100: My 8 steps to manifesting transformation
14 Sept 2023 · 39 min
In the 100th episode of the Connie Crystals podcast, host Mart Tweedy celebrates the milestone and two‑year anniversary while sharing a personal saga of shipping 300 kg of crystals from Madagascar to London, a frantic 14‑hour round‑trip, and a visit to his dream house. He uses these stories to introduce an eight‑step manifestation framework designed to help listeners create their ideal future self. The framework is presented as a series of chapters: (1) defining a clear vision of the future self, (2) visualisation practice, (3) embracing change, (4) self‑discovery and awareness, (5) mindset shifts (growth mindset, limiting beliefs, confidence, resilience), (6) taking purposeful action and overcoming procrastination, (7) handling setbacks with community support and continuous learning, and (8) celebrating milestones and cultivating gratitude. For each chapter he offers concrete exercises such as future‑self journaling, vision boards, fear‑confrontation lists, strengths‑weakness inventories, habit‑building techniques, action‑step breakdowns, feedback‑seeking plans, and gratitude practices. He also promotes his Manifest with Mart app as a community hub, mentions a forthcoming spin‑off comedy podcast “What a Nightmare,” and includes ad reads for Wayfair and TextNow. The episode ends with a call to review, subscribe, and a teaser for future content.
Chapters
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Wayfair. Every style, every home. Hello everyone, and welcome back to a very special episode of Connie Crystals the Podcast, actually. My name is Mart, I am your host, and this week is my 100th episode. Can you believe 100? And not only is it my 100th episode, but it's also my second podcast birthday today. The podcast is now 2 years old. 2! That's practically dead in gay years. I just find it so mad to think that, you know, 2 years ago, there I was making a little fort out of pillows and cushions, you know, trying to ram myself inside of them, recording podcasts for 4 hours at a time, time and then editing them down to 20 minutes because of all the, you know, the ums and the ahs. To where we are today, listened to by 22,000 people per week, including yourself. Thank you. Um, number 1 in spirituality in the UK. I'm gonna have to buy myself like a brand new podcast microphone or something to celebrate because I'm still using this tiny little thing I bought myself 2 years ago before starting, and I feel like I need to up my game a little bit. And it might signal to the universe, you know, that I'm ready for bigger and better podcast guests as well. And can I just ask before I do go any further, with that said, if you have loved any single episode that I have done in my back catalogue of 100 episodes, please, please, please leave me a review, subscribe to me, rate this episode, whatever it is that you can do on your streaming platform, that would really help me out massively. Obviously, the more this podcast grows, the bigger the guests I'll be able to get, and I'm massively, you know, holding out for Stephen Bartlett or Fearne Cotton, someone like that, and if you guys rate review, or subscribe, it'll push me higher up the overall charts, and then more people will obviously want to come on the show. Ah, so that's that out the way. Give me my candles and my cake. What have I been up to this last couple of weeks? Oh my God, remember that Chanel order that I had? Well, what a bit of a nightmare I had with that. I spoke to a few haulage companies because obviously I was going to be receiving around 300 kilos of crystals, so I just had to figure out, you know, someone who could take them into Central London for us. So I got quoted, and get this, you might fall off your chair just like I did. Well, I shat myself at the same time. My first quote was £3,200. £3,200. The second quote was £2,500. I think I must have got about 5 quotes in total from different companies, and the cheapest was £2,500. I honestly couldn't believe it. So I put it in my group. My group are like, well, have you heard of like pallets? Because people can like deliver pallets. And I'm like, yes, that is on a pallet. Honestly, I think it was because it was going, you know, Newcastle to London on a weekday and going into central London as well. So I started panicking, you know, thinking, oh my God, I've got all these crystals all the way from bloody Madagascar, and now how am I meant to get them to London in time for their event? So I think I was brainstorming, and one day I just thought, you know what, fuck it, let's just drive them to London myself. Let's whack them in the back of me car, drive to London myself. So I got in me car, I took the day off work, and I did the 14-hour round trip to London and back in a day. I didn't want to stay over because obviously I've got me business and stuff like that, and yeah, I couldn't afford to really take 2 days off in a row without loads of pre-planning. So in fact, I think I was only out of me car in London for about 15 minutes in total. That's how manic the day went. So I set off at 6:30 in the morning and I went to get some diesel and I filled me tank with £80. And can I just say, when I got home, it still had around £20 left of diesel left in it. I'm shook. I don't know how it got