Episode 9: Your Inspirations and Influences

Rosanna
Welcome to the relentless pursuit podcast, episode nine influences and inspirations. So you might be wondering, what does that mean? I think when we were originally coming up with our podcast titles and content, we thought about talking about who our influences and inspirations work. And then in talking about this the other day, we realized maybe that’s not the way to go. So we’re going to kind of just dive in a little bit into all of our inspirations and influences and how they impact all of us.

Jordan
Yeah, so what we really want to try to talk through is just the idea of being inspired and being influenced by various people in the way that they end up impacting others. The reason why this came to mind for me was because I think about you hear this really the most with musicians and you kind of can talk to just about any musician, and they can rattle off a few of the artists who came before them that they would say they were influenced by. And so I have always thought about that because I think, to some level, just about any professional can probably point to at least one but maybe several other people within the same field, who through their work have gone on to influence that person. And I’ve tried to think about this from like the education realm, where we have been a teacher, there are a number of other people who I feel like I’m influenced by and kind of it’s in some ways, aspire to imitate, aspire to create a degree of their own styles, and the art that they have. And so I think it goes beyond just like tips like you could look up and you can google any tips and you can read, like ideas or little pithy, like wisdom quotes from almost any blogger. But I think the idea of being influenced or inspired by someone goes a lot deeper and in some ways, it’s far more impactful, but also less tangible to in some ways.

Rosanna
So it’s more would you say it’s more like heart and soul and feeling and like essence than like head knowledge? Is that kind of what you’re going for?

Jordan
Yeah. So I would say it’s, it’s art, like some of your biggest influences are not people you have sat down with and they’ve explained step by step, what they do. These are people who in a more maybe in a more like esoteric sense they have a certain style and a certain art and a certain accomplishment that is unique to them that then we adopt for ourselves and tried to emulate but also adapt to ourselves.

Rosanna
Okay, so like through observation, through proximity, and not even proximity of being close to them, but like proximity to like their work or their interaction. So in that case of a musician, in listening to a musician, another musician might be inspired by their sound or their style, and want to emulate that in some way, or kind of take what they’ve seen and turn it into something that works for them.

Jordan
Exactly. So it’s not like you just listen to one song and you get really jazzed up every time you listen to that song. This is you’ve listened to the majority of an artist’s work, and you’re very familiar with them at a relatively intimate level because of the frequency and consistency that you’ve exposed yourself. I would even say like you could even be something of a disciple of that person. I think musicians do that because they grow up listening to various musicians at some point when they decide to become a professional musician and professional artist, they are whether they want to or not like drawing upon those sounds that most influenced and inspired them when they were younger.

Rosanna
So it’s not the person who taught them to play an instrument, right?

Jordan
It wouldn’t even be like their piano teacher, their guitar instructor, it’ll be like these these artists who paved the way in the field before them.

Rosanna
And it’s also not like maybe someone who has mentored them because mentorship would be different, right? It’s more of like a tips like a how to or this is what you could try. But it’s something about the essence of the person and the art that they create. Okay, so do you have like examples of that that you could share? That might make more sense too.

Jordan
I have a few examples I want to touch on. Maybe the most repeated example is the Beatles and so many modern musicians will point back to the Beatles and say they were influenced by their sound and some even say they, they founded like modern rock and roll and there are many accolades. So a lot of people ask, like, who inspired the Beatles? And there’s a lot of information about this. They’ve been asked this question a lot. And they really draw upon Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard. And there’s a long list of others that they were just kind of inspired and influenced by. And in fact, John Lennon had even said if there hadn’t been Elvis, then there would not have been the Beatles.

Rosanna
So there was something so profound about Elvis and his sound and his style –

Jordan
and his sideburns I think –

Rosanna
maybe or the jumpsuits right, that set like their soul on fire in some unique way that paved the way for them to want to create something of their own that was similar. Which is if you think about it, that’s like a really big that’s like really moving that’s like for someone to touch you in that way. And then for you to go on and create something because of that. I mean that’s huge.

Jordan
I’m going to almost picture like this same path and so certain people have walked on this path before. Some got so far, and some others like the Beatles, then like walked along that same path and then took it the next step further have added their own stretch to it. And others have come since then and gone further.

Rosanna
Which would be great if as individuals, as couples, as families, as companies, if we did the same thing, yeah. So who are we being inspired by and who are we being influenced by? It’s a good question.

