The Benefits of Slowing Down with John Guanci
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In this episode of the Voices of Impact Podcast, we have invited John Guanci. John discusses his best practices related to slowing down and focusing on things that will move the needle in our world. He works as a coach for restless achievers towards inner and outer work successes. He is helping business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders discover a deeper purpose, eliminate fear and lead the lives they want to have.
Key Takeaways from my chat with John:
- John’s motivation in creating a new career path for himself: He was stuck in a business that he didn’t enjoy. He felt fearful, unfulfilled, and restless because he knew he could be doing so much more. He eventually learned to listen to that voice in his head which motivated him to take action.
- What he is doing now in his career: Currently, John works as a full-time coach. He helps people who are also stuck in their careers to find a way out of the dilemma. He teaches them how to conquer themselves because he shares that our greatest enemy is ourselves. And we can only do great things if we can conquer our doubts first.
- How the value of being intentional impacts our lives: Being intentional means we have to let go of our internal fears and internal judgments. This way, we can develop a way out of our dilemmas. We also need to understand the external conditions surrounding us to be more in tune with what we need to do. This will help us become more accountable and responsible for our actions.
- He shares that we are not what we do. So, we must not get caught up in comparing who we are versus what we do. Instead, we should focus more on our identity and our aspirations.
- How John helps his clients: He helps his clients by showing them a process that they can personally use. He tells the clients the next steps to be done and teaches them how to be grateful for where they are now. He also reminds them that it’s possible to love where you are without needing to change it. He shared the key lesson that you cannot appreciate where you are going if you do not appreciate where you are today.
- He builds his system around the success principle of slowing down: John said that there also came the point in his life where he was afraid of where he was. He needed to lay out all the things he has that are not flattering but in a non-judgmental way. John says that we need to shine the light on the non-flattering things and learn to be okay with them, literally loving them in this place of compassion. In other words, learning to forgive yourself for the things you are not good at.
- What has worked for him and his clients? He said that the art of slowing down made things clearer for him and his clients. It makes us get to terms with who we are and where we are. And then what occurs is that we relax into the acceptance and realization that we are here, and we are okay.
- More so, he shares that once we slow down and we’re relaxed, we access that creative mechanism that’s immediate, and we work, and it becomes an empowered action. So, we must not detach ourselves from the outcome. Instead, we should trust the process. This way, our desired result reveals itself more naturally.
- John’s lesson for people on embracing fear: John says that whoever we are, whether we are successful or not, all of us will have a non-productive thought, and that’s okay. However, we need to ensure that we are not letting ourselves be carried away by these thoughts by not giving attention to them. We always have to evaluate the thoughts that we hear and take a moment to pause and ponder. Ensure that we embrace the thought, accept it for what it is, and recognize that it’s here. Once that’s done, the thought leaves us, and we can now create more productive thoughts.
- How to Identify loving thoughts: Like non-productive thoughts, we will also get brief moments of loving thoughts. So, we need to know how to identify a more powerful listening than just hearing.
- That means we need to be aware of our powerful thoughts. We can do this by asking ourselves, “Who am I being?” then we need to write down these thoughts as they can be essential in our daily processes.
- How he is forging habits that align with his vision: He says that when you start manifesting your vision, you truly need to create habits that will align with it. Then ensure that you are constantly getting into the groove and practicing those habits. Also, remember that you need to give yourself an infinite amount of patience along the way.
- How he is embracing the struggles: He shares that for us to become truly attuned to what we want to be, we need to keep coming back to our higher calling. For John, that is continuously doing what he wants to create, and whenever he falls off the path, he comes back stronger.
- Book recommendations: John recommends the book Just Hit Send by Jody Vehr. The lesson here is that it’s time to start asking for what you want and not be afraid of the answer you’ll get from yourself. Another book he recommends to the listeners is The Dip by Seth Godin. It’s about sticking it out and knowing that things take time. If you can withstand that dip and the time between being successful and not super successful, and you have the resources to stick with the dip, then stay. If you can’t, then get out and find another option.
- John’s Advice: John advises taking little steps to move forward with a great goal. He mentions that most of the things we have created in our lives were all done by taking a series of doable steps. So, he suggests that we start doing tiny, doable steps outside of our comfort zone, which will surprise us and make us feel good once we have accomplished them. Eventually, we’re going to realize that those things are indeed doable and that we are capable of doing them. So, we must always take one step today to take empowered steps tomorrow.
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