August 2, 2023 • 21 mins
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I urge you to approach this conversation with openness and respect, appreciating the diversity of religious backgrounds and perspectives.
Join me in a conversation embarking on a spiritual exploration - let's meander paths of faith, traversing the vastness of beliefs and their profound impact on our lives. No matter if you are devout to a specific religion or a free spirited spiritualist, my hope is that you will find "a place at the table" in this conversation.
There is a discussion around the strength that faith and spirituality can offer in personal development, especially in overcoming habits that don't serve you. I also invite in teh perspective of the science mind that may not connect to faith or spirituality.
As always, thank you for listening to We All Have Something. If you wish to connect with Rick beyond the podcast:
Website: www.CoachRickSchwartz.com
YouTube: @RickSchwartz
Threads: @Coach_Rick_Schwartz
Instagram: @Coach_Rick_Schwartz
Facebook Page: @CoachRickSchwartz
Threads: @Coach_Rick_Schwartz
***If you are having any thoughts of self harm and need someone to reach out to please call: 1-800-273- TALK (8255)
Or use the new 988 number for calling or texting for support.
Episode Music "Inspiration Corporate" by Sandra Inspiration Music
Music rights purchased through AudioJungle.
Nothing in this podcast should be taken as therapy, medical or mental health care. Topics discussed on this podcast reflect the personal experiences of the host and guests of We All Have Something and are not intended to, nor should they, replace the services of medical care, mental health care or therapy.
If you are having thoughts of self harm or ending your life, please call or text 988 - Help is available 24/7.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another episode of we All have Something
, and this is not going to beyour typical introduction.
Yes, if you want to be someonewho sponsors and supports this
podcast, there's going to be alink there for it, but that's as
far as I'm going to mention it.
The reason being is I reallythink this topic is very
important and if you've read thetitle you know it's about
spirituality and it can be adelicate topic.
(00:21):
I think that delicateness, orthe need for being sensitive to
that, comes from many thingsthat have happened in our
culture and society over time.
For one, some people haveweaponized spirituality and
religion.
Other people who have decidedthat everything about it has to
be argumentative and sometimeswill only have discourse about
it if it is heightened andaggressive and baiting people
(00:45):
into arguing.
I believe that group of peopleis a minority in the overall
society.
However, they're so loud,they're so loud and aggressive
we see and hear it a lot morethan the other side.
Before we go any further intothis also, I really want you to
come at this episode with anopen mind, an open heart.
(01:06):
There's nothing about it that'sgoing to dictate or tell you
that you should or should notbelieve a certain thing.
So much as I want to discussthe thought processes, the
openness and the need for belief, for faith, for spirituality in
our lives and I'm going to beciting some interesting studies
as well it's not just my opinion, but it is also in my
(01:29):
experience as a coach, a coachwho has worked with clients from
all walks of life.
A coach who's worked withclients that are deeply
religious, clients that havebeen burnt by a religion to the
point where they cannot eventhink about it.
Others who have found their ownpath, found their way back from
tragedy and everything inbetween.
So let's just take a moment.
We'll do the intro and we'regoing to come back and talk a
(01:51):
little bit about faith andspirituality, what it means to
me and how I approach it and whyI believe it's an important
part to really truly experiencethe human experience.
I'm Rick Schwartz, life coach,public speaker and all around
curious guy.
My curiosity, my life and thelives of the many people I have
worked with have taught me timeand time again that there are
(02:13):
challenges to overcome andsuccesses to celebrate.
You're listening to.
We All have Something a podcastabout the human experience, a
podcast about celebrating ourauthentic self.
So let's get started.
I appreciate the fact you'restill here after the opening.
I appreciate the fact that youare willing to listen to this
with an open heart and open mindand as we basically dive into
(02:38):
something that some peoplebelieve is controversial.
But I believe that controversysometimes might be in existence
because people choose to havesingular focus on certain
outcomes.
And I'm not saying that some ofthe bad that has happened from
spirituality and religions andbeliefs and faiths.
I'm not saying those thingsdidn't exist, don't exist.
I'm not saying bad things don'thappen.
I am so much as diving into thefact that, as an individual,
(03:04):
who you are, what makes you work, your whole piece of existence.
Let's talk about that and Iwant to preface it too.
If you're more the person like,look, rick, I'm science based,
I get it.
I.
My whole background andeverything in existence is
biology and physics and science.
The spiritual side of it is apart of me as well.
But I want to acknowledge thatthere are people who are just.
They feel they don't see theproof that they don't have
(03:27):
enough there to say I believe inthe spiritual side of things.
If you're still listening andyou're one of those folks, I
thank you for being here.
