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Gemma Spag
Foreign.
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This is Open Mind. Welcome to a brand new week. Here is your mantra I embrace growth and change.
Gemma Spag
I'm your host, Gemma Spag, and I'm.
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Here to guide you towards a more centered and fulfilling life.
Gemma Spag
Each week I'll share personal stories and insights that are focused on a specific mantra, plus journal prompts and a weekly challenge for all of us to help put it into action.
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Think of Mantra as your mental reset.
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Button, a way to stay centered as you juggle work, school, family and whatever else life throws at you. Each mantra is a simple, powerful phrase you can repeat to focus your thoughts and bring a bit of calm into your day. It's a small tool with a big impact, clearing your mind, lifting your mood, and rooting you in the present. If you've listened to my other show, the psychology of your 20s, you'll know that I'm all about those little nuggets of insight that make a big impact. So whether you're looking for some extra inspiration or you're trying to ground yourself.
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Amidst the chaos, you have come to.
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The right place at Open Mind. We value your support. Share your thoughts on social media and.
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Remember to rate, review and follow Mantra to help others discover the show.
Gemma Spag
For more exclusive content, monthly bonus episodes, early access and ad free listening, join our Open Mind plus community on Apple Podcasts. This week I'll catch you up on what's been going on in my life.
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And then we'll dive into today's mantra I embrace growth and change.
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Whether you're facing a big shift or you're just looking to level up your day to day, this mantra is all.
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About helping you grow.
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Stick around and we'll be right back after this short pause.
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Gemma Spag
Welcome back. We're gonna get into this week's mantra in just a minute, but before we.
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Do, I want to fill you in on what's been going on with me.
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Lately and how this mantra has been showing up in my life. I have been contemplating some pretty major.
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Life shifts as of late, the kind.
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That I think really makes you pause and wonder what's next and not necessarily know what the right answer is. The biggest question on my mind is whether it's time to pack up and move. Maybe not just to a new city.
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But possibly a whole new country.
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I feel like we all reach a point like this, a crossroads where we feel comfortable, settled even with where we are. We're very keen to put down roots.
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But there's this pull towards something that's.
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Bigger, something more exciting and yes, as well, something that might feel kind of scary. For me, that pull has been Europe. I know it might sound a little bit strange. Australia is beautiful. It's the lucky country. I love it here. It's so serene and calm. But sometimes it feels like there's not enough happening. And as I continue to grow as a person, I'm feeling ready for a.
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Big change, ready to meet new people.
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Ready to dive into new cultures, maybe.
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Like, experience life from a fresh perspective.
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It's that classic push and pull. Part of me is rooted here, and another part feels drawn to something that might challenge me in ways that my life currently doesn't. I can feel myself moving towards a new life chapter, and my old life.
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Isn'T feeling as fulfilling as it once did. But I'm kind of stuck in this waiting room. I'll talk about this a little bit more later on in this episode, and.
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I'm definitely going to keep you up.
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To date on how these feelings progress in the coming months, but I wanted to give you a little insight as to why I chose this mantra today.
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So, look, this week's guiding phrase is definitely not for the faint of heart. Anyone who has ever encountered change, even the smallest kind, knows that often everything in us cries out for things to stay the same. It is a very human instinct to be safe in what is comfortable. But this mantra forces us to confront a truth that our lives are always evolving, whether we're ready for them to do so or not. Growth doesn't feel as intimidating as change. In my mind, we're constantly moving through new experiences, some good, some bad, others just neutral. But each one helps shape who we are and who we're becoming. That is growth. Change, on the other hand, feels more.
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Unsettling in comparison to growth because it.
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Doesn'T carry the same component of positive natural progress that we usually associate with growth periods, especially in our 20s and our 30s.
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The idea of can be really overwhelming.
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Because we've spent so much time trying to get things to a stable point. But here's the thing. Growth and change, they aren't just inevitable, they're also essential. They're often what pushes us towards becoming our best selves. They move us closer to the lives.
