Emotional Flexibility Turning Tough Times Into Triumphs (S4) S45 E2

I’m John C. Morley—Serial Entrepreneur, Engineer, Marketing Specialist, Video Producer, Podcast Host, Coach, Graduate Student, and passionate lifelong learner. My mission is to help you unlock your full potential, build a legendary life, and empower others through everyday habits and actionable strategies. On this show, we’ll explore how emotional flexibility turns tough times into triumphs, inspiring personal and professional growth.

Unleash Legendary You: Everyday Habits for Peak Living (S4) S45

1️⃣ Building a legendary life is all about forming small, consistent habits that compound over time. Each day, your choices act as stepping stones toward realizing your highest potential and living a life that resonates with meaning and purpose.

Emotional Flexibility: Turning Tough Times Into Triumphs (S4) S45:E2

1️⃣ Feel your feelings fully—don’t bottle up pain. Allow yourself to process emotions naturally, giving space for healing and inner clarity rather than letting pain fester beneath the surface.

2️⃣ Journaling turns emotions into clarity. Writing your thoughts daily helps transform confusion into insight, giving you a clear understanding of your innermost feelings and helping you chart a positive course forward.

3️⃣ Emotionally flexible people fail forward faster. Every setback is an opportunity to adapt, grow, and come back stronger. Moving through failure with flexibility accelerates your journey toward success.

4️⃣ Embrace uncertainty—it’s a sign you’re growing. When life gets unpredictable, you’re stepping outside your comfort zone and fostering new skills, new perspectives, and new confidence.

5️⃣ Laughter breaks the heaviest emotional grip. Even in tough times, laughter can lighten your spirit, ease tension, and restore a sense of balance and hope.

6️⃣ Emotional intelligence is learned, not gifted. Anyone can increase their emotional awareness—practice makes progress. Experiences teach you how to navigate emotions effectively.

7️⃣ Don’t avoid discomfort; it’s your growth signal. Discomfort means change is happening. Lean in, knowing you’re becoming a more adaptable and resilient person.

8️⃣ Name your emotions to diffuse their power. When you give your feelings a name, you strip them of their control and gain greater command over how you respond.

9️⃣ Track moods and find hidden patterns. Monitoring your emotions over time helps uncover trends and triggers, empowering you to make positive changes.

🔟 Practice mindfulness to stay grounded. Being present lets you observe your emotions with clarity and respond thoughtfully, rather than react impulsively.

1️⃣1️⃣ Your story changes as your emotional lens shifts. Reframing how you interpret and respond to experiences creates a more optimistic, resilient narrative in your life.

1️⃣2️⃣ Vulnerability creates emotional resilience. Sharing your real struggles and feelings fosters deep strength, understanding, and authentic connection.

1️⃣3️⃣ Reframe negative thoughts into empowering questions. Shift “Why me?” to “What can I learn from this?” and open new paths to personal growth.

1️⃣4️⃣ Take emotional breaks to recharge wisely. Pause and step back when needed—rest transforms overwhelm into new energy and focus.

1️⃣5️⃣ Connect with others for emotional strength. Relationships provide support, encouragement, and shared wisdom that enhance your resilience.

1️⃣6️⃣ Resentment steals energy; forgiveness reclaims it. Letting go of lingering hurts restores your emotional vitality and frees you to move forward powerfully.

1️⃣7️⃣ Empathy expands emotional bandwidth. Understanding others’ perspectives increases your own emotional flexibility and creates stronger, more supportive relationships.

1️⃣8️⃣ Use challenges as emotional boot camps. Every obstacle is a training ground for growth, perseverance, and emotional mastery.

1️⃣9️⃣ Breathing exercises calm stormy emotions fast. Slow, deep breaths can instantly shift emotional states, bringing peace amidst chaos.

2️⃣0️⃣ Emotional practice sharpens social skills. The more you work on your emotions, the better you communicate, connect, and collaborate.

2️⃣1️⃣ Change your environment, change your mood. Shifting your surroundings can provide a fresh perspective and boost emotional well-being.

2️⃣2️⃣ Emotional pain is temporary growth. Difficult feelings don’t last forever; after each emotional storm comes newfound strength and wisdom.

2️⃣3️⃣ Celebrate progress in emotional control. Every small win counts—acknowledge successful moments in self-regulation to build momentum.

