Today is episode 30 of the Story Signals podcast, and I’m so glad to welcome Grant Baldwin.

Grant is a speaker, writer and podcaster who helps people find and do the work they love. His main speaking gigs include grade school and college students, educator groups, and churches. His message of the intentional pursuit of meaningful, important work is one we all need to hear.

I had a great time speaking with Grant. We have a lot of common ground in our childhood, educational development, and experience transitioning to independent work. With his speaking and podcasting background, it was a very smooth conversation, and one I didn’t have to edit much (thanks Grant)!

There are several aspects of this show I think you’ll glean wisdom from. Here are several that stood out to me.

Episode Standouts

• When you transition from a steady job (and paycheck) to independent work, plus the balance of frustration and excitement which accompanies it.
• How to better communicate your goals and desires.
• Effective ways to deconstruct big goals in to daily and weekly action steps.
• Why the unplanned moments in our life are big chances to chine.
• Why who you are is more important than what you do.

Ready to Listen?

Favorite Quote

 Click to tweet that: “Who You are is More Important than What You Do”

 Resources and Connect with Grant!

• How Did You Get In To That?! (Grant’s podcast)
• GrantBaldwin.com
• Start with Why by Simon Sinek
• Follow Grant on Twitter

Quick Question for You!

If yo don’t care about the preamble, skip to the next header.

To my dismay, it’s been almost a month since the last Story Signals episode. I love doing this show, it’s the most fun I have online. But there are two aspects of the show’s setup that make it difficult to put out a weekly show (at least for me). Both are self-inflicted, by the way.

One, I try and always have a guest on the show. It’s more fun for me, and I believe it’s a better experience for you, the listener. Instead of always listening to me, you get the expertise of the guest, keeping the show diverse and fresh. The drawback is scheduling interviews can be tough. If creating time to sit and record a 30 minute solo show is tough, now add in another person’s schedule! For example, this interview with Grant was scheduled 4 weeks in advance!

Two, I’m over-committed right now in my professional life. I drive the bus at 6:30am, go to UPS, head to coach, and then get home at 5:30pm. I’m not complaining, it just doesn’t leave much time for interviews.

Ok, here’s the question…

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Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

Our guest this week on Story Signals is Ross Hagan, the Director of Story for Whiteboard. Based in St. Elmo, TN (just outside of Chattanooga), Ross and Whiteboard have worked with an impressive collection of companies, including Google and Catalyst Conference.

In our conversation, Ross shares a bit of the process he takes people through to peel back the layers of their stories. What I found interesting was how insecure some companies were about their story! Consumed with feelings of not being cool enough or interesting to buyers, and how they changed their focus and ended up being a more compelling brand.

The reason I found this interesting is that we do the same thing as individuals! We trick ourselves in to thinking we don’t have value, aren’t cool enough or interesting. The lessons Ross shares are applicable to our own lives, families, and communities. He also had the courage to share some of his own struggles, and the mantra that keeps him focused and centered on his work.

Ready to Listen?

Resources

• Episode 8 with Brett Henley
• The Art of the Start, by Guy Kawasaki
• The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
• The Dog Stars, by Peter Keller
• A Separate Peace, by John Knowles

Connect with Ross

• Twitter @Ross_Hagan
• Whiteboard

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

This week on Story Signals, I’m sharing one of the most powerful short stories I’ve ever heard. It’s about the process of transformation, and the role plays in our lives. I first heard the story in Aravaipa Canyon, a remote area in Arizona. I was there for a men’s retreat, and the weaver shared this story with us. I’ll never forget it, and I wanted to share the story with you.

 

Once upon a time in a far and distant place, on a high mountain, a gentle rain began to fall. At first it was hushed and quiet, trickling down the granite slopes. But gradually it increased in strength, as rivulets ran over the rocks and down the gnarled and twisted trees that grew there. Soon it was pouring as swift currents of dark water flowed together into the beginnings of a stream.

