SSP 081: Jericho Bulaun - Surviving Lockdown

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What's going on, guys? Doing a quick live here with a special guest. Got a friend of mine is gonna be coming live with me and I'm gonna get him to join very shortly. Jericho is based in the uk. Uk, A lot of Europe and now a lot of Ontario, Canada. Back into some pretty intense lockdown out here in Western Australia. We're pretty, we're pretty fortunate there's not too much happening in terms of virus out here, so I haven't experienced the intensity of the lockdown as to what some other people around the world have. But Jericho, my man in London, he's. He's living, he's living through it. When he does join, we're going to go through some of the ways in which you can establish the right Kind of habits and traits during a period like this, during a period in time when a lot of people are so restricted as to where they can go and what they can do and also what they can think. So we're now being swept up in little like bubbles of thinking that we're getting disconnected from how to actually disseminate the truth, Decipher the truth from all the noise. Jericho, here we go. Hey, there we go. What's happening, bro? I've been talking you up over the last few minutes trying to get you to join me.

You know, this happened, this happened yesterday. I was on another live as well, and for some reason I couldn't join the first time, so I had to close it and join again. But thanks for, thanks for being patient, man.

Yeah, no worries, brother, no worries. I was just, you know, reflecting on an intention I wanted to set for the live. I've tied the live surviving lockdown. You know, I'm not really going through a heavy lockdown at all. Perth, Western Australia hasn't really experienced the intensity as to which you are. Most of Europe is Ontario, Canada is Melbourne. Mate, you're in, you're in like full on lockdown. And you're someone who I know is still able to maintain really high standards, still able to adopt a way of being that's allowed you to thrive during a time when people are really struggling. So tell me a little bit more about what's been going down in your end of the world and what's been going through your mind to help you through this time.

Yeah, so it's a really interesting, it's a really interesting time. You know, there's, there's been a lot of people who have been affected in a way where they've lost their job, for example, or they've been put on furlough, which is where, you know, you're told to not come to work, but you're still getting a percentage of your salary. People have lost people to the virus, you know, like family members and friends. I am fortunate enough that I haven't experienced any of that, right? I haven't experienced losing someone. I haven't experienced losing a job. I haven't experienced any of that. So for me personally, it's been time where I can really focus on myself, right? I really focus on myself and the things that I want to create in my life rather than, rather than being a subject to what's happening in the world and the kind of, you know, I was actually out in London just kind of walking around the streets the other day. And it was like a ghost town. Like, it's. No one's around, everything's shut. You know, food places and places like that are still open for takeaway and things like this. But it really has taken an effect on the confidence in people to. To just. To just go out.

Right.

Well, first of all, because there's nothing open, and there's just this whole kind of fear around what is allowed, what's not allowed. The rules over here are actually not that clear.

Right.

So the government are saying, like, you can. You can go out to meet one person from one other household, but then, like, schools are open so the kids can mix with however many people there are in their class, and then those kids come home and then, you know, so for a while, it's been very confusing. And, you know, there's just a lot going on at the moment. And there are people really kind of buying into this idea that they should be scared, otherwise they're not going to survive.

Right.

This. This idea of living in fear is the only right way to live. And like I said, for me personally, I haven't kind of. I haven't taken that story to be true for myself. And I've been able to make a lot of actually shifts from the first lockdown. Because this is our second one, right? Yes, this is our second lockdown. So I've been able to use that time to work on myself so that then I can shift the things that are happening in my own personal reality, which is. It's starting to feel like it's very different to what's going on in the world right now. But that's. That's the kind of thing that's happening over here.

Yeah, man. It's a. It's surreal. And every time we chat, I'm always, like, a little bit bewildered by how intense it is and a lot of the people who I talk with who are in different parts of the world, how intense it is there and how much I sympathize and empathize with what you guys are going through in terms of how restricted you are in regards to what you can do now. Yes, there is a restriction around what you can do. But we've spoken so much about, you know, still prioritizing who you can be during this time.

Yeah.

Still getting clear on, okay, who do I want to show up? As for myself, given the fact that a lot of things, you can easily create excuses. So easy to create excuses during time. Gyms are closed. I can't work out. I'm just sit at home and Watch Netflix. You know, like, these excuses, they're very easy to over overwhelm us and cut us off from. From being the person we know, you know, we want to be during this period in our life. So tell me a little bit more about, like, who you've chosen to be throughout this time. Maybe how you've been able to just, like, maintain that is, like, is there certain things you've been doing to support that?

