Beyond the Rut: Create a Life Worth Living in Your Faith, Family, Career

Jackie Bledsoe on the 7 Rings of Marriage BtR 047

What are the stages a thriving marriage experiences? How does a couple survive the empty nest phase in life? How do I strengthen my marriage?What is the right way to start a marriage? What if I didn't do that?That is why we have author, speaker, blogger Jackie Bledsoe on the show to talk about how we can get out of and avoid ruts in marriage. Our relationships succeed or fail gradually then suddenly. Jackie shares how we can steer our relationships toward success.InterviewJerry convinces Jackie and Brandon to talk about their ideal mafia jobs.Brandon and Jerry ask Jackie about his own story on marriage, what drew him and Stephana into marriage ministry, and struggles they faced in their marriage.How did Jackie build his platform through Michael Hyatt's Platform University to strengthen his web presence and writing skills.Jackie Bledsoe BioJackie Bledsoe and his wife Stephana educate couples on how to strengthen their marriages. They have one daughter and two sons.Specifically, Jackie helps motivated but overwhelmed husbands and fathers learn how to lead and love their families so they can have lasting, fulfilling marriages and meaningful influence on their kids.For the past couple years, Jackie has been a regular contributor to several well-known and award winning sites like Tony Dungy’s AllProDad , Disney’s Babble, Black and Married with Kids (BMWK), the NFL’s USA Football (USAF), and Coach Up. In addition, he was featured multiple times on HuffPost Live and Yahoo! Shine, and was one of the official speakers at an Indianapolis Colts sponsored event for All Pro Dad.Resources and LinksBuy your own copy of The 7 Rings of Marriage from Amazon (Bible Study Book, Small Group Leader Kit)The Magic Ratio for Happy Healthy Relationships, BtR 015Emotional Intelligence and Building Emotional Capital, BtR 029 Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

Earn More Doing Work You Love, Scott Barlow (Happen To Your Career) BtR 046

You may have stumbled into your first job right out of high school or college and knew from the start that the work would suck out your soul. Fast forward a few years, and while it has paid well enough you wish you were earning more and doing work you actually enjoy. You may feel like you're in a rut in your current career. Where do you go from here?What if you really could have that job of your dreams? Scott Barlow from HappenToYourCareer.com helps people discover their dream career and pursue them.InterviewScott shares his personal journey from that first wrong job to helping people find the career that is right for them.Brandon and I ask Scott how to increase your income with a few practical, simple steps. So few people ever actually ask for a raise in their current jobs. Asking is the first half of the battle. Scott covers how to ask and get to a "yes."How to align your work with the life you want to live.Scott Barlow BioScott Anthony Barlow is the Founder of Happen to Your Career, a company that helps you stop doing work that doesn’t fit, figuring out what does and then teaching you to make it happen! He has been helping people develop their careers and businesses for over 10 years as a Human Resources Leader, Business Development Expert, and Career Coach. With over 2000 interviews worth of experience from his HR career, Scott interviews others telling their story of finding work they love on the Happen to Your Career Podcast.  Scott and his wife Alyssa have 3 children and live in Moses Lake, Washington.Resources and LinksHappenToYourCareer.comBtR 027 - Just Take Action and Other Insights from Jody MaberryGo to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

If You Only Have Five Years to Live – BtR 045

If you only have five years to live, what would you do with that time? What is most important to you? Where would you go? What needs to be set up for your family's future?That's the direction of today's conversation between Brandon and Jerry. Dismissively call it a mid-life crisis if you like. The reality for many people is we are stuck on Someday Isle, "Someday I'll do _____." This is a rut in our lives.We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We are only given today. This was a big point from our interview with Darius Foroux on BtR 042, How to Retrain Our Minds to Stop Betraying Us. Yesterday is gone, and the future doesn't exist. Therefore, we only have today.Because thinking that we only have today can be a scary concept, consider what if you have five years to live? What if that time were less?Money Considerations in Family FinancesMany families live paycheck-to-paycheck giving little consideration of the future for their loved ones. The "five years to live" approach forced Jerry to consider retirement options, emergency fund needs, bucket list requirements, and what to teach his wife and children so they can go on without him.What's On Your Bucket List?Remember Someday Isle? Where are you with your bucket list?Take a look at your written bucket list. Okay, take a moment to write out your bucket list. Got it now? Take a look at your written bucket list. If you're saying "Someday I'll..." to many or all of these things on your list, then it is time to do something about it.Prioritize that list as you listen to this episode, of course.If you only had one year to live, what would you want to do on this list? What needs to happen to make that happen? Start working towards that today.Two years? What's the next big thing you'd want to do. Start planning now. Keep working towards the first goal though.Three years? Four? You get the picture.Resources and LinksHow to Retrain Our Minds to Stop Betraying Us - BtR 042Just Take Action and Other Insights from Jody Maberry - BtR 027Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

