Personal Growth : The Highest Path Towards Peace

Cadre. How are you? It's a beautiful day in Minneapolis. That's where. Where I'm learning to, to love fall again. Was, was just in spring for a little while. And it's. It's interesting to have the flip of seasons. So I am really excited to be back. I feel recharged, I feel refreshed. I feel. Hey, speak. Wonder CEO. I have a new outlook on life. That's what travel does for me pretty much every time. And I am super excited to talk about personal growth and. Hi, Carrie. Personal growth as your path to peace as a yogi.

This was one that took me a while to grasp. And I am still on it. It's a lifelong journey. It's a lifelong journey to continue to evolve. And sometimes I think about, like Darwin and how, how evolution is now, now that we have technology and running water and things of that nature. And to me it's just that it's being a human who can evolve that is such a lifelong journey, as well as something that has a thought that's aided my personal growth. To be okay, to change and to allow myself freedom to get unstuck.

Sometimes I, I have a history of depression and I would just hibernate, get stuck. I'm down, I'm, I'm low and I ain't moving and you're wrong and I'm right and just all those wacky thoughts that my brain would. And stories would, would tell myself that I believed was true. So I'm curious if any of you have regular, hey, Rick, good to see you. If you have any regular, like, reoccurring monologue that prohibits you from evolving or prohibits you from pursuing your path of growth. And if so, you know what, what's a tactic that you, that you do to kind of get out of it, to recognize that like, ah, this is not the story I want to be telling myself, or I don't want to entertain this or, gosh, this just really is very unhelpful.

There's that saying that the mind is an unreliable narrator. And I witnessed that firsthand very often. And I will say that that is what set the, the cat. The catalyst to my growth was, was being so low and listening to the madness inside for so long that I had no choice but to be like, enough. Enough is enough. And I finally just told myself, like, this growth process is going to be really tough, but I have to do it. I'm tired. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. And when you reach that place, which is an uncomfortable place, but I highly encourage anyone who's there, if you know anybody that's there to like, that's.

This is that time where they're like sink or swim, they're gonna do it or they're not. And so help them, assist them. Like being in this uncomfortable place where you're like, I have to change because I'm the problem. It's very disorienting, it's confusing, it's. There's a lot of rage because you're ashamed perhaps or all sorts of stuff. Stuff came up for me and it was 2015 when I, when I hit my, my low point and I said, you know, with mental illness, with addiction and I, I just was done serving, being in survival mode.

I was done with it. And I picked up yoga for like the third time, but I never stuck with it before. And then I just was like, ah, this feels nice to actually and like get some quiet and some peace and kept with it. Started journaling, started making new friends, started working with my energy and learning about psychology. And I mean I learned a bunch of that in college, but it was just my path was very unique and as is everybody's to, to find, you know, what your calling is. Like what is something that you're finding interesting that's helpful for you.

What's, what's a habit that is, is healthy. There's that saying of like get a habit that makes you money, keeps you healthy and makes, keeps you social or something like that. I'm paraphrasing of course. I can't remember the exact one, but so I'm curious what habits do you have to. That are like a non negotiable that you're contributing to your growth. Like you're like for mine every morning I gotta go and take a walk. I just gotta get in nature because I'm gonna be in technology all day and I know that I need to start my day with nature, curious what, what you may have.

And then like with that I've just grown with these non negotiables and grown through discomfort. I feel like growth is just so uncomfortable sometimes you just don't wanna and then, but you know it will be worth it. And so I, all of a sudden I was like, wow, I'm improving myself. I'm on this healing journey. And then it just became like my identity, like I'm obsessed about healing now. And that's was a trap in itself. It wasn't, it wasn't very helpful because it was like I just kept having this belief that I'm broken And I kept, like, being in this mess that, like, I have to fix myself.

What's the next thing? What's the next thing? What's the next thing? And I wasn't peaceful. I was trying to be peaceful, but I just couldn't get there because I was so obsessed with trying to feel better and feel better and feel better and feel better and do better and do better and do better. And so. And journaling was part of that. Carrie says that I've been journaling consistently for the past month and love it. I also prioritize some kind of movement. Heck yeah. I love that, Carrie. Movement for sure.

And yeah, journaling for me, I've done a lot of that. And I would say, like, movement is one of the best ways. And Rick, you probably are the same way just with. To deal with pain is that, like, our bodies are, like, literally meant to move and like, farm and harvest and hunt and not necessarily in that order or for today, but what I am saying is, like, it's meant to move rather than to sit in a desk all day. And so we do have to counteract that a little bit. I found that that helped me a lot. Like, just sitting on a desk all day is just not conducive.

