1
00:00:12,900 --> 00:00:16,680
Hey, everybody, Kyle Gillette here.
Welcome to another episode of the
2
00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:20,550
Right Now Leadership podcast.
I'm your host, Kyle Gillette, the
3
00:00:20,550 --> 00:00:24,840
creator of the Right Now Leadership
Framework, creator of this podcast.
4
00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:29,340
And very excited to bring you
our first guest, Greg Woodard.
5
00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:33,420
Now, here's the deal.
I've been hosting and interviewing
6
00:00:33,420 --> 00:00:37,980
people for a really long time,
but Greg is our first guest on this
7
00:00:37,980 --> 00:00:41,970
show, so that's really exciting.
I'm excited to interview him and
8
00:00:41,970 --> 00:00:45,840
have him teach you, and for you to
walk out of this place with some
9
00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:50,460
powerful insights and new wisdom.
Greg has been in an active Christian
10
00:00:50,460 --> 00:00:53,610
leadership for many years.
He retired from 22 years of
11
00:00:53,610 --> 00:00:57,090
active duty military service.
Thank you for that, Greg.
12
00:00:57,090 --> 00:00:59,640
14 years as a Navy chaplain and
some enlisted.
13
00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,920
Time as a marine and an Army
National Guardsman.
14
00:01:02,010 --> 00:01:05,430
He has also pastored in a Christian
Drug and Alcohol recovery program
15
00:01:05,430 --> 00:01:08,880
and local church settings as well.
Over his years as a military
16
00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,580
chaplain in deployed environments,
Greg learned to live a
17
00:01:11,580 --> 00:01:15,060
holistically healthy life and
take care of himself in difficult
18
00:01:15,060 --> 00:01:18,390
spiritual leadership experiences.
His journey has helped him understand
19
00:01:18,390 --> 00:01:22,710
the complexities of the human person.
He is an endorsed leadership
20
00:01:22,710 --> 00:01:25,380
coach with a Doctor of Ministry
and leadership, renewal and
21
00:01:25,380 --> 00:01:29,400
coaching from Regent University.
Most importantly, he has devoted
22
00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:34,230
Christian husband to Vicky and
father to two grown children.
23
00:01:34,230 --> 00:01:37,050
During his doctoral work,
he was privileged to write his
24
00:01:37,050 --> 00:01:39,540
dissertation on developing a
curriculum that connects deployed
25
00:01:39,540 --> 00:01:42,990
chaplains for their social care
with their emotional health.
26
00:01:42,990 --> 00:01:46,440
The book is titled living in the
Connected Life Soul Rhythms for
27
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,350
Purposeful Leadership.
It arises from his continuing
28
00:01:49,350 --> 00:01:51,840
passion for the soul care of
faith driven leaders.
29
00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,720
In addition to being a passionate
writer, Greg is a coach and mentor
30
00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,050
for other leaders and is an active
lay member of his local church.
31
00:01:58,050 --> 00:02:01,410
He and Vickie enjoy walking their
new puppy dinners out and enjoying
32
00:02:01,410 --> 00:02:04,230
an occasional movie together.
He looks forward to telling his
33
00:02:04,230 --> 00:02:05,970
stories to his grandchildren.
One day.
34
00:02:05,970 --> 00:02:09,030
His children tell him they have
heard all of his stories and
35
00:02:09,030 --> 00:02:12,990
that he tells terrible dad jokes
and they love him all the same.
36
00:02:12,990 --> 00:02:15,600
If you want to connect with Greg,
one of the easiest and simple
37
00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,200
ways to connect with him is to
go to the link below.
38
00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,490
And that link is page Greg Woodard.
Com slash right now leadership where
39
00:02:23,490 --> 00:02:27,240
you can get access to a fantastic
freebie that he is offering.
40
00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:29,820
So make sure you check that out.
You can also connect with him
41
00:02:29,820 --> 00:02:35,850
directly at Greg at Greg
woodard.com for email connection.
42
00:02:35,850 --> 00:02:39,330
So please welcome with me Greg
Woodard to the Right Now
43
00:02:39,330 --> 00:02:41,810
Leadership show.
Hey everybody,
44
00:02:41,810 --> 00:02:44,780
welcome again to another episode
of Right Now Leadership.
45
00:02:44,780 --> 00:02:47,090
And as I said in the intro,
I'm really excited to have Greg
46
00:02:47,090 --> 00:02:50,780
Woodard here with us and to chat
with him and learn from him.
47
00:02:50,780 --> 00:02:52,910
He's got a ton of wisdom to
share with us.
48
00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,640
So Greg, welcome to the show.
Thank you for being here.
49
00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,530
Kyle, thanks for the invitation.
I'm looking forward to our
50
00:02:58,530 --> 00:03:04,500
conversation. Yeah for sure.
So writing a book is a experience.
51
00:03:04,500 --> 00:03:08,640
Let's say it's an experience.
And when I wrote mine based on
52
00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:12,030
obviously the name of the show,
I enjoyed it quite a bit.
53
00:03:12,030 --> 00:03:15,090
So before we get into some of
the specific questions,
54
00:03:15,090 --> 00:03:17,850
I want you to share a little bit
about your experience writing
55
00:03:17,850 --> 00:03:21,270
Living the Connected Life soul
rhythms for Purposeful leadership.
56
00:03:21,270 --> 00:03:23,220
What what was that experience
for you?
57
00:03:23,220 --> 00:03:25,830
How has it been so far in the
writing process?
58
00:03:26,310 --> 00:03:30,720
Yeah, so the book is arose out
of a dissertation that I wrote a
59
00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,470
few years ago in the context of
my Navy chaplain career.