Yeah, it's a good question. You know, there's. We talk a lot about, you know, where we feel resistance. That's usually the first place we have to go, right? The places where we feel resistance the most, that's usually the place we. We have to go first. And I, in the beginning, you know, in the first lockdown, I kind of. I had this massive resistance to doing any exercise. I had a big resistance to it. I was like, I don't need to do it. The gyms are closed. I'm good. Like, I was going to the gym. Like, I was going to the gym very, very often. I was like, I'm good for at least a month, right? I don't need to go. I didn't want to, like, I didn't like. I like going to a gym. I don't necessarily like working out outside, even though I've done it before. And so, like you said, it was just a decision, right? It was a decision to say to myself, I'm going to show up every day as the person who gets outside and runs a few kilometers every day, and then I'm going to be the person that sticks to that. Because I know that because I have so much resistance to it, I know it's going to teach me something while I'm continuing to do it. And then that in itself, the act of getting up and running, or, you know, doing whatever it is where, you know, when I start, it's like, shit, I got to do this for however many minutes. But the more you just focus on the fact that you're there, you kind of step into somewhere new and all of a sudden these thoughts and ideas start coming and you start. Really, for me personally, anyway, this is what's been happening. It's like I'm getting inspiration while I'm keeping myself to this standard, right? So like you said, it was a decision. You get to decide who you turn up as. You get to decide who you show up as. And that has been something that has been supporting to me, especially when there was so many restrictions, right? Like external restrictions to what we can do. I decided to Be the person that is going to take command of the things that I can control. I can control how often I go out and run. I can control what I consume on social media, on tv. You know, I actually don't watch that much TV or the news or anything like that. And that's been actually really important for how I've been able to stay inside myself rather than being consumed by what I'm consuming, if that makes sense.

Yeah.

So that's one really important thing that I learned, is that when I decided I was going to take control of it, it was then something that was contributing to my expansion, contributing to my development. And this is why it's been so important to actively choose these things. Not just running or not just working out, but something that puts you in a place of inspiration, something that puts you in a place of, you know, something that brings you a level of fulfillment or something like this. When you find something like that, and especially in a time where you're being told not to do things and you're being told not to meet people and you're being told not to connect.

Right.

Those things became my priorities. The things that I was told not to do or the things that I felt like I couldn't do, those things became my priorities. And I decided I was going to show up every day as that person. So I made sure I had this routine that was locked in. I made sure I got up every day and committed to that. Because the moment that you commit to yourself, you find that you can trust yourself a lot more. And then the bigger things in life that you're scared of don't seem so scary anymore.

Yeah. Beautiful. Wow. Yeah, I totally resonate with that. A couple of main things that came out of that, from what you were sharing, what a lot of people struggle with, which is discipline and self accountability. Because right now, ain't no one holding us accountable for this.

Right?

Like, right.

You know, you can't book a personal trainer and, and show up at the gym and someone's gonna keep you accountable. It's like now it's just you against you, you know, so it's like, do you get up and go for your run or do you sleep in? So that level of self accountability now, that is really is such an important trait and attribute to develop. No matter what it is that you do going forward, whether you run a business, you work in, a career, whatever it is that you do, this, this is like a foundational trait to cultivate. So when it comes to discipline, because you know how much I Thrive off discipline. I feel like it's such a crucial part of behavior change.

Yeah, for sure.

What, what for you has allowed you to develop that level of discipline and self accountability? Is there like a vision or a goal that you have in mind that you're reminding yourself as fuel when things get tough? Like, what is, what is helping you with the discipline part?

Yeah, it's a good question. You know, for me, the thing that keeps me going, the thing, the thing that I feel like I have the opportunity to keep myself to is, is the fact that I know these things are going to expand me. Like I said, I said a while ago, right. I'm following that feeling. And sometimes I don't even know exactly what it is. Sometimes I don't know exactly I'm doing this because of this. And there's like a one external reason why I'm doing something, but I follow the feeling of what makes me feel like a better version of myself 10 minutes ago, you know, and as long as I'm following that feeling, then everything gets to be. Everything gets to be something that I enjoy. Because if I know I approach something that is going to make me feel good or, or that I get something from it just by doing something, then that's what keeps me going. Like, even these little, like, first of all, just for context, right? Just for context, like, I don't like running.

Yeah.

