WEBVTT - Feeling Stagnant? It Might Be Time to Plant New Seeds with Maritza Barone 0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:06.800 Welcome to the Things you Can't Unhear Podcast. I'm your host, 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:10.800 Maritza Barone. Get ready to hear moments that will help 0:00:10.840 --> 0:00:15.240 you to see the world differently and inspire you to 0:00:15.280 --> 0:00:30.280 become the happiest, healthiest, and kindest version of you. Hey, friends, 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:34.080 welcome back to the show. I want to talk about 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:37.880 something today for anyone who is feeling stuck or stagnant, 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:42.920 or frustrated or uninspired, or like life just isn't moving 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.480 the way you hoped it would, Because I think many 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:49.000 of us go through seasons when we all feel like 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:53.040 we are standing still and we're showing up, We're trying, 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:56.040 we're working hard, but nothing really seems to be hitting 0:00:56.200 --> 0:00:59.680 or shifting, And in those moments, it's easy for us 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:03.160 to think maybe I've missed my chance. But I want 0:01:03.200 --> 0:01:05.560 to share a bit of advice that someone gave me 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:08.319 many many years ago that completely changed the way I 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:13.840 approached opportunities in work and relationships and growth. I was 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:16.520 in my early twenties at the time, and I was 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.720 trying hard to break into a presenting career. The industry 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:22.679 was tough, and I felt like I had potential but 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:25.440 nowhere for it to go, and I remember speaking to 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:27.440 a friend of mine who was a little older and 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:31.760 a little wiser, and she said something so simple. She said, 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:37.679 plant many seeds where you feel they might grow. Some 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:41.959 might not progress any further, but some will flourish. It 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:45.800 just takes time. And I never forgot it because I 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:49.800 realized something when she said that nothing grows if nothing 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:54.080 gets planted. If you want opportunities and relationships and growth 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:58.440 and momentum and connection, you need seeds in the ground. 0:01:58.760 --> 0:02:00.720 And you don't always know where which seat is going 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:05.440 to become something extraordinary. Some stay tiny, some never sprout, 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:11.120 but others become trees, and enough trees will eventually become 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:16.200 a forest. That advice completely changed how I approached my career. 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.519 Instead of waiting around hoping that someone would discover me 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.160 and discover my work, I started planning seats. I started 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:27.840 reaching out to people by creating things they could be 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:31.200 part of, offering ideas they may not have seen before, 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:34.600 pitching them to the right people that would put me 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:38.280 in rooms I wanted to be in, and starting conversations 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:41.080 and showing people what I could do instead of just 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.799 telling them or asking them. It was a big lesson. 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:47.280 You can entice people with your work, not by asking 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:50.840 or waiting for opportunities, but by showing your value. The 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.240 people willing to keep planting are the ones that end 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:57.000 up flourishing. And I think we often forget that opportunities 0:02:57.280 --> 0:03:01.280 usually happen when preparation meets timing. People call it luck, 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:04.480 but it's often the groundwork that you don't see that 0:03:04.639 --> 0:03:09.360 is solid before an opportunity comes knocking. Someone sees your 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.960 work because you kept creating, or recommends you because you 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:16.919 stayed consistent, or thinks of you because somehow you plant 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:21.360 it a seed with the months earlier, and the opportunity knocks, 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:25.200 and then suddenly everyone says, wow, that happens so quickly 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:29.200 for them, did it or did they not see the 0:03:29.280 --> 0:03:34.040 years of planting beforehand. This can apply to so many 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:36.560 areas of your life. If you're feeling stuck in your 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:40.440 work life, your business, your relationships, your creativity, maybe the 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:45.000 question is where could you plant more seeds? Where could 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:49.080 you create something? Where could you start a conversation, Where 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:53.600 could you think a little differently? And the big question, 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:58.240 where could you create value first? Instead of waiting for 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:02.480 someone to hand you an opportunity. One of the biggest 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:06.400 ways this podcast has changed my life is through adding 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:09.800 value to other people. First, if I'm inspired by someone, 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:13.320 I'll invite them onto the show, and through that process 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:16.080 I get to connect with them. Usually we sit face 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:19.320 to face uninterrupted for over an hour. We talk, We 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:22.119 learn from each other, We listen, and I add value 0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:25.159 to them by sharing their story with my audience, and 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:30.000 over time a relationship forms naturally. So later, if there's 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:34.000 another opportunity that arises, there's already trust and connection there. 