I hope you're approaching thiswith an open mind and open heart
.
I have something to say aboutthat, about what we know about
energy and what we know aboutphysics and how, even if you're
only science based, there issome proof there that there's
(03:50):
more to life than just being acluster of cells on a big rock
that circles a big nuclearexplosion that happens in the
sky that we call the sun.
But let's get into thateventually.
Right off the bat, I want toshare with you something I
posted a little while ago Overon threads.
It's.
It's something that came to meafter I was listening to someone
talk about her experience withGod.
She grew up in a very strictCatholic upbringing.
(04:10):
She learned more about theother side, if you will, from a
near-death experience, and itchanged her perspective in the
sense of it opened up to morebelief that that God doesn't fit
into one religion, that herCatholicism that she was brought
up in isn't the only way to seethat spirit, that energy, that
(04:32):
force.
And through her talk, what shewas explaining was that she sees
the bigger picture that certainreligions are just way certain
cultures can see and experiencethe spirituality of the higher
(04:52):
power.
And I want to read to you.
What came to me was I wish youthe power of compassion, the
universal ability ofunderstanding, the capacity of
empathy, for yourself as much asfor others.
Having gratitude for your lifemeans having gratitude for all
parts of the human experience.
It's not easy.
(05:14):
You won't always be able to tapinto it, but it is worth coming
back to.
I have worked, like I mentionedin the opening.
I've worked with so many peoplefrom all walks of life.
I have had clients who aredevout Christians, clients that
were Catholics and thensomething bad happened to them
in the church and they haveturned their back to them
(05:34):
because the pain is too much andthere's no judgment there at
all, knowing that people willview religion as something
that's hurtful and painful tothem, that people in their lives
have weaponized it or used itas a tool to control and
manipulate.
I also know people who seereligion as a home when all else
(05:55):
failed them.
It is the space for them to goto, the space for them to be and
feel complete and safe andcomfortable.
My own background.
It's interesting in the sensethat my parents each came from
families with differentreligious beliefs.
I grew up with the feeling andknowledge from my family that
(06:16):
there is a higher power, that noparticular religion has the
absolute answers to everything,and I was given the freedom to
explore and educate myself onother religions around the world
.
I had a natural curiosity forthat.
It led me to so many differentthings, to try and understand
(06:37):
Taoism, buddhism, islam,christianity, the many different
branches of Christianity andeverything else.
I've always been able toapproach it with curiosity,
because I suppose I'm notprescribed to one particular
religion only, that this isright and I'll go look at the
other one, so much as I'mlooking at them openly.
The one thing I have noticedpersonally across the board is,
(06:59):
if you look at the basefoundation of the teachings,
there are lessons there on howto live a good life, how to be a
good person, how to be a goodperson in your community and
your family, and love isprobably one of the biggest ones
, the biggest expressions itcomes through, even if it's in a
sort of underlying sort of way.
And yes, you can cite all sortsof different stories and
different writings and you canlook at that and go, oh, that's
(07:20):
not right, that's wrong.
I would offer this, I wouldoffer this.
A lot of the writings that wehave today are translations, of
translations, of translations,and it is at the hand of those
who are in a certain time period, in a certain culture that are
making those translations thatmade sense to them at that time.
So again, open your mind, openyour heart, see the bigger
(07:40):
picture.
Pull back, don't look at itword for word.
Look at what it means.
And, yes, there are people outthere that leverage their
religion or a religion tojustify treating other people
poorly or making judgments.
I don't believe.
That is why the higher power,spirit, god, whatever you want
to call it, exists.
I've had my own experiences,I've had my own insights and I
(08:04):
continue to grow in myspirituality.
And the reason I bring this up,the reason I'm doing this whole
episode, is because I amComfortable talking with someone
who is deeply, deeply, deeplyconnected to Jesus and God in
the Christian Bible.
I can connect with him andunderstand them and meet them
where they are.
As much as I can meet someonewho is Really connected, deeply
(08:27):
more, to the older, say, nordicpagan, like religions that are
of the earth with multiple gods.
I can connect with someone whohas felt a connection with God
but never had the direction ofan immediate religion but feels
there's a higher power inspirituality.
If you come at me with thewords of the universe, the power
(08:48):
that is the spirit, the light,the way, god, muhammad, jesus,
buddha, I can meet you there.
I understand the universaltruths of the love that is there
in spirituality and I bringthis up in this podcast because
this podcast is titled.
We all have something and I seeoften online and unfortunately
(09:08):
in the news cycle, which I'vedialed down quite a bit of my
consumption of the divisivenessthat occurs and people claim it
is because of a certain beliefor a certain religion or a
certain way of.
