LYV 2020 Recap with Bagel

Bagel:  Well, we finally made it. 2020 is just about over, and I think we could all use a big sigh of relief. I know we're not quite out of the thick of the pandemic quite yet, but at least we're making it through this year. Which was really tough for a lot of people. I thought we would round out this year with a recap episode where I'm going to walk you through some celebrations and gratitude and lessons learned and some other cool stuff.

[00:00:36] And this was actually recorded live just a few days ago, and you can always check out our live posts on Facebook and Instagram. If you're following us at Live Your Values,  L Y V show on Instagram. And so you may hear a couple of things that were, for the live audience, but  I did the best I could to make sure it was all listenable for the podcast.

[00:00:58] So here it is the 2020 recap of the Live Your Values podcast with me, Bagel, a little short episode for you today. Hope you're all safe and have a safe holiday. Just a reminder that you can check out all the episodes of the Live Your Values podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. So I refer to a few different episodes, actually, all of the episodes that we've done so far up to this point. And you can find those on our buzzsprout site or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[00:01:27] Enjoy.

[00:01:29]  Welcome to the Live Your Values 2020 recap.  Cheers to whatever drink you may be consuming.

[00:01:44] I've got my coffee today. And even though I can't actually see you, it's good to see you if you are here, if you are following along. So, what a year. Man, what a year it's been. It is, it's been crazy. It's been, you know, remarkable. I've been hearing a lot of people saying this is like, you know, that year that's going to be in the history books and we're all going to remember it, for better, for worse. For worse, for a lot of people.

[00:02:09] I know. But amongst pandemic and racial and civil unrest and elections and, divides and everything that's going on, there's a lot of negativity. And there's a lot of shit to deal with, to be honest. But I'm hoping that especially cause kind of, as we're winding into the holidays now, for people who are able to be with loved ones or at least contact loved ones. If you don't, if you're not able to physically be around people, right now in terms of risk and things like that. That you can try to find a little solace and a little bit of comfort coming down here to the end of the year. So, I'll try not to make this too sappy. I've got some fun stuff I want to share with you guys. I want to share some gratitude, celebrations, breakthroughs, goals, little more of my commentary on some of what I've learned from all of the interviews that I've done this year with some amazing guests.

[00:03:07] There's been so much good content that has come out of me simply asking a few questions in these interviews. And I've had a little bit of time to digest them now that I've gone back and listened to them myself. And I just wanted to add some thoughts and try to tie things together also. Finding some patterns in ways that we can live our values more and live a more meaningful life every day.

[00:03:30]And so I'm going to try to do that for you on this, on this recording. So also want to share some exciting things that are coming down the pike. So this has been, like I said, a crazy year. We've started the podcast back in May, so a little over six months and probably seven, eight months actually. And we've got some exciting things happening that are coming up too. And I want to share that with you guys. 

[00:03:50]So, first of all, thank you to all of the listeners. I know I've said this a few times recently, but I really want to say, thank you. Give you guys a shout out. This podcast is for you.

[00:03:59]I mean, I could, I probably would still do it even if I didn't have an audience, because this is kind of the stuff I love to talk about. But it makes it worth it just knowing that there's at least one person like Xtian that can get something out of these conversations. So thank you for listening.

[00:04:13] Thank you for supporting. I've got a wave of support and texts and funny comments this week from our episode with, with Mike Ancona, who I called my eighth best friend on the, on the interview. So that was a lot of fun to do. And I want to say thank you to all the guests who've been on the show as well.

[00:04:31]You guys obviously know who you all are and I appreciate you guys coming on and talking through your values. And being vulnerable and sharing a little bit about what matters to you. And I think it's really helped our audience get to reflect a little bit about their own as well. So shout out to all of you people and for everyone who's working behind the scenes.

[00:04:50] So if you actually listened to the very end of any podcast episode, you know, the shout outs, but I'm going to call them out, especially at the end of the year here. So big shout out to Emma. Who's probably listening to me, shout through this microphone in another room, for helping with the concept and the branding and the logo.

[00:05:06]Danielle for helping with our marketing and Becca for our operations. Just this, none of this would be possible without all of them. So thank you. Thank you. 

