Beth Fitzgerald's Blog

On Monday, I had an appointment at Apple‘s Genius Bar to go over a few things I didn’t neccessarily understand very well. Now that statement may seem very benign to you, especially if technology and the inner workings thereof are your thing. But for me, that whole event, from making the appointment to actually showing up, was filled with fear and trepidation. So much so, it made me physically sick to my stomach. But it had to be done, so I put my “big girl” pants on, and went—alone—to prove to myself that I was brave.

In a nutshell, it couldn’t have gone more perfectly. Maria, at Quakerbridge Mall, took amazing care of me! She guided me through my external hard drive backup and helped me sort out Malware, etc. I left her safety and tutelage eventually, but felt confidant in what she had showed me, to do it all myself. I was proud of myself for being so brave.

Fear is a funny thing. It can be completely paralyzing, and it was for me. What are you afraid of moving forward on right now? Go back to yesterday’s post—be truthful with yourself—we need to start there. This fear is holding you back in some way. There are many ways to overcome fear, all are simply, but none are easy. Try this one: share your fear with someone you can count on to help you face it head on, someone who won’t let you back down, and someone who will champion you through to the end. I can help, too. DO NOT BACK DOWN FROM THIS FEAR!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth Fitzgerald

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There is this thing, on the Peloton and maybe elsewhere, called the FTP (Functional Threshold Power). The participant takes a 20-minute cycling test to determine what kind of power or output she could hypothetically sustain for around one hour. It’s a hard test, but when it’s done, the computer calculates how much output you are capable of in 7 zones, ranging from easiest to hardest. These zones will then populate your screen on the Peloton until you retake the FTP test. Why am I even sharing this and what does it have to do with you?

What I love and hate about the FTP test is—it doesn’t lie. You can’t fudge an FTP test. There’s no cheating on it either. You put in the work on the 20-minute test and the truth gets delivered to you almost instantaneously. You can’t talk to the computer afterword and explain why you didn’t bike well that day. The FTP is a truth-teller. If you want a different result, you have to put in the work—end of story.

I wish life had a few FTP tests in it. I love truth-tellers. It may sting at first, but at least I don’t feel like I’m fooling myself. I can very easily get caught up in my own story, that’s FILLED with excuses, but what good is that? What truth do you and I need to tell ourselves today? Here are a few truths that might apply—I am not managing my finances well and I need to stop; I am not happy; I don’t like my job; My health is at risk and I need to make a change; My mental health is not in a good place and I need to see someone. I’m angry. Do any of these resonate with you? Did you think of a different truth? Sometimes we need the truth and no one is going to tell it to us, but ourselves. Will you be your own truth-teller? You might be the only one that really knows your truth. It’s time. Everyone has a truth they aren’t telling themselves.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth

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After reading this quote by Keller, my guess is that you thought of yourself and some of the things in your life that mean so much to you. Maybe you thought of your family and how simply thinking of them fills your heart with joy. It’s amazing how the mind and heart can do that on demand.

But today isn’t going to be about us, at least not entirely. Daily, we have an impact on all of those around us. Daily, our actions make those around us feel with their heart. Maybe we don’t always think that through because we say things like, “I’m the boss,” “Do your job,” “I don’t have time for this,” or maybe we are simply silent, which may be the worst of all. Every day, we have the opportunity to make those around us feel with their heart—did we make them feel good? Bad? Nothing?

Last Friday I ran into an old friend I had not seen since I published my book in February of 2020. He exclaimed, “I have a gift for you!” I couldn’t imagine what it would be, and then he handed me this bottle of wine. He had it etched with my name, The Wake Up Call, and the publication date. On the back is a copy of my picture from the book and some more book related information. Who does this? Who goes out of their way to create something so sentimental that I will cherish this forever? THIS is what Helen Keller was talking about. This is what we have the opportunity to do every day. Look around you. Look past your family. “The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” What I felt with my heart, beyond the gift, was the incredible kindness and thoughtfulness that went into this amazing gesture. My heart is full! Thank you, Ron! I will treasure it forever.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth

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Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I never know how to answer that question because both could be true, right? Here is another one: Should you expect great things of yourself before you can do them OR do you have to do great things first and then you should expect them of yourself? I believe we should expect great things of ourselves first.

If I asked all of you, “Are you capable of doing great things?” every one of you would say, “Yes!” But if I asked you, “What great thing are you working on right now?” I’m guessing you might not have an answer. Am I right?

Today, let’s just solidify one great thing you’d like to accomplish; let’s confidently put it into words. ARE YOU capable of great things? Of course you are, so LET’S GO! Expect something great from yourself (Step 1) and go after it like it’s your job (Step 2). Otherwise, the answer to the question of, “Should you expect great things of yourself?” is as inane as, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth

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Last Friday I attended a viewing for one of our dearest friend’s dad. In addition to being an amazing husband for 62 years, a great dad to his four sons, and a great grandfather, he was also a volunteer firefighter for his local fire department for over 50 years! For 52 years he served his community giving them something significantly more precious than his money—he gave his time.

At the viewing, I watched the entire fire department pay tribute to their fallen hero in so many ways. This was clearly a strong brotherhood and they would be with their comrade until the end. I started to think about how I was serving my community. He gave for 52 years, what was I doing? I couldn’t help but hear President JFK in my ear, “Think not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

My friend’s dad came from a different era. In my eyes, arguably a better era than ours. For today, give some thought to how you are giving back. That generation was not concerned with getting, they wanted to give. They participated. They got involved. They were invested. And watching all those fireman pay their respects showed me that he likely received in many ways that we will never know, and deservedly so. Thank you, Mr Piazza—you inspired me!

