592. Important Lessons From the Road!

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The end result is what we control and the end result is we get to run around this country for as long as we want, go anywhere we want and still be as productive as we want. And that's awesome. That's a this and this life.

Welcome to the earn your happy podcast. I'm Lori Harder, founder of The Bliss Project, 3 Time Fitness World champion, fitness expert and cover model turned self love junkie, lifestyle entrepreneur and author. Each week I'll bring you a guest or a thought that will help you bust through your fears, connect to your soul and get focused and clear so you can elevate your life, business and relationships. We don't wait until we're ready for someone to tell us we're good enough. We take what we want and we anoint ourselves. Get ready to earn, own and unapologetically rock your happiness every single day. Are you with me? Here we go.

All right, we're back with another episode of he said, she said.

And what are we doing today?

We're just going to talk about the lessons from the road more just like things that we're experiencing when you pretty much pick up everything and get on the road for a month.

For those of you that follow us on Instagram and if you're not, go follow us. Hriswharder and Lori L O R I Harter we are on the road for a month. We finally settled on an RV after getting three RVs in three months. We love this one. This one's a keeper. And the whole purpose of this trip is to eventually make our way back to Wisconsin, see our family for a week or so. But we're taking our time getting there, doing some business on the way, seeing some friends on the way and taking our time getting back and also seeing some friends and doing some business as well. So we're just turning this into a month of seeing the country and probably, what would you say, 1/3 productive 2 thirds enjoyment. No, it's got to be half half, isn't it?

I'd say it's half half. We're really. A lot of things are up in the air for us right now, so we're doing a lot of thinking and talking, planning. I'm doing a lot of meetings because I'm raising money for light pink right now. So yeah, it's great though.

All right, so what's the first lesson you've learned as you're on the road and you're trying to take these meetings raising money for light pink. So for those of you listening, that means talking to investors. What's the first lesson that's come out of that for you?

Oh, God. Full surrender. It's never. It doesn't feel convenient. It doesn't feel I to be very at my desk having Conversations. Feeling like, I know that, no, there's going to be no interruptions. I like knowing I'm going to have a really good signal on my phone and those things are not possible. So it's like complete surrender of knowing that things can still get done. And they may not be perfect, but you can absolutely get them done no matter where you are or what you're doing, as long as you plan ahead.

Let's unpack that a bit because I think a lot of people, they need that, right?

Yeah.

I can't do it if I don't have my structure. I can't do it if I don't have my perfect mic. I can't do it if I don't have this. And all of a sudden what happens? You're on the road and it's working out perfectly.

Yeah, it's working out perfectly. It has its challenges, for sure. I'm feeling that, like, even this morning, all of our podcasts on the road aren't going to be great audio quality. And, you know, yesterday you were recording your podcast, and I have no idea right now if trucks are going to come by or people are going to start packing up their campers next door and it's super loud. Like, we can't control that. And, you know, we're going to just have to know, like, they're maybe going to. There are some people who get annoyed with sound quality and that could turn people off for a little bit. Like, I don't want to listen to them while they're on the road, you know, And I'm talking to a lot of new people or investors that I don't know yet. And it's just kind of like, what are they gonna think? Are they gonna think this is unprofessional? Are they gonna be like, are you really doing this while you're driving in the middle of nowhere? And those are all the things that I just have to say. You know what? We have to live our life in the way that we want to live our life. And if it means seeing the country while we're also simultaneously doing something so we can go home and see family, then I'm gonna have to let go and not care about people's opinions whatsoever. Because done is better than perfect. So full surrender is my first lesson, and done is better than perfect is the belief that helps my full surrender.

Because I'm outside looking in on you doing this. I know that you feel added pressure because it's a brand new company in an arena you've never played before. And You've never raised money talk to investors before, so I get the pressure. I understand why you wanted to look one way, like you're extra professional. I have a totally different perspective. Me also, because I've invested in a lot of companies we have together. I would actually applaud someone who went out, got a badass rv, is seeing the country at the same time as building a company at the same time as seeing their family, because that's a priority. I'd be like, whoa, this person's badass. They can actually do all these things at once. Instead of conforming to this, I must sit in the office and have a mediocre life because, well, that's the phase I am in. Kind of lifestyle. I would actually be envious of this person and say, if they can do all of this and pull all this off together, that's somebody I want to latch arms with, not just to build a company with as an investor. More importantly, I want to learn from this person. I want the kind of life that this person has.

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So what are some lessons that you have learned? What's something for you?

I've become handy. Okay, you guys, background. I was a 2 out of 10 on the handy scale or 1 out of 10. Be honest, be real.

I mean, here's the thing about you is I knew that you could be handy, but I knew that it's also not something you were interested in. And when you're not interested in something, you have to do it.

