach. 
 
We can still learn through that, but we can also learn through their mistakes, right? And if we're not getting that diversity in conversation, we're going to miss on winning in different forms, and also mistakes in different forms. 
 
Because success leaves clues. I remember Jim Rohn saying that, "It changed my life."  
Success leaves clues, but failure leaves clues as well. Failure leaves clues as well. 
 
And when I think about failure leaving clues, I think about this old ad with this cookie that was walking around. 
 
So it's like an animated cookie, it's walking around, and it's leaving little chocolate chips behind it as it's walking. 
 
There's a trail of chocolate chips as the cookie is walking. And if you look at the ad, you're immediately like, "That's poop. This cookie is leaving little clues in droplets of poop." 
 
Did somebody get fired? Why would you think this is okay? But it was chocolate chips, right? So it's kind of funny. 
 
But that's what I think about when I think about failure leaving clues. It's leaving little chocolate chips that look like poo. 
 
So with that said, in tying this altogether and diversifying our thinking, if we're definitely getting ourselves around like-minded people and really affirming and cultivating that positivity and support, but also not being afraid to engage in different environments and different conversations. 
 
Because this is step one in identifying and walking in your purpose, is fostering ideas. Ideas. 
 
Ideas truly are one of the most powerful things in the universe, and exposure to new ideas. This is key to really uncovering what our purpose is. 
 
When we're a kid, we have so many magnificent ideas. Everything is possible. We can be anything, we can do anything. 
 
My son Braden recently- I mean, he's going to be a ninja. Like you can't go to like a job search like hiring ninjas. Right? 
 
You're not going to find this out there, but for him, this is a possibility. But the beautiful thing is this could manifest in different ways. 
 
He could end up being a ninja in a movie, he could be a martial arts instructor, he could design costumes for- have the number one costume design for ninja gear in the world. It can take on different forms. 
 
But we can be the president of a company, or we can be the president of a country. Like everything is possible, these ideas. 
 
And so something happens though along the way. Society starts to kind of stamp on these ideas, and let us know in subtle and sometimes aggressive ways that these things aren't possible for us. 
 
So today I would encourage you to take your power back, and to begin to let your ideas really express themselves, and to thrive, and to manifest themselves again, and I want you to start to become an idea machine. 
 
And James Altucher, who's been a guest on the show, talks about becoming an idea machine. There's a strategy for that. 
 
Every day he wakes up and he writes down ten ideas. Ten ideas, any and every kind of random thing that he could think of. 
 
This could be an idea for a new app, it could be an idea for a new way to do a morning routine. It could be an idea for someone else that they can execute on in their business. 
 
And the list goes on and on. An idea for a new physical product. Maybe it's an idea for some kind of a double handled kettlebell, or something like that, or a toilet seat warmer. 
 
You know, it's just different stuff, but just writing down ideas. And what he says, a lot of the ideas are just crazy, they're nonsense, but they matter. 
 
They're exercising that idea muscle, and some ideas in there are gold that have made him millions of dollars. Alright? 
 
So really starting to grow and develop your idea muscle is part and parcel to uncovering your purpose. And so that's one side. 
 
Also, we need exposure, and this is really what I presented in that talk at the Biohacking Conference because we talk about diversification in our finances, and money, and investments. 
 
We talk about diversification in our food and nutrients. We know the importance of that, but we also need diversification in our thinking and in our mental inputs. 
 
Because again, this will enable you to prevent stagnation in linear thinking and tunnel vision and helping you to avoid this easily trapped way of being. 
 
And it will add unique dimensions to what you do that no one else has when you are diversifying your mental inputs. 
 
Even if you are a personal trainer, you will be so much different than any other person doing it because you have this really unique tapestry of mental inputs that are automatically expressed through you. 
 
And I liken how we really are to like Rogue in X-Men. I don't know if you've ever checked out the comics, or the movie, or the cartoon even, but she absorbed people's powers. 
 
If she touched them, she'd absorb their powers. And this is what we're always doing all the time by being around people; we are absorbing their ideas, we're absorbing their energy, and it's becoming a part of us. 
 
When we hear somebody else's ideas coming in, some of their statements, some of their language, we absorb it. 
 
But the cool thing is we don't- when Rogue does it, they like pass out. Alright? 
 
When we do that, other people are still good. In fact, they're doing better because there's a statement that when you teach something, you get to learn it twice. 
 
So when you have somebody teaching you something, they're becoming better and more versed in understanding that thing themselves, and you're able to absorb that power. 
 
So now how do we do this? Because The Model Health Show, we like to bring some practicality to it, and some action steps. 
 
So how do we go about diversifying our mental inputs and our thinking? And so here's my challenge for you. Alright?  
 
And this is going to help tremendously with becoming an idea machine and fostering the idea that will help to uncover your purpose and/or help you to firmly powerfully step into that purpose. 
 
And this is my challenge for you. At least once a month, go and try something that you normally wouldn't do. 
 
Something that people who know you socially would be surprised to know that you did. Alright? 
 
