When we think about making a difference in the world, our minds often jump to big, bold actions—changing laws, creating movements, or solving global problems. While these efforts certainly matter, the greatest change starts in the most powerful place: within ourselves. Before we can impact the world around us, we must first cultivate the emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical stamina needed to sustain our efforts. This personal growth requires a deep commitment to our inner work, anchored by an internal “algorithm” that becomes non-negotiable in our lives.
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(upbeat music) - Hey, it's Dr. James Rouse. Welcome to the Change Agents Podcast. This is the place where personal growth meets human performance. Join me and the Change Agents community where inspired individuals unite to ignite their full potential and create extraordinary mastery. - Good morning, it's James. It is really good to see you today. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your energy. I'm deeply grateful to have the honor and the blessing of laying eyes on you. And I do hope and pray that this message finds you and all the people that you love, peaceful, thriving, and very, very well. So this morning's message felt so urgent, but I didn't want to take the time to run to the treehouse and share this message with you. I'm still here in my home gym. It's still dark out, it's very early. And I woke up this morning feeling a sense of tenderness. I was also feeling a little sad, not because of anything particular, but I think I was feeling the heaviness. The heaviness in the world, the heaviness here in this country, the United States, what's happening politically, what's happening with many, many people who are feeling oppressed, people are not feeling seen. And every now and then, I think just like most of all of us in this community and hopefully most people around the world, you feel these things, you need to know what you can do about these things. And I think there's lots of ways that we can become activated, we become activists, we can do a lot of stuff out in the world, but we need to begin with ourselves. I've done things in my life where I've gone out in the world and wanted to be an activist, I wanted to do more and more to help, things that are happening in the world, but I realized that my emotional stamina, my spiritual stamina, my physical stamina, need to be prioritized before I could go out in the world and do things. Did you ever feel that way? You knew you wanted to do things, but you also knew that you didn't necessarily have the reserves inside of you. So you knew that you needed to find practices that could fill you, give you the sense of zest and physicality and vigor and courage and all those things. So that's where this morning's message is all around. It's all around these things. I love to call this emotional stamina or spiritual stamina, physical, and even mental stamina. Going back to something we spoke about a few months ago, how important it is to have a protocol, an algorithm, something that becomes your absolute non-negotiable. And I can tell you, regardless of whether or not I've had a good night's sleep, regardless of what I wake up and I know I have to do this day, I never, never, don't come down the stairs over here behind the camera, get on the Peloton, which is here to my left, lift these weights, get on these mats, get over there on that meditation cushion, and do my protocol. Do my thing that fills me up so I can go out in the world and be a beneficial presence to the degree that I feel I can. So remember the three things that we spoke about, these disciplines that give us the permission to have that stamina. Number one, structural discipline. This is my structural discipline. I'm here every morning, just after 4 a.m., doing my work. And doing with a level of reverence, a level of humility, a level of grace, but a level of gritty, gritty gratitude. The second one is making sure that my reactive discipline is in place. It is easy to be triggered these days. But how do we have a better way? So we don't become triggered, we come activated. You spend time in meditation, you do your prayer work, you get outdoors, you do something that helps you to regulate your nervous system. So when you're ready to be activated, you've got a stamina, you've got a channel, you've got a zest. And you have a power that allows you to react with a level of absoluteness to your core of your being, that spiritual knowing. This is me activated. This is me doing the great work that is a spiritual reaction to what's happening in the world. And lastly, it's what we do every single day that we connect, and I'm sure you're doing it other ways too. It's about the expansion discipline, expanding who you are as a person. Every single day, paying attention to the discipline of what makes you come alive and making those practices realize, having them be absolutes for you. There is so much to be said for having 100% commitment with these three disciplines versus a 99% commitment. And most importantly, on days like today, when I woke up and was feeling a heaviness, this is the most important day. When I feel heavy, then I go and do the work of light. Those three disciplines are the way that I move through the heaviness so I can be light, so I can shine light, so I can carry myself as someone who absolutely wants to be the change we wish to see and be in the world. Living inside out versus outside in. Please give yourself permission to ponder what it is that your morning algorithm, your protocol, your non-negotiable, and think about your three discipline, structural, expansive, and reactive, and how you will live those, integrate those into your life. It is so good to be on this path with you, journeying with you, growing, expanding, and giving ourselves a foundation of self-love and self-care, so when we think we want to be triggered, we turn it into an activation, and the great work happens in us and as us, and then through us. Have a beautiful day, much love, all blessings, bye for now. Thanks for listening. Together, I believe we can make a difference in our own lives and the lives of those around us. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to help us spread positive energy across the planet. Until next time, keep shining your life and being the change you want to see and be in the world. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (gentle music)
