Podcast interview about the power of choice with keynote speaker, Sara Westbrook
What does your life look like right at this moment and why is that important?
It’s because it’s a direct reflection of the choices you’ve made up until now.
Naturally, it would follow that if you would like to do or be or experience something different in the days to come, what choices will you make differently from here on out?
Anything less, and you’re CHOOSING to be a victim. Life is choosing for you.
Who wants to do that?
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Welcome! We’re in part 2 of 4 Special Edition episodes of “Journeys with the No Schedule Man.” This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with speaker, author and musician, Sara Westbrook.
As I look back, I can see that reconnecting with Sara Westbrook was no accident. They say that when you study the Law of Attraction and start living and working in an effort to serve your highest self, you’ll be begin to see certain people cross your path as if by magic. What happened when I re-connected Sara felt like that.
I first met Sara back around 2008. We both performed as part of the same concert at the London Music Club. I liked Sara right away. It would be almost a decade before we would be back in direct touch. But I always sensed we’d collaborate on something again someday. Long before I even began producing the podcast, Sara’s name was on my list of people I knew I’d want to reach out to. I knew I’d eventually invite here to appear on the show.
I’m really glad I did.
Inspiration: A “Bolt Of Lightning”
To hear the whole story, I recommend you listen to this episode (I recommend you listen anyway, as I believe everyone should give themselves the opportunity to hear what Sara has to share). But, basically, what happened was that, when I was speaking with Sara during this conversation, I heard a voice. It was light getting hit with a bolt of inspiration lightning. It was a “Field of Dreams” moment, and left me feeling somewhat disoriented and unsure what to do next after Sara had left.
The inspiration that I received that day told me it was time to start pursuing my speaking career, something I’d always wanted to do but had abandoned over 15 years ago.
A year later, I’m speaking professionally and gaining steam in other areas that feel much more consistent with who I really am and what work I feel I really should be doing to make a contribution, as I perceive Sara does.
As I was going through the process of renaming this podcast and having new artwork created, Sara came back across my path yet again, right at a time when I was thinking of contacting her anyway, as I’d already been thinking of doing this run of “Special Edition” episodes, something that was suggested by my great friend and mentor, Gair Maxwell (who will be featured next week). Eerily, Sara had commented on something of Gair’s that I shared on Linkedin. It’s the first I’d heard from her directly in quite some time. What she didn’t know was that, after being inspired by her to pursue my speaking career, one of the key people I encountered soon after was Gair.
It’s funny how that works. Magical.
The Two Camps
In this episode, I also share an observation about what I feel are “two camps” of people (well, three camps, if you count people that don’t get it, won’t get it and never care to). I first started thinking of this after talking to Sara. I was intrigued by how well she has been served in her life by having the foundation of emotional maturity set for her through the character development courses she attended as a young woman. She benefitted greatly from that, along with the guidance she received from her mother.
I’ve observed in the time since that there seem to be some people like Sara, who get some sort of character development structure early in life that sets them up well for going forward. I’m not talking about reading and writing, but the kinds of things we’re not currently taught in school: emotional maturity, communication, perspective, choice, accountability and things like that. It’s my view that people like this still have all of the ups and downs in life that everyone else has, but they’re equipped to respond to it differently, more proactively.
The Other Camp
The other camp, to which I belong, is the group that just plows along doing all the things they really think they’re supposed to be doing, but arrive at some point in their life exhausted, unhappy, unhealthy, or lost. In some cases, they have a metaphorical hole blown through them that forces them to the sidelines to either re-entrench their poor choices and perpetuate their victim mindset, or to view it as an opportunity to learn and then choose differently going forward.
I’m in camp two. For me, it was divorce, business failure and ill health all at the same time. Thankfully, I learned from that, and took my time to reinvent myself, exploring many of the themes and principles Sara would have already understood much earlier in life.
I’ve found that “my” camp is a little more crowded. But that’s okay. My “Rise Like a Phoenix, Race Like a Turtle” presentation would not exist if I’d been in the same camp as Sara. Still, if I’m right, it gives us something to think about – and act upon – for the sake of our kids and grandkids.
The Power of Choice
Sara Westbrook is doing a lot of that work for us, speaking to youth by the thousands over the last many years about the power of choice, resilience, confidence and mental well-being. She is still a speaker for conferences and does presentations and workshops for businesses, students, parents and educators.
Her visit with me had a profound impact in more ways than one. I hope that revisiting the conversation will inspire something similar in you. For where you are is really just a result of the choices you’ve made to this point. And the good news is that, if you want to experience something new or different, the power to choose is one of the few things in this life that is well within your control.
Enjoy.
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The founder of No Schedule Man Brand Media, Kevin Bulmer is a Strategic Marketing and Mindset Coach and Keynote Speaker. He is the producer and host of the momondays London inspirational event series, strategic marketing coach for Awesomepreneurs and is also host of the podcast, “Journeys with the No Schedule Man.”
Day-to-day, Kevin helps heart-centered entrepreneurs find their “REAL” success so they can feel free to live and work happy. His overarching purpose is to uplift through a shared example of continual growth.
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Hey Kevin,
This post and your whole site are really inspiring! I felt like I was looking in the mirror reading this. I’ve just come to the point in the last year that I’ve started turning my life around from the bad things that had been going on and it’s amazing to see the change already. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much of an education in emotional maturity during my childhood. But with the help of good people and great ideas like yours, I’m learning that you can change everything all the way down to your core beliefs. Thanks for this, I look forward to following your journey!
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your visit and kind remarks. I’m like you: I was late to the part in the emotional maturity end of things. But I’m glad to be on top of it now! Good for you for continuing to invest in yourself.
Wishing you all the best,
Kevin
Hi Kevin, really a great article. I’m quoting two points from your article and I will say why in a moment.
” I’m not talking about reading and writing, but the kinds of things we’re not currently taught in school: emotional maturity, communication, perspective, choice, accountability and things like that. It’s my view that people like this still have all of the ups and downs in life that everyone else has, but they’re equipped to respond to it differently, more proactively.”
“The other camp, to which I belong, is the group that just plows along doing all the things they really think they’re supposed to be doing, but arrive at some point in their life exhausted, unhappy, unhealthy, or lost.”
I was counseling with a young lady – she had a miserable life. She was unhappy and you could see in her stature that she was burnt out on life. After listening to her for about five minutes I had the solution to her brokenness. I continued to listen, however, I already knew the answer to her problem. It was only going to take me about thirty seconds to give her a life changing answer to her dilemma. What was it? Make better choices in life. Of course there’s a little more to it like, what was the underlying issue that was leading her to make some of those really bad decisions? I asked her, “What would be the outcome had she chosen a different direction than the decisions that led her to be in my office?” Her life would have been much happier and we would not have been meeting. Decisions always, always, have a consequence. Thanks for the article – excellent!
All the best to you,
Don
Hi Don,
That’s a wonderful example and thank you for sharing it. It’s simple, but not necessarily easy, I suppose, when we’re not necessarily conditioned to take responsibility for ourselves. Total accountability seems to be the only way as far as I can see, and it helps sober you up about the choices you’re making for yourself pretty quickly.
Thanks for your visit and very thoughtful comments.
Best wishes,
Kevin
I’m also in Camp 2. I view the setbacks that I went through as life lessons. We need to and must move on. I agree. Our life now is a reflection of our choices we’ve made till now. We can’t change the choices that we made in the past but we are (hopefully) wiser and more discerning now and tomorrow.
Glad to be enjoying “camp” with good company, Yvonne! Thanks for your time and kind comments.
Best wishes,
Kevin