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That we are meant to live, that.
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We deserve to live. At its core, this phrase encourages us to go with life's flow, to choose to lean into change rather than resisting it, knowing that something ultimately quite positive, if not just different, can come from that experience. Embracing growth also means stepping beyond the comfort zone, trying new things and learning along the way. There is nothing more human in my mind than making mistakes, especially when those.
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Mistakes expand our understanding of who we are.
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This phrase is really here to remind us that uncomfortable moments aren't obstacles, they're opportunities. And that's the key word here. Opportunities. In my experience, and from what I'm seeing right now, it honestly feels like everything around us is really evolving at lightning speed.
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Every day we are presented with new trends, new ideas, new technologies.
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There's always some new big idea to wrap our minds around, and it can.
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Present as something that's going to challenge us.
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That constant evolution is going to perhaps make our lives feel unstable. An example of this that I was thinking about the other day was the invention and spread of AI technology. And how many of us feel uncomfortable with it. There's this fear of what that's going.
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To do to our jobs, our way.
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Of interacting with one another, and our way of interacting with the world. That is an example of change that feels rapidly, quite uncomfortable. And it's definitely a big picture example. But when you think about it on a more micro scale, in terms of.
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Your own life, something may be changing.
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In your family, with your relationships, in.
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Your career, even your living situation.
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Maybe whether it's a breakup or you're.
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Moving in with someone, there's a new.
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Friendship or a broken one. Life keeps presenting opportunities to grow that are hidden in these moments, even when they are challenging. I guess what I'm trying to say is that embracing growth and change is key. We need to stay flexible and resilient.
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And my favorite word here is resilience. Because when we are resilient, we understand.
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That no matter what is coming into our life that feels unexpected, we can kind of see it in two ways.
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We can see it as something that is going to threaten us, or we can see it as an opportunity instead.
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Of holding onto what is familiar just because it feels safe. I think about this especially in terms of relationships.
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Maybe it's with an ex, a friend.
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A former colleague, someone that you're just not as close to anymore, who maybe doesn't make you feel great about yourself. You can hold on to that good but not great relationship because it's always.
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Been convenient, because it's been something that.
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You'Ve known for a really long time.
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And because your brain has made you.
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Feel, feel safe and secure and comfortable in that emotional environment. But you could also move beyond that relationship. You could realize that you deserve great and that there is going to be some pain, some temporary discomfort. But these new experiences and the opportunities.
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That you get from making space for.
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Someone new is worth so much more. And I think this mindset changes the way that we deal with life. Being able to pivot, be resilient, be flexible. When things shift, it doesn't just make you stronger mentally, emotionally, socially. It also makes you happier as well. So let's talk about what all of.
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This means for us. And let's start with the emotional discomfort of change.
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One way that we can really adopt.
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This mantra is by thinking about our.
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Best, most ideal self, the person we want to be in the long term. Someone who perhaps has their dream life.
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Has moved to a place of abundance, who is more authentic, who is more confident.
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Really imagine that person for a moment. Imagine that person that you're going to.
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Be in five years, in 10 years.
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What are they doing?
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What does their day look like? What are they wearing?
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What are the obstacles that they're now facing that they can handle even better?
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Because of what you're going through now.
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Is that person going to be realized without change? Probably not. Is that person going to come into existence without growth?
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No, definitely not.
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Because if that person was already to.
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Exist, you wouldn't be thinking about these.
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Things because it would already be in place.
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When adopting this week's mantra, I embrace growth and change.
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I want you to really think about.
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How it's going to take you from.
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Where you are now into your future self.
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Just remember this.
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This is all about seeing change for what it is. It is not an enemy.
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It is actually something that helps us become the best version of ourselves.
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Coming up, let's get personal.
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I'm going to get real about how this mantra plays out in my life.
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The ups, the downs, how I've navigated through it.
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So stay tuned after this brief pause.