me to London and back on £60. But anyway, I got to London at around 12:30 at dinner time, and it took me about an hour and a half just to drive 7 miles through central London. That's how horrendous the traffic was. Like, to keep us sane, I downloaded Stephen Bartlett's new Diary of a CEO book on Audible, and what a bloody book it is, can I just say. It's amazing. If you haven't got a copy, hit the link in me Instagram bio, click the 30-day free Audible trial, and go and listen to it yourself. You can even download the book and then cancel your subscription, so no payment will be ever taken. It's worth it for a free audiobook, right? But yes, I got to my venue, I ran inside, this little old man was like, "Oh, you've come from Newcastle? You must be so tired. Oh, you've got yourself a trolley to carry all your boxes in. Just as well, because I've got a bad back, so I can't help you. I hope you don't mind, but it's upstairs." I was like, "You what?" So yes, there I am in London, it was 36 degrees, and I'm carting 300 kilos of crystals up flights of stairs. Let us tell you, I was dripping. I was soaking wet through. So I got back to me car after I'd done that. Like I said, it took about 15 minutes in total. I got back in me car, I whacked the aircon on, and my t-shirt was stuck to me so much, literally. And I mean stuck so much, it was like dripping. It was like stuck to me chest. So I thought, I'm gonna have me dinner here before I set back off to Newcastle. So I bit into me wrap for me dinner and the sweet chili sauce squirted all down me top, didn't it? So that was fun. And then it took us about 6 and a half hours to get home, so I walked in the house at about 9 PM at night. Honestly, I was shattered, but at least I know that they've got their crystals unharmed and all that jazz. And then guess where I went to on Monday morning as well? You might have seen on me Instagram story, but I went to visit me dream house, and OMG, It was everything I thought it was going to be and more. I fell in love with it the second I walked through the door, just like I thought I was going to. And yes, I got a photo in their shower. Yes, I got a photo of myself sat on the loo because I really am that psycho. I really hope they don't listen to this podcast because that would be really, really weird, or if they've even seen the photo of us like on Instagram. Let's hope. Um, so now I know that I want that house. It's going to push me so much to work so hard For example, like I've got a high-ticket business course coming out next year, and that's gonna put everything I've learned in the last 2 or 3 years into business, you know, into a huge learning module with an integrated community, business coaching calls monthly. And say, for example, if I set a price on that at £2,000, I only need to sell 400 of those memberships at the equivalent of what that house price is. So, you know what I mean? That's me thinking like in cloud cuckoo land, but That's what manifestation is. It's not just about wishing and thinking that it's going to happen. It's kind of being inspired by the universe to do something about it, to put in that action and to get the ball rolling. So this time next year, I will be in that new house if I'm meant to be. Exciting times. I do hope that the family that lives there don't listen to this pod. Honestly, it would be really, really awkward. But speaking of this time next year, That kind of, you know, in a roundabout way of talking, brings me on to what I want to talk about today, which is my 8-step manifestation process for living the life you want. So, a bit of a weird story, but about 2 years ago, I wrote a very short book that I was going to release as a free kind of ebook, and I just never got around to it. And then just last week, I was clearing out some old files from my MacBook, and I found it., and I had a read through and I thought, you know, why not? This could make like an interesting podcast episode. So here we are, 2-year-old work being rehashed into a pod. So imagine yourself like waking up every single morning with a sense of purpose, excitement, and clarity about where you're headed. This episode is all going to be about, you know, creating a powerful vision of your future self, a vision that kind of serves as your North Star., and it's going to guide your actions, your decisions, and your aspirations. So I want you to begin by asking yourself, and you might want to pause it here, you might want to like grab a notepad and pen, you might want to write it in your phone, but begin by asking yourself, like, who do you want to become? What kind of a life do you envision for yourself? And this isn't just about, you know, achieving external success, but about embodying qualities that reflect your values and your aspirations. So do you see yourself as a compassionate leader or a creative entrepreneur or a loving parent or a global changemaker? Defining your ideal future is about painting like this holistic picture that encompasses your career, your relationships, your personal development, and your well-being all in one. So once you've defined your ideal future self, it's time to harness the power of visualization. And like I say, visualization involves creating a mental image of yourself living out your dreams. So you might want to close your eyes, you might