60
00:03:34,950 --> 00:03:39,290, I will say that I.
It's one of those things,
61
00:03:39,290 --> 00:03:41,690
sort of like I said,
I'm going to run a marathon.
62
00:03:41,690 --> 00:03:43,460
I've stopped saying,
I'm going to run a marathon because
63
00:03:43,460 --> 00:03:45,800
I'm never going to run a marathon.
I never have run a marathon.
64
00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,080
But I always said,
I think I'll get that sometime.
65
00:03:48,290 --> 00:03:52,550
This book has been germinating
within me for a long time.
66
00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,280, I always had a reason why I
couldn't do it.
67
00:03:55,850 --> 00:03:58,700
I was too busy and and some of
the reasons were legitimate.
68
00:03:58,700 --> 00:04:03,740
I was very busy in my active duty
career, raising a family.
69
00:04:03,890 --> 00:04:06,440,
lots of things had to take priority.
70
00:04:06,860 --> 00:04:10,670
However, the reality is,
I probably could have done it.
71
00:04:10,670 --> 00:04:14,570
At least I got a good start on
it a few years ago.
72
00:04:14,870 --> 00:04:20,720
So, the journey, you know,
writing a book is is is very hard.
73
00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:27,260
It is very rewarding, I do I really work at the I
74
00:04:27,260 --> 00:04:29,930
have this whole metrics.
I have a system where I,
75
00:04:29,930 --> 00:04:32,270
I want to write a certain amount.
I think it's pretty common
76
00:04:32,270 --> 00:04:35,180
amongst writers.
It'll be about a 50,000 word
77
00:04:35,180 --> 00:04:39,020
manuscript, about 200 pages, and I have to write a certain
78
00:04:39,020 --> 00:04:42,410
amount per week based on the timeline
of what I want to get it done.
79
00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:47,240, you know, and so there's a
whole bunch of things that are not
80
00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:51,470
writing that are part of writing.
And one obviously is research
81
00:04:51,470 --> 00:04:53,810
balancing the research.
How much do you do?
82
00:04:53,810 --> 00:04:55,910
How much do you lean on what
you've already done?
83
00:04:56,420 --> 00:04:58,520
There's another one that's
called platform building.
84
00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:04,580
You know, to get a book contract,
to have a publisher slash an agent,
85
00:05:04,580 --> 00:05:08,870
look at you, you have to have a
sizeable generally speaking,
86
00:05:08,870 --> 00:05:11,150
you have to have a sizable audience.
And there's different ways to
87
00:05:11,150 --> 00:05:13,130
publish.
I have this vision of of writing
88
00:05:13,130 --> 00:05:15,530
a book that will be published by
a traditional publisher.
89
00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:21,530
So there's lots of things like that
that are, that are challenging.
90
00:05:21,530 --> 00:05:26,030
But I will say that I,
I seek to write every day and I
91
00:05:26,030 --> 00:05:28,790
seek to be consistent.
And I'll bring that up,
92
00:05:28,790 --> 00:05:30,560
at different points throughout.
But one of the,
93
00:05:30,590 --> 00:05:33,230
one of the real keys we're going
to talk about a little bit,
94
00:05:33,230 --> 00:05:36,890
I think about fear here a little bit.
It's it's really showing up
95
00:05:36,890 --> 00:05:40,370
really being consistent and,
and, and committing to the task
96
00:05:40,370 --> 00:05:44,780
and not letting, the,
the journey, defeat you.
97
00:05:44,780 --> 00:05:47,000
Those are, those are the
generalities of what I would say
98
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,900
about the writing process.
Awesome. Thank thanks for sharing.
99
00:05:50,900 --> 00:05:55,550
When I wrote the Right Now leadership
book, I followed that that script or
100
00:05:55,550 --> 00:05:59,480
formula, if you will, of a certain
number of words per, per week.
101
00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:03,230
And I think what I did was 5000
words per week for 13 weeks.
102
00:06:03,230 --> 00:06:07,250
And that ended up giving me the
draft, and it was a draft,
103
00:06:07,250 --> 00:06:10,040
but it was done.
And then then you play, then you play
104
00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:11,930
with it and you play with it, and
you mess with it and mess with it.
105
00:06:11,930 --> 00:06:14,810
And then finally you get it to an
editor who does some more of that,
106
00:06:14,810 --> 00:06:17,000
and then so on and so forth.
So yeah,
107
00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,420
the art of writing is rewriting.
I've been learning that recently.
108
00:06:20,420 --> 00:06:24,530, you write a draft and
usually it gets not jettisoned
109
00:06:24,530 --> 00:06:28,460
but is significantly changed.
And either you change it or the
110
00:06:28,460 --> 00:06:30,590
editor changes it.
Different things happen.
111
00:06:30,770 --> 00:06:34,970
The books don't end up in the place
where we thought they would end up.
112
00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,000
Maybe the generalities of it,
the structure of it.
113
00:06:38,300 --> 00:06:43,250
But, they definitely change over
time and they become their own.
114
00:06:43,250 --> 00:06:46,850
Even whether that's nonfiction
or fiction. Yep, that's true.
115
00:06:46,850 --> 00:06:49,910
And it's the fun of it too.
So it is. It is. Very fun.
116
00:06:49,910 --> 00:06:53,180
I was I was thinking about your
book and thinking about some of
117
00:06:53,180 --> 00:06:56,480
the things that.
People that I know are experiencing
118
00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:58,850
some of the things that I'm
experiencing something, some of
119
00:06:58,850 --> 00:07:01,430
the things that people experience
as entrepreneurs in general.
