0:15

Welcome to the Drummer and the

0:18

Great Mountain a podcast. Where we

0:20

share effective tips and practices. Are

0:22

working with Adult Eighty Eighty Hd

0:24

in a natural effective way without

0:26

the use of medications. Each episode

0:29

join your hosts back minutes rom

0:31

along with the author The Drummer

0:33

in the Great Mountain Michael Joseph

0:35

Ferguson join my myself in an

0:37

interactive discussion of sharing our stories

0:40

as we journey together in transforming

0:42

what can be the gift of

0:44

being what we call hunter types.

0:46

This podcast is intended to be.

0:49

Your audio companion to the book written

0:51

by Michael who joins me each episode

0:53

where we both will strive to foster

0:55

dialogue, give you are person or insights

0:57

and sure both of our experiences on

0:59

this similar path that we are all

1:02

on our intention and hope is that

1:04

along with the book this podcast gives

1:06

you an additional perspective as you listen

1:08

to us delve deeper into each chapter

1:10

of the book to give even more

1:12

tools to go along with what it

1:15

is that you were reading. Visit us

1:17

at Drummer and the Great Mountain. Com

1:19

to purchase the book and look

1:21

for more tools, tips and updates

1:24

as well as giving us feedback

1:26

on this podcast. Join our growing

1:28

global community of creative types, entrepreneurs,

1:31

and out of the box thinkers

1:33

on our shared Germany welcome to

1:36

the Drummer on the Green Mountain

1:38

podcast. Welcome

1:52

everyone! thanks for tuning in! I'm

1:54

your host Michael Joseph Ferguson. Happy

1:57

Twenty twenty Four! I hope you're

1:59

all. Doing well. I know for some

2:01

of you you get really fired up

2:03

at this time a year and for

2:06

many of you this can be a

2:08

time of year where you're really feel

2:10

off and and maybe a little down

2:12

on yourself. So every year since twenty

2:14

sixteen we've done a going into the

2:16

New Year episode and today's episode. I

2:18

was reflecting a what's the with Saliva

2:20

Me what am I hearing from my

2:22

clients with the what's The Seen that

2:24

would be supportive to all of us.

2:27

So in today's episode will discuss how

2:29

to get slugged. Back and again, how

2:31

do we read discover that feeling

2:33

of connectedness that many of us

2:35

have felt in certain times of

2:37

our life? And how do we

2:39

commit ourselves to stay close to

2:41

this throughout the year so that

2:43

that becomes what we care about?

2:45

That's what we put on our

2:47

schedule, those the actions we take

2:49

so that we can feel more

2:51

alive, more connected, and more fulfilled.

2:53

Going into Twenty Twenty Four. Okay,

2:56

just one quick notes are life.

2:58

Visiting workshop is coming up January

3:00

twentieth and Twenty seventh. We've done

3:02

this every year since Twenty Seven

3:04

team and we intensely schedule this

3:06

works up A few weeks into

3:08

the years, that's often we find

3:10

ourselves starting to wane a bit.

3:12

We start, we had some intentions

3:14

going into gear and and we

3:16

start to flounder little bit so

3:18

I felt that this is a

3:20

really good time to place the

3:23

workshops. Ah, the Workshop is about

3:25

getting to your why. And

3:27

when you have your why, you have

3:29

access to energy necessary for positively transforming

3:31

your life. So and day one will

3:34

be going through exercises to flesh out

3:36

what you're truly wanting. Out of Twenty

3:38

twenty four and in day to we're

3:40

going to still be down and a

3:43

milestones and doable actions giving you a

3:45

map as you go through your year

3:47

so we truly have a global community.

3:50

You be connecting with people from all

3:52

around the world. New friendships happens, good

3:54

things come out of this works up.

