Clean Your F*cking House B*tch
Our minds are like houses. When they're new, they're empty. As we live our lives we acquire treasures that eventually turn into shit that creates clutter. Some of this stuff is useful, while some of it is simply junk which just creates obstacles for us. What if we could eliminate the nonsense we don't need, and create more room for useful things? Join us on this podcast where we discuss removing what we don't need, implementing beneficial changes to our minds, bodies and souls, to create a life of abundance and fulfillment.
Clean Your F*cking House B*tch
Ep. 97 - From Cleaning to Personal Breakthroughs
Ever wondered why your motivation to clean skyrockets just before guests arrive? Join Nancy, Kevin, and Lou on "Clean Your Fucking House, Bitch" as we tackle the unpredictable ebb and flow of motivation and how our surroundings can spur us into action. We share our own experiences of frantic tidying when company is expected and dig into why setting deadlines can transform procrastinators into productivity powerhouses. With a nod to changing social dynamics and the impact on personal satisfaction, we extend the concept of spring cleaning beyond the calendar month of April, challenging you to reinvent your space whenever inspiration strikes—no New Year’s resolutions required.
But it’s not all about dust bunnies and dishwashers; we're also talking growth—personal and professional. From the surprising clarity gained through fasting and cold exposure to the simple habit of tidying up, we explore how stepping out of comfort zones can lead to a sharper, more disciplined version of yourself. We emphasize the power of small, consistent actions that snowball into lasting change, whether you're organizing your living room or your life. So, grab a broom and challenge yourself; after all, embracing the seemingly impossible could lead to your next breakthrough. We wrap up with gratitude for our listeners and a teaser for the exciting topics coming your way.
Hello and welcome to Clean your Fucking House, bitch, with Nancy, kevin and Lou. In our program we get real about the challenges of life and living. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have to ensure you are on your desired path for success and satisfaction. Yet from the day you are born, you gradually and subconsciously fill it with tons of useless shit that gets in your way. Why is that? How can you clean that mess up? We'll show you how. Get ready to clean your fucking house.
Speaker 2:I was going to say good morning everybody, but it won't be morning necessarily when you hear this. But hello and welcome. We were chatting, as we always do beforehand today about spring cleaning and really recognizing that it's never too soon to start, Even with comparison, to thinking about the new year. You don't have to wait for January. You can start in October, November, whenever you feel inspired to look forward and create something new. And so if you want to clear the clutter and begin your spring cleaning now, then let's freaking do it.
Speaker 3:What if you're not feeling? Inspired?
Speaker 2:I mean it's okay to think about it, process it, decide what you really want to do.
Speaker 1:You know, kevin, it's interesting you opened with that particular sentence because the minute nancy talked about spring cleaning it made me think of situations in my life where there has been something of a spark and as as nancy shared, another example being like, say, january 1st. You know, for some reason there are certain times and I can completely relate to this at work where one day I'm gung ho, I'm going crazy, I'm inspired, I'm on a roll. It's almost like I took a whole bottle of caffeine pills and I'm going crazy. And then other days it's just like in a total slump and I'm like I'm always thinking what the hell happened in my own brain where that spark was triggered.
Speaker 2:You know, you would think that our bodies kind of regulate on a, on a on a consistent basis or otherwise, just kind of hum along and you know, maybe it's not your brain, though, maybe it's about the surrounding environment and because, then, what you were just talking about made me think about actually cleaning. Like I got dust bunnies going on and stuff that are a little embarrassing, but no one's seen them but me. So so what? And so for me, cleaning really is inspired when I'm connecting with other people, and if I'm going to have people, then I'm inspired to do it and I love doing it. It's not like, oh sheesh, I have to do this before people come. It's like, oh, I want to. So there's something about our environment that plays a role, I think, in our inspiration.
Speaker 3:That is a good point. I get really excited to clean when I know we're having people over. Yeah, I enjoy it. Put on some music and you know I got my little routine that I do. That's a good point. It does definitely make me want to like not look like my house is a mess all the time, you know. And then like, oh, it's always this clean. You know, I didn't just clean it for five hours before everybody got here, Always like this.
Speaker 2:I think it's okay to acknowledge reality too. Like it's not, no, I will be sure to.
Speaker 1:Well, now, everybody knows, but I'm free to say it doesn't always look like this you know it almost feels like something of a trigger, might be feeling like we're gonna have company every day. Does that make sense? Yeah, that'll keep me cleaning, keep me going. You know, keep me.
Speaker 2:You want to be ready.
Speaker 1:It's almost like yeah, Almost like setting deadlines having deadlines set that make us feel triggered to get things done before they're due.
Speaker 2:So what cleaning do you want to set a deadline for? What do you need to clear right now?