120
00:07:01,430 --> 00:07:05,210
And that's a dream people dream.
They have these ambitions, they have
121
00:07:05,210 --> 00:07:08,450
these hopes, these these missions,
these visions that they have for
122
00:07:08,450 --> 00:07:12,650
their business in their lives.
So my question for you is, what does
123
00:07:12,650 --> 00:07:16,550
someone do to discover their dream
when they're struggling to do this,
124
00:07:16,550 --> 00:07:19,940
when they're struggling to find
a dream, because we're told all
125
00:07:19,940 --> 00:07:22,340
the time that we're supposed to
have a dream and pursue it,
126
00:07:22,340 --> 00:07:25,640
but some people really struggle
to find it or even pursue it.
127
00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:30,090
What do you say to someone that's
dealing with that right now? Yeah.
128
00:07:30,090 --> 00:07:34,380
So I think, you know, there's,
there's a couple different
129
00:07:34,380 --> 00:07:37,110
things that I think about,
think about children.
130
00:07:37,140 --> 00:07:40,140
You ask them, what do you want to do?
And they have a they have a
131
00:07:40,140 --> 00:07:42,600
ready answer.
It may not be what they end up doing
132
00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:47,670
in the future, but they have a dream, when you when you, when they'll
133
00:07:47,670 --> 00:07:52,160
probably be excited to tell you.
As we grow into adulthood,
134
00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:57,260
the trials of life begin to take to.
To take, begin to shape our
135
00:07:57,260 --> 00:08:00,620
life in different ways.
And some of that can take away
136
00:08:00,620 --> 00:08:03,350
some of the dreams.
Or think of a marriage of a
137
00:08:03,350 --> 00:08:07,010
young married couple.
I have a young married daughter,
138
00:08:07,910 --> 00:08:12,800, and they have a lot of dreams,
and they're wonderful dreams,
139
00:08:13,100 --> 00:08:16,840
and many of them will come true.
And some of them won't.
140
00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,100, the dreams begin to collide
with reality.
141
00:08:21,870 --> 00:08:25,590
One of the things I would also
say is that you really have to
142
00:08:25,590 --> 00:08:29,700
know yourself, you know, dreams can that
143
00:08:29,700 --> 00:08:33,390
there's there's been a consistent.
As I look back on my life,
144
00:08:33,390 --> 00:08:37,170
there's there's been a consistent
theme that's been part of the
145
00:08:37,170 --> 00:08:40,650
journey that I've gone on.
And the consistent theme is that
146
00:08:40,650 --> 00:08:42,840
just about everything that I've
done over the course of my
147
00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,960
career has been something that's
been helping people in my,
148
00:08:45,990 --> 00:08:49,890
in my professional life as I just
retired out of the Navy chaplaincy.
149
00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,930
I wouldn't say that pursuing the
chaplaincy was my dream.
150
00:08:55,750 --> 00:09:01,600
But it but it it fit the overall
context of what I'm called and
151
00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,360
wired to do, so I think, first of all,
152
00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:08,060
you got to know yourself, you got to you got to pursue the
153
00:09:08,060 --> 00:09:12,740
passions that are present within you.
I think, you know,
154
00:09:12,740 --> 00:09:16,520
it takes a while to discern.
And I'm not, you know, I'm.
155
00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:18,950
I'm a Christian, I've never had the audible
156
00:09:18,950 --> 00:09:23,380
voice of God, but I've always, I've always
157
00:09:23,380 --> 00:09:27,220
thought to consider my passions,
my interests, my talents,
158
00:09:27,430 --> 00:09:33,010
my giftedness, my personality.
And I think there is this, this idea
159
00:09:33,010 --> 00:09:36,820
of of an open door and a closed door.
I've knocked on a lot of doors
160
00:09:36,820 --> 00:09:40,300
over the years.
Some have been opened and some have
161
00:09:40,300 --> 00:09:44,200
been closed, some opened, and then
they closed and I kept walking.
162
00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:49,060
When the door opened, I kept walking
until the door, began to close.
163
00:09:49,060 --> 00:09:51,820
There began to sense that I needed
to move in a different direction.
164
00:09:52,460 --> 00:09:57,620
And I think, you know, as again going
thinking about my my Christian faith.
165
00:09:57,620 --> 00:10:01,310
I understand that even in the hard
times, even when it's hard to find
166
00:10:01,310 --> 00:10:06,350
the dream, God wants the best for me, and if I can keep that front
167
00:10:06,350 --> 00:10:11,510
and center, then that helps me as I
think about what what that dream
168
00:10:11,510 --> 00:10:14,270
might look like and understand
that it's going to it's going to
169
00:10:14,270 --> 00:10:17,480
take different seasons of life.
That dream probably will take on
170
00:10:17,630 --> 00:10:20,570
some different connotations and
some different it'll,
171
00:10:20,570 --> 00:10:24,870
it'll it'll show up in your life
in different ways. How do you.
172
00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:31,870
In the title of your book is Living
the Connected Life and how do we stay
173
00:10:31,870 --> 00:10:37,390
connected with what God has for us
versus what we have for ourselves?
174
00:10:37,570 --> 00:10:41,530
How do we differentiate those two?
And I'm equating that to varying
175
00:10:41,530 --> 00:10:46,000
degrees to the dreams that I have,
but also making sure that they align
176
00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:51,190
up with the desires that God has.
And preferably they would be
177
00:10:51,190 --> 00:10:53,680
synergistic.
You know, so what does it look
178
00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:58,760
like to do that? Well.
