Politically High-Tech
A podcast with facts and opinions on different topics like politics, policy, technology especially AI, spirituality and development! For this podcast, development simply means tip, product and/or etc. can benefit humanity. This show aims to show political viewpoints and sometimes praises/criticizes them. He is a wildcard sometimes. For Technology episodes, this show focuses on products (mostly AI) with pros, cons and sometimes give a hint of future update. For Development episodes, the podcast focuses on tips to improve as a human spiritually, socially, emotionally and more. All political, AI lovers and haters, and all religions are welcome! This is an adult show. Minors should not be listening to this podcast! This podcast proudly discriminates bad characters and nothing else.
Politically High-Tech
249- Unraveling Imposter Syndrome: Empowering Your True Self with Mark Collins
Ever felt like a fraud despite all your achievements? Join me and Mark Collins, a multifaceted coach and pastor, as we dissect the universal challenge of imposter syndrome and the art of living life intentionally. Mark, with his rich background in business and martial arts, shares his personal struggles with feeling inadequate, even when success suggests otherwise. Through engaging dialogue, we unravel how designing your life with purpose can help you break free from the chains of doubt and lead a life aligned with your true self.
In our exploration, we reflect on how identity is often overshadowed by societal roles and past experiences. Drawing from Mark's expert insights and my own journey, we highlight the importance of embracing one's authentic self, moving beyond external validations that can leave us feeling helpless. You'll hear about biblical stories, like Jesus' journey, that illustrate the power of knowing one's inherent worth and how this understanding can be a cornerstone for overcoming life's challenges.
Beyond the philosophical, we delve into practical strategies for personal transformation. The magic lies in mastering thoughts, words, and actions—practices backed by the science of neuroplasticity. Discover how consistent positive affirmations aligned with your true identity can rewire your brain for success. Mark shares his Life Mastery course approach, equipping you with the tools to confront imposter syndrome and live intentionally, whether you're navigating faith, personal growth, or just striving to be better every day. Tune in to learn how you can bet on yourself and craft a life you love.
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Welcome everyone to Politically High Tech with your host, elias. This is going to be episode 249. I am shocked I made it this far. I'm going to be honest with you. I thought about quitting five different times, but just because I think it, I'm not going to follow through. You got to challenge your own urges. You have to challenge your own brain, and I'm alluding to something here, because the main topic I'm just going to say it out loud, I'm going to do this real quick, I think it's very important is imposter syndrome. Okay, we all go through. A lot of us go right through it, unless I don't know if you're a sociopath or whatever, or you're a vegetable. Those are the people I could think of that'll go through imposter syndrome. I could be wrong. Feel free to correct me there. I'm just a guy with a microphone, all right. So I have a guest here who is not just a coach, all right, he's also a pastor, so he does got some theology in his blood. Okay, I'm not going to make this overly religious, but I can't promise you that, because I think God is very important. I've said this on my podcast multiple times I think God is important.
Speaker 2:I've seen what's going on as a younger idiot and I will call myself that I used to think, eh, it's not a big deal. Oh, I see it. I see the impact. Now it's a big deal and oof, I wish I had that wisdom. When I was in my teens, early 20s, I started picking up on it. But hey, better late than never, you got to go through your own crazy journey. Everyone's journey is very unique. That's all I'm going to say about that. But enough about me. We all tackle some call imposter syndrome and I like this one point while I was reading his profile. It's a continual process and I agree with that. I don't think depression is a continual process. It's not not for me. I conquered that in two years, so I think it possibly is something that's very psychological.
Speaker 2:But before we get into it, let's introduce the guest here. Okay, his name is mark collins and he is gonna to guide through it, and I do encourage shameless plugins. Okay, I don't mind it, it's a little capitalistic. If you don't like it, that's too bad. That's how this podcast has been flowing ever since I had a guest. You might have no idea. I just thought it was just the right thing to do. Almost everybody does it. So if you're going to pin me down, you better pin every single content creator down, okay, so don't be a hypocrite. All right, let's welcome Mark Collins, and my first question I always ask to just about every guest is what do you want the viewers and the listeners to know about you?
Speaker 1:Well, first off, elias, thanks for having me on the show. I really appreciate it. Politically, high-tech may seem a little bit different than imposter syndrome and some of the things I bring, but I think it really will inform the people that you have. So that's the personal stuff. In the professional arena, had a job for a multitude of years, started and created a successful business with my wife, sold it for a mid six figure profit, went to college, had a black belt and you know mix of Chinese martial arts, did all of these different things in my own life.
Speaker 1:And where imposter syndrome came in for me was in dealing with it in my own life. And where imposter syndrome came in for me was in dealing with it in my own life, in walking through the things that you think are going to overcome it, whether it's success or, you know, money, income, whatever the things that we're using to prove it and then that place finding that it just came along for the ride. So who I am first and foremost is a guy who's walked through the journey right, who's found the blueprint, not because you know I'm some genius, but because I needed to in my own life and in that place created some, you know some courses, my premier course, life mastery, my book, life mastery living life by design, not by default the things that I wanted to provide other people and other men, you know, specifically to be able to live out that life that they're created for, not the one that they're left with.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I like that, because a lot of people with no guidance, no intention, no purpose, we are just simply dictated by situation, right, yeah, and that's what our vision, and we just say, oh, and let's just use a job, because this is a very classic one. Okay, kiss the boss's butt, even though I can't stand this boss, so I get that better paycheck. Do you know, I really can't stand it. I'd rather choke this boss to death.
