Category Archives: Breakthrough

Posted on

The Gutsiest Blog I’ve Ever Written About The Scariest Thing We’ve Ever Done

by

What I’m about to share with you is deeply personal. This is the first time I’ve shared it publicly. And I’m a little anxious because once it’s out there, it’s out there. But I’m motivated. I believe what could come from it is utterly critical for someone- maybe several someones.

—-

One morning, almost three years ago, I woke to the sound of my husband sobbing. He was hunched over in a chair at the foot of the bed. His face, streaming tears, his eyes, scared and bloodshot.

I bolted up. “Oh, my gosh, honey. What’s the matter? What in the world? What has happened?” My mind darted through possibilities. I’d seen him cry plenty of times, but never like this. I instantly hurt for whatever drastic thing was causing him such anguish.

“I have a really, really hard thing to tell you.”

IMG_8599

That really, really hard thing was going to shatter every molecule of our entire world. Except for learning that my husband had died –this news was the worst possible. It was the one announcement I was 1000 percent certain would never be handed to me.

If someone had held a gun to my head and said, “True or false. Your husband has been unfaithful. If we find out that statement is false you live. If it’s true, you die. ” Cool as a cucumber I would have said, “Oh gee. I’m shaking in my boots.”

But the gun went off .

And I did die- for a long time — I died a thousand, million big and little deaths.  And so did the man I loved. 

Posted on

LTP 19- Seeing Your True & False Self In Action

by

In this podcast Episode, we discuss how to observe both your true and false self in action.

In our new book, Nothing To Prove, we unpack a framework of 3 steps, that we use daily in order to see progressive levels of growth and transformation in our lives.

#1) Pinpoint what drives your compulsive identity

#2) Plant yourself in the Source of your true Identity

#3) Participate in practices to help anchor you at the core of your true identity  

So as you listen to this podcast, hear the simple and yet varied ways you can begin to pinpoint, plant and then participate in your true identity.

Listen to the Audio

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.”  You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

Self awareness is an essential key that opens the door to patterns of living and being that are actually sabotaging your life.  It is also a way that you can begin to live further into the life you actually yearn for.  

IMG_8571

We’ve created a chart that will help you identify which “identity lens” you are viewing your life through at any given time.

These comparisons can be used as a spiritual practice. Each day or 2-3 times a week,  spend a few minutes to take snap shots of which identity that you are living out of.

Here are just a few of them.  (* By the way, this isn’t intended for you to be harsh or critical with yourself or others, but to increase your self- awareness.)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted on

A Proven Framework For Personal Transformation

by

We have always been the kind of people who were zealous to grow and gain mastery in our attitudes, actions and relationships. We kept the latest books on our nightstand, in our brief case and on our Kindle.

You could find us perched on the front row at cutting-edge seminars eager to take copious notes. And we set regular times to pour over scripture and pray (and, sometimes, fast) all in an earnest search for personal improvement, spiritual progress, vocational success and relational harmony.

phonto

You may have done a few of those things yourself. 

Sometimes, the solutions we found worked for awhile. We’d get breakthroughs, gain some new insight.

Then stuff would come up.

And the same old glitches would surface internally, vocationally or relationally. And off we’d go again in search of a better way.

Then, finally, after a lot of years of trial and error in leadership, love, and life we landed on what, for us, has turned out to be a proven framework for lasting personal transformation.

Posted on

LTP 18- Our #1 Go-To Tool For Personal Transformation

by

In this podcast Episode, David & Caron Loveless discuss how to use a specific tool that can bring personal clarity and see quantum internal shifts that give you the ability to dramatically improve your emotional, spiritual, professional and relational life. 

Listen to the Audio

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.”  You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

Earlier this week we wrote a blog on: “One Simple Test That Can Change Your Life.”  Today on this podcast, we want to go more in-depth regarding this transformational tool.

This tool is like an MRI for the soul that can help you pinpoint both the goodness in you as well as what is causing you to suffer… and where you also make others suffer.