I'm looking at this in a way
179
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,310
maybe that you're not expecting.
And we'll see how this how this.
180
00:11:01,460 --> 00:11:10,620
Skills. So I remember I, I retired in September of 2023.
181
00:11:11,850 --> 00:11:15,060, in.
And I left active duty in
182
00:11:15,060 --> 00:11:18,150
February of 2023.
And as you leave active duty,
183
00:11:18,150 --> 00:11:20,160
it's very common.
The military is really big on
184
00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,590
ceremonies.
We just love our ceremonies.
185
00:11:22,590 --> 00:11:25,410
Everybody gets decked out in
their in their best uniform,
186
00:11:25,410 --> 00:11:27,780
put on our medals.
And we had this whole thing,
187
00:11:27,900 --> 00:11:31,020
this whole idea of of
celebrating somebody's career.
188
00:11:31,410 --> 00:11:37,620
And I and I remember how.
I was reflecting on some people
189
00:11:37,620 --> 00:11:42,150
that I know they they aren't
still with the family they
190
00:11:42,150 --> 00:11:45,520
started their career with.
And my family was sitting on the
191
00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,390
front row.
And so I think, you know, when I
192
00:11:49,390 --> 00:11:56,110
think of when I think of dreams,
I want it always to I want to
193
00:11:56,110 --> 00:11:59,650
remember there's first things
and they're second and there's
194
00:11:59,650 --> 00:12:03,550
third thing. The first thing.
You may or may not be married,
195
00:12:04,150 --> 00:12:07,270
but if you're married, your first
thing is always your family.
196
00:12:07,270 --> 00:12:09,850
Your dream should never take
away from.
197
00:12:10,710 --> 00:12:13,110
If I'm your family, yes,
there's going to be sacrifices
198
00:12:13,110 --> 00:12:16,650
to pursue a dream.
But the overarching thing that I
199
00:12:16,650 --> 00:12:19,860
always want to think about is,
is how is this impacting those
200
00:12:19,860 --> 00:12:23,100
that I care about the most?
Does that does that answer the
201
00:12:23,100 --> 00:12:28,020
question that you're asking Kyle?
Yeah, I think it's it's important
202
00:12:28,020 --> 00:12:32,970
to get the dream that it's a
full fit for your entire life,
203
00:12:32,970 --> 00:12:37,590
because otherwise it's just a selfish
ambition if we're not careful and
204
00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:41,410
if it doesn't. Yeah. No, sorry.
I didn't mean to interrupt you.
205
00:12:41,620 --> 00:12:44,380
I think I think that's very true.
That reminds me, you know,
206
00:12:44,380 --> 00:12:47,890
one of the ways to understand if
something's your passion is,
207
00:12:47,890 --> 00:12:51,820
is do you wake up in the morning
excited about it, or is it a drag to
208
00:12:51,820 --> 00:12:55,120
go do whatever it is you're doing?
If it's inside of an organization,
209
00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,900
if it's something on your own, and we've already talked a
210
00:12:58,900 --> 00:13:01,300
little bit about my writing.
I wake up every morning and I'm
211
00:13:01,300 --> 00:13:04,420
excited to write.
And so that's my dream.
212
00:13:04,420 --> 00:13:05,770
That's the dream that I have
currently.
213
00:13:05,770 --> 00:13:09,130
That that was has not always
been my dream. But.
214
00:13:09,130 --> 00:13:13,510
But are you are you headed?
Are you, are you, are you? Are you?
215
00:13:13,870 --> 00:13:16,210
Is what you're doing fitting
your personality?
216
00:13:16,210 --> 00:13:19,660
Is it fitting your interest?
Is it fitting, fitting your passions?
217
00:13:19,810 --> 00:13:22,330
Or are you leading yourself to
burnout?
218
00:13:22,330 --> 00:13:25,030
Are you living a dream that
somebody else has for you?
219
00:13:25,030 --> 00:13:28,330
Or are you living the dream
that's hardwired within you and
220
00:13:28,330 --> 00:13:31,660
that God has put it within you, burnout can be a great way to
221
00:13:31,660 --> 00:13:36,680
discern whether you're following your
dream or not. I like that idea of of.
222
00:13:37,940 --> 00:13:40,100
Hardwired in you and your
personality.
223
00:13:40,100 --> 00:13:42,020
You mentioned something to that
effect of.
224
00:13:43,150 --> 00:13:46,180
The thing that God has for us
the dream, the passion,
225
00:13:46,180 --> 00:13:49,060
the desire, whatever adjective
we want to use here.
226
00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:54,470
Staying connected to that is
going to be best because that's.
227
00:13:54,470 --> 00:13:56,720
I'm I might be butchering the
language in your book,
228
00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,200
but it's a part of the rhythm of
who God created you to be, right?
229
00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:04,340
And to keep you intentionally on
purpose in the way that he wants
230
00:14:04,340 --> 00:14:08,150
you to lead your life.
And so when we're not aligned with
231
00:14:08,150 --> 00:14:13,130
that, it's going to be uncomfortable.
And I don't I don't think that.
232
00:14:13,860 --> 00:14:16,350
It's not a problem to be
uncomfortable, but I think to
233
00:14:16,350 --> 00:14:20,100
constantly live in a place that
it's not fit to your personality,
234
00:14:20,100 --> 00:14:24,060
not fit to the way things have been
designed for you as a as a person.
235
00:14:24,060 --> 00:14:25,770
It's not.
That doesn't make sense to me.
236
00:14:27,110 --> 00:14:30,650
No, it doesn't make sense.