I'm already cracking. It's not conducive to my health. So I love that you said the movement piece because no matter what kind of movement, it could be dancing, it could be weightlifting, it could be Pilates, it could be physical therapy. I know that I have to do that sometimes still, even for, like, old, old injuries from years ago. So movement. Movement is. Is crucial. So back to my story quick, about. I, you know, healing became my identity, and then it was kind of like, you're not really. I'm not being of service to myself anymore because now this is my new.

I place one addiction with another, right? Which is very common in, like, recovery communities. You just drop one and then it manifests and morphs into something different. Finally, I started to catch on to that, and I really started to be. Learn how to be, like, less about myself. Because that was, I mean, as. As addicts, I was very. As an addict, I was very selfish. And so I had trained my brain to be that way. And, and the brain, it can be that our thoughts can be that way inherently, just as children, right?

As a child, you're only thinking about yourself at time same the. That point. Like, it's just part of mind. But once I started to serve, I had this new wavelength that, like, kind of like, jolted my nervous System of wow. Like, there's so much more than what's going on in here and what's going on around, right. My immediate surroundings and my immediate state and country and all of that. And it really became this, like, openness feeling that I can't really describe, but, like I said, hit me. And I was super psyched to kind of get out of my way and to realize that, like, okay, yeah, I put in a lot of work in myself, and that's great.

But, like, now the next step is to help others, to also, like, kind of help myself. It's two. Two birds with one scone of, like, when I help others, I'm. I am filling my cup sometimes, right? That. That sometimes I have to fill my cup first, but I'm filling my cup, and I'm helping people grow. Like, I. I've always been a coach. I've always been a trainer, and I love to help people through their struggle because I've been there, man. I've been there. And Rick says that making a list of things I can do for myself and things that I can do for others.

Oh, I love that. All right. Oh, boy. You're calling me out, Rick. You are calling me out. I only do my to do list, so now I can create a list that includes others. I love that idea. And Carrie. Yeah, yeah, of course I'm happy to share my story. That's just a glimpse of it. I. I don't want to get too deep into the weeds, but nonetheless, once I started serving, I just got really clear that, like, okay, when instead of me healing for myself to be better and make more money and get a relationship, like, I started to notice I was trying to manipulate, like, the whole world pretty much, right?

Like, how can I get more money? How can I. I need to get this so that this works out, so that. So that he can like me and, like, just wacky stuff, right? And meditation really helped me kind of calm that down and see it for what it was. See my internal patterns. We all have patterns. Your patterns are different than my patterns, Brick. Patterns are different than Kathy's patterns. And that's what makes this life so, so dang fun. But when I did my first 10 days of silent meditation, I saw that, like, it was all in here.

All just things that I needed to let go of. Patterns that weren't serving me anymore. And the incessant, like, chatter that was just, like, enough. Like, no, there's more to life than me listening to me. I don't have the best ideas. Life does. You Know, and my tiny little perspective is. Is not helpful. Me growing so that I can help others is helpful to the whole world. And an example is yesterday I was walking my dog and I saw a plane that I kind of live close to the airport. I saw a plane that was taking off, but then there was also a plane that was, like, far in the background, and you could see the jet.

The jet fuel lines or whatever behind it. And all of a sudden it was like, oh, it was close. It was close. And then it looked like from my point of view, they. They were crashing. Like, they would have crashed. But it's also like, I'm on this tiny little spot. This, like, if I moved, like, 30 degrees, it'd be completely different. And it made me think about how small our perspective is. It was just a good metaphor of, like. Because I try to think about that a lot because I hate to get stuck in my own ways and my own beliefs.

Like, beliefs are great. Maybe mold them a little bit, because I know a lot of people that are just all of a sudden become a vegan or all of a sudden become a Buddhist or Christian. Like, or they change their sexuality. Like, people change. You can change. I don't think beliefs have to be so, like, stick your heels in the mud and keeping that perspective of, like, wow, me here, seeing only what I can see from this angle and point of view and, like, my background, wow. I don't know much. And that was kind of like the third stepping stone to.

To my growth and journey to. Towards peace was that, yes, I finally, like, started to work on myself and grow. And then I realized that I need to not be obsessed about it. I need about myself, and I need to help others. And then finally it was this, like, there's this whole world out there that we are able to help by letting go of everything, unfortunately. And I say everything as in, like, the small stuff, right? Like the person that cuts you off in traffic. But even sometimes the big stuff. Actually, I'm gonna.

