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Every time we get together to record, we realize just how lucky we are. We have a support structure built in that we can rely on. Our relationship with each other has grown and helped us in many ways. I personally know that if I am having a problem or experiencing something difficult in life, I can reach out to Rohit, or Kyle and they will be there for me. They constantly challenge me to grow personally.

I came into this podcast with preset beliefs about what “personal development’ meant. My beliefs were cultivated from my religious background and what my family taught me about how we should view ourselves. Many in the religious community have a closed-minded belief about personal development. They are more likely to reject it as “New Age” or “Sinful” to focus on developing your own life. This stems from the belief in many religions that you are supposed to be selfless and focused on helping others first. Some cultures are like this as well.

When I sat down with the podcast crew and we started discussing some of our topics, I came to the understanding that personal development is something that can only enhance our lives even in a religious sense. In every religion, you are asked to be the best person you can be. Personal development is the core principle in all religions. We want to be the example for others of our religion which means we need to develop ourselves into an ideal version of ourselves.

My advice to anyone listening is come with an open mind. Realize that we are not trying to change anyone. We are trying to help you change yourselves through our journey. No one’s journey is exactly the same, but we all have experiences that someone can relate to. If those experiences can help someone improve their life and how they approach it, we will have done what we set out to do. Each person must choose for themselves who they want to be. Then they just need to take the steps they need to in order to reach that ideal version of themselves.

This week we welcomed-officially-Kevin Barquest to the podcast. He will help us create content and provide a new perspective on our weekly podcast topics. Welcome to the team Kevin.

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What kind of plan do we have for the future? Where do you want to be in your career, family, and personal life? These are important questions we should be asking ourselves. They help us understand where we are in our lives currently.

Most people do not plan for the future. Their goal setting is nonexistent. It could be that they don’t want to think about uncomfortable feelings, or maybe they don’t want to risk what they already have. Going through the motions and going with the flow often gets you lost in the drain. You get to a destination, but not a destination that you created for yourself. You end up going where outside factors push you.

When you have a clear plan for where you want to be in 5 years, you are able to set goals and understand what steps you have to take to get there. For instance, if your 5-year plan for your health is to be 50 pounds lighter you already know that you need to lose 10 pounds a year to meet that goal. Then you can see what actions you need to take to help you lose 10 pounds per year. Maybe that includes walking 10000 steps a day, eating salads instead of burgers, and cutting out soda 5 days a week.

It isn’t enough to have a 5-year plan. It is equally important to write that plan down. When you write it, it becomes real. You have a written record of your plan and are now responsible to yourself for follow through. Writing your plan down allows you to also write out and think about the steps you need to take to achieve your success. When the steps are written down, you are already more likely to succeed.

Whether you are looking to have a better career, a better family life, or better health, having a 5-year plan will make it easier to be more successful. All you need to do is visualize where you want to be, and then make sure to take the action steps needed to get there. Don’t overcomplicate things with “what ifs.” Keep your eyes on your goal, take your actions, and adjust as needed to move you forward. That is the way to find success in your goals.

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Have you ever wondered why you are feeling down even when you have no reason to feel that way? Do you look outside and have an immediate drain in your mood? Kevin came up with this topic after discussing his moods after coming back from Hawaii. We got onto discussing how moods might be affected by the weather.

There is an actual mental condition that most people go through without even realizing it most of the time. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects your mood with specific weather patterns. Some of us notice that we are more prone to sadness and depression during rainy weather or more prone to anger and frustration during warmer weather. This is usually an unconscious mental response to our environment.

It is important to recognize the many different things that influence our emotional state. When we recognized the things impacting how we feel we can take steps to correct it and/or make conscious efforts to change how we are viewing our situations. If the rain gets you down, add a UV light to your work space. Try getting as much sun as possible because the sunlight helps your body metabolize the vitamins necessary for your physical health and produces healthy body and brain chemistry that affect your moods.

To improve your mood in weather you don’t necessarily like, try looking for the positives in the weather. If you don’t like the grey, rainy days, look for the positive side. Rain brings growth. Here n the Northwest, we get a lot of rain, but everything stays so green and beautiful. Sometimes all it takes is the conscious effort to change the negative into the positive.

If SAD is affecting you so much that you can’t see the positive, there are other avenues that can help. Go on vacation during the worst parts of the seasons that bother you. Try setting up different lighting or add oxygenating plants for your office space. If it truly is so bad that these don’t work, seek professional assistance from medical or emotional professionals. Maybe look into moving to a climate that is more in line with boosting your moods. The point is, understand what affects your mood and take control. You have the power to change how you feel. Stay positive my friends.

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Social Media is so pervasive in our everyday lives. We don’t even notice now how often we are checking it. We are looking through Facebook posts from friends, checking our favorite person’s tweets, and looking through the latest photos of those we like on Instagram or Snap Chat. The question becomes, how much time do we actually spend in social media rather than building a social experience.

Every year, Kyle Reed takes a break from Social Media for Lent. For me, social media is a platform that allows me to rant and debate. We both noticed that it creates a set of bad habits. We would reach for our phones during meals, while we were sitting with friends, or even during movies. It tends to take us out of the moment and lessens the experiences we should be focused on. Our works suffers, our relationships can become strained, and our overall well-being can be affected.

If we were to drop social media for a time we would notice a couple of very specific changes. We would be more productive at work. Our relationships might get deeper as we would be forced to visit or call our friends to hear about their lives. Our conversations would get more engaging as we would be forced to do more than post and walk away.

Rohit sees some social media users as procrastinators. Not procrastination as in just putting something off until later. It is more of a self-comparison type of procrastination where you see others doing things you wish you were doing so you do everything you can to show the best parts of your life to others. “You challenge your reality” is the way Rohit puts it. While there is no such thing as “your reality,” there is your belief about reality and I think this is what Rohit was trying to point out. When you look at the snippits you see from friends and family doing great things on social media and you have those moments where you wish you were able to do what they were doing, you almost feel compelled to let them know that you are doing equally fun or different things. What we often forget in these moments of life envy, is that we are only seeing a split second of a day that people choose to allow us to see. The rest of that person’s day could be boring, or stressful. We only see what others allow us to see in that very specific moment.

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Introverts and Extroverts both have different lifestyles. Introverts are more at home by themselves while Extroverts love being in more social environments. Each has their own strengths, but opportunities come more often the more social you are. Each person must decide how they want to live, but what we are trying to explore is “where does being an Introvert become an excuse?”

I have been an introvert most of my life. It started at a young age when I moved around a lot. When you don’t have a chance to develop social skills, it becomes easier to be an introvert. I preferred hanging out with people only into the same things I was into, or preferred being alone. This can be very lonely and detrimental to a person’s development.

Over the years, I did learn how to be more of a chameleon. I learned to blend in with people from all walks. This was more of a coping mechanism for me. I was able to go into a group setting and strike up a conversation with anyone. It made it possible to go into any situation with no anxiety. No matter who was at a gathering, I was able to model my behavior to theirs. I noticed that I had more friends and found better opportunities in those moments of being an extrovert.

Extroverts will find more opportunities from being open to social experiences. They feel comfortable holding a conversation with people and being in larger social settings. I find it much easier to learn from the experience of others in these settings as well. However, Extroverts have a hard time being alone with their own thoughts.

One thing we all believe is that there should be a balance in our lives. In the event of the extreme on either side, it is important to develop the opposite side. Introverts should work on expanding their comfort zones so that they can find more growth and opportunities. Extroverts should learn to be at peace with their own thoughts and emotions for the same reason. It allows them to learn more about themselves and grow on a personal level beyond the surface level stuff.