And I don't want to make this
237
00:14:30,650 --> 00:14:34,220
simplistic because it would be
very easy to, to, to to stop there
238
00:14:34,220 --> 00:14:36,590
and say, you know, if you're not,
if it doesn't, does it?
239
00:14:36,590 --> 00:14:38,630
If everything you're doing is
not resonating,
240
00:14:38,630 --> 00:14:43,620
if it's just everything's hard.
Writing is hard. That doesn't mean.
241
00:14:43,620 --> 00:14:48,030
And because I find it hard, doesn't
mean I don't find it fulfilling and
242
00:14:48,030 --> 00:14:51,300
doesn't mean that it's not my dream.
I find it very fulfilling.
243
00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:53,730
And I understand that it's going
to be hard.
244
00:14:53,730 --> 00:14:57,450
It's not an easy process to put
out into the world something that
245
00:14:57,450 --> 00:15:02,100
resonates within your spirit.
And I remember many times sitting in
246
00:15:02,100 --> 00:15:07,440
the context of my chaplain office.
And somebody would come in and
247
00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:11,190
they would begin to.
To to reveal the struggles they
248
00:15:11,190 --> 00:15:13,980
were having.
And it was very common that I
249
00:15:13,980 --> 00:15:17,970
worked generally in a in about
an 18 to 25 year range.
250
00:15:17,970 --> 00:15:22,530
That's the, the, the, the median
age of the younger enlisted folks
251
00:15:22,530 --> 00:15:26,490
and even the younger officers and
some would and often they would
252
00:15:26,490 --> 00:15:29,730
come in and say, you know, I,
I kind of like what I'm doing in
253
00:15:29,730 --> 00:15:33,540
the military, but it's not really
my dream. It's not my passion.
254
00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,200
And then we had to to to discern
it wasn't the right time for
255
00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:39,750
them to leave the organization.
And I'm not advocating that if
256
00:15:39,750 --> 00:15:43,050
you're not, you know,
always fulfilled that you're leaving.
257
00:15:43,050 --> 00:15:44,730
And I don't think you're
advocating for that either.
258
00:15:44,730 --> 00:15:48,690
But I think there is definitely
something to be said about living
259
00:15:48,690 --> 00:15:52,440
in alignment with who you are.
Alignment leads to boldness,
260
00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:55,080
and and those two together lead
to conviction.
261
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:59,190
And if you have those three things,
you might be on to something
262
00:15:59,190 --> 00:16:02,250
about what you're living into,
into God's desire for your life.
263
00:16:02,250 --> 00:16:07,960
And you're living into your dream.
So what happens when the dream,
264
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:15,670
the passion, the desire becomes
hard and scary and our my abilities
265
00:16:15,670 --> 00:16:21,850
don't seem to fit like am I?
What do I do when I have this
266
00:16:21,850 --> 00:16:25,000
passion and pursuing?
But but it becomes scary and it
267
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,720
becomes something that I feel way out
of my depth to be able to pull off.
268
00:16:28,930 --> 00:16:32,770
What can we do in those situations?
I can't give you the direct quote,
269
00:16:32,770 --> 00:16:34,690
but somebody said,
if it's if it's not scary,
270
00:16:34,690 --> 00:16:39,510
it's probably not the right thing, and then I'm butchering whoever
271
00:16:39,510 --> 00:16:41,550
that is, if you're listening.
And I quoted you,
272
00:16:41,550 --> 00:16:45,510
I didn't quote it right.
But the point is, it should be.
273
00:16:45,510 --> 00:16:50,430
You should feel stretched, really,
if you really think about it.
274
00:16:50,970 --> 00:16:54,990
I'm convinced that if you're
really following your dream and
275
00:16:54,990 --> 00:16:59,220
your passion, it probably will
be a little bit scary because it
276
00:16:59,220 --> 00:17:03,210
might be counterintuitive to
what quote unquote makes sense.
277
00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:08,460
You know, it doesn't make many,
many people when they when they.
278
00:17:08,460 --> 00:17:10,980
I wrote something yesterday to a
friend.
279
00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:15,480
I said, you know,
he had posted about,
280
00:17:16,500 --> 00:17:21,120
he had he had posted about,
not not when he,
281
00:17:21,150 --> 00:17:25,680
when he retired from the military.
He didn't he, he when he chased
282
00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:30,050
the money. And I don't.
I'm not judging anybody who
283
00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:33,170
pursues an organizational career,
whatever that is.
284
00:17:33,170 --> 00:17:34,250
It could be in the federal
government,
285
00:17:34,250 --> 00:17:37,850
could be in a corporate world.
You know, many leave and take their
286
00:17:37,850 --> 00:17:40,670
skill sets to different environments.
Nothing wrong with that,
287
00:17:40,670 --> 00:17:42,980
nothing wrong with pursuing you.
Obviously we have to pursue an
288
00:17:42,980 --> 00:17:46,340
income and feed our family.
And I said, well, you know,
289
00:17:46,340 --> 00:17:48,920
one of the things that I chose
not to do was, was to pursue an
290
00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:53,570
organizational job, and I chose to
pursue the life of being a writer.
291
00:17:53,570 --> 00:17:54,860
This is something that I've
always dreamed about.
292
00:17:54,860 --> 00:17:59,000
It's very uncomfortable.
I wake up, I struggle,
293
00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,780
I get my fingers hit the keyboard,
and I struggle with imposter
294
00:18:02,780 --> 00:18:05,600
syndrome. Who's going to read this?
Who's going to publish this?
295
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,180
I referenced earlier that I'd like
to be traditionally published.
