Win Today

#202 | The Inner Compass: 3 Questions That Can Change Your Life & Changed Mine

• Season 5

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You already have the answers, but you might not have the path. Or you know the path but can't help bumps in the road from turning into mountains.

Feeling stuck, frustrated, or unsure of your next step? This episode introduces three powerful questions that can help you break through doubt, gain clarity, and turn challenges into growth. As midyear fatigue sets in, these tools will help you realign with your purpose and stay focused on what truly matters. 

These 3 questions can be asked regularly to avoid setbacks, create clarity, and continue moving forward in any situation.

Thank you for tuning in! If you feel led, please subscribe & share the show to others who you believe would benefit from it.
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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Wednesday podcast, a weekly resource thoughtfully crafted to help people build and refine discipline, accomplish their goals, fortify their mindsets and be of service to somebody in this world. My name is Ryan Cass and I am your host, and it is my mission and commitment to deliver amazing episodes to you every week where you'll learn from myself or renowned expert in their field. We love helping people win in every aspect of their lives, and you can help us win by sharing the show with somebody that you believe will benefit from it, subscribing and leaving a rating and review. We believe that everybody in this world is meant to do something great with their lives and we're here to help play a role in that. Thank you for tuning in and let's win today.

Speaker 2:

The power is in you, the answer is in you and you are the answer to all your searches. The answer to all your searches, you are the goal, you are the answer. It's never outside Eckhart Tolle. Eckhart Tolle is a well-known author and spiritual psychologist mindset coach, renowned for helping people identify what's already within themselves to move forward, has a lot of amazing quotes, and, as we're now approaching the halfway point in the year, I love to bring back some tips that are often referenced at the beginning of the year, some tips that are often referenced at the beginning of the year. This is the time where the weather's getting warmer, people are and this is statistically proven becoming a little less focused on their goals, especially now with vacations coming up, and I love to provide resources to help people stay as focused as possible and enable them to be successful. That opening quote was by design, in that we already have all of the answers that we need within us, answers that we need within us. I think about this when I research a lot of well-renowned coaches, especially guys like Ed Milet or Brennan Burchard, who have business backgrounds by trade, yet they're coaching athletes, they're coaching entrepreneurs and industries that they have no experience in. They're coaching doctors, astronauts, people that are completely outside of their realm, and I remember first thinking, well, what are they coaching them on? How can they possibly be? Well, what are they coaching them on? How can they possibly be coaching them? As if this is a sports-type relationship, where Ed Milet isn't going to tell Michael Chandler, who's one of his UFC clients, when to throw a punch, when to throw a hard left versus a right uppercut. So what is he actually doing? And he's really helping him in this case, michael, one of the greatest UFC fighters out there right now explore what's already within himself. So think about that within himself. So think about that. Some of the most well-renowned coaches in the world, even Tony Robbins, who has worked with people in every profession, industry, world leaders, things that he has no actual experience in, yet he can coach people on it. He's not giving the how-tos. The how-to for life already resides within you, and one way that we can understand that and see what's in us or create the pathway to go where we desire, is by asking ourselves the right questions, and this is what this episode is about.

Speaker 2:

Today. There are three questions that have completely changed my life, many of which well, a couple of which I reference in this podcast frequently, because I believe that these three questions we're going to go over today aren't just three questions that you ask yourself once and then. It's like an inventory or a checklist and you're good, you don't need to ask them anymore because it gave you an answer or clarity in that moment and now that's it. As beings, we are constantly evolving and what is important to us or meaningful us today might not be important to you or as meaningful one year from now, two years from now, six months from now, depending on how life changes. Life on average as an adult changes 38 plus times. An adult goes through 38 plus major life changes after turning 18 years old. I remember that from an interview with Brad Stahlberg at the beginning of last year going over his book Master of Change.

Speaker 2:

So the answers and the clarity that we want can be extracted by asking ourselves the right questions, and that's what these well-renowned coaches do and the people like the Eckhart Tolle with the opening quote remind us of is that, hey, I'm not going to tell you how to go and be a doctor. If that's what you want to do and maybe you're unsure, I'm going to ask you the right questions that are going to help you chart the course that you know you need to go on in order to achieve that thing. Now, the questions that we're going to pose here are more so intended for for keeping you moving forward, regardless of what you may encounter along the way. So there's a whole set of questions that can help you identify your path, but the questions we're posing here are ones that, once you're on your path, or once you and when you encounter some sort of roadblock, this will keep you moving forward versus set you back. And an example of that in the first question, I believe, one that I asked myself countless times personally, professionally, in a variety of fashions what makes this true? What makes this true? What makes this true? Another way you can look at this question is what evidence do I have right now? But go back. What makes this true Now? What's the context behind that?