Speaker 2:It's a little dramatic, but people, look, I'm saying what you're thinking. Okay, I mean, I don't support that. Obviously, get some help. If you're really, really, really, really on the verge of doing that seriously though, yeah, get some help with that. But I just think you know, I, I like that live by design, not by default, because we just go through autopilot, we just have our tunnel vision, we just we are consumed by circumstance, yeah, and we just go to another circumstance, another circumstance, another circumstance. Of course you're going to another circumstance, another circumstance, another circumstance. Of course you're going to feel powerless. Of course we're going to feel hopeless because we just channeled through that. So give us just a little tease of what you mean by that, by that title. Let's start from there, yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1:Thanks for the question, elias. I think it comes down to exactly what you're saying. For me in my own life and what I find with the clients that I work with, is that life by default. Right, the back end of the title is life by default, because that's what? Well, frankly, I don't know anybody who hasn't been living from there and what it means is that you're kind of stuck with a life that you have.
Speaker 1:You talked about a job, right, whether you're not getting promoted. I mean, I've been there, where I've been in a job where I felt overqualified with where I was at, but every promotion I got, you know, somebody else got the job and I got to stay where I was at. Where you're in that place where you feel like there's more for your life than where you're at, that's kind of where I really came from was just knowing that there was more for me than the life that I was living. Right, I wanted to be a man of confidence and assurance and being able to live out the things that I've had, not being limited by what I believed was the life I was left with, and in that place it was really a decent life. But you know, there's those places where you're like man, is this, everything, and that's what life by default is. It's not understanding or knowing that there's an alternative. And you know, for me, part of my journey in unpacking imposter syndrome I'm really trying to figure out how to get handles on it. So I actually felt qualified for the things I was in.
Speaker 1:Not trying to prove that I was qualified was really, you know, in personal development. I tried to find it in reading books and you know, positive affirmations and all these things and they brought change. They just didn't bring transformation Right. The problem with the difference is when I bring change, it's a habit I need to manage right. The problem with the difference is when I bring change, it's a habit I need to manage.
Speaker 1:And as soon as I don't manage it, as soon as I don't continue to do it, now, all of a sudden, all of the, the promise, all of the you know, the, the promotion, all of the things that you've desired and hoped for in your life starts to fall away all the belief systems, all of the mindsets and all of that. But you know, you said I'm a man of faith and what I tell people is God doesn't want you to change, he wants transformation and the difference between design and default is. Default is I just got to manage the life where I'm at. Design is that I'm not transforming to try and change who I am into somebody else, but to really unleash who I was created to be. Because what I tell people that I work with is you're either living from who you're created to be or what your life has told you.
Speaker 2:I mean, of course, I'm shifting towards trying to be a life designer, if you will. It's quite a simple term for that, yeah, but you know, but many of us, we're just limited, we just go by feelings and circumstance and that just, really, just that alone just really narrows what is possible. Shrink, shrink, shrink. For those of you who listen or are listening to the audio, I am just playing my hands, just shrinking the whole, little by little by little. Okay, I'm trying to include you in audio, because I don't know if you think I am hideous, that's on you, that's fine. I'm shrinking, shrinking, shrinking, shrinking. I'm going to create a big gap in my hands and I'm just shrinking it. All, right, this includes you in. Now I'm going to leave you out again. All you people watching a video okay, watching a video? Yeah, to your point, yeah, I'm sure. Look that.
Speaker 2:This is why I love about God, and all I'm going to say is there's a lot of misunderstandings with God, because the Bible is not the most easiest book to understand. Let's be honest, it really isn't. It's not just a book you read Okay, take it literally. Oh, forget it, you're going to miss out so much. You're going to think God even has schizophrenia. Okay, if you could take everything very, very literally, but that's not the case. Yeah, I like that because I think we have choices, I think there's always another option. That's what I like about that, and we're not just okay, what's life going to throw at me? Okay, I'd be nice to this person, even though I don't have the energy, even though I can't to this person, even though I don't have the energy, even though I can't stand this person. This person is the devil, him or herself. Okay, great, what can I do for you? Alright, give you a plate of food. Why you be doing so much more?
Speaker 2:And I said, oh, I gotta deal with this job Cause it pays the bills. Oh, that's the number one thing. Oh, because it just pays the bills, I get that. I have that mindset. If I would have that mindset, this podcast would never happen, because I do believe in more, and it's good to believe in more, do more.
Speaker 2:But I love that Transformation, not just manage. That just changed me, because that could just go away. It's like trying to bend something and I forget this object. It's like this alien metal thing. I'm gonna sound real dummy, but I don't care. It's like trying to bend it. By the time you slack off, it goes back to its original shape. Yeah, no, you want to transform it, mold it and have that change permeated. In plain English, just have it stick. Stick to that transformation so naturally that you don't have to feel like you're forcing changing your habits and doing something your body cringes is going to challenge you against because some habits are just not sustainable. Let's be honest, yeah, yeah, yeah. So anything else you want to add before we jump to the whole imposter syndrome thing?
Speaker 1:No, I think that's a great point, and what I tell the people that I work with is you can't habit your way to freedom. You only can habit your way to being bound by a habit, which means this again what it takes to get me there is what it's going to take to sustain me there, whatever that is, you know, and being able to move forward with your job or, you know, deal with your relationship or have a business and and try and be successful at that. Right, it's not about habits. It's about transformation and, like you'd said, transformation is really me becoming who I was created to be, and what that looks like is this effortless excellence in your life. Right, and it doesn't mean it doesn't take work. It doesn't take, you know, things that you need to invest in. What it does mean is that I'm not trying to measure up, right, I'm not trying to prove that I'm worthy, right.
Speaker 1:A lot of times, the people I work with we're talking about success, right, and the things that they're trying to, you know, maintain or you know the accolades they're trying to get. I work with people that are highly successful in whatever field you could name. The challenge is that the success is telling them who they are, and so for us, it really is a separation between identity who you're created to be and the things that you do, because when I understand who I'm created to be, I can live out the life that I'm created for. When I don't understand who I'm created to be, then my world has to make up the difference, which means I use success as a substitute, or I use income as a substitute, or title or role or position or possessions right, elias?