Good example, recent Phenomenal Life Event in Jamaica, there was a day where we went on an excursion together. You know, the attendees and also the speakers. 
 
And the excursion was to climb a waterfall. You can do that? I couldn't rationally see my mind like how is that even possible? 
 
And we get to the place, and sure enough, it's like these different levels of rocks, and this multi-level waterfall that you can climb. 
 
And my mother-in-law, who is just my greatest teacher in this space of like personal development and even nutrition, she really sparked the beginning of some huge insights and transformation for me. 
 
She was looking at the situation like, "I didn't sign up for this. This is not who I am." 
 
And sure enough, she's standing around, the guide is telling us, "Okay, so we're going to do this, we're going to go up together. Make sure you step on these rocks and not those rocks because you could fall and bust your-" 
 
And he immediately grabs her hand and says, "You're leading us today." And she shared that in her mind she was like, "No I'm not. You've got the wrong person. I didn't come here for this." 
 
But she did something that was out of her character and she did it. She did something that people who know her would be surprised to hear that she did. 
 
Even though she's a leader in other dimensions, her being a leader taking us up a waterfall, different story. Right? 
 
So put yourself in some unique situations like that. 
 
For me, I went on a recent date with my wife. We went to the art museum here in St. Louis. 
I don't know about art. I know about the human body, you know? I think that's art and that's beauty and fascinating. 
 
I don't get it with abstract orange blots and purple. I don't understand. Alright? 
 
Of course like there's magnificent art pieces that are like these beautiful murals and paintings that look like somebody took a picture. You know? There's really cool. 
 
But for me, I'm blown away. I just saw an elephant hold a paintbrush with his trunk and paint an elephant. That is fascinating for me. 
 
Alright? Seeing an elephant paint an elephant, it was like Inception. It was incredible. But just going to the art museum, not my typical thing, but I did it. 
 
And people who know me, even if you know me, you would think like, "I'll be surprised like he's hanging out at an art museum," or something like that. 
 
But I did that, and I got that experience, and those new inputs, and I was very inspired, and I definitely want to go back and do that again. 
 
But I did something unexpected, and it was fun. We had a good time, got to connect with my wife, and it was awesome. 
 
So I encourage you to do that at least once a month. Go and try something, do something that you normally wouldn't do. So that's number one. 
 
Number two way to diversify your thinking is to begin to diversify your media. 
Diversify the entertainment that you're taking in, and this can be incredibly powerful. 
 
And so let's start with the books and magazines that you're reading. For many years, when I got into this field, and I was just on fire. 
 
I wanted to read and learn about everything I could about nutrition, about human health, about psychology, about everything that helps to create a truly sovereign healthy human being. 
 
And I started to really believe that reading fiction was just not productive. It's just not productive. Why would I do that? 
 
And the funny thing is that reading fiction is what got me so excited about reading books period, because I went from college to like you've got to read. 
 
Which when you are forced to read, it's generally not as fun, right? But after graduating, and even my wife, she was like, "Yeah, I'm never going to read again." And for us, we picked up some- The DaVinci Code started it all. The DaVinci Code. Wow, such a great book. Had us just enthralled. 
 
And we read it together as a couple, and she couldn't wait to talk about it with me if I didn't get to the part yet. And so it was really, really cool. 
 
And by the way, just a little sidebar. The Da Vinci Code, a lot of people will say so many different things. You know, they see the movie, and there's a book, and they're like, "The book is so much better." 
 
Sometimes it's just- that's just- it's just like letting people know that you read the book. But sometimes it's true, and in the case of The Da Vinci Code, the movie was just a smoking like droplet of chocolate chip. Alright? 
 
But the book was phenomenal, and that led me into interest in just reading other things, and I started to kind of dive in and read more nutrition books. 
 
Because I was like attending things and like absorbing the information that way. I just became really just a ferocious reader. 
 
But again, fiction became unproductive in my mind, and so I wanted to help to create a new place of thinking, if this is something that sounds familiar to you. 
 
Reading more fiction can actually increase your emotional intelligence. 
 
There was a study, and this was conducted at York University and the University of Toronto, and the lead researcher said, "Individuals who often read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, to empathize with them, and view the world from their perspective." 
 
And they also stated that this effect is probably because novels and short stories get inside the heads of multiple characters, and helping to explain their motives and their objectives. 
 
And it's really like being able to look at things from an omniscient viewpoint, from a meta perspective, and seeing all of these different emotions, and driving forces in different characters. 
 
Reading fiction helps us to do that. It translates to better relationships in our real lives potentially by taking advantage of this. And so this is just something that I've incorporated more often. 
 
I don't read a lot of fiction, but I've incorporated more often, and I definitely see the translation in benefits for sure. 
And if you're somebody who already reads fiction, let's pivot and maybe try reading something that you normally wouldn't read. 
 
Like if you took totally into like The Da Vinci Code, and like Dan Brown, or Jack Reacher type of things, maybe check out 50 Shades of Grey. Who knows? Like just jump into something new. 
 