I don't like running. I don't. You know, I would. Well, historically I would prefer to go to the gym or do like calisthenics. Like, I really enjoy that kind of stuff. It really pushes me. And running was something I never enjoyed.

Right.

But it's, it's just that the small things, like just seeing how much I can do what, what am I capable of, and then seeing if I can tell myself tomorrow I'm going to beat what I just did. Whether it's a distance, a time or a pace, you know, whatever it is, I just choose something and say I'm going to challenge myself just to see if I can do it.

Right.

So the challenge is. Setting a challenge is one thing, but actually showing up and then deciding to take action on that and say, I'm going to run this much today because I want to see if I can just do it. And in that process, in the process of trying to beat yourself, you start to become driven by the feeling that you're becoming a better person. You're becoming. And not just at running. Right. This can apply to anything. You start to get driven by the fact that the more you do this, you're going to become better in way more ways than you can imagine. So not just running, but your mindset to everything starts to change. And if you can apply this thing to this, you know, the smallest thing in your life, it really starts to make an impact. So, you know, I started to apply that to my work. I started to apply that in my relationships. How can I be with people and actually be, you know, a space for people to be heard? How can I do that and make them feel even more welcome? How can I, you know, I started to do this to all parts of my life. So that was the kind of driver for my discipline, is understanding that I'm following the feeling of something that I know is going to expand me. And it's been, it's been the most fulfilling and effective way for me.

Mate, you hit the nail on the head with that. Because it's the momentum that gets created when you start off with something small, like a little daily commitment that you have to yourself, whether it's going for a run, doing a little bit of meditation, whatever it may be, and fulfilling on that commitment, that self integrity that you create, that is moving you towards something that's expanding you because you feel really good at the end of this, this workout or habit that you've created. And then as you stack that commitment, it turns into like a way of being that turns into something that you've expanded into this new version of you. And then you do a larger capacity, like you've just shown to yourself that you have the ability to moving in, in that direction, even though it may feel uncomfortable. So that, that does something to your mind, like it really does, right when you, when you overcome or you push through that, that initial resistance and say, no, no, I'm gonna like, see this out. I'm gonna maintain this commitment with myself. This is for me only. I don't like, you're not doing it for anyone else. It's for you. So it's like this is for every, like, for you guys and everyone who is in these, these, this period. It's like, it's, it's. It's you against you. It's like it's such an opportunity to really develop that relationship with yourself. And that comes discipline that you're showing. And I'm, I'm like really thriving off this because I. Because I had a conversation with someone in Germany who's going through something similar, really struggling with like the discipline to get up and just like commit to things. And you nailed it there with the momentum Thing like, that's. That's so. That's so powerful when you just win. The small things don't try to, like, take over the world and, like, have these marathon runs every day if you have the small, little win.

Yeah, exactly.

You probably observed that, right? Like, what were the small things you started off with first to build that momentum?

The small things. The small things, like, if we're continuing to talk about running, the small things were like, can I. Can I run at the same time every day? Right. Can I. Can I wake up early enough? Can I run at the same time every day?

Right?

So it's nothing to do with the actual run. It was just being able to run at the same time no matter how long it took or if I gave up or if I. Like, if I did a shorter run or if I did a longer run, it was just about, can I run at the same time? And then I was, okay, once I did that for a few days, I was, all right, I can run at the same time every day. My body was already kind of waking up on its own. And then it was like, can I. Can I get my pace down? Or can I. Can I just notice what my pace is and the next time I can try and improve that? Right? So it really. It really is the smallest thing. Like, it really is the smallest thing that. That helps you to understand that, you know, when you build. When you build that. When you build that small thing to make it a value that you hold.

Right.

I value making sure that I. That I turn up on time. I value making sure that I wake up in time. I value making sure that I'm not rushed out the door, because I don't like doing that. I don't like waking up and going to run straight away. I like making sure I'm, like, awake, like, mentally ready to run.

Yeah.

I know some people. I know some people can get out the door straight away, but not me.

Roll out of bed onto the. Yeah, like you're half asleep. Yeah, but.

But, yeah, it was just, you know, the smallest thing that I started with was just making sure I can start my run around the same time every day.

Right?