Speaker 1:It's all these things that we use and substitute for identity, and in that place, like you know, in your own life and myself as well we have people that we know who are amazingly successful at something, whether it's a job, a business, you know activities, some sport or whatever but we also know that the rest of their life's a disaster. So it doesn't, success doesn't breed fulfillment, which means living from that place of knowing that this is exactly who I'm created to be. In most cases, if you don't understand identity, who you're created to be, then your business, your role, your position, your job is a substitute, and it's those people in those places that have those questions that come to me and say is this all that I have, and how do I get to a place of better than where I'm at.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, that's right. I think that's the's the root, right who you are versus what you do. Yeah, a lot of times, and even me included, we have to mix that in because we have such a weak identity, we just yep, just to your point, and you can argue this all you want. Listeners document your ignorance in the comment section. Okay, okay, I dare you have the success what you do really mold who you are, instead of having this separate. If anything, your identity should be influencing what you do okay, yeah, and there's a difference between the two.
Speaker 1:And it really comes down to this it's having success because of who I am versus having success to prove who I am.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly, well said, Well said. I couldn't have said it better. No, seriously, I couldn't have said it better, so that was well profound. I think that wraps it up quite nicely. I actually want to get to this imposter syndrome. I think so many of us have struggled through it and even I have my experiences of it, and it creeps up from time to time and I and just like so, I and I'm going to quote this again my reddest profile that is a continual process. Yes, I believe, because you may conquer this battle. Maybe next I don't know month, year, year or decade he's going to creep up against you trying to do something different. And what is? I think I'm going to start with this as general as possible what is imposter syndrome, what definition you want to frame it, and how can people recognize it and overcome it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. That's a great question, elias. You know there's a difference between imposter syndrome and fear of failure. I've dealt with both and, again, that was part of my journey growing up. You know, if you unpacked my childhood, you'd meet a young man who had a very strong and dominating, domineering dad. And it's not to put my father down, because my father didn't actually have a father in his life. He had a stepfather who was abusive and alcoholic, and so he moved away with his family. His family moved him away, his mom did when he was young. So he grew up without a father, without a model of what it looks like to be a dad, and so just being able to be adequate at it is an amazing accomplishment, and he definitely was that. But he was also, you know, in his life and his personality and the things that he did, a vision, a picture of what it looks like to be a man that I never felt like I could measure up to. So that young man growing up felt like he didn't measure up in his own household with his own father. And so you again, the things we've talked about, you find ways to substitute it by I'm going to be successful in business, then I'm going to matter, I'm going to have a relationship, and then I'm going to matter, I'm going to have a certain level of income and then I'm going to matter. Right. And it's in those places that, when you walk into it, you start to feel like you're not qualified for where you're at.
Speaker 1:I remember one funny example when I was, my wife was pregnant and having our youngest daughter, alyssa. We were in the hospital. She gave birth to our daughter and it was through C-section, so she was being managed by the doctors and all that. I was in the operating room while they gave birth to my daughter. So she's done, she's cleaned up, and the first thing they do after they swaddle her and put her under the I call it heat lamps, but it's just warming lamps to keep the child warm is they hand my daughter to me and it never felt more unqualified or incapable of a role in my life to try and be a father and I was in my late 20s and to try and understand how to take care of this child. My wife had two children when I met her, so I married a family, not just a woman, but in those cases they weren't babies that you had to do everything for, and so to have this child in my arms, I knew immediately I wasn't qualified, had no idea what it was to be a father.
Speaker 1:A lot of those same emotions a lot of people feel in their lives, which is you know, I've been promoted into this position, I'm a manager now, not just a worker. And how am I supposed to do that? Or I'm supposed to get this presentation at work or in school, in college, and how is that supposed to happen? Or in my relationship, and I don't feel like I'm being a good husband, or I'm not connected with my kids, I'm not really being a good father. It's an imposter syndrome that says this you're not qualified and you're going to fail. And in that place, a lot of people, even the people I find in my own life, the thing I'm continually fascinated by is the same experience that I walked in having success at some level.
Speaker 1:I think of a guy that I worked with who was a multimillionaire. He had six, seven, eight-figure business deals. Still is doing those. The interesting thing is that he had a fear of failure and imposter syndrome that carried out throughout the whole process. Somebody that you and I, elias, would look at and think he's got it all together. There's nothing wrong here, right, he's got the bank account, he's a respected individual, he's got a quality family. You know, everything must be all together. And in having a friendship and relationship and having him be one of my clients in the Life Mastery course, come to find out, he was, like most of the people I know, this inside thought process, this voice that says that this business deal is going to fail, this one, you're going to blow it. Right. The income is going to go down, right. Whatever the things that we're saying like you with your podcast, or me with some of the things I do, right. It's that voice that says that I'm going to blow it and everybody's going to know that I'm just not as qualified, I'm not good enough, I don't have it all together like everybody else For the clients I work with.
Speaker 1:The thing that's the truth is the thing we already unpacked earlier, which is you're either living up to who you used to be, what your life has told you you were, or who you're created to be. And in that place, that young man myself included, right, the young man that I was who was growing up not feeling like I was qualified as a man because of the vision of my father, the role and the example that he gave Well many people. Now I've got to be honest, elias, everybody I know you're either living from who God says you are or you're living from what your past told you, and in that place, your past has a voice unless you're able to overcome it. Now, obviously, we have strategies and tools that we use has a voice unless you're able to overcome it. Now. Obviously we have strategies and tools that we use, but here's the truth that I want to leave people with you can overcome it.