[00:05:15] Some celebrations for the year. So I hope, you know, this is, this is me sharing a little bit about kind of what we've been working on and what what's going well, and kind of what we're thinking about.

[00:05:23] I'm hoping that you've got some things you're celebrating amidst the chaos of the year too. For me, it's obviously starting this podcast was a huge celebration and just kind of getting over the hump of just starting, which was a theme from this, this week's episode, this last one. But getting it up and having now what will be 18 episodes published, including that trailer.

[00:05:43] So that was really cool to get going and I've got my fun studio, as you can see. I think some of you may have seen this already, but I've got these little, a little sound treatment here behind me with some branded colors and pointing, I guess, in at my head. Apparently there's something going on there. And a new microphone, you know, that I, that I saved up for. And so just kind of building this, this little studio together so I can do this a little bit more consistently and with good quality. Has been really, really fun to work on. 

[00:06:16] We've done a few live streams. So like this, getting in front of the camera even though it's not my favorite thing to do. But getting more  comfortable with that and the Bagel bite videos. And I know some people have reached out and said that those have been entertaining and somewhat educational too. So, it's been fun to do that. Obviously gaining some confidence as a podcaster. It's probably one of the biggest wins of doing all of this, right. Is just, you're learning a new skill and continuing to hone that.

[00:06:41] So. I'm wondering what you all are working on this year. Now that you've probably had a little bit more time if you're not running around and going places or even going to commute back and forth to an office. Like, what are the things that you're working on? What skills are you building? I know Xtian started a podcast as well, and I've been looking for a good opportunity to mention it.  So Two Guys, One Popcorn is a great podcast about movies, and I think he's definitely above 10 episodes already. And just starting at that this year, it's very entertaining. So you should check that out.  

[00:07:13] I've also had the opportunity to actually help a few people launched their podcast or at least give them a little bit of advice, whatever that may look like in my young days of having my own podcast. And that has been a lot of fun.  To share the wealth, share the knowledge and help other people do this. Because it is a growing medium, a growing art form. I think a lot of people can probably attest that there's, you know, podcasts are blowing up. And Xtian reminded me. So they do a 13 episodes of the Two Guys, One Popcorn podcast. So a lot of fun, check that out. So those are some celebrations. 

[00:07:51]So here's what I really wanted to share with you guys. This is kind of the meat  of this  and it's some of the breakthroughs and lessons that I kind of gathered and gained from listening to our episodes and the interviews that we did this year. And I kind of grouped them into three buckets, that seems to be, themes.

[00:08:11] I think, you know, of course there's lots of different things being shared. And the theme that ties all the episodes together is that everybody shared their core values. Whether it was two, three, five, however many it was. But I kind of grouped them into three different buckets in terms of the takeaways from these episodes. The first bucket was kind of the big picture, discovering your own values as it relates to your life and maybe career as well. And obviously we kicked it right off, talking to Michael Moore distinguishing between what's your life purpose versus mission. How do your values guide you to serve that mission and to live that purpose. We talked a little bit about the differences between talents and natural talents and strengths versus skills that you can build, right. And how those all play in. And I think doing that work early on to not necessarily early on, but doing that work whenever. Now, like as a first step to learn a little bit more about like, what drives you and what do you care about the most and how are those values going to help you live a meaningful life? So that's a great place to start. and this is not necessarily a plug for you to go listen to all these episodes, but I just want to tie these themes together. And I do think that first episode, is a great, great place to start. If you're thinking through like purpose, mission values and that sort of thing.  

[00:09:35] We talked a little bit about career stuff. And obviously I know, you know, lots of people are, have been affected by this pandemic and this year, which obviously has to be a topic of conversation, even if we're sick of talking about it. I apologize, but it's affected everybody. And you know, I think some people are lucky to keep jobs, but it may not be thrilled about what they're doing.