And sometimes it would be earlier, sometimes it would be later, but average, it would be the same time. And that was important. You know, it was like this James Clear. He talks about in common habits, right? He talks about showing up, showing up as the person who is already that thing. So. So again, talking about running, he's like, if I want to run a marathon, I'm not going to say I can't run a marathon because I don't do that. But if you showed up as a runner, then if. If I identify as a runner, then it's like, I am a runner, and a runner is going to train hard enough to be able to run a marathon. And so it puts you in a different place. So it's a really good example. And I think that's what. That's what I started with. I started with, can I. Can I make sure I'm turning up to that park around the same time every single day? And then. And then I just kind of built it from there. All right, I've turned up now. Can I run the same number of laps around this park every day? And then. Okay, can I improve that? And then. And then just slowly starting to get more consistent or. Or faster or wherever it was, right?

Yeah, big time. And that's connected with the even simpler things such as, like, going to bed and waking up at the same time.

No, exactly How.

And how impactful that is, you know, in syncing up a rhythm, a circadian rhythm, so your body is more in sync eating at the same time as every day. You know, like those little things, I call them, like, the 1 percenters.

Right.

And sometimes people overlook the centers, but when you stack up those 1 percenters, you know, consistently, it turns into, like a 36% improvement over the years.

Yeah, exactly.

You can't overlook the 1 percenters. Like, they're actually where it's at. You're like, stacking those small wins that have a big impact on the line. So, yeah, thanks for sharing that, man. I really. The running one resonates because I really struggled with that when I had my two weeks of lockdown out here, two weeks of quarantine, I struggled with the running. And I really. The working out component was tough because I had a lot of resistance. Like those excuses around I need to go to the gym or I like training in groups or whatever. It's like, that's such an opportunity there. Like we said at the start, around looking at where. Where am I most in resistance in life? Where. What are the areas where I have a lot of blocks or avoidance around doing that certain habit or becoming that person. And it's oftentimes that's where the most growth is available. And it's actually during period in time where we're getting to see, wow, there's all this resistance that's been down here all along, but I just haven't looked at it because I've been so preoccupied with all these Other, like, coping mechanisms that we. We haven't had to face these things that are down there. So it's like, this is such an opportunity, even though it seems like it's such a burden to be locked inside or in lockdown or restricted in where we can travel, it's an opportunity because for us, we've never been alive in a time where we've had to be in one place for such a long period of time. So what have you. What have you noticed when it comes to yourself and some coaching conversations you've been having? Because we're both coaches, we're both holding space for people as they go through their process during this period in time. What have been some things that you've noticed coming up for people, whether it be emotionally emotional process, whether it be, like, suppressed emotions that might be coming up right now that you've really noticed in the conversations you're having as a correlation or a pattern that you may be seeing in people, particularly in lockdown.

Yeah. So, you know, I've been doing. I've been doing a lot of work with the people that I'm working with at the moment around not just. Not just the kind of trapped emotions that they haven't allowed themselves to feel or allowed them to resolve, but also the stories that are attached to those things, the stories that are attached to the emotions.

Right.

Because more often than not, the. The emotion is like. The emotion is just the surface thing. The emotion is the thing that's trying to show you there's a story. There's a. The emotion is the thing at the surface. And, you know, the things that have been coming up, especially now, is like, especially actually with me as well. I've. I've experienced this myself. There's been feelings of loneliness.

Right.

The feeling of being alone. That. That was one that came up for a few of my clients, actually.

Yeah.

This feeling of being at this thing of being alone or scared of not knowing as well. This idea that they don't know what's going to happen, the idea that they're losing the stability in their life.

Right.

You know, I'm on furlough right now, and I don't know if at the end of this furlough scheme, I'm going to lose my job, for example.

Right.

So the uncertainty, the feeling of kind of being alone because they can't socialize with the people that they usually socialize with at the times they usually socialize them with.

Right.

It's. It's those things that have really been common in terms of the Feelings, right? The feelings, the triggers of the stories that have been underneath that. And actually, when we dig a little deeper, all of those things, especially now, and it makes complete sense, right? All of those things are leaders, like indicators to this fear of. Of running out of money. That has been a huge one. That's been a huge one. And, you know, I'm working with a singer at the moment. One. One person is a singer, and I love telling her story because it's so. It's so kind of indicative of what's been going on. So she's in a place where, you know, this is. This is what she does full time. She does it full time. And obviously now with everything shut down, she can't do shows. And she's trying to organize. She's trying to pivot. Like, she's taken her initiative to pivot, trying to do some online streams, trying to do some other stuff. And we. We kind of navigated all the things that she was feeling. Navigate all the things that she was kind of experiencing. And we pulled out a story that we put. Asking for money was manipulative because she had a habit. She had a habit of making her shows free. And she was like, I'm doing something good, and something. Something good's gonna happen back to me.

