This episode is a celebration of the past four years as Lori and Jimmy discuss the evolution of the process and their favorite episodes of the past. Have you a favorite episode of the past? Why is it important to you to continue to grow as a person? Tune in to this episode to hear some fun commentary and serious thoughts about life as our co-hosts reminisce of the past to grow in the future.
Episode Keys
- The importance of focusing on an episode by listening multiple times to gain better understanding.
- Why your future is much bigger than your past and how you can gain momentum to achieve it.
- How to listen to an episode for purposes of implementing strategies of growth.
- When you should seek guidance and how to measure the importance of the guidance to your goals.
- Why it is critical that you share your learning with others!
Podcast Transcript
JW:
Woohoo. Woohoo, man. This is a big one, Lori. This is our 200th episode of Live Life By Design. We are pumped.
LF:
What a way to start the morning! 200th episode. Wow! I can’t believe it! Goodness.
JW:
You know, that’s a big number. I remember the first time I hit that weight.
LF:
Right?
JW:
Yeah. Well, yeah. Coming down this time, not going up.
LF:
Oh, oh, gotcha. Gotcha. Okay. Hey.
JW:
Okay. Hey, thank you to all of our loyal listeners, subscribers all across this planet. Lori and I are so humbled by your generosity and sharing this podcast with your family and friends. As we keep looking, the numbers just keep climbing as I look at them. I can’t imagine how many people in the planet are listening to this podcast, and we are so grateful. But today, this 200th episode, Lori, of Live a Life By Design, will go down in the history books. And here’s wine. You and I are gonna share our top three favorite episodes from Live a Life By Design Over the Last 200 produced, and share some highlights of the past four years. I’m going to put you know, Lori, in the hot seat?
LF:
Oh, the hot seat. I don’t know. I, I dunno if I’m capable or qualified to be in the hot, hot seat on this Monday morning. I really don’t know.
JW:
I hope you wore your Teflon britches cause Here we go.
LF:
Okay.
JW:
Yeah. This is, this is, this is hotter than a campfire at a Boy Scout camp. I mean, this thing is gonna burn some hot dogs, some, some whatever, you know, so, hey, this should be interesting. So let’s just do this much, Lori. I, I know everybody just loves to hear from you. Cause you always have such unsellable points. I mean, you,
LF:
Oh,
JW:
You always come across just so cogent, you have very learned statements. I just love that about.
LF:
It’s all caffeine driven, remember?
JW:
Yes. Yeah. Well, you gotta understand, folks. You got her coffee iv. It’s, I can see it standing right there by her.
LF:
So,
JW:
You know, what is your first episode of your favorite three? Then you can share with us today and why.
LF:
Okay. So it’s interesting that I honestly cannot believe it’s been four years. I, I had to do a little cheat sheet. I’ve been a fan of Live a Life By Design podcast since the beginning, but I honestly didn’t realize four years had gone by so fast. So, you know, in going back and looking at the list, I have to say that number three of my top three is back to where it all started with Episode #1, Finding Balance. I recently re-listened to it just to see when we talked about how we were so close to 200. I thought I need to go back and listen to that to find, you know, where, where, where it all started. You know, what was in Jimmy’s head four years ago when he decided to take on this daunting task of sharing insight, positivity, and being creative in people’s ears, if you will.
LF:
That’s probably, but I, I’m a, I’m a purist or a naturalist. I don’t know what the technical proper word is, but that’s what I think of going back to the beginning, finding your roots, remembering why you started. We talk a lot about remembering your why, and after listening to that episode, again, I thought, I, I get it. I remember why Jimmy started, he started this journey to be able to give people an outlet, you know, when they’re on the go, or in their car or when they’re working out or whatever they’re doing. Because now we’re in a world where you can take voices with you anywhere you go. And what a better way to start on a Monday morning than a positive voice of finding your balance in that episode. So that is probably, that’s number three in my top three going all the way back to the beginning. I feel like it’s important to pay homage to your roots. So, wow. So number one.
JW:
You are incredible that, that is, you know, and you know, admittedly, to be very honest, I was simply trying to find my voice, how this was going to work. And I’ll never forget some of the advice given to me by those like you and others that I trust to be honest with me about stuff, and truly give me critique. They just said, quit trying to sound like you’re on a radio and just be yourself. Right? So I took that to heart and that’s what’s happened, right? You just gotta put up with me now, Lori. It just leaks out. As they say, I’m like, a week depends on a 90 year old man. I’m telling you.
