Want Real Success in Life? The Overlooked Secret to Success is Revealed!

Well, that's what today is all about.

What's up, my friend, and welcome to Grit Grace and Inspiration.

I'm your host, Kevin Lowe.

Twenty years ago, I awoke from a life-saving surgery only to find that I was left completely blind.

And since that day, I've learned a lot about life, a lot about living, and a lot about myself.

And here on this podcast, I want to share those insights with you.

Because, friend, if you are still searching for your purpose, still trying to understand why, or still left searching for that next right path to take, well, consider this to be your stepping stone to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

What's up, my friend, and welcome back to the podcast.

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What is going on, baby?

I am excited about today.

It is episode number 222, and we are talking about something near and dear to my heart.

Matter of fact, I've had this topic jotted down, waiting for the time to be right for a couple of months now.

Because this was actually spurred back in August during a celebration of my Nana's birthday.

And well, I've just been sitting on it and I've been waiting for the time to be right.

And well, I found the time was this week.

This week is actually my birthday week.

Yes, happy birthday to me.

I am a man who loves to celebrate, so you can guarantee that my week is full of some celebration because I believe that a birthday should be more than just a day.

So I love to soak it up all I can.

My family will be nodding their heads in agreeance that yes, Kevin takes it to another level.

But a big part of my story, a big part of who I am is family.

And I believe that in this world that we live today, family is totally underutilized.

I believe that family is totally just not talked about.

It's not discussed in the way that it should be.

I believe that our society today has gotten away from family.

And here today, I want to bring it back.

Because today I am going to rival the opinions of so many.

I am going to contradict statements said, even by myself, about self-improvement, a self-discovery, about improving oneself.

And even though I believe there is a place and time for all of that, a place and time to work harder, to hustle more, to do the thing, there's also a time for rest.

There's also a time to take a break.

There is also a time to be present in the moment and to cherish the time spent with those who you love the most.

With that said, ladies, gentlemen, guys, let's dive into today's episode as we explore my secret weapon to helping you succeed in life.

Now, before we get to the good stuff, let's talk about the stuff that I'm saying is the negative.

That hustle culture, that idea that we gotta work, work, work every day, and we are judged by not what we do, but how hard we work.

Think about it.

People almost act prideful in stating how many hours they work, or the fact that they never take a weekend off, or they've not had a day off in years.

When I hear that, I think to myself, wow, that is horrible.

How sad.

Because there is more to this life than work.

I promise you that.

Now, as I said earlier, I understand there is a day and time to work hard.

I am not excusing that.

As an entrepreneur myself, I understand what it means to have your business at the forefront of your mind.

That's what you're focusing on.

That's what you're waking up doing.

You got to hit the grind because, well, maybe you're doing it because you got to make a paycheck.

Maybe you're doing it because you love it.

And that's cool.

That's amazing.

And I'm here to encourage you to do it.

I hope to goodness that you have a job that you love so much that you can't wait to get up and start doing the thing.

But I'm here to tell you that if that begins to get in the way of you living, of you spending time with your loved ones, I hope that this can open your eyes.

I hope that today's episode can wake you up and make you realize what you're sacrificing for the success you're chasing.

I want to introduce you to a theme.

You might consider it, whoa, crazy, revolutionary.

What is Kev talking about?

I'm talking about taking time off.

Yes, I'm talking about crossing days off on the calendar, not allowing events to be scheduled.

I'm talking about blocking off space.

The reason I'm talking about this is because taking time off, it's not just something for enjoyment.

It's not just something to be able to go on vacation, to take your family on a cruise, or to take the kids to Disney World.

No, it's even more important than that.

It's about rejuvenating your soul.

It's about giving you an opportunity to take a step back and really understand what life is all about.

It gives you an opportunity to slow down, to press the pause button, and be able to really take in your surrounding.

Because we go through life in such a hurried state that we forget about all the little blessings we have.

Like the ones who we're due life with, our family.

I mentioned in the intro that this topic today was spurred by celebrating my Nana's birthday back in August.

It was one of those occasions when everything seemed to go right.

And you know how hard it is sometimes to get everybody together, to be sure that schedules aligned, that everybody can be there.

And yet, this all just fell into place almost too easy.

It was perfect.

The whole family got together.

We all pulled off a massive surprise party for my Nana.

It was magical.

And it didn't just stop there because people from out of town, our family members, my grandmother's sisters, they got to stay in town for longer.

They stayed for the weekend.

And oh my gosh, we all just spent time together, laughing, eating tons of good Southern cooking, and just loving each other.

We didn't have to go out and do anything.

People kept asking, what are y'all gonna do today?

And when left up to my Nana and her sisters, um, nothing.

We're just saying here in the house, in the air conditioned, eating good food and laughing, because that's really what it's all about.

It's about time spent with family.

After that weekend was over, I found myself returning to normal life on Monday morning.

And I couldn't help but be a little bit sad.