IMG_8438

What we’ve discovered is this:

It is actually at the intersection of knowing God

and authentically knowing ourselves

that we find genuine and lasting transformation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted on

One Simple Test That Can Change Your Life

by

It’s hard to imagine what life was like before X-rays, MRI’s and brain scans. Thanks to these incredible detection devices we can now know what ails us with pinpoint accuracy.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a similar tool for our souls? A tool that can help us more accurately detect our emotional and spiritual health? Well, we think there actually is one. We have used it on ourselves, and on many others and the results have brought tremendous insight and life change to us all.

IMG_8436

And today we want to share it with you.

There was a time we believed

the key to personal and spiritual health and growth

could be summed up in simply knowing and following God.

Sounds right, doesn’t it? But, let’s think about that.

Think about the people you know who thoroughly believe in God, they go to church, attend Bible studies, and pray. And, maybe these folks do really good things for others, they’re super generous with their time and talents yet, still, there are some pretty significant snags and gaps in their attitudes, actions or relationships.

No one is perfect.  But, if success in life comes from just knowing and following God, why is it that so many of us are not farther along?

Posted on

LTP 17- The Root of Your Stress Is Not ‘Out There’

How your thoughts & feelings of unworthiness feed your stress

by

In this podcast Episode 17, David & Caron Loveless discuss how to discover a primary root of your stress is not ‘out there’ but ‘in here.’

Most of us think that our stress comes from somewhere outside ourselves, and sometimes that’s true.  But more often than not, we are stressing ourselves out from the inside by our own thoughts and feelings of unworthiness.

Listen to the Audio

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.”  You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

Earlier this week we wrote a blog on 17 ways the need for approval is stressing you out.  We promised a further conversation around this in todays podcast.

Everyone likes to feel approved, get praised for a job well done or be on the receiving end of a sincere compliment. Where approval goes wrong is when we do or say things, often unconsciously, to gain admiration or applause in order to cover some sense of unworthiness or insufficiency.

IMG_8372

Without realizing it, the need to feel admired or liked can add boatloads of stress to our already maxed out life.

Listen to the podcast as we discuss in detail (as opposed to just the bulleted points in this weeks blog) the 17 signs your drive to feel validated and gain approval could be stressing you out.

Here is a review of those signs:

* You often talk up your accomplishments or connections so others will know how well you’ve done or are doing

* You position yourself or the work you do in a slightly better light than is actually true.

* You downplay your mistakes so that others won’t think less of you.  

* You “one-up” others in conversations, in meetings or when people are swapping stories. You try to top whatever someone else says or has done. 

* You are highly competitive. Winning is everything. Failure is not an option. 

* It’s hard for you to say no. 

* You volunteer a lot, or constantly work overtime to please the boss. 

* You are the responsible one in the family–everyone depends on you to come through. 

* You feel resentful that others don’t notice all the good things you do for them.

* You constantly check social media for “likes” on your latest posts 

* You can’t decide what to wear, you change your clothes two or three times before leaving the house. You over-focus on your appearance, your fitness, your weight, teeth-whitening, your sex appeal. The mirror is your best & worst friend.

* You feel envious of others who look good, get ahead, or get special recognition

* You are a perfectionist- and proud of it. 

* You obsess about a failure or mistake and you worry about how it makes you look or what others think about you. 

* You are afraid to disappoint people and do just about anything to avoid their disapproval

* You feel uncomfortable or sad if someone does not like you or if they seem to avoid you or have shunned you. 

* You appear strong outside but inside you feel there’s something missing- like you are not  “enough.” 

A significant way of overcoming the need to do any or all the above is staying grounded at our core, to the truth that we are fixed for life in Deepest Love.

This is something we often remind ourselves of. It easily evaporates with all the competing influences of our lives. Maybe that’s why Jesus spends all of John 15 emphasizing abiding in him and his love. It’s significant that one of the last things he asks of his disciples is to, “ Remain in my love.”  (John 15:9)

You must always come back to this… and be daily aware of this: at your core, you are already good. God declares that in Genesis 1. You were good long before you did anything, and are good after everything you’ve done is then gone.

If you want to reduce your stress, experience more peace, plus build more resiliency at work and in your relationships, become more aware of some of the things you do and say to try to gain approval. This is a great step toward growing stronger levels of self-clarity and emotional health. 

Two Resources That Can Help 

1. In our new book  Nothing to Prove: Find the Significance & Satisfaction You’ve Been Striving for at the Core of Your TrueIdentity one of things we candidly talk about is our own issues with approval and how you, too, can overcome the driving compulsion to be known, feel more important and special.