This is how I get away withtreating you because you're not
like me and again, like Imentioned, I truly believe that
is an incredibly loud minorityof people who are banging their
(09:32):
drum loudly and frequently,while those that believe in the
higher, more universal love thatreally honestly love my
neighbor, give grace to myselfand to others.
I believe that's the majority.
I just think it's kind of quietand I want to bring this up in
this podcast Because I thinkit's important.
A big part of taking care ofourselves, the big part of
(09:53):
taking care of others, isunderstanding.
We're all a little bitdifferent, but deep down inside
there's a lot that's the same,that sometimes we don't get to
see or hear or feel Becausethere's these other noisy things
happening.
Again what I wrote over onthreads I wish you the power of
compassion, the universalability of understanding, the
(10:15):
capacity of empathy, foryourself as much as for others.
Having gratitude for your lifemeans having gratitude for all
parts of the human experience.
It's not easy, you won't alwaysbe able to tap into it, but
it's worth coming back to.
That is not a religiousstatement, it's not a spiritual
(10:36):
statement, but it is rooted inmy beliefs of who we are, what
we are, where we've come fromand where we're going Now.
If you're more the type ofperson like well, this is all
great.
Rick, I appreciate you givingus all a big warm hug, no matter
what we believe and do you feel, you can talk to us, no matter
what.
I also want to offer this.
I Want to offer this beingspiritual, being religious,
(10:58):
believing in a higher power ofsome sort, can help you through
the really difficult times, evenif in that moment the difficult
times do not make sense, evenif in that time you believe look
, why should I be tested likethis?
Why should this be happening tome?
Why do I have to deal with this?
You know there was a.
There was an interview withAnderson Cooper and Stephen
Colbert talking about some ofthe tragedies that they each
(11:20):
have experienced in life, to thepoint that Anderson Cooper got
choked up and Stephen Colbertsaid that because Anderson was
questioning why do you havegratitude for the the horrible
things that have happened inyour life, the bad things you've
experienced?
And Stephen Colbert quiteCalmly said if I'm going to be
thankful for my life, I have tobe thankful for all parts of it.
I have to be thankful for allexperiences I've gone through,
(11:41):
because even the low ones, thebad ones and I'm paraphrasing
here the low ones and bad onesGet me to a point where I can
identify and connect with people, other people who've gone
through that as well, and itgives me a new level of Love and
compassion.
So he says he's got gratitudefor even the bad stuff that's
happened, because he sees thatit's part of the human
(12:02):
experience of being here and hehas.
He has cited he's Catholic, buthe also studies a lot of
Buddhism and he's like I don'tknow which side I fall on,
honestly.
But just that perspective there, that understanding that we we
have to see the whole package,is so important.
But I want to go back to whatelse I was talking about it.
There's a book called the powerof habit.
It is a very thick, long bookseveral hundred pages that talks
(12:27):
about, breaks down and analyzeshabit loops and our behaviors
and how we need to restructurethings.
And there's a portion in herewhen the author, charles do
Higgs, sites some things.
I'm gonna read right from thebook full credit Charles do
Higgs, the power of habit.
I'll even put a link down belowif you want to buy a copy.
It's an awesome book.
I learned a lot from it and I Iteach from it.
(12:48):
I have for many, many years thedecades maybe, anyhow this one
portion here.
He's talking about how peoplethat go through alcoholics
anonymous have success, and hegoes on here.
One group of researchers at thealcohol research group in
California, for instance,noticed a pattern in interviews
Over and over again, alcoholicssaid the same thing.
(13:08):
Identifying cues and choosingnew routines is important, but
without another ingredient thenew habits never fully took hold
.
The secret, the alcoholics said, was God.
Researchers hated thatexplanation God and it's not
because they hate God, isbecause it's hard to measure
that, and it goes on here.
It says God and spiritualityare not testable and measurable.
(13:32):
Hypothesis Churches are filledwith drunks who continued
drinking despite a pious path.
In conversations with addicts,though, spirituality kept coming
up again and again.
So in 2005, a group ofscientists, this time Affiliated
with UC Berkeley, brownUniversity and National
Institute of Health, beganasking Alcoholics about all
(13:53):
kinds of religious and spiritualtopics.
Then they looked at the data tosee if there was any
correlation between religiousbelief and how long people
stayed sober.
A pattern emerged Alcoholicswho practice the technique of
habit replacement that, andthat's part of what we're
talking about in habit loopshere and everything else, but
about habit replacement, thedata indicated could often stay
(14:14):
sober until there was astressful event in their life At
which point a certain numberstarted drinking again, no
matter how many new routinesthey had embraced.