I really missed my family.

I love my family so much.

In my life, in what I've been through, my family is everything to me.

And I mean that for both my immediate family and extended.

And so when I got to see them, when I got to be with them, it made me realize the power that taking time off of hitting the pause button and spending it with family can have on our life.

It truly opens your heart, it opens your mind to what's really and truly important in this life.

And I am not going to try to act like I'm not like everybody else, because I am.

And the fact that my priorities get totally screwed up way too many times.

I focus on all the wrong things.

I worry about all the wrong things.

But that doesn't mean that we have to continue down that journey.

This is a reality check.

I am sharing my reality check with you to stop, to pause, and to maybe think, what is it that's really and truly important in this life?

I'm gonna tell you, it's time spent loving life.

It's time spent with the people we love.

It's time spent loving just yourself, loving this moment.

It's not always about focusing forward.

It's about focusing on this very moment.

That's what matters.

Now, when I was preparing my notes for today's episode, I kept thinking to myself, man, Kev, this is gonna be pretty short.

You you've got an idea in your head, but where are you gonna run with it?

And so I kind of kept making a few notes.

I kept trying to understand what is it though about family?

Why was that weekend so magical?

Why did it impact me so much that I'm still lit up over it?

That I'm still so excited to talk to you about it.

And I think it's because when we talk about family or whatever family looks like to you, I understand that family dynamics are different for all of us.

Whoever family is for you, maybe that's your closest friends, whoever it is, the people you do life with, it's more than just people.

It's more than just family.

They are our energy, they are your inspiration, they are your role models.

We want to talk about heroes.

My heroes are my family members.

If I wanted to be like anybody, I want to be like my family.

I look at all of them and I look at their characteristics, and I see little pieces of them that makes them so absolutely amazing.

And I think that's who I want to be like when I grow up.

I want to be like my family.

I want to have this characteristic from my grandfather, this characteristic for my grandmother, this characteristic from my mom, or from my dad.

All of them are just so amazing.

And they're so incredible in the fact that they made me who I am.

They are family.

And at the end of the day, when all is said and done, I can tell you from my own life's experience that we only have our family to lean on.

Because when I was at the lowest of lows, when I am at the lowest of lows, I only have two things in this world.

That is my family and my faith.

My faith in Jesus Christ and my amazing family have gotten me through the pits of hell.

And they have brought me to where I am today.

And that is why I'm so passionate.

I am so jacked up about telling you to take time to spend with those who you love.

That is what matters in this life more than anything else.

As I wrap up today's short solo episode, I want you to really start thinking: what is it that matters to you?

What are you chasing in your life?

What goals are you chasing after?

And are those really and truly important?

Are they really meaningful?

Is that so important to you?

Be sure that your goals are in check.

Be sure that everything is in alignment.

Be sure that you're not sacrificing time spent with those who you love.

As I said earlier, I'm not wanting to say that I don't believe in working hard because I do.

But I do not believe that work should get in the way of family any day of the week.

I just don't.

This life is too short.

Every day is a gift, every breath we take is a miracle.

We need to take advantage of it.

And we have to understand that it's not forever.

Our time is so short, so it is our opportunity to take advantage of it.

So, my friend, we want to talk about success.

You want success in life?

I'm gonna go against the norm.

I'm gonna go against the hustle culture, and I'm gonna tell you to pause.

I'm gonna tell you to cross off some days on your calendar.

I'm gonna tell you to pick up the phone tonight and call your family, to call that cousin you haven't talked to in way too long.

I'm gonna encourage you to make a plan, to set a trip, to visit them, to spend time with them, to enjoy your family, set a date on the calendar for a family reunion, get everybody together.

That's what I'm talking about.

That's what I want to inspire you to do with today's episode.

And I'm here to tell you at the end of the day, when you look back on your life, you're gonna view the success as the time that you took to do the things that you love.

You're gonna view the successes as the time spent with family.

You're not going to remember the fact that you, oh, reached a certain level in your company or that you made that extra bonus back in March of 2023.

No, you're not gonna remember any of that.

You're gonna remember the stuff that matters, the stuff that counts.

And that's where I'm here to tell you today, it's time for you to take a pause.

It's time for you to be sure that you got your priorities in check.

And it's time for you to spend time with your family.

All right, friend, that's it.

But listen up, if you want to share today's little secret with a friend, it would mean the world to me.

Share today's episode with somebody who you know who needs to hear this.

Let them know that, hey, I got a secret I gotta tell you.

A secret about how you can have success in life over in achieving what you've already been doing.

Share it with them.

Tell them about today's episode, tell them about the podcast, whatever you got to do, get the news out, and I would love you forever.

Also, don't forget, once you do that, also sign up for the Grit Grace and Inspiration Insiders by heading over to gritgraceinspiration.com slash insider today.

That link is inside of today's show.

Thanks for being here with me.

And until next week, get out there and enjoy the day.