want to imagine yourself in your future circumstances. And when I mean that, I mean think of the sights, the sounds, the emotions, the accomplishments. Where are you? What have you done with your life? You know what I mean? What can you see around you? What can you hear? Who are you with? Where are you? Visualization is going to activate the same neural pathways as actual experiences. Now neural pathways are like the the things in your brain. I don't know the science, science, but it's like neural pathways are in your brain. So when you have new experiences, these new neural pathways are formed. Visualization has been scientifically proven to do exactly that. So that makes visualization a powerful tool for, you know, reprogramming your subconscious mind to align with your goals. So your vision of your future self will serve as the inspiration for setting those meaningful goals. So you want to break down your vision into actionable steps, each of which are going to take you closer to your desired future. And by doing so, you're not only creating a roadmap, but you're also generating a sense of excitement and motivation to work towards your dreams. Because you know that, like, if your overall dream is to, you know, own this house like me, what have you got to put in place to get to that house? You're going to be really, really excited about all those little stepping stones in between because you know that by doing all of those, you're gonna get that ultimate reward of that dream home. Get what I'm saying? Good. Let's move on. So it's important to note that transformation will take time. We know this. Your vision of your future self might represent a destination, but the journey is just as significant. Yeah, just like what Miley Cyrus says on Hannah Montana: The Movie. If you've seen that film, I've seen it a million times. She says, life's a climb, but the view at the top is great. Yeah. So when you think about it like that, cultivating patience and persistence is gonna be like essential for you during times of challenge and uncertainty. So you need to understand that setbacks are a part of the journey, but they're gonna provide valuable learning experiences that contribute towards your growth. So some exercises that I had for this chapter, for example, this was what I call chapter 1, by the way, were things like, you know, future self journaling. So you could set aside some time every single day to write about your future self. So by that, I mean describe in detail the person that you want to become, the life that you want to lead, the impact that you want to make, but write it as though you're already living that reality. So what kind of person are you? Where are you living? How much money have you got in the bank? Who are you living with? Who are your friends? What do you do for fun? Yeah, really, really journal as if you're that person. That's future self journaling. The second thing was to create a vision board. We all know what this is. Collect images, quotes, symbols that represent your future self and your goals. Arrange them on a physical or a digital vision board that you can look at daily to reinforce your vision. And then the last thing that I had to do on this as an exercise was visualization practice. So just get into the habit of dedicating a few minutes every single day to visualization exercises. Try and do it where something will trigger you as if to think, oh my God, I need to visualize. So it might be when you get in the shower, it might be, you know, when you get into bed last thing at night. It could be anything, but close your eyes and just vividly imagine yourself living that ideal future Engage all of your senses. Focus on the emotions that you experience. What can you hear? What can you see? What can you smell? What can you touch? Really bring it to life in your mind's eye. Okay, so then Chapter 2 was all about embracing change in your life. So change is an inevitable and constant aspect of life because everything changes. Life is a constant change, but it's often met with some resistance from us. So we need to learn to overcome those barriers, to embrace transformation wholeheartedly. Because change can kind of like evoke this range of emotions within us, from excitement to fear. And often resistance to change stems from a desire to maintain that norm, yeah, because we're quite happy just plodding along. And then look what we end up saying at the end of the year: 'Eh, where's this year gone?' It's because we've plodded on, yeah. So even if life isn't aligned with your future aspirations, you just need to recognize that change is a natural part of growth and that it's going to open doors to new opportunities. And that's the first step to embracing it. Okay, so some people like to stay in their comfort zone, and staying within your comfort zone might feel safe, but it's also going to limit your potential for growth because transformation requires— it requires you to step outside of what's familiar and what's comfortable to you. So we need to embrace that discomfort as a sign that you're stretching your boundaries and you're evolving. The more you practice stepping out of your comfort zone, the more resilient and adaptable you become. And it's funny because like, I was— I've been talking to so many of you that are coming to mine and