Celebrating Wins and Lessons Learned in Life and Podcasting

My goal when creating a podcast was to share hope and resources, but it has evolved into so much more than that. Like everything in life, there have been challenges and changes along the way that has made this podcast into what it is today. That’s why episode 55 of The Positively Living Podcast is about celebrating wins and lessons learned in life and podcasting!

Welcome to the Positively Living Podcast First Anniversary Episode! Before we begin, I want to thank you for being here with me. If you’re a long-time listener, my heart is filled with gratitude. I appreciate you listening, subscribing, and supporting me in so many ways. If this is your first episode, welcome to the jungle, baby! We are definitely having some fun here while also learning and growing and finding all the fantastic ways to love life and live well.

If we haven’t met yet, I’m Lisa, founder of Positively Productive Systems and a wife and mom to kids and cats. You can learn a bit more about me personally in my get-to-know-me episode or my Caregiver and Clutter Story. As a productivity coach certified in time & stress management, I support multi-passionate, creative entrepreneurs who are stressed out from juggling business and family. I use simplicity, self-care, and systems to help them boost productivity while avoiding burnout. I launched the Positively Living Podcast in June 2020 as a weekly resource dedicated to helping us all do less, live more, and breathe easier. Today at the end of May 2021 I’m celebrating 55 episodes and over 5,500 downloads (as of this recording the running total was 5,625).

My goal was to share hope and resources, but I didn’t expert to learn as much as I have. Like everything else in life, there have been challenges and changes along the way. The podcast has evolved and grown and I want to share what I’ve discovered with you. So today’s episode is all about celebrating and lessons learned over the last year. As Nelson Mandela said, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” So grab a beverage of your choice, sit back, relax, and let’s talk wins and learns, shall we?

When it comes to celebrating, are you all about the big anniversaries or do you shoutout the small stuff too? Do you struggle to celebrate because it feels braggy or move on to the next thing because you have stuff to do already?

I personally think Kool and the Gang had the right idea. 🎶 That song is a mainstay at parties and its joyous refrain is a great a reminder we ALL need to celebrate. I would add that we need to not only celebrate, but go beyond the big stuff. It’s my #1 lesson learned this past year in life and I encourage you to embrace it with me.

In order to properly date myself, I will tell you I grew up with School House Rock. They claimed Three is a Magic Number and I heartily agree. In honor of that , I’m sharing three life lessons and three podcasting lessons with you today.

Life Lessons from Podcasting for a Year

Celebrate.

I don’t care what or how small, celebrate it. Savor it. Share it! We spend way too much time brushing off what we accomplish in order to move on to the next thing. We don’t want to brag. Bah! I say brag away and if your friends and family don’t like it, message me and brag to me. I will jump up and down and do a ridiculous happy dance for you. (Just ask my clients. I’m serious about celebrating.) What are you proud of? Excited about? Amazed you did? Grateful for? Yep, it’s all gratitude and it’s all a way to energize and lock in what you’ve done so you can draw from that in the future. It’s the key to healing and resilience and positivity. And yes, I give you full permission to involve cake.

Simple is better.

Just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s not quality. Quite the opposite. Complexity sounds more valuable, but I promise you it’s not. Who taught us that only good can come from working hard? Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Working smarter opens up your world to so many possibilities. Simply gets the job done. And “good enough” definitely needs to be elevated as a status. Remember, keep your wines complex and your tasks simple.

Generosity.

It comes back to you. I’m not just talking about money, either. Let others know you appreciate them. Put your gratitude in action. Be free with your praise and excitement. Step into service when and where you can. Doing for others can effectively get you out of a rut. The generosity of spirit and time are wonderful ways to give back to others and, like a smile offered freely and genuinely, they can’t help but come back to you.

Podcasting Lessons From the Last Year

Just do it.

