Embarking on the podcast journey was like standing on the edge of a cliff, heart pounding, knowing the only way forward was to leap. That's exactly what this episode revisits: the exhilaration and trepidation of starting something new, underscored by the commitment that propelled me,through those initial doubts. This first chapter is a celebration of the milestones reached and the community built around heartfelt conversations. It's an ode to the late-night bursts of creativity and the stories shared by guests that underscore the power of podcasting to connect and inspire. I relive the gratitude I feel for every listener who's joined me on this adventure, each bringing their unique perspectives.
Have you ever felt the push and pull of your boundaries, wrestling with when to say yes or no? This question is the pulse of our second chapter, as we delve into the complex web of emotions tied to our personal limits. This episide touches on the difficult moments that challenge our self-awareness, and the importance of honoring the signals our bodies send us. This isn't just about understanding yourself; it's about rewriting the stories that shape how we respond to the world. It's a call to align our actions with our deepest aspirations and to consider if our past habits serve our present selves. So, as we explore these self-reflective questions together, may you find the courage to set your boundaries and the clarity to live by them.
The information provided in Midweek Insights is for general informational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended as professional advice. Listeners should seek professional advice relevant to their specific circumstances before making any decisions.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the dynamic nature of certain topics may result in changes or updates. Midweek Insights does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of information discussed in the episodes.
Guests on Midweek Insights express their own opinions, which may not necessarily align with the views of the host. We encourage listeners to form their own opinions based on additional research and diverse perspectives.
Embarking on the podcast journey was like standing on the edge of a cliff, heart pounding, knowing the only way forward was to leap. That's exactly what this episode revisits: the exhilaration and trepidation of starting something new, underscored by the commitment that propelled me,through those initial doubts. This first chapter is a celebration of the milestones reached and the community built around heartfelt conversations. It's an ode to the late-night bursts of creativity and the stories shared by guests that underscore the power of podcasting to connect and inspire. I relive the gratitude I feel for every listener who's joined me on this adventure, each bringing their unique perspectives.
Have you ever felt the push and pull of your boundaries, wrestling with when to say yes or no? This question is the pulse of our second chapter, as we delve into the complex web of emotions tied to our personal limits. This episide touches on the difficult moments that challenge our self-awareness, and the importance of honoring the signals our bodies send us. This isn't just about understanding yourself; it's about rewriting the stories that shape how we respond to the world. It's a call to align our actions with our deepest aspirations and to consider if our past habits serve our present selves. So, as we explore these self-reflective questions together, may you find the courage to set your boundaries and the clarity to live by them.
The information provided in Midweek Insights is for general informational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended as professional advice. Listeners should seek professional advice relevant to their specific circumstances before making any decisions.
While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the dynamic nature of certain topics may result in changes or updates. Midweek Insights does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of information discussed in the episodes.
Guests on Midweek Insights express their own opinions, which may not necessarily align with the views of the host. We encourage listeners to form their own opinions based on additional research and diverse perspectives.
Speaker 1:
Hi there, lovely listeners, and welcome back to Midweek Insights. Happy New Year, I'm glad you're here with me in this new year moving forward. I wish you an amazing year ahead, I wish you help and I wish you many, many, many blessings for you and your loved ones. So I'd like to welcome you back to the podcast. It's been a slight pause through the holidays, but here we are back again and this is the place, remember, where we dive into real conversations, we explore the moments that shape us and we're on a quest seeking, hunting down practices and ideas and concepts and people that can and do make a difference in how we lead ourselves and how we lead our lives. So thank you for being here. Of course, there's also an emphasis on education, which is my background, with personal growth and personal development Kind of a meshing of all these wonderful things in one. I'm your host, desi Keralambos, and today I just wanted to take a moment to reflect a little bit on the journey so far and share a few thoughts. So, flashback to this time last year, here I was sitting in the same chair that I'm sitting in right now, with this newly purchased microphone, waiting to try out my voice on this new thing called podcasting. Now, to take you back a little bit, I was so afraid Anyone who'd hear the first episode would never be able to guess it. But there was so much fear in me and it was more the fear of doing this unknown thing and this attachment to what it might mean, and when I started to let go of it. Doesn't matter what it is, it doesn't have to have a specific outcome. But what would be lovely is if one person would resonate with something from the podcast or get an insight or get something that they needed to hear from that episode, or even if it entertained a person for an episode. Then it would be a success and from that criteria I'm happy to say it's been pretty successful because it has touched a few people and I'm thrilled with the feedback and with the guests I've had on the show and with the experience so far. So, as scary as it was, I'm also thrilled with the outcome so far.