2️⃣4️⃣ Ask, “What lesson is this?” in hard moments. Every setback hides a valuable lesson. Turn pain into purpose by asking what you can learn.

2️⃣5️⃣ Bad feelings reveal what matters most to you. Negative emotions point you toward your deepest values and priorities.

Episode Transcript

(00:23):
Well, hey guys, it is John C.
Morley here, entrepreneur.
If you're wondering, those of you that are
watching me, I actually have this purple jacket
on, which actually says New York City Marathon.
I'm actually one of the volunteers on security.
I've been doing this for like five years,
so just came back and that's why I'm

(00:44):
a little late getting this show out with
you guys, but always promise to get it
out before I go to sleep.
So it's great to be with you.
It is November 2nd and we are in
the second, basically, episode of Show 45.
The granular topic we'll get to in just

(01:06):
a minute, but let me give you what
the master topic is for the week, in
case you're wondering.
The master topic is, of course, another great
topic, which I'm sure you guys are gonna
really appreciate and hopefully hone in on, and
that is everyday wisdom on doing what's right.
And today's granular topic, again, is a good

(01:31):
granular topic, and that granular topic is this.
You ready for that?
Ready, guys?
Emotional flexibility, turning tough times into triumphs.
If you're new here, I want to take
the opportunity to say thank you and welcome.
If you're coming back, I want to say
thank you and, of course, welcome back.
I always appreciate people that come back to
my show and really do appreciate the content

(01:51):
that I put out there.
That means so much to me, so thank
you very much.
And you can always check out BelieveMeAchieved.com
right after the show.
Again, you want to definitely watch the show,
but you can get my short-form content,
my long-form content, and you can do
that a little bit later.
I have in front of me my, well,
my usual healthy drink, if you guys can
see it.

(02:11):
Basically, it's two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses melted
in the instant hot water that I have
from boiling tea, and then my teabag in
there.
Metal straw so it doesn't stain my teeth.
All right, guys, so let's kick this show
off, all right?
So again, I am John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur.

(02:33):
I'm an engineer.
I'm a marketing specialist, video producer, of course,
a host, coach, graduate student, and you know,
a passionate lifelong learner.
My mission is to help you unlock your
full potential in life and build a legendary
life and empower others through everyday habits and

(02:54):
actionable strategies.
On this particular episode of the show, I'm
going to explore how emotional flexibility turns tough
times into triumphs, inspiring personal and professional growth.
Unleash legendary.

(03:14):
You.
Everyday Habits for Peak Living, series four, show
45, episode number two.
Are you ready for point one?
Sure you are.
Number one, building a legendary life is all
about forming small, consistent habits that compound over
time.
Each day, your choices act as stepping stones

(03:37):
toward realizing your highest potential and living a
life that resonates with meaning and purpose.
Emotional flexibility, turning tough times, guys, into triumphs.
That's important, guys.
You know, feeling your feelings fully.

(03:57):
Don't bottle up pain.
Allow yourself to process emotions naturally and giving
space for healing and inner clarity rather than
letting pain fester beneath the surface.
Number two, guys, journaling turns emotions into clarity.
Writing your thoughts daily helps transform confusion into

(04:21):
insight, giving you a clear understanding of your
innermost feelings and helping you chart a positive
course forward.
Let me have a little more of my
delicious warm beverage.
Really good, guys.
Really, really good.
Delicious.
Number three, guys, emotionally flexible people fail forward

(04:45):
faster.
Every setback is an opportunity to adapt, grow
and come back even stronger than before.
Moving through failure with flexibility accelerates your journey
toward, well, real success.
So why not start doing that?
Number four, guys, embrace uncertainty.

(05:06):
It's a sign that you're growing.
When life gets unpredictable, you're stepping outside your
comfort zone and fostering new skills, new perspectives
and new confidence.
And we all know, ladies and gentlemen, that
our life thrives when we're in the uncomfortable

(05:27):
zone, right?
I have told you success doesn't happen when
we're comfortable.
We have to get a little bit uncomfortable,
not in pain, but a little bit uncomfortable.
Number five, guys, laughter breaks the heaviest emotional
grip.
Even in tough times, laughter can lighten your
spirit, ease tension and restore a sense of

(05:48):
true balance and hope.
Number six, guys, emotional intelligence.
It's learned.
You're not born with it.
It's not gifted.
Anyone can increase their emotional awareness.
Practice makes progress.