Wasting Time in Fear Achieves Nothing – BtR 044

Fear Can Waste Our TimeMany people waste their life and time in fear of failure or fear of success. The interview with Jamie Rodriguez in BtR 043 reminded us that life is too short to let fear keep us from doing something worthwhile. Yes, technically Darius Foroux mentioned it first in episode BtR 042 the week before. The point is that we've picked up on a theme here.We can accomplish things bigger than we could ever have imagined. Fear needs to take the passenger seat rather than the driver's seat.In the case of Jamie, she expanded her view by visiting New York City. That gave her the courage to move forward with her dream. She has fear, and it's not going waste her time any longer. There are things all around us that can show us that doing something big is possible.What will help you see that big things are possible? Brandon and Jerry share the moments when they saw something that blew their minds on what is possible.Going Big is Smaller Than You'd ThinkRemembering the advice we received from Jared Easley in episode 39, doing something big does not have to be something daunting like launching a business or building a city the size of New York.We can have a big impact on ourselves and the lives around us simply by taking one step to being an attentive parent, a tender spouse, a valued coworker. Small steps taken consistently every day will make a big difference in the long run.ResourcesDare to Dream Bigger: Five Ways to Get ThereGo to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

Go Home and Go Big – BtR 043

Friend Jamie Rodriguez joins us on Beyond the Rut taking on the hot seat. She'll share how her vacation to New York City became a turning point in her life bringing her perspective and courage to pursue her dream. In a sense, she's officially the first person who has taken our advice and applied it...that we know of.Some of the questions Jamie answers are the following: Have you come across naysayers and how have you handled them? How did you prepare to start your dream? How did you have that conversation with your manager at work to announce you were leaving soon? How did they respond? What are some of the pieces you need to have in place before you take the full plunge into your dream?"Something's gotta change!" Jamie after returning from her trip to New York CityResources and Links to Help You Gain a Bigger PerspectiveJamie's new business is open! Inspire T-Shirts & More - inspiretshirtsandmore.comFollow Jamie on Facebook. Like her page! @inspiretshirtsandmoreDare to Dream Bigger: Five Ways to Get ThereBtR 042 - Retrain Your Mind to Stop Betraying You (Interview with Darius Foroux)Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

Retrain Your Mind to Stop Betraying You – BtR 042

Retrain Your MindOur minds betray us. We wish to live a life of significance, but find ourselves putting off the steps that will get us where we want to be. We may be living in a state of learned helplessness after years of failure after failure. Fear holds some of us back before we ever give our dreams a shot.Fear was a powerful tool for survival thousands of years ago. The emotion that once was vital for our survival and key in our development as a society is now be the very thing that holds us back from boldly living.Darius Foroux shares with us his journey from a place of achieving success, the kind of success that everyone told him he should achieve, and pursuing a life that was a better fit for his passions and the kind of life he wanted to live.You'll hear Darius talk about overcoming his own sense of dread in life and made his own path. He'll talk about getting from a point of deciding to no longer live in the rut to reaching the goals he set for himself. Darius had to retrain his mind to look at the world from a different perspective.Our minds are powerful. Our thoughts will determine whether we take action or hold back. Fear will force us to miss deadlines and kill momentum."If there's no deadline, why are you doing it?" - Darius ForouxBio for Darius ForouxDarius Foroux is the author of Massive Life Success and founder of Procrastinate Zero, an online course designed to help you stop procrastinating, become more productive and get things done, especially the things that help you fulfill your dreams and make the world better. He writes at DariusForoux.com, where he uses tested methods and frameworks to share ideas for overcoming procrastination, improving productivity, and achieving more.Twitter: @DariusForouxResources25 Things Your Wish You Knew 10 Years AgoMassive Life Success by Darius ForouxThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill [Buy it on Amazon]Harvard Goals StudyBtR 031 - Benjamin Hardy on Happiness, Reality, and Writing for Yourself  Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

It’s the Little Things – Follow Up to the Jared Easley Interview BtR 041

A small drip of water, consistently hitting the same spot on a rock over and over, every day will eventually cut a deep channel into that rock. It's the little things that make a big difference when we do them repeatedly over time.Brandon and Jerry take a few minutes to reflect on how their relationship with Jared Easley began and reflect on their Episode 39 interview with him.Jared Easley is the host of Starve the Doubts podcast who works as a consultant by day and is a noticer and podcaster whenever he's not doing his consulting work.While having  a great time talking with Jared, there were nuggets that arose from the interview. He takes a more profound and simpler view of what it would take to get yourself out of whatever rut you face. Maybe it doesn't have to be a lot of extra work.What are some major changes you made to your own life by simply taking a small pivot in what you do every day?In what ways are you noticing the work of others and collaborating for mutual success? Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