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:37.920 The seed has already been planted and nurtured. And I 0:04:37.960 --> 0:04:39.760 think this is where a lot of us can get 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:42.159 this wrong. I see it all the time when people 0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:45.279 pitch their ideas or businesses to me. They go in 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:49.479 too hard, too fast. They immediately think what can this 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:53.200 person do for me, instead of asking how can I 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:59.720 add value? First? Seeds need nurturing and watering and time. 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:04.760 You can't force growth overnight. Imagine planting a seed and 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:07.080 then screaming at it the next morning because it hasn't 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:11.360 become a tree yet. That's what many people do with opportunities. 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:16.040 They pitch to aggressively force connection or rush trust, and 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:19.120 because of that that seed never really gets a chance 0:05:19.279 --> 0:05:22.800 to grow. I actually recently saw a great example of this. 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:24.919 A woman I know in the travel industry wanted to 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:27.920 connect with someone touring the country with a live show, 0:05:28.320 --> 0:05:31.520 and instead of simply asking for something, she used her 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:35.839 contacts and her network to offer them accommodation and support 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:39.039 why they were here touring and it instantly solved a 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:42.919 problem that this person had. She thought, how can I 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:45.839 make it easy for them? How can I genuinely help? 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:51.360 And because she added value first, naturally a relationship formed. 0:05:51.760 --> 0:05:55.440 That's planting seeds. I've seen editors who pitch to me 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:58.560 do this too. They offer a free edit to prove 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:01.760 their style and value, or a graphic designer might mock 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:05.440 up an idea before ever asking for work. If you're 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:08.440 in other industries, like a fitness trainer might offer someone 0:06:08.600 --> 0:06:11.719 they are inspired by a free session, or a cafe 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:15.160 owner might host a community event to create connection in 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:19.320 their area. The people who build strong networks and opportunities 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:22.560 are often people who understand that value and the connection 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:26.240 and the trust that needs to come first. And this 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:30.919 applies to relationships too. Want deeper friendships, share more deeply, 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:34.400 or be really thoughtful with your actions. Want a better 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:37.560 relationship with your partner, create a special night with them, 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:41.559 want more confidence, take a class to help you. Every 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:44.800 small action is a seed for the future version of you. 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:48.440 But it's important to note that not every seed grows. 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:53.120 Some opportunities won't land, some people won't respond, some ideas 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:57.159 won't work, some connections won't go anywhere. But that does 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:00.600 not mean the planting was pointless, because every sea teaches 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:05.520 you something, and eventually one's going to blossom. One's going 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:09.000 to bloom, and then another, and then another, and suddenly 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:11.760 you look around and realize the life you once dreamed 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:16.040 about slowly started growing around you, not because you waited, 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:21.520 but because you planted. So if you're feeling stuck right now, 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:25.120 maybe the answer isn't to sit there waiting for motivation 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:30.080 to magically arrive. Maybe it's to start planting, one seed 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:34.840 at a time, an email, an idea, a conversation, a text, Hey, 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:36.600 I have an idea. I want to run past you 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:43.520 one brave little action. Momentum grows from movement, and forests 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:50.880 don't appear overnight. They begin with seeds. Thanks for listening 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:53.520 to the show. What did you think and what did 0:07:53.560 --> 0:07:56.360 you feel? Let us know by leaving me a message 0:07:56.360 --> 0:08:00.040 on the Things you Can't unhear Instagram community page and 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:02.680 if you can give us some rating glove on your 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:10.040 favorite listing platform.