[00:09:58] And some people have lost jobs. And I think, thinking through, if you, if you are unhappy or if you think you need to make a switch, we had some really good conversations, both with Darrell and episode three and Quinn and episode 11, talking about how to do some self-discovery. Really do some reflection, check in with yourself about like what it is that, that motivates you. Where are your skills, but also what, how do your values drive what you want to do in your job. Or in your community service or in whatever, the kind of area in your life that you're like dedicating time and sweat and energy into. It starts with kind of getting to know yourself first and then starting to match and align what you care about most to the type of work that you want to go out there and seek. We talked in episode four with Brittany about coaching. And I just, I wanted to mention, I think I mentioned this in passing maybe in that episode, but I did want to mention that I've been working with a coach over the last year plus. And I have taken advantage of every type of help imaginable over the course of my life so far. I've gone to therapy. I've worked with business advisors. I've had mentors. I've, everything that you can think of. And, I can't express enough the power of having a really effective coach. Both for like my business stuff and the things I want to accomplish, but also just for me like working on myself and it's easy to get into your own head. Especially if you're spending some more time by yourself these days. And so whether that's a coach, a mentor, a friend, a therapist if you need it right. Like asking for help and having a sounding board and someone that can kind of help keep things objective for you is crucial I think  for most people. So, just wanted to mention that, that, that has been a really helpful thing. And I've seen it be really helpful for others as well. Yeah. So here we go. Let's bring this up here. Help is not a four letter word. Yes, that's great. That's great. yeah, and I think, I don't know, this is just my opinion. I think I've seen a little bit of a shift in, in sort of society, especially with males that we're maybe not as afraid to do that as maybe, you know, stereotypically, we used to be. I think things are changing a little bit, but it's good. It's good to admit that, right. Like we all need help. We all, we can't do everything alone in life. So just ask. I guarantee you there's people out there willing to help you and probably wanting to help you. 

[00:12:41] Episode six with Danielle, we were talking about living for you. And Danielle has an incredible story. I know we have a high number of downloads on that one, but I would definitely highly suggest. I mean, you should listen to all of these, but, Danielle's story is remarkable and I really appreciate her sharing it with us and just kind of the message of following your gut and living for you. It is, it's not saying that you should be selfish all the time. That's not the message there. It's like, you know, how are you - are you coming to terms with like your reality and the things that you want? And are there things that you want to explore in your own life? And what's really stopping you from doing those things.

[00:13:21]And then with Kaplan, we talked about, you know, I love this. We're kind of getting into, so, you know, we were talking about the focus on yourself and now we're kind of going outward here and trying to bring about more objectivity. So with Kaplan, we talked about writing your chapter in someone else's book, which I think is an amazing, analogy, or imagery, I guess. It's crazy. You think, you think you're just in your own world all the time, right? You know, you're doing your thing and you're going to work. You're working on your podcast. You've got your family, you've got a dog. You've got the things that you have to do. You're wrapped up in your every day. Sometimes what we forget is that like, even though it's probably virtual right now, think about all the little interactions we have with people. Through texts, through zoom calls, hopefully in person, even if you're going to the grocery store now, whenever you're doing. They're endless countless opportunities every single day, where you could be affecting someone else in some way. And it's not that you necessarily need to think about every single interaction that you have and be incredibly intentional about it. But maybe every once in a while you can stop and think like, "Oh, how, how can I help this person? Or what is the impact I'm making on this other person?" And knowing that you are like Kaplan said a chapter in their book. And sometimes we don't even know the impact that we make with other people until they tell us. Either on the spot or maybe it's years later, or maybe, maybe never. But just bringing some objectivity to that and knowing that, that you are actually making an impact on the world and in your every day, is pretty cool. 

[00:14:55]And to round out this, this bucket of what we're talking about with like discovering your own values and kind of working on yourself. We had a great two-part episode, still mind blowing to me just how much incredible eye opening, you know, aha moments I had in talking with Justin Bennardo, about living in the first and third person. So kind of tying this all together and talking about, you know, living outside yourself versus living  inside yourself. Like the telescope and the microscope, and being able to oscillate between the two and bringing balance to know that like, yes, you should focus on the things that matter to you. You should strive for the things you care about and the goals that you want and treat the people in your life, the way that you want to treat them. But also know that not everything is so heavy. And that's a great reminder, I think for all of us, but I know I need that a lot. It's like, okay, you're not necessarily saving the world and you're not crushing the world. Right. Like do what you do do it well, have integrity, but also know that like the world is not resting on your shoulders. Which is an important message to hear too. 

[00:16:01] Take a little coffee sip, cheers to anyone out there, hanging out and watching along on video, cheers to you. And if you're listening along on the podcast, thank you for checking out this recap.