296
00:18:08,180 --> 00:18:10,730
I don't know if that's realistic
or not, and it's scary.
297
00:18:10,730 --> 00:18:14,330
It's uncertain, but that doesn't
mean that it's not the right dream.
298
00:18:14,330 --> 00:18:18,260
So but then on the other side of
that, you could.
299
00:18:18,470 --> 00:18:24,710
There was a season where I knew that
it was time for me to retire from
300
00:18:24,710 --> 00:18:29,390
the from from my military career.
And there's a whole you know,
301
00:18:29,390 --> 00:18:31,700
I know we don't have a lot of
time to talk through all of that,
302
00:18:31,700 --> 00:18:35,630
but but I'll just say it this way.
I knew when a question a friend
303
00:18:35,630 --> 00:18:38,780
asked me a question,
very targeted question.
304
00:18:38,930 --> 00:18:41,630
And when I couldn't give him an
affirmative answer.
305
00:18:41,810 --> 00:18:48,140
And when things started to,
when it just became harder to sit
306
00:18:48,140 --> 00:18:50,840
and be present with the people
that needed me to be present,
307
00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:56,370
I knew it was time for me to go.
And that was was uncomfortable.
308
00:18:56,730 --> 00:19:01,830. And hard. But.
But it was the right thing to do.
309
00:19:02,490 --> 00:19:06,300
And I don't know if it's.
Sometimes when we are pursuing a
310
00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:09,600
dream, sometimes it does mean
significant changes in our life,
311
00:19:09,900 --> 00:19:12,480
sometimes it doesn't.
It just means we need to work a
312
00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,590
little bit towards finding some
alignment and and just really
313
00:19:16,590 --> 00:19:18,870
evaluating.
We're living into our passions and
314
00:19:18,870 --> 00:19:25,820
our. And the best of who we are.
You mentioned some of the challenges
315
00:19:25,820 --> 00:19:31,010
and fears and imposters type stuff
related to to writing and in your
316
00:19:31,010 --> 00:19:34,640
experience so far with that?
I mean, so far not just in the
317
00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,610
writing, but in general in your life,
experiencing those things.
318
00:19:38,180 --> 00:19:42,260
How have you been able to battle
through those and continue
319
00:19:42,260 --> 00:19:45,140
moving forward?
And what of the lessons been in
320
00:19:45,140 --> 00:19:50,520
those experiences? Yeah.
So I, I, I referenced this a
321
00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,510
little bit earlier when I,
I have a morning journaling practice,
322
00:19:54,930 --> 00:19:59,160
and one of the things that one
of my prompts I, I'm,
323
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:03,510
I like to have prompts that I
respond to on a consistent basis.
324
00:20:03,870 --> 00:20:07,470
So I'm prompting myself to respond
to How's God speaking to me?
325
00:20:07,470 --> 00:20:10,500
I'm prompting myself to how are
my emotions?
326
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,690
And then and I have a prompt that
says, what? What do you need?
327
00:20:14,690 --> 00:20:17,270
What do I need to be reminded of.
328
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:22,190
And and one of the and I write
two things almost every day.
329
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:27,020
I need to remind myself to keep
showing up, and I need to to remind
330
00:20:27,020 --> 00:20:31,860
myself to keep doing the work.
So and and I,
331
00:20:31,860 --> 00:20:36,660
I have I we could go into a whole
long conversation about productivity
332
00:20:36,660 --> 00:20:40,380
and that's not what we're about,
but I do I block my time.
333
00:20:40,380 --> 00:20:43,050
Then I don't have to think as
much about what's the next thing
334
00:20:43,050 --> 00:20:47,250
that I'm going to do.
I block out certain I have the
335
00:20:47,250 --> 00:20:50,310
luxury in this season of my life,
to be able to block out two days a
336
00:20:50,310 --> 00:20:53,880
week where I am focused on writing
and I'm doing some other research
337
00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:56,940
kind of things and some of the
business, more business, these
338
00:20:56,940 --> 00:21:00,690
kinds of things. And other days.
But two days are devoted to writing.
339
00:21:00,930 --> 00:21:03,540
And, you know, I don't have to think
about it because those are the
340
00:21:03,540 --> 00:21:07,350
times that are set aside for that.
And I generally don't take
341
00:21:07,350 --> 00:21:10,110
meetings during those times.
Once in a while I have to I might
342
00:21:10,110 --> 00:21:13,290
have to make an appointment
outside appointment that only is
343
00:21:13,290 --> 00:21:15,600
available on those days.
But I work very hard to block
344
00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,230
those those times.
And so it's it's I think one of
345
00:21:19,230 --> 00:21:23,910
the ways to really overcome,
the, the idea and Steven Pressfield
346
00:21:23,910 --> 00:21:27,420
calls this the resistance.
And one of the things to do to
347
00:21:27,420 --> 00:21:29,640
overcome the resistance.
And I'm sure you felt this at
348
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,010
different seasons when you were
writing,
349
00:21:32,190 --> 00:21:35,610
you have to just keep showing up
and you keep having to do the work.
350
00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,850
And before you know it,
you've got something.
351
00:21:39,700 --> 00:21:42,100
And you don't quite know how you
got there, but you did.
352
00:21:42,100 --> 00:21:44,560
You did the work and you were
consistent.
353
00:21:44,950 --> 00:21:50,110
And consistency over time wins
the race. In.
354
00:21:50,110 --> 00:21:54,220
In my book, one of the growth
mindsets is a persistent mindset.
355
00:21:54,430 --> 00:21:59,200
Just yeah, keep on going on.