However, those alcoholics whobelieved some higher power
entered their lives throughtheir practices were more likely
to make it through thestressful periods with their
sobriety intact.
(14:35):
The researchers found out thatit wasn't God per se or the
particular belief that mattered.
It was the belief itself thatmade a difference.
Once people learned how tobelieve in something.
The skill started spilling overin other parts of their lives
until they started believingthey could change.
Belief was the ingredient thatmade a reworked habit loop into
(14:56):
a permanent behavior.
The point being there is it'snot about the actual religion or
spiritual belief, it's abouthaving the belief.
It's about getting in touchwith that part of you and your
soul and your body, and I'mgoing to wrap it up with this.
If you are like many of mycolleagues, it's all
science-based.
Look, it's a matter of chancethat all these cells have come
(15:16):
together.
It's evolution-based.
When I die, I'm done, I get it,I totally get it, and I support
you as well.
I don't challenge you.
I don't say you're wrong.
I do want to point this out,though what an awesome group of
cells to finally come togetherand decide to fire off neurons
and make you who you are and thepersonality that you are, with
the individualism that you have,the ability to think and do
(15:38):
what you do.
How awesome is it that we knowenergy doesn't ever expire, it
just changes, similar to thewater cycle, where it goes from
ocean to evaporation, to rain,to rivers, to groundwater, to
lakes, back to the ocean again,no matter what animals drink it,
even ourselves.
Our body still uses it andpushes it out.
However, we need it throughsweat, through our breath,
(15:59):
through our urine, whatever itmight be, it still is never gone
.
It's just changed.
Same with energy From the sunit goes to the plants, feeds the
animals.
We eat the plants and animals.
We use that energy and then wealso expire that out in heat and
other ways, through our systemas well, and it goes back into
the system.
The energy never expires, itjust changes your group of cells
, constantly changing and doingall the things they are doing,
(16:21):
your thoughts, your imaginations, your dreams, the things that
never existed in the real life,that your mind can see.
What an amazing group of cellsto have come together and be you
.
And I ask that, if that isreally where you are, and that
is fine, I love you.
No matter what, that iscompletely fine.
I ask that you honor how unique, how amazing and how wonderful
(16:43):
your group of cells are thathave come together to make you.
And I'll go right back to whatI said before.
This goes for my science-basedpeople, for my religion people,
my spiritual people, my woo-woopeople.
Wherever you are, whatever youbelieve or whatever you once
believed, which maybe you'vefound it just hurt too much.
Wherever you are and what youbelieve, I want you to consider
(17:05):
making your spirituality andfaith a part of your existence.
I connected with Ula as a coach, as a client.
Seven key areas fitness,finance, family field.
Faith is right there in themiddle friends and fun.
It's your faith, dr Troy and DrDave even say in the book and
(17:27):
in their talks everywhere theyhave their faith.
They have their belief, theyhave their religion and they
speak to that.
But they recognize that yoursis yours.
Whatever that may be, all I askis you consider bringing it more
to the forefront of your life,bringing it into the fold of the
other key areas of your life.
It's important and when youhear other people talk about
(17:49):
theirs and what it means to them, hold off on judgment, hold off
on being reactive to how itdoesn't quite sound right to you
and see if you can understandthe bigger message.
What are they getting from it?
Love, compassion, understanding.
And if you're not seeing it butthey're still claiming it, then
maybe have that conversationwith them.
(18:10):
Ask them about those componentsof their beliefs, see where
that discussion goes.
I'm going to wrap it up withwhat I said before.
I wish you the power ofcompassion, the universal
ability of understanding, thecapacity of empathy, for
yourself as much for others.
Having gratitude for your lifemeans having gratitude for all
(18:32):
parts of the human experience.
It is not easy, you won'talways be able to tap into it,
and that's okay, but it is worthcoming back to.
As always.
If you want to get in touch withme, you can find me on my
website, coachrigschwarzcom.
You can find me on a widevariety of social media.
(18:53):
All the links are below.
I appreciate you being here.
More than you know, people aresharing this podcast.
They're reaching out to me.
I do not take lightly thecommunity we have created.
I do not take lightly theresponsibility of showing up for
you in this format, and I loveit.
I am glad to interview thepeople we get to interview.
(19:13):
In fact, coming up next, we'vegot a couple of great interviews
from other coaches that are notpart of the Ulu community, but
they're other really greatvoices and I can't wait for you
to hear them.
If this episode or any otherepisode ever feels powerful
enough to you to share withothers, please do.
It's a great way to have thatripple effect.
I was just talking to a clienttoday, in fact, about the ripple
effect and she was thanking me.
We were wrapping up our mainwork together and she was
(19:35):
thanking me for the changesshe's experienced, the changes
her husband experienced as shechanged through coaching.