Speaker 1:
So the fear was very real and I had so many lingering doubts, almost to the point, that I nearly didn't do it, kind of, in a way, is like I don't have to deal with it yet. You know, it's something I want to try out, but it doesn't have to happen yet. So push away, push away, push away. Until my mentor, akigedam Yidha, who was helping put the podcast together, said to me create a post on social media, commit to a date of launching and put it out there. And I was like joke, joke, joke. Do I really have to? Does this mean I really have to follow through? And I did and I put the post out.
Speaker 1:
As scary as it was, put the post out, close the computer and ran away. And when I opened it up again I saw there was a great response. People were quite interested and happy to, to cheer me on, which really felt good. I feel like that's exactly what I knew at that moment. But at the same time I was like, oh, my word, what on earth have I just committed to? This means I actually have to show up. This means I actually have to create the episodes and I have to do the work. So there is a lot to say for putting yourself out there publicly, whether it's to a small group of friends or a post on social media or to some family members declaring that you're going to do this thing. The pressure to deliver could be a great nudge needed when we want to do the one thing or try the thing we want to try. So that's my little background on how I finally did get it started, started the wheels rolling, started the momentum going and fast forward to today.
Speaker 1:
This is not without challenge. The big challenge is finding time. As many of you know, and I'm sure it's the same for you, we have so many things, we're juggling in various roles in our lives and for me, carving out the time to create content, to meet up with the guests, to edit has been quite a challenge. But there's a but. What has really helped me is the burst of inspiration, the ideas that Catch me two o'clock in the morning when I'm trying to sleep, and just the inspiration that comes in the connections made during the interviews. This is the fuel that keeps me going and, of course, the feedback from you, either through the guests I've interviewed, because some of you have never met, the feedback that has come through about the podcast, but also from some of you that have reached out personally to me and given me your take on what helped you or what resonated with you, and that in itself is the most exciting part and I'm really happy to keep going for that reason.
Speaker 1:
Speaking of connections, there's also something that I wanted to share that surprised me about the podcasting. There's a magic that happens when two people engage authentically, and there are these moments of genuine connection and genuine interest that Keep me hooked and eager to have more of these conversations and to create more of this content and to keep going with pursuing this adventure of podcasting. It's also fascinating to me to notice the different, distinct nuggets that different people will take away from the same conversation. Just like some of you out there, I love listening to podcasts and I've experienced the serendipity of tuning into a podcast at the precise right time and getting the precise right message that was right for me in that moment. Often I feel like that one episode was perfectly tailor made for me as the listener. I can say most episodes I've listened to, there's always been something that I feel like that is exactly that what I needed to hear and that was made for me. And Not to say that the world revolves around me, but that's how it feels when it comes to podcasts, and my hope is that our conversations here on the podcast offer you that same resonance and give you that same reaction and feeling.
Speaker 1:
As for the themes of the podcast. The pursuit is the same. We continue with the search for quality insights that can and do help us make a difference in the way we lead ourselves, first and foremost, and then how we impact those around us. There's a component of education as well, and also a seeking of inspirational individuals, people who have stories to tell and, of course, lots of personal growth and development topics and themes. I'd like to take a moment to thank you for being part of this journey, the ideas to have one every two weeks, although the pace might see a few changes, sometimes more frequent, sometimes less.
Speaker 1:
Before wrapping up the episode, I would love to leave you with a really valuable exercise. This is called the compassion inquiry, and it's a tool that can help the mind body connection. It can help us understand our struggles a little more and can help us identify the narratives that might be holding us back from going for the things that are important to us or the goals we have for ourselves. So this is a great exercise, which you can do daily or weekly, or even when you have that little bit of quiet reflection time. What's that, you might ask me? You know that time that you crave during the day to be on your own and to just have a long time with your thoughts.