It's I describe it that there's
356
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,320
five mindsets for growth,
and I describe it like a growth SUV.
357
00:22:02,470 --> 00:22:05,290
And there's three in the back seat
and two in the front and one in
358
00:22:05,290 --> 00:22:07,480
the back seat is the persistent
mindset sits in the middle.
359
00:22:07,870 --> 00:22:11,680
And it's telling everybody we can
keep going. We can keep going.
360
00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,040
You can keep doing this.
And it's true.
361
00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:19,540
You've got to be persistent when
whatever you're pursuing.
362
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:24,910
I want to talk for a moment before we
wrap up here about this journaling.
363
00:22:24,910 --> 00:22:29,710
I believe firmly in journaling and I
almost require my clients to journal.
364
00:22:29,710 --> 00:22:31,390
You know I can't make them do
anything.
365
00:22:31,390 --> 00:22:35,950
But I really push it on to them.
If they're resistant then I'm
366
00:22:35,950 --> 00:22:37,780
careful about it.
But I still really encourage
367
00:22:37,780 --> 00:22:42,340
them to do it.
And your experience doing that?
368
00:22:42,670 --> 00:22:46,720
What have been some of the greatest
takeaways from the habits you
369
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:50,590
have as it relates to journaling,
and what would you recommend
370
00:22:50,590 --> 00:22:54,640
people do in terms of getting
started with that type of a habit?
371
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:56,440
Because I think it's so good for
the soul.
372
00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,840
I think it's so good for the
heart and the mind.
373
00:23:00,830 --> 00:23:05,450
Well, first of all, I do it.
So that's an obvious.
374
00:23:05,690 --> 00:23:08,180
I agree with Kyle that that you
should do it.
375
00:23:08,450 --> 00:23:12,320
I know not everybody's wired, to sit down.
376
00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:17,090
I typically, I like to write
prompts, and I have a whole series
377
00:23:17,090 --> 00:23:20,630
of prompts that I didn't come
prepared to share. All of them.
378
00:23:20,630 --> 00:23:23,900
But there's things like what?
What is God saying to you?
379
00:23:23,900 --> 00:23:26,990
What what what were the thing? What?
Where do you see the goodness of
380
00:23:26,990 --> 00:23:29,960
God yesterday, what were the highlights of
381
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,600
yesterday?
And and then the one I mentioned
382
00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,390
earlier.
What do I need to remind myself of?
383
00:23:35,660 --> 00:23:38,450
And there's a whole whole series
of other ones. So.
384
00:23:38,450 --> 00:23:42,530
And I always include a space for
responding to scripture.
385
00:23:42,530 --> 00:23:46,400
And then I have a short, you know,
there's this concept called the
386
00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:49,940
Morning pages, which is a three part.
You write three pages or you
387
00:23:49,940 --> 00:23:54,080
write for 30 minutes straight.
I don't I don't do that, but I write.
388
00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,410
I have a block in my journal
where I just have open space,
389
00:23:57,410 --> 00:23:59,360
where I can write whatever it is
that I want to write.
390
00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:01,910
That morning,
and I do it in the morning.
391
00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:07,850
I do it, I do it the first thing
before I do, my my time in
392
00:24:07,850 --> 00:24:12,320
the scriptures and in prayer.
And then the writing part is me
393
00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:17,120
responding, to, to,
I do part of it before that,
394
00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:22,460
that I do part of it after I do after
I do my, my my reflective time.
395
00:24:22,820 --> 00:24:26,840, so I and I,
I've learned as I look back, I don't
396
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,590
always go back and look and look.
But I went through a very
397
00:24:30,590 --> 00:24:35,930
challenging time in 2023 things, turned for my, my, my health.
398
00:24:35,930 --> 00:24:39,170
Turned in a, in a,
in a challenging direction.
399
00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:45,270
And my mindset took a big hit.
We had also already transitioned
400
00:24:45,270 --> 00:24:50,790
to our new to our new location.
I was working, as interim in
401
00:24:50,790 --> 00:24:54,210
a in a organization just as I
was leading up to retirement.
402
00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:58,140
And my, my, my health, my health
took a turn and it was very,
403
00:24:58,140 --> 00:25:02,670
very I was isolated in my home.
I couldn't drive, it was very,
404
00:25:02,670 --> 00:25:06,750
very isolating, very difficult.
And, and I and I, and I added a
405
00:25:06,750 --> 00:25:11,610
prompt which was, how's your mindset?
And that was revolutionary because
406
00:25:11,610 --> 00:25:15,000
it forced me to sit and think
about what am I thinking about,
407
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,120
how am I thinking?
And that's just a small example.
408
00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:21,360
I've, I've I've written different
things. I've made prayers.
409
00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:24,870
I've I pray for my children.
It gives me a space to to write
410
00:25:24,870 --> 00:25:27,090
out concerns that I've had.
You know,
411
00:25:27,090 --> 00:25:30,360
my son right now is in the middle of
the Pacific Ocean on a sailboat,
412
00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,760
is having the time of his life.
But mom and dad are like,
413
00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,250
you're you're doing what?
And it's 2800 miles.
414
00:25:35,250 --> 00:25:38,700
And so I write about it and I
think and I pray about it,
415
00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:41,820
and that's where I pray about it.
I don't worry about him.
416
00:25:41,820 --> 00:25:43,980
I know he's he's being well
taken care of.
417
00:25:43,980 --> 00:25:45,420
He's with people who know what
they're doing.
418
00:25:45,420 --> 00:25:48,600
And Dave is learning and he's
doing great, you know.
