Prepare On Purpose”: Clear The Runway For Change (S4) S50:E2

This is John C. Morley—Serial Entrepreneur, Engineer, Marketing Specialist, Video Producer, Podcast Host, Coach, Graduate Student, and passionate lifelong learner—and you’re tuned in to the Inspirations for Your Life Show, the daily motivational show that helps you think differently, act intentionally, and build a life you’re proud to wake up to. Tonight we’re kicking off a brand‑new series, “Reset Week: Second Chances, Fresh Starts, and Daily Do‑Overs” (S4) S50, and in this episode—“Prepare On Purpose: Clear The Runway For Change” (S50 E1)—you and are going to stop hoping next week is better and actually design it to be better, one intentional move at a time.​​

1️⃣ Look at your coming week and circle the one day that usually gets away from you. Everyone has that one day—maybe it’s Monday chaos, Wednesday burnout, or Friday drift—where the clock speeds up and your priorities disappear. Instead of pretending every day is equal, be honest and circle the troublemaker on your calendar so you can plan around it instead of getting ambushed by it again.

2️⃣ Decide one thing you’ll remove from that day to create breathing room. You don’t fix an overloaded day by squeezing more into it; you fix it by removing something. Pick one task, one meeting, or one commitment you can cancel, reschedule, or delegate from that “runaway” day to create real breathing room for what actually matters.

3️⃣ Choose one main outcome you want from this week (not 10, just one). Clarity beats a crowded to‑do list. Instead of ten competing priorities, pick one main outcome that, if achieved by next Sunday, would make you honestly say, “This week counted.” That single focus becomes your internal compass when distractions show up.

4️⃣ Write it in one clear sentence: “By next Sunday, I want to have ___.” Don’t keep it vague; name it out loud and on paper. Write a simple sentence that starts with, “By next Sunday, I want to have ___,” and fill in something specific enough that you’ll know, without debate, whether you hit it or not.

5️⃣ List three tiny steps that move you toward that outcome. Big outcomes are built on small, repeatable actions. Break your main goal into three tiny, doable steps—things you can complete in 10–20 minutes each—so your brain stops seeing it as a mountain and starts seeing it as a staircase.

6️⃣ Assign each of those three steps to a specific day and time. A step without a slot is just a wish. Take those three small steps and book each one into your calendar with a day and a time, like an appointment with your future results, so “someday” becomes “Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.”

7️⃣ Pick one “non‑negotiable” for the week (sleep, water, movement, reading, etc.). Your life doesn’t change on achievement alone; it changes on how you take care of the person doing the work—you. Choose one non‑negotiable health or growth habit for the week—better sleep, more water, daily movement, reading—and commit to guarding it.

8️⃣ Block a time on your calendar for that non‑negotiable and treat it like an appointment. Your non‑negotiable only counts if it lives on your calendar. Put it in with a start and end time and honor it the same way you’d honor a client meeting or a class—no apologies, no guilt, just respect for your own energy.

9️⃣ Look at your to‑do list and mark one item that is pure people‑pleasing with no real payoff. Scan your list for the thing you’re only doing so someone else won’t be annoyed—even though it doesn’t move your goals, your health, or your happiness forward. That’s your people‑pleasing task, and it’s quietly taxing your energy.

🔟 Cross it off or delegate it—on purpose. Give yourself permission to stop performing tasks that don’t serve a real purpose. Either cross that item off completely or hand it to someone else, and say out loud, “I’m not building my life around guilt anymore.”

1️⃣1️⃣ Choose one area where you know you’ll be tempted to procrastinate. You already know your weak spots: the email you’ll avoid, the project you’ll push, the call you don’t want to make. Name one specific area where future you is likely to stall so you can plan to meet that resistance instead of being surprised by it.

1️⃣2️⃣ Prepare a 10‑minute “first slice” you can do before you think yourself out of it. Procrastination loves big, vague tasks. Pre‑decide a 10‑minute starter action—a “first slice” like opening the document, drafting the email subject, or setting up the workspace—so you can start moving before your mind talks you out of it.

1️⃣3️⃣ Lay out something physical for tomorrow that makes it easier to start (clothes, gear, notebook). Make tomorrow’s success visible tonight. Lay out workout clothes, your laptop in the right spot, a pre‑opened notebook, or your packed bag, so when you wake up you don’t have to hunt, debate, or negotiate with yourself—you just step into action.