Yep. So, guys, I've never been forced before to have to fix things or learn things. I mean, there was always someone to hire. There was always my brother. There was always my dad. There was always somebody that was going to swoop in and fix it. Yep. I invest my energy elsewhere. But I'll tell you what, when you drive a bus, or let's call this thing a house, going 70 miles an hour down the road for eight hours a day, hitting potholes, stuff breaks, it's literally inevitable. I don't care how high of a model you buy. I don't care how brand new it is. I don't care any of that. The road and the sheer wear and tear shakes things apart. Whether it's wires, whether it's weather stripping, whether it's the way a door fits, you name it, and it's not. You know, you're sitting at campgrounds and you're sitting out in places that are rural. You can't just have somebody waltz on over and fix it for you. So I've actually found this new inner superpower that I'm working on developing, and I'm now looking at things like, okay, okay, if I had to fix this, what are some possible steps I could take? And before you know it, the steps are unfolding in front of my face. Because I'm asking a better question. I'm getting a better answer. My question before was, what? Who can fix this? Now it's how can I fix this? Right. So it was a great example, like switching that question in your head. Also, I've just become more patient or more accepting of stuff is going to break every day. And you can either let the stuff pile up, or you can fix it every day yourself and actually see it as a positive challenge. And I think that's what's shifted or that's what switched. I'm seeing the fun in figuring out how do I rewire what's under this chair. I'm seeing the fun in figuring out how do I fix the weather stripping that's coming off the windshield. All of these things. It's kind of like a. Remember back when you were in school and you had a class you actually liked? It was probably rare because I didn't have many classes I liked, but once in a while you got one you liked. That's what this feels like to me. This feels like shop, and I'm actually enjoying it.

Yeah, I was just thinking, like, for people who have children, husbands, spouses, whatever that is, I think that we can sometimes identify people as like, oh, they're handy in this, or they're not handy in that. And I was just thinking about, you know, your version of handy. A lot of people on the weekend will fix the house, and instead you hire someone. But what you do, I see all the time, is like, you'll spend two, three hours on a Saturday helping somebody get the best deal on a car, like on the phone, or you'll actually go to the car a lot, or, you know, help your brother shop for RVs if that's what he wants to do, or help your family work out. You know, you've helped my brother a lot with, like, refinancing for his home. And so I think there's so many different versions of handy. But we often, you know, even, like, being 80s kids, sometimes we pigeonhole men. Like, he's handy or he's not. It's like, what if there's. There's completely different versions now of what that means and what that looks like, and you just know where your zone of genius is and where you can best help, and you've always hired the rest out. But now that we're on the road, we really don't have that option. It's so inconvenient. Like, you and I have been having to be like, okay, what if we were super patient and just worked this problem out on our own? So I think that is a huge lesson is patience gets you so incredibly far. It just buys you a lot of just energy and peace of mind and like, ease in your life.

Yeah. And I'd say one more lesson that's really showing itself to me is maybe this is not a lesson. Maybe this is proof. We're getting proof that you don't have to live a this or this life. Instead, you can live a this and this life. Like, I know it's come with you being uncomfortable trying to figure out how to do business on the road. I know it's come with me getting pissed off when a truck with huge loud pipes goes by. I'm trying to record a podcast. I know it's come with, you know, trying to quote, become handy. But what's the end result? The end result is what we control. And the end result is we get to run around this country for as long as we want, go anywhere we want and still be as productive as we want. And that's awesome. That's a this and this life.

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Yeah, are there do you want to do another lesson or are you feeling like you are solid on your lessons?

I feel pretty solid on my lessons. That's the most random question ever.

I feel solid on my lessons too. I was just trying to think. I just feel like being on the road has been it just makes you feel like you can do anything if you can do this. And I think that it's like letting go of all of the things that you thought that you needed and it's really eye opening to what you can. It's not like we're exactly living like poppers on the road. We have an amazing rv. I will say though, you can set up your life how you want. Like people could say being on the road you don't have your conveniences. Why not? Why can't you bring them with you? Why can't you make sure that you have some of those, like, home staples that you love or drink your same coffee or make sure that you have your almond milk that you like? Those are things that are actually keeping me super grounded. I am feeling a bit crazy this week because I don't have my workouts, and that's truly my fault. I'm taking full ownership of that. But I am having to wake up and do calls, like, right away or whatever that is. So I will definitely, definitely start looking at how I can make sure I have my workouts on the road. That's going to be a huge implementation this next week.

Yeah, it's funny because it's not a hard thing to do. And it can be 30 minutes, right? 30 really freaking hard minutes of working out. It's about prioritizing. And this is just an example of when sometimes your environment changes. You stop prioritizing certain things. Who knows what it is for the listener right now? All you have to do is say, damn it, I'm going to prioritize this again. And it's as simple as that. I know it doesn't feel simple, guys. I know it doesn't feel possible sometimes, but it really does come down to if a piece is missing from your life, make it a damn priority to put it back in.

Yeah, a big part of it is I'm not planning it the night before. I don't have a time that I'm like, I'm waking up at this time. Like, I do it. I do this at home.

You do it at home.

I'm waking up at 7. I'm working out, but I need to, like, hit the road for my run by 8:15 in order to get back by X. I'm not doing that at all.

Yep.

So of course I start my emails. I, you know, get on a call, and then I'm done. I don't feel like working out. So. Yep, Gotta get on top of that.

It was a great lesson.

Yeah. All right, you guys, let us know what you took away from this. Definitely share this in your stories and let us know. We always love to share your thoughts on the podcast as well and share.

Your stories in the meantime, we'll be safe on the road. And you guys, we appreciate you listening.

Thank you guys so much for spending this time with me on the earn your happy podcast. I am so glad to see that you stopped by. If you could take one second to share this episode with someone you think would love it, that would be absolutely amazing and we would be forever grateful. Also, please leave us a review if you feel so moved by going to itunes and leaving us an honest thought, an honest comment. Tell us what you think, tell us what you want to hear more of. It would really help us out on our journey to helping thousands and thousands of people. Until then, don't forget to earn your happy. Thanks again guys.

Bye bye.