Fran's event next week. And when I'm talking to people, they're like, oh my God, I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone here, and I would never have done this like 3 or 4 years ago. And I'm like, well, how are you stepping out of your comfort zone? And they'll say, oh, I'm getting a hotel on my own, I'm traveling to London on my own, I'm coming to the event on my own, and I'm hopefully going to meet like people from your group people from the boot club, that kind of thing. And so many people are stepping out of their comfort zone and just doing it anyway. And I love that. I absolutely love that because that is a true sign of transformation. And one of the most common reasons for resisting change is the fear of failure. So failure isn't the end, okay? It's just a stepping stone to success. So we need to embrace that failure as a valuable, like, lesson that's going to provide insights and the opportunity to refine our approach. Because by reframing failure as a natural part of the journey, we can reduce its power to hold us back. And those people that are coming to our event, honestly, they won't be held back ever again by thinking, "I can't do this because it's going on a train on my own, because it's going to an event on my own, because it's going to this and that." My best friend Nikki, for example, a few years ago— she's an absolute Westlife nut— she bought tickets for her and her husband to go and see Westlife because none of her friends wanted to go with her. Her husband canceled, and so she was like— I think he was ill or something, he might have had COVID or something at the time— and she asked me, and I was like, oh my God, I really, really can't go and see Westlife for 2 hours. I know barely any of the songs, I don't really like them. Oh, so anyway, I sat there and I was like, do I go, do I not? Anyway, I totally forgot to message her back, and then the next day she messaged me and she was like, oh my God, I had the most amazing night. And I was like, oh, who did you go with? And she went on her own. And she said since she's gone to that on her own, it's really opened her eyes. So she went to like another concert. I can't remember who it was. She's going to see, um, who was it? Is it Busted this weekend? I think in Newcastle they're supported by Hanson. If you're a '90s kid like me, you'll know. Absolute cheese fest. Um, but yeah, she is going to like gigs on her own now because she's opened those floodgates. So all of those people that are going to come and see me and Fran on their own, congratulations if you're one of those people. Because you're stepping out of your comfort zone. You're allowing that transformation to take over your life. Okay, so things that you could do here for this, um, chapter would be change reflection. So you could take a moment to reflect on any past changes that you've experienced. How have they helped you? Identify the positive outcomes and the personal growth that emerged from those situations. So if you have stepped out of your comfort zone and you have gone to an event once on your own, you're going to do that time and time again. So reflect on those changes that you've had. And the second one is fear confrontation. So make a list of your fears that are related to change. Why do you feel that way? Challenge every single fear by writing down the potential positive outcomes that could result from embracing the change instead. So kind of counteract that fear, okay? The third chapter of my book was all about self-discovery and awareness. So before coming on like a transformative journey, I think it's just important to understand that your current self as a foundation for growth. So for me, one of the best things you can do is understanding your strengths and your weaknesses, because self-discovery involves, you know, gaining a deep understanding of your strengths, your weaknesses, your talents, and any areas for improvements. So reflect on the experiences, reflect on your achievements, your challenges, and identify patterns and traits that define you. Okay, acknowledge your strengths as tools to leverage Your weaknesses as opportunities for growth. Because as you navigate the path towards your future self, it's important to stay true to your values and your authentic self. So embrace that uniqueness. Avoid comparing yourself to others. Authenticity fosters a sense of self-acceptance, confidence, and genuine connection with other people. So things you can do for this chapter would have been, you know, strengths and weaknesses inventory. And that's just to make a list of any strengths and weaknesses For each weakness, brainstorm strategies for improvement. How are you going to get better at those weaknesses? And for every strength, just consider how you can leverage that to transform your journey. Okay, you could even do a little Mindful Moments exercise, you know, where you practice mindfulness by choosing a specific activity such as, you know, eating a meal, going for a walk, and just fully immerse yourself in that experience. Pay attention to the sensations, the emotions, and any thoughts that arrive, and just try and stay in the present moment. Then Chapter 4 was all about mindset shifts for transformation. So we know that your mindset plays such a pivotal role in determining the success of your transformation journey. So this chapter basically explored the concept of a growth mindset and overcoming limiting beliefs, cultivating self-confidence to propel you towards becoming your future self. So a growth mindset is the belief that Abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and perseverance. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth rather than as threats. We do this all the time. We see a challenge as a setback or a threat, but like I was saying earlier, see failures as stepping stones to success.