1️⃣4️⃣ Pre‑decide what time you’ll go to bed tonight so tomo

Episode Transcript

(00:24):
Well, hey, everyone, and happy Sunday.
It's great to be with everybody.
I hope you're having a fantastic weekend.
If you're watching me live here on Sunday,
if it's your first time watching me, well,
I'd like to say thank you and welcome
to the show, Inspirations for Your Life.
If you've been here before or you're coming
back a couple times or many times, well,
welcome back.

(00:44):
Thank you so much for rejoining the show
and making Inspirations for Your Life a daily
part of your life.
All right, guys, so we have a good
topic issue this week.
This is reset week.
We'll get into the granular in just a
minute or so.
Don't forget to check out BelieveMeAchieved.com.
That is right after the show.
You can do that 24 hours a day

(01:05):
for my short-form content, my long-form
content, articles, and much more.
So go check that out after the show.
If you're thirsty, feel free to go get
yourself something like an RO water, a snack,
fruit, beverage, cookies.
Whether this is healthy or not, that's totally
up to you.
Without any further ado, guys, let's kick this
show off, all right?
I know you are definitely probably waiting for

(01:27):
this.
So there's a lot that we need to
understand.
And I think a lot of times people,
when we hear about things and they don't
go the way we want, I think that
happens because of an impression that we have.

(01:48):
And so I want to tell you that
your vision, okay, your belief creates your reality.
I don't know if you guys know that
or not, but it creates your reality.
And that is very, very important to understand.
So ladies and gentlemen, when your week keeps

(02:09):
happening to you.
The fix is to prepare on purpose.
In today's Inspirations for Your Life show, I'm
kicking off reset week again.
Second chances, fresh starts, and daily do-overs
with prepare on purpose.
Clear the runway for change.

(02:31):
Series four, show 50, and yes, this is
episode number two.
And 30 ways and decisions we can pop
into real momentum, hosted by myself, John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
podcast host, coach, graduate student, and a passionate

(02:53):
lifelong learner.
This daily motivational show and the episodes here
are inspired to help you build a week
that works for you, not against you.
So 30 quick moves we cover in this
episode that I think you're not going to
want to miss.
Number one, circle the one day that always

(03:15):
gets away from you.
Is that something you always forget to do?
Maybe it's the fact that you forget to
say thank you.
And yeah, that's something we have to think
about.
The fact that people don't say thank you.
The fact that people become so complacent.

(03:37):
And I don't want to use the word
rude, but it's like everything has to be
a fire for them when they need it.
But then, you know, when they don't need
you, it's like, oh, well, we're all good.
So I think that's something worth exploring, guys.
And number two, remove one thing from that

(03:59):
day to create space.
It could be removing a commitment you have.
It could be removing a feeling or a
belief.
And these feelings and these beliefs actually will
propel us forward to become better versions of

(04:20):
ourselves if we get a hold of our
feelings, if we know what they're truly about.
Number three, guys, pick one main outcome for
this week.
Okay?
It could be that you want to lose
weight.
It could be that you want to learn
something.
It could be that you're not going to

(04:41):
let anybody at the office aggravate you, that
you're going to take every challenge you hit
this week and figure out how you can
turn it into, yeah, lemonade.
When we get lemons, we make lemonade.
And I think that's something that's very apropos
here is that we can make lemonade out
of everything, but we have to have the

(05:02):
belief that we can make lemonade out of
anything.
Number four, guys, write by next Sunday, stay
Sunday, I want to have blank.
By next Sunday, I want to have a
relationship.
By next Sunday, I want to have whatever

(05:22):
it is and state what it is.
And by you using words, guys, this actually
empowers us to cause our mind to look
deeper.
I think that's a very important thing to
realize.
Think about what you want to have and

(05:44):
state it.
By next Sunday, I have blank.
You don't need to share it with anybody
else.
You can just keep it to yourself.
But that commitment inside your mind is going
to change something.
It's going to change how you react.
It's going to change how you see things
in the world.
Because before, your blinders were on and you
were missing opportunities.

(06:05):
Number five, list three tiny steps toward that
outcome.
Maybe you want to lose weight.
First thing might be that you're going to
log your calories in something like MyFitnessPal.
Maybe you're going to get up early every
morning and you're going to start doing exercises.
Maybe you're going to learn how to portion
control.