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, I mean, that's kind of a long list. At the moment, I have to admit, I have some dust bunnies going on over here as well, and what with me, I very rarely have company, which, I have to say, not to go so much off on a tangent, but we always do. And just to say, god, it's so different now than when I was younger. We'd have company every day, or at least, you know, a couple of times a week, and I'm like thinking God, lately folks just don't have company like they used to. But in any event, yeah, cleaning is certainly high on the list, you know, I would say the usual things. Planning for upcoming vacations yeah, I tend to have where, knowing how much vacation time I have, how much PTO, I'm like, ok, where do I want to go this year and who do I want to see, what do I want to do, et cetera.
Speaker 2:And I try to get that stuff at least planned early enough, even if I don't necessarily book things At least planned early enough, even if I don't necessarily book things, I have to say, because this makes me think of what an old boss used to say to us that's a high class problem. All right, that's not an everyday problem. It sounds like a privilege, Like, ok, I need to plan my time off and make sure I take.
Speaker 3:We'll call it first world problems Gotcha, OK Well and I'll probably say it that world problems, Gotcha.
Speaker 1:Okay, Well, and I'll and I'll probably say it that way only because those are the things that are less routine. You know, the routine things I don't really, I just kind of go with the flow.
Speaker 3:So lose doing pretty good in life is what I'm hearing.
Speaker 1:Well, not necessarily you know, I guess situationally I would say no, but it doesn't mean that I'm not happy and not satisfied and not, you know, still chugging along. I think we all probably feel, meaning the world, that we all could be in a better place.
Speaker 2:I wonder what the percentage of that is. Sorry, sorry, kev. Interesting perspective.
Speaker 1:I'm going to say close to 100. I just think that's a natural human feeling, would you not agree?
Speaker 2:I hope there's some people that feel like they're in the right place doing the right thing. I hope we're not all feeling this you know, life sucks.
Speaker 1:Well, no, it isn't a life sucks thing, it's more of a. I still have business left to tend to kind of thing.
Speaker 3:I think that's an important perspective to have, kind of thing. I think that's an important perspective to have. But, as when you asked, I was like thinking that I'm kind of happy and content where I am, but part of that is the still putting an effort for things I want to grow like into and with. Like that's a whole part of my contentment is knowing that I have areas of focus that I put energy into every day. Yeah, it's kind of like finding that rhythm, even at work, like work's been crazy, super busy and, like you lou, like you said, some days it's like, yeah, you know, fucking, knock shit up, it's all good.
Speaker 3:And some days it's like, eh, you know, fucking knock shit out, it's all good and then some days it just can like get overwhelming or whatever, and I just I've come to expect, I guess, more and more stuff to come my way to get done and when I look at everything as a whole, it's just impossible to accomplish and get caught up. So I'm kind of I don't know. It's just the same way that I approach life. Now is the same way I approach work where it's like I'm going to put my best effort in, I'm going to prioritize, and it's not going to be perfect, but I'll feel damn good about it, you know, and I'll feel damn good about it, you know, and I'll feel accomplished you did all you could in any given day or week or month yeah, and not beat myself like so hard not to beat yourself up over anything, really right.
Speaker 3:But I guess a learned perspective for me is not ever feeling completely caught up or that like I have nothing left to do, because that was always like the goal when I like, especially when I started the position that I'm in now, because I had come from a position where I could get to that point feel caught up. Now it's not like really an option, but I'm cool with it, like it's all good, like I know I'm excelling and I'm having a positive impact on those around me, the people that I work with, so it's all good me, the people that I work with, so it's all good.
Speaker 1:that is such a weird kind of catch 22, because if we all of a sudden are caught up, it almost feels like, well damn, you know, um, am I? What's the word? Um, not disposable, but uh, you know already got all the stuff done.
Speaker 1:Get them out yeah, like man, I'm not really given more to do, so there there must be something not like wrong with me, but just that geez, if you know somebody can get this stuff done this quickly, they don't need me kind of thing. But I hate being overwhelmed, I hate having all that stuff to do, but it's great when you have, say, the conversations with the boss.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, I have all this on my to-do list, so I I'm really got a lot going on. You know, I feel like the overwhelm part of that is a choice. Yeah, yeah it is. You know, it's how you want to look at it. And I get it when you already have so much stuff that you will never get it done that week or that month or that quarter. And then more stuff comes and it like this stuff's also very high priority, right, Like it's just. It is what it is and I'm again like I'm going to focus, I'm going to prioritize, I'm going to do what I can. I'll put in some extra time.
Speaker 3:That's cool, but just accepting and I guess it's been that's probably been helpful outside of my profession too, because even in my personal life, like I'm never really caught up where I have nothing that I can be working on of you know putting an effort on all these areas that I want to improve and grow, but then you know taking some time for celebration or just to relax or whatever you know, and you find that right balance for you as an individual. I think it's like a magical thing, you know, because then there's nothing really looming over you and you're not feeling like you need to pressure yourself, but you're feeling accomplished on what you've done. But you'll still choose to, like, push yourself. You know, here and there, I don't know. It's cool, I'm feeling good, I like life, I want change, but I want the change that I'm going to influence, moving forward Like I don't need anything crazy different in my life, Like overnight.