Jordan
Yeah. So I think that this, this applies, especially to the arts. So I looked up some information about Stephen King, and he is a really prolific American author, really distinct style of storytelling, and just a robust writer. He is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, you can probably get a big dose of that. He really liked Bram Stoker, who wrote the novel Dracula. And in fact one of Stephen King’s short stories “Salem’s Lot” is going to be On like modern take on the like the style and the the gloom that Dracula had to it. And there there are others as well. He’s he really he reads all the time and absorbs that then whether willingly or not, like finds ways through his characters and stories and tones to emulate those things.

Rosanna
Okay. Very interesting.

Jordan
Lady Gaga, I think we were talking about her and with some of these artists, we could almost guess who their influences are because you just see that stamp on their work. And so Madonna was the first person where I might bet she was probably heavily influenced by Madonna and just really looked into it. It’s like, Yeah, absolutely. But it was one of the ones who tops the list for her. Some others would be Queen and David Bowie.

Rosanna
Who I mean, thrive on the eccentric, right? Right. So it’s like, oh, like, Why? Why were we at all surprised when we met Lady Gaga or when she was kind of catapulted into pop culture like she was doing some of those same things, but you know, our generation or generations younger they’re not, you know, don’t remember David Bowie or Queen. And so there’s not that connection there. But it’s not like she is completely without influence out of nowhere, right.

Jordan
And so I think we assume that there’s, there’s validity in being totally original. But as we look at some of the most successful and even the most, like original kinds of people that are out there, they’re, they’re really not, you know, out of the blue, they have inspirations and even though they are their, you know, unique and successful selves, we can see that there are doses of others who have come before them in the work that they have.

Rosanna
That reminds me of a quote, I used to tell my students when I was teaching, and it was like that there are only seven or eight stories in the world. They are just those same seven or eight stories are just retold, time after time, generation after generation in a new setting in a new place with new characters, but the stories those threads are still the same. The roots are still there.

Jordan
Yeah. I think that that’s really true with you know, within each field. One person that I am inspired by to talk more about later is Neil deGrasse Tyson. H introduces himself as your personal astrophysicist, since we all need a personal astrophysicist. But he is this this really brilliant scientist. And he points to the likes of Isaac Newton, who came several hundred years before and Albert Einstein and also more recently, Carl Sagan. And he especially points to Carl Sagan, who they did have a chance to have a personal relationship. And he even talks about how he doesn’t just think of himself as a scientist, but as an educator, and that largely comes from the influence that Carl Sagan had on him as he was growing into adulthood and becoming who he was. So I think so I wanted to include that example as well, because I don’t think it is restricted to the arts. In fact, I think it’s applicable to every domain of life that we’re engaged in so both in our professional but also in our personal realms. And I think that leads to the conversation because like you suggested, we want to be the type of people who are influencing others. But I also think it’s more important, or at least a first step to look at who is influencing us and in what areas are those influences? Are there any areas where maybe where we’re deficit, or maybe unwittingly had a negative influence that we could aspire to, you know, get get away from and find something better? So I think that is our introduction to this idea of being influenced, which goes beyond just a couple, you know, tips and pithy wisdom quotes and looks more into the art that you’re creating in all areas of your life, and the people that are guiding you to create your own story in your own style.

Rosanna
Yeah, I would agree. So do you want to just dive into some questions about this and kind of Yeah, it takes us yeah. Okay, so let’s do it.

Jordan
Okay, I have I have some interesting ones here. Can’t wait to talk about these with you. And I want to know, I want to know your take on this question. Okay. Can you study a person to be influenced by them? Or is their influence more absorbed in like a supplemental kind of process?

Rosanna
Yeah. You couldn’t start off with an easier question.

I think you can, I think you can study it, like you can kind of choose for yourself who you want to be influenced by. But I also think that there are people in your own circles that have huge influence over you. And because of proximity and consistency, you can’t help but be influenced by them. So I think of me, I think of my parents being an influence for me.

Jordan
I think that’s that’s the biggest thing. When you’re raised in your household and see those are like the primary adults you’re seeing day after day, year after year, you can’t help but absorb the different kinds of influences that they have in shaping you.