(06:25):
When you go out and you see those
big cakes, you just need a little piece
of that cake.
You don't eat the whole cake, right?
And you can take the rest of the
cake home.
So those are important things to understand is
that portion controlling is not punishment.
It allows us to have a more fulfilling
and better life.
One where we're not bloated all the time,

(06:48):
right?
Having one little piece of cake is a
lot better than having the whole, well, plate
of cake, in arguing's sake there.
Number six, assign each step a day and
time.
And when you assign this, you can even

(07:08):
write it down on a piece of paper
or log it electronically.
Choose one non-negotiable habit.
What are they?
Sleep, water, movement, reading.
You get the point?
No procrastination.
You see, procrastination does not like movement.

(07:29):
So if you want to get rid of
procrastination, then move consistently.
Not like move five feet today and move
a foot tomorrow.
Pick what you can move.
Maybe it's just one foot.
Maybe it's just five minutes.
Whatever that measure is, do that every single
day.
Don't do any less.
Don't do any more.
Just do that consistently.
That's important, guys.

(07:52):
Number eight, block that habit on your calendar
like an appointment.
I've told people a long time ago, you
know, if you're not on my calendar, it's
not happening.
It's not happening.
So that's an important thing to realize.

(08:15):
It's got to be on the calendar.
It's got to be on your calendar.
And if it's not, then it doesn't exist.
Pretty wild, right?
And I think the more you live that
mentality that it's not on my calendar, well,

(08:36):
therefore, it's not happening.
Does that give you some sense of control?
Sure, it does.
If you use an online scheduling system, you
could still block out what you don't want
to be filled.
You can even set how many appointments the
system will show per day.

(08:58):
Even if you have more, it'll just show
a couple.
Pretty powerful.
Mark one pure people-pleasing task on your
list.
So this is a great question, guys.
What is a people-pleasing task?

(09:22):
Hmm, it's different for a lot of people,
right?
It's anything you do mainly so someone else
won't be upset, disappointed, or think badly of
you.
Not because it truly matters or aligns with
your priorities.
So let me give you an example.
So the other day, I was dealing with

(09:44):
some manufacturers that had a, unfortunately, they had
a bad product.
And they've been around for many, many years,
but they had a bad product.
It was actually causing some potential damage, or
could be.
It didn't, but it could.
And so when you get that, all right,

(10:06):
when you understand how that works, people-pleasing,
I did what I needed to do to
keep the customer happy.
Was that the best thing for my profit
or bottom line?
No, it wasn't.
But was it the best thing I should
do?
Yes, because when you do that, next time,

(10:28):
guess what?
You're on the end where they owe you.
It's always good to be on the end
where people owe you.
Number 10, guys, cross it off or delete
it on purpose.
When I have my paper list and I
cross off things, it feels so good to

(10:50):
cross off things on my list.
It's like natural adrenaline and push that comes.
Number 11, guys, name one area you're likely
to procrastinate on.
Now, maybe you're saying, John, I don't procrastinate.
OK, you just stop doing things in the

(11:14):
middle or don't complete things, but you don't
procrastinate.
We can call it whatever you want to
call it.
You're just not moving forward continuously.
So when procrastination rears its head, success takes
a backseat for a while.

(11:37):
Success is tandem with momentum.
Procrastination hates momentum.
Number 12, guys, define a 10-minute first
slice to start it.

(11:57):
A first slice, maybe this is like a
ritual that you do every day.
And it's something that gets you in the
mood to keep moving.
It actually is the primer.
We've talked about pumps before.
And so we've said that when the pump

(12:17):
goes on, it needs to have liquid in
it.
Let's say it's a water pump, like for
a pool.
Now, most pool companies, what they do is
they try to put the pool a little
bit higher so the pump will be lower.
This way, gravity will pull the water down.
You don't have to worry about priming the
pump.
If the pump is level to the pool
or higher than the pool, now the pump's

(12:38):
got to be primed and the pump's got
to work harder to pull the gallons of
water through itself and pushing it back out.
Now, pushing it back out uses, obviously, a
motor, right?
And the motor pushes it out to the
pool.
But when the pool is higher, there's

(13:06):
the gravity that'll push it right down.
If the pool was equal, it wouldn't do
anything.
If the pool was lower, it wouldn't really
get that much.
By it being higher, the water's going to
come into the pump by gravity.
But we're going to need to use more
energy to push the water out of the
pump and into the pool, which is like

(13:28):
peanuts.
It's nothing, right?
When you have a pump on there, there's
nothing for that.
Number 13, lay out something physical tonight that
makes tomorrow easier.
We've said if you can take a task
off your brain's decision plate, tonight, today, this
week, this month, you'll find that you have

(13:49):
more time to do the things you didn't
think you did.
Number 14, decide what time you will go
to bed tonight.
So you might say, John, why is that
a big deal?
It's a big deal because if your brain
knows that you're going to shut down around

(14:09):
a certain time, you start doing the shutdown
sequence, right?
Usually a half hour or maybe an hour
before you go to sleep.
Number 15, pick one distraction to limit this
week.
Is it doom scrolling?

