The 4 Questions to Ask Yourself- to Improve You

“The world will ask who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.”― Carl Jung In this episode, we explore the importance of listening to your inner voice. With all the external chatter that surrounds us, it is often difficult to "hear" ourselves. If we want to live a life on our terms -we need to take the time to know what our desires are. What kind of a life are we seeking? Absent from the noise of the world, we need to come home to ourselves.

The Price You Pay for Living Courageously- does it outweigh the price of staying stuck?

...Well, darkness has a hunger that's insatiableAnd lightness has a call that's hard to hear - Indigo Girls In this episode, (the 51st episode!!!)...we'll explore the resistance to progress and how we all have it. Often we don't take the time to appreciate how far we have come but instead judge how far away we are from where we want to be. We'll get a little help from Deepak Chopra on this and follow along with a guided light meditation. Joy, Security, and Peace are innate they cannot be lost only forgotten.

Enjoy the little things in life, for someday you will realize they were the big things. In this episode, we explore how ordinary moments can give us a chance to create extraordinary memories. We have the capacity to shape the world we live in. Often we keep on keepin on, so here is your reminder to slow down and take it all in.

We have to lift each other up as much as we possibly can with whatever time we have. The ultimate secret to getting happier is sharing the secrets to happiness with other people.- Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor, social scientist, #1 bestselling author In this episode, we'll explore the ways in which we can support others using Morning Mugs as a tool. The digital downloads mentioned in this episode can be found in the link in my bio @moringmugspodcast **Coffee Chats - Conversation Book Mark **Mind Body Heart 5-Day Challenge

Think of your mind as a garden and your thoughts -the flowers and weeds that grow.  Garden plants need to be pruned and cared for. Like the plants growing in the garden, we care for and cultivate thoughts in our minds too. Some thoughts you’ll want to cultivate and care for allowing them to grow strong roots. Roots that will be strong enough to anchor those thoughts so they are there for you 10-30 years from now they are there. Then there will be other thoughts that may need to be pulled from the mind garden so they have no roots - easier to remove- not allowing them to take root.  These thoughts do not serve you. 

This is my conversation with filmmaker Emily Branham who specializes in unexpected, intimate, and deeply human films about artists. We speak about her first feature documentary, BEING BEBE, which premiered at Tribeca Festival, was a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and won Jury & Audience Awards on its festival tour across 5 continents. She directs, produces, and edits short documentaries for clients including Lincoln Center, AT&T, and JP Morgan. Originally from Minneapolis, Emily studied film at Northwestern University and is currently based in New York City. In this episode, we chat about how she simplified her life to slowly, steadily, and independently finish & release a feature documentary over the course of 15+ years.  We also talk about her documentary BEING BEBE and the impact campaign/community empowerment tour for 2023.  Emily's tool for you wellness toolkit: You can do anything for 25 minutes. I have a "shaky clock" timer that you can very easily set for 5-, 25-, or 45-minute chunks, and 25-minutes is the perfect amount of time to allow yourself to write a hard email, pick up around the house, do some morning journaling or anything else that you want to knock out and are having a hard time getting started with. I thrive on deadlines, and if you focus, 25 minutes can be just right!  Be sure to check in with Emily to follow along with her new podcast about pursuing creative dreams, You Can Fly Too, coming very soon! You can also follow Emily @emilybtv on Instagram and @beingbebemovie on all things social.

Recently I have been having conversations about the podcast with both teachers and students. And what has consistently come up is the realization we have of relatability. What is relatable to a student can also be relatable to an adult.  This feels very obvious but it reminded me of a trip I had taken a few years back to Barcelona. While I was there I had the opportunity to go to Montserrat which is just outside of Barcelona in Catalonia. The name actually means "jagged mountain" in Catalan. It's an abbey at the top of a mountain, it's beautiful. And it's the main attraction is the black madonna, which is a wooden statue that was carved of the Madonna ( Jesus's mother) and over time darkened hence the name. She's the patron saint of Catalonia and therefore a pretty big tourist attraction. This leads me to my experience when I was waiting in line to see her. A social worker was in front of me and we started talking. She shared that she works at a nursing home. I said something along the lines of how that might be difficult being with people that are most likely in the final stages of life. She responded. The most difficult part was to get them to move past the stories they have always told themselves. They share how they never measured up to their parents' dreams, how they wish they would have...fill in the blank.  or they get stuck repeating the same stories of the people who betrayed them or did them wrong. You hear people say-  It's like listening to a broken record. You wish you could just tell them to pick up the needle. Stop playing the same songs. She said I wish I could tell them to just flip the damn record over. Remind them there is a whole nother side, filled with songs you haven't even heard! It made me think about the stories we tell ourselves and the thought patterns we repeat. The incessant looping. How important it is to be aware of how to talk to yourself. And know that you can change the dialogue. Who says you have to keep telling yourself the same stories?  Try this: Any time you find yourself in a thought pattern that does not serve you, interrupt it. That may look like taking a deep breath, feeling your feet on the ground, or bringing awareness to your surrounding by listening to the noises around you.  Awareness is the first line of defense. Mel Robbins has a trick when she finds herself talking smack to herself about herself. “I’m not having this thought right now” It's a way to gain control.

In this episode, we'll explore just how capable, adventurous, and resourceful you are. If those words don't seem to resonate try the "Reverse Bucket List" activity mentioned in this week's episode -to take a look at the life you have lived already. This is a great activity to end February- and begin to prepare for the spring season. By looking back, sometimes we can gain clarity on what is truly important for us going ahead. 

In this episode, we'll explore the "stories" we tell ourselves and how we have the power to change them. Often we carry stories about ourselves, others, and the world that no longer belong to us. We do not have to continue to sit in the passenger seat of our own lives by holding on to antiquated thoughts and ideas. Inspired by my conversation with a friend about Jim Kwick and his truly inspiring story. This episode reminds us, that it is on us, to take control of the stories and mindset we choose to carry around.  This episode will also provide tools for you to begin to start the day on your terms and fill your own cup. If you don't choose what goes in your cup- the world will.  Let me know your thoughts over @morningmupspodcast!!