(06:08):
Experiences teach you how to navigate emotions effectively.
Number seven, guys, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't,
don't don't avoid discomfort, right?
That's where the success, that's where the magic
lies.
It's your growth signal, guys.
You're onto something big.

(06:29):
You're about to make a breakthrough.
Discomfort means change is happening.
Lean in knowing you're becoming a more adaptable
and resilient person.
That's a pretty cool thing.
When we first experience, uh, being resilient, it's
like, Oh my gosh, what am I going
to do?
Like, this isn't comfortable.

(06:49):
Like, it's not, you know, like if you
ever practice writing with the non dominant hand,
like, Oh my gosh, I can never write
like this.
Right.
But we get comfortable with it.
And as we get comfortable with it, then
we have to know that we can't be
complacent.
I think that's an important thing.
So as we understand our life and we
know that success does not happen where we're

(07:10):
comfortable, it happens where we're uncomfortable.
And I think that's something that a lot
of people, I don't know, they don't want
to talk about, but that's the truth guys.
It absolutely is the truth.
Number eight, name your emotions to diffuse their
power.
Name your emotions to diffuse their power.

(07:30):
When you give your feelings a name, you
strip them of their control and gain greater
command over how you respond.
That's our guys.
I said, how you respond.
Number nine guys track moods and find hidden

(07:51):
gems.
The patterns monitoring your emotions over time helps
uncover trends and triggers empowering you to make
positive changes in your life.
So what are you waiting for guys?
Embrace the uncomfortable right now, because the sooner
you decide to do that, the sooner you're

(08:14):
going to have a breakthrough.
The sooner you will hit success.
Number 10 guys, practice mindfulness to stay grounded
in your life.
Being present lets you observe your emotions with
clarity and respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.
I think that's something a lot of people

(08:35):
don't understand is that we have to embrace
things like the messy middle.
We learned that from Jen Drummond not too
long ago from her book, right?
So we have to embrace those things.
Number 11, your story changes as your emotional
lens shifts.
Hmm.
So reframing how you interpret and respond to

(08:57):
experiences creates a more optimistic view, resilient narrative
in your life.
But again, some people get scared because they
think that if they do this, the life
is going to be something that they're not

(09:18):
going to like, or that they're not going
to be able to handle.
Don't worry about those things.
Number 12 guys, vulnerability.
Vulnerability creates emotional resilience.
It sure does.
Sharing your real struggles and feelings fosters deep

(09:41):
strength, understanding and authentic connection.
So this goes back to what I said
a few days ago about choosing to be
aware of something.
And when we are aware of something, when
we are in the moment, like right now
I have this, you know, this, this lightweight
jacket on me, I can feel the texture

(10:02):
of it against my skin, my arms.
I can notice how it feels against my
body, right?
Texture, awareness, right?
Just noticing things, not only how it feels,
but how it looks.
Maybe even how it sounds if I'm moving
around, has a certain ruffleness to it.

(10:22):
Right?
Number 13 guys, reframe negative thoughts into empowering
questions.
Shift.
Why me?
To what can I learn from this or
this experience?
And open new paths to personal growth.

(10:43):
Many people out there don't get successful because
they're always saying, well, why me?
Why this happened to me?
And they never look at the lesson.
Number 14, take emotional breaks to recharge wisely.
Pause and step back when needed.
Rest transforms overwhelmingness into new energy and of

(11:08):
course, a new focus.
But I think sometimes people are on edge
and they don't give themselves a chance to
embrace what's going on in their life.
They don't think about like the subtleties.

(11:28):
They really don't.
Like having this hot cup of tea with
the blackstrap molasses.
I can detect the warmth from it.
I can detect a little sweetness.
I can detect the tea and it's got
a nice flavor to it.
Even the warmth against my lips and tongue,

(11:49):
you know, sucking on the metal straw.
These are important things.
You might say, John, what does that matter?
Well, plenty.
When I can be aware of the sound
of the, you know, this against the mug
and be aware of not only the sense,

(12:11):
but how it feels going down my throat.
That whole awareness is like so, so powerful.
But the reason people do it is because,
well, they're in a hurry.
They think everything has to be done like
now.
The truth of the matter is when you
do, you know, this immediate gratification, you might

(12:32):
get something, but then you're going to miss
the whole premise.
You're going to blow by without really fully
understanding and learning the lesson.
I think that's a key point that I
want to bring out.
Number 15, guys, connect with others for true
emotional strength.
Relationships provide support, encouragement, and shared wisdom that

(12:58):
enhance your resilience.
That's more of the moment, isn't it?
More of being aware of things you hear,
see, touch, taste, feel.
That's powerful.
Number 16, resentment steals your energy.