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View setbacks as chances to learn from that and improve. That cultivates a growth mindset and it's going to open you up to a world of possibilities. And it's going to fuel your motivation to overcome all of those obstacles in your life. So limiting beliefs are self-imposed barriers that are going to hinder your progress, and these beliefs are often going to stem from past experiences or, you know, societal conditioning or fear of failure. Identify the beliefs that are holding you back and challenge why they're valid in your life. Replace them with empowering beliefs that support your transformation. But just remember, your thoughts shape your reality. So choose beliefs that are going to propel you forward. Confidence is another one. It's a cornerstone of personal transformation. So recognize your achievements, no matter how small. Celebrate them. Focus on your strengths and the progress that you're making. Surround yourself with supportive individuals who are going to uplift and encourage you, because with every single small step and success, your self-confidence will grow, and that's going to drive you further towards your future self. And resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges and setbacks. So you really want to cultivate resilience by reframing failures as opportunities to learn and improve. So when we are faced with adversity, we can ask ourselves, you know, what can I learn from this experience? How can I use this to become stronger? Developing a resilient attitude is going to empower you to keep moving forward despite obstacles. So the exercises for that chapter were to identify any limiting beliefs that have held you back, Write down any evidence, you know, that challenges the validity of that belief and create an empowering counter belief. So when I say this, I mean like if you think that you have no money in your life, your limiting belief might be, you know, money comes in one hand and out the other. So taking consistent and purposeful action and, you know, creating that transformation for yourself, you need to create that empowering counter belief. So you might want to create a belief, you know, that money is always in abundance. Money flies to me effortlessly. Money shows up in my life in uncontrollable amounts on a daily basis. Just keep on going with those affirmations and you will empower yourself with that counter belief, okay? And then the second exercise for that chapter was self-confidence boosters. So it was to create a list of your accomplishments, your talents, and your strengths, and just to refer to that list when self-doubt creeps in. So just to celebrate your achievements regularly because when we look back at what we've achieved in the last year, there is so much. For example, for me, that I was thinking, oh my God, I did loads last year and I haven't done much this year. And then I was like, hang on, all of this actually happened January, February, March, April. For me, loads of shit happened this year. I've got loads to celebrate, and it just makes you feel better about yourself. Okay, so then the next chapter was all about taking action. Like I mentioned earlier before I started with this, Taking action is such a massive step with the law of attraction because it's a part that people miss, okay? They sit back, they wish, they use their crystals, they do EFT, they don't take any further action. We've got to meet the universe halfway. It's not like a, a 70/30 split, it's not a 60/40 split, it's a 50/50 split. We need to put in some action at the very least, okay? So shifting from the realm of thoughts and beliefs to the realm of action Taking consistent and purposeful action is essential for manifesting that transformation that you're like visualizing. Okay, so this chapter was exploring the process of developing an action plan, maintaining that consistency, and overcoming procrastination. And it's something that I deal with all the time. Like, even just this afternoon, I had a list as long as me arm, and I looked at it and I was like, oh my God, I just can't be bothered to do any of this. So I went in me hot tub for half an hour. I spent an hour and a half in that bloody hot tub My fingers are like a prune. I'm currently sat here in a pair of boxes because I'm procrastinating even going and getting changed. So there we go. We all deal with procrastination. Your vision and your goals need a clear roadmap to become reality. Okay, so break down your goals into smaller manageable steps. Every single step should be specific, they should be actionable, and they should be aligned with your vision. So you might want to create a timeline for each step to keep yourself accountable and then measure that progress. But just remember what