Speaker 1:A lot of the personal development programs I worked with they told you you had to manage it. Manage your anger, manage this right, use these mantras, use the affirmations, use breathing exercises. By the way, all of those things work. The pivotal point that makes ours different than everybody else's is we don't give you an example of this perfect person that you're trying to measure up to, basically lying to yourself, to try and pretend like you're somebody else. We start with identity, so you use those same tools and technologies and strategies, but you're not trying to be somebody else. You're reminding yourself who you're created to be and inviting that person to show up, and that man starts to show up in your job, in your boardroom, in your workplace, in your home, in your relationship with your spouse, everywhere that you go.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, that's profound. Get within your inner self, stop trying to deny it. And just to so many people and I'm going to repeat this because this is so profound if you don't got identity, your past, if you're ashamed of your past, and then we got the world that's gonna try to shape you. So try to get in touch with your inner self and I love the examples you brought with the small voice and for the Christian people. Yes, I'm gonna cater to you.
Speaker 2:The devil who's trying to just lie to you. And the devil who's trying to just lie to you. And the devil only attacks if you're threatening. Obviously, mark was threatening, he was worthy of the devil's attack. If the devil's not attacking you, that means he knows what you're doing. So, oh, this guy's an easy, easy, weak, whatever. I don't need to deal with him. I got to deal with Mark here. He's making my life inconvenient. No, I gotta get him to go downhill. Nah, I already got the thousand idiots. This will follow my way. Easy. Next. Devil only attacks when he is threatened, when you're going the right direction. So that's why, yeah, sometimes going the right direction is difficult, because if you're doing, if your life is easy, you're having so much convenience.
Speaker 2:Convenience, that's not necessarily a good thing. That's why I say convenience is one heck I almost swear of a drug. Convenience is one heck of a drug. Umpire is one heck of a drug. So going through, you know, advert adversarial times can be a good thing. Is it tough? Of course it is. I'll be lying to you if I say otherwise. I will be lying. Oh no, don't worry about it. There's no such thing as adversity. Mark is crazy. I know he's talking about adversity. He don't know what he's doing. He's doing successful wrong. No, that's lies. You're going to deal with adversity, but it could be overcome yeah, it could be overcome.
Speaker 2:Just because it's difficult, it doesn't make it impossible. Let's separate that again. Difficult does not equal impossible, and I think I like this quote. I'm gonna butcher it, but I don't care. Things become impossible at first. If you keep doing it. It becomes difficult, then it becomes possible, then it comes reaching. That's good. Yeah, I'm paraphrasing it. Who I stole that from, I don't know. You google it. Say oh, this was a dummy. You got it from this guy. Good, good for you. Easy google research. You're a genius's a genius. You want to chime in, to add more to it? This conversation? They want to hear you.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I think what you're saying is absolutely true. What we talk about in the work that I do is that life mastery is a journey. It's a journey that has moments right. That moment of me understanding kind of trying to measure up to who my dad was was a moment in struggling in my life to have success in my life but at the same time feel like I wasn't. I didn't feel any better. I just feel like I didn't fail at that time.
Speaker 1:And again, it's really common for all of my clients and I appreciate you giving me such great encouragement. But the truth of the matter is the devil doesn't go after one person, he goes after everybody. And what I tell people, elias, is this that the devil's not clever, he's consistent. And he's consistent because it works and it consistently works. And if I could give a quick example you know I don't want to get overly spiritual because you know some of your folks don't maybe relate to it but really quickly, there's a testimony in the Bible, in Matthew 3, that talks about Jesus. Jesus is our Savior, he's who we died on the cross for our sins, and we accept him as our Lord and then we become Christians, we follow along with him, become disciples. So that guy named Jesus was baptized, and he was baptized in water by his cousin, a guy named John. It's recorded in Matthew 3 that when he came up out of the water from being baptized, it said the heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and abided, which means that it stayed with him. It says this afterwards, that there was a voice that came from heaven and it says this is my beloved son, in whom I'm well pleased. Well, that voice in heaven was God, speaking of his son to the people around him. Jesus knew who he was, but the people didn't. And in that place, god affirmed who his son was. He affirmed his identity. This is my beloved son and I'm well pleased.
Speaker 1:Fast forward up to the next chapter and he's in the desert. He's been fasting for 40 days, not eating, not drinking for 40 days, and it says that the devil comes to tempt him. What he's trying to do is to stop the ministry, stop the work that Jesus was called to do, just like he does with all of us. But he's trying to stop it before it begins. And so he comes with his first temptation. And of course you know, elias, like I do. You know you want to give your knockout shot first, why make it a long battle when you can make it a quick win? And so what the devil says to Jesus is this if you really are the Son of God, then turn these stones to bread. Basically saying this, if I can paraphrase to bring clarity to you if you really believe this is your identity, then prove it.
Speaker 1:And the challenge, elias, like with your life and my life, for many of us, we fall for the same trap. We really don't believe who we're created to be. I'm hoping I can be a guy of courage and of strength. I'm hoping I can be a guy of courage and of strength. I'm hoping I can be a guy of success and worth. I'm hoping I can be a high value man that does high value things. We don't really believe it, and so we use the things around us, our possessions, our title, our role, our job, our position, our business to prove who we are. It's the same struggle and challenge that a lot of people have, and the interesting thing is he fights you in the beginning to say that you're not good enough. Prove it. And he fights you while you're walking through it, when you're striving for those things like with you and your podcast, people with a business, guys with a job, ladies with a position in their corporate world or whatever the thing you're walking in by telling you while you're in it, this isn't going to work, you're not going to be able to do it.