(13:20):
Don't do it.
Forgiveness reclaims the energy.
Letting go of lingering hurts restores your emotional
vitality and frees you to move forward powerfully,
thus restoring your equilibrium, putting you back on
balance.
I think these are key things that sometimes
we skip past because we feel we don't

(13:44):
have time to embrace the moment, but I'm
here to tell you you have to embrace
the moment.
Number 17, guys, empathy.
Empathy, empathy, empathy.
Empathy expands emotional bandwidth.
Understanding others' perspectives increases your own emotional flexibility,

(14:10):
and it creates stronger, more supportive relationships.
So, you mean by me being aware, by
me just noticing things around me, yes, you
sharpen your brain, you sharpen your RAS, your
reticular activating system.

(14:30):
You sharpen that.
I think that's pretty powerful when we can
learn how to hone in on our reticular
acting system.
Number 18, use challenges as emotional boot camps.
Every obstacle in your life is nothing more

(14:50):
than a training ground for growth, perseverance, and
emotional mastery.
If you thought about that next time when
you hit one of these situations, maybe you'd
approach it differently.
Maybe you wouldn't be so defensive and say,

(15:12):
well, why me?
Why always me?
Instead of saying, gee, what lesson can I
learn from this?
How can I get better at this?
Number 19, guys, breathing exercises.
I've talked about this calm, stormy.
Emotions, fast, slow, deep breaths and instantly shift

(15:33):
your emotional states, bringing you peace amid chaos
and allowing you to be more in tune
with the world around you.
Again, when I say be in tune, I'm
talking about things you see, things you hear,
touch, taste, smell.

(15:55):
Those are powerful things, guys.
Very, very powerful things.
But when we're blowing through life so quickly,
we miss the nuances.
We miss the attention to detail.
But as we get better, as we practice
more, we find that the detail just becomes

(16:16):
second nature to us.
Number 20, guys, emotional practice sharpens social skills.
The more you work on your emotions, the
better you communicate, connect and collaborate with others.

(16:43):
Number 21, guys, change your environment, change your
mood and shifting your surroundings can provide a
fresh perspective and boost emotional well-being.
Yeah.

(17:05):
Know that any pain that you experience or
discomfort, it's temporary and growth is upon you.
Difficult feelings don't last forever.
Just like every dip in a roller coaster
doesn't last long.
You eventually come back up.
After each emotional storm comes newfound strength and

(17:31):
wisdom.
So that next time when the situation arises,
well, you don't go so low.
You don't hit it.
You've learned the lesson.
Number 23, guys, celebrate progress in emotional control.

(17:53):
Every small win counts.
Acknowledge successful moments in self-regulation to build
momentum.
And we can build momentum by being aware
of everything around us right now.

(18:18):
You can be aware of things when you're
driving, more so than just the road.
You can just be aware of different things.
You'll notice that your peripheral perceptions actually get
strengthened.
Some people just go their whole lives and
they never really appreciate more than, let's say,

(18:39):
the cover of a magazine or an envelope.
They never get inside.
That's important.
That's really, really important, guys.
Number 24, ask what lesson is this?
In hard moments, every setback hides a valuable

(19:04):
lesson.
Turn pain into purpose by asking what you
can learn.
I think if we can ask what we
can learn, our minds are already trying to
figure out how to assimilate things so that
we can gain some knowledgeable nuggets.
That's important, guys.

(19:26):
Bad feelings reveal what matters.
Bad feelings reveal what matters.
Time for another sip of this wonderful beverage.
Really good.
Bad feelings reveal what matters.

(19:49):
And you know what matters most?
What's important to you.
Negative emotions will point you toward your deepest
values and your priorities.
Not someone else's, your priorities.
You're stronger than your strongest emotion, 26.

(20:10):
Remember that no matter how intense your feelings
are, your underlying strength is always greater.
Always greater.
Number 27, guys.
Accept emotions, but don't become them.
Learn to detach from them.

(20:30):
Emotions deserve acknowledgement, but don't let them define
your day or shape your character or your
identity.
Too many people think that, oh my gosh,
I have to become this.
No, you don't.
When you detach from something, it has very
little influence or control on you.