The stream flowed on down the mountainside, through valleys, past forests, down cascading falls. Until at last it found itself far from its source in the distant mountain, at the edge of a great and vast desert. Having crossed every other barrier in its way, the stream fully expected to cross this as well. But as fast as its waves splashed into the desert, that fast did they disappear into the sands.

Before long, the stream heard a voice whispering from the desert itself saying, “The wind crosses the desert, so can the stream.”

“Yes, but the wind can fly!” cried out the stream, as it kept dashing itself into the desert sand.

“You’ll never get across that way,” the desert whispered once again. “You’ll have to let the wind carry you.”

“But how?” cried out the stream.

“You have to let the wind absorb you.”

Well, the stream wasn’t able to accept that. After all, it had never been absorbed before. It didn’t want to lose its individuality, abandon its own identity. And besides, if once it gave itself to the winds, could it ever be sure of becoming a stream again?

The desert replied that the stream could continue to flow into the sand, and that one day it might even produce a swamp there on the desert’s edge. But it would never cross the desert so long as it remained a stream.

“Why can’t I remain the same stream that I am?” cried out the water.

And the desert answered, ever so wisely, “You never can remain what you are. Either you become a swamp or you give yourself to the winds.”

The stream was silent for a long time, listening to certain echoes deep within itself, remembering parts of itself having been held in the arms of the wind before. And then slowly, the stream raised its vapors into the welcoming arms of the wind and was borne upward and over the desert in great white clouds.

As it passed beyond the mountains on the desert’s far side, there it began to fall as a gentle rain. At first it was hushed and quiet, trickling down the granite slopes. But gradually it increased in strength, as rivulets ran over the rocks and down the gnarled and twisted trees that grew there. And soon it was pouring, as swift currents of dark water flowed once again into the beginning of a stream.

– Story told by Belden Lane. 

---

I try to avoid over explaining stories, but there’s one part that moves me more than any other.

“Why can’t I remain the same stream that I am?”

How often I want to remain the same person I’ve become. I put a lot of work and effort in to this identity, this work, this status. If I give it up, how I can be sure I’ll ever get it back? This happens with companies too. A product or service made us famous, and instead of continuing to move forward, with or without it, we stagnate.

We Become A Swamp

I encourage you to reach out to a trusted friend or family member, and get out of the swamp. There are wonderful things for you in the world, but you have to keep moving. We have to be willing to risk who we are, to reveal who we are meant to be.

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

David Molnar is a photographer, author, and most importantly, Story Signals guest! I’m so pleased David is on the show this week, he shares deep wisdom and great advice for our listeners.

I really enjoyed talking to David, it really was like two friends having a conversation over coffee, and we had just met! We cover these topics, to name a few:

• The first rule of being a good photographer – Listen!
• David’s early mistakes and struggles, and how he pulled himself out of them.
• The car accident that changed his life.
• How he takes clients through the process of discovering what they really want.

David was also kind enough to share a few chapters of his ebook with us, for free! To get the book and instantly make your iPhone photos better, head to DavidMolnar.com/StorySignals.

Resources

• Follow David on Twitter @DavidMolnar
• His work can be found at DavidMolnar.com
• Favorite book – The Hobbit

Thanks for listening to this episode, I’d be grateful if you left a rating/review on iTunes or Stitcher. Have a great week!

This week on Story Signals I’m excited to be speaking with Ryan Delk. Ryan is the head of Growth and Business Development at Gumroad, a payment platform that helps entrepreneurs, artists, and writers share their work with fans. He shares his journey from the University of Florida, to Africa, then Square, and now San Francisco and Gumroad.

We talk about his first entrepreneurial venture in 5th grade, and what he did after a client told him Gumroad looked like an online flea market. What I thought was the most unique piece of advice, Ryan shares how we can set ourselves apart in a job search, whether at startup or established company.