Rosanna
And I think for some people, you know, their parents are their biggest influences. And I think that can be positive and negative. I think that’s different for everybody. But because if you’ve had a negative experience, you can develop or choose to develop a certain way to avoid that influence. Or you can if you have even a positive or negative experience, same thing you can learn from those things and develop those things. And, you know, kind of learn them.

Jordan
Have you ever been doing something and someone’s like, stopped you and said, Oh, my gosh, you sound you look just like your mom? They think that that’s, you know, that it was a there’s there’s genetics involved in that as well. But I think that gives you a moment to pause because you’ve seen somebody speak or just interact, you know, for so many formative years of your life that you can’t help but to just naturally adapt to those things as well. And, you know, I found that a lot what, you know, people have said that like, Oh, you remind me so much of your dad when I’m interacting with you. And you know, I don’t take that as a compliment or as an insult. It just is just kind of a fact that this is a person that I’ve been following for many years of my life. And I think that’s similar to others that either we’ve been exposed to or to have chosen to expose ourselves to. And we just kind of naturally adopted those things without even really intending to.

Rosanna
Yeah, but I think there’s some choice in that too. So again, because of proximity and consistency with parents or family members or your own children. I think that when you’re exposed to someone for such a long period of time, and you see kind of the ins and outs and eccentricities of people, there are things that you choose to like, take in and emulate and want to move forward. Right? That’s, it’s almost like you look for the best in everybody and you take those pieces, and you internalize them and you think, how can I be more like that? It’s not that I want to be my mom. But the best parts of her I’ve learned, because I’ve chosen to.

Jordan
Those are the things you’re intentionally emulating, correct?

Rosanna
So but then I think there are other people who I’ve allowed to influence me and that’s a choice, right? You meet someone and you see something in them. And just like you meet a lot of people write you, you can choose to be closer to someone to start a friendship, to spend more time with them because you see that and you want you want to grow in that way. Like they are.

Jordan
Yeah, I think it does start with admiration and maybe not every case but in a lot of cases where especially if you see someone in real life into you think man they they do this like so well. I wish I could do it that well, and you kind of naturally begin to look at how they do that. Sometimes I’m around a really good storyteller or joke teller, and they’re just making the whole room laugh. And I’m like, man, did I listen to the way that they, they phrased that or the way they even little things that seem maybe probably not really as worthwhile the way they cocked their head when they deliver the punch line or something like that. And then it can be, we can find ourselves like imitating people really intentionally with some of those things that we think are going to help us acquire the same attributes that we admire.

Rosanna
Maybe that’s the case for you. I feel like that’s maybe not the case, for me. It’s not like, like a jealousy thing. Like, oh, I want to be a storyteller. Like I would say, not a jealousy thing, or it’s not like, I want to be like them and I want to copy them. It’s just like, I there’s something that I admire about them and so I aspire to be more like them. But what that means for me, not because I want to do it just the way that they did it, but it’s like, how can I Rosanna as a business owner be more like Suzy sunshine in the way that she’s developing her business? Not because I want to do the same thing as she does, but what can I learn from her to be better?

Jordan
I think some of it starts with imitation. Right? So going going back to musicians, I’m not going to, well, a lot of musicians just like memorize and sing over and over again, their favorite songs from from others. But when they go and write their own song, of course, like the lyrics and the tune is original, but it’s it’s naturally inspired by what they’ve imitated over and over and over again. And so for me, that’s what I say. I wouldn’t say it’s, it’s just imitation for the sake of becoming someone else. And I wouldn’t say it’s jealousy, but I would say that there’s definite admiration of what somebody has going for them, and I am going to imitate them to the extent that I feel like I can adopt what’s working for them into my own delivery.

Rosanna
Okay. And I would agree it’s not that you’re just going to start wearing the same things or doing the same things or saying the same thing. So because no one needs –

Jordan
No one needs a copy, I think sometimes it can start there and then you adapt it to your personality and your strengths and your context.

Rosanna
Well, I will shoot off a question for you, then unless you’ve got something to add.

Jordan
Go for it. Okay.

Rosanna
So then is there a difference between inspiration and influence? Because the title of the podcast is your inspirations and influences. So is there a difference between the two? And if there is like, what is the difference?