Speaker 2:

We often can have a thought about not being capable enough, not being good enough. That voice of doubt visits the most resilient people in the world when you study them and listen to them. Even people like David Goggins, people think now or many people may think that, for as resilient as he is and for everything that he's gone through that. He has found a way to permanently conquer the voice of doubt, and it never visits him anymore, or else he wouldn't be able to do all these things. That man wakes up in the morning, just like you and I do. That man wakes up in the morning, just like you and I do, goes downstairs, or however his house is laid out, but goes down and looks at his workout gear, just like you and I do, not wanting to put it on, wanting to jump back in bed, believing that he's not capable of doing whatever it is that he's going after. And the difference maker is, even when those voices visit, he doesn't buy into the story, or we can easily buy into the story that then prevents us from doing the very thing that we know is most useful or most beneficial to getting us to where we want to go. We can buy into this narrative that prevents us from exploring, or rather, prevents us from creating the answer that's already inside of us, because we're allowing this narrative to stop us. An example of that, and something that completely changed the game for me after I attended a personal development course in 2021.

Speaker 2:

My mom, who I love to death, even at 32 years old now, doesn't matter where I'm going. I could be going on a business trip. I could be going to a friend's house. She will always ask something along the lines of well, did you bring a jacket, if she knows the training? Did you bring gloves? Did you feed the dog?

Speaker 2:

And what I used to hear when all she was doing was looking out for me, is you're not trustworthy, you're uncapable, you're like a little kid, you're not an adult. That's what I would hear and that's the narrative that I created that my own mom doesn't trust me and doesn't believe that I'm capable of doing things on my own. Mom doesn't trust me and doesn't believe that I'm capable of doing things on my own, and I would get so frustrated with her, like mom, of course, what do you think? I'm stupid, I'm a little kid, like that narrative of I'm incapable, or she doesn't trust me. If I asked myself in that moment what makes that true or what evidence do I have that supports this? Just pause for a minute and ask that question. I couldn't give you a genuine answer to it, because the narrative is not true. I have nothing that supports, and you likely have nothing that supports, the very narrative that you're holding is true in your mind, because you may not be pausing and slowing down for just 10 to 30 seconds to reflect.

Speaker 2:

So when she will do that? Now there's a split second thought of you know, of course, yes, mom, but it's instantly now. My conditioned response is oh, there's somebody that loves me, and I'm so grateful to have a mom that looks after me and cares for me. We often can push people away in our lives that mean a lot to us because we don't take a step back to understand what they're really saying or to hear what they are really intending to communicate, and we can often create a false narrative even for the very things that we want to go after.

Speaker 2:

I remember having doubts when launching this podcast and now we have over 200 episodes out but I remember having doubts that I don't have the equipment. I'm not an interviewer. I don't know anything about media. I'm a total phony. What do I know about personal development and putting my whole work out there to the world now? Well, what makes that true? What evidence do I have to support the claim that I know nothing about personal development? Oh well, you've been on this goal-setting journey now from 2011 to now 2025. You've written your goals down every year. You've helped countless people. Doesn't sound like you don't know nothing. So let's move forward when you step back, and this is one that I often ask in periods of doubt, in periods of disbelief and in periods of frustration, because in those moments, one, we can create and believe a false narrative and two, we can be completely tone deaf to the real message and not allow ourselves to hear what somebody or something may be intending to get through to us. Now I hear every time that my mom is showing me love, every time Somebody that loves me. No point in getting upset. There's a lot of people that would kill to be able to have their mom or their dad or somebody that's important to them in their lives, check up on them. Don't push those people away. What makes this true and what evidence do I have?

Speaker 2:

The next one is one that one of my coaches over the last year, marcus Collius, gave to me, and this is one that often comes up in my journal, and I look at this from a personal and professional perspective as well. What does ideal look like? And think about that, for everything, or whatever might occurs to you, is meaningful. What does ideal look like in this moment, as it relates to your day, as it relates to your week, as it relates to your relationship, everything Another way to look at that question is what is a 10 out of 10 day week relationship look like? This one is a great one to use in many capacities, one. It's one that can help get you out of a negative state, because when you ask that question, what does ideal look like? You're going to be thinking about all of the positive contributors to that thing.

Speaker 2:

What does ideal look like right now for your work week? What does ideal look like right now for your work week? Well, ideal would look like three less meetings that can be consolidated into one. It looks like taking a walking lunch break or a walking meeting on Mondays and Fridays as opposed to sitting down days and Fridays as opposed to sitting down. It looks like every other Friday taking two hours off early to enjoy the beach, the setting. Whatever the case may be, as you're generating those ideas, it's tough not to alter your state. How could someone say or think about those things with a frown or without having some jolt of?