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Gemma Spag
We'Ve looked at the meaning behind today's mantra, I think it's time to get vulnerable with you guys and share some of my own insights and reflections about this phrase. You know, growth and change, they aren't just abstract ideas. In reality, they're often messy. They're difficult and uncertain. It's very easy to talk about them as if they are simple and straightforward, but we both know it goes beyond that.
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As much as I preach about the.
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Beauty of growth, I have definitely struggled with embracing the unknown myself. At the top of this episode, I talked about my thoughts around moving and this very unexpected urge to step out of my comfort zone and to rebuild.
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My life in a new place.
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Rebuild relationships, rebuild community, rebuild where I go for coffee. You know, it's about all the small things as much as it is about the big things. But here's the question that has Always resonated with me and that has always put me on a path towards growth.
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What is the cost of staying? The same.
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As some of you may know, I'm not originally from Sydney, which is where I live now.
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And moving here definitely taught me this lesson firsthand. I remember the first few months of living here.
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I'd go back to my old college university town far too frequently, like once, twice, three times a month because I.
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Didn'T want to say goodbye to that old life.
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It was incredibly comfortable and known. It was what was safe to me. But slowly I started to realise that.
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There was no way I was ever going to feel as comfortable in my.
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New city, in my new life, in.
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If I kept clinging on to the past.
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I had two feet inside two totally different worlds and I wasn't able to enjoy either of them fully. When I was able to take a step back, I realized that I was just doing it because I was scared. It was from a place of fear.
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And that is the opposite of growth.
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If we really think about it. The antithesis of growth is fear. It is the thing that wants you.
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To stay the same.
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It is the thing that wants you to stay comfortable. It's what keeps you stuck in a life that may no longer be good for you, just because it's what's known. That was definitely my experience.
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So when I reflect back on that time and how much courage it did take to fully immerse myself in my.
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New life, in my new city, I also realized that it was me who did that.
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I made that choice. It was me.
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No one else could have endured that.
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Change on my behalf.
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And right now, all these years later, I'm still reaping the benefits of that growth period. But it feels as though right now I'm ready for another one. I'm ready for another period of exploration and adventure. Probably a little bit of uncertainty as well. But I know now from my past experiences that every single time I have taken a risk, it has elevated my life. It's not always about big life altering moments either though, is it? Sometimes it is just about the small daily steps. I found that things like journaling and setting intentions every morning really help when it comes to big decisions later on.
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They're these small ways to remind us.
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Every day to be open to growth, to make it part of our blueprint, part of our personality, part of who we are.
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We are someone who embraces growth and change.
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To me, embracing change has also meant getting more comfortable with a level of uncertainty.
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And I used to be someone who.
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Very Much needed to be in control of every single little thing that was going on in my life, down to the tiniest details.
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But slowly I began to really release.
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The obligation that I was placing on myself to be in control and start letting other people, who I also trust to make choices on my behalf, carry some of that. And with time, I also became more comfortable with the idea that I didn't have to always be in charge. If control is your sticking point, try releasing it in small ways, like letting others take control of decisions. Letting others choose the restaurant, even if it's not the restaurant you want to go to. Letting others choose where you're going to go for date night, even if it might not be your dream date.
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Letting them choose the travel plans.
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Often we think of change.
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We jump to the worst case scenario.
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We catastrophize every, every single little thing that could go wrong. And if we go back to that technology example, it's a great way of putting this. We might think this new technology, this new way of doing things, it's been introduced and now I'm going to lose.
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My job, I'm going to be destitute.
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That's the end of me. That's the end of my life.
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Our brain likes to go to the.
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Worst case scenario because by contemplating the.
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Worst case scenario, we feel like we're.
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In control of the outcome and so we feel the safest. That's where we feel like we can.
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Almost anticipate everything that could go wrong.
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And by anticipating it, by overthinking it.
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Maybe we might be more prepared.