Jordan
I guess off the cuff, the way I would distinguish those would be that an inspiration to me seems more emotional. Where somebody has done something and it is – it makes you want to like go on and do something of your own. And they don’t necessarily have to be connected. Like I can go watch a really cool movie at the theater. And many times I feel inspired, but it could be inspired to go and do something totally different that I’m interested in. And sometimes they can be aligned if you see someone doing something very charitable or have high moral character that can be inspiring to yourself, like become charitable or have high character. I think an influence is a little bit more subtle. Because an influence can can push and guide you in certain directions, but sometimes without your knowing. And many times, especially after a long exposure to certain things, you don’t even realize that that’s what you’ve seen so many times. So that’s what you start doing. Okay, so I think there’s intersection there, but that’s the initial way I would distinguish them.

Rosanna
Okay, so then do you think there’s a connection to aspiration? Between inspiration, influence, and aspiration?

Jordan
Yeah, I mean, an aspiration can develop on its own. But I think it is it has life breathed into it when you have inspirations and influences feeding into it. Okay, but how would you frame it?

Rosanna
I mean, similarly, inspiration really could come from anywhere, right? Something can inspire you. Influence, I think is like it drives you, it pushes you. And there’s something more personal to that. And then inspiration and an influence can, Hopefully will make you aspire to be the next best version of yourself. And I think that’s kind of what the heart of this conversation is, is that we need to look at what does inspire us who is influencing us. And we need to make sure that those influences and inspirations are good things that are going to help us as we aspire to the next best version of ourselves.

Jordan
But that’s what I want to ask you about next. So I said like, we mostly look at professionals. And I think that’s what’s most, like publicly accessible is we see someone thriving in their field. And we can see like, who inspired them to influence them to get to that level. But do you think that this is applicable in more personal domains? Some of the things that we’ve already talked about on the show, like is it possible to be just as inspired and influenced in parenting, or in your own health or recreation or personal development? Or marriage relationship?

Rosanna
Oh, I think that’s I think that’s totally applicable. You know, as a mom, I think, for me, I’m pretty honest with like, the kind of mom I am like, I think me and my girlfriends have laughed about this. It’s like, you know, there’s there’s plenty of spoofs and memes on you know Scarymommy on Facebook or other you know, mother groups like which mom are you? Are you the hot mess mom? Are you that type? A mom Are you the you know, all organic mom. Are you the, you know, the mom whose houses a mass, but she’s always playing with your kids? Are you the mom that keeps an orderly house but you know, the kids are, you know. So what’s interesting to me is we have four kids. And so the minute that they go to school, you’re surrounded with all different kinds of moms and families, you know, from the time that they start preschool or any kind of class that they serve at the park district. And so you meet all of these different types of moms. And although we are all different, and although I think moms are always pegging what the other mothers are, so well, if we’re being honest, if we’re being honest, I think, when I meet people, and when I see the way that they like parent their kids and interact with their kids, for me, it’s always like a really big learning experience, where, you know, I can think of certain moms off the top of my head and be like, wow, I’d like to be more like her in this way. Because what I see is I see that it’s an opportunity to connect better with my children in this way or it’s you It gets me to focus in a different way on my kids than I would normally. So it gets me to kind of assess like, where I’m at, where I’m at with the kids what maybe my kids could need from me in a new way, or a new way I can connect with my kids that maybe wouldn’t have dawned on me at first. And so I let them inspire me and influence me.

Jordan
Would you say that that’s something you look for, like, Are you excited about oh, I get to go here. And I’m going to see X number of moms and I can’t wait to see what I learned from them. Or is it just more natural like, I kind of think the kids over here I happen to run into so and so. And as they were talking or as I was observing them, this is just what I I found myself thinking about

Rosanna
I think it’s an it’s a very natural thing. I don’t willingly, like go into things thinking Oh, yeah, I want to talk to everyone who’s there and I’m gonna learn from them. I’m believe it or not, like more reserved, where I kind of sit back and watch and listen, unless they feel really comfortable over time. And so it’s always just been like a natural thing, but those people Who are doing something like new or I don’t want to say like exciting or refreshing, but something that inspires me, I’m drawn to. And so then I seek out that relationship a little further and I look a little closer, and I may choose to spend more time with them. Because I genuinely like them. And because I think that they add value to like my life and the life of my children.