3:56

I really hope you can join us

3:59

at since honored the do this every

4:01

year. If you're interested, go to Drummer

4:03

in the Great mountain.com forward/workshops or check

4:05

the link in the description. Okay

4:08

so as we go to a recording today,

4:10

you may hear Ricky the Rooster in the

4:12

background. Or little buddy us

4:14

if he serum you might hear a rooster

4:17

calling. He's just a inserting himself into the

4:19

conversations and little bit later front we're going

4:21

to be talking about nature connection so he's

4:23

there to remind us of that. Okay,

4:27

so we're going to be talking

4:29

a little bit about spirituality and

4:31

because that term is so loaded

4:33

and say eggs in charged cause

4:35

when we hear that we think

4:37

was as god or his escape

4:39

like porn some kind of religious

4:41

thing on me What is this

4:43

of? Because of that? The only

4:45

way I can approach this is

4:47

by giving you my personal experience

4:50

of what it meant for me

4:52

and means to me to feel

4:54

connected quote unquote and mileage may

4:56

vary. You, you have had your own

4:58

experiences, I assure you. I'm sure there's

5:00

been moments, even if there were just

5:02

fleeting where you had similar experience at

5:04

seventy to give you mine. And then

5:06

we're going explore a little bit about

5:08

what is it mean to be connected?

5:10

How do we get to a place

5:12

where we seal reconnecting? So when I

5:14

was twenty two years old, I was

5:17

working in three, the animation and even

5:19

though was a bit flaky and on

5:21

even. I

5:23

was definitely capable and

5:25

over time. In you know

5:27

fairly quickly I was able to get

5:29

my words of doing three D and

5:31

emissions at the very be. I mean

5:34

this is ninety two. So this is

5:36

before Pixar was doing like films or

5:38

anything like that. This was back when

5:40

like a it's I was trying to

5:42

get a job at Babylon Five. if

5:44

you remember that so those what That

5:46

was the first. So to use three

5:48

the animation as a regular part of

5:50

episodic to television I really want to

5:52

get that job that ended up getting

5:54

a job at a video. Production. Company

5:57

which was far better. it was, and

5:59

I. So many more things from it,

6:01

so I was able to get to a

6:03

place when I was twenty years old, where

6:06

I was seeing my work being seen. Tens.

6:08

Of thousands of people of the

6:10

I got to a place where

6:12

there was something missing. I've gone through

6:15

that very quickly, going from learning

6:17

skills to getting good at it

6:19

to. Being very successful at it

6:21

and making some money doing it wouldn't make

6:23

a ton of money but I was definitely

6:25

do And okay so one evening I had

6:28

this experience where I was by myself and

6:30

I had gone to Attack in the Box

6:32

host and I had already started eating better

6:34

so but for some reason I just kind

6:37

of felt drawn to it and when you're

6:39

by yourself you'll do like weird stuff because

6:41

no one's around right? So I went in

6:43

and got something, came out there was. A

6:47

man there's he was saying you know? look I

6:49

need to go in and could you give me

6:51

some a for some food or mattress? Been in

6:53

a drugs I just literally need to get some

6:55

food right now and. I. Sat and

6:57

talked with him for about a half hour.

7:00

forty five minutes. I heard his backstory and

7:02

in hindsight he was definitely a hunter type.

7:04

He had some experience where his dad died

7:06

in it really just destabilized them to the

7:09

point where he became homeless and I base

7:11

was gave him what was it my

7:13

wallet and I left there from that experience

7:15

thinking of the way. It's

7:17

that there's something here, that

7:20

piece of service giving back.

7:23

I need. They need to make sure I'm putting

7:25

some energy towards the. End.

7:27

So over the next three

7:29

months or so I started

7:31

to experience coincidences that really.

7:34

Made. Me: question how I saw

7:37

the world works in terms of

7:39

i'd have a sauce and then.

7:42

Something. Would show up. Like

7:44

completely out of the blue. whereas

7:46

I will that, that's that's the

7:49

odds of that. Things happening are

7:51

so low. Percentage.

7:53

Wise, that is that what this is. this gonna

7:55

be a connection. I mean I wasn't stupid. I

7:57

wasn't says the line li going to the world's.