It might be a bit much. Might be a bit much, but just diversify those mental inputs because they are going to add layers to your understanding and your character. 
 
Alright, also different types of music. This is another way to diversify our media. And I truly do believe that music- and I know you know this as well. 
 
You hear certain songs and it literally just instantly brings you back to a certain time in your life. 
 
Music really is a soundtrack of our lives. And I know you know songs from like thirty, twenty, ten years ago, you haven't even heard, and you still know those words. You haven't heard in years, and you know the lyrics. 
 
Incredibly powerful input and there's something about the melody and the music that drives these things deeper into our psyche. 
 
And so being diverse in your musical choice really helps to create diversity in your thinking. You know? There's that statement that neurons that fire together wire together. 
 
And so having these experiences of different music really helps our brain to make different connections and to connect in more creative and interesting ways even. 
 
And so for me, when somebody sees me, or they hear me speak, they're probably like, "You know what? Yeah, that guy, he definitely listens probably to like some smooth R&B. Shawn is sensual AF. He just is." 
 
You might think that, but the reality is yes, I do enjoy a dabble in that. And you know, hip hop but I also love country music. 
 
I was just- my whole morning was just country music today, and people would be surprised to hear that. I've shared it before, but it was a big part of my childhood with my grandmother and driving to the country. 
 
They lived on a straight dirt road and you know fishing, and hunting, and all those things as a little kid, and those long three and a half hour car rides just listening to Kenny Rogers, and Randy Travis, and Dolly Parton, and Reba McEntire. 
Fancy, don't let me down. Alright? Shout out to Reba McEntire. Alright? And even today some of the music, but then you start to see today it's so interesting that there's such a big crossover effect happening. 
 
You could see so many different aspects of hip hop in country music now. And recently there's this huge collaboration took place with this new artist, and I think his name is Little Nas X, number one song, Old Town Road. 
 
Country vibe to it. Got Billy Ray Cyrus on the remix. First of all, have you ever heard of a remix of a country song? Okay? 
 
This is huge. He got a legend on that track. It's got that hip hop vibe to it, but when I heard that song it was like, "That's me. That's my life. I'm a blend of those things." 
 
Funny enough, it really took off in popularity. So it's having this really interesting opportunity to take in some different things. Don't be so pigeonholed and like what you think is like this the only type of music I like. 
 
Allow yourself to taste and touch different things. Because also- so I listen to country music, I love certain classical music. 
 
I love soundtracks like The Lord Of The Rings soundtrack. I play that bad boy all the time. I don't know why. It's just a vibe. It's just a vibe. 
 
So give yourself some different inputs through that medium as well. Also, same thing in the shows, movies, those kind of things, those inputs. 
 
Don't just be in that one lane that you tend to be in. Diversify yourself. Watch some things and incorporate some things that you normally wouldn't. 
 
The other day on the flight, you know they've got like Creed 2 on there. So somebody see me, they're like, "He's going to watch Creed 2." 
 
Like scanning the movie options. I chose A Star is Born. Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper. And first of all, if you haven't seen it, I don't want to spoil it for you, but there's that framework of a certain type of movie that's boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. 
 
I didn't know it happened like that. I was all in my feelings like for two days after watching that movie. Oh my goodness. It's a really, really great movie, but I haven't really vibed with Lady Gaga before. 
 
I remember when I first heard about her. I had a client who- you know, this is when I was doing a lot of client work, and sometimes I had these VIP folks, and they'd fly me out, and I do like an immersion with them. 
 
And she said that I was the Lady Gaga of health and wellness. This was like ten years ago, and I was like, "What?" In my mind I'm like, "Is that a- I guess that's a compliment." 
 
But then she was like, "No, no you don't understand. She is this incredibly talented performer, but she's a classical trained pianist as well. And she's become a world class song writer, and motivator, and community builder." 
 
And so like when she started telling me all those things I was like, "Wow, I am Lady Gaga." 
 
No, I'm just kidding. I'm not Lady Gaga. The connection, not so much, but I thought it was a great compliment once she told me those other parts. 
 
But if you haven't seen the movie, check it out. And again, just the other day I was wrapping up my lunch, and I decided to watch Keanu Reeves talk about his motorcycles. 
 
I don't know a thing about motorcycles. Not a thing. And yet I watched it. Just like, "I'm going to- let me partake in this sample of this little morsel of-" you know? 
 
Same thing. We do this with food. Like we try different cuisines. And I gave myself that mental input and it was really inspiring. It was inspiring to see somebody who cared so much about what he's doing, because he's become a part of a motorcycle company. 
 
And to hear some of his story, and the connection to the different motorcycles. And he showed a concept vehicle to hear what they're thinking about the future. 
 
Man, all these things are relevant in our lives in different ways. All of those things I just talked about, those different aspects are relevant. 
 
And so to see that in different fields is incredibly valuable. Alright, so again, proactively taking in different media can help us to diversify our thinking. 
 