Speaker 2:

oh man, that's awesome and some jolt of imagining those very things then taking place. It's tough for me even to say it right now without starting to smile from ear to ear. The other reason why this is important is because we're evolving beings, as I mentioned, and ideal today might look different in six months and 12 months. The other thing is that it can help you really see a trend as to what is becoming more and more concrete. So meaning, I've journaled about this question dozens of times and what I look for at times is okay, what looked the same between 2025, where we're at right now to May of 2024, or May of 2023. I forgot. I've been asking myself this one for a while. Beyond Marcus, what does that look like? And while I've seen some slight shifts, there are a lot of things that remain hyper consistent, which tells me that, okay, these are the things that are really important to continue doing and to keep in the routine and to continue refining, and these are things that we can identify really as a value or a non-negotiable. And as we move forward, don't lose sight of that, because if that has not fallen off the list in multiple years, that's probably just a part of who you are and it's something that you really enjoy and love. So this question can alter your state, create positivity, create clarity and really help stay in alignment with what is most meaningful and useful in your life. So what we've gone through so far is what makes this true and what does ideal look like? Or what would ideal look like? And you can ask that question in any regard personal, professional, relationship. I love that question.

Speaker 2:

The last one, and this is one that I wish I knew when I was especially a youngster, but really in my teenage years what's the good in this? Or, said differently, how is this serving me right now? So, again, when we think about question one and number three, I prefer to focus on the questions that can quickly get us out of a road bump or get us out of creating a narrative that doesn't serve us and then holding that as true and not moving closer towards our goals and dreams. I love to focus on things that get us back to center and going upwards as quickly as possible. And the more that we practice these questions, ask ourselves these questions, we can condition the response and we can condition even the action to ask the question so that when something doesn't go your way or when you catch yourself potentially creating a story, you can instantly ask yourself what makes this true.

Speaker 2:

When you encounter a road bump, something doesn't go your way, you can instantly ask yourself what's the good in this and how is this serving me right now? Because there is good that can be extracted from everything in life. Maybe not instantly, right in the moment, but I do believe that there is good. And then there is good meaning that good is good and not good delivers good. Therefore, not good is good. Said differently, one thing that I say when I'm running in the morning, especially when I'm expressing my gratitude, I literally and I'm doing this right now too I have my arms wide open and I'm expressing I'm so grateful, I'm so grateful, thank you so much for this day. I'm so grateful for all of the great things that have came and I'm so grateful for the not so good things to come or anything that's not useful to come, because I know that's going to bring good to. Therefore, all is good, good is good and bad is good, because bad brings good.

Speaker 2:

Now, some of you may be scratching your head or thinking what the heck are you talking about? That wasn't something that I just said once and then instantly it just rattles off the tongue. That is something that has come with a lot of conditioning and practice that even if something doesn't go my way or there's a difficult circumstance in life, there's a relationship that may have ended, whatever the case may be, I will find the good in that very quickly and focus on that, versus allow the bad or the quote bad, the perceived bad to drag me down. Bad to drag me down Now. There can be extremes with this, and the intent isn't to go down that bunny hole right now, the extremes being that so you're telling me that you would find good in someone dying instantly. Hold on here, hold on here. That's not the case. But generally speaking, outside of extremities, there is good that can quickly be found in just about anything in life, and when we condition ourselves to ask that question and focus on that, we keep moving forward. We keep moving towards the answers that we are seeking and the dreams that we're ultimately envisioning and working to create.

Speaker 2:

I mentioned that I wish I would have known what this question was when I was a teenager, because that's when I was most upset at the world, thinking man, why is this happening to me? Why is all this stuff at home that I'm so angry about and being destructive about. Why is this happening to me? Versus if someone would have said hey, man, what's the good it's giving you right now, like everything I went through in my past in a broken household is literally what is creating this podcast and what is creating my future outside the corporate world. So much good, so much goodness. Life is filled with good and an abundance of gifts when we condition ourselves and train ourselves to look at it from the right lens.

Speaker 2:

What's one way you can do that? Ask the right questions. What's a really good question. What's the good in this? How is this serving me right now? What good is this possibly giving me? Think about that with a scenario that has put you where you're at today. Or think about that with something that you may be struggling with right now or have struggled with recently. Can you sit with that for a few moments and think about at least one positive that it has brought out or that it can bring out that will make you better, that will keep you out of that situation again in the future? I'd be hard-pressed if you weren't able to find one thing.

Speaker 2:

So, as we go along this journey, going back to the beginning.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to reread the quote the power is in you, the answer is in you, and you are the answer to all your searches. You are the goal, you are the answer. It's never outside. What that says is is no matter what conquest you're on right now, there's nobody that knows it better than you, and there's nobody that knows how to be you better than you, and there's going to be things that will present themselves that attempt to get you off course, attempt to sway you from the very thing that you know you want. And these three questions are very useful in keeping you on the path finding the good and reconnecting with. What is it that is really most meaningful at the end of the day, what makes this true, what's the good in this and what does ideal look like? These are three questions that have completely changed my life and really serve at the top of the arsenal for staying in that elevated state and continuing to move forward, recognizing tons of goodness that will enable you and will enable me, enable us, to win today. Thank you so much.

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