8:00

No. Oh it's you. know your thoughts,

8:02

great, your reality. I know, concepts, incessant

8:04

fossils. I was just freaked out. It

8:06

was like wait a minute. This is

8:08

not. I had not had that experience

8:11

of to that point in my life

8:13

so that kept happening. Until

8:15

about three of three months

8:17

from that initial experiences meaning

8:19

that homeless man I had

8:22

an experience of awakening. It's

8:24

the only way I can

8:26

describe it's of of ceiling

8:28

all of my neuroses and

8:31

same and self judgment and

8:33

isolation all lifted away and

8:35

there was I was left

8:37

with the feeling of deep

8:40

connectedness and that feeling of

8:42

isolation was gone. I

8:44

really felt as though I had pull. I

8:46

got plugged back in again. That was that

8:49

smillie way to describe the I've sir that

8:51

in some ways when I was a child

8:53

I felt that a little bits of so

8:55

then from there it was. What?

8:58

Was this experience Now since then I've

9:00

met many many many people who have

9:02

had to six had a similar kind

9:05

of experience of the plugs as experience

9:07

it on drugs. Some people have experienced

9:09

it through meditation. And.

9:12

You know there's people study this. This study.

9:14

this this type of experience. What

9:16

I was more interested in is. What

9:19

Are the practices? That.

9:21

Keeps me connected because that faded overtime

9:23

that that was. I felt it for

9:25

a mean for a good couple years

9:27

I felt that it's to the the

9:29

debt that experience to a greater or

9:32

lesser degree. but it starts to say

9:34

it started to I started to just

9:36

get back in May or patterns again

9:38

and so then he big it becomes

9:40

like a what do I need to

9:42

do to stay connected to that experience

9:44

would I need to do to see

9:46

to to reconnect myself to the life

9:48

force? That's the best way I can

9:50

describe it. And so what

9:52

I found His passes. It is about practice,

9:54

about what you do to reconnect, and half

9:57

of it is about you facing the things

9:59

that does. Connect you like What

10:01

are the things that disconnect

10:03

you from that feeling of

10:05

of your part of. The.

10:08

Whole. How do you?

10:10

What is it to think? What's

10:12

the thing that keeps making you feel

10:14

isolated? That's I guess the best way

10:17

to describe and having worse. with so

10:19

many of you. I've recognize that it's

10:21

a very high percentage of us have

10:24

had some kind of spiritual. Awakening

10:27

kind of experience, even if it

10:29

was just fleeting. it's a very

10:31

high percentage of us in. It's

10:33

led me to think that we

10:35

are somewhat hard wired for this

10:37

experience more than other people. There's

10:39

just been such a high percentage

10:41

of people are wired the way

10:43

we're wired that. Shared some

10:46

kind of experience like that? That

10:48

is that now it's there. It's

10:50

something to do with our sensitivity.

10:52

It's something to do with our

10:54

allies in this that both is

10:56

a real struggle for us, but

10:58

also it's one of the hidden

11:00

guess this ability for us to

11:02

reconnect. And. So what do

11:04

we need to do? What

11:06

we can access? Creative Express

11:09

in meditation, movement? Time in

11:11

nature, gratitude, Practice. It goes

11:13

on and on. There so

11:15

many ways you can reconnect

11:17

yourself, but the keys make

11:19

it into a practice, make

11:21

it into something you do

11:23

regularly. And then the question

11:25

is, will what disconnects us

11:27

Was self judgment? Getting caught

11:29

by stimuli, addictive behaviors, anxiety,

11:31

stress, impulsivity? It's all these

11:33

things. Three. And

11:35

isolation experience. We feel isolated, we

11:38

still small and the question is,

11:40

what do we need to do

11:42

to expand ourselves against? We feel

11:44

that sense of connectedness because then

11:46

we just have so much more

11:48

energy and it's less work. When

11:51

we feel connected, his life becomes

11:53

easier. okay so let's step

11:55

this down a little bit so for many

11:57

of you this coming year going into to

12:00

24, you may have to have

12:02

a greater focus on your health. Maybe it's

12:04

just you're not exercising, you've been eating poorly.

12:06

And I can tell you that is a

12:08

really good way to feel disconnected when you

12:10

eat poorly. In fact, I know of a

12:13

couple clients that they have it in their

12:15

goals list when I'm reading their goals to

12:17

them at the beginning of their session. One

12:19

of them is when I

12:22

eat poorly, I feel

12:24

miserable and disconnected. And

12:26

so you have to remind ourselves like these

12:28

are the things and then it becomes well,

12:30

that's one part of it. But

12:32

then how do you actually start eating healthy?

