On the Path with Andy Petranek

You are exactly where you're supposed to be (and so am I). No matter where you are, there is no question that you are right where you're supposed to be. Now... it may not feel that way. It certainly didn't for me for a very loooooong time. Things swirled. I was riddled with fear, worry, panic, and anxiety... for almost an entire year. And even after that year, I'd get regular "visits" from that uninvited guest. But with regular, daily self-nurturing practices like meditation, journaling, exercise, affirmations, diet, gratitude, I've been able to pull myself (with spirit's help, of course) into a place that is way beyond where I was before my "emotional meltdown" (aka spiritual awakening) occurred. Another big piece for me was my willingness to lean on others - friends, community, family, even people I didn't know that well. They helped me like structural scaffolding as I did the work to put things back together. And as a result, now I'm able to say with full conviction, that I am, and have always been, right where I am supposed to be. And as hard as it might be to see, you are too.If you're struggling, as I was, I suggest adopting a regular self-nurturing practice as well. As well as leaning on your friends and community. Perhaps even working with a therapist or a coach. Moving down this path is hard to do on your own, even perhaps impossible. And don't stop believing. If I can do it... I know you can too!

Have you ever noticed that when you hear about something that worked for someone else, you want to know how to do it yourself? You want the steps, the directions, the to-do list, the tools. The tools are the what... And while it might look like those are what gave that person the result they got, the deeper and more important cut is in exploring the 'how' and 'why'. You see, people can do exactly the same thing, follow all the rules, take all the steps, and get very different results. Why? Because of what's underneath... the why. If your checklist of to-dos, the actions you're taking are just a strategy you've adopted to avoid the pain you feel of inadequacy, unlovability, or not-enoughness inside... your action steps aren't going to solve the problem. So... if you're not getting the results you want in any area of your life, or you're thinking about doing something to fix something that isn't working for you... take a good hard look at what you're up to and ask yourself... 🌺🌺  Are the actions I'm taking or about to take addressing my real problem? 👉 👉  If not, what are the deeper underlying beliefs of unworthiness, not-enoughness, or inadequacy I've got that I need to deal with to get what I truly want?

Do you ever wonder why your spouse gets so frustrated with you when you say you’re going to do something and then you don’t do it? Most likely it’s because of the difference in the way you each interpreted what you said you were going to do. In your spouses’ mind, you saying you’d do whatever it was you were going to do was a commitment. It was action based. You could be counted upon to do it. And it would be clear at the end of the day whether or not it got done by whether or not it did, in fact, get done.However in your mind, it probably registered as an intention. You’d probably do it, if or when you could; you wanted to do it, if something more important didn’t come up; you would do it, as long as you had time.  You see… if you recognized that in the moment, and communicated what you’re really thinking, it has the possibility of taking the communication in your relationship to an entirely new level. Intention: “Honey, my intention is to do this… there are a lot of things going on today, and I have every intention of doing that, but…”Commitment: “Honey, I will absolutely get that done. You can count on me. It will be done by 4:30pm this afternoon.”🚀 It’s obviously something that takes practice… but give it a shot, and let me know how it goes!

No one WANTS to reveal that they have ugly thoughts and feelings - those of anger, rage, repulsion, judgment, egotistical, arrogance, ungratefulness. And yet you have them. No one wants to reveal feelings of weakness... sadness, hurt, pain, despair, loneliness, apathy.  And yet you have them. Feelings like these are part of what it means to be human. They're real as real gets. And to deny their existence by squashing them, pretending they're not there, or rising above them in what's usually called 'spiritual bypass', makes it very difficult for others to feel like they can deeply know you and trust you. Why? Because of your unwillingness to be real with them - owning and accepting all parts of how you think and feel. We're all human. We all have the full gamut of feelings.  Try embracing them fully... no shame, no guilt. If you're not in that habit, it will feel uncomfortable and weird. You'll probably feel awkward. And it will certainly make you feel vulnerable. As you'll find out if you stick with it, realness like this, true vulnerability... THEY are your strengths.

Saying goodbye can be tough. For me, i's got such a definitive endpoint to it. Like, this is it. And when I really think about it, it's also saying something to the effect of, "I might not ever see you again." But in watching the movie Nomadland, I was left with another possibility. What if when leaving your presence, there were a knowing that I will see you again... I simply don't know when. Whether it's in a day, week, month, year, or in the next lifetime... there really is no such thing as an endpoint, a goodbye. Perhaps instead it's, "I'll see you down the road." I like that much better. Brings so much peace to my heart. 🤔🤔 What do you think?