I'll say it. I'll say it. Even, like, our politics and stuff, there's. There's two sides to every story. There's a lot going on that we don't know. And with everybody's background, like, some. Some guy is mean to you at the checkout line. You have no idea what he went through that day. Maybe he lost his job or his partner or whatever. Like, we're not perfect all the time. And so being graceful with others, like, giving grace to yourself on your healing journey, like, will ripple out so you can have grace with others.

And Rick said that a third list, what can I do that all at once is good for myself and others at the same time? Yeah, I love that. It's a great point. And that, like, for me, it's this. Keeping an open mind is like, one of the greatest things that I've learned to help with my interactions with others. Because as soon as I go into a conversation closed, like, I'm already being of disservice to them and myself and keeping that open, open heart, open mind and staying persistent with it. Like, it's tough to.

Sometimes you just want to not work on your growth and you just want to, like, take a break and relax or, or same with, like, work, you just are like, I need a break. And that's totally fine. But can you be persistent enough to, like, come back on it when, when time comes, when, when Monday rolls around, you know, or when a tough conversation needs to be had? Like, can you show up for them and yourself to have a mutually, you know, satisfying conversation or at least find neutral ground in something that is unsettling?

And that's, that's the biggest thing I wanted to share today was that this, this personal growth path, I thought it was like, I'm growing, I'm getting better, I'm making my life so much more awesome initially, right? And as I peel the layers, it's definitely come to the fact that, like, the highest path is like, peace and freedom. Like, freedom from what, like, others think freedom of just have, like, obviously having freedom to be able to do what you would like to do. The freedom to choose and express while being peaceful with everything else going on, being at peace, even if we don't like it.

Because there's a lot of stuff that goes on in the world that I'm like, wtf, you know? But we can commit to trying to stay grounded in reality and have peace with it and provide an anchor for others to share what they need to share, grow at this pace and space that they need to grow in while we do the same. And it's not easy, but I will say persistence and resilience has kept me on this journey. And then the dividends of like, it's like almost me paying myself back in future time. It's really weird.

Of like, gosh, I compare, I journal and look back at my morning pages at the end of a notebook and I'm like, wow, I don't think this way anymore. Yes. Like, I really have grown. Or I'll look like, you know, the holidays come up and you're very reflective, and you're like, wow, this is where I was at this time last year. I don't think I. Like, this is amazing. I'm doing so much better. Or, you know, examples like that. I am rambling on too long. So I'm going to wrap it up here in two minutes. Personal growth is one of the best things you can do for yourself, your family and your community.

Just don't get obsessive about it. And if you do, that's fine. That's your chapter. Like, we all have seasons and reasons. We gotta do it. But that path towards peace and freedom, once you have it, everybody is gonna have it around you. You're gonna, like, ripple that out and you're gonna show people that it's possible to do it. Some people don't even think that they can be peaceful inside. They don't even know it's possible. So be that example. Be that person that people are like, I'm gonna go to her.

I'm gonna go to him and be like, she's really. Like, she's on something, right? Like, or not on something. That's a terrible way to say it, but she's on to something and I want a piece of it. Because when you're growing and you're more peaceful and you're radiating freedom, you're gonna level up the vibration of your community, of the earth, the world, and people are gonna meet you there. And the lower ones will just. You'll know how to handle better rather than coming in with such strong, rigid biases.

You'll be able to be clearer and actually see a positive solution forward. And so Brooke says talking about it, expressing it in all various ways is important and helpful. Yeah, exactly. Very much so. And I would love to hear any other thoughts you have about this or your specific path that you're on towards your personal journey or personal freedom, personal peace. It's. It's. We're all in this together. It's. And we're all paralleling each other a little bit differently. And it's a beautiful. I love Cadre because we just have such a beautiful place for people to do that here.

And so if you're ever going through a hard time, like, this is a great space to. To reach out to people and. Or express. Express what. What you're needing and having these open conversations with people that can handle these conversations. There's some people that can't handle really sticky conversations like this. And so, yeah, I would love to hear more and any other things that. That you do on on your path towards peace. Share it in the chat, but that's what I have for you today. So great to be back and excited to to tune into.

I've been catching up with work, so I will definitely tune into some of your your lives here shortly. Hope everybody has a great weekend. And stay, stay in the moment, keep taking some deep breaths to come back to peace. And you can always start over. You can always choose again. So hang in there. Friday is around the corner at the end of it. So I'll see you next time. Thank you. Adios. Get outside. It's so nice. And if it's not, the rain is. Thank you, Brina. Have a great weekend.