I just got home from two unforgettable weeks in Italy, and somewhere between watching my teenage boys make questionable decisions in St. Mark's Square, crying on the flight home, and trying to shake off the jet lag, I realized something…

The vacation wasn't just the reward.

It was the receipt.

In this episode, I'm sharing the unexpected business lesson that hit me thousands of miles from home: ordinary isn't safe—it has a price. And if you want an extraordinary life, you have to stop waiting until you "make it" before you start living like the person you're trying to become.

We dive into the psychology behind why experiencing your dream life—even in small, affordable ways—changes your identity more than another vision board ever could. I talk about the research on future-self thinking, why your standards shape your reality, and how forcing yourself into a bigger life often comes long before you feel ready for it.

In this episode, we'll cover:

Why "playing it safe" may be the riskiest decision you're making.
The psychology of future-self identity and why it changes the decisions you make today.
Why vision boards aren't enough (and what actually creates momentum).
How to experience the life you want before you can fully afford it—without being financially reckless.
The investment I made as a broke single mom that completely changed the trajectory of my business.
Why raising your standards is often more powerful than setting bigger goals.
How extraordinary lives are built one uncomfortable decision at a time.

If you've been waiting for confidence, permission, or the perfect moment before going after the life you really want, this episode is your reminder that the cost of staying ordinary may be higher than the cost of changing.

Bye for now, Posers.

Timestamps:
00:00 Podcast Cold Open
00:45 Back From Italy
02:48 Motherhood Travel Chaos
07:01 Vacation As Receipt
08:54 Taste The Future
10:47 Future Self Continuity
14:20 Vision Boards Reality Check
17:05 Comedown And Constriction
18:54 Force The Standard Story
22:42 Identity Sets The Bar
24:42 How To Apply It
25:44 Final Takeaway
27:24 Outro And Call To Action

🔗 Connect with Jodi:
📸 Website: https://www.j-annephotography.com
📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.annephotography

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I built this business as a single mom of three boys with no fallback plan and no safety net. Failure genuinely was not an option.

The strategies I teach inside the Mastermind are the same ones that turned my camera into a career, my career into a company, and my company into a life I'm incredibly proud of.

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