Whether it is through the books we read, the music we listen to, the shows that we watch, movies, things like that.  
 
Proactively try some different stuff out, taste some different things, because you might find something that you really like, but most importantly it really helps to diversify your language. Right? And the mosaic of who you are as a human being. 
 
Alright? So on top of that in diversifying our thinking is also to talk with different types of people. This is so important. 
 
Talk with people from different cultures. This is one of the greatest gifts that we have today, that we heretofore did not have the opportunity to do this because we were so isolated in our tribes. 
 
Today we have infinite connection, and it's really we tend to just jump in. Again, just jump into our little circles when we can have access, and communicate, and learn from people of so many different cultures, so many different driving forces, and motives, and experiences. 
 
And so we need to do this because today, like seriously we are a world family. We are not- like this idea of isolation, and separation, and countries, and borders, and all these things; we just made this stuff up. 
 
Real talk. We just made up the- all those lines you see separating states and countries, we made them up. 
 
We are one race. We're one humanity here together collectively, and life is working to express itself through all of us. 
 
And it's really powerful when we start to retrain our thinking and becoming more connected. 
 
Of course we can have patriotism and enjoy where we come from, and our cities, and our teams, and things like that. 
 
It creates for some great fun and competition, but to think that the other people and places don't have immense value and purpose themselves, and desire, and drive to be healthy and happy, that separates us. 
 
So getting involved and talking with people from different cultures and learning what are their driving forces and their motivation? 
 
This is one of the great gifts that I've had access to by spending some years working at a university when I was strength and conditioning coach, and I got to meet people every day from different countries, and many of them I worked with. 
 
And you would hear the same things. Everybody just wants to be happy. They want to have good relationships, they want to be healthy and feel good, they want to have fun, they want to have meaningful purposeful work, and to enjoy and express themselves, and to have fun. 
 
I might have said fun twice because everybody wants to have the fun. Alright? But we don't know that if we isolate ourselves and it's them and us. 
 
And the reality is we're really all connected. If we get into this, we start talking about like string theory, and some other kind of weird stuff with quantum mechanics, we are connected. 
 
And we've done some shows talking a little bit about that with Mark Gober, so we'll put that in the show notes for you if you really want to have your mind blown in how we are really connected. 
 
But proactively to diversify your thinking, diversify who you are, your lifeline, your value; proactively talk to, and get connected, and experience other people and other cultures. 
 
So you have to keep these fresh inputs coming in, fresh perspectives, not just more of the same. Alright? Diversify your thinking, and it's going to help you to unlock your potential, and to help you to fully step into your potential and your purpose in a way that no one can ever replicate. 
 
And this really just for me helps me to think about the diversity that I see in a certain brand that I've absolutely loved for many years. 
 
I've been just a huge fan of, and it's due to the CEO. The person who created the company in the first place, and some of the things he was into was like MMA, and nutrition, and unconventional training tools like clubs, steel clubs, and steel maces, and frickin' swords. 
 
Like all this stuff, and also personal development, and really working on becoming the best possible human, and leader, and friend that he can possibly be, and I'm talking about Aubrey Marcus, who's been on the show, and he's just a really good friend of mine, and he's the CEO of Onnit. 
 
And this company has just literally exploded and has taken off to new dimensions, and you see so many different people out there. 
 
I mean we're talking about millions of customers, and people who are taking advantage of all their incredible resources. 
 
But also, you see this in these huge communities like mixed martial arts, so much so that not only are many these top professional fighters a part of the Onnit team, but also at the Onnit headquarters in Austin, they created an MMA training facility there. 
 
What? That's a serious dedication to something that you love. This is a nutrition manufacturing place, and they readjusted and changed their facility to bring that part in. 
 
And it's super inspiring to see, and they've got the cold crowd therapy there. If you're in Austin, pop by, check them out. 
 
Go to Onnit. The gym is just dope, is just fun, always cool people there. Big shout-out to everybody down there. 
 
A primal soldier, Eric, big shout-out to him. So many cool people. But bottom line is this. This came from the diversity and experience of Aubrey Marcus. 
 
And I highly encourage you to check out Onnit, and I love their MCT oil. Whenever I talk about my coffee, please know the MCT oil is in it always. 
 
Like every time. I get- I'm upset (that's a Drake song) when I don't have my MCT oil, and I travel, and I happened to forget it. 
 
It's only been like two times it's happened, but I want to make sure that I have my MCT oil because of the thermogenic effects, number one. 
 
This is all- like we've got clinical evidence for this. Also the benefits for supporting your friendly gut flora, and potentially getting rid of pathogenic bacteria, and also the energy translation in your body. 
 
Because the MCTs, the medium-chain triglycerides are in a form that can actually go directly through your cell wall to provide energy for the cell. 
 
There's nothing else in conventional food that you can name that has that same capability. 
 
So I use the emulsified MCT oil. Let me be clear. There's the standard kind of clear MCT oil. That's cool. I love the emulsified MCT oil because it's like a coffee creamer. 
 
