This twenty-third episode of The Future Focused Podcast is the start of our second season. This episode focuses on The Four Essential Actions of Leadership.
Eleven minutes and forty seconds of pure “let’s level-up our leadership and design a dynamic lifestyle.” Buckle-up as I share the absolute transformational power of The Four Essential Actions of Leadership. They’ll take you to the next level, but be cautioned: these actions take practice, courage, and skill, and our best developed over time with reflection . The first action is so easy, but the other three are tough, and the fourth separates leaders from everyone else.
You are going to love this episode. It’s note-taking worthy. Share it out, replay, recommend, and subscribe.
I also hope you will consider my book Along Came a Leader as a gift for yourself, a colleague, and administrator, and a family member this holiday season. It’s available on Amazon. It was a work of love. I am so proud of it. Level-up your leadership. Discover the 8 core attributes of leadership and how to put them work to impact lives and lead. We need leaders. If you’ve already read it, I hope you will leave a review.
I also encourage you to follow me on Instagram between now and Christmas Day because I am sharing lots of my artwork. I am drawing a Santa Claus every day and posting the speed-painting video of me drawing it, which is so much fun to watch, alongside the art. You can only find it on my Instagram.
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Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 121 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
We live in a time when frustration and overwhelm are not only rampant, but they are accepted as normal feelings and talked about as a badge of honor, or as evidence of being a hard worker.
Q: “How’s it going today?”
A: “I am so busy! It’s crazy. I am completely overwhelmed with the number of emails and work. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get in front of it. Same thing at home. I have to be so many places tonight.”
Isn’t the above accepted as normal banter?
Listen, frustration and overwhelm are not okay.
How we talk to ourselves matters. How we talk about ourselves matters. We must be intentional with how we speak about ourselves, our jobs, and our lives.
Frustration and overwhelm will not end by executing an enormous number of hours of work. Frustration and overwhelm will end when we interrupt how we are thinking, change the way we talk about work and life, and change what we take action on and prioritize.
Our brains are taking in a tremendous amount of messages from television, social media, interactions with others, main stream media and a variety of other sources. A good portion of these messages are manipulated in ways that create an inaccurate baseline of self value. Likes, followers, shares, filtered photos, editing apps, and other variables enhance a false narrative of normal. It would appear as if everyone is fit, always looks great, has more money, buys nicer cars, travels to exotic places, and is always happy. A part of us knows the reality that this isn’t really the case, but there it is in front of us again and again, like waves on a beach beating down on us.
Too many people, young and old, are feeling Not Good Enough.
How can we put An End to Not Feeling Good Enough?
We need to limit our social media consumption.
Interrupt what we focus on. Get an understanding that almost none of it is real or matters anyway.
Change how we talk to ourselves. Journal some positive things to plant in your mind. Create a running list of positives to focus on in certain situations and especially before bed.
Get our bodies moving. Especially when we are feeling beat down.
Build a network of friends that include a truth teller, an encourager, a coach, and a friend. Be these for others too.
Control what we are putting into us. That includes foods, music, books, drinks, thoughts, drugs, media, stories, and more.
Change the story we tell about ourselves. Both at work and at home! Focus on what you are accomplishing and the positives of your day. Don’t exaggerate. They are there!
Make gratitude a regular part of your self talk and outward talk. Make a list. Read it.
Say “not right now” to new tasks and responsibilities and until you really have time for them.
Make a list of what makes you feel good and what doesn’t. Schedule more of the former.
Embrace mindfulness. Take a minute to stop what you are doing. Smile. Breathe. Limit your thoughts.
I don’t want others to feel not good enough. I don’t want to feel that way. I don’t want my family to feel that way. I don’t want you to feel that way. It’s not going to happen accidentally; we must start being intentional about it. Catch yourself talking outwardly or inwardly in negative ways and correct it immediately with a new version; that is habit interrupting and rebuilding. Catch yourself feeling negatively and immediately change what you are thinking about, and if you can, what you are doing and where you are at. Get in front of this and change your life.
I look forward to your thoughts and questions in the comment section below.
Kelly
PS. Season 2 of The Future Focused Podcast will start in a few days. I hope you will subscribe and listen.
Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 121 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
It’s June. Time to take a hard look at the resolutions and goals you made for the year.
What’s working? What’s not?
Read through them. (You wrote them down! Right? If not, write them down.)
Do you still have the fire, grit, spunk, and resolve you did on the first of January? Or has it waned?