(14:31):
Is it interruptions for people?
Is it the, well, you know, I have
to do that.
No, you don't.
Don't let guilt imprison you because when it
does, it robs your energy.

(14:52):
And you know what?
No one really cares.
So let me give an example.
I was working with somebody.
And of course, they said, you know, we
always thank you for everything you do for
us.
But when the person needed me like now,
and I rearranged my schedule to try to

(15:12):
make that happen.
And then they said, oh, we don't need
you.
You know what I'm going to do next
time?
Next time I'm going to be like, I'm
busy.
I understand you get Monday.
As soon as I can get to you
is Tuesday.
I'm sorry.
That's just as soon as I can get
to you.
Well, you know, John, I have to have
it done.
I'm sorry.

(15:33):
That's the soonest I can get to you.
That's it.
Don't apologize.
Just that's my first availability.
And stick to your guns.
Once somebody plays me once, I don't want
to use the word abuses, but kind of
like expects that I'm going to be there.

(15:53):
And then they decide they don't need me.
Well, I don't show up to be there
for them at that special time anymore.
I put the schedule on my time.
Number 16, guys, give that distraction a small
daily time window.
You know, you're going to have distractions in
your life.
This is a, this is a inevitable, but

(16:16):
pick a time when these distractions should actually
happen.
So they don't impact the rest of your
success in your life.
And you might say, John, I don't know
anything about this.
I'm telling you right now, if you can
figure out a way to mitigate, okay, distractions,
you're going to find that your life is

(16:36):
going to flow easier.
If we could find a way for that
water to get from the pool to the
pump quicker, we're going to use less energy
to bring the water down to the pump.
Yes, we have to use some energy to
pump it back up, but we're going to
basically use like no energy, just gravity.

(16:56):
That's pretty powerful guys.
Number 17, choose one person, just one person
you'll ask for support or accountability.
If this person says no to you, which
it could happen, don't ask them again.

(17:18):
Well, John, why would you do that?
Because if that person is too high and
mighty to be able to want to assist
or help you and your friends, I think
you need to examine your priorities.
And it's not my job to examine why
that person is being the way they are,

(17:39):
but it's my job to decide that I
want to hang around them or not.
See, many people feel that, you know, they
got to stick in the relationship.
They've got to be the way it is
because, well, there's no other choice or there's
nothing better.
Of course, if you tell yourself that every
day, of course, you're going to believe that.
I'm here to tell you that that is
a fallacy.
That is wrong.

(18:01):
Number 18, send, I'm working on blank.
Can I check in with you later?
Friday, whatever.
I do that a lot with some people.
I'll say, hey, you know, I'm with a
client right now.
I can call you back in an hour.

(18:21):
People that want everything like at the second,
okay, don't seem to have the courtesy and
respect when they don't need you.
So for example, this one person that needed
me didn't bother to tell me that everything
was okay until I reached out the next

(18:42):
day.
If they had it resolved, do you think
they could have been a little courteous and,
hey, John, we got it resolved?
No, because it wasn't a priority for them
to tell me that they didn't need me
at the moment.
That's called, I've got things that are higher
priorities than you and letting you know, well,

(19:03):
you know, that's just not like top of
mind, but it should be, right?
I was the one that made the decision
of the choice to actually get them what
they need, the help they need.
Number 19, remove one thing that always clutters
your workspace.

(19:25):
It could be papers.
It could be your stapler.
It could be folders.
Whatever it is, guys, figure out what that
is.
It could be in your kitchen.
It could be in your car.
When your brain sees that you're removing things,
it suddenly says, you know what?
He's getting serious.
She's getting serious.