Right?

So we pulled out the story that asking for money was manipulative, and we realized actually that was blocking her from really doing things that she wanted to do because she thought, you know, at this time especially, she needs money to survive.

Right.

We all do. So that's. That's an example of how the emotions are just the triggers. Like, she started to feel, like, unsure. She started to feel all these things, and actually, behind that, there was a deeper story of running out or like, this. This feeling of unworthiness, this feeling of scarcity, and. And actually, they're probably two of the most common things, and I'm sure you would agree with that, that two of the most common things are unworthiness and scarcity. And so the thing that I learned recently is the deeper that I can get with myself, I'm then able to show up for other people, and with that capacity, I can. I can show up for someone else with the capacity that I've gone deeper with myself, if that makes sense.

Right?

Yeah, definitely. Definitely does. Yeah. I feel that in terms of. I mean, this is just, like, something I'll share with you. Like, over the last week, like, last week, I really felt like I was carrying, like, some heavy energy around, and I can notice how showing up in some of the conversations I was having, I didn't feel like, this lightness and flow in the work that I was doing. And over the weekend, it was, like, really, like, slowed down. And this is, I'm sure, something you do as well. And I'd invite other people to do as well. If you ever feel like you're carrying on to a lot of energy, pulling right back and slowing down and actually going in, be with these parts that you've just addressed and those stories that we sometimes carry around and really get to get into them, like, be with them, experience them, feel them, get to know what the. The energy is like. And when. When I gave myself this time and space to just, like, acknowledge and honor the fact that, like, I was not feeling my best, you then get to, like, release or let go or that energy starts to move. And the difference between trying to force things and just honoring and allowing things and just being in alignment with yourself and just trusting that what I feel right now is perfect and exactly what I'm meant to feel, and it's beautiful, and there's no ride, there's no wrong, which is this is what I feel, and that's fine, and that's okay. I'm going to honor that. Learning that process, you know, as a coach or as someone who is looking to just become the best version of themselves, that process is, in my opinion, the pathway to being the fullest expression of you. And it's so freaking simple. But it's so hard sometimes because we've been dishoned out of. To just honoring what we feel. And have you been able to, I guess, develop a way of understanding or knowing yourself in a way to go, hey, this is what I need right now? And then honoring that, like, what's helped you with that?

I think. I think the most important thing is, like you said, is slowing down enough so that you can see how your body feels. And I feel like. I feel like I say this a lot, but I'm going to say it again because it's so important. You know, our head is only like a fraction of our body.

Right?

Our head is only a fraction of our body. And we have. We have the rest of our body to listen to, but most of us listen to this small part of our body. It's like such. It's this. It's probably a small part compared to, you know. Well, it is. It's a small part compared to the rest.

Yeah.

And. And what you said about slowing down, the reason why we feel like we need to slow down in the first place is because our mind is running at 100 miles a second. You know, our mind is doing that. Like, our body's not doing that. Our body's staying still. We could be sitting in a chair and we feel like we're going so fast, right? Because we think about life happening in the future, we think about everything that happened in the past. We think about things that could go wrong in front of us. And, you know, everything happens so fast in our heads. And one of the most important things that, you know, I've been practicing is slowing down enough to feel my body and listen to what it's actually telling me, right? So usually. And I've tried to kind of take a mental note of the things that come up often, and usually there are a few things, like a heaviness in my heart or like a. What's the word I'm looking for? Just like there's a weight on my shoulders or there's like a wrenching in my stomach, or just listen, really listening. And it might not be like the most obvious feeling, but when you feel there's something, it's like, okay, is there something for me to learn here? And it's in those moments, especially, like you said as a coach, right? It's in those moments where if I can identify it for myself and if I can feel it fully for myself, then I can notice when someone is saying something that sounds like that emotion because they don't know what they're feeling sometimes, right? People don't know what they're feeling. So if they speak, if they describe something and it's like, okay, you can reflect it back to them. Is this what you're feeling? Do you feel like this? And if they say, yes, and it's like, okay, you know, you've. You've given yourself the. The tools to. To identify what others are feeling. So it's. It's so important to be able to do that, especially as coaches. And that's what I've been doing. Or something that I've been kind of practicing is not just the slowing down bit in, for example, in meditation, but making sure I check in with what my body is trying to tell me, and almost being like a. Like an intuitive translator for what those things are saying. Because sometimes it's not clear, right? And you really have to spend time. And that's the point. You slow down enough not to overthink it, but just to feel it, just to let it say whatever it needs to say.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And that the ability to slow the mind down enough to really sensitize ourselves to those feelings is so freaking crucial. And like, because, like, like you said, sometimes the mind's so freaking active that we don't even notice the subtle guidance, the body saying to us, oh, hey, slow down. Sleep a bit more. Don't go to the gym today. You know, like, it. And I put my hand up. I've, like, I've definitely been caught in that cycle of, like, mind being too busy and I've been disconnected from my guidance. So.