The texture, the consistency, super easy to blend and mix together, and I love the almond milk latte flavor. My wife loves the vanilla. I love the strawberry in some different stuff as well. 
 
Definitely check them out. It's www.Onnit.com/model. That's www.Onnit.com/model, 10% off. You get 10% off everything; their nutrition supplements, foods. 
 
Oh man, have you tried their fat butters yet? You've got to look at their fat butters. Alright? Oh, so good. 
 
And also their fitness equipment. So The Rock. Right? Dwayne The Rock Johnson. He's using the Onnit kettlebells. They have the primal bells. 
 
They've got Marvel inspired battle ropes and kettlebells as well. the Iron Man kettlebell is just dope. 
 
So many cool things, steel maces and clubs. They are the company that put that stuff on the map. Check them out, 10% off everything they carry, www.Onnit.com/model. 
 
So we covered number one on these, and it's really three steps to uncovering our purpose and/or fully stepping into our purpose authentically and powerfully. 
 
Number one was ideas, and the generation and diversity of ideas, and exposure, and being able and giving ourselves permission to express those ideas. That's number one. 
 
Alright? So with ideas, that's great, but idea cannot manifest in purpose in and of itself. We also need the second component, which is passion. 
 
Now first of all, when we talk about living your purpose, the word passion in and of itself can be misconstrued. Right? 
 
A lot of us are thinking like, "I don't know what I'm passionate about." You know, you see somebody who's really in their purpose, and you see the passion they have, and the work ethic, and all the stuff they're doing. 
 
But nine times out of ten, it's not like what you see, especially out there on social media. You know, they're great individuals who are out there inspiring people like Gary V. Right? Gary Vaynerchuk. 
 
You might see him on social media, and see some of his talks, and you just see this incredible- he's just dripping passion. It's dripping off, right? 
 
He's just very passionate, bouncing around kind of character in approach to things, but the reality is this. 
 
Even if he wasn't doing this for VaynerMedia in this entrepreneurship brand, and investing in all the things that he's a big proponent of, and giving content for helping entrepreneurs. 
 
If it was- put Gary V in selling John Deere tractors, or selling cupcakes, or selling clothes, selling the swagoo, he's still probably going to have that same demeanor as somebody who is seemingly like bouncing around and excited about everything. 
 
Right? But that's just the person's character. You don't have to be overly excited about something to be passionate about it. 
 
So sometimes we see them and we think, "I don't have that. I don't feel like he does about that." We think we don't have passion. 
 
And it's a huge, huge misconception and mistake to think that way because passion is not about being overly excited and having something like biting you on the butt to get you out of the bed in the morning, and throwing you in the shower, and just like pulling you to this vision. 
 
It's not like that. It's not like that. 99% of the time, passion- let me tell you what it is. Passion is more like real love. Passion is more like real love. 
 
Not in love, because there's a difference. There's a difference between being in love and real love. Being in love with something is having that kind of constantly infatuated, and wanting to be with this something, and work on it. 
 
But that initial phase fades away 100% of the time at some point. So passion is really more like real love, which when you're in love, it feels like you're not in control. 
 
This love has just kind of captured you. Real love is intentional. You choose it. I choose to do work in this relationship. I choose to be a part of this, and to grow in this, to develop this. 
 
Even when things are not fun, even when things are not this happy vibe, or there's struggle, or there's pain, or there's confusion, I choose to be in this. 
 
I choose to work on this, and I choose to love you. It's not unconscious, it's not something I'm not in control of. I choose to love you. 
 
This is what passion really is. Because when we're working in our purpose, things are not always going to be rosy posy sunshine, everything's going to be going your way. 
 
Absolutely not. And some of the greatest, most successful, most fulfilled people will tell you that. They have many stories of trials and tribulations and things that they've gone through in working in their purpose. 
 
And so if we have a connection to something that we know that we would do no matter what, even if there was not money attached to it, even if it was something that would require a lot of our time and energy and focus, we'd still want to do it. 
 
Then you kind of starting to hear the whispers of what that purpose and passion really looks like. 
 
And also, I think it's important to share this, that the word 'passion' itself is derived from a Greek word meaning to suffer. 
 
Alright? The word passion is derived from a Greek word meaning to suffer, and it would automatically be kind of strange because it's just like I thought passion was about something that was good and inspiring. 
 
But our passions can also take us through some really turbulent and dark places sometimes in trying to figure out how to live with this passion, because it's generally pretty unique to us in some form or fashion. 
 
And how can I live this passion and keep this as a part of my life? There's suffering involved. 
 
But I'm a huge advocate of language, and so suffering for me is optional. We don't have to necessarily tie passion to suffering, but just difficult times, going through stuff, needing to work on figuring stuff out, and getting good at something. 
 
Getting good at something, investing in something, because for some people, they've been working in a certain field and their passion is just driving them through, and they've put in these 10,000 hours, and they're world class at this thing, and they just enjoy what they're doing. 
 