Jordan
Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think as parents we’re most heavily influenced by our own parents because that’s just kind of the way you were raised and you find yourself doing a lot of those similar things when you become a parent. But I think and I really like what you’re saying too about looking at the the other parents we have a chance to interact with and gleaming some of the best of from them. And I think this is much more a modern opportunity, but we can learn from parents that we’ve never met just from, you know, social media and from books and from magazines and from podcasts. And I think that there’s so this is my contention is that like, we always talk about in our professional field, who are we influenced by? And what art are we creating? But many times people will say parenting is my most or one of my most important responsibilities. And we don’t find ourselves seeking out, you know, inspirations and influences and, you know, modeling some of our behaviors off of the things that we see working for others, in the same way that we, you know, put on a pedestal in professional realms.

Rosanna
Yeah, I mean, I think the same thing would be true of marriages, right? Like we want it’s important for us to have a good marriage, a strong marriage, one that will last. So who are we following? Who are we being influenced by? Who are we spending time with in terms of other couples that we can also glean from and swap stories and hope to become more like, are we doing enough of that?

Jordan
Right, so I think just going back to my question, like we do mostly look at like professionals and artists. So the question was, to what extent is it applicable and personal areas? And I hear you saying that it’s just as if not more applicable in those areas. So it’s not always something that we talk about as much.

Rosanna
Yeah, I would agree with that statement. I think in when we’re talking about I think in the last episode, or in some of the episodes we’ve been talking about, like personal care and health and wellness, it’s the same thing like, how are you being influenced in the right way by other people. And so sometimes it’s just seeing what they’re doing. And that pushes you kind of to your next level to be better like it maybe hadn’t dawned on you to try this or, like, reconfigure the way that in which you work out or how you structure your routines. But then when you’re able to get that inspiration. You know, that’s maybe like the first step in learning if this person is someone who can also influence you with whether it’s like the knowledge or the education they have in that domain to kind of help bring you up to the next level.

Jordan
And I think from the counterpoint too, we might unwittingly have been exposed or currently exposing ourselves to negative influences where there are certain people who know what they’re creating is maybe not as positive or as healthy or appropriate for us. And it might be worthwhile to recognize that as well and replace what we can see as being a negative influence with something that’s more positive.

Rosanna
Yeah. And I think well, between the two of us, I would say that I am on social media, way more than you are. And so, you know, just thinking about like, what, what are my feeds filled with? And yeah, what am I listening to? Like through social media? What am I listening to on podcasts? You know, what are the things that I’m exposing myself to that it’s kind of like that little bird in your ear? Richard, I’m kind of back there and it’s chirping and it’s chirping, but if it’s always negative, or if it’s always, you know, problematic or if it’s always argumentative, like, who do we become when we have those birds chirping in our ear? We tend to kind of take that in and start to emulate it. Sometimes the things that we continuously hear, then we start to spew No. And so that’s when it can be dangerous.

Jordan
Yeah. So it seems like we’re always being influenced by something. But we have much more control over that, because we can choose what we’re tuning into or tuning out of.

Rosanna
Right? And same thing with what we watch. What we watch influences us, like, we’re so careful with what we let our children watch and when in terms of ratings and content and but just because we’re adults doesn’t mean that because we’re allowed to watch certain things means that they’re good for us, right? You know that we internalize some of those things without realizing them, right.

Jordan
So it’s like influences kind of like you are what you eat. Like you can you can eat as much junk food as you want. But the the influences that slowly but surely, it’s gonna take its toll on your body. And the same thing is true with your mind. You can eat a wide range of things, and slowly but surely, that’s what you’re going to become.

Rosanna
I mean for years, and I think a lot of people read fiction, right? Like, that’s what people do for entertainment. Right now I’m reading books that for the summer are just fiction. But it was what was it like five or six years ago, I like read a nonfiction book for pleasure for the first time looking at business as I was like, starting my own business and what I was doing, and just the way that your mind shifts when you’re thinking about the things that people tell you, you know, it kind of opened up this whole new world. And so this is now like my first kind of like fiction swing and in a long time, but it’s like, I was searching for answers and information and influence and inspiration. And it was like feeding my mind, but it was also like feeding my soul, too. It was like what I felt like my heart needed to be in the right place to continue to like bring my business to the next level. And so that’s a choice to be influenced by these writers and the stories of their business and who they are and who they continue to try and be and how they are going on a road. That some else has paid for them, and now trying to move that forward. And so then what is my role now is to also kind of walk that path and then carry it forward. Yes.