She says you know, it's notjust about me, rick, it's the
ripple effect People at workhave noticed.
My family's noticed, definitely.
My husband's noticed thatchanges how I interact with them
and that changes their day too.
I thank you so much for that.
That's what this is about.
(19:56):
It's about that ripple effect.
How can we improve our lives,take care of ourselves a little
better?
When we do that, we improve thelives of those around us.
We take care of those around usa little more, even if it's an
indirect interaction of just anice smile and saying thank you
and holding the door for astranger, or maybe something as
big as showing kindness andcompassion to a coworker having
(20:17):
a bad day, who knows?
Right, all right.
Like I said before, Iappreciate you being here.
I really do have a good oneeverybody.
Welcome to another episode of we All have Something
, and this is not going to beyour typical introduction.
Yes, if you want to be someonewho sponsors and supports this
podcast, there's going to be alink there for it, but that's as
far as I'm going to mention it.
The reason being is I reallythink this topic is very
important and if you've read thetitle you know it's about
spirituality and it can be adelicate topic.
(00:21):
I think that delicateness, orthe need for being sensitive to
that, comes from many thingsthat have happened in our
culture and society over time.
For one, some people haveweaponized spirituality and
religion.
Other people who have decidedthat everything about it has to
be argumentative and sometimeswill only have discourse about
it if it is heightened andaggressive and baiting people
(00:45):
into arguing.
I believe that group of peopleis a minority in the overall
society.
However, they're so loud,they're so loud and aggressive
we see and hear it a lot morethan the other side.
Before we go any further intothis also, I really want you to
come at this episode with anopen mind, an open heart.
(01:06):
There's nothing about it that'sgoing to dictate or tell you
that you should or should notbelieve a certain thing.
So much as I want to discussthe thought processes, the
openness and the need for belief, for faith, for spirituality in
our lives and I'm going to beciting some interesting studies
as well it's not just my opinion, but it is also in my
(01:29):
experience as a coach, a coachwho has worked with clients from
all walks of life.
A coach who's worked withclients that are deeply
religious, clients that havebeen burnt by a religion to the
point where they cannot eventhink about it.
Others who have found their ownpath, found their way back from
tragedy and everything inbetween.
So let's just take a moment.
We'll do the intro and we'regoing to come back and talk a
(01:51):
little bit about faith andspirituality, what it means to
me and how I approach it and whyI believe it's an important
part to really truly experiencethe human experience.
I'm Rick Schwartz, life coach,public speaker and all around
curious guy.
My curiosity, my life and thelives of the many people I have
worked with have taught me timeand time again that there are
(02:13):
challenges to overcome andsuccesses to celebrate.
You're listening to.
We All have Something a podcastabout the human experience, a
podcast about celebrating ourauthentic self.
So let's get started.
I appreciate the fact you'restill here after the opening.
I appreciate the fact that youare willing to listen to this
with an open heart and open mindand as we basically dive into
(02:38):
something that some peoplebelieve is controversial.
But I believe that controversysometimes might be in existence
because people choose to havesingular focus on certain
outcomes.
And I'm not saying that some ofthe bad that has happened from
spirituality and religions andbeliefs and faiths.
I'm not saying those thingsdidn't exist, don't exist.
I'm not saying bad things don'thappen.
I am so much as diving into thefact that, as an individual,
(03:04):
who you are, what makes you work, your whole piece of existence.
Let's talk about that and Iwant to preface it too.
If you're more the person like,look, rick, I'm science based,
I get it.
I.
My whole background andeverything in existence is
biology and physics and science.
The spiritual side of it is apart of me as well.
But I want to acknowledge thatthere are people who are just.
They feel they don't see theproof that they don't have
(03:27):
enough there to say I believe inthe spiritual side of things.
If you're still listening andyou're one of those folks, I
thank you for being here.
I hope you're approaching thiswith an open mind and open heart
.
I have something to say aboutthat, about what we know about
energy and what we know aboutphysics and how, even if you're
only science based, there issome proof there that there's
(03:50):
more to life than just being acluster of cells on a big rock
that circles a big nuclearexplosion that happens in the
sky that we call the sun.
But let's get into thateventually.
Right off the bat, I want toshare with you something I
posted a little while ago Overon threads.
It's.
It's something that came to meafter I was listening to someone
talk about her experience withGod.
She grew up in a very strictCatholic upbringing.
(04:10):
She learned more about theother side, if you will, from a
near-death experience, and itchanged her perspective in the
sense of it opened up to morebelief that that God doesn't fit
into one religion, that herCatholicism that she was brought
up in isn't the only way to seethat spirit, that energy, that
(04:32):
force.