Speaker 1:Imposter syndrome is this attack that says I'm not good enough and this time I'm going to show it, but again, walking through the tools that we have. It starts with identity, and if I could give that tool really, really quickly. We have this thing called an I am statement. We start with that. Our whole foundation is identity, elias. I told and I tell this joke often. People are tired of hearing it I tell people that I don't have a tattoo, but if my wife let me have a tattoo, it would be this Identity is everything, Because when you start with where you're created to be, everything else comes into line.
Speaker 1:My boss doesn't matter, because whether he promotes me, whether he respects me, whether he pats me on the back doesn't change who I am. My income doesn't matter, because I know that I'm created for the full value of what I've called into. My relationship doesn't matter, not that they're not a benefit, but I tell people this my wife is not a necessity in my life, she's a benefit. And it's not because I'm better than her or lesser than her or what anywhere in between. It's because she doesn't have to tell me who I am. I already know.
Speaker 1:And in that place we have what's called a healthy relationship. Because if I don't understand who I'm created to be, if I don't walk in the identity of who I've been created to be, then she has to make up the difference for the insecurity, for the fear, for the worry, for the stress, for the anger, for the imposter syndrome that I bring home when I'm coming home from the job. But in the place of me understanding who I'm created to be, then she has permission to just be who she is and we have an amazing relationship. It starts with understanding identity and that starts with us in our work. But then I am statement who are you apart from the things you do, the character, right, the fortitude, all of the things that make you you and not your outcomes? Everybody judges by their outcomes, but the truth of the matter is I'm not my outcomes. My outcomes are a product of my identity. And so who are you apart from that? We get them to write those things down to try to remind themselves of those things, we can unpack some transformational strategies. But when you start with that, everything else comes into line, just like with Jesus.
Speaker 1:Interesting thing, if I can wrap up that story Satan tells Jesus if you really are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread. Jesus' response was and he quotes a scripture. So he quotes another phrase within the Bible and that scripture was this he says, the word says man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It's a great general phrase and it's an amazing truth. But here's the truth that you and I need to know. In that Bible Matthew 3 and Matthew 4, the very last recorded word that God spoke to Jesus right, it may have not been the last word he said, but the last word that was written down that he said to Jesus was this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The last word that came to Jesus before he walked into a temptation was You're my son, I love you. It's in that place that he reaffirmed that identity matters more than anything.
Speaker 2:So people who are enslaved, consumed by outcomes, loving your career more than anything. I hope you're grasping this, because this is speaking to you. If you think you're your outcome and trust me, I have been there. That's why I can say I've been there.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm successful, I am worthy. Yes, I'm great. If I'm a failure, oh, I am poop. I am unworthy of life. Yeah, that's good, and I'm just keeping as clean as possible here, because that's more mature me. You want me to curse and say profanity, so go to the older episodes, you will know how I would say it.
Speaker 1:And here's the thing, elias, if I could clarify it a little bit, here's how you know when you're living from your outcomes, your successes or whatever. How long does that satisfaction, how long does that joy, how long does that happiness last? If you're like me and everybody else, I know who's done it it's a momentary excitement and then now it's the next. What's next, when you're living from your outcomes? And for everyone who's watching or listening on the audio file, I'll speak to you directly. Here's how you know if you're living from outcomes. How long does the success feel great on the inside of you and how long does it take you to move on to the next thing? Because that was okay for a moment, but now I need to prove it again. If you're that person, well then you're living from outcome and it's okay to have success in your life, and I'm not saying it's horrible.
Speaker 1:The challenge is it's like that hamster on that wheel you can never get off, you can never stop, you can never have enough. When success is how I judge my value, when you start from where your value is, then every success is a joy, like that gentleman that I had who was in the multimillion dollar transactional business. Right, real estate was his and is his area. I'm acting like he's passed away, but he's still alive, but it's in that place that for him, it was that exact same thing. It was a relief when he was successful because he didn't fail that time, but then he needed the next one and he needed the next one.
Speaker 1:But when he was walking through Life Mastery again the strategies and tools that we give and we give the people ability to use in their lives now, all of a sudden, it didn't become a relief, it became an amazing joy. It wasn't something he used as a barometer of am I good enough? But it was a satisfaction of knowing that this is exactly what I'm created for. I'm created for this level of what we call life mastery. Our goal isn't for you to be successful and everybody to be a millionaire Fine if everybody is but the goal isn't an outward badge of honor that you have. The goal is you're living out the maximum life that you were created for, because it's that that brings satisfaction beyond anything anybody else could. There's no substitute for it, and the substitutes you use for it will give you satisfaction and joy, probably for about five minutes.
Speaker 2:And that's put it nicely. Five minutes, that's pretty generous. Maybe it'll be like five seconds to one minute most, but yeah, the main point is it's very short term and it'll go away very quickly. That's the main point. I like that because, good, when they clip it out of context, I can easily defend you. Oh, he is not saying it about his wife, he's not saying success. You should. You should disregard it. No, he's clarifying it.
Speaker 2:So if you want to twist it, have you have your convoluted understanding projecting to your life? Go right ahead. You're deceiving yourselves and I will defend this guest and my podcast if that comes to be just clip, but one little clip. Oh, oh my, oh, my, here's a benefit. Take that out of context, make it to a clip. Yeah, make them look bad. And then me, my craziness. I'm sure I said stuff you could easily twist out of context and all that. I'll be happy to defend it. That's why, for the most part, if I know what I'm saying is really low value, I will take it out. I'm trying to push value instead of just giving cheap laughs and shock. Amen, take it out. I'm trying to push value instead of just giving cheap laughs and shock, even though it's joyful for a little bit, but after a few minutes I'm still miserable. Great, now I need that next dopamine source, next temporary dopamine source.