Jordan
What else? Yeah.

Rosanna
Um, let’s see. So if we’re constantly being influenced by what we hear what we see who we associate with, like who was around us, then Wouldn’t that wouldn’t we technically also be an influencer? Yes. And if the answer to that is yes. How should that impact pressure? Right? Yeah. How should that impact us? Just in our, I don’t know daily conversations in our, in our relationships and in what we’re pursuing?

Jordan
yeah. Well –

Rosanna
– that’s a big one.

Jordan
Yeah. And you have to think, what kind of influence or am I so we’re all constantly like bombarding one another with our with our presence and our personality and our art that we bring to life. And are you a positive influencer or a negative influence? Or you know, somewhere in between? Right?

Rosanna
– at the most basic level, I think that that’s –

Jordan
Are you someone that people would want to tune into? Or or tune out? Alright, so I think about that. Yeah. And don’t forget, like, for me, I don’t really think about Oh, like, I wish I had X number of people who were, like, you know, following this this portion of my life or imitating this about me, and I think most people, like don’t think about it, don’t care about that. But I do think that it, it kind of manifests itself in the kinds of relationships that you do have, you know, the things that are important to you and who you are, and the things that you’re creating are, you know, have been absorbed by others. And I think that that kind of comes back to you in what others are giving to you. And, you know, I think that we should always be conscious of just being our I mean, our best selves in the domains. And if people like it, then I think we have an opportunity to build into one another. And if people don’t like it or don’t care, you know, then I think that’s just something that fades away.

Rosanna
Yeah, and I think there’s kind of like that, like, tried and true. Like you can, you can tell yourself or other people who you are, but other people will decide for themselves who you are based on the kind of person you are, what you say and what you do, and what you continue. What you continuously do, too.

Jordan
I think you could, probably and I think about this with kids, too, like you can sit down and you can explain very carefully, like what your values are and what you expect of them. And they’ll they’ll hear you, but they’re also watching you on a day to day basis. And so I think one phrase that we’ve heard from time to time is that like who you are is caught rather than taught. And I really like that because the way that we influence someone is probably really hard to sit down and explain and categorize. So it’s like it might be difficult for an artist to or musician to sit down and carefully delineate their style, it kind of transcends that sort of definition, yet it can still be absorbed by someone else. And so I think just in the way we live, like there is I do call like living like in an art, because we are we are creating something original and beautiful, and the story that that we each tell. So is that a story that is compelling and has virtue in it that is going to other people who are looking for the positive are going to gravitate towards? Or is it a dry story or a negative story that would probably recede, you know, behind things that are more important for others.

Rosanna
So really, what this kind of stems back to is like your values, like who are you? What do you stand for, and then how long Is it that you’re creating a life around those things? Can people see those things? Can they hear those things? Can they experience those things from you? Right?

Jordan
Yeah, I think so at the deepest level, yeah. And I think in other ways that it has more to do with, like, you know, personality and style and like going back to teaching, like I can teach in a certain way. And I think that’s rooted in values that I have for students and for education. And, you know, others may observe that and try to, you know, emulate their own teaching based off of what they might observe. And I think that they hopefully would absorb some of those positive values. But, you know, there’s also I think, and personality, like, you know, stylistic approaches that they may try to adapt as well to emanate those those values and create similar effects.

Rosanna
And I think that’s true of any profession. Okay, so let’s talk about being a wedding coordinator, right. You can hire any number of wedding coordinators and we will really technically do the same thing for you. We will help you create a timeline, we will make sure that the timeline is followed, we will coordinate vendors and make sure like, we will all do those same things, but it’s the way in which you carry those out, right? Like the way you make people feel as you’re doing them the way that you can orchestrate something. It’s, it’s in the art of what it is that you’re doing. You know, same thing with people in the fitness industry, right? You can go to any gym and have any instructor or personal trainer like they do the like the things to protocol, right. They’ve learned those things, but it’s the finesse in the way in which they do them their style, right, how they, how they manipulate, like, the knowledge to inspire people to motivate people to to build things. Yeah. Pretty good. Do you have any more questions? Mine are pretty basic.

Jordan
Yeah, no, I have questions. We actually answered each of those. And, you know, I think it’s good to get into the takeaways, but I mean, obviously like we’re mainly talking about the the way that we are influenced by others and a number of domains. And I think just raising our consciousness of where that’s taking place and also how we might be on the giving end of that as well to our children and to the people who witness our life.

