Catalyst for Clarity - How to Get Over the Funk and Remember What It Is You Want

Most people spend their entire life stressed without ever giving a single thought as to what it is they really want or what's important to them. See, I'm here to cut through all that noise, connecting you to yourself and the life that you were meant to live. I used to slave away at a corporate job that I hated, but I broke through the social norms and pursued my passion. As a result, I own my own coffee company. I'm espresso sommelier, and I get to travel the world. You, too, can live a life that you love, but it starts with getting clear about what you want. It starts with a new decision. I'm your host, Donnie Rouse, and you are listening to the podcast One Life Catalyst for Clarity. Have you ever been in a place where you're just unsure of what it is you want? And as a result of being unsure of what it is you want, you feel like you're stuck, you feel sluggish. You don't have the energy to really go out and do anything just because everything really seems murky. It's kind of like swimming in the ocean, right? When there's clarity, you know exactly the direction you're going. But what happens if the water starts to get a little bit rocky? Now all of a sudden, it kicks up the sand, and because it's kicking up the sand, you lose your vision. And as a result of losing that vision, you don't know what direction to go. And as a result of picking a direction, you could end up somewhere else where you don't even want to be. The purpose of this podcast here is to one, just identify. Is that where you are? And if that is where you are, then it's okay, right? Because we all go there at different points in our life. But what I'm going to share with you today in this episode is how to get out of that. So where are you right now? And let me ask you another question. One, what is it that you want? Like, do you. Do you have something to remind you of what it is you want that you can look at every day? And then secondly, what kind of actions? If you're feeling in the stuck state, what kind of actions are you taking to get out of it? I was on the phone with a friend. A friend of mine sent me an sos. He said, hey, Donnie, do you have time to talk? And I was in the process of flying back to Miami from Connecticut, and I don't really. You know, when a friend sends me an SOS saying they need to talk, I know that there's some kind of pressing issue that they want to get my inputs on, or basically it's me just kind of questioning them. So this way they can come up with their own insights. And we were traveling, so this particular friend, we were traveling around Taipei together. And when I spoke to him, I asked him. I know he had. You know, he was. He just got back home. He was dating. And so I was just kind of catching up. I was like, well, how'd it go? And he had brought up, you know, he was brought up some of, like, his date, and he was telling me how, like, you know, they had great connection, but there wasn't the physical attraction there, which is totally fine. And then we started going into his life. I was like, well, how's everything else? And he told me, he said, you know what? I feel stuck. He's like, you know, I don't know what direction I should be going in next. I said, you know, that's totally, totally fine. Right. When I came back from this same trip, when I came back, the first week I was there, I had a lot of stuff going on. I was moving down to Miami, and as a result, I just felt frazzled. I felt like I was. My mind was everywhere. I had a pack, and there was this just unsettling feeling. But once I got settled again, all of a sudden, like, the passions that I had, like, the clarity just kept coming back. And then when I asked him, I was, you know, we were trying to say, well, right. Well, what was. What was the. What's the differentiator like, why was I just, like, on. And then what was the difference? Like, why was he feeling, like, stuck, not sure of where to go? Isn't it true that whenever you feel inspiration, whenever you get inspired, how long does that inspiration last unless you act on it to get something that pushes, Keeps pushing you forward? Maybe, you know, you come back from an amazing trip and you're. You get this epiphany as to how you want to live your life. How long does it last? A few days, maybe. Maybe a week. And then you start to go, especially when you're back home, and when you're back around all those triggers, you fall into old patterns. That muscle, that passion that you had just starts to wane, and you're like, ah, shit. You know, nothing's gonna change, and you just. You fall back. As I was explaining to him, I was like, well, to be honest with you, the difference is that you're not. Look, you don't have a vision. I was like, well, tell me, how did you feel when you just came back from your trip, how did you feel? He's like, oh my God, I felt amazing. I felt like I knew the direction I wanted to go. I felt like I wanted to be back out in the world. I wanted to start doing the videos. I said, okay, then what happened? He said, well, that lasted for a week. And then after the week I, you know, I just started to feel like, you