Whatever your feelings about Nike as a company, they had the right idea. If you’ve wanted to start a podcast, do it. Stop waiting. Whatever you’re thinking of right now as a reason not to do it, I promise you there is a way around it. There is always a way to achieve what you want. I had wanted to start a podcast for the longest time and the tech made me hesitate. I was lucky to find Alesia Galati and her team at Galati Media. They helped me overcome that hesitation and I have never looked back. I know you don’t want to admit it, but I promise you, you are ready.

Know your audience and your purpose and you will succeed.

Your people love and support you. They will love what you do because of who you are. Start by being absolutely clear on who you’re talking to and why you want to create a podcast. When you start with that, you’re good to go.

Change things up if needed.

Don’t be afraid to tweak as you learn. It’s a part of growth and reflects the clarity we find as we try something. Look at your numbers. Ask for feedback. Pay attention to the process and adjust as you go. Be ruthless with your systems and your choices of who to involve. And if you change the content, be sure to keep your audience in mind.

If you’ve listened to other episodes, you know one thing that hasn’t changed is gratitude. I include it in my guest episodes and I will today on behalf of all my guests. What a beautiful group of people I’ve gotten to share my platform with and, in many cases, they’ve reciprocated and invited me to join them too.

While my guests are too numerous to mention, I do what to shout out top three guest episodes:

Mallory Jackson an Assistant Professor of Human Services who is dedicated to teaching us why we do what we do. And, as episode #1 shows us, knowing ourselves is our #1 productivity tool. Mallory shares her wisdom and her teaching chops in Ep #29 Trauma Informed Life. Don’t let the trauma in the title fool you. This episode is packed with laughter and light-hearted encouragement for how we can identify and accept the trauma we are inevitably facing and turn it around.
Liz August is someone I like to call “Beyond a VA” and also my biz bestie. She is a former client and now part of my admin team and her advice in episode #18 Declutter through Delegation resonated with so many! I say every chance I get that clutter moves well beyond our closets and it hamstrings us often in business when we aren’t doing the right things. Liz’s episode helps us visualize how we can clear our todo list clutter through the help of virtual assistant and even beyond that.
Tim Lucier is a fellow productivity nerd and a certified KonMari consultant who joined me in Ep #17 How Simplicity Sparks Joy I wanted to give Marie Kondo and her tidying tips a fair shake because honestly there had been a lot of teasing and I worked with a lot of people who struggled with that particular method. I thought who better than a certified consultant and my conversation with Tim didn’t disappoint! Plus we added a lot of good tips for productivity as well.

Depending on what kind of support you need, you’ll likely find an episode on it. If you’re searching for Mindset and Self-actualization you’ll find episodes on grief, toxic positivity, trauma, fear, change, authenticity, and codependency. There are multiple episodes on self care and many involving practical tips on organizing. I have a number of solo episodes on the basics like productivity, decluttering, gratitude, meditation, stress, and habits. And you’ll find so many inspiring stories and some seriously laugh-filled episodes too. I have cried genuinely, laughed until I cried, and even done improv with a guest (not well, but I did it).

In 202,1 I introduced a new type of episode — one where I coached a client for you to hear! This is an example of the Productivity Boost session — a 30-minute coaching session that helps you push past procrastination and move forward confidently. There will be more of those episodes to come and if you are interested in trying one for yourself, let me know! You can go to www.positivelyproductive.com/offer and use the promo code PODCAST to try coaching at a special price only for listeners.

If you would like to be featured on the podcast, you can do so one of three ways. If you’d like to apply as a guest, go to https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast-guest

And if you want to apply to be coached on the show, go to https://positivelyproductive.com/coaching-guest

And in celebration of the first anniversary, I’ve added a fun way you can send in an audio review I may feature in a future episode. If you go to

https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast-clip you can record a review of the podcast. Be sure to include that song that always makes you dance and I’ll add it to the Positively Living Podcast Spotify Dance Playlist. We’re up to multiple volumes now!

Please remember I not only welcome your feedback, I encourage it, and appreciate your reviews, as they help others find the show. Know that I’m dedicated to supporting you and improving with each episode. Podcasting has been a dream for a long time and you’ve helped me make it happen, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you for listening! Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips to create space for what really matters in your life.

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