12:34

That's work that takes time that takes energy.

12:37

You need to get support, you need to

12:40

recognize that this is the most important thing

12:42

in your life that you have to put

12:44

some energy towards it because it's the building

12:46

block for overall well

12:48

being. For others, it's about

12:50

just cleaning up the clutter getting support

12:53

on that are getting support with your

12:55

finances because that's just so overwhelming. And

12:57

it creates that feeling of isolation and

12:59

self judgment like all my life is

13:01

miserable because this is going on. Okay,

13:04

then let's put some energy

13:06

towards that. Whatever it is, make it your

13:08

commitment in 2024 to plug back in.

13:12

And I can almost guarantee it's about

13:14

focusing on your gifts. What is it

13:16

that you have that supports the well

13:19

being of other people? Is it music?

13:21

Is it your creativity? Is it your

13:23

problem solving? Whatever it is, stay

13:26

connected to that, especially if you've started

13:29

a business based on that initial energy

13:31

and then have lost your connection with

13:33

it. Find your way back to what

13:35

was that initial impulse? What are you

13:37

good at? And also, where

13:39

do you need to take breaks? Where do

13:41

you need to rejuvenate and re inspire

13:44

yourself? What do you need to do to

13:46

get reconnected again? Exercise getting

13:48

enough sunlight for many of us

13:50

in the northern hemisphere, it's cold

13:52

and dark. So you may need

13:55

to get like a full spectrum bulb

13:57

to make sure that you can keep

13:59

your brain. brain chemistry in a good space so

14:01

you can feel connected. So

14:04

going into 2024, I'm going to ask you

14:06

to come up

14:08

with three things that you know reconnect

14:11

to. What are

14:13

three things that you know, looking back

14:15

at your life, when you're doing them,

14:18

you feel that sense of connection. And

14:21

if you haven't found them yet, then

14:23

speculate. Take some of

14:25

the things that I mentioned, time and nature,

14:27

meditation, creative expression, and

14:30

explore those. But think back. What

14:32

are three things that you found

14:35

in the past made you feel

14:37

most alive, most connected, most happy?

14:40

Write those down right now. Hit pause, write

14:43

them down to yourself. Maybe open up

14:45

an email on your phone and write

14:47

an email to yourself. What are three

14:49

things that you do that most connect

14:51

you with your life force, with you

14:54

feeling alive, connected and happy? The

14:57

simple exercise is this week,

15:00

pick one, schedule it, make

15:02

it happen no matter what. That's

15:05

how you start your year. It starts there. It starts

15:07

with one little commitment.

15:10

Commit yourself to staying connected in 2024.

15:13

If you do, this may be the

15:15

best year of your life. Okay,

15:18

so I hope that was helpful.

15:20

I want to wish you all

15:22

a wonderful, nourishing, connected 2024. And

15:27

if you'd like to join

15:29

us in the upcoming Life

15:31

Visioning Workshop happening on January

15:33

20th and 27th, just go

15:35

to drummerinthegreatmountain.com/workshop. And until

15:37

next time, be well. Thanks

15:42

for joining us. If you'd like to learn

15:44

more about the book, The Drummer and the

15:46

Great Mountain, visit

15:48

drummerinthegreatmountain.com. To

15:51

join us on social media, click the links at

15:53

the top of the homepage. Help

15:56

us spread the word. We're a small

15:58

press and reviews really help. help.

16:00

If you've been enjoying the podcast or

16:03

the book, consider writing a review on

16:05

iTunes, Amazon, Goodreads or

16:07

your podcast app. If

16:10

you're new to the podcast and want

16:12

to quickly get up to speed on

16:14

the concepts we discuss, check out our

16:17

free 5-day mini course. Visit

16:20

www.drummerandthegreatmountain.com/mini course.

16:24

If there's a topic you'd like us to

16:26

cover on future episodes, we'd love to hear

16:29

from you. Please send us an

16:31

email at info at www.drummerandthegreatmountain.com

17:59

you you