know, things weren't happening and I started to forget what it was that I wanted. Now notice something very, very interesting here, right? I asked him, I said, hey, well how did you feel when you got back from this trip? And he was able to tell me with clarity how he felt, right? And then, but the entire time after that, right, he, he was choosing to focus on the day to day rather than what the vision was that he was going to create. And my recommendation for him and my recommendation for you if you are ever in that state, right, because to be honest with you, it happens pretty easily. You take a break from something, all of a sudden you start to lose momentum. It's very easy to lose momentum. I always use the example of going to the gym. Like you're going to the gym, you're working out, you could work out for 20 years, two decades worth of gym experience. And then what happens, right? You take a few weeks off and all of a sudden like, it looks like someone took the air pin out of your body suit and all of a sudden you just like go peee and it's like the air is being let out. But what happens next, right? What happens when you're like, you know what, I'm back home, I need to get to the gym. Something called muscle memory. The muscle memory, you start going, you start getting back in the routine. And it's not going to be easy at first you're not going to be able to put up the same amount of weight. But then all of a sudden that memory kicks in and then within a couple weeks you are right back to normal. Ideally, you don't want to take this step. You always want to keep in the forefront of mind the direction you are going to. So that was my recommendation to him. He's actually going to be in my one life blueprint pilot program. So I said, just wait. I promise you things are going to get better. You're going to have a lot more clarity. But until then, just look at your, look at your dreams. Remember what those were. Which brings me to step number two. Start taking action. It may seem counterintuitive, right? Why would I take Action. I'm uncertain. I don't know where I want to go. Why would I just start moving somewhere? Because it gives you contrast, right? Because once you start getting moving in a direction, you'll know immediately whether or not it is the right direction or if it is the wrong direction. One of the things I suggest was remember what that vision was. It's easy to say, well, in question what it was that you wanted, but there was time where you knew exactly, right? And if you look back to it, you'd be like, yeah, yeah, I thought it'd be great to travel remote and like live in different places. Yeah. I just don't know anymore. Right. But remember that. And then what's an action you can take to start moving in that direction? This was the recommendation to my friend. I said, well, listen, I was like, inspiration is all around you. I know what you want. Like, we had these very in depth conversations. We were traveling. I knew what it was that was driving him and I knew what he really wanted. So I brought those back up. I said, remember, like, you don't have to know every single step. You only have to know the next step. I was like, I know that you want to live abroad. I know that you're passionate about what you're doing, about creating video content. And we brainstormed a couple ideas. I said, just don't even think about it. Because the more you try to force it, the greater that wall is gonna feel like. Take an action, enjoy. Let your mind be at ease. But just start moving in a direction. It doesn't have to be a big step. Right. It's amazing how the smallest step in the right direction can feel like you are on top of the world. And it was just this little itty bitty step. But that's how life is. It's these small steps. When you take some courageous action, you have the tenacity to move in the direction of your dreams. You shred that paper tiger that was causing you to fear that next step. Let's go back to the beginning. How are you feeling in this moment about life? Right? Are you in that space where you're just going through the motions? You're like, ah, same shit, different day, right? Someone asks, hey, how are you? Same day, you know, it could be worse. Or you see, you respond with some crappy answer like that, Are you just going through the motions? And if you are, this is not. I'm not, you know, I'm not trying to put you down. But by recognizing it is the first step. So in a way Just applaud yourself for knowing there, because you know that something else, something needs to change. And then start to reacquaint yourself with your dreams. Like, the things that you want. Like, what do you want? If you could. If I gave you this little magic wand that I'm holding in my hand, I'm not really holding. Let's, you know, because we're on theme here. If I gave you this little espresso cup, and I told you every time you take a sip of this espresso cup, of this espresso, you will instantly have what it is you want, right? So imagine. Imagine you could have anything you want. Imagine you are at your best right now, right? You're not. No insecurity, all that shit's been wiped away. What would you want to go for, right? And