You know, but it doesn't have to be this picture of what somebody else's passion looks like. So you don't want to compare your story to somebody else's story when it comes to passion. 
 
So I hope that makes sense. And this part was really brought to me today by my son, Braden. 
 
And he came over to me last night actually, and he sat down next to me and he asked me, "Hey Dad, when did you start speaking on stages?" 
 
And I thought that was like really interesting that he asked me that. And he's been there. He's been at many of the events that I've spoken at over the years, even since he was a little baby. 
 
And sometimes I even involve him at some of these events. And so it's something he's been exposed to, and it's created this tapestry for him, a layer of his thinking that this is something that you do, and that it's possible. 
 
And he asked me, "When did you start, or how did you start speaking on stages? How did you start? How did you start?". 
 
Which is a very powerful question because it's asking what are the steps that made that a thing for you? 
 
And I've literally spoken in front of thousands at different events, and it's been an incredible experience, and it's something I really enjoy doing of course. 
 
And make sure next time there's an event, come and hang out with me. We have the most amazing time. Definitely come to the next event, and I've got something really cool coming up here soon, so I'll let you know about that, so be ready. 
 
But the first time- and I shared it with him. I said, "You know what? No one gives you permission to do the things that you want to do in life." Nobody tapped me on my shoulder and said, "Hey, you're going to speak. Hey, you're going to create a number one podcast. Go do it." 
 
Nobody gave me permission to do any of this stuff, and the same thing in our lives. Nobody's giving you permission. You choose. 
 
And so I was inspired about things I was learning about nutrition, and so my first speaking event was in front of three people at my mother-in-law's kitchen, and I was super nervous actually. 
 
And I don't- the nervous thing. But for me at that time, because I just wanted to be able to make sense, to help them to understand what I was experiencing and so that I can help them to uplevel their lives as well. 
 
And so I was very, very invested in helping these people, and it went from three people to five to ten to twenty to my mother-in-law's kitchen was packed. 
 
Little people sitting on laps. It was too hot. They had multiple fans going, AC. It got crazy. 
 
And then we were like, "We should probably do this somewhere else." And it just kind of evolved from there, and then within the room, people there telling other people about me and what we were doing, and then inviting me to speak at their events, and you know, kind of the rest is history. 
 
And so I shared that with him, but there was something even deeper than that, and this is what I want to point your attention to. 
 
Sometimes in our lives when we're talking about uncovering our purpose, in your life, you can usually look back and find tiny signs of what might be to come. 
 
We can find tiny signs of what might be to come. When I was just a kid, it was fourth grade, or before this, but fourth grade is the time this really kind of hit the tipping point. 
 
And this is when I was- my teacher was Miss Norman. So shout-out to Miss Norman if you happen to be listening. Thank you.  
 
But I was just getting good grades, I was doing what I needed to do in class, but I was acting up a little bit. I was acting up. 
 
And my teacher made an agreement with me, and I don't remember how this came about, but she made an agreement with me that if I would stop acting up in class, at the end of class she would give me five to ten minutes at the end of the week to stand up in front of the class and sing. 
 
Right? To sing, or to tell some jokes, the stage was mine. And so I would bring my friend Andre up there with me at the end of each week, and this was for several weeks this happened, and I would sing, I would entertain, and I had forgotten about that. 
 
I forgot about it because that might not be encouraged, but I knew that I would be speaking in front of people, I knew that I would be behind a microphone. 
 
And here I am today speaking on these stages in front of thousands of people behind a microphone. It's just a different version of that, and something that really fills me up more than anything I could have ever imagined. 
 
So look back on your childhood and those things that brought you joy and happiness, and these can be great guideposts to uncovering your passion and your purpose. 
 
But you might be like, "One of my passions was I loved to cook with my mom, or I loved to cook with my grandma, but I can't make a living through that." 
 
Aha. Yeah you can. Alright? Just the subject of food. We've had one of the- Kevin Curry. We'll put his episode in the show notes. 
 
He was here in the studio. He's crushing it. He didn't go to a school of whatever to become this certified cordon bleu chef whatever. 
 
He just started making food, and sharing his food with people, and sharing his story, and how he was making his recipes and his fitness journey. 
 
And it's become something that transformed his life, and a bestselling book, and all of this influence and livelihood, and he was able to like turn down a job at Google. 
 
Google reached out to him. He was like, "No, this is my passion." And he's turned it into a thriving business. 
 
So if you're interested in food, there is a way. Like if you're interested in like, I don't know, Shira. 
 
Right? Shira from when I was a kid, there was Heman, then Shira was the like follow up. But you know, it's like the female lead versus the male lead in Heman and Shira. 
 
And you're just like, "I'm super. I love Shira. It's my thing. I've got Shira t-shirts." 
 
You can create a website and sell Shira gear, right? There's a new Shira cartoon on 
Netflix. Like if that is your passion, there are ways for that to manifest because I'm pretty sure there are at least a couple of people who were into Shira when they were kids that made that cartoon, this new reboot possible. 
 
Right? So we have to start thinking differently about our experiences and things that we love to do. 
 