And through her talk, what shewas explaining was that she sees
the bigger picture that certainreligions are just way certain
cultures can see and experiencethe spirituality of the higher
(04:52):
power.
And I want to read to you.
What came to me was I wish youthe power of compassion, the
universal ability ofunderstanding, the capacity of
empathy, for yourself as much asfor others.
Having gratitude for your lifemeans having gratitude for all
parts of the human experience.
It's not easy.
(05:14):
You won't always be able to tapinto it, but it is worth coming
back to.
I have worked, like I mentionedin the opening.
I've worked with so many peoplefrom all walks of life.
I have had clients who aredevout Christians, clients that
were Catholics and thensomething bad happened to them
in the church and they haveturned their back to them
(05:34):
because the pain is too much andthere's no judgment there at
all, knowing that people willview religion as something
that's hurtful and painful tothem, that people in their lives
have weaponized it or used itas a tool to control and
manipulate.
I also know people who seereligion as a home when all else
(05:55):
failed them.
It is the space for them to goto, the space for them to be and
feel complete and safe andcomfortable.
My own background.
It's interesting in the sensethat my parents each came from
families with differentreligious beliefs.
I grew up with the feeling andknowledge from my family that
(06:16):
there is a higher power, that noparticular religion has the
absolute answers to everything,and I was given the freedom to
explore and educate myself onother religions around the world
.
I had a natural curiosity forthat.
It led me to so many differentthings, to try and understand
(06:37):
Taoism, buddhism, islam,christianity, the many different
branches of Christianity andeverything else.
I've always been able toapproach it with curiosity,
because I suppose I'm notprescribed to one particular
religion only, that this isright and I'll go look at the
other one, so much as I'mlooking at them openly.
The one thing I have noticedpersonally across the board is,
(06:59):
if you look at the basefoundation of the teachings,
there are lessons there on howto live a good life, how to be a
good person, how to be a goodperson in your community and
your family, and love isprobably one of the biggest ones
, the biggest expressions itcomes through, even if it's in a
sort of underlying sort of way.
And yes, you can cite all sortsof different stories and
different writings and you canlook at that and go, oh, that's
(07:20):
not right, that's wrong.
I would offer this, I wouldoffer this.
A lot of the writings that wehave today are translations, of
translations, of translations,and it is at the hand of those
who are in a certain time period, in a certain culture that are
making those translations thatmade sense to them at that time.
So again, open your mind, openyour heart, see the bigger
(07:40):
picture.
Pull back, don't look at itword for word.
Look at what it means.
And, yes, there are people outthere that leverage their
religion or a religion tojustify treating other people
poorly or making judgments.
I don't believe.
That is why the higher power,spirit, god, whatever you want
to call it, exists.
I've had my own experiences,I've had my own insights and I
(08:04):
continue to grow in myspirituality.
And the reason I bring this up,the reason I'm doing this whole
episode, is because I amComfortable talking with someone
who is deeply, deeply, deeplyconnected to Jesus and God in
the Christian Bible.
I can connect with him andunderstand them and meet them
where they are.
As much as I can meet someonewho is Really connected, deeply
(08:27):
more, to the older, say, nordicpagan, like religions that are
of the earth with multiple gods.
I can connect with someone whohas felt a connection with God
but never had the direction ofan immediate religion but feels
there's a higher power inspirituality.
If you come at me with thewords of the universe, the power
(08:48):
that is the spirit, the light,the way, god, muhammad, jesus,
buddha, I can meet you there.
I understand the universaltruths of the love that is there
in spirituality and I bringthis up in this podcast because
this podcast is titled.
We all have something and I seeoften online and unfortunately
(09:08):
in the news cycle, which I'vedialed down quite a bit of my
consumption of the divisivenessthat occurs and people claim it
is because of a certain beliefor a certain religion or a
certain way of.
This is how I get away withtreating you because you're not
like me and again, like Imentioned, I truly believe that
is an incredibly loud minorityof people who are banging their
(09:32):
drum loudly and frequently,while those that believe in the
higher, more universal love thatreally honestly love my
neighbor, give grace to myselfand to others.
I believe that's the majority.
I just think it's kind of quietand I want to bring this up in
this podcast Because I thinkit's important.
A big part of taking care ofourselves, the big part of
(09:53):
taking care of others, isunderstanding.
We're all a little bitdifferent, but deep down inside
there's a lot that's the same,that sometimes we don't get to
see or hear or feel Becausethere's these other noisy things
happening.
Again what I wrote over onthreads I wish you the power of
compassion, the universalability of understanding, the
(10:15):
capacity of empathy, foryourself as much as for others.