[00:16:12]So that was the big bucket. I've got two smaller buckets of, of themes here from the, from the recap of 2020 Live Your Values podcasts. So the next one is friendship and outreach and doing things for others and also kind of yourself through that at the same time. So we had great conversations. And I say we, so I guess I had great conversations. I interviewed Joel in episode two and then John Gray episodes eight and nine, talking a lot about friendships. Caring about people. How are you showing that you care about people. You know, and maintaining and sort of manicuring those friendships throughout your life. And it's hard these days, I think to do that well, virtually, you know. Everyone kind of has their own way of keeping up with people. Joel talks a lot about like, you know, for him even just getting a text about something that made you think of that person. Like that means something right. I know it's holiday time. Some people really love to send holiday cards, sometimes people will personalize them or write a nice note or whatever it is, right. Just, you can't do everything, but like is there a little thing you can do to personalize something, to show somebody that you care. And with John Gray, we talked a lot about friendships and kind of finding your people and maintaining the friendships that actually matter to you and obviously friendships fizzle over time and we kind of had some different examples about that. But also, you know, something that stuck out with me there was facing tough conversations. You know, he mentioned a friend he had in high school, I believe it was. That was just kind of ragging on him endlessly and really for no good reason. And it was almost like he was treating, being treated like a punching bag. And so he eventually just like, you know, manned up and called him out. And it was like, I don't like how you're treating me and the friendship kind of fizzled from there. And in the end, you're probably better off not having that friend, if they're not willing to take that feedback. You know, how beneficial is it, right, for you to continue a friendship where the person's not treating you the way you want to be treated? I know that sounds really cliche and obvious. But you know, even as adults sometimes we've got a, it's hard and maybe we've got friends that we've had from growing up that we don't jive with anymore.

[00:18:32] Maybe they have different values than us, and it's not, it's not really, it doesn't really work, you know, the way it used to. Right. And that's okay. It doesn't mean you have to end a friendship. But you may have to, have a tough conversation about where you are in your life and how, how that's different and find ways to, to meet and compromise too.

[00:18:54] I know this is, this may sound, this may be sounding a little preachy. I mean, it's me. So those of you who know me, I'm not saying that you have to think this way, but I'm sharing my thoughts because I think there's just so many great lessons that I took away from these conversations, like I said. And I'd love obviously to hear from you all, about what meant something to you? Was there something that struck you in these episodes that was meaningful? I heard, I've been hearing through the grapevine that people seem to like the overlays that we kind of put in inbetween some of the conversations to get you thinking and reflecting a little bit. So, would love to hear what has resonated with you  this first season, I guess this first year of LYV. 

[00:19:39] So jumping back on with the friendship and the outreach, very fun enlightening conversation with Beard, Andrew Braunstein, episode 10, about the kindness of strangers and doing something nice for other people, just because. And I love his biggest example, I think, was sharing meals together. Not everybody cooks. Right. But, you know, even if it's just the gesture of bringing something literally to the table to offer someone else. You know, right now it's not as easy to do that, but when things are safe and you can go, you know, to someone's house or, there's some sort of gathering, I think food is an excellent way to bring people together. Bring cultures together and just kind of have a, have a fun time.

[00:20:21] You, I think there's, we all need that right now. There's just some, some enjoyment, some entertainment and just hanging out. So that was very, very cool. And then, Jess Hainsworth, business owner out in California, talked a lot about building a friendship culture in her shop by welcoming people into her store with "Hi friend." And just how that like, immediately forms a connection between an owner of a business and a customer, and probably brings the walls down and from the get-go creates this culture of friendship and kinship and giving and helping and understanding. I just thought that was so cool.

[00:20:59]So the last bucket. So we've got three of these, the last bucket and stuff, sort of theme that I noticed throughout these episodes was the theme of kind of honing your craft. And working on skills and working on yourself, but in more of a tangible way. So we had Justin Honigstein on episode seven, talking about music. And you know, that he started off in doing acapella and singing, singing music, growing up, and then, picked up a guitar. And we just talked about how much patience, and dedication, and passion, and belief, and hours it takes to hone your craft. You know, using the example of a musician, it's a lot of work and it's endless, right. And you're constantly improving. 