LF:
Just mix out, Hey, listen.
JW:
That’s a bad joke.
LF:
I was gonna say, in case you’re visualizing that, just try to wipe that from your memory.
JW:
Oh, you did that on purpose. You said wipe, didn’t you? Okay. Terrible, terrible. We are quick with it.
LF:
Yep, quick wit.
JW:
Quick- I didn’t catch all that. Quick-?
LF:
Quick wit.
JW:
Quick wit. Okay. Well, well, that’s good. Well, you know, I gotta tell you, mine goes back to the first year, almost a little over the first year. I you know, I’m all about positivity. And I can tell you why I chose this is because I’ve listened to this one several times, and you’re gonna laugh folks. We actually are the ones that create the, you know, the scripting is very, very terse. We don’t really write down a whole script. It just come up with some ideas in our heads and we just visit, right? You can tell by listening. So number 67 called Positivity A Better Way of Life. And I just realized after I listened to this again last week, and I thought to myself, well, that truly is the episode where we focus purely on people taking the high road with themselves and not just others.
JW:
So the point with that episode is, if you have two ways to look at anything, the most beneficial way is the positive way. Now, it’s so easy though, to see the bright light shining that is negative. It is sometimes more difficult with my eyes in particular to see the positive light that little glimmer sometimes. And as you get closer and closer, it becomes a brighter and brighter light. And then you realize, Hey, I’m moving forward now. And so that was my favorite episode. And I’m like, you, I’ve gone back like I said now, and let’s do it three times. Isn’t that crazy?
LF:
It’s important though, because I think those are the one thing, you know, you take a little nugget and you’re like, where did I hear that? You know, as, as we get older, we tend to pick up things and we, we say them, and it’s so funny cause they stick with us. And as kids, we learn things and we laugh because our parents, you know, make fun of us when we say things wrong. You know, for instance, when our son was little, he said, instead of saying Pop Tart, he said, pop tart. So we, yeah. So we, you know, laugh and, and still to this day, like we talk about pot tart in our house, that’s what we call ’em. And so, you know, when you talk about going back and listening to the episodes three times, it’s that little nugget of information in your mind that’s now ingrained and embedded because you picked it up because you heard it along the way, and then you applied it some way in your life, which is exactly what we want you to do on this show. And you, you know, find yourself going back to it because you know it’s a safe, familiar, important, positive spot in your brain.
JW:
What is that? They call on the Big Bang Theory that Sheldon got that time. Was that an ear worm? I believe it is, yes. Where it plays old over and he can’t, where’d that come from? How did I hear that? That’s it. When did I hear that? Yeah, I love that. Earworms, what is your second of your, your three favorite? What is your second episode?
LF:
Okay, so throwing it way back to the time of COVID, Episode #73 for me is my number two on my top three list. How to Keep Your Sanity in an Insane World. Very poignant for me. Very important, very impactful. There was so much going on at that time. I mean, we were in the beginning throws, I mean, it was the summer of 2020, and you did a great job of just really honing in on the ability to, these are the things that we can control. These are the things that we don’t know. And where to find that happy medium of staying sane or losing it, because I mean, let’s be real, at a time where we didn’t know there were lots of us losing it, and for different reasons, personal and financial, emotional, communal. There were all these things circling and swirling and things that we never dreamed that we would have to really talk about.
LF:
I mean, I remember my grandparents talking about growing up during the time, time of the Great Depression, never thinking that anything catastrophic like that would ever happen in my world. And being a parent myself, I found in that episode that it, it was just comforting. There’s just something comforting about people experiencing things together and going through those same day in and day out. But the reactions are different. The emotions are different, and the mindset is different. And really trying to learn coping mechanisms. I mean, we, we had no idea how to deal with these things and, and to keep ourselves sane because no one knew. And so there was honestly something, you know, comforting almost about that. That we were all in the same boat, paddling the same direction, not knowing really where we were going, but just hearing someone say, it’s okay. We’re gonna keep it together. We’re gonna find how to keep our sanity in an insane world.