(20:51):
I think that's important to understand.
Number 28, emotional agility cuts stress in half.
Therefore, flexibility in handling feelings makes for things
to be easier, more adaptive, and easier living
for us.

(21:12):
Easier living.
Our life is meant to go with the
ebbs and the flows from our breaths to
anything we do.
When we start to realize that we have
to take a break on the pauses, which
is between the breaths, between the heartbeats, our

(21:38):
life can shift from this abyss to amazing
discoveries.
Amazing discoveries.
Number 29, daily affirmations balance emotion and logic.

(21:58):
Self-affirming statements keep you grounded, confident, and
clear headed.
Saying them once, guys, isn't going to do
squat for you.
You've got to say them and you've got
to believe them.
And if you can visualize them even better,
guys, even better.
Number 30, our last point for today, emotional

(22:22):
pain or discomfort builds the strongest character.
Each challenge forges deeper resilience.
The struggles that you face today shape legendary
character for you tomorrow.

(22:46):
That's pretty priceless.
That's pretty awesome advice if you ask me.
So each practice that you do fuels daily
growth.
It ignites sparks of powerful conversations and reminds

(23:07):
you that the smallest choices shape your biggest
victories.
The smallest choices shape our biggest victories.
That's something you can't just say.
It's something you've got to experience in your
life.

(23:31):
Emotional flexibility.
When I say those words to you, emotional
flexibility, you're probably like, what the heck is
that?
Turning tough times into triumphs.
What we seem to be experiencing, even though
it may be a negative emotion, can be
turned around so we can learn what the

(23:54):
lesson is.
So we don't go through that heartache, that
pain, that discomfort.
Right?
Maybe you've had friends of yours that have
done things and maybe you don't trust them
anymore because you know they've done that to
you.
You have a duty to respect your body,
your mind, and your heart.

(24:15):
And if somebody is putting you in a
situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, that's not
the uncomfortable that's going to push you to
success.
This is the uncomfortable that's going to hurt
you.
So let's recognize the difference.
All right?
Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know who
I am, I am John Seymourley, serial entrepreneur.

(24:37):
You know, it's always such a privilege, a
pleasure, and an honor to be with you
not only here on Inspirations for Your Life,
but all of the shows and all of
the content that I've put together.
Because to me, I love that I can
share nuggets with you.
And those nuggets can help you become a
better person day by day.

(24:58):
Pretty powerful, guys.
So I do invite you to connect with
me.
And you can go to the site I
gave you, which is BelieveMeAchieve.com.
Inspirations for Your Life is a daily show.
I have other shows that are weekly and

(25:19):
I put reels out daily.
Remember that if you can just take a
nugget or two of mine every day, it's
kind of like getting your, well, food for
the brain.
The brain loves to learn.
And if we can show our brain that

(25:42):
there's a way we can learn, it's going
to be very interested in, let's say, helping
that become a reality.
So I invite you to tune in for
expert advice.
And of course, ladies and gentlemen, practical steps

(26:03):
to create your legendary life.
Now, remember, guys, it's not a magic bullet.
I want to be very clear with you
on that.
I give you tips and techniques.
I don't want to call them tricks.
I want to call it techniques.
Because if you practice the technique, you will
get better at it.
And if you get better at it, well,

(26:24):
you can own it.
And then you can become successful.
Why should you tune into my podcast all
the time or my shows?
Because I'm here to elevate your life.
We said before that your altitude is only
determined by your attitude.
So make sure you have a good one.

(26:46):
I want you to tune in daily because
I want you to get the highest amount
of podcast wisdom.
Now, if you miss something, you can always
go back to BelieveMeAchieved.com and you can,
yes, replay.
I want you to learn from my inspirational

(27:06):
stories.
I want you to learn how to tell
your own inspirational stories.
I also want you to become knowledgeable and
better in leadership success.
So again, these are not overnight things.

(27:28):
These are, let's say, a long-term plan.
So I invite you guys for more information
to visit BelieveMeAchieved.com and watch or listen
to the Inspirations for Your Life podcast and
lots of the other content.
Like I said, there's short-form content.

(27:48):
There's long-form content.
My podcasts are on there.
You can get replays and so much more.
I hope you guys have a great day
or a great evening.
And I'll catch you guys in another show
or another one of my content real soon.
Be well, everyone.