Having gratitude for your lifemeans having gratitude for all
parts of the human experience.
It's not easy, you won't alwaysbe able to tap into it, but
it's worth coming back to.
That is not a religiousstatement, it's not a spiritual
(10:36):
statement, but it is rooted inmy beliefs of who we are, what
we are, where we've come fromand where we're going Now.
If you're more the type ofperson like well, this is all
great.
Rick, I appreciate you givingus all a big warm hug, no matter
what we believe and do you feel, you can talk to us, no matter
what.
I also want to offer this.
I Want to offer this beingspiritual, being religious,
(10:58):
believing in a higher power ofsome sort, can help you through
the really difficult times, evenif in that moment the difficult
times do not make sense, evenif in that time you believe look
, why should I be tested likethis?
Why should this be happening tome?
Why do I have to deal with this?
You know there was a.
There was an interview withAnderson Cooper and Stephen
Colbert talking about some ofthe tragedies that they each
(11:20):
have experienced in life, to thepoint that Anderson Cooper got
choked up and Stephen Colbertsaid that because Anderson was
questioning why do you havegratitude for the the horrible
things that have happened inyour life, the bad things you've
experienced?
And Stephen Colbert quiteCalmly said if I'm going to be
thankful for my life, I have tobe thankful for all parts of it.
I have to be thankful for allexperiences I've gone through,
(11:41):
because even the low ones, thebad ones and I'm paraphrasing
here the low ones and bad onesGet me to a point where I can
identify and connect with people, other people who've gone
through that as well, and itgives me a new level of Love and
compassion.
So he says he's got gratitudefor even the bad stuff that's
happened, because he sees thatit's part of the human
(12:02):
experience of being here and hehas.
He has cited he's Catholic, buthe also studies a lot of
Buddhism and he's like I don'tknow which side I fall on,
honestly.
But just that perspective there, that understanding that we we
have to see the whole package,is so important.
But I want to go back to whatelse I was talking about it.
There's a book called the powerof habit.
It is a very thick, long bookseveral hundred pages that talks
(12:27):
about, breaks down and analyzeshabit loops and our behaviors
and how we need to restructurethings.
And there's a portion in herewhen the author, charles do
Higgs, sites some things.
I'm gonna read right from thebook full credit Charles do
Higgs, the power of habit.
I'll even put a link down belowif you want to buy a copy.
It's an awesome book.
I learned a lot from it and I Iteach from it.
(12:48):
I have for many, many years thedecades maybe, anyhow this one
portion here.
He's talking about how peoplethat go through alcoholics
anonymous have success, and hegoes on here.
One group of researchers at thealcohol research group in
California, for instance,noticed a pattern in interviews
Over and over again, alcoholicssaid the same thing.
(13:08):
Identifying cues and choosingnew routines is important, but
without another ingredient thenew habits never fully took hold
.
The secret, the alcoholics said, was God.
Researchers hated thatexplanation God and it's not
because they hate God, isbecause it's hard to measure
that, and it goes on here.
It says God and spiritualityare not testable and measurable.
(13:32):
Hypothesis Churches are filledwith drunks who continued
drinking despite a pious path.
In conversations with addicts,though, spirituality kept coming
up again and again.
So in 2005, a group ofscientists, this time Affiliated
with UC Berkeley, brownUniversity and National
Institute of Health, beganasking Alcoholics about all
(13:53):
kinds of religious and spiritualtopics.
Then they looked at the data tosee if there was any
correlation between religiousbelief and how long people
stayed sober.
A pattern emerged Alcoholicswho practice the technique of
habit replacement that, andthat's part of what we're
talking about in habit loopshere and everything else, but
about habit replacement, thedata indicated could often stay
(14:14):
sober until there was astressful event in their life At
which point a certain numberstarted drinking again, no
matter how many new routinesthey had embraced.
However, those alcoholics whobelieved some higher power
entered their lives throughtheir practices were more likely
to make it through thestressful periods with their
sobriety intact.
(14:35):
The researchers found out thatit wasn't God per se or the
particular belief that mattered.
It was the belief itself thatmade a difference.
Once people learned how tobelieve in something.
The skill started spilling overin other parts of their lives
until they started believingthey could change.
Belief was the ingredient thatmade a reworked habit loop into
(14:56):
a permanent behavior.
The point being there is it'snot about the actual religion or
spiritual belief, it's abouthaving the belief.
It's about getting in touchwith that part of you and your
soul and your body, and I'mgoing to wrap it up with this.
If you are like many of mycolleagues, it's all
science-based.
Look, it's a matter of chancethat all these cells have come
(15:16):
together.
It's evolution-based.