Yeah, me too.

A lot of it is slowing down what we do. And I realized that actually that doesn't. That doesn't just end in, like, meditation is not the only thing that we have available to us to cultivate that ability. It's. It's in everything. Like, I noticed getting up in the morning to make a cup of tea or to make my cacao, it's like, can I do it slowly? Can I just be really mindful of all these little movements when we eat, when we go for walks, you know, everything we do. The slower you do it, the more tuned in you are, the more aware you are, the more sensitive you are to this guidance we're talking about. So it becomes just a way of living. And I really feel a resonance with you and the way you've chosen to live, because I've chosen that way as well, to make this a number one priority, to make being aware of what we feel moment to moment, not just when we're in meditation, not just when we're at yoga all the freaking time. Because, you know, that's where the guidance is. That's where your intuition lies. And that's when life is trying to direct us to go a certain way. So, fuck, that's. It's. Yeah, I'm really. I'm really passionate about that.

Just.

Just living from it.

Yeah, for sure.

Not just accessing it, living it. Because there's a big. A lot of people out there chirping about accessing these states, but there's not too many who are. Who are living it. And I've told you this before, man, I really, I truly believe, like you, you're embodying this, this work. And it's important that we don't fluff over spirituality and fluff over what living like this requires, because it does require work. It requires a level of presence and attention and training and. And commitment to the present moment to be able to live like that, man. I'm like, the more I try to commit to it, the more I realize how far away I am from living. In a lot, that truth.

Yeah, yeah.

Makes it fun.

That's such a. Yeah, yeah, of course. It's like a. It's. It's such a long. It's like a long journey that you can't even say how long it is, right? Like, the longer you stay on this journey, it just gets longer.

Yeah.

And for me, that's the kind of. Like you said, it's the fun part, right? It's like you've learned all this stuff up to here, but actually, as soon as you get here, you realize there's so much more. And then you even get to that place, and then you realize there's so much more. And every step, every kind of moment, you get to where you have this kind of eureka moment, there's like a million more to come. And that's what's exciting. That's what's exciting. The more moments you can have, like eureka moments you can have for yourself. That's what's really exciting. And I wanted to say something actually about. In relation to what we were just talking about, and you were saying it, in a way was like, how can we live from these places?

Right?

So not just about accessing it from, for example, a meditation, but how can we actually live like that day to day? And someone. Someone said the other day, I heard someone say, I can't remember now, but they were saying, actually, if you think about it, right, no one really pays attention to their body 24 7.

Yeah, right.

You have to. You have to tell someone to think of your foot, for example, like even just now, feel your foot. Feel your right foot. And then you send your attention like, okay, that's what my right foot feels like. But living. Being able to live from these states or live from this place is like feeling your body all the time. Just all the time, just understanding if there's. If there's something that comes up, it's like, okay, you know there's something there. And it's not. It's not like you always have to investigate it and. And like, take it to a meditation and think, oh, there was a. There was a little twinge in my. In my little toe. And now I need to meditate about it. But it's just about being able to.

Right.

Being able to be that awareness that if something does happen, then there's no question. It's like, I've seen it, I'm aware of it, and I'm going to choose to resolve it. I'm going to choose to speak to it, I'm going to choose to Let it process. And that is something that not a lot of people do. It's something that people have difficulty with because, you know, the moment that someone tries to sit down in a meditation, or the moment that someone tries to take a walk in nature, the moment someone tries to journal, there's these distractions that give them more pleasure because they're used to that type of energy.

Right.

They're distracted by, oh, I'm going to stop meditating 10 minutes early because I want to go and watch TV or I'm going to look at my phone while I'm walking in nature. Like, it just defeats the whole point.