Pocketful of Sunshine Father Daughter Vacation Check-In BtR 040

Singing Pocketful of Sunshine Can you imagine Brandon jamming out to Adele or singing Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine"? That has been just the start of his father-daughter vacation with Maddy as they drive from Texas to New Mexico and on a loop back to Texas.After seeing sites like the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico and the Bottomless Lake, Brandon and Maddy take a moment to call in for an interview and update on how things are going from their hotel room in Colorado Springs, Colorado.It's About Making MemoriesAs you listen to this episode, you'll realize that the sites and activities do not matter as much as spending time together with family. Brandon is intentional about setting aside one-on-one time with his children and step-children. Maddy has had quite a bit of say in where they go on their trip, and she gives some advice on how to make a trip like this worthwhile.Brandon and Maddy also answer the question of, "Why take a trip like this? What is different about taking a vacation together as father and daughter that you can't get from just hanging out together at home?"They also discuss what went into planning this trip, and how you can do it, too.What Was Your Most Memorable Vacation?Share with us what your more memorable family vacation was. Was it from your childhood? What do you remember most, and why is that memory so magical for you? Comment below and let us know. We'd love to hear from you.Now, I leave you with a music video of "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield, so you can try to picture Brandon wailing away with Maddy in a car in the middle of the desert. Good times.by Jerry DuganGo to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

Become the Noticer and Collaborate Towards Success with Jared Easley #DoYouEvenRutellaBro – BtR 039

#DoYouEvenRutellaBro?!Host of Starve the Doubts podcast and founder of Podcast Movement conference joins us to talk about success through collaboration.Noticing the work of others and helping them is his secret to being noticed.Topics discussed: How Jared is often misnamed as "Jerry" and Jerry is often misnamed as "Jeremy," "Jeffrey", or "Steve" #DoYouEvenNutellaBro Getting Out of the Rut Can Be Simpler Than We Think Collaborating towards success by noticing others in a genuine way Who would play Brandon if a movie were made about his life...and Jerry, tooWho Is Jared Easley? (Bio)Jared Easley is a genuine entrepreneur. He has been called the Zig Ziglar of the podcasting world. In the past couple of years he's started a podcast, written a book and co-founded Podcast Movement which is the World's Largest International Podcasting only Conference. Jared is a noticer, motivator, friend and power content creator. He has found the way to do all of this and still keep his family first.Connect with Jared EasleyWebsite: StarveTheDoubts.comBuy Jared's book: Podcasting Good to GreatTwitter: @jaredeasleyResources and LinksPodcast MovementDC Talk Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show

Vacation with Your Kids 1-on-1 BtR 038

Vacation With Your Kids Before It's Too LateBrandon goes out of his way to connect with his kids with quality one-on-one time. He has to when he has a blended family with five children. It's easy for any one child to feel left out when we are doing everything we can to provide the best life for them.Whether you have one children or more than five, Brandon and Jerry talk about why you should plan a vacation with each of your children to build memories that will last a lifetime.Can't Afford a Vacation with Each Child? Try This...While Brandon shares his strategy to vacation with each child one-on-one, Jerry talks about the same practice on a smaller scale. You don't have to leave town to build memorable experiences with your children.What you do does not matter as much as you showing your child a number of things. That your child is so special to you that you are setting aside time just for your child. Nothing is going to interrupt the two of you while on your special time.If you have young children, you definitely don't want to miss this episode. Take it from two guys who have teenagers, and one of them has grown children. That time has flown by and we can't get it back. In a sense, we understand why grandparents spoil their grandchildren. It's a chance to remember old times.If you have teens, heck, it's really not too late. It will be though if you don't take the tips from this episode to heart and apply it for yourselves.Share With Us Your Experiences and IdeasComment below and share with us vacations you have taken with your children, or ways that you create that special one-on-one time with them. You can also call and leave a voicemail at 361-596-3788, or share your thoughts on Facebook.Resources and LinksBtR 006 - Be Intentional: Never Leave Your Closest Relationships to ChanceBtR 015 - The Magic Ratio for Happy, Healthy RelationshipsBtR 021 - From Ferris Bueller to Schedule What Matters MostGo to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself.Support the showMusic Hopeful Camping Folk | Camping by Alex-Productions | https://youtu.be/aUHdSwhiNVU Music promoted by https://onsound.eu/ Go to BeyondTheRut.com/capsho for your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Click on BeyondTheRut.com/capsho to claim your free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Support the show