I've said in past, like, podcast episodes. Consistency is key to turning actions into habits and then habits into transformations. Okay, consistent effort, even if it's small, that's going to accumulate over time and produce significant results. If you want a good book to read on this, you can read Atomic Habits by James Clear. It is amazing at explaining this in further detail. So we need to develop discipline by creating a routine and setting aside dedicated time for our transformational activities. Procrastination is such a common obstacle that can really derail your transformation journey, though. So we need to understand the reasons behind that procrastination. It might be fear, it might be perfectionism, or it might be just simply, like me, a lack of motivation. Break tasks into smaller, more manageable bite-sized chunks to make them feel less overwhelming. Set yourself little deadlines. Use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, for example, to maintain focus. Go and Google that. Pomodoro Technique, it's called. Motivation can fluctuate, but there are strategies to keep it alive, okay? So revisit your vision frequently to remind yourself of the bigger picture. Why are you doing this? Why have you broken down these steps into manageable, like, little bite-sized chunks? Because that will make you realise why you're doing what you're doing. Like I say, it's all in the bigger picture, okay? Just remember to celebrate those small wins along the way to maintain that sense of accomplishment. Surround yourself with positive influences and connect with a supportive community to stay motivated and inspired. So the things that you can do here for this kind of chapter would be, you know, an action step breakdown. So take one of your goals, break it down into smaller action steps, and then just assign yourself a timeframe. So if you wanna move house in the next 6 months, what you gonna do? First, you need to put your house up for sale. You need to, you know, look for another suitable house. You need to make sure that you've got the funding or that you can get a mortgage. So there are like all these different steps, like the mortgage application, you know, getting your house valued. You might wanna like buy boxes and things like that to pack all, start packing all of your stuff up. These are all little steps that you could put on a time frame. Yeah, so that's kind of one thing to do. Another one is to reflect on your procrastination. So identify tasks that you've been procrastinating on, reflect on the reasons why you're procrastinating, brainstorm strategies to overcome them. Okay, that sounds quite simple. It's a lot harder than it seems. And then the next chapter— I do feel like I'm just reading me book at you here, by the way, but I hope it's pretty useful. You're getting like valuable info that you would have had to probably pay about £9, £10 for on Amazon. But yeah, the next chapter is about setbacks. So obstacles are obviously an inevitable part of any transformative journey. So in this chapter, I basically explored strategies for dealing with setbacks, building a support system, and managing that self-doubt to ensure that challenges don't hinder your progress. So setbacks are not just signs of failure. They're opportunities for learning and for growth. So when we're faced with setbacks, we just need to approach it with a growth mindset, like what I said earlier. Reflect on what went wrong. What can we learn from that experience? How can we adjust our approach moving forward? Because resilience in the face of setbacks is a key factor in achieving lasting transformation. So surrounding yourself with a supportive community, that's going to make like a significant difference in your transformation journey. And I'll say this once, I'll say it again, that's part of the reason that I created my Manifest with Mart app, because we're bringing people together, we're bringing like supportive people together, and we're all a community. We've all— we can all share our goals, we can like share our challenges with all of our other friends and people that are on there. They are people that are going to uplift and encourage you. And the same goes for sharing our goals and our challenges, you know, with friends, families, mentors, accountability partners, whatever it is. We can seek advice and perspective from those who have experienced similar journeys, and we can lean on their support during difficult times because self-doubt can be quite a powerful roadblock on your path to transformation. It can really like put that block down in front of you and be like, nah, you're not getting past here. So I've marked down here in bold that it is so important to recognize that everyone experiences moments of self-doubt. But it doesn't define your potential. Everyone has moments of self-doubt. I'm pretty sure bloody Beyoncé does, okay? But it's not going to define her potential. Challenge negative self-talk with evidence, okay? Because that's what your body does. Your body automatically looks for the most negative thing, and it's like, see, told you. Challenge yourself, okay? Challenge to look for evidence of your achievements and the progress you've actually made rather than looking at the negatives. Cultivate that self-compassion by treating yourself with the same