(19:47):
Number 20, add one small future you upgrade
to your space.
It could be a new floor mat.
It could be a new blotter for your
desk.
It could be a new treatment for the
window.
It could be a new picture to put

(20:10):
on your desk.
I think those are pretty powerful things.
Number 21, decide right now what done for
the day means on the weeknights.
Done means that you're going to rest on

(20:31):
the weeknights.
Sometimes, like myself, when I'm getting ready to
go away, I'll put a little bit extra
time in because I know that there's not
a lot of time to get things done.
Things are getting crazy.
But realize that when you rearrange yourself for

(20:51):
people and they don't appreciate it, just let
it go.
I made a decision that December 15th, which
is actually a week from tomorrow, we're not
taking any new client projects or jobs for
this year.
We're closing on the 20th.

(21:13):
Somebody will always want more.
But the trick is when somebody opens their
mouth and says X, and then you see
how they respond, and you see that the
most important thing is not you.

(21:34):
It's them.
That's important, guys.
Very important.
It's a miss to overlook a lot of
times.
Number 22, protect one night as a true
recharge night.
Number 23, do the one prep task today
that saves 15 minutes for tomorrow.

(21:57):
What I do is I prepare my day
by writing out my tasks, things I want
to accomplish.
That's important, guys.
Figure out what the non-negotiables are.
If you don't get X done, how is
that going to impact tomorrow or potentially the
week?
Number 24, choose a simple phrase as your

(22:19):
theme for the week.
It could be, I know I can.
I'm getting better at every task each day.
Whatever it is, really believe that.

(22:39):
Well, not just your mind, but every core
of your body.
And when you do that, the rest of
your body checks and says, you know what?
All right.
I'm on board too.
Number 25, put that phrase where you're going
to see it every morning.

(23:00):
It could be something as simple as every
day, I attract more money easily and effortlessly.
That could be it.
What you tell yourself becomes reality.
Now, it's not overnight, but you slowly reprogram
your subconscious.

(23:20):
So now it acts in the domain that
you want it to.
Number 26, pick one small way you'll treat
yourself if you show up each day.
One small way you'll treat yourself.
It could be going to a movie.
It could be maybe buying yourself something.

(23:46):
It could be giving yourself an extra treat,
something that you've wanted.
That could be something you're going to buy
yourself.
And the reason you want to do this
is because when you do this, your body
says, hey, you know what?
You're treating me well.
I'm going to keep performing for you.

(24:08):
Number 27, plan how future you will handle
one tough moment this week.
So future me.
The issue I talked about with this device
and manufacturer basically almost catching on fire.
Future me is going to say, we'll be

(24:33):
happy to take care of the product and
get the manufacturer to replace it.
However, we don't provide repair or reinstallation for
free, even if it is the manufacturer.
If it's our fault, we'll cover it for

(24:53):
90 days.
If it's not our fault, including the manufacturer,
et cetera, we will charge you for that
reinstallation.
That's the biggest thing I learned this week
is don't let people play and manipulate you.
Because you know what?

(25:14):
You got to keep the power.
The way you keep the power is by
not letting them walk over you.
Number 28, tell yourself preparing isn't extra work.
It makes life easier.
I don't care whether it's a test.
I don't care whether it's athletics.
OK.

(25:35):
I don't care whether it's a keynote like
I give.
When you prepare, you set yourself up for
success.
Number 29, spend two minutes, three minutes before
bed, rehearsing tomorrow, going smoothly.

(25:55):
The last point, end the night with, I'm
not waiting for the perfect time.
I'm building it right now.
That was a lot, guys.
Don't forget to check out all my great
tools at BelieveMeAchieve.com.
From where am I amazing?
Of course, inspiring creations.

(26:16):
That's long-form content, short-form content, reels,
articles, and so much more.
Let's reset your week.
Let's inspire you with daily motivation.
Let's enhance your productivity.
Let's change your mindset.
Let's build leadership in you.
And let's start to understand the podcast wisdom

(26:40):
that I'm sharing with you.
All it takes is a few minutes to
realize how you felt this week.
And when you do that, you let the
world know, you let other people know that

(27:02):
you're on to what's going on.
I said something to some people, and I
said, you know, please don't take my kindness
for weakness.
For if you do, I may change the
way I chat with you.
So these are important things, right?
Don't mistake kindness for weakness.
So like I said to you, ladies and

(27:23):
gentlemen, when the week keeps happening to you,
the fix is to prepare on purpose.
Are you ready to start preparing?
If you do, you'll be planning for success.
If you don't, well, you'll be getting ready
for your next failure.
I hope you guys have a fantastic rest

(27:44):
of your day or evening.
Please check out BelieveMeAchieved.com for more of
my amazing inspiring creations.
And let's, ladies and gentlemen, prepare on purpose
and then celebrate the success we've been waiting
for.