Your Life On Purpose

I’m super excited to be back here today and if you’re new to the podcast, make sure you check out the first couple episodes so that you see where I’m coming from. Each episode builds on the other.    Also, make sure to download the life plan and subscribe to my newsletter by heading over to thetravelingcup.com/yourlifeonpurposeguide    Okay, so, on the last episode, I talked about being real and vulnerable and owning your story.   That my friends can be easier said than done. Enter the resistance.   Oh resistance, that scoundrel of a plague that stops creators from creating, stops writers from writing, stops changemakers from changing, and stops entrepreneurs from launching. Have you ever come up with an idea and felt such an incredible rush of adrenaline that you needed to grab the dinner napkin and nearest pen so you can scribble down the thought in your head? My guess is that you’ve probably experienced something like that because I know I certainly have. I love thinking big and coming up with ideas and,

We just passed 12 and a half thousand downloads.    And this blows my mind because for about 4 weeks, there were no new episodes. I originally created the first 10 episodes to go with the life plan template I wrote which you can still download at the link for this podcast or at thetravelingcup.com/yourlifeonpurposeguide.    As I continue to go Your Life on Purpose here, I’m going to focus chunks of episodes by a certain theme. I think of it as seasons, like a tv show has seasons. And the theme this season right now is mindset. But, honestly, for those who know me well, I’m not really good at focusing. I love living organically and going with the flow. Structure is needed to get meaningful work done, but I’ve been held back by structure before, so I hope you allow me to meander when it seems necessary.    Let’s continue the theme of mindset for a while here. I have five episodes I’d like to create on mindset, but honestly, that could all change as I hear more and more from all of you who are listening and shar

Thanks so much for tuning in to Your Life on Purpose. I’m your host, Mark Guay and I’m super excited to be back back here with you.   If you’re new to this podcast, make sure to download the free life plan I wrote called Your Life on Purpose which has 10 simple steps to live a life with impact. These steps were pulled from my over 100 interviews with the greatest change makers and leaders of our time. The first 10 episodes of this podcast are the audio component to the life plan template.    All right — so something interesting happened over the past two weeks.   I got a bunch of messages from people asking me when there would be more episodes of Your Life on Purpose. And it felt terrible telling them that this podcast was only meant to be the audio component of the life plan I wrote called Your Life on Purpose.   So, I’m going to experiment here for a bit and create more tips to help empower you and develop a limitless mindset.    How long will this last?    I’m not sure. But my greatest goal in life is to h

  If the first thing you do in the morning helps you grow as a person, then you’ll make better more focused decisions throughout the day.   I suggest at least 30 minutes for your morning ritual, but many go with an hour. Why? Because an hour is a sizable enough chunk where dedicated practice could lead to tremendously awesome results. Heck — I’ve even seen Ironman triathletes train on 60 minutes a day during the week and then put in longer runs and bike rides over the week.    When I first started building a morning ritual, I would spend the first hour of the day cycling indoors while listening to podcasts. Now that I don’t race triathlon here’s what I usually do:   Rise at 5am glass of water with apple cider vinegar (to alkalize the body) Aeropressed coffee  20-minute meditation 30-45 minute yoga session   then it’s often a 5-minute journal session then work. 

Set a timer for 30 minutes and create a list of 25 things (or more :) you want to do in your life. Step outside the definition of work and things you want to do solely in your career. You are not creating a resume here. You’re building an epic eulogy. These should feed your mind, soul, and body.   It’s that simple.    Here’s how I like to redefine the bucket list though. It’s not just a list for you to live your amazing life, but rather it’s an agent to bond and strengthen your connection to love ones.     Share the document with a loved one. For instance, I share my document with my wife. It helps for accountability, but more importantly, it strengthens a bond and grows a relationship stronger. Whenever my wife wants to do something special for me, she can look at my list and surprise me with checking off something on the list. And I can do the same for her with her own list.

In this envisioning technique, I ask you to write down how you want to be remembered. Doing this helps you be clear in your direction along with building an epic eulogy.    This is meant to be written in a free-writing style similar to what Jack Kerouac and The Beats used to do. Meaning, instead of worrying about if you’re saying the right word or have proper spelling, just write quickly and separate your thoughts by just a dash. This allows your heart to bypass your brain and flow through your fingers when you type or write. 10 minutes is often enough for each section.    These are the sections I ask you to write about. In other words, answer this question.   How do you want to be remembered by...   Your wife/husband/partner Your Parents God (or gods depending on your religious belief) Children Friends Colleagues 

  Three Questions to Ask to Find Purpose To help aim the ladder in the right direction, there are three questions to ask oneself:   What are your passions? What pays well? What are you really talented at? a.k.a. What’s your unique genius?   (Me — I’m a connector, motivator, optimistic big idea people person. I also know what I’m not good at: analyzing data, following authority)   Most entrepreneurs know very clearly what they are good and not good at. They delegate the task that they are not good at to those who can do a stellar job. I’ve done this as well with my work. For instance, I’m terrible at audio editing and graphic design. So, I knew I had to hire a great audio editor and a graphic designer to design my logo and websites.    After taking a look at all three answers, you should get several different ladders to choose from. Then, ask a fourth question to choose the best ladder.   What does the world need most?