JW:
It’s amazing you said that. And, and folks, I gotta tell you, she is spot on about these episodes. We actually get, in my opinion, some divine intervention at times. It says, Jimmy, you can keep this together. So I wasn’t just talking and sharing with the audiences on those episodes. I’m living that I’m sitting there telling myself, if you could read my journals, you know, oh, this has been a crazy world. It looks like we’re in some kind of zombie land. You know I’ll never forget the story. I had to move with my wife. We went to New York City to move our daughter’s you know, belongings back home. So during Covid, she got shipped home and still left all of her you know, clothes and other things in her dorm up in New York City while she did this internship. So instead of taking her up there, not knowing how badly this Covid Impact spread was in New York City.
JW:
So we took a flight as early as we could fly up, hoping we could fly back the same day. But they didn’t have any flights at work. So, Lori, you’re gonna laugh. We’re up there and it looks like Times Square that has usually thousands of people there. At any time of the day, there was about 10 people. There was one restaurant open, and you had to get your food outside on the sidewalk. They delivered it to you. You couldn’t sit down in the restaurant. I mean, it was like the apocalypse. And I tell people, you know, when in my journal, if you could read that, I’m going, am I even still on the planet? This is New York City folks. You know, it’s six, 8 million people and there’s no one here. That’s kind of wild. That’s really wild.
LF:
Yeah. Yeah. It’s, it’s such an interesting time. And now here it is. And you know, we’re almost to, you know, we’re half, well, not half listen bad at math. It’s Monday, right? Quarter of the way, would you say through 2023?
JW:
Oh, yes. I’d say we’re almost a quarter of the way.
LF:
Yeah. And so looking back on that, we think, Ugh, that was so long ago, but it really wasn’t.
JW:
No. And, you know, to be helpful for you on fractions, you know, three outta two dentists prefer, you know, special gum. I guess I, you know. Hey, my second of three, you’re gonna laugh is one, two that fits in with what you were just talking about thinking. And it was number, episode number 156: “How’s Your Thinking?” And we talk a lot on this episode about mindset, and we talk a lot about mindset on this entire podcast. And the importance of that is, is you, like you said, Lori must control your own person, your own body, your own thinking. And at the end of the day, that’s your domain as a human, right? So there’s one thing everybody says, I I, I just can’t do this or that, or whatever. And I go, but you can, if you want to bad enough, you can control it, you know? And so I was in a challenge used to do a lot of CrossFit and we had this challenge. So you’d do a hundred pushups and then you’d go run a mile, then you’d come back and do a hundred air squats. You’d run a mile, then you’d come back and do like I can’t remember what else it was pullups or something of that nature. And, and you sit there and when you first see this on the board and you go, there’s just no way
LF:
Listen, after the first mile, I was thinking, somebody’s coming to pick me up.
JW:
Now, I said run, but you know, I took the option, I did my my good old standby run walk. I did that one. But, but my point here is, is to say though, once you got down on the mat and started doing those pushups, you didn’t realize how strong you were. And so you have to give yourself a little bit of credit as a human being that you can be stronger than you know to be or think you are, depending on the circumstances you’re facing. So that was my number two of my favorite three. So we’re now to the number one for Lori. This is the big one. Folks, can I have a drum roll please?
LF:
I do. I have to.
JW:
Well in your case yes, because you’re a co-host and that means you can do anything you want. Yes. We self the show here. So
LF:
I, I really, really, really struggled with this one. I had a hard time picking one. So if I’m allowed to have a tie, that is fantastic. Okay.
JW:
You led on.
LF:
Okay. So my top two number one episodes, if you will, tied for first place – Episode #91: “A Little Different Christmas Story”. And if you’ll recall, this is the story where Jimmy and I talk a lot about what the holidays mean and what our traditions are. And, you know, those hard to buy for people. And, that’s one of the things I loved about that episode is where we talked about, you know, I, I think we may have talked about it before this episode once, but we circled back to my favorite thing that Jimmy loves to give me grief about. And that’s adult coloring books.
JW:
Oh no.