Speaker 1:And that's what we're doing.
Speaker 2:Very cheap dopamine sources. Just to be more scientific, you know what I mean. Just get to the next happy source, the next cheap happy source. So identity is everything. That's his proverb from Mark Hoss Identity is everything.
Speaker 1:Come on, put a bit of tattoo.
Speaker 2:if my wife said yes, there you go, put that, get a shirt. I hope we got merch, you merchandise something. Oh God, now I got them.
Speaker 1:Now you got them. I'm working on helping people. There you go.
Speaker 2:Sell some shirts on that. You know, identity is everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely that's it, that's it.
Speaker 2:That's one way just to tattoo it in people's brains. Yep, yeah, because the truth of the matter is.
Speaker 1:Physically. It's going to be tattooed in here, exactly Because the goal, elias, is you know, you've read it, as you've read some of the material about me and we talk about it all the time it's unleashing the hero in hiding, right. It's not that success doesn't matter, but success, apart from identity, is something that's a poor substitute and is something that's a poor substitute. And again, we know people who are successful and have a disaster. We know people you and I both, we could probably name them right Super famous people who are amazingly successful in an area and then they harm themselves, they took their life, they did something tragic, right. So, at the end of the day, it's not success, it's fulfillment, and fulfillment only comes from me leaving, from who I am. But it's this hero on the inside which means this. You, that guy in that job, right, Whether it's your boss or not, your boss can't stop you from living out the life that you're created for. And you have, I'm sure as well, elias, I've had people in my own life that were a hindrance to my future, but they didn't stop me right, because I understood who I was, and I didn't let them stop me by saying it's because of him or it's because of her that I'm there. There's a hero on the inside.
Speaker 1:I tell people I work with you're the answer to the circumstance you're walking into, when you start to understand that you start to not let your circumstance dictate who you are, but you dictate what your circumstance is. So if it's a challenge, that's fine. I'm all in. I've had more challenges this year than I've had in probably any year of my life. People who have passed away challenges with relationships. You know physical, mental, spiritual, you know economic, all of those things and I'm in for all of it Because what I know is that I'm coming with the answers into every circumstance that I had, not because I'm arrogant, but because I know who I'm created to be and you know.
Speaker 1:If you want to talk about it from the spiritual perspective or the faith perspective, god never brought anybody into a circumstance and equipped them afterwards. He reminded them who they were and invited them into the impact and the purpose that they had on their lives. He's no different for everybody who's listening to this podcast. He tells you who you are identity so that you can live out the purposes on your life. We feel like we're the question being figured out during the circumstance. We're the answer being given, and it's in that place that, when you show up, so do answers, so do solutions, so does promotions, so does all of the things that you are believing for, Not because you have this wild dream that you know I'm going to win the lottery or whatever, but because a person unleashed is the most amazing thing and you live out a life that is unimaginable.
Speaker 2:I love that lottery example. I used to try to get a get-rich-quick scheme kind of thing. I definitely put lottery in that category. They probably use this. But if you do math and probability you have a much better chance getting struck by lightning twice in the lottery, which is very rare. Uh, we're gonna go another.
Speaker 2:Um, I'm gonna put in quotes holy analogies. Not really holy is really scientifically scary. Um, if I'm going to be more precise and honest, but yeah, I don't encourage you to play the lottery because it's another form of gambling, addiction, bad habits, let's be very clear, some of that terminology in there. And you want to be the maker, the forger, your own destiny, not being controlled by what the society tells you. It's always advertised lottery, lottery, lottery, I guess. Advertised a lot, but what? But I bet you know this kind of life mastery thing, being accountable, being your own hero or she hero. No, that's right.
Speaker 2:Oh, and the victim mentality. Oh yes, mark's counsel, you know, ever since he existed he took all my opportunities away. I wish he was dead. You know you want to have that victim. Oh, I'm never going to be good enough. It's because of my skin color. Oh, I identify as this.
Speaker 2:This is why life is so hard. Are you going to go through discrimination and challenges? Of course you will, but you have the tools and ability to overcome it. Is it easy? No, I never said it was. I would never dare say that. And, trust me, I've conquered depression. I would say very quickly, because a lot of people. They make depression a lifestyle which is scary. And the way we've been taught to, you know, we think of depression as treatable, treatable, treatable no, it's curable and conquerable. I'm an example of that. You know the great GOD. Let's make it spiritual. God, god, god, god, god. And you know me, I'm in slack for the identity this year than the other year, so that's my challenge this year. I mean transparent, and I think this is why God definitely allowed this conversation to happen. If I get back on track, you know what to do. Stop fooling around, stop being a lukewarm, only being with God when it's convenient.
Speaker 2:Being with the devil is enticing.
Speaker 1:Here's the truth. If you're a person who doesn't believe in God and you're listening to this, you're not a person of faith of any kind. That's fine. Here's what I know. The tools and the truth work, even if you don't know the source me. Here's the truth. There's. There's universal truths at work, as somebody said. It's you know it's kind of a you know it's kind of a hack kind of phrase by now, because everybody's used it.
Speaker 1:But gravity works, whether you believe in it or not, and so do the strategies that we use. Certainly, I take all of them, every strategy we have, whether it's, you know, the things we talk about through identity, or our transformational strategy and our course, life mastery. They Living Life by Design, which is mastering your thoughts, words and actions. Right, there's a biblical basis. I could tell you the scriptures that are aligned with all of them. Or you could look at the scientific basis in mastering your thoughts. Right, it's an interesting thing.
