In the intro to episode 007 of the Discover Grow Shinecast, I took a few minutes to retrace the path of the podcast in an effort to explain the path I was trying to follow.
When the concept for the Shinecast began to emerge from an exploration of what I call the happy life path, I was told more than once by internet gurus that what I was attempting was too broad. I was advised to focus on one piece of the Shinecast vision. That I should pick one approach to working out or one dietary system and then niche down from there to something like paleo or gut-healing, or maybe fitness for single moms. I was told to get very specific.
Reductionism Isn’t Wholism
The problem with the niche approach is that it’s not holistic.
Reductionism works ok when you’re trying to isolate variables in a science experiment. But in real life, our lives have to be integrated or we end up in a mess.
You can’t have real health without paying attention to all the elements that contribute to health: quality real food, physical movement, sleep, good relationships. Those components help you deal with stress while you look to find ways to reduce your stress due to work demands or whatever.
I think there’s also a spiritual component to living an authentic and whole life where you can shine into everything you do.
The Hero’s Journey to Health, Wealth, Wisdom & Happiness
Episode 1: Journey Out of the Woods
Lessons of the Lost is not just about literally getting lost in the woods. It’s about how to deal with a life where we get lost in our stresses and problems. Scott Hammond has an awesome framework for that and I highly encourage you to buy his book, Lessons of the Lost, or listen to episode 1.
It’s especially great for situations where you feel like you’re floundering, either due to personal choices or situations that are beyond your control.
Episode 2: Hope From Darkness
In episode 2 I shared my conversation with Amy Bickers. Amy’s story is like a perfect case study of Lessons in the Lost in action. Amy’s ex-husband committed suicide in front of her. He’d lost everything due to a drug addiction.
Amy journaled her way through the pain and grief of the experience and turned that journal into a memoir, The Geography of You and Me.
Episodes 3 and 4: Quick Tips
I threw in a couple of quick tips episodes on sleep and how to figure out what to do next when your to-do list is overwhelming.
Episode 5: Creative Problem Solving
Then, in episode 5, I had a great conversation with Lee Zlotoff, creator of MacGyver and the MacGyver method of creative problem solving. His system seemed like the perfect next step to help you move along your hero’s journey–from floundering and stuck due to mindset issues to creatively solving the problems you need to address to move forward with your goals.
Episode 6: Putting Others First
Episode 6 was about the importance of generosity to a life where you can shine. I talked with Kim Trumbo who hosts the Generosity Philosophy podcast and we talked about the importance of generosity as a personal value to help you live a holistic life and a discipline to help us remember that we’re here to love and care, not to live selfishly.
Stalled Out
And with that I froze up. I had reached a point in my own journey where I was not getting the success in some areas that I’d planned for to enable me to continue the Shinecast® mission.
So after floundering around a bit, applying for jobs left and right, I kind of just stopped everything. I decided to go back and reexamine my personal vision, mission, and goals to make sure everything was in alignment.
I’ll be honest. The past 5 months have been extraordinarily challenging. Trying to stay hopeful and trying to stay afloat financially. I’ve felt very much like a failure and wondered if I could get back on track.
The struggle isn’t over and I don’t know the outcome. I’m trying to stay positive and hopeful, but it is unsettling.
Moving Forward
But after months of prayerful reflection, reevaluation and more, I never lost the end vision, which is to live authentically and generously and to tell a better story about the path to a happy life–which starts with love.
So as we move out of January and into February 2016 I decided to resume the Discover Grow Shinecast and put forth a concerted effort to bring the stories and messages to light that will help you (and myself) move forward on our hero’s journey.
Episode 7 features personal fitness trainer Gerald Smith talking about high intensity interval training as a time-saving approach to fitness and the importance of food to the get-fit plan.
I hope this post helps to explain what I’m trying to do through the Discover Grow Shinecast and how it fits into the overall Shinecast vision. It’s hard to get back on track after setbacks and failures, but the only thing I know to do is to stop chasing extraneous things and focus on what I feel is my assignment right now.
I hope you’ll come back. And share what you find useful with someone else.
