Stirring our Soul

Hello, welcome to the Mike and Sam Show. I'm Mike, of course, that's Sam. Sam, how you doing?

I'm great, Mike. How are you today?

You know what? I am good. It's been a productive morning, getting a lot of little things done for a big project I'm super excited about.

Yeah, I hear you. And that's sort of where I've been, trying to get a bunch of the little stuff off the plate. And I'm still, I don't know, there's just, it's amazing. For so much that's not going on, there's so much more that is going on. And it's creating a— there's a ton of work to do, but it's stuff that I'm excited about. It's stuff that I really wanna work on. It's something I am definitely passionate about.

Well, and that's what we're gonna discuss today. We're gonna talk about stirring our souls during—

It's amazing how that happens, you know? You ask me a question and then it just happens. It's like magic.

It is. You would think that we talk before we come on air, that you would think that might be happening.

Well, we should try that sometime. Maybe that, uh, would help things along a little bit.

There you go. Well, actually, we do, because talking to you stirs my soul, and I love to get my soul going, my spirit going, and you do that. And today's discussion— yeah, today's discussion, that's what we're going to talk about, stirring your soul. And, and the reason we're going to discuss this is both Sam and I are speakers, and there are different kinds of speakers out there. Some speakers, to them, it's, it's another job. And it's a, it's a way to make money, and they're focused on the revenue, and that's their main reason for being out there— build a business. Uh, Sam and I are both very mission-driven speakers. We're driven by the purpose we have on this planet. And the reason I bring that up is that, you know, March came along and both of us went from a schedule to be on the road to be sharing with the world to home, like everybody else home. The difference was a lot of people could work from home And many couldn't. We could not at first. There was— nobody was doing anything. They weren't doing virtual, they weren't doing anything. That's now changed. And Sam and I have talked about, even when we're doing stuff related to speaking that, that gets us excited for the big event, until we do the thing that stirs our souls, speaking, there's like a gap missing there. There's just a void missing there that we might not even recognize, but our spouses do, the people around us do. And I think this is true to a lot of people's work, Sam. What do you think?

Well, absolutely. And here's the thing is we're both mission-based. So for me, the whole— everything is around building a more accountable world. You're talking about building respect into relationships, into communities, into people's lives. And so this is what we were born to do, and we work very hard to do it. And so even this conversation right now, We're working on it, and that's really good and strong and positive. But I miss, I miss being around people, having these conversations in live in-person settings versus live virtual settings, and being able to see the lights go on, be able to see them nodding their heads, be able to see their posture changes, that they, they see something that makes sense and they want to take it and they want to run with it. And that's why also when we're doing these, when, when our viewers and listeners post comments, questions, that goes a long way to that. It's that interaction with people that I think you and I, we feed off of that. It's— there's an energy there.

There is. And fortunately, we're learning techniques. You and I are people who love to work the craft. We love to learn. We love to— we are not believers that once you get mastery, you're done. We believe martial arts When you're considered in the mastery category, that means you're at the beginning, right? That's, that's how you and I view speaking the same way. And so because of that, we are fortunate that we are learning techniques in live virtual programs that allow a lot of engagement. We are getting a lot of feedback. So yesterday I did this program. We did a live feed to YouTube for a, for a client. Only people that had the link could see it. So it was a private event for them, but we used YouTube. And through comments and surveys, I was getting so much feedback. And I was getting so— I told you afterwards, it was like my soul had been refreshed. Like it just felt so good to get that. Because that's, we, you and I drive off working with audiences, not talking to audiences.

Well, purpose is, you know, our purpose in life is, is always going to be framed up in the service of others. Your purpose cannot be to earn a million dollars. You now nothing wrong with earning a million dollars. You can want to earn earning a million dollars can be a goal. That's all great, but that's not your purpose. Your purpose is always going to be in the service of others. And so what you were able to experience yesterday is is that service of others and sharing your message. But you were able to get the confirmation back that they received it. They heard it. They were going to engage with it. They were going to use it. That's what was coming. Back in all those comments. That's the challenge with virtual is, is many times we don't have the opportunity to, to get that feedback. I, I produced a, a video for a client just the other day that— well, actually for 2 different clients that they were going to put out and to their employees or their members in association. And so we shot the video here and we uploaded it and they're going to put it out. Well, that's all fine and good, but There's no interaction, there's no feedback. And so, when you understand what your purpose truly is and then you align yourself with activities that help you serve that purpose, and that's what I call your purpose in action, which is your mission. And when you're on mission, that's when you're going to get the greatest joy.

Yeah, absolutely. You know, you and I have had this discussion. A lot of people during this time, because we're not on the road, we're not on planes, They're asking people like you and I, speakers, and they're saying, what are you doing with your time? And the irony of this is that you and I are spending more time working now maybe than we have in years because we're building ways to, to serve. We're building new ways to serve, and that's starting from scratch in some ways. Some ways it's adding elements that we were already doing, and we're working longer hours. You and I are on the phone sharing ideas with each other. It's exciting. And we still need the moment that spurs the soul. Like, building for you and I isn't what does it. It's that final getting to share it that does it.

Absolutely.

I love this.

Yeah. All teachers can identify. It has been so hard not to engage with students and colleagues.

Exactly.