Speaker 1:There's a science called neuroplasticity. It's the study of the brain and the structures of the brain, and the formation of these neuroplastic structures, which are called I call them the short term is the shortcut to decision making. It's structures in the brain that allow you to make decisions throughout your life. I don't have time to go into all of it and you'd probably be bored if I did, but the truth of the matter is, how do you change your neuroplastic structures? Which means is, how do you change negative thought patterns, negative decisions and negative actions? Right, you know those things that you do, that diet, you try and go on, but you give up those things you decide that you're not going to do or you're going to do going to the gym in the new year, not going to swear again, I'm going to stop smoking. I'm going to go for this thing, right, whatever it is, at whatever age. Right? The reason why you don't is because there are structures in your brain that are stronger than your decision making.
Speaker 1:How do you change those neuroplastic structures? Science shows this. You change them by mastering your thoughts, words and actions. What you think about consistently, what you say frequently and what you do often will change those structures over time. Mastering your thoughts, words and actions.
Speaker 1:So we use those as what I call the transformational strategy for life mastery and we show you how to align them with your identity. So the things that I'm saying for myself, the affirmations that I'm given, aren't these generic. You know, I'm a millionaire, I'm a millionaire, I'm worthy, I'm not horrible, you know I'm successful, I'm successful or whatever those things are. They're generic phrases that never worked in my own life because I knew I wasn't that person.
Speaker 1:But when I align my thoughts right, when I speak things out that are an affirmation that align with that identity statement, the I am statement and some of the other tools that we use to kind of really help flesh out who you're really created to be, when I align with that, now all of a sudden it's something that my mind can't deny, because it's exactly who I am. It's just a reminder of who I am and as you continue to remind yourself of it, you'll start to see that person lived out, your negative thoughts will diminish, your unbelief will go away, because you can't have two thoughts at once. And if I feed my mind, if I again master my thoughts by reminding myself of who I am, there's no room in my thought process for who I'm not to show up yep, live by your thoughts, words and actions.
Speaker 2:So if you're going to be a loving, caring person, yet you watch um action movies blowing people to smithereens into pieces, that's not exactly the go by that.
Speaker 2:I thought it was a cheesy, probably wacky example, but you know, you start having these more aggressive thoughts. You just come out of philadelphia, you know, and that talk about the opacity your brain is processing it. Rather you realize or not that's subconscious, your strong tendencies that come out of nowhere. You're subconscious like I want to punch mark. I don't know why. You just really ticked me off. I just came from watching an action movie. You say something I don't like. You know.
Speaker 2:So subconscious is really really strong that needs to be molded, for lack of a better word. I'm not like managed. Managed is like kind of like treating a disease. Okay, we gotta keep doing it, keep doing it, keep doing it, keep doing it until you're dead, molded so you have a lasting transformation. Okay, so I like that and that, of course, with all that being said, that's definitely attacking the atomic root of imposter syndrome. Exactly negative, exactly patterns is definitely the corporate and that's more the symptom. It's subconscious, subconscious from telling yourself or going through bad experiences, and your brain just keeps playing it, playing that same clip on repeat. Okay, okay, clip is done, rewind, repeat, keep playing that playing, that playing. And that's why those structures of brains are so strong. When you try to do a positive thing, it steps right back, just like that. That's good, that's, that's the way I'm gonna say it.
Speaker 1:So and that's good, elise, because here's what I tell people design versus default. Right the title of my book, life mastery living life by design, not by default. The truth of the matter is mastering your thoughts, words and actions. In giving it it's, it's a revolutionary, it's a transformational strategy, but it's also revealing what you're already doing. Here's the truth that I, but it's also revealing what you're already doing. Here's the truth that I tell the people I work with You're already using your thoughts, that imposter syndrome.
Speaker 1:It doesn't start with somebody else telling you you're a failure. It starts with you telling it to yourself and then you start to express it in the things you do, right, when I mess up or I forget to pay a bill and it goes overdue, and now I've got a late fee and I didn't have the money for it. And what are the words that you tell yourself right? Are they in alignment with who you're created to be, or are they speaking out against the thing that you felt like you failed at and your actions? There's nobody I know with imposter syndrome or fear of failure or any one of these challenges that we work with. Who is living out the life that they're created for? They're holding back in some way. They're delaying in some decision, they're not reaching for that thing that they really, really want, but they'll reach a few steps below it because it feels more comfortable, that comfort thing that you talked about. So the people that I mean everybody I know is already living from this place, of living, from your thoughts, your words and your actions. We're just spotlighting it so you understand that, first and foremost, that's where transformation happens. And then giving you the ability to do it Design versus default, default is I'm stuck with the life I have. I just got to make the best out of it, whether it's through some strategies or some mantras or whatever the thing I'm trying to do or, like you talked about, settling for the life where you're at.
Speaker 1:A lot of the work I do is try and reignite fires in people who have tried a bunch of stuff but couldn't give it up, and I don't blame them when you believe that you're better than where you're at. You try something and it doesn't work, and you try something and it doesn't work. I mean that's where my program came from. I tried a bunch of strategies, probably seven to eight separate programs, just believing that this will be the one. But again, they bring change, not transformation, in that place. It was changed by just maintaining a habit. It wasn't transformation by unleashing you.
Speaker 1:So I tried all of those programs and because I couldn't find one that worked, I created one. It incorporated my own personal development background. It complemented with the beliefs that I have and it was incorporating the Word of God, the scriptures, that I used as well and created life mastery. Well, I know people who are out there and you tried and you tried, and you tried and finally you said, well, it's just not, it's just not for me. I guess I'm just meant to be. You know, this workaday guy or this lady with this role or whatever. The thing is right, the thing that you believe you're better than not because it's a horrible role, but because there's more on the inside that you want to see live it out your life. So you already have these strategies in place. It's understanding that by design means that I'm going to have them work for me, not work against me.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Well said, well said. Take him out of context at your peril, haters. That's what I'm going to say, because he's clarifying as well as it could be, because we just take that one little statement, you could definitely twist it and make it seem like Mark is a not so nice person, right? But that's not the case and you know that. But, um, this is like really good stuff this is. This is just a sample, this is like scratching the surface here, just to be clear, and the reason I'm saying that's because we're gonna do the shameless plug-in. You want to get deeper into this? Okay, you really want to get deeper, deeper into this stuff. Um, you know, they got some free stuff, I'm sure, and, of course, some that require some money, as fine, you know. You know your financial situation. We got some lovely courses at freedom for life, okay, and for sure it is freedom dashfor-lifenet yep, that's the exact link.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm going to share that in the description yep and speaking of which allies?