Okay, I’m about to get a little more Sunday-morning infomercial here for a second.   And at first, I was pretty skeptical of this myself. But, after doing it, I’m now a believer in the power of visualization.    I’m not really sure what to call this I’m going to talk to you about creating. Some call it a Photo-Board, others have called it a dream board, a manifestation visualization, and a slideshow of your life.    I’m going to call it — Your Visual Launch Pad.    So, today, I want to talk to you about building your Launchpad. It’s the visuals that embody the goals you have in your life.   But, first, a story...   Before every major race when I use to coach, I would have my athletes write out what their race is going to look like. What would they wear, eat. What would they smell, see, feel, think? I wanted them to experience the race before actually stepping on the start line.   Now, I didn’t make this up. It was taught to me by the USA Triathlon guys who taught me how to coach, but as soon as I first did it

On this episode, I talk about standing out and building your mastermind group.  The Goal? Create a mastermind group of 3-5 people. First, in the e-guide "Your Life on Purpose," I ask you to write out who is in your mastermind.  So, here’s a quick refresher. You need to have a mastermind because these are going to be the people that work as your sounding board, your therapist, along with exponentially growing your exposure by utilizing each other’s network and community of fans.  These people should be as focused and determined as you are. They should be on the same level of you or a bit higher up. Of course, if you find a group of A-players (people that are leaders in your industry) and they want to have you in their mastermind, that’d be great.  Most people, like myself when starting out, have a few people in the group that are on the same level and then have an A-player who acts more like a coach and joins in.  A few ground rules: Meet at least every other week if not 1x/week for one hour. Meet on Skype o

On this episode, I’m going to talk about mentors and why you need them.    I’m talking about in-person and virtual mentors here. And yes, it’s going to require you to be super vulnerable and ask for help, but I’m hoping you’ll see my point pretty quickly.   But, first a story that starts in the dorm room...   Before graduating from college, Ashley Stahl had a team of mentors to help coach and guide her career. She dreamed big and wanted nothing less than to land her dream job straight out of college. That millennial dream came true when she walked into the U.S. Pentagon for her dream job in foreign affairs.   Long before crossing the commencement stage to get her degree, Ashley did something many millennials don't know to do. She built up her team of mentors and asked for advice whenever possible. Instead of waiting to start her career after graduation like many students do, Ashley began her career with one cup of coffee and a conversation to build up her network. One particular mentor really helped As

  On this episode, I want to dive into goal setting…for real. For the mind, soul, and body.   Everyone under the sun talks about goal setting. Like a New Year’s Resolution, these goals barely make it through a few weeks of trial and error.    Why? Well, there’s a few reasons.   1. Accountability. 2. Lack of simplicity. 3. No balance.   Before we dive into these three, just a heads up that we’re talking about SMARTER goals here.    You’ve probably heard the acronym before, but just a refresher. SMARTER goals are specific, measurable, action-based, realistic, time-based. Then, evaluate and re-do.      *Enjoy this podcast? Please help share the word by leaving a kind review on iTunes :)   

On this episode, I want to dive into the definition behind your why.   In other words, why are you doing what you are doing.    Sounds super easy, but it’s definitely not.   Finding your why is about digging deep within yourself and reflecting into the marrow of your purpose.   Your why is bigger than yourself. It’s about how the uniqueness inside of you fits perfectly with what the world needs.   Kind of like a Chicken Fajita.   A chicken fajita is one of the many beautiful foods, like gumbo and Jambalaya, that came from two worlds meeting together.    Without this blending, the chicken fajita would never have been created. And that my friends would have been a damn shame. Because I love a good chicken fajita.      *Enjoy this podcast? Please help share the word by leaving a kind review on iTunes :) 

On this episode, I’m going to dive into how to build your life on purpose by carving out the next 90 days.   The first step down this road requires a bit of envisioning. You don’t need to close your eyes or anything though you are welcome to.    it’s time to envision the beginning of your legacy.    But, what I’d like you to do is imagine what your Wikipedia page would look like if some random person were to Google your name in 90 days.    Imagine what you’d really like this Wikipedia page to say about you. What would it include? How long would it be?    *Enjoy this podcast? Please help share the word by leaving a kind review on iTunes :) 

The future of work is changing and you're ready to be at the forefront of this change. If you're ready to build your life on purpose and have greater impact in your work, then this is the place for you. After interviewing Seth Godin, Natalie Sisson, Pat Flynn, Scott Harrison, and others, I've put together a plan to make sure your next steps elevate your life to a whole new level.  This is Your Life on Purpose.