That's what we're talking about. We're like, we're like kindred spirits here. I've been on Zoom meetings with teachers who cry because they miss the interactions. Yes. Absolutely, Denise, and I appreciate you sharing that. That's what it's all about. It's that joy is in that interaction, which is kind of interesting. You know, we started off talking about purpose, which I think it's important to discover what our purpose is. But boy, I'll tell you what, it's this interaction between people that's critical. And that's why emails, texting, and all that, you know, that's great for communicating data that, you know, How many eggs are in the refrigerator while you're at the store so you know whether to buy more eggs. That's fine and dandy, but that's not really an interaction between human beings, and human beings aren't being connected. And our souls connect through these relationships. And so we need to find ways to build relationship into what we're doing. And I think when we do that, then we're going to be on purpose a lot more often.

Absolutely. And people have to know that is possible virtually. It is so possible with live virtual. And that's what you clarified earlier. Pre-recorded isn't even virtual. It's watching a film. Let's just be honest. If you're going to call it virtual, the word live should go before it because otherwise you're just watching a film.

Exactly.

That's the reality. But when you do get live virtual the right way, I don't even, I didn't get to tell you, Sam, you were using the word, you know, enlightenment. We had somebody post a note today that yesterday's session was enlightening. A required mandated session said it was enlightening, and it was a live virtual thing they were watching through their screen. So this is possible when we create the opportunities to make it happen. And a lot of companies have to realize this now more than ever is the time you need to make these things happen. And, and I'm not even referring to whether it's you or me; it's bringing in whoever does that for their group. Right.

Well, and that's just it. At the, at the, at the corporate level, in the business level, people need those interactions. They need that connectivity. And so, as a leader of a company, it's, it's one thing to focus on sales, focus on manufacturing, focus on providing your service, but what are you doing to keep your people connected and feed their souls? Because that's important. I have a client, I was online with him today. We get on every week. We bring everyone together. We spend 20 minutes.

That's it.

And we get a conversation going virtually. People are laughing, people are having a good time. They learn through the process, but it brings people together. And, and that's what it's about. When you're on purpose, when you're connected to other human beings and you're serving other human beings, you're gonna naturally feel more fulfilled than at any other time.

And I wanna go back to Denise's comment because I think it's really important with what you and I are discussing right now. And by the way, Denise, you're an awesome example because you frequently comment while Sam and I are doing the show and it means the world to us.

We love you, Denise.

Yes, we do love Denise.

We're taking you on the road with us. That's what we're going to do.

There you go. And why I think this is important, Denise, is that when somebody is having that moment where they're crying on the Zoom, so often everybody else on the Zoom wants to console instead of engage. And so, they want to say, oh, we're feeling your pain. We're sorry for you. They're going down that road. But they're not talking about, let's stop and let's all feel this right now. Let's talk about what we all need right now, 'cause we all might be crying inside if we're not crawling outside, and having the conversation. And what's something that— and then when you're done with that, then what's something that's funny that happened to someone today? What's something that happened with your kids you wanna share with us? Reconnect, because those are real human emotions. We need to be human in that moment.

Absolutely. And it's through that connection that we stay on purpose and we help other people stay on purpose. And if we can bring some joy to other people around us, I don't, I don't think there's anything more important than that.

Yeah. So, I want to challenge everybody watching right now, and maybe you can even comment and share. How are you in your daily life trying to make sure every week, you're not going to have it every day necessarily, but every week you're doing what stirs your soul for even 1 minute? Just that you're doing it. Like, we have a mutual colleague who said, hey, everybody put 30 videos out for 30 days. Well, it forces you to speak. It forces you, if you're a speaker, to get out there and be talking. Now, without engagement, it doesn't feel the same way. So you get— we have to figure that out. But do something. It doesn't have to be— if your thing is writing, if your thing is you're a salesperson, what are ways you can do that every week that, even if it's on the smallest scale, And when people take the time to do that, then, you know, that's what I call being on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose.

It's when it's intentional, then what happens is we find it happening more in our life. And then, we have a more fulfilled life at that point.

Yeah. And when you're doing the small stuff to get there, it's more fired up because you know what you're going to do at the end of the small stuff. So, Sam, you know, I have a course on purpose. That opens on Tuesday. It's been— registration's been open for 5 weeks, but we start the course on Tuesday and tons of little work with a course, right? Whether it's images you need up on the online learning center, downloads, all of this. And that's not where I'm at my strength. That's not my area of strength. But I keep telling myself, I should say, and I keep telling myself, reminding myself, hey, and this is going to make Tuesday amazing. This is going to make Tuesday awesome because Tuesday was where I get to engage. Tuesday's where I get to do all of that, and that helps me do that. So, keeping the soul-stirring activity as the why for the small stuff can also make a huge difference.

Exactly. Yes. Even though many times in life, we have to do what we have to do before we get to do what we want to do. That's just the way it works. And so, but when you keep that out in front of you, that why, as you mentioned, then that'll drive you. That'll— it's your mission, is your purpose in action. And so, sometimes the activities in your mission, they might not be the most fun activities. But if it's your purpose in action, then you're going to find a way to work through that.

Yeah, I love that, Sam. What a great way for all of us to end this thinking, hey, am I putting my purpose into action? That's a beautiful way to do it and to view this. I want to thank everybody for joining us on our weekly meeting. You might have noticed this was Thursday. Normally, they're Wednesdays at 12:30. But I actually was Speaking for the client yesterday at that exact time. So we had to move this to Thursday.

So— But the recordings are there. The podcast is there. And as always, subscribe, go to YouTube, Center for Respect, or YouTube, Sam Silverstein, subscribe. Give us a thumbs up, share us with your friends, click on the little bell so you get notifications every time we post new videos, because we do a lot of videos even that aren't even these live videos. And we just love that you're here, and we'll see you next time.