419
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:52,950
But I journal about it.
And sometimes some of that I
420
00:25:52,950 --> 00:25:55,620
still share a lot with my wife.
My wife would probably say
421
00:25:55,620 --> 00:25:56,820
overshare with her.
But, you know,
422
00:25:56,820 --> 00:26:01,920
what's the spouse for? Right, but but I, I do also write it
423
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,740
because I need to write it out.
I need somebody to see it.
424
00:26:04,740 --> 00:26:07,980
When my son went through some health
issues when he was a little baby,
425
00:26:07,980 --> 00:26:09,930
I couldn't.
Everybody was wanting to know
426
00:26:09,930 --> 00:26:13,200
they needed me to tell them,
and I couldn't tell everybody.
427
00:26:13,710 --> 00:26:16,470
So I wrote it.
So that's what I've always done.
428
00:26:16,470 --> 00:26:20,940
I've always been a writer in,
in now in, in a I'm working on a
429
00:26:20,940 --> 00:26:25,170
book, but I've always written to,
to express my thoughts and to share
430
00:26:25,170 --> 00:26:28,590
the deeper parts of who I am and
to reveal the different things
431
00:26:28,590 --> 00:26:32,630
that I need to reveal to God.
That's awesome. I love it.
432
00:26:32,660 --> 00:26:36,620
Hope that. Was helpful. Oh yeah.
I think the prompting part is huge
433
00:26:36,620 --> 00:26:40,340
for people, especially for people
that have never journaled before, but
434
00:26:40,700 --> 00:26:43,370
come up with some prompt questions.
And I think your questions are
435
00:26:43,370 --> 00:26:46,790
fantastic, so if you're as you're listening
436
00:26:46,820 --> 00:26:49,550
to this, if any of those questions
resonate with you, write them down
437
00:26:49,550 --> 00:26:54,950
and use it as a journaling method, so so, Greg, as we're wrapping
438
00:26:54,950 --> 00:26:57,710
up here, can you tell us a little
bit more about the best way for
439
00:26:57,710 --> 00:27:00,110
people to connect with you?
Learn a little bit more about
440
00:27:00,110 --> 00:27:04,240
your book and.
Or anything else that would be
441
00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,120
helpful for us to know so that
they can connect with you.
442
00:27:08,730 --> 00:27:11,190
So the best way.
So first of all,
443
00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:13,860
I don't know if you're going to put
my email address in the show notes,
444
00:27:13,860 --> 00:27:18,390
but the best way is that to contact
me is via my email address.
445
00:27:18,420 --> 00:27:22,500
I'm happy to have dialogues if
something that I said triggered
446
00:27:22,500 --> 00:27:24,210
something in you.
If somebody wants those
447
00:27:24,210 --> 00:27:27,390
journaling prompts.
I'll snap a photo of the page that I
448
00:27:27,390 --> 00:27:30,420
write them out on and send them to
you. I mean, I'm happy to share.
449
00:27:31,050 --> 00:27:33,210, the best way to keep up with
what I'm doing.
450
00:27:33,210 --> 00:27:36,630
I'd love to have some people who
are interested in this idea of
451
00:27:36,630 --> 00:27:40,230
soul rhythms, and the book is soul
rhythms for purposeful leadership.
452
00:27:40,230 --> 00:27:44,040
If people are interested in that,
I think I'm thinking about four
453
00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:48,240
different ones, relational,
spiritual, physical and emotional.
454
00:27:48,690 --> 00:27:54,810, the best place to go is to page
dot Greg water.com/your podcast
455
00:27:54,810 --> 00:27:57,840
title right now leadership if they could just go there,
456
00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,900
they can get on my email list,
I'll be sure and updates along
457
00:28:00,900 --> 00:28:04,620
the way. I'm also on LinkedIn, and I'm also available.
458
00:28:04,620 --> 00:28:07,590
You can go to my website, my main
website, and you can you can click a
459
00:28:07,590 --> 00:28:12,000
button and schedule a call with me.
I'm happy to to have conversations.
460
00:28:12,450 --> 00:28:14,880
Awesome.
That's great folks,
461
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,030
when you get a chance, do reach
out to Greg Greg at Greg Woodard.
462
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,330
Com is one of the simplest ways.
And then he's got a freebie.
463
00:28:21,330 --> 00:28:24,540
And that's that page dot Greg
woodard.com/right now leadership.
464
00:28:24,540 --> 00:28:26,160
And I'll put that all of it in
the show notes.
465
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,040
So it's easy to to reference.
But if you want to get even more
466
00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,080
value from Greg go ahead and
click on that link.
467
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:32,550
And you're going to get to learn
a ton.
468
00:28:32,550 --> 00:28:36,420
It's about cultivating leadership,
clarity, emotional resilience
469
00:28:36,420 --> 00:28:40,020
and authentic relationships.
And I'm pretty sure it ties to your
470
00:28:40,020 --> 00:28:45,420
book. So. Oh yeah. Yeah it does.
Yeah, it's it's pretty easy.
471
00:28:45,660 --> 00:28:49,240
Pretty easy way to get at least
a snapshot of what? Yeah.
472
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:51,010
That's awesome.
Well, thank you so much for
473
00:28:51,010 --> 00:28:53,260
being on the show.
And listeners,
474
00:28:53,260 --> 00:28:57,760
please do subscribe and share this
episode with your friends and family.
475
00:28:57,790 --> 00:29:01,060
We appreciate your listening ears,
and thanks again for joining us
476
00:29:01,060 --> 00:29:03,820
on another episode of the Right
Now Leadership podcast.
