Is your past going to determine your present and future? Hearing this question, most of us will answer “no”. We feel like we have the control of ourselves to change whatever isn’t working in our lives. Yet, if we are really honest with ourselves, we’ll see that much of what we do every day is based on patterns of behavior we created years ago. We do this because changing a pattern of behavior is difficult. Anyone who has tried to lose weight, stick to an exercise program, or even switch from a PC to a Mac has felt the pain that comes from trying to change these patterns. Even though we consciously know we need to change, it feels as if our body and brain are fighting us every step of the way. It is incredibly frustrating. So, I ask you again: is your past going to determine your present and future? The truth is, for many of us, it will. But, it doesn’t have to… Look around and you will see people who have made astonishing changes to improve themselves and, as a result, their lives. What separates these people from those who get stuck in the patterns of the past? “Inspiration, Motivation, Acceptance, Generosity, Enthusiasm, Spirituality, and Thankfulness – or IMAGEST” says my guest today, Dr. Joy Sweeney. “No matter what you I’ve been through in my life, these things have always gotten me through.” If anyone has tested out these concepts, it’s Dr. Sweeney. From being a self-described “wildchild” who walked the road of alcohol and drug abuse, to surviving sexual assault and to today being the executive director of The Council For Drug Free Youth, Dr. Sweeney knows what it means to not let your past determine your present or your future. Strong, honest, positive, and tough as steel, Joy has an incredible story that will leave you feeling powerful and hopeful. It is my pleasure to have Dr. Joy Sweeney on the Finding Resilients podcast. My biggest take-aways: •There is always hope: no matter what you are facing, you have the power to start creating a life with more fulfillment than you could ever imagine. “Be grateful for where you are and be grateful that you have the opportunity to do something even better.” •“It’s how you respond and react to everything – that is truly what your life becomes.” We only have so much control over what happens in our lives. However, we have much more control over how we respond and react. Instead of getting lost in processing what is happening, get moving. The more you focus on what you can control, the better you will be and the quicker you will get through difficult situations. •Inspiration, Motivation, Acceptance, Generosity, Enthusiasm, Spirituality, and Thankfulness (IMAGEST) are Joy’s wired automatic responses to difficult situations. “None of this is easy but these are the things I concentrate on to help myself.” oInspiration: “What inspires me and what can I do to inspire others?” oMotivation: “What motivates me and what can I do to motivate others?” oAcceptance: “Accepting myself, loving yourself, accepting others…it is hard to accept others, especially when they are being hurtful to you. Accept yourself first, than accept others.” oGenerosity: “Being generous – to a fault. As long as you give of yourself lovingly, people can’t take advantage of you.” oEnthusiasm: “Doing everything that you can to be enthusiastic about your life because it’s your life, you’re here, you woke up today it’s a new day, it’s a beautiful day and you can start today with all of the enthusiasm and love and goodness as if you were just born.” oSpirituality: “Knowing that goodness, love, and truth, that God is all and all is good…knowing that goodness and love do prevail ultimately…the light is there, you just need to find it.” oThankfulness: “Without thankfulness, nothing would be worth it in this world. Having the gratitude for all that you’ve had, all that you are, and everything that has occurred up to this point. And even the gratitude to realize that you are not where you want to be and that you are working your way out.” •When you get guidance from good resources, take it. “Listening to the right people, talking to people, reaching out to resources. So often we think we are alone we are really not. This is something I learned growing up: if I would have listened to people pointing me in the right direction a little bit more, maybe I wouldn’t have traveled so far done some of those wrong paths.” •Individual people can do amazing things. “Walking through things step-by-step, parsing them out, you can make things happen. People, individual people, have the power to make things happen.” Don’t give up. It isn’t easy for anyone. Be patient with yourself. Just keep going. The value of information is only as good as the source of that information. The value of the wisdom and insight of Dr. Joy Sweeney is of great value. To feel her positivity and understand how she has created this mindset is extremely powerful. I have put Dr. Sweeney’s contact information in the notes of this podcast. If what she said on this podcast connected with you, please let her know. As always, if you are going through difficult things on your end, I know of no better help than using the skills and tools of Resilients to help yourself get through the situation and grow stronger because of it. I’ve put all of these skills and tools together in a program I call The Resilient Pathway. If this is something that would be helpful for you, please email me to learn more. As always, thank you so much for your attention. To contact Dr. Joy Sweeney: https://www.jccdfy.org/ To contact Chad: chad@chadhinklemarketingresearch.com
