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Podcast Opening:

Welcome to Do The Hard Thing Episode 4. I am Jason Archer… creator, freedom seeker and leader of self | full time student and part time teacher of self mastery, and today’s theme is “You… Expecting Something From You”…

So, turn up the volume, put down the distractions and let’s kick this off…

[NOTE: Insert some intro music here | Insert brief description here]

Summary Description:

Have you ever started a project that you felt held a great deal of meaning for you, and then for whatever reason you could not move toward the outcome you wanted to create. Whether it was a Mental, Physical, or Spiritual target you sought, it didn’t matter… there was some part of you who refused to move. This podcast is born out of that specific idea. Do The Hard Thing is an exploration in human movement.

Podcast Content:

When I started this podcast, I faced a great deal of resistance within myself… Like there was this anti-me wanting to negate anything creative I planned to put forth. I talk about the difficulty I faced in overcoming this in the Zero Episode of Do The Hard Thing… so stop here and go listen to that for the whole story.

The nutshell version of the reason, as irrational as it was, for not getting this going sooner was that I was fearful. And, I really wasn’t at a point yet in my development where I had a level of mastery of myself that I could afford to make an individual power move, like putting out a podcast that was solely me. Where there was no place or other person involved I could hide behind, if the shit hit the fan and I was going to take some slings and arrows from any critics or naysayers.

My thinking made me fragile. When in reality, I wasn’t… I could take the hits if they came, I just didn’t want to step into my power and prove that to myself.

That didn’t stop my fears from showing up in my head and saying ,”There’s always that chance that all you’ll prove is that you’re fragile and incompetent.

Now, i’m sure you can read between the lines here and notice what is happening or what was happening back in that moment. I was afraid of the outcomes I would create and that they would not be considered “Good Enough” out there within the realm of the old interwebs… and, yet I moved anyway.

I moved anyway.

This is the courage phase.

Courage is not something regularly required if you plan to live status quo, however if growth is your end game… you’ll need it in spades. And, here’s the really fucked up thing about the courage phase: You have to earn the right to get yourself here.

Yep, before you can experience the weight of courage you’ll need when you expand and grow, you first have to decide on what you will expect of yourself.

Most of your life, you’ll have people placing expectations on you. Parents, teachers, friends, co-workers, hell even the system of government you’re born into all create a predetermined path for anyone who chooses not to question the direction they are being herded.

Your parents and teachers expect you to behave and do well in school, then find gainful employment. Your circle of friends have an expectation on your role in the group… Maybe you’re the funny one, or the smart one, or the one who organizes all the going out or getting together, and of course there is Uncle Sam who expects you to pay up in terms of taxes, and pay up when your parking meter expires because you took extra time to help that elderly gentleman catch his dog when he broke leash back there on the sidewalk.

Expectations… Every one places them on you.

The REAL QUESTION is: Do you place any on yourself?

Michael Jordan, the great basketball player, is quoted as saying, “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”

So, if I carry that idea forward with doing something I have not yet done (in this case for me it was a solo podcast), and I know that I have to expect something from me before I can do that thing… then by default, I know I am going to face some serious trials before the universe grants me that thing or ability I want.

Maybe it’s long hours on the basketball court, or reading a book a week, or committing to a coach for guidance, or hundreds upon hundreds if not thousands of reps in practice of the thing or ability you want to acquire. It doesn’t really matter, what matters is you will be faced with your inadequacies repeatedly and possibly publicly… You’ll face your fears and face the reality of your point A, your baseline starting point, and you will NOT enjoy it much of the time. There will be pain, embarrassment, failure, bad decisions, and even worse outcomes in the beginning.

That is how it should be if you are genuinely looking to expand yourself and your capabilities.

Those with COURAGE and GRIT, those who weather the consistency of dealing with the fear and failure are the only ones who get what they truly desire.

And, with each of these comes the tracking… the black and white results of what you did or did not do on your path to satisfy whatever expectation you set for yourself.

The expectation I set for myself, the goal, the target for me in this podcast is that I will have new content written, produced, recorded, and syndicated by Monday of each week.

This is something I’ve never done before, however this is my 5th week of doing it. Each time I complete an episode, I get just a little bit better, a little bit smoother, and my ability increases along with my confidence and my belief in myself.

The easiest way to think about this in terms of what you will experience is this: No matter what expectation you set for yourself in terms of growth or ability, realize that the “feel good” part… the part where you experience joy over what you’re doing COMES AFTER the “feeling like shit” part where you are fumbling around in the dark looking for a path toward your expectation of yourself.

It is in this struggle for what you want from yourself, that you find your true nature… Will you quit when you realize no one is coming to save you, or will you consistently move through the fog and step into the power you posses.

I hope it’s the latter… you will serve the world to higher degree by doing so.

Podcast Closing:

That’s it for today! Thank you for listening, and if you found value in this message be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google, Castbox, or Stitcher  | Share this with those you know need to hear it on social | And I’ll see you back here in the next episode | This is Jason Archer signing off | Now… go, and DO THE HARD THING.

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Podcast Opening:

Welcome to Do The Hard Thing Episode 3. I am Jason Archer… creator, freedom seeker and leader of self | full time student and part time teacher of self mastery, and today’s theme is “Why Bother With It?”…

So, turn up the volume, put down the distractions and let’s kick this off…

[NOTE: Insert some intro music here | Insert brief description here]

Summary Description:

Have you ever started a project that you felt held a great deal of meaning for you, and then for whatever reason you could not move toward the outcome you wanted to create. Whether it was a Mental, Physical, or Spiritual target you sought, it didn’t matter… there was some part of you who refused to move. This podcast is born out of that specific idea. Do The Hard Thing is an exploration in human movement.