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Those situations, though, that we are imagining, I'm going to tell you right now, they're probably not going to happen. Think back to every previous situation where you have excessively contemplated the worst case scenario. You've probably contemplated more than one worst case scenario. The irony of that is its own can of worms. Have any of them ever occurred? Truly really think about it. Have any of those times ever actually happened to you? When you're facing change and your mind is automatically catastrophizing, take some time to journal about it.
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And above all else, trust your intuition and trust your past self in these situations. Because those previous times where you've catastrophized and things have not gone wrong, they.
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Are really good teaching moments.
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Embracing change is about stepping into your.
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Potential without letting fear dictate your actions. So this week, when change presents itself.
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Trust that it's guiding you towards the person that you're meant to become.
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One of the biggest lessons that I've.
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Learned from My life is that growth.
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Rarely happens when we're safe. My mum used to say growth happens.
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When you're uncomfortable, and she was absolutely right. It happens when we're pushed outside of our comfort zones.
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It's uncomfortable, sometimes really uncomfortable, but it's.
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Kind of like a shedding.
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And maybe this is a little too cliche, but think about the transition when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. That doesn't look like a particularly nice experience. It's chaotic, it's messy, but the outcome is absolutely gorgeous. That's where we find color, strength, beauty.
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It's those moments and their outcomes that.
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Show us just how adaptable and strong we can be. And don't just take it from me. I want to share a quote that.
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Echoes this week's mantra in hopes that.
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It speaks to you too.
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Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What's important is the action.
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You don't have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow. And I love the philosophy of doing it anyways. And the confidence will follow. Because when you think about your own life, have you ever been fully 100% confident going into anything? If you were to wait for that to happen, if you were to wait until you were completely, utterly prepared, you would never do anything, because you never feel that way. No matter what is happening in your life, no matter what resources you have.
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There'S always going to be something that.
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Could go wrong, something that you're not sure about.
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And so choosing to wait until you're.
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100% confident means choosing to never act. But you convince yourself that there will come a perfect time, there will be.
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Some future date where you can do.
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Something, only to eventually realize that is never going to happen.
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Now let's pause for a moment to truly reflect on this mantra. In just a second, you'll hear a.
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Custom music track created to give you.
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Space to absorb today's insights and to consider how you might bring this mantra into your week and maybe even beyond. And if this practice isn't your style.
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If it doesn't resonate with you, feel free to just skip ahead 30 seconds.
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For those of you who do want.
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A moment of reflection, use this time as your own.
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As the music plays, keep our mantra in mind. I embrace growth and change. Let it guide your thoughts as the music plays. Just giving yourself a moment to reflect.
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And connect with what it means for you. Beautiful life can be so hectic sometimes.
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And taking even a moment to reflect.
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Like that is really quite grounding. Up next, we're going to talk about.
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How to put these insights into real action and bring this mantra to life.
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I'll share some journal prompts and our.
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Weekly social media challenge.
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Stick around for more after this quick break. Wow.
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Gemma Spag
Welcome back.
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Each week on Mantra, I like to share journal prompts to help you dive deeper into the theme.
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These questions are designed to you spark.
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Reflection, and to help you explore what growth and change means in your life right now.
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And if you don't have a journal handy, that is totally okay.
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Just feel free to come back to this later or to think about them as I speak to these questions.
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First.
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How could I stay curious instead of freaking out next time something like this happens? What could I learn from situations that are out of my control?
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How can I make sure to look for the opportunities within the challenges? Like I said, you can either journal.
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On these or you can just think.
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About your answers on the spot.
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Next. Sometimes growth is really about letting go. What is weighing me down or causing me to stress that I cannot release?
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What alarm bells are going off in my brain? What stress am I carrying Take a minute to write about what you may.
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Need to release so that you can step into the next version of yourself. You know, this isn't something I can tell you.
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I really don't know.
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But you know and I think you can sense it. And lastly, our final prompt. Think about your relationships for a second. Relationships are where we tend to resist change the most because it feels safe to stay with who and what we know. So ask yourself, are there places where.
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I'm sacrificing my needs just because it feels comfortable?
