#365: Create a Positive Feedback Loop: Inspirational Ideas to Live for Something Bigger

Kevin Lowe: Today, my friend, is episode 365.

Kevin Lowe: Today is the day that we have you overcoming those mountains, all thanks to the lessons learned from Andy Berger.

Kevin Lowe: Hey, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and you are listening to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Kevin Lowe: After I finished sitting down and interviewing Andrew Berger, who I introduced to you in our previous episode, that would have been episode 364, I couldn't get this theme out of my head, this idea of living for something bigger than ourselves.

Kevin Lowe: If you heard his story, you will know that throughout his life, he suffered unimaginable loss.

Kevin Lowe: We went into it all in depth, but just as an overview, at a very young age, he lost his mother.

Kevin Lowe: Later, he would lose his father. And up until his sister turned 44, he had her.

Kevin Lowe: He had Jodi. And then, tragically, due to cancer, he would lose Jodi as well.

Kevin Lowe: Now, luckily, Andy, he would find the love of his life, and they would get married.

Kevin Lowe: Now, unfortunately, what they didn't know was just a short time later, his wife would be diagnosed with MS.

Kevin Lowe: And what I found so compelling, so amazing, so inspiring about Andy was that even through all of this, what did he think to do?

Kevin Lowe: He thought of ways of giving back, of doing something bigger, creating something bigger than him, bigger than any of them, something that could help others, that could leave an impact on the world.

Kevin Lowe: And that's when he created Jody's Climb for Hope.

Kevin Lowe: What I hope you take away from his story is that our greatest hardships can also become our greatest source of inspiration and purpose.

Kevin Lowe: Now, I know sometimes that can be easier said than done. It depends on who you are.

Kevin Lowe: It depends where you are at in this chapter of life.

Kevin Lowe: Obviously, if you are hurting, if you are sad, let yourself be sad. It's okay.

Kevin Lowe: But at some point, maybe you feel like Andy and you feel like, I need to do something.

Kevin Lowe: What a way to keep the memory of his sister alive.

Kevin Lowe: Then by attaching her name to a fund like Jodi's Climb for Hope, an organization that has raised millions of dollars for medical research.

Kevin Lowe: It's absolutely incredible.

Kevin Lowe: Now, obviously, sometimes when we all think about this idea of living for something greater, doing something big like this, it all sounds great.

Kevin Lowe: But then, of course, we get caught up in the everyday shuffle of life.

Kevin Lowe: We get caught up in all the rough stuff, the hard things we're dealing with.

Kevin Lowe: And so often it can foreshadow anything that we maybe we've dreamed about or we've planned.

Kevin Lowe: But what Andy taught us is that true resilience, it's not just about bouncing back, but rather it's about pushing forward.

Kevin Lowe: The only way that any of us are going to climb to the top of the mountain is one step at a time.

Kevin Lowe: And when we conquer that mountain with a purpose, well, then my friend, it gives it a whole new meaning.

Kevin Lowe: So whether it's you supporting a loved one, fighting for a cause you believe in, whatever it is, it's something bigger than you. It's bigger than any of us.

Kevin Lowe: When we have something bigger that we're fighting for, it gives us a whole new reason to wake up in the morning.

Kevin Lowe: We have something that we're fighting for, that we're passionate about.

Kevin Lowe: It's a purpose-driven life.

Kevin Lowe: Just imagine, my friend, imagine getting to wake up in the morning with a fire burning in your soul.

Kevin Lowe: It's like a fuel that you've been given overnight.

Kevin Lowe: So excited to get to do what you're doing that day.

Kevin Lowe: Now, yeah, maybe you're still living your normal life, but you also now have this new passion, this new purpose for living.

Kevin Lowe: And as I said, that's exactly what Andy did. He created this organization that not only shares the memory of his sister, but it leaves an impact on the world.

Kevin Lowe: Now, one story that Andy shared during our interview, which, again, if you haven't heard his interview yet, please do yourself a favor and go back and check out episode 364.

Kevin Lowe: It is definitely one that you want to hear. But he told one particular story that really caught my attention.

Kevin Lowe: He was coming down off of, I believe, Mount Whitney. He was totally spent, exhausted, so tired.

Kevin Lowe: And it's always he explained on the way down where most accidents happen.

Kevin Lowe: And being extremely exhausted and tired, that didn't make things any easier or safer.

Kevin Lowe: And even at points when he felt like he had nothing else to give, he didn't give up. he kept pushing forward.