Podcast Content:

Today’s podcast goes out to all the entrepreneurs… Everyone putting their skin in the game, cash on the line, and choosing into the game of business and development. Those who take extraordinary risks to bring ideas and services to life that few have the audacity to pursue. This one is for all of you who Bother With It.

Most of the time, when you begin something new, something different or out of the ordinary for yourself… you’ll face all kinds of questions and challenges.

And many people are shocked to learn that the most ardent challengers tend to be those who are closest in terms of relationship or friendship.

We tend to think of those closest to us as the ones who are SUPPOSE TO always be supportive and have our backs when it comes to doing hard things, or making big changes in the way we act or show up in the world because that is the very definition of family and friends, right?

That is what we were taught growing up and what we expected as we got older and went off into the world for ourselves.

Yet, if you’ve put yourself in the position of seeking growth in your relationships, your business, or your being… You’ve no doubt been placed in the line of fire of many questions and comments from those in your existing circle who may not understand why it is you want to do what it is you are setting out to achieve.

And usually, the questions and comments come down to one singular idea: “WHY BOTHER WITH IT?”

It may sound something like this: “What do you mean you want to start your own business? You have a great job with good benefits… You really want to walk away from that safety and security to go into the world of entrepreneurship where 90% of all business fail? From where I’m sitting your life is pretty solid. You know, this might not work out… So, why bother with it?”

Every entrepreneur has heard that one at one point or another. And, every entrepreneur has thought about going back to the ease of working for someone else in those early days of long hours for little return.

And, in those later days when the wrong decision could wipe you out.

As an entrepreneur myself, I can tell you this: If you want easy money, get a job. The easiest money out there is money paid to you on a guaranteed basis with little change in income from week to week by an employer who has assumed all the risk and now needs help in the form of employees.

Someone else has done the hunting… all you have to do is pitch in around camp and you’ll get a nice meal from the kill as payment.

This is not to say there is some inherent weakness in pitching in around camp, your value is not defined by what you do to earn a living per se. And, for 95% percent of humans, pitching in around camp will be their role.

Statistically, I have not identified any country where more than 5% of the population is entrepreneurial.

So, if playing the game of entrepreneur is something you desire, you stand a strong chance of facing the “Why Bother With It” mentality on a regular basis. At least until you can prove that you can and will provide for yourself and your circle to a degree higher than you could have in the role of employee.

Once you’ve done that, you’ve effectively answered the Why Bother With It by your actions. It becomes self evident to those around you why you chose to bother with it in the first place. Your success means more freedom in the way of time and money and even relationships. You now have the ability to work when you want, enjoy the fruits of monetary success, and even choose who you want to associate with.

These freedoms are the reason you bother with it. Why you take the risk, why you work the long hours to solidify systems and people who can act on your behalf and get paid to perform a service that provides not only value to the world, it also puts money in their pockets for doing something they want to do in the first place.

You bother with it to free yourself. And, once you free yourself, you can substantially impact the lives of others to a higher degree. We see this time and time again with successful entrepreneurs… all the way down to the local level.

The guy who owns the tire shop and the lady who owns the beauty salon are regularly found funding local sports teams and events, you’ve seen their signs hanging on the outfield fence at a little league game or in the program at a local community theatre. These placements usually cost more than they generate in cash flow for the business… so why do these men and women fund these ads?

It’s simple…

They want to…

And, they have the means to do it…

They know that they can help positively impact someone’s life… and that feeling is extraordinary. So they fucking Bother With It.

If you are curious about entering the game of entrepreneurship, I want you to consider this idea of “Why Bother With It?” It speaks to your purpose. Is your purpose bigger than your reasons to remain where you are and not go for what you want? Chances are your purpose here in this life is bigger than you’ve imagined. Or, you know your purpose could be significant, yet you repress those ideas and feelings and keep them hidden… never allowing your light to shine on this world.

“Why Bother With It?” Is the question asked by those who seek stability in an unstable world… It’s just a projection of the inner doubts and fears the asker of the question holds inside. And, for him or her, it’s much easier to make an effort to keep you on their level, than it would be for the asker to ask himself why he’s chosen to play small and take the scraps from someone else’s table… if deep down he wishes to be greater.

“Why Bother With It?” is simply an attitude of “things are good enough”. And, from that place, its very difficult to strive for more. All your needs are met. Most of your wants are fulfilled. In this space, you have options. You have nothing forcing you to move toward bigger or better.

For me personally, this year has been all about expansion…

I seek to expand my life physically, spiritually, and mentally because I understand that there is no such thing as stability in this universe. All objects are either moving toward something or away from something. Nothing is standing still.

Which object are you?

Are you moving toward what you want, or further away from it each day? Realize that if by your estimation you are standing still, you are actually moving further away, because everything around you keeps moving. Even the thing you may have talked yourself out of wanting.

If that’s you, I encourage you to apply your power in the direction of that thing you want… Do The Hard Thing. Motivate yourself and move in a purposeful direction.

Not so you have a bigger business or paycheck, though both are certainly desirable… Do it so you know that when you leave this world, you’ve done everything in your power to become the man who squeezed every ounce of life and light from himself for the betterment of all he comes in contact with.

That’s Why You Bother With It.

Podcast Closing:

That’s it for today! Thank you for listening, and if you found value in this message be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google, Castbox, or Stitcher  | Share this with those you know need to hear it on social | And I’ll see you back here in the next episode | This is Jason Archer signing off | Now… go, and DO THE HARD THING.