With Gratitude,

Beth

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I’m sure you’ve heard of the classic “wants versus needs” question when it comes to budgeting. It becomes a lot easier to make difficult financial decisions when we break down our line items into wants and needs. It doesn’t always feel good when we realize that something we really want is not a need, and ends up being cut out of the budget. Some people never learn to separate the two, but regardless of your financial situation, I believe it’s important to differentiate between want and need.

We can use “wants versus needs” elsewhere in our life, even when these items don’t have a tangible financial value. What are your wants versus needs for your health? That’s a big one, because without our health, some of the other “wants versus needs” won’t matter. What about some of your relationships? Do you have and “wants versus needs” there? What about happiness? Work-life balance? Peace? Fulfillment? Stress? Joy? Freedom? Love?

Take a look at some of these “wants versus needs” that I just mentioned, or maybe you have a few of your own. Ask yourself some really important questions like, “Do I want happiness, or do I need happiness? Do I want good health or do I need good health? Do I want less stress or do I need less stress? Do I want love or do I need love?” Add any questions you have. We are living a life that is difficult beyond measure right now—and a lot of what you think is a “want,” I know is a “need!” Only you can make this a priority and I really hope you do. This “wants versus needs” list isn’t for your budget, it’s for your soul. You deserve all of these priceless things in life. Make them your “needs”— it’s that important!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth

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A while back, in November of 2019, I went to Philly to watch my daughter run the Philadelphia Marathon & Half-Marathon (she ran the half-marathon). It was such an exciting day in Philadelphia that we made a commitment to make it a family event in 2020. Immediately following the race, I made a plan outlining how I was going to be able to run an 8K by November—this was another choice outside of marathon or half-marathon. I knew it would be a challenge, but I knew it was something I could work toward, and I knew I had the time.

Then the pandemic hit and the world came to a halt. The Philadelphia Marathon & Half-Marathon got cancelled and I stopped training. I decided I would wait until it was scheduled again to begin my training in earnest. I’m sure it’s scheduled again, but it fell off my radar. I was no longer working toward something. Have you ever done that?

Having something to work toward is a powerful tool, and it doesn’t have to be fitness. We all should have something specific we are working toward at all times—it gives us vision, purpose, determination, grit, awareness, pride, happiness, and more. This thing should have a defined finish line as well. What are you working toward right now? If you don’t have a specific answer, then we need to talk. Most people drift, unconsciously, through life. We all fall into this trap at times, but that is not you! Come on!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth Fitzgerald

Here is a good quote to inspire you: “Stubborn on the vision. Flexible on the details.”

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I believe Mary Lou Retton is 100% correct, but the sad part is that I see a lot of people living their life without acknowledging that fire. And, by ignoring the fire, they smother it, and try to extinguish it altogether. Sometimes work is the fire, but sometimes it is not. Sometimes work is the safe haven we hide behind so we don’t ever have to take the scary step forward of pursuing our “fire.”

What is the fire in your heart? Retton was wise to tell us where the fire is located—it’s in our heart. Only the most important things reside in our heart. Our heart evokes passion. What are you passionate about? Here is the important part: you had no say over this fire, it was placed in your heart before you were born. Your only job in life is to find it and keep it lit. That was the task handed down to you and me.

So, what do we do now? Do you know your fire? Heck, it’s a big part of why we are here. Look around at the most passionate people, famous or otherwise. They are driven by their fire, not the other way around. You may be smothering your fire, but it cannot be extinguished. Our fire resides in us until the end, it’s just a matter of whether or not we decide to stoke the fire. What’s it going to be? I’m here to help, should you need it. I’m all about the fire!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth

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I recently read a quote from a woman who used a mantra to live her life by. The mantra helped her make all of her decisions, and once she began making better decisions, everything in her life started to get better. What could one say that would do all that?

Her mantra was just three simple words: unwise, better, best. You many have heard these words before, but are you using them? “Unwise, better best” is a way to stop our brain from making emotional decisions. Should I buy the expensive car? Our emotions tell us, “Yes! You deserve it!” But would you still buy the car if you paused and asked, “Unwise, better, best?” That expensive car might fall under unwise and, therefore, allow you to make a better decision.

Where will you use: unwise, better, best? Will it be with shopping, food, alcohol, work, relationships, etc.? Emotional decisions are never our best decisions. I will always reach for chocolate as a snack, but now I’m thinking that most often that will fall under “unwise.” Give it a go, at least for the day. Unwise. Better. Best. It’s your choice.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

BETH

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of listening to Rob Walker, the author of The Art of Noticing. Although I haven’t read the book yet, he made a very valid point of how rarely we take the time to notice. He talks about noticing from a place of curiosity, and curiosity has so many wonderful repercussions. He described curiosity as, “Not being afraid to ask stupid questions.” He drew a parallel to the curiosity we had when we were very young and we asked any question that popped into our mind—until our parents said, “Because I said so!”

Walker gave us many prompts yesterday to peak our curiosity, but I am only going to share one with you today. Before he finished the call, he gave us some homework; he asked us to take a “gratitude photo.” Of course it would be simple to take a few photos of that which we are grateful for, but I’m going to add a caveat: A photo of anything but the obvious.

Do you know why remaining curious is important? Only because it keeps the mind active, it opens up new thinking, it builds empathy, it literally changes the wiring of your brain, it makes you happier, and it’s contagious! And if you’re in a leadership role, this topic should be even more important to you and your team (read the HBR article attached). So today, I am accepting all pictures of gratitude and I will award the winning photo with an autographed copy of my book, The Wake Up Call. Be curious, be grateful, and send me the photo! This will feed your soul searching for the right shot!

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

BETH

HBR article

beth@bethfitzgerald.com

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