When I die, I'm done, I get it,I totally get it, and I support
you as well.
I don't challenge you.
I don't say you're wrong.
I do want to point this out,though what an awesome group of
cells to finally come togetherand decide to fire off neurons
and make you who you are and thepersonality that you are, with
the individualism that you have,the ability to think and do
(15:38):
what you do.
How awesome is it that we knowenergy doesn't ever expire, it
just changes, similar to thewater cycle, where it goes from
ocean to evaporation, to rain,to rivers, to groundwater, to
lakes, back to the ocean again,no matter what animals drink it,
even ourselves.
Our body still uses it andpushes it out.
However, we need it throughsweat, through our breath,
(15:59):
through our urine, whatever itmight be, it still is never gone
.
It's just changed.
Same with energy From the sunit goes to the plants, feeds the
animals.
We eat the plants and animals.
We use that energy and then wealso expire that out in heat and
other ways, through our systemas well, and it goes back into
the system.
The energy never expires, itjust changes your group of cells
, constantly changing and doingall the things they are doing,
(16:21):
your thoughts, your imaginations, your dreams, the things that
never existed in the real life,that your mind can see.
What an amazing group of cellsto have come together and be you
.
And I ask that, if that isreally where you are, and that
is fine, I love you.
No matter what, that iscompletely fine.
I ask that you honor how unique, how amazing and how wonderful
(16:43):
your group of cells are thathave come together to make you.
And I'll go right back to whatI said before.
This goes for my science-basedpeople, for my religion people,
my spiritual people, my woo-woopeople.
Wherever you are, whatever youbelieve or whatever you once
believed, which maybe you'vefound it just hurt too much.
Wherever you are and what youbelieve, I want you to consider
(17:05):
making your spirituality andfaith a part of your existence.
I connected with Ula as a coach, as a client.
Seven key areas fitness,finance, family field.
Faith is right there in themiddle friends and fun.
It's your faith, dr Troy and DrDave even say in the book and
(17:27):
in their talks everywhere theyhave their faith.
They have their belief, theyhave their religion and they
speak to that.
But they recognize that yoursis yours.
Whatever that may be, all I askis you consider bringing it more
to the forefront of your life,bringing it into the fold of the
other key areas of your life.
It's important and when youhear other people talk about
(17:49):
theirs and what it means to them, hold off on judgment, hold off
on being reactive to how itdoesn't quite sound right to you
and see if you can understandthe bigger message.
What are they getting from it?
Love, compassion, understanding.
And if you're not seeing it butthey're still claiming it, then
maybe have that conversationwith them.
(18:10):
Ask them about those componentsof their beliefs, see where
that discussion goes.
I'm going to wrap it up withwhat I said before.
I wish you the power ofcompassion, the universal
ability of understanding, thecapacity of empathy, for
yourself as much for others.
Having gratitude for your lifemeans having gratitude for all
(18:32):
parts of the human experience.
It is not easy, you won'talways be able to tap into it,
and that's okay, but it is worthcoming back to.
As always.
If you want to get in touch withme, you can find me on my
website, coachrigschwarzcom.
You can find me on a widevariety of social media.
(18:53):
All the links are below.
I appreciate you being here.
More than you know, people aresharing this podcast.
They're reaching out to me.
I do not take lightly thecommunity we have created.
I do not take lightly theresponsibility of showing up for
you in this format, and I loveit.
I am glad to interview thepeople we get to interview.
(19:13):
In fact, coming up next, we'vegot a couple of great interviews
from other coaches that are notpart of the Ulu community, but
they're other really greatvoices and I can't wait for you
to hear them.
If this episode or any otherepisode ever feels powerful
enough to you to share withothers, please do.
It's a great way to have thatripple effect.
I was just talking to a clienttoday, in fact, about the ripple
effect and she was thanking me.
We were wrapping up our mainwork together and she was
(19:35):
thanking me for the changesshe's experienced, the changes
her husband experienced as shechanged through coaching.
She says you know, it's notjust about me, rick, it's the
ripple effect People at workhave noticed.
My family's noticed, definitely.
My husband's noticed thatchanges how I interact with them
and that changes their day too.
I thank you so much for that.
That's what this is about.
(19:56):
It's about that ripple effect.
How can we improve our lives,take care of ourselves a little
better?
When we do that, we improve thelives of those around us.
We take care of those around usa little more, even if it's an
indirect interaction of just anice smile and saying thank you
and holding the door for astranger, or maybe something as
big as showing kindness andcompassion to a coworker having
(20:17):
a bad day, who knows?
Right, all right.
Like I said before, Iappreciate you being here.
I really do have a good oneeverybody.
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