Speaker 3:I don't think I would change much but you also said you're working towards change, like you have work in process and it's moving at its appropriate pace and you're fine with that for now but it's that, it's that journey that I really enjoy and I guess, right, like, yeah, it's good to get big quarterly objectives done, but as you're going through and you're chipping away at all the items and you're feeling like you're growing and you're learning, like that's the cool part to me. You know, it's nice to have the accolades or whatever and be able to say I got through this really difficult time, but being in it in it's like that's where you're living, that's where you're present.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, that's the good stuff, and certainly when you're learning it, you know. But after you sort of get what you might call up to speed in a certain position, I guess it's easy to fall victim to routine or otherwise. I don't know if boredom is the right word, but man, I'm not growing, I'm not learning new things, I'm just repeating the same things, maybe in different ways with as time goes on, now that I've kind of learned the process and learned the relationships and whatnot. So the always having something new is a good thing, even if it kind of adds to the overwhelm play, yeah for sure.
Speaker 3:And even stuff that you've done, that you have become very proficient in. You'll still get little nuggets here and there and you'll learn something new or a different way to do it that's way more efficient. Like how to approach relationships, how to approach relationships, sessions with people, meetings, right, Like you can continue to develop that for sure. I don't think that ever has to stop, unless you choose.
Speaker 2:Like well, that comes back to environment. So it's, we don't live in a controlled environment, right? And so you might have a weekly meeting with certain people, but what they bring and how they come is going to be different too, so it won't always be the same. So you have nothing to like. If you were having a garage sale, kevin, you got nothing to pull out of the closet. Right now, like you're good, you're passing on the garage sale.
Speaker 3:I mean we have a lot of shit definitely that we could sell like we got we got things, you know we got stuff. But I mean we have a lot of shit definitely that we could sell Like we got we got things, you know we got stuff. But no, I mean I I have a plan. I'm executing on it. Um, like I'm trying to do a tournament in April and I have to lose a decent amount of weight for the weight class that I want to do. Um, but I've been like eating really healthy and I've been dropping down pounds in a healthy way already, but next week, like I want to create a little bit more challenge for myself, so I'm going to fast all week, like Monday through Thursday. What?
Speaker 2:does that mean Fasting?
Speaker 3:for you?
Speaker 2:Uh, just water Um all for 24 hours hours, five days in a row or for 18 hours a day, with not intermittent I normally do intermittent fasting, but I want to do more of an extended fast.
Speaker 3:So yeah, four days like I won't eat monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday and I'll probably break my fast friday.
Speaker 1:So it's just water.
Speaker 3:You did that, uh, I did last year. I did five days, uh, probably about a year ago. So it's nice, it's it's, it's challenging, um, it's a different experience every time. I feel like, but I just, you know, food is has always been, um, something that I've really enjoyed and haven't always tried to like have self-control with. So that's, to me, is my way of just being in control of that.
Speaker 2:You know, like hunger, appetite, like I'm going to want to eat, I'm going to want to taste stuff well, I'm curious to know if you remember when you did this last time, like what were the, the phases of each day, like do you kind of remember physical feelings and and how it made you think and how you got yourself through it? What were the shifts in the evolution of it?
Speaker 3:um, in the beginning I say like the first day towards the end of the first day was the most difficult, because I'm like an evening eater, so a lot of days I'll do one meal a day and my meal will be in the evening, so that around that time I was like a little bit hard. So I'll go to bed early or whatever, try to sleep. Well, I've done it before and it's typically a lot easier than the last time I did it. It was challenging last time because I was still training, like with the same amount of output as I normally do, so that made me feel, I think, hungrier. Right, I think we get hungry after we exercise.
Speaker 3:So that was challenging. But no, I think the first day was hard. I mean, after the first day I feel like you wake up that second day and you're not really hungry at all, like moving forward your focus, my focus, at least focus levels increase. I'm way more focused. I typically sleep better, better although last time with the training that didn't sleep great um, more emotionally stable, less reactive, I would say a lot of energy a lot of energy, tons of energy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, that's interesting you think that, like in my mind, for and for me this would be a different experience. It would be very hard, and so I imagine the intensity increasing. But for you, what I'm hearing is that the evolution of it was calm and clarity and energy that came in the in the extended evolution of it.
