Guest: Adam Markel
“Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” – Mandy Hale
It’s morning. Gut-wrenching dread engulfs your body as soon as you take your first conscious breath of the day. You endure a hellish commute to work. Bust your butt for a boss or accept work from a client who don’t pay you close to what you’re worth. Put up with a lackluster, or worse, abusive relationship that hasn’t made you happy in years. Nothing a little crack-in-a-can energy drink and sleep-aid with a whiskey chaser can’t remedy.
You’ve convinced yourself excitement and passion for life are overrated fairy tales that only exist in Cialis commercials — yet your ambition, potential, and dreams still scream from the deepest parts of you, begging to break free. They’re the parts that know there’s more to life. But your fear silences them as you drag your feet to the next destination. Afterall, change requires risk, a pivot out of your comfort zone, a probability of facing your dragon. It’s easier to be “safely dead,” right?
Life requires tolerance. But life should never become something you just tolerate.
Value yourself, your health, and your life enough to break free from the crutch of addictions. The ones helping you cope with fear and worry. Love yourself enough to be intolerant of mediocrity. Find out what you’re capable of doing and being. Start living your true calling so you can stop enduring life and start enjoying it.
Have the courage to embrace change and pivot to a new level of growth.
The Face Your Dragon podcast opens up the concept that what you are most afraid of and most resisting are the very things that will set you free.
The Power of a Pivot
Adam Markel pivoted out of his career as an eighteen-year New York City litigation attorney to become the CEO of Peak Potentials, a large seminar and personal development training company. In this episode, he shares what prompted him to make such a drastic change in his life. Most likely, his reasons parallel yours. His day-to-day anxiety from living an unfulfilled life made him, as he puts it, “feel a little dead on the inside.” A health scare pivoted his life and he did the work to align his work with his true purpose — serving others.
Pivotal moments are defining moments. Some happen by choice, others by something much bigger than us. Either way, they’re rarely comfortable. The key is to embrace them as opportunities to wake up, to learn, and to grow so you can continue to evolve into your best self and live an authentic and happy life.
Start taking the actions necessary to face your fear, do something different, and live your life instead of tolerating it.
Episode Discussions:
- Why you should appreciate (and not forget!) the true power of books
- How the book Road Less Traveled changed Adam’s life and perspective
- Bullying and how it caused Adam to address parts of his early programming
- The importance of deep self-inquiries and being real and honest with yourself
- How Adam’s memoir for his kids evolved into his book Pivot
- Brad’s story of growth and joy from his new experiences
- Electronic and school bullying statistics from stopbullying.gov
- Altruism, false humility, and why the ego can show up as a bully
- Adam’s leap from attorney to transformational leader and how it’s improved his life
- The reasons we turn to geographic healing or substances for relief
- A test to reveal whether you really want to commit to pivot or change
- Why it’s important to be mindful of how we speak to ourselves and others
- The need for human connection and why feeling alone is more like a desire to connect with others
- The two kinds of pivots and why pivoting becomes a habit
- Why we have a tendency to not ask questions we don’t know the answers to
- Bob Proctor’s terror-barrierThe debate between going “all in” (fully committing) and baby steps
- The greatest example of a pivot ever
- The damage of spiritual bypassing
- Six questions that help you identify whether you’re in a pivot or should make one
- A 3-step conscious practice you can start tomorrow morning
- Symptoms you’re not comfortable in your own skin and how to address them
- Reasons behind neurotoxic addictions like alcohol and caffeine
- The process of “chunking down” and how it helps to make pivots easier
Episode Benefits:
- Learn the two kinds of pivots in life and how to use them as opportunities for growth
- Discover the reasons we turn to geographic healing or substances for relief
- A life-changing 3-step conscious practice you can start tomorrow morning
- Listen in as this episode illuminates the path to awareness and provides valuable guidance on how to find, face, and ride your dragon.
Here’s the thing.
1 of the 5 dragons is chaining you down from taking the leap and breaking free.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Adam’s official — adammarkel.com
Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life
Road Less Traveled – Dr. Scott Peck
Gay Hendrick’s FYD interview
Miguel Ruiz FYD interview