Mark brings in the topic in the context of our Wheel. The concept of focusing one only one thing until you momentum and can diversify with only the cash flow from that one thing. Simplicity

Jim brings up the idea of focus and how that is bolstered with simplicity. He expands on our wheel and the five areas of life and the center of the wheel, the self

Jim and Mark share their experience with the mainstream news. Both guys share that they have tried life with it and without it…and the impact is real. It’s a massive distraction

Jim brings in self alignment in the context of being self aligned toward that one thing

Jim shares the definition of self alignment. Mark talks about his “one thing” routine

Mark reads the definition of self awareness

Jim marvels at the simplicity of it and Mark agrees. Mark brings in Jim’s idea of doing “reps”. Mark shares where his most recent “One thing” focus came from…a level of dissatisfaction with his state of mind and productivity. He shares how impactful it’s been by just stopping the consumption of the news..for three day!

Jim brings up the well being part of our wheel. He thinks it’s about being in control of your own thoughts. It’s alignment. When you watch news, you give away control of your own thoughts

Mark brings up the notion of opening up email first thing in the morning. You give away control to other people’s definition of urgent or important

Mark reads the definition of self alignment

The definition includes the words harmony and coherence

Jim cites self connection as being a quantum physics idea not a mindset. He tries to start his day with breathing and breath work can align and connect, removing friction. It’s another” reps” idea

Mark says it’s all about what you let into your “self”…all of it

The guys bring up Wim Hof and the idea that it’s also about letting things “out”. Keep in mind, this is an exercise that can be done in minutes

Mark shares his morning routine, specifically his journaling prompts

Jim shares how his variety of projects pulls away from the “one thing idea”. Much harder as an entrepreneur. Mark agrees

The idea of comparison and how structure is the hardest part of working alone

Mark reads the definition of self connection. Everything is connected

Marks issue is how hard it is to stop paying attention to so many different things.

The guys compare how challenging it is today versus when they started their careers regarding human connection. Mark talks about how his kids can multitask, but how this distraction might be the cause of an upswing in depression and mental health. They wonder what the cause really is and where this is going

Mark talks about how online bullies punch…and those same people would not do so face to face

He thinks this invisibility is not good. Humans have constraints face to face, but not online. Jim brings back up the importance of the 5 sense

Mark thinks the handshake is gone and he thinks this is a big deal…all five sense

Is this difference bad or do we simply take this for granted. Mark is pushing back toward face to face communication because people are craving it

Is human interaction in support of your “one thing”? Jim says connectivity is done at the local level. We can’t connect nationally, but we can locally. Mark says he hasn’t tapped in to the local market. Mark lives where he didn’t grow up. Jim’s connections are mostly childhood local relationships. A very different dynamic. Mark does give Jim credit for traveling…local connections, but also exposure to other cultures…a bug deal

Mark introduces the topic of self identity

The guys joke about their lack of Biblical knowledge around God’s statement to Moses “I am who I am”

Jim refers to a podcast he heard that mentioned the we’re never ready and you just have to face your fears

Mark reflects on his career and how he speaks with everyone he helps about their self identity. It’s the most important part of his work. You have to be able to tell your own story. He thinks most people cannot tell their own story. Jim agrees

Mark reads the definition of self identity

Mark reflects on the 1000’s of people he’s helped and shares that most people who are in career transition are burdened by other emotions that make self reflection harder. Shame, self doubt, etc…

The concept of an agent comes up and both guys see great value in using a qualified agent for self reflection

Jim tells his story about a young rugby player who is lost after finishing his professional rugby career. He has tried to help and isn’t sure if the kid will follow his lead or even come back for more coaching. He’s 27 now and has no experience that he can articulate. Jim believes that the skills it takes to be a professional athlete are transferable

Mark offers his opinion on how he might help this kid, including building up his self esteem and how to overcome fear

Before “Who you want to be”, “Who are you”

Mark reflects on his techniques with helping people looking for something else. Jim shares more about this young man. No car, no network…

Mark tells his story about anxiety/fear before his most recent webinar that same morning. He thinks we all have to overcome fear

Jim’s quote. “I’d rather die trying…than not try at all”

Mark shares some of his inner work. He thinks people avoid the inner work because it’s too hard

Jim says this inner work energizes you

Another quote “people seek out the truth”. Then Jim uses Trump as an example. We are drawn to people who you think are filled with truth

Mark suggests that this kid just needs to get started

Jim brings up the instability and anxiety in the world

Mark reflects on his profession and self reflection. Then he expresses how hard the noise is in the world and Jim agrees. The news and the noise makes us anxious

Another quote from Jim. “We are all actors in this world. He or she that plays the best role wins”

Mark ends with his position on acting in the face of fear

He then tells his tory about the toxic manager

He says you can’t let people treat you poorly. “You promote what you accept”

Jim shares the importance of self awareness

Last quote “All comparison leads to misery”

Mark shares his opinions on comparison and how to respond to a disrespectful person

Mark introduces the topic of reinventing yourself in the context of a personal brand. Both guys have been working on their brands. Jim is finishing up a formal effort with his brand

Mark puts his career up as a reinvention experience

Jim shares his view of how stories and brands have evolved over time and explains why he has made his recent investment of time and money working out his brand and messaging.

Contextually he explains this journey as one with three parts. The past, present and future. He talks about the work and the advisor he hired. He brings our 5 key areas of life framework

Mark brings up his method of developing his client relationships and the piece of that work that is their STORY. He says people can tell you what they do, but they struggle with who they are. He calls it self awareness and self assessment. He thinks most people don’t do this work because it’s hard

Jim shares his opinion on the value of using frameworks. He is following the structure of the LinkedIn profile and he begins to share the progress he’s making with his profile and all the messaging he has updated

Mark suggests pretending you’re going on an interview and have that conversation with yourself. Both guys share their opinions on their LinkedIn profiles starting with the headline.

Mark comments on the power of the visual imagery. Picture, smile, background, etc…. Jim agrees. Mark then says he looks for “what can this person do for me?” Mark shares more of his methodology and going “5 levels deep”.

He shares how emotional these conversations can be. Jim continues to share details of his profile updates. Both guys talk about how podcasting should be advertised and promoted more in their profiles. Mark asks Jim why he decided to invest time and money now

Jim tried it on his own and he needed the objectivity and accountability of a third party. He’s very happy with his deal and shares a bit about how they work together.

One of his biggest challenges is the number of different things he does. Jim talks about the power of words. Common language. Mark talks about his frame of reference and the importance of authenticity, being concise and being clear.

He tells about how hard this story messaging exercise is. Jim says the branding exercise also supports volunteer work as well as income driving work. Jim then shares his “about” section.

Both guys talk about the reality that this is a living piece of content, to be polished with some consistency over time.

Mark talks more about the integration of personal development with his professional self. Jim shares this as being one of the driving factors of starting the podcast. He shares more about his ideal prospects and how he is, for the first time, talking about how his dyslexic brain works to his advantage.

Mark talks more about his work. This idea that people limit and restrict themselves and his work is all about taking people deeper into areas that are less obvious to them. Frameworks and differentiation.

More self awareness talk and the framework. Mark repeats his fondness for clarity and authenticity. The guys disagree a bit about who to seek advice from. Mark adds context to his response.

He shares his “superpower” exercise and recommends it to everyone