Speaker 1:there is a free, transformational what I call a transformational survey out there that you can take 40 quick questions and know two things where I'm at in my life mastery journey and the what's the next step. So that's's on my website, as well as, like you said, various courses, my book and everything that we've talked about today.
Speaker 2:Yep, if you want to get deeper into it, you know where to go. I'm going to put the link right there and for sure it is letter F to number 4 and L. Okay, if you want to use a little mnemonic device, I'm going to share the course link. I'm not going to say all those lovely letters and all that. Look at it. On the description of the episode. I separated them real nicely so you won't be confused. Your eyes won't go crazy, because when I did it in the past, with the paragraphs and links set up a certain way, they mushed everything together. Your eyes become a little dyslexic and cross-eyed and everything starts to mix up together. So I put them all very, very separate. So even when the computers act funny, the distortion will be very, very.
Speaker 1:You never know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've checked. I was actually disturbed. I was like no, this is why I'm not getting listeners, this is why I'm not getting. I get it now. I wish someone would have complained to me. I want bold, I want ugly truth, not beautiful lies. I prefer ugly truths to the beautiful lies.
Speaker 1:Okay, Helps me grow.
Speaker 2:My feelings don't matter here. My egos don't matter. I want success. Forget my feelings and my ego. Okay, I'm actually serious about that. For those of you who have the audio, it looks like I'm just banging the desk. I'm really not. I'm just holding my hand like I'm losing it, demonstrating it. I'm emphasizing it here. Check them out. You also got the social media as well. Connect with them through Facebook, youtube and Instagram. If you want to get social, okay, you want to get social, come on.
Speaker 1:I'd love to find out what people are getting from it and talk to them for sure.
Speaker 2:Connect with him. He's a good guy, obviously, you know, give him a shot, alright, just give him a shot. That's all I'm going to say and based on this, we already got through some of the nuggets. I think it's some good stuff here, okay, all right, didn't search. So very, very, very good stuff, all right. So anything else you want to add before I?
Speaker 1:wrap this up, you know. The one last thing I'd say, elias, is this kind of something I kind of touched on earlier, which is this you know, I had a multitude of courses that I went through trying to figure out how to have transformation. I didn't know what transformation at the time, I just knew the things I tried weren't working, and it was. I did right was I didn't give up on myself. As I said before, you maybe have gone through a bunch of courses, or a few courses or none, and you're just trying to figure it out. Here's the truth of the matter.
Speaker 1:I needed to create a course for transformation because I didn't find one out there. The great thing for you is you don't have to create one because I have one available for you. But my course could be perfect. I think it is transformational, amazing, and the testimonies of my clients tell me that it is. But here's the truth of the matter. It could be the most amazing course in the world, but if you don't bet on yourself, if you don't say I'm going to bet one more time, believing that this time it's going to work, then nothing can happen. But in that place where you refuse to give up on yourself, now, all of a sudden, the thing that you desire to have happen, whatever your goal or dream is, whatever the thing is you want to see your life to look like, will actually show up. But it takes, first and foremost, somebody who's willing to bet on themselves one more time. If you do that, everything else will fall into line. I promise you that.
Speaker 2:Quick comment for the more atheistic people Are you happy that he transferred his lingo to be more scientifically friendly? You know, that's all I'm going to say, and I don't know. I like picking on the atheists. Actually, some of you have been good. Actually, it's the fake Christians I got to worry about. Y'all are the more psychopathic out of the lukewarm Christians. I'm trying to be a real Christian here. That's good. That is good, real Christian here.
Speaker 1:That's good.
Speaker 2:If anything, I'm more worried about lukewarm Christians more than the atheists. I'm going to be honest, and it's true, that's my attention in the podcast Previous guests. Really good, shout out to Brother Gregory Williams on that one I'll say yeah, that's true. It's not the atheists I have to worry about as much, it's the fake Christians. I think they're very aggressive once you attack their ego. Okay, well, you know, I have a rapid fire mouth sometimes that's alright.
Speaker 1:Like I said before, elias, if you don't know who you are, the world has to make up the difference Whether you're a Christian who needs the world to be perfect and people to be perfect because you're not, or in politics, if you're trying to make the world make up for the things that you don't have. The more we understand who we're created to be, the less we need our government to make up the rest and the more we can, as you had talked about, independently walk in the life that we're created for.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, exactly. The only thing I'm going to do is I don't want you getting any political. You already got enough battles with being a Christian itself. Political battles some of it are just not worth it. I'm just going to be brutally honest. I mean, I wish I could get into that, but this is good enough.
Speaker 2:Let's keep it positive. Combating imposter syndrome I think that's good enough. Political stuff oh, forget it. Oh, I'm definitely going to get the haters on both sides of the aisle on that one. I'm trying to keep this one a little light. I'm gonna bash them. I got episodes reserved for that. Alrighty, then, this has been fun. So, from wherever or whenever you decide to listen to this podcast and you survive all this lovely, lovely audio and video montage, monologues, speech content, what have you. You have a blessed day, afternoon or night, thank you.