And even now, is there something that is just calling to you, and you're super interested in, that you want to get involved more with, but you talk yourself out of it because you have this story that, "This for other people, this is something that I can't do." 
 
Maybe it's nutrition. Maybe it's nutrition and health, and you just are passionate about it, and you would love to be able to make that your career and the thing that you get up and do each day is teaching other people about health, and nutrition, and wellness, and supporting your family through that means. 
 
And it is absolutely possible, but we tell ourselves these stories that, "I don't have this experience, I don't have the connections, I don't have the resources, I don't have this, I don't have that." 
 
And we start to talk ourselves out of something that is literally just a decision away. It's within reach. It can be our lives, and we're going to talk about that more in a minute. 
 
But there are so many different things that we can do in the health and wellness space. You might see that this lane is totally taken. 
 
There are so many different lanes that you can choose, so many different dimensions of it, and this is one of the things that we've been teaching in how to actually create a 
sustainable business in the health and wellness space. 
 
Because if we're going to help other people to really access their greatest version of themselves, and to improve their livelihood, we have to make sure we have our livelihood covered, so we're not like cutting corners and not spending time doing the thing that we're passionate about and the thing that we're here to do. 
 
Right? Because there are many people who are in the health and wellness space. Maybe they got a certification somewhere, and they're a health coach, but they're also working one or two other jobs just to make ends meet. 
 
And that's not how this is supposed to be. Folks are not getting the right education. 
 
The nutrition stuff might be solid, but I think you should get the very best, and also the business side. 
 
I wasn't taught in college how to be successful. There was no Success 101, or 102, or 202. I would have taken them. 
 
Nobody's teaching you how to actually be successful and to create a sustainable business. And it's not even that difficult. It just isn't. 
 
There are certain pieces. There's a formula to it. The difficult part is just getting yourself to the place where you say yes to it, and you take action, and you fully enroll yourself in a bigger vision, and you are aware that it is going to take that time, and energy, and effort, but you are going to create a life that you truly love, and you're going to make an impact on a lot of people's lives. 
 
And as you know, I'm a partner and advisor for the Institute of Transformational Nutrition, and we are really leading the field in health coaching, but also in making sure that our students are making big waves in this field. 
 
We've got students who are making six and seven figure incomes, but also some people, that's not their goal. 
 
It's just having their bills covered, and matching what their job is currently, and having money to sustain their livelihood, pay their bills, and have a good life. 
 
But some people are like super killing it because we're giving them access to the very best teachers in the world, in business and in nutrition. 
 
And also the impact. We've got some of the biggest influencers that are out there in the health and wellness space are students from ITN, and you get to learn from a lot of these folks as well. 
 
So if you're interested, if this is speaking to your soul, pop over. We've got a quiz to see what you would qualify for. 
 
And there's somewhere that you can fit. Trust and believe that. But go to www.TransformationalNutrition.com/model. Right? www.TransformationalNutrition.com/model. We'll also put it for you in the show notes. 
 
Right now we have our $2,000 scholarships still available. Alright? We've replenished these funds, and we have $2,000 scholarships available, and one of them is yours. 
 
Alright? So pop over there. The first process is just taking the quiz, and take it from there. But I just wanted to share that with you if your passion is health and nutrition, that you can absolutely make that the thing that you do and pour your passion into that and make that your purpose. 
 
So we've covered ideas, we've covered passion. A third component- third and final component here with uncovering your purpose and truly walking fully and completely in your purpose and in your power. 
 
The third component is decisions. Decisions really are one of the most powerful forces in all of the universe. 
 
If you look back on your life, and understand this piece, that where you are today is a direct result of the decisions that you made in your life historically. 
 
Every decision that you've made prior to this moment has brought you here to where you are today. If you really start to understand this, you understand the power that decisions carry. 
 
You are just one idea, one decision away from transforming your entire life. It is that close. It is simply a decision away. 
 
Now, the catch is decisions are super easy, but getting ourselves to the place that we make the decisions can be complicated. Right? 
 
Now I've said this before, but decisions are from the Latin 'de' meaning from, and 'cidere' which means to cut. 
 
So when you make a real decision about something, you're cutting away the possibility of anything else but the thing you decided on. 
 
So when somebody truly decides to stop smoking, that's it. They're a non-smoker. There's no more discussion. They've decided it's done. 
 
When somebody decides to start a business, and when somebody decides, "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you." When you really decide these things, it is done. 
 
Come what may, this is what I've decided to do. Now that comes with a lot of weight, it comes with a lot of pressure because of all the other. All the other. What about this? What about that? 
 
Decisions can be scary. That's why we don't easily make them. It's not a small thing when you decide. Most people don't decide until things are so bad that they have to choose. 
 
Life has forced them to decide. Back is against the wall, they're on the bottom floor, they're rock bottom in life and the only way is up. 
 
I have to decide to get up. That's what happened with me. My work is to make sure that you don't have to hit rock bottom. There's a net there first. 
 