kindness that you would offer a friend. You wouldn't say to your friend, "Oh yeah, you're right, you probably can't do that." You would be like, "Come on, you're stronger than this. You can do this. You've put your all into it. You are so capable of doing this." So talk to yourself like that because we never talk to ourselves like that, okay? So things you can do here are things like develop a list of positive affirmations that counteract that self-doubt. You can repeat these affirmations daily to reinforce your confidence and belief in your transformation. And yeah, that was the only thing I actually had for that chapter. Never mind, I probably didn't even finish this book. Um, the second of last chapter is about the power of continuous learning. Okay, learning is a lifelong journey that contributes significantly to your personal transformation. So when I recently read that Stephen Bartlett book— well, I was listening to it on Audible— um, I do actually have the physical copy as well. I should probably look if it's the same in there as well. But when he got to— because it's the 33 Universal Laws of Society and Business. So when he got to the 33rd law, he said that the 33rd law is available at— and he read a website link out. And I was like, oh, that's a bit weird. But his 33rd law was all about continuous learning. Okay. So if Stephen Bartlett knows it and it's good enough for him, it's good enough to have been put in my book 2 years ago as well. I wonder if he plagiarized this. Probably not, but hey ho, we move. So this chapter was all about exploring the importance of continuous learning, seeking feedback, and adapting to change as you evolve on your path to becoming your future self. So we need to approach life with kind of a curiosity and a hunger for knowledge. And I know most of you do because you're here listening to this right now, for example, because you're curious, you're hungry for that knowledge. You want to know what I know so that you can like impart that wisdom on yourself as well and your day-to-day activities. So embrace those opportunities to learn new skills, explore different perspectives, expand your horizons, because lifelong learning keeps your mind active, it keeps it adaptable, and it keeps it open to change. And they're all crucial for personal growth and transformation. So I see feedback as a valuable tool for self-improvement because actively seeking feedback from mentors, from, you know, friends, family, everyone who supports your transformation journey, that's going to give you such, like, constructive criticism, should I say. It's going to give you such a guide to refine your approach and make those necessary adjustments as you need to. But we need to embrace feedback as a pathway to becoming the best version of ourselves. And as we transform, our goals and our circumstances, they might evolve. But we're going to be able to remain flexible and adaptable, and we're going to be willing to modify our path as needed. So when we embrace change as an opportunity for growth rather than as a setback, we're allowing the, the body basically, and that growth mindset, to approach change with curiosity and a willingness to learn. So for this penultimate chapter, I said that you could create yourself a learning plan. So identify an area that you'd like to learn more about Research resources, courses, workshops, anything that could help deepen your knowledge in that area. There's some self-development courses at cannycrystalsacademy.co.uk, ladies and gentlemen, if you want to go and have a look on there. Some of them are even just £3. But yeah, you get what I'm saying. Feedback reflection was another one. So you might want to reach out to a very trusted friend like your mom or your best friend, something like that. Someone who's going to give you some trusted advice, okay? Some trusted feedback. You don't want to go to like Doris down the street who barely knows you, or you don't want to go to your worst enemy because they're just going to dig at things, do you know what I mean? But reach out to a trusted individual, ask for feedback on a specific aspect of your transformation journey, reflect on that feedback and identify action steps for improvement. You might want to ask your mom or your dad like, have I changed in the last 3 years? What positives can you see that have come from me in the last 3 years? Something along those lines. And then the final chapter is all about celebrating milestones and progress, because celebrating your achievements and recognizing your progress, they're vital aspects of your transformation journey, because we're allowing ourselves to see where we've come from, where we're at now. So in this chapter, I was exploring the significance of acknowledging milestones reflecting on progress, and cultivating gratitude to fuel your motivation and appreciation for the life path that you're on. So we need to celebrate both, you know, the big and the small achievements along our journey, because every single step forward is a testament to our dedication and our hard work. So acknowledging your accomplishment, that's going to boost your self-esteem, that's going to reinforce the positive momentum that comes from progress. So regularly reflect on how far you've come since you began your transformation journey. Like I'm