Kevin Lowe: Why? Because he wrote his children's names on the two water bottles he carried.

Kevin Lowe: And every time that he would pick one arm up to take a drink, he would see their name.

Kevin Lowe: And that, my friend, is what gave him the inspiration, the purpose, the drive to get down from that mountain safe.

Kevin Lowe: Was that he had those reminders written there on the water bottle of a reason why It was his purpose, his driving force of why he had to get back down that mountain safely so that he can get back to his children.

Kevin Lowe: What this illustrates is that when you have something or someone worth fighting for, it can push you far beyond what you ever can imagine you could be capable of.

Kevin Lowe: This idea of living for something bigger, it's not just a catchphrase.

Kevin Lowe: It's not just a cool quote.

Kevin Lowe: It's not just something cute to put on a t-shirt.

Kevin Lowe: No, it's more than that.

Kevin Lowe: It's about this idea of taking ourselves out of the equation.

Kevin Lowe: So many times we get so focused on us, how we feel, what we want, what we don't like, what made us upset today.

Kevin Lowe: Instead, we switch the focus to a bigger picture. My friend, I'm here to tell you that when you have something bigger you're fighting for, something bigger than any of us that you're living for, all the other little stuff that you deal with day to day just seems insignificant because you have a bigger mission at hand, something bigger than any of the little things going on.

Kevin Lowe: That, my friend, honestly, what a life to live, a purpose-driven life.

Kevin Lowe: Now, one thing that I want to make clear is, yeah, Andy, he's climbing mountains, taking groups, climbing mountains.

Kevin Lowe: But it doesn't have to be such a grand gesture. You don't have to create an entire nonprofit organization in the name of someone.

Kevin Lowe: It doesn't have to be big like that at all.

Kevin Lowe: Because this is just as important in the small everyday actions that you take.

Kevin Lowe: It's found in the everyday acts of kindness.

Kevin Lowe: Of you just being a good person, helping out those around you, saying hello to your neighbor, smiling, bringing their trash can up, grabbing the mail for them.

Kevin Lowe: It's the little acts of kindness we do that can make an impact on the world.

Kevin Lowe: And I think the biggest thing here is to realize that you matter.

Kevin Lowe: You can make a difference in this world. Each and every day that you wake up, my friend, is a new opportunity for you to leave your mark on the world.

Kevin Lowe: Just one person at a time.

Kevin Lowe: You don't have to be on TV. You don't have to make the news.

Kevin Lowe: All you have to do is just show up, giving it your best, being sure that you're showing up in service of others.

Kevin Lowe: You want to help somebody else out. And in turn, my friend, it creates this amazing feedback loop, this positive feedback loop, where the more you do for others, the more you fight for something bigger, the better you're going to feel in return.

Kevin Lowe: So the whole point in today's episode is to just get you thinking a little bit bigger.

Kevin Lowe: Bigger than you or me or anything else. Something big.

Kevin Lowe: Andy created Jody's Climb for Hope. An organization, as I said, that's raised millions for medical research.

Kevin Lowe: But what is it for you? What are you living for?

Kevin Lowe: What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning with a smile on your face and a determination to conquer whatever mountains are in your way because you have this purpose you're fighting for.

Kevin Lowe: If you don't know what that is or you don't have it, well, my friend, I hope today's episode gives you the inspiration to find it, to figure out maybe exactly what that is.

Kevin Lowe: And of course, I remind you, if you didn't listen to my interview with Andy Berger, please do yourself a favor and go back and listen to it.

Kevin Lowe: His story about him, what he's gone through, and more importantly, what he's overcome is absolutely awe-inspiring. I know it changed my life, and I can only hope that it can change your life as well.

Kevin Lowe: So with that, my friend, remember, we all serve a purpose in this life.

Kevin Lowe: It's just up to us to fulfill it.

Kevin Lowe: So get out there and enjoy the day. Make a difference. Live for something bigger.

Kevin Lowe: And hey, if you know you're tackling a big mountain, don't forget to write a name on a water bottle to give you a reason to get down from that mountain.

Kevin Lowe: Until next time, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe. And this, of course, was another episode of Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Kevin Lowe: If anything said today inspired you, made you think of someone, please share today's episode with them.

Kevin Lowe: Share it on Facebook, Instagram, social media.

Kevin Lowe: Tell your friends about it. Maybe you know somebody or a group of people who need to hear today's message.

Kevin Lowe: It would mean the world to me to have you share it with them.

Kevin Lowe: And with that, I'm out of here. You have an awesome day. And I will see you in our next...

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