Speaker 1: Welcome to the Things you Can't Unhear Podcast. I'm your host,
Speaker 1: Maritza Barone. Get ready to hear moments that will help
Speaker 1: you to see the world differently and inspire you to
Speaker 1: become the happiest, healthiest, and kindest version of you. Hey, friends,
Speaker 1: welcome back to the show. I want to talk about
Speaker 1: something today for anyone who is feeling stuck or stagnant,
Speaker 1: or frustrated or uninspired, or like life just isn't moving
Speaker 1: the way you hoped it would, Because I think many
Speaker 1: of us go through seasons when we all feel like
Speaker 1: we are standing still and we're showing up, We're trying,
Speaker 1: we're working hard, but nothing really seems to be hitting
Speaker 1: or shifting, And in those moments, it's easy for us
Speaker 1: to think maybe I've missed my chance. But I want
Speaker 1: to share a bit of advice that someone gave me
Speaker 1: many many years ago that completely changed the way I
Speaker 1: approached opportunities in work and relationships and growth. I was
Speaker 1: in my early twenties at the time, and I was
Speaker 1: trying hard to break into a presenting career. The industry
Speaker 1: was tough, and I felt like I had potential but
Speaker 1: nowhere for it to go, and I remember speaking to
Speaker 1: a friend of mine who was a little older and
Speaker 1: a little wiser, and she said something so simple. She said,
Speaker 1: plant many seeds where you feel they might grow. Some
Speaker 1: might not progress any further, but some will flourish. It
Speaker 1: just takes time. And I never forgot it because I
Speaker 1: realized something when she said that nothing grows if nothing
Speaker 1: gets planted. If you want opportunities and relationships and growth
Speaker 1: and momentum and connection, you need seeds in the ground.
Speaker 1: And you don't always know where which seat is going
Speaker 1: to become something extraordinary. Some stay tiny, some never sprout,
Speaker 1: but others become trees, and enough trees will eventually become
Speaker 1: a forest. That advice completely changed how I approached my career.
Speaker 1: Instead of waiting around hoping that someone would discover me
Speaker 1: and discover my work, I started planning seats. I started
Speaker 1: reaching out to people by creating things they could be
Speaker 1: part of, offering ideas they may not have seen before,
Speaker 1: pitching them to the right people that would put me
Speaker 1: in rooms I wanted to be in, and starting conversations
Speaker 1: and showing people what I could do instead of just
Speaker 1: telling them or asking them. It was a big lesson.
Speaker 1: You can entice people with your work, not by asking
Speaker 1: or waiting for opportunities, but by showing your value. The
Speaker 1: people willing to keep planting are the ones that end
Speaker 1: up flourishing. And I think we often forget that opportunities
Speaker 1: usually happen when preparation meets timing. People call it luck,
Speaker 1: but it's often the groundwork that you don't see that
Speaker 1: is solid before an opportunity comes knocking. Someone sees your
Speaker 1: work because you kept creating, or recommends you because you
Speaker 1: stayed consistent, or thinks of you because somehow you plant
Speaker 1: it a seed with the months earlier, and the opportunity knocks,
Speaker 1: and then suddenly everyone says, wow, that happens so quickly
Speaker 1: for them, did it or did they not see the
Speaker 1: years of planting beforehand. This can apply to so many
Speaker 1: areas of your life. If you're feeling stuck in your
Speaker 1: work life, your business, your relationships, your creativity, maybe the
Speaker 1: question is where could you plant more seeds? Where could
Speaker 1: you create something? Where could you start a conversation, Where
Speaker 1: could you think a little differently? And the big question,
Speaker 1: where could you create value first? Instead of waiting for
Speaker 1: someone to hand you an opportunity. One of the biggest
Speaker 1: ways this podcast has changed my life is through adding
Speaker 1: value to other people. First, if I'm inspired by someone,
Speaker 1: I'll invite them onto the show, and through that process
Speaker 1: I get to connect with them. Usually we sit face
Speaker 1: to face uninterrupted for over an hour. We talk, We
Speaker 1: learn from each other, We listen, and I add value
Speaker 1: to them by sharing their story with my audience, and
Speaker 1: over time a relationship forms naturally. So later, if there's
Speaker 1: another opportunity that arises, there's already trust and connection there.
Speaker 1: The seed has already been planted and nurtured. And I
Speaker 1: think this is where a lot of us can get
Speaker 1: this wrong. I see it all the time when people
Speaker 1: pitch their ideas or businesses to me. They go in
Speaker 1: too hard, too fast. They immediately think what can this
Speaker 1: person do for me, instead of asking how can I
Speaker 1: add value? First? Seeds need nurturing and watering and time.
Speaker 1: You can't force growth overnight. Imagine planting a seed and
Speaker 1: then screaming at it the next morning because it hasn't
Speaker 1: become a tree yet. That's what many people do with opportunities.
Speaker 1: They pitch to aggressively force connection or rush trust, and
Speaker 1: because of that that seed never really gets a chance
Speaker 1: to grow. I actually recently saw a great example of this.
Speaker 1: A woman I know in the travel industry wanted to
Speaker 1: connect with someone touring the country with a live show,
Speaker 1: and instead of simply asking for something, she used her
Speaker 1: contacts and her network to offer them accommodation and support
Speaker 1: why they were here touring and it instantly solved a
Speaker 1: problem that this person had. She thought, how can I
Speaker 1: make it easy for them? How can I genuinely help?
Speaker 1: And because she added value first, naturally a relationship formed.
Speaker 1: That's planting seeds. I've seen editors who pitch to me
Speaker 1: do this too. They offer a free edit to prove
Speaker 1: their style and value, or a graphic designer might mock
Speaker 1: up an idea before ever asking for work. If you're
Speaker 1: in other industries, like a fitness trainer might offer someone
Speaker 1: they are inspired by a free session, or a cafe
Speaker 1: owner might host a community event to create connection in
Speaker 1: their area. The people who build strong networks and opportunities
Speaker 1: are often people who understand that value and the connection
Speaker 1: and the trust that needs to come first. And this
Speaker 1: applies to relationships too. Want deeper friendships, share more deeply,
Speaker 1: or be really thoughtful with your actions. Want a better
Speaker 1: relationship with your partner, create a special night with them,
Speaker 1: want more confidence, take a class to help you. Every
Speaker 1: small action is a seed for the future version of you.
Speaker 1: But it's important to note that not every seed grows.
Speaker 1: Some opportunities won't land, some people won't respond, some ideas
Speaker 1: won't work, some connections won't go anywhere. But that does
Speaker 1: not mean the planting was pointless, because every sea teaches
Speaker 1: you something, and eventually one's going to blossom. One's going
Speaker 1: to bloom, and then another, and then another, and suddenly
Speaker 1: you look around and realize the life you once dreamed
Speaker 1: about slowly started growing around you, not because you waited,
Speaker 1: but because you planted. So if you're feeling stuck right now,
Speaker 1: maybe the answer isn't to sit there waiting for motivation
Speaker 1: to magically arrive. Maybe it's to start planting, one seed
Speaker 1: at a time, an email, an idea, a conversation, a text, Hey,
Speaker 1: I have an idea. I want to run past you
Speaker 1: one brave little action. Momentum grows from movement, and forests
Speaker 1: don't appear overnight. They begin with seeds. Thanks for listening
Speaker 1: to the show. What did you think and what did
Speaker 1: you feel? Let us know by leaving me a message
Speaker 1: on the Things you Can't unhear Instagram community page and
Speaker 1: if you can give us some rating glove on your
Speaker 1: favorite listing platform.