LF:
Yes, an earlier episode. And how we talked about people that are hard to buy for. And so I was telling Jimmy, I said, you know, I, a friend of mine recently for stress relief had turned me onto coloring books that, you know, have pages and they have themes and you get, you know, markers or pencils or whatever. And somehow that transitioned to, into me saying adult coloring book. And that took a way south turn. But the great thing about that is, and for the listeners out there, this is a little nugget of inside that what do you say behind the scenes that I’m going to share with our listeners. So I hope you’re ready for this because Jimmy doesn’t even know that I’m about to say this. After that episode and we had that discussion about the adult coloring book, I decided that I was gonna go to our good friends at Amazon and purchase an adult coloring book in a set of markers. And I had them shipped to Jimmy’s house. Cause I wanted to, a, I’m not a bad person, and b, that they can be fun. So
JW:
I was so embarrassed. I I get this package and it’s an adult coloring book with these markers. And every time the children came in the room, I covered it up. I was so embarrassed. No, I’m just kidding. I’m just kidding. But my wife, Lori, I think I told you this in the later episode, yes. My wife saw how calming that was and took my adult coloring book from me and has since taken ownership. I mean, she, it’s hers. I’ve got to do some other coloring, I guess somewhere else. But that was so kind of you to go out and and shop on Amazon for my behalf. And I will tell you you’re gonna laugh. I did get a lot outta that though. You know, we’re making a little bit of fun of that. But that calming nature to me, I like to write. So the extension of using the colored pens and pencils that was really is really calming
LF:
It, it’s fun. And I think if anyone goes back and listens to those episodes where we, we joke and have fun, I think that’s important. I, I love the fact that on this podcast we laugh. We’re not afraid to laugh. We’re not afraid to tell jokes and, and really give everybody a sense of, you know, who we really are. And, and those, those are the people that other people wanna connect with. So my, my tie, my second and it’s a play on words, which I absolutely love, and I have typically no decision on the titles of these episodes. But Episode #103, which is one of the rarities that Jimmy allowed me to do, which was by myself, Episode #103: “A Few Minutes with Lori”, and knowing that my last name is Few, it was fitting to, you know, name this episode “A Few Minutes with Lori”.
LF:
But the episode is really probably close, near and dear to my heart because that episode gave me the opportunity to talk about, you know, being a mentor. What is a mentor? Who are your mentors? How to find one, how to be one, and how to keep one. And you take those people that mentor and, and invest in you for the rest of your life. I have had the fortunate opportunity to have some incredible mentors in my life. And, you know, Jimmy gave me the opportunity to, you know, speak about those people and what they have done for me and the lessons that they’ve taught me. And there are things that I absolutely continue to use daily. I think one important thing about this podcast is if you don’t know anything or learn anything outside, if you listen to one episode or you listen to all 200 of them, what you will find is that the, the heartfelt, genuine sense of trying to make the world a better place, trying to impart upon people a little bit of wisdom and knowledge and, and know how and power to know that they too can go out and, and influence someone in such a positive way that they then think, well, if they can do it, I can do it too.
LF:
I love that episode. It’s one that I have listened to multiple times. I’ve shared it with some of my friends and some of the young women that I’ve had the opportunity to work with have listened to that episode and, and sent messages to me and said, you know, thank you because you have touched my life and showed me that it’s possible. Then I too have been able to go out and, and work with other people in a way that I never thought I could. So honestly, Jimmy, I noticed the 200th episode and I celebrate you, my friend, and I say thank you for being who you are, unapologetic and authentic, and letting me be part of this ride because I never dreamed that I would ever hear my voice on a podcast or have someone in the community walk up to me and go, heard, heard you podcast. Great heard. And so without episodes, very special and very important. And I, I find such value in it and it’s been so much fun and, and 200, I can’t wait to see 250, 300. As long as you keep having me back on this podcast, we’ll keep talking.
JW:
It’s too late. You’re a permanent fixture at this point. You know, I will tell you something that I, I want you to understand too, and folks listening out there, this is very applicable in your life. Sometimes you need to do what you’re scared to accomplish. Yes. You’re just even scared to do it. And Lori, I said, Lori, I’m gonna be gone. I can you, you just cover the episode. And she said are you serious by myself? And I said, I got faith in you. Here’s all you gotta do. You’ve got this. Just get up and share as you always do from the heart. And it always comes out great. And that episode is, you’re right, that is one of my favorite episodes cuz I listened to that and I thought, wow, I got the right partner on this deal because she really but you really did a great job.
JW:
But I will tell you, and I hope Lori doesn’t get offended, she was scared to death. She said, I can’t do a whole episode by myself. I don’t know what to do. And she did marvelously. And so I have this saying, I always using my own life, and I used with one of my team yesterday, she need a little bit of mentoring yesterday, and she and her significant other getting married. And so there’s changes there and thoughts about how they’re gonna do their finances and, and they want to buy a house and all these things that we as young married couples wish to experience. Right? And I told her, I said, I just want you to sit down and think about it. You just sometimes have to do it scared. And she said, oh, well we got that scared part down. I said, but you gotta move forward, right?