Listen here

Subscribe to StorySignals on iTunes!

download the episode directly

Resources

• Gumroad
• Nathan Barry – who Ryan says is one of the best at building authentic communities

How Gumroad Works

Connect with Ryan

• Twitter @Delk
• Email R@Gumroad.com

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

This week on Story Signals, I’m sharing the lessons I’ve learned from the first 25 episodes of the show. It’s coming up on a year since I had the first inkling of an idea for this podcast, and now being six months in, I’ve got a lot to share. This is the longest solo show I’ve had so far, and it’s packed full of the best tips, lessons, quotes, and strategies from my experience hosting Story Signals, and the phenomenal guests we’ve all been able to learn from. Enjoy!

Listen here

Click to download the episode directly

The List: 25 Lessons from 25 Episodes

1. Get started, and start small – learned from Jon Acuff, Matt Frazier, James Clear, Tyler Tervooren

2. Surround yourself with passionate, supportive people

3. Read more than you watch – learned from Jeff Brown, Eric Zimmer

4. Practice, practice, practice – listen to more on this from episode 24

5. Contraints are a gift – learned from Mike Rohde, Jedd Rose

6. Set upper limits – learned from James Clear

7. Take smart risks – learned from Tyler Tervooren

8. Cut out what doesn’t matter – learned from Matt Frazier, James Clear

9. Don’t be afraid to ask – learned from emailing lots of guests, especially “famous” ones!

10. Provide value and help others – learned from Jeff Goins

11. Stuff won’t fulfill you – learned from Joshua Becker

12. Love without expectations is the most wonderful gift we can give – learned from Branden Harvey

13. Guard your time – learned from a rejection email Mason Currey sent me

14. To make a difference, step 1 is showing up! – learned from John Sowers

15. Multiply the talents of people around you – learned from Jeff Brown 

16. Focus on the principles of your craft and connecting with others. Then you can see where the changes are coming and adapt quicker than others! – learned from Mike Rohde, Jon Acuff

17. Clean the lens of your perspective. Ask yourself, what is the long-term impact vs short-term gain? – learned from Eric Zimmer

18. The journey is the reward – learned/reminded from Allison Vesterfelt

19. The daily choice between fear and faith – learned from Jon Gordon

20. The power of limiting beliefs and personal rejection – why you should try first, and limit later – learned from Benny Hsu, Jeff Goins

21. Life is not about you, you are about life! – learned from Jeff Goins, Benny Hsu, Richard Rohr

22. Find a simple, effective solution, and then make it the best solution – learned from Jedd Rose

23. Don’t be afraid of rejection. Open yourself up to the world, and the world will open itself to you – learned from Jia Jiang, Allison Vesterfelt

24. No one is giving out money – learned from Brendan Leonard

25. You are enough – the most important lesson I’ve learned. For more, check out episode 21.

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

This week is just you and me, because I want to share the value of practice and rituals in our life’s story. What we practice in our day-to-day lives says a lot about who we are, what’s important, and where our priorities lie. Practices and rituals also help give shape and purpose to our relationships, work, and passions. Some of the sub-topics we’ll be exploring include habit formation, writing guidelines, books and apps, the four rules of daily writing, spark files, and mostly how to simply get over yourself and get down to work. I believe the little things we do can have a great cumulative impact, if we’re just patient with process and practice.

Four Ways to Freedom in Your Practice

1. No Hating
2. No Doubting
3. No Editing
4. Just Practicing

Why this Matters

Regardless of the practice (writing, running, meditating) I’m always surprised how quickly I can move past the initial wall. In writing, the words want to come out, and I just try and guide them on to the page. When I get tripped up, it’s because of this. I hate the words, I doubt my voice, I edit relentlessly. Then my allotted time has passed, and I haven’t gotten over my inner critic enough to write very much at all!