Rosanna
Okay, so let’s go to takeaways then. Alright, so the first one I have as if we have people who inspire us, then chances are we have something to aspire to. And what we’re always aspiring to be, is the next best version of ourselves. So if that’s personally as a parent, as a spouse, right, as a sibling, as whatever, whatever personally means to you, but also our craft, how we do what we do in our businesses and in our professions. So it’s not just business as usual. It’s how our interpretation of that brings life to others. So I think that’s number one. So like, who inspires you I think we should take an inventory of those people who inspire and influence us. And if you don’t have someone in a major area of your life, maybe it’s time to ask actually start looking for those people different than a mentor just someone who’s influenced you can’t –

Jordan
You don’t have to sit across the coffee table from them and have them grill you with questions or challenges. It’s finding, finding the positive people that you want to be like whether it’s in a personal professional capacity.

Rosanna
Okay? Number two, inspiration and influence is different than education. So inspiration and influence happen based on like exposure and or proximity. So absorbing the way other people create or how they do what they do. It’s not learning, like, how to play the piano. It’s not learning. You know, how to change a diaper, like learning to be a mother, in a certain way is past the technical aspect of anything, right?

Jordan
Yeah, you can read a technical manual and a lot of different concepts, but who, who’s creating the art the feeling that you’re trying to also create? Okay, yeah, and I I think we’ll do episodes down the road that will talk more about that education side of things as well, because that plays an important role. You can’t you can’t really go on to create something magnificent, if you don’t know, without a knowledge of how to do as well either. So I think that there’s an interplay between those.

Rosanna
Alright, so number three is you are the company you keep. So take a look at your personal circles and your professional circles. Who are your friends? Do they inspire you to be better? Do they inspire you to dream to stretch to grow? Do they challenge you? You know, if they don’t, maybe it’s time to you know, start looking at those people who you do see that do give you a little bit of inspiration who seemed to influence you and start gravitating towards those people. You know, there are some friends that are forever and family is forever but that does not mean you can’t bring in new people. Right?

Jordan
I would even expand the definition of company to being like not just friends and family but like you referenced earlier. Just whatever we’re exposing ourselves to I would say like the shows that we watch the music We listened to the podcasts that we listened to the things that we read, all of that is the company that we’re allowing access to our mind and our psychology.

Rosanna
Okay, which is kind of my fourth point. So you jumped the gun a little bit, but I think that’s a great segue –

Jordan
You’re welcome. For that seamless transition.

Rosanna
You are the company you keep, but are you being selective enough with who or what you’re exposing yourself to? So think about it social media, podcasts, books, movies, music, the more frequent and consistent the more you’ll be influenced by them. So is it time to do a little spring cleaning, we’re a little late for spring. We’re well into the summer, but maybe it’s time to go through those feeds and clear out some of the junk, right, like I will tell you that I am a longtime bachelor fan and lover the last couple years, I’ve had no time for that. But you know, I found myself like following you know, former bachelor and bachelorettes and I was thinking –

I’m not 20 anymore. You know, I’m not gonna I’m 40 like, those are not the people I want to follow. So who do I want to follow and be in search of those new new things? You know, we all shift, we all change, we all grow. So maybe maybe it’s just time to find inspiration and influence in new ways as we continue to grow and change.

Jordan
Yeah, maybe ways that even make us uncomfortable. Or challenge us with something new, like a new idea or new perspective and, but something that still like, fuels our own self growth and helps us you know, add to the, to the palette of life with which we’re going to paint the portrait that will become.

Rosanna
The palette of life.

Jordan
But no, put it on the list of amazing metaphors brought in by this podcast.

Rosanna
There you go.

Jordan
All right. Well, thank you so much for tuning in once again to episode nine. And we hope that you do take some time to consider some of the influences and inspirations that you have in your life. If you’d like to explore a little bit more about what Rosanna and I have to share please check out the relentless pursuit podcast calm. And you can even subscribe to our email list and get a free gift when you do. And please leave us some comments and some raving reviews on whatever podcast platform you happen to be listening to. We are excited to be bringing you more episodes in the near future as we close out season one. And so we hope you enjoyed this one and we look forward to speaking with you more. Thanks for listening