Right.

And so we have to be careful of not doing these things to try and say that we've done them to ourselves, to try and say them. We have to do them to experience what the actual experience is, if that makes sense. So rather than just saying, oh, I meditated this morning, or I meditated yesterday, it's, I felt myself in meditation yesterday, or I felt the walk. I felt nature. I felt. You know, how can we prioritize the feelings so that we can live in this way almost indefinitely, Forever.

Right.

Very well said. And that goes back to, like, the intention behind it. You know, what's your intention behind going for your morning walk behind your meditation and you're eating? Like, just the minute you infuse intentionality into everything you do, you start to realize that, wait a second. These little, simple little practices, these simple little things that I do have a different dimension, you know, they're not just means to an end. I got to get through this drive so I can get to my yoga class and be in union. What drive was the yoga? What if the walk was the yoga? What if the food was. Was the end? You know, we're eating to get full, you know, like, it's like. No, like, it's the process. It's the process. Yeah.

Yeah. So that's a big one. That's a big one for me, man. Like, I've got. I tend to. I just tend to eat my meals really fast. And I'm trying to be a little bit more mindful with that. Like, you know, giving myself time, like, and actually appreciating what's in front of me rather than just shoveling it down.

Yeah, I'm the same. And it's. It's uncomfortable because we're so used to an old pattern. An old way.

Yeah.

And to build the new pattern is always going to require coming up against the resistance. Like, it's the same as working out. You Go to the gym and you haven't worked out for a while. It's hard. There's some resistance, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. And we overlook the resistance that comes up and the little things like stop checking your phone first thing in the morning and I apologize. You've just woken up and you've just checked your phone and seen us, that's fine. But, like, it's a habit for so many people to wake up and check your phone. And there's a bit of. There's a lot of resistance there when you try to break that habit because, like, you're so used to doing it, it's like, okay, you're gonna have to. You're gonna come up against this element of struggle initially, but it's about getting that leverage on yourself to know that your capacity as a human to hold more energy, to experience more of life gets expanded when you make this moment the number one priority in everything you do. You don't have to rush through anything.

So.

Yeah, dude, this is like. Yeah, honestly, bro, this has just been such a. This has been like therapy for me, man. Talking.

Oh, me too, me too. Something. Something that came up, you know, when you were talking about. You were talking about the gym, you were talking about resistance training, right? Like, they call it. They call weight training resistance training, right? Or like, that might be me being ignorant, but as far as I know, it's like the same thing, right? You're at. When you add weight, you add resistance, right?

Yeah.

And so if you look at it, if you look at it like that, when you go into the gym, you want to be able to pick up heavier things. You want to. You want resistance for your muscles. And so how can we pick up heavier emotions? How can we emotionally resistance train so that when the heavy things come up, we know how to lift them up, we know how to deal with them. And this is a thing that we don't do. We look at the. We look at, like the, the heavy emotions that we feel, like abandonment and betrayal and loneliness, and we look at all those things as like the 100kg bar that we're not even going to think of touching, right? But actually, if you, if you pick up the smaller weights first and, and resistance train, like, where you feel the resistance, that's where you go. Then, you know, soon enough you'll be kind of like emotionally buff, emotionally strong emoji. You know what I mean? And I just find it funny. Like, you're so. It's so normal to resistance train in the Gym, but we don't resistance training our lives. We don't, we don't go where we feel resistance. Like it's not something that we want, we want to feel comfortable. That's like going to the gym and, and then lifting 2kg, like for your whole, for your whole gym career, like because it's comfortable. Right, but you want to resistance train in the gym because you know, it makes you stronger. And it's exactly the same thing with your emotions. Pick up the heavy emotions, find the heavy emotions and train yourself. But yeah, that was, that's something that came through and I thought that was actually really interesting.