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Have I been avoiding tough conversations or ignoring boundaries that I've set for a reason?
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Okay, I've given you a lot to think about, but there is more in store. Every week I'm going to give you.
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A challenge that features our mantra. It's really taking this whole thing to.
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Another level so that you can put what we talk about into tangible, actionable steps for yourself. I also want to do some check ins so that we can hold ourselves accountable. You can reach out to me at.
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Mantra Openmind to let me know how.
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The challenge is going and next week.
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We'Ll do a recap on how things went.
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I might even share a few personal stories with your permission of course, to.
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Just encourage us to participate in the.
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Challenge in the future.
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And this is a two way street.
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So I will of course make sure to let you know how things are going for me too.
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Every morning this week, as soon as.
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You wake up, I want you to.
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Take a few seconds to repeat today's mantra out loud. I embrace growth and change. It's a small thing and it's meant.
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To be a small thing because it's doable. But please trust me, it will help.
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Reinforce this mantra in your life and.
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Set the tone for your week.
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Okay, so let's end today's chat with a few final thoughts about this week's mantra.
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It's very easy to get swept up.
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In the rush of change and growth.
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But taking a few seconds to appreciate what is already here brings so much balance.
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Think of one thing in your life.
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Right now that you are grateful for.
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Even in the midst of all the change.
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Maybe it's a person, a place, just.
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A small comforting part of your routine. Hold onto that feeling of appreciation and.
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Let it ground you as you step.
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Into the week ahead. Now I just want to remind you, growth and change feel really scary and that probably means that you are doing the right thing.
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When we choose the road that is comfortable, convenient, easy, safe, it never actually.
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Allows us to test ourselves, to stretch.
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Ourselves, to see what we're capable of.
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And it means that we might get.
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To a point in the future where we have a lot of regrets about what we could have made for ourselves, the life we could have had if.
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We had taken the risks, if we.
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Had seen growth and change as an opportunity.
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So thinking about this future version of.
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Yourself, I really want you to pause and consider what is the cost of.
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Not embracing change, as we said before.
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And what is the benefit of choosing some momentary discomfort, some momentary uncertainty, for a much better, bigger, joyful outcome? So every day, this week and beyond.
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Give yourself the chance to embrace change.
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Because you are much more capable than you know.
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Thank you for joining Mantra, an exclusive Open Mind Original powered by Pave Studios.
Gemma Spag
At Open Mind, we value your support, share your thoughts on social media and.
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Remember to rate, review and follow Mantra to help others discover the show.
Gemma Spag
For ad free listening and early access to Mantra with me, Jemma Spegg. We invite you to subscribe to Open Mind plus on Apple Podcasts.
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I'll share another insightful and introspective Mantra with you next Monday.
Gemma Spag
Until then, keep showing up for yourself and your journey. I'm Gemma Spegg.
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See you next week.
Gemma Spag
Mantra is hosted by me, Gemma Spag, and is an Open Mind original powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Mantra team. Max Cutler, Kristen Acevedo, Ron Shapiro, Stacy Warren Kerr, Sarah Carroll and Paul Liebeskind. Thank you for listening.
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Podcast Summary: Mantra with Jemma Sbeg
Episode: I Embrace Growth and Change
Release Date: January 13, 2025
Host: Gemma Sbeg
Produced by: OpenMind Originals, Powered by Pave Studios
In the episode titled "I Embrace Growth and Change," Gemma Sbeg sets the stage for a deep dive into the complexities and necessities of personal growth and embracing change. The mantra for the week is introduced by the co-host:
Co-host [00:04]: "Here is your mantra: I embrace growth and change."
Gemma outlines the podcast's purpose—to guide listeners through personal growth while navigating life's unpredictable paths. She emphasizes the importance of having a mantra to center oneself amidst daily chaos.