The soft cover & audio versions of the book are available on Feb 16th! To reserve your copy click HERE.  

!!! Important Announcement: our FREE online class goes live next week

2.  We’re about to launch a FREE online class called:  “Stop Striving and Start Enjoying the Life God Made You to Live.”It’s consists of 3 short video lessons that share priceless lessons we’ve learned that can help you significantly reduce feeling stressed, stuck or stale in any area and start experiencing the ultimate life God made you to live.

To Sign Up NOW for Our FREE online class click HERE.

To find out more, listen to this podcast in its entirety by clicking on the play button.

Ask Us a Question

If you have a question, comment, or thought to share with us,  we’d love to hear from you.  Simply click here: “COMMUNICATE w/ David & Caron.”

Subscribe to & Share the Podcast

If you have enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe by clicking on one of the below buttons:

Click Here to Subscribe via iTunes

Click Here to Subscribe via Stitcher (great Android users or listening on the web)

Click Here to Subscribe via RSS (non-iTunes feed)

If this podcast has been helpful & you’re thinking of someone else you know that could benefit from it, then click on any of the ‘Share’ buttons below or the one’s located at the top of this post.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted on

17 Signs The Need for Approval Is Stressing You Out

by

Everyone likes to feel approved, get praised for a job well done or be on the receiving end of a sincere compliment. Where approval goes wrong is when we do or say things, often unconsciously, to gain admiration or applause in order to cover some sense of unworthiness or insufficiency.

Without realizing it, the need to feel admired or liked can add boatloads of stress to our already maxed out life.

IMG_8355

Here are 17 signs your drive to feel validated and gain approval could be stressing you out:

* You often talk up your accomplishments or connections so others will know how well you’ve done or are doing

* You position yourself or the work you do in a slightly better light than is actually true.

* You downplay your mistakes so that others won’t think less of you.  

Posted on

LTP 16- Discover Your Life Worth

by

In this podcast Episode, David Loveless talks about how to discover the wealth of your life worth statement.

Most of us have have conformed to our cultural conditioning in which we’ve been told that our Net Worth Statement, is actually what we’re are worth.  But it’s a lie.  We’ve got great news for you today, you are wealthier than you imagined… right now.

Listen to the Audio

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.”  You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

IMG_8210

Earlier this week we wrote a blog on “The Winning Ticket is in Your Pocket.”  We promised to do a podcast this week on the same thing, where we could explore this more in depth.  So here it is.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted on

LTP 15- When Enough Is Never Enough

by

In this podcast Episode, David & Caron Loveless discuss “When Enough Is Never Enough.” Many of us are always trying to achieve and accomplish more. There is great value in this and then there can emerge a dark side to it.

To listen to the audio of this podcast, push the above play arrow.

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.”  You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

Earlier this week, I wrote a blog on leadership and the cost of a national championship.  At the end of it, I promised you a more in-depth discussion on the subject.

IMG_8008

The Story of Urban Meyer and the parallel story of David Loveless is described in this podcast.

We’ve come to realize that the majority of the stress we’ve carried over the years, was completely of our own making. We had a significant hidden ‘driver’ inside. We needed to prove that those who believed in us were right… and those we perceived didn’t believe in us, were wrong.

Here are three observations we’ve made, when it seems like there is so much to do… and so little time… and enough never seems to be enough.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Posted on

LTP 14- One Skill You Must Have for Better Relationships & It’s Not Listening

by

How can you best connect with and inquire about the people in your life? In this podcast episode, David & Caron Loveless discuss the challenge that many of us seem to be bankrupt in, which is our ability to care for and be curious about others, through the questions we ask them.

The power of a good question is that it can encourage and empower all those that we regularly live with, work with, and relate to.

 

To listen to the audio of this podcast, push the above play arrow.

IMG_7964

Here is a brief summary of today’s episode of “The Live True Podcast.”  You can use this as a reference or reminder of key things you feel like you need to pay attention to or pass on to others, in the next 7 days of your life.

Jesus was master question asker. Why?

At the heart of effective living, loving, and leading, is making relational investments.  And one of the best ways is having a curiosity in those relationships where both care and help can be demonstrated.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download