And just to stay with this analogy, because we're onto something here. You go to the gym, when you're training on your own, it's like, okay, cool. You struggle sometimes with motivation. When you get a personal trainer gets done quick because you got someone spotting the bar with you, are you lifting heavier? Life coaching is the exact same. The minute you get a coach or someone to support you, you start lifting these heavier emotions. You like lifting that bar up. It's like dog push through way more. It's like having that accountability or the trainer or the coach to support you. And lifting the heavier dumbbells initially builds that strength and emotional resilience, like applying to life or physical training, emotional training, mental training, mental strength, mental resilience. It's, it's, it's all like interlinked and combined and you know, we're so big on support and having, you know, guidance, someone who can mentor or coach you or guide you because just makes it a whole lot easier, you know, And I really think there's a, not just to bang on about this because we are coaches, but I really think coaches now are the new leaders of the world. And like, actually, you know what, don't even call it coaches, just call them leaders. Like anyone who's engaged in this work, anyone who's engaging and bettering themselves, you are a leader. And it is now a responsibility to look back or look behind you and find out who else is on this journey that I can help. And when we drop the label of like, oh yeah, I'm a coach. No, no, no, you're a leader. You're leading by example. By living this way, then you get to support someone else. And I actually think this is where it's at, man, because this industry now is like, it's so needed and if it's come across in an authentic way, then there is so much potential for collective evolution to happen quicker because people shouldn't have to do the. In their own. Like we, like, like we spoke about before, like, people feel like they're on their own right now. You know, I even have clients who like, feel like they're just. They're on their own. There's not. They don't. Where are the others? Where are the other people are on this path. That's where I definitely.

I definitely kind of. I was definitely looking for that recently. You know, I've. I've gone through my own kind of understanding of. Not understand. Not just understanding, but experience of, like, feeling alone. And. And then I, you know, I chose to look at it, right? I chose to pick that heavy emotion. And it's now something that I get to do with other people. If I, you know, if someone tells me they're feeling alone, it's like, I know how to do this and I can help you, you know?

Yeah.

And it's. It's about understanding who are the people in your life or. Or who is someone that you can reach out to that. That knows and is capable and is willing.

Right.

To help you with this stuff. Because unfortunately, there are a lot of kind of spiritual people who. Who take it the other way. Like, they take it the other way and say, I'm so evolved. I'm so free from whatever else that I'm not even going to look at the other people over there.

Right.

And I feel like. I feel like that is the. The opposite of what we're supposed to do as people. Not just coaches. Forget coaches. Like, as. As people, we're supposed to be kind of bringing people with us.

Right.

And. And yeah, I mean, the more I get to experience whatever heavy emotions I experience, I just know that it's gonna be something that I can show up with someone else and. And help them and support them, like you said.

Yeah, beautiful, mate. We've. We've covered a fair bit. I'm. I don't know, late now, mate. I'm just. I'm in the flow, so. Yeah. But if anyone is listening to this conversation live, thank you for joining us. This has been really special. But anyone who's listening afterwards, appreciate the. The presence. But where can people connect with you, Jericho? Like, obviously Instagram. But if anyone wants to continue this conversation, we give you permission to reach out and connect because we're. We're here to support. That's the. The purpose of why we're doing this, to show to people. Hey, like, we're having these conversations. If you're resonating, send us a message. You're not Alone. Like, we're, like, we're very comfortable. We're very approachable. It's okay. You just want people to connect with you through DM or email. Like, what's the best way?

Yeah, so Instagram is probably the easiest way. I mean, kick up there somewhere. My name should be there. Jericho Balaton. If you go to my profile, there's also an email, if that's more comfortable for you, for you, you can just email me there. But yeah, also just as a, as a kind of shameless plug, Go and listen to my podcast. There's an episode with Jordan on there which was a super insightful conversation around identity. And this season is exciting. So a deep show. Go and listen to the Deep show.

Yeah, highly recommend. Give it a five star rating on itunes.

Amazing.

You're a phenomenal interviewer as well. But I just want to acknowledge you again for, for the way you show up and the energy you bring. Because the way I feel in these conversations with you is direct reflection of the energy that you bring. So I, I want to acknowledge you for that. And I've told you so many times that I think you deserve to hear it all the time. So thank you for going up. Thank you. I know this will be received by the people who, who need to hear it, man, especially during this time. So, man, thanks, thanks again and have an amazing day as I end mine. Yeah, thanks, man. Enjoy your Tuesday, brother. Hey, there we have it, guys.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode. And yeah, look, if you made it this far, cool. Here's my voice again in your ear and I'm going to make one more request for you is go ahead and subscribe and leave a comment on the podcast page because I'm really putting a lot of focus and attention on getting this podcast out to more people because I know what I'm putting in here can serve and bring value to people and it would mean a lot if you got value from this to, to leave some feedback and subscribe so you stay up to date with what's coming up and as always, follow me on Instagram and love hearing from you. It's at State Shifters until the next episode. Guys, thank you so much and I appreciate you.