JW:
It’s that, look at that little gli of hope up there, that positivity, move forward into it and kind of lean into that for tomorrow, right? So just, just some ideas and hey, you did great on selecting your, even though folks she did, as always, Lori, do it her way. Break the rules. I said top three, she has to give you four because Lori pours her soul out to everybody, folks. She doesn’t just do what she’s asked. She goes above and beyond. Well, my third one, and you’re gonna laugh, my third one is one that’s pretty recent. Episode #177: “Crushing Your 2022 Goals in Four Months”. We did this back in August of last year. And I’ll be honest with you, I was a little bit behind on my goals for the year and still got some big ones done. But I had to talk to myself and I thought, you know, that’d be a great podcast.
JW:
And so I basically related during that episode, and Lori assisted in that, is that we had to say, here’s what we’re doing to get back on track. Here’s what we’re doing to accomplish that. That’s most important to us. That’s where you have to find yourself. And it was a great episode. Enjoyed a lot of that. But hey, Lord, I got some news for you before we conclude this episode. Oh, news, I’ve gotta tell you, 200 episodes I’ve gotta share with you the top three downloaded by all listeners across the globe. The top three are – you ready?
LF:
Top three. Oh goodness. Surprise!
JW:
Yeah, you know, you know, I would’ve done top 10, but I felt like I’d be taking something from that, you know, comedian guy on late night, but true. Top three. Top three. Here it is. The number three is Episode # 120: “Taking the Stress Out of a Vacation”.
LF:
Oh, who would’ve thought outta 200 episodes?
JW:
Really? Okay.
LF:
Yeah. People wanna, I mean, that’s something people wanna know.
JW:
Yeah. Stress out of a vacation. So we go on vacation to get rid of stress, but there’s stressing going on the vacation.
LF:
Yes, absolutely.
JW:
Number two was Episode #122. Just two times later. “Becoming Self-Aware”. And I will admit to you, Lori, this was one of my more difficult episodes because I had to really work on myself being self-aware.
LF:
Wow. But I think that’s relatable. I think that that’s what people, I mean, at that time, that’s probably what people needed and you gave them what they needed. So I I mean, I could see that.
JW:
Yeah. And I was so unaware that it was gonna be that good. Anyway.
LF:
Yes.
JW:
And number one of all episodes downloaded for 200 episodes is Episode #134. And it was “Charging Into Change”.
LF:
“Charging Into Change”. Wow. I find that one interesting. Cause people are oftentimes opposed to change.
JW:
Well, keep in mind when that was. So Episode #134 would’ve been 66 episodes go. So about a year and three months we were in the throes of pandemic.
LF:
Yeah.
JW:
And we didn’t get to choose the change that we wanted to experience. Lori, if you recalled here that episode Yep. That, that change chose us. Oh. So it’s just been an honor, and I say this in front of all of the tens of thousands of listeners. It has truly been an honor to share these episodes with them. And most of all with Lori in terms of bringing to our hearts to everyone else out in there and listening to this episode and the episodes before, we just hope and hope and think in our own minds that we can bring great value to those of you that spend your valuable time us for just a few minutes every week to live life in bigger, better, and bolder terms. So, Lori, take it away.
LF:
Okay. So we’ve got a little bit of, not as big news as top three, but we do have something coming out after our, so for 201, how do you say that? 201?
JW:
I think 201st. We’re always first.
LF:
That’s why you keep, that’s why I keep you around, Jimmy. So next week we’re gonna unveil, unveil. Listen to me. I Okay next –
JW:
Folks. It’s the coffee talking. And I’ll tell you what I think she did. She did that crazy thing. She does once in a great while and she says, give it to me. Double, double spit, whatever that is, you double. You doubled it.
LF:
Double shot.
JW:
Double shot. There it is.
LF:
Next week we are going to unveil a new format, new focus, and new dynamics that will help you become the person you desire and live a life truly on your terms. So stick with us coming up, we’ve got great things. Join us here on Live a Life By Design every Monday morning and start your week by focusing on the powerfully positive moments in life to grow your health and your wealth.
Both:
Until next week, Live a Life By Design! Thank you everybody!