This conversation started for me inside of an interview I watched - Tucker Carlson interviewing Jordan Peterson. It made me start thinking about all the layers of the truth. Where does it start, and where does it end? Are you in the habit of telling the truth - about everything? It can be a bit like ripping off the band-aid, and dealing directly with what's underneath, rather than leaving the band-aid in place, covering up what's there, and letting the wound underneath fester (I love that word, "fester"!) 🙃🙃 What has been an unintended consequence of not telling the truth in your life?

The universe has a way of telling you when you might be wrong. When it lines things up time and time again that feel like they are punching you in the face... perhaps it's time to consider that the way YOU are being is at cause. You don't have to do that. You can keep on fighting, arguing, being in againstness, but it does get tiring... eventually. And at some point, you realize that it is easier, even empowering, to give someone else what they want, and to drop the againstness. Aka. admit you were wrong. Change course. Move the other way. It's the road less traveled for sure. But it's usually the honorable one. Try it on... see if it fits. 😎😎 Where have you found yourself stuck, arguing time and again for your "rightness", justifying your reasons? 👆 👉 Have something bugging you that you'd like to get off your chest? DM me to schedule some time.

Most of us look around at our life, see things that are not working, and immediately jump to answer the question, "How do I get that?" We want the checklist, the to-do list to give us the answer to what is missing. When you're asking How? first, it's a sign that you've missed a step. The how changes depending on who you're being... which is what's at the root, core, base level. Who would you have to be to have the result you desire show up the way you want it to in your life? That answer will inform your how, and will give you, in time, your to-do list. 🤲 Questions for reflection - What's the result you want? Who would you have to be to have it? 🤝 📧 In a relationship or career you're struggling with? Message me if you'd like to talk about it.

I've been talking about this for MANY years. Does ice work for injuries? These are the cases where it does: a severed limb, a temporary reduction in pain (from numbing), a reduction in inflammation to reduce pain. Where does it not work? EVERYWHERE ELSE for EVERYTHING ELSE. Yes, you should stop using ice for all your little aches and pains, and for speeding up healing... it doesn't do this, in fact, it slows it down. Watch the video for more details. And don't take my word for it. Try it out... see what works for you. As with just about everything in life, adopt a mindset that has YOU in the driver's seat, acting as the CEO of your own life. Listen to advisors, but take responsibility for your decisions. It's the only way to maintain your integrity and stay out of victim mindset. ❓🤔 So... what do you think? Need to learn more? YES! Read the NYT article "Ice for Sore Muscles, Think Again." 👀 🕵️‍♂️ Where have you been following, not leading? Where have you been allowing others to dictate your decisions and actions? Where could you use a dose of self-leadership?

Questions for thought... 👉 Does driving yourself as hard as you do, as consistently that you do it, actually helping you? ✌️ Do you have a bottomless pit of self-expectations? A standard that no matter how hard you try, you'll never live up to? 🤨 Do you let that part of you lead all the time? 😫 Have you noticed how much of a mental, emotional, and physical toll that takes on you and your loved ones? 🤗 Might it be good, and a relief, to take your foot off the gas for a bit, and ENJOY yourself and your life? 🤙Can you even do that? 🖐Want to talk about this, or anything else related to your relationship or career? DM me...

How long must you endure the suffering before you decide enough is enough? For me in my marriage, it was over 15 years. It didn't NEED to take that long, but I guess I just had an incredibly high tolerance for inner pain and suffering, until I finally had enough... and decided to take full responsibility for my marriage being exactly the way I want it to be. And low and behold, when I became the person I always wanted to be in the relationship, everything changed! The questions for you to grapple with...  🤔 How long do YOU want to suffer?  😠😡🤬 What's been niggling at you, bothering, annoying, and perhaps even making you angry or resentful - and causing your inner suffering... and how long do you want to stay stuck there?