This is a short episode, and I hope you can move through it quickly and get to work on your practice. In fact, my challenge for everyone this week is to pick one (not two, not three, not seven, but one!) practice you’d like to implement in your life. Then list a few small steps you can take to get started, and only do those small steps for the next week or two! I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Listen here

Resources

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon (and his blog)
• The Writer’s Room Collection, curated by Steven Johnson
• Spark Files article by Steven Johnson
• GoinsWriter.com and Jeff’s interview on Story Signals
• James Clear’s interview on Story Signals
• Tyler Tervooren’s interview on Story Signals
• Lift App
• Evernote
• BJ Fogg’s Research on Tiny Habits

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

This week I’m very excited to be sharing the story of John Sowers, President of The Mentoring Project and author of The Heroic Path. John shares with us his story of working with Billy Graham, heeding the call to shift his focus to the plight of fatherless youth, leading TMP with Donald Miller, and much more. We also talk about being a father to twin girls, how a journal entry the night of their birth was the catalyst for Heroic Path.

I’ve been fortunate to see John speak a couple of times, and connect with him at conferences, and he definitely practices what he preaches (as well as any of us can). It’s refreshing to see someone intentionally focus so much on improving the lives of people around him, and equipping them with the tools to change their communities as well.

The First Step is Showing Up

The most important part of our talk was John’s point that the best thing we can do as mentors is to simply show up! This is the crucial first step, but too often we don’t take it because of the subsequent steps! This applies throughout all kinds of things in life. Show up, be present, give your life away. Repeat tomorrow.

Listen here

click here to download directly

Resources

• The Mentoring Project
• The Heroic Path book
• Fatherless Generation book
• Say hi to John on Twitter @JohnSowers

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

 

 

On the day of my 29th birthday, I watched the documentary film I’m Fine, Thanks. IFT told the story of people who were rejecting the status quo, doing what they cared about, and understanding the risks along the way. When I watched the doc, it really helped spark a mindfulness in my life over the decisions I was making, the life I was pursuing, and what really mattered to me.

As inspiring a film as IFT was, Grant’s story of what happened after the success, and how it impacted his family, relationships, work ethic, and personal life. Because we all experience what occurs after success, which is that life goes on! Sometimes we try to hang on to our high points at the risk of missing the parts of life which follow, which is missing a lot of life! Grant now works at StillMotion, and he shares a little bit of the stories he wants to share, and the framework they use when looking for compelling documentary topics.

The StillMotion Elements of a Compelling Story

A Character who displays Complexity, Uniqueness, and Desire.

To drive the point home, I found a great video from StillMotion on Storytelling:

One of the great parts of interviewing a filmmaker is the beautiful visual content we can share with you. So while these show notes are a little light on text, the visual quality is probably better than any episode I’ve shared in the past! Now, on to the actual interview with Grant.

Listen here

Click to download the audio directly

Resources

• I’m Fine, Thanks
• StillMotion films on Vimeo
• Adam Baker of MANvsDEBT
• Dead Poet’s Society
• The Legend of Grant Peelle
• Connect with Grant on Twitter or Facebook!

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

 

This week I’m trying something new, sharing the interview I did on the Mindful Creator podcast with Brett Henley. I really enjoyed being on show with Brett, who was on Story Signals episode 8 with me also. I think it’s a conversation worth listening to, and here’s what we cover.

What You’ll Learn

• How all of the different pieces connected on our journeys and how are they serving the story we are currently telling
• How we can explore living a more meaningful story through the work we do each day
• How we can navigate the unwritten and uncertain parts with grace and humility.
• Hero mindset vs. being the guide of our stories.
• The larger narrative we’re forming through our experiences and our body of work isn’t always visible or clear until we’re right in the heart of it.
• How to keep exploring when we don’t have all the answers
• When we fear losing control of our stories and why we sometimes try to force structure to predict the outcomes.

 Listen here

Resources

• Mindful Creator podcast
• How to Effectively Use Storytelling in your Work and Life – Matt Ragland, Podcast Nashville 2014
• A season of reflection – Brett Henley
• Stop Being a Superhero. It’s Killing Your Business (and You). – Pat Flynn, Smart Passive Income podcast
• Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action – Simon Sinek

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.