Igniting Souls Podcast with Kary Oberbrunner

I'm a planner, but recently my wife and I rerouted a vacation we had planned. We all have plans in our lives, but there comes a time when we need to throw out the plan and just reinvent. Be spontaneous. It is great to have a goal, a plan and an OPUS. But it's also fun to live off script. Trust your gut. Find out more at deeperpathbook.com - get my book free, just pay shipping.

On one of my coaching calls recently, I was asked a question, and I told them I didn't know the answer, but knew someone who does. Why fill your brain with irrelevant information. You don't need to do it all. Hire someone who can do what you can't or shouldn't do. You don't have to be an expert. Niche down. Be a specialist and get people around you who are specialists in their area.

I saw a woman in the mall the other day that had a shirt that said, "I'm Grateful" in superbig writing. Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions we have. When you see someone who is grateful, you want to go out of our way to help that person. Are you that person? Gratitude is contagious. But it can also be convicting. We all have so many reasons to be grateful — as a lifestyle.

Do you know people who are always complaining? What do you think about when you think about those people? They wonder why success doesn't come their way. If you're not having a ton of success in your life, you may want to ask yourself if you're that person. Let's all look in the mirror and ask ourselves how we can be more grateful and be more of a giver.

Why is writing a book so hard? Because it is growing us into a new person and it scares us to death. It forces us to emerge into the unknown. A book is literally a bridge from your old self to your new self. But it's worth it! If you need help, check out my masterclass at karyoberbrunner.com/book. Tag someone you think is looking to build that bridge.

In a conversation recently about our jobs, someone asked if a truck driver liked his job, and his answer was, "it pays the bills." That made me think of this question, "can you hate your job and love your life?" I don't think you can. If you hate something you do for 40-50 hours per week, it will spill over into the rest of your life. Granted that providing for yourself and your family is respectable, it's the place you want to start but not the place you want to finish. Get my book Day Job To Dream Job free (just pay for shipping) to learn more at dayjobtodreamjob.com

I recently saw an Apple employee dancing before they opened for the day. Then they all got together and met as a team. It's important to meet as a team — to recalibrate and recast your vision.

It was 90 minutes before a live webinar, and my wife's car battery was dead. I tried everything to get the battery disconnected, but it wouldn't budge. I tried all the conventional tools and methods. So, I grabbed a hammer and tapped it lightly a few times and it broke free so I could get the battery fixed and make it in time for my webinar. Lesson learned: sometimes we apply so much effort to make a change using conventional tools and methods when we may need to try something unconventional. What unconventional methods have you used to get unstuck and reach your goals?

Do you have a decision budget? I've talked a lot about decision fatigue, but I had never heard of a decision budget. We have a financial budget, a calorie budget, etc., so why not have a decision budget? Each of us has the potential to make a certain amount of quality decisions every day. If we waste those on stupid things like what we wear or what we eat, we get fatigued. My OPUS helps me with my decision budget. Find out more at karyoberbrunner.com/opus. Find my free masterclass at deeperpathbook.com.

Do you find yourself dreaming of winning the lottery? Instead, bet on yourself. So many times we think something external is going to benefit our lives. But that doesn't work. In fact, betting on yourself and growing yourself internally where success is possible.

One of my clients has a big opportunity to partner on a project. The other party seems very excited. But if it's a new relationship, you don't know if people are going to follow through. It's a good idea to give them the ability to make a micro-commitment first before you invest too much time. Send them a simple application and request a follow-up Zoom chat with their department heads to discuss the project. If they can't do that, you'll know their commitment doesn't equal yours.

When it comes time to launch your book, course, product, etc. be sure you give to other people before you ask them to help you promote. It's called stored credibility. And if you make sure you have it well in advance, people will be excited to promote for you.

When you're speaking at a small to mid-size venue, bring your own equipment. When your trust other people's equipment, like screens, projectors and portable sound systems, your presentation can end up ruined when the equipment fails. It will end up costing you more in the long run if the technology doesn't work and you bomb a talk.

The most effective strategy for selling is to be authentic — be real.  When I was having trouble with LinkedIn engagement, I did a video and asked for tips and help. I was authentic. People can see through all the hype.  For more tips on developing a digital media strategy, get my free masterclass at dayjobtodreamjob.com

I was on LinkedIn for 10 years, but I was ready to throw in the towel.  The first step in saving my LinkedIn account was to admit the truth that I needed help with it. My friend Chris Borja coached me through it, enhancing the cover photo, headlines, recommendations, etc.  People were there but we had to give them an environment for them to engage. Listen to find out how.