Speaker 1:
For those of you who like to journal, these are great questions to jot down and reflect on on a regular basis. The first few questions are focused on understanding the mind, so asking ourselves when do I struggle to say no in the areas of my life that matter and how does this impact me? When do I struggle to say no in the areas of my life that matter and how does this impact me? So it matters to me, for example, to have a strong, fit, healthy body. I often get this completely wrong, but this is something I value. So when do I struggle to say no to those areas of my life that matter? When do I struggle to say no to the exercise? When do I struggle to say no to the healthy meal? When do I struggle to say no to the activity that will bring me closer to that goal of having a fit, healthy, strong body and mind, for example? So when do I struggle to say no to those moments and how does that impact me? Well, when I struggle to say no to the thing keeping me away from what I want, how does it impact me? It makes me feel like I've broken trust with myself or it makes me feel disappointed in myself. It even might make me feel a little annoyed with myself or angry at myself.
Speaker 1:
This is about noticing. It's not about criticizing and punishing yourself with your thoughts. It's just about becoming aware what is going on in my world that is making me feel this way. The second question is when have I denied following my urge to say yes? So, for example, I've been invited to a party or I've had an idea to take up a new hobby or start a new course and the first urge and need in my body thought was like yes, but then it was a no. I either convinced myself this is not for me, or whatever it was that made me say no. This is about noticing those moments when I've denied this need or this want to say yes, but my behavior has been the opposite of really wanting or needing to do so. These are the questions that help us identify our emotions, but specifically the ways in which we deny our emotions and our needs and sometimes how we prioritize others.
Speaker 1:
Then to get into, to get to know the bodily signals a little better and how we react physically in certain moments, we can ask ourselves a couple of other questions, one being what bodily signals have I been ignoring? Bodily signals? Do I have these headaches that I've just kind of brushed away? Or throat tightness in my throat, stomach tension in my shoulders? What are these bodily signals I have been ignoring and what symptoms could be trying to give me a warning? For example, the same thing with the headache. This headache, what could be warning me about? Am I not drinking enough water? Have I not taken a break? Am I stressed out this last week? Whatever it is that the symptoms could be trying to give me a warning. And in these questions we're focusing on the mind-body connection. It's a way of identifying where this emotional stress is held in our bodies and just noticing again, without criticism really important and by being just an observer, a neutral observer, to hang on a minute. There goes that feeling again, there's that tightness that I feel.
Speaker 1:
The next thing to do after noticing these emotions is to identify the hidden story behind your inability to say no. Why am I unable to say no when I really want to say no, but my answer was a yes. What's the story I'm telling myself in those moments, saying a yes when you've wanted to say no? Where did you learn these stories? Was it when you were a child? Was it at a moment in school? Was it a couple of times when something happened? Which situations, or if you can think back on the first time you shaped this desire to always say yes when you really want to say no Again. Noticing, not criticizing and not beating yourself up for doing this, but just noticing.
Speaker 1:
This is about untangling the narrative so that we can see how our responses and our behaviors once served us and then, taking it a step further, are they serving us today? Are these responses of always saying yes when I mean no Is it serving me today as an adult? Maybe it served me or protected me or gave me some connection when I was a child, but can I carry that through with me going forward, and is this helping in serving me today? It's a way of evaluating and seeing which responses and behaviors can continue and which we want to start to adjust or change, moving forward and seeing if my behavior now is aligning to some of the things that I want to achieve. Is it still serving me or is it something that's actually holding me back from something that I said I want for myself? I find these really helpful and I plan on typing them out and just having some photocopies for reflection time and then, over some time, jotting down my thoughts and ideas on these questions. I hope you find them as helpful as I have. I'm going to do a quick recap of the questions, just as a rapid fire, so that if you want to take a pen and paper and jot them down now you can.
Speaker 1:
The first question was when do I struggle to say no in the areas of my life that matter, and how does that impact me? When have I denied following my urge to say yes? What bodily signals have I been ignoring? What symptoms could be trying to give me warning, and where did you learn these stories you tell yourself about why you should say yes when really you just want to say no. Wrapping up again, I'd like to thank you for your support. It means the world to me and if you resonate with today's content or you know someone else who might, don't hesitate to share the love, subscribe, hit the notification button, stay tuned for more thought provoking conversations and guests and inspirations, and thank you again for tuning in. Your presence is cherished Until next time. Take care and see you very, very soon.