We're going to hit the net. You're going to get close. You hit the net, you're going to bounce up. Bounce up trapeze. 
 
You're going to grab the trapeze, do some flips, whatever. You're going to be like Robin. 
 
Robin, he came from the circus, I don't know, Batman and Robin. Never mind. But this is the goal, is to create a situation where we don't have to hit rock bottom. 
 
Because the reality is many of us don't get up. Many of us don't get up. You hear the stories of those that did. 
 
So you're just one decision away from creating that life that you are here for, and that's the power of decisions. 
 
So with that said, how do we get ourselves to that place where we are making the decisions that we need to make? 
 
First of all, we've got to understand this point that the results in your life are only limited by your expectations. Everything in your life is built upon a framework, a mental framework of staying congruent with the person you see yourself to be. 
 
Every decision that you make is based on who you see yourself to be. There are certain things that you do because of your identity, there's certain things that you don't do because of your identity. 
 
You have to work on shifting your identity. And how do you do that? You shift your identity by getting exposure to the things we've talked about. 
 
Get yourself around new ideas, get yourself around people who are thinking differently, because you can get stuck in your own way of being and your own way of thinking. 
 
So you need exposure. That is the key. That's the tool. That's why these things are so important. That's why this is a formula. 
 
Get yourself around other people to help to shift that identity for you. Only then will you be able to make new decisions. 
 
Because so many times we think we're making a decision, but we're really just trying some stuff. We're really just wishing. Okay? 
 
We think we're Aladdin, we're rubbing the lamp. But the reality is you have not truly decided. 
 
And shout-out to Aladdin reboot, Will Smith, shout-out. Now number one is realizing that, that you're limited only by your expectations, your beliefs about who you are, and what you're capable of. 
 
And you will never- you will never outgrow the beliefs that you carry about what you're capable of. It's the invisible box that we put ourselves in. And so to get past that, again, shifting the identity, shifting your exposure. 
 
Now also another thing with decisions. I want you to stop overthinking. Okay? Thinking is important. I want us to think, but sometimes we mull over, and we overthink, and we think ourselves right out of wonderful experiences and learning lessons. 
 
Even if it doesn't go the way that we planned it to, we still are gaining experience and getting ourselves closer to the person and the life that we went to live. 
 
So we need to stop overthinking everything and analyze. And I talked about this on the episode to kick off this year; five things to quit doing this year in 2019 when this is played. 
 
So if you're listening to this next year or years from now, that show is still hyper relevant. Alright? 
 
But I talked about perfectionism. That can be one of the things that stops us. So overthinking. 
 
But for some people it's not perfectionism, it's also just fear of like all the possibility of what negative can come. And again, we can think ourselves right out of taking action and creating the life that we want. 
 
So that's the other part is with decisions, a real decision comes along with action. They're coupled together. 
 
Truly if there's not an action taken when you have decided, you haven't really decided. Alright? So take action. 
 
When you decide that, "This is happening. I'm about to do this thing, I'm going in this direction," take an action. 
 
That is informing your brain you're serious, and all of life, the entire universe is conspiring to assist you in going in that direction when you decide. 
 
It has your entire life. When you've decided to do something, everything has fallen into place to create the life that you have today. 
 
Whether it's the life that you wanted consciously or the life that you settled for, those are the things that you decided upon. 
 
Finally, please understand, you're going to experiment, you're going to get out, try, and taste, and touch, experience different things. 
 
This is super important, we've talked about this throughout this show. But the reality is we need to surround ourselves with new environments, new people, new inputs. 
 
And also of course, the positive affirming environments and people who really help to affirm who you are, what you're about, and what you're here for. 
 
We all need that, and it's a superpower we can have access to today more than ever. 
 
So I hope you got a lot of value out of this, and I want you to go into your day right now with this quote. This is from Napoleon Hill who wrote the epic powerful manifesto 'Think and Grow Rich.' 
 
He said, "You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct, and control your environment. You can make your life what you want it to be." 
 
Thank you so much for tuning into the show today. If you get a lot of value out of this, make sure to share it out with your friends and family on social media, and please tag me. I'm @ShawnModel on Instagram. 
 
Let me know what you thought about the show, and you can follow me and tag me on Facebook as well. That's @TheModelHealthShow on Facebook, and I appreciate you so much for tuning in today. 
 
And I truly do believe that there is greatness in you. You have gifts, talents capacities that have never existed before in human history and will never exist after you. 
 
You are important and your time is now. The world needs you. So let's step up and step into it. Take care, have an amazing day, and I'll talk with you soon.  
 
And for more after the show, make sure to head over to 
www.TheModelHealthShow.com. That's where you can find all of the show notes, you can find transcriptions, videos for each episode, and if you've got a comment you can leave me a comment there as well.  
 
And please make sure to head over to iTunes and leave us a rating to let everybody know that the show is awesome, and I appreciate that so much.  
 
And take care, I promise to keep giving you more powerful, empowering, great content to help you transform your life. Thanks for tuning in.