I want you to look at the span of this year of your life a little differently. The past six months is valuable feedback on how you live in comparison to what you want. Look at your year, which still is half full, like you would an artist’s work in single year and ask yourself, “What will I be remembered for this year?” Also, examine the barriers, internally or externally, that have kept you from making progress, or pushed you forward. This first half of the year is feedback. Record it. Reflect on it. Redesign a plan for what needs to be done.
Six months is a tremendous amount of time. You can create a masterpiece in six months. A masterpiece of art, health, finance, or side hustle.
The year is still your’s!
What’s it going to take?
Here are SIX things you can do to reboot your resolutions and see them to completion:
Rebuild your mindset. Get fired up! Make your reason for doing this passionate.
Reflect on the past six months. This is how we learn!
Record what worked well and what didn’t. Write down what worked and any obstacles you discovered.
Redesign your plan. Write down what you are going to do over the next six months.
Remind yourself daily of your why.
Repeat at least one action daily that will take you closer toward that goal.
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Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 121 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
In this episode of the Future Focused Podcast I caution you to be careful what you label a weakness. Labels don’t help us and most of them are wrong. Labels often program us with incorrect, limiting mindsets.
When I was young my teacher’s feedback on my work in school focused on two areas that were presented as weaknesses. They would report: “Kelly talks too much. Kelly draws pictures on his paper and during class.” What was once a negative is now my livelihood; I am hired by organizations around the world as a speaker and artist.
We need to be careful of what we allow others to label as a weakness and what we label for ourselves. I often hear people say they have anxiety or attention issues like ADD. I have these, but rather than view them as negatives, I see them as super powers. My anxiety helps me to prepare for possible problems in presentations and consulting work. It allows me to analyze scenarios and issues others cannot even conceive. If you can’t identify potential problems, how can you prepare to stop them before they happen? My anxiety, when managed is a super power. My perceived weakness with attention disorder is also a super power. I come up with the most creative ideas and solutions. Without a busy mind bouncy around thinking of a hundred possibilities my creativity would be severely limited. Yes, my attention issues are a super power.
Listen to this podcast. It will give you a new perspective on your life. You are going to love this episode of The Future Focused Podcast. This episode will help you become even more successful.
Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 121 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast, I tackle the problem so many people face, being adrift in life without a plan. Everybody needs a plan of action and direction.
Do you know what you want to accomplish? Where will you end up over the next year or years without a plan? Without intention? Find out why our best ideas come while we are in the shower, in the car, or right before bed! Learn how mindfulness can pull you out of being adrift.
This episode will help you brainstorm the plan for your year and help you figure out what is next. This episode will kickstart a what if brainstorming session for you.
Gain a new perspective on why you should be wary of contentment and satisfaction.
The next book I will be reading is by David Goggins titled: Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds. I am so excited to start this book. I have been listening to Goggins on several YouTube videos and podcasts and he fascinates me. Several of my friends are also very into his message. If you’d like to read this book along with me, add it to cart, and let’s talk about it on Twitter. I am always trying to gain an edge. This book is edgy and Goggins vernacular is explicit, but his message is powerful and unforgettable.
I hope you will consider leaving a review of this podcast on iTunes and a comment below. Please sign up for my newsletter and subscribe to this blog. I would love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram; I’ve added links to my accounts below.
Best to you! Get after it.
Kelly
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Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Sign-up for Kelly’s Newsletter. Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 121 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
In this episode of The Future Focused Podcast, I explain why consistency is either our greatest skill or our most challenging obstacle to achieving the success we seek.
Consistency is in fact the most significant difference-maker in determining our success in any given area. In this podcast I will show you many powerful ways you can become more consistent in completing what needs to be done to make a difference in your life. I will outline the strategies, techniques, pathways and apps that will help you build lifelong habits to your accomplishments.
Crush that feeling of overwhelm and frustration by getting focused, simplifying, and building consistent habits to level-up your leadership, designing a dynamic life, and executing proven pathways to achievement.
What apps can you use to build better habits and be more consistent? I will tell you.
How can improve my accountability for the actions I know I need to take. I will teach you.
What tools can I employ to accomplish more and get focused? It’s in this episode.
What is the most important action I can take to get results? It’s in here.
The bigger your dream in life, the more you need consistency.
I know you will enjoy and benefit from this podcast. Send me an email and let me know what you think.
My best to you,
Kelly
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Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
Everyone knows breathing is vital to life, but few understand how they can control their breathing to live better and even gain a competitive edge.