Speaker 3:That's fascinating yeah, I think a lot of it's environment driven. I think it would be difficult to do if you had like plans to go out to this or that and you still wanted to follow through. But I know that those days during the week like I don't really do much socially outside of work, so it'll be easier for me to just come home and kind of chill, like I'll typically be a little bit bored, because normally it's like eat and watch a show or a movie with Melissa or whatever, right, and I won't have that. I won't want to sit around. I'll probably end up cleaning or something, cause I'll be bored. But it'll, it'll be fine, it'll work. Um, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 3:I like testing myself with things that a lot of people's responses are I could never do that. Like that cold, cold, cold water, exposure, that type of stuff. That's the majority, I would say 99% of people. That I engage in a conversation and that topic comes up, that's the response. I can never do that. It's like you could, you could definitely do it. I can never do that. It's like you could, you could definitely do it. It's just very uncomfortable. It's very challenging. That's motivating to me is to know that I'm doing something that people believe they can't do, even though they could. Like we could all do whatever we want, right? It's just that it's the mental and emotional part of it having to really like hone in and focus.
Speaker 1:Even something like that. In particular, I think, like most people probably think of the immediate shock, meaning going from, say, a hot shower to a cold shower. But it's like well, just slowly change the temperature a little each day and you'll eventually get there.
Speaker 3:I feel like it depends on the person. It's interesting because for me, I am um, what's the word I'm looking? Can't think of this English word. I'm looking for Moderation, thank you.
Speaker 3:It's way more difficult for me to moderate things than it is to just eliminate things. So in that example, like I'll be in the shower and I'm like, okay, it's zero degrees outside, the water is going to be absolutely freezing. I don't want to go slow, I want to crank that shit as cold as it goes and get in there and start breathing and just go through it like, and every time, especially with how cold it is right now, before I do it, I'm like I don't need to do it today, like I don't, I do it every day, I don't have to do it today. And then my hand just goes to the thing, goes to fricking cold and I go in and I breathe and I'm just, you know, I get it done. But every time I don't want to, every time I'm like, why am I going to do this? And I will, I can. I would be able to talk myself out of it if my body didn't just go and fucking do it.
Speaker 2:I'm the person who's going to say I'm not going to do that.
Speaker 1:Well, hot showers are bad for the skin, they dry out the skin. But you know, even I remember, either as a kid or maybe young adult, either doing that or maybe being forced to do that because of no hot water in the house, kind of thing. But I I remember, even just trying it and and not that I was it took an hour before I got there. It was just, you know, a turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, all of maybe 30 seconds, but I don't think I could just go like it in a split second. It's a shock you could. Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, I, and I hear what you're saying.
Speaker 1:No, I could, it's just, I'm like, let me work my way there.
Speaker 3:And but it's just one of those things. It's like every day I don't look forward to it, but afterwards like I feel great, great, like you really do feel freaking amazing afterwards. And then the fact that you like it's one thing, that you were like I definitely don't want to fucking do this, but you do it. Yeah, just kind of.
Speaker 1:there's many things like that. You know working out in general is is one of those things a lot of people dread. Many people love going to the gym and working out, and I mean I, I think that's usually the result of having done it on a regular basis. Your, your mind naturally goes to this is a part of my daily gratification. Um, but for many folks, getting there's a struggle, but then once they do it's, they love it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, it's, it's weird most of the time people are like after the workout. Most people never are like. I wish I hadn't done that. I would have stayed in bed or whatever, not gotten up early, it's just just getting there.
Speaker 1:That's why I like and usually it's. I'm glad I did that.
Speaker 3:Oh, 100%. Yeah, yeah, it's just needing to. That's why it's like for the morning. It works out really well for me because I don't give myself time to think myself out of it. I get up, I get out of the house as quickly as possible and then I'm in the car. I'm already, I'm going. You know what I mean totally, totally I.
Speaker 2:I'm think I'm in the thinking phase. It was suggested, recommended, offered one of those um to do a cryotherapy treatment and the whole idea of it. I'm like I don't think so. But they're trying to assist me in a pain management program. I'm in and they're saying this could really make an impact. So I'll think about it for a bit before I approach that I've never done.
Speaker 3:That Sounds cool.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure I'll be able to answer that for you, but I think what I'm hearing between us each today is that it doesn't have to be spring cleaning and if you're in a ongoing phase of awareness, you're continually shedding and you don't need to make a big project out of it. It can be an ongoing process and it doesn't have to be a big thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, kind of having these things that start and stop, probably, just it really isn't a great way to live. I mean, I think that's sort of the way we were raised or otherwise, how things were explained to us as children and growing up and whatnot. But you know, ooh, let's clean only in the spring, let's lose weight only in January, let's whatever, only certain times of year. That just doesn't make sense.
Speaker 3:No, I think baby steps we always talk about baby steps, right, and really it becomes. It does become easier once habits are formed, and it's just what you do it becomes the norm, yeah.
Speaker 1:Never too early to clean your fucking house. And on that note, folks, thank you all for listening. We appreciate you and we hope you enjoyed this episode. We look forward to being with you on the next. Bye for now.