saying, mine was back in 2019 when I first, like, when my granddad first passed. So my journey's been the last 4 years. I'm a totally different person now to what I was 4 years ago. I wouldn't be going and standing on a stage in front of like 700 people. Like, I shat myself literally the day that work told me in the NHS, they told me that I had to give this presentation for 15 minutes in front of 300 people. My presentation lasted about 5 minutes tops, and I just mumbled on, and I was like, oh, and there's the fire exits over there, because I had the opening speech. So I was like, and there's the fire exits and the toilets down there, and, um, if anyone, um, does need to go out, you can smoke further down the alleyway. And I was an absolute bumbling mess. Hopefully I'm not going to be like that at the Barbican, but you know what I'm saying. I have come so far in my transformation journey. I have so much self-belief in myself. That self-doubt in my head thinking that I can't do stuff like that, it's just gone. So compare your current self to your past self and you're going to be able to gain a clear perspective on the progress that you've made. And that reflection, it not only boosts your confidence, but it's also going to provide insight into the strategies that are working well for you. Because gratitude is such a powerful practice that nurtures a positive mindset, and that's going to amplify feelings of contentment. And you just need to take time to appreciate the journey that you're on. The lessons that you've learned, and, you know, all the people that have supported you. Because gratitude keeps you grounded and focused on the present moment rather than fixating solely on your future goals. While striving for your future self is important, it's equally vital to find that contentment in the present moment. So striking a balance, you know, between the ambition and the contentment, that's going to ensure that you're motivated by a desire for growth rather than driven by that discontent. So embrace the journey itself and the learning that it brings rather than solely just focusing on that destination. And then the exercises for the last chapter were a milestone celebration, which was to identify a recent achievement or milestone, plan a small celebration or a treat to reward yourself for your hard work and your progress. The second was a progress journaling exercise, so to set aside some time each week to journal about your progress, reflect on both successes and challenges, and read back on previous weeks to see how far you've actually come. And then the third one was a gratitude practice. So to start or end each day by listing 3 things that you're grateful for, which I know we all do anyway. And these could be related to, you know, your journey, your relationships, your experiences, your personal growth, whatever it is. And there were your 3 exercises for Chapter 8. And that in a nutshell was my 8 steps to manifesting your best life. I hope that you enjoyed that. I do hope it didn't sound too much like I was just, you know, reading you something that I wrote 2 years ago. Mega lolz. And I guess the only thing that I have left to tell you is that I'm releasing a new podcast. Can you believe a new podcast? I feel like I need to do this because— it's not going to be about the law of attraction, it's not going to be about spirituality, it's not going to be about mindfulness or manifestation. It is literally just going to be random stories that has happened to me. So I'm basically going to go head-to-head with myself in the podcast charts. How exciting! But basically, every single time that I meet new people, I tell them stories about things I get up to in my daily life. So for example, when I was at Fran's house the other week, I was telling her, Jay, and her friend Susie I told them about a time, maybe 15 years ago, when I got a restraining order from Kimberly Walsh from Girls Aloud. And she was like, "You need to do an off-topic podcast." So I thought, "Yeah, actually I do." So I've got 22, 23 ideas for episodes so far and ready to record. They're not going to be very long episodes, maybe 5, 10 minutes each one. And it's just going to be me talking about how unfortunate I've been in life. And you know, what shenanigans I've gotten up to. And I'm going to release these on a Monday because I just think we all need a bit of a laugh on a Monday. Monday is kind of a serious day, so I thought let's put out a bit of a comedy podcast on a Monday. So yeah, it won't be on the Canny Crystals podcast. So if you do want to listen, and apologies in advance because some of the stories, although hilarious, might be a little X-rated. So if you do want to listen, you need to search for What a Nightmare. Okay, that's what it's called, What a Nightmare. You'll see it, it's red, it's a picture of me with my head in my hands. 'In Bed.' I was next to Fran in the original shot, but I've cropped her out. Sorry, Fran. But yeah, go and have a listen, see what you think. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe if you've enjoyed this episode. And thank you so much again for joining me for 100 episodes. Here's to the next 100, and I will see you all again next Friday for another episode. Have a lush weekend, everyone. Bye!
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