Gemma shares her current contemplations about significant life changes, particularly the idea of potentially relocating, possibly even to a new country. She expresses the internal conflict between feeling settled and the urge to seek new adventures:
Gemma Sbeg [03:12]: "I have been contemplating some pretty major life shifts as of late, the kind that really makes you pause and wonder what's next."
Gemma breaks down the mantra, distinguishing between growth and change. She explains that while growth is a natural progression through various experiences, change often feels more unsettling:
Gemma Sbeg [05:07]: "This week's guiding phrase is definitely not for the faint of heart... Growth doesn't feel as intimidating as change."
The mantra encourages listeners to lean into change, viewing it as an opportunity rather than a threat. Gemma highlights that embracing change involves stepping out of comfort zones and being open to new experiences.
Gemma and the co-host delve into how growth and change are intertwined and essential for personal development. They discuss the necessity of adaptability in a rapidly evolving world, citing the advent of AI technology as a significant example of change that can be both challenging and opportunity-filled:
Gemma Sbeg [07:38]: "There's always some new big idea to wrap our minds around, and it can present as something that's going to challenge us."
A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to understanding and overcoming the fear associated with change. Gemma shares her personal struggles with control and how releasing the need to manage every aspect of her life has been pivotal in her growth journey:
Gemma Sbeg [15:12]: "The antithesis of growth is fear. It is the thing that wants you to stay comfortable."
She encourages listeners to reframe their perception of fear, seeing it as a signal that growth is imminent rather than a barrier.
Gemma recounts her experience of moving to Sydney from her original hometown, illustrating the emotional and practical challenges she faced. She reflects on the importance of letting go of the past to fully embrace the present and future:
Gemma Sbeg [15:28]: "If we really think about it, the antithesis of growth is fear. It is the thing that wants you to stay comfortable."
This personal narrative serves to highlight the episode’s core message about the necessity of facing discomfort for meaningful growth.
To help listeners internalize the mantra, Gemma introduces several journal prompts designed to provoke self-reflection and actionable insights:
How could I stay curious instead of freaking out next time something like this happens? What could I learn from situations that are out of my control?
[25:22]
Sometimes growth is really about letting go. What is weighing me down or causing me to stress that I cannot release?
[25:42]
Think about your relationships. Are there places where I'm sacrificing my needs just because it feels comfortable? Have I been avoiding tough conversations or ignoring boundaries that I've set for a reason?
[26:32]
Additionally, Gemma introduces a weekly challenge aimed at embedding the mantra into daily life:
Gemma Sbeg [27:35]: "Every morning this week, as soon as you wake up, take a few seconds to repeat today's mantra out loud. 'I embrace growth and change.'"
These exercises are intended to reinforce the episode's themes, encouraging listeners to apply the concepts of growth and change actively.
In wrapping up, Gemma emphasizes the importance of balancing appreciation for the present with the pursuit of growth. She underscores that while change can be daunting, it is integral to evolving into one’s best self:
Gemma Sbeg [28:39]: "When we choose the road that is comfortable, convenient, easy, safe, it never actually allows us to test ourselves, to stretch ourselves, to see what we're capable of."
Gemma urges listeners to embrace discomfort as a pathway to personal development and to trust in their resilience and adaptability.
Gemma Sbeg [05:07]: "Growth and change, they aren't just inevitable, they're also essential. They're often what pushes us towards becoming our best selves."
Co-host [08:50]: "And my favorite word here is resilience. Because when we are resilient, we understand that no matter what is coming into our life that feels unexpected, we can see it in two ways."
Gemma Sbeg [20:49]: "Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What's important is the action."
Co-host [29:00]: "We had taken the risks, if we had seen growth and change as an opportunity."
This episode of Mantra with Jemma Sbeg serves as a compelling exploration of the intricate dance between growth and change. Through personal anecdotes, thoughtful discussions, and practical exercises, Gemma empowers listeners to embrace the uncertainties of life as catalysts for personal evolution. The integration of reflective journaling and actionable challenges provides a comprehensive toolkit for anyone looking to navigate their own paths of growth with intention and resilience.