Information isn't the problem. Knowledge isn't either. The answer isn't in reading another book, or learning another system. When it comes to habit formation, ACTION is where it's at. What are you doing each day to move closer to being the person you've always wanted to be? Are you showing up? The question is, what works FOR YOU? What's going to get you to the fourth phase of mastery - unconscious competence? For me, the Whole Life Challenge is one of the things I use to keep myself on track. In spite of the fact that I've been the Challenge now for over 8 years, there are still habits that I have to bring to the forefront of my brain and remain conscious of and accountable for, or they will drop out of existence. That's how I know that these things are still in the realm of the third phase of mastery - conscious competence. The WLC does something else for me... it helps me remember the other things, the things that are not part of the Challenge, habits that I want more of (or less of) that I want to keep in my conscious awareness in order to have more of what I want in my life. 🟢 🟢 So the real question is this... what structure do you have now, or want to consider using in the future, in order to keep yourself accountable and solidly on the path? A group program, community, coach, challenge, best friend, or anyone willing to hold your feet to the fire are all great ways to make that happen. 🥰 ⛔⛔ You know a surefire way FAIL to achieve this level of mastery with any habit, no matter how small? Go forward without any sort of structure or accountability.😵

Resistance is the thing that we do to avoid being outside of our comfort zone. We don't necessarily do it consciously. Here's what Steven Pressfield says about it... "Resistance is an impartial force of nature, like gravity and the laws of thermodynamics. Resistance is clever. It knows if it personalizes its manifestations, it can deceive us and slip past our defenses." There are 12 indicators - any of which can mean you're in resistance of something you say you really want. Some of them are pretty innocuous, even reasonable (doesn't everyone have no time, or forget?) But don't kid yourself... if you're saying even just one of these to. yourself about something you really want in your life, you are in resistance with a capital "R". 🌺 Which one of the 12 is most prevalent for you? 🌺 What are you resisting? 🌺 Join my private FB group called VITALIZE - where we meet to talk about things related to optimizing your mind, body, heart, and spirit! facebook.com/groups/vitalizeforfreedom

Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there? Does it get any simpler than that? Simple, yes. Easy, no. But practicing answering these questions every day will lead you down a path to self-mastery and personal leadership that will elevate your game, inspire those around you, and create a new version of you that will transform your life. ❣️ 👉 So... how about it... Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there?

You want to be more productive? Here's the truth... the latest and greatest app, system, or program won't help without something else in place. Trust me, I've tried them all. It's not that a new system or app is bad or wrong or doesn't have a good idea for a new, fresh approach. If you're suffering from a lack of success or productivity around getting the things done that you know need to be done, the solution is not "out there" somewhere. And the problem is also not out there somewhere. The problem AND solution are both "inside of you". You've got to want it, and be willing to use strength, discipline and focus to get it, to change it. No app in the world can make that happen... can they help, sure, but the bottom line is that it all comes down to one thing, YOU. 🤷 Can you relate? 🔔🔔 Want to join a group of people, committed to VITALIZING their lives? Check out my private FB Group [link in bio] facebook.com/groups/vitalizeforfreedom

Remember what it was like to be a kid? Everything was new... life was an adventure... and you were in it to explore, learn, be curious, all while having fun in the process. Do have anything in your life today that feels that way? Because if you don't, the I would suggest that you're not "in the arena". If you want to feel alive, you've got to get off the sidelines and get on the dance floor. Whether that means literally or otherwise. Find something that interests you, and get super curious... and whatever you do, let go of your need to 'already know' the answer before you begin. That spoils all the adventure, and fun! 🎢 🎢 What's something you're interested in trying that would invite curiosity and get you adventuring and exploring? 🎯 Join a group of people committed to this journey in my FB Group (link in bio). facebook.com/groups/vitalizeforfreedom

This is my story about how I wound up getting the COVID vaccine on Sunday. I was totally detached from the outcome. Perhaps this way of thinking can help you in those areas of your life where you're stuck, feeling trapped, and not experiencing true freedom. 💫💫 Where might you experience more emotional freedom by letting go of the outcome? 👉👉 Join my private FB group. www.facebook.com/groups/vitalizeforfreedom

Had a revelation this morning. During my morning meditation in my Vitalize group(link in bio), I read "the thought of the day", upon which I pontificate during the guided part of the meditation. The thought today was "if you aren't staying in the moment, you are leaving it." And, well... leaving the moment IS the point... not getting stuck in what is now the past by staying in the moment. It's a little crazy, this talk about time, but I find it fascinating, deep, and a great path toward ultimately finding freedom. 🤔🤷‍♀️🤷‍♂️🤔 What do you think? Stay in the moment, or leave it? Join my private Facebook group here: www.facebook.com/groups/vitalizeforfreedom