Most of our breathing is done with little or no thought. We just do it. Unfortunately, most of us are doing it wrong. Improper or unintentional breathing can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and even poor health. Everyone needs to realize that breathing is a variable in our lives which we can manipulate. With understanding, practice and greater intention, we can actually use our breathing to benefit our lives.
As a speaker I have learned how to manipulate my voice for greater impact. I have had to learn a great deal about breathing to change my volume, inflection, intensity, tone and more. I’ve even had to learn how to control my breathing to reduce anxiety and stress. (Still working on both, but I am a work in progress.) I know professional entertainers and athletes who also use breathing techniques in similar ways. Professionals face the same concerns and fears everyone has, they just find solutions to solve them. Believe me, breathing is something everyone needs to learn more about and control.
I wanted to learn more about breathing, so I did some research and found the best videos about breathing and ordered the best book I could find on the subject of breathing.
Navy Seal Commander, Mark Devine showed me the importance of breathing and how to get started, in his videos and posts. I recommend you watch this video and read this blog post about breathing. Both helped me immensely and put me on the journey to better breathing. Mark’s SEAL Fit videos and contributions are worth checking out. I follow them on Instagram as well. Great daily reminders. Breathing is important to everyone, especially Navy Seals who repeatedly put themselves in high-stress situations. They don’t just survive, they thrive. Do you think they could teach us something about breathing? Heck, yes! Want to be elite? Breathe elite. It is the starting point of everything.
We can modify our breathing by changing its intensity, duration, depth, and speed. With practice, we can even recall breathing formulas to assist us in certain situations to gain an edge.
Athletes and performers know the importance of breathing, and you should too. Take some time to first become aware of the importance of your breathing. Next, become more intentional with your breathing. Doing nothing else, and learning nothing else, but just taking some time to focus on breathing and breathing deeper from time to time and adjusting your speed and duration, will go a long way.
I recommend reading the short and insightful book, Breathe: The Simple Revolutionary 14 Day Program Improve Your Mental & Physical Healthby Belisa Vranich. This book was extremely helpful to me. Great exercises for real results. I know… I know… it sounds crazy placing such a priority on breathing, but you will be amazed at how your life improves.
I also recommend trying Box Breathing.
Here’s how to employ the Box Breathing technique:
1) Breathe in through your nose slowly, counting to 3. (If possible, close your eyes.)
2) Hold that breath, counting to 3.
3) Exhale that same breath, counting to 3.
4) Repeat the above steps 3 times in a row.
You can graduate to a four second hold once you get some reps in. This is just one of many, many exercises.
Better breathing can lead to better: mental state, digestion, blood pressure, heart function, blood flow, and overall health. Good breathing can also reduce headaches, anxiety, and a host of other ailments.
Learn more about breathing. Practice breathing better.
Here’s one of Mark’s videos that I think will help you out:
Thank you Mark and all who serve in The United States Armed Forces and all who serve in our local emergency services.
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Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
Email me if you would like to join my exclusive launch team for my new book, Unthink Before Bed. Big news coming soon!
The Future Focused Podcast, Episode 17 is all about mastering time.
Have you ever wished you had an extra hour in your day to get a few more things accomplished, or maybe a an extra hour of rest?
Do you ever wish you had better control of your time?
Well, you can become a master of your day, week, month and year through the smallest of adjustments and becoming more intentional with the time you have.
In this episode of the Future Focused Podcast, I will walk you through a few steps to help you master the time you have, accomplish what you seek in life, and live a more dynamic life.
Email me if you would like to join my Future Ready Facebook Community.
Email me if you would like to join my exclusive launch team for my new book, Unthink Before Bed.
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Looking for a dynamic speaker for your event? • Kelly Croy is an author, speaker and educator. Want to learn more? Send me an email. • Listen to Kelly’s other podcast The Wired Educator Podcast with over 115 episodes of interviews and professional development. • Order Kelly’s book, Along Came a Leader for your personal library. • Follow Kelly Croy on Facebook. • Follow Kelly Croy on Twitter. • Follow Kelly Croy on Instagram
Eleven minutes and forty seconds of pure “let’s level-up our leadership and design a dynamic lifestyle.” Buckle-up as I share the absolute transformational power of The Four Essential Actions of Leadership. They’ll take you to the next level, but be cautioned: these actions take practice, courage, and skill, and our best developed over time with reflection . The first action is so easy, but the other three are tough, and the fourth separates leaders from everyone else.
n this episode of The Future Focused Podcast, I explain why consistency is either our greatest skill or our most challenging obstacle to achieving the success we seek.