[00:21:46] There was an episode kind of a crossover in episode 12, where I was on the Do Good, Be Good podcast. And we were talking a little bit about businesses and small businesses this year and how they've had to adapt in so many different ways. And I know there's still tons of businesses out there that are struggling a lot right now. We talked through a couple of examples of how businesses have successfully pivoted. And I think sometimes it's really helpful when you feel like either individually or as part of an organization, like you feel like you're a little hopeless. You kind of don't know where to go with things and you don't really see the path forward. It can be really helpful just to hear some examples of maybe other people who are at a similar stage as you, and kind of what they're doing to help get back on track. And so we talked about that a little bit. And then, and Jess again, I actually wanted to mention justice episode again, number 15. She talked a lot about following her passion, almost like taking a big risk in moving to San Diego, pretty much for the acai bowls, sort of jokingly with her and her husband. But they wound up there and she had this passion around, you know, creating a thrift store that felt welcoming. And following that passion and then being open to new opportunities, like opening a coffee shop next door, even though her gut told her no at first. She was, she remained open and ended up realizing that it was a benefit to her and her customers. So pivoting there. 

[00:23:13] And then this last one, you know, which was just so much fun with Ancona talking about the importance of feedback and just using that as the reason to start something. It's like, I don't remember if I left this, if I left this in the episode in the edit, but I was like, so why do you think it's important to just start? And he just goes, "Because you'll get feedback." It's like, "Oh man." It's like the simplest statement sometimes get the biggest, make the biggest splash, make the biggest impact. And that really hit me hard. It's like, if you just do it because you know you're going to get feedback, or you can ask for that feedback. It's like, why not start? What is, what is really holding you back? 

[00:23:53] So that is my, my recap of my learning and some of the breakthroughs that I had from doing these interviews over the course of the last seven, eight months of the podcast. Again, would love to hear what you guys think. Please hit us up. So, in the description, you can email us contact@liveyourvalues.co - C O.

[00:24:19] There also, there will also be a link. If you want to leave us a voice message and give us some feedback on the podcast, you can do that. And you never know, we may even play it on the air, or I guess on a recording if we like what you have to say. And I also want to encourage you to leave us that voicemail or email us, if you have any suggestions for topics, for this coming year. We've got a lot of stuff that we're planning, but we want to make this valuable and meaningful to you. So we'd love to hear your suggestions for what types of topics and even guests that you might want to have on here on the show, to learn a little bit more about values and living a meaningful life and all that sort of thing. 

[00:25:00]So with all that said, we're about wrapping this up. I appreciate you all listening and, for again, for your support over the course of this first year launching this podcast. My goal for the next few months, and for this next year is to continue to put out consistent high quality content. And like I said, love your feedback on how to continue to do that. But I'm really excited to continue to do more interviews, podcasts, live events. We're working on a website through help of a friend who's been on the show. We've got a freebie that's coming that's going to be on the website to help you think through your own vision, mission, and values. So stay tuned for that. I'll have some announcement about that and one really special thing, and I'm not going to spoil it, but I'm going to tease it is that we're going to have a really fun event at the end of December here.

[00:25:55] So obviously if you're listening to this way in the future, you can hopefully go back and watch a recording of this thing. But we have a really, really fun, exciting events coming up at the end of the month, sponsored by the Live Your Values podcast at the end of December 2020 here. So you'll be hearing about that very soon.

[00:26:10]In the meantime, stay safe, be smart. I'm going to, I'm going to kind of close this up on a note, from one of our guests on the show, and that is if nothing else take the time to at least consider your actions, consider your beliefs, consider how you're treating other people. If you do at least that, I think if we all did at least that, I think we will live in a supportive world.

[00:26:39] And I think we could all use that right about now. So love you all. Thank you so much for your support. We will see you in 2021, on the podcast. We will see you at the end of December for a very, very fun event. And I will talk to you all soon.   

[00:27:00] If you like, what you heard, please hit subscribe in your podcast app so you get notified about all new episodes of the Live Your Values podcast with me, Bagel. Special, thanks to Emma Peck for logo design, Danielle Gelber for marketing strategy,  and Rebecca Kittel and my team at Free Your Time Virtual Assistants for operation support.

[00:27:20]Until next time, get out there and LYV.