literally just start capturing. Because it's easy to get stuck in that present moment when there isn't a single thing, there's nothing outside of this moment, right? Like, the most powerful thing you can understand is that life is happening now. I was reading this, I was scrolling through Instagram and this thing came up, says momento morti. Just saying that you're gonna die one day, you're gonna die. And I don't say that in a morbid way, but rather to look at where you're putting your energy, look at where you're putting your time. Is it worth the investment of your time, the investment of your life? I was at a. I'll give you one little side story, just because it's relevant and it's. And it's connected to this. I went with my friend. We were. I was walking my. One of my good friends home and we stopped into a Turkish cafe, you know, where they sold Turkish delights, all different types of baklava. And we sat down there at 9 o' clock to have a chai tea. Not the wisest thing I've been doing. I had also had a coffee just before that, and this is probably why I didn't sleep too well. But I hadn't seen my friend in a while, so it was just. And it was an occasion and I wanted to just be in the moment. And as we were talking to the owner of this place, we were talking about different cultures and how he was. He was recalling how it was however many years ago and how people look at the value of like, you know, Gucci purses, all these things, which is totally fine. I'm not putting down anything, right? Like, there's beauty in material possessions, right? Because when you think about what it is you had to do to get it, like, you have to provide some kind of value. And it is. It's part of like the whole manifestation process. Like, we're here to enjoy life. We're here to have like the most amazing experience possible. But with that, I want you to remember this. Everything you have, you are trading part of your life. And what I mean by that is, well, what is life? Life is energy. When you think about the money that you earn through your job, your career, whatever it is, that is life, part of your life, you're trading your energy for this money. So money is stored energy. And then you're buying whatever object it is, right? We won't even Google Gucci. Let's just say a nice espresso machine. Because that's what I like to spend my money, right? Is this thing you are investing, you're giving part of your life, is it worth the investment? Is it worth the trade? When you put it like that, it's a very different mindset. Now all of a sudden you start to want to put your focus in the things that you know are going to bring you fulfillment, the things that you know are going to bring you joy, the experiences you want to have because you know that it's worth giving a part of your life for it. That is all I wanted to leave you with here. So if you are feeling in that area, remember, remember what it was that you want. If you're not really sure right now, look back, think back one year, just remember to a time where you felt inspired. And then two, just take some small action. It does. It could be the smallest of action. It's a. Literally, if it's like a trip you wanted to take daily. And I always use travel because it's one of the best experiences I've had from my life. Maybe it's a trip, right? Maybe you just contact a travel agent just to inquire. That's a big step, right? Because all of a sudden you start to build momentum, right? The energy starts to, you know, you start to stir up the sense of excitement. And that for me, is where life is, right? I don't want to live a shitty, boring life where every day's complaining and pissed off. I want to live a life of passion and excitement where I feel lit up. I cannot wait to live another day of my life. Not to say that every single day is going to be like that, right? Because that's not real. But I want the majority of my week of my waking hours to be focused on where I'M going and what I'm creating as well as just to be present. Enjoy this beautiful gift of life. So I hope you enjoyed this episode. This was very I was not planning this because I was actually going to start scripting like just bulleting my episodes. This way I could record in chunks and post more frequently. But as it always happens when I'm inspired, I feel the need to come on here and that's why I'm here today. So I hope you enjoyed this podcast. If you did, please give it a thumbs up, share it with five people, give it to somebody who needs to hear this. You never know. Just like we're all connected, we're all here to guide one another and how just by making one step, how just hearing the right words could literally change someone's life, at least change their day, but ultimately shift their life. So thank you so so much for tuning in. If you have any questions or you want to know how to go about getting clarity, you could feel free to go to my website, www.donnierouse.com. send me a message there. I'll be more than happy to help you any way I can. But remember, you only get one life. Live fully, live passionately, and most of all, live now. God bless you guys. Thank you so, so much for tuning in and I will see you again next week.